"Dad, where are you going to?" I asked my dad. He had just opened his car door and was about to get in.
"Nowhere really. I was just going to drive to the next street and probably have a few drinks." He replied.
"Can I join you?" I asked him and ran to the other side of the car door.
"Stay home and take care of your siblings." He gave a quick rebuke to my plea.
"No, Mom can take care of them. Please, Dad, I've been at home all day, and you wouldn't let me visit my friends, so I'm going with you, and don't cancel." I begged, and after staring at me and seeing that I wasn't changing my mind, he got into the car and let me in, and then we drove off, and I gave a squeal of excitement.
When we got to the restaurant, I noticed the weird screeching sound that the car made as my dad stepped on the brakes. I gave him a stare; he just shrugged his shoulder and stepped out of the vehicle. I followed him inside the restaurant, and we got a table and sat down; after we ordered and our meal was served, I decided to talk about the vehicle.
"Dad, I hope you don't mind if I ask a question?" I asked him in the subtlest of all voices that I could use.In my family, we were always cautious of the things we said to my dad, and this is because of his temper.
He hated it when someone tried to dictate what to do and what not to do for him. If he got the slightest hint that someone was trying to correct him or even advise him, he could go berserk with annoyance, so I had to look for a way to talk to him without provoking him.
"Dad, it's actually about the car. I noticed the weird screeching sounds that it made when we stopped. When was the last time you had someone look at it?" I asked him.
"There's nothing wrong with the car. Eat your food." He replied, wearing a deep frown.I knew I wasn't supposed to say anything again, but I couldn't bring myself to keep shut. I was sincerely worried that the car might break down beyond repair one day, so I pushed the topic further, and he flared up.
"Don't you make use of those ears of yours? I said you should keep shut. It seems like you don't have anything else to discuss." He spoke out of annoyance.
"Dad, I'm just worried that maybe one day, you might want to go on a road trip and it'll break down. I know the car isn't bad, but still, with the sounds it made, I only worried." I tried to sound as calm as possible so he would understand me.
"Road trip? Are you serious right now? It seems like the movies you've been seeing have tampered with your reasoning. I'm a busy man, and you should focus on your studies." He responded.
He suddenly stood to his feet, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and moved out from the table. I was surprised, so I stopped him.
"Dad, I'm sorry, you don't have to leave." I apologized.He gave me a cold stare and dumped some cash on the table.
"Take a taxi home when you're done." He said and walked away.I felt bad that I had spoiled the mood, but I knew that I had to say something since I cared too much about him.
Some weeks went by, and then one day, my dad came home and announced that he would be traveling with my mom. My little sister asked if he would take his car, and he said he would. I wanted to remind him of our previous conversation, but I waved the thought aside, knowing that it'll only stir up trouble.Two days later, my parents embarked on their trip, and en route, the unimaginable happened.
I had been sleeping peacefully on the couch when the buzzing sound from my phone woke me up. I checked the screen, and I saw that it was my mom that had disrupted my sleep.
"Mom?" I picked up the call.
"Jane, sorry if I woke you up, but we need a huge favor from you right now." My mom said. I heard the panic in her voice, and that sort of cleared the sleep off my eyes.
"What's going on? Where's Dad?" I asked her.
"He's here with me. His phone is dead, and we're in the middle of nowhere, and the car has broken down. We were wondering if you could reach his mechanic and probably ride with him to our location so he can fix the car." My mom told me their plight, and I felt a wave of anger and frustration wash over me. I had planned to take the whole day off and rest my head, but they were about to stress me out with their troubles.
"Mom, this isn't an easy task that you have given me, and I must be honest, I do not like this. I told Dad to have that car checked, but he wouldn't listen, and now I'm to suffer for his mistakes." I said out of annoyance.
My mom couldn't say much to me; she was already aware of what had transpired between me and my dad before their trip.
"Please, I know it is too much to ask, but we really need help. We can't just stay here and jeopardize our safety." She pleaded.
"How far have you guys gone?" I asked her, still not wanting to get out of the house.
"Not too far. You can easily spot us on your way coming." She replied.
I asked her to send me their location, then I dressed and headed to the mechanic's workshop. Luckily for me, he was around, and after I had explained the situation to him, he got his car, and we drove to where my stranded parents were.Once I was out of the car, I walked over to my dad wearing a deep frown. This time, I made up my mind to speak to him without caring how he might react to it.
"Dad, do you realize the amount of stress that you've subjected me to?" I asked him.He glanced at me and looked away without responding, but I wasn't going to stop talking.
"I told you to have this car checked, but you made it seem like I was saying rubbish. What if this man wasn't available at the time that I went to meet him?" I was so annoyed, and I was about to say more, but my mom stopped me.
"That's alright. I'm glad you found the man, and he's fixing it already." She said to me.It was at that moment that my dad wanted to exert his annoyance on me, but the mechanic stopped him mid-sentence.
"Sir, you don't have to be angry at your daughter for speaking to you the way she did. I too have asked you several times to bring the car over, but you've been too busy to do that. It can be dangerous to have your car break down in the middle of nowhere. As an educated man, you should know that a stitch in time saves nine." The mechanic said, and my dad kept shut.
I was happy that the mechanic had supported me; if not, I couldn't even begin to imagine the things my dad would've said to me. They got into the car and drove off, and then I and the mechanic returned home.
Source
Thanks for reading.
