*ENEMIES OF THE CHURCH:*
Episode 2
Pastor Jim gave a beautiful sermon and the people cl@pped for him. They love their Reverend and their Pastor so much. And they are always excited to come to church.
Pastor Jim didn’t un-derstand why Reverend Leo and his wife were not in church. Reverend Leo had called him that morning and told him to take charge of everything in church that day because he and his wife won’t be available.
Though he was worried a bit as of why the Reverend won’t be in church. He ha-rd ly missed church service unless it was something really very important and unavoidable. And even if he is not in church, his wife, Rachael would be in church, but surprisingly both of them ain’t available today.
Jim was surprised but he was happy because this is a free opportunity to do what he wants to do. He quic-kly called on Mr. Isaac who had also noticed the Reverend’s abs£nce.
Mr. Isaac was the Treasurer and one of the planning committee members of the Church.
*Jim:* Brother Isaac, God has blessed us today more than ever.
*Isaac:* MOG (Man of God), how do you mean?
*Jim:* (surprised at his question) Can’t you see that the Reverend and his wife are not in church today?
Isaac immediately un-derstood what he was saying and let out a loud laugh.
*Isaac:* Yes o MOG, God knows how to arrange His things.
*Jim:* Let’s quic-kly go to your office then.
Together they walked to the Treasurer’s office, everyone had alre-ady left and so it was just the two of them.
*Jim:* So, how much is our collection today my friend?
*Isaac:* The total tithes for today amounted to N240,000 (two hundred and fourty naira only) and offerings amounted to N137,580 (One hundred and thirty seven thousand, five hundred and eighty naira only). ma-king a total of N377,580 (three hundred and seventy seven thousand five hundred and eighty naira only).
*Jim:* That’s a good one, so right now you will re-move two hundred thousand naira from the tithe, and one hundred and ten thousand from the offering. ma-king three hundred and ten thousand naira. We will leave fourty thousand naira as the tithe acquired for today and twenty seven thousand five hundred and eighty naira as the offering. ma-king a total of sixty seven thousand five hundred and eighty naira.
*Isaac:* (smiling) okay sir.
*Jim:* s£nd two hundred thousand naira to my account and keep the one hundred and ten for yourself as usual.
*Isaac:* Thank you so much MOG. I always look forward to Sundays because I know my pocket will not run dry.
*Jim:* At least Reverend is not in church today to make things difficult for us. Anyway, hurry up and get it done and over with ok?
*Isaac:* Am on it alre-ady.
*Jim:* That’s my man. God will keep blessing our members so they keep blessing our lives in Jesus name. Amen!
*Isaac:* Amen!
Pastor Jim walks from the office while brother Isaac scrambles around for the money.
_______________
Leo still couldn’t believe the words that c@m£ out from the mouth of his wife. He was angry in his spirit, he wanted to lift his hands on her and beat her mercilessly but he couldn’t do so because he knew it was wrong.
He just walked away from her and went into his study room where he wept bitterly, crying to God and wishing things were different. He just couldn’t imagine that his own wife of many years was asking him to talk to another man to sleep with her and impregnate her. The thought and pains he felt in his heart weighed him down and made it difficult for him to go to church that Sunday.
For three days he remained in that room, not eating, nor drinking anything. When he finally c@m£ out from the room he was feeling so weak and exhausted. He walked up to the fridge and got himself a bottle of cold water to drink, as he was drinking his wife walked up to him and stood watching him. Leo finished his water and made to walk away but his wife’s voice st©pped him.
*Rachael:* I thought you were going to stay inside that room forever.
Leo ignores his wife and kept walking away.
*Rachael:* You can’t just walk away when we have a pending discussion. You have to answer me.
Leo stood, he didn’t want to believe his wife was still referring to that trash she talked about few days back. He turned and faced her, from the look on his face it was obvious he was very angry.
*Rachael:* Why are you looking at me like that? You can’t tell me you are angry simply because I am trying to find a solution to our problem.
*Leo:* And what problem is that? What solution are you trying to find?
*Rachael:* Leo, how long have we been married? How old are we now? Am I getting younger or older? What I proposed is the only solution I can think of for now. I am still strong and well fertile, I can still carry babies in my wo-mb. This is the reason I don’t want to adopt any baby. (She starts crying) I want to feel what my fellow women have felt. I want to feel the pains of labour, and the joy of being a mother. I want to brea-stfeed my baby. Why don’t you un-derstand? (She goes on her knees and holds him on his legs) Honey, plea-se I am begging you with all that I have, give me the chance to experience this plea-se.
*Leo:* (angry) To experience what? To experience the t©uçh of another man?
*Rachael:* You know that’s not what I mean, plea-se honey, talk to Alfred, we will pay him, I will pay him any amount. I just want him to get me pregnant. It will be a secret between him and us. Nob©dy will know or hear of it. plea-se honey. The baby will be ours because we are paying him.
*Leo:* Are you sure something has not gone wrong with your br@ins? Is Alfred the giver of babies? How come you suddenly lost faith in God and now put your faith in Alfred. What has come over you? Are you thinking at all?
*Rachael:* I am perfectly alright and I know what I am saying. See Alfred has impregnated his wife almost every year. He is very fertile and agile.
*Leo:* So, I am infertile, is that what you are saying?
*Rachael:* I didn’t say that.
*Leo:* Why won’t you be patient? The doctor said…
*Rachael:* Don’t tell me what the doctor said and did not say. Haven’t I been patient enough?
Leo knew that his wife was not re-ady to hear anything and so he ignores her and walks away.
*Rachael:* You don’t love me at all, you are very selfish, you don’t care about me and that is why you don’t un-derstand how I feel over this issue.
Leo ignores and continues to the room. But then he heard a sound and he quic-kly turns to see what it was all about. It was his wife, Rachael. She held a very long and sharp knife.
*Leo:* Honey what is this? What are you doing with a knife?
*Rachael:* If you won’t give me a child, then there is no point living, let me die and let my blood be on your head.
*Leo:* Honey, what has come over you? Will you drop that knife now, plea-se?
*Rachael:* I want my own child. Is that too difficult to ask?
*Leo:* But I am not the giver of children. God is the giver of children and we have to wait on Him plea-se Honey.
*Rachael:* I don’t want to wait no more. Call Alfred now.
*Leo:* Baby, plea-se let’s talk about this now.
*Rachael:* Leo pick up that phone and call him now or else I will stab myself right this very minute.
*Leo:* Honey plea-se don’t do this plea-se…
Before he could finish his statement, Rachael stuck the knife de-ep into her stomach and slumped to the ground. Leo screams and rushes to her and catches her before she falls to the ground.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 3
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