Honey and Spice(49)

“I agree.”

“Cool. Next time we meet we’ll sort out our timetable. Public events, dates, Gotta Hear Both Sides planning, that sort of thing.”

“Hot.”

“Maybe I’ll put it all in a Google Calendar and share it with you for efficiency.”

His voice dropped octaves. “Kiki, you can’t talk dirty to me in a restaurant.”

“I’m sorry. I just . . . I get so carried away.”

“Clearly.” He ran his eyes across me in theatrical disgust. “Control yourself. We have work to do.” He gestured to the camera on the table. “You ready? . . . You get to choose who we ask first.”

I allowed my eyes to roam across the gradually thinning-out diner, stopping on the couple I saw earlier laughing just a few booths ahead of us. They were sat close on the same side of the booth, like us, talking in murmurs. Touching but not touching, clearly wanting to.

I gave them a chin nod. “Them. First date.”

“Really? Not the couple clearly doing nasty things to each under the table?”

We tilted our heads to look at the couple in question, across the aisle from us. The slow arm movements were very distressing. The girl’s mouth suddenly dropped open. Mine did too, for an entirely different reason.

“Oh.” I broke our short, shocked silence.

Malakai cleared his throat. “Um. I’m sorry. Is she?”

“I think so. Good for her. Only twenty-five percent of women are able to.”

“We should look away. If we stay looking, we’re perverts.” Our eyes stayed glued to the scene.

“Um, we’re the perverts?”

“Let’s go film.”

I stared at Malakai. “What the hell? That would actually make us perverted, Kai. That’s disgust—”

“I meant let’s go film the first-date couple, Scotch.”

“Oh. Okay. Cool. Yeah, let’s do that. It’s getting late.” But it didn’t feel late. An hour and a half had passed and the night still felt like it was just beginning.




[Untitled_Love.Doc]


Director, producer: Malakai Korede


Consulting Producer/Interviewer: Kiki Banjo


Interviewees: Zindzi Sisulu and Xavier Barker



Kiki: You guys are adorable. You seem really aware of each other at all times. Connected. When did you meet?

Xavier: About three or four—

Zindzi: Hours ago.

Kiki: You guys met tonight?

Xavier: Yeah. And we got talking—

Zindzi: And it’s weird because the second I saw him, I knew I wanted to talk to him. And my girls were saying that I was being thirsty, that I should wait for him to come to me.

Xavier: I spotted her as soon as she came in. I told my boy that I was gonna talk to her. But, like, maybe five minutes after that, my ex walks into the party. And she’s with her girls. And I was like . . . man, this shit is about to be long. I didn’t want unnecessary drama. I didn’t want it to seem like I was doing it on purpose.

Zindzi: I’m getting kind of irritated. Because I see him looking at me, and I’m looking at him . . .

Xavier: And my ex is looking at both of us.

Zindzi: And I’m like, fuck it. I’m just gonna go over there and see what’s good.

Xavier: And it was good.

Zindzi: Better than I expected it to be. We just clicked. I said I was hungry, and then we came here. Which was a bold move, actually, because sometimes the vibes you have when you’re around other people aren’t the same when you’re alone. Also we literally just met.

Xavier: But the vibes were the same. Actually, maybe better—at least for me. Shit, have I just exposed myself?

Zindzi: Yep.

[Pause]

Zindzi: It was better.

Xavier: Whew, you almost killed me just then.

Kiki: What was so special about that initial conversation that made you want to see where it goes?

Xavier: It was just . . . easy. Just easy.

Zindzi: That’s it. There was no force to the convo—you know how sometimes at parties you force it just because you’re supposed to flirt? And it ends up being cringe? There was none of that.

Kiki: What would you have done if you’d gone over there and it had flopped?

Zindzi: Then at least I would have known. Better to know than not, right? It’s about being brave, innit. But . . . also, I don’t know, I didn’t think it would flop. I went there knowing—without knowing.

Xavier: Not gonna lie, I really thought she was peng. That’s what first drew me to her. But maybe it was the knowing-without-knowing thing that made me look at her twice. Let’s go with that, it sounds good.

Kiki: Where are you hoping this goes?

Zindzi: Wherever it wants to go.

Xavier: Wherever she wants it to go.





“So, it was better than McDonald’s.”

We were back in the warmth of Malakai’s car, but I think I would have felt warm regardless. The cool, crisp early morning air hadn’t shifted my body temperature—my internal central heating dial seemed to have sprung to the highest mark and got stuck there. The first interview had gone extremely well. The couple were cute, appropriately handsy and clearly in their first flush of whatever their thing was. When we left they were making out outside, against the wall of Sweetest Ting. The other couple had been politely asked to leave.