They met in the middle

His name was Mduzi. He liked to go by that name because it made him more African than his surname which was, Stewart. He was of mixed race. A  tall young man with hair that made Nyambura wish she could trade in her kinky 'fro with his bouncy curls. He was so good looking he made Shemar Moore look bad. He worked out, the strong arms and abs did tell it all. Well, if it were not for Mduzi, Nyambura would not have known the inside of a gym and would have been eating herself into oblivion-if that were even possible.

The good thing about Mduzi was that he was affectionate. He was not like the other men Nyambura had met. In fact, he could not be compared to other men. He was in a league of his own. He treated Nyambura so well she wondered what sacrifice she had offered to the gods to land herself such a great man. Sometimes, when she thought he wasn't looking, she pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. It was quite funny how the two met, because until that time, she had never thought to date a man not of her skin colour.  Perhaps she thought they were out of reach: them being up there and she being down there.

She was out with her two best friends: Nekesa and Zeinab. A girls night out. They were to have dinner first then hit the club. They chose a restaurant that was just ten minutes away from the club. They all needed a time out. Zeinab had a boss from hell- she just could not understand how one person could have so much bile. Nekesa on the other hand needed a break from work. She worked long hours and had been bypassed for a promotion twice! She just needed to let off some steam. Nyambura on the other hand, had no issues at work. She just could not seem to get a good man. Every man she met was either too young for her, less ambitious than she was , too playful or married. None of the mantras she had been reciting for the longest time helped. She was still single and one cat away from being a certified cat lady.

The three ladies had dinner at Sankara Hotel. They wanted to sample the food there and it was an ego boost to say how the beef steak there was better or how the grilled salmon was just splendid.  They had a reservation so there were no hassles getting a table. They ordered wine by the bottle.  It was cheaper that way.  Besides, Nekesa the economist would not have it any other way. They had a good time making fun of their problems, it made them realize that life was meant to be like this. They had such a good time they planned a weekend getaway for just the three of them. It would do them some good.

Just when they were clinking their glasses in celebration, is when she saw him. Tall and handsome standing at the bar ordering a drink. She froze midway and just stared at him. He turned and caught her eye and smiled. That is when she shook her head and remembered where she was. She came bqck to the small party but her friends had already caught on to what had caused her reverie.

Zeinab turned to get a look at the guy. She got a good, full look then turned back to mouth how hot he was. Youmdidnt need to tell Nyambura twice.  He was a fine looking man but surely, was there a hope between them? This was quite laughable. She had not even talked to the guy and here she was fantasizing about their being together.  Typical ! This is what she always did. She would meet a guy, overthink things and end up messing things up. Not this time. She would just go with the flow.

Her friends urged her to go talk to him, and she, being the conservative she was, thought he would be the one to make the first move. Besides, it was a girls' night out. Why should she ruin it trying to run after a man? So after much coaxing,  she agreed.  She pushed her chair back and lifted herself from her seat. This exercise for some reason was so difficult but she told herself to keep on. She walked towards the guy only to find that he was walking towards her. This scene looked like one of those from the romantic movies Nyambura watched on repeat. Too cliché. So within a second she was looking into the most beautiful brown eyes she had seen in a long time. He smiled that smile like he knew her and he reached out his hand and said, " Hi, I'm Mduzi." Nyambura thought it would be easy to just tell him her name but her brain had other plans.

She smiled , and in like what seemed like eternity,  she managed to say a squeaky,  " Nyambura, happy to meet you." She hoped that didn't sound too rude. But she smiled so that should have made up for it. They shook hands and so they were now newly acquainted.  Mduzi was quite the gentleman.  Nyambura could tell all that and she had barely talked to him. He mentioned to her that he did not want to 'steal' her from her friends but he would have really liked to. She blushed like a little girl not believing that this young man wanted to get to know her.

She had briefly forgotten about her friends.  She just wanted to be with Mduzi. Who could blame her? It had been so pong since she had received quality male attention she had even forgotten how to act.  "I don't want to be so forward,  but, I have to ask..." "May I have your number? " How could he think it was too forward?  He was kind enough to respect that she had prior plans. And he was honest enough to say that he wouod like to know her better. This was a dream. Nyambura just could not believe her luck. They exchanged numbers and he promised to call her.

That night at the club, Nyambura was in a trance. She danced like no one was watching and drank like a thirty man from the desert. She let herself go. Literally! She was celebrating her relationship in advance. 

Mduzi called...the following day. Nyambura could not believe it. This man was God sent. Thank goodness he waited till the evening to call because if he had called in the morning, he would have missed her. She was out clod. Blackout. KO. Not a good thing. She woke up with a headache, but that is a story for another day. Mduzi really knew how to make and hold conversations, which made her wonder if he was a writer. He was not. Just an avid reader of books.

Mduzi wanted to take her out. Talking onnthe phone was not the ideal way to get to know her. Nyambura smiled to herself and mouthed a 'thank you God' because this man was just amazing! He took a chance and asked what she was doing later in the evening.  With other guys she would  have made up something to pretend she was busy, but there was something about this guy that made her want to be honest. Probably it was because her biological clock was ticking. But she hang up the phone with a dinner to prepare for.

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Keep it here for how the dinner went...