I’ll be fifteen soon and my life just got interesting. Don’t get me wrong, I love God and all but when I go to church, I don’t see him, all I see is a handsome young man, Joshua, the Pastor’s son. Anytime, our eyes meet, I blush pinkish red and my heart literally summersaults. I haven’t told anyone about my feelings. I wasn’t sure they’d be regarded as being “pure enough”.
It was Saturday evening and I was about to press my clothes with the local iron when mom threw a pillow my way then screamed, “You’ve pressed this gown twice today. Do you want to finish the kerosene.”
My father laughed, “She’s got a crush on the pastor’s son, she can’t stop staring at him.”
Mum stiffened, “and you think that’s funny?”
Dad stopped laughing.
mum faced me, “Nnenna, is that true.”
“No mummy, I don’t know who the pastor’s son is.”
She eyed me in disbelief. Everyone knew Joshua. “Good. Make sure you never know him.”
After service the next day, I took off in Joshua’s direction, tightly grasping the love letter i had written for him. he was bent backwards, playing with a child. I coughed. He stood up and stared at me. I handed him the note. As he held it, mom showed up. She collected the note, read it and started to rain insults on him. People gathered around us. The pastor tried to plead with mom but she continued shouting, “Joshua, the next time I see you with my daughter, I’ll break your bones.”
By this time, I was shaking where I stood.
The Pastor’s wife, Mrs. Nkechi, insisted on reading the letter. Mom gave it to her. Mrs. Nkechi shook her head, “This is not my son’s handwriting.”
As mom took the letter again, her mouth opened wide, “Nnenna, is this not your handwriting.”
By now, everybody, apart from the pastor’s family was laughing. mom tued her wrapper, “today its either I kill you or I bury you, you must choose.” As she ran to a nearby bush to get sticks, the pastor signalled for me to hide behind his house.
The only good thing that came out of that incident was the embarrassment I faced that day proved strong enough to flush out the feelings I had for Joshua, so much so that we became friends, who laughed over that incident time and again.
One day, I asked him, “As my mom insulted you, why didn’t you tell her the truth.”
“Honestly, I wanted to but one look at your face and I couldn’t. You looked so scared. What did your mom do to you when you got home?”
I shrugged. “I think my dad told her not to hit me. she ignored me the entire day and advised me with so much intensity at night that I do not look forward to having a crush in a long time.
Joshua laughed.
I laughed too but few weeks after, Linda came calling with some news that caused my laughter to disappear.
To be continued…
By Kehinde Anita
Contact: amokwenyei@gmail.com
Instagram: @mhizkenann
Kehinde Anita is the author of a christian romance novel, “Why Won’t She Have Sex?” Its available on okadabooks app for N700 only.
