TOMORROW HAS COME TODAY

Nelson grew up in an average neighbourhood. Perhaps, poor should be the describing word considering that majority of the people there lived below the minimum wage.

Source

He did not get to enjoy anything fancy. Having a roof over his head, going to a fairly good school as his parents could afford, having clothes on his back and never going hungry was fair enough. While his mates from rich homes had Playstation, he and his friends constructed goalposts with papers, using bottle caps as players, match boxes as goalkeepers and chewed bubble gum as football.

While his mates visited cinemas, he got cassettes to play on the DVD, in place.
Most often, he and his friends had to peep through a neighbour's window to see a movie.
Ir was the life he had.

Good for them(him and his siblings), they gave their parents just the one expectation they had for them, which was to go to school, study hard and top their classes.

For every mew term they resumed classes, his parents would pray for them and make promises to them. Promises like that; they would take them to Mr Biggs(which was a popular, big restaurant) or they would go to the zoo or they'll get bicycle and/or car gifts if they maintained the position high up there on the leaderboard.

When Nelson was in primary class four and his younger brother in class two, by resumption for third term, their parents had again made some promises. Meanehile at school, most of his classmates had shared exciting tales of the nice places and things that they had done. Him, he had nothing new nor equally thrilling as them.

Out of despair, he talked to his brother about all the many unfulfilled promises and they both decided that he would randomly ask my mother about it.

"Mummy, you said that you will carry us to Mr Biggs if we came first in class but you have not," his brother, Jimmy, had voiced while they were helping out their mum in the kitchen.

"It's true. I forgot," their mother replied without looking up from the pot she was stirring.

"So when will you take us there?" Jimmy pushed.

This time, she looked up and in their direction. She put down the cooking spoon, tugged at Jimmy's cheek and said, "very soon. Very very soon. I'll surprise you."

Two weeks passed and then a month, but not one day did their mother order them to get prepared so they could go out. Every weekend, they put on their best behavior, hoping that their parents would get the sign. When they didn't, they asked them again but they always managed to evade the question.

That evening when Nelson was seeing a football game with his dad, he said, "Daddy, do you know that a game hub has been launched just beside Mr Biggs?

"Game hub? I did not know. Who told you?" his father asked with disinterest.

"It was my friend, Joel. He said his mother took him there last weekend," After a short pause, he asked, "Which day will you take us there?. You and mummy have been promising to do so for a long time but you never keep to it."

"Tomorrow. We'll go there tomorrow," his dad had said dismissively.

Nelson jumped for joy and rushed out to share the news with his brother.

By 4pm the next day, which was a Friday, their father had not returned from work and they were worried. They had already laid out their wears for going out. When eventually he got back and they queried him, he promised that the following day, he would take them.

The same occurrence repeated the next day, Saturday, and the day after that.
Sunday evening, the boys were grumbling.
"What's the matter with you both?" their mother, noticing their moodiness asked.

"Nothing," said Nelson.

"Talk to me this minute. What is it?" she ordered.

"Is it not you and Daddy. You keep promising to take us out but you never do," Jimmy said tearfully.

"You both are always saying, 'tomorrow, ' 'tomorrow, ' when will the tomorrow come?
Will tomorrow ever even come?" Nelson added.

Their mum just watched in astonishment as her boys expressed themselves. She kept from laughing at their forwardness.
"Okay. Okay. Final promise, we'll go there soon. Very soon."

"Again!!??? Another very soon?" Nelson murmured.

Their father who was listening to the conversation from the bedroom let out a loud laugh, "don't worry, this time, it will be for real. We promise."

The boys grumbled and left to play with their friends.

Saturday evening, their father came into the room where t,he boys were arranging their lockers and said, "get ready guys, we're all going out."

They stopped in the tracks and looked up at him. Jimmy aaked at once, "For real?"

"For real. " their father said smiling.

Nelson rushed to meet his mother who was on her phone to confirm what he had been told."Your father is correct. We're fulfilling our promise, it's long overdue."

"I can't believe it, tomorrow has finally come today!" Nelson screamed for joy.

Thanks for stopping by.
SOMA🖤