Jabali's Redemption - Episode 12

 

Flashback.

Neema held the seatbelt tightly as she watched Jabali alight the jeep. He had packed inside an indoor garage, Neema could see another dark tinted car parked inside. On the walls of the garage there were tools and other equipment Neema could not name. The compound was large and expensively built. She had never seen such a luxurious house in all her life . The security light flashed white lights and the garden was decorated beautifully with a fountain that gleamed red reflecting light inside it.

Neema knew that Jabali came from a wealthy family that stayed high in the mountains she never expected him to have a house inside the town.

‘Aren’t you going to step out?’ Jabali was standing outside the car door and rapping his knuckles on the window.

‘I won’t step out until I know what you brought me here for,’ she stubbornly answered refusing to look at him.

If he was expecting her to be easy he had another thing going. He had practically uprooted her from the restaurant and brought to a place she couldn’t tell and he expected her to follow his instructions? Neema was not going anywhere with him.

Jabali sighed and opened the door stepping closer to her. Neema tried as much as possible to shrink in her seat and avoid his crowding presence

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/jabali-s-redemption

. Her hands did not lose her grip on the seat belt. She could feel it dipping inside her neck but she didn’t care.

‘Neema by any chance are you afraid of me?’ he asked in a low tone turning her face to his side with his rough finger pads setting Neema’s skin afire. She snatched her chin away as if is burned.

‘Am not afraid of you, why would I be?’ she turned to him in anger. Afraid? She was not…maybe a little but not much. If it came down to it and he tried anything with her she would fight tooth and Naiti. Having Naiti as an elder brother was equal to having a wrestling partner. Naiti had taught her some basic survival skills but looking at Jabali’s bulging muscles Neema didn’t think she stood a chance.

‘Then why don’t you come down from the car?’ Jabali asked frustrated, he ran his large hand on his face to wipe the droplets of water from his brow and Neema found herself entranced by the flexing of his muscles under the white soaked t-shirt he had on. Her skin flushed with embarrassment when he caught her staring.

‘Why am I here?’ she tried to hide her blush by repeating her question, ‘Ma. Zainab might fire me for abandoning my duties,’

‘She should fire you,’ Jabali leaned back on the open door and folded his arms across his chest drawing her attention again, how would it feel to be wrapped up in his embrace? Neema thought dreamingly.

Snap out of it, she admonished herself.

‘What?’ did he just say that she should be fired?

‘You cannot continue to work at such an environment Neema,’ he clarified, ‘you deserve better,’ he added silently.

‘What?’ Neema couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

In an instance, Jabali reached forward and snapped the seatbelt open and carried her out of the car. Neema didn’t have the time to react as she held on his muscular neck to prevent from falling down on the floor. This was the second time he was carrying her in a span of an hour and a part of her thrilled at it. One of his arms encircled her waist and the other went under her thighs. He held her tightly to him and Neema tried to control her thudding heart.

‘I brought you here to talk, I needed to understand why you were avoiding me. I couldn’t think of anywhere else we will have privacy apart from here,’

Talk about what? Her brain asked but with her tongue stuck on her upper jaw, she couldn’t talk.

‘Oh,’ was the only thing Neema could say. Neema’s brain stopped functioning with him so close to her.

Jabali closed the jeep door with his leg before carrying her inside the house.

Jabali didn’t let her down until they passed what Neema thought was an open wide kitchen to a sitting room fully furnished with plush sofa. He set her down there, gently on the chair.

‘I will be right back,’ he smiled at her a dimple appearing on his right cheek.

He took to the stairs, two at a time, in a moment he had disappeared. Neema removed his hood jumper since it was warm inside the house. She cringed at the smell of onion her uniform reeked. Her hair wrapped in a head gear Ma. Zainab insisted they put on. Neema took it off and ran her hands through her disarray hair. It had been a long time since she saw the inside of a hairdresser shop.

She shrugged in horror thinking of how clean and nice smelling Jabali was while she reeked of oily food and smoke.

‘Are you okay?’ he startled her as she didn’t hear him come down the stairs. He was standing behind her and she turned abruptly to face him.

His amused gaze roamed her face before lowering down to her chest, his look turned dark. Neema wondered why he changed all over sudden and she followed his gaze to see some buttons had come undone and her to her utter horror her chest was out for all and sundry to see. With a screech she crossed her arms to hide her nakedness and that snapped Jabali gaze from her torso.

He seemed to realize his mistake and tried to apologize, ‘I am sorry I didn’t…um…’ he fumbled with words as his eyes darted from her face to her chest.

‘Stop looking,’ Neema shrieked embarrassed, how come with Jabali she embarrassed herself time and again? She thought turning her back to him and fumbling with the buttons. Jabali placed the jumper she had removed on her back. His scent engulfed her again.

‘I will go make hot chocolate for us, if you wish to change the bathroom is on the end of the hallway,’ he started walking out of the room but Neema couldn’t stay with him any longer. She had embarrassed herself enough for a day. The sooner he talked the better. She had to get home before Naiti came in or else she would be in trouble.

‘No Jabali. I am not hungry.’ She managed to get her buttons in order and turned to face him, ‘I have to get back home.’

‘Don’t worry about going home, I will drop you there,’

‘I can’t stay here. Why don’t you tell me why you brought me here for the final time? I….,’

‘I like you,’ he cut her rumbling off, his hawk eyes on her watching her reaction.

‘You like me?’ Neema asked stupidly.

‘Yes, I like you, a lot and I thought you liked me too.’ He took a step towards her, ‘What I don’t understand is why you would avoid me?’ he fired questions at her and Neema continued to stand there looking at him absurdly.

………………………………..

Present day.

‘Neema over here,’ Hanifa shouted over the cafeteria waving her hands crazily at Neema. Neema waved back and made her way towards her friend. Hanifa had been Neema’s friend and companion in the company since the first day she stepped inside the offices.

‘I saved you some fruit,’ Hanifa handed her some sliced watermelon before they settled on a long bench which they shared with another secretary. The company served its employees lunch and tea break.

‘Thank you Hanifa,’ Neema appreciated the cool watery taste of the fruit as she took a bite. Hanifa beamed at her.

Hanifa was a chatter box, she didn’t keep quiet and fed Neema all the latest gossip in the company. Neema only had to listen and half listening but her mind floating away.

It had been now a couple of days since she last saw Jabali. He had left the country to attend an investors meeting in Kampala, Uganda. He went with Akila and the head accountant, Aluvisa.

He didn’t inform her of his departure rather she found an email the next morning dictating her work program for the time he would not be in the office. He had left the day after their little incident inside the office. She hadn’t seen him since.

Neema didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

‘So are you guys ready for the annual sports event?’ Hanifa asked around the table excitedly.

Neema tried to be enthusiastic about the sports event but she was not catching up to the vibe.

‘Yes, a two day event like that will be like a holiday to me,’ the other secretary squealed happily.

‘What event are you participating in Neema,’

‘I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it much,’

Neema knew about the event, after all she was a native in the town. Once every year the company organized an event and the whole town participated in it. This year was a sports event, from field marathons to ball games and in door games too. Neema was an active participant and she took part on the marathons but like everything else Jabali destroyed that too.

‘Well you have to think of an event or your office will slack behind,’ Hanifa shrugged her shoulders.

‘Mr. Kasri will represent the office,’ Neema hoped that Jabali would pick up the slack. He was always good at rugby. Neema hoped he would play and represent the Director General’s office. It had been so long since she had ever participated in a Marathon and she feared her body would not behave.

‘Jabali has never taken part in the game. Apart from opening and closing the event, he doesn’t appear much,’ Hanifa shook her head.

‘Really?’ Neema couldn’t believe it.

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

. Jabali loved the games.

‘Yes. Really. He keeps a low profile.’

‘That’s strange, he never missed a game,’ Neema wondered to herself.

‘What do you mean, he never missed a game? Did you know Mr. Kasri in the past?’ Hanifa raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows at Neema.

‘No, I…’ Neema struggled with words. Most people didn’t know about her relationship with Jabali. They thought of her as the secretary and nothing else and for once Neema was thankful for that. Her relationship with Jabali was a big mess.

‘You are a local Neema, tell us, did you know Mr. Kasri in the past? Was he always brooding alone?’ the other secretary chimed in and both she and Hanifa looked at her expectantly.

‘Um…no. I have been in the city for a long time now.’ Neema answered carefully but Hanifa opened her mouth to ask more.

Her phone rang and Neema thanked her lucky stars, saved by the bell.

She panicked when she saw that it was her mama calling. Mama never called unless it was urgent.

‘Mama,’ she answered after the first ring.

‘Neema, you have to come home. Now.’

‘What is it? Is something wrong?’ Neema asked frantically smiling apologetically to her friends.

‘Yes, Ngao has done it again,’ Mama confirmed one of Neema’s biggest fear.

Ngao rebelliousness

……………………………………….

Hey guys, another update.

Am still having problems with my laptop and the internet but i promise to keep updating as much as possible.

Much love from your new favourite author...hahaha

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