Jabali's Redemption - Episode 11

 

Life at the company was unbearable for Neema.

Jabali made it his mission to make Neema’s life miserable. She reported early in the morning, by seven she was already in the office and left very late at night. At nine. Jabali piled work after work on her. She had to repeat almost everything she had done because, he didn’t find her work satisfactory. It had been a week but Neema felt like she had worked for months . Apart from the work in the office, she had been turned into an errand girl. Running up and down in town picking up his dry cleaner clothes, picking up his grocery from the market and organizing a cleaning agency to clean his house.

Neema was seething. Right now she was running to pick his clothes from a dry cleaner in town. She checked the address again and crossed a street. Confirming the business name, Dobi Dry Cleaners, she pushed the door and entered the posh establishment.

‘Welcome to Dobi Dry cleaners,’ a sing song voice welcomed her as Neema enjoyed the cool air inside the place. Neema couldn’t see the owner of the voice. The reception area was vacant.

‘Am here to pick Mr. Kasri’s’ clothes,’ she craned her neck to look inside a door behind the reception desk written on staff only.

‘Neema!?’ the door opened and to Neema’s surprise Lulu stepped out. Her eyes large and round.

‘Lulu! Is that you? oh Lulu,’ Neema crossed the reception counter and went to her long friend who looked shocked at her presence.

‘Neema? What are you doing here?’ Lulu responded to her friends embrace and they clung to each other, practically crying.

The last time Neema had seen Lulu was the morning after Naiti’s body was brought to the mortuary from deep inside the mountains

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. Lulu had puked at the sight of Naiti’s mutilated body. She had run out of the room and Neema had not heard from her ever again. Lulu had supposedly run out of town. Her mama confirmed. Neema did not fault her friend for abandoning her in such a trying moment. She simply missed her friend whom they shared a lot with.

Now years later, she could not believe she was seeing Lulu again, her friend looked happy, her cheeks round and a healthy glow on her face a big difference from that time in the mortuary. Lulu had a ghostly look, ashen skin and a sweaty brow. Neema knew she looked no different from her friend.

‘Neema when did you come back in town?’ Lulu held her friend at an arm’s length to get a good look at her.

‘I have been around for a couple of weeks,’ Neema was led to some lounge chair where they took a seat.

‘Tell me Lulu how have you been? I missed you,’ Neema wanted to catch up with her friend all that time they had separated. It had been so long. Lulu seemed to be doing well for herself. Having a good running business was not an easy feat. Neema knew Lulu’s business was successful considering the choosy and picky Jabali was accessing her services.

‘Neema, I am sorry I let you down, I should have been around for you and your family after the death of…Naiti,’ Lulu’s eyes misted with tears at the mention of Naiti.

‘I understand Lulu; it was all hard for us. I didn’t stay long in town either after the court trials. I left for Nairobi and haven’t been back till for a long time,’

‘Oh,’ Lulu went quiet for a second, ‘I heard about Ngao, that is the reason you came back. Isn’t it?’ Lulu raised her eyebrows at Neema.

‘Yes. I came to see my family. I had neglected hem for a long time because I was focused on my anger and frustration,’ Neema honestly confessed. It was easy talking to Lulu like they hadn’t separated for years.

‘Me too, I came back for family,’ Lulu answered cryptically with a look in her eyes that Neema couldn’t interpret.

‘So since you are in my laundry do you have clothes you need cleaning. I will give you a special discount,’ she smiled

‘Yeah, actually am here to pick some clothes,’ Neema didn’t know how Lulu would take it that she was working for Jabali, and he saw her as his personal maid. Neema gritted her teeth at the thought.

‘Yes…’ Lulu prompted her

‘Laundry for Jabali Kasri,’ Neema spat out eagerly waiting for Lulu disgust and revulsion but none came. Lulu maintained a calm face though out. Neema was relieved.

‘If you don’t mind me asking Neema, how did you…’

‘…come to pick laundry for Jabali?’ Neema finished the question for her. ‘I happen to be his personal assistant, glorified secretary if you asked me,’ Neema huffed and Lulu’s eyes grew large and round.

‘His secretary?! but you guys…’ Lulu couldn’t finish the statement. She knew all about Neema’s and Jabali’s past relationship. How it started, blossomed and how it crumbled.

‘I know he killed my brother, but if I didn’t agree to his terms I could lose a brother as well. I can’t allow that,’

‘Neema have you ever thought that Jabali might be…um…innocent,’

‘What are you talking about? All evidence point to him, the sharp sword that sliced my brother’s stomach open was inside his bedroom. I saw it with my own two eyes,’ Neema nearly shouted and pulled out her braided hair. All evidence was against Jabali but the judge was obviously paid off by the mighty Mzee Kasri. The poor Kadiri family didn’t stand a chance against him. Jabali had betrayed Neema is such a big way. He was not innocent, he was a murderer.

‘But, the sword…’ Lulu brought up another urgument.

‘Stop it Lulu.’ Neema stopped her friend sternly she didn’t want to be reminded the past.

Lulu opened her mouth to say something but she didn’t.

She looked at Neema and wondered when she would cross the hate she had for Jabali and face the truth about Naiti’s gruesome murder.

……………………………………

‘How did it go?’ Jabali tapped the ball inked pen rapidly against the desk as he watched Aluvisa sit down, taking his precious sweet time to speak.

‘Akila bought the shares, you are now equal shareholders,’ 

Jabali broke the pen he was holding into two in anger, ‘how is that possible, did our guy do exactly as you told him? We were offering a much higher price for those shares unlike what Akila is offering,

‘I know but I think the old man didn’t want to take any chances, he sold the shares to Akila only. No one else. He wanted Akila to be your equal.’

‘We will never be equals.’ At that Aluvisa raised his eyebrows at his friend, ‘Hey buda it’s not like you will starve if Akila has the same shares as you so calm down. He might make a few changes here and there in the company but from how I have seen him working, it might not be bad. The employees love him,’

Jabali looked at his friend incredulously, ‘are you on his side now?’

‘I am at the company’s side. It will not be well if our two main bosses are fighting.’

‘We are not fighting,’ Jabali gritted his teeth. He was definitely not fighting with Akila but he felt like the man had a hidden agenda. He came from nowhere and was now destroying the equilibrium he struggled to maintain.

‘Are you sure you two are not fighting for something? Because I passed him at the reception ardently flirting with Neema who was smiling like I have never seen before,’

‘That bastard,’ Jabali banged hard on the desk with his fisted right hand, the broken pen pierced his skin and blood sipped out of his hand spilling on the table, ‘why does he keep sniffing around her?’ he asked no one in particular and Aluvisa burst out in laughter,

‘I knew it, you are a jealous man Jabali, just admit,’ Aluvisa had lied, Neema was religiously doing her duties and Akila was out on a tour with investors to the tea plantations. ‘I have seen the way he looks at Neema. The way he talks to her. I have to say he is interested in what he sees and Neema is not immune to his charms after all he is handsome, rich and single, quite a catch,’ Aluvisa continued tormenting his friend to no end.

‘No one asked for your opinion Aluvisa,’ Jabali stood up and paced the office floor, his hand coated with blood stains, ‘now if you have nothing to report, go back to your office. Unlike you I have a lot of things to do,’

Aluvisa stood up laughing, enjoying his friends’ anguish, ‘ Jabali ask her out before it’s too late.’ He walked out then, leaving Jabali alone with his thoughts.

He found Neema flipping thorough files; she smiled when he stopped on her desk.

‘Aluvisa,’

‘I have terrible news Neema,’ her smile dropped instantly. ‘It’s about Jabali…he is bleeding…’ he had barely finished the sentence and Neema had practically flown from her seat and was on her way to Jabali’s office. Aluvisa shook his head in amusement as she disappeared inside. With guidance those two would end up together again. They might pretend all they want but it was obvious the feelings they once shared were deep.

……………………………………………………………

‘Jabali,’ Neema knocked but didn’t wait for a reply she pushed the door.

He was lying on his back on the sofa, an arm thrown over his eyes, she couldn’t tell if his eyes were closed or not. His bleeding hand was lying on the carpeted floor. She ran up to him and kneeled beside the luminous green sofa. He was tall that his legs stretched past the arm rest. He had loosened his tie and Neema could see his neck, she licked her lips.

‘Jabali,’ she called softly as she picked his injured hand. He didn’t resist but released a deep breath when she touched him and lowered the arm covering his eyes. Neema ignored the tingling in her fingers where their skins connected. His injury had stopped bleeding but his hand was still coated with dry blood.

‘You are injured,’ she noted when he didn’t say anything, his gaze steadily on hers. Let me get you some bandages,’ she stood up but he suddenly gripped her hand pulling her close to him.

Neema shrieked as she lost balance and landed on top of him, his arm snaking her waist and holding her steadily on her waist. She was so close to him that an inch forward and their lips would touch. Her heart was beating so loudly on her chest and her body flushed with heat. Only Jabali had the capability of making her feel like this.

‘Did you think about me at all, sweetheart?’ his voice was low and heavy, adding to the heady feeling. Neema could not think, let alone talk when he was close to her like that, the last brain cells in her head fried when his lips made contact with her cheek, branding her, marking her. She melted against him practically purring like a cat, when he rubbed her back, even through the clothes, she could feel his caress.

Jabali had been the man who introduced her to the passion between a man and a woman; she remembered everything about him, his kisses, and his touch, the whole lot. Everything around them might be a mess but not their feelings and combustible passion. Neema might hate him but her body reactions betrayed her whenever he came close to her. She forgot that he was a murderer but a man that could command her body like a pianist, pressing the right keys to make music.

A shrill ring of the phone on Jabali’s desk bought her back to the current situation. Realizing she was almost kissing her brother’s murderer she quickly stood up and Jabali held her tight for a second before letting her flee.

Neema stood up quickly and strengthened her clothes, ‘I will bring you the first aid kit,’ she was not ready to confront whatever feelings she had now for him. Not ready to confront what had happened between them on the sofa.

‘Neema wait,’ Jabali sat up on the sofa,’ we…’

‘We have nothing to discuss, you were dizzy for a second and I lost my balance ending up on top of you. Nothing happened,’ he stood up suddenly crowding her space again. She took a step back to avoid his advance.

‘Something did happen. Something is happening between us just like all those years ago. You can’t deny it, sweetheart’ he purred softly reaching for her again, but Neema moved out of his reach. Going back to his arms, she was not sure she could avoid his magnetic allure anymore.

‘Don’t call me that,’ Neema spat bitterly, he didn’t have the right to do that anymore.

‘Why because it reminds you of the past you are trying to forget or because I am not Akila,’ he asked the name Akila tasting like vomit on his mouth. Neema was blocked by the huge mahogany desk behind her. Jabali was a breath away.

Read " The Dancing Bride And Her Spirit Warrior " by the same author ( Razia Iminza )

. He leaned down on her and Neema bent her back. Why did he like tormenting her? And his fresh scent, God help her, she blindly thought.

‘Mr. Akila has nothing to do with our past,’ Neema managed to say and stare back at him. She would not cower to his bullying.

‘Yet he has everything to do with our future,’ he sneered at her, for a second Neema held his chaotic gaze and wondered he was talking about. So much could be read from his dark eyes, anger, passion, revenge and something else. A tender look she remembered vividly well from the young Jabali. Neema curbed the urge to smoothen the frown on his handsome face. She nearly did it but,

‘Remember Neema, Ngao is in probation, misdemeanor from you or him and he goes back to prison. Heed my warning, keep off Akila,’ with that he reached for his phone was blaring insistently on the table. Neema swallowed the tears threatening to fall. He moved away and straightened.

‘You don’t have to pretend to be concerned by my pain, so forget about the first aid kit.’ With a cold look, he received the phone and gave her his back.

Neema gained the little dignity she had remaining and walked out of the office to the washrooms where she sobbed her eyeballs out.

Why did everything have to be messed up? Why couldn’t the pain go away? Why did she have to meet Jabali again? If Naiti were alive would things be different? The more she questioned herself is the more she had questions.

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