Mother-in-Law Palava
The Woman Who Wouldn't Let Go
"You better not be standing there like a tree. Come and help me carry these things inside!"
That was the first sentence my mother-in-law, Lady Dorcas, ever said to me. No "Welcome to the family, my daughter." No "How was your journey?" Just straight to work, as if I had signed a contract to be her housemaid the moment I married her son.
I should have seen it coming. Everyone warned me.
"Mama Femi can never love her daughter-in-law."
"She still wants Femi to herself."
"She will frustrate you out of that marriage!"
But did I listen? No. Love had turned my brain into mashed potatoes. I married Femi anyway, believing our love was strong enough to survive anything. Even his mother.
I was wrong.
Lady Dorcas didn't just dislike me—she acted like I had stolen something from her. If I cooked, the soup was tasteless. If I dressed up, I was showing too much skin. If I stayed in the room with Femi for too long, she would knock on the door, claiming she needed help finding her nonexistent glasses.
But the real trouble started when she moved in with us permanently.
"Temi," Femi whispered one night when we were alone. "Mama wants to stay with us… for a while."
I sat up immediately. "What is a while?"
"Just a few weeks."
That was three months ago. Lady Dorcas was still here.
And that was when I started noticing strange things happening around the house.
My favourite jewellery went missing, only to be found days later inside her purse.
My best wrapper had a mysterious bleach stain that no one could explain.
Femi's attitude changed. He started snapping at me over small things.
One day, I overheard her on the phone.
"I told you this girl won't last in my son's house. She's already losing her mind!"
It hit me—this wasn't just a difficult mother-in-law situation. Lady Dorcas was deliberately trying to make me crazy.
And then, one night, I caught her in the act.
At exactly 2 AM, I woke up to the sound of whispers in the living room. I tiptoed out of the bedroom and peeked. There she was, kneeling on the floor, murmuring something while drawing patterns on the ground with white chalk.
I gasped. She turned sharply. Our eyes met.
"Ah," she said, standing up slowly. "You're awake."
My heart pounded. "What are you doing, Mama?"
She smiled. A deep, knowing smile. "Helping you find your way out of my son's life."
That was the moment I knew—this was no ordinary mother-in-law drama. Lady Dorcas wasn't just controlling.
She was dangerous.
To be continued…
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