Michael sat in his office at the pharmacy after Pastor Dele left. He had been staring at the same medicine package leaflet for nearly ten minutes; his mind was on Amara.
He looked up when Ada knocked on the open door, "Good afternoon, sir."
He smiled, "Good afternoon, Ada. Please come in."
She entered the office and looked around. "I came to thank you for the food you bought for us yesterday. I would have thanked you before eating it, but you were not there."
"You're welcome. How are you? How is Amara?" he asked, suspecting that Ada was there not just because of the food. "Please sit down," he said when she remained standing.
"I'm fine. I hope you're not busy? I don't want to interrupt your work," she said as she sat down.
"I'm not. You can relax," Michael said, then called one of the nurses to bring a can of malt for her.
After the nurse had left, Ada looked at Michael, "You know why I'm here, abi?"
"I'm not sure. Tell me," Michael said, and Ada hesitated.
"Amara told me about what happened yesterday. Please don't mind her. Sorry that she said no. Please don't be angry with her. She likes you. Me, I know that she likes you. And I know that you like her too. Please don't think that she is playing hard to get. Amara is a good girl, and she knows how to think deeply. She told me about all that you and your mother did for her. Please don't give up. Give her time. She just needs time," Ada pleaded.
"Did she tell you why she said no?" Michael asked calmly.
"I can't tell you what she said because she told me in confidence. And the only reason I'm here talking to you behind her is because I don't want you to be angry with her. Forget whatever you know she did before. Amara is a very good girl, and she has a good heart. Please, even if she avoids you or behaves like she doesn't care, don't mind her."
Michael smiled slightly. "Okay. I've heard you."
Ada smiled as she rose. "Thank you. Let me allow you to work. I didn't tell her I was coming here."
"Thank you for your concern, Ada. By the way, Amara mentioned your situation to me. What can you do? In case I can find a job for you," Michael offered.
Ada's eyes lit up. "I can clean very well. I can also cook and be a salesgirl."
Michael looked at her, wondering how he could help her. She was Amara's best friend, and if he were going to marry Amara, he'd like them to be at the same level.
"Did you stop at SSCE too, like Amara?" He asked, and she nodded.
"Yes." She did not offer any further explanation, as she didn't think she should be having such a personal conversation with Amara's potential boyfriend. Especially not behind Amara. They weren't close enough for that yet.
"Okay. I will see what I can do. Please tell them to give you an extra malt for Amara," he said, and she thanked him before walking away.
Just as she left, his phone vibrated on the desk. He glanced at the screen, and his brows pulled together when he saw it was his mother.
He knew she was likely calling because Deborah had told her about his date with Amara. He was almost tempted to ignore the call, but he still received it.
"Good afternoon, ma."
"Tega, my fine son," came her warm, cheerful voice. "I hope you're not too busy to talk to your mother?"
Michael leaned back in his chair, his lips curving slightly since he could tell this was going to be a long call. "Never too busy for you."
She laughed softly, the familiar sound bringing a small smile to his face. "Good. Because I want us to talk. What happened?"
"What happened as how?"
"What happened between you and Amara yesterday? So, after all that mouth you made, you secretly went to toast her?" She asked in a teasing tone.
He raised a brow, even though she couldn't see it. "Who said anything about toasting her?"
His mother laughed again. "You want to deny it? You think I won't find out, abi?"
Michael chuckled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Oya, you caught me. I'm not denying anything. Did Amara talk to you?"
"Yes, I talked to Amara. However, I would also like to hear from you. So, talk to me. What happened?"
Michael exhaled, his gaze dropping to the open drawer where a few packs of medicine sat half-arranged. He told her all about how he'd decided to take her out and what prompted him to reveal his intentions to her that way.
There was a brief moment of silence before his mother sighed softly. "Amara is a good girl. A very good one. You don't see girls like her every day."
He smiled faintly. "I know," he said quietly, turning a pen over in his fingers. "I don't want her to feel like I'm taking advantage of her or rushing her into something she's not ready for. I want her to know I am interested in her, without her feeling pressured."
"That's good. I'm glad you think that way. She cried so much when we spoke earlier, you'd think that someone died," his mother said, laughing.
Michael sat upright, surprised. "She cried? Why?"
"She thought I would be mad that you're interested in her," his mother said, her voice tender. "Said she didn't mean to make you fall for her, and I should not worry because she said no."
Michael leaned back slowly, shaking his head with a chuckle. So that was part of the reason? "That sounds like Amara. That was how she cried, too, when the jollof rice she cooked didn't come out well."
His mother laughed. "Seriously?"
"Yes o. I thought someone died when she started crying until she said it was because of rice," he said, laughing. Thinking about her, his heart swelled with love for her.
"First of all, I'm happy you finally decided to do the right thing and obey God," his mother went on. "Now, about Amara, she is worried about a lot of things…"
"Things like?"
"Things like the same thing you said when you were giving the reasons why you didn't want to marry her. Her past, educational background, and so on. I had to reassure her that I love her and encourage her to stop feeling small. I told her to get JAMB form when next it's out and I promised to sponsor her through university. But at the end of the day, you're the one who will do the bulk of the physical work, while the Holy Spirit handles the spiritual. So, you need to be patient with her and also encourage her. Have you talked to pastor Dele yet?"
"Yes, I have. He was here earlier. One of the church members saw us together at the mall and reported to him to check on me so I don't sin because of Amara, so he came to talk to me," Michael said, and his mother chuckled.
"God will help everybody. Anyway, I asked her to pray about it. So, she's praying. While she's praying, you should be playing your part. Pray too that God will reveal His will to her and also tell you what to do. Whether God wants you to marry her now or wait until five years…"
"Five years ke? Me I can't wait that long o," Michael said, and his mother laughed.
"What will you now do? Will you go and marry someone else?" She asked, amused by his sudden impatience.
"No. That's out of the question. It is Amara I want…"
"Yen yen yen. See your mouth like it is Amara I want. When you were doing yanga that time, you did not know you wanted her, eh, Prophet Hosea?" she teased.
Michael chuckled helplessly. "That was in the past na. Why are you bringing up past things?"
His mother laughed. "I hear you. Anyway, pray about it. And patiently follow God's timing. As far as she's His will for you, He will make it happen at His time. I need to go now."
"Thank you, Mom," he said softly.
"For what?"
"For being the sweet mother and woman of God that you are. Even though I don't say it often, I'm so proud that you're my mother."
His mother chuckled. "You should be proud o. Very proud. Because it's not easy to have me as your mother, and try to be saying it often, you hear?"
Michael laughed. "I hear you, ma."
"One last thing. Tega?"
"Ma?"
Her voice gentled again. "Take care of Amara. Don't let anyone make her doubt herself."
Michael nodded. "I won't," he said quietly.
After the call ended, Michael set the phone down on his desk, staring at it for a long moment as he thought about Ada's visit and his mother's words.
The phone buzzed again with a reminder tone, but he ignored it.
Be patient.
That was what the Holy Spirit had told him the night before, and his mother and Ada had reiterated it.
But being patient with her didn't mean he was going to let her avoid him the way she was doing.
As his mother had said, he'd play his part while the Holy Spirit worked on Amara.