I just needed to let you know since I don’t know when I’ll have another chance to be alone with you”
It was a rude shock…I knew he liked me but to say it like that. With all the details “I don’t know what to say”
“You don’t have to say anything…at least, not now
Just go pray about it
Take all the time you need
I won’t even bother you for a response
I’ll let God work that out
I figured if I put it out there, it will somehow help with the avoidance”
“But what about Tokunbo?
I thought you guys were a thing” I asked
“I’m sorry, who’s Tokunbo?”
I had to describe Tokunbo for him to remember who she was…I also added that we lived together and she believed God already joined them.
Folahan laughed hard, he almost choked
“Oh, that sister?
I knew there was something about her somewhat over-friendliness and lack of respect for personal space.
She’s just someone I met at the Camp, that attends my church, wanted to join our choir but failed audition because she was doing too much, tries so hard to chat with me every Sunday and that’s about it
I don’t like girls that are too forward or extremely extroverted…that’s one other reason I like you. There’s this peace and calmness about you and for me, that speaks volumes about a woman”
I wasn’t prepared for that kind of deep encounter…how could God match make two people with so much specificity?
I had to reach out to Bro Charles, I hadn’t talked to him in a while but I needed my pastor so I called.
He told me he actually liked me while we were still at school but God told him he wasn’t my husband and that He (God) was arranging someone else from me that was not in the country at that time.
I could not close my mouth…I was like
“Really?
God does that?
He is that interested in the affairs of His children; that He meddles in how the intricate fabrics of His children’s lives are woven?"
"Even the hairs of your head are all numbered" Bro Charles replied
That was the beginning of a wonderful friendship with Folahan. He was such a good friend in every area of it.
How could I have shut this guy out?
The day Folahan showed up at our place to see me, Tokunbo almost passed out. It was his idea, he said that was the only way to clear the air and since there was nothing between him and Tokunbo, she would be forced to wake up from her fantasy and face reality.
Tokunbo was so confused that she was stuttering.
“Where did you guys…? How? When did…?”
Folahan just threw in the cliché “It was God o”
The plan worked; as Tokunbo backed off Folahan completely…however, she wanted to get more details from me but I danced around the questions every time she asked. When she could not get anything from me, she wished me all the best. She stopped attending Folahan’s church and started keeping to herself. She would just say hi to me but I could sense the subtle animosity
Folahan dragged me to his church, introduced me to his pastor as ‘a friend’ and made sure I joined the choir.
“If you take care of God’s business, He takes care of you” he told me when I tried to use work as an excuse not to join the choir.
Although we were not dating officially, I saw the way things were going and I had started to pray about it, so I decided to share my story with Folahan. I told him about my family background and since he said God already told him about my past relationship, I let him know it was the way the relationship turned out that brought me to Christ. As advised by Bro Charles, I didn’t go into details so as not to scare him off.
“It’s okay
God draws us to himself in different ways.
He uses tests, trials and even supposed bad situations to bring people to the knowledge of Christ.
If I shared my salvation story, you would marvel”
He told me about his family as well…
He’s the first born and the only boy in a family of 4 children.
Parents are in Nigeria with their second to the last born, who’s attending a Private University while the other two were abroad studying.
We continued our friendship but after a while, things started to change in me. Not sure how Folahan did it but I lost my peace and felt I had to give him an answer or continue to live with the burden. I felt like I owed someone money and had to pay it ASAP. I even joked with him that he had reported me to God.
So one day after work, as he was driving me home, I told him I had prayed about it and my answer was in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. He pulled over, brought out a Bible from his safe and read it out loud
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
I told him that was the scripture that kept coming to my mind as I prayed about it.
He smiled, screamed “YES” while clenching his fist like someone that just won something. He then leaned over and gave me a peck on my left cheek.
“It feels good to finally call you my girlfriend”
I couldn’t help but blush.
