The Reverend Father who was saddled with the solemnization of Richie is still been rocked in his soul due to the effect of the tremor sent down his spine by the punch that Tolu delivered to Richie last Saturday on the Cathedral ground.
He was in his office again this morning pondering on the whole events and the things it caused in the whole city. For after Richie was declared incurable in the hospital and was condemned as ever after paralytic invalid to the wheel chair, the city Mayor who loved him ordered that the whole city be searched inch by inch for Tolu and her families to be forced out from their hiding; but the thorough search only produced more negative sensations in the city, while Tolu and her people remained permanently hidden.
On compassion ground more people now wished that Tolu will be found to come and faced the special team of eminent lawyers that the Mayor had assigned to deal with her in court. Now that they city police could not find her, the Mayor now put A million Naira on her head which any one who can give information about her whereabout will receive. With this money the whole city came alive with the youths who are hungry to become a million naira richer tearing the city apart in search of Tolu; so Tolu is now a very popular elusive pursuit of many and hot name on the tongue of men on the street!
This was the state of things as the Reverend Father sat down to ponder, but her secretary did not allowed him to ponder long when she came to informed him that a visitor from away city is here to see him who called himself Reverend Father Roland Emi. On hearing this name he stood up hastily and said, "Oh, he is my good son let him in" The secretary left not more than ten seconds when the young priest came in; the two of them jumped on each others neck for a hearty embraced!The old priest was the first to draw back from the embrace with a query, "Roland is this truly you? The young Priest answered and said, " Father it is me" The old Priest locked his arms around him again for a happy hug, saying, " Ho, am so so glad that you finally did the right thing!
When his emotion cooled down he asked him to sit down and they started to chat and do catch up. The old Priest told him how glad he is to see him, then he asked him how he finally changed his mind to be a Priest?
Reverend Father Roland said it happened through a lady he got hooked with when he left the orphanage, the lady met a Reverend Father who convinced him about God and his holy purpose for her life. So she decided to be serious with God and she stirred up the same desire in me, and this how it all ends!"And for a long time i've been wanting to come and say my thanks to you, because if it had not been for you during my time in the orphanage my life would have been destroyed beyond repair, but you chased me around with everything you have trying to reason with me that i could rise beyond my foundation and rewrite my story! Now i have done it, thanks in a million father for believing in me when i did not see anything good in myself.
The old Priest said am glad you turn out well, to which parish do you now belong?
The young Priest said he belonged to a Francisca order and he is manning a Cathedral, in a city two hundred miles from here. They continue their chit chat for two hours, at the end the young Priest told him that a wedding is coming up in his parish in the next three weeks and he wants him to be with him on official capacity, because this will be the first wedding ceremony he will conduct and he doesn't want to make mistake.
Strangely when he mention wedding ceremony, the old Priest's heart trembled with strange fear and Tolu's dealing with Richie came to his heart again. Though he agreed to be there, but he asked him if he had properly counselled the couple who are about to marry? Because he would not want to witness what he witnessed here some days ago. The young Priest asked him what happened and he relayed to him the story of Richie and Tolu .
The young Priest was shocked beyond measure when he heard the story! He said, "That lady must be a devil to do such a thing!" However he allayed his fear about the coming wedding and told him that they had been properly counseled and he trusted their genuine love for each other.