"Dad how is miss Julia?" Annabella asked her father.
"Is that the woman your father is seeing now?" Her grandmother asked.
She nodded.
"She is fine." Nathaniel replied with less enthusiasm.
"Dad! What happen this time?" Annabella asked, able to read her father so well.
"There's no future for us. And she knew it, so we broke up. But we are still friends."
"Dad, you don't need a friend, you need a woman. You are boring dad." She said.
"I'm fine." He said.
"No dad. You are not. You need to have fun. You should be married. You know i want you to be happy."
"I know that princess." He smile at her.
"And you? How is your love life.?"Mrs Allyson asked her granddaughter.
"Grandma, it's not fair." She said childishly.
"You and your father are both boring." She said and Anna frown. "You should move on over that boy. I'm sorry but he is gone. And you are too young to mourn for a man for so long.You should live your life. "
"I love Tobias." She said sadly.
Tobias was her boyfriend since prom night. He was the school football captain. And happen to be the crush of most girls in school. He dated the most beautiful and popular girls in school but he broke with his girlfriend when they were in senior year.
She had been alone and sad with no one to take to prom night. And it happened! Tobias had surprisingly came to ask her. She had been amazed so was her best friend Mia.
It was the perfect day and night. She became the prom queen when Hailey who was supposed to be the prom queen couldn't attend because she fell ill. Tobias influence was another reason she became the prom queen.
And after the prom night, he ask her out and they began to date. He was the sweetest guy she had ever know and she love him.
She got to know him more and how hard he try to live with his step father who maltreated him.
They went to the same college. But before their last year in the college, Tobias had a car accident with his mother. It was tragic and she wept for days. It affected her study and she went back to her life but she was different. It became Mia quest to bring back her old friend.
"I know Princess but your grandma is right. You should move on. I'm not asking you to forget him but he will want you to live your life." Nathaniel said.
"Thanks dad. Thanks grandma." She lean her head on her father shoulder.
Allyson smile at her granddaughter.
"Where do you always go in the evening and return late at the night?"
"It is this wonderful place."
"Hope it is safe?" He asked.
Always the protective dad. She smiled and nodded.
*******
Toun order the cooks to set the table and she was preparing everything for her parents arrival. She don't want any complain from her father.
"You should come up to shower and dress."Japheth said to her.
" I need to see everything is perfect. " She said looking at what the cooks and house help were doing.
" It is perfect. " She look at him and nodded." Let's go. "
She gave one of the ladies an instruction and she followed him to their room.
***
When her parents arrived, they were please and her father was busy talking about the new sucess Japheth accomplished. He sounded very proud of him.
"Where is Hope?" He asked angrily after they sat down to eat.
"He will be back soon grandpa." Damilare answered exasperated. He never like him.
"Yes dad." Japheth replied.
"Let eat." Mrs Mopelola said and they nodded. Japheth bless the food and they began to eat.
Hope walk in looking apologetic.
"Sorry I'm late. Good afternoon grandma, grandpa." He greeted
"How are you dear?" Mrs Mopelola said with a broad smile on her face to her grandchild.
"Fine grandma. I'm so happy to see you." He smile back. He put down his guitar and he sat beside his mother.
"What's that in the bag?" Mr Joseph, Toun father asked.
"It's my guitar. Sorry i didn't tell you. I'm learning music and how to play the guitar." He said proudly.
"Why guitar?" Mrs Mopelola asked. The smile has disappear from her face and she was looking a little disappointed.
"I love playing guitar grandma." He said confuse to why his grand Parents were not happy with what he love.
"I don't want to see you playing that thing." Mr Joseph order.
"Why grandpa? Hope is very good in playing guitar. You will love him when he plays it." Isabella said.
"I don't care. I don't want to see you with it again."
"He loves it grand pa. You can't force him to do that." Damilare said.
"Please grandpa, i love playing the guitar." He begged.
He knew since he was little, he wasn't his grandfather favorite. The man was never please with him. He doesn't like him. It's like he is not the grandchild he want.
Despite Dammy never likes him which he didn't bother to hide much, he always love Dammy and Isabella more than he love him. But he did not mind because he have the love of his grandmother. And he hope she could be happy with what he decides to do in his life.
"No."
"Please dad, he is just a kid." Japheth begged on his behalf.
"He can't Japheth. I will never allow it." He was obstinate.
"He love playing it. Please dad for my sake." He pleaded again.
"I can allow any other thing but not this Japheth." The man said stubbornly.
"You don't need to let him." Toun said. And all eyes turn to her. She was obviously furious. "He is my son and i should decide what i want him to do and not you."
"Toun!" Japheth and her mother chorused.
"What?" Her father asked.
"You heard me correctly. He is my son, i love that he plays guitar and he would continue to play the guitar."
"Yes mom." Damilare said in support and he was hit by his sister to keep quiet.
Everyone is aware of the tension between father and daughter.
"You can control me as you want but not my children." She said locking eyes with her father. He was pale with shock written all over his face.
Toun had not talk back to him or speak against any thing he order since the day she swore never to talk about Nathaniel and the child she had with him.
" Toun, he is your father, you should apologize." Japheth said calmly to her.
"I'm not and don't tell me to." She said angrily to Japheth. He was surprise at how angry she was. And he decides to keep quiet. He don't like Toun getting angry at him. It was something rare but when she does, it wasn't easy to get her back. So he didn't push further.
" You are disrespecting me in front of my grandchildren." He said with his ego hurt.
"You shouldn't have talk to my son that way. I'm going to take everything you do to me without second thought but don't you ever order my children. I am the only one who can do that and him." She said referring to Japheth.
"He is going to play the guitar and they is nothing you will do about it." She stood up. "Your room is set when you are done,you know the way to your room. I have things to do." She left them.
Japheth sigh. He don't know why his wife is so furious. What was so special about Hope playing the guitar? And why is her father angry when he saw the guitar?
Although, Toun was so excited when Hope told her he want to learn how to play the guitar and he needed one. He had never seen her so happy about a trival thing. And she became a good motivation for her son.
She wonder why this trival matter also flip the switch of both father and daughter.
Toun and her father are a problem he can't seem to solve. And he don't think he would be able to solve in his lifetime.
*****
AUTHOR NOTE:TOUN STOOD UP FOR HER SON. IT SHOWS HOW MUCH SHE LOVE HIM.
CAN YOU IMAGINE THE LOOK ON JOSEPH FACE?HIS DAUGHTER TALK BACK AT HIM AFTER A VERY LONG TIME.
HE IS A MAN THAT LOVES TO HAVE HIS WAY AND ALWAYS WANT TO RULE. BUT I THINK THAT IS ABOUT TO CHANGE? WHAT DO YOU THINK?
I WILL LOVE TO HEAR YOUR COMMENTS. FEEL FREE TO COMMENT.
THANK YOU EVERYONE THAT READ THIS CHAPTER AND THE BOOK. YOU DON'T KNOW HOW GRATEFUL I AM. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
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