BROKEN TILE

CHAPTER TWO

       Da arrived before Ma and bought dinner. He was aware of her late homecoming I guess. He does that often when Ma won't be home to make dinner. He had been in the library since he got home; waiting for Ma, so we can have dinner together as usual. He was tired, I sensed because he didn't talk much when he arrived. We allowed him space and privacy most times when we notice his quietness. Fortune got that part him but in a weird way!
"Favour, you need to set the table for dinner. Your Ma is almost home." Da said from the door to the library.
"Ok Da"
I looked at Fortune and we both shrugged. "I really don't like Da's quietness sometimes". I said rising from the bed and closing the book I've been trying so hard to concentrate on since Dan and I had a fight. Maybe because I was scared of what was going to happen if Da found out. No. Not "if" I mean "when" he finds out cos certainly he will.
"His quietness is like torture. I can hardly breathe around him when he wears such mood." I added walking towards the door. I held the door handle and looked at Fortune as she smiled at me and went back to her phone. Whatever. Not like I was expecting her to say anything anyway.

      We sat at the dinning and waited for Ma and Da to come so we can have dinner. We always had breakfast and dinner together unless either Da or Ma wasn't home on time. Most times we had dinner by 5:30pm. Da kicked against late dinner. That night, dinner was by five minutes past six because Ma couldn't make it earlier. Everyone had been quiet around the table and it was so uncomfortable and strangely hot even with both the air-condition and ceiling fan on. I was tensed. I looked across the table and found Dan's eyes and he looked away just immediately our eyes met. Fortune is sitting close to me and facing Ma's chair while Da was to sit at the head table. Dan and Fortune held their hands out on the table with their dishes between their hands, I tucked my fingers under the table and rubbed them together trying to ease the sweat on them. Jezz what's wrong? I never knew it was going to be so uncomfortable facing Ma and Da after just a mere misunderstanding with my elder brother.  I wondered if Dan felt the same way as I am or maybe he wasn't because he believed I was the one who overreacted and insulted him. Not just him, his friend as well! Oh God. I didn't feel guilty of my actions till this moment. I searched Dan's face to know if I could see any anger in it but all I could see was an emotionless face. I looked at Fortune and I noticed she had been studying me for a while. I gave her a ghost of a smile and she reached for my hands under the table. Gush! Hers were unusually cold. Was she actually feeling guilty of something that actually wasn't her fault? Or was she.....? Oh my God she's scared for my sake! Oh dear Fortune. I really can't find a better sister. Just as I tried to say something I'm not even sure what, Da and Ma walked in.
"Why is here so quiet?" Ma asked sitting down between Da and Dan as she searched our faces.
Da brushed his fingers across his face and sighed heavily. He glanced at our faces one after the other and decided to say nothing. I think he noticed the quietness among us before Ma came back, though he's been quiet himself anyway. I couldn't help the quietness, I forced myself up the chair and started dishing dinner of porridge yam and ice fish.
        Waow! It's unusually quiet here! Other days, Dan, Fortune and I would have had a lot of conversations before Da and Ma comes in. They would have joined the conversation and made alot of jokes and we would probably talk about our day.
    Just there I promised myself never to let anything come between us no matter what it was.
After I have dished food for everyone, Da looked at us again and decided to pray.
          "God bless this food for Christ's sake."
            " Amen" we all chorused
I held my fork thighly as I tried to eat but I found out that I already lost my appetite. I unconsciously played with my food thinking of how to tell Da about what I did.
         "What happened Fav?" Da asked.
Just then I looked up and realized they had been talking for a while. I dropped my fork on my plate forcefully that the sound made me jerk.
       "Da?" I managed to say.
They all looked at me. "Why are you all so weirdly quiet?" Da asked maybe for the second time. I looked at Dan in a pleading expression. I wish he could read my heart and know I was truly sorry. I moved my gaze to Ma and then back to Da. "Uhmm..I" I tried to find my voice and what to say at the same time. "I had.... a.... fight with Dan" I finally said lowering my head in embarrassment.
             "What?" Da and Ma said almost at the same time
             "What happened?" Ma asked after several silent seconds.
I kept quiet still looking down at my plate of untouched porridge. I waited to find the right words to say but nothing came out. I didn't realize I had taken much time to answer the question.
"Dan?" Ma asked looking at Dan whose face was also lowered. She waited for almost a minute for him to say something but non of us seemed to let out anything. Then I realized Dan was sorry too. He felt guilty just as I was. Oh my bad!
"Fortune can you explain to us what's going on here. This quietness is throwing I and your Ma in bizarre." Da hissed. I knew we were getting on his nerves with our quietness. I waited. Maybe for Fortune to say something. I managed to look at her and I could sense she was also afraid to speak just as I was. Why on earth is she even scared? She had nothing to do with what happened. Poor Fortune, always scared to death. She raised her shoulders and flattened her palms on the table; trying so hard to hide her face. I wondered how Da would think he could get anything from her. I managed to get hold of my glass of water, I raised it to my lips and took a quick sip; ready to talk .
"Da..." I said almost at the same time with Dan. We looked at each other and I could see how sorry he looked and I hoped he could see through me too. I felt nothing but pity and sorry for my actions.
"You can go first" he said quietly.
"Da, I'm so sorry. Ma I'm sorry too. I raised my voice at Dan. It was all my fault. I insulted him in the presence of his friend not just that I called them stupid. I'm so sorry Da I didn't mean to disrespect him. I was angry. I let my emotions control me which you've adviced us against. Ma I'm so sorry." I finally burst out. Hearing my own voice coming out with those words so fast through my lips, I tried not to cry as my throat and eyes were filled with tears. I tried as much as possible not to let the tears drop. I fumbled my fingers under the table and I noticed Fortune's hands on mine, rubbing it gently. She wasn't even looking at me, rather her gaze was on her untouched meal. Oh dear! Bless her.
"Da, Ma please it was my fault. I pushed her to say bad things to me. I think I deserve all she said. I was being a jerk. I'm sorry Ma. I'm sorry Da. I even tried hitting her out of anger. Oh God it's my fault Da. I pushed her to the wall." Dan explained. His voice not sounding as scared as he looked.
"Fortune" Da called looking straight at me. I froze when I found his gaze on me. Suddenly I felt Fortune's fingers tightened on mine. I gripped her hand with both hands as we looked at Da. We knew what's coming next wasn't going to be funny.
"Fortune." Da called again. This time looking at her. I turned my gaze to Fortune who was now looking at Da's meal.
"Da." She answered.
"Do you have anything to do with this?"
"No Da!" I shouted defensively before Fortune could say anything. I didn't want Da to pin it on her and I don't want her to take the blame of what I did. "Da..." I continued this time my voice sounded calm and I hoped it was convincing too. "She is innocent. She didn't even know when it happened. Believe me Da. Fortune knows nothing about this."
"Oh really." Ma said absently as she sips water from her glass. I glanced at her and saw her studying our faces intensely. She does that often when she suspects we're lying which makes us say the truth involuntarily. This time she's getting no other word from me because what I said was the truth.
"Uhmm honestly Da, I laughed when I found out they had a fight. I mean we've been planning to give Dan a piece of our minds for some time now. So when she did, I found it funny." Fortune said quietly sounding as sincere as always. I pinched her thumb slightly because that was stupid of her and what she said wasn't even necessary damn it. Maybe Ma's look was having an effect on her.
We waited patiently for Da to scold us or maybe get mad but he lifted his fork and started eating. What? What was he trying to do?. Ma followed and soon I found myself gaining appetite and pushing the porridge down my throat just as Dan and Fortune.
"There is this case I told you guys I am working on for a month now. About the man was charged for fraud by the company he's working for. I told you guys right?" Da finally ended the silence.
"Yea that one" Ma answered with a mouth full.
"You can't believe what happened. He was found not guilty and the company is meant to pay for damages." He stopped, gulped water and then continued. "He's asking for a share in the company as a pay for the damage done and a ten percent increase of salary for a year"
"Jezz that's way too much" Dan shouted.
"I think he's a fraud as charged." I laughed.
The tension was becoming lighter and I knew it was Da's doing but that was the least I expected. "Does he want to use the opportunity to make the company go bankrupt?" I added
"Actually the company is willing to give only the ten percent increase. But the man in question disagrees."
"What's his job description? I mean what's his work at the company?" Dan asked taking more porridge from the bowl.
"You won't believe it" Da laughed "financial secretary at the branch here."
We all threw ourselves into an uncontrollable laughter. I couldn't help myself. I dropped my fork to my plate and covered my face with my hands as I laughed. I wasn't expecting that. I started coughing, I had to drink a whole glass of water to get my peppery throat at ease.
"Bloody fool" Fortune managed to say.
"I wonder what made him think the company will give him such lincence to the company's shares" Ma added taking another bite of yam.
"Having a share in the company means he has a say in the company right?" I asked
Da nodded.
"What contribution does he has to make in a board meeting? And it's a popular company." Dan giggled.
"I wonder what he was thinking. What makes him think the company will go stupid and fall for his demands." Ma said
"Ten percent increase in his salary for a year is way too much if I'm to say. And then he's adding something so impossible to that kind gesture from the company. That alone can serve him to invest in something profitable that can break even within a year." I said
"Well it depends on the amount of damages done." Fortune said, holding her glass of water. We all looked up at her except Da. " Yea" she nodded.
"Exactly the point my dear." Da nodded in agreement still didn't look at her. "He was publicly humiliated and the fraud accusations went on medias. He might have lost part of his integrity. And do you know how much he spent paying the lawyer. According to him he went bankrupt and it's going to take him alot to recover. So ten percent increase might not tend to his needs and still have some left for investment. And another important thing is that, he lost a good part of respect and trust from people he loved and people who don't even know him. Just as you guys are judging him right now. So what do you have him do?"
"But Da that doesn't justify his demands, he should find better options." Dan blurted.
"Yea I agree, his demands are too much for his status and he would probably add little or nothing to the growth of the company if he is made a shareholder." Ma added
"There are better options." I added.
"Options like?" Da asked lifting his napkin over his lips.
"Twenty percent increase for a year?"  I said gulping water from my glass.
"I think they should get him a landed property like a house and then the ten percent increase." Dan said relaxing on his chair. Obviously he was done eating.
Da looked at both of us and smiled.
"First thing first.." Fortune said leaning closer to the table with her elbows resting on the edge of the table. She held her glass between her two palms. Da looked at her and narrowed his brows. We looked at her too, whenever she talked, it was something different. We listen. "The company has to apologise publicly to him using the same medias that published his fraudulent accusations and even more. Then,..." She looked at everyone one after the other and avoiding our eyes ".... reach an agreement which I suggest should be: the ten percent increase for two years and maybe with an accommodation allowance for the same two year." She rested her back on the chair.
"The company provides accommodation and mobility to all workers." Da corrected.
"Then he should go for a landed property just as Dan suggested. But the public apology is much more important than the material advantage." She finished all the water in her glass in one gulp and lowered the glass on the table next to her empty plate. She's done talking on the topic, I know. Actually she had said more than I expected. I guessed Da bought her idea because he nodded occasionally as she explained her suggestion. I felt jealous a bit but maybe proud my twin has a brain of two humans!
"That's nice." Ma smiled at her.
"You know when you ask for too much, you end up getting nothing. Knowing your stand and where you belong is very important. Sometimes people think that money is everything. Once they have money, all their problems are gone. But it's not true. It's never true. Money can go anytime it chooses to, sometimes it never comes at all. It's just material. But self respect is ultimate."
Hmmm. I didn't get what Da was driving at. I was confused and I believed the rest of us were too because I could see their brows drawn together in confusion. What point exactly is he trying to make? We were all finished with our meal and listening to Da. He never talked in parables without proving an important point that one can never forget in a hurry. I learnt so much from Da.
"Self respect and family respect are very much important in this life. When you loose it, no amount of money or material thing can buy it back. No matter what you do, your family first, they are the one to stand by you when you're in trouble. If you loose them you loose everything."
Oh I get his point now! Da! He's going back to my fight with Dan and that got my hands cold. This time I didn't hide them under the table, I let them out on the table and played with them absently. I looked up at Dan and I knew he understood what Da was trying to say. We both lowered our heads and listened carefully to Da.
"Never disrespect your family no matter how bad your emotions are. I warned you before, do not let your emotions control you. Whether you are happy or angry, learn to control yourself. Don't you think you made a fool of Dan in front of his friend Charles? What do you think Charles will think of him when he sees him? Do you think he will let him command respect in their league knowing how disrespectful you talked to him? I'm disappointed Favour. That was uncultured."
Squeezing my fingers together and avoiding everyone's eyes especially Da, I lowered my head in shame.
"I'm sorry Da" I managed to say almost like a whisper.
"I really do not know what led to the fight but Dan, Favour cannot go that far if you hadn't pushed her that much. I've thought you always that women are to be understood and listened to even if they aren't making sense, just for peace. You almost hit her, right? And what would that have made you if you did? You'll be nothing but a coward you know. Do you think she'll ever look you in the eye and respect you if you laid your fingers on her? Oh goodness, thank God you didn't or I won't even be having this conversation. Honestly Daniel, I'm more disappointed. I never expected such from the both of you at all."
"My sincere apologies Da" Dan said quietly still lowering his head.
"Did you apologise already to one another?"
"I'm sorry Dan" I said immediately. I've been longing to say that. I looked up at him and he nodded and apologized in return.
"And Fortune. I'm not just talking to them alone."
Fortune nodded.
       After that fateful day, we never got ourselves in any form of verbal abuse or something relating to it. We avoided each other when we noticed any strange attitude. Dan stopped his annoying attitude but sure he still didn't stop being a lazy ass.
       But everything changed!

 
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