Michael took Amara with him against the pastor's advice, and even as they got into the car and left the church venue, Michael knew there would be a backlash.
If only he had listened to the Holy Spirit the first time and had not told the pastor about Amara being in his car, none of this would have happened.
Why didn't he listen?
Michael was silent for most of the ride, and so was Amara.
She leaned against the door with her head resting on the window, hugging Michael's coat tighter to herself as she thought about her life and wondered what she was going to do next.
She couldn't go back to Valerie's place. There was no way she could go back there. She didn't trust Valerie.
If only she had taken her bags with her and found a place to keep them before going out with Chief. Now, she had lost everything.
Every single thing she had gotten over the years was gone.
What was the point of slaving away for Valerie when she couldn't even keep the clothes, the hairs and everything else?
At least she had her iPhone and about two hundred thousand naira locked in her PiggyVest account.
She reached into her purse for her phone, and her heart skipped a beat when she didn't feel the phone.
She opened it and looked inside, and when she still didn't see it, she poured out the contents on her lap, momentarily forgetting Michael.
Michael, who was lost in thoughts of his own, turned to look at her when he saw her frantic movements. He saw the condoms that had dropped out of her purse, along with some makeup items and five hundred naira notes.
'God, she can't possibly be my wife for real, right?' He asked, having no doubts that she was a prostitute.
What else would she be doing with so many condoms, dressed like that on her way back from the club?
Maybe she sold condoms at the club. That had to be it. That was the only other reasonable explanation.
Maybe whenever she saw two people making out at the club, she'd approach them and say, "Come and buy what I sell!"
Why else would she have condoms?
"Do you sell condoms?" He blurted out before he could stop himself.
Amara, who was feeling bad that she had lost her phone, turned to look at him. She frowned, confused by his question at first, and then she looked down at her lap and saw the condoms.
Valerie had always asked her to have extra condoms in her bag so that no man would have any excuse about not having a condom or a condom tearing to have sex with her without protection.
"No," she confessed with a wince when she realized that she had carelessly let him see it.
"No? So, why do you have so many?" Michael asked again.
He had known that his excuse about her selling condoms was bullshit, yet he had wanted to be hopeful.
Amara said nothing as she put the condom and the rest of the items back into her purse. She pressed her lips together, feeling too embarrassed to tell him the truth.
She wondered if he had helped her because he recognized her or just because she had helped him.
What would he think of her if she told him they had met before?
"You lied back there, didn't you?" Michael asked, and Amara looked down at her hands.
"I'm sorry."
At least she still felt little shame and was ashamed of herself and what she did, Michael reasoned.
"What happened?" He asked, turning to spare her a glance.
The road was quiet because it was just around five in the morning. Usually, he would have slept in the church's guestroom and waited for daylight before driving home, but he was leaving now because of her and the disagreement with the pastor.
Amara decided to tell him the truth. She took a deep breath to calm herself because her heart was racing now. "I didn't enter one chance. The man that took me home wanted to kill me."
Michael raised a brow, "How?"
Amara explained what had happened and how she escaped, and Michael frowned.
She had a threesome?
'Ebenezer eh! God why? Why me? What did I do to deserve this punishment? Is it because I used to womanize in the past? Shey I repented? I even asked for mercy? I thought you forgive and forget?'
Amara looked at him, wondering why he was silent.
"Where can I drop you?" He asked when he noticed her gaze on him.
She bit her lip, "I don't have anywhere to go."
"Eh?" Michael asked, turning to look at her.
"I'm afraid that he will come and find me if I return to where I stay," she explained.
"Don't you have friends you can stay with? What about your family house? Did he pick you up from there?" Michael asked, wanting her to leave so that he could think.
He needed to pray so that this cup would pass over him. He wasn't Jesus. He wasn't Prophet Hosea.
If this was a test from God, he was going to fail it. There was no way he could marry someone like her.
Absolutely no way.
He wasn't judging or condemning her; no, he wasn't. But he couldn't marry a runs girl. One that did threesomes with a chief at that. God forbid!
'I reject it in Jesus name!'
"No, I don't have friends. My only friend is in school. My family is not here," she said, and Michael sighed inwardly.
He couldn't take her to his house. If he did, his mother would see her dressed the way she was, which would be another trouble.
"I will lodge you in a Hotel. I'll pay for three days. You can stay there and think about what you want to do next and where you want to go," he said, planning to spend the three days fasting and praying to God.
God definitely had to change his mind. This wasn't going to work.
"Thank you. Thank you very much. I'm sorry for being a burden. And I'm sorry for what happened at the pastor's office. I don't mean to cause any trouble for you," she said, and Michael nodded but said nothing.
She was going to need clothes. And her legs. He remembered she was hurt. She needed treatment.
He drove to his house first, parked the car outside the compound, and turned to her.
"Stay in the car. Don't come down. I will be right her out. I need to pick something," he said, and she nodded.
He got out and went inside. He went to the guest room where his mother was sleeping and knocked on the door.
Knowing that she was most likely praying since it was her quiet time, he opened the door quietly and stepped inside the room.
His mother, who was on her knees praying, opened her eyes and turned to look at him when she heard him enter.
"Good morning. You are back so early," she said, and Michael, who had been heading for the wardrobe, turned to look at her.
"Good morning, ma. I had something to handle, so I had to return early," he explained.
"Is everything alright?" She asked with concern.
"Yes. I just want to get one or two clothes from the clothes Kess left behind. Someone needs it," he said, and she raised a brow.
"Who? Did someone come with you?" She asked, standing up now.
"I am pressed for time right now. I will tell you about it when I get back. First, I need to get to the pharmacy," he said, and she frowned.
"Are you sure everything is alright?" She asked again.
"Yes. You can go back to your prayers," he said, opening the wardrobe.
"How was the ministration?" She asked as she watched him.
"God did His thing," Michael said, and she smiled.
"That's good to hear. Will you be back before I leave for the wedding? I'm leaving by 9:30."
"Hopefully, I'll be back."
"If not for this vigil you attended, and I know you need to rest, I would have asked you to accompany me to the wedding. Maybe you will meet someone…"
"I have to go now. I've gotten what I need," Michael said as he stuffed a few clothes into one of the bags in the wardrobe and quickly walked away.
"Be running, you hear?" His mother called after him, but he didn't respond.
Wanting to see what he was up to, she followed him out. He was already heading downstairs, so she went to the balcony and looked outside to see if someone was waiting for him.
She noticed that his car wasn't parked in the compound. She watched as he hurried outside the gate and got into his car. As he reversed the car, she caught a glimpse of a lady seated in the front seat.
So Tega had a lady in his life and was forming for her. Silly boy, she thought with a pleased smile as she returned inside.