As her Mother spoke, Temi looked on at them in confusion...
Her face twisted and turned at every single word her Mother spoke.
'Explain things???'
Temi kept in asking herself.
What does she mean?
Have they been hiding something?
And if Troy knew, why didn't he tell her?
Well if he knew, he 'would have told her, wouldn't he have...?
Besides, there were Lucas and Bryan...
"Mum, what do you mean?" Temi asked.
Sighing on more time as Mr. Smith held onto his wife's hand, locking it together, looking at his wife and smiling at her, Mrs. Smith returned it and then turning to face their daughter, Mr. Smith began;
"Temi...!" He first called.
"Dad...?" Temi replied.
Opening his mouth, Mr. Smith slowly said;
"As parents, our sole responsibility is to cater for you and your brothers and train you all up in the will of God for your lives and, also in your purpose...!"
Temi was silent.
"And it's also our soul duty, to worry for you... anywhere you might have fallen short or something, it's on us to put you back in your place...!"
"And anything the Lord reveals, it out duty to know what to do about it...!" Mr. Smith said firmly.
"Have I done something wrong...?" Temi cut in to ask.
"Let your Father finish Temi!" Her mother cut her off.
Temi looked at her Mother, her Mother looked back at her.
One of the things her Mother gated the most was being cut off in the middle of her sentence...
"No, you haven't done anything wrong, Temi...!" Her father said.
"Then why all this talk?" Temi asked.
"A few years ago, a Prophet told your Mother and me, that our daughter...we should protect our daughter and be careful with her...we should guide her!" Her father said.
Temi frowned.
"Me or someone else...?" Temi asked, a bit confused.
"We asked the same question also, but we were told the daughter that 'we' had...that we bore...!"
"At first we didn't understand what he was saying, so we asked him to go deeper!" Mr. Smith said.
Temi Lenard forward as she placed her elbows on her knee caps, keen on what her Father had to say next...
"At first, our initials were to go to him and ask things based on the business...but then he diverted a little and spoke about the family...!" Her father said.
"He spoke about the boys...three boys..!"
"He spoke about your Mum...!" He said as he turned to look at his wife beside him, holding her hand in his, locking it.
"He said that your Mother would live more than me...that is she would live more years ahead of me...!"
As he said this, he looked down at their interlocked fingers, as he smiled sadly.
"Although, he both I and your Mother had both desired to live longer year together, forever...the Prophet said that it has been sealed in heaven, so there was nothing that could be done 'bout it!" Temi's Father said.
Temi narrowed her eyes.
Looking intimately at his wife, he looked away, releasing their hands.
"Then he spoke of our daughter...!"
"Did he say what would happen to you?" Temi asked.
"Like what would befall you...? What would make you not live long with Mum?" Temi asked.
Shaking his head in negation, Mr. Smith said;
"No, he didn't say what would happen to me...!"
"So you're gonna take it like that?" Temi asked.
"If it's the will of God, what say do I gave over it?" Mr. Smith asked.
Temi looked at her Dad wide-mouthed in utter disbelief.
Sitting back in her hair, Temi looked into the distance as she appeared to be down in thoughts...
Was her Dad going to take that?
Unbelievable...!
But it was written, ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door shall get open unto you, so what was her Father accepting?
Death?
No way!
That's not happening!
She couldn't believe this...
She shook her head in negation as she looked to the side.
"Temi...?"
Temi looked at her parents.
"It's not as it seems, okay?" Her Mother said.
Temi looked away.
"Your Father 'Is' going to live long...long enough to see your children even...!" Her Mother said.
"Was it confirmed by the Prophet?" Temi asked.
"No, but we believe...!"
"Believing is something different...having a negative prophecy over your lives isn't a good omen!" Temi burst.
"We've had prophecies of long life being prophecied into every single one of our lives, why would this be different...?" Temi asked.
"Maybe they were all a fake...!" Her father said.
"All a fake?" Temi chuckled.
Turning her face to the side as she laughed, Temi said;
"I can't believe you're both saying this...!"
"Even you too, Mum?" Temi asked as she pointed at her Mother.
"Mum, you guys raised me to not accept anything bad...!" Temi said.
"But this from a Prophet...!"
"And so what...!" Temi cut her Mother off to say.
"You guys have always taught me, that if something's not in my favor, I should reject it, but yet here you guys are saying you accepted it?" Temi said as she leaned back into the sofa.
"We didn't accept it, we never accepted it...!" Her Mother said.
"But here you are telling me!" Temi cut her off.
Mrs. Smith looked on at her daughter as Temi also looked on at her Mother.
Turning her head to the side, Temi hissed a little as she said;
"Unbelievable...!"
"There's something you should know Temi, your Mother and I never accepted what was being said 'bout us...!" Mr. Smith finally spoke.
"When your mother and I were told that only one of us would live longer than the other, you weren't there to see the look on your Pop's face that day!"
Temi looked on at her Father.
"I was outraged, first of all, I almost got all worked up...!"
"Your Dad wasn't going accept it and was about to call the cops on him, but...!" Temi's Mother explained but paused.
"But thank God for your Mother that day!" Mr. Smith finished off her sentence right before Temi asked another question.
After some time of silence, Temi turned and looked at her parents as she asked;
"And then what happened?"
"Well, after some time, we forgot 'bout it and he went on to tell us to tell us somethings 'bout our daughter...!" Mr. Smith said.
Temi leaned forward, eager to hear what her father had to say.
Taking his time, and as if sad, Mr. Smith looked up at his daughter as he began;
"We went there like any other day to hear what the Lord was saying concerning our business, and as I said earlier, the Prophet began, but after some time, he diverted into the family...!"
"He said...he told us that we were gonna have four (4) kids...one (1) girl and three (3) boys, at that time, we've already had you...!" Her father said.
"Wait, so, at that time, I was born?" Temi asked.
Her father nodded.
"Yes!" He replied.
"So when we heard the news we were overjoyed, except for your Mother who acted nervous that day." Mr. Smith said as he turned to look at his wife, who was glaring at him.
"Who told you I was acting nervous that day?" Mrs. Smith asked as she looked at her husband.
In "In fact, how did you know I was if I was nervous?" Mrs. Smith asked.
Mr. Smith shrugged.
"I don't know, maybe the Spirit spoke to me...!" Mr. Smith said.
"Uh-huh..?" Mrs. Smith said as she eyed her husband.
Mr. Smith knew what 'that' meant, but turning to the side to look at his wife who was still glaring at him, he asked;
"What's with the 'Uh huh's?"
Mrs. Smith was silent.
She wasn't in the mood to talk right now...
If she started, she and her husband wouldn't end the conversation here...
Not that it would be an argument or a disagreement or anything, she wasn't just in the mood to talk...
So waving her hand, she said;
"Go on with what you were saying...!"
Turning to face his daughter, Mr. Smith smiled at his daughter as he pointed his chin at his wife, causing Temi's lips to curve up slightly, but not too widely...
Then suddenly, Mr. Smith's face changed.
He didn't know how he would tell her...
"Dad?" Temi called.
Coming back to his senses, Mr. Smith eye's snapped to look up at his daughter as his eyes had unconsciously lowered themselves...therefore, causing him to stare at the floor.
"Hm?" Answering, Mr. Smith looked up at his daughter.
"Are you alright?" Temi asked concernedly.
Nodding, Mr. Smith said;
"I'm fine...!"
Looking at her Mother, Temi could see that there was a certain expression that was common to both her parents...
And it was...
Worry...
Temi frowned.
Why were her parents worried?
They were trying to hide something from her...
No, not 'trying'...
They 'were' trying to hide something from her...
'Things' were being hidden.
"C'mon Mum and Dad, if there's anything that's weighing both of you guys down, just say it!" Temi said.
She was tired of being kept waiting...
If there were stuff that she needed to know, now was the time.
It was time to hide it no more...!
If she was to understand the reason for the dream her mother had, it would be through spilling some old beans...
Wait...
Temi frowned...
Looking up at her parents, she could see that they were both anxious but for what reason?
Temi asked herself.
If she was to understand what the meaning of her Mother's dream was, things would have to be dug up...
Looking at her parents with keen eyes filled with a lot of curiosities, Temi asked;
"Mum...Dad... there's something you're not telling me!"