Growing up, my siblings and I often found ourselves in sticky situations, but one particular incident still stands out in my mind and this week's prompt just brought back memories.
One Sunday afternoon, my elder sister Beatrice, our cousin Solomon and I decided to take matters into our own hands.
Quick background:
We grew up in a community that had a tertiary institution, the ECWA college of health technology Kagoro. Most homeowners around areas like that usually build houses with rental apartments for the students. These apartments are usually rented out at affordable prices to reduce housing issues for them.
Our house had provision for two of those kinds of apartments. Because the apartments were comfortable, we always had students seeking accommodation. Our parents were usually very careful and selective of who they gave accommodations to.
Unfortunately, they rented out one of the apartments to Hanatu and she was a very ill mannered lady. She didn't abide by most of the rules that were set that we all were bound to. But on this particular day, she disrespected our mother and in a fit of anger, we burned her room.
We waited for about a week, on Sunday afternoon when no one was around. Our parents had gone to visit some relatives and Hanatu and the other student who lived in the second apartment were both out, so we carried out our evil plan.
We thought we had covered our tracks well, because after setting the room on fire, we let it burn a little bit, then we ran out, and raised an alarm to put out the fire and pretended to be innocent bystanders.
The fire had not gone so far, so we didn't need to call the fire service. Just a few neighbors were able to put it out. Everyone assumed that it was an electric glitch that caused the fire. She probably left an appliance connected.
However, our secret didn't remain hidden for long. Three weeks later, our younger sister Mabel spilled the beans, revealing our involvement in the incident to our parents. We were caught off guard, and the consequences were severe. We were punished for our actions, and it was a hard lesson to learn.
Mabel's actions, whether intentional or not, exposed our secret and led to our downfall. The aftermath of the incident was difficult to navigate. Our parents were understandably upset, and we faced the wrath of our actions. We were grounded, and our privileges were taken away. It was a tough time for all of us, but it was also a valuable learning experience.
Three of us didn't receive our weekly allowance until our parents were done fixing up the place. They also had to pay for Hanatu’s curtains because they were destroyed by the fire. Our parents also returned her rent to enable her to find another apartment.
As I reflect on that incident, I understand that our actions were misguided. We were trying to protect our mother, but we went about it the wrong way. Burning someone's room was not only destructive but also reckless. We were lucky that no one was hurt, but the consequences could have been devastating.
Also, I imagine if Hanatu had decided to sue. We would probably have been sent to correction and our parents would have to pay a huge sum of money. Or even worse consequences.
We were made to apologize to Hanatu and our apology was really genuine. She also apologized to our parents and claimed she didn't realize that her actions were that bad until then.
In the end, that experience taught me valuable lessons about responsibility, discretion and the importance of thinking before acting. While it was a difficult time, it has helped shape me into the person I am today. I'm grateful for the lesson learned and the opportunity to reflect on that experience.