When I Find Her

I have this thing where I shut my best friend and a few of my closest friends off from my love life. Part of me really wants to tell someone about it all, but a greater part of me likes things as they are. Honestly, I kind of enjoy the looks on their faces whenever they unsuccessfully try to figure out who I’m dating. But seriously, guys,(if you’re reading this) you’ll know who she is when…

*****

I was on my third cup of coffee, binge watching the perfect blend of drama, suspense and horror in Stranger Things. Halfway into the last episode, she called out. Normally in such a situation I’d let whoever was calling tire them-self out, but this was not just anybody, it was her. I paused my movie and went outside to check if everything was okay.

She was sat on one of the swings, staring at the moon, lost in thought. You should have seen the way she looked at the moon, as if she was staring straight at its soul and it was revealing to her life’s secrets. I guess that’s where I get my obsession with the moon.

“Remember the first day we met.” I hated that story, but she always told it regardless, “and you said you would never marry me.”

“No, Tony made me say that.” I responded laughing.

“He did not, and why were you even friends with that jerk anyway?”

“Did you call me out here to question my childhood choices?”

“Well neither of us knew it, but that first day was when we fell in love. Everyday after that has been a chapter in our story, and the moon, the moon has experienced it all.”

“But last yea…””Yes I know we only said it last year, but seriously, think about it.”

*****

Ours was an archetypal love story, you know, the classic boy meets girl story. Back then she was just the cute and annoying new kid who seemed to know everything about everything. Tony and I were taking a leak in some nearby bushes when news of a new kid in the neighborhood reached us. Our curiosity got the better of us, so we cut short our business and ran to see this new kid.

“Sasa, naitwa Alice,” were the very first words she ever said to me, followed by, “mbona hujafunga zip?” My fly was down, and Tony, being the jerk he is, chose not to remind me to close it earlier. He was beside himself with laughter.

“And so what if she’s seen my fly down, its not like I’m going to marry her!” I exclaimed.

“Why are you laughing?” She asked him and he stopped. I stared at this audacious new girl in awe, and I never realized it but it was then that our story began.

Tony always enjoyed making fun of me but from that moment Alice always found a way to put him in his place. We were barely seven years old then. In two years she was my best friend, my first crush at thirteen and officially my first girlfriend seven years later.

We were so close back then that everyone in the neighborhood assumed that we were dating. Having a ‘girlfriend’ next door had its perks. We would automatically be the parents whenever we played kalongolongo and that saved us the embarrassment of being the dog. At times it wasn’t that great, especially on the rare occasions when my mum had to instill discipline in me using either one of her trusted friends-the mwiko or the red slipper. To make matters worse the ‘wall’ separating our two houses never did its job properly, so Alice could hear me crying, no, wailing. Anyway, the next day I would add to her amusement by explaining that all the fuss was over me refusing to take a shower.

In our four years of high school we barely even saw each other and when we did, the moment was short-lived. Life had found its own way of separating us, and when I couldn’t take it anymore, I wrote her a note, but I never gathered enough courage to send it…

I had lost all hope, but Cupid had an ace up her sleeve called university, for it wasn’t until our first day on campus that we met again. A truly magical day. We toured the whole campus thrice,too caught up in our stories to realize that. Anyway we noticed the fourth time round because people started giving us cold stares that echoed the infamous Mtaachana tu! Motto of the so called kamati ya roho chafu.

I guess we really did fall in love the first day we first met.

*****

Seated here looking at the moon has opened my mind to the realization that I have this thing where I shut my best friend and a few of my closest friends off from my love life. Part of me really wants to tell someone about it all, but a greater part of me likes things as they are. Honestly, I kind of enjoy the looks on their faces whenever they unsuccessfully try to figure out who I’m dating. But seriously, guys,(if you’re reading this) you’ll know who she is when I find her, cause even I don’t know who she is!

Piece by Chiko.

More of his stories at www.chikosreads.blogspot.com.