"CONFLICT RESOLUTION"

Truth For Posterity

As the family got bogged down by the quagmire that has the potential and the capacity to continue to shred it apart to simthereens for generations to come,  friends, well-wishers, fiends  and the quarreling parties alike turned blind eye to  this malady.

Their negligence became a tinder igniting the smoldering smoke of discord  into a consuming flame of strife , hostility and disunity among siblings. What was more, their unwillingness, hubris,  accusations and recriminations to navigate out of this mire festered and seemed intractable.

Every form of social intercourse among siblings ground to a halt with hurtful and malicious undercurrents. Separate existence became a preference which sacrificed communal existence on the altar of cloistered living with an eeerie dash.

The centerpiece of this saga was the matriarch. The situation insidiously eroded her sinew and brawny but she displayed exceptional strength,resilience and determination to surmount the storm. Bent,frail but not broken, she trudged on with fear of the unknown etched on her face hoping that one day everything would revert to normalcy before her demise. 

For over four decades of being a member of this family,  i have never  seen the matriarch's kitchen savor more than its own fair share of this strain of abominable acrimony that has brought it to ridicule and stigma.

There is incontrovertibly no perfect family. But the family has been managing its fragile peace and unity, fully aware of its dynamics, resilience and determination to maintain those ligatures which bind its members inseparably together.

The obvious question on everyone's mind was what might have gone wrong somewhere to engender this present state of affairs? The culprit may not be far-fetched.

The status quo obviously impacted everyone involved negatively, but none of them had the spine to sue for olive branch.

I got wind of the brouhaha through grapevine. Though very sketchy account.

I later gleaned copious details from all the  persons conerned with a genuine air of purpose and intention for amicable reconcilation of the skirmish. But much to my chagrin, my initial peace initiative toward resolving the family's feud was met with stiff resistance and disappointment.  But this did not deter my ironclad resolve to  insist on performing my strong suit.

I insisted on convoking an indaba upon my arrival in Umuahia in June, 2024. I consulted with my beloved granny of  blessed memory dame Helen Nwauru Ijebuonwu  and she sanctioned my proposal.

She encouraged me right away to reach out to every one that was involved in the fracas specially my uncle chief Orisa. Setting down my luggage, i put a call through to my  uncle during  which  he was informed of my arrival and my intention to come over to pay him homage as required by igbo's custom and culture.

I visited him in the company of my lovely consort. We traded fraternal banters during which he sorrowfully lamented his pains, frustration, and disappointment with regard to the  embroilment within the family to me. 

In his words, " I didn't know this level of envy exists in this family".

He plausibly regaled me with how Adaeze, Nneka,  auntie Ejituru,  mama and my dad both of blessed memory wronged him. How he was not only taken to the cleaners by them but also dispose of his goods and chattels. How heartbroken and alienated he felt and verged suicide.

The meeting that was supposed to be short-lived and just a homage to an uncle turned out to be long-drawn and one of catharsis.

He asked, his voice saturated with anger and a measured command, " Prince have you  read the letters Nneka  and Adaeze wrote to me?" I retorted yes. He further said, " Such letters, can kill".

I made him understand crystal-clearly   how improper that  would be for me  to adjudicate, or look into the matter with him alone or ex parte. I suggested convening a meeting during which those involved would  have the opportunity to narrate their own account of the incident and thereafter a fair verdict would be reached. He declined my reconcilitory initiatives. In his words, " I am good , everyone should stay in his home".
" I don't want peace, i leave it to time to heal the wound".
De, " for me time may heal the wound, but i can't vouch for others"

De, "I possess the finesse to broker peace, i don't  like the lie of the land, moreover, i don't thrive where there is no peace".

"Uzodimma, i don't doubt your ability to broker peace,  but i say i don't want peace, every body should remain in his house , i am at peace with myself".

" When i tell you i am at peace with myself,  you kept pondering".

De,  " I believe you ,  i am not pondering but it has been the earnest desire of the family to have you in this mood considering what you have been through as regards your previous nuptials.

He said,  " You should visit da Alice".

I replied, "Nobody should remind me when to visit  her".
He further intoned, "Give her a call she is sick".

I replied, " I am not under any mandate to make a phone call to her, i am not at loggerheads with her. I always visit and call her when i am at home".

I petitioned to take my leave but not without huge disappointment and sadness written on my  face.

I took some days to restrategize in order to secure uncle Orisa's acceptance to honor my invitation for a palaver.

I placed a series of calls and sent text messages to arrange a meeting with him, my dad, mama and auntie Ejituru at mama's retreat.  This efforts suffered flurry of setbacks.

After a series of procrastinations, 26th of June, 2024 was fixed for the parley at mama's residence.

He inquired about the composition of the attendees. I obliged him. My dad, mama,  and auntie Eji as i wanted it to be strictly a family gathering.He aquiesced but few minutes later, he called to inform me that he would like de Goddy Ezeocha his cousin to partake in the meeting. I communicated this to other parties and it was acceptable to them. Some hours later, he called again to request da Alice be allowed to be part of the gathering and his plea was once more granted.

Mr. 'B' requested the presence of de Uche and it  was admitted.

Auntie Eji came over from Aba for the peace conference.

I went to town for the hosting of the meeting. Mama's caregiver got all the comestibles and the drinks for the confab ready.

Mama's living room was kept spick and span. The flat screen streamed live,staring us on our faces. The sofas,the tables and side stools took their respective rightful pride of places. The living room was fully ventilated and heavenly aromas from the kitchenette wafted the air and seeped into the parlor. As the attendees slowly assumed their seats, their nostrils were caressed by the tang of freshly fried beef which got their bowels churning in anticipation. Skippy lay at the threshold expectantly growling for a morsel of fallen bone or flesh.

Da Alice was very late and as a result the meeting couldn't commence on schedule. We waited for an interminable time upon her arrival but she was still nowhere to be found. Then a motion was moved for the deliberation to begin in her absence. This was unanimously adopted.

Auntie Eji was asked to pray and commit the gathering into the able hands of God.This she did satisfactorily well. Thereafter the presentation of kolanunts and the like ensued. In the wake of the observation of the necessary preliminaries, was the introduction of the matter of the day.

In my very diction, " I thank everyone  present here who has adjusted his or her busy schedule to honor this meeting,  without much ado i observed that this family has been plunged into a very long running feud, and i convene this gathering  so we can resolve the crisis eroding the fabric of the family,thank you very much".

I was greeted in unison by them. De, Goddy Ezeocha feigned surprise at my comment. In his words,  " l thought this issue has long been resoved".

My reply, "If it has long been settled,  why did uncle Orisa tearfully lament to me about it in the course of my visit to him".

I respectfully requested uncle Orisa to tell the floor exactly what he told me at his residence but he got rather cagey. He further added, " I won't say a word until da Alice is here".

So, mr. 'B'  took  the floor. His speech was greeted with accompaniment of refreshment. As we heartily helped ourselves to the edibles, he regaled us with a detailed account of mama's Odyssee to chief's home. As he rounded off, da  Alice came in and took her seat. 

Chief responded to mr B's narrative ad hominem and the hell broke loose as thunderous and strident voices pierced the air struggling to drown out one another. Eating from his mother's kitchen was an issue for uncle Orisa. His display of dominance became annoyingly unacceptable but 'B'  brooked all these drivels. For him,  his elder brother never worthed a ha'porth. My dad was disdained by his younger brother, so much so that i interrupted them. 

De, ' Don't you take cognizance of my presence?"  " No matter how you appraise and look down on him , so long as i live, he won't feed from the trash bin".  " I will fend for him ".

De Uche was able to restore order. 

Auntie Eji  took the floor and narrated her own version of the incident. She and chief traded jabs at each other. They both were vociferously vituperative.

Chief, " I didn't know you are such a greedy person".

Eji, " You are a crimnal".

Amid the pandemonium, i spurred da  Alice to comment and not remain aloof. She finally spilt the beans.

Da Alice,  "I didn't sanction mama's relocation to Ori's house from the onset, i have always maintained mama's better- off at her own house ".

" The whole rigmarole is not the bone of contention between Orisa and Ejituru,  the actual cause of their misunderstanding is Llyod".

I replied,  " Dada God bless you for telling the truth, this was  exactly what uncle Orisa told me at his residence ".

Then mama was the next to address the gathering, sotto voce but tearfully with a tinge of many years of pent-up bitterness, she cleared her throat and her right hand shakingly grabbed leaves of papers on her laps; " I don't have much  to say, Orisa has really misused my money,  but i have forgiven him".  " Goddy come and take a look at the bank account statement with me".

Her nephew approached her position and got a glimpse of the document. And he replied, mama  i have seen it. He took back his seat.

Measuredly but explicitly she intoned, " He should hands off this house,  i have taken back my house from him". "If  i like, i will it to pussycat or dog".

Her  nephew furiously interjected, "I' m not part of this politics, my father was alive when you said Orisa would inherit this house, call him back from the land of the dead and tell him you have changed your decision ".

This unexpected decision of the matriarch threw chief Orisa into tantrum of emotions and he began to weep. In his state of disbelief, he said, strongly but struggling to dam his tears; " Mama, if that's what you want it's fine. I'm good, God has blessed me with my own house. I'm at peace with myself".

De Goddy took his leave in the company of da Alice and my dad leaving the rest of us behind. In their absence, we still had after meeting discussion during which i had asked chief to apologize to the matriarch in order to get her amend her decision but he proudly disregarded my suggestion.

I disappointedly asked him what we achieved with our meeting and in his very words he replied, " Thank very much for the drinks".

I didn't hesistate to vent my spleen with the  outcome of the meeting. He was still of the opinion that all should go their separate ways.

I even suggested to him that there was a special way he could placate auntie Eji and pacify the matriarch and peace would be restored. He replied that he had apologized to them several times and that he almost prostrated to her in the course of the meeting with his game legs. 

To be poorly fair to him, in the course of the meeting he reluctantly but slightly lowered his frame in apology to her but for me that was a cold comfort. What is needed here is not only free will but also heartfelt apology born out of remorse.

Well,if you drag a horse to a stream,you can't coerce it to have a draft therefrom.

In fact, the indaba ended in fiasco.

Disappointed, heartbroken but not discouraged by this debacle to continue  to enact my forte which is nothing other than waging a "WAR CALLED PEACE".

In this state of mind, i retired to my haven.

In the wake of this ill-fated conflict resolution and management, i had the opportunity to speak with auntie Ebere on the telephone. During our telecommunications, we were able to deliberate on the then and present state of affairs which brooded over the family like sword of damocles.

As usual, she feigned ignorance of my efforts toward restoration of peace in the family.There was no way she could not have been privy to the miscarried peace process so far as chief was involved.

Irrespective of her pretense, i went ahead to inform her about the meeting. She was not interested to learn about its contents, because i surmised it must have been a stale news to her. However, i handed her down the synopsis of what transpired at the gathering.

Her response, " Uzodimma,  you can convene any kind of meeting you like, there won't be peace ". Mama is the culprit here.

 In her words, "O bu mama nyuru ihe n' esi, ma  o bu kwaya ga eweta udo".

She was so critical of mama to my disbelief. So preconceived. Whatever chief Orisa does is acceptable to her. She's so protective and defensive of his excesses and wrongdoings.

In fact, they are birds of a feather which flock together. 

She said she couldn't really comprehend my dad's source of anger with regard to the family's situation. I told her to either approach or engage him in a

conversation. 

It was not only absurd but also despicable for her and mama, Eji, and mr.B to be in enmity.

"Auntie,  why are you so upset with auntie Eji?" She replied, "Uzodimma, because your auntie doesn’t play her role satisfactorily as mama's first daughter".

"Auntie, but how do you mean?" "Prince,  for instance, during the preparation toward Nkechi's burial she was nowhere to be found, she only emerged on her interment's day and thereafter took her leave".

" Auntie,  i wouldn't know how that would be your funeral".

"Moreover, when she comes to visit mama, she comes empty-handed, only to take things from her while leaving".  "Does mama work?"

"Auntie, please, wait, but this not a reason for you to take umbrage at her."

Then i inquired of her,  the reason for her resentment following my dad's inquisition  into the matriarch's life insurance policy in the United States of America.

" Prince,  what does dede know about mama's life insurance policy?"

" Dada, do you know why he asked you about it". " Yes, it was mama who instructed him to".

" Auntie,  if he lacks knowledge of what it's all about, that's the more reason he wants to know about it". " Is he not your elder brother,  has he no filial right to inquire  about his mother's finances?"

No response from her.

"What makes him your elder brother, if you treat him with disdain?"

No reponse from her.

"I learnt he requested your succor to enable him construct "WC" but you didn't obliged him". " Dede m, [chief Orisa], referred him to me". 

Chief Orisa,  "His son Prince is well-off and equal to the task".

"Auntie, my dad was not unaware of my existence,  before he asked for your assistance in this regard ". She replied,

"Uzodimma, a nam aru ulo"

"Auntie, we are family, i abominate this state of affairs in this family".

"Call your elder sister and your elder brother and make up with them".

She answered, " I won't call Ejituru".

"But why?"  "She keeps malice for me".

" I will  then tell her to call you". "Enmity between you and her is not only hideous but also an eyesore".

"Then reach out to your elder brother".

"I have been trying his line, but i have not been able to reach him". " I will convey your  frustration  in this regard to him"

"I will secure him airtime, and arrange a telecommunication between you and him".

Eventually, auntie  Ebere and mr. B had a telephone conversation during which they delved deeper into the burning issues which have been eroding the family's fabric. 

"Ebere,  who am i to you?"

She replied,  "l bu dede m".

"Are you sure?"  

"You and Orisa regard me and Ejituru as rats,which gnaw at fish stowed in the kitchen when they scurry".  

" O bughi okoo dede". 

" Because we are not educated like you, you despise us".

"Whatever you and Orisa are today, i was the originator". " Mama would have remarried, but nna sought my opinion when suitors came asking for her hands in marriage and i declined".

Well, my dad gave her a well deserved history lecture to get her reconsider the course she and chief had taken as regards the matriarch's affairs. 

She was also reinformed about the maltreatment chief Orisa and his spouse meted out to the matriarch in the course of her short-lived and ill-fated residency at their home. 

He went further to paint a harrowing and pathetic portrait of the situation which necessitated him as the first son of the matriarch to midwife her exit from the dungeon after she made up her mind to return to her own home.

She said my dad felt infuriated with the manner his brother-in-law [auntie Eji's hubby] spoke to him concerning this issue. He asked him what sort of first son he was and wouldn't rescue his mom from her misery at Orisa's house.  For her, she believed he got influenced by this diatribe to speed up the matriarch's return to her own abode.

But the axomatic fact and truth here was that, it was the matriarch who took the decision preceeding her return to her own home.

In her words, " I bided my time all the while for more cogent reason to return to my house, and the incident between Orisa and his eldest sister Ejituru was for me crossing the redline".

My indefatigability and dauntlessness to restore and enthrone peaceful coexistence within the family knew no bounds. As a result of this inherent trait within me , my unconditional love for the family and its warring members, i went back to uncle Orisa's residence with the gospel of peace, conciliation, reconciliation and arbitration.

In the course of our tete-a-tete, we re-examined  all the burning issues which besest the family. I sincerely made my position toward sustainable peace restoration within the family known once again to him. He acknowledged my initial overtures and efforts in this regard but  pointedly imputed its derailment and failure to auntie Eji. 

Carefully but arrogantly, he said no one has addressed a fundamental point surrounding the matriarch's stipend from American government. He meant with his allusion that it was to his spade work and ebby's. 

But i pointed out to him that addressing the substantive issue wasn't germane to the possession or ownership of the fund. In my view i continued, the possessor has the full right to put his or her money to whatever use of his or her choice. 

And that nobody has any atom of right to put any of her belongings to either common or personal use without her permission irrespective of the person's ties with her.

I urged him to reconcile with his daughters. Furthermore, i told him he was lax not to have nipped both his issues with them and his eldest sister's in the bud.

I asked him why this bitterness of feelings between him and his eldest sister,  he echoed Ebby. Both of them had smilar view that Eji and mr. B took advantage of the matriarch financially.

In similar token,  they doubled down on their restriction and control regime of mama's finances citing Eji and her eldest brother as the reason for their actions without which the matriarch would have been impoverised by their penniless Dependance on her.

Weaving of this sad story could go on and on until its thread runs out of its spool, but however, let  me continue to weave the story with threads of sadness,  sincerity,  truthfulness, interest, suspense but from anticlimax to climax and finally to denouement.

So much for the brief comic relief.

He rather asked me to tread with caution. And out of frustration i left his home,but still determined not to either give up, give in or back down.

I visited him again during which i told him that i would have loved to hear his spouse's version of what actually transpired had she been around. For him that was acceptable expression of an objective mediator.

Fate had other plans as the peace initiative hopelessly got prolonged. His wife surprisingly visited from the United States of America. Her visit was pat.

So,chief arranged a meeting between me and his partner at their home. I went in the company of Chimara for the meeting with the sole purpose of brokering peace among him, his dad and his stepmother.

As we arrived, chief welcomed us to his ante-room. We traded greetings and pleasantries. After we assumed our seats, i broached the subject which borderd on the issue Chimara had with him and his stepmom.We delved into it extensively during which i cautioned Chimara for his outlandish behaviors and urged him to make amends on the areas his dad was not pleased with. In like manner, i enjoined my uncle to leave up to his obligation as a father to him. 

We were in the middle of this issue when chief's wife emerged from the bowels of the mansion and assumed her seat with proprietorial air. Expectedly, she dabbled into the discussion. We examined some salient points on the matter between him and the lad.

To be very precise, i asked her why she birched Chimara with a rod. And why she branded him a loser.

Her response, " l have kept mum all this while, i decided not to speak because i know people are anxious to hear from me".

" As you are here, i may also decide to maintain my silence but out of respect i will respond to the questions".

My response," Well i don't coerce people to speak if they wish not to, i respect their wishes and that's who i'm".

" I neither flogged Chimara with a rod, nor  branded him a loser". "I urged him to do the right thing, if not he would lose".

My response, " Ok, was  this how the word loser came into being?"

However, as we concluded on the this very issue, i enjoined both of  them to embrace peace. But little did i know that the shocker was yet to come. 

I then asked Chimara to get into the inner room and wait for me so that i could discuss with his dad and his spouse.  No sooner had i said  this than this woman with malice soaked eyes shooed him out of his own father's house like a bird of prey. This happened in the presence of my uncle and he both lacked the balls and the presence of mind to restrain and caution his wife. It was too much for me to brook, but i struggled to retain my composure which was ruffled by her primitive attitude toward her stepson.

For me, what really took the cake was chief's insensitivity to his wife's misdemeanor,  but this has been who he is. He always adopts ostrich approach where he is supposed to confront an issue head on. Just his achilles' heel if i may tot.

Chimara spent more than three uninterrupted hours outside his own father's house exposed to chilling cold of darkness of the night by his shrewed stepmother as we discussed.

What went through his mind that fateful night could be anyone's guess. 

For openers, vicky pointed to the life portrait of lady Eberechukwu Azuaru  leaning against the wall and in her words;  "It's only this woman i have respect for in this family,  she's a very nice person".

I told her i came in peace in order to hear her own version of what transpired,and that way we could get all the quarreling parties to beat their swords into plowshares.

Embrassingly, she said that there was something held against me who came suing for peace.

In her words; " You're soliciting for peace, but there's something held against you".

I was quick to retort, what was it that was held against me? In my words; "What is it that you have against me?" "Please,  ma'am speak out".

Uncle Orisa tried to calm down the  tension,  but i was insistent on her divulging what it was that was held against me. But she got cagey. 

Then i continue, "Was it because auntie Blessing, chief's estranged wife sent him messages through me when she tried to reach him and he was not picking her calls. 

Chief replied,  "lt has not been long i deleted those messages".

I resumed, "l have no relationship with auntie Blessing as i was accused of, i was only surprised she whatsapped me". "I screenshotted  her messages and transmitted them to my uncle for his safety".

Ebby, was also upset with me because Blessing contacted me.  In her words, " Uzodimma,you of all people, but you had no cordial relationship with her".

In fact, i was accused of trying to reinstate her in the family.

Jokingly chief said, "If you have relationship with her,  is no problem  after all she was your uncle's former wife".

But little did i know that this wasn't  what was held against me. In hindsight, it was revealed that Bose said why would my granny stay with them while she was the same person who discouraged me from accommodating my own mom at my home. 

Let me set the record straight here, my mom stayed at her matrimonial home even before my house was built.  Moreso, my house was  not meant to be a extended family house. There was no arrangement for my mom to move in with me.

It was chief's decision to move in to his home with the matriarch even against her will. The two situations had no place for comparison because they were pretty unparallel.

When my brother became violently  intransigent with regard to our mom's accommodation's issue, i did the needful to the shame and chagrin of the family members who continued to fan the embers of discord and animus. 

 

People need to conduct thorough investigation before expression of their opinion on hearsay.

So much for the digression.

I asked her what was the bone of contention among her, my auntie, Adaeze, Nneka, chinyere and the matriarch. 

She began her narrative by dragging the family over the coals before my uncle to my exasperation. My uncle enjoyed the family being lampooned without reining in his wife. For him, her tirade toward the family was entertaining. 

In her words; " Your family is cheap, poor and ungrateful". "Ihe Oma biara dede unu, unu achoghi ka o rute ya aka". "A patch gi dele ulo ya n'ehi miri, unu  achoghi kann ihe oma rute aka".

"Achoro m i hapu ya, mana achoghi m ka ndi madu chia ya ochi".

She continued and i leaned in.

" Di da Ejituru encouraged me to stay, he said among all the women your uncle had so far married that  he had softspot for me". 

I didn't conceal my displeasure as regards her diatribe toward the family. In my words; "You are insulting my family".

She replied,  "Sorry".

She continued to yarn how auntie Ejituru's husband disdained the family members.

In her words; "He said your father didn't have a wife, your grandmother didn't stay in her matrimonial home,  Ebere's marriage struck the rock and your uncle's previous marriages had been unsuccessful".

"He even said his wife had planned to abandon him and come to stay two weeks in Umuahia, so what happened in our home was their orchestration"

I interjected, "How would he say such a thing about his spouse?" "This is a betrayal or sell out".

Uncle Orisa replied, "Every man knows how he lives with his wife".

In fact, this was to me like a mole in the house. I kept this to myself uptill now, but i have to lay it bare in this narrative. If not, it will definitely negate the very foundation of the truth which i preach and embody. I can't confirm it's veracity, but i spin the yarn unredacted.

I learnt Chinyere had requested from you, prior to her visit to Umuahia, if she could be accommodated by you. And you were in the affirmative.

She replied,  " That  was correct".

But she felt embrassingly disappointed in your cold attitude toward her and her broods. In fact, there was a needless uproar as a result of drinking water and restriction of her kiddies access to your kitchenette to get potable water.

Her attempt to get herself chilled bottled water as a result of the sweltering weather to cool off was misconstrued by you and your words to her was; " What are you feeling like, what do you what to Show me".

Her mom's intervention to diffuse  the tension was met with stiff resistance from you. In your words; " I'm not talking to you". But this was an affront to your sister-in-law. In similar token, the matriarch's attempts to get you pacify her granddaughter was disregarded. In your words; " How can i apologize to a girl i'm far older than?"

Furthermore,  your lackadaisical posture toward the situation between your hubby and her eldest sister was not befitting for  someone who presented herself as peace- loving. You should have mediated between them, but in your words;

"It's a matter between a sister and a brother, but i tried to wade in at the initial stage and thereafter i left for the room".

She attempted to prove her innocence with regard to the foregoing allegations. But i picked holes in her defence's linchpins.

"I have a message for you from the matriarch. She said i should tell you that her family was united before you wriggled yourself into it and fractured it apart "

" She abominated your audacity to chase her eldest son out of her own home, when she instructed him to clean it in preparation to her onward relocation. Both for her and our kinsmen this was an abomination".

Her flimsy reason to butteress her action was that her commercial goods were stored in there. But this eventually wasn't the case. She was so obsessed with inheriting a house whose owner was still alive,  in order to actualize her economic dream. Even before she got fully inducted into the family, she indicated to her friends, well-wishers and family members her husband's asssets.

She was part of the reasons the matriarch made a drastic decision with regard to her abode.

She received it with disdain and said mama had no problem with her. She alluded her caregiver as her witness if only she would be truthful. But i interpolated that the matriarch had intentionally suppressed her anger against her because she wouldn't want to be imputed to scuttling her union. 

She replied; "But if i give her money she takes". 

She continued, " I gave your dad money, i gave your auntie and her husband money. Your mom was administered with expired drugs, i discarded them and administered her with better ones. I don't know if they informed you?" 

"Well, all the beneficiaries of my largesse who speak ill of me, shall come to grief".

I slapped my spread palm on the floor because she disrespectfully attributed the matriarch's decision to dementia.     

I categorically but unequivocably told her that the matriarch was lucid. That there was no trace of senility or dotage in her.

"I'm the only person in this family who can face my uncle and tell  him the truth without pussy footing". "My granny is a woman of substance, and i can't behold her being disparaged by anyone". " Even if she defecates here, i will launder her  excreta with my bare hands". This is a woman who has made tremendous and positive impact on all of us".

"She amassed assets and made money when it had value. Her home was not built with hard currency exchanged for local currency. It was built with raw naira".

Her reply, "I have respect for her".

In the case among chief, Adaeze and Nneka, didn't  you suggest to Adaeze to allow FBI to handle it?

She and chief chuckled as they exchanged glances at each other in disbelief. 

Finally,  she vouchsafed a malicious statement, " If i forgive everyone,  i'll never forgive Adaeze. "But why?" 

" She wrote me a very demeaning message".

Uncle Orisa went to bat for her spouse irrespective of her outlandish behaviors. In his words, "One has to be his wife's first line of defence".

"De, but not when she is wrong"

No response from him.

Bose said she had already apologized to my auntie. She said it wasn't in her DNA to be insulting.

I pointedly asked them, who among the family members before my peace mission made efforts to resolve the crisis which engulfed the family. There was no response from them. They however acknowledged my sincere efforts toward peaceful resolution of this conundrum which had bedeviled the fragile peace of the family.

"She and her auntie moved my belongings from my room in their desperate bid to provide a space for Chinyere and her children without my consent. According to Igbo tradition, this is an abomination".

"But Adaeze's account is at variance with yours. According to her, you lack the finesse to handle stress and there was a consensus between you and her to assist you keep the room in order". "This was exactly what she did and you were initially glad she did".

"You accused my dad of invading your home, i guess you understand the import of your statement.  There was a discussion between my dad and his younger brother. Without my dad you wouldn't be accepted into this family ".

Her reply,  " I'm an American".

My retort, " I'm a German. As a European, we created America,  if you lack the historical knowledge,  i will offer you a well deserved history lecture gratis".

"My family may be poor, but we have honor". "Before your emergence on the family, we didn't go without food".

"Your accusation of us denying my uncle access to reaping the fortune and the benefits of your marriage to him is a superior fallacy".

In fact, i made her understand that my relationship with him was very cordial. And that the family had been supportive of him as he navigated the ebbs and flows of his life. In my words; "l laid down my life for him".

In their utter preference, peace was flung on the backburner. In their phrases, " We prefer everyone stay in his or her house, we are happy with ourselves. We leave it to time to heal the wound ".

In fact, i was struck speechless with the malicious impact of those words so much so that my seat stuck to the sofa.

At this juncture,  my phone rang and it was the matriarch. She got worried that the meeting had taken a long while. Chief interjected that she called in to ascertain what i was being told. Thereafter, chief asked us to leave as it was so late, and moreover that Chimara would be at school the next morning. But the effect of the paralysis which struck me was still strong.  However, i managed to heave my liveless frame from the sofa, and we were led into the blanket of the darkness and the light went out. 

Heartbroken but not discouraged and intimidated.

Auntie Ebby had called in during which she had inquired of my knowledge about the matriarch's decision regarding her home, and i replied in the affirmative. She instructed me to influence her to change her decision and give her home back to uncle Orisa, but not without a stern warning that if she wouldn't oblige her that she would be in the same camp with him. 

But the matriarch wouldn't be intimidated by her threats. She remained focused, resolute, resilient and determined and stuck to her guns till the end.

She instructed chief to transfer the rest of the matriarch's money in their joint bank  account to her own bank account. She claimed to have secured it for her,  while she kept being importunate in her demand to be allowed unfettered access to her money while she still lived. "What an irony?"

There was even a mocking and mirthful expression from one of her children that they have blocked the matriarch's source of fund or lifeline because some people took advantage of her. People like? Well, uncle  "B". "What an insult!"

It was an orchestration of chief and auntie Ebby to continue to exert restriction and control over the matriarch's lifeline with a bid to edging out their siblings. Both of them made the confessions to me when i had the opportunity to exchange words with them.

My last ditch effort toward peace was very unfruitful. In the course of my last session with my uncle at my residence,  i made frantic efforts to get him reason out of the box and calm frayed nerves so that peace would be restored, but he remained stubborn with his original views.

He rather expressed his disappointment in me for not doing enough in defence of his interest with reference to how his cousin and the matriarch's nephew reacted to her decision regarding her home.

I told him i was for the truth, and would remain so till the end.

I will end this story here, because if i were to continue, it will never come to an end. 

The above represent the summary of the peace efforts which ended in complete failure.

At least, among all the family  members, i did make efforts toward peaceful resolution of this problem but the failure should be well directed where it belongs.

"If you are hated, there is nothing you will offer to your haters to appease them to like you."

"At the end of the day, we are all dust, ashes and earth".

GLOSSARY

1. De- elder brother.
2. Dada- Auntie/ Elder sister
3. Da- Auntie/Elder sister

4. "O bu mama nyuru ihe n'esi, ma o bu kwaya ga eweta  udo"- It is mama who is responsible for the trouble in the family and therefore she's also the one to restore peace.

5. Dede- Elder brother.

6. "A nam aru ulo"- "I embark on building project"./ " I'm
building house ".

7. " I bu dede m"- "You're my elder brother".

8. " O bughi okoo dede" - "It's not like that  elder brother"

9. "Achoro m i hapu ya,mana achoghi m ka ndi madu chia ya ochi" " l wanted to abandon him, but i didn't want to make him a laughing stock before the public or ridicule him".

10. Di da - Husband of auntie

11. "Ihe Oma biara dede unu, unu achoghi ka o rute ya aka". "A patch gi dele ulo ya n'ehi miri, unu achoghi ka ihe oma rute ya aka".- "You people wouldn't permit your elder brother to reap the fruits of his fortune". " The roof has been darned several times and it's still prone to leakage, you wouldn't allow him enjoy his windfall".

12. Dede m- My elder brother.