“Have some water”, Kiara said as she stretched a cup of water towards Stan, who was coughing and gasping for air.
He couldn’t tell what caused that, but he could swear that the question and the look in Mr. White’s eyes was terrifying.
“I’m good”, he murmured, and returned his gaze to meet that of Mr. white.
“I didn’t hear your last question, sir”, Stan lied as he stared at him.
“Kiara!” Mr. white suddenly called out as he shifted his gaze to his daughter.
She jerked up and lifted her head, smiling at him widely while patting Stan’s back calmly.
“I want you to look into his eyes and tell him when you want to get married”, Mr. White ordered as the dining hall turned dead silent.
“What?” Kiara asked as she chuckled and broke into loud laughter.
She stopped laughing when she saw the expression on her father’s face.
His eyelids were squinted and raised, and his eyes bulged out as though he were enraged. The corners of his mouth pointed downwards, and his jaws were tensed.
“Dad!” Kiara called out the moment she realized that he was angry.
“Kiara, turn to him and tell him when you want to get married”, Mr. white ordered again, while Stan became cold on the spot.
He felt his heart thumping out of his chest as he wished he were only joking. He raised his head and peered into his eyes, hoping that he had only heard wrongly.
“You are not serious now, are you?” Kiara asked her father calmly.
“I’m serious Kiara. Look, you are all I have, my only child and something I treasure with everything in me. All I do, I do for your good and I wouldn’t want you to trail on the wrong path”, Mr. White explained as his eyes softened.
“You have been in a relationship with Stan for over a year, and you both have shown the world that you are in love with each other. The last thing I would want is getting ridiculed by some nosy individuals in the public”, he went further, with Stan’s heart beating out of his chest.
“Stan didn’t leave you and so far, he is the only man who have stayed with you for more than a year. Others left in a space of three to six months”, he explained further, with Kiara nodding her head in affirmation.
“What other confirmation do you need to see that he is willing to be with you forever?” He asked Kiara, who turned her head to look at Stan.
Stan’s eyebrows were raised, and his palms were wet with sweats. He felt cold shivers running down his spine as he tried so hard to remain aplomb.
“Am I right, Stan?” He heard Mr. white’s voice and abruptly, he nodded his head in affirmation.
“Now, tell him when you want your wedding”, he ordered, and immediately a smile spread across Kiara’s face.
All her life, she had dreamt of the day she would finally be in the process of planning a wedding with a man she loved with all her heart.
“Oh my God!” She yelped in excitement and turned to peer into Stan’s frightened eyes.
**
“Next six months?” Stan screamed on top of his voice, causing Kiara and her father to turn a sharp gaze at him.
“I’m sorry, I was just quite surprised”, he said and chuckled nervously.
“I understand that it’s too far, but at this point, we should work with what she has chosen”, Mr. white said as he continued munching on the chicken wings he had on the plate.
“Eat your food”, Kiara whispered and nudged on Stan, whose attention was far away from them.
“I should go out and get some air”, he excused himself and walked out of the dining hall, with Kiara exchanging glances with her father.
“Do you think I said something wrong?” Kiara asked her father, with a gigantic frown on her face.
She dropped her fork on the plate and folded her hands to her chest, clearly disturbed by how Stan had reacted.
“He is fine, perhaps he needed some air like he said”, he said calmly and gestured on her to move further with her meal.
“What if he leaves me like the others?” Kiara asked as tears welled up in her eyes.
She was scared of waking up one day and realizing that Stan had left, just like the others. That was her greatest nightmare, and she was certain that she would commit suicide if such happens.
“He won’t leave you, okay?” Mr. White assured her, with a soothing smile on his face.
“Dad!” Kiara called out as she stared at him with her misty eyes.
“I might die if Stan ever leaves me”, she whispered, with a serious gaze.
“I would kill myself!” She dropped as Mr. White’s heart dropped in shock.
“I would be in my room”, she said in finality, and rushed up the stairs and into her room.
Mr. White squeezed his face into a frown.
He quickly stood up and made his way outside. His heart raced the moment he recalled how Kiara had told him that she would die if he leaves her.
He met Stan pacing outside, with a confused expression and his head lowered to the floor. He was clearly lost in thoughts as he hoped that he was in a dream which he would be up from soon.
“This is not a dream, it’s the reality”, he heard Mr. white’s voice and quickly swirled around to gape at him.
He was shocked at his statement, especially because it appeared as though he read the exact thing he had in his mind.
“Most times, things come to us even when we are not prepared, and I understand how confused one can be at that point”, he went further as he smirked and lifted Stan’s face with his hands.
“If you leave her, I won’t spare you!” Mr. White dropped, causing Stan’s eyes to open in surprise.
“I wouldn’t want my daughter committing suicide because of you. Think about that as you make plans for your wedding”, he said, and walked back to the house.
Stan released the breath he had been holding. He scoffed as he tried to catch his breath.
He had just gotten threatened and at this point, he was certain that he was in a deep hole with no idea of how to walk out.