MORE THAN A CARVING CHAPTER 21

MORE THAN A CARVING
CHAPTER 21
Two weeks later, Temidun’s wedding happened on Saturday and Iwalade was super busy throughout the week of the wedding. She ensured everything was in place since Temidun did not employ the service of a wedding planner; it was Iwalade who took that office and she was assisted by one of the bride’s siblings. Temidun purposely made her younger sister Lara the chief bride’s maid instead of Iwalade so that Iwalade can help her do all the running around on the wedding day and because they’ve been friends from way back, Iwalade ensured nothing flopped as she dedicated her time, energy and even her money into the wedding and her friend was so grateful for it. On the D-day as God will have it, everything turned out to be a success. Imisioluwa was Iwalade’s plus one at the event even though she was too busy to keep him company but Imisi still had fun at the wedding. The two returned home in the evening in Imisi’s Lexus Jeep, which he got a week ago and the two really looked liked a perfect couple. On their way home, Imisioluwa told Iwalade that he can’t wait to have her in his life forever. Iwalade’s heart skipped a beat when she heard this, how will she face Imisi’s mother, she thought inwardly and just smiled. He stopped in front of Iwalade’s house and she alighted, it was late already, so they just exchanged greetings and he watched her entered the house before leaving. That night, Iwalade just showered and went to bed straight to sleep she was so tired. Her phone rang and it was the bride calling, so she picked the call. “You shouldn’t be making calls on your wedding night.” She said, she already knew the reason why she was calling. “Iwalade……I just don’t know how to thank you. All the planning was just perfect….” “Iyawo, let’s just return all glory to God. Go and sleep and don’t keep that man waiting.” She said and Temidun laughed. “Thank you so much once again Iwalade, for your time, money…..” “Goodnight o… I’ve heard you. Bye….. Enjoy your honeymoon.” Iwalade said and ended the call for her. Iwalade put her phone on the bed and covered herself with the duvet and slept off. Iwalade walked into a dark room and saw three elderly men each sitted on a king size chair, the eyes of these wicked elders spat fire and they look like a lion ready to devour. She saw someone who knelt in front of them tied up with a very strong cord. Iwalade moved closer to get the glimpse of the person who was tied up and to her surprise, it was Imisioluwa. She screamed his name. “Imisi!” She rushed to him trying to untie him. “Don’t you dare?” One of the elder shouted at her. “If you dare, you will die in his stead.”
“I reject that, none of us will die as the Lord liveth.” Iwalade threw back at the man. “Keep quiet.” Another elder shouted at her. She was taken aback. Then she pulled herself together. “You know what, you are right, I don’t need to exchange words with you. I’m getting him out of here now.” Iwalade said confidently. “You are funny; you think we are joking here, right. Where do you think you are going with him?” “I’m taking him home, period.” “You wouldn’t dare.” The third elder among them said. “Oh! Watch me, I’ll show you that who lives in me is greater than who is in the world.” Iwalade said boldly. She wasn’t even sure where she got that courage from. “Really.” One of the elderly men said and turned to face the remaining two. “You know, I told you to let us get rid of this girl first but you said she’s not a threat.” “Don’t tell me that this rat scares you.” One of them replied the man and turn to face Iwalade. “Eh, you, I know you have a power behind you because this fowl here is our meat and he should have been dead by now,” He said pointing at Imisioluwa and then continued. “And I tell you, this is the end for the both of you but if you love yourself, you still have the grace to live here unhurt.” “I’m going nowhere without him and one more thing, in the whole of the miserable life that you have left; never you refer to Imisi as a fowl. Did you get that?” She shouted at the man. The three elders looked at one another. “Let’s kill her first.” One of them said. “You can’t kill me, you know why, the Bible says in the book of Isaiah 28:18 that the covenant with me and death has been disannulled and my agreement with hell shall not stand.” She said and went back to Imisi’s side. He untied him and helped him up, he was already weak and wincing in pain, he looked like someone who has been tortured. Iwalade took him by the hand and guarded him to walk; his pace was slow because of the tiredness, if only he could run. The three elders caught up with them and hijacked Imisi from Iwalade, she hijacked him back from them and the struggle started with the weak Imisi in between, the two factions trying to get him but Iwalade refused to let go of Imisi’s hand as they made effort to hijacked him again. It was a tug of war, then Iwalade’s strength started to decline, she was becoming weak, Imisioluwa looked at her saviour. “Iwa, do something, don’t let them take me.” Imisi pleaded. Iwalade tried to call out the name that she knew could work for her but she couldn’t speak again, she was too weak to scream that name but in her mind she kept on calling the name of Jesus, only that she couldn’t speak out. She was losing to them and she knew it. “Iwa…..please don’t let go of my hand.” Imisi said to her and she jumped out of sleep. “Jesus!” She screamed and sat up immediately, panting heavily and sweating.“Jesus please safe him!!!!” She repeated. She checked the time; it was 3:00pm. She stood up and started praying, she started interceding for Imisioluwa. She wished she was able to get him out of that dark room and make him escape from those wicked elders. She wondered why her strength was drained in her dream, then she remembered what they did, sin drains the power and anointing of God in one’s life and everything happened so fast, she didn’t get the opportunity to go back to God after she had sex with Imisi, she didn’t get the chance to fast and pray so that her spiritual battery can be recharged again, she knew that her spiritual battery was low. Iwalade rounded up her prayers and then checked the time; it was 3:30am. She went back to bed and lay down, and then she stood up again and rushed out of the house. She banged Baba Bamo’s door, he opened the door. “Please open the gate, be fast.” “Aunty Iwalade, are you alright, what happened?” “Just open this gate.” She said hurriedly and he opened the gate for her as she ran down the street to Imisi’s house, then she remembered her phone is not with her. She started banging the gate, no one opened, and she continued banging the gate. The gateman was awake but was scared; Mrs. Williams also had woken up. “Who could be at the gate?” She asked herself, she was scared to the bone. She peeped through the window and saw her gateman walking towards the gate. “It’s me, Iwalade, please open the gate.” “Aunty Iwalade, by this time!” The gateman said. “Please open.” “I’m coming, let me inform madam. The woman was already watching from upstairs. The gateman quickly put a call through to her. “Who is at the gate?” Mrs. Williams asked before the gateman could even talk?” “Its Aunty Iwalade o and I think it’s urgent.” “I hope no one followed her?” Mrs. Williams asked. “I’ve peeped through the gate ma, I think she is alone and I hope she is truly alone because this armed robbers have different tactics o.” The gateman said. “I don’t know what to do, where is this boy, is he that tired that he didn’t hear the noise.” Mrs. Williams said referring to her son. “Madam, you never talk o”. The gateman said in pidgin. “Open the gate for her.” She said and the line went off. The woman left her room and shouted Imisi’s name but he didn’t come out so she rushed down stairs to meet Iwalade. She got downstairs and Iwalade too ran into the house panting. “Iwalade, what’s going on, were you attacked by armed robbers.”“Where is Imisi….Mummy, where is Imisi?” “You are not answering my question what happened to you?” “Where is he?” She screamed and the woman was taken aback. “In his room.” “Imisi…..” She called out and walked pass the woman as she took to the stairs. Mrs. Williams quickly follow her, still wondering what came over Iwalade. She got to the door of his room, she wanted to knock but instead she barged into the room, Mrs. Williams followed and what they saw shocked them. Imisioluwa was covered in his sweat; they rushed to pick him from the bed. “Imisi!!!” Mrs. Williams and Iwalade screamed his name but his eyes were closed, they are not even sure if he could hear them and he was breathing heavily. Mrs. Williams screamed when her hands touched his body, Imisi was burning, his body temperature was so high that it scared them to death. “Iwalade. What’s going on? How did you know he is in this condition?” “Mummy, this is not the time to ask questions, let’s take him to the hospital.” She said and the two of them helped him out of bed and surprisingly he spoke up with a very weak voice. “Iwa mi…..” He said and Mrs. Williams looked at Iwalade with the expression of shock on her face. “Imisi, I’m here, just safe your strength.” “Iwa mi!” Mrs. Williams repeated what her son said in her mind. Iwalade quickly looked away since Imisi’s mum refused to take her eyes off her. “Iwa, please don’t let go of my hand.” He said and fainted. The two women screamed, Iwalade screamed the most this time around because that was the same words that Imisi said to her in her dreams before she woke up, it now dawn more on her that the dream wasn’t a joke, those things are happening spiritually just as the way she saw it in the dream, here is just the physical manifestation. Imisi is still in the custody of those wicked elders. They carried him downstairs and Mrs Williams called her driver who drove them to the hospital, he was rushed to the emergency and the two women had to wait at the reception. Two hours later, after the long wait, the two male doctors who attended to him came out. “How is my son?” Mrs Williams asked. “How is he?” Iwalade asked too. “I am afraid; we don’t have any good news.” One of the doctors said. “Ha……” The women wailed. “He has been moved into the intensive care unit till we figure out what exactly is wrong. He is still very much unconscious but we are able to control the temperature and he is stable now but we can’t tell when he will gain consciousness.” The doctorexplained and Mrs. Williams sank into the chair behind her. Iwalade was just there speechless as they watched the doctors leave. She quietly sat beside Mrs. Williams and held her head in her hands. “Will Imisi die too,” Mrs. Williams said. “His father left me, will he also leave me here all alone.” “This battle is not ours, let’s hand it over to God. He has never lost before; He will win this battle for us. So, I believe he will not die.” Iwalade said and Mrs. Williams wailed again, she checked the time on the wall clock; it was past six in the morning. “I need to inform his grandmother.” She said to Iwalade, and then she remembered she didn’t come with her phone. The same with Iwalade, she left her phone in the house. Iwalade reminded Imisi’s mum that her driver was still around, so Mrs. Williams sent the man home to go get her phone. Grandma showed up some minutes after and immediately she set eyes on Iwalade, the first question she asked Imisi’s mum was ‘Who is that lady?’ and she told her she is a friend of the family, that she lives in her neighbourhood and that she took Iwalade like a younger sister. They were all there all through the day, doctors, nurses, going in and out of the intensive care unit where Imisioluwa was moved to but still they don’t have any good news for the family. Grandma’s driver later took her home in the evening; left in the hospital with Imisi was his mum and Iwalade. ******** Days later, all test results showed nothing on Imisi’s ill health, he was still very unconscious. The doctors decided to move him from the intensive care unit into a private hospital room. Iwalade didn’t step foot out of the hospital, she was in the hospital together with Mrs. Williams, she used Mrs. Williams’ phone to call Tosin, her younger brother who went to her house to bring her things. When she got her phone, she spoke to her mum privately, and told her everything leaving nothing behind, she also let her know about her relationship with Imisoluwa. The woman was surprised because of the age difference and for the fact that Imisi’s mum took her like her younger sister but there is nothing she could say at this time, her prayer is for Imisi to recover. So, Mrs. Badmus came over to the hospital to check on them and then left that very day. Mrs. Williams was grateful to Iwalade for standing by her and her son, she even told her to go home and get some rest but she insisted on staying. Few days later, Fullhouse also heard about what happened to her, he just called casually to check on her but was surprised when Iwalade told her the situation of things. And from that day, he kept on calling to keep tabs on Imisi’s health. Imisi’s grandma also had been coming often to visit her grandson, they were even deliberating on flying him out of the country to seek medical help but Iwalade tried in convincing them not to, she told them the dream she had. “This has nothing to do with medical. Imisi is under a spiritual attack.” Iwalade explained. Grandma and Imisi’s mum agreed because they know she was right.