Sacrilege - Season 1 - Episode 46

Episode 4 years ago

Sacrilege - Season 1 - Episode 46

The man shrugged. “I’ve always found it to be a waste of strength and energy. I mean, why jug when all you end up with are aching thighs and a sweaty body?”

Deolu chuckled slightly, probably for the first time in almost two weeks. “No pain, no gain is the theory” he answered. The man smiled back, coming to stand beside Deolu. With the uniform, Deolu could tell he was a security man.


The man nodded, smiling. “It’s a good night to be out jugging though, it is a beautiful one” Deolu wasn’t sure he agreed with that. Every night without Laura couldn’t be beautiful. “You plan on bringing your child here?” he asked, nodding at the school which had Deolu’s attention some seconds back. “It’s a good school”

Deolu felt his heart skip. “No child yet.”
“Oh” was all the man said. Deolu turned to the street, feeling an invisible weight on his shoulders at the thought of going back home to his empty house. “Wife’s not home?” Deolu’s eyes snapped to the aged man who merely nodded at his ring finger. “I don’t think you would be out at this time if she were home.”

Deolu swallowed. “She’s not home.”
The man stared at Deolu who had his gaze fixed on the street. He noted the pain in his eyes as he spoke and knew from experience what that expression meant. “Have you apologized?”

Deolu looked at him, puzzled. “Why do you think I need to?” he asked, frowning at the man. He didn’t like the direction of the discussion.

The man laughed gently. “Some things come with age, son. I can recognize guilt when I see it, especially since I had to deal with it myself at a point in my life.” Deolu swallowed, looking away. “Want to tell me what you did?” Deolu looked at him. “I’ve been told I have a good listening ear”
Deolu stared at the kind smiling face of the man. It was the most conversation he has had in days, and definitely the weirdest. Chris, for some reasons have decided to avoid him just when he needed a friend. Though he knew he was guilty, he really needed a friend now. But no friend was there. Now, here was a man, a stranger, definitely old enough to be his father, who was interested in listening to him… He shook his head at the irony. “I’m sure you have two, sir” he said, smiling at the man.

The man grinned. “Want to test run them?”
The man had such a honest look on his face that suddenly, Deolu wanted to tell him everything. It didn’t matter that he was just meeting him for the first time, Deolu just wanted to be heard. He sighed. “I drove away my happiness and invited sadness into my life, that’s what I did” he mouthed, staring at the street, seeing nothing but his shattered life. “It is like I knowingly walked into a quicksand with no way of getting out” the old man kept quiet, waiting. When Deolu said nothing, he spoke.


“You are still talking in riddles.”
Deolu swallowed. “I broke our wedding vows” Deolu said bitterly, sinking his hands into his pockets. “I brought pain into the lives of two women I love so much.” Deolu turned to give the man an earnest look. “Tell me sir, how do I build back a home I demolished with my own hands?”
“With the same vigor with which you built it at first” the man answered after a brief pause. Placing a gentle hand on Deolu’s shoulder, he said with all seriousness. “Listen son, mistakes are bound to happen but what you do afterwards is what matters. You have to stop beating yourself up over this, it is not going to solve anything. Remorse is good, but you have to accept what you’ve done it you are ever going to make amends.” he said. “When you trip and fall, you don’t stay on the ground, chastising yourself, no! You pull yourself back up and dust off the dirt”
“But there would still be some dust that just won’t go away”


The man smiled. “Not if you have a good soap to wash it clean.” Deolu took a deep breath. “Listen son. You destroyed your marriage, it is up to you to build it back again. It would be harder, there would be so much you have to contend with, but just like in construction. The harder the ground, the stronger the house.” Deolu swallowed. “You have the manual, son. The building plans are with you. No one knows your wife more than you. Woo her again, rekindle the spark,” he nodded, “it would be hard, anyone that says you’d have it easy is dishing you fables. You’d face serious trust issues but if you pull through successfully, chances are your family would be stronger than before.” the man turned and took a step away from Deolu as though he was about leaving. “But son, you would need a good engineer to oversee and pilot this reconstruction” he smiled. “Go to God, with Him, you can’t go wrong”
Deolu stared at the man, as the words resonated in his heart. His curiosity piqued, he frowned. “I never got your name sir”
The man smiled. “Mr Ola.” he answered shortly. “I have to get back”
Deolu nodded. He had just found a friend. “Thank you sir” and he was indeed grateful. “Can I see you here, next time?”
Mr Ola smiled. “I’d be here, whenever you need me” with that, he walked away.
*****