She has been busy 'pima-ing' your character

Photo:HARRY

It has been an agonising three weeks. Your mind has never been this preoccupied. If you were younger and more reckless, without a job, you would have walked away from the problem. But now, you are old, you have morals, and this has to be handled in the most mature way. You will give Carol two options: marriage or child support. Yes you are dead serious that you want to list the kid as one of your heirs.

They are the most neutral choices you can give her. The choice is hers. You have already made up your mind. You have figured out that in the event she wants to move in with you and start life, it won’t be a problem. She will just move to your apartment in the corner next door. You will see what things she will bring over, and what you can sell.

You drive, she drives so you are all set. May be you can have a quick wedding soon to cover up for the pregnancy, if she is too conscious of hurting her parents. Of which, you have little background about her family, which she studiously avoids talking about. By the way, she is not just introverted, Carol, does look like someone with a secret. May be a child staying with her mother. Or some previous hurt she tries to keep under wraps.

You are enjoying a boring Chelsea-Manchester United match and she will be joining you anytime soon. It is a neighbourhood bar -  not the cleanest. The flies are the stubborn type that perch on your forehead making you swat them off the entire time. The urine stench from the washroom is unrelenting, but you hope, despite her class, she will bear with the place and not mind the nyama choma you have ordered. Women can be picky.

She arrives. She has changed to an appropriate bar dress code, a short, distantly provocative dress, that leaves her smooth thighs out. The whole bar becomes silent as she walks from the door to the furthest wall where you are hurdled browsing through the phone, men are clearly impressed by what she possesses. Little do they know, that the two of you are undergoing so much trouble.

“How long are we going to be here?” she asks as she sits down, clearly disapproving of the place.

“Maybe in the next hour,” you tell her. You notice she is very relaxed. It is like she has made peace with her reality. It is followed by awkward silence. You decide to confront her.

“What are the plans. What have you decided?”

“About what?” she asks almost rhetorically, gives a blank gaze then smiles knowingly, before bursting out laughing. You are relieved... a bit. But also confused.

“Ha ha ha. Got you! I was just teasing you to know what kind of man you are...” She says, then gives you look that she has not committed the worst crime, worse than murder. You have never been so angered by a woman. You feel so violent. She has wasted three of your precious weeks.

“But why?” You ask, almost stuttering.

“You talk a good sport, I had to know what kind of man you are.” She says, matter-of-factly.

You hate her. But she looks the least concerned, she is so sure that there is nothing that you can do. Because you really have a strong thing for her.

@nyanchwani

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