14. Ride on, Preacher!

"Aren't you done yet?" I heard Amsey yell for the umpteenth time.

"I'm coming!" I yelled back, trying to hook the buttons on the wrist area of my shirt.

"That's what you've been saying for the last 45 minutes." He said, sorry; yelled.

"Quit exaggerating." I said, laughing.

"I'm not. But what the hell are you putting on your face? Why do women waste time on makeup? Besides, makeup wouldn't change you from being the ugly masquerade that you are. It'll even make you look worse." He scoffed.

"I don't need makeup. I'm naturally beautiful." I said.

Of course, that was true.

"The truth is bitter but the first step to moving forward is accepting the truth of who you are. You are ugly so stop deceiving yourself with that naturally beautiful shit." He replied, with scorn.

I heaved a sigh. "I'm in no mood to exchange words with you today. Just wait till you see me on a Beauty Magazine cover." I said.

He burst into a series of his annoying laughter.

I wasn't surprised he started laughing. In fact, I expected it. You should already know how much of a prick he is so you shouldn't be surprised either.

I had always felt confident of my beauty and how well I was created but truthfully speaking, he made me feel insecure and unsure of myself at times.

I mean, the dude was damn well perfectly created so sometimes, I actually felt like I wasn't as beautiful as I had thought.

Ouch! The truth actually was bitter.

"I am beautiful. I am beautiful. I am beautiful. I am beautiful. I am........"

So suddenly, I was rudely interrupted.

"Saying it repeatedly wouldn't change you from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan." I heard Amsey say.

I turned around and saw him standing there, facing me.

"When did you come in?" I asked.

"Just now." He replied.

"What if I was naked?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Well, you weren't naked."

"What if I was?" I asked, with my eyes staring daggers at him.

"There's nothing spectacular to see even if you were naked." He said.

What guts he had to say such. Well, it wasn't his fault. It was my fault for staying here.

I resisted the urge to slap him.

"Get out." I calmly said.

"You're in my house." He reminded me.

I scoffed. "I'll get out then." I said, and began walking out.

I felt a hand grab my wrist.

I turned my head around and saw Amsey holding my wrist firmly, without looking at me.

"Let go of me." I said, through clenched teeth.

He ignored me and pulled me to face him.

He had so much strength I never even knew he had.

He locked his eyes in mine.

For the first time, I noticed he had dark brown pupils which complimented his long lashes and were absolutely cute.

Get it together, Sandra. You should be annoyed with him right now instead of complimenting him.

He removed the hold his gaze had on mine and focused his attention to my wrist instead.

He saw the buttons on my shirt that were left unbuttoned and fixed them for me.

When he was done, I gave him my other wrist and he buttoned them up.

For a while, there was silence between us.

"I shouldn't have said those things. I know I annoy you a lot and I can't promise I'd change, but when I say such things to you, I don't intend on harming you." He said, looking at the floor, probably feeling bad since he had to swallow his pride and apologize.

Still, his words touched me but the hurt his words had caused me still remained there.

As you can already guess, tears started trickling down my eyes.

Yeah, you can call me a crybaby.

I'm kidding, don't!

I'm not entirely proud of it, you know.

In a twinkle of an eye, I felt myself drawn into a rocky but comforting chest.

Wait, what had happened?

Did Amsey just draw me into his chest?

I had least expected it.

He wrapped his arms around my back and stroked my hair with his palm, like I were his pet or baby.

Baby.... I liked the sound of that.

Stop drooling Sandra!

His touch soothed my nerves and calmed me down.

"I'm sorry." He said.

I could hear his heart beating in a way that sounded tensed and anxious.

I felt aroused.

Every part of my body yearned for him. What had this guy done to me?

He pulled me out of his warm embrace and smiled down at me, while I looked up to him.

Did he want to kiss me?

God, please, let him kiss me.

"We're running late. You should get ready." He said and walked out of the room.

What the hell?

Didn't he have feelings or something?

Gosh! How was I sure I wasn't staying with a spirit?

I mean, who would see a pretty girl like me and ignore for almost 3 weeks?

You were complaining that all men are the same. Now, you've found a different one and you're still complaining. Cassandra, what in the world can please you? My head questioned.

"There's nothing bad in wanting to feel wanted and loved." I whispered back to my head as a reply.

I knew it was true though. I hated being a nag but here I was, complaining about a gentleman who was so rare to find.

He wasn't that much of a gentleman but his kind was rare in all sincerity.

How many men will see you and help you without expecting anything in return, or without wanting to take advantage of you?

He was different, he was.

The church's surroundings was beautifully decorated and different from what I had known in my area in Jos.

The floors were made of marble and flowers at every spot.

The way the protocol members and ushers smiled and welcomed us made me love the church before I even stepped in.

"Good morning. You're welcome to church." They had said with a lovely smile, exposing their beautiful white set of teeth.

I guess only people with nice dentition could be part of their ushering and protocol team.

I should invite Rita and ask her to join their team.

I'm sure she'll be delighted. It'll be a good avenue for her to smile without being told she's overdoing it.

I grinned at that thought.

Amsey led me by my hand to seat at the sixth row in the middle part of the church.

I looked around.

Everyone looked well dressed.

See heels, my good God! What if they fall?

No one tied a headscarf or beret or anything on their hair.

They dressed like they were going for a party.

I'd never attended a church where the sisters were allowed to put on trousers nor wear makeup nor leave their hair open.

That was a welcome development.

A lady in a purple coloured jumpsuit and nude heels went to the altar.

"Praise the Lord." She chanted.

"Hallelujah!" The congregation replied.

She went on to read the Bible for the Bible reading session.

I was just staring at how she comfortably held her microphone with the long nails she fixed. I don't mean to seem like a liar but the hair she fixed touched her waist. What a church!

In my church at Jos, you'll be heavily condemned and be used as a bad example during the pastor's preaching.

The choir then started their ministration with their melodious voices.

The male choristers were handsome and dressed to kill. All the sisters looked sophisticated and elegant in their beautiful outfits.

I looked down at my own outfit wondering if I fit in.

I was putting on a cotton blue shirt on a knee-length black flare skirt with a pair of blue wedge-heeled shoes and I had packed my long dark hair in a bun and the only makeup I had on was powder on my face and lip gloss which I had applied mildly on my lips. I was putting on no accessory and I didn't know if I looked like I belonged there.

"You look better than the rest of them." Amsey whispered in my ear and I looked up at him and smiled.

He smiled back and focused his attention back on the choristers.

He had noticed my uneasiness, I could see.

Handsome, caring and hardworking. God, please, give me a child like him.

Why was I thinking of a child all of a sudden?

The choir ended their lovely ministration which attracted a round of applause from the congregation.

I clapped so well too. They had sang nicely.

How did I know they sounded lovely? Well, here's something you should know about me.

I'm a great singer. Yay!!

When the preacher mounted the pulpit, he started with songs of worship and chanted in tongues.

I could feel the presence of God and yes, I'm not exaggerating.

People joined him in speaking in tongues and worshipping God.

I giggled as I looked at my right direction to see Amsey.

Here's a fun fact.

Amsey actually prayed in tongues.

That was funny and surprising as hell. Amsey... The Amsey I knew.

Well, aside the teasing, he actually portrayed the true traits of a Christian and you can testify to that fact too.

The preaching was amazing and wonderful.

"Glory! Ride on Preacher!!" echoed through the four walls of the church and I also felt enlightened and impacted by the preaching.

The sermon was titled: "He's always there."

The man talked about things that had actually been my reality in the past few weeks.

He said that it may look like things aren't looking up to us and maybe God has forsaken us, but God is always there for us.

He unravelled many mysteries as to why we may suffer for a while but there was one thing I took note of and that was: "Joy will come in the morning."

I held on to that word and strongly believed in it.

At my toughest moments when I had wanted to give up on God and thought he had left me to suffer and probably didn't exist, God had shown me Mercy and things turned around for me and I knew that with time, things would even become better.

There was one thing that baffled me though. He looked quite familiar but I couldn't quite place where I might had seen him or how I knew him.

Slowly, the church service came to an end and I had to wait for Amsey to attend a cell meeting before we could go home.

I was already starving. I had only drunk water this morning and it was almost 12:00pm.

I felt an arm tap me on my shoulder and I turned around to meet the eyes of the preacher.

"I see God helped you out." He said.

That voice.... Suddenly, my brain recollected where I had seen him.

"You're that same preacher, aren't you?" I inquired.

He simply gave a knowing smile.

How could I have even forgotten?

You remember that preacher who had told me God existed and I'd find a place to lay my head the night I had arrived to Lagos and was stranded? That was who he was.

He had been introduced as the General Overseer of the church.

I never knew he could own such a big Church. Moral lesson: Never underestimate people.

"You look calmer and easier to talk to today." He commented.

I felt slightly embarrassed as I remembered our first encounter.

"I'm sorry for that day. I was....." I tried to explain but he interrupted.

"It's fine. You had a right to be annoyed." He said.

"Thanks. I'm Cassandra by the way." I said.

"That's a nice name. I'm Pastor James Richards." He said.

"Good. I believe we can start again." I said, smiling.

"Of course. Hope you enjoyed the service." He inquired.

"Yes, I really did. And I love the church. The fact that you accept all people despite how they are dressed and don't condemn them is why I'm a member as of today." I told him.

"Glory!" He pitched, waving his right hand.

"Hallelujah." I responded.

"What's happening?" Amsey asked, coming into view.

"I just said I'd be a member of the church." I delightfully said.

"And that calls for a celebration, I suppose?" He asked, smirking.

I rolled my eyes.

"So she's the one you told me about?" Pastor James asked.

"Yes." Amsey replied.

"You may be staying together and temptations will surely arise. The Bible tells us being tempted is not a sin but falling into temptation is sinful. If you find her attractive....."

Amsey cut him off.

"Find who attractive? She??" He laughed mockingly.

"Amsey!" The pastor said sternly.

"Sorry." He apologized meekly.

I just eyed him and looked away.

"The Lord bless you my dear. Go home safely." Pastor James said as he stood up, patted my shoulder, looked at Amsey harshly saying: "Be careful."

Amsey muttered. "Okay sir, I'm sorry sir." as Pastor James walked away.

I started laughing.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"Okay sir. I'm sorry sir." I mimicked him.

"Get ready to walk home." Amsey said and started walking off.

I grabbed my black mini bag, jumped to my feet and walked at his back. "Wait for me." I said.

"You're working, aren't you?" He asked.

Rita's aunt was actually a nice person and had given me the job offering to pay me #15,000 as salary which I gladly accepted. I didn't know where that amount of money will lead me but I was ready to start from somewhere.

"Yeah. So?" I asked as I increased my pace.

He was really walking fast.

"Then use your salary to transport yourself home." He yelled.

We were already outside the church premises. Little wonder he yelled like a crazy animal.

Oops. That came out wrong. I'm just coming from church so I shouldn't say such, right??

I was practically running now. "But I only recently started working. I haven't collected my pay.... Whoooooo!" I said as my heels bent to one side and I lost my balance and could almost see myself on the floor when a strong arm caught me.

It was Amsey of course.

He had saved me...yet again.

Our breathings were harsh as we panted heavily.

My dark eyes met with his brown eyes and we stared intensely at each other.

I swallowed hard as he kept on staring at me.

I didn't know what went through his mind at that moment. He was an expert at hiding his feelings but I felt a tinny little feeling of affection for him and I knew I wanted him and I secretly wished he felt the same way too.

He helped me up to my feet and I muttered thanks.

He just walked away and I started walking at his back once again.

He was a good guy, but I didn't want to like him.

God, I didn't want to like him.

Help me God.

Please, help me not to like him.