SMALLVILLE COLLEGE (SMC) 4

WRITTEN BY: LIZZY OYEBOLA YAKUBU



AVA
God, vindicate my bro!

I felt a surge of electricity run through my mind as I thought about how things had suddenly gone sour in our family.

We were just a normal happy middle class family about fifteen years ago until dad got an international contract that changed his life and ours forever.

When we had to move to Miami, I never knew it was the beginning of a totally new life for us all.

We met Bro Earl there for the very first time as he had been in Florida all his life. He was a born again child of God that he sometimes put me off when he started his sermons.

Dad instructed all of us never to go close to him or listen to all he had to offer. We were Christians of course but we saw pastors as money sucking machines hence we only went to church during harvest, thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Year eve- four times in a whole year!

“You’ve been in Miami for a while and you have had to wear a lot of designers. By the time you get back to Nigeria, you will see the fake versions of all these designers. Leggo Jeans for example never fades. When you get to Nigeria and you see faded Leggo Jeans, how would you feel?” Bro Earl had asked me one time.

“Not too bad. I expect that we have Nigerian brothers who manufacture what looks like Leggo Jeans. It faded because it was never Leggo Jeans from the start.” I had laughed and he smiled gleefully.

“I love your smartness smallie. That’s the correct answer! It was never a Leggo Jeans from the start! Some so called pastors like the fake Leggo Jeans are misrepresenting Christ, milking all the money of their members, preaching prosperity over righteousness and exalting the building over the pew! Why? They were never pastors from the start. Or maybe they were from the start and they
eventually gave in to seductive spirits. We shouldn’t allow these people’s problem chase us from fellowshipping with believers as the Bible admonishes” He had told me.

“Really!”

“Once one gets a Bible believing church, it will all be easy. One would keep growing spiritually and in all other ramifications. Once one worships in a dead church, one would as well be dead” He told me and I nodded.

“I will follow you to church on Sunday then” I said and just like when thunder strikes, I felt a thunderous slap across my ear down to my face.

“Yeh!” I cried out in pain as I lost focus. I blinked severally as I saw stars before falling to the ground, my jaws locked. I knew it must be my dad. He was the one that had such large and firm palm.

“Earl, if you want to preach to my children about your miserable religion, you will have to leave this house. Oh yes, you were doing well without us, so go do well on your own and live my children out of it!” Dad thundered.

“And you…” He started as he picked me up from the floor with a hand like I was a piece of paper.

“You will have to choose between Earl and your family. You have to choose between religion and liberality” He screamed at me. His eyes were very red so much so that I became so scared of him.

Immediately he let go of me, I ran quickly to Bro Earl and hid behind him. I peeped to look at my dad’s angry face thereafter.

“Ava, are you mad?” Dad screamed, breaking one of mum’s precious vase.

“Ava!” Mum called out too. I didn’t know if it was the anger of her broken vase or because she felt sorry for me.

Dad stormed out of the sitting room just then and I was relieved for a while. Bro Earl turned to look at me. He bent before me and pecked my forehead.

“You are a treasure! You are just six years old and you have chosen Jesus? That’s the best choice darling” He was saying to me when suddenly his eyes turned red, his teeth was clenched and I looked up!

Dad was pressing a very hot pressing iron into his back!

“Dad!” I screamed aloud. I was very shocked at the inhumane attitude of my dad. Why did he so hate spirituality? As far as I was concerned, Bro Earl was the best brother in the world for me.

“Leave my house now!” He eventually lifted the iron which sizzled with burnt cotton. I bent quickly to sees Bro Earl’s back and it was an eyesore!

He smiled sadly at me as tears rolled down his face.

“Bring his bags out. He leaves today!” Dad screamed again. He stormed inside as mum followed sheepishly.

“You need to call the police bro. This is demonic” I was already crying. With a shivering hand and a shaking jaw, Bro Earl picked my frail hand and smiled.

“Having a burnt back is much smaller compared to having nails in your hands and feet, having a thorny crown on your head, being whipped with canes that have blades with blood gushing out. It is much smaller compared to the Lamb of God that was ridiculed on the cross meant for criminals. Jesus loves you smallie.” He hurriedly said and started moving to the door.

“I love you bro” I screamed as he left, his bags being thrown after him.

“Get into your room, now!” My dad screamed at me and I hurriedly ran into my room, weeping profusely.



Source: https://ashsalt.com/2020/05/smallville-college-smc-4/

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