Their Dream Girl

2 Call from a friend

Luna

The news that Tau is getting married to Sade has been the talk of the town for several weeks now. So many hearts are broken right now, including Carol’s. I look at her feeling the air thicken with the tension that is suddenly giving me indigestion with Carol’s continued silence. Her face looks like she is both constipated and angry as she breathes in and out slowly. She will never admit that deep down she is hurt that she is just another notch on Tau’s belt. She’s pretending none of this is happening, or at least she has been pretending until Mindy pulled the fantasy rug right from under her. Carol is a self-proclaimed ‘b***h’. She has no filter and in her own words ‘she doesn’t give three f***s’.

We all know she’s been in love with Tau for a long time and when they slept together she had something out of a novel – something magical she didn’t want to let go. Unfortunately, the Mogale brothers are not known as the committing type, well we thought so.  It seems Tau is, since he is getting married to someone else.

I play with my wine glass, feeling so sorry for Carol. Yolanda discreetly pokes me with her toe.

I look at her like ‘What?’

She shrugs as though she isn’t the one poking me.

Fuck, no. I’m not getting into this mess.

“I’m leaving,” Carol says finally standing up quickly, spilling her half full wine on my white carpet. I gasp driving to save my rug, but I’m too late. I watch the red stain grow like spilt blood. Carol doesn’t even apologize for ruining my carpet. She stares at me with teary eyes, grabs her purse and leaves. The door slams in a resounding bang that echoes behind her.

“Well folks, I guess that’s it for game night,” Mindy says giggling sipping soundly at her wine. She is so happy with her herself.

“You are a b***h, you know that?” I say getting up to go fetch a cloth to blot out the damn wine in my rug from my bathroom.

“What? I’m not the one who left a stain in your rug.” Mindy shouts at me.

I ignore her and search for the rag I use to wipe down surfaces when I clean my flat. I find it and sort of stop in the middle of the bathroom staring at the rag. It was filthy and torn like the friendships I was keeping with the women out there. I need new friends. I can’t be around people who take each other down like this. But it was what we did. And we always came back for more. I shake my head. And walk back into the sitting room.

Yolanda and Mindy are on their feet with their purses over their shoulders. They are ready to leave.

“That was fun.” Mindy continues, basking in her revenge over Carol.

“Well, if you say so,” I say getting on my knees and press the cloth to the carpet.

“No. Don’t do that!” Yolanda stops me and takes the cloth from my hand. I look at her quizzically. “You’re going to make it worse. How do you keep this place clean if you use that?” she points at my dirty rag.

“Maybe, I’m not thinking clearly because of some cruel bitches that spend the night pulling each other’s hair,” I shout throwing the rag across the room.

“You’re still on that?” Mindy asks in shock. I can’t tell if she is truly shocked or not.

“You literally talked about something we never dare talk about. I mean really, we all know she’s still hung up on Tau. You just had to bring him up,” I say fuming. I pace to the kitchen needing to get away from them.

“Oh my God, Luna. Stop being so righteous. You would have done the same thing given the chance,” Mindy smiles slyly.

“Just for that, get out of my flat!”

Silence ensues after my outburst. Mindy stares at me. She pulls on the strap of her handbag and then turns to leave.

“I’ll see you next week after you cool down.” She reaches the door and stops. “Yolanda, are you coming?”

“Yeah,” Yolanda says but doesn’t follow Mindy out the door. “They’ll come around, you know that right?”

I nod, because I know we will be in this very room playing another torturous game.

“Make sure you blot that carpet with a clean cloth, preferably white. And mix white vinegar with detergent and blot blot blot, until there’s no stain, alright?”

 I breath deep before I answer her. “Right.”

“Ok, I’ll see you.” Yolanda says and walks out the door.

After everyone leaves, I stand alone in my kitchen going over the event of the night. Mindy knew bringing Tau up was mean, but she did it anyway.

Oh…what kind of friends do I have? I groan as I know the answer. They were mean and bitchy, but love them anyway.

I shake my head in search of the clean white cloth. I find an old t-shirt I felt I could ruin and return to the kitchen. I mix the vinegar with detergent and blotted away. I am on my knees for about fifteen minutes when my phone starts to ring.

I wipe my hands on my thigh before reaching for it. I smile as Blu’s name flashes on the screen. It’s almost like she knows I need her.

“I’m baaaaack!” Her voice comes through the phone sounding so carefree and happy. That was Blu, she is the carefree genius I met in university and who quit to travel the world in search of some higher power and the meaning of her life.

“No!” I shout in the empty flat too happy to care who hears me. “Oh, I need to see you.”

“I know. I feel the same. I’ll able to see you tomorrow. We’re going to catch up and then we’re going to paint the night a very bright colour.” Blu giggles at her own words.

“I think the word you’re looking for its red,” I smile along. Her happiness is infectious.

“That too,” she laughs and I join her, feeling light for the first in a very long time.

Oh God, I can’t wait to see her.