Lily looked at her father and he nodded, urging her on. She took a deep breath and grabbed the parcel. There was a newspaper in it which she pulled out and opened. Her eyes nearly poped out of their sockets and she gasped at what she saw.
“No, father, it’s…” she stammered, looking for the right words to plead her cause.
“It’s what you silly child!” Easton yelled and banged his staff hard on the table.
Lily dropped on her knees.
“I’m sorry dad. You know this story more than I do. That was the only thing I could do…”
“What story do I know?”
“Dad, I’m sorry.”
Daisy opened the door and entered the house, she didn’t spare them more than a cursory glance before making her way up the stairs.
“But, dad, how did you find out about this?” Lily suddenly asked.
“You seem to forget so soon that your father is a popular and powerful person in the country. I paid through my nose to make sure this news doesn’t get out to the world!”
Lily cried all the more.
“Thank you daddy. Thank you…”
“Don’t thank me. Why will you do such a thing? I warned you against this. I did! Do you know how bad this is for my image? Do you know how I felt watching Daisy grow up without you? Should I talk of how I felt when all efforts to save you proved abortive?”
Lily held her father’s legs and let the tears flow. She had gone ahead to do what he advised her against. She remembered his warning vividly.
“Lily, where did you say you are traveling to?” Easton asked her one cool evening. She had told him the previous day that she wanted to travel outside the country to move on with her life.
“Italy, dad.”
“For?”
“I want to move on, forget everything, the heartbreak and all. I want to stand on my own as a successful woman so that everyone will know that I can rise above rejection. I will come back for Daisy after two years. Trust me Dad, two years and all will be fine.”
“Lily, listen carefully. Don’t miss a bit if what I’m about to say,” Easton began.
“You are my daughter, and I have watched you grow from cradle. You have the Landers blood flowing in your veins even as a female child. Your brother, Fredrick missed out on that but your half brothers all have it. I’m saying this to you so that you will keep it in mind. Don’t do anything rash. I know your blood is boiling. I want to believe you are going to Italy for good. Luther has travelled to Italy and I don’t want to believe you are going there for him. Let nothing go wrong. I’m done talking.”
Lily was surprised at her father’s words but she nodded anyways.
Twenty years later, she was back and everything had gone wrong. But she appreciated the fact that her father didn’t abandon her back then. He covered the traces and made sure wind of it didn’t get out. He even tried to save her when she disobeyed him. She felt like a bad child. She was an evil child. She didn’t deserve to live!
“I’m so sorry dad. I’m sorry.”
“Get out.”
“Dad, please…”
“Out of my sight Lily. Get out this minute!” Easton roared.
Lily held onto her father’s leg and pleaded for mercy. Easton stood up, he wanted to shove her aside but instead, he gently moved her and walked upstairs. Lily sat in the living room, tears rolling down her face. She didn’t regret what she did, she only regretted causing her father and daughter pain.
“Now that we are on a break in the industry, I’ll like to go home and see my father. It’s been a long time. Four years now,” Nelly said to Neuer as they were eating lunch.
“Okay. That’s not a bad idea. But I’ll miss you. I just proposed and you are already running off. It’s not fair,” Neuer pouted like a child that have been deprived of ice cream. Nelly found it cute and funny, so she laughed.
“Don’t be a child. I’m always here for you and with you. But I’m the only child. Now I can stand on my feet and have made a name for myself, I need to go back and reassure him that I’m fine. I don’t want him to ever worry about me. I’ll be back. Trust me. I’m also worried about my friend. I haven’t heard from him for the past one week and his number isn’t going through. I’m disturbed. He isn’t even responding to his mails.”
Neuer smiled.
“I admire your friendship with that guy. In fact, I’m jealous. I like the way you both have each other’s backs. It’s only a week and you are this worried. I hope it will be the same for me if this ever happens to me.”
“Common baby. Sure, you know that too well.” She turned and gave him a peck.
“Gosh! It’s almost 2 pm. Emma, I have to pick her from school. Let’s hurry up with lunch please.”
“I’ll go with you to take her home.”
“Ohh. Neuer, you are the best. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Amon stopped by that evening. Amanda and Nelly persuaded him to join them for dinner.
“I’ll miss dinners like this,” Nelly said.
“It’s only for a while, babe,” Amanda chipped in. Amon looked at both of them in confusion. What did Nelly mean by she’ll miss dinner with everyone? Was she going somewhere?
Nelly came to his rescue.
“I’ll be travelling back soon.”
“Travelling? To where?”
“USA. I’m going to spend some time with my people, my loved ones.”
“Oh. Wow. We are going to miss you. Will you go with Emma?”
“Ahhh. Sure, I’ll go with my baby.”
“Great. Maybe when she returns, she will look at me in a better light. Right Emma?”
As usual, Emma only gave him a cursory glance and returned to her food. Amon knew he needed to get all the necessary details about her travel.
“Nelly, when are you leaving? What’s the date?”