Can we try again?

Eighty-five

Daniel

Daniel's assertiveness, asking Samira to follow him was a gamble as he wasn't sure whether she would agree or not. He was holding his breath, hoping she would. And she did.
He could see the smile of her face too. 

Their conversation was great. So great that they both completely lost track of time. They talked about a lot of things. She did most of the talking anyway. He was just listening. He paid intent attention as she talked about her conflicts with her parents when she found out she was pregnant and how very close she was to terminate it. She told him of her struggles thereafter.

Daniel could not even begin to imagine all she went through. It must have been very tough for her, being a single mother and having to deal with everything else that was thrown at her, all on her own. He felt guilty that he wasn't there for her.
And then she even disclosed to him that at the time she was angry at him and she blamed him. He'd travelled abroad and she was left on her own to deal with all the crap. Daniel could understand where she was coming from. He sympathised as she told her story. And at some point, he reached out to her, but she pulled back. That was understandable. 

There was something about the way she pursed her lips so tightly, that made Daniel think that she was holding back the tears. He could see that she didn't want to cry, not in front of him.

A thought did cross Daniel's mind though, If he was still in Nigeria and she reached out to him with that news, what would he have done? Would he have taken off like a coward? Or would he have stepped up and being there for the both of them?

Oh well. . . He wasn't in Nigeria, so he would never know what his decision might have been. He might have not been ecstatic about the news of becoming a father at that age, especially when they were not together. But there was one thing he was sure of, no matter what, he would never have had the conscience to leave them. He would have found a way to be there and provide support in any way.
And he did tell Samira that, whether she believed him or not, Daniel couldn't tell. 

"I'm proud of myself. . ." She said to him. She should be, Daniel thought. Heck, he was proud of her as well. 

Samira perked up when she started talking about Jameel. Daniel could see the love in her eyes for Jameel. It was just so obvious. He could see that despite everything that happened to her, she turned out to be a great mother. 
Any doubts he might have had earlier was immediately quashed once he saw the photos of his son. The similarities were unquestionable. Daniel had no uncertainties that was his son.

They arrived at the car park and Daniel quickly looked to see if he'd gotten a ticket. 

"Oh thank God." He sighed in relief. "They didn't catch me today o."

Samira laughed. "You see. I brought you good luck. You're welcome."

He turned to her and smiled. "Indeed. Thank you. You're my lucky charm."

Inside the car, Daniel asked for Samira's postcode and he typed it into his GPS. It was a 20-minute journey. He was just so pleased that she was letting him drop her off. Any opportunity to spend even more time with her.

Their discussion continued as he drove along. Even though it's only been less than 6 hours since they met, it was as though they were old pals. Daniel admired the ease of their conversation. It was the first time in a long since he felt this alive and happy. 

"So," Daniel began, asking the one question he'd been dying to know ever since. "Are you in a relationship?"

Samira scoffed and shook her head. "Unfortunately not." She admitted, and Daniel breathed a breath of relief he didn't even know he was holding. He didn't even know why, but he was pleased with her response.