It was evening: one of those evenings where the sun sets at 5:30 in the afternoon. There was a breeze and gentleness in the atmosphere, and people were moving around as usual. Basically, there could have been a lot of wonderful things about the evening if only her parents had not been dead, Jenny thought. Although a few neighbours greeted her every now and then, Jenny felt miserably lonely. She couldn’t stop herself from pondering why everything in her life was so upside down. Both of her parents died, her scholarship was at threat, and now her only family, who happened to be her best friend, Kebbeh, was slipping away from her. Before she knew it, her eyes were soaked with tears.

“I need to get my friend back.” She said in a mournful tone and off she went, heading for Kebbeh’s home. Upon reaching, she discovered that Kebbeh wasn’t home.

“Do you know where she went?” Jenny asked Kebbeh’s elder sister.

“Not exactly J. Actually, I thought she went to your house. She walked in that direction with a tall boy from your campus.” Kebbeh’s elder sister said, pointing in the direction Jenny had come from.

“And by the way, how is your body now?” asked Kebbeh’s sister.

“My body?” Jenny asked not knowing that her friend had lied about her health.

“Yeah. Your sister said you had not been feeling well these past days. Everybody had been worried too.”

Kebbeh’s sister took her in as family. At a certain point, Kebbeh asked her to move in with them, but she refused with the excuse that her parents’ house was the only memory she had left of them.

“Yeah, I’m much better now. Tired lying in bed the whole time” responded Jenny.

“So it had been really serious? That sister of yours is really becoming something else. She was brave to have lied to me and everybody. She will get it from me upon her return. How could she not had told us how serious your illness had been?” asked Kebbeh’s mom.

“It’s okay mommy,” said Jenny. She usually called Kebbeh’s big sister mom and her mother she called grandma.

“Actually, I’m the one that told her not to bother you guys with any worry because for one fact, I knew I was going to be okay, mommy.” Jenny ended.

“So you are the one that master minded all the lies, right?” Looking with jovial eyes she continued. “You both will get it from me” said Kebbeh’s mom, smiling.

“”I’m so sorry mommy.” She said with a wide smile.

As she waited for a sign of Kebbeh, everyone became worried. As it was getting dark, Kebbeh’s mother and father were even asking about her.

“Kurto!” Mr. Zayzay, Kebbeh’s dad, screamed at his son.

“Yes dad?” Kurto responded.

“Where has your younger sister gone?!!” Mr. Zayzay said. He was getting impatient.

“I have no idea of the exact location. Actually, she only said that she was walking with a friend of hers that came to visit her today” responded Kebbeh’s brother.

“Do you know who this friend is?” Asked Mr Zayzay.

It was turning into a serious interrogation by then.

“Not really daddy. All I know is that the friend is her classmate or from her school because her was wearing uniform.” Said Kebbeh’s sister.

“You see what I’m always talking about? I have tried to discipline my children but you won’t let me. You see what it had led to?” He said angrily, pointing to his wife.

“Calmed down Za, it’s not time for shifting blames. It will be better for us to put our heads together and see if we can locate our daughter. You always blame me whenever our children do wrong” said Kebbeh’s mother.

“Yes, because you always get in the way when I try to set standards and principles. ‘Za don’t be too hard on the children before they start hiding from us. Za I think the punishment is too hard for the girl, remember, she’s a sickly child. Za don’t do this. Za don’t do that.’ Now she left without even letting us know where she was going” said Kebbeh’s Dad.

***

Tell us: Why do you think Jenny sister was hiding herself from her parents?