Chapter 33: The Unfriendly Proposal
My father looked at me for a while, he was obviously surprised by my reply, he didn't expect that at all.
"How do you mean son, do you know how many people are dying to become rich just like us?"- He asked
"I don't care if people are dying to become rich, true happiness does not come from money. It comes from spending time with your loved ones and being there for them when they need you the most.
You are just the opposite dad, you care too much about money than your own family"- I replied rudely
"Will you shut up that butt hole you call a mouth, everything I have done is for you. Whenever I work, I don't get tired because I know that my family needs the cash
That's why I founded my own company so that my children won't go outside to look for jobs. I spent half of my life trying to build the company till it became a huge success today and you sit here and talk about money not being the source of true happiness. How would you feel when you stay hungry for days without any hope of getting food to eat?"- he asked
Perhaps money is a little bit good in some ways, but it can never replace the role of a father to his son. My dad always comes up with different excuses whenever I try to create time to hang out with him and now he is trying to justify his own bad attitude
"I would prefer living a simple life where I can talk with my father and have peace of mind knowing that he would be there at my beck and call.
That's was all I ever wanted back in high school, but you never showed that fatherly love towards me. Everything is not about money dad, I agree that money can put food on your table and give you a comfortable life but it can never be your companion"- I replied while trying to wipe off the little tears gathering in my eyes
it was really painful when I go to school everyday and see other children with their fathers. My mom was the only person who drove me to school throughout my early school days. My father never for once ever thought of paying a visit to me while I was in school.
He barely even came home, he would only send huge piles of cash to my mother's account and that's all. In a year, he only pays a visit to us once all in the name of business trips
"You have to understand me, money is the only thing that is important, every other thing can be added later"- he replied with a smile on his face
"Why won't you say that, that's the only thing you care about in your whole life. You should have just stick to making money instead of giving birth to a son you won't even visit.
I remember when we had a "bring your dad to school day". I begged you on the phone to come home, but you hung up on me and I went to school without a dad, I felts ashamed that day seeing everyone with their handsome father's while mine was away in God knows where.
Sometimes I just wish I never had you as a father, because you don't even deserve to be called a man. Just take a look at my friend Kelvin, his father was always there for him and I know how close the both of them were.
Their bond was so strong to the extent that he even ran mad when his father died. He was sick for months, and up till today, he still adores his father by paying a visit to his grave every month."- I replied while taking my leave from their presence
my mom held my hands and begged me to stay, I could feel the pain in her heart. She also felt the impact of what my dad did to the both of us.
It was definitely not easy to live without seeing your husband for close to a year, and even when he would eventually visit her. He won't send up to two days
"Don't walk away on your father, I know his actions may not be right. But he is still your father no matter what and you can't change that fact for life
Please sit down and hear what he has to say"- My mom pleaded
"He has nothing to say mom, he is still trying to defend his actions all in the name of creating an lifetime generational wealth for us. If being rich won't bring me the happiness that I want, then I prefer to be poor"- I replied
My dad watched the both of us in amazement, he never expected my mom to support me this way. He was short of words as he vividly stared into my eyes
I stared at him back till he eventually broke the silence
"I can't believe you will support a boy who barely knows his left from his right. Why didn't you tell him about the part where you tried to abort his pregnancy because you needed to secure your job at the bank twenty years back"- My dad said
His last words hit me like a bullet and I sat down on the sofa like someone who is just three inches away from death. I never believed my mom was also part of this "Money is everything" scheme
So she tried to abort me when I was still in her womb so that she could secure a job at the bank?. Indeed, my life is really fucked up in ways I can't even explain,
Tears rolled down from my eyes and I watched the both of them stare at my face
"Son please don't get me wrong, it was just a minor thing we could easily work out. I was only trying to protect my job as a banker.
I will explain everything to you, please just give me a chance to say the truth"- She replied while leaning forwards to the place where I sat down
I looked at her for a while, I was lost in thoughts and I don't even know what to say at this moment.
"Twenty two years ago, I newly graduated from the university with a first class degree in accounting, I needed to get a job to fund myself and my parents too. And as at that time, I met your father was a young man who was struggling to develop a game called Crush Ninja.
I got a job at a very big establishment and the bank was well known in the country. But things became quite difficult when your dad got me pregnant, my boss asked me to abort the pregnancy if I wanted to keep my job in the company.
By that time, you father had no cash and my banking job was the only means of survival for the both of us. I drank some chemicals with the hope that you would die off in my womb,
but it seems that you were destined to live all along and there was nothing I could do to stop that. My boss eventually found out that I didn't abort the pregnancy, so he payed me off and sacked me later on"- She said with tears following down her eyes
I don't know what to say at this point, too confused to even utter a word, suppose that chemical actually worked. That means I would have been dead a long time ago.
This is really surprising and horrific at the same time
"If not for money and my hard work, I and my family would be on the streets begging for food. You have no idea how famous we are in this country as a result of all the hard work I invested to make my company stand out amongst it's peers.
You won't understand me now, not until you start raising a family of your own. Maybe by then, you will understand where I am coming from. But that this point, your brain still seems immature"- My dad replied with an outburst of laughter
I looked at him with the intention of strangling his neck till he breathes his last breath. I quietly tried to walk out of the conversation, but my dad pulled me down this time and made me stare at his eye balls.
"Where do you think you are going to?. Are you trying to walk out on me?"- He asked with anger
"I am tired of hearing these stories and I want to rest my head. I have been through a lot today and my nose is already aching me as you can see"- I replied in sad tone
He raised my face up to ascertain if my nose was still bleeding
"I know you need to rest, but you have to listen to what I have to say first. I actually came back home to inform you that you will be traveling to Nigeria,
I just opened a tech company over there in a center of the country and I want you to oversee all of it's operations. You will be the overall manager of everything that happens there and you would be staying with your aunt
She has a lot of estates and she is currently living in one of the most expensive homes in lagos, Nigeria. So you will find it quite easy to relax and have fun over there"- He replied with a smile on his face
I felt so angry by those words and I don't even know if I should either walk out or reply his statement?
"So what's your take on this. It's cool right"- He asked with a smile
I looked at him with anger written all over my face, I felt like running away not to ever return back home.
"I can't go to Nigeria, I prefer it here. I Think you should I hire someone else who would work as a manager in the new company.
I can't move out of the United States, and besides you never asked for my opinion. You made your own decision and you expect me to follow you like a sheep?"- I asked
He paused for a minute while resting his back on the chair
"You can't just wake up one day and refer me to a country that I have never paid a visit to in my entire life. Is that how your own parents treated you"- I asked again
He seemed angry by those last words and I had to quickly shut my mouth before he gets angry. My dad is well known for doing crazy things whenever he is angry and I don't want to be a victim of his craziness this time around
"I have made my decision and you will have to obey it whether you like it or not, there is nothing you can do about it so just start arranging your things. You will be leaving the United States this coming Friday"- he replied while taking his leave from the room
I smiled at him, he had no idea of what I had in stock for the both of them. They will be so surprised to see me go missing for a month or two and I would personally block their numbers so that they can't reach me.
I'm going to make life a living hell for them. I took my leave and walked straight to my room without turning back
I shut the door and lied down on my bed when my phone rang, it was Kelvin. My mood brightened up a little to see his name of my phone
"What's up bro, how is everything going?"- I asked immediately after picking the call
"I'm good bro. I just wanted to inform you about a recent development regarding your journey"- he replied
"what could that be?"- I asked with curiosity
"Well you know that I mentioned earlier that I won't be able to travel with you because I would need to stay back and look after my mom"- he replied
"Yes I remember that very well. And I clearly respect your decision on that, won't try to talk you out of it"- I replied
"Well it will interest you to know that my mom has changed her mind, she wants me to travel with you and have the greatest moments of my life.
She said she would be perfectly okay even in my absence. Guess she is gonna spend most of her time with close friends and others"- He said
I screamed out of excitement in hearing those last words of he's, the journey just go better and I would do my best to ensure that this trip would be a memorable one for everybody
"That's awesome bro, then you better start parking up your things, the journey is just two days away. And on Monday, I would ensure we take the first light"- I replied
"That's okay. As long we all have a good time together.
I will catch you later bro, I have to rest for a while. so tired right now"- He replied
"Yours Is nice to hear, I'm in pains as I am speaking to you right now. My nose is broken and swollen"- I said
"What!!!. How did it happen, were you involved in a fight or were you attacked by someone?"- He asked with curiosity written boldly in his voice
"No, it's a long story bro, but I am grateful that God saved me from the hands of a blackmailer who tried to black mail me with a rape case"- I replied while resting my body in the bed
Kelvin paused for a while, it was shocking to hear such news and I could vividly understand that he is trying to process the whole information.
"This is unbelievable, how did it happen. Were you trying to take advantage of the person and is it a guy or a lady?"- He asked
"It's a lady, and she was trying to seduce me in my office. At first, I thought it was just a mere coincidence or maybe she just had a crush on me.
But based on the fact that I had cameras in the office, I had to quickly control myself and push her away. And that was when she revealed her true intention"- I replied
"I'm speechless right now"- Kelvin replied
"She actually threatened me to send her a lot of money directly to her bank account. I tried to Indirectly tell her that all her actions are being recorded in the ICT office but she was just too dumb to realize that fact.
She kept on revealing herself and she said that she would scream that I tried to rape her if I didn't make the transfer. So I had to make a swift action by revealing to her that they were hidden cameras all around us"- I replied