© Pauline Mumbi
As we headed to the farm house a lot pla-yed on my mind.
“If aunty Bertha knows that means breaking up will be ha-rd ” I thought.
We went on with the journey until we arrived. Shane was very excited I could tell and to my surprise the whole family was home. I met Shane’s siblings who had come to visit from California after a while.
We sat to have lunch together and I knew Shane would pick this opportunity to say something. I was very uncomfortable and I had to find a way out.
“Honey I don’t feel OK, I nee-d to lie down” i whispered to Shane who was seated next to me.
“Let me just make the announcement and you can excuse yourself” he begged.
” oh no I can’t wait that long honey plea-se let’s go.” I begged.
“OK if you say so.” He whispered angrily
################
“What was the meaning of that?” Shane asked as we drove home.
“What? I’m not well I just nee-d to rest” I said.
“Oh plea-se Mwansa we both know that you OK” he said.
I kept quiet to avoid any further discussion and he turned on the stereo.
When we arrived home I apologised to Shane but he still didn’t seem very plea-sed.
“OK I’m not entering the house I will see you soon” he said.
“Honey i said am sorry”
“Its fine I will see you soon” he said as he pe-cked my forehead.
After Shane left I turned on my l@pt©p and started working on a school as-signment.
Obviously I didn’t forget about Claudine and the baby. The more I tried to concentrate the more she crossed my mind.
################
It was the morning of my birthday and i was getting my nails done by a lady near home. Shane had mentioned that we would meet for lunch so I did some pampering to look more pres£ntable, not that I looked bad natural. He wanted the lunch to be very inti-mate just the two of us but with Shane you could never just be sure. The man knew how to impress.
I didn’t know the location or any other details as-sociated to the lunch.
By 10 I had bathed and was in my new outfit while I lightly covered my face in some makeup.
Shane called me around 11 just to make sure I was re-ady of which I agreed and he picked me just before 12.
I was excited about the lunch with Shane and we would also be putting our previous argument behind us. When the vehicle made a turn where a poster re-ad “Protea safari” I knew this would be no ordinary lunch.
We first of went game viewing for about 30minutes before we could have lunch. Shane had a lot to say and we successfully put everything behind us.
As we c@m£ back from the park we walked into the diner only to hear people scream “SURPRISE!!!!!” oh my God I was so b!own away especially when aunty Bertha led the crowd into a birthday song. What did I do to deserve the wonderful things that were happening to me?
We ate lunch together with my workmates as well as Shane’s family who were actually so nice.
As we ate Shane stood up with a wine glas-s on his left hand and a fork on his right.
“Attention. Attention” he said as he tapped the wine glas-s with the fork.
“We are here to celebr@te the birthday of a very special woman in my life. Ladies and gentlemen I will use this opportunity to formally introduce my girlfriend to you.. Mwansa Honey plea-se stand up”
I slowly stood up just like a princess and Shane held on to my hand as people cheered.
“Let Mwansa say something” aunty Bertha said.
I wasn’t re-ady but I had to speak, it was unfair for me to even think about Atusaye at this point as I had put an end to this chapter for good. Accepting Shane meant leaving Atusaye in my past.
“I just wanted to say that I am grateful to God for according me the chance of knowing such a wonderful man and I thank you for this birthday surprise” I said.
Everyone cheered as Shane and I hvgged and shared a pe-ck on ourl-ips.
I cut into the gorgeous 3 tier birthday cake with the help of Shane and a toast was made in honour of my contribution to the orphanage. People gave me the gifts they brou-ght and i was b!own away by the thought they all attached in picking out the gifts for me.
Aunty Bertha’s gift was the most shocking as she simply handed me an envelope. I wandered what was inside and when I opened it. I found two plane tickets to California. I was so shocked.
“I got you the tickets so you could visit the place where Shane was born and brou-ght up” she said.
“Mum you didn’t have to.. I had that in mind” Shane said with a smile.
“Oh come off it, I did it for the two of you besides you both nee-d to rest you’ve worked a lot.” she said
I was so excited and hvgged aunty Bertha, my joy was unexplainable. So I would finally get to fly and I would eventually prove my family wrong. They thought I would die poor but God surely had a plan for me. He always has a plan for his own.
When the gift exchange was done Shane asked everyone to go outside to p@rticipate in a game he had planned out for everyone.
Little did I know there was a surprise waiting for me outside.
A white Mercedes Benz with a large red ribbon on t©p was parked outside waiting for me.
At first when we stepped outside I was wondering what was happening as Shane disappeared from no where only to see him walk out of the car with a key in his hand.
He stretched out his hand to give me the key..
“Happy birthday baby” he said.
I covered my mouth in shock as tears quic-kly rolled down my face… These weren’t tears of sadness but of joy.
“Oh God I own a br@nd new car?” I thought to myself as tears followed.
################
A lot had happened after my birthday, firstly Shane tool me to driving school and I pas-sed the test. So I now had a
license and I could drive myself around.
license and I could drive myself around.
Shane had helped me work on my first novel which was due to published in California. We had to del@yOur flight tickets a little longer so I could get some school work out of the way.
It was finally just 3days before our flight, Shane and I had just checked in at Radisson blu h0tel where we would spend a good time before our flight.
I decided to drive to town as I nee-ded to get a few cosmetics. I as stepped out of the car I suddenly heard a voice near me although I couldn’t sp©t where.
“I had no doubt you would make it” the voice said
Next to me was a white Jeep with a window slightly opened. As I tried to peep inside the window closed and the door opened.
There he was….. Atusaye my long lost love stepping out of the vehicle.
I immediately dropped my hand bag and quic-kly re-moved my sunglas-ses.
“Atusaye is this you????”.
To be continued…
NEXT (episode 18) PREVIOUS (episode 16)