“When is your daddy coming home?” Femi
wondered aloud, usually the good doctor was
back home before 5, especially on Saturdays and it was almost 6 already.
“I dunno” Amanda replied without looking up from the colouring book she was painting on.
“Does he have an emergency?” Femi urged,
knowing that an emergency at the hospital was
the other thing that kept him out late.
“Dunno” Amanda kept colouring, her tongue
between her teeth, deep in concentration.
“Errrgh!” Femi groaned. She took Amanda four
times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. She had a real hankering to see Fiyin, the last time she had seen him had been during the class on Wednesday. She hadn’t seen him when she had come yesterday and when she had asked where he went, Amanda had only just stared at her.
She looked at the time, 5:51pm. Come on Dr,
where are you, she asked herself.
Then she heard the gate opening and his car
driving in, her heart lifted and she started smiling.
“Why you smiling?” Amanda suddenly asked when she looked up to see the dreamy look in her Teacher’s eyes.
“Your daddy is back” Femi said without thinking.
“Daddy! Yaaaaay!” The little girl screamed as she jumped out of her chair and ran into the sitting room and into her father’s arms.
“Hey, small stuff, how are you?” Fiyin asked,
rising with his daughter snuggled in his arms.
“Daddy, I’m very fine, I drewed a nice picture
today. Lemme show you!” She wriggled out of his arms and went to get her drawing from the study.
Femi followed her out.
“Good evening sir” Femi smiled in greeting but
was overshadowed by Amanda’s screaming of her picture. Nonetheless, she thought she had seen Fiyin smile at her, she couldn’t be sure though, the man hardly ever smiled at her.
“See what I drewed! See it, Daddy!”
“What is it?” Fiyin asked, kneeling beside Amanda to look at her drawing. It was a funny caricature of a very tall man, a tiny girl stretching out her hands to the tall man and at a distance, was another stick figure holding a book and waving.
All their faces were painted orange and their
bodies green. He waved the picture at Femi, who was laughing with her back against the wall.
“This is me…” Amanda said needlessly, pointing
at the tiny figure, “….this is you…” she pointed at
the really tall drawing “…and this is Miss Femi”
she concluded.
“Wow, it’s pretty, I like it.” Fiyin said, tongue in
cheek, it was safe to say Amanda would never
make a career as an artist. “This is beautiful….”
he told his beaming daughter, “I owe you ice
cream for this.”
“Yes!! Now, now?” Amanda cried, excited.
“Yes, now.” Fiyin answered, smiling at the way
laughter made Femi’s eyes shine. She had really nice eyes, he told himself. Big and white and twinkling.
“Let Miss Femi come with us, please. She was
sad yesterday, her boyfriend said she’s fat”
Amanda pleaded passionately.
“Amanda!!” Femi shouted, aghast. “I didn’t tell
her that.” she told Fiyin, “I don’t know where she
heard that!”
“I heard you talking to your bestie on the phone
yesterday” Amanda said quietly
“Amaaanda, you shouldn’t eavesdrop on people, it’s a bad habit!” Femi whined, embarrassed.
“I did not evedop, you said it!” Amanda felt
persecuted
“It’s not evedop, baby girl, it’s eavesdrop and it
means listening when people aren’t talking to
you. You really shouldn’t do it, okay?” Fiyin said
sternly. “Femi don’t take it personally, okay, no
harm done. Amanda, apologise now!”
“Okay, I’m sorry, Miss Femi” Amanda said
genuinely. Not the least deterred, “Can Miss Femi come for ice-cream?”
“Sure, if she doesn’t have anything else doing…”
“No, I don’t!” Femi exclaimed, excited. She had
been scared Fiyin would send her packing after
the Boyfriend talk but he didn’t seem to mind,
whew, she would have to watch what she said
around Amanda, that child was a little sharper
than she gave her credit for.
“Alright, let’s go, I will drop you at the bus stop
on our way back.”
“Alright sir” Femi said as she went back to the
study to quickly gather her belongings.
*****************
“Hmmm, delicious!” Amanda said as she took yet another big spoon of ice-cream. They were seated at a little corner of cold stone Creamery enjoying their ice cream.
Femi could not credit the excitement she felt.
Since they got there, they had been gisting
constantly, Fiyin told her about work and was
being very kind and generous.
“You own the hospital?” Femi asked, surprised.
She knew he had money but did not know he
owned a big hospital. She also knew his father
was the current Minister of health and she
assumed that was where he got his wealth from.
“Erm, not really, my father started it but now
there’s a board of trustees and some
shareholders although we still own the largest
shares. I’m just serving as the M.D. while my dad is the chairman. It goes beyond the hospital though, we have a Medical laboratory in another location and several pharmacies all over the country.”
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