Chapter Eight

The church that they visited was a small laid back chapel in the middle of the town but away from the businesses. It stood on an acre piece of land sorounded by other farms. Elino was mainly an agricultural town. It was made of mountain stones and coloured glass. The inside was wooden from the seats to the podium. Even Munzi agreed that it was serene especially with the grass and trees outside. She could have lived there forever. They met the pastor. He was a young man probably in his thirties. He lived with his family in a house provided by the church. After taking some refreshments, they all sat together to talk about what had brought them there. Adrian talked about his desire to quit the ministry and Munzi talked about her dream.

The pastor asked them to leave the church for a while and take a stroll around so he could pray about their various situations and then have someone call them back.

They went out and lay down on the grass. It was a sunny day but the trees shadowed them from the hot sun. The sky looked so beautiful from their point of view. They felt peaceful. Quite like everything was finally about to fall into place and be as it should.

"It's really peaceful here. Almost makes me believe that God isn't that bad. People come here every Sunday to lay down their burdens. I'm jealous of them. Believing was so much easier than being bitter all the time. I miss not worrying about everything." Munzi found herself thinking out loud.

"Why won't you just give in to God?" Adrian asked. "You did say it was much easier."

"I'm scared." She answered.

"What's there to be scared of?" He asked admiring the view above him.

"What if I don't believe and I'm only feeling like this because I'm scared that I'll get evicted. I don't want to be the kind of person that only prays when I'm in trouble. If something good had happened to me during this period of unbelief, would I have come back to him? Maybe I don't believe. Maybe I'm just scared because I don't know if I can survive another turbulent storm." She explained further.

"Is there really a way to know if you believe or not?" Adrian asked. "Don't you usually just know and feel?"

"I don't know. I mean do you feel a certain way. Anyone can say I'm a believer even without meaning it. I could be one of those." She said and plucked a blade of grass and started playing with it.

"I think it's love. You just know because it's not a choice. I don't know, you'll figure it out. And no matter what brought you back home like the prodigal son, God will still accept you." Adrian said taking the grass from her hand as she was about to put it in her mouth. She glared at him making the edges of his lips curve into a smile.

"Adrian, Munzi, the pastor is asking for you." A boy who worked in the church told them. Munzi got up and offered Adrian her hand to help him up. He was heavier than her so as he got up, she fell. He caught her and like it happens in the movies, they stayed in that moment just looking at each other. The trance was broken when he looked at her lips and remembered where they were. They let each other go and walked to the church.

"I sense some tension and awkwardness. What happened back there?" The pastor asked smirking at them. Munzi played with her hair and Adrian looked anywhere but at the two people in the room with him.

"Alright then. Have a seat both of you." He said and they both obeyed. He sat opposite them and faced Adrian.

"My son, the Lord has shown me what you have gone through and you were right. You are not happy and there are other ways to serve the Lord. He will show you yours but ministering isn't it. You are destined for great things. Listen when the Lord talks and you'll find your way. And it wasn't your fault your wife strayed, it was what brought you here." The pastor said and Adrian almost cried in relief. He had been so worried about making God angry and disappointed in him. Now the burden was lifted off his shoulders.

"My daughter." The pastor said facing Munzi whose leg was shaking so much Adrian had to place his hand on her to stop it.

"Yes." She said in a small barely audible voice.

"Your dream meant that you are starting a new phase in your life. You were dead and then you looked at the dog and faced it head on. Growled at it like it had done to you. And then you were lifted up. God is telling you that you have faced your problems head on. Not everyone deserves your respect and good manners. So stop feeling sorry for the devil. Stop feeling like our childhood shapes us. We all make our own independent decisions. Choose to fight and God will lift you up. You are also meant for great things. Okay and stop crying it will be okay and Jesus loves you." He said and took her hands in his. They could all see it. She was breaking and healing at the same time.

"I feel so bad." She said before running out of the church and crying.

"Thank you so much pastor." Adrian said before getting up to go after her.

"It's not a problem. And don't let that girl go. She's a beautiful one. Inside and outside she just needs to see it too." He said. "Now go after her. She needs you."

"Okay pastor." Adrian said and went out to look for the love of his life. He found her sitting on a swing. She wasn't crying. Just staring into the distance with her beautiful face tear streaked. He sat in the swing next to her and just kept her company. Sometimes words could do more harm than good. Sometimes we just needed to know someone was next to us.

"I'm terrible." She said after am eternity. Adrian looked at her and she took it as a cue to keep talking because he would listen.

"I pushed him away and blamed him. I even started thinking about other gods just to spite him. I should be punished and thrown in a bit if magma. I was so blinded by my pain and anger I closed my mind off from him. I was so weak I fell right into a trap for a whole year. He should hate me." She said and for the first time noticed the tears that had been falling silently down her face for a while now.

"Come here." Adrian said and took her onto his lap. He held her as she let out all the pain she had bottled in and her anger against God. She really had been carrying alot. Now the biggest and most painful part was leaving her. He rubbed her back up and down as her tears wet his shirt.

***Later at the house***

"Thank you for taking me to church." Munzi said as she bit into her loaf of bread. After the day they'd had, she had decided to stop worrying about rent and what not and just enjoy what she had then. So she had bought them a loaf of mofa bread and sodas. It was a nice change from their daily ugali and kale.

"Don't mention it. Besides it also benefited me a great deal." He said also feeling lighter. He felt like he had been given a new chance at life and he was grateful.

"Will you go back to school now?" She asked him.

"It's the plan unless God decides otherwise." He said.

"I'm happy for you and I hope you reach your dreams." She said and meant it.

"I hope you reach yours too." He said and scooted over closer to her.

"What are you doing?" She asked him in a small raspy voice.

"Something I've wanted to do since the first time I saw you." He said and took her oval face into his hands. Her breathing became labored and her lips parted in anticipation. He was finally going to kiss her. Her mind was doing a happy dance while her heart was pounding wildly. He leaned in and she tilted her face and closed her mouth. His lips were only about an inch away from hers when the lights went out. That didn't stop them however. He kissed her and she kissed him back with as much passion. It didn't matter that they were covered by darkness, their kiss made sparks that lit up the world. When they parted both of them were glad for the darkness. She bit her lip and faced her hands and he looked up and gave thanks.