Perpetual

I used to think that the worst thing that ever happened to me was the death of Pearl but I was wrong. Losing her hurt. Losing her changed me in more ways than any other experience ever has and I will forever mourn her but the realisation that the company I built with not just my money but sweat as well is about to go down has me almost losing my mind. I have never been a heavy drinker and I have always believed that the best way to deal with something is to talk about it but I have also learnt the hard way that Sasha is not the type of person you hold a conversation with. She is either right or will find a way of manipulating the situation into making you feel that you are the one that is wrong.

The bar man pours me my fifth glass of whisky, my head is starting to feel light and my vision blurred but right now that’s all that I can think of. I left home without saying anything to Sasha or our guests and drive straight to the bar.

My phone vibrates in the pocket and I remove it, Sasha has been trying to call me but each time I have been cutting the calls. I don’t know what she wants and I am not interested.

I look at the screen longer just to make out the name there. When I am sure that I am looking at the right name I pick up.

‘If it isn’t my former best friend.’ I say

‘Leo are you drunk?’

‘Me? Drunk? I am not drunk. You are drunk.’

‘Jesus Leo what has gotten into you? You don’t drink much. Where are you?’

‘What do you want James? You also want to laugh at me like the rest of the world is laughing?’

‘Where are you?’

‘So that what? You see the embarrassment in my face and you can nicely laugh? You think I am going to give you the satisfaction?’

‘Leo just tell me where you are.’

‘Fine boss.’ I say before telling him where I am. The line drops and I put the phone on the table, my hands are starting to feel jelly weak but I care less because the more I get drunk the less I think about Sasha and what she has done. I am on my seventh glass and I am barely keeping my eyes open when I feel a light tap on my shoulder.

‘I think you have had more than enough to drink.’ James tells me. It takes me a few minutes to realise that it is him.

‘You made it. Welcome to the party.’ I say lifting the glass but it slips through my hands.

I hear the bar man say something but James is quick to apologise. He hands me a bottle of water a few minutes later but that too slips through my hands so when he picks it up he holds it to my lips and makes me drink.

‘Let us move to the couches.’ He says getting my phone and putting it in his pocket. He helps me up and as I stagger we walk across the room to outside where they are couches. The music is not as loud as inside and few people are seated there.

‘What are you doing here?’ I ask feeling a little sober

‘Drink that up.’ He commands pointing at the bottle on the table. I don’t know where it came from or at what point it was brought, I drink and we sit in silence for close to twenty minutes until a waitress brings us food.

‘You need to eat something so that you have some sanity even as you go home.’

‘Sanity? Food is supposed to bring me sanity?’

‘Well it will make less drunk.’

I laugh and grab a wing which I dip in sauces and put in my mouth.

‘I was hungry.’ I say after I finish eating the first wing and grab a second

I notice that James is not eating when I grab a fourth.

‘Why are you not eating?’

I wash my fingers in the finger bowl.

‘I came here because Sasha told me to call you.’

I wipe my mouth and lean back in my chair.

‘Okay.’

‘I am the person buying the company Leo. I am only telling you this because I don’t want you to find out from something else.’

‘Let me get this straight, Sasha is selling you fifty percent shares of the company?’

‘Yes she is and I am willing to buy the other fifty.’

‘Mother fucker.’ I say suddenly sober.

‘I am doing the same thing that you did to me Leo. We were business partners, more than once you bit me in the back without a care in the world. We were supposed to be best friends and business partners, I warned you about investing in Pearl first. And then when things got messy you decided to cook up the books, that was going to somehow make everything okay. Leo you have been hanging on a thread for a very long time and it was only in due time that you made the worst of them decisions.’

I look on in silence.

‘When Sasha sells off her shares I will liquidate, your shares alone can not make the company stand. Besides the only thing that you own are the clothes on your back because knowing you, I am pretty sure everything is in Sasha’s name. And that makes you broke.’

‘Here is my lawyer’s number, call her when you think it through. I am ready to pay you for your shares.’ He says that and stands up but before he can leave he puts a few hundred kwacha notes on the table.

‘This will cover the bill.’

…

Kwenje’s Girl

Winnie

🙇🏾‍♀️