Pulse Blogger: Desperate for one touch [a biblical story] part iii

I was beginning to feel like such a fool and contemplated rushing out of this filthy river.

While I pondered how to initiate conversation with this so called powerful seer on my shameful condition, I asked my men who had the responsibility of carrying the gold and silver to stay in front of me so that the sheer weight of the reward I brought with me would immediately give him a glimpse to the extent of the power and authority I wielded.

 Apparently all my effort was in vain because before any of my men could come down from their horses, he sent one of his messengers to ask me to go dip myself in their local river seven times, and my flesh will be restored to its former state.

I couldn't believe my ears. I was enraged!

This useless, mannerless psychic felt he could order me to do silly things in the name of a cure! It suddenly dawned on me that this entire trip had been a waste!

“Is this some kind of joke?!” I seethed in anger, talking to no one in particular.  “Who does this man think he is to toy with me so flippantly? He could have at least come out to see me, hear my story and see all that I had brought for him. Besides, are not the rivers of Aram better than all the waters in Sion?!

And without a moment’s notice I immediately turned around and ordered my troop to head back home. Determined in my mind that both him and the king of Sion would pay dearly for this insult. I was totally submerged in my thoughts that it took a while for me to process Josh’s own silly suggestion:

“Sir If the seer had given you a more difficult task, would you not have done it? What harm could come to you by doing this one simple thing?”

In other words, as I earlier stated,

“Why are you vexed over such a simple instruction?”

His question kept playing in my head till I accepted the fact that I had nothing to lose. However I also secretly decided that I would triple the havoc I was already planning for this seer and his king if this strange remedy didn't work. I called to my troop for a break in the travel, giving me time to consider all the pain, shame and ridicule I had been through before embarking on this journey and it occurred to me that all the visits by previous doctors were actually more insulting than what this man had asked me to do, yet I had borne them.

Then I remembered my wife and the hope that shone in her eyes as she asked me to give this one more try. I most certainly could not bear to go back to her having not tried what had been directed. So I swallowed my pride and asked Josh to get directions to this so called powerful river, asking the rest of the men to stay back and wait for our arrival.

We got to the river and according to the precise instruction of the seer; I dipped myself in the river seven times.

I have to pause here and take you through the motions of my mind as I dipped myself in this river.

I took the first three dips and as I straightened myself out of the river, I noticed that no change had occurred on my body. Trying to calm down, I reminded myself that I still had four more dips to make. Fifth dip, still no change…this thought affected my sixth dip such that the dip suddenly became very difficult to accomplish, like there was a heavy log of wood strapped to my neck, straining my shoulders and back and attempting to suffocate the very life from me.

As I rose from the sixth dip, I made sure to check my body well, still no change. I was beginning to feel like such a fool and contemplated rushing out of this filthy river, straight to the home of this seer and plunging my sword through his body. I looked to Josh for some kind of explanation but he looked away. I was clearly on my own. This was not over yet, I reminded myself, just do one more dip, and with all the strength I could muster, I dipped my body for the seventh time into the river.

Now, for fear of disappointment, I was not in a hurry to come out. I stayed under with my eyes firmly shut till the oxygen in my body was one micro second from expiring, I lifted myself out of the river; and with the greatest reluctance I slowly opened my eyes, fixing my gaze on my arms, waiting for my blurry vision to clear. And as it cleared, my sense of hearing also cleared and I realized someone was shouting. Alert, I looked around, wondering who was intruding on my privacy, only to realize that it was a shout of utmost joy and happiness; normally stoic Josh was jumping, whooping and shouting while pointing at my body;

“Sir! Sir!! You have been cleansed! You have been cleansed!”

I looked at my now transformed body and I couldn't believe my eyes. My body felt and looked like a new born baby’s skin. I was so short of words that tears welled up in my eyes blurring my vision yet again. I quickly wiped the tears away afraid that this was a dream. But Josh’s’ constant jubilation told me it was no dream. As I strode out to the banks of the river I refused to take my eyes off my body, everything had been restored.

I returned back to the seer (whom everyone in Sion referred to as Eli) with my men, offering all the gold and silver I had brought. But he turned it down, saying that the healing had come from God, not from him. I then took a vow before him that I would serve no other god but his God, and he seemed fine with that.

As we approached the borders of my country I wondered who to see first, my Prime Minister or my Wife. Without much thought, I decided it would be my wife, even the Prime Minister himself wouldn't mind waiting. I couldn't wait for my entourage to go through my gates. I quickly got of my horse and rushed to my wife’s chambers, preparing to fling myself into her embrace only to be greeted with the sight of her holding on to our new born son, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Come hold your son” she said to me, with the biggest smile ever.

As I took him away from her, she attempted to answer all the questions she knew would be running through my head. Apparently the main reason she had thrown a party in my honour was to announce to me that she was pregnant with our child, making it a double celebration; my appointment as the new Chief of Armed forces and my new title as a father.

However, seeing my situation, she had no choice but to conceal the pregnancy from me all these months. She had wondered if I hadn't noticed the changes in her body even with her all covered up, but then realised I was too engrossed with my leprous state to notice. It was also the main reason she was so desperate to find a cure. 

As I held my new born baby, I turned to look at Abi (full name Tabitha) with a grateful look in my eyes and she nodded her consent. Little did she know the surprise I had for her, and as I fondled my little son in my arms, I felt certain he would be most grateful to have a senior sister.

^{PS:This is my personal and slightly imperfect adaption to the story of Naaman found in 2 Kings 5: 1-17}

Written by Nkoye Itegboje.

Nkoyo Itegboje is a writer based in Lagos, Nigeria. You can connect with her via her facebook page https://www.facebook.com/nkoyo.itegboje or send her an email via kitegboje@yahoo.com

SOURCE - PULSE.NG posted by Campus94