Ignorance was always bliss in such a case she figured

By Faith Makau, Short stories

She got that funny feeling again and she didn’t like it. Every time Kariz called it was perfunctory. It reminded her of high-school when they used to check- in for roll-call. This was odd. She used to look forward to his calls but lately she felt weary. It had been a week yet she hadn’t even noticed. Maybe it was because now they seemed to be leading separate lives. He told her of a trip he was planning for the next month with a couple of guys but she was nonchalant. Her mind wandered as he went on and on. Previously she would have wanted to be in on every detail. But she realised now that the less she knew the better. Anyhow, she had lived her life for him for too long. It was her turn.

As she walked to the dining room to warm her dinner, she had this strange voice telling her that it was over and she just had to admit it. They were wasting their time together. Lately, with the distance and with a lot of time to think, she realised her friends were right; they really had nothing in common. It was evident from the long silences on both sides of the line.

Wacera felt she was becoming a nag nowadays, or so he told her. How dare he? But anyway, how could she not? She was starting to see the red flags that everyone had warned her about. And boy, were they waving at her. Which woman in her right mind would not get worried? Though she was once smitten by him, she also had her head about her. She was not some innocent teenager who did not ask questions.  She was almost 30 now though everyone told her she looked 24. That thought brought a smile to her lips.

A nag? Me? He was the one who had gotten her used to his phone calls every morning and evening. She knew this would happen, she just had not expected it this soon.  ‘Was he seeing someone new? Was she beautiful? Did she really want to know?’ she asked herself.  Ignorance was always bliss in such a case she figured. Though she trusted him, the thoughts gnawed at her all night, biting the insides of her stomach like an ulcer. People do just not change. Maybe her friends were right again, long-distance was really not an option and only the strong survived it.

So, she threw herself into her work, this time no longer distracted and soon a year had come and gone. They seemed more like friends than lovers and the chemistry that they had had fizzled out. She noticed he kept mentioning a certain lady at his workplace a lot even though it was in passing. But she could not help but wonder if this was it. Time for denial was over. She had developed a crush on a workmate and this revelation was easing her guilt. If he could have his fun with other people, so could she. She did not feel a tinge of jealousy as he mentioned her name this time. Oddly, she felt relief. Who had she become?

As she placed the receiver down, her mind was made up; she would accept Philip’s invitation for dinner. It had been a while since she had been on a date with anyone other than Kariz.  When he rang her that evening, this time she was excited as her phone flashed a name she had become so accustomed to. ‘’Hello Philip.’’ Her tone said it all. She had moved on.