After Hours: Rael’s Endearments (Episode 5)

“Hello, am I speaking to Rael?”

“Speaking. Who is this please?”

“My name is Liz Kimani. Wife to Steve Kimani. The man you have been sleeping with and taking our hard earned money from. Listen, I did not call you to argue or negotiate. I am just here to let you know that I need you to stay away from my family. If I even suspect that you two are still seeing each other, you will know my true colors and girl, they are ugly”.

“Why don’t you talk to your husband Liz. I do not remember walking down the aisle with you. I owe you nothing”

“I see you have a big mouth alright. Young girl, I work for the CID and I know every little tiny detail about you including the fact that you recently had an abortion. So, if you love your life, stay away from my family. Your boyfriend Steve is right here with me and listening to this conversation. Look for your own man”

Liz disconnected the call. Rael was furious and shaking. She felt like her chest was completely blocked and she was struggling to breathe. She honestly thought that she was going to die. She reached for her inhaler and after three puffs and slow breathing she felt better. She looked at her phone again thinking that the conversation she had just had was all but a terrible dream. She took her phone and started to WhatsApp Steve. She noticed that she could no longer see his photo and immediately knew that she had been blocked. She called Sandra and all she could do was cry. Sandra promised to be with her in an hour’s time. She went to the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of gin on the counter and started to down it. That was all that made sense. She just wanted to get plastered. In a span of few weeks, she had had an abortion, lost 250,000 to the doctor who procured her abortion and now being threatened by her lover’s wife. Only alcohol made sense.

By the time Sandra got to her house, Rael was drunk and struggled to speak coherently.

“Sandra babe, I just want to die. I just want to die”

“Do not say that hun. There is nothing that cannot be sorted out. Have you eaten? You are so drunk. Come on, let me take you to Bob’s you eat something and we just get out of this house.”

“I just want to stay here Sandra. Steve’s wife is a CID officer and might be out there waiting to kill me”

“Rael, are you serious? How do you know this?”

“She called me and told me to leave her family alone or she will come for me”

“What the fuck? Let us go to the police station and report this”

“Report a CID officer? You have to be kidding me. Steve has blocked me on all channels and social media. I won’t be going back to him. Let the story die”

Sandra and Rael head to Bob’s and as they wait for the food to be ready, they talk about Rael’s current predicaments and the chest congestion feeling hits her again this time with heart palpitations. Sandra, quickly rummages through Rael’s handbag and gets her inhaler.

“It has been a while since I saw you get an asthma attack. What is happening?”

“I don’t know”

“You need to go slow with the alcohol and schedule an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible”

“Nonsense. I need to smoke some weed and I will be fine. That is all the medication that I need”

“You are something else. Let us eat, I take you back to your house. I have a few errands to run”.

As soon as she got back to the house, Rael remembered she had received text from Collins telling her that one of her clients had an urgent campaign assignment that needed six influencers on board. As much as she was tipsy and needed to sleep, she decided to get into her car and go to the office instead. As she pulled up into her parking space, she felt her chest getting congested again and she struggled to breathe even as she took out her inhaler and decided that she would see her doctor as soon as her schedule allowed. As she walked into her office, she noticed that Collins was in his office as well. She passed by to say hi and proceeded to start her work. She didn’t know how long she had been there until she heard Collins’ voice.

“Are you planning to work the whole night?”

“Not really. I am almost done. Kwani what time is it?”

“It’s 10.30 pm. You should be going home now”

“I am waiting for the client to confirm a few things, I set up a meeting with the influencers tomorrow then I can go home.”

Rael felt a little bit uncomfortable as Collins sat on her desk talking about how hard she works and deserves a break. She would have ordinarily found her way out of the office almost immediately but tonight, his presence after all the rejection she had been through, made her feel a little bit special.

“Do you have a condom?”

“What?”

“I know you want to shag me Collins. Do you have a condom we get this done and over with?”

As Collins ran into his office to look for a condom in his drawers, Rael again wondered if she was going insane but at this point, she did not care. She started to undress and by the time Collins got back, she was stark naked.

“Damn girl, you really wanted me this much?”

“Shut up and fuck me Collins”

As she headed home from the office, she felt good that she had gotten some work done and the client, stubborn as they were sounded satisfied with the progress. She was not so enthusiastic about the brief with the influencers set for the following day though. She was also not sure that sleeping with Collins was the brightest of ideas but she would deal with it later. She absent mindedly walked up to her door and was shocked to find Steve standing at her door.

“Are you from seeing that doctor who killed my child and shamelessly fucked you?”

“Get the fuck out of my house Steve. Get out!”

“What are you going to do? Why did you not tell me what you are going through?”

“I am not going to repeat myself, get out. Do you want your wife to kill me?”

“Forget about my wife. I am the man of the house and I need some answers from you”

“When I last talked to her, she sounded like she is the one who wears the pants in the family. Please leave me alone Steve. I owe you no explanation whatsoever”

As she talked to him, the difficulty in breathing hit her again together with heart palpitations and she had to sit on the floor as she tried to find her inhaler. Steve picked her up and rushed her to his car. She could barely breathe, let alone talk so she helplessly watched him take her away without her will and when she could talk, they were well far on their way.

“Are you taking me to your wife for her to offer me as a sacrifice?”

“Shut up, I am taking you to the hospital”

“I am fine”

“Said someone who had just aborted my child”

“How do you know it was yours?”

“Liz told you that she works for the CID right?”

Rael decided to keep quiet as they got into the hospital. All she did was text her friend Sandra and told her that she was at Nairobi Hospital with Steve. After explaining to the doctor that she had experienced a number of asthma attacks that day, he decided to run a number of tests on her and after an hour of waiting he called them back to his office.

“Your chest looks very clear Rael. You have not been having asthma attacks I highly suspect that you are experiencing panic attacks. Have you been through anything traumatic lately?”

“Yes. Someone threatened my life”

“You should report that to the police immediately. I am going to give you something to help with the attacks but I will book an appointment for you with a psychiatrist. Kindly ensure you come and get a proper diagnosis and medication”.

As they walked out of the doctor’s office, they met Sandra who was mad as hell and took away Rael without even bothering to speak to Steve. She could not believe his level of audacity.

“Come on Sandra, you know I love your friend and want the best for her. Allow us to sort this just between the two of us”

“Go back to your wife Steve. Let this girl be. You are not going to come anywhere near her as long as I am here.”

“Alright then. Just make sure she sees a psychiatrist before she loses her mind”

“Fuck off”

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Do you have thoughts, questions, or personal insights about this week’s adventure? Rael loves hearing from her fans and is eager to see your reactions and responses! Reach out to her directly at: raelendears@gmail.com. Stay tuned and be part of Rael's journey every week. 

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