Unveiled

Chapter ten: La Captura

It is January 2015 and Christmas and the new year celebrations were astounding and all. I had a jumpy one just that I don't remember the details. The feeling that I won't be going back to high school for term one made me appreciate the people who decided that form five and six weren't that necessary. My dad had a friend who owned an Mpesa on Khachonge market and he talked him into giving me that job. I used some few lessons in about an hour or two and I was fit for the job. Mpesa business was a real deal those days and I was a banker in the eyes of the people. Enough of that, let's get to what made you open this chapter.

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I had her number off head and this was the time to reconnect and get to know her more. I had registered my first safaricom line and her contact was the first one to be saved. I took quite some time before calling her and I had a lot of rehearsals to do before I even dialed up. Have you ever prepared talking to someone as if it was an exam? You create two minds in your head and you give them a contest. One asks a question and the other definitely provides an answer. I was so sure that she would remember me because that was the only way I would make my way to her. Usually, the girls and boys you meet in high school might never see you again and I was just hoping that odds favor me this time round.

Violet was by then living in Nairobi; Kileleshwa to be exact, with her extended family. I never knew the difference between Kileleshwa and Umoja or any other place you know in Nairobi. All I knew was there was Nairobi and the people who stay there are elites. You get the reason why I had to make those preparations before the call. She sure picked up the call and I struggled with the first words. Those who know me would attest to this; my voice was always a joke. I wouldn't even joke with bass or something. You'd barely notice am a guy not unless I insist on my name and gender. She wanted me to speak up and we were not on the same page for the first few days. I managed however, to convince her that I was the guy she met at Teremi High school. Usually, she gives guys wrong contacts, that's what she told me later, but she didn't know why she gave me the right number. Fate, right?

Girls from the city have their standards you know and I could not beat hers. It wasn't long before she told me point blank that she was dating. The ladies will never tell you that unless they don't see potential in you. I was not even thinking about that and I was more than ready to try and win her from whoever guy she was dating. It was so hard for me to keep the connection. She was not a chatty person and she only talked back if I called. I was not that desperate so I put her on pause; yeah, pause, like, I don't text or call her until further notice. These were the first days of January. You remember Sylvia Munda? We were still talking way much and Violet was just a distraction. I had a small Itel phone that did not support whatsapp. The only precious thing in that phone was the memory card and the two contacts; Sylvia's and Violet's.

I now shifted my full attention to Sylvia and we insanely fell in love. We remembered about the good old days back in primary school and most of our talks were inclined to that. She did not remember a lot of things about that life but she sure remembered that at one point we liked each other. A day never passed without a call from her and I would not think of anything else now; just her. Arnold Satia was always there with me and he was surprised that I was in contact with Sylvia. I therefore let him talk to her and they did their catching up too. He always talked so highly of her every other time and he made me feel proud of having her. We had not met with Sylvia for a very long time. The last time I saw her was 2008 when I was transferring from St Elizabeth Bokoli. Arnold made me transfer involuntarily. Well, I missed going to school on Saturday and he threatened me with his best words possible of the strokes that were waiting up for me on Monday. As much as I loved that school and all, anyone who was there would give you a testimony; Discipline was real. I wouldn't risk going back knowing that the injuries wouldn't be bearable. My parents never approved of me leaving that school and so dad pushed me to always wake up and go to school. I woke up, yes, prepared for school, went to school, but never reached school. Every other day I would take my bike and race to the opposite direction to whichever place I would think of and come later in the evening pretending to be so tired and with a lot of assignments to do. My sister was by then in boarding school and she wouldn't give the report back home about her brother. That's how I almost quit school. Mum realized later on and she convinced me into joining St Raphael Day and Boarding, which was just a stone's throw from home.