Honest Illusions 12

Episode 12

For inexplicable reasons Oprah felt a bit better as she hurried towards the fellowship centre. The sun was lazily going down and she could see a few people whom she easily recognized as brothers and sisters by their dressing. No skirts above the knees and different types of headgear to cover their hair. The men had their shirts buttoned to the neck, some wore ties and dress shoes. Everyone had their Bibles with them and they were all heading to the fellowship site.

When she got closer, she could hear voices singing a popular song 'what can was away my sins?' Drum beats, piano and some hand claps accompanied the song. Oprah smiled dryly, [i]it would be nice to have her sins washed away[/i]

There were about 30 people already there. Oprah moved inside quietly, wishing she was invisible. An usher led her to a seat and she placed her Bible on the chair and joined the singing. As she sang, she looked around her. She recognized a few faces, mostly female. Everyone looked happy, although she could sense a restraint in their dancing. Most of them, especially the ladies, appeared self-conscious. She wondered what Chris would say about her being there. He didn't like RCFites. Perhaps that was because he didn't know or understand them.

Oprah was so deep in thought she didn't notice that someone was saying hello to her. A smiling guy took Oprah's hands.

"I'm glad you could make it," his rich baritone sent a shiver up Oprah's spine as she looked into the face of the preacher of the other day.

The rest of his words were lost on her as she stared into his dark eyes. His rosy lips were moving but she didn't hear him through the rush of blood in her ears.[i]if guys looked this good as preachers, then pastor wives were the luckiest women[/i]. She snapped out of her reverie and forced herself to focus on what he was saying.

"We didn't see you in church on Sunday morning. I'm sorry; I was supposed to have called you up to make sure you were fine."

"Thank you," Oprah replied. [i]Such brotherly concern, I'm liking RCF already.[/i] :D "I wasn't quite myself on Sunday that was why I couldn't make it."

[i]Liar, liar, pants on fire...[/i] :-\

He didn't probe any further.

"My name is Seye Akintunde," he introduced himself.

"Oprah Williams," she said.

"Nice to meet you Oprah, I'll see you later," he concluded smiling as he moved towards the back.


***

Oprah felt much better than when she came in after the service ended. Brother Seye had been the minister once again and she could only describe the experience as rapturous. She had wondered at some point during the service how a good looking guy like Seye could be so vibrant in the service of the Lord. Chris had painted most of the guys in RCF as lacking any sense of fashion or comeliness, [i]he just had to meet Seye[/i].

Speaking of which, she brought out her phone and checked out the call log. Chris had been calling her all through the service, she had not answered out of old habit. Now the call log showed he had given her 15 missed calls. [i]What was with the frequency of the calls?[/i] she wondered idly.[i]One would think it was an emergency[/i].

She shrugged and picked up her bag and Bible, she would call him when she got home as it was already getting late. A dark night on the streets of Aluu left little to be desired. And she didn't want a repeat of Friday night.

She saw Seye speaking with a lady and there were three others waiting to speak with him. She moved closer to say thank you and goodbye. To her surprise, Seye turned towards her direction and asked her if she would not mind waiting for him, so they could walk back together.

As she waited, she watched Seye counsel several people. She could not hear what they were saying, but she could see the relief written all over those counseled by the time Seye was through with each one. In her heart, Oprah admired Seye. There was so much peace around him and everyone seemed to admire him. Even though he was very good looking, there seemed to be a glow all over him. He was always so relaxed and smiling.

Finally, Seye was through.

"How was the service?" He asked Oprah as they exited the church compound.

A lone figure by the gate drew Oprah's eyes and she swallowed uneasily. Chris stepped out of the shadows.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my [i]born again[/i] girlfriend."




(To be contd)