Luna
I watch as Elle drives from Nakuru to Nairobi from our vacation, the radio at a volume that should be illegal. She's singing along so loud that I have to throw a side eye her way. Don't even get me with lyrics. They are totally made up.
I'm still happy for her though. Two weeks ago, she was in a relationship with an abuser. A man who didn't actually love her but wanted to control her life. But she's free with my help. I'm happy to have helped her through it.
I watch as we pass buildings and trees out the window. I'm feeling a little too low. But I'm trying to act okay.
Elle lowers the volume and looks at me, I look back at her, trying my best not to look away from her nosy eyes.
"Okay, talk." She says.
"Why should I do that? I'm listening to your terrible singing and enjoying the view."
"You are extra grumpy. I mean you are always grumpy, but this is too much. I can hear you thinking over the loud volume. You are brooding."
"I'm not brooding, Elle. I don't brood. And I'm okay."
"You are not okay, Luna. You were watching me swim instead of getting into the water with me."
"I'm afraid of large water bodies."
"Mmmh, whatever you say ma'am." She doesn't sound convinced. At all..
How do I tell her that I can't wear anything that would show my figure or skin? That I wear baggy clothes because I think I'm too fat? That even if I get into the water because water makes my clothes clingy to my body, showing what my body looks like?
So yeah, I stuck to the I'm afraid of water allegations but no one actually buys it. But also no one pushes and I really appreciate that.
"It's okay not to be okay, Moon. Everyone has their moments. And just because you feel lost doesn't mean that you are weak. You are just human. Look at me, I tried to hide the fact that I was suffering but I almost broke. You don't want to get there. To the broken part."
"That was almost poetic. When did you get this smart?" I tease her.
"I've always been. You just don't listen to me. and stop changing the topic, Moon. When you are ready, can you share with me what is disturbing you? Me and Darcy of course. She wouldn't take it well if we hid it from her."
That's true, Darcy would kill us.
"I'm not going through anything, Elle." The lie tastes bitter on my tongue. She looks at me with a 'liar' look.
"If you say so." She returns her eyes to the road. "Moon, I might have been going through something but I still see you, okay?" She looks at me again. "Please, love, don't shut me out, okay?"
"I won't shut you out."
She exhales deeply, planning to push but thinks otherwise.
"The girl, Anna, called me this morning." She changes the topic and I'm thankful for it. "She wanted to say thank you that we helped with her foster dad."
"She doesn't know we put matters in our hands. And that's good because she deserves better. Her adoptive parents were asses."
"I agree. You have a therapy appointment with her tomorrow, right?"
"Yes. The first one. She called me shaking from a nightmare a few nights ago."
"I wish her well."
"Me too."
Anna was abused and assaulted by her adoptive dad while her adoptive mom assumed that she was lying until she couldn't handle it and found Rielle's contact online. Reille is a lawyer who takes cases of women and children who need rescuing. Elle helped her with the whole police process and later represented her in court. She was able to put the man in custody but he got out with a bail of KSH 200,000 since he still claimed to be innocent and is also a well known man. He's, I think , a village chief. The law was quite unfair so we took matters in our own hands and kidnapped him, took him to our warehouse and taught him a lesson.
Since Darcy, my other best friend who is a trauma surgeon, was not around to help us with the surgery for his balls, we did it ourselves this time without anesthesia. It was a bloody mess. He even shit himself. Of course we did not forget to carry gloves. Too bad we forgot to carry anaesthesia drugs. After we were done with him we called his stupid wife. She came in a light speed to find her hubby screaming to the top of his voice, can you believe she cried for that douche? We tied her up to a chair and interrogated her but she still did not admit to knowing that her husband was hurting the girl.
Of course there was no way we would have left her, okay we had to do something. We beat the shit out of her while her husband watched. It felt better than sex to watch them suffer. You should have seen Elle's smirk while doing so. It was not even enough considering the amount of suffering the little girl had to go through. During the next hearing they both pleaded guilty without hesitation probably thinking that they'd be safe in jail but trouble still follows them there since even the inmates often find rapists and people who abuse kids disgusting.
"Darcy was furious." I laugh. Darcy is a trauma surgeon. So what we did drove her over the edge.
"I know," she laughs, "She said that we should have waited for her. That doing surgery without a surgeon present was the most stupid decision we have ever made. She used the word irresponsible like ten times."
"She actually called us impulsive and stupid. I have never been so offended in my life." That makes both of us laugh at the memory.
This is who we are. Fierce women who protect the oppressed. We use the law and when it doesn't help, we take matters into our own hands.
"I miss Darcy. It feels like she has been gone for years." I say.
"Me too. She'll be back in a month."
Darcy went to Sudan for some volunteering camp to help those who can't afford medical treatment. Our other partner in crime.
Elle turns the volume up again and I continue 'brooding' like Elle called it. I really can't wait to get home and soak in a hot bath and drown in my own thoughts. On that note, I text Aunt Mary to prepare me a bath in advance.
I will sit in that water until it cools. I will allow myself to feel everything I've been holding back since the beginning of the vacation. I will allow myself to enjoy the pity party until the water cools, then prepare for my tomorrow's lectures and Anna's therapy session because life doesn't stop when you feel sad.
Elle is singing again, drowning my thoughts.
The city appears on the horizon. I sit up straighter. Putting my walls back on and plastering a smile on my face to avoid questions from aunt Mary.
Elle drops me at my house and drives off. And my face is back to what it usually is. I look like myself. Acting okay is what I'm best at.