The Portal

“I will be forced to kill you one day boy. Don’t push me” That’s Dad. He is scolding Kingsley. I hiss as I think of this dungeon of a home. “Useless boy” his voice echoes again from outside into the sitting room, where I’m cleaning the furniture. Then the beatings and the slaps and more talk. Kingsley doesn’t say anything. We never say anything when he hits us over flimsy excuses or call us stupid and useless and insensitive and threatens to kill us.
Mama is not any different. She’d shout and make analogies over flimsy excuses. She’d call us selfish, claiming that she does what most mothers can’t do for their children and that she deprives herself of a lot of things to make us happy, but we never do anything for her.
In one minute she’d say “Aren’t you old enough to make decisions?” The next minute you would hear her say “You don’t follow what I tell you to do. Don’t make me curse you, you’ll regret it if I do.”
We, my brother and I, are torn between being independent of them and being dependent on them. Nothing we do seems right. Everything we do is criticized.
Dad wants Kingsley to be like him and mum wants me to be like her. I laugh.
Do they even know if we admire what they are?
Writing is my escape route. I make friends whom I understand and who understand me. We connect on a deep level. And when I want to zone out mum or dad’s voice, all I need to do is think-talk to my fantasy friends: Ajoke, like me she’s 16, she’s pretty, and her parents let her do what she want as long as she doesn’t get in trouble. Then Prince, the single dad, he’s trying to raise his 4year old Tina, amidst work and societal demands.
We understand each other. There are more, but these two are my favorite. They’ve won me awards and recognition, something neither mum nor dad know of.
I’m taking a writing course online to improve my writing. It’s my ticket out of here.
I try to talk to Kingsley, but we don’t even have much of a relationship, too bad.
I’ll just have to watch my own behind.
Mum and dad, get ready to adopt a new daughter.
Mum and dad, one day thou shalt seek thy son and he shall not be found. I am fed up. And fed up is an understatement. Dad disgusts me and mum, I can’t stand her.
I’m still here because of Amara. I can’t bear to leave her here to suffer all these alone. Although I still don’t have a plan to get us out of this.
Sometimes I think she doesn’t even understand me. Or maybe we don’t understand each other. Like when she’d say “You can eat my food” when mum decides to starve me for one reason or the other and I say no. She’d withdraw, as if that was what she expected, me saying no. I am not a person to explain my emotions. We weren’t raised that way.
Mba. No.
I don’t have to live like my father and mother. I can choose my own way. I’ll find a way to let Amara know that I’m on her side. Although I don’t know how to get us out of this, I’ll figure a way.
Mba. We have to find a way to leave this kind of life. We can’t continue like this.
We’re in the evening devotion.
Mum is praying. “Thank you Lord for our children, they are for signs and wonders.” Kingsley’s eyes meets mine, we share a smile.
When Amara smiled at me I started to think maybe we understand each other. Maybe we are already a team.
We’ll find a portal out.



Story by: A. W Supreme

Would you like to stay connected and get quotes that will inspire and motivate you?
Follow our instagram page @JoyNgofaa'sblog

To stay connected and get notifications on new posts, be a darling and subscribe. Don't forget to share also.. Big thanks.