Day 4

I had just had one of those days when everything that would have gone wrong had gone wrong. And even stuff that usually never went wrong actually went wrong that day.

The worst thing was that I was flat broke and I hadn't eaten all day.

I was a couple of days behind on my rent at the cheap hotel I called home.

That’s why I stayed out in the rain, cold and hungry and only sneaked in after 11 pm, hoping that I’d find the manager asleep. I tiptoed upstairs past his room. The TV was still on and I guessed that he must have fallen asleep in front of it.

She came out of the shadows the moment my keys turned the lock, startling me.

"Teresa..." I gulped, not able to move, not believing the message being transmitted to my brain from my eyes.

"Can I come in? We need to talk."

"Oh sure, sure but..."

"Yes. I know about the rules. No visitors after 7 pm."

This lady was full of surprises. She not only read minds, but she also knew the rules of every dump in town it seemed. I was beginning to get upset, what did this woman want from me anyway? I let her in and was about to voice my concern when she sat down near the window and made herself comfortable, like she was at the best suite of the best hotel in town.

It was a small room with torn dirty curtains next to a window that probably hadn’t been washed since Abraham Lincoln was president. The floor and the small bed in the corner of the room were mercifully clean. This dump was home, but I guess it was better than nothing or being out in the streets.

Teresa smiled. A dazzling toothy, really bright and difficult-to-describe smile. Most of all it was a warm smile that seemed to come from the depth of her heart. It lit up her eyes and had some sort of effect on me. Don’t ask me too many questions buddy.

"I know you're really surprised to see me here," she began.

"Actually surprise isn’t the word."

"I need a big favor from you."

Now what would that be, I wondered to myself? I sat down on my creaky bed to take in this late night prime time drama.

For the next 30 minutes Teresa talked without interruption. I gaped and then gaped some. I got so shocked that I got numb with the feeling.

It is difficult to describe my feelings that night. I felt pity for her and anger at the same time that such a bright life would have to end up like this. Then I felt some... oh shit. Is there no other word to use? Some feeling for her, maybe a tinge of love. And for some strange stupid reason, I suddenly wanted her to feel the same for me.

"So why did you choose me?"

"You're kind of cute..." she giggled. For the first time since I'd met Teresa, she giggled. It's a giggle that I will carry to the grave with me. A high pitched, joyful, real, girlie giggle that lit the room. Then she spoilt it all with her next words.

"Please don't be mad at me, I actually had a private investigator..." The look in my eyes must have stopped her dead in her tracks. I turned away and faced the door for a moment.

This strange woman has me investigated and then comes to me with some crazy preposition. And you have to believe me it was crazy. I mean I’ve seen so many crazy things in my life, doing drugs and all. So when I say something is crazy, it really is crazy. I should have been over the edge with anger by now.

But I wasn't. You just couldn't get mad with Teresa.

Let me stop for a moment and ask you a question for a change. Yes, you, in front of the computer screen, reading this stuff. Why are you reading this blog? For fun? To amuse yourself perhaps?

What if it was for real? What if somebody on the run for murder is making these entries? What if this is the only way they can prove their innocence or otherwise by telling the whole miserable story of how they ended up on a honey moon in Africa with a woman they barely knew? What if this was reality?

Chew on that for a while. I'll get back to it later.

"So do you accept?" Teresa asked me after a while.

I considered the options. There was really nothing to consider. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. I had never been to Africa before. Now I would go there with the sort of woman I had never had the privilege of meeting before in my life.

All my life I’d been convinced that people who fall in love are… well, stupid. But deep inside I’d envied them and in a way I wished that I’d meet somebody. But the only women who came into my life were whining unattractive lousy.…[offending word edited out].

Take Karen for example, a pushy giggling drunk that I lived for two months with. Always with a cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth, pretending to be a shrink who knew me inside out. I just couldn’t stand her. I probably hit her a few times, but then she’d always come charging back at me with her nails. I still have a souvenir scar from her just above my left eyebrow. There was really nothing nice about her. Even the sex was lousy; occasionally when she was in the mood she’d make the usual noises and fake it. I would always tell because she recovered too quickly when it was all over. Lousy actor too she was.

Well the only good thing about her was that she was particular about paying bills, although she’d never let you forget her generosity for one minute.

Oh yes, and then there was Carol. Carol I must tell you about. Crazy girl she was.