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Broken Family
SCENE: TWO
The return of the long lost.
It was Christmas Eve evening, as usual, we were having a small braai at home. Samanda was busy braaing meat outside, Thina was preparing green sald, and rolls, mom was wrapping Christmas presents and I was preparing the dinner table. As I was busy arranging the plates on the table, dancing with excitement singing Forest Black song, sing along with me, one of my favorite Christmas songs. So as I was enjoying the moments, I heard Samanda speaking to someone outside. I sneakily went to the window and peeked out. I saw the man and Samanda standing close together talking. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but it looked as if they were having a serious conversation. In my mind, I thought the man was lost, so maybe my brother was directing him to the right place. I slowly let the curtain close up and got back to my work.
It was almost seven thirty in the evening, we normally sit and eat our dinner at six thirty, but somehow our standard got delayed today. Perhaps is because we were all very busy during the day doing spring-cleaning, painting the house and cleaning the yard. My mom always preached to us that “cleanliness is next to godliness" so we grew up believing that being always lookable and neat same applied to where we come from.
I finished preparing and seated on the chair right at the dinner table and reached out to my phone that was on the table.
A minute later, Samanda came rushing to the house and went straight to mom's bedroom where she was busy doing her things.
“Don't tell me you burned the meat, Samanda. I'm starving. Why are you coming to the house like you have just seen a ghost?”. I teased Samanda as always, and I was expecting him to say something funny as usual. But Samanda didn't even bother to listen nor response to me, he was in such a hurry, moving at the fastest speed of a tropical cyclone. I wondered was going on with Samanda and why he was rushing to mom's room.
I stood up and went to peek through the window again. The man was still standing outside holding a black briefcase and a medium brown wrapped box was placed next to his feet. He was wearing a brown warm coat and a hat (spotty). It was already dark outside, and I could not see him fully through the window.
Samanda took a bit longer in mom's room, so I was curious to go outside and get to know the man who was standing there, but I had to wait until Samanda and mom went to him first.
© Chavani Ripfumelo
The return of the long lost.
It was Christmas Eve evening, as usual, we were having a small braai at home. Samanda was busy braaing meat outside, Thina was preparing green sald, and rolls, mom was wrapping Christmas presents and I was preparing the dinner table. As I was busy arranging the plates on the table, dancing with excitement singing Forest Black song, sing along with me, one of my favorite Christmas songs. So as I was enjoying the moments, I heard Samanda speaking to someone outside. I sneakily went to the window and peeked out. I saw the man and Samanda standing close together talking. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but it looked as if they were having a serious conversation. In my mind, I thought the man was lost, so maybe my brother was directing him to the right place. I slowly let the curtain close up and got back to my work.
It was almost seven thirty in the evening, we normally sit and eat our dinner at six thirty, but somehow our standard got delayed today. Perhaps is because we were all very busy during the day doing spring-cleaning, painting the house and cleaning the yard. My mom always preached to us that “cleanliness is next to godliness" so we grew up believing that being always lookable and neat same applied to where we come from.
I finished preparing and seated on the chair right at the dinner table and reached out to my phone that was on the table.
A minute later, Samanda came rushing to the house and went straight to mom's bedroom where she was busy doing her things.
“Don't tell me you burned the meat, Samanda. I'm starving. Why are you coming to the house like you have just seen a ghost?”. I teased Samanda as always, and I was expecting him to say something funny as usual. But Samanda didn't even bother to listen nor response to me, he was in such a hurry, moving at the fastest speed of a tropical cyclone. I wondered was going on with Samanda and why he was rushing to mom's room.
I stood up and went to peek through the window again. The man was still standing outside holding a black briefcase and a medium brown wrapped box was placed next to his feet. He was wearing a brown warm coat and a hat (spotty). It was already dark outside, and I could not see him fully through the window.
Samanda took a bit longer in mom's room, so I was curious to go outside and get to know the man who was standing there, but I had to wait until Samanda and mom went to him first.
© Chavani Ripfumelo
