• Doctor gets more than he'd bargained for during reunion with friend from America
Image: PEXELS
Diary,
Oh, how I wish life was a highway — mostly straight and with a few designated exits. But wishes aren’t horses and beggars aren’t riding any time soon, because life will forever be full of dangerous twists and turns.
If you’ve ever driven along a road and seen a sign announcing “Danger! Accident Spot!” then you understand where my life is at the moment.
And the danger I refer to is a sudden visit by a woman from my past. If you’ve been with me for a while, you’ll remember my medical conference in Chicago and a beautiful Caucasian woman called Harper, daughter of my host in the land of Mr Washington.
Harper calls me the other day and says she’s in Nairobi for vacation (that’s holiday in American-speak) and would love to come see me. Seeing as her father was very generous to me, I cannot decline to invite her for a visit.
The minute I see her at a café on Moi Avenue, my heart skips several beats. She’s aged like a fine wine and looks more beautiful than when I last saw her.
“Why, thank you,” she says, the dimples on her cheeks shining like stars. “You look good yourself.”
“This is quite a surprise. A pleasant surprise, at that. What brings you to Kenya?”
“My girlfriend just got divorced and we wanted to throw her a divorce party.”
“A divorce party? People do those?”
“They’re more common than you might think. That’s why we decided to do one better and take a divorce vacation instead.”
“And she chose Kenya?”
Harper smiles, and I can envision what’s coming. “No, Tom. I chose Kenya. I couldn’t pass the opportunity to see you again.” She laughs. “But they don’t know that, of course.”
I join in the laughter. “So, how do you guys like our small country?”
“They all liked it. Except for Marylin. She thinks there are too many black people.”
My jaw drops to my chest. “Is that a joke?”
Sadly, Harper says, “It would be were it not coming from Marylin. She also thinks actual ghosts come out during Halloween.”
You might be wondering: How does this lovely lady and this exhilarating conversation add up to a bad curve in the road of my life? Well, I’ll give you a hint. It comes after my next question.
“What about you, Harper?” I say. “How do you like our small country full of black people?”
“Actually, I’m glad you asked, because I love it so much I’m here to stay. Hopefully with you.”