HER GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT

Chapter 2: It was in their blood

“If people can be taught disrespect or rather learn it from others, then they can also be taught respect and learn the good values from others”

By Tania.

Tania had sent her resumee to every organization in town. As expected, handful of them blamed the pandemic as the reason they were not hiring new staff. Everyone else also did blame the pandemic including those who owed her. Nick her boyfriend was nowhere in the picture but she clang to the hope that he was not up to anything disastrous to their relationship. One that had survived a tsunami of obstacles. To begin with the fact that she was from a humble background and he was rich. His parents had made it so clear that no matter what she did they were not going to accept her as one of their own. And she was okay with that. In any case she was not in love with them. She was in love with their son who loved her back. In his defense nick argued that he was born 21st century where everyone was free to marry whoever they wanted. One thing led to another and he swore never to step his feet in their compound again. The blame shifted to Tania. It usually does shift to the woman when a man starts showing resistance to the relatives. The antiquated village girl with her ancestral spirits had bewitched an innocent boy. She had allegedly traveled back to the village to brew some love portion that blinded their son. The parents did not hesitate to send the bad news to their reverend. The famous Dr. Reverend Tom White of Jesus is a man ministries well known for his claim that Jesus was a man and therefore men were expected to live according to his word. When he began the church there were many women than men some even from low and middle class like Tania. He used to call it “the house of hope” .She used to go with Nick after they had agreed the flamboyant city preacher was going to bless their vows on their wedding day. It had something to do with a stereotype, others called it luck while some staunch believers referred to it as holy anointment by the hand of God. White had an outstanding track record. None of the couples he had married separated. It was said they lived happily ever after which explains why many women came to his church to get married and disappeared. But there was a reason they were running away. Capitalism was among the many but the most outstanding one was how he made them feel.

There's a saying that people might forget what you say. It happens to all of us. But they will never forget how you made them feel. Despite our beliefs being malleable and our memories being a jumble of inaccuracy we keep our emotions safe with us. There were cases of s****l harassment lined up in the city court against the reverend. Nick's parents had even used him to scare Tania away but she wasn't going to give up on Nick that easily. Deep down she was trying to prove something to herself and to others. That love always wins. She was ignoring their hate based on Nelson Mandela’s words "for people to hate they must be taught and if they can be taught how to hate they can also be taught how to love". The things is none of us are born with this qualities we amass them along the way as we grow and interact. Tania had a burning desire to teach them how to love and respect women despite of their skin tone, class and even economic status. She put up with the reverend’s threats and coercion. Reporting him was useless because no one could believe her. Besides having an elite team of lawyers at his disposal all charges against him were being dropped as mere clout chasing law suits that were meant to tarnish a name and brand that had taken the man of cloth years to build.

And yet desperation brings courage. It's only when we are desperate pushed to the limits and stuck between a rock and a wall that we can realize our capabilities. She had just came from her last turned down job hunt. Her only hope was God and to talk to God the father she had to go through the reverend. The same reverend who didn't want her in his church and a conduit that connected them to God. Not that she was unable to pray by herself no. She was in fact very good at prayer having been brought up in a prayerful family. Tania was under the assumption that God was already aware of her woes maybe someone else needed to remind him to consider her plea. In less than a month she had lost her first job and soon she was going to drain her savings to make ends meet. Her parents and siblings back in the village were looking up to her for financial support.

"Tania! Is that you? Of course it is how you doing girl?” a sassy female said walking right into her.

They shook hands shortly. The scorching sun was making Tania’s black lustrous hair glow with jell as it hit her smooth face.

"Am fine how about you cat", she answered feigning happiness.

No one was ever happy to see cat. She was good at making other people feel like they did not belong even back at the office and Tania was hoping holy grounds were an exception.

"So what are you doing here? I mean its Tuesday people don't come to church on Tuesday", Catherine said leading her to a nearby shade.

"I should ask you the same", Tania answered with a weak smile.

"Well I got another job I work here now", she said confidently.

"Congratulations! Any vacancies you've heard of?"

"None, besides they only pick the best anyway what are you really doing here?" she asked looking at Tania straight in the eyes "Not for a job I presume I already told you there are no vacancies and if they were I don't think you make the threshold", She added on trying to twist the severity of her utterances.

"Yeah got that part loud and clear I wanted to see the reverend like right now coz I have a thing, after this can we catch up later?" She said retracing her steps.

"Good luck with that", Catherine said with finality.

Tania did not understand the sarcasm in her statement until she found out that the reverend was not around. If "women don't support other women" was a person then Tania was very sure they could have Catherine's face. Even prayer was not going to save her that day. When she came out of the church she saw Catherine talking to a group of workers in blue aprons. Giving them orders. She was rocking in a white dress with a black strip from each breast down to her thighs. There was nothing more Tania wanted to speak with her so she decided to take her leave secretly the same way she came.

"Not so fast", Catherine said blocking her way wearing gleeful smile on her face, “How did it go?"

"He is not in which I figured out you knew but you didn't tell me so what else do you want cat? Go celebrate your win"

"Calm down you seem to forget this is not the office in here", she said pointing the whole church compound, "am the boss you didn't have an appointment anyway. Am his secretary next time call me first", She bragged swaying her hips as she walked away.

It was not strange to her. No one could expect anything more from Catherine even those who seemed to be closer to her. She stopped and turned around to look at Tania who was now making her way past the gate.

"And bytheway I heard your godmother also quit after she fired us mercilessly what a fool?"

Tania acted like she didn't get what Catherine said. But she got every word. Just when she was at the verge of giving up Ruth gave her reason to keep fighting. She was indeed a godmother to all of them even the egocentric Catherine knew it. She was just in denial. Tania wondered how compassionate Ruth was that she got consumed by the guilt and quit when the victims like Catherine didn’t give a rat’s ass about her sacrifice. At a personal level Tania couldn’t have quit. She was not that strong and she had already seen how cruel the world could be. Coincidentally, her phone rang. When she fished it out of her purse it was the godmother calling.

*********

"I was also expecting you to be happy she is now a stay at home mum", Gideon said to Ben. Father and son were enjoying a beer under the shade of a big tree. It was the oldest in the compound, green umbrella shaped with small needle like leaves that provided a perfect shade for an afternoon get away.

"It turns out am not", He said taking a big sip of his beer.

"So what will you do if she doesn't change her mind?" Gideon inquired staring at his son.

He cleared his throat "That's why am here"

Ben was so dedicated on enacting his own will on Ruth. She had been an obedient and submissive wife who played her role as a subordinate perfectly until she was asked to fire her department. He was brought up under one rule, spare the road spoil the child and this one indicator of disobedience was showing clearly that Ruth was forgetting the road. She was starting to behave like a passenger on a motorcycle who keeps on looking at where they are going when it's the responsibility of the cyclist. And he was the cyclist in their journey. Whether they hit a bump or changed the road to their destination it was entirely up to him. For the first time Ben was going to go against two most important guides in his life. His father and the Bible. Throughout his Sunday school he was forced to come into terms with the fact that women were helpers. Genesis quoted it all on how a woman was created from a man's rib. And every time he came back home from church Gideon could ask him what he had learnt. Ten year old Ben could recite the story of creation and his father would tell him not to forget the words. A woman was a helper. His mum stayed at home engaging in farming and cattle rearing. While his dad had attained college education Ben's mum was a primary school dropout back then when girls were never taken to school. Even though things had changed, the wind was blowing in girl’s favor his dad was still trapped in erstwhile.

"What do you want me to do?" Gideon asked speculatively.

"I want you to claim the children for the holiday then I will pick them from here and take them somewhere she will never see them again", He scratched his mentum with a sadistic smile on his face, "She will do anything for them"

"I always knew the new world would bring these kind of problems that's why I warned you against marrying that girl"

"No one wants a trip down memory lane dad will you help me?" Ben asked with curiosity.

"Anything to make her miserable who knows maybe she will leave I have a perfect replacement for her"

"Dad!" Ben called out showing disagreement with his previous claim.

"What? You married a woman who's smarter than you what did you expect?"

"I love her", Ben said in a weak tone. He still respected and to some extend feared his father despite his old age.

"Look what the love has done to you. Plotting behind her back just to control her because of the laws you people have enacted to empower them to an extent you bow before them", He turned around and spit his typical way of cursing.

"Imma forget you just did that, one last thing can I crush in the guest room?" Ben asked looking embarrassed.

He was expecting another demoralizing lecture or a look of disdain if things turned out so well for him. His father was so against their marriage with Ruth just because she was smart and educated. The old man made it clear when he showed up in their wedding in jeans and a T-shirt. Who does that? Johnson had to step in as his best man and saved him the embarrassment.

"Now you can't even sleep in your own house what happened to this generation!"

"Thank you I'll take that as a yes", Ben said leaving the old man cursing and lamenting in low tone.