A woman at the table, serving a man already seated, glanced at us and beamed. “My baby, always returns late from his town strolls.”

I looked at Zion, who blushed with embarrassment. “I’m not a baby anymore, Mom,” he muttered, scratching his head.

“You’ll always be our baby,” the man chimed in, “Well, mostly to your mother.”

“Can you blame me, baba? Look at my cute little man. I see you’ve brought a friend,” she remarked, her gaze fixed on me.

“Oh, yes. This is…” Zion hesitated, realizing he didn’t even know my name.

“I’m Brutus, ma’am,” I interjected. “Pleased to meet you.”

“You boys have arrived just in time for dinner. Please, have a seat.”

We took our places. Before us, plates filled with savory beef stew and rice awaited. When was the last time I indulged in a hearty beef stew? My stomach rumbled in anticipation.

After saying grace, we finally were allowed to eat. My impulses couldn’t contain themselves, as I began wolfing down my plate. “So good!” I managed to say in a muffled voice.

“You have quite the appetite there, young man”, Zion’s mother remarked.

I quickly glanced at Zion’s father. He seemed to be studying my every move, staring at me with beady eyes. “Brutus, is it? Where did you guys meet?”

“Oh, just in the bar,” Zion answered.

“The bar?” Zion’s father seemed surprised. “I hope you’re not one of those troublemakers who drink all night and like to cause fights? That would be a bad influence to Zion”.

“I uh…” I struggled to form the words in my mouth. I couldn’t exactly tell him that I was a heavy drinker…

*******

I staggered out of the bar, into the cold night air. I felt something rise from my stomach. Everything I’d digested earlier sprayed out of my mouth – a clear sign, that I had too much to drink. I didn’t care. I loved it. The euphoria from the night pleased me.

My body was on the verge of shutting down. I wanted to lay in my peaceful bed, being lulled by the alcohol coursing through me.

As I ambled along the road, something hard hit me on my head, sending me sprawling down. I felt a foot kickmy stomach. A barrage of attacks was opened on me. I could hear laughter as I grunted in pain. When they were satisfied with how they had beaten me senseless, they finally stopped.

Three figures stood in front of me as I lay battered and bruised. One of them pulled me by the ear and looked me in the eye. “Not so tough now are you, boxing champ?”. I recognised him, as the guy I had beaten up earlier. Coward!Couldn’t accept defeat, so he rallied his friends to teach me a lesson.

He shoved my face back on the ground and left with his stooges. I groaned in pain as I tried to get up, cursing under my breath that one way or another, I was going to get back at that guy.

A bang in the sky made me look up in awe. A multitude of colours was gleaming in the sky. Chunks of rock were falling to the ground. I could see an orange fragment falling, and it was coming towards me.

The fragment came in contact with my chest and pushed me back with such a strong force that I landed on the back of my head. Instantly, I was knocked out.

“Brutus? Brutus, wake up!”, A muffled voice called out. A cold splash of water then landed on my face. Instantly I opened my eyes. I sprung up, spitting out a mouthful of water. I had a coughing fit, which rattled my body.

It was barely sunrise, and here I was, a beaten pulp on the ground. An embarrassing and shameful sight.

Yanga stood in front of me, holding a now empty bucket. “Alcohol does not suit you, bro”, he said, as he helped me up to my feet. We both hobbled over to his bar.