A FEW WEEKS LATER
Lola paced in her room, lost in thoughts. She had been raised in a Christian home, and her parents attended the Anglican church. Still, she joined a Pentecostal church in her 2nd year at the University, so when she was told that Brother John had approached the marriage committee about his interest in her, she became anxious because she knew what was coming. Lola already liked another man, though he did not attend her church. They had been talking for a month, and she felt ready to ask him about his intentions. She had planned to meet up with him, only for her to run into Brother John at the car park.
“Sister Lola, why do I feel like you are avoiding me? Let’s talk about what God has in store for us.” He pleaded with her that they go to the fast-food joint next door.
Lola opened her mouth in disbelief. “In store ke? from where to where? Brother John, I am in a hurry to meet someone. Please let us arrange another date.” She was so disappointed in herself that she had taken that route, so much for shortcuts.
“See, yesterday was the third time in 2 weeks that God spoke to me about you, and I want us to be intentional about this, so we don’t jeopardize what God has in store for us.”
“Ey God” She clapped three times. “Brother John, please. God has not told me you are my husband. I don’t think there is anything to be intentional about. Like I said, I am in a hurry.”
“Ah, Sister Lola, sorry to ask, but have you prayed well? You know, Pastor mentioned that you have skipped a few prayer meetings. You may need to pray more. If you are not hearing from God, you are not praying well.”
Lola was becoming furious.
“Let me just say this now, I am not interested in you, and I do not appreciate you stopping me to harass me. I am late. I have an appointment. I need to go now. I will see you in church.” Lola hurried off, leaving Brother John startled at the Bus stop.
“Ah omo, Tife I envy you oh. See how you are glowing. How many weeks into marriage?” Chioma teased.
“God, when oh”
“Who is that one saying God when?” Jola joined her friends in Tife’s living room. They had come to visit her as she had just returned from her honeymoon.
“Don’t mind, Chioma, someone who has a serious relationship,” Tife replied.
“As in ehn! We that, we are even back to square one; we aren’t shouting God when.”
Tife exchanged looks with the girls. She needed clarification on what Jola meant.
“What do you mean back to square one? What about Femi?”
The girls were quiet.
“Ah, what happened? You people should not do this. You can’t start hiding things from me.” Tife faced Jola.
“Jola, are you okay? what happened?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. He just stopped making an effort, communication was strained, he was different, and each time I asked, he blamed it on work.” Jola sat at the dinner table; she looked sad.
“So you broke up with him?”
“Not exactly. I told him I felt alone in the relationship, and he said he couldn’t pinpoint what the issue was, but If I felt alone, then it was best we broke up.”
“I don’t even know why you didn’t break up with him since”, Lola interrupted. “That thing he said was a very rubbish talk.”
“Lola! Haba, it is not easy to end things with someone like that. Jola tried. I even went to her house; we made a three-course meal, and she took it to his house that day as a surprise.”
“Oh wow!” Tife’s eyes widened. She walked up to her friend and gave her a hug. “I am sorry, my darling.”
She heard her friend sniff. “No, no, don’t cry, Jola. You are a queen. Any man would be lucky to have you. Please don’t cry.”
“It is just so sad. If there was something I did wrong, all he had to do was tell me. I asked and asked; I was patient. I was understanding. I don’t know what went wrong.”
“Hmm, JJ,” as Jola was often called, I can’t say precisely what may have happened, but this sounds like he gave up on the relationship, and I doubt it started when you thought it started; he may have been thinking about it for some time. Either there was something he noticed that he wasn’t okay with, or there was something else-“
“Or someone else.” Lola interrupted. She was the strict one in the group. She always felt Jola was too good for most men she dated.
“Well, i won’t be so quick to judge, but I know that if he said he felt that a break-up was inevitable because of how you were feeling, and didn’t give you any other reason, then you shouldn’t fault yourself for that.”
“Did he eat the food?” Lola asked, and everyone laughed, including Jola, who had stopped crying.
“We ate it together when I got there.”
“So, he ate and broke up with you after. I am so going to drag him on social media.”
“Lola! Is that what Jesus would have done?” Chioma gave a hard stare.
“See ehn, I don’t even have energy. I just want to heal from all of these. I am honestly done with men.” Jola said with a sigh.
“Okay, guys, let us pray”, Tife said to her girls. They had been friends for over 8 years; they all met at the University, and even after graduation, they were as close as ever. Tife and Chioma met in fellowship, where the former was the HOD of bible study. Chioma was in the academic unit of the fellowship, but they were both studying computer science. Meanwhile Chioma and Jola had been roommates since 200 level, and she finally got Jola to attend the fellowship. That was when the three girls met. Lola was attending a different fellowship but had known Tife from secondary school. Tife liked to be in the loop of her friends’ lives, but ever since she got married, she has struggled to keep in touch despite the fact they had a group chat. She had her own issues as well, being married came with its highs and lows- she could only hope and pray that the love between herself and Soji would stand the test of time.
