CHAPTER THREE.

I saw Alex’s face shift from horror to smiley and back to horror again.

“Do you know you are invading my privacy?” I tried to snatch the phone away from him. This time around he willingly let me collect it and I knew I was in for a lot of questions.

“Your ayita?” He raised an eyebrow at me and that was when I realized I had saved her contact with “my Ayita” . It was just at the spur of the moment and I didn’t know I even saved it like that. It seems my subconscious is also aware of what Ayita was doing to me.

“She is a new member and wants me to be her therapist”

Why the fuck was I even explaining to him? It was my life and I could do whatever I wanted.

“Are you forgetting that you are a priest?”

“Can’t priest’s keep friends?” I asked back and he rolled his eyes before leaning forward.

“The way your message is going, I don’t think she will be more than a friend in a few weeks or even days”

I had the strongest inkling to smack him hard across the face, how could he think so dirty about a priest? I would never desecrate the holy place.

“Are you here to drink or advise me on issues I don’t need an advice for?”

Alex smirked while picking up his wine glass, “you are zayn after all”

Rolling my eyes at him, I realized she had sent four subsequent texts and I hurriedly read through them.

“I think you will make a good therapist”

“I am still saying thank you for the ride and your mechanic already delivered my car”

“Have a great night zayn”

“Goodnight”

My heart kept beating faster and faster as I read through the texts and when I got to the part of goodnight, my countenance changed. She was going to bed already? It was still as early as 9pm right? I swear I wanted to talk to her more. From her texts, I could literally hear her voice and see her beautiful smile in front of my eyes. The color of her skin was like a torment to me and I wanted to run my hands through them. Shs was a fucking work of art, I couldn’t lie and that septum piercing gave her a different kind of aura that I could not explain. With every fiber of her being, she was drawing me closer.

“Fuck you man” I heard Alex hiss at me. He must have been talking to me and I zoned out, Ayita again.

“What did you say?” I asked him again, he was holding his phone so I believe anything he wanted to say was because of whatever was in the phone.

“Dmitri Vander is coming to town”

After talking he looked at my face for an expression but I just sat there looking at him. Dmitri, this was the first time I was hearing that name in a long while after he disowned me for wanting to be a priest. It must be an important matter if not the Dmitri I know would not step his leg on American soil. He told me as long as I stayed in America as a priest, he would never come to the country. What a joke.

“Aren’t you excited to see your dad?” Alex asked again and this time I shot him a deadly glare.

“My father is dead” was my simple answer and he pursed his lips.

“Haven’t you learnt to forgive all these years?”

“Forgive a man who told me to my face I was dead to him is nowhere in my mind”

Alex scoffed, “I am beginning to think this priesthood of yours is false because what the fuck?”

Without saying anything, I picked up my car keys and stood up.

“Where are you going?” Alex asked me again, this time he looked worried. I know he was thinking I was affected by Dmitri coming to America but the answer was far from it.

“Tomorrow is Sunday and I have a mass to prepare for”

Then I turned on my heel and left. He didn’t try to call me back and I appreciated that.

*****

By the time I got home, it was already past ten and I even kept looking at my phone Incase she messaged me again. She was already asleep by this time but how I wished.

“Welcome father” one of the helpers greeted me and I nodded at her before going upstairs.

All I needed was a cold shower to ease my mind because that lady was burning hot as hell in my mind right now.

“Forgive my impure mind oh lord” I muttered to myself and grabbed a hold on my rosary. Anytime I was in distress, I always recited the rosary and I would find myself okay but at this particular time, it was not working. The more I tried, the more her face became visible to me.

As if on cue, my phone began to buzz and when I saw the caller ID, my expression changed for the worse.

Why was she calling me after all these years? I wanted to press the end button but on a second thought, I changed my mind and pressed the phone against my ear.

“What?”

“Zayn” her voice filtered into my ears and I closed my eyes in order to control my anger. My anger was something I never wanted anyone to witness because it goes against everything I was taught as a priest. I could kill a person in my moment of anger and I would not feel it. Well, that was a trait I inherited from my father.

“Why have you called?” I asked the lady from the other end and I heard her sigh.

“I am coming to America with your father, we should meet son”

“I am not your son” I immediately snap at her, “I am sorry but I lost my parents seven years ago”

I knew the words were going to hurt her and that was exactly my intent. After I was thrown out of the house seven years ago, she didn’t bother to call or even check up on me and now she wants us to meet? Even if heaven dropped, I would not meet any of them.

“Let’s meet up zayn, I promise I won’t take much of your time”

“Goodbye” I pressed the end button as I closed my eyes.

Now I was trying to control my anger, how dare she? Yes she was my birth mother but I have no regards for her whatsoever. I am happy with my priesthood and I don’t want anything from them, well until Ayita came into the picture.

With the thoughts of Ayita, I immediately felt the anger in my body subside. Wow, she even had that much power over me in just a day.

*****

It was already past eight in the morning when I was led to the altar by a group of boys in my front. The whole church was full to capacity and I understood why. Most of them came because it was a Sunday and they really needed the sermon while some were here to ogle at the priest which is me. Times without number I have seen the women ogle at me openly and I couldn’t blame them, I was one hell of a fine man. Some people even tell me to my face that it was a shame I was a priest. The audacity of these people.

After saying the opening prayer, I walked over to my chair and that was when my eyes fell on her and I almost lost my mind.

She was on the first row and this time around, shs had a white gown on her body while her face was covered with a little makeup. Her white hair looked neat and shorter, perhaps she had it trimmed again. Ayita looked so focused on the pulpit while I was already losing my mind over her. There was a woman and a little boy seated near her which I suspected was her son. He was mixed and he looked so handsome even at a tender age. His long curly hair was pulled up in a bun and he had his mother’s pretty smile.

“What the hell are you doing to me Ayita?” I muttered to myself and as if she was listening, her head turned towards my direction and her lips curved up into a thin smile. Now I swear I was going to lose my mind.

I didn’t know how I was able to coordinate the rest of the mass but I knew it was with the help of God. How could I concentrate when she was sitting directly in front of me looking all pretty and beautiful. Was she slowly becoming the Delilah in my life?

Finally the mass was over and I had the cassock removed, on my way to greet a few people which was a normal thing for me I came across her. It was like she was waiting for me.

Before I got to her, I used the opportunity to study her again and that gown looked superb on her. It was an A neckline gown and was hugging her pretty figure in a decent yet sinful manner to me. It was long to her toes but the indecency in me wanted to see her bare legs.

“Zayn” her melodious voice reached my ears and I unconsciously smiled.

“Happy Sunday Ayita '' I said to her and my eyes fell on the little boy again who had a small drink in his hand.

“Happy Sunday father” the elderly lady beside her greeted.

“Peace be unto you and your family” I answered.

“Mama” her son called and all our attention turned to him.

“What happened dear?” Ayita asked as she removed some unseen dust from his hair, I could tell she really loved him.

“Nothing” he squealed excitedly and pounced into his grandma’s embrace which made all of us smile at his cute behavior.

“We will be in the car, honey,” her mum told her.

“Okay”

I was glad they left, now I could talk to her without having to be conscious of her mother.

“Great sermon by the way”

I smiled, I had preached about love amongst one another.

“Thank you”

The two of us fell silent for a while and that was when I noticed she had a tattoo on her neck, a butterfly tattoo. Shs was dark but the tattoo was very visible. It was safe to say it was the most beautiful tattoo I have ever seen in my life.

“So are you coming later for our section?”

“Yes of course” she was looking at me dead in the eyes as she talked, “I wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world”

“I will make sure not to disappoint you then”

“Alright then, see you by two”

I nodded and when I wasn’t even thinking, shs gave me a light hug and I could feel a different kind of sensation spread throughout my body. It was like a surge of electricity and I wanted to keep her in that position for as long as I could but sooner than later, the hug was over.

Without saying anything again, she turned on her heel and left. My eyes followed her until she disappeared behind the buernovilla flower. Man, she was curvy.