Sofia listened to her phone ring as she sat on the sofa watching television. There wasn't much to do on a Saturday morning, so after preparing breakfast, she picked a random channel and settled in to eat. When her phone rang the first time, Sofia ignored it, hoping whoever was calling wasn't in an emergency. The ringing started again, and she picked up the phone after the first few seconds."It's Saturday morning, Nil. You, of all people, know I am either sleeping or resting.""I wouldn't have called if I didn't think it was a bit important.""Alright. What's going on.""Remember what we spoke about the last time? About Dimitri coming back and your interest in regaining his love?""I do.""You might have a contender for that."Sofia perked up. "What do you mean?""I am at the club with a friend, and we decided to have a little one-on-one. She chose to play a game of badminton, and imagine my surprise to see that Dimitri was doi
"Are you alright?"Ayesha hummed, absentmindedly nodding while massaging her shoulder. It didn't hurt as much after the impact, but she felt some discomfort. What unsettled her was how familiar Sofia seemed, like they had met somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where.First, Ayesha thought she might have been someone who came by the laundry shop or shopped at the pottery store. Yet, she knew it wasn't any of those. Sofia had a strong gaze; her eyes seemed to take in everything. It was a familiar character she remembered, but she didn't know where from."What are you thinking about then?""Sofia.""What?""Sofia." She repeated, looking at Dimitri. "I don't know where, but I know her from somewhere. It's eating me that I can't remember where I saw her.""Really?""Yes. I mean... the face seems incredibly familiar to me. Is she an actress?"Dimitri choked, then started laughing. In between chuckles, he shook his hea
Sofia walked into the restaurant and immediately made a beeline towards Davina's table. In the spur of the moment, she invited her to eat and was pleased when she accepted. They taught at the same university, but unlike her, Davina's was a more permanent career. Sofia was lucky to catch her on a free day because she wasn't sure she could hold herself for another day. "I already ordered what you asked.""Thank you." She took her seat, immediately taking a sip of her tea. "This is delicious.""So is the bread." Davina sighed. "I haven't been here before. When did it open?""A month or two. A client invited me, and I enjoyed the sandwiches." She took a bite of her sandwich and observed Davina munching down on her food. "How's Bob?""Fine. The cast finally came off, and the doctor encouraged us to switch him from crutches to a cane.""When can he get back to work.""He can ease back into things, but he has another month before he will be back to driving.""That's a relief. I imagine you
Ayesha collected her order of burgers and fries after her number was called out. She left Joseph and Carol to collect the rest of their meal while she headed for the bench. The rest weren't far behind her."And for the finale, the drinks and peppered wings," Joseph announced as he placed the drink on the table before helping Carol set the plates of chicken beside them.They sat around the table under the shade provided by the large white umbrella mounted through the centre of the bench. It was a hot morning, with unrelenting heat and bright sunlight. Even sitting down didn't stop Ayesha from breaking out in a sweat."Peppered wings might not be the best idea," Carol grumbled as she picked some of her fries, dipping them in some sauce. "Heat will only aggravate the intensity of the spices.""Heart wants what it wants," Ayesha replied as she feasted on her wings. "These taste fantastic.""Since when did you start eating so much spicy food?""S
Dimitri padded around the kitchen, preparing the fruits to make his second round of smoothies for his guests. His sisters and Bob arrived early the previous day, and his parents followed after them. Steven, and two other girls, friends of Vienna, arrived late in the night. After a good night's rest, Steven suggested they spend the afternoon outside by the pool. So, while Dimitri took charge of making drinks, and snacks, his mother handled the barbecue. He opened the blender and, with Davina's help, mixed in everything he needed for the smoothies. He plugged it in and turned the knob, but nothing happened. "Is it really alright for Sofia to come?" Davina asked after fussing beside him for some time. "Why not," Dimitri replied, distracted as he worked on the blender. He scowled as he shook it, but it didn't budge. "I think we have to use another one. This one's not working.""Dimitri," Davina stressed, dragging him back to the counter before he could move to get the cupboard open. "I
Dimitri reached across the barbecue to pick up his ringing phone from the side table. After his mom got a call from work, he was left to man the barbecue. Distracted by what he was doing, he didn't bother looking at the caller ID. "Hello?""Hello, good afternoon.""Hi." He replied breezily, stepping aside as Vienna and Davina blazed past him, giggling while running around barefoot. Bob shouted after them to be careful, and his mother repeated the warning at the top of her voice when they didn't slow down. "Sorry, I caught you at a bad time?" Ayesha apologized, clearly hearing the chaos that was erupting around him. The loud laughter and splashing of water was unmistakable. "Not really. I am having a family get-together, so they are going crazy in the background.""That's nice. It sounds like a lot of fun."It was, and he had her to thank for that. Her speaking about her brother and family drew him to throw the party, but he kept that piece of information to himself. "What's going o
"Who were you talking to?""Dimitri," Ayesha replied as she put her phone away. She showed Joseph the package of cabbage she spotted earlier. "Dimitri works in agriculture. This is his company's product. I don't know why I have not noticed them before.""I am surprised you still remember who he is.""What's that supposed to mean?""Ever since Carol showed you the picture of his ex and gave you a rundown of their relationship, you seemed to have taken a back seat when it came to him.""And if so, then?""Seriously?" Joseph took over pushing the cart while she scanned the aisle for yoghurts. "I never thought you the type to be intimidated by another woman.""It's not intimidation. It's me trying to save myself any troubles or heartaches in the future.""Like how?""They dated since college, Jo. College. And since then, it's been on and off. That's over ten years of his life going back to the same woman over and over and ov
Ayesha squinted from discomfort as the light in the room suddenly made her head spin. Strangely, she had felt a little better after a good night's rest and a morning at class, but when she started working, the soreness and the headaches started up again. Her throat felt raw, and her tongue heavy. Soon it felt like a pulse was drumming behind her eyes, and working became impossible.As soon as she finished sorting the clothes into the carts, she mustered the strength to wash them, then dried them before she went looking for their manager. Thankfully, she looked as bad as she felt, so he permitted her to leave. Without wasting any time, she emptied her locker, wrapped her earpiece around her phone and stuffed it in her purse, grabbed her bike from its parking space and started wal