The bright shining moon was beginning to get covered by the dark clouds as time seeped far into the night. Katrina curled and tossed severally on her bed finding it difficult to sleep. Memories of how she spent her life with her mom and without her mum kept occurring to her and fresh tears came out of her eyes.
She so much missed her mum. Suddenly, there was a knock on the bedroom door.
“Who could it be?” she asked herself. Before she entered her room, there was no one else in the house except for herself and her brother. Immediately the woman they refer to as their stepmother left the house, their father also went out to somewhere she had no idea of.
She stood up and adjusted her faded blue pyjamas which she owned ever since her mother was alive very well and made her way to the door. She turned the doorknob and it turned out to be her father who was knocking on the door.
“D… Daa.. d,” she stuttered not sure if the person in front of her deserved to be called her father. Even if she can’t deny the blood bond between them, she might as well deny him the right as her father if she has the chance at that moment. He so much failed in his responsibilities towards her and her brother.
“Why are you in bed by this time?” came the harsh question from William.
“Wha….?” Katrina was short of words. She raised her head to look at the small round clock on the wall opposite her bed and it was 10 ‘ O’clock post meridian.
“This is ten pm dad,” she managed to voice her thought. “What do you expect me to be doing by this time if not sleeping?” she asked not minding the fact that it was her father in front of her.
“Well, I want to discuss something with you,” said William.
“And it can’t wait?” Katrina asked herself inwardly, annoyed by the disturbance from her so-called father. If she waa courageous enough, she could have shouted at him to let her alone.
The only time she has to rest her bones and muscles in the whole of twenty-four hours which comprise a day was waiting to be taken from her the moment he knocked at her door as she knows nothing good will come out of it.
That was not the first time such would be happening to her. If William was not there to reprimand her, he would be there to add more to her pain. But that night looked different as he looked unusually calm.
“Can I come in?” he asked and Katrina hummed a questioning sound of surprise.
“Yes!” she managed to reply and opened the door widely for him to enter. Who is she to hinder her father from entering?. Of course, except if she wanted to anger him and get thrown out of the house.
William made his way to the room and sat on the wooden chair in front of the large mirror in Katrina’s room while Katrina sat on her bed anxiously.
“I want to ask you for a favour” he began.
“What is it?”
“Tomorrow, I want you to feign being sick.” Katrina was shocked. “I mean I want you to act like you’re terribly ill.”
“Why?”
“Just do as I say. Mind you, it should be when your mother arrives”
“Mother indeed.” Katrina got a bit on edge by William’s last statement. “I think you won’t gain anything from the act. It’s not a new thing that she doesn’t care about me, about Drake, about us.”
“Just do as I say and leave the rest to me. Will you?”
“What do you see in that woman in the first place? Ever since mum died, you’ve been acting irrationally like someone who wasn’t taught some manners. Where has your pride and dignity gone to?” Katrina yelled angrily with tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
William got worked up and slapped Katrina on the face making her face turn red. The moment she summoned the courage to speak against her father’s wishes, she had been expecting him to mete out punishment of any sort to her.
“You’ve got the nerve to talk right?. Tell me!.” he held her neck with one hand like he wanted to strangle her.
“Let me tell you, I’m not requesting you to do it, it’s a command. A fucking command, okay?!” his voice was thunderous and thick which woke Drake up. The little boy rubbed his sleepy eyes and saw his sister crying with William’s strong grip on her neck.
He stood up to where Jackson was and tugged at his trousers.
“Daddy, leave sister Katrina alone. Don’t beat her please, don’t beat her please,” he pleaded with his little sleepy voice.
William released his grip on Katrina’s neck and looked at Drake for a while, though expressionlessly.
“You’ll have to do what I say, you’ve got no choice!” he yelled again and left the room.
Katrina sank to the floor and broke into tears. She wailed loudly and Drake hugged her trying to console her but the pain in her heart was just too much.
*
*
A shining black sports car drove into Jasper’s mansion straight into the moderately large garage in the compound.
The door at the driver’s side opened and Carl alighted from the car. He was the one who drove Jasper and his daughter back home since he had more of the drink while they were at the bar.
Jasper got down and carried Jasmine’s bag and lunch pack while she ran towards Carl who carried her up.
“Uncle Carl, are you staying here tonight?” she asked looking intently at his face.
“Hmmmn.. no. Do you want me to stay?” he asked in a light voice.
“Yes,” she replied quickly.
“Why?”
“Jasmine, it’s so obvious that your uncle Carl is stressed for the day. We have to let him take some rest before tomorrow.” Jasper interrupted their talks.
“He can take a rest here too. He should stay in your room or mine,” said Jasmine. Carl laughed at her attitude and pecked her cheek lightly.
“I can’t stay here Jas, I’ll take you inside now and we see tomorrow.”
“No, no,…. No!” Jasmine was annoyed and wanted to cry. She forced herself down away from Carl and ran inside.
“Wait…” Jasper called out to her and she turned back with an angry look and pouted lips.
“Why do you want him to stay here tonight?” he asked trying to calm her and see if there’s some way to dissipate her anger.
“It’s because I don’t want you to get angry this night just like every other day. Whenever we have another person in the house, you won’t fight with mum.”
“What do you mean?” Carl and Jasper asked in chorus.
“It was like that when Granny was here. You didn’t fight with her and you slept well. I want you to sleep well with no worries too.”
“You’ll get ill with too much anger and I don’t want that,” she added.
Jasper was so touched by Jasmine’s words that a few drops of tears left his eyes. Carl understood the situation and patted Jasper on the shoulder.
“I promise Jasmine, I won’t get angry tonight and I will sleep well. We don’t have to trouble uncle Carl okay?”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” he made a gesture with his three right fingers facing the sky and the other two curled up in a circle.
Jasmine hugged her father and kissed his forehead as he does to hers.
“I love you daddy!” she said with a smile.
Jasper gave Carl a manly hug and bade him goodnight while the latter drove away.
As Jasper and Jasmine entered the house, they met Cassandra laying on the chair with her clothes halfway down her body. She was half asleep but it seemed like she had been watching the television before father and daughter’s arrival.
Jasper scoffed at the sight and headed to Jasmine’s room to clean her up for the night and tuck her in bed. Just as he was about to make a turn into her room, he caught sight of something where Cassandra lay.
It was her big leopard-skin-coloured bag on the floor beside her legs.
“I’ve seen this bag somewhere. It looks so familiar.” he paused his steps and retreated backwards a bit.
“Where have I seen it?” he murmured trying to recall where he had seen it but didn’t remember.
“Is something wrong?” Jasmine’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Oh, nothing.” he took her to her room and the daily night routine followed.