I cant meet Judith’s questioning gaze as we drive back home. She obviously have tones of questions and doesn’t hesitate to ask them
‘I thought you said that you didn’t know him.’
I feel heat going to my face, ‘well in the actual sense I really don’t. I only met him in class he is my Business Ethics lecturer.’
‘And he is already so familiar with you?’
I bite my lip, ‘well I kind of bumped into him in the parking lot.’
Judith’s mouth hangs open, ‘and why were you planning to keep this to yourself?’
‘I wasn’t.’ I roll my eyes, ‘but how was I supposed to breach the topic without you thinking that I have a thing for my teacher.’
‘Which is not far from the truth.’
I gasp but wisely choose not to say anything at this point. I know that down somewhere in the depths of my wild mind I do like the man. Which is ridiculous because I only met the man yesterday. Maybe it’s just because I think he is attractive. The fact that I even manage to pick that out is fascinating. I spent two years building barriers around myself and never looked at anyone and this guy just appears and melts everything away. Maybe that’s why he feels so dangerous, why I want to run for the hills screaming.
As soon as I enter my house it feels like I have entered into another territory. It always feels like that but today it’s much deeper. I sniff the air. Either aunt or mother decided to prepare a dinner party, which very rare or the so called visitor is really that special.
I rush in to take a shower and I put on a comfortable long skirt and a sleeveless blouse. I tie my hair into the usual bun and put on my glasses. I am busy observing my reflection and as much as it kills me to admit it, thinking about Taylor when I hear loud exclamations from the living room.
This Charles man must surely be something.
‘Heather!’ its mother, ‘come over here!’
After all the greetings have been exchanged, I finally make my appearance in the crammed living room. It never fails to amaze me how all these people fit under one roof.
Father and brother have the same faces, I wonder what exactly they look so proud of. My four uncles, all look amused. They always do. I usually call them joker in four. Aunt has an interesting theory about that one
Mother and aunt cast me appraising gazes.
Okay now I smell real trouble about to drop in any minute soon
After assessing all the important expressions of the family. I finally let my eyes land on the visitor. I begin from his feet. Nice formal loafers. Brown, someone that screams trouble. They look pricey though-even the socks peeking from under his pants. White shirt, no tie. He is all formal.
Then I finally reach his face. Dark strong features and a confident gleam in his ordinary brown eyes. Okay I have been bewitched by a certain pair of brown eyes such that all other eyes looks very ordinary. He is like a Michelangelo sculpture.
He is looking straight at me, I can see him weighing some option in his head before he flashes a smile at me. The man also has dimples.
He is the epitome of tall dark and handsome, but somehow that feel boring.
Wild smiles coyly and Taylor’s face flashes into my mind. What on earth has that man done to me?
I walk to him and greet him with the respect that is required for the seemingly important stranger.
‘It is a pleasure to meet you.’ I say averting my eyes. Because you don’t look into people’s eyes, especially male strangers when greeting them.
‘Likewise.’ His voice is deep and manly
‘Charles, this is my one and only daughter Heather. She is doing her final year in business studies this year.’
‘Ah!’ Charles sounds pleased, ‘that’s very pleasant news.’
I retreat from the place and go to sit with the only women in the house.
Father starts the inquisition. That lasts for decades. Turns out the man is a prominent business tycoon in his area and he is an all too confident church kind of man. Of course father is always attracted to people who are similar to himself. Why doesn’t that surprise me?
I don’t pretend to be naïve, halfway through the whole exchange I kind of figure out what is going on here. Surely this can’t be an arranged marriage?
Bile rises to my throat.
Marriage. And I hope it’s me overthinking things because this can’t be happening.
Who does that?
I barely eat anything at dinner. I can’t. The man keep casting longing gazes at me. I feel terrified—the man is so confident and sure. I feel as though something is crawling on my skin every time he looks at me as though I am a ripe juicy mango he wants to sink his teeth into.
My wild mind snickers to herself- the freak has no idea what he’s getting himself into.
Mother and aunt excuse themselves to do the dishes. My uncles, well they always have something to do. Are they programmed robots or something?
Brother and father disappear in the study and I can imagine them with psycho like sinister grins on their faces behind the closed door rubbing her hands together with slightly popped eyes.
So I am left alone with Charles outside on the verandah. The night air is cold and the sky thoroughly starlit.
To think that this could have been a romantic scene—now a horror scene. All those stars could as well all be asteroids about to fall at once and demolish the entire planet.
‘You are more beautiful than they described,’
Oh well if it was father who told the poor guy about me he probably got all the wrong information a man would need to get on the girl’s good natures. And this guy so far wasn’t doing so well.
‘We can get to know each other first, ‘he goes on blatantly speaking of a relationship that was set up hours ago, and ‘I would really like that.’
I raise my eyes to meet his gaze. I push my glasses over the bridge of my nose- time to go in crazy mode. My wild mind smirks approvingly.
‘Do you really want to know me Mr. Charles?’
‘Charles please!—and yes—I believe you and I can be a good pair—your father is like a father to me.’
‘You don’t even know me.’
‘I know your father—that’s enough.’
What the hell does that even mean? Wild shrugs while throwing a popcorn into her mouth.
‘And I know what you have been through—I have no problem with that—it’s in the past—let’s leave it there.’
Why does it feel like this encouraging mantra is always coming out from the wrong mouths? It’s not even encouraging. At this point I can confidently consider it to be a sinister statement from a sinister human being.
‘We can go on a date first if it makes you feel comfortable with me—then we can meet my parents after.’
In-laws. Wild sneers into space. In-laws according to what I have observed in my twenty four years of life can be the worst human race to come into. Or the best. But with my luck…
‘You sound very old fashioned.’
‘Modest.’ He corrects me with a smile, ‘I intend to be a good husband and a good father.’
I resist the urge to drop my mouth open but wild’s jaw hits the floor—the man is actually decided on this issue. Father? Husband? I want to laugh hysterically while shaking my finger at him. As far as I and my wild mind are concerned, husband is not a thing that exists in my universe and the thought of me bearing children is like imagining the world being run by monkeys.
‘Isn’t he wonderful?’ mother gushes as soon as father walks Charles out the door. And oh my gosh is she really flustered?
‘he’s older than his age.’ I say because certain pairs of eyes are on me waiting for a comment. At least I said the truth why are they looking at me like that?
‘He is mature—he is good for you.’ Aunt says with an approving nod
Don’t these two women know that I was born in the twenty first century not the mine industrialization? Who cares about mature men these days? No one is mature as far as I am concerned. Even the old adage of ‘wisdom comes with age’ is totally laughable.
‘I am going to sleep.’ I walk hastily to my room but I don’t miss one of my uncle’s words
‘Yes go and dream about Charles!’
I hope I don’t dream at all. But as soon as I drift off to sleep. I dream of dark brown eyes and that voice.