ADUKE…
Chapter 15.
….I couldn’t believe maami had agreed with baami that I should visit a prophet,,,at that point,I decided I was going to tell her the truth, that I know what the problem was,,but then,maami is too soft hearted,what if she falls sick or develops a heart attack because of the news,,I am her only child,she couldn’t conceive after she had me,and my children,her supposed grand children are all she looks up to,,what then will be the case when she finds out I can’t carry a child,ohh Baami wouldn’t even believe my story, he’d think I had been involved in a wayward life in school,,who would believe my story anyways,I decided not to…
Maami,come on,what does visiting a prophet has to do with all these,I asked her…
Omomi,it has everything ohh, isn’t it strange that two men who were happily In love with you would just call it quit without a tangible reason,see we are not going to wait till it gets to no three,four,five, six or seven suitors before we act….it is better to look for the black goat during the day,for at night it becomes difficult. she rounded off..
Hmmmmm,I exhaled,okay maami,if that would make you happy,so which prophet do you have in mind,I asked her …
Well my daughter,you know am not into any of these prophets,but Iya Modupe knows one, according to her,the man is very powerful,you know Modupe got married and couldn’t conceive for almost three years,it was the prophet that prayed for her,and today, she’s Iya beji,she gave birth to twins,a boy and a girl,,so you see,the prophet is very powerful, she sang his praises….
She placed a call to Iya Modupe,to send her the prophet’s address and she did,we then decided to go pay him a visit the next day…
As early as 5am, maami had woken me up to get ready for the visit,haba maami, isn’t this too early ni,I asked feeling sleepy…
No no no,I heard his church is always full today,, people come from all walks of life to see him and get solutions to their problem,maami said….
Ohhhhhhhh,I reluctantly went to the bathroom and freshened up..about past six,we were both ready and set to visit the prophet…
While inside the bus,so many thoughts went through my head,what if the prophet is really as powerful as maami had said,and he finds out the reason men and withdrawing their marriage proposal,oh maami,this will break her heart,,oh my God,how do I make us go back,I was still lost in thought,when I heard Maami saying oya stop stop,we are stopping here ,she paid and we alighted…
Oh my world,I wished the ground could open up and swallow me,but that wasn’t happening…
We soon found ourselves in a church,and some persons were already inside, waiting to see the prophet too I supposed.we were asked to sit and wait for our turn,we were also given numbers…
After about 1hour 30minutes,it was our turn,and it was past 10am already…..
We got inside the office and met a man in his late forties or early fifties…
We greeted him and sat down…you are welcome my daugthers,he said….
What has brought you to Jehovah,he asked…
mother narrated,my Lord,it is my daughter, suitors who loves her keeps disappointing her for no good reason…
The very first one, the date for the introduction had been fixed,but the young man ended up things just a day to,the other one is most recent,a good and handsome man,who loves my daughter too,he just went abroad to further his education,and before we know it,he had sent a message to my daughter ending things with her without any misunderstanding..
My lord,we have come to know what the problem is,and why these things keep happening,she said….
Hmmmmm,jah,jah Jehovah,he did some prayers and spoke in strange tongue…
I was almost dying of a heart attack were I sat…
Woman,you daughter have a spiritual husband,he said…
I was shocked to my bones when I heard that..
You see her spiritual husband is a very stubborn and jealous one,those men had to end things with her because the spiritual husband had gone to warm them to stay away from her else,he would have killed them, they left her to save themselves..untill the bound she has with the spiritual husband is broken,she will never be able to settle down.he said….
Ah,oluwa ohhh,e gba mi ohhh,mo Kun,mother was just crying in confusion while I watched the drama unravel…..
My lord,what can be done to set my daughter free, she’s all I have,all ohhh,maami asked him in tears..
Well,I will have to go into a 21 day fasting and prayers for her,I will be needing money to buy white candle,red candle,black candle,and yellow candle,I would also need money for some spiritual items to aid the prayers,and of course,a thank you daddy envelope,,so everything,we should be looking at a hundred and twenty thousand,he said….
I immediately got up and walked out when he said that,I couldn’t stand him anymore, he’s just a thief in a white cloth.i waited for maami to join me outside. .
ADUKE,what was that for,how dare you walk out on a prophet of God,whom God has used to unravel the misery around you…maami said..
I just didn’t want to have such conversation there,I kept quiet waiting for us to get home…
Maami,that prophet is fake,he doesn’t even know what he’s saying, everything he said was nothing but lies,I said when we got home.
ADUKE, keep quiet,that man has done so much for so many people, Modupe is a living testimony..if not for that prophet, Modupe wouldn’t have conceived..maami insisted..
Oh maami, Modupe got pregnant because it was her time, because God remembered her,not because one prophet who doesn’t know what he’s doing did anything…I said.
Aduke,see what he said may sound foolish to you and I,but then that’s what God showed him,,I am going to give him that money so that he can start the prayers as soon as possible,I can’t wait to become a grandmother,maami said and walked out…
Oh maami is going to throw away the sum of a hundred and twenty thousand , ohhh my fate,how cruel can life be to some of us..a mistake I made just once,had to ruin me this much,,what kind of life is this,I cried….
It’s was a month already after the visit of the prophet,I decided to focus on getting a good job,and move on with my life..
Luckily for me,I got a job in a reputable bank in Lagos,the pay was nice and I was doing well for myself…..
Maami and even Baami were proud of me,I was a strong independent young woman..
Men weren’t even asking me out anymore,I was better,at least no more having hopes that would be broken into a thousand pieces…
I was a diligent staff, punctual and dedicated,soon I was promoted,,and I was very happy…
Joyce was getting married,and I was her maid of honor,I was very happy for her,J deserve all she got,a good man who loved her so much…
We talked at length on her wedding eve,she was so sorry I had to go through all I had been through…
Aduke,you will be fine,it may take time,but trust me you will, because you are a good person,you do not deserve all that is going on,,trust me I believe God will do a Miracle in your life,just hold on to him, believe in God, he’s a trusted friend and definitely a great physician,he only can do what no one can do,she encouraged me,I cried bitterly,it was as though I was hearing about God for the first time….I then realized,I wasn’t holding on to him as tight as I should..
God will weep away your tears dear,trust me you shall finally have your day of celebration,J concluded,she hugged me tightly and allowed me to cry my eyes out…
We both slept off,and woke up to her wedding day.it was a wonderful day,she was glamorously beautiful,and was all smile,it was her day after all…I couldn’t help but wonder if I shall ever be a bride one day….
Soon the wedding was over and the Bride and bridegroom went to their new home….
I couldn’t stop reminiscing about my conversation with J,I went to church the next day,not like every other day,but to seek God’s face,I went with a broken heart,and pleaded to God to have mercy,I rededicate myself totally to him,and somehow I felt a heavy load off my chest…..
Time went by,I was already 28,and no man in my life,I wasn’t bothered,I was convinced God has a better plan for me….
One Monday morning,a young man came to open an account with us,with a large sum of money,and I was assigned to him,manage his account..
Good day sir,I am miss Aduke,and would be the one handling your account,I said.
Oh good day miss beautiful,he said with a smile,I had his account opened,and he took my phone number just in case he needed to have business conversation….
Mr Ben kept calling me outside of his account purpose,he was wanting to be a friend,and I actually felt he had other plans,but my heart wasn’t ready for yet another disappointment….
Ben wouldn’t give up,he soon found my address and came visiting one day,I was living by myself,I had to rent an apartment closer to my work,to avoid the Lagos traffic.he was a man of few words,he made his intentions know,he wanted me to be his girlfriend,I asked him for some time to think about it,and he obliged….
Ben seems nice,and fun to be with,why not give it a shot,I said to myself…
I agreed to be with him,and it was a new phase of my life,the only difference is that,I had decided never to disclose my situation to Ben,and believe God for a miracle……
Written by
Rejoice Igbinovia Aluyi
