Genotype Roulette

It was the only place where she knew
she could find succor 
It was home
Even animals have a place they can
call their "Safe" zone
Somewhere far from the maddening crowd
Somewhere the long cold hand of
adversity and warfare cannot
reach!
A place of warmth, love, and peace
A nest, a place of rest
She had been through a lot throughout
the year
By her plans and projections for the year
She should be going home for her
wedding
But like Naomi, she was going home
empty-handed
Her relationship of six years
Her emotional investment of six years
came to an abrupt end sometimes
in September that year
She couldn't really explain what
happened in the full sense of it
She could only say that she
was discussing marriage and family
one day and she was crying her 
heart out the next
He loved her, she loved him
But she was AS and he was AS
They had done the test before then
He was AA and she was with him
when it was done
The church demanded a genotype
test for their counseling session
They went to run the test
The result came out
He was AS!
It was a demonic spirit of manipulation
at work
She was sure of it
They went to seven different places
He remained AS
It was a crushing blow
He was not just a friend, he was a 
gentle and understanding lover
Someone  whose presence in her
life was like water in a desert
She flourished with him
He met her as a struggling undergraduate
She was almost in her final year
She played table tennis for her school
Her active role in sports was a big
help for her academically
She was able to secure accommodation
easily and she enjoyed some perks
And then he came along
A golden boy from a rich family
He didn't see a scrawny, insecure girl
He saw a late bloomer and he watered
her
She blossomed in his arms
He was one of a kind
His eyes were single and his heart was
faithful 
A friend advised her to do the genotype 
thing
She did it before they went too far
She did it before she slept with him
She would have slept with him
without any condition
She just tried to put as many
obstacles between them as possible
in those early days to be sure of his
intentions 
He really loved her
She didn't know that they could get the
genotype thing wrong
She didn't know it could change
She didn't know many things
His family insisted they cannot get
married because of the genotype
Common sense insisted they must
part ways 
He had to go, she had to let him go
It drove her crazy
She just couldn't function for weeks
She lost interest in her job
She lost her job
She lost interest in life
She almost lost her life
But as Christmas approached
She packed her bags
She would go home and rest
Her grandmother would cook her 
Ekpang Nkukwo
Her mother would cook fried rice
and Njangsa Sauce
She would see her father and discuss
some politics with him
She would see ser uncle and discuss
the prospect of getting another job
She would see her younger ones
Laugh and cry and feel light
Love would heal her and prepare
her for the coming year
That was her one thought as she 
looked forward to Christmas!
She left Lagos on the 22nd of December
Her rent would be expiring on the
first of February
She didn't even know if she would
keep the house or not
She didn't want to concern herself
with all that
She was going home
Her heart floated in ecstasy
She got home and all her worries
flew away
Her father hugged her until they both
cried
Her Daddy didn't know how to do
tough guy
He will cry with you in public
Sometimes even embarrass you like
he did when she was having her 
matriculation
Her mother and siblings all rallied
around her
It was December 22 and she was already
smelling her grandmother's Christmas
aroma 
The heaviness lifted, the tears helped
They played monopoly every Christmas
Her father, her mother and the four
children
Her grandmother was always the banker
It was a special monopoly
As the Banker, her grandmother decides
the winner
And she can confiscate the property
of anyone that is mean or selfish
It was all joy and laughter
By the end of that day, she was laughing
like a duck
Christmas with her family was heaven
That evening they ate Ndole
Her grandmother was from Cameroon
She is the queen of intercontinental dishes
Mama! Mama! Mama! 
By the next morning, she was giggling like
a teenager
She wore a flowery yellow gown
She plaited her hair backward
She was just happy
Her mother wanted to make MoinMoin
She took the peeled beans in the car
and drove it to the grinder in their
estate
The chore took her an hour
When she got back home they 
started playing "Animal, place, thing"
A game in which you call an alphabet
and all the players must supply the
name of an animal, place, thing, food,
and Name in record time
It was so much fun
Her father always hated to lose
So he would insist on marking his
own script but all the others had to
exchange their scripts
It always ended in teases and screams
of joy
The day sped by
On the 23rd her mother made pepper soups
Different varieties
Friends and relatives came calling from
11 AM
She served all day, she felt like a sixteen
year-old again
Her mother doling out instructions
Her siblings were as hilarious and 
mischievous as ever
She was thirty-three and yet she was 
sixteen
The visitors ebbed around 7 pm
She was so tired
she slept off while she was having dinner
The 24th came, it was her mother's
birthday
WOW!
Her siblings woke her up at 5 AM
They had contributed some money and
bought her mother a big deep freezer
it was already somewhere in the 
compound
They sneaked it into the sitting room
as noiselessly as possible
She made sure all the things in the
old freezer was rearranged into the
new one
They woke their mother up by 7 AM
A lot of screaming, songs, tears and
laughter 
Joy is a good thing
Joy is healing and life
She had forgotten the war she left behind
She was right in the midst of wonders
Miracles are born of joy and gladness
Later that day, she was in the kitchen
when her mother called her
She had a visitor
She ran out of the Kitchen
It was him
Her heart desire
The love of her life
The joy of her destiny
Her crown of delight
She was bubbling with too much joy
She ran right into his arms
Even if it was just for that moment
He was the only thing missing from
her perfect life that moment
She had missed him sorely
It's been six months since the
series of genotype tests
It's been four since they drew a line
and parted ways
Her heart still yearns for him
Her love for him was always walking
out of the grave she dug for it
Her family members disappeared
One minute they were there watching
the drama
The next she was alone with him
She could swear someone dimmed
the light (She suspected her father,
or her immediate younger brother)
or both of them!
Her man had tears all over his eyes
He said "I called the Brother in Jeans
and T-shirt last week and told him 
what happened between us!
He prayed with me and told me to
go and do another test
I went to do the test and I am AA
again
I was so confused
How come my genotype was switching
at will
When I called the Brother in Jeans and
T-shirt, he told me not to bother about
it but he assured me that no matter
where i go henceforth, it will remain
AA and it will never switch again!"
So i went home to meet my parents
and i told them about the new
development
My Daddy was very happy
Later in the night, my mother came to
my room and asked me to forgive her!
She said she felt I could do better than
marrying from your family and was only
concerned about my future
My mother said a friend of hers took 
her to an Indian spiritualist who promised
to manipulate the Genotype test!
I had always been AA but the spell cast
by the Indian kept messing with the result!
That was why I kept getting the AS 
result at that time!
WOW!
It was stupendous!
She had suspected some form of 
manipulation but she felt it was the
laboratory operators that were paid
by his mother to do rubbish!
She had always known instinctively
that his mother had reservations '
about her
She just didn't know his mother could
go to that extent to get rid of her!
They talked
It was as if they didn't break up at all
He proposed again
She said yes!
Her family joined them in the celebration
He left around 10 pm
He was back on Christmas day
He spent some time with her family
Later in the evening, he drove her to
his family house
His mother hugged her and apologized
She said "I am now convinced you
are meant for each other, I just wanted
to be sure! I am sorry for the pain I caused
The two of you! I love and support you now!
I hope that is okay"
She nodded and hugged his mother
Then she knelt down and said "Thank you"
Even his father had tears in his eyes!

-Ndifreke (My Testimony) 

PS: That was 2018 December
The event happened in Port-Harcourt
They got married on December 28, 2019
Ndifreke is on honeymoon with her
husband (Adedotun) in Ghana
She sends her love and gratitude
We serve a God who destroys the
schemes and manipulations of
the evil one!
If there is any enchantment, spell,
incantation, divination or sorcery
at work in your life, I declare a reset
and full restoration in the name of 
Jesus!

GSW's notes: Please make your
home as warm as possible for your
children and relatives!
Don't turn your prayer table to 
Slaughter table where condemnation
is dished out
Some of us desire to come home and 
find healing and succor from life's
battles
Don't make our homes another battle
ground and depression zone!
I declare peace, warmth, love, and joy
upon our homes this season in
Jesus name! Amen