MY PRETTY ONE

BUSHMEAT! My love for it is not here. I often look towards buying it in abundance whenever I travel from Lagos to East or East to Lagos. The peppery way those women around Ondo Express spices theirs are my attraction. A reason I usually board private vehicles from Ikeja 7Up toll gate, Lagos or Asaba toll gate, Delta State.

At Asaba that fateful Saturday morning, I stood at the Toll Gate in search of a vehicle to board, a driver I could cajole to stop at J4, after Ore where I could buy the meat. There were scanty passengers but plenty vehicles, this gave most of us room to select which vehicle to enter.

Then, a Nissan Altima drove and parked at my front, the driver made a gesture to ask if I was going to Lagos. I sized him up and nodded my head distantly. At the front of the car sat a fine ebony lady. “Bros make we look for one or two other passenger’s make we move." The driver said as I negotiated price with him, dropped my bag and entered.

Suddenly, a lady cat walked past the car. She wore a short gown, had a mini traveler’s bag, a gold plated handbag and nylon. My mouth let loose. 'How possible could one person be this tall, this fair, this curvy and this beautiful? No. She could only be a Mami Iwota.'

I argued with myself and ran after her.

"Please! Sister, are you going to Lagos?" She turned, nodded her head in affirmation as I pointed at the car to her. “How much?" She sang. “The drive said 5K." I responded, embarrassing her with my glued eyes flirting on her.

"No ooh. I am looking for a cheaper vehicle; I don't even have enough money with me." She continued to sing on her calculated and enduring smiles. Her skin glittering against the shimmering sun. “How much do you have?"

"3K!" She said without thinking twice. I uneasily collected her bag; she held it firmly in protest. “I will borrow you 2K."

"No ooh, I don't want to owe any stranger."

"My name is Ikenna, I don't want to be a stranger to you." “She smiled and said Mr Ikenna, I honestly don't want to borrow from you, neither do I have more than N3k to pay."

"OK, I will dash you 2k." She hesitated, sized me up, let loose her bag and followed me.

The driver saw that I had hustled a passenger, rushed out, opened his boot, I dropped her bag, and she entered. We stayed for a while, the driver said, "old boy abi make we de move?" I nodded my head and he engaged his gear, we drove to Lagos.

As we entered Northwest Petrol Station, the driver made a sign for payment, the girl brought out N3k, tossed it to me, I added 7K, and we bought petrol and continued our journey.

"My guy, I beg, you know that place them de sell bushmeat?" I asked the driver.

"J4 nah." He answered. “You go help me stop ooh, make I buy meat." He adjusted his inner mirror, looked at me and began to laugh.

"Na weitin I just de discuss with my babe say we go stop there to eat meat." The driver said.

"We have identical and mutual craving. Na my guy you be I swear." I said teasingly.

"Wait ooh, are you in Man-dealers, Lagos Island?" The driver asked me, his eyes began to flirt on IJ as she whipper her name to me. He conspicuously adjusted the car's inner mirror towards her. But for his babe at the front, I would have told him to concentrate less we have accident.

Obviously he was carried away, just as I was. Who wouldn't be? Even the driver's babe was carried away as IJ presence violated my concentration. “I stay in Balogun market, Gbajumo to be precise." I answered him carelessly.

"No wonder, I have seen your face. I stay in Balogun too." Soon, we became friends, talked about business and other things while IJ was busy pressing her phone. I don't even know where to start to ask her for friendship.

At J4, we entered an open space and parked, sat in a shop and began to eat the meat insatiably. IJ was a hyena. I thought I like bushmeat, but I was her servant. Four of us ate, drank and discussed familiarly as though we were long lost friends.

IJ drank three cans of Black bullet and lost control, even in her drunkenness, she is very beautiful. Steve, the driver and I consumed a mini bottle of Action Bitters. His girlfriend drank coke but competed with IJ on the meat.

We relaxed and totally forgot we were going to Lagos. IJ drunkenly said she was enjoying the fun and not really in a hurry. We were done, as Steve was driving out, boom! He did not watch...

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55.

The way God took over the ministration baffled me tremendously. The sermon I studied overnight to dispense was no longer important. There were prophecies, there were deliverance, captives were being set free, demons were crying out and being cast away.

All to the glory of God. I was to speak for just 45 minutes, but the spirit of God took over. I did not know when I exceeded an hour thirty minutes, yet, it was as though I was just starting. The energy was unprecedented. The congregation was urging me to continue.

When I concluded, the whole church stood up to shout, to jump and to clap. Those who could not clap when I was brought to the pulpit earlier seemed to have borrowed extra hands to clap to God Almighty and not to a mere man like me.

Brother Kingsley called me the next day, the news of the previous day hung in the air. There were testimonies upon testimonies. He told me that this is just the beginning of what God would do with me. All I need was diligence and steadfastness, then I will see the manifestation of God's glory upon me.

After some days, Brother Kings called to inform me that I would go with some members of the prayer warriors to represent him to a man who recently completed his building and would be doing the housewarming soon.

When we got there, I was asked to pray for the house and dedicate the building to God, a beautiful edifice.

The portraits that hung on the wall showed that the man is a big man in army. I prayed briefly, told the man I would wish to see and pray for his children. The man was surprised, but called three of his children of two boys and a girl, they were between 25-21 years. I told them that the Lord will make those who would interview them for their visa application to be busy, too busy to ask them any question, as they go to American embassy the next day.

They were looking at me dumbfounded. They possibly thought their father told me, but God spoke to me expressly concerning that.

A day after, the man called Brother Kingsley, he said he wants to know about that young man that came to his house, that his children have been going to the embassy for years with denials of visa, but just as I decreed, without any questions, three of them were granted visa.

For weeks, I was running and hiding from members, people would want to see or touch me and get healed. Others would want me to pray for them. I was scared I would soon run into trouble, because God's glory can never be shared with any man. I was asleep one night when God woke me up, He gave me a verse in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 10:13

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

I was praying and pondering over this when Amara's call came, it was unusual to see her call that early. I called her back after my prayers, she said God told her to tell me to be strong and vigilant. I should always bear in mind that all things work out together for good to them that love God.

I asked her to tell me further about this, she said she knew no further than what she just told me but I should be careful as she has started praying for me. Brother Kingsley called me that morning, he said I should come to church at once; his voice was monotonous, flat and withdrawn. It appeared as if he borrowed a stranger's voice. He had never spoken to me with such careless and dry tone before. Then, I sensed there was a problem...