Saved by Love
By Olufunlola Adeola
Episode 3
Akinlolu started seeking for another job that same week but Adara had to stay at home so as to cool down all the news flying all over town about her abs£nce. She watched as her father lied on an international television station that his daughter travelled abroad to stay with her brother, Teju and that she will soon return to Nigeria to continue her fashion business.
Her mother and brothers kept pleading with her to return home but she refused saying she has known the way, the truth and the life, she can’t go back to her former life.
At home too, Alhaji was waging wars with himself in his mind but he just couldn’t un-derstand why his daughter will decide to leave what has been in their family lineage for a strange religion. He later concluded that when she gets tired and she becomes broke with no food to eat she would return home . With this, Alhaji called her bank manager and told the man to freeze her account and withhold her trustee fund.
…..
Some weeks after they’ve left the Zamani’s house, Adara and Akinlolu were having their dinner one night when Adara asked curiously,
“Akinlolu?” He looked up at her, “You have never mentioned your family, what about them?”
“My family, hmm, that’s a long story o.”
“I wish to know. Cut it short or tell me the long story.”
“Okay
. I c@m£ from a wealthy home, we were based abroad, my dad dealt with Architectural materials and my mum had a restaurant she managed, I am the last born, I had two elder brothers. The first was a medical doctor and the other one was into banking. After completing my third degree, I decided to come over to Nigeria for a year training in one of the architectural schools located here.
I was about to write my last paper when my elder brother, the banker, Akinola, called me that Mum and Dad just had a ghastly accident and all hope was lost. How I pas-sed that exam I don’t know till d@t£ because my head was groggy immediately he gave me the bad news. I booked a flight after the exam to return to America, they told me my visa was invalid that I nee-d to go throu-gh some process because I was desperate, I started spending the money I had left just to rectify the visa issue.
Then one day I was returning from the embas-sy after a week that I was refused when I discovered my phone was gone, stolen. That was how I lost it all. I didn’t have a ha-rd copy contact list or a diary that could have helped me to locate my brothers.
Since then, I have been doing any jobs that comes my way just to survive then two years ago, I met with Christ, and to be honest with you, things changed a bit for me then I applied for an employment at your Dad’s place and that’s how I bec@m£ his driver and then yours.”
“Wow! This is a lot to take in and lengthy. Thanks for telling me. Now I have learnt to always do¢v-ment my contacts and put down details. I am so sorry about your parents but then maybe God wanted to meet with you.”
“I sometimes think so but at the expense of my parents’ lives? I don’t think so. Mum and Dad were believers, they lived the life of a true Christian. I was more of a church goer and bench warmer.”
Adara smiled, “All these will pay off one day. I just know that de-ep down inside of me.”
“Hmm.
. Pastor Adara!” Akinlolu said and they both laughed as they discussed other issues.
……
Two months after they had left Alhaji Zamani’s house, Akinlolu got a job as a teacher to teach s£nior Secondary Clas-ses in Daylight College, Technical Drawing. He was so disappointed, he didn’t want the job, how could he a doctorate degree holder be working as a teacher? but Adara encouraged him to take up the employment opportunity and he did after much serious talk.
They paid him 20,000 naira per month and after the first month, Adara decided she couldn’t keep sitting at home idle, she started baking and ma-king doughnuts, chin-chin and cu-pcakes. She would wake up early to do this then take it to the surrounding schools to sell it to pupils and in the evening, just down the street, a local tailor who was really good at sewing was positioned there so she learnt tailoring. Hoping that one day she can finally start her own cloth line.
After about a month that Adara started selling to school pupils, she decided to relax after doing the laundry and the power c@m£ on so she switched on the television and a program started, it was a live show of a Fashion Runway coupled with Award Dinner Night for models. ‘I should be here’, Adara thought as tears rolled down her eyes, minutes later, Akinlolu sauntered into the sitting room and met her crying silently, he asked as he sat beside her,
“Adara, what’s wrong?”
More tears rolled down as her b©dy shook intensely and Akinlolu put his arms around her shoulder letting her rest her head on his shoulder,
“Adara, I don’t like this, just tell me what’s wrong, try to get yourself together and talk to me.”
There was no change but after some minutes Adara talked,
“I should be on that show. My clothes are supposed to be displa-yed there and I was nominated for one of the Model awards but I am here selling doughnuts to school children. Me that I am from a wealthy home, I am now struggling to eat and survive.”
“Adara! Why don’t you thank God that you are here, alive and well, have you forgotten the bible says that we should give thanks in all things because that is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us. Adara, thank God hm, what if you are there and you were not even recognized?
God is the author of your life story because he is the one that created you. He knows at this time you would be here. Trust in him because he knows the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning. plea-se cheer up or do you want me to join you in crying?” Akinlolu said and she smiled and he continued encouraging and teasing her until she was all smiles and laughter again.
Saved by Love
By Olufunlola Adeola
Episode 4
Six months after Akinlolu started teaching at Daylight College, he was in SSS 3 clas-s one Wednesday morning when he heard that still little voice,
“Tender your resignation letter tomorrow. Your life will receive a turnaround.”
He looked around the clas-s, the students were doing the exercise he had given to them, he asked,
“Did someone say anything?”
The students looked up while some shook their heads and the others said,
“No Sir.”
Akinlolu turned back to the note he was ma-king and he heard the voice say the same thing again and again. Then he knew it must be the voice of the Supreme Being, God.
‘ But really, God has started again, if I resign now, what will we eat? How will we survive? The rent of the house has just a month to get due, how will we pay? We ba-rely have enough to eat!’ He thought, then that scripture c@m£ to mind “For after all these things do the gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you have nee-d of all these things . Another scripture also dropped into his mind that goes thus; that God shall supply all your nee-ds according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
He decided to obey the voice because God is not a man that he should lie, if he says he will do something, he will do it.
So, he tendered his resignation letter the next day to the Principal. The man tried to convince him otherwise because Akinlolu had become one of the best teachers in the school but he refused and he left with the salary of the day’s he worked since it was not up to a month.
……
The next day around 09:00 am, Akinlolu woke up and he went into the kitchen to see Adara crying,
“Adara, what’s this? Why are you crying?”
She turned to him and he took her in his arms and hvgged her
. After a while, the tears subsided and he asked again,
“What happened?”
“The headteacher at Teal Schools said I should st©p bringing doughnut to the school and that is the place I make the most of my sales.”
“Ah-ha, but why did he say that?” Akinlolu asked and she looked away uncomfortably,
Akinlolu asked, “Adara, what did you do?” Akinlolu asked,
“He wanted to sleep with me. I refused.”
“Seriously? That old smelling man! He nee-ds to be given a good beating. Dear, just calm down. All will be well.”
“Why aren’t you at work anyway?”
“I st©pped working yesterday.”
“You st©pped working? Tell me that is a joke. How can you st©p working? We ba-rely have enough to eat and then you st©pped working?”
“God told me to st©p working.”
“What! How will God tell you to st©p working? Can’t he see what we are pas-sing throu-gh? You didn’t tell me Christianity is all about ha-rd sh!pand poverty.”
“Shhh. Do not say that. Christianity is not about ha-rd sh!por poverty. In fact, Jesus died so we can be poverty free. We are rich Adara even if we do not have those material things like flashy cars, fat bank accounts and gigantic houses that make up the wealth of this world, that is only a matter of time. All these can’t go on forever. God is just trying to break us, process us and make us for the time to come. If I had given up, you would not have met me. Stay firm, okay?”
“Okay.”
……
The next two months that followed were really harsh on Adara and Akinlolu, things couldn’t have been worse, Akinlolu had to sell his gadgets just for them to eat. At a point, whenever there was no food, they would automatically turn it into fasting, the most they ate was twice a day. During these times, Akinlolu still went in search of jobs and did interviews but with no fruitful result. Their landlord had alre-ady given them the normal three months extension before getting their belongings out if they do not pay within or after the three months.
After two months, God smiled on them.
One night while they were pla-ying scrabble on Adara’s system, Akinlolu’s phone rang and he picked it,
“Hello… Yes, I am Akinlolu Coker… Yes?…. Oh! Good evening…. Oh my God!… Thank you so much… I will be there first thing on Monday morning… The same as discussed?… Wow… All right… Good night… Thank you.”
“What happened? Who was that?”
“Wonders shall never end, that was Pacesetters Construction Company’s CEO’s Secretary. Adara, he has finally done it.”
“What did the Secretary say? Talk to me.”
“She said they just reviewed their interview that was done three weeks ago due to the abs£nce of the CEO and after going throu-gh all the candid@t£s’ prospectus, she was told to call me to come start work as the man that got the job.”
“Wow! Praise God!”
“Hallelujah.
. Only God could have done this. Do you know the best p@rt?”
“No, tell me plea-se.”
“My salary would be 200,000 naira for a start!”
“200,000 naira? Oh my God! That’s hvge. Oh my God!”
“We are indeed blessed and in a season of turnaround.”
“Do you know what this means, Akinlolu?”
“No more outstanding bills, no more worries, no more starving.”
“God is great!”
“All the time.”Akinlolu replied and they kept appreciating the Lord for his good deeds.
……..
Akinlolu started work at Pacesetters the following Monday by eight o’clock and his boss, Mr. Cole, a nice middle-aged man took a liking to him instantly and even the rest of the staff accepted him.
Slowly and steadily, 29th of his first month at Pacesetters arrived and the CEO’s Secretary, Bidemi Williams c@m£ by his office some minutes before five, which was the closing time, to drop a manila envelope for him, he checked it out, saw his boss and made his way home.
As Adara opened the door for him, he pu-ll-ed her to himself and held her ti-ght, a confused Adara managed to say,
“You are choking me man.” Akinlolu knew but he was overwhelmed with happiness and something more he had been keeping at bay, he re-leased her and apologized,
“Sorry, I am just excited. Come on, get dressed, we are eating out.”
“Eating out? Like seriously? Like that’s what we nee-d right now. The landlord just left some minutes ago after he embarras-sed the life out of me.”
“Forget that! Go get dressed, we are going out for dinner…in twenty minutes.” Akinlolu said glancing at his well-worn wristwatch as he made his way to his room leaving Adara all jaw dropped and gaping at his retreating back.
In twenty minutes, time, Adara walked into the sitting room, she had drawn her brows, applied powder on her face, used pinkl-ipstick to go with her sleeveless V-n£¢k shaped blue patterned go-wn and blue accessories. She met Akinlolu waiting for her. He was garbe-d in his only proper black shi-t and his well ironed ashes colored material trou-ser. And they proceeded outside, as he locked the main door to their ap@rtment.
Adara kept looking at him curiously as he motioned for her to come along. Adara started moving towards the gate but Akinlolu pu-ll-ed her towards the garage that housed their neighbours two cars and a new black Toyota Camry car. Akinlolu walked ahead towards the black Camry and he inser-ted the keys, opening the front pas-s£nger’s door and holding it out for her, she did not move,
“Adara come over plea-se, I am starving.”
“Akinlolu who owns this car?”
“I will gist you about it later, just come sit so we can be on our way.”
“Okay.” She agreed and went to sit in the vehicle after which he closed the door and got into the car from the driver’s side.
Tbc