14 14 THE NEW MAN

Several months had gone by already and he knew everything has changed. The thoughts of preaching on the altar containing the head of little children pierced through his heart.

His hand was still on the steering but his right leg was slightly lifted from the accelerator pedal. His speed has reduced now but his eyes still on the sidewalk. He could still remember how his eyes swept through ladies on miniskirts with buttocks begging to be touched and then he would parked his jeep and talked them into his Jeep and then to a hotel.

Green Trust hotel has been his favourite. None of the ladies has ever refused his advances. He knew his Jeep was an added boost for him. As his thoughts were about dragging him into the immoral scenes he had with ladies in the past, he fought hard to resist all of it and moments later, shut his thoughts.

"What a world of lust and seduction." He whispered. He hit his steering so hard that made some passerby gave him a stare. "They think I am mad—yes mad." He whispered again.

And as he was about to take another turn to Third Avenue, his eyes fell on Neo Rendos who drove closely behind.

"My goodness, what is Neo Rendos doing here?" He found himself talking again as he drove to a halt.

He jumped out screaming, "Neo—Neo Rendos—Rendos!"

Neo pulled off his eyeglasses and looked in the direction he thought he heard his name.

"Mandolin? Mandolin Trump is that you—unbelievable. Quite a century now," He reacted with smiles.

Mandolin walked closer smiling with his right-hand boxing up with Neo's, as they exchanged pleasantries, "Century? It can't be that long Neo otherwise we wouldn't be alive!"

"Never can tell Mandolin, never can tell. What are you doing here?"

Pastor Mandolin eyes bore into his and then ran through him. It shifted to his black Jeep and then back to Neo.

"I should be asking you that question, Neo—just back from the State?"

Neo, nod his head calmly with his left hand to his side pocket.

He wasn't in a hurry to talk, but somehow reluctantly pulled out of his shell. Counting his words, he finally broke the silence that had stayed in the air for seconds.

"Yes—from the USA. I came for a reason—hmm. Perhaps I should just stop talking. Look at you, you look great. What's the secret—the church is bringing money, right? The tithes, the offering and all that, I can see, it is all over you." His eye fell on Pastor Mandolin's Italian leather shoe, his golden German wristwatch, his white Jeep and then, his well-tailored suit. "I guess you aren't doing badly—where are you heading to, big boy?"

He noticed Pastor Mandolin wasn't saying anything. He quickly thought of something else.

"How is Green trust hotel? The ladies, quite a while I had a feel of those fat buttocks and pointed breasts out there. They just scream as you suck them up. Those girls rock, they just put you in the mood and make you stir all night long. Would you like to join me tonight? Let's go have some fun, as usual, remember the old sweet days when—" Neo stopped talking when he noticed Pastor Mandolin eyed closed in anguish.

Changed?

His thought ran and immediately stopped when his eyes caught Pastor Mandolin's frown. "Come on, all Pastors are flirts and—"

He stopped when he saw Pastor Mandolin's hand up.

"Not all Neo—certainly not all and not me, anymore," he adjusted his standing position as he leans on his white Jeep. "I have found him. I never knew it was true until I found him."

Neo folded his hands across his chest as his ears stood.

What is he talking about?

And as soon as Pastor Mandolin voice sprang up again, his thought sank.

"Remember Demora—Demora Tala?" He watched Neo nod calmly, then continued, this time he was sober. "I consulted him through your help because I needed power but afterwards he enslaved me and his continued demand for blood broke our relationship and then his men he forced into my council suddenly became a pain in my neck until I found him—"

Neo loosen his folded arm as he stared with a strong interest to hear everything—everything about what Pastor mandolin wants to say, but why did he stop?

He hesitated for a while and heard his voice penetrating his ears once more. "They never made me read the bible, they made me shed blood and in the realm of the spirit. I never found rest—never. Not even for once."

Neo knew the covenant had been at work. The words of Demora Tala shot through his mind as Pastor Mandolin spoke.

Seconds later, he interrupted, "But you haven' told me who you found?" He muttered.

Standing straight now with eyes looking ahead of Neo he began, "The power of Demora Tala has limitation. An unusual power took me out of my body to a place—not just a place but two places."

"What do you mean an unusual power and two places?" Neo asked interrupting.

"Hmm—" Pastor Mandolin stopped him, "I will explain, three months ago precisely. I was taken out of my body. I saw my body but I was out of it. Then a voice came that was so excellent and lovely—very calm. He took me to heaven and I saw wonders, heaven is a place never to be missed. A realm the immortal dwells. Just like what the scriptures say, eyes have not seen nor ears heard what the father has prepared for those who love him, no words in the world can describe what I saw and afterwards. He took me to another place, the second. The most sorrowful place ever, people were screaming and shouting with fire engulfing them. Smells of decay filled the air. He spoke at length about the two places and told me to make a choice and I choose the first place and he said to me. I am not qualified to go there. He sent me back into my body and commanded me to put right my wrongs. He gave me another opportunity, I never deserved. Many words he told me and for the first time in my life, I knew I was a sinner."

Neo stared at him and then glared at him much later. He wasn't so sure what Pastor Mandolin was talking about.

He gazed at him as his mind worked. "Sinner, everybody is a sinner in this whole wide world. So what is this talk about sinners? Pastor Mandolin, don't tell me you've changed." He whispered.

"Yes and no." Pastor Mandolin replied.

"How do you mean, yes and no, what are you talking about?" Neo voice stepped up as his eyes widened.

"Yes, I have changed because I have encountered Jesus Christ in person and no because I am still the same Mandolin—"

"Good, which means you can go to Green Trust hotel with me, right?"

"Wrong Neo—wrong, you got it all wrong. I am Mandolin physically but my unseen soul has been delivered. I can never allow sin to reign in my mortal body to obey its lust anymore. It is complex to understand my point, but what that simply means is that. I can't go to the Green Trust hotel with you. I will do no such thing, never again."