Fortitude

35-Fumos

Raziya

The cold was brutal. Taji told me to pack layers of warm clothes. I knew that it'd be cold, but you can only expect so much. My face felt frozen as we walked out of the airport with the two tall twins clinging to us. I'd always wanted to go to London my whole life, but after an eight hour trip to get blasted by that cold air, I wasn't so sure anymore. All I wanted was to curl up in a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate in my hands.

The twins were quality entertainment though. All of Taji's sisters seemed to have loads of embarrassing childhood stories about him. We were all laughing too hard that some grumpy old man threatened to throw us out with his bare hands. All in all, it was fun. Taji had a really bubbly family. For some reason all I could think of was how happy their mum's last days were, being around such people.

I got into the backseat with Tanya and Terry, glad that there was at least some warmth in the cab. The 20 minute drive to Chiswick passed as the girls narrated a hilarious story about how one of their uncles tripped over a tomb stone when they'd gone to visit their mother as they did annually.

I rested my head on the window, forming a condensed spot on it, looking out at everything around us covered in an overall grey atmosphere. It started drizzling which got me thinking about how just eight hours ago, I was sweating through a hot December day in Nairobi. Streets were filled with Christmas decorations that got less flashy as we made our way out of the city into residential areas. I wanted to do so many touristy things like take a ride on the London eye and see the Buckingham palace. But that had to wait. We would be there for only two days and I had a feeling there wouldn't be any sight seeing in that weather.

We arrived at a cute little estate with red brick houses that looked identical. Taji had insisted on helping me with my bag. I wasn't used to being pampered but I could get used to this.

The girls' house was like a cottage on the inside. The walls had half wooden paneling and were decorated by a series of bohemian style wall hangings. There was a little fireplace on one wall in the living room. They had neutral tones on their furniture which really tied together with the bohemian style they seemed to be  going for. Their dining table was what caught my eye the most. It looked like one huge rugged plank of wood with stands. I however had a glossy finish which contrasted it's rough appearance. There were nude coloured chairs around it which were subtle enough not to take away attention from the table.

"Terry's an interior designer too," Taji said as he slung his arm round my shoulder when he caught me staring at the table.

"What? Really?" I asked getting giddy over the whole idea. I always loved knowing that there were people who loved doing what I loved doing. My inner girlyness couldn't help but get excited at the thought of how well we'd get along with his sister.

Terry gestured me to follow her as Taji and Tessa went to what I assumed was the kitchen. I followed her up the stairs, as I threw my eyes around at the portraits hung along the way. They were photos of all four children, from childhood all the way till date. I couldn't help but notice how Taji wasn't in a lot of them after a certain age. There were a couple of cute childhood photos of him, but none in his teens. One photo however nearly made me lose my footing. It was a photo of the whole family; the kids, their late mother and my boss.

"Hey, you coming?" Terry asked as she popped her head from the corner with a smile. I nodded and continued walking up the stairs. She showed me to an all white room and my heart almost shed tears at how neat it was.

"Taji told us you're like me so I decided that I'd do the best," she said as she leaned on the door post.

"You're a clean freak too?"

"One step away from being clinically OCD," she joked as she got in and sat on the ottoman.  This was a brilliant opportunity for me to flood her with questions about how it works for her. However, as I sat on the edge of the bed, the inner me had already hit the red button labelled overthink.

Is Mr. Fumo their father?
Why would he hide that from me?
Could I lose my job because of this?
What? No, that's ridiculous.
But what will everyone else think?
They'll all see me as some opportunist who flirted with the boss' son for some sort of favour.
What will-

"I know that look," Terry said interrupting my session.

"What look?"

"You're overthinking something, what's up?"

"Nothing  much, just jet lagged."

She furrowed her eyebrows at me incredulously but chose not to ask anything else.

" I know the feeling. I'll leave you to freshen up and you can join us downstairs when you're done okay?"

"Sure, thank you."

As I walked down the stairs, I fought the urge to stop and stare at the photo. All I knew was we had to have a conversation about this at some point. I followed the aroma of spices to the dining room where I found the girls setting the table as Taji sat at the foot with his head laid on it. Poor thing must have been really tired. I went and helped the girls then went and sat next to him. I shook him awake and he reluctantly got up rubbing his eyes as his sisters made fun of him.

I helped him serve and set his plate before him. His eyes seemed to glow at the simple gesture when he was fully awake. I couldn't help but smile at how warm I felt on the inside. I was beginning to enjoy playing host for the butterflies that permanently resided in my tummy.

Tessa gave thanks then we dug in. I was laughing the whole time at ridiculous childhood stories of how all four of them used to terrorize their parents. Tanya was supposed to be there but she had some work thing she had to travel for. I however found it weird how she seemed distant, especially to her best friend Taji.

Speaking of best friends, I hadn't spoken to Lily in a week. I knew that I needed to patch things up with her but I simply lacked the courage to do so. Not that I was afraid of her or anything of the sort. I just hated awkward conversations. But since my talk with Taji, I needed to be more concerned about how my actions affected others rather than stay on the lookout to ensure that everything around me was going according to plan. I decided that it'd be the first thing i'd do when we got home.

We gathered around the TV to watch a Christmas movie after Taji and I did the dishes. The girls were against it since we had just arrived but we somehow convinced them. Taji and I sat beside each other, with his head on my shoulder, his hair tickling my neck. Barely 30 minutes into the movie, I heard soft snores from him that made me chuckle. From my peripheral vision, he looked like a curly haired angel in a peaceful meadow. Terry handed me a merino blanket which I covered the both of us in. A couple of minutes later, I too was out like a light.