Chapter 83 SHATTERED

When Pastor Melvin was satisfied with the beating, he began walking towards the Police check point at the Round about.

"You brought the Police to arrest Pastor Sheddy, let's go to them", he ordered.

Sobrina managed to get herself up from the ground and began to stagger after him. She was relieved to see that they were heading to the Police, she hoped to convince them to have him arrested.

"Where is my cell phone?", she questioned. Pastor Melvin turned around and saw how terrible she looked.

"Sit down here Sobrina", he pleaded.

"No, I don't want to", she responded, and they continued towards the Police check point.

The members of the church who had come out to observe what was happening as they were ordered by Pastor Sheddy, followed them.

"Sit down Sobrina", he pleaded, while standing at a place.

"No", Sobrina responded.

Pastor Melvin looked behind and noticed that the people were following them, he knew they were coming with specific instructions. Even though he had chosen to be wicked to Sobrina, he still deeply loved her. He had actually decided to go to the Police checkpoint because he had noticed the people across the wide road, and to make sure that nothing terrible happened to Sobrina. He continued quickly towards the checkpoint before they would reach them. Sobrina followed him.

Sobrina asked to be given a chair to sit down, when they arrived at the checkpoint. Some of the members of the church who had been approaching them had gone back, except the lady - girl's leader - and two other men.

"I am a married man", Pastor Melvin began. "This crazy lady has refused to leave me alone. I have even had to contact a friend of mine who is a Police man, serving in this state, in case of any issues", he concluded.

"Young lady what happened", one of the Police men questioned Sobrina.

"Good morning sir, my father was a Police man in this state",

"Yes I know that's exactly where you will start", Pastor Melvin interjected, "he's retired", he added.

"Yes he has retired, I dated this man for over ten years, and without telling me, he came to church today married to a lady he specifically told me he would never get married to",

"You are crazy", Pastor Melvin said. Sobrina looked around her body to see if he was saying the truth.

"You can't say that without a written evidence from a psychiatrist", one of the Police men said, when he saw the effect of what Pastor Melvin had said on Sobrina.

"Sir, this lady has been obsessed with this man, she even uses his picture as a screen saver", the girl's leader said from behind Pastor Melvin. Pastor Melvin turned around and looked at her with a warning.

"Obsessed? So it's me who's obsessed with him now? After he invited me to his house...",

"And I raped you?", Pastor Melvin turned around and questioned, cutting Sobrina off.

"Something that happened many years ago", the girl's leader defiantly added, ignoring Pastor Melvin's warning looks.

Sobrina was shocked to hear her say this, she hadn't been aware the lady had been well informed.

Sobrina swallowed all she had wanted to say. She was beginning to feel pity for Pastor Melvin. She didn't want the Police men who were now openly against him to take action. Coupled with the fact that, that was one of the effects he had over her. She never had the mind to hurt him.

"Where is my cell phone Pastor Melvin?", Sobrina gently questioned.

"What happened to it?", one of the Police men questioned.

"He took it from me, and he hasn't returned it",

"Where is it? And why is it that this girl keeps addressing you as a Pastor?",

"I'm not a Pastor. It is something people used to call me back in school", Pastor Melvin responded.

It was a long argument. But at the end, the Police understood what was happening, and decided there wasn't enough evidence to have Mr. Melvin arrested.

They advised Sobrina to try and let him go. They told her some stories of different unbelievable evils people who called themselves pastors committed.

They also later decided to arrest the other lady for mentioning the missing cell phone, they accused her of knowing it's whereabouts since she knew what the screen saver was.

Pastor Melvin walked out of the check point, Sobrina attempted to run after him and one of the Police men grabbed and held her steady.

She wept bitterly, struggling in his arms. When she finally calmed down a little, he let her go and she returned to the church building to retrieve her belongings. She had gone to church with the keys to her house, her Bible, shoes and a handbag.

Pastor Sheddy and few other members were standing outside the entrance of the church when she returned, they grabbed her and beat her until she bled from her nostrils.

They threw her Bible, handbag and shoes on her, and went back into the church building. Pastor Melvin and his new wife were no where in sight.

Sobrina got up later, picked up her belongings and managed to go home. She arrived home but couldn't stay, she couldn't afford to be seen in disgrace. Her family members were the same people who had mocked her over the months and connived with Pastor Melvin to hurt her. She believed they would openly laugh at her when they returned from church, and decided she would go away. But she had no money, therefore she went into her room and locked herself in, she was so broken that the tears refused come.

She began to think about how to raise money with which to leave the house. She intended to return to the University and see if she could finish the things she had abandoned, of which one of them was her Dissertation. She began to visit their neighbors begging for money, but nobody would give to her. She returned to her house in frustration, to find her mother at the entrance.

"Where is your cell phone Sobrina?", her mother questioned.

"I lost it. Why do you ask?",

"Did you lose it or did someone take it from you", Sobrina was almost torn to pieces.

"How did you know that?",

"Your father said he was at your church earlier today. He wants to see you", Sobrina followed her mother to the sitting room, where her father was seated.

"I heard you went to fight a married man today. Sobrina why bring shame to this family? And where have you been?",

"I'm looking for money, I want to leave this house first thing in the morning", her father went into his room and gave her some money.

Sobrina couldn't sleep a wink that night, sleep just refused to come, neither did she weep. She kept turning from one corner of the bed to the other, shivering, out of mental torment.

Early the following morning, she picked up a few things and left her parent's home.

Sobrina returned to the University of Science. But that night, she still couldn't sleep, all the memories she had made with Pastor Melvin kept flooding her mind. This was were their love and relationship had blossomed.

She was staying in a transit room at Elizabeth's hostel, the hostel for post graduate students. There were other women in the room, they noticed her great discomfort and began to question her. Sobrina fell to the ground and began to weep.

"God has deserted me", she wept.

"No, God doesn't desert anyone", one of the women affirmed with so much assurance. Sobrina told them her story, they sympathized with her. Some even shared there own different experiences, they assured her she would be fine.

"What would you like to do now?", one of them questioned.

"I can't stay here, I thought I could. But I've discovered I can't. I would like to travel to my friend's place in Saru, but I have no money. I will return, but not now", Saru was the capital city of the country.

The women contributed a little money and gave to her. Sobrina traveled early the following morning.

The survivor she was had kicked in, she was determined to survive the situation and must do everything in her power to see that she did. She would smoke Marijuana, she would club recklessly, she would visit pretty places, in the fight to recover from this tragedy.