Waiting For a Call

Chapter 1: Narrator

"Thomas!"

"Yes!" answered Thomas, as he sped out of his room to answer whoever called him. "Yes", he repeated, receiving no answer. He returned to his room frustrated. Once again, he has heard someone calling him, but no one actually said his name. It was beginning to get annoying.

That morning was like any other. Another day of moping around, occasionally looking through his phone to see if he has any messages, or whether he has received an acceptance letter from any of the countless universities and colleges he had applied to. Just like any other day, there was no message of any sort.

Breakfast was a mellow affair, at least, it was Thomas. His siblings were busy shouting at each other, or gossiping about some sort of new show or their new high score in one game or another. It really made no difference to him, he just wanted to eat his cereal in peace.

Of course, fate will never grant that boon to him.

"Thomas!"

"Yes!" answered Thomas. This time he was sure he heard the voice of his mother calling him. "Don't forget that you have to meet with Dr. Philips today to collect your psychometric assessment report." How could he have forgotten? It has been two weeks to the day since his mother took him to the nearest psychometrician to get me tested because he was "sick".

After practically inhaling the last of his cereal, he went to the washroom to freshen up, making it a point to ignore the mirror that so clearly replicated his naked body. After shampooing his dark afro and scrubbing his chocolate skin raw, he put on the loosest, yet presentable outfit he could get his hands on, opting to put on his sandals rather that his too tight shoes. After a quick goodbye to his family, he left the house, making sure to close the gate well so that the puppies don't follow him out.

It was a rather warm Saturday morning, so it wasn't surprising that there weren't many people on the street, making getting an empty matatu very easy. It was a ways to go from Nyali to downtown where Dr. Philips's office was, and he had no intention on walking. Getting into the vehicle, he sat next a lady. She looked about 17, the same age as him. She had rather short hair, and caramel skin. Greeting each other with a smile, he sat next to her and immediately turned to the conductor telling him to drop him off at the post office in town, paying the necessary 30 shillings.

Thomas spent the trip silently, with sorrowful ballads playing in his ears through his headset. Twenty minutes later sees the van full and a very uncomfortable Thomas. He decided to get off almost a block away from the post office, opting to spend a bit more money to get a tuk-tuk the rest of the way. He arrived around ten minutes later, five minutes late for his 9am appointment. Running up the stairs three at a time, he barged into the reception.

"Habari Mrs. Njoki"

"Good morning Thomas. You know that you are late, right?"

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry. Is Dr. Philips in?"

"Yes, but he has a client inside. Just wait five minutes and he will be right with you."

"Oh...uh...okay, thanks"

After five minutes of waiting in the waiting room, on the sleep-inducing, comfortable chair, Dr. Philips office door opens. Thomas turns around and sees not one, but two familiar faces.

"Good morning Thomas. Let me introduce you to my niece Tanya, she just arrived here not 5 minutes before you" said Mr. Philips. The only thing that Thomas heard was the name of the girl in front of him.

The same girl that sat by him not one hour ago.

A/N: The media image is a matatu and one of the songs Thomas was listening to. I will be updating this story every week.