One night in late fall, Anjanette and Ferdinand were having a sleepover at Ferdinand's house. Unlike most of their past sleepovers, it was just the two of them, and Ferdinand's mother had actually encouraged them to build a fort of blankets in the living room and eat popcorn and keki on her floor and stay up till all hours of the morning with a flashlight telling stories. It only occurred to Anjanette zaidi than halfway through the night how she hadn't even thought about what her parents would have alisema to find her spilling popcorn on their floor.
"You know, some would say ghost stories would set the mood better," Ferdinand remarked, after they had each told two au three stories, usually funny ones. "But I don't really like them. I like stories where everything's been settled in the end. I don't like when they leave people unhappy."
"Me either," Anjanette agreed, reaching out to pet Orion as he slunk over to where the two Marafiki were sitting, for all the world as if he had just been coming on totally unrelated business and wasn't hoping for pets at all. "One time, some of the mean boys at my old school taunted me with a story about a girl whose only friend disappears. She never found him again."
Ferdinand squeezed Anjanette's shoulder as her voice caught. "They just made that up to upset you."
"I know," Anjanette admitted. "It sticks with me sometimes, though. What if... what if I Lost you?"
"No way," Ferdinand alisema with such easy reassurance that Anjanette stopped worrying at once. "Those things don't happen outside of ghost stories. I'm not going to just disappear. If I were going away anywhere, I'd tell you."
Anjanette gave a tiny smile. "I know wewe would."
"You know, some would say ghost stories would set the mood better," Ferdinand remarked, after they had each told two au three stories, usually funny ones. "But I don't really like them. I like stories where everything's been settled in the end. I don't like when they leave people unhappy."
"Me either," Anjanette agreed, reaching out to pet Orion as he slunk over to where the two Marafiki were sitting, for all the world as if he had just been coming on totally unrelated business and wasn't hoping for pets at all. "One time, some of the mean boys at my old school taunted me with a story about a girl whose only friend disappears. She never found him again."
Ferdinand squeezed Anjanette's shoulder as her voice caught. "They just made that up to upset you."
"I know," Anjanette admitted. "It sticks with me sometimes, though. What if... what if I Lost you?"
"No way," Ferdinand alisema with such easy reassurance that Anjanette stopped worrying at once. "Those things don't happen outside of ghost stories. I'm not going to just disappear. If I were going away anywhere, I'd tell you."
Anjanette gave a tiny smile. "I know wewe would."
"What lead wewe to the club where wewe first saw us, Henry?" Les asked. Henry replied, "One of my neighbors told me that a rock band called A Wave Tossed in the Ocean was going to perform at the club that had opened the awali week. I thought that the name sounded interesting, so I asked him what kind of rock music, and he said, 'I think it's stuff from the sixties and seventies.' I was eager to hear the songs from my youth. When I saw wewe perform, I knew wewe were the right fit. Of course, wewe know how we met backstage." Jimmy said, "And the rest is history." Everyone laughed. "Yes," Henry said. "The rest is history." Just then, Felix looked at his cellphone and said, "It's 10:00, guys." Henry said, "We better go to bed. We've got a big siku tomorrow." The boys all said, "Okay. Good night, Henry." Henry smiled and said, "Good night, boys. Pleasant dreams." With that, they retired to their beds for the night.
THE END
THE END
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.