SARAH, THE LADY IN DISTRESS

SARAH, THE LADY IN DISTRESS

A young girl called Sarah visited her grandfather in the village. When she was young, her parents moved abroad for a better life, and she moved in with her grandparents in the village. Unfortunately, she lost her grandmother to a strange disease when she was seven years old. Sarah was the only child of her parents. She was beautiful and beloved by everyone. Her parents hardly visited her in the village due to their work schedule and pursuit of wealth, so her grandfather brought her up. He pampered and took good care of her. Sarah desired to make her grandfather proud and took her studies seriously. “What is making you smile this afternoon, Sarah?” her grandfather enquired from her one afternoon as she ran to the house waving a printed document. “I got the admission, Grandpa!” she shouted ecstatically. Her grandfather stood up from his bench and opened his arms to hug Sarah. They sang songs of praise and danced for a few minutes in their compound. Neighbours saw their excitement and went to enquire why they were celebrating. They told them, and the neighbours joined in the celebration. Sarah got accepted to one of the best schools in the city. When it was time to pay her admission fees, her parents abroad had lost their jobs several months ago due to a recession and struggled to make ends meet. Sarah was annoyed by this news and refused to forgive her parents for being unable to pay her admission fees. The phone rang the following day, and her grandfather answered. It was her parents. She hesitated to talk to them. Her forehead creased with a frown, and she reluctantly stretched her hand out to take the phone from his hand. Her grandfather motioned her to sit down and be calm. The conversation was short and precise. They called to apologise for their inability to assist her with her admission fees. Her grandfather, Mr Appiah, asked them not to worry and said that he would handle it. Before the payment deadline was due, Mr Appiah took his savings to pay her fees. This made Sarah love and treasure her grandfather even more. Several months later, it was time for Sarah to move to the city. She packed her luggage and ironed the dress she would wear the following day. Sarah was excited throughout the night and hardly slept. When it was dawn, she woke up and found her grandfather in the kitchen preparing breakfast for her. “How are you this morning, Sarah?” he asked. “I am excited, Grandpa, but I am nervous since I will be all alone”. Mr Appiah hugged Sarah and assured her she would be alright and that he would be praying for her. She left in a cab after breakfast while her grandfather stood outside waving until the cab was out of view. She arrived in the city several hours later and started lectures two days later. Her study year was one of the most challenging years of her life. She had to adjust to the new city and campus life. Studies were difficult, but she managed to sail through them, and she excelled in her exams. After completing her degree, she got a good job and could not visit her grandfather regularly due to her busy schedule. After living several years in the city, she became distressed, worried, and lost in life. Every day of the year, she was sad because she was ageing and felt nothing was happening in her life. She remembered how content and happy her grandfather was and decided to visit him…. to be continued