© Ayo Omolayo
SILAS POV
I sat down unable to get the thought out of my head. I was forced to go on leave that night. I knew her name very well. She was the one who bought a new car recently. Margret Philips. But she was popularly called Maggie.
I was with my fellow security officials when she walked into our midst and slapped me.
Everyone looked at us with shock written on their faces.
“If you love yourself, you better go and undo the charm you used on my friend. I was thinking it was a joke all these while. But you have charmed her to the point of commanding her to marry you. You this riff raff!”
She grabbed my shirt and slapped me again.
“If it’s money you’re looking for, I’ll pay you as much as you want. Leave Cris alone! Go and undo the spell you cast on her. If you don’t comply, you’ll have me to deal with”.
I was still trying to figure out a perfect answer to give her when saliva landed on my face. She spat on me.
What was the meaning of all these? I hated saliva with everything in me. That was what she threw on my face.
I was infuriated. I pushed her in anger and she landed on the floor.
“What?” She shouted.
I quickly tried to apologize but she got up at and was about to fight me like a mad woman. I quickly ran out through the small passage way in the gate and got out of the company.
She came out and threw insults at me as I walked away furiously.
I kept walking and never looked back. I was tired of being an object of riddicle. All my mates have been making jest of me. Christiana gave the news to everyone that day she spat at my feet.
They kept asking me if I went to propose to the CEO.
“Guy! You sure say you dey normal?”
“Wait o! E be like say we go carry this guy go psychiatric hospital oooo. Your Boss na him you go propose to. You no see one girl wey dey hawk groundnut propose give na come be your boss”.
“This guy get mind ooo”.
“No be lie!”
“Trouble in the animal kingdom”.
“No, it’s a mystery. A mystery I no fit understand”.
“How gateman go wake up one morning. No be say he smoke, waka go meet CEO say I wan marry you? Chai! Silas, the prophet wey go deliver you Ehn, Dem never born am”.
“Yes ooo! They need to carry the prophet for belle for 12 months. So that, he go carry the 12 anointing of the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ.
For 3 years, the pikin no go waka ooo. Because wetin he wan use he leg waka go do, no be here”.
The insults were just too numerous to count.
One sat beside me and asked.
“Abeg show me the Babalawo wey give you the charm. I need to dey catch babes wey get money well well. Abeg, where the baba dey stay?”
These were the words that stormed my mind as I walked. The humiliation and shame was really something I couldn’t bear. I kept walking and wondered what had I done to deserve all the drama that was going on.
To be sincere can someone please explain to me what I did to deserve the shame and humiliation? All I did was ask my heavenly father for a life partner. Only to be handed a package of shame and disgrace. What did I do to deserve this kind of love? Or should I say, hatred.
I believed God and I trusted in his plans for me maritally. Where was all these coming from? At least I prayed and confirmed several times. Why was God treating me as if it wasn’t him that sent me? I don’t understand what all these insults were all about.
I looked like a gold digger. I looked like someone everyone suspected to have selfish intentions. And this was what God wanted me to go through all in the name of marriage. I don’t think I am ready for something like this.
And I also noticed that ever since I decided to treat Christiana like this, God stopped talking to me. I was missing him already, but how to get back to him was my biggest struggle.
I arrived at my house and tried to open the door with the keys. I discovered it had been opened and smiled because that meant my little sister was back from school.
I opened it and met her and one of the ladies from our church, Sister Lizzy. They were eating rice together.
“Brother mi! Ekaasun!” Sade greeted.
“Silas, good afternoon!” Lizzy greeted.
“Afternoon sisters! How are you?”
“Fine sir”, they both chorused and continued with their meal.
I was curious to find them eating rice. I remembered I had no rice in the house. How did they get the rice they were eating?
I concluded it was Sade that brought it with her. I looked around my one room apartment for my sister’s things, but they were no where in sight.
“Sade, where are your things?” I asked as I sat beside the ladies on the bed.
“I’m going back anytime soon”, she answered.
“Ah ah! I thought you guys were supposed to be on holidays na?” I asked.
“Yes oooo. But I found a guy in school who is willing to teach us for free. The courses we have next semester are really tough courses. The rate of failure is so high in those courses. I think about 4 of them.
Our holiday is just two weeks. The guy would be teaching us every afternoon around 4pm. So that means I’ll have to remain there till he’s done with us. Everyday except Sundays and Saturdays. Free of charge. I can’t lose such an opportunity all in the name of holiday. Who holiday help?”
“At least you should tell me all these na. You can’t just plan everything by yourself and expect me to roll with it”, I said and frowned.
“Ah! Ema binu!” She said and was about kneeling down to beg me.
“E joko, ejoko!” I quickly replied, telling her to sit down.
“All these Yoruba people Ehn”, Lizzy said laughing.
“What did Yoruba people do to you?” I asked.
“Nothing ooo! It’s just that you guy have A¹ in greeting and respect. I love Yoruba people for that”, she said smiling.
“Tell God that the next time you are coming to this world, you would love to be a Yoruba girl”, I said and we all burst into laughter.
“Person leave this world make heaven na to come this world again. God forbid bad thing. I go sleep for heaven, I no dey go anywhere”, my sister replied.
“I wonder ooo. Thank God say na only once we dey come this life”, I added and we all laughed.
“Let me get you something to eat”, Sade said and left for the little corner of the room I called my kitchen.
She opened my pot and loaded to the top was rice in its shiny colour. It’s aroma filled the room and woke up the boneless creatures in my tommy.
She came back with a plate and handed it over to me.
“Eshe”, I thanked her and set the food down.
I was about eating when I remembered I had not prayed on the food, but I ignored and started eating.
“Wow! So who cooked the food?” I asked after eating almost half of the plate.
“Sister Lizzy”, she answered.
I almost spat out immediately. Not that anything was wrong ooo, but not eating the food sisters cooked and brought for me was a principle I kept. I never eat what a sister cooked and presented to me.
I had reserved that privilege for the lady I would marry. So apart from my mom and my sister, I don’t eat the food of another woman.
Oh no! I had just broken the principle. But I went on eating. There’s nothing I could do about it. I don chop am I don chop. Make I ku ku ma finish am.
Sade’s phone started ringing.
“Oh my goodness! I’m running late!” She gasped and picked her back pack. She picked her phone and a few books.
“It would take me two hours to get back to school. Oh no! Brother mi, mo ti lo ooo!” She said and dashed out of the house.
I wasn’t able to say a word before she left.
I looked at sister Lizzy who was scrolling through her phone. We were both alone in the room.
My head rang the warning bells immediately. I never allowed sisters into my room. I felt I was breaking so many principles at the same time.
Though I wasn’t the rich guy a lot of ladies would run after, I had the looks of a rich guy. Apart from that, I was exceptionally handsome and drew the attention of sisters so much. I have had so many crushes which Lizzy was part of the list.
She had tried to get close to me, I was too strict with sisters to allow that. I noticed she was becoming friends with my younger sister. I never saw what was actually coming.
Alone with this sister in the house was too uncomfortable for me.
“Take a look at this!” She said and drew close to me on the bed, stretching her phone.
I looked at her and noticed she unbuttoned some of the buttons on her blouse. Her blouse was modest enough to cover her chest. I guess she wanted me to see what I saw.
She gave me her phone and made to get her purse on the bed. I looked and noticed her thighs were staring at me.
Her skirt wasn’t skimpy. But it looked like she adjusted it by the way she sat. It had climbed up her thighs and was a few meters left to reveal her nakedness.
My blood was getting warm. My heart was pumping faster than usual. I took my eyes off her thighs, but in a few seconds, I was staring at them again.
I took my eyes off her chest, but in a few seconds, I found my eyes going back there.
“God help me to be strong. What was she even showing me on her phone sef?
It was a picture of a girl on a provocative attire.
“Do you know that lady?” She asked.
“Wetin concern me concern that lady? I’m dying here”, I replied within me.
“No”, I answered.
“You mean you don’t know her she said and hit me on the chest, so soft and gentle.
Current flowed through my body and I knew I needed to borrow Joseph’s running shoes.
Ayayayaaaaaa! Holy Ghost help me ooo! Na die I dey so ooo!
“Look at her very well”, she said and placed her arm around my shoulder.
I wanted to resist, but I allowed her and relaxed. I was struggling within me. I didn’t know what to do. I knew what was going on, but lacked the strength to resist.
I couldn’t explain how I was feeling anymore. I wasn’t expecting something like this. What was happening to me. I thought God had shown me the lady he wanted me to marry. Was this a distraction or what?
Soon she turned and looked into my eyes.
“Silas I want you!” She said and placed her two hands at the back of my neck.
I looked at her, unable to say a word.
“By the time we destroy you, Aunty Rhema will never survive a second fall. She would be so depressed and blame herself that your death was all her fault. She would kill herself. We would succeed at the mission.
We cannot allow her manifest her destiny. She’s so much a terror to our kingdom. Look at the souls she has pulled into the kingdom within a few months of her walk with God.if we allow her for a year, for 2 years, 3 or more, the loss would be too much”.
I heard everything she said, but lacked the power to resist her as she laid me on the bed.
To be continued…….
The battle against your destiny is not a child’s play.
Sin opens access doors for the enemy to have power over you.
The bible says he that breaketh the hedge, a serpent shall surely bite.
If Silas had forgiven Cris and not nursed bitterness in his her towards her, the enemy wouldn’t have had such access to his life.
