A Short Story

I love Sundays because there is always something for me to learn. Today in teens church, we read a short story. The story is about a boy who isn't satisfied with his father's attitude towards him so, he rebelled. I can't remember the name of the boy so I will just call him Raymond. Raymond is from a family of four comprising of his dad, mom and his little sister. Raymond's father has always complained about his son's behavior, never gave him a listening ear and compared him with his sister, Mary.

Raymond became fed up with his dad's negative attitude to him. He felt his dad hated him. He never felt at home whenever his dad was around. No wonder he enjoyed school and the company of his friends so much. At school, he was always at peace with nobody to bother or pressure him. So, school was his breathing space. But, the friends he kept are not ones to be so proud of. They talked about a lot of things: The parties they attended, the number of chicks they had ... His friends smoked, had at least one girlfriend, so, he felt the need to have one; to belong not knowing the trouble that awaits him. He joined in whatever his friends were doing which affected his academics drastically as his attention was divided. Raymond's mother, Martha noticed that her son's behavior has changed and she tried to call him to order. Within him, he thought his sister was the one who told his mom about him.

Enraged, he confronted his sister about this and asked "Why can't you mind your business?" Mary replied him with the most tender voice ever. She was so cool about it. She made him understand that he is not the only one that is angry with their dad but that shouldn't stop him from being a good person. She advised her brother in the best way she could and he left.

Back to school. The news got round that Josh has been shot. Josh is a friend to Raymond and a member of the gang. Raymond was scared for his life. 'What have I gotten myself into?'he kept on asking himself. He was scared for his life.

It was time for morning assembly. He was informed by a teacher that his dad was in the principal's office and wanted to see him. His heart skipped a beat. He knew it was game up for him.. As soon as he spot his dad, he burst into tears. His father came to him, hugged him and asked why he was crying. He has not seen this side of his father before or was he forming because the principal was there.His father told him that he visited because he learnt that he lost N1,000 out of his tutorial fee. Meanwhile, he didn't misplace the money but lost it to Mama Nkechi's delicious moi moi.

As they were speaking, the Vice principal entered with Deji claiming that the culprit has been catched. He was asked to confess and give the names of the other gang members. Deji looked at Raymond their eyes met, Raymond tried to look away. He prayed Deji won't mention his name. Raymond's father urged Deji to speak up. He saw the excitement on his father's face as he waited to hear the names. This scared Deji the more. He couldn't bear it anymore, he fainted.

He woke up in the hospital. Now he has learnt his lesson without anyone telling him this time around. He was suspended from school. Moments of shame and regrets gave way to hard work and self-confidence thanks to counselling sessions and words of encouragement from his family.

He resumed, although ashamed, a better person.

The End.

Thanks for reading. Happy Sunday guys. Hope service was great? Have a lovely night rest.