WARIDI ✔️

Chapter Forty Four

DEAN'S POV

Being back in Kenya without my waridi made the days blur together. My days were long and painful and the nights were lonely and sad. I did everything I could to get my mind off her but nothing worked. My mom had found out about my day drinking one week in when she came to check up on me at the house and found me drunk as a skunk passed out on the rooftop. I think either Jomo or Wangeci had ratted me out but they had saved my liver so I did not confront them. It's not like I had proof anyway. My mom had sobered me up and we had one long talk. She understood my pain so she did not force me to be better, just talked to me like the cool mom that she was.

After that she had made me go back to work and that is what I spent all my days doing. It felt good to get back to work, the different interactions with my customers were great and a bit therapeutic since I was not stuck in my head all the time. I felt guilty using the Land Rover but I did not have a choice. River had suggested that we get another car and I would do it but it felt wrong going car shopping without her considering I would be using her money. Technically it was my money now as well since we were married but every major decision I had made in my life since the beginning of the year had involved River but she wasn't with me anymore and I was lost.

That feeling is what led me take to the bottle at night to drown out my sorrows and it worked for a while until I had to wake up the next morning. Everything felt wrong without River and as the days progressed so did my pain because I had no idea if I would ever get to see her again. It had been more than a month since I arrived and there was zero communication between us. I tried calling her, leaving messages and even emailing her but they all came back unanswered. Even Demi who was always online had been inactive since the day I left. It's like they had cut off all contact with me and that made me really worried about them. I knew her father was keeping her locked away and that thought was disturbing. He was ruining both our futures by keeping us apart and I had no idea how much longer I could last without my wife.

"Okay miss this is your destination." I announced stopping the car in front of the huge high rise building in Westlands.

"Thank you. Do you take M-pesa, I'm low on cash?" She asked me.

"Yes." I nodded and gave her my phone number.

After she sent me the money and I confirmed to have received it she alighted the car and walked inside the building. She looked like she was dressed for a party but it was none of my business. I was done for the day so I pulled away ready to go home.

I recalled that I had run out of all the booze in my house so I passed by a liquor store to buy some more. I couldn't drink on an empty stomach so I picked up some pizza since I was not in the mood to cook. Wangeci helped me out a lot around the house but she worked till five and I would not get home till well past seven. I feel like they already had too much going on without taking care of a grown man so I tried my best not to bother them much.

I got an incoming call from Dishan and I smiled. Evening calls from Dishan only meant one thing, drinking and partying which is exactly what I was in the mood for.

"What's up Di?" I asked as soon as the call connected.

"Where are you?" He asked.

"On my way home. Should I turn back?" I asked him.

"No, I'm actually at your place." He replied.

"Huh? What are you doing there?" I inquired.

I had no issue with Dishan being at my place, it's just that most of our meetings took place at clubs in the city not in each other's homes.

"I brought you a surprise." He replied and I thought I heard a female laugh in the background.

"Di you better not have brought women into my home." I gritted out.