Chapter 2

"Good day ma," Angel greeted.

"How was lectures and your day?" inquired Angel's mother.

Angel on recalling what transpired between her and Kunle and G boss, sighed carelessly.

"Children of nowadays you will not kill me with your reproach, during my time you will hardly get a chance to sit with your parents not to talk more of them talking to you and you are sighing. Who do you think you are," Mrs. Vanessa pointed.

"I'm sorry ma, it was unintentional. But mummy gone are your days. This is the 21st century, our own time and age not yours, so complaining". Angel said.

"In those days if you offend your parents you will kneel and apologize, and you are here exchanging words with me like an unshakable Iroko tree to prove what, tell me. Mrs. Vanessa noted.

Angel conscious of her mistake, apologized, "I'm very sorry ma".

"It's okay you can go before you annoy me again," Mrs Vanessa.

Later in the evening, Angel and her younger brother, Emmanuel called Emmy for short, were together playing a game known as AYO. When their mother walked in from the front door obviously, she had just finished chatting with her friends.

Emmy ran to welcome her, "Mummy!" He shouted.

"Mummy come join us and play with us," He pleaded.

"Oh Emmy I'm tired already, go on and play with your sister. Next time, I will join you," Mrs. Vanessa replied trying to convince him to let her go.

"But mummy that's what you said yesterday, and the day before. Please mummy na, just this time and no more," He begged her.

"Emmy leave me, I have to go and rest, I have a long day tomorrow," Mrs. Vanessa stated.

"But Mummy...."

"No buts! Angel come and carry him." Mrs Vanessa exclaimed signaling Angel to hurry.

It's Okay, come let's go and buy bobo, Angel tried patronizing him with the drink, but he was repulsive. Angel had to pet him and also tell him a folktale to sleep.

That weekend Aisha called to remind Angel to prepare for the party. Trust Aisha, she would never receive no for an answer especially knowing the issues bothering Angel at the moment. According to her it's only a little to party to forget our sorrows and enjoy ourselves. Angel had to cook up some excuses for her mum, that she was going for a church revival with Aisha.

Aisha arrived that night at around 10pm to pick Aisha for the party with her mum's car which she obviously stole the keys like she used to. Then they proceeded to the club, where the party grounds were bumming with music.

Angel drank alcohol for the first time in her life, in order to forget her problems and have fun and blend with the rest til she was stinkingly drunk. She lost control of everything that happened that night, only for her to wake up in a police cell the next morning. She was told that she was arrested at the club alongside some criminal suspects. She looked around, amongst the people she was arrested with but didn't see anybody that she familiar even Aisha was nowhere to be found.

But was given a cell phone by an officer to put a call across to her parents, guardian or siblings. She simply returned the phone to them, saying she would prefer to stay longer in the cell than to go home. Unknown to her, one of the officers picked up her mother's contact from her School Identity I.D card to notify her mother.

By the time the police called, Angel's mother was already going crazy about Angel. She had visited to the church three times now searching and looking for her daughter, all to no avail. Aside from the annoying fact that there was never a church revival the previous night, Aisha number was not going through, and she tried contacting everyone she thought may have a clue as to her location but they gave her little or no information regarding her whereabout. Then it dawn on her that she had not been the good mother she used to be. She also realized how distant and careless she had become with her children lately, how cold she had grown towards them using her busy schedule as an excuse. So immediately the police attested to the fact Angel was there at the station, she zoomed off in a hurry to recover her daughter.

"I wish I listened to her all these wouldn't have happened. What have I done to myself and my family, look how I have used the my own hands that I toiled so hard with all these years to build my home and now I'm using those same hands to destroy that same home I suffered to build. Oh my God! save my daughter, do not punish my Angel for my mistakes", Mrs. Vanessa thought.

On reaching the station she met Angel sleeping on the counter, she asked, "Officer how is she and what exactly happened?"

"She is fine, just that she has a hang over from all that alcohol from the party last night," the officer stated.

"Party?", She asked.

" She was arrested at the club alongside some criminal suspects at the party drunk. But everything is resolved now, you can take her home". The Officer explained.

On getting home, Angel's mother sat beside her until she was fully awake. She administered some tablets for, her to take to wear off the hang over. "My Angel I apologize for my recent change both in attitude and character, thereby neglecting my primary responsibilities to you and your brother. If I say I want to give excuses there are many to give but I believe its all my fault, I was so busy building other peoples life while I destroyed mine. I know we might not be able to recover the lost times, but I still do hope you find a place in your heart to forgive me. And understand that I'm always here for you any day anytime".

"Promise me mum, that you won't go back to your I'm too busy syndrome."

Will all my heart, I promise. You and Emmy are my future and you mean a lot to me in this life."

Angel leapt for joy and embraced her. "I thought I had lost you forever, thank God you came back to yourself. I missed you so much, and I love you so much Mum."

"Thanks My darling Angel, I love you more. So tell me what have I being missing all these while."

"Mummy it's long story, I think you are too busy to attend to my silly questions and discussions."

"Ha! I have all the time in the world to listen to my baby girl, other things can always wait, I have learnt my lesson". They both laughed.

"Mummy, what do you think about abstinence and sex, what do you think?"

"What does your bible say about such issues, the bible says we should keep the marriage bed undefiled. And it also states, our bodies are the temple of the Lord. Furthermore, it talks about how much God hates sexual immorality so much so that he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of it."

"But mum that is old fashion, we are in the new age and era things don't happen like that now".

"That is the more reason why any person that remains a virgin till her marriage is like a diamond in the sea, very costly and unique. Ok let me break it down to your level and be more practical. You see sex is a sin yet, it is sweet and it attracts God's anger and wrath upon us outside marriage. You see my dear, virginity once lost can never be regained not by money not by chance not by time or anything in the world."

"Mum what do I do now, I don't want to loose Kunle. He has been nice to me I love him, but he insists that we must do it.

Mrs Vanessa explained further, "If he is that desperate, he should go and find other girls that will give it to him free of charge or better still get a prostitute to give him for as long as he wants. Don't tell me you were considering doing it? If you do it what then will be the difference between you and a prostitute on the streets?Your pride is much more costlier than gold or silver my dear. And one secret about sex is that once you start doing it, you won't be able to control yourself and resist the urge like the way you are able to do so now.

The consequences of that singular act can mean doom for your entire life and future? Why do you think your Aunty Stephanie's husband came back with lots of gifts after their wedding in special thanksgiving to us? That was because he met her a virgin. Don't you want your husband to do the same? See, many homes and marriages today are breaking up because of unfaithfulness and lack of trust amongst spouse of which if husbands met their wives as virgins they would have that genuine trust and confidence in their loyalty and these problems will not coming up. I'm not going to make decisions for you neither will I blame you for any decision you choose to make, after all, it is your life, your future, and your destiny not mine. So whether you do or do not do it, you will definitely face the consequences of your actions be it, good or bad."

"I also heard they are contraceptives you can use to prevent pregnancy and infections?"Angel questioned

"Yes there are a thousand and one of those contraceptives, if you are willing to do it. But will all these pills stop you from loosing your purity and virginity? Will they stop you from having uncontrollable desire to still do it after you did it once? Or will they stop you from committing that deadly sin against God,"Mrs. Vanessa asked rhetorically. "That remains me, what happened yesterday. I know you didn't to any church for any revival, so tell me truth and nothing but the truth."

"I'm sorry that I lied to you. I went with Aisha for her course mates birthday party, to flex a little. I was angry about the recent developments at home and my issues with Kunle. Then I was urged to taste an alcoholic drink that if I drank some, all the problems would ware off. So I drank the alcoholic drink and then I started seeing things bigger, and larger than their normal size, and then I lost control of myself. Only to waken up in the police cell this morning with a bomb-badding headache, that made me sleepy".

"And what did you learn form that experience?"

"Oh a lot, I learnt not to allow my problems get the better part of me."

"That's great lesson for you."

"Thanks mummy, you are the best."

"Lets go and plays games with Emmy, I'm sure he will be happy with that."

"Of course he will be trilled".