*🌷 MY RICH WIFE 🌷*
*Episode Thirteen*
I cherished and honoured Pastor Lanre for one thing. He was one who was always determined to get what he wanted. No matter how long it took, what it was, Pastor would eventually achieve what he’d longed for.
After a year, he was able to reconcile me with my wife, Jocelyn. The conditions for reconciliation put me further into something i would call “marriage prison”. It was either i accepted the conditions or i remain unmarried all my life. Staying unmarried for the rest of my life was a prison on its own. Going back to Jocelyn, living un-der the same roof was also a prison on its own. The decision was to choose between two prisons. I decided to choose the latter, since according to the Holy Bible, it was a sin to marry another when his real wife was still alive. Besides i had given my life to Christ Jesus.
I returned to Jocelyn’s house. The price i had to pay was to obey all conditions set for me and obey God in all my dealings. Besides, i had signed an un-dertaking with Garki Police Command never to engage her in any violent activity. With these conditions and my new spiritual status, Jocelyn bec@m£ a “total” goddess and a monster. The bitterness of what i did to her younger sister still lingered in her mind. As a matter of fact, the pres£nce of my wife in the home or around me bec@m£ a terror to me. She didn’t treat me like a husband should be treated. I was practically losing my mind. Whenever i told my pastor of what and how mt wife was treating me with disdain in the house, he would pray with me and encourage me to endure. He as-sured me that all be well and that it was just a trial i was going throu-gh in my marriage. Well, as a true born again, I would take the advice of my Pastor to heart.
Whenever i got back home late, Jocelyn would lock me outside. I stayed late moat times because if fellowsh!pand the nature of my job in the church. I was always the last person to leave the church everyday, beause i had to ensure all the doors and windows were locked. Sometimes, when she locked me out, i would return to the church and pas-s the night with the security guard or in the church auditorium. The stings and sometimes, the irritating sound the mosquitoes pla-yed in my ears was annoying, but what would i do?
While i went throu-gh these untold, or unfair as you might call it, maltreatment, i sang gospel songs to comfort myself to sleep. Sometimes, i wept. Some occas-sions, I doubted my faith, asking myself if God truly was watching all i was going throu-gh and felt easy on His throne. And when it was as though losing my sanity, a small indescribable voice would comfort me from within.
Other times, to avoid questions from whoever was concerned about my situation, I pas-sed the night on the balcony of my church. I bec@m£ a victim of domestic violence. Initially, it was emotional violence but it later deteriorated to physical as-saults.
Those in the church who saw me with admirable clothes did not know the agony those scars the shi-ts and trou-sers covering. Many people didn’t know why I was always wearing long sleeve shi-ts. Well, i wore the long sleeve shi-ts because i had a wound around upper arm, an injury inflicted on me by Jocelyn with a stick because i accidentaly broke a glas-s cu-p. In addition, i wore long sleeve shi-ts to hide the wound that refused to heal. The wound around my forearm was infected badly that sometimes, it emitted pus and gave disgusting smell. Often, i had been to the hospital to get rid of the wound all to no avail. So, i had to always see the doctor in the hospital to dress it everytime.
It didn’t cost Jocelyn anything to hit me as she did this often with whatever tool she saw around at that moment over every little mistake i did.
On many occas-sions, Jocelyn would sl@p me, and when i wanted to retaliate, i remembered the conditions and the words of my pastor, as well as the small voice in my head. I couldn’t hit ir scold her in an act of defending myself, it would be termed as domestic violence against her.
My life bec@m£ miserable more than it was before i went to prison the first and the second time. I really de-sired to go to heaven and for this si gular reason, i vowed to myseld that no amount of oppression would make me turn back to my old ways. “Nothing again will separate me from the love of Christ, not Jocelyn nor the things she did to me”, I as-sured myself, with a wry smile.
Watchout for episode 14.