The Mechanic

24

As the weeks progressed with not even a peep from Bert or Faizal, Sebina resigned herself to the life of singlehood, going out with Maeraa to their strip club times.

Today was one of those days.

The two ladies dressed up, Sebina in a short turtleneck bodycon dress and Maeraa in some jeans with a golden shirt that was tucked in on one side. They both spotted some Yves Saint Laurent heels with different colours and boy, did they look amazing!

As they walked into the gentlemen's club, Maeraa grinned, her mannerless self already running in her heels to an empty  booth where she sat down and waited for Sebina to bring drinks.

And bring them she did. Shots, whiskey, gin, ciders...this was about to be a wild night! She needed to unwind.

As the shots took effect, the two took out their ten rand stacks and rushed out of the booth to the strippers who were dancing on their poles.

They started throwing cash as some Muni Long came on, driving the strippers into a sensual vibe that had one of them teasing Maeraa who kept tucking notes into the band of the lady's thong.

"My husband would love this if I wasn't so stiff!" she chuckled at Sebina. "I'm getting him a stripper for his birthday."

Sebina laughed just as a young woman in a revealing hostess outfit approached her. "The gentleman over at the bar wishes to talk to you."

Sebina turned to look at the bar and Faizal waved at her. The smile went off her face and composing herself, she walked over to him.

He looked at her as she sat beside him. "You look good," he said but not nastily. 

Sebina just stared at him, suddenly mute. His hair had grown a little and he had a fade and gel coils on his head, his beard trimmed to a brush. His green eyes had more life to them and honestly, Faizal looked like he was living his best life. Without her.

"Cat got your tongue?" he teased with a small smile.

Sebina suddenly got overwhelmed with emotions and she stood from her stool and walked away, nervously wringing her hands. She walked over to Maeraa who was having the time of her life, now onstage with the stripper, shaking her huge butt.

Maeraa took one look at her and  she quickly led her outside, rubbing her back as she leaned against her car like she was going to vomit. She took huge gulps of air, trying to deter the panic attack she felt incoming while Maeraa soothed her.

"It's alright. It's going to be alright, my baby."

Sebina looked at her for assurance, nodding, with tears in her eyes. When Faizal talked to her, it was like all the emotions she hadn't felt after the break up came at once and she didn't know what to feel so she panicked and ran.

"What happened in there?" Maeraa asked.

"I saw him," Sebina breathed as her tears fell. "And I didn't grieve when he left me but the moment he opened his mouth, every negative emotion that I refused to feel came rushing all at once. Can we go home? Please? I can't let him see me like this."

At that, Faizal walked out of the club and approached them, a worried look on his face.

"Sebina, are you OK?" the worry was evident in his voice as he looked at the teary woman before him. "Look, I'm sorry if I did anything back there-"

Maeraa excused herself. "You two need to talk. Sebina, I'll be with my stripper if you need me." She went back inside.

Sabina glanced at Faizal in the almost dim light of the parking space. Then she looked away, wiping her face, careful not to ruin her makeup. "Hi," she said in a trembling voice.

"Hi," Faizal said, an amused smile on his face.

She looked back at him. "I'm sorry for leaving like that. I just haven't seen or heard from you in some weeks and I got overwhelmed-"

"You don't have to explain yourself," he softly said. His eyes went to her mouth for a moment before they travelled back up to meet her brown ones. "I think we can talk now."

"Ok."

Faizal took in a deep breath. "I miss you," he confessed. "When you told me about Bert, I was hurt. Deeply hurt and I was angry. I didn't want you to see that side of me but I had a mini outburst that's why I left. Before it got worse. You know, I moved before you came back because I wanted to surprise you. Vinter and I got a better place downtown. It's an affordable single bedroom even though it is in one of the most crime filled areas.

Faizal smiled. "Look, I've never broken up with someone that I want back before so I don't know how this goes but do you want to swing by some day? I'll make a candlelit dinner and massage your feet?"

"I'm sorry," Sebina apologised.

His face fell.

"About everything that I did. I know that it was wrong of me to cheat and I will not excuse it but I want you to know that I am sorry for hurting you."

"I forgive you," Faizal said. "And look, I know you still have feelings for Bert so he and I had a small talk before I almost quit my job. Luckily he talked me out of it before I starved my son." He chuckled a bit.

Sebina stared at him, taken aback. How did Faizal know that she still had something for Bert? "What did you talk about?"

"Nothing much. We just had a man to man talk and we decided that everything was pretty much up to you. I still want you and so does he so we'll make peace with whomever you choose. There's no animosity between us anymore."

Sebina could only gape.

"But between you and me, I really hope your feelings for me are stronger. I mean, I know that I can't give you the lavish life Bert will afford you and I can't take you on vacations abroad but I can make you feel loved until you burst, not just sexually. I bring more than sexual or material things to the table. I know I make you happy and even though I hate you sometimes, I'm happy with you most of the time, my sugar sister."

Sebina laughed. "It's sugar mommy."

"Well, I'll take all the sugar you want to give me. Diabetes included."

"Stop!" Sebina laughed out loud. She smiled as she glanced up at Faizal.

He was right. He made her happy. He satisfied her in more ways than one and he barely had a cent to his name. But she didn't need even a cent from him. He was enough as the poor man he was.

Bert on the other hand genuinely liked her too. His actions after she broke up with him ages ago were that of a man trying his best to get back in good books with her. Cameroon was an example of that.
Every night, even though she pretended she didn't see or hear, Bert would lay in bed with her, watching her and confessing his feelings, thinking she was asleep. Even the way he looked at her and treated her, his associates had seen him as nothing more than a man in love.

But Faizal hadn't cheated.

And the philosophy she had abided by through her life had become void. She cheated. Faizal still wanted her back. And he didn't make her feel guilty about it like she had guilt tripped Bert.

Oh, poor Bert.