WITH THIS RING – a novel – will be posted all through this month
By: Pastor Taiwo Iredele Odubiyi
Read and be blessed.
(Day 22)
“Pastor Ibie is here sir.”
“Ask her to come in.”
There was a brief knock after which the door opened and Ibie entered the large office.
Femi asked her to sit down, gesturing to the three single chairs on a side. “I’ll soon be with you.”
Seated, she looked at the beautiful framed photos on the walls. There was a potted plant in a corner, a TV, DVD player, and a bookshelf.
About five minutes after, the couple got up to leave. Femi saw them off to the door, and then he returned.
Ibie came to sit where the couple had been seated.
“How are you today, Pastor Ibie?”
“I’m fine, Pastor. Thank you.”
“Er … you didn’t seem to be yourself during the service.” He said. “I noticed that you were weeping.”
She pressed her lips together.
He spoke again. “I’m not sure I saw your daughter. Was she in church?”
“No.”
He leaned forward and asked, “Is anything the matter?”
She took a deep breath.
“Feel free to discuss it with me, whatever it is.” He encouraged her.
She inhaled again.
“I will understand and pray with you.” He said and waited.
When she didn’t talk, he spoke again, “It’s obvious something has upset you. You were not like this yesterday.”
She closed her eyes to keep the tears from falling.
“Pastor Ibie?”
She fought to hold back the tears but failed.
He quickly took tissues from the box on the table and tucked them in her hands.
“It’s okay, Pastor Ibie.”
“It’s my daughter, Grace.” She finally said.
Her daughter? Oh my God! He was immediately concerned. “What about her?”
“She told me last night that she’s pregnant.”
“Pregnant?” For some seconds he was speechless. It was bad but not as bad as he thought.
“And the man is not ready for marriage.” She added.
“I understand how you feel but don’t despair. We will have to trust God for help. He is faithful. As bad and disappointing as this situation is, it’s not the end of the world. Where’s your daughter now?”
“I left her at home.”
“Can I have her number?”
She cleaned her face and dictated it.
He called the number immediately.
“Hello?” Grace said in a sleepy voice.
“Grace, it’s Pastor Femi.”
It was obvious she wasn’t expecting him to call her as she hesitated before she said, “Good afternoon sir.”
“Good afternoon. I’ll be coming over to your house this afternoon at about three-thirty. I’d like to see you.” He told her without wasting time.
“Okay sir.”
“Good. I’ll see you then. Bye.” He said, pressed the end button and put the phone down. Then he asked Ibie, “Who is responsible?”
“It’s a young man she met recently.”
He didn’t talk immediately as he thought about the situation. He eventually said, “I will come over to your house to talk to her. What’s your address?”
While she was writing it down on a sheet of paper, he got a message from his secretary that a man wanted to see him.
“Tell him to give me like five minutes.” He told his secretary.
When Ibie got home, she found two ladies from the church with Grace.
After greeting them warmly, she told them she had to go into her room to rest. Though she was hungry, she didn’t feel like eating. After a quick shower, she collapsed in bed, completely exhausted, more in her emotions than in body. While she was thinking about various issues, her lids fell over her eyes and she surrendered to sleep.
She was awakened by the voices of children playing in the compound of the house at about three-forty. She remained in bed, thinking. How long would it be before the whole church knew that her daughter was pregnant?
A soft knock at her door brought her mind to the present. The door opened slightly and Grace popped her head in, “Pastor is here.”
She didn’t talk and Grace left.
Pushing herself to her feet, she went into the adjoining bathroom to quickly freshen up. Back in the room, she wore a red T-shirt on a black velvet skirt, and then came out to the living room where Grace and Femi were seated.
“I’m sorry to have taken some time, Pastor. I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“That’s understandable.”
She sat on one of the single sofas beside Grace.
“Let us pray.” Femi said and went ahead to pray. Then looking at Grace, he said, “Your mother told me you’re pregnant.”
Grace didn’t talk as she looked down, twisting her fingers.
He went on. “Well, I must admit that I feel disappointed.”
Ibie shook her head in disbelief.
Femi continued. “It wasn’t one of the things I expected to hear about you, and I must say that you should have seen it coming.”
Yes, she should have seen it coming, Grace thought. Why didn’t she run away from Albert and keep running when he told her that he expected sex in the relationship? She allowed herself to be wrongly influenced.
Femi went on, “You could have also contracted a disease, not just pregnancy. Did you realise that?”
Ibie shook her head again.
Grace didn’t talk as she knew Femi was very right. But the deed had been done. She could only hope she had not contracted a disease. She made a mental note to pray about it.
Femi continued. “However, I’m not here to condemn you but to help you. Have you asked God for forgiveness?”
“Yes, Pastor.”
“Good. Have you also asked Him to help you?”
“Yes, Pastor.”
“Good. I’m sure He will. What’s the position of the man?”
“He wanted me to abort it but I haven’t heard from him since I told him of my decision to keep the baby.”
“I need to say that I admire your courage to keep the baby, face the consequence, and become a single parent. You know people will get to know about it and talk about you yet you decided to keep it. That’s what following God is all about: doing the right thing.”
Ibie was shaking her crossed legs as she listened.
Femi continued. “I’m sure you also know that you will be stepped down in your department and be on suspension for four months, don’t you?”
“Yes sir.” Grace said, still looking down.
Ibie shook her head sadly, and then folded her arms across her chest.
The pastor went on. “Some people would have had an abortion and continued like nothing happened. They take the law into their own hands; deal with the situation their own way by covering their tracks but as far as God is concerned, that is worse. You have chosen to own up and put your trust in God. I like that.”
Ibie heaved a sigh.
(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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