An old man probably in his fifties stepped out of the green Peugeot SUV.
He wore a broad smile on his face as he handled a bouquet.
He looked up at the magnificent building and sighed. Straightening his bow tie and hair, he entered the building.
As he walked down the hallway, he noticed the preparation of what seemed to be an event.
He seemed lost, judging by the way he walked around looking at the environment like it was a labyrinth.
"Hey Doctor Hansley, are you lost?" A female teacher asked. "Not quite. Just lost my way to the auditorium," he replied with a broader smile.
She led him to the auditorium which was almost filled and led him to his seat. "Right there," she said pointing to a seat that was quite close to the stage.
"She reserved it specially for you. You look handsome by the way." she added walking off. He smiled awkwardly at her comment and sat down in his seat.
The place was quite noisy as Parents talked amongst themselves. He still held on to his bouquet and glanced at his watch.
It was almost time.
[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: Halo by Beyonce]
Suddenly, the curtain covering the stage split open in a rhythmic fashion. Several dancers suddenly trooped onto the stage in ballet costumes.
They danced gracefully like swans with a piece of eerie music playing in the background.
"This is the part where they show the lead singer... I heard she is good." A parent in the crowd said to another. He heard it and chuckled inwardly
The dancers circularly arranged themselves and suddenly they dispersed, revealing the lead singer.
The eerie music came to an abrupt end and another song started.
All the other parents erupted from their seats clapping with joy. It was as if the start of the song struck a chord in their hearts.
The lead singer was in a long velvet dress which glittered as soon as the stage lights fell on it.
She wore a black mask that concealed her identity which increased the suspense of the audience. "Who is she?" they all asked, murmuring amongst themselves.
She started singing and the place fell into hushed silence. Her voice was euphonic and captivating breaking all laws of normal and creating a serene atmosphere of ethereal melodies.
She made sure to grace the entire stage with both her dancing and singing skills naturally winning the hearts of many in the audience.
As she reached the last note of the song, she made eye contact with him and smiled. He smiled back, showing his gratitude by gesturing a secret action to her.
Finally, the song was done and all the dancers stopped in a syncing order.
Everyone in the audience suddenly stood up from their seats and started clapping vehemently shouting with joy and delight as some threw rose flowers on the stage.
The singers and dancers bowed their heads in unison and walked off the stage with increased applause.
Several acts performed and the show came to an end. The audience began to disperse mostly to see their children who had performed.
It was a high school annual show mostly done ahead of the festive season.
He got out of the place and walked down the hallway to the main area. As he neared the place, she noticed him and immediately rushed to him. "Daaaaaaad!" she said happily embracing him tightly. "You were awesome back there," he said happily. "Was I?" she asked
"Of course you were. You were beautiful and so gracious. You were like this, and that, oh my God...." he said trying to mimic her earlier movements.
"I am so proud of you Cara Mia," he said carrying her in his arms.
"Can we go home now... You promised to give me your tasty lasagnas. A deal is a deal, Cara Mio." she said jokingly. "Yeah right.
Don't you have any friends you want to say bye to before we go?" he asked trying to stall her, but she instantly got it and dragged him out of the place before he could say anything.
BACK AT HOME
"Ah, are you sure you don't want some pizza... maybe shawarmas...."
"No!" she yelled. "Just prepare it, Dad, I am famished," she added. "Okay fine. Go upstairs and change. I'll be done by then" he said smiling.
She quickly raced upstairs and came back dressed in her house apparel.
"Is it ready yet?" she asked sitting by the counter whilst pouring herself a glass of water.
"How long were you gone? It's been two minutes. The things are not even mixed yet." he said with amazement. "Then hurry! I am dying" she said with much drama.
After a few minutes of questions and answers the food was ready. He served the table and they both sat down to eat.
She dug into the food immediately, ignoring the tradition of prayer.
"You know that is not allowed at my table," he said pointing to the bracelet she was wearing on her wrist. "yes I am aware.
A friend gave it to me" she said busily, munching down on her food "what did I say about friends Cara mia?" he asked
"Non fidarti mai di nessuno tranne che della famiglia" she replied. "which is?"
"Always trust no one but family." He nodded and blew her a kiss. She smiled and playfully caught it with imagination.
The situation became awkward especially with the fact he just spoke about.
After they were done eating, She cleared the table and washed the dishes, carefully arranging them. Her mind soon went on something unthinkable.
"I need to ask you something Dad" she said as she cleaned the last plate. "Yes, I am listening." he said softly still with his attention on the TV show he was watching.
"Are you my real father?" she asked wiping her hands with the towel whilst sitting in the sofa adjacent to him.
The silence between them was loud and cumbersome.
The question clearly hit him hard and his change in countenance confirmed her suspicion. "why didn't you tell me?" she asked with tears forming in her eyes.
"Where are you getting this information from? Ofcourse I am your real dad" he said, tears forming in his eyes as well. "Please, don't lie to me." she said in a pleading tone
I saw my original birth documents in your safe. The safe you refused to show me... Since when did we start hiding stuffs like this from ourselves?" she asked with derision.
She got up from her seat and threw a bunch of papers out of nowhere to him and finally burst into tears. He ignored the falling papers and rushed to console her.
"I am sorry Val, I know I should have told you the truth." He said amidst tears. "Who is my mother.?" she asked sniffling back her tears. The question added to his displeasure all the more. It was what he hadn't prepared himself for.
He remained silent. She angrily got up from the floor, tearing her self from his embrace. "I will leave this house and never return if you don't tell me the truth right now." she said in a serious tone, stomping her foot on the ground.
"Your mother is dead Val. She is gone." he said with much desperation. "She had to sacrifice herself for you." he explained.
"LIAR!" she yelled ontop of her lungs. "I am not lying. She begged me to kill her the moment you were born. I didn't want to do it, but I had to, not only for her but for you too."
"You are a murderer, that is what you are. You took my mother away from me." she yelled. That was it for him. "IT WAS INEVITABLE. Your father would have done the job if I didn't. What would have hurt the most is the torture she would have to go through before she would have been given the gift of death."
"You still had no right to take her life. She was my mother." she yelled once more.
"And she loved you with all her heart. She had to. Your father didn't want you anyway. He only wanted his punching bag. He only wanted your mother." he said amidst tears.
Valerie stood there like a stoic unsure of what to think. Everything seemed to be going downhill for her. With this revealed truth, she was sure her life was definetly over.
"I can't do this... I need to think" she said picking up her bag. "Valerie wait wait.." he tried to say but she was already gone. She ran out of the compound, hailed a taxi and drove off speedily.