14.Bonding
The next morning Shirleen was woken up by banging on her bedroom door. She turned to look at the clock on her bedside table to find out the time. It was only six o'clock in the morning. She groaned and pulled up the covers only for the banging to continue. It finally registered on her sleep befuddled mind that for the first time since she could remember someone had found the courage to walk to her door and knock waiting to talk to her. Confused and surprised she left the warm bed, pulled on a gown and went to open the door. Adrian stood on the other side looking annoyingly chipper and dressed in running shorts, vest and sports shoes. "Are you insane?" she asked him sleepily, "Because I really can't find any other reason why you would walk to my door at 6 am in the morning to wake me up."
"We are going for a run," he announced happily to her.
"No we are not," she announced flatly.
"Yes we are," he replied. She didn't answer him instead she made her point by trying to close the door on his face, an effort he thwarted by placing his foot inside the room preventing the door from closing. "I will punch your teeth in," she said folding her hands just below her chest glaring at him.
"If you refuse I will stand out here and keep banging on your door and shouting until you agree to go out on a run with me."
She sighed, "Are you always this annoying?"
"Only to people I like," he replied. She felt a smile tug at her lips and her whole body froze. She couldn't remember the last time she smiled genuinely without the thoughts of her mother haunting her. "Wait for me downstairs I will be down in ten minutes," she said softly. He hesitated wondering if she was saying that just to make him leave. "I don't break my word," she told him when she saw his hesitation. "My word is my bond breaking it would be dishonourable." He smiled briefly at that and turned to walk down the hall. True to her word ten minutes later she joined him downstairs and a few minutes later they were running around the huge compound side by side without a single word passing between them. What they didn't realise then was that as they ran together metre after metre, they both felt at peace. For a few minutes there they both forgot their pain. After an hour of running they split ways with Shirleen heading to the main house and Adrian making his way to the guest house that was now his home. Shirleen stopped at the entrance hall when she heard the noise coming from the kitchen. She silently made her way there and peeked in not wanting to disrupt the chatter and laughter filling out of the said room. Githu her other bodyguard, Mrs. Nzula her house keeper and Nuke her female bodyguard who was a permanent resident of the main house were the occupants of the kitchen. Mrs. Nzula was busy preparing breakfast while Githu was telling a story that was clearly amusing and at the same time meant to charm Nuke. Shirleen stood out of sight her eyes closed like she has done many times before then and just listened to the laughter and the teasing. Mrs. Nzula was always scolding Nuke trying to teach her how to make specific dishes and Githu would always come to Nuke's defence telling Mrs. Nzula that he wouldn't mind taking Nuke for a wife even if she has no talent when it came to cooking. Sometimes Mrs. Nzula would bully both of them to join in the cooking.
Shirleen wanted to feel that joy they felt being together. She wanted to know what it felt like to be teased and tease in return, to laugh for the joy of laughing and to form such bond of friendship. Sometimes she would wonder if joining them would help her feel all that but she lacked the courage because she saw fear in their eyes whenever they met her by chance when she was not in her room. Once she had made the mistake of joining them and the room had gone awkwardly silent. The conversation had abruptly stopped and they had looked at her like rabbits caught in head lights. So she had spared them the embarrassment and pretended she had ventured outside her room for a bottle of water. She had located the bottle of water she didn't need and quickly made her way back to her exile. Shirleen opened her eyes and slowly without a sound made her way to her room away from the laughter. She lay down on her bed and reached for the remote control to switch on the television. She stared at the ceiling her thoughts drifting to the man who had captured her attention. He was not like any of the guards she has known throughout the years. He was different in that he was not afraid to speak to her or really look at her. He was willing to listen to her and help her if she but asked. At least that was what she saw in his eyes when she investigated them. She wanted to trust him but trust was such a fragile thing. It was like spun glass. It should be built slowly and carefully to avoid cracks and once it is built and reinforced if it is shattered even if it is glued back together piece by piece the cracks remain. There is no way to hide the cracks they will always be there displayed, no longer smooth. Trust did not come easy for a person like her. She heard her father's name mentioned by the reporter on television and her thoughts quickly centred on the news. They stated that Lawrence Sabaya would be attending a political luncheon the next day at the Sahara hotel in Nairobi. Her throat clogged at the sight of her dear father. So many years had passed since she last saw him. She was tired of waiting; she was tired of her doubts on her father's role in her mother's murder. She needed to see him, she needed his reassurance and she needed his explanation. At that moment that was when the plan to escape for the day became an almost resounding echo she could not ignore.