"FOREVER AMEN - CHUI..."

GIVE LOVE A CHANCE

Nilla had finished a meeting with her teammates. Plans for the week were set. Plutex Global Company has decided to make Nairobi's office the headquarters for African countries. There would be a lot of pressure for departmental heads as they would be working with others from all over Africa and work would increase as well. PGC had decided to cut down costs by moving most African offices to Kenya, from where operations and services would be delivered to other countries. Partnering with other businesses for things like storage and advertising also contributed greatly to overall cost-effectiveness. The Nairobi branch was making room for new members who would join in. This meant that two more floors were needed for more space. The PGC would take two more floors down. Growth was good, the employees were happy.

Nilla was doing well in school. Robert had insisted that she go to a private university where he paid the fees for the four years upfront. Nilla’s only gratitude would be working hard towards good grades. Her twenty-third birthday was around the corner and all she wanted was time alone, sitting in silence and making her gratitude known to the higher powers. She had managed to clear her high school fee arrears, and the problems she had faced before were now non-existent. She was grateful for life.

Nilla's phone beeped. It was Robert. He was reminding Nilla about having nyamachoma later in the day. They had created a culture of eating out on Monday evenings. This would give them a reason to escape the Monday blues and enable them to get rid of the Monday hate. Nilla confirmed that Robert would pick her up from her place. Wambo and Mary had started going hard to stain her image. She knew it was not good for her. Though Robert did not care, she did. Robert was a man, such types of rumors were never meant to hurt him. Men can soar above such with pride, as for Nilla, a woman, being found as the main character of such gossip was not good for her reputation at all. Twice, from Robert’s place to work, she had to hail for a taxi, which Robert thought was ridiculous. Nilla would do all that she could to prove to anyone who cared to snoop that in deed, between her and that son of a far-away place, was deep and innocent care shared by two people. There was nothing at all unrighteous going on between Robert and her. He held her, but never in a way that would make her question him. He spoke to her but most of the time, spoke life, he laughed with her, in a way that family does. He helped her, but never with the intention of getting value from his help in the future. He was her person. Her human. He was a whole place where she found peace and reinvention of herself. The love she had for him was more than the type of love that would only be kept alive by emotions. She made sure the gods knew that she would care for him, as a duty.

“ It is really absurd that we have to be living under the choke hold of those two women, if you ask me. We are family and this bullshit, it’s not helping at all.” Robert had waited for Nilla outside her door for twenty minutes and was fuming since, according to him, they would have just left the office together instead of all the unnecessary extra work.

“ I’m so sorry Chui, you need to have your own keys. I’ll make sure you do before the end of tomorrow.”

“ I do not need my own keys, I need a best friend with a functioning head.”

“ It is this same head that has gotten us this far, Chui dear, please keep working with it, it needs no upgrade, sawasawa?”

Nilla and Robert changed and left for nyamachoma, grilled meat. Nilla had taken Robert for lunch at a base where grilled meat stole his heart. It was on that day when he started liking eating with his hands. That practice had become a part of their Monday evenings whenever he was in Kenya.

“ You know, you still haven’t come up with what you plan on doing to stop this outrageous behavior of us going to work and coming home separately. I don’t like it, Nini, we live together for the love of Christ….” Robert started.

“ I know we are family Chui, but, come to think of it, we do not really live together per se. When you go out with the boys and do your things in the milk chain, sometimes I don’t get to see your face until after four days or so. Or when you’re held up by work, we can go up to a week without seeing each other, bestie. You see, it’s really not as bad as you put it, brother.”

“ Just because I’m the family member who sleeps outside most of the time doesn’t mean I should be treated any differently, careful Nini, your bias is showing.”

“ Haha! Field marshal”

“Field what? And why?”

“Field marshal. By the way, at your wild parties what do you boys usually do? And how many women do you boys do it with? Sometimes I look at you, how beautiful and soft-spoken you are, and then, when I just imagine that this world has stolen your flower and innocence, my tears start flowing from my eyes down to my stomach, where no one can see them.” The evening was going to be a silly one.

“ Enough about me, where is your boyfriend, dear Nini? You do know he has to pass through the family for approval, right?”

“ There is someone I might consider giving a chance.”

Robert was very much invested in whatever was coming next.” He is the school president, and is two years my senior. He is twenty-six, and I wanted to share this with you before agreeing to date him.” Nilla had always run her whole life by Robert. He knew her like he knew his name. Nilla might not have realized that it could be because of the way she grew up without a caring male that she was so clingy on Robert the way she was.

“ Well, his name is Alpha. And he’s been asking me out for two months now. Last Thursday I told him to come back after a week. Maybe I’ll have decided.”

“ If you like him, why are you playing games, Nini? You’re young, you deserve this chance to fall in love and if it doesn’t work, you can always give love another shot. Why are you being so hard on yourself little one?” His approval was all Nilla needed. He did not see any need for Nilla to be too serious with life. According to him, life had no rehearsal and was to be given the best shot every chance one got.

They finished their family date and went back home. Days like this, the chauffeur was always sure to carry some meat home. Nilla always made sure to order some for him too.

“ You said you are already home, I’m at your doorstep and no one seems to be here.” That was Fredrick. He wanted to spend the evening with Robert. Robert and Nilla had arrived at Nilla’s place and were just passing time in the living room.

“ I’m so sorry I’m at Nilla’s place in Langata. Still too early, wanna meetup?” Robert asked. Fredrick lived in Karen, and was just a few minutes' drive to Nilla’s place. He thought going over to Nilla’s place to catch up with Robert was better than having Robert find him, considering his chauffeur had also gone home. That evening was Fredrick’s first time at Nilla’s place. Nilla made him a light meal. He really loved it. She then served him and Robert a cocktail juice, after which, she decided to excuse herself.

“ Nonsense Nini, are you afraid of this big head?” Robert asked.

“ Well, about him having a big head, you’re absolutely right, afraid of him, I don’t think so.” Fredrick laughed at Nilla’s words. They got to know more about each other that evening. Fredrick liked her too.

“ I still remember the first time I saw you, Nini, you were so tiny, we thought you were a teenager.” Fredrick said.

“ What can I say, wisdom makes people appear big Fred, you know..” Nilla responded as they laughed. Fredrick was just like Robert, it was so easy making friends with him.

“ You have really grown to be more beautiful. If I met you without Robert, I wouldn’t have thought you were that tiny girl I met a year ago. And your home is so beautiful, no wonder this one does not want to leave your side.” It was typical of men to praise their friends as they lied to the woman they thought he was with.

“ Oooh cut it Fred, this my human right here, just like you, is a field marshal. Husband of a great army,” Nilla said. Fredrick was laughing so hard. Robert, on the other hand, was wiping tears from his eyes from laughter. He knew Nilla was going to throw real dirt at them.

“So this is how much she knows us?” Fredrick asked Robert. “ She’s my person, she will always know.” Robert answered.

It was getting late and Fredrick made to leave after an evening of laughter and catching up. He had come to like Nilla. He bid them goodbye as Nilla and Robert also retired to bed shortly after.