“That’s your problem, Imani! You hide your beauty in all those trousers and shapeless tops. My ‘dress lady’ will have to transform you.”
“Who is your ‘dress lady’ anyway?” Imani asked. Despite the fact that publicly, Fawzia was usually attired in a black buibui, she was obsessed with high fashion and in the privacy of her home, was always sporting the latest trends. Which was why Imani knew she could trust Fawzia when it came to matters of style. She trusted Fawzia would ensure she looked decent yet stylish.
“Wait and see. I am going to make sure that you look stunning!” Fawzia winked, as she left.
****
Late that evening, Imani’s cell phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. “Who could be calling me at this time?” she wondered aloud as she reached for the phone.
“Hello Imani, it’s Kevin.” He didn’t need to identify himself. She could recognise his voice from a single syllable.
“Err ... hi,” Imani couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice.
“Imani, I think that you and I need to talk.”
“What about? If its regarding Acacia Park we told you that you would have a written update on Friday.”
“It’s not about that, it’s about us.”
“Us? I wasn’t aware that there even was an ‘us’.”
He sighed, “I don’t like the way we left things, I think we need to sort everything out.”
There was a time, three years ago, when Imani had fantasised about him calling her and about them having this exact conversation. But that was then, this was now.
“Sorry Kevin, I have moved on with my life.”
“I know that you have, but let’s just have a drink together.”
Imani hesitated. This was her chance to show him how well she had managed without him. And he is my client after all.
“Come on Imani, it’s just one drink!”
“Ok fine. Tomorrow after work at Hurricanes.”
“Great, see you then,” Kevin sounded relieved.
It took Imani a long time to fall asleep that night; she tossed and turned with the same question going through her mind. What was Kevin going to say to her?
Another thought crept into her mind. Would it look like she was seeing Kevin to further her career? Especially when she and Mike were competing for the same client? Should I meet Kevin and use the meeting to gain an advantage and clinch the deal? Is it even right? She shook her head fiercely. I want to do this on my own. I will win this contract and keep my job through my own initiative and hard work.
How weird is this, she thought, I’m competing with my potential boyfriend for a contract with my old boyfriend.
She could lose her job on top of losing Mike. And once again, it would all be because of Kevin. She decided to stay entirely professional to handle this situation.
***
The next morning at the office, Imani was glued to her desk. She thumped and pounded at her keyboard, barely bothering to glance up. It was nearly lunchtime when she finally realised something strange. Where was Mike? He wasn’t in yet, though they had so much work to do on Acacia Park.
She rummaged through all the notes she had so diligently collected over the past year and put them together in a spreadsheet. As she read down the list, she smiled; there were enough clients here to buy up most of Acacia Park easily. Looks like I did the right thing in saving these records. Maybe it will pay off now.
Mike breezed in after lunch, smelling faintly of alcohol. “Where have you been?” Imani couldn’t stop herself from asking. She wondered if he had been out with another girl. She couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous.
“Ah ha, just cultivating some new clients,” he winked at her, “What have you been up to?”
“Some of us have to work for a living.” She winked back at him but did not smile. Mike had just inadvertently reminded her, that dates and drinks or not, they were now competitors.
Just before five, Imani surreptitiously made her way to the Ladies with a jawala. She went into one of the stalls and swapped her creased office blouse with a silky orange top. She completed the look with a pair of chunky silver earrings with a matching necklace.
When she came out of the stall, she applied a fresh coat of her new lipstick and a flick of mascara. She looked at herself in the mirror, straightened her shoulders and practiced her smile. I’m now ready to meet Kevin. She wondered why she was making so much of an effort for a man who now meant nothing to her. After all, she had nothing to prove to him. And she certainly didn’t want him to get the wrong impression. Still, it doesn’t hurt to look your best for your client. Who happens to be your ex. Show him what he let go.
Satisfied that she looked good, Imani exited the building, before remembering that she had left her cell phone charging at her desk. Shoot. She walked back to her cubicle in a rush. Most of the staff had already left for the day but Mike was standing at her desk. Imani felt her pulse quicken. Was he looking for her? To ask her out again? I can’t say no to Mike again, but I’ve promised Kevin ... She sighed. If it came to a choice between the two, well, Kevin would just have to wait. She put on her nicest smile as she approached him.
“Hi Mike,” she said, coming up from behind. He started in surprise at the sound of her voice.
“What are you still doing here Imani? I thought you had already left!”
“Well obviously I am still here. What are you doing at my desk?”
“Ahh … you had left your computer on and I was just shutting it down for you.”
Imani furrowed her brow. She was quite sure she had shut down the computer. But maybe in the excitement of getting ready to meet Kevin, I might have forgotten.
“Oh, thanks,” she said.
“Anytime, sweetheart,” he replied, “You know how Mr Shutu gets about computers left on. Him and his electricity bills …”
Imani rolled her eyes. Their boss had strict rules about leaving lights and appliances on. She felt grateful to Mike; if Mr Shutu had caught her, there would have been a long lecture involved. No doubt, he might have even fired her then and there.
“Thanks, Mike!” she smiled. Here I am rushing off to meet Kevin, and here Mike is watching my back. He’s really such a dear.
“ No worries. You look amazing!”
“Flattery!” she laughed, pleased that he had noticed.
“If I wasn’t rushing off for my friend’s stag party, I would have been the lucky man,” he sighed regretfully, “But, before I go…” He stepped closer and gave her a lingering kiss that left her wistful that he was busy. Another quick peck on her cheek and he was gone, with a “later, princess!” that warmed her heart. Despite this, Imani couldn’t suppress the relief she felt that he had not asked her out. She would not have passed up a date with him again, but she was curious to meet Kevin and put the ghosts to rest.
Hurricanes was already buzzing with the after work crowd when she arrived there a few minutes after six. Imani scanned the room but there was no sign of Kevin. She bit her lip as she looked for somewhere to sit. Is he going to stand me up? She wondered if this was another one of Kevin’s cruel jokes on her and regretted ever agreeing to this meeting. Just as she was considering stalking out, she felt a touch on her shoulder.
“Hi Imani, my apologies, the traffic is horrendous today.”
She exhaled the breath that she wasn’t even aware she had been holding. Though furious at his tardiness, Imani could not help but notice how good his navy blue shirt looked against his cocoa brown skin.
“Hi Kevin, good to see you,” she said, reaching up to give him a double peck on the cheek. Cool and sophisticated: that was just the image she wanted to portray. But when she was close enough to smell his familiar aftershave, her stomach lurched a little. Damn. I can’t believe he still smells the same. And I can’t be
lieve it still has the same effect on me. Just seeing him again had unlocked so many familiar emotions in her.
“Let’s find a quiet place to sit.” He led her through the tables, his hand burning an imprint into the small of her back.
“Well,” he began, when they were perched around a minute table, “you look so …” But he didn’t get a chance to complete his thought as there was suddenly a waiter thrusting a notepad in their faces.
“One Tusker and one Bitter Lemon,” he told the waiter, his eyes still locked on hers.
Bitter Lemon! Does this man think that I still drink the same soda that I used to three years ago? Does he think I’m a child?
“Actually, I will have a glass of dry white wine,” Imani said sharply, glaring at him. Kevin laughed.
“Get her a glass of your best wine then,” he smiled at her, “So Imani, tell me what else has changed with you, besides your choice in drinks.”
“Everything,” she said, “Nothing is the same anymore, Kevin.”
“How are your Mum and Grace? Has she finished school yet?”
Imani couldn’t believe the guy; the last time she had seen him, he had wrenched her heart apart and now he was making small talk. Did he have absolutely no shame? Or was he so callous that he actually thought he could brush the past away and continue as if what he had done to her was of no importance?
“What is the point of this meeting Kevin? I’m sure you didn’t call me here just to talk about my family?”
“Imani, I miss you. We had a good thing going.”
Her mouth gaped open; it took a few seconds before she remembered to shut it. Did he just say that? The Kevin she had known would have never spoken so frankly. Who was this stranger in front of her?
Imani just couldn’t seem to find a sassy comeback. Her mouth went dry. Hadn’t she come here to show him how she was so over him? Where was her sophisticated repartee when she needed it most?
“We did. Until you ruined it,” she snapped.
“Ruined it? I’m sure by now you realise you really overreacted back then,” Kevin replied.
What? She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Overreacted?” she screeched, “I caught you sleeping with another girl! How was I supposed to react?”
Kevin shook his head. “Correction. You didn’t ‘catch me’ doing anything, you walked into the room, made your own assumptions and didn’t give me a chance to explain.”
“Oh I’m sorry. I must have caught you before you could do anything meaningful with that girl who was in your bed!” she glared at him.
“Imani, stop it. It was nothing like what you’re thinking.”
“You don’t know what I’m thinking, Kevin,” she snapped, just as their drinks arrived.
“Let me explain. She was one of my cousins visiting from the States. She was just staying in my room.”
Her jaw dropped. “Do you really expect me to believe that?” She was furious that he thought she was so foolish she would actually believe that cheap lie. “Seriously Kevin, of all the things you could say, this has to be the lamest …”
“Lame or not, it’s the truth,” he shrugged.
Imani rolled her eyes. “So why didn’t you just tell me that back then?”
Kevin looked directly at her. “Because you never gave me a chance. I tried to call you so many times. I even came over to your house.”
She was silent as she remembered how she had stubbornly refused to speak to or see Kevin. But of course, she thought defensively, he had not been particularly persuasive either. After a few days, he had not persisted and had disappeared from her life altogether.
“Well, can you blame me? Besides, two phone calls, one house call and you gave up? You didn’t really try to explain either. If I meant a lot to you, you would have found a way to tell me the truth!”
“Yeah, well I thought you would have more faith in me than that, Imani!” he retorted.
“It’s not my fault, Kevin. You didn’t get in touch with me for a week after coming home. Your sister told me you had brought home a new girlfriend. I walked into your room, and lo, there was a girl in your bed. So what did you expect me to do?”
Kevin shrugged. “Trust me, perhaps?”
“You expect me to believe that that was all there was to it?”
“Yes, that’s all it was Imani. I can’t force you to believe me, but maybe this should convince you.” Without another word, he rolled back the sleeve of his navy-blue shirt, revealing something Imani had not noticed before. A watch. She reeled in shock. It was the same watch she had bought him. The welcome-home gift.
Imani’s first reaction was still scepticism. Maybe he had kept it in some cupboard and had taken it out just for the day, to try and fool her. But as she looked closer, she saw it bore unmistakeable signs of being worn. But that means …
“I didn’t cheat on you, Imani,” he said quietly. The earnestness in his eyes made her defences melt. For the first time, she considered the possibility that he might be telling the truth.
“Do you know how much anguish I felt?” Imani said, her voice shaking, “How many sleepless nights and tears this incident caused? How much heartache I endured?”
“It was not any better for me,” he said, in a low voice, “I wish you had picked up my calls.”
“I wish you had called me sooner. I waited a week after you came but you didn’t call,” Imani replied quietly.
“I’m sorry, Kevin. I trusted you above everything, and waited for you for years. When I saw you and that girl, my trust was broken. And things can never be the same again between us.”
“Don’t say that, Imani.”
Just then, Imani’s cell phone rang. It was Grace, sounding worried and wanting to know how soon Imani could get home as their mother was feeling unwell.
“Na-come saa hii,” Imani assured her sister, shocked to see that it had been over an hour in the pub.
“I have to go, Kevin. Right away,” she said reluctantly.
There was still so much to say and to understand. She wanted to deal with this new information. Most importantly, she wanted find out what he had been up to over the past three years.
“Imani … look we’ve both made mistakes, but we had something special. Why don’t we start again?”
Imani was shocked by his plain speaking. She felt an assortment of emotions run through her. Doubt, anxiety, hope and euphoria all rolled in one heady mix. She didn’t know he meant that they should make peace and stay friends or whether he wanted to rekindle their romance. And what about Mike? Things weren’t serious on that front yet, but she was sure being with Kevin would not help her relationship with Mike.
“I would love to see you again. We still have so much to talk about. Are you free on Sunday afternoon?” Kevin interrupted her thoughts.
She wasn’t keen on agreeing to see him again, but their conversation wasn’t done yet. She still wanted to find out whether there was any truth in Kevin’s story, but with her mum needing her, everything else was secondary.
“Please Imani. Give me one chance to clear myself in your eyes. For old times’ sake.”
“Fine,” she said coolly, nodding as she stood up.
“Excellent. Can I pick you up around two?”
He stood up and kissed her cheek. “How are you getting home? Can I find you a cab? Or can I ask the driver to drop you somewhere now?”
“No thanks, I’m fine. Bye”
“See you, Imani,” he said, giving her a hug. She broke away quickly; the feel of his stubble against her neck evoked memories that were destabilising her.
She needed some space to think; she couldn’t believe that Kevin wanted her back in his life. Just like that. All those years of wondering where he was and what he was doing and now, h
ere he was, in the realm of her world today. Wanting to become part of her life once again. She had thought that she was completely over him, but seeing him again had stirred deeply buried emotions.
She thought of some of the happy times they had shared together. She remembered how he had opted not to attend a distant relative’s wedding, choosing instead to be with her for her birthday. How he had made her heart sing with the silly poems he composed to woo her. She couldn’t stop the smile that came to her face.
Imani was boarding her matatu when her phone beeped. It was a text message from Kevin: ‘Really looking forward to Sunday’.
Imani smiled. Kevin was really coming on strong. Maybe his eagerness to meet her was a sign that he was single? Maybe. But a warning bell sounded off in her mind. Kevin is old news, Imani, she told herself sternly, thinking of him will only open up old wounds. We’re finished and I only agreed to see him so that I can get closure.
She wanted to talk to Fawzia and share this piece of news with her. She wanted to know what her friend thought of this whole affair, but for now, her mother was priority. A conversation with Fawzia could never be hurried.
As the matatu zoomed past the Westlands roundabout, Imani felt more confused than ever. Her job was at risk, her mum was ill and she had just agreed to meet Kevin again. And what about Mike?
CHAPTER FOUR
“Black and white!” Rita was firm, “It will give you a stylish and elegant atmosphere.”
“But our company colours are green and yellow,” Imani protested, already anticipating Mr Shutu’s objections to the décor at their launch. For all she knew, he could use that as an excuse to sack her.
Their stylish Corporate Party Planner shuddered dramatically. “I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that,” she said, “Now let’s talk about food. I’m thinking canapés with a Kenyan twist.”
Rita kept Imani on her toes the whole morning as they went through each detail for the Acacia Park launch. Somehow, Imani had found herself landed with the entire responsibility of running and organising the launch party, which had meant an overload of work. Imani welcomed the distraction as it kept her mind off Kevin and Mike.
Imani's Dilemma (Drumbeats Romance) Page 3