" PAINFUL & TEARFUL REMINISCENCE"
FRACTURED FAMILY
Irrespective of her indefatigability and dauntlessness in the sphere of commerce, her quest for greener pasture knew no bounds. She went for a training and a course in Aba, on how to manufacture household detergents. As a result, she set up a cottage soap manufacturing factory with its headquarters at her residential premises Umudoma Off-Factory Road, adjacent to powerhouse Umuahia. The main production area was green key soap. The industry flourished, but eventually folded naturally. There was no explicit or explicable reason for its death.
Nonetheless, she seamlessly ventured into fish business. At this point, Ekwutos, Da Agodirichi's daughter was living with us. She would fry mackerel fish and stacked them in show cases and after school, we hawked them to raise money to augment her budget for the upkeep of the family. Similarly, I hawked chilled Coca-Cola products at the Umuahia Main market, OGWUMABIRI, for the same purpose. She also tangoed into OMO business, powdery blue detergent.She would tie them in small balls in transparent cellophane, and displayed them on a tray which I carrried on my head and hawked at the car wash opposite Golden Guinea Breweries LTD Aba Road Afara-Ukwu Umuahia just to make ends meet. All the curtains for the Golden Guinea Breweries LTD Umuahia guests' houses were sewed and hung by her.
What was more, after my graduation from secondary school, she launched a restaurant business for me. This was helpful to me financially before I proceeded to tertiary institution. In 1982, when the government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari launched austerity measure to revamp Nigera's economy, it was difficult for the citizenry to feed .The matriarch fed me and my siblings with cornmeal porridge sometimes mixed with beans or fluted-pumpkin leaves.This sweet mother would cozily tuck me in with her new unused wrap, kept watch over me after administering drugs to me, and said a litany for my rapid recuperation.
In conclusion, these acts of kindness, once more demonstrated her care, love, bonds and intimacy with her grandchildren. What could we have done without the matriarch? She was always there for us. She had always had our back. She would always be remembered for shared tears, laughter, warmth,sorrows, joy and pains, but most importantly love, wisdom, resilience and determination she taught. She bequeathed us with indelible memories and legacies of hope and defiance. "There was none like her, and there will be none like her. She left her footprints on the sand of time."
" PAINFUL & TEARFUL REMINISCENCE"
Memories sometimes evoke mixture of emotions; some are pleasant, and some painful, sad and tearful.The matriarch was not only a biological mother but also a sociological mother.
As a biological mother, she mothered and suckled her own children. Sociologically she supported and nurtured her own children toward the realization of their full stature. She extended her kindness to her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Furthermore, she was also involved in real estate management. She acquired her first tract of land at Umuafia Ndume Ibeku as she was trying hard to come to terms with the aftermath of her ill-fated marital life. She also engaged into different kinds of economic ventures to raise fund for the training of her children. Her entrepreneurial spirit and industry was very exceptional. For instance, she launched peripatetic restaurant to meet the nutritional needs of people in her society.
In the dead of the night, when witches and wizards had their conclave for their diabolical and malicious deeds, the matriarch kept wake over her pots of rice, beans and stew for the next market day. She hazarded the risk of being harmed by these unearthly beings in their coven for the love and care of her family. At crack of dawn, she got her wares ready for her itinerant restaurant. She heaved and placed on her head the large basin containing the rice, beans ,stew, utensils and cutlery with a jerry can of water held with one hand. In fact, she was a symbol of suffering, poverty, resilience, determination and resourcefulness.
In fact, she did stoop to conquer. She trudged the entire neighborhood selling her wares. The element dealt her more than her own share of its harshness. She never gave in, backed down or gave up. But stoically she got focused on her goal which is to carve a better life for herself and her family. She ran her business on credit, and settled her creditors after sale. She would gather the foodstuffs for the next market day on the eve of the next market day.
She was not fashion conscious, divorced and sent away with only one piece of wrap, she still had her eye on the ball. At the end of every market day, she would wash that single piece of wrap for reuse for the next market day. That wrap became her identity, but she was not perturbed because she had a goal to accomplish.
Moreover, fate had a better plan in store for her. As time passed by, she secured a job at the Queen Elisabeth Nursing hospital Umuahia, now Federal Medical Center Umuahia as an orderly. Her exceptional diligence earned her elevation to the matron's office where she worked as a seamstress. She deftly sewed the uniforms for the numerous nurses and doctors and other plethora of hospital materials like bed sheets, pillowcases etc. She also had the opportunity to work at the hospital's kitchen due to her sui generis culinary skills. While at the hospital service, she moonlighted as a provision store keeper. Her first provision store was located at our ancestral home,where she rented a room from Ejikeme Nwosu of blessed memory. She named the store after my immediate younger sister, Joy of blessed memory. "JOY'S PROVISION STORE UMUOBASI ". This act of hers,once again re-emphasized her initimate bonds and love for her grandchildren.
Memories sometimes evoke mixture of emotions; some are pleasant, and some painful, sad and tearful.The matriarch was not only a biological mother but also a sociological mother.
As a biological mother, she mothered and suckled her own children. Sociologically she supported and nurtured her own children toward the realization of their full stature. She extended her kindness to her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Furthermore, she was also involved in real estate management. She acquired her first tract of land at Umuafia Ndume Ibeku as she was trying hard to come to terms with the aftermath of her ill-fated marital life. She also engaged into different kinds of economic ventures to raise fund for the training of her children. Her entrepreneurial spirit and industry was very exceptional. For instance, she launched peripatetic restaurant to meet the nutritional needs of people in her society.
In the dead of the night, when witches and wizards had their conclave for their diabolical and malicious deeds, the matriarch kept wake over her pots of rice, beans and stew for the next market day. She hazarded the risk of being harmed by these unearthly beings in their coven for the love and care of her family. At crack of dawn, she got her wares ready for her itinerant restaurant. She heaved and placed on her head the large basin containing the rice, beans ,stew, utensils and cutlery with a jerry can of water held with one hand. In fact, she was a symbol of suffering, poverty, resilience, determination and resourcefulness.
In fact, she did stoop to conquer. She trudged the entire neighborhood selling her wares. The element dealt her more than her own share of its harshness. She never gave in, backed down or gave up. But stoically she got focused on her goal which is to carve a better life for herself and her family. She ran her business on credit, and settled her creditors after sale. She would gather the foodstuffs for the next market day on the eve of the next market day.
She was not fashion conscious, divorced and sent away with only one piece of wrap, she still had her eye on the ball. At the end of every market day, she would wash that single piece of wrap for reuse for the next market day. That wrap became her identity, but she was not perturbed because she had a goal to accomplish.
Moreover, fate had a better plan in store for her. As time passed by, she secured a job at the Queen Elisabeth Nursing hospital Umuahia, now Federal Medical Center Umuahia as an orderly. Her exceptional diligence earned her elevation to the matron's office where she worked as a seamstress. She deftly sewed the uniforms for the numerous nurses and doctors and other plethora of hospital materials like bed sheets, pillowcases etc. She also had the opportunity to work at the hospital's kitchen due to her sui generis culinary skills. While at the hospital service, she moonlighted as a provision store keeper. Her first provision store was located at our ancestral home,where she rented a room from Ejikeme Nwosu of blessed memory. She named the store after my immediate younger sister, Joy of blessed memory. "JOY'S PROVISION STORE UMUOBASI ". This act of hers,once again re-emphasized her initimate bonds and love for her grandchildren.
Irrespective of her indefatigability and dauntlessness in the sphere of commerce, her quest for greener pasture knew no bounds. She went for a training and a course in Aba, on how to manufacture household detergents. As a result, she set up a cottage soap manufacturing factory with its headquarters at her residential premises Umudoma Off-Factory Road, adjacent to powerhouse Umuahia. The main production area was green key soap. The industry flourished, but eventually folded naturally. There was no explicit or explicable reason for its death.
Nonetheless, she seamlessly ventured into fish business. At this point, Ekwutos, Da Agodirichi's daughter was living with us. She would fry mackerel fish and stacked them in show cases and after school, we hawked them to raise money to augment her budget for the upkeep of the family. Similarly, I hawked chilled Coca-Cola products at the Umuahia Main market, OGWUMABIRI, for the same purpose. She also tangoed into OMO business, powdery blue detergent.She would tie them in small balls in transparent cellophane, and displayed them on a tray which I carrried on my head and hawked at the car wash opposite Golden Guinea Breweries LTD Aba Road Afara-Ukwu Umuahia just to make ends meet. All the curtains for the Golden Guinea Breweries LTD Umuahia guests' houses were sewed and hung by her.
What was more, after my graduation from secondary school, she launched a restaurant business for me. This was helpful to me financially before I proceeded to tertiary institution. In 1982, when the government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari launched austerity measure to revamp Nigera's economy, it was difficult for the citizenry to feed .The matriarch fed me and my siblings with cornmeal porridge sometimes mixed with beans or fluted-pumpkin leaves.This sweet mother would cozily tuck me in with her new unused wrap, kept watch over me after administering drugs to me, and said a litany for my rapid recuperation.
In conclusion, these acts of kindness, once more demonstrated her care, love, bonds and intimacy with her grandchildren. What could we have done without the matriarch? She was always there for us. She had always had our back. She would always be remembered for shared tears, laughter, warmth,sorrows, joy and pains, but most importantly love, wisdom, resilience and determination she taught. She bequeathed us with indelible memories and legacies of hope and defiance. "There was none like her, and there will be none like her. She left her footprints on the sand of time."
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