Mark woke up early in the morning. He had many things disturbing him. The better part of his mind was thinking about how best he could propose to her long-time girlfriend. He thought it would be better if he did so that particular day, in a surprising manner.
"Good morning love, how was your night", Mark greeted the girlfriend.
"I am good", she responded.
" Today, we will visit Fort Jesus, where we will spend quite some time. Later we shall have our lunch at Mama Ngina drive before heading to the national park", Mark briefed her.
"There is no need to go to the national park. I'm not interested in visiting any park", Shiro emphasized.
Mark, nodding his head, said, "Well noted, let us hurry. We are getting late."
In the spur of a moment, they were ready to leave. They were dressed in unison in bright-colored clothes.
They boarded a vehicle and headed to Fort Jesus, a historical monument in the coastal region.
Shiro was not that happy. It was the last day they were going to be in the coastal region. Their vacation had come to an end, and they had to travel back that particular night.
Their journey to Fort Jesus monument was very slow. There was a heavy traffic jam on the main highway heading there.
All through, they were silent. There was no one who was ready to talk to the others. They only made use of facial expressions. Shiro, ever smiling at her boyfriend, Mark, also smiles back.
They finally arrived at their place of destination. They walked for fifty meters towards the Fort Jesus monument. They were very happy as they had longed to visit the place. They had only read about the historic place in their 0 level education.
"Love, see that man carrying a cat? "Wow! "It's so big. "Is it a genuine cat?" Shiro began the conversation on a high note.
Mark smiled at her; he did not utter anything.
"What! "See this cylindrical object, so unique, huge and black?" Shiro eagerly said.
Mark had to clarify.
"This was an ancient firearm. You see it was strategically located, in all directions, to launch an attack when an enemy came from any side."
Shiro nodded, feeling more excited. She moved closer to having a feel of it.
"Let us move inside the Fort Jesus tower and see what is inside there" Mark commented. They walked in, paid the entry fee at the entrance.
They moved from the first floor to the third one, marveling at what they came into contact with. The room was partially lit, somehow horrific. It was not for the faint-hearted.
It was totally a Swahili culture, everything there associated with them.
On the top floor of the tower, Mark knelt down before the girlfriend. Shiro was very surprised. He took a ring from his pocket and said, "Will you marry me?"
Meanwhile, the people around, approximately twenty, cheered them. Among the people were foreigners. They clapped as they sang a congratulatory song to them.
Shiro stood there, tears rolling down her cheeks. She had yet to accept the proposal. But maybe she was in a tight, difficult to decide.
"Not now" Shiro finally rejected the marriage proposal.
It was a great shame to bear. Mark felt like the world had come to an end. He wished the earth could crack and keep him alive at that particular time.
People were staring at them. A young Asian girl sympathized with Mark and had to say a word of comfort to him.
"Sorry sir, you will find your perfect match", the Asian girl comforted Mark.
"Who are you," Mark stated during the conversation with the Asian girl.
"My name is Millen, a doctor by profession, but I am here for a holiday vacation," she said.
"I am called Mark, a teacher. "Thank you for your concern," Mark continued.
"I am grateful to have met you. "Can I have your phone contact if you don't mind? " Mark requested.
All this time, Shiro had just been following their conversation. When it came to a place to exchange contacts, she became mad. She could not totally allow it to happen. She was too jealous to have it happen.
When Shiro turned dramatic, Millen had to leave.
Meanwhile, people were busy covering live recordings of what was happening. It was now the time for them to trend. Funny memes were made for them and circulated on all major social media platforms
Mark and Shiro had to leave. They were not on good terms and had to cut short their planned activities.
They traveled back to their booked room. All that time, they had not spoken to each other.
While in that room, Mark informed Shiro that they had to leave and go back home. Shiro was shocked and wondered why Mark had to make that decision.
They packed their items, followed the clearance procedure and then left. It was a nice vacation, but now they have cut it short.
They boarded a public vehicle back home. Because of their previous disappointments, they had to sit a few seats away from each other. Shiro sat in the front seat while Mark sat in the back left.
The journey was good. They arrived home at midnight. They walked a few meters to their house.
When they finally arrived home, Mark switched on the television. Their story was being discussed on live television. What a mess! Mark regretted his decision. Their personal affairs had gone viral, hitting major television stations.
A major television show had a controversial headline, 'A pinch of love'.
Meanwhile, Shiro receives a call from her best friend. She was being asked about their viral memes circulating in the media.
Shiro was very disappointed. She accused the fiancé, Mark for having caused them embarrassment.
Mark, on the other hand, had nothing to talk about. He did not want to either think or talk about it.
The two went to sleep, their matter still unsolved. No one was willing to wish each other a good night.