Seventy Times Seven: A Story of Forgiveness: Mini Milagros Collection, #1

By Torema Thompson

"I dreamt about Mum," Kaya said through a mouth full of toothpaste.

It's been 9 years since their mum left, and now they want to know the truth…

Why didn't their dad tell them about the phone call?

Why was Nanny Tricia so upset?

Seventy Times Seven is a children's chapter book that interweaves biblical principles and the experiential love of God. The story is told from the perspective of an 11-year-old girl named Maya, who lives in London with her twin sister and father.

Join Maya and Kaya as they uncover the secrets of their family's past and learn to fight for the ones they love through the power of forgiveness.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Pura Kids Books
• Release date: Dec 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781739845537

Torema Thompson

Torema Thompson is a London-based athlete, author, and adviser, creatively sharing her journey (on & off the track), and encouraging others in their athletics, business, faith & fitness. To find out more, visit: www.toremathompson.uk.

Book preview

Then Peter came to Him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?

Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to Seventy Times Seven."

(Matthew 18:21-22, NKJV)

~ INTRODUCTION ~

It’s always the same with her. How many times is she going to treat me like this and then come crawling back saying that she’s sorry? Today isn’t the only day that she’s left me for new friends. She’s started to do that every day, ever since we started at Mayberry Primary School two weeks ago. Today she went too far though. I was waiting for her outside the girl’s toilets, after school, when she walked past me as if I were invisible. I’ve never seen that boy and girl that she was with before, Mayberry has three classes per year group and so I still don’t know who everyone is yet. I guess they must’ve been from her class, 6M, which is down the hallway and around the corner from my class, 6B. But that doesn’t even matter anyway... How could she do that to me?

It was right then that I decided enough was enough. I must’ve been crazy for forgiving her all those other times. Yep, enough is definitely enough. There has to be a cut-off point, doesn’t there? This has already gone on for 2 weeks and now she’s even pretending that she doesn’t know me! How could she forget that we’ve spent our whole lives together? Apart from her first 25 minutes of course... she’s the older one as you may have guessed. To tell you the truth, she’s the older one, the prettier one, the popular one and the cleverer one. I don’t know if there’s anything er about me at all to be honest. Apart from being taller than her by 1½ centimetres, nobody ever seems to have anything good to say about me (except Dad who doesn’t even count).

I knew Kaya would be popular at our new school and so I was hoping that being her sister would give me bonus points, but obviously not. I still don’t know if anyone even knows she’s my sister, let alone my twin. We’re non-identical twins, you see, but we hardly even look alike besides from our button noses and dark brown skin. Dad always says that Kaya has Mum’s eyes, big and round like chocolate buttons, with long straight eyelashes. I don’t really remember Mum’s eyes, but from the pictures Dad’s given us of her, I think Dad’s right about Kaya’s eyes. I’ve definitely got Dad’s eyes, marble green with short, curled lashes. Dad says that our green eyes are a throwback gene, whatever that means!

Kaya and I usually have our tightly curled afro hair plaited into extensions. I only use the nearly black colour ‘1B’ to do my hair, but Kaya always likes to add a bit of purple in with her plaits, as that’s her favourite colour. Dad always takes us to the hairdressers to get our hair done as he never did learn to plait or canerow our hair when Mum left. I prefer to wear my extensions up in a neat bun, whereas Kaya usually goes for a half head ponytail. But to be honest, I don’t really like extensions, I’ve just never told Dad.

Kaya was talking about her hair when she walked past me today. She was showing off about how Dad always takes her to the hairdressers to get her hair done. She didn’t mention me, or even say, us, as if Dad only takes her! She didn’t even look my way... But why? I’ve always considered myself blessed to have her as my sister, but not anymore. She’s changed since we got to Mayberry, so I guess it’s time I changed too.

I’ve decided not to forgive her, she’ll see... she needs me, not the other way around. I’ve decided that I’m not going to speak to her, at home or at school, because she needs to finally feel the pain that she’s caused me. She needs to finally realise that I won’t always be there to forgive her.

~ CHAPTER 1 ~

~  ~

Itook three times as long to get home today. We only live a 10-minute walk from school, but I took the long way home on purpose; dragging my feet and imagining all the apologetic things Kaya