THE HONOURABLE MAN

Episode 12

Kiana Ray is a teenage girl who is doted on by her family, her parents are proud of her for she has always been a pleasant child who has caused them no grief. She has always been disciplined, obedient, loving and cheerful. She is also smart and intelligent and hence her parents pay thousands of dollars towards her tuition with pleasure because they are positive she will pass as she always does with flying colours.

Everyone loves Kiana including her colleagues and neighbours and the general population. She is a sweet and generous person who is also humble and respectful. She is the kind of girl who honours and respects the elderly, the kind who would give up her seat for an old person to sit and run to help a blind person cross the street.

She is a typical teenager who loves music, dancing, watching movies and going out. She is spontaneous and has a great sense of humour hence she is ever laughing and cheerful. She comes from a decent family and they are neither rich nor poor but just average. Her mother is a nurse and her father a high school principal.

She is the second born in her family, the first born being her twenty five year older sister Courtney Ray who got married and moved away leaving her with her twelve year old sister Maliah Ray with whom she is best friends with. Maliah is the youngest and the last born in the family she is the humblest and sweetest human being on earth and she thinks of her sister Kiana as her role model.

It’s Thursday evening and Kiana is in her bedroom seated in front of the computer doing a research for her assignment, she hears a soft knock on her door and assumes it’s her dad coming to check on her like he always does to make sure she is studying. She lets out an exasperated sigh before she shouts, “Come in dad,” to her surprise it’s Maliah who walks in. “Oh I thought you were dad,” “I figured,” Maliah chuckles as she climbs on top of her bed.

Kiana moves away from the computer to sit next to her on the bed. “What’s up?” “I saw you sneak out of the house last night and getting into a black car with a man who looks way older than you.”

Upon hearing that Kiana immediately hurries to close the door to make sure their parents won’t hear their conversation. “You were spying on me,” she accuses.

“No I wasn’t, I heard you go out so I peeked out the window to see what was going on I had to make sure you were okay.” “Hmmm I see, so why are you telling me all this?” “I want to meet him” she blurts with enthusiasm and Kiana breaks into laughter. “What in the world for?”

“If you don’t want to introduce me to him I will tell mom and dad about him,” “wow are you blackmailing your own sister?”

“No but someone in the family has to at least know the man you are dating for safety reasons and who else can it be besides me?” “Ok Maliah that’s sweet and thoughtful of you. I will talk to him and organize a day when we can all hang out together, how is that?” “I would really love that,” Maliah beams.

“I’m sure you can trust me with his name?” she nags “It’s Bryce Adams” she discloses. “Hmm Bryce Adams that does sound catchy,” “Yes it does I have told you what you wanted now go to bed and let me finish my work,” “Sure not a problem goodnight Kiki,” she bids as she gives her sister a peck on the cheek.

“Kiki” Kiana simpers as she recites the nickname only Maliah likes to use and it doesn’t seem like she plans to drop it.

At the age of eighteen she is studying her business degree at St Austin’s University, there she has a lot of people who call themselves her friends but she only has one best friend Alissa Steward. Alissa and Kiana have a lot in common which explains why they became best friends, she is a beautiful tall blonde girl with blue eyes and she is only a year older than Kiana.

She is the first person she told about Bryce, every hot detail, nothing was left out and like Maliah she too is dying to meet this charming Bryce in person.

Bryce and Kiana usually spend little time alone in the evening because of their busy lives, it’s been two weeks since they started seeing each other yet to them it feels like it’s been years already.

They are free, open and comfortable around each other, it’s always smiles and laughter when they are together. It is now time to introduce each other to the special people in their lives. Bryce doesn’t plan on introducing Kiana to his mother just yet but his friend Pete has been nagging him about wanting to meet Kiana and so he invites her to have dinner with him at Pete’s house but she doesn’t feel comfortable with going to Pete’s house thence she suggests they make a reservation for dinner at a nice restaurant instead.

He wishes to spoil her by buying her a dress to wear for dinner but she refuses, “no babe that’s not necessary it’s just dinner and not a ball party and who said I don’t have anything nice in my closet?” “I thought girls always like to wear something new.” “Yeah we do but it depends on the occasion and look at it this way, if I’m to show up dressed in something you bought and saw me try it on it won’t be any fun so allow me to surprise you,” she teasingly pinches his cheeks and smiles.

*

Its Saturday afternoon, there is still some time before their dinner date so Bryce takes her to the movie theatre to watch a romantic comedy and later they stop at an ice cream shop before he takes her home where they share a long, steamy and passionate kiss before he drives off.