An Encounter with the Veiled Woman

Short Story:February, 2016

There was something about her eyes. I know that sounds like a cliché but honestly, her eyes! If you saw them then maybe you would understand what I mean. They were big, beautiful, soulful…I don’t know how else to describe them but believe me when I say, she had beautiful eyes. The sort of eyes that make men do dumb things and mumble like idiots.
I remember when I first saw her. I was a complete schmuck and was more interested in the veil that covered her face on that hot January afternoon. It was really hot, you know how Nairobi can get in January but the woman was in a veil and the rest of her was covered in some heavy garb, a long blackish dress that went up to her ankles. Everyone else looked like they were drowning in puddles of sweat and yet the veiled woman seemed unaffected by the heat. The veil was thin and fell over her eyes and again I found myself foolishly wondering whether she could see me from behind it. Would she react if I made faces at her?

 
If the veil and the long black dress were not enough, her hand and feet were covered too. I openly stared, mystified and intrigued by the woman walking towards me in the narrow hallway. I looked around to see if the other students were staring at her but they seemed oblivious . I was the only madman in that market.

 
I was lost in thought and couldn’t take my eyes off her.  Suddenly, she was near enough that I could touch her and that is when she looked up and our eyes met. Through the veil; I saw the most beautiful eyes in the world. It was just for a second before she quickly looked down again. There was something hauntingly beautiful about those eyes. They looked enchanting; mysterious… again I lack words to describe them. I wanted to see them again. I also wanted to talk to the veiled woman and find out things about her. I wanted answers to the silly questions in my mind like,… well was she hot in the garb and veil? I was definitely intrigued.
She quickly went up the stairs at the end of the hallway and disappeared from my view. After my class, I walked around the college looking for her. I know I sound like a mad man but how can I explain it. I was enchanted, bedazzled, if that is madness then so be it. Most students spent time in the recreation room but she wasn’t there. I looked around the restaurants but couldn’t find her. How hard is it to find a woman in a veil in a Nairobi college? Dejectedly, I went from class to class, looking, searching just hoping to see her again. I didn’t want to ask around for her, lest my madness became evident to the other students.

Finally, I found her. She was sitting in one of the lecture rooms with an open book on her desk. However, she was looking outside the window rather than the book in front of her. Once again, I was engulfed with the feeling of wanting to know her. I wondered what she was looking at. What was she thinking about and did she really see clearly watching the world from behind the veil?
I wondered what it would be like to go on a date with her. I thought of the women that I had dated in the past. The now seemed so bland in comparison to her. What would she wear to a date? Does she have special veils for different occasions? Perhaps she wears red veils to valentine dates and  blue ones to the movies. Wait, would she keep the veil on when watching a movie? Why does she even wear it in the first place? What does she look like underneath the garb? Is she slim, curvy? I was curious about her and I envied the people who had answers to my questions. Those who had seen her face, the shape of her body, her slender fingers, I envied them all.

 

 

 

 

I wanted to know her but I was afraid that if i did, then the mystery would be lost. It would break my heart to find out that she was just an ordinary woman. I didn’t want to ruin it.

 

 

 

 

Haunted by the woman with the beautiful eyes behind the veil, I slowly walked away embracing my fantasies hence turning away from the reality in front of me.