“Adeoluwa omo mi. What are you doing here?” In that instant, Ade knew who was speaking. Although he had not heard the voice in more than 5 years, he knew whose voice it was. He knew. As he looked around the hall-turned-church, he gasped! It came rushing back to him. He suddenly remembered the years he spent running around this same building with his friends. He remembered the several bible study sessions he taught and participated in. He remembered the way he blushed when he set his eyes on Bola in this same church. He remembered the tears that streamed down their eyes as they were joined in holy matrimony. He remembered…and then he realised he was back home.

Dn. Adegbite could not believe his eyes. The choir master was leading the church in praise and worship when he saw a man in singlet and boxers rise from the last pew in the church. Fear gripped his heart. He thought that a mad man was in the church. He was about to raise an alarm when he suddenly realized that the person looked familiar. He looked more closely and it seemed that the person in question was his spiritual son, Ade, who he had mentored. That was impossible. Deacon pinched himself. Was he seeing a vision or was he running mad? It could not be Ade. Ade was in faraway Lagos and he had not been to the village for close to 5 years. The last time he was around, he left in anger. Could he be the same man who looked beaten and tattered?

Ade was already in tears. He turned and went on his knees. “Daddy, I am sorry! Daddy, I am sorry. Please forgive me. I am sorry!!” With tears in his own eyes also, Deacon Adegbite ran to the door and pulled Ade up. “Welcome home, son. I have missed you. I have prayed for you every single day since you left here. I never thought I would see you again. Kaabo, omo mi. Welcome, my son. Welcome!”

Back home in Lagos, Bola could not be consoled. Friends and family had gathered in the house to try and help her and her children through the trying time but it made no difference. The children and their Grandma were around, their happy holidays had become a nightmare. The police had found Ade’s vehicle abandoned on the highway. The security feature had disabled the vehicle. Although the vehicle had been recovered, Ade was nowhere to be found. There was blood all over the back seat and the items in the vehicle had evidently tampered with. Bola believed the worst; her husband had been killed and thrown into the bush somewhere, and it was all her fault. She hated herself. She would never forgive herself. She wished she was dead.

Meanwhile, Deacon Adegbite and Ade had left the church and headed for the old man’s house. On getting there, Ade explained how he had been attacked and left to die. “Baba, I believe that this was God at work. He did this to call my attention and save me from destruction.” Deacon nodded. After they ate, Ade apologised to the Deacon for walking away from him 5 years ago and never looking back. “Baba, I am sorry. I had just gotten a job in a Multinational company and this got to my head. I forgot all the lessons that you taught me while we were still in the village. Baba, the prestige got to my head. I became a man who was sleeping around with women of all kinds. If I had been told as a boy that this would happen, I would have dismissed the notion. All in all, I am grateful to God for bringing me back and saving me from destruction. Who knows what would have happened to me if I got to Abuja as I planned? My only fear now is if Bola and the children would forgive me.”

Deacon smiled. “My son, you are not here by mistake. Not at all. Ever since you lost your parents years ago, I had taken you as my son. I trained you in the way of the Lord and guided you, but unfortunately, you lost your way. However, that did not stop me from praying for you. Every day, I took your matter before our Lord Jesus Christ in prayers. Today is a day of joy, a day of redemption. Wipe those tears, boy. Get ready, we are going to Lagos tomorrow morning.”

Oya oo.. It looks like the journey is coming to an end, but who knows it might just be a decoy o..  So what do you think about the story far? About Ade and Bola? What lessons have you learnt?

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