The Deal

Thirty-Two-Bernadette

"I'm going to quit," I say. "This was a terrible mistake. I never wanted this career, anyway."

Armani rolls her eyes while taking care of my eyebrows. "Darling, if you quit, I'm walking off with you."

I smile, even though it feels weird to have people care about me. Why do I always feel alone when I have people I can talk to? I still don't understand this hidden thought. "Don't you need the money? To pay for your booty calls?"

She chuckles along with me. "Oh, so you love to tease, huh? I see. I'm going to bring up your painful memories. Oh, you went through a lot when we worked on the last two seasons."

"Don't you dare. How was the night with Mister Twenty-one, if I may ask?"

Armani fans herself with her chubby fingers. "Hot as hell. I saw fireworks popping after the rounds we went. Whew!"

I suddenly flinch when the image forms in my mind. "Christ, Armani. Are you even sure he was twenty-one? You're such an old perv."

She snorts. "Just kidding. It was average. I'd rate it a five out of ten. He was good with his fingers but weak tongue action, though."

"Ugh!" I cover my ears as she cackles with laughter. "Sweet Virgin Mary, you're a predator!"

Armani howls with more laughter, even clutching her tummy. "Sweet Virgin Mary? Who the hell uses this expression? Darling, we're not in the eighteen-hundreds. Even my grandmother doesn't say that."

I pull an offended face at her. "My expression is what's funny to you? Unbelievable."

"At least you made me laugh like all hell just brook loose."

"Whatever." I watch as she scans through her make-up bag. "You sure you're going to quit today?"

I nod. "I'll walk after shooting. It's going to crush Yvonne's spirit. Our friendship might be affected because of what I'm about to do. I know she'll understand that this is what's best for her."

"Ag man. So much drama. Sheesh." She tends to my other eyebrow. "Just tell me when the storm is over. If you want to hit me up, I'll always be there. This is my last day of working on this set. Such a shame. I'll miss the cast and all the interesting faces. Especially Khosa, and those two little demons that appear on my television and corrupt it with their lousy acting."

I snort. "The fact that I don't have to pretend to be their mother anymore. The feeling is so heavenly; I can't even describe it."

"Does your hubby know about it?"

"No." I'll wait when the time's right, I want to say. As I reflect on the memory of the young girl getting off the couch, I realize that there are still a lot of things I haven't learned about Armani. "What was your first job? Before being a make-up artist, I mean?"

She paints a silly grin on her face. "Aw, darling. My life wasn't too exciting. Oh Hell, my life was not exciting at all. Don't tell anyone, but I did some time in jail, you know."

"Oh. For what?"

She heaves a sigh, as though just having to flashback to the past is a whole punishment. "Aiding and abetting. Oh, boy. Cape Town has left me with some unforgettable nightmares. The idiot who cost me to spend half of my life in Limbo was none other than my childhood friend. We graduated from the same primary and senior high schools. She was a brilliant girl. Too smart for her good. I should have noted those warning signs—red flags, as kids call it nowadays. Every day I saw her with a different bruise on all her body parts. When she told me her marriage was thriving, I knew the lady was lying through her teeth. I finally paid the man a visit, but I found all her belongings outside the house. She told me they had filed for divorce, so I was like 'Thank the Lord'.