Railroaded

It was an arranged marriage
She knew that right from the start
She didn't like it
She perceived that he didn't like it too
He was the one from the rich background
He was the asset her father targetted
Her father was a witch doctor
Many people came to him for consultation
Her husband's people did likewise
Their son was suffering from epilepsy
and her father was a specialist at curing
the affliction
Her father saw an opportunity to marry
off one of his daughters to an influential
family
Her father bound her husband's family
into an oath of adoption
He would only save their son, 
if their son would marry his daughter 
when he came of age
Her husband's family agreed
Her father did his thing
The boy was cured after 21 days
His family swung into action immediately
They took over her grooming and
education
She was just ten years old at the time
He was thirteen
She was attending a public primary
school 
His family changed her school
They knew it would be difficult to
make the marriage work if they left
her in her world
The gap would be too wide
She picked up immediately
At first she was not aware of the
reason for her change in fortune
but as she filled out into a beautiful
woman it became clear
She was fifteen when her mother 
told her bluntly that she was already
promised to someone
There was a Youth Corps member
who made friends with her and was
always writing her love letters
Her mother found the letters and
warned her sternly
She got the message but she was
heady and decided she would rather
have fun while waiting for the mystery
husband to show up
She kept away from the letter writer
She knew his intention was just to
sleep with her as a memoir
But she waited calmly for love to
find her
And it did
She was an undergraduate in her first
year when it did
It was the best season of her life
She believed she was headed for a certain unhappy future with a guy she saw only
from afar or hear only about
She was determined to milk all the
joy she could while she was still
single
The relationship lasted for three years
It was all about sex, sex and more sex
In her mind, she must have sex at least
one thousand times or more to
compensate for the loveless future
awaiting her
She was so certain her marriage would
be hell on earth
By this time her husband to be had 
graduated and traveled to the United Kingdom
for his masters
She knew the marriage would happen
immediately after she graduated or
at most after she finished her service
year
She had two other relationships after
the whirlwind affair ended because
she refused to commit to the relationship
beyond the present
Her boyfriend was stung by her
blunt refusal to become engaged to him
He said she was just using him as
a sex toy
He said many bitter things to her
She couldn't tell him the truth
It would make him feel even worse
She encouraged him to fall in love
and be in love with her while she had
no future to offer to him
She got it
She also believed she deserved to
be loved the right way even if she
couldn't really love back the way she
would have wished
The families waited until she finished
serving
The wedding was conducted
It was formal and brief
He could barely stand her
She knew this instinctively
It had nothing to do with her as a person
It had everything to do with
the fact that he was not allowed to
make his own choice
If he had picked her himself, it would
have been a blissful relationship
He was robbed of the power of choice
She bore the brunt of that
The marriage was a disaster from 
day one
He was drunk on the first night
and practically raped her
She was grateful for the violence
she had been scared he would be
one of those looking for virginity
and all the signs of it
It had kept her apprehensive but
his behaviour took the awkward
questions off the table
She was the one that came out of it 
with the upper hand
"You are a rapist! On my own wedding
night, you couldn't sleep with me 
with dignity! Did I close my legs,
did I resist you but you must treat me
like a dog, you must flay me and draw
blood! Wicked man!"
That was day two of the marriage
She was sure the marriage wouldn't
last a year
They had nothing to be married for
Neither of them wanted to be with
each other
After that first night and her reaction
the following day, he stopped drinking!
He also stopped approaching her
for sex
He would leave the house very early
and return late in the night with his
dinner
She was practically a house guest
in her own home
Things went on like that for a month
She told the brother in Jeans and T-shirt
all about it over the phone
He laughed and laughed
He told her an arranged marriage
can be a blessing if the right spiritual
atmosphere  and mindset was created 
by the couple
He said
"You think "modern" or "independent"
means "alone" and "unmarried"
Don't be foolish
He is a boy and you are a girl
Since time began, if you lock a young 
man and a lady in a room for a year
you will open the door to find three
people
Love does not make babies
Warmth and affection does that
Show him some warmth
Show him some affection
Be his friend
You are beautiful
Let him see that beyond the surface"
She decided to try
The option would be for her to start
sleeping around
But she didn't want to do that since
the marriage would probably crash
within a year
She just didn't want it to seem as
if she didn't try at all
If it must fail, she must have something
to say other than "he kept to himself"
She and the Brother in Jeans and T-shirt
talked for a long time
Somehow she ended up giving her life
to Jesus and getting filled with the Holy
Spirit. She was railroaded in a way.
She had expected some marriage 
counsel and advice, something to tender
as an excuse when the marriage failed
"I made an attempt, i got some counseling,
I sought for a solution, I tried my best"
that was her motive but she got something
totally different and unexpected
She started waking up early just to
watch him dress for work
She wouldn't say a word
Just watch him with longing in her
eyes
It made him uneasy at first
By the third day, he said "What
do you want"
She smiled and went back to bed
By the fourth day, he started chatting
with her while he dressed
"What do you think of my tie?"
"My driver got drunk in the afternoon
yesterday, I had to fire him"
"How are you?"
"What are your plans for the day?"
She knew he was sleeping with 
another lady
She had seen all the signs and ignored
She knew the marriage was heading
nowhere
There was no point fighting for a
home she didn't want
but the more they became friendly
the more she found herself angry
at the other woman sharing his 
attention
She drove to his office one afternoon
She told him they would be going
to dinner together
She took him out and afterward
they made love together for the
first time
That was day 71 after their wedding
She told him to give her his full
attention for just a month!
She said "I know we are both in a 
boat heading to a place we dont
want to go!
But we are together for now
I want to be the one, the only one
I know i have a competition at this
time
I knew people before we got married
and I walked away from them for you
I want to ask you to do the same
For just one month
Let's both try and be warm and caring
Let's play daddy and mummy
If we don't click after the one month
We can both do the logical thing
Tell our people it was a bad match
and walk away as friends"
He nodded
He started coming home early
They went out
They had fun
They made love
They talked and talked and talked
They started chatting and sending
voice notes
Then they started doing video stuff
Nothing serious
Just snippets and snatches of time
They became friends
He began to tap her whenever she
walked past him swinging her hips
with luscious intention
She began to chase him into
the bathroom for a quickie
They didn't know when the month
ended
Somehow the slow tick-tock of time
became a race
She got pregnant
It was the last thing she expected
but it changed everything
She didn't want him to think she
entrapped him with the pregnancy
She called the brother in Jeans and
T-shirt about it
He told her not to fret about it
"Your husband loves you now, this
will only make things better"
It turned out to be true
When she told her husband
He was over the moon
She didn't know exactly when they fell
in love
but they did!
She didn't know how but they fused
but they did
Two months later, as her husband
clocked 35
They had a party
Family and friends were invited
The Brother in Jeans and T-shirt was
also there
He came to break bread with the
family and commend them to God
for the new season
They had a lot of fun
Later in the evening, as her parents
were leaving
The Brother in Jeans and T-shirt hugged
her father and then prostrated to
greet him
It was awkward to see
A Christian brother hugging a witch 
doctor
She didn't expect it at all
Sixteen days later, her father sent for
her
He told her to hold on to Jesus
He said "See there is nothing in these
idols. I have known this for a long
time but I didn't know any other
way to make ends meet in life!
When i gave birth to you, I saw in 
your star that you will never have
a husband or be married!
I also saw that you will never have
children
You were supposed to live as one
who never lived
Like a wayfarer
That was what I saw
That was why I decided to hook you
to someone when you were so young
I was merely attempting to manipulate
fate
I knew it would most likely amount to
nothing
But then everything changed
Whenever i try to look at your future 
now i see nothing
It is blank
As if you were dead or never lived
and yet you are fruitful
You are the best of the children i have
You have so much and much more
I know this can only be God
Hold on to your Jesus!"
Wow!
She prayed with her father that day
She led him to Christ
She told him it was the only thing
he could give her that would make
her happy
Her father cried as he turned to the
Lord that day
It was an outcome she couldn't have
foreseen in a million years
The day she gave her life to Jesus
over the phone in a conversation with
the Brother in Jeans and T-shirt, she
didn't know a day will come when she
would be the one leading her father
to Christ and filling him with the Holy
Spirit!
She realized she had come a long
way within a year of becoming a born
again Christian!
The Rivers living waters are gushing out
of her and transforming destinies.
By the time she delivered her baby,
her husband who was a skeptic, her
mother and her three other siblings
had become born again Christians.
The love she found in her marriage
got deeper by the day and her joy
was full indeed

Ps: The Holy Spirit works in ways
and dimensions that are different
and totally indescribable!
His intentions are sometimes clearly
communicated and sometimes they
become clearer only after the intents
of His heart had been done!
When you invite Him into any situation
He gives you the best possible outcome
He is the best thing that can ever happen
to you
Ask the Lord Jesus to come into
your heart, ask the Holy to come into
your life. 
Surrender all to Him!
Let Him lead