Mr. Peter walked into his house, after playing a few rounds of golf at his favorite club. On his way to his room, the sight of the dining table loaded with varieties of dishes caught his attention. He wondered if they had a guest joining them for dinner.
Curiosity gnawed at him as he approached the housekeeper, who was busy setting the table, and asked, “What’s the occasion?”
The housekeeper smiled and replied, “Master Darryl is back, sir.”
Mr. Peter’s face lit up with a warm smile, happy to hear that his son had returned home. He headed to his room to change out of his golf attire, looking forward to a pleasant dinner with his family.
When he arrived in the dining room, he was greeted by the sight of Darryl, Sophie, his wife Gloria, and a young woman he didn’t recognize. Assuming she was Sophie’s friend, he took his seat at the table without asking any questions.
“How are you doing, Dad?” Darryl asked, as Mr. Peter settled in.
“Investing is time in the golf club.” Mrs Peter answered, irritation laced in her voice.
“The golf club is a good place,” Mr Peter retorted as he got ready to enjoy dinner with his family.
“You are wasting your time and money, that’s the only good thing about the place.” Mrs Peter countered, her husband causing their children to giggle at their childish exchange.
“You got it all wrong, Gloria. The club members are respectable people in the city. I get to meet people of a good reputation like myself, and together we plan to make a better future.” Mr Peter explained, excitement bubbled in his eyes.
“Whose future are you planning, Dad?” Sophie interjected as he giggled loudly.
“Yours and that of your brother. I believe you and your brother are unmarried. If I connect with the right family, I can find you both good partners.” Mr Peter said, causing Vanessa to choke on her saliva.
Darryl chuckled softly as he watched Vanessa cough as a reaction to his father’s speech.
“Easy, sweetheart,” he whispered into her ears before handing her a glass of water.
Darryl’s attention moved back to his father, and he said, “You can get a partner for Sophie, but I don’t need you to help me find a partner.”
“Why? Are you ordained as a priest?” He asked, his tone humorous.
“No, dad.” Darryl answered with a smile. “I have someone I’m seeing, and we will make arrangements for a proper wedding soon.” Darryl said, causing Mr Peter’s eyes to widen in surprise.
“You are seeing someone, since when? Who is the person?” Mr Peter rained questions on Darryl due to the astonishment he was feeling.
Darryl’s hand gestured to Vanessa as he introduced her to his dad. “This is Vanessa, my wife.” He said with a satisfying smile.
“Vanessa, meet my dad, your father-in-law.” He said to Vanessa.
“Wait a sec, I thought she was Sophie’s friend.” Mr Peter said as confusion settled on him.
“Why would you assume that, dad?” Sophie asked.
“I’m sorry. But you should have told me beforehand to prevent your father from embarrassing himself in front of the new member of the family.” Mr Peter said, flashing an apologetic smile at Vanessa.
“Nice to meet you, Vanessa. Welcome to the family.” He said, stretching out his hand over the dining table, requesting a handshake.
“It is my pleasure,” Vanessa retorted as she took his hand, shaking it.
“Since you are privileged to join us for dinner, I will take it that you passed the audition.” Mr Peter said, his tone humorous as he flashed a knowing look at his wife.
Everyone on the table except Mrs Peter laughed at his joke. Mrs Peter only sent him a murderous glare in response. But Mr Peter didn’t stop there, he continued to joke.
“I heard that the last time Darryl took a woman home, she fled at the sight of my wife.” Mr Peter said, causing everyone to laugh.
Mrs Peter’s foot met Mr Peter’s knee under the table, giving him a kick as she mouthed a ‘keep quiet’ to him. Masking her face like nothing happened, a smile played on her face.
“Let’s enjoy dinner as a family.” She said.
*****
After dinner, the family members said good night to each other as they retired to their rooms, leaving Darryl and his father, Mr. Peter, to linger in the living room.
Both men settled into comfortable armchairs, a bottle of fine wine between them as they began a leisurely conversation. Darryl started with casual topics like updates on business ventures, and mutual friends as they sipped their wine and enjoyed each other’s presence.
“When last did you hear from Clara and her daughter?” Darryl asked as he skillfully steered the discussion towards the main reason he wanted to talk to his father.
Mr. Peter tensed up when he heard Darryl’s question. “Why are you bringing that up, now?” He said, trying to dismiss the topic.
“What if I told you that I found Clara and Tanisha?” Darryl asked, his tone becoming more introspective.
Caught by Darryl’s revelation, Mr Peter gave him his full attention, his expression attentive, challenging him to say more.
“I’m not pulling your legs, Dad. I know where Clara and Tanisha are.” Darryl said, assuring his father.
Mr Peter paused as he heard Darryl’s words, collecting his thoughts. The revelation weighed heavily on him as sadness threatened to envelop him. Clara was a topic he had refused to discuss with anyone for over twenty-five years, but his son was there, telling him that he had found Clara like he had found a piece of land.
“You shouldn’t be talking about Clara and her family, they are in the past.” Mr Peter said to Darryl, because he didn’t want to raise his hopes.
The room fell silent, while Darryl stared intensely at his father. He could see the fear and pain in his eyes.
“Open your heart, dad, and accept the truth. This is your chance to have your daughter back in your life.” Darryl said, voicing his concern.
“I failed to find them, not once but multiple times. I keep blaming myself for what happened to Clara and my child. You don’t expect me to believe you found them out of the blues.” Mr Peter explained, his voice laced with regret and remorse.
“Vanessa is Clara’s daughter. She had her with her husband,” Darryl revealed, causing Mr Peter to be in shock.
“No way,” Mr Peter said with his eyes wide open.
“I thought so too, but it will make more sense when you get to meet Clara,” Darryl said, encouraging his father.
“Does your mother know about all this?” Mr Peter asked, afraid that his wife might be against the impending reunion.
“Yes, she wants to meet Clara too,” Darryl answered.
Relief washed over Mr Peter when he heard that his wife was ready to reconcile with his first love.
“Thank you so much, son. You just brought peace into our lives.” Mr Peter said with a wary smile on his face.
“Finding love was all it takes.” Darryl shrugged his shoulders before sipping from his glass.