NEGLECTED INNOCENCE

Source : Meta AI

"Why do they always work and not stay with us? Everyone talks about how their parents play with them, do their assignments with them and all that. Why don't we get such experience?" Jude could not stop talking to himself. He was very mad.

Jaden, who would always console his brother came out of their room and saw his brother. Jaden would always go to him immediately and talk to him, but this time was different. He walked to the dinning and sat down.

"Today is my birthday. Dad doesn't even know. I don't even want to talk about mum. She would leave very early in the morning, and return when we are sleeping." He grows infant tears.

Jude didn't look at him, he could not stand the tears of his brother. "I don't even know how she looks anymore. Stella's mum took her to the airport on her birthday. She told me everything, and I couldn't stop but envy her. Micheal's dad would always pick him after school. They'd sing together in the car, they'd get some popcorn, and they'd go see his mum."

Jaden wiped his tears. "You know, it's funny. Dad doesn't even know how we survive. He thinks providing us with whatever we want is the only thing we need. He doesn't know my favorite food, my favorite colour or even favourite places I'd want to see. But it ends today!" He stands and moves to the couch.

Jude shakes his head a bit. "I don't know if this idea would work. But I'm happy we are giving the try. This is 8:30am already, the school should have called him by now to know why we are not in school."

Source : Meta AI

Mr Mark is busy with his system when a call came into his phone. He took the call immediately. "Yeah, hello."

"Good morning, sir. I am Mrs. Augustus, the form teacher of your children."

Mr Mark wasn't expecting a call from the school, anyway. "Okay, you could call my wife. She would pay their fees."

"Sorry, sir, but their fees have been paid. I called to ask why they are not in school."

He got startled immediately he heard that. "What? They should be in school. Their driver..."

"They are not in school, sir."

Mr Mark stops whatever he was doing immediately. He calls his driver, but his number wasn't connecting. He called his wife, "Angela, our children are missing. Leave whatever you are doing and rush home, now!"

"What?!"

"You need to go home."

Angela was attending to a customer when her husband called. She had to stop that immediately and got a cab to rush home.

Mr Mark drove down to their school and rushed to the principal's office.

"Excuse me, ma. A teacher called me concerning my children."

The principal looked at him, "Mr Mark Uchenna. This is actually the first time I'm seeing you in this school."

"With all due respect, ma. I'm talking about my children."

"I'm sorry, but your children did not cross the school gate this morning. Let me ask, why are you so busy in your job that you can't take your time to know your children. You don't even know who they are. I've sent mails to you so many times, but you didn't respond to any of them. We had our OPEN DAY last week, and you and your wife were the only parents that did not show up. How do you think that would make your children feel? Teachers keeps complaining about their intellectual detoriation. They don't write notes, they don't do assignments, they don't engage in any school activity becase of you and your wife. Please, sir, leave my office and find your children, they are not in this school."

Mr Mark could not say anything. He rushed back home immediately and saw his children with his wife. They had been staring at each other for minutes without saying anything. He quitely walked to them and sat down beside Jaden who stood up immediately.

"Boys... What's wrong? I've been asking this for minutes for none of you are saying anything." Angel's mouth quivered as she said this.

Mark obviously had nothing to say, not after what the principal said to him.

"The both of you have really shown us that you care. But what we are yet to understand is that we don't get the love and care we need from our parents until something bad happens. Why?" Jude had been boiling inside of me.

Jaden cleared his throat. "Today is my birthday."

"And our parents are not eve aware." Jude attacks the line.

Angela moves close to to Jude, "Baby no, don't speak that way. We love you, and that's why we work tirelessly day ad night to give you the best life you could ever want."

Jaden modulates his voice. He grows the infant tears again, "You're wrong! Mum you're wrong! We appreciate what you do for us, but you think that's all we need? You think we don't want you to stay with us? For more than three months, we've never set our eyes on you until now."

Mark turns to his children. "Look, boys... I am very sorry. We are sorry. We've failed you as parents and we are very sorry about that. We've realised our mistake and we amend it. Please forgive us."

The family went into shape again. Angela would pick them from school and take them to her shop. They'd go home afterwards. The communication level came back to a balance again. Jaden and Jude improved in school. And they had a happy family.

THE END