Making a fool as a parent for nothing

I found myself glancing at the clock every 30 seconds when it turned 8pm.  It had been about 3 and a half hours since we dropped off Papama at the first birthday party of one of her classmates and my calls were going straight into her voice mail.  Noticing my frequent head turns, Helen said, “Just go and check it out”.  While I was driving , many thoughts crossed my mind, mostly worries…  I drove to the house where the party was and rang the door bell.  A few kids answered the door and Papama was one of them.  My worries were gone after seeing her but now I was kinda embarrassed.  So I told her, “Your phone was off and I was worried.”  The only reply I got from her was, “I said I was going to call you.”  The owner of the house, Gilbert invited me in.  Papama was panicking at that moment.  I forced myself to accept his invitation to come in and as I approached the bar where the parents were hanging, someone asked me, “Are you Papama’s dad?”  I said, “Yes, yes, I am her guardian.” (I better get used to being referred as a parent to Papama)  Then, we started talking about things and soon the conversation got very intense.  The conversation ranged from clean water to Jesus’ love.  I enjoyed it very much.  Somewhere in between a wonderful home cooked dinner took place as well.  When I finally paced myself to check the time, to my surprise, it was already past midnight.  I excused myself and Papama and took her home.  One the way to Zola, I told Papama, “You know I don’t like to admit, but I must have gotten old.  When I couldn’t get a hold of you, my first thought was ‘she might be drinking with older boys or they may have abducted her'”  Papama said, “Ah, that’s what parents do.  They worry for NOTHING.”  :p  In any case, I am so glad that I had a chance to meet Gilbert and Stephen and their families.  It was one of the most memorable evenings.

Dropping her off