Reflected Souls

1

"My name is Robert Delani and am an alcoholic." Robert said with a forced half smile on his face and his eyes transfixed on the ground, he did not like making eye contact while confessing of his addiction.

"Hi Robert." The AA group replied with almost complete unison. Robert managed to raise his eyes and, once again, look at the group of struggling alcoholics who were seated in a circle sharing their life stories and achievements of staying sober. The group leader, a tall man with a thick beard and hairy arms had been passing around a teddy bear and telling the person holding it to share his or her name to the group and how long he or she has stayed sober. The teddy bear Robert thought looked like it had been through many dirty hands before and had never been washed had finally landed on him and he was supposed to share. "I have been sober three weeks and two days..." he started.

After the group meeting, Robert glanced at his watch '8:30, still enough time for me to get kit-Kats for Sarah' he thought as he got up from the metallic chair he was seating on. A hand gripped his shoulder just before he could reach the door, "You're not staying for a cup of coffee? It's free." Said the guy who had been seating next to Robert, he was a chubby dark skinned man with a flat nose and disturbingly thick lips he reminded Robert (in a weird way) of Idi Amin, or at least the actor who played his role in the movie. Robert did not remember his name just like he didn't remember anybody else's except for the group leader who made it his personal mission to speak to everyone individually. He was usually in and out of these AA meetings just because Sarah told him to. No need to make new friends.

"Ah, maybe next time. My fiancé' is waiting for me at home and I need to get her something." Robert said flashing his fake 'No hard feelings smile' at the Idi Amin look alike.

"Its okay man, you go take care of your girl... I will just find someone else to drink coffee with." Said the Idi Amin look alike with a slightly disturbing and pitiful tone to his voice it sounded like he really wanted company, he seemed like a lonely person. They shook hands and Robert watched him as he went back into the crowd of people at the table where coffee was being served. The room looked quite old with cobwebs on every corner of the wall and a blinking bulb attached to a wire that cut into the ceiling, everyone in the room did not seem to be in a hurry, in fact, Robert was the only person leaving.

It was a typical Sunday night in the dark streets of Nairobi, isolated except for the homeless people who walked around aimlessly with bottles always stuck up against their noses as they snuff glue and the usual citizens who were hurrying home to prepare for the dreaded 'Monday blues'. Robert got in his black Pathfinder and drove home remembering to stop at a supermarket and buy Sarah her chocolate delights. Ever since she got pregnant she began having these horrible cravings for chocolate. One time she woke up at two in the morning and begged Robert to go buy her some chocolate and when he had told her to be patient and wait till morning she started crying and yelling at him.

Bloody mood swings

"How was it?" she asked as soon as Robert got inside their apartment. She was lying on the watching television, her face had become a little chubby since the pregnancy but Robert thought it made her look even better. Big dark eyes, small cute nose and lips that always looked like they were asking for a kiss, her long hair covered half her face as she turned to look at Robert and she pushed it back in a girly sort of way. 'She's happy' was Roberts first thought which gave him a little sense of relief. 'Hope she stays that way, just don't mess it up ROB!'

"It was great honey; I even made a new friend... idi Amin."

"What?" Robert had expected a laugh but instead got a disgusted look from Sarah, "this isn't a game Rob, I cannot raise a child with an alcoholic for a father...I just can't."