Episode 2:Dark tales within a love story

She woke up to many people around her.  She looked around, and noticed that she was in the  vestry now. Her body was also damp. She must have been revived with water.
    One of the people was the angel she had seen before she slumped. Okay, he didn't look so glorious anymore. That must have been the dizziness. But he still looked as handsome as hell. He just stood there. His back against the wardrobe. He was doing something on his phone. Maybe texting his girlfriend she thought. She and her friend, Made always joked that fine boys don't come to their church. She should come and see this one.

Read episode one here 'Why did I even faint sef? People would start thinking I am pregnant now.' She thought to herself.

A voice broke into her thoughts.
"Rera,what happened to you? We were all really scared. You just slumped like that in the middle of the recession. Na wa o. Doh"  One choir member sympathized.

Rera forced herself to smile and mutter a 'thank you'. She seriously disliked this girl, and she knew the feeling was mutual. She had serious attitude problems.  She turned to look at "Angel" and he wasn't there anymore. Mtcheww.
'See what this Yeye girl has caused now' she thought to herself.

Everybody started to leave, muttering one form of greeting or the other.  She wondered who carried her to the vestry. Where in the world is Made?  She had been behind her on the line.

As if conjured by her thoughts, Made entered carrying a black nylon.

" Madam fainter, welcome back to  the land of the living. How does it feel to faint?" Made teased.

" Shut up jor. Omo, i don't even know what happened. One minute I was fine, the next I was just not fine at all."

" Oniro oniro, abi you will say you saw fine boy and you wanted to fall into his arms. You now use scope to form faint. I really gbadun your format o" Made was winking repeatedly as she said it.

" Wait, which fine boy?  I fell into whose arms ?How?"

Made was laughing seriously.

" Stop now. Tell me what happened jor."

"Alright, one minute we were singing 'the  darkness deepens' the next minute you were falling down. And you know the funniest thing? You actually didn't touch the ground. He held you and dragged you to his side. His timing was so accurate. No be small drama you cause for church today o babe."

The mortification on her face was very pronounced.

" That bad?"

" That's not all o. Who do you think carried you here? Me?"
She burst into another bout of laughter.

"Chai, na wa o. I just disgraced myself today niyen. I feel so embarrassed"

It was as if Made saw the worried look on her face. She stopped laughing immediately.

" Its not your fault jor. It can happen to anyone."
There was a moment of silence.

"Oya come and drink your lucozade boost. Your boyfriend gave me money to buy it for you" there was a gleam in her eyes as she said this.

"Wait, you mean you took money from a stranger? You should have taken from my bag na. You are just heightening  my embarrassment. I hope I never see him again"

It was a lie. She wanted to see him again. Even if it was just once. His face was just so serene. The only person she thought finer than him at the moment was  Hollywood actor, Ryan Gosling, her celebrity crush.
She still had her reservations about that though. Ryan is a white guy. And "Angel" is black.

"Did you hear what I said?" Made asked, breaking into her
reverie.

"No I didn't"

" Wetin you dey think?" She uses her hand to remove something from Rera's eyelids.

"Chaplain's wife wants to see you. She told me when I was coming. Hurry up o. Everybody don go finish only us remaining  here. I'm hungry sef. We would use the change from this your boyfriend's money with your wretched money in your bag that you won't let us hear word for, to cook stew. Chicken dey hungry me dakun."

"Yeye. "Why does she want to see me now?" She made for the door.

"Why else? Better calculate when last you saw your period so you won't go and be stammering dia" She called after her.

********************************

Someone told her the chaplain's wife was inside chaplain's office.

'Hope this woman would come out to talk to me sha.  She thought to herself. Abi she will be asking me all those questions where chaplain is ni? Someone cannot faint in peace now because she is female. If it were a male now, there would be no issue.'

She mentally started singing Beyonce's 'If I were a boy.'

She stopped the song in her head once she got to the office of the secretary. For some reasons it didn't feel right to be singing it in Chaplain's office. The secretary asked her to wait as they were attending to somebody inside. She sat down and continued her fantasizing about him.

It was 20 minutes before the door opened. It was 'Angel'. Her heart did a double skip. He had a very angry expression on his face. She wondered what could be going on with him and Chaplain. She doesn't even think this guy attends this church. Its not like she knows everybody though.

'Compose yourself madam' she thought to herself.

She was trying to decide whether to thank him or just ignore him since she was supposed to be oblivious to all that happened anyway. She decided to play dumb. She didn't trust herself to sound composed and reasonable.

"Can I go in now?" She asked the secretary.

"Sure"

She didn't spend up to five minutes with them. They just wanted to know if she was fine and if it happened frequently. She replied in the negative.The chaplain's wife jokingly asked her if she was sexually active. She replied in the negative again. They bid her a wonderful day and she left the office.
She couldn't help but keep smiling on her way out. Did she expect her to say, ' yes ma. I am sexually active.

She got a shock when she got outside. 'Angel' was standing there. It was obvious he was waiting for her. She acted like she didn't know. She was just walking away.

"Fadera" he called.

She turned back. God how did he know her name. And his pronunciation was perfect. People didnt usually get it. She tried to feign ignorance but even she knew that she was failing at it. Her emotions were betraying her big time.

"Good afternoon." She dimmed her eyes.  "I don't think I know you"

He smiled. It was a lazy one. Its what she called a 'corner smile'. It made her heart skip again.

" Stop acting lady. I know you know me. You saw me at the changing room at least. Made actually told me your name"
He was still smiling. But it was fuller now. It revealed very white teeth with space in the middle of his front teeth. Her People called it 'eji'. She always joked that if her husband didn't have it she'd use a knife to separate his teeth to get it.

She looked to the ground twisting her toes nervously.

"I'm sorry I..."

" It's Fine.  I just wanted to be sure you are fine. That's all"

" I am. Thanks. Uhmmm, I'll be on my way now. My friend would be waiting for me. She is kinda impatient" 

She turned to leave.

" Where is she?"

" Who? Made? "
He nodded.
" She's in front"
" Go get her,let me drop you guys at your house."

"Uhmmm, you don't need ...."

" I insist. It's the least I can do."

Five minutes later they were on their way to his hostel in his car. Made nudged her to  seat beside him as whoever the guy had interest in got to take the front seat. It was like an unspoken agreement between them. The silence was killing. She wanted to talk but she didn't want to say the wrong thing so she contented herself with watching him. She noticed how he kept his eyes on the road, focused. And some how that made him more attractive.

" You should see a doctor. " He said suddenly. He didn't even look at her.

" Ermmm, I don't think that will be necessary. I am fine . I could always go to the health centre if anything goes wrong again."

" I insist, I could pick you up tomorrow by..."

She was waiting for him to complete his sentence before she realised he was actually waiting for her to volunteer a time.

" I have classes till 4."

"I have a friend who is a doctor in town. I'll book an appointment and we could grab dinner later. When we are through"

She realized he was actually asking her out on a date. She wished Made would just stop poking her from the back seat so that she could concentrate. Her mind went to all her wretched clothes. She didn't think them wretched before but this guy was the definition of glamour. Even in her best Sunday clothes she wore today she didn't feel good enough. By now they had gotten to her place.

"So, what do you say?"

" Its fine."

Made bade him goodbye, came down,and went inside. Stupid girl. Why wouldn't she just wait?.

" I didn't get your name though"

" Paul. Paul Uzochukwu Adams."

God. Why did that name sound so familiar. Seems like she had heard it somewhere before. She tried to remember where but it wasn't coming.

" Are you okay? Something bothering you. Does you head ache? Maybe we should see that doctor today."

" No. Nothing really. It's just  your name, it seems like I have heard it before. I have a good memory so I'm quite sure. I just can't remember where I have."
He looked with an expression she couldn't quite place. It was like he was contemplating whether to tell her or not. She wondered if he was famous. She didn't have to wonder for long.

" I guess you are correct. They must have published the banns of my marriage in your church."

It clicked in her head that moment. He was getting married. That was why he had gone to see the chaplain. It was the wedding their choir master had told  them they had to rehearse for on Wednesday. She had said she was to take a solo and she'd get the song on Tuesday. They had already published it two times. The wedding was in two weeks. So she was going to be singing in the wedding of her crush. If this wasn't  the definition of heartbreak,she didn't know what was.

" Wow, you are getting married. That's good. I'm happy for you. She must be very very lucky.'

She knew she was going over the top with the congratulations but she was trying not sound like she had a problem with it.

" Ermmm....I wish I could say ' thanks, but you see,the thing is, I was getting married. Not anymore."

Was. What is 'was getting married'. What did that mean. She looked to his face for answers but there was none. It was stone set. No expression at all...

To be continued....

A.A.Amanda