WITH THIS RING – a novel – will be posted all through this month
By: Pastor Taiwo Iredele Odubiyi
Read and be blessed.
Feel free to share it.
(Day 5)
“Good evening, Grace. You returned early today.”
“Yes. I went to see a client and decided to come straight home to rest.”
When Ibie heard ‘rest’, she took a closer look at Grace and realised she looked a little tired.
“And have you been able to rest?”
“Yes, I guess.” Grace answered. Her body rested but not her mind.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes. I already prepared dinner.” Grace said and walked toward the kitchen. “Yours is in the microwave oven.”
Ibie followed her and they entered the kitchen which had granite countertops, oak cabinets, a refrigerator, and a gas cooker with oven.
Grace opened a cabinet while Ibie pulled open the microwave oven which sat on a side of the countertop.
“Hmm. This smells delicious.” Ibie commented. “Thanks. Have you eaten?”
“Yes.” Grace answered. As she turned to leave, she said, “Albert is coming here this evening.”
Albert? Ibie would like to meet the man her daughter had been seeing and probably ask him some questions. The first day Grace told her about him, she had asked if he was a Christian and Grace answered in the affirmative. But Ibie’s other questions about his faith were not clearly answered. Well, she was about to know for sure. She hoped he was a good Christian.
“What’s he coming to do?”
“He’s coming to see me.”
“Okay.” Ibie said.
Grace returned to her room and got in bed. The queen-size bed took up most of the room. On a side were a dressing table, an armless chair, and a full length mirror.
Her mind in turmoil, she closed her eyes and placed her right hand on her flat tummy slightly where a baby was now growing as she had confirmed early this morning using a do-it-yourself pregnancy test kit which she bought yesterday evening from a pharmacy store.
Albert Asika’s baby.
She had called Albert in the afternoon and asked him to see her this evening. He had suggested she came over to his house but she said no, she would prefer he came to her house. She would have loved to go to his house but knew that would only worsen an already complicated matter, and that was the last thing she needed right now.
She knew she had to let him know she was carrying his baby but she didn’t know how he would react. Would he be happy or upset, or happy and upset at the same time as she was? She didn’t know yet if she should consider her pregnancy good or bad news, and she hadn’t decided on what to do about it.
A confirmation of pregnancy would have brought so much joy to some people who were expecting to have children. They might even throw a party and give testimony in church to thank God for answered prayers.
But for those who should not get pregnant, the news would have shocked them and made them burst into tears. She belonged to this group. She was definitely shocked but she didn’t feel like crying.
She loved children and had been thinking of when she would get pregnant and have her own. But not like this! If she had been married, she would have been elated but she wasn’t. Worse still, she was a Christian and she had no business going ‘there’ with Albert whom she met just about three months ago.
She began to think about her relationship with him …
… Twenty seven-year-old Albert was the youngest child of Chief Asika, a businessman, and he worked for Reflections, a national newspaper as a reporter.
Grace met him two months after she began to work at Lawal & Adesola Chambers, a law firm. She had gone over to see Albert to discuss some legal issues. Someone had threatened to sue the newspaper for a story that Albert did.
As she sat in his office, asking him questions and writing in her notebook, his eyes sent messages of interest to her which she understood and liked. He was her kind of man: intelligent and handsome. He was also doing well in his career, having made a name for himself. She hoped he was a Christian.
When she eventually stopped and sat back, he asked, “Do you have any more questions for me?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m through for now.”
“Good. I’m hungry. Have lunch with me.” He said.
Straight to the point. He seemed to be sure of himself and what he wanted, Grace thought and laughed. “Lunch? Er – I’m not sure.” She reluctantly told him with a smile.
“Why not?”
“Er … well, one, I’m a Christian -”
“What makes you think I’m a pagan?” He asked.
“Are you a Christian?”
“Sure.” He answered smoothly.
Her eyes searched his table and the frames that adorned the wall. Nothing indicated his religious inclination.
Realising what she was doing, he said, “You won’t find a Bible or such things on my table if that’s what you are looking for.”
“Why not?”
He shook his head. “I’m just not into all that.”
“Where do you worship?”
“Calvary Tabernacle.”
She smiled broadly. “Really? That’s fine. Are you in any department?”
“No.”
“Hmm. Too busy?”
“Yes. I sometimes work on Sundays. You know how it is.” He told her and changed the subject back to the lunch invitation. “It’s not every day I’m able to go out for lunch, so I hope you’ll join me. There’s a good restaurant just across the street.”
She eventually agreed to a dinner in a restaurant not too far from her office. On her way back to her office that day, her heart told her to be wary of him. He didn’t appear like a strong Christian.
She was attracted to him though. Suddenly, her mind went to her mother and she could almost hear her mother’s voice, warning her to control her emotions rather than allow her emotions to control her. Her mother would not want her to have a relationship with such a man.
But why couldn’t she have a relationship with such a man? Grace thought. If every Christian avoided a man like Albert, who would help him grow spiritually? She might be able to influence him to be a stronger Christian if she got close to him.
Grace considered her mother too serious about Christianity, almost judgmental. The way her mother sometimes talked to her, it was as though she didn’t think Grace was seriously committed to God.
This was her life anyway, Grace thought with pursed lips. And what she did with it would be her decision. She was no longer a child and her mother shouldn’t be dictating to her, telling her what to do. She could take care of herself. Besides, she felt like seeing Albert again. She was certain she could handle him.
Grace knew she was beautiful and doing well in her career but that was more than she could say about her love life. Most of her friends were going steady while two were already married. Her very close friends, Ayoade and Jennifer were also attached and Jennifer would be getting married in July. But here she was, without a man she could call her own. If she wasn’t careful, she might end up unmarried like her mother. Whenever the possibility of being a spinster for life crossed her mind, she felt concerned.
When she was in her second year in University, she liked one of the young men in her fellowship but he liked another girl. In her final year, she met another young man who was a good Christian, the type her mother would approve of but it didn’t work out. He kept complaining about her and they eventually stopped seeing each other. Toward the end of that same year, she met another man who was a Christian with a good job. He wanted sex and when she refused, he ended the relationship.
And now, Albert had invited her to dinner. Well, she was willing to see how things would go.
She ignored the voice in her head and went out with him. As they chatted over dinner, it was obvious to Grace that Albert was not a committed Christian and didn’t know much about God but when he asked to see her again the next day, she agreed, telling herself she could help him grow spiritually. He was very nice with a good sense of humour. She also liked the way he looked at her. It was as though he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.
To be continued.
You will learn about the mercy of God and that there is hope for you, in this novel.
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