Afflicted – Episode 3

AFFLICTED Episode 3

 

Reverend Obuobi is strutting around with a pompous and haughty pride.

REV. OBUOBI

(shouting)

Hallelujah! Amen! Hallelujah!! Amen! Hallelujah!!

CONGREGATION

(screaming)

AMEN! AMEN!! AMEEEENNN!!

REV. OBUOBI

Bring him his wife and his children now!!

Mrs. Ampofo and her children, all crying, run

toward their husband and father.

She and her husband hold each other, and Elder Ampofo sees his wife of thirty years for the very first time.

ELDER AMPOFO

(weeping)

Oh, Mansa! Is that you, Mansa! Oh, you’re more beautiful than I imagined! Oh, is this Fiifi? And you’re Akwasi? Come to me children!!

REV. OBUOBI

(screaming)

I healed you! Didn’t I? I healed you!! Now you will know real power!!

The interior of the church is suddenly filled with great merry-making as the stunned congregation screams and dances and shouts at this most incredible and amazing miracle!

The praises session that day after the miracle is astounding.

Elder Ampofo, overwhelmed, empties his wallet into the offertory.

And, when the church closes, and the members crowd around an elated Elder Ampofo who wants to meet the faces behind the voices he has heard for so many years, Pastor Ebow Obuobi sits down with a contented and smug look on his face, and surveys them with pride.

Finally, they begin to leave, still shaken up by the miracle.

The members now approach Reverend Obuobi with reverence.

Some of the women even bow to him when they speak, and the men are barely able to look him in the eye.

And, before he and his family leave, Elder Ampofo shakes the hand of Reverend Obuobi, and as they are speaking he surreptitiously slips a cheque inside the side-pocket of Reverend Obuobi’s coat.

ELDER AMPOFO

(humbled)

I can’t thank you enough, Reverend. I will come and thank God later. The cheque is a personal appreciation. I hear you don’t have a place to stay yet. I was going to rent out one of my buildings, but I’ve informed the Bishop that you can go and stay in there for as long as you want, rent free.

REV. OBUOBI

(calmly)

Be blessed, Elder. This shows you love me. Blessings will be multiplied unto your life because you have shown appreciation for what I’ve done for you!

Reverend Obuobi leaves the church auditorium and quickly enters the chambers of the Assistant Pastor.

He closes the door, locks it, and quickly slips the cheque out of his pocket and looks at the amount.

His eyes open wide and a huge smile crosses his face.

The amount is Ghc 100,000.

Suddenly the man of God strikes a series of crazy poses and finally jumps and punches the air.

Next he takes a slim cheque book from his drawer and begins to write a post-dated cheque.

After that he takes a clean A4 sheet and writes his bank details on it.

Finally, he leaves the office.

When he goes outside he sees Bishop Osuanyi and the Nyantakyis standing near the brand new Nissan Xterra Akoto Nyameboame has bought for Kusi Nyantakyi as his birthday gift.

Reverend Obuobi approaches them with his arms wide and a divine smile on his face.

Sika Nyantakyi runs to him and embraces him.

SIKA NYANTAKYI

(reverentially)

Oh, Reverend! We’re so glad to have you in our church! You’re such a wonderful man!

Mr. NYANTAKYI

(cowed)

May God continue to fill you with more anointing, Reverend.

BISHOP OSUANYI

Amen, amen! Ebow, you told me you have something to discuss with them. They’re waiting.

Reverend Obuobi looks worried and a bit scared immediately as his kind eyes seek out Kesewaa.

REV. OBUOBI

(painfully)

It really hurts me to say this, my brothers and sisters. For three days I’ve been having continuous visitations from God. Unfortunately, it is about the man Kesewaa wants to marry.

Kesewaa shoots a fierce look at the man of God.

It is evident that she still does not trust him fully, but there is grudging respect and a little fear deep down her lovely eyes.

KESEWAA

(worried)

What are you doing to me, Pastor? Please, please! I love Akoto! I love him with all my heart! If you’ve seen something bad about him why don’t you pray to God and correct it, like these great miracles you’ve been doing?

Obuobi looks at Kesewaa sadly.

REV. OBUOBI

I wish it were as easy as that, my dear but, sadly, it is not. See, the visitations I am having all point to the fact that Akoto has lied to you. He claims to be a virgin but it’s a lie. He’s used many girls like that. He promises them marriage, but uses them for rituals instead, turning them into paralysed humans or making them go into a coma so that he will make more money. He has lined up blindness and paralysis for you, dear, but I’ve prayed, and God has diverted it to his mother. Soon his evil will catch up with him and he will break down completely because God is going to strike him and his mother.

KESEWAA

(stunned, shocked, dying)

Please! No, no, no! Akoto is real! Stop saying these evil things!

SIKA NYANTAKYI

(scared)

Kes, my dear! Listen to the man of God! Our Lord wants to take this great evil from your path! Akoto is evil, and we can’t accept our only daughter marrying a man like that.

****************

REV. OBUOBI

Please, Kesewaa, I know it hurts! But, please, give me just a month, okay? If nothing happens in a month, you’ll know that I’m a liar! But remember, the blindness and paralysis he has put on you will be reversed on his mother! That will be the beginning and the first sign God will give you, so let’s just wait and see, okay?

BISHOP OSUANYI

(gently)

My dear Kesewaa, God loves you, okay? Just use what happened today to know that the Reverend will not lie to you! It is hard, I know, but you have to be strong!

Mr. NYANTAKYI

My darling daughter, surely a month is not that long to wait, right? Let’s just wait, okay?

Kesewaa is deeply troubled.

Tears glisten on her eyelashes as she looks at the man of God with wounded eyes.

KESEWAA

Akoto is not like that. He loves me, and I love him. It is a genuine love, please, I beg of you all. Don’t do this to us!

She turns and enters the car.

Her parents speak to the pastors for a while, and they also enter the car.

Kesewaa is sitting alone in the back, and Obuobi approaches her.

He opens the door and hands her a white envelope so that no one sees it, and he speaks softly.

REV. OBUOBI

It is for you, my dear. I hope it can keep you for a month as we wait to see whether I’m a liar or not. God wants to change your life, my dear.

When the car moves off Kesewaa opens the envelope.

It contains a cheque of Ghc 20,000 made out in her name.

Kesewaa is stunned as she stares at the cheque, and then a warm glow fills her cheeks.

She smiles and puts the cheque in her bag.

Her expression is no longer worried.

It is now uncertain.

SOME DAYS LATER

Amina looks at her friend with incredulity, and then she begins to laugh and shake her head.

They are sitting on park benches inside the LEGON BOTANICAL GARDENS.

Kesewaa has finished telling Amina all that has been going on.

AMINA

(floored)

Jesus, Kes! So you want me to go to A.N’s place and tell him you travelled? Does it mean you haven’t spoken to him since your Dad’s birthday?

KESEWAA

(distraught)

I’m scared, Amina! Can’t you see that? I’m very scared! Every day that Pastor performs astounding miracles in the church! He just wants me to wait for one month! That’s all. Please, do this for me!

AMINA

(sadly)

You’re so stupid, my friend! How long have you known A.N? He has been there for you all these years! He’s never looked at another woman! He’s cared for you and your family, Kes! And now this supposed man of God gives you twenty thousand G.H. and he’s suddenly a God to you and Akoto has become a demon? Are you kidding me, Kes?

she is breathing hard with contempt for her friend.

AMINA

Can you quantify what Akoto has done for you? He bought a house for your parents! He bought a car for your father and for you! He’s footed your Mom’s bills! He gives you anything you ask for! And, most important of all, he loves you enough to wait four years without trying to make love to you, waiting patiently to take you to the altar and make you his wife! He’s a millionaire, young and handsome!

She glares at here friend with fury.

AMINA

He can’t have all girls, that’s for sure, but believe me, he can have many, many, many girls if he chooses to, myself included! But he has been faithful to you only, and now you’re ready to jilt him because of what some hungry pastor is saying?

KESEWAA

(shouting)

Stop it, Amina! I’m not asking for the world! I’ve not even broken up with Akoto! All I’m saying is that I have to keep away from him for a month, okay? Just a month, and I want you to help me! He needn’t know the reason why I’m keeping away from him!

AMINA

Needn’t know? Akoto seems like a fool to you? He has been so devastated since the day that man called him a devil worshipper right in front of your eyes and you did nothing about it! You can’t do this to Akoto, Kes! You’re coming with me, and we’re going to tell him all that is happening! I won’t let you lie that you travelled and there’s no network at the place you are and bullshit like that! You’re coming with me now!

KESEWAA

(scared)

No, no, Amina! Please! The Reverend says if I go to Akoto’s place it’ll be bad! He says God has reversed the blindness and paralysis Akoto planned for me on to his mother!

AMINA

(exasperated)

Don’t be silly! God can’t be that bias, can He? He’ll put Akoto’s sins on his mother? Good heavens, girlfriend! You’ve always been telling me that God is love! Even a human being like me wouldn’t punish an innocent person for somebody’s wrong, how much more God! You’re coming with me, Kes! Please don’t treat Akoto like this, please! He deserves better!

Amina stands up and drags her friend by the arm.

Akoto stays at the Westlands in Haatso, so it doesn’t take them long to get there.

Kesewaa, obviously in great distress, drives into the spacious compound when the gates are opened by the security guard.

Akoto, a man who loves gardens, has converted the driveway from the main gates to the building into a gigantic expanse of green beauty.

The ground is a lush green, as smooth and as huge as a golf course.

There are clusters of flowers and exotic plants at specific points of this incredible green expanse.

A gym and swimming pool areas can be seen in the distance, but Kesewaa barely sees them.

She drives up to the great, sprawling white house.

Akoto’s house is a thing of beauty!

Huge, white and designed with great architectural finesse, it looks like a huge hawk when viewed aerially from a helicopter.

Three of Akoto’s cars are parked in the carport when they arrive.

Kesewaa sits in the car for a long time even though Amina has gotten out.

For one wild moment she thinks of reversing and getting out of the place, but she knows Amina is right.

She loves Akoto too much to treat him like this.

She sighs miserably and gets out of the car, and then she joins Amina, and they walk to the front door and press the doorbell.

Kesewaa knows that the security man has already called ahead, as usual, to inform Akoto and his mother that Kesewaa is on her way up.

The door is opened by Maame Akua.

She is wearing a kaba and slit attire, the official dress of the Women’s Movement of the church she attends.

Around her head is a lovely white and gold scarf.

Her handbag is draped across her shoulder and she is holding her Bible.

She smiles happily at them, obviously relieved.

MAAME AKUA

(sweetly)

Oh, Kesewaa, my beautiful golden daughter-in-law! Why have you left us for so long? You’ve made my son lose a lot of weight, my dear! I’m glad you’re here. Unfortunately, I’m on my way to a church programme. Hope I’ll come back and meet you here. Welcome too, Amina!

Amina smiles and hugs the woman briefly.

AMINA

Thank you, Ma. Yes, we’ll be here waiting for you!

Meanwhile, inside his office in the church, Reverend Obuobi is standing looking out of the window.

He is slowly unwrapping a strange candy.

He puts the wrapper into his pocket and twirls the candy three times.

REV. OBUOBI

Here we go… here we go now!

He puts the candy into his mouth slowly…

And, in Akoto’s hhouse, Kesewaa smiles tightly, but she makes no attempt to speak or touch the Maame Akua.

This causes Maame Akua to look at her with some sort of concern.

When they enter the luxurious living-room they see Akoto emerging from an inner room.

He is in black jeans and an open white shirt and he comes towards Kesewaa with his heart on his face.

He is so much in love with her.

AKOTO

Oh, Kes, my love, my darling! Why are you doing this to me and causing me this great pain? Why are you allowing that fool to separate us?

Kesewaa’s face crumbles with the pain of the love she feels for him.

She sees his agony, and it tears her heart apart to know she is the cause of all that pain in Akoto’s heart!

 

Story continues…

©Aaron Ansah-Agyeman

All Rights Reserved.