Hemmed-In

It was a closing in of the four walls
Rage, unforgiveness, jealousy
and wrath
He loved her with all his heart
They met at a party at the university
He was a youth corps member at
the time
She was the student
She was in her final year
He was living in the staff quarters
of one of the lecturers
Most days he would find his way
to his place of posting to do one
or two things
It was a printing press and he
had no interest in whatever was 
going on there
His father had a marble company
and a good job was waiting for 
him once he finished his service
year
He had been in a relationship twice
The relationships ended badly
He was a very jealous and insecure
person
He didn't know this until he got
into a relationship for the first time!
The things he did during that
relationship made him ashamed
of himself
He couldn't control his emotions
Whenever he saw a male, any male 
around his girlfriend, his eyes would 
turn red and he would almost go insane!
It was a big problem
He didn't enjoy the relationship
for one day
When she was with him, he was
always thinking she was going
to meet someone else later in
the day!
When she was not with him, he
was always thinking she was
with someone else
She never gave him a reason
to think the way he did
He just couldn't control it
It was terrible
He smashed his phone many
times out of anger
He tailed her discretely on
many occasions to be sure
she went to the place she 
said she was going
It was a terrible season
After a year, the lady ran away from him
She didn't tell him the relationship
was over
She just figured out a way to
avoid him for several months until
he got the message
After almost nine months, they met
at a sports event on campus by
chance
She was with someone else already
She told him he should either get
help or remain single 
He was unfit to have a healthy 
relationship
He knew what she meant
Even he couldn't explain how
come he was so overtaken and
overwhelmed by dark emotions
when it came to his relationship
He experienced no peace from
the moment he started going
out with the lady!
His heart was always in his mouth
as if at anytime somebody would
take her away from him
It was a terrible feeling
Like awaiting impending death
He was just trashing as he
drowned and he was pulling her
 down with him!
it was very bad!
He kept off all relationships for
another year
Life returned to normal
He related to people normally,
the topsy-turvey emotion calmed
down and he was balanced
When he got to the third year in
the university, he found himself
in another relationship
She was his friend, a very quiet
and settled lady
He had watched her for a while
and noticed she didn't court male
attention or draw any attention
to herself
She was not the most beautiful
lady in the world too
She was the type men would 
leave alone!
They started dating secretly
She said she didn't want him to
announce it to people until they
were sure the relationship 
would work out
He agreed!
The very next day after they
started the (Secret) relationship,
he found himself stalking her on
campus
He couldn't help himself
She caught him at it after a few
days
She asked him what he was
doing
He said he was getting to know
her
She called the whole thing off
He was shocked
They had barely kicked off the
relationship
He tried very hard to convince
her he meant well
She said she knew the signs of
an abusive and manipulative
man in a relationship
The relationship died after a week!
He was twenty-five years old
at the time
He told himself he had a lot of 
growing up to do
He would mature and childish
things would pass away
Until he met her two years later
He was supposed to be going
to his quarters to rest when he
heard the music
He decided to see what was going
on
She walked out of the hall just
as he got there
He greeted her and asked her what
was going on
She told him her department
was having the "Week" activities
He was about to walk away
when she asked if he wanted
to come into the party as her
guest
He smiled
She took his hand and led him
into the hall
They danced, ate and talked
She walked him home after
the party because he wasn't
familiar with the route
He changed and then followed
her to her hostel
That was how they began
Unlike his first two relationships
he had other things to do just
as she did
They usually met every evening
He would go to her hostel, they 
would take a stroll and talk
Then they would have dinner
and he would walk her back to
her hostel
He really loved her
She was brilliant and warm
She was also a very serious-minded lady 
He was very sure she wouldn't 
cheat on him
Three months after they met he
completed his youth service
and returned to Lagos
They kept in touch by phone
and occasional visits
She completed her studies and
was posted to the North for
service
He visited her twice
They were the real deal
In between all the activities,
time kept ticking
They had dated for three years
by the time he proposed
She had no reason to say No!
They got married nine months
later.
That was when the time bomb
exploded
She didn't know what hit her
He would time her when she went
to the market
If she was a minute late, he would
lock her outside
He collected her phone and installed 
a tracker app
He needed to know where she was
at all times
He installed CCTV cameras
everywhere in their house  for
"safety" reasons but used it
to monitor her movement
He was obsessed with control
and very abusive
She ran to her parent's house
several times
He would come looking for her
pleading and begging
Once she followed him home he
would change
"Your parents are harboring a man
in that house, that was why you
went there. You went there to get
serviced!"
She knew he couldn't control the
rubbish coming out of his mouth,
but they still stung her
Eventually, she decided she was
through with the marriage
She packed her bags and left
Her parents agreed with her
A living "divorced" daughter was
far better than a dead "married"
daughter
He did everything to get her back
she said No!
He went to their church and spoke
with the priest
The priest discussed with her
parents
She told them she was dying
He promised to change
She was determined to walk away
but for the most unexpected twist
in the issue
She discovered she was pregnant!
It was the last thing on her mind
It changed everything 
When she told her parents, they
also softened their stance
They invited him and his family
They had a series of meetings
He signed an undertaking
He pulled down his CCTV cameras
and security devices
She returned home with him
He started behaving himself
She had the baby seven months
later
He was a very healthy baby boy
Her husband was very happy
The CCTV cameras returned a week 
after she returned home
from the hospital
Her phones were also changed
When she protested, her husband
said she has become the mother
of his child and therefore cannot
be running about with all
sorts of men anymore
"All sorts of men"
She had never cheated of him
She had never even thought
of it
How come she gets to live in 
her own home like a prisoner
It was a mistake coming back
to him
She knew this with all her heart
but he had all the cards
He was the rich one
The working one (She had not
been allowed to work since they
got married)
The powerful one
She would have left but for the
baby
She didn't think it was fair to
dump the child and flee
Her husband would never allow
her to keep the baby
He would fight her to the death
for the child
So she stayed and suffered
day in day out
Whenever her husband was
traveling, he would lock her in
their mansion with the child and
three housemaids
She dare not go out without
a driver and a housemaid when
he was at home
None of her friends were allowed
to pay her a visit
And if she must attend a social
function, they must attend together 
as a couple
Her relatives cannot pay her 
a visit when he was not at 
home so that she wouldn't
smuggle a lover into his house
while pretending such is a 
relative
If she was to go to a family function 
she was always
on the clock and her phone 
does not stop ringing
All her relatives know this and
it belittled her but he didn't 
care
She was a prisoner
He was her warden
It was hell!
He told her he wanted 
another baby but she 
wanted out of the marriage
and knew having another
child would be stupid, so she
prevented the pregnancy
without his knowledge.
She wanted desperately to
leave the marriage
She didn't tell him so
She kept saving money,
any money that came her way
in a secret bank account
She was waiting to have enough
to take her child and run
She planned to travel out
of the country
She had endured her chains
for six years because she
didn't want to leave her son
for another woman to raise
or worse for his father to
raise!
She couldn't imagine what
demon her husband would raise
if left to raise their son all by himself
She couldn't just escape alone
She had to leave with her son
When she had raised a total
of five million naira
She started the processing
She did her international passport
in her maiden name
She did the passport of her son
also with her maiden name as
his surname
She was just thirty-four years 
old
She has a beautiful life ahead 
of her
Everybody saw her living in a
mansion and riding big cars
but a wild dog's life is to be
envied compared to hers
She filed for the visa under a
special category
It was granted
She bought the tickets and
started counting the days
Two days to her departure,
her husband woke her up in
the middle of the night with a 
hot slap
Somehow he had discovered
her plot
She saw the passports and the
foreign currency on the table
right beside their bed
Her husband was holding a gun
"I will kill you" he kept saying
She didn't know what to say
She just cried on and on
"You want to take my son away
from me? Which man were you
running away with? 
Who gave you the "liver" to
plot and plan this grand scheme
against me? 
You will die today"
She was willing to die
She was tired of living like
a chained dog
She stood up to him
"Kill me! I hate you! 
You treat me like an animal
As if i do not have my own
human worth and dignity!
I have lost confidence and 
joy in my own life
I am no longer a human being
since i got married to you
I have been abused, denigrated,
used, chained and broken
I have nothing to live for
I wanted to kill myself several
times but I chickened out
This is the only alternative that
will let me keep my life
If you take it away, then kill me!
I am already living in a cemetery
as it is!
What can a bullet fo to the dead?"
She fell on her knees and wept!
As he looked at her, he remembered!
He remembered his first girlfriend
the one that told him to get help
or remain single
He remembered the second lady
who told him the signs she saw
He walked to the sitting room
He lost the strength to see his
intentions through
The next morning, he removed all
the CCTV cameras
He reduced the domestic staff
to three
His driver, the security man and 
the one housemaid
He went to her in tears
He promised he would get help
but if she still wanted to travel
he told her she was free
He also told her she was free to
take their son as she planned
She told him about the Brother
in Jeans and T-shirt
He called the Brother in Jeans
and T-shirt later that morning
He told the Brother in Jeans and
T-shirt everything
The Brother in Jeans and T-shirt
spoke with him for hours
They talked as brothers
The brother in Jeans and T-shirt
told him about the reality of the
power of the Holy Spirit
They prayed for a while
When he got home that
night, he asked if wife if they
could take a stroll together
For the first time since they
got married, they strolled
hand in hand!
He didn't know what he was
afraid of or why?
Insecurity had not only ruined
his marriage, it has also ruined
his own peace of mind and
his delight in the little pleasures
of life.
The Holy Spirit gave him a strange
confidence, a boldness!
Fear lost its grip over him
He started living again!

Ps: She didn't leave him as 
planned things got better 
and better
He told his wife that it was 
their son that told him about 
the impending trip to America 
while the mother slept
Their son was scared he and his
mother would leave him alone 
and he wouldn't have anybody to 
take care of him
It was a life-changing shocker!

GSW's Notes: On April 28' 2020, 
somewhere in Lagos, at about 2 AM, 
sister Amaka delivered a second 
child for her husband!
Their marriage is now seven 
years old
The last two years have been heaven 
on earth for them!
Please involve the Holy Spirit
in your emotional inadequacies
Dont nurse or defend it
Open up and let the Holy Spirit
heal, repair, and transform you!
Born Again Christians still nursing
Jealousy, anger, lust, unforgiveness, 
and bitterness are their own worst 
enemies!
You have the Holy Spirit!
These things need not be in you!!!
Let such go now