If you set a trap for others,
You will get caught in it yourself.
If you roll a boulder down on others,
It will crush on you instead.
-Proverbs 26:27
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“He bent on his knees and inscribed something on the
ground, then he raised his head and asked the woman…
Where are your accusers? he asked the woman, they are
gone my Lord”
Joseph smiled as pastor Philip explained the famous
chapter in the bible where the woman caught in the very
act of adultery was brought to Jesus, he shaked his head,
and he remembered his days on campus, he was a
teacher of the word, he had specifically used this same
passage to preach a powerful message, but now, coming
to church seemed like an alien coming to planet earth. He
didn’t fit in at all…
“I am guilty as charged my Lord, I slept with the woman
in question but…” Joseph couldn’t help but laugh at the
way pastor Philip had demonstrated his own version of
the story painting a situation where the man who engaged
the woman in adultery was taken to the law court to
questioning and judgement. He had known pastor Philip
ever since he was a boy, the now old man was just a
deacon before he left the church, and had now become a
pastor. Anyway God can use anyone oh.. Abi, is it not this
same pastor Philip who ranted curses on him while he
was young because he thought he was his daughter’s
boyfriend? Joseph had only gone to call her for rehearsal,
he waited for her to dress up and in a jokingly manner,
had called her sweetheart come out naa!, your husband is
waiting…. Only for her father to walk out to the corridor
and start a semi sermon combined with proverbially
constructed curses on anyone who wants to destroy his
daughter’s career…. “Koni da fun Eni to ba fe ba aye omo
mi je”. Embarrassed, he angrily left her behind and had
gone to church alone that day.
“Come unto me all ye that are laboured and are heavy
laden and I will give you rest…No matter the pain…”
Pastor Philip had said, and that word had jolted him like
an electric volts from his daydreaming. Speaking of pain,
his head was aching him, his mother had done a good job
of cleaning and applying treatment to his injuries, thanks
to her little knowledge of pharmacy which she owned
across her street. In turn she had pleaded with him to
follow her to church for thanksgiving over the incident. He
he knew his efforts would be futile if he tried to refute her
request, so he quietly accepted and his mother had gone
to the market to buy him new clothes as the ones he
brought had been lost to the robbery..
“Can you at least wash me off this guilt of mine?” Joseph
had murmured a last minute prayer as the pastor closed
the service. He believed God may or may not hear him
since it had been a while he talked to God…his heart was
too heavy….
———————————
“Who sent you here to spy on us” Scorpion barked at
former gangmate who was caught trying to send an
information out to an unknown destination,
“No one!, I told you Scorpion, it was just a letter to my
Facebook girl now, at least you read the so-called letter”,
Joe blurted out amidst pain. He had almost blown his
cover when he tried to send an information to his partner
in Nigeria, his mind drifted back to his captain’s words…
“Jossy, undercover operation is very dangerous and your
sole priority is never to get caught”, he warned stressing
the last word, the man had taken him in and had
recruited him into the Federal Bereau of Investigation
when he had exhibited intelligence in cracking a tough
case which involved the Russian intelligence, it was a
puzzle and being a fun of puzzle he had easily solved the
puzzle.
Here he was on his third mission, the last two had been
done with great intelligence and skills.
He was to go undercover in Cameroon to investigate a
druglord whom they believed had a connection with one
of the top officials in government. Being a black man he
and his partner who was also a black was assigned the
job.He was to infiltrate the drug gang and send
informations on his partner making Nigeria their base.
He arrived in Nigeria with his partner and planned his
infiltration, it was very easy for him, he had the good
looks and all he had to do was meet up with the drug
lord’s beautiful daughter Hannah who studied at Ahmadu
Bello University. He tracked her down for weeks until he
was able to seduce her.
“Dad meet my boyfriend, his name is Joe,” Hannah told
her father, when she took Jossy home to her native
home, Bamenda in Cameroon. The duo, father and
boyfriend had hit it off when he stated his interested in
the “family business”. Unsuspiciously Don , had made him
his right hand and introduced him to all his business
associates, including his business secrets.
“Everyday for a thief, one day for the owner of the goods”
Don said in his Cameroonian accent, “I took you in as a
son and you betrayed me, I won’t kill you quickly, I will
make you suffer for breaking my heart” he said in anger
as he left the small dungeon, signaling to his main striker,
Scorpion to kill him slowly…
“Alright Scorpion, I know my end has come, but give me
a last chance to say a word to Hannah, please, Scorp…
For old times sake, at least for saving your life during the
last operation” Joe, said as soon as don left the room, he
knew Scorpion too well and he was now pulling his
strings.
“I love you Hannah, my heart is yours forever” he said as
he dropped the phone, he had passed a hidden message
to his partner, whose number he dialed instead of
Hannah’s..
“This is your last meal on earth traitor”, Scorpion threw at
him a plate of rice and chicken, though he was scared it
might be poisoned but he needed his strength for what
might be coming soon…
“Lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil” he
murmured what seems like his last prayer.
“Gbom!!.. The entire building was in shambles, Joseph
had held on to a corner of the room he had calculated
would not go down too easily, the hidden message he
was working right now, Patrick his partner had blown the
building as a means of his escape, as soon as the dust in
the air subsided, he made his way out of the shambles,
and ran as far as his leg could carry him,… It didn’t take
long before Don and his men followed him, he ran into a
nearby forest, and took the path he had outlined for his
escape…
But he was too late, his only means of escape Patrick had
been killed at the Peninsula before he arrived… He knew
the only way was to cross the border over to Nigeria on
foot and contact his agency abroad…
“You are a failure, you got your partner killed, blew your
cover and came back with nothing” the captain had
screamed at him upon his arrival at the airport, “I
regretted ever bringing you in to the agency”, He said as
he walked away. He couldn’t even looked at Eva, Patrick’s
wife and his only son in the eye as they wept…
He woke up with a serious migraine as he got the
expected phone call from his captain…
“You have been fired, agent Joseph”. The line went dead…
He stared at the ceiling… He had failed again…!!
