Concealed

chapter 1 Salem

Salem dear”
"Yes daddy, good morning.
How was your night?" Salem's greeted her father smiling.

“Are you ever going to take a break on your reading habit?
You look as if you didn’t have a night rest at all” Johnson Salam's dad asks.

“Daddy, don’t give me that look. I did have a good night rest, I even slept like a baby, believe me, I did.
I just can’t do without reading. It’s a great companion to me, you know that.
And you know, I am not to be blame for this attitude, you are” Salem replied.

Johnson moved closer and sat on his daughter bed smiling at her.

“Hmm, your mum used to say I had succeeded in influencing her daughter, that you were just like me. I have agreed with her all this while, but I now disagree.
You know why?
Because you are worst. You are the worse version of me”

Salem looked at her dad and could not help but laugh.

“I am saying the truth, am I not”? Johnson asked laughing.

"Let’s take a simple example about us now for clarity.
Firstly, I can never trade my sleep for reading; I can only do that when I have exams or something important that I know I have no other option but to study.

And the most important of it all, is that, I can’t give up my social life to studies.
I love making friends, and I love seeing the world".

Salem knew what her father was saying was true, so she gave up arguing and was now smiling instead in total surrender to defeat.
“But dad, I am not that bad”…

“My dear, you are not that bad believe me, I didn’t say you were.
But you have a bad way of handling life. throughout your life in primary and high school the only friend you have ever had is that Jane of a girl.
Then you went to the university.
I was thinking, you will make better friends.
I gave you orientation on how to find good friend’s, that would brighten you up.
  I even asked you to join the choir.
But what happened at the end of your stay in the university?
You happily return with still that Jane”

Salem couldn’t help it anymore, she laughed as though her whole life depended on laughing.

"Dad, I know you don’t like Jane, but she’s a good and nice lady" Salem tried to defend her friend Jane.

“You said good and nice? 
You can’t be serious. I think you have the wrong definition of good and nice.
That girl is far from being anything like nice or good.
The reason why I still allowing her be your friend, is because you only see her once in a neutral moon and she happened to be the only person you have chosen for a friend since you were still a child.
Eliminating her from your life, will be bringing disaster to you, because you are not ready to make friends.
You will end up staying in this house alone with only your books. That's the only reason why she's still your friend.

Please Salem, Promise me you will mingle with people when you go for service you’re two and twenty already and very soon you will be married and there would no more time for fun.

Why not socialize and have fun as any young lady is supposed to.
I am not talking about the other way of fun, hope you understand what I mean?
Johnson said jokingly pointing his finger at her"

It was too much this time, Salem laugh out more intensively before she responded
“I know that dad.
I have friends and I also have the little children at the Sunday school don’t forget that.
It’s just that they don’t come to visit like Jane does.
Jane is not the only friend I have.”

“Alright if you say so, and please like I have always said, don’t forget to be careful with Jane.
And I must comment again, I would never get tired on commenting on this aspect of your life.
“You don’t know how beautiful you always look when you teach and take care of those precious Kids.
The best pictures my memory have stored and can never erase are pictures of you smiling with those little ones"