Nina’s love for Mr. Grey was increasing. They visited many places together. Nina stopped her charcoal business because now she was like a town girl. Mr. Grey had changed her.
One day, when they were both in the park, their usual place, Mr. Grey presented a gift to Nina. Guess what! It was a mobile smart phone.
“Wow! This is nice,” she said, receiving the phone.
“No mention,” he said.
“Beib, please teach me how to use it.” She hugged Mr. Grey.
“Don’t worry, I will teach you now: switch it on. By the way, do you like it?”
“Yes!” she said, trying to switch it on using the wrong button.
“Give it to me, let me show you how to switch it on and use it,” he said. Mr. Grey switched the phone on and taught Nina how to use it. Nina snapped a selfie with him and set it as her screen saver. Nina envisioned herself texting her lover each night before falling asleep.
Then, Mr. Grey ordered their usual meal.
“What’s up?” she asked, taking a piece of meat and feeding Mr. Grey. “Why are you staring at me?”
“You are very beautiful and very special to me,” he said, feeding her chips.
“Oh! You are too much!” she touched Mr. Grey on the cheek.
”I want to marry you,” he said, touching her thigh.
”Serious?” she asked, removing Mr. Grey’s hand from her thigh.
”Do you know that I love you a lot?” he stood up and hugged Nina from behind.
This was a surprise to Nina, as she did not expect Mr. Grey to propose to her because of the difference in their wealth. Nina was just a village girl from a poor family, and it was very rare in her community for rich families to marry their children to poor families. She wanted to marry Mr. Grey, but she was having second thoughts. Nina thought about her mother.
How will my mother react?
”What is wrong with you? Why are you not responding?” he asked while touching her hair.
”I love you too,” Nina responded.
Mr. Grey kissed Nina on her forehead, and Nina kissed him on his cheek.
“Oho! You can also kiss?” Mr. Grey asked, holding Nina in his hands tightly to the point that Nina’s breasts were very close to his chest.
”Why not?” Nina asked, trying to remove herself from his hands.
”Kiss me properly then,” said Mr. Grey, still holding Nina tightly.
”Not today,” Nina smiled, feeling very shy.
”I will not leave you until you kiss me,” he said, and he started to kiss Nina’s lips.
It was their first kiss. Nina compared Mr. Grey’s kissing with that of her previous boyfriend. Mr. Grey’s kiss was a little bit harsh. However, Nina liked it and did not want the kiss to end. After kissing Nina for a minute, Mr. Grey stopped.
”Let’s go to Kambiri Lodge beach on Saturday,” he said.
Kambiri Lodge Beach is one of the famous beaches of Lake Malawi that has fresh waters. Many rich people and tourists go there to admire the fresh waters and have fun.
”What are we going to do there?” Nina asked.
”Just chill,” Mr. Grey said, grabbing his car keys and holding Nina’s hand, walking towards where he parked his car.
People go there to sleep, so does Mr. Grey want me to sleep with him? That is impossible! We will see what happens there!
And also, she was afraid of Mr. Grey. The way he grabbed her tightly and kissed her reminded her of how her previous boyfriend tried to force her to sleep with him. Then, Nina overpowered him and ran away, but at the beach, there would be no place to escape. On the other hand, she was excited to see the blue waters of Lake Malawi, as she only knew the lake from the map. And Mr. Grey said he loved her.
Nina opened the door of the car herself, without waiting for Mr. Grey to open it for her.
”It seems you are quite sad,” Mr. Grey said, touching her fingers.
”No, I am not, you know what? I have never visited the lake before, and this will be my first time there.”
”Really?” queried Mr. Grey. “Don’t worry, I will teach you everything,” he said, pulling out the cell phone from his pocket. “Do you know how to swim?” he asked. Taking a selfie with Nina.
”I do,” Nina replied, looking at herself in the mirror of Mr. Grey’s car while standing beside it.
”Where did you learn how to swim, and who taught you?” he asked. He stood up behind Nina’s back, and they looked into the mirror together.
”Mhhhm! My friends taught me how to swim at the river in my village, and I can teach you as well.” Nina laughed, pointing her finger at Mr. Grey’s nose.
”Okay, we will see at the beach,” he said, opening the door of his vehicle and sitting on the seat.
The next weekend, on Saturday, Mr. Grey came to pick up Nina. Nina wore a black dress, a gold belt, gold shoes, and gold bracelets. Nina lied to her parents that she was going to Mr. Grey’s best friend’s birthday celebration.
”Looking good, Nina, but in this outfit at the beach?” Mr. Grey said, opening the door of the vehicle for her.
”What is wrong with this?” Nina asked, hugging Mr. Grey.
”No! There is no problem with your clothes; we will buy the outfits for the beach on our way to Kambiri Lodge,” he said, switching on the engine of his vehicle.
”Okay! So there is special clothing for the beach?” she asked, putting on her seat belt.
Nina had heard a story about life at the lake from her teacher at primary school. Nina thought that going to the beach was for rich people only. The distance to the lake was so long that a person from the village could not afford it.
”Yah! You will see yourself when we reach there,” he said, beginning the drive to Kambiri Lodge.
Mr. Grey stopped at a boutique in town that sells swimwear and the like. He told Nina to try two swimming suits in the fitting room. Nina was very shy to wear such clothes because they showed her whole body. No one had ever seen her body before except her mother, so she was hesitant to let Mr. Grey be the first to see it.
After she tried on the clothes, Nina was quiet.
”Who’s going to wear this?” she asked, putting the swimming attire in a plastic bag.
”Yourself! Why? Not good?” he said, grabbing the plastic bag from Nina’s hands.
”I’m not showing off my body,” Nina said, going out of the shop and walking towards where they parked the car.
Mr. Grey grabbed her hand and told her that that was the dress for the beach. Mr. Grey told Nina that they were going there to swim and have fun.
”No one will even look at your body, no! People go there to enjoy, that’s all,” he said, touching her hair.
Mr. Grey bought the swimsuit for her. When they reached Kambiri Lodge, he had already booked a room for that whole Saturday.
”Wow! Lake Malawi is really beautiful,” she said, jumping toward the waters of the lake.
She had thought that the lake would be like a big dam, but it was larger than any body of water she had ever seen. Nina thought that she was in a foreign land, not Malawi.
Mr. Grey insisted that Nina wear the swimming clothes.
”You see, you are spoiling your clothes. If you really love me, wear this swimming attire,” he said, walking towards the room.
”You know I love you, but this outfit?” she said, coming toward Mr. Grey, but not happy.
”Look around; you will notice that all people are in swimming attire,” he said, grabbing Nina’s hand and walking into the room.
Nina saw many people almost naked, confirming what she had heard from her friends.
”Let me show you where you can change your clothes,” he said, entering together into the booked room.
”Okay fine! I will change, but go outside,” Nina smiled, closing the door of the room.
”Wait! Let me show you my magic touch first,” he said, grabbing Nina in his arms and kissing her. After a while of kissing, they both fell onto the big, luxurious bed, a type of bed that Nina had never slept in before. The bed was so comfortable. Mr. Grey started to touch Nina’s thighs. Nina pushed Mr. Grey out of the bed.
”Why are you so fast?” Nina inquired, stepping out of bed.
”What do you mean?” he asked, grabbing her hand.
”The way you are touching me!” she said, removing his hand from her wrist.
”What’s wrong with that? You are my girl now! I can get anything that I want from you!” he raised his voice.
”Yes, you are my man, but let’s get parent blessings first before getting intimate,” she said. According to Nina’s culture, they were not supposed to be engaged in an intimate relationship before getting the blessing from their parents. But Mr. Grey didn’t seem to care about any of that.
”I am so sorry, Nina, waiting until marriage is an old-fashioned village practice, I want to make love with you now!” he said, pushing her slowly onto the bed.
”I have never slept with a man before, and I don’t think I can handle this now,” she said, still refusing to lay on the soft bed. Nina thought about what her friends told her about sex. Her friends told her that the first time is very painful, and she imagined that she would experience this pain.
Mr. Grey told Nina that they were getting married soon and that there was no harm in making love.
“Wait, wait, promise me that you will not laugh at me when I cry,” she said, while sitting up properly on the comfortable bed.
“Beib! Is this funny? You will not even cry, I promise you,” he said, holding Nina as she lay on the bed.
“Really? But no! Am afraid.” Nina started crying.
“You’re behaving like a little baby; what is wrong with you?” He said, comforting Nina and whispering for her to not raise her voice. Mr. Grey started to kiss Nina again, and Nina accepted. She held her breath, but Mr. Grey noticed this.
“My love, take it easy. I will not harm you,” he said, continuing to kiss her.
Nina felt hurt, but not very much because Mr. Grey understood her as he took it slowly. Mr. Grey told Nina that the second time, she would feel good.
Thereafter, Nina wore the swimming attire and went into the waters of the beach.
“Look at you! Beautiful!” he said, touching her hand.
The bikini fit Nina very well, as she had the right shape and a nice body. Nina felt out of her own body very different in another world. She felt very powerful after her first time having sex.
“Oho! Thank you. Very shy. I am enjoying the waters; I love swimming!” Nina smiled, trying to swim in the lake.
Nina felt relaxed because all the fear and the perception that she had about sex vanished. Mr. Grey had taken it slowly. The beach was crowded with nearly-naked bodies. Nina saw the crowd of rich people enjoying themselves, and this made her forget her village morals and even her mother’s voice disliking Mr. Grey. And also, the shyness toward Mr. Grey ended because everyone saw each other’s nakedness.
20 April, 2023
