Grabbing The Hot Gate - Episode 2

 

Gladys Bolawole sat still after the service, and waited at a corner for Stella. Normally, she should have queued up along with others to see her, but she had all the time in the world, she could sacrifice all the time in the world, and she would utilize it by waiting patiently, especially as Stella ordered her to wait till she finished with the people she was talking to.
 Although Stella wasn't the prayer coordinator, she was more fire-branded than the other members of the prayer unit. She was an emblem of power and genuine holy ghost fire . She glanced at Stella again, and saw her talking to the bible study teacher, Christiana, whom she had also started warming up to. However, for reasons beyond her comprehension, Christiana had suddenly become cold to her. She had almost summoned the courage to ask if she did something wrong, but felt Christiana was busy and didn't know how to handle it.
'Sister Gladys', Matthew, the follow-up unit's coordinator said with a broad smile that she understood to mean that he had gotten someone else to be a member of the Church and he wanted her to approve. She wasn't even the coordinator or an assistant, but Matthew just had a knack for making sure everything was working fine, and that she was part of the process. If he had the mind of making her his assistant or recommending her for any post, he had better keep his recommendation in the deepest corner of his pocket because she wouldn't oblige the call to a post until she had laid her hand on what she desired.
 Gladys gritted as she tried to avoid staring at the person Matthew came with

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/grabbing-the-hot-gate

. He wasn't the typical tall, dark and handsome type of guy. His body could easily be described as a beans stalk. It was only his neck and few inches of his shoulder that made his head different from his body, but he had a goatee that made him look handsome still. His soft clean-shaved cheeks were the perfect example of what she wanted on any man she would want to call her own. 
Despite the nagging painful desire in her heart to see Stella, she presented the man a big smile as she rose from her seat, hand outstretched. 
'Sister Gladys, he is our first timer. He's bro...'
'Japheth Adeogun'.
'Yes. Bro. Japheth', Matthew said joyfully. 'We will be visiting him soon. Both of us'.
'With all pleasure. It's a good thing to meet you, Bro... Which of the two is your name?'
'Japheth...'
'Good. Nice meeting you Bro. Japheth', she said as her mind began to creep back to her desire. If she got what she wanted, the thought about him could follow. She glanced at Stella's seat and saw she had one more person to attend to.
'Nice meeting you too' Japheth said. Then, Matthew led him away after lamenting about the poor evangelism of the Church, and how he might start a prayer meeting soon to ensure that the Church came back to sense.
She reverted to her thought, and didn't care about the way Christiana, sprinted out of the church. She wanted to be alone, in her coldness and desire. When she saw Stella strutting out of the building, she wanted to follow her, but she saw that the other woman was also waiting. She saw the shadows of the chairs on the floor, and wondered at the mysteries of the world. How was it that the sun could give a clear reflection of people's body? Some people have even learnt how to manipulate to form different objects and animals. What could she do? Nothing. She was so useless that nobody was thronging to her like they did Stella. If she got the power she so much craved, the whole mysteries of this world and of God would be laid before her like a field of herbs. She would know the deep things of God, and have the power that he had endued his own with.
 However, she was soon accosted by the assistant Bible Study Secretary, who came to ask her to join their unit. Upon seeing this, the Prayer coordinator rushed down to her side and playfully asked her not to accept the assistant Bible Study Secretary's offer, that the prayer unit had a better offer for her. The two of them rambled on, and tried to engage her in other drab worthless discussions until the Pastor's wife, Mrs. Praise, came around that she needed to see her.
'Do you mean you two are here fighting as if youre dogs and shes bone? Didn't you hear the commotion outside the church?'
'No, ma', the prayer coordinator said and glanced at the door that led out of the church. 
'See you. Divine had convulsion outside now. It wasn't funny. Only God saved her. God really saved her. Even Mama, that old woman that plays a blue fishlike tambourine'
They nodded. 
'Her fingers were injured because she dipped her hand into Divine's mouth. God! That woman. I feel for her'.
'Our same Divine?' The assistant Bible Study Secretary bemoaned, and hurried off to meet Christiana, who was leading her daughter into the church. She had a mark that always made her smile look like a frown when she wasn't showing her beautiful white teeth.
'Yes o. Thank God for Pastor, and one brother like that. I think he is the newcomer. The man is good. He quickly attended to her, and he helped stabilize her'.
The Prayer Coordinator also joined Christiana and her assistant as they kept trying to make sure Divine was alright.
 'Please have your seat', Mrs. Praise said as she squeezed her fat self into a plastic chair. Gladys glanced at the leg of the chair and felt for the chair. It was bent to a side. If she were the chair, she would probably give in to the heavy weight. 
'Well done ma', Gladys said.
Mrs. Praise started out by asking for the unnecessary things like how was her work, and a lot of rubbish that Gladys was sure would eat into her time and prevent her from meeting Stella before someone else came to get counselling from her. Her three-year-old son ran to her with a packet of chocolate to report someone and she waved him away, but not before she tore the wrap, and munched part of the bar of chocolate. Her son ran away mumbling how he would report her to his father. Gladys was sure she would never use her as a mentor. She didnt want chairs under her to scream in disgust as well.
'Mummy, I have an appointment with Sister Stella, after that last woman'.
'So you're saying I should say I want to say and leave', Mrs. Praise joked. Gladys smiled.
'That's not what I mean'.
'I know. The thing is that' Mrs. Praise said with a serious face as she tried to sit well in the chair. The chair winced and quaked. Mrs. Praise adjusted herself. 
'Sorry ma'.
Mrs. Praise waved her hand. 'Don't bother about that. I know it's not in my place, but I think I should hint you. Pastor ought to have called you about this, but I guess he is so busy and the person that sent him to you really wants the reply soonest'.
Gladys felt the urge to glance at Sister Stella but she held herself in place like the taproot of an herb would firmly do. 
'How often do you pray?'
Gladys blinked severally, she never expected such question from Mrs. Praise. 'Regularly, daily'.
'I mean about him'.
'Who?'
'Him. The him', Mrs. Praise said and winked. Her closed eyes made her look like the bark of an old tree. The new suits she wore was in no way able to cover her fatness up. Unfortunately, she wore a small blue camisole that made it hard for her cleavages to get any covering, and because of that she kept covering the cloth with her sweaty hand. 
Gladys blinked severally and gurgled. 'There's no him'
'Seriously? At this your age, with this kind of beauty?'
Gladys blinked again. 'Erm... It's not on the top of my list at the moment. It's still in the store and would be later placed on fire, but for now. I'm not in a rush'.
Mrs. Praise sighed. 'Mr. Akanni, you know him right'.
She nodded. He was extremely rich and was a good singer, handsome and played with kids a lot. Who wouldn't know him? Most of the ladies in the church referred to him as husband material, 50-yards.
'He believes the Lord wants you to be his wife'.
At first she stared at Mrs. Praise, then she scoffed and burst into laughter. 'Mummy, that manHe must be engaged now. Maybe he just said it in passing. I mean'
'No. He meant it. Don't think about it. Just pray...'
'Mumm'
'Just pray'.
'I won't lie. I'm not ready to pray. If he can wait, I'll pray.'
'He will wait'
'For like two years'.
'Are you joking?'
'No ma. My desire is different at the moment. And I'm not ready to pray on such frivolity?'
'Marriage? Frivolity? Are'
Stella came forward and Gladys felt like jumping on her as if she was her mother, who had arrived to save her from a wicked older neighbor. 'Mummy. Gladys. Good evening. Sorry for disturbing. Gladys, when you're ready.'
'We're done already. Just pray about it'.
'I've heard you, ma. Tell him my stand, ma'.
Gladys rose. Even if she would pray, it would be for a bolder man, not for one that hid under a fat Pastor's wife. She looked at her blue midi skirt and dusted off wrinkles from it.

Read " Lost But Satisfied " by the same author ( Akíntayo Akinjide )

. She had ordered her outfit from Fundel Collections, along with the bell sleeved striped top she wore on it, and a Hermes bag. The collection was transported to her from Ibadan, and she wouldn't want Mrs. Praise to stain it with her ungodly news. How would it be that her clothe that didn't have any blemish on it when it was transported to Black Town, would now have stains from the rubbish Mrs. Praise was spitting. No wonder the man always wanted to give her a lift despite knowing she had her own car. 
Gladys scurried after Stella, who walked away majestically. When they closed the door of the Church's prayer room, Stella asked, 'What do you want?'
'Power. I want power'.
Stella gave her a bland gaze that made her anxious. She sighed as if she had no other option. 'Okay. Let's start'.