Jessie had laid out everything about Jeremiah's new woman, and Paula was taken aback by how small the world truly was.
The new woman was not only a member of Christ Love Ministry but also her daughter's class teacher.
To complicate matters further, this same woman was the one Raymond had quietly admired about four years ago when she was working for him.
Paula vividly remembered how Raymond used to come home, always talking about the capable Catarina Johnson.
He had never admitted he loved her, but his demeanor when Catarina married someone else had made it painfully obvious.
Now that Catarina's husband had passed away, Paula saw this as the perfect chance to set them up, ensuring Catarina would have no chance with Swanta's father.
After dinner, Paula cleared away the dishes and walked into Raymond's room.
As she expected, he was engrossed in his laptop, reviewing company records."Busy man, can we talk?" she asked, her voice gentle but firm.
Raymond immediately closed his laptop. "Is there an issue at the restaurant?"
She sat on his bed, letting out a sigh. "Swanta told me about the argument you both had after you overheard her telling her class teacher that you were the one stopping her from going back to her father."
"Oh, that? It's already resolved."
Paula paused, then continued, "Was it not the same Catarina Johnson you used to talk about whenever you got back from work those days?"
Raymond blinked, seemingly caught off guard. "What about her?"
"Don't you still like her?"
"I don't. She's a widow now, and I think she has something going on with your ex-husband. They're always together at church."
"And that doesn't bother you when you see them together?"
"Why should it? I stopped liking her after she married her now-deceased husband. I completely let it go."
"Then why were you still giving her rides home?"
"I stopped that two months ago."
"Why?"
"She seems to meddle in things that don't concern her, and I don't like that."
"So, because of that, you stopped being kind to her?"
"Exactly. I don't want to be her friend."
Paula leaned in, her tone softening. "Could you be her friend for my sake? She reminds me so much of Gretta."
"That's not true. Gretta was hardworking, responsible, soft-spoken..."
"What part of that does Catarina lack?"
"Gretta never challenged me."
"Exactly. That's why Catarina needs to stay. You don't need someone to overpower; you need someone to love."
"I can never love Catarina again," Raymond replied coldly.
As Paula walked out of his room, she couldn't help but reflect on how much her brother had changed.
FOURTEEN YEARS AGO
They had walked a long way after their campus evangelism, and now, exhausted, Jerry and Paula sat down on the ground to catch their breath.
It had become a tradition for them to go on these evangelism tours together.
Raymond watched them with a chuckle. "Tired already?" he teased.
Paula, still breathless, glanced at her watch. "It's already three o'clock. Aren't we supposed to break our fast?"
"You're right. Let me grab something for us to eat. You both rest here," Raymond said, quickly heading to a nearby restaurant.
Soon, he returned with food, and they all ate together, the exhaustion easing as they shared the meal.
Jerry turned to Paula with a curious nudge. "What do you want to be in the future?"
Paula's eyes lit up. "I want to be a medical doctor who makes Christ known. And I want to be a moral woman who advocates for girls to keep their virginity until marriage."
Jerry gasped in admiration. "What a vision! As for me, I dream of having multiple businesses around the world."
Raymond nodded thoughtfully. "I've told you before, Jerry, you have nothing to worry about. We'll build my father's company together, like soul brothers."
Tears welled up in Jerry's eyes. "Thank you for accepting me as your own sibling."
Just then, Paula's phone rang, breaking the moment. She answered it. "Hello, Daddy... Oh, really? I'll talk to him." She ended the call and turned to Raymond. "Where's your phone? Dad has been trying to reach you."
Raymond sighed. "I sold it."
Both Jerry and Paula gasped.
"You sold your BlackBerry Bold 5?" Paula cried out in disbelief.
Raymond shrugged casually. "It's our final year, so I figured I could just borrow your phone until we graduate."
"But why did you sell it?" Jerry asked, concern filling his voice.
Raymond pulled out a bundle of money from his pocket. "It's our final year, and your parents still haven't reached out. Exams start the day after tomorrow. I sold the phone to get this money so you can pay your tuition and project fees."
Jerry was stunned, speechless. "Raymond, you sold your phone just to cover my school fees?"
"Why not?" Raymond replied with a smile.
"You're my brother. I'd do anything for you."
The two boys embraced, tears streaming down their faces, overwhelmed by the depth of their bond.
Paula, too, couldn't hold back her tears, moved by the selfless love between them.
***
Raymond was immersed in his father's organizational designs in his study when his phone rang.
The caller ID showed Stella, Paula's coursemate.
Why was she calling?
Stella had only ever reached out to him when she needed to contact Paula, but since they graduated two months ago, he hadn't heard from her.
He answered the call. "Hello, Stella."
Without preamble, she launched into a tirade. "Is this the result of the tour evangelists? Everyone on campus knows them. You preached against fornication, but you were secretly doing it yourself."
Raymond was taken aback, completely bewildered. "What are you talking about, Stella? Get to the point."
"Your sister is two months pregnant, and it's your best friend's baby. She fainted during a lecture, and we rushed her to the school hospital. That's where they confirmed the pregnancy."
"You must be mistaken, Stella. Paula is a virgin. Besides, Jerry and I graduated two months ago."
"Then call her yourself."
That moment marked the beginning—the beginning of how deeply resentment could fester.
The beginning of the anger that their evangelism work had become a laughingstock on campus.
The souls they had won would now see them as hypocrites, their faith undermined.
And the friendship he had trusted so much had come to an abrupt end.
(BACK TO THE PRESENT)
Raymond was surprised to see Catarina Johnson already arranging the church when he arrived.
He had driven down to clean the church.
He usually personally cleaned the church during his free days.
He was surprised that she had gotten there before him and cleaned everywhere, even arranged the chairs.
His heart sank at the sight.
His sister's words rang in his brain again and he told himself over and over again that there was no way anything could ever happen between them.
He didn't realize that she was already looking up at him and it was too late to compose himself.
She was shocked to see him. "Are you here to see pastor? He is not around".
"I decided to stop by to clean the church. I do that during my free time. Surprisingly you were here before me".
She grinned. "So sorry about that. You can assist me in arranging the chairs".
She turned to pull down starked chairs and because her grip was not steady enough, the chair tried to pull her to floor and before she could understand that the starked chairs were almost falling over her, a muscular hand held them firmly from behind.
He pulled her off and the chairs fell to the floor.
She was nearly catching her breath when she realized that he was bleeding.
Thank God she always had first aid in her bag.
She brought out hydrogen and cotton wool and began to clean the wound.
His heart sank as he watched her.
He felt the urge to take care of her that moment.
What on earth was that feeling?
Had he not fallen out of love after she got married to her now deceased husband?
She looked up at him and held his gaze.
They were silent for the while.
"Do you still feel pain?". She finally found her voice.
He touched his heart. "I think I feel pain here".
She was surprised. "Pain in your heart?".
He nodded. "I really don't know why".
"Have you checked the clinic?".
"I will do that". Deep down, he wondered why his heart hurt while watching Catarina closely. "Why don't you sit over here while I arrange the chairs myself?".
He felt so awkward as she watched him arrange the chairs.
He kept wondering what could be going on in her mind while she walked in.
After they had rounded up with the arrangement, the sanitation team were already arriving.
He noticed that she had come along with her car.
They parted ways and he watched her climb into her car and drive off.
Curious about her well being, he followed slowly from behind.
He wanted to ensure that she was okay.
When they got to her place, a red car had parked in front of her house.
He curiously waited to see whom it was.
To his greatest disappointment, it was Jeremiah Lewis.
They hugged each other and Catarina excitedly led him to the house.
The pain in his heart deepened and he wondered why it hurt so much to watch Catarina allow him Jerry to hug her and even lead him to the house.
He dialled Paula's number. "Paula, Catarina is dating your ex-husband. I just saw her lead him to her house. How on earth can a Christian sister allow a man into her house for crying out loud!!!". He cried out frustratedly.
"You seem more bothered than usual my dear brother". Paula observed.
"You caused it! You have made me start believing that I still like Catarina when I obviously don't! You have made me feel the urge to take care of her and hurt because of fear that she doesn't like me back!".
"I just exposed what was already there! I didn't do anything!".
"I don't really care though ". He sounded unconvincing as he disconnected the line and drove off.