Contest || A day to remember || A day of intense sadness and pain by @alexanderpeace

Greetings everyone. Welcome to my blog. Thank you @steeming community for organizing this contest. It's quiet personal to me and I see it not just as a contest but an opportunity to let off some painful steam that have built up on my inside these few days.

Life has its twist and turns and each day seem to come with its own perculiarities. Some days bring happy memories while some sad. Some funny and some bitter memories. My days lately has been filled with uncertainties but the day I'd always remember is the tenth day of August 2021. I wished this was a day of happiness and joy but it extremely the opposite.

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A LITTLE FLASHBACK

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Let rewind back to four days before the tenth of August. I had gotten a call from a friend that my best friend had been sick for days and I didn't know because I had been battling with my own health issues too. So I picked up my phone and called him but he wasn't taking his calls. I had been off to another state for treatment. I had to call someone close to him and they said they were on transit to another hospital. He wasn't responding to treatment in the formal hospital they were in and he couldn't talk. I had to wait till late in the night and called back. I was able to speak to him but he sounded so weak and faint. I sent the little financial help I could offer for the treatment as he was charged exorbitant fees. I promised to keep checking up on him. I called the next day and he couldn't talk, so I spoke with the sister. I call the next day too but he still couldn't talk, I only saw him in a video call. He was weak and on oxygen. Meanwhile I prayed and was hoping for the best. The next day seem better as the sister said he walked around alittle and talked. I was so happy without knowing I was in for the worst.

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10/8/21

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I woke up the next morning been tenth to see missed calls from a friend in the middle of the night. I was tensed, I called the sister but she didn't pick up. His phone was switched off. I just had to calm down because I was recovering from sickness too. That evening I was in the kitchen to fix up dinner because I needed to eat and take my drugs, I had just prepared custard and fried egg to eat. I kept my food on the table and went to get my phone from the room. I met my phone ringing. I picked up the call and the person on the other end was sobbing. I was sensed, I asked her why she was crying and she said my friend was dead. He died that morning and they hid it from me till evening. I couldn't believe my ears. I cut the call in shock and started calling some persons related to him. They were trying to calm me down but it wasn't working. I couldn't believe my friend is dead. I knelt down and started praying. I prayed for long calling him to come back. I went outside the street walking round our neighborhood crying and praying. I couldn't bare to imagine the thought of my best friend dead. This was my friendship of fourteen years. We've known each other since our first year in highschool since 2008. He was my confidant. l simply didn't believe it's true. I came back to the house that night but couldn't eat again. I had to throw the food away. My friend called me later to check up on me and I simply said am fine that he is not dead, that he would come back to us. I lived in denial that night because that's the only way I could have managed to be calm. I strongly believed that I would get a call the next day telling me that he has woken up but that call didn't come. I couldn't sleep that night. I was in shock. I never anticipated this kind of sucker punch at least not this time. My heart was heavy, I fell sick all over again.

I cried till tears dried up in my eyes. If tears could raise the dead, I would have my friend back. I couldn't eat for two days, I couldn't take my drugs, my health was deteriorating. Thanks to my cousins and friends who were very supportive. Honestly I thought I would have died. That's the closest person to me in this my entire life. Life became tasteless. I had to call my pastor to pray for me at a certain point because I didn't understand what was happening to me. I've never been shocked, sad and pained my entire life. I cried till my head, heart and eyes ached. It was a day of pain, sadness and uncertainty. It's been 5 days now. Am recuperating but I do have bouts of pains come back once in a while and I would cry and cry.

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WHY I CHOSE TO SHARE THIS WITH US

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I choose to share this with us because it's an avenue to lighten my heavy heart and I've also learnt that nothing in life is permanent. Please life is too short not to appreciate the people around us. I've learnt to value people around me and learn to give them my best because you don't know when they will see you last or vice versa. You never know how valuable your loved ones are until u loose them. Learn to show love to people.

We look forward to remembering happy days, mine was a sad and painful day but I'll always remember it because of the person involved. He was dear and precious to me and will forever live in my heart.

Thank you for going through my blog and for lending me your ears and shoulder to cry on. Your comments are welcomed. I invite @lewas-write, @amazincyndy, @favourhyacinth to participate in this contest.