BEHIND THE FINE FACE
EPISODE 6
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“…while the spiritual father was being weird, Rachael tried to make sense out of everything he was doing; saying. She said, as a spiritual head, he certainly has spirits whom he sends on errands; spirits that convey certain messages and that, it, was probably the case with his message to us. Someone or something might just have been standing dictating those words to him, for us…”
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I sat there with my eyes fixated on Bobby’s lips, as they path for words. I couldn’t believe the naivety in every utterance. It was obvious, because Bobby reeked of the fact that his love for Rachael had suddenly clouded his judgement of character (something very unusual of my guy). The fact that he believed (after Rachael’s explanation) that the spiritual father’s behavior was not as awkward after all, confirmed it.
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“So, what are you going to do now?” I finally managed to ask.
“The spiritual father was clear about that next part. He said, “nothing?”
“Nothing?” I asked, rather shocked.
“Yes. Shey I already told you na. The spiritual father told us to go home and be prayerful. He said that nothing is wrong with either of us and that he sees good things in my future. So na to just dey wait, dey pray for that future to come on time like this, guy.” Bobby said, with hopelessness writing all over his countenance.
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I’d never been sorrier for a being, like I was, for Bobby, in that instant. Again, I began to wrack my head for possible ways to be of help. I’d given Bobby money in the past; money I am more than certain he’d exhausted (for someone who had sold his phone just a week ago, for food.)
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I was not going to leave Bobby without something to get him and his wife through the next month, but deep down, I knew that would only do as much. I knew, with everything in me, that Bobby’s problem was not something that one or two hundred thousand naira extended hand gestures from me would solve. I knew that Bobby needed true liberation from whatever forces he has been fighting in a realm unseen to man, and that I have to do something; anything.
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After a very deep thought, something finally clicked; I reached for my phone to call Uncle Tony.
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By the way, uncle T is my mother’s oldest brother. Uncle T is that man we grew up to know; who has answers for “almost” everything. It is either he knows, “off the top” or he knows someone who does. No situation (no matter how delicate; complex) has ever been tabled at uncle T’s presence that has ever gone without a reasonable; favorable; eye-opening dimension to solving it or having it solved.
But unlike in most families, Uncle T is that family member that though “should be close”, isn’t.
Our relationship with uncle T isn’t one I’ll ever wish for my children’s children. Prior to this call, even though we stayed in the same state; the same city, I’d not seen uncle T in years. I’d only occasionally spoken to him on the phone (jumping on one of his conversations with my mother.) But Bobby’s case was too important, and uncle T is the only one I knew who could have a possible “eye-opener” to it.
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Bobby is my “guyest guy” (regardless of how much we’d grown apart over the years). He’d do this for me if the tables were turned, so it was only right that I put aside my differences (whatever that is) aside and reach out to the only beam of hope there was.
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Bobby and I were packed at uncle T’s compound, two days later.
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Uncle T was a lot older than I remembered. He lived by himself, but was always barely alone. People from far and near always came to see him for one thing or the other.
What was that they said again, about not knowing what you have until you uuhrr… (Whatever).
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Uncle T’s wife died a long time ago and his children, all grown and scattered all over the country.
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It was a long wait to see uncle T; we had to wait in line to see him and when we did, It was worth the wait.
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I was shocked at the sight of what I saw at first, but I eventually eased into it.
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Everything now made perfect sense; all those years, growing up to see uncle T as the man, always with the answers. Nothing about it; about Uncle T was ordinary after all.
Uncle T is a “spiritual father” in his own right.
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After all the pleasantries were out of the way, I turned to introduce Bobby when uncle T screamed, shushing me.
Uncle T stood up and began to chant some incantation with displays I found rather strange and set aback by, because of how suddenly animated uncle T became.
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Uncle T suddenly stopped, turned towards Bobby and said, “you were told recently to go and wait for Grace, right?”
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Bobby and I were thrown into confusion.
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I was still trying to understand if the “Grace” in context, was referring to a person or a thing when uncle T blurted, “What he didn’t tell you is that your days are numbered and that Grace is your death.”
“Huh?”
To be continued
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Moshood Avidiime
