Grabbing The Hot Gate - Episode 14

 

 Japheth glanced at the door for the umpteenth time to be sure it was locked. Alexis called again from outside, crying and begging him to give her a chance in his life. Her fist hit the door repeatedly along with her incessant call.
He was happy that he was finally free from her after two weeks of sending her away with the load she brought with her, and was going to ask Mirabel to be his girlfriend, and invariably be his wife. Aunty Gbemy felt bad when he took Mirabel to her place as a friend, nothing more . She complained that she suspected he was relapsing into the thought of those days he was raped. But he had promised her that he would surely do something about it before February. So, when she came knocking the door and he opened it to see, he almost fainted. When she knocked the door, he assumed that Richard came back to pick his small phone, which Japheth forgot in his own car because he used it to call Stella to give her his progress report as they were both accustomed to. Richard had squatted at his place for two days because their house was razed by fire three days ago. They were friends from his University days, and had only recently discovered that their houses weren't far from one another. They both went out with Mirabel the previous day, to make Richard stop worrying about the razed house.
The moment the knock came, he hurried off, scolding himself for unconsciously knocking the door.
'Richard

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. Guy, I'm so sorry for' He said as he was opening the door, but had to stop himself when he saw Alexis standing in the passage. He stretched and shouted at Chuks.' Chuks, your salary will suffer'.
Chuks scratched his head and stared at him with guilty written over his face. Alexis must surely have something over him to make him always allow her into his compound. Alexis crumbled to her knees and positioned her hands like those of the praying mantis. She began to cry and tell him that God had saved her. She firmly tied a scarf around her head, making sure the scarf covered her hair. Her blouse covered her neck, and had a round shape to depict a certain Pentecostal church in Nigeria. Even in her kneeling position, her skirt covered her legs. The clothes looked as if she was thrown into a sack, and was forced to wear the clothe to his place. Her face that was usually designed with makeups was now drab, and wasn't even adorned with any pieces of jewelry. Her dressing overkilled its moderation. She had also removed her human hair attachment, but a leopard can't change its skin. There was no way he would take her pretense as the truth.
'Get up. Get up and Get out, now'.
'Please See, I'm saved and I'm changed. I'm a new creature'.
 He stared at her for a moment and hissed. 'Indeed'.
He banged the door behind her as she shouted that God had really saved her. If God had saved her, she wouldn't even have a reason to come to his place. 
Time was like a baby. If unplanned for, it would crawl off the edge until one had to cry for its demise. He had to use this period to plan how he wanted to woo Mirabel, and ask her to be his girlfriend.
'Japheth', Alexis cried again, banging the door. She was now heaving like one that had recently lost someone close to her.
When he noticed her plea would soon break him and melt his heart, Japheth ran to the sitting room and connected his laptop to the home speakers and searched for a good preaching to play. Mirabel had encouraged him to follow some Pastors, whom she felt are worth listening to.
He heard of Pastor Natalie Ikeremadu (from Fortune City), Apostle Joshua Selman, Apostle Johnson Suleiman Kenneth E. Hagins, Benny Hinn, Sekou Abodurin, Moyo Akin-Ojo and so many others. He chose one of Apostle Joshua's Selman's Miracle Service. 
The persistent knock increased. He was done for. However, in a short while, the noise was drowned in the overwhelming tongues with which the message began to play. He felt elated. Time was essential and there was no way he could waste it believing the lies of a girl, who only wanted him for sex. Maybe later in his life, he would preach to her, but for the main time all he needed was freedom from his desire, from her.
Two weeks ago, when he was about sending her out of his life, out of his house, she promised to get saved. Now, she had returned, claiming God had saved her. She promised to get saved, and was saved already. How did that even happen? Was there a conviction or something?
'Ah!' He exclaimed as he continued praying along with the preaching. The vigor with which the Apostle was praying was enough to make anyone pray along with him. Japheth wasn't able to speak in tongues yet, but he would give in to the prayer in his understanding. He would pray with English, in his understanding. The fire was burning within him. That's it. He had overcome his worst distraction. Even when she was around. The best way to test if a drug was working was to place the pathogen on the same host as the drug meant to cure it. He was tested and trusted. She would never be his downfall.
He wouldn't hear anything, but the knock became harder and louder. Whatever she was using was definitely hard, probably a stone. He forgot to instruct Chuks to send her away and that was what he would do. Flee from all evil, the Bible had admonished, and that was what he would do.
'You're still here', he said, opening the door as if he wanted to remove it from its hinges.
 His hand shook the moment he saw her. Quickly, he pocketed it, happy that he wore trousers that allowed him do that. Her behavior was extremely absurd. What kind of love would make such alpha-female become a beta for him, become a Christian? No, that was unusual and unacceptable.
'You are an idiot. Get out of this house', he shouted, stepping closer to her, to be sure she would listen to what he was about to say.' I don't want or love you. Get out of my house'.
'But we both know that I'll do anything for you, you know I'm not a jambito. You love me and I love you', she cried.
He inhaled and exhaled loudly as he rubbed his fingers with his thumb. 'You want to make me happy?'
She nodded. 
'Give me my key'.
She became still. 'But that means'
'That means you don't want to make me happy', he said as made to lock the door.
'Okay. I'll give you', she searched a part of the bogus skirt and removed his key. The head of a pocket knife poked from under the skirt. Was she planning to kill him? With a trembling hand, he tried to yank it off her hand. She grabbed his hand and kissed it continuously. This was becoming absurd, very odd.
'Chuks', Japheth shouted and pulled his hand off her. 'Chuks, come and carry this girl outside'.
Chuks, who had been watching from afar, sprang forward and was reluctant in carrying her because he knew he always encouraged their relationship. However, with a fierce look from him, Chuks carried her out amidst her numerous pleas and shriek. She screamed and kicked. 
Japheth's head was in the sand; there was no way he would go back on his word. There was no way he would allow her to destroy his life. Her inordinate desire was eating deep into his sanity. No matter the love he used to have for her: it was over. Now, they had better things or matters to deal with like his spiritual growth and his communication with God. She thought she was in love, but when her Post Utme result arrived, and she went to the University, she would find a better person. It was one of those teenage-loves; one that many of them trained themselves to believe that was the only love on earth.
He wouldn't meddle with things of the world, her. ' I've got my mind made up and I won't turn back. Carry her'.
Chuks wheezed her out of the compound, and locked the door. She screamed and cried and banged the door and repeated the process again.
'Don't ever open the door for her again', Japheth ordered Chuks, then stormed into the sitting room, and banged the door behind him. Now that he had the key, he was enriched in his freedom. The noise within the sitting room had muffled her noise. As he moved nearer to the heart of the noise, her voice was drowned entirely. He was recovering from sin. God had use Stella to help him retain God in his mind. Therefore, his inordinate thoughts and desires had been tamped. He wouldn't go back to the way he used to be before God presence came and found him. 
As he reduced the volume of the player to room level, he heard the incessant banging of the gate again.
'What's with Alexis?' He muttered as he slumped into the chair. She was a wounded Lion, and would soon get over her injury. She used to claim he was the only one that made her happy. With time, she would get over him. Maybe later, she would try to have revenge by flaunting her body at him, and God would help him against her.
He kept listening to the preaching and dozed off in the process. 
Suddenly, someone banged his door. He jumped up, surprised, and stared at the window. 
'Who's there?'
The person repeatedly banged the door. He shouldn't have asked who it was. He knew who it was. How did she enter the compound? Was Chuks not at the door? He stared at the door and rose with the hope that he wouldn't do something bad to her. 
He flung the door open to meet his gateman shaking like a wet leaf. 
 Japheth sighed. 'Chuks, why were you knocking in that manner?'
'Boss, that girl... Alexis ComeCome', Chuks rambled and rushed away.
 'Come back here', Japheth shouted as he glanced at himself and at Chuks. 'What's wrong?'
'Boss come oShe will die. She is dead. Just come', Chuks rambled and rushed away.
Japheth ran after him. 'What's happening? Talk to me'.
'She will kill herself'.
Chuks ran out of the house and Japheth followed. Whatever was happening must be so bad that Chuks would be speechless. Chuks was never short of words.
 'Jesus', Japheth screamed as he stopped outside.
Alexis' sat with her back against the black gate of his house, unconscious. Her head had dropped to her chest. A blood-stained pocket-knife suspended from her hand while blood oozed from her other hand onto the dry ground. Lying in front of her was the drawing of a heart with his name inscribed on it, and the letter 'I' was written outside the heart.
A crowd had gathered around her and flies had gathered also to feast, buzzing as they spiraled about the pool of blood. 
'Chuks, go and bring my first aid box. No, my car key', Japheth cried as he pushed his way to the front. The time for first aid was too late. The injury was deep. She had lost a lot of blood. But, Chuks was jittering and was moving forward and backward towards her. Japheth pulled off his shirt, leaving his singlet, ran to her and grabbed her hand, applying pressure with the cloth. 
'Boss... Mr. Japheth, don't touch her. Police. Police'.
'Are you daft? Come and help me lift her to my car. In fact, go and get my car keys. Go and get those keys'.
Japheth lifted her and raced into the house with her on his arms, the crowd parting ways for him. Chuks ran out, dangling the key at Japheth's face as he was trying to open the car door. A scowl from him sent Chuks scurrying to open the door. He tied the shirt around her hand, banged the door and ran to the driver's side of the car. Hurriedly, he checked her pulse and sighed as he ignited the car. The speed with which he drove to the hospital was faster than the impulse of the body. The way she laid should have seen her heaving like a cranky house in a storm, but she seemed to lay too still. He glanced at her and when he looked up, a truck was heading towards him, honking terribly. He swerved, but didn't stop for a moment as he maneuvered his way to the hospital. He grabbed his phone and dialed Mirabel's phone number, explaining to her that he was bringing Alexis to the hospital. She got the urgency and didn't joke about it. He told her to make sure the doctor on duty was ready to treat her.
The moment he got to the hospital, he began screaming instructions to the nurses. He would have loved to treat her himself, but his hospital was so keen on protocols that they would deny any of his offer to render help to the dying girl. The only person that could treat her was the doctor on duty. 
 'Oh Jesus, don't let her die', he said.
Mirabel re-emphasized her efficiency and loyalty in front of him.
'She is in one of the best hands', Mirabel said as she made sure he was seated, and that he wasn't moving about, working himself up. 
Not knowing what to do, he began to chant the only Bible verse that came to his mind. While his dancing legs did the worrying for him. 'He sent forth his word and healed her of her diseases. Alexis, you shall not die. You shall not die in Jesus name. You will live'.
The only person he could speak to in the hospital was busy saving the only person he used to speak to. However, he must talk to someone and the only person he could talk to at the moment was Stella. Gladys was too judgmental and serious to not find faults. Her behavior always made him feel as if she had a desire to cage him just like Alexis did, her own caging doubling Alexis'. So, he hurried to his car to pick Richard's smaller phone, which he forgot in his car. Luckily, Richard had a lot of call bonus from Glo. So, he hurriedly dialed Stella's phone number. She was the only Christian he could trust to make Alexis survive. How would someone become obsessed with him? He wouldn't allow it. After waking, he was sure she would come out of her delusion and be focused on her bleak future. She was just too young to have an uncontrollable hunger for inordinate affection with him.
Immediately Mrs. Stella's number got connected, he explained everything to her in a manner that showed how fearful he was. His fear was spread on every word he spoke like butter on bread.
'Calm down.

Read " The Thorny Path to Europe " by the same author ( Akíntayo Akinjide )

. You're treading the right path. Just keep making positive confessions about the situation. I can assure you she won't die. God will make you two have a good ending'.
'Ma. She's no longer my lover. Please, don't let God do that...'
' No... No. I meant he would make you have a reason to praise him. It's not necessarily about relationship'.
'Okay. Please ma, pray for me. If she dies, I'll not be happy or be at peace'.
'Where are you?' She asked.
He described the hospital to her.