Chapter 3 3

Steve made an unwilling and uninteresting face on Amara's suggestions of lodging in a hotel; Amara drew him aside probably to convince him about the idea. Steve is a good actor; he could make a name in the movie industry for interpreting of roles.

"What do you think?" I asked IJ who stood there aloof as her pretty face reflectively glittered against the cars' headlamps.

"It's obvious we can't trek back to Lagos, neither can we sleep inside this car in an open space. What happened here is an accident and very unfortunate.

If you have enough money, let us stay in a hotel. Only that I do not want any problem, neither do I want anything rubbish tonight."

"What kind of problems and rubbish?"

"I don't know, any type of problem and every type of rubbish."

Somehow, my body began to ring a bell, began to rise against my jeans, I never knew I was this uncontrollably lustful. Steve came back to have a private word with me, his face tightened as though his heart was not ecstatic. "Old boy I didn't know that what I was searching for in Sokoto is inside my Shokoto.

See how easily Amara fell for the snare. It is left for you to convince your Mama Iwota. From now on, you..." Amara walked in between us and Steve paused. She said the mechanic directed her to a hotel inside the village, that bikes could take us there.

We took a few things we could use, IJ brought all her belongings, handed them over for me to carry. I obediently obeyed her and we boarded a bike to Promise Land Hotel at the boundary between Ondo and Ogun State.

The way Steve mounted the bike with Amara was obvious he doesn't want any disturbance onward. Invariably, states had been divided; everybody is now on his own. IJ and I mounted too, she sat at the middle. Her body was a magnet.

The bike man navigated towards the bumpy road, IJ's body vibrated on mine. I wish we could never get to the hotel, if only we could endlessly ride on this bike I wished.

Promise Land hotel is indeed full of promises. The hotel did not belong in that village.

It was a beautiful architectural designed building. The owner really invested money there, and the price of the room was cheaper than the room itself. We both booked a separate room and went to the bar to eat and drink.

The hotel disappointedly did not have Black Bullet, two bottles of Guinness stout may not do the magic Black Bullet could have done for me. Back in our room, IJ said she would use my phone to call her Aunty, tell her where we were for security purposes.

I gave her my phone, she went with it to the toilet to make call, while I was consumed with thoughts, imagining things. The showers was running, IJ was done making calls, I felt like going to peep, to admire the work of God, then my phone began to ring, an opportunity to see without peeping. "Iyke, your phone."

She shouted an express invitation to see.

"Jesus Christ..." I shouted as my mouth let loose. She shyly covered her boobs and mockingly scolded me to go out. But I have seen something; I have seen a near perfect work of God...

Holy spirit has been my comforter, so was Amara. She had urged me to leave the church for another but God did not or has not asked me to. I continued despite the sanctions, unfortunately, some members who are not aware of the sanctions usually come for me for prayers which I would systematically avoid.

Brother Kingsley strongly began to avoid me like a plague. I had been to his office severally to explain my innocence, but he was not willing to hear me out. Even, when I have some doubts about certain things in my belief, no one to talk to, no one to advice me. I became conspicuously a spiritual orphan without any guidance.

Yet I looked up to Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith. My Bible became the only thing I looked up to. On my way home from church one lazy afternoon, I saw some people sharing flyers. I was consumed with so many things to notice one the people distributing the leaflet. A man came to me to toss some of the flyers and I collected them absent-mindedly.

It was about their church annual convention, but one thing caught my attention about the church Bible School which was advertised on the the leaflet. I have not really heard much about Bible school except theology. I was pondering on the church's advert when the word of God came expressly to me on 2 Timothy 2:1-15, verse 15 says, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

Through the address of the church, I went to make enquires, in a few days after, I enrolled for a Bible school under the tutorship of some knowledgeable men of God, through this, God opened my eyes on things I may not have learnt under Brother Kingsley. Then, there became this hunger to know Him, the more I tried to know God, the more I realized I would only know about Him, but never to know Him.

Apostle Paul, despite all the revelations to write more than half of the new testament said in Philippines 3:10-11 "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."

I graduated from Bible school six months after. It was an eye opener to word of God. I counted it all joy for the accusation and other persecution, because I found peace in me. I still enjoyed fellowship with the brethren. I never saw Sister Jacinta in the church again. One day at the church, God told me through the book of Deuteronomy 2:3, God was trying to tell Israelites that they have stayed on the mountain long enough, it is time to move forward.

I was struggling to understand the word, when I overheard my name through the blaring speaker. Brother Kingsley used my name for a sermon, "For some of you who keep asking about Brother Iyke, some have confronted me privately to know why Brother Iyke no longer minister, while others wish to know why he vehemently refused to pray for them.

Let me mention it categorically here, devils can never cast out devil. Iniquities were found in Brother Iyke. I sanctioned him, with an opportunity to repent and amend his ways, but no, not Brother Iyke. No lady is safe with him, not even a spinster, no not a married woman. Let me announce to you here once and for all, Brother Iyke is no longer with us, anyone who does anything with him does that at his or her own risk." The earth I prayed to open and swallow me. I have seen humiliation, but non like this...