Immediately he got to me, his face lit up in a broad smile. I was momentarily stunned. Ever since this drama started, I don’t think my dad has ever smiled. He placed his hands on my shoulders and I was forced to look up into his eyes.
“My sweet daughter, you have no idea how much I am proud of you” he breathed out. What? I blinked. This is definitely something you don’t see every day! If not for the fact that I could not perceive the smell of beer, I could have sworn that my dad was drunk. “Oh my dear, I know that I have been hard on you since this started, but it is for a good cause”. He continued, completely rubbing me of my power of speech. “You know, I am so lucky that I have a daughter who uses her head properly. Now, stop beating yourself over this pregnancy issue, it is a gift from the most high. It is definitely the key to our breakthrough. Look my girl, you are rich” he declared. “Very rich! You always wanted to lift the poverty in our family, now; God has just answered your prayers. Unknowingly, you have taken our family out of the gutter and you have placed us right inside the palace.”
“What are you saying papa?” I croaked out.
He put his arms around my shoulders as he propelled me towards the exit. “Amara, you are a wise girl, I am sure you understand me perfectly. Now, what you have to do next is to make full use of this opportunity that landed on your laps on a platter of gold. You think Alex is so mean and wicked? He might be. But it is just a matter of time. It just takes a beautiful woman with enough sense like you to bend him. We men, we pretend to be strong and invincible, but trust me, all women came through Eve, and inherited her cunning talents. Make use of it my daughter and you would be able to totally change the fortune of our family. All the dreams you have of being a doctor, can still be achieved. Think about it my girl.” He gave me a bright smile. I just could not believe all I was hearing. Vaguely, I saw the car that was waiting for me. “Now go my daughter, your husband is waiting in your new house. Be a good girl. He kissed my pale cheeks and led me to the waiting car. I walked like a remote control robot, still not believing that everything I just heard came from my own father. My mum met us, dabbing at her eyes. I didn’t know what to feel. Was she also aware of dad’s tactics? It was too much to take in.
I slid onto the soft leather in the car and closed the door. The person who seemed to be a driver, started the car. I stared at my parents in disbelief as the car sped off. They vanished from my sight and I was left with the words of my father. I felt as though I did not know my parents again but measuring everything, this seemed like the smallest of my problems as I looked forward to the next phase of my life.