“Okay, are we ready?”

The choristers of Shalom Temple went silent as Bishop Gordon stood before them, ready to speak about the upcoming conference. The Sunday service was over, and as he mentioned before ending, he needed to meet with them.

Holding a Bible, he cleared his throat and began. “So, yes, my dear people, I want to thank God for each of you. You’ve been very faithful in your calling, and your voices have carried His presence into this house time and time again. I’m grateful for your faithfulness and your effort; I have no doubt that our Almighty Father will reward you accordingly. But, I feel led to remind you of something important before our conference at the end of the month.”

Everyone was silent. Delasi, seated in front with Lovia, Irene and Akpene, was focused on him as he spoke.

“Now listen to me, this isn’t just another church event. Not at all. This is a divine appointment. People will walk into this conference hungry: some for a word, others for healing, and many without even knowing what they need. And yes, we have speakers and prophets coming, anointed men and women of God. But listen to me carefully: God can move just as powerfully through your songs as He can through a sermon or prophecy.”

The choir members nodded quietly, with a few murmuring “Amen.”

Pausing to open his Bible, Bishop Gordon continued. “When you open up the word of God, John 15:5 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Did you catch that? Apart from Him, we can do nothing. It doesn’t matter how rehearsed you are, how perfect your harmonies sound, or how skillfully the band plays. Without your connection to the Vine, it’s all just noise. Nothing of eternal value.”

“My people, I want you to prepare for this conference like you’ve never prepared before; not just musically, but spiritually. Spend time in the Word. Fast if the Lord leads you. Pray as a group and alone. Sing those songs in your private time with the same passion you’ll bring to this altar. Because when you stay connected to the Vine, every note you sing carries His power. And when that happens, chains can break, hearts can heal, and lives can be transformed—not because of you, but because of Him.

“I don’t want anyone to think for a second that your role is small. Every time you open your mouth to worship, you are declaring the goodness of God, creating an atmosphere for His Spirit to move. Let this conference be a time where you don’t just sing to people, but where you sing for God, with Him working through you. So please, I’m counting on you, but more importantly, God is counting on you. Stay connected to the Vine, and watch how He uses you to bless His people. Amen?”

The group responded enthusiastically, “Amen!”

“Great. Now, let’s pray together.”

After about twenty minutes of fierce prayer, the meeting was over. The choir dispersed gradually, some lingering to chat while others packed up their belongings. As Bishop Gordon moved to stand near the altar, he gestured for Delasi and Irene to approach him. They exchanged curious glances, but obeyed and stepped closer.

Smiling at Delasi, he asked, “Delasi, you and your squad will still be holding court at Cue’s Corner tonight, right?”

Delasi nodded. “Yes, Bishop. Will you be there?”

“Oh yeah. I just have to take Akpi and the kids to my mother’s place, then I’ll come over. Irene!”

Irene straightened up, smiling sweetly at him. “Yes, Bishop?”

“Why don’t you join them tonight? It’ll be nice to join your boyfriend and his people.”

Irene froze, her eyes wide with shock. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Delasi couldn’t help but smirk at her. Clarence had admitted to the group on their WhatsApp group chat that he had confessed to Bishop Gordon and Akpene, and that the bishop intended to ‘confront’ the two of them, without mentioning when exactly he was going to do that. Looked like he had chosen this day to do that.

“Uh… my… my boyfriend?” Irene stuttered.

Bishop Gordon smirked and nodded calmly. “Yes, Irene. Your boyfriend. Remember, God cares about every part of your life, including your relationships. You don’t need to hide what He’s blessed. Nothing under the sun is hidden forever.”

The smirk still on his face, he began to move away. “Okay, see you later tonight!”

As he left, Irene’s stunned look remained plastered on her face. She looked at Delasi.

“Ah, but… but how did he know? Did you… did you…”

Delasi shook her head. “Nope. I didn’t say anything to him.”

Irene frowned. “It can’t be Clarence himself; we agreed to hide it till we were ready. Or… or was it the Holy Spirit who revealed it to him or something?”

Delasi resisted the urge to laugh out loud, and just shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe. I guess we’ll find out later tonight. Now come on, let’s get to the restaurant. By now, Lovia thems are waiting for us…”

***

It was almost six o’ clock when Irene arrived at the entrance of Cues Corner. She briefly peered inside through the glass door, hoping to see someone familiar. Nervous was a understatement to describe how she felt at that moment. She had been prepping herself to meet the squad, but not like this. Especially with Bishop Gordon in the mix.

Well, whatever happened, the time to meet them was now. And it wasn’t like she was going to get whipped or anything; per Clarence’s insistences, they were looking forward to meeting her.

The door opened, and there stood Clarence, grinning widely at her.

“Hey you! Come on in!” he called, reaching for her hand. “You’re pretty early.”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “Didn’t take too long to find this place; looks like it’s pretty popular.”

“Oh yeah. Cues Corner diɛɛ, stop ooo. Legendary spot.”

As he led her toward a table at the back, Irene noticed the familiar face of Delasi and the rest of the squad. It was the sighting of Bishop Gordon, however, that truly made her heart skip a beat. She leaned toward Clarence and whispered, “Clay? Clay, how does Bishop Gordon know about us?”

Scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, Clarence muttered at the side of his mouth, “You’ll find out soon enough. Just relax.”

Irene shot him a questioning look, but there was no time to press further as they arrived at the table. As the others gave her smiles and welcoming nods, Bishop Gordon gestured for them to take the two empty seats beside him, Irene sitting between Delasi and Clarence.

Taking her seat, Irene could feel the warmth of friendliness across the table. “Hi everybody!” she greeted cheerfully.

As everyone responded with similar energy, she noted Becky and Nana Asor looking at her with barely concealed delight, as if they had just discovered a new favorite character in their favorite novel.

“Awww, she’s even cuter in person!” Nana Asor gushed.

“I know right! Such an adorable girl!” Becky agreed.

As the others laughed and Irene felt her face heat up, Bishop Gordon cleared his throat, indicating his desire to speak. The others went silent, waiting for him.

“Hello, Irene. I hope you’re doing good.”

She nodded, turning to him as her face remained hot. “Yes, please, Bishop.”

“Good. We thank God. It’s good to have you here. This place is full of good vibes paaa. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as time goes on. We just meet around here, have a good time talking, all that good stuff. And their food… ah, top tier stuff. Their burgers in particular are the best. The way Akpi loves them, eh, stop!”

Irene laughed nervously and nodded.

“Anyways, let me tell you how I found out about you and Clarence. So, last week, Akpi and I were here, celebrating our anniversary with  some good food and great memories. It just so happened that Bruce, Asor and Clarence were here, so were all chatting, having fun, you know, nice stuff. So we were chatting about love and relationships and… well, let’s just say the Holy Spirit structured that discussion so beautifully. Before I knew it, Clarence was confessing that he was dating one of my most dedicated choir members.”

As chuckles rippled around the table, Irene’s face turned redder as she covered her face with her hands, while Clarence grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.

Putting on a mock stern tone, Bishop Gordon continued. “Now, Irene, let me ask you: how long were you planning to keep this little secret from me? Hmm? Were you hoping I’d find out at your wedding? Or maybe after you and Clarence have had three children?”

Laughter broke out at the table, and even Irene couldn’t help but join in as she looked down at the table, her mind scrambling for a response. Before she could say anything, Delasi cut in.

“Oh, but Bishop, don’t be too hard on her. If there’s anyone you should be shaking, it’s Clay!” she insisted, a mischievous grin on her face.

As Clarence’s jaw dropped, Deladem dived in. “I agree! Bishop, the shaking you go shake Irene, take put Clarence ein top.”

“Yes! Yes! Question him ooo, Bishop, question him!” Nana Asor chanted. “Question him! Question him!”

Banging gently on the table, her chant was quickly picked up by the rest of the squad. Now everyone was chanting, “Question him! Question him! Question him!” while banging on the table.

Once they ended, everyone was in stitches. Bishop Gordon shook his head, his body rocking with laughter. “Herh, you people are not correct at all. Herh!”

Clarence shook his head. “Herh, now I see sey you people no dey like my matter. In fact, I’m done with y’all. I’m leaving.”

He pretended to get up.

“Hey, hey, hey, will you sit down over there!” Becky ordered, sounding like a strict big sister. “You and who are done for the where? Respect yourself, wai!”

Once again, laughter broke out as he meekly obeyed. As it died down, Irene felt a little more empowered to speak. The atmosphere was way too pleasant to just play ‘shy girl’, and besides, she definitely had something to say.

“Umm, Bishop,” she started, “I was definitely going to tell you. I promise. You know I’ll never hide these things from you like that. It was just… I wanted to make sure the timing was right. Clarence and I… we’re still figuring things out, and I didn’t want to say anything prematurely. But yes, there’s definitely something between us, and… it’s beautiful.”

As she spoke, she reached out and gripped Clarence’s arm, her fingers curling gently around his sleeve. She gave him a brief, shy but heartfelt smile before turning back to Bishop.

“Clarence is such a sweet, funny guy, and this thing between us has been so lovely. And I really like him. I really do.”

The group collectively let out a chorus of adoring sounds.

“Aww!”

“How sweet!”

“Look at them!”

They were mainly led by Nana Asor and Becky, who were practically swooning at the display of affection. Clarence chuckled, his ears reddening, but he gave Irene’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

Bishop Gordon sat back in amusement. “Eish, the romantic Jamestown cutie! Okay oooo. No problem. As you’ve said it, I’ve heard. Chale, I’ve not seen this level of romantic eyi in a long time ooo. In fact, I envy you paaa, you are enjoying love!”

Irene laughed out loud. “Oh, Bishop, please, I’ve not reached anywhere ooo. I’m learning from you and Sister Akpene.”

He smirked and shook his head as the others giggled.

“Honestly, Bishop, like, I really admire your marriage. You and Sister Akpene… it’s like you’ve had the perfect love story. The way God has blessed you, eh. It’s just amazing. I know nothing is perfect, but it’s like for you, perfection in your love life. From A to Z.”

“Chale, I can’t argue with that,” Deladem agreed.

“Too true,” Becky further added.

“Ei, as for Bishop and Sister Akpene, don’t go there ooo! Proper couple goals!” Clarence emphasized.

Those words, however, appeared to have brought a subtle but noticeable change in Bishop Gordon’s demeanour. His smile softened, but his eyes seemed to grow distant, as if her comment about a perfect love life had stirred something deep within. He nodded slowly, his tone measured and reflective as he responded.

“Well, I’m extremely grateful for my marriage, Irene. Truly, it’s a blessing. But… perfect love life? No, not at all. Let’s just say there are some wounds that even time doesn’t completely heal.”

The table grew still upon that, the lively energy replaced by quiet curiosity. Why was he saying that? Everyone looked intrigued but unsure whether to press further.

A few moments of silence, and Deladem broke the silence. “Uhh, Bishop, are you saying there’s a story we don’t know about?”

Bishop Gordon sighed, then nodded. He then shut his eyes for a moment, looking like he was in the middle of a mental tug-of-war. Once again, everyone looked unsure of what to do or say.

Before anyone could speak, his eyes opened. “Yeah, there is. A story only the closest people to me know about. I rarely speak on it, and I dunno why it just came to the forefront of my mind. I honestly did not want to talk about it, but… it’s like the Holy Spirit just told me to let it out. I guess He’s tired of me painting a perfect picture and pretending, so…”

Everyone sat back, looks of concern on their faces.

Taking a deep breath, he asked a question.

“Did you know that Akpene… isn’t my first wife?”

The table erupts into murmurs of shock. That was not something they expected to hear.

“Really?”

“What?!”

“Are you serious?”

Bishop Gordon nodded.

“I am. Very serious. You see, I got saved at an early age. I was about twenty when I got born again. I thought having a wife early was essential, so… I got married very early in life. At the age of twenty-four. And my first wife… her name was Kimberley.”

Well, it looks like we’re finally getting the story behind Bishop’s grief…