"What's up?" She screams cheerily.
I extract the phone from my ears in a bid to protect them. I wonder where she gets her energy and cheerfulness from, maybe I could get some there, which is of course ridiculous.
"Hi," I reply, trying to match her tone but failing horribly and that is because no one can rival her cheerfulness.
"How ya' doing this evening?" She enquires,
"I'm good, so far, what about you?" I reply. Beside me, Mr. I-don't-still-know-his-name raises his brows at me; I shrug and return to my conversation as Anne speaks up,
"Good. Amber, I'm really sorry for disappearing on you this afternoon," she apologized
"It's okay, I made up a lie that you had developed a serious stomachache during lunch and you went to get it checked at the hospital."
She laughed at that,
"And she believed it? she asked referring to Jane.
"If she didn't, she didn't say." I shrugged.
"I'm still sorry. I got carried away when mike started-"
"Please, don't continue. I don't want to have nightmares this night." I cut her off.
"Or, you don't want to have wet dreams," she said slyly.
I flushed to the roots if my hair
"Wha-what! I'm not a boy going through puberty! I spluttered, embarrassed.
She snorted and beside me, Mr.-I-Still-Know-His-Name raised yet, another eyebrow (and I swear they almost touched his hairline), and yet again I shrug flipping him off. I guess he was not satisfied with my answer because the next he did was to lean in trying to get into my conversation, how rude.
I pushed him away to continue my conversation but he came back 'what the heck' whisper at him. Moreover, because we were still involved in the game of push and shove I did not hear what Anne said next, I quickly put the phone to my ear,
"Sorry, what did you say?" I asked her
"I said--" I lost focus again as he came closer once again and this time I hit him on his arm, he scowled at him and I ignored him.
"... Are you even listening to me, Amber?"
"Yeah yeah I am," I answered distractedly trying to ignore the faces Mr. X was throwing at me. Yes, I gave decided to name him X.
"No you are not. What's making the ruckus in the background?"
She could not be talking about the honking of cars, could she? Because if she was I was done for.
"Uh, television? Yes television." I lied lamely even a child will not believe me.
"Really?"
"Yes" I answered with resolve this time hoping she would buy my I-don't-know-what-to-call-it lie.
"Ok-" and as luck would have it, my bus honked twice. I stared at the seat at my front, which was the driver's seat wishing I could pick my shoe and give him a good slap on the head because Anne would definitely not buy my lie now.
You must be wondering why I was making all this effort to hide the fact that I am in a bus, well that is because I am in for a lecture, which would be dished out to me by Anne. Why? Because she hates me entering buses, some stuffs about buses being unsafe and me being fragile, which is if course not true.
"Amber, that didn't sound like the television. Seriously Amber where are you?" She questioned.
I answered giving up,
"Okay, I'm on the bus, going home,"
"What-" she exclaimed,
I prepared myself mentally for the unending lecture that was on the way and she did not fail to deliver.
"Amber, we've been over this. I told you to get a car or you can always take a cab, but not the bus. It is not advisable even if it is cheap. It's full of creeps, pickpockets, people that want to feel young fresh ladies like you up... She drones on. I mouth the words with her, knowing the next thing she would say because I have been at the receiving end of these lectures for quite some time now. I swear she could nag more than a pregnant woman.
Beside me Mr. X was just looking at me confused, I gesture for him to move closer so he could hear her, you don't know maybe all he needs to make him buy his own car was this lecture about the harms that could to him if he kept riding the bus.
...perverts those horrible people, those weird people that could start sniffing at you for no reason, and there are the old people that want to take advantage of you because you are young... She continued.
She wanted to say more but I cut her off
"Anne, Anne take deep breaths, I'm okay don't worry. Besides someone I know is with me," I say
Mr. X raises his eyebrows and proceeds to look around the bus to look for whom I was referring to.
"Really?" Anne asked
"Yes, he's sitting beside me,"
Mr. X looks confused for a moment before it registers to him and the next thing he does is to start smirking I ignore him and turn away. Men have problems.
"So who's this person?" Anne asks
"Some guy I just met," I reply, nonchalantly
"You are entrusting a stranger with your safety," she yelled. Oh, God save my ear.
"I'm sure he won't try anything stupid it he would lose the ability to make children," I say throwing a pointed look at Mr. X direction.
He looked doubtful at first not believing and I smirked at him telling him to test me. His doubtful transformed immediately to that of horror and he attempted to cover his balls. I snorted and disguised it as a cough. It was amusing to see a built person like him afraid of tiny me.
"Hm I don't trust this arrangement." I heard Anne say skeptically from the phone
"I'm going to be okay," I tried to reassure her. She was silent for a moment before saying,
"Okay. But call me when you get home."
"Okay, will do."
"And I want to meet this guy and have a talk with him. If you are not going to get a car anytime soon, I might as well put in some security measures." I was immediately against it
"No this is probably a onetime thing, there would be no need."
"Well then that means you are riding with me and mike from tomorrow, till when you get a car."
I scrunch up my face as if I had eaten something bad
"Eww, no. I do not think I ever want to be in an enclosed space with the two of you. It would scar me for life, I said remembering an event in the past.
They had just gotten together then, so they were carpooling, I hitched a ride with them because they offered and it was raining heavily. Well in short, I discovered that when they were in an enclosed space with each other they could not keep their hands to themselves. I had to yell at them to remind them I was still in the car. I shuddered; some memories are not for reliving.
I returned to our conversation
"Why?" I heard her ask
"Well, because you and Mike behave like cats in heat." I replied
"Humph." she grumbled.
Then I turned to Mr. X,
"Do you want to meet my friend?" I asked him just to please Anne. His eyes brightened, not sure, if dark eyes can brighten.
"As in a blind date?" he asked. What? Men are such pigs.
"No." I replied
"Then why?" he asked, confused
"So she can get off my back," I said
"I heard that." Anne shouted through the phone. I ignored her.
He seemed to think of it for a few seconds before he shrugged,
"Sure. Why not?"
"Okay. Wait," I said to him. I returned to Anne.
"He's agreed to meet you."
"When?"
"She says when, you would be free?" I ask him.
"Hum, tomorrow afternoon. Will she be free?"
"I'm not sure," I say uncertain and at the same time Anne, shouted so he heard her
"Yes. Absolutely."
"Give me a moment," I say to him and turn to the phone
"We have jobs Anne." I say tightly. She seemed not to get because she chuckled,
"Oh silly. I know we have jobs, but we can take the afternoon off,"
"We can't or rather you can't because you took the rest of the afternoon today and I know Jane won't give me," I pointed out.
"Oh, it doesn't matter. I'm sure if we finish our work on time and we don't have any consultations for the rest of the day she would let us go."
"Are you sure?" I asked skeptically thinking about Jane,
"Yep. Don't worry. And I can speak to Jane for us if that's what you are worried about," She said as if she read my mind.
Finding no other argument, I gave in,
"Okay."
I turned to Mr. X who was now doing something on his phone and tapped his arm, he turned to me turning off his phone and raising his eyebrows in question,
"We'll be available."
"Okay cool."
"What time?"
"Huh maybe 2ish. Can you guys make it?" He asked.
I heard Anne shout from the phone
"Yes! We can totally make it. Where should we meet up?" I do not understand the overflowing excitement she has been expressing since.
I think he heard because he answered
"Huh. I'm not sure," he scratches his beardless chin thoughtfully and continues,
"Maybe we should have late lunch at Kay's café. Do you guys know it?" He turns to me
"Yes, we know," I answered as memories of what happened at lunch flashed behind my eyes; yes, I saw the ex at Kay's Café today. I came back to the present when I heard Anne speak
"What did he say, Amber?"
"Yeah, he said he's going to meet us at Kay's,"
She hesitated,
"Where we went today?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure you will be okay, what if we run into you know who?" she asked in concern.
"Yes, I will be fine. It's been long already," I say strongly, to assure her or maybe myself. I continued,
"Besides, I don't think he would come back there and an added bonus is that we are having late lunch."
"Okay." she resigned
"Great. See you tomorrow."
"Wait, you didn't tell me how you met this guy, what's his name again?" crap.
"Well, I still don't know?" I answered hesitantly
"What! You mean you don't even know his name!" She exclaimed
"Calm down, I'm going to ask and tell you tomorrow."
"No, ask him and tell me now," she said
"Bye Anne. Goodnight!* I shouted faking excitement
"Wait, don't you hang up on me you little-" And I hung up.
I looked at Mr. X,
"Okay then. Tomorrow, two o'clock in the afternoon at Kay's."
"Yep." he nodded.
At that moment, the bus stopped announcing my stop. I stood up to leave, coincidentally he also stood up at the same time and I hit my forehead on his jaw
"Ouch" "Ow" we both exclaimed.
I rubbed my head and looked up at him
"I'm so sorry,"
He chuckled still rubbing his jaw
"It's okay. Let's leave the bus before it starts moving again,"
"Yeah."
We got down and I turned to him_
"Okay, see you tomorrow,"
"Yeah, you too."
He turned and started walking away in the opposite direction when I called him back,
Hey, huh sorry but what's your name?"
He laughed softly
"Luke. It is Luke. And you?"
"Oh, I'm Amber."
"Amber, nice to meet you."
"You too."
"Okay. Goodnight, Amber."
"You too, Luke" I smiled.
I turned and started walking in the direction if my apartment.