𝟑𝟎 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐥

~~ 82. ~~

The passport and ticket were booked for the following year.

She peered at him and she read it again. Every single piece of information belongs to him. Not a single detail was wrong.

She dropped the passport and picked up the papers. She read through them quickly. Her eyes darted from one heading to the other. And it finally dawn on her.

She just realized why her brother was crying, being emotional. It just dawned on her what Demilade's gift to her brother was and she felt the tears swell in her eyes too. Two tears dropped on the papers in her hand and she quickly wipe them away.

She went over to Demilade who was looking at her, face impassive.

Demilade had looked up from his phone when Lola stood up from his side. He followed her with his eyes to where her brother sat. The boy was sobbing in his hand. He understood he was a bit emotional about what he found out. But he didn't expect him to cry so much. And his sister had requested to know why he was sentimental but when he couldn't answer due to his emotions, she finally decided to get answers to her own question. And not so surprisingly, Lola becomes sentimental like her brother.

She held the papers in her hand and came closer to him. She sat beside him, facing him. She tried saying something but her tears won't let her. She kept gagging on her tears. She wiped them away and tried again but she failed miserably and she finally stopped trying. He didn't say anything as he just watched her.

She placed her arms around him, drawing him into an embrace and she sob on his shoulder.

<He said nothing but just pat her back. He looked at Daniel staring at them with tears still on his face. He smiled reassuringly at him. The boy looked away as he sniffed another tear.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much Demilade." Lola kept saying on Demilade's arms. Her voice shook with emotions and sobbing.

Demilade just nodded. "It's nothing."

She pulled away and looked at his face. "It isn't nothing Demmy. Not at all. You..." She wiped away the fresh tears that were running down her cheek. "Do you have any idea what this meant to us? Do you realize what kind of favor you just did for us?"

He leaned closer to her. He used his thumb to wipe the tears on her face.

"I know. I know deep well. But that is the least that I could do for him. He is your brother. And he is no different from the little brother that I never have." He said. "What would change with just a little scholarship?"

"Everything," Daniel answered. They turned to him. He moved over to Demilade side. "It would change everything brother Demilade. You're sponsoring my tertiary education for free and you want me to go and study at one of the best universities out in the country. I don't know how to..." He began to sob again. "I don't know how to appreciate this. This is a huge favor that I don't think I can ever pay back."

He was sincere about it. Just the other day, after their dinner at his father's apartment, he had told Demilade that he wished to come and intern at his company before he write his JAMB to prepare for seeking admission to the tertiary institution.

But in a blink of an eye, he already got admission to a university he never hoped or planned for. And everything has been paid for.

For free.

It's just like a dream.

But it wasn't.

It was reality.

"You can pay me back by doing good as you always do," Demilade said. "Make me proud. You told me you want to be an architect. After seeing your results which were amazing and your determination whenever we talked, I realized that I need someone like you to work with me someday. I like your passion and determination. I know you have it in you. You deserve all the chances you have to do better. You deserve the best education to have that skill and experience. And since I can help why not do something? So that's the price for your hard work and determination. Just do your best and make us proud. That's what I want. Make us proud Dan."