Family time

The compound fell silent, all eyes fixated on Martha, who just looked away trying to avoid everyone's intensive gaze.

"What?" a slouching Martha said with a softened voice.

"Hahahaha! Go twinnie! Go twinnie!! You actually beat me to the most savage comment of the year.

I must admit, compared to your maleficence, I am still a learner!" her devilish twin sister, Maureen said as she approached for a fist pump.

"What are you talking about, Maureen? Don't come close".

Maureen, who pretended like she didn't hear her sister's words, still came close, they weren't that far away from each other to begin with.

Soon, she got close and just about when they all thought Martha was going to scamper away, she actually subtly stretched her fists for a twin fist bump.

An action that needed no clearer explanation, a final nail in the coffin.

The compound came alive with voracious laughter once again.

Of course, this time with an exception to Wilson, whose face crunched in disgust like poo was brought close to his nose.

"Hmph! Who told you my eyesight is poor? I would have taken note of Daddy's figure if not that my attention was on you little twerps!"

"I'm deeply sorry Big Bro, Mum, and Dad could tell I didn't mean it that way, I really have no idea what Maureen is talking about.

I am a good girl, you should know and trust me, I've been wrongly accused here", Martha said as her lips arched downwards in a downcast expression.

Wilson scoffed, clearly not buying into the good girl charade she was playing, but as he wanted to drop his next banter, her devilish voice rang out.

"Big Bro, you also accused me of being a distraction, you know that's unfair.

I wondered who bragged about being focused and not being distracted with village girls moments ago."

Complete silence! An oppressive stillness descended upon the compound, its weight almost palpable.

But just as it seemed the silence would persist, Maureen suddenly dropped to the floor, her body shaking with uncontrollable laughter and mockery.

"Hahahaha! Now that's some powerful fightback!".

If her initial comment stunned Wilson, this one stung him effortlessly. Evident as his shoulders trembled slightly, and his tongue got tied.

Despite his struggling state, he still manned up to respond in a slightly cracked voice, "Bu- but I said Village girls".

"Bu- but Big Bro, I am a girl, and we live in a village, so, technically, I am a village girl," she said with a voice laced in hoax indignation and faint mockery.

This time, they broke out into wilder laughter that even saw Matthew roll out of his hammock, but he didn't care, he kept on laughing and laughing at Wilson's plight.

But amidst the ocean of their laughter, a figure could be seen wearing a concerned look focused on a face reddened with shame.

As the unorthodox saying goes, 'Even when you walk through the valley of shadows of jest, your mother will be there to stand by you.'

Gloria, who stopped laughing despite her stomach cramping from her attempts to hold the outburst from within, still stretched forth her arms to pat her son who sat beside her.

His trembling shoulders relaxed, a soothing wave of calmness enveloped him, easing his tension.

It's no secret that Wilson has a telltale trait: when embarrassed or angered, his instinctive reaction is to retort as anyone else would but it ends up with his face flushing quickly, and he inevitably speaks without thinking, uttering nonsensical words.

Shortly, the father-and-daughter doluo, who had been rolling and laughing like babies on the floor, rose to their feet, their faces now etched with pleading expressions as they met Gloria's stern gaze.

Matthew scratching his head embarrassedly said, "Ermm, son, you know it's all a family banter right? Don't take it to heart".

"Sure, Dad, no problem at all! But I'm leaving a friendly note to everyone now, tomorrow's cake is strictly for Mummy and me – no one else gets a slice."

As soon as Wilson made that comment, Maureen scurried towards him like a scared cat. Meanwhile, a subtle exchange between Gloria and Matthew went unnoticed by others, a fleeting moment that spoke volumes.

"Oh! Come on, Big Bro!" Maureen exclaimed, "It's not that bad! You're a man now; please, don't be petty. Tomorrow's your big day after all!"

"Besides, it's not me this time, it's the 'good one' twin sister of mine".

As if recalling a painful wound, Wilson's handsome face contorted into a scowl as he turned towards Martha. But when their eyes met, he felt an unexpected pang in his heart, seeing tears welling up in the corner of her eyes.

She stood at a distance, trembling and swaying like a tree battered by a hurricane, its roots struggling to stay firm.

Surprised by the sudden change in Wilson's expression, they all followed his gaze.

There, they saw Martha trembling, which left Gloria momentarily taken aback. However, she quickly sprang into action, standing up beside Wilson and shot at Martha, who had already begun to cry.

"Oh, my little sunshine!" Gloria exclaimed, as she enveloped Martha in a warm hug.

"Sorry, sorry, I know you're a good girl. Don't worry, your big brother isn't mad at you anymore."

Meanwhile, Matthew, now back in his hammock, couldn't help but wear a sheepish grin, thinking to himself, "Aha! So, I'm the bad parent, huh!"

Not to be outdone by his wife, Matthew approached Wilson, intent on soothing his son's frayed emotions.

Wilson, still seething with anger towards his father, tried to evade Matthew's embrace, but was swiftly enveloped in a firm yet gentle hug. The strong arms held him close, as if to say, 'You're still my child and I'm still your father. Humble yourself, son! Even with your strong muscles, your struggles won't amount to anything.'

"Ah! Ah... Don't think... this would make me... change my mind... about giving you my cake tomorrow." Wilson stuttered, his words muffled and strained as he tried to speak while trapped in his father's tight embrace.