Part 2: A Nightmarish Journey End on an Unexpected Date

I hung up the call, and in my mind, I thought, ‘A date ain’t a big deal. Plus, I’ll just carry a friend with me.’ Weeh… Two days later, he calls me, wanting to know my answer. I ask him if I can be accompanied by a friend. Before that, the friend I’m carrying, and I clicked when we were at his place, so I knew nothing outrageous would happen if I went with her, especially on my side.

He answers yes, saying he also has another friend, so the date will be four plus people. We prepare ourselves. It’s 12 p.m., so I’m sure it will be a casual lunch, and by around 6, we’ll be back at home. He comes and picks us up, but along the way, he stops at a petrol station, saying we should wait for his friend, who arrives within a few minutes. So-called friends suggest we split, and my friend joins him in his car to kill boredom.

As we continue the journey in the back seat, he takes out a bottle of whisky and a glass, suggesting I take a shot to calm down as I was very anxious. In my mind, all this time, I knew we were just around Mombasa County, but this mzee is heading out, and we are now approaching Kilifi County. On trying to inquire why we are leaving Mombasa County, he is like, ‘You know, Mtwapa, that’s where the fun is. It’s only a few meters. Don’t be stressed, baby girl, relax.’ This time, my heart is racing at 100 beats per minute. Checking through the side mirror, I could see the car my friend was in, following us smoothly.

When we passed Mtwapa town, that’s when hell broke loose because wherever we were heading, I was unfamiliar with it. I started creating stories of how I would be able to get my ID and get away from him. So, I insist that I have a night shift as I work in a hotel, and I need my ID for security purposes, and I’m supposed to report today. He seemed unbothered by my statement and was like, ‘How much are they paying? Whatever they are paying, you, is what I spend in a day, so don’t worry. And where I’m taking you, I have made reservations, so relax. No one will hurt you when I’m here.’

I would have really wanted to jump out of that car, but at the speed it was going, I feared for my face. So, the casual date that was meant to happen would now be a dinner date. It’s around 6 pm, and we are still driving, and the more we venture, the less I see settlement. ‘Weeh, kimeniramba’ was what was playing on my mind.

He was really insisting on me taking shots, and I told him it would be fair if I took the shot, and he gave me my ID, which he accepted. Yes, I took the shot of whiskey, and he handed me my ID, and I knew it was time to plan a way out to get away from him. He is taking his whiskey, and I could see he was getting tipsy as he could not filter the words he was uttering.

As he drove and was changing lanes, a vehicle out of nowhere came at high speed and broke the driver’s side mirror. They were good people, as they stopped, and we also stopped. The god of chances had given me another chance. Even the car my friend was in had stopped, and we were trying to come up with a solution. Meters away, there was a small local hotel, and we decided to go and use their restrooms, That was our chance to escape. Let me tell you, Maina, by the time they were concluding, we were in a matatu heading the opposite way of where we were going. I was literally in prayer, thanking God because I had heard of so many cases where young ladies die under mysterious circumstances, and mine would not have been an exception. I don’t know.”