"Boni, I can't find my hair ruffle. Have any idea where it might be?" inquired Virginia.
"No, kiddo," I replied.
I tried to remember if there had ever been a Sunday morning when either of the twins hadn't asked for a thing or two. Virginia always had something to look for. Oh well, she was the home Barbie with loads of clothes, princess gowns, crowns, and stuff.
Well, it's a Sunday morning, and that meant church.
I felt some pain below my abdomen. Complaining would only land me at McCauley's hospital, and that isn't a good place to be on a beautiful Sabbath day.
The Alex empire was a Christian one.
Grandad was a drunkard—at least, not before he got baptized and received the title of elder in their local church, which is still the same one Dad, myself, and my younger sisters attend. Grandma, a strong, devoted Christian from a good Christian home, did all she could to rescue Grandpa's soul.
"Like she'll always begin with whenever she wanted to tell the tale of Grandpa's salvation story."
She also spoke of how Dad had no interest in church as a boy. Growing up, he'd rather choose to do his laundry on Sundays, clear a field with a fork, or maybe fill a giant bucket with water fetched with a spoon.
"On any occasion when he finally went with us, he'd always have a dozen complaints lined up once we were seated in the car. It was either";
- the drums were too loud,
- the deliverance wasn't real,
- the pastor preached for too long, or
- the minister's wife was acting too nice—meanwhile, she always flocked him at school on weekdays.
Grandpa would have a deep frown on his face, showing his disappointment. "I will say a silent prayer for my boy and the woman, wishing that the woman he'll one day fall in love with will help in the areas where I had failed," Grandma would always say at the end of her narration.
Well, I could remember her every word.
And yes, just so you know, wishes do come true, because my late mum was my grandma's answered prayer.
Talking about father, I think I should check on him, I decided, as I moved out of my room, walking towards the special room where Dad sleeps—or should I say spends most of his days when he is not at work.
Pausing at the door, I leaned a bit closer, making sure Dad wasn't having a shower. Well, the place was silent as a graveyard except for the rumbling sound from my tummy.
"Dad?"
After not getting a reply for about 10 seconds, I decided to go in. Slowly turning the door handle clockwise, I gave a quick check of the room.
Seated on the couch close to the window with a book on his lap sat Father.
"Good morning, Mr. Alex," I greeted.
"Boni, oh beautiful blessed child."
I gave a quick smile to his words.
"Ready for service?" he inquired.
"Not yet, Father," I replied.
"Ready for service? Well, you obviously don't look ready," I teased, trying to cover up the awkward silence I didn't like.
"I'll suggest you all join the Donalds' family car to church," Dad said.
"No way, Father! We aren't leaving you in here staring at the pages of a book while pretending to read," I queried.
"I'll quickly get your bath fixed, and while you're in there, I'll sort out some clothes for you to put on. Then we all will make use of the car. Is that a deal, Father?" I asked with hands akimbo.
He smiled.
"Just as stubborn as your mother," he said, in between smiles.
"Well, if being stubborn will get you out of this state, then I think I love the description already," I replied, walking toward where he sat. Taking hold of his hands and pulling him up, we both laughed at my weightless effort due to the fact that we almost collapsed on the couch—Dad was much bigger than I was.
Walking toward the door on the left and giving it a slight push, I went in and fixed Dad's bath.
Walking back into my room, I knew I had to be real quick about getting dressed. I already had my outfit set.
- Breakfast? Checked.
- Sasha's breakfast? Checked.
"Veronica's outfit? Ohhh, I think I need to be real quick, or someone will end up dressing like a drug dealer!" I thought to myself, quickly taking off my robe and jumping into the shower.
Damn, so much peace I feel whenever I step under this shower and have the water dropping down my skin.
"Virginiaaaa, you aren't going for a beauty contest! It's a church, for God's sake!" screamed Veronica from the dining room as she took her seat at the table, where Dad and I sat quietly having our breakfast.
"Just a minute," came the late reply from Virginia before she was heard running down the stairs to join us at the table.
Well, with all her preparation for hours, Virginia still didn't set her hair properly, I noticed.
"Well, I hope I remember to get it done before we walk into church," I thought, keeping a mental reminder as I watched her take her seat beside Veronica.
There was a sound from outside. Well, we all knew what it was. The Donalds' car made that sound.
I bet Mr. Donald must have cast a fixed glance at our door, hoping to catch a glimpse of Dad. This was the habit he was so used to. Not surprising—he was the welfare pastor at church, and the post suited him perfectly.
The sound of the Donald's car engine was now only heard from a distance until it finally died off, indicating he had left the vicinity.
The silence returned, except for the little sighs Veronica made due to her not-so-strong dislike for scrambled eggs. Well, she had no choice but to eat.
"Dad has trained us never to be selective," Mom would always say.
"Disliking and rejecting a meal made by someone else isn't a nice act. It's disrespectful and not ladylike. You can select and eat whatever you want once you're out from under this roof," Mother would always say sternly, with her hands akimbo.
"Thank you, Boni," came Dad's voice, followed by a slow nod from me.
"We better hurry up, girls," I said as I stood up, picking up my plate and Dad's, moving towards the kitchen sink, and dropping them quietly. There was no time to do the dishes right now because we had just 20 minutes before the service started, and here we were, still at home.
"Thank you, Father."
"Thank you, Boni," Veronica and Virginia chorused as they both took turns carrying their plates into the kitchen while I inspected the back door, also ensuring the water taps were properly turned off to avoid repeating what had happened the day Veronica left the kitchen tap on.
"Chuckles".That was one hell of a mistake and one I'm sure you wouldn't want to know about. So, I always kept it in mind never to walk out without checking and rechecking the water taps.