Zara's P.O.V
She enjoyed my weed so much that she suggested we go to my crib since I told her that's where I grow it. I get it, it's Mareba Zungu we're talking about, Miss Universe, you feel me?
But girl, it's 9 pm, and you don't even know me like that. What do you want from me?
Still, I couldn't say no. It's not every day someone like her wants to come over for a smoke session. I don't even have anyone I regularly smoke with, so who am I to turn down Miss Universe?
But seriously....why is she here? This could've waited. Sue could've easily set this up another time, right? Why tonight?
Anyway, the setting looks and feels amazing. I burned a jasmine incense stick for a floral scent in the room, as floetry's "Sunshine" plays smoothly by the surround sound speaker. The vibe is immaculate, no doubt. I can feel the weed mellowing me out, my lips dry and my stomach starting to grumble. I'm on my second joint since we got here and my third for the day. I left out a bowl of strawberries, grapes, and the last two plums I had.
A thick cloud of smoke floats from Mareba's lips and adds up to the cloudy room. With a joint held delicately, she glances over, "This one's got that tropical kick, I love it"
"Rasta berry", I mumble, letting the joint dangle from the corner of my mouth, "It's a Sativa"
She nods, her eyes half-lidded with a soft tint of redness, "I figured. Sativas always hit smoother. Easier on the lungs."
I raise an eyebrow. "You sound like you know your weed. You into it like that?"
"Herbs", she corrects with a sly smile.
"Oh", I lean back on the couch, intrigued.
"My grandmother was a herbalist back in the village I'm from," Mareba continues, exhaling the smoke with the words, "Cannabis wasn't strange in our house—it was just...a part of life, you know? It was part of our routine"
"That's dope." I smile at the thought of a family rolling joints in some remote village.
Mareba's face softens, "She used to blend it with dry rose petals and lavender, and then we'd spark it up before bed. You wouldn't believe how calming it was"
I narrow my eyes, "Lavender and Roses are smokeable?"
She laughs. "Honey, there are so many herbs you can smoke besides the cannabis. Blue lotus, Pink Lotus, Mugwort, Chamomile..."
"And what do they do?", I ask, my curiosity peaked.
"They just...mellow you out. You won't get high like a weed. They're all about clarity and calmness. It's like having a cup of herbal tea after a long day, but you smoke it."
I nod slowly, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
She smiles, "It's a better experience when you blend them with weed"
"Herbal spliff, huh?" I chuckle.
"Yes darling", she murmurs with smoke swirling around her.
"That sounds like something I need to try", I admit, already imagining a lavender-rose joint.
"You should", she replies, her confidence smooth as velvet, "First-time customers? Free delivery from Zungu Herbals. But since it's you, I'll send you a special package, honey"
My interest sharpens, "Wait, you've got a business for this?"
"Family business", she corrects, leaning forward to flick the ash into a small ashtray. "We have plantations back home. I'm just honoring my grandmother by expanding the legacy"
