The following version of this short story was used to create the guide: Thiong'o, Ngũgĩ wa. "A Meeting in the Dark." Secret Lives and Other Stories. Penguin Random House, 2018.

In Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's short story "A Meeting in the Dark," the third person narrator follows John's struggle to confront a seemingly impossible situation. After receiving his education in Uganda, John is preparing to leave Limuru, his home village, for university in Makerere, Kenya. Before he leaves, however, John must decide whether or not to marry Wamuhu. Though the two have been seeing each other for some time, they have kept their relationship secret. As the son of the local Christian preacher, Stanley, and an educated young man, John knows no one will approve of his involvement with Wamuhu. His father will condemn him for having sex with, impregnating, and marrying an uneducated, circumcised woman, while the tribe will condemn him for abandoning her.

In the narrative present, before sneaking out to meet Wamuhu and give her his decision, John gets trapped by his father in the family hut. Stanley demands to know what John is up to, warning him not to make trouble in the village like many of John's peers are wont to do. After John leaves, his mother, Susana, confronts Stanley for torturing their son. Ever since her husband converted from the tribal religion to Christianity, he has changed. So obsessed with morality, Stanley is unable to perceive his family's needs. Stanley scoffs at Susana's concerns, even doubting her conversion. He does not think he has given John any reason to fear him.

When John arrives at Wamuhu's hut, he is horrified to find her absent. He exchanges awkward greetings with her parents, and leaves to meet Wamuhu outside. After the young people depart, Wamuhu's parents discuss John's intentions. Wamuhu's mother is delighted by John's attentions to Wamuhu, believing his good reputation will guarantee his devotion to their daughter. Wamuhu's father, however, disapproves of John. He thinks he is no different from the other young men in the village. Ever since Christianity came to Limuru, Wamuhu's father has watched the old tribal traditions fall apart. The young men feign religious uprightness, sleep with village girls, and leave for university, later returning with educated, uncircumcised women.

When John and Wamuhu reach the edge of the village, they finally begin talking. Wamuhu urges John to make a decision. She is already three months pregnant, and fears her mother has become suspicious. John is tormented, and begs for one more day before giving her a final decision. After Wamuhu leaves him, John becomes convinced she is trying to blackmail him and collapses. He wakes up feeling disoriented. On his way home, he continues wrestling with what to do. No matter what he decides, he will lose everything.

John wakes the next morning from a horrifying dream in which a series of ghosts rip him to pieces. He knows the dream portends death, but he chooses to ignore it. That afternoon, he visits the local shops with his father. If he were not in his current situation, they could bond over John's upcoming university trip. When night falls, John's anxiety returns. He must meet Wamuhu, but he still has no idea what to do. When he finally arrives at their meeting spot, he hears himself offering to pay Wamuhu to tell everyone the baby's father is another man. Wamuhu refuses the offer. Desperate, John suggests increasingly larger sums, grabbing hold of Wamuhu and shaking her. He becomes so overcome, John does not realize his own aggression. When Wamuhu tries to get away, he grabs her by the neck and strangles her to death. He knows everyone will soon discover the truth.