Thank you for being around this long. @Precious_Nkem_O and @Joseph_Mack thank you both for being so supportive.

So this chapter has taken me days to get it just right however I still feel there's a hitch I just can't spot, I'll really appreciate a second or third eye. That being said expect some changes to be made later, nothing major. Also remember to vote if you like it, leave a comment if you have something to say. I'll appreciate it.

Sufuria is a cooking pot, ala is just a Swahili exclamation, sai ni saa ngapi is what time is it and nyama choma or nyam chom is roast meet (or barbecued meat) nyama choma and beer is like every Kenyan man's better half, they live for it. Chamas are little finance groups people normally have, initially they used to be for women to save up and buy house hold essentials for each other but they have since grown into all inclusive economic development units of upto 20 members. The government and banks are more open to loaning chama businesses than individuals.
Enjoy.
All my love,
Stacy Muya.

----------------------------------------4------------

Philip got home at 5am.

He laboured to quietly open the metal door. Throwing a plastic bag on the floor, he sighed and walked in then struggled to close the metal door once again without any loud creaking. Switching on the lights, he almost had a heart attack when he saw her.

She was looking right at him, chest heaving, eyes boring holes into him. How long had she been seated there, in the darkness? Why? His mind was somewhere between completely confused and utterly panic stricken.

"What time is it?" she asked. Her eyes were calm as usual, but he did not miss the livid glint in them. He had never seen her so angry before. Her jaw was set in a tight stance as if she was biting her tongue, reigning a fury that was scorching her from the inside, quickly consuming every last bit of control she had left. She looked like she was fighting a losing battle against hysteria. Any moment now, she could give in and rain hell upon him.

He felt his stomach knot. If he had been tired before, now he was not. He was fully awake, his heart was beating and his mind failed to grasp for the life of him why he was completely terrified of his wife seating there, angry, struggling to stay composed. In his life, he had never been this afraid of a woman, not even his slightly unstable mother. In fact, maybe he had never been this intimidated by anyone before.

"Philip, I asked you, what time is it ala," she shouted, banging her hand on the dining table. It shook worse than he did. She stood up from the table, eyes still fixed on him. Her chest rose up and down and suddenly the calmness in her eyes was replaced by a wild inferno, ready to devour everything in its wake. She had surrendered to the rage, that fury he had always been poking at. He could not say a word. She was waiting for an answer yet all he could do was wonder when the palpitations he was having would turn fatal.

"Philip for the last time,ni saa ngapi?"

"5:03, " he was barely audible. He had almost said, 5:03AM Madam. Ngai ndethia he thought, calling out to God. What had gotten into her?

Searching for anywhere else to look at but her,his eyes roamed the room. He held in a groan when he noticed that the table was set up. Dishes,wine glasses,hot pots, flowers, a bottle of Monte Bello and candles had been carefully arranged although now slightly out of place since she had banged her fist on the table. His eyes widened in shame when he finally threw a glance at her. She had made herself up. She must have been freezing in a little red gown and only a matching silk robe.

"Maureen, I'm sorry... I didn't know... "

"Where have you been Philip?" She cut him off impatiently.
"I was with a couple of guys from work at Wainaina's, if I had known..." Maureen like many other Pangani wives, hated Wainana's. It was a little shack bar that exclusively sold nyama choma and beer. What made it harder for the women to compete was the huge TV stuck on Super Sport. Wainaina's was worse than a mistress.

"But you are a married man Philip? Why are you always with the boys lately?"

"Well, does it really make a difference?" Fear loosened it's grip, tossing him over to annoyance.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She sneered.

He ignored her. Walking to the shoe rack, he removed his shoes and socks. He shrugged off his coat as well.

"Philip... If you have a problem with me just say it... "

" You are one to talk,"he muttered under his breathe but she heard him.

"Stop acting like a child... Just say what you want to say," she raised her voice, pulling the robe tightly around her.

"Well maybe you should stop acting like my mother, "he yelled right back.

" Don't even compare me to that woman,"

"Well I'm sorry you have a problem with the woman who raised me," His threw his arms up in frustration. If there was one thing Maureen could talk about all night it was his mother. He begun to catch his breathe secretly glad about the subject shift.

"Oh, mmhh I should have known. You're just the victim here. I'm being unfair. It's not your fault you are like this, who can blame you with her kind of parenting."

"And you are the expert, eeeh?"

Regret washed over him the moment the words left his mouth. They hang in between them like a thick cloud of smoke, chocking them both, stinging their eyes and suffocating the day lights out of them. He wanted to go to her. To hold her and tell her he didn't mean it, not like that.

"Don't you dare," the crack in her voice was undeniable. He could tell the water works were about to begin. That was a low blow even for him. He wanted to concede, say he was sorry, kneel if that would take away the pain stricken look on her face. He could tell he had never hurt her this much. She must have had similar sentiments a million times before, just never from him. All the fight had been siphoned from her. She was barely standing anymore, any minute now her knees might buckle. She looked like the aftermath of a massacre, torn to shreds, barely holding it together, well beaten up and exhausted.

"You don't even want to have children either... Why don't you just tell your mother the truth instead of pretending I'm the problem?" Came her version of the last kicks of a dying horse.

Instead of replying, he walked to the kitchen, trying to get away from her, away from the torture that was seeing her so broken. She followed him.

"What, you have nothing to say now?"

"Do you want the truth?" He turned to her. She was right behind him. This had gone on for long enough. In such a short while he had felt everything from fear to anger to guilt and now frustration. He glared down at her, her eyes shone with unshed tears. He had made up his mind, he'd just rip the band aid once. The way she was looking it seemed nothing he could say would hurt her more than he already had.

"I don't want to bring a child into this. Whatever this arrangement is, it doesn't feel permanent... It's only a matter of time before it all goes to shit. I was raised by separated parents, I don't want the same for my children, "

He had pulled the rag from right under her. The wind was knocked out of her. It was a while before she breathed. Then came the tears, a gasp here and there, and the sniffing. She looked even more devastated. Shocked. She hadn't seen it coming. Not one to be blindsided, she was at a loss. Maureen had always been the observant one, the one who could project other people's moves, that's what made her good at her job. He wanted to punch himself, why had he said that.

"You were going to leave me?" she barely breathed. It was not a question.

He took her head in his hands, cupping her face.He shook his head. "You know better," he said, "but you've had one foot out the door from the beginning."

"Philip, that's not true... I love you, so much," she whispered. She put her hands on his back.

He looked away for a minute as if he did not believe her but did not want to argue either.

She raised her hand to his face and gently turned it to look at him. " I'm sorry, I was lost for a while there... But I've dealt with whatever it was. I have been such a fool and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I haven't appreciated what I have, you. I'm so sorry but I'm willing to change. I love you so much Philip... Our problems aren't that bad, if you want we'll even get counselling. I'll do anything Philip. We can be happy. "

He smiled just to put her at ease. He had long joined those who believed they had rushed into this too young. He wasn't optimistic. What exactly were they fixing anyway? He couldn't pin point a problem and that was the most frustrating part. How did you fix a problem that seemed to not exist? But if they had a shot, even if all the odds were stacked up against them, he would take it.

"I know you can have issues, but I want to work them out with you. Let me in Maureen, let me be there for you too... You don't have to be perfect all the time, I don't want you to pretend everything is okay when it's not. I know my dad has been giving you problems at the office but you won't even talk to me about it. I realise you're having a hard time with the pressure on us to have kids and I am too, but we can work it out together. I am aware that our financial situation is tricky since I switched jobs and you got a car. Maureen, I can see you're as worried as I am. Let's talk about the fact that my sister sends you offensive messages every week and my mother hasn't talked to you in a year instead of pretending it's all okay. Promise me you'll let me in honey. "

"I promise."

That was all he needed to hear. Maybe this was the start. He pulled her into a tight embrace. It would be alright,with some help they would go back to how they were, maybe better.

He felt her hands tighten around him like she couldn't be close enough to him. He closed his eyes, listening to her still ragged breathing, her body was still shaking mildly from all the drama before and maybe the cold too. He wondered why it made him happy to have her in his arms like this, weak and dependent on him to make everything better.

She pulled away from him so that she could look into his eyes. She gave him a weak smile.

"What happened to all our cups?" She asked, teasing him.
"It was an accident,"he said seriously.

They both laughed. This too made him happy.

"Really?" she persisted, " What sort of accident?" She stood on her tippy toes.

He was losing his train of thought seeing her like this. She was genuinely smiling, not her annoying facade, it was a teasing sort, confident, daring him to lie to her.

"Well... they... fell,"

She laughed. "Shut up Pinnochio," she said and pressed her lips to his. He wanted to say yes ma'am but was too busy getting his mind blown. It was the kind of kisses that left a man without any doubts. This would work. She was his woman again.

He pulled her closer to him, tightening the hold on her waist till there was no more space between them. He heard her gasp and couldn't help smirking through the kiss. He still had it.

********

10th October 2003. It was a Tuesday. Maureen had never been happier about Moi day, the celebrations that honoured Kenya's second president. She had never been a Moi day fan. She thought the day dignified a dictator and celebrated 27 years of tyranny. She had never understood why the day had not been scrapped off when Moi had finally left the state seat.

But today, she was grateful she didn't have to go to work. It was already midday when she woke up. The aroma of Phillips cooking floated in from the kitchen. She couldn't help the way her lips turned up in a smile. She stretched out in bed. She still could not believe how in a day her life had changed.

She had stood up to her boss, she was positive Laura would handle the Samuel case and now her marriage was on track to happily ever after. To think that just yesterday, she was as depressed as they come. She hated to admit it but it was all David's doing, with his advice yesterday morning and the wake up call in the evening, he had changed her life instantly. She felt like she was in a quick fix commercial.

Still she couldn't shake the nagging voice at the back of mind insisting that it would all crumble, that she would wake up and find everything gone. She had never been without misfortune for long. She was afraid of being happy, what if she lost it all again. She steered the apprehensive thoughts out of her mind. Enough with the negativity. She was happy. It would last.

Philip's phone vibrated, bringing her out of her musings. The caller ID was Rono. Since she didn't know him, she got out of bed, taking the phone with her. It could be important.

"Philip...,"she shouted his name," your phone." Walking into the kitchen, she completely forgot about the ringing phone on her hand. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him in action. He seemed to have a million limbs chopping this , sautéing that, stirring the other, pouring liquids around and blending fruits some other place. He was in his zone and she was in awe.

He looked up at her too soon, she wasn't done appreciating the sight. He wiped his hands on the apron smiling easily. "How long have you been standing there?" He smirked. If she had doubted it before, now she knew. She loved him.

"Long enough to make up my mind. We're getting a restaurant..."

"Honey, did you rob a bank?"
She could see he was both confused and amused. He walked over to a stool they kept in the kitchen and sat on it, watching her, wondering what had gotten into her.

"I could take a loan from my chama to top up on your savings. We can't keep postponing this..." He gave a small bewildered laugh, like he couldn't believe she was actually considering it.

"You're still paying the loan you took for the car, the bonus was not enough to cover everything... I'm sorry but we have a plan, just be patient."

She walked up to him, putting the phone on the table, Rono must have given up on calling. She sat on his lap, pouting and touching his forearm gently. She was bringing out the big guns. She could be very persuasive. He didn't stand a chance but she knew he would try anyway.

"Have I ever been reckless. I've come up with something. I'll put the car out on the road, with the money taxis make in Nairobi, it will pay for itself... Besides your father is paying me a lot of money. "
"Maureen, you're already paying most of our bills. I can't let you buy me a restaurant also, especially if it'll put you deeper in debt,"

"Look at you... I'm not buying you a restaurant. I'm buying part of our restaurant. We're partners, you already have most of the money anyway. Besides I'm only paying the bills for now so that you can save up... Once that restaurant is up and running, I'll even quite my job and become a fattened house wife who spends all your money at the salon." Although he gave a small smile, he wasn't budging so easily.

"I'm sorry honey, it's too much. I can't take it."

"What is wrong? You paid for me through Kenya School of Law. I was unemployed for three years after we were married... I'm your wife Philip. All this money is ours. Is this about feeling like our marriage is temporary? Or do you have another wife to support your dreams?" She stood up from his lap, feigning annoyance. He pulled her back, ignoring her little resistance until she was back in place albeit with her eyes on the floor.

"Maureen, you want to give up your car, to take out another loan and still continue supporting both of us until the restaurant picks up... Who knows how long that will take... Do you understand how insane this is?"

" Yes and I've made up my mind!"

"When did you come up with all this?"
"When you thought I was ogling you, I was actually thinking. "
"Ouch... all that time I spent flexing. Do you know how hard it is to cook and still look seductive... You didn't see any of it?"

"I can multi task, so what do you say..."
"And they said you married me for my money," he joked pensively.
"You were the son of a rich and powerful man, working in a rich and powerful law firm... Heck, I thought I married you for the money,"
They both laughed.
Maureen opened one of the sufurias near them, she took out a huge chunk of chicken and threw it in her mouth, licking her fingers afterwards. Philip chuckled.

"How did I get this lucky?" he said.
"I take it that's a yes then," she was jumping up and down already.

"I'm talking about your etiquette," he said handing her a plate and a serving spoon, "but also yes, I will consider your offer." Translation, yes, let's do this.

The realisation that she was on the brink of having it all hit her in one strong wave. She wasn't sure she was the sort of person who could handle this much happiness, this much almost success. Philip gently brushed back her long braids from her kneck and kissed her there.
" Why are you so good?" He asked.

She was going to say you deserve it but she was tongue tied, if she dared to speak, she would cry instead she leaned back into his chest, taking it all. She was overwhelmed, one moment she had nothing... and now... She wondered what else had changed besides her attitude. How had she come so close so fast. She realised it was because her life had never been off track to begin with.

Author's note :
Hey awesome readers. It is not over. TIS NOT THE HAPPY ENDING YET. Keep reading, everything's good now but winter is coming (GOT fans where you at?) Anyway... I'm really excited about starting the next part of this story which is basically ********************** you didn't think I'd give you spoilers now, did you? But Maureen is going to get her life changed completely and some of the decisions she's made are coming to bite her in the behind.
Until then,
Adios.