𝓡𝓾𝓷𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓓𝓮𝓬𝓮𝓹𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 ✔︎

Chapter 3

IRENE

"Smile for the camera baby." he said as he took photos. I smiled and he took several shots.

"Wow!" He breathed out when he was done taking the photos. I rushed to his side so I could see the photos he took. I beamed excitedly as he changed the photos. "They're so beautiful!" I breathed out. "No, you're beautiful." he replied earning a toothy grin from me revealed my missing incisors.

"You know what baby, If you become a model when you grow up, you'll make a lot of money and the whole world will know about and they will keep chanting your name 'Irene!!'" He chanted my name causing me to giggle.

He picked me up and twirled. "You will also have so many fans that will want your autograph and want to take pictures with you. You'll be so famous, the whole world will know your name."

"Really?" My eyes widened in surprise. "Yes my dear and I'll be the proud father of an award winning model."

"Yes Daddy. I'll have so many fans and so much money!" I said putting my hands across his neck. He gave me a kiss on the cheek. "That's my princess."
He spun me around severally earning short yelps and long rounds of laughter.

~°~°~°~°~

Seated in the quiet cemetery, I could hear the distant sound of that laughter, my laughter. It felt like that part of me had died.

I wiped away a bead of tear that tried to flow down my left cheek hastily and sniffed. "Daddy, today wasn't so great." I started. "I resumed school today, the very first day of my senior year in secondary school didn't go well."

I paused for a while and continued. "You always told me that the whole world would know who I am daddy, but today I met someone that was just hearing about Irene Coker for the very first time. You know, normally, it's either they've heard the name but don't know what I look like or they have seen my picture quite alright but don't know my name. It was so embarrassing today Dad!" I breathed out fiddling with the bunch of red roses in my hands. My dad really loved red roses.

I wiped away the water trail on the tomb stone. In September, it was the raining season. I read out the inscription on the cold but beautifully tiled tomb.

Craig Coker
Born on the 28th day of December, 1985
Died on the 14th day of February, 2011

A small sigh escaped my lips and I placed the neat bouquet of roses on the gravels just beside the black headstone. "I'll be leaving now dad, thanks for giving me your time." with that, I gave the tomb a light kiss and walked out of the cemetery head held high, black shades on, hiding away from the media and paparazzi.

Getting into the car, I ruminated over the activities at the cemetery and sighed, Even in death, I still have a feeling of relief after speaking to him.