It was another day after school, and Cassey had just arrived home and was sitted on one of their best cushion chair, in the living room.
Different kinds of arts appreciated the wall of the living room, but it was as empty as cool, adored with beautiful flowers and stones, that only Mama knew where she got it all from.
Cassey had only made a small contribution, but only for the stones, he would rather be playing with animals and throwing stones into the lake than picking flowers that he didn't find any use for, except leaving it to shrink, then go get another one! That was what Mama Did most times by the way.
Cassey was exhausted and in pain, somehow. He Looked around the fine furnished but scanty room and once again felt the chills of the good old times.
He remembered when he would stay home all day, playing games with his friends, going down to the woods for petty hunts, that sometimes they would end up killing bunch of young bats or vultures, amazingly, they only used some kind of local improvised bow and arrow, made with broomstick, yard linen, and strong sticks most times, they also had their bags of stones, knocking down earth's precious birds.
The times when they got rabbits were rare, but they would end up burning the whole meat, and give their life and the soul of their tooths a hard time trying to grind down their bones and burnt meats.
Silly enough, they enjoyed it. And would hunt for more, as long as the day light still shone, for it was alll they had to do, and all they wanted to do, even when their parents were against it, sometimes they would steal their hearts by bringing home some bush meats.
As he looked over the walls, he stopped and gazed at a picture which had been hanging on the wall since he knew what things were, it looked odd, but he would always be told that it was his father, he kept wondering still, how a fine white English man got to be his father.
Oh! Maybe they were playing tricks on his head! Whichever way, he had to accept the fact, but the fact which he accepted was that, he wasn't a son to any man, but to a woman, who just got pregnant, without the man, whose picture had been hanging like clothes spread on lines.
He never thought it was silly or crazy, he had heard the story of Jesus and how He was born, so he thought it would be possible again, after many centuries had passed. Even though Mary had a husband, one and only, he still wasn't Jesus' Father. He felt good knowing that.
His mother, Mrs Harold, popularly known as MAMA, was in her late 60's. She was always happy to see her son come back from school cheerfully, but this time,it was diferent.
Out from the kitchen, she smiled whole heartedly to her son,who was otherwise sad, and clearly wasn't in the mood for talks, but Mama wouldn't keep quiet when she knows that something was worrying Cassey.
"So my boy, how was school?"
"Mama,I'm tired."
"Oh, poor thing…" Cassey interrupted before she could finish talking.
"Mama! Am not a poor thing! I mean I'm not…" He exhaled, and slumped wholly into the chair, and continued softly
"...a thing. Poor right,but not a thing."
The mood changed, and mama became emotional.
"Come here boy."Cassey stood, and felled into her arms, and hugged her so tightly.
"Oh, Harold,Good lord knows,when I get to heaven I will whip his bad boy ass!" Said mama, as Cassey smiled, with tears which roamed around his eyes.
"Sure,sure you would mama"
Mama got him off her shoulders. Held him firmly, lovingly,as if she was about to give a farewell message.
"But you see, there is nothing wrong with learning the Jewish language and culture...I mean.."
But Cassey interrupted again, always interrupting.
"Am not going any more." It hit Mama, but she just stared at him for sometime, then backed off. And never said a word through out the afternoon.
****
The air of the cool evening mimicked the old woman and her son, as the son, according to the birds, that whispered soft words, carried by the waves, had gotten himself into a hot soup.
Mama walked ahead to their family garden, followed by Cassey, with remorse on his face, he outran mama, and blocked her way. But unfortunately, mama was in her "mama mood".
"Tomorrow,you will clean the pig house,pack some hays and feed the horse,clean the shelters,water the plants and go sell the harvested grains! ....and oh! Tom-mot is due for a baby, She smiled a bit, and continued
"So, do the needful." She left Cassey confused and weakened like never before, and with the tasks presented before him, one thing was sure...
"Welcome to the farm fulltime, no school, yes farm" said Mama with a wink.
And the days that followed was all played out like a movie for Cassey.
****
It was a new day, a new day which brought in a different way Cassey would continue to live his life, not that he wasn't a farm boy, but he only helped when he could, but this time around, he would take care of everything.
The day he started, he had to take care of everything