Rejection, fear, the devil’s scent and demonic aura lingered the air within the walls of the Masons house. The awkward part isn’t this negativity but what triggers or in this case who triggers it. Short, huge black pupil eyes, a shaped forehead, dark skinned, he wasn’t like the rest, not nanny, not Sam-father of the two brothers-, nor the two brothers. Turns out this difference, the standing out, even his accent wasn’t like any of them, and similar to the germinating of a seed to a natured plant with consistent fresh water, so did his unwanted presence water the hate, despise, growing day by day. His very sight made them boil in anger and worse was they had no reason to hate him they just did, well the brothers mostly. But it wasn’t always like this, was it? Before this abomination of a human being came into their life, the Masons house was ever joyful, cheerful energy cascaded the steps, and ecstasy lingered the air. They say good things are short lived, one fateful morning the nightmare began, life had changed to its other side of the coin, and fate had given a sudden turn. Like the stormy rains of the August season eroding the positivity and joy into the drain, hate, resentment sprouted and it grew, fast! Its thirty years down the line and still this nightmare repeats itself, it just doesn’t seem to end, they pray for just a day where life was life and not the acidic negativity that it was now, just a day they begged but the nightmare was there to stay. This harsh daunting truth made the hate multiply by a hand fold.
Swiveling childishly on the ergonomic, black, plastic chair within his glass walled office, at the door a banner written “Head Manager” in bold, he was reliving his childish youthful days swiveling till he was dizzy and everything went blur, pause to get back to his feet and then repeat it again and again. Despite the eyes of his juniors gazing his awkward childish behavior he seemed to not give a hoot so he did this repeatedly laughing hysterically after each turn. All this time he gazed up through the glass ceiling, the clear blue skies were moving, well he was the one but his conscience told him otherwise. After several tiring rotations, he settled down, and he looked proudly down the magical view of the city below, at night it was brightened with car headlights racing downwards, street lights coloring the streets yellow and lightning arrestors on building tops twinkling blue. Finally, he gave in a deep majestic meditating breath and he saw it all real he was the head of the family business; it was bound to be so.
The Masons are the proud owners of the Masons Software Enterprise, one of the greatest computer software developers in the whole region and continentally. Money is a no problem issue in their needs and neither is budgeting because I you earn more than the presidents net worth monthly without taxation, what’s the need of budgeting? Started from the early computer age where keyboards were the size of a dinner table and memory cards the size of cabinet, it has been a family business that has conquered and prospered down the growing aging centuries, better was with each new heir came a new idea and seemingly this openness makes the Masons map themselves in the global map in the technological aspect. It’s been a month since the previous head manger Mr. Sam Mason went into retirement after hitting the age of sixty years, with a reign of thirty years as the running mate for this family business, and now it was time to hand the relay down to the next of kin to continue the marathon. Traditionally and logically, its bound the first born are made so, so this overlooks this and as destined the first born, Mr. Tony Mason was chosen the rightful heir to the multimillion dollar making industry. So it’s been a month and the thirty year old gentleman is swiveling on his seat savoring the enjoyment of power, an odd way to start off as head manager but the juniors around were fond off the new drama scenes that transpired within those walls so this was just a normal odd occurrence.
Savored the beauty and meditated in his deeper conscience he sat down, his left hand in his pocket the other reaching for the family picture on the edge of the table. Eyes glued on the picture and he internalized the five faces, four were worthy, but one was not, he was a consequence of their misguided fore fathers actions. He still remembers that fateful morning, how tables turned, and the day he woke up and thirty years later he still relives the same nightmare over and over.
After the very stormy night, muddy puddles filled the potholes of the underdeveloped roads, a cooling breeze swept the Masons house, and nine year old Tony woke up early eager to meet his father, lo lecture him for being late and to hug him for not doing so last night. But he had no idea of the wrapped curse that was to stick with him; if he had he would have never woken up, ever! Half an hour later, the two joyful brothers had freshened up, ready for the day and excited for the day’s activities. Feeble legs they had raced them down to the living room, the tantalizing aura of fried bacon, toasted bread, and fresh sausages made that day better and better. Innocently on the family sized kitchen table, the two sat at opposite sides, one thinking of how much he would it and another how he would win his first football match as a forward. Legs crossed they waited and waited, then they had their nanny’s flip flops near form the kitchen towards them, anxiety build up, their beastly hunger drove them to eagerly glue on the covered dish held, they were fueled to feast on their king sized breakfast.
Morning nanny! They both greeted anxiously as the dish was placed on the center, nanny answered back joyfully. She knew the joyful greeting was out of excitement of the morning delicacy, nothing out of joy but filled anxiety and excitement. However this excitement and ecstasy was soon washed away and it was for good this time. Hands washed the two were drooling but the moment the dish was opened life hit them straight in the face. There was no bacon, no sausages, no bread toast, just two bowls filled with cereal and filled with milk, a real bummer. Dishearten for the day, their high hopes were ripped to shreds and spat o on their face, so disappointed they did what any child would do, wear a frown face, pick up the bowl and eat angrily. They had no option it was either cereal or no breakfast. But it wasn’t this action that sparked the hate, no, it was what happened next that planted the hate seed that later blossoms.
A minute after the betrayal nutritionally, nanny came back holding another dish but dishearten and faded interest the two brothers focused on their cereal. But if the brothers were eating cereal then what was the exquisite aroma that tantalized their nostrils? Well, when nanny opened up the second dish the king sized meal was brought to reality and there the steam smoking out, the oily sausages appearing shiny and irresistible.
“Come and eat.” Nanny called out, and from the kitchen came their wrapped nightmare, in faded clothes, portraying his loathing low life, he neared and sat at the far end of the table. Innocently he ate, unknowingly of the fire he started. From that moment he felt his unwelcome in that family, he knew his presence was unwanted. But with 10 plus years to be considered an adult he was to brace himself for the traumatizing and painful moments of his young underage life.
Enough of the past daunted him, he was the head manager now of the multimillion dollar company so it’s high time he stood up to be one. Thinking and rueing the day their last born, Ricky, a foster child planted in their life and sprouted as one of the Mason’s wasn’t going to change anything, but why bother Ricky was by the name of the Mason’s and that is all he owned while the blood heirs of the Mason’s lived and soared the wealth of their ever growing company, he was left to fend for himself, he only came back to the luxurious mansion to eat, sleep, and leave. So enough of Ricky, Tony neared his work desk, there he did what his successors did, think on how to earn more money, they all earned millions but it was never the same way. Each had created their own way of working things out and he was to figure out his own way too.
At a garage labeled, “Big Mac”, in faded jeans stained at the knees, grease marks patching each colored cloth, his vest all creamy and soaking wet, a screw driver in hand, upright he leaned on the bunker of the huge SUV brought in for repair and checkup, sweat emerged from each pore shining his bald head and flowing down his tensed face, Ricky had pondered his head enough. The owner of the huge vehicle complained that the car brakes were not strong enough and he nearly crashed. He also asked the shocks to be checked as he suspects they make have loosened. It has been three hours now and he has been sliding below like a snake on his back and he has solved just one issue, the shocks absorbers problem. The struts were wearing out so like a true mechanic , he loosened tightened some screws a little twitches and voila! Struts were working like brand new. But now he was halfway, there came the brake issue.
Uncertain of the problem below he sought to try from above. Unlocking, he raised the bonnet and inspected from the engine to the battery all connectors seemed fine, there were no worrying issues, so he wondered where in the world was the problem. He thought enough, the client claimed he nearly crashed let’s test that theory, Ricky kept himself in the shoes of the client, literally! Having left the car keys, he closed and shunned the bonnet, raised and entered the inspected vehicle, slowly he gave several shocks to start the engine till he gave to full auto start and the engine was all systems go. With little space around the garage, he opted to go forward despite a huge thick cemented wall 10 feet in front, foot on the gas, slowly he applied the force and it moved forward and he neared closer and closer. Time to test the brakes, from the blue he struck both feet on the brake peddle and the screeching sound was given out, the brake pads tightened their grip on the brake rotor as the speed lowered from a sudden 5 to 0.
Certain of the issue, he switched off the engine, leaped off and while still hot he slithered below, his screw driver and wrench in hand. The calipers were loose because the sudden screeching sound was due to the too much friction and the afterwards smell of burning tires. In ten minutes he was done and at last a German made SUV was back in action better than ever.
His hands greasy from the calipers, he reached for the faded, tattered, red rag often for rubbing of grease, finger by finger he cleaned removing the brown grey color but still the grease odor lingered. Complete he went to inform his employer, the man who saved him from rock bottom, from the abyss where he was enduring nothing but pain, agony and despair, he offered him this temporary sanctuary to live more as a human than a dog on a leash encaged in barbed wires. Similarly to how Tony recalls the day he sprouted in their life and made them three than they were two, he still remembers the day his employer came as his messiah and reached out, the day pain turned to love, and despair to hope.
The school holidays, after living as the Mason for five years he figured he know had fit in and was part of the family, but this holiday was to shed things as they were. A week after the holidays, nanny received a phone call, an urgent one requesting she be at her home country for a week to tend to her diabetic mother as she was the only financial capable one to do so. As the first born nanny was obliged to tend to her duties, she was obliged as the mother to her adopted kids in the Masons but she was a child herself and it was time she gave back to the society, so she did what she had to do. The day that followed after the breaking of dusk, the brightening of the room by the morning rays and the soothing breeze, nanny had all ready prepared breakfast and was ready to go. All the kids awake each said their finally farewell, but Ricky wished to go with nanny, he cried but nanny thought it was him being a child but she knew less of the trauma the 9 year old was facing. He saw her leave, packed her suitcase in the boot, boarded the black taxi, closed the door behind her and disappeared in the vast horizon, Ricky wished he were with her, oh he wished so but fate was against him. That departure created room for exploitation, abuse, assault, inhumane behaviors, the time man was deprived to treat his fellow as a pet, as a lesser being than he himself was.
That very day nanny left, Ricky went hungry and slept on the cold wet tiled floor in the kitchen. He remembered how the two brothers lavishly ate the kingly foods their father brought, and they savored to their fill till it remained and all while Ricky was burdened to wash the utensils five times when they were already clean. The father, locked him there for the next five hours while he left with his kids and went to the carnival a three hour drive down the city. There he was frightened by huge rats and abundant cockroaches, he wanted to scream but he was helpless, he was surrounded by cupboards made of mahogany, utensils made of melamine and stood on tiled floor. For the five hours there he did nothing but cry till he could no more, till there were no more tears. He sniffed out and drooled till he made a whole patch on the tiles, the hot sun rays filled the room raising the temperatures. He was trapped in the locked furnace, the windows were nailed with thick iron bars impossible to creep through, tiny, hungry, helpless he just rued why he was forced to be a Mason. Bad became worse, his bowels were overwhelmed and he had to use the loo quick but there was a problem he was locked. He struggled to hold it in but his system could not take it anymore, like a toddler he pissed on his pant, staining the tiles with his piss. This strong scent filled the kitchen, where food was kept and cooked, and he was locked there with it, poor Ricky fate had taken a wrong turn. After the carnival was over the happy family of father and two sons returned home to unleash their inhumane plans on their so called foster sibling. Unlocking the door, a strong nauseating scent of vomit and piss filled Sam’s nostrils nearly passing him out, knocking him out cold. He was angry now, in the middle of the kitchen was a yellow, creamy thick vomit of black beans and cereals, and the rest of the room was nearly stained and covered by piss. And the culprit all along sat at the edge far from reach, scared, frightened. While he was locked he was hungry, and with no edible food he reached for the expired cereals and milk, with the overcooked beans. However it didn’t go well with his system and he eventually vomited it all out. By the ear, he was dragged like a rabbit, lying on his vomit and piss while he cried and begged for forgiveness. But he met Lucifer himself, slept on his piss and vomit he was dragged down the twenty steps to the living room where hell was about to be unleashed. At nine years, he endured raining clenched grown up fists, Sam sent down fist after fist on the helpless child, and he cried while this assault went on for twenty minutes. Drained his anger dry, Ricky could not move, two of his ribs were fractured his hands were sore and numb, his legs were swollen, his face was disfigured, but still he didn’t care. He didn’t stop to think that he assaulted a child, he blamed him for the mess he made in the kitchen. The brothers had meanwhile fetched water and with a mop in hand they pushed it to where the helpless being lay. He had no choice, where else could he go, what else could he do, he stood up sympathetic, a one hand bucket was carried by two because he drained himself blocking the assaulted fists. He knelt on his mess and from the edge he started, he mopped again, again, and again. In three hours he was halfway done and he heard joyful murmurs downstairs. He could hear the unwrapping of foodstuffs and opening puffs of refrigerated drinks. Was the world this cruel! He cried inside, but he was helpless he went down on his knees and again he mopped. After another three hours he was done, the kitchen floor was sparkling clean, he now sought for food he was hungry all he ingested during the lockdown was vomited. Knowing it was suicidal he neared Sam, on his knees, stinking of vomit and piss he asked humbly to have the leftover crumbs. But the Lucifer was indeed Lucifer, unexpected he found himself down, his jaws aching, he felt the sudden heavy whack that was a simple no to his answer. With no choice he put himself together and opted to lay himself, but he was stopped by a masculine hand that tagged his shoulder from behind. Again, he was dragged like before, outside to the kitchen garden and similar to how a car is washed so was he done so. Water bulleted form the hose, cold and freezing, and soap powder was poured on his head. Allergic to his skin he cried as of the burning sensation as off the reaction, all meanwhile the brother took turns hosing him down laughing and enjoying every moment. After ten minutes of the painful forced bath he was pointed towards the kitchen, and warned to sleep there till the kitchen smelled like that of a five star hotel and no nauseating scent filled. It was midnight when he lay at the far corner, where the moon light could not reach and there was darkness and less chilling, he cried but it was useless he realized. His skin was red with rashes everywhere, consequences of the allergic reaction. Ricky lay down, the cold tiles made him shiver but what could he do, he just closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep. One day down six to go he said to himself as the night was filled with the song of crickets and the cold whooshing wind.
Sore, pain ripped his nerves, the cold numbed his joints, the night rashes still writhed his back, his stomach growled, he was hungry and worse was there was no food. It was about 3 am in the morning, the rest were still asleep, but he could not, his gut could not take it he had to find something to settle or else it will itself out. Desperate, wounded badly and bumps on almost every exposed skin, he rose and silently he went slowly to the trash can in the living room. Dragging his feet he struggled, his hunger fueled him to persevere the pain that would shock a normal child his age out cold. He remembered the beggars down the street fight over trashcans, how they would explore the disgust and filth just for that left over bugger, he now knew why. He moved into the trash rappers, he just felt bones of leftovers but then… he felt something it was deep down. Hamburger fresh, untouched still wrapped, he felt salvation at the bottom of the trash can. He was ignorant of where he was, whose house he was in, all he thought was food, desperate of that hamburger he sought to enter in the child size trash can. But it never hot him that the trash can was just a light weight object blown down by a slight breeze, so the moment he threw his whole weight, it couldn’t take it and bam! Down he was. The metal and body collision was loud enough to wake up the brothers only. Unknown of the echo of his fall, he went deep in the trash can and got hold of the burger. Finally food, he mushed it all in, he didn’t care the sound of his loud munching and ignorant of the footsteps that came down. The sudden brightness nearly blinded him, he moved back and similar to how a possessed being looks at a priest, Ricky looked so at Tony at the edge of the room where he lit the bulb. He begged him and cried not to yell or call out, but it was futile, he forgot his pain and assault was what fed him and his brother.
It took a scream, just a yell, and he came down angered, fueled up, he was filled with aggression. Ricky had enough assault the day before he wasn’t ready for another, he moved back crying pleading he was sorry. Tony incited he tried to snatch the food they had saved for later, Ricky tried to plead saying it was false, he blabbered out that he was a liar and it seemed to add the fuel to the wild fire. Sam was pumped to release his anger on him, fists clenched he moved Tony to the left and like a lion stalks it’s prey he neared. Ricky knew how it would end, him disfigured and in more agony and pain than he already was, he wasn’t ready for the assault to repeat itself, he moved back. Simultaneously, coincidentally Ricky made a run for it and Sam marching towards him. Unaware where to go he just wanted to be away from them, crying he just ran in circles shattering glasses, breaking old wood hanging holders, he heard the footsteps near, then a sudden thought came in. Desperate and fueled by adrenaline his swollen legs were pumped with the will to survive, opening the door with a sudden right turn he made the run to the store, meanwhile glass mugs shattered the door behind him accompanied by loud insults.
Breathing heavily, legs tired and swollen, sensing the impeding danger nearing closer and closer, he just ran and ran, he wanted to be unseen from them. Finally he made it before Sam, it took five seconds and he launched himself behind some rotten wood stands leaned to the wall and in a space a child could fit. He felt termites move up his skin, the stench nearly nauseating, but he was mum, silent and maintained slow breathing and any possible noise. Sam searched, he gave up eventually, behind the unwanted sofas and broken TV’s he wasn’t there, he called out gently to talk him out but he didn’t fall for it. If he can’t find him then he will lock him in, like what he did the day before he locked Ricky inside the store.
He escaped by a whisker, hadn’t he found the hamburger that gave him some little energy to save his life, he would be in the jaws of that inhumane creature. Certain no one was around he came out, the room was dark but at least he was safe, he could adapt to live with the rodents every day if he had to but he couldn’t live with that family anymore. On the wet algae filled sofa with a bad odor he lay himself, covering his nose with his elbow, he closed his eyes and finally despite the inhumane conditions surrounding him, he fell asleep. But there was a problem would he survive in that store till nanny came back, no food, no water, eventually his instincts will force him out and they will be waiting patiently. And when it comes to this what next, where will the mistreated nine year old Ricky go to?
Previous Chapter