The virgin

Chapter Fourty three

“What is this am hearing about you and Jumoke?” The church mummy started when Kehinde arrived the parsonage at some minutes past.
“Mummy, I’m sorry, what exactly did you hear about us?” He asked and relaxed back on the cushion.
“Brother Kehinde, is there anything you need me to know?” The church mummy asked trying hard not intrude into his personal affairs.

“Mummy, actually called you this morning because of Jumoke, but I still need to hear from you…” Kehinde was still talking and she quickly cut in order to discourage him from insisting.”Ah! Oma oba, leave what I heard aside. Please go ahead and tell me what you planned telling me.” She said smiling.

He didn’t find it easy saying anything without first hearing what Sade told the church mummy, but for courtesy sake, he swallowed hard before speaking up.
“I actually need your help ma, Jumoke sent me this text last week which I also showed Sade,” he started and showed her the text.
“Yeey!!” The church mummy screamed as she read the text message.
“The same Jumoke that I know?” She asked in surprise.
” yes ma.” Kehinde replied.
“Ah! I understand how she feels but it hasn’t gotten to this extent. So, what did you tell her?” She asked trying to get more information.
“Well, Sade and I agreed that I should ignore her and move on but just yesterday night, while I was praying; I felt the nudging to call and apologise to her because somehow, sometimes ago she visited my office under the guise that she needed medical attention and we ended up kissing each other because her tears weakened me and I couldn’t both yield to make her happy…” Kehinde was still talking and the surprised church mummy interrupted him.

‘You both kissed each other? But did you tell Sade about it? ” the church mummy asked trying hard to hide her surprises.
“That was sometime last year, Sade and I were not in relationship then. But, I told her everything she needed to know about my past and present before our traditional marriage, so she is very much aware.”
“Oh! It happened before you and Sade started?” She asked for clarification and he nodded in the affirmative as he watched her breathe down a sigh of relief.
“Okay! Go ahead, I was actually thinking it happened of recent.” She chipped in feeling a bit relieved and Kehinde went ahead and narrated what happened next, especially how he walked her out disgracefully.

“I felt the need to apologise to her strongly in my spirit though Sade was against the idea, so I called her yesterday night but she refused to pick my calls. After calling her line several times, she sent me this text.” Kehinde narrated sadly as he showed her the text message on his phone which got the church mummy herself speechless.

“Mummy, that young girl have done so much for me in this life that I shouldn’t hurt her for any reason. Yes, I took her virginity and left her, but it wasn’t my plan to leave her that way. I loved her and of all the girls I dated back then, she was the only one I planned settling down with in marriage.” He said painfully and breathed down heavily then continued.
“Even after i gave my life to Christ, i still had in mind to marry her but God told me clearly to stay far away from her that she is not meant to be my wife and I had to leave the campus after graduation without leaving a trace of where I was going with her. I always wish I could right my wrongs but I can’t, if I could, I would have returned her virginity back to her.

Mummy, I need you to help me talk to her to forgive me.” He said with a pen up frustration.
The church mummy kept quiet for a while before asking him one question that had been bothering her.
“But brother Kehinde, do you still love Jumoke?” She asked looking intently into his eyes and he gave a dry smile before answering her.
“Mummy, If I tell you that I have no love in my heart for Jumoke, then am a big liar. I love her but not that kind of love anymore, I can’t have any intimate relationship with her anymore. I just have this feeling of indebtedness for her and nothing more.” He replied smiling.
“Come’on mummy, I love my wife. I love Sade beyond words and can’t trade her for anything. If I wanted Jumoke, I could have gone for her all the while…” Kehinde said laughing.

“But Sade told me you shouted her down over the phone because of Jumoke. Why choose your ex over your wife?” She queried and he was surprised that Sade actually reported him to the church mummy. He kept quiet for a while with his head lowered in displeasure.
“Oma oba, your wedding is few days from now and you shouldn’t give the devil chance to tear you both apart. Jumoke is my spiritual daughter, I will talk to her to leave you people to enjoy your marriage. But please, don’t let any woman ever come between you and your wife.” The church mummy counselled him but he didn’t say a word.
“Brother Kehinde,” the church mummy called him and he lifted up his head and she could see that he wasn’t happy.
“I can see you are still not happy..” The church mummy said.

“Mummy, maybe I should make this thing clear here. Sade can actually talk about Kehinde today because Kehinde is still alive, she could report me to you as her husband because Jumoke saved my life when cult boys wanted to waste my life on campus. I should be a dead and forgotten entity by now,she wouldn’t have even met me if Jumoke had not sacrifice her own life and happiness for me. I was supposed to be at the initiation ground that bloody night, but Jumoke showed up in my house. I didn’t know how she got to know that I was going for cult initiation that night, but she rushed to my lodge and begged me not to go anywhere that my life’s in danger. I insist on going except on one condition which was that she spend the night with me in my room and she painfully accepted.

That was the very night I took her virginity, she cried in pain, soaked in the pool of her own blood and I couldn’t but promised to marry her. I woke up in the morning to the news that my two good friends with whom I was to be initiated the previous night were both shut dead along other cult members at the initiation ground. Jumoke was a very principled girl,and she had refused me sex several times but that night, she sacrificed her virginity for my life. ” Kehinde narrated sadly and breathed down before saying the words that touched the church mummy more.
“I’m sorry if I over reacted, but believe me; not even my mother would speak ill of Jumoke in my presence as Sade did and I would not shout her down. I owe Jumoke my every respect and love.
” All these I have discussed with Sade,why is she finding it difficult to believe me..”
He said and picked up his car keys, excused himself and walked out leaving the overwhelmed church mummy speechless.

“You are fond of concluding matters too quick. And you must watch it. Watch your anger Sade or else you will spoil things for you.
You told me that Kehinde had gone back to his ex, but you were wrong.” The church mummy called Sade and began to counsel her immediately after he left.
” Even if he did, you can’t get him back by fighting him. You should have drawn closer to him and look for a wise way to get your man back. A wise woman build her home, but a foolish woman tears down her home with her hands,that’s what the bible says. ” the church mummy continued.
“You see, be careful with Kehinde. He is every woman’s dream man but God has given him to you freely without struggle. He is not like Kolade who can come out openly and argue with you when angry, if you push him too hard, you may push him into another woman’s arms because he doesn’t have a strong heart. I don’t know you to have bad character, so don’t even start building one. If you want to enjoy him, act like his baby girl and not like a fellow man. As for his case with Jumoke, don’t ever speak evil of her before him rather join and encourage him to be nice to her and if possible,you should also try to get close to her and build a relationship with her…” The church mummy kept on and on as Sade lowered her head in guilt.
“Finally, Sade find a way to apologise to Kehinde as fast as possible. He is not happy at all.” The church mummy said and she agreed to do as instructed.

“Hello, Jumoke my baby, how are you?” The church mummy called Jumoke on the phone later that night and booked an appointment with her for the next day…