Maureen stared at the city from the roof top La Mode café. The small restaurant was one of the few decent places in town that did not charge outrageously. Every time Maureen came here she was surprised by how beautiful it was.

La Mode was very simple, several makuti tents placed over a flat roof, the seats inside the tents were made from dried papyrus and the tables from a dark distinctive wood she did not recognize, the beach theme was enhanced with the light breeze that blew over the city from way up there where the buildings could not obstruct it. She guessed the name La Mode was ironic.

Maureen always took the seat at the edge from where she could look at Nairobi and criticize it. She had given up trying to find something positive about this town and to be honest she really enjoyed taking it apart.

Everything here moved so fast not like Nakuru town where she came from. Here the people moved too briskly, the traffic was too speedy, in restaurants, the waiters did not hesitate to show annoyance when she failed to order instantaneously as if they expected her to know what she wanted to have before she walked through the door and here, nobody took a second look at anything or anyone, it amazed her how Nairobians only needed one take of anything before forming a profile of it. They only needed to see the person walking in front of them once before deciding whether to tighten the hold on their purses, to push their wallets deeper in their pockets and stay alert or not.

In sharp contrast to the fast pace city life were the city public services. The queues at any bank, hospital or civil office took ten times longer than in any village she had been to.
After standing for hours on a queue you would receive half hearted assistance from a civil worker or bank teller who would be more interested on a phone call home or talking to a colleague.

Questions will be met with hostility and complaints will most likely have you thrown out unattended. This was the shameless operation of the Nairobi men and women paid to serve.

There was the occasional warm, eager to serve officer. But Maureen had not met more than a handful of those.

"A penny for your thoughts, God knows I need the money," Maureen heard Laura's loud voice followed by a hearty laugh. She stood up smiling at her friend. Laura came to her, still laughing and talking, engulfed her in a hug that would only need a little more enthusiasm before it became assault.

"Look at you, marriage has never looked better on anyone else," Maureen beamed at the compliment. She sat down as Laura noisily pulled her chair and plopped herself on it. Maureen was afraid the makuti would give in.

"Look who's talking, I can barely tell you've just delivered... What is your secret, "Maureen almost marched Laura's enthusiasm. It was true however. Although Laura had added a whole lot of weight, she still had a smooth face and a youthful vivacity to her.

"When you give birth, come, I'll share my secret," Laura answered as she threw her head back roaring with laughter.
"Well I guess I'll have to wait for ten years,with all your problems will you still be around?" Maureen retorted, laughing animatedly to hide her annoyance.

Laura was about to say something else when a waitress interrupted them. She handed them their menus. "Do you have anything sliming for my friend, like lemon water or something herbal," Maureen asked the girl. The girl seemed very uncomfortable until the two ladies cracked up, even then, she only smiled faintly. This only added to Maureen and Laura's mirth.

This was how it had always been between the two friends. They made fun of each other and other people endlessly. They laughed non stop. Maureen at times took offence in some of Laura's jokes but she took them in stride and made sure she returned them.

They had known each other since high school. Laura was a year ahead of Maureen. They had been best friends for years. Recently each had become preoccupied with family and their careers that they hardly met anymore but they still supported each other fiercely. They called each other sometimes just to vent. They made sure they didn't miss the milestones like when Laura gave birth or when Maureen finally bought a car.

They both ordered pilau and chicken. The three months in which they hadn't seen each other quickly being discussed. After the initial light hearted conversation was done away with, Laura finally asked Maureen about her marriage.

"Sweet heart, are things better? "
" Things are neither better nor worse, today morning he tried to start a fight again, I ignored him,"
"That is it, don't give in my sister... The last time Steve and I fought, he left and never came back," Laura said trying to make a joke out of her situation. Her boyfriend had walked out of their three year relationship weeks before her delivery. He had not even come to see the baby yet. Nothing about it was funny.

"Where is Steve by the way?" Maureen asked, glad to change the subject.
"He is living with Stephanie, his cousin this same Nairobi but he wouldn't come see his own child.
Do you know I went there. I went to their house in Langata last week, with the baby in my arms. I boarded a matatu and went all the way to Langata from Kahawa so that my baby would see his father.
Maybe Steve will see the resemblance and accept him, I thought. So with a six month old baby, on the only day I get an off, I got into sweaty public transportation... "

Laura stopped to catch her breathe. She got a handkerchief from her purse and dabbed her eyes with it. She was about to resume talking when the waitress brought the check. When the waitress left, a more composed Laura continued.

" Stephanie opened the door, he was standing behind her and when he saw what was in my arms he turned and disappeared into another room.
All he saw was the baby shawl, not his own child. I begged Stephanie to get him but she refused to let me inside.
She said I should go look for another man to pin my mistake on... Can you imagine that bitch called my child a mistake.
Well that mistake is why I did not beat her up. Stupid bitch, shamelessly sleeping with another woman's husband, her own cousin...
She is sleeping with her cousin, happily enjoying her taboo relationship that will go nowhere.”

Laura had once again lost her breathe. Maureen could see how upset she was. Her nostrils were flaring and her eyes were wild, filled with disgust, disbelief and pain. She tried to take deep breathes before she could suffocate in her own cocktail of anger and frustration.

"But how can Steve be so irresponsible. I never liked him but this time he has gone overboard.
And to think he had said he had changed and was going to see your people," Maureen said the first thing that came to her mind. She was aware that she wasn't helping but she was also tired of Laura always shielding him from any blame.

Steve had never shown any real commitment to her and had only come back after one of their break ups because she was pregnant. Maureen had been so angry that a learned woman like Laura would use pregnancy to trap an uninterested man.

"Steve is a man Maureen!" Laura said in a tone that did not hide her irritation. That one statement was supposed to serve as an explanation for everything. With that statement, Maureen was supposed to understand why he was behaving the way he was.

An awkward silence followed and finally Laura asked Maureen about the real reason they were here.

" It's the case I told you about. I can't help those kids because Samuel is our client."

Laura smiled. They were up to no good. She liked it.

"You know this is the fifth time we are colluding against a client, we are terrible Advocates," she mused.
"You seem unusually happy for a person about to comit a crime," Maureen chided and they both laughed.

"Atleast if we go to jail, I will be with my best friend,"

"We are like super man. The law is not always justice, we protect the meek,"

"That's your defence? Come on counsel, you can do better than that," Maureen mused.

"We'll who will report us? Will you?" They both laughed.

"I don't want any part of this," Laura teased.

"Come on, let's be heroes," Maureen pretended to try and convince her. This banter went on for a while until finally Maureen explained the details of the case to Laura. She handed Laura a copy of the files she thought were useful. She knew Laura would skip any information that could potentially give them away.

Laura's duty was simple, to ensure the children were taken away from Samuel and taken care of. The murder case was up to the police. There only so much they could do without putting themselves behind bars.

"You know, if you need anything, just come to me... You don't have to ever go to Langata again. Unless you want to sue an unemployed man for maintenance please leave Steve alone, you are doing so much better on your own," Maureen said as they stood up to leave.

Laura did not respond. Her face said it all, she thought Maureen could never understand.

"Do you promise to come to me?" Maureen asked gently. Laura was still hesitant but she nodded.

"And you, take care of that man you have, you have a good one."

*********

It was three o'clock when Maureen got back to the office. She hadn't expected lunch with Laura to take so long. She was anxious coming in, wondering what excuse she would use.

This was the first time she had been out of the office during working hours but something told her, her boss would think of it as proof of female incompetence or a continuance of her knew found fetish for insubordination. Her co workers would think she was abusing her relationship with the boss.

Immediately she walked through the swing doors, Jeffrey came to her with a rather triumphant look on his face. " Your father in law is waiting for you in his office,"  he said looking at her waiting for her usual sarcastic retort. Today, it seemed, he came prepared, with more in his arsenal for any smart ass answer she'd give. Your passions are misplaced... Davie. If she did not sass Jeffrey, she'll probably end up taking it out on Philip later. Do not give in my sister... The last time Steve and I fought he left and never came back.

She had to decide whether to fight with Jeffrey or simply take it all in. If she didn't fight back, she wouldn't have enough strength to take Philip's bullshit when she got home. There's only so much one woman could take.

Deciding not to take advise from a degree wielding woman who was chasing after some bum, she smiled at Jeffrey. "Asanti," she said to him and walked away, leaving him to pick up his jaw from the floor.

"Sir, I am truly sorry, I met a potential client over lunch, her story took longer than I anticipated... "she burst into Mr Nyagah Senior's office already apologizing. She did not miss the surprise that registered on his face briefly before he looked up from a law book with more pages than the standard telephone directory. Had he expected her to go on causing trouble for him? He hadn't seen the apology coming.

" Go back to work, "he replied. That was it? Maureen wondered. No scolding or recitation of what got him where he was, what he expected of his associates?
" Now!" He growled and she hurriedly left after saying thank you and bowing before wondering what the hell was that, a freaking bow? She was as happy as she was embarrassed.