The Event that changed Everything
Mr. Duke had died from a tragic motor accident on his way back from work. The 20th of December 2013 was considered a black Friday in the Duke family. It was the day their loving and disciplinary father and husband left the world, and left them to cater for themselves.
The day had started out like every other day; they did their normal routines as a family, their morning devotion, Brandon and his brother cleaned the house while his mom and sister prepared breakfast. Afterward they all had breakfast together and Mr. Duke left for work.
On that particular day, Brandon and indeed the whole family noticed an unusual excitement about their dad, he seemed happier today. Brandon and his siblings came to the conclusion that it might be due to the fact that that day was his last day of work for the year; actually his company was having an end of year party which he was appointed to organize.
“The last time we saw dad this happy was when he was promoted to the position of assistant manager in his company” Brandon’s brother had said at the breakfast table and the whole family erupted in hearty laughter. Unfortunately, that would be the last time Brandon saw his father alive.
Brandon’s father played a prominent role in his life. Brandon adored him. Hence, when the news about his father’s accident was brought to them by one of his father’s friend and colleague, he was devastated.
The man reported that after the party at the office, the now tipsy Mr. Duke went into his car and drove off. “We had agreed earlier that I was going to drive him home, since he was not in the right condition to drive” the man explained. This bit of information didn’t come as a surprise to anyone in the family because Mr. Duke had a somewhat controlling nature.
It was said that Brandon’s father, Mr. Duke had a head-on collision with a truck, and died at the hospital due to excessive bleeding. The Duke family and other close relatives went to the mortuary where the corpse was deposited. And when they confirmed the corpse to be Mr. Duke, they all broke loose, shouting and crying profusely so much so that none of them could comfort the other.
When they got back home, they were received by their neighbors who had heard the news of the accident over the television, and had come to sympathize with the family. News (especially bad ones) travels fast in this area of town as was seen by the number of people who trooped into their compound hours later.
An interment service was held for Mr. Duke three weeks after his death. His wife, Brandon’s mother was left to single handedly bankroll the whole event. When Mr. Duke was still alive, his relatives pretended to love him, but now his family realized that all that was a charade.
The burial incurred a lot of cost on Brandon’s mother and it consequently affected his spending as he wasn’t given the usual amount of pocket money anymore. But it has been three years gone by now, a lot of water has passed under the bridge ever since, and things were beginning to look up, until the new administration came on board.
The Duke family without their patriarch continued with the family tradition of eating breakfast and dinner together every time they are all available. Tonight they are going to have rice, stew and dodo for dinner. Brandon always felt extra elated each time they ate this because it’s his favorite food, and his mom has a distinct way of preparing it that he never manages to get satiated quickly. Brandon loves his sister’s cooking but not as much as he does his mom’s.
After dinner, Brandon thanked his mom and headed for the room to rest, he Facebooked a little and strategized on his journey to this unfamiliar destination. He tried to enquire from some of his friends about this place but apparently just like him, they knew very little about this place. He tried google, and saw some interesting and beneficial facts about the place. Some of them were quite terrifying facts but Brandon has an optimistic view to things. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” is one his favorite mantras.
At around 10pm he heard a knock on his door, it was his mom checking on him to ensure he was having enough rest considering the tasks that awaits him in the next few days. “Young man, leave Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and the rest” his mother snapped at him. “Mom, I am only using google to check out my destination” he protested. “Whatever, I am just checking to ensure that you are having good rest, I’m off to bed now, make sure to pray before you sleep” she instructed. “Okay mom” Brandon replied.