Diary Of a Fusspot 21

I settled down in bed the next day with mixed feelings. The day had been very dramatic. I had gone to the company site and they said they would like to use my services part time as a company representative in my area as they were thinking of opening a new branch in that area. They felt I would be perfect for the job but I needed to receive some training in the headquarters but they would make my schedule light since they knew the commitments I had to my family. The company would open in six months and if I did well they would consider me for an executive position. I would also be paid while I was being trained. It was all I could do to hold back tears of gratitude. I could hardly believe what was happening. Was this how God answered prayers? I accepted immediately and as I picked up my phone to call my husband after leaving the premises, my phone started ringing. It was Ike.
“Darling, how are you? Been trying to reach you,” he said breathless.
“I’m sorry dear. I switched off my phone during the interview,” I said.
“How was it?” he asked quickly.
“It was great. I got the job. I’ll tell you details later.”
“Ok,” he said and paused for a second. “I just wanted to tell you that we’ve hada ruling. The judge decided not to extend the trial date.”
I let out a whoosh of air. That meant the trial would start in less than two weeks. And we were nowhere near ready.
“It’s going to work out,” I said in my cheeriest tone. God had brought us this far, hadn’t he?
“Right,” my husband said flatly. “Anyway I’m going to meet Edison so we can start discussing strategy. There’s no time to waste.”
“Ok. I’ll try to join you depending on how thick traffic is. But I need to get home first.”
As I pulled into my driveway, I was surprised to see Titi standing there, waiting for me.
She was shaking.
“I tried calling you but I couldn’t reach you. I called your husband and he told me you would soon be home,” she sputtered out as I came out of the car.
“What’s the matter dear? You look ill,” I asked her with concern as I ushered her into the house.
“I just had the scariest moment of my life Chi. I was kidnapped,” she said her voice still shaking.
My eyes widened as she haltingly told me her story.
“I really needed to get something from the supermarket today and as Christy was not around, I had to get it myself. It was like he was waiting for me. As soon as I stepped out of the supermarket, a hand grabbed mine tightly. It was my husband and he told me not to scream that if I did he would harm our son. So I followed him to the car. I was so scared…”
She narrated how he drove off on unfamiliar routes without talking to her and she discovered that they were soon on the expressway. When she tried to ask him where they were going, he refused to respond. He only said he was going to teach her a lesson. She began to beg him but he only laughed. Before she knew it, they were on the Lagos Ibadan expressway with no houses in sight. She knew he was about to do something sinister so she began to panic.
“But then I remembered how you had told me not to be afraid. So I began to pray under my breath. He shouted and told me to keep quiet but then I turned to him and boldly declared: “In the name of Jesus, I command you to let me out of this car.” He laughed at first and asked me to repeat what I said. I did and this time with more conviction.
He looked at me strangely and asked what had happened to me. I told him that I was standing on the authourity given to me by Jesus who said nothing shall by any means harm me and I commanded him to let me out of the car. To my surprise, he pulled over and told me to get out.
I walked towards the highway and luckily I was able to find a taxi that took me straight to your house.”
My mouth was wide open at the end of her story. All I could do was to start thanking God for his deliverance and we spent a thirty minute session doing that. I totally forgot about the fact that I was to meet Edison and my husband. By the time I remembered and checked my phone, I saw a message from Ike telling me he was coming home and that he had some important news to report.
Just before going to bed, he told me something that felt like ten steps backward. There was a rumor of a motion filed by the prosecution that since he was a criminal and should be remanded in custody as he might try to escape before the trial and that the judge was considering it. They would find out for sure by the next day. My heart was in my throat when he said that and I saw the despair on his face. We tried to pray but it was a half hearted effort. We felt so defeated. Eventually we went to bed, and it was while I was in bed I realized I had not told him the details of my new job. But all that paled in comparison to what we were currently facing. I had no idea what was going to happen next.