ILL FATE

Returning home after the long day's activities, Phidel and Phidelia retired to their room, exhausted not even waiting for their parents to finish unpacking their stuff.

Just as they got to their room, they both staggered to their beds and collapsed on it, falling asleep in the instant.

After unpacking the things, Randy sauntered to the living room, their daughter's absence unnoticed by them. On settling on the couch, he turned on the TV set.

"Why don't you go and freshen up first as I get us something to eat." Jerome stood glancing at him as she picked up the packages of groceries.

"I will do that later, let me rest a little."

"No dear, you're all sweaty. You should go freshen up and get a change of clothes," she mumbled, strolling to the kitchen with packages of groceries in both arms.

She dropped them on the cabin, lifting them out one after the other as she got ready to cook.

Randy sat on the couch with his eyes still glued to the screen, reluctant.

"Honey...., ain't you going?", called Jerome.

"Gosh, she could be so demanding at times", he mumbled, shrugging up from his seat.

" Leaving already!! "

Jerome smiled to herself, hearing his reluctant voice," He never seems to change, the same old him."

She chuckled, slightly shaking her head as she went on her work.

Within an hour, Jerome was all done, busily setting up the table, moving to the tune of her humming. Randy stood at the end of the stairs with smiles dancing all over his face as he admired her beauty and composure.

Jerome on noticing him, smiled.

"Oh, you're already here."

"Mm...", he mumbled and trod over.

When he neared the table, he pulled the chair in front of it, settling in.

At that moment, Jerome for the first time noticed the children's absence.

"Where are the kids...?" she queried, glancing skeptically around. "Weren't they with you?"

"No..., I haven't set my eyes on them since we returned. They might be in their room."

"Okay, I will go get them."

She hurried up the stairs through to the corridor to their children's room. There was silence in the room when she got to the door.

"Why are they so quiet?" she murmured to herself, slowly opening the door as she stepped into the room.

"Oh mine...., how can they sleep without eating?"

She glided over to their beds with the bid of waking them up for supper but on seeing how peaceful they were sleeping, she stopped.

"Poor kids, guess they were exhausted. They couldn't even wait for supper."

She cuddled them well under their blankets and pecked their cheeks as she stared at them with a bright smile.

"Goodnight sweethearts...."

She shuffled to the door, turning off the light as she stepped out of the room, slowly closing the door behind her.

Randy sat behind the table patiently waiting for his wife and kids as he stared expectantly at the stairs. At that moment, Jerome came descending the stairs alone.

"Oh, where are they? Thought you said you were going for them?"

Descending the last stair, she sighed, "Yes I did but unfortunately for me, they are already asleep." she said as she trod over to her seat with her husband's gaze following after her.

"Really...?" he chuckled, "Guess they are too exhausted from all the fun."

"They sure are." she smiled as she gently placed her husband's plate of meal in front of him.

"Mm..., this smells so good."

"You should dig in then."

She smiled, digging into her meals. Randy also took his spoon and dug in. They continued their meals in silence and soon, they were done.

Randy helped his wife clear the table as they carried the dishes to the kitchen.

They washed and rinsed them before retiring to their room.

Randy sat on the bed with his laptop on his lap, working on some project from work as Jerome shuffled to the side of the wardrobe, picking up her towel.

"I will take a bath now."

"Alright dear," he replied, his eyes still glued on the screen of the laptop as he kept typing something.

Within 30 minutes, Jerome returned to meet Randy still with his laptop. Hanging her towel back in the wardrobe, he staggered towards the bed.

"It's late dear, let's get some rest." she climbed onto the bed, resting her head on her husband's shoulder.

Randy smiled, narrowing his eyes to her face. "Alright dear." he pecked her forehead before shutting the laptop, slowly closing it as he placed it in the drawer beside the bed.

Sliding back to bed, Jerome moved her head from his shoulder to his chest as she laid down beside him. Before she could realize it, they both drifted off to sleep.

**************

The day being a Sunday, there was nothing much to be done in the Hoods family except their usual ritual of attending service in the morning.

It was around noon when they returned home from church service.

After having lunch, Phidel and Phidelia hurried off to their room to get their assignments done before Monday while their parents sauntered to the living room to have their leisure time.

"Be careful with the stairs girls..." their mother shouted after them as they raced to their room.

"Okay mum...." they chorused, giggling.

Getting to their room, they went over to their study table and picked up their assignment books.

"Let's hurry before Linda and the rest get here. Nania promised to come along with her puppies today," replied Phidel wittily.

"I know, l know," replied Phidelia as she stared down at the assignments, critically considering the questions.

Phidel also drew nearer, placing her book beside her sister.

"Why don't we try it this way, 25x +10= 0. Then we try moving all the numbers to one side then solve it and see."

"Okay, let's try it," Phidelia replied they both went about solving the questions with rapt attention and concentration.

They were still on it when all of a sudden, Phidelia started gasping for breath, her eyes wide open.

Phidel who had never seen her sister like that before had fear and panic rushed through her spines, suddenly feeling weak at that instant.

"Phidelia...? What's wrong with you?" she queried but her sister still kept gasping. Doing all that she could but couldn't help her sister, she hurried out to get help from their parents.

Randy and Jerome's eyes were glued on the TV set when they heard Phidel's panicked voice. They hastily turned to see her descending the stairs, looking aghast.

"Mum–, mum– help Phidelia. I don't know what happened but she can't breathe."

"What....?"