The driver met them at the junction with the man road to Nanyuki, the town commonly known as 'mwisho wa reli' meaning the railway terminus. He showed her the famous peaks of the mountain covered in sparkling snow to her, explaining the highest was called Lenana, then the next highest Mbatian. She looked up in wonder, when he explained that the sight was a rare one. Most of the time it was covered in thick clouds. She also learnt that the country took its name from this, its highest mountain, and Africa's second highest.
"Wow, its so wonderful to be here!"
Morita was the general manager of operations at the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, where she had worked for just over eighteen months, since being transferred from the Tanzania office. Due to that fact she could speak very fluent Kiswahili.
Mitch was the Training and Customer Support Manager at Comprite Applecentre. He was responsible for all customer relations, dealing with clients at all levels. Morita had called one morning in her first month on the job and was put through to him. She had found his voice so reassuring and her problem was solved so efficiently that she formed the habit of calling him even on minor issues. Overlaying this professional contact, there developed a liking for each other, unacknowledged by either of them for almost a year. Yet he felt an elation whenever the receptionist put a call through and told him it was Morita. If he had been out when she called, the 'While you were away' slip would be among those waiting for him when he got back. Invariably he called Morita first.
She formed the habit of receiving his call with a few words of Kiswahili. He always found it amusing that a woman from the other side of the globe could speak such good Kiswahili.
"My computer has gone stale," she would say to him in that language, while he understood that she meant her computer had frozen up. He would then tell her what to try out. If all that failed then he would send a software technician to 'sort her out'. There was hardly any reason for him to call her as debt collection was a function of the accounts department.
But one afternoon he did call. "Morita, I am inviting you to Grand Regency Hotel on the 13th of next month," he said after greetings were done.
She laughed into the phone for a few moments. "I had been wondering when you were going to invite me for lunch!" She chuckled down the line.
If he had any doubts about the possibility of dating her, they had come tumbling down, he thought. Instead he said, "The event starts at 14:30, so you had better come well fed."
"What event?"
"We are showing the new range of computers from Apple released at the WWDC earlier this month."
"Oh, I love new toys!"
"Great! I will send the invites later in the week," he said. "And by the way, that lunch you have just mentioned does not have to wait until next month you know!"
"Don't give me too short a notice, mark you!" So a date was a definite thing now. His heart beat wildly at that prospect.
From that point their relationship changed more and more to become personal, yet retaining its professional quality. Whenever she came to the office to collect something she made sure he knew before her arrival. Soon comments began to be made about his friendship with Morita.
She was a short woman, with a lean frame which made her seem very light on her feet, and gave her an athletic air. He often wondered if she was also agile in bed. 'One day,' he promised himself.
In the event he did not keep her waiting for too long. He called her with a date two days later. She replied that she was busy on the proposed day with a series of meetings, but the Friday of that week would work for her. His diary for that day had a callout to another customer in Karen. He called to reschedule that for later in the afternoon, and with feeble protests that customer agreed. The way was now wide open for their lunch date.
He took her to Beneva Restaurant where they did traditional local dishes. He wanted her to sample whole tilapia deep fried, with fried onions on the side, accompanied by ugali. Morita, in all her time both in Tanzania and in Kenya had never had it like that.
"I have had ugali with green vegetables, or with meat. But this fish is delicious!"
"Like me," he flung at her daringly.
"Says who?" She was looking at him with lowered head, but eyes boring into his.