Don't Mention God To Me - S01 E09

3 years ago

Don't Mention God To Me - S01 E09

The pastor’s wife held me to herself, weeping and it broke my heart the more. I heard the Pastor talking over the phone with someone and I suspected it was Baba fire so my anger grew more intense.

“He started this whole thing with his prophecies”, I thought within me . He ordered that my mother’s remains be brought home to the village that same day for immediate burial and I just couldn’t believe how fast the whole event was happening.

“Why the haste? I thought, ” when people die, they are kept in the mortuary for some days in order to make proper preparations for their burials. How come, mom’s case is different?”

I asked nobody but myself as I watched some church members trooping into the hospital one after the other crying.

Arrangements began immediately, they gathered all our belongings and we traveled with them to the unknown place where Baba fire lived.

I knew i was not going to continue my studies at Precious international Schools again and the urge to scream came heavily on me but what’s the point anyway? Will the scream change anything? I cautioned myself.

The journey was a long silent one except for few occasions that the church people exchanged words with themselves and laughed dryly. I heard one of them whispering to an average woman,

” This one her daughter is not crying, I hope she is OK? She is behaving like a demon possessed”, she said and they both laughed so and I wondered why the so called church people will be gossiping someone.

I hissed so loud and everyone in the bus turned in my direction but I didn’t care either. We traveled through many thick Forests and I wondered if we were traveling to the land of the dead ourselves.

After some minutes, the driver slowed down and then began to drive through a lonely narrow path which had a large sign post that read, “Welcome To Ogene” and I suspected we were in the village where Baba fire ordered them to come, I had begun to see houses and the movements of people even though it was already dark.

Soon,the bus halted in a large compound with a mammoth crowd of people who began to stand to their feet and moved towards us.”Welcome to your home land daughter of the most high” an elderly woman cried as she touched the casket through the opening of the glass.

The Pastor and his wife held me in the hand and led me into the house where we met few elderly men, the Pastor and his wife went on their knees and greeted a particular man whom I suspected was the baba fire. He looked a bit old but full of life.

“Stand to your feet my children” she told them “you are all welcome and sorry for the stress of the journey” he said meekly and showed us to sit with them. But before i could take my sit, the man spoke up.

“Zion Omaojo, you are welcome back home to your native land” he said smiling and I stood there looking at him with many questions running through my mind. The Pastor and his wife urged me to greet him and the elders but I stood there still with my my mouth sealed.

“Let her be” the man said and the elderly men began to murmur among themselves in Igala dialect.

“Her body shall be laid to rest this night. The grave have been prepared, and the elders of the land have carried out some of the interment traditions.

We shall all go out and complete the rest activities then lay her body to rest” Baba fire said and stood up to his feet, followed by every other persons.

That night, my mother was covered in the mother earth and she took a part of me with her because I never remained the same again for the next few years of my life.

Gradually, people began to depart and after few days, the house became empty and I was left face to face with Baba fire and few domestic helpers.

“Mom told me I will be living with you” I said to him one afternoon and he nodded in the affirmative. ” She also told me you are a prophet ” I said expecting a positive response.

“She told you so?” He asked with a show of humility, “well, I’m a messenger and not a prophet” he announced and I gave a silent chuckle.

” Whatever you are is none of my business ” I blurted out disrespectfully, “If I’m going to live with you in this house , DON’T MENTION GOD TO ME” I shouted at the top of my voice and I was surprised that he didn’t bulge nor showed any sign of surprises. He just sat down there smiling at me.

” Alright, the great one ” he responded still smiling, “but you must participate in every godly activities in this house and in the field be it grudgingly or cheerfully” he said gently, then stood up and left me to my thoughts.

I was admitted into a school in that village and I began a new life entirely. My life from that period became entirely different from what it used to be. It was a life characterized by anger, bitterness, loneliness and stubbornness.

At school, I made no friends, smiled at no one but I was still at the top notch in terms of academic excellence so I began to attract both teachers and students.

But there was something I found very strange in that village compared to the city where I had lived. All the men both old and young seemed to have their eyes on me…