Not welcome

The sun was quick to return to rest and the moon picking up the cue, lighted up the earth.

Fred had walked Diva back into the mansion and on the porch, they stood. The warm breeze of the day had turned cooler and was now making the weather too cold for Diva. Her hands wrapped around her, cuddling herself than hugging.

' You should get going now. Thanks for today '. Her words were rather urging than appreciative.

' Am in no hurry. Mind if I join you for dinner '. No!. She wanted to say. Breakfast, lunch, and now – dinner? Seriously, were they now feeding this full-grown man? Old enough to father a child.

' No!. You should get going now, Fred. Won't like you eating dinner here '. Before she could speak, her father's blunt words moved with the breeze towards them.

They both turned to see her dad walking towards them with the bodyguards behind him, by the black sedans they had come with.

He walked straight to her and placed a light peck on her hair. ' So sorry dear, I couldn't make it last night as promised. Hope you had a lovely day? '. Diva nodded, having her dad smile at her 

' Good evening Uncle. Did you see the welcome gift I sent you? '. Fred asked his uncle with a big smile on his face. There was always something behind that kind of smile. It was never genuine. Diva knew that.

Chairman Conrad, as people outside the kingdom, in this part of the world knew him wore his less bothered look as he faced Fred. ' I saw it. Do you feel better?. How are your children?'. Diva turned to look at her dad, who was joking with his eyes.

' Oh, they are fine, Uncle. Would you like to see them? '. Mischief played with the smile on Fred's face. Diva caught that too.

' Yes, where are they?. I don't see them anywhere '. With his hand still around her shoulders, crossing behind her neck, he ran his eyes behind him and ahead, landing behind Fred and then back to him.

' She's here. No need to look any further '. Was Fred's response as he glued his eyes on Diva.

She glared at him in her position, totally infuriated by his comparison of her with a child. How belittling!.

Her dad held no emotions on his face as he shifted his eyes from Diva and back to Fred.

' I was of your age when I had my first child and your dad was younger than you when he did. When you are ready with a pregnancy report of your wife, you can come back. Until then- you are not welcome '. With that he stepped into the house, expecting Diva to follow suit.

Diva locked her gaze with Fred for a while and then went into the house too. Closing the door behind her.

All this while, his cheeks were held up in a full smile that reached his eyes as they entered the house, leaving him outside in silence. 

The smile on his face slowly mellowed down till only a stretch of his cheeks was seen. 

Walking out of there, he entered a black tinted windows jeep that had parked outside the mansion. Placing his phone by the side, he unbuttoned the wristbands of his shirt. He pressed his back against the leather seat, his hand bent on the window with his elbow protruding out of it. His thumb and forefinger pressed against his forehead while looking outside. The smile on his face had finally dropped.

His phone vibrated on the seat. Picking it up, he swiped through and tapped the speakerphone to hear the voice of a man.

For five minutes he paid attention to what the man on the other end of the phone was saying. At the end of the call, he dropped the phone back on the seat and turned to look at the driver who was patiently looking at him from the rear mirror. 

The driver's eyes held anxiety but on seeing Fred nodding, he turned the ignition.

The car zoomed out of there into the nights, through the tarred road, round the water fountain, and out the heavy gates.