6 MONTHS LATER
Jola leaned forward; Pastor Lere was making a lot of sense. “There are some of you here today, praying for God to give you a God-fearing spouse, an understanding and loving spouse; my question for you is, are you also God-fearing? Understanding and loving? Do you know how to control your anger? Do you have a good character? Are you bearing fruits consistent with the spirit? He paused, then continued. “There are some other people here who are in toxic relationships. In fact, they had no business dating the person in the first place but, because of the pressure to settle, have compromised their standards-“
Jola’s mind drifted to a conversation she had with Tife the day before. She had stopped by her friend’s house on her way from work. She needed to talk to someone and felt Tife was the best person to share her feelings with but when Tife opened the door that evening, Jola knew her friend had been crying.
“Fine girl! See how you are fresh. Are you sure you are not causing traffic on the road like this, Jola?” She teased as she hugged her friend.
“Wo abeg fine girl, fine girl and I am still single.”
“Ehn, the fact that you are single now doesn’t mean you will be single forever.” Tife closed the door. Jola jumped on the sofa, removing her shoes. She was exhausted.
“I made some pepper soup for you.” Tife went to the kitchen and emerged with a bowl of pepper soup and a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice.
“God bless you, Tife. Just what I needed.”
“Amen. Oya, talk to me; what is it.” Tife had applied some powder on her face while in the kitchen to hide her swollen eyes.
Jola sat up.
“Tife, I am not coping well with this single life. It has been 6 months since Femi and I broke up, and I am just miserable.”
“I know, you have been counting it on the group chat.” Tife chuckled. Of the 6 times she had managed to read the group messages in the last two weeks, she could see Jola’s messages with crying emojis about how single she was.
“JJ, I would be honest with you as your friend. I think you are becoming obsessed with this.” she watched Jola’s face ease into a frown.
“I am serious.” She continued. “You are a child of God. God knows that you desire to be married. Remember when you were searching for this job that you now have, how you thought you had to write those certification exams before you could be invited for the interview. You almost even paid for that conference because you wanted to meet the director.”
“Yes now, those are valid steps. I was worried about not strategizing properly. People were saying different things.” Jola defended herself.
“Can you hear your response? Tell me, did any of those things contribute to you getting the job?”
Jola was quiet.
“Which of your strategies worked for you? None! Absolutely none.” Tife continued. You got the job because God favoured you. Remember in the bible when God said, you will not see the wind nor rain, but your valley will be filled with water; for a child of God, nothing is impossible. It is good to desire marriage, but what are you doing with your single life? How are you growing? How would you even know when the right person comes along? Are your priorities realigned? Do you know a good man when you see him? Are your convictions about marriage, God’s way strengthened?” Tife asked gently. She had known Jola for many years, and she knew her friend was drowning.
Jola sighed. It was hard to hear, but Tife was right.
“I don’t know how not to think about it. It’s everywhere. On social media, on the streets, and at the office. Everyone is talking about love and marriage; people find love daily. Even my friends are in relationships- You are married, Chioma and Lola are in serious relationships, and I am just here struggling to be okay. It’s hard, Tife. Let’s not even get started with pressure from home. I am avoiding my mum because every conversation starts and ends with ‘Time is going Jola’, ‘You are not getting any younger.’ ‘See your younger sister, she is already expecting her first child.’ Like, am I supposed to manufacture the man? Is it my fault that Femi gave up on our relationship? Is it wrong to want something as good as what you have-” Jola’s voice became shaky.
“It’s okay. Jola, it is okay. It’s not your fault. Please don’t compare yourself with anyone oh! Marriage is not a bed of roses. If you see any marriage working, it’s because the people involved are making it work.” Tife held her friend’s hands and pulled her close. “I am married, and there are days when I wish I still had the luxury of doing anything I wanted, without thinking about anybody.”
“Speaking off,” Jola pulled away from her friend’s grip. “Are you okay?”
“What do you mean?” Tife stood up and cleared the plates, avoiding her friend’s gaze.
“Your eyes are swollen; you look like you have been crying.”
“Oh, well, I was hoping you didn’t notice.” Tife carried the plates to the kitchen. Jola followed her. “You know Soji, and I have been planning the trip to Dubai for phase 2 of the project.”
“Yes, which is great. I don’t know of a couple who works well together like you two; I am excited about the launch.”
“Thank you. The plan was to stay in Dubai for 3 months, have the launch, and return to Lagos before relocating to Dubai where Soji would resume as head of operations.”
“Yes, now, I know all these things; it has been the plan since; I remember you said relocating to Dubai would be temporary, so Soji can get enough experience to lead the branch in the United States, where you already have a job offer. I know these things, Tife, but what has that got to do with why you have been crying?”
Tife sighed. “I just found out that I am 6 weeks pregnant.”
“Hi! Is this your first time in church? ” Someone was talking to Jola. “Good afternoon!” The voice echoed, and Jola snapped back to reality. The church service was over, and everyone was leaving.
“Hi! Sorry, no, it is not my first time. Thank you.” She put her bible and book back into her bag, straightened her skirt and stood up to leave. She couldn’t believe how far her mind had wandered.
“Jolaoluwa!” a voice called her name. She turned in the direction of the voice and met face-to-face with Femi. She nearly fainted. He looked exactly the same- the eyes, the nose, the beards. He was still wearing the neck chain she had bought for him.
“It is really you! I wasn’t su-r-r- e if you w-w-w ere the one. How are you? He stammered, also shocked to see how beautiful she looked. She still had that effect on him.
As Jola was about to respond, a woman approached Femi and held his hand.
“My love let’s go. We still need to go to the market today.” As she spoke, her engagement ring flashed. Jola watched the way they looked at each other and wondered if Femi had ever looked at her that way. She covered her face, regretting why she had answered to her name.
