Always had been daddy’s little girl, after all, I was his only daughter or child rather. He always showered me with gifts and many times my mum had admitted to being jealous although I think she may have been joking. Well as time went on, things became sour and this was how it started….

Just before I turned twelve, dad had just returned from a business trip. I had given him a list of the things I wanted for my birthday so I was not only excited to see him but couldn’t wait to see what he had gotten me. When the greetings were over and he had finally settled down, I disturbed him for my birthday gift just because I couldn’t wait any longer. Mum already shouted at me to let my dad rest but because I was daddy’s little girl, he didn’t mind. He only calmed me down and told me to wait for the next two days which was my birthday. I hugged him and left his room in excitement, looking forward to the next two days.

It was finally my birthday and I was filled with excitement. I don’t think I slept all night because I was thinking about the gifts I would receive. It was during the holidays so mum just got a cake and we did a little family celebration. I really enjoyed the company of my parents so I didn’t mind that it was just us. When it was time to unwrap my gifts, I grabbed daddy’s first. I had told him I wanted a few things but it was just one wrapped gift that looked like a box that he gave me. I quickly opened it and found out that it was an iPad. The particular one I always wanted. I jumped up in excitement and hugged him dearly, pecking him on the cheeks. Next was my mum’s so I collected it from her hand and opened it, anxious to see what my mum had gotten for me. When I took off the wrap, I saw that they were things I also needed so I hugged mum and pecked her on the cheeks as well. Although I liked both gifts, I liked dad’s better because it wasn’t part of the things I had expected him to get. That day got me smiling throughout the night.

Two weeks later, my mum had to travel for her friend’s father’s funeral so I was left with dad for a week. He wasn’t very busy that week so I got to spend time with him. We went out and sometimes stayed at home just relaxing. One particular evening, I had just gotten out of the shower when I heard my dad calling out my name. I guessed dinner was ready so I called out back, telling him that I would be out soon. I didn’t hear him say anything again so I assumed he heard me. Just as I was toweling, my room door opened and my dad came in. I had been naked when he walked in so I quickly tied my towel and looked at my dad with an angry face even though I wasn’t really angry. He only laughed it off and said;

“Is it that small thing you’re hiding from me. You don’t know I’ve seen it before.”

I knew he was my dad and I was always free with him but it made me feel embarrassed. He nonetheless apologized, telling me that he had come to get me for dinner before leaving my room. When I was done dressing up and ready to go down, I started to have a feeling that something wasn’t right. I don’t know where it came from but I could feel it and it was making me frown. When I got downstairs to meet my dad at the dining table, he noticed the frown on my face and asked what was wrong. I shook my head and told him I was fine but my dad being my dad knew I was lying. He jokingly asked if I was like that because he had seen me naked but I shook my head smiling and when I finally convinced him that I was okay, he relaxed and we resumed dinner.

That night, I had the strangest feelings while trying to sleep. I didn’t know why I was feeling that way but it was keeping me up so I played with games on my iPad. It was 2:00am and sleep finally swept my face. I had dozed off for about thirty minutes when I felt someone beside me. I opened my sleepy eyes and found my dad laying by my side. He was trying to hold me in his arms. As surprised as I was to see him in my bed, I moved closer and cuddled up beside him. The next morning, I woke up to him still sleeping so I quietly stood up and went to get ready for the day even though I wasn’t going anywhere.

Later in the day, dad went out so I stayed home doing nothing and everything. From playing games on my new iPad to watching TV. I became bored and decided to take a nap. When I woke up, it was time for dinner so I had dinner with dad before clearing the plates. Dad was actually a good cook. He had been the one cooking our meals since mum’s trip. After washing the dishes, I was feeling very dizzy and tired even though I took a nap in the afternoon. I had been yawning when telling dad goodnight. With my sleepy eyes, I found my way to my room and went straight to lay in bed. I didn’t even take a shower because I was feeling too weak to even move again. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

The next day, I remember waking up around twelve noon. I was so shocked because I rarely woke up that late and my dad hadn’t even come to wake me up. I looked at myself and saw that I was in my night gown. My bed sheets had also been changed which was surprising. I tried standing up but felt a sharp pain between my thighs. I was finding a hard time remembering what had happened to me the night before. Why did everything seem so different? I thought. I could slowly recall a little of what happened to me last night. I remember whispering to my dad that it was painful but nothing was clear to me. I even assumed that I had been dreaming. I managed to stand up and get into the shower. While taking a bath, I felt even different. My body ached and my private area hurt really bad. Something wasn’t right with me but I shook it off because I thought it was a normal thing. When I was done dressing up, I went out to greet my dad who I saw in his room talking on the phone to maybe one of his friends. I greeted him and went to sit beside him where he hugged and pecked me on the cheeks. I waited for him to be done with his call so that I could tell him how I felt. After about five minutes, he ended his call and asked me what was wrong. I told him that I had body pains and couldn’t remember anything from last night. He only told me ‘sorry’, saying it was normal before giving me some pain killers. After, he told me to go and eat my food that he had left on the dining table. I left his room and went down to have my brunch. Throughout the day, I wasn’t myself. I was feeling so much pain, one that I had never felt before but yet I convinced myself that it was normal since dad thought so too.

To be continued….

By Benita Okafor

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