EssayStoryJournalBook reviewReflectionResearchLetterPoemMemoir834 words4 min readAutosave enabledAt exactly two minutes to four she was in town at Afya centre and quickly making her way to the uptown side of town. Gibson’s café wasn’t far from where she was infact it was along the same avenue. In ten minutes she was already seated at the café and dialling a ten digit contact number, “Hello, Keisha I am already at the café, where are you?” she asked as she busied herself studying the menu though at the back of her head she knew exactly what she had been craving, caramel cappuccino with a French toast smeared with lots of honey. Keisha arrived a minute later with two shopping bags on her right hand and a hand bag hanging on her left shoulder, looking really exhausted but happy all the same. “Hello stranger”, Martha muttered as she got off her seat to give her best friend a long, tight hug with ‘Can’t believe how much I have missed you’ whisper that couldn’t be audible for the next person other than her friend to hear. The hug extended a bit longer than the normal hugs, but who cared, this was her best friend that she had seen very little of in the past weeks and had really missed. The hug was interrupted by the waitress who stood behind Keisha. After letting go with a sigh, Martha made her order and so did Keisha after exchanging one or two awkward looks and then bursting in laughter that never seemed to end. The waitress came back a few minutes later with the orders, which they took as they shared past campus’ memories which triggered more laughter reflecting on the stupid things one of them or both or some of the colleagues had done especially during their freshmen and sophomore years. Time seemed to fly because before they knew it, it was already six o’clock. Martha had already cleared her cappuccino and toast, and so had Keisha, her mocha except for a large piece of white forest cake that still laid on the left side of the white, shiny-surfaced, round plate with a few pieces scattered around the plate. “I took late lunch today, so I wasn’t really that hungry”, she said as if she could read Martha’s mind. Martha then offered to pay for the coffee and snacks, which she transferred from her M-pesa account before holding Keisha’s hand and leading her out of the café. “Wow that was awesome, I really have missed this and thanks for the treat back there”, Keisha said as they walked past the Hilton hotel and a Galitos on the next building. “Was my pleasure”, Martha uttered not able to conceal the huge smile that was spreading fast on her face. She then realized that the coffee might actually have been the first treat she had ever awarded her dear friend, given that Keisha always volunteered to pay the bills whenever they walked into a restaurant or café or pub. “So how long are you planning on staying in the US?” she asked. Martha was taken aback by the question, she really had never thought about it. “Well, why don’t we pass by the new club and check it out? I have heard high praises given to its services”, Martha mouthed as they came past Eureka, a new club that had been opened a few weeks earlier. Talk of an expert in changing a subject in a conversation. Keisha wanted to say something but words seemed to have disappeared and ended up with “Ummm..i..Ummm” talk of classical stutter. Before they could decide whether to enter into the club or not, a lady probably in her early twenties like them approached from inside, she lowered her hood and revealed her face. Her skin was as pale as snow, her hair was as dark as coal, and her eyes were as green as a forest. She definitely was not African as them obviously, but she found it necessary somehow to have a chat with them. “Hey there, I am Laurent and you guys should get in”, she said confidently with a hoarse voice that sounded more of an order in a coy way than a plead, “If you don’t mind me helping you decide that is” she added. “Nothing personal, but I think you should mind your own business”, Martha retorted slightly irritated at how white people always thought it necessary to air their opinions even to strangers who could care less what they had to say most times. “If Americans act like her, I don’t think I am going to be there for long”, Martha added but this time directing the statement to Keisha who was now trying to persuade the so called Laurent that her friend didn’t mean it in the wrong way or anything. Martha couldn’t explain why she was irritated all of a sudden, except to at least apologise to Laurent for overreacting. After a quite long tet-a-tet amongst the three ladies they all decided to get in.