Chapter 7: Chapter 7

I started my Sunday morning on a painful note. I did not know which side I was on. I reached out for my phone that was always on the stool close to the bed. The stool was not there. I rolled, next thing I was on the floor. I struggled up, trying to find my way in the darkness, I bumped into a stiff object.

"Damn!" I cursed through gritted teeth, rubbing my hand on the object to feel it . It was the sewing machine. I realized then, I was in the guest room. I could not remember where I had kept my phone or any source of light. Off I went, farther into the darkness. I did not bother keeping my eyes open, I just shut it while feeling the walls till I reached the door leading to the parlour. I hit my leg on a stool twice before I found a lantern. I slumped into a couch with a heavy sigh.

The rest of my Saturday with Ada was uneventful. It was like we avoided ourselves after we left the dining. I got busy with work in the guest room. I was extra observant and careful so I did not come to the kitchen when she was there.

A quick flash of the torch to the door, I noticed it was not bolted. I could remember locking everywhere the previous night after putting off the generator. I ran to my room, Ada was not there but her small box was in a corner close to the wardrobe.

I found my phone on the television stand and called hers but it started to ring somewhere in the house. Then, I thought she had left  unceremoniously . I was not surprised or hurt by that thought, at that moment, I wanted her to go; Seeing her around the house was hurting me .

I browsed through stations while I sat in the parlor before I went back to the room to pick what I would wear to Tunde's church.

Ada came back at day break. I was sitting in the parlour, waiting for the water I put on fire to boil. She pushed the door quietly after turning the door knob. Then she came in. It would have been stupid to ask where she went, seeing her in a singlet, leggings and my Nike sneakers.

"Welcome," I said, looking at the television like there was something interesting there in the Philippine soap opera I knew nothing about.

" What are you doing? let's go and buy akara, '' she said, sitting on the dining seat and drowning a bottle of water. "I saw a woman selling it down the road. "

"I'm boiling water," I said. Just then the kettle began to scream like a loud hooting from a train. I ran into the kitchen and turned off the gas then came back to the sitting room.

"I'm going to church, " I said, leaning on the door frame of the kitchen.

"How long do you think it will take for us to walk down ?" she asked, now staring at me pointedly.

I crossed my hands on my chest then I said, "I'll just have to change into something less revealing. "

I followed her out later wearing a jean short with my night wear singlet and jacket. The walk to the place was silent - it was an uncomfortable silence. I kept looking for people to make fun of or a story to tell.

Breaking the silence, Ada asked,

"Did you love him? "

I hugged myself then said, "That is rather inappropriate given our situation. "

"We don't have a situation. Just answer me, " she said, looking ahead like she was not talking to me.

A car galloped down the road, struggling in a battle with the potholes that greeted after each victory. I noticed the headgears of the ladies and it reminded me once again , it was sunday. Looking at them gave me more relief than telling Ada that I had loved her fiance.

"You did," She stated in a sudden realization. I looked at her briefly and looked away.

"I did not, " she said.

I looked at her, wanted to ask questions but by then we were at the zinc kiosk of the woman who sold 'akara'. She told the woman how much we wanted, then we sat on a wooden bench and waited for her to fry more.

"I was desperate, " Ada began to say as we waited.

"I wanted to settle down. There's nothing much going on in my life apart from work. I mean, I have reached that point where I have almost everything. I wanted to have a family, start a family . I knew I didn't love Mathew but with kids and time I felt love would walk in. "

I just kept my hands in between my thighs as I listened to her.

She shrugged. "I'm no more a kid to keep waiting or looking for love."

I looked at the woman frying Akara. She seemed to be more interested in her business. I moved my hand on the bench till I held Ada. She looked at me and I could see lonely tears gently strolling down her eyes. She wiped them off immediately then squeezed my hand.

"I want you to talk more," she said. "I want you to tell me how you are feeling. It will make me feel better. "

I accepted the invitation with a nod and noted the woman had tied our package in a black nylon. I collected it while Ada paid.

"I never cried about it. It was just so difficult to cry," I said on our way back home. "I felt sorry to top that I felt disappointed. There were so many things I felt. With time, all those feelings turned to anger and hatred. When my heart broke, it broke because of you." I looked at Ada who had her head bowed to the floor.

"I'm just trying not to feel anything at all right now. No anger, no hatred. I see him and I'm like, oh! I know this guy, he's a crook and that's it."

Ada laughed, "Something is definitely wrong with your head."

I laughed and after then I felt lighter. I could even crush her in a hug but I touched her hand instead before folding my arms as we walked back to the house.

'SPRINGS OF GRACE'  was written in clear, bold letters on a banner at the gate. Inside the place was a white storey building, with pillars decorated with colorful ribbons. It was facing the gate and beside it was a bungalow, where I saw children running around.

I found a space to park in the parking lot beside other cars. Just with the crowd of cars, I knew it was a big church and I was a little late. I even expected it to be close to the time for church offering.

Walking into the church, I felt swallowed up. I did a rough summary of the crowd to expect inside but I was not even close. A female usher came and offered to take my bag, I declined. I needed something to keep my hands busy while I followed her. We moved through the aisle till she found a pew with space. It was the fourth pew in the row.

I was mostly grateful for the hymn they were singing that suppressed the sound of my heels and grateful I did not apply more than the brown powder and lip balm as make up because I would have definitely come close to the ending of the service.

I stood with the rest of the congregation. My eyes searched for Tunde. I did not see him until he mounted the lectern at the last stanza of the hymn. He was wearing a khaki senator that reached his knee or below his knee. He looked taller in the attire and more handsome. The color of his dress did good with his dark skin.

He stood with his hands on the lectern and a smile on his face like he was taking a picture in that pose. His eyes moved through the crowd until it met mine. My lips broadened in a smile and his got wider.

"Let us pray," he said. He still looked at me for sometime before he closed his eyes. He started to pray in a voice - calm and strong. I felt he did not even need a microphone to be heard in the large hall. His voice was that powerful.

He spiced his sermon with something witty from time to time and people roared with laughter, waking people that were about to or already asleep. I was captivated not just by the side smile he kept while waiting for the congregation to recover from their laughter. I was captivated by the aura he emitted as a preacher.

His sermon was a short one and I could tell that people loved it from the way they clapped excitedly whenever he made a joke.

He got down, walked over to the band and led in the worship, heart moving songs that I could not sing but the whole church seemed to be familiar with them. It was that moment, I felt like I did not go to church enough.

When the priest asked newcomers to stand, I saw him looking at me with a smile urging me to stand but I did not. I was too shy to stand in that large church.

At the end of the service, he walked me to the car in between greeting members of the church.

"You look simple, " he said, scanning my outfit. I was trying to determine if that was good or bad then he added, "and beautiful."

"Thank you," I said, then looked down at the knee-length, plain and pattern gown I wore , grateful I had not worn the long gown Ada had asked me to wear with Gele.

"I must say, thank you for coming, " he said.

I nodded with a smile then I noticed his eye bags. "No sleep last night? "

"I stayed awake most of the night. Today was my first time preaching so I wanted to give them my best," He replied.

"I could not tell it was your first."

He shrugged. "Well in the seminary, we used to discuss in large groups from time to time. So maybe I'm used to addressing people."

"That's good, " I said, pressing the remote to my car. "I should be going. "

He nodded then moved closer. "How is your sister ?"

"We're fine at least. " I shrugged.

He nodded again then extended his hands to the side and I walked into his embrace, wrapping my hands around him, inhaling his cologne with my head on his chest. I heard the sound of the piano and I pulled away, reality coming back. We were still in the church but he did not seem to mind.

"I'll call you," he said before closing the car door.

That night, I sat with Ada at the dining. she was savouring the peppery noodles she prepared in relish. I stared at her, chewing my biscuit noisily, that was the best I could do to be calm. My serotonin level seemed to be very high that night.

I came back from church with an excitement I knew was from mostly being with Tunde. Ada said the Holy spirit really changed my life. It only made me laugh because I could not even remember any other thing that happened in the Church but Tunde.

" Please borrow some manners from somewhere and stop making noise, " she said.

That alone escalated my noise, I began to chew even more noisily, rumpling the paper of the biscuit also.

"I want us to go and carry your things from Mathew's house tomorrow," she said suddenly.

"Eh, my things ke? " I asked stupefied, all excitement and madness seized.

"Yes, you heard me. You don't even know the kind of risk you are taking, " She said, "That Mathew is heartless, he can do anything. You see as his face dey like mbe na like that kwa, slowly and quietly en go do evil. "

I wanted my things back, especially my pictures, the ones that littered his whole house like I was a new model - his own model.

"We are going there tomorrow . Let him die if he wants to, " She said with a finality in her tone.

I smiled. ofcourse, I did not want him to just die unless it was a slow and painful death.