Half life

At The Station

"I'll be right back just stay in the car" Dad said stepping out of the car after turning off its engine as we got to the Arvis and he pulled up infront of a residential block.

Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I let out a wide yawn and shifted uneasily on my seat then focused my gaze in the direction Dad headed for.

Just after taking a few strides, a man in his early fifties with a protruded belly in a pair of black sweatpants and well ironed shirt walked out of the block to meet Dad then they shook hands.

With my gaze still partly on them, I dug my hands into my hoodie pockets in search of nothing in particular then brought it out and decided to run my frail fingers on the side window before I redirected my gaze back to Dad and the man.

From the way they stood, it was obvious they were caught up in a serious conversation and it seems the conversation won't be anytime soon so I tilted my head to the right then leaned back on my seat to rest.

At this point in time I could do nothing better than to just wait till he was done with whatever they may be discussing.

Of course, time was running real fast and day was gradually turning into night as the sky began to draw her curtains against the sun leaving only bleak of it to cascade down the earth.

And while only a few persons seems to be passing by, cars and vehicles of all sorts sped by in a trance with heavy duty engines sending thick fumes of smoke into the sky as they hurried away.

Tired from sitting in that position for a long time, I sat up then peered through the window only to see Dad approaching the car with a folder in his hand.

"I'm sorry for taking much time dear" Dad said as he opened the car and sat down.

"Oh well... it's nothing. Whatever you might have been doing out there with that man must be very vital so it's all fine" I muttered with a sly smile

" Exactly... you got my point dear" Dad said and started the car engine before drifting off to the station.

After driving for nearly one and a half hour, we got to the station and Dad then requested to see the officer in charge of the district and we were shown his office.

"Mr Edwards right?" The chubby man perhaps in his late thirties, sitting behind a giant desk piled with folders bellowed.

"Yeah you guess right man!" Dad replied as we got to his desk and stretched out his hand for a handshake then the man brought out his hand and they shook firmly before releasing each other's hand as I stared blankly at them

"You are all welcome please do take your seats" The man said after they were done shaking hands then pointed at the leather seats infront of the office desk.

"Alright thank you" Dad said and lowered himself into one of the chairs while I stood with my head hung low as I stared at the piles of files lying at the left corner of the desk.

"Good to see you again Mr. Edwards after such a long time" The man said

" Well I guess so" Dad muttered absentmindedly

"Amanda please take your seat" Dad said peering at me

" Oh ok sir" I replied then sat down in one of the seat beside him.

"Amanda... is she your daughter?" The man asked staring at me before shifting his gaze back to Dad's direction

"Oh yes... she is my daughter" Dad replied flashing him a smile

"Oh wow how come I never knew about her?" The man asked with a perplexed face

"Oh that's true. Actually she was born shortly after you left for your Cop's Academy training" Dad explained softly

"Oh I see that's nice. Look how grown up she has become" The man said staring at me

"Yeah. It's all nice" Dad said casually and looked away

" So to what do I owe this special visit of yours because the last time I checked, it's been donkey years since the last time you last visited me whether at work or at home" The man added and chuckled

" Derrick it's not what you think. I have been so busy lately and I know you understand what I mean" Dad said calmly looking at the man who I now know to be Derrick by name.

"Here we go again... Busy! busy !! busy!!! when will you ever free up sometime for the people you call family?" Mr Derrick asked looking giving Dad a cursory look

"I'm trying man! And you know it but I'm afraid that time may never come" Dad cooed solemnly

" So how is your wife then?" Mr Derrick asked

"She is good bro" Dad replied with a smile.

What are these two men saying?

Who is this Mr Derrick and how is he related to us?..

These were the questions running through my mind as I listened with rapt attention to what they were discussing.

"Great then...Now back to the question... what brings you to my office this time?" Mr Derrick asked

"Well I think this will help me do the explanation. Now have a look at this" Dad said, stretching the parcel he took earlier from home across the table

"Ok." Mr Derrick replied and collected the parcel from Dad

And after opening it, he stared at its contents for a while but as his gaze fell on the letter, his jaw dropped and his eyes widened in shock.

" Where did you find this?" Mr Derrick asked after finding his voice and recomposing himself

"Actually I didn't instead my daughter here did find it on the table in our sitting room" Dad explained without batting his eyelids.

"Oh really..." Mr Derrick stuttered and looked at me in disbelief while I nodded my head slowly

"Yes she did" Dad asserted

"I think I'm speechless here... So many questions in my head to ask but I will just have to understand what is been said here first" Mr Derrick muttered and leaned forward against his desk

"So Amanda could you please explain to us where and how you found this?" Mr Derrick added raising the parcel and it's content in the air for me to see

"Ok sir" I replied, looking at Dad to see if he would give me his consent to speak

"Amanda please go ahead and tell us all you know about it" Dad urged while I nodded my head and began to explain all that transpired earlier on in the house right from the time Perrie visited the house to when Dad came back home before I found the letter afterwards.

"This is a whole lot of puzzle to solve " Mr Derrick heaved a sigh and said after I was done narrating all that happened to them

"Well it is I'm still shocked because I haven't done anything to deserve such letter from a person who claims to know me" Dad cooed calmly

" You don't have to worry Edwards. Everything is under our control and I assure you all of this will be sorted out just give me a minute let me ring my PA " Mr Derrick said reassuringly and picked up the telephone on his table