“I would really like to thank you and if possible give you a hug,” says Donald
“really now. Donald” I stretch my arms and invite him in, for a warm embrace.
He walks into my arms and it looks like he is cuddling me because of his tall frame.
“I love your skin so much it hurts”
“Seriously now, don’t say things that’ll keep me up at night”
“Miss. Katherine!” I hear Mr. Bowe’s voice. I immediately drop my hands and unconsciously push Donald.
“This! Is what you leave your destiny for?”
“Destiny?” I ask confusingly.
“Your dreams and aspirations”
“Oh that”
“I still paint at home. It’s just, we have been focusing on the upcoming case that’s all” I tell Alexander but he laughs like he doesn’t believe me. And one more thing I don’t get is why he is acting the way he is.
“As far as I know lawyers don’t hug their clients except they are longtime friends. So can you explain to me a little” Alex drops the moping stick on his hand and lets it clash against the floor.
“She is my friend. Is that not reason enough? And as far as I know, landlords don’t monitor their tenants as you are doing just now, and they don’t frown when they see their clients with the opposite sex” Donald replies, this does not seem to faze Alex as he smirks and says.
“Well we've kissed. I hope that helps”. Knowing what is coming next I shut my ears. But Donald pushes my hands apart and says.
“We have kissed too you know. Actually, we kissed right here, on this very spot”
Alex’s face changes. “Yes I saw and I don’t care what your position is in this country as the president’s son but I don’t think you had the right to insult your client in that, manner”.
“And may I ask you how you know what I did that night?” my interest is quipped, and I look at his face for any release of emotion. But I see nothing that will make me suspect a thing.
“Well my workshop is just here, is it not?”
“Excuse me you guys, I love the attention, but the truth is none of you is my boyfriend, so can we quiet down”
“What if I asked you to be my girlfriend?” Alex suddenly asks me.
“No, thank you, Alex, but you don’t just say stuff out of the spur of the moment”
“And who says I am kidding,” he asks becoming serious. “Literally no one” I answer his question. I look at Donald only to see him giving Alex a death glare.
I hurriedly run up the stairs as I leave them both to their staring contest.
**
“Well, I have to say you both are getting too close. And I won’t advise you to do that, as a mother” mom says as she turns the meat she is grilling.
“Well, I could say the same to you” I smile so she doesn’t take it seriously.
She pauses and begins touching her hair nervously. “What do you mean?”
“Oh please you know what I mean mom, I see you, sometimes when I come back home as late as nine at night. I won’t talk much about you and dad, and I won’t confuse whatever you are doing with what I am thinking, because I know how much you loved dad”. Mum turns toward me her sniffles become serious.
“I miss your dad a lot you know. but there is one thing I know as a person, and that is God takes and he gives, so whatever it is that happened, happened for a good cause, because I know we are good people”.
I put my hands around her shoulders and lightly tap them.
“I do too, but don’t think too much”.
“I won’t, let me off your grip so that I can attend to serious matters will you?” she playfully pushes me away.
“Whatever you say ma”
**
When I am done eating I hear a ding from my phone. I hurriedly fish it out of my jean shorts and see the message is from Donald.
“Meet me downstairs” it read. My mom is busy watching a movie. I doubt she would be awake in the next three minutes; her head is currently moving around the whole place.
I drop the plate of meat I am done using and sneakily walk out the door, once I am out of the door I still tip toe till I reach the mid stairs.
On reaching the stairs, I pull my blouse a little higher to cover my cleavage.
My hand searches for the back pockets of my shorts and finds comfort there.
I see him, Donald I mean. He is in a white vest and khaki shorts. When he cites me he smiles broadly.
“I love your outfit” he tells me.
“Okay” I walk closer to him.
“I love yours too, and just so you know this is the most comfortable I have seen you around me. And boy am I so glad?”
He smiles showing off his dimple.
“I am moving out,” Donald says.
I don’t know why but my heart skips a beat.
“I know we are not in any sort of relationship that makes us want to tell each other everything. But I feel like I can and want to spill out most of myself to you”
I nod, understanding what he is saying.
“I don’t know why but I do miss you already” I clean the tears rolling down my cheeks and as each of them drops I clean it and look at them”
“This is such an embarrassment,” I say.
“You do know how to spoil certain moods you know that?” asks Donald as he bares his white teeth to me.
“I want to touch you, Katherine, as a friend” he specifies.
I hug him hurriedly, so he doesn’t hug me first.
“But come to think of it, we are acting so sappy right now, I mean why would we want to hug each other when you are just packing, out of a house, and moving like a few blocks away?” I try to place the question as indirectly as I can.
“Well because I won’t have the privilege of driving back with you at night, from the office, and there will definitely be a ban on the office hour talks, so…
“you know it wasn’t long ago you were trying to scream my ears off” we are currently a little bit apart but still holding each other by the waist.
“I know, and each time I think back to those moments I am suddenly so ashamed of myself”
We pull apart and I begin dusting the imaginary dust on my shirt.
“I love your eyes, Kat,” he says.
“Seriously can you stop saying weird stuff, you are engaged for God’s sake”
“I know, it's just I am one to say things as they are”
“Don’t you think people will talk so much about that article on the net, and oh God I saw my face, it wasn’t blurred out or anything” he keeps quiet.
“I know, but like you, I have got to learn to get used to a lot of things”
“I just called you out to let you know of my intentions”
YOU ARE READING
HIS BROWN SKIN GIRL| (EDITED VERSION)✔
Romance"His dislike became his obsession" Set in a time and place where being black became a stigma. Katherine Mendel found herself in a dead category of brown skinned. Katherine's father was said to have committed suicide. But a murder planned wrong broug...
