The Departure

Women you run to their Ex’s arms are NOT a pathetic, miserable lot. What they are is humans falling prey to silly jealousy—which happens to the best of us, so don’t feel bad—and all you need is a little perspective. Peris narrates the turn around

“I know, I have been a piece of sh*t of late…” read the other part of the text. This was just but the beginning of a lengthy apology. It then concluded with a plea for Hanna to come over to his place so that they could talk about it, with purpose to help her through this difficult time. Jeff had always been this classic ‘smooth operator’. A fashionable sweet- talker, abiding within the high social circles. He was popular with women and not a stranger to giving them the fast life they craved for.  It was clear that he didn’t hold sincere affection for these women, and as described by my sister, “His heart is cold, but pockets very warm”.

I recall the first night they met, years after high school, in Hurlighum. He had changed. He ticked all the boxes, any babygurl could thirst for. Young, loaded and handsome. Any girl would easily fall to prey. Unfortunately my sister was the first one to fall for his bait. That night we crushed at his apartment, he really gave us a night to remember. Booze and other synthetic drug like MDMA were on continuous flow. Apart from the frequent calls he received through the night, everything else seemed on point.

Despite all the glamour, it looked too good to be true. In one scene, he displays a wash wash jamaa, and in others, he appeared to be a pimp. I could tell this is someone who had succeeded in evading law enforcement, or one who was paying them to have him under state protection.

Hanna seemed to be a little bewildered with the message. Fixed on a crossroad of whether Jeff was actually meant it or it was one of his many gimmicks. I honestly don’t understand how girls falling head over heels on white lies, in the name of love. She was already considering the reconciliation vibe so I asked her to trust her instincts. “You’ve received Ksh. 4,000” read the Mpesa message as her phone vibrated. “You see, this guy really means it, he even sent cab money” she smiled with a spark in her eyes. A quick hug and off she left. I was left there imbibing the bloom gin cocktails as I watched her shadow vanish through the crowded gate. Maybe Jeff was manning up to it.

As soon as she got to Jeff’s place, she alerted me. She further promised she would be on her best behaviour and I should worry less about her. Part of me did trust Jeff this time round, but his house is a junkie’s haven and with his piercing tongue he would easily lure my sister into anything. She seemed to have shirked everything that Jeff had done to her. B*itch was drowning in love. She was hoping maybe Jeff would change his mind about the unborn baby.

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A couple of cocktails in and I was already vibing with this Marto guy that had joined my table. I was itching to tell Hanna about it but she didn’t pick up. Two more tries, the phone still went unanswered; I assumed they were having the talk. The night was growing old, and by now the club was full to the brim. Desperate socialites were busy grinding their wababaz and thirsty boys doing their best to get a hook up. Marto was busy matching his pick-up lines with cocktail rounds. I was getting tipsy and as though Ivy couldn’t notice, she kept bringing round after round. “Babes huyu ako poa sana,” she kept whispering on every round she served. The tips were good. I really wanted to run the gossip by my siz, but on several attempts her phone was off. I was uneasy, not knowing what to comprehend of the situation. Maybe I’m overthinking… I convinced myself as the night grew better with the charming Marto dude.

TBC