Sparrow couldn’t remember making it back to their flat, let alone what went on the rest of the night. After Amanda Black’s performance they all went to the after-party and got properly wasted. Even though Amanda Black had left after her performance, the night was still a huge success and they were not going to waste it.

The following morning she woke up and dragged herself to the bathroom. She felt sick. This was the worst hangover she had ever had! She jumped into the shower and just sat there, arms wrapped around her folded knees, as the cold water cascaded down her face. Her whole body vibrated.

“I’ll never drink again,” she moaned as she got out of the shower.

“That’s what you said when ‘he whose name shall not be spoken’ dumped you.” Thomas was in the kitchen making one of his famous hangover cures. It tasted like death, but it was quite effective. Sparrow knew the power the potent drink possessed; it had saved her many a time in her university days.

“You are such a good friend, Thomas. Thank you for reminding me why my life sucks.”

He poured her a glass and pushed it across the kitchen counter. It looked vile, like something she threw up last night; green and potent with the stench of vinegar. She looked at the broken eggshells on the counter and imagined the slimy eggs that were swimming in them. Sparrow pinched her nose with thumb and forefinger and gulped the mixture down. It was horrible but in fifteen minutes’ time she’d feel as good as new.

“Oh honey, your life doesn’t suck. Your heart is just broken,” he poured himself a glass too. “I just don’t understand why.”

“What do you … You know what, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Great,” he licked his lips. “So, tonight is the last night of the festival babe, it’s gonna get lit!”

Sparrow groaned. “What happened to you anyway last night? You disappeared on me,” she asked.

Thomas smiled and Sparrow knew what the smile meant.

“Did you bring someone home?” she whispered.

“You honestly think I’d risk going off with some strange man to his strange place? How well do you know me?”

“Oh Thomas! When did he leave?”

“Who said he did?” Thomas winked and poured another glass of his hangover cure, then walked over to his room.

“You are shameless, Thomas!” Sparrow shouted behind him.

“Life is for the living, little Sparrow. It’s time you joined us instead of moping over a loser!” Thomas smirked and shut the door behind him with a bang.

Sparrow closed her eyes and felt the sting in Thomas’s words. She really needed to start living again, but how could she when her heart was still so sore? She’d only broken up with Jazz three weeks ago. The breakup had been sudden and had left Sparrow devastated.

“I don’t think a long-distance thing is gonna work, babe,” Jazz had said, as they sat in his car after a performance. “I think we should take a break.”

She had felt the air go out of her. “A break? For how long?”

“Indefinitely,” Jazz had answered, not looking at her.

She had stared at his profile, searching for some clue to what was going on. “You’re breaking up with me?”

“Babe, it’s the best thing …”

“How can you say that?” Sparrow had started to cry. “How can you just decide that without me? We’ve been together for four years! Are you just gonna throw that away?”

Jazz had still avoided her eyes, his face blank. “It’s better this way, trust me. I’ll be busy and you need to focus on doing you. You don’t want to be a backup singer all your life, do you?”

“But …”

“Listen, I know this is hard, it’s hard for me too. But it’s for the best.”

“Don’t I get a say in that?” she had asked, wiping her tears away.

“You’ll always be the love of my life. You and I are written in the stars, it’s just that right now the timing is all wrong.”

“What if I came with you?” her voice had trembled.

Jazz had looked at her then, exasperated. “Morgan, you’re not coming with me like some crazy groupie. I need space. Geez.”

Sparrow had had no more words. Jazz only called her by her name when he was serious. And he was seriously leaving her, for Joburg. Leaving without her. And now he was clearing the field for new prospects. There was nothing Sparrow could do or say.

Jazz had left the following day and Sparrow had been devastated.

 ***

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