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MIDNIGHT MADNESS 1.

<<<Chapter One.>>>

There was a knock on the door and Mama Dami, as she was called, went to open the door and attend to whom it was because Dami was taking his morning bath.

"Mama Good morning" a boy greeted her once she opened the door and stepped outside.

"Good morning" she responded softly.

"Mama, is Damien around?" The boy asked and she looked at him quizzically not really remembering his face.

"Yes he is, anything the problem?" She asked. There was something about the boy she didn't like, he looked irresponsible and undisciplined, she wouldn't want him to have anything personal doing with her son.

'Bad company corrupts good manner' - she thought.

She wouldn't want anyone to come and spoil her only child. Even as a single parent, that didn't stop Mama from taking good care of her child who later grew up to become a pleasant and disciplined Boy that was loved by everyone in the village.

He was his mother's pride and the villagers pride as well.

Sometimes the king would call him to his palace and give him gifts for his respect, humbleness and kindness towards his elders in the village, this was rare in the village because most of the boys and girls were the direct opposite of Damien and so he was always used as an example to bad kids.

Mothers whose children were disobedient and unlike Damien would always tell their children;

"Can't you see how well behaved Damien is?, why can't you be like him? Does he have two heads?"

Some children would murmur and say; "Stop comparing me to him, we are different people, I am not Damien and he is not me"

Some parents who had no choice would shake their head in pity and continue doing what they were doing before the argument between them and their kids while some will get angry and whip their kids mercilessly, yet the children would not change their habit.

Since Damien was a good boy he would assist such parents whose kids were bad by running errands for them and wouldn't expect to be paid in return, some would insist on paying him but he would reject the money because when he was little, mama taught him how and why it was important to help others and never to collect or expect money from them. This made the villagers to love him more.

"No problem ma, its just that the carpenter at the road side asked me to call him" the boy briefed. Mama was not blind, she knew why the boy was being polite like he was good, it was clear to her that he was trying to disguise himself.

"Em, what is your name?" She asked.

"Pascal" he said but mama thought the name 'rascal' would have been better for a person like him.

"Wait, let me tell him" she said and went inside. She went to Damien's room and knocked softly, he was already out of the bathroom and was putting on his shorts.

"Yes?" Damien's deep voice inquired from inside his room.

"Some boy is looking for you, said his name is pascal" mama informed.

Damien thought for a while then remembered "oh!, the Carpenter's son, mom please tell him I will be out in five minutes"

The boy had already gone when Damien came out of his room buttoning his shirt.

"Dami, I don't like that boy oh" mama complained.

Damien smiled knowingly that mama was picky whenever it comes to the type of friends he keeps.

"Mama, you and I know that, you don't like almost everyone in this village" he teased.

"He..he... You and I know that you are not saying the truth" she remembered him, of course mama was the friendly type, she was free with everyone, she just don't want her son to be mislead by friends that's why she was being selective.

"Anyways, I have some work to do with Mr carpenter" he told her.

Mama yawned, "I'm hungry, get something for me to eat first before you go"

"Okay mom" he said and pecked her forehead before he left to get her some food at mama David's restaurant.

"What do you want to buy?" The sales girl asked.

"I need two plate of rice, meat and fried plantain" he told, rubbing his hands. He would give mama one and he would eat the other.

She served him and while he was about to seat down and eat, he heard a familiar voice calling him. "Dami! Oh boy, Dami!".

Without looking at whom it was, he already knew it was his cousin, Raul.

He sat down and Raul took the next chair in front of him and sat down.

" oh boy, I was calling you and you didn't answer, why?" He asked.

Damien almost rolled his eyes "I'm too hungry to answer and besides mama is waiting for her food and I still have some work to do" Damien explained, then he started eating..

Raul rubbed his hands together, he was hungry but did not know the best way to ask Damien without sounding like he was begging.

"You are enjoying oh!, you cannot even call your boy to join you" Raul said. Damien knew this was coming, he wasn't stingy but he wanted to annoy Raul a little, as it was his way sometimes with his cousin.

"Here!" Damien moved the plate a little closer to Raul, and Raul licked his lips whilst swallowing his spit.

Just when he was about to hold the spoon Damien drew the plate backwards "uh uh?. Was kidding, I just wanted you to perceive the aroma only" Damien said, holding a laugh as he saw the look on Raul's face.

"Stupid" Raul cussed feigning annoyance.

"Fool" Damien played along.

Don't get this wrong, He really loves his cousin.

Raul and his mom moved in some months before, they were once living in the city but Raul's father was a chronic smoker and drunkard so one night he sent Raul and his mother out of his house after a heated argument between the husband and wife.

So Mrs Ennio, (Raul's mother) had no choice but to live in the village. They were homeless so they pleaded with mama Dami to give them shelter which she did as a kindhearted woman that she was.

After all Mrs Ennio was her late husband's elder sister, so why wouldn't she help her?.

And that's how Raul and his mother started living with them in the same compound.

.....

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