Chapter XI
XI
“My mother is saying she invited you for coffee and you walked out on her?”
Mo wondered how Golden Boy had found her.
She was on campus, skipping a lecture, sitting under a black alder tree with a couple of friends.
But she had zoned out of their conversation long ago, instead watching the students scurrying to and from their classes.
They hadn’t spoken in a week, but here he was, in the flesh, blocking her sunlight.
“Is that what she said?”
“How come you didn’t tell me you were meeting up with her?”
“It wasn’t planned. I…had called your house phone, she picked up and that was that. I could hardly say no.”
“We should probably get going,” one of her friends said, as they stood and tactfully excused themselves, giving Mo and Golden Boy some privacy.
Monife was pleased he had come to her, but also…also terribly tired. He sat down beside her, and she felt the warmth of the sun on her face again.
“What happened? Why did you walk out on her?”
“Are you cheating on me?”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“No. I’m not. Not sure what’s going on with you, Mo, but—”
“What’s going on with me? She kept shoving this Amara girl in my face.”
“But you shouldn’t have walked out on her.
Mo, that’s my mum. You really aren’t making things easier for us.
She has told my dad, my aunts, my cousins, basically anyone who will listen, that she took Kalu’s girlfriend for a chat and the girl walked out on her.
” He also sounded tired. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.
“Have you seen her again?”
“Who?”
“You know who.”
“No.” Then, “Yes. Mum invited Amara and her mother over. They kind of sprung it on me. It was lunch at the house.”
“So you guys are sneaking around behind my back.”
“I knew you would freak out, which is why I didn’t tell you.”
“So this secrecy is my fault?!”
“That is not what I’m saying. I can’t control who my mother invites into her home. But I can control my own behaviour. She is a cool chick, sure. I consider her a friend. But she isn’t you.”
Monife laughed. “Y’all are friends now.”
“Just friends.”
“You could have told me.”
“I’m not sure I could have. Not really.”
“I thought we didn’t keep secrets from each other.”
“It wasn’t a secret. Dammit, Mo, you have to give it a rest sometimes. I’m either cheating or I’m not. And I’m not.”
They faced each other. He was irritated with her, but she was unwilling to back down.
There was something not quite right. He was behaving as though everything was fine, but she didn’t buy it.
Still, she had nothing, no proof. She was just a wolf howling at the moon.
She unclenched her fists and dropped her shoulders.
He took this as a positive sign and drew her into a hug.
“Maybe I should meet her.” She felt the stiffening of his muscles, but she couldn’t stop now. “I know all your friends. And there’s no reason to keep the two of us separate, right?”
“Yea, but…”
“But what?”
“You’re not going to act out, are you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You can get…passionate sometimes. I just…She isn’t the issue here.”
“Fantastic. Neither am I.”