Stranger Things

I have always read stories about hypnosis and watched it on CBS Reality but it never happened to anyone I knew personally so I never really believed the stories.

Flashback to January last year, I met up with an acquaintance on my way to work one Monday morning and she narrated a shocking tale to me. For starters, this lady is well learned and works in a reputable firm so she had no reason to lie to me.

The day before, she was returning home from her boyfriend’s house. It was a typical sunny Sunday and traffic was light as most churches had not finished Sunday service; typically the beginning of the year is also the time most churches are fasting and gearing up spiritually for the year.

Let’s call this acquaintance of mine Lily for the purpose of this post. Lily was walking down the road, few steps away from her aunt’s house when this car begins to slow down as he got closer to her. Typical ladies and Lily, she feigns ignorance and keeps walking. The driver *an elderly man probably in his late 40’s or early 50’s wound down the glass of the car and starts to speak to Lily……..

Elderly Man: Hello, my daughter, good afternoon

Lily: *keeps walking*

Elderly Man: My daughter don’t ignore me, I am an elderly man. I don’t want to toast *Nigerian slang for ask out* you. I just need directions

Lily: She starts to see reason and slows down to answer the elderly man.

Suddenly, total stranger walking down the road stops beside the car and  PAUSE……………… The purpose of this post is not to criticize church or pastor but rather to create awareness.If you have been following me, you know I’m a church girl but *I digress*. RESUME

Stranger: Pastor Leye *fake name*, wow, pastor Leye of Holy Matrimony *fake church*, I cannot believe I am seeing you today. You have blessed my life so much.

Elderly Man/Pastor: Oooh, God bless you my brother. I was just telling this young lady I mean no harm.

Lily: *seemingly embarrassed that she was rude to a man of God*Oooh, I am so sorry sir, I didn’t know ……

Elderly Man: You don’t look like you went to church today.

Lily: *flushed* eeerm No sir

Elderly Man: Enter the car, let’s have a chat.

Stranger and Lily both enter the car.

Elderly Man: So my daughter, your name is Lily. Why didn’t you go to church?

Lily: *surprised that he knows her name* I went out

Elderly Man: Children of nowadays, God wants to use you for great things. Why are you messing up yourself?  Have you been paying your tithe? Are you a virgin?

Stranger: My dear sister, please answer the questions. This is a true man of God. He was the one that told me about the woman in my family that was making my business fail.

Lily: I have been meaning to pay the tithe, I have just been busy.

Elderly Man: Don’t worry, it is not too late. I will not allow the devil truncate your destiny.

Lily: *seemingly relieved* Thank you Sir.

Elderly Man: You have to pay though. We will be going to do some serious prayers in the outskirt of Lagos, you will need to buy some food stuffs for the pastors we will be going to see. Do you have some money for the fruits?

Lily: Yes Sir. I do.

Elderly Man: Ok, there are lots of ATM station’s around. Let’s drive there.

The elderly man drives to an ATM station while the stranger reassure Lily that all her problems will be resolved. They get to the first ATM station and there was no service.

Elderly Man: Devil is a liar, we must do this today. Let’s try another one.

They all entered the car and drove to another ATM, this one works and Lily starts to withdraw her cash and hand it over to Pastor Leye. 20,000. 40,000. 60,000. 80,000. 100,000 Naira.

Elderly Man: Is that all you have? This may not be enough for the fruits and other stuffs we will need to buy.

Lily: Ok, I have 6,050 in my wallet Sir. Please help me.

Elderly Man: Well, we will see what we can do.

Stranger: Pastor Leye; please sir I also need prayers. I have money to buy fruits for the pastors at the camp too.

Elderly Man: Ok. Lily you wait here, let us go and use another ATM, we will come and pick you up as soon as we are done. Give me your phones.

Lily: *hands over both phones* watches as they drive off and patiently wait for them.

Half an hour later, Lily starts to wonder where they are and decides to walk back to where they picked her from. She sees a woman with her phone and asks the woman if she can lend the phone and try to call her own phone. The woman eyes her cautiously and continues her banter.

Suddenly, it starts to dawn on Lily, she had been scammed. She burst into uncontrollable tears and typical Lagosians start to gather and wonder why a lady was crying so much. She became hysterical and uncontrollable and one of the Okada *bike* men decides to give her a free ride home.

All this happened in less than an hour, a few steps from home. I cannot understand how he knew some things about her and used that to play the guilt card, Lily is well learned so I know she wasn’t *like my Nigerian people will say* looking for what she did not misplace. My point being, it can happen to anybody. Our parents were right when they told us never to talk to strangers. It is good to be nice and respectful but this is what the world has turned into and we all have to be extra cautious before lending a hand.

Thankfully, Lily is fine now and if she sees a dying man and looks away, will you blame her ????