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An extension of A U.B.A's Valentine's Day . If you are new here, go check out the first part of the story.
Takudzwa sits in his usual corner and watches his roommate Greg sort out some random papers. His gaze is especially fixed on the charcoal grey watch that is wrapped around Greg’s fair wrist. The metallic hands of the watch theatrically turn through the crystallised digits and the slight ticking is audible when the papers rest. Something about this watch reminds him of Ayanda. He had told her exactly how much he wished to have it and she had always mocked him for fussing so much about a simple watch.
Greg senses the attention and flexes his wrist to show off the contrast between the watch and his caramel, hairy skin. “Original Timex watch. You like it?” he asks with his usual bragging repose. “Got it from my girl”, he adds on before he gets a response to his initial question. Takudzwa simply nods and shifts his attention to his phone. A text pops up, “Taku, we need to talk”. He wonders why all of a sudden Ayanda would want to talk to him. She sent a similar text exactly a week ago and he ignored it. It has been almost two months since their awkward separation and he has heard through the grapevine that she has moved on to better guys; richer guys to be more precise. He finds himself again drifting into self-loathing thoughts; how he is good for nothing; just a poor nerd who is counting on his degree to try and earn himself a little dignity. She probably just wants to hurt him again.
“Dude, you need to relax. You seem so stressed”, Greg comes through. He may be a rich spoilt brat but he still has some goodness in his heart. “Come on, put on your best clothes and we can go out together. We’ll meet up with a couple of boys and some hot chicks for drinks. You know, machills”, the invitation comes. Takudzwa knows very well that he needs to get his mind off Ayanda and recoil from the stress of the Neuroanatomy exam that showed him flames in the afternoon. He sets aside his phone without responding to the text that has been stealing his joy and he puts on his brown corduroy pants and a scotch shirt. The suppressed laugh in his roommates’ voice as he asks if that is what he really wants to wear tells him that his coolest look is far from what is needed. “Dude it’s 2021, who on earth still wears corduroy”, Greg mocks as he pulls out a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and some Balenciaga sneakers. Takudzwa accepts the clothes for a change, just to fit in for the night. Quite frankly, he hates how he looks in them; like one of those city heartbreakers, the so called; boyz dzetonaz’ but well, one night won’t kill him.
The ride in Greg’s BMW feels heavenly. Taku lays back in the front seat with a soft breeze coming through and brushing his face. “I just need to pick my girl”, Greg says as he pulls up at one of the boarding houses in Mt Pleasant. “I hope you don’t mind sitting in the back”, he adds on. Takudzwa moves to the back, his mind constructing an image of what Greg’s girlfriend should look like; a supermodel perhaps. The zinc gate opens with a creak that startles Takudzwa but the sight of Ayanda walking out gives him an even greater heart race. He slides down the seat to try and hide himself but Ayanda paces towards the vehicle. “Save me God”, he whispers the prayer of one who is in danger hoping Greg will not notice his strange movements that resemble chorea.
“Hey babe”, Ayanda says as she opens the door and settles in the ‘mother’s seat', smiling at Greg. She turns and makes eye contact with Takudzwa and the awkwardness in the car escalates in a second. They both have tons of questions for each other but these are masked beneath cold hellos and fake smiles. Takudzwa glues his eyes on his phone but casts random glances at Ayanda time and again. She is in no better position and fidgets in her seat, staring blankly into space. Greg throws a couple of dry jokes to try and disperse the unsolicited tension but his efforts go in vain.
They get to Thee Chillspot and Ayanda is the first to leave the car. Takudzwa reaches for the door but before he gets out, a subtle warning comes his way. “I saw you checking out my girl man. Please show some respect”. Maintaining his calm and suppressing the anger, he simply nods and walks out. A couple of youngsters are already littered around braai stands with Champaign popping and beers clinking. Shisha clouds the spot and joints are being passed around. He can tell that most if not all the people around are high. The closest he has been to being high was the previous night when he took some Bioplus and three Red Bull energy drinks to keep him up and studying for his Anatomy exam. There is no doubt he is a lost sheep here.
Takudzwa grabs a chair and sits at a corner, as far away from Ayanda as possible. He watches her sit on Greg’s lap and get all cosy. It disgusts him and he frowns. He regrets coming here, worse still as Greg’s minion. He overheard him telling the other boys that he will cover the costs for bringing an extra loser. Never in his life has he drunk alcohol but he walks to a table and grabs a beer to try and drown the distress. It is clear, Ayanda has moved on. She even bought her new guy the watch he could only dream of. But why had she texted him anyway?
One beer motivates another. Takudzwa feels his head go weightless and hopes to get to a state where his worries disappear. A strong headache strikes him and the alcohol makes him dizzy. He had expected the alcohol to make him stress free but now he is only drunk and stressed; a worse off combination. He feels his tears pooling as it becomes clear that he has lost the love of his life. Part of him blames himself for not going after her, maybe he should have just ignored the rumours of her shenanigans with numerous men. Maybe he should have just swallowed his pride. The fact that she has moved on so soon however makes him think that she has always been for the streets. All these thoughts eventually converge to one; “Why did she want to talk to him all of a sudden?”
Takudzwa staggers from the spot and goes to the restrooms. He sheds a few tears and washes his face before walking out as if nothing has happened, as if his pride is not scarred. He turns into a foyer on his way back and finds Ayanda waiting in a dark corner. “Takudzwa, we need to talk”, she says. All of a sudden, he finds all the emotions he thought he had cried out coming back again. “Why Ayanda? Why now?” he charges at her. She tries to narrate how her phone was stolen, how she lost contacts, how she had missed him and how Greg means nothing to her but he is not buying it. “I see, you haven’t changed at all Ayanda. You can keep your lies to yourself. I am done with you”, he speaks with resentment and turns to walk away. She grabs his arm and he looks at her through rage infested eyes that seek to tear her up. She whispers through a sob, “Taku, I am pregnant.”