The end of her branch

I'm guilty of so many things, there are so many, I cannot remember them all.

As the final verdict was confirmed, I tried to cry, I pushed so hard, the fear of not living again cooked my eyes bottle. For the very first time in my life, I felt a jolt of emptiness canvassing my mind. As the officers took me from the stand, in haste, time ticking goodbye. I heard my ma's voice crawling from behind.

"He's my only son, please let me speak to him"

Exactly one month ago, the day before Christmas, my mom and I were expecting the rest of our siblings to show up for carol night. It's a family tradition, passed down from my mother's great parents and the one before them. Yes, it's a total addiction. Everyone was welcomed except my honorable father. In a hotel owned by my mom's family, the family tree is knitted all in one place. As the spirit of the season encapsulates everywhere, someone unexpected walked into the sitting room where I and my mom was lodged. He came with red roses and a gift basket filled with chocolates and a seventy-year-old bottle of wine. My mom who was about to wash her hair with the relaxer ran to the sitting room filled with joy. Only to find my dad helping himself with a cup of cold water from the water dispenser. Immediately, words were exchanged. The room was filled with rage and dis-contempt. Disturbed by the ranting, I left my room, with the hope of settling whatever the conflict was. I got to the sitting room and found my father on the floor with his skull cracked open. My mom who was wearing nylon gloves asked me to get rid of the bottle.

Yes, I was foolish I used my bare hands to pick the pieces to a waste basket nearby.

As my mom from a distance, now crying, ran out of the room to call the security nearby for help. As the confused fellow came into the room to see me making an effort to hide my dad's body, punched me in the face and cuffed me. Trying not to cry for losing my dad.

My mom gave her own version of this story and denied killing my father.

I refused to confess as the murderer. All lesser jail term, I denied. My mom who lost her husband is going to lose her only child. No one from her branch will continue the long-lasting family tradition that she cherished more than anything in the world.