STEPPING INTO MAGGIE’S SHOE (Part 1&2) – OPEYEMI AKINTUNDE

Stepping into Maggie’s shoes by Opeyemi Akintunde tells the story of Pastor Maggie, who is the wife of handsome Apostle Ray. She dresses so shabbily and became the concern of most young ladies in the church. Most of the single ladies in church wish to be in her shoes but they never knew how big the shoe is.

Read S.I.M.S by Opeyemi Akintunde and learn more about “WISHING” to be in another person’s shoe.

PART 1
“STEPPING INTO MAGGIE’s SHOE …” S.I.M.S
©️ Opeyemi Ojerinde Akintunde

Her name was Margaret, she was my pastor’s wife. She was popularly referred to as Pastor Maggie. My pastor’s name was Apostle Raymond, but he loved us calling him Pastor Ray, because we the foundational members had always referred to him that way. It was just recently the title “Apostle” surfaced.

Pastor Ray was handsome, tall, Anointed with a capital “A”. He was way too young for the level of anointing he carried, my pastor was just 38 years old and his eight year old ministry had swallowed up most ministries that were up to 25 years and above in terms of popularity, crowd, branches and influence.

It therefore didn’t make sense one bit, that he would have married a woman like Pastor Maggie.

She was not in his league. As I sat in the taxi on my way back from church that Sunday, I couldn’t help the level of anger I was feeling towards my Pastor’s wife.

“ How on earth would she dress that way?” I was literally screaming in my heart. Pastor Maggie had worn a blue chiffon flowery loose long top that looked like a canopy with a black and white striped straight skirt with a cream hat and a cream sandal matched with a blue bag…

“ Who does that?” I shook my head for the upteempth time…

“ If only I was in her shoes, My Goodness, With a trendy and anointed husband like Pastor Ray, I would be the talk of the town, I will surely represent Christ in a big and classy way.” I thought to myself as I remembered how over 50 people in church had complimented me that day for looking top notch in my black themed wear. I didn’t have a lot of money but I always made an attempt to look classy, meanwhile with the money Pastor Ray has, his wife could do better than what she was doing…

“ A million naira for your thoughts?” Nneka, my friend said. Nneka, Joke and I were going home, we lived in the same axis, so we always took the cab home every Sunday after service. Nneka was my best friend, while Joke was just a church friend.

I blurted out without thinking…

“ I don’t like the way Pastor Maggie dressed today!”

Joke burst into laughter

“ My thoughts exactly, I thought eight years is enough to have an upgrade, but the woman keeps getting worse and the annoying thing is she doesn’t wear a welcoming face. She wears the look of a lion that can not be approached, at least I would have approached her to be her personal stylist…Did you see the rainbow effect she pulled today…Blue flowery top with over six colors on it, with a striped black and white skirt… She needs help” Joke said

“ I wish I was in her shoes, my goodness…” I said bitterly again

“ Long throat, you can never be in her shoes, whether she dresses well or not, she is the woman fortunate enough to be Pastor Ray’s wife, let’s concentrate on our own lives. At least you both have your men, I am still the single one“ Nneka said jokingly

As she was concluding her statement, my phone rang, it was Julius, my fiancé calling…

I decided to focus truly on my life, my Wedding Engagement ceremony was coming up in 3 months time, so I had better leave Pastor Maggie and her catastrophic dress sense…

“ Hello Julius…”

Was it right for my pastor’s wife to be fashion senseless because she was a pastor’s wife and was it wrong for me to have wished to be in her shoes, because to me, she was not representing Christ well?

PART 2
“STEPPING INTO MAGGIE’s SHOE …” S.I.M.S
©️ Opeyemi Ojerinde Akintunde

“Apostle is the handsome one, You all know I am not as good looking as he is, so young ladies, when on the look out, make sure you look well…” Pastor Maggie said with a dry smile

“ Why?” I almost screamed out

“This is official, my pastor’s wife needs help, Why would she be applauding her Husband and making a mess of herself on the Altar. Who said Apostle was more good looking than she is. I hope this is not how she carries herself at home, telling her husband he is more good looking than her?”

I blanked out from the watery message she was trying to preach which she made worse by creating a bad brand of herself. This was two sundays after her catastrophic dress episode. It was the women’s week and it was mandatory as the Mother of the church to be the one to minister, but here she was pouring out the wrong words. For starters, she could have done better as regards her appearance, but to add salt and pepper to her already terrible case she was a making mess of herself.

“I wish I can get close to this woman, but the security around her alone would ask me a million questions.” I thought bitterly .

Not that I was a stranger, seven years in the ministry was not a joke, but she wasn’t the social kind of person as she had created an invisible wall around herself.

My name is Happiness, but Happy for short and I have always tried to put smiles on people’s faces. God, I feel this woman needs help and I really want to get close to her, before she loses her husband to some wolves out there.

I shifted my gaze to Pastor Ray, and you didn’t need anyone to tell you, he wasn’t comfortable with his wife on the Altar. His body language said everything, as he kept checking his wrist watch.

After about 35 minutes, Pastor Maggie delivered us from the torture of listening to her watery than water speech she called a message.

I made up my mind I was going to get close to this woman no matter what, I felt there were things I could contribute to her. For starters, she needed to start seeing herself differently and speaking about herself differently. It wasn’t wrong of her to compliment her Husband but not at her own expense, like one of those comedians who make a mockery of themselves to make people laugh.

After service, I waited and prayed to God about the step I was about to take, I told God how passionate I was about helping Pastor Ray’s wife.

I believed God heard me and got a go ahead.

“ I hope you prayed for me as well” I heard Pastor Ray’s masculine voice from behind me.

“Jesus!” It had been so long I stood really close to Pastor Ray, he was looking really fresh, his cologne was out of this world, my heart did a victory jump like a thousand times in less than a second. Pastor Ray, Pastor Maggie and the security were on their way out, I must have prayed for close to an hour without knowing, ( I prayed about other things as well) so the church was close to empty.

I guessed pastor Ray seeing me praying at the Altar an hour after service had caught his attention.

“ Yes…Yes sir, I actually included you and Pastor Maggie in my prayers” I said beaming with smiles and instead of getting an appreciative smile from Pastor Maggie like the one Pastor Ray was giving me, All I got from her was a cold stare that spoke hatred, disgust and bitterness in volumes.

“Thank you daughter, we appreciate it, you are blessed” Pastor Ray, his wife and the security left, but I couldn’t help but reason why Pastor Maggie gave me that cold stare.

“Or is she psychologically disturbed?” I wondered.

Julius, My Fiance who had been waiting rushed towards me after Pastor Ray left…

“ Did you tell him?” he asked with so much excitement

“ About?” I asked looking blankly at him

“ About? What do you think I am talking about” Julius retorted as he knew I was trying to feign ignorance

“ The financial help?” I said the obvious

“ Of course” he replied

“ Julius,so you expected me to open my mouth to tell Apostle that my husband to be needs Financial assistance to pay my dowry as he is jobless….Brother I have too much self worth”

“ What’s there? Apostle helps people and asking him to help us…” he said

“ I should beg him to pay my bride price, Julius you need help, excuse me…”

I couldn’t stand to hear any of his annoying statements anymore. If not for several heartbreaks, Julius was not even the kind of man I would have settled for in marriage.

Out of anger, I walked out on him, or was I wrong to have walked out on him? Or better still I think the right question I should ask you dear reader is, Was it right for a man to borrow or beg for money in other to pay his wife’s bride price.?

Secondly, was it right for my Pastor’s wife to talk less of herself, while exalting her Husband???