THE HOUSE THAT FORGOT HOW TO LAUGH

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 There was no love missing in our house, because there was no love left to miss.That was our secret. We were not sad. Sad would have been easier.In House 24, 2nd Street, Germiston - the Molefes were perfect.6:00 AM - Alarm.

6:15 AM - Mom in the kitchen. The sound of the spoon against the pot. Same pot. Same porridge. Every day for 7 years.

6:30 AM - Dad at the table. Phone brightness on his face. He nods at Mom. Mom nods back. That's their good morning.

6:45 AM - Me and Junior. We eat with the TV on mute. Mom says TV at breakfast rots your brain, so we watch the pictures move with no sound.No one shouts. No one throws plates. Our neighbors who scream at each other at night - they have more life than us.We just... live. We pay. We eat. We sleep. We repeat.Then Mrs. Khumalo gave us the project."Grade 4s, for Life Skills this week: Record 10 moments your family laughed together."I took my pink notebook home like it was gold.DAY 1 - Monday

I wrote the date and waited. Dinner. Dad ate. Mom asked about school fees. Junior said his shoes are tight. No one laughed. I wrote: Nothing yet.DAY 2 - Tuesday

I tried to help. I told the joke from school.

"Why did the chicken cross the road?"

Mom said, "Amara, finish your food before it gets cold."

Dad said, "Hmm?"

Junior laughed, but Mom gave him that look. They don't play with food look. He stopped.I wrote: Nothing yet.DAY 3 - Wednesday

I started to understand. Our house doesn't know how to laugh anymore. The walls forgot the sound.I was angry. So I decided to break the house.DAY 4 - Thursday - The Operation First, I hid Dad's car keys in the sugar container.Dad was late. He searched. "Where are my keys? Has anyone seen my keys?"

Mom was annoyed. "Joseph, you always lose things."

"I don't lose things! Someone moved them!"For a second - for ONE second - they were talking TO each other, not PAST each other. Their voices were higher. Alive.Mom found them in the sugar. She stared at me. I stared at the floor.She didn't laugh. She said, "Amara, don't play silly games. We don't have time."My plan failed.After school, I tried plan B. I put salt in the sugar.Mom made Dad's tea. Dad took a sip and spat it out. "Agnes! What is this?"Mom tasted it. "It's salt! Amara! Did you -"I thought she would shout. I WANTED her to shout. Shouting is at least feeling something.But she just sighed that heavy, flat sigh that says I am too tired to feel. "Go to your room."In my room, Junior came in. He whispered, "Why are you trying to make them angry?"I said, "Because angry is better than nothing. We are like robots, Junior. When last did Mom and Dad hug? When last did you hear Dad laugh loud?"Junior thought. He couldn't remember. He is 12. He should remember.DAY 5 - Friday - The TestI had a maths test. I knew all the answers. But on purpose, I wrote wrong answers. I got 3 out of 20.I took it home. I thought: Now they will have to sit together. Now they will have to BE parents together. Worry together. Maybe that worry will bring them close.Mom saw the paper. Her face dropped."Amara! 3 out of 20! What happened?"Dad came to look. For the first time in months, their shoulders touched. Both looking at my paper.Dad said, "We need to help her."Mom said, "We have no time, you are always at work, I am always -"And then Dad said something I haven't heard in years."We. We will make time."That night, they both sat with me at the small table. Mom on the left, Dad on the right. Junior peeking from the door.Dad was trying to explain fractions. He is terrible at explaining. He said, "If I have one apple and I eat half -"Mom interrupted, "Joseph, you never eat apples. Use beer as an example, you understand beer."We all froze.Then Junior giggled. A small snort.Then Mom covered her mouth. Her shoulders started shaking.Then Dad laughed. LOUD. That big, ugly laugh he used to do when Chiefs scored.And I laughed. We all laughed. Over fractions and beer and my failed test.I opened my pink notebook and wrote, with tears in my eyes:1. Mom said Dad understands beer better than apples. We laughed. 7:34 PM. Kitchen. We all laughed together.It was only one moment. Not ten. But it was a start.That night I heard something through the wall. Mom and Dad were still talking in the kitchen. Not about school fees. Not about bread. They were talking. Low voices. And then... I heard Mom laugh again.Our house is still flat. Our mornings are still quiet porridge and phones. We are not fixed.But now we know: we didn't stop loving each other. We just stopped making time to show it. Love is not a feeling that stays by itself. It's a fire you have to light every day.And yesterday, we finally found the matches.

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