Esther walked through the empty street, holding her tiny baby girls in her arms. Tonight, she had made up her mind to throw them into a trash can like garbage. The sky was dark and heavy with clouds. Lightning flashed and thunder cracked loudly. Soon she saw a gate. Beside it was a trash can. She opened the lid.

 Quickly placed the babies inside and turned away. She walked fast and didn’t look back. Another thunder flashed and lightning tore through the sky. Her heart jumped. A small voice inside her shouted, “What if rain fills a trash can and the babies perished.” But Esther didn’t stop. She didn’t care if they survive or not.

 She reached the bus station, got into a bus, and it drove off. As she sat down, Esther smiled. She was free now. The babies were gone. she could return to Legos and go back to working in nightclubs and meet men and make lots of money. The clouds grew thicker and another loud thunder struck the sky. The sound woke the babies.

 They began to cry, their tiny voices echoing inside the trash can. Then something strange happened. Something that felt like a miracle. The heavy clouds cleared almost at once and the night sky filled with stars. A mentally ill woman was walking toward the trash can. She came every night to search for food. That was where she usually found her dinner.

 Tonight, when she reached the trash can, she found two crying babies. They were moving, crying loudly inside the bin. She looked around, then reached in and picked them up with care. She also found a dry piece of bread covered with fungus. She tucked the bread inside her wrapper and slowly walked back to her usual sleeping spot behind a house.

 That place was the only home she knew. She spread out some dirty rags on ground and gently place the babies on them, but they kept crying. Their voices were sharp, calling out for their mother. The woman knelt down in front of them. “I know you are hungry,” she said. “I will give you food.” She broke small pieces from the moldy bread and pushed the crumbs into their mouths.

But the babies didn’t eat. They pushed the crumbs out with their tongues and kept on crying. The woman’s face changed. She became upset. “Sorry, my children. Don’t cry,” she said gently. Then her voice turned harsh as she shouted. “Stop crying. Stop disturbing me. I am your mother and I command you to stop crying.

” Still, the babies continued to cry. Her face softened again. Her voice dropped. “I’m sorry I shouted at you,” she whispered. “Please forgive me. I won’t shout again. You are my children.” She gave them water from a dirty container. It was the only water she had. The babies drank it. After a while, they stopped crying and fell asleep.

 The woman covered their little bodies with filthy rags. Then she laid down beside them and closed her eyes. Soon she was fast asleep, too. At dawn, Mr. Sam came out for his morning jog. As he passed a quiet corner, he saw the mentally ill woman sitting on the ground with two babies. They were crying loudly again. They were hungry.

 They had never stayed this long without their mother’s milk. Mr. Sam stopped and looked closely. He recognized the woman right away. Everyone in the neighborhood knew her. She was not pregnant, so he knew the babies couldn’t be hers. She must have found them somewhere in that area. It wasn’t strange to hear women throwing away babies after giving birth out of wedlock. Mr.

 Sam guessed this was another one of those sad cases. He walked toward her carefully, but as he got closer, the woman jumped up very angry. “Why are you coming?” “You want to steal my babies?” she shouted. Then she’d picked up stones and started throwing them at him. Mr. Sam stepped back, but his eyes stayed on the crying babies. His heart broke.

 He suddenly remembered his wife and his twin boys who died in a car accident 3 years ago. They had been almost the same age as these crying children when they died. He knew he had to help these babies. But first, he needed a way to calm the woman down. He remembered the one thing she loved more than anything. Coke.

 Quickly, Mr. Sam reached into his pocket and pulled out some money. He held it out to her and said, “Take this. Go and buy five bottles of Coke. Drink it with your babies.” The moment she saw the money and heard the word coke, her face changed. She dropped the stones and walked toward him. Her voice was soft. “Thank you, sir.

” “Thank you, sir,” she said with deep gratitude. Mr. Sam pointed toward the main road. going by the coke. I’ll stay here and watch your babies,” he said gently. She turned and began walking away, heading toward the street. She took a sharp bend and disappeared from sight. The moment she was gone, Mr. Sam rushed forward, picked up the babies, and hurried back to his house.

 Meanwhile, the mentally ill woman reached the house where coke was sold. She banged loudly on the door. It was still early morning, and none of the shops had opened yet. Who is that? A man shouted from inside. I want coke. Coke? She replied, hitting the door harder. The man inside was angry. Because of coke, you are disturbing our pieces early morning.

 She shouted back, “If you don’t come out and give me coke, I will burn down this whole house.” Hearing this, the man and his wife quickly came outside. But when they saw who it was, they calmed down. The woman went inside, brought out five bottles of Coke, and gave them to her. The mentally ill woman took the Coke, and hurried back.

 But when she got the place, she didn’t see her babies. “Where are my babies?” she shouted in panic. Her eyes searched everywhere. She dropped the coke, fell to the ground, and began to cry. She rolled on the ground, crying and shouting until the sun came up fully. People started gathering around her. “What is she talking about?” One man asked.

 Another said, “I saw her with twin babies last night.” A woman placed her hands on her head and exclaimed, “One of those girls must have thrown away her baby again, and this mad woman picked them.” Another added in fear, “I just hope it’s not money ritual people that carried them to sacrifice to their demons of money.

” The mentally ill woman cried until her voice faded. Her strength left her. She lay on the bare ground and fell asleep. her arms empty. Back at his house, Mr. Sam quickly removed the dirty clothes from the babies. They smelled very bad, and he saw pieces of garbage stuck to their skin. Rotten food and vegetables were on their heads and legs.

 He shook his head and knew the mentally disturbed woman had found them in a trash can. He warmed some water, added plenty of antiseptic, and gently bathed them. After cleaning them up, he wrapped each child in a clean towel. Then he bought some baby formula and fed them. Later that day, Mr. Sam’s fianceé, Roa, came to visit.

She saw the babies and smiled at first, but when he explained where they came from, her face changed completely. “So, will the babies now stay with you?” she asked coldly. “Yes,” he replied. Sam and Roa’s wedding was only two Saturdays away. Roa frowned. “So, you want to come into your house and start taking care of another woman’s children?” Not one but two crying annoying babies.

 I won’t do it. You want to marry me into suffering? Mr. Sam pointed at the twins. Look at them. I couldn’t leave them with that mentally disturbed woman. She can’t even take care of herself, let alone two babies. Roa snapped back. Look at you. You’re just a mini bus driver. You don’t even have money.

 And now you want to carry another person’s burden. Take those babies back. If they die, then that’s her fate. Their own mother didn’t want them. So why should you? Mr. Sam begged her to understand, but Roa refused to listen. The next day, she called off the wedding and left him. Mr. Sam was deeply troubled. He loved Roa so much, and her leaving him broke his heart.

 He sat in his room with the babies, not knowing what to do. But one thing was certain. He wasn’t going to take them back to where he found them. Since death had taken his twin boys when they were the same age as these babies. He believed it was God’s way of giving him another chance to be a father. He made up his mind to do everything he could to care for these little angels in his arms.

 The next day brought an even bigger challenge. Mr. Sam woke up to find the little babies burning with fever. Their bodies felt like fire and their breathing was faint as they jerked up and down. He rushed them to a nearby hospital. The case was serious and the doctor referred him to a specialist hospital in the city. There, the doctor examined them and said, “It must be from the trash you said you found them in.

 A dangerous bacteria has entered their system and is destroying their intestines. If we don’t do surgery by tomorrow, I’m afraid they won’t make it.” But the treatment was delicate and would cost more than a million naira for the two babies. Mr. Sam was devastated and returned home deeply troubled. Meanwhile, Esther was enjoying life in Lagos.

 She had completely forgotten her wickedness. That night, she drank, partied, and pole danced for men, making plenty of money while her twins lay in a hospital, struggling on oxygen, fighting for their lives. But one thing Esther didn’t know was that calamity was near. And very soon, her wickedness would catch up with her.

 She would pay a very heavy price, the kind she had never seen even in movies. In the morning, Mr. Sam made the most painful decision of his life. He took his bus, the only source of his survival, and sold it because he was desperate. The buyers took advantage and paid him far less than the bus was worth.

 But since the money was enough to cover the hospital bill, he was satisfied. He returned to the hospital and paid in full. The doctor performed the surgery successfully and after about 2 months in the hospital, the twins were discharged. Mr. Sam’s mother came and helped him care for the babies. With the bus gone, Sam went to work in a quarry, breaking stones.

 He was committed to caring for the babies and did his best. He put them through primary school and later into secondary school. The money Mr. Sam was making was too little. So when the twins came of age, they started hawking bananas in the streets to support their father. Every day after returning from school, they would balance their tray of bananas and roam the streets.

 They also saved enough money to help with registration when they gained admission into the university. They loved designing and their dream was to become two of the best architects in Nigeria. So they saved money aggressively hoping to register successfully once they gained admission. But after finishing secondary school, they sat for Wyak and JAM examinations and both failed that evening.

 They came home with heavy hearts and showed their father the result. “We failed you, Daddy,” they said quietly. He drew them close and smiled. “It’s not easy go to school and walking kilometers every day to sell bananas.” “You didn’t fail me. I’m very proud of you. God will open better doors. Don’t lose hope. As long as you’re alive, your future is still bright.

 He spoke with warmth, encouraging them, and they returned to their room, the weight of disappointment slowly lifting from their shoulders. With their father’s support, the twins refused to be held down by failure. They came up with a new plan. Since university didn’t work out, they poured all their saved money into expanding their banana business.

 And in a short time, the business began to boom. Instead of hawking, trucks began bringing bananas directly to them. Lucy and Celestina became the major distributors of banana in the town. The business kept growing without slowing down. Soon large trailers were supplying them in bulk. From banana, they expanded into other fruits like oranges and pineapple.

 They controlled the major fruit supply to more than five states. They built their own fruit depot where buyers came from all over Nigeria. They stopped their father from breaking stones and made him the manager. He didn’t just manage the business. He also prayed fervently every day for his daughters and their success. But while God was opening doors of blessing for Lucy and Celestina, the devil was opening doors of sorrow for Esther, their real mother.

 She had returned from Lagos. Age had caught up with her. Men no longer wanted her body, and she was too old to pole dance. She had gone to Legos full of energy, beauty, and big dreams. But all that was gone. What she returned with were different kind of sicknesses. Though she didn’t know yet, she had no money.

 The only skills she had were from nightclubs, and those were now useless in Nigeria’s harsh economy. Life became hard. Some nights she went to bed without food. She was too ashamed to return to the village. After all those years, it would be a disgrace to return empty-handed. But her greatest fear was what people might ask about her twins.

 She had no idea if they survived in the trash or not. One morning, Esther picked up a tray and decided to start selling oranges in town. She had no money, so she went to Lucy and Celestina’s fruit depot and met one of the workers. “Good morning, sir,” she curtsied, her voice full of pleading. Please, I want to start selling pineapples and oranges, but I don’t have money to buy.

 Can you give me the goods? After I sell them, I will return your money. The boy replied, “Madam, we don’t do that here. You pay and we give you the goods. I’m sorry.” Esther was devastated. That was her only hope of starting a new life. She pleaded again, but the boy shook his head. “It’s company policy. My hands are tied. I can lose my job. I don’t make the rules.

 I follow them. Just then, Lucy and Celestina were approaching. The worker pointed toward Esther and said, “Those are the bosses.” Surprised, Esther asked. “These young girls own this big place?” “Yes,” he said proudly. “Everything you see here belongs to them, including those big trucks.” As Lucy and Celestina arrived, Esther stepped forward and pleaded, her voice trembling with tears, “Please help me.

 I don’t have money to start the business. If you give me the fruits, I’ll return in the evening and pay you back.” The twins were taken aback. Though she was a complete stranger, something about her felt strangely familiar. “No problem,” Lucy said gently. Then she turned to worker and said, “Give her as many fruits as she wants.

” Esther curtsied deeply. “Thank you so much. Your parents must be very proud of you. Girls your age owning such a huge business.” Celestina smiled and replied, “We have a wonderful father. He gave all he had to make us who we are today.” Esther said, “I’ll return in the evening to give you your money.

” Then she balanced a tray of fruits on her head and went out. The twins continued their work until evening, and then they left for home. At home, their return filled Mr. Sam with joy. His years of hard work had not been in vain. Later that evening, Lucy and Celestina sat down with their father to discuss the matter he had been avoiding for many years.

 Despite all their repeated questions, he had always avoided the topic about their mother. Mr. Sam hesitated. How could he tell them they had been discarded in a garbage bin, only to be found by a mentally ill woman who he had later taken them from? Lucy gently said, “Dad, no matter what, please show us our mother if she’s alive.

” Celestina added, “Even if it’s just a picture, we want to know.” That evening, Mr. Sam gathered his courage and took the girls to the new location of the mentally ill woman. They found her sitting under a tree. Mr. Sam pointed. “That’s the woman I got you from.” The girl stared, confused. “We don’t understand,” they said. Mr.

 Sam sat them down and told them the painful truth. Their real mother had abandoned them in a trash can, and it was a mentally ill woman who had found them. The revelation left the girls speechless. They walked away in silence, their minds racing with the shock. Later that night, they returned to their father. Lucy spoke softly.

 Dad, now we understand why you never spoke of our mother. It must have been so hard on you. We want to thank you for everything you’ve done for us. Celestina added with determination. You are our father. That mentally ill woman is our mother now. We won’t let her continue living on the streets eating from trash.

 We’ll take her to a psychiatric hospital. Lucy’s voice was firm as she continued. and the woman who abandoned us. Wherever she is, she’s not our mother. We will never forgive her.” Mr. Sam looked at his daughters, pride swelling in his chest. Despite all they had learned, they had shown strength and compassion.

 He hoped they would find peace with the truth. The next morning, Lucy and Celestina arrived at the fruit depot, ready for work. To their surprise, Esther was already there with her tray. She asked for another favor, and the twins gave her another set of fruits to sell and returned the money afterward. Later in the day, Mr. Sam visited the depot.

 The girls rushed him, giving him warm, heartfelt hugs. The workers around them couldn’t help but notice the special bond between father and daughters. After a few moments, Mr. Sam sat down, allowing his daughters to continue their work. Business was good for Esther, and she quickly sold all her fruits, returned with the money, and was given another set. She saw Mr.

 Sam sitting and was told he was the father of the kind twins. She came to him and said, “You must be so proud of your daughters.” He smiled, his eyes shining with love. “Indeed, they are good girls. I thank God for blessing me with them. They brought so much joy into my life.” Esther added, “I wish I have daughters like them who are successful so that I can stop selling under this harsh Nigerian sun.” Mr.

 Sam, noticing her pain, consoled, “I too used to break stones under the harsh sun. But these god- sent girls rescued me. But don’t worry, madam. God will take care of you. He is the one taking care of us all.” As they continued to talk, the conversation eventually led to a surprising revelation. Mr. Sam told Esther that Lucy and Celestina weren’t his biological children.

 “What do you mean?” she asked, her voice trembling with confusion. Mr. Sam cleared his throat and told her the truth. How he had rescued the twins from a mentally ill woman and how their real mother had discarded them in a trash can. As Mr. Sam spoke, Esther’s body began to tremble. A deep, unsettling fear gripped her heart.

 Could these be the very children she had abandoned all those years ago? “Do you remember the date when this happened?” she asked, her voice shaking. “Mr. Sam’s eyes widened and he nodded. I remember it vividly as if it were just yesterday.” He recounted the exact date, the street, and even mentioned the name of the mentally disturbed woman.

 Esther gasped, her face pale, her breath quickened, and suddenly she collapsed to the ground. “Help! Somebody help. Mr. Sam shouted in panic as people rushed over to them. Esther was quickly taken to the hospital. The doctors worked tirelessly managing to revive her, but she was left paralyzed on one side.

 They tried to contact her relatives, but no one came forward. Lucy and Celestina, showing the same compassion they had always had, ended up covering the hospital bills for Esther. About a week later, Lucy and Celestina took their mother, the mentally ill woman, to a reputable psychiatric hospital where, after a series of thorough tests, the doctors confirmed that she could be treated and her madness could be cured.

 Overwhelmed with relief, the twins immediately paid for the treatment to begin, and within a short time, their mother, Martha, started responding positively to the care. Once Esther was stable, she was discharged from the hospital and brought back home. Her sister Aisha came from the village to help care for her. Upon arrival, Aisha scowlled at her sister in frustration.

 If not for God, I would never come to take care of you. Aisha snapped. You’re so selfish. Always thinking only about yourself. Where are the men you went to Legos to meet? Where are they now? And you’re twins. What did you do to those innocent girls? Esther, tell me. But Esther, now weak and filled with guilt, remained silent.

 She could talk, but she couldn’t bring herself to confess the truth that she had discarded her children in a garbage bin. And now they have become successful, important people in society. The sister scolded and shouted, but Esther remained silent. Few weeks later, Lucy and Celestina managed to take a break from work and decided to visit their mother.

 They arrived at the psychiatric hospital and saw her, speaking more coherently than before, though she was still weak from the effects of the medication. Upon seeing them, Martha was informed that they were the ones paying for her treatment. The twin sat by her bed, and Martha, with confusion in her eyes, asked, “Why do you care for me? I don’t know you.

” Lucy smiled gently and replied, “We are your children. You are our mother.” Martha, still not fully grasping the situation, asked, “Did I give birth to you while I was mentally ill?” “No,” Lucy responded softly. She took a deep breath before continuing. “Even in your insanity, you saved us in the trash bin when our biological mother discarded us.

 You took us in when no one else did. We are truly grateful for you.” The doctors and nurses were deeply moved by the story of the twins and their mother. Some even wiped away tears as they witnessed the unfolding of such a heartfelt and powerful reunion. But as good things were happening for the twins and their mother, a storm was brewing for Esther.

 The results of Esther’s comprehensive medical test came in, revealing a long list of illnesses. Her sister, looking at the report, turned to her with a heavy heart. Esther, “Maybe your evil is finally catching up with you,” her sister said, her voice filled with sorrow. confess what you did to your twins.

 Why is every disease in the world inside your body? She showed her the report and began reading out the list of diagnosis. Hepatitis A, B, and C, syphilis and gorrhea, kidney problems, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, paralysis, and the list continues. Esther, her body trembling, lay silent in her bed, tears streaming down her cheeks as she listened.

 Her sister continued, her tone firm yet full of anguish. “This is not the time to cry, Esther. It’s time to confess what you did to your children.” Esther opened her mouth, her voice weak and strained. “Please call the twins to help pay my bills. I need to see them.” Her sister, confused with complying, dialed their number.

 The twins promised come after work, and the family, including Esther’s sister, thought Esther wanted to express gratitude for their financial support. But there was more to it. Esther was ready to confess her darkest secret. That evening, the door opened and the twins entered, followed by their father. They sat together, and Esther, struggling to speak, began in a faint voice, “Please forgive me for what?” Lucy asked, her heart pounding in her chest.

 Esther took a deep breath before speaking again. I am your mother. I was the one who threw you into the trash can. That’s not true, Mr. Sam interjected, unable to believe what he was hearing. It’s true, Esther insisted, her voice breaking. She went on to describe the clothes she had dressed him in before abandoning them. The details were eerily familiar, matching exactly what Mr. Sam had seen that fateful day.

His face turned pale as he realized that Esther was telling the truth. Celestina, shaken with rage and disbelief, cried out, “You you did this. If we had known, we would let you rot and die in that hospital.” “Lucy,” her voice thick with pain, asked, “what do we ever do to you when we were just babies? What made you do that to us?” Tears flowed freely as everyone in the room was overcome with emotion.

 The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the sound of tears falling onto the floor. “Please forgive me,” Esther’s voice, weaken, pleading, broke the stillness. “We won’t,” Celestina responded harshly, the anger still fresh in her heart. “You don’t deserve our forgiveness.” “Please,” Esther whispered, her voice barely audible.

 “What I did was unforgivable, but please forgive me.” The room was thick with tension. Mr. Sam, feeling the weight of the moment, gently put his arms around his daughters and led them out of the room. He spoke to them with a calm yet pleading voice, urging them to consider Esther’s condition and the toll it had taken on her.

 After a long silence, the twins called their mother at the psychiatric hospital and shared the painful news with her. To their surprise, even their mother, who had barely recovered, asked them to find it in their hearts to forgive Esther. Moved by their mother’s plea and their father’s words, the twins returned to the room where Esther lay.

 With deep breaths and heavy hearts, they said, “We forgive you. Thank you.” Esther whispered, her voice weak but filled with gratitude. The twins alongside their father, left the room quietly, knowing this was the only peace they could offer. From that moment on, Esther’s sister began to treat her kindly and stopped shouting at her.

Later that evening, Lucy and Celestina sat with her father after dinner to discuss the new discovery. Lucy said, “Since we have forgiven Esther, she is now our second mother. We need to help her.” Celestina added, “Tomorrow we shall take her to a reputable hospital for advanced treatment.” The three agreed to help Esther the next day.

 That night, they all went to bed with heavy thoughts on their minds. By morning, Mr. Sam, Lucy, and Celestina woke up with headaches. But Esther did not wake up. When her sister tapped her, Esther lay there lifeless. With tears in her eyes, she called Lucy and said, “Your mother is dead.” Lucy, Celestina, and Mr.

 Sam rushed the house, and the twins were once again faced with the stark reality that Esther was gone. They all accompanied her lifeless body back to the village where relatives welcomed them. Despite the tragedy, the village embraced the twins as Esther’s lost children. They met their grandparents, cousins, nephews, aunts, and uncles.

 The people were loving and affectionate. On the day of the funeral, Lucy and Celestina, though filled with sorrow, marched their real mother’s grave, placing flowers and tribute. Despite everything Esther had done to them, the grief of losing her was undeniable. They cried bitterly, mourning the woman who had abandoned them, but also the woman who in the end had been their mother.

After the burial, they returned to the city. Soon, their other mother, now mentally stable and smiling, was discharged from the hospital and moved in with them. And together, they build a new life, a peaceful one filled with healing. Thanks for watching and may God bless