Local belief

Local Belief

Ancient War

After The War

After the communal war between Richland and Dakeland which lasted for 36 months, the two towns are settling down. The economy of the two towns is gradually picking up again. So many essential facilities and buildings destroyed are being worked upon by contractors. About 70% of the financial commitment needed for rebuilding the towns are being supplied by world bank that signed agreements with the representatives of the two towns during the peace accord.

The University in Richland which has been indefinitely closed has been opened by its authorities. Members of staff of the institution have resumed work and the students are seen entering and leaving the campus.

During the time of the communal war, Aruleh who is a student of the university of Richland returned to his village called Konship.

While in the village he was assisting his father in the farm work which is the predominant work for men in the village. One Sunday evening when he was sitting under the tree outside his father’s house, he saw a beautiful personified among her friends as they walked past his father’s house with their pots on their heads going to the stream to fetch water. He desires to know more of this beauty personified who walked past his father’s building. He therefore quickly leaves where he was sited entered the house and take an empty pot and went after the ladies to the stream.

He was hoping that he would catch up with them before they get to the stream so that he would have sometimes to discuss with them, and specifically the most beautiful lass out of them. But he was unable to catch up with them until he gets to the stream, though he considered their walk to be snail-like in nature.

The first lady out of the five ladies has barely emptied his gourd with which she was scooping water from the source of the stream when Aruleh gets to the stream, that is popularly called Apedahun stream.

Brief History of Apedahun Stream

The source of the stream is under a big rock that one would see on the left-hand side when one is entering the town of Konship. The youths of the town have dug the rock surrounding the stream to give more volume for the water to be stored at so that people would be able to fetch water from that place without hassles. Before this was done, anyone who goes to the stream source would spend hours before he or she can fill a pot.

The Youths on seeing that the water springs out at constant rate and that it was because of space that the water is being lost decided to widen the spot so that water would be stored there.

It took them about three days of abandoning their farm works before they could get this done in the village since the water oozes out from beneath the rock on the east entrance of the town.

Since the time they have finished doing this it has been easy for the women and ladies to fetch water from the source of the stream. Some people within the village believes that the water from beneath the rock also have a medicinal power for it is comforting. And some of the histories heard about the source of the water is that whatever anyone asks god to do for him or her at a particular date of the month that the person and the entire people of the town go to the source of the stream God would hear and answer the person. It is believed that the source of the stream is directly from heaven to the town.

Angel

- Angels Protected Them From Enemies

The history heard about Apedahun stream is that there is an angel at the source of the water, it was this angel who delivered their founding fathers from their enemies when war rose against them from the neighboring towns. The angel commanded a rock to come out which shielded them from the enemies. Their enemies that knew that no rock existed at the place before and when they saw big rock as they were pursuing the Konship warriors they believed they missed their ways and turned back from following them.

The Konship people and her warriors were at a place protected by the rock after their enemies had turned back from following them.

The leader of Konship town has a bird, a dove, which has been ministering to him for long. This dove appeared to him two days after their enemies had turned back where they were still hiding.

Having known that their enemies had turned back, this bird started to lead him to a place. When the dove got to the origin of the stream it rested there and started to use its beak to scratch the place while the leader and three of his assistants looked on.

After it has scratched the place for about twelve or more times, the dove took off, flew off. After the dove has flew away, the leader and his team walked to the place to know what is happening there, to know that the dove has seen or what the dove wanted them to see at the place. On getting to the place they discovered that there is water coming out from under the rock.

These four people who got there used their hands to scoop water to their mouth from this water source that the dove has led them to. They discovered that this water is soothing, refreshing and cold. One of them has a gourd on him, this gourd was used to take some of the water to where others were.

- The Revelation About The Source

Three days after this incident the head of Kinston village dreamt and saw the angel who has been appearing to him appeared again and the angel said to him in the dream that God has sent him to provide the water for them because he was the dove which led them to the place that day.

He told the leader in his dream that on the 10th day after they have sighted the moon in the firmament they should go to the place, the source he has shown them through the leading dove, where the water of the stream used to come out under the mountain, when the sun is at the center of the sky to ask of anything that they want from God.

Anyone, indigene or foreigner, who goes to the place at this time, whatever the person asks from God would be answered the person to letters.

However, the angel continued to speak with the leader in his dream that in case of emergencies in the town that they feel and know could not wait till the time they will sight the next moon, the leader and two of his assistants should approach the source of the stream by midnight to speak to God on behalf of their people. This should be done in the case of emergencies alone, like sudden mysterious deaths, epidemics, unknown source of progressive crisis. But if nothing like these happened they should not go there by midnight to ask of God anything, they should wait till when they would sight the moon the following month, and on the tenth day after the moon has been sighted, when the sun is at the center of its rotational movement, they should go to the place and pour out their hearts unto the Lord, the angel emphatically stated.

This would be a perpetual covenant between God and the town for ever because they have accommodated God’s servants without knowing years back and it is time they be repaid, and God has decided that this is how he would repay them by making a covenant with them, the angel said to the leader in his dream.

When the man woke up, behold it was a dream. He told the wise men in the village of what he dreamt about, and they were all grateful unto God for counting them worthy of that covenant.

- Wise Men’s Counsel

The wise people within Konship village met and deliberated on what their leader has saw in his dream and they all agreed that to know whether the dream is real or not they would try it out. So, they decide that they would send messages out to all the people of the village that on the tenth day at noon after sighting the moon in the firmament they all should meet with the leaders of the village at the source of the water they have discovered.

For three days the town criers go out everyday to announce to the people of the village to tell them what their leaders have required of them, so that those who are sleeping in huts in their farms would be contacted of what is about to take place.

Five days after the town criers have told the people to meet with their leaders, they sighted the moon and the people started counting the day.

In the meanwhile, while the town criers were announcing the meeting to the people of the town, the elders of the town set up people to clear the paths that led to the place so that there won’t be bushes by the road side, some stones and stubbles that could injure people while going to the place were all rooted out of the road by the people.

When it was the tenth day, no one goes to farm and the people throng to the place with their leader. It was there that the king told them that angels have dug the source of the water for the so that they would be drinking clean water and they would be delivered from water borne diseases.

The people were glad to hear that, and they showed their happiness by shouting and clapping their hands.

After the noise has died down, the leader told them that the angel who appeared to him also asks him to tell them that the day that marks the tenth day after the sighting of the moon in the firmament, they should be gathering like this to ask of what they want of whatsoever thing it is bothering their hearts from their Maker who has sent his angels to dug the rock and makes the rock the source of the water from which they would be drinking from.

The leader continued, it was ten days ago today that we sighted moon in the firmament in this town, and if we can all look up now, we shall see that the sun is at the center of its rotation about to go to where it would set. It is thence time for them to ask of what they wanted from their Maker, whatever it is that is bothering their hearts and weighing them down, they should ask of those things from their Maker and God, he has promised to answer all of us, the leader said.

The leader gave them time to ask what they want from their Maker within the time. He also asks of what he wants from his Maker. After they were through with their asking, he blessed them all and they started leaving the place for their homes.

- The Testimonies, The Naming And The Order

Before the following moon is sighted, people of the town started receiving answers to their petitions at the source of the water. Some could not hide what they experienced they shared it with their representatives who talk it with their leaders.

When they all see what happened, the leadership of the town decided that they had to give the source of the stream a name, after much deliberations they decided to name the source of the stream Apedahun.

After arriving at the name which they want to give the source of the stream, they also included in their agenda that day that they need to be more organized on how they would be operating at the place monthly.

Since it is at noon (when the sun has gotten to the center of the firmament) that they would be asking of what they want from their Maker at the place, they decide to appoint good men with reputable records from each of the twelve compounds that make up the town. Those people would be rotating the person who will be controlling the event every month at the place. This emcee that would be selected by each compound would work with the leader of the town on how to send the town criers around the town to inform people of the event.

The compound that chooses an emcee to control the program a month would move to the back the following month and on and on like that so that every compound would have a taste of leading such that a compound would neither feel cheated nor sidetracked in the leadership all year round.

It is the leader who would announce when it is time for the people to start asking of what they want from their Maker, and after they have done this, he would bless the people and ask of what the town needs from God.

The compound that would lead the following month would oversee musical and songs this month. That is if the compound four representative or emcee is leading this month, it is compound five people would render songs and other musical things when compound four emcee is leading. By this people and the compound would know that next month is is compound five representative who will be the emcee of the program while compound six people would be in charge of music and songs when compound five emcee is controlling the program.

However, in a case where a compound does not have enough people to handle the music and the instrument, they ca contact people who are capable from other compounds to assist them and make the event a glorious one. That was how the program would be held.

As they have set out their plans in order like this, this was how the program keeps going monthly and the people are being met by their Maker. Anyone who wishes to fetch water from the source that day would bring his or her vessels to Apedahun stream very early and would drop those vessels there which would be fetched for them by the people appointed by the emcee from his compound or from among the people.

- Emergency Time

It is being said that sometimes in the past, epidemics broke out in the town which was killing many people at a geometric progression. The founders of the town did all they could to hold off till the following month when they would sight the moon, but the epidemics keep growing, and then the founders remember what the angel said and went to Apedahun by midnight and talk it over with him. Apedahun sends the dove which has led them to the source before after touching the source of Apedahun with its beak, it flew off into the wilderness and return almost immediately with stalk of a strange plant in its mouth, it flew to the side of the source of Apedahun dropped the stalk there and flew off.

They did not know what it means but believe taken the water from there and given to people in the town would bring healing.

Thus, the leader asks the junior among them to go and get a vessel from the town. When the person arrives with the vessel, they fetched it full and went to the town and they started giving the people the water to drink and the epidemics stopped instantly. As from then the people of the town have not been joking with Apedahun, they have strong confidence in its efficacy and power for healing and other things.

Aruleh And The Ladies by Apedahun

Aruleh greeted them on getting to the source of the stream as the first lady was about to leave the source. They answered him as they continued to talk as the second person takes her pot to the side of the source of the stream to scoop water into her pot. They ladies seem to be in joyous mood as they talked and laughed.

They were few centimeters away from the source of Apedahun, it is only the person whose turn is next to fetch water that moves to the source because the source is narrow, and it can only allow for a person to fetch at once.

As the second lady continues to scoop water into her pot, the rest continued to talk, they soon made mention of the ongoing war that forced everyone to return to the village, for assuming there was nothing like that, they will be in the town now and perhaps would be preparing for examinations.

Aruleh joined them in their discussion when they made mention of this war saying the same applied to him. Since they barely know one another, they asked for his school and he told them that he is a student of the University of Richland. They were amazed to see him at the stream because hardly could ladies find guys at the stream let alone an undergraduate.

Konship indigenes who have gained admission into university were rare during this period and anyone who gains admission was specially treated during this period by their parents and the village at large. For Aruleh to be at the stream, it means his university studentship was hidden to many people within the village.

When it was the turn of Aruleh to fetch water, Omogah who happens to be one of the ladies offered to help him fetch the water. Aruleh rejected the kind gesture but at the insistence of others he allowed her to.

When the pot was full, they helped those with big pots to carry their pots to their head while those with small pots also carried theirs and they started going home. They kept on talking till they entered the town.

By now it is getting dark and a person at 100 meters can barely be seen if she or he has no light on. Aruleh bids them bye specially appreciating Omogah for her kindness, adding, “I hope to know you more before we leave this village”

The ladies wished him the same and keep talking till they all get to their different houses.

Two Minds One Thought

When Aruleh got home, his mother asked him why he needs to go to the stream that day knowing that her sisters would fetch the water the following day. Besides that, there is still water in the big pot serving as the reservoir.

Aruleh did not answer his mother.

His mother told him that he should not let the people of the town give her sisters names thereby making guys to run from them when it is time for them to get suitors, because by then people would think they are lazy for if they are not lazy ladies, their brothers wouldn’t be fetching water for them to use while they sit down doing nothing.

When Aruleh replied not his mum, his mum went to his father saying, “my lord, say thou nothing to what I have raised about thine son?” Aruleh’s father did not answer his wife on the bamboo camp-bed that he was lying on. When he did not reply his wife, Aruleh’s mother said in a proverb that, “it is our relatives that would reason and understand with us, but outsiders will call it madness”.

When Aruleh’s father hears this, he clears his throat and said, “he just wants to help, he wants to exercise his body, please leave him alone, soon the war would end and he will return to his school, then my daughters will continue to fetch water. That apart, how many times since his arrival have you seen him going to the stream?”

“Except today, I have not seen him doing that my lord” she answered rolling the stem of a big tree that has been cut and converted to a stool to sit by her hubby’s camp bed.

“That is because he follows me to farm every day, please let us talk about something else and leave Aruleh alone”, he conclusively said.

Aruleh after putting the pot of water down he entered his room and started thinking about Omogah. His heart has been arrested by her beauty, he has not for once thought that such a beautiful damsel could be present in Konship village. He kept thinking about her until his food was brought to him by one of his sisters. After appreciating his sister for the preparation of the meal, he keeps thinking about Omogah, how she would be in his arms forever, he was imagining how she would be by his side walking with him, using how they had walked back to the village from the stream as template.

Omogah after leaving her friends started singing one of the common love songs in the village, the wordings are “today, I set my eyes on you, today, I stand close to you, today, I smell you; I will never let you go” The chorus of the song is: I will never let you go my love, for I will be all you want”.

“Today, I touch your body; the current of your body ignites my body, I am on fire of love”. The chorus: I will never let you go my love, for I will be all you want”.

She keeps singing and dancing to the song without sounds of drums. Her parents thought maybe that was the song she and her friends sang to and fro the stream and she finds it hard to take it off her heart and mouth even minutes after leaving her friends.

She kept humming the song, after a while she stopped that and started thinking about how she and the man she has just set her eyes on today will forever be together, how she will raise the children they will give birth to in the future. Her thought changed from the man momentarily and she starts to think about her friends. Maybe they are also nursing the kind of thought in her heart for the guy who can say. Then she brushed aside the thought saying all of them except her have their spouses, she is the only one among them who is yet to be attached to any male. This kind of thought ought not to cross their hearts for once she said to herself.

Missionary and children

Longing Fulfilled

As usual it was everyday farming for Aruleh and his father. Aruleh’s father’s farm is very far from their village, thus they used to leave home very early in the morning, before the day breaks and they will return late at night, take their bathe because of the sweat on their bodies, although they used to take their bathe before leaving the farm, but because of distance, they would have perspired before getting to their house, thus, they will take another bathe after which they will take their meals and retire to bed.

More often than not they will start dozing while talking with other members of the family after their meals at the verandah of their house while Aruleh’s mother would gently tap her hubby to go to bed.

Aruleh however would lie on the mat at the verandah and there he would sleep off until when it is midnight when the breeze is blowing more with the temperature lower and he would rise to go into his room.

These could not give room for Aruleh to move around the village during the day to try and locate Omogah’s house. But a second cannot pass without thinking of her and would wish that the opportunity would present itself early for him to meet with her one-on-one before the communal crisis be over.

Sunday is usually a free day for Aruleh’s family, they don’t go to farm neither would his mother and his sisters go to market, if the market day falls to Sunday that day because they have embraced a new faith brought in by the missionaries.

The missionaries have entered their village with the gospel of Christ and Aruleh’s family is one of the families in the village who has embraced the message brought by the missioners. In one of the missionary’s messages to the faithful ones, they have told them that it is not good for them to be going to farm everyday without having a day to rest. They said the God who created heavens and earth also rested on the seventh day and Jesus whom he sent to the world to bring the gospel of redemption to mankind did has time to rest with his disciples while on the world. This word was supported by the missioner when he read from the portion of the bible called the book of Mark chapter 6 verse 31. After reading the portion he encouraged them that they need to be having a day off their farm works when they can create a time like that, they will be using the time to meet to discuss and fellowship because it is being said by the Apostles that we need to be fellowshipping regularly to learn from one another. The missioner concluded by telling them that the day he would want them to be taken off their duty, their farm and market places is the first days of the week which is known as Sunday for that also was the day that the disciples used to meet when they were on earth because that was the day that our redeemer, Jesus rose from the tomb.

The faithful believers in the missioners’ messages have decided to set aside the first day of the week which is Sunday to be meeting at a designated position to be fellowshipping and discussing with one another this new found and embraced faith in Jesus.

The missioners would come every Sunday to speak to them about the way of Jesus. Aruleh’s father is one of those who accommodate the missioners and he and his family are trying their best to follow what the missioners are teaching them.

However, since the war started, one of the missioners has not left Konship village, he is sleeping in a member’s house, very close to where they used to meet for Sunday worship.

After the Sunday worship three weeks after Aruleh met with Omogah and other ladies at the Apedahun source of the stream that passes through the town before heading to another place to become a very big river, Aruleh had barely taken his meal when he heard of a greeting in their compound. His sisters were talking with two ladies who are greeting them, he was not sure of what he heard one of the ladies asked neither said, but he heard the baby of the house, the last born of his parents, Iveh, replying them that he is inside. Her elder sisters must have left her alone to attend to the visitors after greeting them.

Iveh, therefore ushered them into the living room. After ushering them into the living room she then raised her voice to call Aruleh that he has a visitor, “biggest brother, you have a visitor”, she shouted asking them to sit on bamboo chair in the living room.

“Who could that be?” Aruleh asked from within his room

“Biggest brother you will have to get out of your room to see who they are”, she replied and told them that “could you please excuse me for a moment? My brother will soon join you now” she said as she left them to go and get them a drinking water.

Aruleh left what he was doing and come out to see who they were asking for him. When he gets to the living room and he saw that it is Omogah and his sister who have come to pay him a visit he cannot but be surprised, because he was not expecting anything like that.

After greeting them, he told them that he is surprised to see her. While on this, Iveh returned with two small calabashes whose upper end have been cutting and which they are using to drink water with water inside them. These small calabashes are placed in a big calabash and she walked to where they are sited and said this is water you take that to cool your nerves.

Omogah and her sister in turn took one the small calabashes and thanked Iveh for her warm reception while she said “they do not need to mention that, please feel comfortable and enjoy yourself” as she turned and leave the living room. “Thanks. We will”, Omogah replied, as she drank out of the contents of the small calabash in her hand while her sister does the same.

“We do not have much time to spend here”, Omogah said after taking the water off her mouth, “I have been asked by my parents to accompany my sister to a family’s house which happens to be two houses from here…”

“Is that so?”

“Oh yeah it is. We have been to the house, but the house is yet under key and lock. I gathered that they are yet to return from their Sunday fellowship with the missionaries and since your house is nigh by theirs’, I asked my sister that we should pay you a visit maybe you will accept us if you are around” she smiled while Aruleh too laughed “don’t be sarcastic” he said

“Is it?” Laughing she asked

“If I may? Which family is that?” He asked

“It is the family of the Alabunkuns,” she replied

“Oh! I see. We also fellowship with the Alabunkuns, but they were asked to wait behind after the service today that is why they are yet to return home, but I assure you, they will soon be back at home”, he said

“I see. So, you also attend the missioners fellowship?”

“Yes, I do with the entire family members. We got back home not quite long”

“My family is yet to embrace such faith, maybe we would later, because I think I am also fallen in love with their comportment and their style of worship”

“It is a wonderful faith, if you can embrace it, you will like the fellowshipping and would be blessed by it”

“For now, we”, touching her sister, “are still under the leadership of our parents we cannot decide outside them for now, but maybe when we are alone, that is if they are yet to accept the faith, but they are strongly considering becoming a member, I only do not know what is yet holding my father back, for he is the head, he is the determinant factor”

“I understand. God will touch his heart. The Alabunkuns will work more on him, I am positive about this”, Aruleh said

“We shall just hang around here till they resume from the fellowship, we would have returned home assuming I do not know you live around here, but since you are here, it will save us stress, and energy till they return” she said

“That is wonderful. You are highly welcome. Can I get for you roasted maize? Iveh would have been through with its roasting,” he did not wait for their answer as he left them in the living room and gets for them freshly roasted maize in their husks, “here you are you can be brushing your teeth with these pending the time that the Alabunkuns will return from the fellowship ground”, he said as he placed the plantain leaves in which he placed the roasted corn maize in before them.

“Oh, you do not need to do these for us”

“I will gladly do more” he said as he sat beside her taking one of the roasted corns, removing the husks to eat. This is the beginning of their friendship and intimacy.

Graduation

They all returned to their various institutions after the war. However, Omogah and Aruleh who have developed friendship before the war be ended continued with their communication through letters.

Omogah finished her secondary school examinations but she couldn’t further her education because of her parents financial incapability. She started to learn how to knit cloth.

Aruleh finished a year after Omogah’s graduation from her secondary school and he was employed immediately by the University of Richland. It wasn’t long after this that he got married to Omogah. After they give birth to their first child called Omope, they couldn’t give birth to another child again.

Omope was so christened because of postdatism, he stayed in his mother’s womb for 14 months before he could be delivered. It was for this that he was called Omopeninu, but people like to call his shortened form which is Omope.

Brilliant Teenager

Omope’s Rise

Omope is a brilliant child from his childhood days, he finished his primary school when he was going to nine years and finished his secondary school when he was going to 14 years. By the time he finished from his secondary school his father is an associate professor in the University of Richland where he lectures. It was therefore not difficult for him to secure admission into the University when he was few months above the age of 14. He was about to clock 19 years when he graduated from the University, by which time his father has become a professor in the institution.

His academic brilliance draws the attention of the world education body to him and he was employed by the world education body. Within ten years he has become a force to be reckoned with in the country, but he finds it hard to secure a female partner. No lady wishes to enter into serious relationship with him because of the common saying and belief in the land that the foundation of wealth and fame is full of dregs. If he gets involved with you now, he may use you to renew his fame or he may not even live long before he dies and then you will become a widow at a tender age, people used to tell their female children who want to be close to Omope.

He got to know this from people close to him and decided that he needs to act on what he was hearing, thus he left Richland town for Asese town which was very far from where he lives and has been renown. When he got to this place he started a small business, the name of the business is Johnson Chemists and Trading Store.

Resignation Letter Rejected

When he wanted to leave for Asese town, he tendered his letter of resignation, but the president of the world education body did not accept his letter of resignation stating that they still need him to work for them in reaching the nooks and crannies of the country by bringing education closer to the less privileged in the republic. He is the one they have found to do this for the body and that they will give him all the necessary supports to achieve this for the body.

Because the president of the body does not want to let him go, he had no option other than telling him that he was leaving the town outrightly and that he needs to accept his letter of resignation so that he will go and vigorously pursue what is next in his agenda. “My parents are worried over me, I am worried over myself, the culture of my land leaves me with no other option other than leave this town for another” he told the president.

The president was enormously glad that he opens to him and he told him that he supported his move and he would be working for them there, so that they will get education closer to the people in that town and its neighboring villages. “We have been looking for means of getting a representative in that location before but we have not found one and now that you, one of the officers of this world education body, have decided to move there, it is good for us, you have removed the burden on us by this decision”, the president told him.

He told the president that he would be selling petty things there and would not act as if he knows anything neither has anything.

The President said that is okay by him and the management, working under hidden identity would give him ample room to access the town and assess the people of the region and he would be passing the gathered information across to them through phones of what they will do, how to go about doing it, how to enter the town, who and who to contact, who not to contact,  how to ensure that the education gets to the downtrodden but wouldn’t be hijacked by rich and the wealthy people within the region.

He did not know what to say, he accepted the offer and thank the management for this kindness, promising not to disappoint the management.

After this he moved to Asese town under unknown identity, Mr. Johnson.

Man in a village

At Asese Town

When he got to Asese town, he located one of the churches there and explained to one of the members that he is just entering the town and wanted to settle there, he wanted to establish a small business there and that he will need the assistance of the man to put up for the night, as well as helping him to secure a place where he would be living and a small shop where he would start up his business.

This man took him in, telling him that the leader of the mission is out of the town on a missionary trip to some of the neighboring towns.

The following day the man took him to some of the houses where he thought there are rooms to rent. After trying about seven buildings, he eventually got one that is fair, and he rent the house. Since he brought nothing into the town, he in company of the man went to the market to buy some of the things he will need in his room.

After washing the room and arranging those gotten things inside the room, he rested there for the day. The following day he and the associate minister, Catechist Samuel started looking for a shop to rent, soon they get one very close to the market where he rent. He did all the needful things for display in the shop. He phoned his people at Richland town at night from the payphone that he has gotten the shop and the drugs be taken to him. The driver, Mr. Alayo, brought him the goods the following day, helping him to arrange them on the shelf in the shop. This is how Johnson Chemists and Trading Store started in Asese town.

About a month after the establishing of his chemist shop, people started knowing him and the patronage increases. When the people complain about something that he is not sure of he will ask them to come back as he will call his leader outside the town and explain their symptoms to them. If I do not have the drugs that you can use on the shelf here, it would be sent the following day or at most the third day.

Soon this business began to grow but he was controlling the growth so that people will not have the same feeling that pushed him into the town about him again.

Beautiful lass

Lady Justey

Lady Justey is a very beautiful lady, whose parents are rich in Asese town. Her parents Mr. and Mrs. Yamah have four children and Justey the fist child was the only female out of the four children.

Mr. and Mrs. Yamah are into cocoa trading and export. Because of their interaction with foreigners, they have sent their children overseas to school there. Justey has just graduated from University of the Foreigners in Ereh country. After her graduation, she returned home to help her parents with their work.

She has left the town for long and when she returned, she was bitten by mosquitoes and came down with malaria. The malaria though presented abnormally, and they have been treating other things by those who have been coming to her. When the sickness did not leave her, the people told her that she should go to Johnson Chemist Store at the center of the town that he is the one that has been saving people of the community since the time he moved to the town, “he seems to know what he is doing, he is an angel sent to the town”, one of the members of her father’s staff told her.

She decides to act swiftly because the joint ache and body pains are not leaving. She was taken by one of the company’s drivers to the chemist store to complain to Johnson of what she has been experiencing.

Omope who has changed his name to Johnson in the town has also ensured that he always puts on cap and amber tinted eye glasses. By these he could hide his identity a bit from some of the learned people in the town.

When Justey got to him and she started telling him that she has just returned from foreign trip and come down with headache, body pains, joint pains some days after getting to the land, Mr. Johnson popularly called Mr. Jay did not think about anything other than giving her malaria drugs. For the person he used to call had repeatedly told him that the commonest trouble with people was malaria and it could present differently in some cases. Mr. Jay has different malaria drugs and he gave her another brand of malaria drugs which he knows is not common in the town to use because he strongly believes that she has been poorly treated for malaria.

Five hours after Miss Justey has taken the drugs, she started feeling the actions of the drugs on the joints of her body, she started perspiring, she started sensing heat from within outside, feeling dizzy and it was as if she wants to faint she told one of the members of his father’s staff who is with her what she is going on inside of her. The person she told asks her if she has eaten before taken those drugs, she said she has no appetite for food. When the woman who is her typist heard this she exclaimed, that she wants to kill herself, “how on earth would you take a drug without food in you?” she did not wait for her to talk as she quickly go and make for her tea and get for her bread to eat with the bread. After serving her what she has gotten for her, she added that, “even the local drugs that we used to make in our land, it is not good that they be taken without foods inside the stomach of the person which would give energy to the body and hasten the actions of those drugs.”

“Thank you, ma,”, Justey said as she drank the tea and eat some of the bread. After she ate those, she left everything that she was doing in the office for home to go and have proper rest and sleep. It was as if the mattress has been waiting for her to enter her room, on the instantly that she lays her body on the mattress she fell into a very deep and resounding sleep.

By the time she wakes up she discovered that all the body cramps and aches, body weaknesses had disappeared. “This Mr. Jay must be a magician”, she started talking to herself, “it was as if he was the one who put this ailment on my body, waiting for me to contact him so that he will remove them”, she conclusively said to herself.

She did not leave where she was that day, but members of staff came to their house in dozens to greet her and wish her quick recovery.

The following day when the distributor of the company was taken the cocoa to the market to supply some of the marketers she followed the truck and dropped at Johnson Chemist Store to appreciate him for assuming he was not here she would have traveled to a big town to go and see a qualified nurse or something for her health status.

As she was entering Mr. Jay’s office Mr. Jay was thinking maybe she has not been relieved of the symptoms she was feeling and if that be the case he would have to call Richland at night to explain to the doctor on what to do about her case, but when he heard that she is no longer having those feelings again he was happy to hear what she is saying. “I am just doing my work ma”, Jay says, adding, “I know my work will always speak for me”.

“Sure”, she said, “I like your confidence”.

“When you are not confident about your work, it means you do not know the work, anyone who knows what he has been trained to do will be confident in discharging his duties, without fear or favor”

“It is always good that one knows one’s work. But are you saying that you cannot make mistakes?”

“That is not what I am implying by saying what I said. The best of all hands all over the world do make mistakes sometimes, but the mistakes would not be often, wouldn’t be a recurrent one, anyone who makes mistakes recurrently is surely in oblivion of what he is doing and may be recommended for extra-trainings”

“Well, be that as may, I thank you that on me you have not made mistake and you have arrived at correct diagnosis and correct drugs for my symptoms”

“You are welcome”

As Mr. Jay said she is welcome the driver arrived and she had to leave Mr. Jay as she was leaving, she paused to ask for his name. “Sir, how may I call you sir?” “My name is Johnson, but people of the town used to call me Jay, I guessed they have shortened my name to Jay”, he replied.

“Alright. It is my pleasure to know you, Mr. Jay, once a while I will be branching here to say hi, and in case I need other medical assistance I hope you would not push me off”

“How would I do that? And what would make me to do that? If I do that my crawling business will pack up and I would be forced out of the town in no distant time”, he replied her

“Okay.” She turned to go and meet the driver, but she was halted by Mr. Jay’s question

“But you have not told me your name ma”

“Oh! Sorry for that, my name is Justey”

“Good to know you too. Will be looking forward to seeing you some other times”, he replied as Justey leaves for the truck, the driver switched on the engine and drove off.

Remembering to Have Seen This Face Before

As from that point forward, whenever Justey passes by the place she will branch to say “hi” to Mr. Jay before heading for the center of the market to make the needful business transactions. Sometimes she will purposely go to his place to greet him and play with him when she has known that he is a stranger in their town.

However, one day when Mr. Jay removed his cap and Justey could see his face clearly, something in her told her that she has seen a face like this before, but she couldn’t pick where. It must have been when she was studying outside the country. If she has seen his face outside the country how come, he gets here? She could fathom this.

Days after this when she was with him, she told him that she seems to have seen a face that resemble his before when she was outside the country.

Mr. Jay’s heart races fast on hearing what Justey has said, is his cover about to be blown open? “I will not let this happen” he silently said to himself. “Oh, is that so?” he asked Justey.

“Positive” she responded. Mr. Jay laughed loud “why are you laughing?” she asked him

“I am laughing because the biggest town I have ever gotten to in life is Asese town. Outside this town, it is my village, Superi that I have ever been all my life till this moment”, he said. Superi village is a very far village from Asese town, Asese indigenes hardly go there, much so that the village is off the road, limited people know how to access the village in Asese town.

Justey asks him, “how come you know these drugs and the prescriptions you are given to your patients if indeed you have not gotten out of the two places you mentioned?”

“I am elated that you ask me this question. Missionaries do come from Richland ad other countries to my village to teach us the way of the Lord Jesus as well as administer treatments to the people of the village.” Justey who has become familiar with him, sits on one of the chairs listening to him, as he continues, “One of them is a physician and I like this woman so much, so I use to visit her after the day’s work at farm and she would tell me things about the bible, deeper things that were not talked about in the fellowship.”

“Uhm”, she has been engrossed with his story line

“After a while she started telling me how to treat people, saying she will soon return to her husband in her country.”

“Heh-heh”

“From her, I started jotting down the drugs that can be used to treat commonest infections and diseases in our area. Through her, I can do small-small wound cleanings, dressings and injections. But she does harp it to my ears repeatedly that it is usually better I refer complicated cases to qualified personnel in the big towns, to be forewarned is to be forearmed she will say”

“Oh, yeah. I see”

“However, before she left, she linked me up with someone selling drugs in the town that I can be buying drugs from the person. It is this person who used to bring drugs to me when I was in Superi village and when I relocated here, I contacted him to be bringing drugs to me here”

“Uhm mm. I understand. You must be brilliant then.” Rotating herself on the seat, she said, “do you go to school at all?”

“Outside the missioners teaching in my village?”

“Yes”

“No, I did not go to any school. I do not have any formal education” he responded, “I learnt how to read and write from them because my parents are farmers and they are old, we are living below average they cannot afford to send me and about nine other children to school”, he said dryly.

“Uhm! For all I can tell you are still not doing bad and you can go for a graduate anywhere in the world.”

“Thank you, ma. I appreciate this word, especially coming from someone like you”

“But if I may sir?

“Please go ahead”

“Thanks. If you still have the address of the woman you can try and write her for the people in the advanced countries and missioners love to help people”

“This lady just wants to uncover my cover,” he said within himself. “Oh, is that so?” he asked from her looking serious as if he has heard something new.

“Oh, yea. If you write her she may invite you to her place and give you formal education, you can become a nurse or even a medical doctor by this you will be able to officially open hospital and treat more people confidently and assuredly.”

Mr. Jay changed his disposition on hearing this, looking dour as if something has happened.

“What is the matter?” she asks

“Oh, No, I have missed gravely” he responded

“Why do you say that?”

“It is because I have lost the address a year before I moved to this town. The rain during that year was heavy and it entered our compound and destroy many things. Her address was washed away by the rain”, he replied looking sober

“Oh. I am damn sorry to hear this”

“This incident was the catalyst that prompted my leaving our village the following year”

“That is sad. Well God knows everything and has plans for everyone. Whatever a person would become God has a way of working it out if the person is neither lazy nor without faith”, she enthused.

“I believe so. But you sounded like a believer”

“That is correct, I am a Christian”, she replied looking straight into his face hidden by the amber tinted eyeglasses.

“That is lovely. Intriguing. A Christian brother and a Christian sister would make a wonderful friendship”

“I cannot agree less”, she looks at her wrist-watch, “wow! I have spent close to two hours with you, let me get going, I will visit you tomorrow”, she said as she stands walking towards the door.

“I will be expecting you”

“I will surely come, don’t worry”.

He sees her off a while as she returns to his shop.

Lady Walking

I Consider it An Exercise

Vehicles are not many in Asese town and her family is one of the families in the town who posses’ cars. She can drive and has her own car. She said she learnt how to drive when she was in advanced country schooling. She, however, hardly takes out her car, except in a case of emergency. She says the town is not like big cities where there would be traffic gridlock and where one cannot walk through within a day. She said, she could walk the length and breadth of the town within hours, and it she can do that why take car out, why not use that to stroll around to exercise her body, to keep fit. Exercise is good for the heart and soul the health educationist said.

She used to follow her father’s truck out to the market to supply cocoa products to their customers and after the supplies would be taken back to her house. If she wants to buy anything it is the company’s driver who would take her to the market and would wait for her, pack those things into the vehicle and drives her back home.

On this day that she talked at length with Mr. Jay, she has left the office with the driver to supply their customers in the market and while returning to the office she dropped at Mr. Jay’s shop and asked the driver to go to office that she will soon be in the office.

“What a brilliant, radiant, vibrant and lovely young man” she said to herself as she walks back to her house, she did not bother to go to office again, it is about 15 minutes left before the securities close the gates. She was greeting people on the road as she goes, why some would ask her that where is the driver? And she would tell them no problem she just feels like exercising. And those ones would say they understand, regards to your parents. They will tell her.

Johnson thanked his stars that his cover is yet intact and started thinking about her.

Parent talking to daughter

Advised to Break-up

Juntey and Jay cannot do without seeing each other a day after this discussion. Justey has made herself the chief distributing officer of her father’s company because she wants to be seeing Jay. While going to the market she will ask the driver to pause as she says “hi” to him before going and after the business she will drop there and play with him for hours.

This soon becomes open knowledge to her parents, and they warned her to stay off him, “a poor thing”, his father said.

“I don’t have friends here, and the only friend I have you asked me to stay off him? Do you want me to die a sudden death?” she asked from her parents

“No, we do not want you to die suddenly. All we are saying is that you look for someone of near status as you are but not that thing whose business cannot feed him let alone feed two people. That is why he hasn’t been married, don’t you see that he is not a young boy? His father enthused

“Well, if I will leave him, then I will leave your business and go to Richland town where there are companies and government works or at best return to Ereh republic, because I can still return there”, she replied her parents.

When her parents heard this, they were shocked. They did not want her to leave their company because since her return and involvement in the company several other international doors have been opened unto them and their business. This has made their business the leading business in Asese town, the fourth within their country and it recently being listed as the fastest growing business in the entire continent by the Yellow Business watchlist.

Their business has placed Asese town on the world map such that other things are entering the town from within the country and without the country now, coupled with the unknown work that Mr. Jay is doing to bring scholars into the town.

The person supplying Mr. Jay drugs is one of his staff in the office. He is the one who brings him updates about drugs from pharmacists and physicians of the world education body that he works for.

Mr. Jay writes memos to them every week and it is during emergencies alone that he calls. He writes to his parents too, Professor and Mrs. Aruleh and receives letters and gifts from them through this man.

They wanted to be sending him cloths, shoes and other materials from advanced countries which they have gotten for him because he is eligible to them, but he told them that if that happens his cover would be blown open and he won’t achieve his aim, so they used to enclose money into the packages he used to receive weekly for him. They are his weekly feeding allowances, inconvenient allowances, health allowances, clothing allowances and other things shared at the headquarters, those things have not been denied him, they are always brought to him by Mr. Alayo.

Mr. Alayo having known that lady Justey is becoming interested in his boss, because he has been meeting her there, whenever he brought anything, he will hide under the guise that he bought them for him when he meets Justey there, saying Mr. Jay is his regular customer, one of the most consistent customer if not the most consistent customer, for about 100 kilometers radius. “Since he is my most consistent customer, I cannot but appreciate him by buying beverages along for him and some other things that would show how appreciative I am to him”, Mr. Alayo told Justey this one day. Sometimes he will call what he brings for him award for patronization.

When Justey sees those things, she will tell him that it was when she was in advanced countries that she used to see such things but not here, and Mr. Jay would say the company Mr. Alayo represents imports drugs from advanced countries. “That is why their drugs are usually effective and that is one of the reasons why my business is thriving here, and I am receiving larger patronage from my patients”, he will tell Justey. He continued to maintain his cover.

Since her parents do not want her to leave, they did not speak harshly to her again, but was hoping and praying that she would find somebody among the rich people’s children in the town to be friends with and perhaps becomes romantically involved with. But she is yet to find anyone within the rich people’s children in their town.

She has tried few of them, but none of those she tried matched her in intelligence let alone talk about wealth because her parents are the wealthiest in Asese town and her wealth as a person is increasing by the seconds because for every successful transaction made, certain percentage would be entering her account. Interestingly she has not been using the money for anything since she is living with her parents. The person whom she thought she would spend on, who is Mr. Jay, intriguingly receives gifts almost on a weekly basis and he will ask her to take any out of it, or forcefully give it to her. That is how their relationship has been.

A Giving Heart

One day, Mr. Alayo brought so many gifts from headquarters, and presents from his parents. The ones he received before are still where he kept them, not knowing what he will do with them. When Justey visited him, he asked her if she could help him give those gifts to people. That is how they packaged those things and gave it to her members of staff and the people outside that he could reach, members of the church where he was attending. Inside each package is a cloth and money, substantial amount.

When Justey was imagining what they had given out, the cost runs to hundreds of thousands of naira. She was surprised. She used to think she is a giver but on seeing this she notices that she has not near his heart in giving.

All that was given was said to be from the company he buys drugs from, “but what about the money?” Justey thinks “why can’t he just save some of the money or use part of the money to buy land?”

After this incident he proposed to Justey. Their relationship has grown such that even before the proposal people already thought they have been romantically involved with each other.

When they formalized their love relationship, he could now visit their house, and office. Her parents got to know him, but when they heard of his act of philanthropy, they wondered what was happening; how does he come about that kind of wealth with him not looking like a wealthy person, what could be happening that we do not know? There is something hidden that we are yet to see, Justey’s parents said within themselves.

After a long deep thought, Justey’s father said to his wife, that he may have been ordered by the management of the company to distribute those things. When the woman heard this she sighed and replied her husband that it then means that the guy would be a truthful person, somebody who something big could be entrusted into his hand without the thing getting loss, for if it is some other persons, he would have use part of it for himself and distribute some.

As from thence forward, the heart and disposition of Justey’s mother changed towards Mr. Jay and she will always ask of him from her daughter, hope you are not fighting with him oh?” she one day asks her daughter.

“No ma, what would have caused our fighting?” she asked her mother

“Just curious. Its been a while that I see him last that’s why I asked that question from you”.

“Ha-ha-ha, mummy, but he was here yesterday,” she replied her mother calmly.

“Was that so? It seems as if it has been a week that I seen him here last” her mother replied her.

From this she knows that her mother has loved him and has given her consent to her relationship with him. Mr. Jay never knew what has transpired between the family before, but since her mother’s change of disposition to him, Justey used to call her lover the first child of her mother.

He asked to know why she said that one day and she replied that his name is a song on her mother’s lips every day, even when she does not want to visit him, her mother would ask that have you seen my son today? Mr. Jay laughed when he heard this and told her lover that, that is how a wonderful mother should behave a mother who wants happy home for her spouse.

At the wisdom fallen of Mr. Jay, the World Education Body brought an international secondary school into Asese town, supervisors from the body came and were supervising the work, materials they could get in the town were brought there, while the ones that they can’t get there were brought from Richland town. Still they act as if they don’t know Mr. Jay. When they want to see him, they will go under the guise of buying analgesics at his shop, and there he will ask for privacy with his patients that’s how they will discuss and pass the message across.

During this project, his parents heard of the means to get to him and also paid him a visit using caps that cover their heads and sunglasses put on so they cannot be recognized, they were said to be one of the heads from the town.

They also used that means to visit Justey’s parents at their offices telling them that they use to hear and read about their company in the media and are happy to know something like that exists in Asese town.

After they finished with them, they told them that they need analgesics as they did not bring them from Richland, that was how Justey led them to her spouse, Mr. Jay, without knowing that she was leading her in-laws to their son.

They acted indifferently and as usual he asked for a moment to be with his patients. When they have been let alone, his parents told him that Justey is not bad and that she has treated them well. They implored him of the need to act fast, solemnizing everything with her.

The Solemnization

The time set for the completion of the project by the World Education Body is six months and a single did not pass, because the project was finished to time. When the project is finished, they needed to employ staff from far and near into the place.

But before the completion of this project, his parents use the occasion to be visiting their son every month under the guise of seeing the progress of the project. During this time, they started studying and knowing some things about their son’s spouse.

Mr. Jay has to tell his spouse of the need to formalize their relationship. Justey told him that they will to tell her parents of their decision. When they told her parents of their decision, they told him that they will not do a kangaroo wedding and that they will follow the normal way as obtained in their town.

Mr. Jay however pleaded with them that he would want the wedding to be a secret one, because his parents are poor and cannot match their wealth, so that he would not put them to shame at the wedding day because of the dressings and appearance of his people, they should indulge him to have an extremely low cost wedding and should be done secretly too.

Justey’s parents said in as much as they understand what he feels and how he is trying to protect the family of shame and ridicule from people, but, those people are his parents and his siblings, they are created by God, and they believed that it is not their choice to be as they are poor. So, they need to be recognized and see the good of their son, they ought to see how their son is making progress. “Since your parents are neither dead nor suffering from chronic diseases, then he should go and tell his parents and bring them here for the introduction after which other things will follow, if there be need to support them for anything,”, Mr. Yamah looked at his wife before saying this, and then said, “we shall be glad to support them”.

“Thank you, sir”, Mr. Jay said

“That apart, having been studying you for quite a while, we can convincingly say we know the type of person you are. And the kind of person whom we have known you to we know that you will equally not fold your arms and be looking at your parents and siblings haggardly dressed to your function, we know you will also support them. However, in case there are little holes that needed to be blocked, we shall be glad to do that for you. So, please let us follow the normal means expected of us.” Mr. Yamah said.

“I really appreciate this sir, but if I may, I do not have regular friends in this town, all those I have are my patients and except the person who used to come and supply me drugs from Richland, so, sir and ma, how do I do this?”

“I think it is also not good to have many friends, because I do not have many friends, my father when he was alive use to say, “if you have ten friends you will have ten minds and ten tongues, because each one of them presents differently”. So, that is why I do not have many friends too, because I cannot have many tongues….”

“Uhm mm”

“If the only person whom you talk of can come, with your siblings that will be okay by us too, after all that man has proved himself to be a worthy person, a who could be delivering those goods to you without deducting from them, he is a trust worthy person. His presence with your siblings will be okay”, Mr. Yamah concluded.

“Thanks a lot sir,” he stands from where he was sited and prostrated while Mr. and Mrs. Yamah asked him to stand up. When he stood up and sat back down, he continued, “I will do as you have said sir and ma, I will set the ball rolling as from now, but if as for me, all I wanted is a low key wedding that would not attract any attention to me neither my spouse”

After this meeting, when Justey was seeing him off, he asks her to please see him very early the following morning because he has something to tell her. Justey pressed him to tell her what it is that he wants to discuss with her early in the morning, but he did not tell her, he insisted that she needs to come to see some of the evidences herself.

Justey couldn’t have a peaceful night rest that night, she kept wondering what the matter could be. Several thoughts keep running through her heart, and when she sleeps for about ten minutes, she will open her eyes again. This continued until the day break.

As early as possible she left their house telling her siblings who are now around that she wants to go and see her love. They wish her well.

She entered her car and drove to his place. She was about to knock at the door to his room when he opened the door for her to enter. Mr. Jay wasn’t putting his caps on now, neither is his amber tinted eye glasses on him. Her heart palpitated and she could feel the organ as it is pumping the blood on a fast rate. As she was thinking about this, then, she remembered again what she had raised earlier about her fiancé that he resembles someone she has seen before, seen on the social media when she was out of the country. Now the person before her clearly represents the person she had seen those years when she was out of the country studying. She was bringing back to her memory some of the things she has read about him on the pages of the dailies and now that there is no paraphernalia to cover him, those things she remembered, he is one of the officers of a world education body who promised to give scholarships to students, and they have given some scholarships to some students in the same institution with her, but her name was not shortlisted out of the people who submit their application forms, that was why she couldn’t receive the scholarship. This is now clear, but this man when she raised this with him some months back, she remembered that he denied all she said and she believed her, maybe it was his twins, at least people used to say there are lookalike in the world.

The Opening, The Confession

She entered the room, a big mattress is on the floor, a table, a reading desk and at a corner of the room that is where he hanged his cloths, there is nothing extra-ordinary in the room. She swallowed her saliva and genuflecting while greeting him “good morning love”, “Good morning dearest one” he replied, closing the door behind them.

“What could be the matter love? What could be bothering your heart that you cannot tell me without evidences?”

He cleared his throat and said, “maybe I will still be your love, or not, I cannot say again because of what your parents have insisted I do on our wedding.”

Justey was surprised to hear what he was saying as she sluggishly walked to the chair that has been pulled out to sit on it. After siting on it, she faces him looking bewildered as Mr. Jay continues “My name is not Johnson, it is Omopeninu”. “What?!” she exclaimed. “What are you talking about?” she said. “I will explain everything to you, you just be patient with me”, he said

“Okay. I am all ears”, she replied.

“It is what your people asked me to do was what forced me out of my former location and estate when I couldn’t find a lady to be engaged to for close to two decades after my graduation from the university…” Justey interjecting points to him, and said, “you? A graduate?” her mouth widely opened.

“Yes, I am a graduate and in fact I have my PhD and at the moment I am an associate Professor”

“Unbelievable!” she said as she dropped her car keys on the table, asking “but why? Why do you act ignorantly? Why do you feign your position all this while?

“That is what I am telling you that post-graduation wise, and with good job, a job with the World Education Body…”

Interjecting again, “Please, Please, Please, aaare”, closing her eyes, stammering, “are you saying you work for the world Education Body? The Body who has just established a secondary school in this town?”

“Yes, you are correct. That is the Body I work for”

“Yes, I recollect. Even this morning that I am seeing you clearly that is the thought that was running through my mind that I have seen this face before, but when you have denied it, I brushed the thought aside again, saying maybe it was your look alike. You recollect that I have raised this with you before?”

“Yes, I do”

“When the education body started the project here, I couldn’t marry you with the project because you have denied to be involved with anything outside here and your village before. This is wondrous.” She said as she folded her palms and Mr. Jay continues

“When I couldn’t get a spouse as I said before, because people are saying they don’t know the source of my fame, neither my wealth nor my parents, and that if any lady becomes associated with me, I may use the lady as rituals or I may die suddenly because hardly could anyone, an ordinary person attain such status that I attained without some diabolical means in my land, I became worried.” She keeps looking at him surprisingly as he continues, “I started thinking of what to do to save myself, and to get myself a good partner. After a thorough thought about this, I decide to resign from my place of work?”

“Heh, hen? Is it as terrible as that?”

“More terrible than that.”

“That is serious. Why are you still on their paying role then?”

“After deciding that the best for me was to resign I write to the management that I wanted to resign, but my letter of resignation was turned down by my employer. After my letter of resignation has been rejected, I decided to open myself to the president with the hope that he would accept my letter of resignation and let me go, but I was grossly mistaken as he said in as much as he understands what I am passing through he won’t accept the letter of resignation that the body still find me valuable to her development in our land.”

“Uhm” she continues to look at his mouth as he continued

“I then told them what my plans are that I will leave the town for another town to hide my identity until I achieve my aim. When the president hears this he was happy and asked me where I would be going to. When I told him that I will be going to Asese town, he was happy and said, that is good, that is wonderful, that I will secretly be working for the body there. I raised the issue that I want to go there and establish a chemist store and wouldn’t have anything to do with education. His response was that, that was good. He said that my decision would take all eyes off me as a person working for the management. Through this means, I shall be able to update the body without fear or favor without being bought over like it does happen in some other places, he said”

“This is scintillating. It looks like a movie” she replied as Jay moves to the bed and sits on its edge.

“I want you to know that I do not know any missionary who is a nurse, it is a lie I cooked up when you want to uncover my cover”

“But, how do you know those drugs that you are prescribing? Because truth be told, people within the town says, your drugs work perfectly, and it is as if you are the one who used to put the sickness on their bodies and would remove them again after taken your prescribed medicines”

“Mr. Alayo the one who used to bring those drugs, do you still know him”,

“Yes, of course, how could I forget him?” she asked

“He is a junior staff with the World Education Body, he is one of my staff,”

“Him again? Surprise, surprise. Is he then a physician or pharmacist?”

“No, he is none of the above, he works for me, he is the driver assigned to me.”

“Heh-heh?” Looking surprised

“He is a Christian and a faithful person. The vehicle that he calls the company’s vehicle is the World Education Body, and it is the official car assigned to me. However, whenever he comes with other cars apart from the official one, those ones are my cars”

“Wow!”

“All those drugs he used to bring are being prescribed by the physician in my office. Whenever anyone comes to me and told of his or her symptoms, the ones I do not know, I will ask them to come back the following day when I will call the office and explain to the doctor of what the person said, and he will prescribe the drugs, which Mr. Alayo would convey to me the following day and if the drugs are available in my shop, all I have to do is take them out and give the patient the following day. However, the ones that is complicated and which will involve admission and other things, he has told me to refer them to physicians in the town and that is what I used to do”

“This is amazing”

“However, as a rule, either I call my office or not, we have agreed that Mr. Alayo would be coming to me every weekend and that is what he was doing. This is how I have been maintaining my cover and working for the Body under cover without a person knowing and looking for a spouse.”

“It is an undercover work indeed”

“Those money and gifts that he used to come with claiming he bought on the road for me as a gift for my patronage are my bonuses and benefits from the office. They come from international summits, and other places. But since I am still under cover, Mr. Alayo would bring them and at times bring things from my parents”

“Wwwhhat?” Stammering “Are you saying your parents are also well to do?” she asked

“My father is a professor in Richland University while my mother is a business woman”

“This is interesting”

“I am their only child and son” Justey keeps looking at Mr. Jay does not know what to say again and he continues, “When I told them my plans, it pained them, my mother especially because she doesn’t want me out of her sight for a second, but after explaining to her she agreed on seeing the bigger picture.” Justey sighed and he continues, “she also sends things through Mr. Alayo too. When I told them about you, they were happy and that was when they increased what they were sending to me. Many of those things she sends are bought from overseas, imported materials.”

“Yes, yes, yes, I used to tell myself that it was when I was in the advanced country learning that I used to come about those gifts that you were receiving”.

“I want you to know that those for women are specifically sent by my mum for you, when we started our relationship, and you will remember that when you reject some, I used to force them to accept them. So, basically speaking all those things including money are mine because I do not want my cover to be opened, that was why I decide to give them out as gifts to people, through you, after all apostle Paul says, it is better to give than to receive”

He raised his pillow up and took out from there his photos of graduation and some taken when he traveled out of the country on official assignment to show her. He asked her to come and sit by his side on the mattress so that he will show her and explain the photos to her, she stands up from where she is sited to sit by his side on the mattress as he starts explaining to her the events that necessitated taken the photos.

She saw that everyone who has come for the supervision of the building project is his junior staff in the office. After looking at all, she asks, “but why has your parents not visited secretly as those people?”

“My father and mother as seen in the photo have visited”

“Was that so? How come they did not visit me?”

“They did visit you.”

“How? I have not seen anyone who matched the photos of your parents in this town during the time the project was on going”, she replied still looking at the photos

“The first time my parents visited they came to your office to see you and also know your parents, you are the one who brought them to my place to get analgesics ….”

“What?! Are you talking about a fairly old man and woman who put on caps and sunglasses when they come for the supervision of the project?”

“Yes, they are the one. They are my parents. You will recall that they come repeatedly after the fist visit, they are the ones who insisted that I should act fast on our relationship and get everything formalized.”

“Uhm mm. I see. No wonder they use to call me their daughter, but I was taken their word implying how the old people in our land use to call people they can give birth to, I never knew they are your parents, my parents. They will embrace me specially; your mum will discuss several issues within me within short time that we shall spend together such that it will seem as if she shouldn’t leave again. She bought snacks for me the last time they visited saying she didn’t know what to bring for me.”

“Now, you can see me, now you have known me, can you still marry me? I did all I do to get myself a good woman and above all to show our people that it is not everyone who makes it that makes it through diabolical neither unscrupulous means”

Dropping the album, drawing close to him, putting her arms around his shoulder, “you know I have been talking about you furthering your academics and it is my plan that after we are married, you will go and further your education. I have concluded plans with my junior ones and have set aside some money that will take care of that in my account. All I am waiting for is the green light, the solemnization. Now, that I know that I am even one of your students I am even the person who should learn from you, what more? I however want to plea with you for something”

“What is that darling?”

“I will also want to further my education then, to become a PhD holder as you, and maybe a professor like you”

“That is no problem. May our lives be spared”

“My love for you has not been associated with anything, I love your person, love you with all of my heart” she said as she passionately kissed him. “Now when shall we go and see our daddy and mummy in town?” she asked

“What I will like us to do is, let us go and break this to your parents, my parents and first thing tomorrow morning we shall leave for town to see Professor and his wife, Mama Omope.”

“Who is Professor?”

“It is my father, I call him professor because that is what I heard my mummy call him since my childhood days, and it has been part and parcel of me, I hardly call him daddy”, he replied.

“Okay. Whatever. I won’t call him Professor oh, I will be calling him daddy, my daddy”, she reiterated

“He is yours as he is mine, you have the right to”

She stands up from where she is sited beside him on the mattress, using her right hand to rest on his shoulder making his shoulder a support to rise. “Uhm. We need to take something before we leave this room today to celebrate victory. What do you have in this room oh my love?”

“A bachelor? What will a bachelor have at home other than bread?”

They both laughed. “Don’t be sarcastic” she said and looked at the edge of the room to see eggs and vegetable oil, “this is okay, I will fry the eggs and squeeze the oranges into a container to make a juice that we shall take on it.” Soon enough she finished frying and sets the table before them. They ate their food on the floor as they sat on the mattress. After eating they rest a while, discussed and then decide to go to her house to see her parents.

As they were about to leave the room, she hands over the key of the car to him, “you are going to drive me today”, she said

“Who told you that I know how to drive?”

“Your cover has been opened, no more pretensions” she said as they started laughing, and he collects the key from her, and he drives to her parents place.

Everyone who sees him driving was surprised seeing him behind the wheel. “When did he learn how to drive?” they started asking themselves

When they were with her parents he explained everything to them. After hearing him out they were happy for him, happy for their daughter and they thanked God that they have not misled their daughter.

Throughout that day, Omope and Justey were driving around the town seeing places as lovers.

The following day they left for Richland town where they see Professor and his industrious wife, mama Omope. They went to her shop at the market square, visit his office and members of staff were all happy for one of their bosses’ achievements. They spent a week in Richland town before they return to Asese.

The following week they did their introduction and two weeks after they wedded. It was a colorful occasion.