At the end, he told me that I seemed to be fine. He gave me some meds for the pains and nausea and told me to relax and heal. I was glad it was nothing serious.
“Here’s my card,” the doctor said. “Call me immediately if you don’t feel better within the next few days, or if other symptoms arise.”
“Thanks, Doc,” I said, taking his card. “And sorry about before. I’m sure you understand why I was sceptical.”
“Of course,” he smiled and left.
My phone beeped with a message. It was from a new number. Eric!?
Hi beautifyl. Thanx 4 ur numbr.
Btw wat is ur name? U free for
supr tonite? Eric.
I cringed. Being a writer, his text put me off completely. But I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Everyone wrote in short form these days. Right?
Hello Eric. My name is Reneilwe.
Nice to meet you. Unfortunately, I am
under the weather today. Perhaps a rain
check? Thanks. R.
He replied within a minute.
Ok np holla at me wen u free. E.
Ahhh! He’s still doing it. I’d thought that after he read my message, he would realise I don’t like him writing that way.
I will have to check my schedule
and let you know. R.
He didn’t reply. And that was the end of Eric. That’s basically how my love life had been going for as long as I could remember – downhill.
The rest of the afternoon was a nightmare. Everyone in the office now knew that a doctor came to see me. All thanks to Marie’s big mouth.
I told them it was for a story and they didn’t seem to believe me. Only Naz knew the whole truth and I could trust her not to tell anyone. The rest of them were awful. Juicy was a gossip magazine after all, and accordingly, the staff were gossip mongering mongrels.
As soon as I reached home that day, my phone buzzed. Unknown.
I often got ‘Unknown’ calls from leads and sources. Most of them led to dead ends or false stories made up by someone looking for five minutes of fame. I answered the call.
“Hi, Reneilwe. It’s me.”
It’s strange how I recognized his voice.
“Oh, Mr Bump and Go. How did you get my number?”
“I’m sure you’ve figured by now that I have my contacts.”
“I’ve also gathered that you think you’re all that.”
He laughed. “Your brutal honesty is refreshing.”
I was glad he couldn’t see me blush. “What do you want?”
“Aren’t we having dinner together tonight? I’ve booked us a table at Le Gourmet. May I send someone to pick you up around sevenish?”
“Whoa, hold on! Who said we’re having dinner together? You didn’t give me a chance to refuse. Which is what I would have done if you didn’t cut the call. And I messaged for a rain check.”
“Doctor Mabaso told me you’re still not completely alright yet. I feel guilty. Let me make it up to you.”
I thought about it. The restaurant he was talking about was extravagant. Way too expensive for me. And if he was going to pay …
“Okay,” I agreed. “But I’ll meet you there.”
***
Tell us: Would you be able to resist giving in to a pushy, powerful person like this?