My fairlytale man!

"At the age of fifteen, I had been accused of sleeping with every boy on the village, old and married men and that I had aborted severally. I reached the point of hating myself because of false accusations from every corner and resentment from my own siblings, dad and most relatives as they believed the accusations to be true. But I had no way I would prove my innocence as several boys would lie with their mouths that they indeed bedded me___all these happened to me all because of the useless beauty.

But one day, I vividly remember that I was laying on my grandmother's bed, thinking about all the drama in my life when I had this wish in my soul. I was like, "Dear God, if you promise me that you will ever give me a white man in future as my husband, I will never have a boyfriend till I reach him." I promise to y'all that I never prayed, it was a mere wish but God heard my it." Anna said to see the crowd applause.

"Why a white man though?" The pastor said amidst chuckles.

"I don't know why I preferred them to blacks, Pastor. But I felt like they had much love and care than black men. Besides, I wanted to differ from every body in our society and shame those who bad-mouthed me." Anna said with a mild laugh.

"And God heard your wish?" Pastor asked.

"He did! I didn't realize at first but after one year, he showed me the first sign." She said, "There came this cute boy in our school that I crushed on but I had a warning dream that very night I first fancied him. I saw our former first lady asking me why I was falling for other men when my husband was waiting for me in future. She said that he's capable and so loving that he would give me a good life and cherish me forever but the key to reach him was to be patient.

The next morning, I was so happy that God had granted my wish but knowing how hard the teenage life was full of temptations and unending desires, I knelt down and said these words, "Jesus, I thank you for hearing my voice. But I still have one more request, if only you help me reach my man when I'm still virgin, I will testify in the midst of your holy people with a thanks giving offertory of one million shillings." Little did I know that I had made a convenant with God that hardened in the following years." Anna paused and looked over at the man of God besides her.

"Pastor, those nine years from the promise to its manifestation was real hell. Jesus gladly hid my private parts in his blood that no man touched them whether I liked it or not. But just as God did not take away the forbidden fruit from the garden of Eden so that Adam and Eve would not eat it. He did not take away the desires of the flesh as a normal human and a functioning woman. Instead, I think he multiplied the feelings as I would sometimes cry, just wanting to be with a man.

I thought that he would take away men pestering me but he did not. As years passed by, I lost hope of meeting my fairlytale man. As a normal girl, I also wanted to have a boyfriend who would dot on me and make me feel loved. I also wanted to know how falling in love with a man who loves me back feels.

I decided to ditch the convenant of God I had willingly entered and tried to date like other girls but guess what! I wouldn't get a serious man. Even if that man showed all signs of seriousness, he would at least immigrate to another country or to far away districts and the communication would die in a few days." She said, "People of God, there's no feeling as bad as getting rejected and ditched by the people you like. It makes you feel like hanging yourself."

"Do I have youths in here today?This combines both boys and girls." The pastor asked the congregation, "I want everyone to listen carefully and pick at least one thing to help him/her. Go ahead child of God."

"I reached the extent of giving up my virginity and started looking for any man to get rid of it because I thought that it was also somehow tying me down. The devil had sent me friends that would advise me to do all I could to take it away, that it was a bad omen but I thank the almighty God who kept his mighty hand on me even when I had backslided in my faith."

"Wuuu!" The congregation applauded loudly.

"To-date, I don't believe that after all the hardships; the temptations and the attempted rapes I went through, my purity was still intact."

"How glorious is the king of heavens!" The pastor roared in the microphone causing the congregation to applause more. "Did you finally meet him? As in your long promised future husband."

"Yes, pastor! I met him but God kind of lied to me because my man doubles all the qualities he promised me." Anna said with the proudest smile on her face to which she heard the whole congregation burst into laughter.

"Please don't rush us, we haven't reached there yet" The pastor said amidst laughters as well, "How did you meet him and how did you know that it was him__ the real God sent?"

Anna giggled and started, "When I was done with schooling, my brother brought I and cousin in the city to run a way from the multiple marriage requests at home. I spent a whole year without having a job but I fortunately got employed on the famous café Javas main branch where I found this handsome guy whom I fell in love with from the very moment I set my eyes on him.

I would see a lot of white men both young and old but when I saw Mr Liam Salvatore, my heart confirmed that he was the one. I started admiring him from afar but the guy wasn't as easy as I had hoped"

The congregation laughed in unison. Even the pastor laughed hard.

"Didn't he reach out to you real quick?" The pastor amidst chuckles.

"While other men died to hear a mere hi from me, he did not even spare me a slightest glance." Anna said,

"God is so challenging! Even after all those years of waiting?" The pastor asked enthusiastically.

"Yes! I reached the point of doubting if he was the one because there wasn't any progress yet he would come everyday at the café." Anna said. "But when I remembered how far I had come, I decided to persist and remind God his promise. I took a photo of him unaware and put it in a frame. Let me show it to you"

Anna walked down the pulpit, grabbed her cellphone from her seat and then took it to the person who was working on projectors and cameras. She showed him the photos to display on the wide screen at front wall of the pulpit. In a few seconds, the picture of Liam's photo frame appeared on all screens___in and outside the church.

People cooed loudly when they read the words on top and on the bottom part of the frame.

"Never had I met people with much faith like you, miss. Perhaps you're Abraham's grandchild because this is beyond." The pastor said.

"I had long confirmed that he was the one so I put it on the table where I looked at it everytime and I kept claiming him every night and day before God."

"....."

She glanced at Liam who was staring at her with an expressionless face but she could see a proud smile in his eyes.

"One night, I dreamt him calling me 'Annabelle' and telling me how much he loved me. I was excited but since I had no much hope, I didn't take it too serious. One month after that dream, I got robbed on my way back home from work. You know those street robbers in town, he took my handbag where there was my phones and money that I was left stranded with no transport fare."

There was a deafening silence in the whole church.

Anna continued, "It was at night and I had nobody to run to but God was as near to me as my body and soul. Guess who he sent to help!"

"Wuuu!" The congregation stood on their feet, applauding and clapping thunderously.

"It was him! The man I was in love with." Anna said happily, "He bought me dinner like a rightful gentleman then drove me at my place. I welcomed him in and he majestically sat on the sofa but guess happened next."

"He saw the photo!" The whole congregation said in unison, so invested and cheerful as if they were in alive cinema.

"Somebody tell your neighbor that the guy saw the photo!" The pastor said shouting and exaggerating. Everyone repeated the words.

Anna snickered staring at people go wild with her story, she glanced at Liam who was the only one still sitting. She smiled more to which he returned the smile.

"Did you feel good at that moment when he saw it?" The pastor asked, "It was your dream come true after all."

"No, as cold as he was, I was so afraid of what his reaction would be and I preferred hiding my feelings from him than getting blasted. I even tried hiding it but the guy had already seen it. He forcefully took it away from my hands to clearly see it." She said.

"This is gonna be good! Because if we have him here today, I guess the reaction was positive." The pastor said.

"Indeed, man of God! Y'all can guess what happened next" Anna said to hear the crowd go wild more, clapping and shouting amen.

"After one day, I came across something that shocked me and made me cry out in thanks giving to God." Anna said, "Please show us the next picture."

The projector guy displayed a picture of Liam's bare chest, showing a tattoo of Anna's face. Everyone, including the pastor gasped in shock that some softhearted people started crying.

"There I was embroidered in his skin, with the name I had dreamt of him calling me that nobody had ever called me before___written on his skin. I know that some of you here are non believers but you should at least believe that there's a living God in heavens above through my story."

"...." Everyone was so stunned to respond.

"Now listen to this crucial part that I have to say, he told me that he knew me years before I first saw him. He said that he plotted with the manager of Café Javas to employ me at the café through my oblivious brother. He knew my people around me, he knew where I resided. He himself employed me on his uncle's café and he was the one paying me the salary without me knowing. On top of that, he employed another girl to spy on me. Just to know me more...."