©️Opeyemi Akintunde
AS INSPIRED BY THE LIVING WORD
EPILOGUE
“FLIRTATIOUS”
©️Opeyemi Akintunde
AS INSPIRED BY THE LIVING WORD
Three years Later…
I was at a supermarket buying some groceries. I saw a few female secondary school students roaming around the store. I watched their movements, and I noticed whenever a male buyer came into the store, the girls would flirt with the buyer till he got something for them. I deliberately hung around and I watched in amazement how they flirted with different men, even boys. Some of the girls got business cards of the men asking they call them. I shook my head in pity…If only someone could tell these girls that Flirting never ends well.
“Why don’t you tell them with your life story?” I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit loud and clear.
I walked up to the girls and said…
“Hello girls, pick whatever you want in this store, I will pay for it.”
They were astonished
“For real?” the leader asked
“Yes..” I replied
“Why?” She asked again
“Because I have some extra cash and I can see that you ladies want to buy a few things? So buy, I will pay and you can also join me for lunch at the restaurant…”
The girls gleefully picked all they could.
*****
We sat in the restaurant for over an hour as I narrated my life story to them. They were humbled…
“I saw all you were doing at the supermarket, you don’t need to flirt with men to have your needs met. Concentrate on your studies, Make God your friend and you will have all the money you could ever have.”
“The truth is we were just having fun, we didn’t know flirting was that deep and had consequences.” The leader said.
“Well, to you, it might start as a game, but the person you are flirting with may not be able to control their emotions. You have got them aroused, the next thing on their mind is how to satisfy their arousal. They may forcefully find that satisfaction with you or another innocent person.”
“Where is Promise now?”
“Still in Prison” I replied
“Do you check on her?”
“Yes, I go to her Prison once a month. She is a changed person. She is now a Christian. Anytime I go visiting, she just goes on and on about the Word of God. They even call her MUMMY G.O in the prison.”
“Wow…What about F.D? Will you say you are still married?” One of the girls asked…
“He is doing great, he has four more years in Prison. I see him once a month as well. About him being my husband, I am not sure he was ever my husband… we married under falsehood. The people who represented our families were rented. There was no parental blessing either from the orphanage or even someone like Aunty Yemi. Neither did we get the priestly blessing, also no dowry was paid over me…. F.D will always be my brother, but… I am opened to whatever God has for the future”
“Hmm… And your boys? “
“They are doing well in school, Timothy is still with his father, but he spends the school breaks with us. Roland got all of Mr Teju’s properties”
“Mr. Teju is dead?’
“Yes, he died last year and he willed all he had to Roland”
“But what about Roland’s Father, Mountain Man…Mr Teju never reached out to him.”
“Aunty Yemi and Mr Teju reached out to Mrs Abrahamson, but she begged not to destroy her life by letting Marcus know she is not his biological mother. It was so painful for Aunty Yemi Last year when Marcus died in that Motor accident”
“Wow… And no one knew Mountain Man had a son” One of the girls who was apparently a fan of his said.
“It’s a secret… Hope you girls will keep it a secret?”
“What about Greg?”
“He is doing great, but the strangulation gives him episodes a lot. He will wake up at times screaming that he can’t breathe. We believe that he will outgrow it someday.”
“Wow…you should write this as a story” The leader said
“Yes…” Another girl supported
“And it will be fun if everyone writes their chapters, like we hear from you, F.D, Promise, Aunty Yemi” the quiet one among them eventually spoke
“That’s a great idea; I will speak to the Holy Spirit about it.” I said to the girls. There was no more jumping and acting based on my thoughts. My plans now passed through the Holy Spirit.
“But Aunty, I have two questions…” the quiet one who apparently was the deep thinker said
“Please go ahead”
“Is it that Shola was the man God had ordained for Promise or F.D?”
“I may not have an outright answer, but the truth is if F.D was truly meant to be her husband, the moment she was married to Shola, no matter the feelings she was having for F.D she should have turned her eyes away from him”
“And you, who is the Man Aunty Yemi said was close to you?”
“I never found out… It could have been Segun, The fact that F.D and I committed immorality, we altered God’s plan for our lives.”
“So you will never get married again?”
“You are asking the third question…” I said laughing.
“I never say Never with God, the truth is I have a few suitors who do not mind that I am a single mother of three, but at the end of the day, I will only do or stay in God’s will.”
“What’s God will?”
“I am Still finding it out, the more I grow, the more I know, but one thing I know is that no matter how much you think you have lost, God’s will is that he restores you. Look at Adam and Eve in the Bible: they Lost God’s Original Glory, but God made Coverings for them. I may have lost the original man God has for me, but I know God too well, He will give me another one If He knows I need one, but right now Marriage is not the priority for me. I am still on a self-discovery journey. Like Aunty Yemi asked me, Who was I without F.D, the men or my Kids. I am still finding that out and trying to get the best out of me.”
“I have a question Aunty?” Another girl said
“What of Rantimi and Kira?”
“Kira is with her grandmother and Rantimi is a businesswoman, she sells clothes now. She completed her University project and invested the rest of the money into business…”
“And this is the final question from me… Is there anywhere the Bible reveals that Flirting is bad?”
“A lot of Verses, but let me show you a few…” I brought out the small bible I carry with me everywhere and flipped to a few verses…
“First let’s start with Proverbs 7:6-27….”
One of the girls took the Bible to read…
“6 At the window of my house I looked down through the lattice.
7 I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who had no sense.
8 He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house
9 at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in.
10 Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
11 (She is unruly and defiant, her feet never stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks.)
13 She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said:
14 “Today I fulfilled my vows, and I have food from my fellowship offering at home.
15 So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you!
16 I have covered my bed with colored linens from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love!
19 My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.
20 He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full moon.”
21 With persuasive words (Flirtatiously) she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk.
22 All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose
23 till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life.
24 Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say.
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths.
26 Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng.
27 Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death.”
The girls eyes all popped out…
“Wow… She flirted with him with her words, her body and eventually led him to her death… Just like everyone in your story… Flirting didn’t have a good end for you all, thank God for his Mercy, if not you all would have died one way or the other…”
“Can anyone remember what I say Flirting means, an extra plate for who gets it?” I asked and they all chorused it…
“Flirting is using your body, face, voice, character, innocence, wit, money and talent to seduce a person into liking you”
“Perfect! And we know the end of that is always …?’ I asked
“Not good”
“Like the Bible has revealed, Do not let anyone pull you into them with whatever they have, be it beauty, money, fame, voice, spirituality ,e.t.c” I summarized my entire message
“What will be the title of this story if you write it?” One of the girls asked
“Flirtatious” I answered…
The End.
MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR
We always can tell the Beginning of our flirting adventure, but we never can tell the end. If this story has blessed and touched your life, remember to say a Word of Prayer for the Author, Mrs Opeyemi Akintunde née Ojerinde, the writer of this story as INSPIRED by the HOLY SPIRIT… that God never departs from her life and home.
God bless you..
God bless you ma more knowledge