When The Cat's Away

We watched Papa's cat rattle down the street until his red taillights weren't visible again. There was an awkward silence in the house, amongst the three of us for a while.

Until Rachel, the youngest of us, spoke and broke the silence. "So..?." she stressed the word, looking for me Jake. Her ponytail bounced around.

“They’re gone,” My words came in whispers, more to myself than to anyone else.

Jake punched his fist in the air "Freedom at last!". He pulled out his phone from his pocket and tried dialling a number.

I quickly grabbed the phone from him, "Don't even think about it", I said, folding my arms.

I saw Emma roll her eyes. "Ugh, Emma. Really? Are we seriously going to go over this again? You’re sixteen, not sixty. Live a little.”

Jake grabbed his phone back from me "I'm inviting just a few friends. What would it hurt?"

Still against the idea I looked from Jake to Rachel. "A few friends you say, but remember what happened the last time? A few turned into many!" I echoed back.

"Okay, that was a mistake. This time, it's truly few friends." He walked up to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulder. "Come on. Loosen up a bit. You wouldn't want us bored all weekend, would you?” he raised an eyebrow as if to convince me.

I looked at Rachel, she had her 'please' look on. I looked from them to the well-arranged living room with Mama's most prized crystal vase sitting on the mantel. The house was like her sacred altar, and I imagined what would happen if we were to disorganise it while she was away.

"Arrgh!" I groaned. "Fine, just a few friends". I reluctantly said.

Great!" Rachel excitedly walked to the speakers and turned up the music.

"Hey! Not that loud" I yelled at her.

“Loosen up, Emma! When the cat’s away...” Rachel took me by the hand to dance with her.

"The mice come to play", Jake yelled from the other side of the room. Completing her statement.

Well, before I knew it. I was already moving my body.

It wasn't long and the house was filled with more than a few friends. Every corner of the house was filled with teenagers my age, Jake's age and Rachel's age too. The walks shook from the loud music; this time, it was louder than Rachel had turned it earlier. Jake was the life of the party; he was everywhere at once, hyping his guests.

I yelled severally to keep things in order but no one paid attention. The music was too loud for anyone to hear me scream orders. Seriously, it was like trying to catch smoke with bare hands.

Seeing that I couldn't control the crowd, I walked over to the crystal vase sitting pretty on the mantle just on top of the cabinet. I carefully folded it in a cloth and placed it carefully inside the cabinet. It was better to be safe than sorry.

As I closed the cabinet and turned to leave. Rachel walked up to me with arms crossed and judging eyes
"Hiding a vase? Really? Emma?"

I snapped immediately "Don't even get me started, Rachel. That's Mama's favorite possession. It was given to her by Grandma. If it breaks we're so done.."

"You're such a buzz kill". Rachel didn't let me finish as she flipped her hair in my face and dragged me with her back to the party, where Jake was perched on the dining table, entertaining the crowd with his weird moves.

On seeing me, he jumped down and dragged me to the table with him. And in no time I was having the time of my life. For some minutes, I forgot about the vase or how loud the music was.

But it didn't last as we heard a loud bang in the living room. I quickly ran back to see what it was. And on the floor were shards of Mama's crystal vase sparkling on the floor with two youngsters who didn't care, standing over it and kissing each other. My heart stopped.

Angrily, I walked over to the speaker and turned it off. The noise died as all eyes and attention fell on me as exactly what I wanted. Without an atom of smile on my face,

"Party's over. Everyone out!" I choked out, my voice barely recognizable. "Starting with you two" I pointed at the culprits. Then I walked over to them, grabbed them by their collars, and dragged them outside the house.

I returned to the house and everyone was still there, staring at me. I wondered if they didn't hear me

"Do I have to repeat myself" I roared

And one by one, they left, leaving behind a trail of cups, wrappers, and broken glass. When they were all gone, I picked up a broom and swept the shards on the floor with tears in my eyes. I didn't know what Mama would do to me when she was back, but I was scared already.

“It’s just a vase, Emma. Mama will understand” Rachel whispered to me.

I looked at her with so much anger in my eyes. I wondered how she could be so insensitive at that moment. I guess she noticed that if she tried to speak again I would pince on her as she said.

"I'll go clean up the other side of the house" she walked off.

Jake never said a word, but there was regret in his eyes.

We spent the rest of the night cleaning up the house in silence. A few hours of fun turned to suspense about what would happen if Mama came back and realized her vase was gone.

The weekend was over. Mama and Papa had returned, but they hadn't noticed the missing vase. Not until dinner, when mum asked with her mouth filled with food.

"Something's missing in this house," she said, her eye focused on the exact spot where she usually keeps her vase. "Emma, where's my vase?" She asked.

My heart raced, as the food in my mouth tasted stale. I swallowed. Then I looked at Rachel and Jake. They returned my gaze with fear in their eyes. They were waiting for me to speak as the eldest.

I took a deep breath. “Mom... I’m sorry. There was an accident and It broke.” I said, avoiding Mama's gaze.

I saw her face crumble as pain was visible in her eyes
“Broke? How?” she asked.

I looked down, still avoiding her gaze. I was ashamed of myself. “While... while you guys were away, we... we had... we had some friends over. And... I'm so sorry, Mum," I sputtered.

I expected Mama to yell but she didn't. She just sat there, staring at the empty space on the mantel. Then she stood up and made for the stairs. Not long, Papa followed her, his face unreadable.

Just at the top of the stairs, Mama turned and looked at me
"You all are grounded indefinitely." She paused. "I'm so disappointed, Emma. All of you actually" she added, then she walked into her room.

I stared at Dad as he stood there looking at me and my siblings.
"Everything your Mum said, Emma," he said and joined his wife in their room.

By now I had tears in my eyes. I turned to look at my fellow culprits, they were shaking as well. The weight of our choices pressing down heavily on us.

We played while the cat's away. And now, we were paying the price.

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