The rest of the day went by without a hitch but Sebina could not get the thought of little Vinter from her head.
She thought she was now over her fear and hatred of kids what with her therapy sessions but when Faizal placed the baby in her arms...she wanted to scream. Because it reminded her too much of how...she tried not to think too hard.
Faizal had tried calling her phone apparently but since she had blocked his number, he had resorted to calling her office line. She answered and when she heard his voice, she ended the call then watched the phone ring.
Someone knocked on the door and she frowned, knowing that it was Saturday and there were no client appointments scheduled.
"Come in," she said.
Bert.
He was dressed in some sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt-probably to hide the marks where she had beat him, a shoe sized box with a dainty bow on it in his arms. He quietly placed the box on a chair and went down on one knee-
"You better not be proposing to me because so help me, Bert," she warned him before he could even speak.
He smiled slightly. "I am not proposing. But I do want to apologize. I know it will take a while for you to forgive me but I want to say that I am sorry about Sameera. I have no excuse for what I did but I am very sorry. I would love for us to try again."
"Bert, that's so sweet. You know what you should do to make me forgive you? Stand up..." she said softly. "Turn around."
He did that.
"Now walk those five steps to my door and out. Don't look back, sweety."
Bert chuckled dryly. "Fine. Fine. But I am still asking for a second chance," he said before grabbing the box.
"What is you doing? I said you can go. Not the box. Leave the box behind."
He smiled, knowing that he had her. Ish. He placed the box back on the chair and walked out.
Sebina grabbed the box and opened it, seeing all her favorite chocolates, biscuits, fruit mixes, candies, all her favorite sugars. She smiled.
"Not forgiving you," she sang to herself as she stuffed a piece of candy into her mouth.
She could not be bought. Especially not with things she could buy herself. It was Bert's thought that counted at this point, not him.
.
As she pulled up towards her house, she noticed the white yaris parked at her gate.
She got out of her car and knocked on the window, prompting the sleeping man inside to jump and look up at her. He rolled down his window before getting out of the car.
"Before you ask what I am doing here, I came to apologize. About the baby and what happened earlier-"
"Faizal, it's fine. Run along and go back home," she said like she was speaking to a child. "Who did you leave the baby with? And you're wasting gas."
She grabbed some money from the pocket of her overalls and moved it towards him.
He stared at her with disappointment. "Don't."
"You need-"
"Sebina, I am not a charity case-"
"But the baby-"
"Stop."
"Faizal-"
"Stop it!" he growled. "Stop it, Sebina. Stop trying to give me money...I do not want your money." He opened the driver's door. "I am sorry about my kid. I realize that you have something against them and I will stop bothering you."
Sebina frowned as he got into the car and drove off, leaving her in the dust. She did not understand him at all! He obviously needed the money but he was not willing to be helped! All she was thinking about was the gas he had used to come all the way from where he lived to this side of town just to apologize!? Who did that?
Faizal. That was who.
And somehow that meant something to her. Bert had driven to her workplace to apologize too but for cheating, that meant absolutely nothing to her.
She got into her car and drove off after Faizal, pulling up into the parking spot-worried about her cars safety but choosing to overlook it.
A while later, she knocked at his door. No one answered and she kept knocking but no one was answering and she slumped against the door, sitting there, wondering why in the world she had driven all the way from her suburbs to the slums for someone so measly as Faizal who was not even her friend.
She sat there for some time, just waiting, not caring about the odd looks she got from people passing through the passage. She was even more shocked that she had not been robbed but then she remembered that she was still wearing dirty overalls and a cap that apparently made her look like a man.
A pair of all star clad feet stopped before her and she looked up, scrambling to her feet.
"Faizal-"
He opened the door and walked in, his hands holding heavy plastic bags filled with foods. He started packing the goods into the cupboards, baby food included.
Sebina timidly walked in and closed the door behind her. "I am sorry," she whispered, looking at him.
Faizal opened the fridge to put the baby's yogurts and pureed fruit snacks in. He took out the old food to cook and then packed the plastics away, getting started on supper.
Sebina nodded to herself and walked to the door, feeling crestfallen. One of the few genuine things she had and she had destroyed it before it even blossomed. She opened the door.
"Goodnight."
She walked out.
"Hey," Faizal suddenly said from behind her. "It's rude to walk out when someone is making you food," he said.
She hugged herself. "You weren't saying anything and that clearly means I am not welcome so-"
"For once, just keep quiet and come grab a seat."
Sebina followed him uncertainly. "What should I do?" she asked.
"Just sit down. You can watch TV or watch me, your choice. I..." He opened a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of vodka and a bottle of wine. "I am not sure if you drink vodka or wine but you can have both, preferably less of the wine because I need some of it for my sauce."
Sebina sat down in the wooden chair and watched as Faizal moved about the kitchen,pouring her a glass of wine and handing it to her before getting started on the food. As time went, the house started smelling delicious and Sebina could not help but drool.
"Where's Vinter?"
Faizal stirred whatever he was cooking. "Visiting a friend of mine. She likes having him over." He looked at her. "Bad experience with kids or you just don't like them in general?"
She choked on her wine, coughing what was in her mouth out. "I'm so sorry," she quickly said as she grabbed some paper towels and went down on her knees, wiping the mess she had made on the floor. "I'm really sorry."
Faizal squatted beside her and helped her clean up. He looked at her as she wiped her mouth and she was mesmerizing. But considering that she went for his boss, who was probably half a century old, he realised that he did not stand a chance. And his financial state was not helping matters anyway.
She turned to him and found him staring. He quickly looked away and she stood up and walked to the bin, throwing the towels in.
"Something is burning," she suddenly said and he quickly rushed to the pots, grabbing the burnt sauce and rinsing it in the sink before opening the kitchen window while Sebina laughed herself silly.
.
Thankfully supper was saved and after washing the dishes, Sebina and Faizal sat laughing on the hard couches, the TV playing in the background with the sound off.
They had been sharing stories and Faizal's were hilarious because he had been trouble until he had to get a job. Apparently his green eyes attracted women and he never thought he would need to work because there was always someone willing to financially support him as long as he sat still and looked pretty. He had been willing to do it too. But then he fell on hard times and had to start doing piece or odd jobs here and there for money until he started working for Sonar Fleet which had done him great good until he had a baby and needed more money which was where he currently was.
"I miss not having a kid," he said truthfully. "I love Vinter but sometimes I just need a break. Its hard being a mom and dad. You know..." Faizal sipped his beer. "His mom...she was a good woman. Didn't know she was married though and we had some fun that night. We kept in touch, just vibing and getting it on. She didn't even know she was pregnant because she was still getting her period and well, she was a bit on the fat side.
"One night she gets admitted into hospital with really bad cramps and the following afternoon, Vinter is born, 2.6kg, little thing he was. The husband arrives to find this green eyed baby and there's a huge fight between us in the ward. Vinter's mom, she dies from complications in the middle of me and her husband fighting. The husband wants nothing to do with his wife and me and the kid and I am ok with this because I am willing to take care of my own kid, right? I never thought a kid would be so expensive! Drained my meagre savings within six months and on the other hand, I had to bury his mom. Worst time of my life. Almost gave him up for adoption too."
"Why didn't you?" Sebina asked.
"I got attached. I mean I had worked hard to raise him as a broke single dad and I fell in love. I just couldn't give up after everything so here we are, struggling our way through life."
Sebina smiled at him then looked at her hands. "My ex fiancé..he made me hate kids. About 10 years ago, we were 24 He..." Sebina breathed to calm down. "He hit me, cheated on me, got other women pregnant...you know? But I loved him with all my heart so I stayed, got engaged and got pregnant. Long story short, the beating got so bad when I was pregnant and...and I gave birth to a stillborn."
Faizal tried to stop her but she looked at him, chuckling dryly.
"You know what he did...you know what that man did to me?He forced me hold my dead baby despite how much I begged him not to give the baby to me because I was traumatized and I didn't want to see the child's face when I was going to bury her the following day.
He yelled terrible things at me, in a theatre, with doctors and nurses just watching...he came from a rich family and he had paid a lot of money for me to be taken care of by the doctors so they did not say a thing. He said such horrible things about me and the baby, whom i was still holding and I started hating the baby and myself. He left me there, weak and exhausted in every possible way and he did not even come to the funeral."
Faizal couldn't help the tear that fell.
"When i got home some days later, he had thrown out or burned everything I owned from his apartment because he was the only one working at the time. I had to go back home and start afresh but it was hard, especially when my mother gave birth to my little sister the following year. I've never hated a child so much but Tebello, she loved me so much and unconditionally even though my father tried to keep her away from me because he was afraid that I would snap. I started therapy and I learned how to love my sister, raising her like I would have raised my daughter and hey, look at us now...I still don't like kids but I love her more than anything in this world because she's always been there.
"I started my own business because I never wanted to depend on a man ever again and despite the struggles, here I am today. A rich snob with no filter and a blooming business."
Sebina laughed.
Faizal wiped his tear and chuckled. He thought she was just a rich snob like the rest of them but he had judged her too quick. She was a rich snob with no filter indeed but for a reason. He could never have guessed her life history would be so tragic. Even more tragic than his.
She got up. "I should go back to my house."
He accompanied her to her car but before she got in, he gently pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. She shocked him and herself when she hugged his middle back, staying like that for a while, neither wanting to let go.
Sebina eventually drew away. "Thank you for supper and everything," she said.
Then she got into her car and drove away.