During my childhood days I and my siblings are always full of weird behaviors that always got us into trouble.
We find ourselves living next door to a neighbor who keeps free-roaming chickens. These chickens are allowed to wander in search of food without being confined in a cage. One day, we stumbled upon a surprising discovery: one of the chickens has laid two eggs without our neighbor's knowledge. Without consulting our neighbors, we decided to collect the eggs and fry them to eat while our parents were away, not because we were hungry but because we love eggs. This becomes a recurring act, with the enticing aroma of the fried eggs often catching the attention of our parents upon their return. However, we always deny any knowledge or involvement when questioned.
Unbeknownst to us, our parents have plans for us that we are not aware of. We continue to steal the eggs from our neighbor's chickens, who remain oblivious to the fact that her chickens are laying eggs. One fateful day, my elder brother noticed that our mother was approaching. She was home earlier than usual and instead of signaling my younger brother and I, he quickly handed me the eggs. In a few minutes I heard a voice that sounded like our mother's, I turned to find her standing close by. I hastily hide the eggs behind my back, trying to meet her gaze without revealing the truth.
I greeted her politely, saying, "Good afternoon, mummy."
She responds, a touch of suspicion in her voice, "Good afternoon. What are you doing here?" Her eyes narrow as she tries to catch a glimpse of what I am hiding.
I was frozen in place, as my elder brother mysteriously disappears into thin air, leaving only my younger brother who begins to cry uncontrollably for my mom to pick him up.
My mother presses me, demanding, "What are you doing here? And what are you hiding, this child?"
Stammering, I managed to reply, "Egg...g-gg." The words barely escape my trembling lips.
My mother's curiosity piqued, "Eggs? Who gave them to you?" Her tone becomes more probing.
"Chicken eggs, the neighbor's chicken," I confess, unable to meet her gaze.
"Did our neighbor give them to you? Is that where they came from?" she inquires sternly, her suspicion growing.
"No, mummy," I responded fearfully. "We took them when the chicken laid them."
Suddenly, realization dawns on my mother as she connects the dots. "So all those times I smelled fried eggs, it was you children," she accuses, her disappointment palpable.
Instructing me to head straight back to our apartment, we walk home in silence. As we arrive, my elder brother pretends to be asleep, and when my mother tries to wake him, he suddenly complains of feeling sick, his body notably hot to the touch. My mother, in her frustration and disbelief, refuses to believe that he was involved, despite my claims.
There is no concrete evidence against my brother:
- My mother did not see him with the eggs.
- She did not catch him in the act of stealing.
- He appeared to be genuinely unwell.
As a result, she directs her anger and disappointment towards me, punishing me alone. She further instructs me to go and confess my transgressions to our neighbor while holding the stolen egg, adding to my anger and frustration at the situation.I did as I was told to avoid more punishment.
Later on my elder brother disclose to me that he bathed with very hot water, then the left over charcoal fire from cooking the beans he put into our small clay pot for incense then he put it underneath the bed and covered up entirely so that he can be very hot and the bed can also be hot his plans of playing sick would be real. I knew it, he can't suddenly be sick after disappearing from the crime scene.
But my mom would still not believe me even if I disclose this truth to her because she already ran out to get drugs for my elder brother, so my brother had taken away the clay pot and was just laying on the bed. He didn't even take drugs, he tossed them inside the couch as usual.
A prank that was never disclosed to my mom. I learnt not to trust anyone and obviously not to take what doesn't belong to me without owner's permission no matter how free it looks.
Image credit is mine
