Taming Her Heart

I'm Tired

Next morning

"Mel!! , Mell!!, ", Melanie's younger brother,Jake called her .

Melanie heard someone calling her in her dreams .

"Mell!! ,, he called again,, "what ,, what is happening,, Melanie sprung up in panic as she woke up from her sleep with the tone her brother used to call her.

father is calling you Mel her brother replied.

"Seriously Jake, just because father is calling me,, do you have to shout as if the world is coming to an end?? oh my god,, can't you just call me in a human way ,oh you made me panic."

Because of the way Jake shouted, she was in panic ,her heart was thumping as if she had just run five laps at the stadium. nevertheless she stood up and she went to answer her Dad's call.

Daddy, you called for me Melanie said when she entered the hall .

"Yes Mel ,I called for you.

I've been sending your siblings to call you for over a long time and you didn't come and you are just coming don't you have respect for your elders?"

"I didn't hear dad, "Mel replied .

"You didn't hear?, really,, I heard your siblings shouting and you are standing here telling me you didn't hear.

Is this the time a grown up girl like you should wake up, it's already 8:00 a.m, and you are still sleeping.

why can't you wake up early and help with the house chores,do you always have to be sleeping ,," my dad said .

" I looked at the time and realised it was just 7:30 a.m. I kept quiet and I shook my head."

"You will shake your head too , whenever I call you to talk to you ,,its either you start shaking your head or you start scratching your legs.

Mel, I'm your father I have the right to advise you.'

' I'm just advising you,, you don't have to wake up so late like that you are a girl. wake up early and work ,,"

He continued hmm ,I hmmed quietly .

"we all stay in this house together it will only be right if we work together you can't expect your older siblings always be working and you will always be sleeping you don't even go to the store to help.

You are always in your room either sleeping or on your phone and when I call you to send you or something you frown your face as if I took your phone from you.

You don't even smile, you are always frowning,, because of that I'm even afraid to call you and send you.." he said.

"Yes, she's always in her room she won't even come out to take a broom to sweep the compound or come out to even look around. my mom chipped in .

She's always on her phone and God knows what she does with it.

You don't do anything,, even at your free time, you could come to the store to help but no , you will be in your room and when we call you,, you will come and do what we called you to do and go back to your room again , what kind of girl are you.

I don't even understand where you got this attitude from." she said.

"And Mel ,if you know you've been doing boyfriend and girlfriend ,stop it immediately otherwise when you are caught , it won't be good for the both of us . "dad said

'Melanie was getting tired of the way her parents were bickering.But she kept quiet as the only thing she wanted was for them to finish talking so she can go back to her room.'

"Mel , please stop sleeping late.sleep early so you can wake up early and help with the house chores .

If there is something to do, do it and if you finish doing everything you can do whatever you want .

If it's food help in cooking it because you have so much time on your hands now. It's better if you help us now as sooner or later you will be gone to the university.

by then no one will come to call you to cook or sweep please change your attitude ok,, my dad said.

Okay dad , Melanie said and left.

As Melanie was entering her room, she heard her mother talking,,

"This girl, she won't even mind you .

She doesn't care about anything, I wonder where she got that attitude from. You call her and talk to her and she will just look at you till you finish talking and go back to her room."

"I zoned her out and entered my room,this woman will not let go of an opportunity to humiliate me.

I sat down and took my phone and started watching some videos on Facebook.........."

"When it was noon my mum called me to come for the food stuffs to cook fufu and light soup. I went there , took the foodstuffs and came back home.

I wanted to finish everything fast so I can just go back to my room.

So I started working on everything, the cassava, the plantain, the tomatoes, everything, even before I on the fire.

Halfway through it ,my dad came home from work.

" What are you cooking Mel," he asked."

"fufu and light soup," I replied .

"You are cooking fufu and you've not even on the fire .do you want the children to cry in hunger ?

They will be back any moment from now....", as if it was a conspiracy, my younger brother came home , followed by my two other sisters

"Look ,they are back and you've not even on the fire, I always told your mother,,i've always been telling her that she shouldn't put such things in your hands but she won't listen.

Now look, the children are back and there is no food to give them. he said.

he took his phone and he called my mum "she has not even put the food on the fire I heard him complain.

I swear this man is just too much why won't he just have patience I'll finish right now he never seize to exaggerate I groaned.

there and then my mum called me on my phone.

hello mum ,I said when I picked the call .

" Mel you have not even put the food on fire,," she said.

"no mum, I couldn't put the cassava and the plantain on the fire without working on it could I,, I just finished and I've put it on the fire.

" I'll finish in a while", "ok, "she replied and hanged up.

after 30 minutes I finished cooking everything and I decided to post something on my status so I typed ," learn to appreciate people when they do the right thing the same way you criticize them when they are wrong."

after some time my dad viewed my status and he sent me a message it won't go anywhere I looked at it from my notification bar and ignored it.

And then he called me, "Mel ,come here"

"Here I am dad, I said.

what did you post on your status,, 'learn to appreciate people when they do the right thing?

it won't go anywhere Mel, sometimes when I tell you to do something and you don't do it ,do I criticize you?

" I looked at him with a confused expression and wondered,, did I post it for him? I've posted my something and here he is , talking as if I posted it because of him .

I wonder when this father of mine will stop being childish.

"Mel when something happens or when I call you to talk to you,, you would take your phone and be posting stuffs. I hear but......

Dad,the food is burning,am going to check it, I interrupted and left otherwise it would have turn into another lecture.

it was 8 p.m. when I finished everything on the kitchen I waited for the children to finish eating and I washed the utensils and cleaned the kitchen very nicely I hope my parents won't complain this time around.

around 8:30 p.m. my mum came home after sometime she called me and I went.

"Mel, why is there not enough salt in the soup. can you do anything right,, my mom said.

I looked at her in confusion and said, I just thought the salt was ok.

"you just thought the salt was ok ,,

Mel, do you want to kill us ,, don't you know lack of salt does some damages to the human body ,, you were a science student, and you know all this so why are you taking it for granted. dad chipped in.

"mum , if you think the salt is not okay then just add some to your tastes however you want it but this doesn't call for talking.

And Dad , you ate earlier before mum so why didn't you tell me the salt was not enough. I could have added some.

" If I told you ,you would have frowned your face again .that is why I didn't tell you . my dad replied

really,, ok.

mum ,was my only offence not to add enough salt in the soup ? didn't I do well today? I was hoping you won't complain today but I'm wrong .

Is there anything you would ever be satisfied with?? I said and walked out on them.

i banged the door of my room with anger when I entered I'm tired, I'm tired of them, I'm tired of everything, I don't think i can take it anymore .

I didn't realise when I started crying. I'm doing everything just so my parents will stop talking about everything I do but it seems they are never satisfied with anything .

My parents are pitiful but it would be a very big mistake for someone to pity them.

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