When I paced down to father, I met him snoring and lying carelessly on the cold ground with a sizeable bag serving as pillow. Through the flash of lightning I could see his teary face and I could tell the baldy had dried up his tears gland with weeping and gnashing of teeth.
I controlled my wailing as I wept under my breath, daring not to arouse his sorrowful countenance again. Spring wasn’t friendly. The cold misty wind often blew at us with the shivering effect really scary. I gazed upon father and our property and wondered how much of such ruins would befall us.
I thought I wasn’t going to stay up all night but as soon as my eyes became heavy, a striking, clapping sound of thundering broke out and without gross hesitation a heavy down pour ensued. I flinched and father did same but with at a quicker pace.
“It is raining!” I murmured and lost in my gloom; whether to tend to my father or our property. I glanced around and there was no shelter at eyeshot. We were stranded in the dark and the middle of nowhere.
I could hear father’s sniffing and there was no doubt he was wailing again. The downpour was heavy and in a jiffy we were drenched like vultures drowned in ocean. When I saw father was shivering, I paced to him and lay my cold wet hands on his shoulders.
He shrugged off my hands, “Is it not better we die. I wish the strokes of death could come in the guise of rain and wipe us off. I have never had a better life ever since you came into my family. Maybe I shouldn’t have adopted you,…” he sobbed and wailed nosily now.
“Be of good cheer, father. We will overcome this storm. I promise to provide the five hundred dollars for our rents. My boss disappointed me when I demanded for a shelter at his garage. Hold on fast father. Tomorrow I will provide the five hundred dollars…”
“We are full of ruins today because of the daffy decisions you took in life. You don’t deserve to be associated with, you son of shame. Because of you, your mother is down with a kidney disease. I lost my job as a gardener because my integrity was questionable for being father to a criminal…” he chided.
“I am not a criminal!” I interposed and snapped before I broke down in tears, “I am going to prove it to you and the Rio Hondos that I am not a criminal. I never siphoned that money, father. I never did. Morgan Harris did. You have told me repeatedly I am an adopted child and a bastard but that doesn’t not mean I am the cause of your pain…”
Pa!
Father interrupted me with a dirty slap and my face turned to the other side with my eyes shut.
“If your mother and I should die tomorrow just know that you are the cause of it. But I promise you one thing you will never get better than this. You will die in poverty like us, because you brought the pain upon us…”
With anger etched on my face, I shot a menacing stare at father before I flounced away. But there was no stopping father. He kept ranting as he trudged behind me.
Soon it started snowing and that was when father halted and stood in the snow, staring at me as I walked into the dark street ahead…
“You are a cursed bastard!”
That was the last curse from father as his voice faded away while I walked farther.
At Hoffers Food, I had tons of package recipes waiting to be delivered at various residents and companies. My job mattered to me now even though it wasn’t worth the pay; at least it could put a square meal on my table.
Having loaded my scooter with the packs of food, I turned it on and rode away. While on my scooter a thought jumped into my mind to visit Melissa Fanny at their villa; I had signed to the divorce and sent to her so there was no us. But this time my reason for visiting was to access some loan from her, so I could rent an apartment for father and I. I believed she could be of help. I just wished so.
I had delivered packs of sauced chicken at D and D ICT Group, about stepping to my scooter to ride off; a yellow Lamborghini zoomed into the premises of a grocery store opposite my position.
Furiously the doors slammed respectively, and Melissa and Lisa Bake, her grandmother alighted. Melissa was having handy a fluffy pet dog, donning a royal mini gown, and diamond pearls decorated her neck and wrist. She stood elegantly in classic stiletto. The yellow Lamborghini was neat and brand new. I hadn’t known her to have a yellow Lamborghini among her fleet of cars.
Gratefully, I had a huge smile. There would be no need to visit the Fanny villa anymore since she was right before me. Before they could prance into the store, I scuttled down to them…
Hold on, Melissa! Melissa!” I called loudly taking caution not to run into any car as I crossed the busy road.
“How many times am I going to warn you to stop scaring the hell out of me by appearing in my sight?” that was the quarrelsome tone of Lisa Bake. She made an irritating face at me and I realized how parlous I was looking. “Please stay put and don’t come any further.” She brought her hand to her nostril, reminding me with those narrowed eyes, how much my sweating body smelled.
Melissa leaned on her Lamborghini and rubbed her midget pet on the head, as she sounded, “I thought we have signed to a divorce, Brian Patrick, why are you stalking me?”
At the time my gaze was lowered in shame. Lisa bake pulled back a bit when she couldn’t stand my oozing body.
“Pardon me for confronting you at a time like this. I would never stalk you. I just delivered food over there when I saw you…”
Lisa Bake interposed me, “Be fast with whatever you have to say, the scorching sun is much, delivery boy.”
I swallowed hard, “Okay…I um… I just want you to give me a loan of five hundred dollars for our house rent. As we speak our property is outside. We are destitute and homeless. Please I promise to work hard and pay back in due time…”
“Hold on Brian Patrick,” Melissa beamed, “First we are divorced. Second I can’t give you money that a fellow man like you gave to me…”
Lisa Bake interrupted, “Brian Patrick, my shame is ashamed of you. Do you realize that a man like you bought this Lamborghini for Melissa? Zion Don is super rich. That is the kind of son-in law the Fannys want not the one that comes for loan. Besides she has divorced you. Move on and stop disrupting our shopping with your begging spree,” she chided.
“Good bye, Brian Patrick. Please go and fix your life,” Melissa intoned and cat-walked into the grocery.
“May I never see your horrible sight again and for the sake of Melissa, Zion Don wouldn’t like it either,” Lisa Bake sounded and joined Melissa.
I wanted to utter more words but my voice failed me. Warm tears burnt my cheeks as I stole a glance at the Lamborghini and touched it as I wailed on…