"Shhh." Father Chibuike placed his index finger on his lips. "This is the second time you're asking. You didn't believe me the first time, what makes this time any different?"
"Try me, Father."
He shook his head. "The school says it was a wolf, you don't believe that?"
"Do you?" Itohan asked him. "You were the last person to be seen with her."
"What I told you the first time is true."
What did you say?! Itohan nearly screamed out.
Asking him would raise suspicion, something she didn't want. Or should she pretend to have forgotten? No, that was another risk. She would let it go for now, there were other times to stir up still waters.
"And Ivie," he called, "let this be another secret. What I told you about Ekene, I mean."
"Another secret?"
"I keep coming bare before you again and again but you cover yourself with clothing of secrecy, how do you suppose our relationship take a better turn?"
"You're insufferable," Itohan couldn't stop herself from saying.
"The feeling of love is mutual. Now I shall run along before you succeed in stealing me away."
Before Itohan could reply, she saw his back retreating to where the staff stood.
After the ground was covered and cemented, a headstone craved and placed at the top, the students left leaving the staff behind.
Father Chibuike looked around and when he spotted a sunflower from a distance, he went and plucked it and placed it on Sister Omo's grave. "I can't believe nor of you brought flowers," he said. "It seems I'm the only one who truly cares about the Sister."
"This is not time for jokes," the Dean said.
"I'm barely joking. What is love without flowers? Have you heard of a love without flower?" He looked around. "Have you?"
The Dean ignored him. "We will forever remember her."
"Who? You?" Father Chibuike questioned. "I've already forgotten what her face looks like, but I promise, I'll forever remember to place a sunflower on her headstone."
"If I don't know you well, I'd say you're high on some elephant urine," father Ekene patted his shoulder as he led Sister Agatha away.
The Dean left next, glancing over his shoulder to stare at Father Chibuike one last time.
Sister Gabriel left too and soon it was only Father Chibuike and the counselor.
"Do you think she's going to heaven or hell?" The counselor asked after a stretch of silence.
"She's already landed in hell."
With a small smile the counselor replied, "I actually agree with you on that one."
His head shot up in surprise. "You do? I thought you all have concluded that I'm not to be trusted?"
"I don't trust you, I only agree with you on this one."
"You think I killed her too, don't you?"
"That's none of my business."
"Oh," Father Chibuike smiled. "I like this you."
The counselor shrugged. "A demon needs to return back to where they belong, don't you think?" He tilted his head to the side to look at Father Chibuike.
"Uh-oh?"
"I made a research on black blood, a lot of things popped up, I chose what hit close to home. You know someone once said, 'I used to be scared of a lion until Samson killed one, now I'm scared of what killed Samson.'. So let's imagine that I was scared of a demon, now I'm scared of what have killed one and manipulated it to look like a wolf's doing."
"You flatter me, and I like it. Go ahead, say something more flattering?" He urged.
The counselor chuckled. "Let's leave if you don't plan on exhuming her body."
"I see you were babysitting me." He regarded him with a nod and they walked away from the grave.
"I don't know who you are but I don't think you go around sniffing trouble."
"Ha! You have a good sense of judgment at least."
"Is it just me or does that look like a human being on the top of that tree?"
Father Chibuike followed his line of sight and saw Gaga lazily swinging her legs. "You're going to have to ignore that one," he said. "I'll handle it."
"Do you, Father Chibuike."
"Do me, Father Osayande. What does it mean, by the way?"
"God owns today."
"Does he?" Father Chibuike watched the counselor leave after glancing briefly at Gaga first, before he looked up at the tree to where she sat.
"Scoot over," he said with a wave of hand.
"You're coming up?" Gaga asked as she moved to the side. "Ivie said you nearly chewed her when you caught her here and you're doing same."
He climbed up and sat on the branch opposite her. "I trust you not to report me."
"That's if you don't mind this." She pulled out a packet of cigar and lit a stick.
"What a bad host you are," Father Chibuike said, watching her smoke, "not to offer your guest any."
A smile slowly spread across Gaga's lips. She offered him the whole pack. "Help yourself."
He brought out a stick, placed it on his lips and neared Gaga to light the end of his with the end of hers, brushing aside the lighter she offered him.
"Why, I've always liked you."
"A priest needs loose ends every now and then." He took a long drag from his stick.
"You can have plenty around me."
He nodded. "I know we'd make a great team. How's our love life coming?"
"John is a fool, I don't want to waste my time with such fools."
Father Chibuike laughed. "Yet you liked this fool. What appealed him to you?"
She shrugged. "The way he looked at Ivie even when she wasn't looking back, like he was contented with just liking her from afar. It's a foolish thing to do, when you like a girl, you tell her. And it was foolish for me to like him, but I wondered how it would feel like if he looked at me like that. I tried to help him, once, but he chickened out, foolish boy."
"You never told him how you feel?" He thumbed his cigar's butt.
She shook her head. "I have better ways to waste my time."
"You're chickening out too. You know what his reply is going to be and you don't want to hear him say it."
She shrugged. "Maybe."
"We're all cowards in our little ways. Why are you doing here by yourself?"
"I don't know what kind of puberty Ivie is going through, but she seems to want to be by herself these days. Aisosa and I are not really joined to the hip and you know about John, so it's just me."
"And me. Cheers?" He brought his cigar forward.
"Cheers." She butted hers with his.
He took another drag on his cigar. "You once asked me a question, Gaga, and it's resurfaced to torment me, it's been on my mind for days."
She propelled her body upward. "Really? What is it?"
"Why I decided to become a priest."
"Oh. You said it was because you fell in love with God," she reminded him.
"Which is true. He had always been a puzzle, one I wanted to demystify. But that's just a part of it. The main reason was to spite my father."
"To spite your father?"
"I did say we're all cowards in our own little ways. He did something and I couldn't stand up to him, I should have, but I couldn't. So I ran away, came here and became a priest."
"Family problems, always so insane. So did it work? Does he want to kill you every time he sees you."
Father Chibuike laughed. "He would have killed me a long time ago, the thing is he hadn't seen me since then."
"So you became a priest to spite your father but he hasn't seen you since you left home, how then does he know that you're a priest?"
"He doesn't."
Gaga's brows furrowed in confusion. "How then does it work?"
He shrugged and took another drag.
"You're scared, scared of what he'd do to you when he finds out."
"Yes," he replied. "But not necessarily what he would do to me, how he would react in general. And I'm excited by it."
"That's why you won't stop, it's the excitement that keeps you going."
He nodded. "You have deep insight to this thing, Gaga."
"I guess so. I feel same with JohnMary. I'm scared at the same time excited, I want to see how everything would pan out, I keep telling myself that I would spoil the fun by telling him how I feel, but that's just my fear talking."
"We're very much alike then. I'm looking forward to how much longer we can keep up this cowardly attitude." He finished his cigar.
Gaga offered him another.
He declined the offered. "One is enough for a priest."
From where Father Osayande stood watching and listening with his inhuman hearing ability, his face devoid of the smile it once carried.