ONE LAST TIME
©Sonia Okehie
EPISODE 5
The greatest thing you can ever do for anyone is to take them out of darkness and bring them to light; that way, their eyes and mind would be clear enough to make good decisions that would benefit them forever. Light shines in darkness and darkness comprehends it not. No addiction or bad habits can hide when a person is brought to light; which is no other thing than the finish work of Jesus on the cross. His death took away every addiction that is and would ever be.
Noble’s request for Stacy to follow him to church didn’t come as a huge surprise to her because she had already figured he was a godly man, right from the very minute she entered his car. Deep down in her heart, she felt a little excited that Noble requested for her presence again after the previous day they met.
It was refreshing for Stacy because no man had ever tried to draw her closer to God, rather they only drew her farther away from him(God). It was indeed a thing of joy for Stacy!
“You aren’t saying anything” Noble questioned, “Oh so sorry, I was just caught up in the moment” she responded, “so what would it be, are you coming? I would really be happy if you come” he said. Stacy chucked and blushed because of how special Noble was making her feel. She wouldn’t dare to turn down his request because she honestly wanted to see his peaceful and calm face again. “Ok, I’ll come” Stacy said, “I figured I owe you for how kind you were to me, so the least I can do to pay back is to grant your request. Honestly, I’m kind of happy because there’s no place I’d rather be on a Sunday morning than at church” She added.
Stacy’s acceptance to Noble’s request made him very happy. He thanked her and told her that he would text the name of his church and location to her later. They bid each other ‘Goodbye’ and ended the call afterwards.
Immediately the call ended, Stacy couldn’t control the big smile on her face. She rolled her eyes in excitement and jumped for joy. The meal she was trying to prepare wasn’t in her mind anymore because she was overwhelmed with the thought of seeing Noble again.
For a moment, Stacy forgot that she already had someone in her life which was Randy; but who could blame her for forgetting? Noble gave her a certain kind of peace and happiness, while Randy gave her the opposite.
After the excitement had died down a bit, Stacy’s mind came back to her reality which was Randy. No doubts, Randy was a cool catch because he was very successful. There was no area of Randy’s life that he was failing in; except maybe for his poor relationship with God and his ignorance of what a relationship entailed.
Randy was just a player who doesn’t know there’s more to love than constant trips to Cloud 9. Stacy didn’t help matters too as she was also a pleasure addict, so they complemented each other very well.
When two blind people are in a relationship, drastic accidents are inevitable because none of them can see properly to lead the relationship towards the right direction. There would always be clashes, falls and collisions because none of them can see.
In order for Stacy to be a better version of herself, she needed a man that can see; a man that has a certain level of control over his emotions and urges, a man that can help her put her body on check by channeling the constant love-making desires into something positive like studying the Word of God.
Stacy wasn’t a bad person, she was just unfortunate to be around people that always magnified the freaky and naughty side of her. Company matters indeed!
Breakfast was finally ready and was served. Randy had woken up and taken his shower before she was done cooking. They sat at the dinning and ate awkwardly because the cheating saga that happened hadn’t died down completely.
As they ate, Randy stole glances at Stacy every now and then and smiled. “What? Stop staring at me and eat your food” she jokingly said, “so you wanted to leave me? You eh!” he said smiling and Stacy chucked. Randy tried his possible best to ease the tension in the atmosphere so things could be a little less awkward between them. He actually succeeded in doing so as Stacy couldn’t stop smiling to his jokes.
Shortly, they finished eating and went about their normal activities till Stacy had to leave in the evening. Randy didn’t want her to go but there was no way he could stop a lady that had a church date with a man that gives her peace of mind.
Despite all Randy’s plea and effort to hold Stacy down till the next day, it went on deaf ears because her mind was already made up. They kissed and bid each other goodbye before Stacy drove off.
That night was a stressful one for Stacy because she took her time to prepare her outfit for the next day. She was exited all the way and couldn’t wait to see Noble again. At around passed 8pm, Noble sent her a text message, which contained the church’s name and address. Stacy was happy to receive his message and replied saying “Thanks, see you tomorrow!”.
The next day finally came and Stacy killed it with her outfit. She dressed decently but in an extremely attractive way. Before she left the house, Noble called to enquired if she was on her way and she said ‘Yes”.
Locating the church wasn’t much of a difficult task because it was a very popular church in the city she resided in. When she arrived, the first person her eyes set on was Noble. Turns out he’s in the Protocol department so he was one of the persons that directed her on where to park her car. Stacy was smitten to see him looking dapper and handsome in his black suit. That sight alone blew and threw her off balance. Noble was a fine man!
“Hi dear” Stacy greeted as she alighted from her car, “Hi my dear, I’m so happy to see you” Noble happily replied as they hugged each other. “You look absolutely gorgeous” he complimented and Stacy blushed, “You look cute, I must confess” she replied.
They talked a little more at the parking lot before heading inside the church. Noble handed her to the ushers and told them to give her a seat. They parted ways afterwards because the service was about to begin. After a short while, the service finally began.
The sermon was uplifting and it touched Stacy deep down in her heart. One of the things that touched her the most was when the preacher talked about all that Jesus had to go through just for mankind to be saved. Stacy felt extremely bad as the preaching was ongoing and her conscience kept pricking her all through.
When the sermon was over, the pastor called for those that wanted to give their life to Christ. Stacy wanted to go out so bad but couldn’t do so because of what she felt Noble might think of her. “He would probably think I’m not a good person to keep around and might cut our little friendship off” she thought to herself.
The call and prayer for salvation ended and Stacy didn’t go out. It made her so sad and that guilt drained every excitement she came to church with. After service, she sat quietly with tears dripping down her eyes. She arrested every tear with her handkerchief by wiping them off before it dropped down on her cheeks.
Noble had no idea of what was going on with Stacy and only felt she was waiting for him. Unable to bear the guilt of not answering the salvation call, she walked out of the church auditorium and headed straight to her car.
As she walked away, Noble caught a sight of her and noticed her eyes were a bit red. He was shocked and very confused so he immediately rushed her to know what the problem was. When he came out, he saw her sitting in her car so he went to join her to sit. “What’s going on? Were you crying back there?” Noble confusingly asked and before he knew it, Stacy burst into tears.
Noble suddenly became scared because he didn’t know what was capable of making her cry in such manner. “What’s the problem? I’m really worried and confused at this point” he said.
Stacy finally summoned up courage and explained all that happened during the service and how she disobeyed her conscience by not going out for the salvation call.
When she was done talking, Noble raised her head, wiped her tears and said; “Do you want me to lead you to Christ here and now?”, Stacy blinked her teary eyes and said “Yes, do it”.
To be continued…