As soon as she got home, she ran to her room and didn’t even bother to greet her parents. They looked at each other and shrugged. They saw a handsome young man drop her off but they didn’t think they were zaidi than just friends. When she got to her room, she locked the door and sat on her bed, with marshmallow following her. It was an adorable spaniel cocker puppy her parents had aliyopewa her for her 23rd birthday. She had snowy white fur, manyoya and a short tail. Dani absolutely adored her from the moment she saw her. ‘Oh my God, he’s such a darling! He’s zaidi than what I thought he would be!’ Dani giggled like a little schoolgirl. ‘I can’t believe he asked me if he could pick me up tomorrow! I should have alisema yes. I’m so stupid!’ she said, slightly mad at herself as she picked marshmallow up. She barked and wagged her tail as though she understood what Dani was saying. ‘How can I tell him what I feel about him? Should I tell him at all?’ she glanced at marshmallow as though she knew the majibu and she barked once more. ‘Oh what do wewe know? You’re just a puppy’ she laughed at herself and put marshmallow down. She changed into her nightgown and went to bed, not bothering to have some dinner. She turned off the lights and went to sleep. ‘Goodnight Marshmallow’ she alisema and marshmallow gave a little bark. ‘Goodnight Michael’ she whispered and smiled to herself and closed her eyes and went to sleep.
Meanwhile…
‘Did I do something wrong?’ Tatiana screamed from the other line. She was crying desperately and felt dead inside. ‘No sweetie. It’s not your fault. wewe didn’t do anything. It’s just that I think we need some time away from each other don’t wewe think?’ Michael explained calmly as he put on a plain red shati and some pajamas. ‘No I don’t think so!’ Tatiana sputtered angrily. ‘There’s someone else isn’t there?’ she asked suspiciously. Michael didn’t answer her for a moment. ‘Well? Michael?’ Tatiana alisema impatiently. ‘Of course there isn’t baby. You’re the only person I will always love. But I think we need a little time off’ he said. ‘Whatever’ she alisema bitterly and slammed the phone on the receiver. ‘Damn’ he alisema under his breath. He went to kitanda and closed his eyes. He could see a face in his mind. But it wasn’t Tatiana’s face he was seeing. She had blonde curls and bright blue eyes. She had a shy smile and she blushed frequently. It was the girl he had been with just this evening. It was Dani. Michael opened his eyes and quivered. The thought brought chills to his spine. ‘What’s wrong with me? What does this have to do with Dani?’ he asked himself as he closed his eyes again and went to sleep.
The inayofuata morning, Dani woke up with her mother calling her downstairs. ‘Dani, breakfast! Wake up sweetie; you’re going to be late!’ her mother called. She grumbled as she glanced at the clock. 8:30 am. She was late! She ran downstairs and sat with her father in the dining room. Good morning Dad’ she greeted and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled from the newspaper he was kusoma and took a sip of his coffee. Her mother served them bacon and eggs, waffles, and a cup of coffee. ‘Good morning Mom’ Dani smiled at her and plopped a piece of bacon in her mouth. ‘Good morning dear. Someone called this morning. He was looking for wewe but I told him wewe were sleeping. So he alisema to just tell wewe that he called’ her mother said. She couldn’t help but smile. She knew it was Michael. ‘Well that was nice of him’ she alisema blankly and gobbled another piece of bacon. ‘Was he the guy wewe were with last night?’ her father asked and put down the newspaper he was reading. ‘Yes Dad. He dropped me off ‘cause I didn’t bring my car and it was raining pretty hard. We’re just friends’ she explained as she stood up and went to the shower. It was 9:15 am kwa the time she had gotten to her blue Chevrolet and drove as fast as she could to the studio. When she arrived, the director was looking at her a bit annoyed. ‘Where have wewe been? You’re 15 dakika late!’ Mr. Dileo alisema a little irritated. “I’m sorry Mr. Dileo…I…um…I…’ she mumbled. ‘Well?’ Mr. Dileo spat out. She blushed and glanced to her side. Michael had just arrived as well and he was smiling at her. She couldn’t help but smile back at him. ‘Good morning Dani’ he greeted her with a smile. ‘Good morning Michael’ she smiled shyly. For the first time, Michael was the one to greet her first and to her that was very unusual but at the same time, special. ‘Hey Mr. Dileo, don’t be so hard on her. I think she has some pretty good reason why she’s late. And besides, usually she comes here earlier than all of us. Don’t wewe think she deserves to be late once in a while?’ he alisema and put an arm around Dani. She quivered at his touch. Mr. Dileo didn’t say a word. He just nodded. All the crew looked at them in fascination. Why was Michael defending her? Usually he’d just laugh at her when the director would get irritated at her. Was she the reason why Michael had broken up with Tatiana? To hook up with her? Clearly no one knew the majibu but the two of them. Michael took off his koti, jacket and put it on the kanzu, koti rack. They walked on the set for a little while, getting ready for the shoot. Tatiana had arrived and she looked awful. It was obvious she had been crying for so long from the mascara smudged on her face. She walked up to Michael and gave him a slap on the face. ‘Ouch!’ Michael exclaimed. ‘That’s what wewe get for messing around with me Jackson!’ she hissed at him as she gave Dani a cold look and walked out the studio. The others didn’t say anything. They just stared at Michael. He was holding the cheek where Tatiana had aliyopewa him a hard slap. ‘Well that was pretty pleasant’ Michael alisema a little angry and sat down on the kitanda they were going to use on the shoot. ‘Let me see’ Dani alisema softly and removed Michael’s hand from his cheek. It was red and looked like it was sunburn. She got a damp cloth and pressed it on his swollen cheek. ‘Does it hurt?’ Dani asked. Michael nodded. ‘A little’. As she was pressing the cloth, they stared at each other and Dani saw something in his eyes. There was a deep pain he was hiding that no one ever saw under his shy smile. ‘Okay enough. Let’s get on with the shoot au else we’ll go nyumbani late tonight’ Mr. Dileo exclaimed. Dani looked away shyly and removed the cloth from his cheek. It wasn’t red anymore. They started shooting for the inayofuata segment of the onyesha and they finished shooting the first part at noon. Dani was about to leave when Michael reached out to her and grabbed her shoulder. ‘Yes Michael?’ she smiled at him. ‘I was just wondering if you’d like to have lunch with me’ he alisema shyly. ‘Right now?’ she asked, a little surprised that Michael wanted to go out with her. ‘If it’s okay with you’ he said. ‘Sure. I’d like that’ she smiled. ‘Great. Wait for me in my car. I’ll just go and get my things’ he smiled and she thought she saw him blush. She walked slowly to the parking space to his car when she saw Tatiana standing there. Shocked, she wanted to run back to the studio but Tatiana had already called out to her. ‘So, you’re the one who’s been running around with my Michael huh?’ she alisema meanly. ‘What-What are wewe talking about Tatiana? Michael and I are just friends’ she replied, a little frightened. ‘Don’t play stupid with me honey. I know you’ve been playing around with him after he just got off with me. You’re nothing but a fraud Danielle! You’re a liar!’ Tatiana screamed at her face, for once using her full name. ‘No! I have nothing to do with your break-up with him! And maybe he was right to break up with you! You’re nothing a selfish brat!’ she spat at her and had won a hard slap on the face, the one Michael had experienced moments before. ‘Don’t wewe dare say that to my face again!’ Tatiana screamed at her before walking away. She began to cry but when she saw Michael approaching her, she immediately wiped away her tears and forced herself to smile. ‘Oh God what happened? Did she hurt you?’ he alisema worriedly and checked on her to see she wasn’t hurt. ‘What are wewe talking about? I’m fine Michael’ she alisema still forcing to smile. He touched her face and she urged not to scream when he touched her cheek where Tatiana had just slapped her. ‘Are wewe sure?’ he asked reassuringly. She nodded with a smile as they both got into his car and Dani was getting ready for her lunch with Michael...