Secret Places

The first time she saw her husband
touching himself
She was shattered
What was it about her that was
not attractive?
Why would he rather pleasure himself
rather than reach out to her
They didn't have any disagreement before
they slept
Even though she was so tired before
she slept
She would have accommodated him
if he reached out
She felt so irritated
For her, it was an indictment
Her husband does not find her
attractive anymore
The next morning, she woke up
grumpy and unhappy
Her husband, unaware of what she 
had seen and processed the night
before got the cold shoulder
She didn't intend to lash out at him
She just did!
The words weren't important
Her reaction ruined everybody's mood
She felt even more terrible
Like she should end the marriage
He was driving her insane
He was touching himself
He was masturbating with her
lying there beside him
It was disrespectful
It was ungodly and unchristian
It was sinful and carnal
Was she supposed to condone the
nonsense?
Was she supposed to pretend all 
was well?
Her husband dressed up and went
off to work
She went off to work too
But her mood didn't get any better
Her six months old baby somehow 
managed to throw her car keys into
the gutter by the entrance of their
house
It took her hours to fish it out
She had to bathe again and wash
her hands in saline solution because
of infection
Then she dropped the baby off at the
creche and drove to the office
She was very late
It was so unlike her
Why are men so selfish and wicked?
What else could she have done as
a wife to keep him faithful?
It would have been better to catch
him in bed with another woman
At least she would be able to see
her rival!
Only God knows who was in his head
as he was touching himself
How could she compete against that?
Imaginary demons and evil manipulations!
She tied herself into a tight knot
By the time she was closing from
the office she had decided to pack
her bag and leave her husband's
house
He was demonic and carnal
He was not a believer as she had thought
He had denigrated her with his action
Other faults of his that she had previously
overlooked also came to her mind
He snored and sometimes acted
selfishly
If he had to pick between her need and
his own, he almost always picked himself
She was willing to overlook all the
other things as human frailties
She was in no way perfect herself
but the touching himself thing was
unforgivable and unacceptable
It was too vile
She couldn't even bring herself to talk
to him about it
It was the Sodom and Gomorrah trespass
It will most likely bring destruction to
him soon
She had to find her way to Zoar
She had to escape the wrath to come
She knew he would get home at about
8 pm
He closed at about 7 pm and it usually
took him about an hour to get home
due to traffic
She closed at 4 pm
She picked their son at the creche
went home to pack her bags and
drove to her parent's house!
As soon as she saw her mother,
she started crying
She couldn't stop herself
She told her mother she was unhappy
and wanted out of the marriage
Her mother told her to eat and have
some sleep
She slept off as soon as she hit the
bed in the guestroom
The sleepless night and wandering
thoughts had taken their toll
She drifted into the dreamworld
Later in the evening, her husband
called her parents
He had gotten home to meet his wife's
absence
Her parent assured him his wife and son
were with them
But they didn't know what happened 
and would like him to shed some light
on it
He told them he had no idea!
Her parents told him to wait until they
have spoken to her
Perhaps she was just overwhelmed
due to the baby and other things
Later the following day, she had a 
"sit-down" with her mother
She told her mother the truth
The whole truth
Her mother listened patiently
When she was done
Her mother told her she was being
childish
How can a man touching himself
be the reason you left him?
How did that affect you in any way?
She couldn't believe her mother
Her mother had been brainwashed by
the African patriarchial system
Her system had forgotten what it meant
to have dignity as a woman
She would not succumb to that
nonsense reality
She would rather be alone than
subject herself to mental torture by
any man that she is not good enough
or that she was not worth being touched
by the man who claimed to love her
It became an argument
Her Father got home later that evening
He had been on a business trip
Her father was a no-nonsense man
Not authoritative but decisive
She told her father what happened
Her Father asked her what her mother's
opinion was 
She told her father what her mother
said
Her father said "So what are you still
doing here?"
She couldn't believe it
Was the house not her Father's house?
They didn't want her?
They were sending her away?
She wanted out of the marriage
Why couldn't they understand and support
her?
She cried herself to sleep that night
The next morning was a Saturday
They were awakened by some people
from the government 
Her husband had gone to report that
she kidnapped "his child"
Something of that nature
The officials had a duly signed warrant
of arrest
It was the last thing she expected
He was supposed to come to her parent's
house and beg her
He was supposed to prove he still loved
her
She couldn't believe it
She was no longer angry
She was just dazed
By eleven that morning, she was at the
police station with her baby
She was writing a statement
Explaining why she took their child
away from home without calling him
or picking his calls
The dispute resolution people were there
The child care services people too
She was treated like a complete fool
She tried to explain to them that
he was ungodly 
She tried to explain to them that the
the judgment of God is coming upon
her husband and she had to flee
It was as if she was just talking to
herself
Nobody heard what she was saying
She was jeered and talked down to by
uniform wearing women who were neither
as enlightened or as educated as she
was
It was horrible!
Her parents didn't show up as she 
expected
She was abandoned
A lawyer showed up at about 2 pm
The matter had been scaled upwards
It was beyond her wildest dreams
A lawyer!
Her husband was going to prosecute
the matter
He would collect her baby
Strip her of everything
A lawyer!!!!
She couldn't even afford a lawyer
She had never needed one
Everything was moving too fast
She cried and cried
She was tired of fighting
She wanted to go home
She needed the sanity of a controlled
environment
The police station was rowdy
Her baby was crying somewhere
She cried and cried
By 5 pm, an elderly woman walked
in
She was a District Police Officer
All the other officers stood at attention
for her
The woman asked the other officers
who she was and what the case was
The woman was given her file
The woman read it and invited her 
into her office
As soon as she was seated
The woman told her to stop crying
"Tears won't help you hear,
it will only prevent you from 
learning wisdom! STOP CRYING"
The woman switched a from sweet
and caring to a hoarse and commanding
tone in second
She sat up and stopped sniffling
The woman told him to tell her the whole
story
She did
The woman said "Some men have 
secret habits that can be considered
odd but should be dealt with as one would
deal with a nuisance.
He is not aware of who he is in Christ
He is a prince living like a pauper
Your decision to drop your marriage
without any hesitation was curious
Is there something else you were
not saying? The woman asked
But there was  nothing
She was dazed at how people seem to
think she overreacted
As if her reasons were not valid
Wow!
The Woman called a corporal to get
her olive oil or vaseline
When the corporal brought it
The woman said "The next time you
see him touching himself, get some
anointing oil in your hands and give
him a handjob!"
(The woman started demonstrating
how it is done to her! She almost
fainted with laughter!
It was so unexpected.
The woman used her left hand as a
prop and started using the right
hand doused with oil to rub the prop
mischievously!)
Did you get that? Asked the woman
She nodded
She opened her eyes
What!
She had been dreaming
She was still in the guest room in her
parent's house
The time was 7:15 PM
She got out of bed and walked to the
sitting room
She saw her mother feeding her baby
She told her mother she was going
home
Her mother smiled
(Her mother had been praying in the
spirit while she slept)
Her mother didn't say a word
Her mother handed her the baby
She got into her car and drove back
home
She got home around 8:30 pm
Her husband was a little late that night
She saw his message while she was
driving home
She brought out some food from the
freezer and prepared dinner
When her husband got home by 9 pm
He met a pleasant wife and a happy
baby
They had dinner
They watched television together
When it was 10:30 Pm
She said "I want you to take me
to your secret place"
Her husband didn't understand
She tucked her baby in his cot
She pulled her husband by the hand
and walked with his arm in her arm 
to their bedroom
She had gotten a bottle of
Olive oil
That night, she became an initiate
of the secret place of her husband
They had fun together
She also benefitted from the play
Within a year, her husband was able to
break the yoke of masturbation
He suddenly disliked touching and
pleasuring himself
He had found an ally in his wife
What used to be shameful became
a doorway to marital bonding 
Their marriage is ten years old now!

PS: The dream she had saved her marriage
I believed her mother's 
prayer worked wonders