SUDDEN CHANGE
"I am good. Come in, please." We walk inside, directly to the well-prepared dinner area.
Oh, dear! The sweet aroma! The table is full of food, from corner to corner, some of which don't seem familiar to me. I understand, though. The Indian delicacies are so different from the African dishes. Their inviting, mouthwatering aroma is the only smell filling this humongous room. My! My! We settle down, and she hands me an empty plate, asking me to assist myself with the delicacies. I serve myself more of what I am familiar with and less of what seems so unfamiliar but is sweet to me.
We dig in, and I tell you, I hope there will be a thousand dinners with her. That is, if this ends well. The food is exemplary and scrumptious. We talk about my music as we continue eating, and she can't stop praising my songs. It makes me miss the stage more. That feeling of being on stage and being carried away by music is magical. I have received some invitations to a few shows, but...
"So what's coming up next, my dear? I'm sure your fans are getting tired of waiting." She remarks. Still, are we this free and friendly now? I have nothing to worry about. Her threats have been paralyzed now.
"I have a lot lined up. I just needed some time off to solve some personal problems and to just take a break from all that happened." I reply, sipping my juice.
"I understand. I am glad all that is over now. I really am." She says.
"Thank you. I didn't get a chance to apologize to you and your husband for what happened to your hotel. You got dragged into my mess. I am so sorry." I say.
I expected that to falter the mood completely, but the exact opposite happened. "Let's forget that, dear. It's not your fault that some people choose to be monsters instead of sensible human beings. I'm glad you got the justice you deserved, and he is paying for his crimes in prison." Prison, huh! He is burning in hell!
"Still, I feel responsible for your loss, ma'am. You wouldn't..."
"Don't, my dear. All that is now over, and I don't want to remember it. It was a nightmare that I want to forget, but I do not hold you against anything. It was not your fault." I nod my head.
It must have been so difficult for them, just like it was for me with the Kisumu massacre. That horrible picture of people screaming for help and being shot down like dogs for nothing. No one deserves to be caught up in a war they know nothing about. Nobody deserves to pay for the crimes they didn't commit. And what's worse, I wasn't even able to attend their mass burial. I should! I should!
"So, you and my son are... a couple?" I choke on my drink, coughing my lungs out.what the… "Sorry, dear! Sorry." She gives me some time to recover from that uncalled-for stupid cough! Wait, it's not the cough, but her question! What was that? Where did it come from? Where did she get that? "Are you okay?" She asks when I am calm.
I am not actually calm; I am just pretending to be. What else can I do?
"Yes. I am sorry about that, ma'am! What were you saying again?" As if I didn't hear! Why does everyone want to talk about this except me? I mean, come on!
"You and my son had become so close, but not anymore. Did anything happen? Are you two fighting?" She asks, making my heart race with her every question.
Yes, we became close—so close, so freaking—and a lot of things happened. Things that compromised our friendship and everything we had. Things are not the same. I would like it if we were fighting; at least I would have to talk to him and see how he is doing. But there are no fights. Something so deep is happening, and it's worse than a fight! I would appreciate it if people would stop bringing this subject up because it is not helping with the pain that I am nursing.
"Why do you say that, ma'am?" I try to fake a smile, pretending that all is okay, which is not. But can I talk about it? No. Not with anyone. Not even the little that I poured out to Sheryl has helped at all.
"Because I know something is wrong with my son, and I don't like it. I told you before that my son is everything that I have. I know that he is old enough to take care of himself, but that doesn't mean that I will sit and do nothing while he is suffering."
Boom!
I said it. She was meant to attack me one way or another. I was right.
"But, ma'am..."
"I know something was going on between you two, Gia. I don't know how far it went, and I don't know what happened, but I know I don't want to see my son this way." She says it, sounding damn serious.
"But he and I didn't fight, ma'am. We are okay." I try to lie, but her motherly instincts seem to be so strong.
"Are you sure?" She fires again, looking straight into my eyes, daring me to lie.
And I do. "Yes." Because I am also strong. The way I am confidently lying, huh? Pardon me, God! But I refuse to carry this shit alone or be the one to be questioned over and over about it. Why isn’t anybody talking to this guy himself?
"So, if I call him here right now, I won't see any discomfort between you two."
Shoot! Wait. Now, that must be a very bad joke. That guy is not supposed to be here, right? "Is he..." Deep said he wouldn't be here, right? Could it be that he lied to me? Did he lie to me?
