Nestled within an upscale neighborhood in the capital city, one pretty grand mansion stood majestically atop a gentle rise, exuding an aura of refined elegance and power. A sanctuary of comfort and luxury, belonging to one gentleman who wielded much leverage in the government of the day.
Walking through the big, fancy gate, one would be greeted by a winding driveway bordered by meticulously manicured lawns and vibrant flowerbeds. The exterior of the house was nothing short of regal in its appearance, with a porte-cochère extending from one side to the other providing a hotel-like vibe to the residence.
Enter the house, and if you weren’t wowed by the grand foyer featuring a sweeping, spiraling staircase, gleaming marble floors and opulent crystal chandeliers suspended from the soaring ceiling that greeted you, chances were you were already used to that kind of luxury. Tasteful, museum-quality artwork adorned the walls of the living room, plush, deep-seated sofas and armchairs invited visitors to sink into comfort, while intricately designed rugs softened the footsteps and added to the sumptuous ambiance.
Oh, and lest one forget, the backyard was not to be left out, with a resort-like pool and a charming pavilion, perfect for al fresco dining and leisurely lounging.
This plush house, a sanctuary of comfort and luxury, was the property of one of the richest men in the nation. The owner of one of the prime newspaper presses and a financier of the ruling party.
And on that calm Sunday afternoon, he was laid back in one of the sofas, busily sipping some whisky while watching the video that had been sent to him by one of his boys.
It was a video of the day’s sermon at Reverence Ministries.
…And as far as the issues of this nation are concerned, I will forever be led by what the Spirit says. You can say all the lovely things in the ears of the president if you like, but as for me… 1st Kings chapter 22, verse 14 will always be my mantra…
He watched the video on his phone, shaking his head as the pastor on the screen walked back to the pulpit. He paused the video. “This man really is a problem,” he murmured to himself.
It had been quite a while since this pastor had started speaking about the wrongs of the government, and his words were pretty sharp. Not sharp in the sense that he insulted anyone, but sharp in the sense that he was really stern and straightforward with his words.
And boy oh boy, were they piercing! In reality, his words couldn’t be more correct.
Even though he and his newspaper constantly and ferociously denied such rumours on the daily and attributed the problems to external factors, he knew the truth: most of the economic woes were down to one thing alone – serious mismanagement of the country’s coffers, thanks to their sneaky, crooked ways of funneling the money into their accounts.
Complaints from the opposition they could easily handle. The whining of the regular citizen they could discard and easily combat with world-class gaslighting. But the words of men of God, they felt queasy and uncomfortable with. And unfortunately, the words of this one particular man of God rang loud and clear in their ears.
What made it more worrisome was the fact that he was about the only one really rising up to speak these words.
For everyone connected to the government, this man was becoming quite a bother. Many of them had seared their consciences enough to continue robbing the nation blind without a sense of remorse, but this reverend and his piercing words just would not let them be.
And as far as he was concerned, it was time to take action.
“I think it’s time to use that tactic,” he continued to mutter to himself. “It’s about the best we have if we’re gonna have some peace of mind.”
Having said that, he swiftly moved to make a phone call.
“Hello, Johnson… Yes, yes, listen, when it’s about 6:30, get the car ready. We have somewhere to go…”
***
“Daddy! Please, where is the ice cream?”
“Yes, Daddy, you said today, we’ll have ice cream!”
“Dadddyyyyyyy!”
“Ebeeeiii!” David exclaimed as his three children surrounded him. After one of those long meetings with his associate pastors, the next thing on the agenda was to get back home to spend some quality time with Sika and the kids, who had taken the lead. He had promised them ice cream the previous day, and the young ones had not forgotten that promise.
Appearing from the kitchen, Sika stood at the door, a smirk on her face. “You thought they wouldn’t remember, eh?”
“Oh, I did, but this aggression diɛɛ, ei!” David responded, shaking his head in amusement.
“But Daddy, you say the Bible says that the violent take it by force, so…” Matthew, the eleven year-old firstborn, quipped, a mischievous smile on his face.
“Herh, so it is me that you are coming to do violence on, eh? Okayyyyy, I see…”
Matthew and his siblings laughed.
“Anyways, here’s your ice cream,” David announced, handing them a polythene bag filled with FanIce cups. “You know Daddy is a man of his word.”
“YAAAYYYY!” the three Mensah-Jones children cheered, receiving the ice cream with glee and a flurry of thank yous before heading for the kitchen to place their dessert in the fridge.
Sika, who had moved from the door to allow the children to enter, simply stood and smiled at her husband, who smiled back at her.
If there were two words to describe the woman David’s eyes beheld, it would be ‘radiant’ and ‘enchanting’. With moderate height and a slightly plump build, she was a delight to look upon, with her exquisite beauty complemented by her warm, chocolate-toned skin, exuding a sense of grace and elegance.
Twelve years of marriage with this woman, and the aura that captured his attention the very first day he saw her in a Scripture Union meeting in university had not dissipated in the slightest. She was still the most beautiful woman in the world to him. The woman he could not imagine doing life without. The second greatest gift God had given to him, after the gift of salvation.
I couldn’t have been given a better woman to be my life partner and the mother of our children, he briefly thought to himself.
“So what’s on deck for tonight?” Sika asked as she slowly walked toward him.
David smirked. “Ready for ‘Back To The Future’?”
Sika shook her head as she wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck. “You and your obsession with 80s movies, eh…”
“But they’re nice, lah. See when we watched ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ last month. The kids loved it, didn’t they? And E.T. too hit the spot, didn’t it?”
“Oh, they did oo, they did. I’m just saying… mix things up a bit, eh. You know, some 90s movies…”
David rolled his eyes. “Sika, we did Terminator 2 the week after the first instalment, didn’t we? And that’s a 90s movie, so…”
“That was only because it followed Terminator 1. If it wasn’t for that, anka no 90s movie.”
“But it was a 90s movie, was it not?”
“It was the sequel to an 80s movie released in the 90s.”
“Oohhhhhhh, lah! Please, whether na sequel or prequel, it was a 90s movie.”
“Yes, but without the first one, you would have chosen another 80s movie.”
David shook his head as Sika giggled. Typical of his wife; she’d deliberately stretch a simple matter just to pull his legs.
“Please, I beg you, it’s okay. I’ll do 90s movies from now on, wai,” he conceded.
“Good,” she responded triumphantly before letting go of his neck and walking toward the corridor leading to the bedrooms. “I knew you’d bend eventually.”
David folded his arms and shook his head again. “You this bully. You think God is happy with the way you bully me, eh?”
“Absolutely,” she smugly answered. “Now are you gonna stand there and sulk or are you coming over for some much needed after-church TLC?”
David’s face immediately changed from mock displeasure to a pleased one. “On second thought, I don’t think God minds that much when you bully me.”
Sika laughed as her husband eagerly followed her.
***
“Matt! Mark! Maria! It’s seven o’ clock! Movie time!”
Sunday evening in the Mensah-Jones household was usually movie night, where either David or Sika would choose a film. Ever since the birth of Maria, David had decided certain family traditions be put in place to ensure the family bond was as tight as could be. Of course, Monday morning devotion was a given, where he’d lay hands on everyone and give them communion, but he decided other bonding activities were needed to create fun memories for everyone. So it was either movie night, or game night where all five of them would play either ludo, scrabble, oware or any other board game available.
“Yess, Daddyyyyy!” Maria, the nine year-old baby of the house, called as she ran into the room excitedly.
“Mark, go get the ice cream!” they heard Matthew call out from the room.
“No, you get it!” Mark’s voice rang out from the other room.
“No, you go and get the ice cream!”
“No, you go for it! You’re the oldest!”
“Well, I’m telling you to go for it since I’m the oldest!”
“Hey, hey, hey, hey!” David interrupted. “It’s okay. Mark, go and bring the ice cream for all of us. Hurry up!”
A defeated-sounding “Yes Daddy” was followed by Mark walking out of his room and heading for the kitchen while Matthew stepped out of his room and into the living room, a triumphant smirk on his face. That smirk disappeared, though, at the sight of his father’s stern look.
“You boys shouldn’t bring that your squabbling here tonight,” David warned as the two took their seats and he shared the ice cream among them all. “This is a time for bonding, not for fighting and doing those ‘I’m older than you’ things. I don’t want to hear any of that during the film or afterwards. Do you understand?”
The two boys hung their heads and answered, “Yes, please.”
“Better. Now, let’s get this show on the road!”
With the remote control in his hand, David then stretched it out to switch on the television.
Then the doorbell rang.
Everyone in the room looked at the front door in surprise as their pet dog barked outside.
David looked at Sika. “Ah, but, we’re not expecting anybody, are we?”
Sika, looking just as puzzled, shook her head. “No ooo. Nobody is supposed to come.”
David looked up for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face as he tried to recollect any prior orders he had given to anyone at church that day.
After a while, he shook his head. “Nahh, I definitely didn’t give Ludwig anything to bring. It can’t be him. Or is it Arthur?”
“Well, let me go and check,” Sika said, ready to get up.
“Oh, no, no, let me handle it,” David insisted, springing to his feet. “Whoever it is, I’ll just see them off quickly. So hold on, guys! Lemme see who it is and come back.”
With that, he stepped out of the living room and out of the house, where their dog was barking its head off at the gate.
“Easy, Boli, easy,” he urged, patting the family pet on the head before shushing it to another side of the house. He walked to the gate and opened it.
And froze in total shock at who stood before him.
A middle-aged man with a noticeable white beard smiled at him. Behind him was a red Jaguar I-Pace.
A very familiar car to many Ghanaians.
That car was a constant reminder to many a Ghanaian that in spite of the average citizen’s struggles to survive on a daily basis, others like the man in front of him were happily living lavish lifestyles and rubbing it in the faces of those they were supposed to be serving.
It was men like him that the Lord told David to warn.
“Good evening, Mr. Mensah-Jones. My name is Roger Wakefield.”
Oh boy! What could this Roger guy have up his sleeve?
