THAT LADY MUST BE A DEVIL'S INCARNATE!

The Priest who was saddle with the solemnization of Richie's wedding was greatly rocked and shocked to the root of his being, for in all his years of service to God he has not seen a thing like this before; he had seen all kinds of elopements, but non of it could compared in magnitude to what Folu carefully planned and unleashed upon Richie!

In his office eight days later, he was sitting and pondering on the event and its effect upon the city again. For Richie was declared an incurable invalid at the hospital and was confined to a wheel chair.

The city Mayor who loved him dearly ordered that the whole city be searched inch by inch to fish out Folu, her families and her friends, but the street to street and house to house search only produced more negative sensations in the city while Folu and her people remained elusive.

On compassionate ground, even those women who thought before that Richie deserved this treatment are now wishing that this Folu will be found and be made to face the team of eminent lawyers that the Mayor has gathered to deal with her in court.

Now that the city police could not find her, the Mayor put a million naira ransom on her head as a gift for anyone who can unearth her in her hiding place. With this, the whole city came alive with youths who wants to become a million naira richer tearing the city apart in search of Folu; so Folu became overnight popular villain of the city!

This was the state of things this Saturday morning as the Priest came to his office, as he pondered on it his secretary came to inform him that a young Reverend father from another city is in the office to see him, who called his name Father Roland.

On hearing his name, the old Priest said, "Oh, he is my good old son from our orphanage here, let him in" the secretary then ushered the young Reverend father into his office. When the young Reverend father came in the old Priest stood up and gave him a big hug.

After the hearty hug, the old Priest drew back, looked at the young Reverend father all over and asked, Roland is this truly you? The young Reverend father smiled and answered, "Father it is me your son!" The old Priest locked his arm around his neck again and said, "I knew you will turn out well, I am so glad for you. Though when you left the orphanage back then I did not know you have it in you to become a Priest; oh I am so glad for you!"

The young priest answered, "I did not envisage it back then too father, I was thinking of going into business, but as you always told us back then that the Lord would guide our steps in the path of life, sir, he surely did and I became a Priest following your footsteps.

After a while, when their emotions cooled down, they sat down to do a catch up on all that had happened since they last laid eyes on each other. After all the tete at tete, the old priest turned on the young Reverend father and said, " But you offended me, why did you not called me when you were about to be ordained as a Reverend? "

The young Reverend apologized and told him that so many things happened then that prevented him, but he assured him that he did not for once forget him and all he did for him when he was here as an orphan.

"Anyway, I am glad you trace your steps back to me" the old Priest said and then asked, "To which parish do you now belong?"

"I belonged to the Franciscan order just like you and I have just been promoted to be head of a cathedral in my city because our bishop loved me so much, my bishop even said he was your classmate back then in the seminary"

"What is his name?" the old Priest asked. "He is bishop Larinde sir" hearing his name the old Priest said, "It is true, he used to be my friend back then in seminary but we lost contact somehow after our graduation. You are definitely serving under a good man, you will go far! So, have you come to invite me to your installation as the head of your cathedral?"

"No, I have come to invite you by the permission of my bishop to oversee the first marriage solemnization that will be done in the cathedral; because the cathedral is a newly built cathedral in our city and I am the first cathedral Priest"

Strangely when he mentioned marriage solemnization, the heart of the old Priest tremble with dark fear because the letter of Folu to Richie flashed across his mind. Before he agreed to the invitation he asked the young priest, "Please, have you thoroughly counselled the couple you intend to join in holy matrimony? Because I don't want to officiate in a marriage that will end in crisis, what I witnessed here last Saturday as I was preparing to join a couple was a disaster no Priest will pray to witness; that is why I am asking you if you were thorough in your counsel with couple intending to be joined"

Hearing this the young Reverend father asked him what really happened and he told him in details the story of Folu and Richie. The young Reverend father was shocked beyond measure when he heard the story, he said, "That lady must be a devil's incarnate to do such a thing!"

However, he assured the old Priest that he had thoroughly counselled the couple he is inviting him to oversee their joining, that they are God fearing lovely people that he knew very well and trusted.