CHEATED : EPISODE 21 – 40
Episode 31
“No! No! No!!!!” Mr. Folawe screamed from his sleep in pants, with his clothes looking like they had just been soaked in water.
“Jesus Christ. What a dream!” He soliloquized as he thought of what next to do.
He knew it was very dangerous to sleep back without taking any action, so he quietly headed off to his son’s room.
“Dad, is that you?” Emma asked as he lazily rubbed his eye.
“Yes, it’s me son.” He replied in a low tone as he motioned on Emma not to make much sound.
“What brings you here, Sir?”
“I just had a terrible dream and I’m afraid if I sleep back without any action, I may not be lucky to have a next time.” He said.
“A terrible dream? About what?” He asked sitting up, fully awake.
“The summary is I was in a hot chase with…….” He stopped and thought if he should know or not.
“Some of my friends were chasing me madly in the dream. I know it has to do with the group I belong, but I don’t want to go back there any longer.” He said as Emma thought for a while.
“The blood of Jesus is always available for us to plead but…..”
“But what?”
“I don’t know if it’ll work for you or not.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s only available for His children and not strangers.” He responded.
“Hmmm….so what happens now?”
“You give your life to Christ, Sir. It’s the only escape out of what you’ve found yourself into.” Emma said with hope he’d agree with him.
“You know things aren’t just easy right? If I give my life to Christ under you, are you ready to tutor me out of all bondage I’m in as well?
Will I be delivered from all covenants under you as well?” He said as Emma thought deeply about this.
“Take a look around Emmanuel. I’m a cultist. My own “giving life to Christ” is going to be different from a lay man’s, because I’d be hotly chased to go back to my vomit.
I need to be closely taught so I don’t lose interest and go back because I feel there’s no power in Christianity.
I’m a power drunk person,son.
Anything that does spell or speak power never interest me.
I guess that was what was used to get, and hold me down.
So now I ask you, am I safe to give my life to Christ under you?” Dad asked as he looked into his son’s confused eyes.
Emmanuel was just someone who was just growing in the Lord.
He knew they were mysteries in the Word and God had the ultimate power, but he himself didn’t know how to access it not to talk of teaching another person how to.
“This is my chance of having my family in the right track. My chance of getting my family whole again because once the head,which is my dad, is healthy, automatically the whole body is healthy.
But I don’t know if I’m capable enough to take him through the challenges he’d face.
What if he gets killed in the process because I wasn’t able to access the power of God and help him access it too?
What if……O God, what do I do now?” He thought confused as he stared at his dad.
“I’m waiting for your answer son, you know we don’t have all the time.” He voiced out, breaking the silence.
“Give your life to Christ Sir, I’d take responsibility for your soul until your able to be independent and stand on your own.” He responded before he even knew what he was saying.
“Okay, lead me then. Let my soul be added to your list in heaven.” He said as Emmanuel stared at him in shock.
“How did you…. know that?” He said as his dad smiled.
“It’s what we do. And they say the dev’l counterfeits the original, right?” He responded with a smirk as Emma led him to Christ.
Deep down in his heart, Emma knew that this step was a big challenge to him and his walk with God.
Kingsley has been doing well in his job. Customers have been progressively increasing and it pleased his boss to increase his salary as well, as a way of encouraging him.
She even told him she wished he stayed with her still, even though he gets something better, because she believes he is her lucky charm.
Kingsley smiled at that, but deep down, he knew God was planning something better for him.
However, his mom has been calling him every now and then to report the situation of things back home to him.
She complained most about his dad not being too comfortable with her “self-righteousness”.
“I’m just doing this to defend my home because I know something’s wrong somewhere, but he wouldn’t listen to me.” She always said.
“Mom, the best thing to do is to take all these complaints to God in prayers. There’s nothing He cannot do. He can touch his heart and then everything will be settled.” Kingsley would advise as they talked a bit more and ended the call.
“Who does Folawe think he’s fooling? After everything he has done, he feels he’d go Scot free because he found a greater sect? Impossible!” Baba raged.
“My God!” Mr. Folawe screamed out of his sleep that early evening as Emma rushed to him, to see what was wrong.
“Emmanuel the attacks are becoming much more terrible by the day! Infact, I’ve lost appetite for sleep because it’s just all about battles with unseen forces.
Even my company would soon be attacked; it hasn’t started yet, but I know that’s the next thing in line.
Tell me, what do I do?” He asked his dumbstruck son, who was thinking hard on the best answer to give him.
Ever since he led his dad to Christ, he has been taking his Christian journey as serious as he could.
But everything his dad has been passing through within a short time of giving his life to Christ has amazed him; it was already getting beyond his control as he didn’t know how best to pray for his did to have peace of mind.
“Your spiritual strength is vital in leading someone to Christ, most especially if such a one is renouncing from something deep.” Emma thought
“Emmanuel I’m talking to you.” His dad said, bringing him back to reality.
“Dad, I do not know what to say. I haven’t experienced this before so I do not know.”
“You see this is my problem with you all that call yourselves Christians. They claim their God is all-powerful but they have absolutely nothing to show for it. Now I’m suffering from attacks and you’re helpless about it.
I doubt if this decision was the best at all.” Mr. Folawe said as he walked out in anger, leaving Emma with his thoughts.
“I need to be strong.”
That night Emma lost his sleep, as he thought hard about what his dad had said earlier on.
“If this is what he thinks or feels about Christians, then it is up to me to prove him wrong.” He soliloquized as he got up to search through His Bible.
He suddenly remembered Kingsley and what he passed through, despite the fact he was a genuine Christian.
“But what could be the cause of that? A Christian suffering like, or even more than the rest. Or could my dad be right?” He thought and then waved it off immediately.
“No, there has to be a reason for that. I need to search for solutions to the problems staring at me instead of thinking about someone else’s.” He thought and focused on his Bible afterwards.
He was reading the book of Daniel- the book he liked above all because to him, it was easier to understand.
However, where he was reading was the ending part of it; though he didn’t understand a thing his eyes were seeing, he read on still.
Suddenly, a verse seemed to him like the answer he had been searching for.
“But the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” He read from Dan. 11:32
“Oh so for me to be strong, it is necessary I know God. But how?” He thought to himself
“By spending quality time with His word.” An inner voice responded.
“Yes! This is exactly what I need at the moment! When I spend quality time with the Bible, I’d be able to know how to power of God works.
Oh thank God.” He said excitingly as he moved over to the book of Psalms, as Kingsley had once told him that was the best book to study, if one really wanted to know the attributes of God.
“Where is this Woman? Where must she have gone to that she isn’t back by this time?” Nwankwo thought angrily to himself, as he laid on his bed pissed.
He had come back that evening as usual, only to discover that his wife wasn’t around, but left a note for him.
“I’ve gone for a vigil and would be back soon. Your food is already prepared and one of the kids would dish it out to you whenever you’re ready to eat.
Teresa”
“Okay na, sheybi she’ll come back? We’ll see how this house would contain her. Nonsense!” He thought as he bolted the house door and waited for time.
“Papa Kingsley open the door already nw, it’s dark outside.” Teresa said, knocking incessantly.
The vigil was over for that night and since the members lived closeby, they all vacated the church to their houses
Teresa did same, only to find the door locked.
She blamed herself continuously for not taking the key.
“Even if I too it self, the door has a bolt” she consoled herself.
“Go back to where you’re coming from woman. Let me see if they can house an irresponsible woman like you.”
“Stop this drama nw, this is not the best time for it.
At least open the door and let me in first, so we can argue and exchange words better please.
It’s both dark and cold here.
Papa Kingsley please.” She pleaded as she looked around, praying in her heart that nothing would happen to her.
When she realized her husband had gone to bed, she stop knocking and laid by the door, covering herself with the wrapper she had taken to the vigil.
This action of he husband so much that she had wanted to call her son Kingsley and complain about what she was passing through in he’d husband’s house. On a second thought, she decided to got through this alone.
“It’s my mistake and my own punishment, so let me bear it alone and carry my cross.” She thought as she squeezed herself to sleep.
In the morning, Nwankwo opened the door to let her in and to his surprise she hugged him tight, and if he had had anything for breakfast.
Nwankwo watched her dumbfounded as she went into the kitchen to make breakfast.
“Is this the same Teresa I married, or are my eyes deceiving me?” He asked himself.
He had always known Teresa to e the crybaby ever since they got married. She always shed tears at every negative circumstance that comes her way; it most times made him think he married a helpless woman and a liability- one who wouldn’t be able to provide or think out solutions to problems but always cried about them, seeing little issues as mountainous ones.
He had honestly wanted to change that about her but didn’t know how.
“Teresa.” He called out softly as she dished his meal.
“Have you changed?”
“Changed? I don’t understand. It’s still me, dear.”
“No this isn’t you. The woman I married would cry her way to the room the moment I opened the door, before thinking about breakfast.” He said, watching her smile.
“Well, for a few months now, I’ve been able to access spiritual books to read and I read that you need to toughen your spirit because the enemy rejoices at a Christian’s tears.
Also, it all boils down to brokenness.”
“Brokenness?”
“Yes dear, brokenness. It’s simply denying your flesh.
Gal. 5:19 has already helped us to know what the works of the flesh are.
Also, anything outside the fruit of the spirit shouldn’t be found in the life of a Christian.
But these things aren’t easy, that was why Paul said admonished us to walk in the Spirit for us not to fulfill the lust of the flesh. That way, brokenness would be an easy task.” She explained as her husband kept staring at her.
“Hmmm…..you mean you learnt all these in a few months? How come? Because I know Rome wasn’t built in a day, so is spiritual maturity.”
“Smiles…it’s something I know and have always known when I was a vibrant Christian before I backslided. It’s a pity I have to start all over now, because I’ve seen the importance of taking your spiritual life and growth serious.”
“Hmmmm……well that’s good. Keep it up.” He said and concentrated on his food afterwards, with Teresa smiling to herself.
“I pray I win him over soon.”
It was a Monday morning and Emma could be seen awake very early, preparing for work. His car had broken down during the weekend, so her decide to follow his bad instead of taking a cab he termed “stressful”.
“Aren’t you done yet.” His dad asked as he opened his room door simultaneously after a short knock.
“I’m almost done dad; five minutes more.”
“Make it three please, I’m running late already. I’m the owner of the company, remember? I should be there before my employers unlike you who’s the exact opposite.” His dad said as he shut the door and went downstairs.
“Yeah right.” Emma soliloquized as he rolled his eyes.
Adjusting his tie, he checked himself out in the mirror and smiled in satisfaction with a wink.
“Every ladies’ man” He hyped himself and was about heading for the car when his phone on the bed rang.
“Geez….. I almost forgot it. Thanks to the caller.” He soliloquized as he checked the caller ID to discover it was someone he hadn’t wanted to talk to at the moment, so he decided to ignore it.
Placing his phone on vibration mode, he rushed to meet his dad.
“What’s that thing vibrating?” His dad asked.
“Shouldn’t you pick your call?” He asked on realizing it was a phone.
“I don’t wish to speak with the person.” He responded, adjusting uncomfortably.
His dad on noticing his gestures, left him to himself and concentrated on his driving.
“Good morning Sir.” Emma’s secretary greeted on sighting her boss.
“Yeah good morning.” He responded and stopped in his tracks on realizing his office door wasn’t locked.
“I don’t remember coming here during the weekend so my keys are with you, right?”
“You’re correct, Sir.”
“Great. So why’s my office unlocked before my arrival?”
“Madam is around, Sir.” She responded as he arched his brows.
“Who?”
“Madam Sir.”
“Damn! She followed me here?” He thought as he thanked her and walked into his office.
“Welcome love.” Said a lady who greeted in smiles, comfortably seated on his seat.
“What are you doing here?”
“Oh come on, is that how to welcome a guest?”
“You practically barged into my office, seating comfortably on my seat. That makes you an intruder, not a guest.”
“Oh…..” She said in giggled as she stood up and let him seat.
“So am I still an intruder now?”
“Again I ask, what are you doing here?”
“I’m here for our unfinished business.”
CHEATED : EPISODE 21 – 40
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