"Thank you," I said, and he left

[AbuHossam]

I turned and left also. As I drove home, tears was pouring down from my eyes.

I didn't know what to do. My phone was ringing ceaseless but I didn't as much as glance at it. I knew who was calling me. How can I forgive her of this? How? I can easily forgive her, but what of all the life that was lost? What if I had dīed from all those gūn shots? What if she didn't say the truth today?

We would've kīlled ourselves for nothing.

My phone rang again, and I switched it off.

When I reached my house, I didn't come down from the car. I just threw my head backward, and slept.

When I woke up, I went inside and slept again.

The following day, Ambrose came to my house, but I didn't open the door for her. She stood outside for hours, cryīng. But even due I really wanted to open it and hug her, I didn't.

She continued to come to my house for two weeks, standing under the sweltering sun for hours, but I never opened the door.

One day, I was sitting on the couch when I heard a knock. I looked at my phone, and it was 11:24 a.m.

I stood up and went to the door. I opened it to see Ambrose, my father(Kop), and Vector.

I hūgged my father. I had been visiting him in the hospital, but I didn't go yesterday because Ambrose stayed in my compound from morning till night.

I held his hand and conducted him to the couch. I didn't say anything to Ambrose or Vector.

We sat in silence for about ten minutes before I said, suddenly, "Dad," it sounded somehow, "did you chēat on my mom?"

He didn't say anything, so I repeated, "I mean, the reason my mom left you, as I heard, was because you married another woman who was already pregnant for you. So I just want to know what happened."

"What happened was that I loved your mother. What happened was that we lived for years without having any child of our own. As you must have found out, I'm an affluent man. I have money, and I couldn't stay to have my heir vacant."

"So you went and imprēgnated another woman?" I asked.

"Yes. And that was why your mother left. But I didn't know that she was already prēgnant. When she left, I tried to persuade her to come back, but couldn't, and I tried more when I found out that she was prēgnant. When you were born, I came to pay the hospital bill, but she refused. From that hospital, I never met her physically again. I only saw her picture, yes, even yours."

"Then why didn't you tell me that you were my father when we met?"

"I was afrāid, Kenechi. I didn't know what to do. I was afrāid that you might stay away from me. I was afrāid that you will treat me just like your mother. I was afrāid. I'm sōrry." He started to cry. That was my first type of seeing him cry. I didn't know what to do. The man who had protected me from many hārms.

He didn't even need to ask me for forgiveness, he'd earned it genuinely.

"There is nothing to be sorry about," I said. "I might have behaved the same way if it was me. So you owe me nothing, except," I looked at him, "except my men's uniform."

He laughed, and looked at Vector.

"I have forgiven him for a reason. I have long longed for someone whom I will call my brother," I said looking at Vector.

I hūgged him, and said, "We might not be that good for know. You will have to give me a little time, please."

He nodded.

It was then that Ambrose knelt down, and I started to cry. She was also cryīng. I didn't even know why I was cryīng. Why should I cry? How? I was even āngry with myself for such behaviour. They all bēgged me to forgive her. I didn't know what to do. I turned and looked at the ********

I had already forgiven her, but I had decided to breakūp with her tonight. I had already made up my mind about it.

After some minutes, I turned to her, and said, "I'm hungry."

She stood up and hugged me, and I kīssed her. "Just know that you will have to redeem yourself," I said, and she nodded.

"Today is my birthday," My father said, and I looked at him, and remembered.

"I'm sorry I forgot. Happy birthday dad." I hūgged him.

"Just prepare we are going to celebrate it at my house. This will be the first time you will see your father's house." He smiled.

I went inside my room with Ambrose and prepared quickly. We came out, and we left.

Inside the car, we laughed, and smiled and talked. We talked about Vector's achievements. How his company was doing well. We talked about Ambrose. Vector asked me if I would marry Ambrose soon, and I looked at Ambrose, and said that I doesn't know. My father said that we both should marry soon so that he would carry his grandchildren. I said to him, Dad you're greēdy. You don't want a child, but grandchildren. And we laughed.*

It was then that Ambrose used her left hand to cover her mouth, and used her right hand to slap me on my shoulder, pointing at the driver. At first I didn't know what to do, but when I saw his expression, when I saw how she was trying to open the door, I told the driver to stop.

She opened the door, raced to the side of the road, and started to vōmit. I stood behind her, and soon my father and Vector were behind us.

"What is wrong," my father asked her.

"I don't know," she said, and vōmited again.

I tapped her back lightly occasionally. When she got herself, we drove straight to the hospital.

We stayed more than two hours in the hospital before we went to my father's house.

The house was one of the most beautiful house I had ever seen with wings in the name of railings.

And it was on that railing that I was leaning on, wearing my caramel-colored suit, when my father came to me and said, "I hope you know that she won't give birth to my first grandchild out of wedlock?"

I nodded.

"Yes." I looked at him. " Dad, I know."

by: Eze Kenechi