Missing or Dead

Chapter Two - Home

Fabian's Point Of View

I was in the kitchen, preparing cereal for Dorry while she sat in the sitting room, at the front of the tv watching a cartoon program. The gate bell rang loudly.

"Who could that be?" Dorathy said coming into the kitchen.

"Asking me? Why don't you go and check for yourself?" I scoffed.

"Me? I'm too small and short for the gate, I am just five years old. Do you remember?"

We both came out of the kitchen separately. "No, I don't, besides it's not about age," I dropped her bowl of cereal on the dining table.

"Come and eat."

"Can't you bring it..."

I cut in angrily, "don't order me around, I'm not your maid."

"Don't get angry, boy!" She stood up from the couch and went to the dining table, "you could have just prepared something better, other than this.” She shakes her head, "too bad of you."

I looked at her annoyingly, "are you eating it or not? I will definitely finish that before you blink an eye so don't taste my patience..." We got interrupted by the gate bell, louder than before, this time accomplished by heavy bangs.

"Oopsie, I totally forgot the knocker."

She looked at me weirdly, “is that even the right word to use, knocker. No wonder your dictionary looks so new, unused, finally I solved the puzzle. You don't use it and you end up saying nonsense, what a shame!” She scoffed and looked at me mockingly then began to hum a song while eating.

"You don't even know the word, how would you know? Besides how I use anything is not your biz, always mind your business," I said while going outside.

"Who is there?" I said when I got close to the gate. Recently we became in charge of our gate because our gate keeper had to rush back to his town to settle some family situation, and doing this on a daily basis is stressing my life, pecks of a middle child.

"Someone."

"Who? Don't you have a name or something?" I shouted leaning towards the gate.

"No, I don't since my silly brother can't recognize my voice." I opened the gate and Junior entered the compound. Was I supposed to register his voice in my head so I would be able to recognize it from afar, pssh, "wait for Peter and Paul." He said as I was about to close the gate.

"Must he always come here? Wait? Paul is here?"

“You can ask him when he comes in”, he said, going towards the house.

"Well-done, so I'm not welcome here anymore."

“No!!! Peter P!”, I shouted, hailing him. “Of course not, how will I say such a thing? Don't you trust me? I wouldn't you know that, it's impossible.”

Paul also entered smiling sheepishly, "Fab! Fab!! Longest time."

"My man!" I hugged him and we all entered the house together. He had been sick for months and the last time I checked on him, he was just recovering. Mom's whereabouts hadn't given me the chance to see him again.

"How is your health now? How is everything?"

"Fine I guess, at least things are okay."

"Where is Joy?" said the voice from the dining room.

"Is that how you welcome people in, Dora?"

"Must I? Peter, I don't welcome people who come here to eat off my food every time. Besides, I have told you countless times to stop calling me Dora, you don't have the right. My name is Dorathy."

"Aah."

“Dora, shut up and finish your food”, Junior turned to me when I was about to sit on the couch and asked, "what did Uncle do today?"

"You've got a big wide mouth!!" I looked at Dorathy, "can't you keep quiet for once." I turned to Junior, "he arrested pops today, he brought some policemen to the house earlier."

"What!" Junior and Peter yelled simultaneously.

"What's what? I thought that big mouth-" I paused and looked at Dorathy again, "-had told you what happened, besides what I just said is very clear, well if you don't understand, he claimed that pops was the-" I paused again to look at them, "-you both understand now."

"Why are you looking around like an old creepy man?" Dorathy asked.

"But what's wrong with that old chap?" Junior said simultaneously. I looked at Dorathy, "I'm not your mate", and she stuck her tongue out at me.

"Who?" Paul asked, confused.

"Question."

“I'm lost here”, he said, still confused.

"Do you need a map? Mister 'lost here', umm", Dorathy said looking at him plainly.

"I'm going to seriously s***k this girl, do you think he is your mate?" He looked at her scornfully.

"I don't think so", Junior smiled and pulled Peter back, "just leave her alone, she's just a little girl."

"And that is why she is so spoiled", he looked at her angrily. Dorathy sticked her tongue out at him and ran to the back of the armchair laughing loudly.

"What are we going to do now?" I looked at my brother sadly.

"I'm very confused now. There is no evidence showing that pops killed or harmed mom, besides mom or her body is nowhere to be found. Everything is just confusing me."

"Hey, calm down. Your dad can't-" Peter paused to look at Dorathy and discovered that she had fallen asleep behind the armchair. She falls asleep too quickly, one minute she is doing something and the next minute she is sleeping. Peter continued, "-he can't kill your mom, I’m sure of that, hundred percent sure about it. He loves her more than life itself." He smiled like he remembered something.

Junior also realized that Dorathy had slept off behind the armchair, he went to her and carried her to her room and Peter followed him. "When will Joy be back?"

He has always liked my sister, Joy, but she has another person in her heart and I don't know why he refused to admit that she can't ever be hers. People keep wondering why he comes here on a daily basis, always wondering if it for some stupid thing but I know it's because of Joy nothing else, still believes Joy can be his's. The door opened and the great Joy came in singing happily.

"You know I want your love so bad

I don't know how to show it

Before I tear myself apart

Let me suggest a place to s..."

"What's going on here?"

"Something", Junior said trying to clean the dining table with his left hand since his right hand was occupied with Dorathy's bowl, he faced Peter, "I think you have your answer now."

"What's really going on here?"

"Pops is in prison."

She asked with a confused face, "I don't get it."

"What is it that you don't get there?" He hissed angrily.

"Hey!" She yelled, getting angry, "if you want to explain, then do that and don't insult me, okay?"

"Because I won't take s**t from you, not at all." She added, "so you..." her phone interrupted her, "excuse me guys. I need to pick this," she said pointing at her phone.

"I thought she was in a good mood when she came in, with the way she was singing and just switched with just one sentence and a phone call, she switched back. Women are mysteries." Paul said looking confused. He gets confused easily, just like Joy, she gets pissed off, not angry, easily over silly things but this time I think she's in that end of the month period gift that all females pass through. Yeah, you heard me say it's a gift because it shows that you are ovulating, actually Joy told me that. She won't let anyone call it bad or a cause on women and fun fact she actually hates it, like Paul said women are indeed mysteries, I sighed.

"She gets pissed off easily, our darling precious angry bird."

"Maybe she is switching, who knows?"

"Switching? Nah! I think she got someone's attention but not fully, you know? It is a work in progress, next time she is getting the full undiluted attention."

"Who?"

"I can hear you guys loud and clear from here, please keep your goddamn mouth shut, this call is very important," she shouted from the kitchen, “so sorry about that…” She said to the other person on the phone.

"I bet you guys she is talking to Daniel." I interjected.

"I don't think so."

"I don't even know what she sees in him."

"He is a great guy, you can just tell her about your feelings instead of..." I was cut short by Joy's reappearance into the living room.

"So back to our discussion."

"Whatever. Uncle got pops arrested today, I think in the afternoon."

"Not I think, it was in the afternoon, early afternoon." I sharply interjected.

She laughed heartily and looked at us, "ha-ha I'm not going to fall for that, thanks but not today. Just too many pranks and I have lost count. Today is not even the first of April. Well another April fool prank won't work on me, just like last year's own", she laughed again, "I just can't believe you, stupid boy."