Derek and Family

Surprises have probability of being good and bad. Well that depends on the state of mind you take it too. Taaliyah got a great surprise though, but a bad one for her.

"Wow you are so lucky, Taaliyah," teacher said to her. The whole class roared with laughter. "quiet, quiet," teacher asked everyone to keep silence.

She shot a look at Derek who looked tensed. She flashed a forced smile instantly. "So Taaliyah, you will be the assistant to our Derek, is that okay?"

"Yes Ma'am," she said and sat back down. She took a deep breath and watched Derek who walked back to his desk. "Why did you have to do that?" she whispered, scolding him.

"How would I know? I just randomly picked one," he said back.

"Okay fine, leave it, never take a leave, you have to be present every day, as long as you do it, it's fine, if you plan on taking a leave just tell me,'

"Why ? for you to go on leave too?" he asked back.

"Ofocurse yes," she said.

"Hahaha,"

"What is the discussion there Taaliyah and Derek?" Dalia asked.

"Nothing," the two said together.

"So," teacher began. "Let's discuss our syllabus we will be following this year," she said. And this time nobody could deny or escape it. Teacher progressed with the class.

******

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"Why do you think Derek was so adamant about changing school?" Amy asked John.

"He said that singer Flynn is studying in this school and he wants to change schools and watch the boy since our son is also interested in music," John replied as he peeled the tangerines.

"Why? Turn him into a street singer then, better, like father like son, no absolute responsibility in life," she said. "You are a fool John, that little girl what's her name? Yes Taaliyah she had joined this new school, that's why he so wanted to change the school," Amy said. John pretended like he does not know about it. But he had already known about it from Derek. He did not want his son to feel utterly lonely during his childhood days but instead have a normal life like other children. "Am sure he is going to slip away from our hands sooner or later," she said eating the tangerine. It was sour.

"He is just a kid Amy, he has a lot to go forward, don't scold a child like this, my son us good as he is," John said back to his wife. "He is talented and pure, he needs a good school like this so that he gets perfectly moulded and develop his skills, vocational skill are important,"

"One should be learning the books, not sing, this is life, he should be serious, he should be attending coaching classes to prepare for entrance in the future, and not online music classes John, he should read more, he has to develop his language skills,"

"Bookish knowledge won't take him any where. And for God's sake Amy, he is the topper in his class, he won the proficiency prize every year, is that not enough for you, why are you torturing him?"

"But he is not the topper of his batch, he lacks concentration and that girl is ruining it. Having friends means becoming playful,"

"Jesus, stop will you?" John threw the tangerines back to the basket and got up. He always hated the way of Amy's parenting, suffocating their child. "Shut up,"

"You shut up, you will never understand this, am scared of his future, because of you, look at yourself," she said to him. Amy a journalist major who had absolutely no interest in working after conceiving Derek said to John who is a software engineer, the best in his batch during his time. He got hired in a local company in the state but then after getting few years of experience she migrated, that's where he met Amy, a foreign exchange student. She left but they fell in love, he chased her and married her. But love did not last long. The well dried up. But Derek is the strong force holding them together.

"Look at me? What's wrong with me? Tell me who is the reason we are back for good?" He questioned her back on point. To that Amy had no answer. "I gave up my perfectly good going job in an MNC for you, for our family, don't you dare come telling me that am no good, if you do, then look at yourself, and don't make our son the scapegoat, let him live, he does not owe you anything,"

"He does, if he is my son, then he has the responsibilities to complete in his life," Amy said and managed to get up though her knees hurt and she walked out of the dining hall.

"You cannot make him take up thing he does not want to, you cannot force him to live your dreams, and he is just a child," John kept saying.

Life was not smooth to John and Amy ever since they got back to West Village from Europe. His work is not stable, he cannot relocate inside the state with the condition of his sick wife, and son who is growing up. He did not want to part with him either. Amy has been complaining about everything. And she find everything a nuisance around. Probably because of he condition. Aching all the time. She is depressed and sad and hence he does not want to scold or blame her. But sometimes when comes to Derek, he loses it. He does not want his son to become like him. John took out his laptop and checked his emails, he found no replies to the companies he forwarded his CV calling for an interview. He wondered if he would be able to make it here. But most of the good software companies were out of state.And he was in great dilemma.

Amy was fuming with anger hearing to what she had heard from her husband's mouth. She knew she really made him angry but she was offended. She hated it. "As if I asked for this, is this what he means by saying he understands his family?" she talked to herself. "Damn," she walked to the kitchen. She took out the rice and washed it in water to cook. Derek had only half day ok his first day. John would leave to pick him soon. She decides to prepare traditional curry called sambar for rice and egg omlete for him along with some potatoes dry. He always loved it. And asked her to prepare the same everyday. She picked the drumsticks, tomatoes, okra, Dhal and some other ingredients necessary for the curry and cleaned and chopped the vegetables. She then checked If she had any pickles left in the jar and she found a little left. She walked to her room and called John asking him to buy a new jar of garlic pickle.

"Okay, fine," he said irritatedly.

"What now?" she asked back in the same tone. He got up and shut the door on her face.

At that time, John's phone kept ringing.

"Come pick it up John," she said. "It's your," she shouted. "John," apparently it was an important overseas call and she did not know it.