THE CIRCLE : part 4 - THE SISTERS FELLOWSHIP

Gladys logged off her system and tidied her table. It was already 15 minutes past closing  time. She never wanted to give her manager the impression she was too eager to go home after work.  'After all its not like I have a baby to nurse at home'. She muttered to herself.
She was the last to walk out of the company's gate and the security man bid her his usual Cheerful farewell full of expectancy of the monetary kind.
'Audu abeg nothing for you today, may be tomorrow' she waved him off
' Ah! madam baa wahala' he said cheerfully and waved back at her.

As she sat on the bus on her way home she struggled between going straight to church for the sisters fellowship or just going home directly. She could do some laundry she didnt have energy for during the weekend and maybe even cook herself a nice pot of jellof rice instead of eating whatever  stale stuff that was still stored in her refrigerator.
'If I dont go now Mrs. Richards the general women leader will start acting as if I'm the one that crucified Jesus' she sighed inwardly, ' all these hyper spiritual women. If they don't manage to crank up your guilt gauge they won't rest.
She struggled with her thoughts until the bus stopped at the front of the church.
If there was a way to extricate herself from all these church activities she would do so .
'Somebody cannot just have time for her personal life again. It's either  this meeting or that meeting. All these married women that are looking for how to stay away from their homes. After now they will ask me why I'm still single, meanwhile they've taken up all my personal time With their endless meetings and prayer meetings.' She almost hissed out but quickly realised she was already in church. She managed to put on a smile and push aside her inward grumbling.

The one hour designated for prayers had already passed and all the sisters where seated. She took the back door that led to the female restroom so she could refresh alittle before joining the meeting.
Sister Tari was already there trying to straighten her skirt. Gladys eyed her over.
' Tari if you breathe harder that skirt will tear'
'Abeg , shut up you're beginning to sound like Mrs Richards.'
'Are you sure you want to enter that meeting with that tight skirt?' She asked her friend amazed at her guts.
'And why not...is anyone there paying my bills...abeg ,abeg' she rolled her eyes and tugged at the skirt a little.
'Seriously?.... Meanwhile is that a Coach handbag?' she snatched at Tari's hand bag sitting beside the sink.
'Tari you dey vex o' she said jokingly, mentally calculating what the hand bag would cost.
Tari grabbed back her hand bag, 'give me back my bag...if you like go and give the testimony on my behalf so that tomorrow they will put my name on the prayer list'
She walked off leaving Gladys alone in the restroom.

Gladys heart burned a little. Tari always had very exquisite things. Stuff she could only afford to see if she bought a Cosmo mag. Even the mag was stupidly expensive. Where were all the rich guys in town?...why didn't they ever look her way?. She tidied up her makeup and joined the meeting.

Mrs. Richards was speaking with that typical earnest tone. As if rapture would happen tomorrow. Gladys seriously felt like rolling her eyes at the woman.
She checked her watch,
'Thank God, only 30 minutes left for the meeting to be over.

SISTERS FELLOWSHIP TO BE CONTINUED.