With You, For You

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"I am good sir, thank you." He laughed and sat down on one of the couches.

"You have more home training than your father at least." Seeing dad embarrassed was weird. What things had that man done in the name of love? "Kendrick, did you come to visit or did you come to dump that boy here for us?"

"All of the above sir. I want him to experience life with you guys. He's mostly on his own, except when he's in school." The older man nodded and looked at me.

"But why do I feel you have ulterior motives? Hmm Kendrick?" Dad smiled sheepishly. "I'll accept. But I'm keeping an eye on this son of yours. Ihe agwo muru agahi ito ogologo." My face must have betrayed the fact that I didn't understand. "An apple doesn't fall too far from the tree." Oh...

"Kendrick, if your bringing this boy here is bout my daughter, I'm telling you, it won't work." I finally saw Vivian's dad. He looked like the man who was speaking earlier, but taller and less bulky. Brian. Brian looked very much like him. Another thing was that he looked like I had seen him before. This was beginning to feel like deja vu. Behind him was aunt Monica who was carrying a tray.

"Finally." I heard dad whisper. "Manuel, nice to meet you too."

"I never said it was nice to meet you, Kendrick. Take your son and get lost." wow, so much hostility.he didn't like my father....or me.

"I'm not going back with this boy. Your brother has accepted. Who are you? And actually, you have no choice. Four years. This is the fourth year. We both know that. My daughter-in-law will be my daughter-in-law."

"Chukwuoma is not having anything to do with your family."

"Manuel, you have no choice. It was our deal. You signed it. Monica signed it. The only thing is for them to fall in love with each other. Simple." What were they talking about? Some kind of arranged marriage?

"I changed my mind."

"Too late. Well, unless She ends up not falling for him, fine. But if not, she becomes a Chukwurah. You had to lie about her gender didn't you?" Dad wore a very evil smile, the kind he wore when he had just threatened someone into doing business with him.

Aunt Monica who had been temporarily frozen finally dropped the tray which contained what I recognised as chicken. "Not too spicy, just as you like it."

"That's why I love you." Dad said, blowing her a kiss. In front of her husband!! How again was I related to this man?

"That's my wife, Kendrick." Exactly!

"Who cares. That reminds me. Monica, I got you something." Uncle Manuel's brother chuckled.

"I'll let you children play. Manuel, don't hurt anybody." He left.

"Sapphire told me to gift you a dress," Dad continued. "And I bought jewellery that I thought would go with it. It's in the car. Well, only if your husband will let you have them." The woman looked at her spouse.

"May I?" She was a respectful wife, considerate too. I liked her already.

"Manuel there's no need refusing. You know I still won't go home with the gifts."

"Bastard." He cursed at my father. "Nne take it. I don't care anymore." I knew then that he was familiar with dad's antics.

While they kept bickering like children, I patiently waited for Vivian to show up. I excused myself and went outside to my car to think.

From what I had gathered so far, Vivian and I were...engaged to be married and since she was little, this engagement as held on. That explained why dad rejected other proposals. Did Vivian know? I highly doubted. Her parents weren't even happy about it that meant that dad must have coerced them into it. Fuck. I had to work harder to impress them. I wasn't even happy about the marriage thing.