Hassan, Bala, and Abubakar grew up with their grandmother (Kaka). They started living with her after their parents got divorced. It was not an easy task for her, because she was already old and weak, And the three children were very young.
Staying with kaka means you already have some unwritten constitution you must abide by. Kaka always insists they eat together on one plate, and they must eat together at all times. This was a habit that was implanted in the three children right from infancy to adulthood.
The children while growing up tried to break that habit, as they saw it as unreasonable to keep waiting for one another to eat. But with kaka's insistence on eating together, they gave up on their plan to break that habit. And there was another unwritten practice in their heart, that the senior should be the one to share the meat in the food, but the youngest should be the first to choose the meat, while the senior will choose last.
What they never knew at that time was that their grandma was teaching them a family tie, responsibility, and fairness. They became adults with this habit and it became an inbuilt character that none of them enjoy any meal without eating together. On one occasion Hassan once said. "The food often loses taste when I eat alone." That was how they were trained.
They grew up into adults. Kaka and their father were dead, leaving them with the property as an inheritance. Their unity was threatened by the advice they harbored from outsiders. " You are the eldest son, you should be the one to inherit that largest farmland beside the river " one person advised. " You are the youngest son and still have much to pursue in life, the house in the city should be yours" another person advised. The tussle for inheritance caused discord among them, that they stopped greeting or eating together.
They were suffering silently. They lost appetite, as eating apart was not part of their training. They were all losing weight and missed eating together. But pride couldn't allow any of them to admit their suffering.
One evening, Hassan prepared pounded yam and melon soup, with enough goat meat in it, and invited them to come to join him. That was one food they all like so much. They could not resist the temptation as they missed the family ties they shared while eating. As they sat eating together, they felt relieved and enjoyed the food. When it came to sharing of the meat, Hassan did the sharing as he was the eldest among them, and Abubakar chose first as the youngest. " Brothers, we have allowed the devil sows the seed of hatred and discord among us. This inheritance was supposed to be something that will bring progress and unity among us, but the reverse is the case. I plead that the principle of our meal should be applied in sharing this inheritance." Hassan said. They were humbled by his humility and the love they feel from his tone. " No brother, I suggest the properties should not be shared but kept for the collective use of all" Bala advised. They both unanimously agreed on not sharing the properties. And became United again.