Chokehold

All she had was her husband
He loved her and was faithful to her
They were blessed with three children
He had a good job and provided the family
with more than enough
She was a medical doctor
Her husband built a hospital for her in the 
heart of their estate
They thrived on every side
From the very day, they got married their 
experience had been upward and forward
They married into a one-bedroom apartment 
He was a fresh graduate of civil engineering 
at the time
She was also undergoing her horsemanship 
By the time she delivered their first baby 
two years later, they
had moved into a comfortable flat in a 
high brow area
He had bought his first car!
By the time she delivered her second child 
they had moved
into their own house
She took a loan to purchase the land and 
he took a loan to build
They were achieving great things together
By the time their marriage was eight years 
he had built her a hospital
at her choice area
They had acquired properties in choice 
places and had
joined the class of the privileged few who 
vacationed abroad
She was perhaps the only happily married 
woman she knew
Others have a complaint or two about their
husbands or marriages
But her husband remained her best friend 
and her children
were all well behaved!
She was always full of gratitude 
God has done very well by her
Then his father died at the ripe old 
age of 80
They gave him a befitting burial
The family had a meeting afterwards 
It was decided that his mother shouldn't 
be left alone
She would be too lonely and stricken 
with grief
She was sixty-seven years old and 
still had many
happy years ahead if she was well 
taken care of
After many hours of deliberations
It was decided that his mother should be 
relocated to their house
She was uncomfortable about it from day one
His mother was a total lunatic
Before they got married, he took her home to 
meet his parents
This was after three years of courtship
His mother was very nice and welcoming on 
the day they arrived
The next morning his mother called her aside 
and said
"Why didn't you sleep with my son?
I didn't hear or see any action yesternight
Did you charm him
It won't work
If you cannot open your legs to him in his 
own father's house
Where will you do it?
If I don't see any action today, this marriage 
will not hold
I will not allow you to make a fool out 
of my son
And go back to town to sleep with other men
It will not work! No! It will not work!"
She was twenty-four years old at the time
As innocent as a matchstick
She didn't know what to do
Her husband was a born again Christian 
like her
They had no intention of having sex until 
they were properly married
Like a fool, she told him what his mother 
said
It was a mistake!
He went to reprimand his mother
His mother manipulated everything with tears
His mother was so good at it that by the time 
he came out
of his mother's room, he was convinced she 
was using
fetish means to keep him from sleeping with her
His words were absolute gibberish and 
unrelatable
She tried to get him to his senses
He didn't snap out of it!
For two days, she was in a strange town, 
in a strange 
family house and she found herself surrounded 
by strangers!
Even her own "husband to be" treated her 
like a stranger
At the dawn of the third day, she packed 
her bags
She decided the relationship was a dead horse 
that needed no flogging
She would be better off with her own family
His Father saw her as she was sneaking 
out of their
family house very early in the morning
His father told her not to leave
"Sleep with him, he is your husband, 
make him happy!
He wanted to prove to his mother that he is 
not a lackey
it is important to him! Give him that and he 
will forever
be grateful to you for sacrificing your pride to 
save his face!
Go and be his wife! God will not be 
angry with you! Go!!
It was the oddest advise she ever got from 
anybody
Especially from his pious father
A devout man of the Baptist faith whom 
she respected
with all her heart
She turned around that morning
Walked into the room and undressed
He was awake when she packed her bags
He saw her leave and didn't deem it fit to 
utter a word
Yet, hurt and pained by his sudden change 
towards her
She gave herself to him
He even acted up, as if he wouldn't take her
She practically begged him to sleep with her
The ice melted after that
They got married a year later
She lost the bragging right of marrying 
as a virgin
But she got a good home as his father 
promised
Her husband never said anything to her 
in words
But he knew it took her a lot and he 
treated her like the centre of his world!
He kept his mother far away from their home
They see her twice a year 
(On her birthday and Christmas)
It was always a day's visit and there was 
always a respectable distance
Until he was saddled with housing her!
His mother arrived at her house with 
two "helpers" from the village
The helpers made his mother's food and 
catered to her other needs
As his wife, she didn't think they 
were necessary
But her husband told her to leave his 
mother alone
"Just keep away from her, please"
And she did!
Later she realised whenever her husband 
returned from the office
He would go into the guest room to see 
his mother and stay there for a long time
Sometimes he even slept there
He would claim his mother couldn't sleep and 
he had to keep her company
Until one of the helpers started showing
And his mother started talking tough
"You are the wife I brought my son, you 
are my choice"
She didn't need to be told twice that within 
six months
his mother had unhinged the foundations of 
her home
Her husband had impregnated one of mama's 
helpers
Her marriage was over!
She cried bitterly!
When her husband returned home that evening 
She asked him calmly what happened
Her husband was speechless!
It was as if he had been put under a spell
She hadn't paid attention in time
He had stopped praying and fellowshipping
with God as he had done consistently for 
nineteen years 
Since he started shuffling between her 
room and his mother's room
God had been thrown into a pit of forgetfulness!
She didn't know what to do
She called his siblings to report what 
had happened
They were all outraged
But it was her mess and they couldn't jump in
His elder brother's wife called her and 
told her
what she went through in America when "Mama"
came to visit
She reached out to the Brother in jeans 
and T-shirt
She told him the whole story
What do I do now?
The Brother in Jeans and T-shirt reminded her
of the encounter between David and Nabal
He said "Do nothing hastily, let's just pray"
They prayed over the phone!
Within a week his mother packed her bags
His mother said she was going back to 
the village with her "helpers"
She panicked
She didn't want her husband to have any child
outside the marriage
She had hoped something would happen
She called the Brother in Jeans and T-shirt!
"Sir, she is still pregnant and they 
are leaving"
The Brother in Jeans and T-shirt told 
her to relax!
"Take back your home, you have the victory!"
She kept quiet
Her mother-in-law and her helpers left
For the first time in seven months, 
her home had peace again
When her husband returned home 
that evening
He was suddenly his old self, back to 
his senses!
Two weeks later, the pregnant "helper" 
had a miscarriage!

PS: The day after the miscarriage 
was announced
Her husband woke her up in the middle of 
the night
He apologised!
He told her something happened to him 
when his mother was around
He tried to fight it off but he couldn't
It had always been like that since 
he was young
His mother's hold on all her children 
was total
His siblings all ran out of the country 
because of her
He thought he could handle her
He was very wrong!
She accepted his apology
She was very happy peace and joy were 
restored to her home
The Brother in Jeans and T-shirt visited 
the family and blessed them
Her husband received the baptism of 
the Holy Spirit
This event happened in 2016 August