Deception
© Kemiliz Aiyemo Omotayo
Episode 3
” But what will we tell the evangelist tomorrow?” She asked still confused but decided to keep mute
” You’re going to deny everything outrightly right before him” Mrs Aduragbemi concluded.
She left her daughter’s room shortly after she had taught her what to say as regarding how the day went if the need ever arises. She trusted her daughter that she would do as instructed, that’s one thing about her; obedient to a fault.
Esther thought for a long time on her mother’s words. She wished to do otherwise. The evangelist had done nothing but saved her and she’ll be surely compounding her sins if she lied against the man of God.
She didn’t eat dinner with the rest of the family and her mother had to lie she was feeling sick, and that was why she neither came to the shop nor eat that night.
Esther tossed for long before she finally slept, but then had a nightmare which she couldn’t remember the moment she woke up.
She felt she had received a message more like a warning but couldn’t remember still.
She was still in this when her mother came to her and reminded her of their agreement.
” You must act normal dear, that’s the only way out of this mess.”
Esther replied with a nod.
She did as instructed and left for school as when due. She was surprised how far she was able to deceive herself pretending nothing happened while she carried out her duties as the head girl.
She tried avoiding places where she might bump into the principal. She wished she never sets eyes on her again.
Esther was a bit relieved when she didn’t see her all through the period in the assembly ground. It was the vice principal that addressed the pupils instead.
The day went unusually slow for Esther. Even when her close friend noticed her coldness, she insisted she was just a bit tired as she had read for the better part of the night in preparation for the promotional examination.
During the third period, a junior had come to call her out of the class room. It was during biology class and the junior had explained to the teacher that the principal asked Esther to come with him.
While she was in the school, the evangelist had gone to their house around 9:00am and asked why they didn’t show up as agreed to report the case.
Her mother had feigned ignorance. She insisted she doesn’t understand what he was saying as she had never seen him before nor had any prior discussion with him. The evangelist became confused and was trying to explain when Mr Aduragbemi joined the conversation.
Esther’s mother continued to deny everything even after the evangelist had explained to the father who had no idea of what had happen.
They all decided to leave for the school to hear from the said victim and culprit.
Esther walked with difficulty to the principal’s office. She didn’t even know she was in school already.
Within her journey to the principal’s office, she finally had a rethink and decided on saving her face and that of her family at the detriment of the evangelist.
Just as she had thought, she entered into the filled office. She felt the eyes of the vice principal and the disciplinarian searching through her, almost drilling holes in her looking for evidence of the abuse. She looked at her mother’s straight face which she read as ‘you must stick to the plan’.
She observed the confusion written all over her father’s face, and a quick glimpse at the evangelist face almost made her change her mind to tell the truth.
She looked lastly at the principal, the destiny destroyer and wished she could just spill the beans right there that she was a definition of evil. She wished, but then she couldn’t.
” You sent for me ma” Esther said breaking the silence of the office.
” And daddy, mummy, why are you here?” She added.
With her speech, the principal had quickly calculated that Esther hadn’t told anyone about their ordeal and wasn’t ready to tell.
” Young lady! Where are your manners?” Mrs Comfort charged.
Esther wished her words could choke her to death. She had never wished bad for anyone but then hoped her wish comes through as Mrs Comfort needed death penalty for her every of her evil acts and the audacity.
” Good day everyone” Esther said acting up quickly as anything otherwise can ruin the plan.
“Without wasting more of anyone’s time, I will like us to get to the reason we are all gathered” the school disciplinarian said with his thick voice and stoned face.
” Of course!” The principal said almost in a yell, feeling victorious already.
The disciplinarian became the interviewer while Esther was the interviewee
” Do you know this man here?” He asked pointing to the evangelist
” No and yes” Esther replied confusing everyone present.
” Can you please explain what you mean” the disciplinarian.
” I only met him yesterday while going home when he asked me to describe the way to school which I did” she explained
” So you don’t know him before and after then” he asked
” No, I don’t” she replied bluntly
” Well, he said he saw the principal molesting you right in this office yesterday and you both admitted it. Is this accusation true?”
” There’s no truth in it sir. I am a child of God who knows the implications of immorality. I would never indulge in it neither would I allow myself to be cajoled into it. There’s no truth in what he said.” Esther explained.
More questions were asked and Esther played beautifully well according to her mother’s script.
The evangelist then knew his good deed had been turned against him and wished he could be delivered from the so called believers who preferred to conceal the evil act.
He wanted to speak but was shushed.
The principal who’s now on the high horse asked what the evangelist stand to gain in trying to tarnish her image.
Esther was asked to return to the class which she did. But before she did, she took a last glance at the evangelist and noticed the drops of tears on his face.
She left the office hastily holding back tears. She quickly went to an empty classroom were she allowed the hot tears dropped uncontrollably.
She stopped after awhile and returned to the classroom.
In the principal’s office.
Mr Aduragbemi was greatly disappointed and didn’t hide his feelings about it.
He wanted to invite the police but his wife and the principal asked him not, though the vice principal and disciplinarian supported his decision.
The evangelist left the office and school premises feeling embarrassed and dispirited.
Every other persons left the office but Mrs Aduragbemi stayed back with the excuse of speaking with the principal alone.
” I know what you were trying to do with my daughter, but I decided to leave you to the judgement of my God.” Mrs Aduragbemi said
” I did nothing ma, don’t you believe your daughter?” Mrs Comfort said acting innocent.
“Spare me the drama, please. My eyes are on you, that’s what I want you to know” she said and left the office feeling a bit better that the secret is covered.
The evangelist rested under a tree where he cried bitterly for the first time in his decades of ministry.
He then left the town for good.
Days rolled into weeks and Esther had done her best in suppressing the guilt.
The forth coming examination had really helped her a lot because she poured her all into the preparations.
Esther finally wrote the examination and she did excellently well.
Her remaining days in the secondary School went well. Her life was back to normal even as the principal had been transferred to another state weeks after the incident.
After her secondary education, she helped her mother in the shop while she awaited her results.
She kept to her faith diligently and steadfastly and stayed far off from anything that can alter relationship with God.
One evening, alone in her mother’s shop as her siblings were yet to return from tutorials and her mother wasn’t around as well.
She came out from the shop to attend to a customer who sounded so familiar.
On getting out, she was surprised to see Ben looking all big, fresh and even more handsome than he was before.
She wasn’t expecting him. They spoke some days back and he never made mention of coming home soon. He never even acted like. She was so surprised yet excited to see him.
They jumped on each other in a tight embrace. She had never embraced anyone this much, let alone a young man, someone she really liked.
Still holding each other firmly, she felt something in her, something like what she felt with the principal.
She became scared. The longer the hug, the more wetness she felt and the more difficult to let go Ben
Then she understood that she has a problem, a sexually related one.
To be continued…
Question: Is Esther right in protecting her name and that of her family
Ur advice for the Evangelist
her first choice.
During the talk, when Ben’s hand touched her, she felt the pulse again. She hoped silently that he would touch her more, maybe she would understand her body then.
Later on, Ben placed his hand on her lap appreciating her effort on being determined to live a righteous life still unlike most girls in the village.
This touch sent an electric wave all over her. She couldn’t control herself anymore as she placed her hand on top of his and begin to rub it sexually, directing it to her upper thigh where the feelings were greater.
Ben surprised, looked up into Esther’s face who had her eyes half closed. Ben was disappointed at her. He removed his hand and left for his room.
Esther became conscious of what she’s doing when Ben disengaged from her.
She felt embarrassed and couldn’t stand the shame of seeing him again. She left without saying goodbye.
Ben understood what had happened as he returned to see that she has left. Even as a Christian, he had had series of seduction from females on campus. It took the grace of God for him to overcome the temptations and flee from every of its appearances.
“What in God’s name has happened to his Esther?” He thought
Esther got home, locked herself in and cried bitterly. After a long time of cry, she often stop to ask herself the reason for her cry.
She prayed and prayed, before she finally slept off.
Ben decided to let her be, it’s obvious he doesn’t really know her anymore and he won’t allow her lead him into temptation.
Later in the day, Ben became restless and he felt the need to speak with her.
” Who am I to condemn her when I can allow God to use me as an instrument of her change?” He thought and left to see her.
It took several minutes before she opened her door for him.
Ben spoke to her greatly on why she should abstain from any form of sexual sin and she promised to change.
She wanted to tell him how it all started when he asked, but she remembered her mother’s words as keeping it a secret.
Things went back being normal again, or so she thought.
Her results came out great and she went to Lagos for her Post Utme through the help of Ben’s parents.
Her stay in Lagos was awesome, as Ben took her to amazing places.
All through her stay in Lagos, Ben left his room for her as he slept in his neighbor’s room all in the bid to avoid temptation.
Esther was so thrilled with some of the expensive outfits of most of the ladies she met on campus. Some part of her wished to be like those ladies, but not those once that are scarcely dressed.
Ben made her stay in Lagos a wonderful experience. They were never alone in a room together except when they wants to study the word and pray. All these arrangements were done by Ben.
Her joy of being in Lagos was cut short when she checked her results only to be below the cut off mark. She became troubled.
It took a whole lot of effort from Ben to make her return to her base in one piece.
She had already pictured herself as one of the Unilag undergraduate, and so she determined not to try out on polytechnic as suggested by her parents.
” It’s Unilag or no other school!” She said aggressively as she walked out on her parents.
She became a shadow of herself as she would not relate with anyone. She even stopped church activities for a while.
She tried again the second and third year but still denied admission. Most of her classmates, even those on average level had gotten admission into various higher institution. Yet, a one time brilliant head girl has been denied, not even once.
“It seems I’m cursed. How can my life just begin to decelerate like this?” She asked herself more than a few times
She related her thoughts on being cursed to her mother who wouldn’t hear anything of such.
” You are a child of God and therefore you’re blessed beyond curse.” Her mother had encouraged
“Mummy, but do you remember what we did to the man of God then? Who knows maybe he had placed a curse on me.” Esther reminded
Her mother continued: ” the word of God said in Numbers chapter 23 verse 23 that there’s no enchantment against Jacob and neither is there is there divination against Israel…as a descendant of Jacob, you should always remember this. Even if the evangelist had placed a curse on you, remember Galatians 3: 13; that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. I don’t want you to ever think of being cursed neither your encounter with the evangelist. You need to rededicate yourself to Christ and be more consistent in church, it will surely get better” Mrs Aduragbemi encouraged.
She keyed in to her mother’s words and rededicated her life to Christ. She began to see things as a test of Faith and believing God she would overcome.
When she was denied admission for the fourth time, she reluctantly opted for Federal Polytechnic, Ibadan through inspiration from Ben.
Yes Ben, as they were still in touch.
She didn’t like the thought of polytechnic but it’s better than another year at home while her some of her mates were almost graduating.
Before leaving for school, she made a commitment never to indulge in immoral sin as common to students on campus.
Although going to school wasn’t as intriguing as she thought it would be if it was Unilag, but she went anyways.
Her admission process went smoothly and she soon became a bonafide student of the institution while Ben was serving the country already.
She joined the campus fellowship where she served God diligently in the choir department.
Everything was going fluently has she had no issues although she didn’t put her all into her academics as it would have been if it was her dream school.
Towards the end oft the second semester, it was announced in the fellowship that a sister was in dire need of an accommodation.
Esther knew this sister as a very responsible, respectful and religious sister so she decided to help.
She was already feeling lonely and bored as she stays alone in one room self contained, with no other activities apart from studies and fellowship, not even close friends.
She was happy she could be of help to sister Gladis who is even more reserved than she is.
Sister Gladis would always make sure the house is neat and comfortable for both of them, she would always insist to do the cooking.
Although she is older than sister Gladis, she respected and treated her like a friend.
One thing she observed in less than two weeks of there stay together was that sister Gladis stays longer than necessary in the bathroom.
Most times, she had to wake up early just to use the bathroom before Gladis else she’ll be delayed for lecture.
One day, she woke up late as she did night reading and Gladis was already in the bathroom. She called on her to hasten up, yet Gladis was not out even after five minutes or so.
With the mindset of being a lady like herself, Esther barged into the bathroom to behold an unimaginable and unholy sight
What in god’s name are you doing sister Gladis?” Esther asked with her eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets.
Question: what can u advice Esther about her sexual related problem and how can she overcome it
What did Esther saw Gladis doing?
To be continued…
episode 2 is repeated as ep3