The Missing Key

Episode 1

6:30am_ _ _ It happened on a Monday. Very early in the morning, my dad woke up as usual and started to dress up for work. By 6.30am he was already ready for work. He then took his time to sort out some papers. I think these papers had something to do with his work. It was almost 7am when he locked up his suit case and left the bedroom. Mum was still sleeping when he closed the door behind him. In the sitting room, he walked straight to the exit door, realized that the door was still locked. "Oh!" he exclaimed and walked straight to the dining table where the exit door key was normally kept, but it wasn't there. He got a little frustrated as he began to search all over the sitting room for the key. It was nowhere to be found. He dropped his suitcase on the seat and angrily walked back into the sitting room where mum was still sleeping. "Where on earth would someone keep the exit door key if not in the sitting room?" he said to mum who was already half awake. She moaned and slowly said, "Not everybody wakes up as early as you do, you know?" "This is almost 7am and it's not early. I just need to know where the key is so that I can go to work; I have a very important meeting this morning." "It should be in the sitting room, I think I kept it there after I locked up last night," she said as she slowly got up from the bed. "You think?" he starred at her in disbelieve, "where you drunk last night?" She ignored him and walked out of the bedroom, into the sitting room. He followed her. She searched every nook and cranny of the sitting room, while my dad watched her in anger. But she didn't find the key. "Where else would this key be if not here?" she said, more to herself as she looked around helplessly. "I am really sure I kept it here. "Daddy impatiently looked at his wrist watch, "Oh my God, 7:10am... what is the meaning of all this?" John walked into the sitting room. He was already in his school uniform. My dad might be a huge income earner, but John never looked it. His dressing was always shabby and he most times preferred flying his shirt with his sandals dirty. I can't remember dad or mum ever saying something about it. Of course dad was never around to notice and mum hardly talks "Good morning mum, Good morning dad," he said and walked towards the kitchen. "Did you see the exit door key?" Dad asked without responding to his salutation. John stopped starring at them in confusion; he was never comfortable around them. They have a way of intimidating him and this makes him somehow act guilty around them. One can easily blame him for anything because of the way he acted around them. "Key?,No dad, I wasn't the last person to go to bed, I have no idea where the key is." Dad continued to look around the sitting room like John was never there in the first place. He looked at the wall clock in the sitting room and murmured, "Just imagine, I should be on my way to the office by now. What nonsense is this?" Mum was still busy searching. She was saying some things to herself nobody could hear. She was sure she kept the key on the dining table after she locked up last night. "Woman, what exactly do you want me to do right now? Just try and remember where you kept this key so that I can go to my office and get ready for the meeting." Dad said to her. "I am very sure I kept the key here. Yes, I remember opening the door for you when you came home last night. I locked it immediately and dropped it on the dining table before going to sleep. Linda was doing her home work on the table when i dropped it,while Ada was playing with her cell phone on the long seat here." She said thoughtfully. "Linda!!" dad called my name If dad called any of us the way he was calling me now, we know there was trouble and trouble with my dad was hell. When angry with anybody in the house, he would use very derogatory words ensuring that his victim looked and felt as foolish as ever. He would attack your self esteem and make you hate yourself. I was putting on my socks when dad called. "Yes dad!" I replied and quickly came out of my room to meet him, wondering what I had done wrong this morning. He hardly interacts with anyone on week day's mornings. "Where is the exit door key?" he asked immediately I came out. "I don't know where it is,' I replied defensively. He was asking like he was sure I was with it. "You were doing your homework on the dining last night when your mum dropped the key, didn't you see it?" "No dad," I replied as he immediately shifted his attention back to mum who was still looking around confused. Ada came out from her room; she had not yet taken her bath. I think she wasn't having an early lecture this Monday morning. I sometimes wonder what sort of school she was going. She does not wear any school uniform like me and John. She sometimes comes home very early or even stays at home without going to school for a whole day. "Ada, do you happen to know where the exit door key is?" Mum spoke up this time around. "Isn't it on the dining table?" "It wouldn't be on the dining and we would be looking for it." Dad injected. He raised his hands helplessly. "Can somebody locate this key so that I will leave this house? What sort of joke is this?" Ada and mum started all over again to search all corners of the sitting room. John came out from the kitchen and walked into his room, he didn't want to be around dad. I also left them and got back into my room to finish dressing up for school. I didn't think the key was missing. I was almost sure that the key would be found, dads irritated mood was only making it look bad. The time was almost 7.30am; I hoped the key would be found soonest so that I don't miss the school bus. Nobody was even talking about breakfast; well mum will bring my lunch box for me later. She would drop at the school gate and the guard would help her bring it to me. 7.35am By now dad was burning in anger. He stood helplessly and observed as Mum and Ada continued to look around for the key. He obviously didn't know the next thing to do. They repeatedly searched where they had already searched. He looked at them like they were silly. "Will you continue to search the same place all day? How do you feel doing that?" Dad calmly asked. Neither mum nor Ada was sure the question was directed at them. They stopped and looked at him. It was obvious that the anger he felt had heated his whole system that his whole body organs should have started dissolving by now.