MARINI'S POV

I sat in the backseat of my car,outside the church waiting for my sisters to arrive so we could go in for the service. They weren't late, I was early. My driver was standing outside talking to a friend of his so I took the alone time to let my thoughts run free.

Growing up I learnt two very important things, one is to always put God first and the second is to treasure family. Those were two of the principles I abided by most. There were others of course, like don't let men dictate what you can and can't do just because you're a woman but those can be discussed later.

I never joked with God because I knew how far He had brought me and I had witnessed His work in my life. That's why every Sunday like clockwork I always went to church together with my two younger sisters whenever they were around. I had raised them to be strong, responsible and God fearing young women. I think I had done a pretty good job considering they were both decent human beings with their own careers and self sufficient enough to be living on their own.

I was always worrying about them considering Lulu the second born was a wild card and Amani the last born was just, I don't know, but she was still my baby and I worried about her. Lulu was always travelling around the world living the best dangerous life while Amani was always stuck in her own head. While I had to be the responsible one to keep them in check.

It had been that way ever since we were kids. Our parents had both died in an armed robbery when I was eighteen and fresh out of high school. Lulu was fourteen and Amani was eleven. I had to take up the parental role seeing as our relatives completely abandoned us after that incident. I put myself through college while dealing with two hormonal teenagers who were struggling with the loss of their parents. It was trying but I loved my sisters to death and no matter how hard it got at the end of the day they were there for me too.

It was a lot easier for us than most people got because our parents had left us enough money to keep us afloat for a few years. Our money hungry relatives couldn't get their dirty hands on our inheritance because I was already of legal age to take control of everything.

At twenty three I had completed college with a bachelor's degree in economics and with the money left I'd taken a leap of faith and began my own travel agency. It had been risky at first but living in Kenya, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Africa, my business had grown pretty fast. Now five years later I was the owner and CEO to a multi-million business living the best life as a woman in power. It wasn't easy getting where I was because I was always surrounded by sharks in the name of men but I had made it and it was all thanks to God, the encouragement of my sisters and the drive to make something of myself as a woman in a country dominated by men.

Speaking of God, the service was about to start in a few minutes and the girls weren't here yet. I decided to get out of the car and just head in without them so I grabbed my purse, unlocked the door and got out. I was dressed in a maxi ankara dress with high heels and a clutch to match my dress. My make up was done to perfection having mastered it over the years and my hair was done in crotchet faux locs, painful but they made me look good. My heels made me look taller than my five foot seven height but that's what I was going for to be able to intimidate all the men.

Just as I was about to get into the church I heard my name being called out by two familiar voices. I turned around and saw my sisters walking fast trying to catch up to me. It still shocked me how similar we looked. I was a little on the fuller side with size full breasts, a little belly fat that was barely visible unless I ate too much and wide hips and an ass to match. Lulu was built athletically with long legs and sizable hips and small breasts. Amani had the perfect figure with size thirty six breasts, a flat stomach, a tiny waist and from there she blew up with huge hips and an ass. We all looked very alike, like triplets born in different years with a slight height difference.

Lulu was dressed in a kitenge jumpsuit and flats with her hair done in a cute bob and no make up. She said long hair always got in her face so she always cut it short. Amani was dressed in a short white dress that reached her knees with Ankara trimmings, black ankle boots, hair done into twists and light make up on. They both looked beautiful.

"Am sorry we're late siz. Amani's car broke down and I had to pick her up." Lulu apologized hugging me.

"It's okay, you know I love making an entrance anyway." I joked hugging Amani.

"Let's go in, I hear it's the new hot pastor preaching today." Amani said clapping her hands excitedly with childlike glee.

I slapped her shoulder lightly "You should be more excited for Gods words than for the one preaching it." I scolded.

"I am, definitely, but you can't argue with Gods creation." She argued and before I could hit her again she quickly walked into the church.

See what I mean by the baby of the family.

"Let's just go in. She might just go crazy and decide to sit at the pulpit with him." Lulu said linking her arm with mine and we walked inside the church to our usual spot.

It's like it was like marked specifically for us. I guess people were just so used to seeing us sitting in that same spot they just saved it for us. Plus I gave some pretty hefty donations to the church so they felt like they owed me. But we didn't need it, we could sit anywhere as long as we were still in the house of God. We sat down gracefully and said our prayers before rising up to allow the clergy to enter the Church and it was officially Gods time.

Three hours later after a very powerful and fulfilling service we walked out of the church.

"Why don't we go out for lunch and spend the afternoon together? I feel like I haven't seen you guys for months." Lulu suggested as we stood beside my car.

"That's because you have been in Cameroon for the past three months."I stated obviously.

"Yeah I know so lunch on me. I want us to bond more." Lulu replied.

"Before you leave for your next venture. Sure I'm in." Amani replied.

"Okay I'm in too. Let's go to Pork City. We haven't been there in a while ."I suggested.

"Great. See you there? Amani let's go." Lulu said grabbing Amani's hand and dragging her away before she could agree.

I rolled my eyes at their antics before getting into my car and buckling up.

"Pork City please Josiah." I instructed my driver.

"Yes ma'am." He replied before starting the car and driving out of the church compound and merging into traffic.

Josiah was a sweet older gentleman who had been working for me for a few years. He had no family having never been married or had kids. He was my only other personal staff other than Helena, my housekeeper who came daily except for weekends to clean around the house and do my laundry.

Josiah had come for an interview when I'd posted an ad for a driver's position. It became apparent I needed a driver after a few occasions when I'd almost gotten into an accident for being on the phone while driving. Even though he was the oldest there I knew we would get along.

I didn't need a young guy who would keep trying to sleep with me. I didn't have time for that. No fraternizing in the work place. It wasn't really a rule but I just didn't like mixing work with pleasure. It got real messy real first. Not that I was one to sleep around. I'd almost had sex with this guy I really liked when I was beginning my company until I saw him for the snake he was and had sworn off men since then. People changed and they were not always as they seemed. They always wanted something from you sooner or later. Nobody was genuine at all, maybe there were a few but that was very rare.

I don't think I even had time for a relationship in my life. It was too much effort and work emotionally, mentally and physically and I already had two younger sisters who stressed me out enough. No energy to add another person to deal with.

We arrived at the restaurant after thirty minutes thanks to no traffic on Sundays.

Josiah opened the door for me even though I always insisted that he didn't have to.

"Get yourself a table and eat to your full, on me. It's gonna be a while with those two." I said to him.

"Thanks ma'am and say thanks to Miss Lulu for me for the souvenirs." He replied with a knowing smile.

He'd learnt a long time ago not to argue with me when it came to anything because I always won. It's not like he could possibly eat the whole restaurant and even if he did I could afford to pay it anyway.

"I will." I replied and walked in leaving him behind to park the car.

"Table for three please." I instructed the waiter who came to receive me.

This was Kenya, they didn't have a maitré d. He led me to a good garden table with a cool shade and breeze.

"Here's the menu. Is there anything else I can help you with?" He asked respectfully.

"Yes the older gentleman I came with. Please give him a table and charge anything he eats on me. My sisters are about to arrive so please lead them here when they do. I'm sure you won't miss them." I instructed.

"Yes ma'am." He replied and with a slight bow he left.

I started looking through the menu to decide on what to order and the drinks too. Kenya had a lot of things to be proud of and its cuisine was definitely one of them. Then there was its wildlife, the different cultures and the sceneries. I should know because my business was all about showing the good about Kenya to tourists both foreign and local. Yes you can be a tourist in your own country too.

Just as I was deciding on the drinks the menu was ripped out of my hands by a very angry looking Lulu.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked sitting down shooting glares at me.

"Tell you what?" I asked innocently not knowing what she was going on about.

She didn't talk but continued glaring at me. I looked at Amani for help who had settled herself in the remaining chair looking at me with a innocent look in on her face.

"You had to tell her didn't you?" I asked her figuring out why Lulu was chopping my head off with her eyes.

"I'm sorry but it slipped out." Amani apologized hiding behind Lulu from my own hard glare.

"It didn't just slip out. You intentionally told her so you two could gang up on me." I retorted.

"Yes you're right but it's because you won't listen to me." Amani defended herself.

"Well it's my business and I'm the big sister. I should be the one to worry about you not the other way around." I replied arrogantly.

"Don't you dare play the big sister card here. It won't work this time."Lulu warned and I just rolled my eyes at her not really wanting to argue.

Before either of us could say anything else the good waiter approached our table and I think he could feel the tension because his smile broke when he saw Lulu's glare. She could be scary if she wanted to.

"Have you decided on what you want to order?" He asked politely.

"No, can you please give us a moment to decide."Amani requested when nobody spoke for a while.

"Okay, I will be back in a few minutes." He replied looking relived to get out of there and I almost laughed.

"Wait." I called out stopping him.

"Yes ma'am." He asked turning around and I had to bite my cheek to hold in the laughter at his scared face.

He must be used to getting caught in the middle of family feuds a lot.

"We'll take the the family size pork chops with a side of everything you guys have on the menu, two bottles of non alcoholic wine and water please ." I ordered.

As a rule we didn't drink alcohol on Sundays. It wasn't hypocritical or anything, it was more out of respect for Gods day than anything else. We weren't that much into alcohol anyway, a glass of wine here and there and that was it.

"Yes ma'am coming right up." He replied and high tailed out of there.

I couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. Amani joined being more graceful and hid her laugh behind her hand. Lulu tried to hold it in but she ended laughing anyway.

"Did you see the look on his face?" I asked in between chokes of laughter and my sisters were too busy laughing to reply so they just nodded their heads.

"Anyway I hope you guys are okay with what I ordered." I asked once the laughter died down.

"Yeah it's okay."Amani replied.

"It's fine but it doesn't mean you're off the hook." Lulu said back to the glaring.

"Okay fine I'm sorry I didn't tell you but I am handling it." I responded.

I know you're all wondering what all the arguing is about. So about a month ago I was attacked outside my compound while arriving home from work. Josiah was out sick with the flu so I had driven myself. Just before I could get into my compound a group of thugs had come out of nowhere and surrounded my car. I had done the smart thing and immediately called the police after locking myself inside the car. I had been scared shitless but I had stayed strong.

Before the police could get there the thugs had tried to break the windows to my car to get to me. They had almost gotten through when the police arrived . My car had reinforced windows that's why it had been so hard for them to get through. Soon after I'd gotten another car of course,a better model just to be safe. Josiah had blamed himself for not being there but even he knew there's nothing he could have done. Amani had taken it hard and had followed me around like a lost puppy for a few days until I had to chase her away. I tried not to make a big deal out of it because it would only make me paranoid if I did. I also knew they had targeted me outside my house because they couldn't get in. I had top notch security and the only way to get into my house was through a key card for the gate and a passcode. I was safe but my sisters were blowing it out of proportion.

"Yeah? How are you handling it Marini?" She quizzed using my full name.

She never used my full name unless I was in trouble. It was either some pet name or Mar. If you hadn't noticed we were very protective of each other.

"I got a new car with better security features." I responded jokingly but they were having none of it.

"That's not good enough and you know it." Amani said joining in.

They were ganging up on me and I didn't like it.

"Okay what would you guys have me do?" I asked and instantly regretted in.

"Get chipped."

"Get a bodyguard."

They replied simultaneously, the first one was Amani and the second one was Lulu. I burst out laughing at their suggestions but sobered up quickly when I realized they weren't joking.

"You guys aren't laughing." I asked.

"No because it's not funny. We're talking about your safety here." Lulu hissed at me.

She was getting more angry at me if she was beginning to let out animal noises.

"First of all I'm not getting chipped because I'm not an animal and neither am I getting a bodyguard because I'm not a celebrity." I defended.

Lulu was about to counteract my point when our waiter, Lawrence as displayed on his name tag arrived with another waiter, Fred with our food, water and wine. We sat in awkward silence as they laid everything out between us. I got distracted for a moment there with all the foot laid out infront of me. There were two platters filled with pork and then there was all these side dishes like mukimo, regular chips(fries) , masala chips, mukimo, samosa, bhajia and of course Kachumbari. And yes we would finish all of it. Little bodies but big appetites.

I was about to reach for a piece of chips when Lulu slapped my hand away. I hadn't even noticed our waiters leaving too entranced by the food.

"You're not having any until we resolve this." Amani demanded.

"I thought we were done." I replied innocently.

"No we aren't smartass." Lulu argued.

"Im not doing what you two suggested." I announced managing to snag a tomato slice before my hand was slapped away.

"Why? We got chipped." Amani reminded me.

I'd made them do it the moment they both moved out to live in their own. I'd wanted them to say no so that they could stay but I had to give in when they both agreed to get chipped.

"Yeah and thank you it always make me feel better to know where you are and that you're safe." I commented with a smile.

"We're not letting this go until you either hire a bodyguard or get chipped." Lulu insisted and I knew she was right.

I taught them to be stubborn like that. I looked at my options weighing the pros and cons of both. The chip would be in me forever and it was a medical procedure, none of that was appealing to me apart from the fact that it would be invisible. A bodyguard on the other hand would always be there but I could get rid of him after a few months until my sisters were at ease.

"Okay a bodyguard it is." I announced having decided on what to do.

My sisters cheered at that.

"And we both have to see him and a signed contract so we know you are not playing us." Lulu countered

"Why did I have to teach you both so well?" I asked feeling both proud and a little pissed off that they bested me.

I would figure out around it though, I always did.

"Then it's settled. Make sure to have an ad out by tomorrow. The sooner it happens the faster we can be at ease." Amani quiped.

"Yes your highnesses. Can we eat now?" I asked wanting to get out of that talk.

They both nodded and we dug in after washing our hands by the sink a few paces away from the table.

I decided to push the thoughts of what I had just agreed to at the back of my mind and just enjoy time with my caring but manipulative sisters. I would deal with it later. I would do it for them because I knew they were only fussing out of love. I did it to them too so it was only fair. I just hope it didn't come back to bite me in the ass. Maybe I should have just chosen the chip. But no, metal in my body, that would be too much so bodyguard it was. And besides I was a Kiarie and we didn't back down from tough situations but faced them head on.

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Always put God first so why not start the book with some very much needed God time. I'm sorry for the long chapter but an introduction was needed so we can get to know Marini, it's a Swahili name meaning(pretty or healthy). The first chapter for me is always the hardest because it sets pace for the book. If people don't like it they won't proceed to read the rest of the book. I hope you guys liked this one I promise it's only going to get better so please don't go anywhere but the next chapter.

Can I just say something quick to you the very special person reading this right now. I love you and thank you so much for giving my book a chance. 😘😘❤️