Chapter 77 WIZARDRY 103

Sobrina walked home happily, she'd not gone to church that evening with her phone. She was surprised to find several missed calls from Pastor Davies when she arrived home. She called him back.

"How are you Sobrina?", Pastor Davies questioned.

"I'm doing very well sir, I was in church for prayer meeting while you were calling",

"Alright. How was it?",

"Very well sir", and he was gone.

Sobrina knew the call wasn't ordinary, he'd never called her number since she left the University. She understood there was something wrong, and said as much in a text to Pastor Melvin. He called her three days later.

"Good evening Soby",

"Good evening sir", Sobrina responded happily, it had been months since she'd heard from him.

"I'm on my way to Bosgon, from Lagunde right now. I would like to see you tomorrow. I should be arriving to my village this evening", he said. Bosgon was their state.

"Alright sir, safe trip", Sobrina was as happy as she'd never been in months. She thought that he was finally coming to make everything official. She thanked God for answering her prayers, and congratulated herself for passing all the tests that had come her way during the waiting period. She even told her mother about Pastor Melvin's anticipated arrival, in joy.

She called him later that night, to be certain he had safely arrived at his village, and he had.

"Welcome home honey suckle. Thank God for journey mercies", she texted as soon as the call was over. Her phone rang immediately, it was Pastor Melvin.

"Hello sir",

"You didn't end the text message properly", he said and ended the call. Sobrina had not added her usual summery for all her text messages to him.

"I love you baby, Kisses", she wrote, smiling happily.

The next morning, he called and informed her about the venue for the meeting. It was a luxurious restaurant located not too far from her house.

Sobrina dressed up happily and even borrowed pretty accessories from her sister, since she had none of her own. And left for the meeting. She was so glad to see him when she arrived at the restaurant. But she controlled her excitement, only showing it by smiling very shyly.

"How are you Sobrina?", he began.

"It's not been easy, but I've survived",

"Is your sister married now?", Pastor Melvin questioned. Sobrina had once texted him about her sister's relationship, and how it was making her feel so small.

"Married?",

"Yes, you said her boyfriend comes to your house",

"Oh yes, that, he does regularly. But they're not ready for marriage anytime soon",

"Anyways, I tried getting you something to drink but their soda here is not chilled", he lied. "I came to tell you that I am getting married to Miraya", he added.

Sobrina looked at him and thought he was joking. She was backing the entrance to the restaurant, therefore she didn't notice the arrival of Pastor Sheddy. Pastor Melvin had been making small discussions, waiting for Pastor Sheddy's arrival, and had broken the news immediately he saw the man's car enter the restaurant's parking lot.

"Please, get me something to drink", Sobrina was saying, when she saw Pastor Sheddy coming to join them on the table. Pastor Melvin greeted him and stood to obey her.

Seeing Pastor Sheddy increased the level of anxiety that had already ceased Sobrina from the sudden news she had heard from Pastor Melvin, but she strongly held herself together. "Good afternoon, Pastor", Sobrina said to Pastor Sheddy.

"Good afternoon Sobrina", Pastor Sheddy responded, as they sat in silence waiting for Pastor Melvin to return from the counter. Sobrina couldn't speak because she didn't understand why Pastor Sheddy was there.

"I was just telling Sobrina that I was getting married to your sister before you arrived", Pastor Melvin said while setting down a very chilled bottle of soda in front of Sobrina.

"Is that so?", Pastor Sheddy questioned.

"Yes",

"So you're getting married to Miraya?", Sobrina gently questioned, after she took a sip from the bottle, while trying to control her emotions.

"Yes, I took my parents to her village for formal introduction this January", Pastor Melvin responded enthusiastically. The same January Sobrina had thought he'd informed her that they were getting married soon?

"Well, Sobrina told me you were getting married to her. I had to even call Pastor Davies, wondering if you were double dating... It's alright, do you have a problem with this Sobrina?", Pastor Sheddy questioned, turning to her.

"No... I will never accuse you of anything", Sobrina gently said, trying very hard to control her emotions. This was a bombshell. A huge, tragic drama.

Pastor Melvin quickly started talking about how Sobrina had visited him over a year ago, and how he had made a simple casual sexual pass at her, in his house, back in school. And how Sobrina was a married woman. And how Sobrina was a whore. And how Sobrina was sodomized and destroyed by different men. And how Sobrina was a flirt. How she was contacting his friends and telling them he was her fiancé.

Thank God that even though he had earlier informed Pastor Sheddy and they had planned everything, he couldn't bring himself to say it in front of Sobrina, that she was HIV positive. He tried to, but couldn't. He understood the damage he was doing, and something held him from going extreme right there.

Sobrina listened to all that, saying nothing. They had never had any fights in recent times. She was shocked at what was happening. She didn't understand what could have triggered it.

Pastor Melvin revealed all of Sobrina's shameful past, robbing it on her face and added every lie Sobrina could imagine. It was the first time she was hearing him telling lies.

She later left in tears and refused to believe what had happened was actually what it was.

She returned to her home, but couldn't stay because of shame. She ran to one of her father's empty houses, located somewhere near to the city.

She was crazy. She wept for days until she fell sick. She later texted Pastor Melvin, thinking that if he was serious, he wouldn't have been lying. He had also been looking at her with what she mistook as affection during the whole time. Therefore it wasn't true, he was probably acting.

"Go back home Sobrina", Pastor Melvin texted her, in response to her text about her movement. She took it as a good sign, and returned to her home.

Pastor Sheddy was enraged to see her in church that Sunday, he had thought she was never going to to return. He confronted her outside the church building, before church started for the day.

"How come you are here?", he questioned.

"Pastor Melvin asked me to return",

"Did he now?", he questioned, looking confused. Pastor Davies had forwarded him with her edited messages, about how she'd left Bosgon and ran to the village. He had been overjoyed.

"Yes he did",

In his sermon that day, he said how he was a cultist during his University days, "and as a cultist there's no hanging leg", he added, while staring directly at Sobrina.

Pastor Sheddy decided he'd had enough, he took off the cloak of pretence, and decided to murder Sobrina by himself.

In the following weeks, He began to bring in hefty young men from his circular cult into the church. Every Sunday, there was a new addition. He was preparing for the action to follow.

He had Sobrina followed, and traced to her home. It was necessary for future use.

He also discovered that Sobrina's father was a former police officer, therefore things had to be done swiftly, and carefully.