CHOICES VS CONSEQUENCES - by Muhammad Mercurial

The door opened. A strong, rotten smell hit Josh's nose immediately. He quickly covered his nose. The smell was so bad that he almost vomited. He searched every corner of the house, trying to find where it was coming from. He looked at the kitchen. Nothing. He looked at the sitting room. Nothing. He frowned. "Is this a house for the living or for the dead?" Just then, Josephine walked out of the inner room wearing a nose mask. "Welcome back, Brother Josh." Josh looked at her. "I can smell something terrible in this house. What is going on?" Josephine lowered her head. "Brother Josh... it is Daddy." Josh's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" "All the money we spent on his treatment could not stop it. His body now smells every day." "Where is he?" "He is in the visitors' room." Josh stood still for a moment. Then Josephine looked at him. "But Brother Josh, why did you come back from the USA without telling us?" Josh took a deep breath. "I was deported." Josephine covered her mouth in shock. "I tried to steal money to buy Daddy's drugs. We spent everything we had on his treatment. I had nothing left." Silence filled the house. A few minutes later, the door opened again. Josh forced a smile. "Juliana, welcome home." Juliana stepped inside. Immediately, she dropped her handbag and covered her nose with the sleeve of her shirt. "What is that smell?" She looked at Josephine. "What is happening?" Then she turned to Josh. "And Josh, what are you doing in Nigeria? You didn't even tell us you were coming." Josh answered quietly. "It's Daddy." Juliana became silent. Josh looked at her. "Why are you home this early?" Juliana sighed. "I lost my job today." "What happened?" "I kept asking my boss to pay my salary in advance because of Daddy's drugs. I also got to work late many times because I was taking care of him." Silence filled the house again. One sickness. Three broken lives. Slowly, they walked into the visitors' room. The smell became stronger. Their father lay helpless on the bed. None of them could stay close to him. Josh finally spoke. "This sickness has taken everything from us." "My life in America is gone." "Juliana has lost her job." "Josephine has spent all her savings." He looked at his sisters. "Why don't we take him into the bush tonight and leave him there? We are all suffering because of this sickness." Josephine looked at Juliana. Juliana looked at Josh. After a long silence... They agreed. That evening, they carried their father into the car and drove to a lonely bush. They stopped. The three of them carried him out. Josh looked around. "This is the place." Juliana looked at the narrow path and asked, "Are we dropping him on the right... or on the left?" Their father slowly opened his eyes. "Drop me on the left." The three of them froze. Josh stepped back. "Daddy... you knew we were bringing you here?" The old man nodded. Josephine could not hold back her tears. "But why the left?" The old man took a deep breath. "Because twenty-nine years ago, that was where I dumped my own father when he had leprosy." Silence. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Tears rolled down the old man's face. "I thought I was ending my problem." "I never knew I was creating my own future." "This..." He paused. "...is the consequence of my choice." The three children looked at one another. The same bush. The same choice. The same consequence. QUESTION Should they leave their father in the bush and continue the cycle, knowing their own children may one day do the same to them? Or should they take him back home, care for him, and become the generation that ends the cycle? Every choice plants a seed. Every consequence is the harvest. Now the choice is yours

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