MEETING GROUNDS

Chapter 1

"Hi, I'm Vinny, you must be Theresa's sister, I have heard a lot about you," said the boy who was in school uniform. He was very tall, dark skin and captivating eyes. He had a smile that mesmerized. For a school boy he sure was fine and very matured. He was one of the seven friends Theresa had brought home from school that saturday. They had weekend classes and the principal of the school insisted that they wear school uniforms even on saturdays to avoid unnecessary fashion parades in the vicinity. Theresa had invited them over to watch soccer together with her sister and brother's friends. "So Theresa will talk about me and not tell you my name?," Serena asked the boy as she extended her well manicured hand to respond to his insisting invitation to shake hands. Suddenly the room went silent, the others waited to hear Vinny's response since Serena had just snubbed his attempts at trying to hit on her. "It doesn't matter what she says your name is, because she clearly forgot to mention how beautiful you are mamacita, and that is what I, Vinny will be calling you from now on," he said in boldness as he kissed the back of her hand. Serena couldn't help but laugh. Her chubby cheeks glistening and her beautiful glossy lips curved as she shyly smiled, taken aback really by this boy's confidence. She wondered how a boy in high school could work up the courage to hit on an older woman like her. She was nine years older than Theresa and since the boy was in the same grade as Theresa it meant that he was also in that same age group. She blushed and quickly ran off to take care of the snacks since guests were starting to arrive. There was a lot that needed to be done and a school boy's flattery wasn't gonna faze her. "I have a boyfriend," she thought to herself as she shook her head and started on preparing the snacks. She could not bear to go outside again in case this boy noticed that he had managed to make her blush. What would her peers think of her being put under the arm of flattery by a school boy? She could not afford to jeopardize he reputation like that. She was just going to avoid serving outside and concentrate on her own friends and that of her brother's, those were her peers, people her age. The afternoon went well, but like any other function in the townships, the older crowds are known to be first to give in and leave, the same happened, soon Serena was left standing alone in the corner and she had now been reduced to chaperon. She was the one who had to now watch over the school kids so that they didn't get out of hand with the partying. She was sober and as they say the sober you are the boring the party is. she had tried to call Given, her boyfriend a lot of times but he wasn't answering and besides Given wasn't one to party as he had already given his excuse when Serena had tried to invite him. "I have to work on Saturday, Rena, I'm sorry I can't attend your party," he had said. The only thing Given ever did willingly was go to work. He never missed a day, not even when his son was born. Serena was shocked when he told her that even when his son was born he still went to work, he could not afford to miss a day. He worked everyday, faithfully but come pay day he would be complaining and loaning money from everyone including Serena. Serena always wondered what he did with the money because he never paid any alimony neither did he drink or party. Anyways what Serena was concerned about that day was the fact that he had let her down again. She was alone, without a date again, at a party she was hosting. She was deep in thought at the corner of the house, standing still when a voice disturbed her trail of thoughts. "Mind if I join you? I won't disturb you by talking cause I can tell you thinking. I'm just gonna stand with you and watch you think," said the voice. She was stunned, looked back and saw Vinny standing there behind her, his eyes met the light from a street lamp and they shone. He was smiling, his fine skin with no pimples glistened. He had a drink in one hand and two plastic chairs on the other. Before Serena could say a word, he had already set the chairs and invited Serena to seat. She slowly obliged. "I have a boyfriend you know? And he wouldn't appreciate finding me in the company of a guy," said Serena. Vinny smiled. He put his drink down, looked around and said: "Well I have three things to say to you about your boyfriend," he signaled the inverted commas with his hands as he mentioned the word "boyfriend". "Firstly, he is an idiot for letting a mamacita like you be alone at a party, two, he should know no woman should be lonely in the midst of men. Third and finally, he wouldn't be man enough for you if he felt threatened by a schoolboy like me.". Serena looked at him, their eyes locked. She tried to speak but her throat suddenly felt dry. Her phone rang. "See you then, bye", Serena put her phone back in her pocket and sat down. "That was him?", pried Vinny. "Yes, if you must know that was him", Serena replied in a sarcastic tone of voice. Vinny said nothing he just coyly smiled. He knew it. He knew that he had a chance at being the main man in Serena's life after that phone call. She hadn't said she lived him which meant they couldn't be serious. She was beautiful, her lips plump and very defined. He could kiss her all night if she would let him. Her cheeks were round and full when she smiled. She had big, round eyes that just took away his breath each time they met hers. He couldn't help but notice the beauty of every feature on her face, he noticed she had a small flat nose, just perfect for her face. But he also noticed that, although she smiled a lot, her eyes revealed a pain untold. He had seen many a girls in his life who concealed pain through their smile but as it is said the eyes are the window to the soul. As if she could tell that he was figuring her out she tried to break his concentration lest he saw the scars she hid beneath herself. A few months ago she was a fiancee, a woman to be married. She was in what she thought was love. For two full years she had remained faithful to Nicholas, now her ex, she remembered all the times she had told all the other admirers and suitors how she was taken and didn't desire an affair because she was happily committed. She reminisced about how happy she had been. She had never felt this much love for a person before Nicholas. She had thought it was forever. Nicholas was a cop and although he sometimes brought his work attitude home he still loved Serena and he always said and did the right things most of the time. He also had a large share of jealousy, he couldn't bear it to see Serena talk to other guys and he would flip and switch to name calling and cursing if she dared not answer her phone when he called. Sometimes this hurt Serena but she always thought things would be good as soon as they got married and they lived together. She had never suspected that Nicholas was cheating, after all what man would cheat on a woman who accepted a man with a child together with the child without even thinking twice? The past few months had been hard. She couldn't believe that she and her Nick were over. She was no longer future Mrs Darlington. Nicholas had cheated and gotten pregnant an ex he had had a one night stand with and hid it from Serena until the baby was six months old. She tried to make things work even after that scenario but Nicholas had rejected her efforts. She was left alone with a lot of pieces of her life and heart to pick up. She didn't know how and just like most rejected lovers in relationships she took the easy way out, a rebound, although deep down she knew it was a rebound she didn't want to admit it to anyone else. Given was good enough to keep her thoughts away from Nicholas but she didn't see a lasting future with him. He had a lot of issues about trust and commitment and he also loved the fact that Serena had just received dividends from her inheritance from her late father. He hardly paid for dates and drove her car and he had rules about phone privacy and so forth. Serena couldn't ask him about the mother of his son, she couldn't touch his photo album or answer his phone at any time. All those things let Serena know that this was not a lasting affair. Now today here she was sitting with a young boy who was analyzing her, looking at her and making her feel like the queen she knew deep sown she was. She wondered if this was how life always penned out. You could only have what is closest to what you want whilst looking at what you really want walk past you because society says you don't deserve it. She sat there, half the night she was thinking about how she had come to be this girl who let society dictate her happiness so much and the other time she would occasionally distracted by Vinny wanting them to dance, or a refill or even a short walk around the neighborhood. She did pretend like she wasn't enjoying the attention but then again she never dealt with any feeling that goes beyond her head at this point. She had dug too deep in her feeling for two years and look what that got her, a hole that nobody could fill. Soon it was time for Vinny to go, his friend had arrived to pick him up. He left his phone number that should Serena change her mind she should call him. She just smiled and took the number, turned and walked away not even taking one glance over at him. She strut until she disappeared behind the walls of the well extended house that she lived in. Vinny smiled and told his friend to drive off.