Caught In the Storm – Chapter Ten

Wednesday; 7:00pm

Sonia sat infront of the swivel vanity table mirror in her bedroom, staring at her reflection. David was going to arrive any minute, and she somehow found herself worrying about how she looked. She wanted to be perfect, she needed to be perfect.

They had grown quite fond of each other over the past days; texting each other constantly, and sometimes staying on the phone till late at night. She felt like a totally different person around David. He seemed to have unlocked the rare goofy version of herself whenever they were together, a part of her she never thought she had. He was incredibly funny, very intelligent and he effortlessly gave her the healthy respect she hardly saw men give. Not to mention the fact that he was also very easy on the eyes.

After her breathtaking experience at church, they had gone to have lunch at a restaurant. David had exercised so much patience in answering all of her questions, it touched her deeply. The wisdom he exuded made her fall more for him. And the best part was that she finally saw things a bit differently, now that she wasn’t fighting God anymore. Never had she felt so safe and free around a man since her childhood. They had been enjoying each other’s company so much, they hadn’t realised that time had flown by. They left the restaurant by 8pm that day.

However, she was feeling very nervous about this particular evening. Still staring into the mirror, she turned her head slightly to the side, carefully assessing her stylishly gelled hair edges. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she lowered her gaze. She couldn’t help but feel grossly inadequate for some reason.

“I’ve never seen you this worked up over a date before…” An amused voice said from the doorway.

Sonia turned, worry scribbled all over her expression. “Is he here yet?”

“Nope…” Monique replied, moving towards the bed and collapsing on it.

She had returned from Kaduna two days before, grateful to God that everything had worked out well back at home. Her dad had survived a major surgery, and she had decided to start the journey of forgiveness. Seeing him lying half dead on a sick bed did something to her; it ripped away whatever strong resolve she had retained. Her heart bled even more when he apologised to her. She had watched his eyes glisten as he choked on words laced with deep remorse. Her mother had even wanted to go on her knees to beg, had she not prevented her from doing so. Gradually, they were becoming a family again, and the love she had for them was being rekindled.

Sonia, on the other hand, had been nervous about telling her friend about what had transpired between her and David, seeing that Monique had feelings for him earlier. But to her surprise, her friend was rather excited when she told her.

Initially, Monique did feel a slight twinge of jealousy when she heard everything, but it was easily abated. Her trip to Kaduna had reunited her with an old flame from way back. His name was Daren Zamani, an old Christian friend of hers from back in the university she was expelled from. He had feelings for her at the time, but she had shot him down because she clearly wasn’t in the right frame of mind for a relationship at the time. He stayed in Ikoyi but had gone to Kaduna on an important business trip. She did feel strangely drawn to him, but had decided to watch how things would unfold.

Propping herself up with both hands, she noticed the look of distress on Sonia’s face.

“Ah ahn…why is this one squeezing her face like orange that they’ve licked?” Monique asked humorously.

“It’s just… I really want this to go well.” Sonia sighed.

“I don’t understand… why wouldn’t it go well?”

“Because… this is exactly how it always goes. I meet someone interesting and then something goes horribly wrong. I’m afraid that I’m going to mess this up. I’m worried that I’ll do something that’ll finally push him away.” Sonia whined, turning to face her friend.

“You mean, more than you’ve already done?” Monique asked with a snort.

“Not helping…” Sonia said, her expression lacking amusement.

Monique softly breathed out a small laugh, clearly understanding the problem; her friend had developed cold feet. Moving towards the edge of the bed, she inched closer to where Sonia sat.

“Okay, listen to me. You’ve never met anyone like David. And I’m not saying that because he’s patient or kind or even good-looking. I’m saying it because you’ve never met anyone this intimate with God.” Monique began, her caring gaze slightly intense.

Sonia lowered her head and let out a sigh, allowing her hands fiddle with the edge of her dress. All her insecurities were playing their agonizing tunes tonight, and her heart was dancing to their songs. Her facial expression morphed slightly, revealing the deep-rooted anxiety that plagued her.

“Sonia… look at me.” Monique whispered softly, gently placing a hand on her friend’s shoulder. Watching Sonia turn to face her, she gave her a reassuring smile.

“Everything is going to be alright, okay? You are not going to mess this up, alright? Listen to me, you’re gonna go to this cocktail dinner with him, and you’re gonna have fun.”

“I dunno about that. I mean, all this… it feels… too good to be true. It’s scary…” Sonia whispered, dropping her gaze again.

“Isn’t that what something that’s from God is supposed to look like?” Monique asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hearing those words, Sonia let out a small sigh. “You’re right… you’re right. I’m just being paranoid.”

“Good. Now finish up so we can knock the wind out of his lungs. You must give him today and he must take.” Monique quipped.

Sonia let out a small laugh, feeling grateful to have a friend like her. “Thanks…”

The doorbell echoed in the distance, causing Sonia’s heart to leap into her throat. The air suddenly grew tense, and her breathing became shallow.

“Oh God, he’s here…he’s here…” she panicked, looking around for nothing in particular.

“Ah ahn… Mad o! So this man don find your mumu button las las? Ah, we are really in the end times…” Monique commented as she folded her hands dramatically, clearly amused by Sonia’s reaction.

“Girl, stop it… it’s not funny.” Sonia pouted, slapping her playfully.

“Alright… but seriously…relax. Take your time, I’ll go downstairs and stall him.” Monique replied, making her way to the door.

“Thanks, I’ll be down in a short while…” Sonia replied, watching her disappear out of sight.

Turning to face the mirror, she took a deep breath, exhaling some of the anxiety out of her system. She was done putting on her dress and makeup, but couldn’t decide what necklace to wear. Glancing at her options, her eyes caught the golden pendant necklace she had from when she was a child. It was a gift from her mum when she had turned six years old. It even had the native name her mum gave her inscribed on it.

Suddenly, the memories of her mum flooded her mind, slowly waning her mood. She picked up the pendant and gazed at it softly for a while, her mum’s smiley face flashing in her head. Her eyes began to glisten softly, as her mind filled up with bittersweet memories. She drew it close to her chest and shut her eyes, allowing the buried feelings of grief wash over her.

“I wish you were here, mum. I wish you were here to talk me through all this…but you’re not…” she whispered, a lump forming in her throat.

“But, I am…” the Spirit echoed within her.

She opened her eyes slowly, her heart attentive to His soft words.

“Look in the mirror, beloved…” the Spirit whispered.

Sonia fixed her gaze on her reflection, staring intensely at the woman infront of her.

“That… is My image… My likeness… My prize…” the Spirit breathed.

The words blew away the insecurities that were holding her mind captive, allowing confidence burst forth like a Phoenix from within. It felt like scales had fallen off her eyes; she could finally see the glow in her reflection, the beauty in her own image. It dawned on her; she was enough.

With renewed assurance, she smiled to herself, convinced that the evening was going to be amazing.

Meanwhile…

Monique made for the front door, feeling excited to see David. Opening the door, she paused abruptly, her jaw dropping as she saw David’s outfit.

“Hey…” David greeted, smiling gleefully as he stepped under the golden hue of the foyer’s lights.

Monique stepped back quietly, her eyes still fixed on his outfit, taking in his look as the lights added their own lustrous effect.

He had on a burnt-yellow body-fitted asymmetrical stand-collar senator suit, that featured a wine coloured pocket-square handkerchief and lapel pin design. The buttons were arranged slightly to the left side of the attire, giving him a princely look. He complimented the outfit with a pair of black suede loafers and the black Rolex Daytona that Sonia had gotten him. From his neatly carved hairstyle to the voguish shoes he had on, David looked ready to steal the show.

“Ah, Man of God… who are they that provoketh thee?” Monique asked, giving him a dazed look.

“What do you mean?” David asked with a laugh, casually slipping his hands into his pockets.

“Ah Ahn… so you just want to finish everybody?” Monique asked, widening her arms out dramatically.

David laughed heartily, coyly shifting his gaze to the ground. “Please, if I don’t give them… how will they take?”

“Ah! Oshey… Uncle drip! Sauce Daddy! You have become proud, abi?” Monique hailed playfully, marching on a spot as she raised her hands dramatically.

David shook his head playfully, smiling as he made his way to the living room.

“Oh, it’s like this now, abi? You’re now running away from me… your first love…ehn David?” Monique whined, calling after him as she followed.

“Monique, abeg you will not kill me…” He said jokingly.

Stepping into the living room, he slipped a hand into a pocket while checking the time on the other.

“So… where’s Sonia.” He asked, turning to face her.

“Oh, don’t worry about her. She’ll be down in a minute. Meanwhile, we have a lot of catching up to do…” Monique replied while her brows flickering suggestively, giving him a naughty smirk.

“Oh, I see where you’re going with this…” David said blushing slightly, using a hand to caress his beard.

“Okay, seriously… you’ve got to tell me how it happened? I mean… I left you guys for just barely over a week, and now you’re going on dates?” Monique asked, falling unto a couch.

“Honestly… it’s still very surreal to me too…” David said amidst small laughs.

Monique smiled softly, seeing his eyes glint with gladness.

“I haven’t seen her this happy in a while… whatever it is you’re doing… keep doing it.” she said softly, wearing a tight-lipped smile.

David nodded with a smile, clearly understanding what she meant. Monique had just hinted that she was okay with all this, and he was glad.

“Sure, Mickey. Always…”

His voice trailed off when his eye caught someone descending from the curved staircase. Turning towards her direction, he watched Sonia descend gracefully from each step, completely mesmerized by the sight.

It was like watching the sun set; slow, beautiful and simply breathtaking. It was like every other thing faded away, and she was the only source of colour in the room. As she alighted from the last step, Sonia slowly raised her head, allowing her hazel-like eyes meet the awe in his.

David stood there, his eyes completely arrested by her glowing aura. He swallowed with difficulty, as the fuzzy and warm feeling returned to his belly again. There was an awkward pause, leaving everyone’s eyes to do the talking.

Her dark caramel skin glistened under the golden lights, and her brown-tinted curly hair was stylishly packed into a mid-bun. The spicy-red armless Vera Wang evening gown she had on hugged her curvy hourglass frame, and her fine slender legs popped through its thigh-high slit. She wore a pair of black Kate Spade heeled sandals that matched with the black cylindrical clutch purse she held to her thighs. Her ears were adorned with studded golden tear drop earrings, her hands with golden bracelets, and finally her neck adorned with her mum’s golden pendant necklace.

“Well… aren’t you going to say something?” She asked breathing out a small nervous laugh, slightly unnerved by his tensed pause.

David blinked himself back to earth, his brain still floundering. Never had someone’s appearance knocked the wind out of him like this.

“Umm… you look…” he stuttered.

“Words, David. Use your words…” Monique said jokingly, clearly enjoying the whole scene.

“You look… amazing… perfect…actually.” He managed to say, his eyes still dancing over her frame.

Sonia smiled, her confidence fully restored. She moved towards him slowly, stopping only when she was just an inch away from him. David’s breathing slowed as the scent of her perfume seeped into his nose, leaving him scatterbrained for a second. Raising her head to level his gaze, she gave him a cute sassy smile while raising an eyebrow.

“Well… then it’s a good thing I was shooting for perfect…” she whispered, her hand reaching out and clasping his.

David returned the smile, surrendering to the giddy emotions that had been lurking in his soul for days. His eyes caught the golden pendant, noticing the name inscribed on it.

“Adaeze?”

“It’s what my mother used to call me…” she said with a sad smile.

“Well… she made no mistake. You certainly are ‘the daughter of the King’…” He whispered back, his fingers softly stroking her curly hair.

The words made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and his touch released the butterflies in her tummy that she thought had gone extinct. She smiled softly, gazing into his beautiful brown eyes. The urge to kiss him churned within her, feeling her body chemistry faltering with each second she spent gazing into his eyes.

“Oya o! Abeg abeg no vex… Nollywood people it have do… you people should come and be going please. This oppression has started affecting my breathing…wetin sef?” Monique quipped, clapping her hands dramatically.

They both looked at her and laughed softly, watching her pout on the couch. Sonia soon returned her gaze to him.

“You look… really great.” She said, letting her eyes dance over his firm muscular frame.

“Thank you…” He replied.

“I’m hoping you’re as light on your feet as you are with your words…” she whispered.

“Oh please, they never told you? I was born with two right feet…” He replied, giving her a smug smile.

She laughed, placing her hand on his chest. Tonight was going to be nothing short of amazing.

---

Three weeks later…

7:00pm

David stood outside Sonia’s apartment, his sweaty palms an evidence of his nervousness. The cool evening breeze whisked across the tranquil scenery, the calm stillness of the early night slightly unnerving him. They had agreed to take a walk tonight, but David had other plans.

Ever since he got back from that cocktail party, he often found his thoughts scrambling in Sonia’s direction every idle chance they got. He had developed strong feelings for her, and there was no denying it. The feelings grew even more as he watched her grow in Spirit. Watching her pray made his heart flutter every single time. Seeing her break out of her addictions had given him one of the best feelings. She was becoming a woman after God’s own heart, and he was grateful to God for being a part of that journey.

He had taken up his desires in prayers, willing to know if this was a part of God’s plan. He had received something in his heart, an answer he hoped to get from her too.

Watching her emerge from the house wearing what he felt was the cutest sweater, his heart grew warm. Catching her smile from the distance, he summoned courage, ready to take the uncanny step tonight.

Reaching him, she smiled sheepishly and held his hand, squeezing it lightly.

“Hey, you…” she whispered.

“Hello…” David replied, his smile broadening.

They held hands as they walked side-by-side along the tarred road. The moonlight bathed them in its motherly silver hue, causing their shadows to intertwine as they walked close to each other. They walked in sweet silence for a while, allowing their soft smiles and occasional glances at each other fill the void.

“This is nice…” Sonia said coyly, blushing as she kept her gaze away from his.

“It is…” David replied softly, his insides feeling all warm and fuzzy. Taking a deep breath, he summoned the courage to say what he’d been rehearsing in his head.

“Hey, um… there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you…” He said, slowing his pace to a halt.

Stopping abruptly, she turned to face him, her look revealing slight perplexity.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, her hand falling out of his.

“Nothing… nothing’s wrong.” He said as he inched closer to her, looking into her beautiful brown eyes. “Infact… everything is just perfect…”

She smiled, his response putting her at ease.

“There’s no place I’d rather be right now, than right here with you. Even when I’m not with you… my thoughts just keep running after you.” He began.

Sonia’s eyes widened slightly, her ears readily eating up every word.

“In these past few weeks, I’ve felt things that… people would only write about in fairy-tales. Because of you, my heart finally understands the things people write in poetry…” He continued.

“Wha- what are you-” Sonia stuttered, a warm feeling spreading across her chest.

“-I’m saying…” David interjected, reaching to hold her hand. “…that there’s no point having feelings this beautiful and pure, if you never get to know about them. I guess what I’m trying to say… is that I want to be with you, Sonia…”

Sonia gasped, her breath suddenly becoming shaky. She had waited for so long to hear him say those words, but now that he did, her insecurities sprung into action. Flashes of her past, of the things she had done, came rushing into her head. One particular despicable memory, a memory she had kept hidden for years, made guilt tie her gut into a knot.

A sad look crept unto her face as she shifted her gaze away, her mood waning slowly like a teabag in steaming water. She sighed softly, a thousand questions rampaging her troubled mind.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, noticing the sadness in her eyes.

“David… I don’t think you want that…” She said sadly, her gaze shifting to the ground.

“What do you mean?” He asked softly, puzzled by the statement.

She let out a deflating sigh, dropping her head down. “Because there are a lot of things you don’t know about me… about my past… things that if you heard… you wouldn’t feel this way…”

David reached out to her chin, lifting her face tenderly. “Hey, look at me…”

She reluctantly stared at him, the emotions flooding in, causing her eyes glistening.

“It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. Whatever you’ve done, doesn’t and will never change how I feel. Because, I love you, Sonia Jackson.” He said tenderly.

“…Why?” She whispered, her voice slowly breaking.

“…Because your worth loving, Sonia. You’re worth every single second I spend with you, you’re worth every minute I spend thinking about you. I love you… because I have every reason to.” He said, his emotions rising.

“David…” she whispered, slowly shaking her head as she lowered it again. Tears smarted her eyes, and a stubborn lump formed in her throat.

She gently pulled his hand away from her chin, sniffing softly.

“You don’t understand, David… and it’s hard for me because I can’t tell you… I can’t make you understand…” she sobbed softly.

“Sonia… you can talk to me. I want to be here for you. Please, just… talk to me…” He persisted, inching closer to her.

“I-I can’t, David. I’m so sorry, but I can’t let you… be with me. I’m saying no… because I love you… and because you deserve better…” she said, finally breaking into full sobs. She backed away, turning to leave in a hurry.

“Sonia… wait!” He called out, his heart sinking as he watched her hurry back into her apartment, fighting the strong urge to run after her.

Sonia barged into her house, ran up the stairs and into her bedroom. Collapsing on the large bed, she started bawling her eyes out. The broken feeling overwhelmed her, causing the pain in her chest to rise as she cried out. She hated herself, for doing that to him, for leaving him hanging, for breaking his heart. But she was scared that he wouldn’t understand; she was scared that he would leave her if he found out the truth, what she had to do. David was too pure for that, and even if he wanted to go on, she wouldn’t allow him. He deserved better, he deserved someone better than her.

She cried endlessly, dampening the pillow she held close to her chest. Time slowly ebbed away until the peaceful embers of sleep lulled her into their caring arms. Her body soon grew limp, and she surrendered herself to the void.

---

Sonia found herself in a place that was covered in darkness, the kind of darkness that made it seem like her eyes were gouged out from their sockets. She found herself standing right at the centre of the open void, with the sound of hellish screeching causing her head to turn frantically in every direction. The eerie sounds caused fear to coil swiftly around her soul like a python, tightening its grip with each shaky breath she took.

All of a sudden, the screeching stopped. Few metres from where she stood, she spotted a pair of torn trousers highlighted in the distance. Cautiously drawing nearer to them, her eyes widened in horror. She backed away in fright, her palms covering her mouth as she recognised those pants. They were the same trousers she had worn that horrid night before he ripped them off.

Then, it dawned on her. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did; she was in the basement where she was violated.

Her body began to shiver, and her heart crashed frantically against her chest. She could feel the cold sweat trickle down her neck, and her eyes throbbed as they laboured to make something of the impenetrable darkness. She could feel the angry glares of whoever was watching her from the dark, she could hear them seething in rage.

Suddenly, a devilish cackle pierced the eerie silence, causing her head to snap in that direction. Another voice cackled evilly from another end, sounding even more sinister than another. Soon, the whole room was reverberating with unholy voices, cackling and hissing in every direction. Sonia’s entire body began to quake vigorously, the sound of their evil laughter frightening the daylight out of her.

Then, just as quickly as they had begun, the laughter stopped, replaced by deathly voices.

“You really thought that you could outrun the past…” a dark voice hissed scornfully.

“Who… who’s there?” Sonia asked shakily, her head still darting in every direction, unable to make where the voice was coming from.

“You really think… you can be forgiven-” Another voice hissed sardonically.

“-for what you did?” A different dark voice completed.

Another round of cackles rang across the dark room, causing her to shriek in terror.

“Foolish girl… you will never be forgiven!“

“…you will pay for what you did…“

“Please! Just leave me alone!” She cried out, putting her palms over both ears. Her jaw began to quiver, hearing the dark voices overlap each other, growing louder by the second.

“Murderer…“

“Liar…“

“You deserve to die…“

“Cursed child…“

“You will suffer…” they hissed continuously.

“No! Leave me alone! I didn’t mean to!” She screamed, dropping to her knees. Suddenly, the whole place went silent.

“But you did, didn’t you?” A familiar voice echoed calmly.

She felt her gut twist into a knot as recognition hit her. She could never forget that voice. Raising her head slowly, she stared intensely at the direction it came from.

A part of the darkness suddenly began to morph, gradually pulling itself together and shape-shifting eerily into a ghostly figure. In matter of moments, Steven Henderson stood metres away from her, grinning lewdly, his body resembling that of the undead.

“No… no…” Sonia muttered, her eyes widening in horror as she fell on her back, inching away from him.

“Just look at you… you’ve become exactly like me… Angry, bitter, broken… violent.” He snickered.

“Argh! Get out of my head! I’m nothing like you!” She cried out, trying to cover her ears.

“And no matter how hard you try… you will never be free from me…because I own you…” He snarled, taking slow steps towards her.

“No… no! Just leave me alone!” She screamed, her chest heaving.

“You will never know peace… because of what you did. You deserve all the pain and suffering… you deserve to die alone…” He growled, his voice deepening fiendishly as he pulled out a familiar blood-stained kitchen knife out of nowhere.

Suddenly, he dashed towards her in a frenzy, laughing maniacally as he ran.

“Jesus!” She yelled, just before he made contact with her.

Sonia’s eyes flew open in a frenzy, her mouth wide open as she inhaled sharply. She sat up immediately, her eyes darting around her bedroom in sheer panic. Her body was covered in cold sweat, still shivering from the nightmare. Overwhelmed by the ordeal, she started crying miserably, feeling plagued by immense terror.

“Oh, God…” she cried.

She desperately craved for the comfort of another, someone that would calm her down and tell her it was okay, but there was no one in the house. Monique had gone to stay with her parents for a while, feeling the need to stay with her recovering father.

The eerie silence of her room made her hairs stand. She needed to get away from the house, she was too scared to remain alone. Then, she remembered; David could still be awake.

She hurriedly checked the time; it was 10:00pm. Grabbing a jacket, she dashed out of her house, hurriedly making her way over to his apartment. Knocking on his door, she took in deep breaths, still shaky from the ordeal.

David opened the door, his expression breaking into one of surprise.

“Sonia? W-What are you doing here?”

As soon as she saw him, she broke down into sobs and collapsed unto his broad frame.

“David…” she whispered, emotion seizing her voice. Her eyes began to tear up.

“Hey… it’s okay… its alright.” David said, hugging her tightly, his fingers stroking her hair. He didn’t know what this was about; but clearly his own feelings had to wait.

After a while she pulled away, sniffing as she softly gazing into his eyes.

“Can we go inside? There’s something I need to tell you…”

“Sonia, what’s going on?” He asked, feeling worried.

Letting out a sigh, she grabbed hold of his hand, squeezing it as she looked into his eyes.

“I want to tell you everything…”

TO BE CONTINUED…

Well, this was certainly intense❤. I know, I know, just breathe. You will be alright😂. Don’t you just love ‘Love’? I know we do💆🏾‍♂️. Two more chapters till the end. It’s been a very intense journey. Please, let us know your thoughts about this chapter 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾

Stay tuned for more❤. Please share and subscribe. God bless you❤