Cargo cult mentality

"If someone shows you who they are, believe them"- Maya Angelou.

Mom was slightly taken aback by aunt Hubaida's rather commanding tone, demanding that Mom gives her money for her to feed herself and her kids with and for Mom to include enough money for her kids' transport fare to and from school, my lips went agape in shock and I could literally see teeters of anger gradually creasing its way into QT's face as fines lines etched smoothly by the sides of his eyes but we kept our cool and waited for what would be Mom's response, after all, Hubaida is the daughter of her parents (I intentionally didn't call her Mom's sister). A smirk slowly flashed through Mom's lips followed by a deep sigh whilst shaking her head with her face looking down, she looked up to Hubaida with such a stare like she's a cockroach that needs to be fumigated and calmly but bluntly told her she doesn't have any money to give her,
she continued,

"Am sure you aren't blind to the situation am in right now nor are you oblivious to the current economic situation in the country...so you walk majestically into my temporary abode which you looked all over with such disdainful stare and DEMAND that I give you money? Even I steal money for a living or all I have to do is walk to my place of work and pack money, do you think as your eldest sister, you ought to sashay in here and demand money from me when I don't owe you?"

Mom fumed albeit stylishly, her composure still calm but seething the darts her way which she definitely caught, she fired back,

 "I didn't come here to be insulted...no man is an island, that's why God created the rich, the poor and the middle class not for any other reason other than for us to be a source of help to one another and know this, no condition is permanent, I hope you know that, just because am suffering now and came to you for help doesn't give you the right to talk to me in that manner in the presence of your kids, what for? If you can't help me, you clearly state so...don't insult me"

Mom smiled and retorted,

 "Oh! So you felt stung by my remark? You think it's an insult? You felt ridiculed in the presence of my kids, oh sister sister!  That's how it feels when despite all of my assistance towards you, all you've ever done is insult me and have your kids insult me too, your kids whom my children bathed for? Clothed? My kids who at many times served you, helping with your chores and whom you totally used as though they were your servants and I never for once complained, yet you have no qualms insulting their mother in their presence and absence? The other day you accused Maj of slamming the door at your face even though it was you who provoked him so much, still, you don't think that wanes in comparison to what your kids have done to me? If you feel ridiculed in the presence of my kids, that's the exact way I feel when your kids whom my kids senior by far in age, class, everything, feel when they insult me...sometimes in their and your presence, so I guess we both have work to do calling our kids to order don't we? I don't have a money tree in my room where I pluck money from, I just lost my house and you don't think whatever money I can scrimp and scratch to get right now won't be channeled towards getting my immediate family a better place to stay? Then you said you are suffering? Are you the only one? Am I not? Can't you see the lavish home where I live, eating with gold plates? we both have suffered, we came from the same parents, what you went through was what I went through, it's not as though I was sent to school and you weren't ,so stop moaning and trying to play the victim here"

 Aunt Hubaida scoffed and with an air of pomposity responded,

"Touche sis! Touche! Soon enough, our millions would arrive and then we would be bigger than you, with all the investments and business ideas Nina is putting together, it's only a matter of time and we won't have to depend on the crumbs you hand to us".

 I stifled a giggle, almost choking on it, letting out a cough whilst Mom gave a subtly smirk and with her hands raised together in supplication to God, she succinctly puts in a statement heavy with sarcasm,

 "Amen ooo! I pray your millions arrive soon enough so I can also relax with my legs on the table, living lavish and eating to waste, mocking and insulting other people and watching telenovelas all day whilst depending on whatever crumbs my two little sisters hand me as I don't earn in millions, crumbs from a wage of millions would more than suffice me".

 Aunt Hubaida grimaced with a bit of humiliation and sat down, looking all dejected and hurt while Hamz turned away to hide his smiling face.  We all went back to tucking in on our food and naturally, Mom couldn't take Hubaida's mournful look no more then went to her bag and counted a few pieces of 500 naira notes and handed it to her which Aunt Hubaida swiftly collected then Mom turned around and went to get a few baggy nylon bags and scooped several "mudus" (big measuring bowl) of variety of raw grains for her to take home, she handed it to her saying,

 "All these are for my boy Kasim (Hubaida's five year old last child), he's a little boy who doesn't deserve all these and of all of you, Nina (Mom's last sibling), yourself and your kids, he's the only one who's sinless and who actually loves me more than any of you. I've been nothing but an amazing big sister to you, Tania, may God grant her soul peace, yourself and Nina and if no one gives me credit, I will give myself credit, what else am I suppose to do for you guys? If you and Nina expect me to be the way Tania was to you both then you're joking, we are siblings but clearly different and if Tania had kids, am sure she wouldn't be the way she was, letting you both control her finances and being such spend thrift with her money leaving her always broke and constantly in want, you and Nina always coming up with silly business ideas that are never realistic and with no jobs of your own, get her to pour in money only for it all to collapse, no, not me, so if I have just one loaf of bread left in my house, I would rather split it with Kasim...I hope your poison doesn't infect him soon enough".

 Hamz was clearly brimming with rage with the way he was chewing so hard, staring pointedly at Mom and probably thinking why would Mom give Aunt Hubaida anything at all, we are barely managing ourselves and now doling out food to a relative who is nothing but an ingrate who is just taking advantage of family ties to reap off her sisters. Aunt Hubaida uttered a barely audible "thank you" then asked rather unashamedly aloud if she could be served some food to eat, Mom looked at me, signaling I should go ahead and serve her some food, if looks could kill, Mom would be cinders by then because of the flash of terribly stare I threw her which she definitely caught and if Aunt Hubaida noticed, I couldn't care. I stood up hesitantly, dragging my feet very sluggishly as I went towards the kitchen, took a plate and served her some food and water which she collected and ate. Seeing that the remaining food might go to waste, Mom asked me to pour it all into a food flask and hand it to Aunt Hubaida to take home,

"I hope I won't have to ask and plead for my food flask to be washed and returned before you send it back"

Mom said, Aunt Hubaida snickered, wiped her mouth then declared her intention to take her leave but not before engaging in a bit of banter with us but seeing as we responded through gritted teeth, she paid attention solely on Karl, afterwards, she said her goodbyes, we all bid her farewell and she left.

"Mom this has to stop...it has to stop"

QT fumed shortly after Aunt Hubaida left, Mom nodded affirming, he continued,

 "I don't get why you keep struggling to keep your head above water and all your siblings do is just delight in pulling you down, it's cruel"

Mom made a sign for him to calm down, she said,

 "I know what am doing boys ok? It would all end soon and what would people say? They would spread lies that am enjoying and my siblings are suffering, no one would know the true story"

She said calmly to which Hamz retorted swiftly,

"Let people say whatever bullshit they wanna say! So tell me Mom, are we enjoying? Huh? Are we? Look at us, we lost our home, QT and Karl are unemployed and not married yet, Maj is barely getting it together and the whole load is friggin heavy on you...now, if they were people who show gratitude and appreciate the little that is done for them, I won't be upset but they waltz here ALL the time and demand...they demand whatever it is they want and grumble that what is given them is not enough, who does that? Yet they sit at home and concoct silly business ideas  that they aren't up to its level and dream of an el dorado that they would reap when they haven't worked for it, that's terrible indeed" .

Mom again enjoined us all to be patient then I cleared my throat to add my two cents to the matter,

 "What they are doing is what anthropologists call the cargo cult mentality, where a person believes someday, without no exertion on their part that a ship will anchor at their harbour laden with all the goodies they've always wanted"

I said quite simply to which Karl responded, saying I couldn't be any more correct than that.

 KEEP UP!