ONLY TIME WILL TELL

                      Chapter 1.

It was a more than familiar scenario. Something I'd gotten accustomed to over the past year. Mum had succumbed to bawling at dad whenever an opportunity presented itself. She would call him all sorts of names, 'incompetent', 'sole loser', 'excuse for a man' and many more swearing words that were inappropriate for my innocent ears. But what did she care? After all, she was the classy modern Vivian married to an ex miner.
"Go to hell, Torrence!" yelled mum from her bedroom. "You hear me? Hell!!"
We lived in a small five roomed house and my bedroom was located right next to mum's and dad's so I could hear their fights clearly, cause mum saw to it that she was yelling most of the time.
I was only 12 years old by then and doing my grade six but I was old enough to know the rift between mum and dad was escalating on a daily basis. Well, they hadn't always been fighting. Once upon a time, mum and dad had been inseparable lovebirds but all that had changed when the mine plant where dad had been working was shut down and now he couldn't seem to find another job. Mum found solace in blaming him for our pity state as now even three decent meals a day were a thing of the past.
So, on this hot October night, I had been suffering from temporal insomnia due to the heat and mosquito bites when I heard mum yelling at dad.
"Not again," I muttered, covering my head with the sheets despite how hot the night was, hoping they would act as some soundproof.
Well, I was utterly wrong as the yells got louder and I could hear mum walking towards my room.
"Torrence, I don't wanna hear no shit," she screamed. "I've had it with you and your stories. Am done!"
"Vivian," said dad in a low tone. "Stop being irrational, calm down or you'll wake Milika."
"She'll be awake in a few seconds anyway," scoffed mum.
"What do you mean?" inquired dad and he got his response when mum wrenched my bedroom door open.
"Mimi," she impatiently called, switching the lights on. "Wake up baby. You and I have got a long night ahead of us."
I uncovered myself and glanced at the two people in my room. I was their only child and it hurt me deeply to witness their fights, without a single soul to turn to in seek of consolation.
"What do you mean?" dad repeated and mum clicked her tongue, briskly walking towards my wardrobe, wrenching it open, grabbing a suitcase from the top and begiinning to hurriedly dump my clothes in the suitcase.
"Well, Torrence, my daughter and I are leaving this house. For good." she didn't bother glancing up as she snapped the suitcase tight.
Those words were a sting to me and clearly, they had a blow on dad too cause his facial expression was that of a worn out old man. He was only in his late thirties but he looked like he were in his fifties, due to working in the mine for more than ten years and having to walk in the sun almost everyday after the company was closed, seeking for a job.
And mum on the other hand looked radiant and young in the yellow summer floral dress that she was wearing. Yellow pearls hanging on her earlobes and her hands on her hips.
"Vivian," said dad, almost choking on his saliva. "You can't possibly be serious about that."
"Well watch me, Torrence. Watch and learn! Have you taken a good look at me, am not your class anymore. Am a woman who has a lot of needs and wants and am sorry but I can't play housewife for you when at the end of the day you only show up with loose change. Am only 31 and I've still got my whole life ahead of me which unfortunately doesn't include you in it so yeah, am dead serious about leaving your pathetic ass."
Trust mum to use vulgar language in my presence. But today she seemed serious. I couldn't help but feel my eyes sting with tears. Dad didn't deserve this. He was such a kind hearted and composed man. It wasn't his fault that the mine plant had been shut down and neither was it his fault that he couldn't find a decent job.
"Mummy," I forced the word out of my throat, springing from the bed. "Please reconsider."
"What do you know?" she glared at me. "Huh, Mimi, what do you know about life? For your own good, you better follow me as you and I are leaving this house asap. Thami is on his way here."
I ran towards dad and hugged his thighs. He in turn patted my back as I began to sob.
"Bana Mimi, you see even Mimi doesn't want to leave. You're angry and bound to make hasty decisions. If only you could calm down and-"
"I've heard enough!" Mum snapped, getting the suitcase from my bed and trying to grab me from dad but I fought with every once of strength in me and dad also saw to it that mum failed in her attempt to grab me from him.
"Am not leaving dad," I sobbed. "Am not leaving him. Am staying here with my daddy."
"Suit yourself!" mum raised her hands in surrender. "Now that I think of it, you two are perfect for one another. Like father like daughter." and she scuffled out of the room. On impulse, dad and I followed her to their bedroom.
Turned out she had her clothes packed as we found her wheeling a huge black Omega suitcase out of the bedroom. She pushed dad and I out of her way and went to the living room. We followed her there.
Mum sat on the armrest and impatiently glanced at her wristwatch. She mumbled something that sounded like, "I wonder what's taking him so long."
"Vivian," dad placed his hand on mum's shoulder but she shoved it away.
"Don't touch me!" she barked. "My husband to be will be here any minute."
Mum was proving to be more than shameless each passing second and I was beginning to hate her for that. There was a time when I adored her to the core but not anymore. This woman here wasn't the mother I'd grown up with, the caring mother who'd tuck me to bed and sing me lullabies. This woman here was some stranger and to be honest, I was beginning to think that dad and I were better off without her.
"You know Mimi," said mum calmly, looking at me. I was still hugging dad's thighs. "You could have led the life of a princess in S.A. Yes," she added, seeing the shocked look on dad's face. "Thami's rich and he owns a diamond mine in South Africa. Am going to be his wife sooner than both of you think and as my daughter, you would have had the privilege to enjoy the luxury that comes with marrying a legit man. But no, you are your father's daughter anyway. It's with a heavy heart that I leave you in the hands of this incompetent man you call your father but you chose that route and there's nothing I can do about it. Call me selfish but-"
She was interrupted by a honk outside.
"Huh," she grinned and clasped her hands. "Thami's here." Mum got up from the armrest and began to wheel her suitcase towards the exit door. Dad broke free from my grip and rushed toward her, kneeling before her and grabbing the seam of her dress.
"Honey I love you, please don't do this to me." pleaded dad and each word he uttered shattered my heart into a trillion tiny pieces.
Mum glared at him for a mere second before kicking herself free and hurriedly leaving the house. Dad remained huddled on the floor, shedding tears. I heard an engine revv outside and through the window, I spotted a Porsche drive off.
"That bitch!" I angrilly mumbled in an inaudible tone.
Dad sat on the couch quietly for the next hour and I sat next to him, our eyes were none dry and sore from shedding too much tears. Dad was oddly going through an old photo album that consisted of his and mum's wedding pictures, other pictures of them too, in some mum had a baby bump and I guessed it was me in her womb. And then there were photos of me in a cradle, pram and so on and so forth.
After what seemed like an eternity, dad finally spoke up.
"You know," he said, his voice hoarse. "Life won't be the same without your mother in it. But I've still got you." he placed his hand round my shoulder and kissed my forehead. "My cute little Mimi. I hope I won't be a dissapointment to you as I've been to your mum. Only time will tell, my dear. Only time will tell."
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Let's meet in chapter 2