Thanks for the update, I just wonder how a single woman will be happy dating a married man, but will not want to share her own husband when she gets married

Well done Op

Nice one

Nice one

Very interesting story...keep it up WuraSerano!!

The phone had rung on and on without being answered. He was obviously not in there.

‘It’s about your coming home late,’ she started.

He grunted and chuckled. ‘Is that why you look so disturbed? You know my work.

That’s what delays me.’

‘It’s not your work,’ she declared.

He looked briefly confused. ‘So, what keeps me coming late?’

‘I don’t know.’ She shrugged and suddenly looked stupid. She had been thinking over her best to put the matter across to him.

She didn’t want to appear confrontational, yet, she wanted to display high sense of assertiveness.

He gazed at her. She met his eyeballs and continued: ‘I don’t know what keeps you late. But I know it’s not your work. I’ve phoned your office at seven o’clock on some occasions and nobody answered the telephone. You weren’t there during those calls.’

For a moment, he looked like a cornered rabbit. Then, he quickly recovered and had a trace of annoyance on his face. ‘So, you’re snooping on me.’

She laughed sadly. ‘Is that what you called snooping? I only called because I cared and still do. Is that the best defense you could put up?’

‘Thanks for calling.’ His tone was sarcastic. He grasped for some words.

‘My mother just told me the same thing – about coming home late. The two of you are right. I’ll cut down on my working hours, henceforth.’

She asked him the most burdensome question: ‘Jide, are you seeing another woman?’ She almost choked on the words.

The question threw him off balance. She stared at him and noticed the moment of what looked to her like discomfiture.

‘There’s another woman, isn’t?’ Her voice became croaky and suddenly felt headache. Gosh!

‘Come on, Yeni. Don’t be ridiculous.’ He feigned a mixture of perplexity and anger.
‘How could you make such an accusation?’

She had known him enough to know when he was faking words. She burst into tears and started weeping uncontrollably. He couldn’t bear to watch her, yet he looked helpless.

Guilt weighed him down considerably. Of course, Yeni was right in her suspicion. Was there a woman who would not feel forlorn about such fears and their near-confirmations?

He moved over to her and wrapped his hands around her consolingly. He didn’t know what to say other than to plead with her to calm down. Apart from the feeling of guilt, he also felt confused. What could he do now? He was in a fix.

* * *

Ekaette was drunk. It could make matters easy for Biyi, just as it could complicate things. Whatever way it fell would be interesting, he decided.

‘Have you enjoyed yourself very well?’ he asked.

‘Yeah.’ She laughed girlishly. ‘Of course, I have.’

‘It’s getting late. It’s ten o’clock.’

‘Who cares?’

She came to sit on his lap. He touched her neck and caressed her back. She giggled and responded with moans. She wasn’t as drunk as being totally out of control but the stupor was enough to get her to do anything crazy.

‘Why are you going out with a no-good-girl like Joyce? She asked, looking serious. His mind was blank for a moment.

‘Joyce? Yeah, Joyce. She was introduced to me by a friend.’

‘She’s no good. How can a decent man like you go out with her?’

He chuckled. Decent man indeed! ‘What’s wrong with her?’

She scoffed at the question. ‘Joyce? You don’t know anything about her. She’ll only skin you out of your money and dump you.’

Biyi could not suppress the laughter. How ridiculous for a girl to tell him that another girl could use and dump him! It was preposterous but he laughed over it. Let her shoot her mouth as much as she wanted, he thought in amusement.

‘Is that all to it?’

She gazed at him intently as if seeing him for the first time. ‘Is that not enough?
What do you want with a girl like that?’

He grinned and nodded.

‘I’m going to prove a worthier companion,’ she went on. ‘Trust me.’

Nice update

Thanks for the update

Thanks for the update

Well done op

Interesting episode

She came to sit on his lap. He touched her neck and caressed her back. She giggled and responded with moans. She wasn’t as drunk as being totally out of control but the stupor was enough to get her to do anything crazy.

‘Why are you going out with a no-good-girl like Joyce? She asked, looking serious. His mind was blank for a moment.

‘Joyce? Yeah, Joyce. She was introduced to me by a friend.’

‘She’s no good. How can a decent man like you go out with her?’

He chuckled. Decent man indeed! ‘What’s wrong with her?’

She scoffed at the question. ‘Joyce? You don’t know anything about her. She’ll only skin you out of your money and dump you.’

Biyi could not suppress the laughter. How ridiculous for a girl to tell him that another girl could use and dump him! It was preposterous but he laughed over it. Let her shoot her mouth as much as she wanted, he thought in amusement.

‘Is that all to it?’

She gazed at him intently as if seeing him for the first time. ‘Is that not enough? What do you want with a girl like that?’

He grinned and nodded.

‘I’m going to prove a worthier companion,’ she went on. ‘Trust me.’

He gave her a kiss and she clung onto him.

‘I know you’re the guy for me the moment I saw you,’ she mumbled.

The grin was now permanently etched on his face. He told her she was right. It made sense, somehow. Of course, he was the right guy for her.

They kissed again and he watched her unbutton his shirt and unzip his fly. Easy, easy, he muttered as he guided her on.

There wasn’t going to be any queer demand tonight. Just as she was, there the urgent need to satisfy desires of lust. He helped her remove her own dress, which wasn’t much anyway. After that, there was a blackout.

They didn’t wake up on Wednesday morning until few minutes to nine. She was the first to be fully awake. She had to drag herself out of bed. She felt headache and a kind of dullness she had not felt in ages. She was aghast when she realized what time of the day it was.

‘Hey, wake up,’ she told her companion.

Biyi grunted and opened his eyes.

‘Goodness,’ she exclaimed. ‘I’ll miss my first lecture.’

He stared at her blankly as if trying to place her.
‘Where’s the toilet and the bathroom?’

He directed her, turned on his back and closed his eyes. In his life, he had never come across sexually crazy girl like this. He tried to remember her name. It was something that sounded like Okata or whatever. He gave up.

Fifteen minutes later, she returned, already dressed up and ready to go. She tapped him on the shoulder.

‘Are you going to sleep all day long?’

He rubbed his eyes and sat up on the bed. ‘You’re going now?’ He couldn’t find any other thing to say.

‘Of course. I have lectures to attend. Besides, I have a test I’ll be writing by eleven this morning.’
He walked in nude to the wardrobe, opened it, yawned noisily and wore a pair of jeans and a tee shirt.

‘When do we see again?’ she asked. Her question was like a bash in the head. What made her imagine that he wanted to see her again? Did he? He grinned at himself. Yeas, he would.

‘I’ll come on weekend to pick you,’ he said.

‘Friday or Saturday?’

‘Friday,’ he replied without a second thought. ‘Same time I go around there yesterday.’ He yawned again and brought out a wad of naira notes.

‘Use these for your trouble.’

Troubles? What troubles? It had been a pleasure, hadn’t it?

She smiled delightedly. ‘Thanks, Biyi.’

He was almost shocked that she remembered his real name. He wanted to remind her to remind him of her name, but decided against it.

Nice update

Thanks for the update

He was almost shocked that she remembered his real name. He wanted to remind her to remind him of her name, but decided against it.

‘Let me have your number,’ she said. She stored his number and dialed it. ‘That’s my number,’ she put in.

To help him out of what to store the owner’s name as, she said: ‘Just simply save it as E.K.’
He smiled and nodded. If he could not remember the full name, surely, he should remember this.
He drove her to the main road and waved her off.

* * *

Jide and Yeni had woken up by five in the morning. He had to assure and reassure her that his love for her remained constant and unshaken.

There was no other woman who would take his love for her away, he insisted. Yeni didn’t know whether to believe him or not.

He had admitted that he sometimes went to the club or any other relation place to unwind after the tedious office hours. Why not come home to relax? She had asked innocently. Wasn’t he prone to falling for the temptation and seduction of these young ladies around?

Jide had laughed it off. He did that to create the impression that he was a man above such passion. He only went there to take few drinks with friends, he had argued. Just a couple of hours or so was all that he took.

Later, as he dressed up for work, he was still making promises. ‘You have nothing to worry about,’ he said for the umpteenth time as he tied the lace of his shoes. He looked dashing in his three-button suit.

He was certainly a good-looking guy. Yeni’s heart sank when she imagined that many ladies would him handsome, attractive and desirable. With his looks and status, surely he was a hot cake to many ladies.

Another inner voice told her that she was selfish. Must she only believe in herself without giving person a chance? She was beautiful and desirable too, by all standards. Would it not be preposterous of him to think that she had another lover outside?

No, she must not be too wrapped up in her own sentiment. Don’t be mawkish, she cautioned herself.

She followed him downstairs to the dining-table where he had some cups of coffee. Yeni was playing the adoring wifey.

‘Nike’s birthday is this Saturday, right?’ he asked as a way of changing the topic.

‘Yes. And it’s going to be groovy.’

‘I should think of something befitting for her,’ he said, half to himself. ‘I think she deserves something nice.’

Yeni agreed. ‘Yes. She’ll surely appreciate that.’
He sighed, lifted his briefcase and placed it on the dinning-table. Then, he snapped the locks open and brought out his cheque book. With a flourish, he signed a blank cheque and handed it to her.

‘What’s this?’ she asked, looking surprised.

‘For you. Cash any amount you desire, so long as it’s not more than six figures.’

‘Are we celebrating anything?’

‘No. I just want you to have a good time with some good things you may want. After all, your wish is my command. He smiled again.

‘I don’t know what to say,’ she said, staring at the cheque.

‘You don’t have to say anything.’

‘Oh, you’re such a darling,’ she gushed and came to give her a hug.

They kissed briefly and he was ready to go. Just then, mama came in. there were exchange of pleasantries and mama looked at the couple curiously.

‘I’m on my way, mummy,’ he told his mother and gave her bye peck.

As soon as he was gone, Yeni returned to the bedroom, still not entirely sure about him and his intents and actions. It would be very wrong if he thought he could use money to replace the undivided attention she desired from him.

Isn’t there that saying that money cannot buy love? Was Jide aware of this, or didn’t he believe in it?

Was he thinking he could use money to pacify her and make her be tolerant of his laxities? Could the money make her become less possessive and more permissive? If those were her thoughts, then he was in for a hell of shock.

She would never allow money to take precedence over real love. Never!

It was not the first time Jide would be making such an offering. Indeed, as far as she could remember, this was the fourth time. She had such a sharp mind she could keep track of such things.

The first time was some weeks before their wedding. At that time, she had believed the gesture was purely out of love.

The second time was when she had her first miscarriage and had become so downcast. The third was on the occasion of her thirtieth birthday. That was about five months ago. That time too, she had no doubt in her mind that the motive was very genuine. Now, for the latest offering, it looked like a Greek gift.

She looked at the check again and wondered just how much she would write on it. But maybe she was just having misplaced misgivings about him and the whole thing. Enough of your negative thoughts, she chided herself.

Why not be positive minded? Perhaps, Jide was still totally for her and her suspicion was baseless.

She hadn’t caught him red-handed, anyway, and whatever fear she had now was not quite consequential. Maybe she the one imagining things. She shrugged her thoughts off and went to take her bath.

She was expecting Roli by ten o’clock that morning. Ever time-conscious, the latter arrived some minutes to the time she said she would come.

Nice one op

Thanks for the update

Interesting

Thanks for the update

Where art thou?

Nice story u have here. I'm really expecting updates anytime soon.

She was expecting Roli by ten o’clock that morning. Ever time-conscious, the latter arrived some minutes to the time she said she would come.

‘Roli, Roli, you’re looking so good this morning,’ Yeni said as a way of greeting. 

Roli smiled. ‘I thought that compliment could only come from my husband.’ ‘You’re so inconsiderate of your friend, dear.’

‘You must forgive me. How’s everything going?’ ‘Fine. What about your husband and baby?’ ‘They’re all fine except that Sharon is becoming a little bit too troublesome these days.’

‘Such troubles are pleasant ones,’ Yeni remarked. ‘In a short time,’ Roli replied meaningfully, ‘you’ll really know if they are pleasant or not. Yours is on the way.’ 

Yeni smiled and nodded positively. She appreciated what her friend had just said. Roli was becoming more concerned about her. She had firmly stood by her in her travails.

After the third miscarriage, Roli had come up with an idea. ‘You need to tackle this problem from spiritual angle,’ she had said.

Yeni had looked at loss. ‘Spiritual? I don’t understand.’ ‘Oh come on, you should know. I think you need to spiritually strengthen and sanctify yourself so as to stop these miscarriages.’

Yeni had smiled sadly. ‘Has it gone to that extent?’ Roli raised her brows. ‘So, you’re waiting for it to get worse before you act, eh? Why can’t the trouble be nipped in the bud right away?’

Yeni sighed. ‘I believe with the medical treatment; the next pregnancy would be alright.’ ‘Don’t premise your belief on medicine alone.’ Roli’s advice had sounded like a stern warning. It was out of concern for her friend, she had explained.

She had finally succeeded in convincing Yeni to add the spiritual dimension to solving the problem. Yeni had shrugged and conceded that giving Roli’s offer a trial would not be harmful after all.

This morning, they had an appointment with Pastor (Dr.) Ayo Raphael, the Founder and General Overseer of Faith Manifestation International (FMI), a fast growing Pentecostal mission.

  ‘Jide’s mother is around.’ Yeni told her friend. Roli got up and out of courtesy went to mama’s room to greet the woman. Roli was in good terms with the woman and she often advised Yeni on how she could handle her. 

‘I didn’t know on time that you were around,’ Roli said. Mama smiled pleasantly at her. It was quite inexplicable, but she often wished Jide had married Roli. She wasn’t as beautiful as Yeni, or as graceful, but she was very cool, amiable and attractive in her own way.

‘How’re you, my daughter?’ It was the classical way mama greeted her. The two ladies exchanged banters for some moments. ‘Mama, we – Yeni and I – are going somewhere now, but we’ll soon be back,’

Roli excused.  Mama bade them farewell.

I can't even remember the story line again, I would have gone bk to refresh my memory but how am I sure d update will be consistent this time around. Well done op

Welcome back.

Wow thanks for the update after two years. I really hope it will be consistent this time.

‘How’re you, my daughter?’ It was the classical way mama greeted her. The two ladies exchanged banters for some moments. ‘Mama, we – Yeni and I – are going somewhere now, but we’ll soon be back,’ Roli excused. 

Mama bade them farewell. ‘Let’s go in my car,’ Roli said. Her Nissan Maxima was parked Yeni’s car. Roli always said she enjoyed driving, so her friend didn’t argue with her.

Roli played Kirk Franklin on the car stereo. Yeni couldn’t help admiring the way her friend drove expertly in the chaotic traffic. She was driving slowly but steadily. ‘It’s going to work, Yeni,’ Roli started to say.

‘I know some of the things Pastor Raphael will tell you. To start with, he is going to tell you the importance of faith. Yes, that’s very important. You must cast off any doubt or misgiving. You must have faith that the good things will be yours, and indeed, they will be.’ Yeni nodded but kept quiet.

‘I know, I’ve heard, of people, that have gone through similar problem. They’ve all been delivered. There are even worse cases. There was a woman who came to give a testimony in the church the other time.’ Roli warmed up to her story.

‘She had been declared barren by doctors. They told her she could not even conceive, not to talk delivering a baby. Then she came to see the pastor. After praying and fasting, she conceived.

‘Now, isn’t that wonderful? This is the same woman our medical experts said couldn’t conceive.

'She not only conceived, she took delivery of twins – a boy and a girl. With faith, of course. That’s it. The scripture says with faith, you could move mountains.

'With faith, whatever is one’s problem will be solved in no time. That’s the wonderful thing about faith.’ Yeni smiled to herself. ‘I didn’t know you’re such a preacher, Roli. I must confess that I’m impressed by your words.’ Roli smiled too.

Three months ago, when she had told her friends that she had become a born-again Christian, they hadn’t taken her so seriously. Of the trio of Yeni, Roli and Nike, Roli was the ‘baddest’ in their school days. Even when she was married to Akin, Roli couldn’t totally dispose of her sometimes-too-liberal attitude. 

Her latter day resolution to ‘go full for Christ’, as she called it, had come quite as a surprise. She had told them about her new found faith and the need for them too to embrace it so as to experience a new kind of bliss in life.

Her friends had said they too would become faithful when it was God’s time.  The time was now, Roli had counseled. They had thanked her but remained non-committal. 

The headquarters of FMI was at Oworonshoki and that was where the Overseer pastor had his office. In the anteroom to the pastor’s office, they were made to fill the visitor’s form by the secretary.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, they were ushered into his office. Pastor Raphael was an affable-looking man in his early forties. He wore an apologetic smile and apologized for delaying them for some minutes.

He was always too busy, he explained. So many visitors were coming for prayers and counselling. Even without his apology, Yeni and Roli could see that he must be a busy man.

Still following.

Op,
Don't leave us hanging......

Been a while

Nice one.

Even without his apology, Yeni and Roli could see that he must be a busy man.

As Yeni sat on an opposite chair facing the professed man of God, she couldn’t help studying him. The smile was still on his face and he looked calm, easy and trust-worthy. Was he really trustworthy?

‘So, what can I do for you, ladies?’ he asked warmly.

Roli set the ball rolling. She was a regular member of his church, she said, and she had brought a friend who was in distress and who needed spiritual assistance. It was then time for Yeni to speak up.

In a very short narrative, Yeni told him about three conceptions and miscarriages, plus what the gynecologist had said. What was her desire was to have children of her own happily without the horror of losing babies anymore, she concluded.

The pastor listened raptly. From his blank expression, he must have heard similar stories before. After Yeni had finished, he asked the two women to kneel down for prayers. He went into prayer that lasted for about five minutes. They were back in their seats and he was silent for a while, as if in a trance.

‘The horror of miscarriages is not your portion,’ he started, picking on each of the words for emphasis. ‘I can see that although you’re not a born-again Christian, yet, there is good inheritance which the almighty father already has in stock for you. Just as God told the children of
Israel in Exodus 23:26, you have no portion with miscarriages.’

He paused briefly. ‘However, there are things you must do on your part in order to claim the inheritance which is rightly yours.’

He allowed another meaningful pause and was glad that his listeners were very attentive expectant, especially the one concerned.

‘Yes,’ he continued. ‘There are two things that must be done. The first one is that you must become born again. Being born again is not a kind of ritual, as some people wrongly think. It only means accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior. It also means being baptized in the
water and the Holy Spirit.’

‘And what’s the second thing?’ Yeni asked.

The pastor nodded. ‘I was coming to that. Your mother-in-law is staying with you, right?’

Yeni was numbed. How did he know that? ‘Yes,’ she said simply.

‘When you get home, tell you’re sorry for whatever you might have done wrong to her.’

Now, Yeni was confounded. ‘I should tell her that I’m sorry for what?’ Her perplexity was unmasked.

‘That’s what the Holy Spirit directs me to tell you. When you get home, go on your knees and tell her you’re sorry. That’s all.’

Yeni still looked confounded. As far as she could remember, she hadn’t offended mama in any way. It was true that the relationship between them was less than rosy and a little bit constrained, there had been no confrontation or any trading of words between them. What then did she need to apologize for?

‘Is that all?’ Roli asked, breaking the icy silence.

‘That is all,’ Pastor Raphael replied. ‘The moment those two things are done, there is no need for special prayer or something like that. Of course, you’re free to come for prayers or counseling if you feel you need it. That is all.’

They thanked him and took their leave.

‘Well, what do you think?’ What do you think of him?’ Roli asked as soon as they were back in the car.

‘I don’t know.’ Yeni hadn’t been able to get over the confusion she felt. Somehow, she quite felt that she had wasted her time coming there.
None of what she had thought would happened was what transpired. For example, she had thought they would go into a lengthy prayer session. She also thought he would say some days be set aside for fasting.

None of these happened. Could he be one of the several fake men of God we have in our society these days?

As if reading her mind, Roli interjected: ‘You should have faith in what he said. I know that you’re a little bit confused, but that must have been what the Holy Spirit asked him to do. The pastor is a true man of God, I have no doubt. He had told some other people even stranger things, but those things came to pass. Don’t be confused. You just do what he says you should do, and you’ll see that things will turn out to be good. You’ve got to have faith.’

Things will turn out to be good. How true is this? Yeni considered in her mind. She however kept all these thoughts to herself.

But then, the man did not ask for money or any sacrifice, her mind reasoned, conversely. He only said she should beg mama. What was wrong with that? There was no harm in that, was there?

‘Alright, I’ll give it a trial.’




Above the Shadows: https://okadabooks.com/book/about/above-the-shadows/29529