Nadir
Chapter 1

I have just arrived at the restaurant where my best friend and I are supposed to have lunch from. I had a hectic day at work and I just want to relax. Going home to a bottle of whisky would have done the trick but with Martha home, that will not happen.

Martha and I have always lived together. I was in my twelfth grade and she had just been accepted to go into her tenth grade when our parents died seven years ago. There were relatives willing to take us in but the unknown circumstances in which our parents died made it difficult for me to accept that. So we refused to be kept by anyone and continued to live in the house that our parents had left us.

We moved into the servants’ quarter and put the main house on rent and that is what pushed us through high school and university.

When our parent’s benefits came, the first thing I did was buy a plot and started building and with the money that came from the house on rent. I completed the flat so that by the time I was done with UNI we managed to moved into it.

I graduated with a Degree in Human Resource Management and I’m currently working for Southern Resources Limited as the Human Resource Manager whilst Martha is in her fourth and final year of UNI studying Purchasing and Supply. We have a decent relationship except I have always felt she dislikes me and I haven’t yet established why. She hasn’t told me so to my face but I just know it.

I spot Jackie my bestfriend drinking what looks like whiskey. Trust her to love her drink this much.

‘You look like crap.’ She teases.

I just shake my head. Working Saturdays are the worst and it being the end of the month is not helping because I had people upset with me for their deductions meanwhile they know the rules of their contracts and the repercussions of doing anything against it.

‘You have a nice way of welcoming people.’

‘You know I am the only person that can tell you the truth right?’

‘Girl please.’

She stands up to give me a warm hug. When done we take our seats next to each other.

‘What are you drinking?’ I ask getting her glass and drinking from it.

‘This is good stuff.’ I add before taking another sip.

She is drinking Glenfiddich 18yrs. It is so smooth on the tongue, I take another sip.

‘I know you are have not been paid so who is sponsoring these drinks?’

‘Let us just say some good Samaritan I met at work today decided to give me his card.’

My eyes open widely when I see the bank card.

‘And you are probably just leading him on.’ I say feeling bad.

Jackie and I met whilst we were in UNI and have been inseparable since. She was dating someone from her eleventh grade and she was so sure the man would marry her only for him to end up with someone else immediately we graduated from UNI. She says she is okay now and I desperately want to believe her but she has never been in any other relationship since and would rather sleep with men than commit so I replace it hard to believe. She is a good person and I genuinely wish her well but if she is not ready, I can’t push it.

‘I closed the deal with his company and just as a token of appreciation he asked what he could do for me so I ask for his bank card and it’s pin.’

‘And he gave it to you just like that?’

‘Nandy I closed a billion dollar deal, you think he would have refused to give me a card that obviously has his pocket change?’

‘Is this guy married?’

‘You know I don’t do single men.’

I shake my head.

‘Jackie you are the reason for my bad luck.’ I say with a sigh.

‘Girl you have just been meeting the wrong guys, I will tell you when you meet the right one.’

‘Right.’

The waiter who has been serving her comes to our table with a bottle of Glen, mixers and some ice. Another one brings us some biltong and a glass for me.

‘Looks like we are getting wasted.’ I say excitedly.

‘See, you should be thanking me and tonight we are sleeping in a pent house.’

‘Since when do you own a pent house?’

‘Since this man decided to give me access to everything.’

I lift an eyebrow. I don’t know if I should be worried. I am past that stage where I get excited with such things, the fact that the man is married does not sit well with me but she seems to have no problem with it and I am a bad friend if I don’t warn her against all this.

‘I know what you will say and I am not ready to hear it.’ She says as if reading my mind.

I choose not to spoil the mood. She pours me a drink and we start talking about how our lives have been from the last time we saw each other a month ago. We are both very busy and understand that being a working adult can be stressful and friendship shouldn’t add to that stress so we just decided that we would make an effort once a month to link up and catch up for the times we can’t spend together and it has been working.

…

Kwenje’s Girl

Winnie

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