EPISODE TWELVE
We c@m£ some minutes late into the service and the worsh!psession had alre-ady begun. Contrary to the ushers direction, we went straight to a place where we can see clearly what the instrumentalist are up to. Temmy and I were also p@rt of the choir but were not in rehearsals on Saturday with obvious reason for Temmy while mine was a dumb reason, which is why I tried as much as possible to avoid any of the choir executives to avoid answering questions on why I wasn’t at the rehearsals.
The worsh!psession was a dull moment for me as the lady leading decided to use all the keys her voice could pick to the obvious emotional and psychological trauma of the keyboardist who shared the mutual frustration with both the lead and base guitarist. The drummer was on his own as he has turned worsh!psongs to masquerade beat, hitting the snare and base drum in sanely incoherent manner while the invited minister was just starring at him with the generating set going off and on. I guess the set wasn’t enjoying them either.
God eventually c@m£ to our rescue as the choir coordinator change both the lead singer and the drummer for the praise session s-en-sing the obvious slaughtering of the worsh!psongs by two of his music soldiers. The service went sweet afterwards with the invited minister hammering the Word as if he knows what I exactly nee-ded to hear that moment.
The service c@m£ to an end and the first timers were asked to stand while the ushers guided them to the front seats. One notable figure among the first timer was a lady in glittering pink go-wn. Her s-en-se of dressing obviously shows she’s not of our fellowsh!pwith her gold colour n£¢k chain complementing the dangling earring which only add more beauty to her light radiating shinning skin. Her smile which I could only view from the side is enough to break a forty days fast without food or water and still be filled. The way she carried herself going to the front as they sing a welcoming song for them is like that of angel ri-ding on mysterious horse.
At the saying of the grace, I picked my Bible and headed straight for my hostel as Temmy will be having some final year executive meeting. I’ve not taken up to seven steps when I was hijacked by the choir’s female coordinator who contrary to my expectation of her questioning my abs£nce from the rehearsals on Saturday, only asked about my welfare and project. We spoke for a while and as I was about leaving, heard a warm, sweet, angelically melodious and contagious voice over my shoulder “William”. I looked at the direction of the voice and behold it was the first timer lady with the pink dress. Looking more closely, guess who it was;
I’ve known her to be beautiful judging from the last time I saw her, but I never knew her beauty surpas-ses my imagination. I was alre-ady drenched in a pool of emotion sighting her in full smile and noticing her intimid@t!ngcurvy shape I’ve never noticed before but made visible by the elegance dress. D–n! She’s beautiful.
Funmi: Good afternoon William. Happy Sunday to you.
Me: Happy Sunday Funmi, how are you?
Funmi: I’m fine. I really enjoyed your service
Me: Happy to hear that
Funmi: I’m thinking of changing over to your fellowsh!p
Me: You are highly welcome. But why?
Funmi: I got tired of my church
Me: You got tired of your church? Which church is that?
Funmi: Well, I don’t really have a permanent church. I go wherever I like on Sundays
Me: And why is that? You’ve not found any church you love?
Funmi: (Sighs) alright, the truth is, this is the first time I’ll be attending a church service since I got admission into this school
Me: Wao! Almost five years?
Funmi: More than that, ever since I lost my mum some years ago.
Me: Oh, sorry about that
Funmi: Thanks. I’m here today because of someb©dy very dear to me. Though he doesn’t know it.
Me: So you have someb©dy like that here. And who is that? Maybe I know him.
Funmi: You did know him and he knows you. He’s dark, of average height and always wear a contagious smile.
Me: Hmm, you sound like a lady in love.
Funmi: Maybe, and yes he’s my angel.
Me: Wao! (So she alre-ady has someb©dy. I really wish I’m the one she’s talking about). Have you found him?
Funmi: Yes, gladly yes.
Me: So it’s a mere coincidence we meet here then
Funmi: (Smiling) not really. I know this is your church.
Me: How did you?
Funmi: I got a ti-p from a friend
Me: Which friend, Ronke?
Temmy: (Talking over my shoulder) I am the friend, “eye meji ko hun jasa”
Me: What did you guys planned behind my back?
Temmy: Stay there. I’ll be going to Rachael’s hostel from here,see you guys later. Take care Funmi
Funmi: thank you Temmy
Me: Are you guys acting a script?
Funmi: (Smiling) can we go to your place?
Me: Yeah. Where is your ride?
Funmi: She nee-ds servicing so I left her for my mechanic to pick up
Me: Your mechanic work on Sunday?
Funmi: He decided to do it today
Me: Okay
Funmi: William, I am very sorry about yesterday
Me: What happened yesterday?
Funmi: I’m sorry I couldn’t make it there and my phone was totally down I couldn’t reach you
Me: No problem, I’m not upset
Funmi: Really, is that true?
Me: Yeah, sort of
Funmi: I know you are angry. Temmy told me you were.
Me: Okay, now I’m going to kill that boy
Funmi: I’m the one that asked him now
Me: (Sighs) Truth be told, I was a bit angry, though I got there late myself.
Funmi: I’m really sorry
Me: No problem. By the way, what about your friend you c@m£ for?
Funmi: He’s fine
Me: Will you at least tell me his name? Don’t worry I won’t tell him your love for him
Funmi: I’ll tell you his name later. And he’ll find out my love for him by himself.
We left the church and headed for my hostel. We br@nched at a shop where I bought cold jui-ce and also bought some smoked fish, eggs, onions and fresh tomatoes at the next shop. Clueless of what my plan was, she offered to pay for the items I bought to which I rejected vehemently. We got to my hostel with bunch of hostel guys sitting right in front of the lodge. I tried to find a way to bypas-s them to avoid their unwanted jokes portraying emotional bully and character as-sas-sination. Fortunately for me, they got distracted by a sudden noise coming from the other side of the street to which I took the advantage and zoom past them like an escape deer from the lions den, avoiding Funmi from greeting them.
Entering the room I switched on the fan and she had alre-ady made herself comfortable on the mattress before I could offer her to sit as there was no chair in our room. I asked for her favorite type of movie to which she chose American to my relief as I don’t have Nollywood films on the system. I opened the Hollywood folder for her to chose whichever she de-sire there as I excused myself to the kitchen to prepare a Grade-A noddles she will live to remember.
The noddles was done and I served her and myself in different plates and pour some jui-ce for her asking her to eat.
Me: Can you plea-se pause it and eat now?
Funmi: (Looking at the meal) Wao! This looks great
Me: Believe me, more than the aesthetic value, it taste great.
Funmi: Really?
Me: Try it out
Funmi: (She took some bites) this taste really good for a guy
Me: What do you mean for a guy? I’m sure I am better than most ladies in cooking
Funmi: (laughed) Well you try
Me: (I took some bites) This is indeed grade-A delicious
Funmi: You are praising yourself
Me: yes now, because I’m sure of myself
She took more bites while talk along and suddenly switch our meal
Me: (Laughing) what’s that for?
Funmi: I have feeling yours is more delicious (She took some bites). I said it! It’s more delicious
Me: (I took some bite off her own) Wao! So I’ve been cheating myself all this while
Funmi: what’s that?
Me; Mehn! This is by far more delicious
Funmi: Really, you are cheating me
She changed the it again, took some bites and decided we are eating together.
Funmi: it seems whichever you eat get more delicious, we are so eating each plate together.
That was how we eat, joke, gist and laughed together. After the meal she took the plates to the kitchen and washed them even though I tried to st©p her from doing it. We then watched the movie together. She was watching “Diary of a Black woman”. At a point we almost neglect the movie in totality and started a de-ep conversation.
She told me a lot about herself, how she lost her mother at age 10 and has never been to church since then blaming God for not saving her mother as she was the only one that died in the motor accident while all others involved were saved. Her father has refused to marry since then, though he recently told her he met a woman he’ll love to marry but has not made any move to that regard. Her father made taking care of her a priority over marrying another wife as he was scared, the new wife might maltreat her. I tried talking her into coming to church and forgetting her past, telling her God is unquestionable and He’s the only One we can run to when things go bad or good.
Around 5pm she received a call from her mechanic telling her he’s done with the car, to which she asked him to bring the car down to my hostel as it’s closer to the mechanics’ workshop. The car was brou-ght and I saw her off to the car not after she gave me a warm and emotional embr@ce I’m likely not going to forget anytime soon.
Some minutes after that, Janet put a call throu-gh to me asking me to come for dinner at their side with Temmy’s backing to which I decline saying I’m busy and filled. I was actually trying to avoid Janet and her complicated relationsh!p.