Re-uniting with my family

After a stressful knock on the Mahogany door, a teenage boy finally scuttled through to answer the door.

My scraggly-beards, unkempt-mustache dark face flashed at the boy…

“Oh my gosh! Mad man!” he cursed me and tilted back his body, almost hitting the wall, “What are you doing here, you mad man?” the kid queried and slammed the door on me, with a slight cry for help as he paced back into the room.

I could hear his feet stamping on the floor as he ran back into the bedroom calling on his parents.

I stared around the entire serene environment. Everywhere had changed radically. We never had a garden, and if I could recall we had a leaking roof and scrubby broken doors and window panes. All of that had metamorphosed into a little haven, which instilled in me the room for argument if this was actually our home.

“Where is the mad man?”

A voice from inside interrupted my thought and I shot my gaze in the direction of the door as the voice thickened as it got closer.

Soon I was staring at a couple in their mid fifties, standing at the door, with hostile strange uncouth faces that queried my guts with a million questions.

“Good morning sir! Good morning ma’am!” I greeted humbly with my hands pressed to my front just to ensure I wasn’t impish.

Their aberrant, quarrelsome eyes were done staring and sizing me from head to toes, obviously asking from where came this mad-looking fellow.

“Please I am not mad,” I explained respectfully with my gaze barely raised, “I am here to reunite with my family. This is my home address. We live here and I stand to be corrected if this is not my home. I …”

The man interposed, gesturing at me to keep shut and stay away.

“Not anymore. The couples that used to stay here vacated five years ago for their inability to pay the rent.  We bought this house. By the way who are you and why are you looking so unkempt and scary?”

“Yes, I was coming to that,” the wife, a corpulent, short-haired woman, added, “If you are not mad, then what are you?” she scowled her face at the flies that perched around my face.

At the time I could see their hackles rise; it was evident on their faces that I wasn’t going to hesitate to give them answers.

“I …I” the stuttering was too much so I sucked a deep breath and said yet further, “I just left prison…”

“What! An ex-convict!” the couple almost said at once, and then a few steps backward showed forth their stigmatization.

I let a hurried tone and gestured at them, “Hold on sir, hold on ma. I am not a mad man. I am just…I am just an ex-convict who is trying to reunite with his family. We used to stay here and now you are informing me my parents have parked out…”

“Please go away!” the man yelled harder, “Are you daft? Have you spent all your life in jail that you can’t comprehend anymore? I just told you this place belongs to us now. You may have to go and find your family elsewhere!”

The wife repelled me, “Please go, go. We don’t want to have anything to do with an ex-convict. Go away! Your family has packed out!”

A tear wanted to leak down my eyes but I caught it with my eyelids and winked out of it.

“But…but ma, please can you help me with their new address so that I can at least locate them. I must reunite with my family because I can’t spend tonight on the street. Winter is much. I need warmth …”

I was fatally helpless now.

The man interrupted me with a yell, “You must be stupid. What more do you expect of us. We just told you all you need to know. Please take your smelling self out of our compound this minute!”

“Go!” their teenage boy yelled at me before they pulled in and slammed the door.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

I just realized they had a mastiff which was barking at me through the window; its face pushing against the window to attack me.

“If you don’t leave this compound right away, I will release the dog on you!”

The man’s impetuous voice threatened me and I hastened away after casting one last stare at them.

 A striking thought hit me in the head. Yes. I gave an affirming nod once I thought of it. My father used to visit Master Chow Temple. If I could make my way to the temple, Master Chow could probably have their new address.

Master Chow Temple was almost a thousand mile from town and dusk was about to fall. If I should walk to the temple, I might not get there on time and locating my family may not be possible today.

I would have to stand on the road to hitchhike. It wasn’t easy as I thought. No car was eager to give me a ride. With my face scowled and my lips tight in disappointment, I walked to Master Chow Temple.

He barely could recognize me. But after much description, he was forced to hug me warmly.

“I can’t believe this! Brian Patrick! You are out of jail? When? How?” he queried, peering at my face cautiously to see if I was actually the one.

“Earlier today, master,” I said softly as my lips were heavy with fatigue now, “Please I must locate my family tonight. I went to our home and the residents said my parents relocated to another address. I don’t have their new address. Can you help me please, master?”

Master Chow dimmed his eyes thoughtfully, and bit his lips, “Um your father stopped worshipping in the temple but I think I visited their new home few months ago. But it is late now! You must pass the night and locate them tomorrow. They will be happy to see you again, Brain Patrick,” he assured me.

Would they actually be happy to see me, especially father who had reminded me to find my true identity? Would they even be alive or living dead?