LIBERTY EP 12 : GRACE DAVID'S CORNER

EPISODE TWELVE
The emptiness echoed her husband's absence as she walked into their home. It was eight pm and her Jeff had left no hint as to where he had disappeared to. She had looked for him everywhere she could and when she eventually ended up at her mother in law's doorstep she had been unable to hide her despair. Her tears had been uncontrollable and when Chide cries Chide talks and talk she did. The look of horror and disappointment on her mother in law's face was still etched onto her heart. But Constance's reaction to her full story was quite unexpected. She had smiled with understanding and compassion after her Mama Jane had slowly walked out on her, leaving her in a pool of regret.
"I may not have been to hell and made it out like you but I have had a feel of its flames, I was a secondary school senior and he a prefect, I liked him as teenage girls will like teenage boys and he took advantage of my dewy eyed gaze and my shy tender smile and lured me into a dark classroom one cool night during prep, his friends were on the look out and my muffled scream for help was never heard, I left that class battered and lost even to myself, my real self was buried and out came this Constance, my parents know but what can they do when there is so much astake for the family name if they made too much fuss, besides he had wealthier parents who were willing to make it go away," she had sighed, " I even got a baby from the experience but he took one look at the world and decided he couldn't stay, see why I am this Constance no one can understand? Find your husband, find your daughter and make this right."
They had shared their first hug and with a new found determination Chide had set out for Becca's to relay the situation to her  Mama and her sister - the only ones who had accepted her without question. Her Mama had been packing to leave the next day because of an emergency back at her school but one look at her daughter she knew she had to join in the search which yielded no fruits by the way.
"Go home, he may be waiting for you." She had advised.
And now she stood in their home with no sign of him anywhere, unable to cry anymore she curled up in their bed and silently prayed for his return.
***
She woke up the next morning to a loud knock on the door, she rushed to open it with a quaking heart and shaky hands. But was disappointed to find Chioma looking genuinely concerned. The poor girl had stayed away from the house since Jeff insisted they kept their relationship without the walls of his house. Now Chide was conflicted between letting her in or leaving her out in the early morning cold.
The girl must have noticed her dilemma as she quickly said, "I can't come in ma because I am already late for work but I found this while at the bus stop and thought you might want to see it before it is too late," she was holding a folded newspaper in both hands and the look of sympathy on her face set Chide's heart racing. She wordlessly took the newspaper and the headlines blared at her, PASTOR'S WIFE CAUGHT IN A BLAST FROM THE PAST. She couldn't imagine this being about her, the news of her Liberty had only made it out yesterday and just a select few knew - people who would be hurt if the news made the headlines. So who had paid a visit to the press? It didn't take long for her to figure it out - Hagar. That evil witch will stop at nothing to see her back in hell, but she wasn't ready to honour that invitation. She sighed and thanked Chioma who gave her a reassuring hug that almost broke her resolve not to cry. She held onto the younger woman like her heart would stop beating if she let go. But soon Chioma was walking down the street, away from her to her normal routine as a secretary at a telecommunications company. She couldn't believe that the world will continue its normal orbit and nothing was going to stand still to even understand her predicament and help her with a solution. She took shaky deep breaths to calm her nerves as she turned back into the room. Her phone was chiming upstairs and she ran up the stairs. Please let it be Jeff, please.
However, it was Becca. How many disappointments can her heart take in one morning before it gave up? She snatched up the phone and gave a resigned sigh before answering.
Becca's usually cheery voice sounded agitated, "where are you?"
"Home,"
"Stay there I am coming,"
Her heart did a crazy back flip, "why?"
"The blogs are having a ball on your matter, Linda Ikeji is not left out, the different variations of the story is making even me doubt what I already know, so stay indoors until we figure out what to do, I am already on my way to your place,"
As soon as the call ended Chide collapsed to the floor gasping for air, she wanted death to come swiftly and painlessly, but her chest constricted painfully instead blurring her vision and rendering her almost unconscious. She could hear the Grandpa clock Jeff had dragged into the hallway after one of his many expeditions strike nine in a mournful tone that reminded her of all things dark and ominous. The tears came in torrents blinding her completely, it wasn't until she felt strong and warm hands that she realised that she had left the door unlocked in her hurry to answer her phone.
"My dear sister,"  Becca cooed sympathetically holding her in a hug and allowed her tiny body to let out those painful tears that shook her entire existence
After a long ten minutes Becca made her eat some cereals that were cardboard flakes for all she cared and as the water ran over her body in the shower she was lost in one depressing thought or the other, but with determination she went through the mechanics of dressing up without collapsing and then went downstairs to join Becca to discuss what had brought her over.
"Enhen now you look better," Becca commented trying to lighten the mood.
"Where is Mama?"
"I sent her back to Lokoja, the emergency in her school was escalating with every minute of her absence but she wouldn't budge, insisting that you needed her, only my assurance that we needed to be on all fronts in case Jeff showed up at one could send her running, she promised to call sha,"
"Ok," she sighed missing her Mama's staunch faith in God's ability to send her husband back to her.
"Anyway, we need to ignore the news and figure out a way to lead your husband home, you have a congregation that will loose their way without you,"
"Jeff left Pst. Sam in charge for the weekend, but afterwards..."
She trailed off imagining the worse.
Becca reached out and gave her arm a reassuring squeeze, "Chide this too shall pass."
Chide shook her head vigorously as the tears poured unrestrained, "Jeff's side of the closet is missing some outfits, he probably came back while I was away at his mother's place and left with everything he holds dear, his father's bible,"
"We will find him Chide, the real challenge is the effect of all these on you and your ministry, gird your loins Chide, your faith will be tried harder than ever, prepare for battle," Becca warned in her matter of fact way sounding like a prophet.
How right Becca had been, the next few weeks were the most trying times after her escape from Hagar. Her tale was distorted on evey medium of mass communication, each day the details getting filthier until she was the wicked ex prostitute that trapped an innocent pastor into marriage. She refused to show her face in church after an incident with one of the members who booed her off the alter while she was conducting the tithes and offerings. A council meeting was immediately held and it was agreed that she needed a break. Pst. Sam and his family were a pillar of support and without hearing her own side of the story took sides with her and controlled an otherwise volatile situation for the ministry. Mama Jane was still not talking to her but what was paramount in her heart was how and where to get Hagar. If only she could pin that witch down everything would blow over and her Liberty's whereabouts will be revealed.
On the fourth week since her husband's disappearance she received a phone call that sent her scurrying from her house into Becca's sturdy feature.
"Mama!" They both said at the same time their faces a mask of terror.