REUNION AGAIN
″The world is filled with countless beings — different tribes, different faiths, and countless beliefs. But I was taught to believe in Him — in God.
My parents told me how mighty and powerful He is. They spoke of two great religions that worship Him, saying those who follow them are closest to Him, that they even see Him from time to time.
As a child, I believed every word they said. I loved God. I trusted in Him and worshipped Him. I was eager to know more — more than what my parents had told me. So I began to search for the truth, only to discover that very little of what they said was real. No one truly knew who God was. No one had ever seen Him. Everyone described Him only through what was written in the Scriptures.
When I confronted my parents about their lies, they stood firm. They said everything they told me was true — that if I kept believing, God Himself would appear before me one day. And that was what I held on to.
But then, I discovered something far beyond what they ever imagined. I found out that I did not come from humans at all — I originated from gods. And from that moment, I knew my life would never be normal again.
And now, here I am — kneeling before God Himself.I know it sounds confusing, but to make everything clear… let’s begin with my parents...”
A girl, no more than five years old, was cornered by a group of boys — five in number, all wearing the same school uniform as she did. They surrounded her, teasing and harassing her, their laughter echoing through the hallway.
Then, from behind them, a strange boy appeared out of nowhere. The strange boy said firmly to them, “Let the girl go”.
The boys turned around to see who had spoken and they saw the strange boy. The stranger stood there, his gaze sharp and unshaken. Narrowing his eyes, the leader asked the strange boy, “And who are you?”.
“Let the girl go,” the strange boy repeated, his fist tightening at his side.
“I know who he is. He’s the superhero trying to save her from the villains”, one of the boys said mockingly.
They all laughed. Then the leader stepped forward and sneered, “I suggest you run along to your poor parents — unless you have a death wish.”
The words ignited something in the strange boy. Rage flickered across his face. Without hesitation, he ran toward them.
Before the leader could react, the strange boy’s fist connected with his face, sending him crashing to the ground.
The others quickly kicked the boy away and helped their leader up. The leader clutched his cheek in pain, fury burning in his eyes.
“Get him!” he roared.
And the others rushed at the strange boy.
The strange boy fought with incredible skill. One by one, he knocked all five boys to the ground, leaving them groaning and defeated. However, the battle had taken its toll — he was wounded, his strength waning with every breath.
Summoning his remaining energy, he staggered toward the girl. “Hope you’re okay?” he asked the girl, his voice strained.
“Yes, I am. But I don’t think you are,” the girl replied softly, concern in her eyes.
A small smile flickered across the strange boy’s face. Then, without warning, his legs gave out beneath him, and he fainted.
The strange boy opened his eyes and found himself in a hospital room. He turned toward the door and saw a man and a woman speaking with the doctor. Beside them stood the little girl he had saved.
After finishing their conversation with the doctor, the couple and the girl came toward him.
The man asked gently, “How are you feeling?”
“Better, I guess,” the strange boy replied, his voice still weak.
“We want to thank you for helping our daughter,” the woman said, her eyes full of gratitude.
The man added, “Sorry for our manners. We are her parents. I’m Mr. Martin, and this is my wife, Mrs. Martin. I’m sure you’ve met our daughter.”
The boy tried to stand, wanting to greet them properly, but they quickly told him to stay seated and rest.
A FEW DAYS LATER
The strange boy was discharged from the hospital and taken home by the Martin family. The boy was dumbfounded as he entered their house. He had never seen such a big, beautiful, and welcoming home.
The boy was told to sit down, and he did. Mr. and Mrs. Martin sat together, their daughter nestled between them. Then Mr. Martin said to him, “First, I’d like to know your name. I didn’t get the chance to ask you at the hospital.”
“My name is Adewale,” the boy replied.
“Wow, that’s a nice name. It even sounds a bit like my daughter’s name — her name is Adetutu”, Mrs. Martin said warmly with a smile.
“I noticed at the hospital that no one came to check on you, or even reported that you might be missing. I don’t understand why. Can you shed some light on the matter?”, Mr. Martin said to the boy, concern in his voice.
Adewale looked down for a moment before the words came out, “I don’t have anyone. I’m an orphan. I sleep on the streets wherever I can when night falls.”
“Oh, that’s so sad for a little boy like you. We’re sorry,” Mrs. Martin said gently.
Mr. Martin glanced at his wife and gave her a subtle signal. She understood immediately, and they both stood.
“We’ll be right back, Adewale,” Mr. Martin said, leaving the room with his wife. Adewale and Adetutu were left alone together.
As they entered the kitchen, Mrs. Martin turned to her husband and asked him, “What is it, dear?”.
“I’m thinking we should take Adewale in,” Mr. Martin said quietly.
“No, that’s a bad idea,” Mrs. Martin replied firmly.
“I don’t think it is. He needs help, and we should help him,” Mr. Martin argued.
Mrs. Martin frowned, worried as she said, “We can’t just take a stranger into our home with our daughter. We don’t even know what he’s capable of, or who he truly is.”
“I know we don’t, but I want us to help him. The streets are no place for a child like him. He could end up far worse if we let him go. Let’s care for him like a son. In the process, we’ll be repaying his kindness for saving our daughter”, Mr. Martin said gently.
Mrs. Martin hesitated, but seeing her husband’s determination, she had no choice but to agree.
Mr. and Mrs. Martin returned to the sitting room to find Adewale and their daughter laughing and talking.
When they noticed the couple, Adewale and Adetutu paused, and Mr. and Mrs. Martin sat down, smiling warmly.
Then Mr. Martin said to Adewale, “I don’t know how to repay you, Adewale, for helping our daughter. But if you don’t mind, we would like you to come live here with us”.
“Here? I would love to!” Adewale said, excitement lighting up his face.
“Then you are welcome to the Martin home,” Mr. Martin replied.
“Thank you so much, sir… ma’am. I’m very grateful,” Adewale said, a smile spreading across his face and happiness filling his heart.
“You must be an adult trapped in a little boy’s body if you can be so thankful,” Mrs. Martin teased gently.
Then she added, “But you don’t need to thank us. Adetutu will be lucky and happy to have you around. And besides, you can be an older brother to her — I’m sure you’re older than she is in spirit.”
TWO WEEKS LATER
Adewale’s schooling was well underway, and every piece of equipment he needed had been provided by the Martin family.
Since moving in with the Martins, Adetutu had seemed the happiest person on earth. Her parents had never seen her so joyful, and they thanked God every day for bringing Adewale into their home.
One night, while Adewale and Adetutu were asleep, Mr. and Mrs. Martin were watching a TV program. Suddenly, the channel switched to the news.
The report was about a boy who had run away from an orphanage. A picture of the boy flashed on the screen, along with a phone number to call if he was found.
Mr. and Mrs. Martin froze. The picture on the screen… it was Adewale. They looked at each other in shock, then back at the TV, unable to believe what they were seeing.
Mrs. Martin stared at the picture on the TV screen and asked her husband, “Isn’t that Adewale?”.
“I’m sure we’re not dreaming, right?” Mr. Martin replied, his eyes fixed on the image.
“So he lied to us. He said he slept on the streets, but he actually ran away from the orphanage. I knew it was a bad idea taking him in”, Mrs. Martin said, annoyance creeping into her voice.
“What do we do now?” Mr. Martin asked, worry etched across his face.
“We have no choice but to call the number and return him,” Mrs. Martin said.
She picked up her phone, entered the number displayed on the screen, and dialed.
THE NEXT DAY [MORNING]
The next morning, Adewale and Adetutu — Adetutu dressed in her school uniform — had just finished breakfast. They sat in the living room, watching a movie while waiting for Mr. and Mrs. Martin to arrive.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Adetutu asked immediately, “Who could that be?”.
“I guess we’ll have to find out. I’ll go check,” Adewale said, leaving to answer the door.
When Adewale opened the door, he was shocked to see who stood there — a man and two women from the orphanage. The man called, “Adewale”.
“What are you doing here?” Adewale asked, surprised and uneasy.
At that moment, Mr. and Mrs. Martin entered the living room and saw Adewale standing at the open door. Mrs. Martin approached and saw the visitors on the doorstep. She asked firmly, “Who are you, and what’s going on here?”.
“Good morning, ma’am. We’re from the orphanage. You called us last night”, the man replied.
“Okay, come in,” Mrs. Martin said with a polite smile.
Adewale hesitated, not wanting to let them inside — until Mrs. Martin gently told him it was all alright.
Everyone sat down in the living room. Adewale sat alone, the man and two women from the orphanage sat together, and Adetutu sat with her parents.
The man turned to Mr. and Mrs. Martin, and said to them, “First, I’d like to thank you for taking care of Adewale for the past two weeks. We are deeply grateful for everything you have done for him.”
“You don’t need to. We were just repaying his kindness. We’re also sorry for not contacting you sooner — we only received the message very late”, Mr. Martin replied warmly.
“There isn’t much more to discuss. This is him. You can take him with you”, Mrs. Martin said.
Adetutu and Adewale froze, shocked at her words. Then the man said with a smile to Mr. and Mrs. Martin, “Thank you so much, sir and ma’am”.
“No! You can’t take me — please!” Adewale pleaded to the couple, his voice trembling.
“There’s nothing we can do but let them take you. You belong to them, not us”, said Mr. Martin gently. Then he stood and began walking toward the bedroom.
Adetutu ran to her father and knelt, holding onto his leg. “Dad, please… don’t let them take him,” she pleaded, her voice trembling with sadness.
“He doesn’t deserve to be near you or loved by you. He’s a liar, darling. We don’t need a liar in our family”, Mr. Martin said firmly, pulling his leg free. Without another word, he walked away.
Adetutu turned to the man and the two women, begging them not to take Adewale. However, her mother held her back, restraining her as tears filled her eyes.
Adetutu watched helplessly as Adewale was led away, her heart aching with every step.
