“But you know you have to stop this excessive drinking, right?” Sophie muttered with elated countenance after checking the test result. She held her hands across my shoulder, gazing into my dazzled eyes like a toddler, with mixed emotions.
“I promise, but I still need one of us to at least remember what exactly happened” I said, still trying to recover. She squints like a shy little girl, shaking her head lightly.
She then quickly left me, grabbed her silver-plated purse from the dining and headed for the door. She blew me a kiss as she shut the door behind her.
Few minutes later, my phone beeps.
“I’m so sorry about my attitude. I’ve read the mail you sent me over 10 times and I saw a lot of sense in what you said. I was thinking, maybe, we should hangout by weekend to at least talk. Let me know what you think. Jane”
It took me like another 10minutes to know it was that depressed cutie on Facebook I chatted up some hours ago. How she got my number was still a mystery until I discovered I have it in my Gmail signature.
Oops! I wasn’t ready for any date any time soon. Well, maybe that was the gynophobic me but I truly I’m not.
I called up Neil as always but he said “Dude, I can’t keep doing this for you anymore. Just do what you have to do.”
At that point, I was left with just an option; never reply the SMS and pretend as if I never saw it in the first place. That was exactly what I did.
I flipped my laptop opened, turned on my Wi-Fi and a message pops in my mail…
“I know you got my text and I’m sure you’re still angry at me. Please I’m really sorry. I still expect your reply as a sign I’m forgiven. And please, I’d love us to see. Jane”.
I was going to attend to a client’s job but I lost every ounce of zest in me to work. I closed my laptop, called up Sophie and she’s of the opinion I should try and see her to at least hear her out and that I was the one who initiated the help in the first place, so I should live up to it.
You know when it feels like you wanted to help but you just aren’t sure how and where exactly that could lead to? That was it for me. I wished I never offered to, but since it’s done, I have to face my demons once again – the fact that beside Sophie, I still cannot face a lady.
I thought my encounter with Annabel helped somehow, but the way I felt at the thought of a date with Jane, I don’t know.
As I hit send on Jane’s reply, Neil entered with some fresh fruits in a Grubbies-customized nylon, like he knew I so needed it.
*Deep breath*
The day was saved!
© 2014 Michael Agene
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.