The Standard Eve Woman
Date: 19.09.2015
Page 9
Article size: 182 cm2
ColumnCM: 40.44
AVE: 0.0
Cooking dinner for the girl next door
She agreed for dinner in your house after the ten done yourself.
options you suggested. Saturday evening it is. She will
It is 6:37 p.m. and your heart is pounding. Today,
be spending a great deal of the day shopping and do­
ing her hair, she said. She gave you a carte blanche on you have to decide if you can make a move or drop
what to cook but warned you in good humour, "it had her. No time chasing after waterfalls. A few minutes
better be good, I'm not a fan of badly cooked meals." past 7, she calls you to tell you tiiat she is held in
some slight traffic from Kenyatta market, but will be
That made you nervous.
But you forgot to ask if she is vegetarian or she over in a short while. You get up, go warm the food.
After 20 or so minutes, she walks in looking im­
likes her meaty servings. But that is not the immediate
problem. You are wondering, did she have to make her maculate. Her hair was probably done by the best
hair today? Is diat a sign? I mean, it is mid­month, who hairdresser in the three East African capitals. And by
heavens, her face is smooth ­ you ignore her slight,
makes her hair and does shopping mid­month?
Anyway, at around 3, you begin your forays to the discernible forehead. She is wearing a floral dress
local supermarket for some fish fillet and beef, and that is a lustful man's dream. It is an arresting dress
bottle of wine (for her) and whisky (for you). You pass that curves over her waist and hips. You are speech­
less.
by your ever­faithful mama mboga for accouterments
"That is some fine hairdo...," you compliment
and you head home. So, it is ugali and fish fillet, beef
stew and matoke, some salad like that, and as a last her, having learnt that 90 per cent of men are usually
resort, you call for a cake, just in case everything back­
denied sex when their women come from the salon
and they fail to compliment them.
She blushes, and you add, "Great, stuff, and the
You are set to go. You pray silently that a car does
not knock her down. Or she doesn't show up with her dress, why lie, I should take you out tonight, I will be
friend. Or a cousin. As in women are capable of any­ the talking point in the club," she laughs easily and
thing and have at least 1001 ways for to ruin a perfect setties in the sofa. Tonight, she chooses a seat farther
date. You take your laptop and make the selection from the door, which she had made her favourite
of the best RnB and hip hop from your generation, spot. She is a bit nervous. She excuses herself to use
though you don't know her exact genre. You pick some the washroom as you go to set up dinner.
When dinner is served, you realise the beef and
unusual African American movie, with enough slap­
stick humour to get you by and a plot that does not matoke stew are without salt. And she hates raw salt
need your attention. Water, serviettes, toothpicks, on food. Her criticism stings. You hate her.
"So tell me about the woman in your life?" she
hand towels and such all on the table. You have out­
fires.
moves forward and cues you that she is listening.
Ipsos Kenya ­ Acorn House,97 James Gichuru Road ­ Lavington ­ Nairobi ­ Kenya