ALICIA

 6 months ago, my brother and I left our house at Kitengela at around 9 O'clock. We parted few minutes later as he went out on a political campaign meeting. As I was supposed to report back to Royal Air Force Academy, where I was in my final year in highschool. It was just the end of the midterm break. After shaving my head clean, I dyed my shoes and went to the county council's rest bench.

That was where I first saw her. Under her masked face, I could tell that she was devastatingly beautiful. I stared long on her and only looked away when she caught me admiring her. I did it over and over again until I realized she was aware of my attention. Playing her game, I decided to look away and turn immediately only to catch her staring. She decided to stroll away, only to come back few minutes later and my heartbeats increased.

It was when I was drooling over her graceful physique, more also her boobs that looked lively under her pullover, that my eye caught the familiar school logo. Barazani Girls' School!! Shillah came to mind, my cousin who studied in the same school. That revelation was a lucrative chance that I embraced with all my heart. I had confirmed that non of the people seated around was her parent, sibling or relative. She was all alone, left for the world. No, for me!

"Excuse," I was shooting my shot, and she turned around so smoothly that you could think we were reading from a script, may be she waited for the call with bated  breath. 

"Uko Baro?" I inquired for the sake.

"Yeah," she said pulling down her mask, revealing the maturity of her beauty. I sighed.

"Unamjua Shillah Shanaya?" I ploughed on.

She said yes. They were actually friends. We talked about her school, and mine of course. Five minutes into the conversation she was being free with me. I felt like a man, and the weight of my balls was torturing. She culped her phone(which she claimed her friend was coming to pick before she left, I concluded it was her boyfriend) in her palms and we looked into each other's eyes.

God bless cousin Shillah.

She complained that her phone's charge was low. I referred her to a nearby cyber and opted to take her there. We handed in her phone and proceeded back to the bench. Our bags were put close in one corner and I perched on one end of the concrete bench looking up at her beautiful figure leaning against a pillar,  an inch away. The gentleman I'm urged me let her sit instead of me perching there with my balls hanging. I marked that out as I concluded that her ass was way too big than the available space and too soft for the concrete. It was also nice watching her from there, and she in turn looking down into my eyes. I felt every code of my heartbeat, the heart is a crazy idiot.

Bare in mind that I was dorned in my school uniform, the black captains' tunic and it was 11AM in the morning. An exam was tabled Miles away at a school in the midst of an Air Force Base scheduled to start at 2.30PM. A Physics exam. But anyway, Nairobi was a stone's throw from Kitengela, I encouraged myself.

A chance to give her my number presented itself when we went back to get her phone. We walked close together, and I could not mind walking every stride forever with her. 3% charge. She switched on her phone and I looked away when she was keying in her passwords, I mean, Kenyans are supposed to look away when passwords and pins are being keyed. Sad enough, the Infinix model hummed off its depressing tone after a series of passwords and an uncouth warning of "please connect your charger". 

That was how we went back to our bench. Few minutes into the boredom I decided that I ought to leave, sense was returning home. I picked up the bag and she stood to see me off. Peace was bound to be there as the Rembo Shuttle makangas did not scrambled for us. I promised to pick her number from Shillah. She hugged me, that took me off guard but I only wish I held tighter.  Actually I went hard. I am hot blooded. This girl Alicia!

I could not see any of my schoolmates around, but I decided it was nice to sit by myself in the bus, no one to talk, just the girl on my mind.

She roamed my thoughts, and instincts drew my attention to the bag I was cuddling. Alicia's bag!!!

"Fuck!" I cursed as I unzipped the bag just to confirm I was not dreaming. True to my fears it was her bag. Tucked alongside her books was her pouch and that alarmed me. It contained her money, quite a huge sum and a bank slip. I was confused. Looking into the streets, the bus was racing into town past Kabanas, or how do you people spell that place?

I told a fellow seated on my right my woes, not failing to mention that the bag was my sister's. He advised I hold on in the bus until its return journey at Railways. People think that I have a stone of a heart, but that revelation humbled me to the point of muttering a prayer for Heavens to be with Alicia. I muttered in apology at her absence. My heart sunk at the traffic jam, I swear I felt like wailing.

About my exams, they held the least priority on my list of worries. I beckoned the fellow to help me secure an Uber to Kitengela.

1500 Kenyan Shillings had me to Kitengela where it had all started. I rushed out with Alicia's bag and the Uber driver, brotherly enough, hurried after me, promising that everything would be solved.

I checked the bench. Empty. I rushed to the service office where a man and woman looked up amused when I inquired about a girl with some bag issues.

"Ni wewe!" they chorused. They were boring. The most boring pair I swear. 

They explained that Alicia had left for school, leaving behind my bag and her parent's number who would pick up the bag and take it to Barazani. They added that they had called my school  (aided by the documents in my bag) inquiring about me.

"Tumepiga simu Forces," the man mused. 

I picked my actual bag and left with the Uber man. The trauma that followed was exams that I had definitely missed. In addition, Alicia weighed heavily on my mind. I had offended her, but maybe that was the ugly way we were supposed to meet.

I'm writing this stretching at Nyali beach. It is a Sunday and I'm thinking of leaving. My mind sojourns to the present from six months ago when I met her. The waters of the ocean stretch on and on like a chewing gum. Do you people remember Mr. Berry? Some rich kid thinks it is a man, no. 

I rub some sand on my palms and kicked away palm balls as I huddled my feet into the waters, thinking how beautiful it was to actually be in contact with waters that joined Africa and Europe. Then you will here someone saying 'ati sijaenda majuu.' 

Back to the Alicia saga, I had spend the rest of the term thinking about her. It was traumatizing when a kaleidoscope of opinions she might have formed of me crossed my psyche. They burnt like wild fire. 

But I had to come to terms with the reality and accept my mistake and its most probable ugly outcomes. My nature baffles me. I hated offending anyone to the point that they hold otherdox opinions of me. Let it be, I resolved after realizing that I was almost loosing weight. Every afternoon she haunted me, but I would seek refuge at the football pitch. I would play with all my mind and heart. Football never fails me unless Chelsea is winning.  Amidst the game, she will visit me and my teammates would realize that their captain looked withdrawn. 

When the closing day was finally with us, I had a mixture of emotions. I got home immediately and called Shillah, she in turn dropped the number in my WhatsApp, Alicia's profile picture stared at me with the serenity of her beauty. 

I texted her, she never texted back. I was worried. The ten day post pandemic holidays raced like a thunder cloud and soon I was back to the corridors of R.A.F.A with a heavy heart. 

The term had been scheduled to stretch on for ten weeks. However, an emergency midterm break was called on halfway its course due to increased fire arsons. It came as a relief l, we in the form four class embraced that lucrative break. 

That midterm break had been  most significant. Back at home, I scrolled my previous chats on Whatsapp and stared long at Alicia's profile picture, retaking it freshly in my mind. Suddenly it updated to another equally amazing photo of her and the online toast beamed up almost simultaneously. She was online! Praise be to God.

I texted. She replied. She knew it was me. She took to mentioning her feelings about the incident. Because I introduced the subject, she said that it was a trauma she never wished to recall. She was pained. 

I learnt that she had stayed in Kitengela up to 8 O'clock. She bitterly explained how she had to face her parents and not attending school on opening day.  What hurts most was that she never got the money in her bag. The ugly woman and her filthy lad!! She mentioned that her parents had to meet the cost of the money and the remedial fee in the bank slip I mentioned earlier. 

Her honesty was real and she talked on, despite the fact that she was unknowingly torturing me, to give her opinion of me on that fateful occurrence. 

"I thought that was what you are, what you're used to. I thought it was intentional of you walking away with my bag." Man, it hurts. It hurts most when it comes from someone you thought fate brought the both of you together. 

Fate is so unpredictable. It zeros in on your soft part and makes you unaware of its venom. I cannot blame Alicia. My heart was sinking with regret. Pain and guilt formed a torturing alliance. You ever pity yourself? 

We talked so much deep into the night. The revelation dawned on us and our consciences seemed to be pulling ends of the tug of reality. She called it off when she said never should I mention the matter.  We got into a relaxed talk, at least she was sending emojis if they meant anything. Nothing more significant. 

The waters of the world are pulling closer and closer to the land. Their heights are rising to my knees and I couldn't feel the palm balls anymore. The sun to the West sneaks behind the tall Palm tree and storey buildings. Fishermen cruised to duty as couples pulled away from the beach in pairs. Soon darkness will fall and the beasts of the sea will take over. As I walked away,  I watched the last rays of the setting sun shine somewhere in the ocean. The rays were no more. Alicia.