A Bitter-Sweet Nightmare – Episode 1

A BITTER-SWEET NIGHTMARE

Episode – 1

THE SCENT OF soil when it first kisses rain is priceless, it’s a longing, a craving, yet, for some reason, you don’t want it to last forever but long enough to be enjoyed.
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While that right there explains my relationship life in the past 5 years. I just get bored! Period. I can be deep in love one minute and out of love the next. My friend says am too detached from the people I go out with such that walking out of a relationship isn’t hard for me. Maybe he has a point.

“Hey! You can’t be sleeping at this time; you need to get up.” I told Chansa.
“Is it morning already?” He asked, his next action was pulling the bedsheet and covering his head.
“No! No! Get up, I need to clean. Am expecting visitors…” She told him, with all the strength Janine could gather, she pulled the bedsheet off of him.

‘I had known Chansa for as long as I could remember_ not so sure though since I couldn’t recall when I started being close to him, he was that male friend everybody thought I was sleeping with or dating, and now, nobody says a damn thing.
When I started working, nothing about my life changed, except that I would get tired and would need a bottle or two of that Lite Castle to knock me down. For some reason, I was scared, my heart was filled with fear as though I was anticipating something horrible to happen.

“Visitors! Again?” Chanda sighed.
“Don’t do that. Besides, he’s not coming to my place. You know my rules.”
“Rules! I don’t get you… Right now, you a prostitute.” He said as he got up. On him was nothing but a tight boxer, his gun well mapped out and his hairy chest exposed.
“Dude! Put on some clothes!” Janine called out to him.
“Janine. What haven’t you seen here?” He asked me.
“Stop being crazy, someone might walk in. They will think otherwise. Put some clothes on.” She insisted.

‘Oh, it slipped my mind. So, her name is Janine, shes 25. Janine shared a flat with her best friend _ her memory of whom her best friend was, well, she was uncertain. But as things were, he happened to be a man, she had never slept with him _ yes, she had kissed him on several occasions but that was only when drunk.

Chansa worked in a Chemist, so, since he knocked off late, he wasnt home most of the time. His jealous girlfriend _ whom Janine felt like she was very close to. She (Chansa’s girlfriend) behaved like she was part of the house. Clingy b**ch.

“So, who are you linking up with today?” Chansa asked her.
“Don’t say that…”
“Well, you could just get into a relationship like normal people. Get swept off your feet, eat chocolate and ice cream like a normal girl.” He nagged.
“Why aren’t you sleeping in your bedroom?” Janine asked him.
“You not going to change the subject. I’ve asked you out dozens of times and you turn me down…”
You did? Huh.
“You are my best friend, you know everything about me. I can’t date you, that would be me… Subjecting you to torture.” She told him.
“You have issues.” He picked up his bedsheet and left for his bedroom.

Janine hated it when Chansa had to bring up himself and why she failed to date him. He’s a great guy, any lady would die to be with a man like him. That was her thought about him. Nonetheless, it wasn’t the same for her, Janines mind was just made up that she couldn’t date him, not even talking about sleeping with him. Janine would lie if she was to say she had no residue of feelings for him. Regardless of that, she just couldn’t see a future between him and herself.

It had been a while since Janine went out for a date; deep down, she felt like only yesterday the club light was taking her places. On this particular day, two guys wanted to see her. Max was an old friend and that type of Ex that had failed to move on (it still felt strange knowing that she was friends with him). Every conversation between them would end with, ‘Why can’t you just give me another chance?’
After avoiding him for a year (though it felt longer than that), he somehow managed to make me agree to meet him (did this guy put me in a bottle?) He was coming from Ndola, the two arranged to meet up in the afternoon. Apart from him (Max), there was a guy she had been chatting with on Instagram for a good few years… He told me he was in Chingola and would love it if we met.
Janine wasn’t for the idea, in her lifetime, she had already gotten a fair share of meeting men online. Some linkups were awesome and others were terrible. So, she stopped linking up with guys from her social media platforms.

“Chansa! Do you think I should meet up with Markus?”
“Who is that!”
“The dude who loves sending me talk time…” She responded.
“I doubt he loves it… What happened to your Ex?” Chansa asked her.
“Max is coming in the afternoon…”

What felt strange was the fact that Chansa knew about Max. Janine felt something wasn’t right but just couldn’t pin down the error.

His bedroom door opened slightly, “Sometimes you make me question your gender. Girls are not supposed to do that.”
“What are you talking about?” She laughed.
“Don’t play dumb with me. You are thinking of meeting up with both of them today. That’s a bad idea.” He told her.
“Open the door nigga.” She whispered.
“Hey, hey! Am a free black man. And am not letting you in here. The last time you entered my room you deliberately sprayed your perfume on my clothes and beddings just to piss off my woman.
“But… That was meant as a joke.” She said calmly while putting on a cat face.
“The devil is a liar.” He exclaimed, “If you not going to mess it up, you can meet both of them. No funny business though.” He added.

‘Call me a bad girl, but I loved the thought of knowing that Chansa was jealous whenever I told him I was meeting someone. He had gotten used to my crazy and flirtatious attitude that I didn’t know if I still made the blood in his veins boil to a 100.’ That right there was the weirdest thing. Because the Chansa that she had in her mind was actually against her crazy behaviour and hated it.

Janine “@” Hey Markus, my brother said he will be coming over in the afternoon. Family business. Since you say you leaving for the SA tomorrow, if it’s okay with you, we can meet around 10hrs for some breakfast.

TBC…

KENNEDY C KATONGO