Elder Femi planned with his cohorts to celebrate Pastor’s transfer from the church. They decided to meet in his house, to plan on how to raise money for the occasion. On the agreed day for the meeting, not many of them turned up after about 30 minutes of the agreed time. As they were still waiting for other people to come, elder Femi raised the issue of elder Gad.

“Please my people, there is a sad news. I have been weeping since yesterday. But as a man I have to put myself together. Such is life. The worst situation in life is death. Thank God there is still life. It is about elder Gad, he has gone mad.”

“What!” they all chorused in unison.

“Yes oo. I was in my house, this morning, when he sent for me to come. Immediately I got to his house , he told me to come closer that he want to tell me something. One man there was giving me a signal that I should not go close to him but I did not understand. As soon as I was near him, He slapped my face, held me with all his strength and attempted to bite me. My saving grace was the young man. He overpowered him and rescued me.”

“But I saw his wife yesterday. When I asked him of elder, she responded with a broad smile that he is getting stronger,” Julius said.

“Don’t mind that witch. She was the one that came to call me from my house. She never told me that her husband was mad. Even when the young man was trying to rescue me, she told him to leave us, that we are friends.”

“Friend with a mad man?” Mr. Kennedy asked in shock.

“You have seen me. Femi is now a friend of mad men. Satan will punish that woman. She is so mischievous. If she see you, she will almost want to fall to the ground in the name of greeting you. Please, you all should be careful. No one should go near their house, for any reason.”

“Elder, thank you for informing us. What we don’t know, will never know us,” Mr. Ego prayed.

Elder Femi took a quick glance at his wall clock. He was getting impatient that many of their members were yet to come.

“We agreed to hold this meeting by 5:00pm. This is 6:00pm, yet only 4 of us are in attendance.

I think that we should commence the meeting. Others can be joining us as the meeting progresses. I have already promised that I will make my compound available for the occasion. Water and cooking utensils will be provided by my family. Chairs and any other thing that will make us comfortable will also be provided by me.”

They all clapped.

Immediately he finished talking, Mr. Kennedy took over.

“Elder thank you so much, for setting the ball rolling. In spirit of the celebration, I will donate one bag of rice and 5 cartons of chicken so that the women can prepare food for us.”

They also clapped for him.

“In that case, I will provide vegetable oil and other ingredients for the cooking. Please let the women tell me how much it will cost, let me give them the money,” Mr. Ego promised.

Immediately he finished talking Mr. Julius stood and everyone looked towards his direction.

“I don’t really know if I should continue with what I want to say or I will be called a sinner. One of the things that made me to join this group was because I noticed that there is no segregation and ‘holier than thou attitude’. I love beer, I sell beer. In fact I live beer. One of the problems I had with Pastor was the way he was preaching against alcoholic drink. Pastor wanted to close my source of livelihood. He told me to stop selling alcohol drink. In fact I gave pastor money and he said he will not collect it because it was proceed from a business that does not glorify God.

He told me to close the business and seek the face of God for direction concerning another line of business to do. I told him that I can’t do it. However, I thank God for this group and the kind of love that exist. Having said that, I will be donating ten cartons of beer for the occasion.”

Elder Femi quickly appreciated him. “Julius feel free. Your donation is accepted. Don’t mind the pastor. Imagine him telling you to close your business. Will he feed your family for you? I don’t know why that man is so insensitive. Anyway thank God that you are not one of the gullible members. He would have succeeded in turning you to a beggar. Like I said, your gift is accepted. Even if it is cigarette, bring it. If we cannot smoke, we will sell it. My people, is it not so?”

Mr. Kennedy could not believe his ear. He shouted,“It is not so. Elder Femi I said, it is not so. What is all these?

What do you want to turn us to? How can Julius come and donate beer in a Christian gathering, where an elder like you is in attendance. Instead of you to rebuke him, you are encouraging him. What kind of elder are you? They said that a goat does not give birth in fetters when an elder is at home. What is going on here? Let’s call sin, sin. There is no need painting it. And you Julius, Pastor did not tell you to close your business. He said you should stop selling alcoholic drinks and concentrate on the nonalcoholic drinks. Does that amount to closing your business?

You think we don’t know why you are bitter against Pastor. You told Pastor to stand as surety for you to take loan for your business. He told you that he cannot stand for you because you didn’t heed to the advice he gave you to stop selling alcoholic drinks. Please don’t turn us to drunkards. That donation is not accepted.”

Mr. Femi felt slighted by what Mr. Kennedy said.

“Kennedy shut up your mouth. Mr. righteous man shut up. If you so love the pastor, what are you doing in the midst of unrighteous people. Taking alcoholic drink is sin, but living with a woman you have not paid her bride price is not a sin in your eyes. Pastor told you countless times to go and pay your wife’s bride price but you refused. Something that even our fore fathers hate and speak against, you said that it is a good thing. You are always quick to make a donation so that they will see you as a rich man. If you are rich as you claim, why can’t you pay your wife’s bride price? Go and do what your fellow men do. In fact that rice and cartons of chicken you said that you are giving us, keep it. Add to it and use it to pay your wife’s bride price,” elder Femi concluded.

“I don’t really like the way this discussion is going. Please let’s accord one another respect. It is saddening hearing some of the things we vomited from our mouth. I think at this juncture, we should apologize to one another and move on in peace before other members come.

If they witness what happened now, it will scatter everything for us,” elder Monday pleaded.

“It’s a lie. We are not moving an inch until I tell elder Femi, all that he needs to hear.” Mr. Kennedy continued unwaveringly. His words were aggressive and harsh. “ Elder Femi, have you ever priced block in the market, Do you know how much they sell land. Just because your younger brother died and you inherited his house, you are now raising your shoulder and calling yourself a landlord. Only God knows if you are not the one that killed him. Why do you hate Pastor? You think we don’t know. He set up structures that prevented you from embezzling church fund. As that was going on, he also did not allow you to connect power from church to your shop. That is why you mobilized us against him. I am just watching you and laughing. You think that I am a fool. You feel that you are wise yet you cannot cover your tracks. All the church money you stole will speak against you, criminal.”

Elder Femi could not believe was his ear was hearing. The insult was so much that he couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Did you come to my house to insult me?” elder Femi asked in anger.

“I will insult you anywhere. In this your borrowed house, in the market place even inside your bedroom. There is nothing you can do about it. Criminal that came to hide inside church. I thank God for this pastor who doesn’t condole evil. You think it’s everyone that you will put inside your wrapper. Our former pastor discovered that you embezzled church money, when he confronted you, you threatened to mobilize the church members against him. He left you for God. Yet your conscience does not judge you. You have used style to call us together to come and donate food for your household.

Imagine a programme that is holding in your house, yet you are telling us that your contribution is cooking utensils and chair. No, you should have allowed us to sit on the floor. Proud poor man (PPM).”

Elder Femi charged forward with a furious expression in a bid to punch Kennedy but he quickly grabbed his hand tightly that he couldn’t move. “Don’t try this next time, if you don’t want to die,” Kennedy warned sternly. He emitted a murderous aura that frightened elder Femi.

Elder Femi quietly moved back to his chair. He couldn’t believe what just happened. The hand that held him was as strong as an iron. Elder Monday had to come to his aid and reprimanded Kennedy.
“Kennedy, you have to apologize for all the nonsense you said. It’s lies and you know it. Elder Femi did not steal from church.”

“Birds of same feather. Why won’t you support him?” Kennedy fired back at Elder Monday.

“Somebody should tell this man to leave my house before I commit murder. I will not take this nonsense from him again,” elder Femi threatened. Though fear didn’t allow him to get close to Mr. Kennedy again.

That was how the meeting dispersed.