Frankly Told: Call My Name
She stumbled through the door. Behind her, he reached out his arm to make sure she didn’t hurt herself but she hurtled to the floor. His fingers were left only slipping off the silk of her skin tight dress.
“Are you okay?” he hurriedly asked as he collected her off the ground, having tossed his car keys to the side. “Babe?”
“Yeah, I think I am,” she slurred. “I’m okay. I’m okay.”
He checked her for any wounds before he broke into a chuckle. Her face winced in pain and she nearly stumbled again but he caught her by the waist as soon as her knees buckled.
“Aki you need to be careful na wewe,” he teased her.
“Mh shurrup!” she said a little louder than he was expecting.
“Haiya,” he said. “Si you said you’d be responsible this time?”
“Niwache,” she detested.
“Ebu you, keep it down, your mum might come downstairs and find you looking sijui how,” He warned and her lips shut almost immediately.
“Sit. Sit,” he half walked, half carried her to the couch. “Ebu sit down. I am coming.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m coming.”
He rushed off to the kitchen. The cluttering of dishes and the slow pour of water was heard before he returned.
“Drink this,” he commanded.
“Mi staki,” she said. “You know what I want? I want more drinks.”
“Are you really sure?” he prodded, as he placed the chilled glass on the coffee table in front of her slouched frame on the couch. “And then once you get more drinks?”
“The night will be lit!” she exclaimed.
“And the morning after?” he poked in a joking manner, moving to shut the door.
“I-” she paused.
In her silence, her finger came up to her lips as she thought about the answer to the question. He closed the distance between them in quick long strides and sat right beside the glass on the coffee table. Placing a hand on her knee, he waited for her response patiently.
“By the way, you are right,” she agreed, nodding as if she had considered it the most logical of several answers.
She grabbed the glass, brought it to her lips with both her flimsy arms and took deep gulps. He smiled to himself. It had been a long night but at least, he consoled himself, it was ending in that way. He wiggled his toes in his slides, his white socks had since gained a brown tint and he shook his head. He scoffed when she exhaled and smacked her lips in relief.
She extended the empty glass and in wordless request, he took it from her and returned to the kitchen. A beat passed and he came back, this time with a half-full pitcher in his other hand too. Finding her leaning back staring at the ceiling, he gently resettled into his position and poured her a second glass.
She excitedly took it from his hand and drew it to her lips. The edges of his mouth tugged at each other momentarily before he looked down at her feet. Placing the glass pitcher aside, he took her right foot and unbuckled her heel. He slipped it off, put it down and took the other foot. Doing the same, he placed both of her feet on his lap.
“That feels so good!” she let out, unconsciously as he dug his thumbs into her sole.
“I bet it does,” he spoke softly as he massaged her feet.
She moaned softly and her entire body relaxed. His lower back slowly became host to a dull ache that he belaboured through for a while longer and when he was ready, he put down her bare feet on the carpet and moved to the couch right next to her. Nestling into him, she sighed in relief.
“Thank you for tonight.” she started. “I am also really sorry.”
“No no, don’t be sorry,” he responded.
“I have to be,” she pushed. “I really need to be responsible. I keep thinking, what would have happened if you didn’t show up?”
In the subtle lighting of the wall fixtures, he caught the glimmer of a teardrop that broke loose and was running down her cheek. He cut short its journey with a single thumb swipe.
“I can’t believe the people I call my friends did not even say or do anything in that moment,” she complained. “Are friends even supposed to be like that?”
Her voice got a little louder and he responded by squeezing her gently. There was silence and in it, her bravado fell in between his arms. He held her in an embrace so warm it pulled her together enough to pull back and look him into his eyes, through the rim of tears.
“I don’t like that I had to call you tonight,” she said. “I wish-”
“Hey, hey. It’s no biggie.”
“No. No. It is. It is selfish and irresponsible,” she insisted and he gave in. “I should have just found a way.”
“Nah,” he disagreed. “My lady was in a pinch. I would not expect her to call anyone else. So what if it is 4am? So what if it’s right in the middle of a project?”
“Like I have always told you,” he grinned her smile. “ I love you enough to face the sun, to face the rain, to face mountains so tall they touch the sky, to face valleys so deep they scrape the bottom of hell-”
“I love you too,” she interrupted. “But goodness you are so cheesy… but also I love it.”
He scoffed again and looked deeply into her eyes.
“I don’t have a cape but you know that I would move mountains for you. I mean all this is to say, yes I am handling all that I am right now but you needed me so here I am.”
She leaned back into him.
“If ever you need me, know I’ll be there when you…”
“Call my name.” They said in tandem.
