Gloria rose up early the following day. It was a habit she had also formed while still at school and the university. She glanced at her wall clock and saw it was quarter to 6 am. She had an hour to prepare herself.
She touched her fiancé who lay next to her. "Wake up, honey! It's morning." She told him.
She watched as he turned lazily on the bed and opened his eyes. Then he smiled. "Thanks, darling. I almost overslept. What time is it?"
"Quarter to six. Better get up and prepare yourself."
"That's cool." He jumped out of the bed.
Then, they began to prepare themselves for the day's tasks, which lay ahead of them. He watched as she began to clean the lounge and the other rooms.
What a clean and smart lady, Esau thought. She was the kind of woman he wanted because she always made sure she kept the house clean. If they ever received visitors when they were married, he thought everyone would marvel at how clean their home was.
"I'll see you later," Esau told her when he was ready to leave. "Let me ride back home and see my old man. He could be worried that I got myself into trouble."
"Okay," she replied. "Say hi to them."
She watched as Esau strode out of the room into the compound below. Then, a few minutes later, she heard the roar of the motorbike as he went speeding along the road to his home.
When she was left alone, Gloria walked over to her bedroom window and watched the people who walked along the street on their way to work. Then she went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for herself.
Ten minutes later, she sat at her dining table and took the tea and fried eggs with toasted bread. There was also a jar of mango juice, which she poured into her glass and drank.
When she was ready to leave, she closed the door behind her and turned the key. Then, she put the key into her bag.
Walking briskly, she went to the bus stop where she boarded a bus to her office. Once settled in the office, she looked at the morning papers that were put on her desk.
She browsed through the headline, the inner pages, and turned to look at her favourite column: Astrology and the stars. She was a Pisces and one glance at what the star forecast made her shudder.
Slowly, she read: A perplexing day with a lot of things on your mind; but try to relax and be calm as it is an opportunity to make new friendships.
What a forecast! She thought.
Then she pushed the paper aside as she picked the files that were on the cabinet. She started examining the files.
As she was browsing through them, she remembered something. Her corporation was holding its fifteenth anniversary celebrations and had invited several shipping and client companies to attend.
According to the invitation cards that were sent, many top officials of their client companies were expected to attend a cocktail party, which would be held that evening at the Whispering Palms Beach Hotel. As she thought about the party, she decided to invite Esau to attend.
He was her fiancé and had every right to be there with her. She felt it was high time the top executives at the corporation knew she was engaged and would soon be married.
Then she decided to give him a call. Her hand reached for the phone and dialled his office number.
"This is Maersk International. Can I help you?" A husky voice spoke at the other end.
"Please get me Esau Karahani on the line," she spoke softly on the phone.
"Hold on!"
There was a pause as Gloria waited for Esau to come online. She was eager to tell him about the party which she ought to have remembered and told him over the weekend.
"Mr. Karahani is not in, madam. Can you leave a message?" The husky male voice at the other end spoke.
"Tell him to ring me when he comes back." Gloria's voice appeared dejected.
"What name do I give?"
"Gloria." She replied and replaced the receiver.
Again, she became busy with her files as she sat working in her office in the hope he would call. When it was lunch time, she realized Esau had not called her.
What was wrong? She began asking herself. She would ring him in the afternoon, she decided, when he returned. She felt hungry and walked out of her office as she went in search of food in the restaurants near the port.
Later in the afternoon, Gloria became even more busy when she saw the files that required her attention piled up on her desk. She was drowned in her work for the next hour as she checked the files.
Then, when she felt tired, it crossed her mind that Esau had not called her. She decided to place another call.
"May I speak to Esau, please?" She requested.
"Hold on!" It was the same voice she had heard in the morning.
Again, she waited anxiously for Esau to come on the line. Then the voice came back.
"Mr. Karahani is not in, madam." The voice sounded rather harsh this time.
"Where has he gone?" She wanted to know.
"He's at the airport. He is rather busy today. One of our American great shareholders arrived this morning, and he had to go to meet him. Is there any message for him?"
"Well, did he get the message I left this morning?"
There was a brief pause.
Then the voice came back. "Mr. Karahani never came back since that time. Perhaps you'd better leave another message."
"Well, when he returns, tell him to find me at the Whispering Palms Beach Hotel this evening. We're holding our fifteenth anniversary and inviting our client companies.
"Okay," the man replied and hung up.
She listened and then noticed the phone was dead. It was almost 4.50 pm, and she knew it was only a few minutes left before the offices closed.
A fit of remorse and regret suddenly swept over her when she thought about the party. As she sat there brooding, the phone rang, and she picked it anxiously, "Hallo, Operations Manager at Kenya Ports Authority. What can I do for you?"
"Is that Gloria?" A feminine voice spoke at the other end, "It is Monica!"
"Oh, so it's you, Monica! Long time no see! Where are you these days?"
"I am in Nairobi. I joined the teaching profession but have been transferred to Mombasa. So, I'll be coming very soon. But I will let you know. I know no one in Mombasa and will need your assistance to settle down."
"It will be my pleasure to welcome and show you around. But who gave you my contacts?"
"News travel fast, Gloria. We heard you got a job with KPA while Esau got Maersk International. Rick has contacts in Mombasa."
"All the same. I will wait for you."
"I'll call before I come," Monica said and hung up.
Then Gloria went back to her files. She only wished it had been Esau, who had called, but hearing from her old campus friend was good news.
Then she realized her error. She ought to have told him over the weekend, but then she had been engaged in too many activities to remember. She started hoping he would get the message and then be with her at the Whispering Palms.
She knew if he failed to turn up at the cocktail, the party would lose meaning to her as she would not enjoy what promised to be an exciting evening.
Then, for the first time in their romantic affair, Gloria felt sad; she was as sad as a cow mourning its lost calf and an orphan by the fire alone.