I left Pastor’s office completely devastated.

“How did I find myself in this mess? Is Jane worth all these troubles?” I kept asking myself.
I wished that it was any of the good girls in church; at least I will be assured of a happy home. There was even a possibility that any baby Jane gives birth to would be as mad as she. With the quantity of liquor she poured on the baby inside the womb, the baby might be drunk at birth.

“Johnson needs to know what is going on. He will have some words of comfort for me,” I told myself.

Johnson was at the front of his boutique when I arrived. Immediately I alighted from the car, he ran to meet me. I believed he sensed from my look that all was not well.

“Kel boy, you don’t look good.”

“Johnson, the worst has happened,” I blurted out.

“Did someone die?” he asked sounding alarmed.

“I, standing with you, do I look like someone that is alive? I am a walking dead.”

“What is the matter? You are frightening me.”

“My affair with Jane has become an open secret; Pastor has discovered that Jane is pregnant.” I cried out in frustration.

“That is not possible. How did it happen?”

I took time to narrate everything that happened to Johnson. He didn’t allow me to land before blaming me.

“Kel do you know that this is your fault. Why didn’t you involve me? I might have given some useful advice.”

“My brother, things were happening so fast. Though, I never knew that it will turn this way.”

“You made a costly mistake. You should have opened up to the marriage counselor; as in to settle her. You understand what I mean.”

Johnson’s last statement made my bile to rise. I could allow any other person blame me in this matter but not him. If not for him, I would not be in the mess. He practically pushed me into it. However I tried my best to suppress the anger.

“How will I open up to her? Were we going for pregnancy test? Is it not a day to the wedding that they conduct the test?”

“But even at that, you should have enveloped some money for her, as thank you gift. You don’t need to mention anything. With that, she knows what to do.”

“Johnson will you stop this rubbish lecture that lacks biblical back up. I don’t know how I managed to fall victim to this satanic manipulation. You are the one that dragged me into this mess.”

“I beg your pardon! Did you just call me an agent of Satan? I don’t blame you. What I will not take from you is blaming me for your woes.”

“Of course, I will never blame you. It is obvious that I am the architect of my problem. Mummy warned me ahead of time.”

“Kel I didn’t mean it that way. I am sorry.”

I made a move to open the door of my car. When Johnson noticed, he tried stopping me but I pushed him away, entered the car and zoomed off. He called my phone severally but I refused to take his call.

Fewer minutes after I entered my house there was a persistent knock on my door. I made up my mind that I would not open the door for anyone. I never knew that Johnson had trailed me home until I heard his voice.

“Kel I am the one knocking. Please forgive me and let me in. We need each other at this time.”

The last sentence hit me like a bullet. The truth was that I really needed Johnson. By the time my deeds came to public glare, many people would not want to come close to me. A stalwart like Johnson who will stick close no matter the tide should not be joked with. With that, I went to open the door. Johnson hugged me tightly and apologized once again.

“Kel I am sorry for everything. I want you to calm down. You are not alone, we are in this together.”

“Thank you bros,” I responded calmly.

We both sat in silence for a long time. The burden in my heart was so heavy. I could sense that Johnson was itching to say something. Later, he summoned courage and asked if I knew the next line of action from Pastor.

“Pastor told me that I should come and meet with the church elders on Saturday.”

“Ah! That means suspension unless you are ready to deny responsibility of the pregnancy. Denial may not even work now since you didn’t do that when Pastor confronted you.”

Johnson’s statement led me into wailing. As he was comforting me I wept the more.

“Kel there is no cause for alarm. You are neither the first person to go on suspension in the church nor will you be the last person. It is a continuous process. From time to time people will be suspended in the church. If not for fighting and stealing, it will be for fornication or adultery. Others, for beating their wives. Do you know that elder Paul was suspended 6years ago for beating his wife?”

“You mean he beat that his gentle wife?” I asked in shock.

“You have not seen anything,” Johnson answered as he let out laughter.

“I must tell you that I am surprise to hear this. I didn’t know that even the elders commit offence that could make them to be suspended.”

“Are you surprised? Ok let me shock you; elder Abel and elder Don has each been suspended for adultery.”

“This Johnson’s song is becoming melodious to my ears,” I thought. I would have killed myself for nothing. If the people that parade themselves as elders have this ugly past, then no one has the right to judge me. However, I wondered why the church members should elect such people as elders. I demanded an explanation from Johnson.

“There are two reasons for that. Many people in the church are new members like you, they are not aware. Even the old members believe that elders Abel and Don have repented. They feel that it will not be fair to judge them now by the offences they committed many years ago.”

“If that is the case, I don’t need to worry myself,” I said with a sigh of relief.

“Exactly what I have been telling you; there is no big deal about it. Just face it and in few months from now, you are free.”

The encouragement from Johnson really strengthened me. It made me feel that I was emotionally stable to meet Pastor and the elders. But I was wrong.