#WritcoStoryChallenge

Does life give us a second chance?
The race had begun and she wondered if she would win this time round.

Because most domestic violence victims normally gets mad when the abuse happen and then find their way back in the same cycle.

So she was really mad, cursing and abusing all sort of words, but she never asked for help in those messages, all I saw was abuses.

I wondered as my friend showed those messages to me, she seemed disturbed and concerned while saying, can you imagine our friend was badly beaten.

I drove to her place and we found her with ice treating her face, very upset still but this time patiently waiting his abuser to return.

I sat her down and gently asked her... "How are you Christine? "

She couldn't answer that without tears flowing.. And then she said, "need I say?, See how bad this time he hit me, the monster that I do everything for, see what he did, and all for what? He saw my cousin's texts and he thought I was cheating on him without even asking the what's to it, he threw the glass on my face, see what he did"

I looked at Aisha who was seated next to me with her coffee mug, saying nothing.

I think Aisha was wondering how one love to this point, because with Aisha, life has no PAIN word to her definition, so I understood what she was thinking while staring at Christine.

I reached out to Christine and I could only find these words, "How many chances do you have to live? Does life give us a second chance? Imagine today us here at your funeral, what is going on in your mind? "

Christine looked at me and said, "But the kids, am jobless and he literally has it all, what will I do if I leave him now when kids needs to go to schools? See, I don't have certificates, what will I do? Besides where will I even go cause am not in good terms with my people, they never wanted him in the first place but I forced.. now, what will become of me? "

Aisha spoke like someone who just came from sleeping.. "Really? Is that what you will be thinking while we are in your funeral, really Christine?.. "

Christine looked at Aisha and she got up. We didn't know where she was heading to, but the next minute we saw her with her bags and kids coming down the stairs, she stood right infront of us and said, "Am ready"

We all got shocked because there was nothing that could take Christine out of her man, she was deep!

But here she was, asking us to leave with her, tears went down my chicks and I ran to her, hugged her and walked her to the car, and I drove us off.

Well, what next you ask?

She is safe with us, going through Counseling while having a restraining order against her husband who tried so many times to reach her to apologize saying he is in Counseling and its helping, but then, Christine is mentally strong now and she knows best.

And she looks really happy now cause she started her foundation to help domestic violance victims find their smiles and purpose again, and kids are still in school through her church scholarship.

Life ain't easy but she is much more happier.

This made me understand, everyday you happen to wake up, it is life's way of giving you another chance not to get hurt, but to make it better, the question is, what are you doing with that chance?

Do you even recognize you are given that chance today?

Ask yourself, what will you be thinking and wishing if today we were to come to your funeral because you couldn't use wise the chance life gave you?

Look around you, there is so much help waiting for you to say like Christine said, "Am Ready"

It won't be easy cause nothing is easy, but it is worthy it.

And ooops! Before I forget, Aisha, Christine and myself are planning to go to a vacation, we are not decided yet where but, you can help us decide.

The point is, we are all ALIVE and living is what we intend to do to the fullest, besides, what are friends for!?

@RehemaImoryTz