Love Impossible: A collateral to the mafia

"You are a piece of trash! Where on earth am I going to get the money from now? Did you say you gambled it? How could you?"

That angry voice belongs to my mummy, she and my daddy had been quarreling for the past two hours now and I don't think they would stop any moment soon. My daddy has once again used the money mummy had struggled to save for gambling. I don't know the full details as they won't tell me anything but I overheard her earlier saying they were supposed to use the money to pay for something, I have no idea what it is though. He must have stolen her ATM card somehow and withdrew the money again.

"It's not gamble honey, I invested the money, just wait for a little while, and I will really get it back, big"

I sigh hearing my daddy say that, he's only making matters worse; it would be better if he doesn't say anything. I couldn't bear watching them fight any longer so l stand up to my feet to leave the sitting room. Ayomide and Shola would be back from school soon so need to go and prepare something for them to eat when they come.

"And where are you going?" I hear my mummy's voice ask sharply behind me and I pauses before turning to her.

"To the kitchen, I want to go and prepare food for Ayo and Shola."I reply quickly.

"There's nothing in the kitchen to cook but only small garri. They will make that when they come."

I heave a sigh before saying. "They had the same thing yesterday and a day before, they shouldn't eat that today again, mummy."

"I don't like it either my dear, but what can I do? You guys should manage it first,ehn jowo(please). I will get something later."

"mo ni owo(l have some money)..." I reply in Yoruba dialect. " Let me use it and get some stuffs to prepare." My mummy looks at me with concern.

"Are you sure you have enough? You can just go and meet mama Folake to give you on credit instead, I will pay later."

I bit my bottom lips to prevent myself from crying as tears are already whelming up in my eyes. Just when will this end? Owing money, buying things on credit, fighting and quarreling about the same money... Just.....just when will it all stop? I am already 21 years old and still haven't taken JAMB (Joint Admission Matriculation Board) examination to further my education to a university. After I finished from Secondary school few years ago, my mummy asked me to hold on for a while and do other things first because there is no money to send me to the university. I attended a public secondary school here in Ajegunle, as they couldn't afford to put me in a private school.

My daddy doesn't have any good job other than gambling and drinking, although he claims to invest and not gamble, but what would you call it when he doesn't get anything back in return? 1 know he's my father but he's still part of the problem we have in the family. He never makes things easy but just add to our problems. He used to be different before though but he suddenly changed. Back when I was in Secondary school, he was working as a vulcanizer to support the family but all of a sudden, he turned to a drunk and does no other thing than gambling and causing trouble.

We live in a small house in a ghetto environment here in Ajegunle, in Lagos. Since the houses here are cheaper; we rented a two bedroom flat house here not minding if the place is unsafe and unhealthy. We couldn't afford going to town, that's the place for only the rich. Ajegunle is one of those places in Lagos where you would hear robbery, fights and the roads are really terrible.