All my life, my dad has been a constant factor in my life. He has been there for everything and every important event of my life. As an African father, though, that man is tough. He hardly takes no for an answer, and he acts all tough every single time. I literally get scared when he falls sick because what? How does 'the tiger' fall sick? He named himself the tiger, by the way, as a way to get us to be scared of him. Not me, though; I am and will always be a daddy's girl.
I love going out on dates for picnics and stuff that even the other men in my life struggle to keep up with. I've dated boys who have said I am spoiled by my dad, and that is why going out on dates is such a big deal for me. I said they were boys because, obviously, they are. Men would not be scared to carry on with my father's legacy. Who made me love dates? My dad, of course.
Relatively, I can be really gentle, but I actually never let it slide when I sense that I am being cheated or not being given my dues. Trust me, I could drag anyone to any lengths, and I definitely do not argue blindly. I made my first friend at about 8 or 9 years old. Our friendship started from a fight, not a serious fight per se, but a fight nonetheless. I was a part of a girls' brigade at a camp. We had an outing we were to go for, and our uniforms had been changed, and I was yet to get mine despite having paid for it. The camp was supposed to happen in a couple of days, and the tailor that was supposed to bring my uniform is notorious for disappointing. The president at the camp, who was older than my mom, by the way, was who I demanded to speak with. I remember her assuring me that the uniform was going to be ready in time for the outing.
The president gave me a time to check back with her for the uniform, and I did. Of course, the uniform wasn't ready. I told the president point blank that I wasn't moving an inch until my uniform was ready. She didn't fight me and just took me to her private lounge to chill till my uniform got ready. After everything, she became my friend and always told me how proud she was of me as I grew. Where did I get this braveness at such a young age? My dad instilled it in us, his children, to always stand up for our rights. Did I mention that my dad is a lawyer? Yes, he is.
The one time when I was going through the biggest crisis of my entire adult life, my dad still didn't back down from having my back. Everyone accused him of aiding and abetting, like it was a crime to be there for your own daughter. My dad is and will always be my hero. He taught me to stand up for myself. He taught me to always pray when everything was good and when it was a mess. He taught me a lot of valuable life lessons, and no matter how bad people see him, I love him a lot.