The Amateur

She kept hanging around him
She told herself she was just being 
a friend
He was somebody she could talk to
He was somebody she could relate 
to comfortably
She enjoyed being around him
He enjoyed being around her too and 
he made it obvious
But he told her right from the outset 
that 
he was a single parent with children
His wife had died giving birth to his 
twin girls
He had a thriving pharmaceutical 
drugs import business and was 
making a lot of money
She met him by chance
She imported some goods for her 
online business from China
When the goods arrived 
the country, she realized she didn't 
have enough money to clear them
She reached out to some people 
for a loan
A friend told her about this guy in 
their church who definitely had the 
money and would love to help
She went to the church the following 
Sunday and asked to see him 
the service
She told him what the problem was 
and he sent her the money she 
needed instantly
He was rich
He was the kind of person she would 
like to relate with on more than a 
transactional basis
He was a friend worth having but 
they had nothing in common
There was no basis for 
any familiarity
She cleared her goods and went to 
return the loan two weeks later
He thanked her for keeping her word 
and that was it
She changed her church the following 
week
She wanted to be around him
Perhaps its the money or the fact that 
she didn't have such as him in her 
world
She invited him to the formal opening 
of her shop a month later
She wanted him to see what got the 
loan for
He was impressed
Later that evening, she sent him a 
thank you message and asked if he 
wouldn't mind having lunch with her 
and some friends sometimes the 
following week 
She said the lunch was for her birthday
He obliged again
He got to meet her friends and got to 
know her better
The day was a public holiday and 
he was free
Later that same day, they went to the 
mall together in his car
He said he needed to pick some 
things and she said she wanted 
to see a movie
She just wanted to be with him, 
stay in his sight and on his mind
When they got to the mall, she asked 
if she could accompany him to do his 
shopping as she also wanted to pick 
some things up
He shrugged and smiled
He shopped while they talked about 
the movie she 
wanted to see
When he was done shopping, she 
insisted on paying
Then he asked her if he could tag 
along to see the movie
They bought tickets, got their popcorns 
and watched the movie while 
whispering in each other's ears
It turned out to be a wild evening
After the movies, he 
took her to a recreational center close 
to the mall for karaoke night
She sang and danced and laughed
When it was 9pm, he drove her home
Neither of them wanted the night 
to end
As she was alighting from his car, 
she realized he had not eaten anything 
since the lunch she invited 
him to
She told him she had food in her flat
Would he prefer to wait in the car for 
her to pack some food for him or would 
he rather come upstairs and take a bite?
He followed her upstairs
Of course, she didn't get to pack the food
It was too much proximity, too much 
"feel good" memory
The emotions of the night altered their 
perception and judgment
As soon as they got to her flat
Humpty-dumpty was smashed on the 
rug and the chair and ended up in 
the bedroom
It was the kind of smashing that 
scattered Humpty-dumpty everywhere
He left early the next morning 
at about 5 AM
She was still sleeping when he left
When she woke up at around 9 am, she 
didn't know what to think
She felt like someone who can't swim 
but wore a swimsuit with the intention 
of sitting at the poolside and perhaps 
dipping her feet in the pool only to 
find herself falling into the deep end 
of the pool
She didn't know if to laugh or cry
She didn't know how he would take 
things going forward
She knew he was widowed and she 
ought to respect that but she didn't 
think she ought to come that far within 
the reach of her goal and walk away 
because they had sex
She had no intention of sleeping with him 
but it had happened
Must the sex colour everything?
She wanted to be his friend because she 
wanted access to his money
She wanted to be able to ask for support 
or help when she needed it and get it from him
The sex gives her 
that access in her book
The next thing was how to manage her 
emotional asset with him
She didn't want to sleep with him anymore
It would be pointless as she planned 
to get into a relationship and get married 
within the next year
At the same time, she felt the sex had 
earned her a soft spot with him
She just needed to keep him as a sort of 
insurance for her business until it is stable
That was all she wanted from the outset
Someone with enough free money she 
could access in a jiffy until her business 
becomes financially viable
That was all she needed 
from him
She waited throughout that day for his call
She felt it was important for him to be 
the one to call, so that she can tell him 
what happened was a mistake that 
shouldn't affect their friendship
She had the words written out and rehearsed 
but he didn't call throughout that day
She waited for his call throughout the 
second day - Nothing...
She suddenly felt used and angry
His lack of communication didn't only
 rubbish the memory they shared that night, 
it also guaranteed that all her efforts at 
getting close to him had gone down 
the drain
She was back to square one
She wanted to dust her skirt and walk 
away but she needed to have the last 
say on the matter
It was a matter of principle for her
He deserved to be told off
The next morning, she got a mail from him
It was a plane ticket to Abuja for the 
weekend
He didn't ask 
her if she wanted to go
She felt her plans should still work if she 
manages the situation with wisdom
She packed her bag
They met at the airport and flew together
When they got to the hotel, she insisted 
on staying in a separate room
He paid for the room and disappeared 
all-day 
When he returned in the evening, he gave 
her a call
They met at the restaurant of the hotel
He apologized for his silence and told 
her he had arranged with a friend to 
introduce her to another businesswoman 
who imports goods from China just like 
she does
He said he felt the lady 
could be of help to her.
It was the last thing she was expecting
He had a business plan and all drawn 
up for her
When he invited her over to his room to 
rehearse and prepare for her meeting 
with the woman the next day, she couldn't 
say no
She told herself she had everything under 
control
She went to his room and before she 
could say stop it, she had started singing 
"Arise O compatriot, to his body"
They sang the national anthem all night
She met the woman the following day and 
nothing concrete came out of the meeting
Again, he got what he wanted and she 
got nothing
Later, after being with him for another night, 
she realized she had overestimated her 
manipulative ability in a huge way
As much as she tried, he didn't fall for any 
of her mind games,
She suspected he was even somehow 
irritated by her "attempts" in a way
It felt to 
her like the bait had swallowed the hunter
When they returned to Lagos, she told 
herself it wasn't worth it and stopped 
picking his calls
One must know when to walk away
One year later, they met at the Night of Glory
He came because he got filled with the 
Holy Ghost and had 
started to grow in the things of the spirit
She came because her desire to meet her 
husband had not panned out and she 
needed a miracle
When he was speaking with the brother 
in Jeans and t-shirt after the service, 
he mentioned her name and stated that 
he was surprised to see her 
in a spirit-filled church
They had both met at another kind of church
They rekindled their friendship and this 
time, they were both straightforward and 
did things the right way
He proposed and she said yes
They will be getting married in Ibadan 
on December 26, 2020 

PS: True love must shun manipulation
People dislike being made a fool of
Often time, a manipulator is the first
to scream foul when things don't go
his or her way
Being straightforward is a virtue that
helps love to thrive
Especially as believers
We must learn a new way to love
We must be the epitome of Christ's
kind of love which is pure and
genuine and incorruptible
Let our love be unfeigned

Congratulations to T&T, my siblings in Chjrist