Still Waters - Epilogue: One Year Later

 This concludes (finally) the Still Waters short story.

Thank you for following and reading about Ladi and Chenu as they navigate life and find solid ground. I'd really love to know what you think about this short story, so please leave a comment.

You can catch up on:

Part 1- Shattered 

Part 2- The Plan

Part 3- Silent Tension

Part 4- The Breaking Point

Part 5- The Turn

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The room was larger than she expected. Fifteen chairs in a circle, a pot of coffee on a side table, and a board filled with flyers and handwritten notes of encouragement. In that circle were fifteen faces, some familiar, others not. Each one's face had a story. They listened with rapt attention, not wanting to miss out on anything she was saying.

Ladi stood near the front, heart steady, a huge smile on her face. She radiated peace. 

“This time last year,” she began, fingers resting on the folded edges of her notes, “I was angry with God. And terrified. I didn’t know what to do with a diagnosis that felt like a sentence.”

The women around her listened quietly, some nodding, others simply holding her gaze with knowing eyes.

“But something happened when I stopped choosing between faith and action, when I realized God could work through both prayer and medicine.”

She paused, remembering Chenu’s steady hands, his unwavering presence, his practical love. That man was the gift God gave her, tailored for her. She smiled again. She couldn’t wait to go outside to meet him. Her husband had balked at the idea of being in the room with fifteen other women. She smiled when she remembered how pale he had gotten when she asked him to come sit with the women. She quickly redirected her thoughts.

“I’m still healing, she continued. Still learning. But I’m not where I was. And I want you to know, you can be scared and still believe. You can cry and still pray. You can let others in and still be strong.”

As the meeting ended and the women lingered in conversation, one younger woman approached her.

“I’m where you were,” she said, voice low. “Would you… er.. mind talking more sometime with me?”

Ladi smiled, her eyes lit up. “Absolutely! Let's exchange numbers. I’ll be sure to check up on you. Feel free to reach out to me at any time.”

Outside, the late hot afternoon breeze carried the scent of dust and rain. Ladi walked briskly to the car, where Chenu was waiting with a pack of spicy plantain chips and that same look—the one that said, we're still in this together. Her heartbeat increased slightly. How could this man still make butterflies dance in her belly? She was so blessed!

She got into the car and reclined as she prepared for the drive home. Home, the place she shared with Chenu. She smiled and opened her plantain chips, kicking off her shoes. She was ready for the drive, anywhere God was leading her.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,  height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39