Waiting for Mummy and Daddy

We were inside. I and the girls. Mary and Martha were my only siblings. It was on a Sunday. Mummy and daddy were all out, they had gone out earlier for their monthly tribal meetings. So we were bored and we decided to play some games. Martha brought the idea. She was the last of all the children, she is equally the most outspoken. She loves playing card games, so she suggested that we play 'WHOT'. "It's not as if you're even great at it, you all know that I'm winning every round" Mary boasted. Sadly true she was right, she was always winning us after every round, no matter which game it was she always won. Mary was the second child, she was the shy type. I on the other hand cared less about the game. I believed that the game was sheer luck, I was just trying to enjoy the moment and simultaneously kill the boredom. I, Michael was the first Child. I was typically ambiverted. We soon got tired of the game and so we decided to rest for a while. Martha stepped outside for some seconds, I and Mary just faced the blank television hoping for some miracle. "Up NEPA!" We both screamed in unison as the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) restored the power, it was as if they knew we were waiting for them to restore the power. The name NEPA has since been changed to PHCN but everyone was already used to it's former name. I cannot even imagine how awkward it would sound if power was restored and everyone then begins to shout "Up PHCN!!" Almost immediately the power was restored, we began the ultimate search for the most valuable thing at the moment, the Remote control. Anybody who gets hold of the remote control seemed like the boss. Funny enough we searched every nook and cranny of the living room but we still couldn't find it. As soon as Martha entered, we watched as she walked majestically and paced slowly into our parent's room. In no time, she had the remote control on her hands. Martha had previously hid the remote control knowing fully well that we won't allow her watch her favorite cartoon series. So we watched as she gracefully sat on her sofa. Everyone had their favorite sofa, mummy and daddy too. We just stood helplessly as she changed the channel to 305. She already knew the channel's number off hand. Somehow we were happy because her favorite cartoon series was just about ending. So we had to wait for about ten minutes or so. It was then I realized that waiting can be a very difficult thing to do. This ten minutes seemed like an hour. Soon, it was all over, thankfully so. Then another controversy soon begun, who would gain control of the remote? I wanted to watch a football match. It was a game between Manchester United and Chelsea FC, two fierce rivals. At least that's the way we see it here in Nigeria. Mary wanted to watch some Korean drama, Martha was ready to settle for anything else apart from football, she hated football. So she was on Mary's side this time. Somehow I was tempted to use my superiority, but I knew it wasn't fair. My parent always preached about fairness and how age was only but a number. Since it was two against one, I had to settle for the Korean movie with the girls. "Okay! Let's watch your movie, but after it's done I am going to watch my football match", I said" Alright" they concurred. The Korean drama was just about starting, and I think it was to last for about forty-five minutes. So I had to be patient once more. I hated the Korean drama. There were too many drama, suspense and crying. It was different from American action movies which I preferred. But as I watched, I began to develop interest in the movie. "Who is that guy and why is he crying?" I asked why pointing to an actor crying profusely as if he lost a family member. "That's Li Min Ho, the lead character and he is not crying because he lost a family member. He is crying because his childhood girlfriend had an accident and could no longer recall him" Mary responded. "I think she is suffering from amnesia" I said. "But Brother Michael, I thought you said you hated Korean movies, why the sudden interest?" Martha attacked. " Of course I hate Korean drama, one movie cannot just change my mind" I lied. I was beginning to enjoy it. I sat quietly throughout the whole forty-five minute period and watched keenly. Somehow the forty-five minutes seemed so short as the movie soon ended. "Ehen! Give me my remote control" I said as soon as the movie ended. As I was about to tune in to the sports channel, power went off. "Ah! NEPA!" I shouted again for the second time today. Somehow I felt betrayed. And then we all stepped outside, but we were soon chased inside by the strong wind that blew angrily. It was a sign that the rain was going to fall heavily. So we were back inside. Everything seemed to happen that day but mummy and daddy still weren't back home yet. So we just sat inside, we were still waiting.