“Beef, mukimo and a side of cabbage?” Becky asked him.
“Am I that predictable?” Joe asked her.
“I pay attention to my regular clients,” Becky said, smiling.
She prepared the meal and served him. Joe took a long time to finish his meal as he was on his laptop.
“Can I heat it up for you?” Becky asked him.
“Yes, please. Thank you.”
When Becky brought the food, he realised that she was waiting for him to finish up so she could close up the restaurant. It was a small food joint that focused on providing whole meals for working people. At lunchtime, most of Becky’s sales came from delivering meals to offices. In the evening, the place was flocked with people coming from offices, both bachelors and young women, with no time to cook.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” said Joe apologetically.
“No problem. It’s a Friday. I close slightly later than the other days,” said Becky.
Joe finished his meal and waited for Becky.
“Did you need something else?” She asked him.
“Do you have plans for the evening?” Joe asked.
“Yes. My son is waiting for me. We’re supposed to watch a movie together,” said Becky.
Joe looked disappointed.
“Oh, that’s nice. Which movie?” Joe asked.
“Sonic. We’re rewatching it for the third time,” said Becky with an eye roll and smile.
“He must really love it,” Joe said.
“Kids and obsessing over things. He’ll probably move on and never watch it again,” said Becky.
“Have yourself a good evening and enjoy the movie,” said Joe, and he left.
Becky closed up her business and headed to the matatu terminus. There was a traffic jam, so there were no buses. She stood there for almost half an hour when Joe saw her. He was getting into his car, but decided to first walk over to her. Many people were queuing up, waiting for a bus. He offered to drop her home.
They got talking, and he was relieved to hear she was unmarried. He had been eyeing her for a while but had never spoken to her at length. That was the beginning of their friendship. In no time, they started dating, and months later, Becky introduced him to Elvis, her son. They hit it off immediately. Joe didn’t waste any time, and within a year, they moved in together.
Joe took Becky and Elvis to meet his family. He was the second-to-last born in a family of four girls and two boys. He was also the financially stable one. He knew a thing or two about black tax. At first, the family were indifferent towards Becky and Elvis. Then, a series of events resulted in them being openly hostile towards her.
Being the financially stable one and still a bachelor, his family asked him for many financial favours. His sister’s son needed work after finishing college. They asked Joe to use his networks to help him out. Without hesitation, Joe called in a few favours, and his nephew got a catering job with a top chef in the city. It was a great opportunity. They were hopeful it would fast-track his career.
Less than two months into the job, Joe got a call from the chef. His nephew had messed up a job by not showing up. It wasn’t the first time. The previous time, he had shown up drunk. Joe pleaded with him and promised that he would talk to his nephew. The nephew acted remorseful but it ended badly when he tried to undercut the chef with a client. Joe lost a friend as a result.
Months later, his family came to him again, asking him to help them raise capital for the same nephew to start a small hotel upcountry. He had just begun dating Becky at the time. It took a lot of convincing but he eventually gave them the needed capital.
It didn’t take long for the nephew to run down the business. Everybody knew Joe would be angry, so they made excuses for the nephew every time he asked about it. They eventually came clean when he went upcountry and found another business operating from the premises. His nephew had been inconsistent in opening the business and eventually started selling the equipment for money.
Months after Becky and Elvis moved in with Joe, his sister and nephew showed up at their house. Joe had moved houses to a different area to accommodate his family. Becky’s business was also doing well and she had managed to open a second branch and employ help. She’d also moved Elvis to another school. They were doing well. Elvis and Joe had an incredible bond. Elvis was a good and smart kid and Joe enjoyed teaching him stuff.
Joe’s sister and nephew visited on a Sunday. Becky made them lunch and after sharing a meal, she left the house with Elvis. It was evident that Joe’s family needed to talk to him. Joe was supposed to take Elvis for a haircut, but Becky did it instead. His sister and nephew told him why they needed to see him.
“I know I have disappointed you in the past, but I now know what I want. I want to join the army,” said the nephew.
“Okay. You know that requires discipline, right?” Joe asked him.
“Yes, and I am ready,” said the nephew.
“That’s why we’re here. We know someone who can guarantee that he’ll sail through the application process, but he needs to be paid,” said the sister.
Joe already knew where that conversation was headed. The sister and nephew asked three hundred thousand shillings for the bribe. Joe blatantly refused to help them. They tried to negotiate with him, asking for a smaller amount, but he refused.
Becky and Elvis walked in as Joe was asking them to leave.
“You’d rather spend your money on a woman and her child than on your own blood?” Asked Joe’s sister.
Becky had never seen Joe that angry. His eyes were bloodshot. That was the first time she heard him raise her voice. Joe kicked out his sister and nephew and called them out for disrespecting her. They left, but the following week was filled with phone calls from his family asking him why he was prioritizing Becky and Elvis over his nephew. The calls only strengthened his resolve not to help his nephew.
His family found a way to raise the money, but the nephew decided he wasn’t cut out for the army, so he didn’t even show up for the tests. The person who had been bribed refused to refund the money. One of Joe’s sisters leaked the information to him. That marked the beginning of a strained relationship between him and his sister and nephew. The rest of the family acted remorseful but didn’t quite warm up to Becky and Elvis. Joe’s relationship with Becky culminated in a civil wedding and two more children.
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