© Ayo Omolayo
The bell rang and students cheered in excitement as we all knew it was break time. Students trooped out of their classes in numbers to buy food. Others stayed behind to eat the food they came with from home. Some stayed behind to write down a few things in their books.
I stood up and began to rush towards the hall where I was to meet Angela and her family. A flash of what I saw while praying appeared. I mean the vision of me telling a girl that I wasn’t going to join her that she was darkness and I was light and we had nothing in common.
I waved it off and ran as fast as I could to meet her. I wasn’t ready to doubt that God brought us across. It was not a coincidence that we met. It was a divine orchestration from God.
I entered the hall and met 12 girls in the place.
I smiled and ran to meet Angela as she spread her arm for a hug. We hugged and rocked back and forth for a while before disengaging.
“Everyone! Meet Juliet Anderson! Our new member!” She said grinning.
Everyone looked at me and began to smile. Some stood up and began to applaud.
“Welcome to the sisterhood!” A girl said.
“Sisterhood?” I asked caused I didn’t flow too well with the name sisterhood.
“Yes!” Angela answered.
“You mean there are no guys among you?”
“Yes! The guys are too busy chasing after women. They don’t have time to seek the face of God. Only one guy usually shows up, but suddenly stopped coming. What was that his name again?”
“Romeo!” A girl helped her with the name.
“Thank you! His name is Romeo! Your classmate and your only boyfriend in Broadway academy,” she replied grinning.
“He’s not my boyfriend!”
“Then who is he to you?”
“My friend!” I answered.
I could hear the girls giggling.
“Juliet! I have to say, you’re pretty funny. What’s the difference between a boyfriend and a friend? Everyone has a boyfriend, a friend who is a male. A friend from the opposite gender. So when you say boyfriend, it doesn’t mean what’s on your mind. It simply means a friend of the opposite gender.
That’s what boyfriend means. So we’re not actually saying that there’s anything between the two of you. What we’re only saying is that he should s a friend of yours that is if the opposite gender.”
I chuckled.
“And I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong. That’s the wrong use of english. Open the Oxford dictionary and search for the meaning of the word boyfriend.
What you’ll discover that you have been using it wrongly. a frequent or regular male companion in a romantic or sexual relationship. That’s the meaning.
The word male friend is used to describe someone of the same gender.
If you and I are friends, I can call you my girlfriend. Girls can call themselves girlfriends and boys can call their make friends boyfriend.
But when you call the opposite gender your boyfriend, you mean I’m in a romantic relationship with this person.
But if you’re not in a romantic relationship with that person, don’t call the person my boyfriend. He’s only a friend. When he becomes more than a friend, you can then call him your boyfriend.
Please, stop using english wrongly. If you’re not in a relationship with him, don’t call him your boyfriend. He’s nothing but a friend.”
“What if we call him my male friend?” A girl asked.
“No! Just say he’s my friend. The fact that you said he’s my friend has already revealed he’s a male. You don’t need to be specific. Just call him my friend. When he’s more than a friend to you, or you both have taken the friendship to the next level, then he’s your boyfriend.
But as Christians, we have nothing to do with boyfriends and girlfriends. We don’t go into romantic relationship. What we do is courtship and we only go into courtship after praying to God and he says we can go ahead and get married.
That’s for the children of God. You can’t go into a relationship now that you’re still in secondary school in the name of getting married in the future. That’s stupidity. Love is very strong. If you allow it now to take over you, it would distract you and destroy your academic performance.
That’s why, God says that to everything there is a season. There’s a set time to have a man in our lives and that is when we are ready to settle down maritally. Not now that our future is yet to begin. Love is powerful. If you start having a man around you now. Soon, you’ll start being tempted to eat the forbidden fruit.
So wait for the right time. Relationship is not now. Focus on building your relationship with God and your career. Those are the most important things in our lives right now.”
“Wow!” Angela exclaimed and applauded.
“I never knew calling the opposite gender my boyfriend meant more than I imagined!” I girl said.
“Forget about that stuff! We Africans have a negative mentality. Whenever we hear the word boyfriend, we start thinking bad things.” A girl said.
“Yes! That’s because you are using the word in the wrong context. You’re using it wrongly. Stop trying to change the use of English to your personal or private interpretation. You’ll get people confused and misunderstand you.
Just flow with the standard. If he’s not your boyfriend, call him your friend. Only those of the same gender can use the word girlfriend to refer to their female friends.”
“Juliet! You’re a teacher in the making!” Angela said and placed an arm across my shoulder.
I grinned and nodded my head.
“So when do you guys usually meet to pray?” I asked.
“During break time everyday. But recently. Many of them have stopped coming for prayers. The reason why most of them came is because I told them we were having a new girl joining us. See how them fly come like housefly!”
There was an outburst of laughter.
“Don’t mind her ooo! She herself also misses prayer meetings. Infact, for the past one month, we haven’t met.” A girl announced.
“Haa! Why?”
“Everyone has been losing interest in praying for this unchangeable place. I have been praying for this school since I was JSS 1. Now, I’m about to finish senior secondary school, nothing has happened. I don’t think God can do this thing anymore,” a girl said.
I looked at her and gave her a shocking expression.
“Sisters please! There was something my dad taught me that I need to teach you. When you are interceeding for someone or a particular place that you want the hand of God to fall upon mightily, you need to do that prayer with faith.
The bible says in James 1:6. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
What really shocked me about that scripture is the next verse.
Verse 7. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Can you imagine when the bible is telling you that don’t ever think you will receive anything from God. That person who doubts. I can’t imagine how terrible it is. When God says don’t expect anything from me. Why?
You are praying with doubt in your heart. It’s like moulding a block and scattering it with your own hands and then moulding it again and scattering it again.
How can you be asking and rejecting the answer at the same time? The irony of this matter is so ridiculous.
Please! Don’t give up on God. He’s not done with this school. Infact, he sent me here! He sent me to destroy the works of darkness in their territory!”
I felt a nudging in spirit. It was as if daddy was pinching me to stop that other thing I was saying.
“DON’T SAY THAT HERE!”
“Juliet, what did you say?” A girl asked.
I looked at her and wanted to reply, but my spirit became restless.
“DON’T REVEAL YOUR SPIRITUAL IDENTITY. IT IS NOT YET TIME. IM STILL WORKING ON YOU. AND BY THE WAY, YOU HAVE BEEN SO STUBBORN THAT YOU SLOWED ME DOWN.”
“Juliet! What did you tell us?”
“Didn’t any of you hear what I said?” I asked.
“No!” They answered in unison.
“All I heard was what you said about doubt. Then you started saying something else. What was that exactly?” A girl asked.
I looked at her and saw how expectant she looked. I guess there was nothing wrong with telling my new found family I was sent to liberate this school.
“JULIET DON’T.”
“There’s nothing wrong!” I replied within me.
“I am Juliet Anderson! I was sent to liberate this school from the darkness that has covered it. I’m a superhero!” I said grinning.
“Don’t mind me! I’m a funny girl sometimes!” I said and giggled.
They all laughed and some of them came to hug me.
“I knew it! I knew God must have sent you to us. The spirit is one indeed!” Ngozi said.
“Wow! God I’d so merciful! He has not left us alone. He is here to liberate us.”
I smiled and felt like a hero. I felt special and loved. My friends loved me more than before as I shared my identity with them.
The bell sounded and we all had to leave. We all said our goodbyes and returned to our classes.
I returned to my seat with a heavy heart. God just gave me an instruction, but I disobeyed. I didn’t see what was wrong with telling my friends I was a superhero. It appears I was proud. My pride had blinded my eyes completely.
Romeo was already sitting beside me. So I tapped him gently.
“Romeo!”
“I saw you with them!” He said frowning.
Why was he frowning? Infact, I should be the one frowning at him for leaving. Why should he leave the gathering of the brethren?
“Juliet! Didn’t God warn you before you went?” He asked.
I was shocked by that question. But who was he to challenge me that way?
I hissed and tapped him when I saw him looking away from me.
“Yes! I was about to ask you why you left? They told me you were one of them and you left them. Why would you do such a thing? I’ve always taught that you were someone who loves the things of God. Why did you leave?”
“They are all lesbians,” he answered.
I was like come again!
To be continued…….
Juliet! Juliet! Juliet!
How many times did I call you?
Hear word oooo!
This one Juliet went to go and do superwoman hope she won’t land herself into trouble?
Watch out what happens next!
The next episode is a real shocker.
Please be praying for your baby girl oooo! Her ear needs serious repair.
