Marriage Chronicles - Season 1 - Episode 30

4 years ago

Marriage Chronicles - Season 1 - Episode 30

..CEPHAS..

Jail. This is one place that I wouldn’t even wish
my worst enemy should go to. If there’s a best
definition for hell on earth, jail can take the
prize. To all those who are free out there, am
appealing to you to please stay out of crimes
cause jail is a place you don’t wanna spend a
night in, am speaking from experience. Now I
know there are innocent people behind bars so
am urging all of you to pray without ceasing
cause this world is full of crooked people and I
might fall under that category taking a good look
at what I’d done to Lubuto Bwalya several years
ago but am a changed man now, this I proudly
tell you.
When the judge sentenced me to 30 years in
prison with hard labour, I was shattered. He
might as well just have told the court and I that
he was sentencing me to life imprisonment
because almost everyone is familiar with the
high death rate in prisons. The treatment of
human beings in that place is just beyond me.
Coreen gave me hope to continue living when
she informed me of her pregnancy. What bugged
me though was how religious she had become.
God this, God that, she would brag. And I’d fight
the urge to laugh.

Where was God when the devil was using me to
kill Lubuto? Where is God when all those kids on
the streets are begging for food and money in
order to survive?

If God exists, I’d debate within myself while in
incarceration. No one would be suffering today.
Hell, I wouldn’t even be in this hell hole in the
first place!

The first year in prison was really rough, no lie.
Man there are bullies in that place and even
though I tried my utmost best to fight for myself,
them gangs were just too powerful for me. Them
fellow inmates too just seemed to harbour some
sort of natural hatred for we who have the finer
things in life.

That aside, a man by the name of Peter was
brought into the cell I’d spent a miserable year in with some crazy a-s niggas…

One night after standing in a queue for minutes,
we got our food and some boss wanna be came
right at Peter seeing as he was a newbie.

“Give me your food, b---h.” commanded the guy.

Peter looked at the guy and smiled. “You might
as well just politely ask me. Here you go.”
“Whoa!” I stood in the way. “Man, we’ve been in line for almost an hour and you gonna give away
your food without putting up a fight?” I for one
did always stand up for myself.
Peter shook his head and handed the plate to
the other inmate. “Man shall not live by bread
only but by every word of the Lord.”
The wanna be boss laughed as he snatched the
food. “What are you? The Zed version of Jesus?
Come on dude, there ain’t no Jesus nor God
cause if there was you’d be out there enjoying
your life.”
“We’ll share my food,” I told Peter as we took a seat.

He merely nodded. As we ate, I said, “Of all the
things that b-----d who got your food said, I just
conquer with him on one part.”

“Really? What part could that be?” “Jesus and
God don’t exist, bruh.”
“What makes you say or think that?”
“I just don’t believe in them, no big freaking
deal.”
“Well, am a pastor so I happen to believe in
Jesus and God.”

“You’re a pastor?” I didn’t see that coming.
“Then what are you doing here?”
“Injustice…my brother.”
“Haha, and yet you still believe in God?” He didn’t reply but just gave me a pitiful gaze. We were back in the cell when he came to my space and told me about how he had been framed.
“There was this married woman who was having trouble conceiving so she and her husband came to my church and I prayed for them.

A few months down the line, the couple came to me in
gratitude saying the woman was pregnant. I was
elated and thanked God with them because I
know He never forsakes His Children. As a token
of appreciation, the couple donated bass drums
and a large amount of money to the church..my
church and I were grateful. And then one fateful
afternoon-” “Can you tone it down?!” snapped one inmate who was trying to get some sleep.

“F--k..just shut up already!”
“Lord forgive him,” said Peter in a whisper and
then, “The woman showed up in my office one
afternoon, Cephas. She was all over me and I
knew what she wanted so I told her fornication
and adultery are sins. That pushed her off the
edge..she ripped off her blouse, hastily took off
my belt, catching me offguard and pulling my
trousers down so that I was only left with boxers
down there. And then she screamed, ‘rape! rape!’

Am single and she’s rich so I guess you can
connect the dots. The bottom line is I’ll be in
here for at least 10 years.” “And yet you still
believe in God?” I scoffed.

“Yes I do,” he said with a simple shrug.
It was Peter’s charisma and Coreen’s constant nagging that prompted me to gradually start believing in God and even taking time to kneel in my cell and pray. The prayers were answered three years after my imprisonment…

One day the warden came to my cell and
ordered we all get out cause there was work to
be done outside the prison. “I’m only taking y’all out cause we are short of labour but let me warn you in advance,” he snarled as he led out us of the prison premises. “Should any of you try anything funny…escaping, to be precise, get ready to have your sentence tripled.
“I wouldn’t even contemplate escaping,” Peter said to me.

“That’s because you’re a coward,” responded a random guy. “No,” Peter said in retort. “It’s
because am waiting for God to pave a way.”
“Then keep waiting until judgement day, man of
God.” he roared with laughter and increased his
pace. “He’s in the darkness,” I told Peter. “Like I once was.”

We were taken to a huge portion of grassy land.
Several wardens stood in guard with rifles at bay.
The chief warden was saying, “The
commissioner wants to put up a mansion here so
this land needs to be cleared. Now get slashers
and start slashing, you all!”
They could have used lawn mowers but no, we
the prisoners had to do the manual work. Not
that I am complaining. Actually, I thought of all
this as penance for all my sins so I gladly
grabbed a slasher and set to work.
It was Peter that I felt for cause he was
innocent. We had been slashing for hours when it
happened…we were all taking a rest and were
drinking water when I saw the scene. A young
boy was trying to cross the road and a few
metres away, a truck was cruising towards the
boy. I didn’t stop to think as I leaped to my feet
and was running towards the boy. Everything
happened so fast, my arms were wrapped around
the boy and I was pushing him off the road..we
were laying in the grass and the truck was
cruising past us behind us.
And then people were clapping and whistling. I
sustained a few scratches which were later
tended to by one of the prison nurses.
I was seated in my cell listening to the word of
God which was being read by Peter the following
morning when a warden called my name.
“You’ve got a visitor,” he was telling me as he
led me to the waiting area where I found a pot
bellied tall balding man waiting for me. He
offered I sit down and once I was seated, he
introduced himself. “Am Commissioner Sakala…I
owe you my son’s life, Cephas Mwaba.”
“Pardon?” I was confused.
“The boy you saved from getting run over by a
truck yesterday, that’s my son. His deaf but
means the world to me.”
“I- I didn’t know, sir. Am so sorry.”
“You needn’t apologize, Cephas, cause that
selfless act of yours has paid off. I didn’t sleep
all night as I was working on getting you
released and guess what, you’re leaving this
place today. That’s my token of appreciation.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. “I don’t know what to
say,” I repeated in honesty. When I informed
Peter, he told me that was God’s work.
“He’s a God of miracles, Cephas buddy. Am so
happy for you!”
“I won’t forget about you, Peter. I promise I’ll be
paying you visits every time I can.”
Me getting out of prison just like that felt surreal
but it was really happening even though I was on
some sort of police bond as the rights I could
enjoy were limited. But what did I care? As long
as I was out and could help Coreen raise our
twins, that’s all that mattered.
Oh God, you’re wonderful.
Coreen came to pick me up at the prison gates
and she couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw
me. My wife flung herself at me and shed tears
of joy on my shoulder.
“You’re free, Cephas. How? When?”
“Easy, Coreen. It’s God’s doing.”
Once she was composed, we got in the car and
as she drove, I told her how lucky I was.
“The God I serve is a miracle working God,” was
all she said, shaking her head in amusement.
“Indeed He is..”I leaned back in my seat. “I can’t
wait to reunite with my family.” She passed
through her grandma’s place in Kapiri. To say
her grandmother was euphoric when she saw us
is a big understatement. She was so happy that
her happiness was contagious. And to think that
I’d once disliked the woman, ha.
She hugged both Coreen and I as she sobbed.
“You two are a match made in heaven, you’re
exceptional. You two have made me rekindle my
love for God so I’ll be forever grateful..now come
in let me serve you some of my delicious foods.”
Coreen and I were all smiles as we entered the
house hand in hand.
Now all that was left was for me to reunite with
my entire family and start my life afresh…..