SCATTERED BY FIRE : EPISODE 1 – 10
SCATTERED BY FIRE ?
Written By Tosin Ezekiel
Episode 3
Baby Chris wept terribly all night until he was shivering in tears and catarrh, but Pastor D wouldn’t allow him to go meet Ella.
Ella and Pastor D were just disciplined by the church for being too close and on an assumption that they were having affairs. They were to sit quietly in the church for any service until the church authority released them.
SCATTERED BY FIRE : EPISODE 1 – 10
The following day, Chris struggled to go to school, he wanted to see Ella. Even in school, the poor boy didn’t concentrate in the class, he brought his food home without eating. When he was back, as usual, he wanted to go meet Ella to help him with his homework.
“Daddy, I used part of my money to buy sweets for Aunty. I will go and give her and do my homework.”
Pastor D replied, “Chris, you cannot go today…” He had not finished talking when Chris started crying.
Chris said with tears, “I will tell the pastor you are not good again. You are not Jesus’ friend again. Jesus was good. Why are you not good again?”
Pastor D was perturbed, he didn’t know how to explain to the small boy that it was the church that disciplined them
Pastor D explained, “You see, the leaders in the Church want us to pray, Ella and I. Don’t worry, you will see aunty Ella soon.”
Chris replied, “Daddy, who are the leaders, I will beg them when we go for service today.”
It was still hard for pastor D to explain to Chris who was the Church leader. Eventually, Chris said he would not go to church again.
“Daddy I don’t want us to go to church again so that the church leaders won’t take you from me.
Daddy, will you leave me too?
Mummy has left me and you don’t want me to see aunty Ella? Will you leave too? Chris said as he burst into tears.
Who said men don’t cry? The sight of Chris weeping uncontrollably would tear your eyes to tears.
Even Pastor D couldn’t hold his tears before his only son. They both wept like two babies deprived of food.
Chris refused to church, he continued crying. While crying, he started breathing abnormally, it was so serious that Pastor D was scared. He rushed him to the nearby hospital. They were there until night. But the doctor said nothing was wrong with Chris.
“Just take him on a two-day holiday to anywhere he wants,” the doctor remarked.
Chris was on the bed holding his Dad’s hand when a call entered his phone. Pastor D wanted to go out of the children’s hospital ward and pick up. Chris held his hand and said, “Daddy, don’t go. Don’t leave me.”
“Baby, I just want to pick,’ Pastor D said, solemnly placing a kss on Chris’s palm where he was receiving the drip.
“Daddy, if you want to leave, call Aunty Ella to stay with me.”
Pastor D sighed deeply and checked his phone, it was Ella calling.
He picked reluctantly, after replying coldly to some of Ella’s questions, he placed the phone on Chris’ right ear,
“Baby, it’s Ella.”
Chris leapt for joy hearing Ella’s voice.
A moment later, Ella came to the hospital to check on Chris. Chris started reviving when he spent some time with Ella.
Ella said to Pastor D without looking at him, “Please, don’t say no. You need rest, your eyes are heavy. Go home and rest, let me stay with Chris.”
Pastor D wanted to reject the offer, but when he saw how Chris had revived upon seeing Ella, he agreed and went home. He slept late that night thinking about many things. He woke up late thr following day.
SCATTERED BY FIRE : EPISODE 1 – 10
Early the next morning, Ella was still with Chris in the hospital. Then some church members started coming to check on Chris. They were shocked to see Ella with Chris, the look in their eyes showed it.
Not too long, Nneka came with her friend, Joy, she bought a lot of gifts for Chris. She never imagined that Ella on discipline would have the gut to come near Pastor D for the main time.
She was so shocked to see Ella with Chris, she couldn’t hide it, her look and body language showed it.
While Nneka was there, the doctor came to discharge Chris. The doctor turned to Ella and said, “You are the mother, right?”
Chris didn’t allow Ella to talk, he shouted, Yes!
The doctor was surprised to see Chris who couldn’t breathe well the previous night, then shouting as though he were never sick.
When Ella stood as Chris’ mother, Nneka could not hold it, she spoke, “No, sir, his mother is dead, but…”
At that instance, everybody there except the doctor turned toward Chris on the bed and kept quiet.
Chris heard that her mother was dead for the first time!
He had always been told that her mother had travelled to a better place and he would see her one day….
There were about ten seconds of silence. The doctor was confused.
Chris kept quiet and then broke the silence, “Aunty Ella is my second mummy, my first mummy has travelled to a better place.”
The doctor was still confused. In that instance, Pastor D came in. He saved the situation.
Nneka started smiling when he saw Pastor D. Pastor D was happy and surprised to see many good things brought by Nneka. Ella sat quietly with Chris and place a kiss on the boy’s forehead.
Nneka felt bad, she could not hold it, she said with a fake and fainting smile, “Child abuse over there!”
Pastor D looked, laughed and said, “Don’t mind them.” Obviously, Pastor D didn’t know what was going on, the cold war between Ella and Nneka.
As though to revenge and make Nneka angrier, Ella placed a long kiss on Chris’ forehead; Nneka walked out of the scene, managing to say good buy to Pastor D.
SCATTERED BY FIRE : EPISODE 1 – 10
Chris was discharged some minutes later and Ella begged to pay the bill. On their way home, didn’t outside the hospital as they wanted to catch a taxi, Chris was in between the two, Ella by the left holding Chris’ hand and Pastor D by the right.
Chris stopped them and looked up, he asked, “Daddy, Aunty, is mummy dead?”
Ella and Pastor D were transfixed in their thoughts.
Who would answer?
SCATTERED BY FIRE : EPISODE 1 – 10
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