“Dad? You missed my last recital. Only Mom was present, and I was expecting to see you among the crowd.” Like an innocent child, tendering her case with all tenderness and meekness, Sofi tendered her allegations against her father.
Sofi’s father, Mike, had always been busy at work. “It’s because I love her. I am always busy at work. How do I make her understand that?” Mike had once said this to Amina, Sofi’s mother.
As Amina sensed the tension in the air, she quickly stepped in and replied to her daughter, “Don’t worry, Daddy won’t miss your recital. He’s got a plan to attend this time.” She quickly signaled to her husband to play along. “Sofi Darling, I won’t miss your coming recital for anything in the world,” Mike said.
“What has this woman gotten me into?” Mike said to himself. As Sofi joined her schoolmates in their school bus and waved her parents goodbye, like an uncomfortable man with a disturbing thought, Mike couldn’t hide his distress. “Why would you put me in such a hard spot in front of our daughter? Do you have any plan B or alternatives, or what were you thinking, Amina?”
As Mike fumed and expressed his thoughts, Amina only stood still and smiled. Like a mother knows her child and behaviors, she knows her husband inside and out. There had been several situations where they had misunderstandings, and he even said things she couldn’t imagine but later apologized because he was only fuming at the moment.
“Don’t worry, Mike, your body will calm down, and I also have a plan B; you just watch out!” Amina said to herself as she left him to figure things out without saying a word.
Like a cold rush of ice down a man’s veins, Mike was so shocked at Amina’s reaction. “See finish is bad o. Imagine this lady walking out on me.” Mike said to himself as he watched Amina make her way to the kitchen. Like a man defeated in a battle of arguments, he shakes his head, picks up his car keys, and is ready to leave for work.
“Don’t you dare step out of that door.” Mike was again shocked to hear Amina call him out so confidently. “When did all this start in this house? What is the meaning of all these?” Mike said.
Before he could finish his statement, Amina collected the car keys from him and went straight to the car. Mike was surprised to see that Amina had packed his food and gone to drop it off in his car. With the size of the cooler, he knew his lunch must have been packed too.
Like a cast member assigned a role but unsure of his next action, Mike wasn’t sure whether to smile at his wife or frown, but before he could decide, Amina again did what he least expected.
“Think through how to solve the problem with your daughter and come back home to get some more of the sweetness I just dropped in your car, sweetie,” Amina whispered in Mike’s ears, pecked him, and also dropped the car keys in his hands simultaneously. Mike couldn’t understand how everything happened so fast, but it was a moment he would love to relive again and again.
Like a man in a love trance, he was partially hypnotized by Amina’s performance. “You are free to go now, sweetheart.” Amina said as Mike regained his consciousness, he couldn’t believe his wife was capable of all he had just experienced.
As Mike drove to work, like a man finding a way out of his problems, he thought so hard about what he had to do in order to be present at his daughter’s recital. He knew he couldn’t escape this time with all the drama Amina had put up.
“What will I tell my boss?” he asked himself. Like a man suddenly finding an answer to his dilemma, Mike clenched his fist and hit his palm so hard severally, “Yes! Yes! Yes! That’s it!” He said. It seems the questions he threw in the air finally came back with an answer. “The air can hear after all,” he added.
Before the day of the recital, like an alarm that never stops ringing, Sofi had given her father several reminders to make sure he never said he forgot. Even Amina was getting scared of what she had caused; she knew Mike would lose his daughter’s trust if he failed to show up.
She had asked Mike several times what he'd do, knowing he wouldn’t be present at the recital due to the nature of his work. “I have a Plan B.” had always been Mike’s response to her question.
As it was Sofi’s turn at the recital, she already lost all hope of her father’s presence, seeing that he hadn't been present since the beginning of the event. Her mother was in the front row, and at least that is a good consolation of some sort. Just as she was about to mount the podium, one of the teachers grabbed the microphone to make a special announcement.
“Hello everyone, I hope we have been having a good time. The next soloist is Sofi Mike, but before she comes up, there is important information for us; please turn your gaze to the projector.” As Sofi’s teacher concluded her statement, everyone turned their attention to the projector.
Sofi was so shocked to see her dad cheered on by his colleagues at work even before he made his statement. “Daddy!” She screamed with joy.
“Sofi, darling, I need you to know that Daddy loves you and he needs to work so as to keep providing for you. As much as I would love to always be there for you, I can’t because Daddy has work to do. But trust me, I’ll do my best to give you the best life and attention you could ever imagine."
Mike continued, "I’m so happy this was made possible. A big thanks to the school authority for making this possible. This means a lot to me and my family. Just before I conclude my statement, I need to show that I mean what I have just said…” The projector went off, and everyone started murmuring as to what happened.
Like the emergence of a ghost in a movie, Mike emerged from the back of the podium with flowers as Sofi ran to him and embraced him. The whole projection was recorded, and in addition to the plan, Mike’s boss gave him permission to leave work early so as to be at her daughter’s recital.
Amina couldn’t hold back her tears of joy as she embraced her husband. “Your plan B is awesome, baby; you really got me there, way better than mine,” she said. Although Mike couldn't totally understand his wife, he was glad his plan would give him some time away from similar events. "At least I'll have more time to work and concentrate," Mike said to himself.
Yeehaw! This post is like a wild ride with a happy ending!
😄😄🤗🤗🤗Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed it. More of these will show up on my blog. I appreciate you, thanks again.🙏🙂
Glad to hear you're rustlin' up more content! Keep the fire burnin' bright, and happy trailblazin' on your blog!
@cowboy.curator Thanks again. I'll definitely keep pouring my ink well 😄😄🤗🤗🤗 have a blessed week.🙏🙂
Pour that ink and let your words flow like a mighty river, partner. Your yarns are a gift to this here community. Here's to a week full of inspiration and creativity. Happy trails! 🤠📜✨
👌😉😄😄😄 we might as well initiate a prompt.. I feel your vibe, really on point. 🤗🤗🤗Thank you again and again 🙏🙂
This was a lovely read, fathers go through a lot sacrificing family time just to provide for the family that it often seem that they don't care as much as our mums do, but they actually do, that was a commendable display from Mike, he's an awesome dad.
@misha4 this is so true.. fathers go through a lot behind the scene indeed. Sofi was able to see Mike's effort in the end. Thanks so much for your detailed contribution 🤗🌹🤗
Wow, you got me hooked to the very end and I thought Mike wasn't there when you mentioned the projector. Finding time for our loved ones when they need us is very important and Sofia will never forget that moment.
@george-dee I'm glad you read to the end. Thank you. There's nothing as lovely as being there for our loved ones. I appreciate your contribution 🤗🤗🤗
Thank you 🙏🙂