Tommy stood there dumbfounded, the sympathizers immediately surrounded him when they noticed his presence.
All Tommy could hear was "take heart my dear, "you have to be a man, "your sisters need you".......
He could hear them but he could not hear them at the same time because his mind was not in the room.
He sank to his knees and wept, if only he had been there on time his mother would not have died.....
Thomas Johnson otherwise known as Tommy was a 30 year old successful engineer who owned his own construction company with over 100 people on his payroll.
He was very hardworking and made sure that his family was well taken care of, he had a wife (Denise) and a 2 year old son whom he loved and cherished with all his heart.
He also took care of his mom and his two younger sisters (Vera and Sandra) who were still in high school, he paid their bills and provided them with luxurious comfort.
His father was a military man who died in active service when he was just 16 years old, his father's death broke his mother and it took a long time for her to heal so it dawned on Tommy that he had to be the man of the house and take care of his mother and his then 3 year old and 1 year old sisters.
He did exactly just that, he worked maniacally and was able to finish college and also get a white collar job.
Few years after graduating from college, he took a loan from a bank and opened his own construction company and with hardwork and dedication, he was able to pay back the loan years later.
His company grew from strength to strength and Tommy was recently declared the youngest CEO and the youngest billionaire in the entire country in an award show.
All these did not stop him from working extra hard, his goal was to make sure that even after his death, hiss generation would not suffer or experience poverty and he was getting there one step at a time but all these did not come without consequences...
True enough, his financial life was accelerating but his family life was also decelerating at the same time, he was always busy with work, attending award shows, events, travelling from country to country and other social stuff that he barely had time for his family.
Weekends are meant for relaxing and being with your family but this was not for Tommy, from Monday to Sunday he was busy and barely saw his two year old son.
His wife who was ready for another child complained to him one night while they were in bed, he was busy on his laptop and only responded from time to time...
Honey don't you think that you are overworking yourself sometimes, you barely have time for me and our son not to talk of your mother and sisters who who barely visit or call..
She went on and on, Tommy knew he had to say something to make her stop
Alright babe, i have heard you and i promise to visit them and also spend time with you and our son this weekend, then we can also talk about that second baby.
He kissed her on the forehead and continued with his laptop
She gave him a quick stare and said to him
Vera called, she said that your mom is sick and has been asking for you, promise me that we would visit them tomorrow..
Yes i promise, now go to bed please...
She finally slept off to the relief of Tommy.
The smell of an expensive perfume woke Denise up, she rubbed herr eyes and saw her husband in front of the mirror knotting his tie.
You promised me that we would visit today, why are you behaving like this Tommy?
I know but something came up, you can go ahead and visit, i will join you later.
Denise knew that it would be useless arguing with him so she allowed him to go.
Later in the day, while Tommy was in a meeting with the shareholders of the company his wife called him on the phone, he intially ignored the call but after she called a few more times he picked up....
Tommy your mom was rushed to ST PATRICK'S hospital, she is dying Tommy!!!!!!!!
Like one who has been stung by a bee in the anus, Tommy jerked up and rushed to his car, the shareholders were looking at him inquisitively.
By the time Tommy got there, his mother had already passed away, he sank to his andd wept, he regretted not listening to his wife and maybe if he had visited with his wife, his mom would still be alive.
He screamed like a mad man and looked up to the ceiling as if God lived there, he shouted..
God please give me a second chance to correct this mistake, you have given me everything i asked for so please don't take my mother now!!!!!!....
He jumped up from the bed, he had been dreaming and he was sweating profusely, he looked around and saw his wife sleeping peacefully but he did not wake her up instead he went out of the room and called his sisters on the phone even though it was still 3AM in the morning.
He was relieved when they told him that their mother was fine and was sleeping.
After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, dawn finally came and without wasting time Tommy woke his wife and child and by 30 minutes they were already on their way to see his mom.
When they got there his mom screamed for joy on seeing her son after a long time, it was as if a miracle had occured and she was healed.
Tommy wept, he went on his knees and apologized to his entire family and promised to be there for them more frequently.
He took his mom to the hospital for checkups despite the mom protesting that she was already fine, he was not taking chances.
A few years later, Tommy's construction company already had branches scattered all over the country, he had three more children and he made sure to visit his mom and sisters (who were in college) every weekend.
One night when he was busy on his laptop, he suddenly remembered the dream that he had that changed him, he dropped the laptop and knelt down and thanked God for giving him a second chance to correct his mistakes.