Simon was such a dependable chap that his friends trusted him totally. He was a compact figure whose trousers fitted him so well that they always accentuated his tight buttocks. His clothes were ever neat, his trousers well-pressed, the hem sitting on his shoes comfortably without exposing too much shoe, yet not so long that they were forced to fold. He was so trim that he hardly had any paunch to his tummy. Everything about him spoke of a man of disciplined habits.
He had held the post of treasurer of their society for several years, during which no other candidate had been offered at the annual general meetings. His reports were so clear that nobody in the 15-strong membership ever had any doubts over their money affairs. Not only that, but he was a great organiser, managing the logistics of say, the annual retreat which took place on the last weekend of February with great precision and to everyone's satisfaction. He even managed the rooming lists with ease, as he seemed to know personal traits of each person so that each pairing was always very cordial. The men of the group had gone to the same high school and had roped in their spouses, growing to be a tight-knit community over the years.
There was the year when three of his close friends decided that they would go white-water rafting at the Sagana Resort after the retreat. This raised the question of how two of the wives would go home, as they did not favour the roughness of wild places.
This was when Simon's only fault came to the fore again: that he feared water and could not stand more than a bathtub of it. Even then he did not really feel comfortable. On the last evening of the retreat the three couples and Simon discussed the matter. Three men would remain behind with one wife, they concluded, while Simon would take the two wives back to the city with him. Bernice and Sheila assured everyone they would be ok with that plan.
Bernice was a tall, light-skinned banker married to Joshua, the coordinator of the youth ministry of his church. He was such a stern man that many wondered how he fitted in with young people. His manner of speech was so matter-of-fact that it was a wonder that he had chosen a post that kept him in the company of raucous teenagers all day. Yet it could be observed that he knew them by name, and whenever he met any of them would stop to have a chat with them. He seemed to know what was going on in their lives, and they in turn showed great affection for him. But his wife felt stifled by his seriousness. Not for the first time she looked at her colleagues at the bank hoping to find some excitement, but none of the interesting males were available to give her even a little of their time; none of them made a move. The ones who came after her were almost always the kind of person who had grown up in the rural areas and come to the city to university or to work. Their manner was coarse, their speech unrefined. They held no interest for her whatsoever.
But in their social circle there was one man who had many of the attributes that she thought she could be attracted to. The treasurer was suave, well-groomed and his conversation was intelligent. Although he had managed each time to pair her with either of the two women in the group that she found most agreeable, sometimes she thought what a scream it would be if he made the mistake of putting her in his room! That however remained only within the realm of fantasy.
On this last retreat, as the couples discussed the home-going arrangements she thought the conclusions could hardly have favored her better had she been making them herself. Now she saw an opportunity to have Simon all to herself once they got back into the city. She would make sure Sheila would be dropped first then she would take him to the Nairobi Gymkhana for the evening. That night in her bed, her mind produced many scenarios of herself with Simon, some so extreme that their chances of success were slim-to-none.
In the morning the seven people met in the parking lot for departure from the retreat venue, one car with four of them to Sagana resort and the other taking three back to the city.
"No monkey business when we leave you behind, eh?" said Sheila.
"I am hopelessly outnumbered here," shot back Lucy, the one who was to remain with three guys. "Simon, you better watch out for Sheila. You heard where her mind is already straying!"
Simon laughed easily. "I am well chaperoned, my dear!" Bernice's heart gave a start at the irony of Simon's words, even though he could not have been aware of her plans.
Hugs were exchanged freely before they climbed into the cars and driving off. For twenty kilometres they travelled the same route before the Sagana contingent peeled off towards their destination. Bernice had made sure that she would be in the front passenger seat, allowing Simon to see her legs, suggestively revealed by her light cotton dress. She made sure to part her legs just far enough to give him a glimpse of the side of her thigh.
"Have we dozed back there?" Simon craned his neck sideways without taking eyes off the road.
"Yeah, I am a bit sleepy, though I don't know why. We have slept very well. Lucy is a very good roommate," murmured Sheila drowsily.
"It's the effect of too much food, I suspect. I too, am feeling like dropping off."
"Don't you dare leave me all alone on this road, girls!"
Some desultory conversation followed for some kilometres. Some time later, Simon became aware that he was, despite his earlier warning, all alone with two dozing women. He fought to keep awake but he was suddenly returned to full alertness by the loud blare of a lorry behind him. Too late he saw that he had wandered into the path of oncoming traffic, and a long-distance bus was bearing down on him. He swerved back into his lane, but his still drowsy brain overcompensated, forcing the car too far left, taking the front left wheel onto the verge of grass. Being so early, the dew was still thick on the ground making things slippery. He felt the car begin a sideways slide down the slope, and in the nick of time reminded himself not to brake. Simon was dimly aware of the lorry hooting as it passed them and continued on its way. Luckily for them all, but to Sheila╒s annoyance (who was still asleep and not aware of the danger) the car hit a mound and in the soft soil finally came to a stop.
They sat quietly in the car for some moments, each breathing heavily. "If that bus had just clipped us in the side, we would be dead meat!" said Simon to no-one in particular.
"What happened?" asked Sheila. Simon narrated the course of events that saw them off the road and in the grass, but leaving out his brief lapse.
Some people had now arrived, and were peering into the car to see if there were any casualties. Simon released the central locking allowing them swing the door open. He pulled himself up to a standing position.
"Are you hurt?" one woman asked him. He touched himself all over, but could not find any injury.
"No, I don't think so," he replied. The two women also emerged with a bit of help from the onlookers. They also proved to be unhurt, although they were a bit dusty. Simon inspected the car's wheels and they seemed to have escaped harm. The villagers then helped push the car back onto the road, whereupon Simon started it again. The engine roared into life so they simply gave the helpers a low-denomination currency note and left.
Bernice noticed that Simon was looking her way more often. Not that she minded, but this heightened activity puzzled her. He shot her a quick glance again, and this time she noticed that his eyes were aimed at her lap. It was only then that she noticed that her hands had been between her thighs, pressing down rather hard; she was surprised. Maybe in the midst of the tension after the near-accident she was tense. This however meant that she had inadvertently pushed her dress between her open thighs and exposed more of knee and thigh than she had done on purpose! Her first impulse was to put matters to rights at once. But she reminded herself this was not all bad. Instead she concertinaed her thighs a few times, apparently absentmindedly. As they neared the city Sheila pronounced herself so sleepy that she wanted to be first to be dropped, making Bernice's task that much easier. So they did.
As they were leaving Sheila's gate, Simon noticed Bernice smiling to herself.
