Gbenro was excited. Everything was coming together in a tidy knot. Going by what Kunle was telling him, Wole was already excited about working with Bayo to dissolve the marriage. If he played his cards well, he could even be 'there' for Yeside when Wole walked away. It would be sweet revenge to steal some 'show' as well. She was supposed to be his, anyway.
He couldn't bring himself to dwell on Motunrayo. He would definitely kill that beast that fathered him at an opportune time. He just needed to figure out how to do that without being detected.
He tried unsuccessfully to resist the flashback of scenes of The Beast raping Mama in his presence before giving him his school fees and allowances. It was to teach him that money was not easy to come by. He thought he hated The Beast until that night...
"Gbenro, how far na? No vex. Road tight today ooo. E be like say those politicians dey do crash program. Na all of dem dey do rally today"
Kunle rescued Gbenro from his tormenting thoughts. He quickly wiped the tear from the corner of his eyes.
"Abi na. If dem no do rally now, shey na after elections dem wan start?"
They both burst into laughter. Gbenro already started feeling lighter already. Laughter sure works magic.
"How far? How Mumsy? How Motunrayo? I dey hustle make I gather money come marry that girl fa"
"No be incest be that? Cousins dey marry ni?"
"Abeg tell me how we take relate? Because we come from same villa don turn us to relatives? Oga, abeg park well, make you no pour sand sand for my garri, joor!"
"Na you sabi. How far?"
"Bros, thank God say na you dey pay Kunle. Things don be one kain sha"
"Wetin happen?"
"Ah, plenty story. Order the drinks and let me tell you a 'super story"
Gbenro called the waiter and ordered the drinks
***************************************************
"Sin lurks at your door"
Yeside read Dad's text message again. Why was that the same words that stood out to her in the post she was reading as she waited for Mabel? Mabel realised that she forgot the key to her house in the office so she went back to pick it. A text message was delivered to Yeside's phone.
"I think I'll be heading your way today. Do you mind riding with me? I noticed you didn't drive today."
Yeside knew that Barrister Ikedia would only be going her way because he wanted to finish their "unfinished business". She knew where she would end up if she drove with him today.
Why couldn't she feel like a woman? What use were her vows when she was the only one keeping them? Who knows what Wole was doing with Martha or some strange woman? Didn't she deserve to be loved? Should she die sexually frustrated because she exchanged vows with a worthless man?
Besides, she needed to leave as early as possible as the traffic reports were really scary. Mabel was taking longer than normal.
As she started to type a response to Barrister Ikedia, she got a BBM message from Mum. She quickly checked it.
"Sin lurks at your door..."
From Mum? Wonders will never cease.
***************************************************
"YOU HAVE BEEN RELIEVED OF YOUR DUTIES"
That was all that kept ringing in Wole's head. He wasn't sure how he found his way to the necessary offices to fill out the required paper work. Who was he going to turn to now? This job was a miracle job for him. How was he going to finance the divorce and prove that he was the best parent to care for Olamide?
He decided to stop by at the bar. Kunle had told him he was travelling to the North for an official assignment. He whispered a routine prayer for Kunle's safety.
As he entered into the bar, he caught a glimpse of a guy that looked like Kunle. He was quite sure the person sitting with him was Gbenro. He moved closer to confirm. What he heard stopped him in his tracks...
****************************************************
"Yeside and Wole are in some sort of trouble"
"Interestingly, I agree, Kunle. I don't care about that idiot, Wole, but I'm concerned that his foolishness can affect my darling daughter and my little prince. I also woke up with a heavy burden about Yeside"
Kunle Agunbiade was stunned to hear Anjola's response. He had expected her to mock him and make jest of him. He had steeled himself for her biting sarcasm. Nothing prepared him for her response.
Anjola could see that Kunle was taken aback. She had had an encounter in the middle of the night. She had felt someone tap her awake. As she opened her eyes, she was led to open the Bible Kunle had by his side of the bed. She found herself reading Genesis 4. As she got to verse 7, Yeside's image flashed before her. She saw Yeside in a compromising situation with a man. She quickly found a pen and wrote it down. Not long after she slept back.
When she got up in the morning, she forgot about the encounter as she went about her daily chores. As she was getting ready to call it a day, Yeside's image flashed again.
Anjola quickly sent Yeside a BBM chat. Immediately, Kunle's chat came in.
God was obviously sending strong signals to them.
"Let's fast and pray till something happens"
Kunle's heart sommersaulted as Anjola spoke those words. God indeed was answering HIS own prayers...
***************************************************
Martha sensed something was wrong. She began to pray in tongues. She wasn't sure what the real issue was but she really hoped she won't have to see Oga's manhood again!
She kept having nightmares that involved him raping her. She needed something to wipe that memory from her brain. It was too horrid to keep going over.
She remembered the rice she was boiling and stopped washing Olamide's clothes. As she raced to the kitchen, she slipped in the wet bathroom and fell. She couldn't move for a few minutes. She willed herself to stand up, turn off the gas cooker and get some menthol. She was definitely running behind with her chores. She had to pick Olamide from the neighbour's place. He had made friends with the neighbour's kids and was always eager to go over.
Martha wondered how much of the tension little Olamide picked up. She often wondered what was running through his mind every time he looked longingly at the wedding picture of his happy dad and mum hanging in the sitting room. She often wondered where all that love went. She looked at the picture again as she limped out to get Olamide. The urge to pray was very strong.
***************************************************
"I can't forgive Yeside; her desertion cost me my soul!"
Gbenro was taken aback by the venom he was pouring out but he was too helpless to stop it. He started weeping.
"Do you want to talk more about it?"
Kunle sensed that this was his opportunity to take proper advantage of Gbenro. He always knew there was something deeper he could use against Gbenro. If he was patient enough, he'll get what he needed. He was already getting bored with the Wole/Yeside side-show.
"Kunle! Bro Gbenro!"
Wole was stupefied! He couldn't believe all he had just heard. So, he had been Kunle and Gbenro's pawn all these years?
"I can explain, Wole"
Wole quickly rebuffed Kunle's half-hearted attempt to draw him in.
Kunle quickly went back to Gbenro. There was a bigger fish if he played his cards well.
Wole sat for a while and different emotions washed through him - anger, betrayal, regret, sorrow.
He brought out his phone and called the first person that came to mind. It was definitely going to be a long walk back home.
***************************************************
Just as Yeside was about to send Mabel a text message apologizing for leaving her car open, Mabel ran back to the car.
"How far? What happened?"
"You won't believe that the lights went out while I was in the lift. Thank God for His mercies"
"Thank God. I was just about to send you a text message sef and find my way. Someone offered me a ride"
"Pele. Ma binu my dear"
They both burst into laughter. The road was not as congested as Yeside expected. Yeside quickly sent a message thanking Barrister Ikedia and informing him that she was already in the car with Mabel. Their "unfinished business" would have to wait.
Mabel quickly told Yeside about her dream and how she sensed that Yeside was dealing with marital challenges. Yeside decided to tell Mabel about all she was going through. She left out the part about Barrister Ikedia, though. She didn't think St. Mabel needed to know about that. She didn't need sermons on what she was still processing.
Most of Mabel's counsel made sense to her. She couldn't understand why she was suggesting that she should seduce Wole. Didn't she hear the part about how she had tried seduction and failed? She didn't want to get into an argument so she just kept quiet. Mabel recommended that they both find time to pray daily about the matter. It sounded like a good idea to Yeside. Besides, she had nothing to lose.
***************************************************
Kunle Agunbiade felt a release in his spirit. He suddenly felt overjoyed. He wondered if it was because of the change in Anjola.
As he went to the kitchen to fix himself a meal, he heard distinctly in his spirit.
"There will be a shaking but it will end in praise".
He heated the portion of rice Anjola had kept for him in the freezer. He brought out the portion of stew that was clearly marked "STEW". She had devised that means 10 years ago after he had mistaken freshly ground pepper for stew and tried to eat it with Eba and Okra. He chuckled as he remembered the incident. He had mentioned it to his sister and his family had blown it out of proportion. He still felt sad that he had blurted it out knowing that there was no love lost between Sister Kemi and Anjola. She still couldn't believe that her precious brother would end up with a divorcee. He didn't want to remember the heated divorce related arguments and sermons. When their Little Prince had died, Sister Kemi had loudly wondered if the divorce was the reason for the calamity. No, he didn't want to relive the horrors.
His phone rang. It was Wole...
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