Chapter Four

Angel soon developed a close relationship with some of Cyril’s family, particularly those she had converted to her faith. Sandra, Cyril’s youngest sister, became one of her closest friends. They shared the same passion for their faith.
“Please Angel, don’t give up on my brother yet. I know he is a very difficult person to deal with. I believe it is only you that can convert and rescue his soul to our Savior, Jesus Christ. Don’t relent in your efforts,” Sandra pleaded to Angel at their last meeting in the village.
“I won’t. I am trying my best. I love him so much and want him in paradise someday with me, with our Savior, Jesus Christ,” she replied, even more determined to win Cyril to our Savior. “With God all things are possible, my darling, Cyril’s case can’t be an exception.”
Some of Cyril’s family members, whom she had shown the way and the light through Jesus Christ, admired her greatly. Rosemary, one of them, had said, “Anyway, Christianity and the words of God got to the whites first, so she is very good at spreading the Gospel.”
Most of them did not know that Angel’s first encounter with Jesus Christ was in Nigeria.
“Lots of people have decided to remain in the dark in a free world like this with the way of the light everywhere, including my dear Cyril,” Angel thought sadly.
Cyril’s cousin, Stella, was a teacher and had come on a visit from the village. She was Angel’s good friend and one of her earliest Christian converts based in the village. Cyril was happy to see his cousin, and they chatted happily until...

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CHAPTER 3

Back home in Nigeria, Cyril’s parents began seriously pressuring him to return home with his wife, as his father’s health was deteriorating. “I hope the white woman is not holding you hostage over there. If not, a man should bring his wife home where he belongs. If you are having some problems, let us know so we can arrange to bring you back home,” Cyril’s mother often said during her phone calls to him.
Cyril searched for another job in Nigeria, and after finding one, he left Paris after a one-month stay in the country. He was then stationed at Warri in the Niger Delta.
Sadly, Cyril’s father died shortly after his arrival. Cyril gave his father a befitting burial as expected by a father’s first son, and he soon settled down to a happy life with Angel. They loved each other so much and had so many plans for their future.
Angel’s family members often came to Nigeria to visit. Her mother, and her cousin, Olga, had come a few times. During Olga’s last visit, Cyril and Angel introduced her to Dr. David Richards, Cyril’s friend. They fell in love, and eventually married. Olga relocated to Nigeria, and lived with her husband two cities away from Angel. They became close companions, spending days in each other’s homes.
Angel had no religion of any type in her life since she grew up in communist Russia.
One Sunday afternoon,...

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CHAPTER TWO
Cyril arrived in Russia with the other exchange students, and they were taken to the campus. They were paired with other students to learn to speak Russian, the local language.
He met his partner on the evening of his arrival in Russia at a social get together arranged for the exchange students. She was average height, with pale skin that shone like the morning sun. Her eyes were glassy blue, and when she smiled, he felt like he had just ascended into heaven. Cyril stared at her, absorbing her beauty and mesmerized by her charm for awhile before saying “Hello, my name is Cyril Smith, Please to meet you.”
She turned her small eyes to him, and he felt the warmth radiate over him as she replied in a husky accented tone. “My name is Anzhela. It means Angel in English.”
“What a nice name. I would simply call you My Angel then.”
She smiled looking even more beautiful, “I don’t mind.”
“I believe you know that angels don’t live on Earth from a religious point of view,” he continued bashfully. “I think you should change that name to Precious.”
“I don’t know anything about religion; I prefer to be called Angel,” she said, smiling.
“Okay, let’s discuss something else. You speak English better than I imagined possible.”
“Yes, my parents found the time to teach me when I was young. Being an only child, they had so much time to spend with me.”
Cyril’s eyes lit up, “You are an only child as well? You must be precious to them.”
“I hope so,” she giggled. She was impressed by the looks and comportment of her new companion.
“I hope I can learn your language quickly. It sounds quite difficult to me.”
“You surely can learn it quickly. It is very easy,” she smiled warmly.
“I will also teach you mine,” Cyril told her.
“What do I need that for?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You can never tell. It could be useful to you someday.”
“I can’t imagine how it would be useful to me,” confusion crossed her face, and then she smiled, “but there is no harm in learning it, if we can find the time.”
“Good, we will find the time for it.”
They felt bonded by some force they could both feel right from the start. They were already having a steady relationship before Cyril learned to speak the Russian language fluently.
“She is just like the white woman I always dreamed of marrying someday,” Cyril thought, admiring Angel all the time...


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CHAPTER ONE

Cyril Smith grew up in a happy home in his village. As the most intelligent of his siblings and an outstanding pupil in the village school at all levels, his father had high hopes for Cyril’s future.
Apart from his studies, Cyril spent many hours watching romantic Western movies and admiring the beautiful white actresses that starred in them. “They all look so beautiful,” he thought, often dreaming of the day he would have the opportunity to hold one in his arms. Eventually, Cyril began to nurse a secret dream of going abroad and marrying a white woman under any circumstance.
He finished high school and was granted a scholarship to study mechanical engineering at a university in Nigeria. He declined the offer without telling his parents, travelled to Lagos and got a job as a housekeeper on a cargo ship that made trips abroad. When his father got wind of it, he forced Cyril back home, insisting “My son can’t be a houseboy to some white sailors while I am still alive!”
Cyril was forced to resume his studies at the local university. Even then, he continued to search for any opportunity that could take him overseas. He refused to date despite the different overtures made by the girls around him. “They are not part of my future life. I can never meet the woman of my dreams unless I get to the Western world. I will do it through any possible means,” he thought.
During his final year at the university, he was accepted for an exchange programme to a polytechnic in Russia with a full scholarship. Despite the attempted persuasion of his friends to complete his degree programme as one of the best students in his class, he refused.
“This is not a wise decision at all, leaving a university degree that you can earn in a few months to start a diploma course in Russia,” Mike, one of his closest friends and roommates, said. “I heard it is a different course from what you are currently studying as well,” trying his best to dissuade Cyril, but without success.
“Even if it is to sweep the floor or cook, I will go. I don’t really care about what I will be doing over there,” Cyril responded. “Anyway, I will be studying petroleum engineering, which is a good choice considering we are an oil-producing nation.”
“That is not too bad, but why do you have this obsession to go abroad at all costs, Cyril?” Mike asked.
“You can’t understand, Mike. It’s been my dream, my lifetime ambition since I was a teenager,” Cyril tried to explain, keeping his secret desire to himself.
“Well, you must have some good reasons you are not disclosing to me. All the same, I wish you the best of luck over there,” Mike said finally. “But I don’t think a communist country is a good choice for your hidden dreams or ambitions,” he said as he shook his head in protest. “There are lots of restrictions in such countries, ranging from religion to freedom of speech. But I have never seen you associating with any religious group on campus.”
“I have nothing to do with any type of religion, so any country would be fine with me,” Cyril affirmed gently.
“Good luck all the same. I will miss you. You have been my roommate for the past two sessions.”
“Thanks for wishing me good luck. That is all I need from you right now. I will certainly miss you as well, but I need to fulfill my dream.”
Mike just kept staring at him like a stranger from the moon, while shaking his head to disagree with him.
Cyril was determined. He went ahead and processed the admission and travelled to Russia without telling his parents. They eventually found out and felt very bad, but had no other choice than to accept their son’s decision and wish him the best. “I don’t know why Cyril insists on going abroad at all costs,” his father lamented.
“Well, he won’t be working in a ship at least. I was told by his friend that he is in another school over there,” his mother said.
“There is nothing we can do about it anymore except pray for him as always,” his father said.
“I pray he meets us alive. Some children who leave don’t like coming back home. I was told by a friend recently,” his mother said with regret.
“My son would certainly come back home while I am still alive. That is my daily prayer from now on.”
His mother added, “I just pray he does not marry a white woman. She may prevent him from coming home as we expect.”
“You can only pray. You can’t stop him from doing so. You can’t send a black woman over there to him; he may not even accept her. I wouldn’t if I were in his shoes.”
“You mean you would like to marry a white woman as well.”
“I have not said so, while my dinner gets reduced by half, while there would be nothing on my plate by tomorrow morning.”
“You won’t see anything wrong if he does so then. I have not seen him take any interest in any of the young ladies around here.” She said, “If so, we would have done the traditional marriage on his behalf, while she can move in here with us to wait for him.” “That arrangement can’t work. The woman might wait forever. Just leave him alone and pray for the best for him.”
“I have heard. I have no other choice.”
“Better, when will dinner be ready? I am hungry already.”
“You should find a white lady to prepare one for you.”
“Wonderful! You are showing your true colour now. I have only seen them on the TV and in the magazines that your son brings home all the time.”
“I have unfinished housework to do,” she said as she walked out of the room.

“Please get my food ready. Don’t be angry if I said anything that has offended you. It was not deliberate,” he said, watching her leave. “Women with their devilish thoughts,” he muttered.

She left without looking back or listening to what he said. Her thoughts were elsewhere. “Men desire strange things that are out of their reach,” she thought. She had seen him staring lustfully at those white women in magazines a couple of times without his knowledge.

Beyond Faith

Cyril Smith grew up in a remote village in Africa. From a young age, he stood out both for his looks and his academic endeavors. As a teenager, he began to have a secret dream of finding his way to the Western world and marrying a white woman at all costs.
He worked hard and finally made it to Russia, where his dream was fulfilled when he married a beautiful Russian woman named Angel. Little did he know the event would be a turning point in his life, at that time devoid of any form of religious practice. A series of tragic events brought him to an encounter with his savior, Jesus Christ. And he became a born-again Christian before finding the happiness that seemed to have eluded him his entire life.Beyond Faith
Cyril Smith grew up in a remote village in Africa. From a young age, he stood out both for his looks and his academic endeavors. As a teenager, he began to have a secret dream of finding his way to the Western world and marrying a white woman at all costs.
He worked hard and finally made it to Russia, where his dream was fulfilled when he married a beautiful Russian woman named Angel. Little did he know the event would be a turning point in his life, at that time devoid of any form of religious practice. A series of tragic events brought him to an encounter with his savior, Jesus Christ. And he became a born-again Christian before finding the happiness that seemed to have eluded him his entire life.

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I am going to be posting chapters of "Beyond Faith" here for interested readers. one chapter every week. Hope you enjoy reading.

The books are finally online. You can download them for free using the following link http:///FV01h5

I just got a nice book from an older female friend. One that I would love to share with fellow nairalanders. I would be posting in chapters/episodes. Read, enjoy, tell me what you think.