The dirty Rain

THE TROUBLED MIND

The gentle breeze blows the aromatic scent of flowers from the backyard garden into the house through the opened window. One would notice the droplets of water from the morning dew on the petals and leaves of the flowers in the well kept garden. The garden was full of numerous collections of herbs and vegetables that is both pleasant to the eyes and enticing to the kitchen. Fresh bud of garlic, the green fingers of aloe Vera, the sprawling leaves of carrots all neatly lined in different rows like Royal army in early morning parade. 

The backyard door opened with a creaking sound as a figure so beautiful to behold stepped into the concrete walkway that leads to the garden. You will wonder if such a fairy looking figure can still be found on earth. In her early twenties Chloe is seen more as fairy than a human. The well shaped body that resembles the master piece of a creative craftsman and her blue eyes is what many of her peers can give anything to have. She took that figure from her father Frederick whose youthful days saw him been surrounded by girls from his neighbourhood and the aging process could steal just little of the athletic shape of the handsome man. 

Chloe walked briskly into the garden turned on the tap which supplies water into the watering hose. She sprayed water on the plants row by row while careful avoiding the young leaves from been damaged by the force of the gushing water. As she approached the last row of the plants which contains hibiscus flowers, the door to the backyard flew wide open and the figure of a small child stood at the exit. As Chloe turned towards the direction of the door, to see who the new entrant was, her expression changed from busy to sarcastic 

"what the hell Richy! " Chloe said in a gentle voice as she dropped the watering hose on the ground and reached towards the tap to turn it off. She walked toward Richy get down to his head level "Have told you not to touch things in my room haven't I?" she said 

"Koe I put just little on my face" Richy replied pronouncing Chloe as Koe. 

The mixture of powder, creams, lipstick and eye pencil dotted the little boy face which made him to look more like a cartoon drew with a badly shaped crayon. 

"Don't touch anything in my room again if you want to rub powder on your face just tell me you hear that?" Said Chloe as she used the face towel she had around her neck to clean Richy face. 

"yes Koe" Richy replied 

"You not going to school today?" Richy asked in an inquisitive voice

"I will sure go,  I have just one lecture today in the afternoon, so me and you will have more time to play today" Chloe replied as she walks Richy through the backyard door into the house. 

She walked the little boy straight into her room, with the aid of an handkerchief rubbed off the remnants of the powder and the make up from his face before leading him into the room bathroom and rinse the rest off with water. 

"You look really handsome now" Chloe said as she gently rubbed Richy curly hair

"But you put that in your face when you want to go out, so why can't I use it too" said Richy in a rather protesting tone. 

Chloe bend down to his eye level, held his little hands as look straight into the the little boy inquisitive eyes " Those things are for girls and not for boys"

"But why " Richy fired back with a raised eye brow in a rather defiant tone 

Chloe shook her head with smile on her face "hey boy! you asked too many questions too big for this your head" she replied as she used her finger to touch Richy forehead. 

"Hmm but I guess all boys have rubbed all powders and make up on their faces before coming to this world, so they are naturally handsome no need for powder or makeup again" Chloe said. 

"But are girls ugly, should they rub powder before they can look beautiful hmm?" Richy asked 

"oh! Boy you are making my head ache with this your too much questions eh! How on earth would I know that since am not God" Chloe replied while laughing at the seemingly impossible to answer questions been thrown at her by Richy. 

"You know what, it's almost time for me to prepare for my lectures, so why don't you go meet my mum in her stores and asked that question, am sure she will gives you a very good answers" Chloe said in a bid to get rid of the boy and prepare for school. 

"OK Koe" said Richy as he ran out of the room and headed for the store located in front of the shop where Chloe mother Nina sells groceries. 

As the little boy left the room, Chloe closed the door gently and walked back into the room bathroom to clean up. As she removed her cloths, with an obvious look on her face that there are some things going through her mind. She walked towards the mirrors hanged by the wall over the washing sink. She put some toothpaste on her tooth brush and brushing her tooth but in a slow pace. 

Half way through the process, she stopped look into the mirror then used her left palm to clean the steam that has formed on the mirror surface. With serious thoughts racing on in her mind, she spit spit out the content of her mouth bend her head as her eye turn misty. It becomes more obvious that the thoughts going through her mind was not a palatable one. 

She took a deep breath and mutter to herself "but why was there no effective treatments for such conditions? Why should such become a death sentence for those who found themselves in that situation" 

She continued "If Richy dad and mum could die in such a pitiable way, who knows what will happen to other people who will face the same health issues?" 

More troubled thought kept flowing through her mind as she forced herself to finish brushing her teeth and took her bath. As she left the bathroom into the room to dress up, she could not just shake the thought off her head as she finished dressing pack her lectures notes and head toward her mother store to bid her goodbye. 

As she walked into the store, one could but notice the rows of the shelves neatly arranged with various house hold and personal care goods been displayed on them for easy access by the intending customers. 

Nina was attending to a middle age man who was a regular customer at the store when chloe entered the store. She exchanged pleasantries with the man before she proceed to a side of the store where a bed could be seen with Richy curled up sleeping soundly. She walk up to the sleepy child placed a gentle kiss on his forehead "I know you will be asleep now, that's why the store is so quiet handsome fellow" she said. 

Nina walked up to where her daughter was bending over Richy "It took me nearly half an hour and several story before I could convince this little Professor why boys don't rub powder and make up" she said as mother and daughter bursted into laughter. 

"That's why I stylishly sent him to you earlier, he was spinning my head with his impossible questions" Chloe said. She continued "sometimes I wonder where he gets all those big big questions from, I hardly believe he is barely 3 years old" 

"She inherited that from his father James. Although he was the youngest in our family with 4 years gap between us, he was so intelligent than most of us and we nickname him Professor. Most times Richy attitudes makes me miss my brother more everyday" Nina said. 

They were both quiet for some minutes as the memories of untimely demise of Richy father changed the  atmosphere from funny to a sad.

 "I wish to God I could do anything to save my brothers life, even Frederick your father was willing to sell our property to raise money to seek additional medical assistance overseas, but we were advised against such as the Doctors said his conditions and that of his wife could not be successfully treated with any known medical procedures" Nina said with tears filled eyes. 

"Mum its okay, everyone really tried their best but it's like the best was not enough to save them. Thank God at least, the sickness did not affect Richy so we should be grateful for that" Chloe replied her mother in an effort to console her. 

"it's alright my sweetheart, you need to be on your way to lectures. And greet that you weird Professor for me. Oh! What do you say his name was, I find it difficult to remember it" Nina asked as the both bursted into laughter. 

"Professor Bastowski but we call him Prof Bast, I hope you can remember that" Chloe replied her mother. 

"OK, greet him for me. Tell him I will send him his favourite Onions when fresh ones is available from the garden" Nina said 

"OK I will" Chloe replied her mother as she ran out of the store indicating that she might be late for Prof Bast's Xeno-Biochemistry lectures class.