CHAPTER 7 –
© OPEYEMI OJERINDE AKINTUNDE
My phone beeped as I laid on the bed confused, and if
I didn’t know any better, I would have pretended to be
shocked it was Daniel texting. Daniel was a passionate lover. I checked my phone
and there it was: “Babe, I am at the Bordeaux Restaurant on your
street, I am waiting…”
I threw tantrums on the bed; I just needed some alone
time to think. I wanted Daniel to go home, but I knew
that was not going to happen. “Give me 25 minutes” I texted back
“Daniel, I told you to go home” I said as I took the seat
opposite him. “Go home and do what? Go home and die, or Go home
and go insane?” He asked. “None of that is going to happen to you” I replied
“Nwala, is there someone mummy is matchmaking
you with?” He asked maintaining strong invasive eye
contact with me. I would be a devil to lie at that point. “Something like that” I confessed. “Who?” He asked without looking surprised
“I don’t know” I lied
Knowing Daniel for who he was, if he got a hint of
Reuben Acme, he would become obsessed with him, any little hitch in our relationship, Reuben’s name will
pop up.
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“I didn’t let her mention the name of the guy, the only
thing I know is that the guy is some spiritual guy…”
“And Rich?”
“I am not sure of that, my mother’s only emphasis is
that He is a spiritual man and you know mummy is
big on that. Dee, take your spirituality serious and I
believe Mum will change her mind about us”
“Ok, take me to your church now and let me get born
again…” He said looking very serious.
“You don’t need to go to church before becoming born
again. We can do it right now, right here” I replied
very hopeful.
“And how will your mother know I am now born
again?”
I blinked twice and whatever balloon of hope was
blown in my heart burst immediately.
“Daniel, are you trying to fake your Christianity just to
get my mother’s blessing?” I asked with an iota of
hope,that his answer was going to be in the negative.
“So, what’s this about? I have told you countless times
my stand on Christianity, I believe it’s just a man’s
thinking, a man’s ideology that was sold to people. Do I believe there is a supreme being? Yes, but do I need
to become a Christian or go to church to acknowledge
him? No. I acknowledge the supreme being in my life and I talk
to him without any religion between us. Nwala, I am
ready to fake it to get married to you. We fake it till we
make it. You know I am not a beast; I am a good man
who will take care of you,If your mother wants me to be a church boy, I will be a
Church Boy for her, so let’s go get born again for her…”
I was too mortified to speak. Was this statement of his
alien to me?
No!
Before that time, I always thought it was a phase and
that as we grew, he would outgrow the mentality. I
always thought when battles of life came for him, he
would run to God, but Daniel was not sounding like he
would ever run to God. One would think the threat of
losing me would actually make him run to God, but
here he was scheming…
“I don’t think this would work” I said as a matter of
fact.
“Exactly! Nwala… I knew you were lying all along and
your mother was just a cover up. You are just a
hypocrite. What would it take you to say it to my face?
Nwala! Say it that you can’t pitch your tent with a
mechanic’s son who your parents are paying his
school fees…Say it!” He knew that was my weak point…
“Stop it Daniel, you know your financial status has
never been a problem… You know what? You want to
fake it before my mother, right? Then come to church
on Sunday and answer the altar call, so the whole
world can see you” I said very angrily not thinking
about my words. It was a sarcastic statement, but Daniel took it hook, line and sinker…
That day was Thursday. After we parted ways angrily, Daniel didn’t call Friday
and Saturday and neither did he pick or return my
calls. You should have seen the way my jaw dropped when I
saw him on Sunday looking drip and handsome.
However, he caught me at the wrong time, I was
speaking with Reuben when he walked into church. To be continued…