THE LOOPHOLE

Story by O'nezer

On a not-too-busy evening, Albert Ayanfe, the only son and last child of brother and sister Ayanfe picked up the assignment he was given from school and he started working on it.

He got bored and tired and few minutes later, he started dosing off. He was almost going deep into sleep when the poke from Emily woke him up.

"Albert, Albert, see how he is dosing, if it's play that they ask him to play now, he will play very well" Emily said.

She relaxed a bit into the cushion as she started calling out to Becky in order to confirm if she has finished washing the dishes. 

"Becky, Becky ooo" Emily shouting on top of her voice as Becky too was answering faintly from somewhere around the room to the passage and to the kitchen. 

"Are you........."

Door opening interrupted what Emily wanted to say.

"Welcome dad" both Becky and Albert greeted the dad in unison before Albert who loves junks so much asked the dad what he bought for them.

Mr Steve Ayanfe is a lecturer in one of the Colleges of Education in the state and he often times is more accessible and available than his wife. 

He is in his late 40's and he is also a minister of God in one of the Bible believing church around. 

"Check my bag, there is something there for you both but Emily, where is mummy?" he asked with the last breath in him but the reply he got was more heartbreaking for Steve.

"She said she will be away for another two weeks of ministerial assignment" Emily explained calmly but Mr Steve was too tired to even argue over the fact that the wife didn't inform him before now.

"Please boil me some water, I will like to have a warm bath" he said as he pulled off his shoe and reached to his pocket to get his cell phone to put a call through to his wife.

******** A MONTH LATER********

Mr Steve walked into his wife's room to have a chat with her. He was looking so tired and stressed out but he was left with no option than to interrupt whatever she might have been occupied with. 

Kate who happens to be the busy woman was also not having anyone's time as she buried her face into different books she was reading to research and pray on what to talk about in her next ministerial work.

"Good morning dear, how was your night" Steve said and the wife replied his greetings while still having her face fixed into the book she is reading. 

"I will love us to talk about something and please give it a good thought" he further stated but this time around the wife moved her eyes a bit off the book and now facing him.

"If you mean now, as you can see, I have this work here to finish and I can't even afford to stop for a minute" Kate responded.

He was disappointed with her reply but he pulled himself together that his wife shouldn't be that hard to talk to after all.

"Go ahead, I am listening anyways" Kate concluded as she turned back to the book.

"I want us to talk about how busy you have been, you don't have time for me, you don't have time for the children and...." before he could finish what he was about to say, Kate cuts in angrily. 

"And that is why I have Emily here"

"But Emily is not my wife, you are my wife" Steve said out loud with anger written all over him.

"I don't want anything to hinder my ministerial work, not even you dear" she said out louder so as to make her point clear and make her husband understand that the king's business requires haste.

"....still check and balance everything dear" Steve said as he walked out of the room. 

********2 WEEKS LATER ********

Kate was on a phone call, thanking the caller for the opportunity given her to come and minister in their church. She further stated the schedule of her next movement. 

"Yes sir, I really appreciate sir. My flight has been scheduled for 1PM" she kept on talking till she found the nearest seat to her in the living room and then she sat.

Immediately after the call, she observed that Emily was sleeping on the couch and this left Kate to wonder what could be wrong.

"Emily, Emily, so you are here sleeping" she tapped her. Emily jumped out of fear. 

"I have been observing you for a while with the excess sleeping, you will be sleeping here and there, up and down and I am wondering if there is nothing more" Kate said while adjusting herself.

"I hope it is not what I'm thinking sha?" Kate said out of curiosity.

"No ma, No ma" Emily quickly denied the imagination of what Kate might be thinking about.

"It better not be, it won't even be. I am preparing for a ministerial journey tomorrow" she said and further included  "You will need to go to the market now as I need to put things in place". 

She picked her phone up to make some other calls as Emily walked down to the kitchen.

"I just hope madam will not find out what is going on oh" Emily started talking to herself.

"Even if she finds out self, is it my fault? Is it my fault? My oga self don tire for her matter" she concluded as she made her way out to go to the market. 

******** INTERMISSION ********

One afternoon, Kate was looking for the invitation card that was given her for one of her next ministerial work. She wanted to use the details on the card.

In the process of searching, she found a letter in the Bible on the stool and this led to a big fight.

"Dear, I can't believe you can stoop so low to sleep with this useless thing here" Kate was angry and was beginning to raise her voice while Steve was just there on the couch listening and acting nonchalantly. 

"Madam, please don't call me names, don't call me names at all" Emily cuts in with pride.

"You now have the liver to talk in this house? Can you imagine? I remember how I brought you from nothing and tush you up, is this what you want to pay me with?" Kate was irritated by the mess the husband had gotten into. 

"That's not my concern, we now have same right, same respect and command in this house, let me go and check the rice I'm cooking for our husband" Emily said as she walked to the kitchen.

Kate followed her angrily and threw the pregnancy letter she found in the bible on the husband's face. 

"Hello Joy, my wife has found out everything that is happening, can you come around tomorrow morning" Steve had said.

******** THE FOLLOWING MORNING ********

Pastor and a brother from church showed up at Mr and Mrs Steve Ayanfe's house. Joy, the immediate younger sister to Steve too was around.

"Brother Steve, your wife gave me a call this morning, what exactly is the problem?" Kate didn't let her husband answer the pastor before she started talking. 

"I am highly disappointed in my husband and...." Steve interrupted his wife.

"Thank you for coming pastor, thank God you are here" he said as he adjusted his glasses. 

"I've tolerated this long enough, I am draining emotionally, physically and even spiritually" Steve said as Brother Jones, the brother that came with the pastor kept shouting "ha ha" in amusement. 

"Brother Steve, please shed more light, what exactly happened?" Pastor asked to clear his curiosity. 

"Pastor, how disgusting is it to hear that my husband slept with this idiot Emily" Kate interrupted. 

"It is not my fault, ask her sir, it is not my fault at all" Emily said.

"Pastor, there is limit to everyone's enduring spirit, help me ask her when last we prayed together as a family,  when last did she perform her duties as my wife in this house, today Abuja, tomorrow Lagos next tomorrow the small and big villages round Calabar here" Steve expresses his pain and anger. 

"But you said you understood my calling and spiritual assignment" Kate said amidst tears but Steve was not having any of her talks again as they were not adding up.

"You should also understand in this case too" Steve shut her up.

"Brother Steve! but how did it all happen?"

******** FLASHBACK********

About a month ago, Joy paid her brother a visit and she could feel the pain that was written all over her brother's face on how busy the wife has been.

"If your wife is this busy, there is something we should be able to do ooo" she said.

"But I can't divorce my wife, I love her very much" Steve said with much concern. 

"There is something I will suggest, I have a doctor friend who can help us with a fake pregnancy test, we will put it where your wife can easily see it" she suggested. 

"I hope this will work sha?" Steve asked and his sister assured him that they should give it a try and see how it all goes. 

"Where is Emily so we can explain the plan to her?" Joy said and Steve went inside to call Emily.

******** BACK TO PRESENT ********

"Haaaa haaaa" everyone said in unison. 

"You mean you are not pregnant? oh my Goodness!" Kate said with shame written all over her face. 

She fell on her knees and started apologising to her husband.

"My dear, I'm very sorry, please find a place in your heart to forgive me" she turned to Emily as well "Emily, please forgive me too"

"Sister Kate, this is an eye-opener for you" brother Jones said as Joy also added "My brother, find a place in your heart to forgive her, she has realised her mistakes too".

"Well, I have forgiven you my dear, I have... stand up, stand up" he assisted her up and drew her closer.

"Praise the Lord!" the pastor said as everyone responded with "Hallelujah".

"Many people today also have created a loophole for Satan to disrupt the peace and unity of their homes" the pastor said and continued...

"They will get so busy to the extent that they won't pay attention to the loopholes, remember that the family that prays together stays together and in this, there won't be room for the devil's interruption! We all should be mindful of this loopholes".

He rounded it off with "May God grant us the grace and the enabling!"

ALL CHORUSED AMEN!

And the pastor said 

"LET'S PRAY... IN JESUS NAME....."

THE END.

MAY GOD HELP US ALL TO BE MINDFUL OF THE LOOPHOLES THAT THE DEVIL CAN USE IN DISRUPTING THE PEACE AND UNITY IN OUR HOMES AND AMIDST BRETHREN.

AMEN!

Text: Ephesians 5:21 "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God."

THE LOOPHOLE. 

By Osunniran Ebenezer.