"So what's the final lay?"

He was typing away in his laptop. He gave me a look when I entered his study and took his glasses off.

"Well... they have agreed to take you in".

A huge sigh left me. He looked at me and smiled. His face was full of fatherly affection.

"I am sorry", I apologised, with all my teeth on full display.

"Yeah that was loud".

He gestured at the silent in front of me and I took it. I know he was going to get into the serious details.

I have been living with Mr.Affan and his wife for five years now, since he found me when I was fifteen. I didn't have any foster siblings. I called him uncle in the beginning. But he insisted on papa. So now he was papa to me.

It's the only home I have known all my life. Except those short days with my mom.

"Relax. The formalities are all taken care of. You only have to go there and make yourself at home".

"Home", I whispered in a broken voice. But it wasn't low enough to miss his hearing senses.

His eyes suddenly turned soft. And he leaned forward in his chair, his elbows resting on the big oak table.

"I know you're worried about stepping out there late in the game and throwing yourself into the mix. But honey you don't have to try to fit in, okay?"

Cause I'm born to stand out.

"You already have a place there," he continued. "It's reserved. And just because you weren't there all this while doesn't mean that someone else can fill that gap. No one else can do that. You got me?"

He looked straight into my eyes until the full depth of what he said sunk into me. I gave him a long, long look. I found reassurance in his gaze and maybe a little bit of courage.

"Yeah", I exhaled heavily. "Yeah you're right. Thank you so much".

"You should start packing", he leaned back in his chair to focus back on being the highly successful lawyer he was. And I walked out.

SIX MONTHS LATER

"Yeah Winnie I just pulled over. I'm unloading the trunk".

My phone was tucked under my right ear. My best friend's breezy voice hovering over every last detail. Talk about annoying.

"Yeah I got it". Pause. Listen some more. More questions. More questions. "Yeah yeah". More top speed ranting. "I did it, yes. Right before I came". She started again.

That's it.

" I SAID YES!!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP".

Her laughter floated into the air from the other end of the line. My lips couldn't resist curving either.

"Okay Madam. I'll give you your lone time. A few moments to yourself. I'll talk to you at night".

I groaned. She laughed before she hung up. I almost wished she took offence at my words and quit talking for a few days. So much for my wishful thinking.

It was the middle of July. I had just come back from Canada, after a two week holiday with papa and Mrs. M. Mrs. M is Affan uncle's wife, Mary am. A woman after my own heart. We were close like best friends. In fact she was so much like a teenager. Very contradictory to being someone in her early forties.

Instead of going to the apartment I lived in the last six months I drove straight here, which was going to be my new home.

But I'd abandoned it in the last six months because I wanted to be as close to college as possible. I had to catch up three semester's worth work load in just six months and I could afford to loose no time. So I rented an apartment which was within walking distance to every resource I'd possibly need. And that included the college, the gym and the library.

I'd taken all the required exams and the paperwork is all done and is legal. I could start of as a senior from next week onwards.

So now I finally decided that I'd have my own place. I bought this house last January , when I came to England after what was a long time. It was the first piece of property I bought for myself. I was driving in the neighbourhood one day with papa and I saw it from a distance. I loved the outlook immediately and insisted that I buy it.

It was white washed on the outside with dark brown doors and windows. Two storyed with three big bedrooms, four bathrooms, kitchen, two living room up and down and a great balcony which gave an amazing view miles and miles away. Wasn't at all the mansion my father lived in but it was big for one person to live.

All my stuff had gotten here ahead of me. Now they all rested inside sealed boxes that formed a pile on the living room floor. Papa saw to it. He was also gracious enough to hire someone to give the whole house a clean up so it looked neat and gleamed to greet me warmly. It was a good thing. I was jetlagged and longed for nothing more than a warm bath and a bed.

I decided I'd have the bedroom that opened to the balcony. I was carrying my luggage up when I heard my phone beep. I carried all I had upstairs and dumped them all on the floor. I'll unpack later. Maybe I'll call Winnie here. I could use a hand. There gotta be at least one advantage of her after all the nagging I put up with.