Chapter Five
869 Words
“Let’s go to church. You need to ask for forgiveness from God.” Their mother said as she shook Amaka and Ngozi aggressively, waking them up from their sleep.
“Mommy, all we did was go to a concert with few people.” Amaka whined pulling the covers over her head.
“It’s barely six in the morning mommy, can we please not do this?” Ngozi whined.
“Get up and get ready.” With that she left the room.
-
“Aunty, why exactly are we here? You know I Dont believe in all this.”
“It wouldn’t hurt to try.”
“God’s not real. I keep telling you this.” He sighed
“You’ve always thought that way but it isn’t true.”
“If it’s true, why did he allow me become an orphan and get traumatised by a man who was meant to step up in the role of my father? Why did he let me go through all that hell?”
“Maybe if you give Him a chance, He will answer you. I’m always worried about you Leo, your nightmares, your temper, I’m afraid…”
“You’re afraid I’ll turn into him?”
“You have ignored your therapist for the longest time. I know this because I keep in contact with her.”
“I keep telling you auntie, I am fine.”
“You’ve decided to pursue an academic degree, which is okay, but your health Leo,”
“It won’t affect me in any way.”
“Leo,” he held her hands in his and looked into her eyes. He could see the fears and worries written all over face. He sighed, kissed the back of her hand,
“I’ll come in with you if it’ll make you happy. I assure you, I’m fine. My career will thrive, and I’ll get a degree too. I don’t have the nightmares like I frequently did. It’s no cause for an alarm.”
With that they walked into the tall building. All heads turned and whispers began to rise in the congregation as soon as all eyes fell on Leo. Leo wasn’t bothered. He hated the critics in church. The same ones who told his auntie to remain in her abusive marriage and deserted her when she finally had the courage to leave.
They changed churches of course, they got richer, but his hate for the fanatics in church only grew stronger.
“All eyes back on me please.” The preacher said and everyone looked away from them. Leo and his auntie take a seat at the back row, Leo takes off his glasses and takes out his phone, stalking Amaka’s page.
“What’s he doing here?” Ngozi whispered into Amaka’s ears. Amaka ignored her already getting scared of being in the same place with him. One thing she aimed to do was avoid contact with him until she was out of there.
“God isn’t calling us to be perfect.” The preacher began to round up his sermon. “When you submit your life to Him, you don’t immediately quit gambling, you don’t immediately quit smoking, you don’t immediately quit sneaking off to your exes when you shouldn’t be there in the first place,” the youths in the congregation laughed while the aunties, both black women and white women held irritation and judgmental looks on their faces.
“All He wants is for you to accept His love. He does the work of transformation in you, not you. Allow Him.” After he was finished, he led a short prayer, sang their church family song and shared the grace.
“May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,” they began, few minutes and the service was closed.
“Mommy can we go now? Jerry…”
“The pastor has to pray for you. You’re leaving to your dorm now, I’m surprised your father even allowed you after that scandal and shame you almost brought on us. He must pray for you so you don’t bring shame to us.”
“The sermon said that the Jesus does the work, or did you not listen to his sermon?”
“You’re a very disrespectful child Ngozi.”
“Hey,” Leo tapped her shoulders with a sheepish smile on his face. Amaka turned around to face him but was interrupted,
“Oh. My. Gosh! You are indeed Leo!” The girl squealed. “Can I… can I…” right before her very eyes she watched him take a photo with her,
“Thank you, thank you.” The girl screamed and jumped on Leo kissing his lips until a certain guy dragged her down.
Before Leo could speak to Amaka, her mother grabbed her wrist and pulled her away.
“How much damage do you want to cause?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Why is he here? Why is that son of a devil here? Eh?”
“You’re raising your voice.”
“So you’re telling me that I’m raising my voice? Can you see the audacity you have?!” Her mother started fuming while she stood feeling embarrassed.
- Writer
