“I think he is suspicious,” Rosie whispered to the other ladies after the Reverend left.
“Who? Reverend Akrong?” Mary asked, staring after him.
“Yeah. I don’t think I was able to hide my dislike early enough, and he caught on. He gave me weird vibes when I saw him watching us.”
“Why do you dislike him?” Nana Adjoa asked, perplexed. “Reverend Akrong is a great man of God. He —”
“He’s also the reason your husband won’t touch you,” Rosie interrupted.
Both women were shocked by Rosie’s accusation. Mary recovered first. “What? What do you mean? What has Reverend Akrong got to do with —”
“Everything! He has been feeding the men with the Madonna-Whore Syndrome,” Rosie explained.
“The Madonna what?” Mary asked, confused.
Rosie opened her mouth to explain but shut it as more church members arrived and greeted them as they passed by.
When they were alone again, Mary gestured to the other side of the room. The sound engineers had started to test the audio equipment close to where they were standing.
“It has become too loud here. Let’s move to that side so that we don’t shout.”
Moving to a side with no speakers, the three women sat down.
Rosie quickly explained everything that had happened with her husband during the week.
The other two respected and admired Reverend Akrong and found it difficult to accept the part he may have played in their unhappy marriages.
“Are you certain that he got the idea from Reverend Akrong?” Mary asked doubtfully, unwilling to believe that of the man of God. Never mind that there have been a few times when she felt the Reverend had been unnecessarily harsh in meting out punishments to women in the congregation.
“I’m very sure. Kofi was very clear about where he got it from, and he didn’t lie. He won’t accuse his mentor of something he didn’t do or say. He reveres that man,” Rosie insisted.
“Okay, even if that is true, it may not be the same case for our husbands. I know that the Reverend has some controversial takes sometimes, but this is taking it too far,” Nana Adjoa argued.
“Think about everything he preaches about. I haven’t been a member of this church for long, but even from the few sermons I’ve listened to, I know he is capable of putting that idea into their heads,” Rosie told the other two.
When they still looked unconvinced, she tried another angle. “Okay, let’s do it this way. How long have you been part of this church? Was it before or after you got married?”
“After,” Mary answered. “My husband and I joined this congregation ten years ago.”
“It has been longer for Paul and me.” Nana Adjoa disclosed. “We relocated when Reverend Akrong was transferred here. My husband was a young pastor then, and he was honoured when the Reverend asked that he join him at his new church.”
Rosie nodded. “Good. Now cast your minds back. Were things better between you and your husbands before they got closer to the Reverend?”
Rosie already knew the answer in Mary’s case, since she had already disclosed that things were better between her and Fiifi before Reverend Akrong took Pastor Paul under his wing, but she wanted her to admit it again.
Nana Adjoa frowned, trying to remember. It had been so long that she couldn’t recall a time when Reverend Akrong was not an influence in their lives. And she could not remember a time when her husband was sweet to her, either. He hadn’t been much different during their courtship than he is now. He had been a young, 24-year-old promising pastor, and she had been a 17-year-old teenager unused to male attention. Paul’s expression of interest had shocked her and pleased her parents. They had advised her to be humble and attentive to Paul so that he would marry her early. Paul had asked for her hand in marriage on her 18th birthday, much to the delight of her family. Three months later, they were married. When they moved to this town, she was twenty-one. The Reverend had been part of their lives right from the beginning of their marriage in their previous town.
She shared as much with the other women, who tried not to show how bad they felt for her.
“So you’re saying that you were underage when your grown husband started to court you?” Rosie hissed, then immediately regretted her approach when Nana Adjoa became defensive.
“I was an adult when we got married, and nothing happened between us during that time.”
“Right,” Mary said, taking over the conversation before Rosie’s line of questioning created a problem with Nana Adjoa. “But he was the first man you dated?”
“Yes, and he was nice, but he was never romantic or particularly sexual,” Nana Adjoa answered.
“Fiifi was better before he joined this church under Reverend Akrong’s leadership,” Mary admitted. “However, it could be a coincidence. It doesn’t mean that he’s to blame for our boring marriages.”
“Well, you could try asking them why they won’t touch you, and let’s hear what they have to say,” Rosie relented, not wanting to insist or argue.
Mary’s eyes widened. She remembered the lecture she had endured the last time her husband caught her masturbating. “You want me to just ask like that?”
Rosie shrugged. “Why not? You need to know the source of your unfulfillment so that you know how to handle it. I know that the source of my problem is Reverend Akrong. You two think yours may be different. So find out.”
“But—that would be unseemly,” Nana Adjoa protested.
Rosie couldn’t believe that these women couldn’t ask their husbands such a simple question.
“Are you afraid of the men?” she asked bluntly.
Mary and Nana Ajdoa were quick to deny, but Rosie could see that there was at least a bit of fear mixed in with embarrassment.
“Okay, then. Let’s table this matter for the Prayer Circle meeting,” Rosie relented.
More people have arrived, and Bible studies will soon start. We are also starting to get too much attention.”
“Okay, ladies, see you after church.” Nana Ajdoa agreed.
Mary and Nana Adjoa turned to leave, but Rosie called them back.
“Wait! I forgot to mention that I brought a few books with me as promised. I’ll give them to you after church. They will give you pointers on self-pleasure.”
She whispered the last part, mindful of where they were.
Mary tried not to betray her excitement, but Nana Adjoa felt scandalised. Rosie had said last week that she would share those books, but the idea of them made her feel sinful. What would Paul say if he caught her? How would he see her? Was this sexual pleasure they were chasing necessary at all? Will Jesus be pleased? Would it lead her to heaven?
‘Ladies, I’m not sure—” she started, but Rosie, anticipating her response, said quickly, “Let’s talk after church. People are staring.”
Indeed, other members of the congregation who had arrived kept glancing their way, curious about what they could be discussing. It was only a matter of time before someone would interrupt or ask to join.
The women separated to join separate groups for the Bible studies. Mary was a whizz at Bible studies and would usually answer a lot of questions, but that Sunday, she was distracted. Could there be some truth in Rosie’s accusations? Was their Reverend a bad influence?
She shook her head, feeling bad for even harbouring such thoughts about the Man of God. What would her husband say if he heard her accuse the Reverend of influencing him? She had had a few misgivings here and there in her marriage, but she was content. She had a roof over her head, food to eat, clothes on her back—even if they weren’t modern or stylish—a husband who came home each night, and two wonderful children. What more could a woman ask for? Yes, sometimes she envied the women who worked for their money and didn’t have to ask their husbands for every single thing they needed, and she had a knack for baking that she sometimes yearned to turn into a business, but all those feelings were worldly and useless after death. Heaven was the goal. Even if the Reverend was to blame for the lack of orgasm in her life, maybe it was for her good. The Reverend was a man of God through whom God spoke to His people.
Mary paused as another thought occurred to her. Could it be that Rosie was the negative influence? She sneaked a glance at Rosie, who was listening to the Bible teachings with the air of someone who was only half-interested in the proceedings. Rosie looked over and caught Mary watching her. She gave the older woman a warm smile that Mary couldn’t help but return before going back to her thoughts.
No, Rosie was a sweet girl. Maybe she was a little misguided, but she didn’t have any bad intentions. With that in mind, Mary returned her concentration to the Bible studies and tried to catch up so that she could contribute.
