THE MISSING KEY EPISODE 6-10

THE MISSING KEY
EPISODE 6
8.50am
My Dad’s cell phone rang again. He looked at the caller ID, it was a strange number. He picked the call.
“Hello,”
“Good morning Sir, am I speaking with Mr. Ikedi?”
“Yes, who is this please?” Dad asked.
“I am the principal of Wisdom Child Academy and your son is my pupil. I am calling to inform you that he has not been in school yet.”
“Yes, em… he might come late; there are some unforeseen circumstances that arose at home,” Dad replied.
“I hope everything is alright Sir.” The principal inquired.
“Everything is okay, thank you very much. I assure that he will soon be in school.”
“Alright, but Sir I want to use this opportunity to inform you that I have been getting reports that John’s behavior in school has not been impressive lately.”
Dad somehow became alert, “What do you mean by that?”
“Yes he has been constantly missing classes, he sometimes leave before school dismisses for the day, his performance is very poor which I am sure you have seen in his last result. In fact he has already been marked as one of the students that will be repeating class this year. I think it will be very necessary for you to come around and hear what the teachers have to say about your son Sir so that together we can come up with a possible solution.”
Dad didn’t see John’s last term’s result. What the principal was saying was strange to him. He didn’t know what to say.
“Okay, I will try and make it to the school before the end of the week. Thank you for this information. I very much appreciate it.”
“Thank you sir,” the principal replied and the line went dead.
He went into the bedroom to talk to Mum about the principal’s call.
“John’s principal just called me. He told me that his results are poor and he could repeat class this year. Is there anything going on with him that I don’t know?”
Mum smiled, it was a rude smile, “there are a lot of things going on in this house that you don’t know. Well I saw his last term result and spoke to him about it and he promised that he would do better this time around.”
“And you didn’t bother to tell me about it?”
“When last did you and I have a meaningful conversation? I am even surprised that you are reacting to the principal’s call.” She replied.
“What do you mean by that? Well I am going to talk to him about it right now, how am I not sure that he does not have anything to do with the lost key.”
Dad was not happy with this news. He angrily and quickly walked int John’s room. John was surprised. He couldn’t remember the last time Dad walked into his room. He sprang up from the bed, dropping his cell phone, which Dad didn’t know he had. Ada was the only child in the house that freely flaunts her cell phone.
“I can see that you are not even worried that you might be missing classes today.” Dad said.
John didn’t reply. He wasn’t sure of what to say.
“I got a call from your principal, what was he saying about you missing classes and having poor result? Where do you go during school hours?” Dad interrogated him.
John continues to look at him in fear. He was really surprised, he didn’t expect Dad to barge into his room asking him all sort of questions. How did he get this information about his school activities?
“I can see that you have gone dumb. Did you purposely hide the key so that you would miss school? What are you running from?”
“I am not with the key, I am not running from anything.” He defended.
Dad felt John was hiding something. He began to search his closet while he continued interrogating John.
“You leave my house every morning yet you miss classes, where do you go?” He was searching through one of John’s school trousers when his fingers felt something. He dipped his hand and brought out a sachet of condom.
He stopped. The room was silent for a few seconds.
“What are you doing with a sachet of condom in your pocket?”
WATCH OUT FOR EPISODE 7

THE MISSING KEY
EPISODE 7
********
He searched again and saw a stick of cigarette.
“You smoke?”
John was visibly scared. He remained silent with his whole body shivering and starring at Dad. Dad looked at him like he was seeing John for the first time. Dad stormed out of the room. I instantly knew that Mum was going to take the heat.
I walked towards the door. I could hear Ada’s voice from her bedroom. I was sure she was talking to her good for nothing boyfriend.
Dad was just coming out of John’s bedroom, so I waited. The best thing anyone should do today was to avoid him as much as possible.
***
Ada was busy enjoying her call and laughing out loud. He heard Ada’s laughter from the corridor that led to the three rooms. The sound even angered him the more. He felt his children were feeling unconcerned that he was in the brink of losing his job because of the household’s carelessness. He thought everybody’s behavior was arrogant. He felt he had been working his butt off, denying himself the pleasure of relaxation for his household who didn’t care or bother to show concern that he could lose all he had ever worked for because of someone’s carelessness. Meanwhile John had even made matter worse.
He angrily worked towards Ada’s room and opened the door. I was sure that this was the first time he was entering her room. Ada was surprised to see him at her door. She quickly dropped the phone from her ear as the wide smile on her face turned to fear.
“Look at you, behaving like someone who has no training. You think you are in the jungle where people behave anyhow. Perhaps I should join you and laugh and rejoice that the key to the exit door is missing and I might be in serious trouble in my office.”
She remained silent and continued to look at him in fear.
“Give me that cell phone. Give it to me.” He authoritatively ordered. She quickly handed the phone to him and he collected it and headed for his room.
Mum was lying on the bed when he entered. He didn’t care if she was asleep or not.
“Did your son also tell you that he now smokes and have sex all over town with women? Did he discuss with you how he misses classes and is surely going to repeat class?”
Mum was startled. At first she didn’t understand what he was talking about, “I don’t understand what you are saying.”
“How can you understand? I have come to notice that you don’t understand anything.” He said angrily.
“Can you just relax and talk to me for once? I am yet to make out what you are saying with you displaying all these tantrums.”
“I will display anything I want to. I don’t know how you expect me to react upon the realization that my little son has started smoking and missing classes right under your very nose. How am I sure that he has not started taking hard drugs and mingling with criminals?” he was getting more furious and obviously now very prepared to face it out with Mum.
“What do you mean by under my nose? Am I supposed to attach myself to him and follow him everywhere he goes?”
“Woman, you have no excuse whatsoever for John’s behavior. While I work hard and deny myself all the pleasures of life, the best thing I expect from you is to look after the home and children but you are only concerned with your boutique business.”
The cell phone in his left hand vibrated. He looked at it, in his anger he had forgotten that he was holding Ada’s cell phone. “Look at this, all your daughter does is waste her whole day on her cell phone, I wonder if she finds time to read her books.”
.
Immediately he finished, the phone vibrated again. He instinctively checked through the cell phone and stopped short.
It read: My angel, rmber we’ll spend d whole day 2day. I’ve a lot of 1derful stuff I’ll do 2 ur body, jst d way u like it. Pls come wit d mony. Patiently waitin. Love.
The sender’s ID was Mike.
With shaky hands he read the first text message that came in before the one he just read. It was a message from Vicky.
It read: if u tink u r pregnant, den we must do somtin about it. We have to talk to Mike immediately
**********
WATCH OUT FOR EPISODE 8 AND FIND OUT WHO TOOK THE KEY!

THE MISSING KEY
EPISODE 8
“Look at what your daughter is doing,” he muttered slowly through his clenched teeth. “Ada is pregnant.” His cell phone rang again, he looked at the caller ID and it was his Boss. He angrily picked the call.
“I am very sorry I can’t make it to the office as soon as I thought. In fact, we will see tomorrow.”
“What is wrong with you Mr. Ikedia? What is happening? You have left everybody here hanging, I am really embarrassed, you know I don’t condone such behavior. If there is a problem why didn’t u call and give us…”
“I said that I will see you tomorrow Sir and explain things to you, thank you.” Dad cut the line and switched off his cell phone.
***
I was watching television in the sitting room when Dad showed.
“What’s that? Will you switch off that television and go into your room? Are you not supposed to be in school? You can’t be reasonable enough to know that you are supposed to spend the most part of this morning studying your books.” He stopped and continued to stare at me with disgust.
I hurriedly turned the TV off and headed straight for my room.
“Call Ada and John for me.” His angry voice said to my back.
I hated the day with all my life.
***
I quickly informed Ada and John that Daddy wanted to see them and hastily entered my room. I felt really bad. I almost hated my Dad. Why must he be so mean? I had often heard most of my friends talk about their Dad at school. I even see how they related with their parents when they come to pick them from school. Most of them weren’t as rich as we were. But they were much happier. My own home was filled with nothing but constant quarreling. Nobody was ever happy with anybody.
Dad was a stranger to us all and I never get to hang out and do anything meaningful with my sister. She didn’t care about anybody in the house, infact she didn’t want anybody to know anything about her so she was always in her room, making and answering calls like the calls were the only thing that made her happy when at home. She never laughed with anybody at home, not even me, her only and little sister.
My Mum was so withdrawn that you hardly get her to tell you anything interesting. She was just a woman of her own world.
John was just strange. As the days went by, he transformed into a dangerous person. Something was just bothering him. He was learning to be somebody he wasn’t comfortable with.
I had never seen my Mum and Dad share happy moments together. The few times they talk you find them answering each other in monosyllabic replies and when they talk long it was always when Dad was in his squabbling mood. He barks at Mum and continuously complains at any little thing he feels she had not done right.
I wished I could ask God for another family.
I got tired of just lying down doing nothing, so I decided to read my book like Dad had suggested. While searching for the book to read, I thought I heard the metallic sound of keys. I quickly searched through my bag and behold, in between my homework note book was the key everybody was looking for.
WATCH OUT FOR EPISODE 9

THE MISSING KEY
EPISODE 9
10.15am
“I can see that you kids have decided to disgrace this household, but I will never allow it.” Dad was speaking to Ada and John.
“I will not harbor a rogue and a prostitute in this house, never!!!” his voice was so loud that I could feel the vibration it caused in my room. “I dedicate my time and my life trying to ensure that you kids get the best in life. But how do you kids show your gratitude? You miss classes, come home with poor results, sleep around, smoke and get pregnant!! Tell me what father will have this knowledge about his kids and be happy?”
Ada raised her head in shock when Dad mentioned pregnancy. How in God’s name did he find out that she was under suspicion that she might be pregnant? It was then that she realized that she was in a more serious problem with Dad.
She had taught Dad was just going to complain about the cell phone and then the key and finally conclude by making them feel silly and everybody retires into their room. What did he see in her cell phone that made him aware of the situation?
Perhaps Vivian replied the text she sent to her early this morning and Dad had seen it.
“Ada, how old are you?” Dad continued, “At such a tender age you think the best thing for you to do is to sleep around? Telling everybody that you lack home training? Disgracing the family? Embarrassing me?”
They remain silent, both trembling in fear and almost wetting their pants.
“Look at you John, you are barely 14yrs” John looked up sharply, how could Dad say he was 13yrs? “And all you do is sleep around and smoke with vagabonds in town? No!! I won’t take this! Not while I am alive. Ada you are not going to have your bastard baby in my house and you, John, I don’t breed thieves here so you can go and live with your trainers so that you can perfect in the act of smoking. I will not, I repeat, I will never spend my money on anyone who does not want it, neither will I house such a person.”
Mum had already appeared at his back. She had read the text message in Ada’s cell phone and confirmed what Dad had read. She had allowed the cell phone to drop from her because her shivery hand could hold it any longer. This was much more than she could handle. She had suspected that Ada was already sexually active but didn’t know how to approach her on the issue. The mother-daughter relationship she had tried to build between them hadn’t worked out mainly because she had allowed herself to be carried away by Dad’s lack of attention towards her and the family generally.
Now Ada was pregnant. The whole world will blame her for being a bad mother. How could she face this shame?
Her daughter was only eighteen.
Now from the background she stared at Ada with a scornful look. Different emotions ran through her. She felt sad, afraid, disappointed, and angry.
“Look at you Ada! You don’t know how to respect yourself, how can you make yourself so cheap for men? I am disappointed in the two of you.” Mum said as she broke down and started crying.
The air was so tense that both Ada and John felt like the earth should open up and swallow them, Ada felt worse.
“I will never take it! Once this key is found or once the door is broken down, the both of you should leave my house. You can go and practice you prostitution and thug life elsewhere. Now both should leave my presence, go to your room and get ready to leave my house!!”
Ada and John turned around and began to leave, while Mum continued to sob loudly behind Dad. But Dad wasn’t satisfied with his verdict, especially given the fact that they both didn’t show any sign of remorse, neither did they hesitate and beg.
“In fact, you will not take anything with you, I don’t care how you survive, you will leave this house with nothing because everything you own, I bought them with my money.” He added.
He had been so hurt with the new knowledge about Ada and John that the only thing he wanted to do was to hurt them back. How could they disregard him this way?
To Dad, he had been insulted beyond a bearable limit. He felt really hurt that his heart ached; he felt so much psychological pain that his eyes were almost filled with tears.
Who Do You Think Should Be Blamed For This Disaster In The Family?
WATCH OUT FOR EPISODE 10

THE MISSING KEY
EPISODE 10
“Who cares,” John muttered under his nose. But it was loud enough for Dad to hear.
“What did you say?” Dad asked and instinctively rushed towards John. Before John could turn around and react, Dad’s right hand had already reached his shoulders and forcefully turned him around. With John now facing Dad, Dad gave him a slap on his face. John wasn’t expecting it.
“Are you trying to show me that you are now a man? Do you want to challenge me? Or have you smoked something?”
John stared at Dad for some seconds, anger building up within him.
“I have always been planning on leaving this house for a long time. You know what? My mind had already left this house a long time ago. You can have your big fancy house all to yourself. I don’t intend to stay anyway.”
Dad stared at him, he didn’t expect this.
“Fine, then what have been doing here all along, did I chain you here?”
“It’s not just about building a fancy house. I hope you mean what you are saying when you say we should leave, because it will even be a thing of joy to sleep on the street than stay here with parents that doesn’t care. I wish this door can be opened soon so that you can have the house to yourself. This house is not even qualified to be called a home” Ada chipped in to Dad’s amazement.
“You are not even qualified to be called my daughter. You have decided to be a disgrace to yourself. I can’t even look at. you. You should be ashamed of yourself but rather you still have the guts to talk to me like that. Is it me that you got you into this condition and made you feel like you don’t have a home? I will be glad to have you take your disgraceful self out of here.” Dad returned.
He had never exchanged words with his children before. It had always been him talking and everybody in the house listening. He hadn’t even ever thought that they had grown big enough to voice out their opinion. Where these really his kids? Looking at them now they were like strangers to him.
“If I am pregnant or if John is smoking around, it really should be your fault. It beats me that you don’t even blame yourself for anything! Oh I forgot, you are the perfect Dad, the manager of Dew luck Nig. Limited who always gets it right” Ada replied.
This was really surprising. I never thought she had such guts to talk back to Dad the way she was doing now.
“Ada, your mouth is surprisingly too sharp for someone who acted in such a disgraceful manner. You are not even grateful to your parents who sacrifice their all to make sure you get the best in life. Instead you stand here and talk back to mm your Dad with such effrontery.” Mum injected.
“The best in life? Did you say the best in life? I can’t believe you mum. You think what your children are having here is the best in life?” Ada returned, looking around disdainfully.
“A lot of your mates will give everything to be in your shoes. You are not grateful to God for what you have; no wonder you have no respect for yourself. Don’t you see your mates hawking on the streets? But you have the opportunity of finding yourself in school; instead you are misusing it by avoiding school and sleeping with men all over town.” Mum said.
“What do you know about school Mum, what do you even know about me?” Ada asked, she shrugged frustratingly and walked away from the scene.
John left after her, leaving Mum and Dad standing there with their mouths wide open.
Dad was both unhappy and angry, “Do you know this is all your fault?” he said to Mum, “how can you look at yourself and call yourself a good mother? You chose to neglect the kids under your care and concentrate all your efforts on that boutique of yours. You don’t know your duty as a mother, now look at the result.”
“Oh please, enough of your ranting. Will you ever stop? Mr. Perfect. If I concentrate my effort on my boutique where do you put yours? Oh, I remember you always take out time to be with your children.” Mum replied and walked into their bedroom. Dad followed her behind.
WATCH OUT FOR EPISODE 11


T.b.c..