Getting Rid of His Mother
The Facts
Her family held privileged place. Her marriage to Martin, did not change that.
When her mother or sister came to visit the red carpet stayed out until they left. Nothing was a problem, nothing too expensive, and they were to be treated as Royalty.
This is how it has always been in her family.
Deja ought not have been surprised when after a number of such visits by her family Martin suggested that his mother visit, for after all, he wasn't an orphan.
This annoyed her greatly.
Talking about the Wife
Deja was an insecure woman who needed a man all to herself. She had to exert absolute control. Any one she felt was a threat to her 'ownership' she had to get rid of.
She had been successful in separating Martin from his brother, Paul,and his silly little sister Anita.
The unknown quantity was his mother, Doctor Pamela Godding, who was expected to be a bit more astute than Martin's siblings.
The first invitation had to be withdrawn for as soon as Deja got the date she set up a visit to her father at the same time.
Not that her father wanted to see her at that time, or at any time. The point was
to 'cut' Martin's mother, 'down to size', and make her know she was less important than Deja's Father.
This had to be virtually stamped in iron.
Martin's Mother had to know she was cancelled in respect of Her Father. His mother had to recognise that Deja owned and operated Martin.
Deja had grown by her mother's side. She had been schooled to appreciate that
no one was more important than one's mother and sister who would never let her down.
Men could never be trusted.
Deja never put, nor ever would put, her husband before her mother.
The question was, would Martin do the same?
The Plan
Deja spoke at length with her mother to work out strategies to insure that Martin's mother would have a horrible time and never come back.
Hopefully, certain behaviours could be provoked so that Martin would never even want to see his mother again.
Nor would she want to pay a subsequent visit.
Anita, Martin's idiot baby sister, was used to gain 'secret information' about
Doctor Pam so that the environment could be set to be particularly uncomfortable.
Deja also did some reading on 'light torture' to see if anything could be adapted,
and learned about the use of cold.
Hence if she could get Martin to keep the air conditioner on at all times to insure
the house was uncomfortably cold, his mother should suffer more than they, for they would be 'used to it'.
Deja insured that Martin began becoming used to it when she found an article stating that furniture needed to be kept at 75o to last.
The family was 'used to' 74o months before his mother arrived in the heart of summer.
In Motion
From the moment Martin's mother arrived, Deja treated her as a complete untrusted outsider.
Where her mother got a key so she could come and go as she pleased, Martin's mother did not. She was locked into the house when they went to work.
From Monday to Friday, Pamela had nothing to do, nowhere to go, confined to the house.
When they came home, they would ignore Dr. Pam. They invited Deja's friends (Martin had no friends, Deja had gotten rid of them very early) to fill the house.
Pamela could stay in her room or watch the small Television in the den. This should make it clear that she was NOT part of the family, not a treasured guest, but someone who was being 'put up with'.
They never took Pamela anywhere, save the supermarket.
Between the cold, the loneliness, the segregation, Pamela cut her visit short and left.
She never sent them a Thank You card or gift, which Deja dined out on. (Not that her mother ever did, but that was different).
Victory
When Martin's mother told people how she had been treated, Deja used the word 'ungrateful'.
She pointed out how they had fed her and looked after her all those days.
Martin, who had already let Deja run his brother and shove his sister into a corner did not defend his mother.
Although some place within him he knew his mother had been made uncomfortable and kept a virtual prisoner, he could not accept ny guilt or responsibility, so let
her go out of his life with no more than a shrug.
Deja and her mother congratulated each other on a job well done.
