Taking advantage of me at work wasn't a new thing.
"Ralph! Go wash the towels. Ralph! Go fetch some water. Ralph! Go mop the roof."
Okay, I lied about that roof part, but still, they exhausted me all day. And it was even worse today. Working on an empty stomach wasn't the plan, but what choice did I have? I had to learn how to barb before I got into uni.
Dad just wanted me to have something to do before I got into school to make things easier for him, and I understood his point very well. I knew I had to get used to fending for myself as I grew older. At least taking my major needs out of his schedule would make it easier for him to handle the remaining children.
"Ralph!"
One of my seniors at work woke me up from my hungry sleep as I got up sluggishly. He stretched his hands towards me, revealing a huge bundle of cash in them.
"Take the 50-liter gallon at the back and go get some fuel before any customers come in," he said as he put it in my hands. It was over 50 thousand in my hands.
"What are you waiting for? Go and be quick about it," he said as I stood up immediately. I didn't want him to repeat himself because they get cranky easily.
I got up on my feet. I could feel my legs shake, and my vision went blurry for a few seconds. I thought I was about to pass out, but nope, I didn't.
I immediately got out, hopped in a taxi, and went straight to the filling station's bus stop and paid the taxi driver. Then I looked up at the sky.
"Dear Lord, I know I said I wouldn't do this again, and I have been keeping a good record for almost a month now. But today, Your son is really hungry and weak in both body and spirit. Have mercy on me for what I'm about to do, Lord. Please, have mercy."
I prayed with my palms together as I set my gaze towards the evening sun right there at the bus stop, not minding the fact that people were looking at me. They would understand my situation, so I didn't care.
I picked up the gallon, looked carefully as I crossed the road, and headed straight into the food joint by the fueling station. I didn't even think twice about it.
I just dropped my gallon by the entrance, sat comfortably at one of the tables, and waved to one of the helpers who came to my call immediately.
"Yes, what can I help you with?" the surprisingly pretty girl asked me. For some reason, I just got lost in her beauty. It was natural. She was out of the ordinary; she was like a different brand of woman.
Her beauty wasn't the usual loud type like the other girls on the streets. This one was different, so unique, she got me lost in her beauty—the only thing that made me forget how hungry I was at the moment. But she snapped me back to reality.
"Are you okay? Is there something on my face? Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked, giving me a strange yet beautiful look.
"Um, please, you need to make your order quickly. I have a lot to do," she said as I realized my situation again with my rumbling stomach.
"Oh, I'm sorry about that, I was just—"
"You didn't need to be. I get it sometimes. Please, make your order, I'm in a hurry," she said as I composed myself immediately.
"Oh, I'm sorry," I said as I rubbed my chin, about to order something very filling. "Okay, I'd like rice, just fill the plate to the brim, then cover it up with stew properly, then put four pieces of assorted meat. And I'd like a cold bottle of Vijay milk," I said as I loosened my belt.
"Okay, I'd like to let you know that a serving spoonful is 300 and the mega—"
"No need for billing yet, just get me the food, please," I raised my voice and then brought it down. I noticed she looked at me with that "what's up with this guy" look, but I was blinded by hunger, so I didn't care at all.
"Okay, would that be all?" she asked, looking at me with a soft but amused smile on her face.
"Yeah, just make whatever I ordered, now for two."
"Okay, right away then," she said, immediately walking away.
I could smell the food from a distance as it got served to other people, which made me even hungrier. The aroma was really nice.
After minutes of swallowing my saliva, I noticed another girl come towards me with a wide tray as she let down my order on the table.
"Would the other person like anything with their meal?" she asked as I reached for the spoon on the tray without answering.
But I chuckled in my mind. If only she knew I was those two people.
I noticed all the men in there had their eyes on me. I think it was because none of them ordered half of what I did.
Scooping the first spoon into my mouth made me let out a deep breath.
And in less than twelve minutes, I was through with the first plate as I took a long gulp from my bottle of Vijay milk.
"Ahhh," I let out a deep breath and still noticed how everyone looked at me. I think they were waiting to see if I was going to start with the second plate. But well, I didn't mind giving them their assurance as I took up the plate and put it in front of me.
As I took up my spoon, I dug in immediately, every spoon meeting my satisfaction until the plate was empty within minutes as I let out a deep breath.
I asked for the price and paid it. It took more than I estimated, though, but I knew my way around it, and everything went well.
Finally getting home that night, everyone had slept as usual. I made my way into the kitchen. I knew my dad would like to punish me that night for what I did in the morning. And as expected, I didn't find any cooked food, and it was too late for me to cook anything without my dad or mum catching me in the act, so I just took a shower, then headed to the living room to watch some television.
And this is where my life turned a new page for me.
I stepped into the living room with my body-hugging undies that felt good on me, especially at night, with a pack of crackers in my grasp. I switched off all the lights.
It was Saturday evening, and M Movies Bet always had something very interesting to show every weekend night, and I never missed it for anything. As I fell back on the sofa facing the LED TV, I let out a deep breath.
I looked on the center table for the remote, but it wasn't there, so I got up to check other places for the remote just when the television came on, displaying a plain red bright light that filled the living room.
I couldn't understand what was happening at the moment. I thought my sisters were playing a trick on me.
Or was Heaven's signals crashing with Earth as the angels might be preparing to sound the trumpets?
I couldn't understand anything going on at the moment, and I was feeling quite hot. I looked as I approached the entrance to the living room to see if maybe anyone was playing tricks on me, probably with the remote.
But my heart skipped a beat as I noticed the TV was unplugged.