“I first heard Lula’s music while I was visiting a friend of mine in Mrova, Bethal. I fell in love with his voice, his lyrics and his train of thought. He was an up and coming artist with lots of fans, especially girls. I knew he probably wouldn’t even take a second look at me if we walked past each other in the street. But I knew if I did something different to shine from the other girls then I would definitely get his attention.”

Stan paused, took another cigarette out of the packet and lit it. Aisha sat quietly, listening and writing on her pad every now and again.

“The opportunity presented itself when Lula was wrongfully arrested after a concert in Secunda. I was in the crowd and I went straight to him and whispered in his ear, ‘Don’t worry I will get you out no matter what.’ I kept my end of the promise, not only did I get him out, but I also visited him daily until he got out. I got the case thrown out and he got out of jail. And since I didn’t see anyone else on the visitor’s log in the prison book, I wondered if he would still go back to the thousands of girls who kept screaming his name and throwing their panties on stage every time they saw him perform with his shirt off.”

All of Stan’s hard work went down the drain because as soon as Lula was back on the streets, he forgot all about Stan and all she had done for him. But Stan wasn’t going to give up that easily. She knew all she had to do was lay in wait for Lula to slip up and need her again.

Stan took out another cigarette from the pack and lit it. Aisha was focused on what she was writing on her note pad. Stan sat there with her legs crossed, occasionally letting the ashes fall from the cigarette on an ashtray that was on the table.

Stan was focused on Aisha, wondering what she was writing about her on her note pad. For a second there Stan wished the doctor would leave the room and leave the note pad behind so she could have a peek at what Aisha wrote about her. Just in case it was something bad, then Stan would be so quick to put her in her place. Unfortunately, Stan was stuck there to bare her soul to the stranger.

Aisha finished writing on her note pad and placed it under her armpit. She went to the other side of the room and got herself a glass of water. She would have offered Stan some but she learnt her lesson the first time she offered her a glass of water. Stan had thrown all kinds of insults at the doctor, mistaking the doctor’s kind gesture as some sort of manipulative scheme to get her to lower her guard.

Stan freaked out and almost walked out of the session. But it wasn’t her fault, life made her that way; the people she associated with were not the good kind. All they saw was a clueless plump girl who they could easily manipulate and take advantage of.

Even in her late 20s, Stan still fell prey to people who kept using her and mistreating her. She allowed this to happen just so she could get a bit of affection and feel a sense of belonging, but she was an outcast to her peers.

Aisha came back and sat down on her chair. Stan was about finished with her cigarette so she blew a couple of smoke rings in the doctor’s direction and Aisha waved away the smoke with her hand.

“Now, tell me Stan, after Lula got out of prison, your relationship with him took a strain, am I correct?”

Stan put out her cigarette.

“You’re half right. Things did take a strain between Lula and I after he was released from prison. But it wasn’t our friendship that took a strain, our friendship was fine. I was still his number one fan, it was our relationship that took a strain. Lula and I were in love. I fell in love with him the first time I saw him perform, and again fell madly in love with him when he was locked up behind bars. He was crying out to me that the blankets they provide in jail had bed bugs which was why he was so itchy. When he was able to confide in me about such a thing, I knew that him and I were meant for each other.”

Aisha was silent for a while, writing in her pad. Then she looked up at Stan and asked, “OK, as you say you two were in a relationship, how long after prison did he get in touch with you?”

“I was at his concert in Secunda and I saw him on stage. He didn’t seem like himself, I knew right away that this wasn’t going to end well.”

And as Stan had predicted, Lula fainted on stage during his third song and was taken to the hospital. She got into her car and followed him.

Stan reached the hospital the same time the ambulance did. She went in and registered him with the nurses because there was not a single person who came in with Lula; not his fans or his agent. She told the receptionist she was Lula’s fiancé, engaged to be married in a few weeks. She convincingly begged for them to do everything in their power to save the love of her life, so they could live out the rest of their happy life together.

Lula spent three weeks in the hospital, unconscious, and when he finally woke up he saw Stan sleeping on a chair right next to the bed.

Stan was sound asleep so Lula slipped out of bed and went to the bathroom. When he came back Stan was still asleep. He managed to find his clothes in a cupboard, changed, then used Stan’s phone that was laying on the bed to call for a ride to come pick him up. Lula left the hospital room with Stan still sleeping on the chair.

When he got outside his ride was waiting for him. He jumped in the front seat of the car and left without ever thinking twice about Stan.

***

Tell us: What do you think of the relationship between Lula and Stan?