The moment the word came out of my mouth, I realised what a big mistake I had made. She turned dramatically, like in slow motion, her brows furrowed. Slit-eyed and arms akimbo, she looked like she’d apprenticed with the Witch in Snow White.
“What do you mean? No, no, no. I mean, can you explain what you just said?”
Her voice was barely above a whisper but the coldness in it sent a shiver down my spine.
“I was just joking, I didn’t mean anything by that.” I said, forcing a smile and waving her off.”
“Don’t you dare!” She hissed, “that was not funny. AT ALL!”
The music playing next door was turned down a bit. I stayed quiet and just stared at her.
Even though she looked like a crazy person at that moment, I knew I really shouldn’t have said what I said.
One of the things that attracted me to her was the easiness around her. She was the first daughter of a man who didn’t know when he’s had quite enough to drink but never let what she’d been through show.
Janet grew up in a home that was most times not a home. She grew up blaming her mother and sometimes herself for all the times her father came home drunk with nothing good to say to his wife and his two daughters.
Because her father was not like that at first. He was a happy young man that loved his daughters and made them feel special every way he could. She’d come home from school, rush to do her homework and then count the minutes till her father came back from work…
Then the drinking started. First, it was just hanging out with the guys after work on Friday nights. Two bottles of beer and that was it. She asked him once why his breath stunk. He said it was the drink he had with his friends.
“It must taste bad,” she had said.
He chuckled, “Oh, princess, you have no idea.”
He’d stood up then to go brush his teeth, pop a mint in his mouth and come back to finish watching a movie with her.
Then, they started stocking the fridge with cans of beer. He had shrugged it off when her mother asked why, saying it was nothing; he just wanted to have at home in case his friends visited.
“They’ve been talking about coming over,” he had said.
But they never came, yet the beers kept finishing and he kept restocking.
When I met Janet, it was at the end of the year event her company hosted. My company was a valued client and we had been invited. My boss, a family man, thought the young ones should have the fun and had given me the invite.
I first noticed her sitting with her colleagues. There was nothing special about her except I couldn’t look away. Her makeup was simple and she kept readjusting her glasses every time she spoke.
When our eyes finally met, I smiled my most charming smile but she just stared back. Not frowning, not smiling. She just looked at me.
I raised my drink and mouthed “cheers” and I saw a smile cross her face. She raised her glass then and went back to talking to her colleagues.
I wouldn’t see her again after that night till the next February when I had to go resolve an issue with one of our accounts at her firm.
We’d met at the lobby and she immediately remembered me.
“The guy toasting with chapman.” She said.
That caught me by surprise. “You remember the drink I was having?”
“Well, I noticed it wasn’t an alcoholic drink and I found that interesting.” She replied.
We talked some more, exchanged contacts and promised to stay in touch.
Janet and I found falling in love very easy and stress-free. We seemed to understand each other and the fact that I didn’t like alcohol was just a bonus.
This was part of why I thought she’d know it was a joke when I said I plan to get shitfaced if I pass the professional exam I was going to take in a few days.
“I’m sorry. That was insensitive,” I said.
She relaxed a bit and let her hands fall to her side. I went to her, hugged her and whispered, “I really am sorry.”
She sighed deeply, releasing the tension in her body and hugged me back.
