The Gulf

As soon as her mother got home that evening
Her mother called her into the room
for a mother-daughter chat
She was the first child
She was eighteen years old
The first of four children
She was her mother's best 
friend and confidant
Her mother said "You will not believe 
what happened today!
I went to a church for prayers with
"Sister so and so" and 
"Sister such and such"! 
I actually didn't plan to 
go anywhere we them! 
We went for the Conference level, 
Women Missionary Union 
meeting being held at one of the church branches!
We all went in Sister "Such and Such's car!
When we were done, she said 
she wanted to branch somewhere 
on the way home!
We had no option but to go with her!
When we got to the place she 
was going, she asked us to come 
with her, so we went into the flat she 
was going with her!
The place was not a church, it was 
a residential apartment!
When we got into the place, it 
was designed like an office, with some 
plastic chairs at the reception!
We sat down!
The receptionist welcomed us and
went into an office
A few minutes later a young man 
emerged, he greeted us well!
He knew Sister Such and Such 
and they spoke in familiar terms then he 
turned to me and said 
"You are Sister "This and That", 
you have a daughter named "XYZ"!
I realized he was a prophet, I stood up  and said "Yes sir"
He said "Tell your daughter that she 
should not waste time chasing boys 
and listening to deceivers! 
Her husband is in the USA, he is 
fair in complexion, works with a 
shoemaking company!
He will meet your daughter in 2003,
when your daughter is 28 years old!
They will be married here in Nigeria 
and at the age of 30 your daughter 
will relocate and be with him!
They will both build a good life 
in America!"
I said "Amen"
He attended to Sister 
"Such and Such" and we left!
I don't know what to make of it,
but I am sure he is a man of God!
WOW!
She didn't know what to think!
She is hating and she had a crush,
an artist who has been sending her
secret letters and using words to
lure her into secret fantasies!
She told her mother, she has heard
her!
She returned to school!
She was with the artist for one more year
The artist got a better opportunity
in Abuja, promised her he would 
keep in touch, relocated and 
vanished into thin air!
She graduated and served!
She met other guys, most are
interested in the potential of a 
fling or short term relationships
She didn't want anybody to use her
to gain relationship experience
She didn't want to be anybody's
reference point
And yet, she longed for a heart mate
She was not getting any younger
she needed to build a life and make
her own family.
Her mother didn't forget the prophecy
Her mother was weary of her making 
a mistake and thwarting "God's plan" 
for her life
But she didn't care about that!
On two other occasions, the prophecy 
was confirmed!
A woman approached her in the 
market and told her "Hold on, 
your husband is coming for you, he will 
come from America"
A friend also told her that she had a 
dream in which the friend saw her 
getting married!
From the details of the dream, she was 
getting married to a guy who came 
into the country from
America and at the end of the dream, she 
relocated to America with the guy!
She was a pragmatic person and
she hated the idea of putting her
life on hold because of a prophecy!
She got a job with the human resources 
department of an Insurance firm!
She started praying fervently that the right 
man would come along!
And he did!
He strolled in one Tuesday morning
to register a complaint about his insurance paperwork!
One look at her, he softened his
stance and started acting all smitten!
He asked her out
They went on several dates
He was a very charming guy
He was a shoe salesman
He lived in New York 
(Has lived there for over twenty years)
He was single and desired to get
married
He was the one who was 
prophesied about!
Everything that was said about 
him was true!
WOW!
They got married a year later
She got pregnant immediately
In 2005, she relocated to America with her 
three-month-old son to
be with him!
As soon as she got to America, she enrolled 
for her nursing degree!
It was expensive but he was willing to foot the bill
At a point when the bill was too high 
for them to cope she took student loans 
and somehow she was able to complete the course!
She gave birth to two more children
She graduated top of her class
She got a job and things improved
drastically
They moved to a bigger apartment
and enrolled their children private
schools
She was earning 70% of the income
and he seemed comfortable with it
She tried to get him to enroll for online 
courses, improve himself
He didn't get it
He had been doing a job he loved for 
twenty years before he met her
He had provided for his family and 
lived a responsible life
She had no cause to complain
He sponsored her through nursing 
school on his pay
The job was good and stable and he
enjoyed it
He had a good relationship with his boss 
and other staff members
Everything is not money!
The children were going to a good school 
before she changed their 
school and they were living in a fine
apartment before she insisted on
moving them to a bigger and more
expensive one
He had tagged along because he wanted to please her
But he didn't count on her turning
the table and claiming he wasn't 
earning enough to sustain a lifestyle he 
didnt want or desire!
She accused him of lacking a drive
and settling for less when he could
have more
It became an issue
He reported her to her mother
Her mother intervened
She mellowed
In 2011, she informed him she
had gotten a job offer in a hospital in Texas!
She said the job is the opportunity
of a lifetime and she cannot pass it
up!
He was shocked!
It came out of nowhere!
What was he supposed to do in Texas?
His life was in New York
His friends, his job, his life, everything!
He didn't understand his wife again
He put up a fight
She fought back
She was prepared for him
He had been ambushed!
He had neither the energy nor the
resources to match her pound for
pound
He called friends and families
His wife was deaf to them all
One evening, he returned from the
office and found the apartment
empty
His wife had packed her bags and 
the children and left!
He had no option but to max out his
credit card and buy a ticket to Texas
At least so that he can see his children!
When he got to Texas, he met the shock of his life!
His wife had bought a house and
furnished it to taste
He had no say!
He had been rigged out of her life!
She was prepared to move on without 
him in every way!
It was a blow!
His wife's reaction when she saw 
him spoke volume
She said "Wow, you came?"
It was as if she had zeroed her mind
on leaving him behind!
He stayed the weekend
She put him in the guest room
He didn't even protest
It is her house and he didn't want
to be accused of rape
He left two days later, on Sunday
evening
He did not doubt in his heart that
the marriage was over
He told himself to man up and fight
for his home
But his wife was not interested in
the union again
He was very convinced of that!
He was right!
One month later, he got the divorce
papers
He waited a week
He called his mother in law
He called friends and family members
He called their pastors
After much deliberations
He signed it
The marriage was over
He had visiting rights and the
children are free to spend 
holidays with him
But it was a prophecy that birthed
their relationship
What went wrong?
One year later, he was at home
when his phone started buzzing
continously!
He checked 
It was his whatsapp messages
Someone sent him pictures of his
ex-wife
She was getting married to another
guy
She had moved on!
He had naively assumed that the
battle was temporary and somehow
his wife will come back to him
apologising and begging for 
his forgiveness!
He was wrong!
He also assumed that God will somehow 
punish his wife for going
against the prophecy
He was wrong again!
He reached out to the Brother in
Jeans and T-shirt
God was supposed to be sovereign!
No one should be able to do anything 
outside of God's will!
Why did God allow this to happen?
He lamented
The Brother in Jeans and T-shirt
told him not to be bitter against God!
It wasn't God's fault that the marriage was broken!
Man is a strong stakeholder in
the reality we call life!
Some say "God let your will be done" 
and there are some to whom 
God will eventually have to say 
"Brother or sister, let your
will be done"