A new day, a new job and it has been nearly four months at the new employer’s. Freshly dry cleaned suit and shiny shoes, my new tie is trendy. I can tell all the ladies at work are watching me, as I walk tall, past the glass doors, down the corridor to my office, at the end of the hall. The typists stop typing. The secretaries compare notes and gossip behind their typewriters and occasionally let out the odd giggle, as I glide past them.
It is 1969. A sizzling January morning in Nairobi. The air is slightly dry, but it is cool enough to let me shine in my new suit. One of the managers sees me strut my stuff and calls out, ‘A new suit and tie. Well, well, we will finally make a gentleman of you yet!’
He smiles, a little too sarcastically for my liking.
‘Good Morning, sir! Thank you, sir.’ I add and move swiftly past him.
I can hear him snigger behind my back, as a I push my office door open. Miss O follows me in, pushes the door shut behind her. She pauses, waiting for me to take my seat and wishes me good morning. She hands me the newspaper and offers a cup of tea.
‘Did you hear that?’ I ask.
She feins an air of nonchalance and pushes the tea towards me, then steps away, moving to the front of my desk, shorthand notebook in hand.
‘Yes, sir. Well done, sir. Will there be anything else?’
She does not blink and her face is devoid of emotion or interest. I respond in the negative and she leaves the room. The door closes quietly behind her.
I put the daily paper aside and close my eyes, still pondering on the sarcasm of the Manager. The fact that I can afford some new clothes does not go unnoticed. I remember how long it has taken me to earn enough to buy new clothes and struggle with the anger, before deciding to let it go. I turn to my tea and newspaper and begin my day, waiting for 8 o’clock. It is only 7 in the morning. I smile as I think that I made an impression on the man and so shrug the last of my irritation away.
Sarah begins her day, by cleaning her home. She thinks of her husband and how sharp he looked in his new suit. She smiles to herself and sets about her morning chores. She is home today, during half-term and makes a plan to mark her students’ books later in the day. Breakfast dishes done, she plans to tidy their bedroom and bathroom, before washing clothes. She repairs her husband’s socks and darns his sweaters after, then settles to make a well-earned mid-morning pot of tea.
Her thoughts drift to her Isaac, her husband. She reminisces on their early months of marriage and realizes how much he has changed. A little extra weight on his lanky frame, has made his face seem gentler and kinder. He trims his hair frequently too, which is something she likes. His new moustache tickles, and she decides to ask if he will keep it. Sarah thinks about how much more withdrawn he seems, wondering if everything is okay at work. She decides to let that thought go, believing he would have mentioned it.
Isaac is in training and has a stack of papers to sort and report on his progress later in the day. His supervisor checks on him lust before lunch and commends his work. Miss A clears away the tea tray and collects the newspaper. He leaves for lunch and heads out for a plate of beans and maize, at a new place around the corner. The taste of home hits him at the door and he walks over to a familiar and friendly face. He and his former classmate eat together, laughing at their schoolboy memories. They talk about their young children, wives and their birth families. Kenya has an air of hope and they discuss their futures and dreams. It is a special time for men in their late 20s.
The date on his morning newspaper reads 1999 and Isaac is thinking about his retirement. He had always dreamed of taking early retirement but his career had prevented it. Success and good patronage had kept him busy and yearning for more. Sarah studies the headlines on the front page, as he shuffles through the inside pages. Her mind wandering back to this morning’s conversation with Isaac. He seemed more preoccupied than usual and kept speaking of his frustrations at work. She noticed that he was trying harder to dress up for work. A new suit, socks and shirts. Her now had a second pair. Something was going on and she could not make out what. Sarah has tried to ask him, but from his answers, it was either something he neither wanted to confront nor resolve.
Isaac mulls over his current position. Age is beginning to talk hold of his body. His knees and neck ache. His wife seems to be loosing her hearing, even though she has not noticed. His sons and daughters are now married, with children and obligations of their own. He wonders who will look after him and Sarah. He smiles, thinking of how Sarah would answer that – God has always looked after us and He will not abandon us! A fleeting smile and then his worries find his new mental address. Isaac shifts uncomfortably in his seat, as he turns to pick his newspaper for a final read, followed by his book.
Faced with retirement, Isaac’s mind wanders as he recalls the energy and dazzle in the young new recruits eyes. Each day, it became harder for him to go in, with the same enthusiasm. He noticed how the young ladies caught the attention of all the men in the office. That was him 30 years ago. Young, fresh and in demand, especially among the single ladies. He had been the prize. The young men had dazzling smiles, with their frame still within the right proportions. Isaac frowned at his tummy, which seemed to be sitting in his own lap. When did this happen and how can I fix it now? he wondered. He shuffled a few more pages of his newspaper before leaving it as a disheveled pile on the table. He rose and left the house, promising Sarah he would be back soon.
At the Public Service Club, Isaac walked over to a few friends seated at the bar counter. After a few pleasantries, he asked his three friends if they noticed how much they had physically changed. The other three men chuckled and Isaac continued to furrow his brow.
‘It really is not so funny. We were the ones all the girls wanted just a few years ago. Now it’s these very primped up boys!’
‘Young men!’ his friend, Bruce chimed and then burst into laughter. ‘ You really don’t have to take it so personally, you know?’, he added.
‘Okay, but what happens now? Where do we go from here?’ he asks, fumbling with his beer coaster.
‘We just age gracefully and take our time. Everything will work itself out. This need to control everything can only destroy us and the world we live in!’ That was Frank’s wise words.
‘Fine I guess I’m just anxious and wondering how to sort things out. I mean, I’m happy to be with Sarah, but now Miss A is far more demanding than she has ever been…’, he added, his voice trailing off.
‘Prize-bull-living never works! We are not animals, no matter how much we tend to justify our lifestyle choices. Trust me, I know!’ chimed in Jack, as he rolled his eyes. “I thought you were done with little Miss A! Don’t tell me she took you back, after the last mess…’, he let the rest drop, as his friends made eyes, silencing him. He downed his beer and slammed the bottle on the counter, catching the barman’s eye before ordering another round.
Isaac tensed up, then blurted out, ‘Well I couldn’t leave her… with my son on the way!’
Jack, Frank and Bruce all sighed, indicating their clear disappointment.
‘Well, then I guess you have plans to make, right? How old is the boy now?’ Frank interjected.
‘Seventeen. I have to come up with cash for his university studies and upkeep money…’ he answered.
‘What the…?’ Jack looked away, eyes rolling. Restraint had never been his best quality. He drummed his fingers on the bar counter, itching to answer.
‘Oh okay! A difficult situation, but not impossible…i’ added Frank, clearly at a loss on how to diffuse the tension.
The four friends huddled, with level-headed Bruce leading the discussion. Asking questions, weighing answers and calming down Jack and Isaac, who nearly came to blows. Jack had had a similar situation and had warned Isaac of his own choices with Miss A. All this time, Jack had assumed Isaac had taken steps to stay away from her and learn from his mistake. Isaac was inconsolable, especially around the notion that Miss A would leave him for a younger man, once her son was out of the house. Frank worried about Sarah and Isaac’s family, should this information be made public, as often happened. Bruce made a plan to have Isaac end his relationship, based on Isaac’s own fears and to give his marriage to Sarah a chance. Isaac abruptly excused himself and dashed to the gents’ washrooms.
‘He’s in trouble and it’s much worse than it looks!’ hissed Jack. ‘Look, that was me, a full 25 plus years ago. He stuck it out too long, which implies that Isaac is either in love with Miss A or too obsessed to make sense of this dalliance. He is done for!’ he said, grinding his fist into the table.
‘Why did you call him a Prize Bull?’ Frank inquires, clearly lost at Jack’s blatant rudeness. He felt it was getting more uncomfortable than it needed to and calling their friend names would not help the situation.
‘A Prize Bull is what our traditional fathers teach us to be. Our mothers reinforce this teaching and the young women fall into line, waiting their turn with the Prize Bull!’ Jack quipped. ‘It’s just so sad, because the world doesn’t work so well with that notion, unless you are King Solomon and even then, you will finally come to the same conclusion he did… you only need one woman!’
‘Okay, Isaac, I think what Jack is saying is; you cannot afford to get into a mess at this stage of your life, without making some serious changes to your future! You are on a pension and have a small farm, which provides some extra income. Can you honestly say that you are prepared for this?!’
Frank was getting upset and could not help hissing the last few words.
Bruce chimed in, ‘Look, my man, this a very difficult choice to make. Are you ready?’
Isaac hung his head low, studying the stone floor, eyes wide and veins throbbing in his temples. A light sweat began to show and he moped his brow in one quick swipe, then sat upright on the bar stool. Bruce ordered another round and a soda for Isaac, sensing he needed a little energy. They sat in silence and changed the topic as Isaac went through out his own thoughts.
Short Stories & Poems by WarmBreezeBliss 