Nissan

FAMILY

Pierre and Mary had 3 kids; Hilda, Martins and Nissan.

The story after this wasn’t an eventful one just as other families were.

Pierre never wanted a male child. So funny for him to do. Since his own parents never appreciated even his existence.

“Mary!!, don’t bring that thing that you call a son close to me!” He said as he walked out of the hospital, from the ward were she was admitted after having Nissan.

It was an embarrassing moment leaving everyone dumbfounded. Which father wouldn’t want a male child in this modern era? He left to his normal drinking joint.

Ike and Ben were already there drinking as usual.

“Oh Ike, here comes our friend “ Ben said with eyes already heavy. “But he doesn’t look excited tho,” said a surprised Ike. “Could his pregnant wife have given birth to a girl this time?” He thought aloud.

Pierre kicked a stone out of anger and had a sharp cut. Blood oozed out. He kicked another stone and the same thing happened at the same spot he had the previous injury, he couldn’t walk any longer. He fell down and shouted. Ike and Ben were already drunk by then, they thought he was singing and chanting.

“What could he be chanting?” Asked a thoughtless Ike.

“He must be so good at singing” the other one replied.

Passers-by helped the hopeless man on the floor. One cleaned the bruises while three others helped to lift him home.

Hilda was 6, matins was 4, while Nissan had just been born.

Mary would be discharged the next day so Hilda had to take care of Martins alone.

Martins was asleep when dad came in. Hilda was surprised tho, he was being assisted by three other people. They helped him sit down , and they left. She sighted the bandage covering one side of his right foot.

She dared not ask further questions or she might have her own bandages soon, since she suspected that he wasn’t in a good mood.

“What must have injured him?” she thought. All she could remember was that he had left in the morning to see mum who was in the hospital. She knew mum was pregnant, but why wasn’t dad excited, could she have died, or had the baby died too?

No she wouldn’t entertain such thoughts, she missed her mum and wouldn’t want any of these to happen at all.

Dad was just not an easy person to understand at all. She believed he had millions of things in his mind which he wouldn’t say out at all. He would prefer to carry them all in his head.

But she had noticed that he was always kind when he spoke to her. Dad wasn’t antagonistic at all when doing things with her. But the reverse was the case for Martins, on several occasions Martins had received beatings, slaps and narrow misses of punches from him, both for things which he did and even things which she had done too. Why was it so.

It had all started when mum gave birth to Martins. Dad changed, he wasn’t the same person he used to be before.

“Welcome dad” she said quietly and left.

He was staring at the ceiling fan not knowing exactly what to concentrate on.

He slept off.

It was 9:45pm when the dreadful idea came to his mind.