Being Celeste (16 page)

“I missed you at the gym this morning,” he
said. He was rather shy about his statement.

Now I’m not one to calculate things
prematurely (well, actually I am). Maybe that’s what I used to do before I
became mature and confident, but I had a hunch about where this conversation
was going. It’s really obvious. It’s almost the same feeling you get when
you’re watching a movie and you know what the guy is going to say the girl. I
pretend paused time to dissect his statements. So we missed each other at the
gym today, why is he here to tell me about it? I mean
duh
! I know we
didn’t see each other because he didn’t come. I’ve seen it in the movies I
watch. He likes me, doesn’t he? Yes, yes, yes, yes! Success!
He likes me, he
likes me!
Call the angels in the heavens and ring the bell of victory, he
likes
me! He thinks I’m a babe...wait, what? But how is that possible. Thinking about
the events in the morning with Taboka, right now, anything is possible. He is
probably here to tell me that he wants to grab me right now and kiss the shit
out of me...because I’m a babe. Yes, I said it! Wait, but what if he decides to
grab me out of the blue and kiss me? I don’t think I’d be prepared for that.
I’ve never been kissed, and I don’t know how. Boy it would be disappointing for
him; grabbing me and hoping for something passionate, with skill, and here I
am,
never been kissed guru
. That would chase him off for good. So
whatever happens, don’t kiss him yet. Kate and I should hold a special class
for how to kiss. I’ve only seen it done in the movies, and she’s had real life
experience. As soon as I get a hold of her, we are doing it. But it better be
soon, because life right now is going pretty fast in the action department for
me.

“Celeste?” he called, giving me a little
look of worry.

I guess I got a little carried away. “Yes,
the gym!” I replied with a little squeak in my voice. “Your cousin told me you
couldn’t make it.”

“I had rough morning, I had to stay
behind.”

I gave him a slight nod and smile. Then
there was the awkward silence. I just hate them, because I don’t like fishing
for topics in my head. It bugs me that I have to go in it and look for things
to talk about. They are usually just nonsense. Besides, they pry attention from
what’s really important: being told I’m a babe. This is a tough industry,
dating. Love. The shop was slowly losing population. For once it was a good
thing because I could now pay Thabang my full and undivided attention, instead
of looking two places at once. You know, for those shop lifters and those
customers who need help but aren’t really buying anything. As soon as the last
of them left, I was going to lock the shop, because I have to get home.

“So...” I was sensing that I was supposed
to reply him after his last statement. So he had a rough morning, should I ask
him for the details or add on to that? “It’s going to be sunny all day,” I
finally said.

He did what I had been waiting for,
subconsciously, he laughed. It wasn’t a joke and I wasn’t mocking him, but he
laughed. I broke the ice too. His laugh was infectious so I joined in as well.
Oh what a joyous day it was turning out to be. I spotted the last of the
customers leaving so I rushed to the entrance and shut the doors. Thabang
looked at me all dazed and confused.

I smiled. “I’m closing early today.”

“Oh, because I thought you were holding me
hostage.” I watched his face renewing a smile.

I giggled. “Fortunately for you, I’m not in
the mood to hold anyone hostage today.”

“Actually I’m thinking, what a shame!” he
replied, a smile on his face.

We both laughed. By golly, are we flirting?
No, that can’t be possible. I don’t know how to flirt. There was a brief
silence after the laugh. I started to panic, worried about what I should say to
him. I can’t stand the awkwardness. He’s so good looking. Thabang has deep
brown eyes, depicting all the humble a man can possess. And his thick eyebrows
intensifying the brown in them, it’s so...good looking. But I can’t just stare
at him. I let my eyes fall away to my nails while I thought of something to say
to him. I don’t know, maybe I should talk about music.

“So what kind of music to do you listen
to?”
he
asked.

Really? Now that’s just weird, we’re
thinking the same thing at the same time. I only have that
thing
with
Kate and no one else. Is it a coincidence or are the gods of love trying to
tell me something over here? No! I’m not going to read too much into it, I am a
different woman now. Now Celeste, the man asked you a question, so answer it.

“Music, hmm let’s see. Most people find it
weird, but by nature I listen to a lot of rock music,” I replied.

“No way, me too!” His eyes filled with
excitement and he began listing some of his favourite bands.

My heart started filling up with all kinds
of joys from all kinds of direction. It’s fate, all of this. Now most people
around me don’t listen to rock music, as much as I do. I’m like a disciple to
the stuff. You don’t even want to know how deep I can get because it can take
years to perfect the explanation. Kate also loves rock music. That’s mostly
part of the reason why we became such good friends, through the music. When you
go up to a person and tell them you like rock, they look at you like you’re
crazy for even saying it. I now have faith in the world again.

“So who’s your favourite band?” he asked.

Yes! We have found something to talk about.

“I’m into a lot of classic rock, so it
would have to be
Queen
. Their music just speaks to me,” I replied,
looking all inspired by what I was saying. “
Under Pressure
is such a
beautiful song. When I hear it playing, my imagination goes to all kinds of
places, with just the tune. The message the song has is a whole other story.”

He smiled, looking like he was devoted to
every word that came out of my mouth.

“You surprise me, you know that?”

I stopped my inspiration thing and looked
at him. “Why do you say that?”

“It’s nothing. I just thought I knew the
kind of person you are, but clearly I don’t. At the gym you’re this shy girl,
but right now when you talk about music, your eyes just light up, and I can see
the real you.”

Really? Now he’s getting me shy again. My
eyes dropped to my fingers and I felt all jelly like.

“Oh.”

“Don’t- don’t do that,” he continued. “That
shine in your eyes really suits you, Celeste.”

I looked up and met his smile, flashing at
me.

“I’m sorry,” I said in an almost whisper. I
was losing the ability to talk again.

What? Why did I just say that? But he was
still smiling, so maybe he didn’t hear me apologize instead of thanking him for
his complement.

“Celeste, I actually came here to see if
you wanted to hang out today...with me.”

What? Cue the mental dancing and hopping
about. I knew it, I knew it! But this is unbelievable. I had to be dreaming,
right? Maybe I was starring in a movie I didn’t know about. How the hell does a
girl like me, get asked out twice in one day, on her first time? Maybe the boy
repellent wore of. Or maybe, it’s just based on the general like of my
personality (that’s hilarious for me to think that. Yeah, right!). I wanted to ask
him though, why he wanted to
hang
with me. But wait, he wanted to just
hang out, does that mean it’s a date or just purely as platonic friends because
he enjoys my company? Ugh, crap! Hold the mental dancing and hopping about.
This is confusing. Maybe I should ask him. I always see it done in the movies
when the girl asks the guy if it’s a date. But what if it’s not a date, then my
question will freak him out and he’ll run away. And then I’ll be disappointed
and go back to being afraid to opening up to boys like him. What does
hanging
out
mean? You know what, one step at a time; that’s what Kate would say.
I’m not going to ask complicated questions anymore, I’ll just go with the flow.

I began invisible, deep breathing in and
out, to calm myself. “Sure. What did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know yet. You’ll just have to
trust that I can come up with the perfect place I can take you,” he said,
oozing with excitement.

That’s when I remembered my non official
lunch date with Taboka. Of course there had to be a minor complication in all
of this. I had to be super babe and attract the attention of two cousins. If
they were not related then this situation would be easy. But how do I tell
Thabang that I sort of agreed to lunch with his cousin and that we can’t hang
out until I get out of it. I don’t get why they would approach me separately.
If they are always together, don’t they talk about the girls they like? Oh no!
My boy repellent had to leave me in this situation. I guess being a babe comes
with its consequences. I have to be the good deed doer and tell Thabang that I
can’t go out and hang with him because I promised Taboka I’d hang with
him
.
Fucking idiot, Taboka is. Why didn’t I have a rough morning and miss the gym?
Now I have to sacrifice the boy I like for him. Wait, I might have to sacrifice
him too if I don’t want to cause a riff in the family. But am I that much of a
catch to have two cousins fighting over me. Whoa! That’s accelerated progress,
I must admit. To go from nothing, to boys fighting over me!

I put a serious face on and said, “You know
what, on second thought, I can’t hang today.”

His smile washed away all of a sudden. It
killed me.

“What, why?” he replied.

“My best friend is coming home today, and I
have to be there when she arrives. That’s why I’m closing early.” That was
partly true, you know. But I was stalling time, so that I could find a solution
out of this Taboka asking me out thing. Maybe there was a way for me to get out
of it and no one ever having to find out...that’s impossible because they are
related. What is Taboka going to say when he sees me out one day, snogging his
cousin? He’s going to think I’m a bitch. But maybe there’s a way to let him
know that he bores me to death and we have nothing in common, and that Thabang
is more in my league than he is. He can’t blame us for our love, and he has to
blame his boring personality. I’ll make him understand that our relationship
can’t just survive on his good looks, but there has to be a balance. He’ll
understand that, he’s bright, he goes to university.

“Oh, that’s fine.”

I knew he was disappointed. Who wouldn’t
be, having a catch like me stand them up? “I should lock up now and go home.” I
grabbed the keys, jangling them to show him that it was time to go. I did that
on purpose too, so that I looked like hard to get material.
Always keep him
on his toes, and don’t be desperate
. I should write a book! “Another time
then.” I smiled and opened the door for him. And he left.

Kate came home
last night. I wanted to be super pissed about her missing in action stint, but
then she explained to me why she couldn’t take my calls. But that was way after
I had seen her. I was at her house, the minute I heard she had arrived, ready
with a bag of news and snacks. I knew that I shouldn’t be snacking, but this
was a special occasion. I almost got mauled by the beast she calls a dog.

“Back!” I yelled, at it when it came
running towards me all vicious and tenaciously. “
Fotsek
!” I couldn’t
feel my whole body, I was so scared. Kate’s mother held it back, insisting that
it would never bite me or hurt me. Dog owners; they never seize to amaze me,
always claiming that their canines are harmless when obviously, they are not. I
wonder if there’s a special convention they go to where they are told to lie to
visitors and tell them that their dogs don’t bite. They probably take joy when
they see someone yelling in fear at a dog so that it could back the hell up and
leave them alone. I mean, it is kind of funny, when someone screams in fear at
an on coming dog. Look at me, I yelled
back
! Some good that will do to
save my skin from dog bites.

Then I saw her, Kate, waiting for me inside
her house with a huge smile on her face. It’s like we had never met, but we
knew each other. She was so gorgeous and absolutely breathtaking. All my anger
flew out the window. I had a
hot
best friend.

“My god, what did they do to you?” I said,
walking up to her in astonishment. “You look so pretty.”

Kate was wearing a super tight mini halter
dress with sequins at the boob area, and stilettos. I didn’t know she could
wear high heels. Her hair, the pony tail was gone. It was all curled up and
wavy and hot! And she had makeup on. At that instant, I’m not all that sure, but
I think a tear just plummeted down one of the cheeks, a tear of joy. Kate ran
up to me and gave me a grand hug. She honestly looked like one of those girls
in the fashion magazines, the hot bombshells, and I’m not just saying that.

“So do you like my transformation?” said
Kate.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her glittering
eyes. She was literally glowing from all the makeup. She looked like a star.

“You know I love it!” and I did. Phew! The
mono coloured outfits were gone, of course I loved it. “What time’s the show?”
I was there to watch the premier of her episode, like we promised we would do
together. Her parents were just as excited as I was, her mother more than her
father. I sensed that he was a little unhappy with the shortness of Kate’s
dress. But he’s an old man, what do they know anyway?