But after the shiva period the tension became increasingly real. I asked my mom and dad about it but did not get a clear answer. My parents put it down to some unspoken business problems.
We gathered again as a family for the Shloshim and this time there was no mistaking the acrimonious atmosphere. The love, kindness, and generosity our zaidie had always taught us were nowhere to be found.
Zaidie had died a wealthy man. As I mentioned, all my aunts and uncles had positions in his business and now they were jockeying for a greater share of power and money.
My uncle by marriage – my zaidie’s son-in-law – was the first to instigate problems and suddenly it was like a fire out of control, threatening the life of the entire family.
Some of my aunts and uncles stopped talking to each other. We cousins were caught up in it. We no longer visited one another. The business suffered. The family suffered. Attorneys were engaged. My aunts and uncles sued one another. Some of the attorneys were real sharks and they took advantage of the situation and charged exorbitant fees.
My zaidie’s legacy of smiles and loving words was all but buried.
How I miss my zaidie. He was the cement that kept us all together and once he was gone the cement fell apart and no one could rebuild it.
I’m writing to you for advice. I’m 22 years old. Usually someone my age would be writing to you about finding a good marriage partner but I want help finding a family that fell apart. What do I do? To whom should I speak?
I thank you in advance for any guidance you can offer that might help a family that was once united in love but has fallen apart because of greed, jealousy, and hatred.
(To be continued)