Gbenro tried to stop the horrible memories but it was like the breaking of a dam. He knew he couldn't trust Kunle but he couldn't help the breaking forth. Before he could stop himself, he was spilling his guts. He knew Kunle would take advantage of all he was sharing but he was already past caring.
"After Yeside called off the wedding, the Monster summoned me to his evil shrine..."
"Sorry, who is the Monster?", Kunle asked
"The wizard my mother claims fathered me", Gbenro spat out
"Oh, I see"
"The Monster gave me two options. He asked me to choose between being disinherited and watching him rape Motunrayo for three successive nights"
Gbenro broke down in tears. Kunle almost felt sorry for him. He quickly reminded himself that he couldn't go soft now that he was already smelling the money. He'll have to find himself another girl; Motunrayo had too much baggage. Incest! He could still date her and get some money out of the deal but he had to be strategic about this deal.
"Wow! So which one did you choose?"
"I wasn't disinherited so I guess my choice is obvious! I watched my darling sister being deflowered by the ritualist that claims to be my father just to avoid being disinherited. And it's all because of Yeside and Wole. See why I can't forgive them?"
Gbenro broke down in tears. Kunle called the bartender and sorted out the bills. He needed to play this game properly.
***************************************************
"Thanks for that brilliant presentation"
Barrister Ikedia's clap was the loudest and he was the first to speak up after Yeside's presentation. She had put together the available information on the possibility of a father getting custody of the kids in the event of a divorce. They had a case where the woman was a conniving witch and knew how to use the law to her advantage. Yeside felt sick reading the brief. She knew how to pretend to care about her family in public whereas they were her meal ticket.
She had been avoiding Barrister Ikedia for some time now but she had to make this presentation. She had since decided that having an affair was a silly idea. Having an affair with her boss was definitely analogous to committing suicide. Barrister Ikedia, however, was relentless. She was grateful for the prayer sessions with Mabel. She believed the prayers had helped her from making stupid decisions. She was attracted to Barrister Ikedia, no doubt but everywhere she turned these days, all she heard was "Flee Adultery". Even Mabel had raised a prayer point about God protecting their marriages from the sin of adultery.
She had opened her eyes to check if Mabel was looking at her, judging her, but she was busy praying on. Yeside siged, relieved. If she already felt this guilty when she hadn't actually committed adultery, she would be a nervous wreck if she went further. No, it was a very bad idea.
She thanked Barrister Ikedia and returned to her seat. As she quickly checked her phone, she saw a text message from her dad. She quickly read it.
"Sweetheart, how are you doing? Please stop at our place on your way home. Wole, Olamide and Martha are already here. They brought some of your things. We all really need to talk"
Yeside panicked a bit and tried to chat with her mother. Everyone was acting so strangely.
Barrister Ikedia couldn't take his eyes off Yeside. The things she was doing to him! As she made her presentation, he could feel passion stirring in him. Her brilliance was a huge turn-on for him. He certainly wished they were both single. He wanted her badly. He couldn't get the kiss out of his mind. He knew she was attracted to him because she kissed him back. He wished he didn't pick that call. He should have kept kissing her. Now, common sense had prevailed and she was avoiding him.
He wondered if his wife even noticed that he wasn't present in the marriage anymore. If he could end this marriage, perhaps he could convince Yeside to throw away the loveless sham she called a marriage. The passion in their kiss and the forlorn look in Yeside's eyes told him all he needed to know about her marriage. The life was gone out of it and they were holding on to nothing just like he and Nancy. There was no point staying in miserable contraptions because of a piece of jewelry. She stirred him and he was determined to pursue the passion she stirred in him to a logical conclusion.
"Can you please wait behind for a few minutes, Yeside?"
Yeside looked up and could see desire written all over him. She hoped she was the only one that noticed. She had planned to meet up with Mabel to pray for about 10 minutes. She also wanted to start making calls to plan Olamide's 4th birthday. The birthday was a month away but Yeside liked starting her plans early.
Things had been queer around the house. Wole was frequently on the phone with someone. He was nicer to her but the phone calls went deep into the night. Maybe she should just begin an affair with Barrister Ikedia; she was getting tired of waiting for improvements in her marriage. Who knows what her dad wanted to see them about?
"Okay sir. I hope it won't take too long"
***************************************************
Justice Anjola felt the urge to pray for Yeside. She was enjoying her newfound faith, though the Holy Spirit didn't seem to mind upsetting her well laid-out plans. She was discussing trial dates with some lawyers but she quickly excused herself for a bathroom break.
She kept seeing visions of Yeside trying to navigate murky waters. She had shared her visions with Kunle and he had encouraged her to keep praying. They both agreed to spend 5-15 minutes every hour praying. It was more like 5 minutes for Anjola and 15 minutes for Kunle. That man was addicted to prayer! That attribute used to irritate Anjola but now it just endeared him to her.
Their relationship was getting stronger. The Holy Spirit had opened her eyes to see how selfish she had been, putting her career over her family's needs. She knew she could never undo all her past mistakes but she had to let God lead her in future.
The idea of following God's leading and allowing her husband lead was difficult for her. She was so used to making decisions for herself. She still stumbled every now and then but she was beginning to learn how to be a good follower. God was helping her give up her need to be right. It was so liberating serving her husband instead of ordering him around. It may be difficult to teach an old dog new tricks but it wasn't impossible.
Her thoughts turned to the thing she had been trying to push away. She had been downright evil to Wole. She couldn't absolve herself of guilt. She had hoped he would walk away from the marriage and Yeside would come to her senses. She even had the perfect husband she wanted her daughter to marry. Was it so bad to have wonderful well laid out plans for her only child? Afterall, she just wanted her daughter to be happy and well settled.
"For I know the thoughts I think towards you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end"
Anjola and Kunle had read Jeremiah 29 this morning. Verse 11 just showed up in her mind now and it seemed God was answering her. She quickly bowed her head and poured out her heart to the Lord concerning her only child and her grandchild. As she was rounding up her prayers, she heard a voice from nowhere asking "What of Wole?"
She grudgingly mumbled a few words in prayer for Wole. As she returned to her meeting, the question kept ringing in her head. "What of Wole?"
***************************************************
Kunle Agunbiade couldn't believe all that had happened in the past one week. Wole had poured out his heart to him. He had poured it all out. Kunle knew that it was indeed the Lord's doing. Which son-in-law would ordinarily pour such things out to his father-in-law? God was definitely at work.
Wole had spoken about his fear of failure, the humiliation he felt primarily from Anjola. He talked about how he felt Yeside was bidding her time before destroying him. He talked about how he envied Yeside's high-flying career. He talked about the hurt of abandonment by his family. The boy really needed counselling. He hadn't had a role model to learn from.
Kunle sought Wole's permission to involve his friend, Pastor Tochi. Pastor Tochi had trained as a psychologist and was already counselling couples before he was called into the ministry. Kunle thought they could all benefit from some family counselling. He wouldn't have known how to confront Anjola concerning her role in the entire quagmire. He wasn't guiltless either as he watched passively as Anjola made one terrible decision after another...They all definitely needed family counselling.
***************************************************
"We can't see each other again, sir"
Yeside moaned as Barrister Ikedia caressed her in his office. They had come here for their meeting.
"Does he make you feel this way?", he asked as he cupped her face ready for a kiss
"We can't continue sir", she replied weakly
"If you can look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't feel anything for me, I'll let you be forever", he said softly as he kissed her.
Yeside forgot where she was and all she was saying. The passion she had been storing all the while was revolting and coming out. She felt helpless as her body seemed to have a mind of its own. Her hands were caressing him and doing things they had no business doing.
Barrister Ikedia quickly went and cleared the table. The phone was ringing but he ignored the call. He was ready for action. He had been ready before she finished her presentation. As he undressed her, she suddenly thought
"WHAT OF WOLE? WHAT OF OLAMIDE?"
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