“Hey guys,” Mavuto broke the silence in the dorm room, I think we have studied enough. Don’t we need to relax?” He glanced across the room. Tembo and John seemed as exhausted as he was. It was a warm summer evening, the three had been studying the entire afternoon.
“I feel the same man,” said Tembo. “It’s been 2 hours straight, and my brain can’t take it now more. I am even dozing here.”
Mavuto leaned back in his chair, glancing at John, who was pacing up and down the room. “All the more reason to take a break, right?”
John suddenly stopped, “I heard Sarah talking about a party that starts at 6pm today at the great hall,” he proposed. Why don’t we go there?” Sarah was their classmate and Mavuto had a crush on her. The problem was that she thought he was a drunkard, because he only ever spoke to her after he’d been
Tembo was now fully awake, and chuckled. “Great idea! Maybe Mavuto can make his crush Sarah for once in a sober state!”
Mavuto looked at his watch. “It’s already past 6pm, why are we even still having this conversation? Let’s get going!” He jumped on his feet and grabbing his jacket of the back of his chair. “I am going to show her that I can finally go to a part and meet her while sober.”
John grinned at his friend’s newfound confidence. “Aight bet. Let’s get going but remember,” he said, pointing his finger at John, “we are not drinking until you talk Sarah first.”
As they arrived, the party was already in full swing: loud music pounded through the speakers, people dancing on the makeshift dancefloor, and alcohol flowed freely. Cannabis cakes were served alongside a punch, it’s main component decomposed bananas.
They plunged in right away, and Mavuto quickly became so wasted that he had trouble walking and speaking. He didn’t even have the change to chat to Sarah.
John watched Mavuto’s uneven gait, and listened to his slurring voice, looking concerned. “Tembo! Look at him. He’s drunk, he can barely stand or speak clearly. We should get him out of here before he ruins his changes with Sarah!”
“But we only just arrived man!” Tembo protested, his voice barely rising over the music. “Mavuto is an adult; he can handle it. The party’s only just started!”
“Hey, what don’t you understand here? Sarah can’t see him like this again! They just made up, and he’s supposed to proof to her he’s changed. If she sees him like this, everything will be ruined.
“Fine… Let’s drop him of and come back. I don’t want to miss this party.”
Mavuto leaned heavily on John and Tembo, as they escorted him back to the dorms. As they maneuvered him through the maze like hall ways, John noted Tembo’s unusual chattiness and suspected he may be wasted as well.
Back at the dorms, Mavuto was on fire. He insisted on talking to Sarah. Tembo and John tried to stop him, but Mavuto was convinced. Somehow, he found his way to her room, but the recalled was waking up on her bedroom floor at two in the morning. Mortified, he discreetly exited, his tail between his legs like a scared puppy.
Around six that morning, Sarah knocked on his door, looking serious and furious. He offered some words of apology, but she cut him off right away. “Mavuto Casanova, shut your mouth and let me talk! You kept knocking on her door till I opened! I was dressed for sleep,” Sarah said with a raised voice. “Why did you crawl to my room? You smelt terrible and you were filthy. You even broke down in tears as while saying how how much I loved me. Did my roommate really have to witness all
Mavuto glanced at the floor silently. Sarah sighed, and then continued with a lower voice. “Mavuto, I have never felt this ashamed my entire life. Never speak to me again after you’ve been drinking!” She said she even had been considering giving him a chance, but he blew it. Mavuto murmered some more apologies, but Sarah only rolled her eyes, and closed the door.
Mavuto was shocked. He had no memory of last night’s events. He waited for a few minutes to make sure he wouldn’t run into Sarah in the hallway, and then headed to Tembo’s room. He in a state, his room smelled like crap, and he’d urinated. Mavuto tried to speak to him, but he was babbling incoherently.
“Come in,” John said with a sleepy look on his face. Mavuto sat down on his chair. “What happened last night?” he said, spinning around on the chair nervously.
“Bro,” John sighed, “you kept yelling and sobbing that you wanted to go to her room. We tried to stop you, but you weren’t having it. You even fell down the stairs and then kept crawling to her room. You were crying and pleading outside her door for her to open, because otherwise you would commit suicide.
“What?” Mavuto said in shock. The news hit him hard. How could a gangster like him act so frail?
That night changed everything for him. He realized that he had been living his life recklessly, and needed to take responsibility for his actions. He stopped drinking, weed and other drugs, and focused on the future. Mavuto began to work hard in school and eventually graduated with honors in law. He got a job and build a life for himself. Sarah became doctor. They are good friends, though he never had a chance to date her. John became a software engineer and Tembo a Social Scientist. Looking back, Mavuto was grateful for his friends, they saved him, and showed that he was loved and had a future. Indeed, he will never forget that night, and will always be thankful Sarah eventually became his friend.
14 June, 2023
