Sindie was wearing too much makeup. Her dimpled chocolate face powdered a shade too light. The smudge of berry lipstick like a small wound on her lower lip. I could sense her efforts trying to hide her discomfort. Her brighter eyes kept on blinking twice in every millisecond due to the bulky artificial eye lashes she was wearing. For five minutes I kept on staring at her. Her blue eyes clearly sliced through me like a sharp razor blade.
“Frank are you here?”
After being embalmed in the same position, my body leapt into actions.
“Yaa, am here. But…”
“But what?” She couldnt allow me to finish what I was saying.
“Frank we have been standing here for ten minutes and what you have is just giving me that strange look as if you don’t know me”
There was war in my mind. Say it” Dont say it”. The other portion wanted to say the truth, the other wanted to lie.
Frank!”
Sindie you’re scaring me with your makeup honestly. I mean ee it’s too much. You look ugly in them.”
The other portion was right. I shouldn’t say the truth.
What!? How could you? How could you Frank? “
A strange sensation tickled the pit of my stomach. I sensed a certain anger in her serene voice. My heart started to pound.
She gave me an icy gaze. Placed her arms on her thin round waist forming all acute angles. Her over makeup forehead turned into small spaced ridges. I knew it was time for arguments.
She unzipped her lips and oozed bitter sound waves while draping her well fade frame.
I just recalled one of the relationship tips watched on YouTube whenever arguing with your girlfriend, allow her to talk and spit all the fires dont cut her. Be a man.”
So I kept my manners. I was a man.
Are you done?
“Nyo nyo nyo”
I couldn’t imagine those words coming from such a beautiful creature with an angelic image. I laughed hilariously perhaps scornfully. Swallowed a little saliva and let my mouth free.
“Sindie you’re beautiful nsaname but eeish amene wakuuza zophodayo wakulakwila. Look at you, you’re just reminding me of a certain vampire from Wrong Turn. Oh gosh, I thought we already talked about this. Ohh paja muchoka Ku School. You just look at those nails. So you want I should be holding your hand in the street? Aaa nanga mutandibaya nazo. Even your face have turned yellow yellow choncho. Hahaha, am serious. “
You just shut up Frank. And what am I doing here. Oh borrow me your ears, don’t call me don’t text me we are done.”
She made a 360 degree turn showing me her onion shape, hit an innocent frozy empty bottle and allowed her legs to do the needful.
I was left mouth widely unzipped even a group of flies could have made it their new habitat. It didn’t take too long before she was nothing than a tiny peak.
The journey to where I live doubled. I walked, stopped, then walked again, finally I stopped when my legs could carry me no more. I threw myself at the front of a tree a few yards from the road. Maybe a little rest would help me regain energy. My mind was crowded by a trillion questions that need urgent answers.
“We are done? Is it the end or the beginning of the new episode?” At that moment I wished I was thoroughly plastered with beer so that I could forget everything including myself.
That night was so long. For the first time I felt the pain of sleeping on a mat. My eyes widely open busy counting iron sheets. I saw a rat peering from a crack near the wall of my quarters. I picked my Chelsea shirt from one corner of the mat and angrily swung at it but to no avail. I was caught with thoughts of fear. “Isn’t it mad to be afraid of a rat? Or it is a bad omen?”
Days melted into weeks without my eyes being hit by light rays from Sindie’s beautiful hardware. I forced myself to act normal but I wasn’t myself.
Thank God I didn’t skipped any meal.
Days melted into weeks, I was getting used to it. A free man in a free world.
Sunday, afternoon, the sky was a clear blue and the heat was overpowering. All people home deserted at that time. Umbrellas of smoke hung above our kitchen like rain clouds. I was busy roosting maize. Men at work.
“Kwabwera nzako” my little sister disturbed me.
“Ok ase”
I got up from a half brick, took a dark vest. I couldnt find my gwaladi, so I allowed nature to control me. Opened the well-made traditional fence. I was paralyzed by what I witnessed. A creature of my own age, with striking features that left me mesmerized and caused me to simply stand and stare for what seemed to be eternity. With eyes catlike, so penetrating that I was forced to look away. I was hypnotized by what appeared before me, much like a child watching the magician at first magic show.
“Hei Sindie. Wow you look beautiful. Apatu surname ya Mkanalumo ija yukukhalatu.”
She laughed revealing her dimples to me and then looked away.
“Welcome and feel free”
“Asa! Feel free ngati ndi nyumba yakotu chonsecho ndiwe ka spoon kanyumba kenikeni”
We stared at each other and turned into a makiyolobasi laughter.
“Ndabwera kuzakutenga I want to tell you something. We are going kwinakwake”
As we walk hand to hand, I realized that sometimes it is the imperfections that makes things perfect.
BE PROUD OF WHO YOU ARE.