Eka’s story - Season 1 - Episode 19

Episode 5 years ago

Eka’s story - Season 1 - Episode 19

Eka packed her load feverishly amid intense sobs. She had no bag to carry her stuffs and so had to break her vow not to enter Dr. Gerry’s bedroom. Eka searched his wardrobe and found a leather bag big enough to hold her clothes and dashed out of the room with it. Hastily she packed her stuff. She worked like an ant. She spared no thought for her new business and customers, or bothered about where she was running to. Her mind was simply set on escaping the imaginary next round of being brandished a witch. Having packed her bag, she dragged it out of her room and to the balcony of the flat. There she remembered she had left the pouch which held her money and she ran back into her room to go take. If one had seen Ekaette in that mood, one would have concluded that she was under a spell. When she returned to the balcony she locked the entrance door to the flat, dropped the key on the floor where she was sure Dr. Gerry would see it and began to drag her bag toward the gate. When she got to the gate, she opened it and lifted the bag unto the street. She lifted her eyes to see if she could find a young man to help her carry her bag to the bus stop, only for her to see Dr. Gerry standing in front of her. Eka’s eyes were soaked with tears and she breathed heavily.

One look at the bag and Eka Dr. Gerry figured out what was happening. “Where are you going to Eka?” Eka tried to speak but instead began to cry. Her sob was soulful, deep and shook her. Dr. Gerry put his hands around her and led her back into the compound. “I am sorry I doubted you in the morning. The thought of a dead old woman visiting you scared the living day out of me. If I were in your shoes I just might give running away a thought, especially after all you have gone through. Please forgive me. Don’t go anywhere please, I want you to stay.” Eka shook her head, making the ‘no’ sign, and pointing toward his flat she said, “She…she… she came…” Dr. Gerry could not wait to hear the rest of her words, he was getting a different meaning, he sprang toward his flat, he thought another woman had visited him and asked Eka out of his flat. Eka had not seen him angry before. In fact Dr. Gerry’s anger made Eka’s tears to dry up quick. Dr. Gerry stopped near his flat and ran back to Eka; he didn’t want her to leave before he would come back. He took her hand and led her mid-way to his flat and stopped once more. He had remembered Eka’s bag was still on the sidewalk on the street. Holding her hand, he led her to the gate, opened it and dragged her bag back into the compound. In one hand he held Ekaette and in the other he dragged her bag.
All this while Eka observed him in silence; she could see Dr. Gerry had a place for her in his heart. For a moment she thought Dr. Gerry was going to invoke her grandmother for a fight, she did not know he thought some woman was in his house. When they got to the balcony, Eka stooped and picked up the key to open the door and then Dr. Gerry wondered aloud, “Ah ah! You locked her inside!” Eka was at loss as to his meaning and explained, “She came when I went to call Simbi to request she come over for a prayer session. I didn’t see her, but her evil perfume was all over the house and when I entered my room I saw the necklace she tried to put on me the other morning and her clothes on the floor. The mirror was also broken in two. I tried praying but gave up. How would I explain all these to you when you already had begun to think I might after all be a witch?” Tears circled her eyes once more. “Oh God! So the ‘she’ you meant was your grandmother? Hahaha! Your broken words and demonstrations had me riled up. Really I thought some woman visited me and drove you out of my house. I was poised to have you throw her out the same way she threw you out.” “But I won’t let any woman throw me out of your house. I will never let that happen. I meant my grandmother, she came back.”
Dr. Gerry took a sigh of relief and said calmly, “Eka, I believe everything you told me in the morning, open the door, I have some things to tell you. I spoke with my landlord; you were right when you said some people are living in the next flat.” “Are you serious?!” For once that afternoon, Eka flashed her lovely smile. She opened the door and dragged her bag straight into her room. Dr. Gerry followed behind her, he wanted to see the broken mirror, the necklace and the clothes Eka’s grandmother left behind. He stared at them for a while and said, “You won’t sleep in this room tonight. Whatever this is meant to do to you, we won’t let it happen. I can’t wait for your friend to get here; should I call my pastor? This has to stop!” “Don’t bother. When Simbi gets here, you will witness another realm of praying and you will see me differently.” “Are you now boasting? A while ago you were on the run because of your grandmother.” “I wasn’t on the run because of her. I was on the run because of what you might say when you see these things. Believe me I am not a witch, someone is trying to destroy me and I don’t know why.” Dr. Gerry took her in his hands and said as tenderly as he could, “I know you are not a witch. You don’t have to try to convince me about that again. And let me say this now, even if you were one, I will become your wizard so you won’t have to run away from me.”

Actually Eka thought she did not hear him well. Her heart raced fast and she embraced him like she embraced her father back when he was a good man to her. Eka wanted to hear those words again and so she asked, “Would you seriously become a wizard for my sake?” “If you think I am joking, then try to become a witch and you will see what I will do.” “God forbid! I will never be a witch!” “Eka, I said that to mean you should stop running from what people might say. Embrace who you are and dare people. They will always say what they want to say. You can’t stop them and you don’t have to please them.” Eka was happy that in subtle ways Dr. Gerry confessed his love for her, all she had to do was grow up to become his wife. “Thanks for your words doctor. You said you had something to tell me.” “Yes! Let’s go to the living room.” As Dr. Gerry turned to leave for the living room, Eka jumped on his back and pretended to bite him on the neck. Dr. Gerry pushed her away and shouted, “Ah ah! I thought you said you were not a witch? You just s----d my blood!” Eka barred her teeth as though they were fangs and came after him. Dr. Gerry made a dash into the living room; picking a TV remote control and a pen, he formed a makeshift cross. Eka looked at the cross and dropped to the floor as though the power from the cross knocked her silly. Dr. Gerry still laughing and wondering how Eka could shift from one emotion to another said, “You know I still don’t understand you. One moment ago you were crying and willing to run away and now you are playing with me like you were another person entirely. Tell me how do you do it?”
“I may have still be crying by now if you had not said the right words. Words fitly spoken make me tick; and you know how to say loads of them. The best words I have heard since my parents drove me out came today and they came from your lips. You said I can still be a witch and accept who I am. Please I am not saying that I am a witch, and I will never be a witch in Jesus name!” Dr. Gerry responded, “Amen!” “You don’t know what you have done doctor. I feel like a ton of weight has been borne away from my shoulders. I feel free and reborn!” “I am glad you feel that way. I like it when you are happy. Don’t forget I said I have something to tell you, and I have to go back to work.” “No way! You are not going back! Tell them you broke a leg,” Eka protested and sat next to him. “My ears are yours now. What do you have to tell me?” she asked drawing both her ears. “Like I said earlier, I spoke with my landlord and he confirmed that a couple is living in the next flat. He is helping them out with the flat. They just returned from Cameroon where they lost all their children. The loss of their children may be the reason the woman you spoke of acts strangely and not necessarily because your prayers disturb her. This weekend we will get to know them. The landlord said he will come over to do a formal introduction so we can get to know them, and they us.”

“If Faustina is not the source of my attacks, who then is?” “Don’t let that worry you Eka. Our prayers will reveal the source and bring them to shame.” “But Dr. Gerry, the attacks started since I came here.” Dr. Gerry could tell she was beginning to worry again about the possibility of being a witch. He reached for his purse which was slung across his shoulder and removed the Tecno P5 he bought for her and announced, “I got this for you. Now you have a phone. We can talk wherever I am and whenever.” “Thanks a lot Dr. Gerry. Simbi won’t believe it when she sees my phone.” Dr. Gerry could see right through her pretense, she was still worried about the attacks…..