Elder Benson is dead.
He had a gift of taking pictures in a surreal manner and didn't care people thought he was strange.
When his body is found with a bluish substance in his system, everyone concludes that he overdosed on drugs.
And no one cares...
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His house was lit up, something which rarely happened since he was the only one that lived there when his mother wasn't around. The gate lights burned a bright yellow and the house looked less deserted in their plush estate environment.
The air was damp and although the whole estate area was quiet, he could hear a few blocks from theirs blasting loud music.
Malachi let out a huge breath and pushed against the large metal gate to enter the house. His mother had been back in town for a week now and he'd made up excuses to not meet her but seeing as she was leaving soon, Malachi figured he had to suck it up and go see her.
As he opened the living room door, he thought of a million things to say when he saw her. Most times, he was angry but this time, he was just tired of their constant back and forth arguments whenever they met.
He found her in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, sipping wine while the microwave oven was turned on and heating something.
She was still beautiful as ever, with no make-up and lean with her natural hair styled and falling to her back. She was in a knee-length dress that fitted her and showed all her curves in the right places. Mrs. Benson was an engineer overseas but still managed to look like effortlessly beautiful all the time.
"Good evening Ma," Malachi plastered a smile on his face and convinced himself that he hadn't missed her and was just acting the part of a dutiful son.
He watched as his mother turned to look at him and as expected, her eyes settled for a moment on her son's wild afro and the smile that was forming in her face turned into a confused expression. Still, she reached out for him and they hugged.
"I've missed you my boy," she pulled out of the hug and placed both hands on her son's face. "I've really missed you."
"Miss you too Ma." Malachi touched his mom's hand. "What are you heating?" his gaze fell on the microwave making a sound as it heated its contents.
"I bought some fried rice and chicken for us," she chuckled and continued, "but the air conditioning in the car made it cold."
"Should I set up the dining table?" he asked, already going towards the dining area.
"That would be lovely hun."
It was funny to Malachi how loving his mother acted when she was back in town but the minute she left for work overseas, he'd hardly hear from her apart from his monthly allowances.
