“Hey, Dad! You won’t believe the incredible things I’ve been experiencing in Japan!”
Roger chuckled at the phone screen as he watched his daughter Rahel excitedly update him on her latest tour. “Talk to me, my dearest Rahel. You know how I’ve been looking forward to hearing about your adventures.”
“Hahaha! I know, right? Sooo… I’m in Tokyo right now, and it’s like stepping into a whole new world! The traditions, the technology, the cherry blossoms—it’s absolutely magical!”
He nodded. “Nice! I’m yet to visit there. Must be amazing.”
“Oh, it is. Let me show you some of the sights here, and what they mean…”
As she went on, describing the beauty of Japanese gardens she had visited, the excitement of traditional festivals she had attended, and the tranquility of ancient shrines she had stepped into, Roger nodded with glee. Oh, the joys of giving your children the best life they could ever have! he thought to himself while she rattled on. They don’t remain local champions with no idea of what’s outside their motherland. Like someone I know…
Once she was done, Roger sighed. “Brilliant. I’m so happy you’re enjoying yourself there. Have you heard from your mother and brother?”
“Oh yeah, I spoke to them before calling you. They’re enjoying themselves in the Bahamas.”
“Sweet. Soon I’ll get a ticket so we can all meet in Greece and spend a week or two there.”
“Oh my God! That’ll be awesome, Dad!”
“Oh, I know, I know. I’m looking forward to it. Well, it’s almost 1 am here in Ghana. Time for your old man to sleep.”
“Alright. But Dad, doesn’t it get boring being all by yourself in the house?”
Roger laughed. “Oh, honey, you know me already. I’m okay with it. At least you know I’m not out there cheating or anything.”
“Oh, but Dad, we know you diɛɛ, that’s not your life.”
“Of course, of course. As for that thing, never on my agenda. Well, anyways, time for me to get some rest.”
“Alright, Dad. I’ll talk to you later. Love you!”
“Love you too, darling!”
Smiling as he ended the call, Roger nodded. “The soft life. That’s all my family deserves,” he remarked to himself. “Some people don’t want that for their families, though. They prefer that boys in masks and hoods will come and be scaring them. Eii, some people don’t have sense in this life!”
Laughing out loud at his own words, he opened the message he had received earlier in the evening.
It’s done, boss. We shake them ankasa.
Nodding again, a sinister smile spread across his lips. He paused for a moment, a thought coming to mind, then proceeded to reach for his other phone.
“Time to… twist the knife in a little deeper,” he chuckled to himself, scrolling through the contacts and finding the number he wanted to dial.
***
“I hate to see you cry. I really do,” David whispered, running his hands through Sika’s hair as she slumbered peacefully. After plenty of reassurances and a few forehead kisses to boot, his wife had finally calmed down and gotten some well-deserved rest.
He, however, could not sleep. The anger in his chest refused to dissuade, even after setting aside a few minutes to pray in tongues. He was so angry at Roger for choosing to employ such disgusting tactics.
First you trash God’s house, now you threaten my family, he thought to himself, still shaking his head. This was simply unacceptable, and all over a rejected bribe.
Suddenly, the phone in David’s hand buzzed. Surprised, he looked at the screen. It was from an unknown number.
He instantly knew it was Roger calling.
“Calling me at 1 am? What is this man up to?” David wondered. Hesitant but fueled by a mix of anger and curiosity, he quickly stepped out of the room and marched to the dining room before he answered, his voice taut with controlled fury.
“What do you want, Roger?”
An infuriating cocky laugh followed. His instincts were right.
“Mr. David Mensah-Jones. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? The last time we had direct communication of any sort was when you disrespectfully shoved that sheet of paper under your gate, and instead of coming out to face me like a real man does, you hid behind text messages and blocked me. Yep, that’s the last time we had any form of contact. How have you been? I’m doing good. Fantastic, in fact. Couldn’t be better.”
David inhaled and exhaled deeply, doing his best to not explode.
“You know, I was just speaking to my daughter. She’s happily touring Japan right now. And my wife and son too are in the Bahamas. Enjoying life. And it occurred to me… you really could have begun the path to this sweet life. Having your lovely bride and sweet little children hop on a plane and explore everything the world has to offer. Unfortunately, you chose to reject that. Now, your family’s spending their Saturday evening getting scary threats from unknown young men. Tragic, isn’t it?”
David was virtually shaking with rage at this point. It would take a legion of angels to restrain him from venting his spleen at this scumbag.
“I hope you enjoyed that little visit, though. Consider it a taste of what’s to come if you don’t learn your place. Since you didn’t choose wisdom, this is the path we’ll be moving on until you shut your beak.”
David’s eyes flashed with indignation, his patience wearing thin. “You’re a coward, Roger. A big, disgusting coward. This is what you’re gloating about? Sending stupid boys to intimidate my family? Threatening us in the darkness? Frightening my innocent wife and kids? That’s pathetic, even for a corrupt politician like you.”
Roger’s laughter cut through the line like a knife. “You should watch your tone ooo, Pastor. You know men of God aren’t supposed to lose their temper. Y’all are supposed to smile through it all and just say ‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do’, you know. Be more like Jesus ooo.”
This line of mockery snapped David’s restraint. If this man thought he could walk all over him, then he had another thing coming.
“You have some nerve, Roger Wakefield! For a coward who has nothing else to boast about but money, you really think you’re a hotshot when you’re nothing! Absolutely nothing! You think you can break me with your thuggery and intimidation? You’re sorely mistaken. I will NOT back down, not now, not ever. I promise you, you will crumble badly, and I will be there to witness it all. Foolish man! You sent thugs to destroy the church building because of a rejected bribe? Then sent more thugs to come and frighten my wife and my children? How dare you! Trust me, Wakefield, your fall will be ugly when your cup is full!”
A stunned silence reigned on the other end of the phone. Roger clearly hadn’t anticipated this unleashing of rage from the man of God.
“Because of your stupid little ego, my incredible wife, who is the strongest woman I know, cried like a little baby this evening. Because of you, my children are traumatized. Scarred for life because of you. And you have the nerve to call me, laugh in my face and think you’ve gagged me? You’re an absolute joke of a human being, Wakefield! You are nothing! Take away your money and there’s nothing special about you! You are nothing! And listen to me, if you think this is just between you and me, I’ve got an announcement for you. God is involved. The minute you decided to vandalize His temple, then attempted to donate money just to prove a point, you stepped on His toes. And believe me, when He rises, it won’t be pretty.”
Roger remained mute, still taken aback.
“Mark my words, Wakefield. Stay on this path of supreme foolishness, and you will fall. And nobody will be able to save you on that day. Your money will be useless. You’ll cry out for help, but it won’t be good enough to save you. Sit there and continue to fool. You think you’re dealing with just mortal man. When that day comes, you’ll see who you’re really fighting, and you’ll acknowledge the stupidity of your ways. Goodbye, Roger Wakefield, and don’t you ever come after my family ever again!”
***
The line went dead.
The phone dropped from his hand.
He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, taken aback by that whirlwind of rage. “Did he just talk like that to me?” he snarled. “Did he just talk like that to me??”
***
David ended the call and tossed the phone aside, breathing heavily. Losing his temper was a very rare occurrence, but Roger had definitely forced it out of him. The absolute nerve of that man to assume he could misbehave like that and laugh in his face and expect him to play dumb doormat. Never!
As he regained his composure, the air had an uneasy but determined stillness in it.
Still breathing in and out, he shook his head and whispered to himself, “I’m not giving in. Not while my Redeemer still lives.”
There would be no backing down and bowing to this man’s demands. Not by a long shot.
He slowly rose to his feet. “Let me check on the kids to see if they’re okay,” he muttered to himself.
Ohhh yeah, David really gave it to him! That’s all! You can’t torment a man, terrorize his family and be mocking him like that. Smh…
