Checkmate Episode 2 (By Adeyoola Ojemola)

Click here for Checkmate Episode 1 

Theresa sat in a far corner of the church, looking into space. She was not the type you would consider ‘spiritual’- she just didn’t call that type of attention. However, after a couple of long talks with her, quiet as she was, you could define her by one thing: she was learning the art of dependence on God. It might not be an art per se- more like a lifestyle where God had come to mean a whole lot more to her.

 

Theresa’s look would not call for attention- average height, round face, wide mouth, smaller nose, and very dark. Only 27 years of age, and she had seen some of the worst moments of life. Her mother died at her birth, and her maternal grandmother took care of her until she was around six years old, when she also passed. She then had to go live with her father, who by then had married another wife and had a son with her. Her stepmother made life so difficult that her father could not even step up to help her, as he traveled a lot as a truck driver.

 

By age 12, Theresa already had decaying teeth since she had no access to proper hygiene. Body odor was a part of her life, and her feet had no end to constant bruising. She couldn’t go to bed until all the water drums were filled, dinner dishes washed, dirty clothes laundered, and any other chores assigned to her completed. She had no proper mattress to sleep on, and should she annoy her stepmother, even that would be taken away from her. Her two step-siblings never knew, until the death of her father a couple of years later, that she was actually their sister and not a maid their mother took pity on. It was that bad!

 

Though she had access to government education, she always lagged behind her peers. Except for her grandmother, whom she barely remembered, she hadn’t really felt love from anyone—until she met Jesus Christ. What an amazing day that was!

 

As Theresa continued to reminisce about her past, she did not realize when she had begun to shed silent tears. She doubted she would ever recover from the power of the Father’s love that had engulfed her over the last four years. It still felt fresh.

 

When she finished secondary school at age nineteen, she was made to learn hairdressing with a woman on their street. What she wanted was to go to school, but her stepmother would not hear of it because her first son was in SSS 1, and she couldn’t have Theresa take all the income in the home for her own education when her kids would soon need it. She disliked Theresa that much.

Left with no choice—after all, she didn’t write WAEC or NECO either—Theresa simply graduated from secondary school and headed straight to becoming an apprentice at a hairdressing salon. Learning the trade seemed to suit her well, as there was no end to the compliments she got from customers by the time she was getting good at it. Two years later, her dad died in an accident. She was so devastated! She even pitied her stepmother because she doubted if any other man could love a woman of that nature.

 

She began to plan for her life, paying attention to opportunities beyond where she grew up, just so she could be liberated from her stepmother. Her father, who had been keeping her put, was finally gone, and she had no real attachment to her step-siblings. They were no different from their mother, and she had no interest in struggling for possession of the house her father had built.

 

Almost ten months after her father’s death, a former apprentice of her boss came to visit the salon and told Theresa about an opportunity in the city. A big salon needed experienced hands in hairdressing, and Theresa had a shot if she was interested. Without delay, she expressed her interest, and within six weeks, she finalized the deal—including lodging with her senior colleague and a biweekly wage that suited her perfectly.

 

The night before her departure, she ensured she gave the house a final thorough cleaning in honor and memory of her father. Though her routine in the house hadn’t changed much since childhood, she had learned proper hygiene from classmates and a few kind female teachers in school. Her physical appearance was much better than in earlier years.

 

The next morning, having packed her most valuable belongings the night before, she approached her stepmother’s room, knocked, and waited solemnly for her “Come in” before she entered.

 

Theresa knelt down, thanked her for accommodating her all the years she had lived in the home, then announced that she had found a job out of town, was leaving that very morning, and could not say if or when she would be back.

 

Her stepmother said nothing.

 

After waiting for a response for more than five minutes on her knees and getting none, she bade her goodbye, left the room, picked up her bag, and walked out of the house without a second glance or thought for anyone else, only the future she anticipated.

 

Life in the city changed Theresa a lot. Her boss was not particularly nice, but she was fair. She paid their wages as and when due and was somewhat more favorable to Theresa—mainly because she brought in new and retained old customers. She had the kind of touch that made hairdos less painful and quite durable. Also, she was such a fast learner that she only needed to be shown once before she could replicate the hairstyle in a better and more fashionable way. Her colleagues even called her “Gifted Hands.”

 

The day she met the Lord, it had been barely a year since she moved to the city. She followed her boss to style the hair of a high-end woman in a very luxurious part of town. As they worked, the woman’s television was on, and a man of God was preaching. She couldn’t remember the full sermon, but one verse stuck with her- words she later found in Matthew 11:28: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

 

For fear of her boss, she couldn’t ask the wealthy woman what the man on TV meant. For many weeks, she thought only about how to meet the Man who could ease her burdens, take her loneliness, love her, and give her the rest she needed in life. She questioned the meaning of rest and wondered if she had ever felt it before. She knew without being told that she had never found rest.

 

She wanted it so badly that she lost sleep.

 

One Sunday, out of desperation, she left home early and traced the wealthy woman’s house. Blessedly, the woman was about to drive off to church for Sunday service.

 

Surprised to see Theresa, she asked why she was there so early and stated that she had not sent for her.

 

Theresa, not knowing how to explain herself in her desperation, simply stuttered, “Where can I find the man on your TV, Ma? I need the rest he described the other day in your house.”

 

Tears welled up in Mrs. Ojo’s eyes. She couldn’t believe her ears!

 

“She came to find Jesus?” was all Bisi Ojo could think.

 

Shutting the door of her car, she led Theresa by the hand back into her home, sat her down, went back to her room to change out of her church wear, then came back to sit side by side with Theresa.

 

Bisi held Theresa’s hands in hers and said, “You don’t need to find that man of God to find where to get rest. I will show you to Him who can give you rest.”

 

That very day, Theresa found Jesus, and the journey of her discipleship began.

 

Back to where she was seated in the church, as the tears flowed freely, a face covered Theresa’s distant look, and she saw a very beautiful woman—robust and very pregnant-looking. The woman was bending over her and asking, “Sister, are you alright?”

Wheeeew!

I know the story is still brewing, right? But, what’s on your mind? Let’s discuss in the comments! And don’t forget—Episode 3 is on the way. You can try the link below to see if it has dropped.

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Checkmate Episode 3