[STORY] THE OTHER MAN (Episode 03)

Episode 03.

I advised Tolani to use the money we saved in the bank for my school fee to get a good shop and buy the necessary things and some materials to sell. At first, she rejected the offer but finally succumbed when I began to pressurize her. Tolani can be said to be a very soft fellow while I on the other hand can be very stubborn.

The following year, I wasn’t given admissions again despite my good score both in JAMB and UTME, it was so painful but Tolani encouraged me not to give up.

By then, her shop was bringing good proceeds so we had no reason to hawk or carry people’s load. I simply assisted her to sell sewing materials, she advised I learn how to sew from her but I didn’t as I hated fashion designing. I told her I preferred catering.

Few months after she got a shop, we were able to rent a room apartment so we moved out of the abandoned building. Little by little, life was making sense for us. It was very surprising that our parents never cared about how we were surviving.

I was sitting in my sister’s shop one day when the members of a particular church were sharing flyers for their upcoming crusade. A young man came into the shop to specially invite us to the program.

My sister and I never had plans to attend but his persistence made us attend. It was an awesome program, I missed going to church because we haven’t been attending any after my parent separated.

We decided to start attending the church since we had none and God has been faithful to us despite all we ever went through. The young man who invited us for the program was so happy to hear that we were now members of their church.

He happened to be the youth coordinator and he was called Bro. Victor. Since he lived in our neighborhood, he was always coming to my sister’s shop to encourage us and sometimes pray with us.

God answered my prayer the following year and I was given admission into the University of Ibadan to study Economics, I was so happy that I danced and even gave testimony in the church. My sister had to prepare special food to celebrate my admission.

The school reopened and I had to resume, my sister paid my bills and provided me with more than all I ever needed. I never knew she had special savings for my school apart from the one we had in the bank.

The night before my departure, my sister pleaded with me to face my studies and make her proud, she warned me to stay away from bad friends so that I won’t bring shame to her. I promised to adhere to instructions and she prayed for me.

The day of my departure was filled with mixed feelings, I was happy that I was going to school but I was sad to leave my sister. Getting to the Park, we embraced each other and wept. I told her to take good care of herself and the shop. The bus finally got filled up and I left for school.

Getting to school, I was determined to face my studies and make my sister proud. I had friends but there were boundaries because I don’t want anyone prying into my personal life.

Two months after my stay in school, I received a call from Bro. Victor, I have been receiving several calls from him before but this was different. He called and after a moment of hesitation, he said God said I am his wife.

I was too stunned to speak as I never saw it coming. I was just twenty years and I felt I had a lot to achieve before marriage. He told me to pray about it and give him a reply later. The only thing I could do was to inform my sister who said he told her about it, she was the one that told him to speak to me himself.

I push the matter away from my mind and continued with my studies. We wrote our first-semester examination and went home for a break.

My sister was so happy to see me and so was I. We had a lot to talk about. I noticed she was always using bedroom voice whenever a particular person named James called. I kept asking who James was but she told me not to bother my head.

I double-crossed her one day and told her she won’t leave the house for the shop if she refuses to tell me who James was.

Tolani: you are a character Teni

Me: I am happy to be

Tolani: he is my bosses cousin who studied in the US, he visited my boss while I was still learning and took a liking to me but I didn’t give him a face

Me: so, what happened?

Tolani: chill na, he is done with studies and is currently working in one of the big companies in Lagos. He got my contact from his aunt who is my boss and traced me here

Me: wow! What does he want? Wait! Are you guys an item?

Tolani: Shut up Teni, let me land, he asked me out and after thinking and praying through, I gave him a yes but recently, he has been asking for marriage

Me: wow! My sister is in love. Marry him now

Tolani: I am just twenty-two, I feel I am still young for that

Me: sis, you may be twenty-two but you are more mature than that. If God wants you to be his wife, please give him a yes but I have to meet him first and warn him not to break my sister’s heart

Tolani: as your lordship pleases. So, how far with Bro. Victor?

Me: I don’t know

Tolani: didn’t you pray about it?

Me: no, is this time for this? Am I not too young for this?

Tolani: you are not, we have gone through a lot in life and I felt God is trying to comfort us with wonderful marriages so, pray about it

Me: hmmm, pray about it for me

Tolani: I have done that but you need your conviction

Me: hmmm

Tolani: he is visiting us tomorrow, I guess he wants to come and see the face of his beautiful woman

Me: stop that sis

To be continued… . .