Chapter 16

The ringing of my phone woke me up bright and early monday morning. I blindly reached for it as it was on the floor next to me charging and unplugged it. The bright light from my screen blinded me for a moment causing a few tears to escape my eyes. I finally managed to see that it was my mom calling and I knew better than to ignore her. I'd been dodging her calls all weekend so I sat up on the bed, rubbed the sleep from my eyes and picked up the call.

"Good morning mom."I mumbled with a yawn.

"Nala Kawira Mugo. It's nine am in the morning and you're still sleeping."My mom scolded.

"Yes mom I had a long weekend."I groaned not liking the tone she was using on me.

"Long enough to not even call your mother."She admonished.

"Mom we talked on Friday morning and I told you we might not be able to talk all weekend. It's not my fault you kept calling."I retorted.

"Don't use that tone on me young lady. Now tell me how was your birthday? Did you have fun with you friends? I know you had been really looking forward to your big day."My mom asked.

She was right I had been waiting for my twenty second birthday ever since my dad gave me the talk when I was ten. He had sat me and my sister down and told us that as long as we were younger than twenty two we would live in his house and under his rules unless we were at school. We didn't get to live on our own and make our own choices when we were eighteen like the rest of the world, nope in the Mugo household, things ran differently.

That's why I didn't go back home after graduation in December because I knew my dad wouldn't let me leave. Instead I'd sweet talked my mom who had agreed to pay my rent and bills for the first one month behind my father's back. She knew I was responsible enough to live on my own having survived four years in a university across the country. To my dad I would always be his little girl even though I was already a grown woman.

"Kawi? You there?"My mom asked stirring me from my thoughts.

"Yes mama I'm here. It was great, everyone loved the cake and the club we went to was awesome. I had a little too much to drink but my friends took care of me and helped me back home safely."I replied editing out the stuff she didn't need to know.

I wouldn't tell her that my friends had bailed on me forcing me to make new friends, one of whom had fucked my brains out all weekend.

"Your first time drinking? How was it?"My mom asked excitedly.

"I only had wine and it was okay. Didn't like the hangover though."I complained.

"Yeah those can hurt but I'm happy to hear you had fun."My mom added.

"Me too. How are you? How is dad?"I asked.

"We're okay, I'm at work and dad is at home fixing a hole in the fence. The chickens keep getting out and going to the neighbors compound. I've had enough of her complaints so I asked your father to fix it for me."She replied.

My mom owned a small shop close to home that sold household goods while my dad was a full time farmer.

"I'm glad to hear that you're both okay. Don't let the neighbor give you too much grief."I warned.

"Oh she won't, we'll be okay. But now I've got to go darling, new stock for the week has arrived. Don't go back to bed, wake up and get ready for work."My mom demanded.

"Yes mother."I groaned realizing she was bossing me around even from across the country.

"Bye dear, I love you."She replied.

"I love you too, say hello to dad for me."I requested.

"I will now get up."She insisted.

"Yes mother."I retorted and hang up before she started yelling.

I loved my mom dearly. She was the cushion between my dad and me softening the blow when he was too harsh. I loved my dad too, I was a daddies girl through and through but he was too overprotective. He didn't like the fact that I hadn't moved back home after school so currently he wasn't speaking to me. I knew he would come around since I was already twenty two and he couldn't control me anymore.

I checked the time and it was nine thirty so I decided to get up like my mom had demanded since my shift started at eleven.

I had bought a loaf of bread the previous evening when I left my house to get supper so I made some toast and tea to wake me up. I made a cup of coffee too to take to work since it was on a Monday and I was still reeling from the weekend hangovers.

I took a shower and brushed my teeth after getting everything ready for the long day ahead. For work I had to wear an acceptable pair of pants and a company shirt. So I decided on a pair of dark jeans and white pair of sneakers. I combed my wig out and made sure my blouse was crease free before leaving my house with my coffee mug and my small backpack with all my stuff in hand.

I ran into Sonie at the gate as she left for work.

"Habari ya asubuhi Sonie. Na si leo umechelewa."I commented.

Good morning Sonie. Aren't you a little late for work today?

"Eeeh aki but Brandon aliamka na homa so nilimpeleka hosi kwanza."She replied.

Yes I am. Brandon woke up with a cold so I had to take him to the hospital first.

Brandon was her five year old boy.

"Umemuacha kwa nyumba peke yake?"I asked her.

You've left him alone in the house?

"Zii ako shule. Homa haikuwa serious so alipewa antibiotics na daktari akamclear aende shule."She explained.

No he's at school. The cold wasn't that serious so the doctor gave him some antibiotics and cleared him for school.

"Ah hiyo ni poa. Apone mbio."I nodded.

That's good. May he get well soon.

"Atapona tu. Naona umeenda job."Sonie observed.

He'll get better. I see you're going to work.

"Eeh tutaonana jioni."I answered.

Yes, I'll see you in the evening.

"Haya basi. Siku njema."She replied.

Okay then, have a nice day.

"Nawe pia."I waved walking out of the gate.

You too.

The mall was a twenty minute walk so I didn't use any mode of transportation to get there. I saved the money for stuff I really needed like food and gas.

When I arrived at work, a few minutes before time I clocked in just as the first shift were finishing up. The mall was open twenty four hours, seven days a week so I worked eight hour shifts from eleven am to seven pm for a full week then got two days off. One time shifts changed and I got the three to the eleven pm shift but I hadn't been working there long enough to get the seven pm to three am shift.

"Nala you get counter five today."Our manager informed me.

"Okay boss."I nodded as I walked to the staff room to set things up in my locker.

We weren't allowed to eat or drink anything while working so I finished up my coffee just in time for my shift. I said hello to Sarah, the girl I was replacing on counter five before taking the seat she had previously occupied. I cracked my neck and popped a few bones before taking a few minutes to check my till and set up. Once I was done, I opened up my counter and plastered on a smile for my first customer of the day.

I had expected a regular boring Monday with a few rude customers but weird stuff kept happening to me ever from the moment my shift started.

"I liked your performance. You were really good."One customer commented as he paid for a bottle of wine.

"Thank you."I mumbled confused since he was unfamiliar to me.

"Do you do funerals?"Another one asked.