Breaking Silence

 

                                             

            He dropped the picture again on the table. This was the 7^th time he was carrying out that process of lifting the picture and keeping it right back with more tears than the previous one.

            Olivia had died rather too early. The eleven years of her life was somewhat fulfilled. With her good grades in school and extraordinary dancing skills had brought her to light in the Prince Ville High school.

            Morris was still staring at the table at which he had just dropped the picture again. In this same eleven years, he thought, he never really had time with Olivia. Her last dance competition at Maureen Heights was the peak of her success with her runner-up award and cash price of $1,000. Morris had travelled and wasn’t even there to watch his daughter perform. He was beginning to realise the consequences of his absence just before she died. Olivia started becoming reserved and psychologically traumatised. Their only son, and only child now, was fifteen. Coiled up in his own lonely self, he had no time with his father.

            Morris sat there, wondering what kind of father he had been. How did he not know that his little princess had joined a gang which led her into drinking and taking hard drugs? Lydia, the working-class lady, had no time either for her children. Their shaky marriage had more deteriorating impacts on the children, but none of them really cared. Morris’ business took him away from home for long periods, making Jade and Olivia live void of parental care.

            Olivia’s room was deadly cold. After the funeral, it seemed as though all she had, had died with her. Morris shed more tears, looking at the last award she had won, in a glass case on the table. What good was the award when the winner was no more?

            Lydia came in, looking haggardly with unkept hair. Her weave was tangled and her face, dark purple. She had her arms akimbo at the doorway, looking intently at Morris, while he mourned his loss.

            “We will be alright” … she managed to say, in between sobs.

            “She shouldn’t have done this to us. I wish I were a better father. I needed to make her know she had parents that loved and cared for her.” Morris said, trying to supress what seemed to be the hundredth tear drop.

            “We are both guilty of this.” Lydia said, walking closer to him and sitting at the foot of Olivia’s bed.

            “I knew she was becoming depressed, but I did not do anything about it. I didn’t know she will go to the extent of joining a gang of hoodlums. We both made mistakes and it is high time we corrected them.” She said, placing her hands in his. The silence was deafening and it was as though something struck her, Lydia spoke up.

“Jade needs us now more than ever”.