IS THIS LOVE Episode – 5

IS THIS LOVE – Episode 5

A story by Kennedy C Katongo 

 

SMALL TALK

I gave him space to talk, “Are you done? I need to finish narrating to you what followed.” I told him.

“You have broken my heart, how can you break such a sacred thing? Hope she didn’t notice you were smelling like rotten fish.” He giggled as he spoke.

“Hahaha – not funny. Now listen. We sat on the top floor, the place was chilling… I didn’t want to seem too talkative. So I kept my cool. For some reason she was also silent… Then she asked me a question and I asked her one – just like that we were flowing.” “Bro she’s gat to be the one!” I exclaimed happily.

“Oho! Just cause she bought you food – she’s now the one? Man you have to get yourself right.” Mwenda shook his head. He had a lazy look on his face that suggested the worst.

Forget that, Even his ora of negativity wasn’t going to bring me down. My mind was made up, ‘She has to be the one.’ I smiled to that thought.

“There was just something about her. The way she spoke – like she wants to sing Beyonce’s Hello! Her looks batata (grandpa) she’s mad.” I kept on saying one thing and another of what I had noticed about Matimba when at the table.

To think of it, she didn’t look like the type of lady you could run into twice. It was definitely a fluky.

“Iwe Chileshe… How can you look at someone like that? Am sure she thought you a stalker. You probably made her feel unease.” My dearest friend told me. My face went pale, the broad smile that had once covered my face now turned into a frown that expressed sadness.

‘Without a doubt Mwenda might have been right. Maybe I had spooked her with my constant look, thus alarming her and making her refrain from giving me her line.’

“So apart from you taking a microscopic look at her, did she give you her number?” He asked me, my low facial expression was all he needed to see – he went ahead to tap me on the back. This was his way of calming me down.

“She gave me her Facebook handle though.” I commented in a low voice. This was followed by a small fake smile.

“She pulled a fast one on you… Man! How did it get that far? She dropped you like a bad egg.” Mwenda shook his head for the last time.

His last sarcastic line got to me, ‘droped like a bad egg huh’ maybe I had just misread the situation, I loged into my Facebook about to check if she has accepted the request – she hadn’t done it yet. With a second thought I sent her another message prior to the one I had sent earlier.

Mwenda got up and took the umbrella with him as he went out, “Monk square” was the words he spoke as he closed the door. He could tell my ambitions for pursuit were broken – leaving was his way of giving me some space to reflect on what had happened.

“Why do I feel so heartbroken? She’s not even someone I know.” I breathed out. The feeling I had as I sat on the bed was similar to the one Zambian football supporters got despite knowing before hand that their team would flop.

.

.

.

“You keep looking at your phone time and again. It’s disturbing. I can’t have your head moving around every second. Am watching a movie!” Mwenda said rudely.

“Am sorry. But she hasn’t responded to my messages and it’s driving me crazy. I just thought I had a chance, am positive I did.” I said with a shaking voice.

“Give it time. That’s just how ladies can be at times, maybe she’s thinking it over.” He said as he plugged his ear phones.

That day, all the hope I had was lost. It looked like Mwenda was right after all. A few days went by, With time I had stopped thinking about her. However, time and again I would check my messages hoping for a text or something from her. A shower of regret would follow right after that, ‘i wish I hadn’t told her am in school.’ I thought to myself.

With a bunch of assignments and boring lectures, I finally gave up, after all, I was owing the school K10,000 which I had to pay before writing my exams. This meant I had to find a way to get that money – ASAP.

After class, I met with a friend who informed me that M&B were looking for waiters and waitresses. I rushed back to class and began writing an application. I was in need, this lead me to apply for work anywhere I heard there was an opening.

From my earlier applications, I was told to wait for most considering I was in school. This meant I would need working hours that would leave room for my studies. Two different guys from different companies called and said something similar to that. I reached at Levy and dropped the later at the Coffee shop. It was now on my way back that I got a Facebook notification that Matimba had accepted the friend request she had sent to herself – yes. The same one I wanted to delete after I got tired of being ignored by her.

I was late for the last lecture of the day, the Lecturer however was kind enough to allow me in.

MATIMBA: ‘Sorry I’ve taken long to respond to your messages.’

CHILESHE: ‘Its okay. I thought I had messed up my first impression.’

MATIMBA: ‘Says the guy who was all chilled.lol. How have you been though?’

CHILESHE: ‘I’ve been okay. Just been busy with class and a bit of hustle. What of you?’

MATIMBA: ‘Everything is fine.’

CHILESHE: ‘That is great.’

MATIMBA: ‘Ok.’

My conversation with her suddenly ran short. ‘Ok!’ how was I going to respond to that? In as much as I wanted to have a conversation going, I didn’t know how to counter the number one conversation stopper.

Just about then, the lecturer was done, “Get a piece of paper, we are going to have a short quiz based on what I’ve taught.”

Those words brought me back to life, “Quiz!” I exclaimed, almost leaping out of my chair. “But I just got here!” I nagged.

I hadn’t been paying attention to the lecture during the last 30 minutes, my mind had wondered off.

“This quiz will be added to your CA. Get your papers…” The Lecturer said as he majestically walked around the lecture room striking fear in our hearts.

“How was class?” Mwenda asked me later on. We had met at the small gate. He wanted me to escort him at Levy.

“It sucked. Got slapped with a quiz again. Who pays attention during a lecture anyway? Most of us study afterwards.” I complained.

“Don’t let that drag you. Any update on the girl from the mall?” We had crossed the road, passing through Total filling station. My friend was popular among the ladies, so it was a waving session every time I was with him.

“How do you know so many girls, ‘beautiful girls’ and you still stuck with one?” I laughed.

“Black man am not stuck, I stayed. Stop being crazy and answer my question. Any news?” Mwenda insisted.

“She texted. Left me with an ‘ok’ and I still don’t know what to text back…”

“That’s a killer. I wonder if ladies don’t know this or they just play dumb. ‘ok’ kills a conversation. It sucks the life out of a humans ability to text. Just respond the same way as well.” He suggested.

Later that day in the room, after all was done, Mwenda went out as usual to his girlfriend’s room and I was left alone to watch Avatar.

MATIMBA: ‘Hello…’

CHILESHE: ‘Hi. How you holding down?’

MATIMBA: ‘Nothing. Was taking shots with my cousin.’

CHILESHE: ‘You at a club?’

MATIMBA: ‘Nope! We home. She brought some whiskey. Do you take alcohol?’

CHILESHE: ‘I really don’t know. Am in the middle of a yes and no.’

MATIMBA: ‘There is no such thing. It’s either you drink or you don’t. Maybe you the type that only drinks on special occasions. Personally I stopped clubbing, I would rather drink from home.’

CHILESHE: ‘You stay alone?’

MATIMBA: ‘I wish. Lol. Dad wouldn’t allow me. Enough about me, what you doing?’

CHILESHE: ‘Nothing much. My roommate has gone to see his girlfriend. Am alone watching Avatar.’

MATIMBA: ‘Hope you watching the cartoon. It’s funnier.’

MATIMBA: ‘I have to sleep now. I’ve got a long day tomorrow.’

CHILESHE: ‘Who sleeps at 21hrs? Give it another hour, I can keep you company.’

MATIMBA: ‘No thank you. We’ll chat tomorrow. Night.’

I didn’t get it, Matimba had just gone offline like that. I stayed up complaining – sleeping early – the fact that she was now responding to my messages didn’t matter anymore. It’s the pattern in which she responded that became the problem.

 

To be continued…