FAITH & TRADITION 2

SCENE 5

HELEN: Rose my dear, this is the worst development that has popped up this year. I’m still finding it very difficult to come to terms with it. You mean that promising young man came up with such disheartening suggestion?

ROSE: He’s not just suggesting it Ma. He is bent on actualizing it or else buries all we ever shared and aborts our plan of settling down together.

HELEN: He has to be out of his mind. Don’t take him seriously. I think he’s just under some sort of pressure. Give him time and he’ll come around before you know it.

ROSE: Ma, I think any pressure that is strong enough to make him abort a future we planned together for years is worth worrying about. He even bade me goodbye forever!


HELEN: When situations like this arise, there is only one thing we can do to save it, and that’s prayer. When Haman plotted to wipe out every Jew in the whole Persian Empire, all the Jews did to avert such fate from befalling them was just a three day prayer and fasting. If Tony means that much to you, you should be ready to sacrifice the little or much it requires call his spirit to order. 

ROSE: Of cause I am.

HELEN: His faith may be under satanic attack. But there is no problem prayer cannot solve. I’ll call on a few sisters from the intercessory team to join us pray for this young man.

ROSE: I’ll really appreciate that Ma.

SCENE 5 (B)

HELEN: Okay sisters, you’re welcome. Like I briefed you on phone, we are gathered here today to pray for Rose, whose potential life partner recently commenced putting up an attitude of a bewitched fellow. We all know Tony, and we also know he wouldn’t do that ordinarily. I strongly belief that some enemies of Rose are at work here. Let’s join our voices together and intercede for the recovery of the young man from any spell that might me holding him bound. Prayer in Jesus’ name!

ALL: (The all start praying. Prayer fades out & continues in background as Tony & Dave’s discussion fade in)


CUT TO - DAVE & TONY’S RESIDENCE

DAVE: So Tony, what’s up with Rose. You haven’t spoken of her in a while. Do you even get to see her at all?

TONY: I haven’t seen her in a month now. She has called me a couple of times to try and convince me to do away with the idea of  confirming if she can make babies before proceeding to tie the nuts with her. But I’m not buying that at all. Come to think of it, why is she avoiding that?

DAVE: Good question! Possibly because she has something to hide. 

TONY: But I really miss her mehn. Sometimes I feel I should just go back to her and get rid of this idea I’m holding on to. Why should I even trust those guys on TV. For Christ’s sake they could be lying! I mean, the name of the program is “TRUE LIES” It could be all lies for all I care!

DAVE: Aren’t you skipping something?

TONY: What?

DAVE: The “TRUE” part of the name. The program is called “TRUE LIES” not “LIES”

TONY: Yeah, but there is also “LIES” in it. Anyway, no need for arguments. I’ve made my decision.

DAVE: You did the right thing broe. As a man, you need to make some hard decisions from time to time. That’s what makes you a man.

CUT TO - MRS HELEN’S RESIDENCE

ALL: (Prayer fades in with intensity) Whatever speaking and manipulations from any altar, programed to alter Rose & Tony’s destiny, {WE RAISE A STANDARD AGAINST THEM BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB (3X)}

HELEN: In Jesus name!

ALL: Amen!

CUT TO - DAVE & TONY’S RESIDENCE

TONY: Jesus Christ! I can’t believe myself! What am I doing? Am I putting Rose aside because she’s refusing to act in error? What has come over me?

DAVE: Hey Tony. What’s up with you? You’re acting weird, and it’s sort of scary.

TONY: I wish I could rip you apart and blame it on the devil afterwards. Look what you made me do. Why in the world should I even want to impregnate a girl before marrying her? Oh God! I can’t believe I’ve been taking advice from you. Advices that are not even original. Just some creepy talk from extremely carnal men. I wonder how you succeeded in getting that to me in the first place.

DAVE: Calm down Tony. You’re over reacting! What has suddenly come over you sef?

TONY: Rose has suddenly come over me, and I’m going over to her place now to apologise for my stupidity. I just hope she’ll find it in her heart to forgive me.

DAVE: Think about what you’re about doing Tony. You’ve been doing the right thing all along. What prompted this sudden change of mind?

TONY: No. I’ve been doing the wrong thing all along. Thanks to you. Now I’m back to my senses. Let me go and make amends before it’s too late. And Dave, I urge you to refrain from that so called “TRUE LIES” It might rob you of your destiny if you continue watching it.

DAVE: Amazing! So whatever is regulating you doesn’t just want to end at taking you back to your vomit. It also wants to extend its schemes to me? Haha. Ee no go work! Just go ahead and suit yourself broe. I’ll be observing the outcome from a distance.

TONY: This thing has really eaten deep into you. I pray you find your way back before you become irredeemable. I’m going over to Rose’s place now. Do what you like to yourself while I make efforts to right my wrongs.

DAVE: Oh yeah. Good luck with that. (Tony leaves) This Tony sef, what suddenly came over him? The guy is so full of surprises. Mtchew! Abeg, mek I no come begin drink Panadol on top him headache nah. Anyhow-Anyhow, life goes on.

CUT TO - ROSE’S RESIDENCE

TONY: (Knocks on the door) Rose! (Knocks again) Rose its Tony. Please open up. I want to talk to you. (Knocks again) Open up Rose. Please. Don’t be mad at me anymore. I want to apologise for my wrongs. I’m so sorry for everything I said to you. Please forgive me. (Knocks again) Come on Rose, please open up. Don’t do this to me please. (Knocks again) Okay Rose. I’m not leaving this place until you open this door. Even if the sun’s heat scorches my fair skin and robs it of its light, I won’t leave until you open this door to behold my then new look, which may not please your eyes anymore. And if the sky sends down hail stones in place of rain, I will remain here until one of the crushes life out of me. I’d rather meet such fate than live without you.


CUT TO - MRS HELEN’S RESIDENCE

HELEN: Let’s lift up our voices finally and thank the Lord Almighty for hearing and answering our prayer. For the scriptures assure us in 1st John 5:14 & 15 that this is the confidence we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have received the requests which we have asked from Him. 

ALL: Thank you Jesus!

HELEN: In Jesus’ name we have prayed.

ALL: Amen!

ROSE: Thank you very much Ma. I really appreciate the time you have squeezed out of you tight schedule to do this for me. May God bless you abundantly.

HELEN: You’re welcome my dear.

ROSE: And to you my sisters God will surely reward you for this kind gesture. Thank you.

SISTERS: Anytime.

ROSE: I’ll be leaving now. I have to go and get prepared for school tomorrow.

HELEN: That’s okay my dear. So when will you be rounding up your youth service?

ROSE: In six months’ time.

HELEN: Is Tony also rounding up at the same time?

ROSE: Yes Ma.

HELEN: Ehyaa, I’ll miss you guys when you’re gone.

ROSE: ooOOhH Ma, you make me feel like making this place my home after service. Not to worry Ma, I won’t let you miss me that much. I’ll always be calling and visiting from time to time. I promise.

HELEN: I know you will.

ROSE: Indeed. Alright, thank you Ma. I’ll be on my way now.

HELEN: That’s okay. Goodbye.


SCENE 6

(Rose & Tony)

ROSE: (Reaches her home and finds a man lying seemingly unconscious by her doorstep & screams) Jesus! Who is this at my doorstep? Did he slump here or something? Hey, young man. Wake up! Wake up!

TONY: (Tony awakes from his brief outdoor nap & releases a deep breath. He turns his face to see who woke him up only to discover that it was Rose) Rose?

ROSE: Tony? Oh my God, Tony! What are you doing lying on the floor like this?

TONY: I came looking for you to apologise for my wrongs. After knocking severally without any response I concluded you were mad at me and didn’t want to see me because of the things I said to you. So I resolved to waiting by your door until such a time when you’ll make to go out. I didn’t know when sleep got a hold of me.

ROSE: That an absurd thing to think of me Tony. I wouldn’t go that far to punish you for any crime you commit against me. Please get up Tony. Let’s get inside before the neighbours start making up all sorts of stories to suit their purposes. For Christ’s sake whoever sees you here may think you’re mad.

TONY: Forgive me for putting up this kind of show in your house. I couldn’t help it. And again, forgive me for everything I’ve done to you in the past one month.

ROSE: It’s okay Tony. I never held anything against you. But if you want forgiveness, I forgive you. Let’s just get inside please. We’ll discuss there.

TONY: No Rose. I can’t wait to say this anymore. I’m spilling it out right away. I want to go and see your people as soon as possible so I that I can ask for your hand in marriage. I don’t want to procrastinate anymore. And if you’re free by weekend, please accompany me to my hometown. I want you to meet my parents. I’ve been telling them about you all along. It’s high time they met you face to face.

ROSE: Tony, this is kind of fast and..,

TONY: (Interrupts) Please don’t interrupt the flow. Let’s just run with that speed okay? Okay?

ROSE: o.. O.. Okay. Okay.

TONY: Thank you Rose! Thank you!

ROSE: That’s okay. Can we go inside now?

TONY: Of cause! After you my lady.

ROSE: Christ!


SCENE 7

(Rose’s Family House)

AKPAN: Ehm, Chief Ntwen, I thank you for accepting me my family and my son in your house. Well, without wasting time, I will proceed to the main purpose of our visitation. My son here, told me that he saw a butterfly that caught his attention some time ago. According to him, the butterfly was so beautiful that he thought of capturing it and making it his own forever. So he trailed the butterfly to its abode. Guess where he trailed the butterfly to?

NTWEN: I wouldn’t know.

AKPAN: (Interrupts) Your house of cause! (They all laugh elderly laugh) My son is interested in your daughter. So today, we have come formally to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage to my son.

NTWEN: (Clears throat) Ehh, Chief Akpan. You see, I have three daughters delivered to me by this wonderful woman sitting beside me. (They laugh) And the three of them are not married yet. So I don’t know which one has caught your son’s interest. I pray it is the first, because in our tradition, it is forbidden for a younger sister to marry before the older one. So can you please name the girl you are here for?

TONY: Ehh, her name is Rose.

NTWEN: (Cuts in) Ahh! That is excellent! You are a very lucky young man. She’s my first daughter. (They all rejoice) But one more thing. (They all calm) I must call the girl in question and confirm from her if she knows this young man and is willing to follow him home as his wife.

AKPAN: No problem! No problem at all!

NTWEN: Mm-hmm. (Turns to wife) Woman!

WIFE: Yes my husband.

NTWEN: Go and bring your daughter here.

WIFE: Yes my husband. (Leaves to bring Rose and returns after a while) Here she is my husband.

NTWEN: Ehhe. Thank you. Rose.

ROSE: Yes father.

NTWEN: This young man came here with his family to look for you. He says he knows you from somewhere. Can you confirm that before everyone seated here?

ROSE: Yes father, I know him.

AKPAN: (Cuts in) Ehhe! (They all laugh)

NTWEN: He says he wants to marry you, and so has come with his family to ask for your hand in marriage. Now I ask; are you willing to give yourself to this man as his wife until death?

ROSE: (Hesitates a little) Yes father.

AKPAN: GBAM! (They laugh again and rejoice)


SCENE 8

(Goro’s Region)

GORO: (Screams) Noooooooo! This is not happening! Tega! Tegaaaa!

TEGA: (Scared) Here I am my lord Goro.

GORO: What is that scene that is playing out now in Rose’s compound right now?

TEGA: Most sovereign Goro, the young man Tony has gone there with his family to ask for her hand in marriage.

GORO: How did that happen? Weren’t you supposed to manipulate Tony until he falls come completely from the faith? And you were also supposed to get Rose to yield to his advances. So how come I’m beholding the last sight my eyes are interested seeing right now?

TEGA: My lord Goro, everything was going well with Tony. But I couldn’t get to Rose because of her prayers and fasting. One of those days she joined her faith together with a few other children of light and prayed for Tony. Then the grip I had on him was loosed. And what you see now is as a result of that.

GORO: Moron! You never lack excuses to justify your incompetence. I remember promising to get rid of you if you ever failed me again. And now, you’ve just failed me again. So I’m going to keep to my promise.

TEGA: Tamper justice with mercy most sovereign Goro. There was really nothing I could do to stop them. Please understand that praying people wield so much power and are not easily accessible. If Rose didn’t pray that much, they would have stood helpless against my influence.

GORO: Even in the bible, it is written; thou art inexcusable oh man! I say to you today; thou art inexcusable oh demon! You expire today!

TEGA: Please Goro! Remember how I’ve served you faithfully all these years. Please spare me for that reason.

GORO: Do I look to you like God who rewards faithfulness? I’m not into all that. You fail me and I get rid of you like I’m going to do now. (Calls out) Reptile!

REPTILE: Yes, most sovereign Goro.

GORO: Get rid of this trash! Bind him in the depths of hell.

REPTILE: At your service most sovereign Goro. (Drags Tega away as he begs Goro for mercy. Returns after a while and reports) My lord Goro, the job has been done.

GORO: Good. Now Reptile, you are assuming Tega’s position immediately. I really do hope you will deliver.

REPTILE: You can rely on me my lord Goro.

GORO: Good. Now that plan A has failed, let’s proceed to plan B. I want to believe you know what to do Reptile.

REPTILE: Yes my lord Goro.

GORO: Then move at once to earth with Tega’s army. They are now your army. The wedding between Rose and Tony must not hold. It is time to take advantage of the traditions of men. Their very own traditions.

ALL: (Demonic Laughter)

To be continued...

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PART 1
PART 2
PART 3
PART 4