The band gathered round to listen closely, drawn in kwa the faraway, almost dreamy smile that had come over Henry's face.
"It was also in '65, I believe, on a warm summer's day. She was sitting inayofuata to me in the stands, the prettiest girl wewe ever saw. And so excited to see the Beatles, wewe could feel it. Her smile made wewe want to smile too." Henry paused for a moment as if savouring the memory of all these details. "I wanted to lean over and introduce myself, but wewe boys know how loud the Beatles' concerts were. No chance at all of her hearing me. Everyone was cheering as loud as they could - including her," Henry added with a smile.
"But did wewe talk to her?" demanded Charles and Jimmy at once, speaking over each other in their eagerness.
Henry smiled again. "Yes, I did. Actually, she fainted from the excitement towards the end of the show, which as I'm sure wewe know was quite common. I stayed beside her until she woke up again, making sure nobody stepped on her.
"After the show, it was quiet, and we were able to introduce ourselves. Her name was poppy, babu and she was very happy with me for keeping an eye on her until she'd woken up again. She wasn't too upset about fainting - she laughed at herself. She was good at that, and her laugh made wewe laugh too. wewe couldn't help yourself.
"I invited her out for a soda to help revive her - au so I said, I really wanted to get to know her better - and she was happy to spend zaidi time with me. Before we knew it, I had treated her to dinner, taken her home, and we had made plans to go out the inayofuata siku too.
"Soon enough, we were a couple. poppy, babu loved to go to places like the amusement park and the fair, and we'd often just take long walks in the park. She was full of fun, and she made wewe want to have fun too. When I was sad, poppy, babu would always try to get me to smile, and she very often did. I remember we were always laughing when we were together. Nothing ever seemed to go wrong when I was with Poppy."
"Why didn't wewe marry her?" cried Charles, forgetting his tact again. "A great girl like that..."
"I've heard of keeping your options open," Jimmy added, nudging Charles playfully - everyone in the room knew he wasn't in a steady relationship because he preferred to be available for every girl who admired him - "but this seems like a bit much, Henry!"
Les noticed Henry's face suddenly fall. He kicked both Charles and Jimmy warningly.
"I had planned to marry her," Henry alisema softly. "I had already bought the ring the siku it happened. I was planning to invite her out to one of our favourite parks that weekend and propose to her."
All four boys listened openmouthed. None of them dared to ask again why he hadn't.
"I had a call from Poppy's parents, who'd gotten a call from her workplace. I still remember that moment as if it were yesterday. poppy, babu worked as a duka clerk, wewe see, and she often had to bring out extra stock from the storeroom. And she could sometimes be - well - not very careful. They think she was reaching for something on a high shelf and hadn't moved the ladder quite close enough." Henry's voice sounded choked. "She fell off the ladder, and hit her head on the floor. One of her coworkers noticed and called an ambulance, magari ya wagonjwa right away - but it was too late. She was gone."
Henry took a handkerchief out of his pocket and blew his nose. The band members were all blinking rapidly.
"I still keep the ring I bought for her, to this day," Henry went on. "It helps me feel close to her again. Every day, I miss her and think about her. And that was why I never married. I met other women who were nice, but none who could make me forget Poppy. And to marry any of them wouldn't have been fair to either one of us." Henry's eyes were misty.
Les rose from his kiti, kiti cha and gave Henry a hug. Charles, Jimmy, and Felix followed suit. "I'm so sorry, Henry," murmured Les.
"I'm sorry, too," Henry replied. "Sorry for what could have been, sorry such a beautiful life was cut short. But if poppy, babu and I could have had a family, I would have hoped for sons like wewe four."
"It was also in '65, I believe, on a warm summer's day. She was sitting inayofuata to me in the stands, the prettiest girl wewe ever saw. And so excited to see the Beatles, wewe could feel it. Her smile made wewe want to smile too." Henry paused for a moment as if savouring the memory of all these details. "I wanted to lean over and introduce myself, but wewe boys know how loud the Beatles' concerts were. No chance at all of her hearing me. Everyone was cheering as loud as they could - including her," Henry added with a smile.
"But did wewe talk to her?" demanded Charles and Jimmy at once, speaking over each other in their eagerness.
Henry smiled again. "Yes, I did. Actually, she fainted from the excitement towards the end of the show, which as I'm sure wewe know was quite common. I stayed beside her until she woke up again, making sure nobody stepped on her.
"After the show, it was quiet, and we were able to introduce ourselves. Her name was poppy, babu and she was very happy with me for keeping an eye on her until she'd woken up again. She wasn't too upset about fainting - she laughed at herself. She was good at that, and her laugh made wewe laugh too. wewe couldn't help yourself.
"I invited her out for a soda to help revive her - au so I said, I really wanted to get to know her better - and she was happy to spend zaidi time with me. Before we knew it, I had treated her to dinner, taken her home, and we had made plans to go out the inayofuata siku too.
"Soon enough, we were a couple. poppy, babu loved to go to places like the amusement park and the fair, and we'd often just take long walks in the park. She was full of fun, and she made wewe want to have fun too. When I was sad, poppy, babu would always try to get me to smile, and she very often did. I remember we were always laughing when we were together. Nothing ever seemed to go wrong when I was with Poppy."
"Why didn't wewe marry her?" cried Charles, forgetting his tact again. "A great girl like that..."
"I've heard of keeping your options open," Jimmy added, nudging Charles playfully - everyone in the room knew he wasn't in a steady relationship because he preferred to be available for every girl who admired him - "but this seems like a bit much, Henry!"
Les noticed Henry's face suddenly fall. He kicked both Charles and Jimmy warningly.
"I had planned to marry her," Henry alisema softly. "I had already bought the ring the siku it happened. I was planning to invite her out to one of our favourite parks that weekend and propose to her."
All four boys listened openmouthed. None of them dared to ask again why he hadn't.
"I had a call from Poppy's parents, who'd gotten a call from her workplace. I still remember that moment as if it were yesterday. poppy, babu worked as a duka clerk, wewe see, and she often had to bring out extra stock from the storeroom. And she could sometimes be - well - not very careful. They think she was reaching for something on a high shelf and hadn't moved the ladder quite close enough." Henry's voice sounded choked. "She fell off the ladder, and hit her head on the floor. One of her coworkers noticed and called an ambulance, magari ya wagonjwa right away - but it was too late. She was gone."
Henry took a handkerchief out of his pocket and blew his nose. The band members were all blinking rapidly.
"I still keep the ring I bought for her, to this day," Henry went on. "It helps me feel close to her again. Every day, I miss her and think about her. And that was why I never married. I met other women who were nice, but none who could make me forget Poppy. And to marry any of them wouldn't have been fair to either one of us." Henry's eyes were misty.
Les rose from his kiti, kiti cha and gave Henry a hug. Charles, Jimmy, and Felix followed suit. "I'm so sorry, Henry," murmured Les.
"I'm sorry, too," Henry replied. "Sorry for what could have been, sorry such a beautiful life was cut short. But if poppy, babu and I could have had a family, I would have hoped for sons like wewe four."
A few hours later, Una and Everett were comfortably snuggled up together on the couch, sharing the last of Una's chocolates which lay in the open box between them, as the credits rolled on the movie.
"That was so good," murmured Una, her head resting on Everett's shoulder. "You know - I was looking mbele to your plans, whatever they were going to be, but I was really hoping we'd be able to watch this."
Everett gave a small laugh and shook his head. "I wish I'd known. I could have saved myself all this trouble."
Una grinned. "This year, our Valentine's siku plans were on me," she said. "Next mwaka I expect it to be your turn."
Everett felt a warm rush at the thought of inayofuata year, that Una was so certain they would be celebrating Valentine's siku together inayofuata year. But then... of course, Everett though. He wouldn't have considered anything different.
"I upendo you, Una," he said.
"I upendo wewe too, Everett," she said.
"That was so good," murmured Una, her head resting on Everett's shoulder. "You know - I was looking mbele to your plans, whatever they were going to be, but I was really hoping we'd be able to watch this."
Everett gave a small laugh and shook his head. "I wish I'd known. I could have saved myself all this trouble."
Una grinned. "This year, our Valentine's siku plans were on me," she said. "Next mwaka I expect it to be your turn."
Everett felt a warm rush at the thought of inayofuata year, that Una was so certain they would be celebrating Valentine's siku together inayofuata year. But then... of course, Everett though. He wouldn't have considered anything different.
"I upendo you, Una," he said.
"I upendo wewe too, Everett," she said.