As they headed upstairs, Mr. Smith watched them go, but Temi stood in her spit with her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at nothing in particular as the tears rolled down her eyes...
They were both standing and Mr. Smith could feel the soles of his feet hurting, so sitting down, he gestured for his daughter to seat too, but she refused...
"I'm not sitting...!" Temi said firmly.
"Why...?" Her Father asked.
"I don't want to, and I don't feel like it!" Temi said in a shaky but snappy tone.
Ignoring his daughter's tone and stubbornness, he turned his attention to the side table beside the chair on which he say and lifting from it, a little teacup.
Taking a sip from it, Mr. Smith slowly said;
"Well if you're not sitting, then don't think of talking!"
His voice was firm and his tone strong.
Temi had no other option but to succumb.
Slumping onto the chair nearest to her, she sat with her legs crossed and arms, also crossed...
With tears in her eyes, it made her eyes appear to be swollen.
Although she hadn't cried much, the skin around her eyes was too soft...
As she sat, she waited patiently for her Father to slowly finish sipping, his tea.
Although, Mr. Smith planned to keep her there and watched him as he slowly sipped from his tea, as a kind of punishment...
But he knew his daughter would stay with him till the next day because she had gotten used to it...
As soon as that thought entered his mind, he sighed in frustration as he drank all the contents of the teacup in one gulp and gently placed the teacup on its saucer as he raised his head to look at his daughter, only to get met by her teary red gaze.
Looking away from Temi as he cleared his throat, Mr. Smith said;
"Temi...?" He first called.
"Yes Dad...?" Temi responded in a choked voice.
Clearing up his throat again, Mr. Smith said;
"I 'do not know why you have to be this teary, but even if I 'did' know, I would pay no attention to it...!" Mr. Smith said.
Temi didn't say a word.
Coughing again, Mr. Smith said;
"As a grown girl, already matured into an eighteen-year-old lady, you should be able to handle issues regarding yourself without the aid of your Mother and me...!" Mr. Smith said firmly.
"And as an adult, there would be times when people would come against you and stuff with sayings, lies, so-called dreams, just to get to you..!"
"You would have to know how to shove them off, because, just like your Mother and I, you would be great one day...greater even...!"
"There would also be lots of obstacles that you should be able to tackle and people you should be able to shun before they even come against you...!"
"This is called providence...!"
"And Dad...both you and Mum have trained me for these all my life...!" Temi said.
"But you're not yet ready!" Her Father firmly cut in to say, unshakable.
Temi went silent.
"What makes you think I'm not yet ready?" Temi asked.
Mr. Smith was silent for a while as he lowered his eyes as rubbed his chin with his fingers, deep in thought.
Bringing himself forward as he leaned in, Mr. Smith gently asked;
"What was that dream about, Temi?"
Temi's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Dad, don't tell me you believe that dream too?" Temi was already crying.
Shaking his head in negation, Mr. Smith said;
"Nobody believed it in the first place, Temi, so don't think that everyone's going to stay away from you!" Temi's Father firmly stated.
"But Dad, if you're not gonna stay away from me, why are you always worried?" She asked.
"Worried? What do you mean?" Temi's Father.
Furrowing his brows slightly as he leaned back into his chair, as if not knowing what his daughter was saying.
"Dad, you're smart enough to understand what I'm trying to say right now...?" Temi said as she didn't intend on heating around the bush.
"Get deeper into what you're saying Temi, I don't understand what you're saying...!" Mr. Smith said as he looked away from his daughter, stretching his arm to the side table on which sat the teacup.
Temi didn't say anything, she knew her Father knew what she was talking about...
Sighing as she looked down at her hands, with tears in her eyes, she looked away as she gently said;
"Dad, the providence you're talking 'bout...!" She then paused as she used the back of her palm to wipe her tears away.
"Is it because...!" She paused again.
"Are you referring to the dream that Mum had?" She finally asked.
Frowning slightly, Mr. Smith asked;
"What brought 'bout that?"
Sniffing as she wiped her nose with the back of her palm, Temi raised her bloodshot eyes and looked at her Father as she said;
"Dad, do you think, I'm capable of committing murder?" She suddenly asked.
Frowning deeper, Mr. Smith asked;
"What's bringing 'bout these questions, Temi?"
As Temi opened her mouth to say something else, her father beat her to it.
"And of course, 'I' know personally, that 'you are not capable of killing anybody!"
"You aren't even capable of killing an ant, talk much more if killing somebody!" Her Father stated firmly.
Temi gently nodded as she pursed her lips and briefly looked away, before turning to look back.
Temi noticed in her Father, that his voice shook...
It wasn't steady...
"Then 'why' would my trip to college, get almost canceled?" As he asked.
Opening his mouth, but words could not form, Mr. Smith, settled for asking;
"What?"
"Why would you what to cancel my trip to college abroad?" Temi repeated.
"Don't you think I can take care of myself...?" Temi asked.
"No...!"
"You don't think I'm ready, yet...?"
"No...!"
"Don't you think I'm ready to face the outside world...on my own...?"
"No...!"
"Then what is it?" Temi asked frustratedly as she sighed.
"Dad, I'm eighteen, no longer a little girl anymore...!" Temi said.
"I've traveled places, been to cities, countries, entered forests, climbed mountain tops all on 'my' own...!" Temi said.
"Dad...!" Temi called.
"What is it, that you're possibly scared of?" Temi asked.
"A whole Mr. Smith, scared?" She asked.
"Nah...!" She said as she shook her head and adjusted herself in her seat.
"Dad, what is it, that you're so afraid of? That is making you not want me, to attend college?" Temi calmed down as she asked.
Her Father was silent with his hand on his chin as he appeared to be thinking again.
Not receiving any reply from her Father, Temi sighed as she turned her face the other way.
After some time of silence, with Temi looking the other way, and her Father looking at her without her knowing, Temi finally raised her head to look at her Father, to find him looking at her.
"Dad, I know you care so much 'bout me, and this dream...it's not the first time anyone is having this dream concerning me or concerning stuff like this...!"
"And every other time dreams like this are seen, it's not the first time for you to worry like this...you've never been this worried in your life, nothing has ever touched you this much!" Temi said.
"Anytime dreams like this one comes, worse than this, it never gets on you...!" Temi said.
"So why this one?" Temi asked.
"What makes it so special that, 'my Dad's thinking? What's so special 'bout this dream, that it's got my very own Dad, Mr. Smith thinking and worrying 'bout me this much, hm?" Temi said.
"I can't understand...!"
"Your Dad isn't afraid of anything, Temi!"
A strong female voice said from behind her.
Turning her head swiftly, Temi found her Mother to be standing by the door.
"Hey Mum...!" Temi greeted. But her Mum ignored the greeting as she slowly walked towards them majestically and said;
"Your Father is a man that doesn't show his fears and isn't afraid of anything...because that's the way he painted himself in front of you kids... because that's the way he wanted you guys to think of him...!"
"But the truth is, when you guys aren't there, he is one big baby bear, that needs someone and someplace to rest!" Mrs. Smith said.
Temi turned her eyes from her mother to look at her father, who was sitting beside her without saying a word, his hand, still on his chin.
Following her daughter's gaze, she slowly looked. down at her husband, on which side's she stood.
With her arms around him, she gently rubbed his shoulders as she said;
"Temi, your Father worries 'bout you, even more than 'I' do...!"
"So you don't worry 'bout me, Mum?" Temi cut in to ask.
She was kidding though...
"Of course I worry 'bout you...!"
Her Mother frowned a little as she felt slightly hurt that the message she was trying to communicate to get her daughter was misinterpreted.
"I worry 'bout you all the time, if I don't, who will?" Mrs. Smith asked.
"What I'm trying to say is, your Father and I worry 'bout you kids all the time...in different ways!" Mrs. Smith said.
Temi chuckled.
"Why are you chuckling? It's not funny...!" Her Mother said, slightly agitated.
"No, no Mum, it's not!" Temi said.
"Then why are you laughing?" Her Mother asked, furrowing her brows.
"Nah...I just wanted to pull your legs...!" Temi said.
"I was just messing with you!" Temi said.
"Well, it's not funny!"Her Mother said.
Temi laughed.
"Now, back to what we were saying...!" Mrs. Smith said.
Temi stopped laughing.
"Your Father and I...!" She said as she turned and looked at her husband as she sighed.
"Not that we've been worried because of the dream, but...!" Mrs. Smith paused for a while again as she gently wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her palm.
Temi frowned.
"What's wrong, Mum?" Temi asked.
Shaking her head, Mrs. Smith said;
"The truth is this dream...!" Mrs. Smith paused as she sighed.
Feeling nervous, Mrs. Smith played with her fingers a little as she sat down in the seat nearest to her husband...
Temi frowned.
Her Mum looked nervous...
She felt nervous...
'Was she nervous...?'
Temi couldn't help but ask herself.
It was the first time Temi saw her Mother looking nervous, so she felt kind of weird...
"Mum...Mum...!" Temi called as she looked keenly at her Mother.
"Are you okay?" Temi asked.
Mrs. Smith nodded amidst tears.
"Are...Are...Are you sure? You look pre...pretty nervous!" Temi stated stammering.
"Your father and I have been trying our best not to tell you this, but since you're going to college anytime soon, we thought that it's better that you knew sooner, to prevent and 'avoid'...or rather battle anything that might hinder or hurt you in any way...!" Mrs. Smith said in a low voice as she turned to look at her husband.
Temi frowned.
She didn't understand what her Mother was saying...
'Hinder'? 'Hurt'? 'Battle'...?
What was her Mother saying?
"Mum, I...!"
"I don't understand what you're saying, I don't understand you...what are you saying?" Temi asked.
Mrs. Smith smiled wearily as she turned to look at her husband beside her as she held onto his arm and said;
"Dear...?" She first called.
"Hm?" Mr. Smith responded as he turned slightly to his wife's direction.
"Don't you think it's time to explain things to her?"
Mr. Smith turned and looked at his daughter and then, making little eye contact, Mr. Smith lowered his head as he sighed, shaking his head in negation for some reason, Temi couldn't understand.
Looking at both of her parents as she frowned, still in confusion, Temi thought;
'What are they talking about?'
"Explain 'what' things?" She asked.