The Deal

Seventeen-Imani

As I make my way to Bongani's Books, my mind goes back to the disaster I was forced to witness. I can't believe dating apps exist in this era. Dear heavens, if this is how online dating is, I'd rather die single. This was the worst date in the entire history of dating. I seriously could not imagine a date so hellish than this. I have an interesting story to tell Andrew when I meet him the next day.

I'll say "you know what the best part of being single is? Being able to sleep around. You get to sleep all over your bed. Left, right, diagonal or middle." I'll bet he'll laugh till he chokes on his wine. My co-worker, Ade is staying guard behind the counter, typing on his laptop when I march in. I tell him I've left my book on the desk. I don't normally do this, but my date had been so disastrous, that I have to spill the tale to Ade.

"That's wild," Ade says.

"Yeah. Crazy", I reply. "I had to literally run away!" We share a brief laugh till he packs his laptop in the bag. After turning the 'Close' sign to face the outside, Ade makes his departure, leaving me to close up the store. Ade is a sweet and funny young man who graduated Uni only last year. I can imagine being a friendly, motherly type of friend, but as long as my number one rule still sticks out, it wouldn't be possible. I can't make friends. It's a risk I can't bare at this point. My mind goes back to Bill. I really miss him. This mind game he's been playing has gone on for too far. A couple more distance toward the door, two pairs of bright lights blaze my vision.

Right outside the glass door, I see a woman meandering towards the store. Squinting my eyes to get a clearer view, I realize she's now running. This can't be good. The car behind is following her with the same speed. Her long, pink hair is so mesmerizing, that I forget to move when she hurls the door open with brute force. I stumble to the floor backwards, dropping my book.

"Bastards!" the lady bellows. Immediately, she hides her face with her black hood, looking down at me. "Please, is there any room you can hide me?"

Outside, four or five people with cameras appear. She stretches her hand for me to take, so I grab it and stand. When the camera guys try to hurl the door open, the pink-haired lady blocks it with her body. She shoots me a side-eyed glance. "Where's the bloody key?!"

"Relax!" When I reach into my pockets, I realize how dumb I am because I forgot to grab the key from the desk. "Shoot! Wait here!"

"Where's the key?!" the pink-haired lady yells. I rush to the counter to grab it from the logbook's front cover. With the same speed, I run like hell to lock the door. The lady finally eases off the door and pants, placing her hand to her chest. Through the thick glass, I hear the paparazzi howling random questions.

"What does your husband say about you leaving the show?!"

"What happened on the night of the accident?!"

"What will you do after you quit?!"

I grab a book from a shelf to cover my face so I end up a part of their fake news. The lady in the hood however, keeps on hushing out harsh breathes.

"Hello? Miss? Are you alright?" She doesn't respond, so I nudge her from the doorway's path and hide her behind one of the shelves under the Science Fiction aisle. "Miss? Can you hear me?"

Her heavy breathing doesn't stop. It's like she's fighting for air. Her hand still clutches her chest. "Water....." She mutters, crumbling into a corner, with her shoulders hunched, and her head pointed down. "Water...."

"I'll come back. Wait here," I voice out before rushing to get a plastic cup and fetch water from the dispenser. I return to her in haste. "Here you go. Um....please, try to calm down. Just slow your breathing and stay calm."

I watch as the hooded lady chugs down the whole cup before handing it to me. I wait patiently, listening to the sound of her breathing, now slowing a bit. At least there's a little progress. "More....More, please," she says between pants.

I have never, in my life, tended to someone having a panic attack. I've never had one and God forbid Richelle or Kaya ever have one. But I'm doing quite a good job. A tiny smile forms on my face as I fetch a full cup for the stranger. I watch her gulp down, then heavily inhale and exhale for breathes of air. She releases a huge sigh of relief, then leans her back on the shelf. As a minute goes by, I realize I'm still standing over her, grinning and watching her in silence. It's a pretty awkward situation, right? A normal person would say something and ask her if she's okay. But not me. A slight grin on my face, I watch how the lady's breathing affects the upward and downward movement of her chest.

She looks so peaceful lying down, sprawled on the floor, with the heels of her foot facing the same opposite direction. Her pink hair is really lovely too. It matches with the rosy shades she's donned. Standing from my position, her posture reminds me of a dead body. Intriguing. I wonder what would happen if I left her here in the dark and closed down the shop. The next day, I find out she is really is dead. Or passed out. Andrew wouldn't like that. I wish Bill was here. He would know what to do.

The lady jerks awake and sits up, snapping me out of my day-dreaming of Bill. Act normal, Imani. Remember what Bill talked about. Don't let this side of you show in front of people. This side of me was the last thing Ivan saw before he left the Earth in pieces. God forbid my kids will ever see this side of me. "Oh, thank God you're alright," I say. This would be a normal reaction, right?

The pink-haired slowly gets up in a dazed state. Because of the dim light, I can't really make out her face. So I flip the switch to turn the other light on. "Hi. Are you okay? You had a panic attack just now. I'm so sorry about that." I turn my gaze toward the door, only now realizing the paparazzi have left. When did they leave? I must have been so focused on this lady I didn't notice their departure. That's how focused I can be. "They're gone. You don't have to panic anymore." This time, she doesn't react or say anything. Just stands there and ogles me. It's like as if she's a bit surprised.

"Well, anyway. I'm closing the store. It's pretty late. If you want a book, you'll have to come tomorrow." After walking to the dispenser to fetch my own cup of water to drink, I turn and realize the hooded lady is still standing there and gawking at her. Even with the shades on, I can tell she's shocked about something. Is she surprised to see me? Strange. I haven't interacted with any other female since moving here. Shrugging, I drain the water from the cup, allowing the cool liquid to quench my thirsty lungs. I fetch another full cup, and this time, when I turn, the lady's vanished.

The bell chimes as the door slams closed. "Strange," I mutter to myself as I chug my last cup. People are weird anyway. But one thing's clear, I need to find Bill. I'm losing it again. I thought I could control the secret urges without Bill's help but I was seriously wrong. My mother could control me. Bill could too. Why has he abandoned me? If he doesn't return soon, I'm scared I might hurt someone else.