Waiting with the Music

It's always a busy Friday night here at Non-Le Bureau. People’s conversations got louder as the more people came in. The clinking of glasses for a cheer or toast, the welcome of a friend, the slurping of noodles, and the laughter just grew throughout the night. The tall, quiet man with his hands in his pocket in the corner of the room scanning the room for his prey. Tonight was the celebration of all music genres that everyone came to dine, laugh and sing along to songs out of tune.

Everyone is enjoying themselves except for this elegant, exotic mermaid. Her skin is like a bar of mocha chocolate and has a tall black mohawk that moves with every movement she makes. She looks like a baby all dolled up, but still isn't happy. Her eyes are staring at the clock, watching it tick to every second like she was counting down the time. Under the table, her legs were shaking and her hands were fiddling with her phone. Her nails were designed with puzzle pieces and diamonds. She runs her nails along the bottom of her glass.

She’s mumbling to herself but I can't hear what she’s saying. I move over to a table angled from her and she's speaking another language in frustration and disappointment. She looks down at her phone and turns it off then clenches her stomach as though there was something trying to get out when the restaurant door opens.

A group of different colored men in suits came into the building with professional laughs. One person is capturing her thoughts causing her to stare as if she saw a ghost. I turn to call a waiter, but I really turned to see who it was. A caramel man had the same shocking expression that turned into a smile. He pats someone on the back and went and sat in front of her making her body angry.

¨Maurice,” she puts her phone face down and folds her hands.

¨How are you Change?¨ he unbuttons his suit.

¨Oh, I´m great,¨ she picks up her red wine, ¨How's your wife?¨

He looks down and leaned forward crossing his hands, ¨We got a divorce.¨

¨Oh, I´m sorry,¨ she pressed her hand on her chest, ¨Sorry that she married a liar and a cheater.”

¨Aye I said I was sorry to both of you multiple times,” he opened his hands with force.

¨Chero chii,” she says in another language and I lean in to for the next response.

¨Come on now. Can we please speak in English?¨

¨Unodei mukomana?”

¨I just want to talk. Can we talk in English?” I see his veins pop on the back of his bald head.

¨Kunyana?¨ She asked then ran her hand into her afro and she shrugged for a sure.

¨Thank you. So, what's been happening in your life?¨ He leaned on top of the table.

She hesitated like she was holding something back and started to eat the lip gloss off her lips and fiddling with her phone again. The music got slower and some drunk girls started singing hello by Adele.

He touched her hand, ¨Just tell me Change.¨

She let out a huff, ¨Tine mwanasikana,¨ she said softly.

¨Wait, I don't think I heard you right,¨ he laughed.

She moved her hands from under his, ¨Yes you did, Maurice.¨

He sat back and was fidgeting with his suit, ¨Well, what's his name?¨

¨Her,¨ she emphasized, ¨name is Promise, Promise Geoffrey.¨

¨Does she knows about me?¨ he said crossing his fingers under the table.

¨I tell her bedtime stories of how her dad is ruling the world and helping people get their powers out,” She smiles at the thought of it and looks up at him.

He seems happy but then by her face things just turned into something bigger, ¨Ndinoziva sei Kuti uri kutaura chokwadi?¨

¨Wow, so you’re the one with trust issues, shocker,¨ she rolls her eyes and she glances at me so I quickly look away.

¨I know I shouldn't have done what I did.¨

¨Oh, so do you remember what you did cause I don't seem to remember,¨ she asked sarcastically.

¨Kunyana?¨ He whined.

¨I’m serious.¨

¨I am extremely sorry for getting with you over a bet, but I actually developed feelings for you and I still have feelings for you.¨

She scuffed and rubbed her hand over her mohawk making it bounce back and forth when she released it.

¨If I didn’t I would have never sat down right here seven minutes ago, right?¨

She rolled her eyes and picked up her glass with a huff, “You know she wants to see her father. She talks about you as if she already knows you, and it makes me feel guilty for not telling you or her the truth,” she takes a sip and restricts herself from looking up at him right away.

“Listen Change, I don’t blame you for not wanting to tell me the truth after what happened between us. And,” he hesitated, “I had a private investigator look into you.”

“Kunyanya! Ishe ndibatsire Kuti ndisasvetuka pamusoro petafura iyi uye ndirove murume uyu,” her eyes are filling with the waves of a hurricane, her tail grasps the seat and she chokes the air with her skeleton hands.

“I’m sorry, I had to know what you were doing because you decided to go awol,” he paused, “I want to offer you a job.”

She sat upright, “Sei? Your business can’t be failing yet, just give it another year,” her voice chuckled each word.

“We’re going bankrupt and it’s all my fault,” he grabbed her hand, “When we were together, you were the reason my business was booming. You were the one calling the people when something was wrong, you were the one fixing my work and I never thanked you for it.”

She huffed under her breath and moved her hand from his.

“I was using you at first, I admit to that, and I thank you for helping my business. You need the money Chantelle,” he got up and walked away without looking back leaving his card on the table.

She picked up the card and gazed out the window as if concerned for the world, watching the sea of fish going in and out of stores and driving past red lights. She pulls out her phone and starts to type, but stops herself as if someone had grabbed her.

“Hey!” I called out to her without thinking.

She looked at me me in shock and was attempting to respond, but couldn’t because she was still stuck in that moment.

“ I’m sorry for being nosy, “ I’m starting to get shaky as her face begins to come to reality, “but if your name is Change then don’t give him your acceptance. You see I don’t know you-“

“So what is your purpose talking’ to me?” Her body language has shifted from being sleep to wide awake.

“Just listen,” I walked over to her but not too close that she would kick me with her black bottomed heels, “I know how you’re feeling and I know that I’m not someone who you would want to tell you what to do or anyone for that matter. If they are paler than me that’s another story.”

She let out a chuckle and a smirk then stopped herself realizing that she was conversing with someone like me.

“I know that I’m most likely not your type, but I’m not asking you out just taking you somewhere that you need to be than waiting here for someone to show up.”

She smirked but then she looked out the window and sat in thought. She gulped down every drop of her wine and left twenty under the glass. She whipped her tail out of the booth and threw his card on the table then looked at me with a blank expression.

“Maybe you’re right and maybe I need to loosen up more, but I still don’t trust you even though I’m gonna go with you,” she pointed at me with her sharp nails as she walked past me and headed for the door.

I couldn’t help but watch her leave with such rhythm to the music that was horribly sang, her hair bounced every pounce in her step and her hourglass figure was standing out in that red dress. She glances behind, seeing if I was still with her and I jogged up to her and opened the door.

“After you ma lady,” I ushered her out the door.

She chuckled and again she walked as if she was walking in between water. I look at the man in the corner, with eyes red and body sagging and it was like I can smell the booze from over here with the way he carried himself. I waved at him and left him with the loud conversations, the toasts, and the awfully sang karaoke music, walking off with the most beautiful melanin mermaid into the sea.