IT WAS Sunday and I just wasn't a Sunday person. I was like Mercy in the novel that didn't like to go to church but her parents always forced her to. My mum was a worker in church. As a matter of fact, she was the one teaching the junior church where Joshua was still in, so she never missed church service for anything. What was worse than having your parent as your teacher in a class with other children around? The joy and relief I felt when I clocked sixteen and I graduated from the children church to the adult church is unexplainable. In my church, New Creation Chapel, once one attained the age of sixteen, one graduated from the children to the adult church. I was relieved because at least I wouldn't have to pay rapt attention to the boring sermon when I could be reading a novel or daydreaming about David.

"Wake up, will you!" Mum spanked my butt, "So you're still here sleeping when the time is already seven pm and church service starts by eight."

I made a moaning sound as I lazily stood up from my bed. With my fist, I cleared the sleep off my eyes and I looked at mum as she stood with her one hand akimbo. She was clad in native attire. Wait, workers in New Creation Chapel always dressed in corporate wear except...

"Today's thanksgiving service that's why I'm dressed in native and meaning I'd be fellowshipping in the adult church too, so if you think because you're now in the adult church that you can go to church anytime you like and get away with it, well not today. I'd be watching. If it clocks eight, and you're not in church, you'd be in trouble. Don't dare me Natasha." Mum said and stormed out of the room, her heels clacking with the tiled floor.

Rolling my eyes, I hissed quietly. "Yen yen yen. Must someone go to church every Sunday?" I grumbled. I love my mum, but when it comes to matters concerning church, she was just overly strict, overbearing and grossly annoying. I wonder if dad, if he was still alive, would be a church lover like mum was. I doubt that because first of all, I must have taken after one of my parents for my lack of interest in church services and secondly, I noticed that the vast majority of people in the church were usually women and I was yet to understand why. Was it because they all felt guilty that the first woman called Eve was the one that deceived Adam in the garden of Eden which caused the downfall of humanity and they were all trying to please God and make up for what Eve did by going to church every Sunday or was it just because they weren't as busy as men were?

I hurriedly prepared for church and made sure to get there before eight o'clock. Just immediately as I walked into the church building, someone said on the altar, "Please let's all rise up as we begin the service." I looked at the wall clock at the back of the church and the time was exactly eight o'clock. I heaved a sigh of relief as I walked to a seat at the back and stood there.

Just then, I saw mum from afar staring at me with a smirk. She was with Joshua. "Thank your stars." She mouthed. I could read lips well, so it wasn't rocket science figuring out what she had mouthed.

The service had its conventional programs and at some point, I was bored and I took out my novel that I had covered with a Holy Bible paperback. Before I even read the first word in the novel, a tall usher was already moving towards me and he cautioned me. I told him confidently I was reading the Bible and he took it from me and gave me the sarcastic look that read, "Of course, this is the Bible."

I was embarrassed.

For the first time since I joined the adult church, I actually paid attention to each activity that was done.

"Good morning church!" A slim fuddy-duddy woman mounted the altar. Her voice was unpleasantly squeaky. I recognized her well. She was one of the teachers in the children church. "As we all know, today's Father's Day. Fathers in the house shout hallelujah."

The deep voice of men rumbled in the hall.

"You can do better than that."

Their voices were louder this time.

"There are indeed fathers in the house!" The woman said, "So the junior church has a presentation to render to appreciate all the lovely fathers in the house. We want to say a big thank you for going all the way to take care of the household. God bless you fathers."

She left the altar and some children marched in a straight line, with wrapped presents in their hands and they arranged themselves on the altar.

I love you Daddy, oh yes I do!
I love you Daddy, and all you do.
When you're not home with me, I'm blue,
Oh Daddy I love you.

When they sang, my heart sank. I looked over at mum and Joshua and mum had her arms wrapped around Joshua in a comforting manner. A rain of sadness awash me and tears welled up in my eyes. Joshua wasn't part of the children singing. He couldn't be. He didn't have a father. He didn't even know what it was like to have a father. He wasn't opportune to see dad. But I was. I had memories of him. I remembered when mum and I would be patiently waiting for him to return from work so one of us could be the first to give him a hug. I was always the first. In my naivety, I thought I was faster than mum but in hindsight, mum always allowed me to be the first to hug him because she knew if she ever was first, I would cry. Dad would always lift me so high and spin me around when I got to him with outstretched arms and that made me happy. It made me feel loved.

Until I lost him to the demon, fever. Despite mum and I had prayed, he still died.

Though mum had cried, I didn't. I had a strong hope that I was going to see him one day. He had promised to never leave me so I had held him by his words. I believed he was going to come back.

But he never did.

I remember crying and praying for God to bring him back, but as usual the almighty was silent.

"God took dad away from us?" I vividly remember asking mum that question when she was breast feeding baby Joshua but she replied with, "No God didn't take your dad away from us. Fever took him away. But the good thing is, your father is in heaven watching over you, me and Josh."

"But why didn't God stop the fever from taking him even after we prayed?" I asked mum and I remember it took a while for mum to respond.

She was very thoughtful before she said, "Everything happens for a reason. There are some questions I can't answer dear. But just know that God didn't kill your father and He loves you so much."

No, He didn't. If He did, He wouldn't have let dad die. The church said God was omniscience- all knowing, then he should have known that I loved my dad so much. He should have kept him until this day so that Joshua and I could also celebrate Father's Day with our father.

How I miss him so much!

Tears trickled down my eyes.

"Are you okay young lady?" An elderly woman sitting beside me asked.

"No." I got up, moved the chair back and walked out of the church briskly.

MERCY WAS was seated in a bench at the Love garden located around faculty of art. The garden had sparse tall trees and cemented benches. It was a place where students came to read, hang out with their lovers and enjoy swift Wi-Fi connection. Mercy needed some alone time to get her mind off all that had happened to her on just her first week in Unilag. She was still confused on what to do about the lecturer's case. She certainly didn't want to have sex with him. If at worse she was to lose her virginity before marriage, she wanted to lose it to someone young and one she liked, not some old goat. She really couldn't imagine herself doing such despicable thing with an old man.

But Mercy wasn't in the Love garden to dwell on such thought. She was there to relax and she usually did that by singing. She closed her eyes as she sang, with so much passion, her favourite song Listen by the legendary Pop and RnB singer, Beyonce. She had a rich and light alto voice. When she sang the high pitch of the chorus, people started to look at her with admiration. Some where whispering among themselves saying "her voice is lovely". Mercy's eyes were shut closed so she was completely oblivious of her surrounding.

Once she stopped singing, someone clapped behind her which got her startled. She turned around and who she saw took her aback.

"Tony!" She called, astonished.

"You've got a lot of attention." Tony said, gesturing to the surrounding.

Mercy looked around and she was beyond surprised to see the number of people that were staring at her. Some of them had approving and delighted looks on their faces while others gave her the thumbs up. She was fully aware that she was a good singer and she usually got good compliments when she sang. But this time around, she was highly chuffed and felt on top of the world.

Tony sat down beside her. "Your voice is amazing."

Mercy chuckled nervously. "Thanks." Her heart was beating fast.

"I didn't know you also have a beautiful voice."

Mercy chuckled again. "You barely know anything about me."

"At least I know you have a beautiful face." Tony said, smiling.

Mercy felt flattered. She chuckled for the third time. "Thank you." She said sheepishly.

"You're welcome." Tony was staring at her intently. He hadn't taken his eyes off her since he got there. Mercy had a popping melanin skin, straight pointed nose, a pale orange lower lip and her shoulder length artificial hair covering one side of her eyes. Tony was enamoured by her facial look.

The silence was getting awkward for Mercy so she spoke, "I'm so sorry for standing up on you yesterday. It wasn't deliberate. I was really busy."

"Too busy to pick up your call?" Tony asked. "I called you more than eight times yesterday Mercy. I'm sure at least you must have seen the missed call notification, but you didn't call back."

Mercy felt bad. She had not returned Tony's call because she had a lot bothering her that she didn't feel like talking to anyone. Not even Tony. "I'm really so sorry."

"No prob'm!" He said, with a black American accent.

"How do you know I was here though?"

"I was shooting someone over there." He pointed in a particular direction. "So when I saw you from afar, I instantly recognized it was you and now here I am."

It was then Mercy noticed the camera hung around his neck. "You're a photographer?" She asked.

"I'm many things." He replied.

"Wow, jack of many trades huh?" Mercy said with an American accent. She was getting a little bit comfortable around him.

"Uh, you can put it that way for now." Tony said, "So you wanted to know how I got your number and your name right?"

Mercy made a snort, rolling her eyes. "She told me already."

"Who?"

"Was it not Brianna that told you?"

Tony looked at her surprised. "Oh so she told you?"

"Of course." Mercy smiled, "Was it meant to be you both secret?"

"Uh, kind of. What exactly did she tell you though?"

"She only told me she gave you my number." Mercy wanted to ask if he requested for her number, but for some reason she thought against it.

"Oh okay." Tony said and they were both silent, Tony staring at her like he was spellbound.

Mercy was very shy. "What? Why are you staring at me like that?" Her brows marred in a frown.

Tony tucked Mercy's hair behind her ear. "Just stay like that." He said.

"What?" Mercy was confused.

"Please don't move."

Mercy was getting scared.

Tony held up his camera to his eyes and captured Mercy.

"What? You just snapped me?" Mercy chuckled.

"See." Tony showed her the image in the camera screen. "Beautiful." He said.

"Wow, I like it." Mercy complimented as she stared at the image of herself.

"Are you a model?" Tony asked.

"No, I'm not."

"I want you to be my model." Tony said and Mercy was taken aback.

She chuckled, at a loss for words. "Uh, I.. em, I'm not cut out for modelling." She shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. Besides, I'm not asking you to be a professional model. I just want you to be my personal model. You don't have to though if-"

"I want to." Mercy said, cutting him off. They both stared at each other for a brief moment without uttering a word. "That image of me was beautiful. I would love to have many beautiful images of myself." She shrugged.

Tony chuckled, "Thank you."

"I have to go now." Mercy said. She and Tony stood up at the same time.

"I was actually gonna say that too." Tony said, smiling.

"Oh, bye then." Mercy started to move in a particular direction and Tony walked in the same direction. They both looked at each other awkwardly.

"Oh we're going in the same direction." Tony said.

Mercy smiled sheepishly. She would have wished they were not going in the same direction, but she thought it was actually not a bad idea if they were. At least she could still have the opportunity to breath in his adorable scent.

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