Andre Mwansa

"- but honestly, I'm just waiting for a girl." 
"I'm a girl." 
"A particular girl." 
"Oh, I see." She paused for a moment. "So you're that kind of guy." 
"I guess so." 
She smiled. "What's her name?" 
"Lucy." 
"Lucky Lucy, huh?" There was an awkward pause. "And where is she right now?" 
"On a bus. She should be here in a few minutes." 
"How romantic." 
"Not really." 
"You don't think so? A guy meeting his girl off the bus, late at night in the heart of Chelston? You don't think that's fabulously romantic." 
"Maybe. I hadn't thought of it like that." 
"Lucky Lucy. Her guy doesn't even realize when he's being romantic." 
"I guess." 
"Well, anyway, that counts me out. My name's not Lucy. My name's Mandy. Better luck next time, right?" 
John smiled. Sitting here in a little cafe near the bus station, he'd never expected to have company while he waited for Lucy to arrive. He'd just planned to sit and drink a few cups of tea, while waiting for Lucy's bus to pull in on the other side of the rain-soaked late-night town square. But this strange girl, this Mandy, had plonked herself down at the next table and started up a conversation, and something about her interested John. 
She was beautiful, sure, but that wasn't why he was talking to her. At least, that's what he kept telling himself. 
"I keep expecting Enoch Lamar to come stumbling through the door," Mandy said with a smile. "Small cafes always make me think of that TV show. What was it called again?" 
"Sorry," John replied. "No idea." 
"I guess you're too young to have seen it." 
"I'm twenty-two. You don't look any older." 
"That's a fabulous thing for you to say." 
Taking another sip from his tea, John reminded himself not to get too deep into a conversation with this woman. He'd made mistakes in the past, but although Mandy was certainly attractive, he was in no mood to get flirty. Not tonight. Not after everything he'd been through with Lucy. He wasn't that kind of guy anymore. 
"So how long have the pair of you been dating?" Mandy asked after a moment, as she rolled a cigarette. "You and this Lucy girl, I mean." 
"We were together for two years," John replied, wondering how much he should tell this total stranger. "Then we kind of... Things went a little wrong, and we haven't seen each other for six months." 
"But she's coming to meet you now?" 
He nodded. 
"So you're getting back together?" 
"Yeah," John said, glancing over at the window as the wind changed and blew a fresh blast of rain against the glass. "Maybe. That's the plan." 
"She must love you." 
"I don't know," he replied, feeling a little uncomfortable. "I mean, we had a good thing going for a while, but..." He paused, and after a moment he realized that Mandy was staring right at him. "I fucked it up," he said eventually, with a faint smile. "There, I admitted it. I fooled around with another girl, and it all got out of hand. Lucy found out and broke up with me. It was my fault. I totally deserved it." 
"Huh," Mandy said, eying him cautiously. "But... she's giving you a second chance?" 
"Maybe." 
"Maybe? How far's she traveling to see you tonight?" 
"A couple of days," he replied. "She's been staying in the southern." 
"A couple of days? My God, she's definitely giving you a second chance." Lighting her cigarette, she took a long drag before grabbing her glass of wine and taking a sip. "Everyone deserves a second chance," she added eventually, with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Well, almost everyone." 
"I've changed," John replied, sipping from his cup of tea. "I'd never do anything like that again. I've told her over and over again. It was a one-time mistake. There was just this girl I met at a party and..." He paused for a moment. "Okay, you know what? I have no idea why I'm even telling you all this. I'm sorry. I should just shut up." 
"Don't apologize," Mandy said, biting her bottom lip for a moment. "I just have that kind of face. People always feel like they wanna tell me all about their lives." She took another drag from her cigarette. "It's not something I encourage, but I've given up fighting it. People just seem to look at me and figure I'm a good listener." 
"And are you?" 
"What makes you think you've changed?" she replied evasively. 
"What makes you think anyone can change?" 
"I've learned from my mistakes." 
"Bullshit." 
"It's true. I made a colossal error of judgment, but I've learned from it. There's no way I'd ever hurt Lucy again. Not ever." 
"Let me give you some advice," Mandy replied. "Humans, and in fact creatures in general, don't change. Sure, they can learn stuff, but deep down, on a basic level, there's no room for change. There's nothing we can do about our most innate characteristics. You can never get rid of the part of yourself that cheats on girls, just as I can never..." She paused. "We are who we are. It's dangerous for us to think we can change." 
"Speak for yourself," John said, feeling a little annoyed by Mandy's insistence. He'd spent the past few months forcing himself to become a better person, and he damn well wasn't going to have some random woman in a coffee shop tell him he was wrong. 
"It's the truth," Mandy said eventually. "A leopard can't change its spots, a tiger can't change its stripes, and a cheater can't stop cheating. We're all born into a mold, you know." 
"And what's your mold?" John asked testily. 
Mandy shrugged. 
"Don't you have any faults?" John continued, determined to pick away at her cool and calm demeanor. 
"Perhaps one or two," she replied. "I've left a trail of blood behind me, just like everyone else. My brother, in particular, has suffered dreadfully because of my actions. He could have 
lived such an interesting life over the years, but unfortunately I put him in a situation that prevented him from doing very much at all." 
"Isn't he mad at you?" 
"I expect so. It's been a while since I heard from him, although I have a feeling he might very well be showing his face before too long. Call it female intuition." She paused for a moment as she studied John's face. 
"You remind me of him a little," she added eventually. "Your eyes, and your jawline." 
John paused, determined to pick his words carefully. "I admit that I made a mistake when I cheated on Lucy," he said firmly, "and I admit that it was difficult to face up to what I did and address my failings. But I did face up to it and I have changed. It's too easy to just sit around and claim that no-one can change. That's an easy excuse. Change is difficult, but it's worth it. If you can't manage it, maybe you just haven't tried hard enough." 
"Maybe," Mandy replied with a sigh. "Let's see how you feel in a few years' time, though. Right now, I bet the future seems so rosy. But do you really think you can change the fiber of your being? I don't just mean your behavior, but your thought processes. Can you actually become another person?" 
"I don't think there's much point in us continuing this debate," John replied. "You've got your opinion, I've got mine, and it's probably best if we just..." He turned and looked over at the window as a car drove past, and for a moment he wondered if perhaps Lucy had arrived a few minutes early. Realizing it wasn't her, however, he noticed that rain had begun to fall outside. "I'm not really into esoteric theoretical discussions," he continued, turning back to Mandy. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'd kinda like to sit and gather my thoughts for when Lucy arrives." 
"Of course," Mandy said, gathering her wine glass and newspaper and getting to her feet. "It's a little drafty by the window anyway. I think I'll shift over to the back." 
"I didn't mean you have to move," John said. 
"It's fine," Mandy replied, glancing out the window. "It's a night for being alone, anyway. Good luck with your girl. I hope you're right. I hope you've changed, and I hope you'll be very happy together." With that, she made her way over to a table at the other side of the cafe. 
Taking a deep breath, John stared over at the door. He knew Mandy was wrong; he knew he had changed, and he knew he could be the kind of man Lucy deserved. Since the break-up, he'd come to realize just how important Lucy had been to him, and he was determined to make sure this time that nothing could possibly go wrong. He knew there'd always be cynics in the world, but deep in his heart he was absolutely certain that his love for Lucy would be enough to see him through any bad times. Love, he believed, was transformative, and ultimately it would be love that would help him to change. If Mandy or anyone else didn't understand that, he figured it wasn't his job to teach them. It would just have to be their loss.