Cecilia M Pulliam, Author

John 14:18: "I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you."

The scripture reminded of a bizarre incident that happened years ago when my third husband was in the hospital. I stayed until way past visiting hours, leaving my husband's bedside only when the night shift insisted I go home. As I rode the elevator down to the ground floor, I fought back the tears, the fatigue, the sense of hopelessness. The cancer had spread, already encompassing one quarter of his brain.  The prognosis was six weeks.


I stepped outside into a biting wind, heavily scented with fresh snow. I prayed I'd make it home before the storm hit, maybe even have the dogs ran and fed too.

Dog food. I groaned. We were out. The last thing I wanted to do was put on a civil face and go to the market. I wanted to go home, crawl into bed, curl up in a tight ball, and sleep.

The store parking lot was nearly empty. Surely that meant the check out lines would be short.

I grabbed my purse, jumped out of the…

The warning was explicit: Do not walk around the compound at night without an armed guard. So, where was I? 
Granted, I was with my new husband and being a police officer and big game hunter he had skills, but those skills meant little since he wasn’t carrying a gun. The man with the gun was back at the lighted, and safe, enclave with the rest of our tour group, enjoying his glass of sherry.

Bill drained his in one gulp and hurried me with mine. He wanted to go back to the chalet to “wash up” before dinner and did not want to wait on a guard to escort us.

Twenty yards to the chalet.

Two weeks prior to our arrival at the game reserve, lions mauled and killed two people — inside the fifteen-foot electrified fence. They attacked the older gentleman a few feet from his chalet. Then, they attacked his wife when she came searching for him.

The song, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, was sweet and romantic when a group of four young men serenaded us on our wedding night. Now it was a prayer. 

There…