That evening, Maddox and his mother, Miranda, reached home completely drenched due to the sudden rain which started pouring when they were only a few meters away from their house.

"This weather is so unpredictable!" Miranda complained as they hurried to their gateway. "Who would believe that it would pour when a few minutes before the sun was shining so bright?"

Maddox tilted his head upward towards the sky, the raindrops splashing all over his face.

"This weather is just like life," he paused. "Unpredictable."

Maddox's words left Miranda perplexed. Her six-year old son had a precocious level of maturity and although his words made her laugh at times, they also saddened her deep inside. Maddox grew out of his childhood too soon.

Maddox and Miranda would not get drenched if they could open the front door right away, but, Miranda could not find the key and for a moment she thought it was lost. It took her a few more minutes to find it beneath her jacket stuffed in her backpack. By that time, both mother and son were soaked to the skin.

They entered the house, greeted by darkness and the musky scent of old wood. The door creaked as Miranda closed it behind her. It seemed like Maddox's father was not yet home.

Mr. Howard was often absent from home and would usually come back past midnight. Whenever Maddox would ask about his dad's frequent absence from home, Miranda would explain that Evan, her husband, worked hard to feed his small family, that he could not manage with a single job, so, he was a street hawker by the day and a cab driver at night. Well, an unlicensed one. Something which is quite common in Mauritius - the 'taxi marron'.

"Mum, I'm feeling cold," said Maddox, his chin shivering slightly.

"Go and change your clothes quickly, honey. I don't want you with a running nose."

Maddox ran to his bedroom and was back within a few minutes. He walked through the kitchen door in some comfy pyjamas which looked oversized.

"You took her pyjamas again, honey?" Miranda sighed and handed a glass of hot milk to Maddox. They both just sat down, sipping their hot drinks when an awkwardly loud noise made both of them jump from their seats and run towards the front door. They stopped as they saw Mr. Howard on the floor, his face red with anger.

"Why is the floor wet?" He shouted, throwing a resentful look towards Miranda.

Maddox suddenly remembered that he walked around the house with his wet clothes and shoes making puddles of water on the floor and he forgot to wipe them off.

"I'm sorry dad, it's my fault," he apologised in a frightened tone.

"It's always you people's fault here! And it's always me who bear the consequences!" the furious man retorted as he attempted to stand up ignoring Miranda who was trying to help him.

Why is he always so angry at us? Maddox thought. And why does he always ignore mum?

"Your dad is just tired, honey," coaxed Miranda who seemed to have read the little boy's thoughts. "He will be fine, don't worry."

Maddox's mother has always been such an affectionate lady, just like his old best friend. She would always try to smile even if she was hurt deep inside. She would always try not to let Maddox notice her grief. But he never failed to see the pain she was trying to hide behind her smile.

"Come on, drink your milk before it gets cold," said Miranda as they walked back to the kitchen.

Maddox gulped down the milk and went to his room while a tired Miranda spent some lengthy minutes cleaning the floor.

Lying down in his bed, Maddox was staring at the ceiling. That was what he has been doing for a couple of weeks when he was alone in his room trying to find some sleep. Maddox used to fall asleep as soon as his cheeks met his pillow. However, that was mere history. For the past month, falling asleep became a hard task for him each night. His 'good night' sleep seemed to have left along with his old bestie.

"Oops," he gasped as a drop of water hit his forehead. The roof was leaking. "I wonder when we will have a better house," he said to himself, shifting to the left side of his bed in the hope that he will be spared from another droplet of rain.

At that moment, he heard voices coming from his parents' bedroom. His father was yelling at his mother but he could not make out what they were fighting about.

"I guess they are still arguing over my mistake. It's all because of me," he mumbled sadly, not knowing that there was another reason behind their fight. A big one.