The art of seduction

We have cases of set ups and blind dates and love at first sight. Sometimes we get lucky and find love through simple ways. But most of the time the burden lays on the man to talk the woman into liking him then loving him. As children, all we had to do is smile and maybe put on clean clothes then pass by the girl. Recognition was a big step to love back then. Sweet talking came around when we were adolescents and maybe it was peer pressure or the hormones. We would put on silly decorated words to a girl even though we were unsure where to put it had our requests been granted.

I met a Pulchritude in Dar-essalam on our way to Zanzibar during my holiday. She was a receptionist on The Pearl Hotel in Kariakor. So sweet was her accent of Swahili. She answered our inquiry and we were given two rooms in the fourth floor. I couldn't stop thinking about her while in my room. Then I said maybe its the niceness of front office personnel. Every receptionist is expected to be nice.

The next morning we left the hotel and boarded a luxury boat to Zanzibar. We spent ten days with our aunt and family who we had missed for so long. Whenever I was free and alone my thoughts took me back to the girl I saw in the hotel back in Dar-essalam.

The business of women is sometimes tricky and surprisingly unpredictable. There are some who will welcome you with a smile before you say Hello. They are easy to talk to and live for today. They are fun and they wont give you a headache when talking them into an adventure in romance.

We also have some who would lead you to think they like you. You will notice their aggressiveness. They will bait you with words like 'i miss you.' or a tricky gesture. But as soon as you start to fall for them and begin sending calculated sweet words, they pretend they don't understand and act not interested. There is another species that is used to dirty talk. The idea of saying out loud the games and procedures done on a king size bed amuses them. They don't mind if you touch them here and there while laughing between stories.

While some might appear not to be interested in you while playing their hard to get, others really mean it. They don't like you. Maybe they already have partners or you are just not their type. We know there are those who like funny stories and jokes while others are into serious stuff. I say, women who talk politics or Marine engineering are not fun. But they could be the ones you have fallen for, what would you do? But there is danger in those who like having fun so much because after a few weeks they enter the “friend zone” where one might regard the other as brother or sister. You'd better strike the iron while its still hot.

After ten days in Zanzibar it was time to return back home. We crossed the sea back and we were met by a situation. Buses were fully booked for the second day which meant we had to stay in Dar-essalam for two days and two nights. We headed to the same Pearl hotel and our nice receptionist got us two rooms in the fifth floor.

Two days. It was a perfect chance for me to get acquainted to this beauty before winning her heart. She was of average height, dark shiny skin that you would dream of licking it like chocolate, and she wore a yellow dress that showed her teasing figure and bosom. I debated with myself, was this the kind of girl that I should jump straight to the point after greetings? How to start with her became a disturbing test. Maybe I should ask her out to dinner, but I could be met with a soft rejection of “sorry I'm married.” I knew nothing about her except problems of room air conditioning and direction to the nearby restaurant. Pretending to sit around the reception area Facebooking was a childish trick because if its noticing, she had already noticed me a long time ago.

I had to take the lift and go up to my room because there was no improvement on my quest. As I lay down on my bed I asked myself why is it so hard to make a woman like you? One always wants it to start perfectly or go perfectly while seducing a woman. Unfortunately I couldn't read the mind of this one. Maybe its because I cared more. The date lunches and candlelight dinners all

depend on the first impression you make with them. And most of the time they are good manners pretense until they become yours. There is no definite manual on how to go about seducing different types of women. I wished it turned the other way round where she would be the one pursuing me.

The next day, I spent a lot of time on the reception lounge on the Hotel's computer. Facebook, Yahoo, YouTube and whatever kept me busy while sitting there. Then I left the computer to sit where I was directly facing her. And it was time to chat on Whatsapp. She said she had noticed me on the computer for a long time and I told her that their Wi-fi isn't strong enough upstairs in the rooms. I thought of asking the alluring smile lady if she had a Facebook account, but then retracted thinking it was too forward. I was worried maybe she mistook my sister and nephew to be my wife and kids and that's why she wasn't flirting with me. I wanted to correct and tell but my mouth was filled with spittle. Who said that was what she was thinking? But I did like it when she was talking to potential customers and her fellow workers. She had the sound of a small bird singing after a meal. Listening to her sweet accent was enough a treat.

I went back to sleep disappointed at myself that night. I couldn't get her phone number neither her Facebook user-name. I'm the type that is good in using rhyming words into luring my prey. Had I gotten a chance of chatting to her over the phone, I would send her love missiles that she couldn't resist. What does one expect from a poet? Only that this time the poet got a little scared. seduction is an art. Some are gifted. They know how to begin and have an answer to every word that seems like rejection. Their words of sugar would unknowingly press your right buttons until you find yourself breathing heavily in their arms. Surely, I'm not one of them.

In the morning I took a bath and we hurried to the bus station. Two days in Dar-essalam were over and I thought maybe its a good thing that I didn't try to win the pretty nice receptionist. She lives very far from where I work and live and maybe she wouldn't have accepted had I tried. At least I have saved myself from a heartbreak too because most relationships head there. I had a lot of reasons to convince myself that I acted right while the bus was fast returning to Mombasa, home.