Strange

 

By Oludare Olufunmilola

Photo Credit: Dreams Times.

The silent night was occasionally disrupted by the sound of dripping water. Plop! Plop! It was a sound that had become familiar, a reminder that Kena had likely forgotten to turn it off again. Perhaps she had thrown up into the kitchen sink once more; she never remembered such incidents. Once sober, she moved on like it was nothing.

Suna rubbed the sleep from his eyes, his mind still wandering from the late night. As he scrambled out of bed, the sheets tangled around his legs, causing him to sway and miss a few steps. Although it was a small house with just two rooms and a kitchen, the kitchen felt like a luxury. After all, many families in the neighbourhood didn’t even have one. Suna’s classmates often shared stories about fetching firewood for their mothers to make dinner in makeshift kitchens. It sounded like fun to Suna, but he knew he was privileged.

He stumbled through the darkness, stretching his hands until he reached the poorly lit kitchen. As he turned off the tap, he couldn’t help but think about the strange family he had grown up with. Just the day before, his friend had remarked on how lucky he was to have a family like his.

“My father drinks till he passes out, and my Kena does all the work. She barely even sleeps,” Suna thought to himself. He reflected on how life had dealt with him over the past few years and how much effort it had taken to stay sane in a family like his. People admired his family from far, but he knew the truth it was far from normal.

His sister was a gambler. She stole valuables from around the house to fuel her addiction and disappeared for days, only to return when she had lost everything. Her returns were marked by debts and desperation, hanging heavily around her skinny neck.

“She doesn’t eat well. She doesn’t dress well. What does she do with all the money?” Suna would wonder each time she came back with the same story of spending everything. Kena didn’t seem to care about this; she was content with seeing her children every three market days. Ironically, her daughter’s gambling binges coincided with Kena’s wish, as she, too, returned every three days.

Then there was Kena, the woman he called mother. She was a heavy smoker and an alcoholic, spending most of her earnings on cigarettes and beer. Yet, despite her vices, she worked hard enough to provide for herself. Suna often wondered what it would be like to have a normal family, a mother who didn’t drink herself into a stupor every night and a sister who didn’t gamble away their future.

Strangely enough, his father was a good man. Tirelessly, he worked to provide for everyone: his alcoholic wife, his gambling daughter, and his responsible son. He loved his wife dearly, having spent a fortune to win her hand in marriage and even more to marry her. His love was steadfast, and he vowed never to leave her side, no matter what. Every morning, before leaving for work, he would call his son.

“There’s nothing like family,” he’d say. “Don’t ever throw away the bond.”

Suna knew how difficult it was to follow this advice, given the challenges their family faced. But he admired his father deeply and wanted to live up to his expectations.

Now, Suna has been awarded a scholarship to study abroad. He had graduated at the top of his class, earning a reputation for his diligence. “Suna is a scholar. Suna never misses school. Suna loves to read,” his friends would say.

With the scholarship came an opportunity to take two family members with him. However, this presented a difficult decision: he had to choose between his parents. He desperately wanted to take his father, but he knew his father would insist he take his mother and sister instead. After all, they were vulnerable, and their well-being should be their priority.

Suna understood his father’s reasoning, but he also knew what taking them would mean. Their drinking and gambling habits could bring potential problems and threaten the peace he sought in this new chapter of his life. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to disobey his father’s wishes.

As he stared into the dimly lit kitchen, he hoped this new opportunity would bring about positive change for his family, especially for Kena and his sister. But for now, he remained tethered to this strange family, where the only constant was the sound of the dripping tap, a reminder that some things may never change.