Chapter 37

Refraining from hugging his mother who was now humming a solemn song, Vincent remained put and watched her move around the kitchen as she tried to prepare some dinner for the family. Vincent however assisted in any way he could even though his mother tried to decline his help severally. 

He wished he could assure her that everything was going to be fine so that he could see her smile again, but the only time she mostly smiled was whenever his father had left for the city where his business was. Vincent noticed that whenever his father went away for business for two weeks, his mother would be so cheerful and relaxed that she always added some weight and recovered some of her beauty, but whenever it was close to his father's return, she returned to her gloomy self once again which would last till his father had to leave again the next month.

Vincent also noticed one thing about his mother- besides his father, she was also tensed around father Thomas, the Reverend father whom his father seemed to like and revere the most. Father Thomas was fond of calling at their house often and Vincent always watched the Reverend father closely because there was something rather unsettling about him. Vincent knew that his mother was always wary around the priest for some reasons, but his dad had failed to see that kept receiving him with open arms. 

The priest who had been visiting quite often for frivolous reasons had visited yet again despite being the reason Oluchi had been punished a few days back. Vincent knew that his father had always had a preference for Reverend fathers but it was more like an obsession. 

In fact, he realized that his father respected them so much that he felt that God would bless him abundantly anytime any priest comes visiting, but for some reasons, his mother didn't share the same enthusiasm towards priests like her dictator of a husband did, and she was always tensed whenever Father Thomas came visiting.

Vincent began to wonder if his mother's meal was so delicious that made the priest keep coming back. He also wondered if the priest lacked food in his own house that he kept coming over to consume the food and cartons of juice and Maltina in their own house. In fact, after much deliberation, Vincent had in conclusion, tagged Father Thomas to be nothing but a glutton.

On a fateful afternoon, Father Thomas visited once again and Vincent watched his father, Nduka, welcome him as usual while the priest did his usual sign of the cross with his rosary wrapped around his hand and said his usual "May Peace Be Unto This House". Then exchanged some pleasantries with Nduka.

After the pleasantries between the two men and trying to catch up a bit on church matters, Vincent sat on the couch placed in front of the dining room archway and watched father Thomas walk into the dining room and settle in his favorite chair with a smile on his face. Father Thomas smiled at Vincent, but Vincent didn't return the smile; he wanted to make it clear to the priest that he didn't like him. 

Soon, his mother appeared through the door linking the dining room to the kitchen. She had a somber look on her face as she carried the tray to the dining table. Gently placing it before the priest, she began to set the plate of food on the table without looking at the priest, and that was when Vincent noticed that the priest's eyes were not fixed on what his mother was doing, rather, the pervert had slightly tilted his head backward and was now lustfully staring at his mother's buttocks who was standing very close to him and probably oblivious to what he was doing.

Vincent frowned at the priest but remained quiet, and much to his frustration, he saw the priest slowly lift his hand and place it on his mother's lower back. His mother, Oluchi, gasped softly now and froze. Vincent turned to glance at his father who had been watching the TV with his crossed ankles on a small stool in front of him, but much to his dismay, Nduka had dozed off in his favorite armchair. 

Vincent returned his gaze to the dining room to glower at the priest then realized that the pervert's hand had slid lower and was now gently caressing his mother's buttocks. Vincent watched his mother gently slap the priest's hand away but the priest simply returned his hand to her buttock, undaunted by her silent protest. She slapped his hand away a second time and tried to leave the dining room but he caught her wrist and stopped her,

"You haven't filled my cup with water." The priest said to her. "That's the proper way to serve a man...or do you want me to report you to your husband again?" He mildly threatened.

Oluchi distastefully glared down at him. She had never hated anybody as much as she hated the priest. She hated the priest more than she hated her husband. Both men were very cruel to her and she regretted marrying into her husband's family. 

She glanced at her nine-year-old son in the living room who was watching them over the backrest of the chair, then snatching her wrist from the priest's hold, she uncorked the bottle of the water and filled the priest's glass cup. As she was about to leave with the tray, the priest quickly shot his hand and gave her buttock a final squeeze. 

Oluchi paused and scornfully glared at the priest who only leered at her and started to eat. She wanted to hurl an insult at him but when she glanced at her sleeping husband and remembered the beating, she would get for insulting a priest, she refrained and angrily left the living room. After she was gone, Vincent continued to glare at the priest. 

Of course, he was just nine years old and didn't understand much, but he didn't need to be told to know that the priest was doing something very bad, especially since he always did it whenever his father was not looking. 

The priest lifted his head, saw the boy looking at him then winked at him as he took a bite from the fried chicken. At that moment, Vincent turned away and sat down on the chair to stare at the TV while his father continued to sleep. 

Within him, he hoped that the priest would choke on the chicken and die right there on the dining table and then he would happily use his father's cane on his corpse for sexually harassing his mother. By the time Nduka woke up, the priest was already done eating his meal and had returned to the living room. As Nduka got up to speak to the priest, Vincent remained seated.

"How was your lunch, father?" Nduka asked.

"Delicious as ever... Your wife is really a good cook." The priest commended and just then, Oluchi sauntered into the dining room to pack up the dishes. "Lest, I forget!" The priest suddenly said and Oluchi paused, lifting her head to look at him. "When I walked into this house earlier, I had a revelation."

Nduka glanced at his young wife then asked the priest, "What revelation, father?"

"The Lord revealed to me the cause of your wife's inability to give you another child." Answered the priest.

Oluchi swallowed hard, wondering what the priest was up to this time.

The priest closed his eyes briefly and spoke quietly murmured some prayers under his breath. "Ohhhh!" He suddenly exclaimed; eyes still closed. "Yes, father! Thank you, father! Thank you for revealing the plans of the devil to me! This family will never be his dwelling ground!" He vehemently stated.

Nduka anxiously moved closer to the priest now. "What is it you see, father? Please, tell me."

The priest slowly opened his eyes as he repeatedly muttered under his breath. "Thank you, father. Thank you, mighty Jesus!"  Turning his head to look at Oluchi now, he said to Nduka. "Your wife has been having sexual intercourse with her spirit husband." He stated.

Oluchi's brows drew together in a frown now. "Osi gini? Spirit husband kwa? I don't have any spirit husband!" She strongly denied it.

"Will you shut up and let father Thomas speak?!" Nduka instantly snapped, scolding her. 

"Oluchi, have you not been having dreams where you see a man sleeping with you?" The priest asked her.

"No! Never!" She vehemently refuted. "I do not have such dreams!"

"That's the spirit speaking in denial through you!" The priest pointed at her. "The demon doesn't want you to admit your sin and to expose him! Starting from Monday, you'll have to come to the church thrice a week for deliverance!"

"I don't need any deliverance! Haba, I've told you that I don't have a spirit husband and he's definitely not speaking through me!" Oluchi vehemently stated, flustered.

"If you don't shut that mouth of yours there, I'll shut it for you!" Nduka angrily spat at his wife. "How many times have I told you never to talk back to God's anointed?! Don't you have any respect, woman?! Are you mad?!"