Trouble with Teniola

I sat on Abebi's king-sized bed with a magazine in my hand and watched her sulk as she soothes the wrinkles on her gold-coloured duvet, removing what looked to be a loose thread from the white bedsheet. One of Abebi's best qualities was her neatness and one may even say she was too neat as she couldn't stand dirt no matter how little. She would always insist that ‚cleanliness was next to godliness‛ and believed if you would seek God, you must first be very clean. Ever since a Sunday school teacher told us during our childhood that we wouldn't be able to hear God's voice in a dirty classroom, Abebi had become very intolerant of dirt; so much that she took her bath before praying to God. I watched my friend who looked like she had a lot on her mind and felt for her; it must not be easy waring against her own child. It had been three days since Teniola threatened to leave home and ever since, both mother and daughter have been on a silence war; neither of them willing to speak to the other. I

decided we had to put an end to this once and for all.

‚Ore mi, look at this picture from our secondary school days, I didn't know you even still had it.‛

Why won't I have it' you have glowed up now so I need a reminder that we once used to look like street kids; things have changed now.‛ Abebi said, laughing at the memories.

‚I agree that things have really changed. These pictures remind me of how in our days, we almost couldn't breathe the same air our parents did, talk less of being in the same room with them or arguing.‛ I started as I put down the photo album I was going through.

‚I'm telling you, it's like the children of nowadays were created with a special brand of stubbornness; it takes God to even understand what is going on in their minds most of the times. I mean look at Teni that grew up right under my nose telling me she is going to go and live with a man she's not yet married to; where is that done?‛ Abebi ranted, turning her words in the exact direction I wanted.

‚You know she would never do that; she was just trying to get you worked up. Teniola has very firm principles as to certain things; at most, she would have gone out to calm down and return later in the day. Teniola doesn't admit it but she hates to fight with you.‛ I said.

‚Indeed. Because of an ordinary man, she has sealed her mouth for days now like it is affecting me; tell her that she can leave if she wants to leave but she should do it quickly so I can rent out her room please. I cannot have empty space in my house and not make money from it.‛ Abebi said making me laugh; my friend still has not changed, everything was a potential source of income for her.

Iyalaje of Africa! Ore mi, should I tell you the truth, that Funsho boy is not actually a bad choice o. Kama paro (To be honest); I think you should get to know him without bias first. I am not saying you should throw your prophet's words away; all I am saying is that you should confirm for yourself. Your daughter is born-again and has been prioritizing God's will in her decisions so can't we trust that she knows what she's doing and prayerfully consider the man she has brought? I lobbied and Abebi sighed.

‚Ronke, it is easy to throw your eggs when they are many in the basket but when you have only one, you cannot afford to play games. Maybe if I had known and consulted Woli when the twins were going for that Richard Ladejo University exam in Abuja, he would have warned us about the tragedy that was about to befall us. I blame myself every day for not being sensitive; Teni was sick and in the hospital so even after the crash, I still didn't know anything until much later. I don't want to experience anything like that again.‛ Abebi said, her eyes brimming with tears at the memory. I was not ignorant of my friend's struggles because I watched her wallow in pain and anguish all those years and almost had to check her into a psychiatric home. I sighed wondering how the lord was

going to bring clarity to this issue.

‚Ronke, do you think a whole prophet of God can be mistaken? Teniola may not understand now but she will appreciate it in future, she just has to be patient. In fact, I just sent Woli some money this morning to kill an atonement goat so that cursed men will stop approaching her.''

Abebi said and my head immediately started to ring.

‚Abebi!‛ I exclaimed.

‚This is too much! Why then did Christ die if you are still killing goat in this century? I'm certain; this Woli will kill the goat, boil it, fry it and use it to drink garri. Abebi, we are educated people so how can you allow this man extort you like this.‛

‚Ronke, it is not extortion if it is for Teni's benefit; just be watching, the stars will soon turn in Teni's favour.‛ Abebi said packing out the dirty laundry. I stared at my friend in disbelief of how she has allowed fear to cloud and cripple her mindset. I felt a stirring in my spirit and sighed loudly; if my peace remains unaffected in the troubled time, there was nothing to be worried about.

‚Speaking of Teni, I have not seen her all morning and it is almost past 3pm, did she go out?‛ I asked but Abebi just shrugged.

‚The two of you are the partners in crime so how will I know where she is? She will most likely be in her room.‛ Abebi said and I got down from the bed deciding to check up on Teni and also get something to drink. I stopped by the fridge in the kitchen and grabbed something to drink before proceeding upstairs to see Teni. On my way up, thoughts of my little woman filled my mind as I smiled like a proud mother. Teni beat all my expectations as a growing child and even up till today, she continues to surprise me.

Teniola is every woman's dream daughter; apart from beauty she is smart, caring and highly intelligent. Teniola is a lawyer who held a double firstclass degree; the Jinx breaker of her faculty they called her. She had different honorary awards and was even awarded a law school

scholarship. She proceeded to have her LLM, and is currently on her PhD, lecturing at Hill Top University, and practicing intellectual property and litigation. I hardly see women who are so disciplined, confident and filled with charm and character such as Teniola; it was easy to wish she was my own daughter. I entered Teniola's room but could not seem to find her anywhere so I returned to the living room but she was nowhere to be found.

‚Teniola!‛ I called multiple times but it was Abebi who came out of her room instead.

‚Can't she hear you calling her or has she also added deafness to her muteness?‛ Abebi said going out of the house through the back door. She

called Teni's name to confirm if she was outside or not.

‚Sulaimon! Sulaimon! Did Teniola leave this house sometime today?‛ Abebi asked the gate keeper who confirmed she had not left the house and just like a raging bull set free, Abebi began to panic!

‚God protect us from evil, where is my phone; this girl will not put me into trouble.‛ Abebi said and put a call through to Teni but was automatically directed to voicemail as her line was unreachable.

Ha! Ronke are you just looking at me? Teniola… where is Teniola, where is my daughter for God's sake. Ah! What if something happened to her, what if someone came into the house without Sulaimon's knowledge and took my daughter away! Ronke do something!‛

‚Abebi, calm down, don't raise your blood pressure because of something so small. Teniola isn't a child, I'm certain she will come back to this house if she left at all. Let"s keep trying her number whilst we wait.‛ I said but of course, Abebi had to check outside once more and even confirm with the security again.

‚Aunty Teni, I never leave for this gate at all; you are telling me!‛ Sulaimon had reassured her with his messed-up grammar. No matter how serious​the​situation,​it​was​always​funny​how​he​confidently​yet ignorantly interchanged 'I' for 'You' or 'she/he whenever he spoke.' I managed to get Abebi to return into the house and wait there. After some minutes, she turned to face me.

‚Ronke oda (alright), I know I overreacted but where is my daughter, she is the reason I'm still living on earth. Ti e na ni mo de se.'' (I'm after her good). At this point, Abebi had begun to shed tears and even I was beginning to wonder what was going on when Teni came into the living room from the kitchen. Abebi quickly grabbed her, roaming her hands all

over her face, asking if she was alright.

Aunty Ronke, ki lo sele (what happened)? What happened to Mummy?‛ Teni managed to say.

Teni so you were in this house and you put us through all this trouble looking for you!‛ I said, not being able to understand why she didn't answer our calls

Big mummy no o, I stepped out to buy airtime and decided to walk to the bakery and pick up some loaves of bread.‛ Teni explained

‚How come Sulaimon has been saying you did not come out at all today?‛ Abebi asked, voicing out my exact thoughts.

‚I have told you to sack that inefficient sluggard. I woke him up from sleep to lock the gate and he was still asking me how I left the house when I returned. That boy is capable of opening the gate for thieves once he starts sleeping.‛ Teni hissed as Abebi visibly calmed down.

‚Your mum was really worried about you and so was I. Please let us know when you are leaving the house next time.‛ I said to her.

‚Big mummy, mummy is not worried about me o; she was only

looking for me because Woli must have told her that I will get missing soon.‛ Teniola said sarcastically. The look Abebi shot her daughter would

have made me laugh on any other day but I ignored it today.

Anyways, sit down; I want to talk to you and your mum.'' I said and Teni took the liberty of making sure she sat at a considerable distance from her mother, obviously to avoid her. Abebi noticed but she said

nothing.

Abebi oremi, (my friend) you have been a good mother to Teni and I pray that you will reap the fruit of your labour over this child in Jesus'

name‛ I started, moving forward in my chair.

I don't like the mood we have all been in for the past three days and that is why I have decided that we address it. Abebi, if you did not trust my judgement, you would not have invited me into your home at all. I know you love your daughter and you are protective of her but Abebi, your over- protectiveness is indirectly limiting her from attaining certain heights in life''. I said to Abebi who didn't respond and only continued to

stare at the mother-child art work that sat beautifully on the wall.

Abebi…‛ I called but my friend conveniently ignored me and I smiled; she was at least listening to me.

‚Aunty Ronke, she won"t change her mind so let me just move on with my life‛ Teni said, arising from her chair.

‚My friend will you return to your seat? Do we look like the students you lecture? If your mother has honoured my presence and remained seated, how can you walk away; are you not the reason we are doing all of this? Don't let me be crossed with you o.‛ I reprimanded Teni for the first time in a long time; I understood her frustrations well but I also cannot pretend to support her fully as I can also relate to her mother's pain and worries. Teni reluctantly grumbled an apology and returned to her seated position.

It was quiet in the room for a few minutes before I decided by the prompting of the Spirit to journey with them through the days of my youth.

Why won't I have it' you have glowed up now so I need a reminder that we once used to look like street kids; things have changed now.‛ Abebi said, laughing at the memories.

‚I agree that things have really changed. These pictures remind me of how in our days, we almost couldn't breathe the same air our parents did, talk less of being in the same room with them or arguing.‛ I started as I put down the photo album I was going through.

‚I'm telling you, it's like the children of nowadays were created with a special brand of stubbornness; it takes God to even understand what is going on in their minds most of the times. I mean look at Teni that grew up right under my nose telling me she is going to go and live with a man she's not yet married to; where is that done?‛ Abebi ranted, turning her words in the exact direction I wanted.

‚You know she would never do that; she was just trying to get you worked up. Teniola has very firm principles as to certain things; at most, she would have gone out to calm down and return later in the day. Teniola doesn't admit it but she hates to fight with you.‛ I said.

‚Indeed. Because of an ordinary man, she has sealed her mouth for days now like it is affecting me; tell her that she can leave if she wants to leave but she should do it quickly so I can rent out her room please. I cannot have empty space in my house and not make money from it.‛ Abebi said making me laugh; my friend still has not changed, everything was a potential source of income for her.

Iyalaje of Africa! Ore mi, should I tell you the truth, that Funsho boy is not actually a bad choice o. Kama paro (To be honest); I think you should get to know him without bias first. I am not saying you should throw your prophet's words away; all I am saying is that you should confirm for yourself. Your daughter is born-again and has been prioritizing God's will in her decisions so can't we trust that she knows what she's doing and prayerfully consider the man she has brought? I lobbied and Abebi sighed.

‚Ronke, it is easy to throw your eggs when they are many in the basket but when you have only one, you cannot afford to play games. Maybe if I had known and consulted Woli when the twins were going for that Richard Ladejo University exam in Abuja, he would have warned us about the tragedy that was about to befall us. I blame myself every day for not being sensitive; Teni was sick and in the hospital so even after the crash, I still didn't know anything until much later. I don't want to experience anything like that again.‛ Abebi said, her eyes brimming with tears at the memory. I was not ignorant of my friend's struggles because I watched her wallow in pain and anguish all those years and almost had to check her into a psychiatric home. I sighed wondering how the lord was

going to bring clarity to this issue.

‚Ronke, do you think a whole prophet of God can be mistaken? Teniola may not understand now but she will appreciate it in future, she just has to be patient. In fact, I just sent Woli some money this morning to kill an atonement goat so that cursed men will stop approaching her.''

Abebi said and my head immediately started to ring.

‚Abebi!‛ I exclaimed.

‚This is too much! Why then did Christ die if you are still killing goat in this century? I'm certain; this Woli will kill the goat, boil it, fry it and use it to drink garri. Abebi, we are educated people so how can you allow this man extort you like this.‛

‚Ronke, it is not extortion if it is for Teni's benefit; just be watching, the stars will soon turn in Teni's favour.‛ Abebi said packing out the dirty laundry. I stared at my friend in disbelief of how she has allowed fear to cloud and cripple her mindset. I felt a stirring in my spirit and sighed loudly; if my peace remains unaffected in the troubled time, there was nothing to be worried about.

‚Speaking of Teni, I have not seen her all morning and it is almost past 3pm, did she go out?‛ I asked but Abebi just shrugged.

‚The two of you are the partners in crime so how will I know where she is? She will most likely be in her room.‛ Abebi said and I got down from the bed deciding to check up on Teni and also get something to drink. I stopped by the fridge in the kitchen and grabbed something to drink before proceeding upstairs to see Teni. On my way up, thoughts of my little woman filled my mind as I smiled like a proud mother. Teni beat all my expectations as a growing child and even up till today, she continues to surprise me.

Teniola is every woman's dream daughter; apart from beauty she is smart, caring and highly intelligent. Teniola is a lawyer who held a double firstclass degree; the Jinx breaker of her faculty they called her. She had different honorary awards and was even awarded a law school

scholarship. She proceeded to have her LLM, and is currently on her PhD, lecturing at Hill Top University, and practicing intellectual property and litigation. I hardly see women who are so disciplined, confident and filled with charm and character such as Teniola; it was easy to wish she was my own daughter. I entered Teniola's room but could not seem to find her anywhere so I returned to the living room but she was nowhere to be found.

‚Teniola!‛ I called multiple times but it was Abebi who came out of her room instead.

‚Can't she hear you calling her or has she also added deafness to her muteness?‛ Abebi said going out of the house through the back door. She

called Teni's name to confirm if she was outside or not.

‚Sulaimon! Sulaimon! Did Teniola leave this house sometime today?‛ Abebi asked the gate keeper who confirmed she had not left the house and just like a raging bull set free, Abebi began to panic!

‚God protect us from evil, where is my phone; this girl will not put me into trouble.‛ Abebi said and put a call through to Teni but was automatically directed to voicemail as her line was unreachable.

Ha! Ronke are you just looking at me? Teniola… where is Teniola, where is my daughter for God's sake. Ah! What if something happened to her, what if someone came into the house without Sulaimon's knowledge and took my daughter away! Ronke do something!‛

‚Abebi, calm down, don't raise your blood pressure because of something so small. Teniola isn't a child, I'm certain she will come back to this house if she left at all. Let"s keep trying her number whilst we wait.‛ I said but of course, Abebi had to check outside once more and even confirm with the security again.

‚Aunty Teni, I never leave for this gate at all; you are telling me!‛ Sulaimon had reassured her with his messed-up grammar. No matter how serious​the​situation,​it​was​always​funny​how​he​confidently​yet ignorantly interchanged 'I' for 'You' or 'she/he whenever he spoke.' I managed to get Abebi to return into the house and wait there. After some minutes, she turned to face me.

‚Ronke oda (alright), I know I overreacted but where is my daughter, she is the reason I'm still living on earth. Ti e na ni mo de se.'' (I'm after her good). At this point, Abebi had begun to shed tears and even I was beginning to wonder what was going on when Teni came into the living room from the kitchen. Abebi quickly grabbed her, roaming her hands all

over her face, asking if she was alright.

Aunty Ronke, ki lo sele (what happened)? What happened to Mummy?‛ Teni managed to say.

Teni so you were in this house and you put us through all this trouble looking for you!‛ I said, not being able to understand why she didn't answer our calls

Big mummy no o, I stepped out to buy airtime and decided to walk to the bakery and pick up some loaves of bread.‛ Teni explained

‚How come Sulaimon has been saying you did not come out at all today?‛ Abebi asked, voicing out my exact thoughts.

‚I have told you to sack that inefficient sluggard. I woke him up from sleep to lock the gate and he was still asking me how I left the house when I returned. That boy is capable of opening the gate for thieves once he starts sleeping.‛ Teni hissed as Abebi visibly calmed down.

‚Your mum was really worried about you and so was I. Please let us know when you are leaving the house next time.‛ I said to her.

‚Big mummy, mummy is not worried about me o; she was only

looking for me because Woli must have told her that I will get missing soon.‛ Teniola said sarcastically. The look Abebi shot her daughter would

have made me laugh on any other day but I ignored it today.

Anyways, sit down; I want to talk to you and your mum.'' I said and Teni took the liberty of making sure she sat at a considerable distance from her mother, obviously to avoid her. Abebi noticed but she said

nothing.

Abebi oremi, (my friend) you have been a good mother to Teni and I pray that you will reap the fruit of your labour over this child in Jesus'

name‛ I started, moving forward in my chair.

I don't like the mood we have all been in for the past three days and that is why I have decided that we address it. Abebi, if you did not trust my judgement, you would not have invited me into your home at all. I know you love your daughter and you are protective of her but Abebi, your over- protectiveness is indirectly limiting her from attaining certain heights in life''. I said to Abebi who didn't respond and only continued to

stare at the mother-child art work that sat beautifully on the wall.

Abebi…‛ I called but my friend conveniently ignored me and I smiled; she was at least listening to me.

‚Aunty Ronke, she won"t change her mind so let me just move on with my life‛ Teni said, arising from her chair.

‚My friend will you return to your seat? Do we look like the students you lecture? If your mother has honoured my presence and remained seated, how can you walk away; are you not the reason we are doing all of this? Don't let me be crossed with you o.‛ I reprimanded Teni for the first time in a long time; I understood her frustrations well but I also cannot pretend to support her fully as I can also relate to her mother's pain and worries. Teni reluctantly grumbled an apology and returned to her seated position.

It was quiet in the room for a few minutes before I decided by the prompting of the Spirit to journey with them through the days of my youth.

Why won't I have it' you have glowed up now so I need a reminder that we once used to look like street kids; things have changed now.‛ Abebi said, laughing at the memories.

‚I agree that things have really changed. These pictures remind me of how in our days, we almost couldn't breathe the same air our parents did, talk less of being in the same room with them or arguing.‛ I started as I put down the photo album I was going through.

‚I'm telling you, it's like the children of nowadays were created with a special brand of stubbornness; it takes God to even understand what is going on in their minds most of the times. I mean look at Teni that grew up right under my nose telling me she is going to go and live with a man she's not yet married to; where is that done?‛ Abebi ranted, turning her words in the exact direction I wanted.

‚You know she would never do that; she was just trying to get you worked up. Teniola has very firm principles as to certain things; at most, she would have gone out to calm down and return later in the day. Teniola doesn't admit it but she hates to fight with you.‛ I said.

‚Indeed. Because of an ordinary man, she has sealed her mouth for days now like it is affecting me; tell her that she can leave if she wants to leave but she should do it quickly so I can rent out her room please. I cannot have empty space in my house and not make money from it.‛ Abebi said making me laugh; my friend still has not changed, everything was a potential source of income for her.

Iyalaje of Africa! Ore mi, should I tell you the truth, that Funsho boy is not actually a bad choice o. Kama paro (To be honest); I think you should get to know him without bias first. I am not saying you should throw your prophet's words away; all I am saying is that you should confirm for yourself. Your daughter is born-again and has been prioritizing God's will in her decisions so can't we trust that she knows what she's doing and prayerfully consider the man she has brought? I lobbied and Abebi sighed.

‚Ronke, it is easy to throw your eggs when they are many in the basket but when you have only one, you cannot afford to play games. Maybe if I had known and consulted Woli when the twins were going for that Richard Ladejo University exam in Abuja, he would have warned us about the tragedy that was about to befall us. I blame myself every day for not being sensitive; Teni was sick and in the hospital so even after the crash, I still didn't know anything until much later. I don't want to experience anything like that again.‛ Abebi said, her eyes brimming with tears at the memory. I was not ignorant of my friend's struggles because I watched her wallow in pain and anguish all those years and almost had to check her into a psychiatric home. I sighed wondering how the lord was

going to bring clarity to this issue.

‚Ronke, do you think a whole prophet of God can be mistaken? Teniola may not understand now but she will appreciate it in future, she just has to be patient. In fact, I just sent Woli some money this morning to kill an atonement goat so that cursed men will stop approaching her.''

Abebi said and my head immediately started to ring.

‚Abebi!‛ I exclaimed.

‚This is too much! Why then did Christ die if you are still killing goat in this century? I'm certain; this Woli will kill the goat, boil it, fry it and use it to drink garri. Abebi, we are educated people so how can you allow this man extort you like this.‛

‚Ronke, it is not extortion if it is for Teni's benefit; just be watching, the stars will soon turn in Teni's favour.‛ Abebi said packing out the dirty laundry. I stared at my friend in disbelief of how she has allowed fear to cloud and cripple her mindset. I felt a stirring in my spirit and sighed loudly; if my peace remains unaffected in the troubled time, there was nothing to be worried about.

‚Speaking of Teni, I have not seen her all morning and it is almost past 3pm, did she go out?‛ I asked but Abebi just shrugged.

‚The two of you are the partners in crime so how will I know where she is? She will most likely be in her room.‛ Abebi said and I got down from the bed deciding to check up on Teni and also get something to drink. I stopped by the fridge in the kitchen and grabbed something to drink before proceeding upstairs to see Teni. On my way up, thoughts of my little woman filled my mind as I smiled like a proud mother. Teni beat all my expectations as a growing child and even up till today, she continues to surprise me.

Teniola is every woman's dream daughter; apart from beauty she is smart, caring and highly intelligent. Teniola is a lawyer who held a double firstclass degree; the Jinx breaker of her faculty they called her. She had different honorary awards and was even awarded a law school

scholarship. She proceeded to have her LLM, and is currently on her PhD, lecturing at Hill Top University, and practicing intellectual property and litigation. I hardly see women who are so disciplined, confident and filled with charm and character such as Teniola; it was easy to wish she was my own daughter. I entered Teniola's room but could not seem to find her anywhere so I returned to the living room but she was nowhere to be found.

‚Teniola!‛ I called multiple times but it was Abebi who came out of her room instead.

‚Can't she hear you calling her or has she also added deafness to her muteness?‛ Abebi said going out of the house through the back door. She

called Teni's name to confirm if she was outside or not.

‚Sulaimon! Sulaimon! Did Teniola leave this house sometime today?‛ Abebi asked the gate keeper who confirmed she had not left the house and just like a raging bull set free, Abebi began to panic!

‚God protect us from evil, where is my phone; this girl will not put me into trouble.‛ Abebi said and put a call through to Teni but was automatically directed to voicemail as her line was unreachable.

Ha! Ronke are you just looking at me? Teniola… where is Teniola, where is my daughter for God's sake. Ah! What if something happened to her, what if someone came into the house without Sulaimon's knowledge and took my daughter away! Ronke do something!‛

‚Abebi, calm down, don't raise your blood pressure because of something so small. Teniola isn't a child, I'm certain she will come back to this house if she left at all. Let"s keep trying her number whilst we wait.‛ I said but of course, Abebi had to check outside once more and even confirm with the security again.

‚Aunty Teni, I never leave for this gate at all; you are telling me!‛ Sulaimon had reassured her with his messed-up grammar. No matter how serious​the​situation,​it​was​always​funny​how​he​confidently​yet ignorantly interchanged 'I' for 'You' or 'she/he whenever he spoke.' I managed to get Abebi to return into the house and wait there. After some minutes, she turned to face me.

‚Ronke oda (alright), I know I overreacted but where is my daughter, she is the reason I'm still living on earth. Ti e na ni mo de se.'' (I'm after her good). At this point, Abebi had begun to shed tears and even I was beginning to wonder what was going on when Teni came into the living room from the kitchen. Abebi quickly grabbed her, roaming her hands all

over her face, asking if she was alright.

Aunty Ronke, ki lo sele (what happened)? What happened to Mummy?‛ Teni managed to say.

Teni so you were in this house and you put us through all this trouble looking for you!‛ I said, not being able to understand why she didn't answer our calls

Big mummy no o, I stepped out to buy airtime and decided to walk to the bakery and pick up some loaves of bread.‛ Teni explained

‚How come Sulaimon has been saying you did not come out at all today?‛ Abebi asked, voicing out my exact thoughts.

‚I have told you to sack that inefficient sluggard. I woke him up from sleep to lock the gate and he was still asking me how I left the house when I returned. That boy is capable of opening the gate for thieves once he starts sleeping.‛ Teni hissed as Abebi visibly calmed down.

‚Your mum was really worried about you and so was I. Please let us know when you are leaving the house next time.‛ I said to her.

‚Big mummy, mummy is not worried about me o; she was only

looking for me because Woli must have told her that I will get missing soon.‛ Teniola said sarcastically. The look Abebi shot her daughter would

have made me laugh on any other day but I ignored it today.

Anyways, sit down; I want to talk to you and your mum.'' I said and Teni took the liberty of making sure she sat at a considerable distance from her mother, obviously to avoid her. Abebi noticed but she said

nothing.

Abebi oremi, (my friend) you have been a good mother to Teni and I pray that you will reap the fruit of your labour over this child in Jesus'

name‛ I started, moving forward in my chair.

I don't like the mood we have all been in for the past three days and that is why I have decided that we address it. Abebi, if you did not trust my judgement, you would not have invited me into your home at all. I know you love your daughter and you are protective of her but Abebi, your over- protectiveness is indirectly limiting her from attaining certain heights in life''. I said to Abebi who didn't respond and only continued to

stare at the mother-child art work that sat beautifully on the wall.

Abebi…‛ I called but my friend conveniently ignored me and I smiled; she was at least listening to me.

‚Aunty Ronke, she won"t change her mind so let me just move on with my life‛ Teni said, arising from her chair.

‚My friend will you return to your seat? Do we look like the students you lecture? If your mother has honoured my presence and remained seated, how can you walk away; are you not the reason we are doing all of this? Don't let me be crossed with you o.‛ I reprimanded Teni for the first time in a long time; I understood her frustrations well but I also cannot pretend to support her fully as I can also relate to her mother's pain and worries. Teni reluctantly grumbled an apology and returned to her seated position.

It was quiet in the room for a few minutes before I decided by the prompting of the Spirit to journey with them through the days of my youth.

Why won't I have it' you have glowed up now so I need a reminder that we once used to look like street kids; things have changed now.‛ Abebi said, laughing at the memories.

‚I agree that things have really changed. These pictures remind me of how in our days, we almost couldn't breathe the same air our parents did, talk less of being in the same room with them or arguing.‛ I started as I put down the photo album I was going through.

‚I'm telling you, it's like the children of nowadays were created with a special brand of stubbornness; it takes God to even understand what is going on in their minds most of the times. I mean look at Teni that grew up right under my nose telling me she is going to go and live with a man she's not yet married to; where is that done?‛ Abebi ranted, turning her words in the exact direction I wanted.

‚You know she would never do that; she was just trying to get you worked up. Teniola has very firm principles as to certain things; at most, she would have gone out to calm down and return later in the day. Teniola doesn't admit it but she hates to fight with you.‛ I said.

‚Indeed. Because of an ordinary man, she has sealed her mouth for days now like it is affecting me; tell her that she can leave if she wants to leave but she should do it quickly so I can rent out her room please. I cannot have empty space in my house and not make money from it.‛ Abebi said making me laugh; my friend still has not changed, everything was a potential source of income for her.

Iyalaje of Africa! Ore mi, should I tell you the truth, that Funsho boy is not actually a bad choice o. Kama paro (To be honest); I think you should get to know him without bias first. I am not saying you should throw your prophet's words away; all I am saying is that you should confirm for yourself. Your daughter is born-again and has been prioritizing God's will in her decisions so can't we trust that she knows what she's doing and prayerfully consider the man she has brought? I lobbied and Abebi sighed.

‚Ronke, it is easy to throw your eggs when they are many in the basket but when you have only one, you cannot afford to play games. Maybe if I had known and consulted Woli when the twins were going for that Richard Ladejo University exam in Abuja, he would have warned us about the tragedy that was about to befall us. I blame myself every day for not being sensitive; Teni was sick and in the hospital so even after the crash, I still didn't know anything until much later. I don't want to experience anything like that again.‛ Abebi said, her eyes brimming with tears at the memory. I was not ignorant of my friend's struggles because I watched her wallow in pain and anguish all those years and almost had to check her into a psychiatric home. I sighed wondering how the lord was

going to bring clarity to this issue.

‚Ronke, do you think a whole prophet of God can be mistaken? Teniola may not understand now but she will appreciate it in future, she just has to be patient. In fact, I just sent Woli some money this morning to kill an atonement goat so that cursed men will stop approaching her.''

Abebi said and my head immediately started to ring.

‚Abebi!‛ I exclaimed.

‚This is too much! Why then did Christ die if you are still killing goat in this century? I'm certain; this Woli will kill the goat, boil it, fry it and use it to drink garri. Abebi, we are educated people so how can you allow this man extort you like this.‛

‚Ronke, it is not extortion if it is for Teni's benefit; just be watching, the stars will soon turn in Teni's favour.‛ Abebi said packing out the dirty laundry. I stared at my friend in disbelief of how she has allowed fear to cloud and cripple her mindset. I felt a stirring in my spirit and sighed loudly; if my peace remains unaffected in the troubled time, there was nothing to be worried about.

‚Speaking of Teni, I have not seen her all morning and it is almost past 3pm, did she go out?‛ I asked but Abebi just shrugged.

‚The two of you are the partners in crime so how will I know where she is? She will most likely be in her room.‛ Abebi said and I got down from the bed deciding to check up on Teni and also get something to drink. I stopped by the fridge in the kitchen and grabbed something to drink before proceeding upstairs to see Teni. On my way up, thoughts of my little woman filled my mind as I smiled like a proud mother. Teni beat all my expectations as a growing child and even up till today, she continues to surprise me.

Teniola is every woman's dream daughter; apart from beauty she is smart, caring and highly intelligent. Teniola is a lawyer who held a double firstclass degree; the Jinx breaker of her faculty they called her. She had different honorary awards and was even awarded a law school

scholarship. She proceeded to have her LLM, and is currently on her PhD, lecturing at Hill Top University, and practicing intellectual property and litigation. I hardly see women who are so disciplined, confident and filled with charm and character such as Teniola; it was easy to wish she was my own daughter. I entered Teniola's room but could not seem to find her anywhere so I returned to the living room but she was nowhere to be found.

‚Teniola!‛ I called multiple times but it was Abebi who came out of her room instead.

‚Can't she hear you calling her or has she also added deafness to her muteness?‛ Abebi said going out of the house through the back door. She

called Teni's name to confirm if she was outside or not.

‚Sulaimon! Sulaimon! Did Teniola leave this house sometime today?‛ Abebi asked the gate keeper who confirmed she had not left the house and just like a raging bull set free, Abebi began to panic!

‚God protect us from evil, where is my phone; this girl will not put me into trouble.‛ Abebi said and put a call through to Teni but was automatically directed to voicemail as her line was unreachable.

Ha! Ronke are you just looking at me? Teniola… where is Teniola, where is my daughter for God's sake. Ah! What if something happened to her, what if someone came into the house without Sulaimon's knowledge and took my daughter away! Ronke do something!‛

‚Abebi, calm down, don't raise your blood pressure because of something so small. Teniola isn't a child, I'm certain she will come back to this house if she left at all. Let"s keep trying her number whilst we wait.‛ I said but of course, Abebi had to check outside once more and even confirm with the security again.

‚Aunty Teni, I never leave for this gate at all; you are telling me!‛ Sulaimon had reassured her with his messed-up grammar. No matter how serious​the​situation,​it​was​always​funny​how​he​confidently​yet ignorantly interchanged 'I' for 'You' or 'she/he whenever he spoke.' I managed to get Abebi to return into the house and wait there. After some minutes, she turned to face me.

‚Ronke oda (alright), I know I overreacted but where is my daughter, she is the reason I'm still living on earth. Ti e na ni mo de se.'' (I'm after her good). At this point, Abebi had begun to shed tears and even I was beginning to wonder what was going on when Teni came into the living room from the kitchen. Abebi quickly grabbed her, roaming her hands all

over her face, asking if she was alright.

Aunty Ronke, ki lo sele (what happened)? What happened to Mummy?‛ Teni managed to say.

Teni so you were in this house and you put us through all this trouble looking for you!‛ I said, not being able to understand why she didn't answer our calls

Big mummy no o, I stepped out to buy airtime and decided to walk to the bakery and pick up some loaves of bread.‛ Teni explained

‚How come Sulaimon has been saying you did not come out at all today?‛ Abebi asked, voicing out my exact thoughts.

‚I have told you to sack that inefficient sluggard. I woke him up from sleep to lock the gate and he was still asking me how I left the house when I returned. That boy is capable of opening the gate for thieves once he starts sleeping.‛ Teni hissed as Abebi visibly calmed down.

‚Your mum was really worried about you and so was I. Please let us know when you are leaving the house next time.‛ I said to her.

‚Big mummy, mummy is not worried about me o; she was only

looking for me because Woli must have told her that I will get missing soon.‛ Teniola said sarcastically. The look Abebi shot her daughter would

have made me laugh on any other day but I ignored it today.

Anyways, sit down; I want to talk to you and your mum.'' I said and Teni took the liberty of making sure she sat at a considerable distance from her mother, obviously to avoid her. Abebi noticed but she said

nothing.

Abebi oremi, (my friend) you have been a good mother to Teni and I pray that you will reap the fruit of your labour over this child in Jesus'

name‛ I started, moving forward in my chair.

I don't like the mood we have all been in for the past three days and that is why I have decided that we address it. Abebi, if you did not trust my judgement, you would not have invited me into your home at all. I know you love your daughter and you are protective of her but Abebi, your over- protectiveness is indirectly limiting her from attaining certain heights in life''. I said to Abebi who didn't respond and only continued to

stare at the mother-child art work that sat beautifully on the wall.

Abebi…‛ I called but my friend conveniently ignored me and I smiled; she was at least listening to me.

‚Aunty Ronke, she won"t change her mind so let me just move on with my life‛ Teni said, arising from her chair.

‚My friend will you return to your seat? Do we look like the students you lecture? If your mother has honoured my presence and remained seated, how can you walk away; are you not the reason we are doing all of this? Don't let me be crossed with you o.‛ I reprimanded Teni for the first time in a long time; I understood her frustrations well but I also cannot pretend to support her fully as I can also relate to her mother's pain and worries. Teni reluctantly grumbled an apology and returned to her seated position.

It was quiet in the room for a few minutes before I decided by the prompting of the Spirit to journey with them through the days of my youth.