Zero Margin for Error
Mareylene: Why have you left the plate in the basin?
Me:I am sorry, aunt, I want to gather all of them so that I can wash them at once.
Mareylene: Why do you want To wash all the plates at once, that is laziness. I know it, Osborn. I know you are a very lazy boy!
(She began screaming)
Me: I'm sorry, Mum.
That was the hell I have to pass through every day before going to school, and after school.
My step-mother never give me a breathing space. Secretly, I hated her but because she treated me like an animal. I wished my mum was alive. Death could be very wicked. It had stolen my mother away from me at the time I needed her most and left me in the hands of this tyrant I called my mum.
The incident was still clear in my mind. It was a day I will never forget, since it marked the first time my direct family member with whom I had a close relationship with had died. She was my best friend. I loved her so much.
On that fateful day, I was writing my examination at BrainWorld Preparatory school, not feeling any excitement, but quite nostagic. I had neither appetite for food nor water. I was also not at ease.
Luckily, I finished my examination successfully. Then I saw my dad at the school. This was quite unusual . He went to see the principal and later, I was summoned to the office. The principal told me to follow my father.
I had a premonition something was wrong and asked him, "Dad, what's wrong? " My father, in a very sorrowful and melancholic voice told me my mother had been rushed to the hospital. Apparently, my mother had died already at home, and relatives who had gathered around were suppressing him from informing me so he initially agreed and gave an altruistic lie that my mother had been rushed to hospital.
I could see traces of tears down his cheek and his eyes were swollen. He had been crying. As if I already knew my mum was dead, I broke down in tears and held my father's hand saying, "dad, tell me the truth, where is mum?"
He kept quiet and drove his car ,an uneasy silence growing between us. Finally, we Reached home and entered the house. In a very sophomoric way, he could not hold it any longer, he just cried aloud, "Your mum is dead!" I felt emotionally traumatized and disoriented. Even though I knew my father was telling the truth now, I wished I could be told it was just a joke
Sometimes the reality could be very overwhelming and in such grave instances, fantasies become a more desirable option. I decided to confirm it from my uncle Perez, but he was also trying to play a gentleman's game with me.
Finally, he confirmed what my dad had said, "Yes, your mother has died!"
I don't know how I managed to survive that situation from the announcement of her death to her burial. To me it was a mistake.
That was five years ago. Now , I am 15 years old. My dad remarried. His new wife was called Mareylene. At first , she was quite friendly to me but as time went on, she revealed her true colour.
She would stop at nothing to punish me regardless of the intention behind what I did. To her, human beings must be perfect and must have no reason to commit an error. They should have zero margin for error. I received not less than five beatings a week.
I always invested much energy into trying to be careful, but the more I tried to be careful, the more mistakes I made and you could guess the end -result _Instant Punishment.
These were some of my rules. In the kitchen, I must not break a plate or make too much sound . I must not leave the soapy water in the basin two minutes after I finished washing. No piece of Soap should be found on my body when I finished bathing. I must comb my hair perfectly. I must not spend more than ten minutes in school after we closed. I must not make any mistake in my examinations. Forgetting something was prohibited. I must eat the right amount of food.There should be no left overs. Waking up late is a non- starter, plus 25 other absurd rules I could not list here.
