Night Before the Swing

The beginning of the end of her childhood

CHAPTER 1

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The affluent suburb of Bronx-kay guaranteed peace, safety and convenience for its gated community residents. Located within a walking distance to the best schools in the region, the exclusive area assured a colourful childhood for children growing up there. On top of the benefit of having the streets regularly cleaned, there was also constant police visibility which cut down the crime statistics in the area to zero percent. Over and above all, living in Bronx-kay came with bragging rights.

The prosperous neighbourhood became the most sought after place to reside in particularly when the Mason family bought property there. The Masons' only daughter, Nala, was only a week old when the opulent family moved to the well-heeled area; adding even more value to the already adored community. Christian Mason's career as a surgeon had generated fame for him and his wife, Gwen, in a matter of two years. Surgeon Mason wasn't just the best in his occupation. He was incredibly devoted to every patient who arrived at his surgical ward. Mason went beyond the call of duty when it came to his patients. He not only researched their medical history; he also took time to get acquainted with each and every patient, making sure he understood their roles in their families and society in general. Patients brazenly and unapologetically requested to be treated by him over other medical practitioners and his colleagues secretly resented him for the favouritism he so openly enjoyed from the sick, their loved ones and the hospital management. The two medical excellence awards he received after saving the life of the state's deputy president's daughter shot Mason to instant fame and idolatry to many aspiring med students. It therefore came as no surprise when he bought a home in the exquisite estate of Bronx-Kay, where the cream de la crop of the region already resided. News of him saving the lives of professionals in need of life-saving surgery were constantly spread across newspapers and praised on main stream media. And because Christian Mason was the darling of the country, no one bothered to report about the few ordinary citizens who lost their lives on his table.

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The grounds especially created for children's recreational activities in Bronx-kay matched its standard of living and Nala Mason enjoyed her time there. She and her best friend Pru shared a beautiful friendship from the age of one and not a day went by without either seeing the other. Prudence was more than just a friend to Nala. Her mother and Prudence's uncle shared a father and that made them feel like sisters. They played on their way to school and back. They played in class and sometimes got in trouble for it, then played some more after doing homework. The pair loved to swing in the play park down the road from the Mason home and time spent there was never enough. For almost a year, Nala pleaded with her parents to buy her a personal swing, a seesaw and a merry-go-round for the days she wasn't allowed to leave the yard due to poor weather. Unfortunately for Nala, the park was too close to the house so Gwen plainly told her to take the five-minute walk to the play area when the sky was clear. By the time she was seven years of age, she had made peace and had almost forgotten her desire to own a personal playground.

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One afternoon while playing rock-paper-scissor with Pru under a tree, Laura animatedly invited them to go do what they all loved doing most; play and swing at the park. Pru wasn't up to it but Nala refused to let that opportunity pass her by and followed enthusiastically. It was a warm afternoon and the breeze she felt swinging back and forth felt so good, she found herself playing long after Laura left. Returning home in the early evening was a terrible bore and she wished she could miraculously go back to two hours before. Her mother had rules for her play time and one of them was, play time is over when the street lights come on. Play time wouldn't be over if I had a swing at home, she mused while dragging herself back home.