Will You Be My Valentine?

Chapter 2

Senzo stumbled out of his Uber and into the dark night of the city. He pushed himself too far with the alcohol, trying to purge his mind of her memory. As the car drove off, Senzo looked around the long straight road of Klipper street. If you had told Senzo that he'd be living in Sandton by the end of his degree, he would have laughed in your face. Right now he couldn't tell what was funnier. That a kid born in the Kasi found himself living with his best friend in one the most affluent parts of Johannesburg for cheap, or that the only woman he ever loved... The only woman he saw a future with would leave him out to dry. January was coming to an end, yet rain had dotted in here and there, though the afternoon sun was hot enough to dry up the rain from that morning, and the heat seemed to carry over into the night. The sky was so clear, yet the stars weren't anywhere to be seen. The full moon looked so lonely and exposed as it's gentle light beamed down on him sadly, empathetically. He turned around to look at the apartment building he lived in, Gugulethu Heights. Or just Gugu, as he and Laura called it. The crisp green bed of grass in front of the large white building looked as pristine as ever, split in two down the middle by a walk path and the driveway. The large blue gate a landmark against the pearly white structure. He could cross the gate, enter the building and take the elevator to his floor. Walk to his room and sit there alone... Watch Netflix, maybe. Crawl into his bed and just... Stare at the ceiling alone.

"Fuck that." He said as he walked up to the curb and sat down, facing the moon once again. "How's about I keep you company for a while?" He said as he looked up to the heavenly orb.

"You know... I have no business being out here at this time of night. This is Joburg after all." He laughed. "But maybe we can watch each other's backs..." He crossed his legs at the ankles, extending his legs into the empty road. "It's been three months. An entire decade has ended. The Witcher got its own TV series... and October is long behind me. But like... Her perfume is still on one of my pillows, and I don't use it anymore. I just sleep next to it and let the fumes take me back. She explained it all to me, you know? How she chose her scent. Back then she was just a struggling student like the rest of us, but even that she did differently. We all found it hard to believe she got her heels on clearance, outfit from Mr. Price and her signature scent from Dischem. Fucking Dischem! Wow... So amazing." He picked at the grass a little, mulling over how She could take the most mundane aspects of anything and make it her own. Bring it up to her level. Imagine what that must say about the things she throws away.

"Maybe the problem was I worshipped her too much. She was just so mysterious, and efficient. She has a way with people. She knows how to make them feel wanted. Even if she doesn't know who you are..."

14 February 2015

"So if you could have stayed in the US, what inspired you to come to South Africa?" Senzo asked as they stepped out the Uber.

"Well life is short, right? One of the perks of an American passport is that you can go to and stay in a shit ton of countries for as long as you want and nobody will question it." Laura said adjusting her red crop top and tossing her long blonde hair. Her faded blue jeans had a few small tears on the left leg, and she wore simple black flat shoes. Senzo was still getting to know his roommate, though he could tell that he may have found a real friend in her. He didn't have much of that before.

"I wanted a completely new experience, so here I am." She said with a shrug.

"I feel like you're hiding something." Senzo said as he went to the boot and pulled out two 6 packs of Black Label. He felt he could have easily used the back seat, but their Uber driver insisted they use his boot to keep the drinks cool. Uber was also a thing his new friend had brought with her. Senzo could have used 3 different local taxis, but he couldn't deny it was quite convenient.