The enemy within

"You know...I spoke with my friend mama tahir this evening and she was pouring her heart out to me...about how her siblings and extended family despise her so much despite doing a lot for them, helping them with school fees for their kids, sending food supplies, living expenses, etc, she just can't believe this is happening to her"

Mom said in a conversation with Aunt Hubaida one early tuesday evening about her friend Raliat also known as Mama tahir who is a wealthy cloth merchant in Lagos, to which Aunt Hubaida scoffed almost with indignation and responded,

"Well, one couldn't say exactly what transpired between them as we both weren't present nor hear from the other parties, am sure her siblings must have their reasons"

Mom's eyes squinted, apparently puzzled and asked what Hubaida meant, she responded,

 "It's as I said it because from my own experience, I can tell that sometimes, it's the richer sibling that could be guilty, more often than not"

Mom's facial expression immediately changed from bewilderment to seething fire, she swiftly responded,


"Your experience? What is your experience? I will like to know, Oh! So let me guess, your experience is that I don't collect my salary and put it on a center table for you and your kids to go and pick at it unrestrained like Tania does? is that your grouse with me and by extension, your so called experience? Or that you and your kids disrespect myself and my kids and we don't complain but once we clap back, we become evil people? Huh? Hubaida, tell me your experience?"

She scoffed and said I also disrespect her and we all assume she's our househelp who should cook for us to which Mom fired back,

 "You must be deluded Hubaida, tell me, how do you exactly define  househelp? That I go out there and hustle for money and I give you to prepare food which you only prepare when it's beneficial in the sense that, it has to be a meal you or your kids are interested in eating, and once it's done, who benefits the most? You! With your five mouths you have for kids. How many times have you declined cooking in my house simply because the meal doesn't suit your specifications and Maj would go into the kitchen and cook and you will ask your kids not to eat his food? Huh? How many times have your kids brazenly insulted my kids and I while you watch, feeling giddy that they know how to insult, how many times have your kids helped with filling the buckets in the house with water, how many times have your kids helped out with washing the curtains? Huh? So tell me again,  by cooking at your own comfort and time and insisting on a type of meal when more often than not, your one naira didn't make up the money used in buying the food and all you need do is cook it, you've become a househelp? You and your kids eating up a whale of food and wasting a lot more and expecting me not to complain when all you do is sit at home, watching telenovela all day and making fun of people and their lifestyle whilst leaning back and feeling like you won a lottery? Hubaida, don't invite the wrath of God on your head, you act as though I'm a fool who knows nothing, let me remind you that I'm way older than you are, I was already in my husband's house with a kid when you were in your late teens, we aren't agemates, nor gracemates or classmates, that we are siblings doesn't give you the effrontery to hurl insults, directly or indirectly at me, we both grew up in the same house and both suffered the same ordeal, so it wasn't like I was educated and you weren't.  Treat me with the respect I deserve!"

Mom's epistle was stinging as was deep to which Hubaida replied,

 "It's no big deal, our big sister, everyone would get what they deserve"

And Mom beautifully responded,

 "That's a powerful statement to make...everyone would get what they deserve surely but it would start with you, I guess it has already begun"

Touche Mom! Touche!

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