Face To Face

The name does truly suit her, with her chubby cheeks, beautiful brown eyes, fair skin, and curly hair. She is a beautiful kid. There was something about this girl that just makes me drawn to her, I can't place my fingers on it, probably because she is beautiful.

"Do you know your Daddy's name?" I asked, it will be easier to find him with a name.

She nodded vigorously, "Aminu"

"All right little girl, let's go find your daddy" 

I took her little hands in mine, as we walked down to the point of sale, I told them about the little girl, and they immediately announced via their speakers in the mall, asking Mr. Aminu to come pick up his daughter at the point of sale.

It wasn't long when a man came running frantically to the point of sale. The little girl who recognized him to be her father, quickly ran towards him, screaming ''daddy!''

The man bent down and scooped her into his arms, hugging her tightly to himself. With the way he held her, it was evident that he has been looking for her too.

As I stood watching them, something about the man seemed familiar, I'm near sighted so I can't see things which aren't so close to me quite clearly. But as the man walked closer to me with his daughter in his arms, I realized I have met him before.

Fate must really be playing a big joke on me, of all people why did it have to him? I knew I should have just kept walking, when I first saw that little girl, probably I would have been saved the embarrassment of meeting him again.

I decided to turn around and go in the other direction, there was no need to meet him, the good thing is that the little girl found her father.

And just then, the little girl screamed out; "don't leave" I wanted to keep walking, but her sharp voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Daddy, that's the aunty that helped me to find you"

She announced gleefully to her father. I didn't know she had such a sharp voice, or could construct even a complete sentence without crying, considering the way she was crying for her father not too long ago.

"Thank you so much for helping me find my daughter"

He said to me, his voice filled with gratitude, I still had my back to him so he didn't see my face.

I mumbled a 'you are welcome' and continued walking away from them.

"I would like to thank you properly if you don't mind?"

Thank me properly? what does he even mean by that?

"That won't be necessary" I continued walking.

"At least let me see your face, and maybe know your name, please?"

There was something about his voice, it was the type that makes you stop dead in your tracks, the type that makes want to do whatever the person says. I couldn't remember him having such a sweet voice from the last time we met.

'you were hungover, and could barely even hear yourself speak'

Yeah true, blame it on the alcohol, blame everything that happened between us that day on the alcohol, as if to humiliate me more, my brain chose that moment to remind me of how I had puked on his shoes.

I started walking away, this time I doubled my steps, but I haven't taken much steps, when I saw the chubby little girl in front of me.

How did she get here? Wasn't she just in her father's arms a while ago?

"Aunty please come say hello to my daddy" she smiled at me, showing off her missing tooth.

How was I supposed to refuse such an adorable kid? I was still looking at her, when her father came to my front.

I raised my head to look at him, he was as shocked as I was to see him.

"she is beautiful right?" the little girl beamed at her father.