My Ex-boyfriends Friend – Episode 18

MY EX-BOYFRIENDS FRIEND – Episode 18
A story by Kennedy C Katongo

“Her Facebook user name? Tell me you at least asked for that?” Major said in a pleading manner.
“I didn’t ask her. Maybe she’s not on Facebook.” I said to defend myself.
The first rule of the game was “Ask for her name and then her number” it hadn’t changed. Yet I didn’t even know her first name.
“Don’t try and act smart on me Kalaba, cause you ain’t. How can you live with yourself?” Major asked.
I had made up my mind not to see her again but that was just the fear inside of me deciding. Major managed to convince me to see her again.
“I will be buying you lunch every Saturday for one month, just try and make things work.” He had said earlier.
I tried to make him understand something, ‘Just because she pisses you off doesn’t make her the one.’ But nope, my friend had a good feeling about Doctor Mwanza and he was going to make sure I go back to see her. Let’s face it, who would deny free lunch every weekend?
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I woke up excited on a weekend, Major was in his final preparations and I couldn’t wait to see him.
On my way to work I decided to visit Kutemwa and see how she was doing after the accident she had gone through. It wasn’t a certain thing, but I took the risk of being insulted and called a good for nothing man who just enjoyed lazing around.
My new job schedule was flexible, since I had been striped off from presenting on other shows, I had time to do other things.
“Hello!”
“Is anyone around?” I called out as I knocked on Kutemwa’s door.
After knocking for almost 10 minutes, a lady from another apartment came out.
“Ah, it’s that boy from the internet. How are you?” She said with a smile.
Her smile meant she was joking and for that, I was never offended.
“Hi mah, I was looking for Kutemwa but it seems no one is around.” I said.
“Have you tried calling her?” She asked me.
“Not at all, I just wanted to surprise her.” I responded.
“And you just surprised yourself. Come back in the evening am sure they will be here.” She said as she walked back into her apartment.
The lady left me with no words to say, it was like she just never liked me.
°==°===°====°==°
“Yeah!!” The ladies screamed as we all sat down.
Mirriam and Angel had just come back from troubling the Chef.
“His going to bring us something special.” Mirriam said as she sat down. If not for her complexion, one would think we were triplets.
“How do you know the Chef?” Angel asked.
“I don’t.” She laughed.
“Wait a second. You mean you went to place a personal order when you don’t even know him? Girl you gat confidence.” I said.
“I get that a lot. But I saw him wink at me the time we were entering the restaurant, since the man wanted to flirt, I thought it wouldn’t be a bad thing to make an order.” She said as she took a sip of wine.
Angel thought it was a good idea for us to eat out, so that’s how we all went for a drive to a small restaurant in woodlands, of course I wasn’t the one driving.
It had been almost a week since I got out of hospital but the thought of a car just spooked me. Talk about me driving, now that just creped and robbed me of my confidence. I was scared of driving.
It didn’t take much to easily notice that Mirriam was a flirt, a professional if such a thing existed.
“So, are you seeing someone?” Angel asked Mirriam.
“At the moment nah, I still have many doctors to deal with at the hospital. They keep following me and writing me funny notes of how they can pimp my life.” She said filled with disgust.
“It’s the thing for your profession, You inter marry. It’s rare for a person in that seat to marry someone who does something else.” I added.
“Exactly my point.” She exclaimed, “I don’t want to leave a predictive life or a life that makes me to follow a certain way of living.”
As she was talking, Angel looked at me and smiled as she could easily relate to what Mirriam was saying.
“I just think we as ladies have limited our lives a lot. We live to please. We hardly think of anything else other than marriage.” Mirriam added.
“You preaching to the right congregation my sister.” Angel said as she snapped her fingers.
“What about you?”
“Am in a relationship and my friend here, well, it’s kind of complicated for her.” Angel answered.
“Angel!” I called out.
“Am just saying the truth.” She responded with a smile.
“There is nothing complicated. I just happen to like a guy I met on Facebook, that’s all.”
“Oh! That sounds interesting. I tried internet dating once but it didn’t go well.” She said.
“Am I the only one who hasn’t done this? I think of internet dating as just a game. It’s just flirting and creating a relationship based on fantasy.” Angel said as she shook her head.
“You can that, but just wait until you meet a dude that is down to earth and gives you attention like oxygen.” Mirriam said as we all laughed.
In the middle of our chat, the waitress was kind enough to bring our order.
The food was amazing, I still found it had to believe the Chef had winked at Mirriam until the plates rolled in.
Mirriam was handed a note which she showed us, it was the Chef’s number and a small heart at the corner of the card.
“I bet he has a wife and kids, but he just can’t control himself. That’s why I’ve given up dating, one thing I know; there is always some girl more beautiful and sexy than you… Which means no matter what, he will still try to cheat.” Mirriam said with a hash face.
“You don’t believe in relationships?” I asked curiously.
“I guess I have just given up on love that’s all. My experience hasn’t been pleasant.” She calmly.
“What happened?” Angel asked.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it.” I quickly rushed in.
Mirriam smiled before she could say a word, it was when she started explaining what happened to her that all the dots connected.
“I dated this guy, he was from Copperbelt, A student at one of the college’s here in Lusaka. I helped him with everything… I mean, I could give him money for food, clothes. I would lie to my parents so that I could be given money.” She said in the most awkward way possible, then she continued.
“He finished and got his diploma, the guy immediately found a job. It was then that things began to change. He was very busy all of the sudden and started giving excuses every time I wanted to see him .” She sighed.
“I know that feeling, when you have poured everything into a guy and then he just transforms into a monster.” I said, Mirriam’s story had kept me glued.
It was that kind of story that was so hard to believe because what the guy did was just inhuman.
“So one day I decided to go at his place, I never told him that I was on my way. I just wanted to surprise him that’s all. I got to his place, only to hear loud music playing in his room. I knocked once, twice until I couldn’t take it anymore. I opened the door and just walked right in and found them butt naked on the table.” She said with a devilish smile.
“What!” Angel and I exclaimed.
“You mean they were naked? And having sex on the table?” I questioned with a mix of thrill and shock.
“What table are we talking about here?” Angel laughed.
With Angel’s question, both Mirriam and I started laughing. Like I said, she was telling us a true story that was just hard to believe.
“What did you do… As in, after you found them making out on the table?” I giggled.
“I went straight to the stereo and reduced the volume. Beat the crap out of him and the same girl he was with. I went psycho on him. From that day on wards I don’t think I can trust a man.” Mirriam smiled as she finished talking.
“I don’t think I can do what you did, like seriously, I can’t even imagine such a thing happening to me because the way I would be broken… Mah.” Angel said with her mouth open.
Guys have played with my feelings before, but that was just something else.
“I don’t even know what I can do. So you don’t date?” I asked her.
“I can’t let such a bad thing affect my entire life, I will be frank with you guys, it has robbed me of certain things such that even if I was to date someone. It would be a zombie relationship. And this is what you are seeing today. Marriages that held by the last thread, broken people who date because they don’t want to be anomalies of this world.”
Mirriam further explained to us that she had tried dating after that but things didn’t just look up for her, she admitted being a flirt though according to her, “I only do it if I like the guy that’s all.”
We spent more hours than planned at the restaurant, we spoke about almost every topic from Marriage goals to Business. One thing that made Mirriam easily fit in among us was how open minded she was.
Once we were done, Mirriam had to leave because she was meeting someone.
“Do you think she was making that story up?” I asked Angel as she drove home.
“Nah! Why make up such to impress your friends. I’ve heard more weird things and I wouldn’t be surprised her man did that. My cousin told me of how she was chained up in bed when having sex by the husband.” Angel said.
“What, Oh no! Now that’s some fifty shades kinda stuff. I don’t know what people think. Gash!” I spoke out in disgust.
“People go through stuff Kutemwa. Am just saying, some of these guys are sadists in disguise.” Angel laughed.
My mind had its own agenda, I began to wonder what kind of a man Chanda was. For some reason, I was afraid of guys, the horrors of life had strongly spooked me.
“Hows your leg?” Angel asked me.
“I think I took more shoots than I needed, can’t feel anything.” I responded.
The moment we reached home, our neighbor walked up to us and explained in full detail (To our surprise) regarding a man that had come to look for me. Angel was busy laughing.
“Ama tukutuku; your ex really knows how to be noticed.”
“Shut up Angel.”
“Am surprised it took him 3 days to come and see you.” She commented as we walked inside the apartment.
“He has to be dating.” I said.
“What makes you think Kalaba is dating?” Angel questioned me.
.
.
.
“Hey!”
I smiled as Dr Mwanza walked in. I kept blinking in the most unusual way as she walked to my seat. She wasn’t dressed up for work, she was dressed up to ki*ll.
She wore a tight dress that hard an African feel to it, I had never been good with fashion. But man, the Doctor was turning heads. I stood up, gave her a hug and pulled out a chair for her.
“I thought you were not going to make it.” I said as she sat down.
“Am really sorry, was out with the girls.” She smiled as she said that.
“Before anything, I would like to know your name.” I demanded.
“You at least have my line,” she said as she licked her lips. “But since am in a good mood I will tell you, you can call me Mirriam.”
“A beautiful name for a gorgeous lady.” I commended.
“I guess that’s what you tell all your ladies huh?” She remarked.
It was more of a statement than question.
Since my last outing with Mirriam, Major encouraged me to avoid getting into a stand off with her because she always got the best of me.
Unlike the other time, she was more attentive and asked a lot of questions, that’s the only part that wasn’t different.
“Why do you ask a lot of questions?”
“I need to know the person am spending my time with, just in case.” She answered with a smile.
“What you mean just in case?” I asked full of curiosity.

TO BE CONTINUED…