The Administrator III-By Edward Maroncha

(Continued from The Administrator II. I apologize for posting this late. I was caught up in an emergency that saw me packing last night and driving for the better part of the morning. But everything is under control now.)

Daisy grabs her husband’s hand and tries to pull him out of the church but Erastus resists.

“Daisy, what is wrong with you?” he bellows furiously.

“Whatever cute moment you think you are having with this harlot is over. You are the new parish minister for crying out loud. Respect yourself.”

“What are you talking about Daisy? I have just met this girl. I do not even know her name. She is congratulating me like everyone else is doing. So what are you talking about? Is your jealousy going to stop me from performing my functions as a parish minister?”

Daisy realizes that they are now the centre of attention. She also realizes that logically speaking, he is right. The girl has been with him for only a brief moment, and he has never seen her before. But she also knows that she is right as well. She has seen the currents that are flowing between them. She has seen the way her husband is looking that this girl. She knows that this girl exposed her thighs on purpose to catch his attention. And Daisy knows that by the time she peeled this woman away from her husband, they had hugged for several seconds too long. It was no casual hug.

But how do you explain all this to a bunch of strangers? How do you explain that a hug was several seconds too long? Erastus has thrown the jealousy word at her, and with that her credibility has gone with the wind. Now she looks like just another insecure woman. In fact, the way he coined it makes it sound as though she has always been a jealous and insecure wife.

Is your jealousy going to stop me from performing my functions as a parish minister?

That phrase is patronizing, and doesn’t sound like the Erastus she married, the man she has been living with for four years. Daisy can feel tears stinging her eyes, but she is determined not to cry. The girl she has slapped has been sobbing for minutes now. Daisy knows that in the eyes of the other congregants she, Daisy, is the bad one. Her first impression in this church has been ruined, and she will probably never be liked in this station. But what is the point of being a warm and pleasant minister’s wife if your husband is cuddling other women in the parish?

She turns away and walks out of the church.

“I am sorry Daisy,” a voice says from behind her. She is already outside, walking towards their car, forgetting that Erastus is the one with the car keys. She turns and notices that Reverend Edna Makau, the outgoing parish minister is following her.

“Reverend Makau…”

“Call me Edna, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I just want you to know that you are right. These are some of the things that  I warned you and your husband about.”

“But what can I do Edna? I always thought that Erastus and I would face all challenges together. When you talked to us, Erastus and I were a team. I never imagined that I would find myself fighting for my marriage.” Daisy says, finally breaking down.

“Let us go to the parish house.”

Edna leads Daisy to the minister’s house, which will be the latter’s house in the coming week. Edna has already packed most of her things and plans to move out tomorrow. Daisy and Erastus can then move in whenever they please.

Edna and Daisy sit down and Gatiria serves them tea. Ever since she started working for the parish minister, Gatiria now attends Makara church, which is across the fence. But she avoids any meetings and has not joined any fellowship. She sneaks into the service and sneaks out again immediately after the service. Living in the church compound has made that possible.

“You said you know I am right…” Daisy starts as she sips the tea.

“You know I am divorced, isn’t?”

“Yes. Your husband ran off with the parish administrator. You mentioned that when we had dinner the other day.”

“The girl you slapped in there is the parish administrator’s daughter.”

“You mean…”

“Yes. She is just like the mother. One of the things I have never told anyone, something I did not even tell my lawyer during the divorce proceedings is that I caught Patrick in bed with both Elosy and her daughter Alice.”

“That is disgusting.”

“It is. And please do not tell anyone.”

“Why? He is the one who committed the shameless act. I don’t see why you should be embarrassed on his behalf.”

“He is the father of my children, Daisy. I don’t want to strip him of his dignity…”

“He did that to himself…”

“True, and I am not really concerned about him. I am concerned about my children, and how all that would affect them. A man cheating and getting divorced is not really news. But a mother-daughter threesome would have been something blogs would have found difficult to resist. Patrick would have been at the centre of is, and inevitably the children and I would have been sucked in. My family would have started trending and my children’s quiet lives in their respective universities would have been disrupted. I did not want that.”

“You have a point. But now that this girl has my husband under her radar, what can I do?”

“I will have an honest discussion with Erastus. Maybe that will sway him.”

                                                                     *

Alice keeps sobbing even after Daisy leaves. She knows that she should take advantage of the turn of events. By roughing her up, that woman Daisy has turned her into a victim, a damsel in distress. Daisy has actually helped her get closer to Reverend Erastus.

She can hear the parish minister apologizing, and she cries even louder. Several people are also talking in low tones nearby, but she can hear them clearly. They are all saying that Daisy is not fit to be a minister’s wife.

Unlike her mother, Alice is a darling of many. Elosy rubs many people the wrong way as she asserts her authority, but Alice is generally regarded as a sweet girl. Everyone knows that she got her job at the parish library through the influence of her mother, but they do not blame her for it. Elosy is the one who takes that blame. The one person who would have ruined that image would have been Reverend Makau. But she did not reveal that she had caught her husband in a three-some. So Alice’s name is still intact. The only people who know her rather well are her mother’s lovers, and they cannot tell for obvious reasons.

As she continues crying, several women hold her and start leading her away from the church sanctuary towards the vestry. Ideally, after the ceremony the elders and the ministers present, about six of them led by the Presbytery Moderator Reverend Kirimi, should have ‘taken the book back to the vestry’. In Presbyterian custom, the elders and ministers meet in the vestry, a designated boardroom within the church before every service. Here, they plan for the service including assigning tasks. They enter the main sanctuary in a file, while singing a hymn and with one elder leading the pack while holding a giant Bible.

The congregation is supposed to stand when the elders enter the sanctuary and usually joins in the hymn. The process is repeated at the end of the service. When the service is over, the elders once again leave in a line, with one elder leading with the book.

But after the drama that has just happened, nobody remembers all that. The outgoing parish minister has followed the new parish minister’s wife. The congregation, after realizing that no more drama will follow because Daisy has left, has started dispersing, headed to the main hall where lunch will be served. Makara Parish always provides lunch to congregants during official functions such as the induction.

The women have figured out that it is unlikely that the service will end formally, so it is safe to take the weeping girl to the vestry. If the elders show up, the girl will have calmed down. But they do not get to the vestry before they are stopped.

“Stop pretending Alice. You are acting like the victim when we both know that the real victim is Daisy.”

The voice stuns Alice, and for a second she forgets that she is supposed to be crying. Everything has been going smoothly, but this man can ruin it all.                                                                      

                                                                     *

Patrick was leaving the church when the commotion erupted. He is disappointed because neither of his children attended the induction ceremony. He knows that they have probably planned to meet with their mother in Nairobi later. After all, she has been posted there and that is also where they both school.

When he hears someone screaming and someone being slapped, he turns towards the source of his commotion. He notices that it is the wife of the new parish minister roughing up Alice.

One part of him wants to walks away, but he realizes that this might be his opportunity to do some good. He knows that everyone regards Alice as an innocent girl, and in the present squabble Daisy will look like the evil one. But he knows that Alice is just as wicked as the mother, and if Daisy feels like she has been making moves at her husband, then chances are very high that she is right. He decides to intervene.

Alice glares at him after he speaks up, momentarily forgetting that she is supposed to be a damsel in dire straits. Then she quickly remembers that she is a victim and wilts again.

“Daktari what are you talking about?”

It is Reverend Kirimi who speaks up. He and the pastors of the other parishes in the Presbytery have been watching the drama in stunned silence.

“The one thing that my wife did not tell you when she divorced me is that she caught me in bed with both Elosy and Alice. This girl is not as good and innocent as you all think she is. The new parish minister’s wife is right to be worried about her.”

“Then why didn’t Reverend Makau say so even in court?”

“You ask her,” Patrick replies, then turns to the new minister. “Be careful buddy. You do not want to end up like me. This girl and her mother will destroy your family and leave you in tears. If were you, I would stick close to Daisy. You don’t know how much I wish I had never met them. I lost my wife of twenty three years because of them, and my own children do not speak to me.”

                                                                  *

Elosy has been following the drama from a distance. She saw the moves her daughter was making and was both proud and jealous. At first, she was unsure whether she should compete with her daughter for the youthful and handsome pastor, or whether she should step on higher ground and play mother-in-law.

Alice is making all the right moves until Patrick joins the fray. Elosy knows that the man is capable of destroying everything, so she decides to step in.

“Cut the nonsense Patrick. Why are you lying? Alice is young enough to be your daughter. Why would you say something so gross against her and me? How would I share a man with my daughter? Was that your fantasy all along? You and I had an affair because you promised to marry me. I admit I made a mistake because you were married. But I was in love and believed your lies about how wicked your wife is. I know you are bitter because I have refused to marry you, but don’t drag my daughter into your mess. I refused to marry you because I discovered you were sleeping with nurses at the hospital. That is when I realized that Reverend Makau was not bad at all. You were the wicked one, and I wouldn’t make the mistake of marrying a play boy like you.”

In most Christian organizations, such an admission would have earned Elosy a suspension. But she knows nothing will happen to her. This is her turf. She wasn’t fired when Edna accused her of sleeping with Patrick, and she won’t be fired now when she admits it herself. But her statement will destroy Patrick’s credibility.

But she is not done with him yet. She will not rest until he gets fired from the mission hospital. He has messed with the wrong nest.

(Continued Here)

Image by ddzphoto from Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/photos/church-christianity-cathedral-3481187/                                                                      

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See you all on Friday.