Wounded Pilgrim 3
THE SURPRISE
Every Sunday morning was unique in its own way from what was carried out in church and even what was said. Apart from a number of routine activities that a regular church member could predict would be carried out some activities turned out to be unique in one way or another especially with whoever was carrying them out.Brother Bartholomew sat on his favourite spot in his home church enjoying the special songs that were being sung just before the minister for the day could take the pulpit to deliver the word for the day. Himself would at times write a note to song leader to request for a chance to sing a special song whenever he felt like delivering one of the many song he could sing off head. Just like many other youths he too always wanted to stand out when he sang an unfamiliar song that had not been sang in that church before. Though pastor had said countless times that people should sing songs that they were felt they were led to sing and not just sing for the sake of a show off or scare people with songs never heard before.
Just then a feeling of looking around caught him and he felt he could swept through the audience quickly like he was a deacon does once in a while. His spot was just a few rows from the front next to the wall. From there he knew it would be awkward to look around the congregation. This often helped him to know who was in and even where they had sat. There a few people that maintained the sitting positions no matter what. When someone sat in those positions it simply meant one thing: that the person was not in on that particular Sunday. Someone like Brother Yohannes had maintained his sitting spot ever since he was a bachelor till he got married. He sat just near the second pillar near the window always. Sister Pastor with a her corner at the back right was notable such that when she came late the deacons would direct whoever had sat there to another place just for the wife of the pastor to sit at her favourite spot.
So when Bartholomew looked around he saw a familiar person somewhere in the middle. He kept telling his mind to remember quickly where he had seen that sister but he could not remember properly. His memory failed him terrible at that moment. But at that moment he heard the song leader calling out his name to go sing a song he had wanted to sing the previous week. He remembered that he had failed to get a chance the previous week to sing a special song. By today he had already even dropped the idea of singing a special so when he was called upon to sing he felt blank on what song to sing.
Nevertheless he rose up from his sit to go sing another song he had thought off quickly to sing that moment. He had a lot of songs that he had mastered and he would not have a problem choosing any of them to sing. He was picking up his pace perfectly well in the song he was singing since the brother that was on the keyboard had already got the right key for the song. Bartholomew was swinging side to side a clear indication his singing was now in harmony with the piano.
A few people in the congregation were tapping along with a few humming and others clapping softly. But that was before Bartholomew did a sweep over the congregation as he was singing a chorus after the second stanza of the song. He spotted the familiar sister he had seen earlier. But now he now remembered her as sister Happiness he had met a few Sundays ago in the other church he had gone visiting. She looked scary to him like her eyes could pop out of their sockets and when their eyes met Bartholomew experienced a blackout. He could not remember the next stanza at all and found himself fixing other words to try and sing along as he had been. He ended his singing prematurely and went to sit down as the congregation clapped their hands.
“That was a wonderful singing for those who sung specials especially Brother Bartholomew” the pastor said when he stepped behind the pulpit to make a few announcements and later start his preaching.
Bartholomew felt the praise was an insult to his stage fright and black out. How could he be praised when he totally screwed up his singing after sporting some sister he had failed to befriend? And by the way what is she doing here in the first place? He kept asking himself. That question would soon be answered later when the pastor called Sister Happiness and another brother called Eliezer. The two walked to the front quietly and from the way they had been called it looked like it was something like a confession. It ruled out the possibility of an engagement because the pastor had called them in a military way.
“Engagement and Wedding announcement!” the pastor announced when the two were standing just before the pulpit facing the congregation.
For once precious brother Bartholomew felt like he was dreaming hearing that. He could not believe that his longtime friend since childhood Brother Eliezer had kept him in the dark for all this time only to surprise like this. Was it not Sister Happiness that had told him a few weeks ago in their church that she was married to a brother who had preached that Sunday. All these hard facts were becoming unbearable to Bartholomew, sitting and listening to the whole service would be hard for him today. “Pastor should have been wise and let such announcements come later after the preaching surely” he thought. He bent his head low while the rest of the congregation clapped. A few sisters rushed to hug Sister Happiness as brothers did the same for Brother Eliezer.
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