sweet ocean waves

chapter three

"I'm telling you man, she's on a different trip lately, asking me all sorts of questions."

"What kind of questions?" I asked him, pushing clothes out of my way that were hanging from the stalls left and right.

"The other day she asked if we would live in the same house like mama when we're married." As soon as the words left his mouth, Zane shook his head as if to shake the thought out of his body. "I don't even know anything besides her name and she is already thinking about marriage." He scoffed.

We turned left at Nuru's Barber shop and I tried to dodge the shoulders bumping into me every few seconds.

As much as I tried to imagine him as a married man, the image just didn't pop up in my head.

"I mean mama would be thrilled if I'd finally bring a girl home. She'd put a ring on us right there the second."

"How is your mother by the way?" I asked.

Zane gave me a side glance, rolling his eyes.

"She smacked my head this morning asking me what I did that you wouldn't come visit anymore."

I felt a sudden rush of guilt creeping up on me.

"I'm sorry man. I've been just so busy helping out babu."

Zane poked me with his elbow.

"Hey, I know. Don't worry about it. I can handle mama." He said and as his eyebrows raised, he mocked, "For Ziya, I can't promise the same though."

A silent laugh escaped me before we turned around another corner, standing in front of Okeyos fruit stall. Zane shook the man's hand exchanging a couple of words before he gave him a list of what he wanted and turned back to me.

"Is she Okay?" I asked concerned.

"Well," He sighed before he continued. "We're trying, you know."

That's not the answer to my question.

"But she's doing way better. I think going to school really helps a lot." Zane added as if he heard me think before.

"She misses you though. I don't know for how long I can keep her before she sneaks into your house and strangles you for not coming to pay her a visit." He joked, turning back to Okeyo and taking the heavy bags from him, handing me a couple of them to carry.

As Zane said his last goodbye, trying to rearrange the bags of fruits in his hands, my gaze went wandering around. It was a whole lot of more crowded than usually, now that the weather is getting a lot hotter.

I notice couple of tourists roaming around, cameras in their hand, taking pictures of the locals.

"Dude, I'm so glad so far no one dared to take pictures of me, because I would have taken that camera and shoved it up somewhere they wouldn't be able to find it again."

He handed me another bag and I took it.

"And why do they always dress like that? Like they're on safari or something."

I let out a deep sigh.

"If I only knew."

Zane went on complaining when my eyes drifted to the girl who had just come out of crazy Jamal's home. She wore a white dress, her head wrapped in the same color, bringing out the soft melanin in her skin.

Standing in the middle of the street, she smiled, her eyes closed and her head slightly tilted to the side where the sun directly hit her face, her skin was glowing.