03/09/2023
Break These Walls
Written by Chibilika J Moono
Chapter 1
Mia walked into her boutique that morning looking stunning. She wore a beautiful, short floral dress from her collection, and paired it with gold sandals. Her black Indian hair weave was fully blown out and danced about her shoulders. The bridge of her nose was adorned with her favourite sunglasses, and a Prada handbag slung over her shoulder. She had turned a few heads on her way in. In one hand she held her iPhone, scrolling through her WhatsApp. In the other, she held a custom-made flask filled with hot, black coffee. She had her coffee no other way.
As soon as she stepped into the boutique her three employees abandoned the Facebook post they were reading on the Mwebantu page and trotted to their respective stations. Mwaka and Mwinji helped customers with their shopping; they carried their clothes and helped them find items, even convincing them to buy more items to pair with their selections. These girls were good at convincing customers to buy more and were the main reason the boutique was doing well. Susan was not only the cashier, but she also made sure the boutique ran smoothly. Deep down Mia knew she had a great team and the girls felt more like friends than employees.
“Good morning, Mia,” the three ladies said together.
“Good morning,” Mia said. “Let’s be superstars today!” She walked to her office. It was located at the back of the boutique.
Her office was the place where her designs came to life. She was one of the most sought-after designers in the country and had back-to-back orders; mostly from brides because if there was something Mia did well, it was make gorgeous wedding dresses. Wedding dresses were her favourite thing to make although she never planned on ever wearing one. Love and marriage were far-fetched ideas for her. She was already fulfilled in life and could not ask for more. There were some days she yearned for kids, but the joy of her success made her realize she was better off without them -she had no time for children.
She set her handbag beside her drawing desk and took off her sunglasses. This was her favourite place in the world, where she could be completely herself. Here, she fell completely in love with her creations and enjoyed every moment, from their conception to their birth.
Mia tied her Indian hair into a ponytail and sat at her drawing desk, taking a sip from her flask. Coffee helped her stay focused. She pulled out her drawing pad from her drawer and began to work on her latest project. She was almost done designing a mermaid wedding gown. Mia could almost see the bride looking stunning in it. She began to draw and let herself get lost in the process.
Moments later her phone started ringing beside her. It was her mother calling. “Hi, Mum.”
“Good morning, darling,” Lucy said. “How are you?”
“I’m good. How are you?”
“Spectacular. What are you up to?”
“I’m working,” Mia sat back in her chair and put her pencil down. “How’s your morning?”
“It’s Alright, we’re going cake tasting this afternoon,” Lucy said excitedly. “Rodger knows a really good baker and she’s prepared cake samples for us to try.”
“That sounds exciting,” Mia inspected her nails and decided she needed a fresh manicure.
“Of course it is!” Lucy affirmed. “I can’t wait, but I think I will go traditional this time. My last wedding had a fancy cake, and we all know how that marriage turned out.”
Mia let out a sigh. “Of course. How could I forget wedding number three?”
“Don’t start,” Lucy’s voice stiffened. “Darling, are you busy this afternoon?”
“No. Do you want to have lunch before your cake tasting?”
“I have someone for you to meet!” Lucy said.
“No Mum! We talked about this,” Mia complained. “You can’t keep setting me up on blind dates.”
“Dar-.”
“I never like any of the guys you choose!” Mia cut her short.
“Forgive me for not wanting you to end up alone,” Lucy defended herself.
“I’m perfectly happy.”
“No, you’re not. You’re lonely.”
“Ugh, Mum!”
“Listen, darling, this young man is a catch. He’s got money and you won’t have to work.”
“I love my work,” Mia reminded her.
“Yeah, but just in case it collapses. You can fall back on him.”
“Thanks for having no faith in my business,” Mia said.
“You design clothes, let’s be realistic.”
Mia ignored her. “With all due respect, Mum, I am not interested.”
“I already told him you’d meet him for lunch.”
“What!”
“Yeah, so be at Spur at twelve.”
Mia shook her head. “Tell him something came up and I can’t make it.”
“Too late. I’m sending him your number right now.”
“Mum, no!”
“Love you, bye!” Lucy said and ended the call.
“Mum!” Mia stared at her phone in disbelief. She could not believe her mother was doing this to her again! She hated blind dates and all the guys her mother picked for her were never her type; too short, too bald, too loud, too pompous, the list was endless. If Mia were ever to end up with someone, it would have to be someone funny, good-looking, creative, and fun. But even that was far-fetched because she’d never a guy like that.
She browsed through her contacts and dialled Khakie’s number to complain.
“Hi!” Khakie answered cheerily.
“Hey, how are you?”
“Good, how are you?” Khakie asked.
“Irritated.”
“Why, what’s up?”
Mia sighed and covered her face with her free hand. “My Mum’s done it again.”
“Oh no!” Khakie groaned. “When is the date?”
“At noon.”
“Can’t you back out?”
“She told him I already said yes.”
“Well, at least you’ll get free food.”
Mia laughed and sat straighter. “Do you think I should go? I’m kind of over the whole blind date thing.”
“Just go see what he is about,” Khakie said. “If you don’t like him, text me and I’ll call you faking an emergency.”
“You’re the best.”
“It’s my job,” Khakie said. “I have to go. My boss is calling for me. I’ll call you after work.”
“Okay, later.” Mia ended the call and returned to her design. She let herself get lost in the process again and by the time it was 11:30hrs, she was done. She eyed the drawing and loved what she saw. Now, she could spend the afternoon sewing it into existence after her dreadful date.
She took her handbag off the floor and placed it on her desk, she took out her make-up bag and powdered her face. Then she applied another layer of lipstick over her faded first coat. She untied her hair and run a brush through it. She stood up and adjusted her dress, threw on her sunglasses, packed up her phone and make-up bag, and headed out the door. When she walked into the boutique, there were a few clients in the store, browsing through her clothes. Every piece of clothing in the store was something she had made. From jeans to vests, skirts, and blouses. She loved to make clothes; it was her passion. She’d poured her heart and soul into each piece of clothing.
Mia walked over to Susan and asked, “how are sales going?”
“Great. We’ve sold over K1,500 already,” Susan answered.
“Terrific,” Mia said. She tapped the counter lightly with her nails. “I’m going out for lunch.”
“Alright,” Susan said.
“Don’t forget to lock up when you guys leave for lunch.”
“I won’t,” Susan promised.
Mia walked out of the boutique and got into her car. As she started the engine, her phone started ringing. She pulled it out of her bag and answered it. “Hello?”
“Hi, is this Mia?” the stranger asked.
“Yes.”
“Great. I got your number from your mum,” said the stranger.
Mia cringed knowing it was her blind date.
“I decided to change venues,” he continued, “how’s Ocean Basket?”
Mia sighed, she wished she didn’t have to go. “That’s fine,” she said. Seafood seemed like a better option anyway. She was tired of eating the same kind of food on every blind date.
“Should I pick you up?”
“No!” Mia said quickly. If she needed to escape, she needed her vehicle.
“O… kay. I’m just trying to be a gentleman.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll find my way,” Mia said.
“Alright. I’ll see you in a few,” he said before ending the call.
Mia put her phone back in her bag and drove off. She hated every second of the drive. She especially hated blind dates and could never figure out what to say to a person she just met other than ‘how are you?’ In a way, she was introverted but very extroverted with people she knew.
She parked her car in the Manda Hill car park and turned off the engine. She looked at herself in the rear-view mirror and quickly powdered her face again. She hopped out of the car and walked towards the restaurant. A few steps away from the entrance to the restaurant, without minding her step, she accidentally tripped and just as she was about to land face-first on the ground, someone caught her and steadied her.
“Thank you!” she gasped.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, letting go of her.
“Oh my gosh!” she ran a hand through her hair. “You just saved me from showing up for a blind date with a bruised face.”
“Really?” he laughed and then paused. He arched an eyebrow and asked. “Is there any chance your name is Mia?”
“Yes, why?” she asked and then paused too. “Are you-.”
“I’m your blind date,” he smiled and they shared a laugh. “I can already tell that I’m your knight in shining armour.”
Mia laughed. “You’re so corny.”
He shrugged. “That’s because I’m trying to impress you,” he said. “By the way, you’re very beautiful.”
Mia smiled and shyly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and pretended not to be flattered. “Do you say that to every girl?”
“Only to the ones who are beautiful,” he said, meeting her eyes.
Mia couldn’t stop her smile as she locked eyes with him and for a moment it felt like time stood still.
“Let’s get seated,” he broke the spell. “After you, beautiful.”
Mia grinned and led the way; deep down she liked being called beautiful. They walked into the restaurant and picked a corner table.
“Great spot,” he said, sitting forward with his hands interlocked on the table. “This way we won’t disturb anyone when I make you laugh.”
“You think you can make me laugh?” Mia raised an eyebrow.
“I do,” he smiled. “When I get you to laugh, we’re going on a second date.”
“What makes you think I would want to go on a second date with you?” Mia sat forward too and looked him straight in the eyes. “I just met you.”
“You don’t have to want to, you just have to laugh,” he said, staring right back at her.
Mia tried to stop a smile from curling her lips upwards. He was good.
“Don’t fight it!” he said as a waitress approached them and handed them menus. “Anything to drink?”
“Sparkling water,” Mia answered, “and then apple juice when my food comes.”
“Alright, what will you be having, sir?” the waitress asked him.
“I’ll have orange juice,” he said.
“Alright, I’ll be back with your drinks,” the waitress said and walked away.
“Tell me something, who put you up to this?” Mia asked, flipping through the menu.
“Our blind date?” he asked.
“Mhmm.”
“My Dad,” he said embarrassed. “He’s a friend of Rodger’s. He met your mum and he said she kept gushing about her amazing daughter who refuses to settle down. So, my dad told her about his amazing son who is too busy to find love and they decided to set us up.”
Mia laughed and shook her head in embarrassment. “How sad for the both of us.”
“You laughed!” he said excitedly.
Mia’s eyes bulged “I didn’t!” she tried to fight the laugh that was rising within her but couldn’t stop it; she burst into laughter.
“You’re laughing right now,” he pointed out and joined her. Together they erupted into laughter. Eventually, they stopped and wiped away their tears. “You know what? I like you already.”
“You’re not so bad yourself,” Mia smiled. “Usually, my dates are awkward, and I can’t think of what to say but I feel like it’s different with you.”
“I feel the same way,” he said, “plus we started on a good note, I saved you from a terrible fall.”
Mia laughed again. “Right.”
“That third laugh constitutes the third date,” he said.
Mia gave him a suspicious eye. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you’re trying to book me for a whole month.”
“Can I?” He asked.
Mia laughed again. “Easy, let’s start with three dates.”
“Okay.” He smiled triumphantly and dropped his gaze on the menu. “What are you having?”
“Tough choice,” Mia flipped through the pages.
“I’ll have prawns and the king flip,” he said. “I like prawns.”
“I think I will have prawns and mussels,” Mia decided.
“Good choice, I like mussels too,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind that I brought us to a seafood restaurant.”
“I don’t,” Mia said, “it’s refreshing, compared to my other dates where I order the same food every time. I like seafood.”
“Great, we have something in common already,” he said.
“Yeah,” Mia smiled. “So, what do you do?”
“I run a construction company with my father.”
“That’s what keeps you too busy to find love?”
“Yeah, I’m a bit of a workaholic,” he said, “you’ll find out soon enough. I have a vision of where I see our company and I’m trying to get us there. That means working long hours and sometimes through the weekend.”
“I see.”
“Yeah,” he nodded. “What about you? I heard you’re a designer.”
“I am,” Mia said proudly, “I own a boutique stocked with clothes I made.”
“Really! I’ll have to come over and have a look.”
“You should. It’s a pretty, little space.”
“Nice,” he grinned. “I bet it has a touch of your personality.”
“A little bit,” Mia nodded smiling. “I’ll have to come and see you in action at your company too, Mr Too-busy-to-find-love.”
“I’m a true workaholic, you’ll see,” he said.
“Can’t wait,” Mia said, and then she realized, “wait a minute. I don’t even know your name.”
“I was wondering how long it would take you to figure out that you don’t know your knight in shining armour’s name,” he teased. Mia rolled her eyes and laughed. “I’m Likoji.”
“Nice to meet you, Likoji.”
“The pleasure is mine,” he said as the waitress returned with their drinks.
“Would you like to place your orders?” the waitress asked after she gave each of them their drink.
“I’ll have prawns and mussels,” Mia said.
“Would you like to pair that with rice or fries?” the waitress asked.
“Um…. fries.”
She scribbled down Mia’s order and turned to Likoji. “What would you like to have, sir?”
“Prawns and the king flip,” Likoji said. “I’ll also have mussels in garlic sauce as an appetizer. Would you like the same?”
“Sure,” Mia said.
The waitress wrote that down and disappeared into the kitchen.
Mia sipped her water. “So, why do you let your busy life keep you from finding love?”
Likoji’s lips curled into a smile. “Being busy isn’t the real reason I’m single. I’m just not looking. So, I immerse myself in work,” he sipped his orange juice. “Why do you refuse to settle down?”
“I don’t believe in love and relationships,” Mia said. “It’s a sham. There’s nothing good about it, only pain. I know more people from broken homes than from whole ones. Every time I scroll through Facebook there’s a meme about how horrible men are or how deceitful women have become. All I see is people hurting each other and I don’t want to be part of it. I’d rather not get burned.”
Likoji gave her a thoughtful look. “That’s deep. I’d like to break down that wall.”
“What wall? I don’t have a wall.”
“You do,” he said, “you’re afraid.”
Mia shook her head. “I’m not afraid. I’m being cautious. And if you were smart, you’d join me on this bandwagon.”
“Unlike you, I believe in love and relationships,” he leaned closer. “But you strike me as someone who got burned and never got healed.”
Mia took another sip from her glass. “I don’t believe in love. That’s all,” she said as a final statement. “That has nothing to do with healing.”
Likoji nodded and sat back, then belted out, “I can show you the world. Shining, shimmering, splendid. Tell me, princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?” he sang a line from A Whole New World from Aladdin.
Mia looked around in astonishment, wondering what was happening, and then covered her mouth and giggled.
“I can open your eyes. Take you wonder by wonder. Over sideways and under on a magic carpet ride,” he continued to sing, dramatically holding his chest with one hand.
“Please stop,” Mia waved her hands at him to stop as she tried to stop her giggles.
“I’m taking you to go see Aladdin this weekend,” Likoji said, “it’s the best movie of 2019. And I’m getting a Jasmine vibe from you. You’re sheltered…you are kind of in a bubble.”
“I am not!” Mia protested.
“We’re going to see the movie and then you’ll know what I’m talking about.”
“And who are you, Aladdin?”
“Of course.”
“You do realize that Aladdin was a liar and a thief?”
Likoji slapped his forehead. “You have no romantic bone in you. You can’t go see the movie with that mindset. It will ruin the movie.”
“Okay, fine,” Mia said. “I’ll go in with an open mind.”
“Much better,” Likoji said.
The waitress returned with their food, and they dug in. Savouring their food, they enjoyed great conversation with each other and by the time it was time to leave, neither one wanted to go.
~~~
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