Grabbing The Hot Gate - Episode 9

 

 Staring at the Gate    
Gladys reminisced on what happened at her mother's place as she sat in her car, since no one was in the Church yet. The woman would never cease to amaze her. The only reason she went there was to see how she was doing. As usual, her mother had taken her coming as if it was that of a president. Gladys had cautioned her to no avail with the way she stressed herself to prepare one of her favourite dishes for her . 'Can't I feed my daughter again?' Her mother chided. 
 Like every other time, she sighed and she traced, with her tongue, the morsel of pounded yam in her mouth. The aroma of the pounded yam, alongside the vegetable soup, made her swallow hard. Her mother's food always topped the reasons she went to Greencity.
'Mama, I saw a vision', Isabel, Gladys' sister, whispered through a mouthful.
Her second sister, Roselyn, chuckled.
Gladys glanced at Isabel, then at Roselyn.
'She is joking right, Mama?' Gladys glanced at her mother whose face was gradually becoming red. Roselyn threw a knowing glance at Gladys. She muffled a laughter when Gladys couldn't see the reason for the amusement. She threw a glance at their mother's face, signaling to Gladys to watch the event unfold.
'My God will burn your vision to fire

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

. I call on the God of Elijah, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Ayo-Babalola, Kenneth Hagin, Adeboye, Chintok, Selman, Okonkwo, Copeland...'
'Mama, that's okay'.
'Gladys Omobolanle. That's not okay. That's not okay', she shouted as dropped the morsel of pounded yam into the bowl in front of her. Then pointed to Isabel. 'Isabel Isabel If I'm your mother. If it's I, Josephine Imole Bolawole, that gave birth to you. If I born you well, I must never hear you talk about seeing any vision in your life. Now or Forever. My God will burn your vision'.
Roselyn burst into laughter, while Isabel kept a straight face. If Gladys knew her sisters well, she was sure they were playing a prank on their mother.
'But Mama if I saw a vision, won't I talk again?'
'No. Don't talk'.
'Mama' Gladys said, but was cut short by her mother's sharp wave.
'Don't Mama me. Are you people deaf? Youve seen the happenings. People are disappearing. May God punish that vision of yours. He will burn it with brimstone and fire'.
The two girls exclaimed, and Isabel gave up on the act. She burst into laughter, and began to cough terribly. Yet, she didn't stop laughing at her mother. The reaction aggravated Roselyn's laughter the more, she fell down from her chair. Isabel grabbed a cup of water, gulped it down and erupted into another bout of laughter. Gladys chuckled as she tried hard to be an adult. They all knew that their mother's reaction to everything always went like warfare. 
'Mama, they were joking. You've been living with these two clowns for years and you cant tell when they are playing with you'.
 Their mother flared up as she realized she was being played. 'You bastards'. She threw a morsel of pounded Yam at Isabel, who bent to make it splash on Gladys' face. The girls burst into laughter.
'Oh my daughter', her mother said, scurrying out of her seat to wipe the morsel off Gladys' face.
'It's okay Mama'. She had to hold herself from shouting at her mother for always being too overbearing and over-caring. 'I'm fine, Gladys' mother. I'm fine o. I said I'm fine, Mama'.
Her mother turned quickly to slap Isabel, but she seemed prepared for it as she jumped out of her chair. They all returned to their seats, and Gladys asked for the full details of the people being kidnapped.
Her mother took up the position of the storyteller, she informed her about the way those who saw visions of hell kept disappearing. Later, she told Isabel and Roselyn to excuse them because she wanted to talk to Gladys. They grumbled but left.
 Gladys guessed and was right about her mother's reason for doing so.
'Gladys', her mother said. 'A flower that hides from butterfly would forever live in isolation'.
'Mama', Gladys said. Her mother wanted to start her normal talks on how Gladys should and must be married in her prime.
'See your late Uncle, Gabriel, he didn't marry because he was still biding his time, and it affected him'
Suddenly, Roselyn poked her head into the room. 'No matter how important what you are saying is, I don't care. You've got to come outside now'.
Gladys felt like stoning her with a shoe. 'Rose, must you always interrupt us whenever we are having a private heart to heart discussion'.
'But Mama'
'Scram' Her mother yelled. 'Get off'.
'It's the Landlady. Madam Joana'.
Her mother's face was flushed with a tempting desire to go outside. Gladys knew her. The landlady, Madam Joana, was her friend. So whenever someone informed her about her, she was always ready to see what was happening.
'A minute', she said and rushed off after Roselyn. Her voice resounded as she rushed off. 'What happened?'
Sighing, she followed them. Her mother would surely rant if she never showed her face at whatever was happening outside. She believed one must have a little knowledge of whatever was happening in one's environment. The woman was Gladys' nightmare. 
Upon getting to the farther end of the passage, she saw one of her mother's neighbours, Claudia, clapping repeatedly at Joana, who was also shouting that they would leave her house.
'You'll leave my house', Joana shouted and faced the other lady, Tracey. Tracey was a tall dark, beautiful girl whose face could make a lady wish to be a man. Gladys shook her head to keep such nauseating thoughts out of her mind as she watched Claudia, the slim, short lady, whose frail body seemed suddenly enlarged by her rage, with the veins under her skin protruding in red lines around her skin. Tracey was speechless as she glanced at Gladys with guilt written over her face. She and Tracey and even Claudia weren't that close, but they have had reasons to discuss on general issues once or twice. Gladys made face at Tracey to know what happened. Tracey shook her head. Gladys felt like hugging the beautiful innocent face. She shook her head again and faced the other side.
'You two. In my house. That is sodomyYou are sodomites'.
Gladys' mother was trying to tear the two of them apart, while her sisters continually made crazy insulting gestures behind Joana's back. On a normal day, she would have shouted at them to stop.
Claudia steadied herself as she brushed Tracey aside. 'What does this woman think she is? A sanctimonious... Is she Jesus? Even Jesus was a good person. I will show you pepper and fire. Do you think we don't know your history? We've heard how you were once a prostitute'.
With her round short body moving about like a ball, Joana jumped and shouted, 'thank you. But now I'm saved. See the two of them, Lesbians. And I know who taught who. You this short tiny devil. The Lord forbids you'.
'Oh!' Gladys said as she glanced at Tracey with scorn. Traceys eyes widened and she attempted to explain herself, but Gladys shook her head and stormed back to her room. Everybody is crazy. Everybody is dipping their hands into bowls of marshy sins. She slumped on the bed and slept off, thereby avoiding her mother's call. But the most memorable and horrifying thing about that night was the fact that she saw her body dangling into a place that looked like the home of a rich person. Then, that body followed the woman to a hideous underground room. The dream was fuzzy, but she could still remember how she saw a woman with a knife stabbing a man to death. The man was laid on what looked like an altar. Although she didn't get the chance to really see the woman's face, she looked like Stella.
 Staring out of the car, and waiting for someone else to enter the Church premises before she did, she tried to keep her mind off her nagging fear. Everything she did was consistent with the Bible; yet, there were some irregularities. 
She must have been so deep in thought that she didn't know when Japheth's car drove into the parking lot because the first time she saw him was when he was alighting from his car. He was unusually early for a fornicator. She sat up in her car as she watched him stand in front of the massive Church building. She honked, and Japheth looked up towards her direction. She sized him up.
 He was very handsome and would surely make a good husband, but she just couldn't take him or have any thought about him. In fact, she couldnt afford to have thoughts about him until she was sure he was holy, righteous, purified, sanctified and justified. And with all her energy, she would do everything to make him reach the right standard, of God. She would make sure of that. One of the implications of that was that she wouldn't go easy on him. She stepped out of her car to honour him, smiling.
 He walked briskly towards her with his hands in his pocket, and they exchanged pleasantries, though he did it with a little reserve.
'Come into my car', she said, and tried to avoid suggesting that they moved to his car though she longed to see how neat it was.
 He nodded. 'Thanks'.
After a few awkward seconds of silence in the car, she turned to him. 'Why are you in Church so early? And I hope you have prayed about what I told you?'
 He fiddled with the dashboard, and swallowed hard, staring at the figure on her dashboard. 'I came early to talk to you'.
'Oh! That's good because you need to really talk and confess your sin'.
 He nodded repeatedly. 'I have prayed to God. I hope he just forgives me because I'm so tired of going back'.
'Bro. Japheth, do you want me to tell you the truth? Only Confession wouldn't solve your problem'.
Surprised, he turned to face her. She loved the fact that he was attentive.
'See, what you did is that you nailed God to the cross afresh. It's like perdition. That's why you have to pray for a new heart. That will be refreshing', she said and tore her eyes away from the mirror she was staring at.
'But the people that helped me become a new person in Christ said that I don't need to even ask God for forgiveness because we've been forgiven the sins of the past, present, future...'
'Ah! Who told you such lie? That's preposterous and heretic and a sin against God and man. First John One says if we say we have no sin we lie and the truth is not in us'.
'I'm not sure I get you. Are you saying the truth is not in me?'
'The Bible says so, Bro. Japheth. You're getting angry quickly. You need to receive the Holy Spirit. I'm sorry if I come as harsh but it's the gospel truth and I'm one of the few around here that tell it'.
He frowned and she could feel the tension in the air. Even if she wanted to bring her voice down, it was useless. He needed to hear the raw gospel truth to grow.
'I don't get. But I have the Holy Spirit They told me. I have the Holy Spirit'.
'Are you kidding me?' She said as she stared at him in surprise. Whoever had been filling his head with rubbish had failed because she was now there to put things right. With the real word of God, she would wash him clean, and make him strong enough to stand on his feet. 'What's your evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit since you believed?'
He stared at her, glanced at the roof of the car, opened and closed his mouth repeatedly.
'You don't know...'
 He nodded.
'Do you read your bible?'
'Yes'
'How?'
'I just read it. In fact, I spend 20 minutes on it'.
 'Wow20 minutes', she said and stared at him. 'And you've been a Christian for just two months?'
His face brightened. He was delighted in his mediocrity.
'I make sure I'm consistent'.
She chuckled. 'You're funny. This is your second month; you should be able to have at least...at least, two hours of studying the bible'.
'Ahan. Will I not go to work again?'
'That's sacrifice. That's the sacrifice. You can't be here at this level any longer'.
She bit her upper lip, and wished he could quickly go through all the stages of growth like a hybrid poplar. Then, she would feel the need to pray about him, about any possible chance of him being the man for her.
'I'm trying. I'm just new. I don't know who will guide me. Everybody has abandoned me'.
She felt like badgering him, but thought otherwise. 'You need a mentor'.
 He sighed. 'I think that will do it'.
 She smiled. He was ready to learn. Maybe she was too harsh. In fact, she didn't always do that to people or even strangers, but he was becoming special to her. 
'Will you be my mentor? You are knowledgeable about the bible'.
'Me?' She muttered as she touched herself. 'I'm...I'm...'
As if God answered the quick prayers that ran through her mind for an escape, Stella knocked her side of the car, and poked her head.
'What are you doing? The service will start soon. We need to start pre-prayers. Good afternoon Bro....'
'Japheth'.
'Sister Stella, meet Bro. Japheth. He is a new member'.
Stella's face brightened. Gladys felt like taking a picture of that smile, especially as the sun reflected on Stellas face. The picture, as a wallpaper, would fit perfectly beside the vase of City Flowers in her room. Seeing both of them would make her happy always, for long. Stella had the sweetest smile she had ever seen and she craved it.
'Welcome, Bro. Japheth. It's nice meeting you. I'm Stella'.
'Welcome ma'.
 Gladys' face brightened as an idea struck her. 'I know this is an awkward situation but Bro. Japheth is a new Christian and he needs a mentor. But what he really needs is a discipler. Can you be his discipler?'
 She glanced at Stella then at Japheth, whose face was lit in awe.
'Yes. Let's talk after service', Sister Stella said.
Gladys felt like hopping about like a frog throughout the service. Her most prized man was becoming a gold. Stella would purify him with the word and power. Now, she would watch him grow and then they would pray about relationship. It was babyish for her to think of this, and this feeling was strange, but she needed it to ward her mind off the dream she had overnight. 
The scariest part of the dream was that she loved what the woman in the dream was doing and she wanted to be the one killing the person tied down. In the spirit, she drank the blood and desired for more. She hoped to God it was just a dream, and nothing else. 
After service, Mr. Akanni came again with his disturbance, and she warded him off, disgusted at his desperate promise to do anything for her.
'What? Are you that desperate? Common, man. Nothing must happen to me. The way you are acting is sending cold down my spine'.
He backed down. 'No. Nothing. I only mean to help you'.
She gritted at him and smiled. She would give him something illegal and impossible to do.
'So, my mother's landlady at Greencity has these lesbians in the house. Evict them'.
He opened his mouth, awestruck. That was definitely an impossible request. He didnt know her mother, her mothers landlady, or even where the house with the gay occupants was. Was he supposed to just go to Greencity, moving from street to street in search of her mothers house? 
She smiled at him, and walked away. She had kicked another man in the balls. When Japheth was still under training, how would she stop getting ready for him?
'Where Where is her place?'
She shrugged, not looking back. 'That's your problem, not mine'.
                        ***
After exchanging phone numbers with Stella, and thanking Gladys for being a path to his becoming a changed person, he drove to the hospital. He wasn't one that always went out to parties and places of fun, but since he had been trying to escape being around Alexis, the only way he could get her off his head was to be with the one person that really loved to be with him for the fun of being around him.
Mirabel wasn't on duty that night, but they were heading for a restaurant again. Although her mother wasn't around, she still wouldnt allow him to enter their house. So, when he met her outside, typing furiously into her phone, he had to honk to bring her back to the world. 
'Welcome back to the world and my car'.
She looked about in it and sneered at him. He knew she was still shocked by Saturday's discovery. But she had assured him she believed him.
'How's our wife?'
'She is on the way'.
'She's coming?'
'No. I mean I'm yet to have a wife'.
She hissed and hit his hand. 'Fish'.
They went to a restaurant, had a nice time, and were returning to her house, when he saw Aunty Gbemy buying something at an event planning shop. He stopped the car, and jumped down.
'Where to?' Mirabel shouted after him.
He stopped behind Aunty Gbemy, and whispered into her ears, 'that's how my aunt would come to Black Town and not inform me'.
She jumped, frightened. Then, she turned towards him and giggled, holding her chest. 'You this naughty child. Don't you want to grow up for once in your life? How can you frighten me like that?'
He laughed and rushed to hug her, lifting her a bit. 'Aunty Gbemy'
She giggled and slapped his shoulders repeatedly, 'drop me. Drop me. Japheth. Japheth'.
He dropped her, panting. She was slightly huge. Her plump body had always made him desire to never be as fat as she. Although she was still fit, and better than a woman in his new Church, he still always pondered on why she loved that stature. People around threw them side glances and smiles. Even, Mirabel had dropped out of the car. He turned to see Mirabel as she came towards them just in time as he saw a bright smile smearing her face, showing she was accusing him of something.
'Aunty meet my friend, Mirabel'.
His aunt's face lightened up. 'Oh! The Mirabel. Wow! She is beautiful, more beautiful than you even put it'.
He had never told his aunty about Mirabel. He stopped telling her things like that since he got to Black Town, two years ago. But then he remembered that someone made that statement in one of the animation DVDs he sent to her. She loved animations, so he sent so many from his collections to her as birthday gift in March. She was definitely using a line from the animation 'The Lorax'.
'Mirabel, don't mind Aunty Gbemy. Aunty Playing the Lorax with me?'
Mirabel's eyes brightened. 'The Aunty Gbemy'.
He heaved in disbelief. He had only mention Aunty Gbemy maybe twice in front of Mirabel. So he couldn't fathom the reason she was mimicking his Aunty.
'Yes', he said sarcastically. 'The Aunty Gbemy. The two of you are troublemakers. Mirabel, this is the Aunty I lived with during'
'So she is the one. Youre the woman', Aunty Gbemy exclaimed.
'No, Aunty'.
'No, ma'.
'What do you mean?'
'Aunty, we are just friends'.
'He's my best friend', Mirabel said, and winked at him. 'In fact, he has a girl he is eyeing'.
He raised his hands to heaven, dejectedly. 'I've told you, she is just a girl, a friend. She is not a prospective wife and can never be'.
Aunty Gbemy stared at him as if she was staring into his grave like she did her brother's, his father's. She turned to the woman selling the things to her, and informed her she would return to pick the goods. She dragged Japheth off, and told Mirabel they would be back.
Immediately they got out of Mirabel's earshot, she dropped his hand and snapped her fingers repeatedly in front of his face. He blinked.
'Good. You can see that. What's wrong with you?'
'Nothing. I'm fine'.
'You're not fine. If you're fine, you wake up and smell the wifey in front of you. See her there'.
'Aunty, she is my best friend'.
'Shut up. How will a boy and girl be best friends? Tell me, what's wrong? Is her character bad?'
'Mirabel? No. No'.
Aunty Gbemy scanned his eyes through her glasses, in the dim light. 
'Truthfully, she is good'.
'Then what is happening? Why are you two not in a relationship?'
'Aunty'
'Or is it your dead wife? May her gentle soul rest in peace. Sweet girl. I know you might not have a desire to have any other relationship after the one you had with her, but you have to try'.
'I'm trying. I'm really trying. See me, I want a relationship'.
'That means, it is truly that other girl'.
'What? No. No. She is not the one. Alexis. Ouch! She can't be the one. Never'.
Aunty Gbemy looked about. 'Or has that thing. The memory. You know what I mean. Is it back? Is the memory of that thing flooding back?'
'What memory?'
'Secondary school'.
He batted his eyelids repeatedly to ward off the pain of that memory. He hadn't thought about it for a long while now. She was talking about him being raped by a man, when he was in secondary school. Those times, no one believed him. Only three people believed him, Usman, his junior in school; a friend, that used it to his advantage and caused trouble for him; and his aunt, who fought his case and even helped him overcome the feeling by paying for his sessions with a psychiatrist.
'No. I'm not disturbed by that'.
'So whats wrong? Talk to me?'
'Let's forget it. The saleswoman will be waiting for you.'
'To hell with her.

Read " Purified Tomorrow: The Mad Awakening " by the same author ( Akíntayo Akinjide )

. Tell me why you're refusing to tell her'.
'I will tell her. I'm just bidding my time'.
'In this dispensation. How old are you? About 36? Do you want to have grey hair before finally telling her how you feel about her?'
'I will soon'.
'How soon? Four years is also soon'.
'Before February'.
'Are you serious? Are you out of your mind? By January first, when you come to celebrate the new-year with me, you must have told her. Or else I'll'
'Dis-aunty me?'
'Naughty boy', she sniggered. 'He knows my words'.
'Then I'd better dis-nephew you'.
 'But on a serious note, ask for her hand in marriage'.
 He promised to do soon. They returned to the stall, and said their goodbyes after Aunty Gbemy had collected Mirabel's contact. But Japheth was sure he wouldn't utter a word about his love for Mirabel to her until he was sure he was free. Mirabel couldn't stop disturbing him about how she had never seen him happy to see anyone in his life. She even promised to change his name to Aunt's little baby.
When he got home that night, he asked the gateman if Alexis came around, and he dejectedly replied in the negative. Maybe he was becoming free at last. Maybe he wouldn't have to wait till February after all.