Øgbanjé. Final part.
“My name is Obiageli sir”. Obiageli said smiling really hard.
My husband almost choked on his drink.
“Were you adopted?”. My husband stuttered.
Obiageli turned to Chibuike and jokingly hit him smiling. “You’ve told your parents already”. She said.
“You were really adopted?”. I asked anxiously.
This really got her a little bit scared. She adjusted herself on the couch and passed an askance stare at Chibuike.
“What’s happening here?”. Chibuike asked curiously.
My husband and I unanimously stood up and left for our rooms.
Although Chibuike and Cynthia (Obiageli) both tried to find out was was going on, we didn’t even give them any attention.
Once inside the room, I threw myself to the ground. “Our enemies are at work”. I cried.
“This isn’t funny anymore. We have to get to the bottom of this. Why are we suffering like this?”. My husband asked angrily.
“I heard of a powerful man of God in Zaria. I believe he can help us trace the real cause of our problems and also help to avert future impediments”. I said.
“I’m booking our flight to Zaria immediately. We’ll take the first flight tomorrow”. My husband said.
We tried to pull ourselves together and joined the kids in the sitting room.
Obiageli was already sobbing uncontrollably when we joined them.
“Is there anything wrong with her being adopted?”. Chibuike asked confused.
“My son, you won’t understand”. My husband said to confused Chibuike.
I went and sat close to Obiageli and hugged her tightly. “You have been through a lot my child”. I said with tears already welled up in my eyes.
She broke down in tears. I kept patting her back.
“People don’t just like me. When I met Chibuike, he was different and treated me better. I thought he was my answered prayer. Now, I fear you people won’t accept me”. Obiageli lamented.
“It’s not what you think my dear. We can’t share the details yet but be rest assured that we’ll brief you on everything”. I tried consoling her.
Although Chibuike and Obiageli were both confused about the whole situation, we couldn’t explain anything to them.
For some weird reasons, I felt bad for Obiageli. I felt we could have done better and stick by her but we were so selfish and only thought about ourselves and now, fate brought her back to us.
The next morning, we flew to Zaria to visit the powerful man of God.
We couldn’t see him till the next day because of his tight schedules. Immediately he saw us, he shook his head in Pity.
“It took you both so long to get to the root of the problems”. He said pitifully.
My husband and I both looked at each other confused.
“So, let me hear why you are here”. He said.
For a moment, my brain was blank. I think the pastor had already instilled fear into me. My husband on the other hand was banking on me to do the talking.
“Hmmm… So, some years back, my husband and I adopted a little child….”. I tried narrating.
“That wasn’t where the problem started from”. The pastor cut me short.
I stared at my husband confused again.
I remembered my encounter with the mad woman at the market. “Ohh… Before then, on my way to the market, I met a mad woman…”. I tried explaining.
“That isn’t where the problem started from”. The Pastor insisted.
I was confused. My husband and I kept staring at each other lost of words.
“I want you both to go back home and think really hard about where the problem started from and get back to me”. The pastor ordered us.
“But sir… We don’t even know where it all started from”. My husband said.
“You both should have a sobber reflection and meet me when you get an answer. For now, please excuse me”. He said gently.
My husband and I went back to the hotel where we lodged confused and frustrated.
We spent the whole day thinking long and hard but got no answer. My husband wanted us to return back to Lagos since the pastor wasn’t ready for us but I pleaded we meet with him for the last time.
The next day, we spent the whole day at the church but couldn’t meet with the pastor. The queue was very long.
We had to return back by 6am the next morning and luckily we were among the first 5 people scheduled to see the pastor.
At around 10:00am, it got to our turn to see the pastor.
Immediately we got into the office, I went on my knees. “Sir, please help us. We’ve thought long and hard but we can’t point where our problems started from”. I cried.
“Who is Anita?”. The pastor asked.
I froze immediately.
“She was my friend”. I stuttered.
“Did you really take her as your friend?”. He asked.
My husband was just staring at me in disbelief.
I started weeping.
“You accused her of stealing your underwear knowing fully well you hid it in her bag yourself”. The pastor said.
“I was young then”. I said in my defense.
“I see you are not repentant”. The pastor said almost pissed off.
I started wailing.
“I was jealous. She did better than I in school even when my father was the one responsible for her education and even employed her parents. My mom wouldn’t stop comparing me with her. She had a lot of admirers while I had none”. I sobbed.
“When you said she maliciously stole your underwear, your parents angrily sent them packing. They slept under the bridge for a week plus before the moved into an uncompleted building”. The pastor said.
I screamed in disbelief. “But they were working. Why didn’t they rent a small apartment?”. I asked.
“Your parents were owing them salaries. Their excuse was that they housed and fed them and was even training their daughter in the best school in town. Because they didn’t want to stop enjoying these benefits, they suffered in silence “. The pastor said.
I was shocked to my bone marrow.
“After they left, your father’s business crumbled and he died of heart attack right?”. The pastor asked.
I nodded in affirmative.
“Anita never forgave you. Worse still, her spirit guides are even angrier than she was”.
“Pastor please, where can I find her and appease her?”. I wept.
“She’s late now. From the moment she left your house, she suffered till she died. The little girl you adopted was her child. She died when birthing her”. The pastor dropped the bombshell.
My husband opened his mouth in disbelief.
“But one pastor said the child was an øgbanjé who has lived for hundreds of years. What about the mad woman I met at the market? She vowed to make me like her”. I questioned.
“The moment you made Anita angry, you opened a hole into your life and that of your family and since then, all manners of atrocities were able to penetrate into your lives. Even at death, her spirit guides are still fighting against you. All the miscarriagès you had and the misfortunes you and your husband experienced were their handiwork. No doubt, Obiageli got possessed at some point by her mother’s spirit guides but she was never meant to harm you but the moment you sent her packing, you infuriated the spirits in her. Your son almost got possessed but his spirit is strong”.
“How do we put an end to all these?”. My husband asked.
“You have to go to Anita’s gràve and apologize sincerely. You also have to go to both your parents and her late parents grave and confess you falsely accused Anita. For her daughter, you have to make restitutions through her”.
“Where do I even locate their gràves?”.
“I have told you all I saw and heard. It’s left for you to do the work”.
My husband and I thanked the pastor and left.
We had to dissuade Chibuike from any marriage plans with Obiageli till further notice.
It took us a year to find Anita’s gràve and another year to find her parents gràve. I apologized to them sincerely.
I told Obiageli about her biological mother and what I did to her in the past. She couldn’t stop crying. I begged her to forgive me on her mother’s stead.
We all wept and cried till she forgave me.
We went back to the pastor and a thorough deliverance session was carried out on my whole family including Obiageli.
After the deliverance, we all got baptized.
Chibuike and Obiageli were still in love so we gave our blessings.
They got married in a grand style.
We lived happily ever after 💃🤗
The end.
Written by Judith Onyoyibo
Lovely