It was 8 p.m. in the evening. James sat at his usual seat in the corner of the huge lounge and played with his broken dinky. The atmosphere all around the house was buzzing with excitement. The master and mistress of the house were coming back home today from their yearly world tour. Each and everyone seemed joyful and busy with their chores. The four children, unlike their normal routine were gathered around the centre table and talked excitedly, planning all sorts of surprises for their parents' welcome. Jonathan, the oldest, was not hanging out with his friends, as was his custom every Saturday night. Eliza was not locked up in her room, watching her Saturday night movie. Wilbur had totally forgotten his video games and the stack of automatic racing cars and bikes. And Tania, the youngest and the only friend James had in the world, had deserted her toys (and him, James thought gloomily) and was sitting contentedly in her older brother's lap, laughing as he tickled her. A soft smile lit his face as he heard her laughter like tinkling bells, despite the hurting feeling inside of him.
A slight commotion at the back door caused him to tear his eyes off Tania. His mother, the permanent maid in the house, with her hands full of clean, starched bed clothes, closely followed by the children's nurse, entered and went up the stairs towards the bedrooms. Everyone was busy and no one paid him the slightest of attention. He rolled his dinky along the floor and it resulted in a soft screech. The drive wasn't as smooth as he would have liked it because one of the wheels of the small car was missing. He then left it lying there and moved closer to the bunch of Tania's toys, spread on the carpet. He was busy examining the red-and-white airplane when his mother came up from behind, snatched it out of his hands and started collecting all the other toys in a basket. But the basket was soon full and still a few stuff toys and one of Tania's dolls remained so James offered to help his mother carry them to the toy room.
He placed all the toys one by one neatly on the shelves of the toy room, the stuff toys and dolls and cars that Tania liked to play with on the lower shelves and a few old ones that she never touched on the higher ones. His mother meanwhile dusted and vacuumed the room.
"Mother, can I get a bike like this one when I turn eight next year?" he asked over the loud noise of the vacuum, pointing towards a shiny four-wheel bicycle in a corner.
"Go out of the room, Jamie and stop coming in my way. I've still got loads to do before they arrive. And do wash your hands and face. You're filthy," She said in a soft, motherly-ordering manner, gave him a soft push out of the room and closed the door.
After a quick wash as his mother had asked him to do, he went out in the lawn to where his father sat on the ground cross-legged, smoking, lost in some deep thought. He felt exhausted and tired because of the numerous errands his mother had sent him to all day so he went to sit in his father's lap, his head resting on his chest. His father however remained as he was, still and silent, seemingly unaware of his son's presence. As if his heart found comfort in the warm lap, sleep overcame him but soon he was forced to wake up as the cold wind sent a chill down his body and made him shiver. Numbly he tried tucking himself warmer against his father’s big sweater.
“Go to bed, squirt. Its cold out here and this is no place to sleep. Go and lie down inside.” His father told him, as he felt him stir.
Laziness swept him and he secretly wished his father would carry him to his bed and tuck him in. But lying there a few more minutes and feeling the cold penetrate through him, he got up and slowly lifted himself off his father’s lap. Just then the main gate of the house opened and a car drove in and gave a brief horn. Out came a beautiful middle aged woman fashionably dressed with an aura of style about her. Following her was a man, a sophisticated aging figure, with graying hair neatly combed in place and dressed in an expensive gray suit. James felt his father rushed past him to greet his employers. He however didn’t move. Just then he heard a squeal and laughter and the four children came rushing out of the house, altogether into their mother’s arms. Tania rushed straight to her father and he carried her up into a tight embrace.
A slight commotion at the back door caused him to tear his eyes off Tania. His mother, the permanent maid in the house, with her hands full of clean, starched bed clothes, closely followed by the children's nurse, entered and went up the stairs towards the bedrooms. Everyone was busy and no one paid him the slightest of attention. He rolled his dinky along the floor and it resulted in a soft screech. The drive wasn't as smooth as he would have liked it because one of the wheels of the small car was missing. He then left it lying there and moved closer to the bunch of Tania's toys, spread on the carpet. He was busy examining the red-and-white airplane when his mother came up from behind, snatched it out of his hands and started collecting all the other toys in a basket. But the basket was soon full and still a few stuff toys and one of Tania's dolls remained so James offered to help his mother carry them to the toy room.
He placed all the toys one by one neatly on the shelves of the toy room, the stuff toys and dolls and cars that Tania liked to play with on the lower shelves and a few old ones that she never touched on the higher ones. His mother meanwhile dusted and vacuumed the room.
"Mother, can I get a bike like this one when I turn eight next year?" he asked over the loud noise of the vacuum, pointing towards a shiny four-wheel bicycle in a corner.
"Go out of the room, Jamie and stop coming in my way. I've still got loads to do before they arrive. And do wash your hands and face. You're filthy," She said in a soft, motherly-ordering manner, gave him a soft push out of the room and closed the door.
After a quick wash as his mother had asked him to do, he went out in the lawn to where his father sat on the ground cross-legged, smoking, lost in some deep thought. He felt exhausted and tired because of the numerous errands his mother had sent him to all day so he went to sit in his father's lap, his head resting on his chest. His father however remained as he was, still and silent, seemingly unaware of his son's presence. As if his heart found comfort in the warm lap, sleep overcame him but soon he was forced to wake up as the cold wind sent a chill down his body and made him shiver. Numbly he tried tucking himself warmer against his father’s big sweater.
“Go to bed, squirt. Its cold out here and this is no place to sleep. Go and lie down inside.” His father told him, as he felt him stir.
Laziness swept him and he secretly wished his father would carry him to his bed and tuck him in. But lying there a few more minutes and feeling the cold penetrate through him, he got up and slowly lifted himself off his father’s lap. Just then the main gate of the house opened and a car drove in and gave a brief horn. Out came a beautiful middle aged woman fashionably dressed with an aura of style about her. Following her was a man, a sophisticated aging figure, with graying hair neatly combed in place and dressed in an expensive gray suit. James felt his father rushed past him to greet his employers. He however didn’t move. Just then he heard a squeal and laughter and the four children came rushing out of the house, altogether into their mother’s arms. Tania rushed straight to her father and he carried her up into a tight embrace.
Slowly he turned and carried himself to his bed, into the cozy quilt. He felt his whole body aching with a pain he couldn’t clearly feel. Yet it was there… he could tell. He stirred within the quilt trying to find a warm spot but soon sleep overcame him once more and unconscious of his tears drying onto his pillow, he was asleep...
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