Mother-in-Law Palava
Chapter 7 – The Family Meeting That Went Left
You see this life? Just when you think the drama is cooling down, someone throws petrol on the fire and shouts "Holy Ghost fire!"
That was exactly how I felt the next morning when Femi, in his full husband-of-peace mode, declared:
"We're having a family meeting. Everyone. Today."
I blinked twice. "Family what?"
"Meeting. We need to settle all this once and for all."
© 2025 TenWrites
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By 5pm sharp, everyone was seated in the living room like it was a village council. Me, Femi, Lady Dorcas, Aunty Sade, and—surprise surprise—Pastor Emmanuel again, with his Bible, two bottles of anointing oil, and a face like someone who hadn't laughed since 1998.
"Let us pray," he said, clapping twice.
I muttered under my breath, "Hope this prayer won't end with somebody confessing to kidnapping their own shadow again."
After the prayer, Femi cleared his throat. "Okay. I called this meeting because this house is not peaceful. Too much tension, too many accusations."
Lady Dorcas adjusted her wrapper like she was about to deliver testimony on live TV.
Aunty Sade sniffed. "All I know is that I've never been comfortable in this house. Spirits are moving at night."
I turned to her. "Maybe it's indigestion."
© 2025 TenWrites
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Then came the main drama.
Femi looked serious. "Mama. Aunty. You accused my wife of cheating. You planted evidence. And thanks to the recorder Temi planted—"
"Recorder?!" Pastor Emmanuel gasped, clutching his chest like I had just slapped his anointing.
"Yes, Pastor," I smiled sweetly. "Recorder. Because surveillance is sometimes more powerful than holy water."
Lady Dorcas hissed. "You see? She's using gadgets! Spirits of the air!"
I ignored her.
Femi continued. "So now, we all need to be honest. No more lies. Who really brought that necklace into this house?"
Everyone looked at each other.
Silence.
Then Aunty Sade suddenly stood up and pointed at Pastor Emmanuel. "It was HIM!"
We all froze.
"Wait, WHAT?!" the Pastor shouted.
"Yes!" she said, eyes wild. "I saw him drop something near the sofa when he came to pray the first time!"
I choked on my Maltina.
Pastor Emmanuel was shaking. "Sister Sade! Fear God! I didn't drop anything oh! I came here to cast demons, not to plant jewellery!"
I turned to Femi. "Babe, your family just made a plot twist so wild, Nollywood would need ten parts to unpack it."
© 2025 TenWrites
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That was when another voice spoke from the corner.
"Can I say something?"
We all turned.
It was Femi's cousin, Tope—who had somehow entered the house unnoticed like one of those background characters who suddenly becomes relevant.
He stood up slowly. "I was the one who dropped the necklace."
Silence.
Femi stood. "What?? You?"
"Yes. I was dating this girl, and I didn't want her to find out I had another girl in Surulere. I hid the necklace under the bed one day when I crashed here for the night."
I dropped my head in my hands.
"Wait…" I said slowly. "So the entire war… was over your side chick's necklace?"
He nodded sheepishly.
Lady Dorcas gasped. "Ah! And I thought it was marine spirit!"
Pastor Emmanuel looked dizzy. "So nobody here is possessed?"
"Not unless side chicks count," I muttered.
© 2025 TenWrites
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We all sat in silence.
Femi exhaled deeply. "So let me get this straight. We've been fighting, recording, praying, and nearly getting arrested… over Tope's side hustle?"
Aunty Sade stood up. "I need fresh air. This house is carrying emotional heat."
Lady Dorcas picked up her Bible. "I'm going on a retreat. I need to reflect."
Pastor Emmanuel muttered something about going to the mountain to "reset his spirit".
And just like that, the meeting ended.
No one apologized.
No one admitted fault.
But somehow… peace returned.
Kind of.
© 2025 TenWrites
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That night, as I lay next to Femi, I whispered, "Your family is one episode away from needing therapy."
He chuckled. "But you still love me, right?"
I rolled my eyes. "Unfortunately… yes."
He pulled me closer. "Thanks for not running away."
I smiled. "Who said I'm not still considering it?"
But in that moment, I realized—maybe I wasn't just fighting for survival in this house.
Maybe… I was actually winning.
To be continued…
© 2025 TenWrites
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