CHAPTER 14: THE LADIES NIGHT OUT
The sun finally set, the boat cruise was over and definitely worth it, so unwind and had times of their lives the squad went to their hotel to prepare for going out and going to some bars, was definitely in the squad plan, and not by Gondwana, but ain't no one knows how to party more than a Namibian can, so Emma, Anna, Valery and Paulina dressed to kill to actually continue their night, with some booze, and get drunk like their lives depended on it. Dressed in heels and mini dresses, they found a bar not really far from their hotel. With their rented car, they turned to the bar got into a couple of few available parking spots and got out of the car.
"Okay, this bar is oddly quiet, maybe we should go check out other places?" asked Paulina slamming her car door then walking with her squad into the bar.
"No, its just fancy and boujee, probably like how I look like tonight! Hah! Damn I look good." said Emma and gave out a high pitched laugh, brushing her hair behind her ear.
"Let's go check the place out, its probably one of those places that is sound proof, and sound is only on the inside." continued Emma with the girls following.
"Uhm I don't think that's actually a thing." Said Valery walking and standing at the door looking at Emma. The bar door was actually closed halfway but the sign outside the door read open.
"Watch, as the noise comes out." said Emma smiling and excited as she enters and pushed the doors wide open.
"Lets get this party starteeeed!!" screamed Emma as she got into the bar, everyone turned and looked at her and no one responded, people where actually looking more puzzled by what is actually going on.
"Why y'all looking all sad as if not in a bar? Did some loser die?" asked Emma, chuckling and continued walking with Anna looking at Valery embarrassed by the number of eyes looking at them.
Again people just looked at her, and then the bartender looked at a poster in a corner that is standing on an easel and contains a picture of a white man, carrying a cat, and down the poster, its written, Rest in peace Greg, he signalled them with his eyes, to draw attention to the poster.
"oh shit!" said Valery after they all noticed that people are quiet because they are in actual mourning of Greg, probably a regular customer of the bar or the owner maybe. Out of shame, they started walking to the bar tender, shielding themselves with their bags and looking down their feet, and whispering.
"I fucking just made a noise in a wake." said Emma looking at the squad walking and whispering to the squad, embarrassed by the entrance they made.
"Why the fuck are we even still here, we should get going to another bar." said Anna also walking in the group, embarrassed and pulling her dress down, whispering.
"No, we are already here, we would look like f*cking idiots if we actually leave, lets just get to the bartender and brush the whole thing off." said Paulina looking at her friends, and then shyly looks at the customers, not knowing whether to wave or just keep her hands to herself.
"Why didn't any of you b*tches stop me?" asked Emma, still whispering and touching Valery's hand.
"You just had to shout mos, and become the life of the party, you know we couldn't get stopping you right even if we tried." said Valery looking at Emma. The squad walked as if about to bump each other and then finally reached up to the bartender and stood against the counter in a line.
The bartender was busy wiping his counter and threw the cloth on his shoulder, and looked at the girls.
"Hi, we are so sorry about…uhm…" said Anna, with an embarrassed chuckle looking at the easel at the back reading the name on the picture, and scratching her hair looking back to the bartender.
"…Greg, we are deeply sorry, we didn't know." said Anna looking back to the bartender, who just had a smile on.
Emma, Valery and Paulina held their chests and nodding in agreement trying to show sympathy.
"Yeah, we are very sorry, but the bar is still open though right?" asked Emma looking at the bartender, and the ladies looked at her telling her with eyes to shut up.
"Yes, its what Greg would have wanted, we lost a good one, so what can I get for you ladies?" asked the bartender looking at the girls and then moved to the till.
They all looked at the bartender and the feeling of guilt disappeared from their faces upon hearing that the bar is open and serving drinks.
"Oh, in that case, please give us shots of jack Daniel, so we warm our chests up, you guys allowed us to embarrass ourselves just like that." said Paulina looking at Everyone and they all nod in agreement.
The guy brought out a bottle and four tot glasses and doing it in a fancy exciting style, he poured in the four glasses. The squad still standing against the counter, took the glasses and toasting to Greg, they bottomed up, then place them again for the bartender to refill, which he did and then tried taking the bottle back to the shelves.
"Please just leave the bottle." Said Emma and held the bartender by the hand holding the bottle, while taking her tot.
The night led on and after an hour or two, between conversations and laughter and gossip and the ladies finally sitting down, the squad took enough shots to be a little tipsy, just not drunk enough.
"So Paulina? Tell us what your next book is all about, you actually never finish that conversation." asked Valery smiling and drinking wine she ordered a while back looking at Paulina, with her leg crossed over the other.
"Yeah, we want to know, we sure hope its interesting." said Anna looking at Paulina smiling and holding her cheek with the back of her hand, waiting for Paulina to talk.
"Well, uhm, I think I would like to keep it a surprise guys, so I guess you all just have to wait." said Paulina stuttering because she has been experiencing writer's block and none of the books she pitched to Microwide publishers was really good enough to be considered for publishing so whenever the topic for her book comes up, its like she gets a little disturbed by the topic, and a punch of guilt kicks in knowing very well that she is laughing with Valery, yet Is getting Steve to fund her book behind her back.
"Come on, we would like to know! we promise we wont tell a soul, they can get surprised." said Valery smiling and so eager to gear what the book is all about.
"Who is even funding you with this book? Another secret lover?" Asked Anna laughing, and curious to know since Paulina gets to search for her own funds, to have more shares from her books, unlike when the publisher publishes the book.
"Lol, you guys should stop it, I'm actually being funded by an old high school sweetheart, but we are over now, he is just helping me out of generosity." said Paulina looking at the friends with a guilt feeling, Emma put up a frown as if remembered something looking at Paulina when she said something about an old high school sweetheart.
"Lets toast to such good news then, to old high school sweetheart and to probably a new secret book about to happen." said Valery putting up her glass and looking at her friends for a toast.
"To hoping that that old school sweetheart sweeps you up again, off of your feet, cheers to that and his generous heart." added Anna raising her glass as well excited for her friend, not knowing that chances are high, she is sleeping with her best friend's man.
"Haha, ain't nothing like a generous man in this country, they either want something from you, or they just want to touch you where you pee, so cheers to that girls." said Emma and the girls started laughing out loud forgetting again that they are in a wake bar.
"Oh my god stop it." laughed Anna looking at Emma sipping on wine.
Paulina was looking puzzled as if something has been bothering her, when people started talking about her book. Her phone chimed as She received a notification and sitting next to Emma, Emma also heard the notification through the laughter. Paulina opened the message on the phone under the desk and it was a bank notification of One hundred thousand, deposited to her account, referenced "Book" and the money was actually sent by one Mr Simons. Emma, looked over to Paulina and saw this message, she looked at Paulina's face when she noticed that the money came from Valery's husband, she looked back at Valery a little displeased but she didn't say anything she rather not ruin the moment, as she wasn't really sure, it's the Simons of Valery.
"Whoop, cheers to that girls." said Paulina, putting her phone away and actually a smile returned to her face, as she received the money for her book. She picked up her glass to cheer but Emma just looked at her as everyone else raised their glasses and said toast.
"Emma, Emma? Are you okay? You seem a little cloud struck?" asked Anna looking at the deep in thought Emma, who didn't raise her glass, but just kept looking at Paulina in awe.
"Yeah, I'm good, I'm good, never better, I think I just need to pee, so continue without me ladies." said Emma, returning to planet earth and brushing it all off then moved her seat away for her to pass.
Emma got to the bathroom and relieved herself, sitting on the toilet pot, like every person who ever got drunk says to themselves. Breathing out loud and looking in the ceilings with half closed eyes she said,
"Tah! I'm officially drunk!" she exclaimed, as she rocks from side of the bathroom stall to the next.
After finishing up, she came out of the bathroom and while holding on to the wall walking back to the bar entrance, she saw Greg, the very same man she saw in the "Rest in peace Greg" photo. She blinked three times thinking that she is maybe drunk and probably just hallucinating, but still she could see the man smoking next to the guys' bathrooms. Out of fear, Emma screamed out loud, startled the guy smoking to even drop his cigar, and her seeing a ghost, she took off as fast as she could into the bar terrified, and the guy followed her, wondering what is happening.
In those few seconds, its like all the alcohol in her system disappeared, as she runs into the bar screaming, causing everyone to stand and her friends asking her what it was that she saw, with no response she ran and hid behind the girl group.
"I f*cking saw a ghost!!" she responded shaking from head to toe and looking at the entrance through the squad.
"A ghost where ma'am?" asked the bartender and the girls turned and looked at him also starting to panic now as well. Just then, the "Dead guy" walked into the bar, after Emma, also asking what is going on.
The bar exploded into a frenzy as all the girls began screaming as they have seen a ghost. Anna began praying as Emma began chanting Fire! And speaking in tongues, while Valery and Paulina continued screaming their lungs out and shifting over to the bartender, hopefully for protection.
"Ladies!!!" shouted the Bartender hitting the cloth he had on the counter and then there was total silence.
"Gideon is not a ghost! He is very well alive as you all can see." continued the bartender, pointing to Gideon standing in the bar hallway, and then looking back at the terrified ladies.
"Gideon?" asked Valery looking at The bar man, and finally breaking out of the group hurdle.
"Then who the fuck is Greg?" asked Emma looking and pointing at the picture on the easel, then looked at Gideon and then the bartender with question marks all over her face and still scared.
"Oh, sorry, we get the confusion now, Greg is the cat that Gideon is holding." said the bartender realising the mistake they did and everyone began to laugh except the girls who where rather annoyed and still shook.
"What the fuck? Greg is who did what with who now? Why did you guys use his picture then?" asked Anna angry hands folded and then pointing to Gideon.
"I asked them the same thing, but our bartender happened to have a wicked sense of humour." responded Gideon and they all laughed at the girls.
"For the mini heart attack we have caused you ladies, how about we offer you guys alcohol on the house? My name is Gideon and I'm the Manager of tribal events, and we would like to apologise." said Gideon walking to the ladies with hand protruding out for shaking.
"Do you guys have hubbly as well?" asked Emma although still in shock, she heard the words free alcohol. Paulina, standing next to Gideon quietly, she poked him slowly three times to really prove that he is really not a ghost.
"Yes we have hookah pipes and ma'am I am real so please stop poking me, I'm not the ghost" said Gideon turning to look at Paulina then he walks away to go get the things requested by the squad.
"If you guys would please sit at one of our finest tables, while Gideon went to get the alcohol and the hookah pipe?" said The bartender, showing the still shaking girls to a table with good lighting and a little room than the rest of the tables.
"I think that gone be the best remedy right now, y'all can't be giving us shivers just like that, y'all may be white but you ain't Ed Sheeran, making me run in em damn heels even." said Emma and sat down. The girls' night led on so good, the ladies had fun and after downing all the drinks and realising that they have had enough, it was time to go to their hotel, plus it was already way past midnight.