Too Many Chances

Chapter Twenty Nine

On the day before graduation, Riziki and I went to visit our father later in the afternoon. I was feeling jittery since I was going to see him after a long time. I did not know what kind of reception I was going to get.

The conversation I had had with my friends earlier had increased my nervousness. I had spent the morning at my home with all my friends except Riziki who had to go over the wedding plans with her mother.

"Should I tag along?" Jamila had asked.

"No, girlfriend," Christine had objected. "It's family time."

"That's right," seconded Anita. "They need time to bond. You're not needed there."

"My friend needs me," argued Jamila. "She's going to meet with someone we can as well refer to as a stranger. Besides, he has a family of his own. Who knows how he will react upon reconnecting with his daughter?"

"You worry too much," I said, trying to cover up my anxiety. "Everything is going to be fine. My sister will be with me."

From the stories I had heard from Riziki, our father was a good man. Whenever he had time, he went out for lunch with her and during the holidays, he sent her presents.

Riziki was not friends with our father's snobbish son from his present marriage. His wife was not friendly either. Riziki kept her distance from them as much as she could, talking to him over the phone and meeting with him away from his house. We were going to his house because his wife and son had travelled.

We looked gorgeous in our clothes. Riziki had worn a white long sleeve top tucked in a blue pencil skirt and black heeled shoes which made her appear taller while I was in a black tank top, a floral skirt, a white cardigan and ballet flats. Riziki had done our make-up.

I became more anxious as we got closer to our destination. I was going to meet with a man I had not seen in years. I could not remember the last time we had been in each other's company. My mother had told me that they had separated when I was around six years old. There was a photo of him and me walking along the beach and another of him carrying me on his back in the clear water.

As Riziki and I walked past the bright and dark green trees, the branches swayed from side to side. We held onto our nikabs as the strong wind threatened to blow them away. The smell of the sea and the fresh breeze was welcoming. It helped calm my nerves. We made small talk as the four bedroom bungalow came into view.

It was beautifully structured and painted white with walls made of bricks and glass windows. The roof was covered with a long span, galvanized iron roofing with a tile effect. The porch and the garage were covered with a reinforced roofing.

The interior was beautiful too. We entered the spacious living room (with a white and blue stripped rug on the dark wooden floor, blue curtains folded to let light in through the windows, white leather sofas which had pillows with blue cases, a wide round glass table with a peony hydrangea mixed bouquet in a hibiscus clear glass bud vase and a big television screen on the cotton white wall) and went down a hallway that led to the combined kitchen and dining area.

There was a door from the open kitchen which led to the backyard with potted plants, wicker couch with multicolour floral throw pillows, a wicker chair and a table. That was where we were now.

"How did you meet with my son-in-law-to-be?" Our father asked Riziki as we sipped on our drinks minutes later.

He was in a black shirt, gray pants and burgundy shoes. He had been in an online meeting a few minutes before our arrival. It had felt awkward at first, as we hugged, but right now I was feeling comfortable. I had told him what I had been up to since the last time he saw me. He was impressed. His daughters had grown up to be responsible and hardworking.