Episode 25 So now I had two explanations to give. One: why was I digging in the room? Two: why did the envelope change colour? Lol, haai! I’m so jinxed it’s not funny. If it were many years back, I would have to later deal with Mish and Neo biting my head off for jinxing things. They used to steal sugar as soon as my parents went to bed. But, I’d always be the one found with the traces of it all over my bed. The only reason I didn’t participate in the actual stealing of anything was because I was the youngest, therefore, the shortest. I couldn’t reach top hiding places. In other words, I was useless. I just benefitted until they got tired of me and they eliminated me completely from night activities. I used to envy their ability to find sweets hidden anywhere in the house. Any nice-nice that entered the house but happened to not enter their mouths during the day, would spark treasure hunting at night. They’d search till they find. It turns out I still suck when it comes to wiping my trail even in my teens. But it’s all good. I have other talents, plus… I just don’t care anymore. I tried finding logical explanations in my head as to why would envelopes be scattered all over the place. I thought I left the room spotless. The only sense I could make was that: the envelopes were right on the edge, therefore flew as soon as I lifted the mattress with oomph. You know that little devilish wind that stirs whenever you lift the matrass, yeah... that one that blows papers away? Lol, I reckon it’s the one that twisted my fate completely. But, I still find God calculating sometimes. Why on earth would he create that wind, in the bedroom nogal, between the base and the mattress, just tell me? That’s why I stopped believing in him, shem! As I was busy thinking of ways to get out of this situation scot-free yet with the information I needed, my father closed the door of the bedroom. I knew I was in for a high jump, or should I say high hop? But that still didn’t worrying me too much. I was still angry with myself for exposing the envelope I wanted to steal. I thought that if my father took it from me now, I’d never know its contents. I had it right there in my hand. I could smell the secret hidden inside. I simply couldn’t let him have it. No ways. I had a score to settle with Derrick Fountain Junior. So, all I needed was to sink my claws on his father’s secret. A secret so bad enough to threaten my parent’s marriage. I’d be able to dangle this secret in-front of his rich face. If it’s threatening my parents’ marriage, surely it’d threaten his parents’. He’d beg me for mercy. He’d apologise. He’d love me by fire by force. Tit for tat, baby! An eye for an eye! Two can play this game. Oh, that’d be the best day of my life. All I had to do was control the situation. Make the old man chill and make sure I walk out with the envelope still clutched in my hand. I pinched my eyes in a suspecting manner. I scrutinised him for few seconds. Then I threw my first missile, “Papa, wa be o nwele akere? Kana wena ga o itshietse o violent tota. O bona kae envelope e chenchileng khala?” (Papa, have you been drinking again? You get very violent when you are drunk. Where do you see an envelope that changed colour?) I swear he was as sober as a judge. I know my father very well. I’ve observed him in times when he came home tipsy. He would have walked straight to his room and avoided eye contact. I also know when he is sober. This time he was sober, shem. I have never in my life seen the level of confusion that took over his entire being. He knew without a shadow of doubt that he was sober. He knew for sure that the envelope was brown when he left the room. The only thing he wasn’t sure of was if he wasn’t losing some of his marbles, (lol) if he wasn’t one sandwich short of a picnic. I flipped my hand in the air. “This is the envelope you told me to pick up Papa. It’s always been white all this time!” (lol) He started to rub the back of his neck with his left palm. Then he leaned on the door frame, folded him hands and paused on me. Tjoh! I needed to know if I was making progress or not, but his blank look petrified me. I started to release tears. I had to get out of the room. I really didn’t know what would happen next. Then I took my last chance. Do or die moment. In my panic, it became easy to pull a very moving voice. “O tla tloga o dira diphoso papa. Go betere ke ikele ko kamoreng ke tshwere envelope e fela jaana go fitlhella mama a boa. Then, ke tla boela teng fa, le ntshekise le le babedi. Nna ke a go tshaba ga o galefile jaana” (You are about to make mistakes papa. It’s better for me to go to my room holding this envelope just like this, until mama gets back. Then, I’ll come back to this spot, so you’ll both question me. I am too scared of you when you are this angry.) I dropped another tear to seal my plea. When I saw his eyes glistening with tears, I knew I managed to tame the bull in him. He began to rub yet again the back of his neck, trying to ease the knots of tension tangling on his neck. I knocked him dizzy. His eyes looking like he was staring at a ghost. He could swear the envelope was brown. He knows the envelope was brown. Too bad, it was white now. What was he gonna do? I crutched my heartbroken, innocent, hopping self towards him while my heart throbbed violently. As I landed in-front of him, I shook my head in disbelief. Acting like I really felt hard-done by him. Then I stretched my hand and grabbed the door handle. He moved slightly to make way for me and I ducked. Pretending to have mistaken that for an attempt at hitting me. Oh, I hurried to my room. On my way I kept my fingers crossed. I threw myself into the room, turned the key and started to open the envelope fast. I hoped against hope that the light bulb in his head stays off, just until my mother gets home. But it went Tiiinnnggg before I could unfold the two papers that were folded and stapled together. He was banging loudly on my door. “Gomolemo jou Monkey tricks! Open this door right now.” He tried shaking the handle but the door didn’t open. I unfolded the paper like I suffered from stroke. Am I the only person whose body loses the ability to function when under enormous pressure? Damn, it was hard just to unfold those papers. It was as if I’m trying to unfold water, impossible. But I had jumped the bar already. There was simply no turning back. I started something. I just had to finish it. As my shiver worsened, I heard his footsteps as he walked away. I heard him open the front door. I saw his silhouette landing outside my window. It was half open already but I didn’t react. I knew the butler bars would keep him at bay, no-matter what he tried. There was just no way he’d squeeze through those bars. He flipped the curtain and I watched him. He was sweating like he just completed a marathon and at the same time, I figured the tricky password to unfolding papers. There I was, seconds from unearthing some truth. I poked him with my complacent stare, validating the fact that I was Monkey-tricks by qualification and experience. All this time they were playing God with my life, I wasn’t complying. I was busy earning my Monkey-trickery stripes underground. They sharpened me and I was ready to cut and injure. He clasped his hands together. I thought he would kneel down and pray. He didn’t kneel but praying he did. He wasn’t praying to God though, but to me. Hahaha! I never thought I’d live to see this day. “Please ngwanaka… please. Close that envelope!” That just made me even more curios. My eyes lifted slowly from him and fell on the paper. “Lemo please…!” I began reading slowly but soon I was just going like a zombie and a robot put together. My head shook faster than the way those Duracell bunnies run. I felt thousands of electric shocks going through my spine. I shivered. I collapsed down on the floor against the door. When I looked up at my father’s face, it had destruction written all over it. I screamed my lungs out. “…WHY DID YOU ALL DO THAT…?” He was too far from me but I still tried to gnash at him with my teeth “…Whhhhhhyyyyyyy??????.....wwwhhhhahahha..hahhaa…haahhahhy????” I fell face down and just couldn’t seem to draw air again. I couldn’t breathe. I was stuck in that place between life and death. The pain was too much, my stomach hurt. I whispered very faintly, without air in my lungs at all, “whhhyy?” THE END!!!
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 06:18:39 +0000
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