The Stranger I Met

Emerald

" Honestly, all of it sounds like a scam to me." Naisha concludes after my thorough explanation of today's events.

" Excuse me!" I retort back at her.

" You. Are. Stupid. Plain and simple." She states like it's the most obvious thing.

" Naisha!" I squeal." That is so not what I was expecting you to say."

" Well it is the truth Aurora. I haven't said  anything to you yet, but I have to put my foot down now."

" About what?"

" Your boyfriend's desolation is like the oldest trick in the book! Get your girl's sympathy and then throw her in the pit so she is still smiling at you from down below." She finishes.

I shake my head side to side vigorously, trying to make sense of what she said.

" I am so not following you."

" Ugh!" She groans helplessly." And here I thought that you were a woman with wits. Can't you see! Jason is playing with you."

I snort." No, he's not. He's just- just upset." I try to cover the stutter in my voice.

" About what?" She snaps.

" He'll tell me when he feels like. I don't want to pry." My voice has turned sheepish.

" Honey!" Her chirpyness is replaced with a throaty tone." There is a difference between not prying and being utterly unobservant. And you, sadly, have gone into the latter mode."

" What does that even mean?" I start getting annoyed at the blames which she is throwing at me.

" Do you know anything about your lover boy?" She asks, which sounds more like a rhetorical question.

" Umm." I try to come up with something witty.

" Let's make it easier for you, shall we? Jason just visited his hometown, didn't he?"

" Yes." I reply.

" Where is his hometown?" She asks blatantly.

Silence

" Moving on. Jason lives with her aunt. Why?"

Silence

" What do his parents do for a living? Where do his parents live? What are their names? Does he have any siblings? If yes, are they older or younger and what are their names?"

Silence

" What about his uncle, Jenna's husband? Why doesn't he live with them? Are they divorced? Did he die? Is he living with Jason's parents?"

" What is his favourite colour? What is his favourite dish? What is his dreamland destination? What are his future goals? Where does he want to go to college?" Her decibels increase with each question.

Silence

" How many girlfriends did he have? Why did he move here, of all the places, for his senior year. That too, he didn't join from the beginning.

What the fuck is his favourite pizza topping?"

Silence.....

This time on both sides of the receiver.

" Look." She breaths with her voice getting calmer than before." You are going too callous about this situation. You have simply wired your brain into thinking that whatever Jason says is right while whatever Tristen says is wrong."

" What does Tristen have to do anything with this?" I finally find my voice after her long row of questions.

" Tristen has to do everything with this." She drawls impatiently." He fucking loves you!"