Liz smiled when the driver started the car and left the railway station. She had outdone herself this time.
"Lissette Lukorito, you're genius!" she said.
"Did you say something Ma'am?" the taxi driver asked.
Her jaw dropped. Did I say it out loud? She wondered.
She pursed her lips and shook her head. "No. I didn't say anything."
The fact that Ethan believed her charade filled her with joy. She was finally free of him. What if she decided to get into the same taxi with him then things went down south? She imagined what the news headlines would look like: TWENTY-THREE YEAR OLD WOMAN RAPED AND MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD. The thought of it made her shiver. She blinked and shook her head. What a scandal it would be, she thought.
Ethan remained dazed at the direction Liz's taxi went for a moment. He was wondering what had happened to make her leave in a hurry. Who's Sunshine? He wondered.
That girl made him worry. He didn't understand why. It was like he lost himself when he met her.
At first, when she got into the taxi and left, he almost got into the next taxi. He wanted to tail her and make sure that everything was alright. However, he decided against it. They had only met today. He thought it would be foolish to follow her around.
Whoever said that love could turn a wise and intelligent person into a fool was right. Look at what he had become — a stunning and respectable programmer who was used to being chased by girls worried sick over a girl he barely knew. He had never done that with any other girl. Liz was his first. He didn't understand why he was very attracted to her from the first moment he laid his eyes on her. She was special. He was yet to find out why.
He stood there for a while, thinking about Liz then hailed a taxi and left.
Liz got to Tamara's house in the darkening of the evening. Tamara was happy to see her. They hadn't seen each other for a while.
"How was your trip?" Tamara asked, sitting next to her.
Liz smiled. "The trip was okay," she said. "I met a hot guy today."
Tamara's eyes lit up as her jaw dropped. "Tell me everything," Tamara said. "Who is he? How did you meet? What does he do? How..."
"Hey, slow down." Liz threw her hands in the air. "How am I going to answer all those questions?"
"Forgive me for my curiosity," she said. "I just want to know the kind of man who made you want to fall in love again."
"Who said I want to fall in love again?"
"Are you sure?" she moved closer and scrutinized her face. "It's not every day that you get to meet a hot guy."
"Well, you're right," Liz said. "Are you going to let me tell you the rest of the story?"
"Of course, spit it out."
"Okay. He was sitting next to me on the train. His name is Ethan. He's very handsome. You should have seen him."
Tamara smiled. "Hmm..."
Liz cupped her face with her hands and smiled. "He has very beautiful dimples," she said.
Tamara gave her a wicked smile and threw small punches at her. "You noticed his dimples..."
"It was impossible not to," she said, then stared blankly in the space.
"Hey, wipe that drool." She threw a table napkin at her.
"Ha-ha, what am I supposed to do?" she asked, putting the napkin on the table. "He's so hot."
"Did you get his phone number?" Tamara asked.
"No. Aren't girls supposed to be modest and wait to be pursued by men, not the other way round?"
Tamara smacked. "What century are we living in? In the 21st-century women are allowed to pursue men. Just imagine, how many women out there are craving hot men like the one you met?"
"I believe in fate. If we're meant to be, fate will find a way to bring us together," Liz said. "I am not in a hurry to get into a new relationship."
"I get you. But has been long since Oscar. You have to learn to love again. This is the first man you have shown interest in ever since you were heartbreaken. We have to find him."
"How? We have very little information about him. We won't get anything about him online with only his first name." She paused for a moment and looked at her, "There is one little detail I haven't told you."
"What is it?"
"He seemed interested in me," she smiled. "He invited me to ride in the same taxi with him, but I ran off. In as much as I was charmed by his looks, I could not trust him because we had just met."
"That's a good sign. If he is interested in you, he will find you."
"Or maybe it is just my assumption. Maybe it was just an act of kindness."
"Hey, don't be pessimistic," Tamara said. "According to the law of attraction, the things you desire will eventually find their way to you. All you have to do is think about them and forget. Then appreciate the process and before you know it, Voila! You have them."
"Oh, I see," Liz said. "The law of attraction sure has a point. Just think about him and wait."
---
"Why did you wake up so early?" Tamara asked then yawned and stretched as she leaned against the kitchen door frame.
"Morning," Liz said. "Breakfast is ready."
Tamara walked to the dining table then smiled. "You prepared pancakes..."
"Yeah. They're your favorite, right?"
"Mm." Tamara sat. "You know, I normally don't take breakfast."
"Why? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."
Tamara sighed. "It's because I wake up late almost every day. If I prepare breakfast I would be late for work."
"I see," Liz said. "I will be preparing breakfast for us, now that I'm here."
Tamara waved her hand at her. "No, you don't have to wake up early because of me."
"It's no big deal," she said. "I am an early riser.
Tamara smiled. "What would I do without you?"
"Hahaha... Now you know that I am a very important person in your life."
"Seriously, you have always been important in my life," Tamara said. "Meeting you was the best thing that happened to me."
"O-oh, am already getting goosebumps," Liz said and got to her feet. "Hurry up or you're going to be late."
"What time is it?"
Liz looked at her phone. "You still have forty-five minutes."
"Oh my Gosh!" She rose to her feet and dashed to her bedroom.
She appeared thirty minutes later and found Liz relaxing on the couch.
Tamara put her handbag on the table and twirled around. "How do I look?"
Liz looked at her from head to toe and shook her head.
She frowned. "Is it that bad?" she asked. "Let me go and change."
"Stop!"
Tamara stopped in her tracks. "What?"
"You look fantastic!"
Tamara furrowed her brow. "But you shook your head earlier," she said. "What was the meaning of that?"
"I was just toying with you," Liz said. "You look amazing, I'm serious."
"I will deal with you later." She picked her handbag and walked to the door.
Liz smiled and waved at her. "Bye," she said. "Have a wonderful day."
"You too, dear. Mmwaa!"
***