I was having an amazing time here in Paris and I was determined to let it last as long as I could. I graduated from university three months ago after studying Business administration for four torturous years and I was in my reward phase. My dad had asked me to come back home multiple times in the last two months but I refused. I have slaved my way through university to make sure I graduated with a first class in a course that I hated so I was selfishly taking all the break I needed and obviously deserved.
Throughout the three months I have been here, I barely left my hotel room. I went sightseeing and did a lot of shopping the first month but they quickly got boring as fast as they excited me in the first place so now I just stayed in my room most of the time and I was really surprised that I had not gotten bored yetThere really is no need to ask me about friends here in because you won’t find any around me here in Paris. A break was a break from everything including friends and family which is why I had been going solo since I arrived here. No friends at all and not even acquaintances because I could not bear or handle the dramatics that came with friendship at this particular time. It could get too much sometimes especially with someone like me who sometimes forgets to text or call my friends which would make them mad at me.Today was going to be different from the past week though. The weather seemed amazing for going outside and coincidentally I had a ticket for an art gallery that was holding an exhibition not too far from the hotel where I was currently staying so I could walk there. It should be about 30 30-minute walk which was perfect for me.I was currently standing on the balcony of my hotel room and watching the amazing city view. It was breathtaking and I could stand here for hours just watching the view in front of me. Well, I do, every day.You would think that someone who had stayed here for three months would be well acquainted with the environment but you thought wrong. I didn’t know shit about this place.I took one final look at the amazing scenery in front of me before walking inside the room and making sure to shut the balcony door behind me. You can never be too careful these days. I watch too many crime documentaries to leave my balcony doors open or any other doors at all.I jumped on the soft bed with a loud oomph and laughed as I bounced on the bed as a result of the force I had used to jump on it. It was fun to do that every time. Thankfully the bed was of really good quality because I was certain that the housekeeper would be seeing dents by now with how much jumping I did on that bed every dayI had a missed call from our butler, Duke but I didn’t bother to call him back since I knew it would be my dad who probably wanted to ask me to come home for the 100th time. He had not called me in over a month to disturb me concerning the issue so maybe he decided he had given me enough timeI glanced at the time on my phone and saw it was about 3 hours before the exhibition started so I decided to take a bath since I had not taken one after I woke up this morningI took a quick shower and changed into something classy and simple that would not only make me look good but also make my walk comfortable. It was a small exhibition so there was no need for me to dress up.I looked at my phone on my bed and had a small argument with myself if I should take it or not before I finally decided to leave it behind since I would not be expecting any callsI stepped out of the hotel and started my walk towards the exhibition centre. It was not far and I knew the address because it was close to the boutique where I usually buy clothes when I need them.I arrived at the art exhibition gallery pretty late. It had already started when I arrived and I blamed it on my inability to see the beautiful scenery and leave it be. I found myself admiring every structure I found and even regretted not taking my phone along so I could take beautiful pictures.I thought I had regret at the back of my mind till I entered the art gallery. I was blown off my feet by the amazing art pieces. They were truly magnificent and I should have had my phone on me to capture every single art pieceAs a true lover of art and someone who hopes to become an artist someday, not a professional one though but as a hobby, I was entranced by the different artworks and the message they carried.My favourite piece was of a woman whose smiling lips were sewn shut. I bet to smile with a sown lip would be very painful but there she was staring at me her eyes glittering in excitement but at the same time with tears streaming down her eyes and she was also smiling so wide even with her sown lips.The contrast of the picture and the story behind it had me truly speechless. I hope to be able to paint something so creative one day. I made sure to have every single art piece etched into my mindIt was a little bit late before I decided to go back to the hotel and this time I took a cab because I was tired and could not walk the distance anymore. It took the cab about 10 minutes to get to the hotel.I grabbed my phone to check if I had any missed calls but noticed it was dead so I plugged it in. It was a little bit strange because I was sure the phone was fully charged before I left the hotel roomWhile my phone charged, I decided to take a bath to kill time and also because I felt like dirt with all the sweating I did today. I also ordered room service immediately because I was starving and had not eaten anything yetWhen my phone came on, I was shocked to see over 50 missed calls. Immediately I felt panic grip me when I saw the missed calls had been from the house number. I even had some from Duke’s personal line and he barely called me so that was enough to send me into a frenzyI called Duke’s phone immediately and he picked up on the second ring.“Hello, Duke, what’s happening, I saw so many missed calls” I spoke so fast as my heart was beating so loudly and hard against my chest“Young miss, where have you been and why haven’t you been answering your calls, you have put the whole house in a mode of panic” he snapped. He was really angry“ I didn’t mean to. I left my phone in the hotel room when I went out. I didn’t think I would stay out this long” I explained. I felt guilty for causing them panic especially my dad. He would be in a very bad mood now“Why would you go out without your phone? We have taught you better young miss. What if there was an emergency and you needed to contact help?” I thought he was mad before, but now he was furious“I didn’t think correctly. Please forgive me” I pleaded because I should have known better. I should never be this careless“Don’t try that again” he snapped one more time. I was nodding my head solemnly before I recalled that he couldn’t see me so I mumbled a quiet yes. I didn’t prepare to be scolded tonight“So why were you all calling me? Did something happen? Where is Dad?” I could not resist asking multiple questions at the same time as I remembered the number of times they called me. It couldn’t be because they could not reach me“You need to come home on the next plane” He said and I rolled my eyes. I can’t believe he had called me a million times over this“Duke I am not ready to come home yet, you know this. Tell Dad that” I explained as calmly as I could before I would say mean words“You don’t have a choice. You have to” I didn’t like the tone he was using. Something was wrong“Tell me what’s wrong. Where’s dad?” I realized that he had not called me today even with the multiple missed calls from the house number“Your father…. He…” Duke paused as though it was difficult for him to complete the sentence.“My dad what? What happened Duke? Talk to them” I screamed into the phone as my panic level started to rise drastically and I prayed deep down that I didn’t hear any bad news“He is …..” He paused again and I could not hold myself as I stood up from the bed and pushed my dinner aside to pace the room“Duke stop making me scared, tell me” I practically screamed again. I was getting weak in my knees as fear gripped my entire being“He is really sick and on his deathbed bed” he finally concluded and my legs gave outI didn’t even care if I had sustained any injuries as my back hit the bed with a thud as a result of the way I had dropped to the floor as a result of the shock that came with Duke’s statement. My legs seemed to have given up the ability to hold me up. “What do you mean dad’s sick, he is healthy, he sounded healthy when he called me” I would not believe it. My old man was healthy and strong “It pains me to say it but it is true” Duke’s voice had become so small like he was afraid of what I would do and he was correct to be afraid because if he was in front of me, I may have attacked him out of anger from spewing such nonsense “Stop saying rubbish, Duke. Dad can not be on his deathbed. This is ridiculous. How could you make such an expensive joke?” I tried to laugh it off but even my laughter had doubts etched onto them like the thorns on roses. It was painful “He has a brain tumour and it can’t be operated on. The doctors say he’ll have two weeks tops” Duke continued like I hadn’t
“David, could you please drive a bit faster?” I asked for the millionth time since I entered the car from the airport. David may even be getting irritated with me but he was doing an amazing job hiding it from me. “Young mistress I can assure you that I am driving as responsibly fast as I am allowed to” he also replied to me for the millionth time and his tone held no grudge just understanding. I had asked him if Dad was at home and knew I was coming home but he kept avoiding the questions or plainly ignoring it. His silence was doing little to nothing to pacify me but instead made me more nervous. It was like experiencing 12-year-old me again when mom left us after her long struggle with cancer. I had been in school, eager for the torturous day to come to an end so I could go home and sit by mom’s side and read her favourite book from my bookshelf to her, only I didn’t need to wait till the school was over. I was called to the principal’s office and I had gone there thinking abou
My head was still reeling from shock as the male nurse led me to the chair by my father’s bedside. I don’t think I could do it all over again. I might have been young when mom died but that doesn't mean that when I became old enough to understand what had happened to her, I didn't feel like this. I sat down feeling numb. My dad, the strongest man I knew, was lying there, unconscious. A man I thought could never be defeated by the ills of the world was now being brutally defeated by cancer. If only cancer was human, I would have used my last drop of blood to rip it apart in the most painful way for causing me so much pain. The pain that is currently clouding my mind was not one I could cure with drugs. It was like someone was squeezing my heart that had thorns in them. I could not control myself as the tears came cascading down like a waterfall whose gates had just been opened. I don’t know how long I sat there crying, unable to control myself or even look at my dad for fear I may
I spent an hour reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to my mom. It had been her favourite book in the series. I didn’t like to read much but only did it because mom loved them and I enjoyed reading to her just like I had just done. I read till I was tired before I closed the book and laid on the well trimmed grass beside her grave. At first, our staff found it creepy that I felt comfortable lying beside a grave but to me it was not just a grave but my mother’s bed. She was there and I never had to feel afraid when it came to her. I would spend hours here and it was always easier to talk to mom about issues I could never talk to Dad about. “Mom, Dad may be coming over to join you soon so you won't be lonely anymore. But I would be. Without the both of you here, it would be very lonely. Who would take care of me then?” I know I should not be so negative about Dad’s recovery but I can't help it. The situation was not looking good and it was better if I prepared myself mentall
I think I was ready to be an Olympic runner due to the number of times I had found myself sprinting due to one news or the other lately as a result of Dad. The moment the news had left the young lady’s lips, I found myself taking off in a race. The supposedly long distance to the house didn’t seem too far anymore as I made my way towards the house in a flash. When the staff saw me racing, some ran after me, probably guessing that there was news related to father and they also wanted to hear it since everyone had been on edge since he had been unconscious. I raced as fast as I could to my weak legs that were not used to so much work, not caring to check if the messenger had followed behind after I dashed off leaving her behind after her reveal. Does this mean Dad would be okay? His waking up has to mean something good right? It would probably mean he would make a full recovery, wouldn’t it? I did not want to allow room for negativity so I was making sure the negative questions that w
“This was my favourite photo of you. You looked like a real angel. I had to take that photo. There was so much love and adoration in Dad’s eyes as we looked at a picture of me when I was seven. I had to admit I was a real beauty as a child. It felt like I was staring at a human-sized Barbie doll. I had on a cute pink gown and my blonde hair was parked into a ponytail and my eyes seemed so blue as they sparkled with mischief. “It was a hassle to get you to stay still that day. You had way too much candy because your mom could never resist your puppy eyes and you knew it. We had to bribe you with a promise of another candy if you stayed still enough to take that photo” he smiled and ran his hands over the picture, taking in every little detail. “That was the best day ever. Mom had finally gotten that catering degree and made us a feast. I didn’t understand what it meant back then but I was happy because she was happy” “I loved her, you know, it killed me when she was taken so quickly
I did not go back to see Dad after I walked out due to anger. I made sure Agnes, the maid in charge of Dad, gave me updates about his health though. Even though I was angry, I was still scared of anything happening while I wasn’t there. I was currently lying in my bed where I had been since I walked out of my father’s room. I was starving because I was too angry to eat anything yesterday and now I was suffering as a result of my poor decisions. The movie I was watching suddenly seemed uninteresting as I remembered that I would be married to a man I had never seen. I tossed my phone to the side and rolled on my back so I could face the ceiling. Marriage may not be one of the things that I had sorted out but it still didn’t mean I wanted to just marry anyone. I was considering being single for the rest of my life and just adopting a kid or two so I won't end up alone and sad but now that option was out the door. I had spent all night searching for everything I could find about
I don’t think I have ever been this nervous in my life. I thought the most nervous I would ever get was when I was waiting for my admission letter but standing here in front of the mirror in my walk-in closet as I examined my outfit for the thousandth time, I could barely breathe. I told myself I didn’t care and I would not bother to try hard at all but when Mariam, one of the maids had told me that Atticus was around and Duke had requested that I make myself present in an hour, my body told a different story altogether. I hated that my body wasn't working with me as I tried to calm my nerves. The sweat in my palms seems to increase with every moment that passes despite the cold room. It was as if the air conditioner was no longer working or my body was rejecting the cold. I know I looked amazing but I had no intention to try and seduce the man just because I wanted him to treat me fairly. Atticus was not a stranger when it came to stunning women. I had seen pictures of him with