Sade remained in the room for over three hours praying in tongues while the birthday celebration continued in the parlor. Kehinde, Jumoke and Toyin arrived just when Temi was about cutting the birthday cake. They quickly joined in singing the birthday song for the celebrant with others while Toyin ran over to meet her mother in the room.
“Iya mi! ” she called and ran into her mother not minding her mood.
“Bother Kehinde bought for me ice cream and plenty things…” She said, showing her mother the Sheraton bag in her hand.
“Okay! Go ahead and enjoy yourself.” Sade said in order to dismiss her from disturbing her quiet time.
“Come let’s go to the parlor o, bother Temi is cutting big cake.” Toyin informed her, holding her hand.
“Don’t worry, I’m coming out soon.” She said and Toyin, sat down and started digesting the ice cream. When Sade saw that she would not be able to concentrate having Toyin in the room with her, stood up, entered the bathroom and washed her face and powdered it before leaving with Toyin to the parlor.
“Where did you go brother Kehinde?” The church mummy questioned him after the cutting of cake and Jumoke came from behind and knelt down before the church mummy.
“Good evening mummy.” She greeted on her knees and Kehinde looked away and the church mummy hugged her excitedly.
“Look who i have here, my beautiful daughter Jumoke!” The church mummy said in excitement and drew her into a tight embrace.
“So you arrived here and instead of coming to register your presence with me, you followed Kehinde out abi?” She said jokingly and Jumoke apologized.
“Am sorry mummy,when I arrived here, you were having a very hot prayer with someone in the room, so i followed Kenny out to buy ice cream for little Toyin” she explained respectfully and the church mummy kept smiling at how soft her voice sounds.
“It’s okay my dear. Good to know that my daughter knows my son Kehinde..” The church mummy was still talking when Sade and Toyin walked quietly into the parlor. She and Kehinde who was trying to put himself in order exchanged glances and she smiled.
“Jumoke, do make your self comfortable. I will be right back.” She said and told Kehinde to follow her.
“What’s your plan? Hope you are aware Sade would be going back to the village few minutes from now?” She asked him immediately they reached the balcony.
“Really? I thought she would sleep over.” He replied feeling bad.
“That was why I asked you to be here by 2pm. You shouldn’t have gone out brother Kehinde. She needs to go back home because of tomorrow’s farm work…” She explained and he swallowed hard,then quickly cut in.
” can I drive them to the village? ” he asked, looking pleadingly into the church mummy’s eyes as if his life depended on it.
“This is past four Kehinde. Before you reach her village, it would be dark and it’s not advisable driving back from that village in the night.” She explained but he wasn’t satisfied with her points.
“Mummy, I understand your points but …” He said.
“It’s alright brother Kehinde, I see your mind is already made up. Let me call her to get ready so you can take them home immediately.” She said and left him at the balcony to call her.
She sent someone to call Sade while she packaged Noddles, clothes and food items for them to go home with.
“Kehinde would go and drop you and Toyin in the village.” She announced when Sade entered the room.
“Call Toyin and get her ready. It’s already getting late and you are to go with these things here.” She said and squeezed some naira notes into her hands.
“Thank you so much mummy. I can’t thank you enough ma.” She said kneeling down.
“We thank God. Sister Sade get up and get going.” She said hastily, then remembered something.
“That reminds me, Sade! Kehinde complained you have not been picking his calls. Look, I don’t know what he did wrong but believe me, brother Kehinde is one person in the whole world you shouldn’t be angry with. He stood by you and believed you even when many of us didn’t believe you.
Overlook whatever he did to you and pick his calls…” The church mummy continued.
“Mummy, he didn’t do anything to me. Just that I felt he was disturbing me with his constant sermons during those periods I was not thinking right. I will apologise to him ma.” Sade explained calmly and the church mummy nodded in satisfaction.
“Please watch out against that scavenger of a man called Olori. Don’t give him any chance again and don’t collect anything from him again.
Because the money and gifts you collect from him weakens your ability to say no to him.” She advised her and she nodded her head agreeably before walking out of the room.
When they were about leaving, Jumoke walked up to Kehinde and requested for his number, because they actually lost contacts and the church mummy observed his uneasiness and reluctance in releasing the number to Jumoke. She suspected something fishy between the two of them and quickly came up with an idea of sending Jumoke on errand in order to relieve him but she succeeded in collecting the phone number before the church mummy could send her for the errand.
Toyin jumped into the back seat while Sade and Kehinde sat at the owners and driver’s seat respectively and he gave the church mummy an exciting wink before driving off.
Halfway into the journey, darkness began to set in Toyin slept off at the back seat and Sade broke the long silence that had permeated the atmosphere in the car.
“Brother Kehinde,” she called almost in a whisper having lost her voice as a result of the long screams and cry. He turned and looked into her eyes in response, then turned around to concentrate on the steering.
“I’m sorry I’ve not been picking your calls. I didn’t just know what came over me. Am deeply sorry, do forgive me.” She said looking down at nothing.
“It’s alright Sade, I thought maybe I did something wrong to you..” He said looking straight at the dark road ahead.
” No , you did nothing wrong. And thanks for your prayers.” She said and silence followed. After another one hour drive, they arrived at Sade’s family house at exactly 8:45pm but Sade insisted that it wasn’t safe for Kehinde to drive back that night.
Her parents joined and pleaded with him to sleep over and leave first thing in the morning, so Kehinde agreed but whispered something into Sade’s ears…
To be continued
