HOW I MET MY CHEATING GIRLFRIEND

Episode 4

"So am a drunkard, you mean?” Sweeney asked me with a stone face.

“It’s not you, my dear. That was my friend Austin who was calling. He’s my coursemate in Maseno and he drinks. I guess he’s drunk at the moment and that’s why he’s calling me. I’ll talk with him later.”

“Is Austin your Darling?”

I got surprised! How did she know whoever was calling me was ‘Darling’? I immediately deleted the number from my phone. I knew it was for Cate, the one I saved as darling. “It’s good I know Cate’s number offhead. I will save it later.” I said to myself.

“Then help me with your phone, please.” She requested. Before I could give her my phone, I deleted even the call log for darling who just called. I didn’t want her to get that number either. She looked at my phone keenly. We were seated opposite to each other and I couldn’t see exactly what she was doing in that phone. “Have it back.” She said, giving me the phone. The latest call logs had her mom’s number, and a missed call from Martine, the Jumia man.

“My phone is just about to go off, and you said you would give me your number. Did you save it?” I asked.

“Yes! I saved it but unfortunately, you’ve deleted it. Thanks. You didn’t want my number.”

“But Sweeney…” Before I could finish saying this, I saw power off animation playing on the screen. Sweeney left immediately. It was 6.03pm. I stood up to follow her before I could hear a call at my back, “Hey customer! You’ve not paid your bills!” I was stranded, and totally stressed up! My phone is off and Sweeney has also left. I couldn’t leave without paying and I decided to hold on and watch her going into the crowds in the town where she disappeared.

“Well, how much is the bill?” I asked the waitress.

“Sir, here is your bill.” She gave me a small piece of paper. “Your meal was Ksh 250 while hers was Kshs 510, totaling to Kshs 760.” She added.

“Okay. Where’s the till number for Lipa Na MPESA?” The waitress showed me the till number. I had Ksh 300 in my MPESA account, the only money that remained out of the Kshs 2,300 for my rent. Back on the phone, I realized it was off. “Please, my phone is off. Where would I recharge it for some times so that I can make that transaction?” I asked innocently.

“Use the other socket. And try to be faster because I want to go on a shift. There’s a new group who should be getting in by 6.30,” said the waitress.

In my wallet, I only had Ksh 470. To offset my bills, I needed additional Ksh 290. After about 15mins, my phone already had 10%. I paid the Ksh 300 via MPESA, and added her the remaining Ksh 460. With only ten shillings remaining, I couldn’t manage to go back to Nyamasaria. It was late and I could pay up to 50 Bob, instead of normal 30 Bob. “To mean I deleted Sweeney’s number? How did I confuse this with Cate’s number? Have messed up!” I cried bitterly, with my head facing down as if I was busy on my phone.

Approaching 7pm, I called Martine.

“Hello Oscar, do you want to place another order?” Oops! Martine only knew that the only time I could call him was when I wanted to buy something from Jumia, Kenya. “No please, can I meet you next to Maseno University building (Kisumu campus)?” I responded.

“Oh, am sorry bro. Am headed to town to meet someone now. Unless we meet in town.” He said. I was still in town so I told him to come over we meet. Because we have traded with him, I was sure he could help me out – I wanted some cash to take me back home.

“Semaje bro, hali vipi huku?” Martine was a very jovial person. He began the conversation. Personally, I had a lot of stress; no fare, landlord needs rent by tomorrow, have deleted Sweeney’s number…just a number of them. But I tried have a smiley face.

“Am good Marto. I hope bizna inakupeleka poa.” I said, “but please I need your help right away.”

“What’s up bro. Sema niskie.“

I thought of asking him two things; Sweeny’s number and Ksh 100 for my fare. But maybe that could be much. So I asked for the fare. “I’ll ask him about Sweeney when am back in the house.” I found away to escape that question.

“Bro, give me so moja I’ll send it back to you once am home.”

“Fiti Osy, we ni rafiki siwezi kunyima dao.”

“Thanks Marto!” He gave me Ksh 200. I left for a tuk tuk heading to Nyamasaria. It was peak hours with a lot of congestion in the road. I got into one of the tuk tuk which carried seven passengers. I was here, but my mind wasn’t with me. When I remembered the beautiful lady I met at the Jomo Kenyatta Sport’s Ground, and spent half of my day with her, I could feel chest pains. The worst of all, deleting her number from my phone unknowingly and pretending to have been called by a “drunkard friend”, who was her actually. I just couldn’t wait to be at home before I could chat with Martine about Sweeney. Above all, I feared she could have lost trust in me when she realized I never picked up her calls and deleted her number. I was very tired!

“Oscar, what’s up with you? You look stressed up. Why can’t you eat?” My mom, Joyce asked me. I came to visit her over the weekend.

Excuse me darling, you have a text message! My message’s ringtone notification rang. “Remember to submit your assignment online tomorrow by 7am. It must not be less than 10 pages. Use pictures where necessary.” This was a message from the lecturer, Prof Bigwambo. I had hardly done half of the work. I spent the whole day following Sweeney and forgot I had an assignment.

“No mom, am okay. It’s just tiredness from the busy day. By the way, the game was nice…” I replied.

“And which teams won?”

To be frank, I never even concentrated on the game. I saw Sweeney as soon as I entered the sport’s ground and all my mind was on her, trying to imagine her being my girlfriend. But my mom had asked, so I had to give the response. “Mom, I tell you teams were so many. And pools C, P and Z won.” I could see a smile on her face – have actually won that. Even with the threats of assignment online submission, I couldn’t wait to chat with Martine over Sweeney. I texted him after my supper, around 9pm. “Hello Marto, have reached safely.”

“Hello bro, fiti sana. And I saw you with ule mtoto bana…” He replied.

“Yes, how did you know her?”

“Bro, that girl was mine since she joined Form 4 at Sinyolo Girls. We just had some little differences hapo kitu January…”

But did she tell me she had never been in love? I guess Martine was just trying to make me leave her for him. I trusted Sweeney and when she said that, I believed her. Actually, she was looking like someone who have never been close to any man. And if that could be true, last year she was busy in school and they could have not met – being intimate. For sure, I was really determined and could find any reason to make me trust her. Whenever I remembered her image, I was smiling to myself. Indeed, have found the Queen of my heart!

“I guess asking Martine her number would look so awkward. I spent almost the whole day with her and failed to get the number. Am I serious?” I said to myself. I decided to ask him indirectly.

“Okay bro. And do you still communicate?”

“Yes! Even when you were with her at the sport’s ground, I called her and we talked.” This made me to remember the time I was just about to kiss her when her phone rang. She smiled and left to pick the call at a distance. “So it was Martine, the Jumia man…” I wondered.

At the restaurant, I secretly took her photo. After Martine’s last message, I went to my gallery. I stared at her picture, without a word, tears rolled over my eyes. With the phone in my hand, I felt asleep.

The following day was a Monday. I was to go back to campus. I woke at 4am to complete my assignment. I got 3 missed calls and two messages from two different numbers. Checking closely, two of the missed calls were from the number that had been previously dialed in my phone – it was for Sweeney’s mom.

“Hi dear, hope you got home safe. Am grateful and thanks for your company today. I’m sorry if I might have wronged you in any way. Take care. I love you so much. Goodnight. Don’t call back my mom’s number.” The message read.