Nobody should lack sleep in their own home because they don’t feel safe. It’s just not fair, especially for residents in the safest city on the continent, especially with how much rent hurts our monthly finances. All was going well and I was getting a full night’s uninterrupted sleep, until a few days ago. Last weekend, I was minding and enjoying my sleeping business in the middle of the night when I heard what felt like a person in the closet. I immediately sprung up and broke into a cold sweat – unready to leave the world before meeting my baby and seeing my wonderful man again. When one is pregnant, their heart-rate doubles, if not triples, especially when they’re scared or anxious. While I panicked and called my husband, (because husbands make us feel so protected, we believe they will solve physical problems even when they’re away) I decided to switch on the light to come face to face with whatever this was. This is when I saw a little brown creature with small eyes running across the floor. A RAT! My heart rate tripled for a RAT! I hate rats. I hate rodents. I hate all animals that make themselves feel welcome at one’s home without an invitation. I was enraged. How can a rat think for even a second that it was welcome in our house, our room, of all places in the house? I immediately googled how to get rid of rats, texted a fumigator to come kill this unwanted malicious infestation as I looked for Airbnb options of a rat-free place where I could rest my head without being interrupted. My mind was made up. I knew exactly what to pack; some tracks, a pregnancy pillow and my laptop. I was ready to desert my home because of a rodent. In fact, in my mind, I decided I would pack a bag and leave it in the car for such instances because I cannot live like this. Surely hubby would understand if I found a temporary stay as the rat situation is being handled. He knows who he married. Now as daylight broke, I realised how ridiculous this would sound to my babies. “Mummy, a strong woman, ran away from the house because she was afraid of rats.” I immediately swallowed my pride and decided to stay and fight this intruder until it left. Two mornings later, the sucker was gone and I woke up to what felt like my best life. A rodent-free life. I had maximised my sleep’s potential, so upon rising, I did some stretches, listened to a sermon as I got ready for work, and finally left my bedroom. On reaching the living room, I noticed the lights were on – and I thought to myself, this can either be blamed on my pregnancy brain or did rats get hands now? After switching off the lights, I ran my eyes across the room to notice the TV stand and its surroundings empty and blankly staring back at me. Turns out the rat wasn’t the only intruder this week. Boy, did I freeze? I shook like a leaf. Talk about my heart rate tripling for a rat, now it had decreased to dangerously low levels. I had a million thoughts running in my head at the same time. Is this how it feels to be a supercomputer? “What if they were still here?” “Should I grab a knife from the kitchen?” “What’s the best weapon to be handled by a lady?” “What about dogs?” “Is there a security system that hurls arrows to intruders?” “Is it possible to start the car without making noise?” Then I remembered it’s a diesel engine- the king of noises. But not electric cars – they can creep up on you. “How much do electric cars cost, again?” “Do I really need two kidneys when one could get us an electric car?” I had so many questions. With my phone in one shaking hand and the car key in the other, I managed to call my very calm husband, whose soothing nature came in so handy that morning. While he prayed for my nerves to calm down, I was overjoyed to see my day house staff open the gate and walk in. Now I had someone to freak out with. The rest of the morning was a blur. My mind was stuck on “drive to the office” because we were starting a busy week – yet my feet could not permit me to leave the chair. I sat there, numb, for at least two hours. I was inactive until my friends started showing up and helping me to involve the authorities. Whatever you do, make and keep intentional friends because they are the support system that will get you through life. Since the office has no such things as rats and theft, the girl child still must go in every morning - even though her sleep is still playing hide and seek after the incident. The biggest moral of my experience, God really watches over us. Nothing else can explain how greedy thieves broke into the house, and robbed us of our home theatre, while I slept soundly, alone – just a few meters away from them. A legit testament of Psalms 91. While I worried about rats, He’d yet saved me from a far greater danger.
