I met Patience Atukunda at a conference, she was so quiet, and there was something about her I couldn’t really grasp. Apart from the fact that she was beautiful, which was the first thing that drew my attention to her, she was one of the friendliest and most intelligent people you’ll ever meet.
When it was time to network, everyone moved around, but Patience remained on her seat. I met a few people, introduced myself but she was still glued on her seat.
While others were networking, she was going through her notes of the first session. I left others and decided to go speak with her, that’s how our friendship began.
She was quiet, yet so full of life and wisdom. She is one person you’ll meet and be like, “how could God deposit so much gifts and talents in one person?” Sometimes I would joke about how God cheated me by giving her more than He gave me.
She was so good at many things, her words were most times what kept me together. When troubled, all I needed was to reach out to her. She had a way of making sadness vanish.
A lot of times, we would just hang out and talk about life and our future. Atukunda’s dreams were a little scary, they were bigger than her, I had no doubt or reservations within me.
I believed it was possible, I saw all she had within her and trust me, she had all she needed to make her dreams come through.
I would always talk to her about putting herself out there and showing up for the world to see the gift in her but she would sweet talk her way out of it and make excuses. She had great potential but she had chosen to hide her dreams.
She wasn’t really scared, she just felt she wasn’t ready. I felt bad, because I knew the world needed more of her. Patience was one person who would willingly give up the spotlight and let others shine.
She once had a chance to write and get paid. It was no small gig because it was one that could’ve set her up for life, she turned it down and recommended me.
“How could you?” I remember screaming at her, then told her she had to grab the opportunity, or I wasn’t taking it either. How long was she going to hide the powerful gifts in her and live in the shadows. I was not going to settle with that anymore.
The gig came and none of us took the opportunity, like a generous Jesus, Patience recommended someone else. Her dream was still hidden.
Guess what? The guy she gave the opportunity is not in the country anymore, as young as he is, he has worked with diplomats, global leaders and influencers.
That could have been Patience but she threw it away.
“I’m not ready.
What if I fail?
What if I’m not good enough?
What if they criticize me?
What if they reject me?
I’ll just wait till it’s my time.”
Those were the excuses she often made when I tried to talk her into pursuing her dreams of writing and coming out of the shadows.
Well, a few days ago, I got back from work in the evening, opened my WhatsApp and found a message from her.
“I’m ready, let’s see when you’re free, make plans and let’s take the country by storm.”
Are you serious!! I leaped for joy. Finally!! My prayer had been answered. I called her immediately and told her I was ready too, then she asked me to come to her house in the morning, I cancelled every other plan I had for the next day.
I couldn’t risk her changing her mind.
I woke up in the morning, supercharged and ready to set someone ablaze. I picked my book, pen and tablet computer, made due preparations, asked God for the blessings of that day and left for her house immediately.
She had sent me her address the previous night, I had never been to her house. We usually just hang out at calm spots, but she insisted we met at her place this time. She wanted me to finally meet her family.
She would often jazz me about how much she tells everyone at home about me, it was time to finally meet them.
I got to her place, a bit intimidated by the environment. Everyone who lived there was probably a billionaire in Ugandan terms, humongous mansions everywhere.
“Mehn!! People have money in this country eh, and some of us are saying there’s no money.” I said to myself.
I finally located her house. All I could say was,
“Wow, money is bae. Such a beauty!”
I stood at the gate clicking the intercom for almost an hour, but no one responded. I called Patience, her phone kept ringing but she wasn’t picking.
“Has she decided to turn back again. But why put me through so much stress and then give up again.” I was already feeling bad, checked the time it was 10:47am and being a dry season, the sun was not any kind.
The more I clicked the intercom and even knocked the gate, the more the dogs kept barking from inside. Excitement didn’t let me notice the gate was locked from outsid just where I was actually standing.
“Gosh!! No one is here.” I said as I saw the padlock on the gate. I decided to go back home and call her later.
As I was walking out of the estate, my mind already wondering on its own. I didn’t know the car that kept hooting was for me, until a passerby brought me back to reality and told me someone was calling me.
It was a Mercedes Benz GL500. “Who knows me here, I have no relatives with such a car or how could I possibly be of help.” I was already devastated at the way things were turning out.
“Are you Patience’s friend? You look familiar?” It was a woman on dark shades, with a young man sitting on the other side.
“Yes I am. I’m actually just coming from her house, but it seems there’s no one at home.” I answered.
“I’m sorry about that. I’m her mother, I recognized you because I’ve seen pictures of you on her phone, she talks about you a lot.”
A smile suddenly broke through my face.
“What of Patience, where is she?”I inquired.
Her mum asked me to get into the car so we could go home, and apologised for the stress I went through already.
We got into the house, and I was given a warm reception like royalty. Expecting Patience to show up soon, I thought that perhaps she was running errands for her mother.
Soon her mother joined me in the sitting room, took of her shades and her eyes were red, you would think she had been crying for long, I didn’t think there was anything wrong, “maybe just an ailment”. I tried to figure out.
She appreciated all I had done for her daughter, but within me I was like, “Huh, Patience has even done more, I should be appreciating her, not her mother appreciating me.”
Then she broke the news to me.
“Patience passed away last night”.
I didn’t know how to react, I couldn’t call it a joke. Her eyes said it all, she’d been crying all night.
I broke down immediately, I couldn’t hold back the tears. Not Patience, No!! God why? Why now?
Her elder brother came into the sitting room to console me.
“Patience slipped in the bath room last night when she was having her bath. If not that she screamed, we wouldn’t have found out till this morning.” He said.
I was the last person she spoke to, after making arrangements for our meeting, she said she was going to take a shower and get some rest.
I didn’t expect that she would actually be resting forever.
Not just a loss to me, not just a loss to her family, she was a big loss to the world. I know how much of a potential she had within her, if only she gave herself the opportunity to live her dreams. One of the most promising writers I ever knew, too smart and kind at the same time.
Those gifts and talents weren’t going be useful in the grave anymore. They had gone, just like her, the lives she would have transformed will suffer a little while because she didn’t show up.
I couldn’t imagine it, my heart was broken. I don’t think I’ll ever get over this pain. I never cried so much for someone who isn’t family. I had forced her to write because I knew what she was made off but she had brushed me off whenever I talked about her works getting some exposure.
While in the sitting room with her mother and brother. Her mother’s phone rang, it was the doctor.
As she answered, few seconds later she screamed
“Thank you Jesus!!!”.
I and her brother got up as we were shocked. Who thanks God for death?
“Mom what’s it? What happened?” He inquired with so much anxiety.
“Patience is alive.”
How? I thought she was….
Patience’s mother interrupted before he could complete the sentence “No time for questions John, let’s rush to the hospital immediately.”
We got there, she was alive and the doctors couldn’t explain how, because they checked properly before saying she was gone.
I smiled knowing only God could have done it. Good must have seen the talent we would lose if he took her. He knew the world still needed her as much as he wanted her too.
She was weak, with a huge bandage on her head soaked with blood. She was alive above all.
She had been given a second chance to go take care of all she had left behind, to go shine her light, a second chance to put her gifts to good use and be truly great. To make an impact without excuses.
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Well, that was Patience’s story.
What about you, you have just as much gifts and potential in you as Patience and you’re making just the same mistake by not putting it to good use.
You are letting fear rob and cheat you, God didn’t give you those gifts so you can admire yourself, He gave you those gifts for impact.
Don’t let death rob you off your greatness, you have a big potential in you. Use it wisely.
Every morning you wake up and see another day, that’s another chance, today is another chance to make changes and be a blessing to your world.
When you leave this world, I don’t want people to say you would have been great, I want people to say you were great.
Let them say you truly lived not because you lived long, but because you lived long enough to affect lives and fulfil your purpose.
It’s up to you to rise out of the shadows and shine your light so bright.
I wept for Atukunda, and would do even more if you dare leave this world without releasing all that is within you.
It breaks my heart when I see people with so much, live like they have nothing.
The world is calling out to you, what’s holding you back? Will you please let it go and Show Up.
I know you will, and I believe in You.
P.S – This story is Purely Fiction and in no way depicts the day to day life of the characters. It’s meant to motivate and drive you to rise up and act on the hidden dreams that you’ve been sitting on for a long time.
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