You have no rival, You have no equal

Now and forever, God, You reign

Yours is the Kingdom, Yours is the glory

Yours is the Name above all names

In the plush, sweet bungalow where Superintendent Richard Abban and his gorgeous wife Sergeant Aretha lived, the sweet, harmonious voices of Olivia and her big sisters Estella and Aretha could be heard, delightfully belting out one of their favourite Hillsong numbers while they prepared the dining table for dinner. It was one of those days when the Forson sisters met at either Estella or Aretha’s house to eat and bond as always.

It hadn’t always been like this; their earlier years on earth were marked with lots of squabbles. Their mother, however, managed to nip it in the bud and teach them to remember that they were all they had. They had thankfully learned, and now between them existed a strong sisterly bond that was hard to break.

“Alright, ladies. Let us pray,” Estella, the oldest of the sisters, directed, as they took their seats as the song ended. Aretha and Olivia duly bowed their heads as the prayer was given. Once she was done, the three daughters of Mr. Forson began their dinner, filling their mouths with Aretha’s immaculate jollof.

While they ate, they discussed various matters, like Estella’s next peacekeeping mission, Olivia’s Masters in Gender, Peace & Security, and Aretha’s pregnancy, which was almost two months now. As usual, it was all words of concern, laughs, teases and warnings to those teases.

“So, Olivia, how are things going with Deladem?” Estella asked.

Olivia nodded and smiled. “Oh, it’s going great, Estella. I couldn’t be happier, to be honest. Dela is such a great guy, and he treats me so well. He’s a wonderful man to have as a partner.”

“Mmm, that’s sweet,” Aretha remarked, nodding in approval. “So everything is going on very well?”

Olivia nodded. “Yep.”

“So we should be expecting some good news soon?”

Olivia laughed softly and nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure something will come soon enough.”

“Oh, praise God! We thank God for that,” Estella grinned. “He’s moving like a wise man. Coz you know we diɛɛ, we’ll not spare any time wasters in our baby sister’s life.”

“At all, my sister!” Aretha agreed. “Nanka he’ll be there norr, we’ll show up at his radio station and shake him well well.”

Olivia laughed. Of course, having a soldier and a police officer as sisters meant not every guy could make a move on her. The last thing you wanted was to have two tough ladies from the army and police service rough you up for messing about with their sister.

“Oh, as for Dela diɛɛ, his head is in the right place kraa,” she confirmed. “You can be expectant paaa… well, Estella can be expectant, at least. Aretha is expecting, and that’s totally different, so she’s not part.”

“Behave yourself, young lady!” Aretha warned her, pointing her fork at her and giving her that good old evil look.

She laughed out loud, prompting the sisters to shake their heads and return to their food.

She also returned to her plate, the smirk on her face. As she thought of Deladem, though, the issue of her sister came to mind. She frowned, wondering if she should bring it up.

A few seconds of contemplation, and she thought, why not?

“Well,” she started, “there’s an issue concerning Dela. It doesn’t concern me, though, but it still kinda worries me.”

Estella and Aretha had paused their eating and were looking intently at her.

“So… he has an issue with his twin sister. Apparently, there was once this weirdo in his sister’s church who’s got all these weird religious beliefs, and one of them is that football is a creation of the devil and whoever likes it is going to hell.”

Aretha rolled her eyes. “Hmph! Some of these over-spiritual people diɛɛ. Where do they get these ideas from?”

“I know right! And you know Dela does sports reports for Velvet, plus that show he joins every two weeks. Right. So his sister invited this wacko to their house one day, and this lady sees Dela watching some sports highlights, and all of a sudden, she just descended on him, telling him he’s going to hell for enjoying football and he must repent and blah blah blah.”

Her sisters looked at her, the shock manifest on their faces. “Hah! But what kind of foolishness is that?” Estella questioned.

“I’m shocked mpo. She attacked him like that in his own house?” Aretha wondered. “That’s absolutely disrespectful!”

Olivia shook her head. “Tell me about it! Extremely disrespectful. They eventually got her out, she doesn’t talk to the sister anymore, all that stuff. But he’s still mad at her for bringing her to the house in the first place. Like, he claims he’s over it, but… the way his mood changes when he talks about her, the way he recounts the whole thing with such anger… it’s so clear he’s holding on to the grudge and… I’m not happy about it. I want him to let go of the hurt, but… he keeps saying he’s okay and that there’s no grudge. I really wanna know what to do.”

Estella and Aretha paused for a moment, thinking about this situation.

“Hmmm. Well… I dunno what Aretha has in mind, but… for me, I think that first things first, you should commit it into God’s hands,” Estella began. “Coz no matter what, if he refuses to acknowledge the fact that he’s still angry with her, it’s gonna be very difficult to settle it. Once he acknowledges it, proper healing can take place. But how close are you with his twin sister?”

Olivia squinted slightly. “Umm, not that close, but… we do talk.”

“Well, since she’s the offending party, maybe you can talk to her about it. Of course, you don’t go straight for the jugular, you go about it as gently as you can, get her to open up, see how she feels, and see if you can… I dunno, get them to have an honest talk, I guess? I dunno, for me, the difficulty is in him not acknowledging it, and I don’t wanna tell you to push him too much.”

“Exactly!” Aretha agreed. “Coz that would worsen the case. He already claims he’s over it, so you need to be wise about it. And for me… I think Estella has a point with prayer, obviously, and talking with the sister to see if that can work out. I also think… ummm… you know, just ask him every now and then how things are. As you’re praying and all, find out from him how things are going with his sister. Find a way to get him to reflect on his feelings over the matter. Hopefully, with time, he’ll start to realize there’s still some hurt, and he’ll have to deal with it.”

“Yeahhhh, I think that will work,” Estella added. “And if in all of this, you’re serving as a safe space, he’ll open up to you when that time comes, and you can help him to deal with it. That’s one of the most important things you can do for your man, my dear: to be his safe space. Bobby knows he can be vulnerable around me, and I’ll never throw it in his face or expose his weaknesses and low points to the world. Be that safe space for your man.”

Olivia nodded and smiled. That was quite a lot to digest, but she’d definitely find her way through all they had said. And they had dropped a priceless gem for her future marriage. “Yes please. Thank you ladies for the advice.”

“You’re welcome!” they responded cheerily as they all returned to eating.

A few minutes of stuffing her face, and Olivia put down her fork. Time for some good old mischief.

“Umm, Aretha? Since I’m a visitor and your baby sister, could you please serve me with some dessert?” she asked sweetly.

Her two sisters shot her those good old evil looks. “Young lady, don’t be silly!” Aretha scoffed. “Visitor for the where? My friend, go and get your own dessert!”

Olivia pouted. “Arethaaaaaa! You’re not being fair to meeee!” she whined in a babyish voice.

Aretha looked at her older sister, and they both shook their heads. “I’ll not mind her,” she declared.

“Oh, don’t mind her kraaaa,” Estella urged her. “She just wants to be silly as always.”

Olivia smirked. Then she cleared her throat and opened her mouth, as if to belt out a song.

“YOUU-“

“Herh! See, if you sing that ‘Natural Woman’ song, eh,” Aretha warned, “I’ll unleash the handcuffs on you. You think I’m playing, eh?”

Olivia pursed her lips, trying her best not to laugh out loud at Aretha’s hard look. One of her favourite ways of taunting her was to sing out Aretha Franklin’s classic tune, just because they shared the same name. It was always enough to trigger this sister of hers into coming after her.

And of course, having done it a million times, that warning wasn’t going to silence her.

“Youdontmakemefeellikeanaturalwoman, okay, bye!” she rapidly burst out before springing from the table and bolting away.

“Herh! You this girl!” Aretha sprang up from her seat, as ready for the chase as her younger sister was. “When I catch you, eh, walahi talahi!”

“Discipline her, Aretha!” Estella urged on in a mock Nigerian accent. “Discipline her!”

***

“Hmmm! The way things have become expensive, eh,” Becky commented, shaking her head at the price tag on the packs of grapes. “Grapes for 70 cedis? And it even has that their low price tag! Ei! It’s crazy!”

It was evening, and she was in Shoprite in the Accra Mall, busily getting herself some stuff for the house. Her basket already stacked with a host of provisions such as sardines, mackerel, spaghetti and some biscuits, her kitchen cupboards needed filling and she was doing the needful.

Moving to one of the aisles where tea and other beverages were sold, she went straight for the tea section. Picking up a box of Twinings Pure Green Tea, she nodded. “Ugh, thank God I got this one. Dunno what it is about Lipton green tea, but my body just don’t like it…”

“Ei, Becky!”

She turned in the direction of that voice.

There stood Bishop Gordon pushing a trolley filled with items, a gorgeous mocha lady by his side, a little boy who looked under the age of ten, and three little girls who all looked alike.

Becky’s eyes widened. “Oh, wow, Bishop! Good evening oo!”

Bishop Gordon smiled and waved. “How are you doing, Becky?”

“I’m fine ooo, I’m fine. Just getting some items for the house.”

“I can see. Honey, this is Becky. She’s part of Delasi’s childhood squad. Becky, this is Akpene, my incredible wife.”

“Oh wow, pleased to meet you, Madam,” Becky breathed, shaking Akpene’s hand. Bishop Gordon often mentioned at Cues that he had an absolute bombshell of a wife, and he sure wasn’t joking; this lady was a work of art. “Hope you don’t mind my saying, but you are so beautiful!”

Akpene laughed gently. “Thank you, darling. And please, you can call me Sister Akpene. I’m really not into those big, big titles, like the Madams and the Ladys. Please, Sister is fine.”

“Haha, sure then. And these must be the little ones, right?”

Mr. and Mrs. Tamakloe nodded. “Yep,” Bishop Gordon confirmed. “So this is Dorlu,” pointing to the boy, “and these are Esinam, Esime and Esinu,” pointing to the girls. “Don’t worry, it’ll be a while before you get used to who is who.”

Becky laughed. “Yeah, I guess. But oh my goodness, they’re so cuuutteeee. How are you?”

Little Dorlu and the girls, one of who was in her mother’s arms, and the other two around their father, nodded their heads and responded, “We are fine.”

“Good! Good to know!” Becky gushed, before turning to Bishop Gordon. “Eish, the Bishop himself! This is so sweet!”

Bishop Gordon laughed and put up his hands. “How we go do am? As for me, when it comes to times like this, forget the Bishop title, coz that’s what it is: a title. First and foremost, I’m a husband and a father. And this is my first ministry, so chale, I don’t take it lightly. So yeah, we’re on the move. Enjoying my family.”

Becky smiled. “That’s so sweet to hear. I like that. Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you later, then.”

“Please, we’re still waiting for you to visit us at church ooo! You’re the only one left,” Bishop Gordon reminded her. “We will be expecting you one of these days, wai.”

Becky nodded and smiled sheepishly. “Sure, sure, I’ll definitely make good on that. See you! And bye, little ones!”

Waving at the Tamakloe family, Becky moved down the aisle away from them as they did their own shopping. She picked out a few more items from off the shelves and placed them in her basket. Then she briefly turned to look at the family.

Bishop Gordon was carrying one of the triplets, and seemed to be enjoying listening to her try and mention names of items on the shelves. Akpene was busily leading the two walking children while carrying one of the triplets. It was all such a sweet sight.

Becky looked at Bishop Gordon’s face. He looked so… content. So happy.

Yeah, he had not been joking when he said he didn’t take his role as a father lightly. She could see just how much he was reveling in the moment with his wife and kids. Even if it was just a trip to the mall.

How refreshing, yet saddening, it was to see a man love on his family and proclaim with his mouth that he was totally devoted to them.

How unlike some men. Especially one she knew.

One who walked out on his family in a time of crisis and chose to make himself happy.

One who couldn’t even be bothered to show up at his son’s wedding a few years ago. Even when the son tried through third parties to invite him.

What a contrast between Bishop Gordon and the man who helped bring her and her siblings into this life.

She turned and shook her head sadly.

***

Later that night, Akpene was done putting the children to bed after singing to them. She shook her head and smiled, watching as those three little girls slumbered peacefully and feeling that familiar warmth of joy in her heart. They could be such a handful, the three of them, but they were a blessing she and Bishop Gordon were eternally grateful for.

She then went to check on her son, who was also fast asleep in his room, before moving to the dining room where her husband was.

As she approached the dining room, however, she could hear the sound of sniffing.

Concern immediately took over. “Ese?” she softly called before walking into the dining room.

There sat Bishop Gordon, his head leaning on his upright left arm as he sobbed, tears running down his face.

“Ese. Ese, it’s okay,” Akpene consoled as she walked over and hugged him. “It’s alright, okay.”

She knew there was only one thing that would provoke her husband to tears like this, and she learned a long time ago to just help him out and be by him in those moments of vulnerability. So she simply held him close to her while he let out his hurt.

A few more minutes of sobbing, and Bishop Gordon stopped. Holding tightly to his wife, he buried his face in her light camo nightgown, shaking his head for a second or two before letting go. “I’m sorry, Akpi. It just…”

“It’s alright, Ese,” she replied gently, rubbing his head. “I understand. Just remember that it’s all in the past.”

“I know, I know,” Gordon replied, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. “I know it’s in the past, and that I need to move on. It’s just… it’s just one of those days where it just hits me how I was such a terrible man and… it hurts. It still does.”

Akpene crouched down to him. “Ese, remember what Apostle Paul said in Philippians about forgetting the former things and pressing towards the goal. That period of your life is over, don’t keep punishing yourself over it. God gave you another chance, and you’re taking full advantage. So, please, I beg you, keep that in mind. I’m here for you and I always will be. I’m never leaving your side. Now dry your eyes and give me a smile.”

Bishop Gordon looked into her eyes and wiped his eyes, the corners of his mouth turning upward slightly.

“Come, my husband, let me make you some Ovaltine, okay?”

He couldn’t help but crack a smile at that. He cupped her chin in his hands and chuckled lightly. “This my dadabee wife, you’re introducing me to things ooo! Proper Anlo-Afiadenyigba boy like me, see what you’re feeding me with!”

“Abi you’ve been teasing me saaaa, now the dadaba gene has entered my system proper. Life and death are in the power of the tongue, ampa. So please, collect this dadabee treatment.”

“Yes, my dear.”

What’s our beloved bishop weeping about? And you must say, the chemistry between Olivia and her sisters is lovely…