"I'll be with everyone here!" She said as she turned her head back to look at her other brothers, who either turned their head or lowered it.
Turning back to look forward, her eyes met her Father's.
His eyes...
His eyes had some deep meaning in them as he stared back at her.
He seemed not to be looking at her but was deep on thoughts again as his eyes glistened.
Taking his palm to his face, he wiped the tears that had gathered in his eyes as he stood up to leave.
As Temi watched him go, she couldn't help but sigh as she gently shook her head.
She had originally come here to be alone with her Father and had met her Mother with him.
She had been successful in luring her Mother away, now her brothers had come with their troubles too.
Can't she have some moments of peace alone with her Father?
At least, she also had to clarify her brother's doubts.
"But my question is, would you be free sometimes?" Little Bryan asked curiously.
Temi frowned.
"Of course I'd be free sometimes, to also come and visit you even...!" Temi said.
"Yeah, I know, but, you know, you're in the University now, and, you'd have lots of work to do...!" Little Bryan said.
"Would you even have time to call us too?" Little Bryan asked.
His question had his sister bursting out into an uncontrollable laughter as she held onto her head.
"What's funny here?" Little Bryan asked as he looked at his brothers also, who were roaring with laughter everywhere.
"I'm not being funny here, I'm being serious as this is a serious matter, were dealing with right now!" Little Bryan scolded.
"Of course I'd bee free sometimes!" Temi answered after she she had finished laughing as she was surprised at what her little brother had just asked.
"Why are you scared?" She asked.
"There's nothing to be afraid of!" She added.
Readjusting herself in her seat properly with her brother still on her lap, she said;
"It's not like you're not going to see me forever, I'm just leaving temporarily!" She said.
"Just...think of it as a vacation!" She said.
"A long one...!" She added.
"An 'extremely' long one!" Lucas added, with a stress on the 'extremely'.
"An 'extremely' long vacation without me?" Little Bryan asked.
"Oh God!" Lucas grunted.
Troy looked at him and laughed.
Bryan ignored his brothers as he looked at his sister with expectant eyes, waiting patiently for his answer.
Temi on the other hand felt really uncomfortable.
She knew how her little brother loved the holidays, especially when they were long vacations so that he could spend more time alone with his sister.
But then, she realized something...
How couldn't she have thought of that...?
She shouldn't have used the word; 'Vacation...!'
The words spelt themselves in her head as she sank in her seat.
"Aunt Temi?" Bryan called gently when he noticed his sister was no more in this dimension.
"Hm?" She replied.
"You haven't answered my question yet!" Bryan said.
Temi sighed.
"You know Bryan...!" She said.
"I...I am just going to further my education, so that I can further yours also, when the time comes!" She said firmly.
"And, know this...!" She said.
Holding firmly to her brother's face, she said.
"No matter where I am in this world, I'll never forget you!" She said sharply.
"I'll never forget Mum...I'll never forget Dad, and I'll never forget Lucas and Troy!"
"I'll never forget my roots, and where I came from!"
"We're talking 'bout family, what brought 'bout roots into this matter now?!" Troy couldn't help but tease.
"Roots are what link you to your family in case you don't know!"
"And in case you haven't heard of it...you're hearing it now!"
"So our roots are also out family? Is that what you're saying...?"
"Or tryna say...?" Lucas added at the end.
The boy's couldn't help but grin mischievously.
Temi ignored both of them.
Turning to her brother on her laps, she said;
"And everyday, I'll always call home...!" As she said this, her voice became choked.
"Call you, call Mum, call Dad...call the boys, even though they're annoying...!" She said.
"We're all boys...!" Troy cut in as he kept on teasing.
"Send you all gifts, pictures of myself, my new school, and also of the new city where I reside!"
Temi promised as she started to tear up. Looking away, she wiped away the tears away from her eyes
"And I don't know how things are over there, but...however it is, I'll always find some time to come see you guys!" She had made a promise.
"If I were given a three day break, I'll fly back here and spend it all with you, and then on the third day, I'd fly back." She said.
"If it were two days, that very day, I'm packing my stuff and I'm flying over here...!" She said.
"That's how it's gonna be, just, keep me in your prayers!" Temi cried as she wiped away the tears from hers and her brother's.
Seeing his sister make that painful promise, he couldn't help but bury his head in his sister's chest as he cried also.
He knew it wouldn't be easy.
"I know that you would always be with me, I'll also be with you too!" Bryan said.
"I just hope that you won't forget us someday and turn around!" Little Bryan said.
Temi that had her eyes closed now popped them open.
What did he just say? She asked herself.
Slowly pulling away from Bryan's hug, she looked at him straight in the eye as he also stared back at her.
"Bryan, wh...wh...what...what did you just say?" She couldn't help stuttering as she asked.
Bryan took Temi to be his sister for which she actually was.
He also took her to be more than a sister...
He took her to be his best friend...
His one and only best friend...
Other than his brothers, his sister and Mother were his only female best friends that he could share everything with...
So having this acknowledgement, Bryan didn't hesitate in repeating what he had just said, unaware of the impact it had on the person he was talking to.
"Well, Mummy and Daddy were discussing in their room one night and I had gotten up that time to use the loo when I overheard them talking 'bout you, so I decided to eavesdrop a little...!"
"Bryan...!" Lucas yelled.
"What is it?" Troy that had gone upstairs now returned downstairs.
Hearing his brother yelling out their little brother's name, he couldn't help inquiring.
Turning to look at his brother, Lucas told him what Bryan had said.
Hearing the whole story, Troy couldn't help but become a little angry as he tried to hide his sadness.
"Bryan, you know Mum and Dad told us to keep our lips sealed!"
Troy said, adding more petrol to the fire as Temi turned her head sharply to look at the both of them.
Lucas didn't know when he used his hand to hit his forehead, but he sure did feel the pain of it.
Studying them for a while, Temi asked;
"You both know of this?" She asked as she looked at her two (2) brothers.
It took Troy some time to reply, but he eventually did so by nodding his head slowly.
Temi was quiet.
"What 'bout you Lucas?" Temi asked as she pointed her chin at Lucas, who, stood there like a statue with his lips tightly pursed.
His plan had been to stand there and be ignored of his existence...
But now that his sister had turned her attention at him, with his two (2) brothers staring at him, and also feeling some kind of presence behind him, he couldn't help but began to sweat profusely as he looked away..
He hated it when the gazes and attention were all on him.
It made him nervous and as if he would poop in his pants.
He also began to shake.
Seeing this expression, Temi already knew the answer, but she still turned her head and attention to Troy as she asked;
"Does he know too?"
Troy shrugged.
"He knows, he doesn't know, only 'he' knows!" Troy responded.
Temi slowly turned back her attention to Lucas, and was about to question him a second time, before bursting out;
"We're all aware!" Lucas exclaimed with his hands up in the air as he raised his head up to look at his sister.
Temi was silent.
"We, are, all aware...!" Lucas said again with his whole body shaking.
"We all knew, long before you did...!" Lucas said.
"We all had a family meeting...and Mum and Dad explained things to us...and we were told not to tell you...!" Lucas blabbered.
"If it hadn't been for Mum, you may not make the trip to college today as you would have been told to wait till next year, so that you'd be monitored closely...!" Lucas' mouth now had no control as it said what shouldn't have been said.
"Lucas...!" Troy called as he elbowed him right in the stomach.
Lucas looked up at his brother as he held onto his stomach.
Gulping, he knew he had said beyond his tongue...
Temi was in a daze...
What were her parents trying to do? She thought.
Was the dream so real that they had to share it so much with the boys and keep them away from her or what?
And wait...
'Stop me from going to college...?' Temi asked herself as she thought.
What for?
She couldn't understand.
Seeing that their big sister was silent, they knew that they were also in big trouble.
"Aunt Temi...?" Bryan called to his older sister as he nudged her.
"Are you okay?" He asked, but he didn't get an answer, that was when he began to shiver.
If his big sister didn't give you a reply, the boundary had been crossed.
"Auntie?" Lucas called.
He knew that they had crossed the line, so he couldn't help but shiver.
"Big Sis?" Troy called.
Temi that hadn't answered any of the little one's calls, slowly turned her eyes in?"
Opening his mouth to say something, Troy looked at the other two (2) siblings as words could not form.
But after looking at them, he slowly said;
"Can you guys give us some space please? As in, leave us for a moment? I wanna talk to her!"
Lucas grumbled.
"Aw, c'mon!" Lucas exclaimed.
Troy gave him, 'The eye'.
Taking a step backwards, Lucas said;
"You can give me 'The eye' all you want, but I'm not moving from here!" He said firmly.
Although, he sounded firm, he knew deep down that he was pretty much scared of his brother.
Troy smirked.
He knew his brother was only kidding.
"Why are you smirking?" Lucas asked.
"We pretty much know that you're gonna leave this place!" Troy answered.
"Whether you like it, or don't!" Troy added firmly.
Lucas faked a cough.
"And what makes you think that?" Lucas said.