As Father steps out of Damon's office and goes for his car, his phone rings and he answers
Son: Good afternoon Dad, please Uncle Jake is waiting for you here at home and he's really scared...
Father: Scared? Why... ok I'm coming back
Son: Dad do I need to call the police because he is full of blood stains and murmuring
Father: What?!!
Mother grabs the phone and closes the call
Mother: Son, why would you tell him that?
Son: But mum...
Mother: No but, the police will still come... I have called them to go to his house and I think I know what Jake has done… we need to be careful about him here till your father is back so he doesn't...
Son (surprised): Mum, he's not violent at all. I don't think he killed...
Jake (clinging his stomach): Please ma I need to talk to Uncle ... where is he?
Mother (scared): Jake, why can't you talk to us? We can help you
Jake (laughs hysterically and shouts): You women are all the same... where is your husband? I need to say something before I die
Mother and son (looks at themselves): Before you die?!
Son: Uncle Jake....
Father opens the blood-stained door and almost falls at Jake's bloody trail
Father (shocked at the sight of a weak looking Jake): Jake, what is happening here? Where is your wife and why...
Jake (breathing very fast and kneels before Father): Please pray for me that God forgives me. I finally liberated myself of this humiliation and continuous pain....
Father: Jake, where is your wife?
Jake (crying): She should be dead by now; I'm sorry sir, please pray that God... (he falls on the floor before Father and his family)
Father: Jake!!!
Jake is rushed to the hospital by Father, and Mother calls the police.
The police goes to Jake's house, finds Felicia all bruised but conscious and crying for help
Felicia (breathing heavily, she points to her food on the dining table and clings to the policeman's uniform): Please I was poisoned by my husband... (Then she faints) ...
A few days later, Felicia is recovering and decides to tell her own side of the story to the police in the hospital
Felicia (crying and bitter): Officer, I've never known that frustration can lead a once strong nice man to become a beast.
Jake poisoned my food and if I wasn't helped in time, I would be history by now. I thought he loved me just as much as I loved and honoured him even though ... (cries out loud) Officer, he was even stabbing me, look at my body sir… ah Jake Jake!!!
Officer (indifferent): So, madam your husband tried to poison you?
Why? Is there any motive for which you think he might have done that?
Felicia: Yes, because he is intimidated by my success. I took care of this man all this while and this is how he wanted to repay me. He was never contented and always lamenting of me to his family. My only wrong was to still stand by him even in his present condition.
Officer (irritated): Thank you madam for your time. We will come back for any other information if need be. Have a nice day ...
Meanwhile, Father is lost in thoughts when Mother comes out
Mother: Darling!
Father: Oh sweetheart, please forgive me, I was...
Mother: Can you stop thinking of Jake now... It's unfortunate he let himself go this far…
Father (sighs in unbelief): He didn't deserve this my dear, you know Brother Jake so well...
Mother (nods in agreement and sighs): But why would Jake do this? And now…
Father: And now he's gone with his family name drained in a pool of shame… Felicia is busy granting several interviews of being liberated from a monster husband. What kind of ...
Mother (almost on the defensive): And what would you expect her to do? I mean, she almost got killed...
Father: Definitely not this! She also has a lion share of the blame. Believe me darling, I'm not trying to be sexist... but she started this madness.
Jake is usually calm and calculative, and it only takes a beast to get him to the point he found himself. Though he can't be justified for trying to kill her, but you know how many times he came here just to eat and have a place to sleep without problems...
Mother (nods in agreement): Oppression makes a wise man mad dear. Jake only responded the way he thought he would have peace. I understand your pain and it's the truth. I knew Jake too and I was surprised by all of these. It's a pity he married Felicia and it cost him his life and good name
Father looks at Mother: My love, please don't ever change. You are the best and I don't ever want to disappoint you; I will always...
Mother (tries to change topic): Shuuu... my dear I know, please you need to talk to our son…
Father: Why? What is the problem?
Mother: He confided in me that he wants to confront Damon for spreading the news of Jake's death the way he did. This your son will soon turn to John the Baptist hehehe…
Moments ago
In the church, Pastor Damon mounts the pulpit after Sister Felicia's testimony…
Damon: Brethren, praise the lord!!!
Congregation: Halleluyahhh!
Damon: Praise the living God of hosts!!!
Congregation: Halleluyahhhhh...
Damon: Brethren, it is good to fear God. It is really vital to never play God in any given situation. You all know by now that Jake is dead and he tried to poison our darling sister here, Sister Felicia but God intervened.
Sister Felicia (beckons to Felicia), can you remember when I told you to go and pray again when you decided to marry Jake.
Felicia (nods in agreement): Yes sir
Damon (smiles): But God is merciful and still decided to save her from her enemy!
(The congregation starts to murmur amongst themselves)
Damon: Brethren, in life it's best to obey God and obey his servant so that you can prosper
Churchgoers: Halleluiah! Ride on daddy!!!
Damon: Sister Felicia has learnt her lesson and I will personally make sure that she doesn't fall prey to any other hypocrite.
Now, before we go any further, I want us to say this prayer with everything in us, if you know that you don't want an enemy as your spouse, feel free to even use Jake as a point of contact of who you don't want to marry...
Say Oh Lord my father!!! (Son frowns and walks out of the church)
Mother: So that's what happened, and he didn't even wait to hear the prayer point or do anything else
Father (laughs and sighs): These glorified crooks in the ministry of their own. Well, please dear, where is he?
Mother: In his room
Father: Alright thanks, I will talk to him
Father goes to Son's room....
Father (knocks): Son, can I come in???
Son: Yes dad
Father: what's the problem, you look very upset
Son: I guess Mum told you of Damon's service today
Father: Yes, but don't let that get to you
Son: How can Damon transform to such a monster?! I know Uncle Jake wasn't ok, but why would he even brand him as the devil in the story. Aunty Felicia isn't innocent of this whole mess after-all...
Father: It's enough Son. Like I said, let them be. Jake is dead and if there's something to learn from all these… learn it and move on.
Please, don't let anyone be your yardstick to measure the faithfulness or purity or sovereignty of God. Damon is a mere mortal born in imperfection and surely imperfect, God is never imperfect
Son: I know that Dad, but it hurts to see someone who people can even trust their lives with, squash them without pity all for his own gains
Father (shocked): Son, so what's the truth?
Son (shakes his head and sighs): I'm not foolish Dad, I know Aunty Felicia frustrated Uncle Jake till he... (hesitates and continues) ...
I knew uncle Jake before aunty Felicia came into his life, we all knew him to be very reserved and calm in doing things. Uncle Jake wouldn't do such a thing in a thousand years if something didn't provoke him to...
Father: Unfortunately, Son, there's no excuse for his misdeed. He opened the door to the destroyer and let him take him in disgrace.
Tell me, is there a way to justify a man who tried to shed blood if Jesus who we claim to follow, prayed for his persecutors and asked his father to forgive them for their ignorance?
Son (shakes his head in anger): No but Dad c'mon we are not Jesus
Father (smiles faintly): So who do you follow after-all? Why do you profess to be a Christian? Why do you pray to be his disciple daily? Or, have you changed your mind?
Son (calms down): Alright Dad, I get it. Uncle Jake made a mistake, but I pray God pardons him... It's really a pity
Father: Well Son, don't just pray, learn from it and don't make a mistake that you will want to blame anyone but yourself for later
It's not about the mistake you make
But how you handle the consequences
Don't play the victim, come out of the prison and live