The Moment of Truth

Chapter 17

Samuel started attending doctrine classes at the St. Charles Lwanga Parish Molyko after Beltusgot him registered. In fact, he completely switched from the Full Gospel Mission Church to the Roman Catholic Church, attending morning masses, Sunday masses as well as vespers and benedictions on the days he was disposed to do so.
     He admitted to Beltus that the Catholic Church was not as bad as the Pentecostal churches painted it to be after all; besides, he was enjoying it there.
     Every Sunday morning, Sylvia joined him for holy mass at the Molyko Parish, asking how his doctrine classes were progressing and encouraging him on.
     One Saturday, she invited him over to her own Parish at Bokwaongo for a wedding mass that afternoon. They had just one course to write for the exam that morning.
     After writing the exam for the course, they boarded a campus shuttle for UB Junction where they boarded a taxi for Bokwaongo.
     ‘My Parish church is not as big as yours,’ she told him while in the taxi, ‘but it is beautiful in itself. The presiding priests are from the Missionary Society of St. Paul – harsh-tagged the M.S.P - with headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria.
     ‘Oh, did you know that the MSP priests are currently carrying out missionary work in a total of three Parishes here in Cameroon?’ When Samuel nodded that he didn’t know, she added, ‘They do. The first is my parish; then Holy Trinity Parish Bonaberi – Douala; and thirdly Saints Peter and Paul Parish Ekondo Titi in Ndian Division.’
  Samuel nodded.
     She continued, ‘Presently, the priests and parishioners of my parish are undertaking a project to expand the church building so there can be enough room for the now larger congregation. Isn’t it just amazing?’
     ‘Indeed, it is,’ he concurred. ‘I can’t wait to see this beauty you speak of.’
     She kept on talking about the Catholic Church until they finally alighted from the taxi just across the road from the St. Martin de Porres Parish Bokwaongo. The weather in Bokwaongo was cool since it was situated at the foot of the mountain which itself was hidden behind a damp fog enveloping it.
     Sylvia noticed Samuel rubbing his arms under his brown polo shirt as she remembered that she had not warned him about the weather. Then, gesturing with an outstretched right hand toward the church across the road, she said, ‘Behold: my parish.’
     ‘Wow,’ Samuel said as they traversed the road and made it down a wide entrance to the church building. ‘It’s so beautiful.’
     ‘You haven’t seen anything yet. I can see you are not used to the weather here.’
     ‘Believe me: I am allergic to cold, however mild it may be. But I’m fine.’
     They looked round and saw a few cars parked near the church building and saw people chatting as they entered the church. Two of the cars – a black BMW and a PRADO jeep - were decorated with ribbons and balloons.
     The church building itself had a low triangular roof, and was built with gray bricks with several multicoloured glass windows at the front facing the road. They saw that there were heaps of sand and gravel by the side of the church building as well as piles of cement blocks.
     Pointing at a single-storey building at the back of the church building which was painted cream-white over gray with a blue iron gate fencing the verandah, she said, ‘That’s the Presbytery – it is where the priests live.’
     Again pointing to a third building to their right which was parallel to the church building and painted just like the Presbytery though it had no gate, she said, ‘That’s the parish hall.’
     ‘I see.’
     ‘Let’s get inside. The mass will soon begin.’
     They entered the church building and Samuel was wide-eyed with awe as he looked round the interior.
     He saw that the original walls had been torn down and newer ones erected around them, making more room inside. Also, there were just two columns of seats here, Samuel saw, compared to the five columns of seats in the Molyko Parish.
     There were many Christians inside, and the choir was rehearsing for the mass at the front of the column to their right.
     Just to their left at the entrance were the statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Martin de Porres.
     ‘This is magnificent,’ he said as he looked at the high ceiling.
     Sylvia took him to the front of the left column. While at the isle, he genuflected instinctively while Sylvia bowed.
     As they took their seats, she whispered to him, ‘You do not genuflect. As you can see, the original wall behind the sanctuary has been torn down and another wall erected far behind to give more room. As such, the tabernacle is temporarily not in use, since there is no light there.’
     ‘Right,’ he said with a sigh.
     He looked ahead and saw that the original wall behind the sanctuary had not been completely torn down. All that was left of it was a two-meter high yellow wall with a painting of Jesus on the cross from his waist downwards, and a man and woman kneeling on either side of the cross suppliantly beholding him.
     On the sanctuary were the familiar things he saw at the Molyko Parish: the tabernacle, the altar, the lectern, the well-arranged chairs, and the credence table. The sanctuary itself was an elevated platform tiled all round.
     He jerked when he heard the sound of a bell from the back of the church and knew that the procession of the mass servers, the couple, the lectors and the celebrants had just begun from the sacristy. The mass was about to begin. Everyone got to their feet.
After the mass, as they filed out of the church building, Sylvia greeted many people and proudly introduced Samuel to them as a new convert to the Catholic faith. He remembered shaking about a dozen hands before they finally got outside.
     The sun shone brightly and the fog had dissipated, giving a beautiful view of the mountain which stretched expansively before them from left to right.
     While everyone stood round as the couple posed in front of the church, Sylvia said, ‘It was Martin Luther who set in motion the separation from the Catholic Church. You know about him?’
     ‘Not much,’ he said. ‘I believe he was a German monk who was excommunicated from the Church after refuting to recant his ninety-five theses against the Church’s teachings.’
     ‘Brilliant, Sam,’ she smiled from ear to ear as she hugged his right arm. ‘I’m impressed with your rapid progress. Martin Luther caused the Church a lot of trouble in his time.’
     He eyed her quizzically. ‘Do you condemn his views?’
     ‘Of course, not! Every man is entitled to his opinion. Besides, the Papacy by then was not the best. Even at that, no matter how many Pentecostal churches split from the Catholic Church, it would never change the fact that Jesus Christ created just one church, and prayed to his Father in heaven that the Church may be one, just as he and the Father are one.’
     ‘Hmm,’ Samuel said. ‘If you are so devout to the Church, why did you leave the convent?’
     He noticed that the staunch Catholic in her had disappeared and the person whom he now heard speak was the emotionally-wounded girl.
     ‘After obtaining my GCE Advanced Level Certificate at Regina Pacis College – REPACOL Mutengene three years ago,’ she said as they made for two blue plastic chairs on the verandah of the parish hall, ‘I decided to join the Enclosure in the Dominican convent in Bambui. I thought that by secluding myself from the rest of the world I would no longer have to feel the pain wrought on me by my mother’s death.’
     They were now seated on the chairs facing the mountain.
     She continued, ‘During the summer vacation that year, I told my father and brother about my decision. Roland was surprised since I had earlier told him that I aspired to become a lawyer. When he asked me why I changed my mind, I just told him that I thought it was my calling to become a nun. I knew if I had told him my true intention, he would have been worried sick for me. I did not want him to get any more worked up on my account.’
     She paused for breath, and Samuel saw that her countenance was now twisted in a frown as she went on, ‘My father, however, did not care whether I became a nun or a pilot. He just said he had heard and would make arrangements to send me there. I bet he was glad of my decision, so he could finally get rid of me and not have to wake every morning to see the child that spoilt his day even before it ever began.’
     ‘I’m so sorry,’ he said as he patted her left shoulder. ‘No one should have to go through all that.’
     She smiled and said, ‘Now, to answer your question of why I left the convent. After a year there, I came to realize that every moment spent there only served to prove my father right by implying that I was up to no good, and so I should just shut myself away from the rest of the world.
     ‘Mind you, I do not discredit the convent. On the contrary, it was such a wonderful place: so serene and quiet. It gave me all the time I needed to think hard and make some important decisions for myself. Likewise, the sisters and Mother Superior were so caring and gentle and patient that it broke my heart to leave them.
‘But I had to go. I decided to enroll and study management in the University of Buea. I figured I would prove my father wrong by becoming a Manager – someone others would look up to for guidance and direction. I believe that is the only way I would truly heal.’
     ‘Quite a breath-taking story,’ he remarked. ‘I must say you are a strong person at heart. You have not let adverse circumstances sway you. Rather, you have stood your ground and defined your own path to a bright future.’
     ‘Thanks, Sam,’ she said with a broad smile before checking her wrist watch. ‘O my God! It’s getting late. I suppose you would want to get going by now.’
     ‘Yes,’ he said as they descended the verandah and walked up to the road. ‘But it has been a wonderful day; I have learnt a lot from it.’
     At the road, Samuel stopped a taxi and Sylvia hugged him before he got in and the taxi started moving again. She stood there watching until it finally disappeared round a bend.
***
Fabrice was seated at the bar in Eta Palace Hotel – a hotel in Buea – idly sipping his glass of beer while waiting for Melanie to show up. He called her that morning and they planned to meet at the bar by eight o’clock that evening. There were a few people there drinking and chatting.
     He took another sip from his glass and checked his wrist watch. It was twenty past eight, yet Melanie had still not shown up. Just as he was about to get his phone to call her, he saw the double doors swing open and in she came, dressed in a short red dress with her hair flowing across her shoulders.
     When she met him at the bar, he said with a smile, ‘I thought you would not show up.’
     ‘Sorry, I was delayed somewhere.’ She sat on the stool next to him at the bar and he ordered a bottle of beer for her.
      As they went on drinking, he asked, ‘Is Jennifer still mad at you?’
     ‘Yes, she is,’ she replied as she turned her glass in circles on the counter. ‘Laura told me she had tried to beg her on my behalf, but she would not listen.’
     ‘I’m sorry I ruined your friendship. I didn’t mean for…’
     ‘It’s Ok. At least this has made me know something new about her. So you really think Pichichi got her to seduce a man of God? I know Jennifer has her imperfections, but… seducing a man of God? That is just unlike her.’
     He shrugged. ‘That’s the same thing everyone thought of Amanda and Blandine. We will simply never know what reasons they had for doing what they did. By the way, I badly need to talk with Jennifer.’
     ‘We have been through this already, Fabrice. There is no way…’
     ‘We are running out of time. For all we know, Jennifer could turn up dead at any time. You really have to get us to meet.’
     ‘I don’t think that’s going to happen.’
     He thought for a while, and then said, ‘Wait, did you tell her my name or anything?’
     ‘No. She was already screaming at me, so I did not even have the chance to mention your name.’
     He gave a sigh of relief. ‘So she does not know my name.’
     ‘No,’ she said, wondering where he was headed.
     ‘Ok, this is what I have in mind: I need you to hook her up with me. Tell her I am a rich man who just got into the country from the States; and I am looking for a beautiful girl to have a nice time with.’
     She looked at him in disbelief before frowning. She said, ‘Are you deaf? She won’t even let me come to her house, and you are here suggesting I hook her up with you!’
‘If she has not yet blacklisted your number,’ he said, ‘then there is still hope. Call her persistently; and when she finally answers to ask why you are bugging her or warn you to stop calling her number, you are to tell her that you have a peace offering with which to pacify her. That’s when you would tell her about me.’
     She was silent, slowly making sense of his plan. Then she said, ‘That might work. But mind you, you would have to give her a lot of money. If she thinks you are just from the States, she may charge you a very high rate. She loves money like nothing I have ever seen before.’
     He gave a crooked smile and said, ‘Don’t worry about that. All you have to do is get her to meet me. I have your phone number. If this works, I am going to pay you through Mobile Money. So how much…’
     ‘My God, Fabrice! I am doing this for my friend; you don’t have to pay me a dime!’
     At that moment Fabrice felt like killing Jennifer. He could not imagine her resenting such a friend who would go to great lengths to save her life.
     ‘However’ he heard her say with a wicked glint in her eyes, ‘there is another way you can pay me back… a mutually beneficial…’
     ‘It doesn’t happen to involve a bedroom, does it?’ Fabrice cut her short with a mock smile on his face.
     She replied with a soft smile, ‘It doesn’t have to include a bedroom if you don’t want it to. Your armchair would be just fine.’ She licked her lips suggestively, but before she could steal a kiss on his lips, he stopped her with a finger on hers.
     ‘Stop playing hard to get, Fabrice. I know you met me for the first time for noble reasons, but you cannot pretend you don’t want what I want. I could tell when I kissed you in your house the other day. Do you think I would set myself against Jennifer for any reason whatsoever just because a man I just met told me she could be the victim of some psycho killer? Your charm is irresistible, Fabrice. Whenever I am around you…’
     ‘Wait, I thought you were doing all this for Jennifer?’
     ‘Melanie shrugged, ‘I don’t see why I can’t have more than one reason for doing what I do.’
     Fabrice was painfully aware that Melanie was smitten by him, and understood how she felt whenever he denied going to bed with her, especially for someone in her line of business. ‘Well, I can promise you this, Melanie: When this is all over, you will not have to suffer want whenever you are with me.’
     Melanie’s eyes flashed with optimism as a wide range of images filled her mind. ‘Wow, I can only imagine what you have in store for me.’
     Reading her reaction, he said, ‘It is not what you are thinking, but you can be sure to know that what I have in mind is far more fulfilling. And no surprise kisses or pecks.’
     With a look of innocent curiosity, she said, ‘Well, let’s hope what you have in mind is worth the wait and all the trouble, for I sense it’s going to be nasty business getting Jennifer to meet with you.’
    He smiled and said, ‘Very well then. I hope we get some positive results soon.’