Aster is not feeling herself for the most part later than she returned home from Saudi Arabia. Life turned out to be an uphill battle in the twinkling of an eye. Her mood was eclipsed seeing that she was in a bottomless pit.
She unusually got up earlier than a cock crows every so often. As she did not know the way out, she had quite a lot of sleepless nights in this regard.
As life is not a bed of roses, she was making an effort to stand on her feet time and again. At a loss what to do, she more often than not humbly besought the almighty God to get to the bottom of the problem shackling her hand and foot. A wide variety of thoughts were popping into her head over and over again.
As luck was not on Aster’s side, she was cursing her rotten luck from time to time. She was furious with herself for letting things get out of her control by trusting her boyfriend, Abel.
She sometimes cried behind somebody’s back and did not want to break the news to anyone. Aster’s parents were worried too much pertaining to their daughter’s situation.
One fine day, Aster’s alter ego named Martha knocked heavily on the door. As Aster did not hear the door knock, she did not answer it at the stroke of a pen. She was sitting in an armchair with crossed legs fighting with many thoughts flickering through her mind.
At the end of the day, she heard the door knock and headed straight to the door. When Aster peeped in through the door, she saw her best friend Martha. After that, she opened the door and gave a big hug to Martha in a little while.
Aster looked sick and tired apart from paling at the thought of what was going on in her life. After they exchanged warm greetings, they entered into the living room and kept on talking about a wide spectrum of issues.
“What is wrong with you? You look sad and pale. Is there anything wrong?” asked Martha.
“I do not know what I have to say. I am giving up hope. Life is giving me the cold shoulder. The whole thing is turning its back on me at this point in time. I am not living my dream.” answered Aster bursting into tears.
“You should not be like this. Everything changes. Tell me the whole thing from the scratch. I will find a solution for your problems,” said Martha being disturbed by her friend’s state of affairs.
For Aster life turned out to be a bitter pill to swallow.
The thing was, Aster had a boyfriend whom she loved with all her heart. She was the prisoner of his love. He was her oxygen. Despite the fact that by their very nature, human beings fall in love and fall out of love, she did not imagine her boyfriend would cheat on her. Because of financial constraints, they failed to get spliced in marriage and live under the same roof as husband and wife.
After they took council together, they shelved plan to work by the sweat of their brow targeting at making money and living under one roof. This being the case, Aster left for Saudi Arabia and embarked on working as a housemaid around the clock.
Every month, she kept on sending money for making their dream become a reality. Aster was sure that her dream would bear fruit no matter how long it lasts. She was looking forward to that day.
Be that as it may, Aster’s boyfriend named Abel was wasting his time idly. He was making use of her money for various purposes. Sorrowfully, as time went by, he fell madly in love with a beautiful girl much younger than Aster.
Therefore, he stopped thinking about Aster almost immediately. In due course, Abel bought the necessary house furniture and set in motion living with the new girlfriend.
In three years’ time, the new couples had two daughters and a son. Even worse, as Abel did not cut his relation with Aster, she was continuously sending money for ten years. She turned out to be the source of his income.
In due course, when she returned home safe and sound, she discovered the hidden truth in a short time and grew to be very bitter in life. When Aster learnt the reality on the ground she cried her eyes out.
“Oh, my God! Oh my God! He is really a human animal. What distinguishes him from an animal? Oh, you poor thing! What is he trying to do? As the saying goes an idle mind is really the devil’s workshop. I always thought he was meek as a lamb and harmless as doves.
Do not say I will take even.” I know how much your heart has got broken. I know the pain you feel inside. Do not worry, God will pay you back for all the unfair treatments,” said Martha fighting back tears.
Though Martha showered her with pieces of advice, Aster was not in the position to lend her ears. Martha’s efforts were going up in smoke. As chance would have it, after several months, Aster ended up catching a mega rich boyfriend and got spliced in marriage.
She failed to remember all the past in a little while and set in motion leading a happy life. After a year, Aster was blessed with twin children.
Aster possesses various business centers in the capital and other states of the country. She thanks God every so often for what He has done. She knows the fact that nothing shall be impossible with God and Abel has become a stinch in the nostrils of God.
Be that as it may, some time ago, Aster’s ex-boyfriend went to Hawassa together with his children and wife. They had a wonderful time there. Sorrowfully, Abel did not feel irk for what he had done.
He did not even feel pity for Aster. On one occasion, when she asked Abel why he was acting that way, he gave her a slap in the face and warned her not to come back again.
On the way to Addis Ababa, something unexpected came to pass. Abel’s car collided heavily with a lorry which was speeding past to Hawassa. Following the crash, his children almost immediately departed this life while he and his wife turned out to be semi-paralyzed.
When Aster heard about the accident, she headed straight to Abel’s residential house and visited him several times and forgave him for everything he had done.
As Abel did not know what he had to do, he burst into tears in the blink of an eye.
Many things kept on coming in and out of his mind. He realized religious texts which say, beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.”
The Ethiopian Herald June 23/2019
BY ADDISALEM MULAT
