replay, presuming I had seen every town in Africa. Sometime I had to remind him it was a huge continent and not a little suburb where everyone knew each other. Truthfully the only other country I had been to in Africa was Namibia and that was just for a one week camping trip. But I loved our discussion, he always kept me entertained, and it gave me a chance to reminisce about home.
It just so happened, his wife who was a realtor was looking to get the small two bedroom house off the market. From the moment I saw the house I knew that was the place Layla and I would start our family. A quaint little free standing house comprised of two bedrooms one bath room a back yard and single garage. But it was enough for us, and at the price I was about to buy it for, was almost unbelievable. I was about to land a lifelong investment. I mean the area alone was of such high standard there was no way property prices did anything accept rise. It was an amazing area, just like you would see in the movies. Graffiti and urine free, with green grass, safe streets and even mail boxes shaped like big golf balls and little houses lining the road. The only negative I could find would be the commute to work. It was a twenty minute drive out of the city but it felt as if you had stepped into an entirely different universe.
It was a Friday Night, I had just arrived home from work, I shook the snow off my shoulders and embraced the warmth of the apartment. As I hung up my coat and kicked off my boats of I saw Layla’s coat was not on the rack.
”Layla...Layla, babe I’m home, where are you?” absolute silence the only thing heard was my unanswered echoes which bounced off the empty apartment.
”Layla” I shouted again, this was peculiar; usually she was there to meet me at the door on the weekend.
She never worked weekends and always made sure she got us takeout so she could keep me out of the kitchen and all to herself. I went to the bedroom cautiously, I knew how she used to love jumping out of little corners and crevasses scaring the life out of me, to her it was the funniest thing on earth when I screamed like a girl.
”Babe you in here, hello...Layla are you home love?” Nothing, the guest bedroom was as quite as our room.
I sat on the coach wondering where she could be in this freezing weather. Then the lights went off and the stereos lights began flashing, ‘”Your everything I need, your all I ever want, I stand right by your side, and love when you around, ”I smiled it was Hudson Green’s unconditional love track, the same song I as singing on the day I bumped into her for the first time in the hall way. The bathroom door opened and she walked out with nothing on but her red lace underwear I had bought her a few months back on Valentine’s Day. I smiled thrilled to see her, even more thrilled to see what she was wearing!
“I’ve got something special planned for you Mr.”
“Oh really Hmm, and what may that be?”
She walked towards me slowly and seductively. She sat on my lap then kissed me up and down my neck.
”Wait here” she ordered then, rushed to the room. She made her way towards me with one arm hidden behind her back.
”close your eyes Cairo. ’
”Babe”, I laughed Okay they closed.”She placed the box in my hand. I opened my eyes. Brand new K. T pennies watch, it was stunning.
I gave her a look as though I was totally unaware of what was going on and she read it well.
” You forgot... how could you forget Cairo?!”
”Forget what Layla?”
She sprung out my lap and stormed towards the bedroom. I casually got out my seat. Oh how I loved when she got angry, her nose would crinkle and her cheeks would redden.” I went to my jacket pocket and took out a black box with a red ribbon strapped around it. Then I went to the room door.
“Babe please let me in,”
”Just leave me alone Cairo, this was so important to me, this was our sixth month anniversary.”
”You promised me, you made a promise Cairo...you lied to me.”I could hear the disappointment in her voice, the joke was over it was time to get serious.
“Babe I need to talk to you, what’s the big deal it’s only a silly sixth month anniversary? It’s not like I forgot your birthday or something?”
At this point disappointment had turned to anger I could hear her marching from the bed to the door, She swung the door open ready to get straight into me, and found me on one knee.
”Will you marry me?” Her eyes started tearing up, she pulled me off the ground wrapped her arms around me and said
“Yes, yes of course I’ll marry you!” how could I ever forget babe? I laughed and she thumped my chest then squeezed me again.
I woke up the next day, and found Layla already awake, awkwardly watching me as I slept.
“Morning creepy!” She laughed then pushed my head aside.
Everything was going well, I suggested we go get some breakfast then watch a movie. This was going to be one hell of a Saturday. We had so much to do and so many people to call. Well on my side that is, ever since I was with Layla we never spoke about her family she always shut the topic down and all I knew was the mother and Father died in a car accident and she had no siblings. But that was okay my family would be her new family she had been without for so long. I chose to keep the secret about the house exactly that, a secret. I did not want to get her hopes up until the transfer went through and the house was officially ours.
Seeing her smile that morning is a site I will never forget and even though that one special moment still comes to mind, it is soon replaced by the vast blanket of horrific images which occurred on that day. And that was the day when it all went so wrong, the relevance of the actions which took place were of the utmost importance as to why I have become who I am. In a sick way what happened on that day almost killed me, but ironically was the main reason I was still alive. I was not the only one affected by the events of the day, oh no. Keeping me alive was going to change the lives of thousands even hundreds of thousands around me. These events would change my life and change who I had become and no matter how drastically I felt effected by what had happened on this day, it was a fraction of the pain I was about to go through. I was about to learn how coincidence and a bit of bad luck saved my life.