I wanted to leave immediately, but then we decided that we would have one more round of poker. I was sure that I would win this round, so I was getting my mind into it, mending one strategy after another, waiting for the next person who would say they were kadi alafu akule zake tano. The game was intriguing; nobody dared even sip a pint of water. We were all eyes until we got a knock on the door.

She was a pretty lady, probably in her mid-twenties, and she wore a dress top. She said, “Ni stima zimeenda huku ama? I was wondering, “Niaje kwetu kumezima tu.” We all shifted our attention to her, then she continued, “Oh, I’m Lorna. I’m sorry for disrupting you. I was over at my son’s friend’s house; they have a birthday party.”