A Grandmother In Court For Stealing Bread.

It’s such a tough decision to make having to pawn one’s integrity for someone else’s happiness and peace of mind.

That’s a great act of sacrifice, and loss of pride.

A husband ran away from home, and left heavy responsibilities and manly duties to a very sick and worn out woman, his wife. The duties of paying the bills, running the home, cartering for two hungry children, training and schooling them.

What would have happened to make this man do such an embarrassing thing? What man is it that will begin such a journey and leave it half way? If there should be anyone to run from such responsibilities, it should be the woman because the men folks have always seen women as weaker vessels.

What is happening in the world of men these days is so pathetic?

It is not like he was trying but things aren’t just falling in place, that would have been a different case. But running away? No! That’s the height of irresponsibility.

Worst off, he left those responsibilities to a very sick woman. It took an old woman who threw away her pride, self image and dignity, to stoop so low, defied every self respect to do the job a man should have done for his own family. She cartered for her daughter and her two hungry grand children.

Do you know what it feels like to be arraigned in a courtroom, before the eyes of the whole world to be shamed and embarrassed for stealing bread? Ordinary bread!

It was a very desperate situation for the whole family. Mother had taken ill, was writhing in pains, the little children were hungry and crying to their mother for food. Father was nowhere be found, he had absconded, ran away from the problems surrounding him and left his responsibility of fending for the family to the ailing wife.

Grandma who was taking care of the sick daughter didn’t know what to do and she had no money. Grandma watched and listen as children wail, complaining and wanting something to eat, knew that the children needed some food to eat but there was no food anywhere in the house, not a drop of grain.

The trial judge looked at the case and took a look at the old woman sitting in the witness box. He asked her.
Did you steal the bread?

The old woman looked down and covered her face in shame!

The judge asked again, did you steal the bread?

And she answered the judge,

“Yes sir, I stole the bread!

The judge read to her her punishment. She was to either pay $10 or be jailed for 10 days.

The old woman said, “If I had $10, I would not have stolen the bread. I stole it because I didn’t have money to buy it please, just serve me my punishment and let’s be done with the case! ”

The judge looked at the old woman once again and asked, Why did you steal the bread? Did you steal the bread because you were hungry?

“Yes, I was hungry, but I actually didn’t steal the bread for myself. I stole the bread for my two hungry grandchildren whose father ran away and left them in the care of a very sick mother, my daughter.

The children were very hungry and crying for something to eat. I couldn’t bear to just keep watching them cry, I needed to do something about it.”

The judge took another look at this old woman and felt pity for her. He dipped his hand into his suit and brought out a $10 bill and paid for the old woman’s court charges. He went further to charge everyone in the court 5 cents each saying that, if they had all done their right, this old woman wouldn’t steal bread for her grant children.

The next day the newspapers carried headlines like; “Court fined the audience 5 cents each to…”

This old woman left the courtroom that day free, discharged and acquitted and with the sum of $45 happy!

To men every man out there, “Na people wey sabi; na dem wey dey plan well o!” An advert by Peter Okoye (PSquare) & Tiwa Savage. There is no point marrying a woman if you can’t take care of her. More so, bringing children in to the world when you cannot give them the care and love they deserve.

Life is not easy, it has never been easy for anyone. Everybody is suffering the same fait you’re suffering. Running away from the problems only adds to it than alleviate it.

Like this old woman, it’s wisdom and courage to take the shame, swallow our pride to take the initiative to do something out of our way that will help put a smile on somebody’s face. Do that from today and see what blessings will come your way.

It does not take great strength to be a hero, it takes little honourable initiatives every now and then to build a great a wonderful world, free of evil and wicked manipulations.

Take that first step today and you will be glad you did!