Taji
"Baby brooooo!" Tessa screamed as she sprinted out of the house when I arrived.
"I'm a grown man." I mumbled as she hugged me tightly. Terry followed her and joined in the hug.
"Wait," Tessa said as she pulled away,"Are you working out or not eating?" She said as she squeezed my biceps.
"You'd seriously think that I'd just stop eating? " I asked as I laughed at her expression.
"Please don't tell me that you're trying to get a model's body for your girl," Terry joked. My heart leapt to my throat as I lacked a response to that. Not that I was working out to impress anyone, it was just a decision I made for myself. I just wondered how the news spread to them.
Tanya!
"No way. Just trying something new." I eventually answered.
"So when were you going to tell us about her?" Terry asked as she raised her perfectly drawn eyebrow at me.
"Soon," I said rubbing the back of my neck nervously.
"So she does exist. See the Lord!" She shouted as she raised her hands and looked up dramatically. I had way too many dramatic people in my life at this point. They'd both picked up traces of British accents. I smiled as it reminded me of my morning with Raz.
"So what's she like? How did you meet? When are we meeting her? How many dates-" Tessa began rambling but I stopped her by placing my index finger over her mouth.
"Sssshhh, can I please get in?"
They both groaned but obliged anyway. They clung onto my arms on both sides as they went on and on about how much they'd missed teasing me.
My mind wasn't really there though. I hated being in my father's house. It always felt way too big and empty, not just because he was the only one living there, but because all the love that once filled it was completely drained. I took in a deep breath as we walked in, awaiting some rude welcoming gesture from him. They walked me to the kitchen and I spotted his tall frame next to the grill with my uncle and aunt.
"Where's Tanya?" I asked them as we walked to the backyard.
"She... is... uhm... at home. She's not feeling well," Terry said.
What?
If there was one thing that was a trademark on Terry, it was the inability to tell convincing lies. There was something strange going on. I wasn't quite sure why they seemed like they were trying to hide something from me.
"She just has really bad cramps. You wouldn't understand," Tessa said and I actually believed her. Tanya always seemed like she was dying the next minute at that time of the month so I just brushed it off and decided I'll check on her later.
"Hey!" My aunt called out as she came up to hug me. My uncle followed suit.
"Napika nyama choma. (I'm making grilled meat)I'm glad that the actual chef is here," he said as he handed me a spatula.
"Can't a man even have a glass of water first? Jeez?"
"You know you'll always be our personal chef," Terry said.
"Yeah yeah, my unpaid internship in this house lives on," I joked as we looked through the kitchen for aprons.
My dad just smiled at me. It'd look genuine to anyone who didn't know him like I did, but I knew he was just trying to maintain his flawless demeanor.
The rest of the day was okay. We took turns on the grill as more of our family members came to join. Two other uncles, their wives and children joined the small party. Whatever the news was, it sure was big. We later gathered round the outdoor fireplace and shared the grilled meat with soda and whiskey for those who preferred it.
"Okay, so can I have everyone's attention," Terry said as she got up, tapping her glass with a pebble. There weren't any spoons around coz they were not needed. I'm assuming she just decided to improvise.
"Should I give a long boring speech or just get straight to the point?"
"Straight to the point!" We said. She took in a deep breath then reached into her pocket. She then pulled out a ring and slipped it on then raised the hand saying, "Bobby and I are getting married!"
To be honest I wasn't surprised. Those two were just tailor made for each other. It was about time. I was really happy for her. Since childhood she'd promised herself that she'd get married to a foreigner. I never understood what she had against Kenyan men but anyway, everyone has their own taste. The once empty backyard was filled with more life as everyone cheered.
We took turns to congratulate her. I wished that Tanya was there. She'd definitely do something dramatic. I stepped away from everyone and called her. Alex picked up instead and informed me that she was asleep. I began getting a bit more concerned about her. That time of the month always drained her, but something just felt amiss. When I got back, everyone was lost in the music that played in the background as the children played beside them. Tessa, Terry and I sneaked away to the gazebo, far from everyone else.
"You're sure you don't want to sleep over?" Terry asked.
"Naah, I have to go to work tomorrow,"
"Plus you don't want to be around dad right?" She continued and I nodded.
"You still doing the travel thing?" Tessa asked and I nodded again. "Why don't you just open a restaurant Taj? You hate this job. Do the thing you love."
"Come on, you guys know why I'm still there,"
They both sighed and Terry spoke up.
"I get that you want to hold on to it because mum left you the position and you want to honour her memory and all. But don't you think that you're just trying too hard to make yourself unhappy. Mark loves the job way more than you do. Leave it to him and do what you love. You're too pretty to be miserable Taj,"
"Pretty?" I asked as I laughed.
"We know that you know that everyone knows that you're the cute one in this house." Tessa joked.
"The main point is, you seem so much happier. Whatever that girl is doing, she'd better keep doing it. You managed to get out of that bubble so get out of this other one. Mum is resting in peace, away from the physical pain she endured here. You, on the other hand are alive but not really living. Come on, we'll even help you find a place,"
"Guys. I'm okay, really." I said as I smiled at them. "Oh and that girl has a name and it's Raziya."
"Oouuuuuuu," they chorused and I just rolled my eyes as I laughed, hoping that my face wasn't turning red. Being slightly lighter than everyone else in the family had it's own fair share of problems. I was just glad that it was getting darker and my persistent blush wouldn't be that visible.
We spent the next hour talking about Bobby and made plans for me to visit before the wedding. They somehow managed to convince me to tag Raziya along. I left as I calculated how to inform someone's daughter that I wanted her to follow me all the way to London. I knew that she'd love the idea since she mentioned that she'd always wanted to go there. The main problem would be convincing her parents. They were quite chilled people but there was the long standing belief that no African parent would ever let their daughter fly to another continent with a man just because she felt like it.
This should be fun.