Hard Man

19

"One day, it will be the General at the receiving end of my gun."
— Oga Fisher

"Do you feel better.?" Des asked George. The Doctors had just left his room, and they said things were looking good. George sat up, a smile on his face. "Don't I look better?" He asked cheekily and Des laughed.

"You can go back to work, Des," he said softly. "I know how difficult Eruku can be."

Before Des could respond, the room door opened and Raina walked in. Des' mouth fell open, and Raina looked equally shocked to see her there. "Des, what are you doing here?" She asked, walking towards the bed.

"The same thing you're doing here, obviously," Des laughed, feeling a little weird. She turned to George and he looked contrite. "Raina called me last night and I told her where I was," he explained.

"It's okay." Des laid a comforting hand on his arm. It was really okay. She didn't care what was happening between Raina and George, as long as it didn't affect her friendship with him. She picked up her bag and rose. George's eyes widened.

"You're leaving?" He asked.

"I have somewhere to be," she said, then turned to Raina. "It's great to see you, Raina."

"And you too," Raina answered with a smile. "When are we going to have you back at Safari?"

"As soon as my aunt recovers fully," she said and waved. "Please take care of him."

"I will. He knows that."

Chuckling, Des walked out of the hospital room. In the hallway, she let out a breath. There had been tension when Raina walked in, but she was thankful to have been able to diffuse it immediately. If Raina liked George, then by all means she can have him.

Her phone started to ring and she rolled her eyes before fishing it out of her pocket. It was Winifred. Des stared at it, wondering whether to pick it or ignore. She wasn't looking for a new friend, and although she had bonded with Winifred from the first day, she wasn't sure she wanted to pursue it. The phone stopped ringing and Des pulled up the Uber app, planning to go straight home.

The phone started ringing again, and Des' fingers accidentally swiped across the screen, answering the call. "Shit," she murmured, before putting the phone to her ear. "Hey Winnie. How are you?"

"Girl, I'm fine. Remember the vendor I told you about? For those wrappers?" Winnie went straight to the point.

Des had forgotten all about it. "The vendor called me last night. Apparently, his goods came in early."

"Okay?" Des stopped at the parking lot of the hospital, squinting her eyes against the sun as she tried to find a taxi, instead of a Uber.

"I think we should go there and pick out the best designs, you know? He's very good, so people always patronize him. We want to make sure we pick only the best for our mothers before anyone else gets their hands on it. Right?"

Des froze, all thoughts of going home flying out of her head. Winnie was right. They must pick out the best for their mothers. "You're right, Winnie. Okay. Where are you?"

"Uhh..I'll text you the address."

"I'll meet you there. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

***

Des alighted the car in front of the mall and looked around for Winnie. Across the road was the entrance to the busy market, and Des prayed the fabrics shop wasn't in there. She hated going to the market. It was always packed with sweaty and impatient people who wanted to do everything all at once.