Somewhat Necessary

EPISODE 3

Good morning Mami. He greeted.

"How are you guys doing, Manuel?" She asked with a smile on her face.

"I'm fine ma. Cathy is fine too."

"I know Cathy is fine. My emphasis is on the girl you brought into the house yesterday," Manuel's mother said, smiling wryly.

"Omg... I forgot that my mom has perfect ears", he thought to himself.

"Well mom, it's a long story. I promise to explain in detail when I get home from work. I'm already running lat…

“Who decides if you'll go today or not? The earlier you start talking, the better for you,” she said, reclining on a cupboard in the kitchen.

"Alright, her name is...." He trailed, looking for a name to give her, since he didn't ask her her name.

"You don't even know her name!"

“Because I didn't need to know her name.” Manuel defended.

"Really? You're unbelievable!"

“I wanted to help her get faster to her place yesterday, seeing that it was raining. But I didn't know that she was a stubborn brat. She refused to say where she'd be alighting. So I drove my tricycle home with her and abandoned her outside. It was until midnight that I decided to check if she'd gone, but, alas, she was still there. So I brought her in due to the severe cold outside. This I did and ordered her to leave this morning”. Manuel explained.

Are you sure you're being sincere here? She asked, prying into his eyes.

Yes mommy, I am. I regret helping her out in the first place. She gave me a lot of trouble.

"How? Was she stubborn?"

“She refused to leave this morning.” Manuel replied, exhaling as he rememberes his experience with her.

"Okay? That means the story isn't complete yet. What happened next?" She demanded.

Manuel, having known that a wrong response would attract scorn, stammered, “I had to use a horse whip on her.”

“You used a horse whip on a lady? That's not nice at all. Horse whips are for goat-headed men folks, not for the ladies!”

She continued, “Don't try that next time, that's not how I trained you. Your dad never uses a whip on me, neither does he use it on Cathy. Learn proportion and gender respect. Okay?”

“Okay ma. Thank you.”

“So next time, when she comes around, know her name and I would like to speak with her.”

“I don't think there'll be a next time ma. I strictly warned her not to come back here.”

“Well, that was the right thing to do in this situation, but she might come back. You can never tell. Alright, I'll leave you to get ready for work. I wanted to make sure my son hadn't started bringing girls into the house. I'm proud of you son," she said, and reached to plant a kiss on his forehead.

"Love you too, mom. You're the best," Manuel said, grinning from molar to molar.

“Oh my God! That was a hot seat! God knows I won't offer such help again”, he said and carried his cup of tea to the dining room.

He rounded up and left for work at his cybercafé, which he opened jointly with his friend, Dan.

Life in Chicago is full of nightlife and flexing. At age thirteen, it is expected that you should start earning for yourself. After school, you'll go for your part-time job, learning survival skills.

This explains why Lily's parents cared less about her whereabouts. They just knew it was impossible for her to get missing.

Lily trailed inside the compound, their compound.

It was a peaceful refuge, a nature's nest. Calm and tranquil with a beautiful garden at the corner of the compound. It exuded life and serenity. This was the handiwork of Lily's mother, Mrs Justina Brown, whose presence was what kept the family working and alive.

Lily’s father was a silversmith, and he loved the country vibe, the loud music and never-ending chatter. This duo somehow complimented themselves, in that, whenever the house was becoming too dull, the humorous nature of their father would surface and revitalize the home.

Lily and Matt, her brother, apparently took after their father in the hesitant and humorous lifestyle, while Sophy, the eldest, took after her mom. This proportion told on Mrs Brown, as she was always shouting and correcting Lily and Matt.

Mom….. Lily called.

Yes, Lily. Check on your brother. Make sure he doesn't wee again on that foam. Hurry!

Lily ran into the room and slapped her brother awake.

“Hurry, go to the restroom and wee.”

Matt sprang up and ran to the restroom. When he was done, he started to cry.

Mom! Lily did it again!

"Lily...!!!

“He almost wet the foam, so I slapped him up”. Lily defended herself while moving backwards from her mother.

“You’ve developed it as a habit to always slap your brother up. Be warned Lily, because next time, I won't spare you! Lily's mom reprimanded her, pointing sternly at her.

“He's a man, and you have to give men the respect they deserve,” She continued.

But mum…

“No buts Lily. Go open up the store.”

Mum…

What? Why are you disturbing me this early Lily?

"I've been away since yesterday, and you didn't even care to ask me where I was," Lily said with a sullen face and downcast tone.

Why should I? Since you've decided to turn vagabond, I too have decided not to care.

“But I'm still your daughter…” Lily added in a teary voice.

“Come off it Lily.” Justina snapped.

Mom…

“Lily, get the hell out of here! You've made your bed, so lie on it. Go open up the store and make sales.”

“I guess you'll have to force me this time, because I'm not going anywhere,” Lily blurted, maintaining her stance.

“What did you just say? I can see you're nuts. I wish your dad was home to hear you insult me.”

“You can as well tell him whenever he comes back…” Lily snapped.

“Shut your clumsy mouth, you bastard.” Her mother shouted, interrupting her statement with a resounding slap on her cheek.

“You will never make a fool of my efforts at you!”. Her mother said in rage.

Lily gave her mother a deranged look and stomped out.

Matt, who had been watching everything, quietly walked in to continue his sleep.

Lily stomped inside the room she shared with her elder sister, Sophy.

“What's up Lily? Why are you making so much noise this morning?” Sophy asked while stretching out.

“You can all go to hell”, Lily blurted.

Sophy ran a quick look on Lily and realized that she still had her previous day's clothes on.

“Are you just coming back from the park since I left yesterday?” Sophy asked in a sardonic tone.

Lily ignored her question and threw herself backward on her bed, with her boots still on.