Age; The Factor Within

I detest lunch meetings mostly because all I want to do is eat but well, we can't avoid everything we hate. A lunch meeting in the capital, Kampala is an extremely ambitious move since Ugandans aren't ardent time-keepers. Why have a lunch meeting when you can have the meeting after lunch? The boss, Mr. Paul Scarvedell, picked a fine restaurant in the upscale suburbs of Kololo, the type with a large entry gallery with professional waitresses ready to treat you right as long as you were willing to pay the fortune the food they served cost... US$10 was the price of the cheapest item on the menu. The type of restaurant filled with the usual social clusters of people; the selfie-taking girls obviously less interested in the meals they ordered than getting the perfect picture taken for their social media pages, social X-rays, the expatriates simply looking for the best food and the lame office people like us. How is one expected to concentrate in such an environment?

The orders came well garnished but never enough to fill one's tummy, after 15 minutes which wasn't bad considering the number of clients they were serving and the time of day, lunchtime. Back on the table, the boss was saying something I couldn't quite make out as I was distracted by a couple that was entering the restaurant, a couple evidently by the way he kept on touching her and the radiant, intimate, no, more than that, provocative smile. Was it directed at me? Extremely far-fetched given that I was at the back of restaurant and he was closer to her than I was. I was so caught up by her smile that I hadn't taken time to look at his face... an old face, the type of face with wrinkles you give a 70 year old man. I need to have my eyes fixed. They were walked to a table two tables close to mine and the closer they got, the more I could see the lines on his face, Jesus he was +70 years old!. How could the lady... my mysterious lady with a radiant provocative smile probably directed at me enjoy the company of this... this 70 year old man who happens to use a cane to support his yet-to-die self?

Mr Paul, saying something to me I caught halfway, "...We need to come up with a plan Roland, a quick plan to push the sales. Did you meet the head of sales? That sonuvabitch thinks we are still in the 90s, he is going to run down my company and I'm gonna let him do it because he happens to be a brother to one of the founding board members! We are not tapping into the market, look everywhere, people are buying smart-phones, what does that tell ya? They need power, convince them to step away from the traditional Umeme. Solar is the Future and we are offering it at the cheapest price. Sell your souls for all I care but make me more money! Are you listening to me Roland?"

"Yes sir, I'm working with the sales team to see that we double or better yet triple our sales” I replied

My mind drifted back to the lady... my lady. She wore a plain black silk dress with wide shoulders. Her legs were crossed and I couldn't help but run my eyes up the highlight curve of the top of her foot and the shimmering curve of her thighs under the black silk. She was sipping on white wine, and he... too old to drink, was drinking sparkling water. Cross-generation sex doesn't apply to this particular couple so I will call it multiple-generation sex. What could they be possibly talking about? She can't be more than 25 years old and yet they were having a conversation! He must have fought in the 80s war or the 60s war or any other war much earlier than that. Oh come-on little lady, what are you two talking about? I saw something on her face, something in her posture and how free she was with this... this old gentleman... happiness. She seemed pretty happy to be with him. Could it be? Is it possible for a 70 year old man to make a 20 year old lady happy? Was i missing something?

Paul couldn't stop swearing about one thing or the other and I was struggling to keep up, "...It is this fucking country Roland, business is fucking slow and everything is politically driven. If I want to construct a building in Kampala, the yellow guys have to fucking will it to happen. Can you imagine? We are going to change this country, we are going to burn down all the yellow idiots and take our sales over the fucking moon! I want billions flowing in! My wife is choking me out, I'm blowing millions on her stupid interior designing campaigns. Last week she purchased a new rug off Amazon, a US$920 rug, what am I supposed to do with the fucking rug when I'm broke, Roland? Women don't understand the dynamics of making money, they just spend and spend it probably out of boredom. She's trying to get me to purchase two dogs, dachshunds. Do you know how much it'll cost to bring those little idiots into the country and what for? After a few weeks, she won't want them anymore!! Aye Aye"

“Women can drive you crazy but you should keep her happy because you'll be at peace. Bring the Dogs in and smile as you deliver them” I said to him with all the pretence I could muster for he was/is the boss, the rich man complaining about US$920 - the type of money I didn't have.

Money, I thought, the little ghost keeps evading my presence, if I had enough like the 70 year old, I could take my lady... the lady and her provocative smile with cherry lip gloss. The perfect lady to replace my good-for-nothing wife... wife or more of a live-in girlfriend. I'm still waiting for her to leave my apartment but that wish seems evasive with every passing day as she organizes (what was already organizes) my apartment. He was touching her soft hands and whispering something to her as she laughed... hah hah hah... not too loud and not too shy, I was laughing with her in spirit. What could he have possibly whispered in her small ears, "Honey my water just broke" or "One of my old friends just died of old age"? I was dying to make out something of what he was saying to my lady. Jesus, the way she looked at him! Is it possible to fall in love with someone way older or younger than I? She was with him for more than the money, they had a connection, they understood each other and most importantly respected each other as per what I observed. I... I was jelly... Jealous, I wasn't getting any of that with my live-in lady who did nothing but bring in more and more of her things into my space. I should kick her out, her and all her pathetic blenders and glasses - my glasses were way better than hers. Yes, I should get rid of her, the social X-ray she is and save enough to acquire a fine piece like the old gentleman. Mr Paul called for the bill and soon the lunchtime meeting was over but I was a different person... I had a lady.

Back at office, I relayed the events of the meeting to my boys with the exception of what my boss had said because clearly I hadn't picked up any of that. Jimmy, the serious one had this to say, “If a 20 year old lady has the intellect of a 30 year old man, it is possible for the two to connect and actually have meaningful conversations or fall in love. Age is nothing but a number unless it is manifested in the way one acts, talks or thinks. There are men our age (35) who still act and have minds of 20 year olds. Those men won't be able to have a sensible conversation with an intelligent 20 year old lady. In the same light you won't be able to have a conversation with a 20 year old lady who acts like a 16 year old adolescent.” With that, Jimmy answered some of the questions in my head about the lady, my lady of the day... the lady with a provocative smile...