S.I.M.S (STEPPING INTO MAGGIE’s SHOE)
©? Opeyemi Ojerinde Akintunde
Episode 3
Pastor Maggie was dead!
My mother woke me up to the shocking breaking news of the day. I rushed to the living room to watch the news myself. Was I dreaming or was this real? What happened?
“ Wife of popular Man of God, Apostle Raymond was found dead in her room in the early hours of this morning. She was confirmed dead by the State hospital. It has been confirmed that she died of drug overdose. The question on the street is , “ Was this a staged assasination or a deliberate suicide by the deceased to save her face from the recent money laundering scandal she has been associated with? “ More reports will be coming your way.. In all, we pray her gentle soul rests in perfect peace and our condolences goes out to her family and church. We hope to bring you more report as the story unfolds, I am Irene Coldwealth” The broadcaster said
I collapsed into the chair…
“ Why? Pastor Maggie? Why did you commit suicide? I knew you were going through something but I couldn’t place my hands on it and Even this scandal I knew you were innocent!” I cried out in the living room as I watched her picture being displayed on screen
Scandal? Yes ! About a month ago , which was a month after her catastrophic dress episode, a Woman surfaced online saying Pastor Maggie and a man duped her of 55 million naira. She said a man who was working for Pastor Maggie told her the ministry wanted to sell one of the church properties and he was their agent. She said she only met Pastor Maggie once in the man’s house and they had exchanged pleasantries,in her words she had said;
“ The man told me, he was the one handling all the church properties and Pastor Maggie had affirmed it right there in his house, although she left immediately I got in. However, before she left I asked to take a picture with her out of excitement , which we did. This is the picture here. After she left that day, the man and I signed the deal as I was rest assured it was genuine having seen Pastor Maggie
S.I.M.S (STEPPING INTO MAGGIE’s SHOE)
After the man collected the 55 million and some fake papers were signed, he disappeared into thin air.”
The woman began to harass Pastor Maggie on air calling her a swindler, everyone expected her to respond, but Pastor Maggie never made a public statement for over 2-3 weeks.
Suddenly, other reports started popping up, that she was actually having an affair with the man and that the man actually used her to swindle the woman. The noise, backlash, criticism,name calling was out of this world as people, journalist would not talk on any other thing.
Now, she had committed suicide….
I cried uncontrollably, I suddenly felt pained in my heart like I was the one in her shoes. My phone rang… It was Nneka…
“ Hello… Nneka….I don’t want to believe this is true!” I said crying
“ Babe, it’s true ooo” She said laughing
“ Nneka, you are laughing?” I asked
“ Happy, you are crying?, why?” She asked still smiling
“ Why?, are you seriously asking me why I am crying after hearing the news that my pastor’s wife is dead?”
“ Aww, babe a lot of people saw it coming, it seem Pastor Maggie had it coming, you have not been reading peoples’ comment online, infact it is a celebration online” she said heartily
“ Celebration? How? When did someone’s death call for celebration?” I asked
“ Babe ask the internet, just type reactions about Pastor Maggie’s death and just to hint you, the race has started ooo and I am sure going to be the winner”
“ Race? What race?” I asked Still in the dark of what was going on
“ Happy, are you still on the bed?”
“ No!”
“ Then why is your brain not fully charged, Don’t you know we single ladies have found a new available husband on the shelf and the highest bidder gets him” She said seriously
My heart dropped…
Pastor Maggie’s death was barely 3 hours and people were already thinking of entering her shoe….
“ Babe, you know you are settled with Julius, please pray for me I enter into Pastor’s Maggie’s shoe…”
“ Nneka, you are heartless” I managed to say
“ Happy, I wasn’t expecting less from you, but babe this is the reality, Pastor Maggie is gone, she didn’t use her time well, remember Queen Vashti had to leave for Queen Esther to reign to help the people of God. I have what it takes to be a better wife and Mother in the Lord”
At this point, my tongue was on temporal vacation…
I was surprised these words were coming out of Nneka Because she was a bit close to Pastor Maggie and was always defending her whenever we spoke negatively about her dress sense….
Hmm! What a life?
Pastor Ray? What about him, I wondered how he was taking the whole situation…. Was he devastated or was he also happy he had been set free from his unhappy wife?
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