Part two Chapter 3

I went around the corner the final bend to our home, slowly driving my car when Ken suddenly concentrated on the road ahead.

“What is it?” I asked Ken.

“There seems to be something on the road. “Ken said. I looked at him and he was damn serious. Sure enough, looking ahead there was a rock in the middle of the road. I have never felt such fear in my life.

“Now what?” I asked Ken.

“Can we turn?” Ken asked. I was about to turn when two young men appeared from nowhere and began to come towards our vehicle. I instinctively knew someone was attempting to carjack me.

“These are thieves.” Ken said.

I suddenly tried to make a U-turn but hit a ditch and the car stopped. One man made to reach at my door to open it while another was already opening passenger’s door where Ken sat.

Suddenly, Ken opened the door with so much force such that he knocked the man on that side and he fell on the ground flat. Before I could figure out what was happening, Ken was already outside the vehicle.

He held the man, who was clearly smaller than him by his neck, lifted him up and hurled him on the marram road so hard such that he let out a cry. The other man sensing his partner was in danger rushed towards Ken. He drew out a gun!

“Remain still or I will fire!” He said. Ken looked at him suddenly. The man, as if panicked pressed the trigger of the pistol. I expected Ken to drop dead that instant but something unusual happened. The pistol misfired and nothing came out.

Ken took advantage of that and before the man would think of something else, Ken hit him so hard on his face such that he staggered backwards and fell down. The pistol escaped his hands. It seemed the man panicked so much such that when he stood up, he just ran away very fast into the bushes as his fellow followed after him. Ken, however did not chase them away.

I was so panicked such that I did not have the strength. When I opened my mouth, I just screamed.

Some people began to gather from their homes.

“What is happening?” Someone asked.

“Some boys tried to rob us at gun point.” Ken said. I was unable to even speak as I just remained standing there.

“These young boys who just finished form four are so idle of late...” Someone was saying when Ken cut him short, “They had a gun, there it is!” Ken said as if doubting they were young boys.

“Call the police, let them come and pick this gun.” Someone suggested.

Since the police post was not far away, 2 plain clothed police men came. One picked the pistol with a tissue paper saying that it was important not to wipe out finger prints.

“Madam, please follow us too, you need to record a statement.” The officer told us. I just followed with my car. They chose to walk since it was not far.

“Damn! That idiot would have killed me if that pistol fired!” Ken said. He was breathing so heavily. “You saved my life.” I told him.

“What a day!” Ken remarked.

We arrived to the station and recorded a statement, then drove home.

“Imagine some young men tried to rob us on our way here?” Ken told Mercy as soon as we settled in the house drinking some coffee.

“Oh! I am really sorry, I hope no one is hurt. Be careful, I met some young men smoking weed at the road side today.” Mercy said.

“Smoking weed does not make someone into a gangster, those are just gangsters.” Ken said.

“Hmm, you are talking like you smoke weed; start smoking weed and see how it goes with you.” Mercy said as if daring Ken.

“I have been smoking weed all my life.” Ken said. I was shocked as I never expected Ken to say such a thing.

“Ken, are you serious you smoke weed?” I asked him.

“Yes, what is wrong with smoking weed? It makes someone cool.” Ken said.

“Ken, be serious, I am not joking.” I told him in disbelief.

“Grace, I have been smoking weed since I was young and I am not a bad person. Smoking weed does not make you bad, if you are bad, you are bad, with or without weed.” Ken said confidently.

“Eh! Ok, how is it to smoke weed?” I asked Ken. Before he could answer, I asked him another question, “When do you smoke weed and where? I have never seen you.”

“I wake up every morning at around 3 am when I lift up my weights to be strong, before lifting I smoke one roll of weed. It makes someone strong and energized for the day.” Ken said as if he was talking about something so nice.

“Ken, you are crazy!” I told him. He just laughed at me.

“Bob Marley used to smoke weed daily and he was never a bad person.” Ken said.

“You sound so convincing, I hope weed will never make you mad.” I told him.

“Smoking does not make anyone mad, it makes you better.” Ken said.

“Where do you get it?” I asked Ken. Ken looked at me for some seconds as if unsure of what to tell me.

“I buy it.” Ken told me. He did not sound convincing at all.

“Who sells it to you?” I asked him.

He laughed. “Don’t worry, nothing wrong, Madam Grace. I am cool.” Ken said smiling.

“I have never dated a man who smoke weed.” Mercy said.

“Try me, you will know we have nothing wrong, we are not bad people. We are naturally rastafarians who believe in doing good for all people.” Ken said looking at Mercy.

“Oh! Yea, like you did good to me you were ready to die for me. You nearly took a bullet. Or was it weed giving you that courage?” I asked him, wondering perhaps it was weed that gave him courage to fuck two women at once.

“Gosh! I forgot the milk in the jiko!” Mercy said suddenly rushing to the kitchen.

“If you pour that milk, you will drink strong tea for a whole week!” I told her as she went to the kitchen.

“I am lucky, it was just rising up.” Mercy shouted while at the kitchen.

“You just told her to dare you...” I told Ken. Ken winked at me and rolled his head on his neck, smiled and said, “No worry, I won’t.”

I was feeling protective of Ken the only women I was willing to share him with, was his girlfriend, I was not even willing to have another threesome with Celestine anymore.

Mercy cooked some tea.

“We already drank coffee...” Ken said.

“Ken, it is cold, drink some tea.” Mercy told Ken.

“Only weed can make me warm.” Ken said jokingly but he took a cup of tea and began drinking.

I took my tea and began drinking but as soon as I took my third sip, I felt some sudden nausea. I stopped drinking the tea. No one noticed.

I stood up and went to the washroom and even before I settled in there, I was already vomiting. I vomited everything I had taken that evening. I wondered why I could have felt suddenly ill.

“I want to go to sleep, good night you two. Ken, close the door on your way out please.” I told Ken. “Good night, Madam.” Mercy said, as if delighted I was leaving her with Ken.

As I went to sleep, I remembered how Ken kept telling me I should not fall pregnant for him. What if I was indeed pregnant?

========

The following day, I woke up feeling ill.

“Where is Ken? Tell him not to over feed these cows, animal feeds have gotten very expensive.” I told Mercy on my way out. I called a friend of mine who had a clinic.

“What brings you here?” She asked. She had opened purposely because of me. It was on a Sunday.

“Please, just conduct a pregnancy test to me.” I told her. She looked at me as if surprised.

“Don’t you want to get another child?” She asked.

“No, yes but....” I was stammering, I was nervous. She looked at me and smiled suggestively. I felt like she was reading into my mind.

“All right, wait I prepare the lab.” She told me as I waited.

“I will need a urine sample from you.” She told me handing me a little clean boiling tube.

“How am I supposed to urinate on this?” I asked her.

“Just direct your urine there.” She said smiling at me. We used to joke a lot but that day I was feeling so mood less.

I went and brought the urine sample which I gave her.

“I know you know what to look for, if two lines, negative....” She said and looked at me as if weighing my mind.

“Oh! Come on, stop confusing me, it is a long time since I had a pregnancy test.” I told her.

She took the sample, took a pregnancy test kit, dipped it inside the urine sample and told me to follow her to her office as we chat over a cup of coffee.

“There is something you re not telling me. You are my friend and you know we trust each other.” She told me.

“Ivy my dear, some things are not to be said so easily.” I told her. I smiled suggestively to her.

“Are you having an affair?” She asked so boldly.

“Yes, don’t ask with who but I suspect I might be pregnant. I really hope I am not pregnant.” I told her.

“But what is wrong with being pregnant for your secret lover? After all a child is a child regardless of who sires it.” Ivy said.

“Ivy, it is not as easy as you think.” I told her.

“Come on! Look at me, how many children do I have?” She asked. “Four.” I told her.

“Now, if you have looked at all my children, my last born, who is right now 8 years old, is already bigger than his siblings who are ahead of her except the first born who is now 17 years old. Do you know why? I was tired of getting short children and as you can see my husband is even shorter than me. So, I got pregnant for a friend of mine who is 6 feet 4 inches tall, very athletic, handsome and better yet intelligent. That gave me the exact child I wanted with him. My husband loves the kid to bits and has no idea the kid does not belong to him.” Ivy told me as if talking about having discovered the way to heaven with so much delight.

“DAMN! Listen to yourself!” I exclaimed looking at her.

“Eh! Huh!” She remarked.

“So, you mean you got a child with your secret lover?” I asked Ivy.

“Yes, why not? I loved him too. He was giving me orgasms so I chose to also give him a child. He knows about the child, the only person who shall never know about it is my husband.” Ivy told me.

“Ivy, this is crazy, but please let us look at my pregnancy test first, right now I am not ready to carry another child it will really derail my plans; besides, I doubt I can carry another man’s pregnancy except my husband’s I would rather abort than do such a thing!” I told Ivy.

“All right, follow me to the lab.” She told me. I was so nervous as I walked to the lab.

“Hey, you pussy, today is not a working day go and come back tomorrow.” Ivy was saying. I thought she was talking to someone but on looking at the door I saw a large brown and white cat with big furs.

“Haha, you are crazy, you are speaking to a cat as if to a human being...” I told Ivy. “She comes here to give me company, I love cats.” Ivy said.

The cat suddenly looked under the lockers.

“What is it you pussy?” Ivy asked.

The cat however made sudden movement towards the locker, looked under it and began wagging its tail.

“She normally chases rats from this place.” Ivy said with some pride.

“Pussy, go on, do what you do best.” Ivy said and as if the cat was listening to her command, it pounced on something under the locker.

That sudden, a very big rat jumped from under the locker. The cat gave chase. I got scared at how that huge cat was running so swiftly like a small tiger.

Suddenly, the rat climbed over the table and began leaping from one table to another inside the lab as the cat gave chase. As the cat reaped forward, it knocked off some items on the table.

“Ivy, it will knock off the test!” I shouted and before Ivy chased the cat, it pounced so heavily on the cat and rolled severally on the table, scattering everything on the test table while knocking over some test tubes.

“HEY! Pussy, are you mad today or what?” Ivy shouted.

I turned to look over the table where we had placed my urine sample with some pregnancy test kit. It was not there.

“Hey, where is the test??” I asked feeling agitated.

Ivy looked around and suddenly her face turned pale. “Over here, the cat knocked it off.” Ivy told me.

I felt irritated.

“Why can’t you get rid of this cat?” I asked.

Ivy kept looking at the ground.

“Where is the test kit? Where are my results?” I asked. I was feeling so nervous such that I felt sick.

“I...I don’t understand, the urine sample was knocked over right now, but I can’t trace the kit...” Ivy said in a soft voice like that of a school girl.