Family and Annoying Sister

"Hey, Valdo, are you done showering? Can you help me with something?" my mom called out.

"Yes, yes, Mom, just a moment," I replied as I quickly dried myself off with a towel. I rushed to the bedroom, grabbed my shirt, trousers and of course underwear.

"What's wrong, Mom?" I asked as I entered the living room.

"Can you help me fix the television? It's displaying a continuous rain of pixels," he explained, a note of urgency in his voice.

"Hmm, I didn't realise that this was such an urgent matter. Just a typical television problem," I commented, a little confused.

"Do it quickly, Valdo. I'm about to miss my favourite show," she said.

"A drama at this hour? Alright, let me fix it," I agreed reluctantly, while grabbing the television cable and pulling it firmly.

"Okay, it's done. Can I go now?" I asked, eager to leave.

"Hold on, you haven't told me why you came home so late today," my mom inquired, her curiosity piqued.

"It's just an hour late, Mom," I defended myself.

"Well, in my book, it's still considered very late. Just answer the question," she insisted.

"I was actually enjoying the view of the sky when I saw a girl on the verge of jumping off the building," I explained.

"That's terrible, but I hope it's not just an excuse to come home late. I know you've been staying up late to play that game," she accused.

"Mom, we have Wi-Fi at home. Why should I bother going to an internet cafe?" I argued.

"Because you can be so stubborn. Do you remember when I waited in front of your junior high school for three hours, worried when you were engrossed in a game at an internet cafe?" she recalled, her annoyance evident in his voice.

"That's in the past, Mom. I'm really sorry about that. This time, it's not an excuse. It was something that really happened. I was really shocked to see that girl thinking of jumping off such a tall building," I assured her.

"I choose to believe you this time. I hope this isn't another lie. You can go now," she said yes as she waved goodbye to me.

I walked upstairs and into my bedroom, looking forward to a much-needed rest for the next day at school.

The next morning, the alarm clock beside my bed started ringing loudly, but I still didn't wake up.

"Brother, your alarm clock is too loud. You should switch it off," Alda shouted from outside my bedroom.

"Umm, give me some more time to sleep," I muttered as I rolled over in bed.

Alda came into the room, making a scene.

"Wake up!" she exclaimed as she slapped me.

"Ouch! What are you doing? Could you be more gentle?" I woke up in pain.

"It's already 7am. Are you going to school?" Alda asked, her face filled with anger.

"Let me check the clock," I said as I picked up the alarm clock and glanced at the time.

"Oh yeah, it's 7am. I guess I can sleep a little longer," I muttered as I returned the clock and went back to bed.

"No, you have to go to school," Alda insisted, pulling my legs off the bed, making my head hit the floor.

"Ouch! Will you stop with your annoying behaviour? It's early in the morning, and my head is throbbing," I retorted, frustration evident in my voice.

"Since you wouldn't get out of bed, now you're awake. Take a shower, you smell really bad. I hope you didn't have a wet dream," she teased while running away from me.

"I didn't have a wet dream! Ugh, stop joking, Alda," I muttered as I stood up from the floor and got ready for a shower and breakfast.

After showering, I went back to my bedroom and put on my uniform. I combed my hair and tied my tie properly, making sure it was securely fastened. I went downstairs and entered the living room. In the morning, I found my mom and brother already sitting at the dining table, having breakfast.

"Good morning mom, what are we eating today?"

"Good morning Valdo, we'll have sunny side up eggs, bread and milk."

"I think I'll have cereal again. Bread and eggs don't fill me up. I really hope we still have cereal in the kitchen cupboard," I said as I walked into the kitchen.

I opened one of the kitchen cupboards where we used to keep cereal boxes and took it out. Shaking the cereal box, I checked if there was still enough.

"Mom, we're out of cereal." I shouted from the kitchen.

"Yes, mom forgot to buy your favourite cereal, so eat your breakfast. You overslept today, so eat what you have," mom shouted from the living room.

"Alright, I'm coming."

I sat at the dining table next to Alda who was having breakfast. I also had breakfast next to her.

"Alda, can you get me some strawberry jam?" I asked as I held out my hand.

Alda took the jar of strawberry jam from the side and gave it to me without saying a single annoying word.

"Are you angry with me?"

"Stop bothering me."

Moments later, Dad enters the living room with his tie improperly attached and looped around his shirt.

"Morning, dear. Still having trouble with your tie?" Mom stood up from her chair and walked over to Dad to help him tie his tie.

"Yeah, I still suck at tying ties. Hahaha," Dad replied with a chuckle.

"Come on, Dad. You've taught me how to tie a tie properly, but you're still struggling," I said.

"Don't blame me, son. I forget too, just like tying a tie. That's why you need a wife to remember," I joked.

"Dad, I'm only 17 years old this year, still unemployed. Starting a family means I have to support them financially. That's expensive, and I don't even have a girlfriend yet," I explained.

"What do you mean by 'not yet'? Stop being a loser and stop daydreaming, bro," Alda interrupted.

"Don't say that. Everyone has dreams, including me," I defended myself.

"Yes, yes, your dreams are your dreams, not mine. I don't care," Alda dismisses.

Dad joined us at the breakfast table, sipping his coffee as any father would. We finished our breakfast and got ready to go to school and work.

"Make sure you don't forget anything," Mom warned us.

"I'm sure I've remembered everything," I assured her.

"Me too, except your brother forgot to wake up this morning," Alda teased.

"Stop joking, Alda. I tried so hard to wake up," I retorted, a little speechless because I couldn't deny the truth.

Dad opened the door. "Bye, dear. I'm leaving for work now," Dad said as he looked back and waved his hand.

"Bye, Mom and Dad. We're off to school," we waved goodbye to Mom and off we went to school.

I hope the girl from yesterday is doing well.