Jabali's Redemption - Episode 16

 

Flashback

‘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?’ his gaze burned into her and Neema could feel the flames lapping on her skin heating her up, her heart beating twice as fast.

Jabali liked her, he had confessed with his own lips. Maybe dreams do come true . This was what she wanted, she too liked Jabali. A lot. He was caring and gentle with her. At times he was intense and forceful like this evening when he convincingly carried her out of Ma. Zainab restaurant. Thinking about the incident, Neema felt her heart growing cold. She couldn’t like Jabali.

Naiti would act on his threat and fight with Jabali. Neema couldn’t let that happen. She would not be the reason for the two fighting again.

‘No,’ she whispered her heart breaking.

‘No?’ Jabali echoed her thoughts and Neema knew she has spoken out loud.

‘You don’t like me?’ his voice was strong but with some elements of hurt.

‘No,’ Neema replied hurriedly, she liked him but they could never be in relationship.

‘Neema you are sending mixed signals here,’ he folded his arms on his chest and looked down on her stoically. Suddenly defensive.

‘No, I mean, I like you too but Naiti will…’

The hard look on his eyes disappeared when he smiled, a dazzling smile that lit up his whole face, he appeared to be somebody else for a second

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. He hunched down and pulled her into his embrace, Neema could only hold on as he swished her round and round.

‘That is all I wanted to hear, sweetheart,’ he whispered into her hair and Neema melted into his arms for a second before she reluctantly pushed him away from her.  The pet name didn’t go unnoticed by, nobody had ever called her sweetheart before and her heart missed a beat.

‘Jabali, my brother will not like this,’

‘Naiti will have to deal with it. If not, I will deal with him, don’t worry,’

‘What do you mean you will deal with him?’ Neema searched his gaze and Jabali smiled at her, tapping her nose.

‘I will prove to him am being genuine with you,’

‘Naiti is hard headed, he thinks you are after…um…’ Neema was suddenly shy, she didn’t know how to tell Jabali what Naiti had suggested he was after her body.

‘That am after sex,’ Jabali bluntly said raising his eyebrows at her.

‘Yes,’ Neema couldn’t look at him directly. Suddenly the difference between them hit her, Jabali was way older than her, practically Naiti’s age. He was studying in the university and had travelled a lot. He maybe had been in relationships before and yet she had never been in a relationship. He might be more experienced than her and Neema felt that she might come up short. She might not be thrilling as the city girls and the sophisticated girls he was used too. She looked down at her stained apron and worn out tennis shoes and her despair grew. What was she thinking?

‘Hey, why the long face?’ he tipped her head towards him with a long finger on her chin. Neema could fee the some what rough pad of his finger caressing her chin. How saw it with one touch, her whole-body heat went up? Maybe he was a pro when it came to seduction,

The dampening thought had her take a step back from him, she needed to keep her wits close.

‘Jabali why do you like me?’ she dared to ask.

Jabali took her hand and pulled her down to the plush sofa, she sank into it as he pulled her close to his side, wrapping his arm around her slender shoulders trapping her against him.

‘You mean apart from you make the best kahawa tungu I have ever tasted?’ he teased and a laugh vibrated from deep inside his chest, his whole body shook with that and Neema smiled without knowing.

They were seated facing a wide window and Neema watched as rain hit the glass window sliding down. It was dark outside but the security lights lit up the place.

‘I have liked you since the first time I came back into town and walked into the Swahili dishes restaurant,’

‘But you didn’t even acknowledge me?’ Neema pouted remembering the way he ignored her.

Jabali chuckled again and Neema wished he never stopped, he had a beautiful laugh, ‘I stayed on the parking lot for a whole hour debating whether to go back in and talk to you or drive away,’

‘I drove away but I kept keeping back waiting for a chance to talk to you. That didn’t happen until I noticed you practically left at night. I decided to take that chance and became your personal chauffeur. I thought you would turn me down and all that but you didn’t. Then it all came to an abrupt stop when I couldn’t find you. You changed your schedule,’ his voice remained light throughout, his fingers playing with her wrist and Neema found it hard to concentrate.

‘I had to, Naiti changed the boda who used to pick me up and I couldn’t go against him,’

‘He will have to cancel the boda again because I am not letting another man take you home apart from me,’ Jabali declared,

Jabali then went ahead to tell her that they were in her late mama’s house. Jabali had inherited the expansive home after her death. Neema knew Jabali was the illegitimate son of Mzee Kasri. The whole town knew. She didn’t voice her thoughts though. She didn’t know how Jabali would react to them.

Then he went silent and Neema raised his head to see that he had closed his eyes. His arms didn’t release her though. His head was thrown back and his breathing even out, he was sleeping. Neema raised her finger to trace his bushy eyebrows, the straight nose and generous lips. His skin was smooth save for the scruffy beard he had, it tickled her fingers and when she touched his lips, his eyes flew open and Neema found herself staring at his heated gaze.

He suddenly flipped her on her back, his body athletic looming on top of her. Neema held on fast on his biceps which flexed under her fingers. Jabali slowly leaning his head towards her, Neema heartbeat increased ten-fold as she closed her eyes anticipating for a kiss, her first kiss.

‘Open your eyes sweetheart,’ Jabali’s cool voice whispered at her and Neema looked at him, sincerity was evident and something else that had Neema’s stomach turn inside out.

‘I will never hurt you, that I promise,’ his stray finger caressed her cheek lovingly before his lips connected with hers gently, Neema was surprised at the tenderness. It took her breath away that he was capable of being gentle in his kiss. He wound his arms on her waist, tightly as Neema snaked her hands to wrap around his neck as he deepened his kiss.

Neema’s day had turned out to be perfect. In the back of her head she vowed to do everything to make everything work out between her and Jabali. Naiti would have to accept their relationship.

……………………………………………………………………………….

The next morning Neema stood before the restaurant with her freshly was apron wrapped on her hand. She peered through the window trying to locate Ma. Zainab and gauge her mood. After the fiasco she had caused the previous night, Neema wasn’t sure how Ma. Zainab would react.

After their kiss the previous night, Jabali had offered to take her home considering it was midnight and the hotel was probably closed. Neema would have to go back for her things the following morning. Jabali had asked her to quit her job but Neema refused. She needed to work to help raise money back at home. Jabali had even gone to the extent of offering her money but she refused completely. She was not a charity case.

‘You need it more than I do Neema, just take it,’ Jabali held the crisp notes at her and as much as enticing they looked Neema turned him down.

‘No, I am fine Jabali,’ she turned to step out of the car but he held her arm back,

‘Aren’t you forgetting something?’ he smirked at her a roguish sparkle on his eyes, he then pulled in for a fast kiss before letting her go.

Neema thought that was the time he sneaked the notes into her pocket. She found them later that night when she was changing her clothes for bed. Neema giggled thinking at how shifty Jabali was, he had waited for her to be distracted. And distracted she was, Jabali had a talented mouth, soft and moist…

‘Neema, get in here this instant before I make you,’ Ma. Zainab’s animated voice cut through her thoughts and Neema turned to see the heavy woman was standing before her, at the door. Her arms akimbo and a snarl on her face. A worried Lulu was standing behind her.

‘Ma. Zainab, I can explain,’

‘Explain what? I don’t care what your deal with Jabali was yesterday night. What I want to know is how you would dare leave my business unmanaged. Is that what I pay you to do? To flirt around with customers?’

Ma. Zainab was screaming on top of her voice and everyone could hear. Neema could see a few patrons in the hotel sipping cups of tea and other delicacies, they threw her apologetic glances but said nothing. Nobody spoke against Ma. Zainab when she was mad.

‘I am sorry for yesterday night.’ Neema didn’t know what else to say, creating excuses was not going to win her points. She dropped her head and hopped that Ma. Zainab would be lenient on her.

‘That is a whole month pay from your wages,’

‘No, that is too harsh, let me work on my off days. I will work hard to repay you,’ Neema needed her end month pay, like she needed her next breath. She couldn’t miss it,

‘You know that means that you would be here every day?’ Ma. Zainab asked and Neema swallowed it was not going to be easy. She was barely getting sleep as it and the weekend was some sort of relief but now she would have to work the weekends too.

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

. Curse her luck but thinking about Jabali and his kisses, she could bear through it all.

‘make sure you do that Neema, I won’t be too lenient next time with you,’ she turned and walked back into the restaurant.

Lulu stepped forward and whispered, ‘your brother is livid Neema, you might have escaped Ma. Zainab’s anger but Naiti can’t wait to lay her hands on you. He was here last night a few minutes after you were carried away with Jabali. He swore to go after you but a call came in and he was forced to attend to something else. Have you seen him?’ Lulu asked a worried look on her face and biting her lower lip.

‘No, not yet. He didn’t come home last night. Do you think he went after Jabali in anger?’

‘I don’t know Neema, his phone is not going through, no matter how many times I call. Where could be?’

‘He will come home. It is not the first time Naiti has slept outside. I doubt if it will be the last.’

‘You should call Jabali and ask him if Naiti has confronted him already, maybe they are both lying in a ditch somewhere bleeding to death,’

Neema released a laugh at her friend’s words. Lulu was being dramatic for nothing.

What she didn’t know was how those words would come back to haunt her in the future.

…………………….

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