CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - Nairobi Cocktail, The Sleaze

 Two PM. As Boss was raising stakes at the undisclosed location, Naliaka was at the periphery of the shopping centre of the neighbourhood that many years ago harboured a young Boss. The shopping centre had all the characteristics of a sleepy town whose reserve energies had been sucked out, drop by drop by repeated failed attempts to develop. Buildings, looking as old as colonialism were covered by a thin layer of red soil, like somebody had taken the trouble to paint them. The newer ones, only differentiated from the older ones by the two storey design, looked like haunted houses, plants growing from inside, taller than the houses. Naliaka wondered where the owners were – dead, or did they have to see their unfinished works every day and weep for their failures?

The road had patches of tarmac that looked out of place in the midst of red dust and potholes deep enough to swallow wheels of a small car. The trees paving both sides of the avenue were a mix of  green and red soil. It may have been rainy season elsewhere, but it was clear the rains had not yet arrived here.

 “Please pull over.” She instructed the driver. She was fighting excitement and fear, and she needed time to reconcile this neighbourhood with the Boss of today.

Behind her dark sunglassees, she studied the passers-by. All of them, feet covered in red dust, all looking at the car curiously. She understood why. There did not seem to be many cars around. Any car would pique interest. She saw tired people dragging overworked jembes behind them, too tired to lift them on their shoulders. She wondered if any of them was related to Kanja. These people reminded her of a life she led as a little girl, the life that dejection and dirt were part of daily attire. She took in a sharp breath and blinked several times to time-travel her thoughts back to present. 

Naliaka considered asking a passer-by if they knew Mama Kanja, then she remembered Boss’ remark on adventure and decided to try the directions first. “Okay, according to the directions I have, we need to take a left here and drive to the end at a T-junction. From there take a left. Another right, then look for a wooden stream of houses…”

The driver nodded and eased onto the road. Within ten minutes, they were outside the stream of houses. With feigned bravado, Naliaka stepped out of the car and walked towards the compound.

There was a gate made of iron-sheets so rusted, she didn’t have to open it to step into the compound because there were holes big enough for her to just bend a little to fit through. The compound was empty except for wash basins and hanged clothes flapping against the wind on the line. There was a house with a slightly open door. She started calling out, “Hodi! Kuna mtu? Hodi?”

A few seconds into her calls and a woman emerged from the open door, shielding her eyes from the bright sun and chewing sugarcane.

She sucked in the cane juice and spit some remnants before speaking. “Habari? Are you lost?”

Naliaka shook her head and stepped closer. “I am not sure. I am looking for Mama and Baba Kanja… do they still live here?”

The woman bit off a small piece of the sugarcane, chewed for a few seconds, spit more remnants before spitting it then stepped closer, shamelessly studying Naliaka from toe to head, stopping at the face. When the woman shook her head, Naliaka dropped her shoulders in disappointment, thinking she meant that Kanja’s parents no longer lived there.

“Do you know where they moved to?”

“Oh. They haven’t moved and it doesn’t make sense why they have not. If I was doing as well as they are, I would already have built myself a house far, far away from this dump.” She swept the hand with the sugarcane randomly at the compound but her eyes remained fixed on Naliaka.

Naliaka smiled. Almost laughed.

“Would you know where they are right now?”

“Are you driving?” she was peeping behind Naliaka. “Of course you are driving. A girl who looks like you would have to be driving, plus there is no red dust on your feet…”

Naliaka flashed a smile. “I have a driver…”

“Even better. I bet you are married to a rich man…” She laughed very loudly, threw down her sugarcane, used her leso to wipe her hands and mouth then tightened the leso. Naliaka faked a smile. 

“Could you give me directions?” She was already impatient. She did not have the luxury of time as she needed to call Julia’s children on the way back.

 “I can take you to their shop…” she offered, pulling her door shut and walking towards the gate.

“Ah, okay. How far is it?”

“Not far. But I can save you the trouble of searching. Also,” she added with a mischievous laugh. “I have not been in a car for so long and opportunities like these do not come often…”

Naliaka indulged her with a smile. The more things changed, the more they remained the same, she reminisced. This same scene could have been in her own village with a similar borderline malicious village woman. In fact, this enthusiastic woman reminded her of a neighbour in another life, a woman who grated on Naliaka’s mother. She talked too much about other people, offering information without being probed. ‘Don’t be deceived.’ Her mother would say. ‘The same way she talks about other people to you is the same way she will talk about you to other people.’

“She is going to take us to the person I am looking for.” Naliaka explained to the baffled driver. The woman had walked in front of Naliaka and entered the front seat. And she was chatty. And Naliaka worried she would start talking about Boss, then she relaxed because the driver did not know Boss and Kanja were one and the same person.

“You must be a relative…are you a relative?” The woman turned to Naliaka when the car started moving.

“I am. I am the daughter of their long lost sister…”

“Oh…how happy they will be to see you. That family seems to lose people a lot. They lost a son as well…”

“Oh? He died?”

The woman shook her head repeatedly. “No…he went to the city one day and never returned. He could be dead…or a thug.” Naliaka’s heart skipped a bit. She stole a careful glance at the driver. Either he did not make the connection or he was good at poker-face.

“It happens.” Naliaka cut it quickly. “You have been so good to us, is there something I can do to thank you?” It was Naliaka’s way of completely changing to topic.

“Haiyaaa. Such a nice lady. Anything will be fine…” She beamed, turning to the front and direction the driver to take a left turn. She turned again to Naliaka.

“Are you married?” Naliaka asked. Her plan was to take charge of which way the conversations were going, as far away from Boss as possible.

“No. But I have two children…”

“Aha…so if I shop for you, there will be no man to accuse you of taking money from other men…”

They laughed. And thankfully arrived at the destination.

“That shop.” The woman was pointing at building with her mouth, easing back into the seat like she intended to remain in the car. “That’s is where they both work.”

“Which shop? There are several of them.”

“The cereals shop…” She tucked herself further on the seat.

“Take me there please…” With a racing heart and shaky legs, she followed and for a misguided second considered bolting, changing her mind, kicking herself for agreeing to do this. Suddenly, it felt like a burden too heavy to carry. She had not even thought about what she was going to say to them.

“Mama Kanja!” the enthusiastic woman called out at a petite woman weighing beans for a customer, her back on them. "Mama Kanja. You owe me much. I have brought your niece to you…”

Mama Kanja paused for a few seconds before straightening up then slowly turned towards the newcomers. First she looked at her neighbour in confusion, then at Naliaka in more confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Your sister…the long lost sister, remember? This is her daughter…” the woman patted Naliaka’s shoulder.

“What?” Mama Kanja dropped something on the floor. She slowly bent down to pick it and when she straightened up again, there was a knowing look on her face. “Wow, thank you so much mama Junior. You can go, I will pick it from here” she turned to Naliaka. “My niece, welcome. I am so happy to see you. Let me finish servicing this customer then I can give you a welcome hug.”

Naliaka nodded and folder her arms across her chest then turned to Mama Junior who was still standing next to her expectantly. Naliaka stared at her in a moment of confusion before digging into her jeans pocket for money, handing them to Mama Junior without counting.

“Haiyaaa… you didn’t even count the money?” Mama Junior asked, nearly grabbing the notes from Naliaka and counting them. “Heh…five thousand shillings. I have not held so much money at a go in a long time. Today we shall eat meat…” She started walking to the door before pausing halfway. “Mama Kanja, enjoy the reunion with your niece.”

Naliaka sort of waved her off then stood awkwardly, watching Mama Kanja serve the customer. The older woman was looking everywhere but towards Naliaka’s direction. It left Naliaka with the freedom to study her, looking for traces of Kanja. His mother was petite and caramel skin colour with a round-face. Kanja’s square jaw and dark chocolate skin colour must be from the father. She looked around the shop, wondering where the father was.

Finally, they were alone. A long minute of silence followed, one the two women spent in a silent stare down. Naliaka blinked first.

“Erm…”

“He sent you, didn’t he?”

“Erm…who?”

The older woman clicked her tongue. “Don’t play with me young lady. I do not have a lost sister, neither does my husband. Kanja sent you, didn’t he?”

Naliaka nodded, feeling the shame that should have been Kanja’s.

And the crying started, preceded by the older woman bending forward,  hands on her knees. At first, it sounded like Kanja’s mother was choking. Naliaka took a step towards her then stopped when she realised she was holding down the breakdown. She watched her heave violently and when the wailing started, Naliaka jumped in panic. She looked behind her, hoping no customers were lurking outside.

“Mom, please. Can I shut the door? Just for a while?”

The older woman, now sitting on a sack full of beans, nodded. Her head on her knees and trapped in her palms, body shaking so hard for a moment Naliaka feared a seizure.

Naliaka shut the door, bringing the shop into utter darkness. She traced her fingers on the wall where she thought the light switch would be. She found it and clicked it on. Showing more courage than she felt, she walked to Kanja’s mother, sat on a sack of green beans, took mama Kanja’s skinny fingers and gently pressed them with her own.

“He is fine.” She whispered, then hoped that he really would be fine.

“I know…” She sobbed. “I know he is fine. If he were dead, I would know it here…” She placed her hand on her heart. “We stayed on in the same house because it was the only way to keep the connection. I have prayed for this moment. I wanted him to be where you were standing a moment ago, sit where you are sitting right now…”

“He…didn’t want to shock you…”

Kanja’s mother gave another long howl. Naliaka pressed the fingers again.

“That’s my Kanja. Tell him we will not be upset. We want to see him before we get too old and blind…tell him the money he gives us has helped us buy land and build a home and start a business, but we still live in the same house as we wait for him. Tell him to come home…”

Naliaka swallowed her own tears and squeezed her fingers tighter. “I will.” She whispered. “I will.” Naliaka took a deep breath. “Where is…where is his father?”

“At the hospital. He developed high blood pressure when Kanja disappeared, but it is under control, only he has to see the doctor once a month and pop down a daily pill.”

“I am sorry…” She really was. She could not begin to imagine the trauma the two parents had gone through. Their only son disappearing on them. Knowing he was alive but wondering why he refused to show his face. She wondered if they, like Mama Junior, perhaps thought he was also a thug.

“I have a phone. He can call me. Will you give him my phone number?”

Naliaka nodded. “I am sure he will be so happy to call you. He will be so happy to hear you are doing well.”

Mama Kanja had gained some of her control, even managed to look a little embarrassed. She stood up, rubbed her eyes and straightened her flowery dress. “Are you his wife?”

Naliaka chuckled. “No. I am not his wife but I am his very good friend.”

“His girlfriend then? He has good taste. You are a beautiful girl…what’s your name?”

“Naliaka.”

A knock at the door interrupted their next session of silence. There was a customer asking if someone was in there. It was Naliaka’s cue to stand up.

“Erm…I cannot stay for long. Kanja just wanted me to see you, reassure you and see if you are okay…also, he gave me something to give you…” She had stuffed notes upon notes of money in an A4 size envelope until she could not stuff anymore. By her calculation, it was about a hundred thousand Kenya shillings. She removed it from the waistline and handed it to her.

She hesitated. “Is…is this …”

“Money. A lot of money. He wants you to have it.”

Mama Kanja shook her head. “I…we don’t need any more money. We have enough. We want to see him. Tell him we want to see him, please…”

Naliaka heard panic in the older woman’s voice. It was her turn to want to cry.

“And he will come.”

“When?”

“Soon…very soon.” She whispered, like she didn’t want the older woman to detect the hesitation in her voice. At that point, she wanted to slap Boss for making her give possible false hope to his parents. “Please take the money. He would be upset if you did not.”

“What does he do?”

“Oh, he sells cars. He owns a big car business.”

“That’s good. So he is doing well?”

“Absolutely.”

“Tell him to come home. We know why he doesn’t come…some things happened to him when he was young and he probably wants to forget where it all happened. But tell him we remain his parents. If he does not want to come here, we can come to him…tell him.”

Naliaka nodded. “I will.” She had not planned to, but Naliaka found herself bending to hug the older woman, then realised she needed the hug more than Kanja’s mother needed it.

Naliaka was on a high when she opened the shop door to let in the customer and let herself out, waving at Kanja’s mom. She, Kanja’s mother, was red eyed and would have a lot of explaining to her customer, her husband most probably, but she looked happy.

“You better not die on me Boss. You frigging better not.” She muttered under her breath and did not realise she had crossed her fingers.

***

Naliaka sighed in relief. While holed inside Mama Kanja’s shop, she had dreaded the possibility of Mama Junior stopping by to chat to the driver, perhaps to show other people she knew people who drove, or to simply fish for more information. She was not and was probably somewhere spending the money Naliaka had given her. The driver was outside leaning on the car, talking on the phone and smoking in between talking. He disconnected the call and dropped the cigarette, stomping on it with his foot until it blended with the red soil.

“Thank you so much for waiting. We just have one more stop to make. I hope the rain does not come down…” she looked up at the sky, surprised to see dark rain clouds, clouds that had not been there when they arrived only about forty five minutes ago.

He nodded. “Boss told me about the next stop…which way?”

“It’s on our way back.”

“Boss tells me it may turn…strange?”

Naliaka was sitting on the back left seat. She looked up to see him looking at her through the rear view mirror. She nodded. “Hopefully not, but there is a risk.”

“How do you want to do this?” He pulled over and turned to face her. While earlier he looked like any taxi driver, the man she was looking at was giving her chills. His eyes were dilated, like a predator’s.

“Erm…I need to make a call first.”

“You do that before we leave. I like to know the plan.”

With shaky hands, Naliaka scrolled down her phone, ignoring the driver’s gaze, one she could still feel as he looked at her through the rear view mirror. She finally found the name she was looking for. Jamie was Julia’s son, nineteen years old. At first, she had thought Judy, the girl, would be easier to talk to, then she remembered teenage girls were unpredictable. She was an expert in manipulating men, so Jamie it was.

The phone was ringing. Her heart was beating faster with every ring. Five rings, then there was a groggy hello. Jamie sounded like someone who had come out of sleep.

“Jamie?”

“Who is this?”

“I am…I am your mom’s friend…”

There was a pause and ruffling. “Is this a joke?”

“It’s not. Can I…are you at home?”

“Why?”

“Well, because I would like to see you. If you don’t mind.” Naliaka was aware she was being too abrupt, but she was too scared of him disconnecting the line before she said anything interesting enough to keep him on the line.

“Who is this?”

“Your mom’s friend, I already told you that!”

“My mom is dead. Dad told us mom was dead…”

Naliaka choked. Then quickly recovered.

“Your mom is not dead. I was with her this morning…”

“You are lying…”

He was crying. She could tell. Today she was the angel of tears.

“Where are you?”

“I am near your home. If you can, meet me at the shopping centre in twenty minutes and I can prove to you that she is not dead.”

“How can I trust you? You could be a kidnapper.”

“If I was one, would I be asking you to meet me at your shopping centre where everyone knows you?”

Pause. “I guess not.”

“So can we meet?”

“I guess…”

“Jamie, please, do not tell your dad. Please…”

“Why not?”

“Are you sure you want me to answer that?”

Pause. “See you in twenty minutes. How will I recognise you?”

“Call me when you get to the shopping centre and tell me what you will be wearing. Pick a spot you feel safest. I will approach you. Please, do not tell your dad.”

***

Three PM. Kirinyaga Road.

The afternoon was quiet, too quiet for Kerubo’s comfort especially after a morning of high voltage. There was no doubt it was the calm before the storm, an unpredictable storm impossible to point at its eye, or estimated time of arrival. What was undebatable was there would be casualties, what was possible was she could be one of the casualties, and that made her strangely sad, and edgy. It made her think about her life, about what her legacy would be if she were to die. No family. Her real job was a secret and the most interesting thing anyone would engrave on her gravestone was ‘she was a good shopkeeper’. She had no children. If she died now, she would have nobody to mourn her, except Samuel. But Samuel was also a front line soldier who may be collateral damage. Selina would possibly mourn her, but Selina would be trying to process that her boss and friend had lived a secret life.

All morning and part of the early afternoon, she had been constantly on the phone with Cecelia and Onyango. In between she had made excuses to go and see Samuel. She had just finished a call with Onyango, who unfortunately did not seem to know what was happening either, when Selina returned from her lunch break with a toothpick stuck at the side of her mouth.

“Is it me or are you constantly on the phone today? And do not even get me started on the visits to Mwenda Samuel. What’s that about?” Selina asked, glaring at Kerubo as if daring her to negate her observations.

“Did you know toothpicks are bad for your teeth? Use dental floss…”

“Don’t change the topic. What’s going on with you? Are you okay?”

Kerubo sighed and put on an innocent face. “I think I am finally mourning…I am so uneasy…” She lied. But the lie worked some because she saw Selina’s features soften. Nothing like invoking pity to deflect suspicion.

“What does Mwenda have to do with your parents though?”

Kerubo shrugged. “Sometimes, mad men understand you better.”

“I am so insulted!” Selina had feigned fake horror. “What about the phone calls? I have never seen you making so many calls.”

“What are you now, my mother? There is a lot going on in my life, Selina. I will talk about it when I am ready.”

“Touche, much. Talking about phone calls, I intend to call my brother today.”

Kerubo straightened up. “Oh. You are going to ask him to let you visit him at work?”

“Yeap. This is it. Dad is not doing very well and if I can reconcile the two before…you know, in case he dies, I would be very happy.”

“Makes sense. So call him. Call him now.” Kerubo was urging Selina to call her brother for selfish curiosity. She wanted to know if Kamau was as busy as Boss was.

“Now?”

“Now. We don’t want to risk you changing your mind. Go on…”

Selina dialled her brother’s phone. It rang to exhaustion. “Perhaps he is busy…”

“Perhaps…” Busy doing what was what Kerubo wanted to know.

“He will call back if he wants to. I have done my part. Haya basi, I am off to the back of the shop to arrange files. These useless boys wait for me to take my lunch break then throw the office into disarray…it’s simply annoying.”

Selina disappeared into the back office, leaving Kerubo with her own thoughts, and they were weighing on her, turning her head into a chaotic workshop and leaving her fighting an impending headache. She sat behind the counter, uneasy and anxious, wondering if the action down the road was over for the day, if the groups were regrouping. Samuel’s conviction about Boss having a double had equally confused and fascinated her and definitely left her with multiple unanswered questions. Which Boss had she tried to trap years ago? Which Boss had found her talking to Cecilia? And what the hell was happening today? How was it going to end? Why had nothing been reported for hours? She had called Cecelia several times but every one of those times she, Cecilia, had nothing to report. ‘It’s gone quiet,’ she kept saying. ‘It’s eerie. Even the boys behind me are no longer looking across the street. They even disappeared for an hour earlier…I feel like I imagined the whole thing…’

“Yet we know you did not.”

“It’s driving me up the wall. I hate not having a clue about what is happening. Does Onyango not know a thing?”

Kerubo shook her head. “He’s clueless. Either his contacts at the station are equally clueless or they are keeping stuff from him and that wouldn’t make sense.”

“Something big is definitely happening. That is all we know.”

***

When Selina’s name flashed on Kamau’s phone, he was sitting next to Boss in Boss’ car at the parking lot of the undisclosed location, discussing their next course of action.

“Who is calling?” Boss asked when he noticed Kamau’s face change into a frown.

“My sister. She never calls me…”

“The one who works at the shop?”

Kamau’s instinct was to ask how Boss knew where she worked, then he swallowed his questions. Of course he knew where all his siblings were. He needed to remember to do that with everyone when he took over, and there was no longer any doubt in his mind that he was being groomed to take over.

“Yes. Selina. Dad has been unwell so…”

“You are wondering if she is calling to tell you he is dead.” Kamau nodded. “Call her back?”

“What if he is dead?”

“Then he is dead, and you bury him. That is what you do with dead people.”

Kamau cringed internally but remained calm externally. He was sure he would never be as detached from human feelings as Boss. “So you wouldn’t mind if I attended his burial?”

Boss shrugged dismissively. “Why would I? He is your father.”

Kamau called his sister back.

“Selina, hi…is everything okay?”

“Hi. Everything is fine.” She cleared her throat and prepared her mind for a disappointment. “I just realised that I do not know where you work…”

Kamau shifted on the seat and looked at Boss. There was no way of telling if Boss could follow the conversation. “No you have not. You never were that interested…”

“I know. I am sorry…I want to come visit you at work.” There was silence from Kamau. “If you do not mind.”

“You want to come and see me at work?” Kamau asked unnecessarily, looking at Boss. Boss lifted one brow and shrugged.

“Is there a problem with that?”

“No. Not at all. When would you like to do that?”

“How about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow? I may be going out of town. Can I get back to you in the morning?”

“That’s fine. Let me know early enough so I can ask for two hours for my lunch break…”

“Okay. How is dad?”

“Not good.”

“Oh…do you think I should go and see him?”

“Not a good idea. We will talk about this tomorrow, if we meet.”

“So…your sister wants prove that you actually work?” Boss asked with borderline amusement.

“She does. Where am I supposed to take her?”

Boss chuckled. “Kamau, you do have an office on Ngong Road…”

“I do?”

“Of course you do. The car yard there, the one you once in a while masquerade as a salesman, remember that one? That’s your office whenever your sister wants to come and see you…”

“Oh. Thank you.”

“Anyway, where were we?”

***

Kerubo’s sat behind the counter, face cupped in her palms, staring at nothing through the door. Her phone was on the counter surface, and it was ringing. She side-eyed it and cringed a little when she saw the caller ID. Joe. The day had been too exciting for her to think much about him, but she had. She had thought about the sex. She had had better sex, but it had been good. Only after she had arrived home had she realised that Joe had been something like an item on her bucket list – a subconscious one. He had been her teenage crush even though she had never admitted, even to herself. He had been the only boy who had had the guts to look at her like a woman, the only boy who had been blind to whatever it was she had as a teenager that had scared off boys.

Now she was over and done with that item on the bucket list, and it wasn’t something she wanted to repeat.

Reluctantly, she picked the call, summoning some cheer to her voice. “Joe! Hey…”

“Hello there. How are you?”

“I am well. Still at work and busy…how was your day?”

“My day…well, let’s just say I spent a better part of it thinking about last night…”

“Oh…”

Joe laughed. An incredulous laugh that made Kerubo sit up straight. “And she said ‘oh’…ouch, that hurt.”

Kerubo swallowed.

“So…what are you up to tonight?”

“Tonight?”

“Yes. Tonight. I was hoping you would be free…it’s my last night in the country.”

“Oh…I am sorry. My friend Selina and I had dinner plans…”

“Dang! Can’t you cancel her?”

“If you knew Selina, you wouldn’t make that suggestion…’

“Bring her with you, then?”

“What?”

“You heard me. Bring her with you. If I cannot have you alone, I am willing to share you with your friend…”

“Gheee…I don’t know. Can I ask her if she is alright with it then I get back to you?”

“If you do not call in two minutes I will call you back …”

She disconnected the call and put the phone back on the counter, rubbing her face vigorously. One of the other workers was walking to the back office and she sent him to call Selina.

“What’s up?” Selina asked, looking ruffled. She always looked so ruffled whenever she was arranging the office, something she did about seven times a day.

“Dinner is at eight…”

“What dinner?”

“You, Joe and I are having dinner.”

“Joe? Who is Joe?...oh, wait…” her face brightened. “Joe is your adopted brother…”

“That one. He is flying out tomorrow and he wanted to take us out for dinner…’

“He doesn’t know me…why would he invite me?” Selina challenged, looking sceptical.

“So many questions. You are the one who wanted to meet him. Are you in or not?”

“In, of course. I could never pass a chance to eat in dollar form.”

***

An hour had passed since Naliaka spoke to Jamie. She had been sitting in the car, staring at her phone and willing it to ring. It was past four PM and she was beginning to wonder about the practicality of her idea. Several times she came this close to telling the driver to drive off but the thought of Julia’s disappointed face gave her divine patience and courage. Several times she thought of calling Jamie but the same number of times, she changed her mind.

One hour and four minutes later, her phone rang. She jumped and nearly threw it off to the ground.

“Are you here?” Jamie asked. He sounded nervous.

“I am. Where are you?”

“Erm…I am in a pub called The Drinking Den…”

“Are you alone?” Affirmative. “What are you wearing?”

“I am in a white polo shirt, blue jeans and a black baseball hat…what are you wearing?”

“I will find you. Wait for me there…”

She went to open the car door but the driver stopped her. She didn’t know his name and on her phone he was saved as Taxi Driver. Now it felt too late to ask his name. She put a note to self to ask Boss.

“Erm…Boss updated me on what you are about to do. He also told me to make sure you are fine. I need to go and check out the boy, make sure he is alone and stuff…what does he look like?”

Naliaka sat back, relieved. She was feeling uneasy, and she was beginning to think it was not because of talking to a man-boy who had not seen his mother in ten years. So she told him where Jamie was, and what he was wearing. She watched the driver walk away, stopping a random person, she assumed to ask for the said pub. The person pointed at a direction and the driver nodded, walking towards the pointed direction.

And she wanted to pee. Badly.

Two minutes. Then three. Into the fourth minute, she saw the driver returning. She searched his body language, but it gave no clue.

“He’s not alone.” He said as he entered the car.

“What?” Naliaka asked, feeling betrayed. “Who is he with?”

“Two older men, at least. They were not sitting together but the boy is so nervous, he kept looking towards them, and they kept nodding at him, I guess in encouragement. What do we do?”

Naliaka didn’t answer. Instead, she called Jamie. “I told you to come alone!” She shouted. Then regretted it immediately.

“I am alone.”

“You are not. Now I am going to have to disappoint your mother…” She felt awful about that statement. It was unfair of her to make him feel bad about taking precautions. “Who are you with?”

“Erm…dad and my uncle…”

“Kaggai?”

“How do you know him?”

“I thought they hated one another…” Naliaka said instead.

“Well, yes…who the hell are you? How do you know so much?”

“Jamie, I told you already. I am your mother’s friend. I believe you know the reasons why your mother disappeared, why I have to be careful. Anyway, clearly you do not want to know about her so bye …I will tell her you are alright…”

“No! Wait!” It was a desperate call. “Please…” It turned to pleading. “Please, I need to know where my mother is. Ten years I thought she was dead…please. I am sorry. I can shake off my dad and my uncle...”

“How can I trust you?”

“Please. Please…”

“I will call you back…” She disconnected and looked at the taxi driver. “What do you think?”

He shrugged. “I wouldn’t trust him, but I will go with whatever you decide.”

Naliaka went thoughtful. She chewed on her lower lip until a pain jabbed it and she tasted her own blood. If she walked, she would be letting Julia down but then again, she could just tell Julia she had made contact and that her son sounded excited. If she stayed, she risked being sassed out, and there was no way of knowing how badly her driver/bodyguard would react.

“Check him out again…when you go inside I will call him and ask him to leave, then see if the two men follow.”

The driver nodded and walked out, back towards the pub.

A minute later, he called her. There was now one man, he thought the second one might have gone to the toilet. Naliaka called Jamie. “Walk out now…”

“My dad walked out…I think he suspects something.” Jamie whispered into the phone. “My uncle is still here…”

“Walk out.” Naliaka repeated. “Keep walking to the main road. Make sure  you shake him off and when I am sure we are safe, I will drive towards you…”

“Please promise you will not harm me…”

“I swear upon my mother’s soul…”

“Okay…”

“Well, well, well…look who is here…” When Naliaka heard the voice, she first assumed somebody outside the car was talking to somebody else outside the car. Until somebody tapped the car window, and she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her together with the car. Julia’s husband was standing outside, glaring at her in confusion and anger. “It’s you, isn’t it?”

When she still worked for Queen, she never slept with him. She had however bumped into him several times, nodded at him like she nodded at other clients in greeting. This was the first time she was studying him closely. She cringed, thinking he looked as hideous as his brother. His savin grace was the absence of gold and patched jeans, the scar and that he still had all his teeth intact.

“What are you talking about?” she asked, desperately trying to regain the composure she had lost during the shock of seeing him. She had made a classic mistake, underestimating an opponent.

“Don’t take me for a fool, little girl. You are the one calling my son, claiming to know where his mother is…”

“How…how did you know?”

“This is a village. Everybody knows everybody. New people are noticed faster than a lightening. I saw your boyfriend in the pub and I followed him outside…so there. Where the hell is my wife? I am sure she is dead so the question is, why are you lying to my son? Are you trying to kidnap him?” He was frothing on the mouth, looking more excited by the second.

Her phone was ringing. It was the driver. She was torn. If she told him there was trouble, the likely thing would be him running outside and shooting at the trouble. She didn’t want that. If she didn’t pick, he would come running out anyway. She needed to get rid of Julia’s husband.

“Why don’t you ask your loving brother…?”

He took a step back. “What does that even mean?”

“Just that. Your brother has been shagging your wife for ten years. He has known her whereabouts and kept it from you.” She pointed at the direction of the pub with her mouth. “Go in there and ask him…”

The shock was so real and great, Naliaka was sure she was about to witness a heart attack. Right in front of her, she saw energy drain out of the man. Within seconds, he aged twenty years. For a moment, Naliaka felt sorry, until she remembered he was a wife batterer.

With robot-like movements, he turned around. Slowly, he dragged his feet towards the pub. From a distance, she saw the driver returning, walking quickly, looking alarmed, but he had not seen Julia’s husband talking to her. She almost laughed when the two of them passed each other.

“You are not picking up your phone…” He said accusingly.

“Sorry. I walk talking to Jamie. Can we go?” She found no need to update him about what just happened in his absence. “He went that way…is the other man still in the pub?”

The driver nodded. “He is. He has a beer in front of him…”

She called Jamie. “Where are you?”

She saw him from about a hundred metres. He was easy to find. A smartly dressed, tall young man in the midst of scruffy people, and the fact that he looked extremely nervous. “That’s him…” They stopped. She opened the back door and called him. Without a second thought, Jamie jumped into the car and they drove off.

“Where are we going?” He asked nervously.

“Away from prying eyes. Do not worry Jamie, you are safe…” She saw him breath in relief. “But really, you should be weary of strangers…”

“What?” He looked at her in big alarmed eyes. “You said…”

“I know what I said, and you are lucky we are the good guys, but bad guys would use the same tactics. Do not ever, ever get into a car with strangers. You are a rich kid, a lot of people would be interested in your father’s money.” Naliaka saw the sweat on his forehead. “We can stop here…” It was another pub. It was more of a highway pub, one of those pubs that did not have regular patrons, relying on hungry and thirsty travellers. It provided the anonymity, and she had no intention of going inside with Jamie, but she needed to pee. She excused herself, rushed to the toilet. When she returned, Jamie was sitting in the car like a statue. The driver was outside with a cigarette and on the phone. Naliaka wondered if he was updating Boss.

“Could you please give us a few minutes?” She asked the driver, he moved farther from the car.

“You are so beautiful…” If he did not sound so shy, Naliaka would have considered it a bold statement.

“Thank you. And you are a very handsome young man. You look like your mother…” and he did. Just more masculine. Naliaka thanked the stars on his behalf because she could not imagine anything more looks-unfortunate than looking like either Kaggai or his brother. 

Jamie removed his baseball hat, revealing a shaggy mane and shyly rubbed it.

“People say that a lot…so, you really do know my mother.”

“I do. And she asked me to come find you…”

“Dad told us she was dead…”

Naliaka shrugged. “Perhaps it was his way of closure and to stop you from asking questions he did not have answers for, but your mother is alive and well.”

“Why could she not come herself? Why send you?”

“Well, because she did not want to risk rejection, or risk bumping into your dad. She was not sure if you understand why she left…”

“I know why she left. I saw everything…” He looked angry, but just for a moment. “But she could have called me…”

“With what number? You and Judy only got phones a few months ago…”

“How do you know that?”

“Because a little bird used to keep her updated on how you two were doing. She is very proud of you. She even has your current photos…” Naliaka thought of Kaggai and his brother, what they may have been doing at the moment. Were they fighting? They both owned guns; would they shoot one another? She smiled at that thought.

“Your mom is tired of running, hiding from…you know…”

“From dad. He is a prick…”

Naliaka chuckled. “Your words. But she is now willing to risk it, but only if you want to start seeing her again…”

“Of course I do.”

“Judy?”

“Judy doesn’t like to talk about mom. She was younger…she is a girl and complicated…but I am sure she will come round if I talk to her.”

Naliaka nodded, happy that she had picked Jamie to talk to. “Yeah, we can be complicated.”

“Can I talk to mom?”

“Why not…” Naliaka dialled Julia’s number. It rang once.

“What’s happening? Did you find them? What did they say?”

Naliaka laughed. “How about one question at a time? Even better, somebody wants to talk to you…”

“Who?” Julia asked suspiciously.

“Let him introduce himself…” She handed the phone to Jamie. Jamie looked at it, Naliaka nodded at him. He took it, slowly raising it against his ear.

“Mom…is that really you?”

***

Earlier on. Right after Naliaka called Jamie.

Kaggai was home alone, enjoying rare peace of having the house to himself. From his vantage point in his office only two hundred metres from the house separated by tea plantations, he had seen his wife driving out in one of the big cars. She only took the big cars when going out for the night. She never bothered to inform him, he never cared enough to find out where it was she went.

Immediately he had walked to the house with the intention of doing nothing but enjoying the house and checking out the changes she had made. She was always redecorating and often he walked into a house that did not resemble one he had left in the morning.

Then his brother had called him after half an hour into his rare peace. He had ignored the first call, sure that his brother had misdialled. They never called one another. They were partners in the company, their offices next to each other, but all their official liaisons were handled by their personal assistants. They had nothing to say to each other on a personal level.

He let the second call ring six times. When he picked it, he did not say hello. Instead he cleared his throat.

“Are you at home?” His brother asked.

“Why?” His voice was full of suspicion. He always suspected his brother wanted him dead. The feeling was mutual.

“I need your help…”

“What?” He asked and laughed in disbelief.

“I…somebody called my son, claiming to know where my wife is…”

“What?” Kaggai asked in genuine shock. If he had not been sitting down, his knees would have given way. As far as he was concerned, he was the only person who knew where Julia was holed up. As far as he knew, Julia never left the confines of Queen’s house and the only person who would know her whereabouts would have to be a customer, or a member of Queen’s lair. He hoped whoever it was did not know that he, Kaggai, had been sleeping with his brother’s wife for nearly ten years.

“I know! Ridiculous. I am sure Julia is dead…”

“Why? Did you have her killed?” He wouldn’t put it past his brother to have tried.

“Of course not, but if she was not dead, where would she have been hiding for all those years?”

Right under your nose you idiot is what Kaggai wanted to say. Instead he said, “I see what you mean. So what do you want?”

“Whoever it is wants to meet Jamie at the shopping centre. I need someone to sit with me in case…you know…”

“Kidnapper?”

“Yes…”

Kaggai agreed. He liked Jamie and Judy more than he liked his own children anyway and did not mind looking out for them.

The two brothers had both driven there in different cars.

***

Now, six PM.

Kaggai was in the middle of pouring his beer in his glass when his brother walked in, dragging his feet and shoulders weighed like he was carrying three bags on cement. He felt his heart skip several bits. He noisily put the bottle back on the table and touched his gun for assurance, then waited.

For ten minutes, Kaggai looked at his brother who sat quietly opposite him, staring at Kaggai but seemingly not seeing him. Kaggai was torn – he wanted to walk away because every sense in him screamed at him to walk away, but he was afraid of being shot at the back and his brother looked like somebody who could shoot him in the back. He didn’t even understand why he was afraid of being shot, but he was aware he rubbed enough people the wrong way, including his own brother.

Ten minutes later, he watched his brother walking away. Kaggai asked for another beer and called Queen.

“What’s up?”

“I am not sure, but something is…” He narrated what had been going on. Queen did not respond, but she knew who was responsible, and she had mixed feelings.

***

Queen was in a hospital bed when Kaggai had called. Kaggai, a man she had known for as long as she had been in prostitution business had become more than a client. Kaggai was the only human who knew Queen was in hospital. He was the only one in her circle who knew why she was in hospital.

 Dressed in a character-less blue gown open at the back, Queen lay on her back, facing the ceiling. Once in a while, she turned her eyes towards the drip that was administering prescribed poison into her body. That drip, in her eyes, signified the irony that was her life; administering poison to heal what was ailing her felt similar to her rescuing women only to start using their bodies to make money. Three years ago, Queen was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The diagnosis had shocked her, not because it was cancer but because it was ovarian. She, still a virgin, suffering from ovarian cancer was similar to someone who had never smoked in their life getting lung cancer. They had caught the cancer early. It had been managed without much fuss, without any of her girls knowing. They were used to her travelling for days, none of them had questioned her prolonged absences – absences she had spent in hospital.

Years later, the cancer had returned. More vicious than before. It had raised questions because her glowing skin had started going dull. None of the girls, not even Naliaka whom she spent her nights with in the same bed, had noticed that her hair had fallen off. She had managed to cover her bald head with a wig, one that would often fall off at night but because Naliaka always woke up later than her, she had got away with it. There was the weight too, but she had told them she was on diet.

She should not have been consuming alcohol but in the last two or three weeks, she had taken a lot of wine, with Naliaka. She, Naliaka, had looked so happy and that had made Queen to throw caution to the wind – it was not like she had any hope of beating the cancer this time round, with or without the alcohol.

She was dying. Even the doctors had stopped giving her hope. That they were giving her chemotherapy was a waste of time and money and her doctor had suggested palliative care. The pain was becoming unbearable. She did not have time, but she had money, and being in hospital was better than being at home and trying to explain to the girls why she had no energy and why she just wanted to spend all day in bed. In this hospital bed, she had finally written her will and left everything to Naliaka. Her own mother was dead just like Naliaka's and like Naliaka, she had been an only child. She had no friends to speak of. Naliaka had been a natural choice of heir.

Queen had carried guilt about Naliaka for years. She was the first to admit that she could have done so much better, offered her a life out of prostitution, but she had not because she had not been familiar with empathy. The money would not give Naliaka another chance, it would not erase what Kaggai had done to her when she was a virgin, it would not make her forget about the hundreds, possibly thousands of men she had slept with, but it would make Queen feel better about herself.

Naliaka was the daughter she never attempted to have. The girl who had taught her how to love and how to feel guilty about stuff, stuff like turning a virgin into a prostitute.

When Kaggai told her that somebody was looking for Julia’s son, she had known immediately that Naliaka was responsible. Naliaka and Julia were close and although she could not imagine how they had done it, there was no doubt in her mind that the two had colluded. She had her misgivings, that Julia’s husband knowing where his wife had been all along would stir a hornet’s nest that may end up exposing her operation. Then again, it was an operation she no longer had passion for. Since the doctor had announced the return of her cancer five months ago, she had not taken in new girls. She had been flirting with the idea of kicking out all the girls, except she did not want to leave them homeless. Most of his girls were there because they had nowhere to go.

She called Naliaka. She would know what to do.

“Naliaka…”

“Queen! Hi…I feel like I haven’t seen you for years.” Naliaka was at the back of the taxi heading back to the house.

Queen gave a short laugh and coughed. “I know. What have you been up to today?”

Naliaka paused, wondering if it was possible that one of the two brothers had already updated her. “This and that…I went to see Boss’ parents…”

“Oh?”

“Long story. I will tell you about it over a glass of wine.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I also went to see Julia’s son…he is very handsome.”

“Oh…” She said with relief, glad Naliaka was forthright. “That’s interesting.” She took a deep breath. “You and I need to sit and talk. Tomorrow, my driver will pick you up and bring you to where I am…”

“What do you mean? Where are you?”

“Not far…”

“Erm…are you upset with me? You sound…strange.”

“Noooo. No, I am not. Far from it. We just need to have a talk we should have had a long time ago. So, tomorrow, nine AM the driver will pick you up.”

“Alright…”

***

He is a police inspector. If his flab did not threaten to pour out of his uniform, he would be proud of it, but he spent his uniform days embarrassed about his weight, angry about how people looked at him in disapproval, and jealous about his peers in uniform who looked like they should; alert and ready for action. He could no longer see his feet or scratch his back because his padding got in the way. Every time he had to get larger uniform, he promised himself to watch his weight but as soon as he ate savoury fatty meat and downed it with several beers, he would forget his resolve.

He is a rogue cop but has no always been one. He could remember when his moral life took a nosedive. It was when the promotions started…precisely right before the promotions started. To get that first promotion, he had bribed someone. The first promotion had been in form of being transferred to the city. Then he had bribed for the next one, and the next one. He knew of officers who got promotions by merit, some because they excelled at their duty stations or had good education to back them. He had neither, or anything else. If he had not often dug into his pockets and given an equivalent of one year’s salary, he would still be a lowly officer, walking the streets of Nairobi, or Turkana, chasing petty thieves and cattle rustlers or harassing innocent citizens for small change.

The more promotions he got, the greedier he got. And then the guilt had started eating at him and he had reacted by eating food at the same rate guilt gnawed at him. He hated that his wife knew what he was up to, that she questioned his morality, something he found laughable because her business was sponsored by his corrupt activities. To get back at his wife though he could not exactly tell what he was getting back at her for, he had started sleeping around. His excuse was that she had grown fat, a flimsy and self-defeating excuse because his fat matched hers layer for layer.

Along his career path, he started befriending criminals, promising them protection if they gave him a cut from their criminal activities. Those who refused were shot. His side criminal job had always been easy to do, until he was transferred to his latest station. The top criminal, Boss, was too powerful, was liked by enough powerful cops from different stations. Really liked, and not just because he gave Caesar what was his, but because he was keeping crime rates in the city at manageable levels.

Before this, he was always the contact person to the criminal but with Boss, not only was he unable to talk to him directly but nobody was willing to tell him who the inside contact person was. He had thought of approaching him directly but Boss was always in the presence of two burly men who were fitter than him, definitely faster than him and without a doubt better shots than him. He had tried to gather information on the streets but there was no one willing to betray Boss. He could have just have Boss killed, but his own colleagues had threatened dire consequences if he did. ‘Find out what happened to the last person who tried to do what you want to do’, they had told him. He had. The cop had died. He did not want to die, he just wanted to have more say in the amount of money that came to him. His two watchers had been reporting to him but there was nothing enough to frame Boss, which is what he intended to do. He wanted to plant his own person as the crime boss, but the one guy who had been willing to take on Boss had disappeared mysteriously.

Now, he was heading to a hospital. One of his watchers had been involved in an accident. He already knew it was not an accident before he got there and on his way, he kept expecting something similar to happen to him. 

***

His watcher was in a private hospital, in a private room, one the police medical cover could not afford. The inspector walked into the room with caution, looking around the room before his eyes settled on his officer. His face was bandaged, his leg was plastered and elevated, drips running down his body. His eyes were open and alert.

“You need to leave the hospital and go to a government approved one. Your insurance cannot afford a private room in a private hospital, especially this…”

Watcher Two cringed in disgust. His boss was more concerned with the hospital bill than his health.

“It is paid for…” He deliberately left out the word ‘afande’.

“What do you mean?”

“The accounts man was here and he told me a large amount was deposited to cater for all bills as long as I am here…”

“Who by?”

Watcher Two rolled up his eyes. “You guess…”

“Boss? Did he cause the accident?”

“It wasn’t an accident…”

“I am going to order for his arrest…he doesn’t know who he is messing with…” The inspector was breathing hard even though he was seated on the available chair.

Watcher Two shook his head. “No sir. I think you are the one who has no idea who you are messing with…”

“How dare you!”

“With all due respect, sir!” Watcher Two shouted, it caused him pain, but he did not care. “Sir, you used me for unofficial business. I want nothing to do with you anymore. I am done.”

“That is insubordination…”

“I am beyond caring. I almost died today, and not in the line of duty. If Boss had wanted me dead, I would be dead. I am done. You sort your own mess without involving me.”

The inspector took several deep breaths, sweat trickling down his temple, glaring at Watcher Two. Watcher Two glared back without blinking.

“What happened?” He finally asked, a more controlled voice.

“A lot…” And he told him. “Finally,” he concluded. “Finally, you better check if your wife is alright. She was lying next to me, unconscious.”

He stood up so fast he even shocked himself. He did not realise he could move so fast. “What? If they have hurt her…”

“They haven’t. She is fine. She probably doesn’t remember she was there. They just took her to show you what they are capable of.” Watcher Two studied his boss as he walked up and down the room, watched his cavalier attitude diminishing fast as it hit him that he was not as powerful as he thought he was. If he was not in so much pain, pain he was blaming his boss for, he would have felt sorry for him.”

The Inspector walked out, deflated.

***

Nine PM.

Boss felt strangely delirious. Wearing only a pair of shorts and a vest, he lay flat on his sofa, facing the ceiling with his eyes shut. There was an open can of beer on the stool near him. He had hardly touched it.

It had been a good day by any measure. He had scared off the Inspector. He knew from his own people that he, the Inspector, had left the hospital and gone straight to his wife. He was still there. He needed to wait for a week to know for sure if the Inspector had retreated, at least for now. If he comes back again, he would be somebody else’ problem because he had no intention of still being the crime boss in a week.

He was happy about Kamau. Kamau was a perfect replacement for him. It had been Kamau’s brilliant idea to ‘employ’ Watcher Two to keep an eye on the Inspector. He had liked how calm Kamau was, how he had handled the contact earlier on. He was a natural, likely better than Boss.

He opened his eyes for a few seconds and shifted on the sofa when he thought about Naliaka, and his mother. He elevated his head and took a sip of the beer. It made a loud noise in his throat as it went down. It felt surreal. Unreal. His parents had invested well. They had stayed in their old crumped up house because they wanted to keep in contact with him. They loved him and missed him. Now, he hoped he would survive the week, that he could finally go to see them. He had laughed when Naliaka had told him about Kaggai and his brother, and what she had done. He was loving her evil streak.

Even with all the things that should have made him nod off and sleep like a baby, he was uneasy. Something was off, something he could not point a finger at. His sixth sense was bleeping red and his mouth had that metallic taste he had not tasted for so long, and his sixth sense was never off the mark.

***

“I feel so drab walking next to you.” Kerubo said with amusement. They just alighted from a taxi, her and Selina, and walking to the restaurant where Joe was waiting for them.

“If I wasn’t feeling so damn hot and sexy, I would be upset with you for not telling me to dress casual.” Selina was nowhere near as tall as Kerubo and nowhere near as skinny, but she had the kind of body that made Kerubo believe that being borderline voluptuous was extremely sexy. Every man they ment on the way stared at Selina. She, Kerubo, was the tall one, but she felt invisible. Selina's hips were prominent, so prominent it was difficult to concentrate on any other part of her anatomy. Her bust was average, and so was her waistline.

Tonight, she wore a black short dress that left her wide hips and shapely legs for all to see. On her feet was a pair of red heels. Her hair was held in a high bun, face carefully made up.

“Sexy suits you totally.” Kerubo said, hoping that Selina’s look would take Joe’s attention away from her. She had deliberately dressed down, knowing Selina would be her usual self and dress up for the dinner. She had on a pair of blue jeans, a blue sleeveless top and sneakers and no handbag. Her phone, money and house keys were in her jeans pockets. Her gun was tucked in her sock.

Her dressing had not only been inspired by her need to deflect attention from herself but also by the possibility that she may be summoned any time if things started happening on Kirinyaga Road.

“Well, thank you.” Selina said, flipping imaginary hair from her forehead. 

Selina was the first to go through security booth. She was clean off metals. This would not be the first time Kerubo had gone through security while carrying a gun, but it always made her heart rate go up. She went through the first time and the metal detector went crazy. She reversed and removed her keys and phone, passed them to the security. Second time the detector went crazy. She pointed at her belt, blaming it for the noise.

“You want me to remove it?” She asked innocently.

The security woman shook her head, instead passing the gadget up and down Kerubo but never getting to her legs. They hardly ever checked the legs. She was ushered in.

“You wear a lot of metals…” Selina remarked casually.

“Goes with the territory…”

“Tomboy territory. You could pass as my bodyguard, the way you are dressed…”

“That’s not such a bad thing, is it?”

Selina laughed.

They entered the restaurant. Kerubo spotted Joe’s lone figure waving at them from a corner. Kerubo led the way, walking into Joe’s open arms. The hug lasted longer than Kerubo thought was necessary, but that was because Joe was staring, mouth agape, at the suddenly shy woman Selina had turned into.

***

It was annoying to Kaggai that the one day he had the house alone, he could not relax. He had been walking up and down the house, then around the compound, at some point walked up to the edge of his brother’s compound only a hundred metres away, then walked back to the house and removed an aged bottle of whisky he had been keeping for an opportune time. He sat on the sofa, one that during happier times he used to frequent. It was just about the only thing that his wife had not got rid of and it gave him a warm feeling.

He was halfway through the bottle when there was a bang at the door. Then another one and with each bang, it got louder. He stood up, taking his time because not only were his knees wobbly from his body weight but from the alcohol too. It was a deranged brother he opened the door for, and it was a deranged brother who greeted him with a punch, one that landed on the very scar that his father had left on him so many years ago. The second punch removed the tooth next to the same one his father had removed so many years ago. He staggered back, landing on his knees with a thud. He was sure his hip bone was broken from the impact, among other bones.

He groaned in pain.

“You bastard!” His brother screamed, kicking him on the ribs and ending up on the floor. He had also been drinking, and he was heavy like his brother, if not heavier. “You have been shagging my wife! What kind of a brother are you?”

Kaggai looked at his brother and laughed, blood trickling from his mouth and nose. He laughed at the absurdity of the situation, laughed that deep down he felt relief, that he no longer had to keep the secret about Julia. “Clearly I am a better lover than you are…” He slurred. The loss of the second tooth had suddenly made his speech heavier. He made a snap decision to have both teeth fixed after this.

“Bastard!” The insult was followed by a weak punch. “Bastard…”

“Look who is talking. Do not pretend to be the offended party. Your wife hates you…”

“Like yours does?”

“At least mine is still with me and not selling herself to every Tom, Dick and Harry…”

“What the hell do you mean?”

Kaggai laughed again. “Oh, you don’t know the half of it. Your wife sells her body in a house belonging to a woman called Queen…”

“Queen? The Queen?”

“You know Queen?”

He did not answer. Instead, he removed a sound that made Kaggai think of a lion in agony. It did not even matter that he had never seen a lion, in agony or not. A sound that made Kaggai cringe then see his life in slow motion. 

There was another familiar sound. A pot. He, Kaggai, only heard the pop after the impact. He did  not feel the pain either, but when he looked down at where the centre of the impact which happened to be the left side of his chest,  he saw a hole through his white vest, then the vest started turning red, then he could no longer see the colour, or anything else.

***