AMY’S DAY - short story

AMY’S DAY

Torrents of tears flowing down my cheeks, I watched each scoop of soil cover Amy’s coffin. Scoop…thud, scoop…thud, scoop …thud,as the red soil filled the grave, a painful scoop and thud at a time. Everytime the soil landed on the ironsheets  placed  over the coffin, I felt a twinge of pain and deep sorrow in my heart. As I watched Amy’s body get intered I broke into an uncontrollable fit of sobs and I could feel my legs suddenly turn into jelly, the ground beneath my feet shifted and I could no longer stand. I slumped on the red soil, unable to control myself anymore.

As I sat on the hard ground memories of the past one year came flooding back to me. I had read somewhere, I am not really certain where but someone had written that as you are about to die, the whole of your life comes flashing past your very own eyes. That much I doubt in Amy’s case. It happened so fast, such that none of us can really comprehend how it really happened. As you would notice, my story so far is in a mess. I know I am not telling the story in a really comprehensible manner; I blame this on the trauma, the pain of loosing someone, a close friend and a sister and a passionate lover.

Alright, I am Sally; the boys love to call me ample Sally. It’s not that I am that big; it is only that I ample in places that excite men and some women in equal measure. From my teens, I had been quite a distraction, be it at the church- you know, I was brought up in a Christian family. I had to attend church and after I took my sacrament of confirmation, I chose to join the choir-. As you might have guessed, my rich alto was not really the problem, I was a bit curvy and  had the kind of bosom that prevented men and some women, as I said, from noticing my plain face. I had a plain face, a face you could not remember if you met me in a crowd, but what I lacked on my face the creator compensated me in my sexy body which I was ever so proud of and ready to flaunt. Wide hips that I would sensually sway with each step I took, my behind and a slight bounce in my bosom.

Well, I met Amy by sheer coincidence. I had boarded a 125/126 matatu plying the Nairobi – Ongata Rongai route (some people prefer to call the place diaspora because of the distance from Nairobi). It was reporting day; I had this carefree, mature woman attitude as I alighted from the matatu at Bogani road. The signboard announced loudly and proudly, The Catholic University of Eastern Africa; consecrate them in the truth.  The signboard reminded me of the Hollywood sign I had seen so many a time in the cheap pirated movies we ussually bought in Nairobi. As I took in the new environment I was totally lost in my own world. It was a really hot 17^th of August day. The road was dusty and almost deserted. I picked up my luggage and started walking slowly, wondering for how long I would withstand the dust on that road. You know, My hair is not an affair I take so lightly, so I really wondered how many trips I would have to make to the salon, because of a dusty road that a prestigious university had the audacity to leave untarmarked!

I was in a reverie, lost in my own world as I trudged labouriously along the road. Head held high, swaying my hips, a slight shake of my backside, a slight bounce of my bosom. I could not afford to appear a fresher or scared, yet inside I was a total mess. How would I cope, will I like this bush college? You know, it was but my parent’s choice that I join the college. My parents were staunch Catholics. With the advise of our parish priest, I was shipped into this college that I and many of my friends in my inner circle knew nothing about. However, it was a real treat, the ultimate display of love by my parents for paying the mind boggling fees.

I had walked for about five minutes, ignoring the cat calls and whistles from the boys when all of a sudden two huge baboons popped out of no where. Nobody had prepared me for the sight of such huge baboons. You know, as I came to learn later, from the bomas of Kenya all the way to Ongata rongai, it was the norm to see baboons. A common joke was that the baboons where so many that they ussually alerted matatu drivers about the presence of road blocks and improptu police checks. As the baboons landed right in front of me I sreamt at the top of my voice, dropped my bag and jumped right in the middle of the dusty road. Up to date I am not certain what really scared me the most, the baboons or the sudden screeching of tires and hooting. I had jumped right into  the path of a speeding  nissan wingroad.It was a close shave, as the car finally came to a stop, I could feel the heat radiated from the engine on my thighs. I was barely an inch from the front bumper. Close shave.

The lady driver came out screaming, “oh my God, Oh My dear God, are you hurt?”

I just stood transfixed on the spot. My mouth felt dry and my tongue stuck stubbornly on the roof of my mouth. I was really treambling, sweating and totally bewildered. The lady driver held me by my shoulders and shook me vigorously shouting, “are you hurt, did I hit you?.” I came back to my senses then. Struggled to unpluck my tongue from where it had stubbornly stuck itself as if by adhesive gum. “I am alright, just shacken.” I heard myself say. It felt as if it was another person’s voice. “Oh thank God you are not hurt.” Said the lady as she let out a sigh of relief. “ I am Amy, I am a going for my first year orientation.” She said this as she extended her hand. I took her hand, still shaking and proceeded to introduce myself, “I am Sally. I too am going to report for my first year.” Amy seemed genuinely surprised by the coincidence. “What a total surprise!” she exclaimed “Now that we are going to the same place, we should go together. Come on” she said this as she proceeded to pick my bag from the nearby bush where  I had tossed it in shock. We both laughed at the sight of the bag dangling from a thorny bush.

Back then I was not really certain. Honestly I was not sure of it until I came to know Amy better. You know, as I sat in the front seat of her brand new Nissan wing road, she reached over and assisted me buckle my seat belt. In a fleeting moment gently pressing against my bosom which as I have said troubled both men and women alike, as she finished she let her hand rest on my thigh for a fleeting moment. Sensing my shock she suddenly jerked off her hand saying, “oh, my bad!” she proceeded to laugh it off. I simply do not know why but I found myself joining in her giggle. As she drove the remaining distance, I could not fail but notice her frequent glances at me on the rear view mirror.

 We proceeded to the campus. It was easy finding Missio hall. The huge hall was next to the student parking area, huge, imposing in stature and a fine work of terrible architecture. The orientation process was one long boring affair with one speaker after another proceeding to bore us further. In the long run we were handed our students guide books and proceeded to our specific faculty offices  to select that semester’s units of study. I had enrolled for a degree in social sciences (political science/economics). Amy on the other hand had enrolled for a degree in Law. We parted ways as we headed to our specific faculties, agreeing  to meet once we were through with the registration process.

Amy and I met after a very tedious two hour registration process. “ I am very tired Sally, I need to relaaaax.” She annnounced this with a drawl.” Infact I have the perfect idea for this. Come, follow me.” She said this as she tugged my hand excitedly. I followed sally into her car. We left the campus ground immediately. As we drove by Kanyarati- I came to realise that the privately owned rental houses were named after their owners,for example Mutua’s, Kibinge’s, kagumbas-  she dug into her glove compartment, he elbow inching between my legs and fished out a bottle of McDowels whisky 42.8% alcohol. “Potent stuff!” she announced.Next came two disposable cups.Amy procceded to pour the whisky, double shot each, and announced “ Bottoms up!” I had dabbled in some lighter brands like black ice, snapp and kingfisher. To tell you the truth, the whisky was a killer. As it coursed  down my throat I could feel my blood boiling. I chocked and coughed uncontrollably. Amy parked the car next to parkplace stage  laughing at me all the while.  It took me several minutes of coughing and two more double shots to get back to normal.

As we sat there drinking, I tinkered with her car stereo until I found a country song…everything that I love, I am not really certain  why I stopped when I heard the song. I was not particularly keen on country music apart from the occassional moment I had to sit on my fathers lap as he played his favourites back then. Don williams, Alan Jackson, Reba Mcntyre among others. However, I tend to think the lyrics of this particular song in a way ticked with my sense of freedom, as the song went on…everything I love is killing me, cigarettes, jack daniels and caffeine. As I sang along to the lyrics, Amy sat still, looking at me, amazement displayed all over her face.

After a few more shots of whisky, Amy asked me, “Sally, were will you be living?”  “My parents have instructed me to select one of the hostels close to the college. However, I have not yet settled on one yet.” I responded. Apparently, that is the time I realized I had not visited the various hostel stands to select one. “you can crash in my place today then you look for a place later. After all we have one week before commencement of lectures.” Amy suggested. “ I am okay with that. Maybe we can party some more then.” I chimed in.

With that settled, Amy drove to Ongata rongai. It was my first time to visit ongata  rongai but I was ready for any adventure. After all, I was savouring and enjoying every moment of the newfound freedom. Amy’s parents were well off. Apparently , they had  flats in ongata rongai town.Out of the many flats, Amy had been given a spacious two bedroom house to use. As I stood in Amy’s sitting room I was dazzled by the girlish touch in almost everything, apart from the sunrays streaking through the windows everything else had a certain degree of a girls touch, ranging from the colour to the design. We sat on the comfy three seater sofa and went on drinking the wine. As time past we got more drank, more excited and definitely laughed loudly. With each tot of whiskey taken, our guard dropped further and a sense of familiarity evolved. A few more tots of whiskey, a few more jokes and we found ourselves sitted very close together.

It all began with Amy placing her hand on my thigh, then she encircle me in her arms and we found our selves bound in an embrace.It was a hot afternoon, our heartbeats were racing and our breathing was fast. That was the first day we made love and it was for long, sensual and the best I had ever had. We fell in love.

That afternoon marked a radical shift in my life. It opened a chapter in my life that up to date is veiled from most people. What was to be a single nights sleep over changed to a flat sharing agreement. Essentially, I could not live large as Amy lived because her family was wealthier but from the money I could have used to rent a room plugged the glaring holes in my entertainment budget.

The days flew by very fast and we soon found ourselves in the hectic life of lectures, term papers, assignments, continous assesment tests and of course partying. We abhorred verything else that semed to take time out of our party time.College life was fast and furious with a weekly finalle on the weekends. We all loved the weekends because it was the only time Amy was llowed access to her car. We would drive all over Nairobi, hopping from one club to another. It was merry making at its best.

As we came to know more people in college, the party life took a knew dimensions with house parties proving to be more popular. They were basically  dominated by shisha, weed, cigarettes and type of crazy fun we could think about. The best moments were the pool parties, the boys loved seeing us in our bikinis. My ample body was not helping much.

The months flew by very fast.Soon we found ourselves with three weeks to go before we sat for our end of term exams. It was a three week period without partying, Endless hours spend at the library, trans nighting and an uncountable number of coffeee mugs taken.Soon the exams came, we did them and left for a week christmas recess.

At home I was completely restless. I was missing the fast lane life Amy andi had got accustomed to. We spend endless ours on the phone, sometimes crying,sometimes laughing. Whatsapp was the best gift we had. We would chat for hours on end. This atleast helped us get by.

January came and soon we found ourselves back in college. We slid back to our previous routine, drinking, partying and making passionate love. As the days went by our bond grew stronger but we also found ourselves meeting other people.

On the day that Amy died,we had gone to a collegues house party in Rongai. His parents had left for a holiday and he had been left home alone. It was huge mansion, with well manicured lawns. When we got there it was about nine o’clock at night. The party had already started. There was about twenty people all varying degrees of intoxication. Amy and I went straight for the punch dispenser. Punch basically meant a combination of several brands of alcohol, ranging from vodka, whisky, cane and others. Basically this got one high faster that a fighter jet leaving Moi Airbase. Soon we settled on a shisha table and smoked the night away. Alternating from drinking, smoking, dancing and numerous bathroom breaks.

At some point, the partying got into my head. I could feel it as I went to relieve myself . As I left the bathroom, I felt quite drunk and decided to walk outside for a gulp of fresh air. I was seated on the grass enjoying  the evening breeze when Mike came by. Mike was a classmate who we had met in several parties. Generally we ussually had a chat and that was all.  He sat next to me and we found ourselves chatting away. We lost track of time as the discussion got more heated.I am really not sure why I did it but I palyfully nibbled at his earlobes. Most probably it was the alcohol or an infatuation that I had represed for so long. Soon we found ourselves kissing and caressing right  there on the grass. Apparently this was not starnge in some of the parties we went to, because some of the times they easily escalated to orgies.

We rolled on the grass caressing and kissing. Forgetting everyone around us as we enveloped ourselves in a shawl of passion. I really don’t realized how fast it happed. Soon Amy materialized from inside house. I could hear her screams as she yanked Mike from me and attacking him ferociously.To many, it would have appeared as if Amy was defending me from a rape situation. To me I could see the blazing, ferocious cat fighting for its territory. Amy was defending her love. Soon the onlloker intervened and saved Mike from Amy’s claws. As I stood up and started buttoning up my blouse Amy strode to me, Stood transfixed infront me, tears flowing down her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, but for the first time since I knew her, no word came out of her mouth. She turned round angrily ad stormed inth her car. I followed Amy placating her to wait but she would hear none of it.

Everything happened so fast as Amy sped from the driveway. She was not only very drung k but also very furious, definitely she was in no condition to drive. Unfortunately one of the late entrats had left the gate open. Amy sped through  the gate like a bullet, driving at a speed of well over 140 kms per hour. We all watched in horror as Amy drove towards the juction at such  crazy speed in a place marked for 30kilometres per hour. It was the hooting that brought us back to our senses. I her flurry of anger,Amy ignored the give way sign at the junction.She had driven directly on the path of an oncoming trailer. It was loud screeching of tires, Hooting and screeming on our part. Apparent in shock, I guess, Amy stepped on the breaks and froze in the middle of the road.

What followed was the most horrendous sight I had ever witnessed. The trailer hit Amy’s car at full speed, Tossing it up in the air like a tennis ball. Everyone stood on their tracks as we saw the car somersault in the air.The car landed several metres from the site of impact, rolled several metres and come to a halt. A heap of scrap matal. I was the first one to regain my senses. I bolted at full speed  towards amy’s car, calling out her name.   Ammy’s car had been totaaly ruined but most painfully, she lay in the wreckage cold dead. Her head had been completely severed. I passed out.

The days that followed the accident were terrible. I had never seen a dead person before. I walked around like a zombie, crying most of the time, rarely eating and not attending classes. It got so serious some classmates thought I would commit suicide. They devoted time in turns to be with me. Basically I was on suicide watch.I could not fathom life without Amy. I could not believe she had died so young and full of life.I  would remember the first encounter, the kiss, the s parties, the lovemaking and the adventures we shared. I could not blaming myself for her untimely death.

That is how Amy died, and as I sat on the ground, watching her get interred I knew I had lost a friend, a sister and the love of my life. I vowed on Amy’s Grave, no more alcohol and  no more partying. As the soil landed on the coffin a single scoop and thud at a time I promised Amy, I would completely change my life as a gift to her and myself. That was Amy’s day