Daddy’s girl

I’m a daddy’s girl and I have absolutely no apologies! However, I noticed I hadn’t been spending as much time with my dad ever since the whole embarrassing fiasco of calling off the wedding. I was intentionally avoiding him, filling up my time with cooking classes and fashion designing classes. Now that I was done with both, I had a huge void in my heart and like all the other times I had felt like this, I knew my dad was the one person who could talk me off the ledge.

That evening, after he had dinner and retired to his study for a glass of brandy and some reading (which was his daily ritual) I went to join him. When I walked in, he looked at me from underneath his reading glasses and said;

“Hmmmm Princess Adesewa to what do I owe this honour”?
I smiled shyly and sat on the couch opposite him. He patted the space right beside him and so I got up and moved over to sit beside him.
‘”I’m listening” He said setting down the book he had been reading on the coffee table beside him.
“Dad, I just came to check on you”. I said.

He laughed heartily and then said;
“Remember that Christmas your brothers took one of the cars to a party and scratched it and then got it sprayed before I got back, and I called you to ask what happened to the car; since they had sworn you to secrecy, you started crying instead of talking because you could not lie to me”? I laughed…I remembered that Christmas vividly! I was about twelve at the time and my brothers had labelled me a snitch because even though I hadn’t said a word, my tears had given them away.
“So have you somehow developed the ability to lie to your old man”? He asked.
I shook my head.

“Good. Then tell me what’s going on with you”. He said softly.
I took a deep breath and began to cry.
“I’m sorry for embarrassing you Dad. I didn’t mean to do that. I just found myself back home after five years and nothing had changed. Everyone just wanted me to marry Tunji no one was concerned about my career, my personal growth…I was not a finance expert to anyone, I was just Tunji’s bride to be and your only daughter! And then I met someone who didn’t care about all that, someone who seemed interested in my hobbies and who enjoyed spending time with me without discussing my wedding or your numerous accomplishments and it seemed new and different so I got carried away. I know it’s not an excuse but Dad, did you really spend all this time and money educating me just so I could be a good wife to Tunji? I just feel like I’m a disappointment to you and mum….”
He cut me off at that point and handed me his handkerchief to clean my tears.

“Don’t do that Adesewa! Don’t talk down on yourself! Do you think that is all there is to you? Being Tunji’s woman and my daughter? Maybe I don’t do it to your face but I brag about you everywhere I go. I tell people about my smart, intelligent, determined daughter who has excelled in everything she has ever done. I apologise for blowing everything out of proportion with the wedding and all, but you know how I feel about Tunji. He is like a son to me and I act as his mentor in business, the joy I felt in my heart that you two wanted to build a future together could not be easily contained and I admit maybe I became a little obsessed by the idea, but it doesn’t mean I don’t care about the other areas of your life. Like how you have started cooking……”
He tickled me at this point and I started laughing.

“They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”. I said in between giggles.
“Well you always have my heart whether you can cook or not”. He said.
“I know that Daddy! It’s not your heart that I am vying for”. I said shyly.
“I was with Tunji on the golf course this morning, he told me about how you are seriously messing with his head….well done Princess”! He said beaming at me proudly.

“Daddy”! I exclaimed in shock.
“You want him back so we have to get him back. Don’t worry you have me on the inside, we can get him back”. He said winking at me mischievously.
“I’m just a bit worried about his mother….” I was saying when my dad cut me off.
“Leave her to me”. He said.