Ex Vivo (#2 EX TRILOGY)

Chapter 2

The priest blinked several times and exchanged looks with Doreen who looked utterly puzzled. The pregnant lady stopped right at the foot of the short steps to the pulpit and cocked her head at George. There was a smell of orange juice in her dress, and her feet were dusty. She was pretty, but obviously suffering the strain of carrying a baby for someone who had moved on, technically. George's best man looked confused, and so he simply returned to his seat and watched the scene in silence. The auditorium became dead silent again. The priest peered down at the pregnant woman and scratched his chin, and then he shot a quizzical look at George who simply averted his eyes.

"Dad, please..." George began to say, but the priest shut his eyes and sighed. "Dad. This is not what you think - "

"Frankly, I am only thinking about two things - what this pregnant woman is doing here and how I can get this wedding ceremony over with!" the priest hissed and clenched a fist under his robes. "Any explanation to this?" He turned to look at the woman. "Excuse me -"

"Reverend Father, forgive me for interrupting, but I think there is something your - son - needs to tell you," the pregnant woman said in a calm voice. She turned to look at George and nodded at him. "Tell him," she said.

The priest turned to look at his son. "What is going on here?"

George scratched his head with both hands and shook it sadly. "This woman has killed me, this woman has killed me, this woman has killed me," he kept muttering to himself.

"I haven't killed you yet," the pregnant woman said.

George clapped his hands together impatiently and shouted at her, "Afriyie, shut up! I am not even referring to you! You shouldn't be here!"

The pregnant woman called Afriyie snorted and slid a hand under her baby bump to support herself. "So were you going to just move on behind my back? Huh? Ei George!" she shouted.

The congregation began to murmur. Doreen ogled at Afriyie for some seconds, turned to look at George and slowly turned back to Afriyie to look her over with contempt. Afriyie noticed it and rolled her eyes at her before looking away. The priest looked both offended and disappointed. He took off his glasses and wagged a finger at his son. "You should have taken my advice to enrol in the seminary, but you wanted sexual freedom. You see what you have done?"

"Dad - ", George began to say, but he hesitated and scratched the left side of his face.

"Call me Revered, silly!"

"Reverend, please. I can explain."

"Explain what? It's so clear. What could possibly be encrypted about this? My goodness. I am very disappointed."

The phone rang and George answered it quickly. "Hey!" he whispered. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Confess your sins. Simple instruction. Do you want to live?" the lady on the line said quickly. George opened his mouth to speak but hesitated and looked around him, checking the gallery and the entrance for any sign of his rogue contact. "Do you?" she asked again.

"Um - yes, I do," George squeaked.

"Who is he speaking to?" Doreen asked angrily and reached for the phone, but George stepped out of reach. Doreen shook her head, seized the hem of his jacket and pulled him towards her. The phone slipped out of George's hand while he tried to maintain balance, and then Doreen seized the opportunity and caught the phone just in time. She stared at the contact number and frowned. "Who is this?" she asked George who tried taking the phone back. Doreen pushed him away, turned her back to him and pressed the phone to her ear. "Who is this?"