Clearances

"It's like you fell off the face of the earth, friend", Kayla said as walked across the hall to Kedi.

"I'm just trying to make all these years in school count", she said with a bland smile as she hugged Kayla back.

"How has your one month stay been?"

"I'm paying to be here so I guess I have to love it", they both laugh.

"I've been meaning to talk to you. I'm hosting a party at Basil hotel next week. It's my 23rd birthday and you know the vibes already, we have to pop something. You can bring a plus one. Here, have this. The address is on it."

Kayla reads the card as she steps into her room.

"I really like your taste. Would you like to help out with planning or just pitching in some ideas for me?"

"I think I'll just pitch in some ideas. We have a whole month till then."

★

As Zuma looked at the picture of his little girl one more time that night his fiancee wrapped her arms around his torso.

"She's probably really grown now or dead,…" his fiancee began, "….you will never know till you put in some effort to find her."

He gently removed her arms and wrapped his around her mid-section.

"If Matilda wanted me to meet my daughter it would've been eighteen years ago"

"Sometimes you say 'Matilda' like you two were friends of some sort…", Oratile says as she rolls over in his arms to look at his face.

"…you don't know her. It was a one- nightstand. A one time thing. If you want to meet your daughter that badly you should just message her and make some sort of appointment instead of stalking her socials all the time."

"Good night Stan"

★

"I almost thought you wouldn't make it", Kedi screamed over the banging sounds of the speakers.

"It took me a while to locate the place. The place looks beautiful."

"It's all thanks to you and your ideas. Let's get you a drink. I love your dress by the way"

"Thank you"

It was a purple turtleneck thigh length dress with semicircular cuts at the front and back. A gorgeous a cut satin dress. Kedi showed her around, introduced her to some friends. She drank juice, she drank wine, had a little alcohol but she wasn't really a fan. She wasn't really a dancer but she couldn't sit back and watch everyone have fun so she joined in.

"I'll be right back I just need one more shot", she said to her dance partner as she pushed her way through the crowd to the bar.

"one shot for me please", she said to the bartender completely ignoring the man that was obviously oogling her. She didn't want to remember anybody or overthink anything.

"Give me two more", she said as she gulped down the first one.

She took her shots and mingled back in with the crowd. It was probably midnight and she wasn't clear headed anymore. She was wasted. She ordered a ride on her phone and stepped out to the parking lot to wait.

"You know, a pretty girl like you shouldn't be out here all alone",

With a drunken look in her eyes and a dazed smile she said, " And someone's father like you shouldn't be at a hotel parking lot creeping your daughter's age mates out"

"Actually I'm not married. Hop in, let me take you somewhere nice."

"No, thank you. I'll wait for my cab."

"The night is still young. You don't have to go home. I'll be your chauffeur and I know a nice place we can eat at"

★

"You like the food?"

"Ya, it's not that bad"

"So you don't regret coming along with me after all. It's kind of late do you still want to go home"

"No I guess I can just check in at a hotel nearby "

" I'll do same. Maybe we can go back to Basil."

"That will be ok"

★

Kayla got up from bed. The man that brought her here wasn't in the room. He was in the restroom. "…but I told you I wasn't going to make it home last night.", he whispered to the other person on the other end of the phone but the whispers sounded like they were in the same room.

"you're not any position to give me orders", he practically yelled as he cut the call and marched out of the restroom.

"Your girlfriend?", Kayla asked him as she bunched up the coverlet around her bare chest.

"No, my fiancee but we're not married. That means I'm still open to explore."

"Wow.", Kayla said as she stood up to freshen up and leave.

" I'm Stan Zuma by the way. I'm a lectuter at…"

" I know who you are…", she interrupted, "…You offered me a ride the other night on school grounds. You teach statistics… why would I tell my lecturer my name?", she asked with a smile on her face.

"You could mess with my grades for all I know ", she said as she reapplied her lipgloss.

"You don't need to know my name, it was a one-time thing."

"Where's my bag?.... nevermind", she said as she walked over to pick it up.

" I'm sure you can cover all the bills sir. After all you're a big shot around here, aren't you?"

Stan just sat in the bed, too stunned to speak.

★

As Stan walked into his office that Tuesday morning he just couldn't wrap his head around the insolence of that little girl. He had planned to fail her this semester for her disrespect on Saturday and that was exactly what he was going to do. He just needed her name or her 🆔.

"Sir, the Vice-chancellor wants to see you in her office and I don't think it's good?", his PA said to him.

★

"Professor Stan, I've always known you were no saint but to harass a young girl of the institution for grades is one thing I will not tolerate…", said the vice chancellor.

"…You're going to be suspended for the meantime while the board of directors and I decide on what to do with you"