In a flash, I boarded the train as the taxi driver drove away. It was obvious that the journey would take hours—the trains crawled. If I had a choice, I would've spent my day sleeping, since it was a cold Saturday. However, I had no choice. I had to look for Menzi. He barely knew me, despite those few months together prior to my pregnancy. Let me tell you how I met him:
I was only a fresh twenty-four-year-old college student. I couldn't let that day pass without partying. It was a summer weekend, partying for my birthday and an end-of-year party. Viola and I lured our friends to Hutton Bar, which was less than a kilometer from the college. It wasn't our first time going there. We were drinking until the last hour before midnight. My friends and I were very crazy. Almost everyone admired our lifestyle except the saint girls, who pointed at us with middle fingers in their wishes. We spent most of our weekends drinking, smoking, meeting new people, and having sleepovers. I would rather not lie, for sure, we were dirty-minded, and we deserved middle fingers. Money wasn't a problem at all. Viola was from a rich family and drove a nice Toyota car. My other friends and I had about a year without paying the tuition fee at the college. I took all the money my foster father gave me for college and spent it all just for fun.
Let me go straight to the point: I was a double orphan in a village, but being the poorest girl with a bright mind, a foster parent found me. She took me to live with her and her husband. They supported my needs. I saw my life changing, as I once viewed myself as becoming a doctor because that was what my foster mother wanted from me. However, there was one concern—she was always fighting with her husband. Therefore, she was taking all her problems to alcohol and smoking. I couldn't help her; I was young. The painful thing was that she died before I grew up to be a doctor. Her husband wasn't my favorite, and I ended up choosing my trail, which was why I was at Hutton Bar, filling my lungs with smoke. It was already late and freezing, either inside or outside the bar. We were drunk. I was holding a lit cigarette, watching Viola dance on the stage. People were screaming, admiring her moves.
Most of our friends were gone, some were at home, some were at sleepovers, and others were still drinking with me in the bar. I passed my cigarette to the man who was next to me. There was a lot of patience in that man. He bought me many whiskey bottles, trying to impress me and try his luck with me, but he judged me wrongly. I flirted shamelessly, stoking false hope for him to take me for a sleepover. Easy like that, I tricked the man, although I wasn't willing to let him touch my skin or go with him. The man reeked, his bloated body disgusted me.
After a while, I needed to go to the restroom after a long time of ignoring my bladder, which was signalling its fullness. Before it could burst, I stood up. The man held my hand. I saw his other hand advancing to my waist, so I pushed myself away from him. I told him I didn't need his help, even though I felt giddy. At one step, I stabilized my swaying body heading to the restroom. After about five steps, I lost my balance. People screamed in worry, looking at me. The bloated man tried to jump to catch me before I hit the floor, but he was too late. Masculine arms were already around my waist. I sighed at the tingling in my stomach, and lifted my wicked eyes to the man who grabbed my waist as if he owned my body. My wicked eyes sunk into his evil eyes as my nostrils caught his attractive scent. His eyes zoomed into my cleavage. My nipples hardened beneath my blouse.
"Little one, what's your name?" he asked softly.
"… Lisa," I whispered, looking so drunk and dirty-minded.
"Lisa… who's with you?" he asked again, drilling into me with his sharp stare.
He pulled me to stand upright. At last, he removed his magic arms around me. I looked around, staring at the bloated man who stood helplessly from a distance, his hands clenched into fists.
"Call me Menzi," he said, shoving a card that had his phone number into my cleavage. I sighed and my lips trembled. He flashed a charming smile on my face before advancing to the bar counter. Without even saying a word, the bar woman poured some whiskey into a glass. He didn't wait to grab it. They seemed familiar with each other.
"And who was that, Miss Drama Queen?" Viola asked, coming to me. She smiled because she saw I was in a fantasy with Menzi, and no one was going to pull me out of it except her. I smiled back at her and showed her the card that had Menzi's number. Out of nowhere, she seemed not trusting the Menzi man, although there was nothing she was going to do. I was already into the man. Instantly, her behavior changed, and she took the card from me.
"Okay. It's time to go back to the college," she reminded me, pulling me away from Menzi, "I think you drank too much."
"Come on, Viola! The night is still young. I need one more bottle, and then we go," I responded, persuading her.
"It's enough, Lisa. I can't drink to reach your state. Please keep in mind I'm driving," she reminded me again.
"Okay, can I see him for two seconds?" I requested to see Menzi.
"Here we go again, like last time. Two seconds, right? I give you Lisa. I won't disappoint you," she agreed, and I tried to balance myself as I was modeling, heading to the restrooms before my compass led me to Menzi at the serving point.
After relieving myself, I stood at the counter next to Menzi. He didn't stare at me, even if I cleared my throat for nothing. Only the bloated man looked at me, and by his penetrating look, I felt a bit of being a bitch. Despite drinking his money, I wasn't shy. That night, I was going with Menzi, no matter what.
"Sweetheart, the time is up. I hope you're done," Viola said, tapping my shoulder. I could tell she was laughing at me because she knew I was still trying to get Menzi's attention. She couldn't control her bubbling smiles.
"Girls! You're going?"
Menzi finally thought of giving us his attention. He checked his wristwatch and looked at Viola. In his last gaze, his eyes hit me, and he smiled.
"I could give you a lift if you're both sure you have drunk to your limits," he boasted, sipping all his whiskey down the glass.
Viola looked at me before she responded to Menzi. She didn't intend to let me down. She was like me. We both wanted to stay and drink, but the cold was getting into our bones. We had dressed for summer, not for the night's biting cold.
"You're kind. Maybe three bottles of whiskey can buy you our stay for a little longer," Viola responded to Menzi.
"A fucking suitable response I am hearing," he said, gently tapping the bottom of the glass by his finger, signalling for more alcohol from the bar woman. He added, "Girls, drink as much as you want. Perhaps, for now, I can get to know your friend better."
Viola smiled at him and said, "Unfortunately, we won't stay that long for the conversation to mature."
"No, don't say that. I will drive both of you home if you're afraid of driving while you're too drunk," he insisted.
I realized I was then mute in the conversation, so I took one of his cigarettes and walked outside to smoke. Viola didn't stop me. I left her telling Menzi that she also had a car and that the best way to avoid problems was for her to drive before she got drunk. She was right, and she always behaved more maturely than I did.
After a few minutes, Viola came to me, holding two bottles of whiskey. She notified me that Menzi requested my stay. Excitement ruled me, but she forbade my stay. I knew she wanted me to go with her, but that night I wanted to go with Menzi. In a brief response to her, I refused. She didn't argue with me as expected, but said her guts were telling her something was odd about Menzi. After kissing my forehead and whispering "Be careful," I escorted her to her car before she drove away.
"Come to me. You might die from the cold!"
I looked behind me and realized it was Menzi coming out to smoke. He removed his brown leather jacket and made me wear it. I hesitated before complying, wondering why Viola distrusted him.