UNWITTING VESSELS (sequel To Vessels Unknown)

FIVE

                                                                           FEMI

My foot dragged me out of his house. Having walked a distance, I glanced back at the house and heaved a sigh.
An owl hooted in a distance, forcing me out of my thoughts.. My eyes momentarily glanced up to the skies. It was still morning.

      It hooted again, this time loudly. I shuddered and hastened my steps. Whether good or bad, owls are nocturnal birds, for it to hoot as early as 7am was obviously a bad sign.

As I raced through the enormous farm land in the church campus located close to Adrian's house, I couldn't help but imagine if all these were mine.
The church, the house and all those investments in the church, plus all the pastors offerings and first fruits and......

My mouth involuntarily hissed when I realized the benefits were enormous.

          "Foolish Femi, you should never have given the church away!" I knocked my head to reset my brain. And it was painful.

Finding Adrian's house was one of the best things I accomplished in recent times. And thanks to Emass for giving me the hint.
Whoever told Adrian that this church will remain his and his alone had lied to him. Because, it would not stand neither will it come to pass.

   Church campus came Into to view as I busted out from the less known farm path Near had shown me. If not for that little information, I wouldn't have given Adrian and his family this early morning surprise. And I would have been blocked by his security. 

The guy had been calling the shots and I had just had enough of that nonsense.
I glanced around the campus again and tears almost came out of my eyes. "Who could have thought 'Love Circle Church' would become all of this beauty?"

Someone almost bumped into me before I realized I'd been standing in place for a while. Quickly,I raced to the main gate, and made a quick exit.

          Buses lined the streets as I made my way to the ticketing hall. My steps slowed when I realized how less busy the bus stop was.
Very few people were in the waiting area. I quickly purchased my ticket back to Ibadan.

        Still sitting there waiting for the bus to fill up, A hand tapped me. It was one of my guys from the ghetto back in the day when everyone knew me as 'Eriri'. I laughed when the name crossed my mind.
I didn't even know how I came about that Name. It wasn't even Yoruba but Igbo name. Eriri =Thread.

I glanced up at my disturbance and yes I recognized him. Tunde. But people called him Thunder.
We shook hands and shoulders and then rubbed our heads together before we pulled away from each other.

         "Men, you haven't aged A day!" He exclaimed, shooting his eyes all over me.
My eyes rolled involuntarily. People of African dissent knew how to exaggerate things whether be good or bad.

I didn't tell him what I thought, I just acknowledged him with a scanty smile. But to me he looked pleasant, with enough tattoos to drown a person.

          "And you too." I commended. He bared his whole set of teeth at me. Thank you."

         "So where to?" His eyes gave my body a quick wash.

         "To Ibadan of course."

He nodded too many times that I got a little light headed watching his head move up and down.

           "Sure. Sure." He replied.  I agreed, nodding even when I had no idea of what he was sure about.

We went silent for a few as we both stood there staring at the unfilled bus.

       "And where are you going?" I asked, seeing that he was unwilling to move himself from my personal space.