By the time Thato leaves later that afternoon the plan has been finalised. We’ve done most of the leg work and I’m getting excited.

“Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?” I ask, as I walk her downstairs.

“Because you need the help,” she says, laughing. “And I like you,” she adds.

“But if you like me, then …”

“Then what?”

“Then why are you helping me? This makes no sense.”

She stops at the bottom of the stairs, pauses thoughtfully for a few seconds, then turns to me.

“Alright. I guess I want revenge.”

What? NO WAY! I’ve never heard of her and she’s not in Dave’s little black book. This is so not what I imagined.

“My sister dated Dave briefly in high school,” she explains. “He hurt her badly. And I’d like to give him a taste of his own medicine.”

Thato gets into the Uber and leaves me standing on the pavement, speechless. My heart is racing with fear and excitement and my mind is filled with doubt. Finally life is anything but dull and I’m going to stand up for myself.

On Monday Pat hands me a log to fix a computer upstairs. I’m nervous when I find out it’s Lilly’s computer. I want to tell him to get someone else, but this could be fate.

“Hey, how are you?” Lilly asks when I walk into her office.

“Good,” says the king of one-word replies.

“Well, come in.”

I take two steps forward and stop.

“You look a little rough. Busy weekend?” she says.

I’m sweating and pale from nervousness, but I can’t tell her that. So I lie.

“No. I uuhh … ate something bad.”

She laughs the most beautiful laugh ever.

“You really aren’t the luckiest of guys.”

I feel embarrassed, so I change the subject. “You logged a call about your computer?”

She gets up from her chair and invites me to sit, so I can take a look at the computer. “I don’t know what happened. I think it crashed.”

I’m relieved when Lilly leaves the office to attend a meeting. It takes me about an hour and a half to find out what the issue is and to fix it. I’m all too grateful that she’s not in the office with me. When she returns I’m rebooting it.

“You’re a life saver,” she says when it springs back to life.

Before I can respond her phone rings. Out of the corner of my eye I can see who is calling – Dave. My heart sinks.

“Hey … Yeah … No, I’m having dinner with a friend … No that’s fine, I have a lift home … Sorry, I can’t. I have a lot of work to get through. Bye.”

She rejected him! I can’t believe it! This is fate. I’m more in love with Lilly now than ever. And I vow to tell her how I feel. If Thato’s plan works, then Lilly will be mine.

***

Question: What do you think Thato and Tumie are planning?