THE EVANGELIST...10

©Temi Akintade

The sun wasn't friendly on Tuesday morning. Everyone I saw looked as though they were rushing to leave the sweltering weather. I was also in a rush. Walking briskly for as long as I could. I was going for an interview in one of the companies I applied to in Maitama. And afterward, I was going to evangelize in a small village far away from the city of Abuja. At least that was the proof I had to pay for leaving Kaduna.

I alighted from the taxi, glanced to my right, and left for any oncoming vehicle. When there was none, I took the brevity to cross the double land tarred road. Just as I got to the other side of the road, my phone rang. It was the missionaries I was staying with in Kaduna. I wanted to ignore the call just like I have been doing but somehow, I managed to pick the call.

"You should come back to Kaduna evangelist. Somehow, God is not done with you yet." The man said.

I felt like choking the man's throat with my hand. Did God ever tell him that he wasn't through with me? "Sir please this is between me and God. maybe you should just face your mission work." I was livid.

I could hear him take a deep sigh but even that didn't move me. My heart was set on what I wanted to do and that's it! I asked about his wife and my teenage footballers. They were the only ones I truly missed but I was certain that God would always send someone to take up from me. He will never let his work suffer.

We ended the call soon after, and I continued walking towards the oil company that Ifunaya's uncle had worked before he died. The very man who was supposed to give me a job! I shook my head.

An old car drove past, springing fume on my outfit. I quickly made a mental note to get myself a car as soon as I got the job. I was certain that God was going to help me through anyway. After all, he gave Joseph a high position in Egypt without connection! I will certainly triumph. Soon, I got to the front of the building. I stood for few minutes relishing the thought of buying a car. I was still in my daydream when suddenly, a black Range Rover Jeep halted in front of me.

I was almost cursing the driver for being so reckless when I heard a familiar feminine voice barking orders at the driver and another macho guy who was dressed in a suit and dark sun shades to throw me inside the car. I struggled and even tried to bite the man's hand but I got a stinging slap instead. I found myself inside the car, sandwiched between the macho guy who I think must have been a bouncer and another lady who turned out to be Ifunaya.

I froze instantly when my eyes collided with hers. She threw her head back and laughed instead. She touched the nape of my neck with her long, perfectly manicured nails that looked like bird claws.

"Long time no see Chuks, or should I say, Evangelist?" She purred.

There was something about the atmosphere that surrounded Ifunaya because it made me shiver from fear. She was dressed in a buttoned-up velvet blouse and a black short skirt. But her actions made her look less human.

"What have I done to warrant all these?" I finally found my voice back. Still, it came out in a half-whisper.

"You killed my uncle, and ran away because you did not want to be called the father of my child!" She chuckled.

I grimaced. "I didn't know you were pregnant! And I didn't kill your uncle!" I could feel the wetness behind my eyes now.

"But you were the last person who visited him. You and him shared a drink. Chuks, you poisoned my uncle!" She shook her head and shifted her gaze to the window. It was raining now and I sincerely wished that the rain would drown us all and somehow get me free from this nightmare.

"How could I kill the one man who was supposed to help me?" This was bizarre! "For God's sake, your uncle must have stopped somewhere before getting home. He must have eaten in a restaurant or a friend's place!" I was frustrated.

"You will tell that to the police." The macho guy said. He tapped me on the shoulder and pointed towards the police station that we were now headed.

The tears started falling freely now. And my throat suddenly constricted. I was too young to go to prison. And I was innocent!

"Please forgive me Ifunaya. You just said I was the father of your kid please help me."

Ifunaya laughed. "These days, we buy fathers. And besides, I will soon be married. My new husband will be his father. I don't need you. And you speak of forgiveness, have you forgiven your father after all these years?"

I stopped crying now and shook my head. "No, I haven't. He was wicked to my mother." I clenched my teeth stubbornly.

"That means if you don't forgive, your heavens will never be open and God will never hear you. I have forgiven you but my dead uncle and my family members haven't. They have asked me to arrest you and I will do just that."

Fresh tears resumed in my eyes. The macho guy flung the door open as soon as the driver parked at the police station car park. There were few men clad in black police uniforms walking about the compound. Suddenly, the reality of going to prison hit me. I would never see my brother anymore! The missionaries and my boys in Kaduna will never see me again.

The hot air hit me across the face as soon as the macho guy drew me out by the collar. I didn't know if he punched me but I felt a heavy fist across my face and I closed my eyes to welcome darkness.

But I knew, that I crumbled under my weight and dropped to the ground like a bag of Garri.

I fainted...