The Emmanuel Effect

In the serene street of our area, I alighted from my sister’s car, and the sight that welcomed me in the crowd made my insides shiver. My heart leaped for joy. My hand left the door handle and ran as my legs could take me. To him.

“Nuel!” I squealed as I jumped on him, wrapping my legs around him. “I miss you so much,” those were the words that I kept muttering into his ear.

At that moment, it seemed the time had stopped. My head was tucked into his shoulder, with tears gushing out my eyes.

“Hello, it seems you got the wrong person, Miss,” he muttered in his bass voice into my ears, tapping my back. I shook my head in refusal, still relishing his huge abs. But my sister’s voice roused me out of the moment.

“Enitan!” Divine, my elder sister exclaimed when she saw the position I was in with the not-so-stranger.

She moved closer to us, catching her breath. Turned out she had been looking for me. Gently, he pulled me down and I lost my balance. Before he could hold me, my sister had supported me.

Again, I scanned at the appearance that made me lose my balance while his hazel eyes peered back at me. His face displayed an oval face with stylishly brushed-up hair, his beard was neatly trimmed, and his pink lips were so full and luscious.

He was dressed in a sky-blue turtleneck sweater and royal blue pants, with his black bag hung on his shoulders and his black shoes shining like a new horizon. Everything about him screamed about my Emmanuel except his recommended glasses which he was trying to adjust on his face as a result of my sudden hug.

“He’s not Emmanuel, Enitan!” My sister cautioned. I shook my head in denial. “No, he is Emmanuel, sis,” I said firmly, attempting to move closer to him again. She dragged my back and caged me in her arms.

“I am so sorry for the inconvenience, Mister,” I heard my sister apologizing as I stared into space. “Oh, no problem, but is she fine?” He asked.

“Yeah, yeah, she will,” Divine affirmed. She bowed slightly. “We are sorry, once again,” she added while the man nodded.

She led me back towards her car and kept on muttering the name I didn’t want to hear. She opened the passenger door and helped me in. On shutting the door, she turned around to sit beside me. Immediately she entered, my hands were locked in hers.

“Sis, that man is my Emmanuel. I’m so sure of it,” I insisted, without mincing words.

“Enitan, Emmanuel is dead,” Divine’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“No!” I yelled.

“Eh, Who be that?” It was Mr. Rabiu, my sister’s driver was jolted awake.

“Easy, Eni,” Divine cautioned again. I shook my head aggressively, staring into space.

Emmanuel is not dead, he can’t leave me alone in this world. He promised to do forever with me. I thought in my head.

Mr. Rabiu, who had exchanged eye contact with Divine, slid out of the car.

“Enitan, please, look at me,” Divine pleaded as she freed one of her hands to put back my scattered hair in place. I gazed into her eyes with my red eyes and she spoke in her usual gentle voice.

“He will perfect your healing, God will–,” I cut her off instantly and released her hands.

“I don’t want to hear that name, sis!” I yelled, yet again. Divine flinched.

“God will, God will, where was He when Nuel had an accident?” My voice shook with emotion. “Where was He when he was dying? I am tired of hearing “God will,” when will He outdo Himself,” I ranted. The tears I had been holding poured down my face in torrents like a broken pipe.

“I am tired!” I wailed with every breath in me. Divine released a deep breath and drew me into her usual warm embrace.

“I know, but this shall pass over us, baby,” she muttered. No one needed to inform me that my sister was already tearing up.

***

Sitting on the fashion-brownish couch, I inhaled and exhaled as I recalled how Divine had begged me to come to see a therapist because of my constant assumption of any man as my Emmanuel. Now, the so-called therapist had kept me waiting for God knows how long. I shifted my eyes to the wall and scanned my surroundings.

The office had a brown wall painted with a white pop. The table and chair were all arranged in their respective areas with some relevant documents on the table. A customized frame of “Jesus” was hung on the wall, which added beauty to the office. I glanced at his table again, hoping to see the therapist’s picture but I couldn’t see any.

The sudden sound of the door creaking shifted my eyes in his direction. “I apologize for the delay, Ma’am,” I heard the familiar bass voice. My head went on a journey of remembrance, but I couldn’t place why the voice sounded familiar to me. He lifted his head after finishing whatever he was doing with the door and I widened my eyes in shock.

“You!” We exclaimed simultaneously while I stood up. It was the guy I mistook for my Emmanuel, but I wasn’t wrong.

“Are you Mr. Joshua, the therapist?” I asked almost immediately.

“Yes, Ma’am,” he answered, sounding formal. But the response he gave to my question didn’t satisfy me. I was going to ask more questions from him, maybe a million questions to put an end to my insatiable desire for answers.

“Wait! Does my sister know you’re the therapist?” I probed further. “Huh…let me say yes and no,” he responded with a slight smile. Out of curiosity, I asked the not-so-obvious question. “Who are you?”

“Miss Enitan, please, take your seat while we go into today’s business,” he said, stretching his hand to my couch. With a soft sigh, I sat down while he settled himself on the empty couch in front. He cleared his throat and brought out his glasses from his black bag. He wore it and gazed at me.

After a long Look-a-Thon, he stretched a photo card that I hadn’t noticed in his hand to me. I collected it, and the image that stared back at me made my head blank. I swallowed my saliva as I felt thirsty. I glanced back at Mr. Joshua, but his facial expression was hard to comprehend; I returned my eyes to the photo card.

How many wonders are I going to encounter today like this? I wondered.

I opened and closed my mouth, gathering the words to say. “Are you twins?” I blurted out, finding my voice. “With my Emmanuel?” I added, raising my head for confirmation. He nodded.

I gasped in disbelief, ashamed that I wasn’t aware that my late fiance was a twin.

“So I wasn’t wrong the other day, you guys looked so identical. The only difference was you had a pair of glasses on,” I reasoned as I recovered from my shock. He nodded again.

“So where were you all this while?” I questioned, wanting to hear his voice. He adjusted his glasses and explained. “I had gone to Isreal since we were 18, so I got back last month, and Emmanuel and I hardly spoke with each other since we lost our contacts.”

“Oh, okay. That makes sense,” I whispered.

“Now to today’s business,” he continued as he pointed at the door. The door was pushed in and Divine trailed in.

“Hey, baby sis!” She greeted me with enthusiasm boiling within her.

“Okay! This is getting unpredictable. Sis, do you care to share what’s going on here? You asked me to come for therapy, right?” I quizzed, my face contorted with a frown.

“Sure, I did,” she responded as she sat beside me. I asked her, “Do you also need therapy?” Concern laced my voice. I can’t afford to lose the only person left for me. A gentle smile was released from Divine’s lips and she shrugged.

“Look at the door, Miss. Enitan,” Mr. Joshua who had been quiet all this while, chipped in.

I wanted to faint with what I saw, but I couldn’t seem to lose consciousness as my eyes remained fixed on the handsome man standing by the door. Dressed in his usual grey turtleneck and blue pants. His hair was just like Mr. Joshua’s.

In a quick survey, my eyes darted between the two men and I was able to know my man. My heart pounded as he flashed a smile at me.

“Eemi mi (my life),” he called out in his usual bass voice. The voice was deeper than Mr. Joshua’s.

My body was numb with shock. He just used his usual endearment for me.

“Nu…el,” I stammered. “Is tha…t you?”

With a broader smile, he nodded.

Well, If you would ask me, I didn’t know when I jumped into his arms. He wrapped his hand all over me as he turned me around. I could hear Mr. Joshua’s and Divine’s giggle as he kept muttering his usual sweet words into my ears.

A stray tear dropped on his turtleneck when I came back to my senses. “Wait, what happened to you?” I asked. Still in his arms, he opened his mouth and closed them back. Silence erupted in the room as everyone went mute. “You know what, scratch that, I’m so glad you weren’t dead,” I squealed with excitement. I rested my head on his shoulder as he continued to turn me around.

Come to think of it, Divine never showed me his burial ground, I thought.

I raised my head, and the frame “Jesus” stared back at me in the face. I wrapped my arms around him tightly as he adjusted my body in his arms.

“Thank you, Jesus,” I smiled at the frame, picturing the mighty One on His throne.

THE END.