MULATTO (Iyila) (Editing)

chapter thirty six

Gabriel tried to brush off Iyila's ridiculous opinions about the Bible and replace them with new and logical arguments. He had come to realise that she was a headstrong and quite adamant woman. Over the time they spent in his chamber - arguing about this and that - she refused to agree with most of his ideas, but instead she choose to believe that David deserved more punishment than Saul.

Smiling, and seated on an old rocking chair, legs crossed, and a book in his hands, he watched and listened to her rant about her ideas which were weakly laid on the premise of the nature of the two sins as she made his tea.

"David's sin was beyond wickedness, it was babaric," she stubbornly added again. "He took Uriah's wife, laid with her, kept her with child, and sent Uriah to the battle front to die. Now tell me Sir, can such sin be compared to that of disobedience?" She told him with a smug smile on her face, as though he couldn't beat that point. It was a familiar smile, like the one Dr. Samson frequently wore in their debates about religion in his study at Illinios. That self-satisfied smile Dr. Samson always plastered on his face whenever he had brought up one of his irrational scientific theories which he assumed Gabriel couldn't slander. He promised to tell Samson of Iyila when he returned home.

He smiled. "David commited all these atrocities yet he begged for forgiveness, he acknowledged his wrongs. He pleaded guilty and he cried to the Lord for mercy."

She placed the cup on the saucer. "And Saul did not do all of these?" she abruptly snapped.

"Yes, Saul was rather prideful, he felt justified, he believed he was righteous, he tore the garment of prophet Samuel when he was rebuked for all his wrong doing and__"

"He was vexed," she quickly remarked.

Gabriel could not help but laugh. Picking up his tea he spoke admist a titter, "Anger does not justify our actions Liya. The story of David and Saul are two important and perculiar stories. If man were to judge, David deserved more punishment than Saul," he reasoned.

"So you agree with me?" She proudly asked. Gabriel smiled, he admired her courage.

"Oh I would love to agree my dear friend, but again, in the sight of God, man's wisdom is just foolishness. Pride goes before a man's downfall and Saul allowed it to consume a greater part of him."

"Saul was disobedient, David was a murderer, can you not understand me?" she tried to convince him.

"It is not about the sin again, Saul forgot his maker, but David repented. Our repentance, Liya, and heart is what God looks at."

He gave his last reason, hoping she would understand, but her frown and flashing eyes told him he had more work to do. Something told him she only listened to pick out the flaws in his arguments and use them against him. He admired her smartness.

"Would you then permit me to say that your God is obviously biased."

He laughed. He had expected something like that,

"Liya this issue has nothing to do with fairness," Gabriel calmly corrected her while she snorted and walked to his bed to arrange the covers. His eyes followed her and for a while she remained silent and concentrated on the sheets. Perhaps racking her brain for the next combat. He wasn't wrong.

"You are a lawyer, is it not, sir?" she mischievously asked. Gabriel quickly sat upright. "Yes" he formally replied.

She nodded. Then removed the covers, the quilts, the pillow-case then straigtened the sheets as he quietly sipped his tea, waiting for her next goofy view.

"How would you judge these cases, would you lightly suffer David because he was the first to pray for mercy and__" he did not let her finish before he interrupted.