RIGHT ON TIME

chapter 24

THE NEXT DAY, SATURDAY.

After working for a half day as was required of him and all the staff workers every Saturday, Preye made his way to Destiny Estate immediately after the close of work, stopping only to purchase a few necessary items.

He was currently working for the company that employed him shortly after his one year national youth service. Having proven to be a resourceful worker who was dedicated to his work at the time of his youth service, Preye came highly recommended to a couple of the companies that had their eyes set on the youth corpers.

Preye had a quality that was a rare commodity in the lives of a lot of human beings. He was one of the best at the technical department, and he was always punctual to work everyday. It was a habit he inherited from his mother who was always pursuing excellence in anything she did.

Being the type of person who prayed before making decisions, when the offer of employment from those companies came for him, Preye had prayerfully sought the face of God. He chose the right company as he was led by the Holy Spirit. 

And here he was, almost four years later, enjoying every bit of his work, no regrets.

But, he complained occasionally when his job became too demanding that he could hardly make out the time for the two most important women in his life. With the absence of a father in his life at a very tender age, making him the only male figure in the family, he'd subconsciously taken the enormous weight of responsibility for his mother and sister.

It wasn't designed to be that way but he had become not just a brother but also a father to his sister as well. And he was a son to his mother. While he wasn't seeing any scorecard, he hoped to God that he was dutifully playing his role.

From a very young age, he'd never wanted to disappoint or let down his only family, and that was how he decided to be the best in all that he set out to do and take advantage of his God-given potential no matter the odds that were against him. 

It was that determination that kept him on his feet ever since. 

The thought of his estranged father appeared out of the blues and it made him scowl. He had stopped fantasizing a long time ago of his father's dramatic return. 

When he was still quite young and naive, he always occupied his mind with the thought of how his father would return, begging on his knees, and after a little drama from his mother, sister and him, they would finally forgive and tearfully reunite and become one big happy family. 

His father would become responsible, pay his school fees and give him daily allowance. His father would ask about his studies, occasionally help him with assignments and attend all his graduations. He would be a good son in return and always make his father proud. 

So it would continue until Preye would make a lot of money, settle down, get married and bless his parents with grandchildren and his sister with nephews and nieces. But now, all those dreams and desires were only a distant memory.

He didn't even know how he would react should his father make a sudden appearance in their lives. Heck, he didn't even know if his father was already dead or if he was still alive. And even if he was alive, he didn't know if the man was regretting his actions or if he had remarried and was comfortably happy with his new family.

Feeling too sad and uncomfortable at that last thought, Preye pushed the grim thought of his estranged father to the back of his mind and focused on his driving.

Preye immediately noticed the changes with the security details as he got to the estate gate. He was seeing new faces and they wouldn't allow him to enter the estate until they verified that he was who he said he was.