I should have done it that night. Without thinking twice. I should have done it with my entire self. I shouldn’t have held back. After all, I could tell she wanted me to do it so badly. I could feel it. It was all over her face. She was juicy and her skin felt red-hot. Her heart beat signaled – ready to be torn apart.
And she is not the first girl to sleep at my place. (Wait! I don’t mean to imply that I cheat or that I am some guy hoe!) but I wasn’t a V when I met her you know. Plus she is not the first girl to sleep outside either. I know a couple of friends who’ve spent nights at a guy’s place yet they aren’t dating. I also know guys who spend nights at hers and life goes on you know. Some have even moved in with her. Am not sure if they do it every night but that’s not mine to know. That they glow every Monday however is enough proof that it went down over the weekend. Right?
Kareh wasn’t glowing when I met her the other day. Am not saying she hasn’t done it for a long time but she just wasn’t glowing. It’s been roughly two years since I last saw her. She had attended my 2017 birthday party on 10th Feb (the last birthday I ever celebrated) and being the man of the night, I had the privilege to change contacts with everyone, especially the beautiful ones. Her dreams to be an artist and poet had come face to face with my desire to do it with a tough talented young princess. Kareh was like a dream come true on a birthday night. But so you know, we couldn’t. She proved too smart for my man.
“I will miss this kind of beauty after tomorrow.” I had started
“Aww that’s so sweet, thank you.” Kareh responded with a smile.
“Alfred. Alfred Mbai.” I said as I extended my hand to greet her. She didn’t take it.
“Happy birthday Alfred! Happy birthday Alfred Mbai!” She said with a smile. We laughed. Then she hugged me. I smiled. I loved it. I wanted to hold her and tighten the hug. But she released her hands faster than my thoughts took shape. “Am Kareh. Your girlfriend invited me. She is my school mate. So I had to come and …”
I don’t think I remember any other thing she had said after mentioning who invited her. But yeah! Two years down the line, no calling, no texting, nothing, we meet again. I was going around snooping on WhatsApp status, checking new updates from friends and saving funny memes, quotes and videos when I landed on a face I had not seen for a long time. She was still young and beautiful with dark eyes and long red hair. Underneath her picture was the message “There comes a time when you meet someone and you just want to make them smile for the rest of your life”
I didn’t understand what the message meant but I understood what I wanted to do. Most women who go around posting pics with love quotes are at times actually heart broken. I assumed she was no exception.
“Wedding bells, huh!” I teased
“Haha heey?”
“Mambo?” I asked
“Poa sana. How have you been?”
“Been living. Working. Enjoying life. You?” I asked. Then marveled at the strength of my vocabulary
“Me too. Just working you know!” she responded.
“Last time I saw you ulikua student.”
“That was 2 years ago Mbai. We’ve grown sahii.”
Am not sure if it’s the ‘grown’ thing that made me ask her out for a coffee date or simply the urge to find out which part of her body she had referred to as grown. Maybe it was her age. Or perhaps her body size. Maybe it was her brain. A man should know! A man needs to know!
We planned the date and agreed on a Friday evening at Kilimanjaro lavish. There, we would meet, enjoy a drink (say coffee) or have a meal (if she decides to mess with my wallet) but more importantly, I would ask about the quote. I would ask if there is a wedding coming up or a heart break we are dealing with. By asking, I would learn. By learning, I would know. I would know if there is truth in the belief that Heart broken women are the most inspirational or if its just a quote inspired by poverty and failure. I would also learn if we still could spark up something now that it is I personally who invited her for the coffee date and not…you know who… That was the plan. (In my head at least).
I made it to town early that Friday evening, waiting for her at Kilimanjaro as agreed. (You don’t keep a woman waiting on a first date). I smiled helplessly as she made her way in. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Curvy. Not so tall. Not short either. She didn’t slay. But from the look of it, class should have been her second name. Kareh class. No! her first name. Class Kareh. Nuh! Maybe the third. Kareh is class. Yes! Makes sense. I stood and hugged her then we sat and started to catch up. With class! But complication za mdomo aki! as people say mdomo hucomplicate mpango ya akili.
The quote, according to the plan, was to come last. But mdomo! Aki hii mdomo yangu inafaa ichomwe!
“You said you wanted to tell me something!” Hii mdomo ikatake over
“Yeah. I needed your advice!” She responded.
“Go ahead.” I said leaning back to appear in charge.
“Are you dating or rather are you in a relationship?” She asked. I froze! That was a double edged sword. But like I said, I man needs to know. A man needs to know when to be in a relationship and when to be single.
“Am not. Are you?” I asked with a smile
“Mmmh..I really don’t know.” She said. Immediately, I knew there was a system alert. The inspirational quote thing was starting to make sense.
“You are in complicated situation?” I asked her as I leaned forward. You don’t advertise situations you know! Such questions are not to be asked in a loud voice.
“Yeah! I mean am feeling that-way. If that’s the best word to use but yes, am in a complicated one.”
“Do you wanna talk about it?”
“Yeah if you comfortable with it and your advice too will be highly appreciated.” She said and looked straight at me. Contact. I hate eye contact when talking about things I have weaknesses in. I leaned back again to try and regain control.
“Am all yours. Talk to me.” I said as I tucked my hands together and looked back at her. A smile spread across her face. Then it disappeared. It’s like she had remembered something deep. Something sad. I still looked at her like a baby wait for her mother to come back home from work. She swallowed hard and started to speak.
“I met this guy through a friend about 8 months ago. We became good friends and i kinda liked him coz well, he met some of my qualities in a man.”
I smiled. But seeing she didn’t even react, pulled the serious face back up. “Pole!” I said trying to be humble. “What are some of your qualities?” The words slipped through my lips. Noticing how that question sounded wrong, I tried to put things back on track. “…that’s just a btw! ata usijibu. So what happened”
“So we started hanging out for quite sometimes then tukaamua tu kudate coz at that time everything was going well and I thought I have been single for a long time. I decided to give it a try and considering he confessed he was in love with me,…”
“When was that?” Hii mdomo ikainterrupt tena.
“Around June last year.”
“Okay. Go on.”
“He was so good to me.” She started to smile. “Everything was good and sweet and I enjoyed being around him from time to time. Although he was a busy man and I was working, he would still spend time with me. Movies! Adventure walks! Attending events! name it! He was just the perfect guy. And since he never asked me to go spend at his place and never asked to sleep with me, I will all systems go.”
We have to take a break at this point and place out orders. Akili ilikua imepanga it will be coffee but looking at the class situation,
“What will you have?” Asked the waiter who was now standing there
“Rice and chicken slips.” Mdomo ikasema. “Mango juice as I wait.” Ikaongeza
“And you?” Asked the waiter as he looked at Kareh.
…
