Natasha. Suddenly the loud cheering when the chairperson read out the amount on his cheque became a background hum. He took her hand in his. No rings on her fingers. She watched him with her big, dark eyes and his heart fluttered a little.
‘The pleasure is mine,’ he said, when she thanked him with a lovely smile.
A newspaper photographer stopped him as he was about to step away. ‘Can I get a photograph of the two of you?’
Theodore stood next to her.
‘A bit closer, please,’ the photographer instructed.
Theodore felt her arm lightly touch his. He could smell her perfume. He wished the photographer would take longer. He walked back to his seat with the overwhelming need to get to know Natasha van der Merwe better.
Suddenly Carina Vosloo stood before him. He hadn’t noticed her before. She put out her arms to him: ‘What a wonderful gesture!’ she shrieked.
She came towards him and threw her arms around his neck. Her kiss was wet and long. A few men wolf-whistled.
* * *
My life suddenly changed dramatically. My dream of graduating was a thing of the past. My marks weren’t good enough to apply for a bursary.
Smiley found a voluptuous bottle blonde to rent my room and within a week I was homeless. He allowed me to sleep on the couch in the living room for a while. ‘Not more than a few weeks, though.’
Wild parties the next two nights only allowed me access to my bed on the couch after three in the morning. I knew these weren’t going to be exceptions. I packed my things and, without saying goodbye to Smiley, I headed into the streets of Stellenbosch to see what I could find. I slept on a bench at the station for two nights until I found a room to rent in the backyard of a house in the poorest part of town.
I was bitter about how I’d been evicted, but I didn’t dwell on it for too long. Our friendship had been over for a while.
I didn’t blame Smiley for cutting me off financially. His father’s death was a knuckle sandwich from the universe and I accepted it as such.
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