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 6)
Grace ignored the voice in her head and went out with Albert. As they chatted over dinner, it was obvious to her that he 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.
That was how she began to see him. She wasn’t sure if she could say she loved him but she liked him a lot.
He kept inviting her to his rented two bedroom apartment but she didn’t go until after a month. That day, he was a perfect gentleman. She brought her Bible out and shared some scriptures with him before they prayed for a few minutes. Afterward, they watched a movie.
The second time she visited him, he told her clearly to make her Bible-sharing brief as he had other things in mind.
“What other things?”
He told her his opinion about premarital sex: he didn’t think it was wrong and he would expect it in their relationship.
“As Christians, we shouldn’t do it.” She pointed out.
He shrugged. “Well, I’m not going to argue with you about it, after all your mother is a pastor. My own mother is not, and hey, this is me! This is what I want. I’m a man.”
“This is what you want? I wonder what your pastor would say if he heard that you wanted sex. Or your editor whom I was told is a Christian.”
“My editor? Who gives a flip? It’s no one’s business.” He said and stopped. He added, “The choice is yours.”
He had declared his intention.
When he kissed her, sparks of desire ignited in her, and she eagerly responded to her surprise. She had never experienced the feelings that ran through her body. That day, she was able to put him off but with great difficulty.
When she was leaving, she invited him to her house. That would be better and keep them safe, she reasoned.
On her way home, she wondered at the things that happened in Albert’s apartment. While she worried about the feelings she experienced in his arms, feelings she had never felt before, she also worried that she could lose him like she lost the last man she was in a relationship with if she didn’t do something. And she didn’t think she wanted that to happen. She really liked Albert.
A week after, he called her. “Hey, I need to see you. You’ve been on my mind all day.”
“Albert, things went a little out of control the last time I came to your house, and … er … I’m not sure I want it to happen again.”
“I really like you, Grace. I thought you liked me too. And I haven’t done anything. I told you what I want in this relationship, didn’t I? Don’t you want to see me anymore?”
Against good judgment, she went to his house again, and without openly discussing it, both of them knew what might happen. Well, she was in her safe period, she thought.
As she surrendered to the domination of his lips and gave in to her desire, she quickly told herself that she would ask God for forgiveness afterward and make sure it did not happen again.
She did ask God for forgiveness but it happened again when she went back to his house the next day. And again, she asked God for forgiveness …
… Now she was pregnant.
When she didn’t see her period, she was shocked. How could she be pregnant? Wasn’t she in her safe period – she wondered with a table calendar in her hand. Her cycle was probably delayed and would correct itself. The following day had brought no relief. When a week after, the situation was still the same, Grace was in full panic.
She had quickly prayed that God would intervene and help her but since she was still pregnant, she apparently prayed for help at the wrong time. She should have seriously prayed before she began to go steady with Albert or before she went to his house, she reflected.
She hoped Albert would understand her situation: being an unmarried Christian and a worker in her church, she wasn’t supposed to be pregnant. She hoped together with him, she would find a solution to her pregnancy.
However, she guessed there were only three things she could do: get married to him, abort the pregnancy or keep the baby and become a single parent.
She didn’t like the third option. As much as she liked children, she didn’t think she would like to become a single mother. Her mother was a single parent, how could she become one as well? What would people, especially her church members say?
It would have to be marriage or abortion.
But would she want to marry Albert? She asked herself. There was no doubt that she liked him though they didn’t know each other well yet. He was generous and fun to be with. But there was also no doubt that he wasn’t a serious Christian.
And more importantly, would he want to marry her? She knew that if he loved her or cared about her, he would accept the pregnancy and ask her to marry him but she wasn’t sure about his feelings for her.
How could she have given her body to a man who didn’t love her and had not put a ring on her finger? What was she thinking? She scolded herself. She had only herself to blame for her predicament.
She might have to abort the pregnancy and put it behind her. That way, her church and her mother – especially her mother – would not know about it. It would break her mother’s heart if she should know. The woman would be greatly disappointed.
She would abort and ask God for forgiveness, again – she thought. She seemed to be doing a lot of wrong things since she met Albert.
She decided within her that if Albert wanted them to get married, she would accept. She was old enough for marriage.
She glanced at the clock on the wall. The time was seven-fifteen and Albert would arrive soon. Knowing she had to make herself look presentable, she got up, entered the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. Then she wore a yellow gown with short sleeves. While combing her hair, her cell phone began to vibrate, and then ring. It was Albert. She picked it and he told her he was on his way. Good.
She put the phone down, packed her hair together at the back and secured it with a black scrunchy.
When the doorbell rang at seven-forty, Grace who had been in the living room with her mother, got up and went to the door. Looking through the peephole, she saw Albert.
As Albert waited for the door to be opened with his cell phone in his hand, he wondered why Grace called and asked him to see her in her house this evening. It must be important as she sounded serious on the phone. He took a deep breath.
The door opened and Grace stood there. She smiled and said, “Hello.”
Her eyes went over him. He wore a white shirt under a grey suit. The first two buttons of the shirt were not done.
“Hello. How are you?”
“I’m fine.” She gave him a brief hug then stepped back, looking at him.
He swaggered in with confidence like a rich man’s son that he was. She locked the door and taking his right hand in her left hand, she led him in, to where Ibie sat with her laptop in front of her.
This was Albert’s third time in the house but he hadn’t met Ibie the first two times.
Grace introduced him to her mother, “Albert, this is my mother, Pastor Ibie. Mum, this is Albert Asika. He works with Reflections.”
Ibie looked at him. He was about five feet-ten inches tall, a little light-skinned, handsome with a well-set teeth and a smile that would make any man proud.
As he greeted Ibie respectfully, Grace was proud of him. He was smooth and had a way about him that she had noticed and fallen for the first time she met him. She hoped her mother would not ask him questions that could embarrass him.
“I do read your column.” Ibie told him.
“Thank you. I’m happy to hear that.” He responded with a smile.
“Please sit down.” Grace said.
“Thanks.” Out of the corner of his eye, Albert noticed Ibie looking at him, probably sizing him up.
She was. Physically speaking, he was okay. But was he truly a Christian as Grace had told her? Ibie wondered. Did he love the Lord and her daughter? Those questions were the most important to 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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