Cold At Dusk

FOURTY FOUR

Mark kept his eyes on the marble of the pulpit as the Bishop began to talk about restoration. Occasionally, he would pause and the whole church would fall silent except for the almost silent chords of the keyboard.

"God's promise says, and I will make you anew. I'll turn your life around, I'll redeeem you, I'll restore your hope, your life, I'll heal you. Just turn back to me. " The Bishop said.

Mark looked at his back to meet  very familiar faces of his family members. They  occupied a row while Papa was in his seperate seat close to the window with Mama in another empty pew infront of him . In the midst of the rise and fall in pitch of the Bishop's voice, Kamsi who was sitted beside him, was nodding to the ground in sleep. He put an arm around her and pulled her closer so she could rest on him.

"Pele " Joseph mouthed to him from the other edge of the pew. Mark shook his head at his brother who was then carrying his little son, then he turned back to the preacher.

" Do you know what happened when  that woman touched the hem of Jesus cloth?  " The Bishop asked with a smile as he looked around the congregation. "Restoration. Her life was restored to a new level of normalcy "

The Bishop was silent with his gaze fixed at the Western door. Mark had to join other heads to look at what he was looking at with a frown. The ushers had removed the wooden cross that earlier blocked the entrance and people were surging into the Church.

"Please lock that door. Whoever is coming when I'm almost done with sermon came for the offering. God does not need their money "

"But the Church does" Joseph said with a shrug patting a sleeping junior.

Mark looked around for Ella then and noticed her where she was at the band stand staring at the pianist with fascination.

"Broken relationships, broken homes, broken marriages, it is a divine restoration that can fix it all" The Bishop said  then his eyes darted around then paused and he fixed it on Mark.

"Young man, stop cuddling your wife in the church. Stop encouraging her to sleep. That's how most people miss the restoration! "

Michelle tapped Kamsi's lap while Mark rubbed her arm and whispered, "Wake up "  Kamsi opened her eyes but still bent her head while peering into her phone to note her facial appearance.

"Now take someone's hand close to you, speak into their life and say, peace will be restored unto you, progress will be restored unto, Today, you are born anew"

In all of it, Mark held Kamsi's hand as he repeated those words in a mutter after the Bishop but Kamsi looked into space like she did not understand what was going on in the church.

Visitors swam in and out of the house after church service . Different cars parked infront of almost all the buildings in the compound and even took up the space between the first gate and second gate. The cars lined by the side of ixora flowers planted along the fence,  staying clear for new comers to comfortably fit in their cars or for people to leave  without being blocked by other vehicles .

Mark left Kamsi in their room upstairs and came down to greet guests as they came. She complained of dizziness. He was not sure which was her problem any longer because he had been trying to convince to come down and greet a few people when she said she wanted to sleep, suddenly she  lay on the bed saying , she was feeling dizzy.

He joined his parents in the parlor, standing at the bar with a glass of wine and a permanent smile at the side of his lips as he watched them make attempts to be funny and still laugh at their failed jokes. Joseph came in, carrying Junior. He greeted the guests and returned inside. Michelle also came out, going round and bending for the elders to pat her back. He dialed Kamsi's number  but she did not pick up. He then chose to direct his worries to the food in the kitchen.