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Adesua notified me of her wedding plans. I decided to give her a surprise package. I attended in company of ministry team members, in a sophisticated convoy – all dressed up like the groom with a reasonable gift in the truck. And….. THE END ‘No sir! Please go on. Omidan Wura and her protégés chorused all at once.’ Epilogue (ELDER ADEYINKA walks in) ‘See how I caught your rapt attention for hours. Alright, let me go on.’ ‘Yeah…thanks sir,’ they replied “AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER” (Turning to the Elder Marriage man himself) ‘I believe Dad has something to share. Please go ahead sir’ ‘Indeed, Aderopo. But I would do that briefly so they can go for dinner.’ This goes to the young men. When a lady allows you to empty yourself into her, she’s doing you no favour at all. I have met ignorant and simple men counting the number of ladies they have “conquered”. As a matter of fact, some of them even brag about it. They would talk among their friends and say, ‘Do you see that

"Please, stop calling me, Ayomi. I don’t want you calling me by that name anymore. My name is Olajumoke," She said. ‘Why? What does it do to you?’ ‘Forget about what it does to me. But not calling me by that actually makes me feel better.’ ‘But you said ‘AyoAde’ still exists’ ‘I Said!' ‘Oh! Not again?’ ‘I guess’ I see! My one and only sweetheart! Ayomi is like the air I breathe. It’s too late ‘Then I would be forced to do what I don’t want to do.’ Anything my dear! ‘Block me on social media, delete my contact. Or better still…. Assassinate me’ ‘I already opted out of this relationship a long time ago because I wasn’t sure of what I wanted. And now, I’m sure’ ‘Is that what you did not want to do?’ ‘It is what I’ve done already. Just reminding you in case you have forgotten’ ‘So…. What more? Ayomi… What more?’ ‘I’M OUT!’ ‘But at least a relationship is between two people. It might be temporal with you but it is eternal with me. I’M IN!’ ‘Maybe you think I’m

I resolved to work on reconciling her to Olaide. The broken friendship between them had now grown into over a year old. Soon, my efforts were becoming productive. "Aderopo, I was with your ‘boo’ all through last weekend," Olaide submitted. "Wow! That’s great. I’m sure she is doing well too?" "Yes." "What did she tell you about 'us'?" "From what she said, she is single." I see! Good for her! She can keep deceiving herself until eternity. My love affair with her is timeless. The bond we share is like eternal life…. Once saved, forever saved – save for unbelief, which is in itself referred to as evil. ‘Ade! Come on… are you still in the relationship or out also?’ ‘I am in for life - even if she marries someone else. I would tell her husband he is only wasting his time. It’s too late to back out. I burnt the bridge for retreat already.’ ‘But she totally confirmed that she’s out?’ ‘Fine - I totally confirm that I’m in too.

Ayomi, I’m sorry for everything or anything I did wrong. All I wanted was to be your best friend… at the happy times and the not so good times. I wanted a friendship based relationship….even when there would be no reason to love. I enjoy playing with you. I enjoy being me. Loved running around laughing hard with you. I craved a home like that. It made me go so much into you. I’m not the official hubby type "Okay…. I loved all that too and I wanted us to be like that forever" "So, I see no reason why you should be scared." "I was scared because I didn’t want a home like some I’m seeing around me" "And you perceived that coming?" "Not really. But your focusing too much on career scared me. You were always reading mostly motivational books" "Oh…. My dear, apart from kingdom service, all else I do is to provide for my family. And you knew that from the start, don’t you?" "I'm still scared but I don’t know how to

I assumed our relationship was back on track. So, I decided to keep the communication river flowing freely . "A part of me wants to share thoughts! Getting tougher…. I really do not enjoy all these. Are you still in the dark?" I asked ‘You are free to share’ "No! I’m not. You don’t want me to." ‘I do…’ ‘OK. Then tell me what happened’ ‘I got scared’ ‘Of me?’ ‘Not really. I don’t want to get married to a life coach or motivational speaker. I want someone who the paramount thing to is the gospel. I don’t want to be like some couples I know.’ "But you have known this all along. I hid nothing from you from the start. I was completely open" She had made the same statement when David’s plea for a comeback was getting really hard on her. But my case was clearly distinct. She did affirm that I was God’s perfect gift for her. She arranged a meeting between David and me – which finally put a stop to his constant disturbance. ‘Maybe I knew but I didn’t pay

— (After few days, I reopened the conversation) ‘Hello dear. Good afternoon.’ I opened up a conversation. ‘Good afternoon’ ‘Um… I’m keeping so much to myself. Not happy about that.’ ‘Why?’ She asked ‘She deserted me. I don’t know if I know her again.’ ‘Okay. So, what are you going to do about her?’ ‘Marry her!’ I affirmed. ‘What if she does not want to?’ ‘She might also want to explain “why not”,’ I followed up. ‘Maybe she’s having a second thought about marriage itself’ ‘The seminary is opened then. It would make the story more interesting’. ‘She is not interested in going to the seminary’ ‘Then… there’s a mix up. Who doesn’t know the “why” for existence? Identity crisis, I perceive.’ ‘It is not a matter of knowing the “why” for existence, she said ‘So, it’s a matter of….?’ I asked ‘Not knowing the “why” for wanting to get married. She probably got confused along the line?’ ‘Maybe she does not want sex - because she is engaged already.’ Just trying to help out ‘That

Ayomi, please! What do you want me to do? Anything! ‘When I know what I want, I would let you know. At the moment, I don’t know what I want’. ‘But dear, I am disturbed.’ Mum would sure ask after you when I finally go back home ….. I’ve delayed the discussion until now. We are not communicating… that’s not ideal for a union. It’s creating a gap I don’t want to fill with anyone or anything. Can you please respond? ‘Ok’ Just that! ‘I am responding’ ‘What is it about the break you have always longed for,’ I pressed further ‘I don’t know what to say really’ ‘Is that from your heart?’ ‘I don’t know. I can’t seem to figure it out’. Ayomi, after a year together! We ought to enjoy mutual love and happiness. Agreed… I offended you by not seeing you off to the park. But you didn’t inform me either. ‘OK’ ‘Please talk to me’ ‘Really, I don’t have anything to say until I know what I want. And right now, I am confused. So, it’s best I don’t say anything.’ ‘Confused? About me?’ ‘I am co

The communication gap was not faring well on my part at all – coupled with the fact that we were no longer at the same location. Communication was mainly via chats and I hated dry chats….I hated to ask an open ended question and the response would just be a smiley I cannot even decode at times. — "Someone told me he is missing you but there is nothing he could do about it. I advised him to divert his thoughts because the ‘you’ he is missing does not even care anymore", I was referring to myself. ‘Okay,’ she responded. Not again! I deride such responses. When I couldn’t bear it any longer, I decided to make my intentions known. "I might withdraw for some time," dear. ‘I hate being snubbed, it rouses my ego. I would always love you.’ Do channel your passion into acquiring as much skills as you can. Practice!! Practice! Practice! That’s the key. She had applied at a crafts school far away from home. A decision she exclusively made although I was not averse to i

The exams were over but we were both still in school awaiting project defense. Hers came before mine. Another outreach organized by Opeyemi Daniels was now around the corner. It was certain that I won’t be able to go with her again as my research work was still underway – let alone defending it. The program was scheduled to hold from Thursday all through to Sunday. So, I promised to join them latest by Friday evening or at most, Saturday morning. My project supervisor fixed a meeting for Saturday morning. I could not complain because she was coming to school for no other reason than to support me in speeding up my write up. We were together in school all day. I got a message across to Ayomi to explain the situation at hand and her response was, ‘I knew you would not come’. That met me on a sad note. I wondered why she won’t see things from my perspective. She had successfully completed what I was still battling with. I soon got that off my mind. ***** Things never remained the sa

Baby ‘ AyoAde ’ has now grown into a year old. We planned marking the day with a day long outing together. We ordered custom shirts and shoes. Everything went as planned. The day was really enjoyed. I reaffirmed my love for her and she reciprocated. She apologized for disregarding my view on allowing Lanre stay over at her place for days. Final exams soon set in and the atmosphere was coated by ‘seriousness’ over again. You would hardly see someone not holding a material – lecture note, jotter, or past questions. There were students who are known for just reading past questions. They cram the answers and just go into the exam hall. Surprisingly, the smart players often come out in flying colours. It is a common occurrence for lecturers to repeat question – although it works chiefly for multiple-choice based exams. The only times I retort to that option are when I had not prepared at all for a test. But when I am, I only pick up past questions to test my knowledge. While I was a fr

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Lanre came on a 3-day visit. She informed me of his arrival and I promised checking on them later in the evening. School work had a toll on me. Final exams were around the corner and project work was still lagging behind. I got back home very late and exhausted – too tired to even make dinner. So, I decided to go over to Ayomi’s place after informing her I would be coming for dinner. It was around those times when students had run out of foodstuff and cash. A very close housemate pleaded to accompany - as there was no hope for his dinner in sight. I agreed – even though it would take sharing my own plate with him. Dinner was served and we did fill our stomachs. I expected Lanre to just follow us back home to spend the night but I noticed he was relaxed and at home on Ayomi’s bed. It didn’t bother me much – save for my housemate’s comments about his presence and staying over at her place. His comments really drew my attention to details. I was not insinuating an unwholesome act be

I took the weekend off school environment to cool off. I traveled to my aunt's place for the weekend. I felt as though I have much love to pour on someone but the recipient was pushing me off. So, I decided to find some other people to pour it on. And my final conclusion would be on my little cousins. I played hard with them as though we were age mates. Little did they know that they were carrying out emotional dialysis within me. I couldn't push thoughts about her completely from my heart but at least, I had good company who were open to receive my care and affection. I extended my stay with my aunt by some few days to really regain my stability. After about a week, I travelled back to school agile and full of life. It was as though my time off inoculated me with an emotional shock absorber. I regarded less her response during our conversations. I resolved that if she had decided to close up, I am now equal to the task too. The relationship went on like that for weeks - b

She came back from a 3-day trip with her mentor on a ministerial assignment. She had invited me to come along but busy schedules would not let me. I deliberately reduced our level of communication via chats so as to make her focus on the assignment she went on. It was a different ball game when she came back. I noticed our conversations were dry and brief. I drew her attention to it; requesting to know what the matter was. Nothing! ‘I am good,’ she responded. I knew something was wrong. She wasn't happy when I told her I won't be free to go on the trip with her but she never complained. So, I assumed she reasoned with me. ‘Don't tell me there is nothing. Your reaction had changed since you came back,’ I pressed ‘I guess it's just mood swings,’ she submitted ‘Mood swings again?’ I have learnt from past experiences that whenever she used that statement, the reality was that she has something in mind that she does not want to share. So I pressed really harder. ‘I t

Wow! I'm sure that was inspired by a true life story. You spoke those words straight from the heart. ‘You are right on track,’ Sir. She was a friend. I would keep the details for now - to be shared at one of my mentorship classes. ‘That's alright.’ Some lines indeed caught my attention but I would focus on the last three lines of the final septet. As our relationship grew, I resolved not to allow her play the 'wifey' role. Whenever she comes over to my place, I ensure I made the meals except on some very rare occasions and I do the same too when I visit her. I simply acted the guest. I never for once doubted our eventual living together as couples but I patiently waited for the time to come. I guarded her self-worth jealously. I strongly disputed of treating a woman - even one's wife - like an ordinary house help. I think Dad rightly displayed that virtue and I imbibed it. More reason why I get irritated whenever Ayomi says, 'You haven't yet placed a r

The love and care was mutual and real. We became best of friends, sharing so many things in common. Friends would tease and refer to us as five and six. It was clear to them that soon, they would receive wedding invitation from us. Part of the resolutions I made even before entering into a marriage relationship was that I was not going to be a burden on anyone. Hence, I learnt to live complete and whole. I would make all the meals I love to eat and much more. I never wanted a relationship for the purpose of fulfilling mundane bodily desires - until the time was right. ( Omidan Wura cuts in) ‘Prince, please permit me to make a submission at this juncture,’ Omidan Wuraola pleaded. ‘Go ahead,’ my dear. I once wrote a pen that flashed through my mind immediately you mentioned being complete and whole. I believe it is worthy of sharing at this juncture. (She ran her finger across her phone screen and in no time found the file - as she began to read.) ——— YOU CALL THIS LOVE? In

——— I struggled to pull my body up as it vibrated vigorously. One thing was settled in my heart at that time - If I leave earth now, I would surely be back in a matter of minutes. I was not through with my assignment; hence, I was not ready to lay down my life yet. Sons lay down their lives when they are finished. By now, I was feeling an object move from the sole of my feet....like a poison travelling fast towards my chest region to stuff out life from my heart. I could tell where it was per second. I grabbed my chest as tightly as though that would prevent the blood from conveying the object and depositing it right there. I stood unmoved with a great assurance of faith. Suddenly, a very close neighbor walked into my room. She is more to me like a little sister. She came in with a bottle of oil in hand. I quickly motioned for her to move closer. I rested my head on Ayomi's laps as she stared at me perplexed. She approached with the oil in hand and poured some out on her palm

We were both back on campus as the new semester would begin the following week. I had been feeling the need for a long period of rest but never really regarded it. I was stretching myself beyond limits - as I do not even believe in limits in the first place. I had little time for rest - assignments and responsibilities here and there. Just few days before resumption, I broke down completely. It started with just a mild headache. It soon resulted into my head banging as though someone engaged the use of a mortar on it. Ayomi was around all through - a great comfort indeed. She nursed me like a newly born and I did relax too to relish her love and affection spiced with utmost care. What I thought would just be for a day or maximally two was clicking a week gradually. I insisted I was not going to engage the use of drugs or be hospitalized and placed on bed rest. I had my body cuddling bed so why should I pay for one at the hospital? I hated the smell of drugs which I won't be

The semester's exams would soon set in and the atmosphere was charged up with intense preparations. It was always a time when everyone appears serious with academics. Even those who would never attempt a visit to the library let alone stay back on campus for some hours after lectures to read; would be seen going to spend nights on campus in preparation for the exams. I was never a fan of impromptu or pressured reading. I believe hard work is a mere combination of small jobs. So, I resolved to tackle the small jobs as they present themselves to me, hence, not having to be faced with hard work. Exams period to me was just like normal days. I still see the movies that appeal to me occasionally, relate well with friends - although some would often shrink back into caves - and eat well with adequate rest. My study approach was: read, discuss with a group, refresh your mind and memory by reviewing, and then go all out. It did work for me all through school days and even until now. Yo

( The phone rang) ‘Hello,’ Ademi ‘Hi, how did your day go?’ I replied lazily ‘Please come over,’ dear ‘Is anything the matter?’ Talk to me ‘Could you believe that Olaide had the effrontery to break into my room in my absence?’ ‘Come on,’ dear. You cannot be sure she’s responsible for that. Don’t create another scene, please ‘Ademi, I know what I am talking about. She moved her things already. Come over and see for yourself’ I immediately concluded that she had stretched the poor girl beyond what she could bear. Olaide is a reserved and easy going girl. She would never act rashly for just any slight reason. She sure would have pushed her beyond her elastic limit into break point. Alright! I would be with you soon. I hung up ***** ‘Ayomi, you frustrated this girl into finally moving her things out of your apartment, I said, not ready to take it lightly with her.’ ‘If that’s what she wants then it is fine by me.’ We both know that was your initiative. It wasn’t just verbali

Ayomi, why not just talk to Olaide about her relocation once and for all?’ ‘I can’t. I don’t want it to appear like I chased her out of my apartment.’ ‘But that’s what your actions say now,’ dear ‘Ademi, I can’t. I would not mind if you can help.’ ‘Help you order her out of your room?’ That’s impossible. Come to think of it, has she offended you in anyway? No! Not at all! I just need some privacy. I also noticed that I have not been growing up spiritually lately. All we do together is chat about irrelevant matters. Spiritual growth! How do you measure that? You guys had been together for years now and here you are talking about not growing up spiritually because of her presence. Sure! We’ve been friends but we have not been living together – except for frequent visits to each other’s hostels and joint preparation for exams. ‘So, what makes the difference?’ ‘The difference is that she has her own apartment. I don’t mind her staying with me for weeks provided she has her own roo

A new session commenced after all the festivities of the end of the year. The lovebirds agreed to resume early enough, securing comfortable hostels. We concluded on getting hostels not too far from each other and so it was. She lived on the street next to mine. Our relationship was brimming with love and affection. We got so close that even her hostel’s caretaker became confused as to whether she was my younger sister, a friend or a fiancée. Olaide soon resumed for the new session. She had not yet secured an apartment so she just decided to put up with Ayomi until she finds one. Lectures commenced and the ride was going smoothly. Few weeks after resumption, Olaide came over to my hostel explaining the sudden change of attitude she noticed in Ayomi. I never expected her to come reporting her sister from another mother to me but she did all the same. I asked if they had discussed it and she said, yes. ‘So, what was her response?’ ‘Mood swings. Yeah! Mood swings. That was all she sa

I had plans to pay him a courtesy visit soon. It’s all over now. Plans are shattered. I carefully considered the hyphen – very short dash – separating the two years of his earthly existence. I thought to myself, that short dash is all we have; to remember him now. He can no longer do more or less. He can no longer write more books, sing more songs, preach more sermons, deliver more seminars – it’s all over. Prior to that time, the short dash had been carefully placed there after the year of his birth – but things have changed now. Another year had appeared after it – denoting a closure. I would sit on the pavement, get up, walk around the compound, lean on the wall, look up, think back, think ahead and the question that stood right in front of me, staring into my eyes was, ‘but why’? Why would he have to go so suddenly? We still very much need his input around here. A day that ought to be filled with fun, prospective thoughts and retrospect was turned into a gloomy mode. True! H

. . Soon, they got really close and Opeyemi became to her many personalities – a friend, a brother, a mentor, and a father. When she told me about it, I was excited that she had found someone she can be accountable to. It was later I got to know that Opeyemi as well contributed to her final acceptance of my proposal – I had scored high on his tests too - although we never spoke at any time until after she accepted my proposal. Since I had made up my mind to be a friend to all her friends – as much as I can – I connected with him as well. We talked occasionally – our discussions circling around ministry most of the times. He had a good job, hence, the money. He never hesitated to get her a gift if he finds it was something she really needed. Not long after then, Ayomi became sold out into his ministerial outreaches. She became more like his personal assistant. I never really bothered because I now had the assurance that come what may, she is mine. To make my assertion more conc

She became a staunch follower of his posts and articles on social media. His central focus in ministering to others blended well with hers. She soon made a formal Introduction of herself and a relationship ensued. Opeyemi Daniels is a young, vibrant and zealous gospel of grace minister. He is focused on reaching out to others for Jesus through outreaches and crusades - no intention of starting up a local church whatsoever. Now, listen to me, this is very important. I'm speaking to those of you who intend or already began the work of ministry. The fact that God has called you into a specific assignment in His kingdom does not necessarily mean you should start up a new church - by that I mean a new meeting place. Many have misconstrued this fact. So many young ministers today are out there seeking fame and popularity but claiming they are preaching the gospel. God can call you right there in your local church for you to function. All you would have to do is approach your pastor

. . The rehearsals were over and I asked her out on a date. She obliged and we both agreed to visiting an in town resort centre. Anyone seeing both of us together would never doubt that we were love birds. The bright smile on her face always greeted my manly approval of her. Her eyeballs glowed with passion and love. Although I still await her response, I knew I got her already. I was already cooking up the perfect pet name for her. My long ultimate search found the hidden treasure when I asked her about her other names. 'Why do you want to know?' She queried, with a facial expression that communicated, ' I would really be glad to let you know'. It was the feminine style of saying, 'I want you to press harder so I could feel more special before I tell you'. ‘Please.....for friendship sake,’ I pressed. I was content with the first name on the list of four other names. Before then, I never knew she answered to Ayoade. She would later tell me that she stop