"Come in" the Proprietress said.

Ayomide walked in and greeted Mrs Williams.

"Good morning dear", she replied, "I hope you came with your payment tellers for you and your siblings, if not the 3 of you will have to go back home this morning"

"No ma, I didn't. That's why I came to see you ma" Ayomide said with a voice that betrayed her fears.

"Okay. But you know you won't be allowed to go into your classes. What are your Parents saying?"

 

"Ma, I came to beg that you allow us stay within the school premises instead of sending us home. We can stay in any empty lab or even the school clinic but please don't send us home"

"Why?" Mrs Williams curiously asked.

"It will break my dad." She wept silently.

"My dad is a good man. I don't want to see him breakdown. I know he has been under a lot of stress lately. His business suffered some setbacks ma and he has been trying to keep it from us"

Mrs Williams gets up to give her a hug.

"Yesterday, I heard him asking someone for money on the phone that he has to pay the fees unfailingly tomorrow or they'd send his children home. That he can't afford to disappoint us. Then I heard him say "next week is too far, ore. Jo help me nitori Olorun . Oju o ni ti e jo"

"In the middle of the night, I got up to ease myself and I heard my daddy crying and praying to God. It was the first time I would ever him cry. He was alone in the sitting room with the lights off. He was asking God for a miracle not for himself but for the sake of his children. He told God to save him from shame, that he didn't want to disappoint his children"

"Please ma, if you send us home now, my daddy would be under a lot of pressure. He would feel has disappointed us. Please let us stay within the school. We won't tell him that we were not allowed in class. Please ma" she wept.

Mrs Williams wiped her tears and asked "how old are you again my dear?"

"10 years old ma." She replied.

"Go to your classes. You and your siblings. I would speak with the school secretary on your behalf"

"Thank you, ma. God bless you, ma". Ayomide said, jumping with joy.

The Proprietress wiped off some little tears as the little girl left her office.

Later that morning, Mr Adewale excitedly calls his wife on phone "hey love, GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS O. Guess what??? The Proprietress of the children's school just called me. She said she checked through the school records and noticed that it is unlike us not to have paid by this time of the term, that she hopes all is well. She said she was calling to encourage us to make payments but that we shouldn't feel pressured to, if it was not possible, yet. That the children can be allowed till the end of the term since we have never defaulted before. You see God answers prayers. He heard me last night."

"Hey sweetheart, we don't need to tell the children the details. Let's just say it's sorted and they can go to school without interruption."