Black Coffee (Tara's Dream)|Dearest Diary, - Book 1 (unedited)

IX

"You are looking for a job?" David asked me. I nodded my head suddenly feeling numb.

"Why?" he questioned me with a smile.

"It's a long story." I replied still feeling shaken. It was quite weird that we had just been talking about the thing that I had asked God for and then that call came in.

"Okay..." he said as he pulled in and parked right in front of the company's main building. "That was fast!" I had been too busy feeling squirmish that I had not noticed that David was breezing through traffic at top speed. I picked up my bag and rush out, thanking David as I walked inside the building to search for Linda.

"Attara!" I looked behind me and saw Davis struggling to catch up with my fast strides. David, Davis; I laughed at the coincidence in my mind.

"Davis." I greeted, slowing down to allow him to catch up.

"You are looking for Linda?" he asked as he extended his hand out to shake mine.

"Yes. I'm afraid I'm a little late for the meeting. I lost track of time."

"It's okay. I am going to the meeting too. We can walk together?" I agreed suddenly feeling nervous at the way he seemed to be looking at me.

"You look really nice." He finally told me and I smiled despite the uncomfortable feeling that I was having. You see, I had this feeling that Davis liked me more than a friend or a colleague should.

"Thanks."

"So, what are you doing on Friday? I would like to take you out." And there it was, finally out. My fears and suspicions confirmed in just two sentences. I felt and must have also looked like a deer caught up in headlights, but could you blame me? My mind had gone blank as I tried to think hard of a perfect response for his difficult question.

"I...I..." I began to stutter then Bing! The building's elevators saved me as the doors opened up to let out people. Grabbing the opportunity, I took out my phone, called Maggie and pretended to discuss house shopping and supper arrangements which were really not that necessary. We entered the elevator and Davis reached out his hand to press the floor number as I settled back to continue talking to Maggie. Before I knew it, the elevator stopped and the doors opened up revealing Dr. Mwangaza's office. We stepped out of the elevator and I ended the call. I now felt safe and almost sure that he would not broach that topic especially since we were already approaching the office door. I chanced a look at Davis, only to find him giving me a funny look that bordered between amusement and fascination. I shook my head at the thought and he let out a chuckle before opening the door and waiting on me like the perfect gentleman.

"Attara, Davis, where did you find her?" Dr. Mwangaza greeted the two of us heartily as I took a seat beside Linda.

"You came in together?" the woman leaned in to whisper.

"I know." I told her, deciding to take it as a statement rather than the question it really was. I knew that she knew of the previous Saturday and that Davis and I had spent the afternoon together. From the look that Dr. Mwangaza was throwing me, I deduced that he probably knew as well. Now, let me admit this, I was not really an expert on facial expressions but I knew one thing; when my mother gave me the kind of look that the man was giving me, I always knew that she was planning something wicked. You know...like planning my wedding or selling me into slavery? One could never be sure with her.

"So? You two?" The old man started and I turned to stop him with a glare, shooting daggers at him. He laughed off my threat as he pretended to drop that line of questioning, but I knew better. "Fine, don't kill me Attara, it's just that..."

"Don't even say it." I ground out and both he and Linda burst out laughing. Davis just gave me a sly look and it scares the heck out of me - I mean, what was it with these people? Were their love lives so boring that they had to meddle into mine?

"Forgive us Attara. It can't be helped. Young love is so beautiful." And there he went again much to the amusement of Linda. Even Davis seemed to be struggling not to laugh.

"Okay," I said pulling on an indifferent look. If these two old timers were going to laugh at my expense, I could as well pretend that it did not get to me. "So, what's up today?" I asked referring to the agenda of the day. That seemed to make them sober up and the meeting finally started.

***

"So, how do you feel about the news today?" Linda asked me as we strolled out of the office towards the elevator.

"I'm not sure. It hasn't sunk in yet." I told her, still in a daze. I was so out of it and I think she noticed it and left me to my own thoughts. I was even more grateful when Davis chose to remain behind and chat with his father. Otherwise, I don't know how I'd faced him as I didn't want to have to play nice or spend the entire ride stammering as I tried to fish for an appropriate answer to his earlier question.

"Linda," I called out to her as we left the building. "I almost forgot I was supposed to hand you the third manuscript." I told her as I pulled out the sheaf of printed paper from the folder that was within my huge handbag.

"Thanks." She said as she took the printed copy from my hands. "Mr. Njuguna is going to be really happy with the progress you are making. It means he will get to launch his product on time." I nodded though I obviously had no idea what she was talking about and I did not care as long as I got paid and my work remained safe. "Do you want to work with the creative teams for the illustrations and cover art?" She asked me and I shook my head again feeling silly for acting like a toddler.

"Yea. I'd really love that. You know how I love doing my own cover art." She smiled.

"I honestly do not know why you did a science when you are this good with the creative stuff." She told me, making me laugh. She was not the first person to tell me this, but I knew that literature was not something I would have enjoyed studying in campus. The obligation that came with it would have sucked out the fun out in everything and I would have ended up hating it and losing the one thing that was a favorite pass time of mine.

"That's easy. This is a hobby while science is my career."

"Well, lucky you. Not all of us get to have hobbies that pay well." She was right and in that moment, what had happened finally sunk in. I now had, twenty eight million Kenyan shillings lying in my bank! That's approximately two hundred and eighty thousand dollars for you.