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Writer's pictureEto Kwuta

Broken Home (A Short Story)

By: Philomena Nona Luis*

In a city, a husband and wife had a daughter named Olla. The Olla family is harmonious, friendly, open to others, and enjoys sharing joy. However, this was only the view of the people around them and their relatives. Olla's family was entirely the opposite when they are at home. Olla's family was on the verge of a rift and split caused by her parents' selfishness. His father and mother often quarrelled about the family economy.


The father went on spending sprees with his friend and only prioritizes other people over his small family, who really needs the role of a husband and father for his wife and children. The mother had a great desire to work, which her husband prohibits. However, what could the mother do? Her husband was very stingy about giving her monthly shopping money and also money for Olla's school fees. Even for pocket money, Olla had to restrain herself from asking her parents. The money to pay for Olla's school fees had not been paid in full until his homeroom teacher billed him several times. Olla couldn't stand his situation, so he often kept to himself, crying and lamenting it.


Mother always invited Olla to pray for a solution to the problems their family was experiencing. However, what we wanted is not always immediately granted. Olla's family had not experienced any changes at all.


One day, Olla's mother and father argued. I don't know the problem; Olla didn't understand because she was still too young to understand. The father and mother had a big fight, and the mother was injured. Because of this and my mother's long desire to go abroad, my mother immediately packed her clothes.


At this time, Olla faced a difficult choice when her parents asked, "Who do you want to go with?" Father and mother asked Olla in unison. "If Olla wanted to come with Mother, pack your things," continued Mother. Immediately, Olla cried and couldn't believe her parents' questions.

A few moments later, Olla answered questions from his parents, "Olla will come with their mother, but Olla do not want to follow her mother to go abroad. Let Olla stayed in this city but Olla would live with grandfather and grandmother."


And so that Olla could also continue to visit father." Hearing that, the mother initially refused but then thought again for a moment and finally agreed. Dad just kept quiet, hearing all that. When everything was packed, Olla and Mother were ready to go, and Father just walked us to the front of our house and went straight to his friend's house to drink together without saying a word. Olla and their mother drove by taxi to her grandfather and grandmother's house. After Mother arrived to tell everything that had happened, Grandfather and Grandmother were shocked about what happened to Olla's family.


After that, grandmother and grandfather accepted Olla and her mother to live together. But after a few days passed, the mother decided to go abroad to earn money so she could pay Olla's living expenses at her grandfather and grandmother's house and school fees because Olla's father could no longer be relied on.

Before leaving, Mother said to Olla, " If Mother has gone abroad and earned money for Olla, then Olla must be a good child, study hard to become a successful person, and not cause trouble to grandparents. OK?" "OK," answered Olla.


Olla was very sad about this; however, she couldn't do anything because everything her mother did was for Olla's interests and future.*

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