''How could you leave me now .... You cannot leave me now, there is still so much we have to do. the children, how do i manage how do i take care of them, of everything''. Joan cried and screamed near her husbands bed as he breathed his last.

she was brought up in humble christian background a family that was not poor nor rich but they believed in their faith being guided by their mother's faith. As sixth born child Joan learnt at an early age to work with her hands domestic work was not hard for her she saw how her mother worked so hard to keep food on the table and took on her hard working nature by assisting her in the gardens and chores at home she was so good at it that her big sister would most times leave all that work to her but she never felt angry because she loved her mother so much and didn't want her to suffer alone with a lot of it, even before she went for school she would first clean the house and the compound and then mother would get revealed to find that some of the work was already done and as young as she was she always wished of having a family of her own just like her mother to take care of and her prayers were answered sooner than she could imagine.

Joan and her sister Carol were best friends growing up and were always together but Carol was years older than her , Carol was dad's girl she was bright and always got good grades which made her father favor her and to top it up she turned into a teacher just like how the father wanted it because he was also a teacher so her following in his footsteps made him so proud even would talk about it among his friends but Joan was mom's girl, Carol started working in some school as a teacher where she met her husband and settled at bout the same time when Joan had joined college so every time Joan was in holidays she would pass at Carols place for some days and that's how she got to meet the man that would change her life forever.

It was a clear warm morning Joan woke up early to help her sister Carol prepare breakfast for the family she went into the kitchen only to find nothing was done yet, seems everyone is still asleep she told herself, when she was about to get done her sister came in still sleepy from her sleep and told her it was a weekend and they were used to sleeping in after a long week. Joan was like oh dear i understand for me am used to waking up so early at school so by 5:am in the morning my sleep be gone, Carol helped do the remaining work and when breakfast was done Carol told Joan that they were going with her husband to meet a friend, they prepared and left on reaching they were welcomed by some young lady who was staying with carols friend. Kenneth heard them and came out to welcome them and introduced them to his sister he welcomed them inside and they started to chat but Kenneth keep looking at Joan and studying her, how she spoke, laughed and noticed those small details on her body but Joan was not aware of what was going on. It was coming late evening when they bid Kenneth goodbye and went home.

The following week when Carol had gone to school to teach she met Kenneth during break time and told her how he found Joan very attractive and how he wanted to court her, at first carol thought Kenneth was just making a joke but he told her he was serious but Carol defended Joan and said she was too young to start dating but Kenneth insisted that he was serious and wanted to be given a chance to have a talk with her. Carol was hesitant with it but later decided to let Joan make her own choice after all it was just a talk. They planned for it Joan and Kenneth met over a meal and talked he told her how he was attracted to her and how he was ready to marry her and make her his wife, she got speechless because she didn't expect him to move that fast she thought they would first become friends and date then later after she was done with school they could think of marriage but Kenneth said he wanted to first marry her then she could finish education with his support. Joan was scared, even if she has always wished to have a family of her own it just came too early and her father may never be in support of it but Kenneth told her to take some time and think about it and let him know after, she got back home and told Carol about it and Carol told her not to fear because she had known Kenneth for sometime and knew he was a man of his word and he won't quit until he gets what he wanted, she told her how he was a good man and was sure if you decided to do this he will take good care of you. Joan was in her last year of lower college and was about to complete so Carol advised her to first finish her year then after they would talk to their father about it.

Time come and Joan was done with her year meanwhile as she was always in touch with Kenneth and she came to really like him and was looking forward to the future of them both. Carol and Joan planned a visit to their parents home to talk to their father about the relationship of hers and Kenneth after some days they traveled home and met with their father and talked he was not all against it because Joan was grown enough for marriage but their father wanted to first have a talk with Kenneth to see how serious he was bout his daughter, he told them to plan for his visit in two weeks time and that's when he would give his final answer. The day came and Joan was looking forward to seeing Kenneth again because she had to stayed home with her parents while Carol had gone back to her husband and to let Kenneth know about the decision that their father had made and to bring him to their home, they traveled with Carol's husband to see Joan and Carols parents they were well welcomed and the talks were successful. Their father and mother found out that Kenneth had the qualities they wanted and was from a humble background as well then father gave his blessing and after a few months they were married off.

Kenneth kept to his word he loved Joan with all his heart he gave her all he had and treated her like a queen and Joan also made it easy for him it was evident in all she did they loved and cherished each other , Joan got pregnant fast and Kenneth took care of her and told her after the child had weened they can plan for her to join school and get a qualification which she was so overjoyed with, they weren't rich but they cherished what they were blessed with, she later produced a healthy bouncing baby boy and made their bond even stronger but unfortunately Joan got pregnant again before the boy made a year not what they had planned for but they were excited for it she gave birth to another boy but since they had planned for school she was studying while pregnant and even after producing she continued and got a certificate in education which was a big help to Kenneth who was then starting his own institution for education it was a slow start but they worked hard for it.

They produced altogether more three children making a total of five children, three boys and two girls but after the fifth child was born he started to get weak in the body. At first they didn't know what it was they were just making treatments of what they were told could be a problem not until his situation got worse that they opted to go for better treatment and check ups, after performing most of the tests they discovered his liver was having an issue and it was in bad state and to save him they would have to travel out of the country to a better hospital where they could do a transplant to remove the affected liver and replace it with the normal one. It was too much for the family and they had to look for funds first which they didn't have but for the mean time they opted for treatment to ease on the pain and discomfort as they raised money but time was not on their side, one night when Joan was done feeding the husband who didn't get to eat enough, swallowing was hard for him even he had lost taste for food and he felt it, he felt his life sleeping away. Kenneth looked at his wife and felt tears start dropping down because he knew he was not going to make it, he knew the situation he was going to leave her in. He called her name when she turned and saw the tears she got a kick in her chest and knew Kenneth was about to go, Joan cried out she was like no you cannot leave us the children are still very young, how will i take care of them, how will i leave without you but he couldn't say much he just said be strong for them and trust God he will see you through and he breathed his last. Joan screamed with pain as she saw the person she loved become lifeless, no more words from him or his laughter that she had grown to love or the way he used to say her name in a sweet romantic way, she called his name Kenneth, Kenneth,Kenneth but no response she shook him but nothing happened she hit him on the chest many times but he was gone her cries could be heard in the whole hospital ward where they were, the pain and the agony of loosing a loved one was felt by many. Carol had came in that evening to check on them like she did everyday before going back to her home when she heard her scream she ran towards their room and found Joan lying near Kenneth holding him while she cried, she walked slowly closer to her and held her from behind and kept on telling her that she needs to be strong for the children now and herself and that God will make it better until Joan fell asleep.

One year down the road Joan still felt the emptiness that Kenneth left her that day as she held Kenneth's body for the last time she had made a promised to herself not to fall in love again, that she will live to cherish the moments they shared and raise their children. It was something she found very challenging at first and adjusting to the notion that her husband was gone took more time which had affected the performance of the institution and the children as well and because the institution was still in its early stages it needed someone clear headed and also Kenneth was the one funding most of the requirements then so his death left avoid but he left land where they were planning to start construction of the institution because the space they were using was for lease. Joan had to let go of so many things to sacrifice for the children and begin construction on the institution because their survival and future depended on it. A strong believer that she was she trusted in God and the encouragement that her husband had told her to always put God first became her backbone and she started campaigns, prayed and believed and to her amazement her work brought the community together and the foundation of the school began but the progress was slow and was taking time and money but she was determined and never gave up also God never left her side for more surprises were in store for her.

God answered her prayers one day when she had gone to do some charity work in some church based school where she met some white missionary ladies who had come to do some work and give some donations, she got to have a chance to talk with them about her plans and what she had done and wanted to do for her institution. Good enough she was known by the church leader who also recommended her and they were over joyed by the commitment she had expressed during her work they told her they will visit and later decide on how to come in and assist, after a few days she received the visitors at her institution they saw her work and vision and loved it they promised to reward her some donations that will help her set off most of the projects she had plans for. That day she felt joy she felt a heavy load lift off her shoulders and for a moment she thought she saw Kenneth's spirit smiling right down on her from above she felt peace more than she could imagine, she went home got to her room got her husbands picture and looked at it and said 'thank you Kenneth that even in death u still care for us'.

END