An advertisement posted on Sunny Side Daily a few days back caught Quin’s attention as she skimmed through the newspaper. A notice for a job vacancy for two Junior Designers at Lou’s Dreamwear, one of the biggest names in the fashion industry, looked like a sign from the heavens at that time. Right until she approached the sky scrapper and saw the tailored suits walking in and out of the spinning doors. Her confidence escaped her like dust in the wind. Now, she felt a gut-wrenching sickness that made her almost vomit. However, she reminded herself she was in a rented suit and as the store owner said, “You stain it, you buy it.”
Under the scorching afternoon sun, she stood across the street admiring the tall building. It resembled the deep sea which reminded her of home. How she missed the white sandy beaches, the house she grew up in and her old friends in Malindi. They must be married now. She thought.
The last time she went home she had a nasty argument with her mother because of how the big city had changed her. She did not wear the hijab anymore. She was no longer a Muslim as she had clearly stated in the numerous phone calls they had. Just when her mother had found a good man to marry her, she dropped the bombshell on her.
From that day, she never returned to the coastal town. It has been about three years now without a single word from home. They had disowned her but she still hoped they would come around. For her, returning back was not an option.
She felt disoriented for a while as she struggled to look ahead. Her vision became blurry.
“Ma’am, are you okay?” a good Samaritan stopped to assist her.
“I’m okay. Thank you,” she replied then swallowed hard. Her throat was dry.
She desperately needed some water and going to the pharmacy was a convenient excuse to back out of the interview. However, today was not the day for any of that. She walked to the closest kiosk in sight and bought a chilled bottle of water.
After the refreshment, she was good to go. Clutching a huge sketchbook, she crossed the street to her dream job.
The guard frisked her bag for any illegal content and then motioned her to proceed inside. The air was cool and fresh in the building unlike the choking fumes of the city. She took it all in and smiled at the relief then caught a glimpse of her reflection on a shiny glass surface. Her make-up needed a little retouch. Other than that, she looked perfect.
Her looks were a big seller, as always. She knew the minute she walked into the office how she dressed, walked and talked would be her selling point.
She was inside the office finally. The receptionist enquired about her name and with a smile directed her to a line of hopeful candidates. She found a seat next to a tall model-like girl. On her left was a snobbish girl in a baby pink sweater and a grey skirt.
“Do these people really need this job? They look like they have snatched off a magazine.” Quin wondered, letting her thoughts remain light.
Everybody had a brown envelope which she assumed contained their degree with reference letters. All she had was her sketchbook.
Thirty minutes later, she heard her name.
“Quin Mkamburi?” the receptionist called out immediately after she put the phone down.
Rising from her seat, she replied “That’s me.”
“She will see you now. Just proceed straight, the second door to your left.”
With those instructions, she found herself on the hot seat staring at the gorgeous young lady she had looked up to for years. Her flowery chiffon dress worn with a black coat and white peep toe stilettoes displayed the put-together lady like a mannequin in a Chanel store. Quin both admired and envied her impeccable taste.
“Don’t you know it’s rude to stare?” she asked with a smile on her face.
“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting such a young lady,” Quin replied jokingly. They shared a laugh.
“Please, feel comfortable. Let me go through your…” the hesitation was definitely not a good sign. “This must be a mistake but there is no education or work experience on your resume. I trust you’ve brought them with you.”
“About that,” she began.
“No, no, no. Please, do not waste my time. I am extremely busy.” Just as she was about to dial the receptionist, Quin rose to her feet and began her mitigation.
“I may not have studied at…” she glanced at the certificate hanging on the wall. “Cambridge, wow! But you can’t hold that against me. If you only take the time and look at my sketches you will see that a good designer is not made in school but at heart.” She explained almost in tears, afraid of what she might hear next. She had another story lined up in case the first one failed.
There was a prolonged silence as the lady scrolled through her iPad not once looking up at Quin. After realizing she was not going to get a response, Quin made her way towards the dark brown polished door.
“Thank you for your time, ma’am.” She said turning the door handle.
“Wait, let’s see what you have. I’d be a fool not to be curious about anyone who comes to a job interview with no papers at all, not even forged ones.” Her smile was back.
Almost running, she handed her the huge sketchbook then resumed her sitting position, a bit calmer. A couple of nods indicated a good sign. Then, after a few minutes of waiting, her fate was sealed.
“This is all quite impressive, I must say. I like your style. It has an original feel to it.” She started, her heavy British accent that was almost incomprehensible but Quin breezed through it.
At that point, it did not matter to Quin whether she got the job, a maybe or nothing at all. The most important thing was that she went for it. She thought comfortingly bracing herself for the disappointment.
“I’d love to have you on my team but no one would even allow it. The board would immediately raise a red flag. However, I have your contacts now. If ever I need a freelance job, I will get in touch. What I would advise you is to take a design course even if it’s a diploma. You’re a natural, darling. Don’t let that go to waste.”
With those last words, she picked up her sketchbook and pristine designer bag, thanked the lady once again then made an exit from the office breathing a sigh of relief.
As she walked out of the building her phone buzzed.
“Look behind you.” a voice on the other end said and she did. The sight of her ever-glowing best friend standing out in a group of dull suits lit up her day like fireworks. She walked up to her and embraced her. “How did it go?” Georgina enquired.
“Girl, I need a drink right now. Let’s go to our usual spot.” She replied then hang up.
********
The persistent knocking on her door startled Quin awake from her sweet slumber. She checked her phone only to see tens of missed calls from Frankie, her boyfriend. It then hit her that her head was pounding like it wanted to explode. The loud banging on the door wasn’t helping her situation. The girls had gone out for drinks after the job interview and things got out of hand. One shot turned to two and before she knew it, she was dancing with a strange man.
“We need to leave.” Georgina alerted her.
“No. I’m having so much fun.”
“Frankie will kill both of us if you don’t sleep at your place again.”
“Argh! Don’t bring up his name right now. You’re such a buzzkill.”
“Okay, but we have to leave.”
“One last cocktail,” Quin said as she got up to go and make an order.
She signalled the bartender who quickly came to her side.
“Two Old Fashioned.” She said
“Wow, a beautiful woman who drinks Old Fashioned. You must have been sent from heaven to ruin my life.”
She laughed and then looked at the flirty man who was already pulling out his credit card to pay for her order. He was handsome, well-dressed and had the most enchanting smile she had ever seen. Quin couldn’t help herself from staring.
“Your order.” He said pointing at the drinks sitting on the counter.
She picked up the drinks and then started walking towards their table. The handsome guy stayed at the counter but kept a close eye on Quin. She also glanced at him from time to time. Georgina noticed the two eyeing each other.
“Why do you keep looking at that guy?” She asked.
“He was flirting with me and bought us these drinks.”
“Quin, we’re not doing this. Let’s go thank him and leave.”
“Okay.”
They both walked to the counter intending to thank the guy who had bought them the cocktails. However, he convinced them to take a round of shots with him. By 2 am, the two girls were still at the club, drunk out of their wits.
“You know, we’ve been talking for four hours and I don’t know your name.” She said, slurring her words.
“You can call me Zaddy.”
Her face instantly changed. She hated when guys like him tried to act like they were the king of the world. You see, Quin wasn’t a stranger to the nightlife. In fact, she had earned a nickname as the ‘Quin of Nairobi’s nightlife. She was a high-end escort who prowled the city’s exclusive clubs looking for men like ‘Zaddy’. They were her least favourite but the easiest to manipulate which meant she was about to get a huge pay.
“Well, Zaddy, how about we go back to my place?”
“Okay. How much?” He asked rather timidly.
“I thought you were Zaddy. You shouldn’t worry about such things.”
The trio retreated to Quin’s luxury apartment. They all staggered out of the Uber, passed the security guards and into the lifts. She pressed the button to the fifth floor where her apartment was at the end of the hallway.
Georgina kept throwing her deathly glances as she flirted with the man. After a few minutes, the pair retreated to Quin’s room. Georgina grabbed a throw blanket from the edge of the sectional leather couch, covered herself and went to sleep.
The next morning, she was woken up by a loud banging on the door. She instantly knew it was Frankie and tried to hide any evidence that a man was in his girlfriend’s house.
Quin was still trying to compose herself. She turned to face the other side of the bed only to see a strange man in her bed. He was also just waking up.
“Why are you still here?” She asked in anger.
He checked his watch. “Shit! Pass me my clothes.”
“It’s too late. My boyfriend is outside. You can’t leave.”
“That’s none of my concern, sweetheart. I’ve already paid you. I need to leave.” He said, wearing his clothes.
“Okay. Georgina will come and get you.”
“Who’s Georgina?”
“My friend. She’ll come and get you.”
“Make it quick.”
Frankie had been knocking for almost 30 minutes and was red with anger when Quin finally opened the door. He stormed inside without as much as a ‘hello’.
“What are you doing?”
“Sleeping. It’s like 6 am.”
“Why weren’t you answering your phone?”
“I was dead asleep. I took a sleeping pill.” She said, “Babe, I have some good news.” She tried to change the subject.
He walked to the kitchen and as he browsed through the walk-in pantry and made his way to the balcony, Georgina, who was peeping through the bedroom door, managed to sneak the other guy out and went back to the bedroom to clear any remaining evidence of a man. She flushed the used condom in the toilet, put the used towels in the laundry bin and sprayed the bed with Quin’s perfume. She then got undressed and got in bed.
“The things I do for that girl.” She said as she quivered from the thought of the strange man sleeping on the same sheets she was sleeping on.
Frankie continued to comb out the apartment, walking from room to room checking for anything unusual. He finally got to her bedroom and saw Georgina sleeping.
“Hi, Frankie. Morning.” She said,
“I didn’t know you were here.”
“I’ve been here since yesterday. Quin called me after her job interview.”
“Job interview? What job interview?”
“Quin didn’t tell you? She landed a job interview with one of the biggest design companies.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked, turning to Quin.
“That’s what I wanted to tell you. Let’s go to the living room.”
***********************************************
Quin had moved from her village to the city on board a Coast bus with nothing but a dream and a few clothes in a plastic bag. She believed she was going to be a house help after her childhood friend who lived in a humble bedsitter in Pipeline, invited her to the city. However, when she got to the city, things changed. Her friend introduced her to escorting, leveraging Quin’s good looks to get money for their basic needs.
After some time, Quin couldn’t let her friend continue to use her. She also wanted more for herself and couldn’t continue sleeping with old men for small change. She started hitting the big clubs and hotels hoping to meet rich men who could give her a better life.
There, she met Georgina and the pair became inseparable. Life was good and Quin started getting better money. She moved to a good apartment, bought a car and occasionally sent some money to her family in the village. However, she still wanted to fulfil her dream of becoming a fashion designer and after meeting Frankie, she thought it was perfect timing to pursue her dream job.
Frankie was from a rather affluent family and hadn’t worked a day in his life. He believed that Quin was also from a rich family who had bought her the apartment and car. She knew he would never understand why she was an escort. So, she had to change her lifestyle fast before he learnt the truth.
************************************************************
“Babe, I want to be a fashion designer.” She said, serving him a cup of coffee.
“Why though? Your parents are rich. You don’t have to stress your beautiful self.”
“It’s my dream job and I got an opportunity to work for one of the best designers in the country.”
“Why am I just learning about it?” He asked.
She pulled out her sketchbook from a bookshelf next to the TV stand. “Well, check this out.”
He looked through her sketches and smiled. “You’ve always been a badass with the fashion styles.”
She smiled as he complimented her.
“But I don’t think you should work for someone. Why don’t you start your own fashion house?”
“I’ve always dreamt of working for this company and they actually liked me.”
“Babe, you’re too pretty to work. Plus it’s not a good look. If you need money I can give it to you.”
“That’s not how I was raised and if you can’t support my dreams then I don’t think we can work out.”
“Really? You’re going to break up with me over a job? Fine. Whatever. Pack my stuff. I’ll come for them later.”
He walked out of the apartment and just like that, their relationship was over.
One of the reasons she wanted to get a job was so she could stop being an escort and start living a normal life with her boyfriend. However, she still wanted to pursue her dreams and make herself proud despite the breakup. After a little encouragement from her best friend, she went to register for a design course that same day.
**********************************
“Where’s Frankie?” Georgina asked, emerging from the bedroom.
“He left,” Quin answered in tears.
Georgina joined her on the couch and embraced Quin who was now crying hysterically. It took a couple of minutes for her to calm down but she did eventually. She let out a heavy sigh, wiped her tears and looked at her best friend who was still embracing her.
“It’s his loss, anyway. You’re a goddess and he was lucky that you even looked at him twice.”
“I need to start looking for colleges that offer design courses,” Quin said.
“Relax, babe.”
“You don’t get it, Gee. I need this job. Today was such a wake-up call. I can’t be an escort anymore. It’s ruining my life.”
“I understand but you need a cup of coffee first. This morning has started on the wrong foot.” Georgina suggested.
“Okay. Let’s go out for coffee. I need to leave this house, anyway.”
“Sure,” Georgina answered standing up.
“Thank you, Gee.”
“Don’t mention it.”
The pair walked into the bedroom and Quin made her way to the bathroom as Georgina looked through her closet.
“Do you want to wear pink or white?” She yelled to Quin.
“Whichever you choose.”
She picked out a pink outfit for Quin and laid it on the bed then sat on the accent chair beside the bed waiting for her friend. Quin got out of the shower, wrapped a towel around her and went to the bedroom.
“Your turn.” She said
“I’ll shower at my place. I need to get going anyway.”
“I thought we were going for coffee.”
“Something has come up but I’ll accompany you and get a takeaway.”
“Okay.”
**************************************************
Several weeks had passed and Quin hadn’t applied to any design schools. Instead, she went frolicking every night with the man she had met the night after her job interview.
“You’re my lucky star.” He said to her as they had dinner.
“Really? Why?”
“Ever since I met you I’ve got several investors interested in my business.”
“You deserve it because you treat me so well.” She said, placing her hand on his lap.
“Thank you, babydoll.”
Despite Quin’s desire to pursue her dream job, she was having a hard time letting go of her lifestyle. She had also not spoken to Georgina since the day she broke up with her boyfriend which made her feel down. Her attempts to contact her were futile. Georgina didn’t return her calls or messages. She had basically vanished without a trace.
However, Quin spotted a familiar face walking into the restaurant. She approached her to get a closer look.
“Georgina.”
“Quin… What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same question.”
“I’m here to meet a friend.”
“Why have you been avoiding me? I thought you were my best friend.”
“Well, you said that you didn’t want to be an escort anymore. I had to look for clients to survive. But as I can see, you’re still seeing that guy who slept at your place.” She said looking at the guy.
“It isn’t as easy as I thought.”
“That’s too bad but you should have thought about that before quitting on me.”
“I miss…” Before she could finish her sentence, Frankie walked in and joined the duo.
“What are you doing here?” He asked.
“Wait, what’s going on?” She asked after connecting the dots.
“It’s not what it looks like.”
“Georgina came to comfort me the day you broke up with me and we hit it off.”
“Is this why you haven’t been replying to my messages or returning my calls? You’re sleeping with my ex?! I thought you were better than this but I guess I was wrong.”
Before she could defend herself, Quin walked away and returned to her table. She couldn’t believe that her best friend of so many years could betray her like that. However, she always suspected that Georgina was secretly jealous of her and always wanted her life. She was happy to let her have her leftovers.
*******************************************************
“Hello? May I speak to Miss Maria?” Quin asked over the phone.
“Speaking.”
“It’s Quin. Do you remember me?”
“Sure. Were you able to get into college?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. The next intake for most colleges is in three months. I have some time to kill and I was wondering if I could intern for you in the meantime.”
“I’d love to have you but as I told you, you need some kind of academic qualification and for an internship, you need to be enrolled in school.”
“Well, I had to try.”
“Okay. I need to go. Have a good day and wish you the best.”
“Thanks. Bye.” She said then hung up.
David had been standing close by and overheard the whole conversation. He poured himself a glass of juice and then went to the living room.
“What was that all about?”
“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Quin was cautious. The last time she shared her plans with someone, they broke up and he ended up dating her best friend. She didn’t want history to repeat itself. She excused herself to use the bathroom leaving her unlocked phone on the coffee table.
He picked it up and then scrolled through her call list. He noticed a familiar number. As the bathroom door opened, he quickly locked her phone and placed it where she had left it.
“Hello, Quin.”
“Hi, Miss Maria.”
“It seems you’re quite the lucky girl. You got the job.”
“Wait, what? How did that happen?”
“One of our senior board members thinks you’re fit for the job. He says that he knows you personally and he has never met a more talented, hardworking and passionate girl than you.”
“Really? Who?”
“The one and only Mr David Wanjala. Is he your uncle or something?”
Quin’s heart skipped a beat when she heard the name. It wasn’t her uncle but her client. He had recognized Miss Maria’s number on her phone and figured Quin was looking for a job with her. His endorsement was all it took for her to get her dream job. If she knew, she would have told him a long time ago.
“Yes, he’s my uncle.” She lied. They didn’t need to know her relation to David.
“That’s so good. I look forward to seeing you on Monday.”
Okay. Thank you.” She hung up and then smiled to herself.
Her dream had finally come true and it took the help of an unlikely person.
“Why did you do it?” She asked David.
“Well, as I said, you’re my lucky star.” He answered.
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