There are times in life when we badly want certain things to fulfill our desires, but we may not always succeed even when we justifiably deserve those things. CLARA MUNSHYA recounts a sad tale of how her relatives refused to compensate her for a house she’d built for her late parents which the relations grabbed from her.
IT all started when I decided to build a two-bedroomed house for my parents. They used to stay in a mud-thatched house, built when I was young. The house was an eye-sore and its condition deteriorated with rains and time.
I decided to build my parents the house on a family plot bought 40 or so years ago, but due to varied reasons, remained underdeveloped for such a long time.
I used to commute to Kitwe from Ndola to carry out this important project.
Though I lived in Ndola, I managed to complete the house and had it roofed.
It’s not exactly easy to build a house from afar by remote control. The owner’s presence often averts bricklayers’ and carpenters’ penchant for pilfering building materials like cement, tiles and roofing timber.
Unfortunately, after completion of the house, both my parents died due to illness. After their burial, the issue of ownership of the house cropped up.
I realised that my auntie, my mother’s sister, was not too happy that had built the house. In fact, she demanded that I stop any further developments on the house because she wanted to take over any and all outstanding works.
I explained to my auntie and other relatives that, in my view, the house was not for my personal gain, but for the benefit of all family members in need and especially the vulnerable who did not have a place to stay and, thereby, promote family unity.
Surprisingly, this was all hogwash to them. I was fighting a lonely battle; the older family members were all against me and they sided with my auntie. Although my cousin was the only person on my side, this was truly a futile battle. No amount of persuasion could convince the other camp to see things from our, my cousin’s and my, perspective.
During the building of the house, my auntie had actually instructed her children to monitor and report progress on the pretext of visiting my parents.
My cousin told them that the move was retrogressive, but to no avail. As you can imagine, I really felt frustrated and disappointed. I was so angry and bitter that I demanded to be refunded, as a way of resolving the impasse, but my auntie refused, saying the amount I had put in was too much for her to afford.
I was paralysed with shock and badly hurt. Fear and anxiety gripped me, causing me to lose concentration. My bitterness was so much that I even developed insomnia. Life had become unbelievably unbearable, traumatic and hell on earth for me.
Despite this ordeal, however, I found it in my heart, miraculously, and decided to let go and forfeit the refund I was demanding to be paid, let alone the house itself. I later prayed to God about the situation and received peace and relief.
All the anger and hurt I was feeling left me. Shortly after these events, God blessed me with a residential plot and I am building a family dream house. When people say God works in mysterious ways, I now fully understand the meaning of the phrase.
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