In a small room that is barely furnished, a little girl is lying on the floor with her belly to the ground and her legs raised upwards, swinging back and forth in the air.
There are coloured pencils and books scattered all over the floor and she doesn't mind the mess because she is busy working on something else. Laying in front of her, is a wide open sketching pad where she has doodled several drawings and coloured them.
She picks up one of the pencils and starts colouring another sketch. But all of a sudden, she hears the sound of footsteps coming towards her room. She stops what she's doing and gets up to check who the person is.
Immediately she raises the curtain hanging down the doorway, a man appears. It's her dad.
She smiles docilely and greets him.
Her dad touches her cheek but darts his eyes across the room. "What are you doing and why is your room this untidy, Mimi?" He asks her as he walks into the room.
"I've been working, daddy. I'll clean it up when I'm done" .
She goes over to pick up the items she spread haphazardly on the floor.
Her dad just keeps looking all over the room like it's the first time he's been in here. He sits on Mimi's mini mattress that is laid next to the window. He has plans to make her room a bit more attractive but it doesn't have much space for an interior decor. Besides, Mimi messes up her room all the time so it will rather be otiose to give her room a charming look.
Mimi has picked up all the coloured pencils and she's struggling to bundle them all up.
Her dad sees the sketches she did in that open book. He narrows his eyes at the sight of the book and pointing at it, he says "Bring me that book, Mimi ". Mimi did as he asked, immediately.
He flips open the book, page by page, staring carefully at the little drawings Mimi did in the book. Meanwhile, Mimi watches him with her wide brown eyes and a bright beam on her face. She surely is expecting a compliment from her dad whose face is completely expressionless. He says nothing. He keeps looking at the book like he's sorting out some kind of mystery in it.
He finally closes the book and looked up at Mimi. "Have you done all your school assignments?" He asks Mimi.
Mimi's wide smile slowly dissappears from her face. She knows what is going to happen next . She starts fidgeting with the hem of her dress. She says nothing. Her dad knows instantly that the answer is a 'no'. He is now provoked and he asks the question again but this time, with a harsh tone "I asked you a question, Mimi. Are you done with all your assignments?"
"N n n no I... I... haven't " Mimi stammers in a low voice as she gulps down saliva.
"How long have you been playing with this?" He waves the book at her.
"Just before you came in, daddy" she looks nervously at the book.
He tosses the book to the ground and steps forward . Before Mimi knows it, he gives her a resounding smack on her face. She falls to the ground and burst out a piercing outcry.
Mimi's scream attracts her mom from the kitchen. As she rush into the room, she sees Mimi's dad raising his wide open palm ready to give Mimi another slap. She came just in time to stop him.
"Honey please stop!" She pleads. Mimi's dad pauses his hand mid-air and turns to look at his wife whose palms are together, pleading for mercy.
"Whatever thing she did, please don't hit her again " .
He drops his hand and shoots her a fiercly look "what did I just hear you say? Leave her alone? Mimi has an upcoming exam in not less than two weeks. Yet she doesn't even care about it. Tomorrow is Monday and she has touched not even one of her numerous assignments. Instead she sits in her messed up room scribbling rubbish in a sketchbook. How can you be in support of Mimi's unseriousness with her studies?"
"Honey I'm not in support of that. I'm just saying you should calm down and handle this in a gentler way without hitting her... please" she says as she holds his hand softly .
Mimi is still on the ground, sobbing and holding her left cheek with one palm on the other.
Mimi's dad slips his hand out of his wife's loose grip. His wife tries to hold him again but he pushes her with his elbow. She staggers backwards but lucky enough to regain her balance by holding the writing desk behind her. She watches him to see what he is going to do next.
Mimi's dad walks to where Mimi is sitting and Mimi shifts backwards in fear.
He ignores Mimi and collects the bundle of coloured pencils that is by her side. He picks up the sketch pad too.
"You are not going to see these things again " He says to Mimi. "And let this be the last time you'll ever make a drawing of anything that is not school-related in this house. This is the last warning!" .
With that, he storms out of the room and closes the door with a loud bang. Mimi's mom follows from behind but she glances back at Mimi before leaving her alone in the room.
******
Mimi is left alone in the room, her cheeks still stinging from the smack her dad gave her. She wipes away her tears and takes a deep breath, trying to compose herself. She knows she should start her assignments, but her enthusiasm and motivation have been crushed by her father's harsh words and actions.
Feeling defeated, Mimi slowly gets up from the floor and goes to desk. She tries to focus on her assignments, but the image of her dad throwing away her sketchbook and coloured pencils haunts her. She wonders if she will ever be able to draw again without fear of reprisal.
Hours pass, and Mimi's mom comes back into the room. She can see the devastation on her daughter's face and she sits down next to her. "I'm sorry Mimi", she whispers, tears welling up in her eyes. "Your dad is just worried about your future, but I know he went too far. You are still allowed to pursue your passions. We just need to find a balance."
Mimi looks up at her mom, hope flickering in her eyes. "Really?"
Her mom nods and gently touches Mimi's cheek.
"Yes sweetie. We'll talk to your dad and explain how important it is to have a creative outlet. But you also need to show him that you are serious about your studies. Can you promise that?"
Mimi nods, determination growing within her. She realises that she can't let her father's words define her. She will prove to him that she can excel academically while pursuing her passion for art.
From that day forward, Mimi works hard on her assignments and studies diligently. But she also sets aside time everyday to draw and create. Her parents supports her, understanding the importance of nurturing her creativity.
As time goes on, Mimi's dedication and talent do not go unnoticed. Her teachers and classmates marvel at her artwork and she receives opportunities to showcase her creations outside of school. Mimi's dad starts to see the value of her artistic pursuits and becomes more supportive, realising that her passion for art does not hinder her academic success but rather enhances it.
Mimi learns to find balance in her life, excelling in her studies while expressing herself through her art. Her room slowly transforms into a space that reflects her creativity, with a dedicated area for sketching and a shelf full of art supplies. And most importantly, Mimi never loses sight of her dreams, cherishing her artistic abilities and using them to make a positive impact on the world.