WITH THIS RING – a novel – will be posted all through this month
By: Pastor Taiwo Iredele Odubiyi
Read and be blessed.
(Day 19)
Ibie sat on the two-seater and Lizzy sat beside her. The men sat on the three-seater.
“We grew up in the same neighbourhood and went to the same University.” Jaye said. Then he asked Femi, “Are you in her church?”
“Yes. I told you some months ago that I was being transferred to a parish.”
“Yes, you did. Wow!”
“It’s a small world.” Ibie exclaimed.
“It really is a small world.” Lizzy agreed.
She told Femi how she and Ibie were related. Their mothers were sisters.
Shortly after, Lizzy stood up and announced, “Er, I think we should eat now and talk later. Let’s go to the table. Everything is set.”
Ibie got up and followed her. The men went after them.
At the table, Jaye blessed the food. Lizzy served her husband’s food and hers. When she was through, Ibie stood and said, “Pastor Femi, I’ll serve you.”
“Thank you very much.” He said.
“Give him snail. Like you, he likes eating snail.” Lizzy told Ibie.
Ibie smiled and glanced at Femi. “Really? You like snail too?”
He returned the smile and nodded.
While she was doing that, Femi carried the bottle of juice on the table, opened it, and filled her cup and his.
She placed the plate of food in front of him.
“Thanks.” Femi told her.
She served hers. It was when she sat down that she saw that her glass cup had been filled with juice and with a few ice cubes.
As they ate, they chatted lightly.
Femi looked at her and saw that Ibie looked lively and full of life. With her long and full black hair, Femi almost couldn’t believe she was in her forties.
He felt really excited, like a young man on his first date with the lady he loved. He was definitely falling in love with Ibie. Did she feel anything for him? He wondered. Watching her responses to him, he tried to detect if she felt what he was feeling.
When they were through, Femi prayed for the provision of the food and they returned to the living room to continue talking. The TV was on. As they talked about a variety of things, the weather, friends, work, and church generally, Ibie could feel Femi’s gaze on her.
Femi found that Ibie was well informed.
After some time, Lizzy got up and went into the kitchen. Soon she returned with a bowl containing freshly popped popcorn. She set it down on a small table and brought the table to the center of the room. Then she offered them napkins.
Ibie didn’t take the napkin. “No, thanks. I’m too full to eat anything else.”
About half an hour after, Ibie asked Lizzy about the clothes she had come to collect.
“Oh yes. Come on.”
Ibie followed Lizzy into a bedroom. When they emerged some minutes after, Ibie was carrying two plastic bags.
“I have to leave now.” She announced.
Femi too got up to leave. Jaye and Lizzy saw them off.
Ibie entered her car and started the engine. As she drove out of the compound, she looked at her rear-view mirror and saw Femi talking with the couple.
Driving on, she thought about the outing with a smile playing across her mouth. At a time, it had seemed as if there was some kind of current flowing between her and Femi but she wasn’t certain. Could it have been her imagination, after all, Femi was her pastor and he had not done anything to suggest that he’d like to be more than that.
It was just getting dark when she got home.
Grace got back home shortly after three, pulled her car into the assigned space and got down. Having eaten at Ayoade’s house, she had a shower and afterward, sat in the living room with her legs propped up on a stool, reliving the day.
Ayoade was concerned when Grace told her she was pregnant.
“Have you told Jennifer?” Ayoade had asked her.
Grace shook her head.
“Should we call her now?”
Grace shrugged.
Ayoade took her phone and dialled Jennifer’s number. While waiting for it to be picked, she asked Grace, “Will you talk to her?”
“I don’t have to. Tell her.”
When Jennifer eventually picked it, Ayoade told her, “Grace is here with me. She’s pregnant.”
“Wha-t?” Jennifer exclaimed. “Why? How did it happen?”
Grace admitted to them that she messed up.
Though they were both disappointed, they assured Grace of their support and they advised her to inform her mother immediately.
Grace now began to think of how she would break the news to her mother. She just had to inform her this evening before she would know by herself. Ibie was very observant and nothing escaped her notice.
After some time, she decided to go for a stroll. It was a beautiful day and she felt like walking to clear her head. She left the house.
The busy but clean neighbourhood of fine houses had three boutiques, an elementary school, a church, two restaurants, and a hair salon. Petty traders were at some places.
She eventually returned home at about five, feeling sick, tired and lost. It seemed like the world had suddenly turned hostile to her. She sat in the living room and awaited the arrival of her mother.
She was still there watching CNN on TV when Ibie walked in.
After the greetings, Ibie went into her room to change her clothes. When she returned to the living room, she sat down and said, “Can you guess who I met at Lizzy’s house?”
Grace looked at her in query.
“Pastor Femi.” Ibie supplied.
“Our Pastor Femi?”
“Yes. You can imagine my surprise. He and Pastor Jaye were in school together.”
They continued talking.
“There’s potato and egg in the microwave oven for you.” Grace said.
When there was a pause and Ibie turned her attention to the TV, Grace called her.
“Yes?” Ibie answered and looked at her daughter.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
She noticed that Grace looked troubled, and she knew instinctively that whatever her daughter had to say was going to upset her. “What is it?”
Her phone began to ring. She checked, it was Lizzy. She stopped it. She would call her later; she thought and looked back at Grace.
“It’s not good news and before I say it, I want you to know that I’m very sorry.” Grace said with a shaking voice.
Looking at Grace closely now, she could see that she had been crying. She was suddenly afraid. “What is it? What happened?”
Grace took a deep breath and then she blurted out, “I’m pregnant.”
Silence filled the room as Grace saw her mother’s face change from worry to shock.
“You’re what?” It was obvious the words shook Ibie to the core.
Grace looked down.
“You’re pregnant?! Oh my God!” Ibie stared at Grace who was looking down. “Pregnant … Grace?!” She said disbelievingly.
When there was no response from Grace, she asked, “Who is responsible?”
“Albert.”
“God, help me!” Ibie said under her breath.
For some seconds she was speechless.
(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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