AYOMIDE
Part 21 (Semi-final)
“I have heard your prayers long ago.” the white hair man told Ayo seating beside her on a long bench.
“Do you like him?” He asked her tingling her cheek.
” I don’t un-derstand father.”
“Haven’t you been asking me to give you a good husband?”
“You’re right father. I nee-d a good husband father and I have been asking you.”
“I have answered you. I reserved the best for you. Don’t you say the bott-om pot is the best? He chuckled.
“But father I have not met him yet” she said laughing.
” You have my child. It’s just that you didn’t recognized the one I reserved for you.”
“O father, I won’t let you go until you show me the one you reserved for me.”
Ayo started tingling the man’s nose and ears. She went behind the man and hu-gged him. She whispered something to his ears and he started laughing hilariously.
“Alright I will tell you. Emmanuel is the best for you. You’re to help him stand.”
“Emmanuel?” She asked.
“Yes! He’s my son and I love him so much. I have chosen him for you my daughter. I have called him to work for me and you must support him”
“Alright sir!”
“Tell me you don’t like my best.” He said looking de-eply at Ayo.
“I do my father and I thank you.”
“Both of you must serve me diligently. You must not be distracted. Don’t be tired of coming to me. I am ready to fill you always. Alot of my children are tired and weary yet they’re not coming for refilling. They’re drained. They have forgotten that without me they can do nothing”
Ayo turned when she heard someone called her name.
” That’s my son calling you. Please go to him because that son of mine is impatient.”
Ayo laughed out loud as she stood up to meet Emmanuel who was moving towards her.
It was a dream! She opened her eyes and rushed to her mother to tell her the dream.
“God is not a liar. Let’s wait and see how God will make it happen.” she told her.
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Emmanuel could no longer hide what he feels for Ayo. He was in love with her but he was afraid whether she will reciprocate. So, he approached bro Kola and told him of his intention to marry Ayo.
“Have you told her?” Bro Kola asked the confused Emmanuel.
“No sir!”
“What are you waiting for. Since you’re convinced my daughter is the woman for you, then tell her how you feel my son.”
“I really do not know whether she likes me sir.”
Bro Kola laughed. He love Emmanuel like he loves his daughter. He *admired him secretly and had wished him for his daughter. He had since know the guy was in love with his daughter. The way he always look at Ayo gave him away. Bro Kola also noticed that Ayo never says a thing without mentioning* Emma’s name.
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Emmanuel drove Ayo to one of the best Hotel. *Earlier at work, he had told Ayo he had something important to discuss with her, something that had been a burden. Ayo on the other hand was worried. She had never seen Emmanuel so tensed. He had been a part of her family. Her pa* rents loved him and whatever bothers him have to be shared with her.
“Have your seat Angel” he told her.
” This place is beautiful.” She said glancing round.
They ordered for food and drinks and ate quietly.
“Do you like me?
The question startled Ayo who stared at him and laughed.
” I said do you like me? He asked again smiling.
“Of course I do, that is why I followed you here to discuss what gives you headache.”
“Alright!”
Emmanuel didn’t know how to express his feelings. He talked here and there. He just kept talking.
“Do you love me? I …I… Mean do you think I will make a good husband?”
The question made her laughed the more.
“Is that why you have been so tense sir? Ooh! I can see that you are in love but doesn’t know how to express it. Relax sir! You will make a great husband. Can you at least tell me who the lucky lady is? She must really be lucky.”
“Really? He asked excitedly.
” I mean it!
” I have been worried. I thought I will be an awkward husband.”
“Apart from the fact that you are successful, you’re calm, gentle, God fearing and down to earth. Relax sir! I know the lucky lady will say a bigger yes.”
He looked at Ayo intensely. He was having an internal battle going on inside of him. He developed a cold feet proposing to her.
“Thank you Ayo. You have built my confidence. As for the lucky lady, you will meet her when the time comes.”
“Alright sir. I am glad I have been of help to you.”
They finished their food in a de-ep silence with different thoughts rummaging their heads.
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It was very late but Emmanuel wasn’t asleep. Infact, he couldn’t close his eyes after he returned from hotel. He just couldn’t un-derstand why his mouth refused to say what was in his heart. His mouth refused to obey his heart. He was madly in love with Ayo yet he had no courage to tell her. He used to be afraid that she will ignore him but having heard what she said at the hotel, he knew she would have said yes if he had proposed. Now he felt foolish for allowing the opportunity to sli-p away. Now he can’t close his eyes. Sleep had eluded him. He couldnt close his eyes without seeing Ayo’s face smiling down on him.
AYOMIDE
Part 22 (Final)
Ayo wasn’t sleeping either. She knelt talking to her father. When she returned from the outing with Emmanuel, she lost her peace. She met her parents in the sitting room and smiled sweetly at them before retiring to her room.
“You told me Emmanuel is the one for me father. Why is he getting married to another? He is about to propose to another woman father. You know I love him. To think I was the one encouraging him to go ahead and propose to her. What will become of me father? She wept before God. Suddenly, she stood up and grabbed her Bible to read Isaiah 40:8, and she read loud. “The gras-s withereth, the flower fadeth but the word of our God shall stand forever.”
While she was pondering on it Numbers 23:19 dropped too and she opened the Bible to the chapter and read loud again.” God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
After reading these Bible verses, peace suddenly reigned in her heart. She wept her tears and sleep soundly.
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It has been more than three months since Emmanuel failed to proposed to Ayo because he lacked courage to do so.
As for Ayo, she focused on her job. She kept praying that God should bring His word to pas-s in her life.
She looked throu-ghthe window and noticed that the sun was high. It was really hot. She put on the AC. She was about to take her seat when a knock sounded on her door.
“Come in please” she called.
The company secretary entered and informed Ayo there was an emergency meeting. Everyone was expected to be upstairs.
“Alright thanks!”
Anytime there was an emergency meeting, there was definitely something wrong. Ayo wondered what the problem was because to her best of knowledge, everything in the company was okay. She took a pen and a jotter and quickly went upstairs to join the other 37 staff.
Emmanuel entered the boardroom. He looked at everyone and smiled. “I called for an emergency meeting” he told them.” It’s a matter of urgency. You’re my family and I decided to let you into this. I am in love,” he told everyone.
There was a joyful shout and laughter
“But I don’t deserve the lady I am in love with. She’s beautiful and humble. She’s everything I asked God for. Look at me” he said smiling. “I am not complete without her. I have been lean and sad. I have been having sleepless nights. Today, I decided to do the nee-dful.”
“Tell us who the angel is? They chorused.
He laughed de-ep. He went to where Ayo was and knelt before her. He brou-ght out a very expensive ring.
” Please marry me Ayo!”
Before Ayo could respond, the staff were already chanting.
Marry him! Mary him
“Of course I will marry you Olajide Emmanuel”
He wore her the beautiful ring and there was sound of clapping. While celebr@tion was going on in the office, Andrew sneaked down stairs to his office with sad expression on his face.
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The Oluwafikayo were the happiest. The family introduced Emmanuel to the pastor Ezekiel who prayed for them. Emmanuel came with his mum and other family members for introduction. He made it clear he doesn’t want a long courtship. Six months was too long for him but the Oluwafikayo told him to relax that six months was okay. Since Ayo was there only child, they wanted the marriage to be elaborate.
The moment it was announced that Ayo was getting married, everyone who she had tou-ched in one way or the other, sent money. Amarachi who was already overseas, sent a hu-ge amount of money to Ayo.
” My father’s brother is in town now. He just returned from overseas. I want us to meet him” Emmanuel told Ayo.
They drove to visit Emmanuel’s uncle only to discover it was Mr Adeshina who gifted her #25M when she was almost graduating from school.
They were so happy to meet again. Mr Adeshina told Emmanuel how God used Ayo to rescue him. Emmanuel laughed and told his uncle his story.”
” Your mum never told me you were sick. I am glad the enemies failed in your life” he told Emma. ” I can relax knowing you are in good hands. Let me give you a token for the wedding”. He brou-ght out his check book and wrote on it.
Ayo collected it and shouted.
“#16M? Waoh! She kept say.
“It’s for your wedding gown”
Ayo hu-gged him.
I will sponsor your marriage. I will take charge of everything.
Ayo hu-gged him again and started crying.
But when Ayo got home, she splitted the money into four. She gave her parents #4M each. #4M for pastor Ezekiel and #4M to the widow, orphans and less privileged.
A week later, Emmanuel bought her a befitting car.
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While Ayo and Emmanuel were busy planning for their wedding, Andrew was busy planning evil.
“If I can’t have her, the he can’t have her either.” If I had not employed her, he wouldn’t have met her here.”
He waited until everyone had left, then he sprinkled a powdery substance on Ayo’s chair so that she will run mad. He smiled when he remembered that by tomorrow, Emmanuel’s joy would be cut short.
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Ayo got early to work to finish the previous day work. She entered the office and felt uncomfortable. She made to sit on her chair but a for-ce pushed her and she fell.
” Don’t sit on that chair.” the voice said. Replace your chair with Andrew’s and do it fast.” Still dazed, Ayo went into work immediately.
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It was not long before Andrew arrived. He dropped his briefcase at his office and proceeded to join the morning devotions. As usual, staff greeted each other after the devotion before entering their different offices. Like everyone, Andrew went into his office, sat on the chair and there was commotion. He ran out of the office screaming. He had removed his clothes and trousers. The tie was around his tiny wai-st.
” I put charm on Ayo’s chair but I sat on it.”He clapped his hands and laughed. ” I wanted her for myself but he got her before me”
Everyone was bewildered. Andrew got a chair with which he used to break glas-ses until he was restrained by the security men. Andrew’s wife was alerted and she came to the office crying. At last, they took him to a psychiatrist hospital.
Ayo went to Emmanuel’s office and narrated what happened when she entered the office earlier.
“I almost sacked Andrew but you remembered my mum called begging on his behalf. I forgave him and look at what he did to himself.”
Both of them knelt and thanked God for scattering the works of the enemy.
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Ayo stood in her white flowing gown before Pastor Ezekiel. Then she turned and saw the crowd who came to attend her wedding. She looked at her parents, the dazzled. She saw Mrs Rosemary and Mr Adeshina.
“Do you take Ayomide as your lawful wedded wife? she heard pastor asked.
“Yes I do!”
” You may now ki-ss your bride.”
Emmanuel who had waited for this long, didn’t waste anytime time. He grabbed Ayo’s mouth in his and gave her a de-ep ki-ss.”
Ayo reciprocated shyly though and the crowd cheered them.
Bro Kola and sis Adenike were the most happiest parents.
Rosemary and Adeshina thanked God for bless Emmanuel for a complete package.
Ayomide and Emmanuel were grateful to God for working out everything for their good.
THE END.