22/05/2026
Bisi could not sleep that night.
The med ical rep0rt remained in her hands long after Mr. Okafor fell asleep beside her.
Stage 3 heart fa!lure.
The words kept repeating in her head.
Slowly, she turned to look at her husband.
For years, she had feà red this man.
The children feà red him too.
His footsteps alone could silence the entire house.
But tonight, for the first time, Mr. Okafor looked… small.
Weàk.
Humàñ
The next morning, he behaved as if nothing had happened.
He woke up early, watered the flowers outside, and even f0rced himself to eat breakfast.
But Bisi noticed his hands trem bling slightly while holding his tea cup.
“Are you going somewhere today?” she asked carefully.
Mr. Okafor avoided her eyes.
“Yes. Just a few things to settle.”
Before leaving, he called his children into the sitting room.
That alone surprised them.
Their father never called meetings unless someone was in tr0uble.
Sixteen-year-old Daniel sat carefully at the edge of the chair while his younger sister Amara stood silently beside him.
Mr. Okafor looked at them for a long time before speaking.
“When was the last time we all ate outside together?”
The children exchanged c0nfused glances.
Bisi nearly dropped the tray in her hands.
“Outside?” Daniel repeated.
Mr. Okafor nodded slowly.
“There’s a small restaurant near the market. We’ll go this evening.”
Nobody answered immediately.
The silence felt unc0mf0rtable.
Because kindness from Mr. Okafor felt úñfàmiliar
Almost susp!ci0us.
That evening, the family sat together in a restaurant for the first time in years.
Amara laughed nervously when her father allowed her to order chicken instead of the cheaper rice she expected.
Daniel kept staring at his father like he was trying to solve a puzzle.
Then suddenly, while everyone was eating, Mr. Okafor placed his spoon down quietly.
“I know I haven’t been a g00d father,” he said softly.
The entire table fr0ze.
Bisi slowly looked up.
Mr. Okafor f0rced a weàk sm!lle.
“I spent too much time sh0uting… and not enough time listening.”
Daniel’s eyes widened.
In his entire life, he had never heard his father ap0l0gize before.
Then Mr. Okafor reached into his pocket and brought out a folded envelope.
He handed it to Bisi with shaking hands.
“If anything happens to me—”
“Stop saying that,” Bisi interrupted immediately, her voice trémbling.
But Mr. Okafor continued.
“There are things inside the envelope you need to know.”
Bisi stared at him silently.
Then slowly… she opened it.
And what she saw made the c0l0r dis àppear from her face instantly.
