with her unborn baby. He refused, told her she had made her bed and must sleep on it.
“Serves that evil woman right,” Rose said. “How could you trust her after that?”
“No way. Good there were decent girls around. So what happened to the cheating guy?”
“Oh, him. He stayed away for a while but has started calling, begging, saying how sorry he was and wants me back. I’m going to tell him I have a new guy who is a karate black belt. Let him know he just ran the town bully out of town. That way he won’t bother me again. The calls are getting to be a real nuisance. Mind pretending you’re my boyfriend for a while? Tell me of your family.”
He wondered if she was serious or flirting. Told her he was the youngest in a family with three older brothers, and a sister, all back home. One brother was a headmaster at a village school, another worked for the city council in the capital city. The last drove long-distance trucks from his country to South Africa and other neighbouring countries. His sister and her husband were both primary school teachers. His dad had worked as a labourer at a factory, was now retired and stayed at the village. His mother had always been a full-time housewife.
“Miss home?” she asked.
“Sure.”
“You came a long way. Must be hard so far from home. The weather, food, culture’s all different. So you’re the only one in your family here?”
“Yes.”
It was his turn to ask about her family. She had two older brothers; one a podiatrist married to an Australian podiatrist and staying in Melbourne. The other was married as well and worked in the Midlands. Her older sister Loyce worked for the city council. Her mother was a school-head at a girls’ grammar school. The talk meandered to university, engineering, music, books and more. They shared the same interests.
None was in a hurry to leave. He was the first one to check the time, realized they had sat in the car for over an hour.
“Rose. You really want me to pretend I’m your boyfriend?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t.”
She looked hurt. “Why not?”
“You can find someone else for that. If I’m to be a boyfriend it must be real, not fake. So if you want my help I will have to be your boyfriend from now. If you don’t, get someone else.”
“That leaves me no choice. Want my number?”
“You want to be my girlfriend?”
“Yes. Thought you were serious.”
“But I thought you didn’t like refugees.”
“A girl has a right to change her mind. I just made exception for one. You didn’t like whites either.”
“Did I ever say that? There was just one blonde girl I disliked a lot. Give me your number.”
“Thought you’d never ask.”
They swapped numbers. She saved his name as My Man Free. She grinned when he put her as Green-eyed Rose.
“The weather’s going to be fine tomorrow. Mind a trip to the sea if you’re free?”
“Brilliant idea! There’s this spot I want to show you. We’ll get ice-creams, sit on the cliff and walk barefoot on the sands. Here’s my ex, Nathan’s number. I’d appreciate if you call him and have a man talk so he leaves me alone.”
He called Nathan. Voice mail triggered in.
He left a message. “Hello, Nathan. This concerned Rose. I would really appreciate if you can call me back.”
Seconds later his phone buzzed.
“You left a message,” a voice said. “Is Rose ok?”
“Nathan, I’d like you to leave my girlfriend alone.”
“Who the hell are you? And my name’s Doctor Nathan. I’d like to be addressed as such.”
“Accept you’re a loser, Nathan, and I don’t want you calling Rose again. I’m taking her to the seaside tomorrow.”
Nathan shouted. “The hell you are! Rose’s my girl. Leave her alone!”
“Now you listen. I don’t want you within a yard of my girl, or you’ll crawl home with missing teeth, a broken jaw and ribs. How would you like to be thrown from the edge of a cliff into the sea, Nathan? Want to find out if I mean it? Why
“Serves that evil woman right,” Rose said. “How could you trust her after that?”
“No way. Good there were decent girls around. So what happened to the cheating guy?”
“Oh, him. He stayed away for a while but has started calling, begging, saying how sorry he was and wants me back. I’m going to tell him I have a new guy who is a karate black belt. Let him know he just ran the town bully out of town. That way he won’t bother me again. The calls are getting to be a real nuisance. Mind pretending you’re my boyfriend for a while? Tell me of your family.”
He wondered if she was serious or flirting. Told her he was the youngest in a family with three older brothers, and a sister, all back home. One brother was a headmaster at a village school, another worked for the city council in the capital city. The last drove long-distance trucks from his country to South Africa and other neighbouring countries. His sister and her husband were both primary school teachers. His dad had worked as a labourer at a factory, was now retired and stayed at the village. His mother had always been a full-time housewife.
“Miss home?” she asked.
“Sure.”
“You came a long way. Must be hard so far from home. The weather, food, culture’s all different. So you’re the only one in your family here?”
“Yes.”
It was his turn to ask about her family. She had two older brothers; one a podiatrist married to an Australian podiatrist and staying in Melbourne. The other was married as well and worked in the Midlands. Her older sister Loyce worked for the city council. Her mother was a school-head at a girls’ grammar school. The talk meandered to university, engineering, music, books and more. They shared the same interests.
None was in a hurry to leave. He was the first one to check the time, realized they had sat in the car for over an hour.
“Rose. You really want me to pretend I’m your boyfriend?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t.”
She looked hurt. “Why not?”
“You can find someone else for that. If I’m to be a boyfriend it must be real, not fake. So if you want my help I will have to be your boyfriend from now. If you don’t, get someone else.”
“That leaves me no choice. Want my number?”
“You want to be my girlfriend?”
“Yes. Thought you were serious.”
“But I thought you didn’t like refugees.”
“A girl has a right to change her mind. I just made exception for one. You didn’t like whites either.”
“Did I ever say that? There was just one blonde girl I disliked a lot. Give me your number.”
“Thought you’d never ask.”
They swapped numbers. She saved his name as My Man Free. She grinned when he put her as Green-eyed Rose.
“The weather’s going to be fine tomorrow. Mind a trip to the sea if you’re free?”
“Brilliant idea! There’s this spot I want to show you. We’ll get ice-creams, sit on the cliff and walk barefoot on the sands. Here’s my ex, Nathan’s number. I’d appreciate if you call him and have a man talk so he leaves me alone.”
He called Nathan. Voice mail triggered in.
He left a message. “Hello, Nathan. This concerned Rose. I would really appreciate if you can call me back.”
Seconds later his phone buzzed.
“You left a message,” a voice said. “Is Rose ok?”
“Nathan, I’d like you to leave my girlfriend alone.”
“Who the hell are you? And my name’s Doctor Nathan. I’d like to be addressed as such.”
“Accept you’re a loser, Nathan, and I don’t want you calling Rose again. I’m taking her to the seaside tomorrow.”
Nathan shouted. “The hell you are! Rose’s my girl. Leave her alone!”
“Now you listen. I don’t want you within a yard of my girl, or you’ll crawl home with missing teeth, a broken jaw and ribs. How would you like to be thrown from the edge of a cliff into the sea, Nathan? Want to find out if I mean it? Why
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