THE TRIP

"Wait..."I asked,"... we're going back home?"

"Of course not!"My mom yelled,"Have you forgotten all the bad things I said about that place?! There's no way I'm letting any of you go anywhere near there, end of story."

"But..."Alexa began.

"No buts, we are staying right here for the rest of our lives and that's final!"She yelled.

"I don't think that's the best way to put it."Nicky whispered to her brothers.

My mom slammed the door then opened it a second later and said,"And none of you should call me by that disgusting and archaic name, you hear me?!"

She banged the door again and a picture fell as she kept yelling to herself...in our local language.😒🙄

"N'dalak neruhein."Indigo said.

My mom sighed then said,"Indigo, don't, I don't feel like beating you up tonight."

"Aww come on its catchy."He said.

He held her shoulders and she took a deep breath as he whispered,"But why do you want to run away from your past?"

She turned to him with a frown then said,"I'm not running away from my past you idiot!"

She punched him in the unmentionables then pulled his ear when he was down and said,"I'm just protecting my family from it."

He straightened himself on his knees then asked,"But what if there's nothing to protect from? What if your people just want to recreate their clan without any of the bad stuff? You always wanted to reconnect with your roots, that's why you moved back to Ghana, why don't you really reconnect with your roots by just, embracing your history?"

My mom was silent as he kissed her lips then said,"Think about it."

He was walking away when she called him then said,"Maybe we could just drive by."

He smirked then said,"Whatever you say N'dalak."

She threw a lamp on his head and he stumbled out the door then met us who were eagerly waiting.

He sighed then yelled,"Road trip!!!"

"Yay!!!!"We all yelled.

My mom chuckled to herself then took her necklace of our family's emblem, kissed it then said,"We're coming home..."

"Are you sure you still remember how to drive?"Indigo asked, concerned.

"Yes I do, now back off."My mom said, grumpily.

He buckled his seat belt then said,"Kids, buckle up, trust me, ooph!"

He yelled as she punched him in the gut then asked,"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"That you're a responsible citizen who wouldn't tolerate law breaking and safety violations in your vehicle."He said with a nervous smile.

She smiled back at him then said,"I love you sweetie."

She began driving then he asked,"Are you sure you remember the way?"

"I've been trying uselessly for years to forget the emotional trauma that comes with the memories of my old home."She answered.

"So is that a yes or a no?"He asked.

She glared at him then he sat back in his seat, a little intimidated as the kids snickered, then he frowned at them, but my mom joined in the laughter.

She was driving with Indigo, Alek, Nicky, Micky and Ricky.

I was driving behind them with Anneliese, Jessica, Apollo and Maame, while Curtis was driving with Alexa, Lilith and Catherine.

We had been driving in the forests of the Eastern Region for a few hours then got into the Volta Region.

We made a few food stops on the way and bought some of the wares of the vendors like their seriously cheap and high quality bread, their shrimp, their anchovies, ' Fante kenkey ' , fruits and several others, but the trip was much longer than any I had undergone using just my light, and I ended up almost getting us into a car accident by dozing in the car, so Anneliese had to take over.

I had forgotten how long long rides could be.

We had driven for six hours when we decided just to take a walk and stretch our legs, so we took some pictures of the picturesque scenery around us, Lilith couldn't get off the phone with Jessie.

She was laughing when I snatched it from her and said,"Jessie, Lilith can't talk anymore so, call back later."

Then I threw the phone down the cliff and Lilith dropped her jaw and yelled,"Dad, what are you doing?"

"Trying to get you to explore the nature around you."

"I literally control nature, but reception only comes once in a blue moon out here and I don't have that many chances to talk to my boyfriend, you aren't yelling at Apollo for growing older and marrying Maame, now are you, please?"

She did her irresistible puppy dog eyes then I groaned as the phone flew back into my grip then I said,"Thirty minutes max."

"Eeeek!"She squealed,"Thank you dad!"

The children were in the forest, playing with the Snowballs we owned and I went to spend some alone time with my wife, while Curtis and Indigo did the same.

Indigo found my mom sitting with her fingers fumbling in a clear stream.

He walked closer to her then asked,"Is everything okay?"

She groaned then said,"No, everything is not okay. I spent my life despising and fearing my past, but now I'm taking everyone I care about into the belly of the beast."

He sat down besides her then said,"You're not taking anyone into the belly of the beast, you're taking us into your home tribe, we all thought they were wiped out, but it turns out, some survived just like you did and maybe they want revenge, or maybe redemption, whatever it is, I know you of all people would be able to discern right from wrong, when we get there, don't work yourself up, you'll get more wrinkles on your already raisin like face."

She frowned then pushed him into the water then laughed at him till a strong wind blew her in as well, then they struggled and played inside the water together.