LA, LA, LALIANA

CHAPTER TWELVE

Flashback

                          "How old are you?" The lady behind the desk asked. She had on a screaming yellow T-Shirt with the "Tusker" beer logo on the middle. She was tapping the counter book with a blue ball point pen expecting an answer .
                                 "Twenty five aunt," Laliana replied politely. She watched as the lady filled something in the book. "Have you ever danced anywhere other than here?" The lady asked. "No, this is my first time dancing in front of people. I used to sell street food with my mother but our shop got demolished..." " Okay I don't need to here the rest, you see there..." Pointing to what seems like the bar's storeroom, "Go there and you'll join the other girls in there getting dressed up.  You are all given an hour for practicing before showtime so I suggest you join them now before they start practicing!" With that, Laliana obediently did as was told.

     ....

            "Tukaribishe  Alphonso"  ( Let's welcome Alphonso ). The crowd immediately went wild for their favourite local artist as he stepped in front of the stage. That night he had on  a white tank top that exposed his skinny yet somehow attractive physique. The baggy white jeans and black durag on his head gave him gangster vibes.
                             "Warembo na wazito, mkoready!" (Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready!) Alphonso shouted. "Tuko ready!"  (We are ready!) The bar unanimously replied with much excitement. Intro music could be heard being played by the disk jockey. Alphonso was covering the song Ya Jean by Madilu System.
                                  A group of very attractive women suddenly appeared from behind Alphonso. Laliana was one of them. They were all uniform with their matching white, tight vests and blue skinny jeans. Every girl's hair was put in an Afro. A wig was provided for those with short hair. Their matching black high heels were so shiny that they sparkled like diamonds once the stage lights hit them.
                                   No word could describe what Laliana felt every time she moved her body in form of dance. In that moment she could feel as if endometriosis was just a passing cloud that showed zero signs of staying permanently. Her pains disappeared once she made her waist meander like a river .  Laliana was not the only one dancing but she certainly did feel like she was alone, dancing in a vast and empty room. She did not have a single worry in the world at that particular moment.
                                When the song ended, reality was harshly thrown back to Laliana's face. The pains resurfaced like the ocean tides once she got off the stage. She left there with two thousand five hundred shillings as payment.
                                  It was late in the night by the time, Laliana was done with her performance with the rest of the dancers. The  night sky was clear and full of stars. The chilly night breeze sent goosebumps on Laliana's exposed skin as she waited for the late night bus to pick her up. At that time, she was in her raggedy sleeveless black dress that reached her ankles. On her feet were a pair of plastic flats. She decided not to wash off the make up she was put on making her well pampered face contrast with her poor state of clothing.
                              The area surrounding the bus stop soon became akin to a ghost town. The bar was already closed and  the security  lights were the only ones left on. There was a twenty four hour pharmacy and a late night general shop just across the street. Few people could be seen going in and out of them. Drunkards walked like zombies as they probably headed home. The sounds of crickets, dogs, cats and even owls became louder than the few vehicles which passed smoothly on the hard tarmac road that had tall solar street lamps on either of it's sides.
                                   Laliana was not spooked by the eerie nature of the night, even though she was apparently alone at the bus stop. That was not her first time being in a situation like that. For the sake of her unemployed mother, her little sister who was heavily pregnant by then and her own health, she had to work her backside off to fend for them and her herself as well.
                                       A sleek blue 1955 Mercedes Benz 300SL  suddenly stopped in front of Laliana. Laliana wondered what on earth would an expensive classic car like that do there in the middle of the night. Her curiosity quickly grew to fear once she realised she was alone and had no form of defense in or with her. All the windows of that German machine were tinted making it harder for Laliana to see who or maybe what was inside.
                                   Beads of sweat formed on a terrified Laliana's forehead as she saw the two doors of that car slowly open like a unique and majestic  creature spreading its wings.She was immediately slapped by the strong smell of a very manly cologne. The first thing that she saw were the black velvet moccasins of the man, his veins were very visible against the moonlight on his dark feet as he hadn't worn any socks.
                                 The man was quite tall with the physique of a professional soccer player. He had on a unique tuxedo which was the colour gold that glittered with too much humility one would almost mistake it with the colour brown. He had a godlike jawline that blended well with his excellently kempt pitch black beard. The long black dreadlocks on his head hung loose and were rested on his broad back and shoulders. The dark shades covering his eyes completed the whole extravagant look of his.
                              Laliana stood rooted to the ground as the dashing young man closed the car's door. He started heading towards where Laliana was. Laliana tried to move but it was as if she was glued by an invisible adhesive to the ground.
                                 "Mbona u pekee yako, ua? " (Why are you all alone, flower?) The man asked, his deep voice laced with concern. "I' m waiting for the bus , and my name is not ua (flower)!" Laliana immediately regretted how she answered the man when she saw him move closer to her.
                                     The two were then a few inches apart. The man towered Laliana who was then trembling in fear and shivering from the cold night air. Intimidation radiated from the man as he literally stared down at Laliana. Laliana silently prayed in her heart for the bus to come as soon as possible.                       
                                    The man suddenly started chuckling causing Laliana to look up at him. The  man took his shades off while laughing and that was when Laliana got intrigued by the unusual colours of his eyes. "If only your act of bravery was as good as your dancing," The man remarked in a tone full of morkery. This annoyed Laliana who was seriously having trouble withholding the urge to give the man a very hot slap.
                                       "Dancing ?" Laliana asked. "You danced well tonight at Alphonso's performance and..." Taking off his tuxedo jacket and covering shivering Laliana with it. "Let me take you home,"
                   Confusion was printed all over Laliana's face. It was however pushed back in her mind once she got a mighty whiff of the man's cologne again from the jacket that was then covering her shaking body. "Thanks but..." Abruptly takes the man's jacket off and hands it to him. "I don't need your fake act of chivalry just to take advantage of me!" The man thought that Laliana was like some girls who would blindly take his offer. Too bad for him.
                                "Is this what your mother taught you? To rudely reject a kind gesture !" The man asked in a condescending tone that could easily be taken as a deadly threat. Laliana noticed that, but still kept her eyes on him just as he kept his eyes on her.  "Take your stupid jacket and....leave!" Laliana tried to sound tough but it came out pathetic due to the pain she was currently having.
                                   Truth be told, Laliana was beat and her back was seriously killing her. The cheap sanitary pad she had on, was beyond full and Laliana hoped that the man would not be able to smell the stench from her. Laliana used all the tolerance she had to stand straight even through her rhythmic  abdominal pains.  One would think everything was fine with her because of her excellent perseverance.
                            "Come on, take it!" Laliana said, her hands getting tired of holding the jacket. The man just stared blankly at her with his arms folded."I'm just trying to be nice here and stop your pretty feet from swelling more from all that standing while waiting for that rusty late night bus," Laliana looked down at her feet and felt embarrassed by how big they had become.
                             Tears trickled down Laliana's tired face, "I'm sorry," She said faintly. Her eyes were cast down and she had her head hung low. She involuntarily dropped the jacket but the man quickly saved it from hitting the ground. In a matter of seconds, Laliana found herself wrapped in the man's embrace.
                                 Laliana wondered what she was getting herself into. Why was she allowing herself to be comforted by a stranger. She was confused. A mixture of emotions was stirred up inside her. The only thing that seemed calm at that moment was the steady rising and falling of the mystery man's chest against Laliana's head as he breathed.
                                  "Lala chini! Lala chini!" (Lie down! Lie down!)" Laliana could feel something hard pressed against the back of her head. It felt like a gun.