Chapter 21: Clint! Are you there?

Clint Was Asleep when his phone rang. He reached for it and swiped the green button, sleepy.

"Clint! Clint!" the caller called, in-between sobs.

Clint pulled the phone from his ear to identify the caller. It was Kamso. He checked the time; it was night.

"Clint! Are you there?" She sobbed.

"Kamso, what is it?" He asked, concerned, "what is the problem?" 

"Clint, this is the height of it. I'm broken."

"Hey, don't say that, tell me, what is wrong?"

She sobbed instead of answering the question.

"Kamso, it's okay. It's okay. Calm down. Calm down," he repeatedly said, as soothing as he could sound, "where are you now?"

"I'm closeby. I'm heading towards your place."

"Are you driving?"

"No, trekking. I'm not with my ride."

"Ok, I'm coming. I'm coming to pick you up."

Clint changed into a rugged blue jean and ash polo. He grabbed his keys and phone from the bedside table and rushed out of his apartment. He returned with sobbing Kamso, with dishevelled hair and ruined makeup.

He got her to sit on the couch and fetched her glass of water. She gulped down the water and muttered something he took as a thank you.

"You're welcome," he replied. 

Consciously, he removed the glass cup, for the fear that she might smash it, like her smart phone. If his dashboard was fragile, it would have suffered the same fate like her phone too, with her several hits. Poor dashboard, it got to bear the fury. He made a mental note to lock his kitchen tonight.

"You care for something?" He asked, as she stared at the wall.

She shook her head; tears dropped down her cheeks.

"What about drinks?" 

She kept mute.

Clint went for the refrigerator and brought cans of juice and beer. He dropped the drinks before her and settled on the floor with her. She went for the beer and popped open a can. He returned the juice to the refrigerator and brought more beer. He set them down and reclaimed his position beside her, hanging his hand around her shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He got no response.

They drank in silence until she became sleepy. He helped her get into his room and tucked her into the blanket.

"He wasn't remorseful; he made me a laughing stock at the bar."

He sat by her on the bed.

"Clint," she called him, "please stay with me. I don't want to be lonely. I'm feeling suicidal," she pleaded.

He tucked himself into the blanket. He slid his hand under her shoulder and cuddled her. 

Clint Woke At the sound of the doorbell. Sitting up, he glanced around the room. He looked at the floor, and a feeling of guilt and regret washed through him. He turned to Kamso on the bed; she slept peacefully and innocently. 

The sound of the doorbell came piercing the air again. No time to dwell on the events of last night; he picked up his boxer shorts from the floor and his polo from the bed. He weaved his hands and head into the polo, wondering who would be at his door at that time of the morning.

He came out to the veranda to the sight of the clouded sky.  "Who is there?" He croaked. The question was responded with another knock.

He opened the door.

"Tina!" He gasped. He was rattled by her presence. 

"Why are you here this early?"

She shoved her phone to his face; he took cognisance of the time. It was already late into the morning.

She tried to enter the apartment, but he blocked her path. He ran his hand through his dishevelled hair, trying to find a reason for his weird behaviour, seeing the unspoken questions her eyes asked. He avoided her gaze and silently prayed she would leave. 

Given time, he gathered his thoughts. Calmly, he rephrased his question, "why did you come?"

She ignored his question and requested to gain entrance. He could bet that she was very curious at the moment. Again, she tried to enter, but he stood firmly on her path, relaying his wishes to God, his ancestors, fairies, Buddha, and any supreme being who could save his ass.

"Clint! Where are you? Who are you speaking to?" Kamso emerged from the sitting room in Clint's polo, wearing her morning face. 

His prayers weren't answered. None of the supreme beings he called came to his aid that morning. They left him to his fate.

"Hello. Good morning," Kamso croaked with her puffed face.

How worse could a morning get? With a hand on his waist, he raked his dishevelled hair, oblivious of what next to do. Tina handed him a large brown envelope and left angrily. Kamso stood apologetically, barely realizing what she caused him. 

Clint wondered what was in the envelope and why it had to come this morning. What an omen! He dropped it and ran after Tina, less interested in satisfying his curiosity about the envelope. He retired at the gate of the apartment block because of his outfit, after a failed attempt to stop Tina. Tears rolled down her cheeks when she left the yard.

He returned to his apartment after creating a scene, worthy of the time of his few neighbours who witnessed the drama. He ran his hands through his hair several times, regretting everything that happened from the previous night to that moment. He ignored Kamso, who was helplessly confused and tried in futility to get him to talk. She stood beside him with teary eyes, but he cared less. He had his own cross to bear now. 

"Clint!" She called for the umpteenth time, tears trickling down her cheeks.

"Just let me be, Kamso," he said softly, with an angry undertone. 

"Fine," she gave in. She stomped into the hallway and emerged minutes later, dressed in her dress from the previous night.

"I'm sorry. I didn't plan things to end this way." Clint muttered.

"I appreciate what you did for me last night. You really cared. I'm sorry for dragging you into my problems. I'm sorry if I have caused you pain." 

Clint sat head on, as she tearfully stuttered her gratitude and apologies while holding back sobs.

Hours After Kamso left his place, Clint received several messages from her. At first, he thought it was an apology, so he picked up his phone to dismiss her concerns. What happened the night before was mutual, and the events of that morning were not her fault but his. However, it turned out to be more than that.

Kamso: I tried so much to stop myself, but I couldn't. I was helplessly in love with you. I held on to anything I could, so I wouldn't get to lose you, when it was obvious you weren't comfortable with me around you anymore.

Kamso: When I was brave enough to leave, I decided to give love a chance. Believe me, it was very beautiful. But I couldn't totally let go of you. I didn't. I saw you everywhere, in Frank and many other guys I came across. I used your standard for them. 

Kamso: At first, I thought I was setting standards for myself. Later on, I realized I was obsessed with you. Frank is a good guy and was good to me, but your name resonated all around me, and when he couldn't bear it anymore, he distanced himself. I realized it late. I tried to get back within his radar, but the gate had been shut.

Kamso: You wanted to talk last night. You wanted to know what happened. When I caught Frank last night, I confronted them. Painfully, he chose her side. In his words, he said to me, "why not go and be with Clint." I was broken.

Kamso: I was broken not because I lost him. I was broken because I couldn't have you, and I lost him because of you. 

After last night, I actually thought, maybe, I could get back under your radar and try my luck once more. I guess I miscalculated your good gesture. 

Kamso: When the events of this morning unravelled, it dawned on me that you have moved on, from me and what you used to be.

Kamso: I have to accept that we can't be. I'm sorry for interrupting your life. I can help if you want me to. I also want to hear your  part of this story.

Clint read the messages with guilt. Was he that bad? He couldn't treat women right? Was he so bad that he couldn't handle a relationship? Was he romantically incapable?

He had been unfair to Kamso, and now, he had ruined the relationship he was trying to build with Tina. Recently, he had made efforts to secure his place with Tina, something he never did with Kamso. Why was that so? Why had he been unfair to Kamso? Why was he going out of his way to secure his place with Tina?

He compared the ladies and wondered what made him gravitate towards Tina, what made her endeared to him, even with her disability. Kamso was cool too. Kamso's physic was as good as Tina's. If only he had made an effort, he would have had Kamso, but he was so bent on cutting her off.

He gulped down what was left in the glass, stood up from the stool, and left the arena. Stepping out of the building, he regained his previously distorted sense of hearing. He was not going home tonight. He was staying somewhere far from his apartment and the events of the day. His sanity was supreme over everything.

*****

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