23/10/2015
Touching Story. About three phones have gone missing in
our room in the past five months. When we reported to the
School's security, they only told us that it was a roommate
that is responsible. Everyone of us in the room was waiting
for the day we will catch the culprit.
Last Tuesday, when we were all asleep; I think it was about 2
am, Ben woke up suddenly and his phone was gone. His
phone was the most expensive of us all. When Ben woke up
and couldn't find his phone, he sprang up from the bed and
quickly opened his cupboard. He rummaged the contents,
even removed his clothes but could still not find the phone.
I was in the room when it happened; sitting and reading
before I dozed off with my heading resting on my books. So
when Ben couldn't find his phone, he gently shook my
shoulders until I woke up. 'It has happened again', he told
me.
I didn't even need to ask what happened as I could see the
panic and loss written in his eyes.
This is the second time his phone had been stolen. So I took
my phone and dialed Ben's number; just to be sure it had
not been misplaced. 'Error in Connection' was what I saw on
the screen of my phone. I dialed it again and it started
ringing not just on my phone, but the actual ring tone of
Ben's Samsung phone was faintly audible.
We were both surprised when we heard the tone. I
beckoned on Ben to keep quiet as he was visibly ready to
'finish' the person who took his phone. I continued dialing as
we moved silently, following the direction of the ring tone.
There were four bunks in the room, each with two bed
spaces. Ben and I use the same bunk just beside the door
and the sound was coming from the last bunk at the
extreme left corner.
We tiptoed, Ben and I, like Jack Baeur until we traced the
sound to the top bed space on the last bunk. 'So it is John
who had been stealing phones in this room'. Ben whispered
to me.
We shook his leg and woke him up only to find out it was not
John sleeping on the mattress. Neither of us had ever seen
the guy before. To make matters worse, the ringing was
coming
from the bag he was using as pillow.
When he woke up, he looked at us strangely as if he didn't
know why we were there.
We opened the bag and found not just Ben's
Samsung, but three other phones. 'So, you are the one who's
been stealing our phones!'; Ben shouted at him.
Before he could find an excuse, Ben slapped him on his left
cheek and walked out looking for anything to break one or
two of the guy's bones. I don't know; but there was
something about the guy. So I asked him, 'Oga, what are you
doing here?' 'What are you doing with Ben's phone'. He was
just looking at me without saying anything, so I slapped his
right cheek with my left hand.
'ANSWER ME!', I screamed at him; waking up the roommates
who were around. John had obviously gone to night class to
read and I assumed the other three roommates who were
absent had also gone to read.
The two guys remaining in the room with me and Ben came
and gave their own round of slaps. The accused was now
staggering when Ben came back with a long wood hard
enough to kill the guy. As he raised it up, the three of us, the
roommates, held his hands so he wouldn't murder the
accused. Ben dropped the wood and swept his right leg
against the thief's legs and he fell down. Ben had told me
before that he had attended the Soldiers' recruitment
training but failed the medical test. I believed him right then.
I looked at the guy crumple on the floor and before Ben
killed him, I decided to interview him, at least to know who
he is. He was now sitting on the ground where he landed
from Ben's force. 'Who are you?' I asked him again; this time
gently. He was crying but it was only the tears that were
coming out. It was then I realized he had not even uttered a
word since it all started. Not even when he fell to the
ground. 'Why are you in our room'? I asked again. 'Can you
even talk?' He shook his head then. I was now confused. Why
was he shaking his head?
So, I asked again, 'Can't you talk?' He shook his head again.
'Wait, is it that this guy is dumb?', I asked the guys.
The guy then nodded his head and pointed to his mouth and
then shook his head left to right. It hit me then. The guy is
dumb but not deaf. That was the first time I am seeing a
case like that.
My anger changed to pity immediately. 'Are you dumb?', I
ashamedly asked the guy to confirm. Again, he nodded his
head.
'Can you read and write?' He nodded again. 'Get me a pen
and note!' I said to my roommates over my shoulder. I
collected the pen and wrote on the note, 'Who are you?
Explain yourself.' I was almost in tears as I read his fine
handwriting, 'My name is James, I am John's elder brother. I
am a student of Delta State University. I was traveling to
Delta but our bus stopped for the night at Benin. So I
decided to sleep with my brother till tomorrow morning. He
brought me here around 12 am and went out to night class
to read. He gave me the bag to keep for him. So I decided to
use it as pillow so that it won't be stolen'.
I held the note with the guys at my back as all of us read it. I
became so weak I almost fell.� 'The guy is innocent.' I
needlessly announced.
When we realized this, even I was ashamed of myself.
Ben just stood there with the wood he almost used to hit
him, looking as if he was the one who had been beaten. I am
not sure, but I think I saw tears in his eyes as he realized he
had just punished an innocent man.
So we knelt down; Ben and I, we knelt down and clasped our
hands so he will know we were really sorry. With tears in our
eyes, we told him, 'We are sorry. Sorry for accusing you
wrongly and beating you for it'. The dumb guy just smiled
with bleeding lips from the blow I gave him. He smiled and
looked into our eyes. And I could see pity in his eyes. He
smiled and shook his head and then wrote in the same
paper. 'It is Alright. I took the pain willingly. Please don't
beat my brother anymore. I knew why you were beating me.
John had always been a thief, right from home. But please
don't report or beat him again'.
Tears dropped from my eyes as I read his sacrifice. He
deliberately allowed us beat him just so that John will be
free. I lend my hand and raised him up as I used my cloth to
wipe the tears from his face and blood from his lips. It was
then my own tears flowed from the corners of my eyes..
this is what Jesus did for us on the cross of calvary. kept
quiet and even died so that we can be saved. He never
protested his innocence but bore it all for us. He gave his life
for you. What have you given for him? By by
Return the life to Him, He's in Love with u......TGIF
it's high time we won more souls for Christ..