Meeting place for writers in Tanzania

TWISTED(When Desire Unveils Hidden Secrets)

2009-12-14T15:00:00.005+03:00

By Amos Bwire

Four

Secret Obsession

“A sexually satisfied man is like a dog that is well fed;
you won’t find it digging through the garbage.”

Winter season was approaching.
The weather was a bit chilly in A-City, and there was no difference on that Friday afternoon of May 2009. Showers had been raining since morning on that second of his five days official stay there. That afternoon; he had already closed his assignments for the day and was now back at the Hotel for lunch and a nap, looking ahead for his first Friday evening at A- City. It was almost 0230pm and he was hungry. He dropped off his Laptop bag in his hotel room and went straight to the restaurant for a lunch. Onsea Hotel was only 7 minutes drive from City centre and with a restaurant, boasting for freshly made brasserie dishes accompanied by the finest specially selected wines, strived to be one of the best luxury bed and breakfast in Arusha.
The waiter came immediately and took his order; he had an appetite for burgers that day, as it was highly recommended to him by the hotel’s chief cook earlier that day that he had to feel the taste of Onsea burgers. He ordered a beef burger with fries.
His favorite cucumber juice came first. He was sipping on it as the newspaper guy came at his table. He bought a Men’s Health magazine as well as a News Week. For the next twenty minutes, Manu was busy reading magazines, while enjoying his cucumber juice. A moment later, he lifted his head, flexed his neck muscles as his eyes scanned around the place and ended up at the car park. There, he saw her…
She was closing the door of a metallic green Chevy Camaro sport coupe. Then walked towards restaurant; she paused a little at the entrance, then headed towards an empty table, few meters away from his, on the opposite. Rushed at her and before she knew it, he was pulling a chair for her. He took her order, and split. It took the waiter only seconds to come back, with a glass of limejuice. She took on the straw and sipped from the glass, once, then stopped, ran her tongue over her like lips. She rolled her eyes around the room while getting hold of her lemon green leather purse. She opened it, drew out some papers, and spread them on the table. For the next ten minutes, she was busy reading on and signing them.
She did not have any idea that, someone, few tables away from her, was observing all movements she was making. She was the girl one would love to have on his side any given day, anywhere…regardless.
With a honey dip complexion, her body portrayed an ultra-Seductive look, while demonstrating the time well spent in a fitness gym. She had on a fitted lime-green long sleeved satin shirt with flower print details that had few loosened top buttons, forming slit that gave a glimpse of her knockout boobs. She was in a pale Denim Jeans that tightly enveloped the package, that well-proportioned number-eight, a mixed product of Luo father and Nyakyusa mother. Her smooth feet were on lime green suede thongs.
All in all, that simple combination gave her a dazzlingly sexy look, with her cool, jet-black Afro, a nice pair of dangling earrings, several bangles on her left hand and a necklace, adding spices to that look.
Satisfied with what he saw, Manu dropped his eyes back to the magazine. He only pretended to be reading it, but truth is, he had lost all the appetite for it that he could not even remember on which page he really was in. The girl opposite him was ultra sexy with such seduction-queen look that wrapped up a package too good to be human. As experienced in the art as he would have claimed to be, he was almost gotten hit by a thunderbolt.
Now she had paused the signing of papers, glanced at her wristwatch, flipped the fullness of her dark-sensual lips, ran her tongue over them, in one slight curve. She afterward rolled her eyes around the place. She was there to meet a business partner, an Italian Contractor, whom she had been expecting to arrive any moment from that time.
Now, when she rolled her eyes around, this time, she happened to see Manu. At that moment, the whole of her world froze and she missed few of her heartbeats. This was the man who always overwhelmed her bedtime fantasies.
He donned a Navy short-sleeved Exacts shirt that fitted well on his well-built upper body, a fitting black Stitches Jeans, with dark-brown JP Tods classic shoes. His sizable frame looked so handsomely in the combination. It was her turn to watch every of his movements, from swapping magazines to sipping his cucumber juice and not once did he seem to be paying any homage to her sacred presence. She needed him to look at her. She wanted him to start something, immediately. He must notice me, he should have... She thought, and ten minutes later, still his eyes haven't really shifted off those magazines. She noticed his reactions when his dinner arrived, as he rushed on it like a starved lion that just got hold of its first prey. She smiled at herself, and before that smile faded away, without any notice his eyes shifted straight at her direction. They locked eyes, and she was gotten off guard, knowing not about what to do next. Luckily yet surprisingly, without a blink or any sign that he had taken a note of her presence, his eyes moved back to his Men’s Health magazine. But, her pride was hurt.
Her mind shifted a bit from him as her mobile rang from inside her purse. She quickly picked it. It was her Italian contractor calling to apologize that he had an emergency and wouldn’t make it there. She accepted his apology on the basis that they were to meeting next morning in her office. She put her iPhone back into her purse, and she was back to the guy opposite her, Manu. Within no time, the struggle in between her legs began. It was her abnormally-overgrown clitoris. It caused her a lot of discomfort, especially in a scene like the one she was in now, and the tight Jeans she was wearing wasn't doing her any favor.
_______________________________

She was just five years old. She was the only child in the family, with no other close friend except their house maid, Tatu. Tatu was 14yrs old and already very experienced sexually. The two shared a bedroom.
It started out as a normal tease; at night, Tatu would come over to her bed and ask her to pull down her Pajamas. Then she would start to play with her premature nipples, fingering her genitals and even lick and suck her seed.... At first, she felt nothing specially, but later on, she began enjoy the act. She experienced that taboo acts for almost five years and she became addicted to it, while keeping it as a top secret between the two! Tatu was the person responsible for the loss of her cherry. She was 11years old and was now sharing toys of different size and girth with Tatu, and by the time she turned 13, some critical changes occurred onto her; her twat was getting abnormally wider and lousy, at the same time her clit was getting overly developed. She started losing control over her sex drive. Her bean was staying aroused and thicker almost all the time; Tatu was the only person who could help cool her down...However, doing so led to her vaginal walls getting wider and lousy. And somewhere down the line her clit was also growing in size. By the time she turned 18, her bean was stunningly engorged. Now she was having difficulties in controlling herself. Consultations of three different vulva specialists didn’t offer any clear answer to her problems. All suggested that the only clear reason for having such excessively large clitoris would usually be due to too much use of testosterone or steroids, the same way a man grows breasts by taking female hormones. Fact that she had never used any, led it to be believed to be some kind of abnormal hormonal imbalance, which added to lack of any proven medical evidences in a relationship between the size of her clit and hyper arousal problems she had. The only quick option regarding her size was a surgery; option that would have cost a lot of money that would need for the case to be brought to her parent’s attention for them to pay for it. She was negative towards it. By the time she saw the third doctor, who suggested a list of physical exercises to her that would have helped to tighten her vaginal muscles; already she had accepted the reality that there was no medical cure to her problems.
She turned her attention to girls, avoiding men for as much as she could.
_____________________

Now, sitting just few tables away from Manu, she was having a very difficult time controlling herself. Sweat had broken out on her, and her breathing had increasingly become labored. She was in a state of incredible arousal. She got mad at herself.
Her food already had arrived, but she had not even touched it. She had lost all the appetite for it. That wasn’t the kind of food her body really craved for. She stole a quick glance at Manu, to her relief, he was still onto magazines. Quickly, she collected herself. She knew she was to leave that place as soon. Otherwise things would have turned awkwardly. Seconds later, she was on the ignition.

He moved his eyes to where she was seated… She was gone! He scanned the place, his eyes searching for her presence there to no avail. He switched towards the parking lot… And there she was, on the driver’s seat. He wasn’t aware of what happened next, he just found himself on his feet rushing towards parking lot, his hands flying like a drowning man seeking for a rescue boat…
_________________________

“Hello there, would you mind if I...” It happened so fast that he could not finish what he was to say...
Through a sight mirror she saw Manu touching the car from behind. She didn’t understand a bit of that drama. She had already switched on the engine and the car was on a reverse gear. As confused as she was, she attempted a brake, but instead she pressed on the accelerator and the car reversed, hard. Manu was not aware of that, so as he was stretching his hand to touch the rear side of the car, he saw it coming at him. He had no chance. The car hit him and he swung hopelessly, straight down, knocking his head on the concrete pavement. He saw stars and was blacked out.

In total shock, she stopped the car and got out of it, ran towards Manu’s helpless body sprawled on the concrete floor. “Help, please-help-heeelp!” She screamed. Within seconds, several people, staring at her and her victim, surrounded her. She needed their help to carry him inside the car. However, some of the people were reluctant to do so; they believed that the unconscious person on the concrete floor must have been a carjacker who was attempting to steal her car. Nevertheless, her very emotional reaction towards the incident surprised some too. She was so confused.
They helped her, anyway, urging her to rush him straight to Mount Meru Hospital, and on arrival, she ushered for an emergency help.
Manu was, by that time, half-conscious. Could not actually know what was happening to him.
She made sure that he was given fast-track services and she couldn’t agree with doctors when it was suggested for her to step aside and let them do their job. On replying to what happened on who was that man to her, she lied that he was her man and had accidentally slipped on the slab at home and knocked his head off... The doctors undressed him in order to perform a CT scan on his skull and body. The pressure was on her again when doctors told her to undress Manu. She had no alternative since she’d told them that he was her man.
Oh my, I have never seen a man as beautiful as this! She was thinking, staring at Manu’s strong body that was now covered by a sleeveless stripped-white hospital robe, a sweet Lacoste scent cutting into her nostrils- She silently said different kind of prayers to God, to spare the guy’s life.

Initial diagnostic report came with some good news. Manu’s condition was not that bad. He had suffered no fractured bone and there was no internal bleeding. She felt whispered at herself, “Thanks Lord!” And she was so relieved.
He just had a bruise on his head and on his right shoulder and was treated with painkillers, and put him on rest until when he was fully recovered.
She did not leave that bed until the time Manu regained full consciousness. It was 6pm, almost three hours since the accident. He was shocked and so embarrassed to find out that he was stripped to a hospital robe, in a hospital bed. As he glanced on his left he was knocked off by the sight of a stunning girl, sitting beside his legs. Am I dreaming or something? He tried to bring in some memories. He recalled seeing the girl somewhere earlier that day. Where? He had many questions. What happened to me? Why am I in hospital? Who are you? Why are you sitting beside me...? However, the headache was killing him. It was like someone was banging a hammer inside out. The pains silenced him… he just was gazing at the girl…blankly.

“Ooh, you are back! Are you ok..? Relax, ok? Uh-ah-you had an accident... But I-uh-I mean you happened to hurt your head, but don’t worry, you’ll be fine, the doctors said you’re fine, you’ll be fine." She was trying, hard. Her voice was in tremors. “Oh sorry…I’m…”
“It’s ok, it’s—ooh shit!” He squeezed his eyes in pain, but quickly managed to forge a smile through pains. “I’m... hey, why am I stripped..? Who undressed me..?”

She jumped off the bed, like she expected to be attacked. She didn’t know how he would react, but had to tell him anyway, apologetically, that it was her who undressed him. However, she said she was as sorry, there was no alternative. He forced himself to understand. Later on, she explained everything that had happened to him, since the time he hit the concrete floor at Onsea parking lot, up to that moment and that she remained there since she couldn’t leave him alone, and as the source of all that drama, she was assuming full responsibility and was ready to face any consequences.
Though Manu struggled to figure out the whole thing, her story and the way she narrated it got home with him so well. He would have forgotten her even if he would have lost both of her legs that day. Afterwards, Manu remembered everything that had happened, but there was some familiarity of that girl to him. Her Kenyan accent was so familiar to him. I must have seen her somewhere before.... He had thought.
Half an hour later, he was discharged. In addition he was given some medications and was told to get back there next day if the pains persisted.
As they walked along the hospital corridors, the heavy rain started falling. She asked for Manu to wait for her at the reception as she ran out in the rain to where her car was parked. A minute later he could see her car in front of the area. Before he realized it, she was running back to take him. She gave him a shoulder, up to the car. He needed a slight support. His head was still aching. His legs were a bit heavy. His back was sore, but didn’t matter much as he was drunk on a sexy Secret-Obsession fragrance coming off She.
Now in the car, she made sure he was well seated on the passenger seat, before she moved around to a driver’s seat. As soon as she closed her door, she said, “Sorry Mr, I’m don’t feel comfortable to leave you alone in such condition you’re in, so if you find it ok, I can take you to my place, Njiro, for the night of observation, and then you may go back to your hotel tomorrow morning…”
She glanced at Manu, who had a slight battle on how to respond to that.
“I have enough space there. I normally stay at the house whenever I come here for my business trips. You may have a perfect rest there. There is no one else around… and I can…I mean, I can take good care of you while there...” She was awkwardly persuading him.
“Take care of me? Oh, please, I’m ok, though I’m not feeling comfortable to go to the hotel while still feeling this much pains, because...”
“Then please, let’s go together at my place. You still need some rest, and I swear you won’t regret it, tomorrow…”
“You said where your house is? Maybe I may stay for few hours and get back to my Hotel, if not that far away...” He suggested.

“Here in Arusha it’s in Njiro. In Dar, it is in Mikocheni area nearby TPDC quarters. I trade my working between Dar and Arusha.”
“Wow, really? Okay, that’s good for you...” He then found no reason to argue with her anymore. He simply accepted her invitation. And one thing he was sure of from the way she had handled the matter at the hospital, her demeanor and the type of car she was driving, was that she wasn’t the likes of a hooker or gold-digger.
They drove silently for like ten minutes. Then she broke the silence, “How’s Misoji doing?”
He was stunned. His dry lips went even drier. “Oh--uh…I think she’s fine. I spoke to her today morning… So you know my wife huh?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t remember me, Mr.” she said, a little disappointed.
Then memories swept inside his mind like waterfalls. Instantly he remembered her, completely. He felt so stupid to not remembering her earlier that day. He apologized for being that dumb. She was okay, as long as she now was getting to a bit of a comfort zone with him. And he felt a bit same himself, though he kept his mind alert incase of any slipups. They exchanged few more laughs concerning the events took place during the day. Jokes were part of it as well as some old information.

“Oh, gosh!” A sharp pain that cut through his head forced them to switch topics.
“Oh, your head…! Oh Pole-ee. Could I do something, we get back to hospital?”
“Oh, no-no. Not that bad-oh-I mean, not bad. Just drive. Will be ok.” But he was hurting. He closed his eyes and gone mute.
Minutes later, he felt her soft hand touching his lap. He opened his eyes.
“Here we are. Warmly welcome!” She said, her face close from his, he could sense the warmth of her fresh breath. He felt a weak twinge up his spine. Damn, she tastes good, man! He thought. She rolled and opened the door for him.
And just before he opened the car door, he saw his wallet, and a pack of his Marlboro, on her dashboard. She had kept them after they fell off his pockets during the early incident.

Her house was classic. It was a medium size, one storey building with beautiful trees surrounding it and a garden full of fragrance flowers. Security guard was already there as the automated gate disappeared on one side, the car directly headed to the garage where there was another metallic-black Infiniti FX, parked inside. She assisted Manu inside the house. The living room setup was lovely. She showed him onto the sofa before she disappeared for a moment. When she was back, she had a glass of apple juice that she offered to Manu. She left him on the sofa and climbed the stairs.
Manu leaned back in the sofa, his eyes reflective on that young woman’s exquisite profile. He marveled at the incredible chain of events that had taken place that day. This woman is something! He thought in the end. He felt a little freshened up after finishing that glass of juice, and was regaining strength. But when he rolled his head to flex his neck it was a mistake. He felt like he was stabbed with sharp knife behind his neck. He quietly slumped on the sofa, agonizing.

When she came back, she had changed into a white night gown with a matching bathrobe.
She said, while approaching where he was seated, “You may go and have your shower Manu, then...”
He interrupted her, “Ooh, I can’t. Can’t make it, dear. My head is killing me, oh jeez…”
“Oh, my God, Manu, what’ve you done to yourself? I told you to relax. It wasn’t me, but that was doctor’s instruction…I think we need to go back to hospital, right now. Serious.” She said. Caringly, was now holding His neck and his head in her hands, resting them on her lap.
“Where? Hospital? No way! You know, I’m not used to Hospitals. Pills will do the trick. I just need few minutes to be alright.”
“Oh! Men and their prides…” she muttered.
He felt like laughing, but the pain was excruciating. “I may need your favor, my dear?” he said.
“Yes, please, what’s that?” She offered unconditionally.
“I really want to have a shower but I can’t make it right now, unless you give me a hand… After all, you’ve seen my naked body already, huh?”
Her heart skipped a beat. She cried out inside, No! Go to hell you fool, how can I touch that body without quenching my hundred-year-old thirsty? Well, she accepted his request and led him upstairs.
She helped him undress, while talking to her inner body not to pay much attention to his intriguing body, avoiding the powerful sexual response that once started could have been hard to stop. She then helped him into the bathtub, and put him in warm water she already had mixed with fine soap. She told him to relax, and really he did. Actually, at one time, he almost got hypnotized. She rubbed his entire body with more of that liquid soap with a jasmine fragrance.
Through that entire ordeal she was sinfully-wet down there. To her, staring at Manu’s proportioned physique and his commanding endowment; she could see a man who had always been a centre of her illicit fantasies. Oh God, have mercy on me… She thought as she was gently rolling Manu to one side, exposing his rear end. And as he was laid back relaxed with his eyes closed, he tensed up a bit as she progressed from gently rubbing that perfumed soap up and down his dump. He moaned a little and again relaxed; enjoying the sensation from the place that he had never been touched before. After about fifteen minutes of somehow-sensual bathing, she was through with him and she herself could take no more of the torture. She assisted him off the tub and gently dried him off.
He felt so cared and had to really say something. “You know, I won’t live to forget this special mome…”
She interrupted him. “Don’t start that, please.”
When he looked into her face he could sense by the look in her eyes that she was all that fire, burning up. He felt so ‘weak’ for not being able to play a virile macho male for her that night. She did not seem to mind much, though. Instead, she smiled, quietly and said, “Let us get out of here…” as she was helping him back to the living room, and laid him down onto the sofa. She disappeared again, this time to the kitchen.
Minutes later, she was back, a beautiful serving tray in her hands. She put it on the coffee table nearby Manu. There was a chilled bowl of gazpacho soup with three slices of buttered brown bread. He was already asleep, so relaxed on the sofa. Oh God, he is cute! She thought. Then woke him up for a soup and sat beside him, watching him eating.
Manu found the soup so wonderful. The blended of tomatoes, cucumbers, green bell peppers, onions, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and a little bit of salt together, that made really delicious combination.
Thereafter she brought in a main course. It was boiled potatoes with beef stew. And this time they ate together, silently. She later on brought some chocolate, fine berries and cream dessert. And by the time they were finished with eating, Manu was feeling much-much better. “Would you mind if I smoke one?”
“Not at all, never mind…just have your time. I do smoke too, sometimes. But not that one, I do Kool Milds.”
No, wonder why her lips are so dark and ripe! Manu thought, as he gazed at her.
“Have problems with smoking women, Manu…? A lot of men do.” She was a bit anxious.
“Hey-hey-hey, you don’t know… I may fall for a woman just by the sight of her smoking… I’m so down with smoking women…"
“Really? But why?”
“I don’t know, really. But truly I am.”
“The first man I heard saying so. Strange!” Saying so, she wore that satisfying smile on her face as he complemented her on that. Manu’s charm and deep personality was becoming more infectious to her. She brought him a lighter and an ashtray. After an hour or so with him there, she found out that Manu was not feeling very ok, he just was trying hard not to show it. Tough guy… Silly guy. She thought, and then asked him if was feeling tired and was ready to go to bed.
He said yes, and that he was feeling sleepy, but the truth was he felt more and more okay and he knew if he was to stay there at that Sofa with that diamond-queen for half an hour more, it could have turned into a different story. He decided to grab that chance and forge an escape.
She took him upstairs to the room, which was quite opposite of hers, not in the guest room on the other side of the house.
The room was beautiful, neat, and well arranged. Giving fresh lemon fragrance and fresh air coming off the half-open sliding glass windows, and there was nothing more there than a wide luxurious bed, wardrobe, and a side table. She threw an intended colorfully gesture at him and patted him a ‘Good night…’ then headed to her bedroom.
That night was a torment, to both of them.
_______________________

It was 0630am.
She dragged her body out of bed, sat on a dressing table for few minutes. She then walked out of bedroom, roamed along corridors aimlessly. She was sudden dampened in her armpits as she was now facing the guest room’s door; her patient’s door. She felt the urge to knock the door, but decided against it. Instead, she sneaked her eye at the keyhole, to see whether he was awake or not.
She had to put her hand over her mouth to stop herself from making a silly sound, on what she could see from inside that room.
Manu was still on bed, laid on his back, legs spread out, in his birth suit…
She felt a rush of blood through her body, her legs felt weak as she dragged her body down onto the floor. She leaned her body on the wall, beside the door, waited for few minutes, braced herself, and knocked the door. “Hellooo…‘morning!” She greeted him.
“Yeah, ooh…’morning! ” His voice heavy, sleepy. Oh what time is it…? He thought as he pulled himself straight off bed, and put his boxers on.
“How are you doing, Mr.? How is your…”
“I’m as rocky, courtesy of you, doctor!” He replied. They laughed together as he was opening the door. Standing there together, they looked so beautiful.
“Oh, I’m flattered! And how is your head? You didn’t play with it again, is it?”
“Oh, really, I’m ok. I can now get back to the hotel.”
No-no-nooo, you aren’t going anywhere, Mr.! She thought, saying, “Ok, we’ll see then.” She paused, adding, “Just rest your big body and let me go and prepare something for you. Right?”
_______________________

That is how their Saturday began.
Manu had a nice warm shower followed by a well-prepared breakfast. He then watched some morning CNN, SKY and BBC news, switching one station after another, to see what was in the news that morning. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were wooing voters across the States in US, in search for a historically contested Democratic presidential nomination. Manu was a deadly fan of Barack and had never missed a day without following him on a campaign trail, through cable TV, internet or through his Blackberry.
After making sure that Manu was doing ok that morning, she went to the laundry downstairs, and washed his clothes. Thereafter she connected for a long shower of herself, while her head recalled the chain of events took place the day before. She was laughing hysterically at herself…
Off the tub, she glanced at the half-wall wide mirror, marveling at her nudity. She displayed a few struts and poses. Satisfied, she opened the wardrobe, picked some sexy-white panties. She was bent down to wear them, when she heard a slight tap at the door...
“I hope I’m not interrupting?” Closing the door behind him, Manu said, leaning his back on it.
She jumped, turned around and saw him standing only few steps away from where she was. Confused, she attempted, hopelessly to wrap her body with a towel. “What are you doing in here? You could-ha-could have rather...” Her voice was stammering, slightly angry, worried.
“You have seen more of my body and I have seen none of yours… I think I too deserve to see a little of your naked body.” He was standing there, bare chest, only in boxers.
She saw him moving towards her. Slowly, her knees started to get weaker, her heartbeats almost doubled, dreading of what was about to happen to her. Manu’s beast could easily be perceived on one side of the boxers. Her huge boobs already on fire, dark-nipples stuck out in front of him, as if to welcome his holly embrace.
Reaching her, he got hold of her shapely waist with both of his strong hands. He stared down into her eyes. His roughened touch of her soft skin almost made her melt. Her knees slightly gave way as he pulled her towards him. Her chest heaved and was trembling, her breasts dancing up and down. He locked lips with her. His had cigarette warmth, bitter. Her lips parted. Felt his left hand coming up beneath her towel, moving in between her legs, pulling aside panties, caressing her velvet. She could feel his monster pressing hard against her right thigh. She shifted so that it nudged her crotch. It felt so sweet, that root rubbing against her joy button. Involuntarily, she was rubbing against it as his kisses were now becoming wet and passionate. The towel gave way and fell onto the floor as she was wrapping her arms around his neck and hung on there. He pushed down his boxers. Then he pulled himself away from her.
They stared at each other’s naked body… She was staring at his masculine frame and that amazing beauty bloody veins revealing its power and pride; while he was staring at her heaving bosom and that sexiest, well proportioned body he had ever seen. Oh, what’s this? His mind wondered.
She wanted to say something but her lips was powder dry. She closed her eyes, hoping against hope that he would turn and go away, when, as if in half conscious state, he moved over towards her, and ripped off her damp panties and threw the pieces away. He placed both hands beneath her bare buns and lifted her. She gave a little hop in the air so that both her legs wrapped around his upper thighs. His tongue was in her mouth and she sucked on it. He gave a savage thrust that banged her head against the wall. She felt something blazing pass between her thighs. She let her right hand drop from his neck and reached down to guide him. Her hand enclosed around enormous, blood-gorged steak of muscles. It pulsated in her hand like a burning animal, and almost weeping with grateful ecstasy, she pointed it into her wet, tremulous twat. The thrust of its entering, the unbelievable pressure and pleasure, made her gasp audibly as she brought her legs further up, almost around his neck.
Like a quiver, her body was receiving the savage arrows of Manu thrusts. Innumerable torturing, arching her pelvis higher and higher until, for the first time in her entire life she reached a shattering climax. She felt his hardness growing much bigger inside her and then break, the crawly flood of butter spurted inside her, and spreading over her thighs. They came together for a minute or so, then slowly her legs relaxed from around his body, slid down until they reached the floor. Down there, they leaned against each other, out of breath.
“Ooh-m-my God! I’ve ne-ver- felt like-uh-like this before! God, it was… wonderful! It felt-oh-heaven.” She said, amid gasps.
”Oh, yeah! Same to me!”
She put out her hand and touched his lapel, her mouth still quivering; her eyes so radiant. She had lost all the power of speech. Manu took her hand in his and kissed on the fingertips. He said, “Natural… Oh nice…”
“Oh, you man!” Her face, burning with her lust of flesh, told him everything he wanted to know.
He pulled her and kissed her, deeply, for a moment then swept her up in his arms and carried her upstairs to his room, guest room. All the way kissing her sensual lips. He kicked the door with his foot and without bothering to close it he walked over to bed. He laid her down onto it and sat at the edge. “Say it girl…Say it!”He urged her, while his eyes smoldering deep into hers.
“I love you, Mr!”
“And...?”
“I want you, so much…!”
That was enough to get him sexed up.
He kissed her. He kissed the sides of her neck. Her shoulders. Her ears. He kissed her eyes. And she was responding back to his kisses. They spent several minutes, kissing each other, varying the kisses, light, deep and passionate ones. He was running his tongue over her lips; sucking her lower lip, moving down to the middle of her boobs…kissing around them, teasing, licking, sucking and nibbling the thickened nipples…caressing them, one nipple in his finger, flicking the other with his tongue, alternating between the sucking and flicking of them. He was torturing her. She was becoming more vocal now, crying. Her body was trembling and so gasping for air. She was losing control as he collected both of her babylons together in his hands and put both her nipples altogether, at once, in his mouth, and sucked on them, hungrily. Slightly hurting her as she was getting swept away completely. Manu moved down into her lower body, her stomach. He was kissing, touching, and caressing it…moving into her inner thighs. He was running his tongue close to her mustard pot, tactically brushing slightly across it. She squirmed. He moved around, kissing the area surrounding it; slightly biting inside her inner thighs. Her palms grabbed his head as she was losing more control. He turned her body bottom up, was laying her on her stomach. She buried her face on the pillow, her teeth cutting into it as he was running his tongue up and down her back, his right hand trailing his lips up and down between her neck and her waist, caressing the area with his fingers. He moved further down, into her package, along her crack, spreading her…licking her dish, flicking her bungy. Back onto her inner thighs, slowly, timely, approaching her creamed.
She was moaning, trembling, feeling dizzy with desire.
He massaged her love lips, with his fingers, gently, spreading them… to expose her joy button… Gosh, there he was, staring at the ninth wonder of the world! He was stunned. He stopped…for a moment, staring at it. Between her legs, stood a clit, as thick as his thumb! His lips got wetter, as he pushed out his tongue and started to flick the thick bell with it. She made a sharp cry, as Manu was carefully and slowly licking on her. Her body was moving uncontrollably. Her waist was floating and rotating off the bed, begging for more. He increased the pace and was now munching her so rough and urgently. He felt her breathing increasing so rapidly and she was mumbling random words that was making no sense at all, he knew she was about to come. He slowed down the pace and inserted his middle finger inside her juicy box, tracing that sacred-spot inside it. She felt like passing out with joy when He found her spot and started rubbing it with his finger. He kept on sucking her clit while rubbing her spot. Very passionately was doing so, until when she started whimpering like a child, and was in danger of powerful premature release. Hysterically, She was now begging him to take her. She was ready. And a moment later he had stopped the munching and knelt between her legs, spreading them as wide apart as they could go, and he entered her.
She could feel his movement unbearable. The pain was literally blinding. Even her bigger lips were stretched to the limit, and the small ones were besieged. Her clit was receiving such an electric rubbing, flowing all over her body. And soon Manu disappeared into her. Their pubic hairs interlocked in a very passionate embrace.
With piston like precision Manu drove himself in and out of She until the pain and pleasure so intermingled that she was being satisfied like never had she dreamed of before, it felt absolutely incredible.
She moaned through clenched teeth, begging him to take her harder and deeper. She was feeling the room moving round and round. Her heartbeats increased and she could hear herself uttering moans and making sounds over which she had no conscious control.
The two lovers engaged in a furious marathon sex, and with the superheated woman under his mercy, Manu was almost breaking that bed with the thrusting. She lost her mind, she was now screaming wildly, as her head soon exploded in a kaleidoscope of stars and shooting rockets, her honey pot trying in vain to get a grip of the merciless invader who was now driving her towards Kibo. She exploded and was squirting the train she had never achieved before in life.
After a short while, Manu too announced and she called loudly that she wanted to feel his warm seeds inside her. She came together with him, again. And when it was over, he leaned over, kissed her and pinched her nipples a little, smiled at her as she responded back, weakly.
They were both totally satiated. They praised each other for the great sex they just had. A moment later, they fell asleep, in each other’s arms.
_____________________

Manu woke up just to find her sitting on the edge of the bed, massaging his legs, smiling at him. She pointed at the tray of meal beside him. “Why, what time is it?” He asked, surprised.
“You’ve been sleeping for full five hours now. It is 0430pm, love. You have to eat, as I’m not finished with you yet…” her voice was seductive. He was finding her more romantic and sexy.
He dragged his body off that bed, had a nice cold shower followed by delicious lunch that she served him.
They both felt an urge to know better about each other, but earlier that day they had agreed that it’s not necessary for them to get to that level as their untimely rendezvous was just a physical-fantasy escapade. But still they had little to talk about that drew attention of one another.
She found Manu very intelligent too, and that he possessed shrewdness and psychological insights. She found him much smarter than he pretended to be. Apart from that, he was confident, funny, and very experienced. She also found him uniquely sexy. His sharply shaped shoulders, chiseled chest, and his toned biceps, all well defined to reveal that he was taking good care of his body. She could feel him lifting her up and maneuver her body effortlessly. His lips were thick, luscious. His breath was so fresh. I would love to kiss and suck on them any given time, until they puff up then rub ice on them…she was thinking while she kissing them. There was no ounce of fat on his abs.
He also talked handsomely and acted handsomely too. Though he didn’t seem to be a very successful guy, he seemed to be visionary, ambitious and determined. This excited her. He also knew how to let her feel sexier and loved. He would listen to her, complemented her easily, physically as well as on her profound intelligence. He maintained the constant desire- sometimes he would kiss her without her expectations.

“Let’s go, I want to show you around the house.” She said to Manu later that evening. She had put on a sexy sheer transparent black-silk-and-chiffon sleep shirt, featuring a silk collar, cuffs, and button front. He could clearly see her nakedness! He had a problem with that but tried hard not to show it to her. He pulled himself up and followed her.
An architect by profession, she had designed the house herself. It was the first house she had designed, so, as one could have imagined, there was some added pressure. “Designing other people’s homes is easy compared to designing your own,” She told Manu, “With a Client you can view it objectively. With your own home, whatever you do, you have to live with it and so it becomes more personal.”

The house was her mother’s homeland, so for her it was important to get it right, “This is where I got the name for the house-Mother Bird. Because, with mom there was always chickens here…” They laughed.

Tucked in off the main road, one would not get to appreciate the full proportions of the house until he drives up right to it. “I’m circled by two main roads, so one of the priorities was to find a way of introducing privacy.”
The living room, while very much a part of the open plan area, had been defined as a distinctive area with its own function. Individual 50-inches Loewe LCD screen mounted on a flow stand, a Bose Lifestyle 35 Series IV Home Entertainment and a 40-GB Phillips WACS700, which together enabled her to store and access her entire CD collection as well as being able to listen to different music in every room. A stove made by Stove Direct together with a golden-colored mustard leather sofa was perfect for relaxing on after dinner.
Manu didn’t help but murmur softly, “What an amazing amount of thought has gone into this design process!” He took her face in his hands, bent down, and pressed his lips on top of hers. For a moment nothing moved.
Then she pulled away. She took his hand and silently they walked on towards one of the two staircases- the one that lead to guest quarters. The main one was off the main entrance hall and led to her sleeping quarters.
The design of the kitchen, just like the rest of the house, was based on the principle of practicality and simplicity of form. Fuses and sockets had been cleverly concealed behind cupboard doors to give a streamlined look. All the appliances were Neff, imported from AB Distributors, Ir.
Double entrance doors added to the grandeur and dramatic piece of lighting added to the finishing touch. Dining room floor was fabulous honed marble with a border of Black American walnut to tie the theme together. A combination of wallpaper and paints used to add detail and texture to the walls.
The main staircase leading to the bedroom was a stunning piece of design. All the bedrooms were of fabulous size. Along the corridor was her bedroom, which one enters via a general dressing room. “I love to mix modern with traditional designs, especially for my room because I wanted it to be calm and relaxing with a softer feel.” She said, seductively, leaning on a charming window seat that offered a great view, from where he could see the engraved plaque on the outside of the house that read Mother Bird 2007…
He turned to look at her. She looked back at him. They locked eyes. No word uttered. Then she took him to her shower room, tiled with unique limestone. Her dressing room was every woman’s dream!
Manu was completely taken by that unique home, and was not short of praises.
“When visitors, like you, see the place for the first time and say nice things like these. You remind me of just how wonderful my home really is…” She said, caressing his back and got hold of his waist, leading him downstairs again, to her private Cinema package.
This creature is original… Manu thought, realizing also that that smart woman was to be conquered only through understanding, honesty and subtle strategy. Only few men could do so.
The windowless soundproofed room was dark except for sconces that produced soft light on walls. Few remote-controlled dimmers used to control the lighting so that one could adjust the brightness to keep viewers' eyes comfortable…. She had painted the walls with a deep charcoal gray color, to keep them in the background while a movie is playing. There was a complete home entertainment package, featuring a 7.1 channel BeoSound 9000, a wall mounted BeoVision4, 60inch Plasma screen which was also separated from the master unit and BeoLab5 speakers as everything was controlled remotely.
“Jeez! This work done here is fantastic! I never ever thought that a person like you existed in this Universe… I wish for you know the way you’ve spoiled my mind today!” He meant every single letter he uttered.
She believed him, and her eyes turned moist, she almost cried with joy, but she bit it in. Instead she said, “I always am the loneliest person…and this room has been the only thing brought me peace and joy. I would lock myself in here, alone, watching movies all day, eating here, drinking here, dreaming here, fantasizing, and doing all foolish things, alone here. You are the first person, apart from my daddy, to enter this room. I have never felt like inviting any other person, whether a woman or a man, inside my private temple.” She said, resting her head on his bare chest.
Manu felt the challenge.
She motioned him onto reddish Togo sofa, an all-foam settee with casual, easygoing air and very inviting. “I’m honored, She. Truly honored…” he moved down to sit. He felt the urge to get hold of her and start something crazy, right there. But he backed off. Slow, brother man.
She turned on the set and a One Night Stand movie started to play. A moment later, she returned to the sofa, holding a tray in her hands. On it were a bottle of Konyagi, a glass full of ice blocks and another empty one with pieces of fresh lime in it. She pulled a side table and served him the drink. She took on a bottle of Tequila and a glass for her, and joined him on the sofa for several minutes of movie, drinking and chatting. Then she kissed his baldhead and left the room. Ten minutes later, she was back, another tray in her hands. She had a plate of roasted rack of lamb with dukka. She served it with Provencal lentils, roast fennel, onions and chili peppers.
Manu was not hungry, but the roast was very alluring. And it didn’t disappoint, it connected well with the liquor. They ate and drank together while watching the movie. It turned out more erotic and arousing to when he watched her smoking. What excited him more were her snow-white teeth and the movement of her sensual lips as she exhaled a thin line of light smoke. It was total destruction. He had stopped watching the movie and instead, he was watching her.
She loved every second of that. And by the end of the movie, Manu had already dried off the bottle and she had almost finished the bottle of Tequila. It was almost 8pm.
She tuned on ITV. Left Manu on the sofa and disappeared.
Twenty minutes later Manu heard his mobile buzzing. He jumped, thinking it was his Boss in Nairobi. He was supposed to call his Boss Friday afternoon and give him a brief report of work he had just finished, and he had earlier lied to She that he was just a self employed interior designer, and was in Arusha to meet a friend and discuss some partnership.
But it wasn’t… It was her! He picked it immediately, thought she may have pressed it by accident. Again, he was wrong, as he heard her screaming, “Manu-Manu, come-please-come… over here…in my bedroom, please! Hurry up! Ooh-my…!”
He dumped the cigarette on ashtray and jumped on his feet. Soon he was climbing upstairs. He pushed the door open, and was stunned in disbelief.
The lighting was down low, still visible enough for him to see around the place clearly.
She was there, right in the middle of the spacious room. She was not the woman he was with downstairs a moment ago. She was something else.
Standing there, arms akimbo, dressed in Police panda cap, a white police shirt with epaulettes. Had on a black knee length skirt and checkered tie. In one of her black-gloved hands she was swinging swiftly metal handcuffs. Manu, still standing there, beside the door, could hardly say a thing. He could see a black eye-mask that she had on, and her beautiful long soft legs stretched out in a pair of six-inch silvery patent stilettos, strapped on top of long black-transparent stockings.
Matter of fact, she motioned him to walk in and sit on the woven-leather rhumba chair at far end of the room. She waited until when he was seated, then chest out, head up, proudly and sassy she was parading around, flirtingly, walking pompously up and down, shaking her package, as 91/2-Weeks soundtrack was playing.
Manu, realizing the game that she was into, he adjusted himself before his eyes ran on a bottle of Two Oceans and a glass placed on a coffee table, beside the seat. He stretched his hand to take it, but before he touched it, she snapped, “Shh!” and he obeyed…
A moment later, with her back to him, looking back over her shoulder, she very slowly started to take off her shirt, unbuttoned few top buttons…shrugged her shoulders, sensually-so it slide down in one motion, one shoulder at a time… halfway to reveal a dark-butterfly-tattoo on her smooth back, just below her left shoulder.
She turned around to face him. She rolled her tongue over her deep-red glossy lips, rolling her sensual eyes, as was removing the shirt from her boobs with one hand and threw it at him…swiftly. It fell on his face, and he felt chilly as the smell of her sweat hit his suffocated nostrils. She turned her back to him, again, looking over her shoulder… unzipped her skirt, slowly, hesitatingly, arching her back. Then sticking her booty out she let go of the skirt in one quick, smooth motion. It fell down onto the floor, freely as she stepped off it. She had on a black intricate net baby doll with a matching x-string inside it. It took her twenty more minutes to undress, doing it seductively with amazing expertise.
A hard-on erupted in his boxers.

Stripping for him was a little like unwrapping a present when the prize inside was her. She was now getting wickedly down-and-dirty. Enjoying every moment of what she was doing.
She slowly turned her back to him and strutted towards her bedside table, took a remote control, and turned on the music. Move with Me of Neenah Cherry came in.
As she was touching and caressing her body, she started to strip tease Him, following the rhythm of the music. The sexual aura in that room was so strong that one could easily cut it with a knife. She was swaying suggestively, at first, then turned a little of her back to his face and was doing a booty shaking. She was shaking it until when she could see his lips slackened, displaying that crazy, lustful feat.
Very slowly, she stripped off the glove down her arm, and then with her teeth, she was pulling at the cloth on each finger to finish it slowly. Then she threw it at him, seductively started to tease and to show him-off her enticing- irresistible body parts, playing with her huge breasts, rubbing her big nipples with her thumbs and fingers, spreading her legs apart to show him how endowed her bean was. She was spinning around, giving him her several tantalizing angles, touching her smooth round package, oily and shinny. Turning around now and then, arching her back, bending deep down showing off her tight enclosed dish.
Her captivated audience, Manu, was dying with lustfully and pleasure. He was gulping glass after glass of wine. His body was burning with excitements and he was sweating, everywhere now.
She was ignoring him. She had to make true all her fantasies. She continued to dance, seductively…tantalizingly, excruciatingly stripteasing towards him. She stopped in the middle of the journey and spread her legs… turning her back towards him, bending, so deep that he could see her thick love button inching itself away from her gluepot.
Manu went wild and was now a quivering mass of jelly.
It wasn’t over, as she climbed on his lap and was into some lap dances. That did not take long. He could handle it no more. All that he wanted was to taste her. Taste her like he would a fresh fig, devour the juices and enjoy the ecstasy that came after the experience was over. That’s all that he wanted. But Manu received more than he bargained for. She turned on him. She tasted him, and not like you would taste a fig, but like you would savor a rich, delectable filet mignon, done medium on a fire grill.

He slowly pulled down his pants. And soon it was her turn. She stared at his joint, and simply wasn’t able to resist the lure that it had on her. She stopped teasing and learned forward. Standing gingery, she took his head into her mouth… thinking… My God, it’s so powerful, so smooth, soft! That was the first time she had ever touched maleness with her lips. She couldn’t believe what she was doing. However, she was finding it the most exciting thing she had ever done. She stuck out her tongue and felt for the head of it on tip of her tongue. She then licked all around it, kissing it, rubbing her lips along the tender underside of its head. Then she opened her mouth wide and let the head enter her mouth. It didn’t take her long. A mere presence of that sizable warmth in her mouth was making her pot drool. Never in her life had she been so taken by anyone or anything like that. It was more than she could take…
With shaky legs, she straddled him and let Manu guide himself into her ace of spades.
Without saying a word, His hips began moving up, driving his love being into her wetness. “Oh, my God!” She gasped, as he was breaking in forcibly, filling her.

Manu was pushing all the way in, pulling all the way out, he would take her furiously for seconds before repeating the slow pace again, rotating his hips, slamming his root deep inside her. She was going nuts and wild. She didn’t think that it would be possible to come as hard as she had done earlier that day, but as the first waves washed over her, she experienced an even harder climax. Her flesh was being battered by his magic but also was inducing the most incredible sensation she had never dreamed about. She was coming in waves, screaming aloud... for him to take her even more, further, deeper. She was no longer on her arms. Her head was in the pillow, with her hands holding tight to the bedposts. She was screaming carelessly. Ad probably that was all he wanted to hear. As the words passed her lips, Manu tensed, groaned, and that was it.

When they were back to their senses, Manu took her head, rested it on his chest. He put his arm around her, and seconds later, the two forbidden lovers fell into a mutual deep sleep.
_______________________________

The next morning She went out shopping.
She made sure she bought enough drinks and food. She also bought him few gifts, including an Edp and a dozen of Jockey panties.
Another interesting thing about Manu was that he was so exhibitionistic. He would parade around the house without clothes on, almost all the time, making sure that she gets an eyeful whenever possible. and having him around her house, that way, she could feel the sexual tension in the air, as if at any moment she might have to satisfy his massive needs. She adapted that attitude and found herself staying in just a thong and transparent bras; enjoying the torture she was inflicting on him through her explosive melons as well as her rainbow bootie. In that house, sex was hanging in the air like a heavy blanket.
They couldn’t leave each other. They showered together, cooked together, ate together, laughed and screamed together…As well as danced together. She blasted and sang for him Like a Virgin, Brown skin, and Falling. He performed for her, Lady as well as Sex-u-Up. They realized they had a lot in common. However, they didn’t know what to do next, as they were both taking every moment like playing out a complete fantasy.

Earlier that day, Manu had persuaded She that he was supposed to be back in Nairobi that evening, as he was to report to the office the very next day, Monday. But she refused to let him go, instead she suggested that she would postpone the rest of her tasks there and drive him to Nairobi earlier Monday morning, and make sure he makes it to the office before noon. He was easily overpowered.

For them time was running so fast. They had to maximize every moment they had together. Now, they were playing on the sofa. Kissing, sucking and fumbling on each other’s naked body. It was 0630pm. “Your clit is so amazing, She!” He told her as he was kissing it.
“Oh that,” she gasped, “it’s a damn long story, Manu…I’ll tell you later…” And he didn’t emphasize to hear it that time, instead he became more excited to know that there’s some secret behind her endowment. He sucked her more there until when she was trembling uncontrollably. He turned her body into a doggy position, on that sofa, bent down on his knees and shifted on her package, licking it, slowly at first. Her dish was tight and salty with sweat. He loved it. The little circle of muscle relaxed as he lapped at it, finally allowing entry. He snaked his tongue into her chocolate highway, probing the hot, silky hole he longed to plunge with his flesh. He increased the pace. And she was moaning happily, her furry buns pressed tight against his face, her very wet twat brushing against his shaved chin. He poked a few more times, then let her go, allowing her to slide back on her back and down into his lap. As she did so his head banged against her ring piece.
“I want to take your bungy, baby.” He said, looking straight into her eyes. “What? Oh that? No, not there!” She begged weakly while all the time knowing that it was hopeless to fight it.
”Come on, sexy,” Manu urged as he was spreading her legs wide apart, “Give it a try huh? Let’s ‘fantasize’ together…” he asked, kissing her drooling joy button.
“Oh-no-ah-ah! Mr.!” She said amid tremors. And with her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets she stared at him in disbelief when she felt his finger passing through her, “But you-you’re…oh, my, you’ll rip me… apart..!”
“Honey,” Manu whispered, “that’s the whole idea…” his middle finger travelling slightly deeper.
“Oh, you bastard…!” She felt exposed and slutty, yet so weak to protest.
Manu was pulling her cheeks apart, stretching her as he was lubing it with wet kisses, making her squirm as his fingers explored her forbidden place.
A moment later, with the pressure of his pecker at her opening, she felt some reluctance, perhaps fearing pain, but his gentleness and handling of her body, intimidated and excited her. Soon she started to do as she was told. She gritted her teeth in anticipation of the onslaught she knew was coming, but not even in her mind was she ready for what happened next. She felt him entering. A sharp pain came. She cried out, begging him to stop. Too late. He was already slipping inside her chocolate highway. And as overwhelming as the pain had become, slowly and gradually, she sensed a tiny bit of pleasure spreading warmly throughout her burning package. and a minutes later, as if by magic, what once was total pain was now a visceral mixture of pain and pleasure that was providing her with the most exquisite sexual experience. The sensation of being stretched was driving her wild. She could not believe how good it felt. Better than she could ever have imagined, heard or read about before. He thrust up, and they joined; throbbing flesh to a steamy burger. He tightened his grip on her; let her relax a little, thereafter he started to move, bouncing her up and down in his lap. He could feel her ring piece clenching along the length of his root. Her body shuddered every time he thrust deep inside her. She groaned out loudly, clamping down on him as he pushed harder, driving more of him into her, filling more of her dish with unbearable pleasure.
in the middle of it, Manu flexed his thighs and rose off the couch with his thickness still inside her. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, as he stood in the middle of the room driving himself in and out of her yielding body. that way, he carried her to her bedroom, lingering briefly at the wide dressing mirror to watch their sweat-drenched bodies writhe as they worked out pleasure on each other. Inside her bedroom, they fell on bed, her back first and Manu on top her. He spread her legs in a wide V, adjusted himself.
Her eyes were almost closed with pleasure. Her lips parted slightly, her hands curled against her dancing breasts. Sweat was dripping from their bodies and the room was filled with sounds and smell of wild, animal sex.
The madness was on.
The feeling was unbelievable.
The future utterly unpredictable.

TWISTED(When Desire Unveils Hidden Secrets)

2009-12-14T14:45:00.003+03:00

By Amos Bwire

Three

Icarus
“Getting married for sex is like
buying a 747 for the free peanuts”

She worked as Public Relations Manager. And though she was a couple of years older than him, her beauty and business brains that she possessed always made her famous and even more attractive.
Hers and Manu was a one night stand after an office party that took place in Zanzibar, several months back. But she was a married woman, so they had agreed to end it just there. They remained as close friends.
When Misoji broke the news the other day, that it was Jazmine who filled her with lies about him, Manu was shocked, but didn’t see any importance of asking her about that silly matter. But he became a little more careful with her.
That day, during lunch break, Jazmine was teasing Manu about the rumours that he was hooked with what seemed to be like a Miss-Right.
“Hey, nasikia unaoa…hatuambiani jamani?”
“Yeah, yeah. Ni kweli bwana...niko kwenye processes.”
“Really? I thought it was just a rumour…”
“C’mon. I’m kidding. But I’m thinking about it, hard.”
She sighed…“You know, your girl must be real patient…or dumb.”
“Why?”
“You’re every one’s man. Everywhere you go eyes are following you. Look, look at those girls behind you…over there!” She was referring at a table, on the far end of the room, where four young female co-workers. Actually the girls weren’t even paying any attention to Manu.
“Misoji deals with it.” He said.
She sighed, again. “That’s what I’m saying.”
“She maybe patient. But I know, she isn’t dumb.”
They laughed.
“She is starting to get that itch, though.” He added
“Ooh, the marriage thing, huh?” Jazmine said, while teasing a piece of meat she had on her fork, before she drew out her tongue, artfully taking that piece home.
Her gesture made him twist his eyes aside. “Yeah, yeah. The marriage thing.”
“You got a problem with that?” She was anxious.
“Well, yeah! Marriage, you know? Moving in together… The last person you ever have sex with…ever! That’s pretty deep, Jazzy.”
“Atleast unapata kila siku...” There was slight disappointment in her voice.
“What?”
They laughed.
“Kwani we hupati?”
She Chuckled. Then said, “Six months. Actually, zaidi ya miezi sita, if you’re talking about good sex.”
“I see! All work and no play…?”
“Turns a woman into a horny nut basket.” She said as they fell into a heartily laughs.
“Maybe hajui hilo. Unapaswa kumueleza unachotaka.”
“Mmh…Na jitumbo lote lile… what output do I expect from him?”
“Oh, we mwanamke…that’s your husband you’re talking about!”
“Nahitaji BMW, bwana…sio minyama uzembe ile…”
“BMW?”
“Black Man Working.”
“Oh! Sometimes you really knock me off my back…”
“You always say that. And it ends up just like that. Nshakuzoea wewe!”
He just smiled. A short moment of silence, as the number of people in the canteen got less and less. It was almost 2pm. Lunch time was almost over.
“Enhe, niambie. Ni kweli umedhamiria kuoa sasa au unamchezea tu mtoto wa watu?”
“Kwakweli hata sielewi nini kinaendelea within me, but if that’s what it may take to make her mine forever…yes I do. Siwezi kumwachia huyu binti a slip away.”
“ Mh!”
“Mh…what?”
“Haya bwana. All the best.”
A short silence.
“Tell me…”
“Enhe?”
“What’s so special about this girl that makes you so crazy and different nowadays?”
“Uh! I think I should go now…” he was standing up, ready to leave the place. She got hold of his hand…was pulling him back to the chair.
“Ah-ah. Get seated. I want to hear it from you.”
“To hear what?” But he was sitting back.
“Tell me…bwana! As a…friend.” She was insistent. As a PR Manager, she was good at her game.
“Mh…okay…m-huh…I’ll tell you this, and then you’ll figure it out for yourself…”
“Ok, tell me.”
“I remember once when I was a kid, like 14…15years old, and I was here on school leave. That day I was coming back from a movie, at Empire…Empress, something like that. Now I was on Icarus. Unakumbuka Icarus wewe?”
“Icarus…icaruuus…yes! Yes! Nimekumbuka. Si yale mabasi mareeefu yalokuwa ya UDA au?”
“Exactly! So I was inside the bus, and there was a girl… sitting across from me. She was wearing this yellow dress that was buttoned clear up right to here, top of her neck. She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen… And I was shy then, you know. So when she would look at me, I would look away… Then, afterwards, when I would look back at her, she would look away. Then I got to where I was gonna get off, and I got off. The doors closed… And as the long bus was pulling away, she looked right at me and gave me…the most incredible smile. Jazzy, I was awful. I ran back at the bus, wanted to tear the doors open. I couldn’t. I went back there every evening, same time, for two weeks that was left on my school leave. But she never showed up. That was 15 years ago. And I don’t think there’s a day that goes by, that I don’t think about her…” he exhaled, deeply. “I don’t want that to happen again to me.”
________________________

“I affirm to you in the presence of God and these witnesses
my sacred promise to stay by your side as your faithful husband
in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow,
as well as through the good and the bad times.
I promise to love you without reservation,
honor and respect you, provide for your needs as best as I can,
protect you from harm, comfort you in times of distress,
grow with you in mind and spirit,
always be open and Truthful to you, and cherish you…
until death parts us.”

Like a diamond, real love is durable, shines brightly, and has many facets.
That Saturday afternoon, December 9, 2006; nine months since they knew each other, Manumbu Mataba and Misoji Makani exchanged their wedding vows.

The day was no big difference from other Christians wedding days. It started with Manu calling Misoji early in the morning, just to get a feel of how she was doing that morning, as well as how she was handling the pressure of the “special” day. She told him that she was doing okay though she was a little bit anxious and somehow tight. She also told him that there was a slight heat up at her parents’ house, the evening before, Friday. This came up when her uncle, her father’s older brother, Mzee Melchizedek demanded the honor to be the one to take her to the aisle, that Saturday (her parents were Anglicans and it was an Anglican tradition for a male parent to hold hand and walk her daughter to the aisle and handle her over to the groom). She did not like the idea of her uncle, so afterwards, while alone with her mom, she requested her mother to speak to her father and ask him to assume his role (it was her lifetime dream that her father would be the one to take her to the aisle). So when her father took the matter back to his brother, things turned sour. Melchizedek exploded, accusing Misoji, among other meaningless things, of lacking respect for undermining him, as a reason why she wanted her dad instead of him. But later on the matter settled down simply by Misoji accepting the earlier decision to be taken by Melchizedek, instead of her father. Still, deep down inside, she was so sad. She agreed to it just as a matter of respect for her parents and other relatives.
Manu gave her few words of encouragement, telling her not to worry much on that meaningless stuff, and that everything would be alright. They shared some stirring jokes too, for instance when he asked her on whatever missing piece of thing she wanted him to make sure it’s in place at home for their big night.
“You know what Mr.…?” she said,
“Shoot, princess, shoot…!”
“Did you get enough sleep last night?”
“Yeah baby, oh…why?”
“Listen…if you didn’t, you better go back to bed right now…’coz, don’t even think of getting a five-minute break tonight. Is that clear?”
“Hahaha…! Well, don’t worry, I’ll… ” he couldn’t finish the sentence…
“And make sure you drink five liters of milk, a kilo of nuts and five mugs of honey, right?”
He exploded into a loud laughter…
“And one more thing…I want you to buy me three bottles of Amarula…”
“Wow…what we got here!!” they joined together into laughter. “Hey, hey, gotta go…talk to you later, sweetflesh, ok?”
“Good heavens…I love you, Manu!” and she waited until he disconnected a call before she took her handset off her ear, musing.

At 0800 sharp, the car was at Mzee Makani’s house, picking up Misoji for the next 5-hours of makeup and dressing at Sheer Beauty Salon, Upanga. In the other hand, Manu, together with his best friend and Bestman, Alfred, were making phone calls to wedding organizing committee members, to see how things were getting done. They then visited Blue Pearl Hotel to see how the decorating job was getting done. Then they passed by the Barbershop…
At 1630pm, the Groom entered the hall, followed by his bride 20 minutes later. Raucous cheers and claps engulfed the Silver decorated hall and on the bride’s entry, a prearranged guest played Here Comes The Bride, on the piano.
A small and intimate ceremony, took place at Blue Pearl Hotel, Dar-Es-Salaam, as the twosome stood before a small group of around 60 family members, friends and few co-workers to say “I dos” at that somewhat hush-hush wedding that was officiated by the famous Rev. Dr. Frederick S.K. Mwakajinga.
The two had agreed earlier to keep the ceremony simple, and did not seek any contributions from friends, co-workers or any other person except for their parents and close relatives. This was because they did not have a plan for more that 60 attendees. The bride, with small help from the groom, planned every detail of the wedding herself, down to hand making the keepsake photos that were given to guests that evening. Misoji’s mother, Rebecca, and Misoji’s sister, Caroline, created a menu that included among other varieties oxtail, barbecued chicken, crab, red rice and salad.
They even selected the informal dressing for the day. She wore a simple-elegant strapless-bodice dress with a fishtail bottom and drawstring back. The fabric was natural, white linen. The groom kept it much simpler. He donned a traditional three-piece black suit, accentuated with silver shirt and a silver tie. Together with the Best man, Matron and other six maids they looked really easy and fabulous. They simply wanted to make that day purely theirs. They made sure that everything goes their way.
Like the sweeping train on a bridal gown, the high-rising cake design was overflowing. The cake trailed a carpet of hand-made floral sprays. The lush bouquets were assembled using gum paste orchids and stephanotis with buds and ivy leaves which had been quietly tinted with brushstrokes of paste chalk. The cake was simply, bigger than life…
After the wedding, the bride and groom joined by members of the wedding party, family members, and friends for hundreds of photos; before cutting the cake.
As the style of their wedding was simple and free, the MC for the day, a popular Sarah Taurus, who was also a famous local R&B musician, decided to offer a surprise time for Misoji to talk something to the guests. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have great honor to present before you our beautiful bride and her groom.”
When Misoji and Manu were now standing in front of the audience, MC said, “Well, Misoji I would like for you to tell us a little about Manu. What made you fall in love with Manu? Was it his good looks, his charms or his… excuse my French…mvuto?”
Mungu wangu! Misoji thought. She did not see that coming. She stood there, biting her lip, her hands shaking a little. She looked around the hall, MC already was extending her other microphone to her, Misoji. She had no option but to take it. Huyu MC kaniumbua leo uh! She thought to herself as she started out, a little stammering, while framing her response…then she was like “Mh-ah I-well… it was none of that, really. It was something different… I don’t know… Manu uh-- Manu is totally different. Well, ladies and-uh-gentlemen, I don’t know how to tell this one… right.” She said, her words trailing, trembling a bit. The hall was in laughs and some murmurings.
“He is totally different… and you don’t know how to tell it right in words, huh, that’s interesting my dear…” MC Jumped in.
Some laughs…
“Well, I mean it. And I can’t say that being good-looking wasn’t a plus, of course it was, but that wasn’t something I felt most about him. It was, uh- well, I can say, a sense of humor that he possesses, you know, he would be so sensitive and so thoughtful and so humane on things that other people tend to ignore or let them pass unnoticed. Small, but important things. And…let me call it the sixth sense. That’s what won me, dearly.”
There were cheers and claps… Misoji felt it. It gave her a bit more confident now…
MC, still pressing on, she said, “Okay, so he had a very rare sense of humor that made you felt so secure and loved, and…”
“Well, not just me. I am not even talking about me. It was not much about me. It was mostly about how he treated others, you know. We all know that-uh- the best index to a person's character is how he treats people who cannot do him much good and how he treats people who cannot fight back…”
Guests cheered and clapped again...
“Oh! Interesting…” Was all that MC had to say.
“Can I talk a bit about this Madam?” Misoji asked the MC.
“Yes, Yes, why not, girl? Let it rain. It’s your day.”
The hall cheered.
“There is this one unique story about him that I love to share with others today. One day I was with him in his car, on our way to city centre, through Ali Hassan Mwinyi road...” She glanced at Manu. He was tense. He did not know what she was about to say. He wanted to stop her, but couldn’t.
The hall went mute. People were now paying more attention... “As we reached Salanda Bridge I saw five… well, six male beggars run towards our car. They left other cars in front of us on the traffic lights, and ran straight to ours. When they reached the car they started calling out his name, all of them! I was wondering, how did they happen to know his name...all of them?”
She could see people paying more attention to what she was about to say. Sijui niishie hapa...nisije likoroga! She was thinking...she stared at Manu, his eyes were smiling with admiration.
“They called out his name?” MC remarked, pointing at Manu, exaggerating her gesture.
“And he returned their gestures by calling all of them, one by one, by names too...!”
“Oh, Misoji! That @s...Oh how can I put it” MC interrupted her.
“He drew out some 500Tshs notes and gave each one of those guys one note. While doing so, he noticed another beggar, a woman sitting few meters away from our car. As he noticed her, Manu called out for her, by the name... asking her to come and take her share. That’s when I noticed the woman, myself. She was carrying a small baby on her back. And she had huge bandages wrapped on both of her knees that she couldn’t move easily. Manu asked the other beggars, as he was concerned, “what happened to her?” They said she was knocked by a pedestrian two days back and that they had to contribute some money within themselves and took her to Muhimbili hospital. Manu shook his head, but didn’t say anything; He pulled out a 5000TShs note from his shirt pocket and asked one of the guys to “take this money to her.” I wanted to stop him, believing that the guy he was sending could run away with that money instead of giving it to that poor woman over there, but Manu told me to wait and see, as the guy, took that 5000Tsh straight to the woman, and gave it to her! By the time the traffic went green for us, my eyes were moist. And as far as I could remember, that was one of the days I really felt that I was going to seriously consider marrying this guy...”

The Mc couldn’t hide it. She was moved also. “Oh my God, I’m overwhelmed... I don’t remember imagining something like that...really, you know, we see those guys out there, on traffic lights, everyday...”
“I think Manu’s unique, and I always don’t understand how he would see things very differently from the way others see them...and whenever I told him “Manu I don’t understand you...” he simply would have said, “You must live with a person to know a person. If you want to know me, come and live with me...” And this kept on ringing and ringing to my heart also.”

There were mixed feelings inside the hall. One could feel it by looking at people faces. Some applauded her, some were a bit emotional. But clearly Misoji played it right, and Manu felt so relieved and was looking at her, proudly.
“Oh darling, this guy knew how to romance you out up to this sweet evening, today!”
The hall erupted into laughter and cheers... before MC added her piece of advice saying,
“But my dear Misoji, there is an old saying that says If you go to war pray once; if you go on a sea journey pray twice; but pray three times when you are going into a marriage journey. Remember that.”
There was more laughter and claps. Her advice though funny, really echoed and resonated well to all young guys inside that hall.
Later on their parents said their well wishes, Also few guest speakers asked to do the same, of which one of them described that intimate ceremony as “beautiful, spiritual and romantic.” Several other attendees said later that the beauty of the ceremony was mostly due to the fact that it was “Simple, Nice and peaceful.” Others chose to write down their comments and well wishes to the bride and groom inside a Wedding Guest book. One of them in particular was from Manu’s mother, Elizabeth, who was also a very religious woman, she said: My children, marriage exists for the glory of God. The purpose of marriage is to bring glory to God. And while romance, companionship, and children are all integral parts of marriage, marriage is first and foremost about serving the Creator. To see His qualities reflected in each other, and to appreciate the differences in each other, will enable you to love one another as Jesus loved you…Mom.
Also Misoji’s sister Caroline and her Canadian husband, Colin, penned something of an interest too. It said: Guys, laughter is medicine. Make sure you laugh together, every day. Laughter makes the tough times easier, and it's hard to get irritated at each other when you are laughing together. Read Proverbs 22:17…Caroline & Colin.
Bride and groom were also showered with several spectacular gifts, highlighted by a $300000 worth 2800-Square meters piece of land presented by Manu’s father (the land was in Mikocheni area, adjacent to Regency Hotel); and a brand new Mercedes ML320 CDI from Misoji’s father.
Also, bride threw the traditional garter to singles and then the couple had a long-passionately kiss as they shared their first dance to Marvin Gaye’s “If I should die Tonight”. But before that dance, when Misoji threw the garter, it fell on the legs of one member of the wedding organizing committee, Adero. Adero was simply the sexiest woman in the hall that night. So it was no to no surprise that cheers of laughter and groans followed the event, as bachelors jokingly threw lots of -“Will you marry me, Missy…Pleeease!” at her. Some of them even dropped on their knees pretending to beg her to marry them, while she, herself, was attempting to throw it to the other girls. It simply was funny.
Adero was a friend of Caroline, Misoji’s sister; and she met with Misoji for the first time two months ago, when she teamed up with Caroline on helping Misoji with her wedding preparations.
It was the first time Manu saw her, and he could easily feel the power of her beauty all around the place that evening. And something surprised him that evening. It was the fact that whenever he happened to steal a glance at where Adero sat, he found out she was doing the same on him. This happened on four consecutive occasions, until when he decided to restrict his eyes not to look in her direction anymore. Afteral, when he started it with Misoji, he made a personal vow to himself to not touch any other woman, apart from her, for the rest of his life.
But it was so different before he met Misoji. At 27, Manu was lustrous, adventurous, and charismatic; with a down-to-earth sexuality that cut across class lines to awaken a fervent response in women. lower and upper-class ladies equally found him irresistible and, consequently, his conquests had been all too easy, and so numerous, for many years, before his encounter with Misoji, he had long ago lost count of his romantic entanglements. Women fell over themselves to take him, and with an eagerness that was almost indecent, before he ran out of their lives, his heart untouched, except for Olivia… So somehow, that evening he managed to easily ignore Adero…
But that was not the same for her. She actually was having a very hard time that evening (though for her beauty, sexiness and wealthy that she possessed, she already had seen several irresistible guys inside and outside the country, black and white), but she couldn’t control the lust from building inside her about him and was not able to take him away from her minds. And this was not a result of his looks or that force of attraction that he possessed towards women; there was something else that was causing her blood to rush all over her body that evening…
As the only child from a wealthy family of Mr & Mrs. Wycliffe Omoru, at 26, Adero, an Architect who also had MBA from Makerere University, was employed at one of her father’s multimillion dollar construction firms, GOLIATH Constructions; as Director of Human Resources. She was also a 30% share holder of the company. She simply possessed a healthy living accompanied with unconditional freedom and attention she received from her 52 years old father (to whom she was treated like an angel... that at her Masters Degree graduation ceremony, a year ago, he awarded her with a brand-new Chevy Camaro sport coupe, and an exquisite small bungalow in Mikocheni area.
At that young age, Adero simply had everything a woman needs; except love… And this made her life incomplete. In her two college affairs in Uganda, she simply had felt nothing and neither of the affairs lasted more than a month or so. Quarreling, while breaking up with her, her second lover, a Ugandan classmate had mumbled something about her being too lousy down there.
Adero had understood that, and for the rest of her college life she had refused to go out on any dates.
Now, earlier that Saturday morning, as they were together with Misoji and four maids at Sheer Beauty Salon, preparing for the ceremony, Adero heard the whispered stories about Manu. It started as a small joke; some Salon dadas were joking with each other on the terrors of the first dates; and everyone was laughing on funny stories the dadas shared about their men and their endowments. One dada, who clearly seemed to be enjoying much of those stories while also identifying herself as a nymphomaniac, was saying, “You know what they say? Anyone can learn foreplay, but you can't learn having a grand steak…” the room, full of ladies, erupted into laughter. Misoji somehow joined them with an ill-advised truth of her own. She said, “Mh, when I saw that thing of Manu for the first time, I hysterically cried murder...three months later, my diamond felt pulpy mass of spaghettis boiled for hours.”
The room exploded. Except for Adero, who instead, she felt twitching and tremors between her legs…
Now, at the wedding party, Adero was looking at him hungrily and lustfully, envying Misoji for being so Misoji to have a man as perfect sexually as Manu; while knowing that he was the only living miracle for her… But still, Adero had so much respect and pride for herself-to start any stupid move on someone else’s husband…so she just braced herself for another agonizing night alone.

The bride and groom danced for few more minutes then left the hall for their night to remember. They both had agreed earlier not to fly anywhere for the Honeymoon, they loved to spend their first official night at their home, on their own bed. They agreed to make a journey back to Mauritius, though, later the coming year…
The night was the one full of joy and happiness to both of them. Finally, they were burying their rollercoaster pasts behind them. They made love and talk for almost whole night, joking and reminding each other of several memorable incidents occurred during their relationships before that day. The particular incident they laughed and talked much about was of their engagement party; six months back, at Manu’s place…They were on bed making love, when Manu decided to propose to Misoji in a style.

He was on top of her, madly sexing her, and she was floating in a total kaleidoscopic state of mind that she wasn’t able to neither hear nor feel nothing else but the pleasure he was inflicting on her body. As calculative on his strokes as Manu was, taking her higher and higher up the mountain top and now that she was entering the finishing line Manu realized it was due time. Timely, he pushed the ring on her finger. She felt nothing. Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably as the chain of explosions was coming from inside out her body.
And by the time she was finished, the ring was already home.
“Oh my god! Oh my god! Manu, what’s going on?”
He was staring at her, smiling.
She was trying to say something. Touching the ring on her finger.
“You’ve been through so much…I don’t want to see you hurt anymore.”
She didn’t say anything. She just was staring at him. Her eyes were getting moist.
“ I may not be able to give you all that you’re used to. But I do know I can love you past your pain.”
Two thin lines of tears were running down her eyes.
He eyes moved down. She had to run her hand on then to rub off tears that were now running freely. Manu didn’t move. He just sat there, pressing his plea home.
“There is one condition, though.” He moved out of bed, and kneeled down before her. “You have to be my wife.”
She was overwhelmed.
“Angel, will you marry me?”
“Oh my Goooood, Yes Yesss Yeeeessssss!!” she whispered back, in awe. So taken was she that she then moved and wrapped her arms around his neck, tears flowing on her sweet face, “Oh, I love you! I love you! I really love you, Manu..!”

A moment later, the two beautiful bodies were intertwined again in another powerful journey all the way to Mars and Venus…
____________________

Year 2007 was a year full of blessings to their family.
The success story started on his side. It was on New Years Eve and he was home with his wife, counting down minutes before cheers of Celebration, when the whole City went dark! There was a Major power outage which engulfed almost the whole country, which 30 minutes late was rectified. But the damage on his side was yet to come.
45 minutes later, at 0025am, his mobile buzzed. He checked the caller number; it was from his office, from the Network Monitoring Centre. Usually that section had engineers available for 24/7 monitoring the whole Network Operations, Country wise, and always were reporting alarms and faults to the second lines of support from every responsible technical department (whether alarms from Radio, Billing, Transmission, or Core Network departments). Manu was heading the Core network Department, which included together with Whole Network Switching Subsystems and well as Base Station Controlling sections. In his Department always he was having 2 On-call Engineers responsible for receiving and acted upon any fault reported concerning Core Network. And only on very critical situations NMC would have contacted him direct instead of informing his On-call Engineers. So on that particular night, he knew something was wrong.
He was right. The NMC engineer told him that, that power cut may have caused something on the Switching part of the Network. The Engineer told him that, there were many critical alarms on all Core Network nodes and he was not able to login and be connected to any of the Nodes (system) in order to see farther into it. But the shocking part of all was when the NMC Engineer told him that it was also reported by several employees to him that it seemed as if calls were not getting charged and people were making free calls all over the country!
It took him only 15minutes to reach the office. There he found out that the damage was more than anticipated. He found out that there was LAN-Switching problem, which lead to the major Network problem. All Core Network nodes were connected to several LAN-Switches which were all placed in one rack inside equipment room. Somehow, all the LAN switched got stack at once and that lead to the havoc on whole Core-Switching Nodes. He attempted a reset on the LAN-Switches, and it worked out. Now he was able to log-in the Computer terminals to see how much was the damage. He also contacted an IT Manager and told him of the LAN matter. The IT Manager came immediately to check on his side.
It was when Manu logged in on the terminals that he realized the damage was critical. There was a lot of critical Alarms, especially on Central Processors (CP) and Adjunct Processors (APG). These two processors in the Core Nodes (Mobile Switching Centers-MSCs and Base Station Controllers-BSCs) were always linked together by LAN-Switches. And MSC was the one responsible for different Calls Controls, switching and processing; and also for all generating all charging –related Information (CDR) for the purpose of Billing and Charging customers once they make calls. So it seemed that when the LAN-Switches stacked, the Connection between the Two main systems processors CP and APG went off…So functionally, The CP is processing the calls and generating the Call-Data-Records (CDRs) which is then sent to the APG(CP has a small buffer which can keep CDRs for just few minutes, but the APG is designed to keep the data for up to few days); and all Billing/Charging platforms are normally fetching charging data from the APG ready for charging any subscriber who’s making calls. In short, all external connections and Data/Monitoring systems connections are done on the APG end. So by loosing connection to the CP, the APG was not able to show any alarms coming from CP. So that night when CP lost communication with AP, the buffer run out of storage in all Mobile Network Switching Centers (MSCs) CP memory for charging related information. And once the buffer is full , it means CP cant generate any more CDRs for billing/ Charging the call, so by default settings in their MSC (which governed by Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority-TCRA), whenever the scenario of that kind happens, MSCs are supposed to allow customers to make free calls instead of MSCs rejecting the calls.
Now as customers all over the Country were allowed to make free calls, adding the factor that it was on New Years Eve (the timing couldn’t be much worse) the Central processors on all Switching nodes had been running at 100% usage for more than an hour. This was very serious. But also loss of Revenue was devastating. The MSCs that was affected were the one covering the most important area of their Network, Dar, Arusha and Mwanza; and these three areas were the ones generating three times more Revenue as the rest of the Network coverage areas combined together.
He reported the matter to his immediate boss, Chief Technical Officer as well as CEO, both of whom were so shocked and went there immediately. And by the time they reached the office, Manu had already rectified the problem and all the Switching Systems resumed normal operations.
They had a meeting the next day and discussed on the way forward, which included some proper preventive maintenance incase the case happened again. The CEO and CTO also showered Manu with praises for the quick reaction he had taken to rectify the Network faults that night.
That was just the beginning.
Just a month later another catastrophic problem occurred. It was a rainy season and somehow water managed to get inside equipment room through a leaked wall under the raised floor inside equipment room. Somehow, that water happened to run into the main Power cables, which were also tan under the raised floor. This lead to a big blowup and then fire spread all over the Equipment room. By the time it was noticed, already 2 of the 4 switching equipments were completely damaged and this affected almost all of the Dar-Es-Salaam and Arusha coverage areas. The anticipated Revenue loss expected to be devastating.
Communications were made between Head office and equipment vendors and it was proposed for the Company to issue an emergency purchasing Order of new equipments for the vendor to supply. This would be accompanied with an integration team, comprising of support Engineers from the vendor’s Global Software Development Centre based in Australia to come and perform a new integration and data recoveries in order to avoid losing all subscribers (Customer) data as well as customers themselves. However, this according to vendor, could take up to three weeks! The company could not afford that. So emergency meeting was made to see as to whether they would come up with alternative solution to it. The meeting included of CEO, CCO, RAO, CIO, CTO, Transmission Manager, Customer services manager, Planning Manager and Manu as Systems Integration Manager . The CEO Started by informing the team that Head Quarters had suggested for the Vendor to Execute the whole Network Recovery plan, including sending the new equipments as replacements as well as Implementation Engineers to come and work on the recovery process. But he also hinted that in one way or another, the decision would be so cost fully to the organization. The Cost of buying two Switching Equipments (i.e. MSC-S) only was $10million.
Then the CEO welcomed some views and suggestions from each of the team members. It started with the RAO, who had nothing much than offering the breakdown of the total loss incurred by the Loss of Communication for the Huge area of Dar as well as Arusha. He also gave the estimated loss expected incase that problem would persist for two more weeks. The breakdown was devastating. It was estimated that for the past 18 hours, the company incurred a loss of around $450k and that loss was expected to grow up to $11million if that was to take up to two weeks to be resolved. That was the figure too hard to swallow.
Then the CCO stood up to let clear of his concern that, it the issue was to persist only for the next few days, the company was bound to loose at least one third of it’s potential customers, especially the one in Dar and Arusha.
This shifted attention to the technical team members, to see whether anything could be done to reduce the amount of loss and cost of recovery. The CTO explained his concern that in that scenario, it could be hard for his team to do anything substantial to recover any node. But before he made a conclusion, he turned to his three members from his team; starting with Transmission Manager, who said he would be ready to comply with whatever plan and time set to the recovery exercise. Then he turned to Network Planning Manager who had nothing to add immediately, he requested for more time to analyze the current network topology and see how it could be optimized to. So the focus turned to Manu.
As a Systems Integration Manager , Manu stood up and had this to say. “Team, there is no way that I can say this loss is a minor loss, yet I see this as a huge opportunity for me and my fellow technical members here to face and bolding tackle this challenge with all that we have. Team, assuming that new equipments are going to arrive here in two weeks time, and then followed by whole week of new integrations and data configurations, don’t you see that we have enough time to shut down communications from some of the areas, preferably rural areas where we don’t really have a lot of revenue generating customers; use those resources to recover the capacity on the remaining working 3MSC-Ss? This will be followed by performing emergency changes on our Network Planning changes, Core network integrations as well as on Transmission side. I believe, by doing so, we may reduce the Loss off revenue to a reasonable level, reduce the risk of losing our potential Customers as well as reduce the negative impact to the Market..….” He paused, while receiving notes of approvals from the other members, including the CTO and the CEO. Then he proceeded, “that will be action plan number one. Now I have another suggestion for the Recovery process. I know that the company has agreed for a vendor to send Four Engineers to perform the recovery process here. But Frankly, I don’t think we need all four of them here. I have a team of experienced and dedicated engineers as well as one experienced Local Support Engineer. I believe with dedication and ownership, this team is enough to perform all the Recovery on our own, and this also will definitely cut almost all recovery cost to a very minimal level.” He finished and takes his chair to and applause from all the team members.
CEO and CTO together praised Manu for his bold move in assuring them that his team will take cake care of the whole recovery process. However, they both suggested that at least one Engineer from the Vendors should come to provide any necessary support.
They later on came to agreements to some of proposals and also they both supported all the ideas that Manu had put forth on a short term basis while waiting for the arrival of New Switching equipments. It was also agreed that Technical team to lead all the way, and on technical team it was suggested that Manu to be the Champion (team leader), working hand on hand with Transmission and Planning teams.
Everything went on as Planned, and in the followed 24 hours, everyone within the Department was busy working here and there to execute the plan. By 12pm next evening, they had managed to recover all coverage areas of Dar and three quarter of Arusha town. And ten days later new MSC-S equipments landed in Dar. It then took only 3days day and night to install, configure and perform all the necessary network tests; and later on that week it was announced that the estimated loss was cut down to around $9million less than expected!
That was a huge success for the Technical Department, and the whole Organization in Tanzania. But more importantly, it put Manu in a new level of recognition within the Company. Soon his name came to surface to all neighboring sister operations in Africa and after only one months, the word had spread globally through to other operations about the great recovery job done in Tanzania.
The next months, March 2007, Global CEO paid a visit to Tanzania operation, and one of her agendas was o extract more information about what was really the root to the problem they had as well as how did they manage to execute that unexpected Network recovery plan. That day was Friday and the news spread through internal mails summoning all the employees to a cocktail party to be held in front of the Main office Building, at 5pm.
The Global CEO gave a 5minutes speech to the employees, and reminded them of the brave action taken by a team of technical guys day and night to work together to replace the burnt Nodes and perform the whole network recovery. He then surprised many when he said that, because of that, he had travelled to Tanzania to meet with the “Recovery” team and present rewards to few people who stood firm and work hard representing the entire operation of Tanzania during that crisis.
He named them as Network Planning Manager, who was given a bank check worthy $10k; A Transmission Manager who received a $15k check; and lastly he showered praises to the team leader, A Systems Integration Manager , Manu, who received a jaw-dropping bank check worthy $50k! The whole congregation went wild with cheers and amazement. And Manu himself was in total shock as never in his life before had he held a $50k worthy check in his hands. He was humbled, and was shaking all over, when he was receiving that check.
That evening when he went back home, Manu was full of this and that plan. He even had some awkward ideas of forging a trip to Mauritius with Misoji, as they had vowed the year before, when they met for the first time. But when he broke the news to Misoji, he found out that, though she was so excited and happy for him, but she was so poised and focused to not suggest anything silly to be used with that money.
“I’m so happy for you darling. I always have much respect for your intelligence and perfection in everything you do. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world to have you in my life. I’m so proud of you...” was part of the words of praise that Misoji said to Manu that evening.
As they normally had a habit of getting out for dinner on every Friday evening, so there was no exception on that evening. They were at Peacock hotel, Millennium Tower. While waiting for their main course to come, a glass of wine in her hand, Misoji remembered something which could later turn to be so valuable an asset for their future.
“Honey, something has crossed my mind right now…”
“What’s that baby?”
“When I went home last Saturday, I heard dad talking about this piece of land…”
“Which piece of land..?”
“Do you remember that Indian friend of dad, who came even at our wedding?”
“Yeah, I think I somehow remember him, though wont recognize him easily incase I meet with him right now.”
“Ok, good. His name is Pratap. Now I heard dad talking to him that day…It seems like he’s leaving the country. He’s moving to Ottawa Canada, joining his family, which has been there for years…”
“Ok. So what did you hear him talking to daddy?”
“Well, he was telling him that he was selling some of his property, including a 5000sqm land at Regency Estate area…”
“Oh! Really? So does dad plan to buy the land? Or maybe already it’s Hond.”
“No, based on conversation I heard that day, he doesn’t seem that much interested to buy it.”
“And how much is that piece land?”
“I don’t know. We’ll have to ask him and see….what do you think?”
“Yeah, that sounds fine, sweetie.”
So Misoji made a call to her dad. She asked him about that piece of land his friend was selling. Her dad told her that his friend was selling that land for Tsh100m, and he was not sure whether it was already sold or not yet.
That information was enough for her to give to Manu.
“Honey what do you think?”
“We need for dad to talk to him, the owner, and see whether the land is still there of not.”
She did speak to her dad again. Who dialed to his Indian friend and asked him about that land’s availability. Good news was that, the Land was still available and that if Misoji’s dad was interested in buying it Pratap was ready to give him a discount of Tsh10million and payments could also be done in two installments. He was ready to receive the rest of the money after one or two months, when already he would be in Canada.
When Misoji broke the news to Manu, they all agree to buy that piece of land. Actually, that was a giveaway price considering the location as well as its size…
The deal was made between Manu and Pratap. Manu paid the first installment of Tsh45m and took ownership of the land under agreement that he would pay the other half two months later.
It didn’t take long before another Misoji stroke him. Just when he was on edge of the second month since his purchase of that land and hustling to collect enough amounts to pay for the remaining Tsh45m he owed, he heard some exciting news. The news came through one of his friend who was working at the other Telecom competitor in the country, UniTel. Manu was asking his friend for a loan of Tsh5m to add to the amount he had in order to reach the amount he owed Pratap. Unfortunately, his friend, Peter, didn’t have that amount of money for him, but instead he tipped Manu that, currently, his company was in search for a big land to build an extension office. Among areas targeted by that expansion was Regent Estates.
The news was so hot to Manu. He immediately contacted UniTel head office and set an appointment with the Procurement and Acquisition Manager. The next day they met and the discussion was great and the same day they went to visit the area. The plot turned out to be much better than even what the company was looking for. Actually, they were looking for a 3000Sqm area for a price of $500k, the land that until that time they were struggling to get. Manu offered them his land for $50k less and his was 5000Sqm.
The deal took place a week after the first meeting. All necessary legal procedures were taken and 14 days later with a $450k check in his hand, Manu wired the remaining $45k he owed Pratap and was free of debt with a $350k without sweat… That day he felt like a new Lucky Luciano.
In May that same year, he was summoned by the Global CTO (GCTO) to his Head quarters office in Stockholm. There he was met with another big surprise as one day after his arrival, in a meeting with his Global CTO, he was selected to Head a newly introduced team of 3 members, with the main assignment of coming up with Disaster Recovery Procedures to act as guidance in all of their operations Globally. The procedures were to include among others, a Business Impact Analysis, Risk assessment and Preventive Maintenance plans.
It was not the easy Strategy to Manu, but he didn’t backed off, instead him, together with his other two protégés, a guy from Spain operation, Pedro Mendez and a girl from Ukraine, Maria Gasparov, they worked so hard, extracting all the needed information from everywhere and Build a case to present to the Global CTO a week after the first meeting.
The presentation day came; and by the time they finished presenting the meeting with GCTO, they already had convinced him to offer them a 6 months Global journey to visit all the operations worldwide and offer trainings on the Subject. The traveling was set to begin in June and to end in December.
Starting that June, they flew all over the world, conducting Preventive maintenance trainings as well as offering Network Recovery trainings incase of any unfortunate events like the one happened in Tanzania earlier that year. Manu’s professional life was being transformed to a new envious level. He also had leaped a huge step ahead financially, with the new salary of net income of around $25k a month as well as per diem ratings of $200 a day whenever he was working away from Dar.
By the time December came, Manu had accumulated enough amount of money. Adding that into the blockbuster deal with UniTel earlier that year, he had enough amount of money to join forces with his longtime friend and office mate, Amir Shilla (who by then was the BTS Manager and running a small private company which was dealing with Supplying, Installations and Maintenance of Base Station systems- BSS/BTS) and be his business partner. His entry amount of $100million was enough to earn him 50% of company shares.
The timing couldn’t be better, as just Six months after the Company Opening; they managed to win a tender offered by another Mobile Services operator, GlobalCall. GlobalCall was the new Telecommunication Operator entering Tanzania market. By winning that tender, Manu’s company, A&M entered a 4months contract with GlobalCall with assignment of installing 100 new BTS country wise, to be followed by another 200 BTS in another 6months batch.
It was a big challenging job to them, especially Manu who had never really gotten into personal Business of that level of pressure. But still it was a very exciting challenge to them. So they both took leave from the office and set strategy to execute a plan set before them. During that one month period, they find another much experienced private company and subcontracted them the first 100 BTS, and they only took a supervising and commissioning part of the job.
Everything went as planned, and by the time the first contact ended on time, they managed to get the next bigger 200BTS contract extension with which they applied more or less same procedures by subcontracting it and assumed the Supervision and commissioning job. And by the end of that one year contract, A&M had made a jaw-dropping profit of around $1.4million.
Two years later, Manu and Misoji had acquired three more plots of land (this included a 2000Sqm plot in Oyster bay area with which they started constructing their future home; a 2800Sqm plot in Mbezi beach as well as a 1800Sqm plot in Masaki) all of them together they cost them around $500k. They also had bought two 300 and 200acres farms in Kibaha and Bunju.
Together with impressive success in their professions, Manu and Misoji were on course to building a future of their dream.
Their parents could never be so proud…
______________________

“Baby! Baby! Wakeup! Come see this!” She was calling him.
He was still in deep sleep when he heard her calling him the first time. It was like he was dreaming. Then the heard her again and that one woke him up. He rubbed his eyes to see properly. He saw her standing in the middle of the room, legs apart. He knew something was happening. So he jumped off bed and move to where she was.
“Look at this!” she said, pointing in between her legs.
“Oh, my! What’s this?” He said when he saw discharges run off between her legs all the way to the floor. It scared the hell out of him, but he didn’t want to show it to her; instead he looked at her, she was amazingly so calm and her face looked as normal and beautiful as ever. Oh, he loved her there!
“Baby, I think it’s time…” She said, tenderly touching her frighteningly thick belly. “It seems the water has broken.”
She was right, the fluid-filled amniotic sac surrounding the baby inside her, had ruptured, and that led to that large gush of fluid to leak from her vagina.
“Ok, ok, sweetheart. Let’s get prepared and go to hospital, right now!”
“Let me have a bath first...” She said.
“Let’s go. Let me help you, I don’t think you’ll be able to…”
“I’m okay. I can manage. Just prepare, yourself. And please, don’t forget that little bag over there. I have put everything I may need, in it. ” She was ready.
He did as she said.
Twenty minutes later, they were on road, heading to Aga Khan Hospital. He checked his wrist watch; it was 0230am, twentieth day of January, 2008.

Already, contractions had started. He was luck that at that hour of the night, there were very few cars on the road. So it took him only 10minutes to reach the Hospital. On arrival, she was rushed to the labor, and Doctor, a Nurse and a Midwife received her and put her to delivery bed immediately. Then Manu quickly underwent through all needed procedures before returning back to the room.
The pains were like extremely intense menstrual cramps, hitting all over her lower half, was a kind of dull, squeezing feeling that she felt in her low abdomen that radiated around to her lower back. The pains gradually increased in strength, duration and frequency... then they started coming closer together, getting stronger, and were lasting longer, up to a minute or more. And there's no getting around it; that was likely the most uncomfortable thing she had ever experienced.
For Manu, there was no time like labor to see the amazing strength of a woman. Strength he had no idea his wife even had. In most cases, pain is a signal that something in ones body is wrong. But in labor, that day, he realized that it actually meant that something was right. It's time for Misoji’s body to have his baby, their baby.
He didn’t really know what to help there. He was there just to provide a continuous presence; reassuring, supporting, encouraging, normalizing, and loving her. Sometimes he was very active, giving meaningless ideas, and taking unnecessary actions. But all in all, he was trying his level best to keep her calm, relaxed, and a bit distracted; encouraging her to alternate rest and relax with several Godly words of encouragement; to help in her labor progress. He was reminding her about breathing techniques, reminding her to change positions often, suggesting different positions, massaging her here and there, as ordered by her, while reassuring and encouraging her now and then that everything would be fine.
To her, the pain was excruciating! It hurt so bad that she wanted to keep the baby in her stomach forever. It was stretching her in ways she had never been stretched before; it suck worse than life itself. Those sharp unbearable pains were more or less like when one gets twisted the wrong way and get a really, really bad muscle spasm in the back. And the presence of Manu, someone who cared about her, who helped her feel safe, and who was showing confidence of her ability to give birth in the way she wanted to, gave Misoji much needed strength to pull it off...
She did it. And one hour later, with the help of experienced, gentle and loving midwife and a nurse, they welcomed their beautiful, 4.2kgs bouncing baby girl.
It was the happiest day of their entire lives.
They named the angel, Logan.

TWISTED(When Desire Unveils Hidden Secrets)

2009-12-14T14:38:00.004+03:00

By Amos Bwire

Two

Don’t wash!

“If someone you love hurts you,
cry a river, build a bridge, and get over it”

A week had passed and there was no word from her.
Manu couldn’t believe that was happening to him. Always, always, the first call after the act should come from the girl; his rule of thumb. But that rule was on verge to be broken. C’mon man, stay put. Give her two more days and she will call… Then another two… Then another three… Golly, it was Friday, second week! He was going nuts.
He scrawled on his phone book, and dialled the number Misoji had given him, in Mauritius. The response was ‘Number you’re calling does not exist.’ Pronto, he checked with a friend who was working with an operator where that number belonged. The guy confirmed to him that that number was not in use.
“Damn, I had gotten myself busted…Women!” He found himself responding audibly.
For the rest of that day, his mind, body and spirit were not into work. Nothing moved. His eyes and ears were so alert on his mobile and whatever short message entered in was received by a sharp glance, just to turn out as disappointing. Then at around 4pm, the first call of the day came in…
He jumped on it…just to realize that it was his buddy, Frank. Damn! He cursed, audibly, before answering it.
“Hey Frank, what’s up?”
“Sharp, man. What’s up with you?”
“I’m ok. Tell me…”
“Are we going to Cabana this evening? I was there three weeks ago. Man, the club is a hot commodity!”
Club Cabana was the most infamous nightclub along the coast, and Frank’s favorite. Was situated in Bagamoyo area, with so much inside, smoking, drinking, drugs, and yes, even sex for those that are bold enough—but only a small handful of people actually got lucky. He did-once, 9 years back while in College, as that night he was so high he had done it with a woman 8 years older than him. She was into crashing raves with her girlfriends, and picking up younger men. That’s why she targeted Frank that night. She was on the pill—all she wanted was a good time and sex. What did Frank care? He had always been a hit-and-runner, and never had he seen her again after that. Later on he had cajoled Manu into joining him to the club. And after he went there twice, Manu became a habitual member too. The club was addictive.
Now, it had been more than a year, since last time Manu touched club Cabana. “Oh, c’mon, don’t tell me it’s Friday. I lost count of days you know…” he was stupefied to realize of all the days, Friday came without him knowing it, as it was into his script Fridays were for clubbing. And for couple of years, that had never changed. ”But, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Bagamoyo is too far from here. And that club, hell no, let’s club just here tonight. What you think?”
They agreed to go to Bills that night.
____________________________

The drinking, the dancing, the smoking was so irritable for him that night. He used much of the time to just seating, drinking and watching Formula one Racing on a big screen at the bar as hundreds of bodies were sweating out the dance floor.
“I miss the hell out of that girl. Her voice, her touch, her smell, her smile, oh man…” He was telling Frank, as he joined him at the bar for a short break, cooling off his sweats.
“I know, I know. It must be difficult to let go of something so beautiful, and, maybe, delicious too. But you’ve got to let go of her. Otherwise, you’ll be going insane.”
“C’mon, Frank. Don’t make a joke out of this thing. You know this thing is serious. I feel this girl, deep. I could marry her right now, right here, if she comes and say so.”
“Oh, really? You got to be kidding, my friend. To me, a marriage thing is a nightmare.”
“How do you know that while you’re a senior bachelor…?” Manu was referring to Frank’s age, being 5years older than him. He used to tease him as a senior bachelor.
“I’m what? C’mon, buddy. I been in this love game for a long time to figure out how this marriage thing would look like. So I’m not such dumb as to get into that trap.”
“Trap…”
“What I see around, what happens to guys I know, is enough to send a warning signal to me. Look at you, and this is just the beginning, haha.”
“So as a friend, what you think I should do about this?” Manu was serious on his question.
“Oh, man, do what you wanna do. That’s your call. Do how you feel. As for me, I tried that kind of stuff six times…and it didn’t work for me.” And before Manu said anything, Frank continued, “Hey, why can’t you stay single, brother? You know, if you feel hungry, you can easily find yourself some fine piece of chicken anywhere around here, without anyone nagging in your face when you get home late.”
“Now I realize what kind of a good friend I have in you.”
A moment later they were joined by Frank’s current girlfriend. They just had met few days back and already Frank was talking of looking for her successor. Now as she was sitting next to him, Monica was her name, she whispered something on Frank’s ear. He nodded approvingly, and a moment later she had left, headed back to the dance floor.
“Hey look at that girl… ain’t she hot from behind?” Frank told Manu. Making a swearing sound of his mouth.
“Man, I feel guilty. I feel like I shouldn’t be here, doing this crap. I’m almost 28 now. Clubbing at this age? C’mon!”
“What? Ha-ha-ha! Just a week before you went to Mauritius we were at Brenda’s, and I didn’t hear you talking such silly. And you were almost 28, or three weeks away had added few more years on your age-o-meter huh?”
“You know what Frank? You don’t get it. Just like McCain.”
“I was thinking the same about you. You need Change!” they laughed as he said so. “Look, we’re just trying to have a good time out here. Trying to get your mind off that woman, man. Hey, I want you to meet this chic tonight. Man, she’s juicy!”
“Oh, Frank. No I can’t.”
“Why? It’s just a date, man. Just for a night, ok? Life is short, buddy. You got to maximize…the moment.”
“I won’t feel her… for sure. I’m worried I won’t even man-up.” He was not lying, his cojones were as cold down there.
“What? Hahahaa. Look at you. Look at you. Man you’re finished. I tell you!”
“Ok, ok. Stop it, bro.” He puffed in and out his cigarette, then pushed in a big gulp of Konyagi. “Hey what you said she looked like?”
“I don’t real know.”
“Frank, you just said she’s so fine, man?”
“Oh, I just said that’s what I’ve heard.” For a moment He stared at a very displeased Manu. Thereafter he said, “What happened to you, buddy? You’re not yourself. It’s like you always smell that mystical Sukuma booty, huh?”
“Do you always have to talk trash to push your message home? Come on, Frank. We are talking about my destiny here, you know.”
“Ooh, Destiny! Destiny-destiny-destiny. That’s what all losers say.” He was teasing the word.
“Hold up man. I’m not a loser. And yeah, she’s gonna be my destiny, comprende?”
“That’s true buddy. You pretend to be like the serial monogamist.”
“Serial what…?”
“You heard me. For years now you have been hanging on these girlfriends, one at a time… and you’ve been talking about ‘this is my queen…’ and stuff, all the time. But you know what? You better understand this…the first moment she steps out of your little boundary, she’s gone.”
“None of them have been measured up to Misoji.”
“Oh--excellent point counsel Manu.”
“Get out of here. You know that’s true. Misoji is the best girlfriend I never had.”
“You know, the only way a relationship works…is if the man provides the loot, and the woman takes care of the shit at home. How are you going to deal with such educated woman, who is so busy…like you?”
“C’mon, man, you’re talking like you’re from Stone-Age or something. You’re a caveman. Out of touch. Admit it, man.”
“Isn’t that ironic?”
“You brothers are always talking about hating gold diggers, yet you can’t stand an educated sister… funny, wicked!”
“Who makes more money? You? Her? No, I can’t. Manu, I know you don’t care. Your woman’s gonna run your buns, regardless.”
“When me and Misoji get married, our job together gonna be working hard together, raising our kids.”
“Let me ask you a question.”
“What’s that?”
“What made you start talking like a rookie? The girl is still at large. You don’t even know whether you’ll ever see her again or not. And now you even are mentioning marrying her. Having kids with her. That’s ridiculous, ‘coz deep down you knows you still are the same player…heartbreaker.”
“Not since I met Misoji. I don’t feel like touching nothing less, nothing more.”
“Hey, come on. How much honeys can one man have anyway?”
“One!” There was laughter from people who were seated near them. That’s when they realized that they’ve been shouting, making it easy for people around to listen to their conversation.
“It’s just time, my friend. It’s just time.” Was Frank.
“I didn’t hear that. You know, marriage is sacred. My folks have been together for 35years. It means something to me. Marriage is gonna curb my appetite for more women. In case you didn’t know, marriage is the cure to promiscuity….And I’m gonna marry this girl. Keep watching.”
“In what world? I can’t believe you even said that.”
“There is a time for everything, player. We are in the real world now….Real world. Real things.”
“Listen, I don’t care what you say. god did not intend for us to be with just one person. If he had, he wouldn’t have given us all these hung cojones full of load.”
“Ok. Ok. Are you a philosophy major now?”
“No, I’m a bullshit writer.”
“You got a point there.”
“You can’t trust these skirts anyway. They’re scandalous as us, brother.”
“Whoa- whoa! Not all women, bro. Not all women.”
“Oh, so, you don’t think that Misoji gets it with other dudes right now…”
“Frankly, I don’t.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“So how do you know that? She didn’t even want to give you her phone number…that sounds like a shut-down to me, unless...”
“‘Cause…well man, I just feel it.” Manu was struggling. “I… c’mon, I just believe that. That’s how I know. Besides, I know that little angel.”
“So you mean to tell me with what she has done to you… you don’t think that Misoji’s is tip-toading the door on you? And that’s in case she even still remember your name.”
“No.”
“What moon is this? I guess someone is getting lunatic here.”
Then the girls came. Frank’s one, with her friend, the one Frank was referred to Manu, earlier. Manu looked at the girl, as she was smiling sheepishly at him. Manu stood up, excusing himself for a short-call.
He didn’t look back. He was out.
_________________________

“Hi”
“Hi, how are you?”
“I’m ok. Habari za kazi?”
“Nzuri tu kaka. Can I help you please?”
“I’m looking for Missy Makani. Is she around?”
“You said, Missy Makani?”
“Yeah… Misoji Makani…
“Ooh, Misoji…” she said, understandingly, elongating the name. “Well, I hope she’s still in. let me try her office.”
She made a phone call. It was answered. “Hello dadaa, there is a gentleman here who wants to see you...”
After few exchanges between the two sides, the receptionist turned to a still-standing Manu. She smiled at him as she was replacing back the receiver. “She’s coming. Would you please have a seat?” She said, pointing to the sofas, few meters away.
“Oh, well, thank you.” Manu replied. His eyes were on the sofas. He saw two other people sitting on them. A tall handsome young man talking on a mobile phone, with a Chagga accent; and middle aged woman of an Arab origin who was wearing an expensive baibui and white sandals. Manu ran his eyes over the woman. She had on deep red lipstick, shaven eyebrows replaced by thin well-done black pencilled lines. She had long-dark eyelids, with thick mascara applied to her eyelashes. Her hands and legs were decorated by dark-brownish flowered drawings. I guess her man is into that stuff... Manu smiled from inside. To him, she was kind of eye-candy.
“Manu!” Misoji was surprised to see him. She didn’t guess that it was him. She was expecting another visitor around that time, Othello Computer Supplier’s Service and Repair Technician. OCS was a computer supplying and Services Company that was the main supplier for the Ministry. Earlier that week, OCS had supplied the Ministry with 60 Laptop computers, and out of that delivery, 11 were faulty. So as IT Director, Misoji had ordered for the Technician to come and run a check on those computers before other measures were to be taken.
“Hi, you!” Manu replied, once again revived that megawatt effect of his baritone on her skin. Her insides flinched. Her outside was in shock.
She moved in and sat beside him. “What are you doing here?” She half said, half whispered to him.
“Well, I wanted to come down and…say hello to you.” He was calm in his reply, like he was not aware of her situation. God, she smells good! He thought.
“To my office?” Her voice still low, making sure no one else in the room heard what she said. She was scanning him, though. His head clean-shaven, his features roughly attractive, and his brown skin absolutely flawless. To top it off, he was wearing an expensive black suit that fitted perfect in his athletic frame. He had the intensity of a preacher and the brawniness of a power-forward. Truth be told, Misoji was having trouble sitting so close to his body.
“I’m sorry love. Had to come. Almost three weeks now.” His voice brought her back, and was audible enough to reach the woman in baibui who was sitting meters away, reading her local udaku newspaper. It prompted her to swing her head towards them. The woman traded her stare between the two for a moment, then moved her eyes back to the tabloid newspaper.
“Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine.” She wasn’t fine. She was tense.
“Well. Now that I have seen you, I can leave and…” He said while standing up, ready to leave. Throwing what would have been his last card.
“Oh. No… I mean, Ok, I can show you out.” She was trying to calm herself down, hard.

As they passed the reception on their way out, Manu waved at the receptionist. The girl, who was now on phone, smiled graciously and waved back at him, her eyes following them, as they now were passing through the main entrance. Mmm, mmm, good! She thought.
“I got three words for you, Missy.” He said, as they now were halfway to where he had parked his car.
“What’s that?”
“You are gorgeous.”
“Is that what you tell all your women?” she wasn’t so moved by his compliment.
He sighed, but didn’t say a thing.
They stared at each other, for a moment. Thereafter she said “Oh, please. Say something. You make me nervous.”
“You don’t trust me, huh?”
“It’s not you that I don’t trust, Manu…”
“So what it is that you don’t trust?”
“It’s—uh—it’s your private thoughts that give me a pulse.” suddenly, she wore an exhaustible face.
“Ah-hah. So with me standing here, zeroing on you, it’s like, you just stroll right into the lion’s den, ready to get mauled, huh?”
“Oh, I didn’t mean that.”
“Really? What happened to that number?”
“Which number?”
“The one that you gave to me…”
“Oh, that! I’m sorry.”
“What do you mean? Tell me. ‘coz I’m standing here, right now, feeling like… a fool.”
“You’re not a fool.”
“But why did you do that? Are you regretting about what took place between us?”
“I don’t regret the act…just how it turned out.”
“What happened to you, huh? What the hell happened to you?”
“You’re what happened to me.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You scared me. You really scared me. That’s why.”
“Scared you…Why? How?”
“Oh, please. I can’t explain this. Really I can’t.”
“You have to...You have to. Tell me.”
“Oh, you.”
“Tell me.” He said, insistently.
She stared at him, for a moment. He didn’t flinch.
Her eyes rolled and were now stuck behind his back, far away, across the road onto another building. Seconds later she said, “Well, I think I—I think I needed some time alone. I mean away from the whole of this.”
“Oh, ok-ok.” He said, then he paused for a moment. “Listen Missy…Oh sorry, can I call you Missy?”
“It’s ok. You go ahead.”
“Well, Missy, I’m not here to kind of playing games, ok? And if you feel so, just say a word and…you won’t see me again, in this life.”
“Is that confidence or arrogance?”
“I don’t know. Maybe none. Maybe both.”
“You sure about this?” she asked. Her eyes were digging on his, deeper.
“Nope. The only thing I’m so sure of right now, is that if you let me in, I’m gonna treat you so nice you’re never gonna want to let me go.”
“Mh, that’s arrogance, really.” She said, curiously.
“Either way you still owe me a date…”
“Is that so?”
“Yep. Remember that day in Mauritius when you promised me that.”
“Promised you? Promised you what?”
“That when we get back to Dar you’d go out for dinner with me.”
“Oh, really? I don’t remember dinner to be part of that deal, though.”
“Yeah. That was all about it. I dropped that ink in my personal diary.”
“You’re so funny.”
“I know. And arrogant too…” They smiled at each other. Hers extended for few more seconds.
“Well, Manu, I don’t know what you’re used to…but anything short of a filet mignon is not gonna cut it with me.”
“What time can I pick you up?”
“You mean…tonight? I didn’t have such plan for tonight. It’s Monday, you know.”
“I never plan not to eat dinner…on Mondays.”
“Oh…so insistent.”
“What time?”
“Ok ok. Tell me where, and I’ll meet you there. Seven thirty?”
He gave her the direction of the place.
“And don’t consider this as forgiveness”
“For what?”
“For storming into my office without an appointment. In fact, I’m about 10seconds away from changing my mind.” She displayed that plastic-serious face.
“It’s a date.” He said, flashing his trademark smile, while opening the car door.
She stood there, holding her breath as the car disappeared. She then exhaled deeply and walked back inside the Ministry building.
____________________________

They were sitting opposite each other, in one of tables-for-two, at Swanky Restaurant along the beach, in Kawe area. He was drinking on a bottle of Heineken; she’s holding on a glass of wine. His eyes couldn’t leave her face. They kind of glued on her like she was the only thing that he would have ever died for.
At one particular moment, the sea breeze was blowing and trees responded to it and the masculine Essence fragrance Manu wore was alluring. Her nostrils drinking it, Misoji rolled her eyes toward his face and saw that he was gazing at her, teasing his bottle of beer, his eyes digging into her reading things on her, that she even wasn’t aware they exist. “What are you looking at?”
“A very beautiful black woman.” He said, simpering.
“Is that all you see when you look at me?” She asked, curiously.
“No. no, not at all. I also see a woman who has been lied to…hurt…and she’s taught herself how to be tough…real tough.”
She gasped.
He moved his eyes away from her. “I’m just sitting here trying to think of a way…to say this to you…” Wearing that hopeless smile on his face, he said, in a very unfamiliar low voice “I’m in love with you.”
Her insides were like…Oh, dear... But she asked him, “How do you know that?”
He said, “I don’t know how to explain it to you.”
Oh, genuine…she thought, saying “Try.”
She could see him struggling to make a sentence. He placed his bottle of beer on the table. Brushed one palm on top of the other, for seconds then said, “Misoji, if I’m sitting idle for half an hour…I can’t--can’t stop thinking about you…” He struggled again. He then looked steadily and intently at her.
For the first time she realized that behind that tough, confident and arrogant guy there was a very shy person. Her heart jumped as the belief of what he was saying to her hit on her so well. For a moment she forgot every negative thing she had heard about him. Her eyes didn’t leave his face as he continued.
“I carry you in my spirit. I pray for you more than I pray for myself.”
Oh, my! Did he say ‘pray’? She thought.
He smiled coyly as he was now staring at her fingers. He said “I got it so bad for you, I’d go to a grocery store…and I’d buy your feminine products. I swear I would.”
She laughed, audibly. Her long fingers quickly ran over her lips as she glanced around to be certain no one heard her awkward laugh.
“See? And that. That!” He said, gesturing towards her face. “That smile. Missy, when you smile like that…my world…feels perfect…alright. ” Suddenly his face became serious. “I am in love with you.”
She didn’t say a thing. She moved her stare away from his face to one abnormally big Indian customer who was seating metres away from them. A moment later she said, “You know Manu…”
“Uh-huh?”
“I heard things about you. Well I ran a check on you, while still in Mauritius…”
“You what? C’mon…I can’t believe this.” he smiled, painfully.
“It’s true. I’m sorry to say this, but...”
“It’s ok. I’m cool with that. But how did you do it? To whom did you speak to? I need to know.”
“You know, when you told me you work with Cella...I remembered one person that I know, who is working there. So I spoke to her. And…”
“Who’s that person?”
“I won’t tell you the name. She’s not part of this.”
“Ok. I can live with that. So what did you find out about me?”
“A lot. And I was really-really shocked…and frustrated.”
“What was it?”
“You know what it is Manu.”
“I swear to one god, I don’t. Please, tell me.”
“Ok. You’re a playa. She told me you’ve been bedding around so many girls around. In your office…in the streets.”
“What?”
“Unashangaa nini while it’s true?”
“I see. So that’s why you gave me that wrong number, is it?”
“Somehow yes.”
“Somehow yes…what’s that?”
She was silent.
“But, c’mon. I don’t get the picture here. You heard all this about me, and still you went to bed with me. Why were you able to risk that much?”
“Mh. I think I was stupid. I know I am. But truly speaking, when I spoke to her while in Mauritius, she didn’t tell me all this. She just told me you’re a fine guy. But she said we could talk more about you when I’m back in Dar. So after I came here I met her, and she told me everything I needed to know about you.”
“But about the number… If you didn’t know anything bad about me, why did you give me that wrong number…?”
“I was curious, Manu. I was curious about every mystery surrounding you…”
“Mysterious...playa…Arrogant. Man, am I not so wicked?! ”
She was silent.
“Who’s this person? You said it’s a woman, isn’t it?”
“Yes she is. But look, does it have anything to do with this?”
“It has everything to do with this. I tell you. Everything.”
“And what about the kids?”
“What kids?”
“She told me you have two kids with different women…”
He did yuck.
“You know, when I heard that…I was oh my god, what am I into? So…”
“So you decided to shut me out, sio?”
“Kind of. But still, I was… confused. You real know that I was.”
“No I don’t.” He was angry. “You know, for a second, I was like this girl has a brain in her head… whoops.” His hands flew halfway in the air, landing on his head.
There was a short silence.
Then He stood up, took her hand, and motioned her to the parking lot.
Stunned she asked, “Where are you taking me, Manu?”
“To your car.”
“Oh!”
_______________________________

It was her turn.
Three days had passed and she was feeling nothing more but guilty. She cursed herself for injecting that ill-advised matter the other day while dinning at Swanky. She really wanted to right that one. But she didn’t have courage to face him and beg for his forgiveness, that all the accusations were a bunch of unproven mudsling. But, what if it’s true? What would I do? Now and then she was asking herself. All in all, she needed that man. She longed his presence. His presence was so assuring. And his touch was so electrifying. Oh my god, I’m confused. She thought.
Two days later, it was Misoji stumping her 4-inches high heelers at the reception in his office. She couldn’t stand the pains. She was ready to be humiliated by him in front of anyone, rather than keep quiet and let go of him, for good.
“This conversation will be short.” He said, as he was facing her, inside one of private-visitors chambers at the reception.
“I know, Manu, I know.”
“What is it that you wanted to see me for?”
“I wanted to say, I’ sorry for what happened that night. It was all my…”
“Oh, cut the crap. Is there anything else you want to tell me or you just are here to twist the knife you stuck in my back?”
His lowered voice was even more frightening to her. “Manu, I was stupid. And I’m sorry for being so.”
“You trust me?”
“I do.”
“How do you throw the hunter off the prey?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, assume I’m the hunter, and you are the prey. So the hunter wants a prey, and some one from somewhere else doesn’t want the hunter to get the prey. So what do you thing the other guy would do?
“Well, I don’t know exactly. Maybe would get rid of the prey…”
“There you’re. And sorry to use silly example but I was trying to make a point here. Your friend who told you all that lies about me was trying to get you away from me, for her reasons.”
She was silent. But she was wearing a relief on her face.
“But the things that troubles me much is how easily could it take for you to be deluded by her.”
“I was stupid, Manu. I was confused.”
“Now tell me, do you love me…?
She didn’t answer. She suddenly was sad. Her eyes wet.
“Hey.” His palm was caressing her face. “Hey, hey. Missy, my heart says that you do…Your actions say that you do. But you’ve never said it.”
She was shaking her head, in a small motion. She closed her eyes as she said, “The last man that I said--”
“No, no, no, no.” he moved his face forward. Their faces were just few inches apart. “Please, don’t make me pay for his stupid…If you love me, just say it…and you trust me with that information because I promise you I won’t abuse it. But I need to hear it.”
“Yes… I love you.”
He took her hand into his and blew a kiss on it. his eyes were sad, but still the love was there. “I don’t know how to take this, or what you expect me to do, but, I love you baby, and there ain’t a damn thing someone can tell me that’ll change that.”
She gasped. “Oh, I’m glad, Manu. Now what?”
“That’s it. That’s it. You just trust it. Ok?” He smiled in an affectedly coquettish, manner. “Any time you want to give into that fear…you let our love outweigh it.” His hand travelled all the way back to her face. He was caressing her with it. “Right?”
She nodded.
“Yeah?”
“Ok.”
He pulled her face to his. Locking lips they were, tongues swirling all around. It wasn’t a lustful passion by any means. They were just so comfortable with each other that they both knew in a way that this would happen. It was in a way meant to be.
Luckily, the receptionist was so busy with another customer; she didn’t see what was taking place inside that small room.
“Her name is Jasmine.” She said, panting, as they broke that long kiss.
“Who’s that?”
“The one who told me all those stories about you.”
“Oh, that woman! I never thought she would be such an enemy. Well, forget about her.”
“Please, don’t ask her.”
“I won’t, unless you come up with another story of that kind again.”
“I won’t…I swear to God, I won’t!”
____________________________

“Manu and I have been out every night since the day I gave in on him, almost four months now. I keep waiting for him to change to be this evil person I always have the feeling he is…but it hasn’t happened. I didn’t know a man could be so thoughtful. It’s like second nature.” Misoji told her friend Pamela who had picked up her that Monday afternoon, for a lunch. They were now seated at Steers, sipping their juices, waiting for their lunch. “You know, last Friday, he gave me a call, telling me that he would like for me to join him for dinner, at his place, that evening... I couldn’t believe how good a cook a man could be. He cooked dinner for me, at his house...He had arranged the table at the balcony. There were white table cloths…several scented candles…and everything was delicious, from the cheesy beef and veggie pasta meal to that mysterious traditional Chinese wine. Oh, boy!”
“Your eyes don’t lie. So that’s why you turned down the invitation to attend my brother’s farewell party?”
“I hope that could have been enough of excuse Pam.”
“Agreed. You know, we always have parties. But we don’t always find such special people who could stir-up our souls. Your eyes don’t lie. I could see that in them. Let’s hope this one is a god-sent one. Sista, you need to get some break…no more drama.”
“Thanks darling. You know, I was on a brink of turning to a convent… into a nun or something, and, somewhere, out of all that pain and despair…came a man who’s strong, beautiful, sensitive…and who was religious to my body…” the last sentence came out as if she was speaking to herself.
“Oh, my. This can’t be Misoji I know. What happened to you?” Was a remark from Pamela.
“Friday night…”
“What…?”
“I mean, last Friday night… was so amazing to me.”
“So you made love to him. Girl, that would have been so fast, lol!”
“We didn’t make love, Pam. It was more than just that.”
There was a short silence as the waiter approached them with one large plate of pizza. They started knifing and forking as quickly as they could. Their stomachs were in high demand, like Pamela’s mind. “Mh-huh? Tell me--tell me--tell me!”
“That’s what I was saying, that even though we both wanted to make love…he chose to give me something better. He gave me intimacy. I haven’t felt this way in…well…never…”
“Mh. Intimacy…I wonder.”
“And you know, what’s strange is that I thank Edmund…because if he hadn’t turned out to be such a terrible man to me…I wouldn’t know what a good one feels like.”
Pamela wouldn’t leave the restaurant without getting all the details.
As excited as Misoji was that day, her lips and details were as entwined together as traffic and weather…
________________________________

That Friday night was a special night for her. It was her first of many nights she would spend at his place.
Though his house was not as big and posh, it was typical a fine bachelor’s house; a big living room and a spacious bedroom, just one guest room, small kitchen and a store. Situated in the isolated Regency Estate area, the house had a big space outside that surrounded by flowers and fragrant trees to provide its inside with fresh air and all needed calmness and privacy.
By the time they finished their dinner and a bottle wine and enough with the talking, laughing, and flirting, Manu took Misoji in his arms, all the way to his bedroom. He was carrying her like a small child in his powerful hands. Misoji felt a strange sense of safety and relaxation that she never felt before in her adult life. Moreover, the masculine Essence fragrance he wore that evening was allover the place and as alluring and inviting as it could possibly be.
They helped each other undress, as the romantic Jazz instrumental music was oozing-off the sound system in a sotto voce. He knew that Jazz was her music, and had taken one full day trading from one music store to another looking for a fine collection to rock her world.
While undressing, she scanned the room that was simple but well detailed. The golden painted walls conveyed richness and value in it… thin lacy curtains of white, sandwiched together with minority red increased the sensual nature of the room and so produced a soft and warm appearance to the two wide glass windows. Sweet scent came off several creamy and reddish colossal-scented-candles, ranging in girth and length, placed artfully inside the room.
They had a long shower together, and thereafter he carried her back to the bedroom.
The candles were burning slowly, giving off constant soft and well-filtered passive light… Strawberries and whipped cream on a small tray and a Casanova di Neri wine with two glasses were placed next to a perfect cozy upholstered-platform bed, big enough for the spacious room…fine wall arts and three half-walled mirrors added depth to the room. Six-feet high framed portrait of a pole-dancing nude African woman was placed at one corner of the room. It was sexily decorated with necklaces…snake-arm bangle…dangled belly-button ring…perforated stones stringed on her waist and an ankle chain. It was a real piece of an art. She was simply flattered when she later on realized, to her amazement, the woman portrayed was actually herself…She simply fell in love with the room and found it so exquisite.
He didn’t take her directly to bed. He carried her up to the versalite massage table at the far left corner of the room, and placed her on top of it, face down, and instructed her to close her eyes and breathe slowly and regularly. He went on to turn off the air conditioner and let the candles provide warmth all over the place. He put on a Frank Sinatra’s CD with Can't Take My Eyes off You as number one track. He turned off their mobile phones.
Now he was standing beside the massage table. He placed his both hands on her upper and lower back “Imagine with each breath like you’re sinking lower and lower into the table.” He rested his hands that same way for a little while. Then he picked the long artificial feather and said to her, "I'm going to run a feather over your back. Put all your awareness into the places where the feather is touching you. ‘aight, baby?" “Yes master...!”
Slowly he started to run the feather up and down her naked body. She flinched a bit. A moment later she felt it was very peaceful and exciting. He told her to "Just close your eyes and enjoy the sensation." while running the feather up and down her rear body. A moment later, he placed the feather aside and took a bottle of almond oil and dropped just enough of it on his palm. He rubbed it on her back, her neck, legs, and feet. Thereafter started massaging her rear body; starting with her neck-and-shoulders, for several seconds, as he breathed softly on the backside of her neck, drawing instant goose bumps, off her whole body. He nuzzled and nibbled a little of her wrists, kissing and caressing them for few seconds, then licked her ears, kissed them, blew lightly in them, whispering some lines coming off the playing record. He moved his mouth closer to her neck, blazed his teeth into it, and whispered below her left ear, “Sugar, I want you so bad.” She shivered.
He was cycling his thumbs up and down either side of her spine, applying a combination of light and firm touches. He moved all the way to her lower back and waist, taking his time… so rhythmic yet sensitive; proceeded from long gliding strokes to deeper ones. He skipped her buns, went all the way down to her feet, spending time caressing her soles, toes and ankles. Touching, massaging, slightly licking, and sucking on them, giving her that ticklishness sensation that felt so pleasant inside of her... Then he was up on her legs, gently licking and nibbling the back of her knees, caressing and kissing the back of her thighs, his lips trailing his hands. She flinched, as he fondly-sensually caressed her buns, with a little spanking and squeezing. And when he spread the cheeks a little wider and gave a few seconds licks and untimely sucks, the strange feeling prompted her to swooning.
He turned her over, put the pillow under her head, and offered an eye pillow to her. She wore it as was instructed. He drop enough oil on his palms and rub it in front of her feet and legs, massaging them gently… and then moved on to massage her abdomen, her fore arms and hands. Then went on to her shoulders; manipulating her lips through kissing and licking, teasing them…kissing with absolute passion. She was in ecstasy.
He circled her full breasts with his palms; gently fondling, squeezing and caressing them. Avoiding the nipples for minutes was tormenting. And when he untimely kissed them at last, with a combination of gentle and rough blazing, it prompted her body to flinch as an air escaped her lips.
A moment later he took another pillow, covered it with a towel and placed it under her hips. He ordered her to spread her legs wide apart, with knees slightly bent to expose her genitals for the yoni massage. He took enough amount of oil in his palms and was rubbing it in the inside of her thighs, touching, caressing and stroking at them. The fondling was so getting into her and she was on verge of a huge premature climax…
He could read her. He paused for few seconds. Then he closed with massaging her face, lips, ears, legs, abdomen, thighs, and breasts again, and as he realized she could not hold it anymore, he stopped and poured a small quantity of oil on the mound of her vagina, pouring just enough so that it dripped down the outer lips and covers the outside of the flesh, and then he began to gently massaging the mound and the outer lips of it. Spent time there, slowly without any rush, just was enjoying every second of the service he was offering his queen. He gently squeezed the outer lip between the thumb and his index finger, sliding up and down the entire length of each lip. He did the same to her inner lips of her divine flesh. He took his time, observing her struggles to control the insurmountable feeling that built inside of her. She was making loud groans, pleading with him to finish her off, to take her all the way.
He wasn’t ready for that. “Touch your breasts, and start massaging them yourself…” he ordered hoarsely, clearly the feeling was getting into him too. She obeyed his order and she started to fondle her breasts, gently. She was breathing deeply, and the limitation of his speaking to her led her to more focusing on the pleasurable sensations she was receiving.
A moment later she could not handle much of it as the pressure mounted inside her body was like a ticking bomb. He gave her a few seconds break, then gently and with great care, he inserted his middle finger of his right hand into her flesh, Very gently he started to explore and massage the inside of her softness with his finger. Taking his time, encouraging her to “just breathe deeply,” to control her emotions. He added another finger, the one between his middle finger and pinkie. As gentle he was feeling up, down and sideways; varying the depth, speed and pressure. Her insides were receiving the most wonderful sensation. He played that way for few minutes and with his palm now facing up, with his fingers rubbing her inside upper walls, he changed the finger movement and turned to the come here gesture, crooking back towards himself. He was now rubbing that spongy area of tissue under the pubic bone, inside, behind the bean... He maintained the variations of the pressure, speed, and pattern of movement. Moving side to side, back and forth, in circles with his middle finger…then he inserted the third finger, the fore finger. She was overwhelmed by joy on increased stimulation she was receiving from the fingers. Then he sensed that she was at the highest point of the peak, that she could not handle it anymore. He increased the pressure and friction on her g-spot…sticking his thumb on her bean, rubbing both sacred spots simultaneously.
She felt something popping from inside of her body, running out like a tornado through her ears, her nostrils, her throat as well as from her flesh, with a thunderous lightning and powerful mixture of pain and pleasure allover her body. Her body was in spasms. She was mumbling words they both couldn’t understand as she exploded, letting go of a shower of squirts flooded all over the table…
He didn’t stop. He continued riding the waves by giving her a train of more and more powerful orgasms, each gaining in intensity and releases. And when she was done and was totally exhausted, she called for him to stop and give her a rest. He obeyed her. It was enough for a starter. A preparation for what was about to be scene two, to be staged on his big bed. Very slowly, gently, with respect, he removed his hand off her wetness. She remained, there, shaking, tired and eyes closed, enjoying the afterglow of the massage. Soothingly, he then cuddled her, relieving her from the still shaking body.
Moments later, he was carrying her into bed for the first-class treat that she deserved.
From that moment on, he knew, she was his.
_______________________________

“You know all about my past, but I know very little about yours…” said Misoji, a bit concerned.
They were hanging out at Mlimani City Mall, running down clock to get inside Century Cinemax to watch the opening of Slamdog Millionaire.
“My past…my dear, didn’t I tell you before that I had a bit rough past? I don’t like talking about it. There is nothing really interesting in it. I would like to put it behind me, and move on.”
“Well, it’s ok Manu…but just out of curiosity, you know. It’s good to be open to each other. Remember, it’s you who always insist on being open to each other on each and everything…sio, mpenzi?”
“Uh, yeah you’re right, Sugar. Being a bit specific, what area of my past do you like to hear about?”
“Well, I think…I think I may like to know things like…how many girls you’ve been with, before me off course…” She paused as they laughed at her emphasis. “…and what made you breakup with them…where are they now… You know this may give me a bit more…”
“Mm-hmm. Well, I don’t know. Can’t tell the number, don’t remember, exactly. One thing I know is that I never been in Love with any one of them, the way I am with you…”
“Mh-mh, tell me, how many of them, give me a figure, roughly…” Curiously and clearly concerned, she said.
“Well, maybe around…well, more or less fifty…” He said. Actually, he was not far from the truth, because the actual number was slightly higher than that.
“What?” she asked in disbelief.
“Well, I’m kidding. It’s by far less than that. You told me to give you a roughly figure.”
‘”Man, that’s so many! Oh my God, even half of that would have been many! Ugh, Manu!”
“I hope that may easily tell you the fact that I’ve been not in love with any of them, the way I’m with you…”
“That’s unbelievable…talking of having affairs with 50 women and still saying you never happened to be in Love…Man, that’s an understatement. I don’t believe it…and I’m really-really scared of you.”
“Well, that’s the fact sweetheart. I was just sort of a hit and runner, not a lover. I never settled down with one woman alone…except maybe, for the white girl I told you about before…”
“White girl? I don’t remember you telling anything me like that, Manu.”
“Really? Didn’t I tell you bout the Brazilian girl who was a friend of mine and who also assisted me with my second degree in Dublin?”
“Uh-huh, that one! But you never told me that you had a sexual relationship with her. You simply said she had been a good friend of yours and that she assisted you on that.….”
“Well, maybe that time…err… Maybe it wasn’t a proper time to tell you all that... sorry for that, but it was something deeper than a normal friendship.”
“Maybe,” Misoji was more concerned. “Maybe you’re right. So you had an affair with that white woman…for how long?” now, a clear sign of jealous.
“For like…two years. It was kind of an on-off, on-off affair.” He replied showing clear signs that he wanted—badly—to close the topic. He did not want to talk much about that. Still, he remembered so well, the way he had broken that innocent girl’s heart…
“Two full years...” She was hurting…and a bit angry too.
“And…now I stand before you as I am, and you know the worst.”
“No-no-nooo! Not the worst, at all! The fact is this was not what I expected.”
“If that’s not what you expected, then…”
“No, no, no. it isn’t that way, Manu.”
“I know, I know. I can see that in your face. You are disgusted. Feeling pity of me, huh? Listen, beautiful, you say it is so, I am determined to make my way back to that empty life I used to live in… if you say so, I will.”
She moved much closer to him, her palm on his face, she said, “Manu…what just happened between us is the most…most fulfilling…most exhilarating time I’ve ever had in my life.” she paused. “And—and my heart tells you that even though I’m not a virgin, you’re still the first…”
“Oh, Sugar.”
“Well, now, the point is, what do we do now? We can’t go back to the way things were.”
“I’m ready to marry you…today.”
“Wait, wait. What are you saying?”
“Marry me, Misoji. I love you.”
“Oh Manu, I would love to…but please, oh no. I need space, alone. I need to sit and review this whole tape.”
“Space? Tape? What?”
“Manu… I’ve been deeply in love with you from the first day I saw you. You know that too.”
“Uh, why’d it take you so long to say that?”
“’Cause… I was scared. And hardheaded. And stupid. I’m still scared.” Misoji, her eyes closed, helplessly trying to pull back tears from running of them. “You know Manu, us staying so close, spending so much time together, just confuses things for me right now.”
“You’re my air…Misoji.” He said. Taking her right palm into his, flipping it. Bending towards it and kiss it, twice. “I can’t breathe without you. I can’t.”
“Ooh, Manu…”
“Hey, let’s go watch the movie, okay? See people are getting inside the theatre now…” he stood up, grabbed her heavy hand, all the way to the theatre. But the damage was already done. Memories of his life with that amazing Brazilian woman became alive again into his mind like it was just yesterday. His memory-clock rolled few years back, all the way to their first meeting.
__________________________________

It was the first time he saw her at the place. It’s been more than four weeks since the last time Manu had worked out at LOOKS Fitness Centre. He could see few new faces and several old ones. He exchanged greetings with his buddies and went right at the far corner and started jumping the rope.
He was almost through with the rope, when he saw the two girls pushing their ways in through the glass doors. The girls, a colored one around 5-feet-7 and the other white of 5-feet-4 height, rushed past a number of guys and girls working out, and headed for the locker room to change.
Looking them over, as they were coming out of the locker ready to start their workout, Manu had to admit that the girls were two of the best-conditioned women in the facility. Their bodies showed that they really did workout, unlike many of the other female members, who seemed to use the club as a social gathering spot rather than a serious workout gym. Both girls eschewed the fancy workout gears for the more mundane if not more practical tee shirts and plain old gym shorts, but even those baggy clothes couldn't hide the fantastic bodies the girls had developed. That colored one, arguably, was the cutest fitness woman Manu had ever come across. Even though she was a bit muscular for a woman, yet she still looked so fine and attractive.
To get his mind back to the task ahead of him, Manu hopped on a stationary bike and set the timer for ten minutes. This gave him plenty of time to watch the two girls do their workout.
The girls, after some pre stretching, they moved over to the arm curl machines and started doing their sets. Watching them groan and strain to complete their curls, Manu got a good view of their chests trying to push through the thin cotton shirts. The colored one's boobs seemed especially excited by the exercise, as her nubs popped through the cotton material, creating a slight unmistakable sensation movement in between his legs. 10minutes that he had set were over, so he moved from the bike and set up the leg press machine, at 100kgs and started his first set. For a moment he forgot everything about the girls.
Over at the curl machine, the two girls were sweating their bodies out. At one point during workout the white one looked at the other one curiously, she had noticed that her friend, the colored one seemed to not concentrate anymore to the workout, instead was all the time staring at one direction, her eyes stuck on Manu. So the white one guessed something was going on in her friend’s mind. To stir it up she said, "Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be with a guy like that?" Stunned by the white one’s untimely question, the colored one asked, "Which guy?” “That one, the one you’re staring at all the time…” she said pointing her head at his direction, smiling treacherously.
“Oh, who hasn't, with a body like that, he's every girl's wet dreams…" said the colored one. She was a bit surprised by her own answer though, but she tried to force a smile on her face. She then threw him another short, darting glance. Unfortunately for her this time, his head had rolled on her side in time to catch her glance. He gave her a friendly, respectful smile. Caught off guard, she smiled back at him, broadly.
"You know what they do say about African men, don't you?" the white friend whispered at her. The colored one gave a funny gesture followed by a wicked laugh that was joined by a laugh from her friend.
Manu saw them murmuring and laughing, but was too busy with his leg presses to bother much with them.
The free weights were at the far end of the room. Manu was busy getting ready to do his bench presses, and with 80kg on the bar, he thought it best if he asks one of the people around to spot for him. However, everyone else was so busy with his or her workout, except one of the two girls, the colored one, who was just watching her friend doing her preacher curls. "Hey," he called out gently, "would you mind coming down here and do a little spotting for me?"
"Sure, sure!" called back the girl, her bedroom eyes popping out a little wider, as she left her friend there and quickly joined Manu, who already had begun doing his first set, the muscles in his arms and chest bulging out with each repetition.
The girl stood next to his bench, and kept a fixed gaze on him as he pumped the weight up and down to his heaving chest. Her visual voyage on him was so deep that she found herself undressing him through her eyes. She winked at the shorter one, who was now resting from her biceps workout. They smiled without letting Manu notice it, as his eyes couldn’t leave the barbell.

He is amazing! Thought the girl; feeling a rush of blood all over her body.
But it didn’t take long before Manu was ready to move into another set of workout. He thanked her for the spotting as she left and joined her friend at a machine-far right at one corner of that big gym-for leg presses.
Manu, on the other end proceeded with other workouts as per his routine and forty minutes later, he was thru with his workout. He passed by his friend Jimmy, the gym manager, said bye to him as well as two other guys standing beside Jimmy, and headed for the front doors, purposely ignoring the colored girl and her white friend he believed were still in that far corner toning up their legs.
However, that was not the case with the colored one…For the rest of the workout, her eyes couldn’t leave Manu. To her, Manu wasn't terribly good-looking, but for some inexplicable reason, she found him very attractive. It seemed there was an indefinable, mysterious quality about him. It was unsettling, primal, sexy. She didn't permit herself to indulge in some little infatuation, however. Perhaps she thought seducing the black guy in a gym was neither politically correct nor otherwise desirable under the circumstances. Or perhaps Manu's other qualities weren't emblazoned on her lovemap. However, thoughts of Manu filled her fantasies several days later.
Traveling with him everywhere inside the gym, her eyes were checking him out. From his mischievous smiling to the other guys and girls around, his body movement, the swagger that he had. It was all like saying: Hey, I am different.
And soon after he had left the gym, the gym felt empty and dry for the colored girl.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬_______________________________

She was seated in her desk when her friend, Sophie, handled her small box wrapped properly in a gift paper
“Where does this come from?” Olivia asked, clearly surprised.
“I hear someone left it for you at the front desk. Have you found yourself a man who has guts to send you gifts at work?”
“Humph! You surely know that one won’t get anything near that in this primitive land.” She added, distastefully. And when she started unwrapping the gift papers, Sophie outstretched her neck to see what’s inside the box. “Don’t you have something you should be doing?”
“Not really... Fine, have your little secrets. I’ll just have to go and live vicariously off someone else.” Then she moved away from Olivia’s table and into someone else’s.
Olivia resumed the process. There was one fresh red rose, and a note that was written: ‘Look outside the window...across the road.’
That was surprising. She scanned around the room and saw that every one was busy with his or her things. Sophie was now on other guy’s table, teasing him. Olivia shrugged as was staring at the two. Then she turned back and picked again that piece of paper.
Seconds later she stepped at the glass window, three metres away from her table. She pushed aside the curtain and scanned towards the main gate, directly opposite, across the road...
Staring directly at her, was a tall, dark, well built guy, in a white T-shirt and a jeans. Before she figured out what was going on, the guy waved towards her. She couldn’t figure out easily who the guy really was. And somehow she was annoyed by what was taking place. Before she figured out that, she saw the guy crossing the road, moving towards Embassy gates. Somehow the structure of the building blocked her from seeing where that guy would end up. She resigned from the window and was back at her table.
Is it a set up or something? What’s going on? Her mind wondered. Then she felt a tap over her shoulder. It was Sophie again. This time she had an white envelope in her hand.
“What’s going on?” Olivia asked, angrily.
“You tell me, Olivia.” Was Sophie’s response, before she walked back to her table, smiling.
Olivia quickly opened the envelope. It had just few words, and a telephone number. The words read: Hello Olivia, my name is Manu. We met at Looks gym the other day, few weeks ago. It was nice to meet you. Please, let’s talk whenever you have a slot for that.
She sat there, thoughtlessly. Things ran through her head. First, his face and physique became somehow familiar and then she remembered him. All of him.
____________________________

“How did you find out my name?” She asked him straight, on the phone, just after they exchanged greeting. It was the same day, evening, as soon as she was back in her apartment.
“I asked the guys at the gym.” Manu replied. She could feel his straight face in his answer.
“The direct approach, huh?”
“I find it works best for me.”
“Hmm. Any more surprises?”
“One or two…depends on her capacity.”
“Play with fire and you get burnt, that’s how the saying goes, Manu.” She responded, flatly.
“Who’s to say that that’s always a bad thing? Sometimes it’s the only way to remind ourselves that we’re alive.”
“And how did you know I’d call?”
“Frankly, I didn’t. I just hopped you would.”
She chuckled over the phone and say, “This is mad. I don’t know anything about you, and I...”
“What do you like to know?”
“Well…how old are you, first?”
“Old enough to buy my own drink at the pub…”
“You’re funny. Well, and…my office?”
“What about your office?”
“I mean, how did you know about it? How did you know about…the window being…”
“Oh, that. I’ll tell you…If you allow us to meet.”
“No. I want to hear it now.”
“No, I won’t tell it now. But…”
Her end of the call went dead.
“Damn!” He banged his hand on the wall.
He dialled back her number, immediately. The response was a busy tone. He tried twice more. Same response.
He quit.
_______________________

7pm sharp, Friday evening, three days later, his mobile phone rang.
It was Olivia. She sounded anxious and a bit excited. However, Manu was in his usual calm and expressionless mode. After salaams, she immediately invited him to her place for a workout at her home gym, the next day.
The shock didn’t last longer to him. He quickly responded that he had plans to sail to Zanzibar that same day, but because of her invitation, he would cancel that trip.
She didn’t guess that he was just making up a story. He had no plans to go to Zanzibar on Saturday; he just had planned to stay at his place, reading his current book in hand, Cash Flow.
___________________

At 5pm that Saturday, Manu, in a white Gym trainer top and a khaki Gi shorts, was squeezing a Honda HRV that he had borrowed earlier that day from his uncle, beside a Freelander that was at her parking lot. Olivia opened the door to welcome him. She wore a pair of reddish Crisscross bra top with stripe yoga short, together made her boobs and thighs look even bigger and firmer than he thought of them on that first day at the Gym. Jeez, this white chic is hot! He thought to himself.
“You’re late.” She said, trying to display a serious face.
“You’re stunning!” he said, licking on his thick lips.
“You’re forgiven.” They laughed together as she took his hand, led him straight into her Gym. She left him there for few seconds and joined him back with two huge glasses of pineapple juice in her hands. She offered one to him. He thanked her, while his eyes were still wondering on the beauty of that gym.
"Wow," Manu marveled, "this is fabulous, perfecto. You don't even have to leave the house to get in your reps!" He was surprised to see how Olivia had invested big money into her home gym. It was a small room with various machines and many weight sets, a bicycle, a treadmill, a large workout apparatus, good air conditioning and other gym facilities. It was a perfect home gym than Manu had expected. At first when she was inviting him that Thursday, he thought so lowly of her home gym. He just accepted her invitation because it somehow felt exciting, but did not expect that the gym would have been such modern and complete.
"I know," Olivia, said, while running her hand over the huge apparatus. "Actually, today is its opening day, I just finished arranging it yesterday, and in total it cost me nearly fifteen grand, but it's worth it, no more schlepping back and forth to the Looks gym."
“Wow, what an honor for me to be the first visitor inside such a great gym!”
“You figure… you must be so special person, huh?” She smiled at him, displaying her- slightly twisted upper-frontal-incisors. The two slightly-bigger teeth fit in so well to her soft Brazilian accent.
“I can see…” Manu said, but he did not want to be so hyped by that, so he quickly gotten into warm-ups and body stretching. She joined him and for the next twenty minutes, they were busy, Manu leading the way. After they drew some sweat and was ready for a workout, Manu offered, "You first, benches?"
"Yeah, benches. Please set it at 30kg to start," Olivia replied.
While Manu was adjusting the machine to 30kgs, Olivia lay down on her back and got ready to do a set of bench presses. When she was finished, they traded places and Manu took his turn while Olivia spotted for her. He set 40kg to start with. After that, they went through a long series of workouts, alternating back and forth between lifting and spotting. After a particularly rough set of squats, both decided to take a breather and have a drink of PowerAde.
"Wow it's hot in here!" Olivia commented, as she took a long gulp from the bottle.
"Yeah, it is," Manu replied, "do you want me to turn on the AC or slide the windows a little?"
"Naw!" Olivia shot back, "I always feel like I'm doing more when I build up a sweat, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do too," Manu answered back, "my muscles always look better when they're gleaming from sweat." A short moment later, he said "Hey, do you have a posing mirror in here? I'd kinda like to see what I look like."
"Right over here," Olivia replied, leading him towards the door on the left side of the gym. She opened the door that hid a full-length mirror that was mounted on the wall, almost covering half of it, ideal for muscle posing. Then she left him there and went back to the gym.
Manu stepped in front of it, and went through a series of poses. A moment later Olivia offered from the other room, "You know, Manu…you can't really tell what you look like with those sweats on, why don't you take them off so you can see what you real have got?" She intended it to look like a joke, really, but it struck his ego. He stopped posing, a bit surprised but answered, gutsy, "I don't have my suit, and I'm naked under here."
She knew he was lying, but she opined, "Well, there's just you, me and the four walls here, I won't say anything, and I know that the walls won’t too."
And they both laughed, but the tension in the gym started to build up as Olivia followed Manu in the posing room. Manu smelt something serious was going on, but he did not want to encourage the idea of what he thought Olivia was heading into.
Manu had taken off his top and his shorts and he only had his wet tights on. Olivia gave him a quick glance between his legs. She felt a twinge between her legs, but she swallowed it and gave him a light swat across his muscular bare back and ordered, "Out of the way Mr. I want my turn." She took her place in front of the mirror.. Spinning and turning as she looked at her reflection, "Well, what do you think?" she asked him.
"Holy smoke, girl," Manu enthused, "you look great!" He then eyed her, taking in every curve of her body and announced, "You look better than ever, girl, a real tight body!"
"Thanks, Manu, but I think I need a little work on my gluteus, they just don't seem big enough!" She said femininely artistry.
Manu leaned around to get a better look at Olivia's buns, and shouted, "You crazy or something? Your butt is perfect and you know it…it can drive any breathing male thing crazy!"
“Even yours?”
“Oh c’mon, you know that you got me…bad!”
Olivia chuckled, flashing her white teeth, and said, "I know it, I just wanted to hear you say it!" They laughed together. She continued posing, him checking her out, commenting. A moment later, Manu started to feel a bit uncomfortable. He had never been such close to any half-naked-sweating white woman’s body. He immediately picked up his top and put it on...“Hey, let’s go.”
She had one last look in the mirror, and then they went back to the work out room. They went on quietly with the workout, both trying to concentrate. And after they had done with leg presses, Olivia broke the silence as she asked Manu, shyly, "I just noticed something, and I was just wondering...."
Manu looked quizzically at her and said, "Well, what’s that?”
Olivia said quietly, smiling "I noticed that you look different from other guys around!"
"Uh, well, people differ, you know."
“And that, oh my!” she found herself saying it, gazing at him.
“C’mon, what that?” and the realization hit into him. He was not ready for that. He felt uncomfortable.
Olivia noticed that and smartly shot his ego again, with an apology. "Oh sorry, I thought I wasn’t offending you…well, I just was…" she could not finish her sentence.
"Well, no big deal, ok? As long as it’s just me, you and these four walls…" Manu replied, trying to relieve the tension now building between them, "besides, I also noticed those ones are so abnormally thick too…”
“Oh my…!” She flinched, but she was relieved as she glanced at her chest…Really, her boobs were full, and her nipples were abnormally thicker. At that particular moment had grown even bigger and harder. She was a little embarrassed too, "this bothers me, and they’re too sensitive, that sometimes I have to play on myself just to keep them from going this crazy. And it's really feeling weird just after a workout!"
“You see, people differ. We just have to thank god for what we’re, though not all the time we may feel comfortable.” And as he said so, he felt a rush of blood allover his body, and as ugly as it happened, he felt the abrupt burst-up that was his flesh. It was so visible that even with a towel between his legs she could easily see what was going on there under. Things were getting out of control now and could not resist it any more. He threw that towel off, and then stood up. “Damn, I feel crazy… Feel like changing a workout plan?”
“What? Changing what? Ooh my…I don’t believe this.” Olivia asked weakly, as the overpowering presence of him nearly overwhelmed her.
"I think you know the answer to that," he replied evenly while reaching out and strongly grabbing he shoulders, "but if I must paint a picture for you, I was under the impression that you wanted to see my erection, right?"
"Oh y-yes…" She whispered, shocked by her own words.
"Well," he said, then without warning, he grabbed and ripped off the front of her workout gear, then cupped her full breasts in his palms.
She was speechless. Was horrified. However, she did not have time to react… She just closed her eyes and sucked in a lung full of air before stammering, "Do you like my breasts?"
"They're lovely breasts," he said softly, "and I've always have had things in my dream for Brazilian women, you have such lush full-juicy bodies…"
"Really?" She asked anxiously, her softness already flooded with bartholin fluid, "Do you like my body?"
Without bothering to answer her directly, Manu deftly removed and threw away his top, and with little or no fanfare, he slid down his tight shorts down to his ankles, exposing the most incredible package Olivia had ever seen before.
"M-my god!” She mumbled, involuntarily reaching out, gently caressing it "It's beautiful..!"
Manu stood quietly for few seconds while Olivia became more accustomed to his flesh. And even though she was stunned by his endowment, the incredible urge built in her body had taken over her senses and all that she could think about was putting that beautiful thing into her mouth or having Manu take her, hard, and quench her thirsty.
As if he was reading her minds, he moved onto her, took off the rest of her workout gears, threw them away. And there she was, a naked super-sexy Brazilian woman, in front of a naked hungry black guy. He pulled her closer to him, taking her head in his hands and rough kissed her lips for seconds then moved his head on her chest. He licked at her thumb-thick pink nipples before taking both of them at once into his mouth…Olivia was moaning and gasping to the sensation of his licking and sucking. And while he wanted to spend more time with them; he couldn't control an urge to take a peek at Olivia’s white twat. He paused and glanced down at her face, lustfully.

What happened next was something that Olivia had never experienced or even imagined before. Manu got hold of her waist with his two powerful hands. He lifted her up until her softness was directly in front of his face, her legs rested over his powerful-broad shoulders. She had seen movies of men eating fur-burgers crazily, but she was nowhere near prepared for the oral assault Manu made on her twat. He started by swallowing Olivia’s flesh into his mouth, his thick tongue snaked out, running up and down the length of her wet crack.
Olivia, feeling like a rag doll in Manus huge hands, moaned loudly when the insistent tongue found her throbbing love-button. It only took a few seconds for her to flood his mouth with her juice. Out-of-the-blue her stomach muscle tensed and her vaginal walls collapsed as a torrent of blood rushed directly to her love button, which resulted in a massive orgasm tearing through her entire crotch area. "Oh my god!” Olivia gasped, as her orgasm subsided, "I've never felt anything like that before. Ever!"
He didn’t say a word…
Instead, he stuck his fat lips, hard, at her juicing flesh and gave few extra licks for good measure, cleaning up her salty juices, and then he pulled her down, carrying her up to the nearby bench. He then ordered her to get down on her knees in front of him, while sitting himself on that bench. She knew exactly what Manu really wanted, and that was what she wanted to give him. Her mouth opened and let his purple head slide smoothly into her salivated lips.
It was like submission and power. Both at the same time… Power-because she knew that she was the one who fired up her master to that magnificent erection, and Submission-because she was on her knees paying him homage with his thickness punishing through her lips. With the head in her mouth, she cupped his heavy nut-sack with one hand, and jerked his thickness with the other. This was so much better than she had ever hoped it would be! Her sweating white skin contrasted against the massiveness of his genitals, his perfect muscular build, and his dominant nature, all combined to turn her whole body into a sexual slave.
However, while she wanted him to finish it off into her mouth, Manu had another idea. Few minutes later he beckoned her to climb on top of him. Nervously, she did as she was told, but even though she would do anything for him, this being her first black scene, and him being of such measures, she could not help but feel a little apprehensive.
Manu sensed her fear, and not wanting to ruin their relationship before it even got started, he talked soothingly to her, assuring her that he would be gentle with her, especially during their first time. It worked out perfectly well as Olivia, herself, was not in a denying situation at all. So, with shaky legs, Olivia, wobbling unsteadily as the bullhead was now brushing against the lips of her drenched pinky softness, He was helping her guide him into her. With her grinding down and him pushing up, the head slipped in with almost a snap. The initial feeling of being outstretched caused a momentary sharp stab of pain, but as her flesh became accustomed to having such an invader inside it, the pain was gradually replaced by a wonderful mixture warm pleasure and unknowns.
Manu few more inches of his meat inside of her, stopping when he could tell she was becoming uncomfortable. It was hard for him not to slam in all the way with one stroke, but he was a very patient man. And about half way in, Manu pulled almost all the way out and slowly thrust back in, being careful not to go too deep inside her. Then with each stroke he went a little deeper, until he had her fully impaled on his erection. Olivia's flesh was absolutely on fire, the mixture of pleasure and pain almost being more than she could bear. What she couldn't believe was the immense size of him. She would never have believed that she could accommodate such a man.
At some point-and she wasn't sure when was it, Manu had stopped thrusting, and she started bouncing up and down on his thickness. Now she was totally in his thrall, addicted to his filling of her twat. She thought that her first orgasm had been hard, but she was ill prepared for climax she was about to experience. Her flesh muscles contracted on his massiveness, trying to get a grip onto his warm steak, to no avail. Instead, the contractions turned her into a sexual inferno.
In such a big contrast from what he had heard before about white women’s beings, Manu had never felt such a hot and delicious thing, in his entire life. Actually he had never taken a white woman before. And seeing how this delicate white woman had turned into a total madness, it was more than his thickness could stand. He gasped as her flesh muscles squeezed his pecker again and again. He felt the semen begin to bubble up from his straining sack. And when Olivia felt the first hot blast spurt into her flesh, a thunderous orgasm shot through her strained oven.

He gave her no time to regain strength. Sweat spread allover their toned bodies and Manu got more excited as she was now kissing and licking his sweating chest while practically jumping up and down on his meat. It took few seconds, before they both lost control. Manu, forgetting completely about being gentle, he grabbed her buns with his muscular arms, stood off that bench, carrying her-with her legs gripped around his waist, her arms wrapped around his neck, crushing Olivia’s flesh hard on him. Then, while was carrying her that way, he started walking around the room, crushing her body against his, ramming all his meat deep in and out of the muff, with such electrifying thrusts and ruthlessness. The room was filled with a strong smell of pure mixture of sweat and sex. He was moaning and grunting like an animal, as was crushing the small of her buns against him as hard as he could. She lost all control in her world and now she was screaming some nasty words in Portuguese at the pure pleasure of it all. The black stallion was blazing her entire body, and that was as good a description for him that she could think of, a huge black stallion with an overwhelming desire to ride and dominate her and make her his plaything.
It went on for another twenty minutes before he finally erupted inside her. Olivia wrapped her legs more tightly around his back, trying to pull him in even farther. And hearing Manu grunt as his warm releases repeatedly hit inside her was enough to send Olivia over the orgasmic cliff while her inner body tried futilely to hold onto the monster that was mercilessly ramming it. She was screaming on top of her voice, her whole body was shaking as the orgasm sent a tidal wave through her wetness and her entire body.
When it was over, he gently carried her down on the nearby mat. He laid himself down, him still buried inside her. Olivia collapsed against her master. She leaned over his chest, her warm breath blowing against his skin like a welcomed breeze. "Oh god, that was unbelievable…!" she said, sighing, running her hands up and down, trailing the pecks of his broad chest, and shoulders as her lips met his. They kissed. Their lips, their tongues, their spirits touched. Her arms were around him, even as his own pulled her closer to him. Fingertips brushed skin still damp from lovemaking and workout. She kissed his shoulder, his neck and felt himself shiver with renewing passion. "I hope we can do it again soon…!"
He took her in his hands, laid her back against the workout pillow. He gazed upon her beautiful nakedness. He wanted her, again. “Baby,” he said softly, breathing heavily, "soon won't get here fast enough.”
Minutes later, he was lifting her up, carrying her in his arms, kissing her soft-wet lips all the way to the showers.
In their heads, they both knew that that was just the end of the beginning.
______________________

At first, their relationship was only on two things, Sex, and Workouts. However, gradually it started to get a little more serious, especially on Olivia’s side. She was getting more and more in love with him, though Manu was only enjoying the great sex he was having with her and that workout-for-two at her home gym.
But then, later on, the effect was even much higher on him than it was for her. This was because Olivia was a very romantic, sexually explicit and experienced woman. She was open to do and share everything with Manu. Actually, she turned out to be a good ‘coach’ to him in the field; teaching and encouraging him to do several things with her, things that until that time he had been referring to as forbidden and tabooed. Then he became accustomed to them. And soon was addicted to Olivia. Addicted to all that kinkiness she had subjected him into. There was no turning back. And he realized later on that he knew nothing about true romance and how to really take care and behave while with a woman. Though he was a good-looking and attractive guy, he had a very shallow knowledge on interpersonal relationships. He was not very much into women and several times that he got laid, he would have easily gotten bored from the way girls flocked aimlessly at him, feeling used and empty.
His shortage of knowledge was contributed by the fact that he spent all his teen-age in a small town of Nansio, in Ukerewe Island. He was born in Temeke district, Dar-Es-Salaam. However, as he grew up he turned out into a notorious and stubborn kid. Just at the age of 10, he had grown very out of hand. He was involved with groups of older young men who were causing all kinds of menace to the community. And he hated school. However, one thing that infuriated his father more was when Manu started dating at the age of 11. Soon there were several cases brought at her father’s house, by parents, whom their daughters were involved with Manu, and some of the cases involved girls as old as his then 17years old brother. That is when Mzee Majula Mataba decided to move Manu away from Dar. He took Manu to live with his sister, Manu’s aunt, in Nansio. That took Manu up to the time when he turned 17, when he through with his secondary education, then selected to join Tambaza High school in Dar, for advanced Education.
_____________________________

Olivia told Manu that she was working at the Embassy of Finland, Dar-Es-Salaam as a Counselor-Economic Affairs, and was responsible for economic and trade affairs, budget support, poverty monitoring, regional integration and support to the East African Community. Her family, her mother and her father, was now based in Dublin, Ireland for nearly twelve years, where Olivia also had her college education at TDCU Dublin. Her mother was a Lecturer in the Faculty of Science at the University. Her father was now a Finnish Ambassador in Dublin. Before they moved to Dublin, her family was living in Rio De Janeiro, the place where her dad met her mom 30 years ago while he was a Finnish ambassador in Rio. Olivia was born there, spent all of her early life in Rio until when her family moved to Dublin.
Manu, on the other hand was just out of three years studies at the University of Dar-Es-Salaam where he had done a BSc Electronics and Communication. He was now looking for a job in every corner of the City. Olivia coaxed him to opt for the Masters degree which could also assure him a much more paid job in future and much stable income, instead of rushing for a low paying job. The point he was making to her that time was that, since he did not have plans to get back to his parents home after he had completed his studies- he was staying in a rented one bedroom apartment, with which he shared with his best friend, George whom they graduated together that year- he had to find a job immediately to be able to pay his rent as well as support himself with all basic needs.
That point gotten into Olivia, who, from that day on, stopped insisting on the matter. Instead, she started to work on some options to help Manu. But she never shared the plan with him. She did not want to hurt his ego.
Manu on his part was knocking on one office door after another, everyday, extending his resumes, searching for an employment.
Manu was a type of a person that never sought to get cheap help from people. Several times Olivia tried to pass few hundreds of dollars in his jeans pocket -while he was asleep or in the shower- just to realize that he always would return the money back to her, untouched, warning her to not try to offer him any money. And he would have acted the same way whenever she attempted to pay bills while hanging out together at places. She was wondering what a young man he was, as to be spending so much money for her, while he knew clearly that she was making a lot more money than him as he was hustling so hard for whatever shilling he had.
Being such independent was reason why Olivia didn’t want to tell him earlier, of her plans to help him. And she regretted it badly when, one day, she suggested for him to move in to her luxury apartment. She just needed to be having much more time with him and had no any other intentions to disown him or something. But instead of easily accepting the offer like what other young African guys would have cheaply sell themselves into, Manu disliked the idea and clearly that infuriated him. He stormed out of her life for three dead weeks. Olivia was not able to spend one full day without seeing Manu, so she had a very hard time when three days passed without hearing from him; she made several unanswered calls to him and left him many voice mails. She visited everywhere that she thought she could possibly see him, to no avail; He even changed his Workout schedules at LOOKS Gym to make sure that she could not easily see him. He was also leaving his place at 0700am and was returning at midnight. She visited his home more than ten times without getting hold of him, until one day when she decided to go there at 4am and found him still on bed.
She was amazed that he was very different that morning. He pretended like nothing was wrong between them-justifying his absence as the fact that he had been a bit more busy and so and so. She did not like his explanations since they didn’t make any sense, but she had nothing more to say- she had actually expected a much heated argument with him, so that was much relief to her. They ended up making love that whole day, inside his tiny room. It was the first time she made love to him there. Though the room was a bit shabby, to her the experience was one of a kind. She later on referred that day in her diary as the enunciation day. She truly fell in love with Manu that day. And from that day, Olivia learned to respect and adore Manu more and more, while taking him much more seriously too.
______________________________

One evening, as they were together at Olivia’s place, she asked Manu, “Honey, do you have a passport?”
“No, sexy, I don’t. Why you asking? Passport is not as important thing to have, in our country. You only need it when you plan to travel overseas.”
She did not answer the question; instead, she stood up and went to her bedroom. A moment later, she came back with some documents and handled them to him. “Remember when I told you to look for further studies?”
“Yeah, I remember that. So, what’s this?”
“I spoke to my mom about you. I told her that you’re a smart guy and I thought it could be better for you to go overseas and do your Masters degree. So she sent me these forms for you to fill in… ”
“Jeez! You told your mom about me? Did you tell her that I’m black? ”
“Yeah, I told her everything. And I told her that I love you so much…more than everything else in the world, apart from her and dad…”
“Golly! I don’t believe you told her all that. And what did she say about that?”
“She didn’t say anything negative. She knows what it does mean by loving someone. She once did love some one too, didn’t she…? ”
“Mmh, well. I don’t know what to say on that…And what about your dad?”
“Mh, my dad…” She paused, then, “well, daddies are daddies. But, he’s not going to be an issue. He didn’t object, he had little something to this. He’s worried about my health. You know all these stories about Africa and HIV-AIDS…”
“Yeah, I know. Any dad would have felt the same way… and that is why after that first mistake in the gym, I later on suggested for us to go together and undergo HIV-tests. Reason behind my idea was that I did not want to jeopardize your life... ”
“I know. I loved you for that too. You are such so considerate person. Remember how glad was I that day, when we tested for the first time and we all came out negative? But still I was worried until when we underwent the third one.”
“Yeah baby, I remember that. It was my first time you know. And I know I’ve had some questionable encounters back in the day, and although I never stopped using rubbers in several of those occasions but I slipped on few of them and you know what they say? Even some crazy foreplay may easily get you infected…and who wears rubber all over his body?”
“Oh. Sure, Manu! I was so glad when we both came out negative…”
“Yeah baby, especially that third test we done. Oh, I felt heaven!”
She jumped on him, kissed him hard on his thick lips, for few seconds then he pushed her away before it gotten into him and was looking at the papers in his hands, “Now, talking of these forms, you know I don’t have the money to pay for the fees and others stuffs while in Dublin….”
“Ok, wait! I did not finish that one…Actually, you are not going to pay for anything. Everything will be covered. My mom will take care of that...”
“What? You mean your mom will pay for my fees and accommodations while there? You kidding me or something?” He was in awe.
“That’s it, unless you say ‘no’ to it. I told you earlier, remember. I told you that, my mom would do anything, to make me happy. And I told her that I want for them to help you, that that would make me happy than anything else. She knows you are the person deserving to be supported…So she agreed to pay for your fees, and also she said she will accommodate you at our home while there. Don’t worry; my parents are very good people. They have done this to many undeserving Brazilian young guys, whom instead of studying hard, they ended up in using and selling drugs and impregnating innocent white girls in Dublin. They once were looking for an African guy to help, but didn’t find one they would trust; now they’ve got more than just that…”
“Mhh, you really know how to push me into a tight corner, girl.”
She ignored his line, instead she continued, “And trust me, you won’t have any problems staying with them there… they’ll get along so well with you.”
“Oh, Olivia, baby, I don’t know how to thank you…”
He could see a huge relief on her face “You know what my love? Having you in my life is more than enough gift for me. I love you Manu, understand that. And I’ll kill myself if I see you with another woman. I mean it!’ she said, so meaningfully that it really gotten into his bones. And truly speaking, since the first time he saw Olivia, he had never had any such powerful feeling to any other woman around.
Days, weeks and months passed until that day, four months later, when Manu, together with Olivia- who was going home for her annual leave- boarded KLM flight heading to Dublin, Ireland. Their journey took them through Amsterdam Scheffol airport, where they connected with Aer Lingus flight to Dublin. That was the first time that Manu boarded a flight. It was a bit crazy experience for him.
In Dublin, they were received so well with Olivia’s parents, especially her mother who didn’t show any sign of drawing back from Manu. And surprisingly, she was looking younger and beautiful than Manu saw her in pictures back in Dar; and she typically had all the looks and features that Olivia had. Also her strong Brazilian accent so resembled that of her daughter…no wonder why Olivia looks more Brazilian than Finnish! Manu thought, while comparing her with her mom.
Her dad, Mr. Marko Veijalainen was almost as tall as Manu; and though not as big, his frame was that of a man who spent few hours weekly, exercising. Immediately, Manu new where his starting point to him will be…But Marko was basically not a talker, so it was hard for Manu to real figure out his perception of him immediately while at the airport and on the way driving to their home.
All in all, Manu enjoyed his trip and was looking forwards to studies and his fate in Dublin.
Her vacation went on so fast, but by the time Olivia was leaving Dublin for her trip back to Dar, Manu already had visited almost every area of a small city and was used to some of the culture of the people there, introduced to some of Olivia’s close friends and met few Tanzanians studying and working there. She simply had made it simpler for him to integrate there.
He stayed at Olivia parents’ home for the whole period of his studies there. They simply liked his intelligence and attitude towards people and life. He simply earned friendship with Olivia’s father who didn’t accept him easily in his family and into his daughter’s life. But as Manu was smart enough to figure the man’s likes and dislikes, he coped with him just as well until when the old-man eased his stances on him and started to treat him with respect as a man, not just as another poor boy trying to take advantage of his wife’s spongy heart.
A year and a half later, when Manu was leaving Dublin after completion of his Masters degree at DCU, it was a sad story for Marko and his wife as they already were so used to him being around with them, as an adopted son. They had no other children apart from Olivia, and during his staying in Dublin, Manu made sure that he was assuming all of home responsibilities that a son was expected of. And though there was a house maid and a garden boy at the house, Manu made sure he planned well his studies and private time to squeeze enough time to help the two in home activities as well as on weekly shopping. He simply knew how to integrate himself so well into that family. So that day when he was leaving Dublin, Mrs. Veijalainen couldn’t stop tears from stripping off her big eyes as she was kissing Manu a goodbye at the Airport that morning of September, 2006.
As he was a bout to turn off his mobile phone, just before the flight took off Manu sent his last text message…it was to Olivia. It said: I’ll be arriving tomorrow, don’t wash!

As silly as that sounded, Olivia did exactly as she was ordered.
_______________________________

It took Manu only two weeks after his arrival home from Dublin, to sign a three years contract with CELLA Mobiles as a Support Engineer. He could not wait to see Olivia that evening to break the news to her. He dialed her immediately after signing a contract worthy $60K of annual salary. He told her how glad he was that her advice and assistance had paid dividedly to him, and if it was not for her, he would have been hanging on a maximum of $800 monthly salary that many of his friends were getting now after opting for direct employments. Olivia accepted that gratitude smartly and humbly.
Olivia seduced Manu, smartly, and she managed to convince him to move in with her, in her apartment, just a month after his return from Dublin. Partly she did so because she wanted to protect him from getting at loose and be tempted to sleeping with other women. For Manu, he accepted her suggestion just as a sign of resignation after his long stance to the same. Also he was avoiding hurting her feelings. But, moving in to her home was a bit uncomfortable to him in the beginning, but later on he was so used to it. Now that he was coming from living with her parents, nothing would come as a surprise to him coping with a different culture that was unfamiliar to many African people, especially men. The culture of men to be doing the entire house works regardless of what kind of a task it was. From serving her a morning coffee, on bed, to making up the bed, to washing her clothes, to taking care of the dishes, to cleaning the house, to do all the shopping and much more.
His friends had a very different view on this, they suggested for him to start treating his girlfriend as an African woman. He had a very different view on that. He was arguing with them that their African culture was very biased and it gave a woman a small room to really enjoy being in love and equal to a man in terms of devotions and service towards each other. He also told them that he was enjoying doing all that to his white queen, whom had also been a godsend for him and reason for him to be who he was that time.
Their envied romantic affair went on for months, and it seemed like it was heading to an interracial marriage between the two, until one day six months later when Olivia brought home some bitter-sweet news. She was getting transferred to Serbia and Montenegro, appointed as Counselor at the Embassy of Finland, Belgrade. She broke the news to Manu, and quickly asked for his opinion into that. He did not have any clear opinion that day. He just told her to think of it herself. He was clearly not happy with the news, and he had a reason for that. That showed just minutes later as she suggested for him to go to Belgrade with her and find another job in telecom industry while there-which she hoped would be easy for him. He wasn’t ready for that, he was already in love with his job at CELLA and he didn’t like the idea of going to Belgrade. After persuading him much more, giving him one career option to another, and still saw him unconvinced, she resigned for the day, thought maybe with time he would have thought it over, and make a favorable decision for her. She needed him badly in her life. She was not ready to go there alone without him. Manu was a very important component in her life. And without him, life would be almost as meaningless to her. This was very same to him. He wasn’t ready to let go of her, but also he wasn’t ready to go to Belgrade. All of a sudden their lives were in mishmash.
Days passed so quickly. She was given two months to handle over the office to her successor. And persuading Manu to fly with her to Belgrade bare no fruit, as one day, a month before her deadline, insistently told her that he wasn’t ready to quit his job. And he told her that, either she had to quit, change her job or she was to leave alone for Belgrade. All this time he was insisting that they would work together to keep their love intact though far away from each other. She was not convinced with that, as she was becoming more and more jealousy and possessive of him. She became so bitter and disappointed of him, that for the first time since his return from Dublin, that night, they couldn’t sleep in one bed. And for the next four weeks their happiness and closeness grew less and less as Olivia reduced talking to Manu and Manu was trying to come home so late, avoiding any confrontation with her.
The last three days of her being with Manu, Olivia was crying almost all the time, and even eating become so rare. Manu tried everything he could to make her leave Tanzania with a positive note, but it didn’t help. Then the day came, when Olivia was leaving Dar-Es-Salaam for Belgrade to start a new life there. That day was a very quiet and ugliest day of their lives, as they were both busy packing and getting prepared to vacate the apartment. Manu was leaving too, moving in his new home, a rented house at Regency Estate area. That day none of them uttered a word of laughter, love, joy or any kind of joke as they usually did in the past. And by the time Manu hugged Olivia at the Julius Nyerere Airport, they both knew chances that their affair would continue after that parting, were so slim and feeble…they both shed tears too. Manu wept audibly while driving back from the airport. And for the very first time since he decided to part ways with her, he clearly realized how much he was going to miss her. He felt empty and void. And he knew it wouldn’t be easy for him to find a woman who would be a satisfying and complete to him as Olivia was. For a moment he cursed his silly decision of turning down her proposal.
She dialed him a day after she arrived in Belgrade, but instead of talking of love and good times they had together. There was a sign of anger and blames from her side. And after talking for like one hour online, she came to a point as telling Manu that she had no complete trust for him, and since she was not ready to risk her life, she was not expecting to continue with her affair with him. in the other hand, Manu assured her more and more that he would remain true and trustfully to her, and that he still was expecting to see her or even join her whenever proper time presented itself for them.
It didn’t get to that as one day eight months later, Olivia wrote an email to Manu, telling him that she was getting married to a Finnish co-worker there at the Embassy, in Belgrade. Manu replied her that he wouldn’t blame her for anything as he still was remembering that wasn’t it for her he would have not been where he was that time. And he also assured her that she would remain to be very special part of his entire life, and promised to name her first daughter after her. He also wished her all the luck in the world. They vowed to remain good friend for the rest of their lives.
But fate had it the other way round. Just two months later, Manu received a very strange call from Olivia. She was so sad and completely broken. And before he asked her why she was in such mood, she told him that she had called him to say goodbye as she was about to take her own life! Manu was shocked, but still he thought she was just kidding, or maybe she was a bit drunk. She insisted that she had reached that decision after realizing that everything that she had lived for and trusted on, betrayed her… Quickly Manu interrupted, asking her on what went wrong in Belgrade, believing that something really bad had happened between her and her husband. He was wrong…
Olivia told her that, the two men she had loved and trusted most, Manu, and her dad are the ones she was referring to. Manu could easily understand about his case, that he denied moving in to Belgrade with her, which clearly hurt her deeply as much as it hurt him. But her dad..!?
Few days back, one of Olivia’s friends, Maria, an employee in at the Finnish Embassy in Dublin while chatting with Olivia on yahoo messenger, she told Olivia one shocking story. Olivia told Manu that, while chatting with her, Maria slipped and told her that one day she had heard someone at the office, saying that the ‘Boss’- Olivia’s dad- was doing some arrangements to immediately transfer Olivia from Dar-es-Salaam, to somewhere far away in order to separate Olivia from what he referred to as that ‘African boy’, that was Manu.
Upon hearing that news, immediately Olivia called her mom and dad to verify the claims. And though her mom clearly had no idea about such claims, her dad struggled to deny the allegations, which led to Olivia’s unprecedented fight with him over the telephone which followed by her dad cutting her off by banging back the receiver. It was the last blow she needed…
Whatever pledge and proposal Manu had for her that day, including that he was ready to take her if she was to leave her husband and fly back to Dar, it was nothing, the damage was already done. And by the time she hanged off her mobile, he knew something bad was about to happen to her. He was in so much pain too. Minutes later, he picked up his mobile and dialed her number. It was not reachable!
A day later, after several fruitless efforts, he got through Finnish embassy in Belgrade. He quickly asked to speak to Olivia Veijalainen. The woman on the other end told him to wait a bit. Then after few minutes of silence, he heard a male voice. The man, who later introduced himself as Olivia’s husband-Manu had lied to him that he was a former co-worker in Dar in need of some information from her- told Manu that he was sorry to let him know that Olivia was no more.
Manu did not want to ask any more questions. He simply was devastated.
He hanged up the call and wept…

2009-12-14T13:41:00.001+03:00

TWISTED(When Desire Unveils hidden Secrets)

One

Mauritius

"I was born the day I met you…
lived a while when you loved me…
died forever when we broke apart…"

With legs folded, cuddling herself on top of the table close to the window, staring outside at nothing, she could not stop tears from dripping down her soft cheeks. The scene of what she had predicted to be an everlasting relationship with her handsome fiancé, had to end, never seemed to get flushed off her mind. Three months were still not enough for recovering. The phrase ‘time heals’ was outdated to her. She kept on losing weight day in day out, and hated most the sight of her still-sympathetic relatives and friends, all the time, concerned about that painful breakup of a three years relationship they once all admired.
She let out a heavy sigh and closed her eyes as she tried to block out the pain of the headache that throbbed behind her eyes. She massaged her temples lightly as she let her mind wander, mentally cursing herself for the mistakes she'd made that led her to this moment.
How could I have been such a fool, she scoffed inwardly. What, was it about his twinkling eyes and too good to be true smile that blinded her and made her ignore the warnings she had been given about him? How could she have turned a deaf ear to the truth?
Misoji shook her head. If only she had listened, if only she had believed the stories she had heard about him...if only. If only she could turn back the hands of time- reversed in her head.
“Misoji,” in a very concerned kind of way a soft voice called, it was Mrs. Rebecca Makani, her mother who just walked into her dearest daughter’s bedroom. She gently shut the door behind her. With eyes focused to where Misoji was sitting, she moved those beautiful and strong enough legs to carry a 96kg well shaped body in African’s sense on the same direction. She carefully sat very close and put her right arm around the shoulders of the very depressed daughter of hers, while looking into her eyes; “ Sweetheart” she swallowed a lump before continuing “how about seeing a psychiatrist?” she pulled her closer and say the next words in a lower tone than previous… “Your father and I have been talking about it and we think it could help. It will help my dear, just give it a try.”
___________________________

Two weeks later, she took her annual leave, made all necessary arrangements, ready to fly to Mauritius. A trip to a place where she could be alone for days, relax, and refresh her mind was all that the psychiatrist she was seeing suggested.
____________________________

Situated in the west coast of the island on a white sandy beach, 45km away from the Airport and 22km away from the Capital Port Louis, The Sands Resort Hotel was as a perfect hideway place for a person seeking privacy, comfort and relaxation. And a view across the crystal clear lagoon and the bay of Tamarin and Le Morne Mountain view offered the place with grandiose scenery.
During her first four days in Mauritius, she had always maintained a very cool routine that included swimming in the morning, touring several areas of the Island- particularly Port Louis, Pamplemonsses Garden, and Black River George - working out in the evenings, reading-she was a good reader- listening to music and watching movies.

As it was nearly end of summer, there were not so many tourists in Mauritius. No exception found at The Sands Resort Hotel beach that particular Thursday morning of March, her fifth day. It was almost 10am and had yet not seen another single solitary soul along the beach, which was just fine with her as rest and relaxation were just what she needed most at the time.
"Boy this is life!" Misoji mumbled aloud while slathering her half-naked body with a generous helping of sunscreen, eyes closed, her portable player oozed out some cool jazz in her ears, her mind began to float as she slipped in a state of semi consciousness, drifting away on the clouds floating through her mind. She was quite unaware when a stranger walked and stood silently beside her!
In her groggy Lucky didn't quite know why, but she got the sense that something was amiss, and after slowly opening her eyes, she was stunned and terrified to find that a fairly athletic black guy was standing not more than six feet away from where she was! Her reaction was as if she was caught up completely naked. The rest of her clothing was inside of her hotel room, she had nothing more to help cover her body. In a display of modesty she covered her sizable breasts with her palms as if they were not under bra; she took off her earphones which was now rocking Sweet Love joint of Wahu, and in a very shaky voice stammered, "W-w-who are you… and what do you want?"
"The name's Manu," He said, matter of factly.
“So?”
“Sooo... it’s really nice to meet you.” he had a mischievous smile on his face.
She scoffed silently. Men…all are dogs.
"I just noticed for the past two days that you’re alone here and decided to come over and introduce myself today."
She flinched, clearly bruised by his baritone voice, as deep as Barry White’s. She took a deep breath, then collected herself, and asked, nervously, "Where did you come from…?"
"Right over there on the other side of the Hotel," he explained, "I just got finished my breakfast and happened to notice you here."
"Mmh, so what are you doing here?" she asked, less afraid of him.
"Oh, well, I just wanted to say hi. I'll see you later." Then he turned around, without waiting for her reply, and walked back to the hotel.
Misoji sat upright and watched Manu walking away, and while she was a little bit miffed that he had barged in on her like that, he seemed like a pleasant enough sort of-with a rare athletic body and that extremely infectious smile, he didn't seem to be any kind of threat. She lay back down, for few minutes then got to her feet and headed to her room, which was only thirty meters away from there. Back in her room, she walked straight to the bathroom, slipped quietly into the tub for a long bath.
Thereafter, she went to the hotel for breakfast, while wondering her eyes around, in search for her earlier invader. He was nowhere to be seen.
After breakfast, which was not at all that tasty, she went back to her room, dressed up and stormed out for another tour in the Island.
_________________________

She returned at the hotel around 5pm.
She went all the way to her room and changed, ready for a swim. Somehow feeling like showing off a bit off her well-proportioned body that evening, she chose to put on a teal-blue glitterati cut-out swimsuit-which had shinning rhinestones details, halter ties behind neck and clips behind back, cut-away sides and deep-v neckline. The swimsuit gave a moderate back coverage. She was stunning.
She walked out to the beach and there she got into water straight, for a swim. She swam for 45minutes then went to the shore for a short breathing…
Barely had she sat down, as she saw him coming down from the hotel, heading straight to the direction where she was. Her heart skipped a beat…
He wore nothing but an Aruba tight-fitted trunk; revealing the finest athletic frame, she used to see only in movies. His, inverted a triangular upper body. Broad shoulders, wide hairless-chest, big-toned biceps. His flat abs and a toned waist were drawing attention of not only Misoji’s but also almost everyone who was hanging on the beach that evening.
He did not see her. He walked straight past her and jumped into the ocean.
Realizing that he was not aware of her presence there, she was relieved. She decided not to go back swimming as soon. She sat there watching him get deep onto waters. Her eyes could not leave him, enjoying watching him swimming so skillfully.
After laying there for half an hour, she felt the urge to go there and swim again. She had mixed feelings though, she wanted to go join him for a swim together, at the same time she was afraid of going there and swim with him. She hated that feeling, that so angry at herself, she collected her body up ready to go into waters and swim, alone. After standing up she glanced at the side where Manu was swimming, figuring which other direction to take, away from his sight. However, when she stared in his direction, she saw one white middle-age woman swimming towards his direction. She saw the woman exchanging few words with Manu, something like “Would you mind if I join you for a swim…?” Manu was smiling, shrugging his broad shoulder, and say something. She saw them starting out swimming, deep, together. Misoji felt a rush of blood in her body. She felt a bit jealousy. Abruptly, she lost all the interest of swimming again. Instead, she opted to leave the shore and went back to her room.
_______________________

Back in her room, she dropped down on the carpeted floor, cursing herself for strange inbuilt feelings, growing inside her body. It felt so ridiculous. Just one look… one second…one single glance at the beach that morning and suddenly nothing was the same. She never really believed in those moments. The kinds she used to read about in Silly romance novels and those romance movies. Yet here she was, in a strange place, thinking about some stranger…
A moment later she stood up and get to the bathroom, where she stripped naked and stood beneath a cascading hot shower, letting the water titillate her muscles and ease her tension.
Thereafter she dressed for a dinner. Putting on an orange multi halter-top with ribbon ties at neck and cut-away sleeves that had a bold satin banding, giving her a spicy look. She put on together with a dark grey tribeca Jeans and thong sandals. She was drop-dead gorgeous.
Misoji, a Sukuma goddess had envied physical attributes. Outstandingly curvaceous body, long, rippled limbs and toned body-a rare natural physical attribute. Her beautiful face, dark bedroom eyes, peanut-butter complexion and full glossy-sensual lips, combined together to give that pure-enviable African beauty, that easily gotten any man’s pants adjusted.
He was the first person she noticed at the restaurant. He sat alone on a table of two in a far end corner, facing the poolside. He looked much bigger in that Camouflage ragtop he was wearing. He lifted his left hand.
She found an empty table and was about to pull a chair when she saw him, few tables away, waving at her. She could see, he was solo at a table of two. She waved back at him and pulled a chair to seat, and then she thought. Go join him; he is so funny after all.
He was busy enjoying a mushroom soup. He did not notice her when she approached his table.
"Hi," she said brightly as she stood holding a chair opposite him, "how goes it?"
He looked up from his plate and with a wide grin replied, "Well, well, well in just two minutes I’ve warmed the cockles of my heart with this delicious soup, I can’t compare it like any other thing, maybe… only you, please, have seat." displayed that mischievous smile.
“Thanks.”
“I almost didn’t recognize you…”
“That’s nice.”
“It sounded better in my head. You look great.” Before she said anything, he said, “Have a drink.”
“No, thank you. I never drink while eating.”
“I mean, it’s just water…Alright?”
“Oh, thank you.” She smiled, as Manu took a bottle of water and poured in an empty glass, for her. A waiter came and she ordered her dinner.
“Nice briefcase.” She said, glancing at his briefcase at the foot of the table.
“I bought it at Port Louis, only this evening. I was so hungry that I found it hard to take it upstairs and return back here to dine.”
“Oh, really? Guess I should get one for my daddy, huh?” and she read out aloud from the hanging tag on the briefcase, “IF LOST, RETURN TO MANUMBU MATABA.” Then she looked at him, a little surprised, thought, Manumbu… isn’t that a familiar name to me? She looked straight in his eyes. He was smiling. There was something in his eyes that made her heart quiver. She cleared her throat, and said, "Ma-nu-mbu…You got a funny name. It has a meaning in one of tribes in my country.”
He became a little nervous. “And what’s that? Please don’t tell me if it sounds nasty.”
She smiled. “It means…well I’m not so sure but I think something like… sweet potatoes.”
“What?” he was stunned. “Which tribe is that…’cause it’s same as my tribe, you know. And don’t say it’s a coincidence…”
“Where are you from?" It was her turn to get nervous.
His smile died. All at once, just like that, and said, "Umm…a long ways from here. You wouldn't know it."
"Try me." She was not sure why she said it. Curiosity, she supposed. She wanted to know him more.
He looked at her, seemed about to say something. Then changed his mind and said, "Tanzania. I'm from Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania."
“Jesus!”
“What?”
“Oh, stop kidding me!” She said in disbelief.
“Why kidding you? You know Tanzania? Ever been there?”
“No, no nooo. It’s not that, you know what? I just have the feeling you have been tracking me down for a while. Isn’t it?” She asked him, feeling agitated.
“Why so? Oh my, do you want to say…Oh I don’t believe it!”
“I’m coming from Dar.”
“Jeez! What?”
“Please, tell me you’re just kidding, enough with this kind of jokes. Ok?”
“Listen. Nimekuja just three days ago. I’m attending a two weeks official conference here. I’m working with CELLA Mobiles. Unafanya nini kisiwani huku we mtoto?”
“Hata! Sitaki kuamini, lol!” She was in disbelief. “Mh, well…niko kwa vacation. Three weeks’ vacation.”
“Sure? Good for you. Unaishi maeneo gani ya Dar? Mie naishi mitaa ya Regency Estate.”
“Naishi Mbezi, Salasala…”
“Oh, Salasala! Husband… kids?”
“Wazazi…”
Manu glanced at her left hand, got a glimpse of a fine designed wedding ring in her finger, and said, “That ring is so fine.”
“What does Mr.…Manumbu think about it?” she asked, stretching her ring finger forth.
“It says I’m not really married. I just wear it.” He said, jokingly.
“Oh!”
“I guess I was right.”
She nodded.
“Really?” His gaze met hers again. Burned into hers, "I appreciate that."
She smiled.
He grinned. He was so obsessed with her mouth. He loved those sensual lips, so much that he was finding it so hard to hold back the urge to kiss, lick and munch them.
The two of them gabbed away over dinner and there after few drinks, pretty much going over funny stories and about places Misoji had toured in Mauritius. She told him her name and incredibly, they were both from Lake Zone side of Tanzania, he was coming from Musoma while she was from Mwanza.
It was now close to 9pm. They were about to part the place, when he asked her,
“Do you like movies, Missy?”
“Sure.”
“I love movies. What’s your favourite?”
“I don’t know… Casanova?”
“Oh, Casanova was good. My favourite though, is The Jungle Fever. Umewahi watch hiyo?”
“Yeah, nimewahi ona hiyo pia.”
“It’s got my favourite scene of all time!”
“Scene ipi vile?”
“The one where they…I mean… that first intimate scene in the office…unaikumbuka?”
She smiled, bit shyly. “I…I think… Lol!”
He nodded, acknowledging. He took her hand in his, and said, “There is an opening of Deja Vu tomorrow evening at Cinema Star, in Port Luis. Will you go out there with me?”
“Una girlfriend?” She replied, smoothly pulling off her hand from his.
“Well, she’s…uh--actually, it didn’t work out. Hatuko pamoja tena.” He lied. He did not even have one. For two years he had stopped any serious dating. He had a loss had not been able to recover from.
“Oh. So… gari ulilonalo likipata breakdown basi unadandia jingine lolote tu kirahiiisi, sio?”
“Duh Missy, hanging out with you ni kama ku-ride ndani ya Lamborghini!” his face straight. She was kind of struck. “I’m sorry. Did I insult you?”
“No. no, it’s ok.” She was feeling awkward.
“So, you never answered my question.”
“What question was that?”
“Will you go out with me, tomorrow?”
“Look, Manu, najua ndio kwanza tumeoana, and you seem to be a nice guy. But unajua...?”
“Okay. Nice guys always hatuna bahati.”
“What?”
“Forget it.”
‘Well listen, kuna kitu kimoja huwa kinawaogopesha sana nyie wa-kaka.”
“Huh? Kitu gani Missy?”
“Ukweli wa ndani kuhusu mlivyo.” She paused, then, “Unajua, most men don’t really know what they want. Some think we are disposable toys; others, confused men, don’t know if they want you or your brother. If you really want to go out with me, you better first understand that uanaume sio uume. Uanaume ni pamoja na kuheshimu my mind, body, and spirit.”
“Misoji, I have deep admiration to both… your mind and spirit.”
“And my body?”
“Your body…? What can I say about it? Purely… African.”
“Mh! Do you admire it, respect it?”
“I won’t do anything to it that you don’t want me to.”
“Anything?
“Take my humble word.”
A smile displayed on her face.
Before the smile faded up, He said, “So, will you go out with me?”
She looked at him for a moment, as if she was reading his mind or something, then said, “Someday…when we get back to Dar.” She started out, pausede, turned at him, and said, “Good night, Mr.”
_______________________

On bed, strange feeling eating inside her, fighting hard to kick Manu off her head, it felt so hard for her. A movie was a quick, better idea. She checked inside DVD bag she traveled with, scanned for a suitable one, ended up with How Stella Got Her Groove Back. She watched it for few minutes then took it off. It was driving her more into him than away from him... She picked up TD Jakes’ Before You Do book. It didn’t get her going. She inserted Syleena Johnson CD in a player. She listened to it over and over until it at almost 3am, she fell asleep.
________________________

The conference ended early that Thursday. After lunch, Manu hopped onto a cab for Port Luis. In Port Luis he passed by few shops, buying some books, CDs and other personal accessories.
He checked his wristwatch. It was 03:30pm. Last time, Misoji had said something about the other place; Pamplemousses that she would love to visit it on Saturday. So it was important for him to familiarize himself, before forging for another date proposal. He knew she was not that serious when she turned him down last night.
He looked around and saw a Taxi parked nearby. He waved for it. “How much to Pamplemousses?” The driver was a young guy of Indian origin, in mid twenties.
“Eighteen dollars.” The driver answered, in a French accent.
“Ok, take me to the Botanic Gardens” Manu said. He hopped onto a passenger seat.
Pamplemousses was about 11km North East of the Capital. The driver could speak mainly two languages, French and Creole. He could talk so little English. So the drive was a quiet one.
They reached there in minutes.
Manu took off a taxi and pushed his right hand into his back pockets where he usually was keeping his wallet. It wasn’t there. He checked in the front ones. Nothing! “Oh, shit! I can’t see my wallet..!” He remarked, staring at the driver. “I might have dropped it somewhere. Or someone stole it off my pocket…” He was confused. He opened a car door, checking inside, hoping the wallet slipped from his pocket inside a taxi. He could not see it. He stared at the driver, in disbelief. A moment later, the taxi driver glanced at his watch, then he looked at Manu, clearly angry, “Money!” he said, sarcastic.
Oh. This is embarrassing. Manu thought. “I’m sorry, friend. If you won’t mind please, take me to the Sands hotel Resort and I’ll pay you for both trips.”
The driver did not reply, he did not understand clearly, what Manu was saying. He got outside a car and started shouting, pointing at his wrist watch “give money, money, twenty dollars. Time, time!” the shouting attracted people nearby, soon they were surrounded by young guys, laughing and shouting in Creole.
Manu didn’t clearly figure out what they were saying. He kept on insisting to the driver to take him all the way back to the hotel and that he would pay him, even double the charges. The driver seemed not to trust him at all; he kept on demanding for his money, now changed to $20. Manu looked around him. He knew he had to do something, fast. What shall I do? He thought.
“Don’t let him go…thief.” A guy shouted, running towards where Manu and the other guys were. He was big, very tall dark, with Indian features. His eyes popped out.
Manu positioned himself. He could see the guy running straight at him, glaring, displaying his dark brown teeth.
“Who are you?” the guy asked Manu, standing just inches away of him, panting. Manu could smell sweat off the monster’s body. And when the guy spoke, the unpleasant marijuana odor hit Manu’s nostrils, forcing him to bend his head backward. Mistake! Off nowhere, the guy swung his right at Manu. It hit him straight on his mouth.
Manu staggered but didn’t fell. He could taste blood in his mouth. He spat. Before he came back to his senses, the guy swung his left, again. This time Manu saw it coming. He ducked down, quickly responded with a left hook of his own, hitting the Indian, hard, on the ribs just under his left armpit. The guy winced, and bent down to feel his ribs. Manu moved at him. The guy waved his right arm, pleading with him to stop. Manu looked around him; two other guys were coming towards the crowd, hollering in Creole to other guys, then they turned to Manu.
“Listen, we don’t want any fight here, we want you to pay off his money.” One of the guys said. He could speak good English.
Manu exhaled, in relief. “Listen, I don’t want to steal money from nobody. I lost my wallet somewhere, in Port Louis…”
“My money! Money! Money! Thirty dollars!” The driver jumped back in.

“You!” Manu heard a shout; he turned around in time to see the tall Indian moving back at him. Damn, this is not good. Manu thought.
Other guys moved around, forming a ring around.
Said Manu, “Bro, Please! There is no need of getting into…” He couldn’t finish the sentence. The guy fired right jab at him that connected straight to his forehead.
The fight was on.
The Indian swung again and missed, Manu countered with a hard right to the head. The Indian shook his head, but didn’t flinch. Manu was backpedaling…circling, he was not willing to trade punches with the Indian. It wasn’t the same for his foe, as seconds later the Indian hit him with a hard right…then a left to his head. Manu saw stars…but he returned his left, a miss and the Indian took advantage and tagged him with a hard left hand and Manu was going backward.
The Indian taunted him.
Manu landed an overhand right at the guy, followed by a combination; left, right, left, right. He was getting himself into that fight. The Indian was half-dizzy, but he was tough, he countered with a hard right to Manu’s face. It connected well between his eyes. Manu shook his head. He was fast, but the Indian was much stronger. They hooked up again! Both men exchanging combinations… Right hand! Left! Right! Right! And boom! The Indian was driving Manu back.
“Make him bleed, man, make him bleed” the guys around cheered in Creole, in support for the Indian, as both men traded combinations. Left! Right! Overhand right! Manu missed. The guy came back with a right-left to the head. “Get him! Chock him off!” One guy shouted.
They were now fighting at incredible pace. Manu connected a nice overhand, but the Indian wasn’t hurt. He tied Manu up in a clinch.
“Oh, shit! Rajan, go get him!” Some guy shouted. The Indian swung another hard right hand. “Yeah! Another one! Move!” The crowd was really behind him.
Manu swung and missed…the Indian kept hurting him with an overhand right. Combination, right-left! Big left hook! Then a right and a left, to the stomach. Another left. An uppercut! Manu went down!
The Indian stood beside him, growling, “Huh? Huh? Huh?” But before he bent to finish him, Manu jumped aside and soon was in his feet.
“Come on…!” One guy shouted, as the Indian charged straight-ahead, locomotive style, a mighty man. “Let’s go!” The Indian fired and missed. Manu landed an overhand right, was moving around now. Right hand! Right hand! Then a quick-hit exchange! That’s really boxing! Hard combinations and the clinch! A right hand by the Indian. Manu missed and paid for it dearly, to the body and he reeled back from the punishment given to him by the Indian. Another hard right and left, and Manu was on his heels! He staggered back and hit his back to another spectator behind him who pushed him back towards the mammoth Indian. The whole bunch of guys was now chanting the Indian name, “Ra-jan! Ra-jan! Ra-jan!” as the Indian hit Manu with another one to the body, and it didn’t look good for Manu. The Indian was all over him! He was tearing Manu up. Another jab to the head, that seemed to be it. Manu was down, dizzy. The giant was now talking trash. Guys chanted his name more and more. He was pacing up, hands flying in the air. “That’s right! Yeah! Uh-huh!”
Manu was back on his feet, wobbly. He was shaky. Hurt.
“Don’t get careless. Knock him his ass off!” one guy from the crowd shouted at the Indian. Rajan turned to the crowd, his hands flying high, knowing definitely he had won the fight; he just loved to taunt the crowd, that responded raucously back at him.
Manu knew if he was to win that fight and leave the area safely, then he had to control the rhythm of the fight, he had to turn that fight around, quickly. You can do it, man! Come on, now! This is your turn! His heart spoke to him. But he still was feeling dizzy.
Rajan charged forward for the killer “Come on! Come on!” He shouted at Manu, looking supremely confident. Manu didn’t want to be caught standing this time, he charged back at Rajan. They met, traded few shots. It seemed the Indian was trying to find that one big shot that could put Manu flat on his back. He got one, a big right hand that landed right on Manu’s fore head. Manu staggered, but didn’t go down. Before he was well back to his feet, landed another left hand. “This can’t go much farther!” One guy shouted from the cloud. “That’s it! That’s it!” the other guy followed.
Come on, Manu! Dance with him! The voice was back from inside Manu as he regained his focus. Rajan had a look of determination in his eyes as was looking for that big punch to end it all for Manu. He was clearly in control of the fight. But Manu was still there, standing. He received few more punches from Rajan, big left and right. Rajan was on the prowl. He was going in for the kill. He got Manu where he really wanted, and he fired a killer left at him…Wham, he missed, big! Manu saw that one coming, and connected with a devastating left hook of his own that connected perfectly under Rajan’s chin…he staggered and groaned. Rajan was hurt! Before Rajan breathed a second, the now energized Manu was on him. He hit Rajan with another shot, driving him back against spectators. Manu charged again, punishing him with wicked combinations. He got another one on the guy’s chin. The Indian staggered, shaken. Left and right! And another killer right hand that put Rajan down for the first time!
Manu’s energy was unbelievable, even to himself… he stood where he was, watching Rajan standing up, staggering around, clearly does not know where he was. He flew few blind-aimlessly punches. He was going crazy now!
Manu had turned that fight around. This is your chance! This is your time! The voice shouted from inside Manu.
The ‘audience’ was silent, in disbelief!
Don’t let up! Go get him! Stick him hard! The voice kept on telling him, as he was moving left, right, avoiding Rajan’s careless punches. Well, Rajan got him twice, a left and a right. He was back! And Manu knew he had to take care of him before the crowd was back in the fight. He quickly hit him with a right hand, then a left hand and another right hand, and the Indian was forced to clinch! Manu slide out and switched to southpaw! It caught the Indian under his chin, he staggered. Soon they were hooked up! Toe to toe! Punch for punch! Back and forth! Then the Indian missed twice… straight. Manu caught him twice on the jaw. Rajan was now out of gas. Manu hit him. Right hand! A left to the stomach! Overhand right! Another left and right, and an overhand right to the head! The crowd gasped.
Manu was punishing Rajan with blows to the head and the body. Rajan was now a dead game. He tried to get fly of an overhand right, he hit the air and Manu returned the favor with the left of his own, hitting the guy on the ribs. Then an overhand right to the head that finished the Indian. The big silence followed, as the Indian went head first to the ground. He tried to lift his head up, failed, and hit the ground for good.
Manu stood there, panting, all that dust up. He looked around. Amazingly, people were now chanting for him. He got shocked.
And then the remainder came, “My money…Boss?”
Oh damn… Manu thought and before he replied, came a familiar voice from far behind his back, “I’ll pay for him. Leave him alone!”
He spun around. Jesus?! He was stunned to see what he saw. “No, no. You don’t have to do that…”
“Don’t worry about it.” Misoji said as she extended a note of $100 to the taxi driver. The driver grabbed it quickly and moved into his car, returning back with a change, $80 and split.
“Oh my God, look at what you’ve done to yourself!” Misoji said staring at Manu’s bleeding lips and his button less shirt. She grabbed his hand, “Let’s get out of here!”
He didn’t say a thing. His body was now burning with pain. He dragged himself.

“A lucky guy!” An English speaking Mauritian shouted jokingly, at Manu. Manu turned, in time to see other guys lifting the half conscious Rajan off the ground. Manu forced a smile, then turned to Misoji, “It’s my fault.”
“It’s alright. I paid it didn’t I?” She cut him off.
“Sure! Thank you. Just so you know, it wasn’t an act or something.”
“Never mind, let’s just get out of here. It’s scary!” She said as they hoped inside the Taxi that she came in.
“When did you come here? Where are you going?” he asked.
“I came to watch a fight…. Now I know you. Dangerous!” She said in amazement.
“I had no choice. I had to defend myself. Otherwise…”
“Boy, you fight like Ali!” the Mauritian driver jumped in. He was middle-aged man.
“Oh, really? I thought I was just lucky, that you came in for my rescue…”
“Not really. When we reached there, already Rajan was finished…”
“You know the guy?”
“Who doesn’t? He’s a notorious kid. A thug… He always kicks other people around. He got jailed three times. The last time he went behind bars was when he raped one Finnish tourist. He was supposed to spend many years in jail, but you know, he comes from a well-off family. He just stayed in for three years and came out of jail months ago. I don’t remember seeing a person knock that bastard down. I’m sure the guys down there will be quite happy for the lesson you taught that bastard…”
“But they were cheering him…”
“No, they were afraid not to, because if he would have knocked you down the way you done him, the next could have been any of the guys who cheered you. He is an animal. Now streets will be at peace for few days, while he’s hiding his face from that shameful whipping.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that? You did something big out there. The public won’t have that fear of him anymore…You Christian?”
“Yeah. Protestant.”
“I’m a Muslim, but I know a little about the Bible. Old Testament. You know the story of David versus Goliath?” the man was a talker.
“Yeah…But Goliath died. I didn’t kill that guy.”
Before the driver said what he wanted to say, Misoji cutoff the topic, “You risked a lot, getting into a fight with a thug, in a foreign land…what if you would have landed into a Police station…got locked up?”
“I had no other option my dear. If I were to flinch out there, I would have been as good as a dead man by now. I had to fight for my life.”
“Ok, but… ah-well, leave it. No need to talk much about it. It’s ugly.” She was annoyed. But deep inside there was a pride, for a brother.
“Ouch!” The pain struck his right shoulder. He closed his eyes as they drove in silence for a while, until when he felt a tap on the shoulder. It was Misoji, “Tumefika”
“Oh, mara hii!” Manu said, then “Ouch!” he groaned again in agony, as was stepping off the cab.
“Oh, polee. Wait! Ngoja nikusaidie.”
“Oh, No- no, I’m okay. Ahsante.”
“Sure? Utaweza tembea bila support kweli?” She saw him struggling to put both his feet on the ground
“Yeah, sure, niko safi. Let’s go.” He dragged himself away from the car.
Misoji paid the driver. The driver smiled at them then said to Misoji. “Make sure he wakes up feeling well tomorrow. Our hero deserves some special treatment tonight…!”
No one answered him, Misoji waved while Manu gave only a thumb-up. They went inside the hotel, Misoji few steps ahead of Manu.
“Oh, look at your lips, they’re ballooned!” she said, looking back at him.
“I can feel it. It looks like a furburger, huh?” he forced a smile. His jaws hurt.
She smiled back. “You’re naughty!” then she thought, maumivu yote haya lakini haachi vituko, mh!
“You’re an easy crowd.”
“I’m glad.”
“Thank you very much uh--Misoji. Now, do I have to pay you right now? I can go to my room and bring your money.”
“Tomorrow is fine.”
“Oh, okay. Muda gani nije room kwako?”
“Room kwangu..? Kufanya nini?”
“Si kukulipa pesa yako...”
“Jamani wewe…it’s twenty dollars. I think I’ll survive without.”
“No I gotta give it back. I’d feel ethically impugned if I didn’t.”
“Impugned…” She repeated it, annoyed. “Well, I would want you to feel impugned, then.” And added “Make sure you take good care of your wallet next time, ok?” She turned and was gone.
________________________

At the Hotel Fitness Facility, that Saturday mornings, Manu came into her mind. Three days had passed without hearing from him. She’d not seen him at the restaurant, bar, even at the beach. Mh, maybe he is sick. She thought. Maybe he was more hurt than I thought… But why am I concerned about him? He’s a Man; he can take care of himself. After all, nani aliyemtuma akapigane? Na kama ananihitaji, si angenipigia? Oh! Au yuko busy na lile jimama la kizungu…?

As much as she pretended not to bother with that, she still was troubled.
“Madame, you seem to be out of synch today. What’s wrong?” The trainer, a tall athletic mixture of Indian and black Mauritian noticed that too.
She gasped and said, “Oh, I’m okay, Leone. It’s just the fact that I feel a bit lazy today.” Truly, the workout wasn’t getting into her body that morning.

She didn’t take more than 30minutes at the gym. She left the facility and went back to her room. She took a long hot bath, slowing down her mind.
She was massaging oil into her skin when the telephone rang. She jumped to pick it up. “Hello?” She held her breath.
“Misoji?” His was tentative, gentle and hopeful. “How you doing?”
“Uhm…” She giggled nervously and reached over to touch her hair. “Where were you all these days?” The question slipped off her lips.
“I was been drawn to you, so I had to slow down a little bit, huh?”
“Jesus! What a verse!”
Even though they did not mention it but both were hungry, hungry to see each other. He tried to break the ice. “Hey, can we have lunch together today?”
“Uh-well, I’m…ok, what time?”
“Isn’t now ok for you?”
“Now? Lunch or brunch?”
“What?”
“It’s just 10am…there is neither breakfast nor Lunch…now.”
“Oh, then I hope that brunch doesn’t include poison in the menu.”
“Ha-ha. Ok! Ok! See you in 40minutes.”
She put down the phone, and rushed back to the bathroom. Within the next 30 minutes she was busy between her wardrobe and the mirror.
___________________________

They had been together for four hours now. Talking, laughing, and drinking, knowing each other better and better.
They were now sitting along the beach. The sun had just disappeared over the horizon, casting a red glow over the gently lapping waves of the ocean; All at once Manu stood up and announced, "Damn it’s hot today. Let's go for a swim!" and without waiting for her answer, he stood up, moved few steps away, turning his back to her as he stripped off all of his clothing and ran into the water… He dove under the surface and swam out about thirty feet or so…before turning around and yelled, "Come on it, the water's fine!"
She was taken by a surprise! They were not dressed for swimming. She looked on suspiciously at the thought of skinny-dipping with him, but before she could reply, he shouted again, "Oh, come on Misoji, show me what you got inside your skills package huh…?"
After rolling her eyes and looking up to the heavens, she gutted herself with a to-hell-with-the-whole-world, slipped off her shirt and shorts and yelled back, "Okay, ready or not, here I come!"
The two young swimmers cavorted in the water together for the better part of an hour. Misoji began to feel more and more comfortable with her new friend, so much so, that when he came up behind her and grabbed her waist from the back, instead of recoiling away, she pressed her body against his, allowing herself the feel of his body. Her mind began to spin at the feel of his broad chest pressing hard against the small of her back. He whispered softly in her ear, "I know this sounds crazy, but I feel that we've known each other for a long-long time, and while I never believed in love at first sight, it wouldn't take much to convince me otherwise!"
Her breathing was soon becoming labored. He gently turned her around and pulled her to him. They stared at each other for few seconds, then she moved her right hand, hesitatingly up to the left side of his face…touching him there, soothingly with her fingers, moving the hand down, along his neck, resting it on his chest. He got hold of her right shoulder, caressed it, bending down his head, his fore head slightly resting on hers. She offered no resistance as she felt him pressing his lips over hers. She was stunned by the sensations of intense pleasure that were overtaking her body as Manu lips enveloped hers with a hunger and urgency she had never experienced before. Never had she imagined a man kissing a woman with such enthusiasm, such animal lust. He kissed her aggressively with a desperate need for more. The unfamiliar tingle swept through her body, causing a twitch in between her legs. She had never expected to become so aroused by a mere kiss, yet here she was, slowly surrendering to him.
"Damn, you're beautiful…" He murmured in between the kisses.
It took a minute or so, then she broke away from his grasp, crying hysterically, “Oh, no, this is bad idea!”
“Worse than bad idea.” He said calmly, his voice heavy, raw.
“And it has no future.” And said that, Misoji slipped out of Manu and with fast- awesome strokes she headed back to the beach, where she scooped up her things and ran back to her room.
That night was hell, to both of them.
__________________________

The next morning Misoji woke up and wandered down to the beach,walking slowly in the ankle deep water. She casually glanced over to a group of people swimming and playing with water, and much to her surprise, found Manu too wading in the crystal clear water.
Feeling embarrassed and a bit angry at herself for what had transpired the evening before, she was about to turn tail back to her room when he called out, "Za asubuhi, Missy…beautiful day isn't it?"
"Uh, nzuri. Yes it is," she loudly replied back.
"Vipi breakfast, tayari?" He yelled back.
"I'm not really hungry." And before he responded, she jogged out of the water and headed back to her room.
___________________________

She was right in the middle of the last chapter of her book, laid on the blue-pillowed armchair at the balcony, outside her ground floored room, when from out of the corner of her eye she saw Manu coming through the trees towards her direction. Her stomach quivered.
She didn't know why she was feeling that way about him. Was it the magnetism of his body around her? Was it his all over the place natural charm? Was hard to figure, but something about him made her feel like no man ever had it on her in her twenty five years of life, and the feeling that swept through her last night in the ocean had nearly overwhelmed her. She looked at the transparent dress that she was wearing, a tall pale-pink satin shirt, with nothing else to cover her sensual body. She wanted to run inside and put on some pants, but her legs and his pace betrayed her. She was frozen.
He was moderately muscular and handsome. His smooth-dark skin made her forget to breath. "Hi there," he said while approaching her, "I was kind of hoping we could have been together today…!"
She shivered a little at his closeness, searching for proper answer for him.
“Uko mrembo sana, we motto, duh!.” He said. “Napenda scent yako…so fine.”
In a slightly sharp voice, she replied, "Well…um, ahsante. Had some readings to get over with, unajua tena…"
"Sure," He replied slowly, and then wondered, "I know exactly how it is, but what I really want to know is, why you afraid of me?"
"I-I'm not afraid of anyone," stammered while averting her eyes, "what makes you say that?"
Without an invitation, Manu plopped down of the ground next to her, and while staring out at the seawater just few meters away from them, he asked softly, "Have you ever wondered what it would feel like when you find the one for you?"
"Of course I have," she replied sarcastically, "hasn't everyone?"
"Uh-huh," he replied slowly, "and I think now I know why you're so scared…"
She shivered again and asked haltingly, “Y-you do, why?"
Turning his gaze from the ocean and staring right in her eyes he said, "Because last night you had that feeling and are worried about the person you're having it for, that's why."
She looked away from him and in a slight-angry voice she said, "That's crazy, that's just not true!"
"Really?" He asked, moving his roughened hand to gently stroking the inside of her tanned thigh, "then why are you shaking like a sixteen year old girl at the mere touch of my hand on your leg?"
“E-eh, listen! Tafadhali ondoa huo mkono or else I’ll be forced to…?”
“Forced to what…scream, huh? Then go ahead, do it. Scream!” His sudden anger scared her.
Yaani huyu mtu mh? She thought. She attempted to push his hand away and move off the chair. That hand did not move, instead it grounded her thigh back on the chair. Doing so, he quickly turned to face her, advancing his face onto hers, “Sorry, darling…But I think umechelewa.”
"Huwezi kunizua kuodoka hapa!" She blurted, glancing on his crotch. The swelling bulge in the front of his faded Levi’s left nothing to the imagination. Oh my god! She flinched. His hand slipped back in between her legs. She squeezed it, but he was right…she was late. Already he was feeling the warmth of her sacred flesh.
She squirmed, “Oh, please, wait! Let me…!” but the wetness from her most sacred part of her body betrayed her. Her struggles bore no fruits as Manu insistently was now touching her body, easily overpowering her. “Oh, Please, I don’t want to do this, listen I’m…” she pleaded with him.
“What?” His hands stopped moving over her body, got hold of her shoulders now. “Please, I’ll tell you later. I-I don’t want to talk about it now…”
“Then I don’t wanna hear about it, okay?”
She had no answer for him. Inwardly she was thinking, Don’t stop. Don't ever stop!
He read well her body language. He gently took her head in his hands, kissed her, softly, on the lips. She didn’t fight back when his mouth captured hers, tasting the mint on his lips. She felt intoxicated by his aftershave. His touches already had awakened feelings she had suppressed for days. She parted her lips, allowing his tongue to invade her moist, warm mouth. She could feel his heart pounding, as his wide chest pressed against hers, nearly in time to the powerful throbbing between her thighs. Her tongue slipped between his lips and danced around his. His hand slipped under her shirt, unbuttoning it, lightly caressing her heaving breasts. The sensation of his hand on her bare skin was nearly more than she could bear. A low moan escaped from deep down inside her as his thick lips blazed a trail down her neck.
His strong arms captured her, pulling her off the chair, onto him. He moved down on the floor, with her on his lap. She felt his hardness crushing against her. Her body responded to his touch, now he was kissing the bridge in between her breasts, kissing all the way down onto her navel, on the sides. Her back arched like a rainbow, hungry for more. It had been so long since a man had held her, had been one with her. She wanted Manu, never wanted this moment to end. But she was afraid. It was all happening too fast, and he was definitely in control of the situation. Her entire body was on fire with desperate desire. All the reason why she shouldn’t be doing this flashed through her mind. They had just met. He was a total stranger. She was betrayed by someone she trusted so much. She knew what was happening now between them was wrong, but she had never given in, no matter how her body had cried out for pleasure. Edmund had been her first and only lover, and that had not been until she was very sure. But Manu’s hands, his gentle touch and kisses did wonderful things to her that couldn’t easily be denied.
This was somehow different, felt so good, so right. Despite their differences, they were drawn to each other like powerful magnets. Misoji wanted nothing more than making love with Manu. She could feel her resolve slipping away. Her body, her primitive animal lust was more powerful than her rational mind.
She was ready to give herself to him…when he suddenly pulled away from her. Detaching his body from hers as though she was an insignificant object; he stared at her for few seconds, his heart thumping. Then without saying a word, he straightened himself, and left the place. Misoji could not fund the words, could not understand his unexpected retreat.
She collected herself from the floor, stood up, both shocked and angered by his reaction. Her body was trembling, still on fire. She watched as he quickly disappeared like a ghost through same path that he came in through…
She attempted few steps to follow him, as the beach wind blew in to remind her that all of her shirt buttons were loosened exposing her body. She heard a cracking sound from the beach side. She turned her head, in time to see ten meters away, beside a coconut tree, stood two young Italian women and a middle-aged blonde haired man, all in swimsuits, laughing at her. She didn’t know for how long they have been standing there. She halted; quickly covered her bare breasts and her buns. She rushed back inside her room. She was embarrassed and so angry at herself.
___________________________

As much as she hated him, she couldn’t stop thinking of him. She felt stupid for letting him take advantage of her. Why did he do that to me? Does he think that I’m a whore? Does he know something about me and Edmund? She felt bad, humiliated. And she needed to hear his answers. Until that happens, she wasn’t going to let go of that. She longed to see and talk to him; otherwise she would have gone nuts. God, what’s wrong with me? She was thinking. How could I be so cheap and let this animal take advantage of me? She kept on asking herself.
Like someone who knew how to read her mind, for the next two days, Manu was nowhere to be seen... He was neither seen at the restaurant nor at the beach. Or maybe he has left already…? She was thinking. She went to check for that. She saw that he hadn’t checked out of the hotel, actually had few more days to stay there. She was relieved.
By the time the third evening approached, Manu still nowhere to be seen, Misoji had made up her minds; she must pay a surprise visit to his room that night and make sure he talks to her.
__________________________

The door was half open. She could see him from behind. He was on the floor, sweating out his body with pushups. The muscles in his powerful, shirtless body tensed each time he moved his body up and down that floor. Sweat glistened across his broad back. His denim cut-offs were stretched taut across his firm, rounded buns. She could not look away. She was mesmerized by his sculpted beauty. She waited there, holding her breath before she knocked the door.
He turned slowly, giving her the glimpse of his handsome face, veins sculpted on his muscular pecs and biceps, a washboard belly. Her eyes moved lower, following the trails of his sweating chocolate skin. She eagerly devoured the outline of his youthful maleness, as it pushed against the stiff denim.
“Golly dang, what a surprise!”
“Sorry for intrusion…I just wanted to… ”
“Never mind, I was about to pay you a visit, tonight…come on in, welcome! ”
“Really?” she was both relieved and in disbelief.
“Sure, why not…we had some unfinished business out there, remember?” He was now so close to her that she could smell on a mixture of his sweat and edp.
Mmh, here comes prince charming again…go girl, go, before it happens again… “I thought you…ok, let me leave you alone then. I’ll be waiting for you in my room…” go…go…go. And without waiting for his answer, she quickly turned to leave the room. She wasn’t going to let it happen to her again. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me... She was not going to let him fool her twice.
He saw that one coming.
Misoji was slowly closing the door behind her, to leave.
“Hey beautiful, you ever played this game?” Outstretching his hand towards the bedside table, Manu said, quickly, before the door was shut.
She stopped, turned around to face him, she saw him holding a scrabble on his left hand. This guy! How did he know that!
“I thought you would love to play. I bought it today. For us…”
For us! She thought, and said, “Who told you I like Scrabble?”
“Sometimes a man gets lucky.”
Mm! “Ok, one game…” She needed to beat him, at least on this game. Scrabble was truly her game, her favorite since her teenage age. And as far as she could remember, she never lost a game, except maybe to her dad, who was the guru.
“One game.” He said.
“And, what goes to the winner?” She tested the water, leaning her head on the door.
“What about anything within these four walls?”
“Mmh can’t see much in here...” She was closing the door behind her, getting back inside.
“Really? Ok, what about this one…”
“What’s that?”
“I win, you strip off. You win, I do the same.”
“What? Are you crazy?”
“No I’m not. Test me.”
“Jesus, what’s this?” She whispered, almost to herself.
He heard her and said, “The prize, for the winner. Deal?”
“Ok. Deal!” Not believing she said that. What if he turns out to be good…I will be damned. She thought.
But it was too late. He already was busy clearing the floor for the game… “Please, help yourself, gotta go for a quick shower. Be right back.” He said, pointing to the fridge, before he stormed into the bathroom. Minutes later he was back, all dressed up.
The game was on.
Right off the bat, Misoji stroked with an immediate use of ‘Z’ for Zeal, on a double word score for 26points.
Quickly, Manu countered with a body blow, ‘Zoology’, a triple letter score on one ‘O’ and a‘Y’, giving him 30points.
But she was smart, and was taking it seriously. She charged ahead by 45points, two rounds later, using the triple word score for ‘Quote’.
Manu got his own bingo for 74 points, using all of his 7 letters for ‘Mourning’, and was back on the lead by 29.
Soon she countered with 32points of her own. One could cut the tension out there with a butter knife.

They were in the middle of the game, Misoji leading by 20points. Manu went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Merlot wine, pointing it at her. “Does this do?”
“Not often. But today I may take one…”
He opened it and poured in two glasses, offering her one.
“Thanks…”
“So welcome.” The game continued for thirty minutes more.

Now, in the final two rounds, Manu leading by 30points, he could see the pressure mounting on Misoji. He smiled.
“What?” she asked.
“I’m winning this…”
“It’s mine. You wait and see…” she said, adjusting her shapely size-32 waist well on the floor.
It was her turn. She dropped ‘Bum’ on triple word score, cutting his lead to 9.
Manu came back on top with the word ‘Ex’, adding an extra 9points; leaving him with only one letter on hand.
She had seven. She flinched…
What will she do? Let’s see. He thought.
She picked her half empty glass of wine, swallowed all. She watched as he poured in another glassful of wine in her glass. Not this time, girl. Not this time! She thought, for a moment, checking out her remaining letters. Then, she struck, using all of her 7 letters for the word ‘Exaggerate’, on a triple word score, getting an extra 50points for a whopping 104!
The game was literally over. She won!
“Damn, you whipped me!”
“No, you let me win it.” She smiled, exhaling.
“How could I do that? You won it, smart girl!” then added, “So, it’s me…”
She looked at him, sipped on her wine, twice. She rolled her eyes around, scanning the room then back at him, “Strip off!” and soon she came to her senses, What am I doing?
“Damn!” He had mixed feelings, but had to do it anyway. He loved it. Quickly, he stripped off his fitting t-shirt, so doing, his muscles flexed. Then his hands moved down to his trunk, he paused. Then he stared at her.
She waited there, holding her breath in anticipation. She could feel the effect of wine on her mind.
Slowly, he unzipped his trunk, and soon he was completely naked.
She could see his flesh growing, inch by inch before her curious eyes. “My, my, my!” She whispered huskily, her tone arousing him, even before he got a glimpse of her soft, feminine curves. She could see confidence displayed on his face, and she came back to her senses. Her body was overpowering her will… Oh what can I do? She thought, as she could now see him moving towards her, so close she was clouded by his clean, natural male smell. She didn’t know what to do. She just thought, You're not going to do this to me again. I won't let you.
He was now holding her face in his hands, feeling her hesitation.
She couldn’t speak. Her lips were trembling.
He pulled her face onto his, evoking this response from his own rasping, trembling voice, “Oh, y--you're so natural…the most beautiful woman I've ever seen!”
He got her, as the fury inside of her whirled out of control, she gasped "O-oh, Manu!" while cradling his head to her chest, wanted to say I want you so much, please, take me, take me all, but she bite he lower lip instead. Oh poor girl, she thought, almost resigning, when, miraculously, her mobile phone rang.
Their hearts stopped.
Fast, girl, fast! She quickly recovered and moved to pick the mobile up. “It’s mom!” she whispered to him and towards the caller, “Hi mom! Shikamoo... Yeah, I’m okay mom. What about you and dad?... Oh, that’s good mom. One second, mom, ok...?” She glanced at Manu who was now standing beside her, still in his birth suit. She whispered at him, “One minute, please.” She headed for the door, online with her mom.
Ten minutes passed. Twenty minutes. As it hit thirty, the realization hit on to Manu, Misoji was not coming back. He now had his shorts on and he wanted to be sure of what he thought had happened. He opened the door and scanned outside. There was no sign of Misoji. He walked downstairs, looking, calling. She was nowhere to be seen. “Damn, I got busted!”
________________________________

A special live Latino band was performing at the Hotel that Friday evening.
There was with a combination of Chacha, Rumba, Salsa, and the likes. The Dolphin bar was full was packed with people drinking and enjoying the Latin dance, Manu was among people who were looking for empty tables at the bar. It took him more than a minute to spot one at the far corner.
He moved quickly and was about to pull a chair when a voice from behind said, “Come on. Are we goin’ dancin’ or what?”
She had an American accent. He spun and saw who she was.
“Hi, I’m just trying to…”
“Here, let’s go.”
He stared at her, undecided, watching her moving few steps to the dancing floor, then turned around only to see him still standing there, staring at her. “Oh, don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Stand there, lookin’ dumb. It’s just not cute in a guy your age.”
He sighed, smiled a bit, but didn’t say a thing.
“Come on. And stop lookin’ that way at my ass.”
Few people around the area turned to look at Manu. Then he heard few laughs. He stared at the woman again and then followed her. “Ok, ok. I’ll try.”
“That’s ma man!” And when he reached where she was, she said, “It’s Tango.”
“Um… uh…”
“You ever danced that before?”
“No. No. But I’m a fast learner.” Then his eyes stuck at the couple beside them. A fifty-something years old Arab man dancing with a twenty-something years old African woman with that dark-complexion and a pear-like juicy body; now it happened that the man was moving his hand intentionally on her healthy buns, and the woman snapped his hand quickly before he managed to squeeze them. She faked an angry face, and attempted to quit the dance. The man pleaded with her not to leave, almost with his knees down, and Manu could not stop himself from smiling. Then as if nothing really happened, he saw the girl’s face turning into a smile, stylishly rolling her big-hypnotic eyes as she resumed dancing with her old partner.
“You know what they say? The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice”
Smiling, Manu turned his gaze at the American woman. He almost had forgotten her. “I never believed that.” His eyes back to the Arab and the cocoa girl.
“Forget ‘bout him. Othman always insists on dancin’ with the youngest girls. I’ve never seen him with his perfect partner…Not that those are easy to find.”
“Have you ever found one?”
“Once. He was ma dancin’ partner for fifteen years.”
“Yeah?”
“Um-huh. We were husband and wife for 14. The best dancin’ couple ever!”
“Wow!”
“Yeah. He was my perfect partner. Doesn’ happen twice in a lifetime. I’m lucky it even happened once. ” then another track came in and she said loudly, “Ah, at last, a song I know. Oh, I love this song.” And she took his hands, and started shaking her body, singing loudly, “Da da-da da…Shall we still be together…With our arms around each other…and shall you be my new romance? On the clear understanding that this kind of thing can happen. Shall we dance, shall we dance, shall we dance?” then she looked at him, grabbed him, locked her right hand with his left, moved them up there and intertwined, her left hand around his back, and she said “Oh, c’mon, handsome, let’s try it.”
“No. No, no, no, I can’t. No way. I can’t.”
“Why not? Oh man, come on, come on.”
“I don’t…no. I don’t want to…” but she overpowered him, pulling him deep into the crowd and started dancing, dragging him for a moment, before he caught up with her. His right hand moved around her back, and was in full swing with her now.
Soon she noticed that he was even a better dancer than herself. She was amazed.
“You lied to me.” She said, observing his perfect moves.
“No I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did. Oh men..!”
____________________________

She was busy turning the pages of the book 'Before You Do' as was on bed early that evening. It didn’t take her long before the book fell over her chest as the sleep took over her. She was awakened by a violent sound that was coming from outside the window.
Trembling, Misoji dragged her body off the bed and slowly moving toward the edge of that wide glass window… she poked the end of that pulled aside the curtain, slowly and carefully, hoping to see a stalker. To her amazement, she was welcomed by a heavy wind! God, this is all that I was trembling for? She laughed at herself, and opened the curtains much wider. The sight of romantic lights coming off the Dolphin bar welcomed her; their light reflected along the coast… people were dancing. That is when she remembered that there was a live band performing at the Hotel that night. She opened the door leading to a balcony. While outside she got a better, view from the restaurant and bar. People were drinking, laughing loudly, and dancing. Many were couples. She could hear Latin music playing. She loved Latin music. She felt something running all over her body, inside the pinky nightdress she was wearing. She went back inside. Closed the door and walked to the refrigerator, took a bottle of wine. She poured in one glassful was drinking on it. The wind was still blowing on that glass window…she stood there at the window, staring at the bar, her thoughts traveling a far…
Then she moved back to pick her wristwatch. It was just 0815pm. The sleep was all but gone, and the wine reminded her that she hadn’t taken in her dinner. She took a shower, dressed up and went out of the room.
She dined at the restaurant and then headed for the bar.
Timing could never been as perfect. As she was entering the Dolphin bar, Misoji’s eyes hit up straight with a white woman tapping Manu’s shoulder. And as she went on to sit in the corner at the bar, ordered a glass of wine, while observing Manu and that woman. She could see that the woman was insisting on dancing with him. Misoji didn’t recognize her at first. Then later on she remembered the woman, was the one she saw at the beach the other day; the one that swam with Manu. She felt a twinge of disappointment. Her wine turned sour…
As they say the rumba is a vertical expression of a horizontal wish, Misoji could see Manu holding the American, and was moving his hands all over her shoulders, her waist, on her thighs…like the skin on her thigh was his reason for living; letting her go, now and then, like his heart’s being ripped from his chest…pulling her back, like he was going to have his way with her right there on the dance floor. The woman was visibly swooning in his hands and grips. He was like a frame. She was the picture in his frame. Everything that he was doing was like showing her off.
As the band continued to rock hearts, Misoji’s eyes didn’t lose the sight of the two. She wanted to know where that dance will take them. Manu was exhausting the woman. His moves were superb. The way he was moving his legs, his body, rolling around. Minute by minute, she could see, the American was getting explicitly and crazy onto him, visibly panting.
God, this guy can dance! Breathing heavily, she thought to herself. Then out of the blue, while the music was still on, she saw the American’s lips brushing off Manu’s, and before she knew it, the woman was kissing Manu’s lips and had his head in her hands. She could see him trying to move off his head, but the woman pressed harder, visibly forcing her tongue through his lips. Then she saw him kissing her back, for few seconds, and then took off his head from the woman’s hands. Misoji felt disappointed.
_____________________________

The music rocked on for few minutes, followed by rapturous applause.
Manu was about to say bye and leave the floor when he heard the voice booming from the Microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, a toast! To the Band and to our Happiness!”
That was followed by more applause and cheers!
Oh, thank God! The thought.
“Hey, so…let me go for a glass of…”
“Oh, my love…I hope I get to see ya and dance with you once more before I fly back to States. Thank you for helpin’ me to see this. Now, for the first time in a long time, I wanna dance again.”
“Never mind, Madam, deal.” Manu said, as he patted her back
“Paula. It’s Paula.” The woman said.
He didn’t bother replying back, he split, pretending like he did not want to miss that toast.
______________________________

After she saw that white woman kissing Manu in the lips, and the fact that he wasn’t resisting much, she felt bad, so bad that something heavy like a lump moved through her stomach and stuck up there into her throat. Then she turned her back at them until when she heard the music stops and the Deejay announcing a toast. She glanced once again at the dance floor. She could not see either Manu or that white woman. Her heart sank.
She didn’t see any reason to stay there longer. So she sipped almost the glass full of wine, braced herself as it was getting through her throat and was about to step down off where she was seated, when she felt a small tap on her left shoulder.
“Hey, will you dance with me?” The baritone voice came inches from her left ear.
She felt like her back was stung by a scorpion. She jumped and almost let go of her purse off her hand. Then she put her right hand on her chest. “God, you startled me! You made my heart stop…!”
“Oh, really? Sorry my dear. But hey, feel my heart. Feel how fast it’s beating? It better stop rather than beating like this huh?”
“How did you see me sitting here?”
“Over there, on the dancing floor. And I could tell…”
She jumped in, “So all this time you were…Enhe, what could you tell?”
“That you looked on the outside the way I was feeling on the inside.”
“And what was that?”
“Well, you didn’t answer my first question.”
“What was that?”
“Will you dance with me?”
“What if your sugar-mammy comes back and sees you dancing with me? I don’t want to get into any trouble.”
“Sugar what? What are you talking about?”
She said, matter-of-factly, “That white woman you’ve been dancing with all night.”
“Oh, that… But she was nothing more than a dancing partner.”
“Dancing partner…kissing and fumbling at each other in public like that…”
“Oh I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…Please. I didn’t mean anything by...”
“It’s okay. Take it easy, ok?”
“Have you ever been fishing?”
“Yes, few times. So what..?”
“The bait always dies.”
“What?”
“She was the bait.”
“Jesus!”
“Well, listen, I really wish I didn’t freak out like that. I wasn’t helping anybody.”
“You’ve been great, though.”
“You’re making me sound nicer than I am.”
“You’re nice.”
“No, that’s—the kiss of death.” dropping
“What do you mean?”
“Will you dance with me?”
She chuckled, “Dance, huh. I don’t dance.”
“I say you do.” and with that, he swept her off her feet like a baby doll, carrying her in his arms all the way to the dancing floor, as the DJ was on Sway, of The Pussycat Dolls, and the floor went wild. Even Misoji got caught up instantly by the track. She could not help herself from smiling at Manu as he was singing softly at her while moving, skillfully. When marimba rhythms start to play, Dance with me, make me Sway. Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore, hold me close, Sway me more. Like a flower bending in the breeze, bend with me, sway with ease.
Misoji was into the dancing now. She was good too. She had better chemistry with Manu than that American woman. Manu could see and feel that.
They danced, and danced. Slow. Close. Pelvis to pelvis.
She gasped, as he swept her, bending her on her back, her hair almost touching the floor, then he took her back upright. “Oh, smooth. You know, they once banned dipping in some—some countries…”
“I didn’t know that. Why?”
She gasped, as his face accidentally brushed off hers. “Be-Because it was considered a form of …foreplay.
“Oh, man. That was crazy.”
When we dance you have a way with me, stay with me, sway with me. Other dancers may be on the floor. Dear, my eyes will see only you. Only you have that magic technique, when we Sway. I go weak- I go so weak….
He stared at her as she was now singing, following Sway lyrics. “I love the way you sing and dance.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Thank you. You know, you look good tonight, right?”
“Your hair looks fine.”
“Thank you. You’re a great dancer.”
“You’re so good at it too.”
“But not like you.”
“Well, you know, body movement is my specialty.”
She gave him a big curious smile.
After a moment of silence, he said, “How long do you want to stay here…”
“I don’t know. Maybe not long.”
“What you wanna do?”
“Something fun.”
He took her in his hands and kissed her lips.
“Come on, let’s get out of here.”
As they were leaving the floor they heard a voice, “Hey, darling one second, let me introduce you to a friend!”
They turned around together just to see two women rushing towards them. One was the same American woman, and another one was a young beautiful woman, white woman, of Misoji’s age. Misoji was annoyed. And as Manu showed the hesitance to ignore them, Misoji brushed past him, muttering, "See you tomorrow." The lump was back in her throat. Her head was on fire.
He didn’t answer that, just let her walk past him, for a moment, just staring at her beautiful body from behind. Then he turned to the American.
_____________________________

It seemed only a second passed, so fast she didn't know how he got there and didn't even consider analyzing it. She felt him grabbing her arm and turned her toward the wall. He was leaning against her, his arm so close to her head she could have curled into it if she had the guts. Bad enough that she couldn't breathe, speak, swallow or hear anything outside of her own painfully thudding heartbeat. She must have looked like a deer caught in headlights.
"You wanna get together?" he asked in a low voice that had her wanting to melt on the corridor until she became nothing more than a puddle at his feet.
Managing to swallow past the big lump in her throat, she choked out, "To do what?"
He shrugged. She wanted to reach back and touch him to get the feel of his bald head. At same time, she was angry at the games he was playing with that American.
"I don't know. I sing a song, you dance. Watch movies…whatever."
Maybe it was foolish or childish, but she couldn't help asking, "Are you serious?"
"Why not?" He said on a roguish grin that made her dizzy with her own desire. "I haven't had a good cookie in a long time."
She was reading into it. His tone wasn't downright lewd. Was it? God, she was so excited, she was afraid her heart would beat right out of her chest...or she'd do something stupid like throw herself into his arms and scream, "I love you, I love you, I love you!"
"You know how to bake, don't you?"
Wendy laughed slightly. "I make a mean chocolate chip," she told him, breathlessly bold.
"Mhm. My favorite. The whole bag of chips, right?"
His arm slid down and then his fingers tangled with a strand of her hair.
Oh, now! Just take me now. Pick me up in your arms and take me to your cave. I surrender.
And he took her into his room.
______________________________

“Oh, subiri. Let me get this off. ”Misoji said, panting. She was attempting to take off her clothes. They were inside his room… kissing and fumbling at each other.
“No, Misoji.” He signaled for her not to take her clothes off. But he could see she was busy pulling up the long skirt.
“No. No, no, no, no. I can’t do this.” he said, while clearly panting too.
She glanced at the swollen front of his pants and said, “look at this, oh my..!” She moved forward and kissed his lips, twice then he stepped back.
“No, no, no, no. I—I need to tell you something.”
“Yes. Whatever it is, tell me!” She was anxious to be taken. She wanted him, badly.
“No, Look. I prefer to take it slow.”
“Slow? No. this is more than…Oh, no, it’s okay. I want to--” she moved in and kissed him again. This time she got hold of his head for a moment.
“No. No, Misoji. I just…Look, you’ve been through so much stuff. And I don’t wanna mess things up. I want it to be perfect. Nadhani ni vyema tukisubiri kidogo. ”
Misoji felt confused. She did not know what to say now. She just and said, “I have to respect that, eti eh?”
“Yeah, please.”
“I have to go. See you kesho.” She jumped of the bed.
“Please, don’t be mad at me.” Manu said, standing up, taking her in his hands.
She wanted to say, No, I’m not. It’s just—I just never had a guy who cared so much about my feelings. It’s kind of…Oooh. It’s making me want you even more. But she said, “Well, if I don’t leave right now, I’m gonna start saying all kinds of hot, nasty, dirty things to…” Her heart still was pumping… faster, feeling all that crazy.
He kissed her, “How hot and nasty?”
“Really! Acha tu...” She said, kissing him back. She almost bit off his lips.
He pulled back. “Go. Go!”
“Oh, God. Okay…” She grabbed him again, attempted to kiss him.
“Stay.”
“Yeah? Oh, God.” They kissed again, struggling into each other’s arms.
“No.”
“Okay.” And she got off his hands. Leaving him standing there, and was at the door.
“Hey sikia--”
"Goodnight Manu." She muttered as she banged the door behind her.
He frowned a little. "I'll see you kesho."
__________________________

Back in her room, she just wanted to jump on the bed and try to burry whatever had happened that night. She really didn’t understand whose problem that was, his or hers? It seemed he had done the right thing, for not rushing. Again, she thought the hide and seek games they were playing were hurting them more than helping, unless he was sleeping with that old white woman… She thought, her head buzzing. Her body was so much on fire. She was feeling crazy. She closed the door behind her and flicked on the lights. She took off the denim jacket she had on and tossed it on the couch. She kicked off her shoes, turned off the lights, and dived onto the bed when she felt it. She jumped off bed and went to the bathroom. A minute later she was back. Her room was dark but she kept the lights off as she started to undress. She had gotten her shirt and bra off when she heard a noise. It sounded like someone breathing heavily. The noise came from a corner in her bedroom. Misoji looked and got a glimpse of a shoe. Her eyes widened as she put her arms over her chest and stepped closer to the corner, searching for a switch, to turn on the lights. She heard the breathing sound but she felt it by her ear. Whoever it was had warm breath. Misoji started to step away but the shadowed figure put the hands on her shoulders, stopping her. She looked at the hands and gasped a little. Who is this guy? The shadowed figure spoke in a husky tone.
"Relax, Misoji. I'm not going to bit you."
Her heart skipped a beat! Her mind recognized the voice immediately. “Manu…?” Then the smell of his cologne hit into her nostrils.
She saw the glint of teeth as he smiled. "Yeah...It's me."
“How did you manage to…?”
He did not reply. She felt his gaze roam her body and she realized that she was partially naked. Misoji pulled herself out of his grasp. She moved back. He followed her, still close, their eyes locked. Hers frightened, uncertain. His was expressionless. No word uttered. Her eyes still stuck on his, she backtracked up to where she felt her back bumping against the glass window. She had nowhere to run, as he zeroed in on her, breathing hard. He outstretched his hands and opened wide the curtains. They could see each other more clearly as the room was enveloped by moonlight. His left hand moved on her face, he caressed her chin with his thumb, rubbing it down, opening her lips. "You're so beautiful, Misoji."
"What are you doing here, Manu? Go away. I can't see you again." She demanded, feeling embarrassed and angry. She saw his face zeroed in on hers, thought she was about to be kissed. Well, it was not, it brushed beside hers all the way to her right ear, and the rough masculine feel of his bearded face on the rounded sleekness of her shoulder killed her.
In her ear, he whispered, "Shhh! I will tell you later. I just want to kiss you…can’t sleep without."
Before she said a thing, she felt his mouth graze hers but she did not pull away. What scared her was that she wanted his kiss badly. His lips pressed against hers, sending tingling sensations from her mouth to her brain. Manu put one of his hands in her hair and opened his mouth on hers. She felt his tongue try to open her mouth so she opened it for him. He groaned slightly in surprise and slowly slid his tongue into her mouth. She was feeling hypnotized, as she felt his face brushing off hers, breathing heavily against hers. Oh, she loved his odor. She closed her eyes, just to feel his lips crushing on top of hers…they hungrily were kissing each other. She slowly moved her hands away from her chest and put them around his neck, moving her body closer to his. Manu felt her breasts pressing against his chest. He couldn't believe how Misoji he was. He brought his other hand up and cupped her left breast, gently squeezing it. Misoji moaned softly in his mouth and pressed herself into his hand. A moment later He pulled away from their breathtaking kiss so he could concentrate on her body. His other hand trailed down from her hair to her right breast, cupping it. His fingertips on his left hand started to trace around the nipple, not actually touching the nipple but touching the area around it. She moaned softly, wishing he would stop teasing her.
He must have read her thought because his mouth replaced his fingertips and started to suck slowly. Misoji gasped slightly and entangled her fingers on his smooth head. Jolts of pleasure coursed through Misoji’s body, causing her to bend like a string from a violin. She thought she died and went to heaven as she reached her explosive climax, there. She came down slowly, relishing in how good it felt to have a mouth on her breasts.

"Feel good?" He asked with a satisfied smile.
"Very…" She felt herself blushing.
"There is... something else I want to do if you will let me." His hungry gaze swept across her body, making the lower part of his body throb.
She felt his gaze and smiled. "What is it?"
He stepped closer so their faces were inches apart. "I want to make love to you…"
Misoji looked into his intense gaze and found her mouth dry. "I...want that too."
Manu smiled lazily and took off his shirt, letting it fall to the floor. He was about to unbutton his shirt when Misoji’s hands stopped him.
"Let me." She said as she started unbuttoning his shirt.
"Be my guest, honey." He said hoarsely.
She smiled softly at the pet name and took his arm for some reason. Kind of the way a mother would take hold of a lost child to lead him home. "Mister, your shirt's wet through.” “That's because it's raining outside." He said, his voice very soft, very deep, and stroking her nerve endings like fingers on velvet. "
“Yes, but when it's raining outside, most people stay inside." She spoke to him over her shoulder, avoiding his eyes, her fingers finishing undoing the last button.
He smiled at her.
Misoji pushed the shirt off his shoulders, admiring the strong, hard muscles of his arms. Her hand reached out to touch his stomach but she hesitated. "Can I touch you?" She looked into his eyes, uncertain.
Manu whispered, "I'll die if you don't." his eyes blazing in the darkness.
Misoji’s hand touched his stomach, feeling the muscles underneath. So strong...and so beautiful! Her heart whispered as her fingertip traced the pieces of the six-pack on his stomach. She looked into Manu’s passion filled eyes and grinned. She leaned up a little and kissed the throbbing pulse of his neck, hearing him moan in return. Her kisses trailed from his neck to his sternum. Manu brought her head up and kissed her, passionately. She kissed him back and felt him unbuttoning her pants, followed by his jeans. Their eyes were locked as doing this.
Then Manu slid a finger into Misoji’s underwear and tugged lightly. She pushed his hand away and took off her underwear herself, watching him as he took off his boxers. She was about to walk over to the bed when Manu grabbed her, turned her around and before she knew it, she felt him grabbing her buns, lifting her up in a hop against the window, then she felt him forcefully entering her. She wasn’t prepared for this. It happened so fast, and the pain was unbearable… “Mm-mm-mm!” she murmured, her voice trailing deep down his throat as his thick lips swallowed hers.
Buried deep inside her, he carried her onto the table nearby, his palm crashing down a glass and a jag full of water, clearing the space before laying her on top of it. He was hitting her wet spot with long, deep strokes. Her legs wrapped around his waist. Her stuff was like wet satin in his stick. Growling, she raked her teeth against his neck and she felt her orgasm rising, helplessly trying to tightening her stuff around his warm flesh. He could feel her vulva pulsating, her sex muscles squeezing him, as she was coming. Hers was long. He couldn’t survive that and he could feel her milking his way down to his last few drops.
It wasn’t until they’d settled down on that table to catch their breath that he moaned, “Goddamn, baby, I miss you already.” With that, he swept her off the table, and gently tossed her onto the bed.
She looked at him and smiled softly. She attempted to speak, but nothing came off her. Her eyes were becoming moist, she was crying with joy inside.
He moved onto the bed and sat down next to her. “Don’t say anything…And don’t think. And don’t move unless you feel it…” he whispered in her ear.
She didn’t say a thing but acted as he said. She caressed his cheek and kissed him gently. He kissed her back and gently started to push her down. She realized what he was trying to do and laid down. Manu got on top of her and kissed her again, in the eyes, tasting the salty off her tears. He was rubbing himself against her and gently nibbling on her bottom lip. She moaned loudly into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his back. His tongue slid across her bottom lip as he stopped rubbing against her body. Her tongue met his and they did a sexy duel. Misoji wrapped her legs around his hips, telling him that she was ready. He guided himself into her slowly, causing her to gasp in a mixture of pain and pleasure. Neither of them moved for a moment. They were lost in the feeling of being joined. Manu started to slowly push his hips against Misoji’s, grasping onto her bed sheets as his body was racked with intense pleasure. Misoji moved in counter rhythm, digging her fingernails into his shoulders as his pace quickened. Suddenly, Misoji’s mouth opened in a silent scream as she climaxed. A moment later, Manu shut his eyes and bit down hard on his bottom lip as he joined her multiples with one of his own.
He collapsed onto Misoji, breathing frantically, his heart pounding like a drum. Misoji’s head slumped against the pillow, breathing rapidly, her heart pounding too.
After a while, he rolled off her and curled up next to her, holding her in his arms. Misoji rested her head against him, enjoying the warmth and strength of his body.

“Hey, was that something fun enough?” he whispered while kissing her softly, on the forehead.
"Manu, I…" His mouth covered her mouth, cutting off what she was going to say. Her eyes were shiny with tears, her body still trembling. She could feel his rapidly stiffening member hardening again deep inside her needy flesh. She whispered in between the kisses, "Ooh, again please…I want it more..!" “Oh, Misoji…” He said, words trailing… rolling her on top of him for a ride of her own measures. In an instant she had taken possession of his flesh, had become one with him again. She looked down at his handsome face. She kissed his thick lips. He could feel an electric charge from her lips brushing off his ear. He moaned, heavily. His eyes were closed, as she began to make love to him again. It was the first time she had ever really made love to a man. Edmund had been so rigid, always insisting that he be in control. This experience was totally new to Misoji—and she was enjoying it even more. She was on top, had loved to be here, to be an active participant in this experience. She was not ashamed or embarrassed. She was doing what she wanted to do, perhaps for the first time in her life.

But Love Is…

2009-08-31T14:17:00.002+03:00

By Amos Bwire

Is a verb
Is how you see
Is how you feel
Is how you act
Is what you do
Is feeling adoring, adored
Is feeling exciting, excited
Is so much more than merely four letter word
Is leaving the door open knowing he will come back to you
Is gonna bring his heart back to ‘home sweet home’
Is saying sorry just because…‘Baby I hurt you’
Is tease them well before you please them
Is throwing away unreal replacing it with the real
Is knowing his flaws and loving him that much more
Is when you’re out make them want you to go back in
Is being not afraid to eat what feels right for your thirsty soul

Has a mistress named Lust
Is anticipated, unadulterated, uncontrolled
Is uninhibited, unrestricted, sometimes un-reciprocated
Knows forgiveness, yet love requires your doubtless trust
Is not a clash of two lives but homogenizing into one heart
Fills up every part, jumpstarts passion to adoration to bliss
Is no sugar coating, but challenging, tiring, in need of nourishment
Is about falling in love and falling out of love and falling in love again
Makes it all go round and turns that meaningless life around and all that worthwhile
Holds no promises but ‘tis so lovely a thing when we let go and let it show us the way

Loving me at my best and my worst
Loving myself knowing that I’m worthy
Doing nothing yet feel like you have everything
Never wanting to see her hurt, is wishing everyone I know meets her
Feeling her soft fingers on my face, passing not that unbelievable gaze
Wondering in awe of what amazing treasure that God has given mini me
Never wanting to say goodbye but wanting to cry just because you feel so high
Being open to be broken ‘cause one has to be loved first to get that way anyway
So blessed, asking the man above ‘Lord, is this just a test, really not just a fly?’
Can’t really pinpoint what this mystery is but feels so good you want to linger on
Is not wanting to get hurt, giving up your heart, letting your guard down aka being happy

Through all the pain there is love
Through all the trouble there is love
Through all the temptation there is love
Through all the misfortune there is love
Could be the simple love of a child
Could be the simple love of a sister
Could be the simple love of a mother
Could be the simple love of a lover
There is no recipe or equation
There is no scientific evaluation
There is no medical explanation
But it actually does exist
But it just is
But Love is.

Crime Story – An eye for an eye

2009-07-10T13:24:00.002+03:00

By Irena Pearse

The breeze shifted the fingers of the trees against the moon, as he dragged the body to the edge. He let go and looked down, pulling deep breaths. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. Something thudded at his feet. He started. Stood back and made a swift bend down. The metal glinted, and he exhaled, reached for the stone cold pocket knife, wiped it on his trousers and slipped it carefully back in his pocket, easing his legs straight as he stood tall again. He wiped the handkerchief across his brow, staring at the glinting, running water below and feeling the breeze now cooling him down.

It had been a tough job getting the body down here. He’d worked in the mines before and was used to heavy loads, but for some reason a human body of 100kg was more of a burden to shift than precious sand of the same weight. Maybe the soul weighed something when it needed to be felt. The soul. He reflected on this for a moment. How can he think this man had a soul? After what he’d done. He kicked at the chest. The body juddered. The hands and feet were trussed together, like a pig ready for the spit. Perfect.

He packed his moist handkerchief into his pocket and with his other hand pulled out his phone. Flipped it open. Began to text. The blue glow of the screen drew long shadows on his face, like a villain of melodrama in front of the footlights. The body groaned. The play was about to begin. He snapped the phone shut and fiddled with the knife in his pocket, turning it round in his hand, feeling the smoothness of the metal with his thumb. Waiting and watching. The body started to turn now, come to life. That ‘soul’ must be doing something, he thought. He let go the knife and lit a cigarette, drawing the tobacco slowly into his lungs. This would be a night to remember.

“Wakey, wakey.”

The body’s eyes opened and suddenly violently pulled against the rope.

“I wouldn’t move too much. There’s quite a drop below, some nasty looking sharp rocks along the way – ouch!” He flicked the cigarette stub over the ravine and watched the glow diminish into dark air. The body grunted, its mouth distorting on the gag, saliva seeped out and it started choking, spluttering. “Calm down, calm down, you’ll suffocate yourself, and that will ruin our little party tonight.”

To increase the dramatic effect he took out the knife and flicked it. The body froze.

“I should really have sharpened this before I came out, the blade will cause such a mess as it is. Oh well ‘beggars can’t be choosers’. The body’s eyes opened wide, the white’s shining under the moon. It was shaking its head frantically.

“We’ve done the others already. Distributed the parts we didn’t need down the river. That’s why my knife’s so blunt. We should really get a machete. Maybe the others will bring one tonight, or it will be such a long process.” The body shuddered. “We can’t start without them I’m afraid, so you’ll have to be patient.”

The body’s chest was heaving up and down, the nostrils flaring with each breath in order to drag the oxygen in. The man looked impassively at the body struggling, then a decision was made and he reached down. The body flinched as the man slit the gag with one violent cut, then gulped the fresh air through a fish-like mouth.

“No one to hear you scream, and like I said, we can’t have you suffocating.”

The body moved its jaws, drawing its tongue across its teeth and lips, willing the numbness away. The eyes stared, appealing, at the man.

“You’re making a big mistake” the voice rasped. “I’m connected - I’ve done nothing - you’ve nothing to prove. I was in town. I know what you’re thinking but I’m innocent. Really. An innocent man. Think of my wife. Children. I have an old mother at home. Three orphans I’m putting through school. It’s a mistake - I know those criminals; we were going to get them – we were double bluffing, just waiting for the evidence – to catch them red-handed, you know. You’ve acted too soon. Let me go, we can deal with this together within the law. Take me back to my station. You’re a ……umpf.”

The man had smashed the nose. Blood started to pour out. The body screamed in panic.

“Shut up you worm. What was it you and your friends did? First the beating? A broken rib here, a smashed tooth there, a cigarette burn somewhere else. Did gin numb the humanity in you? Did you ever have any? Did you take part, or just stand and watch the show? Did you think the entertainment would reward you with magic? Or did you only believe in the magic of the money you’d get? What happened next? The ritual slaughter, the slow razor over the throat, letting the blood seep out, slowly, painfully until the life had seeped out too. More gin. Sharpened knives. The legs, then the head? Did you take off the finger nails and hair before or after death? Which carries a higher value? But the head is most precious, uh. How did you decide who to trust with that? You weren’t very careful about how you packed up the pieces, so easy to trace your steps. But we’ll be much more careful, I assure you officer.”

A car door slammed in the distance. Then, as if in echo, three more.

“Ah ha. They must be here. You’re long wait is over, my friend.”

Against the blue moonlight the body looked wide-eyed at the gnarled horizon and through the trees, made out a host of angels. In unison they moved closer. White faces, white hands, curly white hair, white lashes, pink eyes. They were carrying sacks which clinked ready to reap a moonlight harvest.

The end.

Price of a wicked heart (Part-2)

2009-06-25T15:05:00.001+03:00

By Amos Bwire

Sabola sighed and leaned against the inside walls of the castle. He had taught Nashwa to conduct herself with self-confidence and sophistication. It likely came as no surprise to him when Nashwa was selected to become queen. He missed Nashwa, though, but was happy to be able to see her almost every day. He was saddened that she had to hide the fact that she was a Nubian from the King. It was all so dangerous for her… and she was so young. What if... Sabola shook his head. It is not good to think of such things, he thought to himself. Nashwa will be fine.

Low voices close by startled him out of his reverie…

"No, that’s too long to wait and far too public a place," said another voice. "It is best to do it while he is sleeping. Perhaps we could bribe one of the servants."

Sabola peeked around the corner and saw the men standing there. His eyes widened when he recognized two of the King’s men, Dalmar and Asad. He flattened himself against the wall for fear of being seen and continued listening as they finalized their plot to kill King Bahdoon in his sleep the following night.

As soon as it was safe, Sabola rushed to see Nashwa.

"Sabola, you must have misheard. Dalmar and Asad are the King’s men. Why in the world would they want to do something like that?" Nashwa argued.

"I know it sounds impossible, but it is what I heard. You must warn the King right away," Sabola urged.

Nashwa frowned, "But what if we’re wrong. The King will think I’m a foolish young girl with an over-active imagination!"

Sabola thought a moment. "Perhaps," he said thoughtfully, "but won’t you risk looking a fool to save his life?"

Nashwa nodded, "You’re right, Sabola. I will tell him immediately."

When Sabola had left, Nashwa hurried through the outer gardens toward the palace courts. Reaching the King's throne room, Nashwa adjusted her crown and smoothed her skirts. This was IMPORTANT business! She walked in quietly but quickly and made her way to King Bahdoon' throne. Nashwa bowed and the King took her hand.

"What is it, my Queen?" he asked.

Nashwa rose and said, "Asad and Dalmar are plotting to kill you, my Lord."

The King frowned. "How do you know this, Nashwa?"

"Sabola, my cousin, heard them talking at the gate. They plan to bribe your servant and kill you tomorrow night while you are asleep."

The King leaned forward and asked, "Are you sure of this?"

"Yes, your majesty," Nashwa replied solemnly.

King Bahdoon then called over several guards and told them what Nashwa had said.

The guards were immediately dispatched to find the servant, who fearfully confirmed Nashwa’s story. The servant didn’t think it too wise to lie to the King when questioned directly about the plot.

"Thank you, Nashwa. You’ve saved my life," King Bahdoon said, looking at Nashwa with a smile.

Returning his smile, she said, "You're welcome, but it is really Sabola's doing, your majesty."

"Please give him my thanks, and thank you for coming to me without delay."

"You're welcome, your majesty." Nashwa bowed and left quickly.

_________

Meanwhile, Sabola sat outside the palace gates watching the people run around, doing their various activities. Just then a loud trumpet was blown.

Sabola looked down the road to see several men carrying another man in a tall chair. It was Demissie, a court official. Sabola frowned. Demissie always made people bow to him, but Sabola never did -- he bowed before God and no other. When Demissie passed by him, Sabola sat quietly, only looking at the ground. Soon he looked up again when he heard the other man pass by.

Demissie was furious! Sabola’s refusal to bow made him furious. Didn’t he know how important Demissie was!

"I'll get rid of him then," Demissie thought with a wicked grin on his face. "Better yet, he's a Nubian, miserable lot. I'll get rid of every one of them!" He chuckled at the thought as he made his way towards the palace.

He marched into the throne-room and bowed with a flourish. "Your majesty," he said importantly, "it has come to my attention that there is a group of people in this land that do not respect you or your laws. They are a bad example for your other subjects and must be dealt with before they begin to plot against you and cause discontent throughout the entire Kingdom."

"Who are these people?" King Bahdoon demanded.

Demissie bowed low and said, "My Lord, they are the Nubians."

King Bahdoon was infuriated at the thought that there was another plot of some sort brewing in the Kingdom. Perhaps it was these Nubians who had turned Asad and Dalmar against him!

Demissie could see he had the King’s attention and quickly added, "Your majesty, I have a plan to get rid of them."

The King nodded, and, taking his signet ring off his finger, handed it to Demissie. "Do with the people as you wish," he said solemnly.

Demissie bowed and scurried quickly out of the room. "Ha, ha!" he chuckled with glee. "I've got Sabola now! He'll wish he had kissed my very feet!" Demissie immediately issued a decree that every Nubian in the land would be put to death on the 13^th day of the December, that year.

When the news reached Sabola, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went out into the city, wailing loudly. In every place to which the decree of the King came, there was great mourning among the Nubians, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay on sackcloth and ashes.

Nashwa soon heard the mourning and crying outside the palace and sent two servants to find out what was wrong. When the servants came back, they had a message from Sabola.

"Queen Nashwa, Sabola says that King Bahdoon has signed a decree that says every Nubian must die on the 13th day of December," said one servant. "He wants you to go to the King and get him to change the law," the other servant said.

Nashwa put her hands on her head and began pacing back and forth. "But it’s been 30 days since I was last called by the King. If I go to his throne room without being asked to, it will be me who is put to death." And this is how the Queen would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king's palace. In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Zahur, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the King unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name. And if she does so without his consent, her punishment was death.

But that did not prevent her from risking her life by entering the inner court to see the King. Finding favor in Nashwa, the King held out his golden scepter to her, allowing her act of entering the court without invitation acceptable.

Nashwa awoke from her sleep that night with a start, "Perhaps God wanted me to become Queen to stop the Nubians from being put to death! Why else had she been chosen Queen?"

The next morning, Nashwa said to her servant, "Go now and tell Sabola to get all the Nubians together and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days. I too will fast and when it is done, I will go before the King, even though it may mean my death."

___________

Price of a Wicked Heart (Part-1)

2009-06-20T13:56:00.002+03:00

By Amos Bwire

"Please don’t make me go," begged Nashwa, teary.

"You must, Nashwa. Every girl in the Sheba Kingdom is to enter by order of the king," her uncle, Sabola explained. Nashwa's parents had died when she was young and he had raised her ever since.

Nashwa crossed her arms and said, "I’m happy where I am. I certainly don’t want to be a Queen. Besides, I’m Nubian and the King isn’t. There are lots of Sheba girls entering the beauty contest – they don’t need me."

"You have to enter and that is final. Besides, there are so many girls entering, you likely won’t be chosen anyways," Sabola assured her. "And when you go, I don’t want to hear about you pouting. I know what a lovely person you are and I want to make sure you stay that way."

The girl smiled and hugged the man, unable to refuse him for long, "All right, uncle. For you, I will go cheerfully."

Sabola smiled gratefully and then frowned slightly,

"Nashwa, wait. There is one last thing you must promise me."

"Yes?" said Nashwa, somewhat concerned by the serious look Sabola had taken.

"You must not let ANYONE know that you are a Nubi. Do you understand?" She nodded sadly, "Yes, I understand."

_________

This happened during the time of Bahdoon, who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from Egypt to Sudan to Ethiopia. At that time King Bahdoon reigned from his royal throne, and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders and the princes of the provinces were present. All one hundred twenty seven provinces gathered to acknowledge the King. For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his Kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the King's palace, for all the people, from the poorest to the wealthiest, who were in his Kingdom.

The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of crystal rocks, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones. Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king's liberality. By the king's command each guest was allowed to drink in his own way, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished.

Queen Leyla also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Bahdoon. On the seventh day, when King Bahdoon was drunk from wine and spirits, he commanded the eunuchs who served him to bring Queen Leyla before him, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, exposing herself in front of the King and his male guests, for she was sexy and lovely to look at.

But Queen Leyla refused the humiliating order, knowing that she was risking her life, as by doing so and according to the governing law, she deserved death.

"According to law, what must be done to Queen Leyla?" Thereafter the King asked his experts in matters of law and justice.

"She has not obeyed the command of the King," one of his advisors replied in the presence of the king and the nobles, "Queen Leyla has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces of King Bahdoon. Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree which cannot be repealed, that Leyla is never again to enter the presence of King Bahdoon. Also let the king give Leyla’s royal position to someone else who is better than her."

The king and his nobles were pleased with this advice, so the king did as his advisor proposed. And later, when the anger of King Bahdoon had subsided, he remembered Leyla and the expertise she had on pleasing him when she was still a Queen, and he felt in need. So on seeing this, the King's personal attendants proposed, "Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the King. Let them be placed under the care of Zahur, the king's eunuch. Before a girl's turn comes to go in to King Bahdoon , she has to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics. Then let the girl who pleases the king be queen instead of Leyla."

This advice appealed to the King, and he followed it.

Many girls were brought to the Fortress of Kushi and put under the care of Zahur.

This is how Sabola persuaded his orphan cousin Nashwa, whom he had brought up as his own daughter when her father and mother died, a lovely girl in form and features, to enter into that ‘Queen searching’ competition.

____________

When Nashwa was falling asleep that night, she began to think about what it would be like at the palace. She’d have to spend an entire year there, away from family and friends, before the King would even choose his new bride. "Ah well," she thought, "at least I’ll get to return home after that. After all there’s no way the King would end up picking a peasant, Nubian girl as his Queen – no matter how lovely people thought she was." Nashwa shivered even though it was a warm evening.

The next morning, Nashwa packed her bags. She was happy that her cousin would be able to visit her quite often as he worked at the palace as a minor official. Nashwa carefully combed her long dark hair and gazed longingly out the window. She’d miss the sights and sounds of her home and wanted to commit every detail to memory.

Sabola walked by, stopped and turned back. "You look so thoughtful Nashwa," he said with a smile.

Nashwa nodded. "I hope I'm not chosen to be the Queen. I prayed all last night that God would make the King choose someone else."

"Nashwa!" Sabola chided, "You mustn’t pray only for what you want, but for what God wants of you."

Nashwa looked confused and Sabola smiled gently. Sometimes he forgot how young she still was.

"What I mean is," he began again, "that God may not always give us what we want, but he does provide us everything we need. You can't just ask for what you want all the time, because it might not be what God wants. So you must ask for what God wants."

Nashwa thought a second and responded slowly, "But … I don't know what God wants. How can I pray for something I don’t know?"

Sabola said, "Well, you could simply pray, 'God, I want whatever you want. I put my trust in You.' Do you understand?"

"I think so ...does that mean, instead of saying, 'God, please don't let the King choose me for his queen,' I am to say, 'God, if you want me to be Queen, then I will be happy with your decision. Please help me do my best to be a good one'?" Nashwa asked.

Sabola smiled and kissed Nashwa on the forehead, "That sounds perfect."

The year passed quickly, but Nashwa missed her home every day. Just as she’d promised Sabola, she did her best to remain cheerful and kind. And every night she prayed that God would help her do His will.

Nashwa didn’t like the way some of the other girls teased each other and tried to be kind to everyone she met. Because of her gentle nature Nashwa became friends with Zahur, who had charge of the harem. The girl won his favor. Immediately he provided her with best beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven maids selected from the king's palace and moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem. Nashwa had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Sabola had forbidden her to do so.

Twelve months passed and it was time for Nashwa to go see the King. Zahur led the beautiful girl to the King's palace, people stopped to stare at Nashwa’s gentle beauty.

"Nashwa, do not be afraid of the King," Zahur said to her as they neared the throne room. All the other girls who went through the process before Nashwa had failed badly. And she was terrified too.

When they had reached the throne room, Nashwa took a deep breath and knelt before King Bahdoon . "Dear God," she prayed silently, "give me the strength to do your will."

The King gazed down at Nashwa. "My goodness," he thought, "this one is young. She’s very beautiful, but I don’t know…"

It was at that moment that Nashwa finished her silent prayer. Without thinking, she raised her head (something she shouldn’t really have done without the King’s permission, but it was her habit when she’d finished her prayers.) The look on her face was so serene, it increased her beauty ten-fold.

He broke into a wide grin, "What is your name?"

Nashwa realized her error, bowed her head and looked at the floor. "Nashwa, my Lord."

"Nashwa, it’s alright you can look up now," said the King. She looked up at his smiling face and blushed slightly, which pleased him too. The King’s heart was hers.

"You have a beauty beyond all beauty. Beauty of the flesh and of the heart!" he exclaimed.

King Bahdoon beckoned to Zahur, "Zahur, this woman, shall be my Queen. You have cared for her well, and her beauty surpasses all others, inside and out. Thank you."

Zahur nodded and said, "You are most welcome, great King, I am honored to be of service to you."

King Bahdoon then called for a servant to bring Queen Leyla's old crown. He took it and placed it gently on Nashwa's head. "You, Nashwa, are now my Queen."

Contd…

When Taboo is Lifted

2009-06-18T07:44:00.002+03:00

By Amos Bwire

My name is Fawziyah. My father is from Oman and my mother is from Comoro. I spent my last holiday in Zanzibar and stayed at Kempinski Hotel. There is where I met Zahra, a lovely African waitress at the Hotel.

Zahra had long legs, and stood at five-feet-eleven inches, simply she towered over many men and women around the Hotel. And very rarely she would wear dresses or high heels or put on make-ups. She usually was wearing pant suits office uniforms, or rather donned jeans and fitting-dress shirts if not a T-shirts, when off of while leaving the Hotel premises. I never spotted her on skirts, and according to what she told me later, that's how she felt comfortable, saying that she would feel completely awkward in a dress. Her dress code fitted her so well, combining with her clean-shaven head. She was both strong by body and mind. Had that divine exotic looks and cosmetic free cocoa complexion that gave her a so natural feminine appearance.

That day, I was lying wide-spread on a seat beside the pool, sun-burning my body after a morning of long swimming. I saw Zahra walking towards me, “Anything to drink madam?”

It took me few seconds before I replied “No. my dear. I’m ok” Then my eyes ran on top of a thick foreign magazine she was holding in her hand. The article that drew my sudden interest was titled: Why Women are leaving Men for other Women…

Oh, this is interesting. I suddenly thought, and was attracted to see what was in that article..

Like she was reading my mind, Zahra smiled and said, “You want to read it? I can leave it with you. I’m almost done with it.”

“Yes, please!” I found myself saying.

“It’s full of interesting facts…”

“Facts…like?”

“Facts like…well, you know, when a taboo is lifted or diminished, it's going to leave people freer to pursue things. Facts about such freedom…" She said, smiled and then walked away, leaving that piece of magazine lying on my lap.

That’s when it all began…

In the evening, she came back for her magazine. I was seated at the bar, sipping quietly on my glass of wine and she was standing beside me. After a short moment of chatting, about that same article, she climbed on a chair that was closer to mine and sat on it. I ordered her a drink, a savanna. Though her shift was already over, she was still wearing her work uniform, a fine dark blue pant suit, a white-silk shirt and a loosened multicolored scarf.

She smelled so good for a person who had been busy the whole day at the Hotel.

As the talking heated up, I realized who she really was. I was nervous but anxious to get it on. I had no idea what we were supposed to do. All I knew was that my diamond was throbbing fiercely, and she, in her fitting uniform, looked so good to me. But hell, she had the same thing I had. As I sat there waiting for her to make her move, she was seated there waiting for me to make mine. So after a short encouraging discussion I felt she was a bit more aggressive and willing and experienced, she would give me some direction. So I moved forth and kissed her once… posed…then I kissed her again, a quick one. As I detached, her face moved forth and she kissed me back and said, “Hey, I got a private room upstairs...lets go.”

Inside her room, she quickly undressed me while sharing a passionate kiss, full of tongue and juice. As skillful as she was, she tasted wonderfully. And an air skipped through my widely opened lips as I saw her stripping off her clothes, unwrapping out the most perfect- toned-smooth female body I had ever seen. Then she juxtaposed me and then engulfed me, and I felt overwhelmed.

A moment later she was whispering for me to stick my tail in her. What tail? In my youthful innocence and desperately not wanting her to stop kissing me, I slowly slid my fingers between her legs and entered her. She started moaning. Oh, that tail. I quickly found out that I could imitate a man’s thrust with just my long fingers. She wiggled on my index and fore fingers like a big worm, and I, amazed with this newfound pleasure – because it did feel quite nice, moved my lips from hers and redirected my passion to her breasts. Caressing them with my lips, I did to her what I knew had felt good to me whenever a man had sucked and play my nipples. She moaned some more, and, before I knew it, she’d had an orgasm.

What about me? I thought.

As she lied there stretched out on her bed, I watched her chest rise and fall while in her sudden slumber. Her nipples were still erect, and thick. She seemed comfortable. I, believing I’d done my part, rolled over into a fetal position and covered myself with the blanket. What about me? Maybe an hour or so later, after I was no longer aroused, I felt a kiss on my neck. It was soft and gentle; wet and tender. The kisses continued down my spine, along my thighs, and ended at the tip of my toes. Flipping me over, she moved her sensual-fat lips up the front of my calves and spread open my legs. Her kisses, now longer and more succulent, generated this vibration in my lower abdomen, that I’d never felt before in my life. My eyes, fixated on her sexy, African body…her thighs were toned, and her gluteus exquisitely rounded. Her shoulders were fairly broad for a woman. She had long eyelashes and sexy honey-brown eyes. Zahra simply oozed a strong sex appeal. My body shivered and my nipples abruptly hardened as her body slithered toward me, watered as she drew near. Anticipating her lips touching my private button, I jerked away and told her that I wanted to stop. I couldn’t envision getting any pleasure from someone pulling and tugging on that thing between my legs. Sitting in a huge wet spot created by my own moistures, I knew I wasn’t ready for that kind of sex. I wasn’t seeking my own gratification that night. I was merely satisfied with knowing I could get a woman off just like a man could…and with no dick…

I will say that our love-making was one of the most intense events of my life, but, during the whole thing, I found myself wanting to be a man with a huge dick planted inside her nature. I was on top of her, like my past boyfriends had been on top of me, working it and stroking it like a champ. And when I came, the muscles in my back tensed up as I released myself in her.

That whole night I felt this power…this aura about myself that I’d never felt before. Resting between Zahra’s legs, embracing her torso, I tickled her breasts with my tongue, as she begged for me to enter her again, and I did; but not with two fingers…I tried three…then all four... and it was all heaven!

….The butt of dawn caught me racing across the hotel corridors trying to get back to my room, prepared, and make it on time for the airport to pick up my sister and her husband, who were joining me in Zanzibar for the holiday. And then it hit me. I spent an entire night with a woman consumed with the idea of me being a man; the idea of me having a penis; the idea of me rooting her with something that God didn’t give me. The irony of the whole thing is that I felt like I had one; I felt that thing like it was real.

I went into my room and took a quick bubble bath, and afterwards, I sprayed myself with some perfume. I put on my tightest skirt and my highest heels and strutted myself back out to the rented car with my face beat. On the way to airport, I thought about my new sexual freedom and quietly laughed to myself. I checked my lipstick in the rearview mirror as I reached for my purse from the backseat. Delicately picking the lint off my skirt, I admired my gentle strokes against the fabric. Every part of me meticulous downs to the color of my lingerie that always were on point with my outerwear.

On the outside I walked on the tips of my toes – dainty and self-assured- bouncing my long, thick hair from side to side, I looked every bit of a lady to the world. I had it eating out of the palm of my hands. But on the inside, though, down beneath the smooth skin and soft fragrance, I walked like a man…

When a taboo is lifted or diminished, it's going to leave people freer to pursue things… Zahra’s voice whispered in my head as a wide involuntary grin built up on my face. For once I was a free woman, a sex-free human being.

LOVE NOT

2009-06-12T20:22:00.003+03:00

By Eric Kalunga

The clock on the table it read 10pm. She stared at it a moment longer as if by sheer will she could change the time.

How could he make her do this? How could he humiliate her like this? She felt rage rising inside her. It rose from her stomach, a burning wave of fury, that rose through her chest, scorching her heart and then settling on her head... overpowering everything else there.

But in the next second the anger was gone and what came in its place was hope and understanding.

He was going to come, any time now. Suddenly she was sure that she could hear the doors of the lift, at the end of the corridor outside, hissing open and then closing. She could even hear the soft chime that the lift made as it opened its doors.

But it was another false hope. No one came to the door knocking. In fact no one even so much as passed outside the door.

So hope was gone and its place came the fear this time. Something had gone wrong. He was on his way to see her at the hotel and has had a terrible accident. Right at this moment he is lying in a bed in a hospital, perhaps Muhimbili, breathing through tubes...
Oh My God...

And his wife, she was probably there too and their children. And here she was...

But this scenario suddenly left her head to make room for one even more terrifying. That he had simply decided to ignore her. He had left work but instead of driving here to the hotel he simply decided to go home to his wife.

Panic closed its fingers around her tummy and squeezed. She let out a small gasp and had to go back and sit on the bed.

She had switched off all the lights in the suite save for the one in the bathroom. This one spilled out through the open bathroom door and formed a pool of light right before the main door.
Joy, a lawyer with one of the biggest law firms in the city, lay back on the bed and closed her eyes, trying to decide what to do.

She should just leave and forget the whole thing. Yet as her her hands felt the soft sheets on the bed she couldn’t but imagine what would be in store for her if she waited and he came.
Joy, its been three hours... a voice spoke up inside her head. She looked at the clock again. 10.08 it read.

Only eight minutes had passed since she looked at it last but it seemed hours had elapsed.
No she would wait here, she decided. She would wait until he came because HE was coming. And when he did, when he knocked on the door, she was going to cooly open it.

He was going to reach to her and start apologising but she was going to brush him away like an annoying fly. She was going to enjoy the look of surprise and hurt on his face.

Then she was going to pick up her purse of the table, slowly walk to the door and walk out...
No wait....

She was going to walk to the door, open it and then pause. She will turn to look at him, smile and say: “Go back to your wife Mike, we are done.”

Then she is going to walk out and close the door on him and their relationship. It felt good thinking like that.

She looked at clock again, 10.09, it said.

So she was going to wait... but not because she was desperate and wanted to feel his arms around her and their warmth and...

Stop it...

She was going to wait because she wanted to let him know how disappointed she was with him and that she was ending the affair.

You could just call him... now...

That annoying voice again... no, she was not going to call him. that did not have the same power as saying the words to him face to face.

The thought that she was not calling him because she was afraid of what that might reveal bubbled to the surface of her mind. For a brief moment she thought of it: she pressing the numbers and pushing call, hearing the phone ring on the other hand, and ring... and then the abrupt silence as he rejects her call... because he simply doesn’t want to talk to her or see her night.

Suddenly the initial anger returned. She was a lawyer for goodness sake, prosecutors tremble when they face her in the courtroom, judges treat her with respect and powerful men in the country beg her to take their cases...

She should not have to go through this. Suddenly Justine Timberlake began singing Cry me a river. It was her phone. She frantically fished it out of her purse and blindly accepted the call before pressing the phone to her ear.

“WHERE ARE YOU?” she cried.

“Uh? I am at home dear, is the seminar over?” a confused male voice.
Then she understood and felt irritation creep over her, “No, why are you calling?”

“Well, the children are asleep and you said you would be back by 8. I was worried,” he said.
Now she was just mad. “No, just go to sleep Jonathan. I will be very late.”

“Well, ok dea_”

She cut him off. For a moment her thoughts were not on Mike but at her home on her children.

They were asleep. That was good. She will see them tomorrow morning. Martha would need....

At that moment the unmistakable chime of the lift floated through the air and reached her ears...

This time it was for real, someone was coming. Excitement built up inside her. The bastard was coming. She was going to give him a piece of her mind and then walk out of here.
Footsteps came to a stop outside her door and there was a knock. She walked over and opened it. He walked in and scooped her up in his arms.

His lips fell on hers and hungrily fed. She fed too. He led her towards the bed.

She was going to give him a piece of her mind... just as soon as this night was over. first she was going to let him...

Oh that felt so good.

“I love you,” she whispered.

He lifted up his head and smiled, “I love you too baby,” then the head went back down.
And there her thoughts ended as her body screamed with pleasure.

Tomorrow, she was going to end it all tomorrow.

END

LOVE

2009-06-12T20:04:00.003+03:00

By Shanande

I remember the time that I messed with an opportunity given to me, when I badly treated the one, whom by now he would have married me.

I met him when I was just in my early years of secondary school. He proposed me for his girlfriend for the first time in my life, at his office, where stamps for posting letters where sold.

“I think it is not my first time to see you here, by my window purchasing stamps, whom specifically do you send the letters, aaah is he or she and eeh...” he asked and before continuing I understood what he meant and so I interrupted him, “Yes, I normally send to my school mates. Our school is for girls only”. He then asked me to discuss more beside his window and I accepted.

“I am Ajos” He introduced himself “what is your name?” He asked me. “My name is Shalla” I replied. He shared with me certain areas of his interest in me from the first time he saw me and gave me an appointment of meeting each other somewhere else in the future, for lunch, and I did so.

“I would like you to become my girlfriend Shalla” he spoke to me after his long self introduction, life background, and hobbies, much related to what he had called me there for.

“I know you are required to have much attention to your academic issues, but I promise that I am not going to be a cause of discontinuity in your studies, hence support you toward better performance than before. You are such a beautiful lady whom I wouldn’t allow to stay away from” he insisted.

“Ajos, I am still very young to start involving myself into love affairs, for I am also scared of things like…mmh” I failed to mention want I intended and he asked me “ what?...eeeh… what? Say it, don’t be afraid of me Shalla!… after all, what is your age?”,

“I am just sixteen…and if I become pregnant there are lots of problems that I will face…for stance be chased away from school, and…”

he interrupted me “ I promise Shalla my…my…ooh my dear, all that will be taken in control, I will never let them happen, please, please, please, give me the chance and you will see, for I will not commit with you anything bad till you finish your studies” he insisted.

“I know most of ladies tend to demand a lot of money from men, whom they are in love with, but for me, you have to understand that I don’t need that, since my parents provide me with enough of it, unless you wish to provide me with presents, I mean, gifts.” I explained and he really appreciated.

There were ups and downs in our relationship. He used to buy me gifts during my birthdays, ceremonies like Christmas, Maulid and Easter; meeting my academic needs, and helped me writing notes in my school exercise books when I failed to cover them on time.

Our relationship lasted for more than five years before I messed.

Ajos had one bad attitude that I hated most, sharing love with more than one woman. I can remember very well the time I visited him and found having love affairs with another woman in his room. The room he rent after departing from her sister’s family, which he lived with when we started our relationship.

This bad attitude of his was spoken out and openly to me by many friends of mine and so I one day with great hunger went to his room and told him that I was going to react the same. He slapped for the first and the last time, and chased me out of the room. I really did the same without counting the side effects of it, and at that that the dangerous disease was another great disaster to our society.

I became pregnant with my teacher. I hardly tried to hide that from Ajos till when I finished and went back home from the boarding school that I was in, for I shared that with my family members and the news spread to reach him. He was so shocked to hear about that he decided to visit our home for an approval. My young sister lied to him that I was not in, and so we didn’t meet.

“But what have I really done” I spoke to myself, “What the mess have I committed with the opportunity I had” I sadly imagined.

I delivered a baby four months later after completing my secondary education. Ajos came home to greet me and the new born baby, with some gifts.

“Shalla, I know I was the cause of all these, can we forgive each other please and continue with our relationship?” He requested. I did not answer him nor comment anything for I was guilty, and knew that was not really coming from his consciousness. I tried to imagine the day he slapped me as I informed him of his attitude that I was going to do the same. So what he said was meaningless to me.

I shared all what Ajos said to my mother, who was around when he came. “Do not let that happen in your life for he may do worse than the experience you had before. For he accepted to be the cause of this, I advice you to keep him at a distance since he knew what bad he was doing by then”. She insisted.

I decided to follow my mother’s advice and so I one day went to his place to inform him of my decision. He was shocked and couldn’t compromise with in the beginning, though I strongly expressed my stand on it. I left him bowing his heard saying “ Okay,….Okay….okay…”

I am single for more than fifteen years now since I broke my relationship with Ajos, who is now married with a five years old child. I sometimes feel proud of being a strong decision maker in challenging issues of life, but there are times I regret of the mess I committed and think of “having price to pay” for the opportunity I lost.

I sometimes meet Ajos in town. He does not react me badly when I great him with a smile that hides a lot of pain and sadness. “Shalla you are as beautiful as I met you in the first day…don’t worry I still love you and…”He tried to encourage me, as I interrupted him, “Wooow… really!?...thank you though nothing is valid between us anymore”.

Love, has nothing to say that you are sorry. If it is well invested, its profit has to very well utilizes too, otherwise, there may be “A price to pay…”

END

AKUFAAYE KWA DHIKI...WANAWAKE TUKOMBOANE

2009-06-05T18:20:00.004+03:00

AKUFAAYE KWA DHIKI…. “WANAWAKE TUKOMBOANE”
By Shanande John

Helena, mwanamke mwenye ujauzito wa miezi mine, amekaa sebuleni, ndani ya nyumba nzuri ya kifahari, waliyonnunua na mumewe Samson, anawaza na kutafakari maisha ya ndoa yake yenye miezi mitatu tu, ilivyo na kila aina ya purukushani.

Anakumbuka enzi za urafiki wao, hadi uchumba, kabla hajaolewa akiwa tayari ana ujauzito wa mwezi mmoja. Ujauzito uliomlazimu Samson afunge naye ndoa. Sharti lililotoka kwa wazazi wa Helena. Maisha ya uchumba yalitojaa kila aina ya raha na starehe.

Samson alizoea kufika kwa Helena na kila aina ya zawadi. Alihakikisha jokofu ya Helena imejaa kila aina ya mboga, tunda na juisi. Nguo na viatu, na hata maua alipelekewa.

Kwa sasa, Helena anawaza hayo, kuwa mbona hayafanyiki tena, na ikiwa wapo pamoja, hizo huduma zinapelekwa wapi!! Na tena imekuwa siku hizi akidadisi jambo anapatiwa majibu ya mkato, hata kupigwa. Ni miezi mitatu tu katika ndoa.

Katika kuyawaza hayo, Helena anakumbuka rafiki yake Suzana. Anaamua kumpigia simu na kumwomba afike nyumbani kwake Helena mara moja.

Suzana anafanya hivyo, na kumkuta Helena sebuleni akiwa na huzuni kubwa sana. Suzana anadadisi “kulikoni?”

Helena anamweleza rafiki yake Suzana, maisha anayopitia na mumewe na kuhisi ana maisha mengine kwingine. Anamwomba Suzana amsaidie cha kufanya, kwa kuwa wamekuwa wakisaidiana tangu maisha ya chuoni, ambapo Helena aliweza Suzana malipo mbalimbali na ada.

Katika kulitafakari hilo, Helena anamhoji Suzana kama ataweza kujifanya mpenzi wa mumewe Samson, ili amrejeshee kwake, na awe kama walivyokuwa wanaishi kabla hawajaoana, kwa hali na mali. Wakapanga namna itakavyokuwa.

Suzana analitafakari hilo na kulikubali, na kumuahidi Helena kuwa hatamuangusha.
Huko nje, Suzana akawa anamvizia Samson, kama vile kumwomba lifti kuelekea sehemu tofauti tofauti, kwa kuwa aliishi karibu nao. Akawa anajifanya kumsema vibaya Helena, kwa mumewe Samson.

Samson akajikuta ana mahusiano ya karibu na Suzana, na kwenda naye sehemu mbalimbali za starehe. Suzana akaendelea “kumchafua” Helena mbele ya Samson, lakini anafanya kinafiki tu, kwani anapokutana na Helena, anamweleza kila kinachoendelea, japo pia Samson akiwakuta nyumbani, Suzana hujifanya kumdhalilisha Helena kuwa ni mwanamke mchafu na hafai kuwa mke wa mtu, ili mradi tu Samson asilkie hayo, kumfanya aone kuwa Suzana na Helena hawaivani kwa sasa.

Samson anaamua kumwagia Suzana hela lukuki. Anataka hata kumfukuza mkewe Helena nyumbani akidai nyumba inanunuliwa, na ameshapatikana mteja. Kumbe anataka kumpatia Suzana, naye Samson bila kujua kama Suzana anawasiliana hayo yote na Helena mkewe, tena anampatia na hizo fedha japo anazificha Samson asipopajua.

Wakati anafikiria na kupanga namna ya kuiuza nyumba, Samson akawa anafikia hotelini. siku moja Helena anaamua kwenda akijifanya kumtafuta siku nyingi, akiwa amembeba mwanae wa kike, aliyejifungua miezi mitatu iliyopita, mchafu mchafu, akimsihi mumewe arudi nyumbani wakalee mototo wao. Kumbe ni sanaa anamfanyia mumewe. Samson akajifanya hamtambui na kuamuru wahudumu wa hotelini wamfukuze.

Suzana na Helena wakatafuta nyumba nyingine ya kumhifadhi Helena kwa muda Fulani, pamoja na mototo.

Akiwa ndani ya nyumba ya Samson na Helena, siku moja Suzana anaamua kumwalika Samson, bila kumwandalia chakula wala kinywaji chochote. Samson anafika na kukaribishwa kiti ndani ya nyumba ya kifahari ambayo kwa sasa anamilikishwa Suzana.

Suzana anaamua “kumwondolea uvivu” Samson, kwa kuanza kumweleza nia na madhumuni ya wito huo, kuwa si kama amefanya yote hayo kwa nia ya kumdhalilisha rafiki yake Helena, bali ni kumsaidia. Angependa kuona ndoa yake Samson na Helena inaendelea na kukua vema.

Anamuelezea habari nzima tangu alipoitwa na Helena kumwelezea matatizo ya ndoa yake na hata leo hii. Suzana anagonga meza mara tatu kwa nguvu, kama walivyoashiriana na Helena kabla.

Helena akiwa amembeba mototo wao wa miezi saba, wamependeza sana, anaingia sebuleni akitokea chumba kimojawapo cha ndani, na uso wa tabasamu zito. Anamwendea mumewe na kumsihi asimame ili ampokee mototo wao. Akiwa katika hali ya mshituko na mshangao, bila kuamini na yanayotokea, na kama vile hajielewi, anasimama na kumpokea mototo.

Anamwangalia Suzana bila kujua afanye nini au aseme nini.
anasimama na kuwaaga akiwaacha ndani wawili na mwanao ambaye mama yake alikuwa hajampa jina, akimwita “Baby”. Helena anajikaza na kumsogelea mumewe huku anabubujikwa na machozi yaliyojaa “heri na shari” anamkumbatia na kumwambia “Nakupenda sana mume wangu”…MWISHO

Looking for love

2009-06-05T14:23:00.003+03:00

By Irena Pearse

He laid the empty cup carefully on the table. Flicked his eyes down at his phone.

“I have to go.” He cleared his throat. Pushed his chair back and stood up.

“I miss you.”

“Yeah. I have to go.” He took her hand as if to shake it and she stood up and hugged him tight.

She picked up her cup as the door clicked shut, and sipped at the now warm, bitter tea. She grimaced and put the half empty cup down. She reached out and collected up the two plates with their crumbs and half eaten bits of toast, his empty cup and then, carefully, her own half cup of cold tea. In the kitchen, she scraped clean the plates into the rubbish and poured the rest of the tea down the sink. She watched as the brown liquid seeped away amongst the debris of kitchen waste caught in the sink drain. She made a mental note to give it a good clean sometime soon.

The phone rang.

“Christine, it’s Dad. How are you?”

She sighed. “Fine. How’s things your end?”

“Your mum’s not feeling so good. Might be nice if you came by.”

“Sure.”

She punched the red button to hang up.

The train out of London took 20 minutes. As she walked to the house she felt the mixed rush of nostalgia and distaste which came with the familiarity of this commuter suburb, this shopping centre town. The bland concrete office blocks, the functional roads, the terraced cottage-houses built solidly for the tied-workers of Victorian times, so many generations ago. Now, this area was known as “the village”. The posh part near the railway station. Young couples moved in and out renovating the houses and selling them at higher prices, and the value of the neighbourhood had risen dramatically. Christine’s parents had bought their house before this trend and were one of the few who bought the house out of love, not to make money. Christine had been born there, was raised there, she’d seen the street change over time. Her parents had extended and decorated the house to make it suit their family. “It’s got a good feel,” her mother had said. “We thought about moving at one time but no house had the happy atmosphere as this one. It’s just something you can feel. As though all the owners before were happy. I can’t explain it.”

Christine turned the key in the front door, called and stepped inside. Her dad shuffled along the hallway.

“It’s good to see you.”

He had a full cup of tea in his hands, steaming, smelling fresh. “You want some? Maybe you could take a cup to your mum.”

Christine carried the two brimming cups up to the bedroom, and found her mother lying flat on her back in bed, radio on, towel over her head. Her skin was pale and damp, and her short dark hair stuck to the sides of her temples. She slowly lifted the towel from her eyes and squinted at Christine. Half a smile crossed her lips.
“You’ve brought me tea. Thanks.”

She eased herself up. Christine placed the cups gently on the side table and sat on the bed.

It was a reversal of what used to happen as a child. Christine remembered the time she had measles, her mother coming in, bringing in the cold and fresh smell from outside, cooling her eight year-old flushed cheeks with her hug. Her mother taking out fizzy drinks and some crackers for her – special treats for the sick child. Her words were those of the Great Healer. The mother knew exactly what to do, exactly how to make her feel better. She knew when she was sick and when she was faking it. She knew when Christine needed to go to bed and sleep, better than Christine herself. But although Christine was now the one bringing in the outside world, the caring words, she didn’t feel she knew what was the right thing to do or say.

Her mother handed her back the emptied cup.

“There’s more downstairs. Shall I bring some?”

“No thanks, that’s enough for now.”

Christine took the cups and flicked her eyes across at the clock radio.

“I have to go.”

“We miss you Christine.”

“Yeah. I have to go.”

She stopped by the chemist on the way home to her shared flat. Decided this time she’d pay the high price for this one-time only kit, a bit of plastic packaged in a pink box, as if the large box made the price seem right. A couple were slouched over the counter, looking through their holiday photos and giggling at the memories. The pharmacist waited patiently for them to confirm the pictures were theirs and pay the amount stated on the receipt he held out in his hand. Christine pretended to look at the hair products. Her eye moving from images of clean sun-kissed floating hair to dark sexy auburn burnish. Maybe she needed a change too. She glanced at the young woman, hair clean and golden, her boyfriend’s hand playing at her neck with it. Christine took a box of blond.

The flat was empty when she got back. Rachel had probably gone out – it was the weekend after all. She filled the kettle, flicked it on. Sighed. And felt her heart beat pick up. She took out the pink box. Took it to the bathroom.
“Mirror mirror on the wall, tell me what the future holds.”
Back downstairs, Christine switched the kettle on again as she heard the key turn in the lock.

“Only me.”

Absent mindedly, she started cleaning out the debris in the sink. She turned on the tap and soaped the sink. The kitchen door opened and a blast of fresh outdoor air whooshed in.

“How’s it going? What you doing? Look, I got some great deals down the market, look at this.“

Rachel took out a large floppy jumper and a spangley, top. Christine dried off her hands and they went through the bag of clothes together.

“Nice. Love it.”

They both sat exhausted, as if they’d just been shopping all over again, steaming cups of tea in front of them.

“I bought something too today.”

“What’s that?”

Christine brought out the box of blond.

“Hey, cool. Let’s do it.”

“What now?”

“You’re life is going to change, believe me.”

“I hope so.”

The End.

Tangazo/Announcement

2009-04-06T18:28:00.002+03:00

(english version below)

Tangazo

Kwa sababu ya tar 10/4 kuwa Ijumaa kuu na baadhi yetu si ajabu kutaka kwenda kanisani, ule mkutano wa waandishi mahiri wa soma (Teh! Teh!) hautakuwepo.

Badala yake tutaendelea kukutana hapahapa.

Kama kuna mwenye mawazo mengine yoyote (kama ombi maalum la kutaka tukutane siku nyingine wiki ijayo) unaweza acha maoni kwenye blogu au kutuma barua pepe hapa

info.soma@infinet.co.tz

demere.soma@infinet.co.tz

epkalunga@yahoo.co.uk

Asante sana na siku kuu njema...

Announcement

Because Friday 10/4/09 is going to be Good Friday and some of us might wish to go to church in the evening we will therefore not have that meeting of Soma’s amazing writers ;)

Instead we will continue meeting here.

But if someone has a special request (like to want a special session to meet next week just for your work or because you just miss everyone so much) you can just post that on the blog.

Or email :
info.soma@infinet.co.tz

demere.soma@infinet.co.tz

epkalunga@yahoo.co.uk

Thank u so much n happy holiday...

The end.

The Plate of Ugali

2009-03-31T18:55:00.005+03:00

By Sandra A. Mushi

My mama used to say a real African man doesn’t eat chips or pasta. That’s food for a mzungu man who gets his nails manicured, face scrubbed and lips conditioned with lip balm. A real African man eats ugali, my mama used to say. With their calloused fingers with rough nails he would mould the stiff porridge into little balls, dunk each ball into a stew then dunk the stew covered ball into his mouth with chapped lips.

I would sit at the corner of the room watching his Adam’s apple bopping up and down as he swallowed a ball of ugali and meat stew. His jaw always moving in super-human speed as he chewed, making the veins on his forehead pop out angrily.

Ugali would make your man strong, my mama used to say. Strong enough to take care of you and our family, she would add. What she didn’t add was that ugali would make him strong enough to beat me black and blue. But maybe she was always right, because it was a plate of ugali that gave me strength today.

It had started with his plate of ugali not being warm enough. Then the following time he beat me black and blue it was because the bowl of stew did not have enough meat. The other times before that it was the disciplinary slap, as the elders called it. Married women needed the slap every now and then, they would say, to keep them in check.

Then he beat me again black and blue when I failed to pound his kisamvu the way he liked it. I had been vomiting the whole day; infact even getting up was a problem.

“My mother cultivated a whole farm the day she was giving birth and you say you can’t cook for your husband?” He had bellowed. “What kind of a woman are you?”

“But mume wangu, the doctor said …” lamenting, I had tried to explain before I was interrupted by a slap. The room started spinning around me.

“Has the doctor married you?” He gave me another slap which sent me reeling to the floor vomiting blood, “is the doctor your husband now? Or are you having an affair?”

My baby did not make it. I almost did not make it too. I broke a few bones and I almost became blinded on my left eye. After that I became numb to the pain. It was one reason after another – as long as I was his punching bag – and almost always it was a plate of ugali that started it. Yep, his source of strength. Like the hair on Samson in the bible. Maybe ugali makes one mad. Maybe it had a drug.

Today he broke my two front teeth – after breaking four others last week. I laughed madly as I looked at my four year old with his milk teeth missing. He grins at me nervously showing his gums.

Today he beat me because I refused to serve his mistress a plate of ugali. Like my body numbing to pain, my heart had numbed to reason. Maybe it was my fault when the plate of ugali wasn’t warm enough because I had run out of coal to warm the food; maybe it was my fault when I didn’t negotiate with the butchery to give me more meat than the money could buy; maybe it was my fault that I was too lazy too pound cassava when I was due; maybe it was my fault when I had used to the last of the flour to cook my baby porridge for lunch instead of cooking him his ugali; maybe it had all been my fault. But how could this be my fault? My mama told me my husband came first, then my children.

I had put some food aside for my husband, then fed the remaining to my children. How was that my fault? I never said anything when he brought her and moved me out of our marital bed. I said nothing.

He kicked his plate of ugali when there wasn’t enough for his mistress and made me eat from the floor after beating me black and blue - wounding the scars that had not even healed. On all fours I bent down and ate like a dog. As I lay clutching my stomach I see the mouse that I have been trying to catch for a while, rushing to the last crumbs of ugali on the floor. No amount of rat poison seemed to kill it. Rodent. Maybe I had been giving it the poison with the wrong food. Rodent. Rodent. I should have mixed the poison in ugali. Rodent. Or is it rodent and man. Rodent man. Kick. Rodent man. Kick. Rodent man, I think.

I feel humiliated when I hear her cheering him on. It was okay before, as I probably needed disciplining. But it’s not okay now. She is not supposed to be here, cheering on. But the ugali gave me strength.

“Stupid woman! Go make another plate,” he had kicked me on the shins as his mistress laughed again, louder this time. “And make it enough to give us strength for the work ahead of us tonight!”

Ugali has given me strength too. I look down as I limp to the back yard. I don’t want them to see my face. The smile on my face. Yes, ugali has given me strength.

Quickly I grab a khanga to hide my new scars, covering myself I dash to my neighbour to borrow me some money from her. Just as quickly I send my oldest to the market. Flour, kisamvu, coconut, curry powder, peanuts, nyanya chungu and some powder that will kill that rodent. Today I will make the best plate of ugali ever. The kisamvu will have peanut sauce and the dagaa will have coconut milk and nyanya chungu. Today I will catch that rodent with a plate of ugali for sure.

Lunch

2009-03-31T18:51:00.002+03:00

By Sandra A. Mushi

We all loved watching Uncle Aziz eat. Was it the towel that was the attraction or the big belly or the shirt? Mohamed and John from down the street once fought over that. They argued heatedly until their fight of words turned into a fight of fists. We never knew what it was that drew us but we were always drawn to that dining room window during lunch hours. The street would suddenly become quiet when Uncle Aziz ate; all games on the dusty street would cease, the laughter of happy children would cease, the critter clutter of dirty running feet would cease.

We would all huddle outside the window watching him – waiting to see the towel - with our ball of old socks for a make shift football next to us. Our dirty little stubs of fingers would cling on the chipping window sill staring. The flowers that were once under the dining room window not flowers anymore, but a tread mat to cushion our grubby feet.

Even baby Maria, who was a difficult eater. Aunt Miriam would place her on a mat in front of Uncle Aziz, as if hypnotized by the movements from the towel to the face then back to the plate and eventually mouth, baby Maria would stare open mouthed and quickly Aunt Miriam would spoon feed her.

Uncle Aziz had a big laughter, as big as his belly. He always laughed when the table was being laid, his big throaty laughter that sounding like Mount Kilimanjaro rumbling.

Aunt Miriam always set the table, making a clattering noise as she lifted and moved the ceramic dishes. The clanking noise of the dishes was a sign for Uncle Aziz – this was when he would go inside to his room and change from the trousers he had been wearing during the day into a kikoi. We always wondered why he never left the shirt in his room when changing as he always took it off eventually.

Uncle Aziz would walk into the dining room, laughing – the small overflowing room vibrating with his laughter. The small room becomes even smaller with his big frame swallowing each corner of it. His big belly would bump into a chair or two as he walked to his chair, sometimes knocking over the already cracked vase with plastic flowers – the centre piece of the old mninga dining table.

Aunt Miriam would place a plastic table cloth on top of the white starched cotton table cloth with her famed immaculately stitched colourful embroidery. She would then place several plastic table mats before placing a big plate. Then the big jug of ice water cold water and a long glass would follow. The jug was always covered with an equally immaculately stitched colourful embroidered doily.

Re-wrapping her loose khanga and wiping the sweat off her brow, Aunt Miriam quickly would walk from the kitchen to the dining room with plates and bowls of dishes – until the table was crammed with a plate of ugali or mihogo or wali, the coconut milk in rice or in the cassava fragrancing the room; a bowl of maharage, Uncle Aziz always like sultanas in his beans; a plate with pieces of meat stew or deep fried sato, meat stew swimming in oily sauce of potatoes, green peppers, nyanya chungu or the fish glistering with oil; a bowl of matembele or kisamvu, the potato or cassava leaves cooked in peanut butter; a bowl of chachandu, the strong fragrance of the chillies and garlic condiment overpowering our young noses; a glass of mtindi, the fresh yoghurt sweetened with honey and a bowl of fruit salad with mangoes, pineapples, pawpaw and bananas. Finally the towel would be placed on the right side of the big plate, a white starched neatly folded towel.

Uncle Aziz would then walk to the sink tucked at the corner next to the china cabinet and quickly wash his hands. As he passed his chair, Uncle Aziz would unconsciously finger the towel – as if feeling if it is well starched. Just as quickly he would dry his hands on the fading blue towel draped on the loose once chrome towel ring.

He would massage his stomach in circular motions before finally sitting down. His chair the one at the head of the table, next to the china cabinet; before sitting he would take off his shirt, then drape it warily on the posts of the old mninga chair as if careful not to crease it. Even if the weather was cold, Uncle Aziz always took off his shirt. His big belly would make a jelly movement as it spilt out from the shirt. We would stifle giggles as we watched the jelly freedom dance as we called it. We always thought of it as a relief dance – relieved of being released from being squeezed in the shirt. He would then pull out the chair, while all the while eyeing the towel.

He would then unfold the towel and place it on right shoulder. We would all shift comfortably under the window sill watching more closely now, Uncle Aziz totally unaware of his young audience.

Uncle Aziz would then move the big plate closer, and start dishing out – a bit of this and that, maybe a bit more of this and that and then he would pour some ice cold water in the tall glass, his laughter still ringing resonating in the room, and the towel slowly shifting from his big naked shoulder. He would then take the towel and wipe the little spots of sweat slowly forming on his forehead, before taking a sip of the cold water. John who believed it was the towel that was the attraction would giggle gleefully.

With his right hand, Uncle Aziz would start eating. Swiftly the dance with his hands from the plate to his mouth to the towel to his face and finally back to the plate again would start, his shirtless belly shaking, while we stared in amazement.

Uncle Jonas

2009-03-12T17:16:00.003+03:00

By Demere Kitunga

Uncle Jonas is our local pastor. He is a frail seventy years old man walking with a limp. Despite his age and frailty, Uncle Jonas spits fire and brimstone from the pulpit. As one member of the congregation—a deaconess who also happens to be his sister would put it, “If you are not converted listening to his sermons, then you are beyond saving.”

To our chagrin, except for my mother of course, it is rumoured that Uncle Jonas is about to start a splinter church. The rumour has it also that the reason he is going to do so is because he is not satisfied with the way things are run at our church. According to him, the rumour continues, sermons are becoming too sombre and focusing too much on the after life leaving the Lord’s flock at a loss for what to do under the extreme poverty they are facing today. Some people go further as to suggest that they heard him say the spiritual bread regular pastors serve is not filling enough so in his splinter church one will have to be a miracle worker like him to conduct service.

‘People are looking for miracles’ thus it is claimed Uncle Jonas was heard trying to convince his fellow pastors. Those who know the story allege also that instead of heeding to his call his fellow church elders resorted to reporting him to higher authorities. The rumour goes on to allege that the people from headquarters have already carried out an enquiry and found him faulty; and that Uncle Jonas is about to be excommunicated.

I t is obvious that these rumours originate from two opposing sources. Either the opposing sources are Uncle Jonas’ foes on one side and friends of the other, or those faithful to our church against those ready to join his splinter church. All in all, one version of the rumour has it that our church will remain empty when Uncle Jonas starts his own church; and that this will be very soon. Even though I am no fun of Uncle Jonas on account of the grudge my mother holds him, I tend to agree with this group. I can bet on my departed grandmother’s kindred soul his church will be more popular than our church. Already the market place overflows on days when Uncle Jonas holds open sermons and healing service.

The lead theme of Uncle Jonas’ mission is wealth. “God did not will for his people to languish in poverty.” Uncle Jonas is often heard preaching to those who care to listen. And listen they do especially the good for nothing young loafers who would rather while away the time in ‘kijiwe’ corners rather than perform the least of a days labour.

Listening to his sermons, Uncle Jonas reminds me of King Leopold’s message to the missionaries heading to the Congo in those many years past that we hardly have any memory of these days. According to my history readings, this King of Belgium during the time of ‘Scramble for Africa’ on the 19th century gave an opposite message to missionaries coming to Africa to convert ‘natives’ into Christianity. He instructed them to teach the ‘nigger’ that only the poor would inherit the earth and to urge them not to belabour with seeking worldly possessions but to seek the virtues that would grant them a ticket to partake in the glories of the after life which perpetual poverty was ranking highest on the list. And while at it, he urged them to tell their subjects to obey their new White rulers because all authority comes from God and He has willed them to rule the universe.

Uncle Jonas’ sermons are an antithesis of the philosophy attributed to King Leopold, the architect of African colonisation. As I listen to him and marvel at the gymnastics punctuating his speech, I wonder if his is not a call for his congregation to wake up from over a century old stupor created by the purveyors of the said philosophy. This thought kind of fascinates me but I don’t say it aloud for fear of my mother’s wrath; and with it a strain in our relationship. If you want to upset her, all you need to do is say something positive about Uncle Jonas within her ear shot.

It is out of curiosity that I found myself amidst the throng that listens to Uncle Jonas every Wednesday at the market square. Curious to know what it is that makes people flock at his sermons I sneaked to the market place against my Mama’s good judgement. This happened a day or two after my mother made official her sentiments about him. I had known all along that mother held him with suspicion, but I didn’t know how deep her disdain and mistrust of him went. Just to test the waters I asked her if she didn’t mind me attending Uncle Jonas’ sermons. Mother pursed her lips and lifted her shoulders in exasperation and looking the other way responded,

“Listening to people like Jonas can send you to hell. People like him ought to be in jail!”

No amount of cajoling would make mama say more on the issue. Though it did not deter me from listening to Jonas, from then on, I make sure I always do it or anything to do with Jonas behind my mama’s back. It is not what she said that wetted my curiosity, but what wasn’t said. With all my heart I have since wanted to get to the bottom of what lays behind my mothers loath of Uncle Jonas. To start with, I resorted to the art of eavesdropping that I had developed and perfected as a child. This is how I was able to pick anecdotes from disjointed conversations between mother and her buddies that gave me a bird’s eye view of the matter.

‘He is harbouring a sinister secret in his heart that will send him running for the rest of his life. With all his gymnastics, I don’t think he will have the courage to face Jesus if he comes down today.” I heard Mama telling one of our neighbours one day.

“I wonder what he will do if they ex-communicate him.” The other woman wondered.

“Even if they excommunicate him today, he will, like Lucifer, find a way of rehabilitating himself, even if it means sacrificing the lives of his believers, he will. The man is a criminal I tell you and he didn’t start today.”

The conversation always dies as soon as mother becomes aware of the presence of an unwanted attention. “There are clouds.” Mother would caution her interlocutor, who would understand the code and stop in mid sentence.

*********

My mother used to be a good church goer until Uncle Jonas was appointed our local pastor. Since then, Mama goes to church only when the pastor is away. It is a wonder that she has neither been excommunicated nor received a visit from church elders to explain her reasons for backsliding. Apparently, her loath for Uncle Jonas has a long history. I once heard her say Uncle Jonas had no guts to order her excommunication. When asked why, she simply said, “The man is not only a criminal he is a coward!”

Convinced that there is a big story concerning Uncle Jonas that Mama is privy to, I decided to investigate. “I have to do this to put my mind at ease,” I say to myself as I plan my investigation. I start by putting the pieces together but the more I try the more complicated the puzzle becomes. I one evidence after another gives me an impression that whatever it is that made Mama hold such a grudge against Uncle Jonas, must have something to do with the late Aunty Lulu. By the way mama talks of her, you can tell she was very fond of her late cousin. I decide to make her memory my starting point. Time and again I ask mother to tell me about Aunty Lulu. Try as I can though I do not manage to make her go beyond what she meant to her. Mama was only ten years old when Aunt Lulu died, but until now, the telling of her death draws tears from her eyes. Once she is thus overcome by emotions the story reaches a dead end.

I once had the audacity to suggest some connection between Aunty Lulu and our local pastor. “They grew up together, didn’t they mother?” I asked feigning innocence.

“You are too nosy, child. Learn how to behave or the dung in your neck folds may never drop.” She said and added “Why pry into secrets of the departed? If you continue this habit of pocking into other peoples affairs, you will one day get into trouble a tell you!” I was about to apologise when she sneered, “Jonas is a ruthless man and now he claims to be a man of God. He cannot have his name be mixed up with sinister stories like what happened to your Aunty Lulu, do you hear me? Never should I hear you talk like that again?”

That closed the chapter. It however just fanned my curiosity as it added to the mystery. The chapter I closed with mother was as fast opened with my grandmother; with whom we shared many secret and a common trait of mirth. With her, I didn’t have to do any cajoling.

“How did Aunty Lulu die?” is all I needed to ask.

*********

Long time ago, when my mother was young, Aunty Lulu and Uncle Jonas were lovers. Her father was a teacher working far from home. Because the mission school located in our village was better than the one in which Aunty Lulu’s father taught, he decided to leave his children behind. What is more, he wanted his children to be anchored in the ways of his people rather than pick habits of strangers among whom he worked and lived. All the children, five of them in total, became boarders in our local mission school but each was placed under the care of a relative just in case they needed something the school could not provide. Aunty Lulu was left under the charge of my grandmother who was her mother’s half sister and best friend.

Uncle Jonas’ parents lived in the backdrop of the mission settlement and he was among people who valued mission education but not the faith it preached. He father figured out that he would bequeath to his son his way of life as a polygamous man and member of the occult when Jonas is ready to be introduced to the oracle when he reaches puberty. In the meantime, he sent him to school among the people whose religion was in direct opposition of his belief system. To make matters worse, by the time Jonas his first born son was mature enough to take his rightful place in the order of things, he was already baptized and training to become a pastor.

Both Aunt Lulu and Uncle Jonas were boarders in the mission school middle school. On week ends, they both came to visit my grandmother who was also a paternal second cousin to Uncle Jonas’s mother. Middle schools were few, and more prestigious than local authority schools; the only government funded schools available to ordinary African children at the time. ‘Those were the days when we were under the rule by wazungu,’ my grandmother interjects as she explaining, making sure in the process she gives me a history lesson she thinks they haven’t taught me properly at university.

Problems started when Aunt Lulu discovered that Uncle Jonas was deceiving her. She found out that his people had already spoken to the people of another girl who was also a student in their school. When Aunt Lulu discovered that the two families were about to close the betrothal deal without her Jonas mentioning anything of the sort to her, she was devastated. She confronted him with a threat that she would endtheir relationship but he insisted those were nothing but malicious rumours. But as it is today, it seems some things could not remain a secret for long in our village and especially when it involves juicy gossips about which girl has been spoken for. Any betrothal meant a big feast attended by the whole village and no one wanted to miss out on a rumour of an impending feast.

It is said that Aunty Lulu was prettier than the girl Uncle Jonas was going to marry; and that in actual fact, he was not in love with the latter. The only problem was that Aunty Lulu being a daughter of converted parents did not undergo traditional rite of passage and Uncle Jonas’ parents who were followers of our indigenous religion and cultural practices would not allow their son soon to be a member of the occult as they thought he would, to marry a kighiria. His protests that he had already promised Lulu marriage fell on deaf ears of parents who were raised to know as a fact that no son of theirs would promise marriage to a woman before consulting with and soliciting consent from them. Even Granma had cautioned Lulu about such traditions when she heard her chatter to friends and family about the promise she shared with Jonas at Kwanamzange, the spot where young people went on Sabbath afternoons to while away the time.

“Even if we have received the light, there are things about our culture we cannot turn our backs on.” Granma cautioned.

In her excitement, Lulu did not grasp the full extent of that advice until things turned sour.

Jonas was caught in a dilemma. On the one hand he had made a promise he was being pressured to honour, on the other he had parents he wasn’t expected to disobey. While he juggled between appeasing his lover and buying time with his parents who were already performing a string of rituals required before the final day arrives for the clans to be united, Aunty Lulu made resolved to move on with her life. A difficult decision it was but no sooner than it was made did it get reversed as it turned out to be a burden she wasn’t willing to carry alone. Why? She discovered that she was heavy with child. Now it was a matter of life and death for her to make sure Uncle Jonas takes responsibility for her condition. But Uncle Jonas had just been accepted to train to become a pastor so he wasn’t about to jeopardize his chances by accepting to have anything to do with making a girl pregnancy before wedlock.

“We can get married before it shows,” Aunt Lulu tried to reason with him. “The Pastor will not go along with your parents objections.” She implored citing ample cases in which the church had intervened when the local customs were put forward as a stumbling block for brothers and sisters of the light to be united. Wasn’t this among them? Aunt Lulu reasoned. But deep down she had another fear. She too was afraid that if they didn’t do something about it she would be excommunicated from church and be ostracized by family and community—of light and dark faiths alike! Pregnancy before wedlock was a worse crime for both worlds especially if no one came forward to acknowledge fatherhood.

“I have a plan,” Uncle Jonas came up with a strategy one day after many evasive confrontations.

“Let’s use Amos! Amos has been after you for a long time. Why don’t you agree to marry him let your people receive visitors for you from a his folks while we figure out what to do about my impending marriage to Miriam?”

Aunt Lulu was desperate. She wanted so badly to believe him; that he would honestly make things right; for above all she loved him. “You give me your word of honour Jonas, don’t you?”

“Of course Lulu, what are you thinking? You know I love you but if I get expelled what will become of us and the baby?”

It made sense. His voice betrayed no personal ambition…. Aunty Lulu thought of his devotion to church and its mission…. Jonas was a choir master and he played the organ in church… he was a model of good behaviour and he had charm. Every girl envied Lulu her good fortune to have Jonas fall for her. Of course none of them knew that back home, outside the reach of mission settlement and the light, Jonas so revered his father and the rituals of indigenous faith that his father still practiced with zeal when he was on leave. Deep in his heart Jonas knew that unless a miracle occurred he would not alter the course of his impending marriage to the daughter of the high priestess simply because he had found a new faith which would secure him a job in the modern knowledge industry but saying that aloud would cause him so much trouble with Lulu he preferred to tell a lie to buy time.

After a lot of hesitation Aunt Lulu accepted to go along with the plan though she wasn’t sure how long she would be able to sustain such a lie. Amos was a decent man whose only crime was to love her. She was certain his love for her was true even if her heart was for Jonas. Deceiving him was something she did with a heavy heart, but her mind was so much focused on her own survival she wouldn’t allow herself time for empathy.

It didn’t take long for a marriage proposal to be made and the wedding date to be set. In those days, girls went to school only until they were betrothed, so Aunt Lulu’s parents received word of their daughter’s betrothal with joy. They were happy to receive dowry and be relieved of the anxiety of caring for a post pubescent unmarried girl growing up away from the watchful eye of her mother and who was even not initiated into indigenous ways of self discipline. The greatest fear was the shame of having a grandchild whose pedigree is not acknowledged. It was beyond shame for such a thing to happen though since the new religion came; which made it taboo for converts to partake in traditional initiations; more and more girls were falling pray to such pregnancies. Lulu’s parents still valued traditional rites and wished their children could partake in them so as to internalize values that would make them full citizens of their society, in communion with both the living and departed members of their clan; but they wanted to have the best of both worlds and the new religion which prohibited such practices promised a secure income for them and exposure to a wider scope of modern life. It also promised a happy after life with no interference from nagging ancestors.

By the time Lulu’s marriage negotiations ended, she was already five months pregnant. She was caught up so deep in a web of deceit she no longer knew how to extricate herself. Jonas her co-conspirator was by then already married and Amos was so convinced that she had returned his love that she felt pain at the pit of her stomach at the mere though of him knowing that it was all nothing but illusion. As Aunt Lulu languished in the agony of betrayal and deception, things took another twist. Word was returned from Amos’ people—who lived two hills away from the mission and its surrounding settlement of people of the new light; that Lulu’s mother needed to hold counsel with her daughter before they would accept her as a bride. This message held meaning that all mothers understood. Grandmother handled it with great secrecy waiting for the go betweens to finish the ritual of telling and retelling before she could break the news whatever it was to her sister; Lulu’s mother.

As it turned out, Lulu’s in-laws were not sure if the child she was carrying was their son’s. They noticed her condition immediately they had a chance to greet the bride to be, but the negotiations were too advanced for them to raise the issue at the time. They sent a secret emissary to enquire from Granma, who had already noticed it before and quizzed her niece who insisted it belonged to Amos. Granma echoed what Aunty Lulu had told her back to the go-betweens. Mother in-law who was privy to the rumour about the previous relationship wanted a confirmation from her son. When she queried Amos if he had indeed transgressed into her fiancée’s bed chamber before it was officially sanctioned, he was shocked at the mere suggestion! His chastity and hers were things he had taken for granted relishing the day she would be truly his with the full sanction of God and congregation. Fearing the humiliation that would befall her bride if the rumours were confirmed, he resorted to asking her privately as soon as he returned from his village.

“Is it true Lulu?”

“What?”

She didn’t have to answer. Her reaction told the whole story.

“So?” Amos asked. “What are we going to do?”

It is the word we that did the trick. After such maliciousness on her part, Lulu was overwhelmed to note that Amos was still seeking for a joint solution. Unlike Adam who distanced himself from his erring Eve, Amos still considered them united. She confessed and promised to rectify things by confessing in the presence of the pastor. Devastated, Amos did not wait. He left school that very evening and no one from our side of the hills has seen or heard of him since.

With Amos gone, Aunty Lulu could have gotten away with her lie, but her conscience would not let her. She sought audience with Jonas and gave him advance notice that she could no longer live with the burden that heavy and that she was going to spill the beans. The though of him being expelled from school, thus cutting short his career as a pastor was too much for him. So Uncle Jonas hatched another plan. He sought the service of a medicine man who gave him a portion to make Lulu forget the nonsense about making their shared secret public. He also wanted the medicine to cleanse her of her pregnancy. That way there would be nothing to stop him from his ambition.

Jonas tricked his wife into preparing the best dish he needed to take to his protégé at the mission. He gave her ingredients and instructions on how to prepare Chicken in ikungu source just the way he knew Aunty Lulu would like it. This is the food Lulu used to serve him whenever he visited as a special guest at Granma’s place where she often spent her holidays. One fine evening, he invited her to meet him at their usual rendezvous. Even though their relations had thawed, he promised her he wanted to iron out a few things with her and that he was willing to acknowledge her even if it meant being expelled from school. He even promised he would search for Amos and have him absolved from responsibility and reinstated in school. He wrote all that in a letter that was hand delivered by a young messenger who gave it to my mother asking her pass it on to her big sister who was on a self imposed seclusion. In the letter which mother read before handing over to Aunty Lulu, Amos had itemised things they would discuss and agree on.

Aunt Lulu was convinced. The meeting happened as planned. No one knows what exactly transpired. It was at dusk when Aunt Lulu came back. She sneaked in the room she shared with mother and went straight to bed. She didn’t even take supper. When mother asked her what transpired, she said Jonas served her best meal, was very loving and had promised her that her problems would be solved that same night.

“How?” Mother asked but all Aunty Lulu said was,

“He is working on it tonight. Be patient, she continued, tomorrow isn’t that far is it?”

In the small hours of morning Aunty Lulu started to haemorrhage. The local midwife was called and tried all she could to make it stop with no success. The school matron trained in the new ways of taking care of prenatal complications was also called together with the mission dispensary attendant but no medicine or therapy could stop the haemorrhage. In the meantime, Aunty Lulu was in agony and hallucinating. She kept shouting to something or someone only her was seeing, saying over and over again, “Go away you lier, so this is how you planned to solve the problem?”

Eventually she lost her speech altogether. All the while she was still struggling to say something that no one would understand. By midday, she was dead.

No one but Mother knew about the letter, the food and the stuff Jonas had talked to the late Aunty Lulu about, but she was too young for her word to be taken seriously by the grieving adults. Mother tried to search among Aunt Lulu’s stuff so she may share her worst fears with the grown ups but the letter was nowhere to be found. It was her word against a deafening silence that became her everlasting memory of Aunty Lulu.

-THE END-

Kaukalange

2009-03-11T13:36:00.005+03:00

By Eric Kalunga

Once upon a time in land far far away there lived a little girl who had a cat. The cat was called Nunda and it was evil and it ate the neighbour’s chickens_

The neighbours complained but the little girl and her parents refused to do anything about it because the little girl loved the cat so much.

So Nunda ate and grew and it ate some more. Soon it ran out of chickens and began to eat goats. It ate the goats and it grew.

It grew so much that people began to fear it. They pleaded with the owners to get rid of it but again they did not listen.

Then nunda began to eat calfs and then cows. It ate all the cows in the village and all the goats and the sheep as well until there were no animals left.

Then it began to eat little children. By this time it was too late to do anything. The cat had grown to the size of a small house.

People tried to escape but it ran them down and ate them. Soon there was no one left but just one woman who was pregnant.

She was frightened and went to hide in the ceiling of her house. The beast never found her.

She gave birth to a baby boy. The moment that the baby came out she placed him inside a hot frying pan with sizzling oil. She fried the baby.

And the boy then leaped out of the frying pan, grown and talking.

She called him Kaukalange, child of a snake.

He asked his mother about his brothers and sisters and his mother told him that nunda ate them. He then asked where his aunts and uncles were and his mother told him that nunda ate them. He asked about his neighbours and all the other little boys and girls outside and his mother told him that nunda ate them all.

Kaukalange then vowed to kill the monster that ate his village and free everybody. So early the next morning he set out with a bow and arrows to seek and defeat the monster.

In the evening he came back dragging behind him the carcass of a huge animal.

He called out to his mother, “mother is this nunda?”

His mother peeked out of the house and shook her head, “no, my son, that is not nunda. You have just killed an elephant, nunda is a thousand times bigger.”

The next morning Kaukalange set off again in search of the monster cat. In the evening he brought back a lion.

“Mother,” he called out again, “is this nunda?”

His mother peeked out of the house and shook her head, “no, my son, that is not nunda. You have just killed a lion, nunda is a thousand times more terrifying.”

The morning after that the boy set out again to find nunda and free his people. Later that evening he came back empty handed.

His mother came out to meet to him, “what happened my son?” she asked.

He said, “I met a big and terrible animal today, we fought and I defeated it. But I couldn’t bring it here for you to see because it was too heavy.”

“Come, show me where this animal is and I shall tell you of it is the terrible nunda,” his mother told him.

Together they set off. Deep in the forest they came upon the carcass of an animal as big as a mountain. Arrows were sticking out of its body and the trees nearby were all flattened to the ground.

“Is this nunda, mother?” Kaukalange asked.

“Yes indeed my son,” his mother replied, “this is the beast that ate everyone in our village.”

Kaukalange quickly drew a knife and sliced open the belly of the beast. All the animals and people that nunda ate came tumbling out.

It was a long stream of people and animals. People set up fires to warm themselves in the night chill while waiting for others to come out of Nunda, There was great joy as old friends and relatives saw each other and hugged.

The last person to come out was Kaukalange’s uncle. He had an arrow sticking out of his left eye. One of the arrows that shot the animal went through to him. He was not very happy.

“Who did this to me?” He screamed angrily.

He wouldn’t listen when people told him it was an accident. He demanded that they hold Kaukalange for him so that he could pierce the boy’s eye in return.

At hearing this everyone was very angry. They then took him and put him back inside the stomach of nunda. Then they sew the belly shut with him still inside.

Everyone was glad to see him go. They thanked Kaukalange for freeing them and went back to the village where they lived happily ever after.

The end.

Welcome

2009-03-05T23:28:00.003+03:00

Dear writers

Welcome to Soma writers club.

We meet the second Friday of every month.

Our first meeting took place February Friday 13, and we laid some ground rules for what our forum is going to be like.

It is a writers’ forum where you write and share with others. It is also a place where you can receive constructive criticism on your work.

What kind of work is admissible here?
Any kind of writing is ok. Essays, novels, short stories, vignettes, bios,plays, scripts etc.

The only rule is YOU must be the writer of that work.

What you will get is people who will give you useful feedback on your work. It will also be a place to get tips on getting your work published.

Presentation
You can read your piece to a live audience. You can also perform the story, poetry or script on a mic or you can post it online and get feedback later. Posting is encouraged for longer posts that you want to be read in their whole.

Blog
Post here: http://somawritersclub.blogspot.com.
Posting is optional.
This will give enough time for others to read and review your work before the meeting. Comments are also welcome.

Some guidelines
Everyone must participate. Participation includes submitting work for evaluation as well as commenting on others’ work.
You won’t get feedback on your work if you have not commented on what others have submitted. Feedback is highly encouraged.
You must treat others with the respect and dignity they deserve. Criticism must be constructive and directed towards work submitted and not the person unless this has a direct bearing on the work itself.
Elaborate on your comments. Broad comments like ‘it’s bad’ or 'i like it' are not encouraged. Comments should aim to help the writer improve.
Write.
Develop a thick skin and take the criticism.

Finally we are still growing and rules are bound to change as more people participate.
The next meeting is at 6pm on Friday 13, March 2009.
The venue is Soma Book Cafe.

That’s it.

Address questions to
Demere Kitunga
Demere.soma@infinet.co.tz

Eric Kalunga
epkalunga@yahoo.co.uk