Can we try again?

Sixty-eight

Daniel

Daniel sat in the pub holding a pint of beer in his hands, waiting for his friend's arrival. The last message he got from him said he'd be there any moment from now.

The pub was extremely busy as it was a Friday night. People ambled in and out. Some sat in groups eating the British famous fish and chips, cheering, clanking their beer glasses, chatting away. Music played in the background.  But Daniel had a lot on his mind to pay full attention to these things. For the past three months now, his mind has been occupied. It started off as an idea, one little thought, but over time it had grown. It had grown so large, occupying the whole of his mind, until that was all he could ever think of.

It wasn't anything serious though, like his job. In fact, he was flourishing in that aspect. He was getting paid a decent amount of money. Not exactly what he wanted. But it was okay. At least for now. 

So many things had changed over the period of three years though. He'd taken his driving test and after three attempts, he finally passed it. It wasn't as though he didn't know how to drive. He drove his mum's car back in Nigeria - even without a license or insurance. But being in England, he discovered that things were different from his home country.
There were the traffic rules and regulations which you had to abide by. And it was hard for him to adjust to driving on the left side of the road with the steering wheel on the right side of the car.  

He proceeded to buy a small car for himself, although not a flashy one like he would like to have, it was one that could transport him around. It was manageable. Who knew it was so expensive to buy and manage a car? There was more to just owning a car in England, he quickly learned. It was the responsibilities that came with it - car insurance, road tax, MOT - all these expenses.

It was a good thing he had a job and a steady source of income and some savings to carry him through. And his mum sometimes sent some money to him. 

Nearly six months after moving closer to his office in Lambeth, Daniel was transferred to the company's new branch in Greenwich. Although he was greatly annoyed by this inconvenience (commuting to work was another long journey for him), moving there meant he had more people in his team to manage. It meant more responsibility, but there was also a pay rise involved. So, he remained in Lambeth for another four to five months doing the commute, now from to Greenwich. 

After long hours spent searching on the internet, he luckily found an apartment in Charlton, which was closer to Greenwich. It was a well furnished two-bedroom flat. He'd previously lived in a one-bedroom studio flat, but he decided to step it up and go for a two-bedroom flat. He was obviously thinking about the future. 

Not long after he moved to his new flat in Charlton, he asked Kim to live with him. At first, she refused, which came across as a big blow to Daniel. By then, they'd both proclaimed their love to each other. 

"Babe, I love you. And I know that without a doubt you love me too, so why are you saying you can't move in with me?" Daniel had asked dejectedly over the phone. He knew it was a conversation they should have face to face, but he couldn't contain himself and he asked her. 

She was quiet for a few seconds. 

"Babe?" Daniel called. "Are you still there?"

"Yeah," she answered. "I just. . . " She paused again.

"Talk to me," Daniel cajoled. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know if it's the right move, Danny." She finally admitted. "I mean. . .what if it's too soon? It is a lot of commitment and honestly, I don't even know I'm ready for it."

It was Daniel's turn to become quiet. He wasn't expecting this reply. 

She continued. "Things are going well between us and I would have it no other way, but I feel like once we move in together, everything would change . . . and I don't want it to."