FLIRTATIOUS ; ( Part 11 & 12 ) – OPEYEMI AKINTUNDE

PART 11 ” FLIRTATIOUS”
Opeyemi Akintunde

Shalewa became family and a positive impact on us. She drew us to church, made us believe strongly in God. Mrs Abrahamson did what I expected of her; she reported us to the orphanage and the orphanage put up our names on the ” AFTER ALL WE DID” wall. That way we became alone, but Shalewa gave us hope. She introduced us to Miss Yemi at the Orphanage where she grew up.

Meeting Miss Yemi was like meeting Shalewa’s mother. She was everything Shalewa was, but the Older and darker version. Though there was something strikingly familiar about her but I couldn’t place it.

Miss Yemi was the “AUNTY” at the orphanage. Aunty was the second in command. While Big Mummy was the founder of the orphanage. At the time Shalewa took us to see Miss Yemi, their Big Mummy was very ill and the burden of running Grace Orphanage was on Miss Yemi.

” Nice meeting you Leni and F.D, Shalewa has told me so much about you both, but can you give me 30 minutes, I have a meeting…” Miss Yemi had said before rushing to her office.

While we waited for the thirty minutes, we couldn’t help but hear a female voice singing praises to God.

Miss Yemi walked out later all sweaty like someone coming out of the gym. She waved at us telling us she will be with us shortly…

” Was she the one singing praises? I thought she said she had a meeting ” I asked Shalewa

” Yes, she had a meeting with the King of Kings. Aunty praises God seven times every day” Shalewa said

” 7 times everyday?” I asked very fascinated

” Yeah, she takes 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 minutes breaks to praise God daily like it is written in the book of Psalms””

” Wow!” Leni said

” She is a carrier of fire, she is my mentor. She joined our house 7 years ago, I think I was 13 years old then…Oh my Goodness, she turned everywhere around. She poured her life into us. Aunty shows us what it means to be a Christian through her lifestyle. ” Shalewa went on and on about how wonderful Miss Yemi was.

” Hello dears, why do I have a feeling you are talking about me?” Miss Yemi said from a distance as she approached us.

Shalewa laughed…

” Aunty, your connectivity is on 1000G” Shalewa said

They both shared a knowing laughter

When Miss Yemi got to us, she touched Leni’s hand…

” Leni, I want you to know..” Miss Yemi was saying but she stopped suddenly

I saw an instant unseen current pass through both of them. I didn’t know what it was but the moment their skins touched, there was a moment of knowing between both of them.. They both looked into each other’s eyes.

” Sorry…I lost a moment there.” Miss Yemi apologized

Leni too asked to sit as she felt dizzy.

” Have you eaten?” Miss Yemi asked looking very concerned but puzzled at the same time.

” Yes, if there is anything like overeating for a pregnant person, I have done that today”

They all laughed…

” Leni, as I was saying God told me to tell you that He is with you.”

Not only did God stand with us through out Leni’s pregnancy, Miss Yemi was strongly behind us. Going to the Grace foundation was a constant thing for Leni while I had to face school, since I was in my 300 Level second Semester.

By the time I was almost rounding up my 400 Level, Leni had her son but there was a problem, he became anemic and we needed to get his father Marcus, but …

PART 12 ” FLIRTATIOUS ”
Opeyemi Akintunde

The baby was anemic and the ” Low Budget” maternity hospital was short of blood in their blood bank, Leni too had lost some blood during the delivery, hence she couldn’t donate. They ran a test on me and I had a low haemoglobin level as well. The doctor asked for the father of the baby and while trying to reach him, Mrs Abrahamson showed how much of a selfish beast she was..

” Oh! You want to kill my own child so your Sister’s child can live” Mrs Abrahamson had said

” Ma, we are talking about your grandchild here!” I reminded her

” Before a grandchild comes the child, don’t you think it will do your sister good for that child to return to where it came from. My son can not and will never marry her, so it’s best she lets the child die”

” To think that you were my Angel for over 15 years, but now seeing this beast you are, I find it hard to reconcile the two personalities living in one body….” I hung up in anger…

Miss Yemi walked in at that moment.

” Where is she and the baby?” She asked excitedly. I had called her to inform her Leni had given birth in a hospital close to the house.

” Leni is in the Post Delivery ward, but there is a problem with the baby. He is anemic” I said

” Really? So what are the doctors doing about that?”

” They said we need blood and I tried reaching Mrs Abrahamson so she could send Marcus”

” Why call her in the first place? You know how hard we have been trying to make her accept the pregnancy for months and no luck, so her coming now is unlikely. She cares less if the child died”

” Exactly what she said” I lamented

” So what are we to do now?” Miss Yemi said

” Can’t you pray that the blood should increase by itself?” I asked desperately

” Sure, but Sometimes our miracles are in finding the right person, what we need now is a donor. Medical Science is a Miracle on its own, so let us give the doctors what they want. Can I donate?” Miss Yemi asked

” They will have to run a test on your blood?” I replied

” Alright, let’s do that at once.”

Miss Yemi was Baby Roland’s Saviour. Miss Yemi called Mrs Abrahamson since she was well acquainted with her. Mrs Abrahamson was a regular at Grace Orphanage where she had picked up Shalewa’s sponsorship four years back.

” I am just calling to tell her she has a grandson, but it is a pity she is not picking”.

Miss Yemi was the only mother figure we had, she helped in caring for the baby and Leni.

Shalewa got an international admission to study Medicine and that made her leave us when Roland turned two. She was on a full scholarship.

By that time, I had completed my National Youth Service Corps and Leni was hoping to return for her HND ( Higher National Diploma) .

Marcus showed up suddenly on our TV screen one day. He was on an international entertainment channel as the newest African music star that was fast rising in America. Leni started another rat race, running from Pillar to Post, trying to connect with him online. She started running from one prophet to another, One Pastor to another Pastor, asking them to pray that Marcus would remember her and come back for her…

However, Leni’s freedom came when we went to the Grace Orphanage to visit Miss Yemi one beautiful weekend…

” Leni, the Lord gave me a message for you…” Miss Yemi said the moment we entered her office and we both froze. The Orphanage Kids had taken Roland from Leni, so her attention was fully on Miss Yemi.

” Take your Seats”

” Leni, what is your biggest prayer point at the moment?”

” That Marcus will come back for her!” I said mockingly, because that was all she ever prayed for. Leni eyed me.

” Why do you want him to come back for you?”

” I don’t want to have children for different men”

‘ Leni, God said you are not going to marry Marcus, because Marcus has gone into deep occultism for fame. Infact, he has sold his soul to the devil, but guess what ! God gave you Roland as a compensation for Marcus’s mother.

Marcus’s mother has done so many good things to people and for that reason her son ought to reap the harvest of his mother’s labour, but since the son has made himself unavailable, God has passed Marcus’s Grace & Glory to Roland.. Forget Marcus, God says your husband is near.” Miss Yemi said prophetically and Leni wept sore.

” Leni why the tears? You ought to be rejoicing at God’s Mercy, you made a mistake and instead of you living a life of regret, God picked up your child of regret and has decided to use him to compensate you and the grandmother of your child..”

I was appreciative of what God was doing with Leni’s life but I didn’t like the fact that God was compensating Mrs Abrahamson.

It had been five years since Leni gave birth to Roland, and he was a joy giver. Looking back at Leni’s journey, I could tell Fl!rting doesn’t end well… but there was something interesting about the married woman at the hotel.

” Leni was a child when it happened, I am not one. I will be very smart about this. Who knows, she may help me get a better job…” I encouraged myself as I returned back to the present…

My phone beeped and on checking it, I was surprised at the message…

” I got your number you didn’t want to give me, I am somewhere called the Blue Carnival, Come Let’s get to know each other! ”

I knew who the message from us…

Was I to go or return to Leni?