Abby sat at work, organizing Valentine’s Day packages for clients after a busy day. She went online, and the famous Valentine’s song had made a comeback. “Valentine’s is coming, where’s your boyfriend.” It especially hurt at the part that says, “Your mates are getting flowers and you’re so lonely.” It felt like a personal attack. It was one thing when many of her friends were single, but the number had decreased. She felt as though the gods of love were conspiring against her. It was time to change that.
Abby embarked on a mission to get herself a boyfriend by Valentine’s. She had about four weeks to meet someone and connect enough for them to have a Valentine’s plan. The lowest-hanging fruit was dating apps. She picked one of her best photos, where the sun’s rays struck her face at the right angles. ‘Sunkissed’ is the term for it on the streets. She jotted down a bio and was ready to see who she would match with.
After several swipes left and right, she came across an interesting-looking guy. He had a picture overlooking escarpments. He was in shades and shorts and had a well-maintained goatee. She could picture herself playing with the goatee. She swiped right, and so did he. That was the first sign that something could come out of it. “He likes what he sees too,” she thought to herself. They started talking, and soon, they were planning their first date.
“I look forward to seeing you tomorrow,” said Abby.
“Me too. I want to hear you purr for me,” said the guy from the dating app.
Abby had to look up the word purr just to ensure it didn’t have a different meaning from the one she already knew. She immediately called her friend Lydia.
“Girl, quick question. What does it mean when a guy says he wants to hear you purr?” Abby asked Lydia.
“Oh, that’s his kink. He’s probably into primal fetish, animal play and all that. Why?” Lydia responded.
“The dating app guy just said that to me,” replied Abby.
“Are you planning to hook up?” Lydia asked.
“I didn’t think we were. I thought we were having a normal first date,” replied Abby.
“He definitely has other plans for you,” said Lydia.
That was how Abby ghosted the guy. She had naively thought he was looking for something serious, but it turned out he was looking for a hookup. The clock was ticking, so she got back to her strategy board. Now that the dating apps were not yielding fruits, she decided to go the old-fashioned way of meeting someone through friends and family. Her friend had told her about a guy, Mike, who was looking to settle down. She talked to the friend who hooked them up. They got talking and went for their first date on a Wednesday, and as fate would have it, Mike was attending a ruracio the Saturday after the date, so he asked Abby to accompany him.
They went to the event together and had fun. Conversations flowed easily, and one would have thought they had known each other for a while. It was going well until it was time for food. Mike sat down instead of going into a queue for food.
“Are you not hungry?” Abby asked.
“I am,” Mike responded.
“Why are we not joining the rest to get food?” Abby asked, looking puzzled.
“You’re my woman so you should be doing that for me. Don’t get me too much soup or peas,” Mike told her.
Abby begrudgingly got him the food. She was shocked, but that was not the place to process it. Later on the way home, she mentioned that she was glad they had met when they did because the next couple of weeks would be hectic at work, so she would hardly have free time.
“Don’t worry. You won’t have to endure that much longer. Once you’re my wife you won’t have to work. I’ll take care of you,” said Mike.
“You would expect me to quit my job?” Abby asked him.
“Yes. I thought that would delight you? Plus, given the nature of your job, you wouldn’t have time to take care of our home,” Mike responded confidently. He even had that look men have when they think they are saying something romantic.
After going home, Abby had two thoughts. She already knew Mike wasn’t the man for her, but there was a clock on Valentine’s. Mike did sound like the type to do something for her on Valentine’s Day, but Abby wondered if it was worth it. She decided to have him as a backup.
A funny thing happens when you start dating or have someone you’re considering dating; more potential partners pop up. Abby’s ex texted her. It had been six months since their break up. She had moved from Malindi back to Nairobi after the hotel she worked for promoted her. Her ex worked for a chain of hotels along the coast. He was white. One of the reasons they had broken up was that he enjoyed the attention of other women.
“You know these girls only give me attention because I’m a mzungu,” her ex had justified it.
When he texted her, he sounded like he regretted not treating her right. The text was to test the waters with her, to give way for further conversations. He graduated to calling her. He was on a plane to Nairobi within a week to spend a weekend with her. She had enjoyed spending time with her ex, so she was excited. Additionally, since she was looking for love and had a deadline, everyone and everything looked like a sign.
They went for a game drive in the park and decided to go out later that evening. Abby thought the ex would enjoy places with white people. She took him to places with that crowd. The ex was bored out of his wits. Abby couldn’t understand why since the music was good and the crowd was vibrant. However, she decided to take him to another place. She took him to a club with many local people; he was the only white guy. The boy lit up.
Abby left him to use the bathroom, and by the time she was back, a girl was grinding on him. He was so happy that it took him a few minutes to realize that Abby was back. He jumped back, moving away from the girl.
“Baby, baby,” he tried talking to Abby.
“That’s why the other club was boring, huh?” Abby remarked and left.
She saw him when he went for his clothes at her house the following day. He tried asking for forgiveness, but Abby was done with him. She even wondered whether he had dated her to fulfil a black girl fetish. She blocked his number as soon as she shut the door.
“Lydia, it’s a week and a half to Valentine’s and I still don’t have a man,” Abby told her friend on call.
“What happened with your ex?” Lydia asked, and Abby narrated the story.
“So what do you plan to do next?” Lydia asked Abby.
“There’s this guy, Paul, who has been hitting on me for ages, I think I should give him a chance.”
“Girl, did you miss the memo? You should never give a chance to someone who has liked you for a long time. It always ends in tears,” Lydia told her.
“So should I just go back to talking to Mike?” Abby asked.
“The one who wants you to quit your job because you are a woman?”Lydia asked.
“I hear you but I want to be pampered on Valentine’s,” said Abby.
“Is it just about Valentine’s or do you want more?” Lydia asked.
“I want both,” Abby responded after thinking about it.
“Honey, I understand the pressure of being single on Valentine’s, but do you think it’s worth entertaining a man you don’t even like just to go on a date and maybe receive flowers and a gift you might not like?” Lydia asked Abby.
“When you put it that way, I think it’s not,” said Abby.
She also decided not to talk to Mike. It was eventually Valentine’s Day, and she still didn’t have a man. While at work, she got a call from a new number.
“Ms. Abby?” Asked the caller.
“Yes, it is,” Abby responded.
“You have a delivery.”
Minutes later, she got a beautiful bouquet of red roses, her favourite chocolates and a card that read, “True love is like a timeless melody and rare to come by, so it takes time. But as you wait for it to find you, I’ll be here reminding you of the other joys of life. Love, Lydia.”
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