"Hey, you daughter of Jezebel, leave my brother alone! He is a priest, not a whore! Leave him, let him be!" someone said, very loudly. I'm sure the whole house must have been shaken.
He broke into the room, pouncing on the edge of his toes, ferociousness written all over his face. He pushed JP aside, came very close to me, and was glaring at me like he would beat me if I didn't listen to him.
"Lukas, what's the meaning of this nonsense?" JP asked looking directly into his eyes. He was shocked, but I was even more shocked because I didn't know what was going on. What was going on? I asked in my mind.
Lukas. What a name for someone with such hasty audacity. He was taller than JP, and unlike JP, he was muscularly built. It's safe to say his looks were intimidating. I was kinda frightened, I wouldn't lie.
"John Paul, what are you doing?" he asked. His voice was deep. He almost sounded like a full grown man. "When did you fall this low?"
"JP, who is----," I wanted to ask, but JP signalled with a wave of his hand for me to hold my peace. I shushed, and kept looking on, apprehension wrecking my whole being.
"Lukas, why?" JPwalked closer to the "Lukas", and looked him straight in the eyes. "Why did you do this?"
Lukas laughed a dry, hysterical laugh. "Is this how you will become a Reverend father? Is this what you've been preaching to us all your life about living holy lives? What would you make of this hypocrisy now that I've caught you red-handed?"
"This is uncalled for man," JP said, calmly. "You don't know anything about her, neither do you have an inkling of what is happening here."
"I heard everything, big brother. I heard everything dàmn thing you told her. Jenifer, isn't that your name, yeah? This young man right here is not your type, he is a-----."
"Lukas, shut up. Don't say another word." JP was getting visibly angry in the face, something I've never seen. His nose was twitching. His ears were turning reddish. It was obvious an outrageous amount of rage was welling up inside him like a volcano.
"This isn't you, big brother. You're caught in the middle of an unfortunate web of temptation, and all I'm doing is trying to make you see----"
"L-U-K-A-S.....stop talking. Not another word, please."
The room was tense and dense. I was struck with fear, apprehension and tremor.
Just what in the world is happening? Who is Lukas? And why is he calling JP "big brother"? Shouldn't he be older than him?
"Remember Father Ikechukwu, your mentor. Remember all he told you about guarding your soul against worldly excesses? About women? Do you remember----."
"I said enough!!!!!" JP thundered, registering a frightening degree of slap on Lukas's face. It was a lightening flash. Neither I nor Lukas must have seen it coming.
The whole place went dead in silence for like a minute or so. I was awestruck, trying to understand just what took place. No, this isn't happening. Is this the JP I know?
I looked at Lukas' face, and it was red. It was beginning to swell up. The slap must have hurt him big time.
Now, I knew that a fight was inevitable. There is no way JP and this strange 'brother' of his aren't headed for a violent fracas. I wanted to fall in the floor and beg them not to do it. Because it was bound to degenerate to an ugly sight, for sure.
"I'm sorry, big brother." This was a mistake. That was Lukas' voice. He said these words repentantly, and left the room.
I didn't know what to say or what to think. I just wished that instant something would magically teleport me to another planet. The whole incident was becoming too much for my little head to carry.
"Let's go," JP said to me. He picked his wristwatch and wallet, and stepped out of the room ahead of me. I followed him immediately, the way a scared chick follows the mother hen.
___________*_______________*___________
I followed JP from the house to the busy expressway in front of his house. He walked on silently, and I couldn't even imagine what he was thinking then.
"I'm sorry," he said finally, stopping to face me. "I'm terribly sorry."
"It's alright....There are....so many....questions..."
"I know. I will tell you everything, but not now. I am emotionally bankrupt. I need to clear my head. I need to talk to my brother and mum too. I sorry."
"It's alright," I said. Not like I had a choice.
"We will see in school tomorrow, babe. I promise I'll tell you everything."
Of course, he would.
"I love you." JP said.
Wait, what, again?? Did JP just say the L-word to me, right after this whole hullabaloo?
"Don't look surprised, pretty. Smile," he said. And I managed to afford a faint smile. "See you tomorrow, Jennifer."
JP hurriedly left without letting me say anything else.
JP did not see the Coca-Cola trailer coming at full speed, neither did I.
The next thing I heard was the loud screaming of people around, and the screeching of tires of cars on the tarmac...