[STORY] THE PASTOR’S DAUGHTER (Episode 02)

Episode 02.

My mother knocked on the door that night but I just laid in my bed without saying a word.
“Love its time for prayers, we are waiting for you, my mother said outside the door.
“I’ll pray mine here, I said.

“Don’t let me knock on this door again! She sternly said and left and I sluggishly left the bed to the sitting room.
“You’re 10 minutes late Love, is it in my house you want to turn rebellious? My father asked but I was quiet.

“I am talking to you! He shouted and raised his hand to hit me but my mother held him as I just folded my hands looking at him and smirked,
“I’ll be in my room, I said and left as my mother surprisedly looked at me while I saw Pius smiled as he quietly watched the show.

I have always been the obedient child while Pius was seen as the stubborn one. My father will sometimes invite his friends who are pastors to lay their hands on my brother to cast out stubbornness from him, and somehow he got tired and played cool with all that my father commanded him to do.
I sat on my bed so tired of the house and thought of how I can just leave. Interacting with my classmates these few weeks gave me other view of life and I came to realize that I was more than a loner all this while.

My father made life so difficult and made me reason if my religion is meant to enslave people or to safe. Despite my father trained us to quote the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, it didn’t really make sense to me because I was brought up to fear God and not to love him.
The next morning I left the room to get prepared for school and my mother met me in the kitchen which I greeted her,
“Morning. What happened to you yesterday? I mean this is not you Love, my mother replied and I heaved.

“But mommy what did I do? I can’t walk with human beings anymore because my father is a pastor? I asked her.
‘You’re walking with the opposite sex and its giving a wrong impression outside. You should be an example to others, she replied.

“Oh mommy please. Example for what? Did you bring me to this world to live my life for you and for others? I am not doing anything wrong so please let me breathe, I said.
“Love we are training you the way you should go, you’ll thank us when you’re grown up because you won’t understand what we are doing for you now. Look the world is wicked and rotten, so don’t blame us, my mother said and I just shook my head and concentrated with the dishes because whatever I will say won’t change anything.

When I left the kitchen to set the dining i saw my father and greeted him but he just looked at me without saying anything and passed.
On the way to school Pius was just smiling and humming what I don’t know while I looked at him and heaved,
“I saw you smiled last night and you’re still smiling, I said to him.

“Did you expect me to cry? He asked.
‘I didn’t want to react the way I did, but then its too much, its getting too much day by day, I replied.

“Its too much? No it shouldn’t be now please just hang on there okay, he said.
“Can we talk to daddy about this? We have our life to live for crying out loud and they have taken it away from us. We can’t make decisions anymore and they don’t care. Why should he portray us to the village to be so perfect and pure when we are nothing but humans immune to mistakes? I asked.

‘Because your father is a pastor, he replied and smiled and kept humming and I just knew I wasted my time talking with him.
When we dismissed from school, I was fighting within me to go home or stay for the extra class. I didn’t want to miss it and I’ll be disobeying my father if I stay back.
I just breathed out and took my bag to look for Pius when someone held me by my hand,

“Where are you going to? Solomon asked.
“Ermmm to meet my brother, I replied.

“You’re going home when we have something interesting to discuss today and it’s even Friday? No I won’t let you, you can’t miss today else you’ll regret it trust me, Solomon said and I scratched my head and someone cleared his throat behind me and I turned and saw Pius. I quickly took my hand away from Solomon own because he was still holding me,
“You’ll stay? Pius asked but I could not say yes or no.

“Okay bye, Pius said and left.
“Is there a problem? Solomon asked and I nodded.

“Let’s go, he said taking my hands again and we left to the junior class we do use for the class.
“Its my father, He’s asking me to stop attending the class, I said to him when we got settled but he just nodded his head.

“Just that? I asked him.
“Well I thought you were not done, he replied and I cleaned my face very worried.

“What’s his reason? He asked.
“Because someone reported to him that I am walking with you, I replied and he burst out laughing.

“Its not funny though, I said.
“Sorry I laughed, what does he think I will do with you? He asked.

“How am I suppose to know? I’m just so scared of what he will do at home if he finds out I disobeyed him, I replied.
“Then you should go home, He’s your father after all, he said and his classmates walked into the class which I greeted them.

“Afternoon Love. Where are your classmates? Go call them please let’s start, One said and I looked at Solomon and slowly left to call my classmates and I ended up joining them in the class.
I was there laughing cheerfully with my classmates enjoying the comedy that was played on phone. My dad didn’t want us to have anything called phone, even the one that looked like a calculator. No television at home either but only a radio which he only turns it on to listen to news when its time, that’s the kind of life we were forced to live and I saw the opportunity to be close to a phone and I totally forgot that I just disobeyed my father.

“LOVE! I heard a thunderous voice at the door and when I looked up and it was my father swelling up red. My eyes bulged out as I stood up looking at him and he walked in ignoring the students greeting and landed a slap that resounded twice in my ears in front of my classmates who just watched us.
‘I thought I told you 3pm should not meet you in school? You dare disobey me! He shouted as I touched my cheek with my lips shaking.

“I’m so sorry sir its my fault, she wanted leaving but I convinced her today lecture is very important, Solomon said.
“Today lecture huh? And who are you a certified teacher or what? So the teaching from morning to afternoon is not enough but rather you keep people children behind feeding them with immoral scene in the name of teaching them. So Love you’re even holding a phone laughing like a spoilt child from the street, is this how I trained you? Just look at you! He shouted on my face and I closed my eyes shivering.

Slowly my classmates began leaving the class with their bags and it was left with Solomon who didn’t even touched his bag,
“Let’s go! My father said and roughly held my hand to drag me out,
“Excuse me sir, being a strong and stern father does not stop your child to be wayward. Now I see the reason why most pastors children turns out to be the opposite, Solomon said when we were at the door and my father stopped and looked at him which he took his bag and left the class without looking back.

I got home covered with shame and filled with anger. My father has done his worst and to make it more annoying, he saw nothing wrong with what he did but shouted my name all over the house. I locked myself in the room refusing to eat or come out despite the numerous begging and knocks from my mother but I just sat on the floor asking myself questions.

I remained indoor that way and opened up on Sunday morning and my mother ran to me touching my face,
“How are you? Why do you have to lock yourself inside? My mother asked but I slowly kept her hands down from my face and walked away saying nothing.
“Love, Pius said to me at the backward where I just stood looking at the cassava farm we had.

“Starving and locking yourself up won’t change anything, it will make it more difficult for you, Pius said facing me.
“Our father will have to apologize for what he did to me, I said to him and he smiled.

“And you know that’s not possible, daddy never apologize and besides you disobeyed him, he said.
“Because he caused it, does he want me to fail? I asked him.

“Then just fail for him to see that you’ve failed, why are you bothering yourself so much? Why not be like me and everyone will be in peace, Pius said.
“I am not you, and father will apologize, I sternly said to him and went in to prepare for service.
That Sunday was children day and Children were given the chance to perform in church.

I sat at the back of the church not interested with whatever was going on until a small girl came out for bible quotations and quoted Ephesians 6:1-3 and everyone clapped for her.
I stood up from where I sat smiling and got the microphone from the leader of service and cleared my throat,
‘That was a good one from that girl, it’s not easy, please clap for her again, I said and everyone clapped happily.

“But I have a problem with that recitation because it’s not complete. Why are we not going down to the verse 4 of the chapter which says,
“And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” I quoted and looked at my father.
“Why are we fond of quoting the children part when God knew fathers will one way or the other hurt their children and push them the wrong path? I asked him and my father smiled and took his own microphone and stepped forward to the pulpit while I returned to my seat.

“The bible did say fathers should not provoke their children to wrath, but what if your children gets provoked when you are trying to nurture and bring them up the way they should go, parents will you let them go that way? My father threw the question to the church and they screamed “NO”.
“Didn’t the same bible said we should train up the child the way they should go? In fact the bible even asked us to use the rod on the child, then what if a parent uses the rod to correct the child and the child gets provoked, should the parent say eh because the bible said we should not provoke the child so let me leave the child and he or she will change? Its a big lie! Parents train up your children, beat them when necessary and make sure they live in the way of the Lord because the Lord will hood you responsible. And you children, obey your parents, that is the only commandment that came with a promise okay, my father preached and the church clapped for him and I just left the church and stood outside.

I was the first to hit the house when the service was over and when everyone got home they met me with my book trying to do my assignment,
“What was the meaning of that in church? Love are you now possessed? My father asked.
“Dear please you just returned from church and you’ve not even prayed, my mother said.

“No no no let me talk to Love, you really think you can use the bible to belittle me? If this is what you want, I will so give you public disgrace and you know what I can do, my father said and I raised my head from my book.
‘I guess you’re forgetting something here. Your weakness is you not having your name stained, don’t forget I can equally give you that disgrace that you won’t find the strength to hold a bible again. Just don’t push me, I said to him.

“Love will you shut up! My mother shouted on me and I saw my father taking off his belt from his trouser.
“Hold that girl for me! My father shouted and within seconds I jumped and fled from the house.
To Be Continued… . .