''The dishes are your responsibility. Responsibility.'' My father voice in my head continued to nag and so I went back to finish the dishes. This time I did it hurriedly and when I was at the last plate is when I remembered. I left the plate and went to the sitting room. There was unwritten rule that only father or mother were the ones who plugged on the T.V to the socket while us children only allowed to flipped through the channels using the remote. I was soon to find out it is best to have the parents handle the electrical equipment. With wet hands I plugged in the T.V to the electricity outlet and the next moment sparks flew from the socket. I immediately run out of the house. I didn't go back to the house as I was too afraid. Very afraid. ''The electricity socket actually spit fire!'' I kept repeating. My heart calmed down but not enough to forget what happened. Missing lunch was no big deal if it meant not going into that house where I almost died.
Later in the evening mother came and found me still in the lawn. I had spent the rest of the day gazing at the passing clouds and day dreaming when I became an adult the excess that I will indulge in like food and T.V watching. She was surprised to find me outside late at this late. I remained quite when she asked me what I was doing while I helped her carry the grocery bags with her into the house.
At dinner, Juma said the food tasted funny. Mother and I struggled while Father encouraged me for a doing a good work on the dishes. Really! I can see the yellow stain of the detergent at your plate. With Paul I guess the soil, vaseline, paper he keeps on stuffing into his mouth has finally rendered his taste bud dead.
''Oh by the way I see your T.V time has reached and sometime also passed. I will put it on,'' he said while rising up. Father soon found the T.V was broken. I cowered my head. ''Probably broken fuse,'' he said while returning to the table. ''It was puzzling the way I found the socket,'' mother chipped in. Good. I was not found out. After that time we ate for the first time dinner in total silence. Well it was not total quiet since the crickets outside were singing the annoying orchestra. I guess they always sang at this time of the night but since we kept the T.V. perpetual on before the start of curfew I never noticed. Oh my dear T.V when will you be fixed. I was too ashamed to start throw my tantrums about the T.V to be fixed soon when it was I who destroyed it.
Morning I couldn't bear. How long has it being? Last night I did not get my dosage of T.V. This could continue on forever since father was slow to act on repair of electrical equipment. He mostly did them on weekend citing that's when he was free. ''Dad. You are going to repair the T.V. Right?'' I asked.
''Sorry honey I would need to take it to the repair shop. Daddy does not how to fix it. Even if gets fixed remember the watch time restriction... Wait did you have anything to do with it being destroyed.''
I went silent. Fortunately he didn't persist me to confess as he was in a hurry to get to work. ''By the way Mary leave dish washing to Mum,'' he said as he left. Well at least one more boring activity has being struck off my list of things to do. Mother placed the books at the table before she left with the baby. I flipped through it's dog ears pages. How old were they supposed to be anyway? I placed them back at the bookshelf. Today I am going to do a fun exercise which is not reading books. I then took a notepad and pencil.
I am at car junkyard that it is 100 meters away from our house. By it side is the tarmac road. I had decided to count the number of SUV of passing the road so as to stave my boredom. Zero. I switched to lorries then bicycles. Still Zero. The road remained empty. As to mock me a grass tuft rolls at the road. Somehow the fun I had at school when the teacher asked the class to tally various types of cars passing through the road was not there now. At school we conducted this activity at the fence of the school separating us from traffic. Could the setup be wrong. Looking at the notebook where I had originally scribbled SUV, then canceled it and wrote lorries, then canceled it then written bicycles, convinced me. It was the absence of traffic which drained the fun, I concluded. ''Cloud counting,'' I mumbled to myself as walked back home. At the lawn I lay down to see the cloudless sky. That’s how low I sank. I couldn't take it anymore. Finally the day was coming to an end with evening approaching.
Mother asked me try another hobby if I didn't like reading. ''Yes. I want to make T.V watching my hobby.''
''I am afraid that won't do. Maybe you should take summer classes. It can be fun.''
''No! I am not really bored!'' What is worse than being bored with what of lack to do is a boring teacher. Beside they won't be anyone I know there. I sat on the sofa like a patient in a waiting room watching Paul play with his toy blocks. As I was deciding whether or not to join him mother called me. ''Mary. Mary. Where is Juma?'' I now relished the idea of finding him now. I went and looked at the cupboard and under the bed. Juma was in neither places. It was the relish the idea of finding him as I acted the role of a detective just like in the anime Detective Conan. However now it was not fun. ''You have not still found him. Look where he usually is,'' Mother said from the kitchen. ''Yes. I am starting to look at those places now,'' I said. I was afraid to send her to panic mood. In panic mood Mother would appear confused and run around trying to figure out how deal with the situation. Luckily panic mood was when us children got sick, accident or something terrible happens like a relative death announcement which was rare. Then I would call father who would calm and reassure her and she would then take care of the situation. If that involved taking Paul to the hospital or administering first aid to Juma it would be done. After looking again I didn't find Juma. It seems that I would have to set her in panic mood after all.
''Did you leave the door open when you came in?'' She asked her face already turning to white. ''I can't remember.''
''Always tell me first when this things happens. Understood?''
''Yes.''
''Would it be that he has gone out? No, It is him. It has to be him! Mr. Kamau has taken him! That man is kidnapper! I am calling the police!'' I tried to disuse her but she was already dialing for the police. ''At least call Dad first...''
''No. We would have lost precious amount of time. After I call them, I am going there. Then you call the rest,'' she said while punching the mobile phone number. Knowing my mum in panic mood it is likely the rest are the army, air force and the GSU to come. ''Hello. You have reached Kasarani Police station what might I assist you with.''
''Officer my …''
''Mum. I am hungry.''
We turned around to see Juma standing infront of us rubbing his eyes with hand. Relief! ''Where have you being?'' I asked. ''Hibernating under the sofa. Now it is spring and the bear has come to hunt for food.''
''Hello madam is everything alright.''
''Officer my family congratulates you for the good work you are doing. That all I wanted to tell you.'' ''Okay.''
And with that she pressed the end call button. It somehow reminded me of knocking Kamau's door. So that was hereditary, coming up with things off the head when in awkward situation. Mother took Juma by the arm and led him to bedroom. Did she scold him in there? I never knew.
At the dinner table mother said to Dad the T.V must come so as to prevent Juma from pulling repeating the same the same thing. ''Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!'' I wanted to shout but it would not be appropriate for the somber mood so I kept quiet. ''I think you just overreacted,'' Dad said. He then went to convince her Juma's playing was unrelated to the T.V and having the T.V would bring no good. ''Why even Juma looks less obese now.'' I was not happy how things were developing. Even Mother looked partially unconvinced. At least now I know I have an ally in her. I secretly wished it would have taken longer to find Juma so that father could have bought the T.V. My mind was made up. I am going to do everything possible to get the T.V. Later that night I stayed up late preparing my speech which a wrote on paper. I looked at it one more time satisfied and then went with it sleep. Rehearsing it at bed my delivery made me perform many actions with my hand. If others saw me they would think I am a mime or crazy like Mr. Ba
kari. I continued on with the gesturing till sleep took me away.
In the morning as father prepared to go work, I followed him. As he eat breakfast. ''T.V has helped Paul learn to talk. You see every day he learnt new words when the T.V was around but now he has stopped. He could say flabbergasted, outrageous and filibusterer.'' He had finished breakfast and went fetch his socks I followed. ''Juma when the T.V was on rarely did his hide and seek ploy and mother was less worried because she could see where he was: at the sofa watching cartoon network. I was informed ….'' He went to polish shoes and I followed. ''As I was saying I was informed about the world around me by the news analysis show.'' This went on quite for sometime and finishing I folded the paper observing father's reaction. Well I couldn't guess what he was thinking.
“Well Mary I think it is good that you have well laid out your reason. You see with the T.V. gone you have being able to give a wonderful presentation. It would be useful in life if you want to be a businessman like me. If the T.V were here you would not being able to do such. There is newspaper I bring everyday to give you news analysis. I think I am enjoying the peace quiet without that chatter box around....''
''What about I what I want?! I hate you!,'' I screamed as I ran to the bedroom and locked it up.
Someone ,either father or mother, knocked the door. He or She talked for sometime and then left. I couldn’t hear what he or she was talking about since I lay on bed, blanket covering my head as I sobbed. Sometime pass. I couldn't hear any sound outside the doors. Was it because of my outburst ? Did I really mean to say that? They I hate you part. No matter how much I tried to justify myself that it was father who was selfish, I couldn't bring myself to believe that. I felt sorry for father, especially remembering the shocked and sadden expression he had when I screamed those words. I am going to apologize. I unlocked the door and found the house empty. It is quite dark as clouds have gathered. On the table lies the paper of the speech arguing for the T.V. return. I took it intending to tear it up and that when I saw the words written ''I am sorry.'' This made me even more ashamed of what I done. After apologizing I would confess also I was the one who destroyed the T.V. It started raining and rained heavily.
As I could not go out, I looked around and saw the books. I took one thick book from the bookshelf and started reading. It was written by Tad Williams. The book was so interesting that I didn't notice how time had gone. It was the story of man who was trapped in computer world. I didn't even know when father arrived home. He came in carrying T.V. which weighed heavily on him. I rushed to help carry it but I was not much help. We set it up on the T.V stand. I was so engrossed with the book that I never noticed the T.V stand had being empty. After he had set up the T.V. he said, ''Tomorrow I bring a computer. I see you were reading Tad William, a science fiction novel. Is it interesting?''
''Yes! Very!'' I then went to account to him the story until where I had reached. By that time everyone had come back home. ''Well T.V restriction is over. Would you like to come and join the others in watching wrestling?''
''No. I would rather read finish this book,'' I said and with that I went to the bedroom. As I continued reading, the shouting of Paul and Juma, Jerry "The King" Lawler (today was Smackdown), dinned as I was immersed in the Otherland novel.
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Thank you for reading my book.
About the author:
Ben Ayoo (1991- hopefully forever) lives in Nairobi Kenya. He loves animes and video games. He has also written a novella THE STANDSTILL: HARDENED HEART. You can contact me
[email protected].
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