Race // marco reus

xii

I sipped my coffee and ate my breakfast quietly in the restaurant inside the hotel. I watched the people past by without even giving me a second glance. It was my first official day back in kampala from my trip to northern Uganda. I enjoyed my quiet morning to myself. I liked that no one stopped me to talk to me or no girl flirted with me or anything like that, I got to be peaceful with myself all while still going out of my room and enjoying myself.

Kieth, thank goodness did not stay in the same floor as me therefore I was able to slip out without him stopping me and asking where I was going. He acted as though he was my third parent, I already had a mother and a father and didn't need another thank you very much.

"there you are." Keith jogged into the restaurant, already dressed in his usual attire which was a colorful dress shirt and black dress pants and fancy black shiny shoes.

"Here I am."

"well." He nonchalantly sat down at the seat across from you. "how are you?"

"I feeling well."

"good. Because in an hour I got us a private car to Matthews's orphanage." He folded his hands together looking expectedly at me.

"can't I have the day to myself?" I already knew the answer to that and that was a no. I was going to have camera men there taking a few pictures of me with children then sending it across the globe. The point of me coming here wasn't for the cameras or people thinking I was doing good. I was doing it for myself, not them. I wanted to really help people and make them live an easier life. I wasn't in for the fame or the publicity but suddenly this was feeling more like a publicity stunt than anything.

"the children are waiting for you." Keith said.

Don't you mean the camera men are waiting for me. I rolled my eyes, before taking one last sipped of my coffee and finally nodding in agreement with him. I might as well just go and at least enjoy the time with the children.

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"Marco!"

Kathy's face appeared in front of me. She smiled brightly and expectedly at me. She was so much shorter than I am but for some odd reason she stood on her tip toe and our eyes met.

"hallo, Kathy." I nodded my head at her.

"How are you?" She asked.

"I'm good." I replied. "How are you?"

"Ohhh" she shrugged. "I'm good."

"That's good." And that my friend, is how you kill unwanted conversations. I sent her one more smile before turning on my heels.

"so marco."

I was wrong. Kathy appeared besides me. She still had that same smile plastered on her lips, she clearly didn't know how to read signs that were being thrown at her.

"yeah?"

"have you talked to Adisa lately?"

Her question startled me. "Adisa?" I looked at her confused and curiously.

"Yeah..Adisa."

"no why?"

"Oh" she looked down. "No reason. Well she's coming here later, I heard her father telling some of the children she'd play football with them later, maybe you could talk to her then."

"uh ok, I'll keep that in mind." Kathy was a strange girl, that's one thing for sure. But she didn't matter at the moment. Adisa was going to come here. I was going to finally see her after days of not taking to each other and being apart. And my numbers were limited here in Uganda.

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