TASTELESS

CHAPTER SIX

KAYLA'S MOM; Whaaaaat? Don't listen to her. I already told you to find your place in one week.

KAYLA; Why Mom? Mercy is my cousin. What is wrong if I stay with them?

KAYLA'S MOM; You cannot understand it now child. Just listen to me.

KAYLA; Mom, I will be saving money as I stay. They are the ones requesting me to stay.

Kayla's mom hanged up. She is very upset about her daughter.

"I told you, she doesn't listen." She tells her husband, (Kayla's dad) who is busy reading a newspaper in the living room. Evenings in the village are chilled. Elderly people coil back into their homes while little children are heard shouting in the fields playing and others looking after the cattle.

"She cannot stay there. Call her again." Kayla's Dad says. His real name is Orori.

"It is time you tell her now. She needs to know the truth." Kayla's mom says.

"No, we cannot risk. Just call her I will talk to her." Orori says. Kayla's mom calls Kayla again.

*********

Kayla is standing just a few meters away from her company's gate waiting for Mercy to pick her. Her mom calls again. She now feels irritated.

KAYLA; Mom...!!

KAYLA'S MOM; Talk to your dad. (Hands over the phone to Orori.

ORORI; Hello child, I want us to agree on something.

KAYLA; Dad, what is happening?

ORORI; Nothing happening, but you need to trust us. Mercy has her own family, you know that?

KAYLA; Yes Dad, and that is why I need to stay with them for a while. It is only for a while dad. I'm not going to stay with them forever.

ORORI; Shauri yako. (hangs up)

Kayla is left with suspense. The rate at which her parents are against her staying with Mercy is alarming.

'There has to be a reason.' she tells herself. While she stands there fully immersed in thoughts, Mercy arrives.

"Hey girl, I know I've kept you waiting. There was a little traffic jam. How has been your day?" Mercy asks immediately after Kayla gets into the car.

"It has been great. I was talking to my mom a few minutes before you arrived." Kayla says.

"Talking about what?" Mercy asks back.

"My parents do not want me to stay with you for long guys," Kayla says. She wants to hear how Mercy is going to react about that.

"Have you asked them the reason?" Mercy replies as she drives.

"No, but I also told you that I wouldn't want to stay long with you," Kayla responds.

"You are now becoming complicated. Whose life is this? Yours, right?" Mercy asks.

"Yeah, it is mine," Kayla replies.

"Then you need to be 100% responsible for every detail of your life. Your parents are old now and they should not have control over where you stay or where you don't stay." Mercy responds.

"Well, it is okay," Kayla replies. According to her, what Mercy has said is true and she doesn't need to listen to her parents. Carelessly, she chooses to listen to Mercy, and not heed her parent's words.

Kayla continued staying with Mercy as she picked up momentum in her workplace. Her parents still insisted on her getting into a new place, but she kept ignoring them. At the job place, Kayla started gaining admiration from her colleagues. Andrew proved to be a good person, although he would be flirty at times, which is normal to most men.

Mercy was consistent in dropping Kayla at her workplace and picking her later in the evening. But there is a particular day she got a surprise. While she waited for Mercy to pick her up that evening, a Range Rover sport showed up and slowed down near Kayla.

"Get inside." It was Joe. That was so unexpected for Kayla.

"Did you plan to surprise me?" Kayla asked Joe after getting inside. She sat in the back seat.

"No, Mercy will be arriving late at night, she is out of town," Joe replied, looking at Kayla through the rare mirror.

"Okay. I understand now." Kayla responded, looking back at Joe through the rare mirror.

"How is work?" Joe asks.

"It's great, I'm slowly adapting," Kayla replies.

"Good, but do not put a lot of energy into it. Most of these companies misuse their employees." Joe says.

"What do you mean?" Kayla responds.

"I mean, have an exit plan. Do not work without a plan." Joe replies. As he talks, Kayla is still looking at him through the rare mirror. She is impressed by how Joe is fluent.

"I will think about it." She replies. Joe looks at the rare mirror and their eyes met. They both smile.

"Are you dating?" Joe asks

"No, why?" Kayla replies.

"You can't be serious," Joe says.

Since Kayla got heartbroken by the church dude, whom they were sharing with Naomi, she has never thought of dating again.

"I'm not dating." She says.

"You need to have someone," Joe says as he drives through the gate into their apartment. Kayla pretends that she has not heard what Joe said. He parks the car and they both get out. Kayla quickly gets into the house and straight to her room to avoid Joe.

Mercy arrived later that evening with Vincent.

"Today I went to see a friend of mine in Kikuyu," she said.

"Oooh, but you didn't tell me," Kayla says. As they talk, Vincent comes closer to Kayla and starts shaking his head.

"I forgot to tell you. But I told baba Vin to pick you up." Mercy says. All that time, little Vincent has managed to capture Kayla's attention. But she doesn't understand what shaking of the head means.

"Ooh, he picked me up. What is Vincent saying" Kayla asks?

"Nothing." Mercy replies quickly and grabs Vincent.

"He doesn't seem okay," Kayla says.

"Ni kuchoka, let me change him clothes ndio nikuje tupike." Mercy says and drags Vincent to the bedroom. Vincent looks at Kayla with sad eyes and starts crying...