The Road Back Home

He was a two minutes man
The type that couldn't explain how he
came to be like that
He was a serious Christian from his youth
He was one of five children
Their father and mother for that matter
were pastors
The only life he had ever known was the
church life
All his friends were from church and 
the church constituted the entirety of his
social life
He attended a Church-owned private University
Unlike many who complained about the
constraints of religion
He enjoyed it
He relished it
He thrived in it
He was a fellowship leader on campus
He led by example
He practiced what he preached 
He graduated at the age of twenty-two
and traveled straight to Canada for his
Masters
He wanted to stay in Canada when he was
through with his studies, but all his efforts
to stay proved abortive
He returned home and started job hunting
That was where he met his wife
They were invited by the same company
for a job interview
She knew someone within the organization
who was helping her with the inside moves
He didn't know anybody but was way
more qualified for the job
At the end of all the stages of the interview
They were the last two standing 
He knew he ought to have gotten the job
based on merit
She was just hanging on due to her 
connection
One evening, she called him and asked that
they met
They met at an eatery in Berger
She told him her father wanted to meet with
him
It was all about employment
He met her father the following day
He was able to put all the pieces together
Her father was working as the internal-auditor
for an organization
The organization had openings
But she couldn't work in the same organization
as her father
Her father would be retiring soon and was
determined to secure her future
Her father decided to strike a deal with
a friend in another company where there
were openings for employment
The friend was to employ her
and if the friend had any candidate
that needed to be employed too
Her father would press the right buttons
to ensure the candidate was also employed!
Everything was going as planned
until he showed up
His qualifications couldn't be ignored and 
her father's friend couldn't justify employing
her over him
Phone calls were exchanged and
it was decided that if he was offered
employment elsewhere and didn't show
up for the final meeting with the MD,
the job would go to her
Her father offered him a good position
He accepted the offer
He called her to say thank you
The following week, she got a job too
They met to have a celebratory lunch
One thing led to another
He didn't stop calling and chatting with her
And she didn't stop picking his calls and
chatting with him
Fellings came into the whole issue
Talks became serious after nine months
They were married one year seven months
after meeting each other
Their wedding night was a bust
She had looked forward to it for several
months
He got in...
He snapped his fingers twice
He was out
He rolled over and slept off
it was like watching a Mr. Bean comedy
She laid down there, looking at the ceiling
wondering what had just happened
He must have been stressed out
He would grab her in the morning
He would smash her to bits
She would be feeling sorry for herself
by the time he was done with her
He was tired too
She showered and slept
The next morning, she reached out
to him
He responded very warmly
The kissing, and necking and all sorts
She guided him, guided his hands
She led her to fountains and the oasis
He drank and soaked
But then the moment came for him
to saddle the mare and ride it home
He saddled 
Two snaps of the finger
He said "Arggghhhhh"
That was it!
He got down, rolled over and slept off
He had done whatever he thought he
was required to do
It was a nightmare for her
It was not as if she had extensive sexual
experience as such
He was certainly not her first
But it was a joke!
She was extremely disappointed and
unhappy
By the time he woke up, he could see
that the house was on fire
He asked her what was wrong
She told him
He was shocked!
He had assumed they were both doing
very well
He promised to do better
He didn't have any experience and must
have been over-excited at his "first time"
They tried again
It was the same
She complained after
This time, he became defensive
She had somehow made him feel inadequate
She had somehow pushed too hard
But she didn't know it at the time
Somehow she got pregnant during
the honeymoon
When she told him, he said "Your plan
to accuse me of being the reason we couldn't
have children has failed woefully. 
Only God knows how many abortions you
had before we met!
You had to cook up lies as your defense from
day one of our wedding
God is greater than you
Despite all your "You cannot do" accusation, 
you got pregnant!"
It was the last thing she expected from him
She was talking about being sexually
unfulfilled and frustrated
He was accusing her of scheming and plotting
What had pregnancy got to do with
sexual satisfaction?
He was so ignorant
Throughout the pregnancy, he didn't touch
her
Truth be told, the pregnancy was challenging
She vomitted almost ten to twelve times
everyday
She was a mess
But once in a while, when things stabilized
She reached for him
He withdrew instinctively
Towards her ninth month of pregnancy
She started noticing signs that he was
having an affair
When she accused him
He said "Can someone who is impotent"
cheat?
Can a "five-second" man satisfy a woman?
Your accusation makes no sense!
She bit her lips
But she was sure of the signs she saw
He had sexual stimulants in his jacket
pocket and a lot of condoms
She had her baby
The baby was a very healthy boy
But the marriage was all jumbled up
He picked a fight with her at every
opportunity
She was always crying or weeping
There was no day of joy
She didn't know him to be quarrelsome
or troublesome
He was a totally changed person
It was as if she had offended him in such
a manner that he was determined to 
frustrate her out of the marriage
After a year of no intimacy, no peace,
no joy cohabitation
She confided in his mother
She told his mother she was dying in
silence
She was not married anymore
She had become an appendage in his life
His mother called him and spoke to him
He told his mother she concocted lies
about him
She said he was not a man
She said he was impotent
And then she got pregnant and she refused
to apologize for her defamation and lies
He wanted out of the marriage
He had slept with other ladies and there
was no complaint whatsoever
He is a man and if his wife says he was
not a man, she should leave!
WOW!
He had been cheating!
It broke her heart
She couldn't even listen to anybody 
else
She went home and cried her heart out
What crime did she commit by being open
about her sexual frustrations
Who else was she supposed to discuss 
such with
He basically turned the table on her and
tacitly accused her of being sexually
insatiable
Like she was a nymphomaniac
And to think that while she was pregnant
and suffering, he was with some other
ladies, sleeping with them to validate
his ego that all was well!
The next Sunday, she went to report him
to their church pastor
He was religious and desired to be respected
in church
She wanted them to know that he was a 
two-timing, adulterous man
It backfired badly
He left home that same Sunday
Two days later, his friends came to the house
and packed all his belongings
She had done the unthinkable!
His mother came around two days later
She had just heard what happened and
wanted to be sure she was fine
His mother told her she handled the matter
without weighing the consequence
There are women who would take a man,
any man, as long as he was ready to be
responsible for their wellbeing and was
willing to marry them
His mother said he had met one of such and 
was happy to be a five-second man with the
lady as long as the lady was willing to take him
as he was
His mother said "The ball is in your court
You can walk away now or you can have him
back despite all the pain, he had dragged you
through! 
When you make up your mind, come
and see me"
His mother dropped provisions for the baby
and left
His mother was the mother she never had
Educated, enlightened, balanced and very
pragamatic
She called her father that evening and discussed
everything with him
Her mother had died giving birth to her and
her father had always been in her corner
Her father told her he was in support of
whatever she decided to do
She went to see his mother the next day
She dropped the baby with his mother
She needed to find her bearing...
She rented a smaller apartment and decided
to move on with her life
As soon as the news filtered through that
she had separated from her husband
The sharks started circling
Men from her office
Her colleagues and superiors
It was as if they smelt prey and wanted in
on the kill
She mingled and dangled herself at the
right places
She was open to a relationship, even if
it wouldn't lead to a marriage immediately
She just needed to see a bit of promise
It didn't happen
Everybody wanted to have sex and walk
away
Even those she met at church programmes
But some were quite subtle and camouflaged
their intentions very well
Those were the ones she fell for
The seemingly deep ones who patiently acted
right until she opened her legs
Once they got the access code and logged
in, they simply changed
She dated four of such
Her life seemed to move from one level of 
frustration to another
Four years after separating from her husband
She met the brother in Jeans and T-shirt
at a couple's day out organized by the Methodist
Church Nigeria, Omole Lagos on February 22,2020!
They talked briefly
She told him she was tired of being tossed
here and there by all sorts of strange men
She had made up her mind to get her husband
back and build a home with him
"What about the "five seconds" problem?"
The Brother in jeans and T-shirt asked her
She said "I will find a way to make it work"
They prayed together
The Brother in jeans and t-shirt told her to
talk to her mother-in-law
Her mother-in-law was happy with her
decision
Her mother in law said she had been praying
for the two of them and knew sooner or
later, they will see the light
Her husband had rented a flat and was
living alone
Like her, he had found settling down a struggle
He had a good job and was making money
But lust and love are two different things
He was wary of making the same mistake
twice
Her mother-in-law told her to come around the
following weekend
She told her to come directly to her house
on Friday after closing from the office
When she got there, she met her husband
It was the first time she was seeing him
since he left home
Somehow their paths never crossed in four
years, especially since she moved to Lekki
to be closer to her place of work while
he remained on the mainland
Her mother in law told the two of them
to follow her into her room
Once they were seated on her bed, she told
them to resolve their issues and excused
them!
It was that simple
Years of prayer and intercession had gone
ahead
The time was as set by the Holy Spirit
It took a lot of tears from both parties
It also took a lot of apologies and 
fresh promises
They buried the hatchet that night
The next day, they drove to the office
of the brother in jeans and T-shirt
He had called the husband and spoken
to him about the possibility of a 
reconciliation
They had talked at length and became
friends
He prayed for them
Then he gave them a special gift
Something special he ordered online
He handed it over to her husband
He said "When you guys get into the
other room, do the best you can but
if Samson shook his body and the 
power did not come as expected,
open this box, there is something in
there you can selflessly use to balance
the odds!
Don't be self-conscious about it
Just like using a car to ease the stress
of transportation, use this to calm the
nerves and satisfy your wife!
They all laughed
The Brother in Jeans and T-shirt prayed
for them
The Broken was mended and became 
fit for use again!

Ps: They have been together for 22 days
She said it was the best season of her
life so far
Her husband called first, saying "Thank you"
and praying for the brother in Jeans and T-shirt
from the bottom of his heart.
The wanderers have finally found a home
Their son finally had his parents together under
the same roof 
The strangers were left in the past
They can only move upward and forward
now!
The event happened in Berger/Olowoira area
of Lagos

GSW's notes: Several months ago, I wrote 
a story titled "A letter from Benin"
One of our readers told me how she 
had been coping with sexual frustrations
at the Night of Glory, we had that month!
She was a divorced single mother
I listened with rapt attention.
I have always been particularly drawn to
the plight of single parents and widows
So I learned a lesson that day and 
It has helped me when i am dealing with
sexual stuff and intimacy stuff
We all can't be stallions
There is a lot of sexual dysfunction issues
in the world
We pray, we correct, we heal and we manage
We all must be open-minded enough to
solve riddles without complicating things
with our ego and "Kill the messenger"
mentality
May the Lord Help us all