Bitter Pill(Undeserved)

Chapter 1*Typical Sunday*

I stare out the window of my dad’s 2018 Chevrolet Equinox LT, as he drives the family back from chapel. This was our usual Sunday Routine. 

  We Wake up as early as 5am, do a morning devotion of an hour with the family.

Thereafter everyone files back to their separate room to get ready for the day.

By 7am everyone is back in the living area, or waiting by dad’s car door. As soon as he gets to the jeep, opens it, we file in after him; he says a brief prayer, and off we go to Church.     

    Our Church, Vessels for Christ Living Faith Church, starts Sunday Service by 7:30 am. Sunday school lasts for 45 mins, and opening prayer follows, praise and worship.

Thereafter the mundane parts begin where I have to sit for 35 mins listening to different people whom I do not give a single care for, comes out giving testimonies on end. 

I do not hate testimonies. It is a good thing to appreciate God for his kind love on us and everything he does; I appreciate him every morning when I wake up before leaving my room, so I get it. However these humans, how annoying they can get, Testimonies isn’t that great to tune in to anymore if they come up to tell their life stories. 

  Most of them even rant about the neighbour they had disagreements and blame the death of their cats or dog on the said neighbour claiming they tried to poison them, but by a miracle, their pet ate the food and died instead and if you ask me that’s absolute rubbish and made up bullshit. 

  Yet you’ll hear the entire congregation screaming and shouting Alleluia and man does that irks me, it sure does to no end. Why will someone come to testify over a dead pet, saying it saved their life, that’s sick and animal abuse if such crime exists? 

 Despite my dislike, I have not much of a choice to suck it up and listen to their boring stories and individual numbers with their crooked voice. Service moves on, with the different line-up and, church service does end by 2 pm. Long yeah, I perceive, but I’ve got to sit it through on an empty stomach.  

    We leave the church 4pm, if we are lucky 3pm on most days, well because my parents are spiritual leaders, dad a deacon and mom deaconess.

So Jaidyn and I have to relax anywhere we find comfortable and wait through their meetings and gathering until we take our leave. 

         As, dad drives near to the only big grocery store near to where we live, he slows the car, 

  “Does, anyone have something they want to get?” 

Dad asks to no one in particular, but of course, he expected Jaidyn or I to give him a response. We know I will not utter a word; I had my headphones on, pretending I was listening to the gospel songs on my phone to keep them from bugging me. Anyway, they get the idea I wouldn’t want to even if asked. 

     “No dad, I guess not, maybe Reilly wants something?.”

  Jaidyn answer, tapping my shoulder to grab my attention which they thought was somewhere. Pushed my head from the window frame and turned to Jaidyn with a bored expression, Jaidyn sighed, gesturing with his hands as he points back and forth at the grocery store and me asking if I need something. 

  I gave a blank stare, contemplating if I should nod, saying yes or say no, saying yes will put me through stress, of course.

There are things I need to get. If I say yes, I must go through the stress of walking in the store.

Move from one Aisle to another for items, wait in line and have to listen to that creepy old cashier talk about things I had no business with while she struggles in scanning the items costing me extra minutes. 

   No, I do not I want to go through that torture, I must wait for when Jaidyn goes grocery shopping for the house during the week and have him buy the items for me himself.

   “Do you need eternity to answer such simple question, we don’t have all day get over with it.” 

 Mom snaps front the sit, and I glance at her for a moment. 

   “Come on, Tracy, don’t snap at him, you understand how he is, let him take his time.” 

 Dad says with calm, nodding his head at me as he throws me a glance through the front mirror, spun my head aside from them, exhausted, my face dull as I shifted back to Jaidyn, whom I sense struggling to hold his laughter. 

  I rolled my eyes at him before swaying my head “Nothing” I answered monotone, and I wound my head back to the door frame, leaning on the glass I turn on my music playlist and close my eyes letting the music drown me out from them. 

  I learned from earlier happenings. Mom will still b***h about dad telling her to leave me alone.

They would argue over that till we reach the house, descending from the car, with a momentary kiss on the lips, and the end of the argument if anyone asks me, my thoughts on this?, I’ll tell it’s creepy. I guess whoever asks shouldn’t get surprised as I find something I do not appreciate as scary. 

   Dad turns off the motor ignition and we alight from the car after parking in the garage. Being the first to alight I was at our front door in no time waiting for mom to walk over in 4inch heel to come open the door which to me might as well take the entire day. 

   With the door open, I waste no time in walking into the house and towards the fridge to grab a bottle of water to quench my thirst.

I made to open the cap of the plastic container and for water. Only for it to get snatched out my hands by none other than my mom. 

   “You don’t drink this until we say the prayers.” 

 If not for self-control, holding me back, I had roughly let out an annoying groan.

do we have to pray a jillion times before I have a drop of water for heaven’s sakes, it is practically 5pm and not one shot of water or meal has reached this stomach. 

    I swallowed my groan and annoyance without saying a word and moved to the room to join them for prayers.

I had my eyes wide throughout the 5 minutes prayer because it pissed me. After the prayers, mom hands over the plastic containing the water to me with a grin as she ruffles my hair. 

   “I am only teaching you what’s right from wrong, trust me, you’ll find the essence of our teachings later in the future, these are normal ethics.”   

  She says with a peck on my cheeks, and I grin at her, receiving the water. Standard ethics, my ass. Is she trying to tell me other kids go through such annoying routines in their homes every day? I assume not. 

   They head over to their room, leaving Jaidyn and me in the sitting room.

I turn towards my room to get out of my clothes and take a quick shower.

Walking out the bathroom, I dab my body dry with my towel, throwing it towards the directing of my bathroom door and walk naked towards my closet to get myself something comfy to wear for the entire day. 

  When the door creaks open, and my elder brother walks in, not caring that I am naked, and goes to make himself comfortable on my bed. 

    “You forget simple morals that you don’t remember to knock before wandering into someone’s room.” 

  I say turning to glare at him, and he scoffs grabbing one pillow on my bed to cuddle. 

   “Now that your voice is back, the first thing to do is nag your beloved brother, huh?.” 

 Jaidyn says with an eye roll. 

  “Never lost my voice, I simply have no reason to talk.” 

 I respond with a scoff, and Jaidyn laughs, throwing his head while at it. 

  “You know? I do not know how you ignore both and get away with it. But trust me, you’re a badass and I live for each occasion.” 

 Jaidyn says, still laughing, and I chuckle, throwing on my loose polo shirt and slide on my mattress with him.

  “They do the same stuff to us half the time, so what, they only talk to us during prayers, you don’t expect me to give them the grace of experiencing my sweet voice when they don’t even make efforts in talking to us, besides they see I’m selective mute. “

   I respond with a sly smirk, and Jaidyn shakes his head as he pulls me closer to him for a cuddle, something we constantly do when alone. 

  “I am pleased you see me worthy enough to bless me with such a beautiful sound.” 

Jaidyn comments, draping his hands around me, and I laugh, snuggling into him. 

  “You’re my brother and only companion, besides you don’t treat me as a freak, and you don’t pressure me into talking when I do not wish to, Let me be me with no push or prejudice, and you understand.” 

  I respond to him just as my stomach growls, and he explodes in laughter. 

      “Waoooow, I take it you’re hungry, come to the kitchen with me while I cook up something for us to eat.” 

 Jaidyn says, picking me up from the bed and walks of my room. 

 “Mom and the old man?” I ask him, and he sighs. 

 “They’ve gone to headquarters in Bristol for a meeting on the next Anniversary programme, might be back in 3 days.” 

Jaidyn replies and I mock. Typical of them to always be off to various towns, doing meetings.

Bristol is 181 miles from Crossville here where we settle in Tennessee or should I say our hometown which we don’t get to go except mom and dad is taking us on church programme in towns closer to ours. Bristol is 3hours 45mins drive from here. 

   “As expected of them.” 

I say, as Jaidyn puts me on the kitchen island, as he readies himself to cook us something to eat for the first time to eat. 

   “I’m not bothered about that anymore. You’re here and I am glad for not the only child. Living as the only son would have turned out lonely and depressing as hell.”

 Jaidyn says, swaying his head with distaste, and I giggle at his facial expression. 

   “I guess God knows what he was doing when he made me your sibling.” 

I acknowledge, smiling at him, and he mirrors my action, pinching my cheeks before going back to prepare what I would say for dinner, and we talked about Random things for a while. 

   “Oh, I forgot to tell you, Skyler says he is coming over this evening.”

 Jaidyn says, and my face lit up in excitement. Skyler is my elder brother's best friend, and he is two years older than I am, while Jaidyn is 4years older than me and three years older than Skyler.

Skyler is the only individual aside from my brother that I interact with sometimes. 

 And like my brother, he knows when to give me space when I have not the urge to talk, and he is kind to me. 

 “Is he sleeping over for the night?”   

 I ask Jaidyn with expectation swimming in my eyes, and he rocks his head. 

 “No, I guess no so. Skylar said nothing about wanting a sleepover.” 

 Jaidyn answers and I frown.

 “Can you call and tell him we want him to sleep over, group sleepover please.” 

 I plead making cute faces at my brother who chuckles at my action. 

“We want, or you want?, don’t worry, I’ll tell him.” 

  He says, and I nod smiling as I grab a handful of m&m he poured in a bowl beside me earlier. 

“You are the best human, I know.” 

 I mention with glee, and he laughs, rattling his head. 

“That’s because I am the only human you interact with, dumb, dumb.” 

   Jaidyn says with a chuckle, and I hissed at him. 

   “My report card says otherwise.” 

  I counter in a smug tone. 

  “Is that your comeback?. You need more than, good grades, to be smart.” 

  He fires back, and I jeer. 

   “Whatever, I am still smart.” 

   “Yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night.”

  He replies with a chuckle, and I giggle at the faces he sends my way. The rest of the day went by at a slow pace.

Skylar came in as we settled to eat. Invited him to join us for dinner, and the rest of the night rolled by, same as every other night we have a group sleepover with Skylar.