I heard this story from my grandfather who used to help those villagers coming to him from near and distant villages  for advice. He was the Imaam in the village, wise and well respected by old and young. So well respected was he that the villagers followed his advice to the letter.

“Beti”, he  tell me with a sly,  little smile of amusement on his face. “Wan day ….. wife  come heh fuh see me. She tell me how she daughter-in-law and she cyan’t get on. Dem fighting and cussing up each other every day. She seh how dis gyal mouth hot and she does give her rudness as soon as she tell her anything.”

“Me ask she wah dem does fight ovah.”

“Everything,” she seh.

“Wah you does tell she?”

“Ow Dada, you want me fuh say nutting when ME ah de mother-in-law and SHE ah de daughter in law? She suppose fuh show respek and  stay quiet. But me, who ah mother-in-law,  got to put up with she, de daugher-in-law, rudeness all de time. Me fed up with she. How long me must tek dis behavior from she? Me tink me guh  send she back home ah she daady house. Yesterday, me and she fight. Then me tell she, “Go mek wan cup tea and bring am heh fuh me. You know wah she tell me Dada? Go mek am yourself. Wah you call that?”

Dada, smiling,  tell me now, “Beti, me know good wah fuh call that,  but me nah seh  nothing.”

“So  me tell she, “Tell you daughter-in-law  fuh come and see me. You must stay home.”

‘Yes Dada! Me hope you give she good.”

“Daada seh he want fuh see you. Mek haste and gwan. Nah keep he waiting, or is ME and YOU heh today.”

As Dada said to me, “Beti, She fully expect me fuh tell she bahu nat to give she rudeness.  So de daughter-in-law come see me. She greet me with “Asalaamalaikum”. She look to me like wan quiet chile.”

“Siddown Beti, and tell me wah is the story with you and you mother-in-law.”

She cyant talk nothing. She start fuh cry.

Bit by bit, she tell me how  she mother-in-law does abuse she all the time. Plenty abuse, and  bad talk and nag whole day. Everything she do is a insult that don’t done.

“Ow Dada, me nah able no more. Me nah want stay in dah house no more.”

“You does tell she anything when she insulting you?”

She open she eye big and watch me. “Yes Dada. How me can stay quiet when she cussin me whole day?”

“Alright nah cry. Me guh help you only if you do exactly wah me tell you. You understand?”

Dada tied a bit of red cotton cloth into a knot and gave it to her with specific instructions.

“Beti, you must do wah me tell you now. When you mother-in-law start cussing you, put this tabeej in you mouth and bite down  hard. Everytime she cuss you, keep it in you mouth and bite.”

I was curious as to HOW that situation was was solved. How might biting on  a bit of red cloth solve a human problem of those dimensions?

I wriggled with curiosity and asked Dada, “So wah happen Dada?”

Dada laughed.
“The mother-in-law come fuh see me couple week aftah that. She seh how de gyal change. That no matter wah she seh, de daughter-in-law, just stay quiet.”

“Me realise that she decide fuh change she rude way. Dada that  ting wah  you give she, it help.”

“So what about YOU? You still  insulting she and quarelling on she?”

“Dada, how you can insult somebody who refuse fuh ansah back?”

Beti  = my daughter

Bahu = daughter-in-law

Tabeej = talisman to ward off evil

Asalaamualaikum = Islamic greeting which means “Peace be upon you.”