Must Read: Saints, Sinners And Stag (18 )

7 years ago

Must Read: Saints, Sinners And Stag (18 )

Pastorman’ said Oyinda genially ‘Did you like the warehouse?’ she asked as she sat on the love seat in the private seating area, patting the other side for him to sit beside her.
‘Yes I did! You need to thank your mother for me. She has promised to give the place to us, rent free for the first three years of the Ministry’s life! You mum is absolutely God – sent’ said Derin in excitement
‘I guess’ said Oyinda, sarcastically as she rolled her eyes
‘Why do you sound like that? I thought you were excited for me?’ said Derin
‘Well, I am’ said Oyinda hesitantly
‘What is the issue? Are you worried about something?’ asked Derin
‘Well, I definitely wondered if it was an elaborately planned ruse by you to get my mummy to give you the warehouse and money’ said Oyinda, eyes flashing
‘Oh my God, Oyinda!. I’m so hurt that you would think of me like that!’ said Derin. ‘I’m going to tell your mother that she should not bother with the warehouse. I have never been so insulted. In fact, you can have the car back too.’ said Derin as stood up to leave the sitting room.
‘No, no no!’ said Oyinda who caught his hand and pulled him towards her ‘You know I can be a doubting thomas at times and I’m only new to this god game’ she started. ‘I only had some doubts’ she clarified
‘You know what? God will never leave me hungry and he has given me a gift that will feed me.’ said Derin passionately ‘If you knew the Bible very well, you will know that God will not leave his children to beg or suffer. At least, before your family met me, I was not begging on the street or was I?’ asked Derin passionately
‘Don’t be angry, Derin. Take it easy!’ said Oyinda
‘Was the vision fake? Did it not come to pass? Did I even know you mother was ill? Continued Derin, who was still on a roll.

‘To be honest, Pastorman, I thought you had heard something that night you slept in my cupboard’ said Oyinda simply, now doubting her thought process.

‘No! I slept off in that cupboard.’ said Derin angrily ‘and my left knee still hurts from hiding in there for so long!’ he finished off ‘I cannot imagine that you would think of me this way though’ said
‘Calm down! I’m sorry! I now see that you didn’t have any bad plans. I’m just being protective of my mum! Chill man!’ said Oyinda, who secretly still harboured her doubts. She pulled Derin into her arms and hugged him to her tightly just as a discreet cough tore them apart.
‘Aunty Oyin, mummy said dinner is served’ said Nneka, the maid as she attempted to keep an open expression and pretend as though she had not seen them in the embrace.

‘Shouldn’t you have knocked first?’ asked an irritated Oyinda
‘Don’t be angry aunty’ said the maid who scurried away, not really sorry.
‘Give me a smile, Derin, please’ said Oyinda when she turned back to her companion and saw that his face was still set in anger
‘Come on my pastor man, pleaaaassseee, pleeeease’ she said as she tried to coax a smile from him
‘It’s just not fair that you should doubt me like that’ said Derin as he gave her a weak smile
‘Ha, that the smile that melts my heart every time’ said Oyinda as she hugged him again. ‘I’m sorry okay… Anyway, moving on, I have a great idea’ she said as she clapped in excitement
‘What is it?’ asked Derin who smiled at the way her face lit up in excitement
‘As you know, I’m a photographer so I have an eye for details and colours. How about you let me handle the renovations and interior decoration of the church building?’ she asked
‘Oh wow! Will you do that?’ he asked, surprised. ‘I hope you won’t be too expensive oh’ he continued as he teased her, smiling widely
‘Nah! It will give me an opportunity to get on a project and this is a good one. In fact, if I wasn’t so shy, I would ask to be your PA, to see how a Pastor’s life runs. That might be a life experience’ she said
‘Why should you be shy around me eh Oyinda?’ asked Derin with a smile. He loved the attention he was getting and more so, loved the fact that Oyinda was willing to work with him.
‘So, can I do the decor and be your PA?’ asked Oyinda with a coy smile.
‘Of course, you can. It would also be an opportunity for you to get closer to God’ said Derin
‘And to get closer to you’ whisphered Oyinda coyly as she smiled up at him. ‘Anyway, let us go and eat’
Derin followed her with a huge smile plastered on his face.

*******

‘Help me check his stars, Mama. It is as if this boy has just come to steal my shine, even though I’m the one that introduced him to these people. They are now giving him everything they should have given me’ Akintunde said to the old woman he sat with.

Akintunde had driven down to Epe to check his stars with his diviner, Mama Oshonta, the woman who always foretold his future and often tweaked with the destiny of others to favour Akintunde. This was the woman Akin’s mother had handed him over to when they had first moved to Lagos from the village. He and his mum had lived in an overcrowded, self-contained apartment. It was in that house that Akin had leanrt to hate the stench of poverty.
Many times, when Akintunde got back from school and his mother was not home, he’d had to stay with Mama Oshonta and had watched many visitors come to read their stars with her. She had never gotten any of her predictions wrong and he had come to believe in her powers at an early age. It was she he came to now that he was in doubt over this Derin business.
‘Be patient’ she said as she spoke to the special sand and green plate that she had inherited from her father. It was he who had also taught her the skill when he observed that she was interested and had appealed to the gods to bestow the powers on her.

Akintunde watched her now as she consulted, anxious to know what she would come up with.

He desperately hoped it would be favourable.

‘Ah Akintunde. You will have to be very careful with those people! There is a big Spirit that they are working with. Can’t you see it behind them?’ said Mama Oshonta as she pointed at her special plate, trying to show im
‘I can’t see anything Mama’ said Akintunde as he looked into the plate and saw only sand.
‘See it, she said, pointing. It is a big rock that overshadows them. Wait, who is this other person by his side? That is the one with the power.’ said Mama
He doesn’t have anyone by his side Mama.

I’m his closest friend in this business’ responded Akintunde impatiently
‘She is a woman. Is this boy married?’ asked Mama
‘Ah, yes he is’ responded Akintunde ‘But his wife is not in the business with him, she does not support him at all’ said Akin
‘Don’t be fooled. She is the power behind the business. If you disable her, he is finished’ said Mama
‘Okay, disable her for me’ said Akintunde to Mama as she pushed the sand around her plate again.
‘Haaaaaa! Akin! Do you want to kill me? Do you? The power that girl possesses is strong. I cannot disarm her. Nobody can!’ said Mama as she got up startled. ‘What manner of human being is this woman? I will like to meet her someday!’ said the old woman in wonder.

‘Mama! What are you saying? I brought a problem to you, you are yet to find a solution and yet, you are telling me you would like to meet the source of my problems?’ asked Akintunde in annoyance. ‘Are you not supposed to be l a mother to me?’ What manner of betrayal is this?’ asked Akintunde in anger.

‘Ni suuru!’ said the old woman who consulted again. ‘Aha!’ she said in excitement. ‘Akintunde, look. The only key to their downfall is from the woman herself. She is the only one that can destroy the power that she possesses. It is however a small thing that can lead to that.’ began the old woman.
‘Eeeh, what is that?’ asked Akintunde who perked up in excitement.
‘She only has to be consistently disobedient’ said the woman ‘ and she will lose her powers’
‘Disobedient? To her husband abi? I can work on that’ said Akin who was thankful that he and Segi were quite close. It would be easy to encourage her to go against her husband.

‘Disobedient to the greater power, Akintunde’ corrected the old woman firmly ‘and unfortunately, you have no control over that and neither do I’ said the woman
‘Ahhh. Complained Akin. ‘What manner of nonsense is this?’ he complained
‘You should have consulted with me before you took your friend to the fellowship. You decided to do that on your own and now, everything is almost messed up. she said
‘Eeeh, that one is past. What can I do now?’ he asked desperately
The old lady looked at him for a long moment before she consulted her plate again.
‘Hmm. You have no reason to fear Akintunde.

You should in fact pray for the togetherness of these two because through them, you will be rich. The only thing is that you will never the the star’ said the woman
‘But I want to be the star! said Akin. I have lived and worked all these years towards being the star! Why should I take the back sit now?

Mama, help me check again!’ he said
‘Look here, don’t disturb me. I have told you everything. You will earn a reward for patience.

Do not be jealous’ said the old woman. “I’m going inside because I need to rest’ she said as she got up abruptly. ‘Did you buy me bread from Lagos?’ she asked as she faced her little bungalow.
‘I did, it is in the car, I will ask someone to bring it in’ he responded as he stayed glued to his seat, lost in deep thought.