STORY BY DEBORAH PAUL
PASTOR FEMI
EPISODE 7
Subtitle: sudden dinner
Pastor femi and I talked for a very long time, long enough that the elder who requested to speak with the youth after service spoke with them and they all left and we were still talking.
I checked the time and it was already after 2pm
KENDRA
oh my God, I have to go now…..
PASTOR FEMI
that’s okay…. sorry I didn’t ask, what’s your name?
KENDRA
I’m Kendra, Kendra Smith
PASTOR FEMI
nice name…. but it doesn’t sound Nigeria
KENDRA
(I laughed)
yeah, my dad is Nigeria though but my mum is British.
PASTOR FEMI
oh wow…. that’s good to know…. so see you on Tuesday right?
KENDRA
I can’t say…. but I will try.
I got up and picked my hand bag, I waved him and left.
The rest of my day was uneventful and so was Monday….. Tuesday after work I came home and had a bathe and a change of clothes before going to Church.
Pastor femi wasn’t the one preaching, it was the youth leader….i gently fix myself into a chair.
After 30 minutes later he finished his preaching and pastor femi came on the pulpit to do the conclusion of the topic.
My phone started to ring all of a suddenly and I went outside to answer it.
it was Natasha calling to tell me she has put to bed…. like you guys don’t know how excited that news made me.
the sweetest part of it is that she gave birth to twins…. just like brian predicted…. her three years son was always singing that his mama would put to bed twins and it really happened that way.
Now that Natasha had put to bed I would have to travel to U.S to see her and her new babies.
I told her I would call her back later that I was in church….she was kind of shocked but I told her to come off it.
I returned back into the church and pastor femi was already throu-ghwith what he was saying..
we did offering and few announcement before the church came to an end.
I was so hungry that I didn’t even go to say hi to pastor femi…. I picked my hand bag and got up to leave.
To my surprise pastor femi called my name
PASTOR FEMI
sister Kendra you won’t even say hi to us?
I was kind of shy and embarras-sed, I mean he didn’t have say it like that.
I slowly turn back and walked to him.
KENDRA
good evening pastor
PASTOR FEMI
evening ken…. you seem to be in a hurry?
KENDRA
I’m sorry I’m kind of hungry so I’m rushing home to eat something
(I told him truthfully)
PASTOR FEMI
that’s okay…. I’m having dinner too, you mind joining me?
well I didn’t see that coming but what can I say? I mean a gentle man is inviting me to have dinner with him…the least I could do is agree.
KENDRA
okay…. no problem.
He excused himself to talk to few people before he came out side to join me.. thank God I didn’t come with my car because I was too tire of driving…. it would have been so awkward when pastor femi came out.
We drove in his car together and went to this fancy restaurant to eat…. I didn’t know pastor femi has taste for good stuffs too.
Our dinner was okay, he did most of the talking and asking while I just enjoyed my meal.
dinner was over and he offered to drop me at home before heading home.
Not like I live in a very bad place, I mean I have a very nice house but I wasn’t okay with him knowing my place.
After so much persistent from him I decided to allow him drop me at home.
We got to the front of my gate and I asked him to park…. it was already some minutes to 10pm, it wouldn’t be nice if I ask him to come in at that hour of the night.
KENDRA
Thanks for the dinner and the ride
PASTOR FEMI
you are welcome Ken
KENDRA
so goodnight and drive safe.
PASTOR FEMI
can I have your number?
KENDRA
yeah, sure.
I called out my number for him and he saved it immediately promising to call me once he gets home.
I waved him goodbye and went inside my house… feeling very tired and exhausted i laid on my couch relaxing.
My phone started to ring I turn to look at the caller and it was Tommy my one time boyfriend to be.
KENDRA
Tommy this one you remember me today, what’s up?
TOMMY
I never forgot you babe, I was just busy
KENDRA
whatever that makes you sleep well at night
(I replied sarcastically)
TOMMY
Common babe is not like that….i have been really busy.
KENDRA
only here in Nigeria that I see stuff like this, when people break up they end up becoming enemies forgetting all the memories they shared or when a woman tells you she’s not in love with you…. boom they turn her into an enemy… we were good friends before you know….
TOMMY
I don’t even know what to say
KENDRA
yeah, because you know I’m telling the truth… I liked you as a friend, I couldn’t love you beyond friendship, I thought you would he glad I told you the truth…. but you just turn cold on me like I killed you child or something.
TOMMY
is not like that Ken…. okay I agree you are right….I was very hurt so I had to take some time off.
KENDRA
so are you okay now?
TOMMY
yeah, I found love and we are about getting married.
KENDRA
oh wow…. I’m so happy for you… who is the lucky girl?
TOMMY
her name is Tonia…..
KENDRA
serious Tommy I’m happy for you…. congratulations..
TOMMY
thanks…so what’s up with you ? what has been happening?
KENDRA
I’m here and there but presently I’m in abuja….i was transferred there.
TOMMY
that’s nice…. how’s chioma hope she’s good?
KENDRA
yeah, she’s very fine..
we talked about other stuffs before I told him I nee-ded to sleep….he promised to call me back tomorrow.
Honestly the news of him getting married soon made me happy but I was kind of sad… I’m not jealous that he didn’t wait for me no esy… I was the one who turned him down…. I’m just sad that I can’t find a man that I can love without seeing fault in him.
i got up from the couch to go upstairs to freshen up and sleep when my phone started ringing again… I looked at it but it wasn’t saved…. I picked it.
KENDRA
Good evening….. please who I’m I on to please?
PASTOR FEMI
it’s femi…. hope I didn’t wake you up?
KENDRA
oh not really….i was just about taking my bathe…..are you home now?
PASTOR FEMI
yeah, I just got home.
KENDRA
oh okay, thank God and thanks for the dinner.
PASTOR FEMI
see you on Friday right?
KENDRA
I’m not sure if I would be able to come.
PASTOR FEMI
why? any business schedule?
KENDRA
yeah, Friday is going to be very ti-ght for me…. but I will try to be there on Sunday.
PASTOR FEMI
that’s okay…. may God make it easy for you.
KENDEA
amen….goodnight pastor.
PASTOR FEMI
goodnight
I hung up and dropped my phone, I know I shouldn’t be lying but I just had to…. with the way things are going pastor femi was getting to familiar with me and I don’t like it.
STORY BY DEBORAH PAUL
PASTOR FEMI
EPISODE 8
Subtitles: what the holy spirit says
for two weeks I didn’t go to church, I wasn’t feeling too good and to crown it up I have been having attacks from Juliet and her members.
Pastor femi called a few times to check up on me but I never told him what I was facing…. at the end of each call he would say
“it’s there something you will like to tell me”?
I will tell him am fine and he shouldn’t worry too much about me.
Sometimes we chat on WhatsApp, but not for long….maybe hi and all that then I either logs out or he does.
Soon I was up and kicking but I was no longer in the mood to go to his church again… chioma came to visit me from Lagos, she came because she thought my illness was very serious.
CHIOMA
you know I have been here for a week now and you haven’t told me anything about Pastor.
KENDRA
because there is nothing to talk about
CHIOMA
how do you mean? you use to like the man isn’t it?
KENDRA
well my village people have shake my plate again….i no longer like him.
CHIOMA
(Shocked)
so you didn’t stop going to church because you are sick but because yo stopped liking the pastor?
KENDRA
bingo….you got it right.
CHIOMA
you are so unbelievable Kendra
KENDRA
I know right.
We were still talking when my phone started to ring, I looked at it and it was Pastor femi calling.
I didn’t want to pick but chioma gave me a ha-rd stare and I picked it.
KENDRA
good evening pastor
PASTOR FEMI
evening to you too…. how are you?
KENDRA
I’m very well….how are you?
PASTOR FEMI
I’m fine too…. where are you at?
KENDRA
like right now?
PASTOR FEMI
yeah, like right now.
KENDRA
I’m in my house
PASTOR FEMI
alright….I’m outside your gate….can you come outside please?
I was very shocked, I took the phone off my ear and whispered to chioma that pastor femi is outside my gate…. she jumped up excitedly and started to pull me up.
chioma succeeded in pulling me outside to meet pastor femi.
he came down from his car to join my friend and i…. he looked at me from my face down to my feet…. that was when I decided to look at myself too and found out I was just putting on a black bum short and a white lose top.
KENDRA
I’m sorry for showing up like this.
PASTOR FEMI
no, I’m sorry for showing up unannounced.
KENDRA
meet my friend chioma, she came all the way from Lagos to visit me….. chioma meet pastor femi.
CHIOMA
(she brou-ght out her hand)
it’s nice to finally meet you sir…. and I must say you look better than she described you.
PASTOR FEMI
thank you…. so how’s Lagos?
CHIOMA
fine sir…. let’s not stand outside like this…. shall we go inside please.?
how could chioma just offer a total stranger to enter my house just like that without my permission….. I cut eyes for her but she pretended like she didn’t see me…. I had no choice but to invite him inside.
We all went inside and immediately chioma went to the kitchen to get him a cold pack of jui-ce and a glas-s cu-p.
She came back and dropped it on the small stood beside him.
PASTOR FEMI
thank you
CHIOMA
you are most welcome… so what would you like to eat? we have jollof rice, egusi soup, oha soup, white soup, we even have bitter leaf soup… which one would you like?
PASTOR FEMI
I’m I in a restaurant or something?
CHIOMA
(she laughed)
my friend has been feeding from hand to mouth since she moved here, I’m sure that was why she fell sick….. I decided to cook her good food to boost her energy.
PASTOR FEMI
you we’re sick?
KENDRA
don’t mind Chioma…. I just had a little fever that’s all.
CHIOMA
little fever that you had to take lots of drips and injections?
PASTOR FEMI
I’m sorry about that…if you had told me I would babe check on you earlier.
CHIOMA
awwn, such a gentleman….
PASTOR FEMI
so how are you feeling now?
KENDEA
I’m fine now….thanks.
CHIOMA
you haven’t decided on what to eat yet sir.
PASTOR FEMI
help me to decide because right now I can’t decide.
CHIOMA
alright, leave that to me…. I will be right back.
She got up and left the living room.
I took my remote and changed the TV channel to preaching, chioma and I were watching dance video before.
We didn’t talk for a while before he finally spoke up.
PASTOR FEMI
I actually came here to discuss something with you.
KENDRA
(I dropped the TV remote)
alright, I’m all ears.
PASTOR FEMI
we are having an all pastor convention next mouth in kogi state…. my elders have been trying really ha-rd to get me someone that would accompany me but haven’t been able to find any one Worthy.
KENDRA
how’s that even possible? you have about a thousand members so why is it difficult finding someone that would accompany you? to me that is very easy self.
PASTOR FEMI
they have been looking for people and honestly they have been seeing but holy spirit keeps rejecting them all…. when I ask why he said “for his glory to come manifest” .
KENDRA
in as much as this confuse me…. what do you plan on doing now? because next month is just five days away.
PASTOR FEMI
that’s why I have come to see you.
KENDRA
(I laughed)
I don’t un-derstand… did holy spirit say I’m the chosen one to accompany you?
it was a joke, an absent minded joke but he didn’t laugh or smile and that made me to stop laughing too.
KENDRA
holy spirit didn’t say that, did he?
PASTOR FEMI
Whateve reasons God has I don’t know because he had refuse to tell me about it… but yeah you are the one who he has chosen.
I got up from my chair and went to stand beside my tv…. I was trying to bring myself out of the shock…. I tried to find my voice but I couldn’t.
Chioma walked in and saw how cold the room was and decided to excuse us back to the kitchen.
PASTOR FEMI
say something.
KENDRA
what do you want me to say?
PASTOR FEMI
anything other than this silence.
KENDRA
I feel you are making this up sir… don’t get me wrong but how can your holy spirit ask me to follow you to a conference that I know nothing about? did your holy Spirit even told you I have a job? I’m sorry I can’t follow you to kogi State….I have a Job and that’s what I came here for….not to follow you to one convention or whatsoever.
I shouldn’t have spoken to him like that but damn it I was angry… why would the holy spirit chose me? why would he chose me when I have a job? I don’t have such time and I won’t go.
PASTOR FEMI
do you always doubt people? I wonder what could have been broken inside of you to think everyone is a fraud
Maybe his right, maybe something was truly broken inside of me and that’s why I ha-rdly believe there’s a God somewhere.
story continues