Little foxes 

I know you are expecting another Capital High episode this week. For one or two reasons, I could not finish it in time, but to make up for the disappointment, I am sending you an end of year present. A lot of people have asked me when I would do a Christian story. Well, this is a story about Christians and something we are all familiar with- temptation. Happy reading! 

Kojo clasped the pulpit with all his might and blinked twice. Beads of perspiration formed on his forehead.  Nope, it wasn’t a dream. She was really here.

Jessica in the flesh. Looking like ten years had not gone by. Like it was just yesterday that he had her propped up against the wall in the Maths and Statistics Department, groping her like his very existence depended on it . Those wild times. Before he gave his life to Christ. Before he became Associate Pastor for Living Faith Ministries International.

Yes, church. He realized that he had been silent for too long. The entire church stared back at him. Seeing Jessica has made him lose his train of thought. He needed to focus.

‘Halleluyah! God has laid a song on my heart.’

Do something new in my life, something new in my life, something new in my life, O Lord…

The church burst into song- with the women waving their white handkerchiefs in the air. They were oblivious to the fact that this was his way of regaining composure, that is everyone else but Jessica. She winked at him the next time their eyes met. Clearly, she was enjoying this.

Jessica. Gosh, it’s been so long.

He boxed his way through the service, all the while trying not to look too often at the far left hand corner of the church where she was seated. After the service, he stood making small talk with some of the elders, delaying their impending reunion. When she was tired of waiting, she walked up to him and said, ‘Can I please have a word with the pastor?’ The elders, thinking that she needed some counselling, gave them space.

‘If the mountain won’t come to Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain, right? Wait, that would be inappropriate because you are a reverend minister, wouldn’t it? Pastor Kojo! Just thinking about how inappropriate it is to flirt with you in front of the altar makes it even more appealing. Forbidden fruit, they call it. That’s in the Bible, isn’t it? I missed you, Kojo.’

The whole time he was standing there, he was cursing his stars for wearing such tight fitting trousers. There was something about Jessica that turned his libido into an untamed animal. He could barely think straight.

‘Cat caught your tongue? Clearly I have still got it- the key to Pastor Kojo’s heart. Well, I am back in town. Same house. You know where to find me. Sermon was good, by the way.’ She turned on her heels, putting on a show as she walked away. Kojo and every member of his body stood at rapt attention; the swaying of her hips almost hypnotic.

‘Who was that?’

He came to his senses when he heard Asantewaa’s voice.

‘An old friend from school. Let’s head home. I am starving.’

As his wife dutifully led the way, he wondered why she didn’t sway her hips for him whenever he was behind her.

---

‘Why am I here?’, Kojo asked himself after ringing the bell.  ‘I am a married man, I am a pastor, why am I standing in front of my ex-girlfriend’s house with an erection? Get it together, Kojo! You can’t-‘

All his defenses crumbled to dust when he saw her. She was wearing a tank top and very tiny shorts. When she turned, he saw that she was bra-less.

‘Come on in. I don’t bite.’

She offered him a drink. He was hesitant.

‘I haven’t had alcohol in the longest time. Not since I was with you.’

‘No wonder you look so uptight these days.’

He laughed. That was what he missed about her. There were no rules with Jessica- no judgement, no questions. That would probably explain why he had never really gotten over her. That would also explain why he didn’t protest when she reached over to unbuckle his belt.

---

‘Tell me about your wife.’

Jessica had propped her head against a pillow. Her weave had this tossled look and she was wearing nothing but a necklace. They were in her bed- this was the seventh time he had been there in the last week. Sometimes he came twice a day.

‘Interesting question. Feeling guilty that you are stealing her husband from right under her nose?’

‘Actually, no. I am wondering what kind of person she is- because she got you to marry her. Besides you have always been mine- wife or no wife. Why else do you think you find me irresistible?’

There it was again. That tinge of possessiveness. Most days, it was endearing. Other times, it was scary.

‘Asantewaa is an amazing woman. She is selfless, very caring, prayerful and hospitable. She is the perfect Asafo Maame*. She is a good mother too.’

*loosely translated to mean mother of the church. Used for the wife of the minister.

‘Right. So why are you here?’

‘Because she takes care of everyone except me. She has time to counsel the whole world and its mother but she can’t make time just to hang out with me. Plus she is so prim and proper. We have rules for sex- yes, rules! How ridiculous is that? Twice a month- every other day, she is fasting and meditating. I have to give her prior notice-at least six hours. She has to take a shower before we start. It must be in our bed- no against the kitchen counter business with her. And oh, the lights must be off. Quickies are a taboo when it comes to her and she wears grandma panties. For God’s sake, this is my wife and yet I feel like I am in military school.’

She burst out laughing.

‘No wonder you seemed so starved. Maybe you should take it slowly. Try something new once every two weeks. Haha!’

He threw a pillow at her and started tickling her. When they had calmed down, it was his turn to ask questions.

‘Your turn. Why did you come back? Considering the fact that I didn’t even get a goodbye..’

‘That’s why I came back. I left so angry with you for not wanting to go with me. After a while, I realized that I really didn’t want all I had ever wanted if the package didn’t come with you.’

‘You left Switzerland because of me? Why didn’t you call me a year after you left? We could have been married with kids.’

‘I don’t think so. I would not have made a good Asafo Maame. I would not have made you happy. What we have now works just fine. I can wear my skimpy clothes and be your guilty pleasures reservoir. You can wear your clerical collar in peace.’

Kojo’s eyes fell on his collar and his pastor’s shirt with Jessica’s pink 36 D bra sprawled out on it, and for the first time since this ‘honeymoon’ began, he began to feel guilty. All his defenses dissipated into nothingness when she pulled him close again.

The guilt resurfaced that night when he was preparing his sermon for Communion Sunday. He could not concentrate and anytime he shut his eyes to pray, he saw Jessica. Sometimes he could smell her.

This is crazy! 

“Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?”‭ 

The words jumped out of his Bible at him.

But nobody is going to get hurt. Jess and I get our happily ever after. Asantewaa gets a loving husband who won’t ask for quickies. It is a win-win.

The feeling didn’t go away. He tried to drown his thoughts with Kirk Franklin’s There is no one like you.

---

‘Jess, we have to end this.’

‘End what?’

‘This’

‘I had a feeling we would get here at some point. You can’t come into my life and remind me of what we had and just walk out because you feel like it. You are mine, remember? You are so selfish. You can go back to your pulpit, your dutiful wife, your unsuspecting congregation and your kids. Me? What am I stuck with? Feelings which should have remained buried? I am sorry- you are not getting rid of me that easily.’

‘Jess, I have a wife!’

‘You should have thought about that before you wiggled your way into my bed. If you try to get rid of me, I will destroy you and everything that matters to you.’

There it was again. That possessive streak. The same one that had pushed him to leave her in the first place. Her eyes had reduced to mere slits and she looked like she was exhaling lava. He turned towards the door and said, ‘Take care, Jess.’

---

He hit the ignore button a third time and sighed. It was becoming more and more difficult to ignore her. On one hand, he knew that he needed to stay away from her. On the other hand, he was afraid of what she could do just to keep him.
His phone buzzed again. It was a text.

‘I have been trying to tell you that I am carrying your baby. Don’t even think of talking me into an abortion. You can’t ignore me forever. If Muhammed doesn’t come to the mountain….’

When he got home that night, his wife met him at the entrance.

‘Your friend from school is here. She said she has something important to say and that she can only say it when you get here.’

Beads of perspiration formed on his forehead. Judgement Day was already here…

Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes.

‭‭Song of Solomon‬ ‭2:15‬ ‭NKJV‬

Happy new year in advance, guys! Thanks for sticking with me! See you in the new year! Be sure to catch the little foxes in your life before they spoil the vine, whatever they may be. God bless you! – 💜 Keni