The following day, the atmosphere in the house was tense. Then that day changed into more days, and those days into weeks. None of the people in the family were prepared to break the ice, and the parents avoided the situation and acted like everything was fine.

One evening, while it was dark and quite because load shedding had taken place, everyone went to bed earlier. As Mororiseng was seating in her room, staring at her phone, something crossed her mind. She could not help but think about her brother’s situation, and how it was affecting everyone. The next thing she knew, she realised that she was just one click away from the internet, so she switched on her mobile data.

After switching on the data, Mororiseng searched for random things on the internet. While she was at it, she started searching for personality traits. She came across an article explaining the pros and cons of being an introvert and extrovert. It was very interesting research for her, and she even took out her diary and wrote down some notes.

While she was busy, she came across new words: an Ambivert and an Omnivert. It was all a refreshing activity for her, and while she was busy, something clicked about the personality traits. She associated one of them with Oitumetse’s behaviour, but it did not make sense to her because, although Oitumetse seemed to be an introvert, his behaviour was more extreme than what she was reading.

Outside Mororiseng’s window, the night became young, and the internet connection became strong because the electricity was back. She stood up and went to fetch some snacks from the kitchen. In the kitchen, she took out a big bowl from the cardboard, then mixed salt and vinegar lays with Mexican chili chips. As she was about to add more, she felt a human presence behind her. It was Oitumetse, and he was standing creepily next to the door, staring at her.

“Mororiseng, how can you commit kitchen robbery with me in absentia? You know how much I love eating midnight snacks with you,” Oitumetse said.

“I’m sorry lil’ brother, but I’m about to burn the midnight oil, so I don’t want any disturbance. Have a Goodnight,” Mororiseng said, giggling as she walked away.

After Mororiseng left the kitchen, Oitumetse clicked his tongue and went back to his room. He knew that, when his sister said that, there was no way anyone could convince her otherwise.

Mororiseng was more productive at night than she was during the day, and for that reason, her family nicknamed her “night owl”. She was one of those kids who spend the day lazing around, and you would swear nothing good came out of it. But it was actually her recharging time. She studied at night, and she also watched movies and did all sorts of things during that time. Her leisure time began from midnight.

***

Tell us: What do you think Mororiseng needs to do with the new information she found out about her brother’s condition?