Bits of life

F-7 Words-250

hearted person. My mother often said appreciatively that he took storm and calm with equanimity.

His two brothers were lawyers by profession; their wives had jobs too. In view of their practice and career, they stayed in the city. They visited their father as a matter of formality and nothing beyond. As far as their elder brother John was concerned they knew their property was being looked after and developed by him. He was like a keeper of their share of wealth. Uncle John, however never thought of their land and other assets as shared legacy. It was all the same. Well, not everyone has the same view. His own brothers, for example. With the demise of their father, Rod and Jeremiah started casting a greedy eye on the father’s property. Rod thought he could build some resorts on his part of the land and make millions in a short period of time. This business might be a major breakthrough for his son Oliver, for paving way to a comfortable career. Jeremiah, on the other hand, planned to start cultivating fresh prawn and fish in artificially made ponds. Exporting fisheries was a major business during that time. This venture, he thought might help Tim, his only daughter Salina’s husband, who was just laid off from his job. Egged on by their ambitious wives, they started pestering John to divide the property equally among themselves.John had no problem in agreeing to this proposal. But the bone of contention cropped up, regarding giving a share each to their two sisters. John felt it was in the order of things, that all the children should get a share of their father’s land. The brothers did not see eye to eye in this matter. There was argument among the family members, so much so Rod and Jeremiah stopped talking to the sisters, and us nephews and nieces. They said they belonged to the old school of thought, which did not allow a single acre of father’s landed property to the female members. Whatever share they got, they got it only during their marriage.