The landlord in this house opposite ours is an old man, around 80ish, and is partially blind. He often has to walk around with someone holding him. He has six children, 4 boys and 2 girls.
Ever since the man turned blind, his sons, especially the first one, have been clamouring him to sell their house so they’ll share the money. They needed it for this and that business.
But you can tell that the man doesn’t want to sell his house. I mean, it’s his sweat and legacy, but what can the man do? He’s old and mostly blind, so it’s hard for him to suppress his sons.
Enter his last child, a girl. She’s 24–26, I think. She advised her brothers that it will be unwise to sell their house, especially when their father is alive. She raised questions like where will Daddy and Mummy live? Why do we have to sell a place where we can all stay when things get hard? How will Daddy afford rent elsewhere, since he’s blind, old, and can no longer work?
The eldest son told her sharrap, and threatened to slap her during their family meeting. He asked her to keep quiet because, in his word, she’s a woman. After much persuasion and shouting and fighting, the old man agreed to sell the house. It was put up for 34 million naira. A month later, they got a buyer from an agent. The house was sold.
The money was shared between them. The first son got 9 million, the three other sons got around 6 million each, the old man got 3 million, his wife 1 million, and the two daughters 2 million naira.
A week later, they discovered that the buyer was in fact their last born, the last girl. She went behind them and fronted someone to buy the house on behalf of her.
Now, the four sons are angry. They feel cheated. They said if they knew that the girl was the one buying the house, they wouldn’t have given her a share of 2 million. They said they’re not leaving the house until she returns the 2 million, and that the house is still theirs come today, come tomorrow.
The girl said the only person she wants to see in that house are her parents (the old man and their mother), and that her brothers should leave. They refused. Like play like play, this became the new issue.
This morning, the girl brought Hilux of army men to the house and packed her brothers and their belongings. She gave their wives (some of her brothers are married with kids) until next week to leave.
As the army men were loading her brothers into their pick-up, I was hailing the girl from our balcony: Woman of agility. Sauce and suspense. Nwanyi Akajiaku. Stainless lady. Iron lady. The unbottled tigress.
I don’t know for you guys, but if na me, I’ll not give back that money and I will not allow them to live in that house.
Peoplesmind
— Desmond Ben
