~~Makena~
Since it’s my first semester at Uni, I wake early each morning bright-eyed and ready to learn.
Week One is for orientation of new students. Miss Mary, the university’s administrator, shows us around. I love how her glasses gleamed from green to purple depending on the light.
Daniel and the rugby team are bound to leave for South Africa in a week for the inter-varsity championships. It keeps him occupied, so we did not bump into each other on the school corridors often.
But he shows up at my doorstep every evening, and we dine, catch up and watch a movie. Last night he told me all about his team. I was half-listening as I watched him speak. God, he is handsome. I wonder how it would feel to be kissed by him. I feel a throbbing between my legs every time he hugs me close to his chest and pulls me close to him.
To keep my naughty thoughts at bay, I concentrate on adjusting to life at Benford. It had been two weeks already, and I can now find my way around the whole campus. I have also made new friends. On Thursday afternoon at lunch break, I sit at the cafeteria and sipping on passion juice as I get acquainted with my new classmates Maureen and Larry. Maureen’s father is the Zambian ambassador to Kenya, and Larry’s family owned a fleet of restaurants around the country.
The other two people I know in the class were Khadija and Eunice, the other two girls who got the Engineering scholarship. They are also my neighbours.
We discuss one of our new lecturers Mr Nzisira who keeps running his hand on his bald head and using the word ‘extraordinary’.
Four girls walk towards us. The one who leads them wears black leather pants, a red chiffon blouse and red heels. She is a tall, graceful beauty. They all have long Marley braids that reach their waists.
Wait a minute, I have seen her face before. I choke on my juice. It’s Lynn Masinde, Daniel’s ex-girlfriend.
“Leave,” She orders Maureen and Larry. My new friends give me apologetic looks as they scurry from her presence.
“You must be Makena,” She says as she sits next to me. She extends her hand with a smile.
I take her limp smooth hand into mine.
“I am Lynn…It is so nice to finally meet you,” She says. She sizes me up and down and chuckles.
Obviously, I do not pass some sort of standard in her eyes.
“She is so pretty, right guys…so cute,” She tells her friends. She speaks as if I am not there.
“Are you competing for this year’s Miss Benford?” She asks.
“No.”
In the coming week, they will be holding the Mr and Miss Benford University competitions. I look forward to it but not to compete.
“You should, you are so pretty,” She speaks as if we are old friends. “It’s okay, next year maybe. Hey, we are on our way to check out some new clothes for the event, come with us.”
I am not sure what to say, but Lynn takes my silence as a yes. She grabs my hand, and the five of us walk away from the cafeteria looking like best friends. She is gorgeous. Everyone watches us as we pass by.
I feel shabby in my pink cotton dress and black rubber shoes.
I sit in the co-driver seat as Lynn drives us to the place they are buying the clothes. I am not well acquainted with Nairobi city yet.
She and her friends sing along to Beyonce’s formation, and I sit still looking out the window. My throat is dry, my adrenaline pumping overtime.
“I heard you are taking engineering, Makena. That’s amazing.”
“Yes.”
“I love how generous my Danny is. He is always ready to help those who cannot help themselves. Such a sweetheart,” She says, “You know daddy is an engineer too, I should introduce you to him, and maybe after school, you can work for us.”
“Th-thank you?”
“You are welcome. Just doing all I can to give back to society.”
I don’t know where we are, but in front of us is a huge mall called Furaha. There is a café on the right with two women and a little boy sitting there. They hold hands, looking at each other lovingly.
The boy is busy with his slice of chocolate cake, and his nose is stained brown.
A jewellery shop is next door and a wine shop on the other side.
We walk towards one of the boutiques inside called Fine Girl Boutique. The clothing is beautifully arranged—price tags go from five thousand to twenty thousand. An Ankara skirt is on sale for a whole six thousand shillings.
Back home, mother made better clothes than this, and she sold them for only three hundred shillings. When I get to the house, I will call her and tell her about this.
“You’ll help me pick a couple of outfits,” Lynn says to me. She is always dishing out orders to her friends, who oblige without question. She smiles at me as she walks away, although I see her frown and grind her jaw from the corner of my eyes.
I sit on a plush sofa with the other friends whose names I do not remember. The store’s manager gives us milkshakes. I hold mine, but I do not drink it. I am lactose intolerant. When I was young, my mother gave me de-worming medicine. She thought I was worm-infested and warned me never to eat at the neighbour’s house again. But even while under medication, I never could keep milk down my belly.
I soon grew to admire this insidious worm inside me. I named it Lemayan. He was a fierce Masai warrior standing on one leg and was king of the jungle.
Lynn grabs a couple of outfits from the racks and goes to the fitting room.
“What do you think of this one, Makena?” She comes out wearing a maroon tank top that hugs her breasts perfectly and a checked skater skirt that flatters her long, endless legs.
“It’s beautiful. You look beautiful,” I admit. Why did Daniel breakup with this piece of perfect?
She poses as if she has an epiphany. “You have a good eye. I do look beautiful.”
“You know what? I should take a picture and send it to Daniel. Too bad I left my phone in the car. Would you go and get it for me, please?” She tosses me her car keys.
I stand and leave for the car. I hear Lynn and her friends giggle and whisper behind my back. I never felt this exhausted around a person. Less than an hour, and it feels like six years. I want this chance meeting to end. I want to go back to my sweet new drama-free life.
I re-enter the boutique carrying Lynn’s handbag. She takes the bag and tosses it on the bench. She takes a myriad of photos and buys everything she tries on. They fit in five shopping bags. I help carry them to the car.
“Careful, that is Chanel,” Lynn admonishes me lightly. At this point, I’m done with her. But she is my ride back to school, so I bite my tongue.
When we get to the car, I expect Lynn to open the boot so I can keep her shopping bags there.
She looks at me, apologetically. “Oh, Makena, you know I cannot put Chanel in the boot.” She puts the bags on the co-driver seat.
“You understand, right? Why don’t you call a cab? We will meet tomorrow at school. Bye.”
They drive off without me, laughing now their prank on me has succeeded.
I am left stranded outside the boutique, with nobody to blame but myself. I had put myself into this mess. What to do now? My phone is dead, and I don’t have money with me. I stand there for what feels like an hour.
“Excuse me. Please a minute” I call out to the people going inside, but none are willing to stop and listen. They think I’m a beggar.
I go back to the boutique and talk to the manager, but she gives a flimsy excuse that she doesn’t have a phone. I saw her make a call earlier. I suspect Lynn has asked her not to help me.
“Excuse me,” I call to two young ladies who walk into the mall. They are wearing bandage dresses and high heels and sunglasses. I am at the brink of tears now. “Please, I’m stranded. I need to call someone, but my phone is off.”
I show them my useless burner phone. “I’m speaking the truth, please. I swear.”
“What’s the number?” The shorter one with kinky curly hair asks me. She pulls her smartphone from a beautiful brown leather handbag.
I tell her, and she dials the number and then takes off her fancy glasses and looks at me surprised.
“Daniel? You want me to call Daniel?”
Oh great, another of his ex-girlfriends. How worse can this day get?
“Yes,” I answer.
“Who are you if I might ask?” She asks.
“My name is Makena. I am…I am…Daniel is my friend.”
“Any friend of Daniel is my friend. How can I help you?”
We go inside and sit in the coffee shop at the corner. They offer to buy me a coffee, but I politely decline. They both have lattes and slices of red velvet cake.
I tell them the whole truth about what has happened with Lynn and her minions.
They tell me they are going to take me back home and I thank them endlessly. Their names are Ayara and Fay. Ayara is the one with the kinky curly hair, and Fay is the one with the Mohawk with the shaved sides. Back home we call it Rihanna hairstyle.
We walk back inside the boutique. The manager switches off her phone when she sees us approach.
“Good evening, Boss,” She greets Ayara.
“Doris, my friend here tells me that you refused to help her when she was in need,” Ayara says in her polished English. She sounds like the nine o’clock news anchors.
“I am so sorry, madam. I did not know she was your friend. Lynn said—”
“I don’t care what Lynn said. This is my store. And you know store policy. We are to always help our clients. You are fired.”
“Madam, please.”
I turn to Ayara. “Miss Ayara, please, it was not that bad. I forgive her.”
Doris is now crying and begging for her job back. “Madam, please. I will not do it again.”
“It’s already done.”
Ayara shushes her with her hand. “Go get your things now.”
Doris hangs her head and walks to the backroom, which is the staff’s room.
“Miss Ayara, you don’t have to fire her please,” I beg. I feel guilty for telling on her.
“It’s okay, Makena. I’ve received many reports of her incompetence and rudeness to customers before. I was going to fire her today anyway.”
“Oh.”
Ayara takes me home later. She and Fay are business ladies. They are Benford Alumni, and they are both twenty-five. Ayara knows Daniel because her father is the Ogana’s family doctor. They are family friends.
“So, how long have you and Daniel been dating?” Fay asks as we ease our way through traffic.
“Oh, no. We are not dating. We are just friends.” I say, and they laugh.
“Really now?” Ayara teases me.
“Yes.”
“Well, let’s find out.” She pulls out her phone, calls Daniel and puts him on speaker.
My heart almost bursts.
“Yo, wild child,” She chimes.
“Hey,” I hear Daniel on the other side of the line, and my tummy flips. His voice puts little goosebumps on my skin.
“You sound tired.”
“I’m coming from practice.”
“I saw you in a blog today,” Ayara baits him.
“Which one?”
“Forgot the name…you and a pretty girl named Makena.”
Daniel chuckles. My heart thumps hard.
“What’s the deal with her?” Ayara winks at me.
“Um…” He sounds shy. “She is special...”
“Special like me?”
“No. Like I really like her.”
“Why don’t you tell her so? She is here with me.”
“What?” Daniel said. We hear a thud, and he says ouch.
“Hi, Daniel,” I say. My throat is dry, and I am too self-aware.
“Hi.”
“We will speak to you later.” Ayara hangs up. “Just a friend, huh?”
I look outside the window and smile. Daniel said he really likes me and he called me special.