CHAPTER 19 - THE UNWELCOMED ANNOUNCEMENT


    Riona looked at her dad. Whatever he wanted to say was obviously very serious.


    In her worried state, she tried to recall the events of the past few days so as to know what might be the


    issue but she could not pinpoint any possible thing that had happened or that she might have done to


    annoy her dad. As far as she knew, everything was going well between them.


    Still, in her quest to know what her dad would want to say, her mind drifted to Maeve and Riley. She


    was surprised to realize that it had been a long time since her dad had bothered her with Maeve and


    Riley. And she felt that he hade to ept that she doesn''t want anything to do with them.


    On the issue between her dad and Maeve, Riona discovered that there was nothing to show that he


    was seeing Maeve some other ce. On her part, Riona has stopped sneaking on her dad neither had


    she tried to bother herself on anything concerning Maeve anymore. She has resolved that as long as


    he does not bring it home, then it was not her business.


    Having exhausted all possible topics, Riona wondered what then her dad would be so desirous of


    discussing with her. If it is about the school, she has been at her best this session and since there was


    no issue with school, then there was nothing to discuss that. Having searched and realized that she


    could note up with anything, she replied. “What about dad?”


    Wright inhaled. He took some time to ess his daughter and he saw before him a girl that is growing


    into a prettydy. Then he continues.


    “Honey, you know it has been a while since we lost your mum, and all through this time, we have both


    been here together, all by ourselves” he began.


    “Of course dad and we would be together forever. I love it this way dad, I know that you are trying your


    very best to be here for me, and I sincerely appreciate that from the bottom of my heart” she replied.


    Wright was bing more skeptical about what he was about to say. Riona never fails to make it


    obvious that she loves the idea of it being just the both of them, and she always emphasized that she


    would love it to remain that way.


    However, since he had decided to say this, he went on with it. “You would agree with me that we have


    to move forward, I know that’s what Evolette would have wanted”


    Riona could not understand what her dad meant by wanting to move forward. They don’t talk about her


    mum’s death anymore, and to a great extent, life has returned back to normal with them.


    “But we are already moving forward, dad” Riona said.


    “Or is there something that we are not doing right, or something that we need to do?” Riona asked.


    “Not like this Rio, I need to move forward and you have to be open to changes, that’s what life is all


    about. We have to make decisions that would enable us to move forward, decisions that would be good


    for us”. He said.


    He deliberately stopped to see how Riona had absorbed all that he had said. But she was just looking


    at him without making any sound and so it was hard for him to know how she felt.


    “What do you think about that, Rio?” he asked.


    “Okay dad, do you suggest we move out, do you want us to change location?” Riona asked.


    “Far from that, I am not requesting that we leave this ce” he replied.


    “Then what do you want?” she asked.


    “I am getting married soon, Rio” He announced.


    Wright could see the hurt in Riona’s eyes immediately he made the announcement; her shock was


    obvious. He felt bad that it had to be this way, but what was he to do when his daughter had made


    herselfpletely inessible? He hoped she would understand and he also prayed that she finds it


    in her heart to forgive him if his decision has hurt her.


    “Just like that, dad” she said.


    She was already furious and she was not hiding it.


    “Calm down Rio…”


    Riona was not having any of that, he should not ask her to calm down, he has no right to.


    “You don’t ask me to calm down daddy. Can you just listen to yourself? You just walk up to me to tell


    me that you are getting married. Are you trying to tell me that I mean absolutely nothing to you? We are


    supposed to be together, to have each other’s back and you were already seeing someone and I knew


    nothing, absolutely nothing about it. Just how unfair can this get?” she screamed.


    “Please don’t see it like that honey, I was going to tell you from the start, but I did not know how to, I


    was worried about how you were going to see it” he pleaded.


    “So why do it now, what changed?” Riona asked.


    “Nothing Rio” he replied.


    It was after Wright had already replied that he realized what her question meant, and he quickly


    corrected himself.


    “You have to know, there is no way we can go on with the wedding without you knowing. We have to


    tell you” he said.


    By now, Riona had be a little bit rxed. She feels that instead of getting infuriated, it was better


    for her to calm down and get all the necessary information concerning the supposed marriage.


    “So who are you getting married to dad?” she asked.


    This was the part that Wright had dreaded all along. How was he to tell her that the very person that he


    is getting married to is the same person that she has been kicking against from the very first time that


    she got to know about her?


    He tried to study her to know how she might react if he mentioned Maeve’s name. He could see that


    she was not thinking of any name, instead, she was patiently waiting for him to tell her who it was that


    he wanted to tie the knots with.


    “Is it someone I know dad?” she added.


    “Of course Rio, you know her” he answered.


    Riona was beginning to get tense. Who was this person that she knew that her dad is getting married


    to? For a moment, her head was nk and she could not think of any name.


    She waited for her dad to answer her. She wanted him to tell her who it was that he was getting


    married to.


    Her dad was about to mention the name when she suddenly realized who it was and they both said it at


    once.


    “Maeve” they both chorused.


    Riona stood up immediately and wanted to leave.


    “Don’t leave Rio” Wright pleaded.


    “It will not happen” Riona said.


    In anger, she stamped her feet on the floor just so as to show him how serious she was about her


    decision.


    “I will not let it happen” she repeated but this time around, she screamed.


    Wright stood up too. He knows that he has to make her understand that it was his decision to make on


    whom he wants to get married to. All he wants from her is her understanding. She has to take his


    happiness into consideration if at all she cares about him.


    “Can you please hear me out Rio?” he begged.


    Riona is his daughter, and he felt she should know by now that he would not intentionally do anything


    to get her upset. However, in this situation, he knows that she was overreacting and she might need


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    some time to calm down.


    “I don’t think there is any other thing to discuss this dad. We don’t need her, we are better off without


    her” She said.


    “What about me Rio, don’t you care about how I feel, does my feeling mean nothing to you?” he asked.


    Did she just hear her dad talk about feelings? She thought. When he had never cared about her


    feelings even for once since after her mum’s death. She had never hidden how she felt about Maeve


    and Riley, so why is he trying to force them into her life?


    “I care about you dad and you know it” she answered.


    “Then why not do this for me Rio” he pleaded.


    “You know how I felt about them dad, you could have just nipped whatever rtionship that you had


    with them in the bud from the very start. But you never cared about how I felt dad, even if it is just for


    once” shemented.


    “Please don’t talk like that Rio, I don’t like it when you sound this way” he said.


    "And what happened to Cindy, why did you not pick her?" Riona said quietly.


    "It does not work that way honey" He replied.


    Riona felt that she has to act quickly before this gets out of hand. She was determined that her father


    would have to choose, he has to make a choice between her or them. Because she cannot be made to


    cohabit with them, she does not want to share her dad or her home with them.


    “You have to choose dad, it''s either me or them” she demanded.


    Wright was bbergasted. He wondered why Riona should be demanding such from him, why would


    she think of asking him to choose between her and Maeve? He loved her and at the same time, he also


    wanted to marry Maeve.


    “You know I can’t do that Rio, you mean so much to me” he said.


    “Then let them go” she demanded.


    “Riona” he said.


    When did his daughter be this way, why was she refusing to look at this from his own


    perspective?


    “Can I give you some time to think through this Rio? I believe you wille around soon. We would put


    the marriage on hold for now, just for you” he said.


    Riona was d that he could make this sacrifice for her. At least that showed that he still cared about


    her. And now, she was beginning to feel sorry for him, because she was never going to change her


    mind.


    Wright was hoping that with time, Riona would be able to ept the fact that he had to make some


    adjustments with his life and he prayed she understood the adjustment he was trying to make with his


    marital status. He is also doing this for her and he believed that very soon she woulde to


    understand and appreciate that too.


    “Okay dad, but I doubt if that would change anything” she replied.