KAZMIR
I walked into the restaurant the lady who texted me sent earlier this mornin’.
With a smile on my countenance, I took a seat at one of the tables in the space. “Thank you,” I greeted the waiter who handed over a menu to me. “What do you have?” My gaze skimmed through and I shook my head, handin’ it over back to ‘im.
“Is there a problem, sir?”
I shook my head again. “Not really, my young man,” I said with a smile and then adjusted on the chair where I sat. “I have an appointment with a lady I am waitin’ for. We’ll send for you when the time comes.”
With a professional smile on his face, he bowed and walked away. I took out my phone from my pocket, lookin’ at its screen to check on the time.
“Where the hell are you, Ember?” A sigh on my countenance betrayed the one I had on it before now. “I don’t have all day in case you don’t know.” And with these words, I dialled her number.
“Hello, Ember?”
“Mr. Draven,” she called from the other end. “Are you at the location already?” She asked and I nodded as though she was in my presence, realizin’ the next moment that she wasn’t.
“I am at the restaurant as we speak,” I announced, lookin’ around to be certain I was not in the wrong place. “Of course, I am here!” I affirmed again but with a nod before endin’ the call, callin’ on the young man who left the space a while ago.
“I want a bottle of water.”
“Right away, sir,” he left the table in moments, catchin’ up with me again but this time, with a bottle of chilled water. “Would you love somethin’ else?” He asked me who shook my head, impatient at this point with a little bit of anger I had for none other person than Ember.
The last thing I wanted was Nyssa noticin’ somethin’, and confessin’ her distrust for me once more.
When I was leavin’ the house, I had told her I was goin’ to the mall to get a few things. What if she had followed me? Is this the mall? Of course, not!
In the early hours of the mornin’, I woke up to a text message from Ember. “It’s urgent,” she had said. “Meet me at this restaurant.” She added again, pastin’ the location of this restaurant at the end of the message, leavin’ me a curious man.
Now that I am here, where is she!?
Just as I thought, the entrance door opened.
I looked up, happy with a mixture of unhappiness.
Finally!
She was here to say whatever it was she had to say. With this, I adjusted a little on the chair and sipped some more water from the bottle served to me moments ago.
“It is good to finally meet with you, Ember. After a long while of waitin’ for you to show up at a restaurant you brought me to – for a meetin’ you hosted!”
She dropped her bag on the table. “I’m sorry, Mr. Draven,” with a smile on her face, she said these words. “I went to the house to check on Nyssa before comin’ here, just so she doesn’t suspect a lot.”
Suspect a lot?
What was the woman tryin’ to say?
“Well, now that you are here, we can talk ’bout it, can’t we?” I smiled and called on the man who served me a bottle of water ’bout a while ago. “We should eat before we begin with the conversation, can’t we?”
“I’ll be tellin’ a lie if I said I was not hungry.” Hungrily, she murmured, takin’ her phone out of her bag. “What do you want to eat, Mr. Draven?”
“I have no intentions to eat food here,” I announced. “Let the waiter know ’bout what you want. Bills on me.” I looked at my phone while the woman spoke to the waiter. At the end of the day, there was a tray brought to the table and immediately, Ember started eatin’ like she was on a fast since the day before.
Take it easy, I wanted to say but on second thought, I let her eat her meal. “You should be fast ’bout it anyway, I don’t have all day. It’s enough that you’ve wasted enough time already – my wife is waitin’ on me and I wouldn’t want her suspectin’ a thin’.”
She nodded, pushin’ the tray to a corner. “I almost forgot. We can talk ’bout it already,” she mouthed. “I wanted to let you know ’bout your wife’s curiosity. It could get us in trouble and let out the dirty secret we both have. I’m sure you know we don’t want her to be aware of what we are doin’ or do you?”
Of course, not!
What was she sayin’?
“What do you mean?” I was very much interested in the conversation this time around. “Of course, I don’t want her knowin’ ’bout it and even if she must, not yet. It’s very early for that or don’t you get it?”
“Then she should stop goin’ ’bout the rooms in the house, searchin’ for answers she may get and we don’t know how she will. This is too risky, Mr. Draven. You know what I mean.”
“I understand what you mean,” I confessed. “But how did you arrive at this? Is there somethin’ wrong with goin’ ’bout the rooms in a house? I don’t see anythin’ wrong with it if you ask me, Ember. I don’t see a point in this, you know.”
She chuckled, then laughed.
“Mr. Draven, your wife has been askin’ questions lately. What I’ll do if I found out I made a piece of artwork even though I’m not sure ’bout how I made it and when exactly. Many more questions, includin’ what I’ll do if I found out I knew someone I am not even sure I know. Are these not enough to back up my claims ’bout her bein’ very curious?”
“This is not happenin’,” I mouthed. “How come you are tellin’ me ’bout it now, Ember? Why? Why didn’t you let me know ’bout it many days or weeks ago when it happened?”
She shifted. “I am sorry, but do I also have to remind you that I have a life I am livin’, Mr. Draven? I don’t always have the time for communication with you, the same way you don’t, or do you?” She heaved a sigh and ate some more food from her plate. “I am sorry, anyway. I understand that this is a serious matter, but you’ll not blame me for not reachin’ out on time.”
“Is that all?” I already asked.
“Is that all that has happened since you two started talkin’? Does she even trust you enough at this point, or does she have her doubts? I have noticed how distant she is lately, especially after the little issues we’ve had since a few days and weeks ago. It is tirin’, you know.”
“I understand totally, Mr. Draven-” she said and sipped the last liquid from the glass. “I have to make it back to the office, Mr. Draven.” She picked up her bag from the table and walked away from the table, and then out of the room in total.
I heaved a sigh, callin’ on one of the waiters once more. “I want a plate of food for my wife. The biggest plate of ice cream and that would be all.”
When the order was brought after some time of waitin’, I paid and walked my way out of the hall. My legs, in moments, caught up with the car and I hopped in with the many thoughts runnin’ ’bout in my head, wonderin’ also if I wanted to face Nyssa.