The house was set ablaze, this time it was Papa. He drew out his black ladder belt and beat Atom on her back for coming back late from church, the church by the river side just close by the house. Papa didn't take it easy with us, especially the girls. He once hit Atim and a guy for standing by the roadside to talk and hug each other. We don't wear trousers, no colouring of the face and we dare not to the opposite sex until it's pertaining to church activities. At first we thought it was normal but as time went on, it became unbearable, not when he stops us from having a good relationship with people. Papa was so devoted in church, he sit in the pulpit while Me, Mama and Others sit at the congregation. Mama sometimes seat at her sit as a Pastor's wife. During service, Papa would tighten his face showing all form of seriousness and nodding his head, mostly during sermon. He was always preaching in church, yet he was still beating Mama and having her go to the hospital to receive treatment. Papa was also a prayer warrior, he prays so many times and speaks in tongues as the spirit led.
In church, Papa's eyes was on every girl's face to know the good girls and the bad girls.
" The bad girls are those that colour their faces" said Papa in one of his sermons.
His eyes didn't leave us too. He checks our faces to see a sign of shinning gloss on our lips. Papa's holiness was appearance, he said this many times to us. On a Sunday morning, as people were moving forward to give their offerings to God, Papa noticed a shinning gloss on Atim's lip. He leaves the platform and walked directly to Atim, he cleans off her lipgloss by himself. Papa didn't want to be a thing of mockery, especially when he preaches against this things.
" My children should be a good example." He said wiping off the lipgloss. He uses her lips to brush on the raw wall. The congregation were amazed.
He conduct midnight prayers, nobody dare refuse to take part in it. After he wakes up from his sleep, he would move from door to door waking us up.
" It's time for prayers, wake up. " He did say.
" But Papa, I am tired... tomorrow is school, I have an examination." Atim replied.
" And so?" He slaps Atim
" Don't you know I sacrificed so much to pay your school fees and feed you? I feel I die now, you will be useless. Leave that bed now and come out for prayers."
Atim frowns face and grumble.
" Grumble again and I will slap the devil out of you, maybe you are the wizard that the prophetess said is tormenting our family." Papa said this to Atim.
" You better go for deliverance o, that prophetess said that you, your mother and others are the ones that want to kill me, so you all can claim my houses." He talk again, sounding so furious this time.
He did this every night, it affected me as I didn't have enough sleep and I ended up sleeping in school. Soon he became tired and changed to fasting. He starts the fasting by 5 am and dismisses by 7 am. He sang numerous songs and pray, repeating prayer points. He often forget that we do go to school in the morning and he complains for not doing our house chores too. Each time we complain to him about taking time. He would remind us of his past with his face twisted like that of the devil.
" During my school days, I trekked from Calabar to Lagos every day to school and I still do my house chores in the morning and wakes up very early. Then I wasn't given transport. Vehicles were for rich kids" he said.
" You are all fortunate today to have vehicles get you to school today." Papa would talk, talk and still talk without getting tired or his blood pressure rising.
Papa's voice wakes everyone up in the morning. Our neighbors knew when he is in and out and when he comes back from work, our heart pumps faster.
In church, Papa's eyes was on every girl's face to know the good girls and the bad girls.
" The bad girls are those that colour their faces" said Papa in one of his sermons.
His eyes didn't leave us too. He checks our faces to see a sign of shinning gloss on our lips. Papa's holiness was appearance, he said this many times to us. On a Sunday morning, as people were moving forward to give their offerings to God, Papa noticed a shinning gloss on Atim's lip. He leaves the platform and walked directly to Atim, he cleans off her lipgloss by himself. Papa didn't want to be a thing of mockery, especially when he preaches against this things.
" My children should be a good example." He said wiping off the lipgloss. He uses her lips to brush on the raw wall. The congregation were amazed.
He conduct midnight prayers, nobody dare refuse to take part in it. After he wakes up from his sleep, he would move from door to door waking us up.
" It's time for prayers, wake up. " He did say.
" But Papa, I am tired... tomorrow is school, I have an examination." Atim replied.
" And so?" He slaps Atim
" Don't you know I sacrificed so much to pay your school fees and feed you? I feel I die now, you will be useless. Leave that bed now and come out for prayers."
Atim frowns face and grumble.
" Grumble again and I will slap the devil out of you, maybe you are the wizard that the prophetess said is tormenting our family." Papa said this to Atim.
" You better go for deliverance o, that prophetess said that you, your mother and others are the ones that want to kill me, so you all can claim my houses." He talk again, sounding so furious this time.
He did this every night, it affected me as I didn't have enough sleep and I ended up sleeping in school. Soon he became tired and changed to fasting. He starts the fasting by 5 am and dismisses by 7 am. He sang numerous songs and pray, repeating prayer points. He often forget that we do go to school in the morning and he complains for not doing our house chores too. Each time we complain to him about taking time. He would remind us of his past with his face twisted like that of the devil.
" During my school days, I trekked from Calabar to Lagos every day to school and I still do my house chores in the morning and wakes up very early. Then I wasn't given transport. Vehicles were for rich kids" he said.
" You are all fortunate today to have vehicles get you to school today." Papa would talk, talk and still talk without getting tired or his blood pressure rising.
Papa's voice wakes everyone up in the morning. Our neighbors knew when he is in and out and when he comes back from work, our heart pumps faster.
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