[STORY] SPOILT AT CHURCH (Episode 09)

Episode 09.

Jide was a smooth talker and an engager. He possessed a charm that kept both the young and old mesmerized whenever he spoke. Even before he was invited, a good number of the council members already had the notion that he couldn’t have raped Martha as she claimed; except if the whole world was going crazy. Jide had always portrayed himself as a true child of God, both in manner and speech. So, what would make him commit an abominable act of raping a choir member?

He had always claimed that he could have any girl in the Church. He had evidences of missives from several ladies who wanted him at all cost. His skillfulness on almost every musical instrument, his talent of singing in addition to his natural charm, personality and look, made everyone want to associate with him. Some would even claim that God showed him to them as their future partner. Jide would say that he’s patiently waiting for his bone of bone and flesh of flesh.

To what he felt reluctant in saying to the council members, he cleared his throat, looked around and maintained focus, as if he was canvassing for support. He said, “For some time now, Martha has been running after me, telling me she loves me. At first I thought it was teenage crush. But, I became alarmed when she begged me to sleep with her. She promised to give me utmost satisfaction because she’s experienced.”

“What? No! Prof Aboderin shouted. “This show of shame is too much. I can’t bear it. I’m out of here.”

“Prof. please don’t leave,” the Pastor pleaded.

“I shouldn’t leave?” Professor Aboderin asked. “With all I’ve heard? I can’t believe my daughter is the one he’s talking about. Young man, are you being truthful to us?”

“Of course,” Jide replied confidently. “I warned her off sternly with a threat to report to her mother, if she doesn’t desist from pestering me.” He produced a phone from his pocket and pointed it at the Prof. “I have evidences here,” he said. “I had been deleting several. I kept only two because of a day like this. I have always believed a day like this will come.”

Revd. Bamiro collected the phone quickly because, he wasn’t sure of the kind of evidence Jide would produce. He felt the Prof. could have a heart attack if he got another shocker. Jide moved near to him, scrolled to a media content and opened.

The pastor shouted ‘Jesus’ and averted his face.

“That is one of the nudes she sent to me, when I refused to accept her advances,” Jide claimed.

“No! No! No!” the Pastor said repeatedly, shaking his head.”
“Pass it round and let us see the image of shame,” Mrs. Johnson requested.

“No,” the Pastor said and restrained Jide. He faced Martha. “Young lady, what do you have to say?” he asked.

“Sir! That picture was sent with mutual consent,” she answered. “We were in a relationship for a year. He always request that I send my nudes to him.”

“That is not the only evidence that I have,” Jide interrupted. “There are also series of text messages, where she begged me to go down with her.”

“Hun?”

“Sir, look at this.” Jide passed the phone to the Pastor again. Revd. Bamiro collected the phone and read out a text.
I had a dream yesterday. You were all over me: kissing, smooching and giving me from the back. I can’t wait to have you.

“Jeeeeeeesuuuuuuu!” Mrs. Johnson shouted.”

“Eyi o dara. This is not good,” the Pastor lamented.

“He’s lying,” Martha cried. “We were dating.”

“You said you were a virgin before the rape. What about the naked picture and the kissing text? Ha!”

“It was a mutual thing Sir.”

“Shut up!” Mrs. Johnson shouted. “You have guts. Let’s call a spade a spade. This is what you get when parents don’t give quality time to child training.” She intentionally eyed Mrs. Aboderin. “Today you are in Sokoto. Tomorrow you are in Kafanchan. Next tomorrow you are in Lagos, looking for money, fame and career progression. You don’t even know about the happenings in your child’s life. It is a big shame. This girl is not fit to be in the midst of well-trained children like ours.”

“And she’s looking for who to implicate,” Mrs. Williams chipped in.

“I’m not implicating anyone. Jide was my boyfriend,” Martha insisted.

“Okay. Did you have any of his messages on your phone? Like the one you sent to him.”

“No sir,” Martha replied. “He always insisted, that I delete his messages. He said I might be careless, and my parents would get to know about us.”

Martha cried like her heart would break. On the other hand, Jide had a confident look, knowing he had carried the day.

“He’s lying,” Martha insisted. “We dated for close to a year. I made a crucial decision at the last revival which warranted me quitting the relationship. I intimated him. He begged that I should meet him at home to have further discussions, since his parents were not around. I went to him, and he raped me. I was a virgin until he raped me.”

Martha’s deep sobbing touched the heart of few of the council members, who thought there must be some truths to her narration, but Jide insisted on his story.

Turning to Martha the Pastor said, “You said you were with him on…”

“August 25,” she insisted.

“Can you say the actual time you were together?”

“3pm sir.”

“Are you sure?” the Pastor asked.

Martha thought hard before replying, “I think 3pm.”

“Jide, where were you by 3pm on that day?” the Pastor inquired.

Jide smiled before replying. “Sir, I was with you at the Pastorium at that time on the said day. You can testify to it. After our meeting, I stayed back to practice on the keyboard. I never left the Church until the choir rehearsal began and ended. The sexton saw me when I was practicing, and I even sent him to get kosai and dankali.”

“Martha,” the Pastor called. “Jide was actually with me at the said time on the said day. Although, I can’t vouch for his movement beyond 3:30.”

“Maybe I missed the time. I’m somewhat confused,” Martha cried.

“Do you have a witness, someone that saw you going to him, or someone you told before going?”

The whole council held their breath. Martha hesitated. “I did not tell anyone,” she responded. “The relationship was a closely guided secret.”

“You mean no one saw you?”

“Yes, except…”

“Except who?” the Pastor asked wearily.

“As I tried opening the gate into his residence, it was pushed from within and Kike Johnson stepped out.”

“My daughter?” Mrs. Johnson exclaimed. “You can’t be serious. She was at a coaching center at the said day and time.”

“Deaconess please calm down and let her talk,” the Pastor pleaded.

“We were both surprised to see each other,” Martha continued. She claimed her mother sent her to drop a parcel for Deaconess Williams but met her absence. I in turn told her I wanted to collect the Sunday school manual from Jide. She said she was rushing to the coaching center for JAMB lesson.”

The Pastor sent for Kike, who denied vehemently that she was anywhere near the Williams’ residence on the said day. Facing Martha she said, “You want to drag me into your problem. Haven’t I warned you to stop sleeping around? Why did you want to implicate me?”

“Kike! We greeted on that day. You were in a blue gown with yellow patterns.”

“That you saw when we met at the Church. My Mum can testify that the driver dropped me at the coaching center and picked me to Church after lesson hours. I can call the driver as a witness. We had biology on the said day. I can call my mates to vouch that I was at the coaching center throughout. I never left for a single minute.”

“That’s okay Kike,” the Pastor said.

“There might be no need for further witnesses as we have seen where the matter is heading to. I want us to give time to pray and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. There are dark clouds around this issue. We are not too sure of what to hold as the truth.”

Majority of the council members objected to the Pastor’s suggestion, emphasizing that the truth had been revealed. To them, Martha was trying to implicate the others, especially with the inconsistencies in her story. Furthermore, they threatened to boycott any other meeting if the right thing was not done because, it looked as if the Pastor was trying to cover and acquit Martha. They said the Holy Spirit had revealed all that needed to be revealed in the meeting, and nothing contrary coming from the Pastor would be accepted.
To Be Continued… . . .