The Separation

I once overheard the parents talking about finding a lasting solution to the rivalry. They talked about families with more children than theirs living In peace and wondered what to do...

It was that bad.

So they concluded, they will separate us. 

Huh! 

For the first time, I was scared of not seeing any of my siblings. 

Separate us ke? I hoped they didn't intend giving us out or something like that. I was afraid but couldn't tell my siblings.

Growing up, we fought a lot, my siblings and I. From the oldest to the youngest, none was exempted. Those that couldn't face the bigger ones would report to daddy or mummy as the case may be.

We fought about everything and anything. Who gets to sit where. who gets what first, who sits in the front seat. Who. Who. Who. Sometimes the parents will start from the oldest, sometimes the youngest, just for peace to reign but we were never satisfied. 

The boys could be against the girls or we'll have a mixture of both. Two boys and a girl against a boy and a girl. See, we were five, the team was never balanced. In fact,  it could be four against one sometimes.. Jeeez. They must have been miserable...

So I watched them with 2D. Okay now.

That's how a few weeks later daddy announced he was travelling and he was going with the boys. They were so excited. It was a boys trip he declared so we were going to be home with mum. He promised to take the girls on another trip when they get back. We looked forward to it and bade them farewell a few days later.

They were gone for about four or five days, but that was the most miserable four or five days ever. We were miserable. We missed them. No one to fight. My sister and I couldn't fight each other. The chief mischief-maker, my brother, Victor, was gone with them so there was no reason to fight.

Any time mum came back from work she would ask us, "how are you, girls? Enjoying your break from your brothers "?

We'd chorus "Noooo! We miss them."

"Are you sure? Hope when they come back you will stop fighting"? And we gladly answered "Yes"

When they got back, we were so glad to see them.

They'd hardly settled when he declared Joy and I was following him to Kagoma, the very next day, then Jos. 

Mogbe! (an exclamation in the Yoruba language)

He didn't even allow us to catch up on there trip...

That's how he bundled Joy and me to the villa, then to Jos. We spent two or three days all in all and headed back to Zaria. 

That separation changed us forever.

Did we stop fighting?  Not really. The unnecessary fights reduced. A bond was formed. We suddenly realised we had to look out for one another, be there for one another and support one another. Siblings need to be close. Resolve every rift. Do not bear grudges against one another. Don't let anybody come between you.

Even my parents could not come between us. We learnt to have each other's back. There are things we never bothered my parents with, some other things they heard years later and wondered... 

Their new complaint became, "you never tell us anything. You keep things to yourselves, how can we help you if you do not share with us". Hehe hehe 

Funny how we never sat down to discuss the sibling code of conduct but...

We just knew what to share and what to keep within ourselves. We knew when to talk and when to keep quiet. 

One time daddy felt we were too close and began to plot on how to break the bond between us, AGAIN!!!😁😂😃 Can you beat that?

His wife had to remind him of the time we were always at each others throat and what they had to do. He jejely (just) let us be. 

Thank God they did what they did then to stop the constant fights, I sometimes wonder what would have become of us now that they are no longer here.

We still argue. We sometimes have misunderstandings. We even fight but, come what may, we know we are bound together.

We have to be united! 

We have to be there for one another!

My heart breaks when I see siblings turn against each other. I always wonder;

What happened?

What went wrong?

What did the parents do or didn't do?

Dear Parents, when you observe that your children are not getting along, don't ignore the signs, especially when it becomes an unhealthy rivalry. 

Do something!!!

Let us avoid "stories that touch the heart" in the future!

How can one ever understand siblings turning against each other to the extent of killing one another?

How!!