The 6th Floor: Fanning the Flame (2)

The lady that walked into my office was drop dead gorgeous. She walked in with an air of confidence, smiling and greeting me and Mr. Raymond but we did not reply her immediately because we were too busy staring at her  as if she was an alien from another planet. Honestly, she looked exactly like a gorgeous lady should -- natural, sexy and extremely beautiful.

She seems to be used to getting this kind of attention from men. Still smiling, she greeted us again and this time we responded.

 “Can I seat down?” she asked.

“Yes.”

 “Are you the Mr. Olumide that dropped this letter for me?” she asked holding the letter on her right hand and a sudden anger on her beautiful face.

“Yes.” I replied looking at Mr. Raymond whose small dark eyes was shifting from me to her as he puffed out his fat cheeks, took off his cap, wiped his forehead and then put on his cap.

“Well, I am Mrs. ………? ’’She began.

 “I know who you are!”

I knew who she was the moment I saw the letter on her hand. She was Mrs. Labi and the letter was a quit notice that I served her two days earlier. Her husband, who is a full time pastor, had rented their mini-flat apartment from me two years ago. He narrated with hot tears rolling down his handsome cheeks, how his wife walked into his church while he was preaching on the pulpit, on a well attended Sunday service, grabbed the microphone from him and accused him of CHEATING in front of the congregation!

He was weeping profusely as he further narrated how she also accused a single and successful woman who is an influential figure in the church committee of cheating with her husband and trying to snatch him with her money. She finally announced that her husband was a chronic liar and a fake pastor.

Her mission was to hurt and ruin the shepherd, but she also succeeded in scattering the sheep. The church became empty in less than five minutes of her show of shame and her husband’s career as a pastor now requires a miracle to revive. The news soon spread like wildfire and her husband was desperate to leave but she refused to move out. He knew she cannot afford to pay the subsequent rent and he was determined to get his own revenge by evicting her with my help.

Previous experience has taught me that there are two sides to a story and I was determined to get to the root of the matter. I served her a quit notice and her husband gave me a letter that authenticates her eviction.

 “Please, let me attend to him before we proceed,” I said looking at her beautiful face and watching Mr. Raymond as he took off his cap, wiped his forehead and then put on his cap.

“Okay.” She replied.

“Don’t worry about me.  You can attend to her,” said Mr. Raymond whose small dark eye was shifting from me to her as he puffed out his fat cheeks.

 “Thank you sir!” said Mrs. Labi.    

I thanked him. He nodded in approval. I turned to Mrs. Labi and explained the reason for serving her the notice. She listened patiently as I explained in detail why she needs to leave her apartment. I omitted the part she played from my explanations and I handed a copy of the letter her husband gave me to her.

She briefly read the letter, looked at me coldly andthen tore the letter into pieces within a blink of an eye. “He can’t force me out of my matrimonial home!’’ she screamed, ‘‘we are still legally married.”

“That letter was addressed to me madam!” I replied calmly managing to hold back my anger.

 “I don’t care!” she replied in a cold voice.

I wanted to keep our discussion as quiet as possible but it was obvious that she was prepared to create an unnecessary scene and I was prepared for her. Mr. Raymond was visibly confused. He wanted to intervene but opened his mouth and closed them again. He then picked up a newspaper and covered his face with it.

 I breathed quietly, looked her straight in the eye and said: “Mrs. Labi, your husband rented an apartment from us, his rent has expired and he said that he has moved out as written in the letter you tore. He said you refused to move out with him and that we are free to recover possession from you.”

 “My husband is a cheat, bloody liar and a coward!” she screamed.

My office became still. It was so quiet that if a pin was dropped on the floor, it would sound like a bomb. Mr. Raymond quietly lowered the newspaper from his face, took off his cap, wiped his forehead and then put on his cap. His small dark eyes were shifting from one place to another as he puffed out his fat cheeks. I was looking at her face and she was no longer the smiling figure that had blown me away a few minutes ago. She had this evil scowl on her face that looks scary. I finally dropped my gaze.

 “Please calm down both of you. This is a very sensitive matter. Would you like to share it with me my daughter?” said Mr. Raymond as he wiped his face. She turned quietly to look at his small dark eyes before bursting into tears.

She wept continuously for five minutes and neither of us knew how to console her. I just sat there opposite her watching as tears rolled down her beautiful cheeks just as it rolled down her husband cheeks when he narrated his ordeal while Mr. Raymond performed his now familiar ritual of taking off his cap, wiping off his forehead and then putting it on again.

 “He made me quit my job, lied to me and…,’ began Mrs. Labi as she continued weeping.

While weeping uncontrollably, she let the cat out of the bag. It turned out they have been married for over 10 years without a child. They have visited several doctors and they have all assured them that there is nothing medically wrong with both of them. They have fasted and prayed. Even renowned men of God have told them to continue to wait on the lord, that he would answer them in His own good time.

She even spent the better part of every night turning and tossing on the bed. No matter how hard she tried, sleep had completely eluded her. She wished she could be like him.In spite of all the problems he had, he could still find it in him to sleep.

“He always assures me that there is always light at the end of a   long, dark tunnel, God would answer our prayers and we would be blessed with children,” She lamented still weeping.

But she had refused to be consoled. She was tired of waiting. All her siblings, younger sisters and brothers, were happily married with children. All her friends have been blessed in the same way. She was getting quite close to forty and was still childless.

“Every night, I dream to wake up with two guys on my bed. I would say  ‘Good morning sweetheart to the first guy’ and the other one will say ‘Good morning mummy!“ she lamented, “Most times, I wondered if it is after I had passed menopausal age that God would open my womb and bless me with a child. If only God could only give me one child. Justone!”

“If God could give her a child, she would be the happiest woman on earth. She would praise him to high heavens. She would celebrate the child with so much pomp and pageantry. And most importantly, she would pamper that child with all the good things of life. She was rich in her own right. Her husband was comfortable too. The only thing they lacked and desired with throbbing passion was a child!” I thought as I covered my face with my hands while she continued to cry and Mr. Raymond continued to wipe his forehead slowly as he shook his head.

To be continued!