The next few days moved like molasses - slow, sticky, draining. Emma kept herself busy. Between helping Ruth, attending to the office with Mr. Muli still gone, and squeezing in moments with Lia, her world felt like a fragile stack of glass plates - one wrong move and everything would shatter.
It was Thursday afternoon when Ruth brought her lunch, the two sitting side by side under the shade of the overhanging roof.
"You ever thought of leaving this city?" Ruth asked.
Emma chewed slowly. "Every day."
"To where?"
"Don't know. Maybe somewhere quieter. Less expensive. Somewhere I can breathe."
Ruth smiled wistfully. "You and me both."
A few hours later, Mr. Kimani showed up at the office. Emma hadn't seen him in a while - he was usually quiet, reserved. He handed over a file Ruth had requested, then turned to Emma.
"Hey," he said. "I heard about the landlord issue."
Emma's body stiffened. "From who?"
Ruth lifted her hand guiltily. "I didn't say much. He just overheard me stressing out about it."
Kimani scratched the back of his head. "I'm not trying to intrude. Just... if you ever need someone to talk to, or a place to sit quietly for a while - I know a small rooftop café that no one ever visits. It helps me breathe when I feel buried."
Emma looked at him. Not with suspicion, not with warmth either. Just curiosity.
"Thanks," she said. Nothing more.
That evening, after putting Lia to bed, Emma stared at the cracked ceiling of their room. The cracks reminded her of herself - broken, but still holding things together. She wondered what life would feel like without the weight.
She thought of Kimani. Not romantically, just as a possible human escape - a calm presence. But even then, she doubted. Doubting was safer than trusting.
Outside, it rained again.
To be continued.....