Michael was still at the pharmacy when Loveth came back. She told him about their successful market shopping experience and how Amara was really good at pricing.
"I thought you said you were taking her to your friend who sells female clothes?" Michael asked, and Loveth nodded.
"My friend went to Onitsha. And Amara didn't want to go to that area. She said there is someone she is avoiding here," Loveth said, and Michael narrowed his eyes.
She was avoiding someone there? Who? An ex-boyfriend? A customer?
"Did she live there before? She looked familiar one kind," Loveth said, and Michael sighed softly.
"Thank you for helping me. Have this," he said, giving her ten one thousand naira notes. "You can get back to work now," he said, dismissing her.
She took out the five thousand naira from her handbag. "She gave me this money. And she bought me somethings too," she said, and Michael raised a brow, slightly surprised.
"Okay. You can keep all of it," he said, and she smiled happily as she dipped it into her handbag.
"Thank you, o. God bless the two of you. You two will be a very perfect husband and wife…"
"Leave here!" Michael snapped angrily.
Loveth was startled by the sudden outburst and change of tone, "Ah! Sorry, o. Sha, be sending me on this kind of errand. Thank you," she said before leaving the office.
Perfect husband and wife ke? Nonsense talk.
Glancing at his wristwatch, Michael saw it was past eleven, so he decided it was time to go home.
He needed to shower, eat, and sleep.
As he drove home, he received a call from the senior pastor.
"Pastor Michael, how are you? I just wanted to find out what you did with the girl. Where is she now?" He asked, and something in his tone told Michael that he was asking to know if he had taken her to his house.
"I helped her pay for a hotel room where she can stay and figure out what to do with her life," Michael said, and the pastor sighed.
"Alright. Try to be careful. The young ministers and workers who saw her leaving with you had a lot of questions. You know you are a young pastor. So that you won't do what will make people doubt your salvation," the pastor said, and Michael sighed.
"Thanks for your concern, sir. I'm being careful," Michael assured him before hanging up the call.
The earlier he settled her and sent her away, the better for his life and ministry.
Luckily, by the time he got home, his mother had left for the wedding, but thankfully, she left him a breakfast of Akara and pap that had him wondering when she had the time to make Akara that morning.
After eating, he freshened up and went to sleep.
Two hours later, he woke up with a start. He had dreamt of a woman standing in his kitchen and preparing a meal for him. When he went to hug her from behind as she stirred the pot, she turned to smile at him, and it was Amara.
"Satan, you're a liar," Michael said, speaking in tongues.
He tried to sleep again, but sleep wouldn't come, so he decided to prepare his sermon for Sunday.
By the time he was done studying and preparing, it was evening. He usually made sure they opened the pharmacy late and closed early on Saturdays so that his workers had enough time to do their chores on Saturday and prepare for church on Sunday evening. That way, they wouldn't have an excuse to miss church.
He picked up his phone and dialed the hotel. When the receptionist picked up, he left a message for Amara, asking her to tell Amara to meet him at the pharmacy by 7:30 p.m.
As he got ready to leave the house, he heard his mother's voice as she returned. "Tega!"
He groaned as he stepped out to meet her while buttoning his shirt. "Welcome. How was the wedding? Did you bring party rice?"
His mother laughed as she took off her gele and set it on the arm of the chair. "At your age, a pastor like you is asking for party rice," she teased, taking out two takeaway packs of food from the bucket they gave her as a souvenir.
"Party rice is no respecter of age or status. You can't buy party rice anywhere. It can only be gotten from a party," he said as he took one of the packs from her and opened it.
His mother laughed. "If you see the wedding eh! Those people spent real money. Ah! I was expecting something small, but they beat my expectations. By the way, do you remember Ese? Ochuko's sister?"
"Yes. Why won't I remember her?" He asked, remembering their neighbor's daughter, his crush growing up.
"She was there. She asked of you. She is the one who even gave me that extra pack to give to you. If you see her! Very beautiful girl. She is not married yet."
Michael pretended not to hear that. "Hmm. This rice is sweet o," Michael said, and his mother laughed.
"Very delicious. I even took the caterer's number. I like her composure and how she handled things. She will handle the food at your wedding. I also took the event planner's…"
Michael groaned. He had fallen into her trap. "Allow me rest na."
She snorted, "Stop forming jare. You think I don't know you have a girlfriend? I saw you both this morning in your car. Stop pretending," she chided him.
Michael's heart skipped a beat, "It's not what you think. She's not my girlfriend. She is just…."
"Save your explanations. Just do and come and introduce her to me let's start planning the wedding. You are not getting any younger," she said, and Michael shook his head.
"You don't even know her. Why do you feel you will approve?" He asked, and she smiled.
"I raised you. I trust you. I know you won't dare bring anyhow person home," she said, and he swallowed.
"Have you ever thought about the story of prophet Hosea in the Bible?" He asked, and she frowned.
"Hosea? What about him?" She asked, confused and wondering why he was suddenly bringing that up.
"Imagine if he was Nigerian, and he told his mother that God said he should marry a prostitute," he said, and she laughed.
"That would have been a disaster!"
"So, if you were his mother, you would say no?" Michael pressed.
"Thank God I'm not his mother," she said, refusing to answer the question directly.
"But what if…"
"Tega, please, I don't want to imagine nonsense. Why are you asking me that? Is that what you plan to preach about tomorrow?" His mother asked, changing the subject.
"No. I was just thinking about it. I'm stepping out now..."
"Again? Where are you going to again? It's almost 7 p.m.," she said, looking at the wall clock.
"There is a new convert I need to follow up," he explained.
"Oh! Okay. Don't come back late sha," she said, then paused, "By the way, Ese gave me her number. In case that girl in your car is not really your girlfriend, you can take Ese's number."
"Okay," Michael said as he covered the food, "please help me keep the food. I will finish it when I come back. I don't like to rush good food," he said, and she laughed as she watched him go.
As Michael drove to the pharmacy, he thought about his mother's response to his question. He was not considering marrying Amara; he just wanted God to see that it would not work. Even if he ever decided to consider it, which he wasn't going to do, his mother would not give her blessings.
When he arrived, he was glad to see that his staff had closed the pharmacy for the day. He unlocked and went inside, and shortly after he settled down behind his desk, he heard the door open.
He walked out of his office and met her in the pharmacy.
"Good evening," Amara greeted with a small smile.
Why was she smiling at him? Michael wondered, not smiling back as he looked at her.
He didn't want to smile at her. He didn't want to be too friendly with her. He wanted to set boundaries between them and not encourage any form of closeness that would make any sort of feelings grow.
"Good evening," he replied politely.
"I brought back your coat. Thank you," she said, handing it to him.
"You're welcome. You said you wanted to call your mother," he said, and she nodded.
"Yes," Amara nodded.
"Sit down," he said, gesturing to the nurse station, and they both sat down.
He unlocked his phone and gave her to make the call.
Michael watched as Amara dialed her mother's line. When the call connected, she turned away from him.
"Mummy, it's me Amara," she said, greeting in their native tongue.
"I'm fine. I lost my phone, so I'm calling with somebody's phone. Yes, it's my friend's phone," she said, and Michael resisted the urge to scoff.
Friend? Which friend? Who told her they were friends?
"Money?" Amara asked with a frown.
Was her mother asking her for money? Was she the breadwinner of her family? Michael wondered.
"I don't have any money to send now. You people are going to manage. Please don't call this number back. I will call you when I get a new phone. I just said I should let you know I lost my phone so that you won't be worried," Amara said before hanging up.
"Thank you," Amara said as she returned the phone to Michael. "Thank you for the clothes and everything. I'm very grateful."
"When we first met, you said you were a Christian and a chorister. What happened between then and now?"