Religiously, my mother-in-law and I don’t align. She believes in unusual things and always wants to push her faith on others. When we were about to get married, she gave my husband a bottle of perfume and asked him to tell me to pour it into my bathing water and bathe with it for seven days.

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP CHANNEL TO RECEIVE ALL STORIES IN YOUR INBOX

I didn’t do it, but I told her I would. A few days later, she told me she could tell I hadn’t done what she asked. I asked her, “What shows that I didn’t do it?” She looked at me from head to toe and said, “Because it shows. If you did, I would have known.”

From then until the day we got married, our relationship became distant. We spoke, but not deeply. We could meet and pass each other without saying a word. It wasn’t hatred or animosity; I just felt we didn’t have much in common to talk about.

After the marriage, she started visiting. She would cook her own food and eat. She wouldn’t drink from the same cup I used, and for some reason, she always wanted to use the bathroom before I did. Those things didn’t bother me as long as she wasn’t in my way or trying to compete in the marriage.

Since I’ve known her, she has changed churches five times, and the kind of churches she attends have one thing in common—they like scents. She’s always smelling of something strong. Sometimes it’s so overwhelming that I feel like throwing up around her, but if you complain, you’re either a witch or have a bad spirit.

I told my husband to limit her visits. I told him to ensure certain boundaries so she wouldn’t affect our marriage. My husband is always nonchalant when it comes to his mother. He calls her old and thinks whatever she does is because of her age.

She came to visit one day, and all of a sudden, this woman was all over the place, smiling and laughing with me. She would usually not ask about my health, but this time she was smiling widely and asking how I was doing. She even asked what I had cooked—a woman who hadn’t eaten my food since I married her son. She went to the kitchen, made herself comfortable, and tried to be chatty.

I was suspicious. I thought, “What trouble is she bringing into this home?” I kept my eyes on her every move. I told my husband, “Your mom is acting suspiciously. What has come over her that suddenly she’s eating my food?” He made a joke out of it: “Maybe she has changed churches again, and this new church is asking her to eat your food.” Then he burst into laughter.

But I wasn’t born yesterday. When the enemy suddenly throws her arms around your neck, you should guard your heart before she stabs you in it.

I went to the market and came back, and she wasn’t sitting at her usual spot under the tree. I thought she might be sleeping or watching TV. I got to the hall, and it was empty. Her room was also empty. “Or she’s bathing?” I asked myself.

I went to our bedroom, and I immediately caught the scent, but she was nowhere to be found. Something told me to check the bathroom, and she was there vigorously spraying some “holy water” and anointing oil in the bedroom.

She had sprayed it on my pillows and my husband’s side of the bed. She had a bucket of water in front of her and was spraying into it when I walked in. She wasn’t hiding it from me. Even when she saw me, she didn’t stop. She kept going. When I asked what she was doing, she looked me in the eye and said, “I am cleansing this room from your evil deeds.”

I was shocked. “Evil deeds in my own room? What are you talking about, ma?”
“I saw a vision that you have planted something here to turn my son’s heart against me and the family. It won’t work.”

I left the room for her until she was done with whatever she was doing. When my husband returned and noticed the scent, he asked about it, and I said, “Ask your mother. Who else would fill our room with such a strong scent?”

I thought he would ask her about it, but he didn’t. He avoided the topic as if it didn’t exist. I asked him, “Won’t you ask her about the scent? Or are you already aware of the ‘evil spirit’ she’s chasing out of here?”

He still wasn’t bothered. But I was, and I wasn’t going to stay quiet. “Ask her to explain. She accused me of being evil, and I want you to be the one to ask so you don’t say I’m fighting with your mother.”

He answered, “Oh, it’s just one of her things—prayer. Why are you angry? You, of all people, should know her by now. If your hands are clean, why are you worried about just holy water?”

It meant he already knew and was okay with it. But I wasn’t, and I was willing to go all the way to get an explanation for what I had supposedly planted there. Anytime I bring up this issue, my husband fights me instead of addressing his mother. She has come and gone without any explanation, and it hurts me every time I see her and the unfettered access she has in our home.

Dating A Narcissist: Lessons From Heartbreak And Abuse

My mom has never visited us since we got married two years ago. My dad doesn’t know where I live. None of my family is involved in my marriage, but my mother-in-law is deeply involved—so much so that she would go to any length to paint me as spiritually bad just to turn my husband against me.

Should I fight her access? Should I keep quiet before my husband turns against me? Should I leave the house for the two of them for my peace of mind? What would you do if you were in my shoes?

—Bene 

This story you just read was sent to us by someone just like you. We know you have a story too. Email it to us at [email protected]. You can also drop your number and we will call you so you tell us your story.

******