MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES

Chapter 3: quarrel

The children left to go to their room as their father instructed them, and we continued our discussion until nightfall. After a short time, my husband wrapped his arms around my waist and whispered in my ear, “Having a beautiful woman like you as my wife is the most precious gift I have ever received.”

Whenever I hear such a statement, I know he is in the mood, and as a crazy wife, I hold his chest, and we eventually land on the bed.

*********

Earlier in the morning, my husband was the first to wake up and went to the farm. He is always the earliest riser in our house.

Precious woke up to get herself and her siblings ready for school, but Harrison was still not awake. She hurried into his room, where he was relaxed and still sleeping, and called out, "Harrison! Will you get up before I have to come over there and wake you up myself? I know you’re pretending to be in a deep sleep!"

He opened his eyes and groaned, “Leave me alone, Precious. I'm not going to school because I don’t feel strong. Just let me be,” before closing his eyes again, feigning sleep.

She tried to lift him in bed and shout, "Harrison! Harrison! Stop all this drama and let's get ready for class without wasting any more time. I know nothing is wrong with you, you stubborn snake in human form! You’ll continue to be sick forever."

Harrison heard Precious call him a snake and started to cry. The sound of his cries grew louder, making everyone in the house hear him.

As I was getting ready to go shopping, I heard the sound of someone crying and felt annoyed. Do I have to hear shouting every day in my house? I wondered as I went to find out what was happening.

I entered the room to find Harrison and Precious. Harrison was crying bitterly. What was going on? Who was hurting my son? He pointed at Precious, still sobbing uncontrollably.

"You again?" I asked Precious.

She raised her hands, claiming to be innocent. "I never did anything to him. I just asked him to wake up, and he started crying." Harrison interrupted, saying, "Liar, Mum! He’s calling me a snake, so I guess I'm a snake in this house," as he cried even louder.

"Why are you calling your brother a snake? If he were a snake, wouldn’t he have bitten you by now? You've been in this house all since birth."

She responded, "Mum, I waste so much time every morning before he gets up for school as if he’s going to school for my benefit. It’s too much, and I can't tolerate it anymore. He needs to stop this nonsense, or will we not be preparing him for school anymore?"

"How dare you talk to me like that?" I replied. "You answer my questions with questions! Do you call him a snake or not?" I gave her a sharp slap on her cheek. "Now, are you ready to answer my question?"

"Mum," she began to cry, holding her cheek. "You slapped me because of Harrison! I didn’t mean he’s a snake; I just meant he’s not a straightforward person. He’s always deceitful."

"Shut up, my friend! Now go out and prepare for your classes before the school bus arrives! Make sure Gift and Miracle have some snacks with them."

Okay, Mum, she answered and left, still holding her cheek.

Mum, you know Precious is a lair; I have not fully recovered, though I'm better now than yesterday, but what if I go to school and it starts again? I need some time to recover from by the way we are not in examination... Harrison exclaimed still lying on the bed.

I understand, don't mind her, how are you feeling now? You can follow me to the shop today, and by next week, you can resume classes.

"Okay, Mum, thank you for caring and understanding my feelings, he shows appreciation.

"No need to thank me, my son. You are my everything, and it's my responsibility to take good care of you. Let's start getting ready to shop while the children prepare for their classes until their school bus arrives."

I hold Harrison's hand as we cross the road to the shop, where I sell cosmetic products because no one is home.

*PRECIOUS*

As soon as Precious entered her classroom, her mood was off; she didn't want to talk to anyone and sat there idly.

During the class, her teacher observed her and noticed that something was wrong. Precious's face had swollen up. Normally, she was bright and engaged, always answering questions during the lecture.

“Hi, Precious, are you okay?” her teacher asked, approaching her.

“Yes, ma'am, I'm fine,” she replied, trying to appear composed.

“I don't think so. What happened to your face? Did you get into a fight with any students on your way to school?”

Precious remained quiet for a moment thinking of what to answer.

“Feel free to talk to me. I'm your teacher, and I promise I won’t harm you,” her teacher encouraged her.

"Nothing, ma'am. I didn't fight with anyone; I'm okay," Precious said softly.

"Alright, if you say so," her teacher replied, turning back to the board to continue with the lesson.

Precious remained quiet, controlling her emotions until the lecture ended and everyone else left the classroom, leaving only her and her friend behind. She rested her head on her desk, and her friend approached her.

"Precious, what happened to you on your way to school? You didn’t tell our teachers. I support you for that, but I'm your best friend, and we share our secrets. Please don’t say you’re okay because I know you're not."

Precious paused for a moment before responding. She wondered, what if she told her? Wouldn't she share it with others, considering she has a friend who isn’t her friend? If people found out that her mother didn’t cherish her, it could lead to others treating her poorly.

She felt she had to tell her for one reason because of the concern she had shown. After all, it’s normal for a mother to discipline her child, and keeping problems bottled up isn’t healthy. Or maybe she should tell Dad instead since he is more understanding? She kept pondering these questions until she finally replied, “I’m good, my dear; I just want to be on my own at the moment.

Sorry for disturbing you; see you later.” Her friend, feeling angry, got up and left her sitting alone in the classroom.

She bent her head on her desk and started crying. She asked herself, "Is this what I am going to experience in life? Mom loves Harrison more than me, but it's okay. I must tell Dad because I can't keep quiet and just cry inside."

This time, I was in the shop, which was busier than usual on this last day, with many customers waiting for me. I focused on helping my customer, and after a few minutes, I realized that Harrison was no longer inside where he had been sleeping. I asked my customer, and she said she hadn't seen any kids. I continued attending to my customer, hoping that Harrison would come back, thinking he might have gone to buy biscuits at a nearby shop. But after an hour, I still hadn't seen him, and I began to feel afraid.

I excused myself from my customer to search for him, and suddenly, I saw him coming back with bread in his hand. I was shocked. I knew he was a stubborn boy, and I said, who gave you bread? Or you will go home and stay alone. Speak quickly!"

He started pointing at a woman in the shop nearby.

"Who sent you there, and why didn’t you let me know before going?"

"I'm sorry, Mom. I was just hungry, and there was no food in the shop," he answered me with a low voice.

"Did you tell me you were hungry and I didn't look for something for you to eat? Why did you accept bread from a stranger? Not only did you move out without my permission, but what if something had happened to you?"

I'm hungry. I only eat small portions; it's the small food that is precious, and miracles remain for me.

"It's fine, my son. I remember you enjoy small food, but I'm just not happy that you didn’t tell me before going out. By the way, did you remember to thank Mum after she gave you the bread?"

"Yes, Mummy! I enjoyed it, along with the lassi drink," he said, shaking his head in joy as he ate.

I keep looking at him, smiling. "Children and food—that's all they think about, day and night; nothing else bothers them."

After a few hours, we came back home. Before, my husband and I found ourselves sitting at the dining table where Precious complained bitterly.

"Dad, something is bothering me that I want to say it out, I didn’t want to bring it up separately but rather in front of everyone. I don't like what's happening in this house. This morning, I asked Harrison to get up for class, and he refused. As if that wasn't enough, Mum came in and slapped me. Why does Mum support Harrison even when he’s wrong?" Precious said, sounding innocent.

"Is that true?" my husband asked me.

"Honey, this girl is becoming very rude. She acts like she’s the mother of the house. Harrison isn’t feeling well, and she’s calling him a snake, which makes him cry and feel bad about himself.

My husband replied, "Wait, I don't understand what's happening here. Why are you calling your brother a 'snake? You found it difficult to help him even last time when they asked you to wash his clothes, and you were complaining. Don't you remember when you were little?"

"How would you feel if one of your sisters called you a snake? I mean, that's unfair! No one should use abusive words among siblings. Precious, if you try that again, I will have to step in."

"No, Dad is not like that! I mean, hmmm he's not a snake..."

"Hmm, what? Don't try it again. There are enough arguments in this house already. Every day I come back from the farm, and I'm not happy. You all need to stop this and work towards having a happy and understanding family."

Precious cannot control her emotions; she leaves her food on top of the table, acts as if she wants to get something, and goes into her room, crying bitterly. Her dad is a good man, but he doesn’t understand. Harrison has used my words against me because of the 'snake' comment I made...