“So, once we realized that Mr. Daniel Logan was never going to come back for us, we had to move on. My mother went and got herself some extra jobs, made sure she worked hard to keep the family afloat. She really worked her behind off, and thankfully, it paid off somewhat. We found ourselves in a new house, a bit of an upgrade on the old one we had, I got into secondary school and so did my brother, and life started to take its course. It was the three of us against the world. For whatever reason, my father’s family didn’t like us, and pretended we didn’t exist, so the three of us were all we had.”
Selorm paused and took a deep breath before continuing.
“A major issue popped up, however. And it had to do with me and my brother. You see, our younger years were… pretty cool. I mean, I was the older one, and I loved my little brother and all that, everything was okay. But… as we grew older, this… this spirit of aggression just began to take root in my heart. As to whether it was planted there by the hurt of being abandoned by my father, I’m not sure. But I let it grow. And unfortunately, Worlanyo was the major recipient of my vicious attacks. And at a point, he got tired and started returning fire for fire. And dear Lord, how ugly our fights could get!”
*
The year was 2004.
It was evening, and Xorlali was most likely on her way back from work.
The new Logan household was far from peaceful, with the atmosphere extremely tense as Selorm and Worlanyo engaged in a heated argument over an unscrubbed bathroom.
“You this boy, you don’t have sense, eh? Simple scrubbing too, they have to teach you?”
“Every day, you are insulting! Every day, you are insulting me! Ah, what’s wrong with you? Just tell me I didn’t do it well!”
“Please, please, please! If I say it nicely kraaa, you’ll still go and do that useless job! Ah, this boy paaa! Why, don’t you have bones in your hands?”
“Your father has bones in his hands! Stupid girl!”
“Herh! You too, you are a stupid boy!”
“Ugly pig!”
That insult moved Selorm’s hand right across the face of Worlanyo. Before they knew it, this argument had escalated into a full-fledged conflict.
Struggling to give each other the hardest hit or knock, the siblings were locked in battle when Xorlali stepped into the living room. The two were so busy trying to rip each other apart, they barely paid any attention to her.
Her face stern with disapproval, she bellowed with rage.
“SELORM! WORLANYO! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO! DO YOU WANT TO KILL EACH OTHER??”
The siblings paused, momentarily surprised by their mother’s stern presence.
Xorlali, her frustration evident, continued. “What is the meaning of this nonsense? I thought we left behind the fighting when we moved here. How can you two be fighting like this when you two are all you have in this world?”
Selorm shot a nasty glare at Worlanyo, and he responded with an eye-roll, both still fueled by the remnants of their argument.
Xorlali’s tone sharpened as she addressed them. “You two should be looking out for each other, not fighting like enemies. We’re a family, and we need to support one another. What happened to the bond you shared when you were the only friends each other had?”
Selorm, defensive, retorts, “Well, he never listens to me, and he never cleans up after himself!”
Worlanyo crosses his arms, countering, “She’s always bossing me around, and she never respects my space!”
“Enough!” she shouted, cutting through their arguments. “Enough of these silly squabbles! You’re siblings, and that means you stick together. You’re family, and family helps each other. They don’t fight over trivial matters. Now, apologize to each other. Hurry up!”
Selorm and Worlanyo exchanged reluctant glances, realizing the gravity of their mother’s words. Selorm, taking a deep breath, turned to her brother. “I’m sorry, Worlanyo. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”
Worlanyo, still a bit grumpy, mumbled, “Yeah, sorry too, Selorm.”
Xorlali, though not entirely satisfied, nodded approvingly. “Better. Now, hug it out and remember, you’re family. Let’s not forget that, no matter what.”
The siblings reluctantly share a quick, awkward hug, their mother watching with a stern expression that softens into a subtle smile. As they pull away, Xorlali nodded, a satisfied look on her face.
“Now, let’s keep the peace. We’re in this together, and we need to act like it.”
*
“Yeah, our mother didn’t know much about our fights. That evening, however, we really got a talking to. The fact that we apologized and hugged didn’t mean she was done. She had a loooooonnggg rebuke for us later that night. Our ears were assaulted ankasa!”
The audience let out a few peals of laughter at the way she said it.
“After that, we calmed down a bit. The aggression between us didn’t go away totally; when she wasn’t around, we still got into nasty arguments once in a while. But as far as getting physical was concerned, no, we didn’t throw hands after that. And our mother kept her eyes on the two of us whenever she could, making sure we didn’t get into another fight.
“A year passed by, and just around the time I was about to complete secondary school, there was this one fateful Friday evening that remains etched in my memory…”
*
Selorm was engrossed in a television program as Xorlali walked in, tired from another day of working hard. Rising to her feet, Selorm quickly moved to help her with some of the stuff she was carrying.
As she placed the foodstuffs Xorlali had purchased in the kitchen and made her way back to the living room, her eyes met with Worlanyo, who was seated at the dining table.
She ignored him.
Tonight had been one of those nights where they clashed yet again. A few nasty words had been exchanged, and they had elected not to speak to each other for the rest of the evening.
She had barely thrown herself back onto the couch to continue watching her show before she heard her mother’s voice calling her from the other room. Reluctantly tearing her eyes away from the screen, she slowly headed to Xorlali’s room, wondering what could be on her mother’s mind.
As she entered the room, she found Xorlali sitting on the edge of the bed, a thoughtful expression on her face. Xorlali motioned for Selorm to sit beside her, and as Selorm did so, she could sense that this was a serious conversation that was about to take place.
“Selorm,” Xorlali began, her voice soft but tinged with a sense of urgency, “I need to talk to you about something important.”
Selorm nodded, her curiosity piqued.
Xorlali took a moment before continuing, “You’ve heard me talk about this before, but it’s something that’s heavy on my heart. I need you to remember that you and Worlanyo, you’re all each other have. With the way that man and his family have turned their backs on us, it’s crucial that you two have a strong bond. You need to look out for each other.”
Selorm listened intently, sensing the gravity of her mother’s words.
Xorlali’s eyes were fixed on her as she continued. “Please, all that fighting and whatever you two were doing, you need to cut it out. Totally. He needs you, and you need him. Be protective of your brother, Selorm. And watch over him. Jealously. Family is all we have, and in times of need, you should be there for each other. Your bond is your strength.”
Selorm nodded solemnly. “I understand, Ma. And I promise I’ll do my best to be there for Worlanyo and be good to him.”
Xorlali smiled. “Thank you, my dear. That’s more like it. Believe me, you two can weather any storm together, once you are united. Never forget that.”
“Yes, Ma.”
“And please, promise me that, no matter what happens, you’ll take care of each other.”
“I promise, Mom,” Selorm assured, a hint of concern in her eyes. “But… Ma, why are you saying all this? Is something wrong?”
Xorlali looked surprised. “No, nothing’s wrong. Everything is just fine,” she assured her daughter. “I just needed to let you know this. I know you two have still been doing those nonsense things, and I need you both to change.”
A sheepish look on her face, Selorm scratched her head. “Ummm, uh, okay, Ma. I’ll change. I promise.”
“That’s better. You can go now. I want to sleep. It’s been a long day.”
“Oh, you won’t eat first?”
“I already ate before leaving work, so I’m okay.”
“Oh, okay, then. Good night.”
With a tender hug, Selorm left Xorlali’s room to get back to her show.
*
“That talk left an imprint on me. She had said those things quite a number of times, but there was something about the way she called me aside as the older of the two to speak those words to me that left quite an impression on me. I knew deep within that even if I didn’t always adhere to it, those words would always stick in my head. You know how someone can tell you something you already know, and for some reason, it just sticks with you? That’s how that talk was for me.”
Selorm took another breath, then continued.
“The other reason why it’s so memorable? Because of the morning after…”
*
The next morning arrived, and as a Saturday morning, a sense of routine hung in the air of the Logan home. The day of cleaning up the house had come, and all hands were to be on deck, as usual.
Selorm, up and ready to get busy, decided to check on her mother. With a gentle knock on the door, she awaited the usual sarcastic ‘What do you want?’ response.
Silence on the other side was the only greeting she got in return.
Frowning, Selorm called out, “Ma?”
It wasn’t like Xorlali to sleep this long on a Saturday; the woman would be up and about by 5 am, and it was already past 7 o’clock.
A few more knocks followed. When there was no answer, a sense of unease crept in. Was something wrong?
Worlanyo, who had stepped out of his room and noticed his sister’s worried look, approached the door, and they exchanged anxious glances.
After a moment, Selorm stopped hesitating and slowly opened the door.
“Ma, are you still slee-“
What she saw inside the room sent a wave of terror through her.
Xorlali lay on the floor, stiff and unmoving, with her eyes and mouth wide open.
Selorm let out a piercing scream.
Worlanyo, alerted by the distressing sound, rushed into the room. The sight of their mother on the floor left them both paralyzed with fear and shock. “Ma! Ma! Ma! Wake up, please!” Selorm pleaded, her voice choked with desperation.
Worlanyo, tears streaming down his face, knelt beside Xorlali, gently shaking her. “Don’t leave us, Ma. Please, don’t leave us!” he cries.
This Saturday morning had turned into a nightmare for the Logan siblings, as they tried their best to wake their mother up, all to no avail.
*
The sounds of ‘Oh!’ could be heard all around the hall.
Selorm bowed her head sadly. “We were way too late. By the time we got her to the hospital, she was long gone. The doctors said she suffered a cardiac arrest during the early hours of the morning. We were too late.
“Just when things were looking up, just when we thought all was going to be well… suddenly, life threw us a nasty sucker punch, and just like that, my brother and I were now orphans…”
Ohh! That’s awful, to lose your mother that way!! Man, Selorm really did go through a lot…
