*ENEMIES OF THE CHURCH:*
EPISODE 3
Pastor Jim was seated in his office glancing throu-gh the Bible when Chief Ike walked in. The Pastor stood up in respect to the Chief and they shook hands and exchanged plea-santries.
*Jim:* Chief, Chief, God bless you sir for visiting my office today. I am always excited to have you around.
*Chief Ike:* Yes Pastor, I am glad to be here too. Where is Reverend?
*Jim:* Reverend Leo is currently not available. But I am here to as-sist in whatever you nee-d Chief. Is there any problem you wanted to see him about?
*Chief Ike:* Yes Pastor, I am having a small issue. And I don’t know if you can really help me out.
*Jim:* Haba Chief, this is the reason God placed us here, so that we can be of help to others. What exactly is the problem Chief? (He ended laughing)
*Chief Ike:* Pastor Jim, you see that my small wife, I am now re-ady to pay her bride’s price.
*Jim:* Really? But is she not like your 6th wife?
*Chief Ike:* That is correct. I want to pay her bride’s price now and I want the church to arrange a blessed marriage for us.
*Jim:* But chief you know the Bible is against marrying of two wives, not to talk of number six. Our Reverend will not allow it o. And the people might start thinking it’s the right thing to do.
*Chief Ike:* Which people? These church rats? When I was donating blocks and bags of cement and spending raw cash on this church building where were they? Why did Reverend Leo not tell me to return all the goodies I was bringing to the church? What about when I pay big money as my tithe? Why didn’t they say my wives and I are sinners. Anyway, I wanted to do it here and bring in my fellow Chiefs and big politicians to grace the church and also drop their token during the marriage. But since you people don’t want. I can go. I will always see a church that will bless our marriage. (He stands up to leave, but Pastor Jim quic-kly st©ps him)
*Pastor Jim:* Haba Chief, you get upset easily. I never said we will not do it o, is it not blessed marriage? What is blessed marriage? We will do it, don’t worry, Reverend Leo and I will do it. You are a very important man in this church and if not for you this church wouldn’t have been this big and grown. There is nothing we can deny you. In fact let me leak a secret to you. The other day, Reverend Leo and I were contemplating on ma-king you a Deacon.
*Chief Ike:* (laughing) You doing mean it?
*Pastor Jim:* Absolutely Chief, so this one is just a small thing. Erm, when do you plan on having the marriage sir.
*Chief Ike:* Next Sunday is fine by me, if you don’t mind.
*Pastor Jim:* No, no, no, I don’t mind. Even if you want it tomorrow, it can be arranged sir. Next Sunday is fine. I will discuss with the Reverend about it and inform him to be prepared.
Chief Ike nodded his head in satisfaction, he put his hands into his big agbada pocket and brings out a bundle of cash and stretches it to the Pastor.
*Chief Ike:* It’s okay Pastor. That is the sum of three hundred thousand naira in cash, use it to arrange anything you nee-d to do before Sunday. If you nee-d more let me know. Alright?
*Jim:* (laughing non st©p) Chief! chief!! Thank you so much. God bless you so much. You don’t have to worry about anything, your marriage is blessed alre-ady sir. See you on Thursday.
Chief Ike turns and leave while Pastor Jim broke into a dance at his office raising the money high like a baby. When he hears the sound of footstep approaching. He quic-kly hides the money inside his bag and sat down quietly.
___________________
Reverend Leo sat beside Rachael in the hospital watching her and wondering what suddenly c@m£ over his wife. When he married her she was burning for Christ, she had so much faith and would always encourage everyone around her to remain in faith. And suddenly she has turned into a desperate housewife.
Who would believe his story if he shared it with anyone. Who would even believe that the mummy of the church stabbe-d herself. As he sat beside her praying that God would intervene in their situation, he heard her make a sound and he quic-kly turned and faced her.
“Baby!” He called out to her. ”Baby, I am right here, I am right here and you are fine, praise be to God.”
Slowly, Rachael opened her eyes and looked around her.
*Rachael:* Heaven or hell? Where am I?
*Leo:* God forbid it, you will not die but live. You are in the hospital dear.
*Rachael:* Hospital? And what am I doing in the hospital?
*Leo:* Honey you stabbe-d yourself, you used a knife and you stabbe-d yourself. How could you do that? How could you? Why would you even think of that?
*Rachael:* Who asked you to save me? Who told you to bring me to the hospital? I am asking you.
*Leo:* How can you say that? What was I to do? Should I have left you on the floor to die?
*Rachael:* Yes Leo, you should have left me to die, I told you what I want. I don’t want to live without a child. And you know what to do.
*Leo:* Honey st©p all of this. We will definitely have our baby in God’s time. St©p this plea-se. You were lucky to survive this. Thank God the knife did not hit any vital organ. What would I have done? What would have happened to you?
*Rachael:* Listen Leo, you are just wasting your time. You are going to call Alfred and you will tell him that I nee-d to get pregnant, we nee-d to have our own child and you will pay him any amount he demands to get me pregnant and when I am finally pregnant, we will relocate from here to another state and live happily ever after.
*Leo:* Never! I will never do that? Do you even know what you are asking me to do? I can never do that, Never!
*Rachael:* Never? Did you say Never? Then you wouldn’t have bothered to save me because I will do it again. I will kill myself and bid this world bye bye. So that I will know I died without a child and as a sad woman.
Leo stood up to walk away from the clinic. But Rachael suddenly dragged the drip out of her hand spilling blood all over the be-d, then she began to disconnect everything that was connected to her b©dy.
*Leo:* What is this? What are you doing? St©p it, st©p it right this minute. Have you gone mad?
He tries to st©p her but she points the nee-dle from the drip to him crying and sobbing.
*Rachael:* Don’t come any closer, if you dare come closer I will stick this nee-dle to my throat and die right here.
*Leo:* But honey you are bleeding, you are losing blood and you could faint and die from this.
*Rachael:* That is what I want. Let me die, I cannot continue like this.
*Leo:* Honey plea-se let me call the nurses, plea-se st©p this I am begging you.
*Rachael:* Pick up that phone, pick up that phone and call Alfred now.
*Leo:* Honey…
Rachael carried the nee-dle and stucked it into her legs and she screamed out in pains.
*Leo:* Honey… St©p, you are hurting yourself.
*Rachael:* (in pains) Call him now if not the next one goes inside my n£¢k. Pick the phone and call him now.
Leo was confused, he didn’t know what to do. He picked up his phone and dialed the number.
*Rachael:* Put it on speaker, I want to hear every discussion.
Leo puts the phone on speaker, and not long, Alfred picked the call and answered from the other end. Reverend Leo then informed him to come straight to the hospital. He told him he was coming immediately.
When Alfred got to the hospital, he was surprised and shocked at the sight of the Reverend’s wife.
*Alfred:* Blood of Jesus, Reverend what happened to mummy. Mummy what happened to you?
*Rachael:* (to Leo) Tell him.
*Leo:* Honey, plea-se don’t do this, I am begging you.
*Rachael:* Tell him now if not…
(She raises the nee-dle to her n£¢k)
*Leo:* Okay, okay, okay, I will tell him. Just drop the nee-dle.
*Rachael:* Tell him first.
*Alfred:* Tell me what?
*Leo:* (with tears and pains in his eyes) My wife wants you to get her pregnant.
Alfred was confused. He didn’t un-derstand what the Reverend was saying.
*Alfred:* Reverend, I don’t un-derstand. Get her pregnant? How? I don’t un-derstand.
*Rachael:* Brother Alfred plea-se, you know my husband and I have been married for years and we have not been able to bear any child. So my husband and I concluded that you should help me get pregnant.
*Alfred:* (confused) help you get pregnant? How? I still don’t un-derstand.
*Rachael:* Honey, plea-se spill it out to him, instead of weeping like a child that lost the mother.
*Leo:* She wants you to sleep with her and get her pregnant.
*Alfred:* Jesus! God forbid! Sleep with who? God forbid! Mummy, daddy, how can you even think of such? Are you not the same people that teach us to have faith in God? What then happened to your faith? Or are you among those that don’t practice what they preach?
*Rachael:* Brother Alfred plea-se, I know it’s a difficult thing to ask, but my husband and I are begging you, plea-se. We will pay you, any amount plea-se. Once I get pregnant we will disappear and you won’t see us again. I am begging you plea-se. Honey beg him na.
Leo was just looking at his wife, without saying anything.
*Rachael:* Brother Alfred plea-se, my husband will pay you 2 million naira, plea-se.
*Alfred:* I am sorry mummy I can’t do this. I am sorry. (He turns to leave)
*Rachael:* We will make it 4 million. I will even make it 5 million. Alfred plea-se. I am begging you.
(Alfred stood and started thinking, 5 million will change his life and story forever)
*Alfred:* How are you even sure that if I sleep with you, you will get pregnant, am not God na. What if nothing happens, and you’ve dragged me into this terrible sin.
*Rachael:* I know I will get pregnant. I just know.
Alfred thought for a while and turns to leave again.
*Rachael:* Alfred if you don’t do this, tomorrow you will hear of my death. My blood will be on your head.
Alfred stood confused. He looked at the Reverend and then to his wife.
Leo: She stabbe-d herself because I refused to call you, I know she will do it again.
A confused Alfred sits on the chair, the money was tempting and now threat to life has been added. “What should I do?” He thought to himself.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 4
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