Better late than never

“I am a Canadian citizen and am flying to Nairobi,” said Girish as he handed his passport and ticket to the lady behind the Air Canada desk. “I will be going on a tour to several countries in Africa from there.” We wish you a very safe and enjoyable journey!” said the lady handing Girish his boarding pass.

Girish checked that his Sony Professional PXW camera was on him. He was going to shoot giraffes, lions and elephants in their natural habitat. Girish had just been laid off by his consulting company after it had filed for bankruptcy in 2013. He needed time to stand back on his feet. He had devoted the past twelve years to worshipping the corporate temple – logging in, writing jargonized reports and bootlicking his boss. He had been so engrossed in his work-life that he had not married. His Indian parents had tried. They had him fly over to Delhi to meet with a girl, Resham, who was a demi-goddess. She had big black eyes, a sharp nose, had a Masters’ degree in Commerce and was fond of cooking. Girish had enjoyed meeting her and had told her that he would get back to her soon. Girish’s parents had left the final decision to him. However, when he returned to Canada, he got so engrossed in his work that he didn’t send a message to Resham. It was only after a week that he wrote an email to Resham asking her if she would be interested in video chatting online. She had replied stating that another boy she had met yesterday had already said yes to her. Girish had been devastated. He felt remorseful for not getting in touch earlier with Resham and not getting engaged before returning to Canada. That experience had left him bitter and he had stopped seeing girls for marriage. His parents had also now given up as Girish was already 38 years old.

Girish got down at the Kenyatta International airport and took the Matatu into town. The city was bustling with activity. There were rickshaw pullers, beggars, tall buildings and roadside sellers. Colorful billboards stared out at him telling him to purchase a particular brand of soap to combat the heat. It reminded him of India.

He was feeling free. Free from expectations about marriage and work. He would be spending the next month just exploring the continent like a nomad. He checked into a small run-down hotel and dropped the luggage in his room. He fell asleep on the soft bed dreaming of the safari he was going to undertake tomorrow. He wanted to capture love between animals. He wanted to click the harmony of nature. This would be a trip where he would recharge his soul and take back memories for a lifetime. Girish woke up feeling famished. He wanted to try the local nyama choma or roasted meat with rice.
He stepped inside a nearby mall and was surprised to see American branded shops inside. People were thronging Tommy Hilfiger and Banana Republic and clothes appeared to be a steep discount. He took the escalator to the top where he opted for a Meatball Subway instead of the local nyama choma and sat down in the food court. Three tables down, he saw a familiar face. It had aged since he had last seen it. Perhaps a bit darker too. Her eyes weren’t as sparkly. But it was that unmistakable sharp nose. He couldn’t believe it! She was sitting with a smartly dressed Indian man, presumably her husband, and a five year old boy. Girish saw what he had given up. He could have been where the man was sitting. He saw her husband go up towards a café. Girish took a chance and walked up to Resham who was feeding yogurt to her son. “Hi Resham! Do you remember me?”

She looked up at Girish and smiled a knowing smile. “Yes, you are Girish right? What a surprise!”
“Meet my son, Rohan.” “My husband is an Indian diplomat here in Kenya. What brings you here?”
“Oh! Just taking a break from my hectic job. Thought I would travel around Africa taking selfies with lions.” Girish laughed as he winked at Rohan.
Just then, there was a loud explosion on the ground floor. They could see gray smoke spreading through the mall. Then they heard gunshots. “Oh my god! Oh my god!” shrieked Resham.
“Hurry!” exclaimed Girish as he took Resham by the hand and picked up Rohan in his arms. They ran to the nearest music store and hid inside one of the store’s family restrooms. “Girish, my husband is at Starbucks. I need to go and find him.”

“I am sure he would have found a place to hide. Let’s stay in here until the police arrives. It appears to be a terrorist attack.” Gunshots resumed and screams of pain could be heard inside.

Three hours later, they were taken out by the police. A total of sixty seven people had been massacred by the Al-Qaeda terrorists and Resham’s husband was one of them.
Girish was with Resham when she cremated him. He left for his African safari tour a few days later. While he was at the safari, he sent a text message to Resham after a week. “Fate has brought us together again. Would you like to raise Rohan with me?”