Million Miles

Prologue

Million Miles ahead of us
Prologue

" Vanessa"

"Mom, I can't believe you agreed to this". I say exasperated.

"Venny, I had no choice
You know how stubborn your dad is, I only want the best for you. You've got to remember I will always have your best interest in mind, I got your back honey".. Mum says, reassuringly.

I sigh," OK, mom. Thank you, and I love you"

"Love you too sweetheart",  mom says engulfing me in a warm bear hug. I sigh again snuggling a bit more into her.....

  

     I think back to my childhood years.....
   My dad is one of the richest men in Nigeria. (Mr Clarke Cletus) a big businessman , owner of Clarke Enterprise.
I lived in Lagos for the first five years of my life. My dad is Yoruba while my mum is Igbo. I was taken to the US as soon as I was out of primary school, I did my high school and got my masters there.

    My life before travelling even at such a tender age was a routine, to eat the food my dad wanted, play with the toys selected by him, be friends with who he chose, so travelling was a welcome change for me. I think I did my mum good , she had to have needed time away from dad too.
  My father loves my mum no doubt, but dad is a control freak..

  It was a relief to both mum and i when dad announced to us that he couldn't travel with us, his businesses were at it's peak and he needed to stay around to have more control. It wasn't the same then, the internet wasn't always around you know.

He had to do his work physically. Dad stayed in Nigeria because of his business but visited us often. I was spoiled rotten by my dad though, i was his princess living in a castle, literally..

Living with my mom helped me get a hold of my life while in high school, and when my dad told me to study medicine, I was pretty surprised because it has always been my dream course, i thought he was going to make me study accounting, marketing or Business administration, anything related to business and his empire.

  I got to discover why, much later....

  He was establishing a hospital I would work in, there in New York.

     After gaining my masters from the university of Oxford in medicine, my mom received a call from dad requesting we come back home ASAP.
   We were worried, we thought something had happened to him...

  We quickly made the journey back home using one of his private jets. It was a wonderful experience for me, I rarely travelled in them.
  We landed Nigeria few days after we got his call.
It has been months, six months maybe, since I last saw dad, he's grown older and is it possible he's grown more handsome? Dad has always been a handsome man, typical Igbo/Yoruba breed he is .
  

    Although dad still visited, I rarely saw him, I was busy with work. 
  I had moved out of the mansion I stayed with mum, when I graduated school.
  Neither mum or dad liked it but my mind was made up, good thing we lived in America.
  Control freak dad is, he allowed me move on one condition_ I was going to stay in one of his penthouses!. I accepted, because I knew he wasn't going to budge on that.

I wasn't surprised though, when my dad called me two days after we came back to his home to his office at home to 'talk'.

   I was to start some kind of relationship with one 'Mr
William one of his many foreign business associates.

   "I've never seen this man before, Dad". I complain

" Yes,princess. You will know him though, very soon ". My dad says. You'll be travelling back to New York for the grand opening of my new hotel and casino, I want to spend more time with my wife". He adds, cheekily.

I roll my eyes

" But dad! ".. I protest.

" No buts, princess. You'll do as I say"

" Dad , you don't even know if I'm seeing someone". I try adding, exasperated.

" Of course i know you are not seeing anyone. You broke up with that idiot, Kevin because he asked you for sex". I blush.

"Oh,why am I surprised.!? Of course, i have a stalker for a dad but you don't have to be so blunt  ". I mutter
He pretends he didn't hear that, or maybe he really didn't.

"Ok sir,fine" I say, audibly now. Biting back tears.  I'm 25 , I've forgotten the last time I cried.

"Good, you are leaving for the airport first thing tommorow," he says

"Dad, ain't I taking the private jet?",

No, princess, you aren't"... He says firmly.

" please, dad." I try adding my most cutest baby face. "Please...".

" Ahh.! " He sighs,wearily. OKay, you can take it. Call the pilot now, and let him know in advance. He doesn't just sit around waiting for someone to call him , he's always busy. Don't disrupt his schedule... "

"I won't, dad. " Glumly, I kiss dad's cheeks.
"I'll see you tomorrow, good night".

" Good night, princess ".

As I lie in my childhood bed, I muse on how almost nothing's changed. I'm still a baby to my dad. He makes the decisions and i have no right to oppose.

For the first time in my adult age, I let out a cry of misery, alone. In my dark, Cinderella themed childhood room.