In a snap, I was inside the train after the taxi driver left me. My journey was going to take more hours because trains were too slow, which was why I hated them. 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 didn't know me that much for sure, despite the few months I spent with him 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 kilometre 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. My other friends were also doing like me.
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 favourite, 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 was thrilling around, giving him some false hopes 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 smelled bad, and his frogman body disgusted me.
After a while, I felt wanting to go to the restroom after a long time of ignoring my bladder, which was unstoppably complaining of being full. Before it could burst, I stood up. The man held my hand. I saw his other hand advancing to my waist, and 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, but when I was on the fifty-step, I lost balance. People screamed in worry, looking at me. The frogman tried to jump to catch me before I hit the floor, but he was too late. Tough, masculine arms were already around my tiny waist. I sighed as I felt the sensation on my tummy and took 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 attracted to the scent of his body. His eyes zoomed to my cleavage. My tits slowly became harder beneath my soft white 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 the cornea of my eyes 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 frogman who stood helplessly from a distance, his hands forming fists.
"Call me Menzi," the masculine man said. He shoved a card that had his phone number into my cleavage. I sighed. As my lips trembled a little, he flickered a charming smile on my face before he advanced to the till point. Without even saying a word, the bar woman poured some whiskey into a glass. He didn't wait to grab it. It seemed they knew each other with the bar woman, judging by their gestures.
"And who was that, Miss Drama Queen?" Viola asked, coming to me, and she smiled. 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 behaviour changed, and she took the card from me.
"Okay. It's time to go back to the college," she reminded me, pulling my posture, which was then facing 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 modelling, heading to the restrooms before my compass led me to Menzi at the serving point.
After relieving myself, I was at the counter, stood next to Menzi. He didn't stare at me, even if I cleared my throat for nothing. Only the frogman looked at me, and by his penetrating look, I felt a bit of a portion 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 could not 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 gone to the bar without anticipating the night weather, so we wore light jerseys that night.
"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 with 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," Menzi insisted.
I realized I was then mute in the conversation, so I took a cigarette next to Menzi's glass 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 forbid 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. She then gave me a light forehead kiss and asked me to be careful. I walked 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 hesitantly complied, as I was just wondering why Viola didn't trust such a fine man as Menzi seemed.