Chapter 2 MEMORIES

Sobrina was dumbfounded - she didn't understand what he was talking about, and things went downwards from then on. A rumor started that she was highly possessed, in fact, a queen of the coast. They said she initiated people whenever she sang, just by looking at them. Deliverance sections were held for her, even though she neither felt nor knew nothing about being possessed, she went along with them, because failure to do so meant a worse case, plus she was hoping it would be over soon and she could return to her normal life of singing and writing songs. But the deliverance sections never ended.

She was advised to join the prayer team. During prayer meetings which took place one night every week, the prayer warriors would begin to sing and clap around her, and another deliverance section would begin. If she resisted, then she was truly possessed, so she always played along, twisting, scattering chairs, and eventually landing on the ground on every occasion. So it continued, until another rumor sprang up, that the Pastor's second daughter was possessed. The rumor said she was possessed by Sobrina. It grew into a heavy scandal and one Sunday morning, Sobrina was sitting close to the front row where her father insisted she sat every Sunday, when the pastor took the stage.

"You Queen of the coast leave my church" he commanded. He kept repeating his order in different ways, not that he was praying. Nothing happened, until Sobrina quietly took her Bible and left the church gathering.

All those while, the choir had been shaky, she had been ordered to stop heading it. But she attended whenever they had rehearsals which was becoming almost non existent, some other youths had even formed a singing group in replacement. She had once written to the present head, expressing her heartfelt concerns for the choir and pleaded that he didn't allow the choir to die. She attended a rehearsal one day, it happened that the pastor was giving a talk before they would begin, and the pastor ordered her away telling her never to return. So the choir died a peaceful death, and Sobrina took her vow never to sing again. Leaving for the University not too long later was a great relief.

This thought was still fresh on her mind when she got to the fellowship venue, she was surprised to see hundreds of young people gathered in one place to worship. She couldn't believe people still went to church in an environment such as she found herself on the campus. People, lots of handsome young men and pretty ladies. It was very interesting and enticing as she had not stepped into a church for over two years by then.

The preacher mounted the stage after some hours of praying and melodious singing. He had a message Sobrina found very interesting, and listened to with astute attention, that by the time he made the alter call for repentance she had already decided that if all these young people could do it, then so could she.

She found herself weeping as she slowly walked down the aisle to kneel by the alter with a few others. The preacher prayed for them and handed them over to the follow-up department where their information was taken. She was still crying - which is a big deal because she prided in her strength, and abhorred crying in public - as she gave her information which included her address, phone number and name.

While walking home that day, she felt like she had returned to her senses, she began to wonder why she believed this fellowship would be any different from other churches she had attended in the past. But her decision was made, so she began to plan on how to change her lifestyle. How was she going to get new dresses? how about survival? She decided she would find a way.

The next day, she went for her lectures dressed in a funny manner, she was putting on a black tube gown with an orange singlet. She had bought the gown for a very expensive sum of money a few years ago, mainly for night parties, and usually wore it with leggings when ever she wanted to wear it to school during the day. It was not a dress made to be worn in the manner she combined it that morning, but because she had no skirts as befitting a Christian, she improvised the way she could. Her course mates mocked her, but she didn't care, she decided they wouldn't understand. She had been raised in a highly religious home, she had once been religious herself, so she understood what was required of her as she found her way back to her original path.

She had decided she would be a floor member of the fellowship, never to do anything that would make anyone notice her, or participate in any outstanding activities. She would sing, but with the crowd only when necessary. Her phone rang after her first lecture...

"Hello"

"Good morning, my name is Pastor Melvin from the fellowship, when are you going to be free? I would like to meet you" the unknown caller said.

"My last lecture will be ending around 5pm" Sobrina responded.

"Alright, I'll call you then to schedule a meeting before you leave the campus". Sobrina lived off-campus.

Many thoughts began to bother her, no man ever got close to her just to be close, not even pastors. They always wanted something - mostly sexual. She remembered the one time years ago when she had been invited to join a choir, one that prided on being international.

It was during her upcoming years in her church's youth choir. The president of her church's youth choir - who fancied her - had invited her to this new choir where he trained. After rehearsals in preparation for a concert one night, the pastor of the church who owned and headed the "international" choir invited her to his room. He was an exceptionally handsome man.

"I want to tell you of love", he began as she listened in the dark. They were not alone though, someone else was sleeping in a corner, and the entrance had no door.

"Agape love" he continued, and at the end of his speech he added, "I will pay half of your admission fee", she was required to pay the sum of ten thousand to become a full member of the "international" choir. At the moment, she was on probation, she only observed during rehearsals and was not yet permitted to sing in the choir. The probation was to end after she had paid her admission fees. At the end of the conversation, he gave her two hundred, as transportation fair back home.

Sobrina understood his meaning, the pastor wanted to start dating her. She was barely thirteen even though she didn't look it. He was a full grown man who was newly married, with a child. He had no idea about the relationship between Sobrina and the young man who had invited her to his church's choir. The young man was in fact, her first love - their relationship was mostly platonic except for few intense romantic moments. They were both still virgins and hoped to be married someday.

She told the young man about the whole meeting as they went home together in the morning, and when she saw the doubt in his eyes, she showed him the two hundred the pastor had given to her, to drive her story home. It was the first time she lost something she valued. She never attended the rehearsals again or sang in that choir as she desperately desired.