CHAPTER ONE
One Sunday afternoon, on his way back home from
church, Dan told his driver to stop at a local market
because he wanted to buy some fruits. Mr. Joel the driver
stopped the car and Dan rolled down the car windows.
Women and children who were hawking fruits ran to the
window to persuade him to buy their fruits. Dan decided
to take some mangoes from an old mama who was
seated in the hot sun, as she was too old to run from one
car to the next. Dan gave his driver some five hundred
shillings to go buy all the mangoes the old mama had in
her tray. He also bought some oranges from a middleaged school kid who was not in school maybe because it
was on a Sunday.
When they were about to take off, a young beautiful lady
arrived with some bananas in a small basin. "Twenty bob
banana, twenty bob banana." She kept shouting while
approaching the car. When she reached the car, she
stopped shouting and went close to the window. Joel
started the car engine to drive off but Dan told him to
wait. "Good afternoon sir, we have sweet bananas here
at 20 shillings only." She said to Dan.
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Dan didn't hear what she said, he was in his own world.
Dan kept staring at the lady without saying anything. He
seemed so confused and shocked, his thoughts were past
the bananas the lady was carrying on her head.
The lady thought Dan was looking down upon her and
was not interested in her bananas since he was not even
talking to her. She decided to go away.
"Excuse me Madam, how much for bananas?" Dan
called her back. Mr. Joel started laughing, he had never
seen Dan that confused before.
"Twenty shillings for three banana pieces sir." The lady
replied.
"How much all of them?" Dan asked.
"Sir, are you sure you want all of them?" She asked.
"Is it a crime if I take all of them?" Dan asked.
"No sir, you can have them all if you wish. That should
be 200 shillings but I will give you a discount of 20
shillings for taking all of them, sir." She replied.
Dan told her to put them in a carrier bag, then he took
out one thousand shillings from his wallet and gave it to
the lady.
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"Keep change," Dan told the lady then they drove off.
They drove for about 10 minutes without talking to each
other in the car but Joel kept looking at him in the
driving mirror. Dan was so restless and confused in the
car.
"Sir, are you alright? You seem so uncomfortable back
there." Joel asked him.
"I don't know Joe, I can't explain how I feel," Dan
replied.
Dan used to call his driver Joe, not Joel. He was very
friendly to him and they respect each other very much.
Joel was older than him and so Dan respected him like a
father. On the other hand, Joel gave him maximum
respect as his boss.
"You will figure it out soon enough sir. This is the first
time I heard you telling someone to 'keep change', that
was so kind of you." Joel started laughing at him.
"Please don't start it, Joe, I don't know what you are
talking about, today is Sunday and we are from church
remember," Dan replied laughing.
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"Copy that sir, just know that I will always be there
when you need any help," Joel replied.
"Can we please talk about something else? Who was the
best friend to Jesus Christ? I wanted to ask pastor that
question but I forgot." Dan replied.
They both laughed so loud in the car as they approached
the gate.
When they got home, they found his Mom and Dad
sitting on the veranda. Dan got out of the car then carried
the bag with the fruits to the house. His parents were
shocked because Dan had never gone back home with a
bag full of fruits.
"Son, what is going on? Were they giving out fruits in
the church today?" His mother asked.
"No mom, I bought them at Ndori market," Dan replied.
"I have not checked the meal timetable, are we taking
only fruits for lunch today?" His father asked
humorously
Dan handed the bag to Jackline; their maid, he then went
straight to his room and locked himself inside. He didn't
know what was happening to him. He was having mixed
feelings, part of him fell for the lady he met at the
market, but something kept telling him that the lady was
not his class.
Dan was an internal auditor at SHERIFF Construction
Company where his father owned more than 50 percent
of the company's shares. He also had a business
consultancy firm in Kisumu which he started two years
ago immediately after graduating from the University of
Miami in the United States.
His mother, Dr. Mary Mueke, was a senior lecturer at the
University of Nairobi, while his father Prof. Kevin
Ojwang was a UN diplomat who spent most of his time
traveling outside the country.
Dan had two younger siblings, James, who was in his
final year at Kenyatta University and Lisa who was
doing her 12th grade in the United States.
Still, he couldn't accept the fact that he was already in
love with that kind of a woman given his family's
reputation, but as they always say, 'love is blind'.
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Dan locked himself in his room to get some sleep but be
couldn't sleep, all he could see was an image of that lady
smiling at him with a basin full of bananas on her head.
He wanted to go back but there was no way he could do
it. It was just too embarrassing. He was so confused, his
mind was trapped and he could not get out of it. It was
the worst feeling he had ever had and he could not
control it.
At around 3 pm, their maid Miss. Jackline came to his
room and knocked at the door.
"Excuse me sir, lunch is ready, are you coming to the
dining room or should I bring you the food inside there?"
Jackline asked him.
"Oh, Jacky, will you please forget about me today? Just
tell them you have already served me please." Dan
replied.
"Not a chance sir, you have to eat, just come out, it's
your favorite food on the table imagine," Jackline said.
"I know you are lying Jacky, but I'm coming out, I'm so
hungry by the way," Dan replied.
Dan had a good relationship with all the workers at
home, he was very friendly with them, he could sit down
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and make stories with them, they all loved him and they
were very free with him.
He got out of his room and went to join his family at the
dining table.
"You look like shit, were you fighting someone in your
sleep?" His sister Lisa asked him.
"Hey Siz, can we please just have this meal without
provoking each other? It's a Sunday for God's sake,
please." He replied.
"Let your brother eat in peace, I don't know what
happened to him in that church today, but I will ask Joel
what really happened in church. Son, should I call Sarah
to come over? Maybe you can talk to her if you don't
want to talk to us, you need to talk to someone." his
mother said.
"Ooh Mum please, every time Sarah, Sarah, I told you I
am not interested in her please, I don't have feelings for
her. Why can't you hear me out?" Dan replied.
"But son, Sarah is a good lady, with a good job, welleducated and her family is also well off. You two are a
perfect match, I had even shared the story with her
mother and she accepted. You need to get someone to be
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by your side right now son, you're not young anymore. I
need to see my grandchildren before I die." She said.
"No Mum, what I need right now is peace of mind. You
can't force me to be with someone I don't love, I don't
think you were forced to get in love with Dad, I will
marry the right woman when the right time comes, I'm
just so sick of you forcing me to do things I don't like."
Dan stood up from the table and went outside where Joel
and other workers were having their lunch.
He was so pissed off. His mother had no idea how much
he hated Sarah. Sarah was a daughter to Bishop. Felix
Ngesa, who was a family friend. She was a doctor at
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral hospital
in Kisumu. Sarah was a beautiful lady but she never
welcomed everyone, she could not get close or even
socialize with those from humble families. She was very
contemptuous. Dan loved and liked sharing with
everybody, especially those from the low-class families.
That is why the two could not be a perfect match, but his
mother wanted him to marry her.
"Mom, you should let Dan marry the woman she loves,
don't force him to be with someone he doesn't like. It's
not fair." Lisa said to her mother.
CHAPTER TWO
"Listen to me Lisa, the world itself is not fair, so we
can't expect everything in it to be fair. Who told you I
loved your father when we got married? We have
worked so hard to be where we are and now we need to
protect what we have, the only way to do that is for you,
our children to make wise decisions and marry people
who can help you protect this wealth. Someone who is
poor can't help you protect your wealth. As parents,
sometimes we have to make wise decisions for our kids
if they can't do it on their own. Even you don't think you
will come here with some useless and valueless boys in
the name of love, can you eat love? You will understand
this one day when you get your own family." Mrs. Mary
said.
Dan went with his food and sat next to Joel, his driver.
"Sir, you don't look so good, is everything okay?" Joel
asked him.
"I will be fine Joe, don't worry about me. Just add me
some soup here Jacky, and you should stop sitting with
this men in one table when I'm not around, I always see
how they look at you, especially Tony." Dan replied.
They all laughed.
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"No men, Jacky you know I mean good for you right?
Please sir 'wachanga kuchoma bet saa zingine pia
wewe'." Tony replied. Tony was the security guard at
their home.
"No Tony, all I know is that Mr. Dan always says the
truth, thank you sir for that heads up," Jackline said.
They all laughed and continued making stories and
provoking each other, for a moment Dan felt himself
again, that company always made him happy.
"Hey, guys please allow me to say something small
before you go," Joel, asked them.
"I have worked in different places, I have worked for
different people, but I want to tell you that you are the
best family I have ever had. You always make me feel at
home and I'm so proud of you all for that.
Mr. Dan, you are my boss, you are our boss, but you
have always treated us like your brothers and sisters, you
are even closer to us than your real family, this is the
first time I see someone respected like you sitting down
with people like us sharing stories, and laughing freely
with them. You have never looked down upon any of us,
you have never disrespected any of us and I really thank
you for that. You are a good boss sir and I know God
will forever reward you for that. Sir, I am older than you
are, and I am a parent too. If you ever feel like sharing
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anything with someone, always feel free to share it with
us." Joel told the group.
"Hey sir, thank you for always being there for us, for
always supporting us whenever we need any help. I have
worked as a maid in several places too, and the
experience I do get from my employers are always
worst, it made me believe that all rich families are just
the same, but when I came here, you made me realize
that money can also bring the good in someone. Please,
don't let anything change that in you and may God bless
you so much." Jackline said.
"I don't know what to say, men, when I started this job; I
used to see it as something very useless because my
bosses used to remind me of how foolish I am. Some
were even finding it very easy for them to lay their hands
on me, but I had no right to question them. I have not
been very close with the rest of your family sir and I
don't know how they see us. I can't judge them but I can
easily judge you because I have learned a lot from you,
sir. You have made me realize that my job is not useless.
I believe you are the best boss I will ever have." Tony
also added his compliment.
Dan kept quiet for some time, trying to process
everything that the three employees told him. He didn't
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know what to say to them. He was touched by their
stories.
"Okay guys, I am so sorry about what you went through
but you need to leave the past in the past and focus on
your future, I am not perfect, no one is perfect and we all
have our own weaknesses. Always feel free to discuss
with me anything, even if it's something from home. I
will always be there to listen even if I can't help out. Hey
Jacky, how about you bringing those fruits now we start
working on them? Oh my God! I can't believe that I
have eaten and I'm still this hungry." Dan replied
After eating some fruits, Dan called Joel aside and asked
him to hand over the car keys to him.
"Hey Joe, I want to go somewhere, but I know today is a
Sunday and you need to rest, so I will just drive myself,
please help me with the car keys," Dan told him.
"You know I can't do that sir. My work is to take you
anywhere you want to go and to make sure you are safe."
Joel replied.
"No please, it will be better if I go there alone, it's not
that far and I won't take long. I promise I won't drink
and drive," Dan said.
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"Where do you want to go, Sir? Oh Noo, please don't
tell me you want to go back to Ndori to meet that lady.
Okay, let me take you there sir, I promise I won't tell
anyone. But I have to make sure you're safe." Joel
replied.
"I don't know what you are talking about Joe, I am only
going to buy more fruits, watermelon to be specific. I
don't like the Oranges we bought." Dan replied
���It's okay sir, you don't need to explain yourself because
I know exactly what you're going to do. It's not a bad
thing sir. Stop making it a big deal." Joel replied
back. They got into the car both laughing at each other.
The two drove back to the market where they bought the
fruits. Dan wanted to talk to the lady who caught his
eyes and to tell her how he was feeling about her.
When they arrived at the market, the lady was not
around, Joel parked the car next to a supermarket which
was just next to the place the lady found them and they
started strolling around the market thinking they would
meet her. They walked through the entire market but
they did not see her. Dan was so stressed and he was
embarrassed to ask the women who were hawking
around if they had seen her.
Joel went and asked one of the women who was selling
bananas if she had seen her around. She told Joel that the
lady had gone back home for more bananas but she was
coming back.
Dan was relieved; they decided to wait for her in the car,
making their own stories.
"Hey Joe, what do you think? Do you think we are really
doing the right thing?" Dan asked his Driver.
"Sir, what makes you think you are doing something
wrong?" Joel replied.
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"My mom wants me to marry that bitch who came home
the other day, the doctor," Dan said.
"You mean the daughter to Dr. Ngesa? But what is
wrong with that sir? I mean the lady is beautiful,
working, her family is able. What is the problem?" Joel
replied.
"Joel, I don't like her, I have my money, I have
everything, the only thing I would have wanted from her
is love and happiness, but I don't feel any of that when I
am around her. she is disrespectful, especially to the
low-class individuals, but you see in this world, not
everyone can be rich and no one was born rich, anything
can always happen in this journey, if she can't respect
the people I associate with then it means she can't respect
me too." Dan reiterated.
"I get you sir, but why don't you just tell her that, you're
a man, approach her and explain to her why you two
can't be together, maybe she will understand you," Joel
advised him.
"My Mom is seeing it in a different way, she wants me
to marry her because she thinks by doing that we will
protect our wealth, but wealth without happiness means
nothing. I don't know what to do Joe, I love my mother
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and I have always respected all her decisions but this
one. I really don't know what to do. I am so stressed Joe,
and I hate it when such things stress me. Life is just
complicated sometimes."
"Sir, I know how you feel, I have been there too, but the
wise thing to do is to follow your heart, the woman you
marry will stick with you forever, not with your mother,
she will stay with you, not with your mum, so just follow
your heart. Go and sit down with your mother and
explain to her your side of the story, make her
understand that you don't like this lady and why you
don't like her. She is your mother, and I am sure she will
understand." Joel told him.
"Thanks, Joe, that's why you'll always be my buddy. I
will talk to her." Dan replied.
It was now approaching six-thirty in the evening and the
lady had not come back. Dan was now giving up, he
started regretting why he didn't take her number. They
waited until 7 pm but she didn't come back, so they
decided to go back home. Dan was disappointed but
there was nothing he could do. When they arrived home,
Dan went straight to his room and locked himself inside.
His mother saw him and realized something was not
okay with him. He called Dan's driver Mr. Joel to ask
him what was going on with his son.
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"Joel, where are you two from? And please don't lie to
me this time if you still want to keep your job��� Mrs.
Mary asked him.
"Madam, I took Mr. Dan to Ndori town. He went to visit
some old friends of his, and I think he drank too much
under the influence of those friends. He will be okay
madam," Joel replied.
"Okay, if you're lying then the truth will come out
someday. It's okay, just go and park the car in its shed."
Mrs. Mary said to him.
The following day, Dan was to go to work. He always
reports to work at around 9 am but on that day, he
delayed in doing preparations before leaving. He was
trying to buy time so that they could pass Ndori market
when the lady has reported to her job. They left home at
10 am, and he told Joel to drive at a slower speed. They
reached Ndori at around 10.45 am, unfortunately, the
lady was not around. So they passed and he told his
driver to drive faster because he had to attend a meeting
at 11 am.
Dan was not very jovial at his workplace that day, even
his colleagues realized something was wrong with him
but they didn't ask him.
After the meeting, he sat in his office and thought about
it. e realized he was stressing himself for no reason, for a
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woman who even had no idea who he was, a woman
who just saw him as a potential customer. He decided to
forget about her and move on with his life, maybe that
was a wise decision, or maybe he was just trying to
console himself.
At around 4.30 pm that day, he left the office and they
started their journey back home. He told Joel that he had
made a decision to forget about the lady because she was
messing him up.
"Hey Joe, don't stop at Ndori now, I am tired, I have
made a decision to let go of the lady, she is messing up
my mind and I can't have it anymore," Dan told his
driver.
"If you are sure that is what you want then its okay sir,
you will get a good woman, just make sure you make the
right decision," Joel replied.
When they reached Ndori, they saw the lady from a
distance, Dan told his driver to slow down. The lady
saw the car slowing down and she ran towards it with
her bananas. She didn't know they were the same people
who bought bananas from her the previous day.
Dan told Joel to stop the car then he rolled down the car
window. The lady went to the window, saw Dan inside
the car and she felt embarrassed because she couldn't
sell him bananas again.
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"I am sorry sir, I didn't know it was you. I know you still
have the bananas you bought from me yesterday. Thanks
very much once more." The lady said to him.
"Hey Madam, it's okay, we can still have some. Actually
we ate all of them yesterday, they were very sweet." Dan
replied.
"Okay, but I still have your balance so you won't pay for
this one." She said.
"No, I told you to keep it, I will pay for these ones too.
By the way, I'm Dan. I come from Uyoma." Dan
introduced himself.
"Florence, my name is Florence Nduta, home is Eldoret
but we stay around here." The lady also introduced
herself.
"Okay Florence, I love your bananas, they are so sweet. I
do pass here every day, morning and evening, I was even
here yesterday evening but you were not around. Maybe
I should have your number so that next time I may be
able to call you early enough before I reach here." Dan
said.
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"I don't have a phone sir, I am so sorry. But I will be
around tomorrow." Florence replied.
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then. Thanks very much
for the bananas." Dan said to her.
"I should be the one thanking you sir, I know this is
customer exploitation and I even don't know why I am
doing it but thanks very much, may God bless you, sir,"
Florence replied.
"It's okay Florence, see you tomorrow." He said to her.
Dan took all the bananas Florence had in her basin and
gave her another one thousand shillings again and told
her to keep the balance, not that he wanted to lure her
with money but he just wanted to help her because he
knew the amount she was getting from the road could
not be enough for her. He felt relieved after talking to
her but again he was disappointed because Florence had
no phone, so communicating was still a problem.