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“Janet nina ball!” Clara said as she opened the
next page of the book. I stopped reading and
looked at her.
“Ati?” i asked her.
“Nimejazwa” she said simply. She then lifted
her head and looked at me. She smiled. She
lifted her left hand and held my shoulder. ”
Umeshtuka?” She asked me.
“Mbona hukuangi serious Clara? Unapenda
kunipima akili sana.” I told her. looking
straight into her eyes to see the level of
seriousness in her. She looked normal. She
was unmoved. She smiled as usual.
“Ok basi. Nakupima. Uko ten kgs. Tusome
sasa.” She said as she dropped her hand. She
turned to her book and started reading again.
I looked at her for a while. She was
unconcerned.
“Clara,” i called her.
“Sahizi wewe ukiget ball utado?” i asked her.
“Nikiget ama nina ball!!” She answered bitterly
without looking at me. “Ungeniuliza naplan
kufanya nini na hii ball nimebeba for three
months”.
She added.
This time, she sounded more seriously. She
remained glued to her book. She did not move
her head. She remained fixed like an electric
pole. The wind blew away her weave. i
streched my eye and made it.
“Ahsante!” she told me in a low tone.
“Uko serious Clara Una ball?” I asked. This
time more serious and concerned.
“Sijoke Janet!” She said. Her voice sounded
more weak. I remained silent for a while. I
wondered what to tell her. I lifted my right
hand ans held her by her left shoulder. ” Am
sorry Clara!” i simply told her.
“It’s ok.” She told me. She lifted her right
hand and whipped her eyes. My eyes landed
on her book. That’s when i noticed that the
whole page was wet with tears. I turned her
face towards me. Her eyes were as red as
blood. They were swollen. Tears was flowing
from them like a waterfall. She was crying.
“You will handle it Clara!” i tried to comfort
her.
“Never my dear Janet. Hii story ni complicated
than you can imagine.”
“Mbona unasema ni complicated dear?” i
asked her.
“Never mind.” She said angrily. She closed her
book. collected all her stuff and shot up.
“Janet i am leaving. Hata nikisoma sielewi
kitu.” she told me.
” Sa unaenda wapi?” i asked her.
“Naenda kemeet babake mtoi. We are going to
make the final decision that will determine my
fate.” she said while trying to dry her eyes.
“But ujue exams ni Kesho kutwa. Pliz try to
sttle your mind kabla iwe late” I told her.
Clara leaned down and whispered into my
ears, “Pliz hii iwe only between me and you.
Hata mtu akikuuliza ka nimekuambia kitu, pliz
sema hujui any.”
“Sawa my dear. You know me. I cant tell
anyone. But pliz don’t……”
“I can’t,” She interrupted me. “Hiyo ndo stand
yangu Msupuu.”
“Hata hujui what i wanted to tell you. ” i told
her.
“Najua. you meant kuflash. Siwezi abort. Place
nimefikisha huyu mtoi ni far. The dad’s
wanadai nitoe but nimekataa..”
“At dads!” I asked suprised.
“Yah, Ni more than one dad responsible. You
can think anything but for now i wont tell you
anything. I am going to meet them. Na
nimepewa instructions mob. Wamesema
nisiambie mtu place tutameet tuongee. Pia
nisiambie mtu naenda kumeet nani. So i will
follow that if i want my baby to remain safe.”
She whispered and raised her head.
I was very confused. I wondered what she
really meant. i tried to speak but she covered
my mouth with her hand.
“Usiseme any” She told me. “It is for your
own good. Nisiporudi….”
Before she finished her statement, her phone
rang.
“Nani huyu ananicall na private?” She said
angrily. She then received the call. Her face
changed suddenly as she listened to the other
party. She only kept looking around as though
she was looking for someone.
“Nakushoo sijatell msee kuhusu hiyo book”
she said in a terrified voice. “Pliz believe me.
Hajui.” She added.
Clara finished talking. She sat down trembling.
She was extremely terrified. Her hands were
trembling like a termite trapped on a spider’s
web. She looked at me. She shook her head
and held her hair. She bent down her head
again.
“Clara,” I called her. “Nini mbaya?” i asked
trying to move close to her.
“Kaa tu hapo na usimove.” She told me as she
pushed me back to my position. I had never
seen Clara acting like this before. She looked
scare. She kept turning her head to look back.
She peeped through the window severally. She
sat down suddenly and grabbed my pen. She
opened a blank page and tried to scribble
some words on it.. she was writing in a hurry
as though someone was watching her. I
wondered what she was afraid of yet we were
only two in the wall lecture room.
Before clara finished writing, the door was
opened. Clara dropped the pen on the book
and pushed towards me. She then turned and
looked at the door as she closed the page she
was writing on. I also turned back and looked
at the door. A tall guy was standing at the
door his eyes fixed on us. She was dark,
wearing a black jeans and a red tshirt with a
black jumper. The jumper was unzipped. On
the head, he had a back cap that had dropped
down almost covering his face. On top of the
cap, was the hood of the jumper. I could not
recognise the man as his face was not clearly
displayed.
“Clara ni nani?” He shouted in a deep voice.
“Ni mimi?” Clara answered in a low tone.
“Come hivi. Chukua stuffs zako. Nimetumwa
nikupik.” Clara bent down, collected her books
and kept them in her bag. She looked at me
for a while then said, “Nitarudi before late.
Pliz leo naskia kula samaki.” She opened her
handbag, removed a two hundred note and
handed it to me. “Enda ubuy fish fry nitakam
tukule sapa.” She then smiled and left.
The man looked at her as she approached him.
Her ushered her out and. He then followed. I
quickly rushed to the window to watch them
leave. Clara was leading the way and the man
following him. it seemed they were having
some conversation. At the back of the man’s
jumper, was a big picture of a human skull
with two bones crossing it. They vanished
towards the gate.
I quickly run back to my book. The one Clara
had written something on. I opened the pages
one by one. Finally, I came to the page that
she had written on.. the handwriting was poor
because of the hurry and the way she was
trembling. I strained to read but i got each
word. She had written,
‘JANET, AM BEING WATCHED AND I THINK MY
LIFE IS IN DANGER. WATU WALINIPA BALL
WANACOME KUNIPIK WANIPELEKE KUARBOT
CHA LAZIMA. INCASE OF ANYTHING, CALL HII
NUMBER. 0724756…’
That is where the text ended. The number was
incomplete.
I quicked dropped the book and rushed out of
the lecture room to follow them. I ran as fast
as my legs could carry me. People looked at
me and wondered. I had no time to rush to
the campus security officer. All i wanted was
to serve Clara. When i reached at the Gate,
there was no sign of Clara. ‘They have left.’ I
told myself.
I quickly turned to the gate security officer.
Panting like a gazelle that has just narrowly
escaped from the claws of a lioness.
”Ex..Ex..excuse me!” i tried to ask as i cool
down.
“Soja, Umeona msichana Mweupe amevaa skirt
ya blue fupi na top ya white na weave.
Amekuwa na mwanaume amevaa jumper ya… ”
before i finished i saw the jumper and the cap
that the man was wearing dropped at the edge
of the school fence just after the gate. My
heart skipped a beat. i pointed at the clothes.
Looked at the gateman in surprise and asked
him, “Umeona mwenye ametupa hizo nguo
hapo?”
To be Continued...

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