The dark corner of the room

dark corner Part 5: tyla

talking about genocide and stutter. My mom's friend asked her how and when i started stuttering. and mom said: I don't know how or when, I think it's about time I used to take her to see the murders (the guys who committed genocide) getting shot on the stadium. I remember both of them laughing it off, and having that nervous smile. "who does everyone talks about killing so causally around here?" but I didn't ask. I didn't want to stutter more and them to laugh more. instead, i went to bed to cry it off. 

why didn't you ask, how come you were too quiet. i mean, it couldn't hurt, right? wrong. It actually could hurt. Infact, it did hurt. my mom hated questions. she despised them. she screamed at us all the time, well, not me really, but the rest of my siblings. i never really gave her a reason to scream at me. my sisters couldn't ask for more money to buy salt, or sugar without being screamed at. they couldn't ask her what she wants them to cook for dinner, without her spiting in their eyes. I can't tell whether she hated them or herself. I saw it all, and i did my best to avoid her ways. I really did. She cried more often than i care to remember, but she laughed sometimes too. 

anyway, killing was normal. We would all go to bed by 7pm, not to bed, but in the house, at 7pm. no one, i repeat, no one goes outside at night. it doesn't matter the reason. mind you, we didn't have a bathroom in the house, so do not dare want to peer, or god forbid to do the big one (like they used to call it) the whole house would have to wake up to accompany you to the bathroom, and you will get your share of the scolding in the morning.

the night routine was the same. check in the house, every single part of it, to make sure there is no one hiding in there to murder the whole family at night. i have no idea where this came from, but it was a thing. at night, we would light up all the  lights in the house, and then we would take the torches and look every where, i mean every where. in the cupboards, in the desks, under the chairs, and the tables, behind the doors, etc. we would then lock the doors and go to bed__ and hopefully sleep. I sincerely wanted any day to be the last day, but of course, i am here to write this book.