If truth be told, I have never really liked Raila Odinga.
Nothing personal, but I have never been particularly endeared to his personal style and way of doing things. However one man in this country has changed all that in recent years for many Kenyans.
I will tell you a story that illustrates my point here perfectly and will explain the mystery of how this man called Raila suddenly became so popular.
Dorothy was in that dilemma that some women find themselves in. Two men had proposed to her and she had to make up her mind whom she was going to marry. The two men in her life were burly muscular and very handsome Kib and passionate but possessive Rai whom she had known for a longer time.
Kib was a wealthy man and all signs were that he was going to be a wonderful provider. He had some really funny jokes and was a very polished man. Dorothy laughed a lot during their dates and she felt that she was going to be very happy with the man. It did not bother her that she did not know him that well, she thought she was deeply in love with him and that’s all that really mattered.
Rai she knew better, especially his weaknesses. He was too emotional for a man and very possessive. That irritated Dorothy a lot. Like many so-called modern women about to be married she had slept with both men and even in that and very possessive. That irritated Dorothy a lot. Like many so-called modern women about to be married she had slept with both men and even in that and very possessive. That irritated Dorothy a lot.
Like many so-called modern women about to be married she had slept with both men and even in that area Kib was the better man between the sheets by far. Very powerful, very strong and yet tender. He was a very skillful lover. He took her to that place she had never reached with any man. She later learnt that the guy had read a lot on the Internet about pleasing women and being a skillful lover.
Actually the crux of the problem was that Rai loved her too much and she did not have such passionate feelings for him. To make matters worse during lovemaking Rai would sometimes cry out in passion and call out her name repeatedly; something that Dorothy thought was crazy coming from a man. To her it was a sign of weakness. Men were supposed to be strong. In many ways Dorothy was very conservative in these matters.
Much to her surprise the ugly confrontation that she had anticipated happening when Rai discovered that she was marrying somebody else did not happen. She saw a side of Rai she did not know existed. She could see that he was hurting badly inside, over her decision to get married to Kib instead of him, but he was taking it surprisingly well. He even bought her a very expensive wedding gift and delivered it at the wedding reception where he gave a moving speech basically declaring Kib Tosha and wishing them the best.
Dorothy even started feeling a little guilty at the shoddy way in which she had treated Rai. But alas, that passed quickly with the excitement of the wedding day and the honeymoon that followed.
The two weeks honeymoon in Malindi was just too short and Dorothy wished that it would go on forever. She was very happy.
But everything suddenly changed when they both went back to work. Kib, a businessman with a hectic schedule, did not seem to have any time for her and got irritated when she merely suggested that they needed to talk. Matters came to a head when one evening Kib came home and found his wife already in bed and without saying a word started mounting her.
“What’s wrong with you. I am not a horse.” Dorothy screamed at Kib.
“But you are my wife and sex is my right,” Kib shot back, visibly irritated.
That triggered off a row that lasted over an hour. Kib was very angry at Dorothy and could not understand what else she wanted from him. He paid the rent put food on the table and was basically a good provider. What else would a sane woman surely want when so many other desperate women out there couldn’t make ends meet?
Dorothy saw Kib’s insensitive side for the first time. The selfish nature in him where he did not care about other people’s feelings as long as he got his way and did things HIS way. Dorothy could not believe that this was the same man that she had married. The man she had spent two heavenly weeks with in Malindi. Kib felt that because he was a good provider his wife was supposed to do everything he wanted, when he wanted, including giving him his conjugal rights even when there were issues between them.
At the height of these problems Rai suddenly called her on her cell phone out of the blue. He started off soberly enough, asking after her health and even Kib’s. Then he quickly moved to the reason why he had called.
“I am sorry to have called you. Consider this my last call. The reason why I called is I wanted to tell you that I love you so much that I have decided if I can’t get married to you, then I will never get married in my life.”
That was the usually emotional Rai, Dorothy thought to herself. And how sweet of him. But Dorothy was not going to let him get off so easily.
“How dare you… you know I am a married woman now. If you really loved me, you would not have called.”
“I’m sorry but this message was too important and…”
Rai suddenly heard Dorothy sobbing over the phone. That was something he could not bear. He quickly hang up.
He then sent off a text message to the woman he loved. It was very brief.
ONCE AGAIN I’M SORRY YOU WILL NEVER HEAR FROM ME AGAIN.
When Dorothy had pulled herself together again and seen his text message. She sobbed some more.
When Kib came home that night it took him a long time to notice his wife’s red eyes. He was very concerned;
“What bill has not been paid?” he asked her, deep concern written all over his face. To him that was the biggest nightmare for a woman. To have a provider who did not meet his obligations in the house.
But his question saddened his wife even more and once again the tears started flowing. I will never understand women, Kib thought to himself.
Still, he found it in himself to hold Dorothy in his arms as she sobbed over his shoulders. The TV was on but with the sound muted and as Kib held his wife close to himself for the first time in a long time, the familiar signature logo of the 11 pm late night KTN news suddenly flashed across the screen Kib gently disentangled himself from his wife and grabbed the remote to increase the sound. For the next 15 minutes he was engrossed in the news of the day completely forgetting Dorothy and her problems.
That was the moment Dorothy made her decision.
The next morning she dialed Rai’s number on her Nokia. She received a message that the caller could not be reached. She panicked and after a few frantic calls to some of his close friends, she was told that he had literally disappeared from the face of the earth. Nobody knew where he was.
What made her even more worried was the fact that she knew Rai was the suicidal kind. What was she going to do now?
TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW.
