Life as we know it 26-30

Life as we know it

Insert 26

After the call with Eugene I started freaking out. I was thinking of what I was going to wear or simply how I was going to act around him. I felt nervous…the only man I had been with was Rialivhuwa, he was the only person I had been intimate with so the whole dating game was not my thing. I finished cleaning and then went to my closet and looked at my clothes. I had lot of new outfits that I thought might look good on me but with the date on the way…I was not so sure anymore. I called my 911….i wanted to talk to her.

Vhusani:”hey love”

Me:”I have a date” I said with my most serious tone

Vhusani:”what? Wow girl that’s great news” I rolled my eyes

Me:”really? I am not even sure if I wanna go anymore” I was seriously losing my mind over this

Vhusani:”what? Woman are you crazy?”

Me:”I am nervous I don’t even know what to wear or how I will have to act around him”

Vhusani:”don’t worry about it, just be your normal self ok?”

Me:”yeah that’s what you said on the dream as well” I said sarcastically

Vhusani:”the dream? What dream?”

Me:”ahg never mind…so you say I should just try and be myself…eish the problem is I don’t even know what it means to be myself….i mean I’ve been on the partnership for way too long to even know how its supposed to be like to be single” she breathed

Vhusani:”ok don’t take the date too serious, just go out there and be yourself….pretend like you are out with me” I smiled and breathed

Me:”ok thanks”

Vhusani:”enjoy ok…is it tonight?”

Me:”nope tomorrow”

Vhusani:”enjoy Andani, this is your time ok?”

Me:”ok thanks, now let me try to look for something to wear”

Vhusani:”ok sharp” she dropped the call and I walked back to my bedroom and threw myself on the bed and starred at the ceiling.

I don’t know why life was like this for us women especially. I mean after spending so many years with one man, I battled to move on, to start dating again, to believe that I was worthy of love again, or that I was still hot. But with men it’s different. They move on so quickly, their self-esteem or egos never get broken, they move on like nothing ever happened. For us women it’s hard. I was battling to accept that I was single and that I had to move on. I knew it needed to be done but hanging out with a new guy is not easy, I didn’t even know how people are supposed to act like when they were on a date…I didn’t get the chance for that….i hanged out with Ria in varsity and booommm he confessed his love for me and we started dating. So this whole thing of going out on a date was all new to me and I was losing my mind.

That evening he called me just before I went to bed.

Me:”hello”

Eugene:”hey, uhm how was your day?”

Me:”just the same…how about yours?”

Eugene:”perfect I guess….uhm I have a proposition for tomorrow”

Me:”uhm ok” I was seriously hoping that he don’t suggest anything that has something to do with a hotel because I was gonna faint…I didn’t want the dream to come true…plus I was too chicken to be that seductive, it will never come true.

Eugene:”what time are you checking the houses?”

Me:”afternoon…around one”

Eugene:”perfect then, I was suggesting that we have a meal before that…. that could give us some time together to get rid of the nerves and when we finally go check the house then we’d be besties….i just don’t want it to be awkward” he had a point

Me:”uhm ok, so where are you suggesting then?”

Eugene:”Queen Victoria hotel? They have a very nice restaurant there”

Me:”no, that’s off the table…we can go anywhere as long as it’s not a hotel” I had to make sure that we don’t play too close to the dream

Eugene:”ow owk…how about Meloncino then?”

Me:”fine by me….no funny businesses” he laughed

Eugene:”now you are making me feel like a convicted criminal” I laughed too

Me:”I am sorry, I just had a bad dream”

Eugene:”now you are scaring me”

Me:”don’t be….it was just a weird dream ok”

Eugene:”I will pick you up tomorrow then?”

Me:”you’ll pick me up?”

Eugene:”we can’t drive in separate cars now can we?”

Me:”of course not” I smiled

Eugene:”good night Andi”

Me:”night Eugene” he dropped the call and I felt stupid…of course he has to pick me up, that’s usually how dates works. I shook my head and slept.

The following morning I woke up a bit late. I had called Bongi to come in today even though she never worked on weekends, I promised her a double pay for that Saturday. I prepared myself at around 9. Better be early…..so I opted for a jean and a simple shirt….reason for that was that I didn’t wanna be too dressed up. Simplicity is usually the best. So a jean, shirt and a heel was my outfit for the day. I didn’t do much on my hair either because there wasn’t much to do on braids…the make up was just little. After I was done with everything i waited for him to come.

He called me about 10:45 saying that he was waiting by the gate. He was 15 minutes early. I did final touch ups, took my hand bag, kissed my son goodbye and left. I got to the parking lot outside the gate and found him waiting outside his Rover. I gave him my shy smile. He looked at me while I was walking to him.

Me:”hi” I said while looking into his eyes and he was looking into mine

Eugene:”hi” he looked cute I must admit, he was totally hot and I felt like I underdressed. He was in faded blue jeans, a military boot and a white shirt….with that simple attire he looked alluring. He looked at me one more time and gave me a hug

Eugene:”you look stunning” he whispered, I took a deep breath thinking about the dream

Me:”thank you” he broke the hug and took my hand and kissed it

Eugene:”ready?” I smiled

Me:”I am ready”

There was something about this moment. Something new, foreign, welcomed, great, beautiful and mostly something that I seriously loved. I felt like I was five years younger than my actual age, like I was 22 or less. I felt like this was some high shool romance. I felt happy, contented…it was nothing big yet but it was already enough to consume me. He opened the door for me and I got inside his car. He got inside the car too and he started playing music…..John Legend – Caught up…..i know at first you’ll never tell if its gonna turn into something great but I knew this was it…this was the man deserving of my love. I looked at him and he was looking at me and at the same time we started smiling…he bit his lower lip and started the car

Eugene:”lets do this”

Life as we know it
Insert 27

We drove to Waterfront where we were to have our meal at Meloncino. We got to the parking lot and i was trying to open my door when he said: 
“Andani please don’t, that’s my job” he quickly got out of the car and came to open the door for me
Me:” thank you” 
Eugene:” the pleasure is all mine” i got out of the car and he closed the door for me. He then extended his hand to take mine
Eugene:” you don’t mind do you?” i shook my head. He took my hand .i honestly felt like i was acting in a romantic movie. It was thrilling and nerve-wrecking at the same time. We got there and he pulled out a chair for me...just like he did on the dream. I sat down and thanked him for the wonderful gesture. He then went to his side and sat down

Eugene:” Thanks you for coming Andani” 
Me:” it’s my pleasure” i breathed, i was nervous
Eugene:” don’t sweat it i am nervous too” 
Me:” but i can’t seem to notice” 
Eugene:” that’s because you are too nervous to notice my nervousness” he gave me that beautiful smile and i melted.

The waitress approached us with the menus and walked away to let us look at the menus. I looked at mine and selected what i needed, he did the same and we called the waitress back in. I don’t know what’s wrong with waitresses, she looked at me like i was out with her own man...i didn’t understand. Is it because i was out with some hottish guy? Well i felt proud to be his. The funny thing is she kept smiling at him and the eye she was giving me was something else. After she took our order she walked away

Eugene:’ so you know that girl?” 
Me:” not at all, i thought that maybe she is your ex” he chuckled
Eugene:” i’d be heartless to bring you in a restaurant where my ex works wouldn’t i be?” 
Me:” some guys are heartless like that” he raised an eyebrow looking at me
Eugene:” wow that statement carries a whole lot of weight...care to explain further?” i shook my head, i was not ready to share with him my past relationship issues
Me:” it carries nothing at all Mr Eugene, so tell me about you...you seem like an interesting person” he smiled
Eugene:” uhm well, i work as an Engineer at the company that i am partnering with my childhood best friend....you’ll meet him soon enough” i smiled at that, he wanted me to meet his friends...it was a good sign
Eugene:” so i don’t have kids or a wife or a girlfriend for that matter. I am 32 and need to get married before i am 35....i have 2 little sisters...they are not so little anymore but i still call them little...mom and dad passed away few years back...and yeah that’s pretty much about it” 
Me:” uhm i am sorry about your parents” 
Eugene:” thanks but its fine” 
Me:” did you grow up here in Cape Town or what?” 
Eugene:” or what” he gave me a straight face and i burst out laughing, he laughed too
Eugene:” kidding, i am originally from Gauteng, i grew up there and studied there and started my business there so i only moved down here when we opened an office here” 
Me:” ow owk” 
Eugene:” anything else?” 
Me:” nothing for now” i was smiling
Eugene:” thank God, i just can’t wait to hear about you....so?” 
Me:” so?” we smiled at each other
Eugene:” about you?” damn his smile...i was loving the atmosphere, we were chilled 
Me:” there isn’t much to tell. I am divorced, have a 2 years old son....27 years old...an accountant but jobless at the moment....i was born and bred in Limpopo...i only came here when i was studying...that’s like 8 years ago so this place has grown to be my home” 
Eugene:” so what happened job wise?” 
Me:” i left my job and please don’t ask why?” he raised an eye brow and nodded. I felt embarrassed by this, it was our first date and i didn’t wanna tell him too much to scare him off
Eugene:” uhm ok....so no baby daddy issues?” i shook my head and i realised at this moment that my smile had faded.

Eugene:” you don’t have to be afraid to tell me things Andani, i am 32 not 22...i don’t get scared off that easily. Plus this is important to me, you are important to me. One thing for sure, i don’t make a habit of this, i don’t ask girls out on a date for fun so this for me is important and i want you to trust that. I am here with you because already my mind has seen you as more than a girl i bumped into when i was walking out of some building in town....you are more than that...if you don’t mess it up then i am prepared to be the man for you and your son” this was getting too much...this was our first date and i expected light chats and laughs...nothing heavy
Me:” you sound like someone has messed up your past relationships” the waitress walked to us with our orders and i had never been so displeased to see food, i wanted to hear more about him and his women. She gave us our orders and then asked us if everything was ok...we nodded and she walked away. I took my fork and my knife and looked back at him.
Me:” so? Someone messed you up?” i wanted to continue with this, he smiled
Eugene:” some girl did....we dated for years and i waited for her to be ready to have a family with me because she kept on saying that she wasn’t ready....only to find out that she was screwing some guy at the side....i felt like a d*** i mean 5 years with someone is a lot of time to walk away with nothing...not marriage, nothing.....and ow, she is now married to that guy” 
Me:” i am sorry” 
Eugene:” no need to be, its in the past....its been more than a year now” 
Me:” and you haven’t dated ever since?” i was shocked
Eugene:” of course i have but it was nothing serious” 
Me:” and this?” 
Eugene:” what about this?” 
Me:” is it something serious?” i felt my heart racing
Eugene:” you look like a serious woman to me and that’s what i need, someone who is serious because i am looking for a wife, someone to build a family with me. I know i cant be saying such things on our first date but i am being honest, i am too old to be beating around the bush so if we are to do this Andi....just know that i will put my all in it and i will expect the same” crap! This guy was too straight forward and he was scaring the s*** out of me
Me:” you are making me nervous” 
Eugene:” ow...why is that?” 
Me:” i got divorced few months ago and you are the first person i am moving on with so.....i am still a bit fragile and a bit nervous to do this” i was being honest.

Life as we know it

Insert 28

We ate our lunch while having some light conversation...it was nothing heavy, very different from how we started our date. After the meal we didn’t order dessert or anything...after the waitress had collected our plates we remained seated. I took my phone to check the time....we still had more than an hour left before my appointment and the drive to The Gardens where i was to check the house was less than 30 minutes.

Eugene:” bored already?” i shook my head smiling

Me:” what? No...Of course not”

Eugene:” i thought you were because you are checking the time” i shook my head again. So we talked about our childhood, he told me about his upbringing and his parents and all that...it was great...i was laughing, like really laughing...I also told him about me...though i was trying not to tell too much, i was not sure if he’d appreciate me being a brat because even Rialivhuwa didn’t like that fact about me and he pretended for years about it.

After about 30 minutes we left the restaurant and drove to The Gardens where we were to view the house. I had the addresses for both houses so we drove to the first one

Me:” its here” i said as we got to the gate. The gate was open because obviously there was someone there to show me the house. He parked the car at the drive way and looked at me

Eugene:” it looks expensive” he said looking at me, i looked at him

Me:” not that much” well i don’t know if it was that expensive though...money has never been my problem. He smiled and i didn’t understand why. We got out of the car and walked to the front of it and stood there folding our hands on our chests looking at the house

Me:” it looks better than in the pictures” i was smiling. I loved it...just standing there looking at it gave me some sort of peace...i felt like i was home and that’s kinda what i needed, a place i could call home.

Eugene:” it’s a beautiful house...how many bedrooms?” he was looking at me

Me:” 3...which i think it’s perfect because i only have one son and the 3^rdone can be a spare”

Eugene:” plus it’s not like you are going to spend the rest of the your life here” he said not looking at me

Me:” why not?” he looked at me as if shocked by my question

Eugene:” because we will be married and we will be staying in our house” i looked at him and didn’t smile...the thought of being married again was blood-curdling...after all the heartache i went through with Ria? That was one thing i never wanted to feel in my life and for me to decide to get married again then the nigga better be Jesus

Me:”shall we go in?”

I ignored the statement he said about us getting married...this was our first date and for now i just wanted to enjoy life...not thinking and planning another marriage. I spent six years preparing to be Rialivhuwa’s wife and our marriage only lasted for about 3 years and we were done...i didn’t want to go through another divorce and for that not to happen i had to be careful. I walked to the house and he walked after me. We got inside and i looked back at him and cracked huge smile

Eugene:” hell no” he was smiling too

Me:” it looks beautiful” the house was painted with faded blue colour and whitish-grey.....the colour itself was eye catching. The kitchen had a built-in everything. The colours were just blue and white. I loved it, i was a tidy person so i was going to cope well in that kitchen. I went to the stove and opened the oven

Me:”i can imagine cooking here” 

Eugene:” and i can imagine making you breakfast here” i looked at him and giggled. He opened the double door fridge

Eugene:” i thought there’d be food”

Me:” unfortunately no” a white slander lady walked in from one of the rooms

Lady:” oww hey...sorry i was in one of the bedrooms…Uhm i am Sylvia by the way but you can call me Syl” white people and their names...if that Sylvia was a black person we were going to call her Sili...that’s kinda how we do it

Me:” hi Syl, pleasure to meet you” i was shaking her hand

Eugene:” hello Sylvia”

Syl:” shall we begin?” well i didn’t want her to go through the whole presentation thing about the house that people usually do when they are showing the house...i wanted to walk around alone with Eugene and then we can ask questions about things we didn’t understand.

Me:”actually Syl...i was thinking of just walking around looking at the house by ourselves and then we can come to you with questions if we have them...but we love the house already, can we look alone?”

Syl:” yeah...of course you can...you are the boss here and whatever you say ma’am” she giggled and i giggled too though i didn’t find anything funny.

Eugene and i walked around the house. We both loved it although i felt that the mainbedroom which was to be mine was not big enough...i remembered that i was a single mom with no husband so it was obviously going to work. After the tour in the house we thanked Syl and walked to the car.

Eugene:” where is the next one?”

Me:” i don’t think i wanna see the other ones...i love this house and i think i should buy it”

Eugene:” so this is your home then?”

Me:” yep it is” he opened the door for me again and i got inside the car

Eugene:” where to now?”

Me:” home”  he raised an eyebrow looking at me....it was past two in the afternoon, i had already spent more than three hours with him and i felt that it was enough for the first date

Eugene:” i thought that maybe we can go somewhere”

Me:” i am sure there will be next time, i have to spend some time with my son, i hope you don’t mind” he smiled

Eugene:” of course not” we drove to my place still talking and laughing. We got to the gate and he parked his car

Me:” thank you for doing this with me”

Eugene:” it was only my pleasure”

Me:” see you around then?”

Eugene:” yep” i was trying to open the door when he said:

“Andani”

Me:” yes” i turned around and looked at him. It was day light....in the afternoon, the sun was a bit hot outside and i was having my fairytale moment. Sparks started flying and the butterflies couldn’t be controlled anymore.

Eugene:” i know you are scared” he whispered looking straight into my eyes

Me:’ you do?”

Eugene:” i am not a child, even if i don’t know what happened i can see that the divorce left some serious scars on you and you are scared to do this, to talk about marriage and stuff but i am not going anywhere and mostly......i am not him” i felt safe, loved, wanted....those are the things that Ria abandoned to make me feel, the things he made me long for but never gave me and here i was with Eugene and i was feeling those exact things and the feeling of it was extraordinarily beautiful.

Life as we know it

Insert 29

For the remaining hours of the day I was overjoyed. The thought that I had someone else in my life who was in love with me was appalling. It felt great and for that reason, I was willing to see this Eugene guy more often. I got tempted to call Jake that afternoon, just to hear if Rialivhuwa was not giving him any grief because of his association with me but I decided against the idea because it was a Saturday and maybe he was spending some time with his wife, I didn’t want to be that girl. So I spent the whole day with my son running around the house. Bongi already left because I told her to leave right away when I got back.

That evening I received a call from him. It was past nine and I had already put my son to bed and was reading some novel to help me sleep.

Me:”hey” I picked up a call with that big smile on my face

Eugene:”hey, how are you doing?”

Me:”great I guess…I am just reading a novel trying to get myself to sleep” he giggled

Eugene:”wow ok, I wish I had that advantage…well I am in the office finishing up on some work” what? I was shocked

Me:”whaaaat? So you went to the office after you dropped me off?”

Eugene:”yep, I had nothing else to do”

Me:”what do you mean nothing else to do? You can hang with your friends”

Eugene:”ahhhh well I don’t have much of those and there are no soccer matches playing this weekend so sitting at home feeling lousy wasn’t gonna do it for me so this is what keeps me busy” he was a serious workaholic

Me:”you are a workaholic”

Eugene:”can’t disagree….anyway I miss you” I blushed

Me:”ow you do?”

Eugene:”this is the part where you say you miss me too” he said that and giggled, I couldn’t help but laugh

Me:”oww yeah, I miss you too Eugene” he laughed

Eugene:”that’s more like it”

Me:”thanks for this afternoon, I really enjoyed”

Eugene:”mhm music to my ears, it’s my pleasure…so how soon do you wanna do it again?”

Me:”uhm, I don’t know…it’s up to you”

Eugene:”no its not because I could drive up to your place right now and we can spend the night talking about our deep darkest secrets starring up at the ceiling of your bedroom or we can do the talking while standing at the balcony with glasses of whisky on our hands or I can come with a nanny and pick you up so that we can go chill at a beach somewhere and just listen to the sound of waves. So no it’s not up to me because if it was…we’d be doing one of the three right now” I smiled and stopped smiling and looked up at the ceiling and imagined myself in this very bed with him

Eugene:”Andi” he interrupted my thoughts

Me:”mhm”

Eugene:”so hw soon?”

Me:”uhm I don’t know uhm I will think about it ok”

Eugene:”ok then, I can’t wait”

Me:”me neither” I couldn’t believe I said that out loud but it was true

Eugene:”you’ll have yourself a beautiful sleep…I am guessing that the baby is sleeping already”

Me:”thanks…he is already in dreamland and please its late you, you should knock off and get some rest”

Eugene:”ok ma’am….good night”

Me:”night” we dropped the call and I must admit that I didn’t want him to hang up.

I starred on the ceiling and thought about everything. There was something hair-raising about Eugene. He was too straight forward, like he knew exactly what he wanted and he was determined on getting it. The problem with those kind of guys is that they usually have a lot to hide. Usually they are players who just wanna get into your pants and then its game over. I must admit that as much as I liked him….i was scared, I felt like he was capable of hurting me, like if I give myself to him then I will end up with more heartache than in the previous relationship. The whole thing about him was scary, he was moving at a very fast pace and that alone was also scary. I was failing to understand how an attractive and charming man like himself who knows what he wants and who was that straight forward could go through all that trouble for me….it didn’t make sense. I liked him, I did but he was way too good.

The following morning I woke up to a beep of my phone. I took it from the bedside table still with my eyes closed. I slightly opened my eyes and checked….there was an sms from him. I opened the sms and I couldn’t stop the smile on my face

“Morning beautiful, hope you’ll have a beautiful Sunday…I will try to have a beautiful one too. I am having lunch with my little sisters….i am busy cooking as we speak, they are flying down this morning so I will be baby-sitting them the whole week. I don’t even know if I will handle having them here. Anyway….enjoy your Sunday and say hi to the big boy” I smiled after reading the sms. I felt that it would be rude for me not to reply, so I replied back

“Thanks, I will surely enjoy. Say hi to your sisters for me” I put my phone under my pillow and smiled. I felt like I was gambling with my heart but I couldn’t stop myself.

I woke up and started cleaning. When I was done cleaning I was in the mood to cook a good meal. I realised that I had to go to town to get some of the ingredients. I took a shower with my son running about the bathroom singing and laughing. After I was done I gave him a bath too and we got dressed and then left for the mall.

I was coming out of checkers pushing my grocery trolley with my son on when I bumped into him. The look of shock and then joy when he saw us is what really shocked me. He was walking into the shop alone. He hurriedly walked to me with a smile on his face…I didn’t smile but I looked straight at him with nothing but nervousness…though I don’t understand why I was nervous.

Ria:”hey” he said taking Omphu and spinning him around

Ria:”hey big boy…wow you look big” he then looked at me still smiling

Ria:”hi”

Me:”hi” I was still not smiling

Ria:”I was not expecting to see you guys here but I am glad I did”

Me:”you are?”

Ria:”are you kidding? Of course I am…I miss my son” he looked at me and I looked at him too

Ria:”and I miss you too” I forced a smile

Me:”yah neh?” I was extending my hands so that he can give me the baby who was now smiling and giggling with him

Ria:”are you in a hurry?”

Me:”yeah, wanna cook when I get home”

Ria:”do you mind if I come and help?”

Me:”yeah, actually I do mind…so if you don’t mind”I was taking my son from him and putting him back on the trolley

Ria:”can I come pick him up this coming weekend? I wanna spend some time with him please”

Me:”fine by me…just confirm the time and I will get him ready”

Ria:”or we can make this a family thing…you can join us too…we can go somewhere…maybe go home in Venda” I looked at him and prayed to God that I should be dreaming

Me:”you are kidding right?” I was fake smiling

Ria:”I am serious” he moved closer to me

Me:”we are divorced Rialivhuwa, the word family is not for us anymore. I will get my son ready on Friday and you will come pick him up…now if you don’t mind” I pushed the trolley and left him standing right there looking all confused.

Life as we know it

Insert 30

Friday which Rialivhuwa was coming to pick up the baby arrived. He called and told me that he’d be in my flat by 6 in the evening. So he was running some errands after work and then come pick up our son. I got my son ready on time and I packed few clothes for him. I also packed some toys too…I didn’t want my son to get bored. I always hated it when Ria was taking the baby for a weekend, the thought of some woman all over my son didn’t really sit well with me but I had no choice, I couldn’t tell him who to introduce him to and who to not…I didn’t want to come across as a jealous ex-wife.

Rialivhuwa arrived right on time.

Me:”I packed everything in here….if there is anything else then you can give me a call”

Ria:”ok thanks then…I will bring him back on Sunday”

Me:”fine by me” he took my son who was so excited to see his dad and I walked them to the car with a bag on my hand. We got there and he put the baby in on his car seat buckling him up and then came to me…I handed him the bag, I was trying to avoid whatever conversation he was gonna try to strike

Ria:”thank you for this”

Me:”I am only doing whats right, he is our son”

Ria:”I miss you” he had a serious look on his face and I almost fell for it but I knew better, this was the man who put me through misery so no…he didn’t deserve any sympathy from me

Me:”what’s that supposed to mean?”

Ria:”it means I miss you”’

Me: “lets not do this please, I will see you on a Sunday” I said that and turned around and walked away. I don’t know what Rialivhuwa was trying to do here, I was better off without him, I was better off thinking that he didn’t care about me anymore.

I got inside the house and found my phone ringing. I looked around for its location and it was from the kitchen. I ran and found it on the kitchen table but it had already stopped ringing. I checked it and found two missed calls from Eugene So I called him back immediately

Eugene:”hey”

Me:”hey, I am sorry for not picking up, I was a bit busy”

Eugene:”ow owk….so what are you doing with your little boy tonight”

Me:”nothing much and I am alone by the way. Omphulusa is with his dad for the weekend so it’s just me”

Eugene:”whaat? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Me:”he just left now” I giggled

Eugene:”dinner then? Please don’t say no…we can eat out”

Me:”see you in 30 then” he laughed

Eugene:”I am on my way” he hung up and I found myself smiling alone.

I quickly ran to my room and looked for something else to wear. It was summer and the weather was a bit warm outside. I wore a long summer dress and did a bit of make-up. When he called me saying that he had arrived, I took my handbag and walked out to his car. He got out of the car as soon as he saw me approaching. He was driving a different car this time around…a BMW and I hoped he was not trying to score some points from me. He gave me a warm hug as soon as I got him.

Eugene:”wow I missed you” we hadn’t seen each other since our first date but we were talking on the phone everyday. He was busy with his sisters so I refused to go out with him on Wednesday night when he asked because I didn’t wanna intrude and I was not ready to meet the sisters.

We broke the hug

Eugene:”anywhere you specifically want us to go?”

Me:”ok, let’s go to my favourite restaurant”

Eugene:”which one is it?” he was opening the door for me

Me:”Balducci…at the waterfront”

Eugene:”oww never really went in there”

Me:”well tonight is gonna be your first” he went to his side smiling

Eugene:”you will choose the menus for me because you know whats hot and whats not”

Me:”my pleasure” we drove to the restaurant

We got there and got out of the car and walked inside. We walked in and picked a table.

Eugene:”looks fancy”

Me:”you took me to a fancy one on our first date too” I was looking at the menus.

Me:”so you say I should order for you neh?” I looked at him and he was not looking at me but he was looking at something that was behind me

Me:”Eugene?” he looked at me and then behind me again.

Eugene:”uhm is he….?” he didn’t finish his sentence so I turned around to find Rialivhuwa looking all furious.

Me:”Ria” I said with a low voice, he was holding our son on his hand

Ria:”the fuck is this? Dining with some man while I look after our son?” he said through gritted teeth, I looked at Eugene and felt like asking the world to swallow me, I wanted to just disappear because I knew that what was awaiting me was pure humiliation. I got up.

Me:”Rialivhuwa please” I begged, I didn’t want him to cause a scene

Ria:”please what? You are a mother Andani, is this what you do? Bringing men to your place in my son’s presence? Is that it?”

Me:”you volunteered to take the baby for the weekend but its fine if you don’t want him, I will take him with me” I said trying to take him and he grabbed my hand so tight and I started shaking. Everything that happened in the past came rushing back. I was scared, I felt like he was going to hit me right there at the restaurant and I feared that this was going to be the end of me and Eugene, I don’t think he needed this type of drama in his life.

Eugene:”sorry sir but I think you are hurting the lady” he looked up at Eugene without letting go of my hand

Ria:”so this is the champ you are screwing?” I closed my eyes and felt like dying

Eugene:”dude we are not in the mood for this ok? You can’t do something like this infront of your son, what is he supposed to think?”

Ria:”so its cool for him to see you screwing his mother huh?” he let go of my hand looking at Eugene

Eugene:”ok I am not gonna do this with you because I don’t even know you…lets go Andani” he took my hand and walked out of the restaurant.

I felt like I was dreaming, I couldn’t believe that Rialivhuwa actually did that. I should have known, we used to come to that restaurant together, but I didn’t know that he was gonna have dinner there with our son. I quickly got to the car and opened the door for myself, this was no time for me to wait for him to open the door for me. He got inside and looked at me

Me:”please I just wanna go home”

Eugene:”do you maybe wanna get your son?”

Me:”I don’t think he will let me, especially because I am still with you and driving in your car”

Eugene:”so you wanna go home?”

Me:”yes please”