In the space of time - Episode 4

 

3rd February, 2019
It was a Sunday morning. Odogwu had turned severally on the bed before opening his eyes to see his queen standing right there in front of him, looking as beautiful as always. Odogwu didn’t know how she did it but it was as if Ada’s beauty increased as the years went by. He had married her when she was just 22 and he, 27 . Now it feels like he was the only one who aged between the both of them. He hated leaving Adaugo behind and going on all those drafts without her. He didn’t like taking her with him because he wanted to give her stability, by letting her get used to one place. He also wanted to give her the luxury she needed to make her live like a queen that she was, in fact, he wanted to give her everything. Why didn’t she see that? Why was she so stubborn? He felt like she didn’t realize how much he loved her. She was always insisting on her own ways. Couldn’t she see that he was working so hard so that she wouldn’t suffer, like his mother, like his child hood. He dreaded poverty. It reminded him so much of the past. Odogwu promised himself that his wife and his children will never ever experience what he experienced while growing up. And God willing, he’d provide the best for them. 
‘’Odogwu!’’ he looked up again, it was Ada, still there. Odogwu was heavy eyed

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/in-the-space-of-time

. He tried to sit up, Ada came closer and sat on the bed right beside him. ‘’Are you alright Odogwu?’’ why was she asking if he was alright? Had something happened while he was sleeping? ‘’What is it? What happened? Where are my children?’’ Odogwu asked, trying to get up now. Ada held him back. He was huge, like very strong. But she did what she could to stop him anyways. “they’re fine Odogwu. I’m sure Somto is fine in school and I just checked on Tabitha, she’s still sleeping’’, Odogwu let out a loud sigh. Adaugo seemed very worried, ‘’what is it then?’’, he asked, placing his palm on her left cheek. He then moved to her eyes, enlarging them as though he wanted to check the color. Maybe she was sick, he thought. ‘’I’m fine also. But I’m worried about you love, you kept screaming your sister’s name in your sleep and shouting ‘help’, severally’’. Oh, Odogwu thought. He had forgotten about the dream he had. He guessed, it was because he had had so many of those dreams, that he now saw them as normal. ‘’I’m fine Ada, it was just a dream”. He said, getting back under the covers and trying to act nonchalantly about it. He looked at the clock on his bedside drawer. It was 6:15am. He wondered if there was need  to go back to sleep. It was Sunday, and they were going to church. ‘’Odogwu, ekule otu  ahu, (don’t talk like that),’’ Ada spoke, it was obvious to Odogwu that Adaugo wouldn’t be dropping the matter anytime soon. It was Ada, stubbornness was her distinct feature. ‘’Ada, its too early for this, let the matter die down, ogini du(what is it sef?) . ‘’Odogwu, you’ve been having these same nightmares, even before you left Enugu for Abuja, six months ago. You didn’t tell me they continued, and now you’re saying I should leave you alone. I wont ooh’’, Ada said, holding one of her ears. This woman wasn’t ready. Wait, why was she even like this. Why was it so hard for women to understand when to just drop it and be gone. Since she wouldn’t let him be, he got up and started heading to the bathroom. “Odogwu, where are you going now?’’, Odogwu looked at her and sarcastically replied, ‘’to the bathroom, to cook indomie, wont you follow me? You said you wont leave me bah?’’,  Since she didn’t want to have it the nice way, he would switch to the serious but witty part of him. ‘’Besides, don’t misquote me, I said I had a dream, not a nightmare. For someone who studied English language in school, you seem to not know much about it’’. And with this he left Ada alone in the room. 
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They got to church early. The plan was to go for second service which was by 9am, but Odogwu drove so fast and beat the speed limit. Adaugo kept complaining in the car. Women were so soft. Small thing, they’ll just be complaining, Odogwu thought. They attend City hall church there in independence layout. The head pastor , Chukwudi Kalu was a friend of Odogwu’s  from UNN. Odogwu had always known the man would definitely become a pastor, but he hadn’t expected  it would be this soon. Anyways, Pastor Kalu was not  Odogwu’s mate either in age or in class then. He had graduated back in 2003, while Odogwu left school  in 2006. While he was in school, Odogwu met him severally for advice on both educational and psychological matters.  Odogwu wasn’t so stable in school. He lived alone with his mother and little sister Nonso, his other sister, the first girl, Mercy had gone to live with Aunty Ezinne this was in 2001 before Aunty Ezinne traveled to the UK.  Then, Aunty Ezinne sponsored their education. That was before she traveled. After she traveled, it was a bit hard for Odogwu to keep up. He wanted Mercy to study as well but there was just not enough money. He didn’t want his mom working again so that he wouldn’t loose any of his siblings again. He had this kind of thinking problems. In between all this he met Pastor Kalu. He was the leader of their faculty fellowship then and he also excelled at his academics. They became close and he took Pastor Kalu as his elder brother. It was in this period that Odogwu gave his life to Christ and started taking God seriously. All did not become rosy for him immediately, but things were definitely better than before. 
‘’Pastor kalu would be so happy to see you, he and his wife have been constantly asking after you, Sunday after Sunday’’, Adaugo stated as they walked into the adults church, they were in the passage way that led to the entrance of the church. They had dropped off Tabitha in the children’s section. ‘’It looks like a lot of people missed me, good thing  I’m here now’’, Adaugo, looked at him and shook her head. ‘’we just wish, you’d stop traveling and just stay with us’’, Odogwu raised a brow, ‘’We? or you?’’ it was just very typical of Ada to start this kind of conversation , in church of all places! She was always testing his patience button. ‘’look, Ada, I don’t know if you’re insinuating that I quit my job. You know how hard I work to take care of you and the children’’, now, Ada had stopped and stood in front of Odogwu blocking his way; ‘’then take a job which you’d be  less busy and around more often. I’d help out in footing the bills, after all  doesn’t the bible describe the woman as the help mete of a man’’. That was it, Odogwu had lost his patience with this woman, he pushed her out of his way and just passed, ignoring the last statement she had made. It was an early Sunday morning, and the bed attack she gave him earlier was enough dose for the day. Why did she like springing up arguments? Adaugo didn’t give up, she ran after him and said, ‘’Odogwu, I mean no harm, honestly, am sorry for bringing it up if you’re….’’ Odogwu cut her off, “you keep saying you’re sorry but you don’t act sorry, for crying out loud Adaugo, this is the house of God, respect it!’’, with that he walked into the church alone.
 Adaugo looked around, people were now staring. They couldn’t have heard what the couple were discussing because Odogwu tried to keep his voice as low as possible. But the reactions on their faces told Adaugo, that they had figured a part of the story. Adaugo just adjusted her hair and walked in trying to keep her balance with the heels she wore. She thought about looking for her husband but she wasn’t very pleased with him at the moment. She would sit anywhere then. But just as she was looking for a comfortable place to sit, an usher tapped her and pointed to where her husband was seated. She whispered in her ear, ‘’that man over there, says he’s your husband, that you’d be looking for him’’, Adaugo looked up. It was Odogwu, he was seated already and bowed his head. Was he praying? She thought. ‘’thank you’’, she said to the usher, she had intended to speak loud but it eventually came out as a whisper. Then she walked to where her husband was sitting. 

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‘’Odogwu 1 , the only Odogwu that we know, every other Odogwu is a counterfeit!’’, it was Pastor Kalu’s voice. Service had ended now, and Odogwu waited to see his Pastor and friend. ‘’Apostle, sir, I greet you too’’. Apostle was the name Odogwu called pastor Kalu from their university days. It stuck ever since. ‘’How are you doing?,’’, he asked as Odogwu moved to greet him, it was supposed to be a handshake but ended up as a hug. ‘’I’m very well, Apostle and you? You don’t look bad yourself’’, the two men were laughing now, while Adaugo was smiling standing next to, Chidinma, the pastor’s wife. Yes, Chidinma, Odogwu’s university classmate. She had eventually married Pastor Kalu. Small world indeed. When Pastor Paul moved to Enugu  about three years ago, moving the headquarters of his ministry to independence layout, Odogwu had been very very beyond surprised when he discovered that Chidinma had eventually, married Pastor Kalu. One, because she didn’t seem like one who was interested in marrying a pastor, like at all. From what he remembered, she was tagged, ‘’hottest chick of his set’’, not that hot chicks cannot marry pastors, but it just wasn’t adding up. Like from where? He kept on laughing and laughing, the first day he had this. Secondly, Chidinma was from a really rich family, although her father didn’t win the governorship elections that year, he was really rich had his own manufacturing company and all that, not like Pastor Kalu was poor but, again, it just didn’t add up. Apparently they had met when they were both doing their masters in Canada. God is really a master planner, Odogwu thought. ‘’how are your mother and sisters?’’ Pastor Kalu asked. He was always asking after them.
 He had met Mercy, when she was in ss3, in fact when Odogwu was looking for money to purchase Mercy’s jamb form, Pastor Kalu had assisted him. He really helped him in times of need. He was the type the bible described as,  a brother in times of adversity. ‘’They’re fine thank you. Mama is still in Abuja, doing Omogwo in Chichi’s house(Chinonso; the last girl), you know she  put to bed about six months ago before I left for Abuja, I told you right?’’, Pastor Kalu nodded, ‘’of course you did!, you did, I remember’’.Odogu continued,  ‘’I ma nu otu umu nwanyi si eme  ebe umu umu ha no, ochoghi lotazi, (you know how these women are when their grand children are involved, she doesn’t want to come back again) and  Mercy is still in the US with her family. She’s doing fine also. In fact let her stay there, the Economy here is nothing to write about, hapu ya ko n’eme enjoy na US nga ahu(leave her to be enjoying in the US there).
 They both laughed. ‘’And how’s the Navy?’’ Odogwu took a sit.  They were in the pastor’s office. It had a beautiful view and was well furnished. Pastor Kalu had made it big time, before starting the ministry. God had really been faithful. ‘’The navy is fine’’, Odogwu said now seated with his legs crossed, one on another. Pastor Mrs.

Read " When two hearts collide " by the same author ( Ijeoma Okorie )

. Chidinma brought drinks for them. ‘’thank you’’, Odogwu said to her. She smiled and went to sit beside Pastor Kalu. Adaugo looked at them and wondered what would have been their stories if she had not come into the picture. She knew Chidinma from school days, after she met Odogwu of course. But Chidinma disappeared after they left school only to come back married to Pastor Kalu,  a man Odogwu took as his elder brother. What a plot twist. Adaugo was sitting beside Odogwu with Tabitha on her laps. ‘’I’ll be going back soon, though I’ve applied to be transferred to Enugu for permanent residency’’ Odogwu added. Uhh? Adaugo raised a brow. Odogwu had been planning on staying here and had said absolutely nothing to her? Why? Shocking news.