Who is Esi from Changes: A Love Story and what is their importance?

Esi is a pretty, independent, and hardworking woman who is the protagonist of this novel. Esi first meets Ali Kondey at the offices of Linga Hideaways while checking on the travel arrangements for a conference in Lusaka on Thursday. One morning, Esi and Oko, her husband, argue, and he molests her, causing her to decide to leave him. She runs into Opokuya at the Hotel Twentieth Century several months later, and she is glad to see her friend who she has missed because they have been out of touch for weeks. They talk about their marriages and children, but when their conversation is interrupted by Ali's arrival, Esi admits to Opokuya that she likes him.