AFTER THE SHADOWS: A Thin Escape

Chapter 2

“Our father who art heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil, for thy is the kingdom, the power, and glory forever and ever, Amen.”

This was a prayer by James early in the morning, as he was getting ready to start his day. He always kept his faith and in touch with God.

He was one very energetic determined and hardworking young man who had a whole life ahead of him. He was not wrestling-big body wise but he had just enough strength. He had to find something else to do as he endured the long wait for his results to know which path his life had to trend. Ever since he was in school, James happened to be a hard-working young man and had a dream and a vision to be an industrious man.

We cannot say that he was a genius though. On a scale of one to ten, he scored a seven and always worked to improve this score. Above this, James was devoted to church. He was of the Catholic denomination and was very deep in faith. In reference to our scale, James scored a nine when it came to church matters. This had made him to be elected as the chair of the Young Christian Society at his former school.

As if that was not enough, even after school, James' love for the church could be witnessed. He was the church youth leader at their local Munyari Catholic Church. He was a respectful young man and was loved by all from the young to the elderly.

This particular morning, James had thought of going out in search of a job, he could hold on to in wait for his examination results. He got ready and left his home for Munyari Secondary school. He had passed by the previous day and had a talk about a teaching job with the Principal. On his way, he kept asking God to be by his side. He knew only through God’s help was he sure to secure this job. That is how much faith he had.

A few minutes later, James was already at the school. He went into the principal’s office to submit his credentials. After a while of dialogue with the principal, James managed to prove his worth and capability. What followed was a place as a Math teacher because the school was in serious need of one.

Having secured the post, the principal took him for a quick introduction to the other teachers. He was later released and requested to report to work the following day. The following day, very early in the morning during the assembly, he was introduced to the students as the new mathematics teacher.

The students were pleased that finally, they had a young Math teacher of whom they could easily relate and share their problems. This was the main reason why the principal had hired him. The principal also happened to highlight it during his speech to them.

From this day, James' life turned around. It was no longer a boring life without work. He had finally become busy doing something. Due to this success, James felt that he needed to do something more for his God to show gratitude.

It was also the right time for him to show his skills to the world and to use them to make it a better place. He was very hard working, determined and goal oriented. He had a set of skills the principal thought the students needed to learn from him. His first lesson in class said it all. He was determined to be the best at his work. The students liked him from that very moment.

Away from the schoolwork, James needed to do something else in his church. He had noticed that the choir and the youth were becoming dormant. He could not let this happen, especially not after the success he had of getting a job.

He had to do something to thank his God. Normally, the youth are the most sophisticated group of people. Even in church, they do not get to be recognized easily and like to stay in the shadows. In other words, they are the group sitting at the back in every service. The backbenchers if you may call them.

As the church sermon is going on, some are always on their phones busy chatting among others. This had to end in James' church. Being a youth leader was not enough. He needed to do something more to catch their attention. He needed to think of a fast way to help save the situation.

Finally, he had an idea. Everyone loves music and especially the youth. Without music, life becomes very boring. Even in church, no music and the church is just another gathering. This was what had been eating the youth and the choir at James’ church.

Once he discovered this, he decided to be the savior and advance his little music knowledge. After quite a number of lessons, he became better and was able to direct and conduct his choir during the church service. His knowledge of music and tireless efforts to revive the choir that was dying got him yet another position.

 The church elders decided that he be the church Choirmaster. This turned everything around and got those other youths interested. Once more, James was a winner and the hero.

At Munyari School, some of his students were members of his church. Knowing that their teacher was familiar with music, they needed to have a music club and exhume the Young Christian Society that had been dead and buried for years.

His heroic acts meant nothing much at his home. His parents could not give him a piece of mind. According to him, his parents were not the best one could have but they were still parents. They believed that, by putting pressure on James, he would achieve more. Although he never liked it and hated them for it, the pressure did help him to work harder.

Before James secured himself the teaching job, they challenged him frequently. They made it clear that, they were not to tolerate laziness. Now that James was working and busy, they still had surprises for him as well.

They were always trying to let James know that, their sacrifices for his education were a debt he had to pay. He could not fully understand the reason why they had to be that tough on him. Every evening he returned home was a lesson for him. They could not get off his back.

Finally, James was tired of the ill-treatment as he thought of it and decided to get his own apartment to stay. It is said that if you can’t beat them, join them but sometimes it is always true that if you can’t beat them or join them, run for your life. This is what James did eventually.