PART 1: CHAPTER 6

"Who said the beautiful ones are not yet Born eh? Not when I am seeing one in front of me right now." Gozie teased, taking both my hands.

"Turn around for me baby girl, show me what your mother gave you. Their father!" She shouted excitedly. She held my hands while I reluctantly turned around just to make her smile. "Girl I'm turned on let's go fuck. Look at that big ass, that boobs. Who are you? Where did you come from you sexy goddess! I need you for the night baby."

I laughed hard, throwing my head backwards. " Ewwww! Free me jor, girl I'm in no mood for your jokes, I'm a married woman now remember." I said flaunting my ring finger on her face. She sighed and sat down, her mood suddenly became sour.

"Please do not remind me of that tragedy." She hissed.

I looked around her small parlor, the glass chairs, the leather chairs, the bar, the fridge, the Standing Ac. Everywhere looked nice, she was looking beautiful too.

I stifled my laughter while shaking my head. Ignoring the couch I sat down on her rug because it was so fluffy, just like the one I used to have before I married Cletus.

I took a fluffy pillow from the sofa while I watched bemused as she ran to the bar to get us something to drink.

"Juice for me please," I shouted.

"As always. Anyway what's been going on with your marriage and Cletus?" she asked, after taking what she needed from the bar and the fridge.

She got back to the sofa with a pack of juice and glass in one hand and a wine filled glass in another hand. She sat down and watched me inquisitively.

While she poured the juice in a glass cup for me she took a sip of her wine.

I took a sip of my juice too and swallowed hard. "I love this." I moaned out.

She looked at me with the I-asked-you-a-question-look-dont-dare-pretend-you-did not-hear-me

"Everything is fine Cletus has changed, he is now the perfect husband." I lied. I took a sip of my juice again and buried my head in the glass so as to avoid her doubtful gaze.

"You know I don't believe that Miracle. I know you well enough to know when you are lying. It is quite obvious that you are not saying the truth. How do I know this? I noticed immediately you walked in that you took a lot of time to make up so I won't suspect a thing, but on the contrary that's what convinced me that you are not fine."

"Because the Miracle I know doesn't do much makeup. She was confident of how pretty she was even when she was just waking up. Now you do a full face make up for a visit to me, your friend who lives few blocks away from you. Who have seen you in your worst." Gozie said as a matter of fact. "It's too suspicious so I am sorry I don't believe you when you say its all good now."

As she spoke her face was Construed in a deep frown. Any one who saw us now would have thought we were enemies playing friends. She looked at me with a mixture of pity, anger and frustration.

Sighing she leaned out on the chair.

"I see no reason why you still choose to stay with him after all he has done to you. After all you sacrificed for him if he still treat's you this way then he doesn't deserve you, not one bit. Sorry to say but He is a monster and you need to leave him. Why do you keep suffering for an ungrateful man in the hopes that he will change. People do not change because you pray for them to, they change because they want to and trust me. He doesn't want to change!"

I exhaled, dropping the glass of juice on her middle table, exasperated.

"Gozie for Gods sake stop it! I can't leave him. It is against God and it is against the Bible. What about my daughter, she needs a father figure and I don't want her growing up in a separated home you don't want to know how that affects kids."

"So you think Cletus is the best father figure for Her, I laugh, you know as well as I do that his presence in her life is doing more harm than good to that poor girl who it's your duty protect."

"I love him and I won't let the devil succeed in pushing us apart, in separating us. This is the devils handwork and I'm sure he's being possessed or manipulated by an unclean spirit." I interjected, trying to reason with her.

She stood up angrily and started pacing.

I couldn't tell her about his past so I had to settle for this.

"You make me very angry Miracle! Who is the devil? the devil is your husband who abuses and beats you. The devil is your husband who has no heart. You sit here claiming he's being possessed, possessed by what? You lie! that's a lie from the pit of hell, from the devil himself."

"The devil is feeding you all those thoughts so you remain with him till he kills you. Then your daughter will become an orphan cause as far as I'm concerned she has no father!" She shouted, in frustration her veins were practically popping out of her neck.