When they tell you to keep trying your hand at love, they don’t emphasize how that comes with meeting interesting characters. Figuring out people’s intentions in the dating scene is perhaps a course that should be offered somewhere because women would significantly benefit from it. I met Joel at an eatery, or rather, he saw me first and came over to me.
It was a hot afternoon. I had endured the scorching sun with no results to show for it, and I hadn’t eaten anything since the previous night. I went to a restaurant I frequented and chose a seat on the balcony. The only thing on my mind was a cold glass of passion fruit juice with a juicy, cheesy burger. I was busy gulping my drink when Joel asked to join me. I felt his presence before looking at him.
“Hi, you caught my eye immediately after you walked in. Can I buy you a drink?” Asked Joel.
I looked at him, then looked at my juice and burger.
“And I’m guessing I’m interrupting your late lunch?” He said, smiling.
I smiled and signalled him to have a seat. I proceeded to introduce myself. He told me he was there with a few friends. Then he noticed I hadn’t touched my burger.
“Not hungry?”Joel asked.
“Actually, I am starving. I’m just struggling with whether to be ‘lady-like’ or dig in,” I said.
“No judgment here, do you,” Joel said with a smile.
“Better not be. You know when you’re so hungry, and you don’t feel like there’s an amount of food that will be enough to satisfy you? I feel like I won’t get full if I don’t dig in and have it supper messy,” I told Joel. He laughed and got a drink for himself.
“I thought girls have a biscuit and water and go a whole day?” Joel joked.
“Can never be me!” I said firmly.
That set the tone for the rest of the evening. We talked for about two hours, then joined his friends. We all talked as a group for a while before the music volume started increasing. Joel pulled me to the dance floor, where we danced for a while, and then decided to move to a quieter place. We took a walk outside, where there were food vendors.
“Want anything to eat ‘Ms. I don’t have biscuits and water’?” Joel asked.
“Surprisingly, I don’t want anything. The burger got the job done,” I told him.
“I haven’t seen someone devour food so passionately in a while. It was refreshing. You are refreshing,” Joel said.
“Will you have something yourself?” I asked him.
“I’m avoiding meat,” Joel replied.
“Doctor’s orders?” I asked him.
“No, I just decided to quit meat,” he replied.
“Oh no, you know you can’t trust a man who doesn’t like meat?” I joked.
“Not the vegans and vegetarians slander,” Joel responded.
“I endorse that one. I don’t get why avoid meat and then make products that mimic meat while you can have the real thing,” I told Joel.
“Hey, stand down, soldier, I’m just a month into this no-meat battalion; you might have me backsliding,” Joel joked.
“Wait, are these the wife’s orders?” I asked.
“No, wife. Well played,” Joel responded.
“Children?” I asked him.
“No kids either. You?” He asked.
“No husband, one child,” I responded.
“Aah, this city is crawling with hit single moms,” Joel responded.
“Is it now?” I asked.
He proceeded to tell me how they have fun with single mothers. I listened to him talk about single mothers and the Nairobi dating scene. I hadn’t been in this scene for a while, so I didn’t refute what he said.
“Single moms are the easiest to bag. Sorry to say this, but many are “desperate”, so we have it easy with them,” Joel said.
Suddenly, I wanted that food. I got myself a skewer, and then we went back inside for one more drink. Joel’s friends had called more people to join them. Joel introduced me to the new additions to the group. They enjoyed some banter because there was an upcoming game. I was getting exhausted, so I told Joel I wanted to leave. He had just started convincing me to stay longer when the rain started pouring heavily.
He found a way to leave the group, took my hand, and then led me to the counter. We talked a little more about music and discovered we had similar tastes. It rained continuously for about two hours. Getting a cab home was a nightmare. The roads were also a mess. We stayed until six o’clock in the morning and decided to get breakfast. We walked to a popular joint nearby.
Joel looked at me with a serious face as we waited for our order to be prepared.
“You are amazing. I could talk to you for hours on end.”
“I had a lovely night as well,” I told Joel.
“I’m going to be direct with you. I want you. I’m pursuing you,” said Joel.
“I think the coffee order is almost here,” I tried to deflect.
“Come on, don’t do that. I know I have had a few drinks, but this is not the alcohol talking. Obviously, I want you physically, but you tickle my brain. I want to get to know you more,” said Joel.
“Okay, what does that entail?” I asked Joel.
“I should probably tell you I don’t do flings or anything short of a committed relationship. Not to worry though, I will earn you,” Joel said and winked.
We had our breakfast for an hour and a half before going home. For the next month, he called me after every few days. He shared details about his work and called me when he had a good day and wanted to celebrate, as well as on bad days. He eventually revisited the dating conversation, but I couldn’t get past his comment on single moms, and I wondered if it was a long con for him.
Check Out More Stories
He Was A Deadbeat Father To His Child But Wanted To Take Care Of Mine
Dating As A Single Mum Has Made Me Very Sensitive About Men Questioning My Parenting Skills
I Broke Up With My Fiancé Because He Wanted Me To Cut Off My Baby Daddy
My Baby Shower Turned Chaotic After My Best Friend Started Fighting With My Baby Daddy
My Crush Criticized Everything At the Restaurant I Took Her To And Harassed The Staff
I Found Out He Had A Child Two Weeks To Our Traditional Wedding
