HIM HER & I (Part 25&26) – OPEYEMI AKINTUNDE

PART 25
“HIM HER & I”
(A love Triangle)
©️Opeyemi Ojerinde Akintunde

I was not ready to take no for an answer. I decided to attend their weekly interdenominational service which held only on Wednesdays.

I had locked Iremide in a room all by herself after feeding her. I did a thorough washing of my body and went to a makeup studio for a glamorous look.

I set out for the service in one of the executive cars Odi had left for me. I wore the wedding ring I had bought for myself about 2 years ago as a way of making people feel I was legally married to Odi.
On getting to the church, I was taken to the front seat by the usher, probably because of my look. I noticed Papa froze in his seat on setting his eyes on me. Azuka looked my way too and I smelt trouble, but I knew my game plan.

After the service, I walked up to Azuka and not Papa as expected and I introduced myself formally to Azuka.

“God bless you ma’am, my name is Timileyin, I was Papa’s school daughter from way back in school.”

“I know who you are, besides God told me you were coming… how are you ma?” Azuka said smiling.

“Fine, thank you… I am happy God informed you about my coming here. I just wanted to come clear the air!” I said laughing.

“I am with you,” Azuka said.

“I am a happily married woman who has no intention of making your husband fall, so ma, please the relationship between Papa and I is just a spiritual father and daughter relationship.
When I saw his videos online, I saw it as a means of repaying him back for all the spiritual investments he had made in my life,” I said convincingly.

“Hmmm… well, you wouldn’t blame me for reacting the way I did, if you have no hidden motives, then you are welcome into the family,” Azuka said.

“I am very grateful.”
I was able to see Papa as well because Azuka took me to see him.

I continued in their church, as I gave my full devotion to service. I knew I wasn’t born again, but my service was unrivaled in the church.

I became a close friend to Pastor Azuka as I poured money into their ministry.
I told them my husband was not happy with me fellowshipping with them, so that was why I could not bring him along with me…

I became the number one kingdom financier of the ministry. Azuka was too plain a person. She put in so much trust in me. She didn’t have the physical strength of the wife of a founder, so I represented her in most Good Women meetings, whenever she was invited to speak I will go on her behalf.

Papa saw my coming into their lives as an answer to his secret tears, as Azuka did not have the strength to be his ministerial partner. He loved Azuka no doubt, but she spent most of her days at home resting. The only thing she did ministerially was to do her inspirational online video messages.
There were times she would have her crises and I would silently wish her dead, but Azuka was a stubborn soul. She would always survive her crises.

My opportunity came when she got pregnant again. She was as weak as a newborn lamb, and Papa’s family did not help matters.

As I got close to the family, I realized Papa came from a highly bureaucratic family, Papa’s siblings were living with them and they had this weird microscopic selective African mentality that the wife was the general wife of the family who should cook for everyone even when she is weak. They cared less about her medical condition, in fact they would spite her to her face calling her the “Weak Wife.”

On getting close to the family, I was partially grateful that I was not married to Papa, because though he was a good man, the family he came from was filled with highly inconsiderate and mean set of people.

During the pregnancy, Azuka could not perform her wifely duties as a wife at home and a spiritual mother in church.

This got me close to the family as I bought their consciences with money and gifts. Even Papa’s Aunty who was like his mother liked me a lot. Azuka saw me as a relief system and Papa was unconsciously developing a soft spot for me. He would say sometimes…

“If not that Mr Odi has taken you away and Azuka is already in my life, we would have made a perfect match.” I would smile and tell him to let that rest in the past as we both had a great present and a sure future.

If only he knew I was not in his life for any emotional attachment but I was there for a detachment. If he knew I was in his life to take something from his life, he would have taken to his heels.
What?

I had my eyes on his twins, through his actions in my past, I lost Jadesola. He must also lose his twins!

PART 26
“HIM HER & I”
(A love Triangle)
©️Opeyemi Ojerinde Akintunde

I saw several baby shoes, from Jadesola’s childhood. I recognized most of the shoes as

my mother had bought them for her. I looked at some of them, they still looked beautiful,

and I wished Jadesola could still wear them, but it wasn’t her size anymore. I knew

forcing her legs into it would not make sense. Even her hand could not enter the shoes.

However, I stood regretting wishing Jadesola could wear the shoe again…

I woke up from the dream. I instantly knew the meaning. God was telling me, Papa was

an old shoe I should forget. He was my past…

My Phone rang. It was Mmesoma calling….

“Hello” I said rousing myself from sleep

“Timileyin, guess who I ran into yesterday?”

“Papa!”.. That was the first name I could think of…

“Papa? No…, Bro Rufus…”

I remembered Bro Rufus from way back, he was interested in me, but I never gave him

a second thought because he was a stammerer, but Mmesoma was telling me, he was

the Vice Governor candidate of his town.

“But, how can he be? He is way too young” I reasoned quietly within me, as Mmesoma

kept chatting.

“You know his father is neck deep in politics, and Bro Rufus, said the political party his

father had served for over 35 years decided to honor his father by giving his only son a

ticket. Fortunately for Rufus, he was the last child and only son of his father. Timileyin

can you see that no one should be written off, I mean who would have imagined a great

future for Bro Rufus…”

All that kept ringing in my head was “Lost opportunities”,

I had put my gaze on a man who I felt was the best and in between that time, different

greater opportunities had passed me by. I never considered or prayed about them back

then, because I judged by appearance and human reasoning.

After Mmesoma dropped, I sat down and took a pen and wrote out the names of Men

that had passed by me. Both the good and bad ones… I wrote 38 names. I decided to

narrow it down to about 20 of them who were Born Again Christians… I took a step further and checked each of them online including Bro Rufus and Bro Stephen and

these were my findings.

Bro Mathew had a brown teeth back then, which was what disqualified him, as at the

time I was checking him up, he was happily married to a very beautiful lady with a son.

He was the manager at a transport company…

Bro Segun was in my department and attended another fellowship, my issue with him

was that he was Poverty personified. Though he was a neat person, he would

sometimes wear only 3 shirts in a semester. The moment I located his social media

page, I found my mouth wide open, he had changed, he was no longer thin, he was

looking robust and fresh. He was also married and from the pictures I saw, he had a

catering business with his wife. They were living in an elite environment, which shows

he was doing very fine….

Emeka, “the saliva bather”. This was the name I called him, whenever he was speaking

to a person, he would always have spit popping out of his mouth. I couldn’t stand him.

When I checked his profile, I was surprised to find out he was married to one of the

younger students from the fellowship. They had just tied the knot 6 months earlier. I

checked to see his work. From what I was able to gather, he was selling cars. He also

looked happy…

Bro Isaiah, was too much of a talkative for my liking, but on checking him up, I noticed

he was doing so well as a Public Speaker with a large fan base.

My eyes were tearing, I was weeping as I saw various opportunities I had lost, the only

person I couldn’t locate was Bro Stephen, my late mother’s choice. Maybe he wasn’t a

social media person. I concluded on my own…

I was still lost in my thoughts when I heard Iremide’s sound, it seem like she was

choking. The mother in me rose up as I raced to where I laid her on the chair. She was

choking on something. I tried to put my hands down her throat to find out what it was,

but nothing was there. I knew the next place to go was the hospital, I rushed her down

to the clinic, but it was too late, Iremide had turned blue…

I wept and wept… I had lost all, All was gone because I was trying to fix a good life for

myself…God had showed me He was my creator and He wanted to show me, I was not

the person to try to fix myself up martially, but Him.

Though Iremide was an abnormal Child, but she was still a part of me, so I still wept at

losing her. One would have thought her demise will be a relief for me, but far from it as

she was a part of me…

“Was there still hope for this life of mine?” I kept asking myself

I buried Iremide by myself in Odi’s compound. I had called to inform him and though he

sounded unhappy, he told me, he felt much at peace knowing I was free at last. He told

me he was sorry for all the trouble but that he was getting married soon…

Mmesoma came around to console me, Papa and Azuka came to visit me for the first

time. They had never seen Iremide before so they didn’t know her condition, so all I told

them was that it was an attack. They asked about Odi, and I told them the half-truth,

which is, Odi had left me for another woman,

At this point, I just wanted to be alone. I knew I had been calling myself a Christian all

these while but I never knew Christ. I wanted Papa out of my life based on the dream I

had. I was no longer in the revenge plan. I just wanted God, but unfortunately I had

danced with the devil and he wasn’t ready to let go of me that easily….