Awakening Love: Part Two

PART TWO: LUNCH

Read Part One here

AKOSUA

See what the Lord has done,

See what the Lord has done,

What we waited for

Has come to pass

See what the Lord has done

Akosua’s eyes welled up with tears as Mary, her ushering department head, walked down the aisle, a vision clothed in white. As one of her closest friends and confidants, Akosua knew what a journey it had been to get to this point.

When Mary had clocked thirty about five years prior, many of the older ladies in the church had started to whisper. Eventually though, what had started out as whispers had become confrontational admonitions to Mary to “hurry up and marry oh, your biological clock is ticking,” as one lady had so succinctly put it.

Akosua knew better than most the tears that Mary had shed on account of some of the more hurtful comments that had been passed. Many had speculated that she simply didn’t care about marriage, and the only thing she wanted to focus on was her blossoming law career. All they saw was a stern-faced woman, who was very meticulous, and seemed to pay no mind to any suitors who even dared to try to court her.

On your wedding day, you’re gonna sing that

Can you see what the Lord has done?

The groom’s eyes were also tearing up as his bride came to a stop by his side. Matthew Kwabena Okyere was one of the most desirable men in the country, and when he had first joined The Tabernacle a few years ago, more than a few women had subtly tried to show their interest in him. One had even gone as far as openly declaring that she loved him, and daring any other woman to stake her claim. It had taken a public rebuke from Pastor Kunle, and the repeated disinterest of Kwabena himself, for things to finally settle.

The thirty-seven year old multi-millionaire had joined the church shortly after the death of his first wife, who had tragically passed away in a car accident seven years ago, leaving him a single father of a three month old baby. Bereaved and searching for answers, he had come across one of Pastor Kunle’s sermons online, and after tuning in on Youtube for a while, had finally decided to attend in person.

Although Matthew and Mary had been cordial in church, they hadn’t really become close until Pastor Kunle had recommended her to him as a legal advisor on one of the deals he had been working on. Now, nearly two years after, they were about to be wed.

“It is an honour to be standing here today to officiate the wedding of two of our most dedicated workers,” said Pastor Kunle. “It has been quite a journey to get to this point today, and we thank the Lord Almighty for His grace, which is ever-sufficient. People of God, today, I just have a short exhortation to share.”

Some of those sitting in the chapel laughed. Every member of The Tabernacle, the church Mary and Akosua attended, knew that a short exhortation from Pastor Kunle was never as short as he supposed it would be, there was just too much to say.

“Let’s turn our Bibles to Song of Solomon 2:7. Read it with me, it says ‘I charge you, o daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the does of the field. Do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases’. Other versions read, ‘until the time is right’. In fact, the Message version says, ‘Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up, until the time is ripe — and you’re ready’. This message is actually repeated in chapter 3 verse 5 and chapter 8 verse 2.

“We live in a generation of fast things–fast cars, fast food, fast Internet service. In fact, the only fast we don’t like is fasting, eh?” He chuckled, and continued. “We’ve extended that lack of patience into love. We don’t want to wait for what is right. Many people are afraid of being single, and just enter a relationship with anyone available. Some of those inside relationships too, are unable to wait till marriage to sleep together. They want to do it now! People don’t know how to just be by themselves with God. In fact, if you are unable to be by yourself for at least six months, no talking stage, no situationship, you have a problem. Oh yes!”

The congregation laughed.

“Listen, there is nothing wrong with desiring romantic love. Marriage is a good thing, and when two are rightly wed, as these two before me, they are a force to be reckoned with. One shall chase a thousand, two shall chase ten thousand. Love is beautiful, don’t let anyone lie to you. My wife is very sweet oh.”

The woman in question smiled and shook her head as her husband continued his message.

“That being said, it is important to learn to wait. If you desire to enter a relationship, consider the qualities of the person you are looking at dating or marrying. The third verse says in the later part that ‘Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight. And his fruit was sweet to my taste!’ The person you want to enter a relationship with, what kind of fruit do they bear? Is it sweet to your taste? Do they bear the fruits of the spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness? To the ladies, are you ready to sit down under your husband’s shade, under their leadership? Can you say you will submit? To the men, are you ready to provide that shade in the first place? Are you ready to lead this woman? If your answer to any of these questions is no, take a minute to reconsider the relationship. Can two walk together unless they agree?

“Matthew and Mary are a beautiful example of a love that has waited. A love that has been awakened at the right time, a love kept and sustained by the Father. They have waited, faithful to each other, and to their Father, and He has indeed made it beautiful. May the Lord Himself grant such love to those desiring it.”

“Amen,” muttered Akosua.

| ~ | ~ | ~ |

Have you seen my baby

Have you seen my love

Have you seen my woman, my personal gift from God?

Akosua and the other bridesmaids cheered the newly-wed couple on as they danced together during the reception. The venue that had been rented for the program had been beautifully decorated; Matthew had spared no expense in making sure that his bride had only the best. Reporters from different media companies had also shown up–the ceremony was already trending on social media.

More people joined them on the dance floor, and someone stepped on her foot quite hard.

“Ajei!” she exclaimed, as the person started to walk away without so much as looking at her. Akosua’s temper flared, and followed him, grabbing his shoulder roughly.

“Did you know you stepped on my foot?” she asked, as he spun around to face her. He looked her up and down.

“So?”

She stepped back, shocked. “So, apologise?”

He looked her up and down and rolled his eyes. “Obaa, hwε wo ho yie wate, na me deε menni wo time…” . With that, he turned and walked away. Conscious of the fact that she was starting to draw attention, and not wanting to cause a scene on her friend’s big day, Akosua took a deep breath and turned back to the dance floor. Just then, a young boy from the kitchens came and tapped her shoulder.

“Ma, mepa wo kyεw, asεm bi asi wɔ gyaade, εna Auntie Naa kaa dε memmra mmεfrε wo,” he said.

Deliberately ignoring the fact that this teenage boy was calling her ma, Akosua followed him to the kitchens, which were in an uproar. The event planner was standing in the middle of the room, vehemently arguing with Auntie Naa, the head caterer. In front of them stood a huge pot of overturned jollof.

“Akosua!” yelled the planner, when she laid eyes on her. “The second batch of food just spilled and the first batch is halfway done. Auntie Naa’s team was bringing over a new batch, but the car has broken down at the roundabout, and there are no Ubers or taxis available to pick them up. We need someone to pick them up, immediately!”

“I’ll go. Are there any guests with cars who can take me there? How big is the cooler of food?”

“I have a friend here who can go with you, his car should be large enough. Let me call him now. Thank you so much.” She ran off, presumably to call her friend. Akosua just hoped he was amicable enough to allow them to use his car.

“Okay, he said yes,” said the wedding planner, returning a few minutes later with her friend. “Akosua, meet Kobina. Kobby, this is Akosua, the bridesmaid who will be taking you to pick the food. Thank you both so much.”

Akosua turned to greet him and thank him for his willingness to help–only to come face to face with the last person she currently wanted to meet.

KOBINA

They had been on the road for a good five minutes, and neither of them had spoken a word to each other. Kobby had wanted to immediately retract his offer to pick up the food when he saw who it was he’d be taking, but Mawunyo, his friend, had looked so distraught telling him about the situation that he couldn’t bear to disappoint her like that. It was the biggest event she’d planned yet, and if she was able to pull it off without a hitch, doors of access to much wealthier clientele would surely open. Plus, he also didn’t want Matthew to worry about something like this on his wedding day.

Kobina’s father had passed away in the same accident that had killed Matthew’s wife. He had been working as a driver for the family, and after his death, Matthew had taken Kobina, an eighteen-year old boy at the time, under his wing. He had sponsored his university education, and helped him find a good place to work during his one year National Service placement. He had even connected him with the recruiter who had helped him find his current remote role. The multi-millionaire had become something of a father figure to him, and Kobina would not want something as ridiculous as spilt jollof to cause him to worry on his wedding day.

Even if it meant driving in a car with a lady who, from the looks of it, utterly despised him. Maybe that was stretching it a bit, but she certainly wasn’t fond of him–and rightly so. Kobina wanted to kick himself when he remembered their meeting. He hadn’t intended to be so rude, but the words of the pastor who had preached–Pastor Kunle–had struck him. He had been convicted, and it weighed heavy on his spirit. Although they both served in visible capacity in their church, Kobina and his ex-girlfriend, Maame, had most definitely not waited.

There had been times that his conscience had pricked him, but he had soothed himself with the knowledge that he intended to marry her. Look how that turned out.

When Akosua grabbed his shoulder earlier that day, and he saw her face, he had been reminded of the girl he had loved for the past two years, the girl who had broken his heart. That, combined with the guilt he was carrying, had made him extremely irritable, and had led to his unfortunate response.

As he sneaked a glance at her now though, he saw that she bore little resemblance to Maame. Though they were both dark-skinned and curvy, with natural hair, that was where the likeness ended.

He had to apologise.

“Erm…hi,” he said nervously.

No response.

“So about earlier, I feel like I need to explain.”

No response, plus bombastic side eye.

“Apologise. I need to apologise.”

She still didn’t say anything, but her demeanour showed that she was listening.

“I have no excuses for my behaviour. I was rude, and you didn’t deserve it. There was no excuse for how I acted or responded. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I hope that you won’t let me ruin your friend’s wedding. I’m really sorry.”

Akosua was silent for a minute, and then sighed.

“It’s fine,” she replied. “Everyone has bad days, though most people don’t vent their frustration on unsuspecting victims.”

“Again, I’m really sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she repeated. She turned to look at him. “If you don’t mind me asking though, what exactly triggered that response?”

He paused for a moment, wondering if it was wise to open up to a woman he’d known for all of five minutes. Eventually he said, “The pastor’s words during the service got to me. It’s given me a lot to think about.”

She chuckled. “Yeah, you’re not the first person to listen to one of Pastor Kunle’s sermons and leave very heavily convicted. When I joined The Tabernacle, the first sermon I heard was about the love of God, and the urgency of the message of the gospel. Elef small–I would have dropped out of school to become an evangelist!”

“Wow,” he said, stunned.

“It’s an honour to serve under P.K. His teachings are very doctrinally sound, I’ve grown a lot since attending church here. How about you? What church do you attend?”

“Miracle No Dey Tire Jesus International Ministries,” he replied.

Akosua burst out laughing, then took a look at Kobina. His face was straight.

“Ah wait, you’re serious?” she asked, incredulous.

“Yes,” he said, sounding very defensive.

“Ahn, okay oh. Sorry for laughing,” she said, slightly subdued. Then he started sniggering.

“I can’t believe you fell for that!”

She punched his arm–lightly, because he was still driving.

“You’re not correct,” she smiled, rolling her eyes.

“On a more serious note though, I’d really like to hear more of Pastor Kunle’s sermons. Matthew mentioned your church has a Youtube channel. Could I get the link, or the name?”

“Yeah sure! We also have a podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Midweek is on Wednesdays from 7pm to 9pm, and Sunday services are from 8am to 10am or 11am to 1pm, for first and second services. Perhaps you could pass by sometime?”

Kobina turned and smiled at the enthusiastic lady sitting beside him, as they approached their destination.

“I’d love to.”

GLOSSARY

Ajei — An exclamation of pain

Obaa, hwε wo ho yie wate, na me deε menni wo time — Woman, watch yourself, I don’t have time for you

Ma, mepa wo kyεw, asεm bi asi wɔ gyaade, εna Auntie Naa kaa dε memmra mmεfrε wo — Ma, please, something has happened in the kitchen, and Auntie Naa told me to come and call you

bombastic side eye — I honestly can’t explain, you’re gonna have to google it 😂

Elef small — It wouldn’t have taken much

Author’s Note:

Another chapter! It’s a little heavier on narrative this time, but I’m really excited to see Kobina and Akosua’s story being fleshed out. We’re roughly halfway through (or at the very least at least 40% of the way there), and I can’t wait for you guys to read the next chapter.

One thing I really wanted to highlight in this chapter was the importance of waiting. As Pastor Kunle mentioned, we live in a fast world; it’s always changing. Sometimes, it’s really hard to wait on God, not just in the area of relationships, but in finances, career, academics. Just life, generally. It’s important to remember though, that even in periods of waiting, God hasn’t stopped caring about your matter. He’s still God even when circumstances seem to say otherwise.

Never forget that.

P.S.: I’d really appreciate your feedback (either leave a comment here, or email me at princessasante77@gmail.com). I’d really really love to hear from you guys!

P.P.S.: The songs I used in this chapter are See What The Lord Has Done, by Nathaniel Bassey, and Carry Am Go, by Moses Bliss.