SERIES::THE MISSING KEY (EPISODE 11)

*******
“What do you
expect me to do?
Sit down here with
you to train
the children so that
you can remind me
of how my
mates are working
hard? Is this
what I get for all
my hard work
in ensuring that this
family
is catered for?

Can’t
anyone in
this house show
appreciation?"Dad
ranted at
mum in the
bedroom..
"Please tell me Mr.
Manager,
what is the need of
working so
hard for the family
when you
can’t be there for
them!!.having
the perfect family
involves more
than money. Money
will not
speak to the kids
when
they need someone
to talk to
and guide
them!!”mum
defended herself'
"what exactly is
your function as
a mother?Do you
realize that I
have
just spent not more
than 3hrs
from when I woke
with the
family and I have
discovered a
whole lot of things
that you
don’t
know about the
children?”
“Yes, therefore
spend more time
with the family,
perhaps it will
help curb down all
these
antisocial behavior in
them.
How can you use
your work as
an excuse not to be
with your
family? Do you
realize that for a
long time now, this
is the
longest
conversation we
have
had even though it
is full of
arguments? You
have succeeded
in relegating me to
the
background with
your fastidious
attitude yet you
blame me for
everything.” Mum
was still
angry but her tone
was lower.”
"This is all your fault
because
you are their
mother" Dad
stormed out of the
bedroom,
into his
study.
Mum watched him
leave; she
had already decided
not to reply
him again. If he had
chosen to
continue being
stubborn and
blaming her.She will
continue
being the part-time
mother she
had always being
just as long as
her
husband continues
not to play
his part as a father.
She will not
kill herself for
anybody, not
even her kids.
I was beginning to
get hungry.I
searched my room
for the bread
i left the previous
day.I found it
and ate it with
butter since
nobody wanted to
cook
anything.
***
"1:15pm'
The house became
as quiet as a
grave yard. Dad was
in his
study, mum was in
their
bedroom, Ada was
in her
bedroom, John
was in his bedroom
and I in
mine.
I was still trying to
make sense
of how the key got
into my bag.
Did I put it there
myself or did
somebody else put
it
to set me up? I
took my time to
recollect the event
that took
place last night just
before I
went to bed.
"'I was in the
sitting room, on the
dining table
trying to do my
homework. It
was Sunday evening
and I was
fund of doing my
assignment
on the last hours of
the
weekend. It was a
habit that I
formed out of
laziness and lack
of discipline.
Ada was talking on
her cell
phone and mum
was in her
room. It was
almost 11pm and
dad was not yet
back. Usually,
he
would call mum
when he was
almost home to
open the gate
and exit door for
him. Mum
would either call
John to help
her
open the door for
dad or do it
herself. Last night
she opened
the door herself.
After letting
dad in, dad walked
straight into the
bedroom after
just responding to
our greeting
with a soft
inaffectionate
mumble, while mum
locked the
door and dropped
the key on
the dining table
before retiring
to their bedroom.
Yes, I can
remember being
distracted by the
sound of the
bunch of key with 3
keys. One of
the keys was for
the exit
door, the second
key for the
back door and the
third; I didn’t
really know what it
opened.
After mum retired,
I picked
up a little quarrel
with Ada. I
told her she was
disturbing me
with her calls and
we started
exchanging words
that led
her to hitting me.
The whole
event saddened me
and I
couldn’t wait to
finish my
homework and go
to bed, I was
also
seriously feeling
sleepy.
At the last stage of
the
assignment, I
decided to put the
bunch of key on the
left page of
my writing book
because the
wall fan was
blowing towards
my direction and the
flipping of
pages was slowing
down my
pace. By then,I was
feeling real
dizzy.
I can’t recall what
happened
next until I found
myself in my
room preparing to
sleep.
Perhaps, with
sleepy eyes,i had
covered the book
leaving the key
inside, dropped it in
my school
bag and brought it
along with
me to my room.
Now, how will I let
them know
that I had the key?
Dad will
definitely kill me. I
felt real
scared. I was the
cause of
the whole
commotion at home
this morning. If dad
loses his
job, it will all be my
fault. In fact
everybody will
blame me
for everything. I will
be hated.
Then I thought
about the
quarrel between
mum,dad and
my siblings.
Everybody was
casting blame on
eachother.
Nobody
wanted to take
responsibility of
their actions. The
fact was that
we all were victims
of
circumstance but
we all had a
role to play in it all.
My
carelessness and
lack of
discipline also played
its own
part in this whole
family
dispute.
************
WATCH OUT FOR
EPISODE 12!!!