SEVEN
Rick walked to them with a waiter walking behind him carrying a tray of snacks and strawberry juice.
‘Why are you girls laughing?’ Rick asked and ordered the waiter to put the tray down and leave.
Diane coughed as she laughed.
‘Careful darling,’ he looked at Vanessa, ‘they don’t have burger so I got you pie, I hope that is okay?’
‘Oh yeah, thanks,’ Vanessa nodded.
Rick put a plate of pies and sausages and chicken with the juice in front of Vanessa and two chickens for himself and Diane.
‘I got us chicken my love; I figured we still have juice here,’ he looked at Diane, who was still laughing and turned to Vanessa, ‘why’s she laughing this much?’
Vanessa shrugged and chuckled. Rick took a seat beside Diane.
‘Vanessa was telling me about your encounter with stones and how the door was afraid of ‘em,’ Diane said amidst laughter.
Rick looked at Vanessa, ‘you’ve said it all, haven’t you?’
‘What—but I didn’t lie,’ Vanessa chuckled.
Diane looked at Vanessa, ‘you know sweetheart, he actually has a nickname like that now; Stoneroller,’ she laughed again.
‘Woah, you don’t mean it, how did—,’ Vanessa giggled and looked at Rick, ‘how did you come about that? That actually sounds good.’
‘Really?’ Rick looked at Vanessa and shook his head with a smile on his face.
Vanessa ate her chicken.
‘I guess he’s destined with the stone,’ Diane cackled.
‘What!’ Rick couldn’t believe she just said that.
‘Just thinking out loud,’ Diane shrugged at him.
Vanessa laughed at them.
‘Girls, enough about me, Van, tell us about you. How have you been?’ he ate on.
‘But yours is more interesting,’ Vanessa protested.
Rick and Diane gazed at her and she knew they were not going to take a no for an answer. She smiled and tilted her head.
‘Okay. It’s been fair with me. You know when my dad got a transfer then,’ she raised her brows at Rick and he nodded, ‘we went straight to Gauteng; from there we travelled to France. I came in some days back for some stuff; I miss this country and people, you know—’ she smiled at Rick, ‘we still talk about you over there.’
‘We miss you too, mother would be so happy to see you.’ he smiled.
Diane watched them with a smile as she ate her chicken.
‘Oh mother, how’s she?’ Vanessa said.
‘She’s good,’ Diane and Rick chorused.
‘Oh okay,’ Vanessa nodded slowly seeing that. ‘I can’t wait to see her and father,’ she said.
Diane furrowed at her in awe and Rick looked at her.
She saw that and was confused.
‘What? Did I say something wrong?
‘He’s dead,’ Rick said.
‘What—father is dead? Vanessa was shocked. ‘When? How?’
Rick looked dull, ‘yes, he died few months after you left,’ he said regretfully.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said sadly. ‘I can’t believe this,’ she shook her head thoughtful.
‘Oh it’s okay, it’s been years; so I’m good and over it,’ Rick smiled at her and she smiled back faintly. ‘So how’s your man, you didn’t come with him?’ Rick asked. ‘You should be married now.’
Diane looked at him with her brow raised slightly. It was obvious she was thinking how could he ask that when she, his girlfriend, is not married but he didn’t see her.
Vanessa smiled at her questions and flashed her fingers at him. There was no wedding ring, if there was any ring on her fingers, it was for fashion.
‘Oh,’ he said. ‘But then you should be in a relationship, right?’
‘And my relationship,’ Vanessa smiled, ‘well, I’ve never been out of relationship, I’m still dating the same person I was dating before I left and I actually came back for him,’ Vanessa smiled at Rick.
Rick’s heart skipped a beat, he blinked at Vanessa restlessly.
‘Oh, uh— um,’ he laughed nervously, ‘that’s funny.’
Diane was bewildered at Vanessa.
‘No baby, it’s not,’ Diane corrected him and turned to Vanessa. ‘Oh you mean you’ve been in the same relationship since you left this country?’ Diane questioned amazingly.
‘No, before I left,’ Vanessa corrected, wondering where she was going with that.
‘Yea I know, that’s— amazing, and— that should be how many years now?’
Rick chuckled nervously, ‘c’mon honey, that’s not long, just twelve years, we have been together for ten years.’
‘No, I left the country twelve years back, and the relationship was already sixteen years then, so twenty eight years,’ she corrected again.
Rick was silent, his eyes grew soft and he blinked at her.
‘Oh twenty-eight solid years? That’s awesome,’ Diane was overwhelmed, ‘wait twenty eight? she questioned.
Rick and Vanessa turned to her in fear.
‘If it’s twenty eight, when did you start dating I mean it’s not like you’re fifty.’
Vanessa smiled, ‘from the womb; our parents were close.’
‘Oh, awesome; that’s awesome,’ she found the whole thing astonishing. She was suddenly calm. She looked at her food, ‘I wish I met my Rick in the womb too.’
Rick looked at Diane in silence.
Diane looked at Vanessa and smiled, ‘you think he’s still faithful to you or do you see or hear from each other often, you know how men can be?’
Rick looked at Vanessa.
Vanessa smiled softly and abased her eyes at the question then she looked up at Rick.
‘Well, we just have to see.’
Rick and Vanessa gazed at each other.
‘What, you mean you haven’t seen him?’
‘I have but it’s complicated,’ she said staring at Rick. Then she looked at Diane, ‘when I left— he actually thought I left him but—’ she was short of words.
‘Oh, I see, so— complicated; you left him hurting, hmm,’ Diane shook her head slowly, ‘bad separation, the situation isn’t good for you at all,’ she was thoughtful as if thinking of a solution.
Rick looked at the girls and started eating absentmindedly while he talked.
‘He might actually have realized from someone in your house that it wasn’t your fault. Maybe he forgave you a long time ago.’
Diane and Vanessa suddenly turned to Rick.
Rick noticed they weren’t talking and looked up to see them looking at him. He raised his brows in fear with his mouth full of chicken, realizing what he just said and was about to talk when Diane spoke.
‘He’s right actually. He might actually have learnt the truth from someone.’
Rick was relieved, he nodded and with his mouthful he spoke, ‘yeah yeah.’
Vanessa smiled and abased her eyes from him.
‘And you still love him?’ Diane asked her.
Vanessa giggled to escape Diane’s question.
Diane continued, ‘I think you should just explain to him, that’s if he’s not moved on already and I’m sure he will understand.’ she looked at Rick, ‘or what do you think my love?’
Rick was startled, ‘uh, I— I don’t think so, you already said it, “how guys can be”,’ he stressed. ‘I’m sure he moved on already and her presence might just be a problem for the relationship he’s in now,’ he nodded weighing how his words sounded in his mind and with a satisfaction he said, ‘yeah.’
Diane thought, ‘mmm, you are right again but if her presence will cause a problem for him that means he still loves her, don’t you think? she paused looking at Rick and then looks away, ‘well, I just pity the girl she’s dating now ‘cos if he still loves her, then she’s going to be on the losing end; love from the womb isn’t a joke,’ she shrugged.
Vanessa watched her talking.
Rick frowned at Diane; he was angry.
‘You don’t think he would love the girl he’s dating now, to be in a relationship with her? Why would you think that?’ he took it personal but Diane didn’t even realize.
‘I didn’t say that, I’m just saying love differs, there is true love and there’s love, we just miss them for each other and that’s our mistake. So if he had true love for Van like the one we have for each other, and just love for the girl, it’s sure true love will prevail. That’s all I’m saying.’ she paused. ‘There is hope for Van,’ Diane tucked a piece of chicken in her mouth and chewed.
Vanessa smiled.
‘He could be married you know?’ Rick pointed out.
‘Oh yes,’ it struck Diane. ‘There’s that too, then—’ she looked at Vanessa, ‘you’ll have to back out.’
Vanessa inhaled heavily, ‘he’s not married. Well, at least I hope not,’ she gazed at Rick’s ring finger, ‘I didn’t see any wedding band on him when I saw him.’
Rick flinched on his chair. He folded his hands and snatched it away from the table in an instinct; his saliva went dry instantly and something missed a line in his throat and he coughed.
‘Sorry baby,’ Diane said.
‘Thanks my love,’ Rick stressed on that staring at Vanessa.
‘No wedding band? Diane asked Vanessa, ‘that’s great then, some men choose not to wear it though—’
‘Exactly,’ Rick jumped in.
‘But that’s a fifty percent hope,’ Diane continued and then she was thoughtful, ‘but my love, if you guys are childhood friends, you should know the guy right?’
Rick’s heart skipped, ‘what?’
Diane looked at him and Vanessa stifle-laughed silently.
‘No,’ Rick answered.
Vanessa raised her brows at that. She watched silently.
Diane frowned, ‘no?’
‘Oh um yes— yes I do?’
‘You don’t know, are you asking me?’ Diane queried.
‘No no, I do know him.’
‘So you should be able to tell us if he’s married or not.’
‘Um no, I stopped knowing him when I met you,’ he grinned at her, ‘he disappeared, just vanished— like that.’
Vanessa tilted her brow up at him.
Diane was taken aback, ‘oh that’s weird; vanished when we met— like that?’
‘Yea, like that, and I haven’t seen him since then.’
‘Maybe he’s still somewhere around there,’ Vanessa pitched in.
‘No he’s not,’ Rick said firmly, he was getting pissed but doing a good job at keeping his anger in check.
‘No he’s not. If Rick says he hasn’t seen him around, trust me, he hasn’t. He is a good observer and would notice anything around, plus he doesn’t lie,’ she touched Rick’s arm with emotions and smiled, Rick smiled back.
Vanessa was offended by her words, she frowned at her but Diane didn’t notice.
Diane continued while eating her chicken, ‘but he could still be somewhere around.
Vanessa smiled.
Then it struck Diane suddenly, ‘why are we even arguing, she said she’s seen him already, right?’ Diane looked at Vanessa.
Vanessa nodded.
‘And he didn’t say anything about been married?’
‘No, we didn’t get to talk. He was kinda busy.’
‘Oh okay, so then it’s just a matter of time before you get your man back darling,’ she smiled at Vanessa and Vanessa smiled back and nodded. ‘So, I guess I’ll just have to wish you good luck Van and hope he’s not married,’ Diane smiled at her.
‘Oh thank you darling, that’s what I really need, I need all the good luck I can get right now,’ Vanessa said in a relaxed manner.
‘But an advice though, if he’s not married, you make sure you try your best to get him and if he is, please back out and move on, for your own good.’
Vanessa nodded and smiled and that got Rick more uncomfortable. He blew air in his palm and rubbed hard and fast for friction, shivering.
Diane saw that.
‘Are you okay my love?’
‘Cold,’ he shivered.
‘What— but you were just fine,’ Diane was confused. She felt his temperature with the back of her hand, ‘ouch, you’re hot! Your temperature is high,’ Diane held him feeling worried and Vanessa was concerned and sat at alert.