The Deal

Twenty-Nine-Bernadette

"Her name is Imani," I say to Jabar, and I watch him startle to the point that he nearly tumbles off his motorcycle. A smirk forms on my face, thinking about startling him like that again.

"Geesh, girl!" He bellows. "You got ninja legs now or what? I swear to God I barely heard you walk toward me."

"Our mutual friend from the bar." I fold my arms. "I paid her a visit. She works at Bongani's Books down a certain neighborhood in Southpaw Street. I even had the chance to confront her one on one, but....it didn't end well. I tried to blackmail her to get her to confess or admit that she spoke to me that night but she kept on denying it. So, now I think— "

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Jabar edges close and touches my shoulders. "Bernie, please do me a favor and rewind. Try to talk slowly so I can make some sense 'cause I am caught off-track, love."

I back away from his touch and narrow my eyes at him. "I have been keeping an eye out on the woman we've been talking about."

"Yeah, I got that part. Arnane? Or...."

"Imani. I've got to find out that she has a kid, and she comes across as shady as hell."

Jabar scoffs. "You were in her house? I believe we call that stalking."

I roll my eyes at him, but I realize I get shivers anytime I hear the word. "Do I look like I care, Jabar? No, I don't. Please, try to see things from my point of view. A man has been sending me weird letters and messages about his fantasies, he broke into my home and held me captive while I was intoxicated, and he planned my accident. Now, he's pissed off that I've survived and he attacked me again. This time, with the intent to make sure I forget everything about my past. All this time, has the police been able to catch him? Apparently, not. None of this makes sense. How are they going to react when I tell them about Imani?"

"All right. I get you. Damn." Jabar sighs. "But Bernie, we gotta be realistic here. We have no evidence that this Imani chick spoke to you that night. Right now, you're breaking into someone's house. This is giving you a seriously bad impression."

"Yes. I admit it. Maybe, I shouldn't have broken into her apartment or confronted her alone. I gave her the impression of someone high on cocaine. For that, I was probably being dumb. But that's why I need the footage from the CCTV at the bar."

Jabar raises his left brow, and when he does that, I swear he looks so much like Thabo. "I never told you there were— "

"Yeah, you didn't. Why you never bothered to tell me is another topic we'll discuss later."

"I never bought it up 'cause I never thought it would be a big deal." He groans as he rubs his forehead. "Okay, I show you the footage from that night, you promise to stop breaking into people's houses?"

I stare him dead in the eye but don't respond.

***

As Jabar scrolls through the video files he uploaded onto his laptop, I can't help but feel discomfort at the silence that surrounds us. With every willpower I muster, I avoid looking at the king-size bed at all costs. I won't let the bittersweet memories of sinful pleasures corrupt me. Not when I made my husband a promise.

"You know you never apologized?" Jabar points out, pausing the scrolling.

"For?"

He shoots me an 'Are you serious' look. "Punching me in the face. Nights ago."

It takes me a minute to reflect on that moment. The way he tried forcing himself onto me when I perfectly resisted him.

"I was a fool for doing what I did," he goes on as though he read my mind. "I had no right to force myself on you. I'm greatly sorry." When he winks at me and smiles, I immediately soften my guard.