Nani’s’ thin, nasal voice could be heard calling out for us to come down as we were expecting visitors!

Of course, Ayesha and I practically flew downstairs as this was not at all acceptable. But when we arrived, Nani was sitting at the computer playing with the controls and watching what looked like footage from the CCTV camera.

She patted the chairs next to her and asked us to sit. “Sophia, I found something interesting on the CCTV footage and I think that you are the one to explain this to me.”, she said accusingly.

I guessed then that she had been running through the CCTV footage, one of her favourite pastimes! And she had caught Nana in the act of trying to escape over the wall and my helping him to cover it all up. Busted!

“Last week you girls were saying “we are all in this together” on that tok-tok app but you hide this from me!” “What is he holding over your head to make you keep quiet?” Nani was on a roll today.

Ayesha was giving me the “you didn’t tell about this look” which only made me laugh as she reminded me of Dad when we were little, and he looked down at us disapproving of whatever mischief we were getting up too.

“Well, what did you guys expect me to do? Leave him up there to have a heart attack?”, I asked trying hard not to laugh as I relived the scene in my mind. How did I explain to them the scenario that I was confronted with when I went into the garden – my 80-year-old grandad, trying to escape to visit his friends.

Nana walked in just then and from the disapproving look that Nani sent his way, he knew he had been caught. But the old man was a clever one, and he has ready to fight.

“What you looking at me like that for? You all made me sneak out because you treat me like a child, I act like one.”, he said belligerently. Then looking over at Nani he says, “Didn’t you take away my keys and hide it? I know it was you because I left them with my cellaphone by the bed!”, he accused.

Mum who had been listening to the going on from the staircase tried to explain to him that he had put himself in danger by trying to climb up a high-security wall at his age. “Do you even realise that there is an electric pulse that runs across the wall! You could have been electrocuted. Only Allah knows what the consequences of that would have been.”, she said angrily.

Now Mum was having none of this as she had already had another escapee to deal with this morning. Yes, Daadi had escaped after pretending to take the garbage out. My mother has much patience but with the elders behaving like teens, she was certainly losing it, fast.

Mum immediately called a family meeting and she let rip. “I love you all very much and I’m honoured to have you live with me and allow me to gain the ajaar of caring for you but I will not allow you to do irresponsible things that put everyone and the cat at risk!”

Then she threw the curveball! Sophia and Ayesha, you are now in charge of teaching this merry bunch of wannabe escape artists how to use WhatsApp, so they could video call their friends and remain safe. I will speak to the other families to do the same with their lot.

Ayesha was looking out the window, probably thinking of her plan to escape! What had my mother done? Was this punishment for helping Nana?

I guess each one of us has our own struggles in life and this is mine.