The things we leave behind.

Ava and I had just left the new wild boîte that offers venues for parties-it was a wedding after party ,my friend Kris had just left the bachelors den-when we found these two huge guys by the door.Lil seemed to acquainted to them, we joined her as we all had to go back to the house together. They looked witty both with their words and actions.

“Look, this one got braces on!” the darker guy of them noticed. I had by then pinched Lil to notify me of her plans since I do not trust drunken men, not even when the sun was out like it was. She reminded me that since the place we were in was out of town-not that I had forgotten-and getting a vehicle on a Sunday was going to be a problem. With that I was left to think of all the worst things that will have to happen next, until I realized that the two men and Ava were talking about me. She had already told them my name and who I was to her. I was angry. They were strangers and I had no will whatsoever to break that situation. I am not good at making friends, especially not when I was as hungry and sleepy as I was. As I was still debating on how to approach Ava with a good but warning tone, she was dragging me to a sleek black land cruiser that I presumed belonged to either of the guys.

I remained standing as they left, I’m kidding. I boarded the vehicle and was seated at the back left, listening and mouthing to Elton John’s ‘candle by the wind’ that was playing on the stereo, still deep in thought wondering if it was the best of choice. Ava and Lil seemed more excited than they usually are on normal amusing moments but I reminded myself for the umpteenth time they were boozy.

With my thoughts running like a Kenyan, we were already in town. They insisted on breakfast since we kept yawning on our way before they could drop us to the condo just some kilometers away. I did not try to protest those ladies fired warning eyes on me. I did not know what more they were up to, but what I knew was ; we were lazy to go home and make our own food after a night of breaking a bone or five on the dance floor.

Everyone had taken their seats except me. The table was already full. He excused himself so that we would seat on a different table. I was uneasy because it was weird. Weird because I was becoming a cold hearted lady to strangers who had saved us from getting our bodies tired waiting for a matatu, arguing in the house about breakfast preparations and complaining about the type of music the matatu driver would have put on our way back to town and I had not realized it till then.

Joe was his name.

Breakfast commenced with black coffee; no sugar, no cream and Gabbie’s punch to cleanse our bodies. I was contented and full with the fruity smell of passion on it. I had not uttered a word to this guy seated in front of me devouring a plate of creamy scrambled eggs with another cup of coffee. He seemed to be a heavy eater and that amused me. Not even the sun’s rays would have stolen my gaze that morning. Laughter and small talk filled the other table, I was envious of how free they were with that stranger, maybe Joe and I needed some quiet morning after the deafening music that night.

After he was done, we commented on how the food was and I asked Angelo (the waiter that served us) for the website of the restaurant so that we could give our reviews. At least by this we were getting some conversation started that would hopefully end up with a good laugh or at least a genuine smile. “So what did you really like here?” he inquired. I was about to start telling him in detail about how their cutlery seemed to have been made by the Robert Welch designs company, how they served their coffee just the right temperature and how quick Angelo had responded to our orders; when I just did that as though I had been holding my lips together for a week. We laughed at me and just then I checked my watch and looked at him, his laughter had faded away. It was time already. We had to get back to the house as I had a bus to catch in two hours. He insisted on buying me a friendship gift which I nobly declined hoping to meet him one day for a proper friendship breakfast.