Merry Haven - Episode 1

 

 As he opened his eyes, Tettes knew that heads would roll. It was strange, but he felt it coming. 
  The fluffy bed embraced Tettes slim body, letting him linger. The screaming of his name downstairs gave him a pricking pain in his head. Saturdays were free days for him, it was a day he shouldn't worry about waking up early. He rolled out from his bed, feeling dizzy. 
 
He craned his neck back at the mess on his bed . The thought of Miss Margaret reaction when she fix her eyeballs at his rumpled bedsheets gave him a piercing cold. Her reaction will not be friendly, he thought, dressing his bed, like a decent boy should.

 The door creaked open, a middle age woman appeared " Tettes, it's eight o'clock and you are still in your bed, will you - aah... your bed!!" she said, eyes wild open. Tettes hands were on the bedsheets trying to dress the bed as quickly as he could.

 "I am on it, don't blame me.. I slept late yesterday, and I promise Miss Margaret, it will never get this rough." he said, faltering.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, always messing up your room" she snapped. striding out, " Come downstairs quickly, the family wants you there now." Miss Margaret slammed the door

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/merry-haven

. The sound of her footsteps were making a tak tak sound on the floor, fading slowly.

"Is diner ready?" He shouted, so his voice could be heard by Miss Margaret.

"Like you know anything else!." she bellowed. He broadened his delicate lips, that was Miss Margaret way of saying yes. Food, food, food, he could never miss it, not even in his dreams.

 His queer dreams had been giving him a  piercing fear. They were lucid dreams of a woman garbed in the finest of linen, the damsel had given Tettes bad feelings in his guts for the past five months.. Food would calm him down, and it did soothed him before, why not now? He dashed out, forgetting his cruel dream behind. Doctor Bitrus was the last place on his mind, he hated the doctor's therapy. 

He beheld a full house downstairs, hating to be the last to show up. He lingered at the entrance at what seemed like forever, wondering whose severed head might be rolling. 

"Be polite and come join us, twerp." Annas teased.

"Shut it!!" Their mom snapped, she frowned at Annas, hating the wild jibe. "He is your younger brother for God's sake"

 Tettes found himself a seat, sandwiched between his two older brothers. He hated the insults. He greeted the family, fixing his gaze at the Mahogany dining table. Sydney and their dad wore a business-like suit, probably on their way to a business meeting. Annas was in a red jersey, a crimson bag rested on his right shoulder. 
 His mom was on her simple loosed silk gown.

"You will have to eat up, Tess. Ignore boys, they will always be boys." Sydney said, soothing his little brother.

"And see who talks about Manhood, he thinks he is a man. don't make me start with you, cus you will never heal from my venom." Annas snapped.

"You good at gibbering, ain't you?.. talk more, do less, you such a lazy chap." Sydney countered.

"Well, am better than you, I will establish myself and cou--" 

"Shut up you two!!. You should be ashamed of yourself for exchanging words with your elder brother." their dad shouted, glaring at Annas with spite. Annas didn't say a word, he just grumbled. "And you, Sydney..." He said trying to string his words together, but they never came.

"Am sorry father, I didn't mean to." Sydney begged. 

Tettes watched how his mom soothed her husband, she caressed his lap, pacifying him. His father sprang up, fetching an apple from the fruit basket. "Sydney let's go, it's almost time." he said stridding out, Sydney followed like a magnet pulling an iron. "See you when I get back love." Tettes dad said to his wife, without pausing to look at her. 

"Annas you should be ashamed at your ill behavior." she said when her first son, and his dad were gone.

"The funny thing is that I don't." Annas said, pricking his fork into a fried chicken.

"Sweetheart, you need to make peace with your dad." she said, with motherly affection. It was no secret that she loved Annas the more. She loved all her sons but Annas was dear to her heart. 

"But mum..." He tried to say, his mum shushed him lovingly...

"Say no more Ann.. he is always and still your dad."

"Ann... Hmmm, very funny." Tettes muttered, Wondering where his mom picked up that funny pet name from. Annas ignored him.

 "Annas, when he comes back, go to him and make peace, your dad could be strong will at times, so you better don't push him." she advised.

"But Juliet, there is nothing to beg for. How did you meet him?, he is no good for you mom." Annas said, boiling with hatred for his dad.

"You say no more boy!!. I didn't brought you up that way." she snapped.

"Sorry Juliet, am just wondering.. that's all." Annas said, trying to prevent her fury. He stood up, moved to his mom and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Am going to the park." he said, then strode out.
 
  Tettes was still devouring his rice. Going to the park would be hard for him, but he must try to sneak out to watch the basket ball game. He thought about the escape mission for a while, it was worthless.

 "And you where do you think you are going." Tettes mum called, glaring at her son. 

"Mum... It's the Merry Haven tigers against the cougars of Wide-pass today. I can't miss that match." Tettes said, moving away.

"You get back here Tettes!!" She bellowed. Tettes paused.

"Mom.... Please let me go. It's the holidays, no stu---"

"You dare not walk out on me.. you are not one of the players."

"Oh.. so that's it. But am not doing anything for you here." Tettes said with a creased face.

 Miss Margaret came in, picking the dishes. I will have to disappoint her today, he thought. Perhaps it had been long he manned up. He sped out, knowing he was in for something fiend when he comes back.

"Tettes!!..." Miss Margaret and Juliet screamed in unison. 

The basket ball match had started already, Tettes rested his butt on a seat he saw vacant. The crowd were cheerful as always, cheering at their best players and booing at the opponent. Tettes was in the midst of Merrian fans. He was not the boisterous type, he only came for the game, it was all that mattered.

The cougars wore black jerseys, the Tigers wore a red. The game was not the normal Saturday training they usually had, it was a friendly match. Goose pimples sprouted out on Tettes skin as he watched with keen interest. He glared at Annas, sometimes he wondered if Annas was his real brother, they were different sides of a coin. Where Annas was cheerful Tettes wasn't, also Annas was jovial, making all the girls antsy whenever he say hi. Annas was the dream guy of all girls. Tettes wondered if he could  really posses such abilities.

 He was cut out of his pensive state with a thunderous applause from the Merrian fans. Annas tossed the ball into the hoop in an epic style, clutching the hoops and swinging his athletic body, lingering in the air. He was swatted by his team mate on his butt, urging him down. Tettes grew a spiteful frown, hating his brother's show-off.

 Annas was the carbon copy of their dad, with dimples on both cheeks, like their mum's. Something about his eyes made Annas quake whenever he saw them, they were like a cat's eye, it was sexy, stunning, but Tettes saw an eye of a cat whenever he see them. He was taller than Sydney, his athletic built taunted Tettes stick-like body.

Tettes smirked, At least his beard looks like that of a barbarian, he thought. The ladies had a different view, they admired the black beard.

The Merrian fans were at it again, cheering louder than before. Annas scored again.
  It happened so sudden, a stout looking cougar, in a bid of rage, elbowed an opponent. The poor tiger stumbled on the rough court. In what seemed like seconds, Annas flashed past players, halting abruptly when he reached the stout looking fellow, planting a heavy punch on the fellow's lower jaw. His blood rippled down his mouth like a flowing stream. The cougar retired, resting his stout body on the court's rough floor. The anarchy exacerbated all around the court. like a contagious disease, it slithered into the crowds. The stoning, punches, and wild words were getting brutal.

Minutes later, the blaring of siren was heard from afar, getting louder as the van came to the park. Tettes needed no soothsayer to know who they were. His heels carried him faster than they had ever carried him before. 

He craved for the sweet embrace of his parents house, his heels somehow coded what his cravings were, they got faster. He felt like a fool for leaving his brother behind.. 

 ~
"Please, love get Annas out of there, he can't stand that place any longer, he has learnt his lessons." Juliet pleaded with her husband.

It was a week after the park incident, Tettes was with the family in the living room, save Annas, who was having a hard time in the police net. The boy he attacked was still in the hospital.

"Your boy needs to stay there longer, he deserves it, you know what he did to that poor boy, he should thank his God - if ever he has one, that his victim didn't obtain any serious bruises." Ernest said, his wife had been on this for days, refusing to speak to him this past days. It was too much for her now, her sweetheart was laying in a filthy cell without proper care.

"You know what really happened, don't close your eyes from the truth, Annas was only protecting himself, Tettes tell him what happened, you were there." she said searching Ernest eyes for succor, but they were non.

"Dad, it is true, The Wide-pass guy started it" Tettes said. He had been repeating these line for the past seven days, thanks to his mom encouragement, she literally wanted him to narrate the event bit by bit, like he did the day it occurred. Tettes hated repeating it, there was no use, since his dad never yielded.

"You hear that?. please if not anything, do it for the love we share. Sydney, talk to your dad, he listens to you, your brother hates that cell, talk to him son." Juliet pleaded the more, sobbing.

"I will mum." Said Sydney.

"Please do, you know he is your brother, he will be hardworking, you will see, he will be." she begged. Tettes sighed, knowing they were in for a long plea.

"Your boy is getting worse, pray he shouldn't be like Kashees." Ernest said, after what had seemed like hours..

Juliet hated the idea of Annas following the footsteps of his disowned brother, Kashees. Tettes saw it all in her eyes, her hatred for Kashees. She never loved the boy, not because he wasn't her son, it was hatred so strong that Tettes could never comprehend, Juliet never voiced out her reasons though, according to Ernest he was the black sheep of the Jacobs, betraying him. Tettes knowledge about the tale was slim, he was not born when it all happened. He only saw Kashees occasionally, not having time to be with his half brother. Tettes had nothing against him so does Annas, but Sydney hated Kashees like his mum.

"Annas is nothing like him!" she purred with disgust. Cautiously preventing the name.