Blindfolds

6

Yomi poured out milk from the box into his daughter's bowl of cereal, simply priding himself as his daughter watched him prepare her favorite meal in keen interest, her knees on the dinning chair and her elbows on the table supporting her face.

And after he was done with his task, he gave a dramatic bow and placed her meal before her. Zara clapped in excitement, and didn't wait a beat. She sat quickly and made to dig into her food but he halted her.

"No! No!! Are we not forgetting something?" He asked in amusement.

Zara giggled and dropped her spoon, then she clapped her hands together in front of her, and recited just as he had taught her "Bwess...this food oh lawd...in Jesus name. Amen."

"Amen."

Zara began eating, scooping up her meal and making a mess as she did. Yomi always let her feed herself because for a three year old, she thought she could do all things herself. And also because his mum had said that it was okay for kids her age to be wanting independence.

He watched his daughter eat in silence. Grateful that for a moment the only sounds heard were from the animation playing on the television in the living room, and the clatter of spoon against the bowl each time his daughter scooped up the gooey chocolate cereal. 

In the early years, he used be scared that his daughter was hyperactive. Once, he had taken her to a hospital demanding for an EEG test to be sure she was okay, but it didn't stop him from worrying. He had always worried that he wasn't doing a good job with his daughter, that just like his mum would always say, she needed a mum figure.

Immediately, his mind went out to the woman he had met days ago in the club. Dinma. She was a temptress and didn't know it, a natural in tending for kids, but yet she doubted herself.

Was that the reason she had been avoiding him? He thought to himself.

He had thought himself as stupid to have not got her phone number that day. But then he thought that he would have got it the next day.

It was pretty obvious that she was avoiding him. The past days he tried to go on time to pick his daughter just to get on Dinma's good side, but rather than meet the petite reserved woman, each time he would see an overly bubbly lady that had introduced herself once to him as Miss Abike.

He had tried to recall if anything had happened that night, but nothing astounding came up. They had only talked. Except if she was avoiding him because she didn't want to be his daughter's nanny and didn't have the boldness to tell him.

That would be stupid, he thought.

His door rattled open and his mum walked in confidently with some grocery bags as though she owned the place. Yomi groaned loudly at this and stood to meet her.

"Why do you still have my keys?" He asked, but she brushed past him to the little girl on the table.

Zara looked up from her meal and yelled "Grandma!" This earned her a kiss on her temple.

"How's my baby girl?"

"Fine." The little girl gave a toothed grin.

His mum took a long stare at the bowl of cereal, her face contouring into a frown. She shifted her gaze to Yomi who was standing across from her, then she said calmly, her voice firm and threatening.

"Abayomi Samuel Johnson!"

"Oh-oh, daddy's in trouble!" Zara slapped her palm over her mouth in an exaggerated surprise, and giggled.

"Baby, why don't you go to living room with your food. Grandma wants to talk with me" Yomi said to his daughter.

"Buh I want to thalk too." Zara whined.