This Little Light Of Hers ...

I walked into this office and the decor 'hijacked' my attention! Seriously, it did!And so did the lass seated on the huge mahogany desk with the words "Reception" screaming at me.

"Hi, how may I be of help?" she asked, almost rhythmically.

I stretched out my hand to shake hers; there it was! As simple as that, I got her to give me her number. A long firm hand shake, eyes peering directly into hers, a smile that lingered on for a while and small talk while teasing, making fun and shoving compliments her way. And oooh...she didn't see it coming! Haaa!

Enough of my flossing...we'll get to that later..when, rather if, I get to post the selfie we took, on that same day! I tell you, she didn't see it coming.

My meeting started rather immediately I got into that office. I did not know how to handle him, if small talk was good or to just get to it.

"Let's get to it. Thanks for creating time off your busy schedule to host me. My partner, as communicated in the email, wouldn't make to be here with us; but I shall do my best to share what we have extensively as I can." I said.

"You're welcome. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Please, feel at home. Coffee? Tea? Whiskey?" he quipped.

I gasped. Did he say Whiskey? I tried to suppress the wide grin that was threatening to show. Then we both laughed. Pheew! I wouldn't have minded the offer, I mean, it would calm my nerves for starters. And look at the brighter side, it was a Friday afternoon, so we kinda were good to go.

The joke did calm me though, so I asked for warm water.

He didn't look like the joking type. With a serious demeanor and air around him that would intimidate anyone; a tall well built Caucasian male in his early forty's and the CEO of a multi billion business empire which he built from the ground up, by himself.

Single and never married, with a straight serious face, he was quite the type you'd want to get straight to the point with, no small talk. Mr. Hendricks, Hendricks Crawford, was a charmer, so I later learned.

We started off, though anxious but within no time I was slaying! Telling my audience how this new idea would revolutionize the the already robust mobile telephony. The beauty of it being, it would be a 'threat' to 'monopoly' and market dominance by some players. Again, I will not divulge this information, lest I end up licking my wounds and saying 'how I was the brains behind it' when some guys in sharp suits launch the idea in a black tie, cocktail event somewhere in a posh hotel.. so, NO, thank you.

I was deep into my presentation, slide after slide, statistic after another, occasionally handing over copies of my proposal to Mr. Hendricks; when she walked in. I stuttered. I couldn't continue. I swallowed hard to rid the slump that had formed in my throat. My eyes watering slightly.

"It's okay, proceed." Mr. Hendricks said.

I managed to maintain my cool but I was still coming to terms with what I had seen.

I reached out for the glass of water that my lady friend from the reception had delightfully served me. I could use that break.

I watched her as she limped out the office, closing the door behind her, managing a smile.

How was she that bubbly? Glowing and radiant?

Behind her desk, one wouldn't guess, not once would the thought cross your mind, that the smiling radiant girl was physically impaired.

Get me right here. My point here is her attitude.

I have seen people, actually even within our family, who, out of an accident or straight from birth, are physically challenged and unfortunately, this has turned them into an angry, sad or gloomy person. This has to do with a person's attitude, me thinks.

Most of these things are beyond us as human beings. We cannot fathom God's ways or why some of us are born with a certain physical challenge or generally the way each one of us is. But in His word, in Psalms 139:14 David says "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well."

We are indeed made in His image, and we are all beautiful, no matter what.

I digress. 

Fast forward. I'm still waiting on Mr. Hendrick's response. We have had several other meetings in his office, what a view he has, I must say! And, once in a while in his favorite coffee shop in the mall across his office. And so far, so good.

It is these frequent visits to Hendricks that got me a new friend, Nella. Nella is a sweet soul. She is one of the most bubbliest, happy, kind and lovely person I've met. She's humble, a great awesome person. Do they still make such nowadays? I mean, hardly do you get all this in one person. Who, contrary to "belief", isn't angry about herself, but instead is a 'light' to other people.

This got me! 

Just how many times have I been so angry at myself, or even other people because of, well... stuff that's really a non-issue. 

I mean, we all have bad days, really bad days. Those days that you dread and just wish they would fly by fast so you could sleep off the nagging, stressing and bad gross moods. Well, we are all allowed to sulk once in a while. And sulk we all do in our own ways.

But look at her. Unabated will power and graciousness, despite her challenges. 

I sat across listening to her story. I was awed. I stared, deep in concentration as she took me down memory lane. I was moved! She told me of how she was at her lowest point of her life. Life can be cruel; people can be cruel. She's lost friends and opportunities due to her physical challenge; but she still pushed on. 

Let me let you in on her story just a little. 11 years ago, Nella developed an irritation on her left foot. She thought it was just that, an infection. Months later and a wound formed. Visits to the hospital saw her get back home with different prescriptions for the 'bug'. It got worse. She couldn't walk properly due to the pain. This left her with her right foot, which was deformed since birth. She remembers crying every night asking God to take her life. It was too much to bear.

Fast forward 10 months later, and her leg had to be amputated and have the hospital give her prosthetic limbs.

Good things have come her way, though. Her job as Mr. Hendricks' P.A being one of these blessings she shared with me. 6 years of this blessing. Isn't God great?

I mean, should the world be full of kind, good and awesome people like Hendricks, who do not look at one's disabilities but their abilities? Yeah? God bless that man. What a pair they make. 

As I pen this down, our sunshine, Nella, is getting married this November! Yaay... right? I was happy for her! No, serious, very happy! And the guy, her hubby to be? No, it isn't Hendricks, though the two had serious chemistry, I noted. But hey, no office relationships! But the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Hendricks' relative, Colin, who was always visiting the office, was the guy. Perfect match!

It makes me happy every time I talk to Nella. I see the power of a smile. The power of love. The power of one's attitude. The power of believing in yourself despite the "norm" and "perception" that society tells us is the "reality". How she handled her situation, however worse it had got, it didn't hold her back. And prayer, the power of prayer. Ask Nella, she'll tell you for free. Faith does move mountains.

She starts a new life this November. A milestone. They keeping increasing. Not to mention her promotion this month. I'm learning a lot from her life. Her favorite quote has now replaced mine:

"“There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.” - W. Clement Stone

I just remembered, Nella had promised a treat today after I had helped her with a few errands this past week! Spicy wings would do just great. I'm actually starving!

Ray's Diary

The rattling window must’ve woken him up.  He slowly opened his eyes to allow a little light, squinting from the glare caused by the reflection upon the water surface.

They were halfway across the bridge, River Changoi gently flowing under it. He lightly smiled as the breeze seeped in.  He must have slept for hours since they left Nandi. He checked his phone; there was no message. He frowned.

Ray rested his head on the window and stared outside. He remembered how he had tried to call out her name just after he had boarded the bus. She couldn’t hear.  He had tried to call her earlier, but her phone was off. It had looked like an answered prayer when he saw her at a distance with her friends.

They had just met once the entire holiday.  He liked her by the day. She had grown into a beautiful young woman. It was about 7 years since he last saw her. They had been communicating and they had both looked forward to meeting up.  Miley knew he liked her; she liked him too, and was shy about meeting him.

A sudden halt disrupted his train of thoughts. They were joining the Kericho – Nakuru highway. He took out his Nikon camera to snap away the beautiful terrain. Both sides of the road were accentuated by huge tracts of expanse land of tea plantation; it looked like a huge green carpet. The trees at the horizon acting like a fencing around it. The workers at the field like stains on a clean rugged carpet.  The blue sky completed the beautiful collage.

Ray always looked forward for the December holidays as that was the only long break he got from his busy schedule at work. This year, he had planned to visit the interior villages of Kericho County, his hometown. The area provided beautiful scenery for his photography work that was just 6 months young. He had spent 2 weeks into December building his portfolio for his new project in the New Year.

It was during his stay at Nandi, Miley’s rural home, that he had fixed the first meeting with her. He had asked to meet her at the hotel where he was staying. Ray woke up early that day and made breakfast; bacon, eggs, sausages, croissants and coffee. She would soon be there.

“I’m here…” the text message read in part. He threw the phone on the bed and dashed to the door, flung it open and made way outside.

There she was; gracefully waiting at the waiting bay. Her short flowery sun dress flowing to the rhythm of the wind; her long hair lying on her shoulder and back. On her hand, were her clutch bag and a cell phone. Miley was a beautiful and a perfectly-shaped lady, standing 5 feet 6 inches tall. Her perfectly formed round bottoms and huge hips enough to make heads turn. Her grey eyes would tear deep into one’s eyes making them to blush. A smile that would convince you everything was okay, even if it wasn’t. The diamond laced necklace falling perfectly on her cleavage, towering over her full ‘balloon' breasts like a tower on a hill.

Ray couldn’t find his tongue. His gaze fixed on her; he stretched out his hand to say hi. She extended hers to shake his hand. The handshake didn’t suffice. He pulled her in for a hug. He held her close, gently squeezed his grip around her. His face buried in her neck, taking in her lovely scent from her hair and neck. His eyes closed, taking it all in.

“This feels good,” mumbled Ray as he slowly let go.

“Hi. How’ve you been? 6 years now? Wow! You’ve changed dude; you look good.”

*Laughing* you also look super adorable Miley. Yeah, long time since last. Well, come on in.

The day was turning out great for the two. The breakfast session presented a good avenue for the two to open up, bond and generally get snug around each other. She would constantly laugh out loud and slap his arm. Ray felt good that she was having a great time. It all looked like a script off a Mexican soap opera.

It was around mid-morning when they set out. Ray had planned an excursion of sorts for Miley. He was going to take her along in his photography sessions. He had packed his bag pack with his camera and lenses, stands and other several accessories. In a different bag, he had stuffed snacks and wine for a picnic; Miley had no idea that the guy had this idea in mind.

Nandi provided the perfect terrain for photography as well as a picnic site. The evergreen landscape accentuated with rocky riverbeds and clean rivers that flowed all year round.

Ray was excited. He set up his tools of trade and started snapping away, occasionally showing Miley how to take good shots. The two were getting cozy with each other. They would run around in the green field, sit on the river bed with their legs immersed into the water; playfully splashing water on each other.

It as noon and the sun was getting hot.

“Let’s get to the shade, I have something for you,” Ray said.

“Sure! I was wondering when you’d say that. My skin is tanning already!” she said amidst her salient smile.

He got up, stretched out his hand and pulled her up from the river bed and carried her. She would scream and shout asking him to put her down. Ray would here none of this as he held her firmly and ran towards the shade. She loved it.

Miley looked at him, with a smile dancing on her lips, as he set the cloth and prepared the nibbles he had carried in the backpack. He looked back at her and winked. She giggled shyly.

They finished their snacks and were sipping slowly on the Moscato wine as they got along with their catching up. Ray had hoped that he would let her know about his feelings for her as they dined. He however had second thoughts on the issue. Was it too soon? How would she react to it? What if I fail and this was the only time I would get? He wondered.

“Tunasimama kidogo Nakuru. Tuko na dakika kama kumi na tano kisha tuendelee,” (We are stopping over for about 15 minutes in Nakuru then we’ll continue with the journey) shouted the driver; startling Ray off his day dreaming.

He sat up and looked at his watch. It was already two hours since they had left Kericho. He put his now wet camera back in his bag thanks to the sweat from his hands.

He looked at his phone. He had 3 missed calls, 2 text messages and a few conversations on WhatsApp. He hadn’t heard his phone ring or vibrate as it was on silent mode. He quickly checked through to see who had tried to reach him, hoping he would get a text or better yet a missed call from Miley.

“Hearing your voice right now would do me good Miley…come-on! I’m sure you have at least called” he thought out aloud as he checked through his phone. She hadn’t hollered. He was pissed.

He angrily grabbed his water bottle and alighted off the bus which had now parked at a filling station and restaurant for the stopover.