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Table of Contents
Mary T.V And Boredom
About Ben Ayoo
MARY T.V AND BOREDOM
He pulls him to the rope. Wow! What a kick! The kick caught him mid air. Did you hear the sound that kick made. Oh my goodness! Yes. That vicious kick made me even shudder at the beating Cena is receiving. Engh! Engh! Engh! He is receiving the beating of a lifetime. One thing for sure: I am glad ain't him right now. This is... Engh! Engh! Engh! Wow a cheap shot! But it looked pretty expensive to me, JR. I didn't catch the sound of the door opening, or the footsteps entering but before me stands or rather blocking the view of the T.V is father. ''Mary,'' he said. ''Juma. The baby has taken a dump. Go change him,'' I said while trying to bend my neck on the left so that I could see the action going on the T.V. Juma, the second born of the family looks at me just once and returns to T.V
''Paul. The baby has taken a dump. Go change him,'' Juma said. It seems Kane is out. Will this be it. 1, 2... Impossible! Unbelievable! Kane has kicked out! He has kicked out I tell you. How long will this match go on? The red machine... JR did you see that? Did you? I never really did see what the wrestling commentator was referring to as father moved on the left. Oh! My goodness! John Cena was ….The commentary was cut short when father switched of the T.V off. We protested but he remained firm. I quickly went and changed the baby but on returning the wrestling show had ended. Now it was boring new analysis airing. In Jerry "The King" Lawler words I had missed ''the biggest event of the summer: WrestleMania.''
The next morning as we were at the table father coughed to get our attention. He got it all right. Juma, Paul, mother and I turned to face him. Heck even baby stopped sucking and faced at him. We all knew it was going to be big. Us children nicknamed these announcements ''The Presidential speech'' How big? Well I was going to find out very soon.
''Children you all know that I don't regulate what you watch in T.V. But lately it seems that...'' Father began then a pause and then a cough. ''Well we think. Maybe it is time.'' He coughs again. ''I discussed this with your mother and we decided the T.V. …'' This is going to be big. Dad's long pause in his speech always meant something big. Maybe the 15 inch T.V. set that was being constantly advertised, I thought. He must have noticed it was the ultimate T.V set to have. ''We are going limit your T.V time from 7.00 to 8.00 p.m. Daily except on weekends. You have being avoiding your responsibility because of the T.V. You still have not done your summer homework not mention how irresponsible you behaved last night. I came home and find baby crying. Your eyes to the T.V. Especially you Mary. Being the eldest I expected you to be more responsible and care for your little brother. All this because of the T.V. Not to mention Juma is getting obese because of it. Every time I encourage him to go out and play he refuses and just stays to watch the T.V. I don't want you children to get so fat as it would affect your health later in life. Juma you would not want to get so fat that you can't even walk?'' Juma remained mum and Dad then stood up and went out.
''Impossible! Unbelievable! Unworkable! Impracticable!'' I screamed after a minute, the news sank in my brain. ''Outrageous! Outrageous! Outrageous!'' Paul joined in. ''Mother how could you? School is long way from opening and I am certain I would have finished the homework by then. It is not my fault baby always poops on himself. Even the Paul and Juma agrees with me.--Juma shook his head while Paul continued on with the ''outrageous'' shouting-- Grandmother said us children should be fat when we visited last summer. This is unfair.''
''I doubt Paul agrees with you.''
“Yes he does. Is it right Paul?'' I asked. ''Outrageous! Outrageous! Outrageous!'' Paul continued on like a sing song. ''See. I bet he picked that from the chatter box. It is bad influence for all of you. It is final, T.V time is 7.00 to 8.00,'' she said while standing up with the baby to take her to the clinic. Looking for the remote to prevent this monstrous crime from being perpetuated. I couldn't find it. I tried to rally Paul and Juma to my cause but Paul continued with the outrageous chatter while Juma was simply now uninterested. It was then I realized I would also miss WrestleMania rerun. I had already forgotten about but now it came with a passion of reverence. ''I am going to die without T.V,'' I groaned but everyone had already left the table. Paul and Juma had already gone to the daycare center.
An hour after the announcement. I am laying flat on the floor staring at white ceiling above. ''Would all my days be like this.''
I walked to my neighbor Henry house front door and stared at the big padlock. I knew Henry had gone with his parents to the countryside to spend their summer holidays with his parents but I just wanted to get an assurance it was not true. And the big padlock glistening on the door did not give me that. I considered option two: Mark. I shook my head. ''I won't be getting help from him.'' Paul said Mark were so poor that they did not own a T.V. Although I did not for sure I knew it was right since he mostly went hungry. Considering their house was 200 blocks away I didn't feel like walking. The other neighbor Kamau, was a mysterious man who hardly got out of the house. Motherly always regarded him with suspicion. I never knew why. He surely had to have a T.V. Why then would he spend all that time cooked up in there. ''Now it is WrestleMania rerun,'' I said. ''If I do not act now then the biggest event of the summer will be lost forever.'' Speaking to myself those words gave me the courage I needed and proceeded to Kamau's door. He will be option three.
I gulped in mouthful of air and knocked the door of the mysterious man. No response. I knocked again. Still no response. I knocked even harder like I was being chased by criminal and seeking refuge in that house. Then it door opened, slightly. A fat burly man stands at door slit preventing me from me seeing inside. Now you have done it Mary. What are you going to say for knocking at the rudely door. Are you going to say you knocked the door loudly so just you get a chance watch his T.V. for a WrestleMania repeat? ''Well what do you want'' he bellows.
''The weatherman said today is sunny,'' I said meekly before dashing off. After that weird remark I made to Kamau (actually it was just the first thing that came to my head): option three was out of the table and won't ever be considered for anything else in the future.
''Now it is Squirrel boy airing.'' Again I am back at the floor staring at the ceiling. By now I had known every crack, where the painter had done a shoddy work and the dirt marks on the ceiling. God help me. Even the Queen's royal guard have more interesting life than me, I thought. They at least guard something while I here just stare above. The clock chimes to announce it is 4.00 o clock. ''Now it is Scooby Doo has started airing.'' For 2 hours I had being staring at the ceiling and announcing the programme line up.
A shout disturbs my observation of the patterns formed on the ceiling.''Fight! Fight! Fight!'' I rush outside to see. At least this would remove my craving for the T.V loss, I hoped. A crowd had formed among a group of women who were fighting. Lucky I managed to squeeze myself and get a good view of the action. The women scratched pulled each other hair out. They pushed and shoved each other. ''At last entertainment: a real life WrestleMania at my doorstep!,'' I screamed in delight. They rolled into the ground. ''The one with bangs hairstyle hits her with a punch to the forearm!,'' Allan said. Allan was a man who was always appeared to be floating around. You could find him at the shop cent
er at the church, at the local playground. Not only does he seem to be everywhere but he always appeared to be doing something. Today it seems he has taken the role of providing live commentary. Five points for taking the initiative but I am deducting one point for referencing wrong body part. She actual hit the shoulder blade. Anyway I like your enthusiasm, it is like of Jerry "The King" Lawler, so take it away Allan.
''She is pulling her hair! Now both have bangs. For reference I call the one puffing like a buffalo A and … Oh my goodness she actual threw spit in her eye! I mean A! A threw spit at B eye! Disgusting! A is standing up. It looks like she has won... Oh wait B is up! My! My! She got hold of a stick that was lying on the ground! Look out A! She is coming for you! A has slapped the stick out B's hand! Unbelievable yet it is true! A delivers a kick to B stomach! B has received the kick. Does B have no chance. She swaying! Swaying! Now sprawling at the crowd. Hey! You kid get out of there you get hurt! A shoves a header at B! Who this man! A man has joined in! Oh wait it seems he is not part of the action. The is man interfering. B's sidekick? Ah it seems he is the good citizen who has finally arrived to breakup the fight. More joining to calm the two! Hey you women you should stop fighting!'' After that it was the time for the explanation for the reason why there were fighting but I did not stick out longer to find what it was. But the commentary had gotten better with time for those 30 minutes.
Juma and Paul returned. From that time seemed to move pretty quick with their arrival. Mother came with some children books. ''If you are bored you should read them,'' she said. However I just kept glancing at the clock. ''Ten minutes to end of curfew. I would rather wait for the end curfew,'' I said. Paul is singing a nursery rhyme. ''The sun rises in the east and set in the west. I wake up in the morning. I brush my teeth...'' The waiting actually made time fly more. Now I am happily watching news analysis. It is better than the boredom of the morning or the books, I thought.
''Where is Juma?'' mother asked after 10 minutes of the T.V drought end. I was engrossed by the break down of politics done by the analyst. So Senator John McCain signs his name with letters slanted in opposing directions. Ahm! That's a new, I make a mental note. ''Where is Juma?'' the voice persist. To be honest it was actually the visual and audio my brain was trying to record for the oncoming T.V drought of tomorrow so I answered without taking my eyes of T.V. ''Don't no.''
Mother was not happy about my lack of attention. ''What do you mean you don't know? Look at me when I am talking.'' She shut it off the T.V. Argh! Again with the T.V. Why do they persecute you so much. She told me to help search for Juma. To think mother would have by now gotten used to Juma constant hide and seek ploy. If he was not hiding under the bed it would be the under the cupboard. Sure we didn't search for long since Mother found him under the cupboard. Thank God the house was not big. Then I might have being spending most of time time searching for Juma with the numerous hiding places he would have. He said he was a bear and was hibernating. ''You should not be hibernating there. Hibernate in your bed next time,'' she said while carrying him to the bed. Seriously. I was majorly pissed but I knew protesting for Juma's behavior would cut more of the T.V time I lost.
The search had already cost my precious 5 minutes of T.V time. Dad came and it seemed mother had informed him of the incident since when we eat dinner he spoke again of responsibility. ''Mary from now on it would be your responsibility to wash the dishes. It woud instill your hearing power and attention to detail.''
As I slept that night, I kept thinking how I will spend the rest of the following day until T.V time. Thinking about it now, what did I exactly do when I wasn't watching T.V. Well let's see. During the school breaks... Sleeping... Eating... Maybe washing dishes won't be so bad. It was bad alright. It nearly cost my life.
The following day Mother at breakfast kept hinting to me I should read the books. The books didn't appeal to me as they were those bought of the yard sale and had bland cover. I would have preferred those colorful new ones being advertised on the T.V. But I was not sure I would have read them. ''And by the way, Mary, remember today washing the dishes is your responsibility,'' Dad said as he quickly donned on his suit to get to work. He left. Mother too left for another of the baby's appointment. Taking with her Juma and Paul, to drop them off at the daycare center. Alone at the house again. Boredom has already start to set in.
A girl lies his head on a table. A distance away lies a ribbon which had previously was running his fingers through it. She stretches her hand and picks the ribbon and dabs at it her hair and returns back to staring the screen infront of her. Looking at my bored expression on the dark glass T.V. only increased the urgency of finding something that felt worthwhile to do.
''The dishes are your responsibility. Responsibility.'' The mental image of my father keeps on reminding me. The nagging had gotten annoying. ''Fine I will do it!'' I got up from the sofa and went to kitchen to wash last night responsibility.
''Wow! We sure use a lot of utensils!'' I said when I saw the piles of dirty sufuria, plates and spoons sticking out at the sink. This might actually keep me busy until they all come back and T.V time commences. Taking the sponge I dipped it in the soap detergent and set about wiping the plates carefully. Swipe the back and front of the plate. After I had done five of them I washed them with running water from the tap. I held one plate and examined my handicraft. ''Superb!'' The shining plate could act as a fine mirror. More plates to go. Sponge dip, swipe both front and back, admire eventually rinse.
Five minutes later I am slumped at the kitchen floor tired. My enthusiasm ran out. To think a moment ago the sight of the clean plates and flow of water carrying away the food particles excited me. Definitely washing dishes won't keep me occupied until 7.00 as it was worse than watching the ceiling. ''Why don't you open the T.V just for 5 minutes. Repay it later by extending the time you will start to watch to 7.05.,'' my inner self told me. ''Yes that's right. It makes sense since I will repay it.'' I rushed to the T.V set and pushed the on button. Nothing happened. I tried again. Still nothing happened.''Argh! What is this now.'' I pressed the button repeatedly. Continued on and on. I increased the force and ferocity but still nothing happened. If there was a baseball bat in the house I could have hit the T.V screen with it. Fortunately there was not. I stopped and went to staring the ceiling.