Chapter 6 - Date


    When I pulled into the parking lot at school, I saw the icy Volvo parked six spots down. I stepped out of the truck and slipped. I fell but-first in a mud puddle. How embarrassing. Out of nowhere, Colleen and Stefan were both helping me up and Colleen rushing me to the girls bathroom. She had an extra pair of jeans that looked exactly like the ones I’d worn before.
“ Thank wewe so very much! I don’t know what I would do without you.” I said, truly grateful. My outfit had almost been ruined.
“ Don’t mention it, Wendi. You’re the only friend I have. I’ll look out for wewe and your pretty outfits.”
    We left the bathroom and walked to Stefan. He was standing in the courtyard under an awning that stretched from the cafeteria roof to the library. He smiled as we approached. “ wewe look lovely today.” he alisema in a voice that could make an Angel cry. Of course, I blushed. “So do you.” I replied lamely. He wore a grey waist-length collared koti, jacket that was unbuttoned to reveal a black tee shati that hugged his body in an appealing way. His pants were washed out jeans that looked worn and new at the same time. His hair, as always, was black and pointing in a messy look around his face. Ah, his face. So beautiful. I Lost myself in his eyes. Slightly red, slightly black with a deep navy blue ring around them and so piercing and yet so sweet and soft.
    “Wendi? Wendi are wewe okay?” Stefan called urgently.
“Oh, yes I am fine. Sorry, I was siku dreaming.” I mumbled.
We walked to class in silence and it bothered neither of us. We went through the siku together, eating lunch ( I was the only on to eat) and partners in gym. He asked me maswali about what I liked and my family and other general things. I answered them all patiently. When the final kengele rang I didn’t want to leave his side. People had been saying that we were secretly dating and I secretly wished it was true. We were always together, no wonder people talked.
    I drove my M3 nyumbani and changed into sweat pants for cooking dinner. I started on making spaghetti, tambi and meatballs. I tried to occupy my mind to keep my self from getting too worked up about the tarehe the inayofuata day. Making chajio, chakula cha jioni did not help much and neither did homework. When I woke up in the morning I was so edgy I had to take a Motrin just to be able to sit still.
    I still had most of the siku to wait for Stefan but I was running out of things to keep myself occupied with. I was extremely hyper and bored and that did not make a good combination for me. At last, it was five thirty and I needed to start getting ready. I wore a deep purple low cut shati with a white camisole under it. I wrapped a thin scarf striped with different shades of purple around my neck and put on washed out jeans. I put on my inayopendelewa trusty old black heels and started on my hair. I parted a side bang on it and straightened it to perfection. It was only six o’clock! I brushed my teeth twice and put on my make up perfectly. My mom took pictures of me and she complimented everything.
    My moyo skipped a beat as I heard a knock on the front door. He was standing there in a off-white casual but somehow dressy, kobe, kasa neck sweater made of a thin material and clung to his body in an appealing way. He had black dress pants and loafers on. He was far too beautiful than was good for anybody.
“ Hello. May I come in and meet your mother?” he asked in a polite way that seemed off for the era. My mother came up behind me and saved me from embarrassment kwa saying, “ Yes, of course. I have been looking mbele to meeting you.”
“ The same here, Miss …. What would u want me to call you?” he asked hesitantly. I guessed he didn’t want to offend her kwa calling her kwa my fathers last name.
“ Chasity is fine. Thank you.” mama replied. I was shocked. She was always Ms. Maytag to any of my friends.
“Ok then, Chasity. I will be taking Wendi to chajio, chakula cha jioni if wewe don’t mind.” he said, subtly asking for permission.
“Oh, ok. Stay out as long as wewe like just keep her safe.” Once again I was shocked. No curfew! Wow.
“Bye, Mama. We’ll be leaving now.” I alisema hastily, trying to get away from this madness.
“Bye Wendi, Stefan. Have fun wewe two.” she called after us on our way out the door.
    As we got into his ice blue Volvo, my moyo was like a machine gun inside my chest. Stefan had the strangest smile on his face and he kept looking at me.
    “Purple brings out your eyes. Its nice.” He ametoa maoni as I blushed. “Thank you.” I mumbled pathetically. We drove into Boston to go to a small Mexican restaurant that had very few people eating. The hostess led us to a quiet meza, jedwali near the west side of the room. Stefan pulled my chair out for me and then went to his side of the table.
    I waited for him to speak because I was a stupid little coward that couldn’t even talk to the guy. I didn’t have to wait long.
“Carmen tells me you’ve noticed… things about us that are different.” I looked up, startled. His face had a wide variety of emotions. Excitement, anticipation, fear, pain. And the strangest one of all, admiration.
“ How would-” I was interrupted kwa our server. “ What can I get wewe to drink?” she asked me first.
“Sweet tea.” I alisema curtly. She turned to Stefan. “The same for me as well.”
    “ Carmen knew because she can read minds. As can my mother.”
“Read minds?!” I asked in disbelief. It was impossible.
“ Yes. She also tells me wewe know what we are. wewe don’t agree that it is right consciously, though.” he alisema all this very calmly. I had planned to ask him about this but I was surprised when he got straight to the point.
“ I don’t understand.”
“ My family, we are va-” The waitress again, darn her to a bad place!
She asked me for my order and I got the guacamole salad, as did Stefan.
“ As wewe were saying?” I asked calmly when the waitress disappeared.