The Club Of God-Fearing Men- 12

Genesis had been propositioned a number of times in his not-so-long life; when he was seventeen, their twenty-three year old next door neighbor had offered her ‘services’ if he wanted experience with a ‘real woman’.
His first blow job had been in his third year in the University, when his study-partner had followed him to the back of the classroom and in the darkness had begged to ‘do’ things to him with her mouth.
And so many other times he could not begin to recall, and yet when Abbey asked him to spend the night, the excitement that pulsed through his body wasn’t the usual kind.
His first thought wasn’t about her in bed with him, no, that came later. His first thought was about how good it felt to be that trusted. He knew she couldn’t ask it of just anyone even if the person had just spent two hours babysitting her kids; it was no delusion the kind of world they lived in.
“Are…you sure?” he asked.
“Yes. It’s…uh…been a while I had anyone to talk to…and…I know there’s no guest room but…I promise; the couch is quite comfortable.” Her smile was nervous.
He hadn’t been expecting her to offer her bedroom to him of course, but he also hadn’t expected her to mention the couch idea so unabashedly.
“I think I prefer my soft, wide bed,” he replied, a playful lilt in his words.
“Genesis, seriously. Are you gonna make me beg?”
And just like that, he was back to thinking how incredibly sexy she was standing there, arms akimbo, hair askance.
He blinked then. How could he possibly spend the night in the same house as this woman without going crazy?
“I’m…not sure …that’s a good idea,” he muttered, averting his eyes so she wouldn’t see his thoughts through them.
“What? Brother Genesis can’t handle spending the night in the house of a woman without thinking carnal thoughts?” there was a light in her eyes as she teased.
It was then it dawned on him that he was still supposed to be in character! He was supposed to be the spirikoko brother from Grace Assembly, the sort of man who did not get moved by such things as beautiful sisters-in-the-Lord.
“Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God…” he responded, enjoying the light banter.
“Well, Jesus said in this world…ye shall have trials…but be of good cheer I have overcome. Don’t you believe that through Jesus, you can overcome all temptations, brother Genesis?”
His eyes searched her face, wanting to know whether she was being serious or if she was just baiting him. Did she have any idea how much she affected him even in her ‘unsophisticated’ state?
“Okay, okay. I give up. I’ll stay tonight. On the couch. Satisfied, madam?” he had to change the direction the conversation was taking. He didn’t know how long he could pretend he was not affected by her especially with Little Johnny beginning to rear its head.
“I’m sorry. I know you didn’t plan this at all. And today being Monday, you have to go to work and all that…please no vex. I have asked too much of you already, but be sure that for coming to the rescue of a widow…God is definitely gonna reward you.”
It was when she said the W word that he remembered that she had lost her husband, that he was about to spend the night in the house of a dead man’s wife. It was then he noticed the small framed picture hanging from the wall and suddenly he wanted to know more about the man whom she had pledged her life to, who had fathered her daughters.
“Will you tell me how he…” he began, not sure of the words to use.
She shook her head, “not today, Genesis.”
“When?”
“Some other time but…not today, please.” She yawned. “I’m so tired right now; all I wanna do is sleep.”
“You can’t go to work today, you know?”
“Fortunately, I’m a semi-boss so I am not obliged to. I’ll just stay home with the girls.”
“You know…I don’t know…enough about you.”
“Enough? I don’t know anything about you,” she yawned again, moving towards the corridor. “But that would be for another day. Let me get you a blanket and pillow. If you wanna take a shower, you can use the guest bathroom.”
“Er…I’ll pass on that. I just need to sleep too.” The mention of shower brought pictures to his head that he didn’t want to entertain.
As he settled in for the night, he wondered if he was going to get any sleep because all he could picture was her, lying in bed naked. Without him.
*****
“Genesis, are you okay?”
“Huh?”
“Oya, talk to me,” it was Lola. “Something has been taking your attention away from me and I want to know what it is.”
Genesis sighed. It was their second week of Salvation classes and he had already recognized Lola’s powerful intuition. She reminded him of his mother, who could take one look at him and know something was up.
“Nothing is wrong na. I’m listening to you,” he feigned interest.
“Eh…and I was born yesterday. Okay, what’s the last thing I said?”
“Uh…you said something about uh…how Jesus promised us the Comforter when…”
Lola burst into laughter, interrupting him.
“What’s funny?” he asked.
“What’s funny is that, that’s what I taught yesterday! You haven’t listened at all to anything I’ve said these past ten minutes!”
“Seriously?” he was flummoxed.
“Yes. So, now you owe me. Talk…what’s on your mind. Maybe I can help. Woman troubles?”
Genesis sighed. He couldn’t tell her that it was indeed a woman on his mind, that since he had spent time with Abbey that night, two weeks ago, he could not stop thinking about her.
Sleep had fled him for another hour when she left him to go to bed; because he kept wondering what she would do if he invited himself to her bedroom. Would she a) kick him out, b) welcome him and tell him she had been waiting for him to take the step, c)slap him, then kiss him.
The only option he saw was a). This was no American sitcom where he would be cheered a hero for taking advantage of a woman’s vulnerability like that.
He left her house at 5 a.m. that morning so he could make it to work. He checked on the girls before leaving, to make sure there was no immediate danger and then he had written Abbey a note.
He left that house that morning with a promise to himself never to come back. There was something about her that made him uncomfortable. He wanted her and yet, he didn’t. He hated that he wanted her. He didn’t want to want her.
He hadn’t called her since then and the salvation classes with Lola had kept him preoccupied. When he met Lola for his first salvation class, he had been distracted by how good she looked. The distraction had expired a few minutes after they parted ways and Abbey was back in his thoughts.
As he sat across from Lola now, he realised he was being stupid. He remembered his bet with the guys and mentally kicked himself for ignoring a potential prey sitting right in front of him.
“Genesis, I’ll walk out of here, if you keep giving me that spacey look! You want us to postpone our classes today?” she was frowning now.
“Okay, I’m sorry. I just…well, you’re right, I’ve got other things on my mind.” He began to spin his lines mentally.
“Mind sharing?”
“I…didn’t want to say anything before. I didn’t want to spoil anything…but…uh…spending time with you has uh…I have come to admire you, Lola. Your zeal for God makes you attractive in a way I never knew was possible. I’m not trying to sweet talk you or anything…and you don’t have to do anything about it now…but I just want you to know…you’ve got a fan in me.” He paused for effect, letting his eyes speak. “You asked what was on my mind? Well, you are.”

His words hung in the air.
To Be Continued….
Mimi A.