“Get up, Akinyi!” Ephy shook her awake.
“What is it?” Akinyi asked impatiently, closing her eyes again.
“Somebody is here to see you,”
“I hope it’s not David.”
“No. It’s your fake husband.”
“You have got to be kidding me, right? I left him in the heart of Oyugis’ town.”
“As if he is welded to that part of the town.”
Akinyi was still trying to figure out what Ephy was saying when Adams breezed into the room.
His tall frame filled the room, commanding eyes to look at him because he was the centre of attraction. He was sp handsome. Why was she still glued to the past when the present was so tempting?
“Are you in the habit of ogling men?” he asked, reaching her side.
“Not always, except when they look so edible, and I am hungry,” she teased.
Adams smiled, taking the chair by the bed. “Why are you sleeping in the afternoon? Are you sick?”
Akinyi laughed at the dumb question.
“No. I have a powerful hangover, and I think I’m going to be sick.” She rushed to the bathroom.
Feeling weak, she returned to the room, head throbbing and stomach churning. She sat on the bed, embarrassed, covering her face with her hands.
“Are you surprised that I am drunk? Disappointed?”
“No. I’m worried about you. People drink heavily for various reasons. Sometimes because of stress and when they are running away from something. What are you running away from?”
“You.”
“I don’t believe you. You need to eat and take painkillers.” Adams said, looking at her nightdress for the first time. It was a see-through dress that revealed more than it covered.
“And now you are ogling me?” Akinyi noted and smiled when he looked embarrassed at being caught in the act.
“I couldn’t help myself. Sorry.”
“It’s OK. It is not every day that you find a man looking at you until he loses himself,” she said, laughing, and he couldn’t help but laugh too.
“Alright, intelligent woman, let me see how the soup is coming up,” he said, leaving the room. She took the time to bathe quickly. When she finished, the aroma of fried beef met her nose, and she started salivating.
She dressed fast and joined the others in the sitting room. Food was already on the table.
“So, this is the Ephy you could not stop talking about?” Adams asked after praying.
“What! Were you gossiping about me?” Ephy asked, narrowing her eyes at her.
“Don’t worry, I told him only the good stuff. For instance, you go to church every Sunday and don’t even have a drop of alcohol in your blood. In fact, you are as innocent and sinless as baby Jesus,” she told her, and they all laughed.
“Well, then maybe I can forgive and forget.” Ephy looked like she was stifling another bout of laughter threatening to erupt.
When the meal was over, they chatted before Ephy left, claiming that she needed to lie down.
“How did you find me?” Akinyi asked.
“I asked around.”
“Adhiambo told you where to find me. That girl can’t keep a secret.”
“Don’t hold it against her. I was very persuasive.”
“So why are you here?” Akinyi asked, closing the gap between them on the couch.
“To take my wife home.”
“Fake wife.”
“As long as the word ‘wife’ still features there,” he said, winking at her.
“But the agreement was to end it once my mother died,” she protested.
“I know, but that doesn’t explain your escape without saying goodbye.”
“It was necessary for me to get away as soon as possible.”
“To get away from me?”
“You are only part of it. I had other issues I wanted to get away from. Don’t take it personally.”
“Ooh,” he exclaimed, but Akinyi didn’t give any more information.
“I have a place in town. Would you mind moving in with me?” he said after a while.
“I don’t know. Ephy will think I am putting you before her,” she explained, and Adams shook his head in disbelief.
She and Ephy had made a pact to put each other first regardless of the men who came into their lives. The men had come and gone, but their friendship had grown deeper with the passing years. It wasn’t a pact that Akinyi wanted to break easily.
“Do you mind if I explain it to her?”
“Try your luck,” she said, and he left to talk with her friend.
Ephy didn’t like the idea but was happy for her. She bade them goodbye as they climbed into the car.
***
“Let’s go into the club,” Adams said, draining his glass of wine.
Akinyi looked around her. People milled around them, heading into the club. All her attention had been on his handsome face. He was sitting in the dimly lit bar, so poised and confident. She felt a shiver down her spine, thinking that he had come to Nairobi to find her.
He put his hand on the small of her back as he led her up the stairs to the Scratch club. His hands felt so right on her, like they were meant for her. She was concentrating on his hand that when he finally picked her up, she almost screamed out of surprise.
“What are you doing, Adams?” she asked, wiggling out of his arms, but his grip wasn’t relenting, and she gave up.
“Just enjoy the ride while it lasts, Sexy Back,” he said, continuing with the climb.
Two young ladies passed them, looked at Akinyi enviously and smiled sweetly at Adams.
She didn’t know whether to be blush with embarrassment or punch into the air merrily. She leaned closer and kissed him on the left cheek.
Adams smiled his secret smile. When they finally reached the entrance, he reluctantly lowered her onto her feet. They spent the night dancing and drinking.
Adams couldn’t contain his grin when he saw how the young women were bending over the men.
“Bend over is the name of the game,” Akinyi said, pointing at the couple next to them
“I don’t understand how the men can endure this. It’s too erotic.”
Akinyi shrugged as she sipped her Guarana. He looked at her again in the dim light and couldn’t help noticing how beautiful she was.
The air was stuffy and smoky, the place packed with moving bodies. The music was too loud, making conversation almost impossible. So they went to club Samba for Rhumba. It was spacious. People were in groups chatting as a few swayed to the music.
When Madilu’s System Colonisation came, he led her to the dancefloor, and they danced close, body to body. His arms resting on the small of her back, her arms around his neck.
Akinyi couldn’t help but notice that all the ‘bendovas’ in the world couldn’t come close to this. There was a thrill in subtlety—the anticipation, the promise of things to come and the glimpse into the possibility.
They left the club at 3 o’clock in the morning.
***
“I want us to go somewhere, and I hope you will like it,” Adams said mysteriously.
“Where are you taking me, sir?” she asked curiously.
“It’s a secret. If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you,” he said, not giving anything away.
“Give me some hints so that I don’t go flying blind.”
“Stubborn woman. We are going to shop for swimming costumes and hiking clothes. Does that give you a head start?”
“It does. Are we leaving tomorrow?” she asked, and he nodded.
Akinyi couldn’t help the excitement rippling through her. She loved going out, and David had never been the outgoing kind of man. He didn’t mind staying in the house for days, and she had always been bored.
It was not that she didn’t like spending time with him, but all they did was cook, eat, wash utensils, and make love. Done every once in a while could be gratifying. However, it became so dull, so predictable when it was routine.
“Then you’ll better dress up because we are leaving in the next thirty minutes,” he announced.
She quickly got off the bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Afterwards, she dressed in a sky-blue dress that accentuated her hips.
“You look lovely,” he said, giving her the once-over, and she blushed.
“Let’s go then.” She took her red sling bag, and he followed.
They walked into different shops looking at the best costumes. When they finally saw a red lacy outfit, she was thrilled.
Adams had never seen such a sexy piece of cloth, and he knew that it would look even better on her. In turn, he was going to be even in more trouble.
He took her to a candlelight dinner in one of the luxurious hotels in town, and he loved how she had a massive appetite for food.
***
“Wake up, sleepyhead. I want us to start the journey early before the jam catches up with us,” Adams said, shaking her awake.
Akinyi opened her eyes to the glaring light of the bulb and covered her head with the blanket.
“Let me sleep for five more minutes, then I promise to wake up.”
“You are lying. You will end up saying five more minutes endlessly.”
“Please, you know I am not a morning person. Let’s leave at 10 o’clock. The jam will have cleared,” she pleaded so softly that he agreed.
He knew he was being teased with the sweet voice, but he couldn’t help it.
He took his shower leisurely, feeling the water stir his senses to life. He didn’t remember any time when showering had felt so reviving. Reluctantly, he left the warmth of the water to dry himself.
Akinyi woke up at around 8 o’clock, stretching and yawning. She found him already dressed up and busy on his desk reading. He looked up at her and smiled before asking her about her night.
“I slept soundly like a little baby,” she said and fled to the bathroom.
She had caught Adams staring at her like he was trying to focus on the conversation. Akinyi knew that he had some wayward thoughts about her. She didn’t know whether to be pleased or mad. She didn’t want to spend her life being angry, so she whistled and sang loudly in the bathroom.
Adams shook his head in disbelief. There was just no end to the wonders of this woman. She had been dressed in her green pyjamas that didn’t even cling to her body, yet he’d been tempted. Maybe it was the very idea of her body covered. He imagined undressing her like unwrapping a sweet to taste the real thing.
He was getting a hard-on just thinking about it. Her loud singing and whistling weren’t helping matters, announcing her presence. He resumed reading the morning newspaper to distract from his cravings.
When they finally left the house, it was a little past 9 o’clock. Thika highway was clear of jams.
Akinyi stared at his hands on the steering wheel, reminding her of their first meeting. When she glanced at him, she caught him staring at her or was she caught staring at him? She quickly lowered her gaze and looked outside, smiling.
“What’s funny?” he asked.
“I have just remembered something, and it seemed like a déjà vu.”
“What would that be, mysterious woman?”
“Just the way you hold the steering.”
“What about it?” he asked, chuckling under his breath.
“Like you are caressing it passionately,” she blurted out and cursed.
He threw his head back and laughed out before his car swerved. The car behind them honked, and he concentrated on his driving for a while before resuming their conversation.
“The way you look at me is so wanting,” she continued.
“But I have made it no secret to you. I want you. Ever since the first day we met.” He glanced at her.
“You want me in what way?” she dared to ask.
“In every way, a man wants a woman.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, blushing when he looked her way. What was he driving at?
“I want to be close to you, to make you happy and live happily ever after,” he said thoughtfully.
She believed him.
“Does what you want include sex?” she asked, not knowing why.
“Tough questions, huh? I feel like I am being grilled for some top government position,” he said, smiling, and if she hadn’t known him so well, she could have thought he was serious.
“Just curious, that’s all,” she said, shrugging her shoulders and looking out the window.
Adams knew that she was looking forward to his answer. She cared more about his reply than she let on.
“Yes. I want sex too,” he said, startling her from her reverie.
“Ooh,” was all she managed to say, not quite believing him.
He reached for her hand and liked its feel in his—so small, delicate, and painted a shade of royal blue.
There was an undeniable flow of irresistible force, and when their eyes met, it was like the mating of souls. He withdrew his hand to continue with his driving.
“I thought that you were different,” she teased.
“I am not a monk. I am a red-blooded Black man attracted to an incredibly beautiful and intelligent woman.”
“Good to know,” she feigned disinterest.
Since that meeting with David, something had changed in her, but she still hadn’t figured it out. One thing for sure was that, while she was beating herself about the heartbreak and harbouring bitterness, David was not. In fact, he had been enjoying his life in the arms of his new wife. Too busy to bother with her. It was like twisting a hot knife through her heart.
It was high time she gave herself a chance with Adams to see how things turned out. If he kept doing what he was doing, they would certainly be fine.
“C’mon, don’t tell me you are a nun,” he probed.
“No, I’m not, but that doesn’t mean I want to jump your bones,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“Feel free to jump my bones anytime you want,” he urged her, and they laughed.
They arrived at the Mahi Mahiu winding paths, exploring the beautiful landscape. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the view of the hills and surrounding valley.
It reminded her so much of her life. The twists and turns, the peaks and the lows. Yet despite all these absurdities, life was still beautiful, precious, and worth living.
The road finally brought them to Bogoria, where they took the rough road. They drove for twenty minutes before getting to their destination. When the car stopped, she jumped out of the car to survey her surroundings. Trees and tents covered the land. The environment was quiet and serene, with the only sounds of birds singing.
Adams went to stand by her and asked, “What do you think?”
“It is lovely,” she said, reaching for his hand.