That

o'sDi
ary-Fr
om mai
dtomi
l
li
onai
re

Pr
ologue

Onav er
age,f
ourbabiesareborneveryseconddai l
y.
Nowweaskour sel
veswhathappenst oallthose
babiesassomel i
ve,somedieandsomel osethei
r
wayi nt
heprocess.Ulti
matel
y,thenaming
ceremonyofeverychil
disaspecialoneindeed.

IwasnamedThat o,
bymymot her
.Iwast heonl
y
chil
dandshemadesur et hatIalwayshadwhatI
neededinli
fe.Iwentt othebestschool sandwore
thebestcl
othes,shewoul dal waysprotectmefr
om
herevi
lmotherandsi ster,andIneverlacked
anythi
ng.Shepushedmet obemybestandmyl i
fe
waspictur
eperfectuntilshedi ed.

Thefi
rstcommandmentintheBiblesays”Honour
thymotherandf
ather
”,r
easonbeingtheyholdal
l
yourblessingsespeciallywhilethey
'r
estil
lonearth.
Oncet heirgone,you'r
el eftonyourown.Life
withoutapar enti
sr eall
yhar dandbeli
evemewhen
youhav eanev ilf
ami l
yit'sevenharder.
Unfortunatel
ywedon' tgettochooseourrelat
ions,
whichmakesl i
feevenhar der
.

Theonet hi
ngMamat aughtmebef or
eshedi
edwas
thatoneshoul
dneverunderminepeoplef
ory
ou
don'tknowhowyourfatewil
ltur
nout.Thatt
aught
met oremainhumbl
eandgr eedfree.

Li
feisful
lofsur
pri
sest
hough,
ify
oukeepy
ourey
es
open,hav
efait
handremai
nfai
thf
ult
oGod.

Jermi
ah1:5says”Befor
eIformedyoui nt
hewomb
Iknewyou,bef
oreyouwerebornIsetyouapar
t;I
appoi
ntedyouasaprophett
othenations.
”

Jer
emi
ah29:
11say
s”ForIKnowThePl
ansIHav
e
ForYou'Decl
arest
heLord,
'Pl
anst
oProsperYou
andNottoHarm You,
PlanstoGi
veYouHopeanda
Futur
e.”

Takethi
sjour
neywi
thmeandseehowmyl
i
fet
urns
out.

Chapt
erOne

Matt
hew7:7”Ask,anditshal
lbegi
venyou;seek,
andyeshal
lfi
nd;knock,andi
tshal
lbeopenedunto
you.
”

Itwasmyf ir
stdayi nGrade12.Irememberhow
excitedIwast obeinanewgr adeandonest ep
closert oUni
v ersi
ty.Mamawassopr oudofme
sinceIpassedal lmysubject
swit
hdistinct
ions.Ido
Phy sics,Mathemat i
csandAccounti
ng.I '
vealways
l
ov ednumber s,fr
om whenIwasv er
yy oung.
I'
vealwaysbeensoi nt
ell
i
gent,thatMamadeci dedt
o
enrol
lmei nschoolver
yearly.I'
m 16, andbythe
ti
meIf i
nishMat r
icatt
heendoft hey ear,I
'l
lbe17.
Mamawoul dalwayssaythatIwoul dbeadoct oror
somethingbig.Shesaysoneshoul dalwaysspeak
posit
ivi
tyandblessi
ngsupont heirchi
ldrenanditwi
ll
becomear eali
ty.

Istayedwi thmyMom Pet unia,

mygr andmot her
Mar i
a,myauntSophi eandherdaught erKagiso.We
wereahousehol dofjustfemales,andeveryoneon
theout si
det houghtwewer eav er
yhappyf ami l
y,run
byourMat ri
arch,mygr andmother
.Li t
tl
edidt hey
knowt hatthewal lsofourhousewer everythick,so
thi
ckt hattheyappear edtobemasquer adi
ngt he
bit
ternessandev i
lthathappenedbehindthosewal l
s.

MygrandmotherMari
aisal
way satchur
ch,buther
hear
tisver
ydarkandful
lofev
ilandhatred.Kagi
so
candonothi
ngwronginhereyesnorinhermother
's
eyes, andIam t hebl acksheepal ongwi t
hmy
mot her.Mymot herist hebreadwinnerandwor ks
veryhar dt osuppor tthewhol efamil
y.If eelsobad
thatshehast ocarrysuchaheav yburdenandIev en
offeredt odosomepi ecejobsjustsoshecoul dr est
,
butshebl atantl
yrefused.Shet ol
dmest rai
ghtthat
myj obi stosucceedandwor r
yingisherjob.Whi leI
wasi nt hebat hr
oom f ixingmynewdr ess,shecalled
mef rom t hebedr oom.

Pet
unia:
”That
oweh.Kopaot
lemo(
Pleasecome
her
e).
”

Ihurr
iedswi
tf
lyandfoundherinbed,whichishi
ghl
y
unusual.Mamaisveryact
iveandshe'salwaysout
ofbedby5am.

That
o:”
Mama?
”

Pet
uni
a:(
smi
l
ing)”
Bonagor
eopi
l
abj
ang,
ngwana
ka(
Lookhowbeaut
if
uly
oul
ook,
mychi
l
d).
”

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)”
Keal
eboga,
Mama(
Thanky
ou,
Mama).
”

Petunia:”Bonageh( Look)
,Iboughtyousomethi
ng
tocelebrateyourfi
rstdayofGrade12.Thisisa
specialgradeandIwanty outoenjoyitand
rememberi tforev
er.”

Ismi l
edassher eachedforherdrawerandgaveme
asquar eboxwr appedingi
ftpaper.Iopenedit
anxiouslyandfoundthemostbeaut i
fulchar
m
braceletIhadeverseen.

Thato:(smili
ng)”
Mama!Epi
l
abj
ang(
It
'sso
beauti
ful)
,thankyou.
”

Ir
ememberhuggi
ngherandshehadabi
toft
ear
sin
hereyes.Onewouldhav
ethoughtt
hoseweretears
ofjoy
,buttheywer
etai
nedwit
habitofsadness.

That
o:(
frowni
ng)”
Mama,
oshap(
arey
ouokay
)?”

Petuni
a:”Skawarakanna(Don'
twor
ryaboutme),
mybaby .I'
m okay.Goonandhaveagreatday
akere(
okay )
?”

That
o:”
Okay
,then.
”

Iki
ssedhergoodbyeandIwal
kedoutofher
bedr
oom andfoundSophi
e,myevi
launtwatchi
ngt
v.

Sophie:
”Ja,sowenaodeci dergot sogakadi nako
(youdeci
dedt owakeupony ourownt ime)just
becauseol emat r
ic(
you'
reinmat r
ic)?Mat ri
cgae
thomekawena, sesi
(You'
renotthef i
rstpersonto
beinMat r
ic,si
s).Someonehast owasht hedishes,
cl
eanthestoepandsweepout si
de.Soonagana
gore(
youthink)j
ustbecauseKagisogaasatsena
skol
o(isnolongeri
nschool)shemustcleanup
aft
eryou?!
”

Shecli
ckedhertongueandl
ookedatmeindi
sgust
asusual.Idon'
tevenknowwhyshehat
esmy
motherandIthi
smuch.

That
o:”
Sorr
y ,
Mmane(aunty
).Ketl
akolomakage
kebowa(I
'
llcl
eanwhenIcomeback).
”

Sophi
e:”
Lalapi
salenabanabadi ModelCl
ebo
mmebamaNur se(YouModel Ckidsar
eannoy
ing
al
ongwithy
ourNursemot her
s)!”

MyauntSophiei
soneoft hosepeopl
ewhot hink
thatt
heworl
dowest hem andthati
t'
severy
one's
faul
tshedi
dn'
tfi
nishschool,al
ongwit
hherdaughter
Kg,who'
s21nowandf ai
l
edGr ade11thr
eetimes.
sheneverbotheredtofi
nishschoolandnevereven
bother
edt ogot oaTVETcollegeoranyt
hing.She's
unemployed,alongwit
hhermot herandtheydepend
onmygr anny'spensi
onandhav eotherwaysand
meansofmaki ngmoney.Iwasaboutt osay
something,butMamawal kedoutofherbedroom
door.

Petunia:
”Sophi
e,nkeotlogel
eThatoay eskolong
(LeaveThatosothatshecangot oschool
).Gaot lo
rogangwanawakasov roeg(You'
renotgoingto
swearatmychildsoearlyint
hemor ning)
.”

Sophie:”Mxm, wena(you)Thato,Mmaootl
aswaa
goshiyaol enosimo( Yourmom wil
ldi
eoneday
andleavey ouherealone)
.Ret l
abonaboModelC
botlafell
akae( We'
llseewheretheModel
C
behaviourwil
ltakeyouthen).
”

Shecl
i
ckedhertongueandl
eft
.Iwav
edgoodby
eto
Mamaagainandwalkedout
.Iwal
kedtot
hebus
stop,whereIusual
lymeetPal
esa,mybestfr i
end.I
sawherappearandwal koutofherfat
her'
sBMW i 8.
Herparentsareri
chalt
houghsomesayt heydeal
withdrugs.ButIdon'
tnormall
yli
stentoheresay.

Pal
esa:(
smili
ng)”Yes,
chomi
(fr
iend)
.Di
ntshang
(What
'scooki
ng)?
”

That
o:”
Ah,
not
hingf
ela(
real
l
y)andy
ou?
”

Palesa: ”
Ahwaitsemos( youknow) ,gojolaledi
school boyskemasepa( dati
ngschool boy sisj
ust
shi
t).Cany oubeli
eveThabodidn'tevenhav emoney
togivemey aairt
imefel
a(forai
rti
meonl y)
.Nagana
fel
a( Justimagine).Aketlomofamahal afela(
I
can'tjustsl
eepwi t
hhimfornothing).”

Mostpeopl easkthemselveswhyI'
m ev enfr
iends
withPalesainthefi
rstpl
acesincewe'rereal
lythe
exactopposites.Sheli
kesboys,booze,part
yingand
moneyandIdon'tl
ikeanyofthose.Wegetalong
j
ustfi
ne,al
thoughshe'
snotascleverasonewould
t
hink.Over
all,
she'
sagoodf r
iendtomeandjust
misj
udged.

Thato:”Ai,
chomi(
fri
end).Maybeyouj
ustneedt
o
dateforlovet
hist
ime,youknow.
”

Pal
esa:”
Aowa,
Thato.Nowonderyoudon'
thav
ea
boy
fri
end.Koj
alov
enna(I
slovegoingt
ofeed
me)?”

That
o: ”
Ai,you'
ll
managehey
.Buti
fyoudon'
tl
ove
hi
mt henlethim go.
”

Pal
esa:”
Eish,f
lopo(t
heproblem i
s)He'
sgota
bi
ggerpackagethanSocks,
wabona( yousee)
?”

Socksi
sher25y
earol
dboy
fri
end.I
tst
il
lbaf
fl
esme
howa25y earol
dmancansl
eeowithan18y earold,
butwhatdoIknow?Wecont
inuedourconv
er sat
ion
onthebusri
detoschool
.
Chapt
erTwo

John16: 33-“Ihavesai
dthesethingstoyou,t
hati
n
mey oumayhav epeace.I
nt heworldyouwil
lhave
tr
ibulat
ion.Buttakehear
t;Ihaveovercomethe
world.”

That
o

Ourfi
rstdaywasgreat,
real
ly.Wehadr eceivedwork
al
ready,butIdi
dn'
tcomplai
n.Palesaont heother
handcompl ai
nedal
ldayinever
yperiod,l
iter
all
y.

Pal
esa:
”Ah,chomi (
fri
end)
, nnakel
api
l
emmerekoo
mokana(I
'm al
readytir
ed,somuchwork)
.”
That
o:(smil
i
ng)”Ahwesaidwewant
edt
obei
n
matr
ic,
fri
end,sothi
sisi
t.
”

Palesa:
”Anyway
,Soksi
shost
ingabr
aai
athi
spl
ace
today.Wanttoj
oin?
”

That
o:”
No,
thanks.I
'
llpass.
”

Pal
esa:”Ah,
chomi
(fr
iend)
,ost
uifl
ewena(
you'
reso
st
if
fthough)
.”

Sheal wayssaysthat,butIpaynomi ndt oher.Her

boyfri
endSokscamei nhisMer cedesBenz.Wor di
s
thathe'sagangster,butl
ikeIsaidIdon'tli
stent
o
heresay.Inhiscar,hewaswi thhisfri
end,Kgaugel
o,
who'sbeenaskingmeoutf orquiteawhi l
e,butI
can'tbedist
ract
edbyboy s,notri
ghtnow.

Soks:
”Shosho,
TTwaKg.
”
HeandKgusedt
ocal
lmeTTf
orwhat
everr
eason.

That
o:”
HiSoks.
”

Soks:”
Hao,aodumedi
si(
aren'
tyougoi
ngt
ogr
eet
)
yourman?”

That
o:”
He'
snotmyman.Hi
,Kg.
”

Soks:”
Ai,
gapewaganakay onaman(
Tour
eal
l
y
don'
twanttogi
vei
tup,hey
).”

Kg:
(fi
rml
y)”
Don'
ttal
ktoherl
i
ket
hat
,man.
”

Forsomer easonKgisthet ot
alopposit
eofSoks.
Hei sveryrespectf
ultowardseveryone,
whil
eSoks
hardlyrespectsanyone.Idon'tevenknowwhythey
wer
efri
ends,
butIguessi
twast
hesamesi
tuat
ion
wi
thPal
esaandI.

Soks:
”Ah,
aski
esgeh(
sor
ryt
hen)
.”

Wheneversomeonesayssor
rywit
hsomethi
ngelse
af
teri
tthenitmeanst
hey'
regenui
nel
ynotsor
ry.

Soks:
”Pal
iar
evay
e(l
et'
sgo)
.”

Palesa:(get
ti
ngint
othecar
)”Chomi
(fr
iend)we'
l
l
tal
klaterneh.”

That
o:”
Shar
p.”

Iwasaboutt
owal
khomeal oneunt
ilKgof
fer
edt o
wal
kmehome.Ai,IhopedthatmyauntorKagiso
di
dn'
tseemeorel
seshe'dhavespr
eadrumoursand
l
i
est
omymom.

Kg:”
Entlek(
Actuall
y)Vayang,
ket
lal
eker
eyakopel
e
(Go,
I'
ll
meety outhere)
.”

Soks:”
Lwelamfanaka(
Keeptr
ying,
dude)
.May beo
tl
awinnerkaj
eno(Maybeyoumightwi
ntoday
).”

Soksdr oveof fwithPalesa, whi l

eKgst ayedbehi nd.
Iwasn'tintoboy sorany thing, butKgknewhowt o
makemel augh.Hewasqui tet al
lsi
nceI 'v
eal ways
beenshor t.Hewast all,notv erydark,chocolate
colouredifIcoul dsaythatandhehadagr eatbody.
Alotofgi r
lsar oundournei ghbour hoodwant edhim,
buthewasn' tonetor oam ar oundwi thjustanygi r
l.
Comet othinkofi t
,Inev ersawhi m withagi rl-ever,
unli
keSoks.Pal esawasj ustoneofhi schicks,butI
knewbet terthant otellheraboutSoks' wrong
doings.Hecoul ddonowr ongi nherey es.
That
o:”
Kg,
your
eal
lydon'
thav
etowal
kmehome.I
canwal
konmyown.”

Kg:”Ah,comeon,TT.Thisi
sRockv
il
leandbesi
desI
l
ikewalkingyouhome.Ineedt
omakesurenoone
hit
sony ou,wabona(y
ousee)?
”

That
o:(
chuckl
i
ng)”
Andsowhati
ftheydohi
ton
me?”

Kg:(st
rai
ghtface)”
Thenkobol
ayamot ho(I
'dkil
l
them).Owakawena( You'
remine)
,youjustdon'
t
knowityet.
”

Kgwasr aisedbywel leducatedparentsandhe

camefrom awel lofffamily
.Inev erunderstoodwhy
heusedtohangwi t
hSoksatal l.Heli
kedt herough,
gangst
erki ndofkasi (
Townshi p)l
if
e,buthewasso
el
oquentlyspoken,sowel ldressedandneatand
smell
edsogoodal ltheti
me.Hehadt hi
sreally
respectfuldemeanourandpeopl eautomatical
ly
respectedhim.Hedi dn'
ttakeshitfr
om anyoneand
apologizedwhenev erhewaswr ong.He'dalways
askmeaboutschool andwouldal waysaskmet o
showhi m myr epor
tatt heendofev eryt
erm.It ook
him asr hebrot
herInev erhad,buthekeptsayingI
washi sf ut
urewif
e.

Thato:
(blushi
ng)”Ai
,Kg,
wal
api
sawai
tse(
you'
re
ti
ri
ng,youknow).”

Kg:”Di
tsamay
abj
angkosghel
a(Howar
ethi
ngsat
school
)?”

That
o:”
Schooli
ssonice,hey
.I'
m enj
oyi
ngever
y
si
ngl
eminuteofi
t.Ican'
twaitt
ogotoUniv
ersi
ty.
”

Kg:(
smili
ng)”Ili
kesmar tgir
ls.You'reoneofthe
mostint
ell
igentgi
rl
sI'v
eev ermet ,TT.Don't
di
sappoi
ntme.Skaf adi bhariassebl
ief(
Don'tgi
ve
i
tupt
oidi
ots,
please)
.”

Ij
usthadt
olaugh,
buthewassoser
ious.

Kg:”
Anyway,
letmegokagor eKagisoashuweand
wamoi t
segoreobjangjoucuzi(l
etmegobecause
youknowhowKagiso,yourcousonis)
.”

Hewasabouttoturnaroundandwal
kaway,unt
il
Kagi
soswift
lyappr
oachedusandstar
tedv
omi t
ing
shi
tasusual
.

Kagi
so:(fuming)”Ja,kajenokegokereil
e,sesi
(t
odayIcaughty ou).Obusyor ebotsagoreoy a
skol
ong,kganteobusyony obakemagenza( You'
re
busytel
l
ingust hatyou'r
egoingtoschool
meanwhileyou'r
eget t
ingfuckedbygangster
s).
”

Sheshoul
dn'
thav
esai
dthatt
oKg.Iwasal
ready
usedtohershit,butKgwasnotonet obet oldsuch.
Heturnedaroundandgav eheraveryinti
mi dat
ing
andir
rit
atedlookonhisface.Healway shadhi s
handsinhispocketswheneverhewasdi spleased
aboutsomething,fr
om whatIgat
hered.

Kg:”
Eh,wena(Hey
,you)Kagi
so,
oreng(
whatdi
d
youj
ustsay)
?”

Kagi
socoul
dseeKgwasangr
y,butshekeptf
ir
ing
shot
s.

Kagiso:”Onkutlwil
e,wenaKg( Youhear dme) .Ole
genzaebi l
egaonasel o,oshi
yanashi y
analebo
Soksl enaganagor el
et l
arekadifebetsetsohlet
se
(You'reagangsterandy ou'
rebroke,youkeep
runningafterSoksandt hebothofy outhi
nkyoucan
buyal lt
hesebitches)
!”

Kg:
(st
ari
ngatKagi
so)”
Kagi
so,
want
ebal
ane(
you
for
getwhoIam) .Akethakayagaonna( I
'
m not
yourmate).Dit
hakat
sagaodi yaberekaebiledigo
shil
ebecauseneolebusyorekisany
o( Yourmates
arebusyworki
ngandtheyareaheadofy oubecause
youweretoobusysel
li
ngyourpussy)
.”

Ouch,t
hatmusthav ehurt.Ifel
tthatt
ooandi t
wasn'
tev endi
rect
edatme.Kagi sohadtear
s
gl
ist
eninginhereyes,andIcouldshefought
ai
mlesslytofi
ghtthem back.

Kg: ”
Wal ebalagor eospinnedi bhanat sekaewena
(Youfor gothowmanyabor ti
onsy ou'v ehad, hey).
Kamoompi tsal egenza(Andher ey ouar ecal l
ing
meaganst er)
.Nki lewamponakeut swa, key a
vagingnna( Hav eyouev erseenmest eal,goingt oa
nightjob)?Or eker ekadi f
ebe, difebet sef eng( You
saidIbuywhor es,whichwhor es)?Kagor ekana
sfebekewenamo( Becausetheonl ywhor eher ei s
you).St opbei ngsoj eal
ousofThat oandgetal if
e,
beforey ouendupl ikeyourdrunk, whor ingmot her.
You'reol
d, usedtrashwhogetsfuckedbytav er
n
owner sj
ustf oramer et
wobeers.Thinkbeforeyou
spitoutthatshitatmenextti
me.Eh, TT,I'
l
l seeyou
around.”

Hewalkedawayl ooki
ngannoyedasfuck.Ilooked
atKagisowithpai
ninmyey es.Iact
ual
lyfeelsobad
forher
, Imeannoonedeservestogeti
nsult
edlike
that
.

Kagi
so:
”Ol
ebel
etseengwena(
Whatar
eyoul
ooki
ng
at
)?!
”

Shecl ickedhertongueandwal kedaway .Ai,I

walkedi ntotheyardandgreetedKokoMar i
a,andas
usual shejustgavemeaf ainthello.Iwenttomy
room andf oundMamast i
l
l i
nbedandi nher
pajamas.Thatwasv er
yunusual andIwasv ery
wor r
ied.
That
o:”
Mama.
”

Shewokeupandgav emeaf ai
ntgreeti
ng,
butI
couldseeshewasi npai n.Shewant edtodrink
somewat erf
rom hergl assonherbedside,butshe
wast ooweak.Icoul dn'tunderstand,Mamawasa
veryactivewomanandnowshewasi nbedpr obabl
y
all
dayandKokowasn' tbotheredeven.Shesat
outsidereadi
ngherBi ble,whil
eMamawasbed
ri
ddenandcl earl
yil
l.Ihel pedherupandshe
screamedouti npain.Igav ehersomewat erand
shedr ankver
yslowly.

Thato:
(wor
ri
ed)”
Mama,
keng(
whati
sit
)?Pl
ease
tel
lme.”

Pet
uni
a:”Ei
sh,
ngwanaka( mychil
d).Iwasn't
pl
anni
ngontel
li
ngy ou,buti
twouldbeverysel
fi
shof
me.I.
..I
'
m dyi
ng,Thato.Ihavecerv
ical
cancer.
”
Andf
rom t
hatdayon,
mywhol
eli
febecamea
ni
ght
mare.
Chapt
erThr
ee

Psalm 146:
8-” TheLor
dgi
vessi
ghttot
hebli
nd,
the
Lordli
ftsupthosewhoareboweddown,t
heLor
d
l
ovesther i
ghteous.
”

Twomont
hsl
ater

That
o

Iwasi nsuchahugest ateofshock, Iwishedthat

Mamawoul dsayi
twasadr eam.Ev ersinceshetol
d
met hatshehadcancer ,Iwasi naconstantstateof
tearsanddoom.Icoul dn'teatproperl
yandmy
gradesdr oppedmassi
v ely
.I twashorri
ble,al
lI
want edtodowasbewi thmymom.Att i
mesI
wouldst ayhomeandnotgot oschool
,butMmane
(Auntie)Sophiewoul
dal waysmakesur eIdi dsome
chor
es.

Canceri sthedev i
l,i
tatemymot herfr
om wi t
hin.
Sheref usedchemot herapy,andsaidthatitwas
God'swi llf
orhertodi e.Iwouldl i
eawakeatni ght
cry
ingandaski ngGodwhyhewoul dchooset ot ake
heratat imel i
kethat,butMamawoul dalway shear
mesi nceIsl eptwithherfrom thatdayonwar ds.
Shewoul dsay ,
”Fearnot,Thatoy aka(mylove) ,
f or
Godiswi t
hy ou.Imadesur eIplannedforthi
sf ay
fr
om t hemomentIhady ou.”

It
'sfunnyhowshewoul dneversaysomethingl i
ke
from themomenty ouwer eborn,i
twouldalway sbe
themomentIhady ouort hemomentGodgav eme
you.Isawherbei ngeatenawaybyt heevildisease.
Shewoul dt el
lmebeautif
ulstor
iesaboutherwhen
shewasgr owingup,whenmygr andfat
herwasal ive.
Attimesshewasokayandt henextshewoul dbe
disori
entedorinpain.Allwecouldgiveherwas
mor phineandjustpumpherupwi thpainki
llers.Of
courseMmaneSophieAndKokoMarianev
er
bother
edt
odoany t
hingforher
.Theywoul
dalways
demandmoneyfrom mesinceIhadMama'sbank
card.

Irememberthelastdayofmyfir
stter
m atschool.
Myr egi
stert
eacherMrs.Modi
kwecall
edmeaf ter
shegavememyr eport
.Itwassuchahorri
blereport
,
evenforTerm 1.

Mrs.Modikwe:”Thato,
Iknowthisisn'
tyou.I'
ve
beenmonitor
ingyouandy oudon'tcomet oschool
onsomeday sandy ourmarkshavedropped
massiv
ely
.What '
stheprobl
em?”

Idi
dn'tknowhowt otel
l her,butthenwhowasI
goingtotel
l?Alr
eadypeopl ewer espr eadi
ng
rumoursaroundourareasay i
ngMamahadai ds.
Imagine.Iwasgoingthr oughthet oughestti
mei n
myl i
feandpeopl
ehadt hetimet ot al
ksuchshi t
.I
fel
tli
keIhadital
ltogetherf orthosefewmont hs,
unt
ilIj
ustbr
okedown.

That
o:(
cryi
ng)”
It
's.
..Mymot
her
,ma'
am.She'
sil
l
,
she'
sdy
ing.
”

Icoul
dseeMr s.Modikwe'
stear
sst
ream downf
rom
hercheeksasshestoodupandgavemeawar m,
ti
ghthug.

Mrs.Modi
kwe:”Oh,That
o.Whydi
dn'
tyout
ell
me?
I
'l
lcomebyyourhouse-”

Iknewbett
ert
hantoletanyonecomevisi
tathome.
Mrs.Modi
kwedidn'
tstayfarfr
om myhouse,butst
il
l
mygrannywoul
dhavehadaf i
t.

That
o:(di
smissi
ve)”No!Imean,myGrannydoesn'
t
l
ikest
ranger
scomi ngtovi
sit
,ma'
am.Pleasedon't
come,you'
donlymakemat t
ersworsef
orme.”
Myr
eact
iongav
eherar
easont
obesuspi
ci
ous.

Mrs.Modikwe:”Okayt hen.That
o,ify
ouev
erneed
anyt
hing,
justplease,
cal lmeorsendmeaplease
cal
lmeandI '
llbethere.”

Shewrot
edownhernumberonapi
eceofpaperand
puti
tinmybag.

That
o:”
Thanky
ou.
”

Iwalkedoutofther
eswi f
tl
yandheadedtot
hebus
stop.Uponenteri
ng,IsawPalesawavi
ngatme
fr
om Sok'scar
.

Pal
esa:(
shouti
ng)”
Chomi
(fr
iend)
,keker
eil
eli
ft(
I
gotusali
ft
),l
et'
sgo.
”
Iwashonestl
ynotinthemoodtolist
ent
oSoks
makederogator
ycomment saboutwomenandthei
r
pri
vat
eparts,
andluckil
yIsawKgappeari
nhisBMW.

That
o:”
It
'sokay
,ket
lat
samay
aleKG(
I'
ll
gowi
th
Kg).
”

Pal
esa:
”Al
ri
ghtt
hen.Seey
ousoon,
bye!
”

TheyleftasIwav edgoodby et
othem.Kghada
habitoffol
lowingmear oundandbeggi ngmet o
takealif
twi t
hhi m backhome, butIneveragreed.
Hehadbeenpest eringmef ormynumber ,
butI
nevergavein.Thatday ,Iwasseriousl
ynotinthe
moodf oralleyestobeonmei nthebus,allt
he
whispersandawkwar dst ar
esofpi t
yfr
om fel
low
l
earners.Ididn'thesit
ateasIgoti ntoKg'
scar .

Kg:
”Hao,
kaj
enogaoganegonamel
a(t
odayy
ou'
re
notr
efusi
ngt
ogeti
n)?
”

Thato:”
Ah,I'
m noti
nthemoodf
ort
hest
aresand
whisper
s.”

Ifeltsodownt hatday ,
alldayeven.Mama' shealth
haddet erior
atedr apidl
yandshecoul dn'teven
recognizemeoranyoneofusany more.Iwal ked
aroundt hehousel i
keazombi e.Iwoul dchangeher
diapers,tr
ytof eedherandI 'dbatheherwhenev erI
could.Shewasi nconstantpainandatt imesI
woul dbegGodt oj ustt
akeherf r
om thiswor l
d.For
somer eason,Ifeltli
kemysoul wast ai
nt edandt hat
apar tofmedi edt hatday .Kglookedreal l
yweird
too,li
kehej ustcoul dn'
tlookmei ntheey e.Hewas
evenmor equietthanusual .Ifi
guredI'
dal sokeep
quietandanxi ouslylookedatther oad.Bef or
ewe
gott omyst reethest oppedatast opsignandIgav e
him alook.

That
o:”
Kg,
kengbj
anong(
whati
sitnow)
?Whyosa
t
samay
e(ar
en'
tyoumov
ing)
?”

Hel
ookeddown,
whi
chmademewor
ry.

That
o:”
Kg?
!”

Hest
il
lsai
dnot
hing.

Thato:
(annoyed)”Mxm,f
ine.I
fyoudon'
twantt
o
keepdri
ving,
I'
llwal
k.”

Iwasaboutt oopent hedoorandhesteppedont he

accelerat
or.Whenwegott omugat eIwasmetwi t
h
horror,mygr eatestf
ear.Isawanambul anceri
ght
atthegat e,buttheparamedicswentbackintot
heir
ambul ancewi thanempt ybed.Itwassupposedto
bear eli
ef,butIjustfel
tuneasy.
Kg:
”Ei
sh,
That
oema(
wai
t)
!”

Idi
dn'
tevenli
stent
lhi
m, i
nst
eadIranoutofthecar
wit
houtmyschoolbagandstoppedoneofthe
par
amedics.

That
o:(f
rant
ic)”Aski
esabut
i(Excuseme,br
other
).
What'
shappening?Whywer eyouhere?
”

Paramedi
c:”Ei
sh,
sust
er(
Sis)
,aski
es(
sor
ry)
,butI
'
m
af
raidwetri
ed.
”

Ifeltl
i
kesomeonest abbedmyheartwithahuge
pangaandawai tedmysl ow,pai
nfuldeat
h.Ami l
lion
thoughtswer eracingthroughmymi nd.Iref
usedt o
beli
eveit.Iranintothehouseandf oundMmane
(Aunt)Sophiealreadypackingoutmymom' scl
othes.
Ilosti
trightthere.
That
o:(angr
y)”Odir
aengkadi
apar
ot samamawa
ka(Whatareyoudoi
ngwit
hmymot her'
scl
othes)
?!”

Sophi
e:”
Kegobodi tsekareMmaootl
ogoshiyao
l
eonetsatsil
elengwe(Itol
dyouy
ourmom would
l
eaveyoualoneoneday )
.”

Ifeltlikethepangawasbei ngpusheddeeperint
o
myhear t.Iranfranti
cal
l
ytoMama' sbedroom,
passi ngKokoMar i
awhowascasual lywatchi
ngtvi
n
thel ounge.Iopenedt hedoorandfoundMama' s
l
ifelessbodyl yi
ngonherbed.It ouchedherandshe
wasst il
lwarm,whi chmeantshetookherlastbr
eat
h
withoutmenearher .

Thato:
(cr
ying)”
Mama? !Mama!Mamat
sogahl
e
(pl
easewakeup)!Ineedyou!
”

Shewasn'
trespondi
ng,y
etIkepthopi
ngandpr
ayi
ng
forami
racl
e.Iletoutal
oudwailasIscr
eamedwit
h
myf acebur i
esonherl i
felesschest.Thechestt hat
oncehadav eryli
v el
yheartbeat,whichI'
d
occasionall
ylist
ent owhenev erIwassad.She
wouldputmeonherl apandl etmel aymyheadon
herchestwhenev erIwassad.Shewoul dsay” Can
youheart hat?Ourhear t
sar ebeat i
ng
simultaneously.Whenev eryouf eelsad,
justknow
thatI'
m alwayswi thyou.Icar r
yy ouinmyhear t
always,mybaby .
”

Andjustli
kethatmypr eci
ousmot herlef
tthi
seart
h.
Iwouldhavetof endformyselff
rom thatdayon.I
l
earntthetr
uedef ini
ti
onofit
'
sadogeatdogwor ld
thedaymymot herpassedaway.
Chapt
erFour

Psalm 27:4-5-”Onethi
nghaveIdesi
redoftheLord,
thatwi
llIseekaf t
er;
thatImaydwelli
nthehouseof
theLordal l
thedaysofmyl i
fe,
tobeholdt
hebeauty
oftheLord, andtoenquir
einhi
stemple.Fori
nt he
ti
meoft roubleheshallhi
demei nhi
spavil
i
on:inthe
secr
etofhi
staber
nacleshal
lhehi
deme;
heshal
l
setmeupuponar ock.
”

That
o

Icri
eduntilIhadnomor etearslef
tinme.Myhear t
bledandmour nedmymot her'
spainf
ul deat
h.Isat
i
nherbedr oom andst aredatherli
felessbodyfor
hours.Ifel
tlikeIwasi nat r
ance,until
Mmane( Aunt)
Sophiecamet oherbedroom andshout edatme.

Sophi
e:(shouti
ng)”Thato!Gaowamat homowago
hl
okofal
lwakemme( You'renotthefi
rsttol
osea
mother)
,man!Emel lamoweohl api
semmao, wa
bonaoikaketse(Getupandbat heyourmother
,you
canseesheshitherself
)!”

Ifel
tsomuchpain,r
age,
conf
usion.Ifai
ledto
underst
andwhatIdi
dwrongt
oherf orhertohat
e
mesomuch.Ibat hedmymother'
sbodyi naver
y
sacredmanneranddr essedherinherfav our
it
e
pajamas.Themor t
uar ypeoplecameandt ookher
away andIsatdowni nmychai riherbedroom again,
stari
ngatt heemptybed.Iwon' tbewaki ngupt o
sweetki ssesandhugsi nthemor ni
ng,Iwon'tbe
hearingherv oi
ceanymor e.Isatinsil
enceuntil
Sophi ecameagain.

Sophie:”
Hehbanna( Goodness) !Thato!Onnet
se
engosaapar e(Whyar en'tyouchangi
ng)?!
Tshwanetserey ocl
aimerdi poli
cywena(Wehav et
o
goclaimfrom herpol
icies)!Onaganagoreotla
bol
okakeengophar ame( Whodoy outhi
nkwil
lbur
y
herwheny ou'
resit
ti
ngony ourass)
?!”

Igotsoangr yIstor medoutoft hehouseandr an

outside.Iranandr anuntil
Icouldn'trunany
more.I
foundmy sel
finthepar kandIcr i
ed.Icr i
edand
screamedunt ilIfel
tl i
kethepaininsideofmehas
beent akenout.If eltasofthandt ouchmy
shouldersandIt urnedt oseeandi twasKg.He
didn'
tsayany t
hingandforonceIdidn'
tprotesthi
s
touch.Hehel dmegentlyinhisarmsashegav eme
at i
ghthug.Bef or
wIknewi tIhadwethistshir
twith
mycoar setears.

That
o:”
I'
m sor
ryf
orr
uini
ngy
ourTshi
rtl
i
ket
hat
.”

Kg:”I
t'
sjustashi
rt
,itcangetr
epl
aced.Howar
eyou
feel
i
ng?”

That
o:”Honestl
y,Idon'
tknow.If
eel
soempt
y.I
can'
tcopewitheveryt
hing.
”

Kg:
”I
t'
sokay
,Iknowhowy
ouf
eel
.”

That
o:”Howdoy
ouknow?You'
venev
erl
osta
mother
,Kg.
”
Isnappedathi
m andhel
ookeddown.

Kg:
”Mymom diedwhenIwas9y ear
sol
d.The
womanyouknowasmymot herismyst
epmother
.
Myfat
herr
emarri
edaweekaftermymom di
ed.
”

Shit
, Ifeltsobadaboutsnappi ngathi m.Comet o
thi
nkofi tInev erevegav emy sel fthechancet oget
toknowKgandaskabouthi slife.Ther ewas
sadnessi nhisey es,asadnessIhadnev erseen
beforet hatday .Wesati nthepar kforawhi l
e
becauseIj ustdidn'tfeell
ikegoi ngbackhome.My
auntkeptcal l
ingandsodi dKgunt i
lIswitchedoff
myphone.Ir eallydidn'twanttogohomey etandKg
under stoodgl adly.Heboughtussomef oodathi s
chesany amawhi leIsatinthecar .Ididn'twant
peopl etoseemeandgossi paboutme.They '
d
probabl ysayIwasn' tevenplanni ngonmour ni
ngmy
mot her,andt hatIwasbusygal av anti
ngint hestr
eet
withboy s.Kgcamebackwi t
hf oodandwesati n
thecar .Weat easIf el
tabitbet ter,butthat
const
anthol
einmyhear
twoul
dremai
nfor
ever
.

Kg:”
So,
haveyouthoughtaboutwheny
ou'
dli
ket
o
hav
eherbur
ied?
”

That
o:”
Uhm,I'
mthi
nki
ngSunday.Shealwayssai
d
shewoul
dn'
twantt
obehel
dinthemortuaryf
ortoo
l
ong.
”

Kg: ”
Isee.Thato,
pleaseifyouneedany thi
ng,don't
hesit
atetocal
lme.Iknowy oudon' twantt ogiv
eme
yournumbers,butpleasedot akemi ne.Thisisnot
goingtobeaneasyr oadforyou, especial
lywit
h
peopleli
keyourgrannyandaunt .Youneedt obe
careful
ofyouraunt,sheisnott obet r
ustedandI '
m
sureshehasmadet hatpr
ettyobv i
ous.”

Kgseemedl
i
keheknewmor
ethanhel
eton.
That
o:”
Kg,
ist
her
esomet
hingy
ou'
renott
ell
i
ngme?
”

Kg:(l
ookingdown)”It
'snotmyplacetotel
l y
ou,but
you'
llf
indoutsoon.Justknowthatyourmot herdi
d
herbesttorai
seyout hewayshedidandy oushoul
d
nevereverdoubtherchoi
ces.Yourauntisevil
.”

Hewasreal
lymakingmeworry,Imeanhowcoul
d
hej
ustt
ellmethatwit
houtt
ell
i
ngmet hewhol
etrut
h.

That
o:”
Whyar
eyoubei
ngsoni
cet
ome,
Kg?
”

Kg:”Becauseyou'
reoneofakind,TT.You'r
especial
andbecauseofthatmanypeopledon'tl
ikeyou.
Theyfeelint
imi
datedbyyou.You'l
lachi
evegreat
thi
ngsandIonlywantthebestforyou.
”

Inoddedandgavehi
m mynumber.Hedroppedme
offatt
hecorner
,asIwal
kedi
ntot
heyar
d, If
ounda
fewcarspar kesoutsi
de.Iwasst i
lli
nmyuni f
orm,
emot i
onally,physi
call
yandspiri
tual
lydrai
ned.I
walkedi ntothehouseandf oundKoko, Kagi
so,
MmaneSophi eandev enMmaMor uti(
Pastor
'swif
e),
all
seatedi ndoeksandski r
tseven.Igotannoy ed
i
mmedi ately
.

Sophi
e:”Hao,That
o, ngwanaka(mychi
l
d),
kgalere
goemetsehle(we'
vebeenwai ti
ngonyou)
.Please,
comesit.MmaMor utiwantst
oknowwhenyou'd
l
ikeyourmom yobebur ied.
”

Icouldn'tbel
i
evei t.Thepr etenseinhervoiceand
acti
onswasast onishing!Sincewhendoesshe
speakt omel i
ket his?I'm actual
l
ydisgusted.

Koko: ”
Thatoweh,
nnanekenaganagore(Iwas
thi
nking)t
hesoonert
hebet
ter
.Mmago( y
ourmom)
suff
eredalotandshewoul
dn'
twantyoutobeso
sad.”
Whatt
heact
ual f
uckwashappeni
ng?
!Ij
ustl
osti
t.I
bl
ewupri
ghtthatsecond.

Thato:”MmaMor uti
,apol
ogiesforwasti
ngy ourt
ime,
butmyauntandgr andmotherfail
edtotel
lyouthat
theyhavebeenabusing,i
nsult
ingmymot herandI
foraslongasIcouldremember .So,f
orgi
vemebut
I
'm notint
erest
edinthismeeti
ng.

Ican'thavepeoplewhopr etendt ol
ovemei nfront
ofthechurch,whi l
etheyswearatmebehi ndclosed
doors.Ilostmymot herear
lieronandnotev enone
ofthem camet ohugme, ortellmethateveryt
hing
wil
lbeokay .Instead,Iwastoldtobat hemymot her
becausesheshi thersel
f.So, i
fyou'
llexcuseme, I
needt omourninpeace. ”

Il
eftt
hem sit
tingt
herei
nshockasIhur
iedt
omy
mother
'sbedroom andl
ockedt
hedoor.Iwasv
ery
hurt
,butKgmadet hi ngsabitbett
er.Hetol
dme
howhi smot herdi
ed, shejustfel
lwhil
eheandhis
mom wer eeati
ngbr eakfast
.Apparentl
yshediedof
foodpoi soni
ng,butheandhi smom wer eeati
ngthe
samef ood.Henev errecoveredfr
om it
,ofwhi
chI
understand.

Per hapsI '

m sel
fi
sh,Igott hechancet oknowmy
mot her,
whi l
ehelosthi satthetenderageof9.To
makemat t
ersworse,hisfathermar r
iedhis
stepmot heraweekaf tertheburialofhismother.I
thoughtt heyweretheper f
ectfamily,butIguessit
's
truewhatt heysay-nooneknowswhatt hewall
sof
eachhousei shi
ding.
Chapt
erFi
ve

Ephisi
ans2:8-”
Forbygracey
ouhav ebeensaved
thr
oughfait
h.Andthi
sisnotyourowndoing;
iti
sthe
gif
tofGod.”
That
o

Itossedandt urnedall nightlong.Itrul

ywishedt
hat
Mamawoul dwal kt hr
oughherbedr oom doorand
tellmethatshewasj ustpr ankingme.Iwent
throughherbedr oom andr eali
zedaf ewofher
clothesweremi ssing,whi l
esomepaper swere
mi ssi
ngtoo.Icoul dn'tfindherwi l
lforsomeodd
reason,butIdidf i
ndaf ewofherpol ici
esinabook
shehadkeptsaf eforme.

Itseemsasi fSophiewassear chingt hr

ough
Mama' sthi
ngsandshehadt akennaf ewoft hem.I
gotupat7am, sinceIhadt ostar
tor ganizi
ngthe
funer
al.Iwantedt ohaveherburiedt hefoll
owing
day,whichwouldbeaSunday .Ididn'tseetheneed
forpeoplet
obev i
sit
ingallweek,eatinganddr i
nki
ng
ourfood.IheardSophi eknockont hebedr oom door
.

Sophi
e:”That
o,ngwanaka(mychil
d).KeMmanewa
gao(I
t'
sme, youraunt
).Kekgopel
aompulel
e,kego
dir
etsedi
j
o(Pl
easeopenf
orme,
I'
vemadey
ousome
food).
”

Hehe, Icouldn'
tbel
iev
emyear s.Iopenedthedoor
j
ustt oseei fshewasn'
tjokingandindeedshehad
mademef ood.Iwouldn'thaveeat
ent hatf
ood,not
evenifshef orcedmet o.Whatifshewast ryi
ngto
poisonme?

That
o:”
Akat
shwar
aket
lal
a(I
'
m nothungr
y).
”

Shehadthefakestsmil
eonherfaceandIknewt
hen
thatt
hedevi
lwaswor ki
ngovert
ime.

Sophie:”
Okay,neker ehl
apakegokhapekodi
off
icelekobankengokgonegocl ai
mer( Iwas
thi
nkingyoushouldtakeabathsot hatIcould
accompanyyout otheburi
aloff
icesandt othebank
i
nor derf
oryoutoclaim).
”
Janeh, sothat'
swhyshewasbei ngnicetome.She
wantedt oseehowmuchMamahadl eftforme.I
wasn'tabouttobwt hatst
upi
d.Mybi rthdaywas
comingupwi t
hint
henextweek,soIwasaboutt o
tur
n17.Iknewbet t
erthantotr
ustMmaneSophi e
aft
erallshehaddonet ome.

That
o:”Keal
eboga(
Thanky
ou)
,butI
'
drat
hergo
al
one.”

Icouldseeabi
tofdi
sappoi
ntmentsl
owl
yappearon
herface.

Sophie:”
Hao,That
o.Nkasegor opet
shel
etey
agao
(Iwon'tr
obyouofyourmoney
).”

Andt
her
eshewas, t
hereal
Sophi
ewassl
owl
y
maki
nganappear
anceonceagai
n.
Thato:
”Onkutl
wil
ekebolel
abj
ao,
Mmane(
Didy
ou
hearmesaythat,
Aunt
ie)
? ”

Shesuddenl
yregr
ett
edherr
eact
ionandpl
ayedt
he
fakeser
pentagai
n.

Sophi:”
Aowa( No),akerer
ebathobalelapasoneke
rerethusane(wear efami
ly,
soIthoughtweshoul
d
supportoneanother).
”

Thato:
”Okay
,ket
lagobonagekeboa(I
'
llseeyou
whenIcomeback).Andbyt
heway,Mamai sbei
ng
buri
edtomorr
ow.
”

Icoul
dseeshewasr
eal
l
ydi
sappoi
nted.

Sophi
e:”But
, whataboutourfamil
ymember swho
comefrom far?Babangwebat swaBaponghle
(Someofthem comef rom Bapongthough)
.”
Icoul
dn'
tcar
elessaboutt
hem.Wherewer
ethey
whenMamawasi npainandagony
?

That
o:”
That
'swhatMamawant
ed.
”

Iwentt ot
hebat hroom andl eftherstandingtherei
n
defeat.TobehonestIhadnoi deawheret oeven
start
.Ihadmyl earner'sli
cense, butIcouldn'tr
isk
driv
ingMama' scaral one, especiallywi
thher
recentl
ydeceased.Ideci dedt ot akeataxiri
ghtafter
taki
ngabat h.Iwentt hroughmyphoneandsaw
tonsofmessagesonmywal l
andonWhat sAppand
evenaf ewmi ssedcal lsfrom Pal esa.She'sareal
fri
enddespitebeingcr azy .AsIwasaboutt owalk
outofthehouse, Kokost oppedme.

Koko:
”That
o,osur
eotl
obashapoleone(Ar
eyou
sur
eyou'
regoi
ngtobeokayony
ourown)
?”
Si
ncewhendoessheev
ent
alkt
ome?

That
o:”
Ee(
yes)
,Koko.
”

Koko: ”
Alr
ight
.Ot samay epi
l
a(Gowel
l)
.I'
l
lst
art
withthefuner
alar
r angement
sandgi
veyou
feedbackforappr
ov al
.”

Janeh, somethi
ngwasser iouslyfishy
,Ithoughtto
my sel
f.Uponexitingtheyard,IfoundKgar oundthe
corner
.Oh, It
otall
yf or
gotabouthi m.Ilefthi
scarin
suchast at
ethatIdidn'tev
ensaygoodby e.Islowly
walkedupt ohim andhegav emeahug.

Kg:
”Hi
.”

That
o:”
Hi.
”
Kg:
”Okae(
Howar
eyou)
?”

That
o:”
Keshap,
wena(
I'
mfi
neandy
ou)
?”

Kg:
”Keshap(
I'
m okay
).”

That
o:”
Abouty
est
erday-
”

Kg:(i
nterr
upti
ng)”
Noneedtoapologi
ze.Icameto
seeifyou'
regenui
nel
yokayandtogiv
ey ouyour
schoolbag.”

Ihadcompl
etel
yfor
got
tenaboutt
hat
.

Thato:
”Oh,
thankyou.CanIgeti
tlat
eri
fyoudon'
t
mind?Ihaveafewerrandst
oruntoday
.”

Kg:
”Cool
.MayIaccompanyy
ou?
”
Igav
ehi
m al
ook.

Kg:”Ipr
omi seIwon'
tdoanyt
hingtoyou.Your
eal
l
y
needafriend,amobi
leoneatthat
.”

That
o:(
chuckl
i
ng)”
Okayt
hen.
”

Heopenedt hecardoorformeasIent er
edandwe
droveoff
.Iwasact ual
l
ygl adt ohav
eKgbymysi de
becausewithal
ltheerr
andsImadet hatday,Idon'
t
thi
nkmyf eetwouldhavemanaged.Ihadt ogot o
Mama' sworkpl
aceandf i
ll
inf ormsforherpensi
on
andthankgoodnessIwast hesolebenefi
ci
ary.

Theygavemeacopyofherwi llandIjustputitinmy
bagtoreadlat
eron.Ihadt oclaim atthedi
fferent
banksandinsur
ancecompani eswher eshehad
funer
alpol
ici
es,apartf
rom t
heonet hatwas
handl
ingherburi
al.Ievenhadt ogot othebankt o
stopever
ythi
ngandsheevenhadalif
ecoverfr
om
thebank.Alli
nall
,Ihadt
oclai
m atf
ivepl
aces,t
he
moneyamount edtoatot
alofR150000.

Kgadv i
sedmet osavesomeofi tandputitaway ,so
Iopenedaninvestmentaccountatt hebankandput
awayR100000.Atherwor kplace,t
heyatleastgav e
meaboutR15000aspar tofthewhol ehospital
coll
ecti
on.Theyweresadt hatIwoul dbebury i
ng
hersosoonast heywantedtohav eamemor ialfor
her.Iaskedthem t
odoi tatthefuneralandluckily
theyagreed.

Iheadedbackhomeatabout3pm andIwas
i
mmedi atel
yannoy ed.Ifoundsomanycar
sanda
marqueealreadybeingsetupoutsi
dethey
ard.Kg
noti
cedthedispleasedlookonmyface.

Kg:
”Oshap(
Arey
ouokay
)?”
Thato:(
sigh)”
I'
ll
beokay
.Thanky
ousomuchf
or
today.
”

Kg:”Okay
,callmeify
ouneedany
thi
ng.I
'
mjusta
phonecallaway.
”

Inoddedandhuggedhi m.Iwal kedinandIwas

greetedwithal otofpeopl e,alreadycooki ng.Some
ofthem Ihadnev erev enseenbef or
e.Uponent eri
ng
thehouse,IfoundKokohav ingsomet eawi thfell
ow
churchwomen.Kagi sowasev enhelpi ngal ongwi th
Sophie.Isawsomuchf oodint hekitchen, andev en
mor ecookiesandal cohol stashedi nMama' s
bedroom.Al otofal cohol.Iwassoconf used
becauseSophi eandKokower en'twor king,sohow
didtheyaffor
dal l t
hat ?PerhapsKoko' sbur i
al
societypai
doutandsheusedt hatmoneyt obuyal l
thefoodandal l.Ihir edacat eri
ngcompanyt odo
thecooking,though.Theywer egoi ngt oar riveat
6pm, short
lyafterMama' sbodyar ri
vedathome.I
greetedeveryoneandheadedt oMama' sbedr oom.
Kokof
oll
owedme.

Koko:”Thato,ketserediloankomashonisagor
eke
kgonegor ekadijotsaleso(It
ookoutaloanatthe
l
ocalloanshar ksothatIcouldbuyf
oodf ort
he
funer
al).
”

Mymotherwasn'
tevenbur
iedy
etandal
readyshe
want
edmoneyfrom me.

That
o:”
Howmuch?
”

Koko:”Ketsere(Itook)R20000.Ker eki
lel
ekgomo
tsepedi(Ihadtobuyt wocowst oo)
.Phelare
bolokaNurse,bathotshwanetsebabonegorenea
bereka(We'reburyi
ngawhol eNurse,peopl
ehavet
o
seethatshewasempl oyed)
.”

Icoul
dn'
tbel
i
evemyey
esandear
s.Whoonear
th
t
akesoutal
oanofR20000f
rom al
oanshar
kfora
f
uneral
?

That
o:”
Bathong(Goodness)
,Kokosoci
etysagaoga
sagopatel
a(di
dn'ty
oursoci
etypayout
)?”

Koko: ”
Aowabat hong( Mywor d),Thato.Neel e(I
t
wasonl y)R7000f ela.Imeanl ewenaohumi l
e
nyanakadi pol i
cysol ennatshwanet sekesal eka
changeny ana( youal sogotsomemoneyf r
om her
poli
cies,Ialsodeser v
eabi tofchange) .Ihireda
mobilefridge, boughtsomedr inksforeveryone
who'sgoi ngt obeher eandhi redacat eri
ngcompany
fordecor.You' reev enluckythatt hel
oanshar k
doesn'twanti nt erest.Surely,
y ouunderstandt hatI
wasonl yt ry
ingt ogi veyourmot heradignif
ied
funer
al,mychi ld.”

Ireall
ywasannoyed,
huthadnostr
engt
hinmeto
fi
ghther.Igavehert
hemoneyandshewasal
l
smiles.Idi
dn'
tevengetwhyshewassmil
i
ngsi
nce
i
twassupposedl
ygoi
ngt
othel
oanshar
k,but
any
way.

Koko:”
Danki
e(Thankyou)
,sesi(si
s).Robal
any ana
otl
atsogagesetoposetl
a(Sleepabit,
you'
llwake
upwhenyourmother'
sbodycomeshome) .”

Ijustletherbeasshewal kedout.IboughtMamaa
brandnewNur seuni f
ormf orhertowearinthat
whi tecoffinofher s.IlookedatMama'spictureand
tear sweref lowi ngdownmyf ace.I'
vealwaysheard
af ewl earnersatmyschool sayi
ngli
feishard
withoutamom, butli
tt
ledidIknowthatitwasgoing
tobehar df ormeatt hattime.Mostofuswantour
par ent
st olivel ongenought oseeusgr aduateand
getmar ri
ed, butIguesssuchi sl
if
e.

Itookabathandgotchangedi nt
oadecentout f
it
.
Atexact
ly5pm,Mama' scorpsewasbr oughthome.
OneofKoko'ssister
s,Rachel
,who'sourmai nel
der,
hadtousherherin.Shehadt osayafewcl an
prai
sesandprayforherbefor
esheenter
edtheyard.
Irememberstandi
ngrightout
sidet
hedoorand
l
ookingathercoff
in.Deathdoesn'
thi
tyouunt
ilt
he
coff
inar
ri
veshome.

Rachel :”
Reagoamogel amogae( Wewel comey ou
home) ,Pet unia.Osekewabel aela,ngwanake( Don'
t
l
ookback, mychi ld).Ot shi
reletsengwanagaoThat o,
that
oy aModi moephet aget se(Protecty our
daught er,That o.God' swillhasbeendone) .Re
Bakonebant shidi kgol
o,Bakonebai lat lhantlhagane,
banabat habay amagosi ,
Bakonebai l
anony anee
podudu, Mat l
alasekgobadi nagat sabomakgol o’a’
gweMokone.Kel edit
semol odiSetumongkekwel e
keMmal ebogobor werwe, ‘
Mapel aant heel etsaaba
ankwa, Kengwanawammar eagi saneebi l
er e
nyal
elane, Kebat hobaboTauet swagoSekgosese,
Lesoganal abopedi bahlwabamoset semor ago
barey enaMal obanel efsega, Oreot shaba, o
gadimemor ago.Mokonesel et
semol odi wakwal a
okar ebi l
et swagoot lakgwal eer obet se, Dikgomo
gadi katemar egadi dusagobanedi kar efolotsa,
Bakonenkabebai phasekgwari,mokokol omewa
Mot aubadi
mobaset umonggonangwanake
stwanetse,
Sekopalemat swaana.Bannabamol etsi
l
emasaedi ,l
erengleremamor ulaoent swe?Ler e
dinonyanaditl
akotamakae?Ker i
lekegokgal ema
wenamokopanewangangabal a.Naadi tshosanetse
khwi bi
duodii
sakae?Gosasadi t
logot etemetsa
(clannames).Lenadi Tau(YouLions),Badi moba
gaMaake( TheMaakeancest ors),
amogel ang
ngwanawal ena(welcomey ourChild)
!”

Sheululatedasshechantedourclanprai
ses.I
couldfeelmyheartbeati
ngtoofastasthecof f
in
approachedus.Theunder t
aker
sputi ti
nthelounge
andwal kedout.Oneofmyuncl esopenedhercof f
in
andKokowast hefi
rstt
ov i
ewMama, sheletouta
l
oudwai l
andsobbedasshewast akenaway .
Sophiewasnextandshest oodthereandst ar
ted
screaming.

Sophi
e:(
scr
eami
ng)”
Mar
a(But
)why
?!Gobaneng
Modimo(WhyGod)?!Whyt akeawaymyonl
y
si
bli
ng?
!Ourbreadwinner
,yoh,Modi
mo(Oh,
God)
!”

Itwasmyt ur
nt oseeher.Shel ookedsof r
ail,
l
ifelessandt hin.Ihadjustsawhert hedaybef ore,
butshewasal mostunrecognizabl
e.Shewas
wear ingherbeaut i
fulwhit
euniform withher
fav ouri
tepurpleRosaryaroundherneck.Shenev er
tooki toffandIhadaskedt heundertaker
snott o
takei toffher.Ifr
ozeasIl ookedatherandIcr i
ed.I
criedsomuchIdi dn'tevenseeorf eelmyselffai
nt .
Chapt
erSi
x

Matt
hew23: 12-”
Whoeverexal
tshi
msel
fwil
lbe
humbled,andwhoev
erhumbleshi
msel
fwil
lbe
exal
ted.
”

That
o

Iwokeuponmybedwi
thav
erybadheadache.I
musthav efai
ntedafterseei
ngMamai nthatcof
fi
n,
thatv i
sionhauntedmef orquit
esometime.My
visionwasabi tblur
ry,butassoonasIopenedmy
ey es,IsawKagisohol di
ngmybag.

That
o:”
Wet
sang(
Whatar
eyoudoi
ng)
?”

Kagiso:(
star
tl
ed)”Ah,sor
ryThat
o.Nekerekepaka
dil
otsagaopila,
wabona( Ij
ustt
houghtI
'
dpackall
yourstuf
fproper
ly,y
ousee.”

Shewasver
yedgyandj umpy .Iquickl
ygotof ft
he
bedandwentthroughmybag.Ii mmedi at
elysawa
fewnot
esmissingfrom theenv
elopeIreceivedfr
om
Mama'scol
l
eagues.Thi sbit
chstol
ef r
om me.

That
o: (
shouti
ng)”Onkut
sweditse(Youst
olef
rom
me),Kagiso!Wagafa(Areyoucrazy)?
!Howcan
youstealmymot her
'smoney?
!”
IgotsomadIj umpedonherandputmyhandson
herthroat.Iwassofurious,Idi
dn'tevenr
egist
er
whatIwasdoi ng.Kagisoisabi tthi
n,whi
leI'
m
sli
ghtlybi
ggerthanher
, butatthatmoment ,
Iwanted
tostranglet
helif
eoutofher .AuntRachelwalkedin
andst ar
tedshouti
ng.

Rachel:
”What
'shappeni
nghere?!That
o!Mot
logel
e
(Leav
eher)
!Kaokopa( Pl
ease)!
”

Iwasbewi l
dered,
mybr ai
ntol
dmet ostop,butmy
bodyrefusedtoco-oper
ate.Whi
leRachelwas
shouti
ngandbeggi ngme,Sophi
estor
medi nand
star
tedcursi
ng.

Sophie:
”Hey ,wena(you),
Serathanekewena(
You
Orphan)!Tlogelangwanawaka( Leav
emychil
d)!
I
t'sbadenoughy ouwereadoptedandnowwehav e
totakecareofy ourmotherl
essass!”
Iqui
cklyletgoofKagiso'
sthroatandshegaspedfor
ai
r.IlookedatSophiewhol ookedli
keshel
etthe
catoutofthebag,butwit
hnor emor
seatall
.Iknew
herbeingnicet
omewasal lfake.

That
o:(
shocked)”
War
eng(
Whatdi
dyouj
ustsay
)?!
”

Rachel
:
”Ai
,wabonalewena(y
ouseenow)Sophi
e.
Youcanneverkeepy
ourmout
hshut
.”

Wait
,soI
'm adoptedandev
ery
oneknewabouti
tal
l
al
ongbutdi
dn'ttel
lme?

Sophie:(angry )”Gwat shwana(It'

spointl
ess),man!
Thet r
uthi soutsowhyshoul dweactlikewedon't
know?Yes, y ourbarrenmot heradoptedyou.
Actuall
yshef oundy oui nanearbydumpst erko
parkeng( atthepar k).Yourbiologi
calmotherdidn't
evenwanty oui nthef i
rstpl
acesoshet ri
edt oset
youalightandwhent hatdidn'
twork,sheleftyoufor
deadi
nabin.Wheredi
dy outhi
nky
ougott
hat
hi
deousscarony
ourback?”

Oh,myGod!I'
v ehadabigscaronmyl eftl
ower
backthatr
anallt
hewayt omybum, butMama
wouldtel
lmethatitwascausedbyanaccident
whenIwasababy .Whywoul dSophiechoosetot
ell
mesuchapainfulthi
ngatatimeli
kethis?

Rachel
:”Sophi
e,st
opi
t!
”

Sophie:”
Ag,man, Mamogol o(Aunt ).Kelapisit
seke
gopretender(I
'
mt i
redofpr et
endi ng).Thatoact s
l
ikeshe'sbett
erthanall ofusy etshedoesn' teven
haveanyofourbl oodflowingt hroughourv eins.O
serat
hane(You'reanor phan),sesi (
sis)
.Andy ou'r
e
goi
ngt oendupl i
key ourstupidmot her
!”

Igotsoangr
yt hatIact
edoutofi
mpulse.Bef
oreI
knewit,
myfistlandedonSophi
e'
sfaceasshe
stumbledback.Shewasbl eedingf rom hernose
andhercheekswel ledinstantl
y .Ev eryt
hingmakes
sensenow, I
'
mt heonl yli
ghtone, whi l
eJoko,Kagi so
andSophi eareal dark.Mamawasbeaut if
uland
l
ight,butI'
ml i
ghter,veryverylight .Alotofpeopl eat
school ev
ent houghtIwascol our ed.Myhai risn't
evencoar seatall.I'
vealway shadbl ack,curl
yhair
andshewoul djusttell
meIgoti tfrom oneoft he
greatgrandmot hers.Noneofmyf eaturesmat ched
thei
rsorev enMama' sbutInev ertookmuchnot eof
i
t.

Rachel
tookSophi
eandKagi
sooutoft
hebedr
oom
andshecameback.

Rachel
:”That
o,kemaswabi
hle(I
'
m sosor
ry)
.You
weren'
tsupposedt
ofi
ndoutli
kethi
s.”

Iwassoconf
used.
Rachel
:”Shewasgoi
ngt
otelly
ouinherownway.
Shetol
dmeshewr ot
ealet
tertoy
oujustbef
oreshe
di
ed.”

Idi
dn'
tseeanylett
er.Thatexpl
ainsallt
hemissi
ng
paper
sfrom Mama'sdraweronthedayshepassed
on.SoSophietooksomeofMama' spaper
s.Wow,
j
ustwow.Ireall
yneedtogetholdofit.

Rachel:
”Thischangesnothi
ngaboutyou,Thato.
You'
llal
way sbeamemberoft hi
sfamilyandbeli
eve
menoonehast herightt
ochaseyouaway .This
housebelongstoyou.Yourmotherlef
tittoyou.
”

Idon'
tgeti
t.HowcomeIdon'tknowaboutal
lof
thi
s?Rachelcoul
dseehowpuzzledIwas.

Rachel
:”Di
dn'
tyouseeherwi
l
l?Shel
eftev
ery
thi
ng
toyou.
”
Oh,
snap.Imusthav
efor
got
tent
oreadt
hewi
l
l.

Thato:
”If
orgotaboutt
hat.Itookitfr
om her
workpl
aceandthoughtI
'dreaditl
ater.
”

Rachel:
”Doev eryt
hinginyourownt i
me.I fyouever
needanything, j
ustknowt hatI
'
m alway savail
abl
e.
Fi
nishschool andt henyoucanki ckthem out.
You'r
estil
lami norandtheycouldclaimt obeyour
guardi
ans.I '
l
l tr
yandl ookoutforyout hebestwayI
can.Idon'ttrustmysi ster
.Mar i
akemol oi(
isa
wit
ch).”

Shewasn'
twr
ongaboutt
hatl
astpar
t.

That
o:”
Ma,
whoi
smyr
eal
mot
her
?”

Rachel
:”ThatIdon'
tknow,
mybaby.Pet
unia
coul
dn'
thav eki
dsofherownandj
ustwhenshehad
acceptedherf ate,sheheardy oucr yi
ngi nthebin
andy ouwer ebadlybur nt.Shef el
linlovewi thyou
i
nstantlyandadopt edyou.That '
sallsheknewabout
you.Al lshewast ol dwasthaty ourbiological
mot herwassomeonef rom Rockv i
ll
etoo, butshe
wasnev ertraced.Ihopey oudof indheronedayso
youcoul daskheral ly
ouneed, butinall honesty
,
yout ur
nedoutwaybet tert
hany oucoul dhav e.All
Petuniawasev erguilt
yofwasl ov i
ngy ou.”

Shewasr ightaboutthat.Mamal ov edmewi th

everyt
hingi nherandInev erfel
tlikeIwasn'teven
hers.Thi sdoesn'tchangehowIf eelaboutheratall
,
andI'mt hankfulfortheli
feshegav eme.Icoul d
havediedorendedupi nthesystem asaf osterchi
l
d.

Rachel:”
Nev erfor
gettopray,mychil
d.Youare
desti
nedf orgreat
ness.Petuniadi
dherbestt
o
acti
vatethat.
”

Shehuggedmeandl
eft
.It
ossedandt
urnedal
l
nightandcoul dbarel
ysleep.Imadesur etolockt
he
doorbef or
esleeping.Idon'tt
rustanyoneint hi
s
house.Ihadcount edthemoneyi nmypur seand
i
ndeedIwasR5000shor t.IknowKagi sowoul d
nev eradmittotaki
ngthemoneyev enthoughI
caughtherr edhanded.Ineedt osavet herestof
thismoneyi nmybankaccountbef or
et heystealt
he
restofit.

ThemorningcameandIgotupear lyandtookabath
bef
oreeveryoneelse.Ineededtosinceevery
one
wantedt
ot akeabat h.Iwenttothebedroom agai
n
anddeci
dedt oreadMama' swil
lbeforeheadi
ngout
tot
hechurchser vi
ce.

”Thisisthelastwil
landtestamentofPetunia
Gadifel
eMaake.Il eavethepr oper
tyIsol
elyownin
Rockv i
ll
e,Sowetotomyonl ydaughterThatoMaake.
Ialsoleavemycar ,aMazda3t oThatoMaake.I
alsoleaveallmypolici
es,pensionandli
fecover
wor t
hR1mi l
li
onrandtoThat oMaake.That oMaake
i
stor
emai
nthesol
ebenef
ici
aryofal
lmyasset
s.”

Thatwasr athershortandsweet.Idon'tknowwhy
Sophiewoul dstealt
heothercopyoft hewil
l Mama
hadi nherewhenMamahadt heor
iginalatwor k.At
l
eastI '
m safeandIknowt hatmyfuturewillbe
sortedwiththatmoney .Iknel
tdownandpr ayed
beforeexit
ingthebedroom.IaskedGodandMama
forguidance.

Ihopeshe'l
lbeherewi t
hmet hroughoutt
hisday.I
j
ustdon'tseemy selfgoi
ngthr
oughi tal
lal
one.I
walkedoutandmadedoubl esur eItookmybagand
moneywi t
h,alongwi t
hthewil
ljusti
ncase.Ialso
l
ockedthedoorandheadedout .IfoundSophi
e
outsi
dewithabl ueeyeandbruisedcheek,whi
le
Kagisoworeascar ftohi
dethef i
ngermarksIl
efton
herthr
oat.

Serv
esthem bot
hright
.Igotint
ooneofthefamil
y
carswit
hMamogol o(Aunt
)Rachelandwedroveof
f
tochurch.Icouldn'tbeliev
emyey esasweentered
thechurch,itwasfil
ledwi t
hflowerdecor ati
ons
every
wher eandthewhol elef
tsidewasf i
ll
edwith
Nurses,dressedintheirbeautif
ul unif
orm.Tears
steameddownmyf aceasIwal kedinwith
Mamogol oRachel holdingmyhand.

IsawMama' scoff
indr apedinherbeaut i
fulbl
anket
whi chIboughtheryesterday.Inblackcultur
ewe
believethatwehavetoputabl anketoverthe
deceased'scoff
insot hattheydon'tgetcoldwhilein
thegr av
e.TheNur sesst art
edsingingassoonas
theysawmewal kin.Theysangt hefamoussong
” Yawahl embewu( Theseedhasf all
en).
”

Ifel
tmy selfcryasIheardthatsong.Afewsongs
j
usthavet hatthing.Theyalwaysmakey oucryas
soonasy ouheart hem.Mor utiandMmaMor ut
i
walkedoutal ongwiththeUshers.Theysatintheir
seatswhileMor uti(
Pastor
)walkeduptot hepodium
andsignaledsilencetothecrowd.
Mor
uti
:”Amenbagaest
ho(
Amen,
mycongr
etat
ion)
.”

Cr
owd:
”Amen.
”

Moruti
:”Todayisav er ysaddayforallofus,weare
sayi
ngourfinalgoodby estooneofourown, alovi
ng
andwelltr
ustedmemberoft hi
schurch.Pet uni
a
wasoneoft hemostl ov edwomeninthe
nei
ghbourhood,shewasnotonl yanur seatwork,
butshewouldassi stawhol elotofpeopleinthe
nei
ghbourhoodf orfree.

Pregnantwomen, injur
edpeopleandsickl
ypeople
wouldknockonherdoori nthemiddl
eoft heni
ght
andshewoul dalway sbeofassist
ance.Shenev er
hadev enthef
aintestcrossonherface,shewas
eversmili
ngandf oreverl
aughing.

John11:
25-
26say
s”Jesussai
dtoher
,“Iam t
he
resurr
ecti
onandthel
ife.Theonewhobelievesinme
willl
i
ve,event
houghtheydie;andwhoeverli
vesby
beli
evingi
nmewi l
lneverdie.Doyoubel
i
ev ethi
s?”

Jesusistel
li
ngusthatthosewhobel i
eveinHim
shal
lli
veandasweal lknewandr ememberPet unia,
sheknewt hewor
dofGodandf orthat,weshal
l see
heragainoneday.

Romans14: 8say s: ”I
fwel ive,wel i
vefortheLord;
andifwedi e,wedi ef ortheLor d.So,whetherweliv
e
ordie,webelongt ot heLor d.”Wemaysayt hatour
belovedPetuniadi edbef orehert i
meatt hetender
ageof50, butitisbet tertoliv
ef ortheLordforwhen
youdie,youshall dieanhonour abledeathandbe
reuni
tedwithy ourmaker .

Thato,mychild,
Ileaveyouwiththi
sRev el
ati
on21:4
” Hewil
lwipeeverytearfr
om thei
reyes.Therewil
l
benomor edeat
h’ ormourni
ngorcryi
ngorpai n,
for
theoldorderofthi
ngshaspassedaway .
”
Godshall
wipeawayyourt
ears,
wheneveri
ndoubt
,
pr
ay.Wheneveryoumissyourmot
her,
prayand
whenev
erthi
ngsdon'
tmakesense-PRAY.”

Ifel
tli
kehewasspeaki ngdirectl
yatme.Mor ut
i
al
way shasthebestversesandmostcomf or
ti
ng
words.Thecr owdsanganot hersongagai
n.The
servi
cewasshor tandsweet ,
wi t
hhercl
osest
coll
eaguesandbestfri
endMar ci
awhomadea
speeches.Irefusedt
ol etKokoorSophiemakea
speech.I
t'
sbadenought heyhaverui
nedmywhol e
l
ife.

Wepr oceededtot heburialsit

et osayourf i
nal
goodbyes.I'
llneverforgetthepai nful momentof
seei
nghercof fi
ngodowni nt othathol e.Mamogolo
Rachelwaswi thmeev er
yst epoft heway ,
holdi
ng
myhandandev engi v
ingmej ui
cet ocal m down.
Thenursesusher edusal lt
hewayt hr ough.Mama
wasbur i
edlikeat r
uesoldier,awar riorofnote.Rest
i
nPeacePet uniaGadi f
eleMaake.
Chapt
erSev
en

I
saiah41:10-”Fearnot,
forIam wit
hy ou;benot
di
smay ed,f
orIam yourGod; Iwi
l
lstrengt
heny ou,
I
wil
lhel
py ou,Iwil
luphol
dy ouwit
hmyr i
ghteous
ri
ghthand.”

That
o

Funeral
sarejustalway stoomuchwor kwheny ou'r
e
theonewho'si nmour ning.Aft
ert heweddingIhad
togreetpeopl
eandt hankthem forcoming,while
SophieandKagi sower ebusydishingoutdrinksl
ike
i
twasawhol epar t
y.Ther ewasev enadj hi
redby
Sophie,Imeanr eal
ly.Peoplehav enorespectfor
thedeadwhat soever.

Mama'sbestfr
iendMarci
atol
dmet hatal
liswel
l
andt
hatifIev
erneededherIshoul
dcontacther
.
Shel
iv
esinJo'burgt
hough.Shealsogavemesome
moneyasaf orm ofcondolence,
aboutR1000.Black
peopl
eal waysgiveyouthemostmoneydur i
ng
funer
als,Iguessit'
sathing.Shehandedittomei n
anenvelopeandIputi ti
nmybagandt hankedher.

Kagisowashav ingtheti
meofherl i
fe,buyi
ng
everonealcohol
.Sheshoul denjoyitwhileitl
ast
s
becausethatmoneyshest olefrom mewi l
lbe
fi
nishedbyt omorr
ow.Kokoont heot herhandkept
sendingmyuncl esforal
coholabdf ood.Sheev en
want edt
hem todriveMama' scar,butItookthekeys.
Palesacamet othefuneralt
osuppor tmeandall,
al
ongwi thhermom andcr eepydad.

He'screepybecausehej ustalwayslooksatme
funny,i
nav er
yuncomf ort
ableway .Palesahersel
f
hatestalki
ngaboutherdad.Shechangest he
subjectveryquickl
ywhenev eraskedaboutherdad.
Shehat esitwhenhehol dsherhand.Fr om aslong
asI'veknownPal esa,herdadhasal waysbeenv ery
touchybutIguesst hat'
showpar entsare,buthe's
oneoft
hever
yfewpeopl
ethatj
ustmakeher
uncomf
ort
abl
eforsomer
eason.

Ionceaskedherl ongagobacki nPr imaryschool

whatherdadwasdoi nginherr oom i nthemi ddl
eof
thenightwhi leIwassl eepingov er,butshej ustsai
d
heusedt osleepwal k.Shedi smi ssedt hetopicver
y
quicklyandwhenIt oldMamaaboutherdadj ust
walkingi nt
oPal esa'sr oom inthemi ddl
eoft henight,
shet oldmenev ertosl eepov erthereagai n.Iwas
basicallybannedf rom sl eepi
ngt hereev eragainand
thatwasi t
.

Theycoul dn'tstaylong, alt

houghPal esawas
enjoyingtheaf tertearswi t
hSoks.Kghadhi sey es
onmet hewhol etime.I '
mt ir
ed,anddr ai
nedand
reall
yallIfeellikedoi ngi ssleepi
ng.I maginei
t'
smy
mot her'
sfuner alandi nst eadofresti
ngcomf ort
ably
i
nt hehouseshel eftme, hereIam tr
y i
ngsohar dnot
tofallasl
eepj ustsot hatnoonebr eaksdownt he
houseorst ealsany thing.
Iwasaboutt otakeaseatnexttoPal esaal
ongwit
h
KgandSoks, whenKokotoldmet hatthe
neighbourhoodladi
eswhoassi stedinwashingt
he
dishesandcleaningupwerecal l
i
ngme.Assoonas
Iwal keduptooneofthem, Igotahugeshock.Al l
ofthem suddenlyranuptomeandst art
edmaki
ng
theirdemands.

Woman1:
”Nnakenwa(
Idr
ink)Br
utal
Frui
t.
”

Woman2:
”Nnakenwa(
Idr
ink)Fourcousi
ns,
Rose.
”

Woman3:
”Nnakenwa(
Idr
ink)Hunt
ersDr
y.”

Ihadneverseenany t
hinglikethatbefor
e.Af uneral
i
nt het
ownshipisalway sfullofl
adiesandmal es
whoassisti
ncookingandwashi ngt hedishes,but
noneofthem shouldactuallydemandal coholfrom
youasthanksgi
ving.Ididn'twanttobet het al
kof
thet own,soIgr
abbedapieceofpaperandapen
from thehouseandjott
eddownev er
ythi
ngthwy
want edmet obuy.Yes,Kokopr
obablytoldt
hem
thatI '
mloadedsoIcanaffor
dit
.Iwasgoi ngtoask
Pal esatoaskSokstoaccompanyme, butKgwas
alreadywaiti
ngformeatthegate.

Kg:”
Ar ey
ekegokhape(
Let
'
sgo,
I'
ll
accompany
you)
.”

Ismi l
edathi m briefl
yasheopenedt hecardoorf or
me.Ev eryonewassobusyenj oyi
ngtheaf tertears,
havingf unandev enchur chladieswerdrinking,that
theycompl et
elyforgotaboutmeanddi dn'teven
noti
cemeget t
ingi nt
oKg'scar .Theridewasso
peaceful anditfeltsogoodt obeawayf rom that
sceneathome.If eltabitrel
ieved,alotactuall
y.

Kg:
”Oj
ele(
Didy
oueat
)?”
Ionlyat
eali
tt
lebi
tsi
nceev
ery
onedemandedmy
att
enti
on.

That
o:”
Yes,
onl
yabi
t.
”

Kg:”
Youdon'
thav
etodot
his,
youknow.Buyt
hem
al
cohol
andall
.
”

He'sright, Idon'
thav eto,butt oj
ustav oiddr
ama, I
diditany way .Kgdi dn'tcompl ai
naboutcar r
yingall
thatalcohol .Ididn'tbuyicef ort
hem, theycandoi t
themsel ves.I ntotalIspentaboutR800onal cohol
forallthosepeopl eonmyl i
st.Mymot herwoul d
hav eaf i
tseei ngmedot his,shedidn'trai
sea
weakling, buttrystandingupt oyourgrandmot herib
frontofthewhol eneighbour hood.

Iheadedbackandgaveeveryonetheirdri
nks.As
ti
redasIwas,Isawafewot herl
adieswhor ushedto
meandt ol
dmet hatt
heyalsoassistedinwashing
thedisheslastnightandyetIdidn'
tbuythen
anythi
ng.Ijustgav ethem eachR50andwal kedout.
Ifeelsooverwhelmed, noneofthesepeopleknow
howIf eelnordot heyevenbothertoknow.Instead,
theyaredemandi ngmoneyf rom melikeI'
mjusta
cashcow.Iheadedst rai
ghttoKgwhowashav inga
smokeal ongsidehiscar.

That
o:”
Pleaset
akemeawayf
rom her
e.”

Henoddedasheopenedt hecardoorforme.Igot
i
nsideanddidn'
tevencareaboutevery
oneelse.I
sawKagisorunningtowardsthecar
,tr
yingt
osignal
somethi
ngtome.Kggav eheranast
ylookasshe
humbledherdrunkenselfbefor
eutt
eri
ngawor d.

Kagi
so:
”Uhm,
hiKg.
”

Hej
usti
gnor
edher
.
Kagiso:”That
o,gaonaR100moweketl
agof
a
(Don'ty
ouhav eR100t
hereI
'
llgi
vey
ou)
?”

Kg:
”Mxm.
”

Ididn'
tevenrespond.Thener veoft hisgirl.Kgj ust
steppedontheacceleratoranddrov eof f,
leav i
ngher
standi
ngthere.It'
samazi nghowpeopl echooset o
beslavesofalcoholwhent heycan'tev enaf for
di t
.
KgpassedbyMcDonal d'sandweheadedt ohis
house.Ihonestlydon'tcarewhatpeopl ethinkat
thismoment.Al lIwantistojusthav eaf ewmi nutes
awayf r
om home, awayf r
om allt
hedr ama.

Kgopenedhi sgateusi nghisremote.He'soneof

therichkidsoftheneighbourhood.Ofcour se,
rumourhasi tt
hathisdadi soneoft hebi
ggestdrug
dealersinRockvil
l
e,andt hatSoksactual
lyworksfor
him butli
keIsaidit'
sjusthearsay.I'
venever
actuall
yseenitsoIcan' tconf
irmit.
Theyliveint hebi ggestmansi oninRockv il
le,butKg
hashisownbachel orpadout si
de,justnextt othe
garage.It'
ssor tofami nimansioni fIcouldsayt hat,
withachillar eaatt hebot t
om andhi sbedroom wi t
h
en-sui
tebat hr oom ont opandabal cony.Heev en
hasaj acuzzi inther e.Tal kaboutlivingli
felarge,no
wonderwhyev er
y onewant stobehi sgirl
fri
end
aroundher e.Wewal kedi nandhel ookedabi t
nervousforsomer eason.Idon' tev enknowwhy ,I
meant hisisoneoft henicestplacesI '
veev erbeen
to.Andbel iev eme, Inev ervi
sitanyone.

Kg:(ner
vousl
y)”
It
'snotmuch,
butt
hisi
smyhumbl
e
abode.”

That
o:(
chuckl
ing)”
Bat
hong(Goodness),Kg.Whyo
kar
eotshogi
leso(doyoul
ooksowor r
ied)?”

Kg:
(scr
atchi
nghead)”
Thi
ngi
s,I
'
venev
erbr
ought
anygi
rlher
e.Idon'
tj
ustbr
inganygi
rlher
e.”

Thato:
(sur
pri
sed)”
Eh(wow),
soi
fyouwantt
o,y
ou
know,wheredoyoudoi
t?”

Kg: (
laughing)”
WhenIwantt o'
youknow'?Ai,j
aneh.
Wel l
,ifyoumustknowifIreal
lywanttodo'y
ou
know' ,It
akethem somewhereel
se,l
ikeatafri
end'
s
placeoratoneofmydad' sguesthouses.
”

Yep, hisdadi soneoft herichestguysar oundekasi

(t
het ownshi p)ifIcansayso.Atl easthe'sstarti
ng
tobeatease.Idon' tgetthiswholethingofhi m not
bringinganyoft hegi r
lshesl eepswithtohisplace.I
mean, i
sn'ti
twhatal lguysdo?Takegi rl
st otheir
placewheni t'
stimef orsex?Iwoul dn'tknowsi nce
I'
venev erhadaboy fri
endandI '
veneverhadsex, but
any way .

That
o:”
Hmm,
Isee.
”
Kg:”Forav
irginyousureaskal
otofquest
ions
aboutmyprivatel
if
e.”

Ifel
tabitembarr
assedathi
sst
atementandIcoul
d
feelmycheeksbecomehot.

That
o:(
shy
ly)”
Howdoy
ouknowt
hat
?”

Kg:
”Knowwhat
?”

That
o:”
ThatI
'
m av
irgi
n.”

Kg:(chuckli
ng)”Ij
ustknow,fori
nst
ance,youblush
andy ourcheeksbecomer edassoonasy ouhear
thewor dsex.Ibetyouevenburyyourfaceinyour
handsassoonasy ouseeasexsceneont v
.”
Icoul
dn'
thel
pbutl
aughshy
ly.

Kg:”
It'
sagoodthing,
though.Notalotofgi
rl
s
ar
oundhereyouragearevir
gins.Youshoul
dn'
tj
ust
gi
veittoanyone.
”

Il
ookeddownshy
ly.

Kg:”
Anyway,enoughaboutthat.Comesit
,let
'seat
andwatchsomet v.Youreal
lydolookl
i
key oucoul
d
usesomeshuteye.”

He'
sabsolutel
yright
.Ihardl
ysleptatal
landIreal
l
y
am t
ir
ed.Weat eourfoodandheputonsome
Net
fli
x.Icouldn'
tevenrememberdozingoff.That'
s
howtir
edIwas.Igotwokenupmyhi ssl
idi
ngdoor
bei
ngclosedashewal kedbackin.

Kg:
”Idi
dn'
tmeant
owakey
ou.Sor
ry.
”
Il
ookedout
sideanddi
dn'
tseeanybr
ight
nessandI
st
art
edpani
cking.

That
o:”
Whatt
imei
sit
?”

Kg:
”Ke(
It
's)8.
”

Yoh,mygrandmotheri
sprobablygoi
ngt otellmeall
ki
ndsofnonsensenottoment i
onSophie.What
aboutMamogolo(Aunt)Rachel?She'
ll
thinkI'
ma
l
oosegir
lwhosleepsaroundwhi l
ehermot herisn'
t
evencol
dinthegroundasy et
.

That
o:(
frant
ic)”
Ihav
etogo.Mygr
annywi
l
lfl
i
p.”

Kg:”Relax
, keji
ki
lekogeno(Ipassedbyyourhouse)
whil
ey ouwer esleepi
ng.Thepartyi
ssti
l
lonsono
onewillevennoticeyou'
renotar
ound.They
probabl
ythinky
ou'
rei
ny ourbedr
oom orsomethi
ng.
IaskedPalesat
osaythatyou'
rewit
hhersinceshe
al
sol ef
t.
”

Ibreat
hedoutasi
ghofr
eli
ef.Ir
eal
l
ydon'
twantany
drama.Nottoday
.

Kg:”Ijustwentt oherplacet ogetyousomething

comf ortabl
et owear .Youcanchangebacki ntoyour
funeraloutfi
twheny ougobackhomet oavoi
d
suspicion.Ipr omise,I
'l
ltakeyoubackbefore
midnightwhent henoisediesdownsoy oucanhav e
apeacef ulnight'
ssleepathome. ”

KghadapairofJeansandat ophegotfrom Palesa.

We'r
emor eorlesst
hesanesize,
I'
m sl
ightl
ybigger
fr
om thewaistdown.Butal
li
nall,wewearthe
samesizeeventhesameshoesize.

That
o:”
Thanky
ou.
”
Kg:”Don'
tmenti
onit
.Youcangotakeashower
upstai
rs,
I'
ll
beherewai
ti
ngfory
ouwhenyouget
back.”

IsmiledasIt ooktheclot
hesfrom hi
m.Icoul dreall
y
useawar m shower.Iwalkedint
ohisbedroom and
every
t hi
ngissoneat l
ypacked.Therearen'
tany
l
oosesocksorTshi rt
slyi
ngaround.Everyt
hingi s
superneat,buthehasal waysbeensowel lkept
toget
her .Hehashi sownt vandlapt
opupher e,
and
hissheetssmel landfeelsogoodasItoucht hem.

Heev enhadaf reshandcleantowel andsome

cosmet icsl ai
doutont hebedforme.It ookofmy
cl
ot heswi thoutwor r
ythathewouldwal kinonme.I
walkedi ntohisbat hr
oom andeverythingisl i
ter
all
y
spot l
ess.Hemuethav eahelperorsomet hing,I
meant here'snowayaguycoul dbet hisclean.I
steppedi ntotheshowerandenj oyedmyt i
me.We
don'thav eashowerathome, butI'
ll
begl adifI
i
nst
all
one,
oneday
.

Imusthav elosttr
ackoftimebecauset hewat er
start
edgett
ingabutcol dwhileIwasinthere.Ei sh,
I
shouldn'
tbegetti
ngthidcomf or
tabl
ei nsomeone' s
house,moreespecial
lyagr own24y earoldman' s
place.Iwal
kedoutanddr iedmy sel
f.Iwassol ost
i
nt hewarmthmybodywasf eel
ing,
Ididn'tev
enhear
Kgwal ki
n.

Kg:
”Ar
eyoudone-
?”

Hedidn'
tev
enf i
nishhi
ssentenceasIturnedaround
andhesawmenaked.Hef r
ozef orafewseconds
andtur
nedaroundquickl
y.Wow, whatagentleman.

Kg:(nerv
ousl
y)”Uhm,sor
ryIwasjustchecki
ngt
o
seeifyou'
reokay.Idi
dn'
tknowyouwer en'
t
dressed.
”
Thi
sist
hefir
stti
meanyoneapartf
rom Mamaand
Pal
esahaseverseenmenaked.

That
o:”
It
'sokay
.”

Kg:
”I'
l
lbedownst
air
sify
ouneedme.
”

That
o:”
Okay
.”

Hewal kedbackdownst air

swi t
houtt ur
ningbackt o
l
ookatme.If eelsoawkwar dnow.Pal esaal ways
saysit'snobi gdealandthatmengetani nstant
erecti
onwhent heyseey ounaked.Shesay sthati
f
hedoesn' tthenitmeandhe' snotintoyou.I 'm not
tr
y i
ngt odateKgorany thing,butcoulditmeana
goodl ookingguylikehi
m doesn' tseem tof i
ndme
attr
activeorwhat ?PerhapsI '
m nothotenoughor
somet hing.
ChaperEi
ght
John7:
38-” Whoeverbel
i
evesinme, asScr
ipt
ure
hassai
d,r
iversofl
i
v i
ngwaterwil
lfl
owf r
om wit
hin
them.
”

That
o

Iner
vousl
ywalkedbackdownst
air
sandfoundKg
seat
edonthecouch,wit
hsomepizzaonthet
abl
e
andcol
ddrink,
andasixpackofhi
sbeer.

Kg:(ner
vousl
y)”
I'
m sorr
yforwal
ki
ngi
nony
oul
i
ke
that
.Itwasn'
tmyintent
ion.
”

Shame,hel
ookssoworri
edandI'mreall
ycuri
ous.I
meanI'
veneverseenaguynakedl
etalonehadaguy
seemenaked.

That
o:”
It
'sokay
,real
l
y.”
Hebr
eat
hedoutasi
l
entsi
ghofr
eli
ef.

Kg:”Igoty
ousomepizza.If
igur
edy
oucoul
dusea
decentmealbef
oregoi
nghome.”

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)”
Thanky
ou.
”

Weat ei
nsil
enceandIcoul
dn'tcontai
nthequest
ion
bur
ninginmymi ndany
more,Ijusthadtoask.

That
o:”
Kg,
mayIasky
ousomet
hing?
”

Kg:
”Sur
e.”

That
o:”
Whydi
dn'
tyougetaner
ect
ionaf
terseei
ng
menaked?
”
Hechokedprof
usel
yonhisbeerandIsuddenl
y
r
egret
tedaski
nghimthatquest
ion.

Kg:
”Idon'
tgetwhaty
oumean.Imean,noof
fense,
doyouevenknowwhataner
ect
ioni
s?”

Mara(But
),Kg.It
ookLi
fesci
encesasasubj
ect
onceuponatime.

That
o:(
shy
ly)”
Yes,
wedi
diti
nLi
feSci
ences.
”

Kg:(
chuckl
i
ng)”
Whatmakesy
out
hinkIdi
dn'
tget
one?
”

Okay,
nowIreal
l
ywi
shIhadn'
taskedhi
mthat
quest
ion.

Kg:
”TT,
mengeter
ect
ionsal
lthet
ime,
somet
imes
ev
enwhenwe'r
ejustt
hinki
ngaboutsex.I
t'
snot
ev
ensomet
hingyoucancontr
olmostoftheti
me.”

That
o:”
Oh,
Isee.
”

Kg:”Nowbehonest
,whydi
dyour
eal
l
yaskmet
hat
questi
on?
”

Thato:”Well
,i
t'
sabitstupid,
butPalesaalwayssays
thatifaguydoesn'
tgetaner ect
ionifheseesyou
naked,thenhedoesn'
tlikeyouorfindyou
attr
acti
ve.”

Kg:
(laughi
ng)”
Doy
oubel
i
evet
hat
?”

Ishr
uggedmyshoul
der
s.

Kg:
”Look,
TT,
you'
rey
oungandi
nexper
ienced,
soof
coursepeoplewil
l l
i
etoyou.Don'tbeli
eve
everyt
hingyourfr
iendtel
l
sy ou.She'
sabittr
oubled
thatoneandal i
tt
letooexperi
encedformyli
king.
”

Ismi
l
edabi
tinr
eli
ef.

Kg:”Justfortherecord,Idol
i
keandf indyouv er
y,
veryatt
racti
ve.Iev enhaveabonerjustbyt hi
nki
ng
aboutyou.Ijustchoosenottoactoni t
,because
you'r
especial.Sexi sni
cewheny ou'
rebothi nl
ove
andwheny oubothwantt odoit
.”

Ifeltmy selfgetabi tf
lushedasIj ustindulgedinmy
pizzaandcol drink.Af t
eraf ewmov i
esandepi sodes
ofNet f
li
xshows, i
twast i
mef ormet ogohome.I
didn'tfeel l
ikeit,butIhadt o.Ireall
ydidn'twant
peopl etost artrumour saboutme.Kgdoesn' tlive
veryf arfrom me, l
it
erall
ythenextst r
eetaway .We
decidedt owal khomeaf t
erIhadchangedbacki nto
myf uneralout f
it.Wegott othecornerandpeopl e
wer est i
l
l havingabal lattheaftertears.Ar ethese
peopleforr
eal
?Kgcoul
dseet
hedi
sappoi
ntmenton
myf ace.

Kg:”
Wecouldgobacktomyplaceandcomeback
af
tert
heyf
ini
shup.Ireal
l
ydon'tmi
nd.”

If
eel
sobadthough.Ican'
tbeMi
susi
ngKgliket
hat
.
Hemostpr
obablyhashi
sownthi
ngstodo.

Thato:”
Thankyou,Kg,Ir
eall
yappr eciat
eit
,butI
can'
tabuseyouli
kethat.I'
l
ljusttakesomesl eepi
ng
tabl
etsandI'
l
lbeoutinafewmi nutes.”

Heseemedabitdisappoi
ntedbymyr
esponse,
but
under
stoodgl
adl
y.

Kg:”
Ifyoudon'
tfeell
i
kesl eepi
ng,
wecanchaton
WhatsApporIcancallyou.Letmeknowassoonas
yougetint
oyourbedroom. ”
That
o:(
smi
l
ing)”
Thanky
ou.
”

Hehuggedmewhi leIt i
ptoedandhuggedhi m back.
Iinhal
edhismasculinescentandIwal kedaway .
Mostpeopl eweresodr unkanddi dn'
tev enseeme
passby .IsawMmane( Aunt)SophieandKagi so
stil
ldr
inki
ngwiththeirfri
endsasImademywayt o
mama' sbedroom.Ij ustdon'tseemy selfgoi
ngback
tomyownbedr oom from nowon.I 'dli
ket o
rememberMamaj ustasshewas, ahappyans
beauti
fulsoul
.

Igotinandl
ockedt
hedoori
mmedi
atel
y,andst
art
ed
pray
ing.

Thato:”
DearGod, t
hanky ousomuchf orgiv
ingme
thecourageandstrengthtogetthr
oughtoday.I
honestl
ycouldnothav edoneitwit
houtyou.Iaskof
youdearGodt hatyoumaypl easegui
deme, prot
ect
mef rom allevilanddangerandcar rymet hr
oughout
thisyear.Iwoul dl ovetoachi
evemydr eamsj ustas
Mamawoul dhav ewant ed.Yougav emet oherfora
reasonLor d,youent rust
edherwi t
hmyl i
feandboy ,
shedi dagr eatjob.Myhear tisaching,ohLor d,butI
knowy ou'
llmendi t
.Justasy ousaidinPsal m 9:
9
” TheLor disaref ugefortheopressed,ast r
onghold
i
nt imesoft rouble.”Iputeveryt
hinginy ourhands,
OhLor d.Ipr aythisinJesus'mightyname.Amen. ”

Ilayont hebedandIt extedKgt ell

inghimI'm back
home.West artedchat ti
ngawayasusual andI
dozedof fwhi l
ewewer ebusyati t.Igotupat7am
thefoll
owingday ,asIhadt helastfewerrandst or
un.
Ifeelsomuchl ighterafterprayinglastni
ght .AsI
gotoutofmybedr oom, Imadesur et ol
ocki tsi
nce
Kagisoisal itt
lethief.Iheadedt othebathroom and
didmybusi ness,andonceIwasdone, 8wasmetby
MmaneSophi e,whowasdr essedandr eadyt ogo
somewher e.AsIwasaboutt owal ktomybedr oom,
shecalledme.
Sophi
e:”
That
o,okaengwana(
howar
eyou,
boo)
?”

Hehe,j
ustbefor
emymot her'
sbur i
alshecal
l
edmea
usel
essorphanandpracti
cal
lycursedme.Andnow
she'
sallsmil
esagai
n.Ican'twaittotur
n18,fi
nish
school
andgetridofthem.

That
o:”
Keshap(
I'
mfi
ne)
.”

Sophie:(
smi l
i
ng)”Hao,neker eketsamayel
ewena
todayroclai
merlif
ecovery aMmago( Oh,It
hought
I'
dgowi t
hy outodaytoprocessyourmother
'sl
if
e
covercl
aim.”

Shepuzzledmeandt ookmebysur pri

sebecauseI
nevertol
dherabouttheli
fecover
.AndI '
m pr
etty
sureMamanev ertol
dheraboutitei
ther.Whichcan
onl
ymeanonet hi
ng,shestol
esomeofMama' s
papers.Ideci
dedtoplaydumb.
That
o:(
puzzl
ed)”
Whatl
i
fecov
er?
”

Sophie:(
edgy)”
Oh,hai,Ij
ustassumedthaty
our
motherwouldhaveone.Imeanal lgov
ernment
employeeshaveone,don'
tthey?”

She'
stest
ingmeshame,
soIact
edcompl
etel
y
st
upid.

That
o: ”
Aowa( No),
nnaaki
tsi
sel
o(Idon'
tknow
anyt
hing).Butskawara(
don'
tworr
y),
I'
ll
askas
soonasIgetthechance.
”

Sophi
e:”
Okaynoprobl
em.Kegodi
rel
e(CanImake
yousome)br
eakf
ast?”

Ai,
peopl
eandt hei
rlovef
ormoney.Justyesterday
shewasallov
ereveryoneandbuy
ingall
herfriends
booze.Kgant
ekengna( What'
supwiththat
)?!
That
o:”
Not
hanky
ou,
keshap(
I'
m okay
).”

Shewasdi sappoi
nted,verydisappoi
nted.Iwenti nt
o
thebedroom andgotdressed.Kggr eetedmeand
askedmei fhecouldaccompanyme.Il ikehowhe
alwaysasksforpermissiontodosomet hingbefor
e
heactuall
ydoesit.Palesaalway ssaysSoksi s
roughwitheveryt
hinghedoes.Appar entlyhe
doesn'
tevenask-hedemands.Li kewhenev erhe
wantssexf r
om hersheisn'tevenall
owedt osayno.

Imightbei nexperienced,butIknowabusewhenI
seeit
.Shesay sshel i
kesroughguy ssoIletherbe.
Itol
dKgt hathecanmeetmeout sidewithi
nf i
ve
minutessinceI'm donewi theveryt
hing.WhenIwas
abouttoleav ethehouse, MmaneSophi ewasr i
ghti
n
thekit
chen.I fIdidn'tknowbetter,
I'dsayshewas
anxi
ouslywai ti
ngf ormet ofini
shsoIcoul dpass
ther
e.Imadeament alnotetoleaveviathelounge
doornexttime.
Sophi
e:”
Eh,That
o.Nekerekgopel
atshel
eteya
borot
ho(MayIpl
easehav
emoneyforbread)?
”

Shemustbejoki
ng.NowthatMamaisgone,
she
wantst
otur
nmei ntot
henewbreadwi
nner
?No
ways.

That
o:”Skawara,
Mmane(Don'twor
ry,Aunty
).I'
l
l
buythebreadonmywayback.Lesalepil
a(Keep
well
).
”

Il
eftherstandinginthemiddleofthekit
chen,butI
coul
df eel
hershoot i
ngdagger satme.IfoundKg
wait
ingformeatt heusual corner
.Igreetedhim and
huggedhim ashewai t
edoutsidethecar,
havinga
smokeasusual .Heopenedt hedoorformeandI
gotin.Iquickl
ysaidapr ay
ert ohelpmethrought he
dayandwedr oveoff
.
Sophi
eMaake

Mxm, ngwanaoonaganagor ekemangena( Who

doesthischi ldthinkshei s)?!Petuni
adi dherahuge
favourbyr aisi
ngherandt r
eatedherlikegol d.It
's
badenoughPet uniarefusedt otakemydaught erto
Model Cschool ssot hatourkidscouldbeequal ,but
no,nowt hatshehasal lt
hismoneyshet hinksshe' s
thenextbestt hi
ngsincesl icedbread?Imi ghtnot
havefinishedschool ,buti t
'snotmyf aultIwasn' t
gif
tedliket hatbit
chPet unia.That oowesme, how
doessheexpectust osur vivewhennoneofuswor k?
Ihavetomakeapl anandf astandIknowt heonl y
personwhocanmakei thappen.Idialedhi snumber
andhepi ckedupont hef i
rstri
ngasusual .

Romeo:
”Ke(
It
's)Romeo.
”

Sophi
e:”Hao(Gosh),whyarey ouansweri
ngthe
phonel
ikeyoudon'tknowit'
sme?Oh, keabona(I
see)
.Thewi f
eisthere,neh(
right)
?”
Romeo:
”HowcanIhel
pyou?
”

Sophi
e:(chuckl
i
ng)”
Igett
hemessage.Li
sten,
I
needyoutotakecar
eofThat
o.”

Romeo: (
sigh)”Sophi
e, doyout
hinkIcangoar
ound
ki
ll
ingmyson' sgir
lf
ri
end?Wagaf a(
Areyoumad)?
Besides,
she'syourniece,man.
”

Sophie:”No,man.Idon'
tmeani
tli
kethat
.Bona,
shedoesn'twanttogi
vememoney ,
soIneedy out
o
organizeafewofyourguyst
ost
ealitf
rom her
.”

Romeo:”Ai
,Sophie.Wabonafl
opethomageo
ganagobereka(Youseethepr
obl
em comeswhen
youdon'
twanttowork).
”

Sophi
e:”
Hao,
Ro,
whywoul
dIwor
kwhenIcanwor
k
y
ou?You'r
ethebi
ggestdr
ugdeal
eri
nRockv
il
leand
t
hef
atherofmychi
ld.
”

Romeo: ”
Wabonabj anong(Youseenow) ?Otlaka
masepa( You'r
estarti
ngwit
hy ourshi
t).Akaobotsa
(Di
dn'tIt
ellyou)nottogoaroundtell
i
ngpeoplethat
?
Iknowshe'smi neandIgiveyouenoughmoneyt o
supportt
het woofy ou.Otlombor a(
you'
reaboutto
annoyme) ,Sophi
e.”

Sophie:
”Okay
,sor
rygeh(
then)
.Cany
oudoi
tor
not?
”

Romeo:”I
'l
lgetmyguy st
obeont hel
ookout
.Butif
keli
fecover
,ekaset swebjanong(Shewon'
tgeti
t
now).Etswa( She'
l
lgeti
t)aft
erboma6mont hst
o
ayearpostdeath.
”

Sophie:
”Postdeat
hkedi
l
omangbj
anong(
whati
s
postdeathnow)?”
Romeo: ”
Yoh,
Sophie,nkabeokeneskolowase
fet
sankabeolenumberonenou( Hady ouactual
l
y
bother
edtofi
nishschool,
youcoul
dhavebeenmy
numberonenow) .I
nsteadyou'
remysidechick.
Postdeathmeansafterdeat
h.”

Sophie:”
Mxm, sesesal ang(factr
emains)Imetyou
fi
rstandIgav
ebi rthtoyourfir
stborn.Skantebal
a,
wenaRomeo( Don' tactli
keyoudon'tknowme) .Ka
kgonagogafa( Icanbecr azywhenIwantt obe).
”

Romeo:”Ah,man,babyskabaso(
don'
tbeli
kethat)
.
YouknowIloveyounetlewenawaphany
a(justt
hat
youhavealoosemouth).
”

Sophie:
”Okay
, y
ou'r
efor
giv
en.Aonr
omelezaka
nyanamowe( Sendmesomemoney)
.I'
mlowon
cash.
”
Romeo:”
Ai,Sophi
e,y
ou'
realwayslowoncash.
Shar
p,I
'
llsend.Retl
abualater(
We'l
ltal
klat
er)
.”

Ihungupandrelaxedi
nmychair.Withi
nminuteshe
sentmeR2000.That '
smyman.That owon'tknow
what'
scomingforher.I'
l
lmakesurethatmi
lli
on
getst
akenawayf r
om herbef
oreshecaneven
spendit
.
Chapt
erNi
ne

Exodus23:7-”Keeptheef
arfr
om af
alsemat
ter
;
andtheinnocentandri
ght
eoussl
ayt
hounot:
forI
wil
lnotj
ustif
ythewicked.
”

Af
ewday
slat
er

That
o

I
t'
sbeenaweeksi
nceMamapassedon.Funny
enoughIst i
llf
eelherpr esence.I t'
smybi r
thday
today,Fr
iday20Mar chandI '
m offi
cial
ly17.Iused
towakeupt oMama' ski ssesandhugsandbeaut if
ul
andmemor ablegif
ts,buti nsteadtoday,Iwas
awokenbyabeaut if
ul dream ofher .Inthedream
shewasf ull
yclothedinwhi teandshewassmi li
ng.
Shetoldmeshel ovedmeandwi shedmeahappy
bir
thday.

Thatistrul
yenoughf orme, knowingshe'
swel lat
peaceandt hatshei swatchingov erme.I'm quit
e
happythatPal esadidn'tf
orgetmybi r
thdayeither
,
shenev erforgets.Shealway swakesmeupat
midnighttobet hefir
stonet owi shmeahappy
bir
thday.Thisy earit
'sabitext r
aspecial
because
evenKgwi shedmeahappybi rt
hday.Yes,we're
off
ici
all
yf r
iendsnowandwet al
kalotandspend
ti
met ogether-al ot
.

Heevenhelpsmewi t
hmyphysicswork,especi
all
y
wher
eIdon'tunder
stand.Cany
oubelievehe
downloadedandpr i
ntedoutpr eviousquestion
papersformesot hatIcouldbeabl etocatchup
withmyschool workandpr eparef ormyupcomi ng
Juneexams?I '
m sogladthatInev erbumpi ntohis
stepmom, though.She'sabi tofast epfordwi fe,
al
ongwi thPalesa'
smom.Theyev enhav etheirown
Divascl
ubher einRockvi
ll
e, TheRockv il
l
eDi v as,
wivesandgirl
fri
endsofther ichestmeni nRockv il
l
e.

Hisdadhasseenmeaf ewt imes, i

nf acthewast he
onewhoi niti
atedameet ingbet weenus.Appar entl
y
hewant sthebestf orKg,butf orsomer easonKg
doesn'tgetalongquitewel lwithhisfather.Idon't
askabouti t
,Ifigur
edhewoul dt el
lmewhenhe' s
ready.Ov er
all,wehavegr eattimest ogether,cl
ean
andinnocentf un.Ican'
tbel i
ev eInev erknewhow
funnyandcal m heactuall
yhei s.He'sact ual
l
yquite
hotandsmel lssodamngood.

Heli
kesGivenchyperf
umeandonlywearsGi
vency
per
fume,apparent
lyhe'
sbr
andloy
al,j
ustashowhe
onlywearsNikespor t
swearandwear sonlyLouia
Vuitt
on,GucciandVer sace.Other
sheappar entl
y
wearsonspeci aloccasions.I'
velearntsomuch
abouthiminjustaweek.Iact uall
ypreferspendi
ng
ti
mewi thhimthanbei nghereathome.Ibought
groceri
estheot herdayandt heyfi
nishediti
ntwo
daysandnev erbot heredtocookforme.

Imagi ne,buyinggr oceri

esandnotbei ngall
owedt o
eatanyofi t.So, Idecidednott obuyany more.
Besides,Kgal way sensur esIam sortedwheni t
comest ofood.Pal esasay sSokskeepssay inghe'
s
neverseenKgl iket hisbef ore.Andofcour sehe
cl
aimsIgi v ehim good, rawpussy .Likereall
y?Soks
i
squi t
eoutofor derandI '
m honestl
ygl adheisn'
tmy
boyfri
end, notthatKgi smyboy fr
iend,butyouget
whatImean.

Anyway,
Kgsentmeagoodmor ni
ngt
extmixedwit
h
ahappybir
thdayandI'
m al
loverhi
sst
atusupdat
es
onWhatsApptoday.Idon'
tknowwhattomakeof
that,buthe'
sareallycool
guy.He'saskedthatIget
upabi tearl
ytodayashehassomet hi
ngspeci
al
plannedforme.I '
m notcomplai
ning,I
'ddoanythi
ng
tobeawayf rom thesepeopl
e.

Igotdressedi nmyj eanandv estandsneaker sand

tookajeanj acketwithincasei tgetswi ndy.Idon't
evenfeelli
keIbel ongt oanyf amily,
asIj ustwalked
outwhiletheywer eall watchingtvov eradrinkof
course.KokoMar iajusthidesherboozewhenev er
thepastorv i
sit
s.Nt ateMor uti(Pastor)visi
tsalot
mor eoft
ent hanhe'sact uall
ysupposedt o,but
anyway.If oundKgwai ti
ngf ormeatt hecorner,
dressedsowel linhisVer saceTopandAr manni
Jeanswi t
hsneaker st oo.

He'ssmokingasusualwait
ingformet ogi
vehima
ti
ghthug.Heneedst ostophissmoking,i
t'
sabad
habitf
orsomeonewhol i
kestokeepf i
t.Assoonas
Iwalkesuptohim hethr
ewhiscigaret
teaway.Ever
si
nceIcompl ai
nedabouthisbadbreathwhenev
er
hesmokes,hest
oppedsmokingaroundme.If eel
ver
ybadthough,
whyshouldhealt
erhisli
fest
ylefor
me?We'renotevendat
ingoranyt
hing.

Kg:
”TT,
HappyBi
rt
hday
,gor
geous.
”

Ismi
l
edasIhuggedhi
m.

That
o:”
Thanky
ou.
”

Kg:
”Ar
eyour
eadyt
ogo?
”

That
o:”
Yes.
”

Igoti
nt ot
hecarasheopenedthedoorf
ormeas
usualandwalkedint
ohi
sside.Il
ookedathi
m
surpr
isedashedidn'
tst
artt
hecar.
That
o:(
puzzl
ed)”
Andt
hen?
”

Kg:
”Ar
en'
tyougoi
ngt
opr
ayf
orus?
”

That
o:(
smi l
ing)”
DearLor d,t
hanky oufort
his
wonder
fulday.Pleaseletthi
sj ourneybeagreatand
saf
eone.BlessKgaugel owithey esandearssothat
hecandri
veuscar ef
ull
yandbr i
ngusbackhome
saf
eandsound.Mosti mpor tantlypleasel
etus
enj
oyourday .I
nJesus' MightyName.Amen. ”

Kg:
”Amen.Nowwecango.
”

Ismil
edt omy sel
f.Ihardl
yseeKgatchur ch-ever
andIhardlyhearhim pr
ay.Healwayswai tsforme
topr
ayf orussoIwonderwhathedoeswhenev er
he'
salone. Wegott oBounce,whichisjustcloseto
MenlynMai neandIwasqui t
esur
prisedtoseeSoks
andPalesat her
e.OfcoursePal
esar ushedtowards
meandgav emeahugehug.
Pal
esa:”HappyBir
thday
,Babe!Oh,
Ican'
twai
tfor
youtoseethegif
tIgotyou.
”

That
o:”
Thanky
ou.
”

Soks:
”Hai
,man.Ar
enweng(
let
'sdr
ink)
.”

Ai,
Soksi
sforeverdri
nkingunli
keKg.Ij
ustdon'
tget
hi
m, r
eal
l
y.Ihonestlythoughtt
hatol
derguyswerea
hugebor
euntil
Iactuall
ygottoknowKg.

Palesa:
(frowning)”
Ah,baby,kgant
egarebounce
nyana(Aren'twegoingtobounceabit
,though)
?”

Soks:
”I'
mtoool
dforsuch.
”

Pal
esa:
”Bat
hong(
Goodness)Soks,
you'
reonl
y27.
”
Soks:
”Heh,
man!Akeny
ake(
Idon'
twantt
o).
”

Icoul
dseethedisappoi
ntmentonPalesa'
sf ace
whenSoksdidthattoher.Heactual
l
ynot i
cedand
forachangehetri
edtoapologi
ze.Yes,tr
ied.

Soks:”Ah,man,bona(l
ook)
,baby
.Ididn'
tmeanit
l
ikethat.Wait
selewenagoreobjang(Youknow
whatyou'r
eli
ke)atti
mes.Ar enwebeernyana
(Let
'sdri
nkabeerortwo)andbond.”

PoorPal
esa,shewasact
uallyt
ryi
ngt
opl
easeher
i
nsteadoft
heotherwayaround.

Pal
esa:
”Theydon'
tsel
lal
cohol
her
e.”

Soks:
”Let
'sgotoTimesSquare.I
'
m suret
hey'
l
l
al
lowyouin.I
'l
lbuyyouanyt
hingyouwant
.”
Shef akedasmi l
east heylef
t.Ijustdon'tknowwhy
Palesaisdoingthistohersel
f,butassheal ways
says” Theheartwantswhatitwant s”.Iremember
onedayshecamet oschoolwithal otofmakeup,
hidi
ngav er
yobviousblackeye.Iaskedherwhat
happenedandshesai dSoksgotangr ybutitwasher
fault
.IguessIdon' tknowmuchaboutl ove,but
abusei sabuse.

KgandIdeci dedtodoourownt hi
ngjustashehad
pl
anned.Weenj oyedourselvessomuchont hose
tr
ampolines.Idon'tevenknowhowSoksgotPal esa
i
nt heCasinosincesheisn't18y et
,butwellIguess
moneytalks.Af t
erourfunt i
meatBounce, Kgt ook
meoutt othemov iestowat chMat wetwe.I'
ve
al
way sheardaboutthismov i
e,butIguesstodayI
gettoseeitli
veformy sel
f.

Ienjoyedmysel
fsomuchandIactual
lyl
aughedso
hardforthef
ir
stti
mei
nages.Itfeel
ssogoodt obe
carefreeandhappyf orachange.Aftert
hemov ie,
Kgt ookmeoutf orlunchatParrot
sinMenl y
n.I
orderedav i
rgi
nmoj it
oasIhav enevereventast
ed
al
cohol inmylif
e.I'
m cr av
ingsomeandI 'mtempted,
butI'm scar
editmightturnmei nt
osomet hi
ngI'
m
not.

Kg:”Well,i
t'
syourbi
rt
hdayandyoucoul
ddo
whateveryouwant.Icanseeyou'
vebeenst
ari
ngat
thealcoholi
ccockt
ail
smenu.Ordert
heMoji
to,you
won'tbesor r
y.”

That
o:”
I'
m scar
ed,
whati
fIt
urni
ntosomeoneel
se?
”

Kg:(
chuckl
i
ng)”
Rel
ax,
it'
sjustone.Besi
des,
I'
vegot
you.
”

InoddedasIchangedmyorderfrom vi
rgi
ncockt
ail
toalcohol
i
cMojit
o.Iguesst
astingitwon'
tdoany
harm.Kgsettl
edforhi
susualbeer,
butgotadraft
thi
sti
me.Idon' tevenknowt
hedif
fer
ence,but
anyway,Ist
art
edt aki
ngsmal
lsi
psandittast
ed
funny
,butIlov
edi t.

Kg:”Slowdown,beforeyougetdrunkandpassout
.
Cocktail
s,wel
l,
alcohol
icdri
nksaresippedsl
owl
yto
avoi
dcr ashi
ngandbur ni
ng.Takeiteasy.
”

It
ookhisadvi
ceandnodded.ThefoodcameandI
wasreal
lyst
arv
ingcometothi
nkofit
.
Chapt
erTen

James1:2-
3-”Mybr et
hr en,counti
tall
joywhenyou
fal
li
ntovar
ioustr
ial
s,knowingt hatt
hetest
ingof
yourf
ait
hproducespatience.”

Kgaugel
oMol
oi

I
'
m st
ari
ngatThat
owhi
l
eshe'
seat
ingandIcan'
tget
enoughofhowpr eci
oussheis.Herbeaut yismore
thanjustphysi
cal.IstoppedprayingwhenMama
died,Ist
oppedbel i
evi
nginmiracleswhenmydad
mar r
iedthatev
ilwoman.She' sther easonwhymy
halfbrot
heristhewayhei s.Istoppedhav ingfai
th
until
ImetThato.

Iremembert hefirstti
meIsawherwhenIcame
backf r
om Var si
ty.Shewasst i
lly
oungatt heti
me,
butmywor d,shewasr adiantl
ybeaut i
ful
.Ifel
lin
l
ovewi thhersmi le,hernaturalfl
awlessnessandher
uni
quei nnocence.WhenIt oldPapa( Dad)abouther
aft
erseeingherf ort hefi
rsttime,hewashappyt hat
atleastIhadf oundapot ent i
alfutur
ewi f
e,butSonto,
myst epmot herimmedi atelydismissedmyf eel
ings.

Imeanshedi dn'
tevenknowher,butalr
eadyshe
spokeofhowThat owast hedumpsterbabyt hat
AusiPetuni
afoundy ear
sago.Thatdidn'tchange
anyt
hing,andaft
erheari
nghowherbi ol
ogical
motherburntherownshackandt hr
ewThat oi nt
hat
fi
re.Shewentbackt hefol
l
owingdayonl
ytofi
nd
thatThatomiracul
ousl
ysurvi
vedandwasonl
yburnt
onapar tofherback.

Shet hent hrewherinadust binfullofall

kindsof
fi
lth.Imagi ne,awholebabyt hrowni ntoaf i
reand
shedi dn'tevendienorsuf f
eranyl ongterm
compl icati
ons.Iknewt hent hatGodsav edherf or
me.Ist i
lldon'tgethowSont oknowst hewhole
storyanddet ai
ledeven,butsincesheknowsSophi e
fr
om wayback, shemusthav et ol
dherabouti t.
Sontol ooksdownonot herpeopl eforgett
ingthat
shecomesf rom averypoorf amil
y .

Shegotluckybybei ngPapa'ssidechick.Andnow,
she'sr
eapingfrom dir
tymoney .Ihadev eryt
hing
wellpl
anned,especial
lysinceThatodidn'twantto
givemeachancewhenIst ar
tedaskingherout ,of
whichIunderst
oodper fectl
y.Nowwi t
hheral most
reachi
ngmat ur
ity
,Iwor r
yaboutallthesewr ongguy s
whowanther .Ihav eanamazi ngdayplannedf orus
todayandIgotherar
eall
yspeci
algi
ftandIj
ust
hopeandpraysheaccept
sit
.

Kg:
(ner
vousl
y)”
That
o,Iboughty
ouagi
ft
.”

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)”
Hmm,
whati
sit
?Ican'
twai
ttosee
i
t.
”

Kg:”You'
llhav
etowai
tforustogethome.Butfi
rst
,
I
'dli
ketoasky out
ospendtheni
ghtwithme?I
promise,I
'l
lsl
eepont
hecouchandy oucansl
eepon
mybed. ”

That
o:(
chuckl
i
ng)”
Comeon,
Kg.It
rusty
ou,
real
l
y.”

Ibreat
hedoutasighi nrel
ief.Hadshesaidno,all
myef f
ortsweregoingtobewast ed.I
'm gl
adSoks
tookPalesaoutbecauseIjustwantThatoto
remembert hi
sspecialdayforev
er.Af
terourlunch,
wewalkedar
oundthemalljustt
ogett
hebi
tof
al
coholi
nhersy
stem outandwedidsomewindow
shoppi
ng.

Wecameacr ossabeauti
fuljacketatoneofthe
Bout
iquesandshestoodandst aredatitforawhile.
Shei
nstantl
yfell
inl
ovewithit,soIboughtitforher.
Shewasexcitedandcoul
dn'tstopthankingme.I
l
oveseeinghersmil
esomuch.Wegoti ntonycar
andheadedhome.

That
o

Kgissuchani ceguy .Ialwaysseesucht hingsin

mov i
es,andInev erthoughtI'
dev erbear ecipi
entof
suchwonder ful gestures.I'
m av er
ysentimental
person,j
ustli
keMamawas.I fyoubuyme
somet hi
ng,Igetat tachedt oi
tandi thol
ds
senti
ment alv
al ue.SowhenIl oset hati
tem orit
getsbroken,myhear tr eal
l
ybreaks.
Wear r
ivedatKg'
spl
aceatabout6pm andbeforewe
ent
eredhispadheaskedmetowearabl i
ndfold.

Kg:(Hol
dingbl
i
ndf
old)”
TT,
doy
oumi
ndwear
ing
thi
s?”

Thato:
(smi
l
ing)”
Okay
,asl
ongasy
ou'
renotgoi
ngt
o
ki
llme.”

Kg:
(chuckl
i
ng)”
Icoul
dnev
er.
”

Heputthebli
ndf
oldovermyeyesandaidedmeas
weslowlywal
kedtowardshisr
oom Ipr
esume.I
hear
dhim unl
ockhisdoorandhel
etmewal ki
n.

Kg:”I
'm aboutt
oremov
eyourbl
i
ndf
old,
okay
?Open
youreyesslowl
y.”
Iopenedmyey esslowly,andIjustcouldn'
thelpbut
bawl i
ntears.Therear
eGol dandWhi teballoons
everywhereandtwobignumber edballonswi t
hthe
number17i nthecentr
e.Ther ewereroses
everywhere,af
ewscent edcandlesandapi cnic
blanketonthecarpeti
nf r
ontofthetv,withfoodand
snacks,champagneandwi neoni t.

That
o:(
tear
y-ey
ed)”
Kg.
..Thi
sissobeaut
if
ul.
”

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)”
Doy
oul
i
kei
t?”

That
o:”
Areyouki
ddi
ngme?Iabsol
utel
ylov
ethi
s.
Howdidyoumanaget
opul
lthi
soff
?”

Kg:(chuckl
ing)”
That
'
swhateventscompaniesar
e
for
,love.Ihaveonemor
esurpri
seforyou.
”
Heranupstair
sandcamebackwithasmal
lbox.Oh,
Goodness,
Ihopehe'snotpr
oposi
ngorany
thi
ng.
We'r
enotev enacoupl
eyet.

Kg: ”TT, Ihavetobehonestwi thy ou.I'm notaman

ofmanywor ds,
butIknowt hatIlov eyou.I '
dli
ke
yout ogi vemeachancet oprov etoy ouhowmuchI
dol ov eyou.Iwantt omakesur ey oukeepsmi li
ng
foret ernit
y.IhateseeingyousadandI '
dliketo
growwi t
hy ou.You'r
esuchanamazi ng,t
alented
andi ntelli
gentbeing,t
hatImy selfmadet hechoi ce
ofdr eami ngaboutmar ry
ingy ou.Iseey oui nmy
future, TT.Woul dyoupleasebemygi r
lfr
iend?”

Istoodt
hereinshock,star
ingathi
m.Shame, He's
evenshaki
ngnervousl
y .Trut
histhatIdi
dn'
tthink
Kgwouldactual
lybeintosomeonel i
keme.Ir eal
ly
l
ikehim,sowhatdoIhav etolose?

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)”
Yes,
I'
dlov
etobey
ouegi
rl
,Kg.
”
Hesmi ledsomuch, hecouldn'
tcontai
nhi s
happiness.Hegav emeahugandt histimethehug
fel
tdiff
er ent,
li
keahugbetweenlovers.AllIhadto
dowasj ustagreet
ohispr
oposal.Iof f
ici
all
yhavea
boyfr
iend, guys.

Kg:”
Oh,
bef
oreIf
orget
,Ihadt
hiscust
om madef
or
you.
”

Hehandedmet heboxandIunwr appedi tandsaw

i
t'saj ewelryboxf rom Poggenpoel Jewel ers.Ishe
kiddingme?Thosepeopl eareexpensi ve!Kgi sonly
25mos?Whatonear thdoeshedof oral i
ving?I
nervouslyopenedi tandsawt hemostbeaut if
ul,
diamondpendantIhav eev erseeninmyl if
e.The
necklacei ssurroundedbyr eal whit
edi amonds, and
thehear tlocketisalsomadeofdi amonds.Iopened
thelocketandIj ustletthet earsfl
ow.Ther ear etwo
pictures,oneont heleftisapi ctur
eofMamaandI
andt heoneont her i
ghti sapi ctur
eofKgandI .I
knowhegott
hepict
ureofhim andIfr
om t
hephot
os
wetookawhi
leago,butwher
edi dhegett
heoneof
MamaandI?

Kg:”You'
reprobabl
yaskingy
oursel
fwher
eIgott
he
pi
ctureofyouandy ourmom,ri
ght?
”

Inodded.

Kg:”Igoti
tfr
om yourI
nstagr
am.Ihopey oudon'
t
mind.Ifyoudon'
tli
kei
t,Icantakei
tback.
”

Ididtheunt
hinkabl
e,actual
lyt
heuni
magi
nabl
e.I
plant
edakissonhisliosleavi
ngt
hebot
hofus
stunned.

That
o:”Thanky
ou,
Kg.Thi
sist
hebestgi
ftany
one
hasevergi
venme.
”
Kg:
(smi
l
ing)”
I'
m gl
ady
oul
i
kei
t.
”

Thato:”
Butdi
dyouhavetogetr
ealdi
amonds,
though?Imeanweli
veinRockvi
ll
e.I
'dl
osethi
sina
dayofweari
ngit
.”

Kg:(chuckl
ing)”
Youcanweari
twheny
ou'
reat
schoolonly
.”

Thato:
”Il
ovei
tsomuch,
Idon'
tev
erwantt
otakei
t
off
.”

Kg:”Tel
lyouwhat,youcanwearthi
swheny ou'r
eat
schoolandwheneveryou'
reathome,youcanweara
cheaperone.I'
l
lgetyouaniceonewit
hf ake
diamondsjusti
ncasetheytryt
osteal
itfrom y
ou.
Okay?”

Inoddedandcoul
dn'
tst
opst
ari
ngati
t.Hehel
ped
meputi
tonanditj
ustf
eelssosur
real
.Iknow
Mamawouldhav
elovedthi
s.

Kg:
”Come,ar
eje,
mot
howaka(
let
'seat
,my
woman)
.”

Ismiledandplayf
ull
yhithi
schest .Wesatdownand
dugintoourfood.Yoh,wehadt hemostamazi ng
prawnsever.Kgisindeedonei nami l
li
onandI'm
gladImethim.Ibeliev
eev eryt
hinghappensfora
reasonandKgi si
nmyl if
ef orareasonandthatist
o
makemehappyandheal myhear t
.
Chapt
erEl
even

”Thewaytobetr
ulyhappyi
stobetr
ulyhuman,and
thewaytobetr
ulyhumanistobet
rul
ygodly
.”–J.I
.
Packer

Pr
overbs10:
28-Thehopeoftheri
ght
eouswil
lbe
gl
adness,
buttheexpect
ati
onoft
hewickedwi
ll
per
ish.

That
o

Ourdinnerwassoawesome, Iat
eandat eunti
lI
couldn'tanymore.Iswearthi
sguyi st r
yingtoget
mef at,shame.Af t
erdinner
,Ireall
yfeltl
ikeIcoul
d
useashower .I'
m sousedtoabat htubathome, so
whenev erI'
m here,Imakeupanexcuset oshower .
Plus,thatcockt
ailmademesodi zzy,hegav emea
wholel otofwaterandcream soda.Appar entl
y
cream sodamakesonesoberi mmedi ately
.

That
o:”
Yoh,Kg,
kedumi
l
egohl
apa(
Ifeel
li
ket
aki
ng
ashower
).
”

Kg:
”Okay
,goupst
air
sandshower
.I'
l
lber
ighther
e.”

ThenIr
emember
edIdon'
thav
eanycl
othesor
any
thi
ngt
obat
hei
n.

That
o:”Ei
sh,gakenadilotsagohlapalediapar
o(I
don'
thavebathi
ngessenti
alsnorcl
othes)
.”

Kg:”
Goupst
air
sandl
ookont
hel
eftsi
deofmy
cl
oset.
”

Kgandhi ssur pri

ses.Ididashet ol
dmeandIwas
stunned.Hehadawhol eclosetful
loff
emal e
cl
othes.They 'reall
brandnewandmysi ze,
surpri
singlymyst yl
etoo.Al otofyel
lowcoloured
cl
othingitems.Yel l
owi smyf avour
it
ecolour.He
hasawhol esecti
onf i
l
ledwithtowelsandbathing
essenti
als.I'm aNiveagirl
,andhegotmeal lkinds
ofNiveapr oductsandwashcl othesandsponges.

Iev
enseeafewpai r
sofshoes,exact
lymysize.
Wow,t
hisguy.If
eelli
keI'
minamov i
e,man.Kasi
(
Townshi
p)guysaren'
tromant
icli
kethis,
noman.I
t
ookoffmycl ot
hesandgoti
ntot heshower.Oh,I
j
ustlov
ehowsoot hi
ngthewateristomymuscl es
wheneverIshower
.After
war
ds, Idri
edmy sel
fand
l
oti
onedmybody .

Igotintooneofthefewpai r
sofpaj amashebought
formeandanewpai rofsl
ippers.Ifeelli
keI
'm
dreaming.Iheadeddownstairsandf oundhi
m
seatedinfr
ontofthetvwithaf l
eeceblanket
,hav
ing
abeer.Heev enhadanai r
coni nhispadbytheway,
sothere'
snoneedf oraheater.

Kg:
(smi
li
ng)”
Kgal
eohlapa,
wat
ermei
si
e(Yout
ook
sol
ong,
mermaidgi
rl
).
”

Thato:(l
aughing)”Ai,
manKg.Ker at
ashower
bathong(Ilovetaki
ngashower).Akerekogaeake
nay ona(Idon'thaveoneathome)
.”

Kg:
”Ify
ouwantIcangety
ouonef
ory
our
sel
finy
our
bedr
oom.
”

HaiI'
m notusedtosuch,honestl
y.Thingsgetdone
forhi
m atthecl
ickofhisfi
ngers.It
'soddhowI '
ve
beenspendingsomucht i
mewi thhim,yetIdon'
t
knowwhathedoesf oralivi
ng.

Thato:”
Kg,lewenaokareoratagodl
alakatshel
ete
(Youseem l
ikeyoul
oveplay
ingwit
hmoney )
.What
i
si tt
hatyoudoexact
ly?
”

Kg: (
chuckling)”Idon'
tpl
aywi thmoney ,Ispenditon
valuablepeople.Ifyoumustknow, Ihavea
chemi calengineeri
ngdegree.I '
m curr
entl
y
unempl oyedbecausePapaf orcedmedownt hat
routeandwel l
,I
'm morei
ntoJewel r
ydesign.Ilove
designingthingsandI'dl
iketohav emyown
companybyt heageof30atl east.
”

Nowonderhei
sthi
sgoodatphy
sics.
That
o:”
Isee.So,
wher
edoy
ougetal
lthi
smoney
?”

Kg:”Igotabur sarytostudy,evenformymast er
s.I
di
dn'tpayasi ngledime.Mymom camef rom a
wealthyfamily,averywealthyfamily
.Shewasr oyal
,
soshechoset omar rymydadoutofl ove.Sheleft
memoney ,though,alotofit.So,Ihav ealotof
i
nvestment sandIl i
veoffthat.SinceI'm heronl
y
off
spr i
ng,Igetamont hl
yall
owancef rom theRoyal
Family.
”

Wow,soKgi
sactual
l
yroyal
?Howr i
chisthi
sdude?
Hel
iv
essuchanormalandpl
ainl
i
fe,t
hough.

Thato:”
Wow,t
hisi
sint
eresti
ng.So,I
'
m chi
l
li
ngwi
th
thenextKi
ngi
nli
netothethrone?
”

Iwasactual
l
yjoki
ng,
unt
ilhegav
emeashocki
ng
answer
.
Kg: ”Actuall
y,yes.Mygr andfather
,mymot her'
s
father,i
sol dnowandheonl yhadmymom andher
sister.Henev erhadanysons, soautomati
call
ythe
thronef al
lsont othef
ir
stbornmal eofthefir
st
daught er,whichwasmymom.So, unti
lhesteps
downorpassesaway ,Godf orbid,
Igettobecome
King.”

Thi
sissoawkwar d,t
hough.Idon'
tpi
ctureKgasa
Ki
ng.IthoughtRoyal
smar r
yroyal
sonl
y .

Thato:
”So,whathappenswheny
our
efuset
o
becomeKing?”

Kg:”
Well,
theneit
hermyunclesgett
hethroneormy
aunt
'scr
azyson,Tumishogetsi
tandbeli
eveme
whenIsay,youdon'
twantthatt
ohappen.”

Il
i
stenedt
ohi
minsi
l
enceandt
ri
edt
oabsor
bthe
factthathemightbecomekingonedayandmost
probablybeaskedtomarryaroyal
.

Kg:”
Silencei
sgolden,
lov
e.What
'sony
ourmi
nd,
TT?
Andpleasedon'
tl
ietome.”

That
o:(loudsi
gh)”Well,i
sn'
titt
haty
ou'
resupposed
tomarryaroyalortheychooseawif
eforyouonce
youbecomeKi ng?”

Kg:(l
aughi
ng)”Hao,l
ove.You'
real
readyjeal
ousof
someonethatdoesn'
tevenexi
st?You'r
ecute,Il
i
ke
that
.”

Ihi
thi
m pl
ayf
ull
yonhi
schest
.

That
o:”
I'
m ser
ious,
Kgaugel
o.”
Kg:”
Ao?Kekgaugel onou( SoI'
m Kgaugelonow)?
Aowa(No),don'
tworry
, l
ove.Wecanmar ryanyone
wewant.Noonei sforcedtomar ryaroyal
,sodon't
worr
y.Ial
readytol
dmygr eatgrandmotherabout
youandshesaystheancest or
sar epl
eased.She
can'
twai
ttomeety ou.
”

Ifel
tgoosebumpsandhear tpal
pit
ationsatthe
samet i
me.Idon'tknowifI'
m evenreadyforsuch
thi
ngs,r
eall
y.Ithinkhesensedmyi nsecur
it
yand
changedthesubject.

Kg:
”Kegot
shel
l
ejui
ce(
Woul
dyoul
i
kesomej
uice)
?”

Thato:
”I'
dli
ket ohaveabi
tofatast
eofyourwi
ne.I
usedtostealsomeofMama' swi
neandtast
eit
.It
wasabi tbi
tt
erthoughandsomeweretoosweet
.”

Kg:”
hmm, skampot
sagore(Don'
ttel
lmet
hat
)
you'
ret
urni
ngint
oadrunkar
d.”
That
o:”
Notev
en.I
'
djustl
i
ket
otast
e.”

Kg:
”I
'l
ltakeyouwinetast
ingsoon,
fornowl
etme
i
ntr
oducey outoaglassofAmarul
a.”

Hegotupandwenttohismi
nibar,
tookoutabottl
e
ofAmarul
aandpouredsomeformeinatall
glass
wit
hlot
sofice.Hehandedi
ttome.

Kg:”Justonegl
ass.Gakebat
leotshwanel
ePalesa
(Idon'
twantyoutobeli
kePal
esa)
,soI'
drat
herhave
youdrinkwhenyou'
rewit
hmeonly.
”

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)”
Okay
,daddy
.”

Kg:”
Hmm,onedayyou'
l
lbecal
l
ingmet
hat
,for
someot
herr
eason.
”
Idon'
treal
lyknowwhathemeans,
buthehada
mischi
evoussmileonhi
sface.
Chapt
erTwel
ve

Proverbs6:16-
19-” Therear
esixthi
ngst hatthe
Lordhates,seventhatareanabominat
iont ohim:
haughtyeyes,alyi
ngtongue,andhandsthatshed
i
nnocentblood, aheartt
hatdevi
seswickedpl ans,
feetthatmakehastetor unt
oevil
,afalsewi t
ness
whobr eat
hesoutl i
es,andonewhosowsdi scord
amongbr other
s.”

That
o

Thr
eemont
hsl
ater

Li
fehasbeenpeacef
ul,
honest
ly.Ispendmor
eti
me
wi
thKgthanIdoatmyownhouse.Hehel psme
withmyschool wor
kwher eIdon' tunder
stand
somet hingandheevenboughtmemyownt able
andchai rforwhenI'
dliketodohomewor k.Att i
mes,
most l
yweekendsIsl eepov erhereathisplace.I
don'tmindwhatpeopl ethinkaboutmeashe
reassuredmet hathelikesitthi
sway .

Yes, wesleepi nthesamebed, butwehav en'tdone

thedeedy et.I '
m surprisedhehasn' teventriedt o
i
ni t
iat
e,aswwusual l
yki ssandt ouchhereandt here.
Wehar dlyfondl e,becausewow, Ihadnoi deai tfel
t
sogoodt obehor ny.Ev eryonedoesn'tbel
iev ethat
I'
m stil
lav i
rginandIdon' treal
lycaretobequi t
e
honest.Pal esaal sodoesn' tbeli
evethatIhav en't
sleptwithKgy et.Shesay sit'
simpossibl
ef oraguy
tobeal loveragi rlt
hewayKgi swithme, without
anysexi volved.

Il
etherbeandal l
owedhertomakeherown
assumptions.Shealsospendsal
otoft
imewith
Soks,butshehardl
ystudi
es.Shej
ustmanagedto
passherJuneExamsj
ust.I'
m soexcitedtoshow
Kgmyr epor
t.We'r
eatschoolandit'
sreportday
today
.Kgsaidhewouldcomef et
chussinceSoks
usbusysomewherewit
hwhat, Ihavenoidea.

Palesa:”Ahchomi (Oh,
fri
end).Behonest,pl
ease.
Whendoy ouev enfi
ndtheti
met ostudywheny ou'
re
alwayswi t
hKg?GapennaSoksnev erletsmer est
yoh.Hewant ssexdayandnightbathong.Ionly
restwhenI '
m athomeandev enwhenhef etchesme
from school,
hest i
l
lwantsaquicki
e.”

Idon'
tev
engetwhyPal
esasubj
ect
sher
sel
ftosuch,
butwhoam I
?

Thato:”
Beli
evei tornot,babe.Kghel psmest udy
andheev enl
et smest ayupst air
swhilehestays
downstai
rstowor konhisdesi gns.WhenI'
m done
hechecksmywor kandatt i
meshequi zzesmej ust
tohelpmepr eparefortestsandexams.Att imeshe
putsonsomesof tmusicf ormewhi l
ehesl eepsor
hewakesuplenna(wit
hme)andget
sbusyonhis
desi
gnswhi
leIstudyt
henwegobacktosl
eep.
”

Icoul
dseethelookonherface,al
mostl
i
keshei
s
year
ningf
orsucharelat
ionshi
p.

Pal
esa:”
Wow, chomi (
fri
end)
.IguessAnastaci
a
wasn'
tl
yingwhenshesai dKgisarealr
omanticand
sof
t.Shemadei tseem sowrong,
though.
”

Il
ookedatherpuzzl
ed.Aowa(No),t
heonl
y
Anast
aci
aIknowi sthepast
or'
ski
d.

Thato:(puzzl
ed)”OraAnast
aci
aomof
e(Whi
ch
Anastaciaareyoutal
ki
ngabout
)?”

Palesa:”
Theoneandonl
y,ngwanamor
uti
(the
pastor'
skid)
.”
ButwhywouldAnabet
alki
ngaboutKgl
i
ket
hat
?
Weretheydat
ing?

That
o:”
Nebaj
ola(
Wer
etheydat
ing)
?”

Pal
esa:”
Ah,notr
eall
y.Kgomoshapi l
edi 1-
0(Kg
di
dahitandrunonher).I
t'
snobigdeal
.Anal eena
walapi
saag(Anaisalsov
eryannoy
ing).
”

Ifeltprettyunsettl
edri
ghtt her
eandt hen.Iknow
thepasti sint hepast,
butImeanAnai soneoft he
hottestgi r
lsinRockvil
le.SheislikeourKi m
Kardashi an,eventhought heysayshehadsur gery
forherbut tocks,boobsandpr ett
ymuchev er
ythi
ng
else.I '
m planningongi v
ingKgmyv i
rginityonhis
birt
hdatnextweek.Idon' tknowwhy ,butIwantt o.I
want edittobeasur pr
ise,nowhowwi llIdothatwith
api ctur
eofhi m andAnai nmyhead?Kgar ri
vedas
wegoti ntothecarandhedr oveoff.
Kg:
”Hey
,gi
rl
s.”

Pal
esa:
”Sho(
Hi)
,Kg.
”

Kg:”
Hao,andthen?Pal
esa,whyismywif
esosad?
Keng(Whati
sit)
?Of ai
tse(
Didyoufai
l
)?”

It
ri
edt
otal
k,butasusual
Pal
esabeatmet
oit
.

Palesa:(
laughi
ng)”Nonsense.That
oandfaildon'
t
got oget
her-ever
.She'sjustabi
tsadbecauseItol
d
herabouty ouandAnastaci
a.”

Kg:(
frowni
ng)”
Ai,
Pal
esamanl
ewena.Whatdi
d
yout
ellher
?”

Palesa:”
Thet
rut
h,t
hewhol
etr
uthandnot
hingbut
thetrut
h.”
IcouldseeKgf eeli
ngabitedgy.I
'mj ustabit
bummedt hatAnaofal lpeopl
ewillbetalki
ngabout
myboy fr
iend'spenissizeandallt
hat.Idon'teven
knowwhyI '
mj ealous,
ImeanIknewhewasn' ta
vir
ginunli
keme.Kgt r
iedmakingconv er
sati
onalong
theway,butIjustcouldn'thel
pbutbecomemut e.

Ihaveav er
ybadhabi tofbeingunablet opretend.
Whenev erI'
m unhappyaboutsomet hi
ng, i
tshows
i
mmedi ately.Kgsaidwe' regoi
ngtocel ebrateathis
ChesaNy ama, sohepar kedhiscarandPal esa
coul
dn'twaittogooutasshespot tedSokssi tti
ngat
oneofthet abl
eswi t
hsomegi r
l.AsIwasaboutt o
walkout,Kggent l
yheldme.

Kg:
”Lov
e,keng(
whati
sit
)?”

If
eel
li
keI
'
m bei
ngpet
ty,
butIcan'
thel
pit
.
That o:”
Eish,Kg.Aski es(I'
m sorry)
,Ididn'
tmeant o
besourorany t
hingt hewhol ewayher e.Justthat
whenPal esament i
onedy ouandAnast aci
ahada
thing,Icouldn'thelpbutf eelj
ealous.Imean, she'
s
thehot t
estgirl i
nRockv i
l
leandnowt hatyouslept
withher ,
howwi llIevenhav esexwi thyou?You
mostpr obabl ywon' tevenlikethewayIl ook.Iwas
planningongi v i
ngmy sel
ftoy ouony ourbirt
hday-”

Idi
dn'
tevenr
eal
i
zeIhadspi
l
ledt
hebeansunt
ilhe
i
nter
rupt
edme.

Kg:(sur
prised)”
Emapele(Wai
tami nute).That
o,o
rengna(whatar ey
ousayi
ng)?Arey outell
i
ngme
you'
replanningongiv
ingy
ourvi
rgi
nitytome? ”

Shi
t,I
'
m sobadatsurpr
ises,
especi
all
ywhenI
'
m
pi
ssed.Inoddedsl
owly.

Kg:
(chuckl
i
ng)”
But
,baby
,youhonest
lydon'
thav
eto.
I
'
m wi
l
li
ngt
owai
tfory
ou.
”

Thato:(
deepsigh)”
Iwantto,Kg.It
'snotbecauseof
pressur
eoranythi
ng,butIwantt
o.Thet i
mingf eel
s
okayandIjustwantto.
”

Kg:(chuckl
ing)”
Jah,ne.SoPal esamadey ouspil
l
thebeansjustli
kethatall
becauseofAna?Ai ,TT.If
youmustknow, Iactual
lyneversleptwi
thher.
”.

Ir
aisedmyey
ebr
owsi
nshock.

Kg: ”
Yes, shekeptcomi ngontomeandr eall
y
wantedmet osleepwi t
hher ,butIjustcouldn't
.
She'soneoft hehot t
estgirl
sar oundyes, butshe'
s
notnat ural.All
t hat'
hotness'youseei smanmade.
Shehadal ter
ati
onsandshe' ssleptwithpr et
tymuch
everyonear oundRockv ill
e,evensomepeopl e's
fat
her s.Thatni ghtPalesatoldy ouabout ,Ana
actuallysleptwithSoks, butbecausePal esaarriv
ed,
IhadtopretendIsleptwithher.Shedoesn'ttake
rej
ect
ionwel l
,sosheliedtoev er
yonethatIslept
wit
hher,butmyper formancei sweakandt hatIhav
e
asmalldick.Butsinceyou'veseenmeaf ewt i
mes
i
nmybr iefs,y
oucanbet hejudgeofthat.
”

Kgsuddenl
ymademesmil
e.Ihopehei
sn'
tl
yi
ng
j
ustt
oappeasemysoul
.

That
o:”
Soshenev
erev
ensawy
ounaked?
”

Kg:
”Notev
encl
ose.
”

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)”
I'
m sor
ryf
orov
err
eact
ing.
”

Kg:
”It
'sokay
,nowshowdaddyy
ourr
epor
t.
”

Ismi
l
edwhi
l
ebl
ushi
ng.Hehasat
endencyofcal
l
ing
hi
mselfdaddy,
aiKg.Ishowedhi
m myrepor
tandI
coul
dn'
thelpbutsmi
lewit
hpri
de.Igotanav
erage
of95%.

Kg:(
smiling)”Nowthat
'
smygi
rl
!Thi
scal
l
sfora
cel
ebrat
ion,akere(
ri
ght)
?”

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)”
Yes.
”

Kg:
”I'
m sopr
oudofy
ou,
baby
.You'
regoi
ngpl
aces.
”

Hesmi l
edashegav emeapassi onat
ekiss.Af ew
mont hsago, Ihadnoideahowt okisssomeonewi t
h
myt onguei ntheirmouth,andthankstoKgandhi s
perfectski
lls,I
'm br
il
li
antatitnow.Wewal kedout
ofthecarasweheadedt ot het
able,whereSoksand
Palesawer e.Sokswast r
yingtocalm Palesadown
assheal mostl andedachampagnebot t
leatt hegir
l
Sokswasf l
irt
ingwith.thi
sguyl acksseri
ousr espect
forhisgirl
fri
end.
Soks:
”Baby,l
ewenamany ouneedtocal
m down.
Youcan'
tfi
ghtev
erygi
rly
ouseef l
i
rti
ngwit
hme.”

Healwayshasat
endencyofshi
ft
ingt
hebl
ame,
honest
ly.

That
o:”
Hi,
Soks.
”

Soks:
”Sho,
spekesaKg(
Kg'
smeat
).
”

Kg:”Ot
lont
ena,Soks(Don'
tannoyme).Ikeep
tel
l
ingy
ounottotalkt
oherli
kethat
.”

Soks:”
Kadlal
a( I
'
m ki
ddi
ng)
, manl
ewena.You'r
eso
sensi
ti
ve.Sho,TT.Ophasi
tse(Di
dyoupass)
?”

That
o:”
Yes.
”
Soks:”Kesureoshapi l
edidist
incti
on(I'
m sur
ey ou
gotdisti
ncti
ons).Atleastophadile(y
oudidbetter
than)Palesa.Selosesakasei thatel
aler
eteshame
(Thisthi
ngofmi nelovesher
selfsomegooddi ck).
”

Ireal
lyhatet
hewaySoksspeaksaboutwomen,
especial
l
yPalesa,
moreespeci
all
yinfr
ontofpeople.
Butshejustt
akesitl
yi
ngdown,whichjusti
sn'
tri
ght
atall
.

That
o:”
Real
l
y,Soks?
”

Soks:”
Ag,man.Pal
esaodi
tlwaetse(
isusedto
thi
s).I
t'
showwetal
k.Orbj
ang(Isn'
ti
t),
Pali
,Pal
i?
”

Pal
esa:
(sof
tly
)”Yes.Wedot
hatal
lthet
ime.He'
s
j
ustj
oki
ng.”
Icouldseedeepdownshewant edt ocr y,
butIlet
herbe.I'm notabouttoembar rassheri nfr
ontof
thesetwoguy s.Whilewewai tedf orourmeatt o
come, LoandbeholdAnast aci
amadean
appearance.Shewasdr essedi nav eryti
ghtr
ed
j
umpsui t
,whichexposedherv er ylargebums, cur
ves
andbreasts.Theclosershewal kedt owardsus,t
he
mor eInoti
cedthatsheisindeedf ake.From whatI
remembershewasdar kwhi l
egr owi ngup,butas
soonasshehi tpuberty
,shebecamel ight
erand
l
ighter
.

Anast
acia:
”Well
,well
,wel
l
.Ifi
tisn'
ttheannoy
ing
andnotsogoodlooki
ngSoks,
wi t
hhislamefr
iend
Kgwithapoorsexgame.”

It
houghtKgwouldgetannoy
edasusual
,buti
nst
ead
hewascalm asf
uck.

Soks:
”Mxm,ah,
Voet
sek(
Pissof
f),
Sfebekewena
(Youwhor
e)!
”
It
rustSokst
obecomeagi
tat
edr
eal
qui
ckl
y.

Anastaci
a:”
Somethingsneverchange.Okae(How
areyou),
Kg?Isyourdickst
il
lli
mp?Iseey ou'
re
runni
ngacrechenow.”

Shesai
dthatt
omeasshegav
emeaf
il
thy
,
di
spl
easi
nglook.

Kg:”Ja,Ana.Wai
tse(Youknow),f
orsomeonewho
keepscall
ingmydickl
imp,yousur
ehavestal
ker
tendenci
es.”

Anastaci
a:”Oh,pl
ease.Don'
tfl
att
ery
oursel
f.Why
wouldI,Anast
acia,
runaft
ersomeoneli
keyou?
”

Kg:”
Well
,becausef
orone,Ir
eject
edyou.Weboth
knowwhofuckedyouthatni
ght,i
ntheasst
obe
exact.Two, youar estalkingme, youev encr eateda
fakepr ofi
l
ejustt ocheckuponmgmov ement son
Instagram AndThr ee,I'
m notr unningadaycar e,I
'm
celebrati
ngmyf uturewi fe'sexam r esults.Shegot
allA'sforall
hersubj ects,somet hingy ouwoul dn'
t
knowaboutsi ncey ourBi blelovingmot herpaid
peoplet owrit
ey ourexamsf ory ou.Now, unl
essy ou
cameher etoorder ,Isuggesty oumakey ourwayout
becauseasy oucanseet hesi gnsay s'Rightof
Admi ssionReser ved'.Somet hingI'm notqui tesure
youknowwhati tmeans. ”

Ouch,
thatwasamouthf
ul.If
eltmymout
hhangi
ng
andAnawasaboutt
ocry.

Anastaci
a:(angr
y)”
Mxm,youthi
nkyoucantal
kto
melikethatnowthaty
ou'
ref
uckingt
hisor
phan-”

Anadidn'
tseem t
owanttol
etgo,
butKgputheri
n
herpl
acereal
lyqui
ckl
y.
Kg:”Sesiweh(Dearsi
s),
anor phanismuchbetter
thanbotoxandfakeboobsandass.Now, i
fyou'
ll
excuseme, Ihav
eacelebrat
iontofeaston.
”

Anastaciastoodtherewithalley
esonher.The
disbeli
efanddisappoint
mentonherf acespoke
volumes.Ihonest l
ydon'tgetwhyshehadt odothat
though.Shecl i
ckedhertongueandleft.Yoh,
remindmenott ogetonKg' sbadsi
de.Thisguycan
reall
yshootinsult
sataper son.
Chapt
erThi
rt
een

Ecclesi
astes2:26-“TothepersonwhopleasesHim,
Godgi veswisdom,knowledgeandhappiness,
butto
thesinnerhegivesthetaskofgather
ingandstor
ing
upweal thtohanditovertotheonewhopleases
God.Thi stooismeaningl
ess,achasi
ngaftert
he
wind.”
That
o

It
'sbeenqui teari
deev ersi
ncewesaAnast aciathat
dayatt heChesaNy ama.Kgmakesi tahabi ttogo
tochur chwi thmeev erynowandt hen,andi tangers
alotofgi rlsapparentl
y.OneofAnast aci
a' sfri
ends
evenaskedwhat '
ssospecialaboutme, whi l
e
anot hersaidmypussyi sst
il
lnew.Idon' tev enpay
attentionbecauset heywhisperandgossi p,they'
l
l
nev erhav ethecouraget ot
elli
ttomyf ace.Ij ust
l
ov espendi ngtimewi t
hmyKg.

It
'sstil
lJuneholidausandI'mtooexcit
edforwor ds.
Todayi sthe25thofJune, Kg'
sbirt
hdayandIhope
foronceIcansur pr
isehimforachange.Isleptat
hisplacelastnightandIhadplannedtogetup
befor
ehi m, butonceagainhebeatmet oit
.Iwoke
upandf oundhi m outofbed.Ibrushedmyt eet
h
andheadeddownst airs,
anddecidedtowatchsome
tv.
IguessKgmustbei nthehouseorsomet hing.AsI
wasscr ol
l
ingt hrought hechannels,andbaskingin
thewar mt
hoft heaircon,hissli
dingdoorsli
dopen
withoutwarning.Igott heshockofmyl i
fetoseehi s
stepmother,Sont ostandingbeforeme.Shegav e
meaf i
l
thylook, youknow, thatfr
om headt otoe
l
ookwi thanast yf r
own.

Sont
o:”
Hmm.Hel
l
o.”

That
o:(
shaky
)”Dumel
ang,
MmeSont
o(Hel
l
o,Mam'
Sont
o).
”

Sont
o:”Di
thakatsagaoadi yatshwannagobako
gae(Ar
en'
tgir
lsyouragesupposedtobeatthei
r
ownhomes)?Oh, If
orgot,
kanawenaot shuwanay
a
Modimo(you'
reanorphan).
”

Idon'
tgethowpeopl
ewhodon'
tknowy oualway
s
feel
theneedtobesomeanandcondescendi
ng.I
fel
tsoweak, there'
sjustsomethi
ngaboutt his
woman.Ther e'
sanaur aaboutherthat'
sjustnot
ri
ght.Idon'tknowherandKgdoesn' tl
ikehereit
her
,
butwhatshesai dtomehur tmebadl y.Icouldfeel
myt earsbuil
dingupandIwant edtocry .Lucki
ly
,Kg
camej usti
nt i
me.

Kg:
(annoy
ed)”
Sont
o.”

Sonto:(st
art
led)”
Oh, Kgaugel
o,myboy
.Wat
lawa
ntshosa(Youstar
tledme) .
”

Kg:”
Onyakaengmoroomongy
aka(
Whatdoy
ou
wanti
nmyroom)?”

Sono:(
edgy)”Oh,hai
.Neker eket
lodumedi
sa
makotiwabona(IthoughtI
'
dcomeandgreetmy
daught
er-
in-
law).
”
Kg:”Gasenna(I
'm not
)Tumi sho,andthelastti
meI
checkedIwasnotyourson.Nextt i
mei fyoufeelt
he
needtobargei
ntomyr oom againwithouteven
aski
ngorknocki
ng,you'l
lregr
etit
.”

Sonto:
”Hai
,Kgaugelo,
skabual
ennabj
alo(
don'
t
tal
ktomeli
kethat).Iwasj
ustt
ryi
ngt
obenice.
”

Kg:”
Gobenicet
oy ourli
tt
lef
ri
endsot
logel
ego
nt
ena(andst
opannoyingme).Nowmov e!
”

Seemsl i
keSontoi sr
eall
yafr
aidofKgbecauseshe
didn'
teventrytorepr
imandhimlikeapar ent.I
guesshishatredforheri
sreal
.Sont ohurriedaway,
gotintohercaranddroveoff
.Kgwal kedinandshut
thedoorbehindhim,ashedroppedt heplasti
cbags
hehadi nhishandsandwalkedupt ome.Heknel t
beforemeandhel dmyhands.

Kg:
”Lov
e,oshap(
arey
ouokay
)?Di
dsheupsety
ou?
Whatdi
dshesay
?”

Icoul
dshehisfacehardenimmedi
atel
yashe
await
edmyr esponse.Ireal
l
ydon'
twantt
ocause
anydrama.

Thato:
(tear
y)”Nothi
ng,Kg.Shejustsaidt
heusual
thi
ngseveryonesaystome.It'
sokay,real
l
y.”

Kg:(angr
y)”No,it
'snotokay.Noonehast
herightt
o
upsetmygirll
ikethat
,especi
all
yinmyownhouse.
I
'l
ldealwit
hher .
”

Thato:
”Pl
easel
eti
tgo,
babe.I
t'
syourbi
rt
hday
,
remember?
”

Kg:(
smi l
i
ng)”Igetabi
rt
hdayever
yyear.Besi
des,as
l
ongasy ou'r
enexttome,I
'
m happy.Idon'
tneed
any
thingelse.
”
Thato:(
smi
li
ng)”
Iwant
edtomakey
ouani
cemeal
today,
buty
ougotupbef
oreme.
”

Kg:”Iqui
cklyhadtogooutandbuyaf ewgr oceri
es.
Iforgott
otopupmyl ist
.Ididn'
tev enlockthedoor
thi
st i
me,aski
es(I'
m sor
ry)
.Sont oknowsshe' snot
all
owedinhere,butdon'
tworry,
I'
llsortherout.”

Iwishhe'
djustl
eavei
t.Thel
astt
hingIwanti
stobe
accusedofspl
it
ti
nghi
sfamil
yapart
.

Kg:”
Oh,bytheway
,Papawantstomeetyou.Itol
d
hi
m Ihavet
oaskyoufi
rsti
fyou'
reokaywi
ththat.
”

Yoh,sonowI'
m meetingt
hef
ami
l
y?IguessSont
o
wil
lbether
etoo,
right
?

That
o:(
ner
vousl
y)”
Uhm.
..Idon'
tknow,
Kg.
”
Kg:”He'
sbeenbeggi
ngtomeetyou.Hesayshe'
s
ti
redofmesneaki
ngaroundsohemustknowwho
I
'm dat
ing,
wabona(yousee)
?”

Ikeptqui
etandf
iddl
edwi
thmyhands,
unt
ilhel
i
fted
mychin.

Kg:”I
'l
lberi
ghtther
ewithyouandwewon'tst
aylong,
Ipromise.Pl
us,Ihaveaveryni
ceweekendpl
anned
forus.So,whatdoyousay?”

Iguessitcan'tdoanyhar m,sincehepracti
call
y
i
ntroducedhimsel ftoKokoandSophi e.Het ol
d
them str
aightthathei smyboy f
ri
endandt hati
fthey
don'tseemeathome, theymustknowt hatI'm wi
th
him.Hedi dn'twantt hem t ostartr
umour saboutme
andheal sodidn'twantt hem tobetoocomf ort
able
i
nmyhouse.Sur prisingly,KokoandSophi ewere
bothhappyaboutt hisifIcouldsayso.
Iknowt hosetwo, theyhav ehiddenagendasand
mostpr obablydidn'thaveapr oblem becauseKg
comesf rom arichf amily.ButKgj ustl
ett heworl
d
knowt hathe'smyboy fri
end.Heev enattendsmy
parentevenings,dropsmeof fandf et
chesmef r
om
school.Heev enpay sformyschool f
ees, ashesays
hedoesn'twantmet ospendt hemoneyMamal eft
forme.Heev engi vesmel unchmoney ,Imeanwow.
Wi t
hinaweekofdat i
ng,heupdat edhisFacebook
statustoInaRel ati
onshipwi t
hThat oMaake.

I'
veneverbeeninonebef ore,soi t'
sallqui
tenewt o
me.Hepost spi
cturesofusev erywhere,i
ncludi
ng
Inst
agram.Ev enhisWhat sAppDi spl
ayPicturei
sa
pict
ureofthetwoofus.Of cour sealotofpeople
weren'
thappyabouti tandthosewhohadnegat ive
comment s,heblockedthem rightaway .

Iaskedhi
m whyheevendi
dthatbecausethose
weresomeofhi
sclosef
ri
endsandfamily
.Hesai d
tomet hati
ftheycouldsaysomethingbadaboutme,
thenitmeansthatthey'
renotwor
thkeepinginhi
s
l
ife.I
'm sohonouredtobehisgir
lfr
iend,
honest
ly.
Thelevelofr
espectthisguyhasformeisjustt
oo
amazingforwords.

Thato:”
Okay
,I'
dlov
etohav
edi
nnerwi
thy
our
parent
s.”

Kg:
(smi
li
ng)”
Good.Letmemakemygor
geous
womansomebreakf
ast
.”

Ismi l
edwhi l
emaskingt hepaininsideofme.
Everyonewhot r
iestoinsultmedoesn' tbothermeat
al
l,butSont o,mygoodnessshe' sjustsomet hing
el
se.Sher eall
ymeanswhatshesay sandshesay s
i
twi t
hpur ehat r
ed.Kgmadeusar eal l
ynice
br
eakf astandweenj oy edi
tinfrontoft hetv.Allt
he
whileIment all
ypreparedmy sel
ffort heBrunchwi t
h
hi
sdadandSont o,si
ncewe' r
eappar entlygoing
awayl ateron.Hedoesn' twanttot ellmewher e
we'
react
ual
lygoi
ng,soit
'sasur
pri
seIguess.Ishal
l
wai
tandseewhattodayhasi
nstoref
orme.

Sont
oMol
oi

I'
vebeenhear ingr umour saboutKgaugel oandt hat
uselesstrampThat o.Ev ent heDi va'sCl ubhas
turnedmei ntoaj oke, st
at i
ngt hatI'
m goi ngtogeta
daughter-
in- l
awsoon.He' spost i
ngt hatgi r
l
everywhere, andheev enspendsal lhist i
mewi thher.
Sure,Iwasn' tv erynicetoKgaugel owhenhi sdad
andIgotmar ried,butIhav egr ownt ol ov ehim asmy
ownson.Ionl ywantt hebestf orhim andhecannot
rui
nourf ami lynamebydat i
ngThat o.WeMol oi'
s
stri
veforcl assandshei snoti t.Idecidedt ohead
outandgoseeSophi e.Ifthere'sany onewhocan
putast opt ot hismadness, it
'sher .Iknockedonher
doorandasusual ,herfi
lthysel fappear ed.I
honestlydon' tknowwhatRomeosawi nherbacki n
theday.I t
'snotev enmi ddayy etandal r
eadyshe
reeksofal cohol .
Sophie:(
burpi
ng)”Hehbanna(Mygoodess) !
(Cl
appinghands)KajenoJesuwat heoga(Jesusi
s
comingdownt oday)
!Wena( You),
SontoMol oiwa
nket
ela(havecomet ovi
sitme)?
!Hehe! ”

Sont
o:(annoy
ed)”
Mxm,
Sophi
e,I
'
m her
eonser
ious
busi
ness.
”

Sophie:”Sont
o,tl
ogel
agorat
asekgoa(St
op
speakingEngli
sh),webot
hknowgoreotswa
Diepkl
oof ,
man.”

Sonto:(
rol
li
ngeyes)”
Sophieweh!What'
sthi
sof
KgaugeloandThatodati
ng?Kganteobj
angwena
heh(Whatkindofapersonar
ey ou)
?!Wehadan
agreement.
”

Sophi
e:”Aowa(No),
wehadanagr eementthatI'
d
keepyourdi
rt
yli
tt
lesecr
et.Yousee,youshould'
ve
l
etmehel
pyouabor
therwheny
ouhadt
hechance.
”

Sonto:
”Thisi
sseri
oys,
Sophi
e.Getheroutof
Kgaugelo'
sli
fe,
Imeanit
.”

Sophie:”Ai
,Sont
o.Gaot l
ontlelakadi thr
eats(Don'
t
comeher ewiththreats),
youhav eal otmor et
olose
thanIdo.Any way ,
I'm worki
ngonapl an,buti
t'
s
goingtotakeafewmont hs.Ipl anonget ti
ngher
kidnappedandhav inghersurrenderhermoneyt o
thekidnapper
s-t hewhol eR1mi ll
ion.”

Sonto:
(unimpressed)”Wait
seoset
lael
a(You'
reso
st
upid,youknow) ,
Sophie.Howi
sthatgoingt
oget
Kgaugelotol
eav eher?Hehasmoneythatboy,
moremoneyt hany ouandI.
”

Sophie:”
Hmm.May
bewecanaskhi
mfor
randsom.”
Sont
o:”Mxm,y
ou'
resuchat
imewast
er.I
'
llf
igur
eit
outmysel
f.
”

Iwasaboutt
owal
koutunt
ilshest
oppedme.

Sophi
e:”
Aoshiy
etwokl
ipanyanamowe(
Leav
eme
wit
hR200).Kechai
l
e(I
'
m broke)
.”

Sont
o:”
Ag,
manSophi
e.You'
real
way
sbr
oke.
”

Sophi
e:”
Obe(Youneedtobe)caref
ulwhatyousay
tome.ImadeyouandIcaneasil
ybreakyou.
”

Icli
ckedmyt
ongueandl
eftt
heR200not
eont
he
tabl
eandwal
kedout.
Chapt
erFour
teen

Mat
thew10:
26-
28-“
Sohav
enof
earoft
hem,
for
nothi
ngiscov eredthatwill
notber ev
eal
ed,or
hi
ddent hatwi ll
notbeknown.WhatIt el
lyouinthe
dark,
sayi nthel ight
,andwhaty ouhearwhispered,
procl
aim ont hehouset ops.Anddonotfearthose
whokillthebodybutcannotki l
lthesoul
.Ratherfear
hi
m whocandest r
oybothsoulandbodyi nhell
.”

That
o

KgandIpackedourbagsf orthecomi ngtr

ip.We'
re
l
eavingassoonasourbr unchisdoneandwe' l
lbe
backTuesdaymor ning.Sinceit'
sFri
daytodayand
sti
l
lholi
days,we'r
egoi ngtoenjoyoursel
vesfora
fewdays.Idon'tgetwhyhesai dImustpacki n
swimwearsinceit'
sstill
winter
,butIdidas
i
nstruct
ed.

Kgisj ustsochi
l
led,
y ou'
dsweari ti
sn'
thisbi
rt
hday
.
I
nsteadofmedoi ngthingsforhim,He'
stheone
doi
ngt hingsf
orme.Ideci dedtogetusedtoit
.I
di
dn'tevenknowwhatt owear ,
soIsettl
edforapai
r
ofj
eans,bootsandatopwithaponcho.I
'm ner
vous
ashel
l,butIdeci
dedt
osayal i
tt
lepray
erwhil
eIwas
wai
ti
ngf orKgdownst
airs.

Kg:
”Lov
e,o(
arey
ou)r
eady
?”

That
o:”
Ithi
nkso.
”

Kg:
”Don'
twor
ry,
you'
l
lbef
ine.
”

Heheldmyhandaswewal kedoutandheadedi nto

thehouse.Thecloserwest eppedint
othehouse,
themor eanxi
ousIfelt
.It'
smyf ir
stti
mesetti
ngf oot
i
ntothishouse.It
'sevenmor ebeauti
ful
onthe
i
nsidethaniti
sont heoutsi
de.Thewhol ehousei s
cover
edi nmarbl
ef r
om theentrancetot
hewalls.
Thefurnit
ure,
mygoodness.

Sont
omi
ghtbeameanwi
tch,
butshesur
ehascl
ass.
Wecameacr ossTumisho,
sit
tingonthecouch,wit
h
hi
searphonesonandgluedonhisphone.I '
veseen
hi
m onceortwice.Hereal
l
yisaspoiledbrat.He
get
severyt
hinghewantsbutKgmakeshi m workfor
hi
smoneyi fhewantssomefrom hi
m.

Kg:(
shout
ing)”
Eh,
Tumi
sho.Your
ememberThat
o,
ri
ght
?”

Heremovedhi
searphonessi
nceKgshout
edl
oud
enoughf
orhi
mt ohear.

Tumi
sho:
”Oh,
yeah.Sup?
”

Ai
,ma2000.

That
o:”
Hey
.”
Kg:
”OkaePapa(
Wher
e'sdad)
?”

AsTumishowasaboutt
orespond,
hisdadappear
ed
fr
om t
hekit
chen.

Romeo:
”I'
mri
ghther
e.”

Hel ooksfai
rl
yold,probabl yinhisfift
ies, butstil
l
wear sski
nnyjeansandVer sace.Hel ikesj ewelry
fr
om whatIgat hered, ashewasdr apedi nchai ns
anddi amondringsonal mostev er
yf i
nger .Hemi ght
ber i
ch,buthelackscl ass.Hei ssomet hingi n
betweenat wentyy earoldandaf ourtyy earold.I t
mustbeami d-l
if
ecr isis.Heev enhasabi tofabel l
y
andal otofgir
lshav esai dthathelikesdat ingy oung
gi
rls.

Romeo: (
smili
ng)”
Mf anaka(Myboy)
.War et
li
set
sa
l
epy at
la(Youhavebroughtusarealgem)
.She'
s
real
l
ybeautif
ul,at
rueyell
owbone.”
Kggav
ehi m awarni
nglook.Hewasver
y
uni
mpressedwit
hhisfather
'swor
ds.

Romeo:”
Ah,chi
l
loutl
ewena.Hi
,That
o,I
'
m Romeo,
themanoft
hehouse.
”

Thato:(
shy
ly)”
Pleasedt
omeety
ou,
Ntat
e(Mr
)
Moloi.
”

Romeo:
”Pl
ease,
cal
lmeRomeoorPapa.
”

Ij
ustnodded.

Romeo:”Let
'sgot
othedi
ningr
oom.Tumi
,ar
eye
(l
et'
sgo)
.”

Iwasundert
hei
mpr
essi
oni
twoul
dbebr
unch
betweenKg,
hisdadandI
,butIguessi
t'
saf
ami
l
y
thi
ng.

Kg:
”Okae(
Wher
eis)Sont
o?”

Romeo: ”She'
supstai
rschangi
ngi
ntoanewout
fi
t.
Shesay sshewantstolookgoodf
orMakoti
warena
(ourdaughter
-i
n-l
aw).
”

I
nmymindIwast
hinki
ngshe'
spr
ett
ypr
etent
iousi
f
y
ouaskme.

Romeo:”Legona(Al
so)
,whenar
eyougoi
ngtocal
l
herMa,Kgaugel
o?Imeankekgal
e(i
t'
sbeent
oo
l
ong).
”

If
eltKgt
enseup.
Kg:
”I'
m nothav
ingt
hatdi
scussi
onwi
thy
ou.
”

Tumishohadhi
sear
phonesonwi
thoutacar
eint
he
worl
d.

Romeo:
”Aski
es(
Sor
ry)
,son.Idi
dn'
tmeant
oupset
you.
”

Sontowalkedinlookingpr ett
ydramat i
c.She'sat all
woman, butsmallbuiltmuchl i
keme.Shehadnof at
i
nsightandnowr i
nkle.Shewear stoomuchmake
up,andhasv er
ylongnai ls.Idon'tknowhowshe
doesanyhousewor k,that'
sifshedoesanyatal l
.
Shewasdr essedinr i
diculousl
yhighheels,
a
col
ourfuldoekandav erylong,f
loweyGucci dress.

Sont
o:(smil
i
ng)”
Ihopey
oudi
dn'
tst
artwi
thoutme,
nowdidyou?”
Romeo:
(smi
l
ing)”
Nonsense.Whywoul
dheev
en?
”

Shestoppedasshesawmeandopenedupher
arms.Gosh,Ir
eall
yhat
epr
etendi
ng.

Sont
o:(
openar
ms)”That
o,soni
cetof
inal
l
yhav
e
youi
nmyhumbleabode.Comegiv
eMamaahug.”

KggaveheralookandIpausedt
olookathi
m,ast
o
checki
fit
'sokaywi
thhi
m.

Sonto:”
Hao,
Kgaugel
o.Iwon'
tst
eal
her
,bat
hong
(gosh)
.”

Kg:
”It
'sokay
,lov
e.Youcan.
”

Iner
vousl
ygotupandhuggedher.I
tfel
tsounreal
,
sofakedeven.Shewal
kedtowar
dsherseatnextt
o
Romeo, ButthenIsawsomet hingthatcaughtmy
eye.Shehasasmal lbir
thmar kbehindherrightarm.
Ialsohaveonejustli
ket hat
.Isawi tbr
iefl
y,butit
couldjustbemyimagi nati
on.

Sont
o:”
So,
shal
lwepr
ay?
”

Hehe,nowI
'v
eseeni
tal
l
.Adi
vapr
ayi
ngbef
orea
meal?Janeh.

Kgpr ay edf orusbutIfeltl

ikeSont o'sey eswere
gl
azingonme.Ij usthadtoopenmyey eswhi l
ehe
waspr ayingandIsawi t
.Theev il
,bloodshotlookin
herey es, shewasst ari
ngatmewi thpur ehat
red
whileKgwaspr ay
ing.Shedi dn'tevenl ook
el
sewher ewhenshesawmel ookingather .Iknow
myGod, IfearnoonebutHi m.Idon' tgetwhyt hi
s
l
adyhat esme, butI'
m notaboutt obowdownt oher.
She'snotmymast erandI'
m nosl av e.Kgsaidamen
andSont oi mmedi at
elychangedbackt oherfake
persona, andwasni ceagainal l
ofasudden.
Sont
o:”So,
Thato,Iheary
ou'
rei
nMat
ri
c.Whi
ch
subj
ect
sdoy oudo?”

Thato:
”Idophy
sics,
Mat
hs,
Geogr
aphyand
Accounti
ng.
”

Sont
owasabi tshocked,
butshepr
obabl
ythoughtI
wassucki
ngitri
ghtoutofmythumbunti
lRomeo
conf
ir
medit.

Sont
o:”
Hmm,Isee.Wit
hafr
iendl
i
kePal
esa,
you
sur
ecan'
tbet
hatbri
ght
.”

Janeh,
socondescendi
ng.

Romeo:”Eng(What)?Youdon'
tknowwhatyou'
re
tal
ki
ngabout.Iactual
l
ysawherJuneExam r
eport
.
Shegotanaverageof95%forhersubj
ect
s.Imean
whoget
s98%f
orpur
eMat
hs?
”

Sont
o:”Well
,I
'm sur
etheymakei
tal
oteasi
er
nowadays.
”

Romeowasn'
taboutt
oletherdi
sshi
sson'
s
gi
rl
fr
iend.

Romeo: ”Aowa( No),Sonto.Okar ewenaselfo

pall
etswekeGr ade11t hreet i
meswabewat l
ogel
a
wabol elaso( Howcany ousayt hatwhenYou
yourselffai
ledGr ade11t hreetimesandyouended
updr oppingout )
?Aowa( No),l
et'
snotbejeal
ous.
Let'
sgi vecreditwherecredi ti
sdue.”

Ihadtol aughinternall
y,whileKgcoul dn'
tcont
ain
hi
msel f.Hebur stoutinl aughterwhichledSontoin
anembar r
assedst ate.Shel ookeddownandkept
quietfr
om t her
eonwar ds.Ourl unchwas
surpri
singlyenj
oy ablewithSont omut e.
Romeo:”So,That
o,Iheary
ouwereadopt
edbyyour
l
atemother.Haveyouperhapst
ri
edtofi
ndoutwho
yourr
ealmotheri
s?”

Thato:”
Notreall
y,Ntate(si
r)
.Appar ent
lyMamal ef
t
meal et
terbeforeshepassedon, butIcan'
tseem to
fi
ndit.Hopefull
y,I
'l
lfi
nditverysoon.May bethat
wil
ltel
lmewhat 'sthedeal.
”

Sontoimmediat
elyr
aisedhereyebr
owsandwi
dened
hereyesassoonasIsaidthat
.

Sonto:
(fr
ant
ic)”
Excuseme,
Ineedt
omakeaphone
cal
l.
”

Wel
etherbeandcar
ri
edonwi
thourconv
ersat
ion.

Romeo:
”Wel
l
,Idohopey
ouf
indt
hel
ett
er.
”
Iputmyelbowont hetabl
etoremovet
hehairf
rom
myf ace.That'
sthethi
ngwit
hhavi
ngcurl
yhair
.It
wil
lalwaysdist
urbyouunl
essyoucl
ipi
t.

Romeo:”Youknow,mywif
ehastheexactsame
bir
thmarkonthever
ysamespot.Ledi bi
tsaeng
kana,mf
anaka(Whatdoyoucal
lthem agai
n,my
boy)?Dibeaut
ywhatwhat?
”

Kg:
(si
gh)”
Beaut
yspot
.”

Romeo:
”Tsonat
seo(
Yes,
that
).Smal
lwor
ld,
man.
”

Idi
dn'ttakemuchnot eofwhathesaid.Ev eryone
hasbirt
hmar ks,somedon't.Wespokeaboutal otof
thi
ngsandIf i
nal
lygottoseewhyKgandhi sdad
don'
tgetal ongmuch.Hewant sKgtojointhef amily
busi
ness, whichisthedrugbusi
ness,butKgi sn't
i
nterest
ed.Romeocal l
sKg'sartworkausel ess
dream,andthatr
eal
lyhurt
shim.Her
eal
l
ywoul
dli
ke
togethisFat
her'
sapprov
al.

Ov er
all
,wehadagr eatl
unchandweev enforgot
thatSontowasn'tevenaroundforawhile.She
camebackt othet ablewhil
ewewer eabouttoeat
dessert.Theyhav eaniceli
feandever
ythinggets
donef ort
hem.Theyhav eahelperwhocooksand
cleansthi
smansi on,sobasical
l
ySontojustspends
Romeo' smoney.

Wesai dourgoodby esandRomeoev enoff

eredt
o
paymeR1000perLessont oTutorTumishofor
Mat hsandScience.Howcoul dIsaynoanrKgev en
agreed.Itwouldbeni cemoneyfornextyear.I
knowhe' sal
way sthereandal
l,butIhavetoe
i
ndependentaswel l
.Wef i
nal
lygotintoKg'
scarand
droveoff.

That
o:”
So,
wher
eto,
daddy
?”
HegoescrazywhenIcal
lhimthat
.Idon'
tev
en
knowwhy.Talkaboutwei
rd.

Kg:
”We'
redr
ivi
ngt
oDur
ban,
baby
.”

Ismiledashesai dt hat.Ihaven'tbeent oDur ban,so

thi
soughtt obeni ce.I t
'sagoodt hingIpr ayedfor
usbef orewel eft. Wet ookalotofpi cturesinthe
carandont her oadaswel l
.Kgi saf ast,butcareful
dri
ver.Ittookuscl oset othr
eehour st ogett o
Durban.Iaskedhi m whyhedi dn'tj
ustbookaf li
ght
forusbuthesai dt hatthebestmemor i
esar emade
onther oad,notonpl anes.Ican'twai ttoseet he
beachf orthev eryfirstt
ime.

Sont
oMol
oi

I'
m sof
rust
rat
ed,
manfuck.Howcoul
dIbeso
sl
oppy?Assoonasshementi
onedal
ett
er,
I
i
mmedi atelyr
ecal
ledSophienevergavemeany
l
etterwr i
ttenbyPetuni
a.Ineedthatlet
ter
,who
knowswhatPet uniawrot
einthere?Ideci
dedtocal
l
thewitch.

Sophi
e:”
Ke(
It
's)Sophi
enai
za.
”

Sont
o:(r
oll
inghereyes)”Heywena,
ghet
toqueen!
Where'
sthelet
terPetuni
awrote?
”

Sophi
e:”
Let
ter
?Whatl
ett
er?
”

Sont
o:”
Oskant
ena(Don'
tannoyme)
,Sophi
e.You
knowwhatI
'
mtal
ki
ngabout.
”

Sophi
e:”
Oh,
thatl
ett
er.Lewenaobespeci
fi
c(You
shoul
dbemorespeci
fi
c).
”
Sont
o:”Wow,Sophi
e.Suchabi
gword.whendi
d
youhav
etimetoevenl
earnt
hemeaning?
”

Sophie:”Keeppl
ayi
ngli
kethatandotlasebokerey
e
bori
finyanabagao(andyouwon'tgetyourl
i
ttl
e
l
ett
er).”

Sont
o:(
sigh)”
Howmuch?
”

Sophie:”
Nowy ou'r
etalki
ng.Mfetenbl
ock(
Giv
eme
tenthousandrand).Kenyakadi
aparot
sedimphy
a
(Ineednewclothes).
”

Sont
o:”
Eng(
What
)?!Wagaf
a(You'
recr
azy
)!”

Sophi
e:”
Okayt
hen.By
e.”

Sont
o:”
Okay
!Ket
lagof
a(I
'
llgi
vey
ou)
.”
Sophi
e:”
Youknowmybanki
ngdet
ail
s.Skanshapa
kanako(Don'
twast
emyt
ime).
”

ShehungupwhileIsighedinfr
ust
rat
ion.Idon'
t
knowwhyIjustneverkil
ledher
,bl
oodybit
ch.
Chapt
erFi
ft
een

Micah7:5-”Putnotr
ustinaneighbor
;hav
eno
confi
dencei
naf ri
end;guar
dthedoorsofyour
mouthfrom herwholi
esinyourarms.”

That
o

Wear r
ivedatDurbanandcheckedinattheSouther
n
SunElangeniandMaharaniHotel
.Mywor d,
the
beaut
yoft hi
splaceisj
ustmagnifi
cent.I'
min
absol
uteawe.Thev iewfrom t
hebalconyofour
room i
sjustamazingandthecleanl
inessofthe
rooms, t
heambi enceandthepoolsaresoamazing.
Ther oof
topisthebestviewforme.If eel
sobad
thatKghadt odriveusallt
hewayf r
om Sowetoto
Durban,buthedoesn'tmindatall
.Ithoughthe'
dbe
ti
red,butIt
houghtwr ong.Kghuggedmef rom
behindasIinhaledhisexpensi
vecologne.

Kg:
”So,
doy
oul
i
kei
t?”

That
o:”Baby,Il
ovei
t.Youshoul
dn'
thav
e,t
hough.
I
t'
syourbir
thday-notmine.
”

Kg:”It
oldyou,
thi
syear
'sbi
rt
hdayist
hebest
becauseIgett
ospenditwi
thyou.
”

Kgi sr
eall
ythesweet est.Het urnedmear oundand
gavemeapassi onat
eki ss.Myl ipsandtongue
responded,yes,
it'
saboutdamnt i
meourt onguegot
todot hePassoDoblet ogether.Oh, Kg'
stonguecan
domagi cinagirl'
smout h.Icanonl yimaginewhat
hi
st ongueisli
kedownt here.Palesaal
wayst
ell
s
met hatsexisnice,butwhenyougetmuf f
edi
t'
s
ev
enni cer.Idon'tknowthesethi
ngssoIdeci
dedto
watchsomepor ntheotherday.

Isawsomehect icstuffandot her

sIdoubtI'deven
try
,butallt
hosegi rl
slookliketheyreal
lyenjoy
havingaman' stonguedownt here.Kgkissedme,
thenhepulledoutoft hekissandgent l
ysuckedon
myneck.Ij ustcouldn'thel
pbutmoan.Idi dn'
teven
knowIcouldmoan.Thecl osestI'veev
erbeent o
moani ngwaswhenev erhe'
df ondlemybreastsand
I'
dbr eat
heheavil
y ,
involunt
aril
yofcourse.

That
o:(
moani
ng)”
Aaah,
daddy
.”

Itseemsl i
keIjustgothim evenmorearousedasI
calledhimt hat
.Hegr abbedmybreastsfrom
under neat
hmyshi rtandIwentwil
d.Inev erreal
l
y
touchhi m downthere,butt
oday,I
'
dliketofeelhi
s
thing.Myhandmadei t
swaydownt ohiscrotchasI
gent
lyr
ubbedhi
scock.

Kg:
(moani
ng)”
Oh,
shi
t,TT.
”

Hear i
nghim curseandmoanandbr eatheheavilyi
n
myear ,hiswarm breathslowlyheatingmyneck, j
ust
gav emegoosebumps.If eltsoweirdt her
e,pretty
wet .Palesaalwayssaysthatwheny ougethor ny,
youwi l
l f
eelverywetdownt here,al
mostl i
keyour
dischargeisabi tmuch.Itfel
tsowei r
d,butsogood
atthesamet ime.

Mycl it
ori
swast witchi
ng, makingmewantmor eof
whathewasdoi ng.Het ookoffmyponchoandt hen
myt op,unti
lIwaslefti
nmybr a.Itookof fhi
sshirt,
I
di
dn'tevenknowIcoul dhav esuchcour age.I'
m
soberont opofital
l.Het ookof fmyjeanuntilIwas
hal
fnaked, onl
ydressedi nmyunder wear.

Hedi
dn'
tev
engi
vemeachancet
oremov
ehi
sjeans.
Thisisit
,It
houghtt omy sel
f.I'
m abouttol
osemy
vi
rgini
ty.Kg'
sey eswer esosmal l
,small
ert
han
usual.Iguessthisishishornylook.Hegavemea
naughtysmileandpl ant
edhismout honmineasour
l
ipsdancedt ogetheronceagain.

Ourtonguesweremaki nglovetoeachot her,

with
oursali
vaexchangingdna, maki
nghistonguean
off
ici
alresi
dentofmymout h.Hetouchedmeal l
over,
gentlyr
ubbinghisfinger
sovermyl acebr a,
sendi
ngt i
ngl
ysignalstomyni ppl
es.Hishandwent
downt omypussy ,
andIj ustcoul
dn'
tholdi ti
n
anymore.

That
o:”
Aaah,
Kg.Pl
ease,
daddy
..
.”

Kgdidn'
trespond.Inst
ead, hegentl
yremov edmy
braandsuckedonmybr eastsashegentlyrubbed
them.Hisonehandwentdownt omypussy ,
andhis
handfi
nall
yent er
edmyunder wear.Ican'
tbel i
eve
thi
sishappening.Ispr
eadmyl egsabitwider,and
hegentlyfl
i
ckedhi sfi
ngeronmycl i
t.Oh, shi
t.I'
ve
neverhadsuchanamazi ngfeel
ingi
nmyl i
febefor
e.
Ifel
tmy sel
ftwitchandmov einvol
untar
il
y.Ifelta
hotwaveov ercomeme.Ican' tevenexplaini
t.

That
o:”Shi
t,Kg.Onket
sang(
Whatar
eyoudoi
ngt
o
me)?”

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)”
Thebesti
syett
ocome,
mybaby
.”

Hetrav
eleddownmyabdomen, pl
antingwetkisses
andwettrai
lswit
hhistongueashemadehi swayto
mypussy .Heremovedmypant y,
finall
y.Hekissed
mylowerabdomengent l
yandthenst ar
edatmy
coochi
eandsmi l
ed.Gosh,doesher eall
yhaveto?

That
o:(
embar
rassed)”
Kg,
man.
”

Kg:
(chuckl
i
ng)”
Damn,
baby
.Youhav
esucha
beaut
if
ulpussy
.Ican'
twai
ttodev
ouri
t.
”

Ismi l
edasIcov eredmyf ace.Thenextt hi
ngIknew,
Ifel
tKg'swarmt ongueonmycl i
t.Fli
p,Palesa
wasn'tki
ddingatal l
.Shit,thi
sfeelsamazing.He
pressedhi
st ongueonmycl i
t,t
henli
ckeditina
fastermoti
on,thenpr essedhistongueonmycl i
t
againandrepeat edthecy cl
e.Ifel
tsohot ,
likeIwas
abouttoexplode.

That
o:”
Aaah,
daddy
,shi
t!
”

Kg:
(sof
tl
y)”
Don'
tcomey
et,
lov
e.”

Whatthehelldoeshemeanbyt hat?I'm soreadyto

comeandIdon' tevenknowwhati tfeel
sl i
ke.Ithi
nk
I'
m cl
ose.Kgmov edhistonguefrom mycl i
tand
wentint
ot heentr
anceofmypussy .Hespr eadmy
l
egssof arapart
,thatbot
hoft hem wereonei t
her
si
deofmyshoul ders.Hel i
ckedmypussyand
suckedi t
,Idon'
tev enknowhowt oexpl ain.He
occasionall
yrubbedmycl i
twithhisfi
ngerashi s
tonguewaspl ayingdownt here.Ifel
tt hehotwav e
ofheatcomeov ermeonceagai n.Thef asterhe
went,thefasterIbreathed.Thenextt hingIknewI
wasshaki ngandf eltsohotal
l overmybody .Ifel
t
somef lui
dgushoutofmedownt hereasKgl i
ckedit
from mypussy .Real l
y,Kg?

Heki ssedmyt highsandcameupt ome.Hegently

kissedmeandIcoul dtast
emy selfi
nhismouth.It
feelssogood,butI '
m soembarrassed.Sexisabi
t
disgusti
ng,butifitf
eelsanywhereclosetowhatI
j
ustf el
t,t
henIwanti t.

Kg:(smil
ing)”Congrat
ulat
ions,
baby
.You'
vej
usthad
yourfi
rstorgasm.”

That
o:(
shy
ly)”
Eish,
Kg.You'
remaki
ngmesoshy
now.
”
Kg:
”Noneedt
obeshy
.Youl
ooksogoodnaked.
”

Ismi
l
edashest
aredatme.

Kg:
”Il
ovey
ou,
That
oMaake.
”

Wow,t
hisi
sactual
l
ythefi
rstti
mehehasev
ersai
d
t
hoset
hreepowerf
ulwor
dst ome.

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)”
Ilov
eyout
oo,
Kgaugel
oMol
oi.
”

Heki
ssedmyfor
eheadandgotoffme.Hao,
I
t
houghtwewer
egoingt
ogetiton.

That
o:(
sur
pri
sed)”
Andt
hen?
”
Kg:
” Hao?Youdidn'tt
hinkI
'dwantyourfir
stti
meto
bemor especi
alt
hanthis?Comeon, baby.There'
s
norush.Thebestisyettocome,Ipromise.
”

Igotupfr
om thebed,sul
ki
ng.Iat
tempt
edt
oputmy
cl
othesbackon,buthehel
dme.

Kg:”Youdon'thavet
ohi dethatbeaut
yfrom me.
Come, I
'
dliketoshowy ouabeaut i
ful
lev
elof
i
ntimacywithoutphy
sicalsex.Let'
sgotakea
showertogether
.”

Isl
owlywalkedwi thhontowardsthehotelbathr
oom.
Hetookoffhisjeansandbr i
efsandIcouldn'
thelp
butl
etmymout hhangopen.I '
veneverseenapeni s
upfrontl
i
kethis,letal
oneapenisthisbi
g.If ound
myselfst
ari
ngati tinshock.

Kg:
(chuckl
i
ng)”
It
'sr
udet
ost
are,
youknow.
”
That
o:(
shy
ly)”
I'
m sor
ry.
”

Kg:(
li
ft
ingmychin)”I
'm ki
ddi
ng.What'
syoursi
s
mineandwhat'
smi neisyour
s.Youcantouchi
tif
youwantto.
”

Ei
sh,
I'
m notsur
eift
hat
'sat
ri
ckst
atementorwhat
.

That
o:”
May
bel
ater
.”

Hesmi ledatmeaswegoti ntotheshower.The

waterranov erus,andit
'sact ual
l
ytheveryfi
rstt
ime
KgandIgett oseeeachot hernaked.Het ur
nedme
around,whil
ehewasf acingmyback.Hedr apedhi
s
fi
ngersgentlyov ermyscar .I'
veneveral
lowed
anyonet oseemyscarbef ore.Kgkissedmyneck
gentl
yasher ubbeddif
ferentpartsofmybody .

Kg:
”You'
resobeaut
if
ul,
TT.Bot
hinsi
deandout
.
Thisscart ell
sast oryanddon'tevert hi
nkotherwise.
Thereissuchbeaut ybehinditevent houghit
changedy ourbody .Iwanttolovey ouunt i
lyoucan't
evenbr eatheany more.Iwantt oshowy ouy our
beautyandwor thissogr eat
,thatyoudeser veaspot
nexttot hestars.Youhav et
urnedmei ntosomeone
Inevert houghtI'deverbecomeandf orthat,you
deservet ohav eyoursurnamechanged.Ipr ayev ery
dayforGodt ospar emel ongenought oseeour
chil
drenandgr andchil
drenenterthi
sear th.Your
warmt hbr i
ngst heutmostpeacet omysoul .Ilove
youbaby .
”

If
oundmysel
fsot
ear
yasher
eci
tedt
hosebeaut
if
ul
wordst
ome.

That
o:”
Ilov
eyout
oo,
Kg.
”

Wet ooktur
nswashingeachot hersbackswit
hout
say
ingmuchandoccasi onall
ykissingoneanother.I
haveneverfel
tthi
slev
elofinti
macyandIwi sht hi
s
momentcoul
dlastf
orev
er.
Chapt
erSi
xteen

Psal
m 37:
4-“Takedel
ighti
ntheLord,
andhewi
l
l
gi
veyouthedesi
resofyourhear
t.
”

That
o

Aft
erouramazi ngshower ,wegotdressed.Kg
makesmef eel
sor elaxedandfreeinmyownski n.I
neverf
eel thereasont obeashamedofbei ngnaked
now.Wegotdr essed, ashewor easuitandIwor e
aneveninggownheboughtmet heotherday .He
j
ustsaiditwoul dl ookcut eonme, l
it
tl
edi dIknow.
Kggotdr essedi nhi ssuitwit
hay el
lowtie,tomat ch
wit
hmyy ellowdr ess.Iwor ethediamondpendant
heboughtmeaf ewmont hsagoformybi rthday
.

Kg:
”Youl
ooksobeaut
if
ul.
”
That
o:”
Youl
ooksohandsome.
”

Weheadedoutt other ooftop.Iexpectedust obe

aroundaf ewpeople, butnope.Notmyman, he
bookedoutt hewhol erooftop,wit
hcandl esand
yell
owrosesev erywher e.Rosepetalsont hefl
oor,
andonet ablespecial
lydecoratedjustforthetwoof
us.Wi t
ht hevi
ewwe' reoverl
ooki
ng, t
hisfeelsl
ikea
realmovieandI'mt hemai ncharacter
.

That
o:(
tear
y)”
Kg.
..Thi
sis.
..
.Wow.
”

Kg:(
smili
ng)”
Itol
dyou,
youdeser
vet
hebest
.
Come.”

Hepull
edmychai
rformeasIgotseat
edwhilehe
satacr
ossme.Goshthi
smanlooksbeaut
if
ulina
sui
t.
That
o:”
Whatar
ecel
ebr
ati
ng?
”

Kg:”Well,we'
recelebrati
nggoodli
fe,goodhealth,
happinessandmosti mport
antl
yblessings.The
nexttimewehav edi nnerwhi
lewatchingthestars
l
ikethis,y
ou'l
lbeMr s.ThatoMoloi
, aMechanical
Engineer,
whil
eI'l
l betheownerofmyJewel r
y
desi
gncompany ,ThatoJeweler
s.”

What
?Ishebei
ngseri
ousri
ghtnow?Hewant
sto
namehi
scompanyaf
terme?

Thato:
(teary
)”Youwantt
onamey
ourcompany
aft
erme, Kg?”

Kg:
”No,
baby
.Ial
readydi
d.”
.

Het
ookouthi
sphoneandshowedmet
hepaper
s.
Oh, mygoodness!Heal readyregisteredt
he
companyandnamedi tafterme.Thi smustbea
dream, though.WhenGodsai d”I'l
lgiveyouthe
desiresofy ourheart
”Hewasn' tjoki
ng.Ineverknew
l
ov elikethi
sexistedoutsideofbooksandmov ies.

That
o:”
Oh,
Kg.Idon'
tknowwhatt
osay
.”

Kg:
”Youdon'
thavet
osayanythi
ng,al
lyouhav
eto
doi
slovemeback.That
'sal
lIask.
”

Thato:”Kg,howcanInotl ov
ey ou?You' veprovento
met hattr
uelovedoesexistandt hatyouarev ery
realandauthent
ic.There'
snoot hermanI 'drather
givemyhear tt
o.You'r
et hefir
stmanIhav eever
l
ov edandthere'
snodoubti nmymi ndthatyou'l
lbe
thelast
.Iloveyou,Kgaugelo.”

Wemadeatoastandapr omi
setoeachother
,that
nomat
terwhathappens,
we'l
lfi
ghtf
oroneanother
.
Soundscheesy,buthey,i
tiswhatiti
s.Wehadsuch
goodf oodandheintr
oducedmet omusslesand
Lobster.WheneverI
'm wit
hKg,foodisal
way st
he
orderoftheday.Wehadsomewi neashefinal
l
y
i
ntroducedmet osomef i
newine.

NowIknowabi tofdifferencebet weenPi notage,

MerlotandChar donnay .Ai,whi tepeoplecameup
wit
ht hemostwei rdestandmostcompl icatedt hi
ngs.
Whitewinegoeswel lwithfishappar ently.Ai,
anyway ,
weenj oy edourmeal andsatandt alkedas
wehadourwi ne.Idon' tdri
nkal ot
,IguessIj ust
enj
oyt hetaste,buttoni ghtIhadaboutt hreegl asses
andImustsayI '
m hav ingdi rt
yt houghts.I '
m
amazedathowKgnev ermakesi tami ssiont oget
i
ntomypant s.Wecanchi llandt al
kwi thoutbei ng
physical
.Ifeellikehe'st hepar tnerIneed.

That
o:”
Daddy
,let
'st
aket
hispar
tyt
othebedr
oom.
”

Kg:
(chuckl
i
ng)”
Waj
aga,
wai
tse(
You'
rev
ery
i
mpati
ent,
y ouknow),
baby.Besi
des,I
'l
lactli
keI
di
dn'
tseethatl
itt
erednumberyoupackedin.”

Thato:(
embar
rassed)”
Ah,man,
Kg.Thatwas
supposedt
obeasur pr
ise.
”

Kg:(chuckl
i
ng)”
Don'
twor
ry,
Icanst
il
lactsur
pri
sed.
Let
'sgo.”

Weheadeddownt oourroom andassoonasI

openedthedoor,Iwasmetwi thyetanothersurpr
ise.
Theroom wasdi mmed,withscentedcandles
ever
ywhere,androses.Oh,bathong( goodness)
,Kg
i
sjustsomethingelse.I
'
dsayher eadstoomany
romancenov el
sbuthedoesn'treadany .

That
o:”
Kg.
..
”

Kg:
”Shh.Tsena(
Geti
n).
”
IwalkedinandIsawmyl ingerieonthebed.There'
s
evenapi cnicbasketnexttot hebedwi t
hsome
snacks,strawberri
es,yoghurt,chocol
ate,cr
eam and
ofcourseabot t
leofwineandabot tl
eofwhiskey
withsomei ce.

Kg:(smi l
i
ng)”I
'
m goingtot hebat
hroom,soI'
m
gi
vingy outi
met ogetdressedanddoy ourt
hing.
Seey ouintenminutes,
baby .
”

Hekissedmeandpr oceededt othebat

hroom.Yoh,
nowI'm sonervous.Whati fIdon'tsmellni
cedown
ther
enow?Igoti nt
omyl i
ngeri
e.Lacealwayslooka
goodonal ady.Thisitem i
sabi trev
eal
ing,butI
guessit'
ssupposedt olookthatway.Itookasmal l
sipofthewinejustforextr
aliqui
dcourage.

IsawapackofDur
excondomsont hebedsi
de.
Andher
eIwaspackingChoi
cecondomsjustthe
otherday.I'
m socl ueless,t
hough.KgandIgot
testedafewmont hsago, apparentl
ywehadt odoit
withorwithoutsexj ustasasaf etyprecaution.I'
m
gladwedi ditthough.Il ayonthebedwi t
hmy
palpit
ati
nghear t
,so, asoftomor r
owIwon' tbea
vir
ginanymor e.IhopeIdon' tregretthi
s,though.

Kgwal kedoutoft hebathroom, naked.Yoh, this

mani samast erpi
ece.I tfeel
ssowei r
dl ooki
ngata
fi
rm dickofaman, nje,
butI'l
lgetusedt oitast i
me
goesby .Idon'tevenseet heneedf orli
nger i
e,butke
that
'swhitepeoplef oryou.Theyi nventedallthese
thi
ngst ospi
cel i
feupabi t,Iguess.Kgt ookasi pof
hiswhiskey,
andl ookedatme.

Kg:”
Areyousur
ey ouwantt
odot
his?Youcan
al
waystur
nback.”

That
o:”
I'
m sur
e.Iwantt
o.”
Kgsmi ledashegent l
ykissedme.Hi swhiskey
taint
edt onguejusttastessogoodi nmymout h.I
couldfeel hi
sbulgepor tr
udingont opofmypussy ,
I
couldmy sel
fgetweti nst
antly.Hepulledoutofthe
kissandt ookast r
awber ryfrom t
hebasket,andput
somewhi ppedcream oni tandfedmeone.It ooka
biteandheat etherestofi t
.

Hegent lyremov edtheli

ngerieoffmeandIwas
completelyexposed.Hel ookedatbot hmybr easts
andsmi l
ed.Heputsomewhi ppedcr eam onmyl eft
nippl
eandgent l
ysuckeditoff.Histonguej ustdoes
thismagict r
ickonmyni pplesanditget sme
arousedev eryt
ime.NowIseewhyGodi nvented
nippl
esot herthanbreast
feeding.Het hentookan
i
cecubeandputi tonmyr i
ghtnippl
e, oh,i
tcaused
met omoansl i
ghtly.

That
o:(
breat
hingheav
il
y)”
Ahhh.
..
”

Hesuckedof
fthewat
erf
rom t
hesmel
ti
ngcube.He
proceededtoletthecubegodownonmyabdomen
unti
lhegottomypussy .Hespr eadmylegsapart
againandroll
edt heicecubeonmycl i
tandsucked
thewateroff.Her epeatedthecycl
eunti
lthecube
meltedcompl et
ely.Hekeptl i
cki
ngandsuckingme
unti
lIorgasmedr ightonhisfaceagai
n.

That
o:(
moani
ng)”
Aah,
shi
t,daddy
!”

Hegotupandki ssedmeagai n.Oh, t

histi
mehe'd
bett
ernotturnmedown.Hegent lysl
idoneofhis
fi
ngersint
otheent r
anceofmypussyandIf el
tgood.
Heputt woinandIwhi ncedabit
.Het ookacondom
outofthepackandr ol
leditont
ohispenis.He
posit
ionedhimsel
font opofmeandl ookedatme.I
tr
iedcoveri
nfmyf ace,buthebeggedmet olookat
hi
m.

Kg:
”Lookatme,
TT.
”
Iopenedmyey
essl
i
ght
ly.

Kg:”
It
'sgoi
ngt
ohurtabi
t,baby
.Ify
ouwantmet
o
st
op,l
etmeknow,
okay?”

Inodded.Hegentl
yputtheti
pofhispenisi
nandI
fel
tsomuchpain.Ican'
tevendescri
bethepai
n,but
wow.Nooneev ertel
l
sorshowsussuchont v
whenevert
heyhavesex.Hekeptstroki
ngbi
tbybit
unti
lhewasful
lyi
n.

Kg:(
moani
ng)”
Aaah,
baby
.Doy
ouwantmet
o
st
op?”

Asmuchpai nIwasin,Idi
dn'
twanthimt ostop.I
don'tev
enknowwhatt ocall
thisf
eeli
ng,butyou'
re
i
npai nandatthesametimey ouj
ustdon'twantt
o
stop.There'
ssli
ghtpl
easur
e,butfucki
t'
spainful
.
That
o:(
shaki
nghead)”
No,
daddy
.Keepgoi
ng.
”

Shame, Kgt r
iedtomakemef eelbet t
er,heki ssed
me, suckedmyneckandsuckedonmybr easts.The
painwasmor ethanthepleasure,buthopef ullyas
ti
megoesi twil
lgetbetter
.Kgmadesweetl ov et
o
medespi tethepain.Hewentonf orawhi leandI
heardhim growl i
npleasurewhilehest areddeep
i
ntomyey es.Afterawhi l
e,hereleasedhi sloadand
cl
imaxed.

Kg:
”Fuck!
”

Heki
ssedmyt
ear
sawayandgent
lyki
ssedmeon
t
heli
ps.

Kg:”
Thankyou,
TT.Thanky
ouf
orsuchabeaut
if
ul
gi
ft
.Ilovey
ou.”
That
o:”
Ilov
eyout
oo.
”

Kg:
”Si
tti
ght
,I'
l
lber
ightback.
”

Heki ssedmyf oreheadandgotof fthebed.Hewent

tothebat hroom andIhear dhimr unabat h.He
camebackwi that owel andgentlywi pedmedown
there.Wi thoutsay i
ngawor d,hegent lypickedme
upandt ookmet ot hebathroom.Hecar eful
ly
placedmei ntothet ubwhi chwasal readyf il
l
edwi th
somef oam bath, scentedsaltsandoi ls.Iwhi nceda
bitinpainasIf eltlikeItoredownt her e.

Kg:”
I'
m sor
ry,
butyou'
l
lgetbet
terwi
thti
me, baby
.I
pr
omiseyounextt
imewon'tbesopainf
ul.
”

Hekissedmyf or
eheadandlef
tmef orawhile.The
warm watersoot
hedthepainabitandIfel
tatease.
Kghassomuchl ove,real
l
y.Palesatol
dmet hatthe
fi
rstt
imeshehadsexwasact uall
ywithSoks.He
actual
lyhadsexwit
hherandshebled.Hethen
wentrightbackt
osleepwi
thoutt
akinggoodcar
eof
herli
kethis.

If eelli
keshecandobet terandThabo,ourclass
mat ewasj ustthat-bet t
er .Butshedoesn'twantto
dat ealearnersowhoam I ?Kgcamebackand
gent l
ypickedmeupagai nandwr appedmei na
towel.Heappl i
edsoot hingoilsonmeandwesati n
bedt ogether.Forsomer easonwedon' tfeell
ike
sleeping,sowewat chedsomet v,i
ndul
gedi nour
snacksandal cohol
, andwentt hroughourpictur
es
whi chwet ookont her oadandr i
ghthereatthe
Hot el
.

Heupl oadedaf ewpicsonInstagr

am, andsome
weir
dgi r
lwi t
haghostaccountcomment edand
wrot
esomenast ycomment s.Hesaidi t'
sprobabl
y
Anastaci
a, soheblockedandreport
edt heaccount
andwet alkedunti
lwebothdozedof f.
Sont
oMol
oi

Yoh,I'
veneverfel
tthisfrustratedinmyent ireli
fe.
Thelastti
meIf el
tthisfrustratedwaswhenIwas
pregnantwithThato.Ihonest l
ywishshehaddi edin
thatfi
re,
thenIwoul dn'
tbehav ingthi
sproblem right
now.Nowt hatSophiehasgi venmet hatlett
er,I
madesur etodestroyit
.Ibur ntiti
mmedi atelyand
camebackhome.Nowev ersinceRomeosawt hat
gir
l,t
hat'
sallhe'
sbeent alkingabout .

Romeo:”Ao,
baby
.Ot
swakae(
Wher
ehav
eyou
been)
?”

Sont
o:”Ah,
Ijustwentt
oseeSophi
e.Youknowhow
shei
s,sheneverst
opstal
ki
ng.
”

Romeo:”Hmm,maybeyoucangethert
odo
somethi
ngusef
ulwi
thherl
i
feinst
eadofdr
inki
ngher
l
ifeaway.
”
Sont
o:”
Hmm.
”

Romeo:”Mara(But)Baby,di
dyouseeThat o,mara
(t
hough)?Kgaugelodidreal
lywellbychoosi
ngsuch
abri
ghtgir
lfr
om thisnei
ghbourhood,hey.Unli
ke
Soksai.
”

Ag,Idon'
tevenwantt
otal
kaboutsuch.I'
m
honestl
ynotint
hemoodforsmall
talk.Nott
oni
ght
.

Sont
o:”
Ja,
Iguess.
”

Romeo:”Di
dyouseeherbi
rt
hmark?Iswearshe
l
ooksjustl
i
keyou,hey
.Areyousur
eperhapsyou'
re
notr
elat
ed?”

Sont
o:(edgy)”Uh.
.Aowa,man,Romeo.Youknow
I
'mfrom Diepkl
oofandI
'm Zul
uanyway
s.Besides,
That
o'sdadi
swhi
tei
nanycase.
”

Romeo:
(puzzl
ed)”
Howdoy
ouknowt
hat
?”

Ei
sh,
fuck.Ihat
ehowIbur
stwhenev
erI
'
m st
ressed.

Sonto:”I
..
.Uh.
.Ag,manSophiesai
dso.Yousaw
Thato,man.She'st
ooli
ghttobeful
lybl
ack,
besi
des
hereyesaregray
.Thatshoul
dtelly
ouabouther
genes.”

Ihopehebuy
smyst
ory
,though.

Romeo:
”Oho,
okay
.”

Sont
o:”
Eish,
Romeo,kel
api
l
e(I
'
mti
red)
.Ngi
yol
ala
(I
'
m goi
ngtobed)
.”
Romeo: ”
Bjanongoneny
ana(
So,
howaboutone
round)
?”

Sonto:
”Ei
sh,maybelat
er.Ngi
phet
hwei
khanda(
I
haveaheadache)
.”

IcouldseehewaspissedbutI
'
m notaboutt
ohave
hisusel
essli
mpdickhumponmet onight
.Iget
bett
erdickel
sewher
e.
Chapt
erSev
ent
een

1Cori
nthi
ans13:
4-”Lovei
spati
ent,l
oveiskind.I
t
doesnotenv
y,i
tdoesnotboast
,iti
snotproud.”

That
o

Iwokeupfeel
i
ngmuchbett
erthanIdi
dlastni
ght.
Ofcour
seKgwokemeupagai nint
hemiddleofthe
ni
ghtandwehadsexagai
n.Itwassti
l
lpainf
ul,
buta
l
otlessthough.I'
m gladheor der
edbreakfast
becauseI'
m starvi
ng.Ial
way sseecouplesont v
eati
ngalotaftersexandallIcansayisthatsex
doesmakey ouhungr y.I
t'
sawor koutandahal f
.

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)”
Mor
ning,
lov
e.”

That
o:(
shy
ly)”
Goodmor
ning,
Babe.
”

Kg:
”Or
obet
sebj
ang(
Howdi
dyousl
eep)
?”

That
o:”It
'snotl
ikeyougav
ememuchofachancet
o
sl
eep,hao(gosh),Kg.
”

Kg:(chuckl
ing)”Askies(
Sorr
y),
baby.Ijustcan'
tget
enoughofy ourawesomekuku( coochi
e).Eish,
phel
ai thadbeenal ongti
mesinceIhadhadsex. ”
That
o:”
Howl
ong?
”

Kg:
”Twoy
ear
s.”

That
o:(
shocked)”Heh(
Huh)?!Ithoughtguy
s
coul
dn'
tl
astthatl
ongwit
houtsex?”

Kg:”I
'
m notguysnna,I'm Kg.I
twasn'
teasy
,butI
gotusedtoit
.It'
sbetterthant
osl
eepwithsomeone
j
ustforthehel
lofit
.”

He'
sgotapointt
hough.Atl
easther
espect
s
hi
msel
funl
ikeSoks.

Kg:”Wel
l,
nowthaty
ou'reoff
ici
all
y17andI'm 26,
it'
s
ti
mewegohav eabitoffuntoday.Eatupsowecan
gotakeabat
htoget
her.”
IseeKgl ov
est akingshowersandbat hi
ngt ogether
.
Iloveittoo,Icanonl yhopethatthi
slastsal i
fet
ime
becauseIdon' tknowwhatI 'ddowithoutKg,
honestly.Wef i
nishedeati
ngandgoti nt
ot he
bathroom anddi dourbusiness,nosex,justbathing
togetherandl aughing.

Heoccasi onal
lykissedmyscarandIevenfor
get
aboutitattimes.Hemakesmef eelsofr
eeinmy
ownski n,soIloveitwhenwe'
rebothnaked.Iam
notafraidofhisanacondaanymore.Idon'
tstar
eat
i
tlikecrazy,al
thoughiti
squit
ebig,buti
tmakesme
feelgood.

Wegotdr essedinourswimwear ,andtooksome

sunscreen,towel
sandwat erbottl
eswi t
h.Lucki lyI
canswim.It ookswimmingl essonsatschool .We
wantedtogot othebeach,butitwassof ullandKg
hat
escr owdedplaces.SodoIact uall
y,sohet ook
metoUshakaMar ineWorl
d.I t
'sabitfullher
e, but
l
ucki
lypeopledot hei
rownt hi
ngs.Wet ookal otof
pi
ctur
estoget
her
,andKgevenwentl
iveatsome
poi
ntandtookavi
deoofustoget
her
.

Ai,Kg.Hesay shewant st ocr

eatememor ies
becauseoncepeopl earegonet honlythi
ngleftof
them wil
lbepicturesandv i
deos.He'sgotapoi nt
, a
real
lygoodone.HowIwi shedt hatIhadtakenalot
ofpict
uresandv ideosofMamaandI .Wewenton
almostallthesli
desanditwasmegaf un.Isowi sh
Palesawasher e.Acoupl estr
ipwouldber eal
lynice
nextti
me, Ishouldsuggestitt
oKg.

That
o:”
Baby,
may benextti
meweshoul
dgo
somewher
ewithPalesaandSoks.
”

Kg:(si
gh)”
Ai,thosetwo.Baithat
elabj
ala(
Theyl
ove
booze),
butI'
l
lthinkabouti
t.
”

Weenj
oyedther
estofourdayandKgdidn'
twantus
t
ospendtoomuchti
meatUshaka,asthewatercan
makey outi
red.He'sr i
ght,
though.Hesai dwe' dgo
tothebeachearlyi
nt hemor ni
ngwhennotal otof
peoplearet
here,soweheadedbackt othehotelto
enj
oyt heambiencethereof.Wet ookaqui ck
showerandchangedi ntocasualclothes.It'
sreal
ly
hothereinDurbanunlikebackinPr etor
ia.

Weheadedout si
detotherooftopagainandt hi
s
ti
mewehav eafewpeoplearound.Thewai t
ers
broughtourdrinksandsomef ood.Yoh,swimmi ng
canreall
ymakey ouhungr
y.Wedugi nt
oourf ood
andwat chedthesunset.Aswewer echil
li
ngin
eachother'sarms,Kgtookthi
sopportunit
ytospeak
aboutthefuture.

Kg:”
So,
baby.Sincewepract
ical
l
ylivet
oget
her
,I'
d
l
iket
oaskyoutoformal
l
ymov ei
n.”

Thato:(
surpr
ised)”
Real
l
y?Why
?Imean,
nott
hatI
mind,butwhy?”
Kg:”Whynot?Ili
kehav
ingy
ouaroundand
whenevery
ou'r
enotinmybedI
'
m nothappy.Ican'
t
evensl
eep.
”

Thato:
(laughi
ng)”
Kgbat
hong(
goodness)
,o(
you'
re)
dramati
c.”

Kg:(l
aughi
ng)”
I'
ll
acceptt
hat
.Bjanongorengka
tabae(Sowhatdoyousayaboutt
his)
?”

That
o:”
Okay
,Iagr
ee.
”

Kg:”
Good.Si nceyou'
vegott
enabitt
ir
edofmy
sur
prises,Imightaswellt
ell
youaboutwhatIhav
e
i
nmi ndf orusnextyear
.”

Il
ist
enedatt
ent
ivel
y.Isweart
hisguyl
egi
thasme
onhismind24/
7.Wehav en'
tevenbeent
ogetherf
or
awholey earandalr
eadyhe'splanni
ngbig.Iread
somewher ethatamanknowswhathewant s,so
whetherhemar ri
esyouwithinayearorthr
ee
months,heknowswhathewant s.Iguessit'
salot
bet
terthantobest r
ingedalong.

Kg:”I
'
dli
ket opaylobol
aforyour
ightafteryouget
yourr
esult
sinJanuary.ThenyouandIcanmov eto
Jo'
burg,
wher eI'
ll
getmycompanyof ftheground,
andyoucanst udyatWit
ssincey
our eall
yloveit
.”

Kghasthi
sallplannedout.Lobol
a,t
hough?Reall
y?
Am Ir
eadyformar r
iage?Butwhywouldn'tIbe?I
hav
efoundfami l
yinkg,somethi
ngIneverhadwit
h
myownbloodf amily.

That
o:(exci
ted)”
Bat
hong(Goodness)
,Kg,
whendi
d
youeventhi
nkaboutmarr
iage?
”

Kg:
”It
oldy
ou,
TT,
I'
vet
houghtaboutmar
ryi
ngy
ou
theveryfi
rstt
imeImety ou.Ifyou'
renotuptoit,
we
canwai t
.Idon'twanttopressur
izeyouint
odoing
anyt
hingy ou'
renotr
eadyfor.You'resti
l
lyoungand
you'
l
l wanttoexperi
enceli
featVarsit
yandpartyi
f
youwish.”

Idon'tknowaboutpartyi
ng,becauseitjustisn'
tmy
scene.Iwanttobagt hatdegree,especial
l
ynow
thatKgisdonewithhis.Idon'twantt obea
housewife,
noway s.

Thato:”No,baby
.Iwouldlovetomar
ryy
ou,
I'
mjust
thi
nkingaboutyourchi
eft
ancy.
”

Kg:
”Whatabouti
t?”

Thato:
”Imean,won'
twehavet
omovetot
heRoy
al
houseandall
onceyoubecomeKi
ng?
”
Kg:”
Well
,yesofcourse,buti
fyoudon'
twantitt
henI
won'
tdoit
.Lifeist
ooshor t,
baby.I
'dr
atherhav
e
yout
hanbeaKi ngwithoutyoubymyside.
”

Mara(But
)Kg.Hewouldser
iousl
yrej
ecthi
s
bi
rt
hri
ghtforme?No,
man.Thatwoul dn'
tber
ightat
al
l
.

Thato:”
No, si
l
ly.WheneveryoudecidtobeKing
thenI'
dbemor ethanhappytobey ourQueen.Ijust
havetofini
shmydegreef i
rst
,that
'sal
lIaskofyou.”

Kg:(
smil
i
ng)”Ofcour
se,baby
.Wewouldn'
twantt
o
hav
ealazyanduneducat
edwifel
i
keSont
o.”

Icoul
dn'
thel
pbutl
aughwhi
l
ehedi
dthesame.

That
o:”Kg,
man.That
'
sbei
ngmean.Shei
sol
d,
man.”
Kg:”
Sheisol
dbutbehav
esokar ekengwana(l
i
kea
chi
l
d).Imeanshe'
sevenfucki
ngboyshal
fherage.
”

That
o:(
shocked)”
Eng(
What
)?!Who?
”

Kg:
”Hai,baby,
orat
adi
taba(
Youl
ovenews)
.It
'snot
myplacetotel
l.
”

That
o:”Mxm,ahmarababyIthoughtwedon'
tkeep
secr
etsi
nourrel
ati
onshi
p.”

Kg:”
Ofcour
sebutwedon'tgossi
peit
her.Gakego
bot
sesel
o(I'
m nott
ell
i
ngyouanythi
ng).Come,l
et'
s
go,
ourspasessi
onawait
sus.”

Igotupsul ki
ngbuthesti
ll
didn'
tbudge.WhydoI
havethef eel
i
ngSontoissleepi
ngwithSoks?I
meani tcanonlyexpl
ainwhyKgi ssoadamanton
notshari
ngwhot heguyis.HeknowsI'
dtellPal
esa.
Ai,
Iinduldgedi
nourspasessi
onandletother
people'
sdramabet hei
rs.

Sophi
e

Yoh, Sontoisarealpestwhenshewant stobe.

LuckilyImadesur eImadeacopyoft hel
ett
er.I
wasn' taboutt
ogivehertheonlylever
ageIhaveover
her,besidesherhusband.He'snotmar ri
edtome,
butI'
mt heonethatfuckshi
m brainl
ess.Todayi
s
ourusual meeti
ngatoneofhi sguesthousesabit
faroutofRockv i
ll
e.

Wehav esexafewt i
mesaweekandweev enhavea
schedule.Monday ,
WednesdayandFr iday,
ismyday.
Weal way smeetupat6pm andwespendaf ew
hoursthere.Hedoesn' tsl
eepoverandI'
mt i
redof
him nottaki
ngmeser iousl
y.Iti
stimeIalsobecome
hiswife,Imeanhecanhav etwowivessowhynot
l
etmei ndul
geinthefancylif
ehe'
sgivenSonto?I'
m
alsoamothertohischi
ld,
andKagi
soisnot
educat
edlikeTumisho.Tumi
showenttothebest
school
sjustli
keKg,sowhycan'
tKagi
sobeafforded
thesameoppor t
uni
ty?

We'reinourr oom andasal waysRomeol i

kestaki
ng
i
tfrom theback.Iocassi onall
yfuckhim whileon
top,buthappensr ar
ely.Allheli
kesisdoggyst yl
e,
becausehi sdickendsupsl eepi
ngwhi l
eI '
m ontop.I
don'tknowhowhemanagest ofuckallthesesmall
gir
lshel i
kesbecauset rul
yspeakinghe'snotthat
good.Hesucks, actuall
y.LeSokswat ephall
a
(EvenSoksi swaybet ter)
.Yep,theSoks, He'
s
Rockv i
l
le'
smal ewhor eandpoorPal esadoesn'teven
know.

Hehasat hi
ngforolderwomenandf ucksalmost
anyt
hingwithaholeinit
.Sontohasnoi deathatI
ownhernow.Iknowal l
hersecretsandIev engot
Sokstorecordoneoftheirl
i
ttl
esexsessi ons.I
wonderhowRomeowoul dfeelifhefoundoutt hat
Sont
oisf uckinghisr
ighthandman.He'dbett
ergive
meal i
feequal toSonto'
sandIwantinontheDiva'
s
cl
ub,otherwiseI'
m abouttofuckupbot
hthei
rli
ves.

Romeo:
(moani
ng)”
Ah,
ah,
ahshi
t!
”

Hecol
lapsedontopofmybackasusualwhil
eI
r
emovedhimf r
om meandwipedmyselfof
f.He
t
hrewhimt het
owelandhegav
emeawei r
dlook.

Romeo: (
breathingheav
ily
)”Hao,Sophi
e.Di
ntshang,
bjanong(What'swrongnow)?Kengokar eokwatil
e
(Whydoesi tseem l
ikeyou'
reangry
)?”

Sophie:”Atl
eastyounot
iced.Kelapi
le,
Romeo( I
'
m
ti
red).KgalekeleSephi
ri(
I'
vebeenkeptasecr
etfor
fartoolong)andImetyoubefor
ey oumether!
”

Romeo:
”Ar
ewest
il
lonaboutt
hat
,Sophi
e?”
Sophi
e:(
annoyed)” Askies(Excuseme)?!Orengna
(Whatar
ey ousaying),Romeo? !Ketlagaf
a,wa
nkut
lwa(I'
l
lgocrazy ,
youhearme) ?
!Skanteka
Tumelo(Don'
ttestmypat i
ence)!
”

Romeo:”Okay,
askies(
Sorr
y),
Sophi
e.Youknow
you'
remyfir
stlov
e.You'v
ealwaysbeen,
netman
wait
se(Youknow).”

Sophi
e:”
Keit
seeng(
WhatdoIknow)
?!Ar
eyou
ashamedofme,
Romeo?
!”

Romeo:”
Ah,manSophi
e.Esengbj
ao(Notl
i
kethat
).
Okay
,bona(
look)
.I'
l
lupyoural
l
owancet
o30k.
”

30k?
!Wat
shamekamonnao(
Thi
smani
spl
ayi
ng)
.

Sophi
e:”
Skadl
alakanna(
Don'
tmesswi
thme)
,
Romeo.Iwantt obel ikeSont o.Iwantaf ull
make
over,Iwanttodresslikeher ,Ialsowantacarora
dri
verli
keher.Iwanti nont heDi va'
sCl ubandIwant
Kagisotobeaffordedt hesameoppor tunit
iesas
yoursons.She'sy ourf ir
stborndaught erandshe
deservesthesamet r
eat ment.It'sbadenoughy ou
won'tbeanactivef at
hert oherandIhav etoli
eto
heraboutwhoherf atheris.Wai tsepaineo( Doyou
knowt hatpai
n),
wenaRomeo? !
”

Romeo:(
worri
ed)”
Ah,
mar
a(but
)Sophi
e,nowy
ou'
re
demandi
ng.
”

Sophi
e:”Takeitorl
eav
ei t
.I'm donebei
ngy ourmul
e.
BothKagisoandI.We'r
eapar tofyourl
if
etoo,
unl
essyou'ret
hinki
ngotherwi
se.Icanleave.”

Romeo:(pani
cking)”Ah,okayokaygehSophi
e.I
'
ll
dowhateveryouwant .Justdon'
tleav
emeanddon't
tel
lKagi
soyet.I'
llt
hinkofsomet hi
ng.
”
Ismil
edknowingIhavehim wrappedaroundmy
l
itt
lef
inger
.It
'saboutdamnt i
meSont ogottoknow
me.

Sophi
e:”Good.Othomekaosane(Youhadbett
er
st
artt
omor r
ow).Ever
yonemustknowthatSophie
MaakeisaDivamemberbytomorrow.”

Romeo:
(si
gh)”
Ononecondi
ti
on.
”

Sophi
e:”
Any
thi
ng.
”

Romeo:”Youcancel
thehi
tyou'
repl
anni
ngon
That
o.”

Ai,
otlombor
aobj
anong(
He'
saboutt
obor
eme
now).
Sophi
e:”
Why
?”

Romeo: ”
Because,she'
syourni
eceandKgaugelowa
mor at
a(lovesher
).Andshemi ghtbeSont
o's
daughter
.”

Ir
aisedmyeyebr
owsi
nshock.Howt
hef
uckdoes
heknowthat
?!

Sophi
e:”
Orabj
ang(
Howdoy
oumean)
?”

Romeo: ”Imean,theysortoflooksali
keandthey
havethesamebi rthmark.Sheknowst oomuch
aboutthatchil
dthatnooneknows.Justmaobane
shetoldmet hatThato'
sfatherkelekgoa(i
swhite)
.
Oitsebjangena(Howdoessheknow) ?”

Ai
,onceagai
nIhav
etosav
eSont
o'sass.
Sophie:”
Ag,man.It'
sbecauseItol
dher.Pet
unia
gotThato'
sbir
threcor
dswhenshet ookherf
or
test
ingasababy.Shehaswhi t
egenesakerewa
mmonal eena(youcanseeher).She'
snotyour
ordi
naryyel
lowbone,kamehloagray(wit
hgray
eyes).
”

Ihopehe'
sbuy
ingi
t.

Romeo: ”
Ja, butsomethi
nggaseri
ght,
man.Can
yougetthosebi r
threcor
dsforme?Iknowy
oucan
pul
loffanything.
”

He'sri
ght,
Icanpulloffany
thing,y
es.NowIhav eto
fabr
icat
eal otofdocumentswhichwil
lcomeata
pri
ceforSonto.Ican'twai
ttomakethebitchsweat.

Sophi
e:”
Sur
e,buty
ouknownot
hingi
sforf
ree.
”
Romeo:
”JaIknowt
hat.Atl
easty
ougetme,Sophie,
unl
i
keSont
o.Youli
stent
omeandy ou'
repat
ient
.”

Yesbuthe'
dbet
terful
fi
ll
mywi
shesorel
sehel
li
s
aboutt
obreakl
oose.
Chapt
erEi
ght
een

Prov
er bs14:
30-”Ahear
tatpeacegi
vesl
i
fet
othe
body,butenvyr
otst
hebones.”

Thr
eeMont
hsLat
er

That
o

It
'sbeenanamazingfewmonthsandKgandIare
sti
llgoi
ngst
rong.Yes,Ist
aywit
hhim nowandeven
thoughSont
odoesn'tl
ikememuch,shestay
soutof
myway .Itut
orTumishotwi ceaweekandJget
paid2kperweek.That'
sr eall
ynotbadatal l
.At
l
eastRomeomakessur ehe' salway shome
wheneverI
'mther
etoTut orTumi shoandSont oi
s
neverar
ound.Thati
smi nusonepr oblem f
orme.I
hardl
yusemyownmoney , asKgj ustbuys
every
thi
ngforme.

Ifeel badbuthedoesn' tallowmet ofeelbadatal l

.
I'
veaccept edthathelikesdoi ngthingsf orme, butI
makesur eIdon'tgettoocomf ortablewiththatfact.
AtleastKggotmehookedupwi t
hagy naeandIgot
ontheEv r
aPat ch.AtleastIwon' thav etowor ry
aboutpr egnancybecausewecan' taffordtohav ea
chil
dr i
ghtnow.I '
dli
ketof ulf
illmydr eamsf ir
stand
I'
m gladheunder st
oodt hat.Ihadmyawar ds
eveningaf ewweeksagoj ustafterschoolsopened
forTer m 3andKgwast heretosuppor tmeas
always.

Ir
ecei
vedmyawar
dsf
or100%at
tenal
dance,
Top
achieveri nMaths,Science, Accounting,Engl
ishand
Geogr aphy .Ial
sor eceivedanawar dfortheTop
Achiev erintheGrade.Imean, Mamawoul dbeso
proudofme.Iact ual lyfeltherpr esencethat
evening, Itr
ulydi
d.Kgont heotherhandi ssuper
proudofmeandheboughtmeanewphonej ustto
encour ageandcongr atulateme.Wej ustwroteour
l
astPr elim papertodayandI '
mt ooexcitedasI'm
al
mostdonewi thMyMat ricyear.

Ifinall
ymanagedt opersuadeKgtogetSoksand
Palesatocomewi thusonacoupl e'
stri
p.Thisti
me
i
twon' tbeasur pri
sesinceheaskedmet oorganize
everythi
ng.We' regoi
ngt oKrugerNati
onalParkfor
theweekend, andsinceit'
sThursday,
we'respending
afewext radaysandcomi ngbackonTuesday.Of
courseKgwant smeal ltohimsel
fthi
sweekend,but
Ican'thavethat.

Thisweekendi
sall
aboutfunwithot
hercoupl
esf
or
achange.We'r
edonepackingandawai
ti
ngon
Palesat ogetinthecar .Sokswentoutf orasmoke,
whileIwaitedout si
dehergat eforhertogetout.I
hardlyenterherhousewhenev erhercr
eepydadi s
home.Somet hingisv eryoff
ishwi t
hherdad,butI
guesst heTruthnev erstayshidden.We'l
lfi
ndout
soonenough.

Palesa:(
Sad)”
Ai,
chomi
(Ohf
ri
end)
.Okae(
Howar
e
you)?”

That
o:(
puzzl
ed)”
Pal
esa,
dint
shang(
what
'swr
ong)
?”

Pal
esa:
(sigh)”
Nex(not
hing)
.It
hinkI
'
m comi
ng
downwithsomethi
ng.
”

Shereal
lydoesn'
tl
ookt oowell,
butIdi
dn'tpester
her.Il
etherbe.We'llt
alklat
eron.Beforeweleft,
Sokstookoutabeerfrom thecool
erboxandgav e
onetoKg,butherefusedsincehe'
sdri
vingusand
handedmeabot tl
eofst r
ongbowcider
.Appar entl
y,
Ineedtoexplor
emyt
ast
ebudsandf
indot
herdr
inks
Imightl
ike.

That
o:(
puzzl
ed)”
Hao,
baby
?”

Kg:
”It
'sonl
yonef
ort
her
oad.Youneedi
t,t
rustme.
”

Itookitandheopenedi tforme.HehandedPal esa

abot tl
eofSav annaandopenedi taswell
.Wegot
i
ntot hecaranddr ov eoff.Isatwi thPal
esaatthe
backf orachange, whileKgandSokssati nthefront
.
Ai,Ismellabi toftensi
onbet weenSoksandPal esa
becauset hey'r
ehar dl
ytalking.Kgkeepsaskingme
i
fI'm okayev erynowandt hen,whileSoksis
bl
at antl
yignoringPalesa.

Soks:”
Eish,Kglewena(
though)
.Whydi dyouhave
tochooseaplacesofar
?Nnawai t
segakemot ho
l
enaga( YouknowI'
m notanoutdoorki
ndofman.”
Kg:”
Hai,manSoks,
mf o(
bro)
.Youneedtoexpl
ore,
more.Takeyourwomanoutmore,esengophel
a
kodichesanyama(nott
akehert
ochesanyamaall
thet
ime).”

Soks:
(laughi
ng)”Oetsadil
otsamakgoa,
mfwet
u
(Youl
ikewhitepeopl
e'st
hings,
bro)
.Nnakemfana
wakokasi (I
'
m atownshi
pguy )
.”

Kg:”Soam I
,butt
her
e'snohar
minexpl
ori
ngand
showingy
ourwomanagoodt i
me.
”

That
o:”
Pal
esa,
oshap(
arey
ouokay
)?”

Pal
esa:
”I'
l
lbr
iefy
ouwhenwe'
real
one.
”

Kg:”
Lov
e,canwestopbyt
hemall
?I'
dli
keusto
gr
abafewthi
ngsbefor
ewegett
oourdest
inat
ion.
”
That
o:(
smi
l
ing)”
Sur
e,baby
.”

Soks:”
Ai,
jane.Kabonanouoj esi
wamonat
e(Ican
seenowthatyou'
retappingit
).Bonaogl
owerbj
ang
(Lookhowyou'
reglowing).
”

Kg: ”
Soks,voet
sek(pi
ssof
f).Thi
siswhyy our
rel
ationshi
psneverl
ast
.Youdon'tt
reataladywi
th
respect,man.Onophanya(You'
retoofor
ward).
”

Soks:
”Ah,
sor
rygeh(
then)
.”

KgparkedthecarandbythenIhadal
readyf
ini
shed
mycider.Assoonashegotouthecamet oopen
thedoorformeandkissedme.

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)”
Oshap(
Arey
ouokay
)?”
That
o:”
Alway
s.”

Kg:
(whisper
ingi
nmyear )”
Thatdr
esslookssohot
onyou.Ihopeyou'
renotwear
inganyunder
wear.
”

Hi
sscentandgorgeousvoi
cej
ustmademe
i
nstant
lywetassoonashesai
dthat
.Ijusthadt
o
bl
ush.

That
o:”
Behav
e.”

Soks:
”Ag,
man.Getar
oom,
guy
s.”

Kglaughedaswewal kedwi t
hthem.Kgbymysi de
andPalesabySoks' side.Hecouldn'
tevencarel
ess,
hewasev encheckingot hergi
rl
soutandmaking
comment sabouttheirlooksandever
ythi
ngwhile
Pal
esawasr ightt
her e.Thenerveofthi
sguy,no
wondershe'ssosad.Ij usthopehedidn'
thi
ther
agai
n.Oncewegott oWoolwor
thsfood,Iusedthi
s
asagreatoppor
tuni
tyt
ospeaktoPalesa.We
pret
endedtobebusyshoppi
ngforourownt hi
ngs.

Thato:
”Chomi
(Fr
iend)
,di
ntshangkgant
e(What
's
wrong)?”

Palesa:(
tear
y)”
Eish,
chomi
(fr
iend)
.It
hinkI
'
m
pregnant
.”

Oh,
shi
t.Thi
scan'
tbegood.

That
o:”Chomi
(Fr
iend),
orabj
ang(Whatdoyou
mean)?Youmeany ouhav
en'
ttest
edyet
?”

Pal
esa:
(shaki
nghead)”
No,I
..Imi
ssedmyper
iod.
..
Fort
hesecondmonthnow.
”
Thi
si sbad,
ImeanSoksishardlyboyfr
iendmat eri
al,
l
etalonefat
hermat
eri
al.Thi
si sadisaster.Palesa
i
sn'tonetopani
cmuch,butt
hist i
meshe' sreal
l
y
st
ressed.

Pal
esa:(
cry
ing)”
Chomi (
Friend)
,whatam Igoi
ngt
o
do?Ican'
thavethi
sbaby,Ican'
t.
”

That
o:”
Hao,
Soksi
sn'
tthatbad,
ishe?
”

Pal
esa:
”GasewaSoks(
It
'snotSoks'
baby
).”

Il
ookedatherwear
y.She'sdeadser
ious.Ihadt
o
comeupwithaseri
ousplan.

Thato:
”Baby
,rabowane(
We'l
lberi
ghtback)
.We'
re
goi
ngtoPickandPay.Wefor
gott
opacksomelady
thi
ngs.
”
Kg:(
puzzl
ed)”
Bjang(
How)
,becauseIpackedy
our
bag?
”

Ei
sh,
thi
sguycannev
ert
akeahi
nt.

Thato:
”Aowa(No),man,baby
.Pal
esaf
orgotaf
ew
thi
ngs.We'l
lber
ightback.
”

Ihur
ri
edoutwi
thPal
esawhi
l
eKgwasshout
ing.

Kg:
”Youf
orgott
otakemycar
d!”

Oh,
real
l
y.

That
o:”
Igoti
tcov
ered!
”

Werushedoutwhi
lePal
esawaswi pi
nghert
ear
soff
herf
ace.Ir
eall
ydon'
tgetwhatshemeansbySoks
notbei
ngt hefather,
butnowi snottheti
met oask
aboutsuch.Iwentst raighttothepregnancytest
s
andIgrabbedthree.It ookapacketofpadsand
tamponswi t
h,justi
ncaset heyaskwhatwebought .
Thosetwoar equitenosy ,well
,Soksisnosyand
annoyi
ng.Ipaidi ncashandweheadedout .

Pal
esa:”
Thankyou,
fri
end.Ihonest
lydon'
tknow
whatI
'ddowit
houtyou.
”

That
o:”
That
'swhatf
ri
endsar
efor
,don'
twor
ry.
”

Wewentbackoutandf
oundKgandSoksal
ready
wai
ti
ngforus.

Kg:
”Kgal
elei
l
e(Yout
ookawhi
l
e).
”

HesawPalesaandnoti
cedthegli
mmeroft ear
s
shi
ningi
nhereyesasshequickl
ylookeddown.
Kg:
”Leshap(
Arey
out
wookay
)?”

Inoddedandhewasdecentenoughnott oaskany
fur
therquest
ions.Wewal kedoutandheadedt othe
car.Wedr ov
eof ftoourdestinat
ion.IknewPalesa
wouldrai
sesuspi ci
onifshewassober ,soIdecided
togethertodrink.We'll
figur
esomet hingoutal
ong
theway,butjudgingbythelookoft hi
ngs,she
doesn'
twantt okeepthebaby .

Sont
oMol
oi

I'
m quitei
rri
tatedtosayt heleast
.JustwhenIf ixed
onepr obl
em, anotherari
ses.Sophi eontl
waela
masepa( i
sf uckingwithme) ,ser
iousl
y.Imean
fi
rst
lyshedemandsmoneyf rom meandt henshe
suddenlygetsamakeov er,f
rom toptotoe.Imean
shelookslikeawhol ediffer
entperson,fr
om
wearingdoeksal lday,dr
inki
ngSav annaandBlack
Labelandsmell
ingl
ikesnuf
ftoweari
ng20inch
Peruv
ianweaves,dr
apedinPrada,
DiorandGucci
!

Sheev enhasadr i
vert
odri
veheraroundnow!I
meant her
e'snowayshecouldhavegott
enthat
upgradefr
om themeaslymoneyI'
vebeengivi
ngher
.
EvenherdaughterKagi
sohasajobatoneof
Romeo'sguesthousesasthemanager.Imean
whatthefuckishappeni
ng?

Sophi eisaleechandmusthav eprobablygott

en
Romeot ogiveherdaughterajob.Heshoul dhav e
consultedme!Myquest ionnowiswher edoes
Sophiegetallthi
smoneyf r
om? !I'
m meet i
ngup
withtheRockv i
ll
eDivasinaf ewmi nut
esatCapel l
o
andI'dlikeRomeot otel
lmewhatt hefuckhe'
s
playi
ngat .Iheadeddownandf oundhim watching
tvwithanewspaperi nfrontofhim.

Sont
o:(i
rr
it
ated)”Romeo,
yini
amasi
mbal
awa
(What
'st
hisshit
)?”
Romeo:(cal
mly)”Sont
o,geobolel
aSizul
ugor
agore
ojel
edipekere(WhenyousoeakZuluIknowyou'
re
angr
y).Ojewakeng( What'
seat
ingyou)?
”

Sonto:
”Howcoul
dyougi
veKagi
soaj
obwi
thout
consul
ti
ngme?”

Romeo: ”Sonto,onaledishar
esi nmybusi nesses
(doyouhav esharesinmybusi nesses)?DoIhav e
totel
lyouev ery
thi
ng,kgante(t
hough) ?Andbesi des,
I'
m upl
ift
ingthecommuni tyandIdon' tgetwhyy ou
seem i
rri
tatedbythis.
”

I
'
m pissedt
hatheseesnothi
ngwrongwit
hthi
s,and
I
'
m evenmorepissedathowblasehei
saboutt
his
i
ssue.

Sont
o:”
Youcouldhaveatl
eastruni
tbyme,Romeo.
Andwhat'
sthi
sofSophi
egetti
ngadriv
erandmake
ov
er?Don'
tyouhav
eany
thi
ngt
odowi
tht
his?
”

Romeo:”Onyakagor
eeng(
Whatar
eyout
ryi
ngt
o
say
),Sont
o?”

Sont
o:”
I'
mjustaski
ngnj
e.”

Romeo:”Well
,you'
reaskingthewrongperson.I
don'
tknowwhatSophi egetsupto.Whoknows?
Shemighthavescoredsomeoner i
chtofuckwi t
h.
Letot
herki
dsshine,man.Youcan' tbet
heonl yri
ch
di
vainRockvi
ll
e.”

Ar
guinganyfurt
herwoul
djustbeawast
eoft
ime.I
cl
i
ckedmyt ongueandwalkedout
.

Romeo:
”Enj
oyy
ourday
!”
Mxm, Romeowant stomakemegocr azy,
real
l
y.As
Idrovet oCapel
lotomeetRachel
,Anel
isaand
Bianca,Igottheshockofmyli
fe.Thi
sdaycan't
possiblygetanyworse.

Sophi
e:(
smi
l
ing)”
Nomasont
o,howar
eyou,
babe?
”

I
'
m aboutt
oki
l
lsomeonet
oday
.
Chapt
erNi
net
een

Job5:2-”Surelyr
esent
mentdest
roy
sthef
ool
,and
j
ealousyki
ll
st hesi
mple.
”

That
o

Theridewasratherpl
easantafterPalesahadaf ew
dri
nks.Sheactuall
yhadabi tmuch, butshehas
alwayshadahighalcoholt
olerance.Shej ustseems
l
ikedeepdownshe' scar
ryi
ngal otofwei ghtandshe
can'
tescapei
t.Theonl
ywaysheknowshowi sto
dri
nkitawayatt
imes.Shebott
lesupatt
imessoI
l
etherbe.Idon'
tli
kepr
essur
ingpeopl
eatall
.

Wef inall
yarri
vedatThor nhi
llSaf ariLodge.Oh, my,
thi
spl aceisindeedwor ththepr ice.Thev iew,the
serenityoftheplace,thegoodf eelofnatureandt he
pool,isjustawesome.Ofcour se, wedon'twantt o
sharewi thanyone, soImadesur eIbookus
honey moonsui t
es.Hopef ul
lySoksandPal esawil
l
walkoutofher ef eeli
mgbr andnew.Weev enhav ea
fewcoupl esactivi
tiesli
nedup, soIj ustcan'twait
.

Weheadedt oourr oomsasKgbr oughtourluggage.

AtleastSokstookhi sandPalesa'
sluggage.
PerhapsKghadawor dortwowi t
hhim about
TenderLovingCar e.Whi l
eIwasstari
ngatthe
beauti
fulvi
ewj ustoutsi
deourbalcony,Kgrushed
towardsmeandhel dmef r
om behi
nd.He
i
mmedi atel
ystar t
edkissingmyneckandputhi s
handunderneat hmydr essandwentstrai
ghtformy
coochi
e.Heremovedmypant
ysamet
ime,
whi
l
e
ki
ssingmyneck.

Kg:(
breat
hingheavi
ly
)”Yoh,baby
.Kgalekego
dumil
e(I'
vebeencravi
ngyou).Mfesakatoe(
Giv
e
mewhat '
smine).
”

Ismi l
edasIt urnedaround.Kgisturningmei ntoa
sexaddi ct
,bathong(goodness).Iwalkedt owards
thebedwi thhim whil
ewewer ehast
ilytakingoffour
clothes.Wewer etot
all
ynakeduponappr oachi
ng
thebed, andIthrewhim onthebed.I tmustbet he
Strongbowdoi ngthewor kbecauseInev erhavethi
s
muchcour age.

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)”
Comet
odaddy
.”

Ismi
ledasIwasaboutt
ogetont
opofhi
m and
i
nser
thisdi
ckinsi
deofme,
hepul
ledmeup.
That
o:(
puzzl
ed)”
Kg-
”

Kg:
”Di
dyoureall
ythi
nkI
'
dhav
eyouwi
thouteat
ing
mybabyf
ir
st?”

Oh,Kgandhi sobsessionwi t
hmuf f
ingmwbat hong
(
gosh) .Ineedhimi nsi
deofmeasi ny est
erday .He
muf f
edmewhi l
eIsatonhi sface.I
'veneverdone
t
hisbef or
e,butIguesswi t
haguyl i
keKg,there'sa
fi
rstti
mef orever
ything.

That
o:(
moani
ng)”
Aaah,
daddy
..
.”

Hedidhisthi
ngandsuckedmet ilIcoul
dn'
thol
ditin
anymore.Itr
iedremovingmypussyf r
om hi
sface,
buthegrabbedmesot ight
.Iendedupgushingmy
j
uicesall
overhisface.

That
o:(
moani
ng)”
Aaah,
shi
t!
”
Kg:
(smi
l
ing)”
Yout
ast
esogood,
baby
.Al
way
s.”

Iwasaboutt ogetont opofhi m, buthef li

ppedme
oversoIcouldgetonal lfour
s.Kg, neh.Henev er
l
etsmedomi nate,shame, buttonighthehasanot her
thi
ngcomi ng.Hei nsertedhispeni sintomyv agina
andIwentwi ld.Hearinghi m moanwhi l
eheki sses
myback, j
ustsendsgoosebumpsdownmyspi ne.
Hewast hrustingatav eryfastpaceast hi
sis
supposedtobeaqui ckie.JustwhenIwasaboutt o
reachanotherclimax,wehear daknockont hedoor ,
butthatdi
dn'tkeepKgf rom t
hrusting.

Soks:(knocking)”
Eh,Kgauza.Reemekal
ena,
man
(We'r
ewai ti
ngony ou)
.”

Kg:(
thrust
ing)”
Ja,
manSoks,
reet
la(
we'
re
coming).
”
Soks:
”Mxm,ah,wabona(yousee)?Obusyoja
maraodaar
so(You'
rebusyfucki
ngint
her
e).
”

Ai
,Soksandhisl
oosemouth,
man.Ist
il
ldon'
tget
whatPal
esaseesinhi
m,r
eall
y.

Kg:
”Eh,
manSoks,
fokof
f(f
uckof
f)!
”

WeheardSokschuckli
ngashewal
kedaway
.I
coul
dfeel
Kgwascl osetohi
scl
imax.

Kg:
(moani
ng)”
Shi
t,baby
.Cum wi
thme,
please.
”

WheneverIwanttocum qui
cker
,Irubmycl
i
tors.
Yes,Kghastaughtmeat hi
ngortwo.Wecame
toget
herandheimmediatel
ygotatowel
towipethe
bothofus.
That
o:”
Mxm,
Kg,
younev
erl
etmet
ajechar
ge.
”

Kg:
”Ah,
baby.Sorr
y,okaynextti
mey oucanmake
meyouvi
cti
m anddoasy oupleasewit
hme.”

That
o:”
Alr
ight
.Let'
sgomeetupwiththoset
wo.
Theyar
eprobabl
ygett
ingi
mpat
ient
.”

Kg:
”Ah,
Sokswaphapha(
isf
orwar
d).I
'
llhav
ea
wor
dwithhi
m.”

Weheadedouti nourswimwearandsi nceit'

s
alr
eadyaft
er1pm, wecan'tgori
dingi
nt hebushes,
themainactiv
iti
eswe'l
lgettot
omor r
ow.Wet ook
oursunscr
eenandsnacks, whi
leSoksandPal esa
havetheal
cohol wit
hthem.Wegott oPal esaand
Soks,andtheylookabitbet
ter
.Iguesst hat'
sthe
powerofsex.
Soks:”
Ja,neh.Thatwasfast
,man.Oshapa(
You
hi
tthati
n)recor
dtime,mosKg?”

Kg:”Mxm,ah,manSoks.Howmanyt i
mesmustI
tel
lyou?Changethewayyoubehaveandyou'
l
lsee
miracl
es,
man.Tlogel
agospit
a( st
opbeing
for
ward).
”

Soks:
”Okay
,sor
rymf
o(br
o).
”

Kgputsomesunscreenonmewhi leIputsomeon
hi
m, andhandedmeacideroncehewasdone.He
gavemeaki ssandIwentt
ositnexttoPalesa.

Pal
esa:
”Howdoy
ouguy
sdoi
t,t
hough?
”

That
o:”
Engchomi
(Whatf
ri
end)
?”
Palesa:”Howdoy ouguysremai
nsohappyand
affect
ionateal
lthet
ime?ImeanKgwor shi
psthe
groundy ouwalkon,boo.He'
dlegi
tdoanyt
hingf
or
you.”

That o:”
Well,Idon'tknowhowwedoi t,chomi
(fr
iend).AllIcansayi sthatI
'
m honestlyblessedto
hav eKg.Idon' thavemuchexper i
enceint hisdat
ing
thi
ng, butwhatIcant ell
y oui
sthatI'
mi nlove.Kg
hasshownmet hatloveknowsnobounds, isn'
t
selfi
shandy ouhav etocommuni cateandwor k
towar dsthesamegoal .Wemakesur ewenev ergo
tobedangr y,althoughwehav en'
treal
lyfought.”

Pal esa:(
sad)” IwishSokswaslikethat,
youknow.
Instead,He'sjustanani mal
.Het r
eatsmelikeshit
mostoft hetime,andt henheapologi
zesbygiv
ing
memoney .Isomet imeswishIhadgi v
enThaboa
chance.Hewassosweett omeandIwassucha
bitcht ohim,justbecausehedidn'
thavemoneyl i
ke
Soks.Thet ruthisfri
end,myli
feisamess.Att i
mes
If
eel
Icoul
djustendi
tal
l
,real
l
y.”

Yoh,
Pal
esai
sser
iousl
yscar
ingmer
ightnow.

That
o:”Pal
esa,
what
'
ssohor
ri
blet
haty
ou'
dwantt
o
endyourl
if
e?”

Ithoughtshewasaboutt
ot el
lmeherbi
gsecr
et,
but
shechangedthesubj
ectyetagai
n.

Pal
esa:
(get
ti
ngup)”
I'
mint
hemoodf
oraswi
m,l
et'
s
go.
”

Shelef
tmesi tt
ingthereinwor ryandjumpedr ight
i
ntothewat er
.Ihopeshe' llbeabletoswim since
she'
sabi tt
ipsy.Itookoffmyt opandandgoti nt
o
thewatersl
owly ,
withKgst ari
ngatmeashewas
tal
ki
ngt oSoks.Whi l
ePal esaandIwer et
alking
aboutr
andom t hi
ngs,theseot hert
woguy swal ked
t
owar
dsus.

Guy
1:”
Hmm,
I'
dlov
etoj
oiny
out
wogor
geous
l
adi
es.
”

Guy
2:”
Hit
her
e.Maywe?
”

Pal
esa:
”Oh,
yes,
ofcour
se.
”

That
o:”
Pal
esa?
!No,
youmaynot
.”

Guy
1:”
Buty
ourf
ri
endj
ustsai
dyes.
”

That
o:”
AndI
'
m say
ingno,
I'
mtaken-webot
har
e.”

Palesa:
”Wel
l
,youdon'
tseear
ingonmyf
inger
,do
you?”
Yoh,Palesai
sseriousl
ygoingtomessthingsupfor
us.Ast heywereabouttorespond,
Kgwal ked
towardsthem.Theyhadt hei
rbackstowardshim,
sotheydidn'
tseehim coming.

Kg:
(tappi
ngguy1'
sshoul
der
)”Eh,
mfo(
bro)
,that
'
s
mywifeyou'
repest
eri
ng.
”

Guy1:
”Ao(I
sit
)?Idon'
tseeanyri
ngonherf
inger
andbesi
des,i
sn'
tsheabi
ttooyoungt
obeyour
wif
e?”

Kgputhi
sarmsi
nhi
sshor
tspocket
sasusual
.Now
Iknowhe'
smad.

Kg:(
chuckli
ng)”Hehe,I
'm goi
ngtocounttothr
ee,
act
uall
ymakei tone.You'dbett
erkeept
hose
chi
ckenlegswalki
ngbeforeImakey ouregr
et
set
ti
ngfootont hi
sground.”
Guy2:”
Sor
ry,br
o.Neresanyakemathat
a(Wedi
dn'
t
wantanyt
roubl
e).Mpho,
arev ay
e(l
et'
sgo)
.”

Icoul
dseet hi
sMphodudewast r
yingtochall
enge
Kg,buthewasabi tshort
,though.Yoh, Kg'
sv ei
ns
wereabouttopopr i
ghtfr
om hisface.Thet woguy s
l
eftwhileIl
ookedatPalesa,whodidn'tevenlook
remorseful
.

Pal
esa:
”Keng(
What
)?NnaI
'
m nott
aken.
”

Il
ookedatKgandIthoughthe'
dbemadatme,
but
hi
sfacesoft
enedi
mmedi atel
y.

Kg:
”Oshap(
Arey
ouokay
)?”

Inoddedashesmil
edatmeandwentbackt
ohi
s
seat
.Sokslookedpi
ssed,
li
vi
dact
ual
l
y.Hewas
aboutt
ogetupandappr
oachPal
esa,
butKghel
d
hi
m back.

Kgaugel
o

Ilookedatt hosetwor atswhokeptst ari

ngatmy
womanl i
keshe' sapieceofmeat .I '
m not
controll
i
ng, butI'
mv erypossessi veofwhat 'smi ne.
Thef actthatPalesakeptent ert
ainingt hem shows
j
usthowt oxicherrelat
ionshipwi t
hSoksi s.Hej ust
l
ower edhert osomet hingshecl earlywasn'twhen
shemethi m.I t
'
sl i
kehel ovesher, butnotenought o
tr
eatherr ight.Thisgir
l haslostrespectf orherself
,
allbecauseofSoks.Theysayy ouar ewhoy ouhang
aroundwi th.Heneedst of i
xhimsel forelseI '
l
lhave
tocutt i
eswi t
hhi m.Ican' tbeassoci atedwith
cheatersandwomenbeat er
s.

Kg:
”Eh,
Soks.Cal
m down,
man.
”
Soks:(
breat
hingheav
il
y)”
Mxm,ahman.Pal
esao
ntl
waelamasepa(isf
ucki
ngwi
thme)
.”

Kg:”Soks,youreal
l
yneedtocheckyourt
onewhen
youspeakt oandofwomen,man.Youcan'tgo
aroundtreat
ingPalesal
i
keshi
t.Ify
oudon'tl
oveher
thenlethergo.
”

Soks:”Youdon' tgeti
t,Kg.Wenao( You'r
e)perf
ect,
nna( I
)ont heotherhandam j ustli
kemyf at
her
.I
am soaddi ctedtoPalesa,IlovehersomuchIf eel
thatshe'
llendupl eavi
ngmeonedayf orsomeone
better
.Icanseei ti
nherey es,shelooksatmel ikeI
disgustherandIdeser vethat.Nowt hatshe'
s
pregnant,Ihavetotreatherr i
ght,
man. ”

Kg:(
shocked)”
Soksor engna(whatareyousayi
ng)
?
Yourui
nedhersel
festeem andnowy ou'
rer
uini
ng
herf
utur
e?Howcoul dy ougetherpr
egnant
,bra?
She'
sonly18?!
”
Soks:”
Eish,
mfo(Bro)
,Ihonest
lydon'
tknow,but
whatIdoknowisthatIl
oveherandIwanttomake
thi
ngsri
ght.
”

Kg:”Thenst
artbyget
ti
nghel
pandst
ophi
tt
ingher
foronce.
”

Soks:
(shocked)”
Howdi
dyouknow?
”

Kg:”Ever
yoneknows,man.Howshesomet i
mes
walksaroundwit
hascarfaroundherneckinbr
oad
dayli
ght,
howshe'sscar
edofy ou.Youhavetostop,
manSoks.Thi si
sn'
twhoy ouare.Beaman, areal
man, abett
ermanandcherishher.Mouldheri
nto
thefl
owershewaswheny ouf oundher
.”

Soks:(
tear
y)”
Eish,Kg.If
uckedup.Kej el
eSophiel
e
Sontokamo(IfuckedSontoandSophie)andnow
theyj
ustwon'
tleavemealone.They'
l
ltellPal
esa
andshe'
l
lleav
emef
ort
hatst
upi
dboy
,Thabo.
”

Kg:(si
gh)”Ai
,endi
twi
tht
hem andbehonestwit
h
them.Youcandealwi
thherfi
ndi
ngoutwhenthe
ti
mecomes.Fornow,gosortthi
ngsoutwi
thyour
woman. ”

Icoul
dseehim atleastmaki
nganat t
empttodo
bett
er.Hegotupandsl owl
ywalkedupt oPal
esa,
who'salr
eadydr
unk.Idon'tevenknowhowshe' s
dri
nkingwhil
epregnant,
butwell
,that
'sPal
esafor
you.

Soks:
”Pal
i
,canIt
alkt
oyou?
”

Palesagavehi
m alongl
ookandst
aredathi
min
si
lenceforashor
twhil
e.

Pal
esa:
”Okay
.”
Heheldouthishandsot hatshecouldholdont
ohim
asshewalkedoutofthewat er.Hewr appedatowel
aroundherastheywalkedawayt oget
her.Mybaby
gotoutofthewaterandcamet ome.

That
o:”
Andt
hat
?Whatdi
dyousayt
ohi
m?”

Kg:
”Ij
ustknockedsomesensei
ntohi
m.”

Sont
o

YerrSophi
ewantstokil
lmeshame,honest
ly.How
daresheworm herwayint
omyli
fest
yle,
mygr oup
l
ikethi
s?

Sont
o:”Sophi
e,uf
unani
la(
whatar
eyoudoi
ng
her
e)?”
Bianca:
”Oh,
heySonto.Whydi
dn'
tyout
ell
usy
ou
havesuchafunkyf
ri
end?”

Anel
i
sa:
”ImeanIador
eheral
ready
!”

Rachel:”
Sophietol
dusabouty ourli
fegr
owingup
andhowy ouwerei
nschool .Hao(gosh),babe.You
nevertol
dusy oudidn'
tfi
nishschool
,bat
hong
(goodness)!
”

Aneli
sa:”Herewewer eundert
heimpressionthat
youobtainedadegreeinPRkgantedolol
o( but
nothi
ng)!Kant i
azangeufi
kenaseMat ri
cmnt ase
(Youdidn'tev
enmakei tt
omat r
ic,
sis)
!”

Theyall
laughedatmeli
keIwasnothi
ng.Whot
he
fuckdothesebit
chest
hinkt
heyar
e?
Sonto:”
Askies(Excuseme) ?!Wena( You)Bi anca,
areyouforget
ti
ngt hatyournewbuddySophi e
wasn'tt
herewhenIhadt ohelpyouaborty oursi de
man'sbabyjusttosav eyourlousymarri
age?And
wenaAnel i
sa,y
ourmout hissobi gnow, buty ou
weremut ewheny ouwer ebeggingmef orfoodand
R200000wheny ourstupidhusbandblewal ly our
famil
ymoneybysnor t
inghisownsuppl y!

Andy ou, Rachel,you'

reaf ineonet otal
k.YouandI
grewupi nthedumps, honey .Youwer edarkasfuck,
charcoaledi nfactbeforeugezwai mali(
money
cleanedy ouup)andnowy ou'
remaki ngfunofme? !
You'reforgetti
ngIhadt obuyy ourcaseaf t
eryou
nearlystabbedy ourhusband' ssidechicktodeath!
AtleastIdi dn'
tfini
shschool ,butImadet hiscl
ub
andImadey ou-ALLofy ou!Thel astti
meIchecked
noneofy ouevengott ot asteVarsityai
r,Sodon't
youdar et el
lmeshi tandl aughatmeasi fyou'
re
betterthanme. ”
Iwasbr
eat
hingf
ir
eandt
heycoul
dseet
hat
.

Sophi
e:”Aski
es(Sorr
y),
Nomasont
o.Wedidn'
tmean
i
tli
kethat.Imean,wewerej
ustbondi
ngov
erthe
good,
oldpast.
”

Anel
i
sa:
”Yes,
I'
dal
sol
i
ket
osi
ncer
elyapol
ogi
ze.
”

Bi
anca:
”Met
oo.
”

Rachel
:”Andme.
”

Sonto:
”You'
dbett
er,
other
wisey
ourl
i
veswoul
dgo
backtothedumps.
”

Sophi
egav
emeasmi
rk.Whatt
hehel
li
sthi
sbi
tch
upto?
Chapt
erTwent
y
1Cori
nthi
ans13:
4-”Lovei
spati
ent,l
oveiskind.I
t
doesnotenv
y,i
tdoesnotboast
,iti
snotproud.”

Sophi
e

Shame,Sontolooksli
kehell
.Sher eall
ythoughtI'
d
l
etherli
vethegoodl i
fewhil
eIst ayedbehind?I
don'
twanttobeasi dechickforever,she'
dbetter
watchout.I'
m nexti
nl i
neandifRomeocan' tmarry
met oo,t
henoneofusmustdi eandi tmostcertai
nly
won'tbeme.Af t
erSontorepri
mandedt heseidiot
s
shecall
dherfri
ends,sheaskedmeasi de.

Sont
o:”
Sophi
e,mayIhav
eawor
dwi
thy
ou?
”

Sophi
e:”
Sur
e.”

Igotupandf
oll
owedher
.
Sont
o:”
Whatt
hef
uck,
Sophi
e?”

Sophi
e:”
Aski
es?
”

Sonto:”Whatareyouplay
ingat?Wher edidyou
suddenlygett
hemoneyf orall
theseoutfi
ts?And
yourdri
ver?Andwhyar eyouwor mingyourwayint
o
mylife?IfIdi
dn'tknowbett
er,I
'dsayyou'
retry
ingt
o
beme. ”

Icoul
dn'
thel
p,butl
augh.

Sophie:(l
aughing)”Sonto,gasewenaf elamo
Rockvil
leokgonanggozol a(You'renottheonlyone
capableofhust l
i
ngi nRockvil
le)
.Oseker ey
akae
sebeteseosagompot sisamasepaao( Wher edo
yougett heaudacit
yt oaskmesuchshi t
)?!Wat el
la
wenamokgwawagao( You'
reactual
lyvery
disr
espectful
).
”
Sont
o:(annoyed)”
Sonto,thi
sisMYclub,MYfr
iends.
Gomakey ourownf r
iendsatthel
ocalt
aver
nor
somethi
ng.”

Sophie: (
laughing)”Wenawant ebal
ane( Youf or
get
whoIam) .IcanturnthatcheapMal aysianweav eof
yoursupsi dedownanfshov eitri
ghtintoyourass.
Youf orgetthatIholdallyoursecret
s,dear
Nomasont o.Youwoul dn'twantmet ot ell
dear
Romeowhaty oudidtohisbel ovedwife,doyou?
Thaty ou'r
et hereasonKgaugel obecamemot herl
ess
atthet enderageof9. ”

Isawpani
cinherey
esev
ent
houghshet
ri
edt
ohi
de
i
t.

Sont
o:”
Youwoul
dn'
tdar
e!”

Sophi
e:”
Keepf
ucki
ngwi
thmeandI
'
lldoi
t.St
ayi
n
yourl
ane,Sonto.I'
m heret
ost ay.Thisli
tt
lecharade
youhavegoingonher ebyrunningevery
one'sli
vesis
aboutt
ocomet oanend.”

Ilef
therst
andingt
hereinpur
eshockasIwentback
tomynewf oundfr
iends.

Sophie:
”Ladies,t
hisCapel l
osceney atl
apela(i
s
bori
ng),man.Whyar eyouguy sact i
nglikeyounev er
grewupi nt
heghet t
o?Andwena( you)Bianca?
You'r
efrom Alex,Gomorai nfactandy ou'recol
oured,
soyou'r
eusedt or oughplaces.Enoughoft hi
s,I
'm
taki
ngyouguy stoRocaf ela,mytreat.”

Aneli
sa:(
sur
pri
sed)”
Oh,
Icoul
dreal
l
yuseaser
ious
dance.
”

Rachel
:”Whatdoy
ousay
,Sont
o?”
Sont
o:”Mxm,Ideci
dewher
ewegof
or
ent
ert
ainment
.”

Sophi
e:”
Uh, uh,
uh,nomydearSont o.We'reateam
andweallhavefeel
ings.Handupifyoufeelt
hatwe
shoul
dal
ldecideonwher ewe'
dli
ket ogo.
”

Theyslowl
yputtheirhandsup,l
eavi
ngmewi
ththe
unanimousdeci
sion.I'
ml ovi
ngthi
snewme,
I'
m
goingtobr
eakSontopi ecebypi
ece.

Sophi
e:(
smili
ng)”
Iguessy
ou'
reout
number
ed,Soso.
Youcanjoi
nusordosomethi
ngbet
ter
.Your
choi
ce.
”

Ilef
twit
hherthreefri
endsassherel
uct
antl
y
foll
owedus.Shame, Ican'
twai
ttoseeherbegme
togetoutofherli
fe.
That
o

Afterourswi m,weheadedbackt oourr oom to

change.Wet ookawui ckshowertogethertogetri
d
ofthechlorineonourskinandheadedbackout si
de
ont heveranda.Kgst art
edmar i
nati
ngthemeat
whileIgotthesaladsandsnacksr eadyf orour
eveningbraai.Pal
esaandSokscamet owar dsus
walkinghandi nhandandal lsmil
es.I'
mt oo
shockedf orwords,butallIcansayist
hatKgknows
hi
st hingshame.

That
o:”Heh,chomi(f
ri
end),
I'
mlov
ingt
his.Isee
you'
vesort
edthingsout
.”

Pal
esa:
”Yes,
wel
lsor
tof
.”

Thato:
(fr
owning)”Well
,hefoundthepregnancy
test
sinmybagandconf r
ontedmeabouti t
.Ihadt
o
l
ieandsaythatiti
sindeedhisbaby.Youshould
haveseenhim, Thato.He'ssohappy,Icoul
dn'
t
bursthi
sbubblelikethat.Idon'
tknowwhatKgsaid
tohim,butthankhimf orme.Ihav emySoksback
andit'
sallt
hankst ohim.”

Thato:
”Well
,I
'm gl
adyou'r
eal r
ight
,babe.Ij
usthope
thi
swon'tbl
owupi nyourface.Lieshaveanasty
wayofcomingout.”

Palesa:
( displ
eased)”Thato,si
ncewhenareyou
suchar elati
onshipexpert?Imwancan'
tyouatleast
behappyf orme?I t
'sbadenoughmyownf at
her
fucksmeal mosteverydayandgotmepr egnantand
nowmybestf r
iendcan'tevenpret
endt
obehappy
forme?”

Wait
,what?Pal
esar
eal
i
zedshej
ustbl
urt
edouther
bi
gsecret
.Oh,myGod!

That
o:(
shocked)”
Pal
esa,
whatt
hef
uck?
”
Palesalookeddownandchangedt hesubj
ect
, f
or
real
.Ican'tbeli
eveshewoul dhidesuchathi
ngf rom
me, fr
om everyone.Whyt hefuckhasn'
tshegotten
thefuckerarr
ested?!Iknewt herewassomethi
ng
dodgyaboutt hatguy.Ij
ustknewi t!

Pal
esa:
”For
getIsai
dany
thi
ng.
”

That
o:”
Pal
i
-”

Pal
esa:
(snappy
)”Isai
dfor
geti
t!
”

Il
ookedatherandfr
oze,
li
ter
all
y.KgandSoks
st
oppedwhatevert
heyweretal
ki
ngaboutand
st
aredatus.

Kg:
”Isev
ery
thi
ngokay
?”
That
o:(
tear
y)”
I.
..Ineedsomeai
r.
”

Ijustst
ormedof fwhileIdidn'tev enseePalesa
foll
owme.Howt hefuckcanaf athersl
eepwithhi
s
owndaught erandgetherpr egnant ?!MyGod!I
can'tev
enbr eat
he,Ifeell
iket hisisev enmore
traumati
cformet hani ti
sf orher .shequickl
yran
aftermeandst oppedme.

Pal
esa:”Thato.Bonachomi
eish(Lookfri
end),I
'm
sor
ry.Ididn'
tmeantosnaoatyou,okay
?I t'
sreal
ly
nobigdeal.
”

Icoul
dn'
tevenbeli
eveshejustsai
dthat.Ilookedat
herandsawnoemot ioni
nsight.Fuckthatmonster
damagedmyf r
iendsomuch, shetookeveryt
hinghe
handedtoherl
yingdownwi t
houtafight
.Itseems
asifi
t'
sevenbecomeanor mt oher.
That
o:”
Nobigdeal?!Nobigdeal,
Pal
esa?
!Your
ownfat
herhasbeenrapi
ngyou!”

Pal
esa:”
Shhh,war
asalewena(notsoloud).Yes,
he'
sbeenrapi
ngme,okay
?Butdon'tyousee?Iget
tohav
easecondchanceatl
if
ewithSoks.”

That
o:”Pal
esa,whydon'
tyougethi
m ar
rest
ed?
Whataboutyourmom? ”

Palesa:
”Ican't
..
.Mymom.
..Mymom knows.She
knewallalong.
”

NowI '
vehear
ditall
!Bathong(Goodness)
,Mme
Aneli
sa,aRockvi
l
leDiv
aknowsherhusbandi s
molesti
ngherchi
ldandisdoingnothi
ngabouti
t?

That
o:”
Letmehel
pyou,
Kgcanhel
pyou.
”
Pal
esa:”No!Idon'twantSokstolookatme
di
ff
erent
ly,he'
l
lthi
nkI'
m damagedgoods.Hewon't
wanttosleepwit
hmeany mor e.Don'
tyougeti
t?I
l
oveSoks.”

Yoh,Ihonest
lydon'
tknowwhatt odoandIwishshe
hadn'
ttoldmeanyofthis.HowdoIwal karound
keepi
ngsuchaheav ysecretbur
ningmefrom the
i
nsideli
kethi
s?
Chapt
erTwent
yOne

Prover
bs21:23-”Whoeverkeepshismout
handhi
s
tonguekeepshi
mselfoutoftroubl
e.”

That
o

Myweekendwasr uinedjustl
ikethat.Itr
iedmy
ut
mostbestt obehappyandenj oytherestofthe
evening,
butnyheartwasjustnotatease.Ifaked
smilesandconver
sati
onshereandt here.Idon't
evenknowwhyI'
mthedepressedonewhenPal
esa
i
shavingthet
imeofherl
i
fe.

She'shavingfunwithSoksasi fshenev erev en

confessedabuseandr apeandi ncestualpregnancy
tomej ustafewmi nutesago.Ai .Weat eourmeat
andf oodinpeaceandhadourdr i
nks, t
hank
goodnessSoksandPal esajustcouldn'
twai tany
l
onger ,t
heytookitt
ot heirr
oom, l
eav i
ngKgandI
alone.

Kg:
(puzzl
ed)”
Baby
,oshap(
arey
ouokay
)?”

That
o:(
sigh)”
Yes,
justt
ir
ed.
”

Kg:”
Youdoknowt
hatIknowwheny
ou'
rel
yi
ng,
ri
ght
?”

That
o:(
looki
ngdown)”
Eish,
Kg.Whatwoul
dyoui
fa
personverycl
osetoyoutoldyouar eal
l
ybi gsecret
thatcoul
ddestroyot
herpeople'
sliv
es?Buty ou'r
e
notsureifyoushoul
devenkeept hesecretbecause
i
thasdest r
oyedherl
ifeal
ready.
”

Kg:”Hmm, t
oughone.Ithi
nkyoushouldtel
l
someonewhocanr eal
l
yhelpyourfri
end.Imean,
she'
llprobabl
ybemadaty ouatfir
st,
butonceshe
seesy oudiditf
oragoodcause,she'
llt
hankyouf
or
i
t.”

That
o:”
Iwasn'
ttal
ki
ngaboutPal
esa,
ypuknow?
”

Kg:(chuckl
i
ng)”Yeah,sur
e.Come,don'
tl
etot
her
people'
smiser
yruinyourweekend.
”

Wepackedawayt herestofthefoodthatwasleft
overandheadedtoourr ooms.Thatgoodnessthe
roomsal l
owforselfcateri
ng.Wedon'twanttobe
dist
urbed.Ihar
dlydrankmucht oday,butIneedto
pleasemymanf orachange.Ihav etogetmy sel
f
outoft hatPalesazoneandgi vemymanabl owjob
fi
nal l
y.I'
v eneverdoneit
, soIaskedPal esaforsome
ti
pssi nceshe'srheexpert ,butshe'
sjustsorough,
soIgott hebook30Ti pst oblowhi smind.It
teacheswomenaboutgi vingoralsextoaman.
Pornwon' tr
eall
yy eachyoumuch, butItr
ied
wat chingsomev i
deos.

Wegoti ntoourr oom andIdidn'twastetime.I

downedt her estofmyci derandkissedKg.He' stal
l
,
verytal
l,soIhadt osignaltohimt hatIwanttokiss.
Hewaspuzzl edatfi
rst,butverypleasedwithmy
gestureintheend.If ondledhiscrotchandpulled
outoftheki ss.Iunzippedhispant sashekissedme
neck,whiletakingoffmydr essaswel l.Aft
er
remov i
ngall hi
sclot
hes, Igather
edal l
thecourage
l
eftinme.

That
o:”
Liedownont
hebed.
”
Hesmi l
edanddi dasinst
ruct
ed.Icar
eful
lygoton
mykneesont opofhi
m andheldhi
sdick.Icoul
d
seethepleasurei
nhiseyesalr
eadyasIplay
edwith
hisbal
lsgentl
yusingmyhands.

Kg:
(moami
ng)”
Hmm,
baby
..
.”

Ipositi
onedmy sel
fandwentdow.Iwasaboutto
plantmyl i
psandtongueonhisabdomen,
unt
ilhe
gentlypaused.

Kg:
”Youdon'
thav
etounl
essy
ou'
resur
e,baby
.”

That
o:”
Iwantt
o.”

Henoddedinaffi
rmati
onasmyt onguemetwitht
he
ti
pofhispeni
s.Islowl
yteir
ledmytongueontheti
p,
andIfel
thi
mt enseupalr
eady.Bothhishands
gent
lymassagedmycur l
yhairi
npleasur
e.
Kg:
(moani
ng)”
Hmm,
shi
t,TT.
..
”

Bathong( Gosh),Ihaven'tevenstartedyet
.It ooka
bitofthetipintomymout h.Ittastesabitsalty,but
notbadatal l
.Kgi sextr
emel yclean,soIhaveno
wor r
y.Iwentabi tfur
ther,t
akinghimi nt
omymout h
bitbybit
, i
ncircularmotion,whil
emyhandswer e
rubbingtherestofhi sdickandbal l
s.Thef astermy
mot i
onbecame, theharderandl ouderhemoaned.

Kg:(
moani
ng)”
Aaah,
yes,
baby
.Tjo,
shit
!O
nket
sang(
Whatar
eyoudoi
ngtome)?
”

Iwentf ast
erandfast
er,t
hensl
oweragain.I
proceededtoalt
ernat
einbetweenpacesandIf
elt
hi
sbr eathi
ngchangerapi
dly
,hewasclose.

Kg:
(moani
ng)”Aaah,
baby
.Shi
t,I
'
m aboutt
ocome,
movepl
ease.
”
Eish,thethi
ngaboutt ryingbtopr oveapoi ntnje,I
didn'tmoveandheshothi sloadi ntomymout h.I
quicklywentbtothebat hroom tospi titout.Sperm
tasteweird,sl
imyandj ustunnat uralt
ohav eitin
yourmout h.May beonedayI '
l
l getusedt oit.Iwent
backt othebedandf oundKgal readywai t
ingforme.
Doest hisdudeev ergett i
red?Hesmi l
edatmeand
gav emeapassi onateki ss,anddi ppedhisf i
nger
i
nt otheentranceofmypussy ,causingmet omoan
i
nst antl
yinhismout h.

That
o:”
Aaah.
..
”

Hepulledoutofthekissandgotdownonhi sknees
whil
eIwasst anding.Hepositionedme, sothatmy
onelegwoul dbeonhi sshoul
der,ashedev oured
mewhi lekneel
ingont hefl
oor.Theeuphor i
cfeeli
ng
yougetwheny ouf eelsomeone'stongueandlips
downthereisamazi ng.
That
o:(moani
ng)”
Aaah,
daddy
.”

I
t'sweirdhowIal waysswit
chfr
om Kgt odaddy
duringsex.It'
sbecomeanor m now.Igushedon
hisfaceasusual andhelayonthebed,pull
ingmet o
him.Iguesst onightismyti
met obeincharge.I'
m
abitexcitedandIcanseetheexcitementonhis
face.Islowlypositi
onedmysel
font opofhim and
i
nser t
edhi mint
ome.Hewentwi ldinst
antl
y.

Hegr abbedmybumsgent l
y,f
ondledmybr easts
andsqueezedmyni pples.Iwentincircul
armot ion
andthenbouncedont opofhi m.Oh, myKgwent
wil
d.If el
tmy selfgoingcr azy,
Imeanal lt
heot her
posit
ionsareni ce,butwomanont ophassomesor t
ofpowerat tachedt oit
.I tmakesy ougocrazy,
especial
lytheext r
apleasur eyoufeeldeepinsideof
yourvaginalwal l
s.

Apparent
lyit
'syourgspot
.Ireadupabi
tonit
.I
rodehim unt
ilwebothcli
maxedasIdr
oppedont
op
ofhim.It houghthe'
dwantt ot akeabreak,butnope,
hequicklywipedthebot hofusandf l
ippedmeov er
fordoggyst yl
eposit
ionandwentati tagain.We
madeamazi ngloveunti
lhefinall
ygavein.Inever
knewdr unksexcouldbesoni ce.Well,
hewast he
drunkonet obeexact .

Kg:(
breat
hingheavi
ly)”
Fuck,t
hatwasamazing,
baby
.Kegor etodayyoutol
dyoursel
fthaty
ou'
d
bl
owmymi ndaway,neh?”

That
o:(
laughi
ng)”
Wel
l
,di
dI?Bl
owy
ouaway
?”

Kg:
”Bot
hli
ter
all
yandf
igur
ati
vel
y.
”

Webot
hlaughed.

Kg:
”Il
ovey
ou,
That
o.”
That
o:”
Ilov
eyout
oo,
Kgaugel
o.”

Whenev erwet el
leachotherweloveoneanot her
andusingournames, i
tjustf
eel
slikeit
'sapromise
tooneanot her.Wewer eabouttodozeof funti
lwe
heardPalesaandSoksar gui
ngj
ustnextdoor .Yoh,
thesepeoplewantust obechasedaway .Kg
checkedthet i
meandi t'
sjustaf
termidnight
.We
can'tev
enpr aywiththesetwofi
ght i
ng.Wecoul d
evenhearthem.

Palesa:
”Ontseyabjang,mar
aSoks(
Whatdoy
ou
takemef or
,though)
?!”

Soks:”
Hai
,manP,
cal
m down.I
t'
snotwhaty
ou
thi
nk.
”

Pal
esa:”
Oskanhlant
sha(Don'
tpissmeof f
)!Why
woul
dSontobesendingy
ouallt
hosenudes? !Oj
ola
l
edigogwane,
Sojs(Arey
oudatinggranni
esnow,
Soks)
?!”

Soks:
”Eish,
manP.War asa(You'r
emakingnoi
se)
.
Let
'st
alkaboutt
hisl
i
keadult
s,please.
”

Palesa:”
Ify
ouwantt
otal
k,mf
ephoneeo(
Giv
eme
thatphone)
!”

Soks:
”Hayi
(No),
it'
smine,mos(
isn'
ti
t)
?!Aowa(
No)
,
nowyou'
rebei
ngdramatic.
”

Yoh,
Soksj
ustl
i
kesaddi
ngf
uel
tot
hef
ir
e.

Palesa:
”Eng(What
)?!Orekedramati
c,Soks(
Are
youcall
ingmedramati
c)?!Ketl
aobont
shabo
dramati
c(I'
l
lshowyoudramati
c)!
”

Wecoul
dhearPal
esawal
ki
ngupanddownshuf
fl
ing.
Idon'tknowbutIf
eel
li
ket
hisi
saboutt
otur
nint
oa
disaster
.

That
o:”
Kg,
may
beweshoul
dgocheckupont
hem.
”

Kg:
”Okay
,youst
ayher
e.”

Inoddedashegotoutofbedandquickl
ywor ehis
gown.Meanwhi l
e,Iwasli
steni
ngat
tent
ivel
ytothe
twoofthensquabbli
ng.

Soks:”Hai,manPal
esa.Otl
ostr
essancosiyaka
(You'
l
lstressmybabyout
).Skaetsaso(Don'
tdo
thi
s).
”

Palesa:”
Ja,akerewenaoiket
saclever(Youthi
nk
you'r
eclever
)!Obusyony obanaledigogwana
(You'r
ebusyfuckinggr
anni
es),meanwhi l
ewa
nshapa,Soks(youhitme)
!Ompy aebj angwena,
mara(Whatkindofadogar ey ou,though)?!Nagana
fel
a(Justi
magi ne),awhol
egrownwoman!Am Inot
enoughforyouSoks?Heh( Huh)?!Isn'
titbad
enoughthatyout r
eatmeli
keapi eceofshi t
?!Why
don'
tyoujustletgoofmesoIcanbef reeofal
lthi
s
shi
t,Soks?!Why ?!
”

Somethingdidn'tseem r
ight.Kgwasknocki
ngon
thei
rdoor,butthedoorseemedclosed.Soks
seemedl i
kehewasi npanic.

Soks:
”Pal
i
,pl
ease,
putt
hegundown.
”

Oh,shi
t.Pal
esahasagunai
medatSoks?
!Thi
sisa
shi
ttymess,
real
l
y.

Palesa:(
cry
ing)”
Youkeephur t
ingme, Soks.Aman
whol ov
esawomanshoul dn'tt
reatherthewayyou
tr
eatme.Ideservebet
ter
, Ideserv
epeaceofmind.”
Soks:
”Pl
ease,Pal
i
.Icanchange,
justpl
easegi
ve
meachance.”

Pal
esa:(
cryi
ng)” Wher ewereyouwhenmyf ather
hel
pedhimselfwithmeal l
thoseyears?Wher ewere
youwhenyouf uckedmel i
keananimal, t
henIhadto
gohomewithbr uisesgivenmyy ouandmyowndad
hadtoshovehisdi ckinsi
deofme?Wher ewereyou
whenmyownmot herwalkedinonmydadr aping
mewhenIwast en, andhetoldhertoclosethedoor.

Shedidasshewast ol
d.Imagi ne,amot heris
supposedtoprotectherchi
ldren,butinstead,shelet
him haveme-ev er
ysinglenight!Iwentcr yi
ngt oher
,
bleedi
ngfrom myanusandIt oldherwhathehad
donet ome.Isaidtoher'Mama, bonapapao
nkedit
seeng(lookwhatdaddydi dtome) '
.Anddo
youknowwhatshesai d?
”

Sokswasqui
etall
thi
swhil
e,andKgjustseemedt
o
befi
ght
ingwi
ththedoor
,beggi
nghertoopenup.
Palesa:”Shesaidtome' Palesa,
doitf
orthefamil
y,
forus.Ify oudon't
,we'l
lbeoutonthestreet
s.We'l
l
l
oset hi
sl avi
shli
festyl
e,i
sthatwhatyouwant?'
I
magi net hat
,atthetenderageof9,Il
ostmy
vir
gini
tytomyownf at
her.Ihadmyperiodearl
yin
l
ifethankst ohi
m.Heev ent r
eat
edmel i
kehiswif
e
i
nsteadofmymot her.

Youwer esupposedt obemysanct uary,myplaceof

safet
y,butinst
eady oujustdidthesamet hi
nghedi d
tome.Youusedandabusedme, turnedmei ntoa
bedroom whore.Now, I'
m pregnantwi t
hhischild,
Soks.Doy ouknowwhati t'
sli
ket obeme?Sur ely
theworldwouldbeabet t
erplacewi thoutmei nit.
Noonel ovesme, onlyThatohasbeent hesisterI
neverhadandev enthatwasn' tenough.”

Soks:”
No, nono.Pl ease,
Palesa,
Don'tdothis.We
canfi
xittogether,
please.IpromiseI
'l
lchangef or
you.Ipromise,I'
l
ldeal wi
thyourf
ather,
justplease
don'
tdot
his!
”

Iranoutofourroom andsawKgstandi
ngout
sideof
thei
rs.Iwasinpanicmode,andsowashe.The
caretakerr
ushedtous,l
i
vid.

Caret
aker
:”Whati
sgoi
ngonher
e?Wedon'
twant
anydrama!
”

Thato:
(frant
ic)”
Enoughwithyourbull
shi
t,man!I
f
youdon'topenthatdoorr
ightnow,oneofthem wi
ll
die!
”

Hequickl
yheededmywar
ningandopenedthedoor
.
Assoonashedi d,
Kgj
umpedinfir
st.Wesaw
Pal
esaholdi
ngagunandpoint
ingi
tatSoks.

Soks:
”Pal
i
,baby
,don'
tdot
his.
”
Pal
esa:
(cr
ying)”
Younev
erl
ovedme,
Soks.You
nev
erdi
d.”

Thato:(
scar
ed)”
Please,
chomi
(fr
iend)
,don'
tdo
thi
s.”

Pal
esa:(
cry
ing)”
Ilov
eyou,
That
o.Ial
way
shav
eand
Ial
wayswil
l.
”

Fearcr
eptupandqui
ckl
ytur
nedi
ntopani
c.

That
o:(
pani
cked)”
No,
Pal
esa,
please!
”

Pal
esaqui
ckl
ytookt
hegunandai
medi
tbel
owher
chi
n.

Pal
esa:
”Pl
easef
orgi
veme.Goodby
e.”
Isawt hemosthor ri
fi
cscenet hatwill
foreverbe
engravedintomymi nd.Ihear dmyf ir
stever
shotgun,Iencounter
edmyf irsteversuici
deandmy
onlyfr
iend,mybestf r
iend,j
ustshotandki l
led
hersel
frightther
einfrontofme, ifrontofallofus.

IstoodfrozeninshockasIsawherl i
felessbody
dropdownt othefloor.Sokshadhi shandsonhi s
headandst ar
tedscreami ng,t
hecaretakerlosthi
s
mindandst ar
tedscr eamingforhel
p.Al lIheardwas
thefai
ntnessoftheirscreams.Ijuststaredatblood
oozingfr
om Palesa'sbrain.

Thiscan'
tbe,thi
scan'tf
uckingme.Herpurewhite
gown,wasslowlygetti
ngstainedbyherbl
ood.Kg
hel
dmeandpul l
edmeoutoft her
e.Icoul
dsee
myselfwalki
ng,butmylegsf el
tnumb.IheardKg'
s
wordsasiftheycamef r
om adi st
ance,
unti
lhe
shookmebackt olif
e.

Kg:
”That
o!That
o!Ar
eyouokay
?”
Thent hatsamemomentcamebackt ome, t
he
momentshebl ewherownbr ai
nsout.Ikept
recall
ingt hemomentt hegunwentof f
.Ilookedat
my selfandsawaf ewbloodstainsonmygown.I
vomi t
edpr of
uselyonthefl
oor,asKgheldme.And
j
ustliket hat,Il
osttwoveryi
mpor t
antpeopleinmy
l
ifeint hev er
ysamey ear.
Chapt
erTwent
yTwo

Gal
ati
ans6:
2-”
Carr
yeachother
’sburdens,
andi
n
t
hiswayyouwi
l
lful
fi
ll
thel
awofChr i
st.
”

That
o

Iwasacompl etemessaf rvomiti

ng.Kgsay sit'
s
j
ustshock.Iwasev enshaki
ngandshi ver
ingli
keI
wasfeel
ingcold.Sokswasar ealmess, j
ustsi
tt
ing
ontheground,star
ingatPalesa'
sbody .Kgwasby
mysiderightt
hrough, whi
lethecaret
akerwas
standi
ngafar,givi
ngthepoli
ceastatement
.The
paramedicscameandcheckedonher .Wehadall
gi
v enuphopet hatPalesadi
dn'
tmakei t
.Iwas
deeplydi
straughtunti
lIhear
dthem saysomet
hing
hopeful
.

Par
amedi
c:”
Ifeel
apul
se.I
t'
sfai
nt,
buti
t'
sther
e.”

Theyquickl
ydidthenecessarythi
ngsandlai
dher
ontothestr
etcher
.Soksf ol
lowedthem andt
he
pol
icePesteredusasusual.

Poli
ceman:”I
'm af
rai
dweneedast
atementf
rom
you,si
r,f
rom al
lofyoubef
orey
oul
eave.
”

Soks:
(fuming)”Don'
tfuckwi
thme!I
fyouwanta
st
atement,
y oucanfol
lowme!”

Hef
oll
owedt
hepar
amedi
csi
ntot
heambul
ance,
whi
l
eKgandIgoti
ntohi
scar
.

Kg:
(si
gh)”
Youdon'
thav
etogo,
baby
,real
l
y.”

That
o:(
sof
tl
y)”
Kgaugel
o,pl
easepr
aywi
thme.
”

Hej ustnodded.Ifel
tthedeepdesir
eandan
i
ncredibleneedforprayer
.There'
saglimmerofhope
thatshemi ghtmakeitoutofthisal
i
ve.Ican'tl
ose
Palesa,notnow.West i
ll
havetoexperi
encevarsi
ty
andbeeachot her
'smaidsofhonour,beeachother
's
chil
dren'sgodmothers.

Thato:”DearGod, Modimoy oar ategang(Our

belovedGod) ,Icomebef or
ey ouasoneofy our
chil
dren.I'
m notper f
ect,butIpleadforyourmercy
,
yourkindness, y
ourgrace.Iasky oudearLordto
pleaseprotectmyf r
iendandhel phersurvi
vethi
s.It
i
snotherf aultthatsheunderwental lt
heabuseand
tr
auma.
Oh,God, myhear tisinagr eatdeal ofagony,my
heartcannottakeany mor edespai r.Wasi tnotyou
i
n1Pet er3:14whosai d” Buteveni fyoushould
suff
erforwhati sright,y ouarebl essed.“Donotfear
thei
rthreats;donotbef ri
ghtened” ?Youpr omised
usthaty ou'
dbet heref orusandr ewar dthosewho
suff
eriny ourname.Wasi tnoty ouin1Pet er4:1
whosai d”Therefore,sinceChr i
stsufferedinhis
body,army ourselvesal sowi ththesameat t
it
ude,
becausewhoev ersuffersi nthebodyi sdonewi th
sin.
”

DidyounotmeanPal esawoul dbef reef r

om sin
si
nceshesuf f
er edimmensl yatthehandsofherso
cal
ledf at
her?Wher ewerey ou,Oh, Lord?!Wher e
werey ouwhenshewasi ndespai r,
inpai nand
enduredsuf f
ering?!Whybl essamanl iket hatwit
h
chil
drenknowi ngv er
ywel lhe'
dabuseherl ikethat?
!
Wasi tnotyouwhosai d”Iknewy oubef oreyouwer e
born”inJeremi ah1:5?!Youknewherf ather,you
knewt hekindofmonst erhewoul dt ur
noutt obeyet
y
ougav
ehi
m Pal
esa,
whyoh,
Lor
d?!

Ididn'
tquest i
onyouwheny outookmymot heraway
fr
om me, butnowy ouwantt ot
akeawaymyonl y
fr
iend,whensheneedsmet hemost ?!Ibegofy ou,
dearGod, havemer cyonme, onher ,
onus.Gi veher
asecondchanceatl i
fe.InJohn7: 38yousai d
“Whoev erbeli
evesinme, asScript
urehassaid,
ri
versoflivi
ngwat erwil
lfl
owf r
om wi t
hinthem.”I
askthisinJesusMi ghtyName.Amen. ”

Idi
dn'
tevenfeel
thetear
sbur
ningmycheeksand
mysel
fshiv
erinanxi
ety.

Kg:
”Let
'sgo.
”

Kgstar
tedthecarasweheadedtothehospi
tal
.
Uponarri
val
,IsawSokssi
tt
ingononeofthechair
s
fi
l
ledwit
hdejecti
on,
andawholelotofr
egret
.
Kg:
”Mf
o(Br
o),
Bar
eng(
Whatar
erheysay
ing)
?”

Soks:
(tear
y)”
Not
hingasy
et.She'
sinsur
ger
y.”

Kg:
”I'
l
lgett
hem t
ocal
lherpar
ent
s.”

Soks:
”Noneed.Theyhav ealreadybeennoti
fi
ed.
Appar
entl
ythey'
reontheirwayaswespeak.That o,
whydidn'
tyousayanythi
ngaboutwhatCoi nwas
doi
ngtoher?Alltheseyears.
..
”

Thato:”
Idi
dn'
tknow,
Ionl
yfoundoutj
ustbef
oret
he
braai
.”

Soks:(angry)”
Iknow,Iwasashi tt
yboyf
riendtoher
,
butIloveher.Coinwi
llregretthi
sforawhole
l
ifet
ime.ThenI '
m goi
ngf orAneli
sa.Thatbit
chwill
regr
etev er
ythi
ngshe'
sputPal esathr
ough.”
Anel
i
saLekgau

Iwashav i
ngtheti
meofmyl if
eatRockaf elawiththe
gir
ls.ImeanSophieactuall
ybr oughtli
fei
ntothis
group.Wherehasshebeenal l ourli
ves?We' r
eso
overSontoandherbull
yingtendencies.Themusi c
i
shi p,t
hefoodi
sflowingandt healcoholisbuzzing.
Ican'tr
ememberthelastti
meIev enhadbr aaimeat
andaSav annai
nmyhand.

Bianca:(danci
ng)”Sophi
e,wher
ehaveyoubeenal
l
myl i
fe?!Thisisj
ustwhatweneeded,man.Not
golfi
ngwi t
hbigbelli
ed,f
atmenandtal
ki
ngabout
whichlatestcart
obuy .
”

Sophi
elaughedoutl
oud.

Sophi
e:”Youpeoplej
ustf
orgetaboutwhereyou
comefrom assoonasyoubecomer ich.Li
feist
oo
shor
ttowalkaroundwit
hat i
ghtass.
”
Rachel
:(l
aughi
ng)”
Cheer
stot
hat
.”

Sontoont
heot
herhandi
ssourasf
uck,
bar
ely
sayi
ngawordt
oanyone.

Aneli
sa:”
Hao?Sonto?Loosenupabit,man.Yazi
uyakhohl
waukuthi
besigr
oovaenextdoor(You
know,youfor
getweusedtopar
tynextdoor
).”

Sont
o:”
Mxm,
Anel
i
sa,
skant
ena(
Don'
tbor
eme)
!”

IsawCoinappearoutofnowher elooki
ngdistr
essed.
Mxm Idon'tevenwanttotal
ktot hebastar
d.He's
theonewhor epl
acedmewi thmyowndaught er
.
Imagine,
makingmepr egnantonlytofuckthever
y
chil
dthatcameoutofme.

Coi
n:”
Anel
i
sa,
masi
hambe(
let
'sgo)
.”
Aneli
sa:
”Angi
yindawonawe(
I'
m notgoi
ng
anywher
ewithyou).
”

Coi
n:”
Pal
esashother
sel
f,dammi
t!
”

If
eltl
i
kemywholeworl
dcamet
oast
andst
il
l.I
musthav
ehear
dwrong.

Anel
i
sa:
”Ut
heni
(Whatdi
dyouj
ustsay
)?!
”

Coin:
”Palesashother
sel
fint
hehead.She'
sin
hospi
talaswespeak.Let'
sgo.”

Everyonewasl ooki
ngatme.Iknow, they'
re
probablyj
udgingme.Whoknowsi ft
heyev enheard
therumoursalready.Yes,IAnel
isaLekgausoldmy
onlydaughtertoherfather
.Iall
owedhi mtohav e
sexwi t
hherandi nturnhemadeherpr egnant.And
now,shehaskil
ledhersel
fal
lbecauseofme.I
deser
veeveryt
hingthat'
scomingtome.Isacr
if
iced
myownchi l
dformoneyandr i
ches.

Anel
i
sa:
(angr
y)”
Thi
sisal
lyourf
aul
t,Coi
n!”

Coi
n:”
Nother
e,Anel
i
sa,
please.
”

Aneli
sa:”I
fnothere,thenwher e,Coi
n?!Wher e?!
WasInotenoughf ory ou?
!Wasi tnotenought hatI
di
dev ery
thi
ngfory ou?!Buty oujusthadt odoit,
di
dn'tyou?!Youjusthadt omol est,
rapeand
sodomizeyourowndaught er!Youimpr egnat
edher
andnowshehadt helaststrawandki l
ledherself
!”

Coin:
(cal
mly)”Ungazongi
hlany
elawenaAnel
i
sa
(Don'
tbestupi
d).I'
dneverdosuchathi
ng.
”

Bi
anca:
(shocked)”
So,
itwasal
ltr
ue?
!”
Sonto:”Yes,ever
ybi
tofi
t.Hefuckedhisown
daughter,dayandni
ght
,wheneverhehadthe
chance.”

Sophi
e:(
bewil
der
ed)”
Youknewaboutthi
sSont
o
anddi
dn'
teventr
ytosav
ethepoorgi
rl
?!”

Sonto:(
surpr
ised)”
What ?No,guy s,
yougotital
l
wrong.I'
m notthebadguyher e,
Coinis!And
Aneli
sa!She'
st hepoorexcuseforamot her
,not
me.”

Coi
n:”
Ihav
enoi
deawhaty
ou'
re-
”

Rachel
:”Shutup,Coin!You' r
ef ucki
ngdisgust
ing!I'
ll
makesurey oupayf orthi
s!I '
m goingtotel
lPaper,
RomeoandQuat ro.You'l
lregretevershovi
ngy our
fi
l
thydi
cki ntoyourdefencelesschild'
svagi
na!
Shameony ou!
”
Anel
i
sa:
”Youmakemesi
ck,
Coi
n!”

Sophie:”
Whyar eyouacti
nglikeyou'
rebetterthan
him?You' r
ejustasmucht kblameashei s.You
knewabouti tandyouall
owedhimt orapey ouronl
y
chil
d,Aneli
sa.Isthi
swhattheRockv i
l
leDivas'motto
i
s?Toal lowandcov erupabuse?”

Wewereallsosurpr
isedandembar
rassedaswe
st
aredateachother
.

Sonto:”
Mxm, don'
tactl
i
key
ou'
rebet
tert
hananyof
us,wenaSophie!
”

Sophi
e:”Oh?Whyisthat
,Sont
o?Whatam Ihi
ding?
Am Ihi
dingachi
l
dthatIdumped-
”

Sont
o:”
Okay
!Igett
hepi
ctur
e!”
Rachel
:”Ithi
nky oubot hshouldleave.Anel
i
sa,go
sayyourlastgoodby estoyourdaught er
.Wena(You)
Coin,
thesquadwi l
lbewai t
ingforyouanddon'
tyou
daremakear unf orit.
”

Ist
ormedoutoft
here,
asdrunkasIwas,Igoti
nto
mycarandspedoff
.Oh,LordwhathaveIdone?

Sont
oMol
oi

I
'
m soangr
yrightnow.Sophi
eisouttofi
nishme,to
r
uinev
eryl
astbitofme.Wasthisherpl
anallal
ong?

Sont
o:”Hey,
wena(you).Don'
tmesswi
thme.What
thef
uckareyoupl
ayingat,
Sophi
e?”

Sophi
e:”
Sont
o,I
'
m notyourmateoranyofyourl
it
tl
e
hel
per
syoushovear
oundatyourhouse.Don'
ttal
k
tomeli
ket
hat.I'
mjustbei
ngme,
babe.Idi
dn'
tdo
any
thi
ngwrong.
”

Sont
o:”
Howmuchwi
l
litt
akef
ory
out
odi
sappear
?”

Sophie:(
chuckl
ing)”
Youmeanhowmuchof
Romeo'smoneywi ll
itt
akeformetodisappear
.
Disappearandgowhere?Thisismthomet own,
baby.I'
m notgoinganywher
e.”

Sonto:”
ButSophieyoudon'
tbel
ongher
e,y
ou'
ve
neverhadanint
eresti
nthi
stypeofl
i
fe.
”

Sophi
e:”Thi
ngschange,babe.Besides,j
udgi
ng
fr
om yourfr
iends,
Ifi
tinri
ghtper
fectl
y.”

Bianca:
”Yoh,
Sophi
e,whatdoy
out
hinkweshoul
d
do?”
Sont
o:(shocked)”I
'
mtheonewhodeci
deswhatwe
doaroundhere!”

Rachel:”
Sitt
hefuckdown, Sonto.Sophi
ehadmuch
bett
erideasandperspect
ivethanyou.Besides,she
asksforouropi
nionsandv al
uesourinputunli
ke
you.
”

Bi
anca:
”Sophi
e?Whatnow?
”

Sophie:”
Isaywesur
renderhi
mtomobj
ust
ice.Let
them beathi
mtodeath.
”

Sonto:
(shocked)”
Wedon'tki
l
lthemenaroundher
e.
Theyaretheoneswhobr
inginthemoney
.”

Sophi
e:”Youcall
athi
ngli
kethataman?Her aped
hi
sownchi l
danddrovehert
osuici
de.Tel
lme,
wouldyoulethi
m goscot
tfr
ee?Bianca?Rachel?
”
Theybot
hshookt
hei
rheads.Theset
rai
tor
s!

Sophi
e:”
IfIdi
dn'tknowbet
terI
'
dsaySont
oisi
n
fav
ourofrapi
sts.
”

Bi
anca:
(anger
ed)”
Wel
l
,ar
eyouSont
o?”

Sont
o:(
sigh)”
Ofcour
senot
.”

Rachel
:”Isaylet
'sdoit
.I'
m al
lin.Sophi
ecantake
Coin'
sshareinthebusi
ness.It
'shi
ghtimeweget
thefi
rm handofawomani nthi
sbusiness,
ladi
es.
Whatdoy ousay?”

Fuckthi
s!Sophiewaltzesi
ntoourcl
ubandalready
shegetsastakeinthi
sbusiness?
!Weallhadt o
grov
elandwor khar
df oramere1%sharei
nt his
busi
ness!Ineedtof i
ndoutwhatherpl
anisand
whoi
sbehi
ndhernewandsuddenl
ook!
Chapt
erTwent
yThr
ee

2Corint
hians1:3-”Prai
sebetot heGodandFat her
ofourLordJesusChr i
st,
theFatherofcompassi on
andtheGodofal lcomfort
,whocomf ortsusinall
ourtr
oubles,sothatwecancomf ortt
hoseinany
tr
oublewiththecomfortweoursel v
esr ecei
vefr
om
God.”

That
o

Lif
ei st r
ulysomethingel se,
youknow.Theone
minut eev er
ythi
ngcoul dseem sookay ,andthenin
aninst anteveryt
hingcanchange, al
lbecauseofa
personf eeli
ngtooov erwhelmedt ospeak.Ifeel
sorryforSoks, butinawayhei spart
lytoblamef or
thi
s.Al ifel
ostatthetenderageof18.Howcr ueli
s
thi
sl i
fe?Wewai tedinagonyandsuspensei nthe
waiti
ngr oom.Wehar dlysaidawordt oeachother,
whil
epoorKgwasal
ter
nat
inghi
sat
tent
ionbet
ween
SoksandI.

Kg:”
I'
m goi
ngt
ogetusal
lsomet
hingt
odr
inkso
l
ong.”

Inoddedashel
eftwhi
l
eSoksbar
elysai
dany
thi
ng.

Soks: ”I
t'
sal l
myf ault
, Thato.I'm ahorribleguy ,I
'v
e
nev erbeenagoodboy fr
iendtoher .Youknow, the
fi
rsttimeIsawher ,Inoticedherkillerbody ,her
beaut i
fulchocolateskin.Butt heonet hingt hat
mademef allforherwasherl oudandcar ef ree
personality.Igrewupi nav er
ystricthousehol d.My
fatherwoul dbeatmymot hertoapul pev eryev eni
ng
aftercomi nghomedr unk.

I
'dwakeupal
ongwi t
hmysibli
ngsandmebei ngt
he
ol
dest
,Isawever
ythi
ngf
rom av er
yyoungage.He
woul
dfindmymotherhadfini
shedcooki
ngandthe
poorwomanwasr eadingherBi bl
emostoft heti
me,
atti
meshe' dfindhersleeping.Hewoul dkickthe
doorwi deopenanddemandsexf rom her.Wel i
ved
i
naoner oomedshack, Thato.Canyoui maginethat
?
Awhol efatherwantingsexr ighti
nfr
ontofhi s
chi
ldren.She'dbeghi mt ostopandpleadwi thhim,
buthe'dbeatherupsobadl y.

Iintervenedasi tgotworseandhe' dbeatmeupt oo.

Hest eppedonmymanhoodwhenIwas12, andhe
l
ookedmest r
aightintheeyesandsai dtome” Aker
e
omonnawenanou?Ogaf i
sakegomel amar ete!I
'
ll
showy ouwhatr ealmendo!( You'
reamannow,
aren'
ty ou?Yourabi l
it
ytogr owballshasgonet o
yourhead) !
”Het oremypoormot her'
sclot
hesapart
asshebeggedf orhismer cy.

Iwasinsomuchpain,thatItr
iedtofi
ghthi
m offher
wit
htheli
tt
lepowerIhadlefti
nme, buthepushed
meoffhim sohar
d,myar m br
oke.Thephy si
cal
pai
nIwasinwasnot hi
ngcompar edtothe
psychol
ogi
calt
raumaheengr av
edint
omyhead.My
motherwashopelessadher ammedi ntoherli
ke
shewasananimal .Fr
om thatdayonwar ds,
he
wouldhavehi
swaywi thourmot herr
ightinfr
ontof
us.

Unti
loneday ,
IdecidedIhadhadenough.Att heage
of16,Istar
tedwor ki
ngforRomeo.Ihelpedhim
bui
ldthisempire,Imeanyes,dr
ugskil
ltheyouth,but
whatelsewasIt odo?Icouldn'
tendureanother
momentofsuf fer
ing.Mymot her'
sbeautyhadf aded
al
ongwi thherfai
thinGodatthatti
me,allbecause
ofauselessmanIcal ledmyfat
her.

Ihadmadeenoughmoneyt obeabl etogetmy

mot herandsister
soutofthathouse.It ookthem to
anei ghbour'
shouseforabriefvi
sitandwaitedfor
myf athertocomebackhome.Ihadal r
eadypour ed
petr
ol allov
ertheshack.Iwantednot hi
ngtobel eft
i
ni t
, andIwantedthewholeplacegone, al
ongwi t
h
thebi t
termemor i
esther
eof.Hecamehomeand
f
oundmesi
tt
ingononeoft
hechai
rsi
noursmal
l
man-
madeki
tchen.

Hebar gedinandst ar
tedyelli
ngatmeandi nsult
ing
measusual .WhenIj uststaredhimi ntheeyes,he
tri
edt oraisehisf i
statme, butIblockedi tandthrew
him down.Iopenedt hedoorandst oodout si
de.Ili
t
myl ighterandlookedathi mf orthel astti
me.The
bastardev enhadt henervet olaughatme.Ist i
l
l
rememberhi sfinalwordstome.Hesai d”You'l
l
neverbebet t
erthanme, you'llj
ustendupbei ngan
evenwor seversionofme. ”Iknewt henIwoul dn'
t
regretthedecisionImadet hatnight.

Ithr
ewt hel i
ghterintotheshackandwat chedhim
burnt odeath.Iliter
all
ystaredathim ast heflames
grabbedhisent ir
ebody ,andIsawhi mt akehidlast
breath.Hewast hemi ghtycobra,t
het err
orizerof
thecommuni ty.Ifyoudaredtellhi
m shithe'dcut
yourthroatoff.Ev ery
onewassohappyt hatIburnt
himtodeat h,thatwhent hepoli
cecamet o
i
nvest
igat
e,t
heyal
lsai
dthathesl
eptwi
tht
hecandl
e
onwhil
edrunk.

From thatdayonev er
y oneknewSoks, they
respectedme.Imadesur et hatcri
mewasat hi
ngof
thepastandt hatwomenwer eprot
ect
edi nour
neighbourhood.I'
m probabl ythebi
ggesthypocri
te,
hereIam Sokst heprotectorofwomenandchi l
dren,
meanwhi leIworkforthebi ggestdr
uglordin
Rockvil
le.Mymot hernamedmeSol omon, j
ustli
ke
theonei ntheBibl
e.

Mymot herbel
ievedIwasdest
inedforgr eat
ness,
butIhatedthatname.So,Ical
ledmy selfSoks,
SinceIusedtoloveHappySocksinschool .My
mot herwoul
dbesoashamedofmer i
ghtnow.I
tr
eatmysi st
ersalongwit
hmymot herlikegol d,
yet
hereIwast r
eati
ngPalesali
kecompleteshi t
.”

Shi
t,nowIfeell
iket
rash.Ishoul
dneverhav
ejudged
Soksli
kethat.Webothfoundoursel
vesint
ear
s.
NowIknowwhyKgnev erspokebadl
yabouthim
andneverrej
ect
edhi
m.Thisissuchapainf
ulstor
y,
Idon'
tevenknowwhatt
osay .Par
entshavesucha
badwayofdamagingusatti
mes.Soksisbeyond
damaged.

Thato:
”Itwi
l
lbeokay,Soks.She'
llmakeit
.Then
youcanmakeituptoher,toyour
selfaswell
.God
giv
essecondchances.
”

Kgcamebackandgav
eussomecol
dri
nk.

That
o:”
Thanky
ou,
babe.
”

Heki
ssedmyfor
ehead.Wet
henhear
dal
otofnoi
se
comi
ngthr
ough.

Anel
isa:
(shouti
ng)”Wher
eisshe?!Uphi
umtnwanami (
where'
smychil
d)?!
”
Shewasabouttoj
umpatSoks, butheheldherby
hert
hroat
.Shuu,t
hatescal
atedpret
tyfast
.

Kg:
”Soks,
letherbe.
”

Soks:
(bewi
l
dered)”
Onaganagoreomangwena
(Whodoyouthi
nkyouar
e),Anel
i
sa?!
”

Kg:(
cal
mly
)”Nother
e,Soks.Mot
logel
e(Leav
e
her
).
”

Heroughl yl
ethergoasshedroppedt
ot heground
coughing.Shewentmut eall
ofasudden.Ican't
evenlookather,sher
evolt
sme.Thedoct orcame
outlookingreal
l
ydrai
ned.

Doct
or:
”Pal
esaLekgau'
sfami
l
y?”
Weallstoodupandstar
edathi
m.It r
iedtoreadhi
s
faceandsearchf
orsomehope,buthelookeddown
andtookadeepsigh.Iknewt
henthatitwasover.

Doct
or:
”I'
m sor
ry,
shedi
dn'
tmakei
t.
”

If
eltmysel
fcoll
apseintoKg'
sarms, whil
eAneli
sa
wasscreamingandthrowi
ngat ant
rum onthefloor
.
Soksburi
edhisheadinhisar
msandj ustl
etouta
l
oudwail.Thisi
sit,
mybestfriendisgone-forever
.

Wewentbackt otheguesthouseandi mmedi ately

packedourbags.Wecoul dn'tevenstayanot her
momenti nthereknowingt hatourf r
iendt ookher
ownl i
feinoneoft hoserooms.Soksl ookedatt he
spotwher ePalesali
edfort hev er
ylasttimebef ore
wel ef
t.Wegoti ntothecari mmedi atelyandSoks
l
ayi nthebackseat.Kgdr ov eusbackhome, at3am
i
nt hemor ni
ng.Mypoorman, t
hisweekendwas
supposedt obeall aboutf
unandli
ttl
edidIknowi t
wouldbet helasttimeweev enseePalesa.Upon
approachi
ngRockv il
l
e,wefoundawhol emobof
peopleburningti
resandhol di
ngweapons.Itlooks
l
ikethey'
reteachingsomeoneav eryhardlesson.Kg
openedthewi ndowandaskedoneoft hepeople
whatwashappeni ng.

Kg:
”Ekse(
Hi)
,gov
ayang(
What
'shappeni
ng)
?”

Guy:
”Ah,
communit
yetrapaBr
aCoin(
The
communi
tyi
sbeat
ingupMr.Coi
n).
”

IwishKghadn'
topenedthewi
ndow,becauseas
soonashesaidthat
,Soksqui
ckl
ygotoutofthecar
.

That
o:”
Kg,
goaf
terhi
m!”

Kggotoutoft
hecarwhi
l
eIpeepedoutoft
he
window.AssoonasSokswal kedthr
oughthecrowd,
theypavedthewayf orhim.That'showscaredthey
areofhim.Coinwasonhi sknees,wit
hatyre
aroundhisneck,
wi t
habl eedi
nglipandonehalf
closedeyeandhishandst i
edbehindhisback.He
l
ookedr eal
l
ybruised,every
where.

Ithengottheshockofmyl i
f easIsawBi anca,
Rachel,
Sont oandMmane( Aunt )Sophiest anding
aroundhim.Sophi el
ooksl i
ket heheadoft hegang
withali
ghterinherhand.Shel ookssodi fferent,
withawhol enewwar drobesett hatscreams
expensi
ve.Wher esheev engott hemoney , who
knows?It hensawRomeo, Bianca' shusbandPaper
andRachel'shusbandQuat roal sost andi
ngar ound
him.Janeh, sothisi
swhatt heymeantwhent hey
call
edthemselvestheRockv i
ll
e8.Myquest ionis
whatonear thi
sSophi edoingt her e?

Isawt
hecrowdchant
ingunt
ilSophi
est
oppedt
hem
andst
art
edspeaki
ng.
Sophie:”Myf el
lowpeopl e,asy oucansee, weare
heretopuni shoneoft heevilcommuni tymember s.
Thismanhasr hi nedhisdaught er
'slife.Heraped
herattheknowl edgeandpr esenceofhi swife.He
evenimpr egnatedher ,bagaetsho( mypeopl e).We,
theRockv i
llDivasar eshowingy out hatwedon' t
tol
erateabusei nanyway ,shapeorf orm.Now, let'
s
dealwithhim. ”

Funnyenoughsheabusedmegetshe' sacti
ngall
hol
yoverther
e.Thecr owdcheer edandwhileshe
wastryi
ngtospeak, Sokst ookouthisl
ight
erandset
Coinonfir
e.Hel ookedathi m andthengavethem
al
lalookwhil
ehewasscr eaminginagonyandleft
.
Kgcamebackt ot hecaranddr oveust ohi
splace.I
don'
tknowwhatSophi e'
spl ani
s,butIknowshe's
notonetobetrusted.
Chapt
erTwent
yFour

Psal
m 18:
2-”
TheLor
dismyr
ock,
myf
lor
tressand
mydeliver
er;myGodi
smyr ockinwhom It
ake
r
efuge.Hei smyshi
eldandthehor
nofmysalvat
ion,
mystronghold.
”

Af
ewweeksl
ater

That
o

It
'sbeenar eal
lystressfulf
ewweeks.Af terPalesa'
s
death,every
thi
ngf eltl
ikeit
'sgoingdownhil
l.Coin
wasbur nttodeath,andAnel i
saapparentl
ygotintoa
caraccident.Shedr oveherAudi RS8whil
edr unk
andnowshe' swheel chairbound.She'snolonger
partoftheRockvill
eDi vas,t
hankstoSophie.
SpeakingofSophie, she'sj
usttakenoverhernew
rei
gnast heQueenoft heDivas.

Sheevenhasadr i
vert
hatdri
vesheraroundli
ke
she'
sthequeenofEngland.She'
sforeverdr
ippi
ngin
l
abeledcl
othes,
especi
all
yPradaandDi or
,noteven
Sontodressesl i
kethat.Weal lhavenoideawhoher
suppl
ieris,
buti tmustbesomeonev eryri
ch.Hadi
t
beenanyonef rom Rockvil
le,
wewoul dknowbynow.
It
'ssobadt hateveryti
meIt utorTumisho,Sont
o
makessur eshe'stherejustt
oaskmeabout
Sophie'
swher eaboutsandplans.

Imean, shesuddenlyisact i
ngallnicet
owar dsme
nowandshe' sreal
l
yannoy ingme.Ican' teven
pret
endany more.Ial
way smakesur eIhurryoutor
fi
ndanexcusenott omi nglewiththem because
wow, thatladycanpretend.Itseemsasi fsheno
l
ongerhol dsanypowerov ertheDivas,
whi chis
fr
ustrati
ngherev enmor e.

Sokshasgoneawayev ersi
ncePalesa'
sdeat h.
Thankst oKg,heagreedt ofi
nal
lygethelp.I'
m super
proudofhimf oradmi t
ti
nghisproblem andfor
seekinghelp.Ican'
timaginehowhewoul dhav e
turnedoutifhehadn'tseekedhelp.Apparentlyhe
wassl eepi
ngwithbothSophieandSont o,cany ou
i
magi net hat
?Ij
usthopethatRomeodoesn'
tfind
out,orelseshewil
lreapwhatshehassown,and
knowi ngRomeo,he'
llmostdef
ini
tel
yleav
eherwith
nothing.

Iont heot
herhandst ruggledtosleepforday saf t
er
thewholePalesaincident.Ikepthav i
ngni ghtmares
until
Kgbookedmeanappoi ntmentwithat herapist.
Ivebeenabitbettereversinceandshame, hereally
tri
es.Hestil
lgetsupwi t
hmeatni ghttoensur eI
studyhardformyf i
nal examsandI '
vealr
eady
start
edwithmyf i
rstpaper .Ilovethewayhel oves
meandIcanhonest l
ysayIam t r
ulyblessed.

Wej ustwenttogetsomeBur gerKi ng.I'

vebeen
crav i
ngitforsomeoddr easonandbel ievemewhen
IsayI 'm notmuchofabeeff an.Ev enKgi sso
sur pri
sed,buthefi
gur editmustbePMSor
somet hi
ng.Myboobshav eenlargedabitandare
ti
ngl yandsore,whichi sasignofPMS.I t'
sareal
bitchifyouaskme, butsuchi sli
fe.Aswewer e
abouttoentert
hegat esothatKgcouldparkhi
scar,
wesawaf amil
iarcardr
ivi
ngoutoftheyard.That'
s
Sophie'
sdriv
er!Whatonear thi
sshedoingcomi ng
outofKg'shousealoneat9pm?Il ookedatKgand
hedismissedmei mmediatel
y.

Kg:
”Aowa(
No)
,baby
.Nogossi
ping,
remember
?”

That
o:”
Butar
en'
tyouev
enal
i
ttl
ecur
ious?
”

Kg:”Ni
ks,baby.TheonlywayImanagedtostay
al
iveandhealt
hyunti
ltheageof26isbymindingmy
ownbusiness.Takei
tf r
om me,et
swamot sona
(l
eaveit
).
”

Iguesshe'
sri
ght,
butImeanI'
mj ustabi
tcur
ious,
that
'sal
l
.May beIam abi
tnosy
.Ineedtowor kon
that
.
Sophi
e

Oh, l
ifeissogoodnowt hatI '
ml i
terall
ythenew
QueenDi va.I'veevendev i
sedanewbusi nessplan
withSoksgonenow.Thesepuppet sallanswert o
me, ev entheirusel
esshusbands.Ihav emanagedt o
getthem mor estockandmaket hem mor epr ofi
t
thant hey '
veevermadei nt heirwhol eentire
existence.I maginemov ingf rom maki ngR100000a
mont ht omaki ngR400000amont h!That '
sa300%
diff
erence.Ihav enoi deawhatSt upidSont ohas
beendoi ngallthi
st i
me, butI '
m bei ngwor shipped
now.I t'
sonlyamat t
eroft imeIr ecl ai
m myspotas
Romeo' swi f
eandt henI '
llcleanhi m out.He' l
l l
earn
hislessonandr egretthedayhemademel ieabout
mypr egnancy .Afterav eryshor troundasusual ,I
l
ayonRomeo' sbarechest .Isomi ssSoks, man.

Romeo: ”
Sophi
e,Ihopenowthatyouaremaking
enoughmoneyyouhav edeci
dedtostayawayfr
om
Thato.She'
shappyandshe'saboutt
obemy
daught
er-
in-
law.
”

Sophi
e:(
puzzl
ed)”Eng(What)
?!Areyousay
ingKgi
s
pl
anni
ngonpayinglobol
aforThat
o?!
”

Romeo:”YesandIful
l
ysuppor
tit
.Iswear,
Sophie,
if
youdar
epullthatj
obI'
l
lmakesur
eyouregreti
t.
”

Mxm,thisman.Het
hinksheownsme,
I'
ma
Rockv
il
leDiv
anow.

Sophie:”
Romeobathong(goodness)
,IswearIlet
thatgo.Thatocankeepherl
it
tl
emi l
l
ion,Ihav
ean
empiretorun.
”

Romeo:
(chuckl
i
ng)”
Youmeanmyempi
re.
”

Oho,
hedoesn'
tknowmet
hisone,
Ihav
ebi
gger
plansandI'
m wayaheadofhim.Isaidmygoodbyes
andheadedout .IsawKgandThatowaiti
ngi
nfront
ofthegateasIdroveout
,butsheknowsbett
ert
han
tospil
lthebeans.I'
dmakesuresheli
vestor
egreti
t.

Sont
o

Li
fehasbeenal mostunber ableev ersi nceSophie
decidedtobet henewme.Ican' tst andherev en
mor enow.Imeanwhodoesshet hinkshei s?I'v
e
tr
iedtogetinformationfrom t hatbitchThat o,but
she'snotbudging.Ideci dedtodomyown
i
nv est
igat
ion.Ifoundoutt hatthedr iverison
Romeo' spayr
oll.Irefusedt obelievei tatfir
st.
Romeocoul dn'tpossibl
ycheatonal loft hi
sfor
Sophie.Imeanshehasnoassev en!

Idecidedtofoll
owherar ound.EveryTuesdayand
Thursdayshemetupwi thRomeoatoneofhi s
guestshouses.Ifeltl
ikeIwasdr eaming.NowI'm
pati
entlywai
tingforherjustout
sideherhouse.Igot
thedriveronmypay r
ollnowandhej ustnot i
fi
edme
thatRomeoandSophi ear ehavi
ngt heirli
tt
le
rendezvousinmyhouseandi nmybed!Howcoul d
Sophiedot hist
ome?I t'shi
ghtimeIendi tall
,she'
s
awast eofspaceclearl
y.Isaet hedriverdropher
offatthegateandIfoll
owedheri n.Ipoi ntedthe
guntoherback, j
ustasshewasaboutt oopent he
gate.Thest upi
dbit
chisn'tevenobser vant.

Sont
o:(
poi
nti
nggun)”
Hi,
Sophi
e.”

Sophi
e:(
alar
med)”Sont
o!Whyt
hef
uckwoul
dyou
scar
emel i
kethat
?!”

Sont
o:”
Keepmov
ingorel
seI
'
llshooty
our
ighther
e.”

Shecauti
ouslywalkedintothehouseandIgoteven
morestunned.NtateMor ut
i Patr
ickwasnakedi
n
thel
ivi
ngroom wit
hMar i
a.Whatt hef
ucki
s
happeni
nginRockv i
ll
emar a(though)?
Sophi
e:”Ag,
man,Mama!Whyl eir
adilotsesnaaks
so(Whyareyoudoi
ngsuchnastyt
hings)int
he
l
ounge)?
!”

Mari
a:”Ag,
manl
ewena!Yousai
dyouwon'
tbe
home!”

Pat
ri
ck:(
rushi
ngtogetdressed)”Please,
banabaka
(mychi
l
dren).Don'
ttel
lmywi fe,
please!”

Iser
iousl
ydon'
thav
ethetimef ort
his.Ipoi
ntedt
he
gunatPatri
ckwhonear
lypissedhi
mself.

Sonto:
”Shesha,mdal
a(Hur
ryup,
Grandpa)
!Idon'
t
haveallni
ght
!”

Hequi
ckl
yranoutwhi
l
eMar
iast
aredatmei
nshock.
Sonto:”
Andthen?Umel
eni
wena(Whatar
eyou
wait
ingfor
)?Hambanawe(Youshoul
dal
sol
eave)
!”

Shehur
ri
edt
othebedr
oom.

Sophi
e:(
annoy
ed)”
Ag,manSont
o.Youcan'
tj
ust
bar
geint
omyhouseandmakedemandsandthr
eat
s,
man!”

Sont
o:”Pointofcor
rect
ion,
thi
sisThat
o'shouse.
Youdon'thaveahome, r
emember?”

Sophi
e:(
annoyed)”Listenher
e,bi
tch.Tellmewhat
i
tisyoucameheref orsothatyoucoul
dgett hef
uck
outofmyface.I'
mt iredandI'
dli
ketosleep.
”

Sont
o:”Oho,
soyoudeci
detofuckmymanandnow
youwanttot
akeovermyli
fe?
!Whodoyouthi
nk
y
ouar
e,Sophi
e?”

Sophie:”I
'
m SophieMaake,andyes,yourdumbass
tooksolongtonoticet
hatIwasf ucki
ngy our
uselesshusband.Newsfl
ash,bi
tch,Kagisoisal
so
hischil
d.”

Whatthef
ucki
sSophi
eplayi
ngat?Rhatcan'tbe.I
hadmyeyeswi
deopen,t
ryi
ngtodigesther
bombshel
l
.

Sophie:”
Yebo(Yes),
she'
shi
sbl
ood,
soy
ousnooze
youlose,sweet
y.”

Sont
o:(bewi
l
der
ed)”
Sot
hiswasy
ourpl
anal
lal
ong,
huh?
!”

Sophi
e:”
Oh,yes.Andi
fyoutrytodoanythi
ng,
Romeowill
knowaboutyourpast.I
'
llal
soblur
tout
whaty
oudidt
oKg'
smom.Yes,Iowny
ounow,
Nomasont
o.Gameov
er,
bit
ch!
”

Istoodt her elookingatherandallmyr agesur f

aced.
Thisbitchpl ay edme, andeit
herwayshe' sgoingto
endupt elli
ngRomeoaboutmypasti nanycase.I '
m
goingtol oseitallint
heend, soImightaswel lface
themusi c.I'l
lmakesur esher egr
etseverythi
ngshe
haddonet omei naheartbeat.Ki
ll
inghernow
woul dbeat otal wast
eandt ooleni
ent.Ididn'tthi
nk
twice,Ipul l
edt hegunandpoi nteditather.This
ti
meshesawt hatIwasn'tj
oking.

Sophi
e:(pani
cky)”Sonto,
man.Iwaspl
ayi
ng.Let
's
tal
kaboutthi
s,please!
”

Ishotheri
ntheabdomenandi
nthethi
gh.She
screamedouti
npainandMari
ast
ormedoutofher
room.
Mar
ia:
(shocked)”Wagaf
a(Ar
eyoucr
azy
),Sont
o?!
Otl
ampolayelangwana(
You'
l
lki
l
lmyonl
ychil
d)!
”

Sonto:(
poi
nti
nggunatMari
a)”I
fyoudaretel
l
anyoneaboutt
his,
I'
ll
comebacktofi
nisht
hebot
hof
you.”

Istor
medoutandgotintomycaranddr oveoff
.It
's
highti
meIcomeupwi thaplantoendherand
Romeoonceandf oral
l
.I'm nosoccerbal
landno
onewillpl
ayme.
Chapt
erTwent
yFi
ve

1Peter2:1-2-”Therefore,put
tingasideall
mal i
ce
andalldeceitandhy pocri
syandenv yandal l
slander
,
l
ikenewbor nbabies,longforthepuremi l
koft he
word,sothatbyity oumaygr owi nrespectto
sal
vati
on.”

OneMont
hLat
er
That
o

Lif
ehadbeenget ti
ngt her
e,Ievengotacceptedat
WitsandKghasal readysignedaleaseforthenew
buil
dinghe'sgoi
ngt ouseashiscompanypr emises.
I'
m soexcitedandsoishe.Assoonashepay smy
l
obol af
ormeaswedi scussed,we'r
emov ingto
Johannesburg.Iwrotemyl astpapert
oday ,
and
alt
houghI '
vebeenfeeli
ngprett
yfati
guedandwor n
out,Iam happyI'
m donewi t
hmymat r
ic.

Ihaven'
tseenSophi einawhi l
eandapparentlyshe
gotshotthatnightwesawherl eavi
ngRomeo' s
house.Sont oshother,Imeanwow.I '
dmost
probabl
yal sohavedonet hesame,havi
ngmyso
call
edfri
endsl eepwit
hmyhusbandandr eplaceme.
I'
vebeenseei ngmoreofSophi eandKagisoher eand
honestl
y,IjustwishIcouldgetri
dofthem.I tfeel
s
l
ikethey'
llalwaysbefoll
owingme.Kgi sn'teventhe
l
eastbother ed,ev
enafterfi
ndi
ngoutthatKagi sois
act
ual
l
yhi
ssi
ster
.

Ithi
nkSophieexpectedfir
stcl
asstreatment,but
seemslikethi
ngshavet akenatur
nfort heworstfor
her.Romeoi shar
dlyhomeandKagi sohast otake
careofheranddressherwounds.Imi ghthavethe
chancetogetthem outofmyhouseandbeatpeace.
Theycan'tbeli
vi
nginmyhousewhi l
ehat i
ngme,
though.

I
'vebeensostressedlatel
ythatIevengai nedsome
weight.Afewofmyj eansar eabittighternow,my
breast
saresti
llf
ull
erandmyf aceisabi tswoll
en.
PerhapsIneedtoseeadoct or,butI'
m honestlyso
ti
redtoday.Kgwouldl i
keust ogocel ebrat
ewitha
properout
ingandIreall
ydon'tfeell
ikei t
.

Ineversaynot oshopping,
butwowthi
st i
meI '
m
real
lynoti
nt hemoodatal l
.Kghasbeent r
yingto
getmeoutofbedsi nce9am,butI
'
m sti
l
l t
ir
edas
fuckandit'
s12pm now.Hest oppedtr
yingatabout
10am ansIhonest
lyt
houghtI
'dbef
eeli
ngmuch
bett
erandenergi
zedaft
ersl
eepi
ngforsol
ong,
but
I
'm act
uall
yworse.

Kg:
”Baby
,tsoga(
wakeup)
.”

Irel
uctantl
ydraggedmy sel
foutoft hebedand
headedt othebathr
oom, buthefoll
owedme.Ai ,
I
paidnomi nd.JustasIwasaboutt opee,he
stoppedmeandpul ledoutapr egnancytest
.What
thehell
?

That
o:(
ir
ri
tated)”
Whati
sthi
s,Kg?Pl
easedon'tt
ell
meyouactuall
ywantmetot
akeapregnancyt
est.
”

Kg:(
looki
ngdown)”
TT,
I'
m act
ual
l
ysur
pri
sedy
ou
hav
en'tnot
iced.
”

That
o:(
frowni
ng)”
Heh(
Huh)
?”
Kg:”Al
l yourcravi
ngs, y
ourmoodswi ngs,sl
eepi
nga
l
ot,fat
igue,thewei ghtgainandlar
gebreast
s,even
theswollenface?Youdi dn'
tevenoti
cethatyou
haven'
thady ourperi
odinov eramonthnow.”

Istar
edathim andstar
tedpr
ocessi
ngwhathesai
d
tomeandt henithi
tme.Oh,fuck!Iwi
denedmy
eyesandfeltmyheartr
aceatafast
erpace.

That
o:(
wor
ri
ed)”
Kg.
..
”

Kg:(si
gh)”Look,
baby.Iknowwedi dn'
tplanthi
s,but
i
thashappened.You'redonewit
hschool andwe
weregoingtogetmarri
edanyway,soI'dl
i
ketopay
Lobolanextmonthi
nsteadofJanuary.Whywai t
?”

Ifel
tabitdizzyandsatdownonthet
oil
etseat
.
Fuck,I
'm notreadyforababy
!Whendidthi
seven
happen?ImeanI '
vebeenusi
ngmypatch
consist
entl
y.ThenIrememberedtheweekendaf t
er
Palesapassedon.IwasamessandIt hinkIf
orgot
toputitonontime.Oh,shi
t,t
hiscan'
tbehappening
tome.If el
tthetear
sstr
eam downmyf ace
i
nvoluntar
il
y.

Kg:(wor
ri
ed)”
Hey ,
Baby,l
ookatme,please.Iknow
thi
scomesatashock,butknowI'
m notgoing
anywher
e.Unlessyouhavedoubt
saboutus?”

Thato:
”Ofcour
senot,Kg.I
'
mjustsosur
pri
sedand
scar
ed.Youdon'tev
enknowforsur
eifI
'
m pregnant
ornot.
”

Kg: ”
Thato,you'r
emywor ld.All
owmet ocarr
yy our
fearsoyouwon' thav
et obescared.Youar emy
futur
e,pl
easeal lowGod' swil
ltohappen.AndI
knowy ou'r
epr egnant,Icanfeeli
t.Justtakethetest
,
please.
”
Itookadeepbreathanddecidedtopeeonthest
ick.
Kgissowei r
dhe'ssi
tti
ngtherewatchi
ngmedoit.
Thisguy.Iputi
tonthebasinandwashedmyhands
thensatbackonthetoil
etseat.Hekneel
eddown
befor
emeandhel dmyhands.

Kg:”ThatoMaake,Iknowwenev erplannedthi
s
baby,andIcanassurey out hatIneverint
endedon
rui
ningyourfut
ure.Ilovey ousomuch, babyandI'm
wil
li
ngt odoanythi
ngf oryou.Iknowy ou'r
escared,
butpleasedon'
tthi
nkofev enki ll
i
ngourchi l
d.”

Isawthegl
isteni
ngtear
sinhi
seyes.Oh,
wow,does
Kgreal
lyt
hinkIhaveiti
nmetoabortagr
owi
ngbaby
i
nsideofme?

Thato:”
Kg,I'
dneverdot hatt
oy ou-t ous.I'
mj usti
n
shockandscared,butknowt hatItrustyou.Your
famil
ywill
thi
nkthatItrappedy ourorsomet hi
ng.”
Kg:(chuckl
ing)”Aman'sjobist
oprotecthi
swi f
e's
peace.Iftheythi
nksot hent
hey'
rebett
eroffwithout
usintheirl
ives.IchooseyouandI'
dchoosey ou
overandov eragai
n.”

Igavehim ahugandIcouldhonestlyfeelt
hatKg
wasbeinggenuine.Kgwouldnev erleaveme,well
,
hopeful
ly
.Het ookalookatthetestsinceIwas
dreadi
ngit.Isawhim becomeecstat i
cimmediat
ely.

Kg:
(ov
erj
oyed)”
We'
regoi
ngt
obepar
ent
s,baby
!”

Hehuggedmeandspunmear ound.Shi
t,Iwas
secret
elyhopingthati
twoul
dbenegati
ve,butI
guessGodbl essesinmyst
eri
ousways.

Kg:
”Il
ovey
ou,
TT.Ipr
omi
se,
Iwon'
tl
ety
oudown.
”

It
rustKgandIdeci
dedont
hatdayt
hatIwoul
dtr
ust
hi
m nomat
terwhat
.

Af
ewweeksl
ater

So,wewentt ot hegynaeandi ndeeditwas

confi
rmedt hatIam indeedpregnant.I'
m about9
weekspr egnantnowandal readyKgist r
eati
ngme
l
ikeanegg.Wehav en'
ttoldanyoneaboutthe
pregnancy,asIdidn'
twantpeopl etogetthewrong
i
deaaboutourr easonf orgett
ingmar r
ied.

Kgpr oposedt hefol

lowi
ngday ,asalwayshe
sur pr
isedmeandboughtmeabeaut if
ulsapphir
e
diamondr i
ng.Hekeepschecki ngonmeev er
yfive
mi nutesandhasal r
eadystar
tedbuy i
ngaf ewbaby
cl
ot hes.Hej ustcan'
tcont
ainhimself.Ilovewhat
he'sdoi ngalt
houghmor ni
ngsicknessisdeali
ngwi t
h
meheav i
l
y.

Todayi
sthe12t
hofDecemberandsi
nceKgsent
outthelett
ertoSont
oandMar iaaweekaf terwe
foundoutaboutmypr egnancy,hewantedust oget
mar r
iedbefor
eIshow.Idon' tevenwantt ohav ea
whitewedding,wecandot hatlater
.Ofcour se,
Mar i
aandSophiewer esohappy ,si
ncetheyjust
wantt omil
ktheMoloi's.Kg'
sr oyalf
amilyis
supposedlycomingtodayandal t
houghI'm
supposedtobeatmyhouse, Idecidedt
odot hings
dif
ferent
ly.

I'
ml eavingwi thKgandhi sfatherallthewayt omy
house.Idon' ttrustSophieandMar iaandIdon' t
tr
ustKagi soeither.Theymi ghtknowI 'm pregnant
andt r
yt odosomet hingtomybabybecauseweal l
knowt hatdeepdownt heydon'tl
ikeme.Igoti nto
myset swanaat tireandgosh, howIwi shbot hMama
andPal esawer eher etoday.IknowPal esawouldbe
superhappyandwoul dhav eprobablybeendr i
nking
bynow, tell
i
ngmet ostopstressing.Il ostmybest
fr
iend,butIknowIcar r
yherspiri
twi thme
everywher eIgo.Kgcamedowndr essedi nhis
gorgeoussui t
.Hehast olookrespect able.
Kg:
”Ar
eyour
eadyt
ogo,
Mma(
Mrs)Mol
oi?
”

That
o:(smil
ing)”
Sure.Ican'
twai
tfort
hisdayt
oend.
Myfeetarealr
eadykil
l
ingme.”

Kg:”
IpromiseI
'
llgi
vey
oual
i
fet
imeofmassages
af
tert
his.
”

Wesmi ledandheadedout .Romeoaskedt odrive

hisowncarsoKgandIgoti ntohis.Wespoke
abouthowl ifewil
lbeaftwrthisday,andIsaida
shortprayer.Webar el
yev endroveoutandmadei t
tothenextr obot
.Thenextt hingIsawwasaVW
Golframmi ngint
oKg' ssideandhewasi nst
antly
unconscious.Thescr eetchi
ngsoundoft hetyres
andthel oundbangoft hemet alpar
alyzedmewi th
i
nstantfearandshock, thatIfel
tasuddenpai ninmy
stomach.
Ilookedov eratKgandhewasal l
ful
lofbl
oodwi th
hisheadont hesteeri
ngwheel .Ipani
ckedandt r
ied
towakeup, buthedidn'trespond.Iwasstil
lshaken,
asItriedtoopenthedoor ,myhandgotcutbyaf ew
glasspiecesfrom t
hewi ndscreen.Il
ookedoverto
hissideandIwasmetwi t
hhor r
or.

Twoguy sapproachedourcarwearingbal
acl
avas.I
heardacardri
vingtowardsusandIsupposethat
's
Romeo.Oneoft hetwoguysstar
tedshoot
ingat
Romeo,whil
etheot heroneopenedmydoorand
point
edhisgunatme.

Thug1:”Ekse(Hey)
!Phumawenav
oet
sek(
Gett
he
fuckoutofthecar
)!
”

Isl
owl
ytr
ied,
butmyl
egsf
ail
edme.

That
o:(
scar
ed)”
Please.
..Pl
easedon'
thur
tme.
..
”
Thug1:
”Eh,manwena,pri
ncessfi
ona!Idi
dn'
tcome
her
etoplay
!Ngisespaneng(I'
m atwor
k)!
”

Thug2:”
Hey,
man,j
ustdr
agt
hebi
tchout
!Thecops
mustbecomi
ng!
”

Itr
iedt obegtheguytor eason,buthedidn'tl
i
sten.
Hedr aggedmeoutf orcefull
y,whil
edraggingmeon
thetarroad.Icoul
df eeltheroadscratchi
ngmyl egs
anddi ggi
ngintomyskin.

That
o:”
Please.
..I
'
m pr
egnant
!”

Thug1:
”Eh,
manfok(
fuck)
!Ngi
sespanengwena
(I
'
m onthej
ob)
!”

Theythrewmeintot
hebootandIt
ri
edt
ofi
ghthi
m
onceIreal
izedt
hatt
hiswasact
ual
l
yaki
dnappi
ng.
That
o:(
scr
eami
ng)”
Thusang(
Hel
pme)
!”

Theguyhitmewit
hhi
sgunonmyf
oreheadandI
sawdarkness.
Chapt
erTwent
ySi
x

Psal
m 38:
19-”
Butmyenemi
esar
evi
gor
ousand
st
rong,
Andmanyar
ethosewhohat
emewr
ongf
ull
y.
”

Deut
oronomy24:16-“Fat
hersshal lnotbeputto
deat
hbecauseofthei
rchil
dren,norshallchi
ldr
enbe
putt
odeathbecauseofthei
rf ather
s.Eachoneshal
l
beputtodeat
hforhisownsi n.”

That
o

Isawmymot
herdr
essedi
nwhi
te,
standi
ngi
nfr
ont
ofabeaut
if
ull
ake,
cal
l
ingmyname.

Pet
unia:
”That
o,ngwanakat
soga(
Mychi
l
dwake
up)
.”

Isl
owl
ywokeupandsawher
.

That
o:(
tear
y)”
Mama.
..
”

Pet
uni
a:(smil
i
ng)”I
t'
sme,mybaby.Li
sten,
for
giv
e
mefornevert
ell
i
ngyout
hetr
uth.
”

Thato:
”Whatt
ruth,
Mama?Iknowy ou'r
enotmy
biol
ogi
cal
mother.Ifor
giv
eyouandthankyoufor
seei
ngmewor t
hyenoughtobeyourdaught
er.
”

Petunia:
(shaki
nghead)”
No,mychi
ld.Yourmot
her
,
she'sanevilwoman.Shewashur
tbyamanshe
deeplyloved-y ourfather.She'llexplai
nev ery
thing
toyou.Please, That
o, knowt hatfrom nowonl i
feis
goingtobet oughuntilitgetsbetter.You'regoingto
endurehar dships,butitwill
allbewor t
hit.Suchi s
l
ife,ngwanaka( mychild).Keeppr ayingandy ou'll
meety ourhusbandagai n,andy ou'l
lgettof i
ndout
therealtr
ut haboutwhathappenedt oy ourfather.
”

That
o:”
Orabj
ang,
Mama(
Whatdoy
oumean)
?”

Pet
uni
a:”
Don'
tfor
gett
opr
ay.
”

Shefadedaway,andIfel
tcoldwat
erbeingspl
ashed
onme.Igaspedf orai
randopenedmyey es.I
foundmysel
fti
edt oachairi
naveryf
il
thyroom,
reeki
ngofdi
rt
.

Thug1:
”Vuka,
nja(
Wakeup,
dog)
.”
Oh,no.Mama, i
twasallj
ustadr
eam.If el
tmytears
buil
dupagainasIrememberwhathappened.My
headhur
tsli
kehell
.Oh,no,Kg!Whathappenedto
hi
m?Di dtheyki
llmyKg?Mybaby .

Thug2:”
Ai,naweSporo.Wam' shayangentshi
za
vel
e(Di
dyouhav etohitherwit
hy ourgun,t
hough)?
Bonaunt
swembunj ani(Lookhowgor geoussheis)
.
Icanmostdefi
nit
elyseemy sel
font opofher.
”

Thug1:
”Ibetherpussyi
swhi
teasf
uck.
”

Thug2:
”Gl
owi
nthedar
k.”

Thebot
hlaughedasIbur
sti
ntot
ear
s.

Thug2:Mxm,ahuyabonakemanje(Youseenow).
BossLadynev
ersaidany
thi
ngaboutbabysi
tt
ing.
MinaIdon'
twantt
hisman,f
ok(Fuck)!
”
It
henhear
daf
ami
l
iarv
oiceappr
oachus.Oh,
no!
Sont
o!

Sont
o:”Now,now, boys.Sett
ledown.t
hisi
sn'
ta
j
oke,man.Ni busyninaniy
adlal
alana(
You'
rebusy
pl
ayi
nghere)
!”

Ilookedatherandshe'sstil
ldressedi
nexpensi
ve
clothes,
butherbeautyhasfadedandsheev enhas
darkerskin.Herski
nnol ongerhadthatgl
ow,what
thehellhappened?Wher ehasshebeen?Andwhy
i
sshehol dingmehost age?

Sont
o:”
Isentyouyourpay
ment
.Nowl
eav
e,I
'
llcal
l
youi
fIneedyou.
”

Thug1:
”Shosho.
”
Thug2:
”Hol
a.”

Sonto:(
smili
ng)”Hell
o,That
o.Wemeetagain.Wel
l,
I
'm sor
ryforthecir
cumstances,
butam Ir
eal
l
ysor
ry?
Nah,notsorr
y .
”

Sheletoutadisgusti
nglaughandIsawafewofher
teet
hmi ssi
ng.Oh, God,
whatdidIeverdot
othi
s
woman?

Sonto:
”I'
m sur
eyouhaveami l
l
ionquesti
onsgoi
ng
thr
oughyourmind.Li
kewhyar eyouevenher
e?
WhydoIhat eyousobadl
y,cor
rect?
”

Idi
dn'
tev
enhav
ethest
rengt
htoanswerher
.

Sonto:
”It
'sal
ri
ght.I
'
llt
ellyouanyway
.Doy ou
rememberthatdayyoufi
rstcametothehouseand
yougobbledal
lmydelici
ousfood?HowRay mond
wouldkeepr ef
err
ingtoyourbi
rt
hmar k?Well
,dear
Thato,
I'm sorr
ytobreaki
ttoyou,butyou'
remy
daughter
.”

What?Ist
hissomeki
ndofj
oke?Ist
aredatheri
n
ast
oni
shment.

Sonto:”
Iknow,ri
ght?Imeanimagi
nemegivi
ng
bi
rthtoahideouscursel
i
keyou.Your
uinedmyli
fe,
man.”

That
o:(
tear
y)”
But
..
.You'
re.
..
.”

Sonto:”Dark?Iknow, hey.Wel l
,yourmot herf
ucki
ng
cheati
ngf atherisorwaswhi t
e.Idon' tknowwhere
thefuckeris.Yes, hecheat edonmeandl eftmefor
awhi t
ewoman.Iwasanembar r
assmentt omyown
famil
y,That o.Icouldn'tevenlookthem intheeye.
WhenIt ol
dmymom Iwaspr egnant,she
i
mmedi atel
ythrewmeout .Ihadt obui l
dmyown
shackbecauseofy
ou.

WhenIt ol
dthatwhit
ef uckthatIwaspr egnant,he
dumpedme.ImeanwhodumpsSont o, t
hough?
Anyway,hedumpedmeandIwasst uckwi t
hy ou.
Ofcourse,Sophi
ethoughtitwoul dbet heper f
ect
plantogetri
dofyou, butIhadfaith.Unt i
lyouwer e
born.Youcameoutandwer ethespi t
ti
ngi mageof
yourfat
her.Icoul
dn'tbeartoev enlookaty ou.I t
wasbadenoughIpushedy ououtofmybody .

So,Ithoughtlongandhar daboutwhatt odowith

you.Icoul dn'
tdumpy oujustanywherebecause
every
oneknewt hatIhadj ustgi
venbirth.So,Icame
upwithabr i
ll
i
antplan,Iputyouont hemat t
ressin
myshackandsett heshackonf i
re.Iwentoutt o
drownmysi nsandwhenIcamebackt henext
morning,Ifoundpeopl ehadalreadyputoutthef i
re.
Iwaspl easedknowi ngtheydidn'
tseeanybaby .AsI
wasaboutt oLeave,Iheardaloudcr y
.
Icoul dn'
tbelieveitwhenIr emovedal l
themet al
and
rubble,youwer erightther
e.Theonl ypar tthatwas
damagedandbur ntony ouwasapar tofy ourback
andbum.That '
si t
.Itwasami racl
e,sur e,butGod
surelymadeami stakewhenhegav emey ou.So, I
decidedt ohikeall t
hewayt oRockvi
lle.Iputy ou
i
ntoar i
ceplasti
cbagandassoonasIgott othe
dumpi ngsite,It
hr ewy oui
noneoft hebi nsandI
l
eft.”

Shespokeaboutdumpingmel i
keit
'ssuchanormal
thi
ngt odo.Shewasev ensmokingandstari
ngat
mei ndisgust
.I'
m sohurt
,Ican'
tevendescri
bemy
emot i
ons.Howcanamot herevenhateherown
off
springli
kethi
s?

That
o:”Whydoyouhat
emesomuch,
Sont
o?What
di
dIeverdotoy
ou?”

Sont
o:”
Haven'
tyoubeenli
steni
ngtoawordI'
vejust
sai
d?Foratopachi
every
ou'react
ual
lyqui
tesl
ow.
Don'
tyougeti
t?Ihat
ey ou,I
'
llal
wayshat
eyou.You
makemesickandIcursethedayIbi
rt
hedyou.
”

Herwor dscutdeep,
Iwon'tli
e,butI'
m sousedto
suchwor dsthanKg'
slov
ef ormet ookall
thepai
n
andinsecuri
ti
esaway.

That
o:”
Thenwhydidn'
tyouj
ustt
ell
meandletme
be?Whydidyouhavetohur
tKgandki
dnapmeon
myweddingday
?”

Sonto:(
chuckling)”Thewor ldowesy ounothi
ng,
sweetheart.Thiswasal lSophie'
splan,shehad
pl
annedi tall
outbef or
eshest art
edf ucki
ngwithmy
husband.Wel l,Romeobeggedhernott odoit,soI
deci
dedt ogoaheadwi thitandpinitonher.She
hastosuf f
erforsteali
ngmyper f
ectlif
e.”

Thato:
(cryi
ng)”
Please,
letmego.
..Ipr
omi
se,
Iwon'
t
tel
lanyone.
”
Sont
o: (
laughing)”
You'
resofunny
,boo,
reall
y.
Besi
des, Kgisgoneandyou'
regoi
ngtogivemeyour
R1mi l
l
ion.I'
m abitlowoncashasyoucanseeand
you'
remyonl ywayout.”

Ihonest
lydon'tcar
eaboutmoneyri
ghtnow, al
lI
wantisj
usttogetoutofhereandbewithmyKg.I
don'
tneedthisdramainmylif
e.HowdoIev en
expl
aint
histopeople?Myownmot herkidnapped
meandst ol
emoneyf rom me?

That
o:”
Look,
Sont
o,y
oucanhav
eital
l
,justpl
ease
l
etmego.”

Sonto:”
Iwanty outosuff
erfi
rst
,tofeelwhatIfel
tal
l
thoseyear
s.Iwanty outoalwaysremembert hi
s
day.It
'sapityIrui
nedyourbeauti
fulday,
shame.
Youshouldhav eseenthewholesetup,t
hecakeand
eventhesurpri
sepoorKghadf oryou.Hebought
youacar
,Imeanreal
l
y?Igi
vebi
rthtoyouandy ou
l
iveabet
terl
i
fet
hanme?Wow, honey,
y ou'
ret
oo
good.
”

Shewasj ustrubbingsal
ttothewound,
actual
ly.
Howcanshet ort
ur emeli
kethi
s?I'
vealwaysfel
t
thatSont
oi sevil
,butthi
s,t
hisj
ustt
akesthecake.

Sonto:”I
'
lll
eav ey
outothinkaboutyournewli
fe
whileIwaitformyITguy.Thenicelif
eKghadgi v
en
youisat hi
ngofthepast.Nowt hatyou'
regoi
ngto
beintr
oducedt other
ealworld,
you'l
lknowhowt o
standony ourowntwofeet,j
ustli
keIdid.
”

If
eltmy
sel
fbur
sti
ntot
ear
s.

That
o:”You'
resoev
il,
Sonto!Iwi
shnot
hingbuta
pai
nful
deathuponyou!”
Sont
o:”
That'
salr
ight
,love.Int
heendwe'
real
lgoi
ng
todi
e.I
'l
lseeyouabitlater
.Bye.
”

Sontolef
tmescr eamingandshout ingthereonthe
chai
r.Itri
edmyut mostbestt owiggleoutoft he
chai
r,butIfai
led.AsItri
edtoj umpt owardsthe
door,If
ellt
othesidewhi l
etiedtothechair.Thisis
theworstthatcoul
dev erhappentome.

Imusthavedozedof fbecauseIgotwokeupby
Sontospl
ashingcoldwateronmyf aceyetagai
n.
Shepull
edmychai rupandIwi ncedouti
npain.My
wholebodyissti
ffandmyabdomenf eel
dli
keit'
son
fi
re.

Sonto:(
sigh)”I
twaspoint
lessofy out
otr
yandr
un,
youknow.Looknow, you'vecausedyour
sel
f
unnecessarypai
nanddiscomf or
t.
”

That
o:”
Please,
Sont
o,l
etmego.I
'
llgi
vey
out
he
money.Justpl
ease,
thi
nkofme,thi
nkofmybaby
.
Youst
il
lhavesomegoodinyou.
”

Ibl
urt
edoutandIr
egr
eti
t.

Sont
o:(
wideey
ed)”
Didy
ouj
ustsay
,baby
?”

Ikeptqui
etandi
mmedi
atel
yregr
ett
edmychoi
ceof
words.

Sont
o:”Wel l
,wecan'
tletyouhavethatbaby,now
canwe?ImeanI '
m notreadytobeagrandmot her
andbesides,whywouldIletyoupol
lut
ethisearth
anyf
urtherbygivi
ngbirt
ht omoreofmyof fspri
ng?”

If
eltl
i
keIwasi
nadream.IsSont
oreal
l
yser
ious?
Whatthef
ucki
sshetr
yingt
odotome?
Chapt
erTwent
ySev
en
I
saiah41:10-“Sodonotfear
,forIam wi
thyou;do
notbedismayed,f
orIam yourGod.Iwil
lst
rengthen
youandhelpyou;Iwi
lluphol
dy ouwit
hmyr i
ghteous
ri
ghthand.”

That
o

Pet
uni
a:”
Thato,
mybaby
,tsogahl
e(wakeup)
.Wake
upandpr
ay.
”

Thato:
” Mama,
Ican'
t.Akenamat
la(
Ihav
eno
st
rength).
”

Pet
unia:”Rapel
a(Pr
ay),
Thato.Youhav
eadest
iny
tof
ulf
ill
.Nowi snott
hetimetogiv
eup.”

If
eltcol
dwaterbeingspl
ashedonmyfacey
etagai
n
asIgaspedf
orair.Mybodyissoweak,myspi
ri
tis
numb.I '
m sodehy dratedthatIcan'teventhi
nk
straightanymore.Imusthav eev enpissedmy self
sinceI '
vebeentiedont othi
schairpr obabl
yfortwo
day snow.Idon' tevenknowwhi chdayi ti
sorifKg
i
sev enali
ve.Howdoesoneev engoaboutpr aying
wheny ou'
restar
ingdeat hintheface?Il ookedup
andsawSont ost andingbeforemewi thanunknown
tallguy,hol
dingal aptopinhishands.

Sonto:
”Vukawena(Wakeup)
.Tony,
thisi
sThat
o,
mydeardaughterwhoowesmeherl
if
e.Doyour
thi
ng.Here'
sthephone.
”

Isawt heguysi tonanot herchai rinfrontofme, as

Sontot ookoutaci garetteandl i
tit.Ican'tevencr y
anymor e,Ihavenomor est rengthinme.I '
vebeen
soloyal,well
,IthinktoGod.I 'v
est ayedoutof
tr
oubleandIhav emai ntainedagoodr el
ati
onship
withHim.Ihav ebeenr eadingmyBi bleandpr aying,
goingtochur ch.NowwhydoIdeser vetobet reated
l
ikeadog?DoIdeser v etobecr ucif
iedforatleast
t
ryi
ngt
obeagoodper
son?

ThatTonyguywasbusyonhi slapt
opandIj ust
hopeandpr aySont otakesthemill
i
onr andand
l
eav esmewi t
hsomet hi
ng.Howel sewi l
lIsurvi
ve
whenIdon' tevenhav eanincome?Iwantt ogo
studynexty earandmyf eesarealr
eadygoingt o
costmeov erR50000f orthefi
rstyear
.Myl i
fewas
sowel lpl
annedout ,Iwasgoingtogetmar ri
edt ot
he
manofmydr eamsandgetmydegr ee,havemybaby
andhav emyhappi lyeveraft
er.Nowi t
'sallgone
andt akenwi t
hinaspli
tsecond.

Whyisitthatallt
hegoodpeopleal
wayssuffer
?
LookatMama, shewasagoodperson,t
oogoodf or
herowngood, actual
lyandshedi
edofcancerwhil
e
peopleli
keSophie,KokoandKagi
sogoaroundliv
ing
thei
rli
vesasev i
lpeople.

Tony:”Themoneyhasbeent
ransf
err
edst
rai
ghti
nto
yourbankaccount
.”
Sophi
e:”
Good.I
sther
eanymor
emoney
?”

Myhear
tst
art
edbeat
ingatanabnor
mal
paceasI
sawt
heguygi
vemeabr i
efstar
e.

Tony
:”No,
that
'
sit
.”

Ibr
eat
hedasi
l
entsi
ghofr
eli
ef.

Sonto:(
chuckl
ing)”
Youdi dn'
tevenbot hertosave
anyofyourmoney ,
youi di
ot.Kg'sdickwast hat
good,huh?It'
sapity,
Iwoul dhavelovedt otast
e
hi
m.Thanks, Tony.I'
llbeintouch.
”

Theguynoddedandlookedatmewi t
hsomuchpi
ty.
Idon'
tknowwhynoonehasev enbot
her
edt
ocome
l
ookforme.Am Ithatunwanted?
Sont
o:”Nowt
hatall
thef
ormal
it
iesar
eoutoft
he
way,i
t'
sti
mefort
hebigt
ask.
”

Whati ssheevent
alkingabout?Shewal kedoutof
theroom andcamebackwi thabowlf
il
ledwith
sciccors,
kni
vesandgl oves.Ist
art
edpanicki
ngasI
sawherputonhergl ov es.

That
o:(
pani
cki
ng)”
Wha..
.Whati
sthat
?!Whatar
e
yout
ryi
ngtodotome,
Sonto?
!”

Sonto:(
calmly
)”Relax,
babygi
rl
.Itol
dyoulastni
ght
,
I
'm notreadyt
obeagr andmot
herandyou'
re
nowherenearreadytocarr
ymyoff
spri
ng.”

Il
ookedherdeadintheeyehopingthatshewas
j
oking,
butshewasdeadser i
ous.Oh, myGod!She
wantstor
emov emybabyf r
om mywomb!Thi s
can'
tbehappeni
ng,Lord,
thi
scan'tbe.Mymi ndis
goi
ngcr
azy
,andI
'
mfr
ant
icr
ightnow.

Thato:(t
erri
fi
ed)”Pl
ease..
.Pl
easeSonto,I
'
lldo
anyt
hing,justpl
ease,pl
easedon'
tdothistome,I
'
m
beggingyou!”

Sonto:(chuckli
ng)” It
'samazingwhatpeoplecando
i
nadi stressedsi tuat
ion.Imeanlookatyounow,
youactedl i
key ouwer ebet
tert
hanmeandnow
you'
rebeggi ngme?Yout houghtyoucouldbebetter
thanme?Yourownmot her?Ibir
thedyou,honey,so
you'
rejustasf uckedupasIam.You' ll
nev er
amountt oany thinginlif
e.AndIcan'tr
iskthatfor
yourunbor nchild.”

Ipanickedassheunti
edmylegs.Theimmensepain
Ifel
taroundmyanklesassheunti
edtherope,
cannotbecomparedtotheemoti
onaltur
moilt
hat
wasboi l
ingi
nsi
deofme.
That
o:(
tear
y)”
PleaseSont
o,pl
ease!
”

Shet ookoffmyunderwearasIki
ckedheront he
face.Shef el
ltothegr
oundandIsawhermout h
bleeding.Shelookedatmewit
hsomuchv enom in
herey es.

Sont
o:(
angr
y)”
Youbl
oodybi
tch!
”

Shegotupsofastandsl
appedmesohard,If
eltmy
ear
sringi
ng.Shecall
edt
hetwothugswho
ki
dnappedme.

Sont
o:”
Eh,
Spor
o,Spi
l
o,wozani
man(
Come)
!”

Theyrushedinandsawmesi t
ti
ngont hatchai
r,wi
th
myunder wearof
f.Iwascompletel
yexposed.I'
ve
neverbeenrhi
shumili
atedi
nmyent i
reli
fe.
Sporo:(
star
ingatmyv
agi
na)”
Smoko(
What
'st
he
probl
em)?”

Sont
o:”Voet
sek(Pi
ssoff
)!Focusont
hejobathand!
Wena(You)hol
dherarms,wena(y
ou)
,hol
dher
l
egs.
”

DoesSont
oreal
lyhat
emethismucht
hatshewoul
d
degr
adeandabusemeli
kethi
s?

That
o:(screami
ng)”Sont
o,pl
ease!Pl
easekaokopa
(I
'
m beggingyou)
!”

It
riedwi ggli
ngmywayout ,butthetwoguyswer eso
st
rong, Icouldn'
tmov e.Sontoputadirt
yclot
hi nmy
mout hsot hatIcouldstopscreaming.Shespread
myl egsapar t.Ibeggedandbeggedwhi l
rscr
eami ng
i
nternall
y.IbeggedGodt ohearmycr yandsaveme.
”Modimo(God),
wher ear
ey ou?!Wher eareyou
whenIneedyoumost ?Wasi tnoty ouinJer
emiah
33:3whosai
d”CalltomeandIwi l
lansweryouand
tel
lyougr
eatandunsearchablethi
ngsy oudonot
know.”
?I'
m call
inguponyouLor d,hearmycryand
savemefrom t
hismisery!
”

Isaidanint
ernalprayer,butmypr ay
erwasunheard.
Sontoshovedherhandi nt omyv agi
napainf
ull
yand
i
nsertedwhatseemedl i
kepill
s.Icriedbutt
hetear
s
fai
ledtomaket heirappearance.Iscreamedbutmy
voi
cef ai
l
edtor eachmyl ips.

Sonto:”
Done.Itshoul
dn'
ttakelongnow.Ni na,Ti
e
herontothebed.Iwanthertoatleastbe
comfortabl
easshesaysgoodby etotheseedinsi
de
ofher.
”

Shegavemeal onglookasthetwot
hugst i
edmeup
tothebedandlaymet her
e.Theydi
dn'tev
enhav
e
thedecencyt
ocovermeupdownt here.
Sont
o:”
Oneday
,you'
l
lthankmef
ort
his.
”

Shesaidthatandwal kedout .Il

ayi nthatfi
lt
hy,hard
bedandwonder edi fGodev enexists?Hav eIbeen
prayi
ngandwor shippi ngsomeonewhodoesn' texi
st?
Surel
yHecan'texistwhenI '
minsomuchpai nand
whent heworl
disf i
lledwi t
hsomuchev i
l
.Ican'tli
ve
l
ikethi
s,whatelsewi ll comeafterthis?Wi l
lshekil
l
me?Leav emefordead?AsIst art
edt hi
nki
ngofal l
thesethought
s,Ifeltani mmensepai ninmy
stomach.

Ican'tev enscream orcry

, I
'
mt iedontoabedandI 'm
beingf orcedtogetridofmybaby .Idon'
tev enknow
whet heritwasagi rloraboy.Kgwassoexci tedand
now, hisseedi sgone,bei
ngej ect
edfrom mybody
l
ikeapi eceofshit.Thepainbecamewor sebyt he
minut e.Themor epainIfel
t,t
heweakerIgot .Ifel
t
my selfgetwetdownt her
eandIknewIwasbl eeding.
Thesmel lofthebloodwassost r
ong,Icouldn'teven
stomachit.Ifel
tmyst omacht
urn,
butevenso,
I
couldn'
tvomitbecausether
ewasnofoodinmy
stomach.

If
eltmyselfslowl
yfadeaway
,whi
l
eIhear
dmy
mother
'sfaintvoi
ce.

Pet
unia:
” Hangint
her
e,That
o.Best
rong,
I'
ll
alway
s
bewit
hy ou..
.”

If
eltmyey
esbecomeweakerandweaker
.

Sont
o:”
It'
sdone.DoasItol
dyou.Throwherof
f
andl
eave.Makesurenooneseesyou.
”

Thatwast
hel
astt
imeIhear
dorsawany
thi
ngi
n
thatr
oom.
Sophi
eMaake

Weal lsatandwai tedforThat otoarri

veather
Lobolaceremony .Everyt
hingwasal lsetandgood
togo.Imustbehonest ,allI
'
m excitedabouti
sthe
money .I'v
eletgoofherandIhav etri
edtostop
tor
ment ingher.Idon'tneedhermoneyi nanycase.
Wewer eallwaiti
ngpat i
entl
y,whileIwassippi
ngon
someDom Per ignon,until
anei ghbourcamerunni
ng
towardsust el
li
ngust hatKghadbeenshotand
Thatowasmi ssing.

Honest l
y ,
itwasasifGod'sgracehadf i
nall
ystarted
tomakeanappear anceinmyl i
fe.Ev er
ythi
ngwas
comi ngwel lt
oget
her.I'
dliketogivemy sel
fcredit
forthis,buti
twasn'tme.Romeocamespeedi ng
towar dsthegateandnearlybumpedmeov er.He
walkedoutwi thableedingarm,itseemsasi fhehad
beenshoti nthearm.Bef oreIcouldaskanything,he
grabbedmebyt hethroatwithhi
sonehand.
Romeo:
(pi
ssed)”
Itwasy
ou,
Sophi
e,wasn'
ti
t?!
”

Sophi
e:(
beggi
ng)”
Aah,
wankgama(
You'
rechoki
ng
me)!”

Heletgoofmeroughl
yasIdroppedtothegr
ound
whil
egraspi
ngf
orair
.Ever
yonestaredatusi
n
shock.

Romeo:
”Youdi
dthi
s!Af
terIbeggedy
ounott
odo
i
t!
”

Sophi
e:”Iswear
,Romeo,t
histi
mei
twasn'
tme.I
hadnothi
ngtodowiththi
s.”

Romeo:”Thiswasal
lpartofyourplan,wasn'
ti
t?!
YouthoughtIwoul
dn'tfi
ndoutthatyouweretry
ing
tot
akeallmymoneyf rom meandl eav
emebr oke?!
DoyouseewhyInev ermarri
edy outobeginwit
h,
Sophi
e?!
”

Il
ookedathi
m wi
de-
eyed.Howt
hef
uckdi
dhef
ind
out
?

Romeo: ”
Ja,tomolamahl o(keepwideni
ngyour
eyes),sefebekewena( youbitch)
!You'dbett
erhope
andpr ayKgmakesi tandy ou'dbett
erprayt
hat
Thatoget sfound,
orelse,ony el
e(you'
ll
shit
yourself
)!”

Hegotbacki ntohi scaranddr oveof fi

nhi ghspeed.
ThishasSont owr i
ttenallov erit
.Whodoest hat?
Whodoesshet hi
nkshei s?Doessher eallythink
Petuni
adi edanat uraldeath?Yesshewasgoi ngt o
dieeventuall
y,butIcoul dn'tletherl i
vethatlong.I
hadtoseehert akeherl astbr eathandIwas
especiall
yangryt hatshedi dn'tev enbothertol eav e
measi ngl
edime!I fshet hinksI'l
l l
ethergoj ustlike
that
,shehasanot hert hi
ngcomi ng.I ti
stimeIf i
nd
herandt eachheral essonshe' llneverforget-ev en
i
ndeat
h!
Chapt
erTwent
yEi
ght

Mat
thew6:
34-”Donotworr
yabouttomorr
ow;
t
omorrowwi
llt
akecareofi
tsel
f.Suf
fi
ci
entforaday
i
sit
sownevil
.
”

Twoweeksl
ater

Sophi
e

EversinceRomeot oldmeshitonthedayofThato's
supposedweddi ngday ,
ever
ythi
nghasbeenashi t
ty
mess.Wef oundoutt hatKgwasadmi tt
edinto
hospit
al andwasi nacomat osestat
e.Meanwhi l
e
Thatoisst i
llmissing,Romeof il
edamissi
ng
person'sreportandev ennowwest i
l
lhavenoidea
whereshei s.Nowt hatRomeohascompl et
ely
writ
tenmeof f,Ihavet orel
yonmyol dwaysagain.
I'
m st i
ll
tryi
ngtotrackSont odownandbelieveme
whenIsayt hatI
'l
lmakeherpaywhenIdof i
ndher.I
tr
iedt el
li
ngRomeot hetruthaboutSontobuthe
didn'tevengivemeachancet ospeak.Thingsare
sobadt hatRomeoj ustpackedhisstuf
fandleft
.He
soldt hehouseandt ookTumi showithhi
m.Heev en
l
ef twithKg, wehavenoi deawherehewent .To
makemat t
ersworse,heleftwit
hallourpr
ofit
.

Thesebitchesdon'tevenhav ebrai
ns.Ihav enoidea
howt heyevengotintothisbusinesswithoutbrai
ns.
Imightnothavefinishedschool,butI'
m aser i
ous
hustl
er.EvenPaperandQuar toarefuckingcluel
ess,
soIhav enootherchoicebutt ogetaninv est
or.We
don'
thav eenoughcapi t
altobuyst ar
tup
merchandiseandIknowj ustthepersontohelpme.
Iwalkedtoherhouseandknocked.

MmaMor
uti
:”Tsena(
Ent
er)
!”
Iwalkedinandshewasabi tsurpri
sedtoseemy
newl ook.Ihardlygotochurchsoshe'sabit
shocked.She'sheardaf ewrumour saboutmy
tr
ansf or
mation,butt
hisi
sthef i
rstt
imesheseesme
l
ikethis.

Sophi
e:(
smi
l
ing)”
Hi,
Glenda.Okae(
Howar
eyou)
?”

MmaMor uti
:”Heh!Sophi
e,man!(
Clappinghands)O
robet
selemanggor eokgonegorekaPr ada,
ngwaneso( Whodidyousleepwi
thinordertoaff
ord
Prada,babe)
?”

Mxm, Gl
endawant
lwael
awai
tse(
Isr
eal
l
yful
lofshi
t,
youknow).

Sophie:
(chuckl
i
ng)”Heh,
Glenda.Asewenaoka
bolel
angmasepao(Yououtofallpeopl
ecan'
tsay
suchshitt
ome) .
”
Isawherexpr
essi
onchangei
mmedi
atel
y.

Glenda:(anger
ed)”
Howdar eyoucomei
ntomy
house,thehouseofthel
ordandtal
ktomeli
ke
that?
!”

Shewasshout i
ngandr anti
ng,throwi
ngt antrumsis
real
lynotonmymenuoft hedayt oday.Pat r
ick
walkedupt oherandwasv erysurpri
sedt oseeme.
Icouldseehim starttoshake.Ilovehavi
ngahol d
overpeople,especial
lyhol
ypeopl e.Theset wodon't
knowme.Icancr ushthem bothimmedi atel
y ,
and
maket hecongregat i
onburnthem bothtodeat h.

Patr
ick:(
ner
vous)”
Ah,
Sophi
e.Okae(
Howar
e
you)
? ”

Sophi
e:”
I'
m good,
Ntat
eMor
uti
(Past
or)
,wena
(y
ou)?
”
Patr
ick:
”Ker
ight(
I'
m okay
).Okat
habel
atee(
Woul
d
youli
kesometea)
?”

Glendaseemedt obeanger
edev
enmor
eby
Patri
ck'
spoli
teness.

Glenda:”
Heywena,
Patri
ck.Teey amasepa(Fuck
t
ea) !Kobamot
hoo( Chaseherout)
!Wat el
l
a( She'
s
rude)!
”

Igav
ePatri
ckal
ookandheknewexact
lywhathe
hadtodo.

Patr
ick:”
Aowa,manGl enda.Areutl
wegor eony
aka
eng(Let'
shearwhatshehastosay).Godnever
chasespeopl
eaway ,
sowhoar ewet ochasea
memberofourcommuni t
ywhomi ghtbein
desperat
eneedofourhelp?”
Glendawasbreat
hingheavi
l
yinfrustr
ati
onbutkept
quiet
.Shereal
lyl
ivesbywhatpeoplesayaboutand
thi
nkofher
.Shewoul drat
herdiethanhavepeople
thi
nkshe'
stherudebit
chthatsheactual
lyi
s.

Sophie:Keal eboga, Ntate(

Thankyou, pastor)
.I
cameher ewi thabusi nessproposal.I'
dliketoopen
myownbusi nesswel lit
'sact
uall
yanon- profi
t
organizat
ion.I '
dliketoopenasoupki t
chenf orall
theneedypeopl ei nourcommuni ty,especial
ly
womenandchi l
dren.Yousee, Ntate,peoplelike
Romeoupl i
ft
edt hecommuni t
yandnowwi thhim
gone,wear eal lsuff
ering.Peoplearegoinghungr y
andtheyr esorttocr i
me.Wecan' thav ethat.”

Pastor:
”Hmm, y
oureall
yhav esomethi
nggoodin
mindthere.Ili
ketheidea,al
thoughRomeowas
accusedofdealingi
ndr ugs,
heissti
llachi
l
dofthe
l
ordandhedi ddoal otforourpeopl
e.Ilov
eit
,what
doyout hi
nk,Love?”
Gl
enda:
(annoy
ed)”
Ja,
Iguessi
t'
ssomet
hing.
”

Patr
ick:
”Howmuchdoy
ouneedf
ort
hisamazi
ng
proj
ectofyour
s?”

Nowhe' st
alki
ng.I'm pl
anni
ngongoi ngbigt hi
sti
me,
we'l
lhavetomakeourownst ashfrom nowon, no
morebuy i
ngfrom suppl
ier
s.It'
shighti
met hese
peoplegottoknowwhoSophi eMaakei s.

Sophi
e:”
Iwon'
tneedmuch,
Ntat
e,j
ustR100000.
”

Gl
endai
mmedi
atel
yfl
i
pped.

Glenda:(
angr
y)”
Eng(
What
)?!Ov
ermydeadbody
!I
can't
-”

Idi
dn'
tev
enal
l
owhert
ofi
nishhersent
ence.Imi
ght
havest
oppedgoingtochur
chl
ongago,butIdo
knowtheBi
ble,
allt
hankstomymother
.

Sophi
e:”Luke12:2”Nothi
ngi scover
edupthatwi
ll
notbereveal
ed,orhiddenthatwil
lnotbeknown.
”

Theybot
hlookedatmepuzzl
ed,
whi
l
ePat
ri
ck
l
ookeddowninshame.

Sophi
e:”Proverbs11:13says”Whoev
ergoesabout
sl
anderi
ngr eveal
ssecret
s,buthewhoistr
ust
worthy
i
nspiri
tkeepsat hingcover
ed.”

Gl
enda:
”Sophi
e-”

Ii
nter
rupt
edherev
enf
urt
her
.

Sophi
e:Eccl
esi
ast
es12:
14-”
ForGodwi
l
lbr
ingev
ery
deedi
ntoj
udgment
,wi
thev
erysecr
ett
hing,
whet
her
goodorev
il
.

Luke8:
17”Fornothi
ngi
shiddenthatwil
lnotbe
mademanifest
,nori
sanythi
ngsecrett
hatwil
lnot
beknownandcomet ol
ight.

TheSevent
hCommandmentsay
s”Thoushal
lnot
commitadul
ter
y.”

Yousee,Iknowofsomeone,aver
yprominent
someonewho'smarri
edbuti
shavinganaffai
r.I
al
soknowhi swi
feli
kesdoi
ngthesame,even
worse.
”

IsawPatr
ickst
artsweat
ing,whi
leGl
endawasal
so
pani
cki
ng.Thesetwodon'tknowmeatall
.

Sophi
e:”
Thesi
xthcommandmentst
ates”
Thoushal
l
notki
l
l”.Iknowofav erypr
ominentfi
gurewhokil
l
ed
asmallboytosil
encehim.Shame, i
t'
samazing
whatgoesonbehindcloseddoorsri
ghther
ein
Rockvi
l
le,youknow.

TheEi
ghthcommandmentsay s”Thoushallnotbear
fal
sewi
tnessagainsty
ourneighbour.
”Basicall
y,
Godhat
esliar
s,andImy sel
fam guil
tyofthatat
ti
mes.

1John1:9say s”Ifweconfessoursins,heisfai
thf
ul
andj
ustandwi llfor
giveusoursinsandpurifyus
fr
om all
unrighteousness.Ithi
nkit'
stimeIconfess
mysince,Pastor.Ineedsalavati
on.”

IsawGl
endaqui
ckl
yhav
eachangeofhear
t.

Glenda:”She'
l
lmakeagr
eatcommuni
tyl
eader
,don'
t
youthink,Lov
e?”
Pat
ri
ck:
”Absol
utel
y,myl
ove.
”

Gl
enda:”
Actual
l
y,I
'
m goi
ngt
ogi
vey
ouR200000.
Whatdoyouthi
nk,
Love?
”

Patr
ick:(
smili
ng)”
Oh,
yes.Il
ovet
hei
dea.I
sthat
fi
ne,Sophie?
”

Sophi
e:(smi
li
ng)”
Absolutely
.You' resogenerous.
Herearemybanki
ngdet ai
ls,Iexpectthedepositno
l
atert
hantodaysothatIcanst ar
tthepreparat
ions.
”

Pat
ri
ck:
”Oh,
Godi
swor
kingt
hroughy
ou,
Sophi
e.”

Sophi
e:”
Amen,Pastor
,Amen!Lesal
engsent
le,
aker
e(Keepwel
l)
.”

Wi
tht
hatsai
d,Iwal
kedoutandheadedt
oBi
anca'
s
house.I
t'
shi
ghti
meIstart
edgroomingthese
bi
tchest
oworkhardandpl
ayhardatthesameti
me.

That
o

Iheardsomemachi nesbeeping,myeyesfeel
so
heavy,t
helightisbli
ndingmyey esasItr
ytoopen
them.Ilookedar oundandIseeanotherbednextto
me, wi
thpeopleIdon' tevenknow.Isawamani na
whitecoatstandinginfrontofme.Itr
iedtospeak,
butmyt hr
oatf eel
ssodr y.

Doct
or:(
shocked)”
Miss!You'
ref
inal
l
yawake!Can
youseeme?”

Inodded.

Doct
or:”Good,
youcanhearme.Cany
out
ell
me
whatyournameis?
”
It
ri
edt
ospeakbutmyt
hroati
sjustt
oodr
y.

That
o:”
Wa.
..
.Wa.
..Ter
..
.”

Doct
or:
”Comeagai
n,Mi
ss?
”

Ipoi
ntedatt
heglassofwaternextt
ohim andhe
hel
pedmedr i
nkwithastr
awi nsi
de.Igul
pedthe
wholegl
assdownandnearlychokedonit
.Ifeell
ike
Ihavebeendeadforawhi
le.

That
o:”
Wher
eam I
?”

Doctor:”
You'reinhospit
al.You'
vebeenoutofi
tfor
twoweeks.Wheny oucamei nher
eyouwereina
verybadstate,Miss.Aborti
onisachoi
cewheny ou
doitthelegalrout
e.Youal mostdi
edbecauseofal
l
thosepil
lsyouused.I '
m sti
l
lamazedyoudidn'
tl
ose
y
ourwomb.
”

Wai
t,what
?Abor
ti
on?

That
o:(
sur
pri
sed)”
Excuseme,
doct
or,
abor
ti
on?
”

Doctor
:”Youdon'
tremembert
aki
nganyabor
ti
on
pi
ll
s?”

Tear
sstart
edstreami
ngdownmyfaceasIr
ecal
led
whathappened.Sont
oki
ll
edmybaby.Howcruel
coul
dawomanbe?

Doct
or:”Mi
ss,I'
mr eal
l
ysorr
y.PerhapsI'
l
lneedt
o
i
nfor
mt hepol
iceifyoudi
dn'
tdothisyour
self
.Do
youknowyourname? ”

That
o:”
That
o,That
oMaake.
”
Doctor:(
shocked)”NowIremembery
ou!Isawa
pict
ureofy ouonthenewsafewweeksago.They
report
edy oumissi
ng.”

Ther
e'shope,
may
beKghasbeenl
ooki
ngf
orme.

That
o:”
Hasany
onecomet
oseemeper
haps?
”

Doct
or:
”I'
m afr
aidnot,
Mi ss.I'
ll
lookint
oit
,don'
t
worr
y.Hopeful
lywe'l
lfi
ndy ourfamil
y.”

That
o:”
Wher
eam I
?ImeanI
'
mfr
om Rockv
il
le.
”

Doctor:”Youweretakent oNetcar
eMilpar
kHospital
,
butafterbei
ngstabil
izedandtheycouldn'
ti
denti
fy
you,theyhadtobeingy ouheretoCharl
ott
eMaxeke
Hospital
.You'r
einPar ktown,Miss.Youseri
ousl
y
don'
tr ememberany t
hing?”
Ishookmyhead.Ican'
ttr
ustany
oneany
mor
e.Who
knowswhoisworki
ngwithSophi
enow?

Doct
or:
”Al
ri
ghtt
hen.I
'
llcal
lthepol
i
cer
ightaway
.”
Chapt
erTwent
yNi
ne

John16:33-“Ihav
etoldyouthesethings,sothatin
mey oumayhav epeace.I
nthisworldyouwi l
lhave
tr
ouble.Butt
akeheart
!Ihaveovercomet hewor l
d.”

That
o

I'
m sonumbIcan'tevenexpl
ainthefeeli
ng.Ifeel
l
ikeadarkcloudhassuddenlycomeov erme.Idon't
evenhavemyphone,IDorany t
hingonme.Wher e
wil
lIevenbegin?Howwi l
lIevengohome?DoI
evensti
llhav
eahome?Ihav etogobackt obeing
abusedinmyownhouse, miserabl
eandbr oke.I
can'
tbesubj
ect
edt
othatl
i
feagai
n,Ican'
t.

Myl i
fehaschanged, butnyf at
epr obablyhasnt.I
will
findawayt ogetmyownpl aceandr egisterfor
mycour senexty ear.Ican'taff
ordt oli
veinr es,asI
haveaboutR180000orsoi nmyaccountandt hat
won'tlastmef ormor ethanay ear.IfIhavet oget
myownpl aceandst udymat er
ial,
Ihav etogetaj ob
too.Thisisgoingt obet ough,butIhav et odoi t
.
Thedoct ordi
sturbsmef rom myt hought sashe
walkedinwi t
ht hepolice.

Doctor
:”That
o,thepoli
cear
eher
e.They
'dl
i
ket
o
haveawor dwit
hy ou.
”

Inodded.

Doctor:
”Pl
easebebr
ief
,mypat
ienthast
ogetsome
rest
.”
Poli
ceman1:”Don'
tworry,
wewon' tt
akemuchof
herti
me.Ms.Maake, mynamei sDetect
iveMat
jeke,
andthismypart
nerLui
tenantXaba.Cany ou
rememberwhathappenedtoyoubeforeyouwere
found?”

IlookeddownasIt houghtl
ongandhardbymy
answers.I'
m afr
aidtodiscl
oseany
thi
ng,butI
'
d
ratherr
iskhal
fofthetrut
h.

Mat
jeke:
”Mi
ssMaake,
wer
eal
l
ydon'
thav
eal
lday
.”

He'ssoinsensi
ti
vef
orapol
i
ceoff
icer
.What
happenedtodoingy
ourj
obwit
hapassion?

Xaba:”Wai
t,manMatj
eke.You'
ll
scar
eherof
f.
That'
snothowitwor
ks,nothowwework.St
ep
asi
de.”
ThatMat j
ekedudecl i
ckedhistongueandst epped
aside.Igotir
ri
tatedimmediatel
y .I
'
v eal
waysheard
stori
esabouttheill
-t
reatmentofthepoli
ce,butI
neverthoughtI'
dactuall
ybeatt herecei
vi
ngend.

Xaba:”For
giv
emypartner
,Miss.Pl
easet
ell
me
anyt
hingyourememberbefor
eyouweref
ound.
”

Isunkont
hebedandt
ookadeepbr
eat
hedand
si
ghed.

Thato:”I
twassupposedt obemyweddi ngday.My
fi
anceandIwer einthecaranddr oveouttomy
family
.Wedi dn'tev
engett omyhousewhenagol f
6r ammedi nt
ous.Theyhi tthedri
ver'
ssideandmy
fi
anceinstantl
ygotknockedunconscious.These
twoguy scamet owardsmewi thguns.They
demandedt hatIwalkout,butIwasinpain.I
beggedt hem t
oleaveme, buttheyt
ookmewi t
h
them.Theydr aggedmeoutofourcarandi nt
ot he
boot.Theyhitmewi thagunandIwokeupt i
edonto
achai
r.
”

Hewasj ot
ti
ngthi
ngsdownwhil
eMatjekel
ooked
annoyed.Thedoct
orwasst
andingt
herefeel
i
ng
sorr
yformeasIweptandwipedmytearsaway.

Xaba:
”Okay
,di
dtheyt
ell
youwhyt
heyt
ooky
ou
wit
h?”

Thato:”No,t
heytookmymoney ,R1mill
i
onf r
om my
l
atemot her'
sli
feinsurancepol
i
cy.They...Theyput
anabortionpil
li
nsideofmewhenIt ol
dt hem I'm
pregnantandIdon'trememberanythi
ngel se.
”

Il
iedbecauseI'm act
uall
yterr
ifi
edofSont o.Who
knowswher eshemi ghtbeand whoshe' s
schemingwithnow?Al thoughIdor ecall
thosetwo
guysdumpingmei nsomef i
eldandt heytookmy
diamondnecklaceanddiamondr i
ng.Idon'teven
knowhowgr eedypeoplecanbe.
Xaba:
”Hmm,
yousai
dyou'
ref
rom Sowet
o?”

That
o:”
Yes,
Rockv
il
le.
”

Xaba:
”Whatwasy
ourf
iance'
sname?
”

Was?Whyi
sher
efer
ri
ngt
ohi
mli
kehe'
sdead?

That
o:”
Hisnamei
sKgaugel
oMol
oi,
thesonof
RomeoMoloi
.”

AssoonasIsaidthatt
heybothlookedateachother
.
That'
sasignofbadnews,r
ight
?Whatdot heyknow
thatIdon'
t?

Xaba:”Uh,
MissMaake.I
'm sorr
y,butRomeoand
KgaugeloMol
oil
eftaweekafteryouwerer
eport
ed
missing.Poli
cewithi
nyourar
eainvest
igat
ingthi
s
matterweresentther
eandhehadal r
eadysoldthe
house.Het ookoffwit
hbothhissonsandthey'
re
nowher et
obef ound.
”

Ifel
tli
keIwasst abbedi nthegut.Whyonear th
wouldRomeot akeof fwi t
hKg?Butt hatsurely
meanst hatKgisali
ve, ri
ght?Imean, hehast obe.
There'
sstil
lhope,butwhydi dn'tRomeocomeand
l
ookf orme?ButIcan' texpectmuchf r
om him.He
owesmenot hi
ngandwe' renotrel
ated.He' salway s
wantedKgt oagreewi thhiswayofdoi ngthings,so
maybet heywenttost artafr
eshsomewher e.Idon' t
knowhowI '
l
lmanagewi thoutKginmyl i
fe,butI'
ll
havetotryandhopet hatIf i
ndhim soon.

Xabatoldmet heyf
oundmei nBraam, i
magine.
Thoseguy sr
eall
ydroveawhi l
ewi thme.Igav ehim
descr
ipti
onsofthetwoguy sandt helef
twithhis
rudepart
ner.Theypromisedtokeepi ntouchbut
knowingthepoli
cethat
'sjustanotherempty
pr
omi
seont
hei
rli
stofmany
.

Doctor
:”I
sther
eper
hapsany
oney
oumi
ghtwantt
o
cal
l?
”

Idon'
tev enhaveaphone.Pal esaisgone,Ihaveno
mother,perhapsIcantr
yKg' snumber.Thedoct or
gavemehi sphoneasIdial
edKg'snumber .Istil
l
knowitof fbyheart
.Igotthemosthear t
-wrenching
messagenoonewant stohear .”Thenumbery ou
havedialeddoesnotexist,
pleasecheckthenumber
anddialagain.”

Idialedt woort hreemor eti

mesandf eltmyhear t
dropr ightintothepitofmyst omach.Thi scan'
tbe
happeni ng.Tear sroll
eddownmyf ace,whenev er
you'reangr yorheart
broken,youl i
teral
lyfeelahuge
l
umpi ny ourthr
oataswel last hi
sr eal
lytight
ening
paini ny ourabdomen.Yourt earsf eelextrahotand
extrasal ty,li
kethey'
rediggi
ngr ightintoyourskin
j
ustt or emi ndyouhowf resht hewoundi s.
Thedoct
orj
ustl
ookedatmewi
thsuchpi
ty.

Doctor:
”Look,Idon'
tknowwhatyouwentthrough,
butIcanreferyoutosomepsychol
ogi
sts,
freeof
charge.
”

Ifel
tli
keIwasi
nareal
lybaddr
eam andi
twas
repl
ayi
ngever
yminut
e.

Doctor
:”Ihatetobethebear erofsadnews,
butI
havetodischar
gey outoday.Weneedt hi
sbedfor
someonewho' sindesperat
eneedofi t
.”

Ifel
tmysel
fcryevenharder
.Idon'thav
eaphone
normoneyonmeandnowIhav etogobackhome.I
don'
tevenknowJo'bur
gandmywoundshav en'
t
evenheal
edyet.Icoul
dseet hepoormanlooki
ngat
me.
Doct
or:
”Look,
Icandr
opyouoffatt
het
axi
rankand
gi
veyousomemoneytogobackhome.Pr
omise
meyou'
llt
akecar
eofyour
sel
f.
”

That
o:”
Whyar
eyoubei
ngsoni
cet
ome?
”

Doctor:
”BecauseIhav eseenafewgir
lsi
nyour
si
tuati
on,who'v
ebeenv i
cti
mstofor
eignmenand
drugs.Prost
it
utionisn'
tthewayout
,butI
underst
andyoursituati
on.”

Il
ookedathi
m puzzl
ed.Doesheact
ual
l
ythi
nkI
'
ma
pr
osti
tut
e?

Doct or:”I
t'
sokay, I
'
m notjudgi
ngyou.Alt
houghI
canof feryousomeassi stanceandref
eryouto
placest hathelpyouhealandgetaheadstart
towar dsanewl i
fe.Youcangetdressedsolong,
I'
ll
drivey outhereduringl
unch.”
Idon' tknowi fIshoul dbeof fendedori fGodist r
ying
tobef unny.Igotdr essedslowlyint heripped
clothesIwasf oundi n.Mybodyi sstil
linsomuch
pain, andIhav eaf ewbr ui
sesleftonmyl egsand
thighs.Ican' thidet hem sinceI'
m wear inga
traditi
onal dr
ess, butIcan'texpectr oyaltycoming
straightfrom thehospi t
al.Iwaitedf orthedoctorto
comeandaspr omi sedhedi dcome.

Doct
or:
”Wecango.
”

Islowl ygotupandhewasn' tev eni mpati

entwithme
atall whil
eIwal kedv er
yslowlyal ongsidehi
m.I
tr
iedwal j
i
ngf ast er,
butdamnt hepai nwasjusttoo
unbear able.Wef i
nall
ymadei ttohi scar,ablack
Mer cedesA- Class.He' sreall
yni ceandqui t
e
strai
ght f
orwar d.Iguesst hat'
showwhi tepeople
oper ate.Hedr ov emet ot
het axi rankandupon
exiti
ngt hecar ,hehandedmeR500.

Doct
or:
”Ihopey
ougethomesaf
ely
,That
o.You'
re
sti
l
lyoungandIhopeandpraythaty
oudogettogo
toVarsi
ty.I
fyouevercomebacktoPar
ktown,
don'
t
beafr
aidtocal
lme.”

He'
ssoni
ce,
IguessGodi
shel
pingmeout
.

That
o:”Thanky
ousomuch.Ipromi
se,
I'
ll
repayy
ou
whenIcomebacktoJo'
bur
g.”

Doctor:”
Noneed.Herei
smycar d,
justi
ncasey
ou
everneedtot
alkorsomet
hing.
”

Ilookedathi scard,”
Dr.L.Groenewald, Cri
ti
calCare
Specialist
.”Ithankedhim onceagainandwal ked
out.Idon' tknow,butforsomer easonIf eelli
keI'
ll
seehim agai n.Iwalkedslowlyandgr eetedthemen
atther ank.Iaskedthem wher ewet akeRockv il
le
taxi
sandt heyshowedmewher et ogo.Ir efusedto
siti
nt hefront,ImeanI'v
ebeenunconsci ousfortwo
weeksnowhowonear thwil
lIcountt hetaxifareof
all15people?Thetaxiri
dehomewaspai nf
ul as
fuckandr at
heruncomfort
abl e.Icoul dfeelev ery
bumpandhumpandmybr uisescoul dfeel i
ttoo.
WhenIgott omyst opItri
edt owal koutabi tfast
eventhoughIwasst i
ll
inal otofpai n.Ifeel so
hungry,soIimmediat
elystoppedatt hechesa
nyamat obuymy sel
fasphat lo( kot
a)bef oreI
headedhome.Ikepthopi ngI 'dseeKgorRomeoor
someone, butIsawnoone.Ev enthechesany ama
namewaschanged.Ior deredaR10kot aandsati n
oneofthebenches.IsawRut h,oneofAnast acia'
s
fri
endsalongwithtwoofherf r
iendsappr oachme.

Ruth:(
shocked)”
Hehe!That o?!Kewenao( Isthi
s
you)?
!Whathappened, babygir
l?Reutlwi
lebar eo
ki
dnapil
we( Weheardyouwer eki
dnapped)!Kgante
neelemakaorbj ang(
Wasi talll
iesorwhat)
?!”

Ii
gnor
edthem andtookmykot
aandat
tempt
edt
o
l
eave,
buttheybl
ockedmyway.
Ruth:”
Aowawena!May beyoucheatedonKgand
heshowedy oualesson.Pluskeutl
wil
ebar e(I
heardthat)heandhisfatherandbr
othertookoff
andleftyoubehind.IguessthemightyThatohas
fal
len.
”

Thethreeoft hem laughedwhi leRuthtookapi ct

ure
ofme.Shesai dshe'
sgoi ngtoputmypi ctureon
Twit
ter.Idon' tunderstandwhyt hey'
rebeingmean
tomebecauseIhav enev erbeenmeant ot hem -
ever
.If eltsotouched, andlit
eral
lywant edt ocry
,
butIrefusetocr yinfrontofsuchpeopl e.

Prov
erbs19:
29says”Condemnati
onisreadyfor
scof
fers,
andbeat
ingfort
hebacksoffools.
”

Prover
bs17:5say
s” Whoev
ermocksthepoori
nsul
ts
hi
sMaker ;
hewhoi sgl
adatcal
amit
ywill
notgo
unpuni
shed.”
Becar
eful
whoy
oumakef
unof
,fori
tmi
ghtbey
ou
tomor
row.
Chapt
erThi
rt
y

1Peter5:
7-”
Castal
lyouranxi
etyonhi
m because
hecaresf
ory
ou.”

Phil
ippi
ans4:6-
7”Donotbeanxiousaboutany
thi
ng,
butinevery
thi
ngbyprayerandsuppl
icat
ionwi
th
thanksgi
vi
ngletyourr
equestsbemadeknownt o
God.”

That
o

Icoul
dn'tst andall
thest ar
esf r
om peoplewhokeep
l
ookingatmel i
keI'
vejustlostmymi nd.Somear e
evenwhi speringwhil
esomear epointi
ngatmeand
l
aughingatme.Thi siswaywor sethanwhenI
wasn'tdatingKg.Imean, wow.I fthey'
renot
complainingaboutmyski ncolour,
it'
smyey es,
ifnot
thati
t'
smybody .Inev
eraskedtobet
hewayIam,
I
neveraskedSont
otogivebi
rtht
ome.

Attimesl iketheseIact uall

ywi shshehadact ual
ly
smot her edmewi t
hapi ll
oworsomet hing.Nt ate
Mor uti (
Past or)alway ssayst hatever
yonehasa
purposeandt hatwear eallblessi
ngs.Heev ensaid
i
magi neoutofal lthespermsamanpr oducesdur i
ng
i
ntercour se, andoutofal lthosesper ms, y
ou
becamet hechosenone.WhenIhadMamaand
Palesaev erythingmadesenseandInev erfel
toutof
pl
ace, butnowIact ual
lynoticeallt
hest ar
es,glares
andl aughs.

HowIwi shIcouldjustdigaholeandnevercome
backout .IwalkedpastKg' shouse,j
ustt
oseefor
my sel
fandi ndeedthehousei supforsal
e.It
's
actuall
ysold,butIdon'tevenknowwhoournew
neighbourswi l
lbe.Ifeltmytearsburnmycheeks
yetagainasIt houghtofthegoodmemor ieswe
haveshar edinthishouse.
Yes,itwasbi tt
ersweetwi thSonto'snast i
ness
towardsme, butIwoul dn'ttradethej oyIshar edwi th
Kgint hereforanythingorany one.Iguess
ever
y thi
nghappensf orareasonast heylikesay ing.
Iwalkedpastt hest opsi gn,wheret heacci dent
happened.I tstil
lfeelslikeyesterday, t
hatt i
mei t '
sa
fewday sbef orechristmas.I ndeedi twill
beabl ack
Chri
st masforme.Iwal kedi ntothey ardandf ound
Kagisositti
ngonachai rwithtwobeerquar t
s.She
l
ookedr eall
yshockedt osayt heleast,shockedbut
happyt oseemei nt hisstate.

Kagiso:(
sur
pri
sed)”
Heeeh!Jesuwat
heoga(Jesus
i
scomi ngdown)!Mma(Granny)
!Mama!Tlale
boneng(Comeandsee)!
”

Ii
gnoredherandwal
kedpassedher.KokoMari
a
walkedoutoft
hehouseandwasalsoshockedt
o
seeme.
Mari
a:(
shocked)”
Andthen,wena(
you)
?! Ot
swa
kae(
Wherehaveyoubeen)?
”

Ii
gnoredhert
ooandwalkedpastandheaded
st
rai
ghttomybedroom.IfoundSophi
esitti
nginthe
l
ounge,get
ti
nghernai
lsdonebefor
eIwalkedint
o
myroom.

Sophie:(
surprised)”Hao,kgant
egawat i
mela(
Wow,
soy ouweren'tmissing)
?Ai ,l
eratadr
ama,wai
tse
(You'r
esodr amat i
c,youknow).”

Andt
hat
'sj
usthowI
'
m backt
omyol
d,mi
ser
abl
eli
fe.

Sophie:(
shouti
ngfrom t
helounge)”
Oh,Romeoo
tl
i
sitsedi
aparotsao(br
oughtyourcl
othes)bef
orehe
l
eft!You'r
ewelcome!”

Icl
osedt
hedoorandwentt
hroughmycl
othes.At
l
eastt heybr oughtmyclothesbackal ongwi t
hny
document s.Iseeaf ewofmyi t
emsmi ssing.Mxm,
Kagi sopr obablytooksomeoft hem.Iwentt hrough
myt raveli
ngbagandf oundthecheapl ocketKg
boughtf orme, j
usti
ncaset hediamondonegot
stolen.Icoul dn'
thel
pbutshedaf ewtearsasI
openedi t.Imi sshim somuch, Ijustdon'tknow
whati shappeni ngri
ghtnow, butI'
mt ryi
ngt ohav e
fait
hi nGod.It rustt
hatHeknowswhathe' sgot
plannedf orme.

Chri
stmasf inall
ycame.Themor etheday swentby,
themor edepressedIcame.If eelsoweak,
spir
it
uall
y,emot ional
lyandphysicall
y .Mywounds
havehealedabi t,butmyheartandsoul aresti
ll
severel
ywounded.It ri
edprayingthedayIcame
backhome, butwow, Ij
ustcouldn'tany mor e.Iwent
toPEPCel t
obuymy selfacheapphonet heother
day,andIheadedt othebanktot r
ansf ertheR150
000Ihadi nvestedaf ewmont hsago.It houghtat
l
eastitwouldbeaboutR200000orsobynow, but
i
nsteadIhadt opayapenaltyforwi thdrawingt he
moneybef
oreitr
eachedmat
uri
ty.I
'
m annoy
ed,
but
wel
l,
IhavetosaveasmuchmoneyasIcan.

Igotupt hi
smor ni ngandt r
iedtohaveanewf eelf
or
l
ife.Igotrearyforchur ch,perhapsI'
ll
getagood
messagef rom Nt ateMor utit
oday.Igotintooneof
thedressesKgboughtf ormeandwor emyl ocket
.I
headedoutandf oundev er
yoneasleep,exceptfor
Koko.She'sheadedf orchur chasalways.

Mar i
a:”
Hmm, magadiapadi
l
ebjanongozama
kereke(Yourl
obol
afai
l
edandnowy ou'
ret
ryi
ng
church)
? ”

Reall
y?Thiswomanhat esme, justli
keSont odoes.
Ispedupandwal kedabi tfaster.I'dratherwalk
aheadofherthanlist
ent ohert ellmeshi t,
especial
l
y
onChr i
stmasDay.Uponar ri
val atchurch,Isaw
everyt
hingdecor
ated,fr
om t hegat estot heentr
ance.
Thereisevenahuget entthisyear ,Iguessthey'
re
goingbig.Idon'
tseeAnast acia, t
hegol denchurch
gi
rl
,alt
houghIseeRut
handherfri
endsl
aughingat
meagain.Ideci
dedtoignor
eagai
nandIwalked
i
ntothechur
ch.

Thecongr egationstart
edsingingandeveryti
meI
walkintochur chandhearasongbyourchoi r,Ij
ust
can'
thelpbutcr y
.Icrybecausechur chremindsme
ofMama, Icrybecausel i
fewassogoodandnow
ever
y t
hingisjustar ealmess.Iquicklywipedmy
tear
sof fandlistenedattent
ivel
yasNt at
eMor uti
star
tedt heser mon.

Pat
ri
ck:
”Amen,
Bazal
wane(
Congr
egat
ion)
.”

Cr
owd:
”Amen.
”

Patr
ick:”
Today,i
saver
yspecialday,aswecelebrat
e
thebir
thofChri
st.I
'
dli
ketotalkabouthowmostof
yourelat
etoJesusChr
ist
,butdon'tact
uall
yreal
iz
eit.
Weknewf r
om t
hemomentJesuswasgr owingi
n
Mary
'swombthatHisl
if
ewasgoi ngt
obediffer
ent.
Godhaddecl
aredhi
m di
ffer
entandsethi
m apart
fr
om al
lot
her
sf r
om Hi
sconcepti
on.

Jesusdidmanyt hings,fr
om teachi
ngpeopleabout
thewordofGod, tofeedingchil
dren,
raisi
ngthedead
andevent ur
ningwat eri
ntowine.Alotofpeople
didn'
tbel
ieveinHim, butsome, t
heblessedones
neverdeniedhim.

I
'dliketospecifi
callytal
kaboutJesus' sCr uci
fi
cti
on.
Godcoul dhav echosenanot herwayoutf orJesus,
butHeal lowedhimt obecrucifi
ed.WhenJesuswas
takenbyt hereli
giousleaders,hisapostlesranaway.
Theyl ef
tJesusal onewithhisenemi es,
because
theybecameaf r
aid.Buttheapost lesPeterandJohn
didnotgov er
yfaraway .Theyf oll
owedal ongtosee
whathappenst oJesus.

Thepr
iest
st akeJesustotheol
dmanAnanias,
who
usedt
obet hehighpri
est.Thecr
owddoesnotstay
herelong.Theynextt
akeJesustothehouseof
Caiphus,whowasnowt hehighpri
est.Many
rel
i
giousleadershadgat
heredathi
shouse.

Jesuswasbet rayedmanyt i
mes, andy etHestill
foundusallwor t
hytosacr if
icehimselffor.He
promiseduset ernal
lif
eifwebel ieveinHim.Some
ofyousitt
ingher earealsocr uci
fi
ed,onadai l
ybasis
andsomeev enfrom themomenty ouwerebor n.
Someofy ousi tt
ingherebef oreme, l
iv
et ocrucif
y
other
s.Yourt onguesspi tvenom andbecomea
dangerousweapon, theywoundt heinnocent'
ssouls
andinturnyoubecomewi ckedwi t
houtev en
real
iz
ingit.

John14:6says”Jesusanswer
ed,
"Iam t
hewayand
thetr
uthandtheli
fe.NoonecomestotheFat
her
exceptt
hroughme.”

Wit
hthisser
montoday
,I'
dli
ketogi
veyouafew
l
essonswecanl
earnfr
om theLor
dJesus:
1.Becl
earwi
thwhaty
ouwant
.
“Askanditwi
ll
begi v
ent oyou;seekandy ouwil
lfi
nd;
knockandthedoorwillbeopenedt oyou.For
ever
yonewhoasks, r
eceives;
andt heonewhoseeks,
fi
nds;andtot
heonewhoknocks, thedoorwil
lbe
opened.”—Matthew7:7-8

Jesusknewthatclari
tyi
soneoft hesecr
etsto
success.Bedel
i
ber at
einli
vi
ngy ourl
if
e.Beclear
wit
hwhaty ouwantt oachi
eve.Knowwhatt oaskfor
andhowt oaskforit.

2.Wheny
ouf
ind“
it
,”t
aket
hel
eap.
“Thekingdom ofheav eni sl
ikeatr
easureburiedi
na
fi
eld,whichaper sonfindsandhidesagain,andout
ofjoygoesandsel l
sallthathehasandbuy sthat
fi
eld.Again,t
heki ngdom ofheavenisli
kea
mer chantsearchingforfi
nepearl
s.Whenhef i
ndsa
pearlofgreatprice,hegoesandsellsallt
hathehas
andbuy
sit
.”—Mat
thew13:
44-
46

Wheny ouf i
nallyf
indyourlif
e’spurpose,
y our
mission,oryourowndr eam, t
akeachanceandt ake
aleapinf ai
th.Youmayormaynotmakei t
i
mmedi atel
y,butyouwilldef
init
elymakeit.Thejoy
andfulfil
l
mentar ealsointhepursuit
.Everythi
ng
el
sei sjusti
cingont hecake.Jumpi ntoyour
purpose!

3.Bef
orbear
ingandl
ovet
hosewhocr
it
ici
zey
ou.
“Youhav eheardthatitwassaid,‘Aney eforaney e
andat oothforat oot
h.’ButIsaytoy ou,off
erno
resi
stancetoonewhoi sev i
l
.Whensomeonest r
ikes
youon( your
)rightcheek,turntheotheronet ohi
m
aswel l
.”—Mat thew5:38-39

“Youhav ehear
dthatitwassai
d,‘
Youshalll
oveyour
neighborandhateyourenemy.
’ButIsayt
oy ou,l
ove
yourenemies,andprayfort
hosewhopersecuteyou,
thatyoumaybechi ldr
enofyourheav enlyFather,
for
hemakeshi ssunriseonthebadandt hegood, and
causesr aintofallonthejustandtheunj ust
.Forif
youlovet hosewhol ovey
ou, whatrecompensewi l
l
youhav e?Donott hetaxcoll
ector
sdot hesame?
Andi fy
ougr eetyourbrot
hersonly,whati sunusual
aboutthat ?Donott hepagansdot hesame? ”—
Mat t
hew5: 44-
47

Whenwear ebeingpushed, i
t’
smor enatural
forus
topushback.It’sdif
ficul
tnottofi
ghtback.But,
whenwepul lthem closertousinsteadofpushing
them back,i
magi nethesurpri
se.Therewouldalso
bel essconf
li
ct.Besides,i
t’
smor erewardi
ngtolove
thosewhocannotl ov eusback.Alwaysrespondwith
l
ov e.

4.Al
way
sgobey
ondwhati
srequi
red.
“Ifanyonewantstogotolawwit
hy ouov
eryour
tunic,
handhimy ourcl
oakaswell
.Shoul
danyone
pressy oui
ntoservi
ceforonemi
le,gowi
thhi
mf or
twomil
es.Givetot
heonewhoasksofyou,
anddo
nott
urnyourbackononewhowantst
oborrow.
”—
Matt
hew5:40-42

Alwaysgot heextramile—iny ourcareer

,inyour
business,inyourrelat
ionships,inyourservi
ce,i
n
l
ov i
ngot hers,andineverythingy oudo.Pursue
excell
encei nallyourundertakings.

5.Keepy
ourpr
omi
sesandbecar
eful
wit
hwhaty
ou
say.
“
Lety
our‘Yes’mean‘
Yes,
’andy
our‘
No’
mean‘
No.
’
”
—Matthew:5:
37

“
Byyourwor
dsyouwillbeacqui
tt
ed,
andbyy our
wor
dsyouwil
lbecondemned.”—Matthew12:37

There’
sanoldproverbsayi
ng,“
Befor
ey ouspeak
once,t
hinkt
wice.”Yourwordshavepoweroveryour
l
if
eandt hel
if
eofot her
s.Alwaysbetr
uthful
inwhat
yousayandbetr
ust
worthywit
hy ourpr
omises.
Whenindoubtwi
thwhattosay,saywordsoflov
e.

6.Howyoul
ookatot
her
sisar
efl
ect
ionofhowy
ou
l
ookaty
oursel
f.
“
Stopjudging,t
hatyoumaynotbejudged.Foras
youjudge,sowil
lyoubej
udged,andthemeasure
withwhichyoumeasurewi
llbemeasuredoutto
you.”—Mat t
hew7:1-2

Ifyoumeasur eothers’successbasedontheir
finances,chancesarethat’
salsohowy oumeasure
yourownsuccess.I fyoumeasur ethei
rsuccess
basedont hei
rjobti
tl
es,chancesarethat
’salsohow
youmeasur eyourownsuccess.Doy ouneedt o
changet hemeasur eyouuse?

7.Fol
l
owt
heGol
denRul
e.
“
Dotoot
her
swhatevery
ouwoul
dhav
ethem dot
o
y
ou.
”—Matthew7:
12
Thisisal
ltheli
felessonsfr
om Jesuscombi ned.In
fact
,thi
sisprobablyJesus’
smostpopul arl
esson
forChri
sti
ansandnon- Chri
sti
ansalike.Whatdoy ou
wantotherstodot oyouandf oryou?Dot hesame
tothem andforthem.Nomat t erwhatyoubelievein,
youcannev ergowr ongwit
ht heGoldenRule.

8.For
giv
eot
her
s…count
lesst
imesi
fyouneedt
o.
“I
fy ouforgiv
eot herstheirtr
ansgressions,your
heav enl
yFatherwi l
lforgiveyou.Butifyoudonot
forgiveothers,
neitherwi l
lyourFatherforgi
veyour
transgressi
ons.”—Mat thew6:14-15

“ThenPet erapproachi
ngaskedhim,‘Lord,
ifmy
brothersi
nsagai nstme,howoftenmustIf or
give
him?Asmanyassev entimes?’
Jesusanswer ed,‘
I
sayt oyou,notseventi
mesbutsev enty-
seven
ti
mes. ’
”—Mat t
hew18:21-22.
”
Ifeltmyt earsscreami ngdownmyf ace
uncont rol
lably
.Ifeel li
kemyheartisabitatease.I
l
ov eev eryhesaid,butnumber8i sreall
yhar dtodo.
HowdoIf orgi
veev eryonewho'swrongedmeand
mor eespeci al
lySont o?HowdoIf orgi
veheraf ter
shedi dsuchanev i
l deedtome?It rul
ywi shthat
aftertoday ,
Icanf i
ndi mmensepeacewi thinmy sel
f
andt hatGodwi l
lmostdef i
nit
elyopendoor sforme.
Chapt
erThi
rt
yOne

Matthew6:24-“Noonecanservetwomast ers.
Eit
heryouwill
hatetheoneandl
ovet heother,oryou
wil
lbedevotedtotheoneanddespisetheother.You
cannotser
vebothGodandmoney .”

Sophi
e

TodayisChri
stmasandIhavenoti
met ogot o
church.Ihav
eabusinesst
otakecareofandsince
I'
m nowinchargeoft
hiswhol
eoperati
on,Ical
lthe
shots.Pat
ri
ckandGlendawer emoret
hanhappyt o
giv
emest artupcapi
tal
,soImadesurethatBi
anca
andRacheldosomethinginst
eadofdr
inki
ngallday.

Thoset worunthesoupki t
chen, wherewecookand
giv
et heneedyfoodev er
yday .That'
sofcour sejust
acoverupf orourdrugoper ati
on.I'm soglad
Romeol eftbecausehejustgav emer oom t obea
bett
erme.PaperandQuat roalsogett odotheirpart
i
nsteadofpl ayi
nggolfall
dayandf eedingtheirf
at
asses.Theygett oensuret hatwepackagedt he
corr
ectamountofNy aopeineachoft hebagsand
al
so,Monopi ,whichi
sami xtureofNy aopeand
Cocaine.

Everyonehasar olenowandsi ncewell Isavedthis

group,Igetthebiggercut.Ihavenohusbandor
mant ocontrolmeandt ellmeot her
wise.I '
ml ovi
ng
thenewmeandRockv il
leissti
ll
goingt oseemor e
ofme.Busi nessisboomi ngsomuch, especiall
yat
thi
stimeoft heyear,t
hatIev enhavecopsonmy
payrol
l.Ihavetopackandst or
esomedr ugsinthe
housenowsi ncetherejustisn'
tanyspacel ef
tatt he
restofthehouses.Itriedgetti
ngAnelisatojointhe
groupagain,butapparentl
yshewasont hebr i
nkof
depressionandGodsav edher.Ifeel
li
ket hat'
sjust
anexcuset ostaybroke.

Noonecant ouchmenow, notev enThat o.Thisi

s
sti
l
lherhouse,butIcal
ltheshot s.I'
mi nt hel
ounge,
count
ingthemoneywemadet hi
smor ningwi t
hone
ofmyboy s,
whenThat owal kedinunexpect edl
y.
She'
ssupposedt obeatchur ch,mos.

Sophi
e:”
Andt
henwena(
you)
?Don'
tyouknock?
”

That
o:(
annoy
ed)”
Excuseme?Thi
sismyhouse.
”

Sophi
e:(
chuckli
ng)”
Thatshi
tisgetti
ngold,
boo.
Thi
sisyourhouseonpaper,
Ical
l t
heshotsher
e.
Besi
des,nowthatobet
hil
ekelefase(l
if
ehasgot
youbyt hebal
ls)
,yourememberedal
lofasudden
thatyouhaveahouse.Wher ewerey
ouwhenIt ook
careofthebil
lsofthi
shouse?Whocleansthe
house?Mai nt
ainsit?Skampotsamasepa(Don'
t
tel
lmeshi t
)!
”

That
o:(
angr
y)”I
'
vehadit
!Iwil
lnotall
owy outobul
l
y
meinmyownhouse,Sophi
e.I
t'
stimef oryouto
moveout.I
'
m notobl
i
gedtost
aywi t
hy ouhere.
”

Thistrampi sabouttoannoyme.It ookoutmygun

andpoi nteditather,andshegott heshockofher
l
ife.TheThat oIknowwoul dhav edaredmet o
shoot,butthiswimpI 'm seeinginf r
ontofmei sa
wholenewThat o,av eryfr
ightenedandscar ed
Thato.Per hapsshewasr eallyabusedwhi l
eshe
waski dnapped.I '
m gladtheyknockedsomesense
i
nt oher.Shewasbecomi ngar eal pest
.Thatostil
l
stoodf r
ozent her
eandr anoutwi thouteventry
ingto
stopme.Icar ri
edoncount i
ngt hemoney ,Ihavea
l
ivingtoear n.
That
o

Istor medoutoft hehouseandkeptr unni

ngunt i
lI
stoppedi nt hemi ddleoft hepar k.Whatonear th
hasmyl i
febecome?NowSophi eturnsgunsonme
i
nmyownhouse?Whenshepoi nt
edt hatgunatme,
i
tr emi ndedmeoft hatday .Ii nstantlyhadaf l
ash
backoft hedayIgotki dnapped.Howoddi sli
fe?
Justal mostay earago, Ibur iedmymot her
,thena
fewmont hsago, Ibur i
edmybestf r i
endandnow, I'
m
spendi ngmyv eryfirstBlackChr ist
mas-al lalone,
withoutany onet ot alktoorshar et hedaywi t
h.I
deci dedtoheadst raighttot hepol icestati
on.Of
cour se,noonewant stowor konChr istmasDayso
thepol icestati
oni sawef ullyqui etandt hequeuei s
almostnon- exi
stent .Ifoundoner atherbored
officerandIappr oachedher .

That
o:”
Dumel
ang(
Hel
l
o).
”
Pol
i
ceOf
fi
cer
:”Ja?
”

Shewasst il
lpagingthr
oughhermagazine,chewing
herbubblegum inthemostghast
lymannerand
didn'
tevenbothertolookatme.Forsomeonewho
tookanoat hbeforeget
ti
ngappoi
ntedforthisjob,
shesureisn'tl
i
vinguptoit.

That
o:”
Eh,Mama,
ket
li
legobul
acase(
Icamet
o
openacase)
.”

Pol
i
ceOf
fi
cer
:(si
gh)”
Ja?
”

Itr
iedwit
hinal
lmymi ghtnotgetangry,especi
all
y
notaft
erthebeaut
if
ulsermonIhadt oday.

Thato:”
Myaunt ,she'
srefusi
ngtol
eav
emyhouse.
Justearl
ieron,shepoi
ntedagunatmeinmyown
housewhenIt oldhertol
eave.”
Pol
i
ceOffi
cer
:”Whoi
sthi
sauntofy
our
sandwher
e
doyoul
i
ve?”

That
o:”Hernamei
sSophi
e,Sophi
eMaake.My
addr
essis-
”

Idi
dn'tev
engettofini
shmysentenceandonlyt
hen
whensheheardhernamedi dshehavethesmal
lest
decencytor
aiseherheadandlookatme.

Poli
ceof
fi
cer:”
Sesi(Si
s),
onal
emengwagaeme
kae(Howoldareyou)?
”

That
o:”
I'
m 17,
tur
ning18i
nMar
ch.
”

Shel
ookedatmeandwentbackt
ohermagazi
ne.
Poli
ceOff
icer
:”Ai
,banabakajenol
alapi
saman
(Youki
dsoftodayaresoti
ri
ng).
”

I
ssheser
iousl
yinsul
ti
ngmyi
ntel
l
igencewhi
l
eI'
m
t
ryi
ngt
oopenacase?

That
o:”
Aski
es(
Excuseme)
?”

Pol
iceOfficer
:(si
gh)”Eh,John.Ar ej
ikemo
Rockvi
l
le(Let'
sdr i
vethr
ought oRockvil
l
e).Thisgir
l
oreony akagot shwari
saSophie(Thisgir
lissay
ing
shewantst oopenacaseagai nstSophie)
.”

Thewayshesai ditmademer eal

izethattheyknow
herwell-everyoneknowsherwel l.Wegoti ntot hei
r
carandheadedt omyhouse.Ihonest lyfeelli
ke
they
'r
ejustnott aki
ngmeser i
ousl
y .They'r
eev en
makingjokesaboutal lt
his.Oncewegott omy
house,Sophieev enapproachedthem andgr eeted
them al
lsmiles.
Sophi
e:”
Hel
lo,
Bat
hobamol ao(Peopl
eoft
heLaw)
.
TowhatdoIowet
hispl
easure?
”

Pol
iceOf f
icer
:”Shosho(
Sur
esur
e),
Mamazala
(Ma'am).Ngwanaowamoi tse(
Doyouknowthi
s
chi
ld)?”

Sophi
e:”
Yes,
she'
smyni
ece.
”

Poli
ceOf
ficer
:”Wel
l
,shesai
dy oupoint
edagunat
herandy
our ef
usetol
eaveherhouse.”

Sophi
eputont
hebestcl
assactI
'
veev
erseen.Thi
s
wit
chist
hedevi
lher
sel
f.

Sophie:(t
ear
y)”Eng(What)?Thato,
doyouhateme
thatmuch?Iwoul dhonestl
ydief
oryouandyouget
mear rest
edthefi
rstchanceyouget
?Forgi
veher
offi
cer
sforwasti
ngyourpreciousti
meand
resour
cesli
kethi
s.Yousee, hermom di
edthenshe
foundoutshewasadoptedandnowherf i
ance
dumpedheronherweddingday .
”

Iwasinsuchshock, Ijustcouldn'tbel
ieveit
.The
poli
ceof f
icerseventoldmet heycouldn'tdo
anythi
ngt ohelpme.Imeanwhatt hef uckis
happening? !Theysaidit'
saf amilyissueandt hat
weneedt osor titoutourselves.Justlikethat,t
he
poli
cefail
edme.Assoonast heydroveaway ,
Sophiegav emeabi gslapacr osstheface.Thesl ap
wassohar d,Inearl
yfellt
ot heground.Ihel dmy
cheekinshockandst aredather .

That
o:”
Whatt
hef
uck?
!”

Sophi
e:”
Letthatbethel
astdayyoueverpul
lsucha
st
upidst
unt.Thenextti
mey ouwon'
tmakeithome.
Imeanit
,Thato.Iownyounow.”
Chapt
erThi
rt
yTwo

Phil
ippians4: 6-8-“ Donotbeanxi ousaboutany thi
ng,
butinev erysituation,bypr ayerandpet iti
on,with
thanksgi v
ing,presenty ourr equeststoGod.Andt he
peaceofGod, whi chtranscendsal lunderstanding,
willguardy ourhear t
sandy ourmindsi nChr i
st
Jesus.Fi nall
y ,brothersandsi ster
s, whateverist r
ue,
what everisnobl e, whateverisri
ght ,whateverispur e,
what everislovely, whateverisadmi rable—if
anythingisexcel lentorpr aiseworthy—thinkabout
sucht hings.”

That
o

Ifel
tmycheekbur ni
ngaf terSophi eslappedme.
Shedidn'tevenlookr emorseful,butinsteadshe
l
ookedatmewi t
hey esfullofhat r
edandev i
l
.What
didIeverdot odeserv esuch?If indpeopl ewholov
e
meandt henIl osethem allinoney ear?Irantomy
room wit
ht earsburningmyey es,theyfloweddown
l
ikeavol
cano.Thepaini
nthepitofmystomachis
sosev
ere,Ifeel
li
kev
omiti
ng,butnot
hingcomesout
ofmymout h.

Myt hroatfeelslikeIhavesomet hingchokingme.

NowIunder standwhyPal esadeci dedt oendital l
.
Somet imesi t
'sjusttheonl
ywayout .Iusedtosay
suici
dal peoplear esel
fi
sh,unt
ilIexper i
encedi twith
myowney es.Mysoul i
sexhaust ed, mybodyi s
overworked, myemot i
onsareallov ertheplace.I
decidedt ouset hemostpower f
ul weaponIhav e-
myt ongueandmyknees.Iknel tdownandst arted
praying.

”Modimowakaoar ateng( MyLov i

ngGod) ,keit
li
sa
gowena, Nt
ate(Icomebef oreyou,Fat
her ).Ke
i
met swe,Ntate,
Gakesat sebagor elelebellekae
(I
'
m ov er
whelmed, Father,
Idon'tknowwhi chwayt o
gonow) .Iaskthaty outapintomysoul andhel pme
heal
.Iaskt hatyoushowmewhatIhav et odo, f
orI
cannotstayanothermi nut
ei nthi
stoxicplace.I
knowIstil
lhav
eadestinytoful
fi
ll
,butmyhear ti
s
empty,Lor
d.Showmet hewayandl eadmei nt
othe
l
ight
,helpmenott
of earanydarknessthatis
appr
oachingme.Iaskt hi
sinJesus'MightyName.
Amen.”

Iopenedmyey esandIf eltsomuchr el

ief.
Immediat
elyafterpray
ing,Irecei
vedamessage
fr
om Witsremindingmeaboutmyappl icati
onfee.
Campusisopeni ngonthe20t hofFebruary,sothat'
s
aboutamont horsoaway .Ithentookthedecision
toheadtoJo'burg.Idon'tknowwher eI'
lll
ive,
butI'
ll
fi
ndsomething.

IwentontoFacebookandwentt hroughaf ewpages

wherepeoplepostroomsandf l
atsavailable.Si
nce
Witsissit
uatedi
nJanSmut sAv enue,Idecidedto
checkforaccommodat i
onaroundRosebank.Ihav e
noideahowt ogettoJo'bur
g,butI'
m notcompl et
ely
brai
nless.ByGod'sgraceIsawRami ,af or
mer
cl
assmat eofminepostingt
hatshe'slookingfora
r
oom mat
eathert
wobedr
oom f
lat
.

She'ssomeoneIknow, andIwasqui tefondofher

alt
houghwewer en'tcl
osef r
iends.ItoldherI'm
i
nterestedandbyl uckshewasal somov ingtherest
ofherthingstoday .Ionlyhav emyl earner'
sli
cense,
butIcandr i
ve.It hankKgt oof orhelpingmel earn
howdr i
v eabitbet ter
.Iof f
eredtodriveusbot h
thereandluckilyherparentsagr eedsinceshe's
alr
eady18unl ikeme.I 'm off
ici
allyt
akingMama' scar
withmeandIwi l
lseewhatt odowi t
hi twhenIget
there.

Ipackedal lmyclothesandal lmyphot os,al

ongwi t
h
afewsent i
mentalit
emsofMama.Iputt hem i
nthe
boot, whi
leSophiewassi tt
ingonachai rjusti
nfront
ofthegat e.She'ssodel i
berate,butI'
m notaboutt o
askherf orpermissiontoleave.Iopenedt hegate
withoutsay i
nganythingtoher ,Iheadedbacki nt
o
thecarandst art
edt heignit
ion.Iputt hegearin
reversemode, andIdr oveoutinsomuchspeed, that
shenearl
yfel
lfr
om herchai
r.Uponl
eav
ing,
Ihear
d
hersweari
ngatme.

Sophi
e:”
Masepao(Fuckyou)
,That
o!Osehl
oleo
boamo(Don'
tyoudarecomebackher
e)!
”

Ididn'tev em bothertocloset hegat e,Iheadedout

andwentt opickRami up.Shel ivesaboutt en
mi nutesawayf rom myhouse.I 'll
mostdef i
nitel
y
mi ssRockv i
l
le,butwithSophi et urni
ngmyhouse
i
nt oadr ugf actoryandabusi ngme, Ithinki t
'shigh
ti
meIl eft.Igott oherhouseandhermom anddad
camet ot hecart ogreetmeast heyputherl uggage
i
nt othecar .Lucki l
yit'
sjustthet woofus, sot her
e's
plentyofspacei nthecar .Igotoutt ogr eetthem
outofr espectandt heyprayedf orus.Il i
kehow
cl
oset heyar eandRami hasal way sbeenacal m
childfrom whatI '
vegathered.Wegoti ntot hecar
andheadedout .Itseemsasi fRami knowst heway,
sot here'snoneedf oranav i
gat orandshecant al
k
shame.Sheaskedt hatwest opbyMcDonal d'sto
gr
absomef
oodbef
oreweheadedoutt
othe
hi
ghway
.

Rami :
”Hao, Tee,
whenIheardaboutPalesaIwasso
broken,hey.Imeany outwower el
iketwopeasi
na
pod.I'm sogladtheyki
ll
edthatasshol
eshecall
ed
herfather.Imeanimagineallt
hetraumashe
endured.”

Yes,i
t'
snevereasyt
alki
ngabouther,
butIguess
she'
sjustt
ryi
ngtomakeconversat
ion.

That
o:”
Yes,
itwas,
hey
.”

Rami:”
Howar eyoucopi
ng,
though?Imeanwi
th
yourmom goneandKggoneaswell?
”

TobehonestIhav
en'thadanyoneaskmehowI '
m
doi
ng,
real
ly.Ther
e'sjustsomet
hingaboutwhena
personasksyouhowy ou'
recopi
ng.Youj
ustbawl
outandletever
ythi
ngout.Mamausedtosayit'
s
nevergoodtobottl
ethi
ngsup.

Thato:(teary)”
Tobehonest ,
Rami,I'
m arealmess.I
haven'thealedandIhav enoone, l
it
eral
lynoonei n
myl i
fe.WhenIf oundoutIwasadopt ed,I
understoodwhymyaunt ,
grandmotherandKagi so
weret r
eatingmel ikedirtallmyli
fe.Palesawas
al
way smyshoul dertocr yonandwhenshedi ed,Kg
wast helastmanst anding.Youknow wewer e
supposedt ogetmar ri
edt hedayIgotkidnappedand
nowIhav eideawher ehei s.”

Rami
hel
dmyhandandIdi
dn'
tev
enr
eal
i
zet
hatI
wast
ear
ingup.

Rami :”
I'
m sosorry
,Tee.Ever
ythi
nghappensfora
reason,thoughhey.Youdon'
tunderst
anditnowbut
onedayIknowy ouwil
l.Whathappenedwhenyou
gotkidnappedifImayask?”
Thatissomet
hingIr
eal
l
ydon'
twantt
otal
kabout
today
.

That
o:”
That
,I'
l
ltel
lyouoneoft
heseday
sov
era
gl
assofwi
ne.”

Iforgedasmi l
easshesmi ledback.She' sal ovely
gir
l,withacur vybodyandcut edi mples.Shel ikes
weav esabi ttoomuch, butot herthant hat,she'sa
darl
ingandeasyt orelatet o.Wef i
nishedeat i
ngand
headedout .I'
m amazedt hatMama' scarisst i
lli
n
suchast rongcondi tion,wi thKagi soandSophi ein
they ar
d.I '
m quitesur prisedt heynev ertr
iedtopawn
thebat t
eryorot herpar tsoft hecar .Wef i
nal
ly
arri
vedinRosebankaf teranhourandahal f
.Imust
sayJo'burgi sbusy ,verybusy .Kasi (Townshi p)is
verybusy ,butthisisjustaj ungle.Nowonderwhy
everyonegoest oJozi forwor kandoppor t
uniti
es.
Wef inall
ygott oourf lat,andIr eall
ylikeitalot.The
parkingisal otsaferandt hef latsarecl ean.We' r
e
goingt osplitR5000bet weenuspl uswaterand
el
ect ri
cit
ycost s, soitreall
yisn'tt
hatbadatal l.We
hadt opaya50%deposi taswel l
,soalli
nallIhadt o
payR5000upf ront.Ican'texpectR180000t ol ast
meawhol ey ear,asIneedt oplanahead.Come
Januar y,
I'l
lregisterandpaymyf ir
styearfees
upfront,toav oidchaos.Imadeament alnot eto
l
ookf orajobaswel l
,thatwayIknowI '
ll
beabl eto
dependonmy selfifanythinggoeswr ong.Rami and
Ihelpedeachot herwithourbagsandwhi leint he
parkinglot,wewer emetwi t
htwocut eandt allguy s
whohadj ustgot t
enoutofanAudi R8.Yoh, Inev er
knewVar si
tyboy scoulddr ivesuchnicecars.

Guy
1: (
smi
l
ing)”
Hey
,ladi
es.Letmehel
pyouwi
th
t
hat.
”

I
'
m notv
erygoodatal
l
owi ngst
rangersi
ntomyl
i
fe
j
ustl
i
kethat
,butRamiseemsveryfri
endl
y.

Rami
:(smi
l
ing)”
Oh,
thanky
ou.You'
ret
ooki
nd.
”
Theot
herguywal
kedupt
ome.

Guy2:
”MayI
?”

Inoddedandhandedhi m myluggagebag.Wegot
i
ntotheliftandwalkedupt of
loor5,si
nceourfl
ati
s
overther
e.I t
'sl
i
teral
lytenminutesawayfrom
Campus, soIcouldalwayswalkifIwantto.Wegot
i
nandt heyf i
nal
l
yintroducedthemselv
es.

Guy
1:”
Hi,
I'
m Thendo.
”

Guy2:
”I'
m Rudzani
.”

NowIgetit,t
hey'
reVenda.Theiraccentsareso
el
oquentandproper,
theyalmostsoundabi tbr
it
ish.
They'
rebothabitdar
k,butthey
'r
enotr eal
l
ymyt ype.
Idon'
teventhi
nkIhaveat y
pesinceI'
veonlybeen
wi
thKg.

Rami:
”I'
m Rami
,thi
sismyf
ri
endThat
o,she'
sabi
t
shy
.”

Rudzani
:”That
o,ar
eyoucol
our
ed?
”

That
o:(
laughi
ng)”
No,
I'
m bl
ack.
”

Rudzani
:”Oh,
youreyes,
they
'r
egr
ey.Whi
chi
squi
te
oddinbl
ackpeople.
”

That
o:”
It
'scompl
i
cat
ed.
”

Iusedtogetsuchquest i
onsalotandalotofpeopl
e
wouldeventouchmyhai rtoseeifi
t'
sevenreal
,but
i
tneverusedtobot hermeuntil
now.Rami could
seeIwasabi tuncomf or
tabl
eanddecidedto
changet
hesubj
ect
.

Rami
:”So,
guy
s,Ihearabi
tofanaccentt
her
e.I
sit
manmadeor?”

Theybot
hlaughedandImysel
fcoul
dn'
thel
pbut
l
aughatthatquest
ion.Manmade?Real
ly?

Thendo:
”Actual
ly
,we'r
ebr other
s.Westayedin
Londonforafewyearsuntilourpar
ent
sdecidedt
o
comebacktoSout hAfr
ica.”

Londonne.Theymustbeloaded.Itt
ookmeawhil
e
tonoti
cetheresembl
ancesi
ncetheydon'
tl
ookv
ery
muchalike.

Rami
:”Oh,
soy
out
womustbel
oaded.
”
Rudzani
:(l
aughi
ng)”
No,
we'
renot
.Ourpar
ent
sar
e.”

Rami
:”Isee.
”

Thendo:
”So,
whatar
eyout
wogoi
ngt
ost
udy
?”

Rami
:”I
'
m enr
oll
edf
orLaw.
”

That
o:”
Engi
neer
ing,
Mechani
cal
inf
act
.”

Idon'
tknowwhyRami wentforLawwhenshewas
al
wayssuchagr eatper
former.Shehadgr
eat
marksbutIguessit
'sherpassi
on.

Thendo:”
Eh,t
hismustbeGod'
swill
,man.I
'
m
st
udyingLaw,i
t'
smyThir
dyear
,though.
”

Rudzani
:”I
'
m doi
ngmyt
hir
dyearofEngi
neer
ing,
but
mi
ning.
”

Iseeal r
eadyt her
e'saspar kbetweenThendoand
Rami .Rudzani seemsi nt
erestedinme,butIreal
ly
don'tthi
nkI'm upforanyr elat
ionshi
porfl
ingwith
anyonef orthatmat t
er.I'
m gladwemetaf ewnew
people,though.
Chapt
erThi
rt
yThr
ee

1Pet er5:8-
9-” Besober-minded;bewatchf ul.Your
adversarythedev i
lpr
owl saroundl i
kearoar i
ngl i
on,
seekingsomeonet odevour.Resisthim,
firmi nyour
fai
th,knowingt hatt
hesameki ndsofsufferingare
beingexperiencedbyy ourbrotherhoodt
hr oughout
thewor l
d.”

That
o

I
'
m honest
lysogl
adthatImetRamiagai
n.Ifeell
i
ke
t
hinf
saresl
owlyf
all
i
ngbackintopl
ace.Idon'
tknow
whatthefutur
eholds,butIdoknowthatIam
dest
inedforgreat
ness.ThendoandRendaniwere
soexcit
edtomeetus, alt
houghIthi
nkRendani
isa
bi
tmuch.

Heseemst obesogl uedtomeandalway smakes

anattemptforthefourofustobespli
tinsteadof
spendingti
met ogetherasagr
oup.We'v eonly
knowneachot herforafewhoursandalreadyIsee
somet hi
ngoff
ishabouthim.Thendoist hebubbly
one,nowonderheandRami getal
ongsowel l
.

Rendani i
scal mlikeme, buthe'stoocalm.Hej ust
seemsl i
kehe' shidi
ngal otmoret hanmeet stheeye.
Theywant edt hefourofust ochil
ltogethertoday
andmakei tsomesor tofhousewar ming,butlucki
l
y
Rami sawt hatitwasn'tpartofmypl an.Thet woof
them l
eftandwewer ef i
nall
yleftalone.

Rami
:”Tee,
sorr
yformakingy
ouuncomf
ort
abl
e.
HadIknownIwouldhav
echasedt
hoset
woidi
ots
away
.”

That
o:”
It
'sokay
,don'
twor
ryabouti
t.
”

Rami
:”Letmeorderussomepi zzaandsnacksand
somegoodwinefrom Ubereat
s.”

Idon'
tmi ndeat i
ngoutandall
,butnowi st
hetimeto
savemoneywhenev erIcan.Idi
dn'tevenreal
i
zemy
faci
alexpressionchangedassoonasshe
mentionedt hat.Wehavetoshare,Ican'
tl
etherpay
forevery
thing.

Rami
:”Don'
twor
ryabouti
t,i
t'
smyt
reat
,okay
?”

Ilookeddownembarrassed.HowdoIev enbeginto
tell
herthatIhav
efi
nancialpr
oblems?Thel astthi
ng
Iwanttodoi smakeanothergi
rlfeedmeoutofher
ownpocket .Sheor
deredandinsistedonpayingfor
ever
ythi
ng.Ican'
thelpbutf
eelbad,especi
all
ywhen
shegavethedeli
ver
erabigfatt
ip.

Rami:
”Tee,
cheerup,wi
ll
you?You'
veneverl
et
any
onegettoyouforasl
ongasI'
veknownyou.
Whatisr
eal
lygoi
ngon?”

Thato:(si
gh)”I
'v
ebeent hroughquit
eal
otthesepast
fewmont hs,Rami.Idon'tevenknowwher
et obegi
n,
real
l
y .
”

Shelookedatmeat tenti
velyasItookadeepbr eath
andt oldherev er
ythi
ngt hathappened,from Kg
proposingt ome, tothekidnappingandmel osing
mybabyatt hehandsofmymot her.Iwasint ears
aswel lasshe.Webr okedownt ogetherandIf el
tat
easeaf terItoldherev er
ythi
ng.I'm act
uall
ygladt hat
Igott osharemypai nwi thsomeonewho' sactuall
y
will
i
ngt ol i
sten.
Rami:(tear y)”Oh, Tee.I'
m sosor ryyouhadt ogo
thr
ought his,reall
y.Sucht raumaev enwheny ou
sawy ourownbestf ri
endshoother self.Yoh, Itruly
hopey ouf i
ndKg.Appar ent l
ytheyleftwi thouttelli
ng
anyone, andRomeoev entookt hebusi nesscapi tal
andev erythingi nit.Noneofusact uallyknewf or
surethathewast hedrugki ngpinofRockv il
leunt i
l
hedisappear ed.Thi ngsaresobadnowt haty our
auntisthenewl eaderofthei rgang.Appar ently
she'
smaki ngherowndr ugsnow.Iev enhear dt hat
MmaMor utimightbedeal ingwi t
hthedr ugst oo.
Sheof t
env isi
tsy ourauntal otandy ourgr annyi s
dati
ngt hepast or.
”

Iwassoshockedaboutal lt
hedirtshewasdi shi
ng
outandIcoul dn'thelpbutbursti
nl aughter
.I
l
aughedsohar dt hatsheevenlaughedt oo.People
havebiggerpr oblemsoutthere,reall
y.Asf ormy
grandmother,Ihav ebeensuspect i
ngitforawhi l
e,
reall
y.I'
vealway ssaidthatthehousesi nthat
neighbourhoodhi dealotofsecrets.
Thato:”
Mygoodness,Rami!Oditsey
akaedi
taba
tsekana(Wher
edoy ougetal
lthi
snews)
?”

Rami
:”Ah,
I'
m connect
ed,
hey
.”

Wel aughedtoget
her
.Ireal
l
yenjoyhercompanyand
sher emindsmealotofPal
esa.Iusedtogett
he
l
atestgossipandsexti
psfr
om her.

Rami:”
Eish,
chomi(fr
iend),
forgi
veme,butIhaveto
ask.How'sKginbed?I shereal
lygoodbecause
Anast
aciausedtot
alkrubbishabouthi
sdickgame.”

Thato:(
laughing)”Ramiman.Honest
ly,Kgi
sgood
i
nbed, r
eally
, r
eall
ygood.Anawasjustangr
y
becauseher efusedtosl
eepwi
thher.
”

Rami:
(laughi
ng)”Iknewit
!Kei
tsi
tse(Iknewit)
!Tj
o
(Wow!)Anastaci
aor at
amakaman( i
sal i
ar)
.She'
s
j
ustasf
akeasherboobsandass!
”

Iburstouti
nlaught
eraswecar r
iedoneatingand
dri
nking.Myv er
yfi
rstChr
istmasdaywithoutPal
esa,
MamaandKgendedupbei ngareal
lygoodone.I
can'
twaittoseewhatthenewy earhasinstor
efor
me.

Af
ewday
slat
er

It
'sthe31stofDecembert odayandmanam Igl ad
thatthey earhasf i
nal
lycometoanend.Mamaand
Iwoul dalway sprayatmidni
ghtandenj oyt
hebeauty
ofthef i
rewor ksoneverynewy ear'
seve.We'd
alwaysmakeonewi sheachofwhatwewant edto
achievethef oll
owingyear.Nowt hatshe'
sgoneI
real
lyhav enot radi
ti
onanymore.

RamiandIhavebeenhav
ingaprett
ygoodti
me,she
evenboughtusatv
.Ihonest
lydon'
tknowhowshe
getsmoney ,butmyguti stell
ingmeshe' snot
gett
ingitfr
om herpar ent s.Herpar entsareokay,
j
ustnotr i
ch.Rendani andThendokeptcomi ngover
al
mostev erydayunt i
lRami toldthem weneedaf ew
daystosettl
ei n.Inallhonest yIli
ket hem andall
,
butthei
rpersistence,especiall
yRendani '
sisjust
off
ishforme.Ij ustcan'tpinpointityetbuthe
seemsdodgy .AsRami waspacki ngherbagt ogo
homef orafewday s,shegotpuzzl edandlookedat
me.

Rami
:”Andt
hen?
”

That
o:”
Andt
henwhat
?”

Rami
:”Whyosapake(
aren'
tyoupacki
ng)
?”

That
o:(
sigh)”
Idon'
twantt
ogobackhome,
Rami
.”
Rami:
”You'
renot.You'
respendi
ngNewYear
'swi
th
myfamil
yandI.”

Iknowshe'
stryi
ng,butIhateimposingonpeopl
e
andbeingachari
tycase.Sheshouldn'tf
eel
obli
ged
toincl
udemeinherfamily'
sthing.

Thato:
”Rami
,youdon'
thav
etof
eel
sor
ryf
orme,
you
know.”

Rami:”
Nonsense,You'
recomingwithmeandI'
m not
taki
ngnoforananswer.Besides,
I'
dneverl
eav
eyou
hereal
oneandletRendanif
eastoffyou.
”

That
o:”
Orabj
ang(
whatdoy
oumean)
?”

Rami:”Comeon, don'
ttell
mey oudon'tseehowthe
guydroolsoveryoueverchancehegets.He'stoo
dodgyunlikehi
sbrother.Idon'
ttr
usthim andnow
t
hatI
'vef
oundasi
steri
nyou,
I'
ll
nev
erl
ethi
m hav
e
y
ou.”

Rami
issosweet
,muchl
i
kePal
esa.

That
o:(
chuckl
i
ng)”
Rami
..
.”

Rami
:”Gopack,
we'
rel
eav
ingi
nanhour
.”

Thato:
”Iwashopi
ngI
'
dst
ayandl
ookf
oraj
ob,
you
know.”

Rami:
”Iknowpeople,I
'l
lgetyousor
tedi
nnot
ime.
Don'
tyouseeI
'm neverbroke?”

Il
ookedatherpuzzl
ed.

That
o:”
Whatdoy
oumean?Imeany
ouj
ustgother
e,
mos(
ri
ght
)?”

Rami:”Ihaveanauntwhol i
vesinFourway
s,soI'
d
comeher eeveryotherweekend.Sheownsaclub
andletsgir
lsl
ikeyouandIwor kther
etomakeextra
cash,sothat'
swhatIdo,butmypar ent
sdon'
tknow
aboutit
.”

Idon'
tl
iket
hesoundoft
his,
honest
ly.

That
o:(
wor
ri
ed)”
Whatki
ndofwor
k?”

Rami
:”Enter
tai
nmentf
ela(
onl
y).I
'
llt
ell
youabouti
t
someotherti
me.”

Thewayshequickl
ydismissedthequesti
on,
shows
thati
tmustbesomethingImightnotl
ike.Whati
f
Rami i
sint
obl
essersorsomething?
Wef i
nal
lygotintomycarwi t
hourbagsandaswe
wereabouttoleave,RendaniandThendomadethei
r
grandappear
anceasusual .Yoh,theset
wobehave
l
ikeA-cl
assstalker
s.

Rendani
:”Ladi
es,y
ouweren'
tgoi
ngt
oleav
ewi
thout
sayi
nggoodbye,werey
ou?”

Rami:
”Ah,mansorr
y.ButImeanyouhav
eour
numberssoyouwouldhav
ebeenabl
etocal
l
,ri
ght
?”

Thendo:
”Noworr
ies.Enj
oyyourt
ri
p.Rami
,youowe
meapar t
ywhenyougetback.
”

Theset woli
kefli
rt
ing.Itri
edt ogetthefeelofwhat
Rami tol
dmeear li
eronaboutRendani dr
oolingover
meandl oandbehold,Isawi t.Hewasst ar
ingatmy
breastsandpracti
call
ydroolingoverme.Il ookedat
himinshockandhequi cklychangedhisfacial
expressionwhenhesawt hatInoti
ced.
Rendani:
”Ah,That
o,hav
eani
cet
ri
p,babe.I
'
llcal
l
you,okay?”

Hedoesn'tevenhavemynumberandhej ustmade
mefeelveryuneasy
.Ijustgoti
ntothecarwit
hout
say
ingany t
hingt
ohim andRami st
aredatme.

Rami :
”See?It ol
dyouhe'sdodgy
.Wedon' thav
eto
hangar oundthem i
fyoudon'
twantto.Thendoisa
fl
ir
t,butatleasthedoesn'
thi
dehisper
sona.
Rendani enaokare(seemsli
kea)perv
ert
.”

Ij
usthav
etowaitandsee.Mygutist
ell
i
ngmeI
havet
obecar
efularoundt
hisguy
.
Chapt
erThi
rt
yFour

Jeremiah29:11-”ForIknowt hepl
ansIhavefor
you,”decl
arestheLORD, “
planstoprospery
ouand
nottohar
myou,
planst
ogi
vey
ouhopeanda
fut
ure.
”

That
o

Wef inallymadei tt oRockv ill

e.Imustsay ,Ihonestl
y
don' tmi ssthisplace.Iev ensawt hatKg' sol dhouse
alreadyhasnewr esidentsi ni t
.Wesawabi gtent
from hi sst r
eetbei ngpulledup.Appar entlySophie
andhernewgangar eorgani zingast reetbashf or
ev eryonei nRockv ill
eandt her ewillbef r
eebooze
fl
owi ng.Ican' tsayI '
m surpr isedandIdon' teven
feel li
kegoi nghomet oseet hem orany thing.We
foundRami 'sparent sandherol derbr other ,Kgabo,
alreadybr aaingandpr epar ingf ortonight .Her
par entswer esohappyt oseemet hathermom had
ev enpr epar edthespar eroom f orme.Shemadei t
sohomel yanddecor atedi tspeci all
yforme.She
ev enboughtscent edcandl esandbat hoi l
st omake
mef eel welcome.Imeanwhodoest hat?
That
o:”Rami
,whydidy ourmom got
hroughal
lthat
tr
oubl
e?Shereal
lydidn'thav
eto.
”

Rami:”
Mom isl i
kethat
,wel
l
,onlytothoseshel
ikes.
She'
sneverl
ikedanyofmyf r
iends,soconsi
der
your
sel
freal
l
yl ucky
.”

Idon'
texactl
yknowwhatshemeansbyhermom
notli
ki
nganyofherf riends.Rami musthav ebeen
keepi
ngbadcompany ,butany
way .Herbrother
Kgaboisalsoveryniceandpol i
te.Hedoesn' tsay
mucheither.Apparentlyhe'sapharmacistandl i
ves
somewher einMooikloof.He's30andst i
llnot
marri
edandhasnoki ds.Rami saysheist er
rif
iedof
commi t
ment .Weall haveastorytotel
l,
Iguess.

Isettl
edinj
ustfi
neandnotoncedi dIfeeloutof
place.Rami'
spar entsdidn'
tmindusdr i
nki
ng,but
reall
yIcan'
tdri
nki nfrontofpeopl
ewhohav e
welcomedmei ntot heirhomewithopenarms.I
decidedagai
nstitandhadj uicei
nstead.Rami was
havingtheti
meofherl i
fedri
nkinghermom' swi ne.
Wehadsomef oodandIof f
eredtodot hedishes
al
ongwi thRami .Itreal
lyf
eltl
ikeIhadasi st
erina
fr
iendagain.Itpainsmenott obewi thPalesa
anymore,butIknowshe' sinabet t
erplace.Ialso
wonderatt i
meswher eSoksranoffto,butIhope
he'sokaywherev erheis.

Midni
ghtst
ruckandIwassosur pr
isedtohear
Rami'
smom cal lusall
int
othelounge.They
swit
chedoffthetvandshesaidav erypowerf
uly
et
humerousprayerforal
lofus,
my selfi
ncl
uded.

Rami '
sMom: ”Modi mowar ona( DearGod) ,re
l
ebogel atsohleor ef i
leng(Wet hanky ouforall
you'v
egi venus) ,
butmosti mpor tantl
ywet hankyou
forli
fe.We' v
el ostsomanypeopl elastyearandwe
askthaty oublessuswi t
hyourmer cyandgracethis
year.Blessourchi ldrenwi t
hgr eathealt
h,goodl i
ves
andpr osperi
tyinall way s.BlessKgabowi tha
forgi
vingheartandal l
owhi mt oopenupandf i
ndthe
l
ov eofhi sl
ifesot hathecanbearusaf ew
grandkids.BlessRami withsel f-
cont rolsothatshe
canf i
nishschool andmakeusal l
proud.Bl essour
newdaught er,
That o,wi ththegr eatnessshei s
destinedtohav e.Shei shi ghlyf avour edoh, Lord.
Shejustdoesn' tknowi ty et.Hel pherpasst hi
s
roughpat chinherl i
feandhel pherr eachhergoal s
anddr eams.Al lshall ber eveal edtoheri ngood
ti
meandpl easeassur ehert hatoncet hestorm has
passed, shewillreachherdest inyandcl aim all
the
ri
chesshe' smeantt ohav e.Bl essmyl ovi
ng
husbandandIwi thnot hingbuthappi ness,andmay
hef i
nall
ywi nthel ott
o, please.Ineedt oreti
renow.
InJesusNamewePr ay ,Amen. ”

Icouldn'
thelpbutcryabitaf
terwards.I'
m humbl ed
tohav emetsuchaki ndfami
ly.Weal lhuggedand
evenKgabohuggedmeaswewi shedeachot hera
happynewy ear
.Wesatandwat chedthef i
reworks
foralit
tl
ewhi l
e.Il
ookedupatt heskyandsai da
sil
entprayerforMama.Iknowshe' swat chingover
mef r
om heav en.Rami'sMom anddadwentt obed
asKgabostunnedmewhil
eIwassi
tt
ingout
side
withRami
.Hecamet owar
dsuswit
habottl
eof
wineandaclean,
emptywi
negl
ass,
andhandeditt
o
me.

Kgabo:”
Her
e.I
'
m sur
eyoumustbedy
ingt
ohav
ea
dr
ink.
”

Il
ookeddownembar
rassed.Whati
fthi
sisat
estor
somethi
ng?

Rami:”
Ai,
Tee.Relaxanddri
nk.Kgabonevert
alks
toanyofmyfr
iends,l
i
keever.Hemusteit
herl
ike
youorhehasamessagetogivetoyou.
”

Il
ookedatherpuzzl
ed.

That
o:(
frowni
ng)”
Message?
”
Rami:”Hehasagift.He'sabitofaprophet
.Gao
makaleasenamot ho(Aren'
tyousurpri
sedwhyhe
doesn'
thaveagir
lf
riend)?Bamot shabelabobohl
e
(Theyall
runawayfrom him)
.”

Kgabo:
(unimpressed)”Mxm,Rami
,waphapha
bj
anong(you'
resof or
ward)
.”

Rami:”
Sor
ryabuti(
brot
her
).Letmegi
vey
ousome
spacekor
ota(andgopee)
.”

Rami walkedwayandheadedintothehouse.Iwas
st
ill
contempl at
ingwhet
herornotIshoul
ddrinkt
he
wineornot .

Kgabo:
”Iknowyou'
redyi
ngforagl
ass,
soI
'
lll
eav
eit
her
eincaseyouchangeyourmi
nd.
”

That
o:”
Whyi
sther
eonl
yonegl
ass?Wher
e's
y
our
s?”

Kgabo:
”Idon'
tdr
ink.
”

Thatexpl
ainshi
sti
midness.

Kgabo:
”Hav
eyoubeendoingwhatyourmot
hersai
d
toyout
hedayy
ouwerekidnapped?
”

Igav
ehim anast
oni
shedlook.Coul
dRami
hav
etol
d
hi
m aboutmybusi
ness?

Kgabo:
”Don'
twor
ry,
Rami
didn'
ttel
lmeany
thi
ng.
”

Iwi
denedmyey
esi
nshock.I
sheami
ndr
eadert
oo?

Kgabo:
”Andno,
I'
m notami
ndr
eader
.”
Thisi
sal
ltoofr
eakyf
orme.Iopenedt
hewine
hasti
l
yandpouredmysel
fagl
assanddr
ankabitof
i
t.

Kgabo:(smi
l
ing)”
Ser
iousl
y,t
hough.I'
m nomind
reader
.Noneedtobeafrai
d.So,ar
ey ougoi
ngto
answerme?”

That
o:”Uhm, Ihav
ebeenpr
ayi
ng,
wel
l
,atl
eastI
'
ve
beentr
ying.
”

Kgabo:(shaki
nghead)”
Youneedt okeeppr
ayi
ng.
That'
stheonlywayyou'
llbest
rongenoughtof
ace
what'
stocome. ”

If
eltmyhear
tpal
pit
ati
ngandf
earki
cki
ngi
n.

Kgabo:
”Donotbeaf
rai
d,pl
ease.Icanf
eel
what
ever
youfeel
.So,ify
ourhearti
sbeat
ingabnor
mall
y,i
t
aff
ectsmetoo.Soplease,t
ryt
or el
axot
herwi
seI
won'tsl
eep.
”

Itr
iedmybestt
orel
axbutt
hef
earwasn'
tgoi
ng
anywher
e.

Thato:
”WhatdoyoumeanIhav
etobest
rong
enoughofwhat
'stocome?
”

Kgabo:”
You'l
lseefory
oursel
f,butwhatIcantel
lyou
i
sthatKgaugeloi
snotdead.He'sali
ve,butfr
ail
-
bothi
nmi ndandinspi
ri
t.
”

Yoh,t
hisguyi
sconf
usi
ngmeal
li
nanewy
earont
op
ofi
tall
.

That
o:”
You'
renotmaki
ngsense,
Kgabo.
”
Kgabo: ”
Timewi l
lt ell
.Ifyoupr ayandaskf or
guidance,itshallallber eveal
edt oyou.Justnev er
stoppraying.Youar everyclosetoy ourdesti
ny,and
fi
ndingthet ruthaboutwhoy oureall
yare,butthe
l
ongery oudel ayy ourfaithandpr ayer,
thelongerit
willt
akefory outor eachthatdest i
ny.”

Yoh,
all
thi
sisgi
vi
ngmeaheadachenow.

That
o:”
Eish.
”

Kgabo:
”NowIhav
eaheadachet
oo.
”

NowIf eelbadev
enthoughIhav
enoi
deahowt
hese
spi
ri
tualthi
ngswork.

Kgabo:”
Danger
,temptationandtr
oublei
slurki
ng,
butbel
i
eveme,mysi steriswil
dbutshehasagood
hear
tandaverysoftspotf ory
ou.She'
ll
lookoutf
or
you,j
ustt
rusther
.Youwi
l
lbeokay
,asl
ongasy
ou
pray
,mydear.”

If
eltmy
sel
fover
whel
medwi
tht
hought
sthatdon'
t
ev
enmakesense.

That
o:”
Okay
.”

Kgabo:”Godisalreadyfighti
ngfory ouandsois
yourmot her
,Petunia.Sonto'sti
mei snearandsois
Sophie'
s.You'll
findoutal otofthi
ngsthatdon'
t
evenmakesense, butbeli
eveme, you'
llber
ewarded
foryourkindheart.
”

Andjustli
kethathegreet
edmegoodnight.Soon
aft
erwardsRami cameback.Ihadev
enf orgot
ten
aboutherforawhile.

Rami
:”Andt
hen,
chomi
(fr
iend)
?Hedi
dn'
tscar
eyou
of
f,di
dhe?
”

That
o:”No,
notr
eal
l
y.I
t'
sjustt
hathe'
stol
dmeal
ot
ofst
uff
.”

Rami :
” Whateveriti
smakesureyoufoll
owitorel
se
otloitshol
a( you'
llr
egr
etit
).Hi
sprophiesare
confusing,buttheyneverl
i
e.Whateverhetol
dyou
todo,doi t
.”

I
'm gr
atef
ulshe'
snotev
ennosyaboutthi
s.Ijust
hopeIcanbeablet
oprocessev
eryt
hinghetoldme.
Chapt
erThi
rt
yFi
ve

Psalm 46: 1-
3-”Godi sourr efugeandstrengt
h,an
ever-presenthelpintrouble.Thereforewewi l
lnot
fear,thoughtheear t
hgi vewayandt hemount ai
ns
fal
lintot heheartofthesea, t
houghitswatersroar
andf oam andt hemount ainsquakewi t
htheir
surging.”
Af
ewweeksl
ater

That
o

Li
fehasbeensuchabr eezef orthepastfewweeks.
Ienj
oyedmy sel
fwit
hRami andherfamilyand
honest
lyhermom isthebest.I '
vebeenpr ayi
ngev
er
si
nceKgabospoket omet hatev eni
ng,well,
I'
ve
beentr
yingto,r
eal
l
y.

I'
m mostlyexcit
edaboutt oday .It
'sourfi
rstdayon
Campusandi t'salsoOrientationweek.Ican' twait
tomeetnewpeopl eandexper iencethewhole
varsi
tyvi
be.Inev erunder standpeopl ewhoj ust
don'twanttoexper i
encet hi
s, butpeoplearen'tt
he
same.Ilovet hewhol evibeoft hi
scampusal though
Jo'bur
gisjustbusy ,waytoobusy .

Wehav
en'
tseenRendani
andThendoev
ersi
ncewe
l
eftforRockv i
ll
e.Webot hassumedtheywerein
Vendaf orholi
day sorsomet hing,whi
chwasfinefor
me.ThendoandRami havebeenhitt
ingi
tof
flike
crazy,
whi l
eIdon' tevenhav eRendani'
snumbers.
It
'sagoodt hing, t
hough.Hej ustmakesmeseem
uncomf ort
able,Imeanwhost ar
esatawoman' s
breast
swhi letalki
ngt hough?

Wehadal otoff ungett

ingt
oexper i
encethe
campusl i
fe,beingshownar oundtolect
urehall
sand
ofcoursebeingt oldaboutt
hef amoushistor
yof
WitsUniversi
ty.Wewer egi
v enafewbooksabout
ourcoursechoicesi ncasewewant edtochange
andwewer egivenaf ewactivi
ti
estomeetaf ewof
ourstudymat es.

RamiandIgrabbedsomel unchatthecafeter
ia,as
wetookabreakbeforethenextori
entat
ionsession
wasabouttostar
t.WhatIl i
keaboutvarsi
tyisthat
youdon'
tatt
endclassesalldayl
ikeinhi
ghschool .
Youhavecert
aincl
assesoncer t
aindaysandcer tai
n
ti
mest oo.So,youcanplanni
celywhatyoudoin
yourfr
eetimebetweenthoselect
ures.AsRami and
Iwereeati
ng,Rendaniappr
oachedus.Ai,t
hisguy.

Rendani
:(smi
li
ng)Ladi
es,l
ongti
menosee.I
'
m
st
arti
ngtogetthei
deayou'
redodgi
ngme.
”

Ikeptqui
etbecauseI
'mj
ustspeechl
ess,
honest
ly.
Rami r
oll
edhereyes.

Rami:”
Hi,
Rendani
.Yes,
wear
eact
ual
l
yav
oidi
ng
you.
”

Wow,
sost
rai
ghtt
othepoi
nt.Rami
mar
a(t
hough)
.

Rendani
:(of
fended)”Excuseme?Di
dIdo
somethi
ngwr ong?”
Iwasaboutt
oanswer
,butRami
beatmet
oit

Rami:”
Actual
l
y ,
yes.SeeRendani,
womendon'tli
ke
perv
ert
s.Yes,Iseethewayyoulookatmyfr
iend.
Webothseey ouandwedon'tli
keit
.So,wedon't
l
ikehangi
ngoutwithsuchguys.
”

Wow,
Rendani
seemedpr
ett
yof
fendedbyt
hat
.

Rendani
:”I
sthatwhatyour
eal
lythi
nkofme?That
I
'm aper
vertwhopreysoni
nnocentgi
rl
s?”

Rami:(
rol
l
ingeyes)”Rendani
,webothcameherefor
aneducat
ion.Sopleaseexcuseus,
we'ret
ryi
ngto
hav
eourlunch.
”

Ifel
tabitbadforRendani
ashewalkedawayf
rom
usslowlywit
hhisheaddown.Wow, remi
ndmeto
nevergetonRami'sbadsi
de.Igav
eherapuzzl
ed
l
ook.

Rami
:”What
?”

That
o:”
Thatwasabi
thar
sh,
wasn'
ti
t?”

Rami:”Thesooneryoulearntobetougheronpeople,
thesooneryou'
ll
learnthat
'showthey'
llst
opthi
nking
you'
renaiveandcluess.Bathobalapi
sa(peopl
ear e
ti
ri
ng).
”

Iguessshe'sri
ghtinaway .Weheadedbackt othe
hallt
odosomeor ient
ati
onact i
vi
ties,muchtomy
dismayRendani andThendower epar toft
het eam
l
eaderswegotf orournewor ientati
onsession.Yoh,
thisi
sawkwar d.I'
m notinRami '
sgr oupbecause
she'sgroupedwithpeoplewhodoLaw.Sosi nce
we'regroupedaccordi
ngt oourstudychoices,we'r
e
apart.
IcouldseeRendani givingmeglancesev er
ynow
andthen.Hewasassi gnedtoourgr oup,
sot hathe
couldbeourleader.Justmyl uck.Hewasv ery
str
aightf
orwardanddi dn'tmakejokesasusual ,I
guessitwasbecauseofwhatRami saidt
ohi m.I
l
ookeddownasIf eltquiteawkwardandshaky ,unti
l
thegir
lnextt
omest artedspeaki
ngt ome.

Gi
rl
:”Het
otal
l
yhast
hehot
sfory
ou.
”

Il
ookedupandsawher .She'sverycute,dar
k
ski
nned,andherskinisj
usttooflawless.Therei
s
noscar,pimpleorbl
emishinsight.Shehasa
beaut
if
ul Afr
ohairst
ylewit
habeadedf ri
ngeand
wearsthecutestgl
assesI'
veeverseen.

That
o:”
Huh?
”

Gi
rl
:”Rendani.Hetotal
l
yhasthehotsf
oryou,I
meanhaven'tyouseenthewayhe'
sbeenstar
ingat
y
ou?
”

That
o:”
Oh,
no.Howdoy
ouknowhi
sname?
”

Gi
rl
:”Oh,Iheardhisnamewhent
heyint
roduced
t
hem tous.I'm Khanyi
byt
heway.”

Sheext
endedherhandasIgav
eherahandshake.

That
o:”
I'
m That
o.”

Khanyi
:”So,
whi
chEngi
neer
ingcour
sear
eyou
enr
oll
edin?”

That
o:”
Mechani
cal
.”

Herf
acel
i
tupi
mmedi
atel
y.
Khany i
:”Metoo.Oh,t
hankgoodness!Iwas
beginni
ngtothinkI
'
dneverfi
ndaf r
iend.Al
lthe
otherpeopl
ewhodoMechani cal
areallguy
s.”

She'scall
ingmeaf ri
endalready.She'stoocuteand
adorable.Shesurel
ycan'tdoanyhar m.Whilewe
di
douract i
vi
ti
es,wespokebr ief
lyaboutour
backgrounds.Soshe'sappar entl
yfrom Mamel odi
andlivesinRes.Shehasf i
v ebrothersandisthe
l
astbor nandlikemanyblackhousehol ds,
she'sthe
goldenchild.

Basicall
y,everyoneoft hem i
ncl udingherparent
s
arehopingt hatshe'llbethefirstgraduateinthe
family.Allherbrother swork,butt heynevermadei t
toVarsity.Somehav e,butneverf i
nished.Shegrew
upbeingv eryshieldedandpr otected,soshe'sst
il
la
vir
ginandhasnev erhadaboy fri
endbef or
e.That'sa
reci
pef ordisasterifyouaskme.She' sgoingtoturn
i
ntoawi l
dchi l
d,believeme.Aswewer etalki
ng,
Rendani
wal
kedupt
ous.

Rendani
:”Sorr
ytobreakupyourl
i
ttl
epar
ty,
gir
ls,
but
you'
rebehindontheacti
vi
ti
es.
”

HegavemeaglanceandIst
aredbackathi
m.I
t
hinkhewant
edtobedeli
ber
ate.

Khany
i:(
blushi
ng)”
Sor
ry,
Rendani
.”

Wecontinuedwithouractivi
ti
eswithoutsayinga
wordtohim.Khany iisv
eryfun,andtalkati
ve.
Somethi
ngt el
l
smesheandRami wil
lbeaper fectf
it
.
Aft
eroursessionwewal kedoutandIhear dRendani
cal
louttome.Il ookedbackandher ant owardsme.
Hewasn'tevenoutofbreath,that
'showspor tyheis.
HeremindsmeofKgabi t
.

Rendani
:”That
o,canIt
alkt
oyouf
oramoment
?”
That
o:”
Sur
e.Khany
i,I
'
llber
ightback.
”

Meanwhi
l
eKhany
iwasbl
ushi
ngl
i
kecr
azy
.Ai
.

That
o:”
Yes?
”

Rendani:(
sigh)”Look,
I'
m sosorryaboutbei
ngajer
k.
Ididn'
tmeant omakey ouuncomf or
tabl
einanyway.
I'
m nopervert,
Thato.Iwasraisedverywell
,so
pleasefor
giveme. ”

Il
ookedathi
m andhelookedful
lofr
emor
se.
Shame,maybeImisj
udgedhim.Heseemsgenui
ne,
It
hink.

Thato:”
It'
sokay,i
t'
sjustthatwi
thever
ything
happeningtodayyoujustcan'
ttr
ustastranger
,
ri
ght?”
Rendani
:”True,
justgi
vemeachancetopr
ovethat
youcantrustme.I'dl
iket
obeyourf
ri
end,
that
'sal
l.
”

Ismi
l
edandInodded.

That
o:”
Okay
.”

Rendani
: (
rel
i
eved)”
MayIcomeov erwi
thmybr
other
l
ateron?Justforahousewar
mingpart
y?Don'
t
worry
,it
'sapart
yforfour
.”

ThenIt
houghtaboutKhany
i.

That
o:”Wel
l
,myf
ri
endKhany
imi
ghtwantt
ocome
over
.”

Rendani
:”Sur
e,shecancomeaswel
l
.Don'
twor
ry,
we'
l
lbr
ingal
lthef
oodanddr
inks.
”

Inoddedashesai dgoodbye.Rami cameoutofthe

hallandwalkedtoKhanyiandI.Khanyiwasst
il
l
blushingandstar
ingatRendaniwal
kaway

Rami
:”Andt
hen?
”

Thato:
”Oh,heaskedi
ftheycoul
dhosta
housewar
mi ngf
orusatourfl
at.They
'l
lbr
ingt
he
dri
nksandfood.
”

Rami:
(rai
sedey ebr
ow)”
Ai,Rendanii
str
yingt
oo
much,butI
'l
lgivehi
mthebenefitoft
hedoubt
.As
l
ongasy oustaybymysidetoni
ght.”

Inodded.
That
o:”
Oh,
thi
sisKhany
ibyt
heway
.”

Rami
:”Hi
,Khany
i.
”

Khany i greetedbackandRami seemedcool wi t

hher
presence.Ii nvi
tedKhany ioverf orthe
housewar mingandshedi dn'tev enwantt ogoback
toherpl aceandchange.Shewentst raightt oour
fl
atwi thus.Wegoti ntomycaranddr ov ebackt o
ourflat.Uponar r
ivalwecl eanedupandsi nce
Khany i didn'tbringanycl othes, Igaveherat opt o
wearj usti nt hemeant i
mesi ncewe' repr ettymuch
thesamesi ze.Ther e'snowayshecanf itint o
Rami '
scl othes,shehasanasst hatcoul df itbot hof
usini t.Wet ookoutaf ewsnacks, Imeanwedon' t
wantt oseem l i
kewe' vebeenexpect i
ngt hei rfood
anddr inks.Theyf i
nal l
yar r
ivedwi thtonsoff oodand
tonsofdr i
nks.Thendobr oughthi sl
aptopand
speaker ,sot hatwecoul dlistent osomemusi c.The
wholet i
meKhany iwasbl ushingwhi lelooki ngat
Rendani .
Rami
:”Aowa(
No),
girl
.It
'sr
udetost
are.Don'
tmake
i
tsoobvi
oust
hatyou'
reavi
rgi
n.”

Khany
i:”
Howdoy
ouknowI
'
m av
irgi
n?”

Rami
:”Icant
ell
,I
'm anexper
tatt
heset
hings.
”

Il
aughedabi
t.

Khany
i:”
That
o,ar
eyouone?
”

Iwasaboutt
oanswer
,butRami
beatmet
oity
et
agai
n.

Rami :
”Thisonei
snotone,shelostherv
irgi
nit
ya
fewmont hsago.Soconsi
derthebothofy ouvir
gins
sinceyouhavealott
olear
n.”
Icoul
dn'thel
pbutbur stouti
nlaughterasKhany i
l
ookedlikeshewast akingsomeser iousti
ps.Ai,
Khanyiseemsl i
keshe' sonareal missiont
ol oseher
vi
rgi
nity
.Rendani broughtmeagl assofwi newhich
hefil
l
ed.Hedi dn'tevenaskmei fthat'
swhatI
wantedtodrink.

Rendani
:”Agl
assofwi
nef
ort
hebeaut
if
ull
ady
.”

Iwasaboutt
ot akei
t,butRami
accidental
l
yfel
lon
meandtheglassspi
ll
edonmyy el
lowt op.

Rami
:”Oh,
man.I
'
m socl
umsy
.For
giv
emef
ri
end.
”

Rendaniwasabituni
mpressedandcl
enchedhi
sjaw.
Idon'
tgetit
,it
'sj
ustagl
assofwineandbesi
des,
ther
e'spl
entywherei
tcamefrom.
Rami
:”I
twasj
ustami
stake,
rightRendani
?”

Rendanichangedhi
sfaci
alexpr
essi
onal
lofa
suddenanditbecamealotsoft
er.Hedi
dn'
tseem
upsetanymore.

Rendani
:”Ofcour
se.I
'
llgetacl
othf
ory
ou.
”

Whilehewentt
othekit
chencount
er,
Rami became
ser
iousasshepul
ledKhanyi
andItoherbedroom.

Rami:”
Lessonnumberone:
nevert
akeanunseal
ed
dri
nkfr
om astr
anger
.Youseri
ousl
yneedtobe
morevigi
l
antThat
o,t
hatgoesf
oryoutoo,
vir
gin
mary.
”

Wow,doesRami r
eal
l
ythi
nkRendanii
scapabl
eof
dr
uggingme?Whydoesitseem l
i
kesheknows
whatshe'
stal
ki
ngabout
?Likeshehassomesortof
exper
iencewi
tht
heseki
ndoft
hings?
Chapt
erThi
rt
ySi
x

2Cor i
nthians12:9-“Buthesaidtome, ‘
Mygraceis
suffi
cientforyou,f
ormypoweri smadeperfectin
weakness. ’Ther
efor
eIwi l
lboastal
lthemoregladl
y
ofmyweaknesses, sothatthepowerofChr
istmay
restonme. ”

Af
ewday
slat
er

That
o

Thatnightwasagr eatnight
.ItookRami '
sadvice
andwentf orcidersinstead.Khanyihadherfi
rst
tasteofal coholthatnightandyhrfol
lowingdayshe
wasar eal mess,aftervomiti
ngeverydropofalcohol
shehadt hatnight.Rami madeherherfamous
hangov ercureandIwasshockedt oseeherupand
runningby9am, justintimeforori
entat
ion.
RendaniandThendohav ebeenspendi ngqui tealot
ofti
mewi thus, evensomeoft hefir
sty earsar e
al
readyjealous.Ai , Idon'
tseet heirreasonsbecause
honestl
y,Rendani isn'tmyt ype.ThendoandRami
fl
ir
teverychancet heyget ,soI'm notbot hered.We
haveoffi
ciall
yst ar
t edwi t
hourl ecturesandt obe
honestI'
m st ar
tingt ostressout .I'
m wor riedabout
money ,
andIwon' thav emuchbyt heendoft hey ear.
Ihavestartedlookingatpossi blejobslikewai ter
ing,
butthemoneyi sn'
tmuch.Ican' thelpbutf eel abit
doentoday ,evenonaSat urday.

Rami
:”Babes,
whyar
eyousosour
?”

Thato:(sigh)”I
'v
ebeenl ookingatpossi
blej
obs,
Rami .Noneoft hem willbeabletohelpmepayof f
myst udiesnexty ear
.I'
m ont hebursar
ywaiti
ngli
st,
apparentlytheygiveoutalimitednumbereachyear.
IfIdon'
tgetaj obsoon, Imightnotcomebacknext
year.
”
Rami:”Babe,I'
l
lhelpyoul
ook,
don'twor
ryabouti
tso
much.Besi des,I
'
m heret
ohelp.Imakeenoughto
sur
viv
eandhav efun.
”

Ramialway
sdisappearsonSat urdayeveni
ngs.She
say
sshegoest owor k.It
'sti
meIaskher ewhatshe
act
uall
ydoest
hatr equir
ehertowor ksomuchat
ni
ght.Imeanshe'slit
eral
lyneverbroke.

That
o:”Whatabouty
ourki
ndofj
ob?Imeany
oudi
d
sayyoumakealotofmoney.
”

Rami
:”Eish,
Tee.Youwouldn'
tbei
nter
est
edinmy
ki
ndofjob,man.I
t'
sjustnotf
orgi
rl
sli
keyou.
”

Idon'tknowifIshoul
dfeeloff
endedori
fIshould
feel
likeRami doesn'
twanttohel
pme.Ican'thelp
butfeeldefeat
edandoddaboutherreact
ion.Ifel
t
thetearsbuil
dingupagai
n.
Rami :
(worri
ed)”Tee,
bat
hong(gosh).Skalla(Don'
t
cry)
.Eish,okay.WhatImeanti
sy ouwouldn'tbe
i
nterestedi
nmyki ndofwor
kbecauseI'm sortofan
escort.
”

Igav
eheranast
oni
shedl
ook.

Thato:(shocked)”
Heh(
huh)
?!Youmeanl
i
kea
prosti
tute?
”

Rami :(chuckl
ing)”
No,man.Idon'
tsleepwit
hthem,
Ijustentertai
nthem.Ionl
yperf
orm smallf
avour
s
fela(only)
.”

Yoh,
thi
sist
oomuchf
orme.

That
o:”
Smal
lfav
our
ssuchas?
”
Rami :”Ag,y
ouknow, Rubbingt heirdicksev erynow
andt hen.Ablowj obher eandt her e.Somet i
mes
theyjustwanttoseey ounakedwhi l
eot hersjust
wantt oeatyouout .Ot hersjustwantt otalk,or
spoonorcuddl e.Wehav east r
ictnosexr ule,
unlessy ouwanttor ankal otofmoney .Butt hat
wouldbet oomuchf orme, I
'dprobabl ykil
lmy selfi
fI
all
owedanyoft hesefatf uckstoshov etheirdi cks
i
nsideofme. ”

Idon'
tev
enknowwhatt
osay
.

That
o:”
Howof
tendoy
oudosuchaj
ob?
”

Rami:”
Afewt i
mesamonth,dependingonthegig.
Someti
meswe' r
ehir
edtobethesemen'sdates,and
youj
usthavetositt
her
eandpretendtoenj
oyt hei
r
conv
ersat
ion.
”
Janeh,
li
fei
samov
ie.

That
o:”
So,
howmuchdoy
oumakeononej
ob?
”

Rami:”Dependsonthecli
ent,butnormallywemake
aboutR5000toev enR20000perj ob.Ifyoumake
morethanR10000t heny
oumostpr obablyhaveto
sl
eepwi t
htheguyanddowhat everhewant s.But
wealway shavepanicbut
tonsonst andbyandthey
arenotall
owedtosleepwithusout si
deoft heclub.
”

I'
m honestl
ytooshockedforwor ds.Soist hi
swhat
peoplegetuptoinJo'bur
g?R5000af ewt imes
couldreal
lyboostmeagr eatdeal.Imightaswell
seeformy sel
fandifIdon'
tli
keitthenI'
llhaveto
sett
leforsomethingel
se.

That
o:“
I'
dli
ket
otr
yit
.”
Rami
didn'
tseem v
erypl
easedabouti
t.

Rami
:”Tee,
Idon'
tthi
nki
t'
sagoodi
dea,
real
l
y.”

That
o:”
Please,
Rami
.I'
m desper
ate.Atl
eastl
etme
tr
yonegig.
”

Rami
wasr
eluct
ant
,butsheagr
eed.

Rami:
” Okay
,buty
ou'
llhav
et of
oll
owmyl ead,
please.
Andstaybymysideandli
stenatt
ent
ivel
y.
”

Inoddedandl
i
stenedcar
eful
l
y.

Rami :
”Ihaveagigtoni
ghtat8pm,atthecl
ub.We' r
e
hosti
ngtheNaidoo'
s.Thesemenar eloadedandare
bi
gi nthebusi
nessindust
ry.Youhavetodressthe
partandbehavethepartaswell
.Toeasey ourmind
andner
ves,
haveadr i
nkortwobefor
ewegetther
e.
Now,we'
retal
ki
ngaboutIndi
anMogulsher
e.
Prav
eshandRajesharebr
other
s,t
winst
obeexact.

Thei rfatheri saseriousbl esser,buthe'sthebi ggest

per vertoft hem all
.Youj usthavet obecal m and
ent ertainthem.I ftheyt ouchy ou,yougent l
ymov e
theirhandsandt oucht heirchestandbr usht heir
thighsev erynowandt hen.Thedad, Adesh,likes
newgi r
lssohe' l
lmostpr obablypicky outonight .He
l
ikest hem y oungandi nnocentandl i
kest hethrillof
ther ush, mor eespeci allywheny oudon'twantt o
sleepwi thhim.Don' twor r
y,Bouncersar ealway s
out sideandmyauntVi v ianwouldr ui
nhi sreput ati
on
forawhol elif
eti
me. ”

Thisallsoundsl ikeamessedupmov ie,butI'

mthe
l
astper sontoj udgerightnow.I'minneedofext r
a
money .Rami gotmei nt ooneofherexpensiv
e
dresses,lucki
l
yi t'sastretchsoImanagedt ofi
tinit
perfect
ly.Shedi dmymakeupandst yledmyhai r.I
l
ookafewyear
solderaft
erthi
swholemakeov er,I
meanIl
ookmature,
verymature.I'
mr eal
l
yscaredof
what
'
stocome,butRami pr
omi sedt
obebymysi de.

Appar entlyshespoket othisauntVi v

ianofhers,
who' sact uall
yhermom' ssi ster.Idon'tevenknow
whyRami evendoesallthis,shedoesn' tneedthe
money .Shesay smoneyi snev erenoughandshe
hasademandi ngli
fest
yle.It houghtwewer egoi
ng
tousemycar ,
butRami saidwenev eruseourown
transpor twhenev erwedot hesegi gsjusti
ncase
theseper veswantt ofol
lowusandcheckwher ewe
l
iv e.Thedr i
vercall
edRami anduponl eavi
ngthe
apar tment ,webumpedi ntot heVendabr other
syet
agai n.Theywer esoshocked, butinagoodway .
Theyev ent houghtwewer egoi ngpar tyi
ngor
somet hi
ng.

Thendo:
(whi
stl
i
ng)”
Looki
nggood,
Rami
baby
.”

Rami
:(l
aughi
ng)”
Ial
way
slookgood,
Thendo.
”
Thendo:
(laughi
ng)”
Ofcour
se.
”

Rendaniwasspeechless,hewasal
mostdr ooli
ng.
Suchlooksmakemeuncomf ort
abl
ejustcomi ng
fr
om aguyl i
keRendani,nowhowwill
Ievenmanage
whenrich,f
atmenlikeAdeshandhissonsgl areat
melikethat
?

That
o:”
It
'sr
udet
ost
are,
youknow.
”

Rendani:
”Uh,
sor
ry,
it'
sjustt
hat
..
.Youl
ookso
beaut
iful
.”

That
o:”
Uhm,
thanky
ou.
”

Rami
:”Tee,
hunwehav
etobounce.Lat
erguy
s.”
Wewal kedawaybutIcoul df eelRendani'
seyeson
me.Wegoti ntothecarandIsai dasi l
entprayer,
I
know,I'
m probablyahypocr i
teforprayi
ngbef ore
goingtothedev i
l
'splay
ground, butwhat'sagirlt
o
do?Wef i
nallyar
riv
edatCl ubVivienne.Whatdi dI
expect?Shenamedt heclubaf t
erherself,
butin
Frenchspell
ing.It
'sareal
lyposhcl ubthough.

Asweent ered, wedidn'

tevenhavetowaitinthe
queuel i
keal ltheotherpeople,i
nst
eadthebouncers
greetedRami onf i
rstnamebasisont opofthat.We
walkedi nandt heclubwasbuzzing,abitf
ull
,buti
t'
s
real
lyloudi nher eandwayt oobusyformyl i
ki
ng.All
theselights,discoballsandloudmusicmakesme
feelabi tdi
zzy .

Thi
sdoesn' tl
ookl i
keanescortsetti
ngtome.Then
wewal kedthroughadoorbehindt hi
sreal
lybi
g
bouncer.Thedoori ssowellhiddenandwell
camouf l
aged,thatyoucan'
tevennot i
ceit
.We
walkedthroughandev er
ythi
ngi nhereismuch
quiet
erthanthecl
ubbingside.It'
samuchf ancier
side,
withexpensi
v echampagneev er
ywhere,f
rom
VervetoDom Perignonandaf ewhalfnakedgirl
s
walki
ngar oundi
nlingeri
e.I'
m soshocked,butItr
ied
toactnormal.Icouldn'
tevenstomachanyf oodat
thefl
atasIwasner vousaboutallt
his.

Rami
:”Her
e,hav
easi
port
woandr
elax.
”

It
ooktheglassofchampagneanddownedthe
whol
eglass.Champagneisn'
tevent
hattast
y,i
t'
s
j
ustexpensi
ve.

Rami :”Don'tdri
nkt oomuchandt oofast,youmi ght
dost upidstuffduet oalcohol.Whenev eryou'rewi t
h
theseguy s,dri
nksl owly,ver
yslowly.Optf orthe
glassesbr oughtbyher( pointi
ngatoneoft hegirl
sin
l
ingerie).Shebr ingsusnon- al
coholi
cdr i
nkst hat
l
ookandt astelikealcohol.Thatwayt heycan' tdrug
youort rytotakeadv antageofy ou.Nev erleave
yourdr i
nkunat t
ended, i
fy ouwanttoexcusey ourself,
t
akei
twi
thy
ouorf
ini
shi
tri
ghti
nfr
ontoft
hem.
”

Thisisqui
tealotofi
nformati
ontopr ocessall
inone
ni
ght .I
t'
sevenworsethanEngineer
ing.Abeaut i
ful
,
butmaturewomanwi t
habi gafrowal keddownthe
stai
rs.Iassumethi
sisVivi
an.

Vivi
an:(
smili
ng)” Rami,baby.Iseey ou'
vebr
ought
usanewpr otege.Hmm, shedoesn'
tseem l
ikeshe'
s
onetoevensetf ootint
osuchpl aces.Mydear,how
areyou?”

That
o:”
I'
m wel
landy
ou?
”

Vivi
an:”
Verygood,thankyou.Whenev
eryoufeel
uncomfort
able,l
etusknow.Thisi
saplaceoffun,
notabuse,okay
?”

Inoddedanxi
ousl
yaswesatdownononeoft
he
couches.Rami satnexttomet hewholeti
me,
shame,Iact uall
yfeelbadbecauseshehast obemy
babysi
ttertonight.Thenafewmi nuteslat
er,t
hree
menwal kedi n.Twoal mostident
icall
ooki
ngIndians,
andoneol derlookingone.

Thetwinsaredrapedi nhairgel ,mygoodnessand

themanhasaf atbell
yf orday s.Idon'tevenknow
howhebendsov erwhenhi sbel lyalmostr eaches
hisknees.Vivi
angr eetedthem, sothesemustbe
theNaidoos.Thet winsRaj eshandPr aveshwasted
notimeandsati nbet weent hegi r
ls,whil
eAdesh,
thefat
herlookedstraightatme.Iknewr i
ghtther
e
andthenthatI'
m histargetf ortonight.

Adesh:”
Viv,Iseeyoubroughtusanewgir
l.Il
i
ke
thi
sone,she'sver
ybeauti
fulanduni
que.Wher
edid
youfi
ndher?”

Viv
ian:
”Ican'
tgiv
eawaymysecr
ets.Remember
now,Adesh,pl
aynice.
”
Adesh:
”Ofcour
se,
yourwi
shi
smycommand,
MadameV.”

Hewal kedtowar
dsmeandextendedhi
sarm.I
handedhim myhandrel
uct
ant
lyashekissedi
t.Hi
s
wrinkl
edskingavemenast
ygoosebumpsandhis
awf ul
smel l
near
lymademepuke.HowdoesRami
stomacht hi
sshi
t?

Adesh:”
Rami
,baby
,Thi
sfr
iendofy
our
sisar
eal
beaut
.”

Rami
:(smi
l
ing)”
Shei
smysi
ster
.”

Adesh:
”Well
,i
nthatcase,I
'
dliket
ohav
etwooft
he
mostbeaut
if
ulgi
rl
stonight
.”

Adeshwal
kedupt
hest
air
swi
thRami
andIbyhi
s
side.Myhear twaspoundi ngandraci
ngwayt oo
fast.Ifel
tsof l
ushedandev er
yti
meIf el
this
disgusti
ngfingerssli
therdownmyback, Ifel
tli
keI
wasl osi
ngapar tofmy self
.Rami di
dwar nme, what
haveIgot t
enmy selfi
nto?

Rendani

Ican'tbel
ieveThat oisn'
tevenphazedbymyef fort
s.
I'
vetriedbeingni cetoher,butshedoesn' teven
showanyi nter
esti nme.She' ssobeaut i
ful,
andI
don'tknow, butIj ustheral
lformy self.IfIeverhave
her,noscr at
cht hatwhenIhav eherI'llmakesureI
getherpr egnant.If indmyselffantasizi
ngabouther
everychancesheget s.Iknowi t
'swr omg, butIcan'
t
helpit.

Shearousesmeev er
gt i
meIseeherandaf terIsaw
heri
nthatti
ghtdr
ess,Icouldn'
thelp,butpi
ctureher
fi
rm,pi
nknippl
esandhert i
ght,br
ightpussy.I
honest
lycan'
twai
ttodipmyf i
ngersinther
e.
Thendoalwaysgetst
hebeautifulgi
rlsandnowi t
's
myt ur
ntoshineaswell
.Ididn'tbel
ieveherfora
secondwhenshesaidthey
'r
ej ustgoingforanight
out,soIf
oll
owedthem.

It oldThendoI 'm goingtot hegar aget obuy

somet hingandIsawt hem goi ntoMadame
Vivienne' sclub.Weal lknowwhathappensi nthat
clubandf orThatot ostoopsol ow, Ididn'texpectit
really.Iexpect edi tfr
om Rami ,butnother .That ois
clearlyhungupont hatstupidexofher s, sheev en
hasn' tbot heredtor emov ethei
rpi cturest ogetheron
Soci alMedi a.Ifshef i
ndsoutt hathe' sact uall
yr i
ght
underhernose, Iwon' tstandachance.I 'l
lhavet o
resor ttodesper atemeasur esreallyqui ckly.I
alway sgetwhatIwantandgi r
lsnev ersaynot ome.
Chapt
erThi
rt
ySev
en

1Cori
nthi
ans10:13-”
Notemptat
ionhasov ert
aken
yout
hatisnotcommontoman.Godi sfai
thful
,and
hewi
llnotl
etyoubetemptedbey
ondy ourabil
it
y,
butwiththetemptat
ionhewi
l
lal
sopr
ovi
detheway
ofescape,thaty
oumaybeablet
oendur
eit
.”

That
o

Igotsonervousthemomentwewal kedi
ntooneof
thebedrooms.It r
iedt
ohi
dei
t,butRamicoul
d
clear
lyseethatIam.

Rami:(
whisper
ing)”
Rel
ax.Youwon'
tdoany
thi
ng,
tr
ustme.”

Inoddedsl
ight
lyasAdeshsl owlywal kedtowardsus
withhi
sbigbell
y.Ican'tevenstomachl ookingat
him.Heslowlytookhisjacketoffandcamet osit
i
nbetweenusaswewer esitt
ingont hecouchf aci
ng
thebed.

Adesh:
(smi
l
ing)”
SoRams,
tel
lmewhaty
out
wo
wouldl
i
ketodoformetonight?Ipromi
se,Ipayver
y
goodpr
icet
oni
ght.I
'l
ltr
ipl
ey ourf
ee.Forboth.
”

Ifel
tver
yner
vousashi
sfil
thyhandlandedonmy
thi
gh.Ramii
ssuchanatur
al,she'
snotevenwor
ri
ed.

Rami:
”Adesh,t
oni
ghtletmedot
hewor
k.She'
snew,
soyouneedtobehav
e.”

Adesh:(sigh)”
Whydon'tyouj
ustacceptmy
proposalandbemyconcubine?IpromiseIt
ake
goodcar eofyou-ofbothofy
ou.”

I
'
dnev
erbeany
one'
sconcubi
ne.Hecanmi
ssme.

Rami
:(smi
l
ing)”
May
beoneday
.”

Shepul
l
edhi
m awayf
rom t
hecouch,
asIsatt
her
e
watchingnervousl
y .Ican'
timaginemy sel
fdoing
such.Iwat chedRami slowlytakeoffAdesh'
spant s
whilehewasl ooki
ngatmewi thaslightsmirkonhis
face.Ineverunderstandwhyr ichpeopledosuch
vil
ethingsinthenameofmoney .Sheslowlystar
ted
suckinghispenisandIf el
tli
keIcouldpuke.Adesh
slowlylayonthebedwi ththerestofhisbody,ashe
moanedi npleasure.

Adesh:
”Ahh,
Rami .Youal
waysknowhowt
omake
mecum.Tellyourfr
iendt
ojoi
nus.”

Rami
:”Anot
hert
ime,
Adesh.
”

Shesignal
edtomewi thherey
estoleave.Idi
dn'
t
eventhi
nktwice.Istormedoutoftherewit
hmy
stomachturni
ng.Viviansawmeandshedi dn'
teven
askanyquestions.

Vi
vi
an:
”Thedr
iveri
sout
side.Come,
I'
ll
escor
tyou.
”
That
o:(
rel
i
eved)”
Thanky
ou.
”

Aswewal kedoutIl
it
eral
l
yf el
tli
keIwasaboutt
o
vomit,
butIkeptswal
lowi
ngmyv omi
t.Whenwegot
out
side,Isaet
hedriv
eralr
eadywaiti
ngandVivi
an
l
ookedatme.

Vivi
an:”List
en,Rami tol
dmeabouty oursi
tuati
on.
Themomenty ouwal kedinIknewthiswouldn'
tbe
thejobforyou.Icanhooky ouupwithaNannyj ob.
Ahighpr ofi
lecl
ientofmineislooki
ngforanannyf or
hisgrandchil
d.I'l
lbeintouch.
”

ShehavemeahugandIwasshockedasIt hought
shewouldbemadatmef ordri
vi
ngoneofherhigh
rol
l
ersawayorsomethi
ng.AsIwasabouttoget
i
ntothecar
,IsawRendaniappr
oach.

Rendani
:”Hi
,TT.
”
Ifr
ozef orasecond.Nooneev ercal
lsmethat
exceptforKg.Coulditbeacoinci
dencet
hathe's
decidedtocallmethat?Idon'
tknow.Vivi
anlooked
athim puzzl
edandt henatme.

Vi
vi
an:
”Doy
ouknowt
hisguy
?”

Thato:”
Yes,
weli
veinthesamebui
l
dingandat
tend
atthesamecampus.
”

Vi
vi
an:
”Okayt
hen.Besaf
e.”

Rendani
:”Doy
ouneedar
ide?
”

It
houghtaboutr i
dingwit
hthedr i
ver,
butthengoing
wi
thRendani can'tbeabadidea,ri
ght?Iknowhi m
af
teral
l,wel
l,sortof.Igoti
ntohiscarandhedr ove
of
f.Ithoughthewoul dheadstrai
ghttotheflat
,but
hemadeast opatthenearestMcDonald'
sdri
ve
thr
ough.If
eelabitweirdbecausehedidn'
taskme
i
fI'
dli
ketohavefoodorany thi
ng.IguessI'
mjust
usedtoKg.Perhapsit
'sti
meIgethim outofmy
mind.

Rendani
:”Woul
dyoul
i
kesomet
hingt
oeat
?”

I'
m actual
l
yabi thungr
y,soIor deredal argeQuar t
er
PounderMeal withsomeor angej uice.Heor dereda
McFeastMeal andweheadedhome.Idi dn'teven
waitforustogethome, Ij
ustst artedeat ingmy
chips.Wegott oourbuil
dingandIt houghthe' d
presshisfl
oornumberinthel i
ft,buti nstead,heonly
pressedmyf l
oornumber .

That
o:(
puzzl
ed)”
Aren'
tyougoi
ngt
oyourf
lat
?”

Rendani
:”Oh,
Ithoughtper
hapsyouandIcoul
dchil
l
toget
herf
orabit.Youlookli
key
ouwentthrough
somet
hinghect
ici
nthatcl
ub.
”

Ithoughtitwasjustacoincidenceseeinghi
m
outsi
det heclubatthatspecif
icti
ne,butwhati
fhe
wasact uall
ystal
ki
ngmeorsomet hi
ng?

That
o:”
Oh,
okay
.”

Rendani
:”Iapol
ogi
ze,
Ishoul
dhav
easkedf
ir
st.
”

Yes,
act
ual
l
yheshoul
d'
ve.

That
o:”
It
'sokay
.”

Wewalkedtomyflatandhesatonthecouch.Iat
e
ther
estofmyfoodasheatehis.If
eelalotbet
ter
now.
Rendani
:”So,
doy
oumi
ndt
ell
i
ngmewhathappened
toni
ght?
”

Whatmakeshi mthinkt hatsomethingactual

ly
happened?Rendani hast hi
sweirdandqui t
e
annoyingtendencyofbei ngtoointerest
edinmylif
e.
Evenaf t
erImadei tclearthatIdon'twanta
boyfr
iend.Ev eni
fIdi d,Iwouldn'
twantittobehim.

That
o:”
Excuseme?
”

Rendani
:”TT-
”

That
o:”
Don'tcal
lmet
hat
!Si
ncewhendoy
ouev
en
cal
lmethat
?!”

Rendani:(l
ookingdown)”
I'
m sor
ry,l
ook,That
o.I
don'tt
hinkgirl
sli
keyoushoul
dbepr ost
it
uti
ng
themselvesformoney.Imean,Icanexpectthat
fr
om Ramibutnotyou.You'
rebet
tert
hanthat
,ify
ou
needmoneythenIcantakecar
eofyou.”

Ifel
tmy sel
ffumefr
om thepi
tofmyst
omach.Who
thefuckdoesthi
ngsli
kethat
?

That
o:(
anger
ed)”
Excuseme?!Onaganagoreo
mang(Whodoyouthi
nkyouare)
,Rendani
?!
”

Rendani
:”Idi
dn'
tmeani
tli
ket
hat
-”

Idi
dn'
tev
enwai
tforhi
mtof
ini
sh.

Thato:
”Youdon'tevenknowmeandI '
m st
art
ingto
thi
nkyou'
rest
alkingmeorsomething!Whogav e
youtheri
ghtt
ocal lmeaprost
it
ute?!
”

Rendani
:”That
o,pl
ease.
..
”
That
o:”
Pleasel
eave.I
nfact
,letmer
efundy
ouf
or
thef
oodyouboughtme.”

Hewasabi
thur
tbymyr
eact
ion.

Rendani
:”Iboughtt
hatf
oodf
ory
ououtofl
ove.
”

Idi
dn'
tev
enwait
,inst
ead,
Itookoutsomemoney
fr
om mypur
seandshovediti
nhishand.

That
o:”
Leav
e!”

Heslowlywalkedoutwithhisheaddowni nshame.
Idon'
tgetwhatRendani'splani swi
thme,buthe's
annoyi
ngasf uck.Itr
iedsl
eepi ngaft
erheleftbutI
wasstruggl
i
ngt o,soIsatinfrontofthet
vandt ri
ed
towatchsomet hi
ng.Rami wal kedi
nhourslater.
Rami:(
worri
ed)”Yoh,
Tee,whyosaar abephone
(whyweren'
tyouanswer
ingyourphone)?”

Thato:”
IforgotIhadputi
tonsil
ent.Ihav
en'
t
checkediteversi
nceIgotback.Aski
es(Sor
ry)
.”

ShehuggedmeandIhuggedherback.If
eel
so
rel
i
evedthatshe'
sback.

Rami:
”I'
m sor
ryy
ouhadt
ogot
hrought
hat
,butIdi
d
warnyou.
”

Yes,shedidact
ual
l
y,pl
ent
yoft
imesandIkepton
i
nsisti
ng.

Thato:”
Yes,
youdi
d.I'
m sosor
ryf
orput
ti
ngy
oui
n
thatawkwar
dposi
ti
on.
”
Rami:”
Noneed,
man.Ij
ustwantt
omakesur
e
you'
reokay
.”

Thato:”
Tobehonest
,I'
mt r
aumat
ized.Imean,
He'
s
sofatandugl
yandsmelly
.”

Ramibur
stouti
nlaught
er.She'
ssor
elaxedf
or
someonewhojusthadt
osuckoffaf
atfuck.

Rami:”
Thato,j
ustbegladyoudon'
tl
ovemoneyli
keI
do,hey
.It
'snotsobad.I t
'sj
ustabl
owjob.Besi
des,
Icomebearinggoodnews.”

That
o:”
What
?”

Shet
ookoutanenv
elopeandhandedi
ttome.
Rami :
”Adeshwassoexci tedtoseeanewface,even
Vivi
anissurpri
sed.Hecoughedout20Keachf or
thetwoofus.Hesay she'dli
ketoseeyouagai
n,but
ItoldViv
ianthatit
'snotpossi
ble.Youwon'
tbe
goinganymor e.”

Im soshockedIcouldn'
tbel
i
evei
t.Al
lthi
smoneyi
s
sot empt
ing,r
eal
ly.

Rami :”
Don'teventhi
nkofgoi ngbackther
eagain.
Besides,shehashookedy ouupwi thajobforoneof
herpresti
gecli
ents.You'l
ljustwatchtheki
df ew
ti
mesaweekanddr i
vethechi l
daroundasoftenas
needed.They '
rewill
i
ngtopayy ouR10000amont h
j
ustt oworkthreeti
mesaweek. ”

Yoh,Idon'
tknowwhatki ndofcli
entiswil
l
ingtopay
10kforananny,butI
'm allf
orit
.PerhapsIwas
meanttogot ot
heclubt oni
ghtandmeetVi v
ian.I
thi
nkother
wiseIwouldnev erhavegott
enthis
opport
unit
y.Mypr ay
ershav efi
nall
ybeenanswered.
Chapt
erThi
rt
yEi
ght

1John4:18-”Ther
eisnof earinlove.Butper
fect
l
ovedri
vesoutfear
,becausef earhastodowi t
h
puni
shment.Theonewhof earsisnotmadeper fect
i
nlove.
”

That
o

Isleptli
keababyaf t
erlastnight'
shect
icordeal.I
'm
verygladnyni f
httur
nedoutt obegreatinanycase.
I'
m stil
lpissedatRendanithoughandIdoubtI'dever
wanthi m nearmeev eragain.Ihadabitofawei r
d
dream aboutKg, t
hough.

Idreamtseeinghim andIkeptcall
ingaft
erhim, but
hegav emeonel ookandt henkeptwalki
ngf urther.
It
'sli
kehedidn'
tev enrecognizemeinthedream, I
'
m
notsure.Ididhowev erprayforhi
ssafetyandheal t
h,
whereverhemi ghtbe.Ihav eaveryst
rangef eeling
thathe'
sali
vesomewher e,somehow.TodayIdon' t
haveanylect
uresscheduled,soIhav etogomeet
mynewbosssowecansi gnt hecontractandeven
fi
nali
zemywor kinghoursandsal ary
.I'm not
complai
ningthatI'
dbewor ki
ngt hreetofourday
sa
week,sometimesduringweekends.

Iquickl
ysaidapr ayerbeforeIheadedout.Idon' t
havemyl i
censey et
,soIdon' twanttogetar r
ested
orbegivenat icket.Iheadedoutandscout edif
Rendaniisstalki
ngme, butluckil
yhewasn'taround.
Ideci
dedt ocallanUber ,event houghWestclif
feis
about7mi nutesawayf r
om Br aamfont
ein,Isti
ll
don'
tknowJohannesbur gthatwel l
towalkaround
al
one.Appar ent l
ypeoplegetmuggedher eal ot.

Iarr
ivedinNorthcl
iff
eandmygoodness, these
housesarear ealbeaut
.I'
veneverencountered
suchbeaut yi
nmyl if
ebefor
e.Igav etheUberdriv
er
hi
sf arandwalkedtowardsthegate.Thegat ei
s
hugeandl ong,andthewall
saswel l
.Youcannot
seewhat '
sbehindt hewall
s,butt
hehousei shuge.
Amansi onofnot e,evenfr
om theout
sideit'
sthat
vi
sible.Ipressedtheinter
comeandwi thi
nseconds,
aratherrudewomananswer ed.

Woman:
”Yes?
”

Thato:
(nervousl
y)”Hi
,I
'm That
oMaake,
I'
m her
efor
theAupairposit
ion.
”

Woman:
”Comei
n.”

Sheopenedt hegateandIwasi nawe.I 'venev er

seensuchabeaut if
ulhousebefore,onlyont v.They
mustbef i
lt
hyr i
ch.IsawanAudi R8t hatlooks
exact
lyli
ketheoneRendani andThendol i
kedr iv
ing.
Ah,ever
yonear oundthi
sneighbourhoodpr obabl y
ownsanAudi orsomethi
ng.It'
sabi tofami ssi
ont o
walktowardsthedoor,astheyardisv erybig.
Nowonderev er yonehasacarar oundhere.Ther e'
s
waterfountai
nsar oundtheyardandbeaut ifulroses
andahugegar den.Ipassedaf ewgar denersandI
greet
edt hem withasmi l
e.Luckilytheygreeted
back.Thesepeopl emostprobablyhav ealotof
money .Theymustbel oaded.Ifinall
ygottot he
door,aft
erwhatf eltl
ikeaneter
nityofwalking.I
knockedandIgott heshockofmyl i
fe.

That
o:(
ast
oni
shed)”
Rendani
?”

Rendani
:(r
udel
y)”
Ja.
”

Thisguymustbest
alki
ngmeorsomet hi
ng.I'
m
supposedtomeett
heNembilwihousehold.Oh,shi
t.
Idon'
tevenknowRendani
'
ssurname.Coul dhebe
oneofthepeopl
ewhoactual
l
ylivehere?

That
o:(
ner
vousl
y)”
Icameher
efor
-”
Rendani
didn'
tevengi
vemeasecondtospeak.He
shutmedowni naver
yrudemanner
.

Rendani
:”Fort
hemai
djob,
yes.
”

If
rownedasIl ookedathim.Mai d?Yohhedoesn' t
evencal
l t
hem helper
s?May beImisunderst
ood
whatRami tol
dme.It houghtIwasgoi ngtobean
aupair
.Nott hatImindcleaningandallt
hat.Icoul
d
dowiththeextracash.

Rendani
:”Maweh!At
shoswi
ka(
Shehasar
ri
ved)
!”

Withthatsai dheleftmestandi
ngr i
ghtthere.Idon'
t
evenknowi fI'
m supposedtowalkinornot .Iwas
rai
sedinsuchawayt hatyouneverenterthehouse
withoutbeinginvit
edin.So,Istoodtherelikean
i
diotuntilRendani cameback.Itfeel
slikehe'sbei
ng
deli
beratel
yr udetowardsme.Mostpr obably
becauseoft hewayIspoket ohiml astnight.He
deser
vedi
t,andIwon'
tchangemyst
atement
.

Rendani
:”Whatar
eyousti
l
lwai
ti
ngf
or?Madoesn'
t
haveall
day,y
ouknow.”

Wow, Ijustwal kedinandfoll

owedhim.Ihav eno
i
deawhyhewoul dbethi
srudeinsteadof
apologi
zingt ome.Thehousei ssobig,anddraped
i
nr ealmarble.Thehousei ssparkli
ngcleanandI
wonderhowmanypeopl eactuall
ycleanthi
shouse.
Wewal kedt owar dsahugeloungewi t
hthemost
beauti
fulblackl eat
hercouches.Weappr oacheda
ver
ybeaut if
ul darkski
nnedwoman.

Herskinissof l
awless,you'dswearshe'snev erhad
asinglepimpleinherlif
e.NowIseewher eRendani
andThendogett heirl
ooks.She' sbeautif
ul,butnot
ver
yf r
iendl
ytosayt heleast.Shegav emeaf il
thy
l
ookwhi chmademef eell
ikeI'
m abitinadequat eor
something.Peoplehav ebeenv erymeant owar ds
mef oryears,
butI'
venev erfel
tthisi
ntimidatedinmy
ent
ir
eli
fe.

Mrs.Nembil
wi:(f
rowning)”
NahoneZwi
no(
Andnow)
?
Whatist
his,Rendani
?”

Bythi
sshewasreferr
ingtome,evenmakinghand
gest
ures.I
'
veneverbeenthi
shumi l
i
atedbefor
e.I
j
uststoodt
her
e,forci
ngthetear
sback.

Rendani
:”Zwinenakhouzwi
amba,
Mmaweh(
What
ar
ey ousayi
ng,Mom) ?
”

They'
resorudewit
houtacar
einthewor
ld.Idon'
t
underst
andasingl
efucki
ngwor
dofVenda,butdo
theyevencar
e?

Mrs.Nembi
l
wi:”Yourfatherneverment
ionedhe's
br
ingi
ngawhit
egirlhere! Howwi ll
sheevenclean?
!
Doessheev
enknowhowt o?!
”
Wow,she'
sev
entalki
ngaboutmeasi
fI'
m notev
en
her
e.Howcondescendi
ng.

Rendani
:(l
aughi
ng)Mmaweh( Mom,please)
.She'
s
bl
ack,al
thoughI
'm notsur
eifshei
seven100%
bl
ack.”

Ther
eisRendani
,rubbi
ngsal
tint
othedeepwound.

Rendani
:”Hayi
,yourfat
herl
ikesbr
ingi
ngmer
andom
gi
rl
s.You, what
'syourname?”

That
o:(
ner
vous)”
Mynamei
sThat
o,ma'
am.
”

Mrs.Nembi
lwi
:”Hmm,y oudoknowt
haty
ou'
reher
e
f
orthemaidposi
ti
on,
right?
”
That
o:”
Iwasundert
hei
mpr
essi
ont
hatI
'
dbeanAu
pai
r.
”

Mrs.Nembi
lwi
:(f
rowning)”Ify
oudon'tneedt
hisj
ob,
Icanski
pri
ghtt
ot henextcandidat
e.Imeanalotof
peopl
ewouldki
ll
for10gr and.
”

Thato:”Idi
dn'
tmeananyof
fense,
Ma'
am.Yes,
I'
ll
takethejob.
”

Mrs.Nembilwi
:”Good.Youstar
tnow.Rendani
wil
l
showy outooneofthebedr
oomswhereyoucanget
changedint
oyourunif
orm.”

Wow, justli
kethat,Imetmyf ir
stbossev er
,the
rudestbitchi
nNor thcl
if
fe.Inaspl itsecond,Iwent
from ThatothestudenttoThat ot
heSt udent/Maid.
Iworkf orRendani'
sparents, howhumi li
ati
ng.God,
youpr omisedmeabet t
erlife.IsthiswhatI'mreal
ly
meantf or?Humi l
iati
onatt hehandsofpeopl ewho
hat
emef
ornor
eason?
Chapt
erThi
rt
yNi
ne

Hebrews11:
1–“ Nowf ai
thi
stheassuranceof
t
hingshopedfor
,theconvi
cti
onofthi
ngsnotseen.
”

That
o

Idon’tknowwhatRendani ’splani
sori fi ti
sa
coi
ncidencet hatheisheretodayatthesamet i
meI
wassupposedt omeetmynewEmpl oy er.Idon’t
know, butI’
m getti
ngav er
yfunnyfeelingabouthi m.
He’sjustnotputti
ngmymi ndatease.Hewal kedin
fr
ontofmeasweheadedupt hestairs,whi l
e
walki
ngupIsawbi gandverybeauti
ful famil
y
portr
aits.

Aparti
cul
aronecaughtmyey e,
onewi
thRendani
,
Thendo,Mrs.Nembil
wi,
amanwhoIassumei sthei
r
fat
her,amucholderl
ookingwomanwholooksalot
l
ikeRendaniandThendo,
andav er
yy ounggirl
,who
alsol
ooksalotli
keMrs.Nembil
wi,andanotherolder
l
ookingguywholooksalotl
iket
hemanIpr esume
tobethefat
her.

Theywer eall
standingaroundanol derlooki
ngman
si
tti
ngonabi gchai r
,wearingTr adi
tionalVenda
att
ir
e.Theol dmani sholdingauni quelycarved
knob-ki
erri
e.Ican’thel
pbutt hinkthatt heman
l
ooksexact l
yli
keaChi ef
.Any way ,
Rendani stopped
i
nf r
ontofoneoft hedoor sandst aredatmeashe
openedthedoor .
Rendani
:“Thi
sist
her oom y
ou’l
lbeusi
ngwhen
you’
reher
e.Iknowy ou’r
enotusedtoRoy
alt
y,so
don’
tgettoocomfy.
”

Wit
hthatsai
d,hewalkedaway.Wow,sothi
sguyi
s
act
ual
lysourbecauseIpr
ett
ymuchrej
ect
edhim?

Thef
ucki
ngner
ve!Doesher
eal
l
ythi
nkI
’
dev
en
considergiv
inghi
m achanceaf terhi
slitt
lepetty
stunts?Hecanmi ssme.Ichangedi ntotheuniform,
al
thoughi ti
swayt oobi
gonme.Ican’ thelpbutf eel
asifMr s.Nembil
wi i
sdeli
berat
elytry
ingtomakemy
l
ifeal i
vi
nghell
.Imean, doesn’
tsheev enwor k?I
kneltdownandsaidal i
ttl
eprayerbeforeheading
out.

“DearGod, Ihumbl emy selfbeforeyou.Ithanky ou

somuchf ory ourmer cyandGr aceandforal l
owing
meanoppor tunit
yt obeher e.Idon’tknowwhatt he
futurehol dsorwhatmypur poseher ei
s,butIask
yout oleadt heway , oh,Lord.Heal myheartand
protectmyKgwher everhemaybe.Hel pmeendur e
what everi saboutt ocome, foryouaretheonewho
alway sfight smybat tl
es.Yousai dinProverbs3:5-6
“Deli
ghty ourselfintheLor d,andHewi ll
givey outhe
desiresofy ourhear t.Commi tyourwaytot heLord,
trustinhim, andHewi l
lact.
”Ichooset otrustinyou
Lord, f
ightal lmybat tl
esformeandmakemewhol e
again.Ipr ayitinJesusMi ghtyname, Amen. ”
Igotuphast
il
yandwalkeddownst
air
s,onl
ytof
ind
Mrs.Nembil
wial
readywait
ingf
ormeandtappi
ng
herfoot
.
Mrs.Nembil
wi:(annoy
ed)“Iknow,
y ou’
renotusedto
suchabighouseandy ouweremostprobablyrai
sed
i
nat i
nhouse,butdidyouhavetotakesolong?”

Wow, t
hiswomani srudeasfuck.Tinhouse?Reall
y?
Sheisav er
yboastful
woman, i
fyouaskme.Thati s
somethingtheLor
dhat es,
peopl
ewhoi dol
izemoney
andforgett
ohumbl ethemsel
ves.Sheshouldask
Sont
owhathappenst opeopleli
kethem,thatonei
s
yett
oreceiveherpunishment
.

That
o:“
Iapol
ogi
ze,
Ma’
am.Inev
ermeantt
okeep
youwai
ti
ng.
”

Mrs.Nembil
wi:“Nexttime,Iwon’
tbesoleni
ent!A
l
otofgir
lswouldkil
lforthisj
ob!You’
renotspeci
al
j
ustbecauseyou’r
elight!
”
Thereitisagain.Thatcondescendingat t
it
udeof
hers.Whati sitwi
thpeopleandt heirhatr
edtowar
ds
thecolourofmyski n?IneveraskedGodt omake
met hewayIam.Asshewasdonegi vi
ngmea
tonguelashi
ng, amanwhol ooksexact lyl
iket
heone
i
nt heportr
aitIsawearli
eronappr oachedus.

Mr.Nembilwi
:“Hai
,Hai
,Hai,
Constance!Whyare
youshouti
ngatthi
spoorchi
ldli
kethat?
!Whathave
Ibeentel
li
ngyouaboutbei
ngrudetowardsour
hel
pers?!
”

Helookedseriousl
ypi
ssed,somethi
ngtell
smehei
s
t
heex actopposit
eofhi
swife.IlookedatMrs.
Nembilwiassheslowl
ylookeddown.

Mrs.Nembi
lwi
:“I
’
mv er
ysor
ry,
Myhusband.Ididn’t
meanto.Shewastaki
ngl
ongandIj
ustupset
.I ’
m
havi
ngabadday.
”
Real
l
y?

Mr.Nembilwi
:“Andwhyisshedr
essedli
kethat
?!
SheissupposedtobeanAuPair
,notoneofthe
hel
pers!
”

Idi
dn’tevenknowwhattodoasMr s.Nembilwitr
ied
tol
ookf oranexpl
anat
ionandRendaniappearedout
ofnowhere.Iguesshehasabadhabitofappearing
outofnowhere.

Rendani
:“Hao,
Daddy
, shei
sfinel
iket
his.Besi
des,
weneedmor ehel
paroundthehouse.
”

Mr.Nembil
wi:
(Snappy
)“WasIt
alki
ngt
oyou,
Rendani
?!
”

Rendani
lookeddowni
nshame.
Rendani
:“No,
Daddy
.”

Mr.Nembil
wi:
“Younev
erseem t
olearnyourpl
ace.I
don’
tknowwhyyoucanneverbeli
keThendo.I
mustalway
sdothethi
nki
ngforyou.
”

Okay,
nowIgetit.Rendanii
sabitofat
roubl
e
makerandisl
i
vinginThendo’
sshadow.Itmustbe
t
oughbeinghi
m.

Rendani
:“Ah,
youal
way
scompar
emet
oThendo,
Dad.”

Mr
.Nembi
l
wi:
“I’
l
ldeal
wit
hyoul
ater
.”

Hewal
kedtowardsmeandext
endedhi
shand.Wow,
hei
ssoki
ndandhumble.Hiswif
eneverev
en
bot
her
edtoshakemyhand.
Mr.Nembil
wi:
(smil
ing)“Goodday,
mynameis
Thodani
Nembilwi
.I’m mostl
yknownasTi
ger
,but
youcancal
lmeBaba. ”

Ididn’
tevenknowifIshoul
dshakehi
shandornot ,
butnotdoingsoisconsi
deredr
udeinmycultur
e,so
Iwentforit
.OfcourseRendaniandMrs.Nembil
wi
didn’
ttakeitv
erywel
l.

That
o:“
Pleasedt
omeety
ou,
sir
.”

Mr .Nembi l
wi:“Pl
ease,callmeBaba.Andpl ease,
getoutoft hathideousuniform.We’ r
enotshoot i
ng
somewei rdmov i
e.Yourdut ieswil
lbetakingcareof
Princess,
mygr anddaughter.You’l
lbedriv
ingher
aroundev erynowandt hen, makingherfood,
bathingher,thatsortofthi
ng.”

Wow,
hespeakswi
thsomuchaut
hor
it
y.I
tseems
asifev
eryonei
saf
rai
dofhiminthi
shouse.His
voi
ceandcommandissostern,
hedoesn’
teven
needtoasktober
espect
ed.

That
o:“
Okay
,Baba.
”

Mrs.Nembi
l
wi:(
fuming)“
But,
Tiger!Shei
sher
eto
assi
stmewit
hthehousechores,
I-“

Mr.Nembi l
wi:(
inter
rupti
ng)“ShecanhelpMav
is
serveusiftheneedarises,ot
herwi
se,t
hati
smyfinal
word.Unlessyouwoul dliketogoagai
nstmy
wishes?
”

Mr
s.Nembi
l
wi:
(looki
ngdown)“
No,
myhusband.
”

Mr.Nembil
wi:
“Good.I’
ll
bei nmyst udyifanyone
needsme.Nodistur
bances,please.Thato,i
twas
veryl
ovel
ytomeetyou.Ifanyone,Imeanany one
makesyoufeeluncomfortabl
e,especi
all
ymyidi
ot
sonoverher
e,pleasedofeelfr
eetoletmeknow.
Hehassomev erydisr
espectf
ultendenci
es.
”

Ijustnodded,sinceIhadnoideawhattosay.Itis
myf ir
stdayher eandalr
eadyIam bei
ngsubjectedto
thiscrazyfamilydynami
c.Mr .Nembi
lwil
eftus
there,whil
eMr s.Nembil
wilookedatmeli
keshewas
readyt oki
ll
.

Mrs.Nembi l
wi:“Gochangeyouroutf
it
!Butbe
warned,youwillnotwinmyhusband’sfavourf
or
ver
ylong.Don’ tgett
oocomf or
tabl
e,thel
astmaid
whot r
iedtogetintomyhusband’spants,
didn’
t
makei toutofhereali
ve.
”

Sheclickedhert
ongueandl eftmestandi
ngther
e
gobsmacked.Wast hatat hreat
?Doesshehonestl
y
thinkIwantherhusbandf ormy sel
f?Suchanold
man, though?Rendanilookedatmewi t
hpur
e
disgust.
Rendani
:(Angr
y)“Don’tgett
oocomf y
,missy
.Thi
s
i
smyhouseandy ou’
l
lstil
lbeundermycommand!
”

Wow, hurtmuch, arewe?Hecl i

ckedhi stonguet oo
andleft
.Ipr oceededtot hebedroom upst air
sand
changedbacki ntomycl othes.Idon’tevenknow
whattodoasIam dr essedi namaxi dressandj ean
j
acketandsandal s.Ijusthopet hattherestofthe
famil
yisn’tassickeni
ngasMr s.Nembi l
wi and
Rendani.Icanonl yhopet hathechangeshi sway s
andstopsmaki ngmef eeluncomf or
table.Iwoul dn’t
wanttoloseaj obthatcanchangemyl i
fei nan
i
nstant.
Chapt
erFour
ty

Psal
m 46:
10–“
Best
il
landknowt
hatIam God.
”

That
o
Rendanilef
taverysourtasteinmymout h.Icannot
beli
evethataguyasoldashi m wouldstoopsol ow
j
ustbecausehegotr ej
ectedbyagi rl
.Whatani diot
.
Imetaf ewofthefamil
ymember s,especially
Pri
ncess.Sheisthethreeyearol dIwi l
lbel ooki
ng
aft
eronMonday s,Wednesday sandFr idays.At
ti
mesIwi ll
behereonSat urdays,butthatwi llbe
overt
ime.Imean, hownicei sthat?Mr .Nembi l
wiis
theonewhowi l
lactual
lybepay i
ngme.Isi gnedmy
contr
acttoday
,mucht oMr s.Nembi lwi’
sdi smay .

I’mj ustgladPrincessli
kesme, andsodoesher
mot her,Chedza.Shei snotreal
lybotheredbywhat
Princessdoes, sinceever
ythi
ngisprettymuchdone
forher .IalsometRendani andThendo’sy ounger
sister,Amber,whoi sinmatri
c,sowe’reprettymuch
thesameage.

Ireal
l
yli
keher,shehasallt
hismoneyf
lowi
ng
ar
oundher,butshei
snophasedatal.Shel
ikest
he
si
mpleli
feandalwaysref
erstoherf
amil
yas
pretentious.Idon’tgetthestorybehi
ndthat,
butI
didn’tfr
etaboutit.Idon’tgetwhysheget st
ohave
anEngl ishname, butanyway .Iam st
il
lyett
omeet
thefirstbornson,Mul al
o.

Apparentlyhei ssomebi gshotlawyerandliv

esin
Joziaswel l
.Thesepeopl eareseri
ousl
yballi
ng.It
mustber eallynicetowakeupandnotwor r
yabout
wherey ou’l
lgety ournextmealfrom.Imean, Mrs.
Nembi l
wi’sbiggeststressischi
ppinghernailand
whenshewi l
l begetti
nghernextMal aysi
anweav e
shi
ppedt oher .

Othert hanthat,shewor ri
esaboutherweight
,her
husband’ seati
nghabi tsandalsoabouttheli
tt
le
fi
ctit
iousmov i
et hatkeepsplayi
nginherheadofme
tr
yingt osteal.
herman.Idon’ tgeti
t,butwel
l,i
tis
whati tis.

Speaki
ngofl
unch,ImetAusi
Mavis,
thehouse
Helper
.Shei
sav eryni
cel
adyandIreal
l
yli
keher-a
l
ot.SheislikethegrannyInev
erhad.Shei
sinher
l
atefi
ft
ies,andwhenIaskedherwhysheisstil
l
worki
ng,shesaidthatshewon’tgetaj
obanywher
e
el
sethatpay shert
hiswell
.

Shesay shermadamei sapai nintheass,butMr s.

Nembi l
wi cannotli
vewi t
houtMav i
s.Appar ently
Mav i
sraisedallthesekidsandchangedt heir
di
apers–ev enli
ttl
ePrincess.Shesay sallthese
ki
dsar espoiledrott
enbyMr s.Nembil
wi,butTi ger
drawsthel i
ne.

Shesaysshehasnev ermetamal ebossthatisso

respect
ful
,butthatImustbev erycaref
ularound
him.Hehasat endencyofli
kingyounggirl
s,no
wonderMr s.NthinksIwil
lstealhermanfrom him.
That’st
hethingwithmarri
edmen, t
heyalwaysthink
theycandobet t
er.

Theyj
ustneverknowwhatt
odowit
hthei
rmoney
.
AsIwasprepari
ngther
estoft
hel
unchwi
thAusi
Mavis,Mr
s.Nwalkedint
otheki
tchenwi
than
annoyedl
ookonherface.What
’snew?

Mrs.N:“
That
o,myhusbandwant
syout
otakehi
s
l
unchtohimi
nhisst
udy.”

IlookedatAusiMaviswhojustgav
emeablank
stare,butdeepdownIknewwhatshewast
ryi
ngto
tell
me.

Mrs.N:(
sigh)“Zwino(So)
?Ar
eyoujustgoi
ngto
st
andthereandstareatme?Doyougetpaidt
o
st
areatme, That
o? ”

Bathong(goodness)thi
swoman.Ihav en’
teven
reachedpaydayy etandalr
eadyshei
smaki ngi
t
seem li
keI’
m anungr at
eful
brat
.

That
o:“
Apol
ogi
es,
Ma’
am,
I’
ll
taket
hef
oodr
ight
away
.”

Mrs.Nj ustcl
i
ckedhertongueandl
efti
nhast
e.I
quickl
ypickedupthetr
ayandAusiMavishel
dmy
arm.

AusiMavi
s:“
Becareful
ofhim.Youareapray
er
warr
ior
,That
o.Justkeepyourcool
andbecaref
ul.
”

IlookedatherandIknewshemeantev eryword.
What everTigeriscapableofdoing,Igetthefeel
i
ng
hehasdonei tbefore.Iknockedswi f
tl
yonhi sst
udy
doorandmyhear tstar
tedpalpi
tat
ingashet oldme
toenter.Ididast oldandfoundhi m si
tt
ingonhis
chair,behi
ndhi soffi
cedesk.

Hesmiledsowidel
yassoonashesawmewal kin.
Idon’
tknow,thesmil
eonhisfaceisnotthesame,
genui
nesmileIsawaf ewhour
sago.Hi seyesseem
tobewanderi
ngaround,andi
nvit
ingthemsel
vesto
whati
sunder
neat
hmycl
othes.

Idon’tknow,butIgetthefeeli
nghei sundressing
mewi thhiseyes.Istart
edshaki ngasIstoodin
fr
ontofhi m whil
ehi
sey esjustmadet r
ail
supand
downmybody .Inearlyspi
lledthejuiceasIhasti
ly
putthet r
aydownonhi stable.Theshockwas
overwhelmingmybody .Whatt hef uckisgoingon
withthisfamil
y?

That
o:(shaky)“
I…I’
mv er
ysorr
y,Mr .Nembi
lwi
.
Pl
easeforgiv
emef ormyclumsiness.I’
l
lgogeta
cl
othtowipeital
loff
.”

Iwasaboutt
ohur
ryout
,whenhecal
l
edme.

Mr.N:“Don’twor
ryaboutt
hat
,That
o.Mi
stakes
happen.Please,
sit
.”
Eish,
Iwasser i
ouslydreadingthi
s.Ireal
lydidn’
t
wanttositdownwi hhim, butonceagainitwouldbe
rudetodecli
ne.Whoknows?Imi ghtgetfir
edfor
decli
ninghi
soffer.Isatdownhesi t
antly
.

Mr.N:(smil
ing)“Youar
eaver
ylovel
ygir
l,Thato.
Verybeauti
ful
,too.Whati
sagir
lli
keyoureall
y
doi
ngher e?
”

Thato:
(nervous)I
,I
’m aMechani
calEngi
neer
ing
st
udent,andIneededajobli
kethi
stohelpmepay
offmyfees.
”

Mr.N:“
Hmm, Isee.Youmustbeav erybr
ightgi
rl
,
That
o.Nowondermyboyhasf al
l
enheadov er
heel
swithyou.IfIdidn’
tknowbett
er,
I’
dsayhei s
i
ndeedobsessedwi t
hy ou.
”

That
o:(
frowni
ng)“
Excuseme?
”
Mr.N:“Rendani
,heiscompletel
ycrazyaboutyou.
Hehasbeenst al
ki
ngy ourFacebookandInst
agram
pages.Hedoesnott akerej
ecti
onverywell
,you
know.Thatboyisreall
youtofhismi nd.
”

Istar
tedfeel
ingabi
tdi
zzy.Rendanihasbeen
stal
kingandwatchi
ngmyeverymove? !Nobl oody
wonderhekeepspoppi
ngupev er
ywher eIgo.
PerhapsTigeri
sagoodfat
her.Heisinformingme
aboutthi
ssohecanonlymeanwel l
,ri
ght?

Mr.N:“Youknow,hedoesn’tt
akerej
ect
ionverywell,
becauseheisaboy.I’
m aman, That
o,Av er
ypatient
man.Icangiveyouallyourhear
t’
sdesi
res,Ican
evenpayall
yourfeesandcostsupfr
ont
, i
fyoujust
agreetobemine.
”

Whattheactualf
uck?!Myey esl
it
eral
lypoppedout
.
Idon’
tknowwhatt odo,andhonest
lyIhavenoidea
whymyl i
fealwaystur
nsint
osuchacr azyspi
ral
.
That
o:(
scar
ed)“
I,Idon’
tfol
l
ow.
”

Mr .N: “
Letmebest r
aightf
orwardwithy ou.Ireal
ly
l
ikey ou,Thato.Iwantyoutobemymi str
ess.I
promi se,wewillbev
erydiscreet
.Iwon’ texpect
any t
hingfrom youot
herthanouri ni
ti
alagreement.
Wecanev ensi
gnacont r
act.Icantakegoodcar eof
youi fyoujustl
etmehav eyou.”

I’
m sooverwhelmedwithshockthatIcan’
tev
en
speak.Ij
ustlookedathim,andthoughhewouldsay
i
twasadr eam orsomething,
butnope.Hewas
deadseri
ous.

Mr.N:“I
’l
lgiv
ey ouaweekt
othi
nkabouti
t.Just
don’
ttaketoolong.
”

Idon’tevenknowwhatt
osay.Itr
iedspeaki
ng,but
myt hroatwasext
remel
ydr
y.Icouldn’
tevenopen
mymouth,becausemyt
onguebet
ray
edme
i
nst
ant
ly.

Mr
.N:
“Youmayl
eav
e.”

Iquicklygoupandwalkedoutofthatstudyinhigh
speed.Iwasabouttogot oAusiMav i
s,butMr s.N
stoppedme.Yoh, t
hiswomani ssoinsecureitisnot
evenf unny
.Iti
sunattr
act
iveandverydistast
eful.

Mrs.N:
(fumi
ng)“
Whydidy
out
akesol
ongi
nther
e?
Whatdi
dhesaytoyou?
”

Thato:“Not
hing.Hej
ustaskedmeaboutmyschool
work.”

Hao,Mrs.Nslappedmesohar doutoft hebl

uethatI
fel
ltot
heground.Ev er
yonerushedtothesceneto
seewhyIwasscr eamingaft
ertheshockofher
slappingme.Iheldmyburni
ngcheekandIcoul
d
feelhereyespier
cet
hroughmyskin,
fil
l
edwit
h
nothingbutvenom.

Amber:(
shocked)“
Ma!Whywoul
dyoudosucha
thi
ng?
!”

Iwasst
il
li
nshockasIdi
dnotev
ensayany
thi
ng.

Chedz
a:“
Arey
ouokay
,si
s?”

Ihadt
opr
etend.

That
o:“
Uh,
yes,
Iam.Thanky
ou.
”

AsIwasabouttogetup,Mrs.Nwasshouti
ngand
cursi
ngatmeagai
n, unt
ilat
all
,dar
kandver
y
handsomeguywalkedin.Helooksal
otl
ikeMr.N.
Theybreathet
hesameauraandhehasthesame
authori
tyi
nhisvoi
ceashi
sfather
.Thi
smustbe
Mulalo.

Mulalo:
“Whati
shappeni
ngher
e?!Ma,
hav
eyou
st
artedagai
n?!
”

Everyonekeptquietandst
aredathi
m wi
tht
hesame
fearastheylookedathisf
atherwi
th.

Mrs.N:
“Thiswi
tchi
str
yingt
ost
eal
myhusband
f
rom me!”

Mulal
o:“Di
dyouwitnesshert
ryi
ngtodoso,orare
youthr
owingyouri
nsult
sasyoupleaseagai
n?”

Mrs.N:(
frust
rat
ed)“
No!Iswearsheis,
Mul
alo!You
canevenseethewayshei
sdressed-
“
Mulal
o:(
int
err
upti
ng)“
Don’ty
oudare,
Ma!Shecould
sueyouandgetyouar
rest
ed.Gosh,youcanbeso
bori
ngatti
mes.”

Heext
endedhi
shandt
ohel
pmegetup.

Mul
alo:
“Hi
,I
’m Mul
alo.
”

Il
ookedathim andIsawt hemostbeaut
if
ulj
aw
boneGodhasev ercr
eated.Thoseteet
hwow, I
haven’
tseensuchbeaut
yev ersi
nceKg.

That
o:“
That
o…”

IsawRendani l
ookatmewi thpureragemorethan
hatred.Iti
sli
kehesawt hesparkorwhatev
eriti
s
peoplecalli
t.Thi
sguyhast hi
sgorgeousaura
aroundhim.Hel ookssoneatandcleanandmust
probablybesmarttoo.But,
couldtheNembilwi
br
other
sal
lhav
eadef
ectofdi
srespect
ingwomen?

Itseemsl i
kethey’
reallbor
nwi t
ht hatgene.Thendo,
ont heotherhandisjustafl
ir
t,andhasnev er
disrespect
edaf emalefort
helitt
lewhileIhave
knownhi m,whileRendanihasav eryhecti
c
reputati
ononcampus.

Tiger
,ont
heotherhandisasickperve.Idon’
tknow
whattomakeofthi
ssituat
ion,buti
thasbarel
ybeen
onedayandal
readyIhavebeenabusedbymyso
call
edmadame.Cant hi
sgetanywor se?
Chapt
erFour
tyOne

Deut
oronomy8:18–“ Butremembert heLordyour
God,f
oriti
sHewhogi vesyout
heabi l
ityt
oproduce
weal
th,andsoconfir
mshi scovenant,whi
chhe
swor
et oyourancest
ors,asist
oday .
”

That
o
Mul
alosti
llhadhishandst retchedout,whilethe
r
estofthepeoplewhost oodbef or
emewer e
wat
chingwithmixedemot ions; ChedzaandAmber ’s
f
aceswerefullofpit
y;whil
eMr s.NandRendani
wer
eov er
whelmedwi thhateandpur erage.I
r
eachedforhishandashesl owlyhelpedmeup,
wi
thmyonehandst i
llonmycheek.Fuck, t
his
womancansl ap.I’
vebeensl appedbef ore,
butthis
t
ime,shame,I’
mf eel
ingit.

Mul
alo:
“Howar
eyouf
eel
i
ng?Letmesee.
”

Islowlyr emovedmyhandf rom mybur ningcheek.

AsIr emov edi
t,Icoul
dfeelitstingabit.Mulalotook
onelookatmycheekandcl enchedhi sjaw
i
mmedi at el
y.Hisfacehardened, wit
hhisv ei
ns
poppingoutofhi sneckandf orehead.Het urnedto
l
ookathi smot herandIhavehonest lyneverseena
grownmanscol dhismotherlikethatbeforeinmy
entir
elife.
Mulal
o:(
enraged)“Novhani tshikhourimini(
you
weresayi
ng)?Whatwasy ourreasontoslapthis
poorgi
rlonherfi
rstdayofwor kont opofthat
?”

Mulal
ohassuchaut hor
it
yandster
nness,
Idoubthi
s
motherwouldshoutathim.I
nfact,
Mrs.Nlookeda
bi
tapprehensi
ve.

Mrs.N:“I…I,
Iwasjustscol
dingherforher
i
nappropri
atebehavi
our.Idi
dn’tmeantoslapher
,
t
hingsjustgotoutofhand.
”

Shel
ookeddownondi
str
ess.

Mulalo:“
Funnyenoughthati
snotthesongy
ouwer e
si
ngingwhenIwal kedi
nhere.I
’l
ldealwi
thyoul
ater
.
Come. ”
Ashepul
l
edmet owar
dsthedi
rect
ionofthekit
chen,
Mr.Nwal
kedoutofhi
sst
udyandst oppedus.

Mr
.N:
“What
’swi
thal
lthi
scommot
ion?
!”

Mr .N’sfaceimmediatel
yhar
denedwhenhesawme
holdingmycheek.I tmusthavetur
nedred,
andi
t
feelsswol l
en.Heturnedtol
ookatMrs.Nand
i
mmedi atel
ywalkeduptoher,f
uming.
Mr.N:“Whatdi
dyoudo,
Const
ance?
!Don’
tyouev
er
l
earn?
!”

Mrs.N:
(looki
ngdown)“Iwasjustr
epr
imandi
ngher
f
orherbadbehavi
our,
myl ov
e.”

Mr
.N:
”Tot
hebedr
oom.Now!
”
Mrs.Nslowlywal
kedaf t
erherhusbandwit
houtev en
l
ookingatanyofus.Idon’tknow,butsomething
t
ell
smeMr .Nisabitabusi
vetowardshiswife,
especial
l
ywhenhedoesnotgetwhathewant sori
f
shegoesagai nsthiswishes.Whatisgoingto
happentomei fIr
efusetoaccepthisproposal
?I
am fri
ghtened,pet
rifi
edactuall
y.Mulal
owalkedwit
h
met owardsthekitchenandl ef
tther
estofthe
famil
ystandinginthemi ddleofthef
oyer.

IcouldfeelRendani’sey espiercemybackasI
walkedtowardst hekitchen.Mul aloputmeonone
ofthehighchairsashewentf ort hefi
rstai
dkit.I
don’tknow,buther emi ndsmeal otofKG.Oh, my
goodness,hishei ght,
hi scompl exion,hi
sti
diness
andhisgorgeousscentj ustremi ndsmeal otofKg.
Icannothelpbutt hinkofhi m.Ei sh,butGodwhy ,
though?Whydi dhehav etoleav eme?

Mul
alo:
“Thi
swi
l
lpr
obabl
yst
ingy
oual
i
ttl
ebi
t.
”

Heputawar m cl
othonmycheekwi t
hsomeant i
-
scept
icli
qui
d.Isquir
medabi ti
npainatfi
rst
,butI
fel
talotbet
teraf
terafewseconds.Idon’
tknow
whyhei sbeingsonicetomeallofasudden.I
mean, hi
sbrotheri
sbeingadicktowardsmenow
thatIhavesaidnotohisadv
ances,andhisfather
hasmadeapr oposalt
ome.Iam abi toff
ended,
honestly
.

Mulalo:(smili
ng)“For
givemef ornotfor
mal l
y
i
ntroducingmy sel
f.Hi ,Mf
umakadzi (
Queen),My
namei sMul al
oNembi l
wi,
Iam thefi
rstbornsonof
thatdickheadTodani andthebit
chwhoj ustslapped
you.Howunf ort
unate.”

Wow, tal
kaboutst rai
ghttal
k.Ithoughthewoul dsay
hewasj ustjoking,
buthewasdeadser ious.Idon’t
knowwhyhewoul drefertohisparentsassuch,but
whoam It ojudge?Heev encall
edmeMf umakadzi
(Queen).Ihav eheardthatsomewher eon
Muv hango,butwhatonear thdoesitevenmean?

Thato:“
Uhm,Hell
oMul
alo.Pl
easedt
omeety
ou.
I
’m Thato,
That
oMaake.
”
Mulal
o:(
frowni
ng)“That’
sit?Ar
en’
tyougoi
ngt
o
gi
vemeapr operi
ntroduct
ionj
ustl
i
keIdid?
”

Idon’
tev
enknowwhatt osaysi
ncehejustcal
l
ed
hi
sdadadickheadandhismom abi
tch.

Thato: “
Oh, uhm,well
,Iam t
hedaughterofthelat
e
PetuniaMaakeandwel l
,Iam aMechanical
EngineeringstudentatWit
s.Thi
sismyf i
rsty
ear
andIam j ustheretoearnext
ramoneyf ormy
studies.
”
Mulal
o:“
Isee.You’
retoobeaut
if
ult
obet
reat
edl
i
ke
aserv
ant,Mfumakadzi(
Queen)
.”

That
o:(
puzzl
ed)“
MayIaskwhatMf
umakadzi
means?
”

Mul
alo:
(Chuckl
i
ng)“
Oh,
for
giv
eme,
itmeans
Queen.
”

Thatlaugh,i
tissoinf ecti
ous,justlikeKg’slaugh.
Mygoodnessheal sohasdi mpl esandper f
ectly
shapedandspar kl
yt eeth.Yoh, Icannothelpbutsee
aglimpseofKgi nhim.Mymi ndmustbepl aying
tr
icksonme.I thasbeenmont hs,andbynowhe
wouldhav efoundmei fher eallydidloveme, ri
ght?
Ididn’
tevenreal
izeIwasdeepi nt houghtandgazi ng
athimlikealovestruckt eenager .

Mulal
o:(
frowning)“
DidIsaysomet
hingwr
ong,
Mfumakadzi(Queen)
?”

Iqui
ckl
ycamebackt
omot
herear
th.

That
o:“
Oh,no,
forgi
veme.I
t’
sjustt
haty
our
emi
nd
meofsomeone.”
Mul
alo9:
“Someonegood,
per
haps?
”

Thato:
“Let’
sjustsayi
tissomeoneI
’
drat
hernott
alk
aboutri
ghtnow.”

Mul
alo:
“Asy
ouwi
sh,
Mfumakadzi
(Queen)
.”

Thato:
“Forgi
veme.Thankyousomuchforhel
ping
meout ,
butIreal
l
yhavet
ogetgoi
ng.I
’l
lonl
ybe
backhereonWednesday.
”

Icoul
dseeaf
lashofdi
sappoi
ntmentonhi
sface.

Mul
alo:
“Oh,
wel
l
,Icannotwai
ttoseey
out
hen.
”

Isthi
sguyfl
ir
ti
ngwithmeorsomethi
ng?Ican’
t
eventel
l.Hemustbet oool
dformeanyway,
probabl
yinhi
sthi
rt
ies.
That
o:“
Okay
.”

Iwasaboutt
owal
kupst
air
sandf
etchmybag,
when
hest
oppedme.

Mulal
o:“Howar
eyougoi
ngt
ogethome?Icant
ake
youther
e.”

Idon’
tev
enknowi
fiti
sawi
sei
deat
oal
l
owhi
mto
dri
vemether
e.

That
o:“
Idon’
tknowi
fiti
sagoodi
dea…”

Mulal
o:“Jo’
burgst
reet
saren’
tsafef
oryounggi
rl
s
l
ikeyou.Gof et
chyourbag,
I’
ll
takeyou.
”

Isl
owl
ywal
kedupandf
etchedmybag.AsIwal
ked
outandheadeddownst ai
rs,IsawMr .Nwal kingout
ofhisroom,buckl
inghisbelt.Ihur
r i
eddownt he
stai
rstoavoi
dhim,andMul alonoti
cedt hesudden
feari
nme.Rendani approachedmeaswel l,and
stoppedmerighti
nfrontofhisbrother,
whol ooked
readytoki
l
l.

Rendan:
“Ja,
neh.So,y
ourej
ect
edmej
ustsoy
ou
coul
dcausechaosi
nmyfamil
y?”

That
o:(
puzzl
ed)“
Excuseme?
”

Rendani:
“Youheardme.Youthinky
ou’
resosmar
t,
Thato,
butbewarned,
I’
m wat
chingyou.
”

Mulal
opushedhi
m outoft
hewayandgav
ehi
ma
st
ernwarni
ng.

Mul
alo:
“Wat
chwhaty
ousay
,boy
.Shedoesnot
wanty
ou,
andshei
snoty
ourt
ypei
nanycase.
”

Rendani:(
chuckli
ng)“
Youhav
eal
way
shadasof
t
spotforserv
ants.
”

Mulal
o:“I
t’
smuchbett
erthanf
all
ingf
orreal
di
amondswhodon’tevenwantyouback.Itmust
hur
t,hey
?”

Rendani ’
ssmi r
ksuddenl ydisappearedwhileMulal
o
gent l
ygrabbedmeandpul l
edmeawayf rom
Rendani .Per hapsthisj
obwasnotabl essingi
n
disguiseafterall.Idon’tthi
nkIam r eadyforsuch
drama.May beIjustneedt oendi t
,butthenagain,
I
’dj ustbegoi ngthereforaf ewday saweek, ri
ght?
Mul aloopenedt hedoorf ormeasIent ered.Wow,
thisguydr i
vesaJaguar .

Thisfamil
ymustbeswimminginmoney,ev
en
thoughIsti
ll
don’
tknowwhattheyact
ual
l
ydoto
earnt hatmoney .Mul al
ost art
edt hecaraswedr ove
off.I’
v ealwayst houghtt hatri
chpeopl ehadi teasy
andt hattheylivedhappyl i
ves,untilIactual
l
y
reali
zedt hatallthatmoneyi sjustforshow.I t
masksal ltherejection,
unhappi nessandr egrets
thattheyhav ebur ieddeepi nsideoft hei
rhearts.I
reali
zedal lofthatjustafteradayofbei nginthe
Nembi l
wi househol d.Suchi sli
fe.

Todadi
“Ti
ger
”Nembi
l
wi

Icouldn’tbel
ievemyey eswhenIf i
rstsawt hat
beautif
ul gi
rl
.Yes, Imightbeover50,butIstil
lhave
alotoff i
reburninginsi
deofme.Ial way sheard
Rendani tal
kaboutagi rlhei
sinlovewi t
handt hat
hernamei sThato.WhenVi vi
ansentmeamessage,
sayingthatshehassomeonewhocoul dbeanau
pairformygr andchil
d,Ihopeditwouldbeher .She
i
sonei nami l
li
on,andRendanididn’tl
ie.

Shei
shotandIj
ustcan’
thel
p,buti
magi
nemyl
i
ps
onthosepink,bri
ghtnipplesofhers.Eversinceshe
camet omyst udy,Idel
iberat
elysummonedherher e
j
usttoimagi nehernaked.Herbr i
ghtski
nt ell
sme
thatherpussyisasbr i
ghtastheycome.Ican’ twait
tosuckont hat.IalwaysgetwhatIwant ,
and
j
udgingbyhowdesper atesheisformoney, Iwil
lbe
suretogether–onewayoranot her
.

Ial
way srusht ogetthesegirl
sandt heyalwaysbore
mewi thi
naweek, butwiththi
sone, I
’l
lhavetoplay
mycar dsright.Iam goingtobepat i
entwithher
andhopef ull
yshewi l
lbemymi st
ress,forr
eal
.I
i
ntendonmaki nghermi neandmi nealone.Sure,I
l
oveConst ance,butshei ssuchanagandhas
becomeabi tofabore.Amancannotbehav ingthe
samemeal foryearswithoutgett
ingsomedesser t
outsi
de.

Whil
eIwasinmyst udydaydr
eami ngofThato,
and
l
ooki
ngatherpict
uresonInst
agram.Ihadt ounzi
p
mypant
sandr ubmydi ckwhi
lestari
ngather
pictures.Ihadtoimaginehersucki
ngoni twi
thher
gorgeouspi nkl
ips.Iwasabouttoreachmycli
max,
whenIhear dallthecommot i
ondownstai
rs.Shit
,
thisfamilywil
lbethedeathofmeoneday .

ThatiswhenIwentdownandf oundThatoholding
hercheek.Iknewt henthatConstancehadstart
ed
wit
hhershitagain.Thisbitchal
way swantst
or uin
mychanceathappi ness.Isummonedhert oour
bedroom,becauseshej usthastogetpuni
shed.We
walkedinandIshutt hedoorbehindme.

Ti
ger
:“Const
ance.Whati
swr
ongwi
thy
ou?
!”

Const
ance:(fr
ightened)“Please,f
orgi
veme, mylove.
I
…Icouldn’thelp,butnoticethewayy oulookedat
her
.Iknowt haty ouwanther ,j
ustli
keyoualways
wantal
lthesey ounggirl
swhowor kforus.”

Ti
ger
:“Const
ance,
youknowt
hatI
’
m amanofmany
desi
res.Igi
veyoual
lthemoneyintheworld.You
haveacomfort
ablel
i
feandev er
ythi
ngyouwant
becauseofme.Youdon’tev
enhav etol
if
taf i
nger
,
man.Whatmor edoyouwantf r
om me?”

Constance:
(tear
y)“Iwanty outobemyhusband.
Mineandmi nealone,Todani.Whycan’
tyousee
thaty
ourbehav i
ourisbreakingme?”

Tiger:
”Wheny oumar r
iedmey oupromisedt obe
thereformet hroughthickandthi
n.Ineedt his,can’
t
yousee?Youal onecannotsati
sfymyneeds.You
refusedtoletmet akeasecondwi fe,
soy ouhav eno
choicebuttoletmeenj oyot
herwomen.Besi des,
whyar eyoucompl aini
ngwhenIal wayscomeback
homet oy ou?”

Constance:
(pleadi
ng)“
Please,
Todani
.I’l
ldo
anyt
hingforyou.Justpl
ease,l
ovemelikeyouused
to.Pl
ease…”
Iunbuckl
edmypant
sasIl
ookedather
.

Tiger:“Youli
kewast i
ngmyt ime.Ispecifi
cal
lyt
old
yout otreatt
hatchildwell
,butyoujusthadtogo
againstmywi shes.Youev enslappedher,
Const ance.Now, bentdown.Youknowwhatt odo.”

Const
ance:
(pl
eadi
ng)“
Please,
Tiger
,I…”

Isl
appedhersohar
dthatshenear
lyf
ell
ont
hef
loor
.

Ti
ger
:“Isai
d,getony
ourknees!
”

Shedi dasinstruct
ed.Ijustloveitwhenshegets
scaredandf ri
ghtened.Iloveinfl
ict
ingpai
non
women, i
tgi
v esmegr eatpl
easur e.Shegotonher
kneesandsuckedonmycockj ustthewayIli
kei
t.
That’sthenicepartaboutbeingmar ri
edtowomen
l
ikeConstance,youf
indt
hem br
okeandyou
upgradet
hem.Theyendupwor shi
ppingy
ouand
giv
ingyouany t
hingy
ouwant.

Ti
ger
:(moani
ng)“Aah,
fuck!Yes,Conni
e.Suckt
hat
di
ck,
baby.Justt
hewayIlikei
t.
”

Shesuckedharderandhar
derandIshotmyl
oadal
l
overherf
ace.

Ti
ger
:“Aah,
thanky
ou,
mywi
fe.Il
ovey
ou.
”

Const
ance:
“Il
ovey
out
oo.
”

Tiger:“
Nowwipet
hatshitof
fyourf
aceandgobook
yoursel
fandy
ourfr
iendsint
oaspa,mytr
eat.
”

Iwal
kedoutoft
her
eandbuckl
edmybel
tasIsaw
Thatowalki
ngoutofoneofthebedrooms.Iwant
ed
tospeaktoher,
butIsawherrunni
ngdowntowards
Mulalo.Thi
sboyisreal
l
ytesti
ngme.Thatoismine,
andRendanishoul
dalsoknowthat.

Besi
des,Mul al
ostandsnochancebecauseonce
That
of i
ndsoutt hathei
sactual
lymarr
ied,i
twil
lbe
gameov erforhim.Therecanneverbethr
eebull
sin
onekraalandtheybothneedtobereminded.
Chapt
erFour
tyTwo

Prov
erbs16”28–“ Adishonestmanspreadsst
ri
fe,
andawhisperersepar
atesclosef
ri
ends.”

That
o

Mulal
oaskedf ormynumberbef or
edroppingmeoff,
andIgaveittohim.Idon’tknow,apartofmegave
i
ttohim becauseheremindsmeofKg.Seei ng
Mulal
ogivesmesomeki ndofhope, peaceofmind
thatagli
mpseofKgi sther
esomehow.Hei sanice
guy,butIjustdon’
teventhinkIcantrustanyone
from t
hatfamily.AsIgotoutofhi scar,If
ound
Rami abouttowalkintothebuil
ding.Shest opped
asshesawmeappr oach.

That
o:“
Heyf
ri
end.
”

Rami:(
frowni
ng)“
Andthen?Whyi
soneofTi
ger
’s
sonsdroppi
ngyouof
f?”

Hao,
Rami
knowsTi
gerandhi
ssons?

That
o:(
frowni
ng)“
YouknowMul
alo?
”

Rami:Yes.Youdidn’tanswermyquest
ion,
though.
Arey
oubusywi t
ht hatguy?”
That
o:(
laughi
ng)“
Don’
tber
idi
cul
ous.Il
i
ter
all
ymet
hi
m anhourago.
”

Shel
ookedatmyf
aceandgotf
ri
ght
ened.

Rami
:“Whathappenedt
oyourf
ace?
!”

That
o:“Come,l
et’
sgoinandI
’
llt
ell
youal
laboutmy
dayoverabot
tl
eofwine.
”

Rami walkedinwi thmewhi lesheexami nedmyf ace

thewhol eti
mewewer ewalkingtogether
.I’dmost
probablyhaver eactedthesamehadIbeenher .We
gotintotheflatandIopenedusabot t
leofwinewi t
h
somei ceandsatdownnextt oher.Igulpeditall
down, whil
eshebar el
ytouchedhers.Thewhol e
ti
meshewasst aringatme,wai t
ingformet ostart
tal
king.
Rami
:“Tal
k.”
That
o:(
sigh)“Ei
sh,fr
iend.Ihadnoi
deamydaywas
goi
ngtoturnoutli
kethis.
”

Itoldhereveryt
hingthathappenedf rom Mrs.
Nembi l
wi’sr
udei ntr
oduction,toRendani’
spett
iness,
toMr .Nembilwi’
soutrageouspr oposalt
omeet i
ng
Mul al
oandhi sgenerousgest ure.Thewholeti
me
shekeptgaspi ngandcov eri
nghermout hinshock.
WhenIgott oMr .Nembi l
wi ’
spar t
,shegotangry,
reall
yangry.

Rami:“Thatsonofabit
ch!Wagotl
wael
a( hehas
di
srespectedyou)
,That
o.Ihav
etol
etVi
vianknow
aboutthi
s.”

Whichbr
ingsmet omynextquest
ion.Howdoes
sheknowTigerandhi
ski
ds?

That
o:“
Howdoy
ouknowTi
gerandMul
alo?
”
Rami:“Hei soneoft
hepr emium cardhol der
satmy
aunt’
sclub.Youcan’tgobackt here,Tee.Those
peoplearedodgyandshadyasf uck.Iwasabi t
suspi
ciousaboutthesal
ar y
,butnowt hatIknow
you’
rewor kingf
orTi
ger,Ican’tl
etyougoback
ther
e.”

That
o:(
frowni
ng)“
Whatdoy
oumean?
”

Rami :
(sigh)“ Look,allIknowi sthatTigeri
svery
shady.Hel ikest ohav eroughsexwi thaf ewofour
gir
ls.Irefusedt obeofser vi
cetohi m whenInoti
ced
hisabusivet endencies.Hel ikeschokingand
beati
ngt heshi toutoft hewomenhef ucksandpays
goodmoneyt oo,about30gr andpersession.He
hasalway scheat edonConst anceandsi ncesheis
oneofVi vi
an’ sclosefriends,sheisalsooneofthe
regul
arcust omer satthecl ub.”
Ifr
ownedasIl
ookedather
.Whatdoesshemean
sheisar
egul
aratthecl
ub?

Rami: “
Yousee, myaunthasav eryelit
esexcl ub.It
onlydependsont hekindofwor ky ou’r
ewi l
li
ngt odo.
Themor eyou’rewill
ingtodo, themor etheserich
assholespayy ouforit.Therear ecertainnightsthat
areonlyforwomen, most lyWednesdayandSunday
evenings.Al otofViv i
an’sfri
endscomet otheclub
tofuckboysy oungerthant hem sincet hei
rold
husbandspr eferfuckingy oungergi r
lsintheirspare
ti
me.”

Thi
sissomer
eal
,fr
eakyshi
t.
That
o:“
Whatexact
lydot
hesemendof
oral
i
ving?
”

Rami:“Theymostl
yrunbusi
nessesasafrontfor
thei
ril
l
egalact
ivi
ti
es.Theyar
ealldrugdeal
ers.”

Igott
heshockofmyl
i
fe.SoTi
geri
sadr
ugdeal
er?
Doest
hisnowmeanMul
aloi
sapar
tofi
ttoo?

Thato:“
So,doest
hismeanRendani
andThendoar
e
partofi
ttoo?”

Rami :“Idon’tknow.Ionl ymett hem thefir

stti
me
thatdaywear riv
ed.Ihav enev erseenthem atthe
club,Ihaveonl yseenTi gerandMul aloonceort wice.
Buthei ssor eserved,henev erchoosesagi rl
.He
stoppedcomi ngafterthethirdtime,Vivi
ansayst hat
Tigerwant edt oint
roducehimt othisl
if
e,buthej ust
won’tbudge.Hedoesnotseem l i
kehisfat
her,butI
don’ttrustthem.It hi
nkVi vi
anshoul dlookfor
anotherjobf oryou.”

Idon’
tknowifIact
uall
yshouldwai tf
oranotherjob.
Whatifi
tnevercomes?Imeant enthousandrandis
apret
tygooddealforl
ooki
ngaf terachil
dand
cl
eani
ngupaf t
erri
chpeople,
right?
Thato:
(worr
ied)“
But,
Rami
,whati
fIdon’
tgeta
bett
erdeal
thanthi
s?”

Rami :“
Iti
sal otbet
terthantostressyoursel
fout
l
ikethisandsellyoursoultothedev i
lhimsel
f.I
don’ttr
ustthosepeople,andneithershouldyou.
Please,tr
ustme.I ’
l
ltal
kt oVivi
an,butinthemean
ti
me, tr
ustme. ”

That
o:(
sigh)“
Rami,Icannotexpecty
out
otakecar
e
ofme.Ineedtohustl
eonmyown. ”

Rami:“
Igett
hatyou’
repr
oud,baby,
Ido.Butnow, I
needyoutol
eanonme.Anyot herj
obisbett
erthan
worki
ngforaper
vertwhoisr
eadytorapeyou.
”

Ican’
tbeli
eveIdidn’
tthi
nkofi
tli
ket
hat.WhatifI
wast ogetst
uckinthehouseal
onewit
hTigerand
heendedupr api
ngme?Icannotbeli
eveIwasthat
naïv
e.Iwaswi ll
i
ngtosacri
fi
cemycommonsense
allf
ormoney .Thi
sisfr
eakingmeoutsobadl y,that
onlynowithasbegunsinki
ngi n.Islowl
ysankon
thecouch,astear
sescapedmyey es.Ramirushed
tomysideandhuggedmet ight.

Rami:“
Don’twor
ry,
boo.Trustme,you’r
emysist
er
now.Iwon’tl
etanyt
hinghappent
oy ou.Notwhi
le
I
’m al
i
ve.”

Vi
vi
anLet
swal
o

Mynamei sVivi
anLet swalo,proudownerof
MadameVi vi
ennecl ub.Ilovemyj obeventhoughI
hadt ostar
tfrom scratchtomakei thappen.
Not hi
nginthi
slif
ei sforfree,andIknewatt he
tenderageof13t hatsexsel l
s.Iwasal waysthe
blacksheepinmyf amily.Yes,Rami’smotherandI
aresister
s,butshewasal waysthefavouri
te.

So,
thatl
edmet
odooddt
hingsandul
ti
mat
elyI
endedupdat ingataveryyoungage.Myf ami
ly
nev erknewthatpar
tofme, theyjustthoughtofme
asawi l
dchil
dsinceIalwaysusedt oparty.Unti
li
n
Varsity,wher
eImethemanofmydr eams.Hewas
olderthanme–wayol derthanme.Hepr omised
meheav enandearth,
unti
lhedumpedmewhenI
toldhim Iwaspregnantwit
hhi schil
d.

Iwasdev astated,
andev enmor edevastatedwhenI
hadtoabor tthechil
d.From thatdayonwar ds,
my
heartbecamest onecoldtowardsmen.Ihat emen
wit
hev eryfi
breofmybei ng,andt heonl
ywayIknew
howt omakemoney ,
wasbyhi t
tingthem whereit
hurt
s–t heirpockets.Thesefil
thybastardsdon’t
gi
veashi taboutusnorourf eeli
ngs.

Mysocal l
edmanofmydr eamscamebacki ntomy
l
ifewhenIf i
nishedmydegr ee.Yes,hewasbrokeas
fuckandont hebrinkofdepressi
on.Hiswif
ehad
l
efthim andheonl yhadaboutR200000lefti
nhi s
account.From amul t
i-
mill
i
onaire,t
onear
lybroke,al
l
becausehechoset
ospendhismoneyonbi
tches.
So,Icl
eanedhi
m outoneni
ghtwhenhewasdrunk
andIlef
thim.

ItookoutaloanandIputt hemoneyt ogetherto

buil
dMadameVi vi
enne.Hecommi tt
edsuicide,but
whogi v
esashi t
?It ookwhatwasduet ome.Iam
thequeenofJo’burgandal lthesemenwhot hink
theycanownwomen, answertome.Theycome
hereforagoodt i
me, butIcalltheshots.Theycan’t
handlebeingbossedbyawomanatt i
mes, butiti
s
whatitis.

Theyallanswertomyhusband, DavidGroen,also
knownasGr i
ngo.Yes, Ichoset omar r
yev enafter
allt
hebullshi
tIwentt hrough.Idon’thavechildren
ofmyownduet otheabor t
ionandthecompl i
cations
ther
eof,butIbecameast epmothertoGringo’
s
chil
drenwhenhi swifedi ed.Hei sabitold,55tosay
theleast
,whileI’
m only40.Il ov
ehim somuchand
heisamant hatactuall
yget sme.Theysay
busi
nessandpleasur
edon’
tmi
x,butwi
thGr
ingoand
I
,ever
ythi
ngjustgel
s.

Wemakemoneyt ogetherandal
l t
hese
motherfuckersanswert ous.Ift
heycan’thandlethe
heat,
theyneedt oleave.Todaywasy etanother
hecti
cday ,butIam gladtoseemyhusband.If ound
hi
m cookingupast or
m, asusual.Heisnoty our
usualdruglord,youknow.

Vi
vi
an:
“Hey
,honey
.”

Gr
ingo:
(smi
l
ing)“
Final
l
y,mydar
li
ngwi
fear
ri
ves.
”

Heki
ssedmepassionatel
yandhandedmeagl
ass
ofwi
ne.JustwhatIneed.
Gr
ingo:
“Howwasy
ourday
,today
?”

Vi
vi
an:
(si
gh)“
Good,
lov
e.Justoneoft
hoseday
s,
y
ouknowi
tis.
”

Gr
ingo:
“Per
hapsyoushoul
dret
ireandgetsomeone
el
setoruni
tfory
ou,someonel
ikeRami.
”

Viv
ian:“YouknowIwanthert of i
nishherst
udies,
andbesides,Idon’
twanthert ogodownt hisrout
e.I
havetr
iedtogethert ostopthi
s.Iev enoff
eredher
amanager i
alposit
ion,butsherefused.
”

Gri
ngo:“
Inv
iteherov
erf
orl
unch,
I’
ll
knocksome
sensei
ntoher.
”

Vi
vi
an:
“Whatwoul
dIdowi
thouty
ou?
”

Gri
ngo:“
Wel
l,
letmethink.Youwouldbesad,
lonel
y
andver
ymuchsexual
lyfrust
rat
ed.
”
Icoul
dn’
thel
pbutburstouti
nlaughter
.Myhusband,
heisj
ustsomet
hingelse.Agangsterandj
okeral
li
n
one.

Gri
ngo:
“So,
didyoumanaget
ospeakt
othatgi
rly
ou
t
oldmeabout?”

Viv
ian:“
Well
,yes,butnott oday
.Ihaven’
tspokento
heryet
.I’dl
i
ket oknowhowherdaywent ,al
thoughI
wasabitskepti
caloftakinghertoTi
ger’
shouse.
Youknowhowheget s.”

Gringo:“
Don’tworry,l
ove.Ifhetri
essomethi
ng
funny,I
’
llpersonal
lydealwi
thhim.Idealwithdr
ugs,
notmanipulatingandrapi
ngy ounggi
rl
s.”

Iguessheisright
.Thereisjustsomethi
ngabout
Thato,
Icannotpinpointi
t.Shei ssosmartand
humble,Icannothel
pbutwantt odosomet hi
ngfor
her.Iwanttoseeherskinthickenabit
.Sheneeds
tolear
nthatitisaj
ungleoutthereandthatwomen
needtolearnhowtofendforthemselvesincase
shi
thitsthefan.AsIwastalkingtomyhusband,
whilehewascooking,myphoner ang.

Gr
ingo:
“Whoi
sit
?”

Vi
vi
an:
“It
’sRami
.”

Gr
ingo:
“Answeri
t.I
tmi
ghtbei
mpor
tant
.”

Vi
vi
an:
“Rami
.Di
l
odi
siame(
Isev
ery
thi
ngokay
)?”

Rami:“Hel
l
o,Mmane(
aunt
).Yes,
wel
l
,no,
not
real
l
y.”

Vi
vi
an:
(fr
owni
ng)“
Whati
sit
?”
Rami:(
sigh)“
Ke(
It
’s)Ti
ger
.Of
lopi
l
e(Hemessed
up)
.”

Shet oldmeev erythingt

hathappenedfrom Connie
slappingher ,t
oTi germakingadvancestowardsher.
Ican’tbel i
evethis.Thesetwoar efucki
ngwi t
hmy
businessi mageandwheny oufuckwithme, you
fuckwi thmyl i
v el
ihood.Thatomaynotbef ami l
yof
mi ne,butItakeal lthegi
rl
sthatworkformeasmy
daught ers.Thisguyneedst obet aughtaseri
ous
l
esson.

Viv
ian:(pi
ssed)“
Okay,
mygirl
.Thankyoufor
noti
fyi
ngme.Gr i
ngowantsyoutohav
elunchwi
th
usonSat ur
day.Bri
ngThat
owith.
”

Rami
:“Okay
,aunt
y.By
e.”

Ihungupandsi
ghedi
nfr
ust
rat
ion.
Gr
ingo:
“And?
”

Viv
ian: “
JustasIfear
ed.Tigeroff
eredThatoa
mistressposit
ion.Imean,
shei sonly1,
forcr
ying
outloud!”

Gri
ngo:(Angry
)“Thatmot her
fuckerdoesn’
tli
sten.I
for
gavehim whenhef uckedmycousi n’
sdaughter,
butthi
s.Thishasgonet oofar.Perhapsyoushould
j
usthelpThatowithherfees,l
ove.”

Vi
vian:“
Believ
eme, G.Ihavethoughtabouti
t,butI
j
ustcan’thanditov
ertoherli
kethat.Sheneedsto
workforit
,somehow.”

Gringo:“Iknowwheny oucallmeG,y ou’

redead
serious.Tellyouwhat,l
etmemeetherandt henwe
canseehowwecandeal wit
hall
thi
s.Imean, she
soundsl i
keav erybri
ghtgir
l.Andyouhav en’t
stoppedt al
kingabouthereversi
nceyoumether .
”
Vivi
an:“Shej
ustr
emi
ndsmeofmyy oungersel
f,y
ou
know.ThemeIwasbeforeIbecameMadame
Vivi
enne.”

Gri
ngo:“
Igetyou,
mylove.Come,
let
’seat
.Wecan
dealwi
thal
lofthi
stomorr
ow.”
Chapt
erFour
tyThr
ee

Hebrews4:
16–“ LetusthenapproachGod’
sthr
one
ofgracewi
thconfi
dence,sothatwemayrecei
ve
mercyandfi
ndgracetohelpusinourti
meofneed.
”

That
o
Isleptverywell
,unt
ilIhadav er
ywei r
ddr eam yet
again.IcouldnotgetthroughtoKgi nthedream, I
meanIwasst il
lcal
l
ingoutt ohi
m andal l
hedi dwas
j
ustl ookbackatmeandkeptmov ingforward.Iti
s
av erystr
angedream, whichcausesmet obecome
restl
essev er
ysingl
etimeIhav eit
.Iwakeupand
prayeveryt
ime,andt henIst
ruggl
egoingbackto
sl
eep.Idohowev er
,managet odomyassi gnment
s
i
nt heearl
yhoursofthemor ni
ng,soatleast
somethingproducti
vedoescomeoutofmy
i
nsomni a.
Iam gladIhav en’
tseenorheardanythi
ngfrom
Rendani ev
ersincehisrudebehavi
ourtowardsme.I
am mostgr at
efulforRami,i
fshewasn’ti
nmyl i
feI
honestlywoul
dnotknowwhatt odo,real
ly
.I
deci
dedt ogetupbef or
emyal armrangasIhavea
7am lectur
etoday.
Imadesomebr eakfastforRami ,aver yni
ce
omel ett
e,fi
ll
edwi thav ocado,chickenliver
sand
babyt omatoes.It oppedi toffwithabl ueber
ryand
plai
ny oghurtsmoot hie.Idon’ tknowi fmyheartwi l
l
evermakepeacewi t
ht hef actthatKgi snolongera
partofmyl ife.Iseem t obedoi ngal otofthi
ngs,
seeingal otofthingsthatr emindmeofhi m.AsI
wasaboutt ocallRami f
rom herr oom, sheappeared.

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Goodmor
ning,
sunshi
ne.Iwasj
ust
aboutt
ocal
lyou.
”

Rami:“Youdidn’thav
eto,reall
y.Thegor
geous
aromaofy ourfoodcall
edmeoutofmyr oom onit
s
own.Gi r
l,wheredidyoulearntomakesuchnice
food?
”

Thato:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
Comeon,
youhav
en’
tev
en
tast
edit.
”

Rami:“
Idon’thaveto.Icant
ellthati
ttast
esjustas
goodasitlooks.Thesamewayaper soncantell
you’
rebeauti
fuli
nsi
deandoutsidejustbylooki
ngat
you.Yourbeauti
fulgr
eyeyestellastor
y.”

Thato:(l
ookingdown)“Seemslikeyou’
retheonl
y
personwhoseemst ot hi
nkso.Imeanpr ett
ymuch
everyonehassomethingnegati
vetosayaboutthe
wayt hatIl
ook.Atti
mes, Ihat
elookingatmysel
f.
”
Rami :
“Bri
kanetdaar(hol
ditri
ghtthere)
.You
cannotevental
ksuchshitaboutyoursel
f,That
o.
Hav eyouact
uall
ylookedinthemirror
,hun?Imean,
actual
lyl
ooked?”

Ishr
uggedmyshoul
der
sandt
ri
edt
ochanget
he
subj
ect
.

That
o:“
Eatbef
orey
ourf
oodget
scol
d.”

Rami :
“Youcannotdodgeme.Bona( Look),
Tee,
you’
resogor geousandli
feiswaytooshortnotto
beli
evet hat
.Confi
denceiskey,babe.ImeanKgi s
l
iter
all
ynott heonl
ymanwhosawt hev al
ueinyou.
Doy ouknowwhypeopl ekeepinsul
ti
ngandmaki ng
funofy ou?”

That
o:“
Why
?”
Rami
:“Wel
l
,forst
art
ers,
becauset
hey
’reugl
y.
”

Ibur
stouti
nlaugher
.Rami
,mar
a(t
hough)
.

Rami :“I’m ser ious.Butont hereal though, the

peopl ewhoal way sfeel theneedt oi nsultyoul ack
whaty oupossess.Youpossessnat uralbeaut y,
brainsandcl assmoneycannotbuy ,sis.Thesooner
your ealizet hat ,thebet ter.You’reoner aregem and
somel ookf or ev erfory ourkind, butnev erfindi t
.
Hence, peopl el i
keTi gerwantt ogooutoft heirway
todest royy ou, becauset heycannotphat hom
anyoneel sehav i
ngy ou.Peopl eal way swantt or ui
n
agoodt hing, unf ort
unat elysuchi sli
f e.EvenGod
knewbef orehecr eatedus, thatwewoul dallbe
sinners, onewayoranot her.Gr eedcomesi nmany
forms, Tee, andoneoft hosef ormsi swhenaman
want st opossessmor et hanonewomanbecausehe
himsel flacksnat uralpowerandgr ace.Yout rulyare
oneofaki nd. ”
Ifel
tmy sel
ftearingupasshet oldmethat
.Iknow
sheissupposedt osaysuchthi
ngstomeasmy
fr
iend,
butthatf eltsogenui
ne,li
keshespoke
honest
lyandf rom theheart
.Ireall
ydon’
tknow
whattosayt oher .

That
o:“
You’
regoi
ngt
omakemecr
y,Rami
,man.
”

Rami:
“Youaresti
l
lyettocry
,becauseit
’syour
bi
rt
hdaythi
sweekend,andIneedyouony ou’r
eA-
game.Idon’
tneedyousulki
ngwheny ou’r
et ur
ning
18.
”

Thato:
(sur
pri
sed)“Hao(goodness),
Rami.You
real
l
ydidn’
thavetoplananyt
hingforme,
y ouknow.
”

Rami:“
You’reri
ght
,Idi
dn’
thav
eto,butIwant
edt
o.
So,j
ustaccepti
t,y
ou’r
est
uckwit
hme. ”
Il
aughedasIprayedforthefoodandwedugi n.I
haveneverhear
dRami prayforus,shealways
i
nsist
sthatIdoit
.Whi chremindsmet hatIneedto
askheraboutherr
elat
ionshi
pwi t
hGod.

Rami
:(impressed)“
Wow, gi
rl
!Wher edidy
oulearn
howtocookl i
kethi
s?!Ibetyoudi
dn’tl
ear
nthis
fr
om yourauntSophi
eorKoko( gr
anny)Mari
a.”

Webot
hbur
stoutl
aughi
ng.

Thato:
“Actuall
y,Il
earntal
otoffancystufff
rom Kg.
Mamat aughtmehowt ocook,
buthet aughtmea
l
otaboutItal
iandishsandthel
ikes.Icanevenbake
adishortwo.”

Rami :
“Shame,man,fr
iend.Wereal
lyneedtofi
nd
thatguy.Imeanhehasgoty ousofuckedupand
youstil
lbl
ushwheneveryoutal
kabouthim.Aowa
(No),man.Youreal
lyneedtogetl
aidasinASAP.”
Thato:
“Don’
tbesil
l
y,man.I
’
m per
fect
lyf
inewi
thout
sex.Idon’
tevencr
avei
t.
”

Rami:
“That’
sbecauseyou’
rei
ntheearl
ystagesof
wit
hdr
awal.Wai tf
orthesy
mptoms,Tee.Yoh,it
’sa
ni
ghmare,It
ell
you.”

Thato:“
Hao,whyarey
ouact
ingl
ikeyou’
vebeen
gett
inglai
dwhenyouhav
en’
thadanyforawhi
le?
”

Rami:
“Ei
sh,j
a,ne.You’
resori
ghtaboutt hat
.Ireal
ly
needt
ogetbusyandlookfort
henextav ail
abl
edick.
MaybeThendomightbemynextdickfest.”

Iburstoutinl
aughterasIli
stenedtohercrazy
stor
ies.Wecleanedupaf tereati
ngandgotr eady
forCampus.Wegott her
eandt houghtwe’dcall
Khanyi,si
ncewehav en’
tseenherf ordays.Shehas
real
lybeenscarce.Iwasaboutt odialhernumber,
whenRami
excl
aimedi
nshock.

Rami
:“Whatt
hef
uck?
!”

Itur
nedar oundandl ookedt owardsthedir
ecti
onshe
wasst ari
ngandIgott heshockofmyl if
e.Rendani
hadhisar m aroundKhany i’sarm andtheywere
smili
ngwhi leheoccasi onallyki
ssedhercheek.
Theyst oppedast heyappr oachedus.Rami di
dn’
t
l
ookhappyatal l,
whileIwasst unnedand
speechless.

Rendani
:“Rami
,That
o.”

Hegavemeoneofhisdisgustedlooksasusual
whenhesaidmyname.Idon’ tevencareanymore.
Hedidn’
tev
enwaitf
orust orespond,notthatwe
weregoi
ngtoany
way,andhet urnedtoKhany i
.
Rendani
:“Baby
,I’
l
lseey
oul
ater
,okay
?”

Khany
i:“
Okay
.”

Hegaveherapassionat
ekisswhichlast
edabouta
minut
eorso.Het hengaveRami andIonelast
di
sgustedlookbef
orehelef
t.Rami andIst
il
lstar
ed
atKhanyihopi
ngshewouldsaythisisal
lj
ustasick
j
oke.

Rami
:“Andt
hen?
”

Khany
i:“
Hao,
andt
henwhat
?”

Thato:“
Whatdoyoumeanandt
henwhat
?Whati
s
thatal
labout
?”

Khany
i:“
Hao,
whatdoy
oumean?Rendani
andIar
e
of
fi
cial
l
ydat
ingnow.See?It
oldy
ouI
’
dgethi
m.”

Trul
yspeakingsheneversaidthat.Shejustkept
hopi
ngshewoul dgettobehi sgir
lfr
iend.WhydoI
getthefeel
i
ngthisguyistryi
ngtodat eKhanyij
ust
sothathecouldfi
ndar easontoseemeor
something?

Rami :
(fol
dinghands)“
He’
susi
ngy
ou.Don’
ttr
ust
thatguy.”

Khanyi
justseemedt
ogetannoy
edaf
terRami
sai
d
that
.
Khanyi
:“Ij
ustbecameoneoft
hehot
testguyson
Campus’sgir
lf
ri
end.Whycan’
tyout
woatl eastbe
happyforme?”

Ai
,Khany
i.
Thato:“
Weare,
butwe’
rejustl
ooki
ngoutf
ory
ou.I
’
d
hatetoseey
ougethur
t.
”

Khanyi
:“Youreal
lyl
ikeact
ingl
i
keanexpert,
Thato,
whenallthewhil
eyouhaveneverhadar
elati
onshi
p
tol
astyouawhol eyear
.”

Okay ,
ouch.Thatreal
l
yhurtme, itact
ual
lycut
deeply.Shedidn’
thavetotakeitther
e.Ijustkept
quietinshockandmoreoverdisappoi
ntmentmor e
thanany t
hing.

Rami:(annoyed)“ Khanyi
,youreall
ydon’thav
etobe
abit
chabouti t.You’ v
ebeenagi rl
fri
endforwhat?A
meretwomi nut esandnowy oufeelyou’
vegrown
enoughclit
stoi nsultThat
olikethat?Allwe’
re
sayi
ngisthaty ouneedt okeepy oureyesopen,
that
’sall
.I’
m goi ngtoclass.Tee,l
ater.
”

Rami
wal
kedawayl
ooki
ngser
iousl
ypi
ssed.Iam
too,
butIjustdeci
dedt
owalkaway.Shef
eltt
he
needtorunaftermeassoonasshesawmeleav
ing
herther
e.

Khany
i:(
Shout
ing)“
That
o,wai
t!
”

Isti
l
l keptwal kingwhileshej
ustfol
lowedmet othe
l
ecturehal l.Ihateitwhenpeopleusemypast
experiencest oinsul
tme.Imeanwher edoesshe
getther ight,
theaudaci t
ytotal
ktomel iket
hat
?I
fi
nall
ywal kedintovenueandshecamet osi
tnextto
me.It ookoutmynot ebookandignoredheral
lthe
way.

Khany
i:“
That
o,I
’
m sor
ry.Idi
dn’
tmeani
tli
ket
hat
.”

Iignoredherandfocusedonthelectur
eathand.An
hourandahal fl
ater
,Icouldseeshedidn’tenj
oythe
l
ect ur
eatall
.Whot alkstosomeonel i
kethat,
though?Iguessitistruewhattheysay,gooddick
rui
nsgoodf riendships.Afterthel
ect ureIwalked
outinhast easshewasswi ftl
ywalkingbehi ndme
try
ingt ogetmyat tenti
on.Iwenttot hecant eenand
waitedf orRami .Ihadsuchagoodmor ning,so
Khany ispoil
edi t.Ididn’
tfeelli
kestay i
nganot her
minut elonger,sinceweal lhaveonecl assfort he
day.Khany istoodt her
elookingalit
tleremor seful
,
butIwasn’ tat adbitbothered.Rami approachedus
andj ustgaveKhany ialook.
Rami
:“Ar
eyour
eadyt
oleav
e,Tee?
”

Lucki
lyshesawt
hatIdi
dn’
twantt
ost
ayonCampus
anyfurt
her.

That
o:“
Yes,
please,
let
’sgo.
”

Khanyi
:“Guy
s,Nkosi
yami(
Mygoodness)
.I’
m sor
ry.
I
tjustcameoutwrong.
”

Rami
:“Khany
i,y
ou’
reani
cegi
rl
,butv
erynaï
ve.You
sti
l
l haveal ott
olearnaboutl
if
e,l
oveandsex.But
whoar ewet osayanyt
hing?Wedon’tknow
anything,r
ight?So,giv
eussomespace, we’
ll
see
yousomet imeduri
ngt heweekoronSatur
daywhen
wel eaveforCapeTown.Wel l,
that
’si
fyousti
llwant
tojoinus.”

Justli
kethatweleftherwi thhermout hhangingand
wemadeourwayt ot hecar .Shedrivesusar ound,
j
ustuntilIcangetmyl i
cense.Si ncewedon’ thave
anyclassestoday,
wedeci dedtoheadoutt oSpur
forameal andafewdr inks.Rami i
splanni
ngon
taki
ngmet oCapeTownf ormy18t hBirt
hday .What
onearthdidIdotodeser vesuchagoodf ri
end?

Vi
vi
anLet
swal
o

Ibarel
ysleptawinkafterRami’
scalll
astni
ght
.
CouldIhavemisj
udgedt hesit
uati
on?ImeanI
nearl
ylandedaninnocentgir
lint
rouble,
whati
fthat
fuckrapedher?Ijustwantedtoteachher
i
ndependencewi t
houtherf eelinglikeaburdenor
l
ikesheisanui sance.Ihav ehel pedalotofgirl
s,
butmostoft hem endupwor kingf ormeatthecub
tomakemeansandext r
amoney .Thereisjust
somethingaboutThat o,Ijustcan’ tpinpoi
ntit.She
i
swayt ooambi t
iousandi nnocentt oworki
nmy
club.Alltheot hergirl
sjustwantt omakemoneyt o
supporttheirfami l
iesandchi ldrenbackhome.

Al otoft hem hav emadesomepoorchoi ces,but

That oseemsl ikeshehasbeent hroughqui tealot,
andIcan’ thelpbutact i
vatemymot her lyinsti
nct
s.
Tigerseemst ohav egottenwayt oof arwi thhisshit
.
Hehasf orgott
enwhoIam andIhav et oputhi min
hi
sl ane.That oisnotoneofmyescor tsorar andom
stripper.Outofal lmyclient s,hei st heonl yonewho
l
acksr espectf orthesegirls’ pr
ofessi on.Ii nvi
ted
VivianandTi gerov erf
orameal ,justsowecoul d
chat .Gr i
ngoi sbusymaki ngussomel unch,whileI
j
ustf i
nishedget ti
ngdressed.Iheadeddownst ai
rs
andf oundhi m alr
eadyset tingt het abl e.
Gri
ngo:(
smi
l
ing)“
Goodmor
ning,
myl
ove.Howar
e
you?”

Vi
vi
an:
“I’
m al
ri
ght
,howar
eyou?
”

Gri
ngo:“
I’
dbemuchbet
teri
fyougi
vemeagood
ki
ss.”

Ichuckl
edandki
ssedhi
m.

Gri
ngo:“
Youseem worri
ed,
butpl
easedon’
t.Imi
ght
beabitol
d,butIst
il
lhav
eameanst r
eak.
”

Icouldn’
thelpbutlaugh.Yes, hesti
ll
does.The
doorbellr
angasSi s’Graci
ouswentt ogetit
.I n
walkedTigerwithhiswi f
eandRendani ,Mulal
oand
Thendobyhi sside.Whyt hef uckwouldhebr i
nghi
s
sonst oourhouse?Idi dn’ti
nvit
ethem.Thisi s
exactl
ywhatIam t al
kingabout .Heisthetotal
oppositeofGor i
llaandWol f.Theyjoinedusaf ew
mont hsago, buttheyhavewaymor er espectt
han
thi
sasshol eandhi sson,Rendani .Goril
la’
sson
Wolfeisact ual
lywaymor er uthl
essandhandson
thanhei s,
butev enso, t
heyr espectt
hewaywe
operateourbusi nessandt heystayintheirl
ane.I
sti
ll
don’tgetwhyConni ejustdoesn’tleavehisass.
Imeanshehasnopr e-
nup.Thei rmarriageisas
goodasov er.

Tiger
:“Af
ter
noon,
GroenFamil
y.Apologi
esforbei
ng
abitl
ate.Asyoucansee,
Ihavebroughtmyheir
sto
theshow.Ihopeyoudon’
tmind,
doy ou?”

IcouldseeGr i
ngoget t
ingr eal
l
yirr
it
ated.Ittakesa
l
otforhimt ogetannoy ed,andTigerisjustoneof
thefewpeopl ethatactuall
yirr
it
atehim.Ir egretthe
daywemadehi mj oinourbusiness.Weonl ydidso
becausehei sroyalandhecoul dbringinahuge
shareofmoneyont hef i
rstgoandal otofupmar ket
cli
ents.Otherthanthat,themanhasabsol utelyno
cl
asswhat
soev
er.

Gri
ngo:“YouknowmywifeandIfeelaboutpeopl
e
whojustneverf
oll
owev
enthesimplest
i
nstr
ucti
ons.”

Tiger
:(l
aughi
ng)“
G, myman.Comeon, Ij
ustwant
toropemysonsintothebusi
ness.I
sthatsobad?
”

Gri
ngo:
“Sit
,let
’seat.Const
ance,
howar
eyou?You
l
ookabitdreadful
today.
”

Conni
e:(
looki
ngdown)“
I’
m okay
,G.Justabi
tti
red.
”

Gri
ngo:
“Wel
l
,ther
eisnot
hingaspadaycan’
tfi
x,
ri
ght
?”
ShefakedalaughbutIcoul
dtellsheisn’
thernormal
sel
f.Foraverydisr
espect
fulwoman, shesurel
ikes
abuse.Imeanit’
snotcoldoutsi
de,thesunis
blazingy etsheiswearingascar far oundherneck.
Shei sprobabl yhi
dingallthemar kscausedbyTi ger.
Nowonderhi ssonslackdi r
ection.Theyhav eto
witnesshi m doingsuchshi ttothei rmother.These
boy slookl i
kethey’
dratherbeany whereelseother
thanher e,exceptforRendani .Gringosai daprayer
forusaswest art
edeating.

Gringo:“So,Ti
ger
,howdi
ditgowi
thThat
o
yesterday?”

IsawRendaniandMulalo’
seyeswidenasGr ingo
menti
onedhername, whil
eTi
ger’
sfacel i
tupand
Conni
e’sfacehar
dened.Somethi
ngj ustisn’
tri
ght
witht
hiswholeset
up.

Tiger:
“Oh, i
twentreal
lywell
,shesi
gnedhercont
ract
yester
day .I’
m act
uall
ygladyougotmesuchanice
girl
,Vi
vian.”
Viv
ian:“
Isther
eany
thi
ngy
ou’
dli
ket
otel
lme,
tot
ell
us,Ti
ger?”

Conniekeptlooki
ngdowninfear,
asherhands
star
tedtrembli
ng.Ti
gerwasn’tevenscar
edtosay
theleast
.

Ti
ger
:“Suchas?
”

Vi
vian:(
Pissed)“
Wel
l,
forstart
ers,
whydon’
tyou
st
arttel
li
nguswhyyouofferedThatot
obeyour
mistr
ess!
”

Ifeltmy selfbecomi ngenraged.Igetreall

yangry
whenol dment ryt
akingadv ant
ageofy ounggi
r l
s
whoar ehelplessjustbecausetheyhav emoney .I
sawTi ger’sf acestart
ingt
ochangeashehi mself
startedtot remblewhenhesawGr i
ngoandIst ari
ng
athim wi thf i
xedeyes.Meanwhi leMulalowas
pissedt othecor e.
Ti
ger
:(t
rembl
i
ng)Icanexpl
ain.
”

Mulal
o:(fumi ng)“ Dad!Howcouldyou?!Sheisonly
17forfuck’ssake!Ma, isthi
swhatyou’
reset
tl
ing
for
?!Allthebul lshithehasputy
outhroughandyet
you’
resti
llstaying? !
”

Tiger
:“I
…It
’snotwhatyouthi
nk,G.Imean,okay
,I
askedhert
hat,butIwasj
usttest
ingher
,youknow.
”
Igott
ir
edofhear
ingt
hesameol
dshi
tcomi
ngf
rom
thi
sguy’
sfoul
mouth.

Vivian:“Youknow, Ti
ger,
IregretthedayGr i
ngo
madey ouhisr i
ghthandman.You’ r
eusel ess,
you
l
ackr espectfory our
sel
fandev eryonear oundyou,
mor eespeciallywomen.I’dlovetomeett hewoman
thatbirt
hedy ouandaskherwhyt hef uckshedi dn’
t
cutof fyourdickandball
swheny oust ar
tedgoing
throughpuber ty,
becauseyou’reonesi ckfuck.
”
Rendani:(
annoyed)“
Well,
yourunasexclubf i
l
led
withyounggir
lsandyou’
resi
tt
ingt
herejudgingmy
fat
her?!Hehasmadet hebusi
nesswhatitis,i
f
anythi
ngelse,
youshouldbeonyourkneesthanking
him!”

Ja,neh.Seemsl i
keev eryonei sonat riptopi ssme
offtoday .Igav eGr ingothel ook.HeknowswhenI
l
ookathi ml iket hat,Iam low- keyaskingf or
permi ssiont otakemat tersi nt
omyownhands.He
didn’trespond, hejustnoddedandcar riedoneat i
ng
hisfood.It ookmygunwhi chIalway sleav e
under neatht het ableandIshotbot hRendani and
Tigerint heknee, from under neaththet able.
Thendowasj ustshocked, whileConst ancewas
shaking, aboutt opissher self.Gri
ngocar r
iedon
eatinghisf ood, whileTigerandRendani were
screami nginagony .Mul alodi dn’
tlookbot her edby
i
tal l
,infacti twasal mostasi fhewassur prisedwhy
Ididn’tkill
them bot h.Ist oodupandpoi ntedt he
gunatRendani .
Vivi
an:(poni
nggun)“Gi
vemeonegoodr easonwhyI
shouldn’
tshott
hisusel
ess,
disr
espect
fulboy,
Tiger
.”

Tiger
:(Scr
eami ng)“Aaah,please,Viv,I
’
m begging
you.Hedidn’tmeani t.Webot hdidn’
tmeant o.
Look,I
’l
lpersonall
yapologizetoThat o,j
ustdon’t
shoothim.I’l
ldoany t
hing.”

Vivi
an:“Asoftoday,y
ouarenolongerGr
ingo’
sright
handman.Gor i
l
la’
sson,Wolfwi
llt
akeoveryour
posit
ion.It
’shi
ghtimeay oungmanshowedy ouold
fuckshowt odothi
ngs.”

Ti
ger
:(cr
ying)“
What
every
ouwi
sh,
Viv
.”

Vivi
an:
“Now,
gett
hefuckoutofmyhousebef
oreI
fi
nishy
oubot
hoff
.”
Rendani
:“Aaaah,
butwecan’
twal
k.”

Ishothiminhisotherknee,andThendoquickl
ygot
him upandpull
edhim outoft hehouse.Mulal
oon
theotherhand,di
dn’tseem bother
edbyhisfat
her
’s
stat
eofpain.
Mul
alo:
“Youcanwal
kyour
sel
f.
”

Hegotupandl
ookedatbot
hGr
ingoandI
.

Mulalo:“Myapologi
es,Mr.andMr s.Groen.Ihadno
i
ntentionofrui
ningsuchapleasantbreakfast
.Ial
so
havenoi nt
enti
onofbeingcalledarapist
’ssonany
fur
ther,nordoIhaveanyintenti
onsofjoini
ngthe
business.Pease,doforgi
veme. ”

Heisonesmartboyoutofther estoft
hem.Wi t
h
t
hatsai
dhewal kedout,l
eavi
ngTi gert
ryi
ngtowalk,
wi
thConstancegluedtoherseatinshock.Ipoi
nted
t
hegunathertoo, j
ustf
orcontrol.
Vivi
an:“
Andwena( you),
Connie.You’ dbett
erlear
n
somemanner s.Thewayy ouwelcomedThat o
yest
erdayi
snowayf ory
out owelcomeany onewho
worksforyou.YouofallpeopleshouldknowhowI
dealwit
hrudepeople.Ialsoexpectanapologyf r
om
youtoheronSaturday.Now, t
akey ourshit
ty
husbandwithyou.He’sbleedi
ngal l
ov ermy
expensi
vecarpet
.”

Shestoodupinhast
eandaidedherbl
eedi
ng
husbandout
.Fuck,t
heyjusthadt
obleedovermy
expensi
vewhit
e,f
urcar
pet.
Chapt
erFour
tyFour

Psalm 1:1–3–“ Bl
essedisthemanwhodoesnot
walkinthecounselofthewickedorstandi
ntheway
ofsinnersorsiti
ntheseatofmockers.Buthi
s
del
ightisinthelawoftheLord,andonhisl
awhe
medi t
atesdayandnight.
”
Af
ewday
slat
er

That
o

Ithasbeenar atherquietfewday s.Ihav ebeen

avoi di
ngKhanyieversincethatday .Herwor ds
act uall
ycutmedeepandasoft hatday ,
Ihavebeen
mi ssingKgalotmor et hanIeverhav e.Ihav ebeen
get ti
ngthesamedr eam ofKgev erysinglenight,
no
mat t
erhowmuchIpr ayaboutit.Lastni ghtwasa
bitbad, soRamicamet omyr oom, burntsome
i
ncenseandl i
tacandl eforme.Shame, shepr ay
ed
withmeandwemanagedt ofal
lasl eepinmybed.

Today,ofal
ldaysImissmymom andKgsodear ly
.
Ikeeplooki
ngatmyl ocket,andIwonderwhatKg
wouldhavedonef ormet oday,si
ncehegavemea
veryspeci
alandunforget
tablebir
thdayl
astyear
.
Well,I
’
m offi
cial
l
y18andpr et
tymuchlegalnow.I
wokeupandf oundRami outofbed.Shemusthav e
probablymi ssedherbed.AsIwasaboutt opr
ay
andl i
ghtent heburdeninmyspiri
tinhopesofa
betterday,Rami wal
kedinwithabreakf
asttr
ay,
fi
ll
edwi thWool iestr
eatsandonechoccaramel cup
cakewi thal i
tcandleontop.Sheev enmademea
blueberryandy oghurtsmoothi
e.Thisgir
lisj
ust
amazi ng.

Rami:
(si
ngi
ng)“HappyBi
rt
hdayt
oy ou,happy
bi
rt
hdaytoy
ou!HappyBirt
hdaydearThato,Happy
Bi
rt
hdaytoyou!
”

Ismi
l
edast
het
ear
sthr
eat
enedmyey
es.

Rami
:“Cl
osey
ourey
esandmakeawi
sh,
nana.
”

Ismi l
edandclosedmyey es.Ipausedforawhi
le
withmyey esclosedandthoughtoftheki
ndofwish
I’
dliketomake.Wel l
,I’
dli
ketomaket wothi
syear,
soIwi shtofi
ndKgandt omeetmyrealfather.I
don’tevenknowwhyIwi shtomeethi
m, butperhaps
l
ikewoul dbelessstressfuli
fImethim,reall
y.
PerhapsIhavesibli
ngs, soitwoul
dbev eryniceto
gettoknowmysi bl
ings.Iblewthecandleafter
about5mi nutes.

Rami:“Wow, gi
rl
.Somuchf oryourwish,Ihope
whateveri
tisthatitcomestrue.Skabotsamot ho
(Don’
ttel
lanyone)whaty ouwishedfor,t
hough.You
mightj
ustji
nxit.”

Il
aughedsl
i
ght
lyandIcoul
dn’
thel
pbutl
ett
het
ear
s
fl
ow.
Rami
:(wor
ri
ed)“
Babe,
keng(
whati
sit
)?”

Thato:
“It
’sj
ustthat
,Ireal
lymi ssmymom andKg,
Rami.Gosh,thatguywasj usttooperfect.Nowi t
’s
l
ikehehasdisappearedoffthef aceoftheearth.
Lif
ecanjustbesounf ai
rattimes.May behejust
di
dn’
tlov
emeashesai
dhedi
d.”

Rami:(teary)“
Oh,friend.Come, on.I’
m pret
tysure
Kgissomewher eandt hatdream youkeephav i
ngke
(i
sa)sigh.Look, thiscomingweekwi ll
beallabout
us.Ijustwanty out oenjoybeingl
egalandwecan
sortt
hisKgst uffoutwhenwecomeback.I ’
llask
mybrot hertocallyouwhenwecomebackandt hen
youcant ell
him allaboutit
,okay?”

That
o:“
Okay
.”

Rami wipedmyt earsoffaswehadourfood.Afew

minuteslat
er,Ir
eceivedav i
deocal
l,
from Rami
’
s
parents.Oh,nowI ’
mr eal
lygoi
ngtocry.

Rami
:“Answeri
t.
”

That
o:“
Dumel
angMmel
eNt
ate(
Hel
l
oMom and
Dad)
.”

Mrs.Let
swal
o:“
Hao(Gosh),
That
ongwanake(
my
chi
ld)
.Rephr
asethat
,Hel
lo,
MamalePapa(Mom
andDad).
”

Rami
andIbot
hlaughed.

Mr.Letswalo:“Ah,wabonabjanong(
youseenow).
Nerer i
leretl
omoopel l
a,bj
anongwacompl
ainer
(Webot hagreedthatwewer egoi
ngtosi
ngforher
,
nowy ou’r
ecompl ai
ning).
”

Theset
woar
ever
yfunny
.

Mrs.Let
swalo:“Ah,manl
ewena.HappyBi r
thday
,
mybaby .Iwishyoumanymoreyear
st ocome.
Yourworldi
sgoingtobefi
ll
edwi
thblessi
ngs,you
j
ustwaitandsee.”
That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Thanky
ouv
erymuch,
Mme
(mom).
”

Mr.Let swalo:“
Kegol akalet
sadil
otsepila
bophelong( Iwishy ouonlythebestinli
fe)
, Thato.O
fet
sesekol oot lobont shabathobamogor ewenao
bohlale(Fi
nishschool andcomeshowt hesepeopl e
j
usthowcl everyouar e).Ikeepbraggi
ngt o
everyonethatIhav etwodaught ersinUniversi
tynow,
sodon’ tdi
sappoi ntme.Bot hofyou.”

Icouldn’
thelpbutshedt hetears.Damn,I’
m so
emotionalt
oday .Ial
sokeept hinki
ngIwouldhave
beenf i
vemont hspregnanttodayhaditnotbeenfor
Sonto.I’mjustsuchanemot ionalwr
eckandI
cannothelpit
.If eell
ikether
ei sahugeholeint
he
middleofmyhear t
,anditisrefusi
ngtocl
oseup.

Mr
s.Let
swal
o:“
Ah,
wabonabj
anong(
youseenow)
,
Love.Oll
isangwanabjanong(
you’r
emakingher
cry)
.WecannotletyougotoCapeTownwi t
houta
goodoldpray
er,mygir
ls.Arerapel
eng(
Letus
pray)
.”

Wealcl
osedourey
eswhi
l
eRami
’
smom pr
ayedf
or
us.

Mr s.Letswalo:“
Modi mowar onaor emor atang
(OurLov ingGod),TheGodofmer cy,TheGodof
grace,TheGodofpeaceandl ove,ourprot
ect or
,our
deliver
er,Youwhomakest hemount ai
nsmov eand
theear t
hshake.It hanky
ou, oh,Lor df
orev eryt
hing
youhav egi v
enus.Imost l
yt hanky ouforgiving
Rami t
hesistershehasnev erhad.

Iaskt haty
oublessmyt wodaught er
swi t
hnothing,
butgoodhealthandagr eatfut
ure.Blessthem with
greatnessandeli
minateallevi
lar
oundt hem,dear
Lord.Thanky ouforspari
ngThatount i
lnow.Hel p
herreachhergoalsandmaysher eachherdesti
ny .
Wehumbl eoursel
vesbefor
ey ouandaskthaty
ou
prot
ectt
hem throughoutt
heirtr
ip.I
nJesus’mi
ght
y
name.Amen. ”

Weallsaidamen, andImustsaythatIfeelv
ery
muchlighterafterherprayer
.Icanonlyhopet hat
wehaveagr eatweekaheadofus.Wesai dour
goodbyesandRami andIwenttogetreadyforthe
dayahead.Wef i
nishedpacki
ngtoo,si
ncewe’llbe
goi
ngtot heairportstrai
ghtfr
om Vi
vi
an’shouse.

Idon’tevenknowwhatt owearsi nceIdon’ twantt

o
off
endany one,butRami saysheraunt ’shusbandi
s
veryniceandnotbot heredbyanyt raditional
thi
ngs
toomuch.Pl ushei swhi te,
sohei sn’tv er
y
conventional.Isettl
edforabr ightyellowknee-
l
engthf l
oweydr essthatKgboughtf ormesome
ti
mel astyear .Ithasalway sbeenoneofmy
favouri
tedr essestodate.

Il
ovemyhai
r,butper
hapsi
t’
sti
mef
orchange.I
needtocuti torsomet hing.Eitherway,i
twi l
lremain
curl
yunlessIst raight
enit.IaskedRami t
oputon
somelightmakeuponme, j
ustforchange.Ifeel
l
ikeI’
m aboutt odi newiththeGupt a’
sorsomet hing.
Sheputonsomer edli
psti
ckonme, andallIcansay
i
swow.Il ooklikeami l
li
ondollars.Weheadedout
wit
hourbagsi nt heboot.

Appar entl
yKhany iwon’ tbeabl et ogoont het ri
p
withusbecauseRendani wasshot ,soshei slooking
afterhim.I ’m notsaddenedorany thing,plusIr eal
ly
don’tneedanynegat ivev i
besr i
ghtnow.Sheonl y
sentmeabr iefmessaget hismor ning.I t
’sal ot
betterthani nsults.Wegoti ntot hecarandheaded
outt oNor thcli
ffe.Iguessal otofpeopl ewhohav ea
l
otofmoneyl i
vear oundher e.Wedr oveinandt his
housei sv erybig, muchbi ggert hant heNembi lwi
househol d.I ti
sal soal otmor est yli
shlydesi gned
thanTi ger’shouse.I ’m sogl adIwon’ tbeseei nghi m
again.Ihav eonl ybeena‘ mai d’foroneday ,whichis
afunnyst oryI’
dl i
ket otellmychi l
drenoneday .Of
course, myt roublesar en’
tov ery et.Ist i
l
lhav eto
sor
toutmyfeessincet
hef
ir
stquar
teroft
hef
ir
st
semest
eri
sov er
.

Iwon’tallowmy selftobest ressedonmybi rt

hday.
Wedr ovei nandpar kedalongt hedr iv
eway .Iseea
beautif
ul Lexusparkedr i
ghtbef oremycar .Vi vi
an
andherhusbandhav equiteal otofclass,Imustsay .
Thishousei ssomoder n,Icant ellsheprobably
hostsal otofparti
esar oundher e.Itookadeep
breathbef or
ewalkingin.Rami didn’tevenringthe
bell
,Iguessshei ssupposedt of eelathome.

Rami
:“Hel
l
o?!I
’
m home!
”

Wewer eapproachedbyDr.Gr
oen!Thenicedoct
or
thatt
reat
edmet hetimeIwasinhospi
tal
.Wow,
smallworl
d.Hewasabi tshockedt
oseeme, qui
te
tooshocked.

Rami
:“Hi
,Uncl
eLoui
s!Howar
eyou?
”
Dr
.Gr
oen:
“Hi
,Rams,
I’
m wel
landy
ou?
”

Rami
:“Ican’
tcompl
ain.Thi
sismysi
ster
,That
o.”

Sheal
waysi
ntr
oducesmeashersi
ster
.I’
m soused
toi
tnow.

Dr.Gr
oen:
“We’
vemetbef
ore.Howar
eyouThat
o?
I
t’
ssogoodtoseey
ouagain.
”

That
o:“
Likewi
se,
Doct
or.I
’
mver
ywel
l
,thanky
ou.
”

Rami
:(puzzl
ed)“
Am Imi
ssi
ngsomet
hing?
”

That
o:“He’
sthedoctorwhocar
edf
ormeaf
tert
he
ki
dnappi
ng.Ilandedher
e.”
Rami
:“Oh,
thatexpl
ainsi
t.Smal
lwor
ld.Uncl
eLoui
s,
wher
eisGman? ”

Dr
.Gr
oen:
“They
’reont
hepat
io,
wai
ti
ngony
out
wo.
”

Rami
:“Ar
en’
tyougoi
ngt
ojoi
nus?
”

Dr.Gr
oen:“
I’
dlov
eto,
butI’
m oncall
.EnjoyCape
Town,yout
wo.AndThato,HappyBi
rthday
.”

That
o:“
Thanky
ou.
”

Hewal kedoutwi t
hasmileonhi sface, aswe
walkedouttot hePat
ioandf oundVi v
ianwi thher
husbandsippingoncocktail
sandwhi skeyat12pm.
I
tseemsr eall
ynicetoberich,Ijusthopet heirf
amil
y
i
scompl etel
ynor mal
.Theybot hsmi l
edast heysaw
us.
Vi
vi
an:
“Heygi
rl
s!”

Shehuggedusbot handwhenMr .Gr

oen
approachedus,hehuggedRami andgreet
edher
fi
rst
.Whenhegott ome,hej
ustgavemeal ong,
puzzledlook.Igetthatal
ot,
I’
m notevenoff
ended
anymor e.

Gri
ngo: (
smili
ng)“
Hi,That
o.Mynamei sDav
id
Groen,butyoucancallmeGri
ngoorDador
something.JustnotUncl
e,pl
ease.
”

Ij
usthadt
olaugh.

That
o:“
Okay
,Gr
ingo.Pl
easedt
omeety
ou.
”

Heisactual
lyv
eryfr
iendl
y,buthejustkeepsst
ari
ng
atme.May beI’
m weari
ngwayt oomuchmakeup, I
don’
tknow.”
Gri
ngo:
“Youhavesuchbeaut
if
ul,
cur
lyhai
r.Ver
y
uni
quecol
ourtoo.
”

That
o:“
Oh,
thanky
ou.
”

Gri
ngo:
“Mymotherhasthever
ysamet
ypeofhai
r.
Onedayyou’
l
lmeether,
Ihope.
”

Ismiledaswesatdown.Theycoul dn’
tevenwaitf
or
ustoeat .Gr i
ngoprayedforthefoodandwedugi n.
Wow, r
ichpeoplejusteatr
eallynicefood,evenontv.
Ineverseet hem eatpap.Thesecr oissant
sareso
deli
cious,notevenWool wort
hsf oodhassuchni ce
croi
ssants.

Rami
:”Wow,Gman, youcookexact
lyl
ikeThat
o.
Damn,t
hesecr
oissantsaret
odiefor.
”
IjusthadtomoanagainasIt
ookabi t
eeacht i
me.I
haven’
tmoanedli
kethi
sinaverylongti
me, not
si
nceKgl ef
t.Thi
sfoodist
odiefor,Ij
usthaveto
ask.

Thato:“
Thesecroi
ssant
s,mayIaskwher
eyou
boughtthem f
rom?”

Vi
vian:(
laughi
ng)“
No,dear,
Gri
ngomakesalmost
al
lofthefoodweeat.Heisbri
l
li
anti
ntheki
tchen.
”

Wow,
thi
sman.

Thato:“
Ineedt
hisr
eci
pe,
Mr.G,
ify
our
eal
l
ydon’
t
mind.”

Gr
ingo:
(smi
l
ing)“
Youl
ovecooki
ng,
too?
”
Rami:
“Arey
ouki ddi
ngme?”Shecancookupa
st
orm.Hey,Ibetshecanshowyouathi
ngort
wo,
Gman.”

Weal llaughedoutasweenj oyedt herestofour

food.Af ter
wards, RamiandIputt hedi shesintot he
dishwasher .Justbecauset heyhav eahel per,
doesn’ tmeanshemustcl eanupaf terallofusal l
thet ime.Weheadedbackast heyadmi r
edt hev i
ew
oft hepool ,whil
eVi vi
anofferedmeaMoj it
o.Ei sh,I
don’ tknowwhati ti swit
hmeandnotwant ingto
drinki nfrontofolderpeople.Ilookedatt hedrink
andt henatVivianandIpol i
telyshookmyhead.

Rami
:“Oh,
Aunt
ie,
shedoesn’
tli
kedr
inki
ngi
nfr
ontof
ol
dpeopl
e.”

Viv
ian:
(fr
owning)“
Hey
,wena(
you)
.Whoar
eyou
cal
li
ngold?”
Rami
:“Noof
fense.
”

Vi
vian:
“Thato,
iti
sy our18t
hbir
thday
.Youneedto
l
iv
eal i
tt
le.Whatifyoudietomorr
owwit
houttast
ing
Vi
v’samazingmojit
o?”

Ilaughedal i
ttl
e.Itookt hedri
nkandt astedsome.
Wow, Ihavehadaf ewcockt ai
lsinli
fe,butthisone
i
sj ustamazing.Vi v
ianandherhusbandar etruly
somet hingelse.Theyar earealmat chmadei n
heav en.Idon’tknowwhyshemar r
iedamant hisold,
butIguessl ovehasnobounds, noagedi ffer
ence
canst optwopeopl efrom lovi
ngoneanot her
.Ihad
hopedt hatKgandIwoul dreachthisstageofour
relat
ionshiponeday ,butsuchisli
fe.Per hapst his
tri
pwi ll
helpmel etgoofhi m.

Gri
ngo:“
So,Thato,
yourbi
rt
hdayi
sst
art
ingona
goodnote,
becausewehavesomegoodnewsfor
you.
”
Ir
aisedmyey
ebr
owsandl
i
stenedat
tent
ivel
y.

Vivi
an:
“Fi
rst
lyIneedtoapologi
zeforputti
ngyouin
suchasit
uati
onwithTigerandConstance.Beli
eve
mewhenIsayt hatIdeal
twitht
hem appropri
atel
y.
”

That
o:“
It
’sokay
,real
l
y.”

Vivi
an:
“MyhusbandandIwoul
dliket
opayfory
our
fees–all
ofthem,pr
ovi
dedyougetgoodgr
adesand
youcanpayusbacksomehow.”

Ifel
tmyhear tjumpf orjoy.Idon’
tknowwhyt hese
twopeopl ewoul dchooset obesoni cetomeofal l
people,butIguessi tmustbeGod’ swayoftel
l
ing
met hatblessingscomei nmanyf orms.Inowhav e
onelesst hi
ngt owor ryaboutinli
fe,Imeanmyf ees
aregoingt obet akencar eof.
Thato:(
elat
ed)“Oh,
thankyou!Thanky ou!Ican’
t
eventhankyouenough.IpromiseMr.andMr s.
Groen,I
’l
lpayyoubackever
ysinglecent.
”

Viv
ian:(f
rowni
ng)“Oh,
please,Thato,y
ou
misunderst
oodme.Ididn’tmeany ou’
llhav
etopay
usbackinthefor
m ofmoney ,oh,no.Imeany ou
couldsomehowwor kf
orus, y
ouknow.We’ l
lpay
youofcourse.
”

Myheartsankabi
twhenIhear
dthat
.Ihopeshe
doesnotwantmetobeanescort
.

Vi
vi
an:“
Relax,
youwon’
tbeanescor
t.Andnei
ther
wi
lly
ou,Rami.
”

Rami
:(shocked)“
Haowa(
No)
,Aunt
ie.
”
Gri
ngo:“I
t’
stimetodeal wi
thyourdemonst heri
ght
way,Rami.Weal lknowthatt
hetimehascome.
Bei
nganescor twil
lnotsol
vethepr obl
em.Besides,
al
lthegir
lsattheclubaregi
venfi
v eyearsmaxto
workther
e.Itshouldnotbealif
elongcareer.
”

IlookedatRami whokeptqui
etf
orawhil
e.What
demonsar etheytal
ki
ngabout?Whati
sRamihidi
ng
thatist
hisseri
ous?

Rami
:“Okay
,Gman.Iheary
ou.
”

Viv
ian:
“Sincewe’r
ebot hpayingforyourfees,we’
re
notmakingyouwor kfori
t,butwe’retr
yingtoteach
youhowt obeindependent.Trustmeont hi
s.”

Wecar ri
edonenjoy
ingtherestofthelunch,andasa
surpri
se,Rami’
spar
entssentusbot h3keach, whil
e
Gri
ngoandVi vi
ansentusboth5keachf ort
het r
ip.I
don’tevenknowwhattosay,theyareextremely
generousandKhanyii
sgoingtobesorr
yfornot
j
oini
ngus.Icannotwaitf
ormyv eryf
ir
stCapeTown
tr
ip.Ifeel
li
keaft
erthi
str
ip,I
’l
lcomebackasa
wholenewperson.
Chapt
erFour
tyFi
ve

2Pet er2:1–“ Butfalseprophetsalsoaroseamong

thepeopl e,
justasther ewil
lbefalseteachers
amongy ou,whowi llsecret
lybri
ngindest r
ucti
ve
heresies,evendeny i
ngt heMasterwhoboughtt hem,
bri
ngingupont hemselvesswiftdestruct
ion.
”

That
o

Vivi
anandGringoaresokind,
theytookusstr
aight
totheair
port
.Iwasbaskinginthedeli
ci
ous
cocktai
l
s,Ievenfor
gott
hatIdon’thaveapassport
.

That
o:“Rami
,howwillwegett
oCapeTownwhenI
don’
thaveapasspor
t?”
Rami:“
Don’ty
ouwor
ry,
wena.TheGr
oen’
shav
eital
l
cov
ered.”

Ididn’tknowhowwewer egoi ngt

odot hat,butIlet
them be.Aspr omi sed,wehadasmoot hwal kin
throught heai
rport.Idon’tknowhowGr i
ngo
managedt opulli
toff,buthedi di
t.Wedi dn’tgo
throught ooneoft hescheduledfl
ights,
instead,we
wentr ighttot
heirpriv
atejet.Icouldn’
thelpbut
gaspi namusement .Theset womustbeser i
ously
l
oaded.I t’
smyfirstti
meev erseeingapr i
vatejet
, so
I’
dl i
ket omakememor ies.

That
o: “
Maywet akeapict
uretoget
her
?Allf
ourof
us,r
ighti
nfrontoft
hisj
et?I’
dliket
oremembert
his
momentf orther
estofmylif
e.”

Vi
vian:“
Hao, Thato,whyarey
out
alki
ngasi
fwe
won’tbetogetherforev
er?
”
Ir
eall
ydon’
tli
kegetti
ngmyhopesupwhenev
erI
meetnewpeople,Imean,
Iam sousedt
o
di
sappoi
ntment.

Thato:“I
t’
snotli
kethat
,Aunti
eVi
vi
an,I
t’
sjustt
hat,a
l
otofpeopl ewhocomei nt
omyli
fenev
erstayfor
ver
yl ong.
”

Ifel
tthet
ear
scr
eepi
nguponme,
butIf
oughtt
hem
back.

Gri
ngo:“
Wel
l,
thatisal
labouttochange.You’r
e
goi
ngtobeapartofourfamil
yfr
om thispoi
nt
for
ward.
”
Thatreall
ywar medmyhear tandIcoul
dn’thelpbut
si
lent
lywisht hati
tdoesindeedcometrue.Itisnot
evenaboutt hemoney,butIjustl
ovehowf r
iendl
y
andlovingtheybothare.
Gringoaskedoneoft hesecur
it
yguardstotakea
pictureofustogether,wi
thmyphone.Weendedup
takingalotmor ethanone.Ican’thel
p,butf
eelli
ke
thisisthebeginni
ngofmanymemor i
es.Gri
ngoand
VivianhuggedRami andIandwewenti nt
otheJet .I
hav eneverf
lownbef ore,
soIhopeIdon’tgetscared
orany thi
ng.

Rami:“
Don’tbener
vous,
babe.We’
regoi
ngtohave
l
otsandlot
soffun.DoyouknowwhatIl
oveabout
Pri
vat
eJets?”

That
o:“
What
?”

Rami
:“Fr
eef
oodandbooze.
”

Webot hburstouti
nlaughter
.Oneofthehostesses
camet otakeouror
ders,soRamiorder
edsome
whiskeyforus.Kgalwaysusedtodri
nkitandI
couldn’
treal
lyst
omachit,nomatt
erhowsmoot hit
was.Butther
eisonepar
ti
cularbr
andthatIwas
abl
et oenj
oywhi
leIwaswit
hhi m,
Bisqui
tCognac.
So,Ideci
dedwhynott
ryi
t?

That
o:“
Doy
ouper
hapshav
eBi
squi
tCognac?
”

Hostess:(
smi
li
ng)“Wehav
eev
ery
thi
ng.Woul
dyou
l
ikesingl
eoradoubl
e?”

AtleastKgt
aughtmesomet
hingwhi
l
ewewer
e
together
.

That
o:“
Doubl
e,ont
her
ocks,
please.
”

Host
ess:
“Comi
ngr
ightup.
”

Rami
:(smi
li
ng)“Hehe,Danki
eKg!Youcanr
eal
l
y
st
udyngwaneso(si
s).
”
Webot
hlaughed.

That
o:“
IsawtheJeti
snamedI
sabel
l
a.Whoi
sthat
i
fImayask?”

Rami
:“Oh,
thati
sGr
ingo’
sdaught
er.
”

That
o:“
Oh,
wher
eisshe?
”

Rami:“Wedon’tknow,hedoesnotei ther.
Apparent
lythemotherofthechildr
anawaywhen
shewaspr egnantwi
ththeirdaught
er,justbefor
e
shewasaboutt ogiv
ebirth.Henev ersawt hem
agai
n.”

Shame,
thatmustbesomeki
ndofpai
n.
That
o:“
Wow,
howl
ongagowast
hat
?”

Rami :“I
’m notsure, about18or20y earsago.He
sti
llgetsupsetabouti twhenev erhet alksofher .
Imaginehowpai nful hehashadt oadj ust,not
knowi ngwhatshel ookslikeori fsheisev enwel l
takencar eof,orifshe’sev enalivefort hatmat ter.
AllIknowi sifsheev err
esur f
aces, she’ll
di easlow,
painfuldeath.Gr i
ngoi sani ceguy ,butpr otects
thosehel oveswi thev er
ythinginhim.Hehat es
betrayalandlies.
”

Yoh,Ihavet oremi ndmy selfnevertogetonhi sbad

si
de.HeandVi vianbothseem l i
ket heycanki l
lyou
whent heyarepi ssed.Wef l
ewf oraboutt wohour s
orso,andbel i
ev emeInev erevenfelttheflight
,
becauseRami talksnon-stop.Wef inall
yar ri
vedat
ourplace,Iassumedwewer egoingt ostayata
hotelorguesthouseorsomet hing,butIwaspuz zl
ed
whent hedriverdr oppedusof fatoneoft hebeach
housesnearFr esnay e.IthoughtRami renteditfor
us,
unt
ilIsawherunl
ockt
hef
rontdoor
.

That
o:(
puzzl
ed)“
Rami
,whosehousei
sthi
s?”

Rami :“It
’sAuntVi vandUncl eG’sbeachhouse.Wel l,
actuallyGmanboughti tforhisdaughterbacki nthe
day ,
asapr esentf orwhenshegotol deroneday .
Wel l
,henev erfoundher ,alt
houghhecomesher e
often.Gmani saspi ri
tualperson,youknow.At
ti
meshecomesher eandIf indhim meditati
ngand
praying,aski ngGodt obr i
nghi sdaughtertohim.He
alway ssay shehasaf eelingthatsheisaliveandan
exactr epli
caofhi mself.Heonl yhastwoboy swi th
hislatewi f
e, sot hi
sgirlwouldhav ebeenhi sonly
daught er.It’scrazy,butyouwoul dbev erysurpri
sed
athowmuchf aiththedudehas, y
ouknow. ”

Ifeelver
ybadforthi
sguy,shame.Hi sstor
yisalot
si
mi l
artomine.Ineedt
of i
ndmyf ather,
whilehe
hastof i
ndhi
sdaughter
.It’
scrazytohav esuchan
overwhelmi
ngyearni
ngfeeli
ngforsomeoney ou
haveneverevenmeti ny ourl
i
fe,butt
hetruthis,I
havenoideawhati tisl
iketoevenhaveaf ather
fi
gureinmyl i
fe.PerhapsMama’ slet
terwouldhav e
broughtpeaceofmi ndtome.

Wegoti nandt ookourbagst oourr ooms.Wow,

thi
shousei sabsol utel
yamazi ng.Icouldactuall
y
seemy selfli
vi
ngher e.Thehousei ssobi g,wi
thsix
bedrooms, ahugel ivi
ngr oom,ahugeki tchen,and
thefurnitureisj ustabr eeze.Ithassuchabeaut i
ful
mixtureofcol our s,thisismostdef i
nitel
ysomet hi
ng
I’
ddot odecor atet hi
shouse.Thebeaut i
fulmodern
feelofthishousei swar m andwelcomi ng.

Ilovethecouchthatisfacingthebeach.Ican
actual
lyseemy sel
fsitt
ingtherewit
hacupofcof fee
orsomet hingandwatchingthesea.Ifoundmy self
i
nabsol uteaweofthishouse, t
hatIdi
dn’tev
en
real
izeIwasn’tpayi
ngat t
entiontoRami.

Rami
:“Hel
l
o?Ear
tht
oThat
o.”
That
o:“
Oh,
sor
ry,
Rami
.I’
mjustt
ooi
mpr
essed.
”

Rami:“
Come, youhaveal
l weektoadmi r
ethewhol
e
vi
ewofthishouse.Iseey ouli
kethatcouch.
Alr
eadyimagi
ningKghitt
ingitfr
om behindwhil
e
you’
rewatchi
ngthesunri
se,huh?”

Webot
hbur
stouti
nlaught
er.Rami
,though.

That
o:“
Sies,
man,
Rami
!”

Rami:“
Justchecking.Come,wecanunpackl
ater
.
Weneedtogetdr essedandr
eadytogo.Ourdri
ver
wil
lcomefetchus.”

Ihonest
lyt
houghtwe’
regoi
ngt
ohav
eaqui
etni
ght
i
n.
That
o:“
Wher
ear
ewegoi
ng?
”

Rami:“Youdidn’
tthi
nkthatI’
dlety
ouenj
oytherest
ofyour18thbirt
hdayinpeaceandqui
et,
didyou?”

Rami,
mar a(
though).Ikeepf
orget
ti
ngshei
sar
eal
har
dcorepar
tygir
l.

Thato:
“It
houghtwewer
egoi
ngt
ost
ayi
ndoor
sand
dri
nkandtal
k.”

Rami
:“Wehaveal
lweek,
plusbor
ing,
vir
ginKhany
i
i
sn’
ther
etoannoyus.
”

That
o:“
KnowingRendani
,shei
smostpr
obabl
ynota
vi
rgi
naymor
e.”
Webot
hlaughed.

Rami
:“Theshade,
gir
l,t
heshade.
”

Wewentt oourr espect

iverooms, andt heyal
l have
en-sui
tebathr
oomsandwef reshenedup.Ist oodi n
fr
ontofmymi r
rorwithmyt owel on,sinceIhav eno
i
deawhatt owear .AsIst oodthere,thinki
ng,Rami
walkedin,al
sowr appedinhert owel,holdi
ngagi ft
bag.

That
o:“
Andt
hen?
”

Rami:“
Youdi dn’
tthi
nkI’
dbringyoual
lthewayto
CapeTownf oryourver
yfir
stclubout
ingwit
houta
ki
ll
eroutf
it
,didyou?”

Oh,
Rami
isj
ustoneofaki
nd.
That
o:“
Rami
…”

Rami
:“St
opwast
ingt
imeandopeni
t.
”

Isl
owlyopenedi tandcheckedwhati sinsideofit.I
becamesoast onished, i
nsomuchawe.Isawt he
mostbeaut if
ulVer sacedressIhav eeverseen,
actual
l
yt heonlyVer sacedressIhaveev erseen.I
fel
tmy selfgett
ingr eall
yteary.Ineedtost opbeing
soemot ional,
honest l
y.

Rami:
“Don’
tcr
y,man.I
fyoudo,
thenI
’
llcr
yandy
ou
knowIhat
ecry
ing.
”

That
o:“
Oh,
Rami
.Ihav
enoi
deawhatt
osay
.”

Rami:“Youdon’thavetosayanyt
hing.You’
rethe
si
sterIneededinmyl i
fe.Il
oveyou,boo.Ican’
t
bel
ievewewer eneverthi
sclosebefor
e.”
Igaveheraf athugandshebet r
ay edmeby
remov i
ngthetowel aroundmybody .Itri
edtocov er
my sel
f,butshewoul dn’tl
etme, insteadshe
remov edherstoo.Icoul dn’
thelpbutgaspi nawe.
Rami hasthemostbeaut if
ul,
nat uralbodythatIhave
everseen.Anast aci
ai scurvy,butshei ssof ake.
Rami hasboobs, curvesandass.Nof atbell
yor
rol
lsinsight.

That
o:“Rami
,mar
a(t
hough)
.Gi
vememyt
owel
,
pl
ease.
”

Rami :“
Thato,y
ouhaveanamazi
ngbody.Ihonest
ly
don’tknowwhyy oualway
shi
dei
t.Andno,I’
m not
sayi
ngt hi
sjustbecauseI
’my
oursi
ster
,It
rul
ymean
i
t.”

Thato:“
Rami,Idon’
tknowwheretost
artt
oev
ensee
thebeautyy
oukeept al
ki
ngabout
.ImeanKgis
l
i
ter
all
ytheonl
yguywhohassai
dthatt
ome.
”

Rami:“That’
sbecausey ou’ r
esof ocusedonhi m and
thepast.I’
m notsay i
ngf orgetabouthim,no.I’m
sayi
ngletgo,li
velif
eandact uall
ynoticeotherguys
outthere.I
’dkil
ltohav ey ourbody,youknow.My
boobsar ewaytoobi gformeandmycur vesdoget
ti
ri
ng.Youhav etheper fecthourglassshape.Don’ t
l
etpeopl et
elly
ouot herwise.”

Iguessshei sr i
ght,though.Ireallyneedto
appreciatemy sel
fal otmoreandl ovemybody .I
meanasVi vsaid,li
feistooshor tnottoappreciate
yourself.Igotintothetight
,fi
gur ehuggingdress.It
i
sabi tshor t
,butjustshortenough.Icannotwai tto
experi
encewhati ti
sl i
ketobei nacl ub.Well
,apart
fr
om t hoseblindi
ngl i
ghtsIsawatMadameVi vienne,
Icannotcopewi t
hsomuchnoi se.

Ramiputonsomepropermakeupandlashesonme,
asshesays,
Ineedt
oexplor
eafewlooks.Imust
sayIlookreall
ybeauti
fulandshemanagedt o
str
aightenmyhair.Ilookabsolut
elydi
ff
erent
,I
al
mostcoul dn’
trecognizemyself
.

Rami:“Bonaopil
abj ang,
sis(
Lookhowgorgeous
youlook).Whycan’tIhavewhit
egenes,mar
a
(t
hough)?I’
dkil
lforsuchsmoot hhai
r.
”

Webot hburstoutinl
aught
er.Weheadedoutinour
gorgeousoutfi
tsandheel
s.Ihavetowalkver
y
slowlyasIam notusedtoweari
ngheelsal
ot.We
foundourdriv
eralr
eadywait
ingforusandwewere
offtothecl
ub.

Vi
vi
anLet
swal
o

Gri
ngoandIgothomest r
aightafterdroppi
ngthe
gi
rl
soff
.Idon’tknow,butmeetingThat ohasgiven
meawholenewper spect
iveinli
fe.Ihadaccept eda
l
ongti
meagot hatIcan’
thavechildren,butper
haps
adopti
onmi ghtbeonthecardsformesomeday.I
thoughtofhir
ingsomeonetokeepaneyeonthem,
butIseethatGringohadal
readydoneso.

Vi
vian:
G,baby.Whydidn’
tyout
ell
mey oual
ready
hi
redSmall
ytokeepaneyeonthegir
ls?
”

Gri
ngo:“Sor
ry,
lov
e.YouknowhowIf
eel
about
saf
ety.
”

Hegoesov erboardattimes,buti
tistot
all
y
understandable.Imean, we’r
ethebiggestdr
ug
dealersinSouthAf ri
ca,sowecannev erbetoo
careful
.Aswewer eabouttohavesomewi ne,
Gri
ngo’ sphoner angandheanswer editand
i
mmedi atel
yputi tonspeaker.Healwaysdoesthat
,
heasal waysdonet hatact
uall
y.

Appar
ent
lyheli
keshav
ingtransper
ancybetweenus.
Hesayst
hatcheati
ngr
uinedhisfir
stmarr
iageand
hehadwantedtostartonacleansl
atewi
thme.
Secret
sissomethi
nghehat es,
andhewouldr
ather
di
ethankeepasecretfrom me.Ihavel
ear
nttobe
upfr
ontatal
lti
mes,thankstohim.

Gr
ingo:
“Smal
l
y,what
’scooki
ng?
”

Small
y:“
Boss,
justaheadsup.I
tseemsli
ke
someonewassentbyoneofyourmentospyont
he
gi
rl
s.”

Myheartstar
tedbeat
ingveryfast
.Iimmediatel
yfel
t
l
ikecat
chingthepl
aneandgoi ngtoCapeTown.I
wouldneverf
orgi
vemy sel
fifanyt
hinghappensto
t
hosetwo.

Gr
ingo:
(puzzl
ed)“
Didy
oucat
cht
heguy
?”

Smal
l
y:“
Yes,
boss.I
twaseasyaspi
e.Appar
ent
ly
Rendani
senthi
mtospyont
hegi
rl
s.”

Tigerandhisl
apdogjustdon’tquit
.Ihav et
osort
them outASAP.Imadeapr omisetoGodal ong
ti
meagot hatI’
dneverkil
lagain,buti
tseemslike
Tigerj
ustwantstokeeprubbingmeupt hewrong
fucki
ngway .

Gri
ngo:
“Br
inghimtome.I’
ll
sendt
hechopper
.
Tomorr
owmi ghtbet
ool
ate.
”

Smal
l
y:“
Sur
e,boss.
”

Gr
ingohungupandl
ookedatme.

Gri
ngo:“
Ithi
nkit’
shi
ghti
mewesentaseri
ous
messagetoTiger
.Heisstar
ti
ngt
oannoytheshi
t
outofme.”
Rendani
Icannotbel i
evethatevenaft
eral lmyeffor
t sThato
sti
ll
doesn’ twantme.Imean, Ievenhookedupwi th
KhanyijustsoIcouldt r
yandmakeherj ealousand
evengetcl osetoher,buti
tseemsasi fIhav ej
ust
madet hingsawhol elotworse.Shehasbeencl ingy
asfuck,especial
lynowt hatwef ucked.

HadIknownt hatshewasav i
rgi
n,Iwouldhavenot
fuckedherdumbass.Ev ersincesheheardthatI
washospital
izedsincethatbastardGri
ngoshotme,
shehasbeenbymysi det hewholebloodyti
me.To
makemat ter
swor se,sher ef
usedtogoont hetri
p,
soIhavetomakeapl anandgethert here.

Ineedhert ospyonThat oforme.Ican’thel

pbutbe
obsessedabouther .Ilov
eher,Imeannoot hergir
l
mat chesherstat
ure.Iswear,i
fsheagreestobe
mine, Ipromi
seI’
llt
akegoodcar eofher
.Nowt hat
Wolfdoesnotev enrememberher ,Iwi
ll
makesur e
thatitstayst
hatway .
I
t’sar ealpi
tythathisfatheri
shalfthecauseofal l
this,buti
tiswhatitis.Youcan’ thaveev er
ythingin
l
ife,andIjusthopeandpr ayt
hatThat obecomes
mi ne.I’
ll
bedamnedi fIletMulalotakeherf r
om me.
AsIwast ry
ingtoviewt helat
estpicturesIreceived
from myP. I
,Igotacal lfr
om him.

Rendani
:“Li
zzar
d,Ihopeyouhav
egoodnews.
Thosepi
cturesar
egreat,
myman.Ican’
twaitt
osee
more.Nexttimegetmesomeofherint
heshower
.”

Gringo:“Youhadbet
terrun,
Rendani.Thi
sworldof
minei snotforsmal
lboysli
keyou.Ieatyourki
nd
forbreakfast
.Runanddon’tst
op,becauseyouhav
e
j
ustst eppedonthewrongman’stoes!
”

Igotchil
lsdownmyspineashesaidthat
.Perhaps
heisjustbluf
fi
ng.Howthefuckdidhegethol
dof
Li
zzard’sphone?Mxm,Gri
ngot hi
nkshecanown
everyoneofusandnoneofuswoulddoanyt
hingto
objecttoall
that
?Hecanmi ssme.Ideci
dediti
s
ti
mef orplanB,soIcal
l
edKhanyi
.

Khany
i:“
Hey
,babe.
”

Rendani
:“Packy
ourbags,
we’
ref
lyi
ngt
oCape
Town.”
Chapt
erFour
tySi
x

1John2:4–“Whoev
ersay
s“ Iknowhim”butdoes
notkeephi
scommandmentsisali
ar,
andthetrut
h
i
snotinhim.”

Matthew5:39–“ ButIsaytoyou,donotr
esistt
he
onewhoi sevi
l
.Butifanyoneslapsyouontheright
cheek,t
urntohimtheotheral
so.”

That
o
Iam soexcitedf orwhati syettocome.Wear r
ived
atoneofCapeTown’ seli
tecl
ubs, ClubVixen.
Apparentl
yitisal sooneofVi vian’sclubs.That
womanr eall
yl i
kesf unandent ertainment ,
andthank
goodnessthisonei sal otmoresophi sti
catedthan
theoneinJo’ burg.I tisalotl
essnoi sy,andnotv er
y
ful
l.Iti
squitef ul
l ofsophisti
catedpeopl e,andnot
random part
y goer s.

Ithi
nkRami del
iberatel
ybroughtmeher ejustsoI
couldenjoymy selfandbef ree.Sheev engot
greetedbynamebyt hebouncers,waitersandthe
manager .Iguessshei sal
soar egularhere.Ihave
noideahowherpar entsev enlethercomet othese
pl
aces, butIguesst heyarecloseli
ket hatwith
Vivi
an.

Rami
:“So,
whatdoy
out
hink?
”
That
o:“Iact
ual
l
ylov
eit.WhydoIgetthefeel
i
ngy
ou
di
dn’
ttakemetoanoisycl
ubonpurpose?
”

Rami:
“BecauseI
’
my oursi
sterandIact
ual
l
yknow
whatyoul
ike.WhywouldIt
akey outoapl
aceyou
woul
ddread?”

Sheissothought
ful
andIt
hankGodeachandever
y
dayforgi
vi
ngmeaf ri
endl
i
keRami,at
ruesist
erof
not
e.

That
o:“
Rams,
thanky
ousomuchf
orev
ery
thi
ng.
”

Rami
:“Youcant
hankmel
ateraf
terget
ti
ngsl
oshed.
”

Ilaughedasweheadedt otheVIPsection.Of
coursethereareafewpeopleher
e, butalotof
peopleinthi
sclubarenotrat
chet
, somedi dbr
inga
fewgirlsandyoucanclear
lyseethatsomeoft hem
areoutwiththeirmi
str
esses.But,whoam It ojudge?
Rami or
deredussomebl owjobshoot ers,
andsome
beers.Isett
ledforCor
onatonight
,IthinkI’dl
iketo
rememberKgf orawhi
le,
andsheset tl
edf or
Savanna.

Wedon’ thav
et obesophi sti
catedtoni
ght.Iwoul
d
l
iket oenjoymybi rt
hday ,wi t
hKgatt hebackofmy
mi nd.Ihopehei sokaywher everheis.Wehadone
shoot ereach,aswedon’ twantt ogetdrunkbef
ore
mi dni
ght.Ihav eneverreal l
ydancedbef orei
nmy
l
ife,butaf t
ert
hreebeer s, andRami pull
ingmeto
dancewi t
hher,Icouldn’thelpbutdoi t.

It
hinkIsuckatdanci ngtobehonest,butMama
al
way susedtosay ,
“Ifyoucant al
k,y
oucansingand
i
fyoucanwal k,youcandance. ”Godblesshersoul
.
Whilewewer edancing,Icouldn’
thel
pbuthearal
lof
myf avour
it
esongs.Yes, af ewamapianosongsby
Kabzaandal otofSasha’ssongs.Ialsolov
e
SomethingSowet o.
Thato:
“Rami
,whyist
heDJplayi
ngal
lofmy
fav
ouri
tes?I
sitacoi
nci
dence?
”

Rami :
(Laughi
ng)“Coinci
dence?Wher eRamiis
i
nvolved?Nev er
.Igav ehi
m aplayl
i
stofally
our
favouri
tesongs.So,Itol
dyouthattoni
ghtwil
lbe
yournight
,babygir
l.
”

IjustloveRami andoneday ,Iwillbeabl etodo

somet hi
ngasniceast hisforherbi rthday.Wet ook
abr eakandsatdownf orabi t.Wet ookaf ew
picturesandIpost edthem onmyI nstawi t
ht he
capt i
on#Sister
Sister.Ievenupl oadedoneoft he
fewwet ookinfrontofthej etthi
saf ternoonwi tht he
capt i
on#Fami l
yVibes.Wi thinaf ewsecondsIgota
l
otofl ikes,
Ihardlypayat t
entiont omyi nst
a, but
thenonepar ti
cularcommentt ookmebysur prise.

“
HappyBi
rt
hday
,mybaby
.”Icheckedt
heaccount
andIwasi mmedi atelyirr
it
atedtoseet hatitwas
Sonto.Iimmedi atel
ybl ockedherandgotheroutof
mymi nd.Irefuset olethergett omeatat i
melike
thi
s.Shemi ghthav et akenmyf ir
stbabyf rom me,
butIwill
notletherr ui
nmyl if
eanyf urther.Oneof
theguyswhower eseat edrightacrossus, kept
eyei
ngmeandhef i
nallygotthecour ageto
approachus.

Guy
:“Ladi
es,
mindi
fmyf
ri
endandIj
oiny
ou?
”

Damn, Ihav en’

tseenahotguyl i
kehimi nages.Iam
notint
ol i
ghtguy satal l
,butthi
sonehasami ld
complexion.Hehadr emovedhi ssuitjacket,
andhis
muscleswer eprotrudi
ngoutofhi sshir
t.Damn, I
fel
tmycl itvibr
ateabi tdownt here.Thathasnot
happenedi nawhi le.Iusedtot hinkthatitonl
yneeds
tohappenwhenaguyt ouchesy ouorwheny ou’
re
busywi t
hf orepl
ay,butRami toldmet hatitcan
happenr andoml y.
Rami:“
Depends,
ify
ousi nghappybi
rt
hdaytomy
si
ster
,theny
ouandy ourfr
iendcanj
oinus.
”

Rami ,t
hough.Thi sgirli
ssoext r
a,butt
hat’
sexact l
y
whatissol oveableabouther.Shei salotl
ike
Palesa,j
ustcal mer .IknowPal esawouldhavet ol
d
meaboutt heguy ’
sdi ckpri
ntfrom amil
eaway .The
guychuckl edandwal kedtotheDJboot h.Ithought
hehadl osti nt
erestorgotannoy edbyRami’s
request,butIhear dthemusi cstop.Webot hlooked
towardst heboot hdirect
ion,andtheguyhadt hemi c
i
nhi shand.

Guy
:“Thi
sisfort
hebeaut
if
ulladydr
essedi
ngol
d,i
t
i
sherbir
thday
,soher
egoes.”

Ithoughthewasgoingtorev
ealhisdeepv
oice,
but
tomysur pr
isehehadthemostangeli
cvoi
ceIhad
everheard,
muchlikeJohnLegend.
Guy:
(si
nging)“HappyBi
rt
hday,t
oy ou.Happy
Bi
rt
hday,t
oy ou.HappyBir
thday,
deargorgeousl
ady
dr
essedinGold.HappyBir
thdaytoyou.
”

Wow, Ifel
tabitflushedsinceev erybody’sey eswere
aimedr i
ghtatRami andI.Rami wassoi mpr essed,
shegav etheguyat humbsup.Ev eryoneclapped
thei
rhandsandhehandedt hemi cbacktot heDJ.
Then,theDJpl ay
edHappyBi r
thdaybySamt hing
Soweto.Yer r
,Rami deser
vestobeanev entplanner
becausewow, thisgi r
lcansurpriseyou.Theguy
walkedtowardsuswhi lehi
sfriendcamewi tht hei
r
i
cebucketandhi sj acket.

Rami:
“Hmm.I mpressi
ve,JohnLegend.But,
Imust
warnyou.I
ttakesalottoimpressmysist
er.You
hav
ebigshoestofil
lfr
om herlastex.
”

Guy:(
chuckl
ing)“
I’
m Bl
ake,
andt
hisi
smyt
win
br
otherBj
orn.”
Oh, t
heyarecolour ed.Nowondert heaccent .Isee
theresemblancenowt hattheyar eclosert ous.
Rami int
roducedusasBl akecamet osi tnexttome
andBj or
nsatnextt oRami .Wehadal otoff un,and
Iam quitesurpri
sedy etpleasedast oj usthowmuch
BjornandIhadi ncommon.Hei s27, andownshi s
owncompanywi t hhisbr other .Heseemsl ikeani ce
guy,butthereisjustsomet hingabouthear tbreak
andy ourfi
rstl
ove.Forasl ongasy oust i
ll
dwel lon
thepast,noguywi l
linteresty ou–notev ent he
cutestguyonear th.

Vi
vi
anLet
swal
o

Peopl ejustdon’
tstoppissingusof f
.Justwhenwe
want edt ohaveourownl iv
esandbeatpeace,
Tiger’sshit
tysondecidest oplayRomeowi thThato.
Idon’tknowwhati tisabouther ,butIalr
eadyfeel
so
attachedt oher.Gri
ngot oo,mostpr obabl
ybecause
hedoesnothav eadaught er,apartf
rom theonethat
hasbeenmissi
ngforyear
s.Small
ysentoneofour
otherboy
stobri
ngthi
sLizzar
didi
ott
ous.

Aspr omised, hewasdeliv

eredwi thi
nt hehour.Hi s
handswer et i
edbehindhisback, withaclothbag
overhishead.Gr i
ngoimmedi atel
yshov edhim onto
thechairatourwar ehouse.Wedon’ tkil
lpeoplein
ourhouse, unlessiti
sanemer gency.Webui ltthat
houseoutofl ove,
andwedonotwantanybl ood
spil
l
edi nit
, henceIwassopi ssedt hatdaywhenI
shotTigerandRendani .

Gri
ngor emovedthebagfr
om hishead,andthi
slitt
le
Li
zzardlookedscaredasfuck.Idon’
tgetwhyli
ttl
e
boysalwayswanttoplayi
nt hebigl
eaguewithreal
men,butrunawayatt hef
irstsi
ghtoft
roubl
e.

Gri
ngo:“Ja,
Lizzar
d.Let’
scutthebull
shi
tandst
art
tal
ki
ng.Whydi dRendanisendyoutospyonmy
daught
ers?”
Li
zzar
d:(Scar
ed)“Pl
ease,don’
thur
tme.Ihadno
i
deatheywereyourdaughers,
Gri
ngo.Iswear
.”

Gri
ngo:“
Wouldi
thavematter
edhadtheybeen
someoneel
se’
sdaught
ers?Weretheirl
i
vesgoingt
o
bedeemedl
essofimport
ance?”

Li
zzar
d:“
No…no,
Gri
ngo.That
’snotwhatImeant
.”

Gr
ingo:“
WhydidRendani
sendy out
ospyonmy
gi
rl
s?!Ihat
erepeat
ingmysel
f.
”

Lizzar
d: “
Look,hesaidthathewasinlovewiththi
s
girl
,Thato.Hehasbeenpay i
ngmetospyonherf or
weeksnow.Hei sobsessedwit
hher,
andnowev en
mor ethatshedoesnotwanthi m.Mulaloisalsoa
bitobsessedwi t
hher,andwantstol
eav ehi
swi fe
forher,Tigerontheotherhandwant
st ogetintoher
pants.Hej ustpaysmet omakesurethatnoone
t
ouchesher
,andt
omakesur
eheknowsofherev
ery
move.
”

Gri
ngo: “
Hmm, Lizzar
d.I’dletyougoscottfr
ee,but
youpissedmeof fbytaki
ngpi ctur
esofmygirls
whil
etheywereint heshower .Imean,t
hatisa
vi
olat
ionofbasichumanr ights.Ihat
epervert
s,you
know.”

Li
zar
d:“
Please…pl
ease,
I’
ll
doany
thi
ng.
”

Gringo: “Youwor kformenow.You’ regoingt o

pretendt hatyoushotmeorsomet hingandt hat
you’rest i
llworki
ngf orRendani
.You’ regoingto
reporthi severymov eandinstruct
iont ome.You
aregoi ngt obughiswhol ehouse,withoutget t
ing
caught .Idon’tknowhowy ou’
regoingt odoit,but
youwi l
l.Ifyoufail
,thenI’
lldothesamet oyour
daught er,evenwor se.Jyverstaan(You
under stand)?!
”
Li
zzar
d:(
noddi
ngpr
ofusel
y)“
Yes,
yes,
Gri
ngo.
”

Gri
ngo:“Unfor
tunatel
yIcannotletyougoscot tfr
ee.
Imean,I’
llbepayingyoudoubl
ewhathei spaying
youri
ghtnow, butIhavetr
ustissues.Ican’
tletyou
gojustl
ikethi
s.So, youusedyourhandsand
fi
ngerstotakethosepict
uresandanswerhi scall
s,
soIwill
hav etocutonehandof f.
”

Lizzar
dstar
tedwai
l
ingl
i
keababyandbeggi
ngme
toforgi
vehi
m.

Vivi
an:“
Haveaheartt
hist
ime,
lov
e.Nott
hehand,
cutonefi
ngerof
f.
”

Li
zzardsti
ll
cri
edoutlikeababy
, andbeforeheknew
i
t,Icutof
fhisr
ightthumb.Hescr eamedoutinpain,
whil
eVivi
aninj
ectedacalmingi
nj ect
ioni
ntohim.
Oneofourment ookhim awayforLouistosorthi
m
out
.Iam nott
obemessedwi
th,
especi
all
ywheni
t
comest
omyl ovedones.

That
o

Ihonestl
yhadsuchagoodt i
meandBl aketookmy
number,whileBj
orntookRami ’
snumber .Youknow,
forsomeonewhot al
ksal otaboutguy
sandhas
experi
ence,Ramisur
edoesnotactoni t
.She
alwaysfl
ir
tswithguy
s, butseemsli
kethatisal
l
whereitends.

Weheadedt oourbeachhouseandsatoutonthe
balconywit
hablanket
.ShegotussomeMcdonal ds
ont hewayhomeandwedugi n.Thi
sremi
ndsmeof
thet i
meKgandIusedt odr
inkandgotoMcdonald’
s
beforebedti
me.Icouldn’
tsleepdr
unkandhungr
y .

That
o:“
So,Rams,youmindtel
li
ngmeaboutwhat
Gri
ngoandViv
iansai
dearl
iert
oday
?Aboutyou
deal
i
ngwi
thy
ourdemonst
her
ightway
?”

Isawherexpressi
onchangeimmedi at
ely
.Rami i
s
anemotional
person,buti
ttakesalottogethert
o
cryandbeextremel
yemotionalabouti
t.

Rami:(
deepsi
gh)“Doyouremembert
her
ewasa
ti
mebackinGrade11whenIdi
dn’
tcometoschool
forawhol
emont h?
”

That
o:“Youwer
eonanexchangest
udentpr
ogr
am
i
nBerli
n.”

Shelookeddownwi
tht
ear
yey
esandshookher
head.

Rami:“IwasnotinBerl
in,
Iwasr
ighthere,i
nSouth
Afr
ica.Somethi
nghappenedtomet hatonlymy
par
entsandbrotherknow.MmaMor uti(Past
or’
s
wi
fe)t
ri
edt
orapeme.
”

Iwassof l
abber
gasted,
Inearl
yspil
ledmycr eam
soda.Shesaiditwit
hsomuchpai nandagonyi n
hereyes,
IneverknewRami washidingsuchabig
secr
et.Whatthefuckishappeni
ngi nRockvi
ll
e?

Rami :“
Shehasat endencyofmol esti
ngy oungboys
i
nt hechurch,Tee.Iwasoneoft heusher s,Iador
ed
thechurch,Imadesur eInevermissedit.Thenone
day,sheinvi
tedusf orachur chcamp.Mamadi dn’
t
wantmet ogo,buty oucouldneverseparateme
from chur
ch.Iador edi tsomuch, soIwent .Upon
arri
val,
NtateMor uti(Pastor
)wasnott here,henever
goesont hesetri
ps.

Shet ookusall
intoonebig,dar
kroom, whereshe
madeot herchi
ldrenhavesex.Sheforcesthekids
tohav esexwit
heachot her
,someboy sandsome
gir
ls.Ifyoudon’tdoit
,yougetwhippeduntil
you
agree.Shechoosessomeboy sandgirl
sforhersel
f,
andunf
ort
unat
elyIwasoneoft
hose.

Shet ookmetoherownpr iv
atebedroom andt ol
d
met ostri
pmyclothesoff
.Iwassoshockedand
scar
ed, t
hatIr
efused.Shepinnedmeont hebed,
whil
eIwascr y
ingandscreamingandsher i
ppedmy
pant
iesoffme.Sheshov edtwoofherfingersinand
outofmeandIscr eamed.Istil
lremembert hepai
n
somet i
meswhenIcl osemyeyesanddriftoffto
sl
eep.

Imanagedt obit
eherfi
ngeroffsohar d,
andIr an
awayfrom thatcamp.Luckil
yIhadmyphonewi th
meandsomemoneyi nmypocket .Itookat axi t
o
thenearestpol
icest
ati
onandcalledmypar ents.
Theywer esoangryandwenttoconf r
onther ,but
sheissuchav il
ewoman, That
o.Shepoi ntedher
gunatmypar entsandthr
eatenedtokillt
hem i fthey
evert
riedtotal
k.

Mypar
ent
sdi
dn’
tcar
e,sot
heywant
edt
ogot
othe
presswi t
ht his,butIbeggedthem notto.Imagi
ne,a
whol ewomanv i
olatedme,andnotjustanywoman,
apast or’
swi fe.Itwasnoteasyformet oget
throughthat ,
soIwentt hroughawhol elotof
depressivesituationsandevenatt
empt edsuici
deat
onepoi nt.

Ist
oppedgoingtochurchfrom t
hatdayandsodid
myparent
s.Ofcour se,myAuntVivwasli
vidand
wantedt
okil
l her
,butItol
dhertoleav
eitandlet
Goddealwit
hher .
”

Thewholetimethr
oughoutherst
ory,
Iwasintears.
Iknewshehadsomet hi
ngoffi
shabouther
,butthi
s!
Thisi
sjustpur
eevil
.

Rami :“So,Imetmyf irstboyf

ri
endat16andI
fooli
shlygavemy selftohim.Wi t
hinaweek,he
dumpedme.So, Itoldmy sel
fI’
dneveral
lowmy sel
f
tobet hatstupi
dagai n.Yes,Ital
kalotaboutal
l
thesethings,butdeepdown, Iam ter
ri
fi
edofbeing
wi
thanot
hermanagai
n.”

Igaveheratighthugaswecr iedtogether
.This
worl
disjustfull
ofevil
,andIhavenoi deahowMma
Moruti
liveswit
hherself
,preachi
ngont hatpul
pit
whil
ehidingsuchevil
deeds.Rami seemsal ot
bett
erthanIam atdeali
ngwi t
hthings.

Afterherstor
y,wejustwentbacktot
hegoodold
Rami .Aswewer eabouttoheadinsi
deinf
rontof
thefir
eplace,
wehear daknockonthedoor
.AsI
openedt hedoor,
Iwasshocked.

Tat
ho:
“Khany
i,whatar
eyoudoi
ngher
e?”

Khany
i:“Hey
,guy
s!Iwashopi
ngt
hei
nvi
tat
ionst
il
l
st
ands.”

Howdi
dshegether
eatt
hist
imeoft
hemor
ning?
Chapt
erFour
tySev
en

Prover
bs14:15–“Thesi
mplebel
i
evesever
ythi
ng,
butheprudentgi
vest
houghtt
ohi
ssteps.
”

That
o

Somet hi
ngdoesn’tseem v eryri
ght.ImeanKhany i
doesnothav eanymoneypersay ,
sohowdi dshe
gethereatthisti
meoft henight.Mostimpor t
ant
ly,
howdi dshefindusatt histi
meoft henight?
PerhapsIunderesti
mat edRendani .Thatguyis
real
lydangerousandcr eepy.Rami mostprobabl
y
thoughtthatIwastakingt oolongansweringthe
door,henceshecame.

Rami:(
shocked)“
Andthen?Khany
i?!Kanakoe(
At
thi
sti
meoft heni
ght
)?”
Khanyi
:(Exci
ted)“
Hey,Rams!IthoughtIwoul
d
comebyandspendt herestoft
hetri
pwi t
hyou
guys.
”

Rami l
ookedathercaref
ull
yandI’
m gl
adshe
thoughtt
hesamet hi
ngIwast hi
nki
ng.

Rami:“
Howdi
dyougether
eatt
histi
meoft
heni
gh
andhowdi
dyouknowwewerehere?
”

Khanyi:“
Oh,Rendanifl
ewmeov erher
einhisf
amil
y
chopper.What’
swi tht
he20questi
ons?ImeanI
thoughtyou’
dbeov erwhatIsai
dtoyoutheot
her
day.”

Rami
andIl
ookedateachot
herandt
henather
.

Khany
i:“
Hao,
guy
s.Am Inotwel
come?
”
Ihonestl
ydi
dn’
twanthert
ocomei
n,butIt
hink
Khanyihadot
herpl
ans.

Rami:
“Oh,
sor
ry.We’
rej
ustabi
tshocked.Docome
i
n.”

Khany
ididn’
tevent
hinkt
wice,
asshewal
kedi
nwi
th
asmalll
uggagebag.

Rami:“
Gomakeyour
selfcomfor
tableinoneoft
he
bedr
ooms,
Khany
i.I’
llgetyouanice,col
ddri
nk.
”

Shewastooexci
tedtonoti
ceoursuspi
ci
onofher
.
Khany
iist
oonaïveforyl
iki
ng.Ican’
tbel
iev
eshe
evenl
etRendani
int
oherlif
esoeasil
y.

That
o:“
So,
what
’sy
ourpl
an,
Rami
?”
Rami :
“Don’
tworr
y,t
hequickestwayt
ogetbi
tches
l
ikethattor
eveal
whattheyareupto,
ist
ogetthem
drunk.
”

Rami tookoutoneoft heexpensi v

ewi nebott
lesthat
Viv
ianandGr ingolefthere.Thehousewasf ull
y
fur
nishedandhadaf ewedi bleswhenwegother e.
Wegott hreeglasses,alt
houghRami andIwer enot
i
nthemoodt odr i
nkany mor e,wejusthadtotakea
fewsipssot hatshecouldt hinkwe’real
sodrinki
ng
wit
hher .

Shecameoutofherbedr oom, andRami

i
mmedi atelyhandedheragl ass.Asexpect ed,she
fi
nishedthewhol egl asswithi
ntenmi nutes.Idon’
t
gethowagi rll
i
ket hatcouldjustthr
owawayher
dreamsandambi t
ionswithinthefir
stfewmont hsof
tasti
ngvarsityli
fe.Wor disthatKhany ievenat
tends
everypart
yt hereisoncampus, andisar egul
arat
theboy’sres.
Rami :
“So,
Khanyi,
howar ethi
ngsbetweenyouand
Rendani?Imeany ouneveract
ual
lygotthechance
totel
lusabouthowy ouguysfi
nal
lygottodateand
all
.”

Khanyistar
tedbl
abbi
ngasanti
ci
pat
ed.Assoonas
shefi
nishedhergl
ass,Rami
wasreadyt
otopherup.

Khany i:“
Ah, chomi (f
r i
end)
, y
azini(youknowwhat )?
Hej ustcameupt omeoneaf ternoonandof fer
ed
mear idesinceIwasonmywayt obuysome
groceries.Heconf essedhisundy ingloveforme
andt oldmet hather eal
lyl
ikesmeandl i
kedme
fr
om t hef i
rstti
mehesawme.Iwassoi mpressed,I
meanev eryonewant sRendani .West ar
tedhanging
outt ogetheral ot
,andt woday slater,
wehadsex .
”

Rami andIwereabittakenaback,
butImeanwhat
didweexpectfrom agirll
i
keKhanyiwhodoesnot
knowmuchaboutboy sandwhohasbeenkept
underlockdownal
lherlif
e?
Rami :
“Heh(
reall
y)?Oragoreomof i
le,ngwaneso
(Soyoumeant otel
lmethatyougav
ei tuptohim,
sis)
?”

Khanyi:Oh,yes.Itwaspai nfulatfi
rst
,butaft
ert
hat,
Icannotbeli
eveIdidn’tl
osemyv ir
gini
tysoonerl
i
ke
youtwo.ImeanIhav emi ssedoutonal ot.Rami,
youhavet oteachmesomet ri
cks,ImeanRendanii
s
veryt
alentedandex peri
enced, soIwanttoupmy
gameandmakesur ehenev erleavesme.”

AI
,Khanyi
.Ihav
enowor
ds,Ij
ustkeptqui
ett
he
whol
etime.

Khanyi
:“Thato,
you’r
esoquiet.IhopeI’
m not
st
ressi
ngy ouout,
hey .Imeansinceyoubrokeup
wit
hKgandl ostyourbabyall
inaspanofmont hs.
”

Herl
astst
atementsentchi
l
lsdownmyspi
ne.I
mean, howthefuckdoessheknowaboutthat
?I
nevertoldherany
thi
ngaboutKgnoraboutmy
pregnancy.Whoisthisbi
tch?Il
ookedatRami and
shewasal soasshockedasIwas.

Rami
:“Howdoy
ouknowaboutal
lthat
,Khany
i?”

Irespectal
cohol,especi
all
ytheexpensi
vewi
nes,
becauseKhanyisanglikeacanary.

Khany
i:“
Rendani
tol
dme.
”

Thatsendevenmorecol
dshi
ver
sdownmyspi
ne
andav er
yti
ghtpai
ninmygut
.

Rami
:“Whatexact
lydi
dhet
ell
you?
”

AsKhany
iwasaboutt
otal
k,herphoner
angandi
t
wasRendani.So,Rami’
ssuspici
onshavebeen
conf
ir
med.Thi sguyisact
ual
lyspyi
ngonus.As
Khanyiwasabouttoanswert
hephone,Rami
snat
cheditf
rom herandswit
cheditof
f.

Rami :
“Rendanicancal
lyoul
atertoday,
we’r
e
catchi
ngupandwantt oknowallthejui
cydetai
ls,
babe.Now, outwithi
t.Howdoy ouknowallthat
aboutTee?”

Khanyi:“
Ah,Rendanit
oldmeal l
aboutit.Hesai d
thatThatowasadoptedbyawomannamedSont ior
Sontoorsomet hi
ng.HealsosaidthatThatowasi n
arelat
ionshi
pwi t
hKgandt hatt
heygothijackedor
somethingandsomethingaboutThatolosingher
baby.It’
squit
easadst or
y,hey.
”

Ifel
tmyselfshiv
erasshespoke.Whot hehel
lis
Rendaniandhowdoesheknowal loft
his?Coul
dhe
havebeeninvolvedwit
hSonto?Couldhehave
stagedt
hehi j
ackingonherbehal
f?Doesheknow
whereKgi
s?Ihav
esomanyquest
ionspaci
ng
t
hroughmymind.

Rami
:“Di
dhesaywher
eKgi
s?”

Khanyi
:“Ah,notmuch.Hej usttol
dmet hatKgdoes
notev
enr ememberThatoatal l
andt hatitisall
his
fat
her
’sdoings.That’
sall
het ol
dme.Whyar ewe
event
alkingaboutThat
onow?It houghtt hi
swas
mymomentt otel
lyoual
laboutRendani andI.
”

Ifel
tli
keIwasabouttolosemymi nd.Whothehell
i
sRendani andwhyishetort
uri
ngmel i
kethi
s?All
thi
stimeheknewwher eKgwasandhedi dn’
teven
bothertoshar
e,buti
nst
eadhest al
kedme.

Ifel
tmyheadspi nni
ngforamomentasIr ushedt
o
thekit
chentogetaglassofwater,
whileRami
handedKhany i
thebott
leofwineandItri
edtoget
myactt oget
her.Ramirushedtowardsmeand
huggedme, astear
sst
reameddownmyf ace.We
hadtowhisper,
ImeanwhoknowsifRendanihad
thehousebuggedorsomethi
ng?

That
o:“Howcoul
dRendani
dothi
stome,
Rami
?
WhathaveIev
erdonet
ohim?”

Rami:“
Shhh, we’l
lgettothebottom ofall
ofthi
s,I
promi
se.I t
’spret
tyobviousthatRendanigotwith
Khany
ijusttogettoy ou.Let’
sdeal wit
hRendanifor
nowandt henKg.Onepr oblem atatime,okay?
”

Inoddedaswehugged.

Rendani

Ican’
tbeli
eveKhanyiissuchastupidbit
ch.Isent
hertothatbeachhouseandspecif
ical
lytoldhernot
tospil
lanybeans.ButwhatdidIexpectfrom a
di
ckmatized18y earol
d?Fuck,thi
sgir
lisgoi
ngto
betheendofme.Iev enbuggedhercl
otheswit
hout
herevennoti
cing.

Iov er
heardevery
thi
ng,anditsti
l
ldidn’
ttel
lme
much.AssoonasIhear dhertal
kaboutmeand
whatIt ol
dheraboutThatoandKGandSont o,
I
knewt hatshehadfuckedup.Itri
edcall
ingherand
thephoneswi t
chedoffandtookmest r
aightto
voicemail
!Fuck!Thisisall
amess.

Iwast hi
scl osetogett
ingThatotobemi ne,and
now, t
hatbitchRami mostprobablyt
oldVivianand
Gri
ngo.Ineedt ogetthefuckoutofJoziASAP,
beforehefindsme.I ’
llhavetogetThatoonewayor
another.Ihav ecomewayt oofartolethergonow.
Chapt
erFour
tyEi
ght

John8:32–“Youshal
lknowt
het
rut
h,andt
het
rut
h
shal
lsetyouf
ree.
”
Thef
oll
owi
ngday
.

That
o

Ididn’
tsleepv erywell
lastnight
.Wel l,
weact ual
ly
sleptaround4am.Igotupat6am, anddeci dedto
comesi tont hecoucht hatover
lookst hev i
ewoft he
sea.Itriedt odozeoff,butmybr ai
nr efused.Igot
myphoneandl ookedatallthepictur
esKgandI
tooklasty ear.I
t’
samazi nghowat t
achedy oucoul d
gettoaper sonyouhav eknownf orashor twhil
e.I
mi sshi
m somuch, andIwasatapoi ntwhereIwas
abouttol etgoofhim, unti
lKhany i
toldusev eryt
hing
shedid.HowdoImov eonnotknowi ngwher eKg
evenis?

Lif
ecanbesounf ai
r.NowIunderst
andpeopl
ewho
gothroughmajordepr
essi
onwhentheyarel
ooking
forl
ostlovedoneswhohavebeenmissi
ngforyear
s.
Ihav ebeenpraying,butsomet hi
ngt el
l
smeIam j ust
notlookingfarenough.Idon’ tknow, r
eall
y.Iwent
throughmyI nsta,andnot i
cedav eryoddcomment
from ablastinthepastont hepictureIposted
yesterday,
ofRami ,Gringo,Vi
vianandIi nfr
ontofthe
j
et .

Itwasacommentf rom Anastacia.Howt hisgir

l
alwaysmanagest of i
ndmebaf fl
esme.“ Iseeyou
havewor medy ourwayi ntoanot herfamily,whil
eI
am li
vingyourdr eam.”Sheev enaddedal aughi
ng
emoji.Thisbitchisannoy i
ngasf uck,soIblocked
her.Idon’tevenknowwhatshemeansandIcannot
waitforthecommuni tyt
ohearaboutherf uckedup
mother .Iscr
olledsomemor et hroughsomeofmy
pict
uresandIr eceivedacallf
r om anunf ami l
iar
number .Idecidedtoansweri tany way .

That
o:“
Hel
l
o.”

Voi
ce:
“Hel
l
o,That
o.Okae(
Howar
eyou)
?”
It
’sKgabo,Rami’
sbr
other.Ihav
ebeenmeani
ngt
o
call
him,though,
wel
lIdidn’
thavehi
snumber
.

That
o:“
Hell
o,abut
i(br
other
),keshap(
I’
m okay
).
Howareyou?”

Kgabo:“Ah,kesi
ame( I’
m wel
l)
.Happybelated
bir
thday.Sorr
yIcouldn’
tcal
lyouyest
erday,
nekei
l
e
thabeng(Iwasatthemountai
n).”

Hei
staki
ngt
hispr
ophetl
i
fev
eryser
iousl
y.Iadmi
re
t
hat
.
That
o:“
Keal
eboga,
abut
i(Thanky
ou,
brot
her
).
”

Kgabo:
“Howi
sCapeTown?
”

Hi
spar
ent
smusthav
etol
dhi
mthatwe’
reher
eorhe
pr
obabl
ysawt
hati
nhi
sdr
eamsorsomet
hing.

That
o:“
Gomonat
e(I
t’
sni
ce)
,sof
ar.
”

Kgabo:
“Hmm, whathav
ey oubeendoi
ngaboutt
he
dr
eam youkeephavi
nglat
ely?
”

Iknewt
hiswasn’
tjustasoci
alcal
l
.

That
o:(si
gh)“Kel
i
kil
e,abut
i,(
Ihav
etried,
brother
),t
o
behonest
.Ihavebeenprayi
ngalot,
butitkeeps
comingback.
”

Kgabo:“
Whatdoy outhi
nkoft
hedr
eam?Whatdo
youthi
nkitmeans?”

That
o:“
Honestl
y,Idon’
tknow.Ithi
nkKgisinsome
ki
ndoftr
oubl
eorhehasf orgot
tenaboutme.
”
Kgabo:“Li
feisal l
aboutr isks,Thato.Wear ef i
ghti
ng
spir
it
ualbatt
lesev erywher ewego.I tisti
met ot ap
i
ntoy ourspi
ritualbeing,pray,medi t
ate.Andy ou
wil
lseewhatt hedr eam means.AsIhav esaid,
dangerisl
urking,troubleawaits,youar et
heonl y
onewhocanbr ingKgbackt oy ou.Hei sal
ive,yes,
butheisinav erydar kplace.Onl yyoucansav ehim
becauseyouar ehist r
uel ove.Inregardstoy our
fat
her,t
heansweri srightinfr
ontofy ou,ri
ghtunder
yournose.IhopeI ’m maki ngsense.”

Henev
ermakessense,
butIgethi
m.

That
o:”
Ithi
nkso.
”

Kgabo:“Therei
sar easonwhyy ouendedupi nCape
Town,inthatspeci
fichouse.Pray,meditat
ethi
s
week.Swi t
chony ourcandleeverynightwhenyou
prayandleaveitonallni
ght.ByFriday,whenyou
comeback,y
ouwi
llhaveseenwhattheancestor
s
wantyout
osee.Wewi l
ltal
kthen.Enj
oyyourtri
p,
That
oandremember,y
ourmom i sal
wayswithyou.
”

Wesai dourgoodby esasIsatont hecouchdeepi n

thought.Ihavenoi deawhathemeans, butonce
againIwil
lhav etotakehisinst
ructi
onstoheartand
pray.Igotupf rom thecouchanddecidedtomake
somebr eakfast.Iendedupbaki ngupastorm,
try
ingoutthecr oi
ssantreci
peIgotf r
om Gri
ngo.I
addedmyownt wisttoi
t,andaddedmozzarell
a
cheese.

Ievenmadesomegar l
icloaf,scrambledeggs,with
spicyguacamoleandEnglishsausages.I ’
dliketo
tr
youtsomecockt ail
sforachange, soImadeus
someMi mosas,
withStrawberr yMoji
to’
s.It
’s11am,
andnev ert
oolateforadrinkasAuntVi vi
anlikes
saying.Iwasabouttocall Rami out
,notgi
vinga
careaboutKhanyi,
butshewal kedoutonherown
accord.
Rami
:“Hmmm,gi
rl
,you’
regoi
ngtomakemef at
.I
al
way
sgetwokenupbyyourdel
i
ciousf
ood.
”

That
o:(
chuckl
i
ng)“
Goodmor
ningt
oyout
oo,
sis.
Come,l
et’
seat
.”

Ramisatdownandwedugi n.Oh,Iwasmoani
ngat
thet
asteofmyownf ood.Icannotbel
i
evet
hatIcan
makesuchgoodfood.

Rami:
“YouandGri
ngowouldgetal
ongsowell,Tee.
Imeancanyouimagi
neyoutwocookingupastorm
i
nthekit
chen?Youwoul
dmakeashi tloadof
money.
”

Webot hburstouti
nlaught
er.Iaddedsome
cayennepepperintheMimosa,j
usttoremovethe
hangover
.Khany iwassti
ll
inbed,minusoneforus.
Itol
dheraboutwhatKgabosaidandshesai dwe
woul
dgot
othemar
kett
ogetsomecandl
es.

Rami
:“So,
checkt
his.If
oundt
hisi
nKhany
i’
sbag.
”

Sheshowedmeawir
e.Whatt hefuck?WasKhany
i
act
uall
yspy
ingonmeforRendani
orwhat?”

Rami :“
Rendaniwasusingittospyonus, butdon’t
worry.Idippediti
nwat er
,beforetaki
ngitback.
Somepeopl earetrash.Ical
ledGr i
ngoandinfor
med
him aboutit
,andapparentl
yRendani hadalr
eady
sentsomeonet ospyonusher e,buthehasgone
missing.Ranawayi smor eli
keit.”

Rendani i
ssuchacowar df orthepervertthatheis.I
cannotbelievehecan’
tev enfacehisowndemons
now.Ij usthopetheyf
indhi m soonerratherthan
l
ater.Ijustneedabitofpeaceandsmoot hsaili
ngin
mylife.Rami andIfi
nishedeat ingandhadour
cocktai
ls.Wewentt oourbedr oomstot akea
showerandheadedout.Wedidsomeshopping,
boughtafewniceit
emsandwentoutforl
unch.We
didsayweweregoingouttobuycandl
es,
butthr
ee
hoursl
ater
,ourhandswerefi
l
ledwit
hshoppi
ngbags.

Wehadour selv
est hebestf i
shandchi ps,notev en
Jo’bur
ghassuchgoodt ast
ingfi
shandchi ps.I fonly
Icouldaskf orther ecipe.Wedi dsomegr ocery
shoppingandheadedbackt othehouse.Webot h
foundKhany isitt
ingont hecouch,l
ooki ngv er
y
annoyed.Shehadeat enhel eft
over
swel eftthi
s
mor ni
ng,anddi dn’tevenbot hertocleanuporput
them i
nt hedishwasher .Somegi rl
sar eseriously
annoying.

Rami:(
annoyed)“Khany
i,t
heleastyoucoul
dhav
e
done,
wast ocleanupaft
eryoursel
f.
”

It
houghtshewoul
dbeabi
tremor
seful
,butnope.
Sheevendeci
dedt
ogiv
eusanatt
it
ude.
Khany
i:“
Hadyounotl
eftmehereal
lal
one,
then
maybeIwoul
dn’
thavehadt
ocleanup.
”

Okay
,thi
schi
ckisser
iousl
ygoi
ngt
oupsetme.I
s
shet
ryi
ngtor
uinourtr
ip?

Thato:
“Excuseme,
Khany
i?Ar
eyoubei
ngf
orr
eal
ri
ghtnow?”

Khanyi
:Yes, Iam.Hadyounotpester
edmewi t
h
thosest
upidquesti
onsaboutRendanil
astni
ght
,I
wouldsti
llhaveamantoday.Andnow, hedumped
me–al lbecauseofyoutwo!
”

Okay,f
ir
stlyshedit
chesusfordickthenshepi
tches
uphereoutofnowher ewi
thwiresandshitwit
hout
l
etti
ngusknow, andnowshei sinsul
ti
ngusbecause
Rendanidumpedher ?
Thato:“
Lookhere,Khanyi,
y ourefusedt olist
entous
whenwet oldyouRendani doesn’tlovey ou.You
rockedupherewit
houtaski ngusi fitisokayforyou
tocome.Yougother ejustt ospyonusasy ouwere
giveni
nstr
ucti
onsbyy oursocal l
edboy f
riendwhois
obsessedwithmebyt heway !Nowt hatwe
welcomedy ouher
ewi thopenar ms, youchooset o
thankusbybeingrude?!”

Ramit
hrewt
hewi
reatherandshedi
dn’
tev
enseem
bot
her
ed.

Khanyi
:“Thi
sisal
lyourfaul
t,That
o.Youthinkt
hat
ever
yonewantsyoujustbecauseyourf
atheri
s
whit
e.”
Therewegoagai n,t
hewhiteinsult.Ihav
eact uall
y
haditwithpeopl
ewhoj ustf
eel theneedtoinsultme
becauseofmyski ncol
our.Not hingiswrongwi t
h
meandhadIbeensuchadef ect ,Godwouldnot
havegivenmel i
fe.
Thato:(i
nfuriated)“Listenhere,y
ouskinnybi
tch,and
youlist
env erycar efull
y!Iam whoIam, Idi
dn’t
chooset obet hewayIam andIdon’ tregr
etone
thi
ngaboutme.Iam achi l
dofGod,aGodwhosaw
i
tfit
tingtomakemet hewayIam.Iam smar t,
beautif
ul,andwaysmar t
erthanyourdumbass.
Youchoset of uckthef i
rstguywhotoldyouthat
you’
rebeaut iful.Youf uckedupbi gt
imeandnow
youhav ethener v
et oinsultme?!

Youhav en’tevenpayingmuchat t
enti
ontoyour
grades, Khany i
.Youact ual
l
yforgotwhyyoucamet o
varsityi
nt hef i
rstpl
ace,andyouarebusywithboys
i
nst eadofl iv
inguptoy ourfami
ly’
sstandar
ds.Ibet
youdi dn’tevenuseacondom wi thRendani
,you
stupidfuck! ”

Iwasfuming,whil
eRami star
edatKhanyi
,who
l
ookedlikeshehasjustseenaghost
.Iam honestl
y
ti
redofbit
chesli
keher.Shecangof uckher
sel
ffor
al
lIcar
e.

Rami:
“It
hinki
tisti
mefory
out
oleav
e,Khany
i.
Thr
eeisacrowdthi
sti
me.”

Khany
ist
art
edweepi
ngwhi
l
ewebot
hjustst
aredat
her
.

Khanyi
:(cr
ying)“Pl
easeguy
s,Iam sor
ryf
ort
hewayI
havebeenacting.Idi
dn’
tmeanto.”

Wewerenotevenbot
hered,andsinceRendani
dumpedher,
hemostprobablydidn’
tevengi
veher
anyt
axif
areorbookherafl
ight.

Rami:“
I’
ll
getthedri
vert
otakey oubackhomewit
h
ourpr
ivat
ejet
.It’
sbeenfun,butyouneedtol
eav
e.”
Wel eftherweepi ngont hef l
ooronherknees, whil
eI
wentt omybedr oom andRami wenti nt ohers.Later
ont hatevening,wehadal otoff unwi t houtKhany i
’s
presence.Rami evencookedwi thmewhi lewehad
abitofwi ne.Wewat chedsomemov iesonNet fl
ix
whileImadeanot ethatIhav et ogot ot hebeach
tomor r
ow.Weendedupgoi ngt obedar ound11pm.
Ili
tthecandl e,prayedandl eftitont hewhol enight
asinstructedbyKgabo.Asusual Ihadt hesame
dream ofKgnothear ingmewhi l
eIcal ledoutt ohim,
butt hi
stime, i
twasabi tdifferent.Hest aredatme
forav erylongtimeandwewer ear oundt hebeach.

Idon’tgetwhati
tmeans, butIstil
lprayed.Iwokeup
thefoll
owingmorning,andaskedRami thatwegot o
thebeach.Itwassomuchf unt oactuall
ywakeup
nexttothebeachwi t
houtalotofpeopl ebeingther
e.
Sincewewer eri
ghtnexttoit,Rami wentintothe
houset omakeussomecockt ail
swi t
hsnacks.Af t
er
abouttwoofthem, Iwasabi tti
psy.Luckilywewer e
underneathagardenUmbr el
lawi t
hsunscr eenand
ourSummerhat son.
That
o:“
I’
m goi
ngi
ntot
hewat
er,
Rami
.”

Rami:“
Ah,Nnakesanwa(I’
m st
il
ldr
inki
ng).I
’l
lkeep
aneyeonyou,t
hough.Oskadrowna,aker
e(Don’t
drown,
okay)
?”

Ilaughedandwal kedt owardst hewater .Thesea

wat erfeelssonice.Nowonderwhybl ackpeopl e
alway sfeel t
heneedt ogot ot hebeacht ocleanse
awayal lt
heirbadluck.I t
’salwaysnicet ofeelthe
saltwat erony ourskin.Salthasawayofpur i
fying
theski n,soIguessi tisalsospiri
tual
.If el
thungr y
afterawhi le,soRami andItookourtowel sand
headedt ooneoft her est
aurantsneart hebeach.

Ilovet hevi
beher e,
thefoodisl
ovely,
themusi cand
thedrinkskeptflowi
ng.Rami wenttothetoi
let,
whil
eIsi ppedonmydr ink.AsIlookedup,Icouldn’
t
beli
evemyey es.Thismustbeadr eam.Irubbed
myey esandpi nchedmy sel
ftocheckifi
ndeedit
wasr eal.Isl
owlygotupandr antowardshim ashe
st
aredatme.Ii
mpul
siv
elyhuggedhi
m wi
tht
ear
sin
myeyes.

Thato:“
Oh,Kg!Ican’
tbel
iev
ethi
sisact
ual
l
y
happeni
ng.Isthi
sreal
lyy
ou?”

Hel
ookedatmepuzzl
edandl
ookedqui
teconf
used.

Kg:
“I’
m sor
ry,
doIknowy
ou?
”
Chapt
erFour
tyNi
ne.

Psalm 34:18–“TheLordi
sneartothe
brokenheart
edandsavesthecr
ushedinspi
ri
t.
”

That
o

Icoul
dn’
tbel
iev
emyeyes,butt
hemostpai
nfulpar
t
wasthatwhi
chwascomingoutofKg’
smouth.He
sti
ll
lookedthesame,justabi
tmorebuff
edup.He
evengrewmor ebeardnow.IseethesameKgI
havealwaysknownphy si
cal
ly
,butt
hat’
sit
.He
l
ookedatmel ikeIwasaghostorsomethi
ng,
completel
yconfusedandlost
.

That
o:(
Surpr
ised)“
It
’sme,
babe.Whatdoy
oumean
doyouknowme? ”

Kg:(puzzl
ed)“
I’
m sorr
y,y
oumustbeconf
usi
ngme
wit
hsomeoneel se.
”

Ilookedhi mint heey eanditwasmostdefinit

elynot
adr eam.I twasr eal,andhehadnoi deawhoIwas.
Iwasl ef
tembar rassedandconfused.Myhear t
l
iterall
ysunkt othepi tofmystomach.Thepai nI
am f eeli
ngri
ghtt hismomentdoesnotcompr ehend
tothepai nIfeltwhenhegotshotr ighti
nfrontofme.

Al
lthesemont
hsIhadpai
ntedaf
aintpi
ctur
einmy
mindwherehewouldbedelight
edtoseemeagai n,
whereIwoul
dtel
lhim aboutourbaby,t
hepainI
wentthr
ough,
butthi
sismor ethanIhaveever
expect
ed.WhydidKgaboaskmet oprayonlyt
o
fi
ndevenmoreheart
ache?Whyi sl
if
esounfair
?

Thato:(
embar
rassed)“
Oh,
I’m sosor
ry,
sir
.Please
for
giveme.Imistooky
ouforsomeoneelse.
”

Kg:
(smil
i
ng)“
It
’sokay
,Igett
hatal
ot.Mynamei
s
Wolf
.”

Heextendedhishand,wow,soIam lit
eral
lyre-
i
ntroduci
ngmy sel
ftomyownf i
ancé.Ishookhis
handandf el
tthesameelect
rif
yinggoosebumpsI
fel
tthefi
rstdayhetouchedmyhand.It houghtlong
andhardaboutmyi nt
roduct
ion.

That
o:“
I’
m That
o,buty
oucancal
lmeTT.
”
Iwashopinghewouldsaythisi
sal
laj
okeor
somethi
ng,butno.Hegenuinel
ydi
dn’
tremember
me.Ithurtmeimmensely.
Kg:
“Ni
cet
omeety
ou,
TT.
”

Ashel etgoofmyhand, Ihadanotherhugeblowto

myegoandmyhear t
.Av isi
blypr
egnantAnastaci
a
appearedfrom t
hebathroom sect
ion,andst
ood
rightnextt
oKg.Rightatthatmoment ,I
remember edhernastycommentonmypi ct
ureon
Instagram.

Shesti
lll
ooksfakeasfuck,andtenshadesli
ghter.I
coul
dseesomev i
sibl
esil
iconestr
aightf
rom whereI
wasstanding,
andahuger eddiamondr i
ngonher
ri
ngfi
nger.Thishasjustgonefrom badtoamill
ion
ti
meswor se.

Kg:(smi
l
ing)“Heybaby
.Ij
ustmetthisnicegi
rl
.She
knowsmef r
om somewher
e,butIcan’
trecal
l
meet
ingherany
wher
e.”

If
rozeasIsawAnastaci
aholdi
ngmyman’ shand
whil
erubbi
ngherpr
egnantbell
y.I
ndeedsheisli
vi
ng
mydream.

Anast
acia:(
smil
i
ng)“
Oh,reall
y,babe?Ag,she
pr
obablyknowsyouf
rom Diepkl
ooforsomethi
ng.
”

Kg:
“Iguessso.Wasni
cemeet
ingy
ouonceagai
n,
TT.
”

Hesmiledandwalkedtowar
dshistabl
eal
ongwi
th
Anast
acia,
whil
erami camerushi
ngtowar
dsmeand
hel
dmyhand.

Rami
:(wor
ri
ed)“
Arey
ouokay
?”
That
o:(
shaken)“
Please,
let
’sgohome.
”

Rami
:“Okay
.”

Wewal kedoutwhi l
eItookonelastlookatKgandI
sawAnast aciainsteadsincehehadhisback
towardsmef rom wheretheywereseated.
Anastaci
al ookedatmeandgav emeonef atsmirk.
Ihavealway sknownt hatlif
ecouldbeabitunfairto
somepeopl e,butt
hisisjustaenormousblowt ome.
WhydoIhav etobeentrappedinsuchanightmar e?

Wegoti ntoourcarandheadedstrai
ghttothebeach
house.Allthi
swhi l
emyheartwaspul sati
ngli
ke
nothi
ngelse,Icouldn’
tsayaword.Myt hroatfel
t
l
ikeahugel umpwasent angl
edrighti
nt hemiddleof
i
t,ref
usingtogodown.Myst omachhadahuge
knotthatkepttur
ning,maki
ngmef eelti
ghterand
ti
ghter.
Ifel
tli
keIwasaboutt ovomit,mythreateningtear
s
wereburni
ngt heinsidesofmyey eli
ds,whi l
emy
wholefacefel
tlikeitwaslit
eral
lyonf i
re.Wegotout
andRami neverletgoofmyhand, notev enonce.As
soonaswewal kedintothehouse,Isunki ntot
he
couch.

Rami didn’tsayany t
hing,shejustwentstr
aightf
or
thewi neint hekitchen,andcamebackwi t
habot tl
e
andt wowi negl asses.It ooktheglassandgulpedit
allatonce, andIbur stintotearssoonaft
er.Rami
heldme, comf ort
edme, butitsti
l
lfel
tpai
nfulasfuck.

That
o: (
cry
ing)“Ican’
tbel
i
evet
his,
Rami.Whydoes
ever
ythi
nghav etobesohardf
orme?”

Rami :“Shhh,it’
sokay,babe.Iknowy ou’
regoing
throughal ot,butnowisthet i
met ogetupandf i
ght
forwhat ’
sy ours,Tee.You’r
east ronggi rlandIknow
weal ldealwithpaindiff
erentl
y,butt histi
me,
ngwaneso, swabisamanabaagao( pr ov
ey our
enemi
eswr
ong)
.Emaema(
standup)andf
ight
.”

That
o:“
Ifeel
sonumb,
Rami
.Howwi
l
lIdot
hat
?”

Rami :“Yougainstrengthfrom God, babe.Your

strengthli
esinyourknees, yourpowerl i
esinyour
tongueandy ourweaponagai nstdestructi
onisyour
faith.Thereisareasonwhyal lt
hisishappeningt o
you, andhonestl
y,Ifeelli
kethisisjustapathy ou
hav etotaketobeabl etoreachy ourdestiny.Doy ou
rememberRachel i
nt heBible?Shepat i
entl
ywaited
tomar r
yherloveJacobaf terbei
ngcr uell
ydeceived
byherf ather
,whot ri
ckedJacobi ntomar ryi
ngher
sisterLeah.

Herpr ayerswereanswered,andal thoughshewas

chi
ldlessatf ir
st,
shebecamet hemot hert
oJoseph
andBenj ami n.Genesi
s12:3say s:”
Iwi l
lbl
essthose
whobl essy ou,andwhoevercursesy ouIwil
lcur
se;
andal lpeoplesonearthwil
lbebl essedthrough
you.”Pr overbs4:16says:
“Fortheycannotsl eep
unl
esstheydoev i
l
;andtheyarer
obbedofsl
eep
unl
esstheymakesomeonest umble.
”WhatImean
i
sthatAnastaci
aclear
lydi
dsomethingt
ohim,Tee.

Nomanwoul dev erpr

etendnottoknowy ouwithout
evenattempti
ngt omakecont actwi
thyouafter
beingshoti
nf rontofyouli
kethat.Thereisareason
whykar maexistsonearth,andshewill
surel
yget
herkarma.I’
llpersonall
yhelpyougettothebottom
ofthis,
butdeal wit
hyouf i
rst
.Hewi l
lcomebackt o
you,i
nduet i
me. ”

DeepdownIknowshe’ sri
ght,butIcan’tbelieveit
ri
ghtnow.I thur
tssobadly,thatIcan’tevent hi
nk
str
aight.Icr i
edunti
lIhadnomor etearsleft,andI
headedt obedear l
y.Rami saidshewoul dcome
sl
eepwi thmeaf terashortwhi l
e.Ifeel sobadr i
ght
now, si
nceourt r
ipwassupposedt obeagr eatone
andnowi tseemslikedramakeepsf ollowingme
everywhere.
Ideci dedt ol i
ghtmycandl eandbur ntsomei ncense
andpr ay ed.Ipr ay edlikei twast helastt i
meIwoul d
everpr ay.“ DearGod, Modi mowakaoar ategang
(Myl ov ingGod) , Thef at herofJesusChr i
st,the
creatorofal lli
vingt hings, theonewhomakes
every thingpossi ble, Jehov ahJi reh( MyPr ovider)
,
Jehov ahRophe( MyHeal er),Jehov ahMakadesh( My
Sanct ifier),Jehov ahShal om ( MyPeace) ,Jehov ah
Rohi (MyShepher d),Jehov ahTsi dkenu( My
Righteousness) , Adonai (Mymast er).Psal m 34:18
says“ TheLor disneart ot hebr okenhear t
edand
savest hecr ushedi nspi rit
.”InI saiah41: 10y ou
promi seust hat“ Fearnot ,forIam wi thy ou;benot
dismay ed, forIam y ourGod;Iwi llstrengtheny ou,I
willhel py ou, Iwi l
l uphol dy ouwi thmyr ighteous
ri
ghthand. ”Psal m 73: 26say s“ Myf leshandmyhar t
mayf ail,butGodi st hest rengt hofmyhear tandmy
portionf orev er.
”1Cor inthians13: 7say s“Lov e
bearsal thi
ngs, bel ievesal l t
hings, hopesal lthings,
endur esal lthings. ”

Heal
me,
oh,
Lor
d.Heal
mef
rom t
hei
nsi
de,
cleanse
myhear tandhelpmenott oholdanygrudges
towardsany one.Iaskthatyouhelpmef orgi
veall
thosewhohav etr
espassedagainstme.Iaskt hat
youstrengthenmef orwhateveriscomingmyway ,
foryouknowwhyt hingshappen.Leadmeont he
ri
ghtpathandl etKgcomebackt omei fi
tisyour
will
,oh,God.Iaskt hisi
nJesus’ mi
ghtyname.
Amen. ”

Ifel
tsomuchateaseaft
erwar
ds,
andgoti
ntobed.I
dozedof
fimmediat
ely
.

Rami

IhaveneverseenThat osobr okenbefore.Ihav e

onlyknownherf orashor tperiodofti
me, butIlove
hersomuch.I thurtsmet oseeherinsomuchpai n,
mor eespeciall
ysi nceitwascausedbyanot her
woman.Ihav enodoubti nmymi ndthatAnast aci
a
causedallthis.Fr om whatshehast oldmeabout
Kgandt hewayt heirrelat
ionshipwas,thereisno
wayhecoul
dhav
efal
l
enf
orAnast
aci
a,atl
eastnot
wi
ll
ingl
y.

Ihavehear dGmanandVivi
antal
kaboutWolfand
Goril
la,andnowital
lmakessense.Ther
emustbea
reasonwhyKgandhi sdadRomeohav ebeenusing
analias.Thereismoret
othisst
ory,
soIdecidedto
callGri
ngo.AsIwasabouttodialhi
snumber,he
call
edme.Iqui ckl
yanswer
ed,andhesoundedinso
muchdi str
ess.

Rami
:“Hel
l
o.”

Gri
ngo:
“Rami,howar
eyouguy
s?I
sev
ery
thi
ngokay
?
I
sThatookay
?”

Rami:(puzzled)“
Yes,we’
rebot
hfi
ne,sheisjusti
na
bi
tofemot ionaldi
str
ess.Why?Havey ouheard
anyt
hing?”
Gri
ngo:“No,
Ijusthadaweir
dfeeli
ng,l
ikeIkindof
fel
tli
kesheisnotokay
,li
kehersouli
sintrouble.
”

Hao,Gmanisfeeli
ngThato’
ssoulall
ofasudden.
ButIguessi
tisbecauseheisaveryspi
ri
tual
guy .
Hetendstocall
meatt i
meswhenIf eel
downt oo.

Rami:“
Shei
sjustupset
,that
’sal
l
.Shesawher
missi
ngexafewhoursagoandhecan’
tremember
her.
”

Gri
ngo:(
worr
ied)“
Per
hapsyouguysshoul
dcome
backhomeandspendther
estoftheweekwit
hVi
v
andI.Pl
us,
wecan’tt
raceRendaniany
wher
e.”

Rami
:(si
gh)“
I’
llt
hinkabouti
t.LetTeeandIspend
onemoredayhereandthenwe’l
lcomeback.”

Gr
ingo:
“Okay
,ify
ouneedany
thi
ngel
se,y
ouknow
wher
etof
indme.
”

Rami
:“Sur
e,Gman.Sendmygr
eet
ingst
oAuntV.
”

WehungupasIwentt oThat o’sbedr

oom.Shame,
mypoorsis.Ihav ebeenthroughheartbr
eak,but
thi
sisanotherki ndofl
evelofheartbr
eak.Ihope
andprayInev ergettoexperiencesuch.Igotinbed
anddozedof frightaway.
Chapt
erFi
ft
y

John16: 33–“Ihavesaidthesethi
ngstoyou,t
hatin
mey oumayhav epeace.I ntheworldyouwil
lhav
e
tr
ibulat
ion.Buttakeheart
;Ihaveovercomethe
world.”

2Timothy3:1-
17–“Butunder standtis,t
hatinthe
l
astdaystherewillcomet i
mesofdi ffi
cul
ty.For
peopl
ewillbeloversofself
,loversofmoney ,pr
oud,
arr
ogant,
abusive,disobedi
enttotheirparent
s,
ungrateful
,unholy ,
hear t
less,unappeasable,
slanderous,withoutsel f
-cont
rol,brut
al,notl
oving
good, t
reacherous, reckl
ess,swol l
enwithconceit
,
l
ov ersofpleasurer atherthanloversofGod, havi
ng
theappear anceofgodl i
ness,butdenyingitspower.
Av oi
dsuchpeopl e.
”

That
o

Imanagedt osleepabitlastni
ght ,
althoughIhada
fl
ashbackoft hedayKgwasshotr ightnexttome
andIwasdr aggedont hecoarse,tarroad.The
enti
reeventsfrom t
hatdayuntilthedayt hosetwo
thugsdumpedmei nanopenv eldpl ayedinmymi nd
l
ikeamov ie.IrememberhowIendedupont hev
eld
now,Ikeptpassingoutev er
ynowandt hen,andI
remembert hem negot
iati
ngiftheyshoul drapeme
ornot.

Irecal
ltheshor
tone,sayi
ngthatI
’
m damaged
goodsany wayandthatf
ucki
ngawomanwhoj ust
hadanaborti
onisbadluck,andthatcoul
dcause
them t
odie.Imagi
nethat,mybleedingvagi
nasaved
mef r
om gett
ingr
aped.

Theot heronesaidthathehadal
way swant edto
fuckay el
l
owbone, butvowedtorapemet henext
ti
mehesawme.If aint
lyr
ecal
lhi
mr i
ppingmy
diamondpendantf r
om me,sayi
nghewi llwearitas
ar eminderoftheyell
owbonehenev ergottofuck.
Idon’tgethowcr uelpeopl
ecanbe, butIguesssuch
i
sl if
e.

Iwokeupbef oreRami asal ways,andsati nt he

couch, facingthebeachy etagain.Myhear tisst i
l
l
achy,butmyspi ri
tisabitsoothed.Af teraboutan
hour,Ideci dedt omakesomebr eakfastforus.Just
aquickbr eakfastwithast r
awber rysmoot hiewit h
somecay ennepepper .Ihav enoideawher eIget
theser ecipesf r
om, buteversinceIhav ediscov ered
thekitchen, i
tseemsast hought heycomenat ural
ly.
Rami gotoutoft hebedr oom andf oll
owedt hesmel l
oft
hef
oodasusual
.

Rami
:“Hmm,
goodmor
ning,
sunshi
ne.
”

That
o:(
chuckl
i
ng)“
Goodmor
ning.
”

Rami
:“Howar
eyouf
eel
i
ngt
oday
?”

That
o:(si
gh)“Ihav
ehonestlyf
eltbet
ter
,butIam so
gl
adthatyou’
rehere.Iam sosorr
yforrui
ningour
gi
rl
stri
p,t
hough.”
Rami:“
Youdi
dnothi
ngwrong,Tee,honest
ly.Weall
gothr
oughal
ot,
sodon’tbeatyour
selfupabouti
t.
”

Rami i
sabr eezetohangar oundwi t
h.Wedeci ded
todoshoppi ngonelastti
me, sincewef eeli
t’
sbetter
togobackhomeear li
erthanexpected.Wewentout
tothemallandgotour selv
essomeni ceoutfi
ts.As
usual
,thr
eehour slat
er,wepi ckedupqui t
eaf ew
outf
its.Aswewer eabouttoent erBugat ti
’ssinceI
wascr avi
ngthei
rawesomecr eamyspi nach, Igot
theshockofmyl i
feandInear l
ydr oppedmybags.I
star
tedshaking,shiv
eringactual
lyandIl i
terall
y
halt
edatt hesi
ghtoft hosetwo.It ri
edt owal kback,
butIfeltmymov ementbecomer estr
icted.

Rami
:(pani
cky
)“Tee,
what
’swr
ong?Ar
eyouokay
?”

AsIwasaboutt oanswerher ,
Isawt hetal
lone
wear i
ngmydi amondlocket.Hestaredatmewi t
ha
hugesmi leonhi sfaceandhadthenervetof l
ashhis
revolt
ingey esatme.Isawhi sfacemuchcl earer
thi
st i
me, eventhoughhewasdr apedinGucci, he
sti
l
l couldnothidehishorri
dscrapedface.The
shortonet urnedaroundandlookedabitwor r
ied
whenhesawmel ookatthem.

IforgotaboutRamiforaminute,
asshestaredat
mef orawhileandt
henlookedatthem.Thet al
lone
puthishandonmydi amondlocket,
mostprobably
asasign.Ihav
etogett
hefuckoutofher
e.Il
i
ter
all
y
fel
tli
keIwasaboutt
opissmypants.

That
o:(
shaky
)“Rami
,l
et’
sgetoutofher
e,pl
ease.
”

Imanagedt oscrapet hebitofst rengthl ef

tinmeas
Ihurriedoutofther e,
barelyhol di
ngont omypaper
bags.Iwasshaki ng,wi t
ht earsfl
owi ngdownmy
face.Mybodywasaboutt ofailme, butIjustkept
pacingahead.Wehadt owai toutsidet hemallfora
minut e,asthedri
v erwasawayatt hetime.Ikept
tappingmyr i
ghtfoot,anxiouslylookingback,
thi
nkingt hosetwomi ghtcomeandat tackmeagai n.

I
tseemsasi fev er ytimeIpr ay,t
roublefoll
owsme.I
didn’
tevenreal
izet hetearskeptbl i
ndingmyey es.
Rami wasinsever epani c, asshesawhowner vousI
was.Shei mmedi atelydialedGri
ngo, whot oldher
thathewouldsendt hedriverstr
aighttotheai rpor
t.
Smallywouldbr ingourcl othesbacktoJo’ burglater
.
Shehadnoi deawhatwashappeni ng,butIfeltmy
chestcl
osei
n,l
i
keIwasaboutt
ohav
eapani
c
att
ack.

Idroppedt hosepaperbagsont hegr

oundand
start
edbr eathi
ngheavi
ly.Themor eIgaspedf
orair,
themor eIf el
tmychestcloseinonme.Mywhol e
bodyf el
tahotwav econsumeme, makingmefeel
l
ikeI’m abouttodie.Rami wasshaki
ngandwor r
ied,
buttri
edt ocalm medown.

Rami
:(Pani
cked)“
Thato,br
eat
he,
babe,
breat
he.
Sl
owdownandbr eat
he.”

Il
ookedatherasshehel dbot hmyhands,whi l
e
coachingmeandai di
ngmet obreat
heslowly.The
moreIdi dit
,thecalmerIbeganf eel
ing.If
eltmy
heartstar
tbeatingatamuchmor enormalpace,and
Idi
dn’tevencareaboutt hecrowdofpeoplest ar
ing
atus.Ast hedriverqui
cklyparkedalongsi
deus, I
sawt hetwoguy sapproachingus.Iquickl
ypicked
upourbagsandgoti ntothecar.
Rami
:“Whatar
eyouwai
ti
ngf
or?
!Dr
ive!
”

Ikeptst
ari
ngbackwhil
einthecar
,thi
nki
ngt
hey
mighthavebeenf
oll
owingus.

Rami:(
worr
ied)“
Tee,what’
shappeni
ng?You’
re
scar
ingme.Whoar ethoseguy
s?”

That
o:(
shaky
)“Theyar
etheoneswhoki
dnapped
me.”

Rightt
henRamifel
tuneasy
.Shealsokeptl
ooki
ng
backanddial
edGri
ngoyetagai
n,andputhi
m on
l
oudspeaker.

Rami:
(wor
ri
ed)“Gman,thoset
woguys,i
t’
sthesame
guy
swhokidnappedThatoawhil
eback.
”
Gri
ngohadnocl uewhathappenedt
omeaf ew
monthsago,buthesoundedsoworri
ed,
though.He
i
sar eal
fat
herfigur
eofnote.

Gringo:“I
’
llgetmyguystogetonit.Don’tyouworry,
you’resafe.Nooneisfol
lowingyou.I’
ll
bewai t
ing
foryouatt heai
rpor
twheny ougetback,okay
?”

Rami
:“Okay
.”

Gr
ingo:“
That
o,y
ou’
reokay
.Justr
emembert
o
br
eathe.
”

Icouldn’tevenut t
erawor d.Ifeltsoscared,andI
hadt houghtthatIgotov erthepainIfel
tmont hsago,
butclearlynot.Wear ri
vedattheair
portawhi lelat
er,
andgotouti mmedi atel
y.Wegoti ntothejet
, andI
orderedast i
ffdrink.Thepi l
otdidn’
tevenwai ta
whileasusual ,wef l
ewof f.Withi
ntwohour s, we
arri
vedatt heairport,
bothofusv eryanxi
ousand
bar
elysay
ingawor
dtooneanot
her
.

Aspromi sedGr ingowaswai ti

ngf orusattheair
port
.
Idon’tknowwhyIf eelsocloset othi
sman.Ibar el
y
knowhi m,butoncewegotout ,bothRami andIgot
ahuge, rel
i
ev i
nghugf rom Gri
ngo.It hinki
tonlysunk
i
natt hatmomentt hatwecoul dhav egott
en
ki
dnappedy etagainordiedorsomet hi
ng.Webot h
brokedowni ntearsandwett hepoorman’ sshir
t.

Gri
ngo:“
It
’sokay
,gir
ls.Daddy’
sgotyounow.
You’
resafe,
andI’
ll
makesur et
heyal
lpay.
”

Thereissomethingrel
i
evi
nginGr i
ngo’
svoice,
somethingreassur
ingandsoothi
ng.Ifel
tli
kehe
actual
l
ymeantwhathesai dandIknewt henthatI
couldtr
usthim.Wegott oGringo’
shouseandhe
i
mmedi atel
ytoldustogositonthecouch.

Rami
andIar
esousedt
oshar
ingacouch,
sowe
chosethelongestoneandsatnextt oeachot her
.
Hecamebackwi thchamomi letea,
eventhoughit’
s
abithotoutsi
de.Appar entl
yitsoot
hesaper son,
especi
all
yoneindi st
ress.Hescoot edinbet
weenus
andstart
edaskingquest i
onsaf ewmi nut
eslater
.

Gr
ingo:
“Now,
tel
lmewhathappenedatt
hemal
l
.”

Iexplai
nedevery
thi
ngt hathappened, f
rom theday
ofthehij
acki
ngtoSont oforcefull
yaborti
ngmybaby .
WhenIsawt hoseguy s,i
tfeltasifIwasl i
teral
l
y
reli
vi
ngthosefewdays.Icoul dseeGr ingo’svei
ns
poppingoutofhisheadashecl enchedhisjawand
frowned.

Gr
ingo:
“Doy
ouknowt
heseguy
’snames?
”

Thato:(
shaki
nghead)“Sontor
efer
redtothem as
SporoandSpil
otr
oorsomet hi
ng.Icannotrecal
l
them ev
erusi
ngthei
rrealnames.”
Gr
ingo:
“I’
m oni
t.
”

Heleftust
her
eandwewat chedt
v.Wemusthave
dri
ft
edoffi
nsleep,
becausewewerewokenupbya
fr
anti
cVivi
an.

Vivi
an:(
franti
c)“Gi
rl
s!Leshap(
Arey
ouokay
)?Di
d
theyhur
ty ou?”

Rami:“
No,
Aunty
,reshap(we’
reokay
).Justt
hat
That
ohadapani
cattack.
”

Viv
ian:
(har
denedface)“Come,
weneedt
ochange
andgotothewarehouse.”

Ihavenoideawhatsheistal
kingabout
, butwedid
astol
d.Sheledusintooneoft hebedr
ooms.Thi s
houseisj
ustamazing,ev
eryt
hingisabitoversi
zed,
eventhebed.Fourorfi
vepeoplecouldeasil
yfi
ton
thesebeds.Wef oundt
woallblackjumpsuit
sand
gloveslai
doutonthebed.Vi
vianinstr
uctedusto
getdressedi
nthem.

Il
ookedatRami whodidn’
tseem surprised,soIdid
asinstructed.Theyweretheperfectsize,sowegot
dressedandmetGr i
ngoandVi vi
andownst air
s.
Bothoft hem weredressedinall
blackaswel l
.
Seemsl ikewe’regoi
ngt oafuneralorsomet hing.I
didn’
taskanyquest i
onsaswewer eledt othecar .
Whi l
e,wewer eintheli
mousine,Gri
ngodeci dedt o
speakup.

Gri
ngo:“Rami,youal
readyknowthedr
il
l,
butThat
o,I
t
hinkiti
stimewet ol
dy outhet
rut
haboutwhoand
whatweact ual
l
yare.
”

Myheartstar
tedpaci
ngwayt
oof
astagai
n,asI
i
maginedtheworst.
Gri
ngo:“Viv
ianandIarethebi ggestdrugdealer
si n
SouthAfri
ca.Wehav ealotofpeopl ewor ki
ngforus,
soiti
sv er
yimport
anttoust hatwepr otectourloved
ones.Wehav ealotofenemi es–peopl ewhodon’ t
l
ikeusandwoul ddoanythi
ngt oovert
hrowour
empire.Ineedtoknowbefor eIsayany thi
ngfurther,
i
fyouhav eaprobl
em wit
ht his.”

Ihonestl
ydon’thaveaprobl
em.Idon’ tcondone
drugsoranythi
ng,butwhoam Itojudge?Theset wo
welcomedmei nt
othei
rheart
s,andhouseand
basical
l
yint
ot hei
rfamil
y.Theyhavetreatedmel i
ke
thei
rowndaught er,
andIcannotcr
ucifythem for
deali
ngindrugs.

That
o:“
No,
Ihav
enopr
obl
em what
soev
er.
”

Het
ookadeepsi
gh,
almostasi
fhewasawai
ti
ng
myappr
oval
.
Gringo:
“Okay ,whenwepuni sht heoneswhohur tus
orhurtourlovedones, weper f
or m aspecial
ceremony.Wemakesur et hatt heyremembert he
painandtorture,evenindeat h.Today ,you’reabout
togrowat hickskin.Youar eaboutt owitnessthe
twomenwhot ur
nedy ourli
f eintoal i
vi
nghel lal
lat
thehandsofy ourownmot her ,dieaslow, painf
ul
death.Ineedy out obestrong, becauset hisisnot
forthefai
nthearted.”

Oh,mygoodness.I
’
m abouttobecomeamurder
accompli
ceatt
heageof18.HowdoIgoaboutthis
becausei
tseemsasifI
’
m alr
eadyinwayt
oodeep
formetotur
nback.
Chapt
erFi
ft
yOne

Romans3:23–“Forahav
esi
nnedandf
all
shor
tof
thegl
oryofGod.
”
That
o

Ifel
tahugeknoti nmyst omach.If el
ttense,ner
vy
andwayt oouneasy .Ihaveneverwitnesseda
murderbef or
e,letany onet
ryi
ngtomur dersomeone,
exceptforwhenSoxsetCoi nonf i
re.Iswal l
owed
hardwhenwear rivedatanunknownl ocationandI
heardGringotellust ogetoutofthecar .Iwas
shaking,butItr
iedmybestnott oshowi t.

Wewal kedintoawar ehousef orreal

.Thisfeelsli
ke
ahardcore,actionmov i
e,witht hehouseinaf ar,
far
placeinthemi ddleofnowher e.Ther eareabouttwo
othercarsparkedout si
deint hedr i
veway,andtwo
bigguysstandingout si
dethedoor .Theyboth
greetedusallandIjustwav edback.Asweent ered,
Icouldfamili
arizemyselfwitht hestenchofblood
andchemi cal
s.Somet hi
ngt ellsmeal otofpeople
havediedhere.

Wewal
kedabi
tfur
therandwewer
emetwi
tha
podium ofsomesor t
.Thislooksl i
keacour troom,
withonet wobi gchairsinthemi ddle,surr
oundedby
smal l
erchairsall
ar ound.Intotal,Icountedten
chairsinhere.GringoandVi viansati nthetwobig
chairs,
whileRami satnexttoVivianandIsatnextto
Gringo.It’
sabi tt
oodi minhere,asIcan’ tsee
properl
ywhat ’shappeni ngi
nfrontofus.

Gr
ingo:
“Swi
tchont
hel
i
ght
s,Smal
l
y.”

Smal
l
y:“
Sur
e,boss.
”

Asheswi tchedont heot herlightsbeforeus, Igot

theshockofmyl if
eyetagai n.Thet wothugswho
kidnappedmewer eont heirknees, withtheirhands
ti
edbehi ndt hei
rbacks,andt heirmout hstaped.
Theyl ookedscar edasf uck, butthenagai nthey
didn’
tl ookt hisscaredaf ewhour sagowhent hey
i
nt i
mi datedme.Il ookedatt hetallone,withmy
precious, diamondl ocketar oundhi sneck.
IthoughtIwoul df eelscaredandanxi ous, butafter
seeingt hem andr ecall
ingallhepainful memor ies
theyhav eengr ainedi ntomyhead, Ifeltenr aged.I
actuall
ywi shedf ort hem todie,al
thoughdeat h
seemswayt ooeasyf orthem.Mamaal way ssaid
thatangeri sthemostdanger ousweaponapar t
from thet ongue, becausei tcoul
deasi lymakeor
breaky ou.Gr ingospokei ntothemi crophonei n
frontofhi m, justasweal l
hadonei nf rontofus, on
thelongt abl essetbef oreus.

Gri
ngo: “
Ladi
esandgentl
emen,
welcometotoday’
s
heari
ng.Asy oucansee,
wehavetwoperpet
rat
ors
beforeus.Mywife,woul
dyoul
iket
oreadoutthei
r
charges?”

Vivi
an:
(smil
i
ng)“Withpleasure,babe.Infrontofus
wehavetwov er
yyounggent lemen,whohav ehad
thei
rwhol
efutur
eplannedout ,butunfor
tunatel
y
chosetopl
ayGodwi t
hay ounglady’
slif
e.Their
char gesar easf oll
ows: Hi
jacking;attempt edmur der
;
kidnappi ng;conspiracytofraud; at
tempt edrape;
grievousbodi l
yharm; assault;accompl icestokill
i
ng
ani nnocentl ifeofwhichIdespi sethemostbyt he
way , andl ast l
y,t
heyleftay ounggi r
ltodi einan
openf ield.Gent lemen,howdoy oupl ead?Thi nk
verycar efullybeforeyouanswer ,I
’
m sev er
ely
all
er gict oliesandl i
ars.
”

Icouldn’tbelievemyey es,Vi
vi
anandGr ingower eso
i
nt heirelement s,
theyl
ookedl i
ketwocompl etel
y
dif
ferentpeopl e.Somet hi
ngtell
smet heydot his
quitealot ,andonewoul dthi
nktheydoi tforfun,but
i
nact ual fact,t
heydoittopunishthosewhohav e
wrongedt hem.

Spor
o:“
I…Gui
l
ty.
”

Gr
ingo:
“Spi
l
otr
o?”
Spi
l
otr
o:“
Gui
l
ty.
”

Theybothlookedli
ket heyhavebeenmoer ed,wit
h
halfcl
osedeyes,bustedli
psandbr uisednecksand
faces.Theywereev enshir
tl
ess,withthei
rnippl
es
cutoff.

Vivi
an:“Thi
smakesevery
thi
ngsomucheasi
er.My
husband,whatdoyouthi
nki
stheper
fect
punishmentfort
hem?”

Gr
ingo:
“Per
hapsweshoul
daskt
hev
ict
im.That
o?”

That
o:(
enraged)“Ihopetheysuf
ferasl
ow,pai
nful
deat
h.Iwantthem toremembermyscreamsand
wail
sastheydie.
”

Gri
ngo:“Ver
ywel
l
,then.Smal
l
y,br
ingt
het
ort
ure
i
tems.”
Small
ynoddedandwheel edoutalongt abl
ef i
l
led
wit
hwei r
dobjects;
from asaw,t
oashov el
,cartool
s
aswellasablowingtorchandathickrope.My
hear
tdidn’tev
enskipabeataswesawt hem.
Gri
ngostoodupandappr oachedthetwoguy s,
whoseey espoppedoutastheysawt hetablefi
ll
ed
wit
htools.

Gringo: “
Well,
sinceyoudraggedThatoontoatar
roadbef oreyouknockedheroutwithyourgun,wena
Spor o,Ineedtoteachyouav er
ystr
onglesson.
Seemsl i
keascr ewwentloosesometimeinyour
brain.”

Gri
ngot ookoutaelect
ri
csawandchoppedof fone
ofSporo’shands.Hescreamedouti npainas
Spi
lotr
ol i
ter
all
ywethimselfatthebloodysi
ght.
Gri
ngowentont ocutt
heot herhandasSporo
st
artedbeggingandscreami ng.
Sporo:(
beggi
ng)“
Please,don’
tki
l
lme,
Ipr
omi
seI
’
ll
change.I’
l
ldoanyt
hing.
”

Gri
ngo:“That ’
swhatThatosaidwheny ouki dnapped
her,
buty oudidn’tl
i
sten.Wena( You),
Spi l
otro,y
ou
fai
l
edt olist
enwhenThat obeggedy out olethergo
aswell.Youf ail
edtoli
stentoy ourmot herwhenshe
warnedt ostayawayfrom thi
sidiot.Ihat eitwhen
peoplerefusetousetheirGod-givenasset s.
”

Het ookav er
ysharp,shortknif
ef r
om t hetableand
cutoffbothisears.Hescr eamedouti npain,but
Gri
ngoseemedunbot hered,andneitherdidRami
andVi vi
an.Whydoesi tseem likeittakesal otfor
persont or
eachthislevelofnumbness?Imeant hey
areallacti
ngsonor mal,whil
eIseem l i
ketheonl y
onewi thmystomacht urning.

Gri
ngo:“
Withoutwast
inganymor
eti
me,
letmeget
t
orealbusi
ness.”
Gringot ookabl owingt orchandl itit
.Thet woguy s
screamedoutandcr ied,butGr i
ngowentf orSporo.
Heputt heblowingt orchonhi sst omach, asI
l
iterallysawhisintest i
nesf alloutofhi sbody .Iwas
att hepointofvomi ting,ast hehor r
endoussmel lof
bloodwast oomucht obear .Itriedwi thallmy
mi ghtnott oswall
owanysal iva,asIknewi twould
comebackandIwoul dregur git
atei nahear t
beat.
Hewentt oSpi
lotr
o, andputt hebl owingtorchonhis
dick, asIli
ter
all
ywat chedhi sdickf alloff
.Theybot h
wai ledandbeggedashel ookedatt hem both.

Gr
ingo:
“Ibel
i
evet
hisdoesn’
tbel
ongt
oyou.
”

Her
ippedof
fmydi
amondbr
acel
etf
rom hi
sneck.

Gri
ngo:“
Now,
fort
hef
inal
e.Smal
l
y,pl
easel
etout
t
hecats.
”
Smal
l
y:“
Yes,
sir
.”

Iaskedmy selfwhatcouldbemor epai nf

ul than
havingyourowni nt
esti
nesbur ntoutofy ourbody ,
butthenasGr ingocamet ositnexttome, backi nt
o
hisseat,Isawt wobigli
onsbeingletintother oom.
Myhear tstartedpoundingatanabnor mal pace,but
theLionsdi dn’tdoanythi
ng,Iguesstheywer e
trai
nedtowai tfori
nstr
ucti
ons.
Gringo: “Youlef
tmyThat otodieasshebledoutin
thatfield.Shecouldhav eatt
ract
edanyanimalto
chewherof fandchewhert odeath.Now, y
ougetto
experiencet hi
syoursel
ves.Youl i
vebythesword,
youdi ebyt hesword,myf r
iends.I’
ll
besendinga
veryst ernmessaget oyourli
tt
leboss.Anylast
wor ds? ”

Bothofthem werebleedi
ngpr of
usel
yastheytr
ied
beggingGringot
oletthem go,whil
eSpil
otr
olooked
l
ikehewasaboutt odie.Gringothengavethefi
nal
i
nstruct
ions.
Gr
ingo:
“Mel
ani
e,Oscar
,Eat
!”

Ididn’tseet hatcomi ng.Li onshav ingtheirown

namesandcommands!Thet wol ionsjumpedon
topoft het wot hugsandst art
edbi ti
ngof ftheir
heads.Theybi tandchewedof fev erybitofthei r
l
imbs, untilther ewer ehumanbonesl eft.Thesmel l
ofthebl oodi edf lesh,sentshiversdownmyspi ne
andav erydi stast ef
ulfeel
ingtomygut .Icoul dn’
t
helpbutv omi trightthereandt hen.Themor eI
l
ookedatt hem, t
hemor eIv omited.Fuck, blood
smel l
shor ri
bl eandInev erwantt oseesuchev er
again.Howdot hesepeopl esleepatni ghtknowi ng
thattheyt orturedpeopl etodeat h?Noneoft hem
seemedbot heredbymyv omiting.

Gri
ngo:“I
t’
sokay,thefi
rstki
l
lisal
waystheworst
.
You’l
lbebacktonormalinnoti
me.I’l
lhav
ethi
s
neckl
acecleanedupforyouandthenyoucanwear
i
tagain.
”
Ijustnoddedwit
ht hef
eel
ingofatur
nedstomach.I
j
ustcannotwaittogethomesothatIcansl
eepor
eventrytoatl
east.
Chapt
erFi
ft
yTwo

1John3:18–“ DearChi
l
dren,
letusnotl
ovewith
wordsorspeechbutwit
hacti
onsandintrut
h.”

Twoweeksl
ater

That
o

It
’sbeenarol
lercoasterri
def orthesepastt wo
weeks.Icouldn’tsl
eepwel lforthefir
sttwoweeks
soLouisgavemeasedat ive.Aweekl ater,
Rami and
Iwentbacktoourf lat
.It’
sr eal
lynicebeingaround
AuntVivi
anandGr i
ngo,Imeant heyspoi lusrot
ten
andtrytomakeusf atbyforeverfeedingus.Igota
l
otofreci
pesf
rom Gr
ingoandI
’
llbesur
etot
ryt
hem
outsoon.

Hekeptaski ngmewhomymot herwasandt hatwe

needtot eachheralesson,butaf t
erseeingawhol e
human’ sheadbeingri
ppedof f,Idon’tthi
nkI’
mr eady
toseesuchany ti
mesoon.Ther ei snowayI ’
llt
ell
Gri
ngoandVi v
ianaboutKgandAnast aci
a.Imean
whatifhedecidestotortureandki ll
himt oo?
SpeakingofKgorWol f
east heycal lhi
m and
Anastacia,t
heyhavemagi call
yr e-
appearedon
Soci
al Media.

AllofaSunday ,Anastaciai
spost i
ngpicturesand
vi
deosofherandKgandRomeoaswel l
.Shepost s
pi
ct ur
esoftheunbor nbaby ,andr ecentl
ywentf ora
pregnancyphoto-shoot.Iwon’ tli
ke,itsti
ngsand
hurtsli
keabitch.Ev enthoughKgl ookssodi ff
erent
i
nt hepict
ures,Imeanhel i
teral
lylooksst i
ff,
hardenedandv eryunhappy .Per hapsit’
smybr ain
tr
yingtoconsoleme, butwhatcanIsay ?
Iwentt hroughadeepdepr essionf oramaxi mum of
twoday sunt i
lRami forcedmet ogetoutofmy
mi sery.Ididcall Kgaboawhi l
eback, andindeedhe
toldmet hatthedangeri sstil
llurki
ngandt hatImust
pray .Ifeelsobr oken,ImeanhowdoIev enmov e
onwi t
hlifeknowi nghei swithherandhasf at
hered
herunbor nchil
d?I thur t
s,deeply,butl i
femustgoon.
Ast heLor dsay sinJer emiah29: 11“ ForIknowt he
plansIhav eforyou,planst oprospery ouandnotto
har my ou,planstogi vey ouhopeandaf utur
e.”

Idon’tknowwhatt hefutur
ehol ds,butthat’
sthe
beautyofl i
fe.Hadweknownwhatt hefuture
actuall
yhol ds,wouldli
fehavebeenasexci t
ingand
unpredictableasitisnow?I t’
sourf i
rstdaybackat
campust odayandhonest l
yI’m glad.Imanagedt o
passall mymodul es,alongwithRami .Wehav en’
t
heardfrom norseenKhany ieversinceCapeTown.

Ihav
eaccept
edt
hatI
’
dbeat
tendi
ngal
onef
rom now
on.Iattendedmyf i
rsttwoclasses,
withouther
presence.May besheiskeepingherdistancefr
om
me, whichisagoodt hi
ng.Ialsohaven’tseen
Rendani,al
thoughIhaveseenThendoonceort wice.
Perhapslif
ecangetbackt onormalverysoon.Isat
i
nt hecafeter
ia,wai
ti
ngonRami .

Iwentthr
oughmyphoneandcheckedont helat
est
tr
endsonTwi tt
erandI nst
agr
am, whenIrecei
veda
cal
lfr
om anunf ami
liarnumber.EvenTruecal
ler
coul
dn’tr
ecognizethenumber.Ihesitat
ed,but
answereditanyway.

That
o:(
hesi
tant
)“Hel
l
o?”
Voice:“
That
o,ngwanaka(
mychi
l
d).Okae(
howar
e
you)?”

Igotchi
l
lsdownmyspi ne.Bathong(Goodness),
whyismypainfulpastfoll
owingmear ound?Ifroze
forawhil
eaft
erreali
zingthatSontowasont he
ot
herendoft
hel
i
ne.

Sont
o:“
Hel
l
o?That
hobat
hong(
mygoodness)
.”

That
o:“
Hel
l
o,Sont
o.”

Sont
o:“Hao(gosh),don’ttel
lmeyou’r
estil
langryat
meforwhathappened?Imeany ouwer enotready
tobeamot her
.Kegoaf oletsemorwalo(Il
essened
thel
oadforyou),
ifanythingyoushouldbethanking
me.”

If
eltmysel
ffumi
nginst
eadofcryingasusual.
Angerhasawayofchangingapersonfr
om the
i
nside.I
sshebei
ngseriousri
ghtnow?!

That
o:(
inf
uri
ated)“
Ony
akaeng(
Whatdoy
ouwant
),
Sont
o?”
Sonto:“
Yoh,hai
goragor
eosakwat i
le(i
tmeans
you’r
esti
ll
angry
).Any
way,I
’l
lgetst
rai
ghttot
he
point
.Ineedsomemoney.”

Thi
sbi
tchmustbeoutofhersi
ckmi
nd.

Thato:“
Oreng(What
)?!Youmustbef ucking
ki
ddingme,Sont
o!Doy ouhaveanyideawhaty ou
havedonetome?!Youstolemymoney ,youkil
l
ed
mybaby !Nowyouhavetheaudaci
tytocallmeand
demandmoneyf r
om me?!”

Sonto:“Thato,
weh.Iam inar utri
ghtnow, bat
hong
(goodness).I’
my ourmotherandI’dli
keust ofi
x
thi
ngs,man.Imeanl ookhowwel lyoutur
nedout
withoutKg.Ot l
obashap( You’l
lbeokay )
.”

Icoul
dn’
tcontai
nmycalmnessanymore.I
twas
ti
meformet obri
ngoutal
lgunsbl
azi
ng.
Thato:(angr
y)“Don’tfuckwit
hme, Sont o!Ithi
nkit
i
shi ghtimeIre-i
ntr
oducemy selft
oy ou.Yousai dit
yoursel
fthatyouhatemeandwi shedy ouhad
abortedme, r
ight
?Wel l
,nowyouwi l
lreallyr
egret
giv
ingbirtht
ome.I t
’shighti
mey ougett oseewhat
Gri
ngohasdonet oy ourtwospacemen! ”

Shekeptqui
etforawhile,
whi
chissounusualf
or
Sonto.Sheal
way shassomet
hingtosay
,aninsul
t
ortwotothr
owar ound.

Sont
o:(
panicky
)“Di
dyouj
ustsayGr
ingo?Asi
n
Davi
dGroen?”

Thato:“Oh,y
es!SporoandSpi l
otrowerefedt
ohis
mightyli
ons,andIcannotwaittoseeyouget
executed.Yourti
met ofuckaroundhasrunout,
Sonto.Bepr epar
edtodie.”

Sont
o:(
pani
cky
)“Wai
t,That
o-“
Ineverevengaveheranoppor t
unitytofi
nish
vomi t
inghershi
t.Ii
mmedi atel
yhungupand
blockedhernumber.Ifel
tmy selfbreat
hingheavi
ly
,
overwhelmedwithrage.Ievengotst ar
tl
edabi t
whenRami appr
oachedme.

Rami
:(wor
ri
ed)“
Tee.Oshap(
Arey
ouokay
)?”

That
o:(f
umi
ng)“
I’
mfi
ne,
Ijustgotawei
rdcal
lfr
om
Sont
o.”

Rami
:“Per
hapsweshoul
dtel
lGri
ngotolookf
orher
andt
eachheral
esson,
onceandforal
l
.”

Thato:“Yes,wecandot hat,butri
ghtnowIjustneed
togetmy selfi
norder.Peoplearejustmessingwith
meont hereal,
youknow.If eell
ikethemoreIpray,
theclosermyenemi escomef or
ward.Idi
dn’tdo
anyt
hingt othesepeopl
ef orthem t
ohatemeso
much.Iam donecryi
ng,forr
eal
.Iti
sti
met
heygot
t
oknowt hepersonIhav
ebecome.”

Rami
lookedatmequi
tei
mpr
essedt
osayt
hel
east
.

Rami:(smi
li
ng)“Youdon’
tknowhowl ongIhave
beenwaiti
ngtoseethi
ssideofyours.Honest
ly,
I
gotti
redofseei
ngy oucr
yingandturni
ngredal
lthe
ti
me.”

Webot
hbur
stouti
ncandi
dlaught
er.

That
o:“
Rami
…”

Rami
: “
I’
mf orr
eal,y
oh.Nextti
mey oucr
y,Iwi
l
ltake
api
ctureofyou,andmaybetheny
ouwi l
lst
opcryi
ng
somuch.”
Webot
hlaughedaswecar
ri
edoneat
ingourf
ood.

Sont
oMol
oi

Icannotbel i
evewhatIjustheard.Whatt hefuckhas
gottenint
oThat o?Iexpectedtheusual weakli
ngI
havealway sknown.Howdar eshetalktomel i
ke
that?Okay,Iprobablywentoverboar
dbyki ll
ingher
chil
dandst eali
nghermi l
li
on,butshedidn’tneed
thatmoneyany way.Evenmor esonow, shesounds
l
ikeshehasf oundherfeet
.Whatst ressesmeouti s
thefactthatshehasmetGr i
ngo.Ifi
ndeedhehas
foundoutt hatsheishisdaughter
,ofwhi chIdoubt,
t
thenIwoul dhav ebeendeadbynow.

AllIknowist hatIneedtogetthefuckoutoft he
countr
y,beforeheskinsmeal iv
e.WhatIdi dt o
Thatoisnothingcompar edtowhathei sabouttodo
tome.Sur e,Ili
ed,Il
iedaboutalotofthings,buthe
gotwhathedeser ved.Ifhewasn’tpreparedto
marryme, t
henwhyshoul dIhavegi
venhi m access
t
omychi
l
d?Ihav
etot
hinkofapl
anB.

SporoandSpi l
otr
oareathi
ngofthepastnow,Ihav
e
tocontactever
yonewhoowesme, st
arti
ngwith
Sophie.Idial
edhernumberandsheansweredon
thefi
rstri
ng.

Sophi
e:“
Sophi
ehel
l
o.”

Sont
o:“
Sophi
e,l
ongt
imenosee.
”

Sophi
e:(
ir
ri
tat
ed)“
Ag,Sont
o.Ompat
lang(
whatdo
youwantfr
om me)
?”

Sonto:
“Thati
snowaytospeaktoyoursi
sterwi
fe,
man.Ineedyourhel
p.Ineedsomemoney ,j
ust
enoughformetoski
pthecount
ry.
”
Sophie:(
chuckl
ing)“
So,themi
ght
yNomasont
ohas
fal
len.Kengna( Whati
sit)
?Spat
jesewel
ena(Has
yourpussygrownold)?
”

Sonto:
(annoy
ed)“
Sophie,
skant
lwael
amasepa
(Don’
tfuckwi
thme).Youoweme.”

Sophi
e:(
laughi
ng)“Idon’
toweyoushi
t,honey.Li
fe
i
sabreezenow, IownRockvi
l
le,
somethingyou
fai
l
edtodolongago.”
Sont
o:(
begging)“Sophi
e,please,
I’
m beggi
ngyou,
okay
.Gringoiscomingafterme,anditisj
usta
matt
erofti
mebef orehecomesaf tery
outoo.”

Sophie:“
Gringowamasepagaant shosesel
o(Fuck
Gringo)
.Lethim come,I
’
llshoothim bef
oreheeven
setsfoothere.Ihav
etogo,Sophie.Timeismoney.
Ciao(bye).
”

Shehunguponme.Thebi
tchhunguponme.
Sophiemustbejoking.Ihavetotrysomethi
ngel
se.
PerhapsIcangetthroughtoGlenda.Ical
l
edherand
shealsoansweredinaheartbeat.

Gl
enda:
“MmaMor
uti
(Past
or’
swi
fe)Hel
l
o?”

Sont
o:“
Glenda,
Ineedy
ourhel
p.”

Glenda:
(si
gh)“
Sont
o,ony
akaengbj
anong(
Whatdo
youwantnow)?”

Sont
o:“
Ineedmoney
.Ihav
etoski
pthecount
ry.
”

Gl
enda:
(chuckl
ing)“Idon’
thaveal
lday
,youknow.
WhywouldIgiv
ey oumoney ?”

Sonto:
“Becauseifyoudon’
tthenI’
ll
havetot
ell
Gri
ngowhaty oudidtohi
sniece,Rami.Andwebot
h
knowy
oudon’
twantt
hatt
ohappen,
doy
ou?
”

Glenda:“
Youhav enoproof,
Sont o.Honestly,
you
aresuchabore.Hady ouaskedni cel
y,perhapsI
wouldhavegivenyousome, butot l
akamasepa
(youaskedmewi thashit
tyatti
tude).Iti
shighti
me
youfacedyourdemonsandst oppedr unni
ng.Ihave
togo,bye.
”

ShealsohungupandIbangedmyhandsont he
tabl
einfr
ust r
ati
on.Howcant hesewomendosuch
tome?Af terallIhav
edonef orthem?Ihav eto
thi
nkofsomet hingbeforeGr
ingof i
ndsme.Myt ime
onearthi
sr unningout,t
heangel ofdeat
hiscal
li
ng
me,Icanfeel i
t.
Chapt
erFi
ft
yThr
ee

Prover
bs24:163–“Fort
hougharighteousmanf
all
s
seventi
mes,hewil
lri
seagai
n,butthewicked
stumblei
ntocal
amity
.”
Psalm 146:
8–“ TheLor
dopenstheeyesofthebl
ind.
TheLor dl
if
tsupthosewhoareweigheddown.The
Lordlovesthegodl
y.
”

Af
ewday
slat
er

That
o

I
tisSundayandGr i
ngogav eRamiandIawei rdcall
theotherdayaski ngusifwecouldgot ochurchin
Rockvil
le.Idon’tevenknowwhybecauseheusual ly
practi
cesBuddhi sm.Rami wasabituncomfortabl
e
withtheidea,butsomet hi
ngtell
smet hatGri
ngoi s
onami ssiontomakepeopl epayforthei
rsi
ns.
I
ndeedt heBibleisrightaboutsi
nscatchi
nguswhen
wef al
l.

Idon’tknowwhathehasplanned,butt
heyaskedus
todressinbl
ackanddressreal
lywellf
ort
he
occasi
on.Rami andIwor ematchingblackVersace
Jumpsuit
s,alotsi
mi l
artotheoneswewor et
he
ni
ghtthosetwothugsgoexecut ed.Iwearmy
di
amondpendantev erywherenowandev ent
houghI
haven’
tseenKgev ersi
ncethatday ,
Ifeelabi
tat
peace.

GringoandVi vianf et
chedRami andIfrom ourf
lat
asweheadedouti nt heirBlackLexus.Theytoo
wor eblackoutfits,asGr i
ngowasdr essedinablack
It
alianSuit,wit
hAuntVi viandressedinati
ght,
l
eat herPradadr ess.Wewor eourshadesandcoats
sinceit’
sabi tchill
yout si
de.Andsowewer e–the
fantasti
cfour.

Wesmel l
edexpensi
v e,l
ookedexpensive,itf
eltl
ikeI
wasinawholemov ie.Ev enwhenwegotoutoft he
carever
yonewasstar i
ngatus, mostprobablyatt he
bigwhit
emanhol di
ngVi vian’
shandandt henther e
wasRami andI.Theypr obablyt
hinkIam a
prost
it
utenoworsomet hing,butfuckt
hem.
Idon’tli
vefort
hem,t
heymostcertainl
ydon’tdoshi
t
forme.Aswewer eaboutt
oenterthechurch,Rut
h,
Anastacia’
srudef
ri
endwholaughedatmeand
ri
diculedmewhenIcamebackhomef rom the
hospital
,st
oppedme.

Rut
h:(smi
li
ng)“
Hey
,Tee.Longt
imenosee,
babe.I
l
oveyourdr
ess.
”

Idon’
tgetwhychur
chpeopl
earet
hemostf
akestof
them al
l
.Itbaf
fl
esme,r
eall
y.

That
o: (
unbothered)“Ruth,gett
hefuckoutofmy
way,Ihaveachur chservicetoat
tend.Idon’
thav
e
ti
mef orfakebi
tchesr i
ghtnow.”

Justli
ket
hat,Il
eftherspeechl
esswhi
leherdumb
fr
iendswerel
aughingather.Idon’
tev
enlike
sweari
nginchurch,butsheaskedf
ori
t.Idon’tev
en
knowwhyshewasnamedaf
tersuchast
rongand
cour
ageouswomani
ntheBi
ble.

Rut
h:“Let
shegangl
ena(
Whatar
eyout
wol
aughi
ng
at
)?!
”

Aswewal kedin,Icouldfeel
t hestaresandgl ar
esof
thepeople,whileIremainedunbot hered.Isaw
Mmane( Aunty
)Sophi eandKoko( Grandma)Mar i
a
star
ingatme.Sophi equickl
yst oodupand
approachedGringo, whowasseat edrightnexttome.
Shehaschangedqui tealot,swathedi nexpensive
clot
hes

Sophi
e:(
smi
l
ing)“
Mr.Gr
ingo,
iti
ssol
ovel
ytomeet
you.
”

It
houghtGr
ingowouldbehisusual
,fr
iendl
ysel
f,but
heshowedherhi
srudesideinst
ant
ly.
Gringo:“Andyoumustbet heinfamousSophie.The
onewhoi scurr
entlymaki ngherownmer chandise
thathasalreadykil
ledov er30boy sandgir
ls.Hmm,
Iseey oustil
lhaven’tchangedabi tfr
om backinthe
day .You’r
ealsoThat o’sevilaunt,
isi
tnot?”

IsawSophi estart
ingtoshakeabi t.Seemsl i
ke
Gringoratt
lesalotofpeople.Sophi ei
s
disrespect
fulasfuck,
andIt houghtnothingandno
onecoul dshakeher.Shecoul dgrabagr ownman
byt heball
s,butnowitseemsasi fGr i
ngo’swords
hav eherbythecli
tandIam enj oyi
ngev eryminut
e
ofit.

Sophi
e:(
shaky
)“Uh,
Mr.Gr
ingo,
I”

Gri
ngo:(i
nter
rupt
ing)“I
’l
ldealwit
hyoulater
.Si t
,the
serv
iceisaboutt
ost ar
t.Youhadbetternotleave
becausether
eareawhol elotofsur
pri
sesthatawai t
ustoday.”
Shel ookedatmeandIgav eherasmi r
k,asshe
wentt ositdownlooki
ngdefeat
edmor ethan
anything.Ijustl
oveit
.Sheisfi
nallygetti
ngat ast
e
ofherownmedi ci
ne,sheusedtotortureme, i
nsul
t
me, beli
ttl
eandabusemei nall
kindsofway s.She
neverev enbother
edtogivemet heloveIdeserved
andIcannotwai ttoseewhatGringohaspl annedfor
her
.

Wel ookedahead,asMmaMor ut
i(Pastor’
swi fe)
walkedupt hepodi
um al
ongsi deherhusbandwi t
h
theushers.Thewholecongregat i
onstoodup, whil
e
thefourofusremainedseated.If el
tRami t
enseup
abitassoonasMmaMor ut
i appearedont he
podium andIsqueezedherhandabi tt
ighterfor
aff
irmati
on.

MmaMor
uti
:“AmenBazal
wane,
Amen!
”
Congr
egat
ion:
“Amen!
”

MmaMor ut
i:“
Oh, todayi sav eryspeci
al day,isn’
tit
?
Weshoul dthankt hegoodLor dforgi
vingusmor e
l
ife,goodhealthandj usthappi nessgalore.The
churchisgrowing, bazal wane, andIam pl easedto
announceaspeci al guestt oday ,Mr.DavidGr oen,
whoi soneoft hemosti nfl
uent i
alpeopleinthe
country.Hehasaskedusf oraspecialser mon
today,ashehassomet hi ngtoshowus, hencewe
evenhav eourplasmat voutt oday.Please, l
et’sal
l
welcomeMr .Groen, Bazal wane.”

Thecongregationclappedimmensel yassome
murmur edandgasped, probablyaski
ngthemselv
es
whyani nfl
uenti
alwhitemancameal lthewayto
Rockvil
l
et ogiveaspeech.Asshesatdown, Gri
ngo
walkedupt hepodium andthecr owdstopped
cl
appingandl ookedathim attenti
vel
y.

Gr
ingo:
“Amen,
Bazal
wane,
Amen!
”
Congr
egat
ion:
“Amen!
”

Gringo: “
Igreety oualli
nHi shol yname, because
withoutGod, wewoul dn’
tbeher etoday .Forhei s
j
ustandmer ci ful
,andmosti mpor t
ant l
yHei svery
goodatdel i
v eringHispromi sest ous.Oneofus
promi seswast hathewoul dbr i
ngj usticet othe
betrayed, t
ot hehur tandt oal lthev icti
msi nthis
wor l
d.I ,personal l
yhateliars, Iactual l
ydespi se
them.Ofcour seGodl ovest hosewhof or
gi veasHe
woul dalsof or giv
ethosewhohav et respassed
againstHi m.Oneoft het hingsGoddespi sesand
keepsr epeat ingintheBibl eisf alsepr ophet s.”

IsawMmaMor
uti
shi
ftuneasi
l
y.

Gri
ngo:“Fal
seprophet
saret
heoneswhoactual
ly
bri
ngdisast
erandchaosunt
oourworl
d,i
sn’
tit,
Bazal
wane?”
Congr
egat
ion:
“Oh,
yes!
”

Somewer emurmuri
ng,whil
esomewereshout
ing
AmenandOh, yes.Ai
,peopl
eseeawhiteman
standi
nginf
rontoft
hem andbegi
nrej
oici
ngasif
theydon’
tsi
n.

Gr i
ngo:“Mat thew7: 15say s“Bewar eoff alse
prophets,whi chcomet oy oui nsheep’scl othing,but
i
nwar dlytheyar er aveni
ngwol ves.”Jer emi ah23: 16
say s“
Thisiswhatt heLor dAl mi ghtysay s: “
Donot
l
istentowhatt hepr ophet sar epr ophesy ingt oy ou,
theyfil
lyouwi thf alsehopes.Theywi l
l speak
visi
onsf r
om t hei rownmi nds, notf r
om t hemout hof
theLord.”Ezeki el 13:9–“ Myhandwi l
l beagai nst
theprophet swhoseef alsev isionsandwhogi ve
l
y i
ngdiv i
nations.Theyshal lnotbei nthecounci lof
mypeopl e,norbeenr ol
ledi nt her egi
steroft he
houseofI srael ,norshal ltheyent erthel andofI srael
.
Andy oushal l knowt hatIam t heLor dGod. ”
Matt
hew24:24say s“Forf
alsemessiahsandfal
se
pr
ophet
swil
l appearandperfor
m greatsi
gnsand
wonder
stodeceive,i
fpossibl
e,ev
ent heel
ect
.”

Ievensawthecongregat
ionmovethei
rhandsand
shoutHal
lej
uja’
sandAmenswhileSophie,
Koko,
MmaMor utiandNtateMorut
iwerescar
edshit
less.

Gringo:“Todayisav eryspeci
alday,Bazal
wane,Iam
goingtor eveal
t oyouyourfal
seprophets,f
ake
preachersanddecei verswholi
eamongsty ou.
Someofy ouev enbedt hem,whennoonei s
wat chi
ng, y
etpreachsomet hi
ngelse.”

Heswi t
chedont hetv,andeveryonebegangasping.
Therewasav ideoofMmaMor utii
nav er
ybigand
dimroom, orderingagr oupofteenager
s,bothboys
andgirl
st ostri
pof ft
heirclot
hesandper f
ormi l
l
ici
t,
sexualpracti
cesononeanot her.Icoul
dnotbelieve
myey esandi tseemsj ustasbadasRami descri
bed
i
t.Icouldn’thelpbutshedat ear,notofpain,
butfor
Rami
.

Ilookedather ,andherf acewashar dened,shehad

remov edhershadeswi thnotearsinsight.Shewas
shootingdagger sr i
ghtatMmaMor uti,
whilethe
wholecongr egationwasshockedt ot hecoreand
couldn’tbel
i
ev etheireyes.Sheat t
empt edtogetup,
butGr i
ngofirmlyt ol
dhert osi
tbackdown.Then, a
voicetapeplayedofMmaMor ut
iorderingaguyto
getridofabody .

MmaMor ut i
:“DoasIsayandy ouwill
receiveyour
cut.Youhadbet t
ernottel
lanyonet
hatIhad
Mor enakil
ledforpowerandmoney .Thi sremains
mysecr et,
alongwi t
hSophie’sandyours,wa
nkutlwa(Youhearme) ,Sporo?”

Wowt hesetwoguyshavebeenaroundmos?The
Congregati
ongaspedassomeofthem wer
e
shout
ing,cryi
ngandyel
l
ing.Iev
ensawMor ena’
s
Motherstandupandshout.
Morena’sMom: “
Obolai
le,ngwanake( Youkil
l
edmy
son),
mol oitowe(Youwitch)!Neot shegalennao
mfil
eletsheleteyagotl
alamadi angwanaka( You
werelaughingwithmeandy ouev engav emeblood
money ,
fil
ledwithMYson’ smoney !
”

Yoh,Rockv
il
lei
sful
lofsecr
ets,
Ican’
tevencope
anymore.MmaMor utii
sawholepast
or’
swife,
a
molest
erandmurderer
.

Gringo:“Theresheis,Bazal wane, awholePastor’s

wife.Shef orcedherselfony oungchil
drenandsol d
theirvi
deosf orchi
ldpor nandmademi ll
ionsoffit
.
Sheev enforgottoment iont hatshekill
edt heyoung
boyandbur i
edhimi nthemi ddleofnowher e.She
evenf or
gottoment iont hatshef ather
edachi l
dwi t
h
oneoft hePast or
sinthechur chbacki ntheday.”

Whi
l
ethecr
owdgasped,
Ntat
eMor
uti
gav
eherone
fatslapacr osst hef aceasshef ell
downf rom her
chair.Ev eryonewasshout ingandGr i
ngost oodup
andwal kedt owar dsMmaMor uti.Hedi dn’tsay
anything,insteadhegr abbedherandpul ledherout
ofthechur ch,whi leAuntyVivi
an,Rami andIf i
rmly
walkedbehi ndhi m.Idi dn’
tevenwantt ost opasI
sawAnast aci aalongsideKgwi thRomeo, ast hey
wereaboutt owal kintothechurch.Mxm, thisgirl
hasnor espectf ort hehouseofGod.Sheev en
choosest oar ri
vel atet
omakeaf ashi
onst atement.

Shecr iedoutandscr eamedasshesawhermot her

beingdr aggedint
otheboot ,whil
eKgwasst ari
ngat
mydi amondneckl ace.Ididn’tev
encar e,
Ihadtobe
thereforRami ,
andKgi sthelastthingonmymi nd.I
couldhearAnast aci
ascreami ng,whil
eKgwasnot
evenbot hered.

Anast
aci
a:(cr
ying)“
Mama!Hey,wena(y
ou),
Kg!
Can’
tyouseeI’
m cryi
ngandi
npai
nhere?!
”
Kgjustgrabbedherandhandedherovert
oRomeo
ashestaredatme.Igotintothecarandwedr
ove
of
f,leav
inghim st
andingt
here.

Anast
aci
a

Ican’tbeli
eveal lt
his!Peoplejustlett hatbigwhi t
e
mandr agmymot heroutofthechur chlikeshei s
someki ndofcr i
minal!Whateverhappenedt o
i
nnocentunt ilprovenguilt
y?!Noonei sper f
ectand
nowIam ev enmor eupsetatRomeoandKgf ornot
evenat t
empt ingtosav emymot herf rom t
hehands
ofthatbeast .AsIsawt hecardr i
vingout ,Sophie
walkedoutoft hechurch.Kgdi dn’tev enbot her
,
i
nsteadhegoti ntothecaranddr oveaway .Who
l
eav eshispregnantwi feindist
ressl ikethis?!

Sophi
e:“
Romeo,Iseeyoulookgood.Tshel
eteyago
utswi
waegotshwerepil
a,ne(St
olenmoneyis
tr
eati
ngyouwel
l,
neh)?”
Romeo: (chuckl
i
ng)“Ja,
Sophi
e.Icouldsayt
he
samef oryou,pi
tyi
tdoesn’
thi
dethatphuza(
beer
)
face.Howi smydaughter?
”

Sophi
e:“
Shei
soldenought
oansweraphone,
you
know.Whydon’
tyouaskher?
”

Anast
acia:
“Cansomeonegi
vemesomeat
tent
ion,
pl
ease?!
”

Sophi
e:“
Ah,didi
mala(keepquiet
)wenaman.Weal
l
knowthechi
ldyou’
recarry
ingdoesn’
tbel
ongt
oKg.
”

Romeo:(pi
ssed)“
Whydoy
oualwayshavetohav
e
suchaloosemouth?
!DoyouseewhyInev
er
marri
edyou?!
”

Sophi
e:“
Doesi
tseem l
i
keIcar
e?I
’
m myown
womannow,Romeo.Yourt
imei
nRockv
il
lei
sov
er.
Iownt
hist
ownnow.”

Romeo:
“Al
lthesepeopl
ehat
eyounow,
Sophi
e.”

Sophi
e:“
Atl
eastt
heywon’
ttouchme.Wena
Anast
aci
aoreonyakang(
whatdoyouwant
)?”

Anast
aci
a:“
YoujustsawwhatKgdi
d!Hel
eftme
st
andi
nghere!
”

Sophi
e:“Whatdidyouexpect?Hedoesn’
tlov
eyou,
helov
esthatbit
chandnowt hatshehasf
oundher
fat
her
,youarealldoomed.”

RomeoandIwer
eshockedt
othecor
e.

Romeo:
(shaky
)“YoumeanGr
ingoi
sThat
o’sdad?
!”
Sophie:
“Yes, andaf
terheisdonewi t
hGlenda,you
hadbetterhopeandpr ayThatoneverfi
ndsout
aboutwhaty oudidtoKg,becauseyou’l
lbenexton
thehi
tli
st.Hehasal readypromisedmeav isi
t.
”

Romeolookedscar
edasfuck,
butIdon’
tcar
e.I
cametogetKgandmyplanhastofoll
owthr
ough.

Anast
aci
a:“
Takemetot hatsangomaofyour
s.O
ri
l
eakamf abhekamina(Yousaidshecoul
dgiv
e
mesomemut hif
orhi
mt oloveme).”

Sophi
e:“
Ever
ythi
nghasapr
ice,
Anast
aci
a.”

Anast
aci
a:“
Idon’
tgi
veaf
uck.Justt
akemet
her
e
now.”

Weal
lgoti
ntoSophi
e’
scaranddr
oveof
f.I
t’
shi
gh
t
imeIgotwhatbel
ongst
ome.
Chapt
erFi
ft
yFour

Isai
ah43:18-19–“ Remembernott hef
ormert hings,
norconsiderthethingsofold.Behold,Iam doinga
newt hi
ng;nowi tspri
ngsforth,doyounotpercei v
eit?
Iwil
lmakeawayi nthewildernessandriv
ersint he
desert.
”

That
o

Thewhol ecarri
dewasr at
herodd,withMmaMor uti
shouti
ngintheboot ,bangingthedoorfrom t
he
i
nside,andGringoandAuntVi v
ianchatt
ingawayl
ike
wewer egoingtot hemal lorsomethi
ng.Rami was
j
ustquiet,whil
eshehadherhandi nmine.Ionthe
otherhandwasr atherworriedaboutKg.Idon’
tget
histhi
ngwi t
hAnast aci
a,butIguessIhav et
ohave
hope.Onet hingisforsure,Gri
ngosureknowshow
todropabombonsomeone.
Wef inal
lyenteredt heWar ehousegates.It’
sbroad
dayli
ghtandst ill
,Ican’tevenseehowwegother e.
AllIknowi sthatwedr i
veforawhiletogether e.
Gri
ngoi nstructedRami andItogetoutofthecar ,
whilehegotSmal lyandoneofhi sotherguy stotake
MmaMor utioutoft hecar.Shewast erri
fi
ed,tosay
theleastandshewasbeggi ngformer cy.It
’sfunny
howamomentofdi st
resscanmakey ouforgetall
yourev i
ldoings.

MmaMor ut
i:(
pleading)“Please,Gri
ngo,letmego.I
pr
omiseIwon’tcomeback, for
givemef or
ev
ery
thi
ngIdid,justpleaseletmego. ”

Gri
ngo:
“Forgi
venessi
snotuptome,
that
’supt
othe
Lor
d.Iam heretopuni
shyou.
”

MmaMorutiwassti
l
l cr
yingasshewasbeing
dr
aggedi
ntothewarehouse.Thefourofust
ookour
positi
onsandgrabbedourseats.Itf
eelsali
tt
le
dif
ferentsi
tt
ingi
nthischairt
oday,If
eelalotl
ess
scaredandmor eexci
tedifIshoul
dsaythat.Does
thi
smakemeabadper son?Hav eItur
nedevil
now?

Wesatinourchai rs,andev enwhenit’

sbr oad
dayl
ight
,west il
lhavetot ur
nont hel
ightsinsi
dethe
warehouse.Ev eryti
meGr i
ngocomesi nhere,he
i
mmedi atelygetsint
ohi szone.Idon’tevenknow
howIcoul deverbeabl etoswitchmoodsi nst
antl
y
thewayhedoes.

Gr
ingo:
“Li
ght
s!”

Thelight
swenton.Icanst il
lpictureSporoand
Spil
otroget
ti
ngeatenbyt heLionsr i
ghtwherethe
fear-
ri
ddenMmaMor uti
iskneeling.Shei sn’
tti
edup
l
ikethosetwowere,andIcanst il
l smel
lthehorri
ble
stenchofbl
ood.IhopeIwon’ tgetaner vous
breakdownorsomethingthisti
me.
Gringo:“
Dearlybel
ov ed,wearegatheredheretoday
,
towi t
nesstheterr
ibledownfal
l ofourbel
oved
GlendaMt shweni,
alsoknownasMmaMor uti
.
Smal l
y,makesurey ourecor
dt his.
”

Smal
l
y:“
Oni
t,boss.
”

Gringo: “
TheBi bl
esay snobaddeedgoes
unpuni shed, andjustlikePet erbet
rayedJesus, y
ou,
Glenda, betrayedthecongr egati
on.Youst olethe
i
nnocenceofchi l
dr en,andy ouletworldlyt
hingsget
toy ou.Yousol dy oursoul tothedev i
landbecame
addictedt osexandpor nography.Youknowwhat
theysay ,ri
ght ?Youl i
vebyt heswor d,youdiebythe
swor d.Int hiscase, your apedchil
dren,bothmen
andwomen, soIguessy ouknowwhatt hismeans,
ri
ght ?”

Isawf
eari
nMmaMor
uti
’
sey
es.Shebeganwai
l
ing
andsqueel
ing,
pleadi
ngformercyyetagai
n.Ihope
Gri
ngoisnotplanni
ngwhatIt
hinkheis.

Gr
ingo:
“Smal
l
y,l
ett
hem i
n.”

Smal l
yjustnoddedandheadedf ort
hedoor .Upon
openingthedoor ,Igotsost unnedthatInearl
y
droppedf r
om mychai r.Isawt hr
eebigmen, r
eall
y
big.Theywer esohuge, Icouldseeveinspopping
from thei
rabs, ar
msandf ace.Usuallywomensay
theyli
kewel l-
buil
tmen, butthesetwoj ustl
ook
freaki
shlydisgusti
ng.Tot opital
loff
,theywerebutt
-naked.

Theyappr oachedMmaMor utiandthenithi

tme.
Heisr eal
l
yplanningondoi ngwhatIt hought.How
canhet hi
nkofdoi ngsuch?Sur e,shedidwr ong,
waymor ethanwr ong,
butt hi
s?Wi llt
hissolvethe
probl
em?Ist ar
edatRami ,andshej ustkeptlooki
ng
aheadwi t
habl anklookonherf ace.AuntVi vi
anon
theotherhandwassol ai
dback, onecouldswear
shewaswat
chi
ngapl
easantmov
ie.

Myheartstartedpacingatanabnor mal rateso

much,thatIli
terall
yfel
tli
keitwasaboutt ojump
r
ightoutofmychest .Ifel
tli
kemychestwasabout
t
ocloseiny etagain,asItr
iedtobreathesl ower
.My
f
acefelthot,andIf el
tabitdazed.Ifeltli
kepleadi
ng
wit
hGr i
ngo,butt henwhatgoodwoul dt hatdo?

I’dprobabl
ybeseenasat r
aitororsomething.As
theguysslowlywal
kedtowardsMmaMor uti
,she
tri
edtogetupandrun,butoneoft hem cr
udely
grabbedhertop.Hewassobi gandov erpowering,
thathertoptor
e.If
eltmyselffeel
ingmor eand
mor eunease.

Gr
ingo:
“Gent
lemen,
youknowwhatt
odo.
”

Theyjustnoddedandstar
tedt
ear
inghercl
othes
apar
t.Ifeltmysel
fget
ti
ngweakintheknees,t
ongue
-t
iedandlosingtheabili
tytothi
nkstrai
ght .Am I
abouttowitnessanothercrime?Gr i
ngohi redt
hese
ment orapeMmaMor uti
.IlookedatVivianand
Rami wi
thpleadingeyes,buttheyjustkeptstar
ing
aheadwithlif
elesseyes.

Iknow,MmaMor utihasdonef arwor seinherlif

e,
andtokidsasy oungast en,butwhycal laspadea
spade?Whyf ightfi
rewi t
hfire?No, thiscan’tbe
happening.Gr i
ngost oodthereandwat ched,as
MmaMor utibeggedf ormer cy,themenhadt hei
r
waywi t
hher .Oneshov edhisgigant i
c, sti
ffdi
ckint
o
hervagi
na, t
heot heronemer ci
lesslypr opell
ed
himsel
fintoheranus, whil
etheot hert hrusthi
sdick
i
ntohermout h.

I
twashonest lyasightforsoreeyes,t
osaythe
l
east .Ihaveseenr oughpor nbri
efl
yonceortwice
before,butthi
s, t
hisi
sj ustunj
ust
.If el
tpai
ninmy
stomachev er
yt i
met heypoundedintoher.She
couldn’tevenscream, asshekeptgaggingthewhole
ti
me.Theonei nhermout hnev erev engaveher
ti
met ogaspf orair
.Isawt heveinspr otr
udingon
herface,hereyesbeggingforforgiveness.Itri
ed
bl
inkingaf ewtimestocheckifwhet herornott hi
s
wasn’tsomesi ckmov i
e,butunfor t
unatelyIbecame
oneoft hespectat
ors.Itri
edgettingupt oleave,but
Vivi
anst oppedme.

Vi
vi
an:
“Si
t.
”

Isatdown, notknowingwhatt odo.It r

iedshut t
ing
myey escl osed,butthenherpai nfulscreamsand
gagsf orcedmyey estoopenuponcemor e.Ev ery
ti
meIopenedmyey es,Isawadi ff
erentexpression
onherf ace; amor epainedex pressi
onar oseeach
andev eryt i
met heytookturnsonher .Theyr aped
herrepeat edly
,asiftheywer ewai ti
ngonGr ingot o
tel
lthem tost op.Afterwhatf eltli
keforever
, Gri
ngo
stoppedt hem.

Gr
ingo:
“That
’senoughboy
s.”
Isawt hem forcefull
ypushherdown, whil
etheyal l
rubbedt hei
rdicksandshott hei
rloadsonherf ace.I
havenev erseenawomangetsodegr adedinmyl i
fe.
IrespectGringo,despitewhathedoesf oralivi
ng,I
havet heutmostr espectandthanksforhim because
het ookmei nwhenhedi dn’
thaveto.

Butthis,thi
si sjustsomethi ngel
se.IsawMma
Moruti t
ryandgaspf orair,asthebloodfrom her
ri
ppedanust aintedthealreadyunashamed, wooden
fl
oor.Icoul dn’twatchany mor e,
asmyst omach
tur
nedbi tbybi t.Ifel
tmy selfvomitprof
usely,
hopingthatt heywoul dconsol eme,buttheyjust
keptlookingatMmaMor ut iunti
lIwasdone.

Gr
ingo:
(rai
sedey
ebr
ow)“
Fini
shed?
”

Inoddedashamedl
y.HowdoIlookwomeninthe
faceaft
erwit
nessi
ngsuchahor
ri
fyi
ngdeed?Ihav
e
becomeanaccompl i
ce.Ihav eal way sheardhow
danger ousdrugdealerswer e,butthis,t
hisis
i
nhumane!JustwhenIt houghtitwasal lover,
Gringoor der
edusal ltogoout side,whileSmallyand
theot herbouncerdraggedt hewor n-outMmaMor uti
outside.Shecoul dn’
tevenwal kany mor e;herbody
hadgi venint
ot hepain,whilehersoul haddiedr i
ght
there.

Shehaddoneal otofbadt hi
ngs,butnothi
ng
comparestof eeli
ngt heev i
lbei
ngdoneunt oy ou.
Aswewal kedout side,Iwasmetwi t
hhor r
orthat
mademewantt oshr i
ek.Theot herboyshad
al
readydugagr avewhi chIassumedwasmeantf or
MmaMor uti
.Oh, Lord, whathaveIgottenmy self
i
nto?Rami i
scal m asfuck, whi
leVivi
andidn’teven
seem bot
hered.Thei nnermet ri
edscreami ng,
beggi
ng,pleadingforGr ingotohavemer cyonher .

Doest
hismeant hatshoul
dIbet
rayhi
m aswell
,he
wil
lmostdef
ini
telypuni
shmeintheworstway
possi
ble?MmaMor uti
wasinsomuchpai
n,butshe
tr
iedherbestt
ospeakup.

Gri
ngo: “Fr
om dustweweremadeandt odustwe
shallr
eturn.Hereyouwil
lbelai
dtor
est,Gl
enda.
Thisistheclosestt
hingt
odigni
fi
edyouwil
leverget
i
nt hefl
esh.”

MmaMor
uti
:“Pl
ease…j
ustl
i
stent
ome.
”

Atl
eastGr
ingopausedt
olendherhi
sear
.

MmaMorut
i:“
You…..y
oushoul
dnothav
emer
cyon
t
hemot
herofyourchi
ld….
.”

Ev
ery
oneofusl
ookedatherst
unned.

Gr
ingo:
(sur
pri
sed)“
Ist
hisoneofy
ourt
ri
cks?What
thefuckar
eyoutal
ki
ngabout
?Youknow,
Idespi
se
peoplewhodon’
twantt
odie.
”

MmaMor ut
i:“
Please….Ask…Sophi
e…Sont
o….
Who….Your
…daught er
….”

MmaMor uticoll
apsedont heground,butwecould
seeherf aintl
ybreathi
ng.It houghtGri
ngowoul dt
ry
andr ev
iveherj ustsothatshecoul dspeakandsay
herlastwor ds,butheheartlessl
yendedherright
ther
eandt hen.

Gr
ingo:
“Thr
owheri
n.”

Rami walkedcloselytowar dsthegrave,

most
probablytoseeherper petr
atorf
oronelasttimeand
toactuallycheckthatshei sgenuinel
ydying.Small
y
andtheot herguymer cil
essl
ythrewherintothe
deepgr ave.Shetriedt ospeak,buthervoicewas
toofaint.Justli
ket hat,MmaMor uti
wasbur i
ed
al
ive.West oodthereandwatchedthem t
hrowthe
soi
l i
ntothegraveunti
lthewhol
egravewascov er
ed.
Idon’tevenknowwher etol
ook,orwhattodo,but
onethingisforsur
e;SontoandSophiearenext
.
Chapt
erFi
ft
yFi
ve

Phi
l
li
pians4:13–“Icandoal
lthi
ngst
hroughChr
ist
whostrengt
hensme.”

Af
ewday
slat
er…

That
o

Ihaven’
tbeenablet osl
eepmuchnorl ookGr i
ngo
andVivi
anintheey eafterthathor
ri
f i
cscenet hey
for
cedmet owat ch.Imeanhowcant heyj ustforce
met owatchsuchahor rif
icact?Ev eryoneisnor mal,
expectf
orme.Iev enmov edbackt otheflataday
l
ater.Ramiischill
ed,andIhav ebeenav oiding
every
one–i ncl
udingher .
Eventhoughshehasnoticed,Ij
ustmakesur eI
spendmostofmyt imeatt heCampusLi brary.That
wayIgettostudymore,andgethomel at
ewhenshe
i
sinbedorout .Idon’
tknowwhatt osayev eryt
ime
Vivi
anandGringocall
me, soIjustleti
tri
ng
unansweredunti
lIt
extbackandl etthem be.

Theyhav eprobablynoti
ced,andIf eel
terr
ibl
eabout
acti
ngt hi
sway ,moreespecial
lysincetheypaidall
myf ees,butIdon’
tknowhowt ofacet hem.Howdo
Ievenfacethem af t
ertheycl
earl
yshowedmet hat
theywouldn’thesi
tatetocutmyt hroatordrownme
ali
veshouldIbetraythem?

TodayisFr i
day,
andIspentfourhoursintheli
br ar
y.
Iti
sratheremptyandmostpeopl eareout.Ihav en’t
seenKhany ii
nquiteawhil
e,whichisar at
hergood
thi
ng.So, Ideci
dedtoheadbackhome, Imeani t’
s
6pm anddar kanywaysi
ncewi nt
erisapproaching.
AsIwal kedtowardst
hecampusbus, Icoul
dn’thelp
butf
eell
iket
here’
sashadowl
urki
ngov
erme,
li
ke
someonewasfoll
owi
ngme.

Ikeptstari
ngback, butnoonewasbehi ndme.AsI
approachedthebus,Ienteredandputmyearphones
on,andclosedmyey es.If el
tli
kesomeonewas
l
it
erall
ysitt
ingnextt
ome, andasIopenedmyey esI
nearl
ydiedofshock.

That
o:(
Shocked)“
Mul
alo.
”

Mulal
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Hey
,Tee.Idi
dn’
tmeant
oscar
e
you.
”

Shi
t,hedi
dscar
eme.

That
o:“
Whatar
eyoudoi
ngonCampus?
”
Mul
alo:
“Oh,
Igi
vecl
assesev
erynowandt
hen.
”

Hao, f
orsomeonewhoi srichandswimmingin
money ,hedidn’
tstr
ikemeassomeonehumbl e
enought otakethebustoRosebank.Heli
vesi
n
Northcl
iff
eandt hi
sbusdoesn’tgother
e.

That
o:“
Oh,
okay
.Butwhyar
eyout
rav
ell
i
ngv
iat
he
bus?
”

Mul alo:“
Oh, Ij
ustfel
tli
keafr eshbr eat
her
,youknow.
Lifejustgetstoomuchatt imes, Imeanwet rav
elv
ia
carsev erydayandwet endtof orgetwhatitisli
ket
o
takeawal kandbr eathe,watchnat ureandjust
i
nhal ethebeaut yt
hereof.
”

Idon’tknow,buttheMul
aloIseebef
oremeseemsa
bitt
roubled,
depressedi
fIcansayso.
That
o:“
Arey
ouokay
?”

Mul
alo:
(faki
ngasmi
l
e)“
Yes,
Iam okay
.”

Idon’ tknow, butseemsl i

keMul al
ocouldusea
fri
endr ightnow.Thewayhej ustkeepsengagi
ngin
aconv ersationwi t
hme.Ihadt oremov emy
ear phonesj ustsoIdon’ tseem rude.Heisquit
ea
niceguy , andwehav eal oti
ncommon.Wi thi
nten
mi nutes, Iactuall
ylearntalotabouthim.Heloves
reading, l
ov eswat chingromcoms, andadoresi
ce
cream andf inewi ne.

Idon’tknow, butwhenev erIaskhim abouthis

personalli
fe,hejustchangest hesubj
ect.Hehas
everyri
ghtt odoso, ofcourse,seei
ngasheowes
menot hingandt hatwebar elyknoweachot her.He
i
squi t
eagent l
eguy ,al
thoughhecomesacr ossas
hard.Ijustam sogl adInev ergett
oseeTi geror
Rendani everagain.AsIgotof f,
hegotof fwit
hme,
buthewasr atherhesit
anttogohome.
Mulal
o:“
Doyoumindi
fItakeyououtf
orsome
di
nner?Ipar
kedmycaratthemal
l.
”

Iwashesit
ant,butIt
ri
ednotshowinghim.Igav
e
hi
m alook,andthenthoughtofanexcuse.

That
o:“
Uhm,Mulal
o,Ihav
esomeassi
gnment
stodo
andi
t’
slat
eand-
“

Mulalo:(
int
errupti
ng)“Ij
ustneedsomeonetotal
kto,
butifyou’
rereall
ynotupt oi
t,t
henIunder
stand.
Keepwel l
,Muf umakadzi(
Queen).
”

Heattemptedtowal
kawaywit
hhisheaddown.
Wow, Ij
usttur
nedaguydownwhomightgoi
ng
t
hroughthemost.
That
o:“
Wai
t!
”
Het
urnedar
oundsl
owl
y.

That
o:“
Ithi
nkImayhav
eanhourort
wot
ospar
e.”

Hegav emeaglimmer i
ngsmi l
ewhilehisey
esl i
tup.
Ouroutingwoul
ddousawhol elotofgoodsinceI
am avoidi
ngRami,AuntVivi
anandGr i
ngo.Wet ook
acabt othemal
ltogether
.

Gr
ingo

Idon’tgetit,Idon’
tgetwhyThat owouldal lofa
suddenbesodi stant,andbl
atantl
yignoreus.Iam
notsay i
ngsheowesusany thi
ng,butIfeelan
i
mmensebondwi thher.Iwouldhateforhert ol
and
i
ntot hewr ongperson’sarms.Istil
lcan’tget
Glenda’swor dsoutofmyhead, t
heyhav ebeen
ri
nginglikeanol d,unwantedrecor
d.
Shesai dIshoul
dpunishthemot herofmychi l
d.
Howonear thdoessheknowPr ecious?Imeansur e,
theybothcomef rom Soweto,butsadlyIhadno
pictur
eofPr eci
ousanywhere.Shewasmyoneni ght
standandwhenshej ustcouldn’tgetenough,she
decidedtomakemyl i
feali
vinghell.Shestart
ed
stalki
ngme, cal
li
ngmenonst opandev en
threat
eningtotell
mywi f
eaboutourl it
tl
eaffai
r.

WhenIwant edtokil
lher,
that’swhenshehad
confessedthatshewaspr egnant.Il
ovemychi l
dren,
bornoutofwedl ockornot,Iadoret
hem andwould
doany thi
ngforthem.Thatwast hefir
stti
meIhad
actuall
ymadeanot herwomanpr egnantout
sidemy
mar r
iage.

So,Ihadmadeapactwithher,t
hatIwoul dtakecare
ofherandt
hebabyandt hatt
hebabywoul dcome
l
ivewithmeassoonasshedel i
veredher,because
Preci
ouswasasoppymess.Ihadt okeepaney e
onherandmakesurethatshedidn’tdri
nkwhi l
e
pr
egnant
,butshecouldn’thandl
ethefactt
hatIhad
awif
eandwasn’tpreparedtoleaveher,
soshetold
mywifeaboutt
heaffairanyway.

Thatdidn’
tchangeanything,mywi f
ehadaccepted
thepregnancy,
butPreciouscouldn’
tgetoverthe
thoughtofanotherwomanr aisi
ngherchil
d,notthat
shewasev enreadyorfitenoughtor ai
seI
sabell
a.

So,onedayIwentt oseehert ogi

veherbabyst uff
asalways,
inpreparati
onf orthebir
th,If
oundt hat
shehadlef
tthehot elroom Ihadbookedher .St upi
d
me,Iwassostressedov ermymar ri
age,thatIdidn’
t
evenhavethet
imet ocheckwher eshecamef rom,
whereshehadlived.

Ilookedforherf ormonths,
yearsevenuptono
avail
,unt
ilmywi feevendeci
dedtocommi tsui
ci
de
becauseshejustcouldn’
tbearthethoughtofme
l
ookingformyi l
legit
imat
echil
d.Itbrokemet othe
core,t
hefactthatmyownl ovekil
ledher
self
becauseofme.Itbr
okemytwoboysandtheynever
for
gaveme–ev enthought
heyactl
i
ketheyhave.

Iknowt heystil
lhateandblamemef orwhat
happened.Ijustwantt oseemydaught er,andI
knowf orafactthatsheissti
llal
iv
e.Ihav ebeen
rest
lesseversinceThatodecidedtoignoremycal l
s,
bothVivandI’s.Ifeelsobad,real
ly.PerhapsI
shouln’
thaveforcedherintosuchal i
fe,
nowl ook
whathashappened.Shehat esme, sheprobably
evenfearsme.

Apar tofmer eall

yhopesshecoul dbemydaught er.
Iknow, itwouldbet oomuchofacoi nci
dence,but
herstrikingr
esembl ancetomymot herisj
usttoo
alarming.Icannotev enphathom havi
ngastranger
beingmydaught er.Vivi
anandIareonourwayt o
Rockv i
lleaswespeak, total
ktoSophie.Shehad
bettercoughitalloutorelseI’
m goi
ngtochop
someoneupi ntopiecestoday.
Anast
aci
a

Ican’tbelieveev er
ythi
ngissuchashi tt
ymess.Iam
sobr oken, wordscannotev endescri
bewhatIam
feeli
ng.Lat eront hatday,whenMamawasbei ng
draggedawayl ikeauselessdog,Gr i
ngosentusa
videooft hem rapingmymot herl
ikeabloodyani
mal
.
Theyev enf il
medt hemselvesburyingheral
iv
e.

Whot hef uckdoesthat?Idon’tevenknowwhy

Romeodoesn’ tjustki
llthi
smot her
fuckerbecause
hethi
nkshecanr ul
ethewhol eworld.Ididn’
tsi
gn
upforthis,nowKgi sjustaweakbast ardwho
doesn’tevengivemet heattenti
onandaf f
ecti
onI
need.

It’
ssuchagoodt hi
ngthatIwenttoMamaBel i
nda.
Sheknowsjusttheri
ghtmuthit
okeepaman.I
cannotwai
tforKgtooffi
cial
l
ybeallofmine.AsI
l
ayinbed,t
hinki
ngaboutmymot her’
str
agicmurder,
Iheardt
hedooropen.ItwasKg, whi
chisquit
ea
sur
pri
se.

Kg:“
Hey,
Ana.Ibr
oughtyousomef ood,
Ithought
youandt
hebabymightbehungr
y.”

Anast
aci
a:“
Thanky
ou.
”

Kg:
“Howar
eyouf
eel
i
ng?
”

Anastaci
a:(
sigh)“
I’
vehadbett
erdays.Wol
fe,
you
needtospeaktoGringo.Thi
sisnothowwe
operate.
”

Kg:“Ana,y
ouknowIcannotdothat
,hei
smy
superi
orandbesi
des,
heishost
ingapart
yforme
soon.Iam bei
ngpromotedt
ohisri
ghthandman,
remember?”
Oh,howcoul dIfor
get?That ’
sallhetal
ksabout .Ifi
t
i
sn’thisst
upidjewelr
ydesigns,i
t’
st hebusiness.
Yes,wehav ecomfortabl
elif
e,butKgandIhav e
nothi
ngincommon.Ionl ydidthi
sbecauseRomeo
promisedmeagoodl if
e.Now, hereIam, pregnant
andundesiredbymysocal ledhusband.Ifonl yhe
foundouthowgul l
ibl
eheact ual
lyis.

Kg:“
Speakingofwhi
ch,
Iwonderi
fIwi
l
lev
ersee
That
oagain.”

Igotsoannoyedbyhear
inghi
m sayt
hat
.What
’sso
speci
alaboutThat
oanyway?

Anast
aci
a:“
Why
?”

Kg:“Idon’ tknow.Therei
sjustsomethingabouther
,
Ij
ustcan’ tseem topi
npoi
ntit.Ifeell
i
keIhavemet
herbef ore,youknow,l
i
keIhadadej avumomentor
somet hing.”
Hehadbett
ernotstar
twit
ht hi
sshit
.Romeo
pr
omisedmethatthedoctorknewhisst
ory
.Now
whati
sthi
sshitt
hatWolfeistel
li
ngmenow?

Anast
acia:
“Ag,it
’spr
obabl
yal
li
nyourmi
nd.You
can’
tpossi
blyknowher.
”

Kg:“
Iguess,
butthatdi
amondneckl
aceIsawonher
.
Ihav
eseenitsomewhere.
”

Shi
t,t
hisguyseemst obegett
inghi
smemoryback.
Ihavetoensurethatthi
ngsst
aythesame,
justasi
s
bef
oreshithi
tsthefan.

Sophi
e

Busi
nesshasbeensl
ownowadays,
mor eespeci
all
y
si
nceThatobr
oughtGri
ngoher
einRockvi
ll
e.Idon’t
knowhowt hefuckamanl i
ket hatcanhavesuch
powerov erthewholedrugbusinessofSouthAfrica.
Nowpeopl eareturni
ngtheirbacksonme, theydon’t
evenwantt obuymypr oductany more.Mama,
KagisoandIhav ebeenostraci
zedf r
om thechurch
andt hecommuni t
y,aspeoplewantnot hi
ngtodo
withus.

Whenev erweappr oachshopsorany t

hingnear by,
theythreatenuswi thst ones.Thesepeopl eforget
howIhav ealwaysbeent hereforthem.Thesel ow
l
ivesdeci detoturntheirbacksonmenowt hatthey
haveusedupal lmymoneyandev endr ankallthe
alcoholIboughtdur ingall t
hesebashesIhav ebeen
hosting.Theyar epat heticanduselessandonceI
getbackonmyf eet,theywi l
lfeel
mywr at
h.AsI
wassi tt
ingont hestoepdr i
nki
ngbl acklabel,Isawa
bigcarappr oachingt hegate.Fuck, i
t’
sGr ingo.

If
eltmysel
ftr
embl
eatthethoughtofhi
m enter
ing
myhouse.Hashecomeformet oo?Iheard
Anastaciasaythathetort
uredhi
smot herwi
thher
sinsandburiedherali
ve.Yoh,Modimo( Oh,
God),
forgi
vemef orallmysins,j
ustpl
easedon’tl
etme
getkil
led.NottodayandnotbyGr i
ngo.

Gr
ingo:
“Sophi
e.”

Sophi
e:(
Trembl
i
ng)“
Hel
l
o,Mr
.G.
”

Gr
ingo:“
Aren’
tyougoi
ngt
oacknowl
edgemywi
fe’
s
pr
esence?”

Sophie:
“For
giv
eme,
Mrs.G,
Idi
dn’
tmeant
obe
rude.
”

Shej
usti
gnor
edmeandgav
emeabl
ankst
are.

Sophi
e:“
WhatcanIdof
ory
ou?
”
Gri
ngo:“Per
hapsy
oushoul
dleadusi
ntot
hehouse
sothatwecanhaveachat
.”

Sophi
e:(
trembl
i
ng)“
Idon’
tthi
nk-
“

Ididn’tevengett
ofi
nishmysent encewhenGringo
roughlygrabbedmebymyt hroat.Iswif
tl
ygotup
andr ushedint
othehouseashel etmego.Oncewe
gotin, Ist
oodint
hekitchen,nearthesi
nk,ter
ri
fied
l
ikecr azy.

Vi
vi
an:“Wecametot
alk.I
fyoudon’
tcompl
y,t
hen
wewil
lkil
lyou.
”

Shewasn’
tkiddi
ng,
real
l
y.Iwi
l
ldi
etodayi
fIdon’
t
gi
vethem whatt
heywant.

Sophi
e:(
noddi
ngpr
ofusel
y)“
Okay
”.
Gri
ngo:“WhoisThato’
smot her?Herbiol
ogical
mother?Thinkver
yclear
lybeforeyouanswerme
becauseonewronganswermi ghtcauseyouatoot
h
ortwo.”

Inoddedi
npani
c.

Sophi
e:“That
o’smot
herisNomasont
o.Nomasont
o
Dlami
ni,
shewasmar r
iedtoRomeoMoloi
.”

Icoul
dseehi
mfr
ownatmyst
atement
.

Gri
ngo:“
Howdi
dThat
oendupbei
ngadopt
edby
Pet
unia?
”

Sophi
e:“She…Sontocoul
dn’
tcopewi t
hbeinga
mother.Sheli
edtousall
sayi
ngt hatyou…her
fat
herabandonedherwhil
epregnant.She…she
couldn’tcopeatal l,soshedeci dedtoleaveThat oin
hershackandbur yheral i
v e.Whenshecameback
fr
om ani ghtofdr i
nking,thepeopl earoundDi epkl
oof
hadmanagedt ogett hef i
ret odi eout,butt heysaid
nothingcoul dbesal vaged.Shewaspl easedwi th
herself
, onlyt oheart hefaintcr yofababy .That o
seemedunhar med, withonl yascaronherback.
Shegotsomadshedumpedheri noneoft he
communi tyr ubbishbi nsandl efthertheret odie.
Thatwaswhenmysi ster,Pet uniawasdoi ngher
communi tyr oundsatt hetimeandhear dababycr y
i
noneoft hebi ns.NooneknewwhoThat o
belongedt o,untilNomasont owentt oPet uni a
personal l
yandbeggedhernott oturnheri n.She
askedPet uniat otakeThat oandr ai
seherasher
own, ofwhi chPet uniagladl ydid.Ev eryonear ound
Rockv i
l
leknewt hatThat ol ookedabi tdif
fer entfr
om
us,sot heyconcl udedt heirownst ory.
”

Ihadhopeddeepdownthatheboughtt
hebi
tsand
piecesIhadaddedmy
self
.
Gri
ngo:“
Glendatol
dusyouhaveal
ett
erwr
it
tenby
Pet
uniatoThato.Wher
eisi
t?”

Shit.Glendatoldthem aboutthelet
ter.Howt he
fuckcouldtheybesl oppy?Howcoul dIev enbe
stupidenoughnott oburnitorsomet hi
ng?Pet uni
a
revealedeveryt
hinginthatl
ett
er,andev enspoke
aboutmyi llt
reatmenttowardsThato.

Howt hef
uckcoul dIbesostupid?Ishouldhave
knownbetterthantoshar
emysecr etswit
hthatevi
l
bit
ch.All
Iknowi sthati
fIdon’trev
eali
ttoday,
I’
m
mostdefi
nitel
ygoingtodiet
oday .
Chapt
erFi
ft
ySi
x

Hebrews9:27–“Justaspeopl
ear
edesti
nedt
odi
e
once,andaft
ert
hattofacej
udgment
.”

Job4:8–“AsIhav
eobser
ved,t
hosewhopl
owev
il
andthosewhosowtr
oubl
ereapit
.”
Sophi
e

Iwaspet r
ifi
edt osayt hel east, butIdecidedtogo
i
ntomybedr oom andgi veGr i
ngot helett
er.My
shakyhandcoul dbar elyhol di tproperl
y,butthenit
i
st oolat
et oturnbacknow.Het ookthelett
erwhi l
e
hegavemehi sst ern,evillook.If eltmyhear trace
asheopenedt hel ett
er,whi l
eVi v
ianstaredmedead
i
nt heeyes.Isai dasi lentpr ayerast heystarted
readi
ngthel et
ter.Icanr ecal lthecontentsoft he
l
etterl
ikeitwasj usty esterday .

“
DearThat
o

Mor atuwawapel oyaka(Myheart’

skeeper),words
cannotexplainhowmuchIl ovey
ou.Ir e-wrot
ethis
l
etterami ll
i
ont i
mesandIjustdi
dn’tknowwher eto
start.Fir
stoff,
I’
dli
keyoutoknowt hatIrai
sedyou
thebestwayIcoul d.Imadesureyoul acknothi
ng;
f
rom f
oodt oshel
ter
;tosel
f-
conf
idenceandmost
i
mportant
ly–Love.

Ihavebeenkeepingasecr etfrom y ouformany

years,
notbecauseIf el
tthatyoudi dn’tdeserveto
know,butthatIwaswai ti
ngfort her i
ghtti
met otell
you.NowIknowImi ghtnevergett hechancet otel
l
youbecauseIam dy ing.Ididn’twantt owor r
yy ou
bytell
i
ngyout hatI
’
v egotcervicalcancer ,
becauseI
j
ustwantedy outoremembermeast heev ersmili
ng
personIal
way swas.

Iknowyouhav ehear dal otofrumour seversince

youweregr owingupabouty ourpat erni
tyandhow
youcameabout .Iadopt edyou, Thato.Ifoundy ou
i
nadumpst erwheny ouwerejustaweekol d.You
wereseverelybur ntbyy ourmot her,andwheny ou
didn’
tdi
e,shel eftyout odie.Al otofst ori
eshav e
beengoingar ound, butonlythreepeopl eknowt he
tr
uth–yourbi ological mother,my selfandGod.Not
evenSophieknowst hewholet ruth,butI’
llgettot hat
oneabi
tlat
er.

Ineverwant edy out

ofindoutwhoy ourrealmother
was, si
mpl ybecausesheisanev i
lwomanandshe
doesnotl oveyou.YourbiologicalmotherisSonto
Maake, Romeo’ sMaake’swife.Thet r
uthisshe
didn’
tburnhershackandl eav eyoufordead,she
actuall
ysety ouonfir
eherself.Shewr appedyouin
aclothdippedi npet
rolandsety ouali
ghthersel
f.
Theshackf i
rewasjustacov erup.

Shewasamazedwheny oudi dn’tdie,andwereonly

l
eftwi t
hthathugescarony ourback.If oundyouon
mywaybackt ot
hehospital,whenIhear dy oucryi
ng
i
nt hedust bin.Ir
ushedyout ot hecli
nic,and
miraculouslytheysaidyouonl ysufferedtheburns
ony ourback.Youwer eaper fectandheal t
hylit
tl
e
gir
l.Inev ercouldhavechildrenofmyown, andI
knewt haty ouwer eGodsent .

WhenSont
ohear
dthaty
ouwer
etakenbyme,
she
personall
ycamet omyhouseandbeggedmenott o
turnherintothepolice.Sheexplainedtomet he
wholet r
uth,thatshecouldn’
tfacet heshameshe
hadbr oughtuponher sel
fandherf ami l
y.Shesaid
thatherfami l
yrefusedtorai
seachi l
dbyawhi t
e
man.Shedumpedy oubecauseshesi mplycoul
dn’t
bearthet houghtofseeingyouev eryday.

Youaretheexactrepl
icaofyourgrandmother ,
your
biol
ogi
calfat
her’
smot her
.Youwer ejustan
i
nnocentsoulandhadnoonet ol
ookaf t
ery ou.She
hadnorightt
osety ouali
ghtli
kethat.Ipersonall
y
tookanoathtotakecareofyouandl oveyou.

Sheknewal lal
ongt hatyouwer eherchil
d,shejust
actedlikeshedidn’ tknowy ou.Idon’twanty outo
feell
ikey oudon’tbel ongorthatyouwer enotloved.
Ihavelov edyouf rom themomentIsaw y ou.You
aremyl i
tt
legir
l,andIwi llf
oreverlov
ey ou.Sonto’s
heartturnedtost oney earsagoandi ti
snoty our
fault
.
Yourbi ologicalfather’
snamei sDav i
dGr oen.He
goesbyt henameofGr ingo.You’l
lfi
ndhi min
Northcl i
ffe,atAddr ess2456.Hei smar riedtoVi v
ian
Letswal o, whoisRami ’
saunt,yourf
ell
owschool
mat e.Ihav ewaitedt hi
slongbecausey ouwi l
lneed
allt
heassi stancey oucangetespeciallywheny ou
l
eav et hishouse.Hehasbeensear chingf oryoual l
yourlife,andIhadt ogetaPr iv
ateInvest i
gatorto
l
ookf orhim.Idon’ twanty outosuff
er,henceIl eft
yout hehouseandsomemoneyasaheadst artin
l
ife.Ij ustwanty out obehappy .

Asf orSophie, pleasebecar efulofher,mybaby .I

knowshehasnev erlovedy ouandshemi ghtt ell
yout hisoutofhat e.Shehasabusedy ouenough
whileIwasal ive, andnowpl easedonothesi tat eto
kickthem outandl i
veony ourown.Gr ingowill hel
p
youwi thallofit.Shef orcedmet osignaf ew
paper sandasweakasIam, Igather
edt hestrength
towr it
ethislettert oyou.Ist il
lhadaf ewmont hst o
l
ive,mybaby ,butSophi epoisonedme.
Isawherputsomepoi soni nmyporridgewhi l
eI
pretendedt obeasl eep.I tisbyGod’sgr acet hatI
am abl etowr i
tethisletter,f
orIknowmyt i
met o
l
eav et hi
searthhascome.Byt omorrow, Iwillbe
dead, myancest orsar ecalli
ngme.Pl easeknow
thatIlov eyou,andIal way swil
l l
oveyou.I ’l
lbesur e
tobey ourguardianangel ,mybaby .Pray erisy our
weaponandmayy ourl i
febef i
ll
edwitht heet ernal
blessingsy oudeser v
e.Il ov ey
ou.

Lov
e
Yourmot
her
.”

Ashef oldedtheletterimmedi at
elyaft
erreadingit
,I
j
ustknewt hatIwasi ndeepshi t
.IsawGr ingo’sbl
ue
eyesbecomebl oodshot,whileVivi
anwasf umi ng,
breathi
ngheav il
yandunabl etocont r
olherbreathi
ng.
Thenextt hingIknew, Viv
ian’
sf i
rm handswer eon
myt hroatassher oughlypinnedmeagai nstthewal l
.
Sophi
e:(
pani
cky
)“Pl
ease,
Wa…nkgama(
you’
re
choki
ngme).
”
Vivi
an:(
fuming)“Wait
seSophieoretl
waelamasepa
(You’
resofull
ofshit,
youknow)!Giv
emeone
fucki
nggoodr easonwhyIshoul
dn’
tkil
lyou?
!”

Sophi
e:(
Pani
cki
ng)“
Please…I
,Icanf
ixt
his.
”

Icoul
dfeelmysel
flosi
ngmybr eat
h,whileVivi
an
shotdagger
satme.I ’
m abouttodi
e,Icanfeeli
t.

Gri
ngo:
“Leav
eher,Vi
v.Let
’ssaveherf
orlat
er.I
t
hinkwecanpuni
shherwit
houtkil
l
ingher
.”

Vi
vianr
oughlyl
etgoofmeasIdr oppedtothe
gr
ound,gaspi
ngforai
randcoughingprof
usel
y.
Sophi
e:(
breat
hingheav
il
y)“
Thanky
ou.Thanky
ou.
”

Vi
vian:
“Whydi
dyounev
ergi
vehert
hisf
ucki
ng
l
ett
er?!
”

Sophi
e:(
scared)“
Iwasgr
eedy,
that
’sal
lwhati
twas
about
.Ijustwant
edmoney.
”

Gr
ingo:
“Whi
chpaper
sdi
dyoumakehersi
gn?
”

Sophi
e:(
hesi
tantl
y)“I
t…was…herpensionmoney
,
shehadmoret hanoneret
ir
ementpol
icy.
”

Viv
ian:(
Anger
ed)“
Howmuchdi
dyoust
eal
from
Thato?
”

Sophi
e:(
ashamedl
y)“
R500000.
”
IfeltVivi
an’sscorchinghothandl andonmycheck
asIl ostmybal ance,butquicklygotup.Shedi dn’
t’
givemet imet ocat chmybr eath,butinsteadshe
slappedmeaf ewmor eti
mesasIf el
tdizzytryi
ngto
getup.Shet ookoutakni fef r
om thedr awerinthe
speedofl ightandst abbedmei nmyl ef teye.Ifel
t
l
ikeIwasi nadr eam, ahorrormov i
eact uall
y.All
alongGr i
ngowasj uststandingthere,sayingnothi
ng.

Sophi
e: (
scr
eaming)“
Yoh!Leskampolayahl
e
(Pl
easedon’tki
l
lme,Ibegyou)
!Yoh,
thusang(Hel
p
me,please)
!Myey e!
”

ThenextthingIsawMamast orminginandshouti
ng,
butshequicklygather
edherselfwhenshesawthe
mightyGri
ngoandVi v
ianl
ookingatherli
kethey
werereadytokill
.

Mari
a:“
Godir
agal
angmo(What
’shappeni
ngher
e)?
!
Ledi
raengkamontl
ongy
aka(Whatareyoudoi
ng
i
nmyhouse)?!
”
Gri
ngo:“Andt heresheis,themostuselessmot her
i
nthishousehol d.Pointofcorrect
ion,t
hisismy
daught
er’shouse, Magogo( oldwoman) .Giveme
onegoodr easonwhymywi feshouldn’
tsl
ityour
thr
oatsi
ncey oual l
owedt hisbit
chtoabusemy
daught
erf oryears?!
”

Mari
a:(Fear
ful
)“I
…please…Idi
dnothi
ngwrong,
Sophi
ecan’tbecont
rol
ledwhensheisangr
y.”

Shedidn’
tev
enfi
nishhersent
encewhenVivi
an
sl
appedhersohar
dshef el
lontot
heground.

Vi
vian:“
BegladIdon’
thaveti
metoki
l
lyou,
Gog’Magosha(Pr
osti
tut
egr
anny)
.”

Gr
ingo:
“You,
Sophi
e,y
ou’
recomi
ngwi
thus.
”
Iwasbeingdr
aggedoutoftheyar
dlikeausel ess
ani
mal.Peopl
earoundwereevencheeringGr i
ngo
andViv
ianonwhentheysawmebei ngdr aggedout
l
ikeananimal
.Hasmyl i
fecometot hi
s?
Chapt
erFi
ft
ySev
en

Acts3:
19–“Repent
,then,
andtur
ntoGod,sothat
yoursi
nsmaybewipedout,t
hatt
imesofr
efreshi
ng
maycomefrom t
heLord.”

That
o

MulaloandIendedupatMaboneng.Ihav eactuall
y
neverbeenher ebef ore.Rami al
waysbegsmet ogo
withher,butIjustnev erdo.Apparentlyit
’salways
vi
beyandbusyher e, henceIj
ustnev erfeell
ike
coming.Per hapsIneedt obreakoutofmyshel la
l
itt
lebitandexpl or
enewt hi
ngs.Weor dered
oursel
vesaf ewdr inksandsomef ood.Bef oreI
knewit,theguyst artedventi
ng.
Mulalo:(si
gh)“Thato, whatwouldyoudoifyouwere
i
nasi tuati
onwher ey ouwereforcedtodo
somet hi
ngy oudidn’twanttodo?Imeany ouhadto
doitforthefamily,simplybecauseiti
str
aditi
onand
cult
ure,butinall
honest yitj
ustdidn’
tmakey ou
happy?I nst
ead,itmadey ouevenmor edepressed
thanyoual r
eadyare.”

Eh,Ihonestl
yhavenoi
deahowtoanswersucha
questi
on.Itseemsver
ydeep-
root
ed,butIguessI
havetotry.

That
o:“Uhm,well
,It
hinki
nallhonest
y,haditbeen
me,Iwouldhav
echosenmy self
,myhappinessand
mypeace.Ihavetocomef i
rst
,nomat t
erwhat.”

Mul
alo:
“Whati
fiti
sn’
tthateasy
?”

That
o:“
Lif
eisnev
ereasy
,Mul
alo.Imean,
ifi
twas
t
hateasythenitwouldn’tbet
hisexcit
ing.It
hinkif
youhavetr
iedallopti
onsandyoust i
ll
aredepressed,
t
henleavethesit
uation.Takeyoursel
foutofthat
messandjustbey ou.”

Icoul
dseethatt
hiswasactual
lyabouthim andthat
hewasgoingthr
oughsomethingdeep,butIthought
Ishoul
dn’
tpushforhimtot
ellmeany t
hing.Imean,
we’r
enotevenfr
iends.

Mulal
o:(fai
ntsmil
e)“Thankyouf
orl
i
stening.Iam
sor
ryforburdeni
ngyouwi t
hmydepr
essingtroubl
es
onaFridayeveni
ng.”

Thato:
(smi
li
ng)“
Don’
tworryaboutit
,ImeanIdi
dn’
t
real
l
yhaveanypl
ansf
ortonightwhatsoev
er.
”

Aswewerefi
nishi
ngoffourdri
nks,
Ramicall
edme
andIi
gnor
edit
.Idon’
tknowwhatt osayt
oheror
anyoft
hem.Iam toodist
raught
.Callmesel
fish,
butitishowIf eel.MulaloandIendeduphav inga
real
l
ygoodt i
measwedr ovearoundwhi l
ehe
showedmesomer eal
l
yni cepl
acesar oundJo’ bur
g.
Iactuall
yreal
izedIhaven’tli
ved,Imeanaf ew
mont hsinJozi andIonlyknowNor thcli
ffand
Rosebank.Aowa( No)
,Ineedtogetoutmor e.

Sont
o

Iam seriouslynotokay ,everyt

hingissuchamess
andIhadnochoi cebutt ogobackhomeandhi de
outthere.Ilefthomeal ongt i
meagowhenmy
mothery ell
edatmef orhavi
ngachi ldwit
hawhite
marriedman.Yes, shedidn’
tact ual
l
ykickmeout
persay,butIj ustcouldn’tl
iv
ewi thallt
henegat
ivi
ty
andIdeci dedt oleave.

Iwondernowwhatl i
fewoul
dhav ebeenli
kehadI
stay
edandr ai
sedmydaughterwithever
ythi
ngIhad.
Now, Il
ostmyhusbandandmychi ldr
enandIdon’
t
knowwher etotur
nto.Ihav
et obestuckinthi
sold,
r
ust
yhouse.

Okay ,
IknowIam par t
iall
ytoblamebecauseInev er
evenbot heredtofi
xmymot her
’shousewhenIhad
thechance.Idi dn’
tevenbothertosendthem food
oranymoneywhi leIwasmar ri
edtoRomeo, and
now,hel eftwit
houtadime.Ihadami l
li
oninmy
pocket,butIchosetobl owital
lwit
hinmonths.

Idon’tknowwhatIam supposedt odo,perhapsGod

i
spuni shingmef oreveryt
hingIhav edonetoThat o,
ofwhi chImostpr obablydeserve.Iknowthati tis
nottool atetor epentandaskGodf orf
orgi
v eness.I
thi
nkIam r eadyt ochangemyl if
eandt ur
ni taround.
Iwassi tti
ngi nmyol dbedroom onmywor n-outbed,
whenmysi sterKulist
ormedi n.Iseeshest il
lhasno
manner s.

Kul
i:(
annoyed)“
Weh( hey
),Sonto!It’
sbadenough
youcamebackwi t
houtwarningandthatcausedus
tohaveonemoremout htofeed,kodwaseufuna
ukuhlal
anjeungay enzi
lut
ho(butnowy oujustwant
tomaket hingsworsebysit
ti
ngaroundwithout
doinganything)?Hayi(
No),man.Thisisnot
Rockv i
l
leandy ourdi
vadaysareover
.”

Doessher
eal
l
yhav
etor
ubi
nmydownf
all
?

Sont
o: (
teary)“Yazi
ni(y
ouknowwhat ),
Kuli?IknowI
wasnev erthebestsist
er,kodwa(but)rubbingmy
downfal
l i
nmyf acewil
lnotsolv
ethepr oblem and
mostcer t
ainl
ywon’ tmakey ouf
eelanybet ter
.”

Kuli:“
Oh,beli
ev eme, i
tmostdef i
nit
elywil
l makeme
feelawhol elotbet
ter.Sengiyabonaushesha
ngokukohlwa( Iseeyou’requi
cktoforget).Didyou
forgettheti
meIcal l
edy ouinthemi ddleofthenight
whenmysongotst abbedandIneededsomemoney
tosendhi mt oaprivatehospi
tal
?Doy ouremember
whatIsai dtoyou?”
Il
ookeddowninshamebecauseIr
emembert
hat
ni
ghtver
ywell
.

Kul i
: “
Yousai dt ome“ Uzazibonake( Makeapl an),
Kul i
,ngobawenaubal elwei skolo(becausey ou
fail
edt of i
nishschool ).Thatt imeIdidgett omat r
ic,
alt
houghIf ail
edaf ewsubj ects,wena( whatabout
you) ?Youf ai
ledGr ade11t hreetimes!Thr eetimes,
mnt wanawasekhay a( si
ster )
,washadanendodae
nemal i(andy oumar riedar ichman) ,suddenlyy ou
feltthaty ouwer ewaybet t
ert hanus.Youdumped
yourdaught erinadustbi n, Imeany ouev ensether
onf ire,Nomasont o!Mysondi edthatnightonour
wayt othenear esthospi tal whil
eIhadt obegtt he
taxi dri
vertot akeust here.Ir emembercal lingyou
tot ellyouthatThamsanqahadpassedonandy ou
saidt omet hatit’
sonel esspr oblem towor ryabout
andonel essmout htof eed.”

Ifel
tsocr
ushed,
li
keaknif
ewasbeingt ur
nedover
andoveri
nmygut .WasIthatcr
uel
,though?Idon’
t
rememberhalfofthet
hingsIhav
esaidtoher
,butI
don’tknowwhathonest
lyhadgoneoninmyhead.I
feltt
earswar
mingmydr yeyes.I
thasbeensolong
sinceIact
ual
lyshedatear.

Kuli
:“Youkeptt hrowinginsultsinmyf acebecauseI
choset okeepal lmyf ourchil
dren, butt het rut
hi s,I
am wayofabet termot herthany ouwi ll everbe.I
mightnotber ich,butIlovemychi ldren.Myel dest
i
saboutt ofinishUniversit
yandgr aduat e, al
l
becauseIchoset oteachhert hatamot her ’
slove
goesal ongway .Youar ereapingwhaty ouhav e
sown, Nomasont o,andIam honest l
ygl adthaty our
ti
mehascome.Ihopeandpr aythatGr i
ngosl its
yourthroatoffsot hatmyt earscoul df all f
orthel ast
ti
mebecauseofy ou.”

Withthatsai
d,shejustwalkedoutandleftmether
e.
Forthefir
stt
imeiny ear
s,Iactual
lyf
eltpaini
nmy
gut,somuchpain,thati
tfeltl
ikeIwasbeing
physical
l
ybeingstabbed.Ishedmor ethanafew
tears,
Iwai l
edlikeachi
ld.Myl i
fei
soffi
cial
l
yov er,
I
will
nev erbethequeenIoncewas, Iwi
llnevergeta
chancet oredeem myselfandIwil
lnev
ergeta
chancet orewindmychoi ces.

Iwassomeant omyowndaught er,butthetrut

hisI
neverdeserv
edtobeamot her.Mychi ldrenare
muchbet t
eroffwi
thoutme.AsIwasaboutt opack
thesmallbagIhadwithme, pr
eparingtoleave,I
recei
vedamessageonmyWhat sApp.Icheckedt he
numberandIdon’trecogni
zeit.Itwasav i
deowith
thecapti
on“YOUARENEXT” .

Ihesitatedtoopeni t,butthenIdeci dedt odoso.I

gotsohor r
if
ied,IwishIhadn’topenedi t
.I twasa
videoofGl endabei ngrapedrepeat edly,gangraped
i
nf actbyt heset hr
eebigmenandt hent heyburied
heralive.Ifeltsonumb, asIwishedIcoul ddieright
thereandt hen.Sui ci
demi ghtbet heonl yoption
ri
ghtnow.AsIwasaboutt oswitchonmyphone, I
receiv
edaWhat sAppv i
deocallfrom t hev er
ysame
number
.

Ihesitated,
butchosetoansweritwi t
hmyshaky ,
tremblinghands.AsIanswer ed,Sophie’
sbloodi
ed
faceappear edimmediat
elyonmyscr een.Oh,my
goodness!Shedoesnothav earighteyeanymore!
Ifeltmy sel
fcri
ngeatthethoughtofwhatt heydi
dto
her,Iknewi mmediat
elythati
twasGr i
ngo.

Sophi
e:(cr
ying)“Please,Sont
o.Stoprunning,
Gr i
ngo
andVivi
anknowwher ey ouar
e.Please,hewant s
youtohandy ourselfi
nandsay st
hatifyoudo, he
mighthavemer cyony ou.”

Ifel
tmysel
fshakeasIstoodf
rozeni
nfrontofmy
phone.AsIatt
emptedtohangup,Gr
ingo’
sface
appear
edonmyscr een.

Gr
ingo:“Hel
lo,
Nomasont
o,orshoul
dIsay
Pr
ecious?!
”
Hisbeauti
ful
blueeyeswer emaskedwiththeanger
hefel
t,andwerebloodshot.Icoul
dhardlyseethe
col
ourofhiseyes.Istart
edtrembl
ingasIfeltt
he
hugeknotinmyt hr
oatrefusi
ngtogodown.

Gringo:“Youareonet oughwomant otrack.I

believeyouowemeanexpl anati
on.Tel lyouwhat ,
l
et’smeetatmyhousei nNor t
hcli
ff
.Ibel iev
ey ou
sti
llknowt headdr
ess.I ’
m givingyouoneweek,
Precious,oneweekt ohandy ourselfintomyhands
andmay be,j
ustmay beImi ghtsparey ourli
fealong
withy ourdear
estf
riendov erhere.”

Ii
mmediat
elyhungupandf el
tli
keIwasaboutt
o
shi
tmy
self
.Oh, no.Iam doomed!

Gr
ingo

Iam deepl
yupset
,mor
eatmy
sel
f,r
eal
l
y.Idon’
t
knowwhyi tjustdidn’tcl
ickinmyheadt hatThato
mightbemydaught erwhenIf i
rstsawher.Imean,
sure, Isawt her esemblancebetweenherandmy
mot her ,butpr obablybecauseofhercurlyhair
.
Evenwhenmybr otherLouistoldmehemetagi rl
thathasast rikingresemblancetoMom’ soddlycurl
y
hair
, Ijustsimpl ythoughtthatit
’soneofthose
thi
ngs.Idi dn’ttakemuchnot eofitwhenIsawher
greyey es,Imeanshet ol
dmeshewasadopt ed.

Igenuinel
ythoughtthatshewasmi xed,ofwhichshe
tur
nedoutt obe.IjustwonderedwhyIf el
tsucha
str
ongbondandat tachmenttowardsher .Ihad
hopeddeepdownt hatshewouldbemychi l
d,real
ly
.
Nowt hatIhaveexposedhertosuchal if
e,Idon’t
evenknowi fIcanforgi
vemyselff
ori t
.

Ourfi
rstmeet i
ngwasnotsupposedt obeall
about
rev
enge, puni
shmentandbloodshed,buti
nst
eadI
haveshownherawhol eothersideofme–t he
dangerousside.Shei
sprobablyshitscar
edofme,I
meanwhatki ndoff atheram Itoexposemyown
daughtertot hegangr apeofawomanabov e50?
Am Itr
ul ysuchamonst er
?Nowt hatIknowsheis
mydaught er ,i
tpainsmet hatshehadt ogot hr
ough
al
lofthatt roublewithoutme,whenIhadenough
moneysav edupf orherf r
om themomentshewas
concei
v ed.

MyI sabel
lai
sali
ve,andIcan’tevenstopmy sel
f
fr
om dancing.Icannotbeli
evethis!Ihavetotal
kto
herassoonaspossi bl
e,beforeIint
roduceher
off
icial
lyasamemberoft heGr oenfamily
,andalso,
myoneandonl ydaughter.

Asf orSophie,IthinkIshouldli
elowwi tht
hekil
li
ng
fornowandf i
xst uffwit
hmydaught er
.Thisone,we
willhavetokil
l herslowly,wi
thkindnessfi
rst
,and
thenIwi l
lmakeherpayf orallhersi
ns.AsIsaton
thecouchi nthel ounge,deepinthoughtwhil
e
sippingonmywhi skey
,Rami stormedin.
Rami
:“Gman.
”

Gr
ingo:
“Rami
,howar
eyou?
”

Rami
:(si
gh)“
I’
vehadbet
terday
s.Wher
eisAuntV?
”

Gri
ngo:
“Shei
staki
ngashower
.She’
l
lbedownnow-
now.Whatbr
ingsyouher
e?Wherei
sThato?
”

Rami:“Ag,Thatohasbeenav oi
dingmeev ersi
nce
theGlendaincident,
Ithinksheisjustabitshaken
andtraumatized,butthat’
snotwhatbr i
ngsme
here.
”

Gr
ingo:
(puzzl
ed)“
Whati
sit
?”

Rami:“
Iheardafri
endofminet
ell
methatThat
ois
busypai
nti
ngthestr
eet
sredwit
hMulal
o.Iknowhe
i
sn’tasr
uthl
essashisdadandbrot
her,butIdon’
t
t
hinkweshouldtr
usthi
m aroundher,
especial
ly
wi
thRendanigoneAWOL.”

Sheisrightaboutt hat.Idon’
tknowwhyIdidn’
t
eventhinkofthat.Ihav ebeensulki
ngwaytoolong,
thatIdi
dn’tevent hinkofprot
ecti
ngmydaughter.I
mean, t
hatmot herfuckercouldbeoutt
ogether,
whileI’
m busyov erthi
nkingandhavi
ngwhiskey
!

Gri
ngo: (
Panicky
)“Shi
t!Idi
dn’
tthi
nkaboutt
hat
!
Thatfuckercoul
dbeaftermydaught
eraswe
speak!”

Rami
:(puzzl
ed)“
Daught
er?
”

Gr
ingo:
“Yes,
That
oismydaught
er.
”
Chapt
erFi
ft
yEi
ght
Eccl
esiastes3:
1–“ Therei
sanappoi
ntedt
imefor
ever
ything.Andthereisati
meforev
eryev
entunder
heaven.”

That
o

Petunia:“
Thato,ngwanake(mychi
ld)
.Iam soproud
ofyou, mychil
d,butYouseem t
ohaveforgot
tento
pray,ngwanake(mychild)
.Iaskedyoutokeep
prayi
ng.”

That
o:(puzzl
ed)“
Orabjang,
Mama(
Whatdoyou
mean)?Ihavebeenpr
ay i
ngasy
out
oldme.
”

Petuni
a:“Yes,youhave,
butyouhaven’tbeenpr
aying
l
ikeItol
dy outo.Iaskedyoutoprayforyour
husband,heisinasmuchgr av
edangerasy ouare.”

That
o:(
wor
ri
ed)“
Whati
sgoi
ngt
ohappen,
Mama?
”
Petuni
a:“Onl
yti
mewi l
ltel
l.Pr
ayandy
ouwi l
lbef
ine.
YoursecondBir
thdaywishhascomet
rue.
”

That
o:“
Whatdoy
oumean,
Mama?
”

Pet
unia:
“I’
l
lal
way
sbewi
thy
ou,
justbev
igi
l
ant
.I
l
oveyou…”

Iwokeupandr eali
zedthati
twasal ladream.Ihad
suchagoodt i
mewi thMulal
ot hatIdi
dn’tevenkeep
tr
ackoft i
me.By9pm het ookmehomeandwhenI
sawRami wasn’thome,Idecidedtotakeanap.I
musthav ebeenr eal
lydeepasleepbecauseIhada
pleasantyetworryi
ngdream aboutmymom agai n.

Ihaven’
thadadream ofherinashor
twhil
e.I
wonderwhatshemeansbecauseIhav ebeen
prayi
ng.PerhapsIam notdoi
ngitpr
operl
y.I
seri
ousl
ymisunderst
oodhermessage.“Your
secondbi rt
hdaywishhascomet rue”
?Whatdoes
shemeanbyt hatbecauseIwishedtomeetKgagai n
ofwhi chcamet r
ue,butwasv er
yunpleasantand
verymuchunexpect ed.Ialsowishedtomeetmy
fat
her, butt
hathasn’
thappened.Mamai sjustas
vagueasKgaboorper hapsIam notsuchagood
l
istener.

Any way,Igotupanddeci dedtogetaglassofwat er

,
whenIsawRami ,AuntVi vi
anandGr i
ngowal k
throughthedoor.Theyl ookedli
ketheywer eready
forwarorsomet hing,andIcouldn’
thelpbutbecome
startl
ed.Gringo’
sey eswerebloodshot,andhisface
wascov eredinmiser y
.

Hel ookedl i
kehehadbeencr yingorsomet hi
ng,
whichi sreall
yunusual foramanl i
kethat.Aunt
Vivi
anont heot herhandlookedlikeshewasabout
tobur sti
ntot ears,whil
eRami lookedov er
whelmed
andwr et
ched.Theyl ookedli
ketheywer egoingt
oa
funeral,t
obehonest .
That
o: (
wor
ried)“
What
’swr
ongwi
thy
ouguy
s?I
s
ever
ythi
ngokay?”

Rami coul
dn’tev
enwai t
,shelett
hetearsfal
l
.Ifel
ta
bitdazedandconfused,ImeanIhavenooneelse
seri
ouslycl
osetomet hatcoulddier
ightnow,
exceptforRami’
sparents.

That
o:“
Guy
s,y
ou’
rescar
ingme.
”

Vi
vi
an:“
That
o,baby
.Whydon’
tyousi
tforami
nut
e.
We’
dli
ketot
alktoyou.
”

Isl
owlysatdownasIf el
tthatperhapst
heywantto
addr
essmyr ecentbehavi
our.Gringowalkedupt
o
meandheldmyhands.Il iter
all
yfeltmyownhands
shi
verwhil
einhis.
Gri
ngo:(
tear
y)“That
o,Iam sosorryy
ouwent
t
hroughever
ythi
ngyoudidwithoutme.”

Igavehim apuzzledlook.Whatonear thishe

tal
ki
ngabout ?Hej usthandedmeanenv elope,wi
th
mynameoni t
.Iimmedi at
elyr
ecogni zedthat
handwri
ting.Itbel
ongedt omybel ovedmot her
.I
fel
tmyhear tracesofast,Idi
dn’
thav et i
met oask
anyquestions.Couldthi
sbet helett
erIhav ebeen
await
ingallthesemonths?Iquicklyopenedi tand
thecontentsofthelet
terimmediatel
ysof tenedmy
heart
.

AssoonasIsawt hepar twhereMamawr otethat

Gringoismyf ather,If
eltli
keIwasaboutt ocollapse.
Sophieknewal lalongwhomyf atherwasandsodi d
Sonto,buttheychoset omakemyl i
feali
vinghell?
!
Howdar et heydecidetopl ayGodwi t
hmyl if
elike
that?!Thishurts,i
thurtssobadly.HadIf oundt hi
s
l
etteratthatgiventimet henmybabywoul dst i
llbe
i
nmyt ummy ,
perhapsev enbornrightnow.Per haps
Kgwouldn’
thav
edi
sappear
edonl
ytopi
tchupwi
th
Anast
acia.

Myhear tisbleeding,i
tismour ningsomethingthat
neverwas, mour ningwhatcouldhav ebeen, t
he
possibl
ef ut
uret hatarr
ivedami nutetoolate.I
l
ookedupatGr i
ngoandhi sfacewassor ed,funny
enoughhowIhav eseenhim af ewtimesandInev er
actuall
yreal
izedheki ndoflooksl i
keme.Ihav egrey
eyes,hehasbl ue,buthiseyebrowswer eshaped
exactl
ylikemi ne.

IlookedatRamiwhol ookedatmewi thtearsofjoy

,
whil
eVivi
anlookedatmewi thanachyhear t
.Thi si
s
suchabitt
ersweetmoment ,i
tisactual
lythebest
momentofmyl if
e,yettheworstbecauseIsowi shI
hadexperi
encedthi
smont hsearl
ier
.

Gr
ingo:“
I’
m sosorry,I
sabell
a.Ihavewantedto
meetyouall
myl i
fe.Inevergavehopet
haty ouwer
e
al
i
veandnowt hatIhavef oundyou,
Iam never
l
et t
ingy ougoagai n.Pl easefor
givemefor
i
nt r
oduci ngyout oal i
fethatwasn’ti
nyourpl
ans.I
didn’tmeant opushy ouaway .Nowy ouandRami
canbeof fi
cialsi
sters,becauseVivandIcannot
i
magi nealif
ewi thouty outwo.”

Ihaveyear
nedf
orthosewordsfr
om myfatheral
l
mylif
eandnowthatIhavehear
dthem,Icouldn’
tbe
happi
er.
Chapt
erFi
ft
yNi
ne

Prover
bs28:13-“
Whoev erconcealshis
tr
ansgressi
onswi
llnotprosper
,buthewho
conf
essesandforsakesthem wil
lobtai
nmer
cy.
“

That
o

Ifeelabitecst
ati
caboutbeingGr i
ngo’sdaught
er.I
can’tev
enbel i
evethati
tisactual
lytr
ue,wwhat’s
evenmor epuzzli
ngisthatIcannotbeli
eveInever
sawthesi
gnsandresemblancebet
weenhim andI
.
Weactual
l
yhavesomuchi ncommon.Iam just
happyt
hatmypray
ersdidn’tgot
owaste.

So, apparentlyheissupposedt ointr

oduceKgor
Wol feifIshouldrathercallhi
mt hattohisworl
das
hisnewr i
ghthandman.Appar entl
yKgisthemost
ruthlessguyt her
eis, st
rai
ghtafterGri
ngoofcourse.
Hei sf ear
less,ofwhi chIrecal
l,butIdon’
tseehim
ast her ut
hlessguyt heydescri
be.

Gringohast oldmeal otofcrazyst uffabouthim

whi chIactuall
ydoubtthathewoul ddo.Kgwas
nev eraviol
entguy,soIam conf usedast owhat
actuallyhappenedtohi mrightafterIwas
kidnapped.Imean, Romeoact edlikesuchaf ather
towar dsme, orper
hapsitwasal lanact .

Hedidn’
tandsti
l
ldoesn’
towemeany t
hing,yes,but
t
heleasthecoul
dhavedonewasjustt
ot el
lmeKg
wasokayorsomethi
ng.Itpai
nsmetoknowt hatno
onebother
edt
olookf
ormewhi
l
eSont
ohel
dme
capt
ive.

NowIf eelli
keacompl etedramaqueenf orignori
ng
theircall
sandst uff.Vi
vianandGringoapologized
profuselyforexposi ngmet osuch.NowIf eell
ikeI
hav ebeenact i
nglikeaspoiltbr
at.GringoandI
stayedupal l ni
ghtchat t
ingaway,asheshowedme
allhisfamilyphot os.Itsti
ngsabitthatIam innone
ofthesepi ctures.

Hei sabi tofanol dsoul

,muchl ikeme.Hepr ef
ers
tohav ephot osprint
edoutandst i
l
lusesal bumsl ike
backi ntheday .Wi t
heverynewphot othathetakes,
hecr eatesamemor yforitintheal bum.Iscr oll
ed
throught hebitt
ersweetpi ct
ures,untilIcameacr oss
theonepi ct
urewet ooktogetherout sidehispri
vate
j
et ,thedayRami andIwentt oCapeTown.Ipaused
abi tasIl ookedati t
,andhewasqui teproudofthat
pictur e.
Gri
ngo: (smi
li
ng)“Youseethi
spi ct
ure?Thisi
s
actuall
ythebestpict
ureIhaveinthi
salbum.I
couldn’
thaveaskedf orabet
terdaughter
.”

Gri
ngothough,wedon’ treal
l
yknoweachot her,but
every
thi
ngwi t
hhim comesnat ur
all
y.Heaskedme
aboutmyli
feandconf essedtomesay ingthatheis
holdi
ngSophiecapti
ve, andi
skeepingherasbai tt
o
l
ureSontoclosert
ohi m.

Gri
ngo:“
So,
whatdoy
out
hinkIshoul
ddowi
th
Sophi
e?”

He’
sev
enaski
ngmef
oradv
ice.Il
i
kei
t.
”

That:
“Honest
ly,
Ithinkyoushouldgi
veheral ong
ropetohangher
selfandlethergo.Ibetthe
communi t
yofRockvil
lewantherdead,sotheywil
l
fi
xher.”
Hepausedandsmi ledatme, andforamomentI
thoughthewoul dshowmehi sangrysideandt ell
mewher etogetoffandthatshehast odie.I nall
honesty,Idon’
tli
kewhatSophi edidtome, butsheis
theleastofmywor riesr
ightnow.Idon’ tknowwhat
todowi thSonto,t
hough.Ihat eher,wit
hev eryfi
bre
ofmybei ngandIam st r
uggli
ngt oforgi
veher .

Idon’tevenknowwhatIwoul ddoi fIsawher .Ijust

don’
tli
kewhatshedi dtome, Idespi seherchoi ces.
Shecouldhav ejusttakenmymoneyandl eftmei n
peace,butshechoset ohumiliate,breakand
demolishmysoul andmybody .Ever y
timeIt hinkof
Kg,Iaskmy selfi
ft hi
ngswouldev ergobackt ot he
waytheywer e?Idon’ tknow,
butt imewi l
ltell
.

Gri
ngo: “So,
mydaught er
,si
ncewe’rehost
ing
Wol fe’
spar t
yonSat ur
day,i
twouldbeaperfectway
tointroducey outoevery
one.Iti
shighti
met hey
knowt hatIhaveaflowerofmyownandt heyhad
betternotev enthi
nkoftouchi
ngit.
”
Yoh,
nowIknowbet
tert
hant
ell
i
nghi
m aboutKg.

Gri
ngo:“
Speaki
ngofdefl
oweri
ng,IknowIshouldn’
t
beaski
ngthi
s,but
,hav
ey oueverhadaboyfr
iend?”

Ibl
ushedimmediatel
y.Yoh,howdoIevengoabout
tel
l
inghi
mt hatIhaveal
readyhadsex?So,
Ideci
ded
todowhatIdon’tdobest–Ili
ed.

That
o:(
shaki
nghead)“
No,
Ihav
enev
erdat
ed.
”

Howwoul
dhef eel
knowi
ngthatIwaspr
egnantand
myownmotherabort
edmybaby?

Gri
ngo:(
smi l
i
ng)“Iknowthatlook.Mymom al ways
gi
vesmet hatlookwheneversheli
es,butwewi l
l
j
ustpret
endthaty ouj
ustt
oldmet hetr
uth,okay?
”
Icouldn’
thelpbutlaughathi
sstat
ement.Thisguy,
though.Heev enaskedRami andItomovein,but
wel i
keourspace.It hi
nkthi
ngsar
egoingtobea
bitdi
ffer
entfrom nowon,Gri
ngoisgoi
ngtobe
superov er
-pr
otecti
veofusnowthatheknowsIam
hisactualdaughter
.

Hesay shehasav er
ynicesurpri
seformeand
al
thoughmybi r
thdayhaspassed,hehadalway
s
hopedtogivemet hegi
ftheistal
kingabout
.Iguess
wewi l
lhavetoseeastimegoeson.

Af
ewday
slat
er

Therestoft
heweekhasbeenbl i
ssful
.Gringohas
beenmakingusall
breakfastbeforeweheadedf or
school
,andAuntVi
vianrefusestoletuscallher
Auntynow.Shespecif
ical
lywant stobecall
ed
MamaorMamaVorwhat ever,aslongasithas
Mamai nit,
shei sal
lgood.Gri
ngoeventookRami
andIforshoppingyester
day
,ashecall
edit
Shoppingwiththegi
rls.Wetooksomanypictur
es
andher emindsmeofKg.

Heusedt olovetakingpictureswheneverwewer e
toget
her.Heboughtmeoneexpensi vedr ess,a
beauti
fulyel
lowrouched, backlessdr
esswi thalong
sli
tonther i
ghtside.Iam soamazedsi ncehe
doesn’
twantmewear i
ngr eveali
ngcl
othes.I magine,
hehasalreadystartedtell
ingmewhatandwhatnot
todo.Ikindoflikeit.

Istil
ldon’
tknowwhyIam bei ngthelif
eofthepart
y
wheni ti
sKg’snight,butanyway.Ast het
hemei s
blackandGold,whichofcour searetwoofhis
favouri
tecol
ours,Igettoblendinreal
lywel
l wi
thmy
dress.

Heevenhi
redpeopl
etodoournai
l
sandhair,
aswel
l
asourmake-
up.Mam’Viv
ianwasj
ustbusy
organizingever
ythi
ngandmaki ngsurethatthefinal
toucheswer efi
nali
zed.Rami hasbeensohappyal l
along,shedoesnotev enhidehergl
adness.We
bothst aredi
nthemi r
rorandwow, t
hismake- up
arti
stissogoodt hatIalmostcan’
tevenrecognize
my sel
f.

Thisbronzerandt heselashesarejustamazing.I
can’tbel
ievethatshemanagedt otransf
orm meli
ke
thi
s.Gr i
ngocal l
edusoutasweheadedout ,he
l
ookedr eall
yhandsomei nhissuit
.Thi sguymaybe
abitold,buthisdripismostdef i
nit
elyheret
ostay.

Gr
ingo:(smil
i
ng)“Youtwol
ooksogorgeous.I
wouldn’
tpossibl
ybeabl
etokeept
hesefil
thydogs’
ey
esof fyou.
”

Rami andIcouldn’
thelpbutl
augh.Aswe
approachedthelounge,Mam’Vivi
anappearedfr
om
thebedroom.Shel ookssobeauti
ful
,wordscan’
t
evenexplai
n.Mam’ Vivi
anisver
yelegant
,al
l t
he
ti
me, soshepret
tymuchlooksbeauti
fulallt
heti
me.
Shehardlywearsanyj
eans,becausesheisforev
er
drapedinheel
sandgorgeous,ti
ghtdresses.

NowIseewher eRami getshervoluptuousbody

from.Theyal lhavethesamest r
uct ure,her
,her
mot herandMam’ Vi
vi
an.Herpar entswon’ tbeher
e
fortheparty
, butarecomingtovisitsoondur i
ng
Junehol i
days.Itisabitwindyoutside,hencewe
girl
swillbewear i
ngourfurcoatsont opofour
dresses.

Gr
ingo:
(smi
l
ing)“
Youl
ooksobeaut
if
ul,
mywi
fe.
”

Vivi
an:
(smil
i
ng)“Ofcour
se,
darl
i
ng.Youdon’
tlook
toobadyour
sel
f.Ilov
ethenewsui
t.
”

Gri
ngo:“Thanky
ou,
Ihadi
tcust
om madej
ustf
or
you.See?”
HeremovedhisjacketandwesawVi vsewedonto
thei
nnerbackofhisjacket.Thisguyissosmit
ten.
Iwonderi
fIwil
leverfindloveli
kethi
s.

Vi
vian:“
Arey ouready
,mygi
rl
s?Thegi
rl
shav
e
al
readyarr
ived.”

If
eelabi
tnervous,
Imeanmostoft heguest
sare
pr
obabl
yVivi
an’scl
ient
s,butIknowIhav
enothi
ngto
worr
yabout
.

Rami:
“Wearemoret
hanready
,MommyV.Now,
canwepl
easego,
Ineedsomedri
nks.
”

Weal ll
aughedandheadedout .Uponent er
ingthe
garden,wesawl i
ght s–everywhere.Thewhol e
gardenwasf il
ledwi thbeaut
ifulfai
rylightsofal
l
colour
s,thefount ainsweresplashingwat erinaway
Ihavenev erseenbef ore.Everyt
hingwasdecor at
ed,
thechair
sandt ablesweresobeaut i
full
ydrapedthat
Iev
enassumedt
hatt
hiswasaweddi
ngv
enue.

Itseemsasi ft heguest swerepairedaccor dingto

theirl
evel ofimpor tance,becauseaswewal kedpast
them, InoticedAdesh, PraveshandRaj esh,the
NaidooMogul s,sit
ti
ngatt heback.Imean, Iheard
thattheywer eVivian’sbiggestcli
ents.Adeshgav e
meav erysexual l
ook, butIdon’thavetimef orthat.
Iwon’tallowhi mt omakemef eell
ikeapieceof
meatorahooker .Idon’tknowhowGr i
ngowi l
lfeel
i
fhef oundoutAdeshwant edtosleepwi t
hmeone
time.

Isawaf ewol dermenIdon’ trecognizealongwitha

fewwomenwhoar edrapedinexpensiveclothes
andjewelry.Thehai randmake- upisalsoonpoint,
andthenIsawTi ger,wit
hhisannoy edwife
Constance,whol ookedev enmor eannoyedaswe
walkedpast.Ti gerhadhiseyesonme, butI
managedt olookpasti t.Thendowasr i
ghtnextto
Mulalo,andhehadhi seyesonRami .
Ai,Idon’
tknowwhyt heset wodon’ tjustdate
anyway,whil
eMulalohadahugesmi l
eonhi sface
assoonashesawme.Icoul dn’thelpbutsmi le
back.Hegav emeasl i
ghtwav eandGr i
ngogav eme
asneerassoonashesawt hat
.Ai ,thisman.Att he
fr
ont,j
ustinfr
ontofthebig,empt ytableofwhi chI
assumedisours,IsawRomeo, alongwi ththe
smirkyAnast
aciaandthev erysurprisedKg.

Imean, Kglooksr eal

lyconfusedandoutofitfora
manwhoi saboutt obeaf at
her,whil
eRomeo
l
ookedabi trat
tledifIshouldsaythat.Hehadhis
eyesfixedonmet hewhol etime,hopingI
’dsmile
back.Idon’ tevenknowwhatt osayt ohi
m orhow
toevenf eel.Somet hingtel
lsmet hathedi
dn’teven
bothertofindoutaboutmeorhepr obabl
yknew
whatSont owasdoi ngtomeandhej ustl
ether.

Somethingaboutt
hiswhol
esetupj
ustdoesn’
t
seem r
ight
.Romeohaswant edKgt
orunthedrug
businesswi thhim,butKgwasnev eraboutt hatli
fe.
Iam actual l
ysurpri
sedKgi snowoneoft hebi gboys
i
nt hebusi ness.Idon’tknowwhatt hi
sis, butonly
ti
mewi l
ltell
.Wewal kedtowardsouttableand
GringopulledViv’schairforher
.Ofcour se,he
want edtodot hatforRami andI,butwedon’ tneed
that.

We’llal
sogethusbandstodot hatforusoneday .
Gri
ngowal keduptothedramaticstageandputhis
handsont hemic.Itr
ustVivi
antogoal loutwit
h
ever
ythingforapar
ty.Therewerewai t
ersallov
er,
handingusallki
ndsofdri
nks,fr
om bubblyto
champage, t
ocognac,thi
sisanallexpensespaid
part
yandt hepri
cetagisnothi
ngtoev enworry
about.

Gri
ngo:“
Goodev ening,
fell
owladi
esandgentl
emen.
Asyouallknow, thi
spartywashostedfort
he
pur
poseofintroducingmynewr i
ghthandman.But
,
newinf
ormat i
onhascomet ol
i
ghtandIwantedt
o
makeitext
raspeci
al.Befor
ewecontinue,I
’dl
i
ket
o
t
akethisoppor
tuni
tytospeakaboutWolfe.

Hehasbeent henumberonegot oguyar oundhere,

andev enmanagedt ogetusconnect i
onsfrom as
farasBr azi
landItal
y.Inashortspaceofsix
mont hs,hehasmanagedt oensurethatallofus
becomemi ll
i
onair
es.Notonlyishey oung,buthe
hasexcel l
entexpert
ise.Wit
hthatbeingsaid,Wolf
e
will
alsobehandl i
ngal l
ofourf
inancesstarti
ng
i
mmedi atel
y.”

Icoul dseeaf ewoft hem l ookatGringowith

displeasedey es.Thisispr obablybecausethey
disappr ovesomeonesoy oungandnewt othegang
beingpr omot edtoajobt hatbelongedt oTiger.
Howev er,afewofthem, suchasTi gerandRomeo,
l
ookedatGr i
ngowithat i
ntoffearandpani cinthei
r
eyes.Idon’ tknow,butt heyseemedabi tokayuntil
Gringoment i
onedthel astpart.Ijusthopef ort
heir
sake, theydon’tbet
rayGr ingoatallbeforetheysee
f
lames.

Gringo:“Wolfe,wel
comet oourfamily
.Ihopet hat
yououtofal lpeopl
ewi l
lremainasloyalasyouare.
Iloveyoulikemyownson, andIknowt hatyou
woul dneverharm ourbusinessi
nanyway .”

Idon’
tknow,
butt
hatf
eltl
i
keabi
tofahi
nt.

Rami:(whisperi
ng)“Skempeseo(Thathint
).Papao
geabol elatseso,gor
agoreomooneompy eng
(Whenev eryourfat
hersayssuch,
itmeansoneof
them i
si nseri
ousshit)
.”

Ai,
knowingGr
ingo,
oneoft
hem mi
ghtbenextonhi
s
punishl
i
st.

Gr
ingo:
“ToWol
fe.
”
Her aisedhisgl
asswhileall
ofusr ai
sedour sandwe
toasted.Aswet ookasi pofourbeverages, Kg
stoodupandwentont othestage.Hest artedgiv
ing
usal li
nintr
oducti
ontohisspeech.Idon’ tknow,but
Ifel
tsuddenbut t
erfl
i
esinmyt ummy .

Ihaven’
tseenhiminsol ong,andseeingthisnew
l
ookofhi smakesmeki ndofmi sshi
m.Those
beauti
ful
,per
fectl
ysparklyteet
handdi mplesare
somethingIhavemissedf oraverylongti
me.If el
t
my sel
fgetsmit
tenwithhim alloveragai
n.

Kg:(smi l
i
ng)“ Goodevening,l
adi
esandgent l
emen.
Yes,Iwon’ tsaymuch,IjustwanttosaythatIhope
thatthiswillopendoorsforusandenableusto
expandt obiggerandev enbett
erbusi
ness
ventures.
”

Hest ar
edatmethewholetimeandfrownedabi tas
helookedatmyneckl
ace,whichIkeptt
ouching.I
don’tknow,
buthepausedforaminutewhil
est ar
ing
atmeandt henallofasuddenal l
ey eswereonme–
i
ncludingGringo’seyes.Anastaci
awaspi ssedas
fuck,whil
eRomeowasst i
l
linpanicmode.
Meanwhi l
e,Gr i
ngofrownedandsi de-ey
edmewhileI
i
gnoredhimf ai
ntl
y.

Kg:
“Enj
oyy
ourev
eni
ng.
”

Theycl
appedhandsasGr
ingot
ookt
hest
ageagai
n.

Gri
ngo: (smi l
i
ng)“AsIhav esai d, Ihav eonemor e
surpri
sepl annedforthisevening.Iam aboutt o
i
ntroducesomeonev eryspecial tome, someoneI
havebeenwai ti
ngforallmyl ife–l i
terall
y .Alotof
you,wellmostofy ouknowaboutmyl onglost
daughter,Isabell
a.Ihav ebeenl ookingf orherway
beforeshewasbor n,andunf ortunat ely,shewasl ef
t
withav erytoxicfamilyandgotacquai ntedwi t
h
peoplewhot rol
ledandbelit
tledherj ustbecauseof
herskincol our.Iam gladandIt hankt heLordfor
bri
ngingherbackt ome.Nowt hatmyoneandonl y
daught
erisback,Icanoff
ici
all
ybeafat
heragai
n.
Ladi
es,andgentl
emen, pl
easewel
comemy
daught
er,I
sabel
la,well
knownasThato.
”

Ashehel douthi sarm, mostpeoplewereshocked,

i
ncludingKg, butfunnyenoughRomeoand
Anastacialookedi r
ri
tat
edr athert
hansurpri
sed.But,
Igotupt hestageast heyal lcl
appedhandsforme.
From thateveningonwar ds,mywhol eli
fechanged
onceagai n–f orthebetterthough.Ioff
ici
all
y
becameThat oIsabell
aGr oen.
Chapt
erSi
xty

2Corinthi
ans4: 16-17–“ Theref
orewedonotl ose
heart
.Thr oughout wardl
ywear ewasti
ngaway ,y
et
i
nwar dl
ywear ebei ngreneweddaybyday .Forour
l
ightandmoment arytroublesareachi
evingforusan
eter
nalglorythatf aroutweighsthem al
l.
”

That
o
Ofcour
seGri
ngocouldn’
twai
ttofi
nishthepar
ty
wit
haloudbangbef
orewestart
edeating.

Gr
ingo:“Bef
oreweeatbecauseIknowal otofy
ou
ar
edy i
ngtotast
ethefood.Especi
all
y,y
ouAdesh.”

Weal
ll
aughed.Yes,
Adeshi
sfat
,real
l
yfat
.

Gr
ingo:“
Ihav
eav
eryawesomesur
pri
sef
ormyt
wo
gi
rl
s.”

HecalledRami t
ojoinusonst ageaswel landhe
handedust woset sofkeys.Gr i
ngoboughtRami
andImat chi
ngMer cedesCLS.Mi neisDar kGrey
andRami ’
sisRed.Ican’ tbeli
evehowdr amat i
cmy
fat
heris.Itfeelssonicetosayt hatIact
uallyhavea
fat
her.Rami ofcoursewassoecst ati
c,shewant ed
ustogot estdrivethem f
ir
st,butVivi
anpol i
tel
ytold
uswe’dgoaf t
erthedinner.Thatway ,t
heycould
bothaccompanyussi
nceit
’sni
ghtt
imeandour
enemiesmightcomeaf
terus.

Unfortunatel
ywei nheri
tenemi esinthisfami l
y.Even
Rami ’
sparent sandbr otherar eunder24/ 7
surveil
ancewi thoutt hem knowi ng.Iguessi tisj
ust
thewaywedot hings.Fi nall
y,wewer easkedt o
proceedwi ththef ood.Si ncethemai ncour seisa
buffetstyl
e,Adeshcoul dn’ twai tt
obet hefirstoneto
dishupsowel ethi m be.Gr ingowentt ogreetafew
peoplealongwi thVi vi
an.Rami andIgotachancet o
catchupabi tandgossi p.

Rami
:“So?Didyouseey ourhubby?Helookstasty,
man.Didyouseethewayhekeptl ooki
ngatyou?
Gmanismostdefi
nit
elygoingtohaveawor dwith
hi
m.”

If
eltmyselfpani
casIt houghthewouldmost
pr
obablytort
urethepoorboyallbecausehekept
l
ookingatme.Rami gavemeonel ookandstar
ted
l
aughi
ng.

Rami:
“Kadlal
a(I’
mjoki
ng)man.Youshoul
dhav
e
seenyourf
ace.
”

Thato:“
Mxm, don’
tbeli
ket
hat
,man.Youcansee
howdangerousGringoi
s.Whati
fhecut
sKg’sbal
l
s
offorsomethi
ng?”

Rami:“Andleav
eyouhungry?Hewoul dneverdo
that
,skawar a(
don’
tworr
y).Oh,Khanyii
sgoingto
besojealouswhensheseesourcars,
bra.
”

Ihav en’
tseent hatonesinceCapeTown.Iwonder
i
fshei ssti
llevenaliv
e.Aswewer etal
king,Kg
walkedupt ome.Idi dn’tseehi
my etinfrontofme,
butIrecognizedhispower f
ulDiorcologne.Oh, t
his
guyal way
smanagedt osendshiversdownmy
knees.
Kg:
“Goodev
eni
ng,
ladi
es.
”

Ramiwasallsmil
eswhil
eIsuddenl
yfel
tner
vous.I
tr
iedt
ospeak,butIgott
ongueti
ed.

Rami
:“Hi
,Kg.Okae(
Howar
eyou)
?”

Kg:(
stari
ngatme)“
I’
m wel
l
,thankshowar
eyou,
Rami?”

Rami
:(smi
l
ing)“
I’
m wel
lthanks.
”

Wehadashor t
,awkwardsilenceandIcoul
dsee
thatKgwantedaprivat
emomentwi thme.Idon’t
knowhowAnast aci
awi l
lfeelaboutt
hissi
ncesheis
l
iter
all
yforev
erhangi
ngonhi sarmli
kesomesortof
petofhis.Il
ikehowRami i
sn’tadumbblonde,
she
getsthemessageveryquicklyandcanreadbet
ween
theli
nes.
Rami
:“Ei
sh,
letmegogr
abmy
sel
fapl
ateoff
ood.
Seey
ouaround,Kg.
”

Kgnoddedwhi l
eshewal kedaway
.Idon’tknow
what ’
shappeni
ngtome.If el
tmyheartbeatata
fasterpaceashelookedatmeintheeyes.Heused
tolookatmel i
kethi
sallthet
ime,
butnow, Idon’
t
knowhowt ogobacktothosemoments.

Kg:
“MayIhav
easeat
?”

Hest i
ll
asksforpermi
ssi
onbefor
edoingsomet
hing
unlesshesurpr
isesaper
son,
Isee.Inoddedashe
proceededtosi
t.
Kg:
“That
o,r
ight
?”

If
orgotf
oramomentthathedoesnotr
emember
meatall
.Ifonl
yIal
sohadamnesiaj
ustl
ikehi
m.I
wi
shIcoul
dforgetev
ery
thi
ngthathappenedand
maybet
henli
fewouldbealotmorepleasant
.

That
o:(
shaky
)“Yes…”

Kg: “
Ilovey ournecklace.Ihavebeenstar
ingatit
sincethatdayatchur ch.Idon’
tknowwhatitis,but
thereisjustsomet hi
ngabouti t
.Ifeel
li
keIhav e
seenitbef ore.Doy oumi ndmeaskingwherey ou
gotit?”

Idon’
tknowwhattot
ell
him.Shoul
dIt
ell
himt
he
tr
uthorl
eavehi
m asi
s?

That
o:“I
,Igoti
tfr
om someoneIusedt
olov
edear
ly.
Ist
il
ldolovehi
m.”

Kg:“
Hmm,Isee.MayIaskwhati
sinsi
deoft
he
hear
t?”
That
o:“Oh,
it’
stwopi
ctur
es;oneofmymotherandI
andoneofthemanIusedtoloveandI
.”

Kglookedsointer
estedint
hislocket
.Maybethi
sis
oneofthosebreakt
hroughsIhavebeenwait
ingf
or.

Kg:
“MayIseet
hepi
ctur
es?
”

Icont
empl
atedi
t,butt
henInodded.Ashishand
l
andedonmynecklaceandheatt
emptedtoopenit
,I
sawaheav
il
ypregnantAnast
aci
abehindhim.

Anastacia:(annoyed)“Excuseme, wena( you)That

o!
It
’sbadenoughy ou’r
et hedaughterofoneoft he
biggestkingpinsinthewor ld,
butnow y out hi
nkyou
canst ealmyman?I ’
m notaf r
aidofy oujust
becausel ebolai
lemmaka( youkil
ledmymom) !
”
Kgseemedv eryannoyedashegentl
yletgoofmy
neckl
ace,whil
ehisfacesuddenl
ychanged.Idon’t
remembershoutingatKgorevenmakinghim angry
atall
,butAnaisarealbi
tch.

That
o:“Yoh,
Anast
aci
a,skant
ekat
umel
o(don’
ttest
me),pl
ease.
”

Anast
aci
a:(
annoy
ed)“
Wena(
You)Kgaugel
o!Let
’s
go!
”

Kggotsoangryather
,Icoul
dseethevei
nsmaki
ng
thei
rappear
ancefr
om hi
sneckandface.

Kg:(
irr
it
ated)“Oreng(whatdi
dyouj
ustsay
),Ana?
Di
dy ouforgetwhoyou’r
etal
ki
ngto?
”

IsawAnast
aciaqui
ckl
ychangehertune.ImeanI
havenev
erseenKgbeingabusi
veoranythi
ng,
but
somethi
ngtell
smehedoesnott
akekakf
rom
Anast
aciaatall
.

Anast
aci
a:(softl
y)“Ah,Kg,aski
es(sor
ry)
.Idi
dn’
t
meantodisrespectyouli
kethat.
”

Kg: “
Befor eyougav emey ourl ameapol ogy, t
he
l
easty oucoul dhav edonewast oapologizet oThat o
foryourr udebehav iour
.Iwasj usttalkingtoher ,but
ofcoursey oujusthadtoactl ikeaj ealous,insecure
woman.We’ renotev enmar riedy etandher ey ou
areactingl i
kethejealouswi fe.Wabor ayoh( you’r
e
soannoy i
ng).That o,pl
ease, for gi
vemyf iancéef or
beingsor udetowar dsyou.Per hapswecanspeak
atabet tertime?Idohopey ouenj oyy ourev ening
furt
her.”

Hesmi l
edatmeasher oughl
ypulledthesaddened
Anastaci
a.Icannothel
pbutf eel
slightpaininmy
chestashewalkedawaywi thher.Istil
ldon’tknow
whatthefuckhappened,butIam temptedt ofind
outsoonert
hanthedesir
edti
me.Iguesshaving
fai
thiswhatIhav
et odoevent
houghit
’sj
ustso
hard.Iwasabouttogojoi
nRamiatthequeue,when
Romeoi mposedhimsel
fonme.

Romeo:
(ner
vous)“
Hi,
That
o.”

ForsomeonenamedGori
ll
abyt
heunder
wor
ld,
he
sur
eseemsprett
yfi
dget
y.

That
o:(
rai
sedey
ebr
ow)“
Dumel
a,Nt
ateMol
oi(
Hel
l
o,
Mr.Mol
oi)
.”

Romeo:“Uh,I
’m sogladtoseet
haty
oumadeit,hey.
Imeanthatdaysti
llplay
sinmymindli
keahor
ri
fic
movi
e.”

Real
l
y?Sohewental
loutj
ustt
otel
lmet
hisshi
t?
Thato:
(fol
dingar
ms)“
Nkagothuskaeng,
Ntat
e
Moloi(
WhatcanIdofory
ou,Mr.Mol
oi)
?”

Romeo:“Hao,
Thato.Youdon’
thav
etobesof
ormal
,
Ihaveal
waysaskedthaty
oucal
lmeRomeoorPapa
(Dad)
.”

Thato:“Thanks,
butIhavemyowndad.Andbyt he
way,realdadsasyouwouldliket
obecall
eddon’
t
j
ustthrowawayt hei
rkidsorpackupandmoveaft
er
theyhavebeenkidnapped.
”

If
elttheragecreepuponme, wit
hfl
uct
uat
ions
makingtheirpr
esenceyetagai
n.

Romeo:“Bona(Look)
,Thato.Ihadnoi deaSophie
ki
dnappedyou.Ididl
ookforyou,bel
ievemeIdi d,
butmysonhadt obemyf i
rstpri
ori
ty.I’
m sorr
yhe
doesnotrememberyou,butperhapsitisj
ustGod’s
wil
l.Maybeyoutwower enotmeantt obe.Hei si
n
av er
ygoodpl acenowandi sdoingwhathehas
alwaysbeendest i
nedtodo.Hel oveshisl i
fenow,
andAnastaciaistheri
ghtgirl
forhim.I ’
m sorry,
but
you’r
etoosoftandy ouwantedhi mtofollowhis
deaddream ofbeingajewelrydesigner.I’
m
honestl
ysorry,andasforl
osingthebaby ,perhaps
youjustweren’tmeanttocarryhisseed.”

Icoul
dn’
tbel
iev
ewhatIwasheari
ng.Romeowas
spi
tti
ngshi
tatmewit
houtanounceofremor
se.

That
o:“
Excuseme?
”

Romeo:“
It
’snothingpersonal,r
eall
y.Please,Ibeg
you,
don’
ttel
lGringoabouty ourrel
ati
onshipwi t
hKg
andhowyouknowme.I tmightendintearsanda
l
otofbl
oodshed.Isincerelyhopeyouunder stand.
”

Il
ookedathi
m andhefl
ashedasmileatme,maki
ng
meevenmoreangry.Ij
ustcoul
dn’
tfunct
ionwi
th
theshithewasspewi
ngatme.Isheforr
eal
?Soal
l
thatstuf
fhetol
dmeaboutusbei
ngfamil
ywasa
simpleli
e?

That
o:(
fuming)“
Nyoammao( Yourmother
’scunt
),
Romeo,wankutl
wa(youhearme)?!Fuckyou!
”

Idi
dn’tevenr
eal
i
zehowl oudIwas,
whenGr ingo
appearedbymyside,
looki
ngver
ydispl
eased.

Gri
ngo:“I
sever
ythi
ngokay
,her
e,Romeo?Whyi
smy
daught
ersoangry?
”

Romeo: (
panicki
ng)“Oh,ag,
it’
snothingmaj
or.Isai
d
shewoul dlookgoodi naBMW i nst
ead.She
obv i
ouslydi
dn’ttakei
tverywell
.Ihumblyapologi
ze,
Isabell
a.”

Gr
ingodi
dn’
tbuyhi
sexcuseonebi
t.
Gri
ngo:“I
t’
snowonderGodnev
eBMW inst
ead.She
obvi
ouslydi
dn’
ttakei
tver
ywel
l.Ihumbl
yapol
ogize,
I
sabell
a.”

Gr
ingodi
dn’
tbuyhi
sexcuseonebi
t.

Gringo:
“It
’snowonderGodgaveyouadaught
er,but
youchoset ot
urnyourbackonher
.Youmost
probabl
ywouldhaveendedupfucki
ngher
,Gori
ll
a.”

IsawRomeochangehi sf
acial
expr
essi
on.He
seemedprett
yoffendedbythecomment,buthe
mostdef
init
elydeservedi
t.

Gri
ngo:“Oh,bytheway ,y
ouandther estoft
hegang
areal
linvi
tedtotheceremonynextweek.Iam about
toexecut
ey ourtwoexes.Itr
ustthatyouwillaccept
andadheretomyi nvi
tati
on.
”
Romeol ookedsost unnedthathi
seyeswerewi de
open.Hedeser vedit,r
eall
yandIcannotwaittosee
Sontosufferforevery
thingshehasdonetome.I
know,IsaidthatIdon’twanttoseeanyonedieever
again,
butSont otooklif
eawayf r
om me.She
deservesharshpunishment.

Romeo

Ican’tbel
ievet hatt
hislit
tl
egi rl
hasgrownapai rof
ball
soutofnowher e.Idon’ tknowwhyInev ersaw
theresembl ancebetweenherandGr ingo.Iwouldn’
t
havebeenabl etoanyway ,sinceIhadbeendy i
ngto
j
oinhi sgangf oryear
s, andnowhehasdeci dedto
repl
aceTi gerwi t
hmysoni nsteadofme.Howt he
fuckisthatev enpossible?

ImeanKgdoesnotevenl
i
ket hi
slif
e,Ij
usthadto
repr
ogr
am hi
m.Lit
tl
edidIknowt hathewoulddo
suchanexcell
entjobati tandsucceedmei nst
ead.
Heispracti
cal
lyl
ivingmydr eam,everyonewantsto
behim andwomenwantt obewi thhim.Iusedt obe
thebi
gguyi nRockv i
l
le,butitseemsasi fJozii
snot
suchabigpondf oralluswhoar etr
yingtoswimi ni
t.

Ifshet ell
sGr i
ngoaboutherandKg, hemi ghtfi
nd
outwhatIdi dtohi
m andIcan’thandlethat.
Anast acianeedstoupthedosagef astandv ery
soon, sinceKghasbeenaski ngmeal otaboutThato.
Ifher emember swhoshei sthenIam doomedf or
l
ife.Nowt hatKgishandli
ngallthefinances,Iam i
n
seriousshi t
.Ineedtogethimt obeundermyspel l
alloveragainbeforeIdieaswell.
Chapt
erSi
xtyOne

1Cori
nthi
ans13:
4–“ Lov
eispati
ent,l
ovei
ski
nd.I
t
doesnotenv
y,i
tdoesnotboast
,iti
snotpr
oud.
”

That
o
AfterRomeo’ sunpleasantchoiceofwor ds,Icouldn’t
helpbutfeelannoy edathim.Hei smostdef i
nitely
notthemanIt houghthewas.Iwonderwher e
Tumi shoisinallt
his.Itmustbepainfultobehi m,
yourmot herbeingahomel esswhor e,whileyourdad
i
sjustapowerhungr ydrugl ordwholiesforal i
ving
andwoul dprobablydoany thingtoeli
minatehimt oo
i
fhechoosest odisrespecthim.

Ienjoyedmyf oodandIam qui t

egl adGringodidn’t
pestermeaboutev er
y t
hingthathashappenedev er
sincethest
artoft hepar t
y.Rami keptmakingeyes
atThendo,andIknowsher eal
lywant stotalktohim,
butprobabl
yfeel sbadf ormesi nceIlit
eral
lyhaveno
oneelsetotalkt ohere.Imean, dri
nksareflowi
ng,
thefoodisgreatandsoi sthemusi c,butIcannot
helpbutkeepst ari
ngatAnast aciaandKg.

Iti
squit
efunnyhowRomeoi
sli
ter
all
yalwaysby
Anast
aci
a’ssi
de.Imeani
nst
eadofmingli
ngwit
h
menhi sage, heisalwayssit
ti
ngnexttohim.Soshe
i
spr ettymuchf orev
erinthebetweenKgandhi s
father.Thisi
sj ustt
oooddofaset up.Tigeronthe
otherhandhasbeengl anci
ngatme, butheknows
betterthantocomet omer ightnow.

Const ance,i
slooki
ngr eal
l
ydepr essed,event hough
shei smaski ngi
twit
hal lt
hatmake- upandt he
drinksshekeepsf or
cingdownhert hr
oat.Mul alo
keepssmi l
i
ngatmeandIcan’ thelpbutsmi l
eback.
Ifi
gur edthatI’
dmakeanescape, hopingMul alo
woul dfoll
owme.Atl easthecankeepmebusyand
takemymi ndoutofthegut t
erthatitiscurr
ent lyin.

That
o:“
Rami weh,
whydon’
tyougotalktoThendo?
Imeanyoutwohavebeenf
li
rt
ingandIseetheway
youl
ookateachother
.”

Rami
:“Hai
,Idon’
tknowwhaty
ou’
ret
alki
ngabout
.”
Thato:“oho,j
ustknowt hatnotall
oftheNembil
wi
menar eev i
l
.Thendoseemsgenui neenoughnott
o
purposeful
lybreakyourheart.That’
sal
lI’
m goi
ngto
say.”

Ist
oodupasshest
aredatme.

Rami
:“Oy
akae(
Wher
ear
eyougoi
ng)
?”

That
o:“
Koshapel
akemoy any ana,
kaboa(
Ineed
somefr
eshai
r,I
’l
lber
ightback).
”

Istoodupandl efthersitti
ngt here,asIwalked
towardsthebackoft hey ard,nearthepool.Iforgot
totakemyf eathercoatwi thme, andi t
’srat
her
breezyouthere.Inev eractuallytookthet i
meto
admi r
ethebeaut yofthishouse, reall
y.Thepatio
andpoolsidescreamssuchpeaceatni ght,
wit
h
theseli
ghtsovershadowi ngt hewat er
.
Ishoul dact uall
ysitherealoneoneoft hesedays
andj ustthinkormedi tateorsomet hi
ng.AsIst ood
theredeepi nthought,IexpectedMul al
otobe
standingbehi ndme, butt henIcouldsmelli
t–t he
famousDi orcolognethatt antal
izedmynostrl
is.I
couldn’thelpbutf eelabithy pnoti
zedforasecond.

Kg:“Ididn’tmeantostartl
eyou.Youmustt
hinkI
’
m
st
alkingy ouorsomething.”

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
No,
notatal
l
.”

Ifel
tmyhear
tbeatfl
uct
uateyetagai
nashestared
deepint
omyey es.IwonderwhereAnast
aci
aisnow.

Kg:“Ihopeyoudon’
tmi
nd,
butIam cur
iousabout
yourpendant.
”

That
o:(
frowni
ng)“
Yousai
dyouhav
eseeni
t
bef
ore?
”

Kg:“Well
,notexact l
y .Ihadacaracci dentaf ew
monthsago.Idon’ tev enrecalltheinci
dent ,
and
whenIwokeupi nt hehospi tal
,Icouldn’tremember
muchoft hepastf ewy ears.Ifoundmyf atherright
nexttome,andAnast acia.Shet ol
dmeshei smy
wifeandthatshewasexpect i
ngmychi ld.Idi dn’t
knowwhatt obeliev e,though,howev ernot hi
ng
madesense.Fr om t hereonwar ds,Ikepthav i
ng
fl
ashbacksthatdon’ tmakesense. ”

That
o:(
puzzl
ed)“
Whatki
ndoff
lashbacks?
”

Kg:“
Well,Iwoul
ddream ofacert
aingir
l,butIcannot
seeherf
ace.Itseemsasi fshewasmywi f
eor
somethi
ng.Ikeephopingandprayi
ngthatIwoul d
seeherf
ace,butnothi
ngcomesup. ”

Myhear
tsankabi
tashesai
dthat
.Iwast
rul
y
hopi
nghewoul
dsaysomet
hingaboutme.

That
o:“Oh,Isee.Nowwher
edoest
heneckl
ace
comein?”

Kg:“I
nthedream,Ikeephandi
nghert
heneckl
ace.
Theverysameoney ou’
reweari
ng.DoyoumindifI
takealookati
t?”

Iwasaboutt
oremoveitandhanditov
ert
ohi
m,but
Mulal
oappear
edoutofnowhere.

Mul
alo:
“Tee…”

Igotali
tt
lebitbor
ed,butIguessper
hapsKgisnot
supposedtoseeityet.Imeanwhyisitt
hat
ever
yoneinter
rupt
suswhenev erhehastoseewhat
i
sinsideofthependant?
Kg:“
Oh, I
’
m sorr
y.Idi
dn’
tmeant
okeepy
ouaway
fr
om yourboyf
ri
end.
”

Oh,
doesKgreall
ythi
nkthatMulal
oismyboy f
ri
end?
Mul
alosai
dnothi
ngtocorrecthi
m,butIf
eltt
heneed
t
o.

That
o:“
Oh,
no.We’
rej
ustf
ri
ends.
”

Isawagl i
mpseofdisappoi
ntmentinMulal
o’sey
es,
butr
ightnowIam notabouttopleasesomeone
el
se’
sf eel
ingsov
ermine.

Kg:“Noneedt
oexplai
ntome.Enj
oyt
her
estofy
our
eveni
ng.We’l
ltal
ksoon.
”

Hefl
ashedasmil
eatme, gr
eet
edMulaloandlef
t.
Whentheywer
erighti
nfr
ontofme,Icoul
dreall
y
seet
heresembl
ancealotcl
ear
er.Thesetwohav e
somanysimil
ari
ti
es.Imi
ghtbecr
azy
,buti
tdoesn’
t
takeageni
ustoseeit
.

Mulalo:(
disappoi
nted)“
Didyouhav
etocor
recthi
m,
though?ImeanIki ndofli
kebei
ngcal
l
edyour
boyfri
end.
”

That
o:“Mulal
o,Idon’
tmeananyof
fence,
buty
ou’
re
marr
ied,ar
en’
tyou?”

Mulalo:(si
gh)“Inevertol
dy outherealstorybehind
mymar r
iage.Yousee, Tee,Iwasf or
cedt omar r
y
mywi febecauseIam ofr oyalblood.Appar ent
lywe
ar
ef orcedtomar rythosetheychoosef orus.”

Idon’tgetit.I
fheandKgl ooksomuchal i
ke,andhe
i
sal sofrom ar oy
alfamil
y ,howcomehegetst obe
forcedtomar rywhenKgt oldmehewon’thaveto
mar rysomeonechosenf orhim shoul
dhebecome
king?Ai ,Iam soconfused.
Thato:“
Thatstil
ldoesnotchanget hef
actthat
you’
rest i
l
lmarri
ed.Ithi
nkthatifyouweren’ttr
uly
happy,thenyoucouldhavejustl
efther
.Att imes
youjustneedtochooseyou.”

Isawhimfiddlewithhi
shands.Idon’ tknowbuti
t
takesal
otforMulalotoactnervous.Hei sal
ways
soconfi
dentwithi
nhi msel
f,soIdon’tgetwhyhe
getssonervousaroundme.

Mulal
o:“
Iheary
ou,
event
houghi
tjusti
sn’
tthat
easy.
”

That
o:“
Whatdoy
oumean?
”

Mul
alochangedt
hesubj
ect
.

Mul
alo:
“Iwi
l
ltel
lyousomeot
hert
ime.Any
way
,do
youknowWolf
e?Heseemst
obequi
tecomf
ort
abl
e
aroundy
ou.
”

That
o:“
Oh,no,
Ionl
ymethi
m af
ewt
imes.He
seemsl
ikeani
ceguy.
”

Ihadtol
iesomehow.IcannottrustMul
alowi
thmy
secr
etsl
i
ket hatespeci
all
ynow.

Mul
alo:
“Oho,
justbecar
eful
ofhi
m,Muf
umakhadzi
(
Queen).
”

That
o:(
frowni
ng)“
Whatdoy
oumean?
”

Mulal
o: “
Well
,hejusthasabitofaviol
entstreak.
Apparentl
yhelay
shi shandonhiswifealotandhe
haskil
ledafewpeopl e.Hegetsri
dofany oneand
ever
yonewhoget sinhisway.Iam tel
li
ngy ou,heis
oneruthl
essmotherfucker
.”
Icouldn’
thel
pbutl i
stentohi m wi thpoi ntyearsand
widenedeyes.Therei snowayt hatKgcoul dbe
whatMul al
owasdescr i
bingt ome.Idon’ tknow, but
IknowwhatkindofamanKgi s.Nomanwho
seemst ohaveaninterestinawomanwoul dev er
saynicethi
ngsaboutherexoranot hermanei ther
way.Unlesshehaschangedov erthemont hs,but
ther
ei sj
ustnowayKgcoul dev erbesobr utal
ly
abusiveandangry
.Somet hingjustisnotr ight.
PerhapsIhavetoaskKgaboabouti twhenheget s
hereinthecomingday s.Aswewer et alki
ng,
Constanceappeared.Yoh, shehadbet t
ernotbe
meant omebecauset hi
st imeIwi l
ltrulytellhershi t
.

Conni
e:(
smi
l
ing)“
That
o.Howar
eyou?
”

If
oldedmyhandsandanswer
edher
.

That
o:“
Iam f
ine.
”
Idi
dn’
tev
enbot
hert
oaskherhowshei
sdoi
ng.

Connie:“Hai,Icanseeyou’
resti
llangr
yatme.Bona
(l
ook),Ijustwantedtoapol
ogizeformyrude
behaviour.Itreal
lywasnotmyi nt
enti
ontot
reatyou
l
ikedirt,
mor eespecial
l
ynowt hatyouareGr
ingo’
s
daughter.”

Isshebeingforrealr
ightnow?I ssheser
iousl
y
pretendi
ngtolikemenowt hatsheknowsIam t he
boss’sdaughter?Hasshef orgot
tenhowshe
emphasizedittomet hatIdeservet
obeamai dand
thatIwastryi
ngt ost
ealherhusbandfrom her
?

Thato:“Bona(Look),Connie.Idon’tknowwhatitis
withthesuddenchange, butallIcansayisthatI
tr
ulydon’tseeanygenuinesi deofyourapology.
Now, i
fy ouwil
lexcuseme, Ihaveotherguest
sto
greet
.Mul alo,
wewi llt
alklater.
”
Il
eftthem bothst
andingthere,
star
ingatmei n
shock.Ireal
lydon’
tthinkIhaveti
mef orpr
etenti
ous
peopleri
ghtnow.Iam donebei ngnicetoever
yone.
Mul
alo

Idon’tknowwhati shappening, butallIknowt hat

Wolfecannev ertakeThatoawayf rom me.Yes, I
mightbemar ri
ed,butIam nothappy .Ineverasked
tomar ryOli
via,itwasallplannedoutf orme.Idon’ t
evenlov eherhenceIdon’ tevenl i
vewi thher.Idon’t
knowhowIam goi ngtotellThat othatOliv
iais
pregnant.Idon’ tevenbeli
ev ethatshei scarry
ing
mychi l
d,

ImeanIhav en’
tsleptwi thherinweeks,andnowall
ofasuddenshei spr egnant?Womenl i
ketaking
chances,andIknowf orafactthatIwantThatoas
mywi f
e.Iwi l
ldoev erythi
nginmypowert oprot
ect
andloveThato.Iam notobsessedwi thhertheway
Rendaniandmyf atherar e.Iloveher
,andallIwant
todoisshowhert hat
,ifonlyshegi
vesmet he
chance.Howwi l
lIprotectheragai
nstmyfatherand
brot
herwhenshewon' tevenlookatmetwice?How
doIprotectherf
rom whatRendaniispl
anning?
Chapt
erSi
xtyTwo

James5:16–“Therefore,confessyoursi
nstoone
anot
herandprayforoneanot her,t
hatyoumaybe
heal
ed.Theprayerofar i
ghteouspersonhasgreat
powerasiti
sworking.”

Thef
oll
owi
ngday

Ithasbeenquiteanev ent
fulni
ghtwithevery
one
enjoyi
ngthemselves.Andofcour se,Ti
gerand
Conniehadt ol
eaveear l
y.Therestofuspartied
awayandwef i
nall
ygotachancet otryoutournew
carsthi
smor ni
ng,sincewewer eallabitwasted.
Gringosti
l
linsi
ststhatwemov ein,butIdon’tthi
nk
Rami andIarereadyforthat
.
Weenj oyourf reedom, eventhoughwedon’ thave
boyscomi ngar ound.If eelabitofaheadache
comingmywayandl uckil
yMam’ Vivi
anhassome
goodoldr emedi esforhangov ers.ShemadeRami
andIsome, whilesheandGr i
ngowokeupf eeli
ng
real
l
ybl i
ssful.Onewoul dsweart hattheyweren’
t
dri
nkinglastnight.

Gri
ngomadeusar eal
l
ynicebreakf
astasusual
,
al
ongwi t
hhisf
amouscroi
ssants.Afterav
eryt
ast
y
andgreasymeal
,wewereall
setfortheday.

Gri
ngo:“Nextt
ime,don’
tpar
tysohar
d.St
ickt
o
cognac,
whiskeyorgin.Ipr
omiseyou,y
ouwon’
t
wakeupwi t
hthehangovery
ouhavenow.
”

Ai
,IdoubtIwil
ldr
inkalcohol
any
mor
eaf
tert
hepai
nI
am exper
ienci
ngr
ightnow.
That
o:“
Hai
,dad.Idon’
tthi
nkIdr
inkany
timesoon.
”

Rami:(
laughi
ng)“That
’swhatweall
sayaf
tera
hect
icnight
,butwealwaysgobacktot
hebott
le.
”

Rami rarelyhasahangov er,soIam surpr i

sedwhat
wentdownl astnight,
especi all
ysinceshe
disappear edintothedar knesswi t
hThendo.Imade
ament al notetoaskherl ater.Weheadedt oour
bedroomsandf reshenedup.Weappar entl
yhavea
familyluncht oday ,
withRami ’
spar ent
sandher
brother,alongwi thGringo’smot herandhi stwosons
whoar esupposedt obel andingher earound11am.

Idon’tknowwhatt oexpectfrom hismom andt he

sons, si
nceIheardthatt
hesonsbl amehimfortheir
mot her’
sdeath.Sheapparentlydiedfrom aheart
attackduetost r
ess.Theyhav eblamedhim ever
sinceandittookhim qui
teawhi l
et ogetoverher
deathandt hat’
swhenhemetVi vi
an.Shebecame
thelighti
nhislif
e,andeventhoughhi ssonswere
notreal
l
ypartofhi
sli
feanymore,
shest
il
ltol
d
peoplet
hatshewasamot hert
otwoboys.

Shei soneamazi ngwoman.Idr essedi nsomet hi

ng
casual,apairofjeans,sneakers,
at opandaj ersey
.
Idon’tthinkIneedtodr essupaftermyl avi
sh
eveninglastnight.Iheadeddownst air
sandf ound
Rami sitt
ingont hepati
o, havi
ngacockt ai
l
.Hao
(wow) ,notsolongago, shewaswhi ni
ngabouta
migraineandnowshei ssi ppi
ngonamoj i
to?

That
o:“Hao,Rami
.Babi
efedi
l
ena(
Ist
hehangov
er
gonenow)?”

Rami:(chuckli
ng)“
Kgale,
ngwaneso(
Longago,
sis)
.
Isuggesty oual
sohaveadri
nkortwosi
nceGeorge
andRober tareonthei
rwayher
e.”

That
o:(
puzzl
ed)“
Heh(
Huh)
?”
Rami:“Thoset
woar eahardpil
ltoswall
ow,andt
hey
l
it
eral
lyhavenofi
lt
er.Iam abletohandl
ethei
r
i
nsult
s,butyouontheotherhand,goodl
uck.”

WhatRami saidgavemesomet hingtopondermy

mindabout.Whatiftheyact
uall
yr ej
ectme?But
t
hendoIr eal
lyneedthei
rappr
ov al?

That
o:“
Howi
sGr
ingo’
smom t
hough?
”

Rami:“Oh,Nanaissuchadar l
ing.Shedespisesher
twograndsonsandr ef
usestogivethem asingle
dime.Hesay stheyaredisr
espectf
ul,l
i
ttl
eshitsof
whichisactual
l
ytrue.Idon’tknowhowt heyareall
goingt
ocopedr ivi
nghereinonecar.”

Ifeltmypal msbecomeabi tsweaty,whil

emyhear t
startedtorace.Ami l
li
onthoughtsstart
edr aci
ng
throughmymi nd.Ihadn’
tactual
lyprocessedthe
whol eideaofmeetingmyhalfsibli
ngsandmy
grandmot
her
.Itmi
ghtei
thergor
eal
l
ywel
lorr
eal
l
y
bad.

Loui
sontheotherhand,myuncle,hasgr
ownreall
y
fondofme.Heisj ustal
waysbusyatthehospi
tal
,
andhedoesnotev enhaveawifeoranyki
ds.Heis
toomuchofawor kaholi
cformyli
king.

Thato:(nerv
ous)“
Ithi
nkImi
ghtj
ustt
akey
ouupon
thatcocktai
lof
fer
.”

Rami gotupandqui
cklymi xedonef orme, andI
foundmy sel
fdowni
ngi twit hi
nseconds.Ineed
somel i
quidcour
agetoday .Rami wasv erychil
led
andrelaxed,
whil
eIjustkeptst ressi
ng.Ikept
thi
nki
ngaboutmyout fi
t, Imeanwhati ftheyjudge
mebasedonmyappear ance?

SoImightactual
lybelabel
edast
hebast
ardchi
l
d.
Oh,
thi
sisjusttoostr
essful
.AsIwasi
npanicmode,
Iheardvoi
cesofpeoplewalki
ngt hr
ought
hef
ront
door,i
tseemedasifthoughGringowas
repr
imandingt
hem.

Gri
ngo:“Iwil
lnothaveanychil
dofminedisr
espect
anyoneundermyr oof
.Ifyoucan’
tbehaveorcope
wit
hlif
e–t henyougetthefuckout
!”

Iheardamomentofsi l
ence, asIst oodtheref r
ozen
i
nt hemi ddleofthelounge, star
ingatal lt
hese
people.Gr i
ngowasf umi ng,wit
hhi sfaceallred,
whileVivianwasst andingr i
ghtnextt ohim.Int he
for
efrontwasanel derl
ywhi tewoman, probablyin
hersixt
iesorsev enti
es, whil
ebehi ndGr i
ngowast wo
men, i
nt heirt
hir
ti
esorso, whol ookal otli
keGr i
ngo.

Theylooksowell
-bui
lt
,well
-keptandtotall
y
handsomeforwhiteguys.AsIst oodthere,theol
d
womanwhom Iassumei sGringo’
smot her,sawme
andherfacel
itupinaninstant.
Nana: “Oh,Dav
id!Youdidn’
tsaysheissucha
spitt
ingimageofmyy oungersel
f!I
sabell
a!Oh,
Isabell
a!”

Shewalkedupt ome,hel
dmyf acegentl
ywithboth
herhandsandstart
edcryi
ng.Ididn’
tknowwhatt o
sayordo,butshemademef eelalotofemotions.
Sheheldmyf acef
orquit
esomet imeandstarted
pray
ing.

Nana:“Oh,DearLord, FatherGod,Ithanky ouf or

answeri
ngmypr ayers.I ndeedaftersomanyy ears,I
havefi
nall
ymetmygr anddaughter.Pleasegi veher
thestr
engthandwi sdom t obeexact l
ylikeme.Hel p
hergetri
dofhernai vety,andhersof tatti
tude.Most
i
mpor t
antl
y,oh,l
ord,hel phertobet hegr eatqueen
sheismeanttobe.Shewasbor nal eader,foryou
knowwhyy oudesignedherdest i
nyassuch.Hel p
hertur
nouttobet heexactopposi t
eoft het woot her
l
osersyougav emyson.We’ ret
oldnott oquest ion,
oh,Lord,
butplease,hel
phergetthr
oughthedif
fi
cult
ti
meshei sabouttoencounterandmosti
mpor t
antl
y,
remindhertoheedthecallofawarni
ng.Ithankyou,
Oh,Lord.InJesus’mightyname.Amen.”

Thatwasaveryf
unny ,butoddprayer
.WhydoIget
thefeel
i
ngsheknowswhatKgabosai dt
ome?Is
shesomekindofaf or
tunetell
er?Ifr
ownedasI
l
ookedather,
confusedasf uck.

Nana:(chuckli
ng)“Don’tbesosur pri
sed,Isabel
l
a,
I’
m agipsy.Iam abletoseet hefut
uremostoft he
ti
mes.So, Itol
dDav idaboutt hi
sday, t
hatitwould
comeandIam sogl adt hatitdi
d.Youar esucha
blessi
ng,I
sabella,
mor et hanyouwilleverknow.All
youneedist ogrowathi ckskinandbel i
keme.”

Okay
,Iam goi
ngtobesur
roundedbyprophet
sand
gi
psi
esormediums.Yay,
Ican’twai
t.
Nana:
“ Come,l
et’
sgoout
sidef
orami
nut
e.Let
’s
l
eavetheseonesforamoment
.”

Shehel dmebymyar m aswewalkedtowar

dsthe
pati
o, l
eavi
ngVi
vian,
Gr i
ngoandmytwosupposed
brothers.Asweheadedout,Nanagr
eetedRami
withthewarmestsmileandhug.

Nana:
(smil
i
ng)“Rami,mybaby
.Howar
eyou?Ar
e
youst
il
laprost
it
ute?
”
Iact
uallyfel
toff
endedbythatquest
ioneventhough
i
twasnotdi rect
edtowar
dsme.Iev enthoughtRami
wouldbeof f
endedaswell
,butinactual
factshe
wasn’tevenbother
.Theybothburstoutingr
eat
l
aughterastheyhuggedoneanother.

Rami:“
Gogobathong(Gosh,Gr
anny
).Iwasan
escor
tandnotaprost
itut
e.”

Nana:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
Was,
huh?Iam sogl
ady
oul
eft
thatl
if
e.So,whenar
eyougi
vi
ngThendoachance
atlov
ingyou?
”

Rami
lookedatheri
ngr
eatshock.

Nana:“Youfor
getIcanseepret
tymuchev
eryt
hing.
Gi
v ehi
m achance,hewon’thur
tyou–atl
eastnot
i
ntenti
onal
ly
.”

IsawRami looki ngatherdeepinthought.Rami

hardl
ygoest hroughsuch, asshealwaystakes
every
thi
nglightly.Shemostpr obablyl
ikesThendo,
hencesheist hinkingl
ongandhar daboutwhat
Nanajustsaid.

Nana:
“You,
mydear
,Isabel
l
a.Let
’ssi
tdown.
”

Isatdownnextt
oherasRamifocusedonherdr
ink,
withhermi
ndsli
ght
lydr
if
tedaway.
Nana:“
So, t
ellme,
whyhav
en’
tyoubeenl
i
steni
ngt
o
yourmother’
swords?
”

Il
ookedatherpuzzl
ed.

Nana:“
Ibeli
eveKgaboal
sotol
dyouwhatt odo,but
f
orsomer easonyouhav
en’
tbeenli
steni
ng.Whydo
youhavesomuchdoubtandfearwit
hinyou?”

Thi
swomancanseer i
ghtt
hroughme,i
tisactual
l
y
qui
tescar
y.If
eltmy
selfst
artt
oshakealit
tl
ebit.

Nana:“YouseewhatImean?Justaf ewwor dsf rom

meandy ou’real
readyshiveri
ng.Whatkindof
Queenwi l
lyoubeify oushowpeoplewhati sinside
ofyou?Yousee, themomenty oustar
tshakingal l
becauseofaperson’ swords,youwil
lneversucceed.
Yourpowerliesi
ny ourknees,yourt
onguei salot
str
ongerthanyour eali
ze.Yourhusbandiswai t
ing
onyout osavehim,andbecauseofyourdel
ay,
dangerislur
kingandismuchclosert
han
anti
cipat
ed.”

Al
lthi
sconf
usi
onandr i
ddl
esisj
ustmakingme
di
zzy.Andwhat’
sthi
sshekeepsrei
ter
ati
ngabout
mebeingaQueen?

Nana: “
Startspeakingthi
ngsint
oexi stence,andy ou
wil
lseemi r
acles.Godhasbiggerplansf ory ou, my
baby.Youwer esupposedtomeety ourdest i
nyal ot
sooner,butthankst oSophi
eandSont o, everything
i
sdel ayed,butnotdenied.Come, enough
depressivetal
k, l
et’
sgoeatwiththoset woi diots.”

Shekeepsr ef
erri
ngt oGeorgeandRobertasidiot
s.I
wonderift
heyact uall
yareasbadasshesay s.Rami
fol
l
owedsui tandweheadedt othedini
ngarea.As
wegotthere,wef oundallt
hefoodal r
eadyprepar
ed,
wit
hVivi
ansi t
tingri
ghtnexttoGr i
ngo,Geor
geand
Rober
tsitt
ingnextt oeachother
, whi
leNana,Rami
andIcamet
osit
.Afewmi nut
eslater
,wehear
d
Rami’
smom,dadandKgabowalkin.

Rami’
sMom:(Exci
ted)“Sosorr
y,we’
relat
e,my
fami
l
y!Ihopewehav en’
tmissedthefamouswi
ne!
”

Rami ’
sdadjustshookhisheadasal way s.They
walkedinandst ar
tedhuggingusallonebyone,
exceptforGeorgeandRober t
,whodidn’tev enseem
bothered.Bothofthem weresti
ffandv eryawkward,
theyactual
lyl
ookedliketheywereforcedt obehere.
Idon’tknow,butIguessthisi
saboutt obean
i
nteresti
ngday.
Chapt
erSi
xtyThr
ee

Prov
erbs15:
1–“ Asof
tanswertur
nsawaywr
ath,
butaharshwor
dsti
rsupanger.
”

That
o
AsRami ’
sparent
sandbrotherwalkedin,
themood
becameev enmorerel
axed,butGeorgeandRober
t
werestil
lqui
test
if
fandnotparti
cipati
ngtothe
banterar
oundthetabl
e.

Rami’
smom:“Andt
hen,
Viv
y?Ar
etheset
wost
il
l
sourasal
way
s?”

Vi
vi
an:
“Ah,y
ouknowhowi
tis.
”

Geor
ge:
(annoy
ed)“
We’
rest
il
lher
e,y
ouknow.
”

Gri
ngo: (
pissed)“
George,Idi
dn’
tinv
itey
ouallt
he
wayfrom Englandforyoutocomeandr ui
nour
l
ovelyfamilyweekend.
”

IsawGeorger
oll
hisey
eswhi
l
eRober
tsi
ghedi
n
disi
nter
est
.
Nana:
“Letuspr
ayf
ort
hef
ood,
please.
”

Nanar ai
sedherhandssl ight
lyasweallhel
dhands.
SinceRami ’
smom wasseat ednexttoRobert
,and
Geor genexttoVi
vian,theywerekindoffor
cedto
holdhands.Weal lclosedoureyesasNanast art
ed
sayinganotherhi
l
ar i
ouspr ay
er.

Nana: “
DearLor d,Oh,Fat
herGod.Wet hanky oufor
thiswonderful,
blessedday.Wet hanky oufor
everyt
hingy ouhavedonef orus,mor eespeciall
y
thatyoumanagedt osparetwousel esspeopl e’
s
l
ives.Ifithadn’tbeenforyourmer cyandgr ace,they
wouldnothav ebeenabl etomakei theretoday.
Wi t
houtmydearson’ smoney ,theywoul dn’tbethis
cleantoday.

Becauseofyou,
oh,Lor
d,t
heyknowwhatSushi
tast
esli
keandwhatamasculi
nemani
cureand
pedicurei
s.Youaskusnott ojudgeandnott obear
grudges,dearLord,soIputthem bothi
ny ourhands.
Ipraythattheygrantusthi
soppor t
unit
yt oenj
oyour
weekendi npeace.Ipraythi
si nJesus’name,
Amen. ”

Weall
saidAmen,
andIcouldseeGeorgeandRobert
l
ookatheri
ndi
sbel
ief
,whi
letherestofuschuckl
ed.

Viv
ian:
“Oh,
Nana,
youal
way
sknowj
ustwhatt
o
say.
”

Nana:“
WhenGodspeakst
ome,
Ihav
etodel
i
verHi
s
message,
mydearVi
v.”

Aswest art
edeati
ng,Rami’smom washercandi
d
sel
f,whil
ewecar r
iedoneating.Aswewer
eaboutto
eatdessert
,Gr
ingodecidedtospeak.
Gr i
ngo:“So,sincethewholefamilyishere,
wel l
exceptforthewor kaholi
cLouis,Ifeell
ikei
tisabout
timetogoonaf amilytr
ip–allofus–i ncl
uding
Louis.Ithinkitishighti
meweof f
icial
l
yintr
oduce
Isabell
atot hewhol efamil
yinEngland.”

Nana:
(smi
l
ing)“
Ilov
ethati
dea,
son.I
tishi
ght
ime.
”

Robert
:“Butdad,dowehavet
ohav eapart
yever
y
weekforher?Whatareyoutr
yingt
odo?Ar eyou
tr
yingtoover
compensat
efornotbeingt
heref
orher
al
lthoseyears?
”

Geor
ge:“Sheisapr
oductofanextr
a-mari
tal
aff
air
!
Doessheactual
l
yhavetogetal
lthespeci
al
tr
eat
ment ?
!”

Wow, cl
ear l
ytheset
woaren’thappyaboutmy
pr
esence, nottomenti
onRobertref
erri
ngtomeas
‘
her’
insteadofThatoorIsabell
aorsomethi
ng.Rami
suredidn’
tli
eaboutthem bei
ngsourasfuck.Ifel
t
myselfshakeabitwithtear
sbuil
dingup,asIwas
abouttoletthem dr
op,Nanafi
rmlysqueezedmy
hand,remindingmeaboutherwords.

Ihav easeriouspr oblem ofnotlist

eningtowhatis
beingt ol
dt ome.Ir eallyneedtogrowanev en
thickerski
n, Imeanwor dsarejustwords,ri
ght?I
f
theycanspi tfir
e, t
henIcansur easf uckspitv
enom
ri
ghtbackatt hem.Gr ingolookedagi t
atedand
startedturningredi mmedi atel
y.Ashewasaboutt o
reprimandt hem, Ifeltli
keitwasmyt imetospeak
up.

Gr
ingo:
“That
’senough!
”

That
o:“
It
’sokay
,dad.MayIspeak?
”

Hewasabi
ttakenabackbymyr
equest
,buthel
et
me.
That o:“Geor ge,Rober t,
Iam v erysaddenedt hatyou
choset obehav eli
ket hi
sbef oreev engiving
your selvesachancet oknowme.Youdi dn’teven
bothert ogr eetmeandy etyoul ookatmewi theyes
fullofdi sgustasi fy ouloatheme.Igeti t,
Iam a
productofanaf fair
,butIdidn’tchooset obeont his
earth.Al lIknowi sthatIdodeser vet obeapar tof
myf ather’sl i
fesinceheal sowant smei nhis.Idon’t
expecty out ol ovemenoracceptme, butIdoexpect
yout or espectmeasahumanbei ngandasay our
halfsister .Nei therofy ouar eperfect,I’
m sure,but
allIknowi st hatlifeistooshor ttobeangr yandt o
holdgr udges.Now, Idon’texpecty ourhumbl e
responset omypl ea,butIdoexpecty outoletust o
fi
nisht hisl unchi npeace. ”

Theybothwerequitesurpri
sedbymywor ds,butI
am gl
aditmadet hem shutup.Isatbackdownand
enj
oyedtherestofmyl unch.Idon’
tknowhowbi tt
er
apersoncanbet oevenrefusetoenj
oyallt
hisfood,
butri
ghtnow,Idon’tgi
veaf l
yi
ngfuck.Weendedup
hav
ingsomuchf
un,andmov
edthepartyt
othe
l
unch,wher
ewehadafewmoredr
inks.

Nanashoweduspi cturesofherparentsand
showedmepicturesofherwhenshewasal ot
younger
.Iactual
lyseetheresemblancebetween
herandInow.Aswewer etalki
ngandenj oy
inga
momentofhistoryandNana’sstori
esofhowshe
becameagipsy/medi um,Robertdecidedtorui
na
perf
ectmoment .

Robert
:“I’
m sorr
y,dad,butIdon’
tthi
nkIhavet
osi
t
andpretendli
keeverythi
ngisokay.Youall
owedt
his
gi
rltowalkint
oourl i
vesli
kenothi
ngever
happened!”

Georgewasaboutt
ospeakaswel l
,butseemsasi
f
Gri
ngohadhadenoughofthei
rli
tt
letantr
ums.

Geor
ge:
“Icoul
dn’
tagr
eewi
thy
ou–“
Gri
ngo: “
Ifyoual l
owmet ospeak, please.Sinceyou
bothfeelli
key ourtri
pabr oadallthewayt omeet
yoursist
erwasi nv ain,letmespar eyouthet r
ouble.
Youhav ebeeni nsulti
ngmydaught erfrom t
he
momentIt ol dyouabouther .Ihav ebeenpat i
ent
andpr ay
ingf oryoutwo, hopi
ngt hatwewoul df i
nall
y
beaf amily
, butmyef fortsseem t ohav ebeeninv ai
n.
Iti
sfunnyhowy ouf eel t
heneedt otellmeshitand
i
nsultme, yetyoucant akemymoneywi t
hanopen
heart
.Youbot hknowhowIf eel
abouthy pocrit
es.”

Ashewasaboutt ospeakagain,Icouldseethose
twolookateachother.NowIgeti t
,theybothare
l
itt
lebl
oodsuckers,enjoy
ingdaddy’
smoney ,
but
thr
owingtant
rumsatt hei
rage.Quitedisgusti
ngif
youaskme.

Geor
ge:
“Dad,
wedi
dn’
tmeani
tli
ket
hat
.”
Gringo: (
rai
singhand)“ Letmef i
nish.AsIwas
say ing,Ihatehy pocr itesandchi ldishpeople,henceI
nev eral l
owedy out wot obei nv olvedinanyofmy
busi nesses.I tisbecauseofmet hatyout wocan
l
ivey ourlavi
shl if
est yles,andev endi sr
especty our
wiv esbybuy ingpr ost i
tuteswi t
hMYhar dear ned
money .Iam tir
edofbei ngbul l
iedbyy out wo.You
nev ercar edaboutmywel l-
being, evenwhenVi v i
an
wast heretol i
ftmeup, youdi dn’tgiveashi t
.You
didn’ tevencomet ot heweddi ng, soIwillmake
thingsmuchsi mpl erf ory ou.Fr om nowon, theboth
ofy ougetnot hingf rom me.Youar eony ourown
now, sinceyouar ebi gboy s,withbi gbal
lsandbi g
mout hs,youcanf endf ory ourselves.”

Thatwasquit
eahugebombdr opped,butIseethat
thebombhitonthetwoofthem thehardest.I
t
mustbehardtobestri
ppedoffyourfather’
smoney
whenyou’
reovertheageof30andmar ri
edwithkids.
NowonderNanacallsthem i
diot
s.
Rober
t:(
pani
cky
)“Butdad–“

Gringo:“
Ithi
nkwehav eallhear
denoughf r
om the
bothofyouf ortoni
ght
.Wewoul dliketoenjoyour
eveninginpeace.Mayy outwopleaseexcuseusso
thatwecanenj oyther
estofourevening,
please?”

IsawGeor geandRober tslowlygetup,wit

htheir
shouldersdownandt heirheadssunk.Icannot
beli
evemenasol dast hem aresaddenedbybei ng
writ
tenoff.Ijusthopet heydon’tblameme, butI
don’tgiv
eashi tri
ghtnow.Ideser vesome
happiness,j
ustast heygotal l
theseyears.
Chapt
erSi
xtyFour

Ephesians4:26-
31–“ Inyourangerdonotsin”
:Do
notletthesungodownwhi leyouarest
il
langr
y ,
and
donotgi vethedev
ilafoothold.Anyonewhohas
beenst eal
ingmuststealnolonger,
butmustwor k,
doingsomet hi
ngusefulwiththei
rownhands,that
theymayhav esomet hi
ngt osharewi tht hosein
need.Donotl etanyunwhol esomet alkcomeout
ofyourmout h,butonlywhati shelpfulforbui l
ding
othersupaccor dingt
ot heirneeds,thatitmay
benefitt
hosewhol i
sten.Anddonotgr ievet heHoly
Spiri
tofGod, withwhom y ouwer esealedf ortheday
ofredempt i
on.Getr i
dofal lbitt
erness, rageand
anger,brawli
ngandsl ander,alongwi t
hev eryform of
malice.”

That
o

Todaywassuchagoodday .Weev enplayedsome

pokerandmonopol y,youknowhowr ichpeopl elove
playi
nggamesov erast i
ffdri
nkortwo.Fort hef i
rst
ti
mei nmyl i
feIfeelli
keev er
ythi
ngisstart
ingt o
makesense.Ev er yt
hingisslowlycomingtoget her,
eventhoughIdon’ tknowwhathal fofNanaand
Kgabo’swordsmean.Ihav ebeenprayi
ngal lalong,
j
ustnotthewayt heyhav ebeentel
li
ngmet o,butI
feltt
hatIneededt odosomet hi
ngaboutit
.
Igotupt omybedr oom, theoneIusewhenev erI
am atmyf ather’
shouseandf oundani cecorner.I
l
itmycandl e,andburntsomei ncense.Ifeltabit
worried,l
i
kemyshoul dersfel
theav yforsome
reason.Usuallywhenthathappens, i
tmeansmy
spir
itistr
oubledandIneedt opraythebur denaway.
Ikneltdownandgav emyal ltotheLor d.

“DearLor d,
Modi mowakaoar ategang( Mylovi
ng
God).It hankyouf oryourmer cy,grace,foral
lowing
met hi
snewchanceatl i
fe.Ithanky ouforfi
nall
y
l
etti
ngmyl i
fetakeitsnaturalcour se.Ithankyouf or
theamazi ngpeopleinmyl ife,forthegoodheal t
hI
am inandf orkeepingmyf riendsandf amil
yandI
safethroughouteachandev eryday .DearLor d,I
knowt hatev er
yoneinlif
ehasachal l
enge,andthat
someunder gobiggeronest hanot hers.

Iaskthatyoupreser
vemel ongenought
obehappy
andl
oved,Iasky
out opr
otectKgwithwhatev
erhe
maybegoi ngt hroughandt hatshoul dhebemy
chosenone, t
hathemaycomebackt ome.Iask
thatyouhel pmybr othersforgivemef orwhat ever
hurtIhav ecausedunt othem.Iaskt hatyoupl ease
l
etmer eelint hisex ci
tementandj oyoff inall
y
fi
ndingmyf ather,andf i
nallyhav ingapeacef ulli
fe.
Easet hepai ni nmyhear tofwhatIhav eendur edand
helpmef orgivet hosewhohav ewr ongedme.I tis
youwhocommandsusi nMat thew7: 7-8“ Askandi t
shallbegi v
ent oy ou;seekandy oushal lf
ind,knock,
anditshal lbeopenedunt oy ou: Forev eryonet hat
asksr eceivesandhet hatseeksf inds;andt ohi m
thatknocksi tshallbeopened. ”I nPr overbs4:25,
youcommand“ Letyourey eslookst raightahead; f
ix
yourgazedi rectlybeforeyou. ”

Iam try
ingmylevelbesttodowhati saskedofme,
butever
ythi
ngissoconf usi
ngandov erwhel
mi ng.
WheneverItr
ytodosomet hi
ngtopleasemy self,
ther
eisalwayssomeonest eppi
ngonmyt oeswho
disl
i
kesmeandmyact ions.InEphesians4:31-32
yousay“Letal
lbit
ter
nessandwr athandangerand
clamorandsl anderbeputawayfrom you,al
ongwith
allmalice.Bekindtooneanother,t
enderhear
ted,
forgi
vingoneanot her
,asGodinChristfor
gaveyou.”
Hav eInotbeenkindtoanyone,oh,God?Hav eInot
trust
edi nyouallmylif
e?

Yes,oneissureboundt obel edast rayeverynow

andthensincewel i
veinawor ldoff l
esh,buthav eI
notdonewhati sasked?I tpainsmet hatIhav eto
fi
ghtforl
it
eral
lyev eryt
hingbef oreIbecomehappy ,
butItr
ustinyou,Lor d.Myj obisnott oquestion,but
i
tisformet ohav efaithiny ourdoi
ngs.Youar ethe
dri
verofmyshi p,pleasest eermei ntotheright
di
recti
onanddet ermef r
om t hedar kness.Ipr ayin
Jesus’Mi
ghtyName.Amen. ”

Ist
oodupf eeli
ngmuch, muchlighter
.AsIwas
abouttogetint
obed,myphonebeepedwi t
ha
messagefrom Mulal
o.“ Mufumakhadzi (
Queen),I
hopethatyousleepverywel
l t
onight.Ican’
tstop
thi
nki
ngabouty ou.Staybl
essed.Lov e,Mulal
o.”
Ai,Ihonestlydon’tknowwhattosayorev endo
aboutMul alo.Doest hi
smeant hatIhavecaptureda
mar r
iedman’ shear t
? Heissurel
yonet odisappoi
nt
mei fhecandoi ttopoorOli
vi
a.Idon’tknowher ,
butIam pr ett
ysur eshewouldbescornedifshe
foundoutabouthi sdoi
ngs.Igotinbedanddozed
offalmosti mmedi at
ely
.

Anast
aci
a

Everyt
hingissuchaf uckedupmess, alr
eady.I
mean, t
hatsangomaSophi etookmet oissupposed
tobethebestoft hebest !Whyt hefuckhasn’tt
his
poti
onbeenwor ki
ngnow?ImeanIhav ebeen
putt
ingitintoKg’sf
ood, butfuckman, Ican’
tbe
str
uggli
ngt hismuchf orsol ong!Sophi ehasn’
tbeen
answeringherphoneei t
her,thatbl
oodybi t
ch.Once
Igetmyhandsonher , shewi l
lbetoast.
Imean, howcanKgst i
ll
resistmeaf t
erallt
heef for
t
Iputi
ntomyl ookinglikeami l
l
iondol l
ars?!Ev er
si
ncehesawThat o,hehasbeenof fi
sht owards
RomeoandIandIcannotaf f
ordt hatespecial
ly
whenIam goingt ogiv ebir
thsoon.Her ef
usest o
setaweddingdat e,andIneedt hingstobespedup
assoonaspossi ble.Heev endr oppedmeof fand
l
eftwit
houttell
ingmewher ehei sgoing.

PerhapsIshoul dcallthatuselesssangoma(witch
doctor)Masango, sohecanexpl ai
nwhyhisshi
ti sn’
t
workinganymor e.Idialedhisnumberandhepi cked
upimmedi at
ely.Hehadbet ter
,especi
all
yaft
erIpai d
hi
m ov er10kforhisusel essmut hi
.

Masango:
“Ke(
It
’s)Masango.
”

Anastacia:(
fuming)“Hey,wena(
y ou)
,Masango.Ga
waredi hlar
etsagaot samasepadi t
lober
ekamo
matsatsing(Didn’
tyousayyourfucki
ngherbswoul
d
bewor kingwit
hindays)?!Whydi saber
ekele
bj
anong(
Whyar
en’
ttheynotwor
kingev
ennow)
?”

Masango:(si
gh)“
Dumela(
Hel
l
o)Anast
aci
a.Anao
si
ame( Ar
ey ouwel
l)
?”

Anastacia:
(Angered)“Kell
akadihl
aretsagaoo
mpotsisagorekesi ame(Iam compl
ainingabout
yourherbsandy ou’
reaskingmeifI
’m well)
?!”

Masango: (si
gh)“Anastacia,onalemat hata,
moset sana( youhav eseri
ouspr obl
ems, girl
y).Sa
mat homo, obuel ennakahl ompogeobat l
athusa
yame( Fi
rstl
y,youhadbet teraddressmewi th
respectifyouwantmyhel p) .Sabobedi ,kego
boditswekat abae,keril
enggowena( Secondly,I
toldyouaboutt hi
sissue,whatdi dIsaytoy ou)?Ke
ri
leot shamekakamaphel oabat ho(Isaidyou’ r
e
messi ngwi thpeople’
sliv
es)hencey ouaretryingto
playGodbymessi ngwithf at
e.Kgi sreall
yinlov e
withthatgir l
,andevenifIgi v
ey outhestrongest
mut hithereis,hestil
lwon’tloveyou.Itwi l
lallbe
f
ake.
”

Anastaci
a:(l
i
vid)“
Idon’
tcar
eifhewil
ll
ovemefor
realornot
!AllIwanti
sforhi
mt obemineandmi
ne
alone!
”

Masango:“
Gosiame(Okaythen)
.Imustwarnyou,
i
fyoudogoaheadwiththi
snextphase,
thenyou
mightl
osethi
sbaby
.”

Anastaci
a:“
Goshap( I
t’
sfi
ne)
.It
’snothi
schi
ld
anyway.I’
mr eady,
wecanhaveourownbabywhen
theti
meisright.
”

Masango:
“Gol
oki
l
e(I
t’
sfi
ne)
,butev
ery
thi
ngcomes
atapri
ce–“

Thi
smanisseri
ousl
yannoyi
ngmer
ightnow.
Moneyi
sreal
l
ynotaproblem.
Anast
aci
a:(I
nter
rupt
ing)“
Moneyi
snotapr
obl
em,
youknowthat
.”

Masango:(chuckl
i
ng)“
I’
m nott
alkingaboutmoney.
Ify
ouactuall
yhadbrai
nsandpatience,youwoul
d
actual
l
ypayat t
ent
iont
owhatIam t r
yingtosay.
”

Anast
aci
a:(
fumi
ng)“
Bol
ela(
Tal
k)!
”

Masango:“
WhenIsayeveryt
hingcomesataprice,
I
meanthatyoumightl
osethi
schil
dandneverhave
chi
l
dreneveragai
n.Thati
nturn,wi
llmakeKgyours
j
ustthewayyouwantthi
ngstobe.”

Icontemplatedhisst
atementf orawhileasitplayed
overandov erinmyheadf oraf ewseconds.Mxm,
heisinsane.Godi stheonlyonewhocanmake
suchdecisions.Iwanttoupt hingsanotch.
Every
onei ncludi
ngThatoandherr ut
hlessfatherand
hi
swhori
ngwi
femustpayforev
ery
thi
ngt
heyhav
e
donet
omeandmymot her
.

Anast
acia:“
Doit.HowmuchshouldItopupyour
feewit
hifIwantThat
oandherf
atherandstepf
ather
topayforwhatt
heydidt
omymot her?
”
Masango:“
Thatwil
lbeR20000,buti
fitbackf
ir
es,
youwil
lbetheonetosuf
fer–notme.”

Anastaci
a:“
What
ever
,justgeti
tdone.Tel
lmewhat
Ihavetodo.
”

Masango: “
Okay .Atmi dnight, wakeupandmi xthe
herbsIgav ey ouwithyourur ineandputi ti
nsideof
yourvagina.Exact l
yat6am, ur inateinacupanduse
thaturinesampl eandputi tinhi sf oodordrink.
Any t
hingyoucangety ourhandsonandany thinghe
canconsumeunt i
lthatcupr unsdr y.Bynighttime
tomor r
ow, hewi l
lbeput t
yiny ourhands.Oncehe
sleepswi t
hy ou,hewi l
lcarryal lthatlov
ey ouwant
himtohaveforyou.Hewill
notev enseethisThat
o
youarecry
ingabout.Int
hemeant ime,Iwill
casta
spel
lontheGroen’s,
butIwi
llneedy ourur
ineaswell
,
soyouhadbettercomeherearound1pm sowecan
getst
art
ed.”

Idon’tcarewhati satstake,allIwanti
sKgandIwi l
l
makesur et hatIgethi
m.AsIhungupf rom my
phonecall,Romeowal kedin.Ag, t
hismanisreall
y
annoying.Icur sethedayIf uckedhim,Imeanhei s
notev enthatgreatinbedandont opofthathejust
wantst obear oundmeal l
thet i
me.Hei sseri
ously
star
ti
ngt obecomeapr obl
em.

Romeo:
(smi
l
ing)“
Howi
smysondoi
ng?
”

Anastacia:(
rol
lingeyes)“Romeo,you’r
estart
ingto
boreme.Youhav eyourownhouse, Imeanwhydo
youfeel t
heneedt opopi nwheneveryoufeelli
kei
t?
Besides,iti
sli
terall
y10pm ri
ghtnow.Don’ ty
ou
havebitchestof uckorsomethi
ng?”
Romeo:
“Theonl
ybi
tchIwantt
ofuckr
ightnowi
s
you.
”

Hetr
iedcomi
ngatme,andatt
empt
edt
okissme
andhol
dmywaist
,butIrej
ect
edhi
mfl
at.

Anast
aci
a:“
Romeo,
Iam noty
ourwi
fe!
”

Romeo:(chuckli
ng)“You’
renobody’
swif
e.You
seem t
ohav eforgott
enthatImadeyou,Anastaci
a
andIcaneasilybreakyou.Icantel
lKgeveryt
hing
andyouwoul dbet i
cket
s.”

Anast
aci
a:(chuckli
ng)“AndyouthinkKgwouldlet
yougoscottfree?Whatdoy outhinkhewil
ldoonce
hefi
ndsouty ourecr
uit
edmeandmademeactl ike
hiswi
fe?Whatdoy outhi
nkhewi l
l dot
opoordaddy
oncehefi
ndsouty ouactual
lyknewwher eThat
o
was?Youf oundoutexactl
yont hedayshegot
ki
dnapped,
andoncey ousawt hatKgwokeupand
hadamnesia,yout
oldSontotokeepThatoaway
fr
om hi
m andfarawayfrom Rockvi
ll
e?”
Isawthesmi
rkf
rom hi
sfacesl
owlydi
sappearandI
knewIhadhi
mrightwher
eIwantedhi
m.

Anastacia:
“ YouthinkI’
m stupi
d,wena( you)Romeo.
Iam notSophi e,orSontoorThato.I’m nota
weakli
ng.I fIgodown, Iam gl
adlyt
akingy ouwit
h
me.Kgwi l
l ri
pyout opiecesoncehef i
ndsoutt hat
youmademesuppr esshismemor i
esofThat o;t
hat
ever
ytimehehasamemor y,adream oraf l
ashback
ofher,Ihavet ouphi sdosage.
”

Romeo:
(Fumi
ng)“
Youwoul
dn’
tdar
e.”

Anast aci
a:“Tr
yme.From nowon, youwil
lnotbe
bargingintomyhouseli
key ouownme.Weonl y
fuckedaf ewtimesandthatwasjustabusi
ness
transacti
on.So,don’
tgettoocomfort
abl
e,
gr
andpa.
”

Romeo:
“Buty
ou’
recar
ryi
ngmechi
l
d.”

Anast
acia:“Achi
l
dyouagreedtoconcei
vef
orKg
andnotforyou.I
fyoudon’
tli
sten,
Romeo,I
’l
lki
l
l
thi
schi
ld.”

Isawhi
mtearupbutIdon’
tcar
e.

Anastaci
a:“
Backof
fify
ouknowwhati
sgoodf
or
you.
”

Wit
hthatsai
d,Ilef
thim st
andi
ngther
edefeated.It
i
shighti
mehel earnst
obehaveli
keareal
f at
her-i
n-
l
aw.”
Chapt
erSi
xtyFi
ve
Proverbs29:2–“Whentheri
ghteousincrease,t
he
peoplerej
oice,
butwhenthewickedrule,
t hepeopl
e
groan.
”

That
o

Petunia:“That o,ngwanaka(mychi
ld),dangeris
l
urking,comi ngaheadf rom manydir
ections.You
needt obest rongandpr ay,mychi
ld.Pr ayli
keyou
havenev erpr ayedbefore.
”

That
o:(scar
ed)“
Mama,
orabj
ang(
whatdoy
ou
mean)?
”

Petunia:“Thet i
metobeslackingof ffrom prayerand
beingfil
ledwi t
hdoubtisover.Dangeri scomi ng;
fr
om al l
angl esandi
nallfor
ms; bothfrom the
physicalwor l
dandfrom t
hespi ri
tualwor ld.Ihave
yourback, mybabyandsodoy ourrightfulancest
ors,
butyouhav etodoyourpart
.”
That
o:“
Mama…Mama…”

IfeltmyselfsweatingasIqui cklyopenedmyey es
andr eal
izedIjusthadadr eam aboutmymom.Thi s
i
st heumpt eenthtimet hatshehast ol
dmeabout
thedangert hatislur
kingar oundme.Icheckedmy
phoneandi tisjustafter3am.Iqui cklyknel
tdown
andst ar
tedpr ayi
ng.Af terthat,
Ifel
tabitthi
rst
yand
decidedt ogetsomewat er
,soIheadeddownst ai
rs
tothekitchen.

Iopenedthefridgeandt ookabottl
eofwaterand
empt i
edthecont entsther
eofwit
hintwominutes.I
di
dn’tevenreali
zehowt hi
rst
yIwas.AsIclosedthe
fr
idgedoor,Inear l
yscreamedasIfoundRobert
star
ingatmewi t
henr agedeyes.

That
o:(
fri
ght
ened)“
Youscar
edme,
Rober
t.
”
Heli
ter
all
ydid,Imeanwhobehav
esi
nsuchacr
eepy
manner,t
hough?

Robert
:(seet
hing)“
Hmm,
itmustbeni
cebei
ngy
ou,
neh?”

That
o:(
frowni
ng)“
Excuseme?
”

Robert
:“Imeany oumov edfrom y ourl
itt
leti
nhouse
i
nSowet otot hebur bsinNorthcl
iffe,
andnowy ou
scor
edy ourselffreetui
ti
on,aMer cedesf orafi
rst
carwheny oudon’ tevenhaveal i
censey et,y
ouare
nowforeverdr apedinRichMni siandy oueatBacon
andcroi
ssant sprettymuchev erydayofy ourli
fe
now.From homegi r
ltori
chgirl,
wow. ”

Ag,herewegoagai n.Whati sthisguy’sprobl

em?I
am actual
lystarti
ngtot hi
nkthathispr obl
em i
snot
wit
ht heactualfactthatIam hi
sf ather’
sdaughter
,
butthatIam hisfather’
sblackill
egiti
mat echi
l
d.
Thato:“
Robert
,Iknowyoudon’
tli
keme,soplease
sparemet hei
nsult
sandtel
lmewhatyouractual
probl
em iswit
hme. ”

Rober t
:“Youaret heproblem, Thato, Isabell
aor
what everyournamei s!It’sbadenoughy ourkaffir
mot herseducedmyf atherandy oucameabout .
Yourchar coalmot heristhecauseofmymot her
’s
deathandnowy ouareher eli
vingt heAmer i
can
dream inmyf ather’shouse!You’ r
eev enthecause
ofev er
y t
hingbeingr i
ppedapar t.Hehasof fi
cial
l
y
disownedGeor geandIf orref
usi ngt oacceptt he
l
ittl
eblackgirlwhoi snowanunf ortunatepartofour
family.
”

Wow,Ishoul
dact
uall
yfeel
hurt
,butIam seethi
ngi
n
ragei
nst
ead.Sothi
sguyhasaproblem wit
hpeopl
e
ofcol
our
?Wow, t
hisisqui
teasadstory
.
Thato: (
annoy ed)“Robert,Iam t
rulysorr
yt hatyou
feeloutofy ourelement, butIt
ooam Dav id’schil
d
andifany thi
ng, y
oushoul dgettoknowme.I t’
sjust
saddeningt hatonecan’tchangey ourr
acistheart
andt urnitpure.It’
salsonotmyf aultt
haty ourdad
hasdeci dedtodi sowny ou.Youar eevilf
orhat i
ng
someoney oudon’ tevenknow.Iwi l
lputyoui nmy
prayers.”

Ididn’
tseeRober t
’snextmov ecoming.Hehonestl
y
bli
nd-si
dedme.Het ookonebi gstepaheadtowards
meandgr abbedmyt inythr
oatwi thhi
shuge,bare
hands.Hesl ammedmeagai nstthefri
dgeasIlet
theglasswat erbottl
edr opfrom myhandsand
hearditbreak.Icoul dn’tev
enf eelmyselfbr
eat
he,
asIwat chedhimt r
ytosqueezet hel
if
eoutofme
whileheturnedpi nkinthepr ocess.Couldhetrul
y
havesomuchr ageforme?

Rober
t:(
anger
ed)“Iwantyout
odie!You’renotev
en
areal
whitegi
rl
,youarej
ustaproductofanevi
l
af
fai
randf
ort
haty
oumustdi
e!”

Itri
edtof i
ghtwi thev eryt
hingi nme, butIfail
ed.The
mor eItr
iedt ofighthim of fwhileIfeltmyf eetupi
n
theair
,thef asterIfeltmy selfdri
ftaway .Icouldn’
t
feelmyselfbr eatheany mor e,andIsl owlyfel
tmy
eyescloseandhi sv oicebecomef ainterbythe
minute.Ifinallyclosedmyey esandIwasaboutt o
giveup.If eltmy sel
fdr opdownandhi shands
becomel oosef r
om myt hroat.

AsIsl owlyopenedmyey es,Icoughedv i

gorously,
gaspingf orair.Itr
iedswal l
owingsomesal i
va,butit
keptcomi ngup.If eltVivian’
shandshar shlypatmy
backasshet riedtohelpmer egainmy
consciousness.Whi l
eIhear dloud,groaningvoices
i
nf rontofme, IsawGringoandRober tateach
other’
sthr oats.Robertwasphy si
call
yfighti
ngwi th
Gringo,whi l
eIwasdownont hecoldfl
oor.Myf oot
wasabi tbloodied,
asaf ewoft hebrokenglasses,
cutmyf ootopen.
Gringo:
(shouti
ng)“Wi
edef okdi
nkj
yisj
y(Whot
he
fuckdoy outhi
nkyouare)
?!”

Robert
:(angr
y)“Jygaanhierdi
ekaffi
rkiesinplaas
vanmy( You’
regoingtochoosethiskaffi
rinst
eadof
me)?!Ekisjouseun,pa(I’
my ourson,dad)!”

Gr
ingo:
“Idi
dn’
trai
seamur
der
erf
orason!
”

Gringopunchedhi m sohar dthatRober tl

osthis
balance.Ashewasaboutt odr opont hef loor,
Gringoroughlypi ckedhim upandhi thim wi thoneof
theglasssouv enirsfrom thekitchentabl e.Isaw
bloodoozingfr om Rober t
’sforehead, ashi seyebrow
wassl i
ghtl
ycutopen.Ev eryonecamer ushing
downst ai
rsandheadedt othekitchen, exceptfor
Rami ’
sparents, shoutingasGr i
ngohadhi sbare
handsonRober t’sthroat.
George:(shocked)“
Pa(
dad)
!Watdoenj
y(Whatar
e
youdoing)?”

Oh,soAfri
kaanscomesoutoft hei
rmout
hs
wheneverthey’
reangry.Igetit
.Nanawas
unbot
hered,real
ly.Idon’
tgethowt hi
swomancan
remai
nsocal mi nsuchasituat
ion.

Nana:“Fi
nishhi
m of
f,t
heny
oucanf
ini
shGeor
geof
f
l
ater
.”

Georgel
ookedatNanawithsuchfri
ghtonhisface,
butsher
eall
yseemedunbothered,
meanwhile
Gri
ngowastryi
ngtosqueezetheli
feoutofRobert’
s
body.

Gri
ngo:
“Givemeonegoodr
easonwhyIshoul
dn’
t
ki
l
lyou,youfuck!
”
Kgabo:
(sof
tl
y)“
Lethi
m go,
Dav
id.
”

Idon’
tknowwhati tiswithKgabo’ scalmness,buthe
demandsauthori
tyjustbyt al
ki
ngwi thouteven
havi
ngtospeakwi t
hf orce.GringoslowlyletRobert
go,ashecoughedont hefl
oort r
yingtoregainhi
s
consci
ousness.

Gri
ngo:
“Youtwo,Iwanty
ououtofmyhousewi
th
i
mmediateef
fect
!”
Hewassoangr
yasVivi
anpickedmeupandI
coul
dn’
tev
enwalkasmylef
tfootwasbl
eedi
ng.

Rami
:“I
’
llgett
hef
ir
stai
dki
t.
”

Kgabo,Nana,Gri
ngo,Vi
vianandIheadedt ot
he
l
ounge, asGeor
gewasconsol i
nghisbeatenbrot
her.
Gri
ngowasf umingandhadsomuchhur tinhi
sey es.
Everyt
imeheheardmesqueal from t
hepainIfel
tas
Vi
v i
anputtheanti
septi
conmyf oot,Isawatearfall
downonhisface.Thi
sf amil
yissodr
amati
c,I
wonderi
fther
ewasev ersuchdramabef
oreIj
oined.
Per
hapsIshouldl
eave.

Thato:“
I’
m sor
ryforevery
thi
ngt hati
shappeni
ng.I
f
Ihadn’
tcomeintothisfamil
y,noneofthi
swouldbe
happeni
ng.

Nana: “Nonsense.Youar enott heproblem,those

twoar e.Ifyouwanttof eel bet
teraboutyoursel
f,
theny oushouldknowt her ealt
r ut
haboutyourtwo
uselessbrothers.Theyhav ealway sbeenapai ni
n
theass, wit
htheirmotherspoi l
ingthem rot
ten.
Davidwasj ustasweetf atherandgav ethem
everythi
ngtheyneeded.

Wheneverhetr
iedt
ogroom t hem t
ober esponsible
andbett
ermenbyscoldingthem whenev erthey
werewrongandputt
ingthem onther i
ghtpat h,
thei
r
motherwoul
dalwayssayDav ewast oohar shon
them.Shewouldnotevenhearofhi mreprimanding
them –evenwhent heyendedupi nrehabattheage
of16and17.Theyar eoney earapar
t–homemade
twinsaswecalledthem.Theyhav ealwaysbeen
i
nseparabl
ystupid,
ev enwithallt
hemoneyand
resour
cesthatcamewi t
htheirf
amily.So,mychild,
unfort
unat
elyGodcan’ tgiv
ey ouever
y t
hingi
nlif
e.

Dav ehadev erything,butGodgav ehimt wo

i
ncrediblyst
upi dsons.Theykeepbl ami ngDav efor
thei
rmot her’shear tattack,butthetruthisRober t
tri
edhidinghisaddi ct
ionf r
om hisfather,andput
cocaineinthej uiceandputi ti
nt hefri
dge.St el
la,
thei
rmot her,wast hir
styoneday–poorbi tchdrank
almostalloft hatjuice.Sheov er
dosedont hat
i
diot’scocai
neanddi edont hespot .

Davewasandhasal waysbeensuchagoodf ather

tothoset woidiot
s,thathenevertol
dthem t
het r
uth.
I
tbrokemysonsomuch, asheblamedhimselffor
hiswife’sdeath.Hef el
tli
keheshouldhavebeen
mor evigil
ant
,harshertowardsthosetwo,
butthenI
guesssuchi
sli
fe.
”

Seemsl i
keev eryonearoundmeknewaboutt his
storybecauset heyweren’tevensur pr
ised.George
andRober twer estandingthere,
li
steningandwe
onlysawt hem afterwards.Isawt earsinGeorge’s
eyes,butrageinRober t’seyes.Gringojustgave
them bothabl ankstare.

Geor
ge:
“Ist
hist
rue,
Nana?
”

Nana:
“Whatdoy
out
hink,
Geor
gie?
”

Rober
t:“
You’
rel
yi
ng!Youhav
eal
way
sfav
our
edy
our
son!
”
Nana:“
Chil
d,notevenmyownhusbandcal ledme
that
.Thedayhecal l
edmet hatwashi sl
astdayon
eart
h.Isuggestyoutakeyourvuilgat(
dir
tyass)and
fuckof
fbeforeal
lhellbr
eaksloose.”
IsawGeor gel
ookatRober twit
hdiff
erenteyesthat
ev ening,itwasasifhewasi ndisbel
ief
,buthesor t
ofl ookedl i
kehebeli
evedNana.Rober tont heother
handwasf uming.GeorgeletgoofRober t
,andtook
hisbagwi t
hhim.Robertli
mpedoutoft hehouseas
theyl eft,
leavi
ngtherestofusinthelounge.Wow, I
guesst hosetwoboyshav ealwaysbeen
troublesome.Si nsoftheparentsalwayshav eaway
ofcat chingupwi t
hyouatonepoi nt.
Chapt
erSi
xtySi
x

Exodus22:
18–“
Thoushal
tnotsuf
ferawi
tcht
o
l
ive.
”

That
o

Imanagedtowakeupf eel
ingal otbett
er,j
ust
genui
nel
yti
red.Sinceiti
salsoSat ur
day,IthoughtI
wouldsl
eepinfortheday,butapparentl
yGr i
ngohas
anicesur prisef orusall
.Kgabohadt oleave,along
withRami ’spar ents,l
eavi
ngNana, Gri
ngo,Vivi
an,
Rami andIal one.Itwasav erygooddaywi ththem
andwel l
,ev ent houghwe’llbeseei ngeachother
soononourf ami l
yvacati
on, Ireal
l
ydomi sshav ing
them around.

Itisverynicehav i
ngaf ul
lhouse, wit
hev er
yone
around–exceptf orGeor geandRober tofcourse.I
gotupandf el
tmyt hroatsti
llpainfulandt hose
hideousmar kscausedbyhi scoarsehandsst il
l
remai n.Hopef ul
lytheywi l
ldisappear .Itispret
t y
muchof f
iciall
ywinternow, sinceitisMaymont h,so
wehav etodr esswarml y.Heaskedt hatwenot
wast emucht imegettingdressed, aswewon’ tev en
hav etimetoeatanybr eakfast.

Idi
dastold,knowingthatIt
endtospendquiteal ot
ofti
meinthebathroom.Igotf i
nishedanddressed
i
napairofjeans,wit
hlongboots,awarmt opanda
tr
enchcoat.AsIheadedout ,ev
eryoneevenRami
waswai
ti
ngf
orme.Ag,
man.Icannev
erbeont
ime.

Rami
:“Ev
enIbeaty
out
oday
,si
s.”

Il
ookedatt
hem andt
heywerealldr
essedinblack
–evenNana.Haibo(
Goodness)
,didImissthe
memo?

That
o:(
frowni
ng)“
Am Imi
ssi
ngsomet
hing?
”

Viv
ian:“
Youaresupposedtowearbl acktoday
,but
i
nsteadyou’
reweari
ngsomet hingwhite.We’r
e
goi
ngtoadoublefuneral
today, soIdon’
tknowhow
youwil
lsti
ll
wearthatout
fitaft
erwecomeback. ”

Wealwaysburntheclot
heswewearwhenev
erwe
gotothewarehouse.Myquest
ioni
s,whydi
dn’
tthey
tel
lme?
That
o:“
Okay
,letmegochange.
”

Gr
ingo:
“Noneed.We’
real
readyl
ate.Let
’smov
e.”

Wewal kedoutswift
ly,andIstar
tedpani
ckingalit
tl
e
bi
tbecausemyl astmemor yoft
hatwarehouseisa
pai
nfulone.Idon’tt
hinkIwanttor el
i
vethat.Lucki
ly
Iwassitti
ngnexttoNana, andshehadherRosaryin
herhand,andsqueezedmyhand.

Nana:(whisper
ing)“Don’
tworry,
noonei sgoingt
o
di
etoday,butaf i
rm messagewillbesentouttoy
our
enemies.What everyoudo,don’
ttel
lyourfat
her
aboutyourhusband.”

BymyhusbandshemeansKg, ri
ght
?Ij usttookher
advice,saidasi
lentpray
erandwear ri
ved.Aswe
walkedoutwesawmor ecar
st hanusual,aboutf
ive
orsixoft hem.PerhapsIfor
gotaboutthismeet i
ng
ofour s.Aswewal kedoutofthecarandpr oceeded
i
ntot hewar ehouse,wewer emetwi thal otmor e
peoplet hanusual .Tiger,Constance, Mulalo,Thendo,
Adesh, Raj esh,Pravesh,Romeo, KgandAnast aci
a
wer eseat ed.Ther estofthechai r
swer eleftopen
forus.Iseet heygotthememoast heywer efull
y
dressedi nbl ack.Ther estofussatdown, l
eav i
ng
GringoandVi vi
antositinthemi ddleasusual .I
l
ookedov eratKg, whogav emeabr iefsmi l
e,whi l
e
Anast aciasqueezedhi shandandhesqueezedi t
ri
ghtback.Imustsayi tstungmeal it
tl
ebi t,butli
fe
hast ogoon.AsIl ookedf orward,Gringobeganwi th
hisintroduct i
on.

Gringo: “
Ladi
esandgent l
emen, t
hanky ouforjoining
ust oday.Wear eabouttopunisht hosewhodonot
deser v
et ol
ive,whohav emadet hei nnocentsuf fer
allbecauseoft hel ov
etheyhadf orgreedandpower .
Thosewhocanev ensacr
ifi
cetheirownbl oodf or
money .1Timot hy6:10says“Forthel oveofmoney
i
sar ootofallkindsofevil
s.Iti
st hrought hi
s
cravingthatsomehav ewanderedawayf rom the
fai
thandpi ercedt hemsel
veswi t
hmanypangs. ”
Proverbs10:12says“Hat r
edstir
supst ri
fe,
butlove
coversalloff
enses.”Proverbs12:25says“Letyour
fat
herandmot herhavejoy,andletherwhogave
bir
thtoy ourej
oice.
”Yousee, t
heset wowomenar e
adisgracetowomanki nd.Manywomanhav ebeen
deniedthechancet oconceiveandy ett
heychoseto
bepoorexcusesandputt heirwombst oshame.
Smal l
y,l
etthem out.
”

Myhear tst
artedbeatingfasterasIknewwhatwas
abouttohappen.Sophi ewasbr oughtoutfir
st.She
l
ookedsof rai
l,t
hin,andmal nourished.Sontoont he
otherhandwasbr oughtoutsecond, andshelooked
l
ikeshehadn’tbathedi ndays.Il ookedaroundat
therestoft
hepeopl e,andnot i
cedRomeoandTi ger
tenseupalitt
lebit.

Gri
ngo:“Asyouknow,ourdearestSophie,Romeo’s
exsidechi
ckandbabymamawashel dcapt i
vebyus.
Wemadesur etofeedher–dogf oodt hatis,si
nce
shehasbehavedli
keadogal l
herlif
e.Sheabused
mydaught er
,andkeptt hesecretofmebei ngher
fat
herforyears,andwor stofal
l,shekil
ledThato’
s
mother
, bypoisoningher.Now, Ipersonall
yli
veby
thesay
ing“ y
oul i
vebytheswor d, y
oudiebyt he
sword.
”

AsGr i
ngosaidthosewor ds,Ir
ememberthepainf
ul
contentsoft
hatlett
er.Icannotbeli
eveSophi
e
actual
lyki
ll
edmymot heranddeniedherafai
r
chanceatbeat i
ngcancer.Shei ssoevi
l,
howeverI
am notsureifki
ll
ingheristhewayout.

Gr
ingo:
“Howdoy
oupl
eadSophi
e?”

Sophi
e:(
weakl
y)“
G…Gui
l
ty.
”

Gri
ngo:(smi
li
ng)“Thenwehav eNomasont
o,who
hasli
edtomeal l
herli
fe,pr
ett
ymuch.Shesetmy
daught
erali
ghtasaninfant
,andgotr
idofherl
i
ke
shewasnothingbuttr
ash.Evenwhenshehadthe
chancetoinf
orm meofmydaught er
’swher
eabouts,
shechosetomakemel iveali
feofmiser
yand
reger
ets.Sheal
sokidnappedherowndaughter
!”

Isawhim get
ti
ngreall
yangr
yandhi
sfamousv
eins
makingt
heirappear
ance.

Gr
ingo:
“Sont
o,howdoy
oupl
ead?
”

Nomasonto:“
Befor
eIpl
ead,
G,mayIpl
easesay
somet
hing,pl
ease?
”

IsawRomeotenseup,
whi
l
eIf
eltal
lther
agei
nme
sti
rupagai
n.

Gri
ngo:
“Thi
schangesnot
hingabouty
ourf
ate,
but
youmayspeak.
”
Nomasont o:(
tearingup)“ Firstl
y,Iwouldli
keto
apologizeforev eryt
hingIhav edone.Iam sor r
yG
forhidingyourbabyf r
om y ou.That o,IknowIdon’t
deservey ourkidness, butIam sosor ry.Iam sorry
forkidnappingy ou,forgettingKgshot ,andforkil
li
ng
yourunbor nchild.Iknownoonecaneaset hatpai
n
butforwhati tiswor th,Iam sor r
y.”

IsawGri
ngolookatme,
andIfeltmysel
ftenseup,
whil
eNanasqueezedmyhandinaff
ir
mation.

Gr
ingo:
(fumi
ng)“
Whati
sshet
alki
ngabout
,That
o?”

If
eltsoscared.Ididn’
tknowwhattotel
lhim.That
momentj ustf
lashedbackri
ghtatmeasIst ar
ted
cr
ying.Il
ookedatKg, wholookedatmewi t
habi tof
pi
ty,whi
leRomeol ookedatmef ul
lofdi
str
ess.

Gr
ingo:
“Iwon’
tasky
ouagai
n,mydaught
er.What
di
dshedo?”
That
o: (
cry
ing)“
Shehadmeki dnappedandwhen
shefoundoutIwaspregnant
,she….Shefor
cef
ull
y
abor
tedmybaby .
”

Ifel
tli
kesomeonest abbedmeatthepitofmy
stomachafterIsai
dthelastpar
t.Idon’
trecal
lever
sayi
ngitoutsoloudly.Il
ookedatKg,whojust
l
ookedatmewi thpurepi
ty.Gri
ngowast ooupset
toevennoti
cemel ookingatKg.Heturnedaround,
andlookedatSonto.

Gri
ngo:“
Youf
eltt
heneedtori
pmygr andchi
l
dri
ght
outofmyowndaught
er’
sbody,Sont
o?”

Sont
o:(
scar
ed)“
Iam sor
ry…”

Gr
ingowasabouttost
epdownt
hepodi
um,
but
Vi
vianhel
dhi
m back.
Vi
vi
an:
“I’
l
ltakecar
eoft
hisone,
lov
e.”

Gri
ngonoddedashestoodbehindmeandgent
ly
pl
acedhi
shandsonmyshoul ders.Vi
vi
anst
epped
downandlookedatme.

Viv
ian:“
Expl
aintomewhatshedidt
oyout
hatday
,
Thato.Ever
ygruesomedet
ail
.”

Ihavet
oreli
vethatmomentt oday
,butf
uckit
,ifi
t
meansthatSontowil
lgetherpuni
shment,
thenso
beit
.

Thato:“
She…shegothert
woment
opourcol
d
wateronme.”

Vi
vi
an:
“Smal
l
y,br
ingabucketofi
cecol
dwat
er.
”
Smal l
ynoddedanddi dastold.Ithoughtt hatVivi
an
wouldsplasht hewat eronher ,buti
nstead, she
placedaclothbagov erSont o’
sheadandsi nceher
handswer ebot ht i
edtoherback, shecoul dn’tdo
much.Shesl owlypour edthewat eroverherheadas
wehear dherliteral
lysuffocati
ngandt r
yingt ocatch
herbreath.Thisf eelsli
keahor rormov i
e.She
repeatedthepr ocessuntilthewholecont entsofthe
bucketwer eempt i
ed.

Vi
vi
an:
“Thenwhat
?”

Thato:“
Itol
dherIwaspr
egnantandsheasked
thosetwomentoremovemyclothes,
tiemeupand
spreadmylegs.
”

Ifel
tsomuchr ageandpainal
latt
hesamet i
measI
recall
edthosemoment s.Vivi
angotSmal
lytori
pher
clothesapartandhervagi
nawasexposedtoall
of
us.Thisisexact
lyhowIfel
tthatday,
whenshe
exposedmet othoset
woguy sIdidn’
tev
enknow.
Smallywasbigenoughtopi
nherdownal one.

Vi
vi
an:
“Thenwhat
?”

Thato:(
cryi
ng)“
Then,she…sheshovedtwobigpi
l
ls
i
nsideofmeandl ef
tmet obl
eedthere.Ihadt
o
endurethepai
nunti
lIcoul
dn’
tevenfeelmysel
f
anymore.”

Viv
ian:“
Youl
i
vebyt
heswor
d,y
oudi
ebyt
heswor
d,
Sonto.
”

Vivianputonapai rofgloves,whil
eall ofuswere
wat chingandsheputsomespi ri
tont heglov
es.She
didn’tevenhesi
tateorlist
ent oSonto’scri
es.Her
criesandbeggingarenot hingcompar edtowhatI
feltthatday.Vi
vianshov edherwhol ehanddeep
i
nsi deofSonto,andrippedoutherwhol ecer
vix.
Sontocri
edout,shewailed,shescreamed,she
begged,shecri
ed,butIdidn’
tfeelanounceof
remorseorpit
yforher.Kggav eherablankstare,
whil
eRomeoandTi gerl
ookedscar edasfuck.

Vivi
an:“
Takeheraway ,
makesureyoudumpherat
thenear
esthospit
al.Iwanthert
orel
i
vethi
s
momentuntilherdyi
ngdays.”

Smallynoddedandtookabl eedi
ngSontoaway.
Shelookedatt
hefri
ghtenedSophie,whohadher
eyeswidel
yopenanddidn’tdaresayaword.

Vi
vi
an:
“Whatdi
dthi
sonedot
oyou?
”

Itol
dherev er
ythingSophieusedtodot ome, f
rom
thei
nsultstothecurses,alongwithherdaught
er,
butIfel
tli
keshehadbeenpuni shedalr
eadywithher
eyebeingremov ed,butofcourseVivi
anhadother
i
deas.Shel ookedatSophi e,t
ookaknifeandcutoff
bothherbr eastsandl etBiggiet akeheraway .
Seemsl i
keAnast aci
acoul dn’tremai nasst r
ongas
shef el
tandshev omitedr i
ghtt hereandt hen.
Usual l
yKgdoesn’ tbotherwi thher ,
Romeodoesi t.
Buttoday ,Iobservedadi ff
erentKg, hewasi ntoit
.
Het ookcar eofher ,
tookoutaser v
iett
ef r
om hi s
pocketandwi pedherv omitof fandgent lypattedher
back.If el
tlikeIhadbeenst abbedi ntheguty et
again.Thepai nIfel
trighttherecompar edto
nothingAnast aci
ahaddonet omebef ore.

Kg:
“Ar
eyouokay
,baby
?”

Anastaciaj
ustnoddedwhilehegentlyr
ubbedher
back.Wow, shewasn’tki
ddingwhenshesaidshe
wasl i
vi
ngmydr eam.Itshouldhavebeenmewi th
thatbell
yri
ghtnextt
oKg, butthen,
IguessIwi
llhave
towaitandsee.

Viv
ian:“
Andthatl
adi
esandGent
lemen,i
swhat
happenstoy
ouwheny ouf
uckwithus.Oneofy
ou
mi
ghtnotbesol
uckyt
oli
vet
otel
lthet
ale.
”

Icoul
dseeRomeowi
pet
hesweatof
fhi
sface.

Gr
ingo:
“Gor
il
la,
Arey
ouokay
,mybr
other
?”

Romeo:“
Yes…I’
m okay,act
uall
y,no.It
hinkIneedt
o
l
iedown.So,
perhapsIshouldexcusemy sel
f.
”

Gringo:“Nonsense,
we’r
eallhavingabusi
nesslunch
togetherincaseyoufor
got.Besides,Wol
fehasto
giveusanupdat eonthebusinesses.
”

IsawTigert
aphisfooti
nagit
ati
on.Somethi
ngis
notr
ightwit
hthesetwo.Theyar
esonervousandit
i
shardtoevenlookpasti
t.
Chapt
erSi
xtySev
en
Jeremi
ah17v9- ”
Thehearti
sdecei
tf
ulaboveall
thi
ngs,
anddesperat
elysi
ck;
whocanunderstand
i
t?”

That
o

Afterwhatfel
tli
keahor r
ormov i
e,wealldr
oveoutof
thewarehouseandheadedt oGringo’
shouse.Ili
ke
thi
shouseandy etIhavej ustnevergi
venmy sel
fthe
ti
meandchancet oveneratethesplendi
d
magnifi
cencethereof
.

Ineveractual l
ytookt het imetoseehowmany
roomst hereev enar eint hishousetostartoffwith.
Everythi
ngj usthappenedsof ast,
andGr i
ngoj ust
want smenearhi m.Theybot hwantRami andI
aroundallthet ime,andRami andIareli
terall
y
alwaystoget her.IfeellikeIhav eacompl etefamily
forthefir
stt i
mei nmyent i
reli
fe.Weal way shave
dinnerinthedi ningarea, butapparent
lythereisone
room Ihav enev erentered.I tisonthetopf l
oor,at
t
hev
eryendoft
hef
loor
.

Wehav et owalkawhi let

ogett here,andwhil
ewe
di
dt hatNanaj ustkeptholdingmyhandandl i
ter
all
y
draggingmebesi desherf orsomer eason.She
musthav eprobablynoti
cedhowmyey eskeep
wander ingofftoKgandAnast acia’
sdir
ecti
on.Every
ti
meIt r
iedtolookathim, shewoul dbebyhisside,
andwoul ddeli
beratel
yrubherst omachjusttomake
mej ealous.

Iwon’tl
ie,Iam notthej ealoustype,butwatchingher
rubherbellyli
kethat,
knowi ngIneverevengott he
chancetoexper i
encet hatwi thmybabyachesl i
ke
hell
.Itri
edt houghwithev er y
thi
nginmet oj ustbe
opti
misti
caboutev erything.Whi lewewer ewal ki
ng,
Mulalowoul doccasi
onal lywav eandsmi l
eatme.I
real
lyneedt oaskbastar dRomeoaboutMul alo.I
haveaser i
oushuncht hatheandKgar erelated.I
mightaswel lponderNana’ smindaboutitsinceshe
seemst oknowev erything.
Isometimesf eel
li
keshecanr eadmymi nd,much
l
ikeKgabo.Weent eredtheroom andf oodwas
alr
eadysetforus.Agman, Mam’ Graceissucha
sweetlady.Sheusual lymakessur ethedishesar
e
readyf
oruswhenev erGringodoesn’tcook.Sheis
onehumbl elady,muchl i
keAusi Mavis,t
hewoman
whowor ksforConst anceandTi ger
.

Thisroom hasal ong,crystaltabl

e,withabout20
chairsall
round.Ihav enev erseensuchahuge
room andsuchahuget able,
itmustbecust om
made.Thi skindofremi ndsmeoft heSopr anos,
whenTonySopr anowoul dalway shav edi
nnerwi th
hisfamily.Thisf eel
slikewe’ reabouttohav ea
maf i
ameet i
ngorsomet hing.Al l
ofuswer epleased
thatwe’dfinall
ygetsomef oodinourst omach, butI
couldn’
tsayt hesamef orRomeoandTi ger.They
weresoner vous,andIt hi
nkt hefactthattheydidn’t
evenhav eachancet ospeak, madethem ev enmor e
j
umpy .
Wesatdownaseachandev eryonetookadr i
nk
fr
om thebottl
eoft heirchoice.If eel
likesome
cognactoday,andf unnyenoughKgwentf orthe
samet hi
ng,hi
sf avourit
e.Ideci dedtopl ayalitt
le
gamei nmyownhead.Si nceMul aoandKgwer e
bothinthesamer oom, IfiguredIwoul dlookateach
ofthem andfi
gur eoutiftherear eactuallymor e
si
mi l
ari
ti
esbetweent het woot herthant hem looking
al
ike.Inoti
cedMul aloalsopour i
ngthewhi skeyt he
samewayKghasal way sdonei t.

Kghasal way shadahabi toftur ni

ngthegl ass,
wipingt hewhol etopofi tbefor epouringhi msel fa
shotort wo.Hewoul dalway saddt heice
afterwards,insteadofbef orehepour edt hewhi skey.
IlookedatMul aloandhedi dt hesamet hing.Fuck,
thisisjusttoowei rd.IlookedatRami ,whoj ust
gav emeal ookandchuckl ed.Gr i
ngowasbei nga
humbl eguestasal ways, welcomi ngev eryoneand
tell
ingthem whatwe’ r
eaboutt ofeaston, butIwas
sohookedathowsi mil
arMul aloandKgdi dthings.
Aswedi shedup, Mulal
ostartedaddi
nghi sveggies
fi
rst
,justl i
keKg.Heal wayssaidthathewant edt o
l
eavespacef ort
hemeat ,
buthealthcomesf ir
st.
Comet ot hi
nkofit,
Mulaloisalsoafit
nessf anati
c,
j
ustli
keKg.Kgal wayshadabi tofahabi twhenit
camet ohy gi
ene,heisj
usttooclean,butitnever
real
l
ybot heredme.Iwoul djustal
way stell
him not
todoi ti
nf r
ontofpeopl
easi twouldseem abi trude.

Hewoul dalwayswi pehiscut l

eryof fwithaser v
iett
e
oracl oth,befor
eeat ing.Ialway ssuggest edthathe
doi tunderneatht het abl
e,toav oidlookingboogey .
FunnyenoughIsawhi mtakehi sforkandkni feand
quicklyputitonhi sl apashedi dt hat,andMul alo
evendi dthesame.Icoul dn’thelpbutwi denmy
eyesasIkeptst aringatt hetwooft hem.Anast acia
wasev enannoy ed, l
ookingatmel i
keshewasabout
tokillme, butIdidn’tgiveaf uck.Iact uallydi
dn’t
reali
zehowmuchIhadbeenst aringatt hem,until
Nanawhi speredinmyear .
Nana:(
whi speri
ng)“I
t’
srudetostar
e,y
ouknow.
Whateveryou’rethi
nki
ng,i
t’
strue.Nowlet
’seat
,
we’
llt
alklater.
”

Iquicklycamebackt omysensesasIst art

edeat i
ng.
RomeoandTi gerdidn’tevenhav emuchofan
appet i
te.I nst
eadofeat i
nglikeus, t
heykeptpour i
ng
themsel vesmor ealcohol.Conni eont heotherhand
l
ookssodepr essedandf r
ail,sheseemst obel osi
ng
mor eandmor eweightthemor eIseeher .Iactuall
y
kindofpi tyher,tobehonest .Wef i
nishedeating,
andt heni twasonlyt i
mef ordrinks.

Gri
ngo:“
So,Wolf
e,nowthatt
her
eisn’
tanyblood
bei
ngshedbefor
eus,howaboutyouenl
ight
enuson
whatyouhav
ebeenwor ki
ngonsofar
.”

Kg:(noddi
ng)“Wel
l,G,Iwentthroughallt
he
accountsandIwentthroughall
t hebooksaswel
l
.It
seemst
hatwehav en’
tbeenmakingasmuchpr
ofi
t
asweweresupposedtohavebeenmaking.
”

Every
one,exceptf
orTi
gerandRomeol
ookedathi
m
puzzl
ed.

Kg:
“Letmer
atherbebl
untabouti
t.
”

Gr
ingo:
“Pl
ease.
”

Kg:“Someone,
wel
l,
rat
hersomef ewpeoplehav
e
beensteal
i
ngmoneyfr
om thebusiness.
”

Myinnerinsti
nctt
oldmet olookatTigerandRomeo
andIsawt hem l
ookingateachotherreal
lyqui
ckl
y.
Ah,ah,t
heset woarethecul
prit
s.Nowondert hey
havebeenedgyev ersi
ncethenightofmypar t
y.
Thi
sisgoingt obefun.
Gri
ngo:(
frowni
ng)“
Howmuchmoneyar
ewet
alki
ng
about
?”

Kg:
“AboutR4mi
l
li
onpermont
h.”

Icoul
dn’
thelpbutgasp.Arepeoplethatgreedy?I
l
ookedatTigerandRomeoandt heylookedlikethey
wereabouttoshi
tthemsel
ves,whil
eVi v
ianlooked
l
ikeshewasabouttokil
lsomeone.

Gr
ingo:
(calml
y)“I
nter
est
ing.Howdot
heyst
eal
thi
s
moneyifImayask?”

Kg: “
Well,
withallthepr of i
tsf rom t
hedr ugsthat
rotat
esaroundSout hAfr i
ca, ital
way sseemst ohave
comebackshor t.Icheckedt hebookswayback
from l
astyear,beforeIjoi nedandi tjustdidn’
tmake
sense,soItracedi tbackt oaboutf i
veyear sago.So,
thepersonhasbeendoi ngi tforav eryl
ongt i
me,
j
ustnowwi t
hext rahelp, hei sabletosteal more.
I
’mt al
kingaboutmoneybei
ngtakenever
ywhere,
the
rest
aurants,
theclub,
thedr
ugs.Thesepeopl
ewere
basi
call
ylooti
ng.”

Ti
ger
:(uneasy
)“MayIpl
easebeexcused?
”

Gri
ngo:(f
rowni
ng)“Heywena( y
ou)Todani
,we’
rei
n
themiddl
eofacrisi
sandy ouwantt
obeexcused?
HaveyoueverseenaTigerrunawayfr
om an
ambush?”

Thatseemedl i
keast rai
ghtuphintdir
ect
edstrai
ght
atTiger.Gri
ngonev erevenref
erstothem byusi
ng
thei
rrealnames.Somet hingdeepisabouttogo
downt oni
ght.Tigersatbackdownl ooki
ngdeeply
pressed.

Gr
ingo:
“Car
ryon,
Wol
fe.
”
Kg:“Well
,i
tisobviousl
yani
nsi
dejob,andaswe
speak,
thesepeoplewerepl
anni
ngtoambushus
al
toget
herwiththeItal
i
ans,
andtakeovert
he
busi
nessont hei
rown.”

Vi
vi
an:
“Whoar
ethesef
ucks?
”

Kg:(cal
mly
)“Theyarerightamongstus,
wel
l
,twoof
them ar
eactual
l
ydiningherewit
hus.Whydon’t
theyrev
ealt
hemselves?”

Wealllookedateachot her
,andsawRomeo
sweati
ngl i
kecrazy,
withTigerl
ooki
ngli
keheis
abouttolandabigpileofshitwher
eheisseat
ed.
TheNaidoo’slookedsochill
ed,i
nfactt
heyl
ooked
qui
telost.

Gri
ngo:“
Well
?Arewegoingtogetavol
untary
conf
essi
on,
oram Igoi
ngtoshooti
toutofyou?”
Adesh:“
Gri
ngo,y
ouknowmeandmyboy
sdo
not
hingtohar
m busi
ness.Nev
er!
”

Gri
ngo:“Okaythen,
itseemslikewe’
regoingtohav
e
t
ostartplayi
ngRussianroul
ette.Bet
teryet
,V,my
l
ove,whydon’tyougrabthesteakkni
fe.Yourhand
i
sal otst
eadiert
hanmi ne.
”

Vi
vi
an:
(smi
l
ing)“
You’
respeaki
ngmyl
anguage.
”

Mam’ Vgrabbedthesteakknif
eandjustasshewas
abouttospeak,Tigerconf
essedf
ir
st,l
eavi
ngRomeo
tofendforhimsel
f .

Ti
ger
:(poi
nti
ngatRomeo)“
Hemademedoi
t!
”

Weallst
aredathi
minshock,
whi
l
eKgseemedr
eal
l
y
unt
ouched.
Gr
ingo:
“We’
regoi
ngt
oneedmor
ethant
hat
,Ti
ger
.”

Tiger:“Look, Theaccount antstarteddoi ngitand

whenIcaughthi m outhesai dhedi di tbecausehe
neededt opayf orhismot her’
ssur ger yandmedi cal
expenses.Af terawhi le, i
tbecameeasyt odoi t
,a
l
oteasi er, andsoIcont inueddoi ngi t.ButIf eltso
guil
tyaf terwar dsthatIwant edt ost op, bel
ieveme, G,
Iwant edt ost op.ThenRomeocameandheal so
noticedt hatfundswer ebegi nningt ogoami ss.
Whenhef oundout ,hemademest eal mor e.Ir eall
y
want edt oqui t,buthemademecont inue.Af ew
mont hsdownt heli
ne, wewer emanagi ngr eallywell
andwewoul dt akeaboutR5mi ll
ionf rom t he
business.Heconv i
ncedmesay i
ngt hathecoul dget
ustowor kwitht heItaliansonourownandcuty ou
out,andwhenIsai dno, hehadal readygoneahead
andpi tchedt hei deat ot hem.Idi dn’ twantt oi t,I
swear .
”

AsTi
gerwasaboutt
ofi
nishhi
sli
tt
lespeech,
Gri
ngo
shothimrightintheshoul
derandhescreamedout
i
npai n.Romeof rozei
nhisseat,asmyearsstarted
ri
ngingfr
om t hel
ound,unexpect
edgunshotnoise.
Wewer ealltooshockedtospeak,whi
leevenMul al
o
remainedquiet.

Adesh:
“(shocked)“
Ah!Ti
ger
,howcoul
dyou,
br
other
?”

Gr
ingo:
“Wel
l
?Ar
eyougoi
ngt
osayany
thi
ng?
”

Romeo:
(Scar
ed)“
Please,
I…I
t’
snotwhaty
out
hink–
“

Gri
ngodidn’
tevenwaitforhi
mt ofi
nisht
alki
ng,
i
nsteadhealsoshothi
mi ntheshoul
der,asheal
so
wail
edoutinpain.Conniewassoscared,she
remainedst
if
fenedtoherchai
r.
Gringo: “Tiger,didy ouhonest l
yt hinkt hatInev er
knewt haty oust olefrom met hemomenty ou
starteddoi ngi t?Iknewy ouwoul dendupbei ng
greedyandst artstealingmor e.Ilety oubebecause
Iwant edt ot akei tallawayf rom y ouwheny ou
startedmaki ngbi gmoney .Romeo, Iletyoui ntomy
business, myf ami l
ywi thopenar ms, butyou
betray edme.Youmadesur et haty oumadeadeal
witht heItaliansbef oreletti
ngmeknow.Wel l
,today
i
sy ourday ,bot hofy ouar efiredwi t
hi mmedi at
e
effect.Asoft oday ,y
ouar eof f
iciall
ynoti nt hegang
any mor e.Anddon’ twor r
y,all t
hemoneyy oust ol
e
fr
om me, Itooki tback–al lofi t
.Aswespeaknow,
youbot hhav eR100000l eftiny ourbankaccount s.
Thati smor ethanenought ost artaf resh,ri
ght ?”

Isawthedi
sappoi
ntmentintheirey
es.Imagine,t
wo
grownmenweepinginpainoverbeingshotandall
theyar
eeverworr
iedabouti
st hemoneytheylost
.

Gr
ingo:
“Const
ance,
you’
reapai
nint
heass,
butI
can’tl
eavey oudr y,
soIwi l
ll
eavey ouwit
hR10
mill
ion.Thati smor ethanenought ot
akeofy our
uneducatedsel f.Yourchil
drenareoldenough,so
theywill
bef ine.Pleaseescortyourhusbandalong
withhiscockr oachfri
endoutofmyhouse, please.
Theyarebleedi ngallovermywife’
swhi t
e,furcarpet
andshel ovest hesecarpet
s.”

Constancestoodupinembar rassmentandaided
Tiger,
whi l
eRomeohel pedhimselfup.Idon’t
understandwhysuchr i
chmenwoul dwanttoget
evenricher.Iguessi
tistruewhattheysayabout
theloveofmoneybei ngtherootofallevi
l.
Chapt
erSi
xtyEi
ght

Deutoronomy31:6–“ Bestrongandofgood
courage,donotfearnorbeafrai
dofthem;f
orthe
LordyourGod,Hei stheonewhogoeswi t
hyou.He
wil
lnotleaveyounorf or
sakeyou.”
That
o

Dinnerendedonar atherunpl
easantnoteifIshoul
d
rathersay.Bl oodwasshed, unpl
easantwor dswere
exchangedandunscr upul
ousdisputeswerehad.
Ulti
mat el
y,t
hemai ngoal wasachieved–t otakeout
thetwocor ruptt hieves.Nowt hattheyareoutofthe
game, Isti
ll
f eel l
ikethegangi sbecomingsmal l
er,
andal t
houghi ti
sagoodt hi
ng,i
tseemsasi fwe’re
starti
ngtomi ssoutonaf ewgoodpeople.

Whyam Iev enincl

udi
ngmy sel
finthebusinessasi
f
Iam apartofit
?Any way,Idon’tevenknowwhy
Gri
ngodecidednottokil
lthoset wobastards.When
asked,
hesai dhewasgettingtir
edofbloodshedand
fel
tabitbadbecausetheywer ebothfathersand
Romeowasaboutt obeagr andfat
her.

PoorTumisho,hehasausel
essmot herandaneven
moreusel
essfather
.Withal
lthewealthhehad,
he
choset
oturnhisbackonbot
hhi scr
ews–Idon’t
evenknowhowhesleptatni
ght.Ist
il
lfeel
li
ke
Gri
ngohasbeendy
ingtoaddressthei
ssueofme
beingpr
egnant
.

Idon’
tevenknow howIam goingtotel
lhimthatKg
wasthefatherofmybaby.Iwasabouttopray
befor
eheadingtobed,asIhear
dasolidknockon
mybedroom door.Speaki
ngofbedr
oom, It
err
ibl
y
missmyownbedatt hefl
at.

That
o:“
Comei
n.”

ThedooropenedandNanawal
kedt
hroughwi
thher
usual
,pl
easantsmi
le.

Nana:(
smil
i
ng)“I
’
m sosor
ryforbother
ingy
ouright
now,I
sa.Ij
ustwant
edtof
indoutifyouwereokay.
”

It
ri
edf
aki
ngasmi
l
e,butknowi
nghershemi
ght
al
readybeknowi
ngwhatonear
thIam t
hinki
ng.

That
o:“
Ithi
nkso.
”

Shesatdownnextt
omeandhel
dmyhand.

Nana:“Youdon’thavetopr
etend,youknow.Losi
ng
achil
disnoteasy ,
iti
ssomethingt
hatstay
swith
youuntil
youdie.”

Thato:
(fr
owning)“Whydoesitseem l
i
key
ou’
re
speaki
ngfrom exper
ience?
”

Nana:(noddi
ng)“Ilosttwochi l
drenduringmy
marri
age.Atthatt i
meIwas23.Dav i
d’sfatherandI
hadbeenmar ri
edf orthreeyears.Imagine,atthat
age,weassumeev eryoneisferti
l
eandi smor ethan
capabl
eofcarryi
ngababy .Byt het i
mewehad
giv
enup, Dav
id’
sf atherwasv erymuchopenand
will
ingtospendt herestofourli
veswit
houtkids.I
receiv
edami racl
eandIf el
lpr
egnantattheageof
32.Byt hatt
ime,ithappenedsounexpectedl
y,so
outoft heblue.

Tomaket hi
ngsev enwei rder
, Iwasaboutf our
monthspregnantandhadnoi dea.Myhusbandand
Ihadgoneonat ri
pt oRome, wher ewewer ehav i
ng
theti
meofourl ives.Wewer et hechi
ldl
esscoupl e,
every
onewant edt obear ound.Wewer ethecool
auntanduncle,ther ichuncl
eandaunt ,rat
her ,
who
wouldtakeallourni ecesandnephewsonanal l
-
expensespaidtri
p, givi
ngtheirparent
sapl easantl
y
l
ongt i
meout .

Wehadal wayswantedkids,andIr ememberhowI

usedtopart
yupast orm anddr i
nklikeafish.Ifel
l i
l
l
oneofthosemor ni
ngs,andwebot hassumedi twas
j
ustahangov er.Whenitprolongedt ot
hreeday s,
we
knewsomet hingwasnotrightwithme, si
nceInev er
fel
li
ll
.Whenwegott othedoct or
,hedecidedto
perf
orm anul
tr
asound.Webot hev
enlaughed
becausewehadalreadygivenupatthethoughtof
useverhavi
ngchi
ldren,andwewer eoddlyokaywi
th
i
t.

Igladlypermi t
tedhi mt odoso, andthenwehear da
heartbeat.Iwi l
l neverforgetthatday ,
itwassucha
hugeshock, andi mmedi atelywebot hwepti neach
other’
sar ms.Wecoul dn’tbelievehowamazi ng
God’sf avourtrulywas.Mysonhadendur edall t
he
heartbreakandt earswesuccumbedt oandwhenwe
eventuallyaccept edourf ate,hesurpri
sedus.Iwas
oncesi tt
ingint hehouser eadingmyBi ble,whenI
cameacr ossPsal m 62:5whenDav i
dsai d“Yes, my
soul,fi
ndr estinGod; myhopecomesf rom Hi m.”
ThatiswhenIknewIhadt onamemysonDav id.
”

Ifel
tmy selfget
ti
ngtearyasNanat oldmethisstor
y.
Ineveractuall
yhadagr andmotherwhowouldsit
downwi thmeandt ellmeancientstori
esabouther
famil
y,bloodli
neorherlif
eandpassonsome
wi
sdom unt
ome.Thi
smakesmef
eel
soemot
ional
.

That
o:(
emoti
onal
)“Whathappenedt
oyourhusband
i
fImayask?
”

Nana: “Hewasshotbyat hi
efwhohadcomei nto
ourhouseandr obbedusofourbelongings.Itwasa
terr
ibl
et i
mef ormeast herobbershotatme, buthe
keptmi ssi
ng.Heshotatme, f
ivet
imesunt i
lhis
casegotempt i
ed.IfIwasn’taprayerf
ulwoman
event hen,Iwouldhaveprobablydi
ed.Funny
enoughIhadapr emoniti
onabouthi sdeat
haf ew
nightsbeforeandithappenedexactlyasIhad
dreamt .

Iknewthent hati
twasnottimeformet odie,andI
hadtohavemyson.So, whenIwassi t
ti
ngalonein
mylounge,prayi
ngandaskingGodf orgui
dance,I
openedtheBibleandstumbledacr
ossPsal m 62:
5,
andIknewIhadt onamehi m Davi
d.Andi ndeedhe
becameaki ng,awarr
ior.
”
Wow,soNanawentt
hroughsomuchandyetshe
st
il
lmanagedt
osmil
eandpullt
hroughl
i
kethi
s.

That
o:“
Howdi
dyougetov
erhi
sdeat
h?”

Nana:“Idi
dn’
t.Hewasandwil
lalwaysbetheloveof
mylif
e.Ineverremar
ri
edev
ersincehisdeat
h.”

I
ssheseri
ousl
ytel
li
ngmet hatshehadnoboy
fri
end
orany
thi
ngaft
erherhusbandpassed?

That
o:“
Doyoumeant
otel
lmey
ounev
erdat
edaf
ter
hi
spassi
ng?
”

Nana:(l
aughing)“
Don’tbesil
l
y,ofcour
seIdid.Idid
al
lofthatundergr
ound,asDav i
dhadnoidea.Even
now hehasnoi deawhoIam dat i
ng.Ij
ustfel
tli
ke
noonewi l
leverhaveaplaceinmyheartli
kemy
husbandev
erdi
d.”

Yoh,thatmustbetough.IwonderwhatIwoul
ddoi
f
Kgdied.Hewoul dprobabl
ydi
easAnastaci
a’s
husbandandhischil
dwouldmostprobabl
ybea
constantr
eminderofhim.

Nana: “Mypointis,Isa,li
feisunpredict
able,but
that’
sthewhol ebeaut yofi tall
.Youandy our
husbandwi l
lbet ogetheragai ninduetime.
Unfortunat
ely,youar ejustoneoft hepeoplewho
j
usthast oendur eal otofhar dshi
pandhear tbr
eak
beforereachi
ngy ourdest iny.Youar edesti
nedt obe
aQueen; yourdestinywasal readywrit
tenbeforeyou
werebor n.

Youaresobl essed,Icannotevenbegint odescri

be
i
t.Onedayy ouwi llbeatrueleader,
andy ouare
desti
nedforfargreaterri
chesthany outhink.Your
l
ifedoesn’
tendher e,Isa,
ithasonlyjustbegun.You
arenotonlygoingtoleadanat i
on;buty ouaregoing
t
oleadt
hem andchanget
hei
rwhol
ecust
oms.You
j
ustwai
tandsee.
”

Shei
ssoconf
usi
ng,
though,
muchl
i
keKgabo.

Thato:“
Iheary
ou,Nana.Ij
usthav
eaquest
ion:
Are
MulaloandKgrel
ated?
”

Nana:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
Yes,
theyar
e.”

That
o:“
How?
”

Nana:“Bel
i
evemewhenIsayi t’
scomplicat
ed.You
wil
lfi
ndoutsoonenough.Whyar eyouasking?
(
rai
singeyebrow)Areyouaski
ngbecauseyoufeel
a
t
inysparkari
singi
nsideofy
ourtummy ?
”

Icoul
dn’
thel
pbutl
aughatherst
atement
.Why
woul
dshesaysuch?Idon’
tli
keMul
alol
i
ket
hat
,doI
?

That
o:“
Don’
tbesi
l
ly,
Nana,
Idon’
tli
kehi
mli
ket
hat
.”

Nana: “Oh,beli
evemey ouwillf
allf
orhi m
i
nv oluntar
il
ybecausehewi l
lbetheref oryouatyour
darkesthour.Don’ tworry,
hewon’ treplacethelove
youhav eforKg, buthewi l
lj
ustlovey ouandbet here
fory ouataspeci f
icti
mei nyourli
fe.Thi ngsare
goingt ogetrough,sohewi llbeyourr ockbecause
alltherocksinyourlif
ewi l
lnotbet here.”

Whatisshet
ryi
ngt
osay
?Isshet
alki
ngaboutdeat
h
orwhat?

That
o:“
Whatdoy
oumean,
Nana?
”

Nana:“Youwil
lknowsoonenough,mybaby.No
matterwhathappens,
don’
ttel
lDav
idaboutKgand
t
hathewasthef
atherofyourchi
ld.Youwil
lknow
whentot
ell
him,
butrightnowthetimi
ngisnot
r
ight
.”

That
o:“
WhatdoIt
ell
him whenheasks?
”

Nana:“
Spi
nastory,orsayi
twassomeguyf
rom
school
orsomet
hing.”

Tjo(Wow),
soshedeci
dest
oteachmehowt obea
l
iaratt
hisver
ymoment.Mygrandmot
hert
hough.

That
o:“
Isee.
”

Shekissedmycheekandgr
eet
edmegoodni
ght
.I
pray
edandf el
lasl
eepal
mosti
nst
ant
ly.

Nana
Iam sohappyt of inal l
ymeetmygr anddaught er
,but
Iam sosaddenedbecauset hewor sti sy ettocome.
Ihav ebeenpr ayingandf asting,butev ent hatcannot
stopmydi shear teningdr eamsandv isions.Icannot
stopt hemassacr et hatisaboutt ocome, andIknow
thatitisGod’ swi ll
, Ijustcannotf i
ndi tinmyhear tto
acceptt hecomi ngsi tuat
ion.Al lmyl ifeIhav e
devotedt oGodandt obei ngoneofGod’ s
messenger s,andnowt hatt hemessageIhav e
receivedaf fectsmyf amilyandIdi rect l
y, Icanonly
hopeandpr aythatt hisfat egetsov er turned.My
poorI sabell
awon’ tt aket hisnewswel l
.Howcan
onechi ldgot hroughsomuchpai nev enbef oreshe
reachest heageof21?Yes, Iknowt hatshehast o
got hroughsuch, buthowcant hewor ldbesocr uel?
Godhel phert hroughoutt hishorribleupcomi ng
sit
uat i
onbecauseal readyIam t oodef eat edto
accepti t.
Chapt
erSi
xtyNi
ne
Prov
erbs23:17–18–“ Donotlety
ourheartenvy
si
nners,
butalwaysbezeal
ousforthefearofthe
LORD.Thereissur
elyafut
urehopeforyou,andyour
hopewil
lnotbecutoff.
”

5James3:
14-16–“Buti
fyouhav
ebi
tt
erenv
y,don’
t
br
aganddenythet
rut
h.”

Fourweeksl
ater

That
o

Eversi ncethatni
ghtNanaandIspoke, Ihavebeen
praying,meditati
ngasneededj ustt
hewayshe
taughtme.AsIf eared,Gringocamet omet he
foll
owi ngdayandaskedmewhogotmepr egnant
,
andasIwascoached, Ili
edandsai ditwasahigh
school l
ove.Imustsay ,Ineverbeli
evedIwouldever
bet hisgoodi nl
ying.Iwasext r
emelyner
vous,but
hewaswayokaywi thallofit
.
Iti
sf inall
yJunehol i
days,andt heendoft hefir
st
Semest erhascome.Wecannowf inallygoona
familyv acat i
onsoon, butonlyafteraweek, assome
sti
llneedt ogett heirstuffsort
ed, suchasl eaveand
soon.Gr i
ngoor ganizedpasspor tsforus, soIam
extr
emel yhappyaboutt hat.Wewi l
l f
inall
ybeable
togoonaf amil
yv acati
on.Hedi dhowev erask
Geor geandRober ttocomeal ongwi t
husdespi te
thei
rshi t,buttheydecl i
ned.Wel l,Geor gepoli
tel
y
decli
nedwi t
har eason,whi l
eRober tdidn’teven
bothert or espond.

Hejustlett
hem beandwej ustcont i
nuedwi t
hlif
eas
normal.Aft
erthatdayatGringo’shouse,hebegged
RamiandIt ostaywithhi
m, butri
ghtnowIdon’ t
thi
nkweneedt ogol i
vewithhim andMam’ V.We
l
ikeourspaceandpr iv
acy.Perhapsnexty earor
something,
butrightnow,wear eprett
ymuchf ineon
ourown.
So, Ihavebeenprayingandf ast
ingeverynowand
then,butsti
l
lIhaven’tgott
enanymessageordr eam
regardi
ngKg, soIj
ustputev eryt
hinginGod’shands.
Idecidediti
st i
metodomeandbehappy ,
andt hat
shouldKgcomebackt omet henhewoul dcome
back.Kgont heot
herhand, seemst ohav efal
lenfor
Anastacia.Imean,theypostal otofpictur
es
togethernowonsoci almedia,andweev engota
surpri
singweddinginvit
ati
ont othei
rfair
ytale
themedweddi ng.

Myhear tsunkandIwasdepr essedfortwoday s,

but
Ipickedmy selfupanddecidedtojustleti
tbe.Nana
sti
lli
nsist
st hatIneedtoprayandjustforgetabout
Kgf ornow,butitisjustsohardtodot hat
,especial
l
y
whenhecomest oGr i
ngo’
shouseev erynowand
then.

Imy sel
fdon’
tev
engetthechancetoshowhim my
pendant,
whenhedoesn’
tevenseem i
nter
est
ed
anymore.RomeoandTigerhavebeenAWOLev er
since,whil
eMulaloandIhavebeenspendi ngqui
tea
l
otoft i
met oget
her.Hei sr
eall
ysuchani ceguyand
Ienjoyhiscompany.IjustwishthatIwasspending
thismucht i
mewi t
hKgi nst
eadofMul al
o.

Itseemsasi fhi
m spendi ngtimewi thmehasmade
him glowevenfurther,becausehehasj ustbecome
awhol enewper son.Iact ual
lyfeelsobad,si
ncehe
i
smar ri
edandall,andaskmy selfwhatki
ndof
womanIam spendi ngt i
mewi thamanwhoi s
expectingachil
d.Hedoesn’ teventalkaboutOli
vi
a
andt hebabyandIj ustwonderwhatshewoul ddoif
shef i
ndsus.

Ihav ebeenf eel

ingquit
eweirdthepastweek,
al
mostl ikesomeonehasbeenf ol
lowingmeor
somet hing.Myspi r
iti
sn’
tatpeace,andmysoul
l
iter
all
yf eelsheav y.Ir
ecentl
ygotmyl icense,but
eventhen, Ifeell
ikesomeonei sfoll
owingme, Ijust
can’
texpl ai
ni t.Everyti
meItellNanaabouti t
,she
j
usttellsmeaboutdangerappr oachingandsay sshe
can’
tseem t
oseewhat
’shappeni
ng,
almostl
i
ket
he
univ
ersewon’
tal
l
owhertoseeit.

Shedoessayt hatsomet hi
ngsar epreventabl
e,soI
guesssuchislif
e.Rami askedi fwecoul dgotothe
mov i
esandhangoutf orluncht oday,soweareon
ourwayaswespeak.I ’
m notr eall
yhavingsucha
pl
easantday,becauseitisalsoKg’ sbir
thday–the
25thofJune.Inev erf
orgetsuchday sasIf i
nd
Bir
thday
sv er
ysent i
mental.

IguessIwi l
lal
way sthinkofKgont hisday,si
nceit
wast hef ir
stdayweev ermadel ov
eandt hedayhe
tookmyv i
rgi
nity
.I fonl
yIhadbeent oldthatyou
l
iter
allynev erforgetyourfir
st,
Iwouldhav ebeen
mor ecaut i
ousorsomet hing.Iwasinsuchpr ofound
thoughtt hatIdidn’tseeRami emergingfrom her
bedroom.Ev enthetvwasnowwat chingmei nstead
oftheot herwayr ound.

Rami
:“Whooowee!Aowa(
No)
,Tee!Ican’
tlety
ou
drownyoursel
fli
ket
his.Obj
angna(
Whatki
ndof
personar
ey ou)
?”

That
o:“
Huh?
”

Rami:
“Bonaobj ang(
Lookatyou).Youarest
ari
ng
att
hetv,l
it
eral
l
yandy oudi
dn’
tev enhearawor
dI
sai
d.Stopmopingandlet’
sgo.”

Thato:“
Oh,j
a.Ag,
mansor
rysi
s,Iwasj
ustdeepi
n
thought
.”

Rami:
“Nokiddi
ng.Doyouwantt
otel
lmewhaty
ou
weret
hinki
ngabout
?”

That
o:(
shaki
nghead)“
May
bel
ater
,let
’sgo.
”

Rami
:“Ai
,okay
.ButIt
hinkImustwar
nyouabout
l
etswai
(sal
t)
.Lackofsexi
sreal
l
ynotgoodf
ory
ou.
”

Thato:(
chuckl
i
ng)“Oho,
sonowyou’
ret
ell
i
ngme
suchbecauseThendohasbeengi
vi
ngyousome
good,ol
dVendaD.”

Shecouldn’
thel
pit
.Shej
usthadt
obur
stouti
n
l
aughter
.

Rami
:(l
augi
ng)“
Jeal
ousymakesy
ounast
y.”

Ichuckledaswewal kedout .Yes, ThendoandRami

havebeenqui t
ebusyev ersinceNanaspokesome
sensei ntoher.Ireal
lydon’ tknowwhatt hi
smeans
fortheirrel
ati
onship,buti tseemsasi ft
heyaretrul
y
i
ntooneanot her.Thingsar esohect i
c,t
hough,that
theyhav etohidetheirrelationshi
pf r
om Gr i
ngo.Of
courseMam’ Vknows, sinceshej usthastoknow
everything,
butsheassur ednott otellGri
ngountil
thetimei sri
ght.
WeheadedoutandRami isdriv i
ngasusual
whenev erwegooutt ogether.Idon’ tknow, Iam j ust
notv erycomfort
abledrivi
ngar oundJozi.These
streetsaretoobusyformyl i
king.Aswewal ked
aroundt heMall
,itseemsasi fwewer ejusttooear ly
,
ast hemov iewewant edtowat ch,wasonl ygoingt o
startshowingtwohour slater.So, Isuggestedwe
wal karoundbeforegoingtoeatoutatar estaurant.
Ireallyfeel
li
keawhol enewchange, soaswe
wal kedaround,
wespot t
edaf ewclothingitems, and
knowi ngusweboughtqui t
eaf ew.

Especiall
ynowt hatGri
ngoandMam’ Vgiveusan
allowanceofR5000ev erymont h.Theykeepsay i
ng
theydon’twantust ogetspoil
ed,butt heyseem to
bedoi ngjustt
hat.Aswewer ewalkingar ound,we
cameacr ossoneoft hefamoussal onst here.For
someoddr eason,If
eltl
ikegoinginandget ti
nga
fresh,newlook.Iam quiteti
redofmyl ong,curl
y
hai r
.
That
o:“
Sis,
let
’sgoi
ntothesal
on.It
hinki
t’
shi
gh
ti
meIgotamakeover
.”

Rami :
(smil
ing)“Hehe,Tee.Kganteloveeny esaso
(Solovemakespeopl egomadl i
kethis)?Ireall
y
don’
twantt oreachthestageyou’
reatrightnow.
Justtell
me; ar
ey oudoingthi
sforyou,orforKgor
forMulalo?
”

Idon’
tknowwhyRamiwoul
dthi
nkt
hatofme,
butI
am genui
nel
ydoi
ngt
hisf
orme.

That
o:“
Iam doi
ngt
hisforme,comeon.IknowI
st
il
ll
oveKg,
butIam pur
elydoi
ngthi
sforme.”

Rami
:“Hmm,
okayt
hen.
”

Wewal
kedi
nandknowi
ngRami
,sheaskedf
ora
wholenewweav e.Idon’tr
eal
l
yknowwhatIwant,
soIjustaskedFlavour,
thehai
rst
yli
stt
ohookmeup
wit
hagr eat,newlook.Iwanttol
ookcolour
ful
and
uni
quef orachange.

Fl
avour:
“Oh,gir
l!Wherehavey oubeenal
lmyli
fe?I
l
ovecli
entsli
keyou,becauseyouletmeexper
iment
andshowy outheki
ndoft al
entIhave.
”

Ifel
tabitner vousthinkinghewoul dact uall
ydoshi t
onmyheadandmakemel ooklikeatsunami ,
but
seei
nghowal lthesepeopl edon’ tevenmi ndqueuing
upforhisser vi
ce,Ithinkhedoesapr ettygoodj ob.
So,Idecidedt oputmyt rustinhim.If elteveryinch
ofmybeaut i
fulcurl
sdr opt omyshoul der,andI
cannotwai tt
oseewhatIl ooklike.Wi thinanhour ,
hewasof f
ici
allydone.Ihadmyey esclosedal l
al
ong,sinceIam j ustafraidofwhatIl ookl i
kenow.

Fl
avour
:“Openy
ourey
esandt
ell
mewhaty
out
hink,
babygi
rl
.”
Islowlyopenedmyey esandIalmostdi dn’
t
representmysel
f.Flav ourisr
eall
ygoodatwhathe
does.Hecutmyhai rquiteshor
t,anddy e-
edi t
blonde.Ihavenev ertri
edcolourinmyl i
fe,butwow.
Thisonei sr
eall
yforkeeps.Icannotbel iev
eImy sel
f
decidedtofi
nall
ydot hebi gchoponmyhai r.Iam
absolutel
ydeli
ghted,thatIevenfeell
ikecrying.

Fl
avour
:(smi
l
ing)“
So?Whatdoy
out
hink?
”

Thato:(exci
ted)“Thi
sistheveryfir
stti
meinmyli
fe
thatIhaveev ercutmyhair
,Flavour.Thanky
ouso
much.”

Fl
avour:
“ Oh, no,honey.Thanky ou,
forgiv
ingmea
chancetoexpr essmy self.Youknow.Awi sel
ady
oncesai
d; “whenal adycut sherhai
r,shei
saboutto
changeherlife.”Idon’tknowwhaty oumighthave
beengoingt hrough,buttakethi
sasanoppor t
uni
ty
foranewbegi
nni
ng,babe.Enj
oythi
snewy ouand
embracei
t.Youar
eabouttore-
int
roducey
oursel
f.
”

Ismil
edasImademypayment.EvenRami
was
ext
remel
yimpr
essedandexci
ted.

Rami:“
Yoh,Tee!Youaremoti
vat
ingme.Iwi
shI
coul
dalsobeboldenought
ocutmyhair
.”

That
o:(
chuckl
i
ng)“
Thenwhydon’
tyoudoi
t?”

Rami:“Hel
l
o?!Haven’
tyouseenmybi
ghead?I’d
probabl
ybethel
aughi
ngstockwi
thmyfor
ehead.”

Ai,Rami,t
hough.Themov ief
inal
l
yshowedandwe
boughtourpopcor nandsnacksandwenti nt
othe
theatr
e.Ihaven’tbeentothemov i
esinav er
ylong
ti
me.Thel astti
meIwentwaswi thKg,eish(wow).
Suddenlyever
ythingremindsmeoft hatguy,
again.
Whilewewerewat
chingt
hemov i
e,t
hatcr
eepy
feel
i
ngover
whelmedmey etagai
n–Ifel
tli
ke
someonewashoveri
ngoverme.

Mamawoul dalway stellmet hati ntui

ti
onwasn’ t
givent ousf orfun,weshoul dal way str
ustitasGod
gav eittousasasuper power .If el tver
yuneasy ,and
Itri
edt ol ookbehi ndme, butwi tht hev eryhigh
mov iechai rs,itwasi mpossi blef ormet oseewhat
washappeni ngbehi ndme.Idon’ tknowwhatI
expect edt osee, butsomet hingmostdef ini
tel
y
doesn’ tseem r ight.Ther estoft hemov iewasr ather
awkwar dandunpl easantf orme.Af t
erthemov ie
played, Iseemedt otall
ydifferentf r om thepersonI
wasaf ewmi nutesago.

Rami
:”Si
s,ar
eyouokay
?”

Thato:“Iam f
ine,
lov
e.Iam j
usthav
ingoneoft
hose
days.”
Rami j
ustnoddedandweheadedt ooneoft he
rest
aurantsinthemal l
.Wewentt oBugatt
i’
s.It
happenstobeoneofKg’ sfavouri
terest
aurant
s.
Everyt
hingandev eryonei
smaki ngmet hi
nkofKg
today,t
hisisjustsuchtor
ture.

Rami
:“I
sthi
saboutKg’
sbi
rt
hday
?”

Inodded.

Rami
:“Hanginther
e,babe.Yourti
meiscomi
ng.It
i
sgenui
nelyokaytobesadeveryoncei
nawhil
e.”

Iguesssheisri
ghtaboutthat.Whil
ewewereeat
ing
andtal
kingaboutrandom t
hings,
ThendoandMul
alo
appearedoutofnowhereandsawus.

Thendo:
(smi
l
ing)“
Hey
,beaut
if
ull
adi
es.Ni
khodot
a
mi
niapha(
Whatar
eyoudoi
ngher
e)?
”

Ai,Thendocanasksomepr ett
yrandom andobvi
ous
questionsatt
imes.IlookedatRamiwhowas
blushi
ngi mmediat
elywhensheheardThendo’
s
voice.Ilovel
ove,r
eall
y.

That
o:(
smil
ing)“Hi
,Thendo.Hi
Mul
alo.We’
re
havi
ngsomelunch.
”

IlookedatMul al
owhowasgl owi
ngandsmi li
ng
reall
ywidelywhenhesawme.Icoul dn’thel
pbut
seeagl i
mpseofKgi nhi m.Thatdimpledsmileand
thoseperfectl
ycarv
edt eet
h.Theseguy shavesome
reall
ygoodgenes.Ev enTigerwasabithandsome,
j
ustar ealpig.

Rami:“
Whatar
eyout
wodoi
ngher
e?Ar
eyou
st
alki
ngus?
”
Thendo:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
Wel
l
,ifst
alki
ngy
oui
sacr
ime,
t
henIam gui
l
tyaschar
ged.
”

Ilookedatt heset woandt houghtj usthowRami has

comeal ongway .Ittookherawhi letoopenher
heartandshef oundl oveinav eryawkwar dguy .
Thendoi sreallycute, adorable,sweet .Thel isti
s
j
ustendl ess.TheseVendaguy sdon’ tplaywheni t
comest or omance.Rami al
way st ell
smehow
Thendoget sheri nt hemoodbef oret heyhav esex
andIjustcan’ thelpbutbecomehor nyatt i
mes
whenev ershet ell
smeofsuch.Iact uall
ymi sssex.
Ithasbeennear l
yay earsinceIhadsome, andsalt
doesnotdoany onej usti
ce,really
.

Mul
alo:
“Maywej
oiny
ou?
”

Iam notsure,butIthi
nkitisl
onel
inessspeakingto
mefrom thepitofmyst omach,orthefactthatheis
j
ustaclearcopyofKg.Isuddenl ysawMul aloin
anot
herlight,
Ilookedathim dr
essedinripped,
ski
nnyjeansandav er
ytightt
op.Hehadamal e
blazeronandhejustl
ookssohot.Ifel
tabit
sexuall
yattr
act
edtohim,whichdoesnoteven
happenatall.Maybei
tisthesecockt
ail
sIhave
beenhav i
ng,man,r
eal
ly.

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Yes,
youmay
.”

Thosetwoj oi
nedusandIact uall
ymanagedt o
for
getallaboutKgt hroughoutourl unchdate.My
daywithRami endedupbei ngasor tofdoubledate,
andImustsayIdi dn’tfeell
ikegoi ngbackhomet o
anempt ybed.Ofcour seThendoandRami went
backtoourf l
at,
sincehedoesv i
sitoft
en.Iteven
becomesabi tofanor m si
ncehest ay
saloneinthe
fl
atheusedt osharewi t
hRendani .Apparentl
yno
oneknowswher eheis, hedidn’tevensaygoodbye
tohim orleav
eanot eorany t
hing.

Hisphonehasbeenof ff
ormonthsapparent
ly,
so
theyjusthopeandprayheisokay
.Thisisoneofthe
obviousreasonswhywejustdon’
twanttomov ein
withGr i
ngo, sincewewoul dliketogetlaidinpeace
–wel l,Rami thatis.Iam j
ustasor el
oserandan
evenbi ggersuckerf orl
ove.Mul alofol
lowedus,
whileRami andIdr ovei
nfrontoft hem.Ist i
ll
kindof
fel
tlikesomeonewast ai
li
ngus.Ikeptl ooki
ng
behinduneasi ly,evenRami noti
ced.

Rami
:“Ar
eyouokay
?”

Ir
eal
l
ydon’
twantt
owor
ryher
,especi
all
ynott
oday
.

Thato:“
Yes,
Iam f
ine.Iam justchecki
ngt
oseei
f
theycanact
ual
l
yfoll
owdirections.
”

Ili
ed,wel
l,Imadeupast upi
d,weakl i
e,butthatis
okay.Rami j
ustchuckl
ed, andIcouldtellsheknew
thatsomethi
ngwasn’trightwithmebutshedeci ded
nottopushit.Wear r
ivedatourf l
atandRami
i
mmedi atel
ywenttoherbedr oom alongwi thThendo.
Theyprobablyal
wayshav esex,butIl
ovet hefact
thatt
heynevermakeituncomf
ort
ablef
ormeandI
neverhearanynoi
sescomingf
rom t
hei
rbedr
oom.

Iwentt ogetoneofourexpensi vebottl

esofwine,
yes,Gri
ngoandMam’ Vhav etaughtusathingor
twoaboutwi nes.Wel l
,theyalwayscomplainabout
dri
nkingcheapwi newhenev ertheyareheretovi
sit
,
sowemadesur etogetthem someCaber net
Sauvignonandt heli
kes.Theni cethi
ngaboutwi ne
i
st hatyoudon’tevenhav etoknowhowt o
pronounceit.

Afterafewglasses, Ithi
nkMul al
oandIwer eabit
ti
psy.Istart
edfeelingv eryhotdownt here,wi
thmy
cli
ttwerki
ngandf eelingsexual v
ibes.Ikeptlooki
ng
downandst ari
ngatMul alo’
spant s,
tryi
ngtoseeif
themy t
haboutVendameni si
ndeedr eal.

Mul
alo:
“It
hinkIshoul
dheadhome.
”
If
eltsobummed,
Idi
dn’
tev
ent
ryt
ohi
dei
t.

That
o:“
Youdon’
thav
etol
eav
eify
oudon’
twantt
o.”

Mulal
o: (
surpri
sed)“Tee,Ireall
ydon’tt
hinki
t’sa
goodidea,Imeani ti
sget t
ingprett
ylate.Besides,
I
don’
twanty outodosomet hingoutofimpulseor
undertheinfl
uenceofalcohol andregr
etitl
ateron.
”

Yoh, Mul alolikeslectures.Att hispointi

nt i
me, Ijust
needt ofeel good.Ineedhi mtomakemef eelgood.
Ijusthav et of eelgood.Idon’ tknowwhatcame
ov erme, butIf oundmy selfl
andingmyl i
psr i
ghton
Mul alo’ssoft ,l
ipsandgav ehim asubt l
ekiss.As
expect ed, hedi dn’
trefuseorr ejectme,butinstead,
hel eanedi nandgav emeone, hotandpassi onate
kiss.If eltmy selfmoansl ight
lyinhismout hashi s
tonguegent lywentov ermybot tom l
ipashepul led
outoft hekiss.If eltmy selfbeingoverwhelmedwi th
asex ual heatwav eandIl oveit
.Kgi sprobably
rammi ngintoAnast acia’sfakepussyaswespeak,
sowhycan’
tIgetsomesat
isf
act
ion?

Mul
alo:
(sof
tl
y)“
Tee.
.”

That
o:“
Mul
alo,
please,
Ineedy
ou…”

HegavemeonelookandIactual
l
yhadmyf
inger
s
cr
ossedhopi
nghewouldnotsayno.

Mul
alo:
“Okay
.”

Andso, wegotupfrom thecouchandheaded

str
aighttomybedroom.Idon’ treal
l
ycar
eifIam
abouttomaket heworstmistakeofmyli
fe,
butall
I
knowi sIneedsomesexual heal
ing.
Chapt
erSev
ent
y

Pr
over
bs3:
5-6–“
Trusti
ntheLor
dwi
thal
lyourhear
t,
anddonotleanony ourownunder
standi
ng.I
nal
l
yourwaysacknowledgehim,
andhewi l
lmake
str
aighty
ourpaths.
”

That
o

Mul alogentl
ydr aggedmemybedr oom.Idi dn’
t
evenhesi tat
e.Al coholjusthasav er
ybadwayof
maki ngonef orgetallaboutthei
rinhibit
ions.Funny
enough, Idon’tfeeldrunk,Iact
uall
ywantt odot hi
s.
Hei sjustastallasKg, justashandsomeashei s,
andmygoodnesshesmel lssogood.Howf unnyis
i
tt hatIam aboutt ohav esexonthev er
ysameday
thatIlostmyv i
rgini
ty?Mul al
opulledmecl oserto
him, star
eddeepl yintomyey es.

Mul
alo:
(sof
tl
y)“
Arey
ousur
eyouwantt
odot
his?
”

That
o:(
noddi
ng)“
Yes,
Iam sur
e.”
Hmm, heisaskingf orpermi ssion,Ili
ket hati na
man.Ormay behewant stomakesur eIdon’ tcry
rapet omor r
ow, whoknows?Hesl owlyl ai
dmeon
mybed, andf i
nallyIgottot astehi sjuicylips.He
gentlykissedmeandIr esponded, immedi at elymy
whol ebodyr esponded, asIf eltmycl itv i
brate,
Goosebumpsal lovermybodyandmyhear tjumpi ng
forjoy.Hepul ledoutoft hekissandst art
edsucki ng
onmyneck.Ir eallylovedwhathewasdoi ng, andI
didn’thesit
atet ouchinghisback, hisarmsand
mov ingmyhandsal lthewaydownt ohi sbut tocks.I
evenl etoutaf ewmoansi nthepr ocess.

That
o:(
moani
ng)“
Oh,
Mul
alo…”

Mul
alo:
(Moaningheav
il
y)“
Mufumakadzi(
Queen)
.
Ndi
khouni
todangamaanda(Iwantyousobadl
y)…”

Yoh, Idon’
tevenknowwhathei ssayi
ngt ome, but
fuck!Iloveit
!Hiskissespr
ogressedfr
om sl ow,to
fasterandmor epassi
onat
e.Iactual
lyreali
zehow
l
ongIhav ebeencr av
ingsex.Mulal
oi spassionat
e,
butabi tt
ooslowf orme.Igeti t
,hei stry
ingtobe
poli
teandmakeagoodi mpressi
ononmebecause
i
tisourf i
rstti
me, butIwanttogetfucked
passionatel
yifthereisevensuchat hing.

Thato:“Mulal
o, pl
ease,Ineedy ou.Iknowy
ouwant
tobeni ceandsubtle,butplease–fuckme
passionatel
y,Ibegy ou.
”
Idon’tknowi fhewasdy ingt oheart hatfrom meor
i
fIunl easedhi sinnerbeast , buthej ustchanged
drasti
cal l
y,andcamef ormej ustt hewayIwant ed
hi
mt o.Hei mmedi at
elyt ookof fmyt op,andt hen
myj eans.Idi dn’
tev enwast etime, Iwentst r
aightf or
hi
st opandt henf orhisjeans.Heuncl i
ppedmybr a
i
naspl i
tsecond, damn, thisguyi sski l
led.Hel icked
myneck, andwental lthewaydownt omyni pples,
ci
rcli
ngeachonel ikehewast wi rl
inghi stongueon
somecol d,icecream.Het hensuckedt hem bot h
andgent l
ybi tt
hem.Ij ustcoul dn’thel pbutletoutan
i
nv ol
unt arymoan.
That
o:(
moani
ng)“
Aaah,
Mu…”

Mul alodidn’
twast eanymor et i
me, heki ssedmy
abdomen, al
lthewaydownt omybi ki
niarea.He
slowly,li
ckedmef r
om l efttoright,whil
emyt oes
cur l
edasIgent l
yscr atchedhi sback.If el
tlikeIwas
i
nheav en.Her emov edmyunder wear,andl ookedat
mypussyf orami nute.Iki ndoff el
tembar r
assed,I
don’tknow.Kgal sousedt odot hatbeforegoi ng
downonme.Mul alolookedupatmeandsmi l
ed.I
feltabitshyandcoul dfeelmycheeksbecome
war m.It ri
edhidi
ngmyf acei nmyhands, buthe
gent l
ytoldmenott o.

Mul
alo:“Don’tdot
hat,gorgeous.Youhavesucha
magnif
icentpussy
,Ican’twaittoeati
t.
”

Ibl
ushed,
thi
nki
nghewasgoi
ngt
odoi
tri
ghtaway
.
Mul
alo:
“St
ayput
,I’
l
lber
ightback.
”

Ibecameabi tbummedasIhuf fedinf r

ust r
ati
on.I
mean,whywoul dMul alogetmesowar medupy et
l
eavemel iket hi
sinwi nter?!Iti
scold, man.Yes, we
haveairconsi nourbedr ooms,butsti
ll.Ilayther e
counti
ngthesecondswhi l
ehewasgone, andfunny
enoughhedi dn’tevent akeami nute,butitf el
tlike
for
ever.Hewal kedinwi thabowl fulloficecubes.
Whatthehell arewegoi ngtodowi thallthesei ce
cubesinwinter ?!Igavehi m alookandher et
urned
i
twithasmi le.

Mul
alo:
(smi
l
ing)“
Doy
out
rustme?
”

Usual
l
ywhenmensayt hattowomen,especi
all
yon
tvi
swhentheyareaboutt
odosomething
i
mmenselyuntr
ustwort
hytothem.

That
o:“
Yes,
Ido.
”
Mul al
ojustnodded,andwentbackdownonhis
elbows,ashet ookanicecubeandsuckedonit
.He
thengentlysli
ditonmyclit
,al
lthewaydowntothe
entranceofmypussy .Icoul
dn’
thelpbutmoan.The
hot-col
deffectbri
ngssomuchpl easur
etomybody.

That
o:(
moani
ng)“
Aah,
Mu…”

Hesmi l
edasIwasl ookingathim.Hegent l
ypl aced
i
shot -coldtongueonmycl itashegent lyproceeded
toli
cki t.Heoccasi onall
yputani cecubeonmycl i
t
andlickedi taf
terwards.Ifeltli
kehewas
perf
or mingamagi ctri
ck.Ididn’tknowwhi ch
dir
ectiont otur
norl ookany more,asIgent l
ygr abbed
ontohi shead.Hedoesn’ thavehairlikeKg,hishead
i
sbal d.Themor eImoaned, thefasterheli
ckedand
suckedmycl it
.Hewentupanddown, i
ncircular
motions, andevengent lybiti
t.Ifeltmy sel
f
overwhel medwi thpleasureandy ethehadn’ tev en
penetratedmey et.Ashesuckedonme, hegent l
y
sl
i
dhi
sfi
ngeri
ntomyent
rance.

Thato:
(moani
ng)“
Mu…Ican’
thol
ditany
mor
e…I
’
m
abouttocum.
”

Mulal
o:“Fuck,
yourpussyt
ast
essogood,
Tee.
Comef orme,comefordaddy
.”

Thisfeelssoodd, asKgusedt omakemecal lhi

m
daddy.Hesuckedhar derandf ast erandIfeltmysel
f
getti
ngclose.If oundmy selfgrabbi ngont ohishead
andIcameonhi sface.If el
tmy selfshakeand
twit
chinv ol
untari
ly.Fuck, Idon’ tknowwhoi sbetter
atmuf f
ingbetweenhi m andKg, butallIcansayis
thatwasf ucki
ngamazi ng.Ij usthav etogetKgout
ofmymi nd,atleastfornow.

Mul
alo:
(smi
l
ing)“
Damn,
yout
ast
esogood,
Tee.
”
Hewast ednot i
meandt ookof fhisbriefs,butIfelt
overl
yconf i
dent ,
asIwant edt or et
urnt hefavour .I
pushedhi m ontothebed, andwentdownonmy
knees.Iheadedst rai
ghtforhi sdick,asIgent ly
caresseditinci r
cularmot i
onswi t
hbot hmyhands,
andIst art
edlicki
ngt hetipofhi spenis.Idi dn’teven
al
lowhi mt ofeelwei r
dorev entrytoconv i
nceme
nottodoi t.Iheardhi m moanandashegent ly
grabbedmyhead, IknewIhadhi mr i
ghtwher eI
wantedhi m.Iputani cecubei nmymout hand
suckedhi m offwithitrunningdownhi sdick.

Mulal
o:(
moani
ng)“
Ah,
fuck….Tee,
whatar
eyou
doi
ngtome?”

Ili
keitwhenhecur ses,soIwentdownhar derand
fast
er.Ial sowentoni ncircul
armotionsandhe
pull
edmeup.Heki ssedmer oughl
y,but
passionately.Iwastednot imeasIgotont opof
him.I thurtabitatfi
rst
, Imeanithasbeenay ear,
butafteraf ewstrokesitwasmagi cal
.Ashest ared
deepint
omyey es,Icoul
dn’
thelpbutdoi tt
oo.Itfel
t
asifoursoulsconnectedatthatpoint,
nowondera
l
otofpeoplesayt hatsexi
sspi r
itual
.Theyweren’t
ki
dding.Themor eIwentbackandf ort
honhim, up
anddown,t hemor eIfel
thim grabontomybreasts,
andoccasional
lyontomybums.

Mul
alo:
(moani
ng)“Fuck…Tee…Ihav
ebeenwai
ti
ng
f
ort
hismoment….”

IwentfasterandfasterasIfel
tmy
selfget
ti
ngclose.
Afterashortwhil
e,Icoll
apsedont
opofhim,ashe
l
etoutal oudgroanandonedeepbreath.Ist
ayed
ont opofhimforawhi l
e,ashegentl
ypull
edmy
faceandkissedme.

Mul
alo:
“Thanky
ou.
”

Ismil
edasIgotof
fhi
m,hewenttomycupboar
d,
but
tnakedandwentt
ofet
chatowel
togent
lywipe
me.Yoh, thesimilar
iti
esbetweenMul al
oandKgar e
j
ustt ooscar y.Hisdickissli
ghtl
ybiggerthanKg’
s,
okay, alotbiggert
hanhi s,
butdamnhecangi vea
womangoodpl easure.Hecamebacki nt
obedand
placedmyheadont ohischestandthenI
remember ed.Fuck!Wedi dn’
tevenuseacondom!I
feltmy sel
ftenseup.

That
o:“
Shi
t.
”

Mulal
o:(puzzl
ed)“
Whati
sit
?Doy
our
egr
ett
his?
I
’m sosorry
.”

Idon’
tregr
ett
hisatal
l
,Ij
ustr
egr
ett
hewaywedi
dit
.

Thato:
“It
’snott
hat
,it
’sj
ustt
hat
… Wedi
dn’
tusea
condom.”

Isawhi
mimmedi
atel
ytenseupandf
reakout
.
Mulal
o: “
Tee,Iam sosorry
, ImeanIj ustgotcaught
upinthemoment .Ireal
lydi dn’tmeanttosleepwith
youwithoutacondom.I treallywasn’tmyintenti
on.
Iwil
ltakeyoutoadoctorfirstthinginthemor ni
ng
andIwi l
lmakesurethatyougetamor ni
ngaf t
er
pil
l
.”

Wow,Ijustr
uinedagoodmomentbystat
ingt
he
obv
ious.May beIshoul
dhav
ewait
edinthemorni
ng.

That
o:“
It
’sokay
, Mu,comesl
eep.Wecandeal
wit
h
i
ttomor
rowmor ning.
”
Il
ookedathim andIcoul
dseet
hathewasn’
t
comfor
tabl
eany more.

Mul
alo:
“Per
hapsi
tisbet
teri
fIsl
eepont
hecouch.
”

Hedi
dn’
tev
enwai
tformet
otr
yandconv
incehi
mto
sl
eepinthesamebedasme, butinst
ead,hecarr
ied
hi
sclot
hesoutwithhi
m andclosedthedoorbehi
nd
hi
m.Whatt hefuckj
usthappened?
Chapt
erSev
ent
yOne

James1:5–“I
fanyofyoulackswi
sdom,lethi
m ask
God,whogi
vesgener
ouslytoal
lwi
thoutr
eproach,
andi
twil
lbegiv
enhim.”

Oneweekl
ater

That
o

Isleptwithav eryheavyheartthinkingthatMul al
o
woul dact ual l
yapologizeorsomet hi
ng,butev er
sincethatni ght,thi
ngswer ejustawkwar dbet ween
us.Igotupandhegr eetedmei nshame, li
kehe
couldn’tev enl ookatme.Idon’ tknow, may behe
j
ustdi dn’tliket hesexorsomet hing,butIhavebeen
feeli
ngl i
ket otalshi
tev ersi
nce.Imeanhei slit
eral
l
y
thef
ir
stguyIhaveev
ersl
eptwi
thev
ersi
nceKgand
nowhedoesthis?

Mxm, Ididn’tevenhav et heenergytoevenaskhi m

whyhewasbehav ingsof unnytowardsme.Idon’ t
l
ikewhathedi datall,butIhav etoomuchpr i
de.I
won’ tgoaf teraman, Ir efuse.Igottest
edandIwas
clearedf orpregnancy, HIVandSTD’ s.Iknowwhat
wedi dwaspr et
tystupid, butwelear
nf r
om our
mi stakes.Idi dgetthemor ni
ngaft
erpil
l,j
usttobe
saf eandt hatwast hel asttimeIspoketoMul alo.

Hewoul dbeonl ineonWhat sAppandIwoul dsee

hi
mt ypingandt henI ’
dendupr ecei
vingnomessage
whatsoever,soinal l
honesty ,
Ireall
ydon’ tknow
whattosayorev enhowt of eel.Somet imes, Ifeel
enr
aged, andjustpur el
ypissedathi mf orjust
i
gnoringmel ikethis,andatot herti
mesIf eelrather
sadandhear tbroken.

Ihav
emi
xedemot
ionsev
ery
timeIt
hinkaboutt
hat
night,Imeanhowcanhegi vemesuchgoodsexand
thenl eavemehangingli
kethat.Tomakemat t
ers
wor se, i
t’
sKg’
sweddingtoday,andy
ep,al
lofusare
i
nv i
ted.Notonl yar
eweal li
nvi
ted–Rami andIar
e
thebr idesmai
dswhileThendoandMulal
oar et
he
groomsmen.

Idon’ tevenknowwhyAnast aciadidthisshi t

,butI
am guessi ngitismostprobablytoprov eat astel
ess
point.AnaandIar en’
tevencloset obegi nwi t
h,so
sheisj ustspit
ingme.Icouldn’texactlysayno
becauseGr i
ngowouldhav ebeensuspi cious.He
andMam’ Vhav egrownsof ondofKg, althought hey
don’tli
keAnast aci
a,t
heyhav eacceptedt hatKg
“l
oves”her .

Ihatethi
sshit–Ihonest
lydo.Ist
ruggledkeeping
astrai
ghtfacewhenwewer ebusywithfit
ti
ngs
thr
oughouttheweek.Itwasbadenoughbei ngthere,
butitwasmuchwor sewhenAnastaci
akept
fl
aunti
ngKgi nmyface.Shedeli
berat
elykissedhim
ev
erychanceshegot
.

I
tr eall
ycutdeepandIcoul dn’texactl
yv entt o
Mul alobecausehej ustwasn’ teventalkingt ome.
Allhesai dwashi .Idon’ tevenwantt oexpl or et
he
furtherendoft hatconv ersation.Anast aciadecided
togoal loutfort hisweddi ng, withawhol ef ai
ryt
ale
i
cequeent heme, Idon’tev enknowwhatki ndof
themet hatis,butshei sgoi ngt owearar eal l
ybi
g
weddi ngdr ess, withanawef ull
ylongv eil.Itdoes
notev ensui thersi nceshei sheav il
ypr egnant .I
hav en’tseenKg’ sl ook, butIknowhewi lllookgood
i
nhi ssui t,asalway s.

Rami andIdecidedt ogot oGri

ngo’shouset oget
dressedt her
eandf rom therewewi l
lmeetupwi th
Anastaciaandther estofherweddi ngpartyatthe
venue.Theydeci dedt ogetmar ri
edatShepstone
Gardens, wel
lIam pr et
tysurethatwasAnast acia’
s
i
dea.I tisoneoft hemostel egantvenuesinthe
country,andyoucanonl ygetar eservat
iononcei n
si
xmont
hs.

Ireal
lydon’tfeell
ikegoi
nganywher e,andIhave
beenpurposefull
ydraggi
ngmyf eet.Ireall
ydon’
t
wantany onetodampenmymoodmor ethanit
al
readyis.AsIwashopi ngandpr ayingforaway
outofthiswedding,Nanaknockedonmydoorand
enter
edbef or
eIcoul dal
l
owherin.

Nana:
“Baby
,whyar
eyounotget
ti
ngdr
essed?
”

That
o:(
deepsi
gh)“
Ithi
nky
ouknowwhy
.”

Nana:(
Chuckl
i
ng)“
Lif
eistooshorttol
ivet
hesame
daytwi
ce,
youdoknowthat,
don’tyou?
”

That
o:“
Notr
eal
l
y.”
Nana:“Youmopear oundandcr yallday,everyday .
Younev ergiveyour sel
ftheopportunit
ytolivel i
fe
andexploreandact ual
lybehappy .Letmet ellyou
aboutmybestf r
iendSue.Shewant edmyhusband
backinthedaybef oreweev engotmar ri
ed.Mi nd
youmyhusbandwasaboutf iv
ey earsoldert hanme
andIwasst i
l
linschool .KnowingSue, shewentf or
Gregknowi ngverywel lGregwantedt obewi thme.”

Thato:
(frowni
ng)“Sowhatdi
dyoudo?Pl
easedon’
t
tel
lmey oubeatherup.
”

Nana: (l
aughing)“No,baby.IdidwhatIdobest–I
dressedtoimpr ess.Iwentandgotmy selfaver
yhot
outfi
t,andIsimplywal kedpasthi
m.Iknewt hen
thathewant edmei nsteadofSue.Thef ol
lowi
ng
day,hewasmyboy fr
iendandSue’sex.
”

Icoul
dn’
thel
pbutl
aughoutl
oud.
Nana: “
Mypointi s,Baby ,younev ergivepeoplea
reasontomakey ouunhappy .Doy ouandmake
yoursel
fhappy .Getup, getdressedint hatdress,
andshowAnast aciat hatnoev il
willprosperagainst
you.Youcandot his,becausey ouar eaGr oen.We
arenotweaklings, Thato,andt hesoonery ougr owa
thi
ckerski
n,thebet terandlongery ouwi l
lsurvi
ve.”

Shei
sri
ght
,Ihav
etodot
his.Ihav
etot
ry.

That
o:“
Iheary
ou,
Nana.Youal
way
sknowwhatt
o
say.
”

Nana:
“Gr
anni
esar
ether
eforar
eason,
mybaby
.”

Shehuggedmeandl eftasIgoti
ntothedr ess.
Thesedressesaren’thi
deous,atl
east.Ruthi sthe
matronofhonour ,what’
snew?Isaidapr ay er,
and
askedGodf orguidanceinordert
ogetthrought his
day.Iknowt hateveryt
hingwil
lworkoutfine,Ijust
needtobestrongandhanginther
e.Iheaded
downstai
rsandfoundevery
onewaitingonme.Yep,
onceagai
nIam thelastonetogetready.Ineedt
o
getpunct
ual,
real
ly.

Gri
ngo:
“Iknowy oumostdef
ini
tel
ydi
dn’
tgett
his
l
ackofpunctual
i
tyfr
om me.”

Theyal
ll
aughed,
causi
ngmet
ochuckl
easwel
l
.

That
o:“
It
’ssuchanol
dhabi
t,butIwi
l
lwor
koni
t.
”

Vivi
an:“
Let
’sgetgoi
ng,
mypeople,
wedon’
twantt
o
keepthehi
deousbri
dewai
ti
ng.
”

Wel aughedonceagainandgotintotheVit
o.Iti
s
alwaysbettert
odrivei
nonecarwhenwear emore
thanone.Oncewegott othevenue,al
most
everyonewasalreadyt
here.Idreadedthewhole
thi
ng,
henceIgotabot
tl
eofchampagnebef
ore
goi
ngint
otheBri
de’
sroom.

Nana:
(whi
sper
ing)“
RememberwhatIt
oldy
ou.
”

Shewinkedatmeandleft
.Gri
ngoside-
eyedme,
but
hewil
lsurvi
ve.Uponent
eri
ngther
oom, Rami
st
oppedme.

Rami:“
Now,Iknowy
ouhav
ekeptmei
nthedar
kfor
tool
ong.Spi
lli
t.
”

That
o:“
Rami
,wehav
etogo,
mos.
”

Rami
:“Summar
ize.
”

Iknewshewasn’tgoi
ngt
oletmel
eav
eitasi
s,soI
decidedt
ospi
titout.
That
o:“
Mul
aloandIf
ucked.
”

Rami
:(shocked)“
Iknewi
t!Ket
sibi
l
e(Iknewi
t)
!”

That
o:“
Skar
asaso(
Notsol
oud)
.”

Rami:“
Aowa(No)
,youowemet hej
uicydetai
l
s.
Phel
aIseet
heweirdvi
besbet
weenyout wo.”

Thato:
“Ei
sh,
thingsar
eawkwardnow.Let
’sf
ini
sh
thi
sandIwil
ltel
lyoual
labouti
t.
”

Rami
:“You’
dbet
ter
.”

Itookadeepbreathandwalkedi
n.Mindyouthese
bit
cheskeptmakingfunnyr
emarksaboutmyhair
sayingmyhair
stylechoi
cewasabadone.ButKg
hasbeenl ookingatmeev erychanceheget s.Idon’t
knowwhyt heuniversekeepst or
turi
ngmel i
ket hi
s.
EvenThendoandRami haveabetterrelati
onship
thanIdowi thanyguy .Aswewal kedin, wesaw
Ruthhelpi
ngt hef r
anticAnastaci
aintoherdr ess.I
don’tknow, butshedoesn’tlookokayf orapr egnant
woman.Herf acelookshalfswoll
en,whi l
eshei s
l
iter
all
yhyper venti
l
atingandsweat i
ng.

Ruth:“
Ana,cal
m downl
ewenaman!Youwillupset
thebaby!Youneedtol
ookl
i
kearealbr
ide!
”

Anastaci
a:(hyper
venti
lat
ing)“
HowcanI,wenaRut
h!
Iam notfeeli
ngwellandthepainsar
enotgoi
ng
away.”

Ruth:
“LewenaMasangowar nedyou!Bonanouo
i
toket
semer ot
oledi
hlar
ekamony ong(
Looknow,
youputmuthiandur
ineint
oyourpussy)
!Whatdid
youexpect
?”
BothRamiandIwereshockedastheydidn’
teven
hearuswal
kin,l
etal
oneseeusst ar
ingatthem.
OnlywhenRut
hwasaboutt otur
naround,shesaw
usandgotahugefri
ght.

Ruth:“Andthenl
ena(youtwo)?
!Whyl ere
tomoletsemahlo(Whyareyoustar
ingatusl
i
ke
that
)?”

Iknowbet t
erthantospil
lthebeans.Ithinkthey
bothwantedtoseei fweactual
lyheardthem ornot.
Anastaci
alookedli
keshewasi nseriouspain,but
sheforgotall
aboutthepainforamomentasshe
star
edatuswi thbaffl
edeyes.

Rami:“Ah,sorry
,man,Ruth.Nerecheckai
flehl
oka
somethingna( Wejustwantedt
ocheckify
ou
neededany t
hing).
”
Rut
h:“
No,
gogetussomewat
erorsomet
hing.
”

Rami andIbot
hsawt hefew bot
tl
esofwaterbehi
nd
them.Theywerejustprobabl
ydyi
ngforustoleav
e
them al
one.

Rami
:“Sho,
Rut
h.”

Wewal kedoutandclosedt hedoorandmadeour

wayt ooneofthebalconies.Asweappr oached,we
tookfourchampagnegl assesfr
om oneoft he
waiter
s,sowecouldhav et woglasseseach.Ireal
l
y
needadr i
nkifIam goingtowatchmyf i
ancéemarry
anotherbi
tch.

That
o:“DidyouhearwhatRuthsai
d?Wasshe
act
uall
ytalki
ngaboutMasangothesangoma?
”

Rami
:“For
gett
hoset
wobi
tches,
tel
lmeabout
Mulal
o.Whathappened?Washebadi
nbed?Does
hehaveasmall
dick?”

Thato:“
No,
farf
rom i
t,act
ual
ly
.Hedeci
dedt
o
suddenl
yst
optal
ki
ngtome. ”

Iexplainedeverythi
ngt hatpr
ogressedt hatni
ght
from ushav i
ngunpr otectedsex,toMulaloacting
strangelyuponr eal
izi
ngwedi dn’tuseacondom.
Rami wasr athershockedanddi sappointedthatI
hadf i
rstti
mesexwi t
hMul al
owithoutacondom, but
atleastshedi dn’tj
udgeme.I nfact,shegaveme
rathersurpri
singadv i
ceaboutMul alo.

Rami :“Si
s,youknow,Idon’
tpromot eunprotected
sex,mor eespecial
l
ywheny oubothdon’ tevenknow
eachot her,
butwhatIcantell
y ouisthatMul al
oisn’
t
suchabadguy .Heprobablyfeel
slikeshitfor
fuckingyouwhileheissti
ll
mar ri
edt oOli
via.And
besides,Iknowforafacthef eel
slikewhor eshitf
or
i
gnor ingyouallt
hesedays.
”
That
o:(
frowni
ng)“
Howdoy
ouknow?
”

Rami:“
Well,
hehasbeentext
ingmeandaskingme
howhecouldappr
oachyouaf t
erwhathedi
d.I
act
uall
yknewever
ythi
ng,
Iwasj ustwai
ti
ngfory
ou
tot
ellme.”
ButRami
issosl
y,t
hough.Howcoul
dshe?

That
o:“Howcoul
dy oukeepmeinsuchmiser
ywhen
youknewthewholeti
me?Andyouactedso
sur
pri
sedwhenItoldyouafewminut
esago.”

Rami:(
laughi
ng)“
That’smytal
ent
,boo.Ididn’
twant
tof
orceanythi
ngoutofyou.Iact
ual
lythoughthe
gaveyoubadsex,butIam gl
adhehasagoodD-
game.”

Webot
hlaughedandaswedi
d,Kgemer
gedl
ooki
ng
sodamnf ine.Thatbeaut if
ul,I
tal
ianGr eysuitofhis
mat chesper f
ectlywiththetheme.Hehadapi nk
shirtunderneath.Ijustwantedtomel tr i
ghtthere
andt hen.Iam sopr oudofthemanhehasbecome,
event houghIr eal
lyhatethekindofbusi nesst hey
arein.Hehasemer gedint
osuchagor geous, head
strongandhandsomeman.Ist il
ldon’
tknowwhy
theycallhim Wol fe,
butanyway .

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)“
Ladi
es.
”

Rami
:(smi
l
ing)“
Hey
,Kg.
”

That
o:“
Hey
…”

Kg:
“Rami
,doy
oumi
nd-
“

Rami
:(i
nter
rupt
ing)“
Ofcour
senot
,seey
oul
ater
,Tee.
Kg…”
Shelef
twhileKgchuckl
edal onebeforeme.He
pausedandstaredatme.If eltl
i
kewehada
moment ,
thelastt
imehest aredatmel i
kethatwas
j
ustbeforewegotmar r
ied.Fuck, t
hisguysti
ll
makesmeweakt otheknees.

Kg:
“Howar
eyou?
”

That
o:(
ner
vousl
y)“
I’
m wel
l
,thanks,
howar
eyou?
”

Kg:“
Iam okay
.Whydoy ougetsoner
vous
whenev
erIam ar
oundy
ou? ”

Tal
kaboutst
rai
ghtf
orwar
d.

That
o:“
I…Idon’
tknow…”
Kg:
“MayIasky
ouaquest
ion?
”

That
o:“
Yes,
youmay
.”

Kg:
“Whyhav
eIbeendr
eami
ngabouty
oul
atel
y?”

Ifr
ozeforasecond.Myheartexci
tedl
yjumpedfor
j
oy.Couldthi
sbet hebr
eakt
hroughIhavebeen
hopingf
or?
Chapt
erSev
ent
yTwo

Luke12:2–“ Not
hingiscover
edupthatwi
llnotbe
reveal
ed,orhi
ddenthatwil
lnotbeknown.
”

That
o

If
eltmyhear
tbeat
ingt
oofastasIst
aredatKg.I
washopi
nghewouldsayheremembersall
thegood
t
imeswehaveshar ed,eventhoughwedidn’
tev
en
makeitt
oay earofbeingtogether
.Yes,
hemaybe
myfi
rst,
butwow, heisjustt
heone.

That
o:“
Idon’
tfol
l
ow.
”

Kg:
“Ihav
ebeenhav
ingr
ecur
ri
ngdr
eamsabouty
ou.
”

That
o:“
Whatki
ndofdr
eams?

Kg:“Idon’treal
l
yknow,butwekeepl
aughinginthe
dream,whi l
eIbrushyourt
ummyinthedream.We
al
way sappeart obeonthebedi
naroom thatisver
y
unfamil
iartome. ”

I
tmustbehi
sol
dpl
ace.So,
that
’si
t?That
’sal
lhe
r
emembers?
”
That
o:“
Ist
hati
t?”

Kg:“Well
,onepart
icular
lyoddpar
tofthedream t
hat
keepspuzzli
ngmei swhenIgiveyouthediamond
pendantyou’
rewearing.Mayyoupleaseshowme
whatisinsi
de?”

Idi
dn’ tevenhesitatethisti
me, Iputtheglasses
downononeoft het ablesont hebalcony,asItookit
off
,andhandedi ttohi m.Heopenedt hependant,
andoncehesawt hetwopi ctures,
hegav emequi t
e
ashockedexpr ession.Foramomentmyhear twas
sojov i
al,IthoughtIhadf i
nallywonmymanback
andt hisstupidweddi ngwoul dn’thappen.He
l
ookedati tforawhi l
e,andt henheshockedmewi th
hi
sr eaction.

Kg:
(pi
ssed)“
Ist
hissomeki
ndofsi
ckj
oke?
”

That
o:(
shocked)“
Excuseme?
”
Kg:“Whydoy
ouhav
eapictur
eofyouandIi
nyour
pendant
?Whatt
hefucki
sthi
s,That
o?”

Wow,Kghasnev
err
aisedhi
svoi
ceatmel
etal
one
beenmadatme.

Thato:(
pani cky
)“Idon’
tunderstandKg.Thati
sthe
pendanty ougaveme.Wewer einl
oveandaboutt
o
getmarried.Yougav emet hatasapresentf
ormy
17thbir
thday .Iwaspregnantand–“

Hedidn’
tev
engi
vemeachancetoexpl
ain.Itseems
asi
fthemoreIt
ryt
oexpl
ain,
themoreagit
atedhe
got
.

Kg:(f
umi ng)“You’
renotser
ous,
That
o!Ar
ey ou
honestl
yt r
yingtosabot
agemeonmyweddingday
wit
hy ourli
es?!”
Wow, Ihav
enev erbeensohur tinmylif
ebefore.I
feltl
i
kemyhear twasl i
ter
all
ybeingri
ppedapart
piecebypiece.Whot hefuckdoesKgt hinkheis?
!I
feell
ikeIdon’tknowt hepersonIam tal
kingtoisnot
theKgIknow.Kgwoul dnev erbethi
srudetowards
awoman–ev er.

That
o:“
Kg,
I–“

Kgdi dn’tevengiv
emeaf ewsecondst othi
nkor
speak, butinst
ead,hethrewmydiamondneckl ace
atmeandIcaughti tinshock.Hedi dn’
tevensay
anythingtome, butinst
eadheleftmest andingthere,
humi l
iatedasfuck.Icouldfeel
thecoar setears
ri
ppingt hroughmycheeks.I st
hisreall
ywhatmy
l
ifehasbecome?

Am Inowajoke?Am Isupposedtoendur
esuch
embarr
assmentandhumil
i
ati
onfrom menall
the
fucki
ngtime?
!Ifor
gotforasecondthatIam a
bri
desmaidataweddingasIdrownedinmyt ear
s.
Rami cametofet
chme.

Rami
:“Tee,
theweddi
ngi
saboutt
ost–“

Shel
ookedatmeshocked.

Rami:(shocked)“
Keng(
Whati
sit
)?!What
happened?”

Iexplai
nedevery
thi
ngKgdi dandshewasfumi
ngso
much, sheevenwantedtogoconfr
onthim,
butI
stoppedher.Thatwouldonlymakethi
ngswor
se.

That
o:“
No,
leav
eit
.”

Rami
:“Mxm,
ogot
lwael
amasepa,
wai
tse(
hei
sful
l
ofshi
t,y
ouknow).Don’
tworry,whent
hepr
iestasks
whoobject
s,Iwi
l
lgl
adlyshootup.”

Imanagedtol
aughal i
tt
leatmyst
atement,
asshe
wipedmytear
soff.Myf acei
sst
il
lredandabi
t
swoll
en,
butwell
,theshowmustgoon.

That
o:“
Let
’sdot
his.
”

Rami
:(nodded)“
Let
’s.
”

Wewentbehi ndRut handt hewor r

iedAnast aci
a.
Ruthgav eusonel ook, butRami quicklyputheri
n
herplaceandshedeci dednott oaskany thi
ng
furt
her .NtateMor uti(Past or)i
swal kingAnastacia
downt heaisl
eandhei sal sogoi ngt ooffi
ci
atethe
weddi ng.Abi todd,butIguessi ti
showshewant ed
i
t.Anast acialooksr eallyi
ll,butIguessshewant sto
dothisbef oreKgmostl i
kelychangeshi smind.I
feell
ikesomet hi
ngbet weent hem isnotr i
ght.
AllalongKgwasf ine, butnowhei sjustsomeone
else, someonecompl et el
ydiffer
ent .AsIwal ked
downt heai sl
e,Itri
edt oscanKg’ seyes,buti nstead
hel ookedatmel i
kehewasr eadyt omur derme, soI
shiftedmyf ocusel sewher e.Gr ingoandMam’ V
gav emeonel ookandt heycouldi mmedi atelysee
thatsomet hingjustwasn’ tr
ight.AsIwal kedon
further,IsawRomeoandTi gerseat ednextt oeach
other ,l
ookingf ardiff
er entfrom whatt heyl ooked
l
iket helastt i
meIsawt hem.Aheadofme, nextto
Kg, wasMul alo.Hel ookedatmewi t
hsucha
saddenedl ookonhi sf ace.Idon’ tknowwhati sup
withhi m, butIwalkedon.

Atti
mesl iketheseIreall
ymi ssSoks.Hewascr azy
asfuck,butheknewj usthowt oli
ghtenthemood.I
wonderifhei sokaywher everheis.Ifinal
l
ygott o
myspot ,asRami gaveKgadeat hstareandcame
nexttome.Rut hdecidedtowal kdownt heai
sl
el ast
,
andtheni twasfinall
ytimeforLitt
leMs.Sunshine.I
couldseeshewasst ruggli
ngtowal kandtheveil
overherf
acewasseri
ouslyhi
dingt
hei
mmense
sweatdri
ppi
ngfr
om herface.

Onecoul devenseeherbleachedskintoner ight

underneathit
.Hermakeupwaswear ingof f,but
shedidn’tcar
e.Shejustwant edtogetmar ried.
EvenKgl ookedatherandst ar
tedwor r
ying, butfuck
hi
mr ightnow.Hecangot ohell.AsAnast acia
walkedupt oKg,sheheldhishandev ent houghshe
l
ookedl i
keshewasst r
uggling.

Ntat
eMoruti:
:”Weregat
her
edher
etoday,
towi
tness
abeaut
if
ulunionbet
weenmydaught
erandmy
wonder
fulsoninl
aw.”

Anast
aci
aseemedli
keshewasr
eal
l
yhast
yand
coul
dn’
twai
tanyl
onger
.

Anast
aci
a:“
Coul
dwepl
easeski
pri
ghtt
otheIdo’
s.
”
Kg:(
surpri
sed)“
Ana,
baby
,what
’swr
ong?Your
eal
l
y
don’
tlookokay.
”

Ideci
dedt
omesswi
tht
heset
wo.

That
o:“Per
hapsweshouldt
akeabr
eakandgi
vet
he
mom tobesomewater.
”

Kgshotmeadeathstar
e,whi
leAnast
aci
acoul
dn’
t
wai
ttothr
owherusuali
nsul
tsatme.

Anast
acia:“
Shutup,
wena(
y ou)
!You’
rej
ustabi
tt
er
bi
tchtr
yingtor
uinmymarr
iage!
”

Thato:
“Yoh(wow),okay
.Sor
ry,
ngwanaMasango
(Masango’
schi
ld)
.”

Sher
aisedherey
ebr
owsandwi
denedherey
esas
soonassheheardmesaythat
.Igaveherasmi r
k
asIcouldseeshewasi
nseri
ouspai
n.Shestarted
touchi
ngherbel
ly,
andmostpr
obabl
ycouldn’
ttakeit
anylonger
.

Anast
aci
a:(
Scr
eami
ng)“
Aaaah!
”

Kgheldhersoqui
ckly,
beforeshefel
ldown.The
guest
sweresurpr
ised,asherfat
herwasscaredand
pani
cky.Mulal
okeptstari
ngatmef r
om hisside,
whil
etheguest
swer emurmuringandgasping.

Kg:
“Ar
eyouokay
?”

Anast
aci
a:(
Scr
eami
ng)“
Yoooh!Kg!Ngwana(
The
baby)
…”

Thenextthi
ngwesawbloodgushi
ngdownfr
om her
dressasKghel
dher.Ihavenev
erseensomuch
bloodcomingfrom awoman’
slegsbef or
e.Ihave
seenitspi
l
lingf
rom aper
son’
sbrains,butthi
s–this
doesnotevenlookli
keanormalmiscarri
age,but
whatdoIknow?

Kg:
(fr
ant
ic)“
Someone,
cal
lanambul
ance!
”
Romeosur pri
sedusal
lbybei
ngt
hef
ir
stonefr
om
theguest
st ojumpupandhel
pKgwi
thAnast
acia.

Romeo:(wor
ri
ed)“
Anast
aci
a!Oshap(
Arey
ou
okay
)?”

NtateMoruti
:(Wail
i
ng)“Yoh,
ngwanaka(Oh,my
chil
d)!Ican’
tlosemychil
dandgrandchil
dri
ghtaft
er
l
osingmywi fe!Yoh,Modimoontahl
etseng(Oh,
God,whyhav eyoudesert
edme)?
!”

Ti
ger:
“It
hinkweshouldt
akehert
othehospi
tal
.
Theambulancewon’
tmakeiti
nti
me.”
Romeosur
spi
sedusal
lyetagai
n.

Romeo:
“Anast
aci
a,whatdi
dyoudot
omychi
l
d?!
”

Thecrowdgasped,al
ongwit
husandNtat
eMorut
i.
Kgont heot
herhandseemedtohav
eswit
chedt
o
Wolf
emode.

Nt
ateMor
uti
:“War
eng(
Whatdi
dyouj
ustsay
)?!
”

Romeor eali
zedhehadasli
pofthetongueandtri
ed
tochangehisstatement
,whi
leKgl
ookedathim wi
th
bloodshoteyes.

Romeo:
“Uhm,
Imean,
uh…mygr
andson.
”

Kg:
(fumi
ng)“
Papa,
whatt
hef
uck?
!”
IsawRomeomov eawayi
npanicandf
ear
.Iguess
Wolf
eisasdanger
ousastheysay
.

Romeo:
“It
’snotwhaty
out
hink,
son.
”

Kg:“Thenexpl
ainbef
oreIbl
owy
ourf
ucki
ngbr
ains
off
!”

Romeo:
“Itwasn’
tsupposedt
obel
i
ket
his.
”

Anast
acia:
(screami
ng)“Romeo!St
opspi
tt
ingt
hose
l
iesoutofyourmouth!
”

Romeo:“
Well
,Iam t
ir
edofpr
etendi
ng.Son,
Anast
aci
aiscar
ryi
ngmychil
d.”

Ev
ery
onei
ncl
udi
ngRami
andIgasped.
Romeo:“Iam sor
ryy
ouhadtofi
ndoutthi
sway
.But
ri
ghtnowsheneedsmedical
att
ent
ion.
”

Kg: “
Fucky ou,Papa!Andwena( you),
Anastacia,you
clear
lyf orgotwhot hefuckIam!Afterthatbastard
getsr i
ppedf rom yourvagi
na,Iam mostdefini
tely
comi ngf oryou!Iwi l
lri
pyourusel
esswombf rom
youmy self!
”

Anastacial
ookedmor escaredt haninpain.Tiger
hel
pedRomeocar ryAnast aciaout ,
whil
eNt ate
MorutiandRuthhurr
iedbehi ndt hem.Ther ewasso
muchbl oodonthefl
oor ,butIdi dn’
tcar
el ess.I
meant hefoodanddrinksstillhavetobeenj oyed,
ri
ght?

Thato:
“Well
,thatwasr
atherdramat
ic.Thef
oodand
dri
nkscannotgotowaste,guy
s!”
Okay ,Idi
dn’tmeant osoundi nsensi
tiv
e, butI
actuallywantedKgt of eelhorri
bleabouthi mself.I
l
ookedathi m andsmi rked,asMul al
ot riedt o
comf orthim.Rami walkedbehi ndme, asIl eft
Gri
ngoandMam’ Vinshock.Ofcour seNanawas
bursti
ngi nlaughterasalway s.Therei snev eradul
l
momentwhenwehav etoat t
endaf unct ion.I
headedt other ecepti
onv enue, whi
leev er y
one
seemedt ohavef ol
lowedbehi ndme.

Tonight,
Iam abouttot urnintoadanger ouslady .I
am tir
edofkeepingmymout hshutaboutKg.He
will
knowt henewmet oday .Whot hefuckdoeshe
thi
nkhei s?Idi
dn’tevenhav ethechancet omour n
mybaby ,meanwhi l
ehewasont opofAnast acia
whileIwascryi
ngmyl ungsout .Iheadedst raight
forthebarandgotmy selfaCor ona,andGringoand
Mam’ Vwer esurpri
sed, buttheyletmebe.Iwant ed
Kgt oremembereachandev erypartofwhatwe
shared.Evenifi
tmeansi thast obei nahumi l
iati
ng
way .Nomanhasev erspokent omet hewayhedi d
afewmi nutesago.Fuckhi m,fuckWol fe!
That
o:“
DJ,
Pleasepl
ayt
hemusi
c!”

TheDJdi dasinstructed,sincehegotpaidtobe
her eanyway.Ther ewasnot i
meforspeeches,
thankgoodnessf orthat.Ev er
yonestar
tedeati
ng
andenj oyi
ngtheirfreeroundofdr i
nks.Oddly,Isee
af ewpeoplefrom Di epkloofwhoseemedr ather
shockedt oseeme.Oneoft hem,Mokgadi,oneof
thet ownshi
pdr unkswal kedupt omewhi l
eIwas
dishingup.

Mogkadi:“Hao(
Wow),Thato.Kgantedint
shi
tseng
betweenwenaleKg(Whathappenedbetweenyou
andKg)?Gapey ouweretheit
-coupl
e(Youwerethe
i
t-coupl
e).
”

That
o:“
Lif
ehappened,
Mokgadi
.”

Mokgadi
:“Tj
o(Wow)
.AndBophel
obany
esaka
nnet
e(Li
fei
sreal
l
ytough,
hey
).”

Il
eftherst
andi
ngt
her
eandwentbackt
oRami
.

Rami
:“Tee,
oshap(
arey
ouokay
)?”

That
o:“Tobehonest,Iam notokay,Rami.Myhear
t
i
sbleeding,
butr
ightnow,Ijustwanttoenjoy
myself
.”

Rami
:(smi
l
ing)“
Ili
ket
hesoundoft
hat
.”

ThendocameuptousandkissedRamionthecheek.
Ijustl
ovet
hewaytheybehav
earoundoneanother
.
Itremi
ndsmesomuchofKgandIbacki ntheday.

Thendo:
“Tee.
”
That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Thendo.Howar
eyou?
”

Thendo:
“I’
m wel
l
,howar
eyou?
”

That
o:“
Iam al
i
ve,
that
’sal
lthatmat
ter
s.”

Thendo:(
chuckli
ng)“Mybr
otherhasbeendyi
ngt
o
tal
ktoyou.Pleasetal
ktohi
m.Ibegofy ou.
”

Il
ookedbehi
ndThendoandther
ewasMul
alo
st
andingt
her
e,f
iddl
inghi
shands.Ai
.

That
o:“
Okay
.”

Thendothensignal
edf
orMulal
otocomeandhe
rushedovert
oourtabl
eli
keachil
d.Thendopul
l
ed
Rami f
oradance.
Mul
alo:
(ner
vousl
y)“
Hi.
”

Iwasi
nter
nal
l
yrol
l
ingmyey
es.

That
o:“
Hi.
”

Mul al
o:“Look,Tee.Iam r eallysorr
yaboutt hewayI
hav ebeentreati
ngy ou.Tobehonest ,
Ifeelli
keshi
t.
Ijustfel
tsohor r
ibl
ef orputtingyouinaposi ti
onli
ke
that.Ireall
ydidn’
tmeant ober udet owardsyouli
ke
that.Ididn’
twanty out othinkthatIwast reati
ngyou
l
ikeasi dechick.Iam r eal
lysor r
y,Tee.Please
forgiv
eme. ”

That
o:“
It
’sokay
,real
l
y.Apol
ogyaccept
ed.
”

Mulalo:(smil
ing)“
Yoh,youdon’tknowhowmuch
thatmakesmehappy ,
Muf umakadzi(Queen)
.Trul
y
speaking,Ihavebeennervous,
becausewell,
Iam
pl
anni
ngt
oleav
eOl
i
viaf
ory
ou.
”

Tobehonest ,thatwasabombshel lIreall

ydidn’t
expect.Idon’tthi
nkIevenloveMulalo.Idon’ tknow
whatexactlyIam doingwithhi
m.Butl eavi
nghi s
wifeIsnotsomet hi
ngIam will
ingtoallowhimt odo.
Idon’tt
hinkthiswouldbetherightmomentt obur st
hisbubble,
soIhadt othinkquick.

That
o:“
Come,
let
’sdance.
”

Ipul
ledhi
mt omydi r
ecti
onasweheadedt ot
he
dancefl
oor.Ikeptgl
anci
ngt oKg’sdir
ect
ion,
who
wasnexttoNana.Shehasbeenkeepi nghim
companyforfartool
ong,butfuckit
.Iam havi
ngt
he
ti
meofmyl if
e.

Kg
Ican’tbeli
evemywhol emar riagewasal i
e.
Anastaciaalongwi thmyf athertookmef ora
fucki
ngf ool!Howcoul dhei mpregnatemyownwi fe
ri
ghtundermynosewi thoutmesuspect ingathing!
Tomakemat tersworseIbasi call
yinsult
edThato
andIdon’ tevenknowt hegi rl
.Idon’ tknowwhyI
react
edt hewayIdi d,butsomet hi
ngt el
lsmeIwas
horri
blywr ong.HowdoIev engoaboutapol ogizing?
AsIwasdeepi nthought,IsawGr ingo’smom
approachingme.

Nana:“Ofal
lthewordsofmi
ceandmen,t
he
saddestar
e,“I
tmighthav
ebeen”–Kur
tVonnegut
.”

Il
ookedatherpuzzl
ed.

Nana:“I
tbasicall
ymeansthatmostofthemen
alongwit
hmi cehavebeensayi
ngthosewor dsov
er
thecent
uries.Iti
snevert
oolatet
otry,
y ouknow.
”
Kg:“Mymarr
iagei
sov erbefor
eitbegan.Iwould
rat
hert
rybef
oretr
yinganyt
hingwithheragai
n.”

Nana:“
Youknow, f
orsuchawealthyandstrongmen
yousur
ecanbest upi
d.Iam nottalki
ngabout
Anast
acia.Iam t
alki
ngaboutThato.”

Kg:
(puzzl
ed)“
Idon’
tgetwhaty
oumean,
Nana.
”

Nana: “
Timeisnotonyoursi
de,
Wol f
e.Youhav e
beenslacki
ngwayt ool
ongandy ouhav
en’tbeen
prayi
ng.Asar esul
tshehasl
osthopeandhas
stoppedprayi
ngforyout
oo.Dangerisl
urki
ngand
youknowy ouaretheonl
yonewhocanhel pher.
”

Idon’
tunder
standwhatshemeans.Hasshegone
i
nsane?

Kg:
“Nana,
Ireal
l
ydon’
tknowwhaty
ouar
etal
ki
ng
about
.”

Nana:“Whydoy outhinkyouhav ebeendreami

ng
aboutherandthenecklaceyougav eher?Youhave
al
way sbeenherpil
larofstr
ength.Yourstepmother
andyourownf at
herfuckedwi t
hy ourf
atewhenyou
gotshotthatday.Shesadlylostyourbabyandnow
ever
ythi
ngisfuckedup.”

Baby?Whati sshet
alki
ngabout?AsIwas
ponderi
ngmymi nd,
tryi
ngreal
l
yhardt
othi
nk,she
pl
acedherfinger
sonbothmyhandsandstar
edme
deepintheeyes.

Nana:“Takeagoodlookatme, ri
ghtnow.Focus,
breat
heslowl
y,cl
oseyourey esandforcey
ourbrain
toremember.Youcannotgiv eupri
ghtnow,Wolf
e,
youhaveawifetoprotectt
onight.
”

Icl
osedmyey
esanddi
dasshesai
d.It
ri
edmybest
tof ocusandbr eathe,andt heni tslowl ystarted
comi ngbackt ome.Isuddenl yhadf lashbacksof
That oandI ,maki nglovef orthev eryf ir
stt i
mei n
Dur ban,thedayIgav ehert heneckl ace, whenPalesa
kil
ledher selfattheKr ugerNat ional Par k,andthen
fi
nal l
yIremembert hedayIgotshotasshegot
grabbedf r
om t hecar,whi l
eIr estedmyey es
helplessly.Islowl yopenedmyey esandIl ookedat
herdanci ngwi thMul alo.ThenIhear dt hesong
“Khet i
leKhet i
lebyKwest a”.Thatusedt obeour
favouritesong.Ist oodupi nhast e.

Kg:
(Shout
ing)“
TT!
”

Thatolookedatmef i
rmlyandsodidMul alo.Upon
stari
ngatherIsuddenl
yrememberedev eryt hi
ng!
Wewer esupposedtogetmar ri
edt
hatday , shewas
dressedsobeauti
ful
lyandshewascar r
yingmyby .I
feltmysel
fsmil
easpai nf
ultear
sofjoystreamed
downmycheeks.
Kg:(shout
ing)“
TT!Ir
ememberev
ery
thi
ng,
baby
!I
remember!”

Asshewasaboutt oletgoofMul al
oandr ushtome,
weallsawTeargasandgunshot sfol
lowed.
Every
thingwassuchahaze, asIswift
lytr
iedtorun
towardsher,
butIcouldn’
tseeher.

Kg:
(shout
ingf
rant
ical
l
y)“
TT!Wher
ear
eyou?
!”

Idi
dn’
tevencarewhet
hert
her
ewer
epeopl
e
shoot
ingornot
.

Kg:
“TT!
”

AsIsqui
rmedar ound,t
ryi
ngtolookformyTT,Ifel
t
mysel
fslowlydropdown.Isuddenlyfel
timmense
pai
nonmyabdomen.Ipl acedmyhandonmy
abdomen,andreali
zedIwasbleedi
ng.Igotshot.
Mul
alo:“Fuck!Kgisshot
!Someonecal
lthe
ambulance!Help!
”
Chapt
erSev
ent
yThr
ee

Romans12: 17- 21-“ Repaynooneev i

lforev i
l,
but
givethoughttodowhati shonor abl
eint hesightof
all
.Ifpossibl
e, sof arasitdependsony ou,li
ve
peaceablywithal l.Beloved,neveravengey ourselves,
butleaveittothewr athofGod, f
oriti
swr it
ten,
“Vengeancei smi ne, Iwil
l r
epay,saystheLor d.
”To
thecont r
ary,“
ify ourenemyi shungry,
feedhi m; i
fhe
i
st hir
sty,gi
vehi m somet hi
ngtodr i
nk;forbyso
doingy ouwillheapbur ni
ngcoal sonhishead. ”Do
notbeov ercomebyev il,
butov er
comeev i
lwith
good.“

Anast
aci
a

Ican’
tbel
i
eveMasangodi
dn’
twar
nmeabouthi
s
stupi
dher bs!Hesaidtomet hatIwouldl
osemy
chil
d,butnotinsuchadrasti
call
yhumili
ati
ngway!I
feell
ikeuttershi
t,mywhol
ebodyf eel
snumb.Ihad
togetoper at
edonandhav emybabyr emovedfr
om
me.Il ostmywombi nt
heprocess,onethi
ngIcan
nevergetreplaced.

Apparent l
ymywombandf al
lopi
ant ubeswer eso
badlydamaged, Iam luckyt obealive.Ican’teven
feelmy sel
f,I
’m numbanddi str
aught,whatIf ai
lto
understandthemosti st hefactthatKgnev er
botheredtoev enf ol
lowus.Hehasn’ tevencall
edor
evenmadeanappear anceher etovisitme.AsIl ay
i
nmycol d,hospitalbed, Romeowal kedi n.The
fucki
ngr easonIam her e.

Romeo:(f
umi
ng)“Ana,
whatt
hef
uckdi
dyoudo?
!
Youki
ll
edmychil
d?!
”

Anast
aci
a:(
annoy
ed)“
Romeo,
onl
yfami
l
yisal
l
owed
her
e.Whatdoyouwant?
”
Romeo:
“Don’
tfuckwi
thme,Ana!Youki
ll
edmy
son?
!Whatthefucki
swrongwit
hyou?!
”

Anastaci
a: “I
ncaseyouhaven’tnoti
ced,youarethe
reasonforallthi
smess.Hady ounotclai
medy our
chil
dtoy ourownson, wewouldn’tevenbehaving
thi
sconv ersati
on.Sayyoursayandf uckoff
!”

AsIsai
dthatheat
temptedt
ochokeme,
butIhel
d
mypani
cbuttonupint
heair
.

Anastaci
a:“Dar
eit,
andIswear,Iwill
getyou
arr
ested!Iswear,
ifyoudoit,
Iwil
l makesureTi
ger
fi
ndsoutyouarePr i
ncess’
fat
her,andthefat
herof
Oli
via’
sunbornbaby!”

Hel
ookedatmeandst
art
edbr
eat
hingheav
il
y.
Anastaci
a: “
Yes, dearRomeo.Yout hi
nky oucant ur
n
ever
ylitt
legirl
y oumeeti ntoyourperf
ectJulietby
shooti
ngy ourloadupt heirpussi
es.Ev erywoman
youimpregnatet hatgivesbir
thtoagirlchil
d, y
ou
negl
ectandt hrowawayl i
ketrash.Ican’twaittosee
whatKgwi lldot oyou,hewi l
lri
pyoutoshr eds.”

Romeo: (fumi
ng)“That’
sokay ,Anastacia.Si ncey ou
thinkyouaresoclever
,letmet el
lyouhowy ou
fail
edtoseethatIam actuall
yonest epaheadof
everyone.YouthinktheMi ghtyWol f
ewon’ tfall
alongwithGri
ngoandhi sdisrespectfulwife,butI
alreadyhaveaplan.Youmi ghtbesur pr
isedt hatso
manypeopl ewantthem dead–mei ncluded. ”

If
eltasur
geoff
earr
usht
hroughmybody
.

Anastaci
a:(shocked)“
So,youwouldactual
l
ykill
yourownf l
eshandbl oodal
lbecauseheexposed
yourdir
tydeali
ngs?”
Romeo:(
chuckl
ing)“
Yes,whynot ?Ihav
ewor ked
waytoohar
dtogetwher eIam today
.Noone, not
evenKgwil
lst
opmef rom achievi
ngmygoals.Iwil
l
makesureheli
vestoregreti
t–y oui
ncl
uded.”

Ifel
tmy sel
fbeingov ercomewi t
hfear.Idon’
tget
scarednormall
y ,butthelookIsawinRomeo’seyes
scream somethingelse.Ican’tbel
iev
ehei sr
eall
y
thi
sev i
l
.Whatt hef uckdoeshemeanbyal otof
peoplewantGringoandKgdead?

Mul
alo

Ican’tbeli
evewewereambushedl i
kethatevenwit
h
somuchsecur it
ydetai
l.Someoneneedst ocome
clean–t hi
swasobv i
ouslyaset up,
aninsi
dejob
mor eli
keit.Iwasdanci
ngwi t
hThatoandt henext
thingbull
etsweref
lyi
ng,teargaswasalloverthe
place.Iduckedint
hepr ocess,forl
il
ter
all
ytwo
minutesandt henIcoul
dn’tseeThatoanymore.I
feell
ikeshit.Ishoul
dhavepr ot
ectedthewomanI
l
ov e.Ican’tbel
ievet
hatsuchhashappenedy et
again.Ilookedaroundandhear dKg’svoi
cenear
ing
me.

WhenIsawhi m dr opdownonhi sknees, Iknewthat

hehadbeenshot .Thebl ood-soakedhand
confirmedit.Wemanagedt ogetaf ir
staidteam i
n
here,andoncet hesmokedi ed,af ewofuswentout
tocheckwhatwashappeni ngout side,buteventhen,
therewer enopeopl ei nsi
ght .Allourmenev en
Smal l
ywer eunconsci ousont hefloor.Thiswas
carefull
yplanned, andmostdef i
nitelybysomeone
weknow.AsIwentbackt ot herecept i
onarea,I
heardNanascr eami ng.

Nana:
(scr
eami
ng)“
Noo!Pl
ease,
God,
no!
”

Ir
ushedovert
oherandsawGri
ngoandVi
vi
anl
ying
onthef
loorwi
thbl
oodoozi
ngoutoft
hei
rmout
hs.
Gringowasshoti nthest omach, whil
eVi vi
anwas
shoti nthehead.Whoev erdidt hishadani nt
enti
on
ofki l
li
ngus–mor eespeci all
yt hosewhower eshot.
Ilookedov ertheothersi deandRendani hadRami i
n
hisar ms,shewasal sobl eedi ng,butconscious
fortunatel
y.Shewasbl eedi ngi ntheshoulder.What
thef uckhappenedandwhydi dt heytakeThatoonly?
Itcanonl ymeanonet hingandonet hingonly.The
personwhodi dthisispr obabl yaproanddi dthisto
targetGr i
ngo.Thisper soni sal soacowar dto
ambushusl ikethi
s.Fuck, Rendani !
Rami

Iwashav i
ngtheti
meofmyl if
eandt henextthi
ngI
fel
timmensepaininmyshoulder,andthenextthi
ng
i
tfeltnumb.Ifel
tmywhol ebodyfeelcol
d,but
Thendohelpedmestayawake.Imusthav edozed
offaft
erthesur
gerybecauseIwokeupi ntheward
withdri
psandmachinesconnectedtome.Thendo
wasr i
ghtbymysidewhenIwokeup.
Thendo:
(smi
l
ing)“
Hey
.”

Rami
:(sof
tl
y)“
Hey
.”

Mythr
oatfeel
ssohoar
seanddr
y,asi
fIhadbeen
sl
eepi
ngfordays.

Thendo:
“Howar
eyouf
eel
i
ng?
”

Iwasabouttoanswerbutt
henIrememberedthat
That
owasnowher etobefoundaft
eral
lthat
commotion.Ist
art
edcryi
ng.

Rami
:(cr
ying)“
Thendo…mysi
ster
…That
o…”

Thendocamer
ushi
ngt
owar
dsmysi
de.

Thendo:
“Hey
,it
’sgoi
ngt
obeokay
.Thepol
i
cear
e
goi
ngt
ofi
ndt
heper
sonwhodi
dthi
s.”

Rami:“
Webot hknowwedon’tdopol
ice.Those
peopl
eareuseless.Wher
eisGri
ngo?Mam’ V?”

Isawhimlowerhi
sheadinaninst
antandIknew
thatwasasi
gnforbadnews.

Rami
:(pani
cky
)“Thendo,
tel
lme.Whati
sit
?”

Thendo:
(si
gh)“
Viv
iangotshot
…int
hehead.
”

Ifel
tmyhear
tgett
ingcr
ushedinani nstant
,asif
someonewasli
ter
all
yplaci
ngasolid,heavyobject
ontopofme.Ifel
tli
keIwasstruggli
ngt obreat
he
whil
emyheadwasaboutt ospi
n.

Rami
:“WhataboutGr
ingo?
”
Thendo:
“Hei
sinI
CU.Hewasshott
hreet
imes.
”

Ifel
tmy sel
fwailoutloud.Thiscan’
tbehappening.
Whyi sever
ythi
ngt ur
ningouttobesuchaf ucki
ng
mess? !Myauntcan’ tbedead,no.Gringocan’
tdie
onme, Thatosti
llneedshim.Istil
lneedhim.Fuck,
no!

That
o

Irememberdancingawayal lmytroubleswhenI
heardgunshotsfoll
owedbyani mmedi atebl owto
myhead.Imusthav epassedoutimmedi ately
,
becauseIwokeupwi thamassi veheadache,
hearingpeopl
eargue.Icoul dn’
tseeany thingnor
mov e,asIfel
tmyhandswer etiedtogether,andI
hadabagorsomet hingovermyf ace.I twashar d
formenott opanic,butItr
iedtostaycal m.I tfel
tas
i
fIwasi ndeedinamov i
ngcar ,
becauseIcoul dfeel
thattheroadwewer eonwasn’tassmoothasIam
usedt o.Itseemsl
ikeweareonagr avelr
oad,with
bumpsandhumpsev er
ytwoseconds.Iheardthe
voicesofthemen,eventhoughtheywerefai
ntdue
tothebagbei ngov
ermyhead, Icoul
datleasthear
whatt heyweresayi
ng.

Man1:“
No,man!Youshouldn’thav
egoneinl
ike
t
hat.Wewer eper
fect
lyi
nst
ructedtoki
l
lnooneand
t
akethegi
rlonl
y.”

Man2: “
Youidiot,
IdidwhatIhadt o,besi
des,
thebi
g
bosssai dthatifwekil
lthewhi temanandhis
preciouslovedones,wewoul dgetabonus.If
anything,youshouldbet hankingme.”

Man1:“Your
eal
l
ydi
dn’
thav
etoshoott
hel
adyi
nthe
head,
youknow.
”

Whatt
hef
uck?
!Di
dtheyact
ual
l
yki
l
lmyf
ather
?Di
d
theyshootMam’Vinthehead?
!Oh,
no!Whyam I
goingthr
oughsuchagain?
!

Man1:“
Okay,butatleastl
et’
sstopsomewhereand
r
apeher.Uyabonil
eamat hangalawana,
mfwethu
(
Didyouseethosethighs,br
o)?”

Man2:“
Wabonanou, St
ix(
Youseenow)?Ot l
aka
masepa(You’
rest
art
ingwit
hyourshi
t)
.Itol
dy ou
wedon’
trape.
”

Man1:
“Mxm,
,aha.
”

Ifel
ttearsstreamingdownmyf ace.Am Iser iousl
y
rel
iv
ingallthi
sagai n?Isaidasilentprayer
.“ Dear
God, Modimowakay oarategang( Mylovi
ngGod) .I
don’tknowwhyy ouputmei nsuchaposi t
ion,butall
Iknowi sthatyouknowbest .Itrustfi
rmlyiny ou,my
God.Ibel i
evey oucanturnthissit
uati
onar oundand
healmyhear t.Pleaseprotectme, oh,
God, helpme
getr
euni
tedwi
thmyf
ami
l
yonceagai
n.Amen.
”

IprayedbutIst i
lldi
dn’tfeelanybet t
er.Icanonl y
praythattheseguy swon’ tharm me.Af terwhatfelt
l
ikeforever,t
hecarst opped.Idi dn’thearanycarsor
mov i
ngthingsar ound,soIknowt heypr obably
broughtmet oadesertedl ocat
ion.Whatt hefuckis
upwi t
hpeopl ekidnappingme?May beIshouldjust
die.ThenIr emember ed, whatisthepoi ntofwishing
deathuponmy selfwhenKgr emember sme.Isaw
him andhear dhim callmeout .Heev encalledme
TT.Thatwast hemomentIhadbeenpr ay i
ngforall
thesemont hs.Oh, MyKgi sback, atsuchanodd
ti
me.Ihear dt hetwoguy sopent hecardoor .

Man1:“
Heresheis,
boss.Al
i
veandunhar
medas
your
equest
ed.”

Voi
ce:
“Good.Br
ingheri
n.”
Irecognizethatv oice, butIcan’
tpinpointitexact
ly.
Thet woguy spi ckedmeupandf orcedmet owal
k.
Ifeltmyhear traceami l
li
onbeatspersecond.I
don’tknowwhat ’
sgoi ngtohappen, butallIknowis
thatIneedGodr i
ghtnow.Ican’ thandleanother
personruini
ngmyl if
et hewaySont odidtome.Fear
creepedinaswewal kedf oraboutfi
vemi nutes.I
fel
tuswal kintoabui ldingofsomesor tandIhadt o
cli
mbupt hestai r
s.Ev eryt
imeIfelldownor
attemptedto, t
heguywoul dscol
dthem.

Voi
ce:
“Notl
i
ket
hat
,youi
diot
s!”

Thatvoi
ce,
man.Ther
eiti
sagain.Itr
ingsav
ivi
d
bel
linmyhead,
butIj
ustcan’
tpinpoi
ntit
.

Voice:
“Thenextt
imeyoudropher,Iwi
l
lmakesure
todeduct
ed10kfrom yoursal
ari
es!Bl
oodyf
ucks!
”

Andt
hen,
onl
ythen,
Imanagedt
orecogni
zet
hat
voi
ce.Fuck,no!Thiscan’
tbehappening!Noway s,
I
ref
usetobeli
ev ei
t.Wewalkedintooneofthe
bedrooms,whichsmell
edreal
l
yf oul
.Theyplaced
meononeoft hecouchesandsai dnot
hing.

Voi
ce:
“Remov
ehercov
er,
slowl
y.
”

Oneoftheguysremovedt
hebagovermyhead,
sl
owlyasinst
ruct
edandIcoul
dn’
tbel
iev
emyeyes.

Rendani
:(smi
l
ing)“
Hel
l
o,beaut
if
ul.Wemeetagai
n.”
Chapt
erSev
ent
yFour

Mat t
hew5:38-
39–“ Youhav eheardthati
twassaid,
‘
Aney eforaneyeandat oothforatooth.
’ButIsay
toyou,Donotresi
sttheonewhoi sev i
l.Buti
f
anyoneslapsyouontherightcheek,t
urntohi
mt he
otheral
so.”
That
o

Icouldn’tbeli
evemyey es.Ifel
tli
keitwasahor r
ibl
e
dream, whil
emyheadwast er
ri
blypainf
ul,
myear s
ri
nging,andmyey esfel
tli
ketheyweredeceivi
ngme.
Ikeptblinki
ngaf ewtimesjusttocheckifIwasn’
tin
ahor r
ibl
eni ghtmare.

Rendani
:(chuckl
ing)“
Youdon’
thavetobl
i
nkso
much.Itisme, y
ouroneandonlyl
ove.
”

That
o:(
shaky
)“Re…Rendani
…why
?”

Rendani:“Why?!Iwi
ll
tel
lyouwhy.Iti
sbecauseI
l
ovey ouandi fy
ouconcentr
ater
eal
l
yhard,you
mightjustlov
emebackt oo.
”

Thi
sisnothappeni
ng–i
tjustcan’
tbehappeni
ng.
That
o:“
Didy
oushootmypar
ent
s?”

Rendani:“
Oh,youmeanthatcol
d,r
ott
enbi
tchal
ong
wit
hy ourcol
d-hear
tedf
ather
?”

Istaredathim withahugelumpi
nmyt hr
oat.I
anxiouslyawaitedhi
sanswerwhil
eIdr
eadeditat
thesamet i
me.Hegav emesuchanev i
ll
ook,with
blood-shoteyes.Hiseyeswerei
mmediatel
yfi
ll
ed
withhatred.

Rendani:
“Ify
oumustknow, Ihadthem shot–both
ofthem.Itwasratherdi
ffi
cultatfi
rstgetti
ngto
them,butwhenyouhav etherightamountofmoney ,
youcangetthejobdone.Youmi ghtactuall
ybe
amazedhowmanypeopl ewoul dbetraythoset
hey
knowforamer efewhundr edgrand.”

Buthowcoul
dRendani
dothi
stome?Tomyfami
l
y?
If
eltt
hetear
sbui
l
dingupf
rom t
hepi
tofmy
st
omach.
That
o:“
Aret
heydead?
”

Rendani:“
Wel l
,Ihopeso.Wor dist
hatyourdear
Vivi
anwasshoti nthehead.Thatshotwasaimed
ri
ghtatGringo,butshetookthebai
t.Yourfat
heron
theotherhandwasshott hreeti
mes.Ihopetheyar
e
bothdead,though.”

Ifel
tlikemywhol eheadwasspi nning,l
ikeIwas
l
osingcont r
ol ofmyent i
rebody .Isawev ery
thing
spinar ound,includi
ngRendani .Tot opital
loffIwas
sti
llt
iedup, onmykneesont hecol dfl
oor.Inearly
fel
lov ertothesi de,butRendani chosetoholdme
withhiscol d-
bl oodedkil
lerhands.Hei ssoev i
l,I
havenoi deahowhemanagedt ofoolusalll
ikethis.

MyMam’Vi sdead,
whil
emyf at
hercoul
dbedead
t
oo.Whyt hefucki
sthi
shappeningt
ome?!Isthi
s
t
hedangerKgaboandNanawer ewarni
ngme
about?
!Theycanseeev erything,sosurel
yt hey
coul
dhaveseent hi
scomi ng,butwhydi dn’ttheytel
l
me?!Idon’tknowwhatt odor ightnow.Isaw
Rendanii
nfrontofmeandev ent houghIfeltli
ke
ri
ppi
ngouthisthroat
,Icouldn’tsinceIwast iedup.

Rendani
:“Don’twor
ry,
baby
.Iwi
l
ltakegoodcar
eof
you.Ipr
omi se.”

If
eltmybodygi
vei
nasIsl
owl
ycl
osedmyey
esand
dr
if
tedaway.

Kg

Ev er
ythi
ngissuchaf uckedupmess.Howcanwe
allbesoblindsidedmyal lt
his?HadIseenal lt
he
signsIcouldhav edonesomet hing.OnlynowI
remembermyTT, whydidIhav etogothroughall
thatfuckedupmessofr emember ingheratati
me
whenIev enf uckedAnastacia?
!HowdoIev en
f
orgi
vemy
sel
fforal
lthi
s?!

Ivowedt oprotectherandnowshehasbecomea
vi
ctim ofmyenemi es.Iswearonmyl if
e,the
momentIf i
ndthemot herfuckerwhokidnappedmy
wife,Iwil
lmakesur eitendsinbloodspill
edandI
wil
l l
eavenost oneunturned!AsIlayinmybedaf t
er
mysur gery,Mulal
owal kedinlooki
ngratherdreadf
ul.

Mul
alo:
“Wol
fe.
”

Kg:(
frowni
ng)“
Whati
sit
?Pl
easet
ell
mey
ouhav
e
goodnews.”

Mul
alo:
(si
gh)“
Icomebear
ingawf
ulnews.
”

Idon’
tli
ket
hesoundoft
hat
.
Kg:
“Tel
lme.
”
Mul
alo:
“Vi
vi
andi
dn’
tmakei
t.Shedi
edont
hespot
.”

If
eltmyr
ager
iseupf
rom wi
thi
nme.Whatt
hef
uck?
!

Kg:
“AndG?
”

Mulal
o:“Heisi
nICU.Theymanagedt
oremov
ethe
bul
l
ets,buthei
sinacoma.”

Kg:
“WhataboutRami
?”

Mul
alo:
“Shei
sst
abl
e,j
usti
nshock.
”

Ican’
tli
eher eandmopewhi l
eThat
oismissi
ng.I
havetofindthemother
fuckerwhodi
dthi
sassoon
aspossible.
Mulal
o:“
Idon’
tli
kewhat
’shappeni
ng,
Wol
fe.
Seemsli
kethi
swasaninsi
dejob.
”

Kg:
“Ar
eyoususpect
ingwhoIam?
”

Mulal
o:(nodding)“Thisi
smostdefi
nit
elysomet hi
ng
Rendaniwoulddo.Imanagedt ogetmyI Tguyt o
tr
acethecarsusedf rom t
hefoot
age.Hepai d
someonet owipeit,butwemanagedtoretri
eveit.
Small
yandBi ggieareonthei
rwaytothewar ehouse
wit
htwooft heguy swhowerehiredbyRendani.”

Kg:
(cl
enchi
ngf
ist
)“Isee.
”

Mul
alo:
“Ther
e’smor
e.”

Kg:
“Yes?
”
Mul
alo:
“ItseemsasifRendani
wasnott
heonl
yone
whowasi nv
olvedi
nthi
s.”
Kg:
“Thenwhoel
sei
sbehi
ndal
lthi
s?”

Mul
alo:
“Myf
atherandy
ourf
ather
.”

Kg:
(wi
deey
ed)“
What
?!No!
”

Mulal
o: “
I’
m af
rai
dso.Romeocamet osee
Anastaci
asoonaftershewasadmit
tedhere.She
mightgiveusanswersbef
oreIgosortoutt
hosetwo
guys.
”

Kg:
“Okay
,butIam comi
ngwi
thy
ou.
”

Mulal
o:(shocked)“
Youar
einj
ured.Youhav
ejust
hadsurgery.
”
Kg:“Kg:“Shar
k,Ican’tsi
tar
oundal
ldayknowingmy
wif
ei ssomewhereoutt her
ewit
hyoursi
ckbrother
.I
havetodosomet hing.”

Icanseethatsomethi
ngisn’
trightwithhi
m.It hi
nk
hehasfeeli
ngsforThatoorsomet hi
ng,butIdon’
t
blamehim.Sheissuchar aregem, henceIalsof
ell
forher
.Itrul
yloveherandIwil
l f
ightforherever
y
stepoftheway.

Mul
alo:
“Okay
.Iwi
l
lmeety
ouout
side.
”

Heleftmyroom whi
l
eIpoppedafewpai
nki l
l
ersand
gotoutofmybed.Ichangedi
ntomysui
t,and
headedout
.

Kg:
“Let
’sgocheckonRami
fir
st.
”

Mul
alonoddedandf
oll
owedmet
oherwar
d.When
wegotther
ehereyeswereswoll
enandshelooks
l
ikeshehadbeencry
ingal
lday.For
tunat
elyThendo
wasbyherside.

Kg:
“Rami
…”

Rami:(cr
ying)“
Kg.Pleasetel
lmey
ou’
l
lfi
ndherand
thatf
uckingkil
l
er,
please.
”

Kg:
“Iswearonmyl
i
fe.
”

Mulal
o:“
Thendo,
lookaf
terher
.Wewi
l
lbeback
soon.
”

Thendonoddedasheconsol edRami.Thisisj
ust
fuckedup,iti
sev enwor sethananormalfuner
al.I
proceededtoGringo’sroom andfoundhim hooked
toallki
ndsofmachi nes.AsIwasaboutt oenter
withMul al
o,oneoft henursesstoppedus.
Nurse:
“Excuseme,
youcannotj
ustbar
gei
nher
e.
Areyoufamil
y?”

Iam usual
l
ynotarudeper
sonatal
l
,butt
oday
,she
chosetopickont
hewrongper
son.

Kg:(f
rowni
ng)“Hey,wena(you).Skantlwael
a
masepa(Don’
tcomeher ewithshit
)!Thatismy
fat
herinl
awandwena( you)youhav ethegutst
o
tal
ktousli
kethat.Entl
ek(Actual
ly
)fuckoff!
”

Shemov edoutoft hewayhastil

ywi t
houtsay i
nga
wor d.Mulaloalsoshotheradeadl ylook.Aswe
proceededt ohisbed,Ifel
tli
keIwasaboutt ocry.
Nowev ery
thingmakessense, howIwasmadet o
meett hisamazingman.Hehasbeenmor et hana
fathertomei njustashortspaceoft i
me, t
hanmy
ownf athereverwasi nall
my27y earsofli
fe.
Icouldn’thelpbutshedat earl
ooki
ngathow
helpl
esshei s.Gr ingoi sabigguy,hehasal
ways
beent hepr otectoroft hegroupandnowwi t
h
every
t hingfalli
ngapar t,thosetwofucker
schoset
o
useitt otheiradv antage.

Kg:“G,
Iwillmakesur et
heypayf orthi
s–t heywil
l
al
lpayforthi
s.Mar kmywor ds.WhenIcomebackI
wouldl
iketooffi
cial
lyaskforyourdaughter’
shand
i
nmar r
iage.Pleasesurvi
vesoy oucanbet hereto
wit
nessthebirt
hofourchildren.Iloveyou,G.”

Iletgoofhishandandslowlyproceededoutoft he
room.AsIwasaboutt owal
kout , Nanaappeared
l
ookedr eal
l
ydrainedandheart
-wr enched.Shegav e
meonel ookandwal kedt
owardsme.Shehel dbot h
myhandsandl ookedupt omesi nceIam quitetal
l.

Nana:“Kg,
youdoknowt hatal
lyourli
feyouwere
neverWolf
e,butr
ightnowcomest hetoughestt
est
yet
.Youneedt ofi
ghtwit
hallyouhaveandgety our
wif
eback.Wol feneedst ocomeoutri
ghtnow–not
Kg.Godeal wit
hthoset wofucker
syoucaughtfi
rst
andthencomedeal wit
hAnastaci
a.Shehasall
the
answersyouneedi ntermsofwhathappenedt
oy ou.
Actfastbef
oreshithappens.”

IhaveknownNanaf oraveryshor twhi

leandshe
hasneverseemedlikeaweaklingorsomeonewho
cri
eseasil
y.Hersonisstari
ngdeat hintheface,
so
shiti
sabouttogodown.Wemadeonel aststopto
themortuar
y,IneedtoseeVivian.Ineedtoseet he
damagedonet oher.Aswewal kedin,t
heyledusto
herbodyanduncoveredit
.Iam notonet ofeardead
bodiesasIhaveseenafew, butwhatIsawwasj ust
gruesome.

Whenitisyourl
ovedone,itj
usthitshome.Vi v i
an’
s
wholeheadwasseverel
yswol l
en, wit
ht hebul
let
stuckr
ighti
nthefor
eheadandherey esprotr
uding
outofherhead.I
nawayIam gl adGr ingoi
snot
awakeandnotabletowitnessthis,otherwi
se,he
wouldal
sonotmakeit
.Ishedat
earandIsaw
Mulal
owipehi
soffqui
ckl
y.

Kg:
“Mul
alo,
let
’sgogett
hoset
hreemot
her
-f
ucker
s!”

Mul
alo:
“Sho.
”
Chapt
erSev
ent
yFi
ve

1Thessalonains5:15–“Makesur ethatnobody
paysbackwr ongforwrong,butal
way sstri
vetodo
whatisgoodf oreachotherandforeveryoneel
se.
”

Kg

Mulalodroveust othewar ehouse,andeventhoughI

am inalotofphy si
cal pai
n, i
tdoesnotcomprehend
tothement alandemot i
onalpainIam i
n.Iwould
rat
herbeart hephysicalpain,knowi
ngthatsomeone
hasal otofexplai
ningt odo.Ijustkeptpoppi
ngpain
ki
l
ler
sev
eryt
imeIf
eltpai
n.

Mul
alo:
“Ogr
and(
Arey
ouokay
)?”

Kg:
“ShoSho.I
’
llgetbet
ter
.Let
’sdot
his.
”

Henoddedasheparkedhi
scari
nthedr
ivewayof
thewar
ehouse.Aswewalkedout
,Smal
lyandBiggi
e
cametous.

Smally
:“Bozza’
s(Bosses)
,theyar
echai
nedaswe
speak.
”

Biggi
e:“
Wegav
ethem agoodbeat
ingandt
ookout
oneeyeandaf
ewfinger
seach.
”

Mul
alo:
(noddi
ng)“
Goodj
ob,
boy
s.”
Small
y:“Maket
hem suff
erf
orwhatt
heydi
dto
BozzaandtheQueen.
”

Webot hnoddedaswewal kedin.Fuck, Smal l

yand
Biggi
er eall
yeuphemizedt hesituati
on.Theydi dn’
t
j
ustgivet hem ali
tt
lebeat i
ng,theymadesur et hat
theybleedandsuf fer
.Theyhandcuf fedt hem
towardst hetabl
es,andt heyreall
ydidt akeoutone
eyeeach, cutoffafewt oesandf ingers.Thi si
s
goingtobef un.Iwoul dlov et
opar ti
cipate,butifI
do,Imi ghtfi
ndmy selfi
nhospi talagain.

Kg:
“Shar
k,t
hisj
obi
syour
s.”

Mulalo:(nodding)“Wel l
,wel
l,well
.Ifiti
sn’
tthetwo
i
diotswhocr ashedawhol eweddi ng,ki
l
ledour
Queen, i
njur
edaf ewv eryi
mportantpeoplei
nthe
process.Ja, neh.Baf anas(Boys),i
fIwereyou,I
hadbet t
erstarttalki
ng.”
Theybot
hlookr
eal
l
ybadl
ybeat
enandscar
ed
shi
tl
ess.

Guy1:“Look,Grootman(boss)
,Minaangazi
niks(
I
knownot hi
ng).Ngilet
hwengulona(Thi
sguy
broughtmeont hej
ob).”

Mul
alo:
(fur
ious)“So,y
ouar
esell
i
ngy ourf
ri
endout
sot
hatyoucanl ookcl
eani
ntheprocess?!
”

Guy1:(
fri
ghtened)“No…No, it
’snotli
kethat.Bona
(l
ook)
,Ihavealreadyl ostaney eandaf ewt oesand
fi
nger
s.Iwon’ tl
ietoy ou.Igotacal lamont hago
fr
om myf r
iendov erher e.Hesai dtomet hatwehad
abigj
obt odoandt hatt heguypay s100k.Ihadno
i
deawewer egoingt oki dnapagirli
ntheprocess.”

Mulal
o:“Nowwe’
reget
ti
ngsomewher
e.Keep
t
alki
ng.”
Guy1:“That
’sal
lIknow.Idon’tevenknowtheguy
whohi redme.Ionlyknewyester
daythatwehadt o
ki
dnapt hegi
rl
.Myf ri
endi
st heonewhogotallthe
i
nstruct
ionsandwhoknewt hebosspersonal
ly
.”

Heseemedreal
l
yf r
ight
ened,
buti
tseemsasi
fhe
wasbei
ngtr
uthful
.

Guy2:“Andt
henwena(
you)
?Whatdot
heycal
l
you?”

Guy
1:“
Sl…Sl
ender
.”

Mul
alo:“Okay,
Slender
.Let
’st
alk.Whoi
stheguy
t
hathir
edy ouandwherei
she?”

Theguydi
dn’tseem l
i
kehewant edtotal
k.Iseehe
i
soneofthosediehardguys.Hekeptqui etas
Mulal
oaskedhimthat,andknowinghi
m hej ustf
li
ps
att
hesl
i
ght
estt
houghtofsi
l
entt
reat
ment
.

Mul
alo:
“Okay,
seemstomethatyouj
ustdon’
twant
t
ospeak.SohowaboutIgi
veyouali
tt
le
mot
ivat
ion.
”

Sharkwentstrai
ghtf orthetorturetools,hetooka
pairofpli
ersanddidn’thesi
tate.Hef orcedSlender
’s
mout hopen,whil
ethesecondguywat chedin
abundanthorror
.Sl enderscreamedashi steet
h
werer i
ppedoutofhi smouth, onebyone, andnone
ofuswer ebotheredbyt heoozi ngblood, butthe
secondguyst ar
tedv omiti
ngpr ofusely.Iwonder
howt heycanhav eaconscienceandf earatt hi
s
ti
me, butki
ll
edawomani ncoldbl ood.

Mul
alo:
“Nowar
eyour
eadyt
otal
k?”

Sl
ender:
“I…Idon’
tknowany
thi
ng,
bozza(
boss)
,I
swear
.”
Ididn’
tseethenextmov ecoming.Mul al
otooka
sawf rom t
het ool
stable,andstartedcut ti
ng
Slender’
sneckof fi
nsuchaccel erationandf ury.I
t
mademecr ingewatchinghiml i
terallycutti
ngoff
anotherman’ svei
ns,arter
iesandbonesl ikethat
withhisbarehands.Hedi dn’
tevenf l
inchabitas
thebloodstartedsquir
tingoutofSl ender’sneck.

EvenwhenSl enderwasl i
fel
esshest il
lcarr
iedon
cutti
ngunt i
lhisheadf el
loff
.Isawt hesecondguy
regurgi
tate,si
ncehehadmostpr obablyvomitedal
l
ofhisfoodandwat eroutofhissy st
em.Ther e
seemst obenot hingleftfr
om hisstomach.Once
Sharkwasdone, hegav ethesecondguyonel ook
fi
ll
edwi thfury.

Mulal
o:(
wipi
ngof
fthebl
ood)“
Arey
our
eadyt
otal
k
now?”
Thesecondguynoddedpr
ofusel
y.
Chapt
erSev
ent
ySi
x

Prover
bs20:
22–“Donotsay,
“Iwil
lrepayev
il
”;wai
t
fort
heLord,
andhewi
lldel
i
veryou.
”

Rendani

AsIst aredatmyQueenwhi l
eshewasdeepl yand
fastasleep,Ican’tbel
iev
et hatIfi
nal
l
yhav eherri
ght
herebef oreme.Shei strulyaGodsentandIcan’t
waittoseewhatmor ewear egoingtoachieve
together.Ihadt hiswholeplanlai
doutforthepast
fewmont hsandIam notwi l
li
ngtori
skitfail
i
ngall
becauseofsomeoneusel ess.

IhadTigerandRomeoatt heti
pofmyf inger
s.It
wasn’tdi
ffi
cultt
ol ett
hem geti
nont heplan,
Iwas
abouttowast eawhol ehal
fayearexecuti
ngt he
perf
ectplan,buttheybothmadeitmucheasi erfor
me.Iwasabouttowakeheruptoeat
,whenTi
ger
andRomeobothstor
medinhere.

Rendani:
“AndthenNi
na(youtwo)
?Whogav
eyou
permissi
ontobargei
nher
eliket
hat?
”

Romeo:(
fumi
ng)“
Eh,Ti
ger,
kgal
ampy
aey
agao
(War
nthi
sdogofyour
s).
”

Tiger
:“Rendani,howmanyti
mesmustIt
ell
younot
tospeaktoy ourelder
sli
ket
hat
?”

Rendani
:(annoy
ed)“
Sayy
ourpi
eceandf
uckof
f.
”

Romeo: “
Mxm, sat
ell
asel
ose(
Thi
sthi
ngi
s
di
srespect
ful
).
”

Ti
ger
:“Wehav
ebi
ggerpr
obl
ems.Shar
kandWol
fe
arewayaheadofus.TheyhavetakenSlenderand
Freshashostages.Howcoul
dyouletthem outof
yoursi
ghtl
ikethat?!
”

Isuddenl
ygotf
ear
ful
.Howt hef
uckdidtheydothat
?
ImeanIwaswithSl
enderandFr
eshnotsolongago.

Rendani
:“Ihav
enoti
metowast
e,Ti
ger
.Ihav
eto
getThat
ooutofher
ebef
oret
heyfi
ndme.”

Tiger
:“Per
hapsweshoul djustl
ethergo.Imean
youkil
ledViv
ian,andGri
ngoi si
nacoma.Oncehe
wakesupwe’ reall
inser
iousshit
.”

Hemustbeoutofhi
sfucki
ngmi
nd.

Rendani
:“Excuseme?!Leaveher?
!Youmustbeout
ofyourf
uckingmind!Iam nowherenearr
eadyt
o
gi
veherup.Ihav et
ogetoutofhereasin
y
est
erday
.”

Tiger
:“Youhav
enoshame,
Rendani
.Theywi
l
lhunt
youdownandki l
lyou.
”

Rendani
:“Shame?!Youareaf i
neonetotal
k.You
knowthatyouwantherforyour
sel
f,andIwi
llbe
damnedifIlety
ougether!
”

Tigerwasaboutt ostopmef rom l

eaving,butIact
ed
swift
ly.Itookoutmygunf rom myj eansandIshot
them bothinthelegs.Icar
riedThatoinmyar ms
andIrushedout ,
leavi
ngthem screami ngonthe
fl
oor.

Kg

Aft
erMulal
ocutoffSl
ender
’shead,wepr
oceededt
o
golookf
orRendanial
ongwiththeonl
yguyl
eft,
Fresh.Mul alowasdrivi
ngfast,soIcouldtell
Thato
meansmor et ohi
mt hanIactuall
ythought.Fresh
wasi nasev erest
ateofshock,henceweev en
offeredhi m ashotofwhiskeytocal m hi
sassdown.
Wear r
ivedatanabandonedbui l
ding.Iti
sav erytal
l
buildi
ng, nowwhywoul dRendanibringmywi fehere?

Kg:
“Eh,
Fresh,
kemot
engmo(
Ist
hist
hepl
ace)
?”

Fr
esh:
“Y…Yes.
”

Mul
alo:
“Let
’swast
enot
ime,
let
’sgoi
n.”

Mulal
oandIt ookbot hourguns,al
ongwi t
hFresh.
Lucki
lyhetol
dust hatnoonel i
vesinthi
sbuil
ding,
sowehadt otaket hestai
rstothetopfl
oor.Mulal
o
andIarebothfit
,sowehav enoreasontoworry
aboutthel
ongf l
ightofstai
rs.Aswegott othe
supposedroom, Mulalowastednotimeandkickedit
open.Thebot hofuswer edeeplysaddenedaswe
didn’
tfi
ndanyoneinther
e.Whatalar
medusboth
themostisthatt
herewasafewtrail
sofbl
oodon
thefl
oor.

Myhear tstartedracingatami l
lionbeat spermi nute,
thi
nki
ngt hatitcouldbeThat o’
sbl ood.Whyt hefuck
wouldsomeoneshootani nnocentwoman? !If el
t
mybloodboi li
ng,asIclenchedmyf ist.Irubbedmy
l
efteyebrowandsur pri
singl
yMul alodidthesame.I
usual
lydot hatunawar ewhenev erIam angr y.TT
alwaysusedt otellmet hat,
butnowi tseemsasi f
Mulal
oandIhav eaf ewsi mil
ari
ties.

Mul
alo:
“Let
’ssearcharoundt
her
oom,
may
bewe
mi
ghtfi
ndsomet hi
ng.”

InoddedasIputFr eshonthebloodstainedcouch,
whileMulalowenttosearchthebathr
oom.Isawa
plat
eoffoodwhi chwasn’tsocold,
soi ttel
lsmethat
Rendanididn’
tleav
ev er
ylongago.AsIl ooked
around,
IheardMul al
oshoutingandslapping
someone.

Mul
alo:
“Come!Whywoul
dyoudosuchat
hing,
t
hough?!
”

Voi
ce:
(pl
eadi
ng)Pl
ease,
pleasedon’
thur
tme.
”

Ir
ecogni
zet
hatbi
g,bol
dvoi
ce,
asMul
alodr
agged
hi
m out.

Kg:
(inf
uri
ated)“
Romeo.
”

Romeolookedli
kehehadlostquit
ealotofbl
ood,
hewasalmostturni
ngpal
e.Itseemsasifagehas
fi
nal
lycaughtupwit
hhim.Nowi tist
imeforkar
ma
topayhim avi
sit
.

Romeo:
(scar
ed)“
Please,
Ihav
enot
hingt
odowi
th
t
his–Iswear
.”

Kg:“Don’tf
uckwit
hme, Romeo!Fir
styoufuckedmy
wif
e,andgotherpregnantandnowyouarepartofa
wholekidnappi
ngthati
nvolv
esmywife!
”

Romeo:
(weak)
”Pl
ease….
”

Hepassedoutbef
orewecoul
deventeachhi
ma
l
esson.Mulal
ocheckedf
orhi
spulse.

Mulal
o:“
Hesti
llhasapulse,
butiti
sveryfai
nt.I
t
hinkweshoul
dt akehi
mt othehouseandgetLoui
s
t
ocheckonhim.”

Kg:
(noddi
ng)“
Ili
ket
hewayy
out
hink.
”

Mul
alo:
“Whatdowedowi
tht
hisguynow?Hei
s
usel
esst
ous.
”
Kg:
“Youchoose.
”

Mul
alowast
ednotimeashel
etgoofRomeoand
wal
keduptothef
ri
ght
enedFr
esh.

Mulal
o:“Thisi
stomakesurethaty
ouneverever
tur
ntoal i
feofcri
me,bro.Ol
ahlemasepao(You
needtostopthatshi
t)
.”

Fr
eshnoddedpr
ofusel
y.

Fr
esh:“Yes.Iswearonmymot
her
’sl
i
fe,
Iwi
l
lnev
er
dosuch.”

Mulalotookoutapocketknif
eandst abbedhisother
eye,leav
ingFreshscr
eaminghislungsout.Ididn’
t
feelsorr
yforhim,i
nsteadIdr
aggedhi m downthe
fl
ightofstai
rs,whi
leMulal
odraggedRomeodown.
Romeowast hrownint otheboot,whil
eFreshwas
thrownontothebackseat .Wet hr
ewFr eshoutat
thenearesthospital
,aswecal l
edLouis.He
soundedv er
ydev astated,ImeanIwoul dal
sobe.
Yes,heandGr i
ngoar eli
kebrother
s,eventhough
theyareactual
lycousi ns.

Theygrewupt ogetherandhav ealwaysbeentwo

peasinapod.Theywoul ddoany t
hingf
oreach
otherandhewassof ondofVi vi
an,andwithher
gonenow, everythi
ngi saf i
lt
hymess.Loui stol
dus
wewoul dfi
ndhi m atthehouseal ongwithNana.
Afterwhatfeltl
ikethel ongesthal
fandhourofmy
l
ife,wefi
nallyarri
vedinNor thcl
iff
eatGringo’
s
house.Wal kingint
ot hishouser i
ghtnowisjusttoo
bitt
er-
sweet.

Ican’
timagineSundaybr unchwithoutViv
ian’
scrazy
andwarm pr esence.Ican’
timaginewhatt hi
swould
dotohersister,andRami,oh,peoplecanbesocr uel
.
Mulal
ocarriedRomeooutsi nceIstil
lfeelabitweak.
WefoundLoui
swai
ti
ngforusandhegott
heshock
ofhi
sli
fewhenhel
ookedatme.

Loui
s:(
shocked)“
Wolfe!Youshoul
dbeinbedby
now!Lookatyou!Letmeseethatwound.
”

Ifel
tabi
tli
ght-
headedandsatdown.Hewast
edno
ti
meandpulledupmyshirt
.

Loui
s:(
fur
ious)“
Youseenow?!Youneverl
i
sten,
man.Doy ouwantt
hiswoundtobecomescepti
c?!
”

Kg:(shaki
nghead)“Eish,Hade(
sorr
y),Doc.Deal
wit
hRomeof irst
,thenwithme.Aft
erthatIpr
omise
Iwil
lbehave.
”

Loui
swalkedupi
nfur
iat
edwhi
l
ehecheckedon
Romeo.
Loui
s:“
Letmegetmyf ir
stai
dki
t.I
’
llber
ightback,
j
ustl
ayhim ont
hatcouch.
”

Mul
alodi
dast
old,
andNanawal
kedi
n.

Nana:“
Wolfe,
youneedt
otakei
teasy
.Youhav
ejust
beenshot
.”

KG:
(si
gh)“
Ican’
t,
Nana.Mywi
fei
soutt
her
e.”

Nanal
ookedatmeandt
henatMul
alo.

Nana:
“Shar
k,si
t.It
hinki
tishi
ght
imet
hatIaddr
ess
bot
hofyou.
”

Mul
alosatdownanxi
ousl
y.

Nana:
“Weal
lknowwhati
sgoi
ngonher
e.Kg,
Romeowi l
lexpl
aineverythi
ngtoyouoncehewakes
up,butf
ornow, Anastaci
aholdsal
ltheanswersyou
need.Mulal
o,youknowv er
ywellt
hatThato’
sheart
bel
ongstoKg, r
ight?
”

Mul
alol
ookeddownandnodded.

Nana:“
Iknow,youl
oveherdeepl
y,butOl
i
viawon’
t
l
etyouofft
hehooksoeasi
ly.
”

Mul
alo:
“Iam notev
ensur
eift
hebabyi
smi
ne.
”

Nana:“
Relax,
thechi
l
disnoty
ours,
butyouar
ethe
onewhohast obest
rongf
orbot
hThatoandyour
brot
her
.”

Mulal
o:(wi
deey ed)“
Howcanyouexpectmet
obe
st
rongforRendaniwhenhei
stheonewho
ki
dnappedThato?”
Nana:“
Therear
esomanysecr et
sroamingamongst
thebot
hofyouofwhichnei
therofyouareeven
awareof.WhenIspeakofyourbrother
,Imean
Wolfe–notRendani
.”

Mul
aloandIst
aredateachot
hert
akenaback.What
i
sshetal
ki
ngabout?

Kg:
“Whatdoy
oumean,
Nana?
”

Nana: “
Theanswer sliewiththishalfdeadi di
otlyi
ng
onmyson’ sexpensiv ecouches.Lookateachot her
,
Iam evenamazedy oudidn’tconnectt hedots.
Thatoev enbeaty out oit
.Shesawt heresemblance
betweeny outwol ongago.Youar ebrothers,bl
ood
brother
s, i
nfact.Mul alo,youarenotaNembi l
wi –
youhav eneverbeen.Iknow, al
l y
ourlifeyouhav e
beenaski ngyourselfwhyy ouwer etheonl ydiff
erent
oneamongsty ourot herbrothers.
Youandy ourfatherneverevengotalong,youhave
al
way sbeenal otstr
ongerthanhim.Yourwhol eli
fe
stor
yisknownbyRomeo, gi
vehimt i
met orecover
,
askhim anyt
hingy ouwantandt hen–killhi
m.Don’ t
evenwasteanot herbreat
h–ki l
lhim.
”

Idon’
tknowhowtofeelaboutthi
s,t
hisi
sjusttoo
muchtotakei
n.MulaloandIareactual
l
ybrother
s?
Howthefucki
sthi
spossible?

Mul
alo:
“Whydi
dn’
tyout
ell
me,
Nana?
”

Nana: “
Somet hingsaren’tmeantt obet ol
d–y ou
aremeantt of i
ndy ourownpat hher eonear t
h.It
wasn’tmypl acet otel
ly ou–atl eastnotatthatti
me.
Nowev er
ythinghangsi nt hebal
ance, secr
etsare
goingtober ev eal
ed,bloodwi l
lbespi l
ledandsome
happinesswi llbeshortliv
ed.Embr aceeachother
whileyoust i
l
l havethet i
me.Excusemewhi leIgot
f
reshenup.TheLet
swal
o’swi
l
lbeher
esoon.
”

Shel
eftusst
ari
ngateachotherdeepi
nthought
.
Howevili
smyfather
,real
l
y?

Chapt
erSev
ent
ySev
en

Matthew26: 52-54–“ThenJesussai dtohim, “Put

yourswordbacki ntoitsplace.Forallwhot akethe
swordwi l
lperishbytheswor d.Doy out hi
nkt hatI
cannotappeal tomyFat her,andhewi l
latoncesend
memor ethant wel
velegionsofangels?Buthow
thenshouldtheScripturesbef ul
fi
ll
ed,thati
tmust
beso? ”

Kg

Loui
sgavemeasternwar
ningandtol
dmet hatI
needtor
elax
,ot
her
wiseIwon’
tendureanot
her
shooting.Ihav etorest,
butthatdoesn’tmeanI
can’tl
etpeopl epayforwhatt heydid.Romeowas
giv
enabl oodtransf
usionandLoui shadt ot
aket he
bull
etoutr i
ghthereathome.Wecan’ tr
isktaki
ng
hi
mt othehospi t
al,
besides,hisdaysarenumber ed.
Ij
ustneedhi mt owakeupsot hatIcansendhi mt o
hellmy sel
f.Imusthav epassedoutont hecouch,
becauseIwokeupwi thMulalostar
ingatmef r
om
ri
ghtacr ossthecouch.

Mul
alo:
“Sho,
Wol
fe.You’
ref
inal
l
yawake.
”

Kg:
“Sho,
Shar
k.Di
dImi
ssany
thi
ng?
”

Mul
alo:
“Nah,
Imadey
ousomesoup.
”

Kg:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
Dude,
youmadeagr
ownmanl
i
ke
mesoup?”
Mulal
o:(chuckli
ng)“
Mymot her–Const
anceusedt
o
makeitformewhenev erIwasunwel
l.Iti
sver
y
good,y
ouwi llbeupandrunni
nginafewdays.
”

Icanseethi
sbombshellNanadr
oppedonusisn’
t
tr
eati
nghi
mv erywell
.Hehasalotofdoubt
sand
evenmorequesti
ons,asdoI.

Kg:
“Doy
ouwantt
otal
kabouti
t?”

Mul
alo:
(si
gh)“
Wel
l
,Idon’
tknow.
”

I
t’
sfunnyhowInevernot
icedt
heresembl
ance
bet
weenus,r
eal
ly.Wedoal otoft
hingst
hesame
way.
Kg:“Wel
l
,whyar
eyoudoubt
ingy
ourmom bei
ng
yourmom?”

Mul
alo:
“Ihav
ebeent
hinki
ngwhi
l
eyouwer
easl
eep.
Beli
eveme,Iam actuall
ymor erel
i
evedthanshocked
thatyouandIar
ebr others.Ij
usthavesomany
questi
ons,y
ouknow.Li keisTi
germyfather
,is
Constancemymot her,andallt
hat.
”

Honestl
y,Ihavethesamequest ionst
oo.Iask
myselfi
fRomeoi sindeedmyownf at
her ,
withthe
shi
thehasputmet hrough.IlostTTallbecauseof
hi
m.Speaki ngofwhi ch,Ineedtogetthatbit
ch
Anast
aciatotell
met het r
uth.

Kg:“
Igetyou,butIt
hinkRomeowi l
lbeabletotel
lus
whatiswhatassoonashi sasswakesup.Inthe
meant i
me,It
hinkweshouldgetAnastaci
a.SinceI
can’
tmov ear
oundmuch, sheshoul
dbebr oughtt
o
us.
”

Mulal
o:(chuckl
ing)“Iseegr
eatmindst
hinkali
ke.I
al
readyhadSmal lygetherf
rom t
hehospit
al.They
ar
eont heirwayaswespeak. ”
Icoul
dn’thel
pbutchuckl
easwell
.Iseewebot
h
thi
nkali
ke.Iti
salmostasifwear
etwins.

Kg:
“Gr
eatmi
ndst
hinkal
i
kei
ndeed.
”

Mul
alo:(
laughi
ng)“
Letmegetmysel
fagl
assof
whi
skeyinthemeanti
me,whi
lewewaitf
orSmal
ly
.”

Kg:
“Nt
shell
elennakaokopa(
Pleasepourmesome
aswel
l
).”

Mul
alo:
“No,
youar
esi
ck,
remember
?”

Kg:
“Justat
otf
ela(
onl
y).
”

Mulal
o:“
Okay,onl
ybecauseIwanty
out
obehappy
whenThatocomesback.”
Hesai
dt hatwi
thasmil
et hatseemedgenui
ne,
butI
t
hinki
tishight
imeIaddresstheissuenow.

Kg:
“Ont
hatnot
e,Shar
k,It
hink–“

Mul alo:(I
nterr
upt i
ng)“Don’tworry
,Wol fe.Ialready
knewt hatherhear twasn’tminewhenwemet .
Ther ewasj ustsomet hingabouthert hatscreamed
broken, andwhenshet oldmewhatshewent
throughaf terthekidnappingandal l
,Ijustknewshe
wasn’ tmine.Iwon’ tl
i
e–Il oveher,bel i
evemeIdo.
ButIal soloveherenought oletherbehappywi th
theoneshel ov es.Ihonestlymessedupwi thOl i
vi
a
bymar ryi
ngher ,andnowIj ustdon’tknowhowt o
getoutofi t.”

Thi
sthingwi
thhi
m andOl i
vi
asoundsprettydeep.I
canonl
yhopehefindshappinessandclosure.ButI
am gl
adhespokefrankl
yaboutThatoandhis
feel
i
ngs.Iwoul
dn’
twantustohav
esecr
ets
amongstusi
nthel
ongrun.

Kg: “
Mul al
o,Iappreciat
ey ourhonesty,r
eall
y.Inthe
shorttimeIhav eknowny ou,Ialwaysusedtoask
my selfhowcomeTi gerfatheredsuchagoodguy
l
ikey ou.Imeanhel acksmor als,pr
inci
plesand
everythi
nggood. ”

Webot
hjusthadt
olaugh.

Mulalo:“Wel
l,
waitunt
ilwef
indhim.Hepr
oposedt
o
Thato,aski
nghertobehismist
ress.
”

Kg:
(Fr
owni
ng)“
Whatt
hef
uck?
!”

Mulal
o:“Iknow,hei sobsessedwi thherjustl
ike
Rendani
,butIjusthopewef indherinduet ime.Thi
s
wil
lbeahugesetbackf orher,especi
all
ysinceshe
endur
edt
hatshi
twhenSont
ohadherki
dnapped.
”

Wai tami nut

e.Thet i
mewet ort
ur edSontoand
Sophie,shewant edtosaysomet hingandt hen
Romeost oppedherfrom speakingf urt
her.Thato
explai
nedev ery
thingthathappenedt oherduri
ngt he
kidnapping;i
fIrecal
lcorrect
lyshement i
onedSont o
forceful
l
yabor t
ingherchild.Myey esgrewwi deras
Ithoughtofwhatt hatactuall
ymeant .

Mul
alo:
“Wol
fe.Ar
eyouokay
?”

Kg:(
hypervent
il
ati
ng)“Thato…Didsheevertel
lyou
whathappenedduringthekidnappi
ngaf
terIgot
shot
?”

Mulal
o:“Oh,yes.Shesai
dthatSontotookher
mother
’smoneyf r
om herandevenabortedher
unbor
nchild.She’
ssickasfuck,Idon’
tevenknow
whyGringodidn’
tbur
yherali
vejustli
keGlenda.
”
Nowev er
ythingcamer ushi
ngbackt ome.The
doctordidsayt hatatti
meswhenmymemor y
comesback, Iwoul dgetabitdizzymyey eswoul d
feelpainf
ul,henceIwoul dgetmi grainesev erynow
andt hen.Att imesIwoul dbesoi nsomni ac,itisj
ust
horri
ble.Fuck, Ir ememberthatdaycl ear
lynow,
ThatoandIwer eonourwayt oherhousef ort he
l
obol anegotiations.Ievenremembert hedr essshe
wasdr essedi n.Outofnowher e,acarcameand
crashedintomi neandIgotshot .Irememberv i
vi
dly
whathappened, butIsawherbeingdr aggedaway
andev eryt
hingbecamedar kafterwards.

Iwokeupi nthehospi t
al,weeksl
ater,
onl ytohave
for
gottenallthosememor i
es.Sontokil
ledmychi l
d?!
MYchi l
d?!That owentt hr
oughallt
hatwi thoutme.
Wheret hefuckwasIwhenshewasscr eami ngout
i
npainasSont okil
ledourchil
d?!Fuckthi shurt
s
evenmor ethant hemomentIr emember ed
ever
ything.
 Tearswer est reamingdownmyf acewit
houtme
evenreali
zingt hatIwasact uall
ycryi
ng.Ifeelso
hopeless,Iwasn’ ttheretoholdherhand,toconsol
e
herandt oensur ethatever
ythi
ngwasgoi ngtobe
okay.Instead, ev er
ythi
ngturnedouttobeal i
e–my
wholelif
ei nfact .Romeomademebel i
eveIwasa
rut
hless,cold-hear t
edman, marri
edtoAnastacia.
Howt hef uckdi dhemanaget hat?

Mul
alo:
“Wol
fe,
arey
ouokay
?”

Kg: “
Nowi tmakessense, Mul
alo.Ev ery
thi
ngmakes
sensenowandIdi dn’
tknowany t
hing.Iam sucha
fai
lure,
Iwasn’tthereformywif
ewhenshel ostour
chi
ldatt hehandsofherownmot her.Someoneis
goingtodietonight.
”

Mul
alonoddedwit
hhiscl
enchedfi
standhardened
f
aceasSmallywal
kedindr
aggingAnast
aciaint
othe
house.Wenor mall
ydon’tquest
ionandtort
ure
peoplei
nthishouse,andwewoul dl
iket
okeepi tl
i
ke
that.Mam’V’smemor yhastobekeptal
ive–she
neverwant
edany onetobleedonherwhitefur
carpet
sandwhi t
ecouches.

Rendani ,
RomeoandTi gerandev er
yoneinv
olvedwill
singev enindeathathowcr uel
theirowndeaths
wer e.Theyjustkil
ledthewrongwoman.Anast aci
a
l
ookedsoscar ed,butiti
shighti
me.Thi sbit
chisso
disrespectf
ul,
shei sn’
tevenmyt ype.Ican’
tbeli
eveI
all
owedmypr eciousdicktogetintothosef
ake
thighs.

Kg:
“Ja,
Anast
aci
a.Wemeetagai
n.”

Anastaci
a:(
fri
ght
ened)“
Please,
Kg.Idon’
tknow
anyt
hing.
”

Kg:
“Si
t.
”
Shesatdownanxi
oiusl
ylooki
ngar
ound.

Kg:
“Ify
oucompl
y,Imi
ghtj
ustl
ety
ougo.
”

Anast
aci
anoddedpr
ofusel
y.

Mul
alo:
“Wher
edi
dyouf
indher
,Smal
l
y?”

Smal
ly:“
Wefoundheral
readyt
ryi
ngt
orunaway
fr
om t
hehospi
tal
.ShewasonherwaytoRockv
il
le.
”

Kg:(
frowning)“
Well
,Anast
acia,doyouhav
e
any
thingyouwouldli
ketoconfess?
”

Anastaci
a:(
shaki
ngherhead)“
No…No.Ihav
e
not
hingtohide.
”
Mulal
o:“Thenwhywer
eyout
ryi
ngr
unawayt
o
Rockvi
l
le?”

Anastaci
a:“
Thereisnothi
ngl
eftf
ormehere.I
thoughtt
hatitwashighti
meIwentbackhome.
”

KG:(chuckl
ing)“
Ana,youknowmev er
ywell
,don’t
you?Your ememberthatnightIr
eject
edyouand
youwentandr anyourmouthaboutmet oever
y one
i
nRockv i
ll
e?Doy ourememberwhatIsai dt
oy ou?”

Ana:
(ner
vous)“
Ye…y
es.
”

Kg:“Idon’ tmakeempt ythr

eats,Ana.Itoldyouthat
i
fyouev erpull
edsuchast untagainthatIwouldski
n
youalive.Nowl ookwher ewear e–mywi feis
missing, andIalmostbecamey ourhusband.”

Mul
alo:
“It
hinkt
hatdeser
vesameanpuni
shment
.”
Kg:
“Isecondt
hat
.”
Anast
aci
a:“
Please…Pl
easeIknownot
hing.
”

Kg:“Areyoureadyt
otel
lmewhatact
ual
ly
happenedtome?TellmehowIendedupwit
hyou
i
nsteadofThato.
”

Anastacia: (nervously )I
…I twasRomeo’ splan–al l
ofit
.Hesai dy ouwokeupandcoul dn’tr
emember
anythi
ng, andt hati swhenhecal l
edme.Heof fered
megoodmoneyt obey ourwoman, andt akecar eof
you.Sosi ncey oudi dn’tev enwantt otouchme, he
suggestedIgetpr egnant ,
sowef uckedaf ewt i
mes
andIfellpr egnant .Webot hknewt hatababyi s
somet hi
ngy ouwoul dn’tgiveupon, sowedi dthat .
Hemademegi v eyoumemor ysuppressants,whi ch
hegotf r
om adoct orbacki nSowet o.Theyar e
expensive, butt heydi dthet r
ick.Whenev eryou
wouldgetabr eakt hroughint ermsofThat o,Ihadt o
giv
ey out hatmedi cine.”
Howev i
lcanaper sonbe?If oundmy selfbei
ng
consumedwi thrage.Igotupandchar gedather.I
grabbedhert hroatwit
hbothmyhands, asItri
edto
squeezet hel
ifeoutofher.Att hatmoment ,noone
mat t
ered,butThat o.Anadeservestodie.

Mul
alo:
“Kg!Wol
fe!No!
”

Ifoundmy sel
fbackoneeart
hagainasIl
etgoofher
.
Shedroppedont hef
loor
,coughi
ngasshetri
edt
o
catchherbreat
h.

Kg:“
Whatdoy
ouknowaboutMul
aloandIbei
ng
br
other
s?”

Anastaci
a:(shocked)“Iknow nothi
ngofthesort
,I
swear.Theonl ythi
ngIam guilt
yofwaskeeping
youawayf r
om That oandsleepi
ngwi t
hyourfat
her.
Inevermeanttohur tyou,Ij
ustwantedyoutobe
mi
neandmi
neonl
y.
”

Igav eheronelookandshei nstantl

ymademesi ck.
Tot hinkIwassleepingnexttothisthi
ngev er
yni
ght
sickensme.Iwai tednof ur
ther,asIgrabbedher
neckandsnappedi tint
heblinkofaney e.Justl
ike
thatAnastaci
awasgone.
Chapt
erSev
ent
yEi
ght

2Cor i
nthians-1:
11–“ Finall
y,brothersandsist
ers,
rej
oice!St r
iveforf
ullrestorat
ion,encourageone
another,beofonemi nd, l
iveinpeace.Andt heGod
ofloveandpeacewi l
lbewi thy ou.”

Af
ewday
slat
er

Kg

Yes,
Iknow,
Ishoul
dn’
thav
eki
l
ledAnast
aci
ajustl
i
ke
that
,buttobehonest,shewasnotgoi ngt obe
usefulenough.Iam gl
adsheisj ustgone,because
theonlypersonwhoholdsthetruthli
keNanasai d,i
s
Romeo.Hehasbeenoutf orafewday s,andIhave
hadenoughwi thbei
nginthedarkaboutMul al
oand
I
’sresemblance.I
tisti
mef ort
het rut
ht ocomeout.

Tomakemat tersworse, Gr
ingohasbeen
unconsciousev ersi
ncet heshooting,andissti
ll
ina
coma.Wehav ebeendr eadingburyingMam’ V
wit
houthi spresence,butwecan’ thaveherinthe
mortuaryforweeksonendaswedon’ tknowwhen
Gri
ngowi llwakeup.

Letswalosal sobelievethatitisti
met oburyher ,
as
i
tisunnat uraltoleavehercol dinthatmor t
uaryfor
solong.So, wehav eagr eedtoburyhert omorrow,
andev enwi thThatoandGr ingonotpresent,it
breaksmyhear tthatwewon’ thavethedesired
funeral
.Ev ersincet heshoot i
ng,wehav eti
ghtened
securit
y;Rami hasbeenl iv
inghereandpr ett
ymuch
allofushav ebeenher e.Thendohasbeenr i
ghtby
Rami ’
ssideev ersince,asshef i
ndsithar
dtosleep.
Sher ef
usest ogetanyt herapeauti
chelp,
whichis
reall
ystressfulasshewassupposedt ohavebeen
backatschool twodaysago.

Wecoul dn’
tev engoont hef ami
lytr
ipGri
ngohad
organi
zedforal l
ofus;Imeanhowni ceisthatguy–
Iwasnothi sbl oodson,y ethetr
eatedmel i
keone.I
am nowsof edupwi thRomeobei ngunconscious
forsolong,thatIhavedeci dedtogetLouistot r
y
somethingonhi mtospeedupt heprocess.I
haven’
tseenmywi f
eev ersincethathorr
if
icdayof
myweddi ng, andIreal
lyneedhert obeokay .

Nanakeepssay i
ngsheisokay–f ornow,but
knowingthatshei sint
hehandsoft hat
motherfucker,
doesnotputmymi ndatease.
Lucki
lyMul al
ohasbeenbymysi deandImustsay ,
I
haverecoveredreall
ywell
.PerhapsIshouldstay
awayf r
om Gunssi nceIgetshotalot.The
migrai
neshav ebeencomi
ngandgoing,
butLoui
s
saysitwil
ltaketi
meformysystem t
oweanit
sel
fof
f
thepil
lsRomeoandAnausedt ofeedme.

Kg:“Loui
s, can’
tyoutryany
thi
ng?Imeanf
oral
lwe
knowt hi
sf uckercoul
dbepret
endi
ngt
obe
unconscious.”

Louis: “
Well
,Icoul
dtr
ysomeshocktherapy
,butifi
t
fai
l
s, itcoul
dhavesomeser
iousr
epercussi
ons,such
asbr aindamage.”

Kg:
“Idon’
tcar
e,Loui
s.Dowhaty
ouhav
etodo.
”

Loui
snoddedashewentt ofetchhi
sequi pment.I
t
i
shight i
met hatwegottheanswer sweneed.
SmallyandBiggiecarr
iedtheunconsciousRomeo
downt othelounge,whil
ehehadhi sdrips
connectedtohim.Thisf uckermustbef akingor
el
sehi sancestor
smustr eall
ylovehi
m.Al ongwit
h
Nana, cameRami,Rami’ssobbingMother,
accompani edbyhersupport
ivehusband,al
ongwi
th
Rami ’
sbrother
,Kgabo.Iam guessingtheyare
hopingRomeowoul dtellusthetr
uth,more
especiall
yastowhytheyhadt okil
lVivi
an.

Loui ssetupev erythi

ngaswesatdownand
anxiousl ywai ted.Looki ngathim, If
eelabsolut
ely
nothing–nor emor sewhat soever
.AllIfeeli
srage
anddeepseet hedhat redf orthemanIoncecal led
myf at her.Ther ei snowayaf athercoul
dev erdo
sucht ohi sownson.WhenIi ntr
oducedThat oto
him, Igener allyhopedt hathewoul dchangehi s
mindaboutmej oini
ngt hegang.NowIf eel
sosor r
y
forTumi sho, hav i
ngt ogr owupsuchaspoi l
tbratall
becauseoft hisguy .

Louisgothismachineready,hechargeditandput
bot
ht hosebodyshockdevi
cesonRomeo’ schest.
Assoonast heymetwithhisbarechest,
weal lsaw
Romeo’sbodyshakeandmov eupanddownabi t,
muchl i
keontvwhenevertheytryandrevive
someone.Aftert
hefir
sttime,ther
ewasst il
lno
response,
soLoui
sincreasedthev ol
tageandt r
ied
again.Aft
ert
hesecondt i
me, i
tsti
lldi
dn’twork.

Kgabo:“
Loui
s,puti
tonmaxi
mum v
olt
age.Heneeds
towakeupnow.”

Ipanickedabitashesaidt hat.Washeseei ng
somet hingt
hatwedidn’tsee?I sThatoinev enmore
danger?Iswear ,
whenIf i
ndRendani Iwillmakehim
chewhi sownbal l
saft
erIbur nthem of
fhim.Loui s
hesit
atedabi t
,butdi
dast old.Afterheincreased
thevoltage,
Romeoal mostj umpedup, gaspingfor
air
.

Romeo:
(gaspi
ng)“
Whe…wher
eam I
?”

Fi
nal
l
y,t
hebi
tchi
sawake.
Helookedaroundandsawusandbecameal i
ttl
ebi
t
st
artl
ed.Ifheisscar
ed,heshoul
dputhimsel
finmy
wi
fe’sshoesandimaginehowshefeel
sri
ghtnow.

Kg:
“Hi
,Papa(
Dad)
.Orshoul
dIsayRomeo?
”

Romeo:(
fri
ghtened)“Kgaugel
o,son,
howoneart
h
di
dIgethere?Thel astt
hingIrememberwas–“

Kg:(
int
errupt
ing)“Waswhenyoul
etRendani
wal
k
awaywithmywi fe,r
ight
?!”
If
eltmyski
nbur
ningwi
thr
age.

Romeo: (
sof
tl
y)“I
t’
snotl
i
kethat.I
…Itri
edtowarn
hi
m, It
ri
edtotel
lhi
mt ol
ethergo,
becauseyouwere
ont
ous–hi m.”

Kg:“
Tellme,Romeo,
whatonearthwerey
ou
pl
anningtodowit
hus?Whoinit
iatedt
heplan?
Whati
sRendani
’
spl
anwi
thThat
o?”

Romeo:“
Please…Idon’tknowmuch, okay.Iwas
j
usti
nfur
iat
edaf t
erbei
nghumi l
i
atedbyGr i
ngo.I
j
ustwant
edt oteachhi
m alit
tl
elesson,butTi
gerhad
ot
heri
deas.”

Mul
alo:
“Keepgoi
ng.
”

Romeo:“He…hesaidweshouldkil
l hi
m,butI
ref
used.Imean,youknowme, Kg,Icoul
dneverbe
abl
etogoagainstabigguyli
keGri
ngo.Andbesides,
i
twouldn’
thavebeeneasytogettohim si
ncehe
hassuchti
ghtsecur
it
ydetai
l.
”

Mul
alo:
“Thenhowdi
dyoudoi
t?”

Romeo:(si
gh)“Tony
,theaccount
antwasfur
ious
thathegotki
ckedoutofthegangaswell
,sosince
hehadsomemoneystashedaway–hemanagedt
o
br
ibeoneoft
heguar
ds.”

Mul aloandIbothlookedateachot herandthought

forasecond.Theonl yguardswhocoul dbebribed
l
iket hatastheyareli
teral
lyclosesttothegangi s
eitherBiggi
eorSmal l
y.Wet hent ur
nedourattenti
on
towar dsthetwoofthem.Smal l
yissomeonev ery
transparent–whaty ouseei swhaty ouget.Hehas
beenwi thGringoforyearsandwoul dneverdosuch
at hi
ngt ous.Bi ggi
eont heot herhand,l
ookedl i
ke
hewasaboutt opisshimself.

Kg:
“Car
etoexpl
ain,
Biggi
e?”

Biggi
e:(panci
king)“Look,Boz za,
Ihadtodoit
.My
mom, sheneededahear ttr
ansplantandyouknow
howexpensi v
epr i
vatehospitalsare.
”

Smal
l
ygav
ehi
m onedi
rt
ylookandbecame
i
mmedi
atel
yanger
ed,

Small
y:(angr
y)“
Youhadthebossshotandhi
swife
ki
ll
ed?!Youhadhiswi
fekidnapped?
!Ri
ghtunder
ournoses?!
”

Biggi
e:“
Look,
iti
snothi
ngpersonal
,okay.Besi
des,
noonetoldmethatBozzawouldgethur
tandthat
someonewoulddie.
”

Kg:“
Idon’
thavetimef
ort
hisbul
l
shi
t,Smal
l
y,t
ake
hi
m awayplease.
”

Small
y:“Wit
hpl
easure,
bozza.(
ToBi
ggi
e)Ar
evay
e
wena(Let’
sgoyou)
.”

Biggiewasdraggedoutofthehousebeggi
ngand
screaming.Smallyi
sactual
lyhugewhil
eBiggi
eis
notsobig.Iam honestl
ytir
edoftrai
tor
s.
Kg:
“Now,
car
ryon.
”

Romeo: “Wel l
,Rendani managedt ohacki nt
ot he
securitycamer asanddistractthesecur i
tydet ai
l
.
Biggiewasi nstruct
edtogi vethem allcoffeeandslip
sleepingpill
si ntothei
rdrinks.Itdidn’ttakethem
verylongsi ncet hepil
lsarequitestrongandbef ore
weknewi t–t heywer eout.So, thatiswhent hetwo
guy sstormedi nanddidthej obforRendani .They
couldn’ttakeBi ggiewithashehadt olooklikehe
wasony ourt eam.”

Thi
smot
her
fucker
.

Kg:“SO,
bjanong(now),
whati
sRendani
’
srol
einal
l
thi
s?Whatar ehi
splanswi
thThat
o?”

Romeo:“
He…hesay shel
ovesherandwantshert
o
behiswi
fe.Al
lIknowthatTi
gerwantedheraswel
l,
butRendanibeathimtoi
t.Het
ookherandIdon’
t
knowwher eto,bel
i
eveme.”

ThismeansthatRendani
isoutoft
hecount
ry,
my
questi
onishowdidhegetitri
ghtt
ofl
youtri
ght
underournoses?

Kg:
“So,Rendanimustbewor
kingwi
thsomeone
whoknowsusv erywel
l.
”

Romeo:“Iswear
,Kgaugelo,Iknownothi
ng.I
wouldn’
tli
etoyouwhenmyownl i
fehangsinthe
bal
ance.Myonlybiggestregreti
swhatIdidtoy ou
wit
hAnastaci
a,andnowl ookwherewear e.Please
for
givemeson.”

Kg:
“Toolat
ef ort
hatnow.Now,
tel
lusexact
lywhy
Mul
aloandIlooksofamil
i
ar.
”
Isawhim swall
owhardandIknewthatbi
gnews
wascoming.Whatissobigthathemanagedto
hidef
rom usforsol
ong?
Chapt
erSev
ent
yNi
ne

Deutorony24:
16–“ Fathersshal
lnotbeputtodeat
h
becauseoftheirchil
dren,norshall
chil
drenbeputt
o
deathbecauseoft hei
rf at
hers.Eachoneshall
be
puttodeathforhisownsi n.”

Kg

Il
ookedatthisbast
ardinf
rontofmeandswor eto
mysel
f;ifhedoesn’
ttel
lmethetruth,
Iwill
ripoffhi
s
l
imbsonebyone.AuntVi vi
anwillhavetoforgi
ve
meont hisone–heneedstopayf orhisacti
ons.

Kg:
“Speak!
”
Romeo: (fr
ightened)“Okay,yourmother,
was
pregnantwitht wins.So,whenshegav ebir
tht
here
wereal otofcompl i
cat
ions;
Iam notsurewhatkind
ofcompl i
cations,butwhatIcantel
ly ouist
hatyou
andMul aloaret wins.
”

Everyonewassoshockedthatwej usthadtogasp.I
ki
ndofexpectedi
t,buti
tjustdoesn’tmakeany
sense.ImeanMulaloisoldert
hanme, i
sn’
the?

Mul
alo:
“That
’snotpossi
ble.Iam ol
dert
hanWol
fe.
”

Kgabo:
“I’
m af
rai
diti
str
ue.
”

Ican’
tbeli
evei
t,soourwhol
eli
veswer ebasedona
l
ieandwebot hwerepull
edawayfrom eachother
.
Theyrobbedusfrom bei
ngt
ogether?
!

Kg:
“So,
howdi
dIendupwi
thy
ouandMul
alowi
th
Ti
gerandConst
ance?
”

Romeo: “Ti
gerisactual
l
yy ouruncl
e–di stantuncle
ofsomesor t.Heisalsofrom aroyalf
ami ly
,butI
don’tknowthewhol est
oryast ohowitcameabout
thatthetwoofy oubesepar at
edfrom eachot her.
AllIknowisthatyourmotherdiedknowingt hatthe
otherbabydidn’
tmakei t–ofwhi chi
tisy ou–
Mul al
o.”

Butthi
sisjustt
ooconf using.Imean,Mamat oldme
aboutthebabyshelostbutdi dn’
tmentiont
hatIwas
atwin.Allshesai
dwast hatthebabywasburied
backhome.Wehar dl
ywentbackhomebecause
Mamaandhersi sterhardlygotalong.

Mulal
o:“Youmeant
otel
lust
hatyoudon’tknow
anyt
hingmoreandt
hatt
hati
sal
lyoufucking
know?!”
Romeo: “
Yes,Iswear
.Thati
sal
lIknow.Irai
sedy
ou
–Kg,eventhoughbiol
ogi
cal
l
yyouweren’
tmyown.
ButIr
aisedyou.”

SoifRomeoisn’
tourf
atherandTi
geri
sn’
tourf
ather
ei
ther
,whois?

Kg:
“Thenwhoi
smyf
ather
?”

Romeo:
“Thatquesti
oncanonl
ybeanswer
edby
Ti
ger
.Iswear,Iknownothi
ng.
”

Mul
alo:
“WhataboutConst
ance?Doessheknow?
”

Romeo: “Yes,
shehasknownal l
along.Shesaid
Tigercamehomeandsai dthathiscousi
ndied
duringchil
dbi
rthandthatyouhadnooneel seto
takecareofy ou.Hisroyalf
amilyknewofy ou
hencey ouwerenosecret.Iswear ,
thati
sallI
know.
”

Ican’
tbel
iev
epeopl ecanact
ual
lybesocruel
tohi
de
suchthi
ngsfrom us.Theydeci
dedtopl
ayGodwit
h
ourli
vesj
ustli
kethat.

Kg:“Now,Romeo,
whydidy
ouletThat
ogothr
ough
whatshedid?Whycoul
dn’
tyoujustl
etmebe
happy?”

Ifeltt
hetearsbuil
dingupagai nassoonasI
thoughtofThatolosingourpreci
ousbabyal lov
er
again.Ihav ebeenhav i
ngsleepl
essnightsever
sincefi
ndingthatout.Itwasn’tf
airatal
lespeci
all
y
sinceshehadt ogot hr
oughthat.

Romeo: “I
…I’
m sorr
y,son.Ijustdi
ditoutofgreed.I
sawy ouhadlosty
ourmemor yandjumpedatthe
chance.IknewthatIjusthadtodoitother
wiseyou
wouldjustgobacktobeingtheweakli
ngThato
tur
nedy ouint
o.Pleasefor
giveme,son.Giveme
anotherchance,
IpromiseIcanchangefort
he
bett
er.”

Thisfuckerthi
nksIam insane, real
ly.HowcanI
for
givesuch?HeknewwhatSont owasdoi ngtomy
wif
eandchi ldandheal lowedhert ocont i
nuewi t
hit.
Iam notav i
olentpersonbynat ure,butallofthi
sis
j
ustturningmei nt
oav i
olentperson.Ihav efail
ed
mywi fe,If
ail
edmyunbor nchild.Ifanythi
ngt henI
guessIam aweakl ing.

Kg:“Small
y,t
akehim awayandmakesurehedi
esa
sl
ow, pai
nfuldeat
h.Buryhi
m al
i
veordrownhi
m
al
iv
ei fyouhaveto.”

Smal
l
y:“
Sho,
bozza.
”

Romeo:(
fri
ght
ened)“
Please,
Kgaugelo!Iam
beggi
ngyou.Pl
ease,
don’tdothi
s!”
Weal lwatchedasSmal l
ytookhi m away .Imadea
vowev ersinceThat owentmi ssingthateveryone
whohadahandi nherdi sappear ance, andanyone
whohadahandi nVi vi
an’sdeat h, wouldfoll
owsui t
.
Theyshoul ddieasl ow, painfuldeath.Iwasv ery
l
enientwithAnast acia,butf r
om nowon, ever
yone
responsi
blewilldieav er yslow, agonizingdeath.

Rendani

Ihavehadt or
unandnev erlookback.Thank
goodnessmycont actswhichIactuall
ytookfrom
Gri
ngocamet hroughforme.Imanagedt oget
my sel
faquickfl
ightoutofSouthAf r
ica,andeveni
f
Kgf i
ndsoutwhereIam –t heycan’ttouchme.Luigi
i
sof fi
cial
l
ydonewi t
htheGr oens.

Rendani
isi
nthebui
ldi
ngnowanditi
sti
meforme
tomakemymar k.Wehavebeenher
eforaf
ewdays
andThatohasbeenoutofi teversi
nce.Appar ent l
y
shewasser i
ouslydehydr
atedandsuf f
eredsever e
shock,butwit
hLuigi’
smedi calteam,sheiscov ered
ri
ghthereinhishouse.Ifoundhi m eati
ngbreakf ast
alongwithhi
swi f
edownst air
sandIdeci dedtoj oin
them.

Rendani
:“Lui
gi,
Mrs.Mar
ti
nel
l
i.
”

Luigi
:“Rendani
,youhav ebeenherelongnow.When
arewegoi ngtodiscussbusiness?
”

Rendani
:“What’stherush,Lui
gi?Imeany ouagreed
tobetheref
ormepr ovi
dedIgiveyouall
Gr i
ngo’
s
cont
acts.Besides,theSouthAfri
cancar
telis
basi
call
yyoursnowsi nceheandhi swi
feisdead.
Noonecant ouchy ouwithall
yourpowerand
money.”

It
houghtLui
giwoul
dbev
eryi
mpr
essed,
buti
nst
ead
hel
ookedr
atherannoy
ed.

Lui
gi:
“Rendani
,youcomehereinmiddl
eofni
ght
wit
hgirl
youclai
mi swif
e;yousl
eepinmyhouse,eat
myfood,paynorent,
noincome.Ineedmoney;no
money–nost ay.
”

Lui
giisreal
l
yabouttopi
ssmeof f,
ImeanIgav
ehim
Gri
ngoandVi vi
anonasil
verpl
att
erandnowheis
act
ingli
keIdidn’
tdoshi
tforhi
m.

Rendani
:(annoy
ed)“Lui
gi,
Igavey
outhebusi
ness,
whyareyouactingl
i
keIam li
vi
ngoffy
ouforfr
ee?”

Luigi
:“Wolf
ebl ockedal
lmyaccesstoSouthAf r
ica.
Ihadmyguy sreadywit
hmysupply;ontheplane
andev enshipped.Doyouknowwhathedi d?He
hadmyguy sarrest
ed!Thecopswerewaiti
ngf or
them r
ightthereandevennowtheyaresti
ll
detai
ned!”
Shit
,Kgi
sonami ssi
ont
ost
opme.Buthewon’
t
fi
ndThat
oei
therway.

Lui
gi:
“Fi
xitbef
oreIl
ethi
m knowy
oubr
oughthi
s
wif
etoIt
aly.
”

Fuck,justwhenIt houghtt hatevery

thingwasf all
ing
i
nt oplace, anothersetback.Ihadt opayLui gi
f orall
hiseffortsandIam r unningoutofmoney .Ihav eto
thinkofsomet hingfastifIwantt ostayher eandl i
ve
acomf ortableli
fe.Luigi gotupandr emov edhi msel f
from thet able.Mxm, fatfuck.Iwasl ef
twi thLui gi
’s
wi f
eSel ena.

Sel
ena:(smil
i
ng)“Don’
tworr
y,Rendani
.Allwil
lbe
wel
l.Iwill
putingoodwordforyou.Justdon’
t
messitupagain.
”

Rendani
:(noddi
ng)“
Iwoul
dreal
l
yappr
eci
atet
hat
,
Sel
ena.
”

Selena:“
Letmegogiv
ethatbeaut
if
ulgi
rly
ou
broughtwithy
ousomesoup.Iti
shight
imeshe
wokeup. ”

Sel
enagotupandwentupstai
rstoThat
o’sroom.
ThesoonerIgetmar
ri
edtoher,t
hebett
er.Ican’
t
wai
tanylongernow.

That
o

Petunia:“
Thato,Ngwanake( mychil
d).Bestrong,
please.Thewor sti
salmostov er.Youwil
lbe
reunit
edwi t
hyourhusbandagai nandyouwillbe
savedbysomeoney ouleastexpect.Hanginther
e
andnev erfor
gettopray
.”

Igotupi
nsuchahugef
ri
ght
,andonl
yreal
i
zedt
hati
t
wasj ustadr eam.If el
tmyheadabi theavy ,
my
eyesabi tdrowsy ,
andmyl i
psext
remelydr y.I
l
ookedar oundt heroom anddi
dn’
tevenr ecognize
theroom itself.Thisroom i
ssobeautif
ul,full
of
whit
ecol oursev er
ywhere.

Itj
ustr emi ndsmeofMam’ V’
shouse.AsIwas
t
ryi
ngt oscant heroom,anunfami l
iarwhi t
ewoman
walkedi n.Shel ooksli
kesheisinhermi d-
50’sorso,
wit
hr eallydark,bl
ackhairandful
l eyebrows.Her
f
acei ssogor geous,wi
thfl
awlessski n,
sher eminds
meofNai robifrom t
hemoneyhei st.

Sel
ena:(
smil
i
ng)“
Hel
l
o,That
o.Mynamei
sSel
ena
Mart
inel
l
i.
”

Idon’tevenrecognizet
hatname,butthatsurname
soundssof amili
ar.Ihavehear
ditbefore.Iam too
dist
raughttorememberwher eIhear
di tfr
om.
That
o:(
fri
ght
ened)“
Wher
eam I
?”

Sel
ena:“
Don’
tworr
y,Iwon’
tbi
te.Ij
ustcamet
o
bri
ngyousomesoup.
”

Idon’tknowt hiswoman, butt

heamazi ngar omaof
thesoupbr ingsmusi ct omynost ri
ls.Istaredatt he
bigplateofsoupi nf r
ontofme, andmyst omach
growledinstantly
.Igl adlytookt heplateofsoupand
dugin.Idi dn’tevenrealizehowhungr yIwasunt il
someofi tdri
ppedonmyshi rt
.Il ookedatmy sel
f
andr eal
izedIwasst i
lldressedinmybr idesmai d
dress.Oh, fuck,Rendani tookme!Whati fhesol d
met obecomeasl aveorsomet hing?!Iimmedi atel
y
pausedi nfearasIl ookedatt hi
swomani nf rontof
me.

Sel
ena:
(fr
owni
ng)“
Issomet
hingwr
ong,
dear
?”

That
o:(
tear
y)“
Wher
eam I
?”
Sel
ena:“YouareinItaly
,mydear
.Youwer esoout
ofi
t,i
thasbeennear lyaweek.Apparent
lyyouwere
i
nvolvedinanaccidentofsomesortandthat’
swhen
Rendanibroughty
ouher e.
”

Isuddenl
ypanickedasIplacedt hebowlofsoupon
thebedsi
de.Thiscan’tbehappeni ng.Whothefuck
doIknowinItalyandhowwi l
lIgethome?Ismy
mom okay?Oh, Mam’V!Issher eall
ydead?
!Rami
mustbedevastated.Idon’tevenhav eaphoneor
anythi
ngwit
hme.Howwi l
l Kgfindme?Whyam Ii n
suchamess, oh,lor
d.

Thato:(
cryi
ng)“Youdon’
tunder
stand,
Selena.
Rendaniisnotmyhusband,heki
dnappedme, okay
.
MyrealhusbandisKg.HeisinSouthAfri
ca–y ou
havetohelpme.”

Sel
enagav
emeonesadl
ook,
li
kesher
eal
l
ytookme
seri
oiusl
y.Shelookedatmewi thpaini
nhereyes
andIactuall
ythoughtshewouldhelpme,butt
hen
Rendanibargedintother
oom andallmyhopeswere
crushedinaninstant
.

Rendani
:(smi
li
ng)“Sor
ryt
oint
err
upt
,Sel
ena.I
s
ever
ythi
ngokay,her
e?”

Selena:(
fakesmi
le)“Yes,yes,ever
ythi
ngokay.See
youlater
,dear
.Aftereati
ngy oursoup,youcango
takeashower.Yourclotheswi l
lbeherelai
doutf
or
you.”

Shegavemeonesaddenedl ookwit
haf akesmil
e
andlef
t.Imeanwhatthefuck?IlookedatRendani
andsuddenl
yrememeberedthatunfat
efulday
.How
dar
ehekidnapme?

Rendnai
:(Smi
l
ing)“
Mywi
fe.
”
Hetr
iedget
ti
ngclosert
ome,
butIcr
ingedatt
he
t
houghtandjumped.

That
o:”
Don’
tyoudar
ecomenearme!
”

Rendnai:
“ Rel
ax,That
o.Iwon’
thur
tyou–Icoul
d
neverhurtyou.
”

Thato:“
Youkidnappedme, Rendani
!Whoi nthei
r
ri
ghtminddoesthat?!Whatar eyouplanni
ngon
doingwit
hme? !Feedingmet othel
ionsanddogs?!
Turni
ngmeintoapr osti
tut
e?!”

Rendani
:(si
gh)“Il
ovey
ou,Tee.Whycan’
tyousee
that
?Ihav el
ovedyoueversi
ncet
hemomentIsaw
you.
”

Thi
sguyisser
iousl
yobsessedwithme.Ihaveseen
someshowsaboutobsessi
on,i
tjustendsi
ntear
s
andmost
lyi
nbl
ood.

Rendani
:“Iwil
lnevergi
veuponyou,That
o.Youare
mineandwi l
lfor
everbemine.Iwi
ll
bewaiti
ngfor
youdownstair
s.”

Helookedatmewi t
hasmi l
eandlef
t.Howthefuck
doesheexpectmet obehappywhenheisl
i
ter
all
y
keepi
ngmeher eagainstmywil
l
?
Chapt
erEi
ght
y

Ezekiel18:20–“ Thesoul whosi nsshal

ldi
e.The
sonshal lnotsufferfort
hei ni
quityoft
hefat
her
,nor
thefathersuf f
erfortheini
quityoftheson.The
ri
ghteousnessoft heri
ghteousshallbeuponhi
msel
f,
andthewi ckednessofthewi ckedshall
beupon
himself.
”

Kg
Everythinghasbeenj uststressfulandupsetti
ng.
Gringoisst il
li
nacomat osestate,despit
euspr ayi
ng
andl i
ght i
ngcandlesinhi sward,Mul al
ohasbeenso
down, sincehef eel
slikeeverythinginhisli
fehas
beenanabsol uteli
e.Ev enConni econfir
medwhat
Romeosai dt ous.Hehasbeensuchamess, If
eel
thatitistimef ormetolightenhismoodandbe
thereforhi m.

Todayi sVi vi
an’sfuneral
,andithasbeensot ough
withoutGringo’spresence.Vi vi
ansimpl yinstr
ucted
herlawyert hatshouldshediewehadt obur yheras
soonaspossi bl
e.I ti
sreall
ydisheartening,butwhat
canwedo?Wewer ealli
nstructedbyVi vi
ani na
l
etteraddressedt oallherlovedonest hatweshoul d
notevenbedr essedinblack–weshoul dratherbe
dressedinherf avouri
tecolourwhi chiswhi te.

Ev
eryonei
ssad,butoutofr
espectf
orherwi
shes,
wechosetogi
veheronememor abl
esendof
f.
Beforethefuner al
,weall stoppedbyt heI
CU, even
thoughthenur sesaretiredofus, wewentany way,
asagr oup.All ofusar edr essedinexpensi
vely
whi t
eclot
hes,justasVi vianwoul dwish.Wef ound
Gringosti
llunconscious, butdecidedtospeakt o
him.Wel etNanadot hehonour sasthemot her.

Nana:“Davi
d,myseun, di’
sek,jouma( it
’sme, y
our
mother).Onsgaanjouv rouvandagbegr awe(We
aregoingtoburyyourwifetoday).Weesnetst erk,
myseun( Justbestrong,myson) .Knowt hatshe
wil
lalwaysbewi t
hyoui nspir
it
.Youandherwer e
twopeasinapod, andIdoubty ouwi l
lsurvi
vethi
s
heavyblowtoyourhear t
,butj
ustt r
yplease.
”

Shesai daheartf
eltpr
ayerandweal lproceededto
thegr av
esit
e.Af ewdaysago, NanaandKgabo
wentt othemor t
uaryandcleansedherbody ,sot
hat
Vivi
anwoul dleaveeart
hinpeace,withoutdoubtand
wor r
y.Itisj
ustsad,andremindsmeaboutt he
painfulmemor yofmymot her’
sfuneral
.HowIwi sh
Mul
alogotachancetoknowherkindhear
tandgot
t
ofeelhergent
let
ouchandwarm hugs.

Il
ovedmymot her,andIknowshei slookingdown
onmeev ennow.Whenweal ll
ookedatVi vian’s
bodyinthatcasketonel asttime,itl
ookedl i
keshe
wassmi li
ng–despi tethebulletholethroughher
head.Cal l
mecr azy,butitfeelsli
keshei sr eallyat
peace.Iam soamazedt hatsomanypeopl ecame
fr
om Rockv i
ll
eandev enadher edt othedr esscode.
Theyallcamedr essedinwhi te,andweal lhav ea
whit
elil
lyinourhands, asasy mbol ofpeace.Iwi l
l
havepeacei nmyhear tthedayIpuni sht hosewho
di
dt hi
stous.

Pri
est
:“Wear egather
edher etoday,t
osaygoodby e
tooneofourangels.Shewasanangel evenin
Rockvi
ll
e,shewasanangel .Vi v
ianLetswalo-
Groen
wasav eryl
oveableandlovingperson.Being
chi
ldl
esshersel
f,shereall
ylovedeveryonearound
her
.Shehadt hatspir
itthatwouldjustcal
ma
per
sondownev enwithhercr
azypersonali
ty.She
wastrul
yaGodsent,andsheservedherpurposejust
asall
ofuscameher eoneartht
odo.Eccl esiast
es3
say
s:“Eart
htoEart
h,ashestoashes,dusttodust.”

Thel ordsaysf rom dustwear oseandt odustwe

shallret
urn.Deat handber eavementi snev er
pleasanttothesoul nort hebody ,f
oronecanendup
beingemot i
onal lydepr essedandphy sicall
ycaptive
from allt
hepai noneendur esfrom all thehur t
.Take
heedi nthefollowingv erses: “1Cor i
nthi ans15:42-44,
‘
Sowi l
li
tbet her esurrectionoft hedead.Thebody
thatissowni sper ishable, i
tisraisedi mper i
shable;it
i
ssowni ndishonor ,
itisraisedi nglory; iti
ssowni n
weakness, i
tisr aisedinpower ;andi tissowna
naturalbody,itisr ai
sedaspi ri
tualbody .Ifther
eisa
naturalbody,therei salsoaspi ri
tualbody .
”

Romans14:8–“I
fweliv
e,welivefortheLord;andi
f
wedie,
wedief
ortheLord.So,whetherweliveor
di
e,webel
ongtot
heLord.”ForGodpr omisesusin
thebookofRev el
ationthathewil
lwipeeverytear
from oureyesashepr omisesuseverl
asti
nglif
e.
Takepr i
deinthejoyousmoment syouhaveshar ed
wi t
hVivi
an,forGodknowsbest .Li
feisonlylendto
us, f
orweneedt orepaytheLordwithever
lasti
ng,
spiri
tuall
i
fe.”

ThePr iestpr ay edonel astti

meandaskedusal lto
comeandt hrowsomesoi li
ntothegr ound.Rami ’
s
mom st ar
t edwai l
i
ngassoonast hecasketdr opped
i
ntot hegr av e.Hercr y
ingpiercedmyhear tso
deeply,asIal sowasv eryfondofVi vian.Icanonly
i
magi nel osi ngy ouronlysister
.Vi vi
anwasnosai nt,
butshedi dn’ tdeser veabul l
etthroughherskul l
.As
themencov er edhergr ave,i
tbroughtsuchr aget o
met hinkingt hatt heper sonwhoi nit
iatedallt
hishas
myoneandonl ytreasure–That o.

Howdowemov eonwithli
feandrejoi
ceknowing
verywel
lsheisoutther
esomewher eandwedon’t
knowifsheisokayornot?Afterev
er y
thi
ng,we
rel
easedaf ewdovesandmadeourwaybackt o
Northcl
if
fe.Weev eninvi
tedever
y onef
rom Rockvi
l
le
tocomeandenj oythefeastwit
hus.They ardis
wayt oobigany
way .Thesewhitepeoplefr
om
aroundheredon’tl
ikenoi
se,buttoday–iti
sall
aboutVivi
an.

Aswest oodthere,Mr s.Letswalo,

Rami ’
smom
wentupst ai
rstosleepandRami al
sodidn’tf
eel ver
y
well.Iam sogladThendohasbeenherr ockand
pil
l
ar .Peoplewereenj oyi
ngt hemselv
es,wi t
h
cocktail
s,wineandlotsoff oodandgreatmusi c,j
ust
asVi vwouldhavewant edit.Aswewat chedt hem
enjoythemselves,Itookt hisasanopportunit
yt o
speakt omynewl yfoundt winbr
other
,Mul al
o.

Kg:
“Ogr
and(
Arey
ouokay
)?”

Mul
alo:
“Ja,
sho.Wena(
You)
?”
Iseeev ersincehehear dthenewsthatwewer e
rel
ated,hehasbeendoubt ingandquesti
oningalot
ofthings.Hehasev enstoppedspeakinginVenda,
anditisreallypainf
ultoseehim washoffyearsof
exi
stence,andt rytobesomeonewhodon’ teven
knoworev enrecognizeinthemirr
or.

Kg: “
LookMul alo,Iknowyouareasconf usedasI
am, buttr
ulyspeakingIam actual
lygladtohave
foundabr otherinsomeonelikeyou.Youar eoneof
akind,amanoft ruestat
ure,
andy ournature
actuall
yremindsmeofmy–ourmot her.
”

Mul
alo:
(sof
tl
y)“
Whatwasshel
i
ke,
Wol
fe?
”

Kg:(smil
ing)“Shewassuchabeaut i
fulsoul,
Shar k.I
wishyouhadmether .Shewasv er
yhumbl e,soft-
spoken,butonceshegotangry,shewouldexpl ode,
muchl i
key ou.Youtookalotofherpersonali
ty
tr
ait
sandshewasal soint
ell
i
gentjustl
i
key ouandI .”
Webot
hchuckl
ed.

Mul
alo:
“Doy
ouper
hapshav
esomeofherpi
ctur
es?
”

Kg:“
Iwashopingyouwouldask.Icompi
l
edadi gi
tal
al
bum ofal
lherhar
dcopyphotos.Iwasabity
oung
whenshepassedon,butIsur
elyr
ememberqui
tea
l
ot.
”

It
ookoutmyphoneandl oggedintomyCl oud.
Mulalosmil
edandwipedaf ewt earsoffhi
sf aceas
helookedatourmother
’spictur
es.Iam act uall
y
gl
adt hatf
oroncei
nmyl ifeIcanrelatetosomeone
whoget sme,someonewhoi sact ual
l
yapar tofme.

Mul
alo:
“Shewasr
eal
l
ybeaut
if
ul.
”

Kg:
“Imean,
youshoul
dhav
eknownt
haty
ounev
er
goty
ourl
ooksf
rom Ti
ger
,br
a.”

Webot hl
aughedasweenj oyedourwhiskey.NowI
seet hesi
milari
ti
es,howweunwi tt
ingl
ywipeour
glassesbeforewepouri nit;
howwesmel lour
drinksbef
orewehav ethem.Iam qui t
egladthatI
actuall
yhavesomeoneIcanshar emyf earsand
thoughtswithwithoutbeingjudged.

Mul
alo:
“CanIt
ell
yousomet
hing,
Kg?
”

Kg:
‘Shoot
.”

Mulalo:“Forthefir
sttimei nmyl i
fe,Iactuall
yfeel
l
ikeIbelongandi tscarest heshitoutofme.Yes,
TigerandConst ancehav enevermademef eelweir
d
orunloved,butInev erfeltasenseofbel onging,you
know?Theuni versehasast r
angewayofbr i
nging
peopletogether,andall Icansayisthaty ouare
someoneIal way senv i
sionedinabr ot
her .
”
Mulal
ogivesmesuchpeaceofmi nd.Ihavenever
evenfel
tanounceofwhatIfeel
forMulal
of or
Tumisho.Wejustnev
ercli
ckedandthatjusthur
t.
Kg:
“Idon’
tknow,
butIf
eel
li
kegoi
ngt
oseeGr
ingo.
”

Mulalo:“
Let’
sgo.Wecant el
lhi
m al
laboutour
newlyfoundrel
ati
onshi
p.Ihaveatwi
nbrothernow,
scar
yshit.”

Webot hlaughedasweheadedoutandar r
ivedat
thehospi tal
.Thenursesdon’tevenbothertoscol d
us,insteadtheyeventrytofl
ir
twi t
hus.Idon’ teven
bother,ImeanIam amar ri
edman.Aswewal kedin,
west il
lfoundGringoinacomat osestate.Wef el
t
l
ikewej ustwantedtobehappyt odayandspeakt o
him aboutournewl yfoundhappiness.

Kg:
“Sho,
Gman.Youhadbet
terwakeup,
sinceyou
owemeapar
tyman.Ihavesomegoodnewsf or
y
ou,Mul
aloandIar
ebr
other
s.Cany
oubel
i
eve
t
hat
?”

Mulal
o:“
Ibetyoukeptaski
ngy
our
sel
fwhyKgwas
al
mostashotasIam.”

Webot hchuckl
edf
orget
ti
ngt
hatwewer
eev
en
supposedtobequi
et.

Mul
alo:
“Youknow,G.I
fyoudon’twakeup,I
’m
t
aki
ngyourMustang–Imeany oursonsdon’
twant
i
tsoIam t
aki
ngdipsoni
t.
”

Kg:
(laughi
ng)“
Iny
ourdr
eams,
Mul
alo.
”

Asweplayedaroundourusualbant
er,
Gri
ngo
st
art
ledusbothashesuddenlyopenedhi
syes.
Fi
nal
ly!
Kg:
(smi
l
ing)“
G!You’
reawake!
”

Gr
ingo:
“Wherei
smywi fe?
!WhereissheWol f
e?I
dr
eamthersayi
ngsheisgoneandthatIshouldn’
t
mournherdeat
h.Pleasetel
lmethati
twasj usta
dr
eam.”

Yep,nowwehav et
otel
lar
ecent
lycomatoseman
thathi
swifedi
edandweburi
edhertoday
.What
kindofl
if
eisthi
s?
Chapt
erEi
ght
yOne

Romans8:
25–“Buti
fwehopeforwhatwedonot
see,
wewaitf
ori
twit
hpat
ience.
”

Cori
nthi
ans4:16-
18–“ Sowedonotloseheart
.
Thoughouroutersel
fiswasti
ngaway,ouri
nnersel
f
i
sbeingreneweddaybyday .
”
Kg

IlookedatGr i
ngowi t
hsomuchagonyi nmyhear t
.
HeandVi vianwer eli
ter
all
ysoclose,Idon’tthi
nkhe
wouldmakei t
.Hei ssuchast ubbornman, Idoubt
hewoul dletMul al
oandIleaveherewithout
reveal
ingthetruthtohim.IlookedatMul alowho
l
ookedl i
ket hetearswerethr
eateningtoleavehis
eyes.

Gr
ingo:
(Anxi
ous)“
I’
m wai
ti
ngWol
fe,
sil
encei
snot
al
waysgol
den.Whereismywi
fe?
”

Kg:(
hesi
tant)“
I…I’m sor
ryG.She..Shedi
dn’
tmake
i
t.Thebull
ethitherskul
lri
ghtawayandshediedon
thewayt
ohospi t
al.
”

Imysel
ffel
tmyheartli
terall
yski
ppi
ngaf ewbeats
asItol
dhimthet
ragicnews.Isawhi sfaceturn
pi
nk;wit
htear
sal
readyt hreat
eni
ngtofal
l downhis
f
ace.Ashehar
denedhi
sface,
het
ight
enedhi
sfi
sts.

Gr
ingo:
“Wher
eisI
sabel
l
a?”

Ikeepf
orget
ti
ngt
hatThat
ohasanewnamenow.

Kg:“
She… Eish,
shei
smi
ssi
ng.Rendani
hadher
ki
dnapped.
”

Isawt hemachi
nesstart
ingtobeepashewas
slowlybei
ngconsumedwi t
hr age.Thenurses
rushedtousandonlythenstartedyel
l
ingatus.

Nur
se:
“Youupsethi
m!Whatdi
dyousayt
ohi
m?”

Wej ustlookedatthem astheysl

owl
ytriedtoget
hi
m st ableagai
n.Wer efusedtomoveaswe
watchedt hem st
abil
izeGri
ngo.Myheartisbl
eedi
ng
prof
usely,i
nsteadofpumpi ngbloodoutofpurej
oy
andpeace,itisinst
eadpumpi ngbloodofsorr
ow,
agonyandwor r
y.Iam saddenedanddr owni
ngin
sorr
owbecausemyownwi feismissi
ng;t
heagonyI
feel
iscausedbynotknowi ngifsheissaf
eornot
andIcan’tevendoany thi
ngt ohelpher
.TheworryI
haveisforGringo.Willheevenmakei taf
ter
suff
eri
ngdoubl eloss?

That
o

Yesterdaywasv erythoughtpr ovoking.Ev enthough

Iam bei ngheldcaptive,SelenaandLui gihavebeen
verynicet ome.Idon’ tevenknowwhatt odosi nceI
am notev enallowedt ogoout .Iam pr ett
ymuch
confinedtot hi
shouse, alt
houghi ti
sv erybigand
gorgeous; Ican’
tenjoyany thingsinceIknownoone
here.Iam nother ebychoiceei ther.Iam gladI
sleptalonelastnight,andIev enmanagedt olock
myr oom justincaseRendani walkedinwhi l
eIwas
asleep.Hehasn’ teventoldmewhyIam her e,
al
thoughIr ecallthi
sMar ti
nelli
namef r
om
somewher e.Sel enaappar entl
ywentshoppi ngfor
meaf ewday sagowhi l
eIwasst i
llunconscious,and
managedt ogetmesomer eall
yni ceclothes.I
pray edsohar dlastni ghtandaskedMama, God, my
ancest orsforami r
acl eandy etnoonemanagedt o
answerme.Ihopedandpr ayedt hatIwoul dwake
upinmyownbedbacki nSouthAf rica,butIwokeup
i
nI taly.Menl i
keRendani areabsol utetrashand
seriouslyderanged.I tismor ningnowandIdon’ t
evenknowwhatt odo.Whi l
edeepi nt hought,I
hear daf ai
ntknockont hedoor .Isatont hebed
quiet l
y,t
hinkingitmi ghtbeRendani .

Sel
ena:(
knocking)“Thato,dear
.Iti
sme, Sel
ena.
Sor
rytobotheryou,Ijustt
houghtyoucouldopenfor
mesowecoul dt al
k.”

Ihesi
tat
edf
oral
i
ttl
ewhi
l
e.

Sel
ena:
“Pl
ease.
”
Igotupandrel
uct
antl
yopenedthedoorf
orher.I
checkedbehi
ndherandr
eali
zedshewasindeed
al
one.

Sel
ena:
“Rel
ax,
iti
sjustme.MayIcomei
n?”

Inoddedwi
thoutsayi
ngaword,butshej
ustwal
ked
i
nwi t
habroadsmileonherf
ace.

Sel
ena:
(smi
l
ing)“
Sleptwel
l
?”

That
o:(
noddi
ng)“
Yes,
thanky
ou.
”

Sel
ena:(nodding)“
Look,dear.Iknowthewhol e
st
ory.IoverheardRendanitel
lLui
giabouthim
ki
dnappi
ngy ou.Iknowt hathekil
ledyour
st
epmotherandshoty ourfatheri
ntheprocess.
”
Wai
t,di
dshej
ustsayVi
vi
ani
sdead?

Thato:
“Wai
tami
nut
e.Ar
eyousay
ingVi
vi
ani
s
dead?”

Sel
ena:(f
rowni
ng)“
Youdi
dn’
tknow?Oh,
dear
.Iam
sosorr
y.”

Ifeltl
ikeasharpobjectwasdril
l
edr i
ghtint
omy
abdomen.Howcr uel i
sRendanireal
l
y ?Couldhe
reall
yjustki
llVi
vi
anlikethat
?!Whatt hefuck?Ifel
t
my sel
fdroptothegr oundwit
htearsstreaming
downmyf ace.

Sel
ena:“Oh,
dear.Pleasedon’tcry.Iam r
eal
l
ysorr
y.
Idi
dn’tmeantoupsetyou,butpleasedon’
tcr
y.You
wil
lgetusbothi
ntotroubl
e.”
Idon’
tknowwhatkindoffuckedupf ami
lyIhave
beenbroughti
nto,
butt
hisisjustsi
ckeni
ng.What
doesshemeanbymeget tingusbothint
ot r
oubl
e?

That
o:“
Ismyf
atherokay
?”

Sel
ena:“
Iam notsur
e,butIfi
ndoutfory
ou.Just
pl
ease,
stopcryi
ng.Iexpl
ainever
ythi
nglat
er,
okay
?”

Ilookedatherandshehadagenui nelookonher
face, al
mostl i
kesher eallycared.Inoddedasshe
gav emeahug.Shel ef tmyr oom whi l
eIjustst ared
outt hewindow.Thi sci tyissobeaut if
ul,butIcan’ t
evenenj oyt hemagni ficence.Mam’ Visgone, and
hereIam bei ngforcedt osmi leatthemonst erthat
kil
ledher .It ookabat handputonamaxi dresswi th
sandal s.I’m amazedhowSel enamanagedt opi ck
outfitsmyexactsi ze.I tissohother e,somybody
hadt oadj ustabitsincei twasstil
lwinterbacki n
Sout hAfrica.Iheadeddownst ai
rsandf oundLui gi,
SelenaandRendani hav ingbreakfast.Sel enasmi led
assoonasshesawme, whil
eRendaniqui
ckl
ystood
upandhel
douthishandforme,butIi
gnorehi
m
fl
atl
y.

Lui
gi:
(smi
l
ing)“
Goodmor
ning,
Mrs.Nembi
l
wi.
”
Thisf
atf
uckmustbeki
ddi
ngme.Rendanisatback
downwit
hahugefrownonhi
sfaceandat
ightened
j
aw.Hegavemeonedeathstar
e,l
eavi
ngme
unbot
her
ed.

That
o:“
Actual
l
y,it
’sMr
s.Moloi
.I’
m sur
ey ouhave
hear
doftheMight
yWolfe,
Mr.Mart
inel
l
i,i
sn’ti
tso?”

Luigi’
ssmi l
eimmedi atel
ydissolvedandbecamea
frown, whil
eRendani l
ookedatmel i
kehewasabout
tomur derme.Sel enaont heotherhandlookedso
nervous,almostasifshewassi l
entl
ytry
ingtosignal
met oshutup.Iam t i
redofbeingadoor mat.If
any t
hing,Iwouldr
athermakei toutofherefight
ing
ratherthansil
entandsubmi ssive.
Lui
gi:
(fumi
ng)“
Excuseme?Doy
ouknowwhoI
am?”

Iactual
l
ydon’tevenr
ecallwhot
hefuckheis,butI
hadt ol
ookli
keIdidknowhim.Iwasnotaboutto
l
etthesemendr agmeallthewayfr
om SouthAfri
ca;
walkallov
ermeandpr obabl
ykil
lmeoncetheyare
donewithme.

That
o:“Yes,Ido.Iknowthaty
ouareoneoft
he
bi
ggestkingpi
nsinIt
aly
,butmyfat
heri
sthebi
ggest
onei
nt heworld.
”

Lui
gi:
(sur
pri
sed)“
Whatar
eyout
alki
ngabout
?Who
i
syourfat
her?”

That
o:“
DavidGr
ingoGroeni
smyf
ather
.Di
dn’
tyou
seet
heresembl
ance?”
Luiglookedl
i
kehewasaboutt
opi
sshi
msel
fri
ght
there.

Lui
gi:
(angered)“Rendani
,younott
ell
met
hatt
hisi
s
Gri
ngo’sdaughter!
”

Luigi
wasspi t
ti
ngfi
re,whi
leRendanilookedscared.
Usuall
yheiscockyasfuck,butnowi ti
salmostasi f
hecan’tev
enspeakup.Sel enawasev enscaredto
speak,whi
leIwasenjoyi
ngt hewholeshowi nfr
ont
ofme.Per hapsthi
sismygat eway;
perhapshewi ll
getmebackhomeaf t
erhef i
ndsouthef uckedup
bigti
me.

Lui
gi:
“Spi
gar
e,st
ronzo(
Expl
ain,
asshol
e)!
”

Idon’
tev
enknowwhatt
hatmeans,butj
udgingby
howredhisf
acei
s,hemustbei
nsult
ingRendani
.
Rendani
:(worr
ied)“Look,Lui
gi,
Icanexpl
ain,
okay
.It
i
snotthatdeep,though.”

Lui
gist
oodupandgav eRendani onebigsmack
acr
osstheface.Rendani nearl
ytoppledover,
buthe
qui
ckl
yregainedhisbalance.Isatthereshocked,
whi
leRendani l
ookedreall
ypissedandembar rassed.

Luigi
:“Youhav eunti
lendofdaytofixyourmess!
Doy ourealizewhatyouhavedone?!Gringowil
lbe
comingf orme.I ti
sbadenoughy ouconvincemeto
stealbusinessfr
om him,nowy oustealdaught
er
too!”

Luigiwal
kedawayi nf
uriated.Onl ythenithitme–
LuigiMarti
nell
i–Kingoft heItali
anCartell
!Did
Rendanireall
yper
suadehi mt ogoagai nstsomeone
whom hehasbeenwor kingwi thforsomanyy ear
s?
IfIremembercorrect
ly,LuigiandGr i
ngogoway
back–asf arasVarsit
yday s.i
tisamazi
ngwhat
greedcandot oaperson.Imeanaf t
eral
lthi
s
moneyandf ancyl
if
e,Luigisti
ll
fel
thecoul
ddo
better
.Ij
usthopehewi llbeabletot
akemeback
home.Rendani l
ookedatmeashehel dhi
sburni
ng
cheek.

Rendnai
:(f
umi
ng)“
That
o,Iwantt
ospeakt
oyou.
”

Ikeptqui
etandl
ookedathi
m.

Rendani
:“Now!
”

Selenapr
obablynoti
cedhowangr
yRendani
was
henceshequickl
ytookmeaway.

Sel
ena:(Smil
ing)“
Rendani,
shewil
lspeaktoy
ou
l
ateron.Rightnow,sheandIhav
eshoppingtodo.
”
Rendani
:(bewi
l
der
ed)“
Shehast
ocomespeakt
ome
–Now! ”

I
tseemsasifRendani
hitaner
vebecauseSel
ena
di
dn’
ttakehi
sverywel
l.

Selena:
(inf
uriat
ed)“Notevenmyownhusband
speakstomel i
kethat.Youknowhowhei
swhenhe
getsangry,Rendani.Shoul
dItel
lhi
myou’
rest
art
ing
tobecomeoutofhand? ”

IsawRendaniqui
ckl
yreser
vehi
sst
atementand
changehi
stone.

Rendani
:“No,
ofcour
senot
.I’
m sor
ry.
”

HelookeddownjustafterSel
enarepr
imandedhi
m.
Sheactual
l
ylookedpissedandthatwarm smi
leof
her
squickl
ydimini
shed.Shegentlypull
edme
towardsherasshegrabbedherhandbagandwe
wereout.Aswel eftt
hehouse,wegotint
oawhite
Lamborghini
.Iam intot
alawe–awomanherage
dri
vi
ngaLambor ghini
.Sheremindsmesomuchof
myMam’ V.Shepr obabl
ynoti
cedhowIwas
admiri
ngthecarandthebeauti
ful
,whit
eleat
her
i
nteri
or.

Selena:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
Youl
i
ke?Lui
gicust
om make
forme.”

Andt
hereshewas–t heSelenaImet.Thewar
m
andf
uzzySel
ena.Ididn’
texpecthert
oevent
ake
meout.Iam gr
atef
ulthough.

Sel
ena:
“IknowRendanit
ookyouwit
houtper
missi
on.
Heisanaught
yboy,j
ustl
ikehi
sfat
her.
”

That
o:“
Thenwhycan’
tyouhel
pme?
”
Sel
ena:“It
’snotthateasy,dear
.Iwantto,
butIcan’t
goagainsthusband’swishes.Iwi
llt
rymybest,but
nowIhav etomakesur eRendanidoesnothur
ty ou.
Heisveryobsessed.”

Atleastshenoti
ced.Asshewasdri
vi
ngshest
art
ed
fr
owni ngasshelookedathersi
demir
ror
s.

Selena:
“Looksl
i
kel
overboycan’
tst
ayawayf
rom
you.”

Igotpuzzl
edasshesaidthatandIlookedatmy
sidemir
ror
.Ai,Rendani
isfoll
owingus.Whatthe
fuckdoesthi
sguywantfrom me?

Sel
ena:
“Rel
ax,
Iam goingt
otakeustochur
chand
hewon’
tbeabl
etofoll
owus.IgetLui
gitoputhi
m
i
nhispl
ace.
”
Shesmi l
edassheindeedtookaturntoachurch.
Thechurchesandbuil
dingsi
nItal
y,areev
enmor e
beauti
fult
hanontv.Themomentshegott ot
he
gateshegavetheguardsaninstr
ucti
on.

Selena:“
Nonfarl
oentrar
e.Di aLui
gichemist
a
seguendo(Don’
tlethi
mi n.Tell
Lui
gihehasbeen
fol
lowingme).
”

Idon’tevenknowwhatshesai d,buttheguyjust
nodded.Aswedr ovein,weclear
lysawRendani
rushoutoft hecari
nf r
ustr
ati
onast heguards
closedthebiggatesbehindthem.Iam quite
reli
evedtobeawayf rom him.Thischurchisso
beautif
ul,t
heatmospher ei
ssoser ene,
itj
ustcal
ls
yout opeaceasy ouwalkin.

That
o:“
Thanky
ou,
Sel
ena.
”

Sel
ena:
“Don’
twor
ry.
”
Shepar kedt hecarandwegotout .Idon’ tmi ndher
takingmet ochur ch, si
nceIcoul duseal lt
hepr ayers
Icanget .Aswewal kedinwesawsomanyst atues
oftheVi rginMar y ,Jesus,Mar yMagdal ene, Joseph
andsomanyi consoft heBi ble.Thi sisaRoman
Cathol icChur ch,sobef or
eweent eredwehadt odip
ourf inger sintothehol ywat erandsi gnifyacr osson
oursel ves.If el
tatpeacet hemomentIwal kedi n
andf orgotal laboutmyt roubles.Aswewal kedi n,
therewer en’taf ewpeopl eher e–asi tisdur i
ngt he
weekandsomecameher etopr ay .Sel enasatdown
andIwentf orwardt othepul pit.Idon’ tknow, may be
Iwasj ustdr awnt othecandl esbef oreme.Isaw
someonel ightoneoft hem andIchoset odot he
same.Ij ustf el
tlikeprayingandl ett
ingi tallout .I
pray edandaskedf orguidance, afterwhatf eltli
ke
forev er,Ifeltawar m handonmyshoul der .

Voice:“
Youhav
efi
nal
l
ycome.Ihav
ebeenwai
ti
ng
foryou.
”
Irecogni
zethatv
oice.Isl
owl
ytur
nedar
oundandI
couldn’
tbel
i
ev ei
t!Ist
hisr
eal
l
yhim?
Chapt
erEi
ght
yTwo

Isai
ah55:8-9–“ Formyt houghtsar
enoty our
thoughts,
neitherarey ourway smyway s,decl
ares
theLord.Forast heheav ensarehi
gherthant he
earth,
soar emyway shighert hany
ourway s,andmy
thoughtsthany ourthought s.
”

That
o

Icoul
dn’
tbel
iev
ewhatIwasseeingrighti
nfr
ontof
me.I’
mf l
abbergast
edt
osaytheleast.

Voi
ce:
“It
’sgoodt
oseey
ouagai
n.”
Ist
oodupi
nshock,
Ijustcan’
tbel
i
evei
t.

That
o:“
Soks?
”

Soks:
(laughi
ng)“
Int
hef
lesh.
”

That
o:“
Hehbanna(
mygoodness)“
Omor
uti
na(
Are
youapast
or)
?”

Soks:(
chuckl
i
ng)“
Yes,
arey
oudoubt
ingt
hewor
kof
theLor
d?”

I’
m actual
lyst
unned.Ineverfi
guredhi
mt obea
pri
estletal
oneapriestr
ighther
einIt
aly
.Helooks
soclean,sohandsome,so–sohol y.

That
o:“
It
’snott
hat
,it
’sj
ustt
hatInev
ert
houghthey
.”
Soks:
“Wel
l
,ourt
hought
sar
enotHi
sthought
s.”

That
o:(
chuckl
i
ng)“
Isai
ah55.
”

Soks:(
smili
ng)“
It
’sgoodt
oseet
haty
oust
il
lknow
yourBi
ble.
”
Thato:“Ar
en’
tyougoi
ngt
oaskmewhatIam doi
ng
here?”

Soks:“Ial
readyknowwhyy ouareher
e.Isawy oui
n
mydr eams.Ev ery
thi
nghasat i
meandreason,
Thato.Howhav eyoubeen?”

That
o:(
sigh)“
Tobehonest
,Soks,
Idon’
tknow.
”

Soks:
(smi
li
ng)“Mynamei sSol
omon,butf
oryouI
wil
lmakeanexcept
ionbecausewegowayback.”
That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
okay
.”

Soks:“Youknow, That
o,youhav
eabi ggerdest
iny
thanyouactuall
yreali
ze.Whydoy outhi
nkMulalo
keptcall
ingyouQueen?Whyhav en’tyoubeen
l
isteni
ngt oKgaboandNana’swarnings?
”

Il
ookedathi
m puzzl
ed.

Soks: “
Youhav ebeenwar nedmanyt i
mesbef or
e,yet
youfailedtobest eadfastinpray er
.Don’tgetme
wrong–Iam notsay i
ngt hatthisisal
lyourfaul
t.I
am say i
ngt hatthi
ngscoul dhav eendedina
dif
ferentway .Kgwoul dhav er emember edyou
sooner, hadyoubeenst rongerandpr ayedharder.
Vivi
anwasst il
lgoingtodie,justnotinsucha
horri
bleway .”

NowIfeel
likecompleteshit.Ir
eal
lyshouldn’
thav
e
beent
hatrelaxed.If
eltal
lthetear
sbuil
dingup
agai
n.

Soks:“
Nowi snottheti
met ocry,
That o.Youwill
l
eav et
hisplacesoon–buty ouwon’ tbeinKg’s
armsjustyet.Youhav eabiggerprojectt
ocompl et
e.
Yourdesti
nyawai t
sy ouandyouhav et ol
eada
nati
on,changeallthei
rnegati
verul
es, andexpose
Kg’smother’ski
ll
er.”

Whyi
sSoksspeaki
ngi
nsuchr
iddl
esnow?

Soks:“Ther
eisareasonwhyy oucameher
eoutof
all
places.Iwil
lhelpyou,
justasyourmot
hert
old
youinthedream youhadyester
day.
”

Oh,nowital
lmakessense.“ Youwi
l
lber
escuedby
someoneyouleastexpect
.”
Sokssawmesmi
l
etomy
sel
f.
Soks:“
Seewhathappenswhenwel
i
stent
oour
dreams?”

Ilaughedsl
ightl
y .ForamomentIactuall
yforgot
thatIwaskidnapped.Sokst ol
dmeal l
abouthis
j
our neyf
rom thatnightPal
esashother
selft
ohow
heendedupher e.

Soks:“Iwasinav erybadspace, Thato.Iknewf rom

waybackt hatIwasn’tmeanttobet her ut
hless
j
unkieIwas, butpovert
yanddesper ati
onf orcedme
tobecomeSoksi nst
eadofSol omon.Ihav eheal ed
eversincePalesapassedon.I twasav er
ydi ff
icult
ti
mef orme, butGodledmei ntot herightdirection
andIgotbapt i
zed.Ifoundaf ewmi ssionarieswho
broughtmeher e,andIhavebeenapast orev er
since.
”

Amazi
ng.
That
o:“
Soar
eyoul
i
keapr
ophet
?”

Soks:(chuckli
ng)“ Yes,Iseethefuturebef or
ei tev
en
occurs,mostlyindr eamsbutatt i
mest hr
ough
visi
ons.Isawmy selfburnmyownf atherali
v e
beforeIdidit,
andj ustasPal esashother sel
f,Isaw
thewholet hi
nginmydr eams.Ialsosawwhat
Rendani di
dtoy oubef orehedi di
t,andnow, Isaw
whathei splanningf oryouandwecan’ tl
etthat
happen.”

Mymi ndstartedgrowi
ngwear
yofwhatSoksj
ust
sai
d,anditli
teral
l
ysentshi
ver
sdownmyspine.

That
o:“Whatdoyoumeany
ousawwhathehas
pl
annedforme?”

Soks:
“I’
drathernottel
lyou,butt
hegoodnewsis
Sel
enaisactuall
yagoodwoman.Shel ovesGod
andchurch,
sodon’ tfr
et.SheandIwil
lgetyouout
ofher
esoon.
”

If
eltmyhearj
umpf
orj
oy.

That
o:“
Final
l
y,Icanbewi
thmyf
ami
l
yandKg.
”

Soks:“
No,you’
renotgoingt
oy ourfamilyandKg,
you’
regoi
ngtowherey ourdesti
nyisleadingyou.
Youreal
lyhavetostar
tpayi
ngat t
enti
ont oall
the
thi
ngsyougettol
d,youknow.”
If
eltmyhear
tsanki
mmedi
atel
y.Whatawayt
o
bl
owmycandle.

That
o:(
tear
y)“But
,can’
tIatl
eastj
ustseemyf
ather
?
Pl
ease,
Soks.”

Soks:(si
gh)“
Onceyougetf
lownoutofhere,
I’
llsee
whatIcando.Butawarisaboutt
obr eakout
betweenbrot
her
sandyouneedtobegonewi thi
n
day
s.”

Inoddedandthoughtofhuggi
nghim,butt
hatwoul
d
probabl
ybedeemedasi nappr
opr
iate.

That
o:“
Thanky
ou,
Soks.
”

Soks:
(noddi
ng)“
Don’
twor
ry,
all
wil
lbewel
l
.”

That
o:“Whenwi
l
lIseey
ouagai
n?Idon’
tev
enhav
e
aphone.
”

Soks:“
Mat
ter
sofGoddon’
trequi
reaphone.I
’
llf
ind
you.
”

AsIwasaboutt
ogobackt
oSel
ena,
shewal
kedup
toussmi
li
ng.
Sel
ena:
(smil
i
ng)“Oh,
dear
,Iseey
ouhav
emetour
Past
orSol
omon.”

Soks:
(smil
i
ng)“Act
ual
ly
,wegowayback,Sel
ena.I
knowherfr
om backhome.Shei
sthetr
oubledgi
rlI
tol
dyouabout
.”

Okay
,nowIam conf
used.

Selena:
“Oh,thankgoodness.Youknow,whenIsaw
Rendanibri
ngherhome, Ii
mmediatel
ythoughtof
you.Ididn’
twanttodoanyr ushj
ob,yousee?”

Soks:(chuckli
ng)“Iunder
stand.Justpl
easedome
afavour,Selena.
”

Sel
ena:
“Any
thi
ng,
Past
or.
”
Soks:“
Please,
makesur
ehedoesn’
tgetnearher
especi
all
yatnight
.”
Sel
ena:
“Nopr
obl
em,
Iwi
l
ldomybest
.”

Wegr eet
edSoksgoodby eandev enthoughhe
reassuredmet hatev er
ythingwasgoi ngt obeokay,I
couldn’thelpbutfeelabitdoubtful
.Whati fRendani
hasot herplansanddeci destokil
lme?Ican’ teven
gost rai
ghthomeaf terbeingrescued,butany thi
ngis
betterthanbeinghere.Il i
keSelenaal ot–butI
woul dratherbeathomear oundpeoplewhol ove
andknowme.It houghtwewer eheadingbackt o
Selena’shouseafterv i
sit
ingthechurch,butinstead
shewaski ndenought otakemeoutf orlunch.

Wewentt ooneoft henicest,

coziestr
estaurantin
Sici
ly.It
alyisqui t
ebig,buttheplacesaren’t
overpopulated.Youdon’ tseelotsofpeopleinev ery
cornerli
kebackhome.I ti
squitepeacefulhere,but
Iwouldbehappi erhadIbeenar oundmyf amily.
Selenaorder edussomef ood,andIorderedagl ass
ofwine,sinceshesai ditisokay.Ineedt ocalm my
ner
vesandbeabi
tatease.

Sel
ena:
(smili
ng)“
That
o,mydear
,Ihopey
oudon’
t
hat
eme, no?
”

That
o:“
Howcoul
dIpossi
blyhat
eyou,
Sel
ena?
”

Selena:“
It’
sjustt
hat,wheny ouarr
ivedatthehouse,
Iknew youwer ethegirlSol
omonwast al
kingabout
.
Ijusthadtomakesur e.Themomenty out ol
dme
aboutRendani ki
dnappingyou,bel
ieveme, Iwant
ed
tohelpyou,butIcan’tgoagainstmyhusband’s
wishes.”

Ideci
dedt
oli
stent
oherandl
etherf
ini
sh.

Sel
ena:“
Yousee,PastorSolisoneofakind.Hecan
seethef
utur
e,ofwhichIam surehetol
dy ou.He
tol
dmeabouthisvi
sion;thatawarwouldbreakout
betweenbr others.Icoul dn’
tunder st
and,untilLui
gi
tol
dmet hathehadgoneagai nstGr i
ngoandt aken
overapar tofhi sbusinesswithRendani .I
i
mmedi atelyknewt hatitwasabadi dea,heis
i
nviti
ngbadbl oodintoourl i
ves,andIdon’ tknow
whattodo.I ti snearerthatwet hink,butbeli
ev eme,
youwill
bef r
eed.Justgi vemeaf ewday stodev ise
agoodpl anandy ouwi llbeoutofher e.
”

Ifeel
soel
atedtohearSel
enasayt
hatt
ome.Iwant
nothi
ngmorethantogohome.

That
o:(
tear
y)“Sel
ena,y ouhavenoideahowmuchi
t
meanstomet oheary ousaythat
.Idon’tknow
howIcanpossibl
ythanky ou.
”

Sel
ena:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
Don’
tbesi
l
ly,
iti
swhatmot
her
s
do.
”
Thato:
“Your
emi
ndmeal
otofmySt
epmot
her
Viv
ian.
”
Sel
ena:(l
aughing)“Thatf
ri
endofmi ne.Wewer eso
cl
ose,sheactuall
ymademef al
li
nl ov
ewiththe
col
ourwhite.Whoknewwhi t
ecoul dl
ooksogoodin
somanydi ff
erentways?Imisshersomuch, dear.
Godblesshersoul andmaysher esti
npeace.”

That
o:(
frowni
ng)“
Whydi
dn’
tyougot
oherf
uner
al?
”

Selena:“
Iwantedto,butLuigisaidno.Ev
ersi
nce
Rendanicame,Luigihasjustbeenmakingbad
decisi
ons.Thatboyisacur seanddoesnotdeser
ve
tohav eaDea( Goddess)li
key ou.”

That
o:“
Whati
saDea?
”

Sel
ena:“I
tmeansGoddess.Youarebeaut
iful
,dear
.
Don’
tletany
onetaket
hatawayfr
om you.”
Ismi l
edandIjustcouldn’
thelpbutcompar ehert o
Vivi
an.Theyar esomuchal ike;theboldclothing
choices,t
heloveforthecolourwhi t
e,t
heirinterest
s
i
nf oodanddr i
nks.Ijustcan’thelpbutmissMam’ V.
Ij
ustmetherandnowshei sgone.Li fecanbeso
unfairatt
imes.

Sel
ena:
“Oh,
no.Imakey
out
hinkofbadt
hings,
no?
”

That
o:“No,notatal
l
.IjustmissVi
vi
an.Idi
dn’
tev
en
getachancetosaygoodbye.
”

Sel
ena:
“Iknowhowy oufeel
.Mymadre(mother
)
di
edwhenIwast woandmypadr e(
fat
her
)rai
sed
me.Hewaski l
l
edbyLuigi’
senemyandIdi
dn’
teven
gett
oburyhim.
”

Wow,peopl
eactual
lygothroughthemost ,
man.
Thi
sissuchaheart
breaki
ngstory
, honest
ly.
That
o:“
Iam sosor
ry.
”

Selena:“
Don’
tbe,dear
.Imadepeacel
ongago.
Diosameglio(Godknowsbest
).Hewil
lnev
er
forsakeme.
”

Sel
ena’
swor dsofcomf ortbr
ingpeaceofmi ndt o
me.Weat eandhadsomemor ewine,andaf tertwo
gl
assesofrealreadwine,Iwasquit
ereadytogo.
Shetol
dmeal otaboutIt
aly,
andthehistor
yt hereof
.
Notonce,
didshesoundbor i
ngtome.

Shej usthast hi
sreal
lymot her
lywayofmaki nga
personfeel sowelcomeandi nter
estedandof
course,entert
ained.Shetookmear oundaswe
vi
ewedsomeoft hehist
oricmonument sinSi
ci
ly
,
andsheboughtmear eall
ynicebracelet.By6pm,
weheadedhome.Iam amazedt hatherhusband
hardl
ycallsherwhenev ershe’sout.
That
o:“
Selena,apol
ogiesforbei
ngnosy,buthow
comeLuiginev
ercall
edy ouwheneverwewer eout
?”

Selena:(l
aughing)“You’r
enotnosyatal l.Iti
sjust
thewayourmar ri
agehasev olved.See,wheny oung,
youcal ly
ourhusbandal lthetime, y
ouwantt oknow
whatt heyaredoing, whotheyar ewith,whattheyare
eatingandsoon.Oncey ougetol der,y
oubecome
rel
axedandy ouendupknowi ngwhatt heyaredoing,
whot heyare,whatt heyareeat i
ng.Luigi i
svery
compl exman, butl
ov esmev erymuch.Hewoul dkill
forme. ”

Ilovei
twhenpeopletal
kaboutl ove.Ijustcan’
twait
forKgandItoreachthatlevelofi
ntimacy.We
arri
vedatherhouseandIkindofdr eadedgoingin.
Rendanigi
vesmet hecreeps,especial
lywhenIsee
him.

Sel
ena:
“Don’
twor
ry,
youwi
l
lbef
ine.Come.
”
Wewal kedouthandi nhand.Selenaissucha
wonder fulwomanandsheonl yhasonedaught er
,
butfourgr andchil
dren.Wewal kedinandfound
Rendani ’
sey esbloodshot,l
ikehewasr eadytokil
l.
Lui
gi wasnowher et obeseen, mostprobabl
y
upstairsinhisstudyasusual .Assoonaswel anded
i
ntot hehouse, Rendani di
dn’tevengivemeampl e
ti
met oexplain,
hej ustgavemeonef atsmack
acrosst heface.

Ifell
ontothegr oundimmedi atel
y,andasIwas
tr
y i
ngtoabsor bthepaininfl
i
ctedonmycheek,
Rendanigrabbedmebyt hethroatandsl ammed
againstt
hewal l.Ibecamedi zzyinstantl
y,butI
quickl
yregainedmy sel
f,alt
houghIcoul dn’tbreat
he
ashewast r
y i
ngtosqueezet helifeoutofme.
Selena’
sscreamsst art
edbecomi ngfaint
er.

Sel
ena:
(scr
eami
ng)“
Whatar
eyoudoi
ng?
!No!
”
Rendani
:(l
i
vid)“
Wher
ethef
uckhav
eyoubeen,
bi
tch?”

AsItr
iedt
oremovehi
stightgr
ipfrom myachi
ng
thr
oat
,heti
ght
enedi
tevenmor e.

Sel
ena:
“No!Lui
gi!Lui
gi!
”

Att
hatmoment,Rendani
didn’
tevenseem bot
her
ed
byt
hefactt
hatLui
giwasbeingcall
eddown.

Lui
gi:
“Checos’
èmi
avi
ta(
Whati
sit
,myl
ove)
?!”

Selena:
“Guar
dacosast af
acendoquest
ost
ronzo
(Lookatwhatthi
sfuckeri
sdoing)
?!”

Rendaniwassowrappedupintoki
ll
ingmeor
teachi
ngmelesson,
orwhateveri
tishewasdoi
ng,
thathedi dn’
tevenhearLuigi comedownt hestairs.
Luigigotsopissed,
hedraggedRendani awayf r
om
me.Icoughedandgaspedf orairasIdroppedto
theground, wi
thSel
enacomf orti
ngme.Shebr ought
meagl assofwater
,asLuigi pinnedRendaniagainst
thewall.

Luigi
:(anger
ed)“Youthi
nkyousmar t
,dest
roy
(r
ight
)?!Ishowy ouwhatwedohereinItal
ywith
cowardmenl ikeyou!Mandon’
ttouchwoman!”

Hegav
ehi
m af
ewpunchesandsl
aps.

Lui
gi:
“I’
m si
ckofyouremptypr
omises.Youare
becomingali
abi
li
ty,
Rendani
.I’
m afr
aidyouar
eof
nousetome.”

Rendanisuddenl
ybecamer
emosef
ulaf
terhear
ing
Lui
gi’
slaststat
ement
.
Rendani
:“Oh,
please,f
orgiveme,Lui
gi.Idon’
tknow
whatcameov erme.Please,gr
antmeanother
chance.
”

Luigi
:“Youbr oughtmenothing,buttr
ouble.You
tookGringo’sdaughterandkil
ledhiswife.I
fyou
coulddot hattohim,whatcany oudot ome?”

Rendanil
ookedli
kehiswhol
eworldcamecrushi
ng
down.Idon’tev
engiveashi
taboutthepai
nhehas
i
nfl
ict
edonmer ightnow.Ij
ustneedtogett
hefuck
outofher
e.

Lui
gi:
“Sel
ena,
mylove,
cal
lSt
efanotocomeandget
ri
dofthi
smess.Vendaboyi
sjustl
i
kefather
.”
Sel
enatookmewi t
hher,
thankGod,
asshesatme
downinherbedr
oom andmadeaquickphonecal
l
.

Sel
ena:“
Stef
ano,
it’
sSel
ena.Lui
gii
scal
l
ingf
ory
ou.
Si(
yes)
.”
Justl
i
ket
hatshehungup.

Sel
ena:“Letmeseewhatt
hatcogl
i
one(
fucker
)di
d
toyou.
”

Idon’
tevenknowwhatcogl i
onemeans,butIam
guessi
ngit’
sabadwor d.AssoonasIremov edmy
handfrom mycheek,If
elti
tburni
ng,
alongwi t
hmy
thr
oat.HowdareRendani l
ayahandonme.Does
heevenknowmyf ather?

Sel
ena:(anger
ed)“
Oh,
dear.Hewil
lpaydear
lyfor
thi
s.Letmegetsomethi
ngfort
hat
.Stayhere.
”

Inoddedassher
ushedouttogetmesomethi
ngf
or
theswell
i
ngandpai
n.Iseri
ousl
ycan’
twai
ttoget
outofhere.
Rendani

Iam losingmymi nd.Howt hef uckcouldIbeso

soft?Sincewhenam Isuchaweakl i
ng?Ialwaysget
everythi
ngIwantandIwi shIhadj ustshovedmy
dickintoThatowhenIhadt hechance.May bethen
shewoul dhav emorerespectf
ormet hanshedoes
now.Iam notKg, andsheneedst orespectme.I ’
m
aVendapr i
nce,andIdemandr espect–Idon’task
forit
.Ibr oughtherher
esoshecoul dseehowmuch
Iloveher,butinst
eadshedecidedt ogoAWOLwi th
Selena.Whoknowsj ustwhatshegotupt owi t
h
thatoldfuck?

Sheprobablygav emywi feanewwhi temanor

somethi
ng.NowLui gii
schasingmeaway ?
!
Imagi
nethat–awhol eme!Af terever
ythingIhav e
doneforhi
m? !Ifanythi
ng,heshoul dthankme.He
owesmeagr eatdeal.Ihel
pedhi m makeashi tload
ofmoneyinav eryshortspaceoft i
me.Idon’ thave
achoi
ce,buttof or
m analli
ancewi t
hhisenemi es.
Howdar
ehedeci
det
ogetr
idofMe?
!

Andasf orThato–shewi ll
lear
nhowt orespecta
man.Per hapsIshoul dsel
lherofft
oLuca, plushe
wouldlov efreshmeatl i
keher.It
’sapityInev er
evengott otastethatpinkpussyofher s,
butshoul d
Lucaallowme–I ’
dlikeonenightwithherjustto
tearherpussyapar t.Kgwoul dneverwantheraf terI
wouldbedonewi thher .Shedoesn’tknowt hat
whenal lelsefai
ls–Iam amanofmywor d,Ialways
haveapl anB.
Chapt
erEi
ght
yThr
ee

2Cori
nthi
ans3:12-
4–“ Ther
efor
e,si
ncewehav
ea
hope,
wear ev
erybold.
”

Kg

Thi
ngshavebeenqui
tesomberever
ysi
ncewewent
tov
isi
tGri
ngo.Thenursesandhi
sdoct
orar
eso
upsetwi thusfordistressinghi
m apparentl
y–sowe
aretempor ari
l
ybannedf rom vi
siti
ngthehospit
al.
MulaloandIdeci dedt ogoandhav eabeer
somewher equietsi
ncet hey ar
dandhousei srather
busyt oday.Wedeci dedt ogotoNewscaf e,and
si
ncei tisduri
ngt heweekandal soduri
ngtheday ,i
t
i
sn’tloudandcr owded.Wesatdownandor dered
ourselvesafewbeer s.

Mulal
o:“Youknow,Kg,somet
hinghasbeen
ponder
ingmymi ndlat
ely.
”

Kg:
“What
?”

Mulal
o:“Ihav
esomet hi
ngt
otel
lyou,
andIdon’
t
wanttodiewithouty
ouknowi
ng.”

Kg:(f
rowni
ng)“Whatdoyoumean?Whyar eyou
act
ingli
keyou’
regoi
ngtodieorsomet
hing?
”
Mulal
o:(si
gh)“Idon’
tknow,forsomereasonIf
eel
l
ikemyday shereonearthareli
mit
ed,
almostli
keI
am goi
ngtodiev er
ysoon.”

Il
ookedathim andhelookedgenuinel
yser
ious.
Whyonearthwouldhet hi
nkso?Sur el
yNanaor
Kgabowouldhavetol
dusi fDangerwaslur
king.He
can’
tbesayingsuch,noman.

Kg: “
Mulal
o,Ijustfoundyou,brot
her.Youarenot
goingtodie–atl eastnotyet
.Youar egoi
ngtoli
ve
alongandf r
uitf
ul l
if
e,andyouwillhav
emany
chi
ldren.
”

Mulalo:
(si
gh)“
That
oandIsl
eptt
oget
herawhi
l
e
ago.”

Forsomereasonthatstatementdi
dn’
thur
tme
much.Imeany es,Ican’
tpict
ureThat
owithanot
her
man,butsur
elyshewasl onel
y.Isl
eptwit
h
Anastaci
a,unf
ort
unatel
yaswel
landthateat
smeup
ever
yday .Il
ookedatMulal
oandheseemedr eal
l
y
regr
etful
.

Kg:“
Mul
alo,
mybrother
,thati
sal
li
nthepast
.Idon’
t
bl
ameyouforany
ting.
”

Mul
alol
ookedupatmei
ngr
eatshock.

Mul
alo:
“So,
you’
renotangr
y?”

Kg:(laughing)“No,notatall.Iunderstand.Let
’sl
et
bygonesbeby gones,please.Iwouldhat et
owaste
everymi nuteyouandIhav etocatchuponwi t
hsad
stor
iesandanger .Letusmakeat oasttonew
beginningsandt r
uebr otherhood.
”

Mul
alo:
(smi
l
ing)“
Cheer
s.”
Wer ai
sedourbeerbot
tl
esandmadeat oast.Aswe
wereabouttoeatthef
oodweor der
ed,outof
nowherecameav eryi
nfur
iat
ed,
heavil
ypr egnant
woman.

Ol
ivia:
“Mulal
o?!Sothi
siswher
eyouhavebeen
hi
dingy our
sel
f?!Howcanyoudot
hist
ome? !
”

Oh,
sot
hisi
sthei
nfamousOl
i
via,
ai.

Mul
alo:
(bor
ed)“
Oli
vi
a,whatar
eyoudoi
ngher
e?”

Oli
vi
a:“Heh!Whatam Idoinghere?!Icametoget
somelastminutestuf
fforthebabysi
ncemy
husbandwon’tevendoit!Angit
hi(
Ofcourse)y
ou
don’
tgiveadamnaboutus? !
”

Mulal
o:(
annoyed)“Yoh,
Oliv
ia,gi
vemeadamnbr
eak!
Andwherearey ourmanners?Youdi
dn’
tev
engr
eet
us.Thi
sismyt
winbr
other
,Kg.
”

Kg:
“Hi
.
”

Oli
vi
aburstoutinlaught
er.Dammit,
herlaughteri
s
soannoyi
ngf orsuchabeauti
ful
,mel
ani
nwoman.I
guessi
tistr
uewhatt heysay–Godcan’tblessyou
wit
heveryt
hing.

Oliv
ia:(
laughing)“
Youcanbesof unnyatt
imes.So,
youdisappearonmeandy oucomebackwi t
hsome
random guyandy oucal
lhi
my ourtwin?Wow.
Asihambe( Let’
sgo).
”

Mul
alo:
(fr
owni
ng)“
Iam goi
ngnowher
ewi
thy
ou.
”

Ol
i
via:
“Ify
oudon’tcomewithme,
Iam goi
ngt
otel
l
myfat
herwhaty
ouar edoi
ngtome–“
Mulalodi
dn’
ttakethatst
atementr
eal
l
ywel
l
,ImeanI
wouldn’
thav
eei t
her.

Mulal
o:(
anger
ed)“Dammi t
,man, Ol
iv
ia!For
someonewhoiscarry
inganotherman’schi
l
d,y
ou
sur
ecanbepersi
stent!Fok,man!”

Oli
vi
a: (
shocked)“Howdi
dyou…Mul
alo,
Ican
expl
ain,babyplease.
”

Mul
alo:
“Getoutofmyf
ace.
”

Ol
i
via:
“But
,I-
“

Mulal
oshotheronedeathst arewi
thoutsaying
anyt
hingfurt
herandIguesssheknewr ightthere
andthenthathemeantbusiness.Idoubthewoul d
evenhither
,though.Ol
ivi
aleftwit
hhert ai
lbetween
herl
egs.
Kg:
“So,
sher
eal
l
yispr
egnantbyanot
herguy
?Who
i
sit
?”

Mulal
o:“
Idon’tknow.Ihav
ebeensuspect
ing,
butI
nev
eractual
l
yconf r
ont
edher.
”

Webothstar
edateachot
herf
oraf
ewsecondsand
bur
stouti
nlaught
er.

Kg:
“Pl
easet
ell
mey
ou’
rej
oki
ng.
”

Mulal
o:“Iwi
shIwas.ImeanIwasjustcal
l
ingher
bl
uffandwhatdoyouknow?Iti
sactual
lyt
rue.
”

Kg:
“So,
you’
renotangr
yatherorany
thi
ng?
”

Mul
alo:
“Notev
en.Iam act
ual
l
yqui
ter
eli
eved.I
thinkithastodowit
htheutmostimportantfactt
hat
Ijustneverlov
edher.ImeanTigerf
orcedmet o
mar ryheroutofobl
i
gati
ontotheroyalf
ami l
yand
nowt hatIknowIam notoneofthem,Icanfinall
y
l
ivemyl i
fe.
”

Iam pr
oudofMul
alof
ort
aki
ngt
hisl
i
keat
rueman.

Kg:“Igetyou,hey .Itotal
lydo,ImeanIcan’ ti
magine
myl i
fewithoutThat o.Alreadythesepastfewday s
havebeenhel lonear t
h.Ihavebeenunabl et osl
eep,
thi
nkingofwhatshehadendur edwhileIwasi n
Jo’
bur gandwhi l
eIhadl ostmymemor y.Irecallt
he
goodt i
meswi thher ,howweusedt oplaywith
namesf orourunbor nchild.Ihadhopedf oragirl
,
youknow.Imeani thappenedunexpect edly,
butI
wasecst ati
c,andIwaspr eparedtodoev eryt
hingfor
her.Iwoul dli
teral
lydieforher,Mulal
o.”

Mulal
o:(smil
i
ng)“IwishIhadt
hat.Imean,
Ihav
e
nev
erreall
yexper
iencedtheki
ndoflov
eyouand
That
oshar
e.”

Kg:“
Youmeant
otel
lmet
haty
ouhav
enev
erbeen
i
nlove?
”

Mul
alo:“Ihav
e, butsadl
yshepassedonwhi
lewe
wer
ei nVarsi
ty.Wewer ealsoplanni
ngt
oget
mar
ried,haveki dsandall
that
.”

Kg:
“I’
m sosor
ry.Howdi
dshedi
e?”

Mulalo:
“Someonebr okeint
oherflatandkil
l
edher .
I
ttookmeawhi l
etogetov ert
hat,butonceItri
edt o
getoverher
,IthoughtOli
viawouldfi
llt
hatvoidev en
whenIdidn’
tloveher.IthoughtIwouldlear
ntol ove
her,
butsadly
,thatdidn’
thappen.”

Myheartbr
eaksformybr
other.Icanonl
yhopehe
doesf
indsomeonewhowilll
ovehimthewayhei
s
capableoflovi
ng.Loveissoscarceinthi
sdayand
age,andIsupposewhenpeopl eexperi
enceevena
mer edropofit–theydeci
detohangon, evenwhen
theyarenotactual
lyl
oved.MulaloandIcarri
edon
havingourlunchanddri
nks,cat
chinguponl i
fe
beforeweheadedbackhome.Uponent eri
ngt he
yard,ever
yonewasgoneal r
eady,t
hankgoodness.

They ardwasn’ tev enmessy ,appar

entl
yeveryone
cleanedupbef oret heyleft
.TheysaidthatViv
ian
wassuchacl eanl ady,shewoul dpr
obablyt
orture
them indeat hforl eavi
ngherhousedi r
ty.Thatwas
Vivianforyou, oneamazi ngcharact
er.Mulal
oandI
frozeabi tbeforeent eri
ngt hehouseaswesaw
Smal l
y ’
scarout side.Iwonderwhosummonedhi m
becauseweusual lydot hatwhenwewantt otake
careofsomeone.Aswewer eabouttoopenthe
door ,
hewal kedoutandmetusont heway .

Smal
l
y:“
ShoSho,bozzas(
bosses)
.”
Kg:
“Hol
a(Hey
).”

Mul
alo:
“Sho,
gov
ayang(
What
’shappeni
ng)
?”

Smal
l
y:“
Wehav
eTi
geri
nthel
ounge.
”

Mul
aloandIl
ookedateachot
herbot
hsur
pri
sed.

Kg:“
Wheredi
dyouf
indhi
m?Andwhydi
dn’
tyou
cal
lus?
”

Smal l
y:“
Wef oundhimr i
ghtoutsi
dethegate.
Someonej ustrangthebell
withoutsay
inganythi
ng
andleftanote.Wef oundhimt i
edupandhi smouth
taped.Hei sbrui
sedasfuck.”

Mulal
oandIwalkedi
nasSmallyl
edust
owhere
Ti
gerwas.Thankgoodnessev
ery
onewasn’
tar
ound,
sowecoul denj
oyhim abi
t.Hewasi ndeedbadl
y
br
uised,wit
hhislef
teyecomplet
elyshutcl
osed,a
bl
eedingnoseandasplitl
ip.Ial
sosawaf ewteeth
missing.Theper
sonwhodi dthi
stohim wasn’
t
pl
ayingatall
.

Mulalo:“
Remov et
het
apef r
om hi
smouth.Smal
l
y
didasinstr
uct
edandTigerwai
l
edevenbefor
ewe
saidanythi
ng.

Tiger
:(wai
l
ing)“
Please….Pl
ease,myboy .Idon’
t
knowwhatIdidwrongbutforthatIam sosorry
.
Justdon’
tkil
lme.
”

Mul
alo:
“Shutup,
man!Whodi
dthi
stoy
ou?
”

Tiger:“I
…Idon’ tknow,Iwasi
nhidi
ngandt henext
thingtheseunknownmenwi thbal
acl
avasontheir
facesdr essedinallbl
ackcameint
omyr oom and
start
edbeat ingmeup.Theysai dt
hatIam aboutto
meetmymaker
.”

Ideci
dedtol
etMul
alohandl
ethi
sbecauseitseems
asift
heybot
hhadsomeunresol
vedissues.

Mulal
o:“
Ihaveaf ewquest
ionsforyouandi
fyou
answert
hem cor
rectl
y,Imi
ghtjustl
etyougo.
”

Webothknowthati
snottr
ue.Ihav
eafeeli
ngTi
ger
i
sgoingtospi
ll
someseri
ousshi
tandMulal
owil
l
j
ustcuthi
sheadoff
.

Ti
ger
:“Okay
.”

Mul
alo:
“Howdi
dIendupi
nyourcar
e?”

Ti
ger
:(ast
oni
shed)“
Howdoy
ou–“
Mul
alo:
(annoy
ed)“
Romeotoldus.Weknowt
he
t
rut
h.Areyougoi
ngtoanswerornot
?”

Tiger:“Yourmot hergav ebirt

htoy oufir
st,Mul al
o,
appar entl
yhersister,was–i sav eryevilwoman.
Shegoty ouswappedandgav ey out othev il
l
age
witchasanof f
ering,y ouknow, asacr if
ice.Int ur
n
shet oldyourmot herthaty oudiedsi nceshewas
assistingherwiththebi rt
hwhent hebot hofy ou
wer ebor n.Thev il
lagewi t
chgotanot herdeadbaby
fr
om someonewhor ecentlygavebi rthanddeci ded
togivet hatboytoy ourmot her.Sot hewr ongbaby
wasbur i
edasy ou.”

Whatki
ndofsi
ckwor
lddowel
i
vei
n?

Mulal
o:“
So,whatwassupposedt
ohappent
ome?
Si
nceIwasn’
tsacri
fi
ced?
”

Ti
ger
:“Wel
l
,thewi
tchwassupposedt
oki
l
lyou–
shewasev enaboutt ocutyouopen, but
miraculouslyt
heknifebroker i
ghtony ourskin.She
wasshockedsoshet ri
edagainwi t
hanev ensharper
kni
f e,buti
tsti
llbr
oke.Shet ri
edt oburnyoual i
ve,
buti ntur
n,sheherselfgotburnt.Shecoul dn’
t
sacr i
fi
ceyousincey ourancestorsdi
dn’twanty ou
dead–y oucomef rom av er
yrichandv erypowerful
royal f
amily
.

So, shewr appedy ouinablanketandpl acedy ouina

basketanddeci dedtoputy ounearar i
ver.She
vowedsi ncethatdayt oneverdowitchcraftagain.
Event houghev eryoneissti
llafr
aidofher–ev en
now.Whenev ershegoest othemar ketorchur ch–
theyall r
unawayf rom her
.Sheusedt obet hemost
power fulwitchbacki nthedayandthatni ght,she
sawt hepowerofGod, soshestoppedpr actici
ng
witchcraft.”
Whatapower f
ulst
ory.I
tremindsmeofhowThat o
onlygotbur
nedonherbackinsteadofdy
ingi
nthat
shackfi
recausedbySont
o.
Mul
alo:
“So,
howdi
dyouandConst
ancegethol
dof
me?
”

Tiger:“
Backt hen,Const anceandIwer enewlyweds
andshewasst il
l anewmakot iandhadt oper
f orm
hermakot iduti
es, soshewentt ofet
chsomewat er
attheriver
.Thati swhenshedi scoveredyoucr yi
ng
i
nt hebasket.Shecoul dn’tl
eaveyout her
e,asy ou
l
ookedsof r
agileandbeaut i
ful
.Shebr oughtyout o
me, andwet oldmyf at
herabouti t
.Weal lagreed
al
ongwi thmymot hert
haty ouwoul dbeourfirst
bornandwehadt olietot hevil
l
agersandsayy ou
wereolder,andt hatshehady ouwhilewewer ei n
Varsit
y.

Thatway ,
theywoul dn’tthinkyouwer eaproductof
i
nf i
deli
tyorsomet hing.Ourf ami l
ywi t
chdoctor,
saw
themar kbehindy ourneck.Appar entl
yallt
hesons
from yourmot her
’sf amilyarebornwi tht
hatmar k.
Shei mmediatelyknewy oudidn’tbelongtous,but
wecouldn’
treturnyou.Wel ovedyousomuch,
Mulalo,
andalso,yourli
fewasi ngr
av edanger.Had
yourmother
’ssisterf
oundoutabouty oubei
ngali
ve,
shewasgoingt oorderpeopletofi
nishy ouof
f.So
thati
swhyweonl ywentbackhomet ovisi
toncea
year.
”

Wow, myf amil

yisf uckedup.Howcant heywantto
ki
llaninnocentchil
d?Thatal lexpl
ainswhyMama
neverwenttov i
sitherfamily.Mulal
oont heother
handseemedsohel pl
ess,hewasjusttooeagerto
knowmor e,tofi
ndoutt hetr
uth.

Mul
alo:
“Wher
eist
hisv
il
lagey
ouspeakof
?”

AsTigerwasabouttoanswer ,
helookedli
kehewas
abouttohaveconvul
sions.Hestart
edshakingand
hi
sey eswererol
l
ingintohi
shead.Mul al
oandIboth
stoodup,aswewer eshocked.Theymusthav ehi
t
hi
m prett
yhard.
Mul
alo:
(shaki
ngTiger)“
Todani
!Todani
!Focus!
Wher
eisthisvi
l
lage?!
”

Tigercoul
dn’trespondanyf urtherandjustl
ikethat
hetookhislastbreathri
ghtonVi vi
an’sbri
ghtwhite
furcarpet
.Mul alowail
edlikeahel plesschi
ld,
causingmegr eatpain.Involuntarytear
sstreamed
downmyf aceasIf i
rmlyheldhi m back.

Kg:
“It
’sokay
,Mul
alo.Hei
sgone.
”

Mulal
o:“Ijustwant
edtoknowwhereIcomefrom,
Kg.Isitsuchabadt hi
ngthatt
heUni
versedeni
es
mesuch? ”

Mypoorbrother
.NowIgetwhatpeopletal
kof
whentheysaytwinsshareani
ncr
edi
blydeepbond.
Whenhei shappy–I ’
m happy
.Whenhecr i
es–so
doI.
Kg:
“Itwi
l
lbeokay
.”

That
o

Mydaywentwel landIcouldfinallyprayinthe
bedroom all
ocatedt omebySel ena.Rendani isout
ofmyf aceandt heswel l
ingonmyf aceisst arti
ngto
diedown, al
thoughIam st i
llquiteredi nthef ace.
Selenacamebackt osi
twithmeandshowmeher
familyalbum,tell
i
ngmeal laboutherf ami l
yhi stor
y
andhowshegr ewup.Ir eall
ylikeherhonest yand
heraffecti
on.Shehassomet hingspeci alabouther .

Wesatandchat t
edawayunt ilabout11pm, when
shefi
nall
ybidmegoodnight.Isl eptwithapeaceful
hear
tknowingthatIwouldsoonseemyf ather
.I
waswokenupmyf ai
ntfootstepsi nt
othebedroom,
andwhenIraisedmyheadandt riedtospeak,Ifel
ta
smallhandonmyl i
ps.Ipanickedal itt
le,
butI
real
iz
edi
twasSel
enawhensheswi
tchedont
he
sidel
amp.

Sel
ena:
“Shhh.
”

InoddedasIcar efull
ywat chedandlistenedtoher
i
nst r
uctmeonwhatt odo.Shewhi sper edofwhi chI
didn’
tunderstand,butIfeltIcoul
dtrusther .She
toldmetogetdr essedinbl ackclot
hes, withablack
coat.Weheadeddownst air
sandmadeourwayout
ofthehouse.Uponl eavi
ng, Isawabl ackMer cedes
Vianowaiti
ngout side.Sokscameoutoft hecarand
Iwassor eli
eved.AsIwasaboutt oappr oachhim,
Selenaheldmewi t
hbot hhands.

Sel
ena:
“Dear,
youhavemademyli
fei
ncr
edi
bly
whol
epastfewdays.Iwi
l
lmissy
ou.”

That
o:“
Iwi
l
lmi
ssy
out
oo,
Sel
ena.
”
Sel
ena:
“Her
e.Taket
his.
”

Shehandedmeabeautif
ulr
osary,dr
apedi
n
di
amonds,muchli
kethependantKggavet
omeon
mybirt
hdayl
asty
ear.
”

Sel
ena:
“ Keepitwit
hy ouwherev
eryougo.
Whenevery oudon’
tfeelsaf
e,pr
aywit
hit.Iwi
l
lbe
wit
hyoual ways.
”

Ismi
l
edwi
tht
ear
sinmyey
esasIhuggedher
.

Sel
ena:
“Gonow,
wedon’
thav
emucht
ime.
”

InoddedasIpr
oceededt
othecaral
ongwi
thSoks.

Sel
ena:
“Takegoodcar
eofher
,Sol
omon.
”
Soksnoddedaswesai dourgoodbyes.Therewas
anot
herpersondri
ving,
butIcoul
dn’
tseehisface.
Hespedofflikewewererushi
ngofftoaheistor
somethi
ng.Idon’tevenknowwhattimeiti
ssinceI
don’
tevenhav eaphone.

That
o:“
Whatt
imei
sit
,Soks?
”

Soks:
“It
’smi
dni
ght
.”

Idon’
tknowwhyhei staki
ngmeawayatt hi
s
wit
chfulhour
,butIgavehi
mthebenefi
tofthedoubt
.
Myheartsmiledwit
hjoyasIcoul
dfeelt
hathomeis
neari
ng.

Thato:
(smi
l
ing)“CanIgoseemyfat
herbef
orey
ou
takemewhereIam supposedt
ogo?”

Soksl
ookeddowni
nsor
row,
li
kehewassador
somethi
ng.Idon’tknow,butIf
eel
li
keheishi
ding
somebadnewsf rom me.Hekeptquiet
,whi
le
fi
ddl
i
ngwi t
hhisrosary.

That
o:“
Soks?
”

Soks:
“I’
m sor
ry,
Thato.Youcan’tgoseehi
m now.
Youcanseehim soon,
butj
ustnottoni
ght
.”

Myhear tsankr
ightatthepitofmystomach.Iknew
i
twasf orthebest,
butIjustwantedtoseehi
m.We
drov
ef orawhil
eunt i
lwegott oanunknownlocat
ion,
buttherewasabigjetparkedrighti
nthewar
ehouse.

Soks:
“Thi
siswher
eIl
eav
eyou.
”

That
o:(scar
ed)“
Soks?Wher
eam Igoi
ng?Can’
tyou
gowithme?”
Soks:“I
’
m af
rai
difIgowit
hyouwewil
lbot
hdie.
Hanginther
e,l
i
keIsaid,
you’
regoi
ngt
owhereyour
desti
nymeetsyou.
”

That
o:(
tear
y)‘
I
’m scar
ed,
Soks.
”

Soks:“Nowisthet
imetoprayandbel
ieve,Thato.
Allwi
llbewell
.You’
regoi
ngwithTman.Hewi llt
ake
youtowhereyouneedtobe.Don’tworr
y,Itrust
him.”

ByTmanhemeantt heguywhodr oveushere,since

hewast heonewhowal kedmet ot heJet
.Tman
swiftl
ywalkedwi t
hmeandIkeptl ooki
ngatSoks
withtear
si nmyey esunt i
lIsawhi m di
sappearint he
Viano.Myhear tfeltli
keitwasbr eaki
ngintoa
mill
ionpiecesyetagain.Iam goi ngtoan
undiscl
osedandunknownl ocat
ionallal
onewi t
han
unknownguy .IhavelostmyMam’ Vandmyf ather
i
si nhospital
.Icanonl yhopeIseehi m soon.I
decidedtoprayast heJett ookoff.
Chapt
erEi
ght
yFour

Psal
m 46:
5–“Godi
sinthemidstofher
;sheshal
l
notbemoved;
Godwil
lhel
pherwhenmor ni
ng
dawns.
”

That
o

Ifellasleepwi thaheav yheart,wit

ht hi
sTmanguy
maki ngev erythingtonswor se.Hehar dlysaysa
wor d,soIdi dn’tbotheraskinghim anyquest i
ons.I
didn’tknowwher eIwasgoi ng,sotheonl ythi
ngI
hadi nmi ndwast helit
tl
efaithandhopeIhadi nme.
Ikeptr ecit
ingsi l
entprayerswhenev erIwokeup, but
nowor dsandanswer scamet omind.Iev ent
uall
y
dozedof fagain.

Pet
uni
a:“Wel
comet
oyournewhome,
Queen
I
sabel
l
a.”
Iwokeupi mmediatel
yaf t
erthat
.Isawmymot her
andshewel comedmehome.Iwashopi ngthat
perhapstheJetmadei tswaytoJo’burg,butnope.I
foundusatadeser t
edwar ehousewithaMer cedes
Vianowaiti
ngforus.If eell
ikeIam partofaspy
familyorsomethi
nglikethat
.

Tman:
“Let
’sgo.
”

That’
sallhehasbeendoi ng–gi vi
ngoutinstructions.
Ididastoldandf oll
owedhi m,Idon’tevenrecall
packi
nganycl othes,buthewal kedoutholdinga
small,bl
acktraveli
ngbag.Iguessbl ackmustbe
thei
rfavouri
tecolour.Atleastthesuni sout,soIam
guessingiti
sprobabl ymiddayorso.Wegoti nto
theVianoandhedr oveoff.Ihadtosi ti
nthef ront
seatasinstr
uctedbyhi m.

Tman:“
Iknowyou’r
escar
ed,butyouwil
lbeal
right
.I
wi
ll
bewatchi
ngyouf r
om adi
stance.ThePri
ncess
i
sabitofabi
tch,
buttheQueenandKingarevery
ni
ce.
”

Wow, hespeaksandnowt
hathespeaks,
hei
s
speaki
nginriddl
es.

That
o:“
Idon’
tunder
stand.
”

Tman: “Youarehereasadisgui
se;pl
easeremember
thati
tisutmostkeytotel
levery
oneyournameis
I
sabel l
a–notThato.Yournamei sIsabel
l
a
Mokoena, andyourCV i
sinthatbag.Youcome
from Limpopo.
”

Ja,
Ifeel
li
keIam i
ndeedi
naspymov
ie.

That
o:“Okay
,butcan’
tIgetacel
lphoneor
somethi
ng?Justtotel
lever
yoneIam saf
e?”
Tman:“
Theywil
lbenotif
ied.Youwi
l
lgeta
cel
l
phonesoon,
justnotnow.”

Thi
sist
oughert
hanIt
hought
.

That
o:“
Whatki
ndofj
obi
sthi
s?”

Tman:
“Youwi
l
lbet
heRoy
alser
vant
.Ihat
ethe
wor
dmaid.
”

Wow,justwhenIthoughtmylif
ecoul
dn’tgetany
wor
se.Imean, Iam supposedtohav
ereturnedto
Var
sit
ybynow.Whathav eIdonetodeservethi
s?”

Tman:“
Don’
tlooksosad,i
tisonl
ytemporar
y.Trust
me,bi
ggert
hingsawai
t.Sol
omoni snev
erwrong.”

Hest
oppedi
nfr
ontofoneoft
hebi
ggesthouses
ar
oundhere.Itt
rul
ylooksl
i
keafancyvi
ll
ageher
e.I
l
ookedatTmanhopinghewoul
dsayt hi
swasallone
bi
g,fatj
oke.

Tman:
“Go,
theyar
eexpect
ingy
ou.
”

Itookadeepbr eat
handt r
iednott ocry.I
remember edSokst el
li
ngmet hatIneededtobe
strong,andthatcryi
ngcanwai t.Ijusthavetotr
y.I
can’tbeafrai
doft heunknown, Imeani t
’sofnouse.
Islowlygotoutandt ooktheluggagebagoutoft he
car.AsIwal kedaheadoft hegat e,wi
thhighwall
s,I
can’tevenseewhati sbehindthem.Tmandr oveoff
withoutcheckingifIwassafeornot .

Iam sousedt obeingspoi

ledandbabied.NowI
havenophone, nooneIknowaroundher e,and
absolut
elynocluewhyIam evenhere,butIjust
havetotry.AsIwalkedaheadofthegate,If el
t
myselfsweati
ngfrom t
hisheat
.Ihav en’
tev en
walkedamer e5km andalr
eadyIam feeli
ngt hi
s
heat
.Ican’tevenrecogni
zet
hispl
ace,butwel
l,t
his
i
swher eIam meanttobeastheysai
d.Ipressed
thei
ntercom andarudewomananswered.

Woman:
“Ja?
”

SheremindsmeofConst
ance,
thedayIar
ri
vedat
herhouse.

That
o: (
Deepbreat
h)“Mynamei sT…I
sabel
l
aMol
oi.
Iam heref
ortheserv
antposi
ti
on.”

Woman:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
Oh,youmeany
ou’
ret
henew
mai
d?Alr
ight
,Comeri
ghtin.
”

Yep,anotherConstanceonmycase.Assoonast he
bi
ggat esopenedup, Iwasmetwithav er
ylargeyard,
evenlargert
hanGr i
ngo’shousebackinNorthcl
iff
e.
TherearequiteafewRondav el
saround,abouttenor
so,f
arapar
tfr
om oneanother.Thereareaf ewmen
her
dingcat
tl
e;assomearebusydoi nggardening
andafewotherwomendoinglaundry;sweepingthe
yar
dandsomecar i
ngforchi
ldren.

AsIwal kedalongf urthert owardst heentranceof

thehouse, alotoft hem st aredatmel ikeIwas
someonewei rdorso, butIam sousedt ot hestar
es.
Ifinall
ymademywayt otheent rance–ev enthough
i
tf eltl
ikeIwaswal kingf orev er
.They ardist r
uly
beaut i
ful
,butthest atuesandmanyf ountainsarea
bittoomuch.If oundaguar datt hedoor ,andI
wasn’ tsurewhatt odosoIboweddown.

That
o:(bowi
ng)“Goodafter
noon,mynameis
I
sabel
la.Iam heretoseetheKingandQueen.
”

Guar
d:(smil
ing)“
Sukuma,Nt
ombenhl
e(Getup,
pr
ett
ylady)
.Awusemhl e(
You’
resobeaut
if
ul)
.”
Ilookedupandhesmi l
edatme.Iknowabi tofZul
u,
soIdon’tknowhowIwi l
lsur
vivehere.AsIwas
abouttorespondtotheguar
d, ayounggi
rl
,moreor
l
essmyagewal keduptohim andspoketohimina
veryrudemanner.

Gir
l:“Hay
i,man,Beki
.Awuboniukuthi
lomunt u
uzeleumsebenzil
ana(Can’
tyouseethisgi
rlcame
tolookforwork)?Usimoshel
aisi
khati(
You’
re
waisti
ngourti
me).”

Shame,poorBekiwasaboutt
orespond,
butt
hisgi
rl
compl
etelyshuthi
m down.

Beki
:“Ngi
yaxol
i
sa(
I’
m sor
ry)
,Nkosazana(
Pri
ncess)
–“

Gi
rl
:“Hay
i(No)
!Mov
e!Wena(
You)
,fol
l
owme.
”
Ifol
lowedherwhi l
eIst ar
edatBeki andreturneda
fai
ntsmiletohim.Hedi dn’tdeser
veanyr udeness
shewasgi vi
nghim atal l
.Iam guessingshei sone
ofthepri
ncessesar oundher e.Aswewal kedwhat
fel
tli
keforeveragai
n, shetookituponherselftoask
meaf ewquest i
ons.

Gir
l:“
Andthen?Whyumhl opeso(Whyareyouso
l
ight
)?Yini,
uyicol
our
ed( What,
areyoucol
oured)
?
Uyabl
eacher(Doyoubleachyourski
n)?
”

Ai,
Idon’thaveti
mef oranotherAnast
acia,butI
guessIhav et
ostickitoutsi
nceIdon’tevenknow
forhowl ongIhavetobeher e.

That
o:“
No,
I-“

Sherudel
yint
err
upt
edmebef
oreIcoul
dfi
nishmy
st
atement.
Girl
:“Yoooh,hayi,
hay i
,hayi
(no,no,no)!Se
ukhulumanesi ngi
si(YouevenspeakEngl i
sh)
?!
Hay i
bo(No)!KuseNat al
,l
ana,gir
l(thi
sisKwazulu-
Natal,gi
rl
).I
fy ouwantt osurvi
ve,youhadbetterget
thatwhitegi
rl mental
it
youtofy ourhead–mor e
especial
lyi
fy ouwantt oworkhere.”

Mxm, shei sacti

ngli
keshehasmoneywher easiti
s
herfat
her’smoney .Bitch.Isigheddeeplyandkept
all
thatin.Wegott othel oungeandwef oundav ery
beauti
fullady,pr
obablyinherf ourt
iesorso, much
l
ikeMam’ V.Shehasgor geousl onghai
r,andaf air
complexion.Shewasdr essedinbeautif
ul Zuluatt
ir
e,
Iguessitisroyalat
ti
re.Ist oodthereasther ude
pri
ncessgav emeonest are.

Pr
incess:
“Hawu(
Gosh)Bow,
phel
a!”

Ibowedast
oldandwai
tedf
ort
hewomant
ospeak.
Woman:
“Youmayr
ise.
”

Ir
aisedmyheadsl
owl
yasIl
ookedather
.

Woman:
“Youmaybeseat
ed.
”

Isatdownast
old.

That
o:“
Thanky
ou.
”

Shegavemeoneoft hosef i
l
thylooks,
andanalyzed
melikeIwasaf i
l
thyrodentofsomesor t
.Itki
ndof
hur
t,butIkeptmysel
fseri
ous.

Woman:
“Youar
e?”

That
o:“
Iam I
sabel
l
aMol oi
,Iam fr
om Li
mpopo.I
cameherel
ooki
ngforwork,andI–“
Shei
sjustasr
udeasherdaught
er.

Woman:
“Letmeseey
ourCV.
”

Shestretchedoutherarm, andkeptf li
ckingher
fi
ngerslikeshewasl i
terall
ywaiti
ngf oraser v
antto
makei tsnappy.Thathur tmeal it
tl
e–di dSoks
honestlythi
nkthatloweringmyl i
fetoser vantst
atus
wouldmakemeabet terperson?It ookoutmyCV
outofthebagi nhasteandhandedi ttoher .She
fl
i
ppedt hroughaf ewpages, andIdon’ tevenknow
whatisont hosepages.Shedi dn’
tev enseem
i
mpr essedatall.

Woman:“Hmm, Iam sor

ry,butIdon’
tev
ent hi
nkyou
meetourcr
it
eri
a.I’
m afr
aid,thejobi
sn’
tyours.
”

Whattheact
ual
fuck?!I
sthi
sbit
chserious?Does
sheknowIcomeallt
hewayfrom I
tal
yandIam
j
etlaggedandti
redashel
lonlyf
orhert
otell
me
suchshit?
!DidSoksevenplanthi
s?Ihav
eno
phone,sowherewil
lIgo?

That
o:“
Idon’
tunder
stand,
I-“

Woman: Ag,youwhitegi
rlwannabes.Ngi
theakuna
msebenziforwena(Isai
dthereisnojobf
oryou)!
NowPhuma( Out
)!
”

Iwassl
owlyabouttoleav
e,butanotherwoman,
fai
rl
yol
derwholooksmuchl i
kethi
swomani nfr
ont
ofmewalkeddownt hemansionstai
rs.

Woman2: “Yi
nikodwaNomsa(
Whati
sit
?!Ut
heni
urasakangaka(Whyar
eyoumaki
ngsomuch
noise)
?!”

Woman:
“Bengi
sat
shel
alent
oukut
hiakuna
umsebenzi(
Iwasj
ustt
ell
i
ngt
hist
hingt
hatt
her
eis
nowork)!
”

Assoonasshesaidthat
,Isawt heel
derwoman’
s
facechangeandbecomehardened.

Woman2:“
Youwill
notspeakt
oanyonel
iket
hat,
mor
eespeci
all
ysomeonewedon’
tevenknow!”

Woman:“Kodwa( But
),Mama.Youal
way
shav
ea
sof
tspotforpoorpeopl
e.”

Woman2:
“Iwil
lnotl
i
stent
othi
s,mor
eespeci
all
yin
myownhouse!
”

Woman:
“Kodwa(
But
)Mama–“

Woman2:
(anger
ed)“
Youf
ail
edt
obui
l
dyourown
ki
ngdom andnow y
ouwanttocol
l
apsemi ner
ight
i
ntotheground?
!Gi
vemethosepaper
s!”

Shegav
ehermyCVindef
eat.Theel
derwoman
l
ookedati
tandt
henatmeandsmil
edbroadl
y.

Woman2: “
Forgi
veher
,mychi
ld.Sheisj
ustgoi
ng
thr
oughoneofthose“
inmyti
mes”moment s.My
nameisQueenNombulel
oNcube,Queenof
Empangeni.
”

Sheextendedherhandandgav
emeanev
enwar
mer
smil
e,Ijusthadt
oshakeit
.

That
o:“
Pleasedt
omeety
ou,
Queen.
”

QueenNombu: “Pl
ease,cal
lme, Mama.Youar e
I
sabel
la,Ihavebeenexpecti
ngy ou.Onceagain,
pl
easeforgiv
emydaught erforherpl
aci
drudeness.
It
hinkshef
ell
anddr
oppedherheadaf
terbi
rt
h.”

Ismil
edasshechuckl
ed,whi
l
ethedaught
erandher
daught
erbot
hlookedatmeli
keIam cr
azy
.

QueenNombu:“Come, l
etmeshow youtoyour
r
oom aswewilldi
scussy ourj
obr
equi
rements,
that
i
sifyoust
il
lwantthejob?”

I
ssheki
ddi
ngme?Idon’
thav
emuchofachoi
ce.

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Yes,
Ist
il
ldo,
Queen–Mama.
”

Shesmi l
edasshet ookmebyhandwhi lewewal ked
towardsthefarendofthehouse.Theinter
iordécor
i
ssobeaut i
fulhere,
sounique,wi
thlot
sofredand
blackcol
oursandor nament
s.Iseealotofpor t
rai
ts,
muchl i
ketheonesIsawbackatTi ger
’shouse.All
oftheseport
rait
sarehanddrawn,andIonly
recogni
zeafewoftheQueen,
therudepri
ncess
daughteraswel
lasther
udeyoungpri
ncess.

Theot herpeopleIhav en’tseenbef

ore,andtheylook
ratherodd,al
mostl ikeIhav eseenafewoft hem
before–mor eespeci all
yt hepai
nti
ngofoneoft he
otherwomen.Idon’ tknow, butsheseemsl i
kea
verywar m woman, Icani maginemyselfcal
li
ngher
Mama.Ican’ twaittof i
ndoutmor eaboutthis
peculiarf
amily.
Chapt
erEi
ght
yFi
ve

Deutoronomy31:6–“ Bestrongandofgood
courage,donotfearnorbeafrai
dofthem;f
orthe
LordyourGod,Hei stheonewhogoeswi t
hyou.He
wil
lnotleaveyounorf or
sakeyou.”

Kg

Somet
hingj
ustdoesn’
tfeel
right
,Imeanaf
tert
he
wholescenewi t
hOl i
via,wejustcouldn’tfeelatease,
soIaskedMul aloi
fwecoul dheadbackt othe
hospi
talt
ocheckonGr i
ngo.Iknowwehi redaf ew
boystokeepaney eonhi m,butaft
erwhathappened
atmyweddi ng,Idon’tthi
nkweshoul dt rustanyone
ri
ghtnow.Weheadedt hereandever yonewas
fr
anti
cinhiswar d,Iknewi mmediatelysomet hing
wasnotright.Iwasr ighttotr
ustmygut .

Mul aloandIi mmediatelydrewoutourguns,and

rushedst raightintothewar d.Wef oundt
woar med
men, wit
hbal acl
ava’
sont heirf
aces.Onewas
cont aini
ngt hesituat
ion,aimingthegunatthe
terr
ifiednur ses,whil
et heotheronehadagun
point edstraightatGringo.

Webot hwastednot i
me, Ishott
heonewhowas
aimi
ngatGr i
ngo,whileMulaloshottheonewhohad
theNursesontheirknees.Immediatelyaf
tert
wo
gunshotswentoff,t
heywer eall
screamingand
shouti
ng.IrushedtotheguyIshotandi mmediat
ely
tookoffhi
sbal
acl
ava.Idon’tf
uckingrecogni
zehim
atall
.Hewasbleedi
ngprofusel
y,buthewasst i
l
l
ali
ve.

Kg:
“Whosenty
ou?
!”

It
ri
edshaki
nghi
m ashegaspedandt
ri
edt
ospeak.

Guy
:(weakl
y)“
M….Mar
ti
nel
l
i.
”

Andjustl
i
kethat,thef uckert
ookhi
slastbreath.
Thi
sissofucki
ngf rustrati
ng.Il
ookedatMul aloand
l
ucki
lyhesaidtheot herguywasstil
lconsci
ous, wit
h
aweakpulse.Ilookedar oundandthosefucking
nur
sesweresti
llont hef l
oor.

Aren’
ttheyt
aughthowt odeal
withsuchsituati
ons?
!
Andhowt hefuckdidt
woar medmendr essedinall
bl
ackmakei tthr
oughthedoorswit
houtany one
not
ici
ng?!Thesefuckingguyswehir
edar
eusel
ess.
Theonlyguywit
hbrainsaroundher
eisSmal
l
y.

Kg:“
Don’tjustst
andt
here!Gett
hisf
uckersome
assi
stance!Ineedhi
m ali
ve!
”

Theyrushedtohi
m andgothim ontoast r
etcher
,
whil
eMul al
oandIrushedt
oGr i
ngo’sside.Luckil
y
hewasn’tarmedandwasstil
lasleep.

Kg:“Mul
alo,
wecan’
thaveGher
e.Hisli
fei
singr
ave
danger–all
ofourl
i
vesarei
ndanger
.”

Mulalo:
(nodding)“Iagr
ee.Iwil
lcal
lSmall
yandask
hi
mt otightensecuri
tyaroundt
hehouse.Noone
canleavethehouse.”

Kg:“Al
sogetLoui
stosetuphisbedroom asa
hospit
alr
oom.Weshouldratherpayforhimt
o
r
ecoverf
rom home,si
ncetheseusel
esspeopl
e
f
ail
edtokeephim saf
e.”

Mul
alo:
“I’
m oni
t.
”

AsMul alowentout ,Il

ookedatGwi thabr okenhear t.
Iti
st i
mef orust ot oughenup.Wehav etof orm an
all
iancewiththeNai doo’s.Weneedal lt
hehel pwe
canget .Idon’tli
kesuspect i
ng,butifIam cor r
ect
thenthepersonwhoor deredt hehi
tcouldei therbe
LuigiorLucaMar tinell
i.Theyar ebloodbr others,but
hav enevergottenalong.Lucast ol
ef r
om Lui giand
her emainedloyaltohisf atherandv owedt onotki l
l
him.

So,Lucar unshi sownoper ati

oninI tal
y.Howt he
fuckcouldwemi ssthat?IneedGr ingo’spasswords.
Ineedallthei nformationIcanget.AsIwasabout
tocallSmal lyandaskhi mt ostar
tdi ggi
ngi nt
he
house,Irecei v
edacal l f
rom anunfami l
iarnumber.
MyTr uecallerstatesthatiti
sanumberf r
om I
tal
y.
Whataret
heodds?Per
hapsitisthatf
uckerLuigi
tel
l
ingmethatt
hewor
stisnotoveryet
.Idecidedto
answer
.

Kg:
“Wol
fe.
”

Voi
ce:
“Mf
anaka(
MyBoy
).”

Ifelti
nst
antgoosebumpsassoonasIhear
dhi
s
voice.

Kg:
(Sur
pri
sed)“
Soks?
”

Soks:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
Kennaowe(
Thati
sme)
.”

Kg:
“Wow,man.Longti
me,
dint
shang(
What
’sup)
?
Oshap(
Areyouokay
)?”
Soks:
“Keshap(
I’
m okay
),andy
ou?
”

Kg:“
I’
m al
otbet
ternowt haty
oudeci
dedtopr
ovet
o
methatyouar
en’tdead.Nowwhatareyoudoi
ngi
n
I
tal
y?”
Soks:“
Iwishthiswasasoci
alcal
l
,butIam af
rai
d
thi
sisabusinesscal
l.
”

Hesoundedser
iousandmor
emat
ure,
act
ual
l
y.

Kg:
“I’
m al
lear
s.”

Soks: “
Rendanimessedup.Hebroughtyourwif
e
heretoItal
y,butImanagedtogetheraway.Hehas
for
medanal l
iancewi
thLucaal
lbasedonl i
es,
and
basical
lyyourli
vesar
enowalli
ndanger.Youneed
toactfast.
”

Fuckt
hatmot
her
fuckerhadt
akenmywi
fet
oIt
aly
?
HowcomeImi
ssedt
hat
?

Kg:
“Sendmet
hei
rco-
ordi
nat
es.
”

Soks:“No,Kg.Iknowy ouarealotsmarterthanthat
.
Theonlywayt odefeatt
heenemyi sony ourown
homegr ound.Youcan’tcomet oIt
aly
,theywillki
l
l
you.Wai tf
orthem tocometoy ou.Gety ourmen
readyandoncey ouhaveoutnumberedthem all–
youcancomef ort
hebigguys,LucaandLui gi
.”

Kg:(f
rowni
ng)“
WhatdoesLui
gihav
etodowi
thal
l
thi
s?”

Soks:“Hetookthebusi
nessf r
om Gri
ngo,with
Rendani’
shelpandnowt hatheknowsitbackfi
red
becauseofyou–y ouhav ebecomehisnexttargetI
am afrai
d.Youalongwit
hev eryoneel
seclosestto
you,henceIhadtogetThatoaway .
”
Kg:
“Wher
eisshe?I
ssheokay
?”

Soks:“
Sheissafeandwel l
,deal
i
ngwi t
hsomet hi
ng
el
seyoushouldhavesor t
edoutalongtimeago.
Oneprobl
em atatime.Oncey ousortoutthe
Marti
nel
li
’
s,youandThat ocanbetogetheragai
n.I
havetogo,I
’
llbeintouch.Besafe,Kg.
”

Hehungupj ustliket hat

.JustwhenIthoughtthi
ngs
couldn’
tgetanywor se,t
hishappens.TheLord
worksinmy st
eriousway s,i
ndeed.Iam j
ustgl
ad
thatSokswast heret obeabletosaveher.Now,I
can’twai
ttofini
sht hisoff.Iwil
ldothi
swithever
y
bitofpowerinmef orThato.

That
o

Ifel
tmuchmoreateasewhent heQueentookmeto
myr oom.Wow,it
’ssuchabeauti
fulroom,wi
thabi
g
andcomfor
tabl
ebed,asmallbedsidetabl
eand
chai
r,andsurpr
isi
ngl
yIhavemyownbathroom.
Ther
ei sevenasmallpl
asmaTVpinnedagainstthe
wall
,withaDSTVdecoder.Atl
eastIwi
ll
bel i
vingin
comfort.

QueenNombu:
“Ihopet
hisi
sokayf
ory
ou.
”

That
o:“
Oh,
thi
sisgr
eat
,Mama,
thanky
ou.
”

Shesatont
hebedandpul
l
edmenextt
oher
.

QueenNombu: “Tel
lme,whyar eyouher
e?Imean
youlooksoy oungandbeautif
ul andy
oudon’tseem
l
ikeyoubelongasahel per
,ifyougetwhatImean.”

Igetwhatshemeans, butTmandi dn’tbri

efmeon
thi
s.ThinkThato,Thi
nk.Shewasl ookingatme
anxi
ousl
y ,
soItoldherthefi
rstt
hingt hatcameto
mind.
Thato:
“Wel
l
,Ma,mypar
ent
spassedaway
,soIam
tr
yingt
osaveupf
undst
ostudy
.”

QueenNombu:(smi
l
ing)“
Wow,youar
eanambit
ious
andsmartgi
rl
.Whatisi
tyouwouldl
i
ket
ostudy?”

That
o:“
Mechani
cal
Engi
neer
ing.
”

QueenNombu:“Wel
l,
myhusbandisaver
y
char
it
abl
eman.Perhapshecangety
ouintooneof
thet
opUniv
ersi
ti
esnexty
ear
.”

Ismi
l
edbr
ief
ly.Ei
sh,
Ihat
ely
ingt
oel
der
s.

QueenNombu: “Wel
l,It
hinky oushouldrest.You
dolooktir
ed.Youwillr
esumedut ytomorrowf i
rst
thi
ngat6am.OurHeadSer v antGl
oria,
willbeof
assi
stance.Shewil
lguideyouonwhatt odo, and
pl
ease,ifyouneedanyhelporyouwoul dli
ketobrief
mewi thyourconcerns,
donotbeafrai
dt otal
ktome.
Don’tl
etmydaught ergett
oyou,shejusthasissues
becauseherli
fehasn’twor
kedoutthewayshe
neededitto.
”

Iwonderwhatt hedealiswiththebitterPri
ncess,but
Ideci
dednott opry.Icameher eforwor kandt hat’
s
i
t.Shesai dhergoodby esandIlookedatt heti
me.I t
i
sexact l
y2pm, butthelongfl
ightandt hetort
uremy
bodyhasendur edthepastfewday si sfi
nall
ytaking
i
tstollonme.Ideci dedtotakeaqui ckbath,andI
openedthetravelbag,andIbecamet earf
ulall
ofa
sudden.Therewer esuchbeaut if
ul cl
othespacked
i
n,exactl
ymysi ze,andmost l
ylabeledand
expensiv
elynew.

Iev
enhadawholebrandnewt owelsetandanew
t
oothbr
ush,afewpai
rsofdif
fer
entshoes.There
wasevenathi
ckenvel
openeatl
yfoldedint
ooneof
t
hetowels.It
ookouttheenvel
opeandIsawt onsof
doll
arsintheenvel
ope.Howonear thwil
lIbeable
toexplai
nthisshoul
dtheysearchmyroom or
something?Anot ewasrightnextt
othenotes,
soI
deci
dedt oreadit
.

“MydearThat o,youaresuchabeaut if
ul andbright
youngwoman.Iwi shyouwer emydaught er.Please
keepwellandIhopeweseeeachot hersoon.Iwi l
l
keepprayi
ngf oryou.Pleasedon’tbealarmedatt he
amountofmoneyIgav ey ouasitcomesf r
om a
goodplace.Youcant reatyoursel
ftosomet hi
ng
nice,
andspoi ly
oursel
feverynowandt hen.Take
careofyourself
.Love,
Selena.”

Ifeltmytearsst
ream downmyf ace.Tear sofjoy
rathert
hanheartache.IknowIwillmeetSelena
againsoon.Ican’teventhankherproperl
yforthi
s,
butIwillj
usthavetohidethemoneybef oreIget
kickedoutofhere.Itookabathandgoti ntobed.I
wokeupi nthemi ddl
eofthenight
,feeli
ngpressed.I
musthav ebeenser i
ousl
ytir
ed.Ididn’
tevengetthe
t
imet
oeat
.

Igotst art
ledwhenIsawabeaut i
fulwomandr essed
i
nwhi tecl
ot hi
ngstandingi
nfrontofme.It hought
ofscr eaming, butt
henwhatgoodwoul dthatdo?
Shesawmest ari
ngatherandshesmi l
edatme
withoutsay ingawor d.Myheartbeatfast
erand
faster,asIimmedi atel
ygotdownonmykneesand
startedpraying.Ifeltacol
dbreezerushthroughmy
hair,andgi v
emegoosebumpsonmyneck.

AfterIfinishedprayingIsl
owlyopenedmyey esand
thewomanwasgone.Iqui ckl
yswi t
chedont helight,
andt herewasnowoman.Per hapsIwasdr eami ng,
butitfeltsor eal
.Iswi t
chedonthet vtocheckt he
ti
me, andi tisexactly3am.Imadeament al notet o
buymy selfasmal lphoneorwatchjusttokeept rack
oftime.Iwentt omyensui tebathroom topeeand
thenIgotbacki ntobed.Isti
llf
eltuneasyafter
seeingt hatwoman.No, man,Thato,areyouseei ng
ghost snow?Ihav et obuyMphepho( i
ncense)and
candl
esbef
oreIst
artseei
ngwei
rdershi
t.
Chapt
erEi
ght
ySi
x

Psal
m 27:
1–“ TheLor
dismylightandmysal
vat
ion;
Whom shal
lIf
ear?TheLordisthestr
engt
hofmy
l
if
e;ofWhom shal
lIbeaf
rai
d?”

That
o

Iwokeupf eeli
ngv er
yrelaxedandwel l
-r
ested.Igot
upat5am, andev enthoughitissti
ll
Augustmont h,
i
tisquit
ehother e.Thesunr iseswaybef oresixpm.
Icangetusedt othisbecauseIam notawi nterfan
atall
.Iremember edthattheQueendi dsayt hatI
neededtobeupat6am, sothatGlor
iacouldshow
memyr ounds.Imademywayt omybat hroom and
tookabath,thenIwentt omycl oset
.Sheshowed
memyuni forml astni
ghtbeforeleavi
ngmyr oom.

Shei
sver
yni
ce,
wegetf
ourset
sitseems–butI
am notsurehowmanyday sIwi l
lhavetowor k.Igot
dressedi
nmyuni f
orm; r
edshi rtwit
har edshi r
tand
areddoek, withbl
ackimpr i
ntsandav er
yuni que
designont heedges.Itl
ooksr eall
ynice,actuall
y.I
mustsay, QueenNombul elohassomest yle.Iwas
abouttoleavemyr oom andgol ookforGlori
a.I t
mightseem likeaverystupidideasinceIdon’ teven
knowhernorwhatshel ookslike.

Lucki
ly
,Iheardasternknockonmybedr oom door .
IopeneditandIwasmetwi t
hav er
ybeautif
ul,dar
k
ski
nnedlady .Isayl
adybecauseIam notquitesure
howoldshei s.Shehadt hesameunif
orm on, but
herandIaremor eorlessthesameheight.Shehas
abeautifulbody,wi
thbigbumsandcur v
es,much
l
ikeRami.

Herski
nissofl
awless,Imeanwow.Ionl
ysee
womenasbeauti
fulasherontv
.SheiswhatI
woul
dcall
aMelaninGoddess.Shewoul
dgenui
nel
y
l
ookgoodonthecoveronVogueMagazi
neor
somethi
ng.Shehast
hemostbeauti
fulsmi
l
eever
andherteet
har
esoperf
ect
,sheremindsmeofKg
andMulalo.

Gl
ori
a:(smi
l
ing)“Sawubona(
Hel
lo)
.Ngi
uGl
ori
a(I
’
m
Gl
ori
a).Iwi
llbeguidi
ngyout
oday.
”

ThankgoodnessshecanspeakEngl
ish,
becauseI
coul
dneverbeabletocopewit
hZulu.

That
o:(smi
l
ing)“
Hi,Gl
ori
a,pl
easedt
omeety
ou.My
nameisT–Isabel
la.
”

Glori
a:(smi
l
ing)“
Well,
Isabel
l
a,weoughttoget
going.Wecannotwasteanothermomentasthe
Kingishometoday,
sowehav etoprepar
eabig
feast.
”

Shei
ssoel
oquent
lyspoken,
Iwonderwhat
happenedforhertoenduphere.Shedoesn’ teven
l
ookst upi
deit
her.Ismil
edasIheadedonout .I
madesur etol
ockmybedr oom door,
becauseal ady
neverleav
esherbedroom unl
ockedasmymot her
taughtme.Ifoll
owedGlori
atothekitchen,
andwe
metaf ewotherwomenwhower ecookingsome
nicefood.

Oh,thesmellissodiv
ineandjusthenIreal
i
zedhow
hungryIwas.Ithoughtwewer egoingtopr
epare
thefoodourselv
esanddecoratethetabl
eor
something,
butIsawGl or
iadi
shupt woplatesand
handmeoneasshesatnextt ome.

That
o:(
puzzl
ed)“
Andt
hen?
”

Gloria:“
Oh, whenweser v
etheQueenwear eall
owed
toeatbef oreweservethem, butwhenweser ve
PrincessNomsaandherexasper ati
nghusband,we
hav etowaitforthem t
ofini
sheating–unlesswe
getupext raearl
y.Iswear,sheandt hati
l
l-manner
ed
husbandofher
smakeitamissi
ontomakeothers’
l
ivesali
vi
nghell
.ButIwi
ll
tel
lyouaboutt
hatl
ater.
”

Shespeakssowell,
mygoodness.Shedoesn’tev
en
havetoaskforr
espect–shecommandsitwithher
beaut
iful
li
ngui
sti
cnatur
e,notf
orget
ti
ngherbeauty.

Gl
ori
a:“
Letuspr
ay.
”

Shehel
dmyhands,
astheot
herl
adi
escamet
ojoi
n
usandweal
lhel
dhands.

Gloria:“FatherGod,BabaWet huwasezul wi
ni(Our
fatherwhoar ti
nheav en),wet hankyouforthi
s
beaut if
ul daywhichwasspeci all
yall
ocatedtous
whocoul dwi t
nessit.Giveust hisday,
ourdail
y
bread, helpusbemor eappreciati
veofwhatwehav e
forot hershavefarlessinthiscruelworl
d.Helpus
enjoyt hismeal,i
nJesus’ nameIpr ay.Amen. ”
Ev
ery
one:
“Amen.
”

Wedugi nwhileIj
ustcoul dn’thel
pbutstar
eatheri n
awe.Ther eisjustsomet hingabouther,Ij
ustwish
forhert ogof ari
nlif
e.Icannotwai tt
ogett hese
dutiesdone, soshecant ellmemor eaboutherself
.
Aftereat i
ngoneoft hel adieswashedthedishes
whilet heotherwipedt hem clean.Iguessthisis
routine.Lookingatt heseladies,t
heyareallnotvery
old,andt heydon’thavemuchbutt heyarehappy .

Glor
ia:“
Okay,Isabell
a.Masi
hambe,
Ndl
ovukazi
(Let
’sgo,Queen).”

Idon’tknowmuchZulu,butIdoknowwhat
Ndhlovukazi
(Queen)means.

That
o:(Fr
owni
ng)“
Glor
ia,
whywoul
dyoucal
lmea
Queen?
”
Gl
ori
a:(
Chuckl
ing)“
That
’sbecausey
ouaregoi
ngt
o
beaqueenoneday.Let
’smov e,
wedon’
thave
muchti
me.”

Inoddedi nconf usionbutIletherbe.Shewasni ce

enought akemet hrought heroutine.Wepl aceall
thedishesont hetableandwai tonthesi deforthe
Royalfami l
yt oarri
v e.Oncet heywal kin,wesl i
ghtl
y
bowourheadsunt iltheyareallseated.Thenwe
waitforthem t otellusifwemaygo, otherwisewe
remainst anding.Fr om ther
e, wecanwai tnearby
l
ikeintheki tchenorso, forthem tof i
nisheat i
ngand
thentheot herladieswasht hedi shes.

Glori
aandIar einchargeofthehouse,sowegett o
cl
eanal lt
her ooms.Ihat ecl
eani
ngwi t
hapassion,
butwithGl or
iaaround,Idon’
tthi
nkIwill
hav
ea
probl
em wi ththechore.So,i
ndeedwewentt ostand
i
nt hedini
ngar eaaswehear dfootst
eps
approaching.
Glor
ia:(Whisper
ing)“
Remember ,
youcansmil
eat
everyoneexceptthePri
nce.PrincessNomsawil
l
thi
nky ouwanttobewitchhim ortraphi
mint
o
makingy oupregnant
.”

Ihadtochuckl
eabitbutIqui
ckl
ykeptmy
composure.TheQueenwalkedi
nfirstbef
oreher
husbandwit
habroadsmi l
eonherface.

QueenNombul
elo:
(smi
l
ing)“
Greet
ings,
Glor
ia,
I
sabel
la.
”

Gl
ori
a:(
headbowed)“
Greet
ings,
Mama.
”

Isee,
all
ofusar
esupposedt
ocal
lhermama.

I
sabel
l
a:“
Goodmor
ning,
Mama.
”
Abigmanwalkedri
ghtbehi
ndher.Icoul
dn’
tseehis
f
ace,Ionl
yhi
sbigstat
ureandhi
sbiglegsandfeet
.

Ki
ngNtsi
ka:“Greet
ingsGl
ori
a,Hel
loIsabel
l
a.Pl
ease,
st
andatease,mantombazana(gi
rl
s).
”

Ididn’tknowwhatexactlyhemeant ,butIl
ookedat
Gloriaandshef acedup,soIdidthesame.Hmm, so
theKi ngandQueenar enicetotheservants.That’
s
ast art.Pri
ncessNomsawal kedalongsidethi
sbig
bell
iedman, whom Iassumedi sherhusband.She
l
ookedr at
herannoyedwhenshel ookedatus, butI
keptasmi l
eonmyf aceasGl or
iataughtmet his
mor ning.

PrincessNomsa:
“Mxm,Kant
i(But
)Mama,why
aren’tt
heset
wobowing?Am Inoti
mpor
tant
enough? ”

QueenNombul
elo:
“Nomsa,
ungangi
diki
ekuseni
kanj
e,pl
ease(
Don’
tannoymet
hisear
lyi
nthe
morni
ng).
”

Sheclickedhertongueandsatr i
ghtnexttoher
husband.PrincessNomsa’ sdaughter,Zenande,
walkedpastusr ol
lingherey eswithouteven
greet
ing.Shewasev endressedinacr optopand
j
eans.Idon’tgett hisgir
l,butIsupposeshei sone
spoil
tgirl
.Afterhercameonehandsomeman.

Hehassuchabeaut if
ulski
n,chocol
atecompl ex
ion
andverywellbui
lt
.Hel ooksli
kehewor ksoutalot.
Heremindsmeal otofmyKgwi thhi
sconfident
walkandperfect
lyshapedeyebrows.Hesmi ledas
helookedatusandst oppedtogreet
.

Pri
nceZweli
:(smi
li
ng)“
Greet
ings,
Glor
ia.Whoi
s
thi
slov
elyl
adynexttoy
ou?”

Gl
ori
a:(
blushi
ng)“
Thi
sisI
sabel
l
a,shej
ustj
oined
us.
”

IcouldswearGloriawasbl ushi
ng,butl
etmenot
j
umpt oconcl
usi
onsj ustyet.Iwasshockedasthe
youngPr i
nceextendedhishandf ormetoshake.I
didn’
tknowwhatt odo, asGl or
iasai
dIshoul
dn’
t
smi l
eathim.

Glor
ia:
(whisper
ing)“
It
’sokay,
youmayshakehi
s
hand.Itwouldberudenotto.
”

Il
ookedatthePri
ncewhowasanxi ouslyawaiti
ng
myhandshake.Igladlyaccept
edhi
sfriendlygest
ure
andplacedminei
nhi sasheshookitgently
.

Pri
nceZwel
i:
“Pleasedt
omeety
ou,
Isabel
l
a.My
nameisZwel
i.
”

Pr
incessNomsa:
(annoy
ed)“
Pri
nceZwel
itoy
ou.
”
Pri
nceZweli
:“Ma,youdon’
thavetofl
aunty
ourt
it
le
toever
yone.Iti
sjustat
it
leaft
eral
l.
”

IsawtheKingandQueensmi lei
npri
deasPri
ncess
Nomsaclickedhertongueasshestar
edatmeina
fi
lt
hyway.Pr i
nceZwelimadehiswaytohi
schair
,as
theQueenfinal
lydi
smissedus.

QueenNombu:“
Youmayl eav
e,gi
rl
s.Thanky ouf
or
t
hefood.Pl
easethankt
hecooksonallourbehal
f.
”

Wenoddedandl
eftf
ort
heki
tchen.
Gl
ori
a:“
So,
howwasi
t?”

Thato:‘
I
twasokay
,buty
ouowemeal
otofnews
aft
erthi
s.”
Glor
ia:“
Iwill
tel
lyoual
labouti
twhenwe’realone.
Come, l
et’
sgoclean.Thecookscancal
lforusif
needed.
”

Glori
aandIpr oceededt ogointot hebedr oomst o
clean.Lucki
lyshehaddonesomespr i
ngcl eani
ng
theotherday,soal lweneedt odoi sjustsome
touchups.Idi dsaycl eaningisnotmyst rongpoi nt
,
butIwon’tshowGl oriathat.Ididmybestt ohel
p
herandshei ssoef ficientandener geti
c,Ihav eno
i
deahowonear t
hshemanages.Wef i
rstwentinto
theQueenandKi ng’sbedr oom.I tisthebi ggest
bedroom ofthem al l
,wi t
hawal k-i
ncl osetandanen-
suitebathr
oom wi thashowerandbat htub.

Herbat hroom i
ssobeaut i
ful
,coveredinblack
mar bl
e.Ihavenev erseensuchast yli
shbathroom
i
nmyl i
fe.Shehassuchbeaut i
ful
clothesandno
j
eansorpant sinsight.Itseemsasi fall
herclothes
arecustom made, al
ongwi tht
heKi ng’
ssuit
s.He
hardlywearsjeanssoitseems.Il i
stenedtoGl ori
a
tel
lmeal
labouttheKi
ngandQueenandhowt
hey
dosomuchforthecommunit
y.

Glori
a:“KingNtsikaandQueenNombul eloarevery
goodt othecommuni ty,youknow.Theyhav edone
somucht ohelpchil
drenfrom or
phanagesgetan
opportunityt
ogot oschool.Theyrunthei
rown
pri
vateschool r
ighthereinEnande.Iwil
lshowy ou
onedaywhenwear eoff.Idohopewegett ohav e
offdaysont hesameday s.Iwoul dl
ovetoshowy ou
around.”

That
o:“
What
’sPr
inceZwel
il
ike?
”

Isawherf aci
alexpressi
onchangeandshest art
ed
toblushimmediately.Yep,Iwantedtoseewhatwas
actual
lyhappeningandmysuspi cionsconf
ir
medi t
.
Sheeitherhasacr ushontheguy, orshei
sinlov
e
withhim.
Glori
a:(bl
ushi
ng)“ Well,
heisoneofthemost
humblepeopleIhav eev ermet,
muchl i
kehisfat
her.
Heissosof tspoken,andnoteasil
yangered.He
doesnotdemandr espect–hecommandsi t
.Ithink
hewoul dbeagr eatkingoneday,butappar
ently
theyawaitonthelatePr i
ncess’
ssontocomeand
takehisri
ghtf
ulplaceont hethr
one.”

That
o:(
puzzl
ed)“
Theyhadanot
herdaught
er?
”

Glori
a:“
Yes,Pri
ncessNandi.Shepassedony ear
s
agoshame.Theynev erevengottoburyheronroyal
groundsbecauseofherhusband.Theynevereven
sawhersonev eragai
n.TheQueeni saveryster
n
woman, butatti
messhewoul dspeakt
omeabout
her.
”

Shame.Thi si
sjustsad.Imadeamentalnoteto
askheraboutZwelil
ateron.Wher
etherei
ssmoke,
ther
eisindeedfi
re.Wewentoutandproceededto
walktothenextbedrooms.Ist
oodinfr
ontofthe
bedr
oom nextt
otheKi
ngandQueen’
s,butshe
qui
ckl
ystoppedme.

Gl
oria:“
Hay
i(No)
!Donotev
er–Imeanev
ergoi
n
t
here!”

Il
ookedatherpuzzl
ed.

Gl
oria:“
Thati
sNomsa’ sbedroom.Please,
ifyou
wantapeaceful
night
’ssleepdonotevergoin
t
here.”

Inoddedassher eall
ylookedbewilderedand
fr
ightenedt oeventhinkaboutthebedr oom.We
proceededt ocleantherestofthebedr oomsbef ore
weheadedoutf orourlunchbreak.Iwassur pri
sed
aswewer en’tcal
ledasGlori
asaid,butshesay s
whenev ertheKingandZwel iar
ear ound, wedon’t
getcalledback.Theygetot herstocleant hetable
andwasht hedishes.
Iam notcompl aini
ng, ImeanIam alreadyti
red.My
feetfeelsoachy ,butIguessIwi ll
havetogetused
tothis.Duri
ngl unch, Glor
iagotussomel eftover
muf f
insandjuiceaswepr oceededtoherbedr oom.
Shesay sshelikest hepeaceofqui etduri
ngher
l
unchbr eaksincei tisalwayssobusyout si
de.She
prayedforourf oodandwest ar
tedeati
ng.

Thato:“So,Gl
ori
a,howol dar
eyouandwhati
sa
beauti
fulandint
ell
igentgi
rll
i
keyoudoi
ngher
e?”

Gl
ori
a:(
deepsi
gh)“
Iam 22.
”

Igaspedi
nshock.

Gloria:“Mymot herdi
edwhenIwas7, andIwas
raisedbymyf at
herandstepmothereversi
ncethen.
Lifewast oughr i
ghtf
rom themomentmymot her
died,Isabel
la.Ineverreal
l
yhadanor malli
fe.My
stepmot herwoul dal wayspr etendtol oveme
whenev ermyf atherwasar ound,butheusedt owor k
night
shiftal otsincehewasapol i
ceman, soshe
wouldf i
ndev eryreasont hereistoabuseme.Ev en
thoughheonl yremar ri
edwhenIwas13, shemade
myl i
feal i
vinghel l.Oneday ,shebr oughtherbrother
toourhousewhi lemyf atherwasawayduet owor k.
Iwas18att het imeandst il
lav ir
gin,andIremember
howhest ormedi ntomybedr oom andf orced
himselfonme.Inev errecovered,Isabell
a,Itol
dher
andy ouknowwhatshesai dtome? ”

Il
ookedatherwi
tht
ear
sfor
cingt
hei
rwayoutofmy
ey
es.

Gloria:
“ShesaidIdeser v
edit
.Icri
edsomuch,
Isabell
a,especi
allywhenherdaughter,myhalfsi
ster
,
wasnotasi nt
ell
igentasIwas.Iwant edtotel
lmy
fathersobadly,Ireal
lydi
d.Itol
dhi m what
happened, andhewast ednot i
me.Het ookhi
sgun
andwasaboutt ogooutt oshootthebastard,
but
mystepmot hershothimintheheadri
ghtinf r
ontof
me.Shecl aimedself-
def
enseandIwasbey ond
tr
aumatized.Tomakemat ter
sworse–shet ookal
l
hi
smoneyandl eftmewithnothi
ng.Ihadtomov ein
wit
hmygr andmother
,whom Ilookaft
er.Igotaj ob
hereandIhav ebeenworkinghereev
ersince.”

Icoul
dn’thel
pbuthugher,andshewast ear
ybut
wasn’ti
nsomucht ear
sasIwas.I thurt
smet o
thi
nkthatsuchabeaut
iful
andinnocentyounggi
rl
’s
i
nnocencewastakenfrom herandther
ewas
nothi
ngshecoulddoaboutit.

That
o:“
Iam sosor
ry,
Glor
ia.
”

Glori
a:“
Don’tbe.Iam healed,Isabel
la.Ir eal
lyam.I
hadputallmyf ai
thi
nt heLor dandyouknowwhat ?
Hesawmeatt hemar ketaf ewmont hsaf t
erhe
rapedme.Hel ookedlikehellonearth, andcoul d
barel
yevenwalk.Hisownsi ster,myst epmot her
,
chasedhim outofmyf ather’
shousef orhavingAids.
Hebeggedmef orforgi
veness,I
sabell
a.Thatwas
whenIknewt hattheLordhadfavouredme.Ihad
askedtheLordti
meandt i
meagai ntohel
pmef ind
peaceinmyhear t
.Thatday ,It
oldhimthatIf
orgave
hi
m, andlat
eronintheev eni
ng,Iheardhehaddied.
”

Somepeopleactuall
ygot hr
oughthemost.Her
ewe
arecry
ingoverourboyf
riendshav
ingamnesi
a,whi
l
e
thei
rwholel
i
v eswerestolenfr
om them.
Chapt
erEi
ght
ySev
en

Joshua1:6–“ Best
rongandcour
ageous,because
youwilll
eadthesepeopl
etoi
nheri
tthel
andIswor e
tothei
rancestor
stogivet
hem.”

Twoday
slat
er

Kg
Iam gl adt
hatwef i
nall
ygotGr i
ngotocomehome.I
don’tknowwhatNanadi dt oGringo,butaf ter
burningalotofi ncense, prayingandf asti
ngt hese
pastf ewdays,hemi raculouslywokeup.Loui s
managedt ogetust hrought oGr i
ngo’slaptop, sowe
didmanagedt ot rackdownLui giandLuca.The
otherguywhom Mul aloshot ,confi
rmedev erythi
ng
Sokst oldmebef orehesuccumbedt ohi sinjuri
es.
Thatwasast art,butatl eastnowIknowt hatThat o
i
ssaf e.Notbei ngabl et ospeakt oherbr ingssuch
heartachetome, butwehav ebiggerfishtof ry
.

LucaandLuigihav en’
tmadeamov eyet,andwe
can’
tgeti
ntotheircountr
yast heyalreadymade
ever
yoneawareofus.Theyar ebot hagainstone
anot
her–yetRendani managedt ot urnthem both
agai
nstushereinSout hAfr
ica.It
’sbadenough
fi
ght
ingawarr i
ghthereonhomegr ound,but
fi
ght
ingoneacrosst heworl
d, i
sanot herthi
ng.Ijust
hopeandpraythatwebeatt hosef uckers.
Asf orRendani,Iwanthimf orl
unch.Hehast opay
forwhathedi dtomyThat o.Mul aloandIhavebeen
growingsocl osetooneanot her,andIhonestl
ydon’
t
regretfi
ndinghim atal
l.Hei ssuchabr eezeand
beingablet osharemyt hought s,fear
sand
ambi t
ionswi t
hmyownt wi n,br i
ngsmepeaceof
mind.Wedeci dedtogocheckonGr i
ngosinceNana
wasf eedinghim herdel
icioussoup.

Nana:(
smil
ing)“
Boys,
Iam gl
adyouareher
e.Thi
s
sonofminehasbeencal
l
ingfory
ou.
”

Iwonderwhy
.

Nana:“
Iwil
ll
eaveyout
oit
,butt
akei
teasyDav
id.
Li
feisnotagame.
”

Gr
ingo:
(sof
tl
y)“
Yes,
Mom.
”
Sheki ssedhi
scheekandleft
.Gringoisup,butheis
sti
l
l nothisusualsel
f.Thebul
let
smusthav ehithi
m
harderthanweal lt
hought
.Ifanyt
hing,hei
srather
l
uckyt obealive.

Gr
ingo:
“Boy
s,anynewsonmydaught
er?
”
Kg:“
Sokstol
dmethatshei
ssaf
e,al
thoughIdon’
t
hav
ealocati
onf
orher
.”

Gri
ngo:“Hav
ey outri
edourI
Tguy
s?Ij
ustneedt
o
knowifsheissafe.
”

Kg:
“Wehav
e,andsur
pri
singl
yheal
socan’
tfi
ndher
.”

Gr
ingo:
(shocked)“
Howcome?
!He’
sthebest
!”

Hest
art
edcoughi
ngandIknewt
henweshoul
dn’
t
angerhi
m asi
tmi
ghtt
akei
tst
oll
onhi
sheat
lh.

Mul
alo:
“G,
takei
teasy
,pl
ease.
”

Gringo:(coughi
ng)“Okay,
Ihearyou.I t
’sj
ustt
hat
,I
don’tknowf orhowmuchl ongerIcanholdont
othis
l
ife.Mywi f
eisnomor e.Howwi llIbeabl
eto
continuewithouther
?”

Ifel
thi
spai
n,andformei
twoul
dal
sohav
ebeen
unbear
abl
e,bel
iev
eme.

Kg:“
We’ll
gett
hrought
his,
G.Atl
eastdot
hisf
or
That
o.”

Gringo:(si
gh)“
Iguessyou’
rer
ight
.Wast
hef
uner
al
reall
yjustassheasked?
”
Kg:
(smi
li
ng)“Itwasev
enbetter
.Shewaspr
obabl
y
smi
li
ngandlaughi
ngupinheaven.
”

Gringo:(
teary
)“That’
smyViv.Ithi
nky oucanl
ett
he
l
awy ercomeandr eadthewil
lsi
nceIam awake.We
don’tknowforhowmuchl ongerImightbe
breathi
ng.”

Whydoesitseem l
ikehei
ssayinghi
slastgoodby
e’s?
Gr
ingoshoul
dn’tev
endothisus.Notnow.

Mul
alo:
“Youhav
eawhol
eli
feaheadofy
ou,
G.”

Gringo:
(laughi
ngsoftl
y)“
Whol el
if
e?Youareone
funnyguy .Now,backtobusi
ness.Whathaveyou
beendoingt ogett
otheMar t
inel
l
i’
s?”

Kg:“
Notmuch.Securi
tyisti
ght.Wecan’
tgett
o
I
tal
y,andt
heycan’
tgetherefornow.
”
Gri
ngo:
(fr
owni
ng)“
Wol
fe,
sincewhenareyouso
sl
oppyandsl
ow?Whogotyousowhipped?
”

Ismi l
edasIf
eltl
i
keIwasactual
lybl
ushi
ng.Howdo
Itell
mybigbossthathi
sdaught
erisact
ual
lymy
wife?

Kg:
(scr
atchi
nghead)“
Wel
l
,ei
sh…”

Mul
alo:
“Br
eat
he,
brot
her
.”

Inmymi ndIwaschuckli
ng,
butinperson,
Iwas
scar
edshitless.Gri
ngoi
sonescaryguyevenwhen
heisinafragil
estat
e.

Gr
ingo:
(rai
sedey
ebr
ow)“
Wel
l
?”
Kg:(si
gh)“ Iwoul dli
ketoconfess,
G.Fi r
stl
y,i
twas
nevermyi ntenti
ont odi
srespectyouorhar m heror
evenruinherf uturebygett
ingherpregnant
.It
happened, butIwasandst il
lam manenought olov
e
andpr otecther .Ilovehersomuch, Ij
usthopey ou
understand. ”

Gri
ngol ookedatmesoser i
ousl
y,andIcoul
dn’
thelp
butfeelnervous.Ifeltmypalmsbecomesweatyout
offear.IttakesalottoscaremeandGi soneofthe
fewlotthatcangett hatr
ight
.Gringol
aughedatme
sohard, buthetr
iednottocough.

Gr
ingo:
(laughi
ng)“
Youshoul
dhav eseenyourface.
Wolf
e,i
t’
sokay,man,r
eal
ly.Iknewlongago.”

Kg:
(fr
owni
ng)“
How?
”

Gri
ngo:“Isawthewayyoulookedatherthef
ir
st
t
imey ou“met”her.So,Idi
dsomedigging.Ifound
outthatyouweret
helonglostl
oveshewastal
ki
ng
about,soInev
eraskedherabouti
tasIdi
dn’
twant
topry.
”

If
eltsomuchr
eli
ef.

Kg:
“So,
you’
renotangr
y?”

Gri
ngo:“
Bel
ieveme,Iwoul
dratherherbewi
th
someonesanethanany
oneelse.”

Il
ookedatMul
alowhoal
soscr
atchedhi
shead.

Gri
ngo:“Relax,Shark.Iknowwhaty ouandherdid
aswell.I’
dr at
hernotgoi ntoi
t,butIam notangry.
Thatisli
fe,
weal lmakeourownchoi ces,
andIwish
youtwower emysonssoIcoul dhaver ai
sedyou
waybetterthany ouruselessfather
scoul dev
er
have.Despiteeverythi
ng,youtwot urnedoutbet
ter
thanal
ri
ght
.Iwantyout
oknowthatIl
ovey
oubot
h
evenmorethanmyownsons.
”

Thatbroughtactualt
earsi
nmyeyes.Ihav eknown
Gforashor twhil
e,butt
hebondIhavewithhimis
i
ncompar ablewit
htheoneIhadwithRomeo.I ti
s
tr
uewhatt heysay;bl
oodmakesyourelat
ed,but
l
oyalt
ymakesy oufamil
y.

Gringo:“Onaser i
ousnot e, It
hinkIhaveapl anon
howt ogett othosef uckers,butfornow,IthinkI
hav etorecoverfi
rstandgetbet t
erinorderforusall
tobef ul
lyrecovered.Justmakesur etheydon’ tset
foothere.Inthemeant i
me, makesur ethatRami
getsallthesuppor tsheneeds. ”

That
o

I
thasanamazingyetr
atherchal
l
engingtwoday
s
her
e.Iam l
ovi
ngit
,alt
houghIdon’tknowwhat
exactl
yPr incessNomsa’ sproblem wi t
hmei s.
Glori
asay sshehasapr oblem wi t
hev ery
one,butit
seemsasi fwhenev ersheishome, shejustcal
lsfor
met odemandr idiculousshitfrom me.Theot her
dayshecal l
edf ormeandaskedmet omakeher
somet ea, ofwhi chIdi d,thenshespi ll
editonme
andsai ditwasanacci dent.Yest er
daysheasked
met orubherf eet ,ofwhichIref used.Iam aser v
ant
maid–notasl av e.Shewasn’ ttoohappyabouti t
andev enwentt ocompl aintohermot her,whotol
d
herwher et ogetof fintheprocess.

Ev ersi ncet henshehasbeengi vingmev eryuneasy

l
ookst hatjustl eavemewi t
hacol dshiverdownmy
spine.So, Ist ar
tedwor ki
ngher eonWednesday ,
appar entlyGl ori
aandIgett ohav eweekendsof fand
sincei tisSat urdaytoday,Ioff
eredt otakeherout
providedsheshowsmear oundt hetown.I tisnot
l
ikeIneedt hemoneyi nanycase, andbesi des,she
hasbeensav i
ngt ogetintovarsit
yandf orsomeodd
reasonshecan’ tgetabur sary
.Idon’ tknowhowI
am goi ngt oexpl ainthedoll
arsinmyenv elope,butI
feelli
keItr
ustGloriaenoughtobehonestwi
thher
.I
hav ebeenseei
ngt hatghostwomaneveryni
ghtev
er
sinceImov edhere.

Idon’ tknowher ,
butIt hi
nkshehasamessagef or
me.Ist i
llf
eel afr
aidwhenev ersheappear s,even
whenshei sjustsmi l
ing,butIhav et
ot ryand
communi catewi t
hher .Ihav easkedGl or i
aabout
seeingghost si npassing, andshesaidt hatther eare
goodspi rit
sandbadspi r
its,butthegoodones
alway scomei nahappyf orm andnev erwantt o
harm.Mostoft hetime, theywoul dli
ket ousey ou
asav esseltocarryoutamessagef ort hem.She
say swhenev ery ouseeadeceasedper sonint he
fl
eshi nsteadofdr eams, youar etrul
ybl essedand
highlyfavoured.Shesay ssheusedt oseeher
father’
sspi r
iteverynowandt henandt hatitpleases
herev enthoughmostoft het imeheiscr ying
becauseofhowherl ifeplannedout .

Shei
ssoopt
imi
sti
c,despi
tehert
ri
bul
ati
onsandI
admi rethatsomuch.Shehast aughtmehowt obe
mor egr atefulforwhatIhav e.Sheal sohassome
niceclot hesandhasappar entlyneverwornbranded
cl
othing, sosi ncewear emor eorlessthesamesize,
sheisj ustsl i
ghtl
ybigger,Igav eheroneofmyGucci
dresses.I t’
sl ongandv eryflowey ,
sosizewon’tbea
problem.Aswewer einmyr oom, shewast oo
excit
edt oshowmear ound.

Glroa:(
excit
ed)“I
sabell
a,Ican’
twaitt
oshowyou
around,especi
all
ythelocalmarket
.Theyhav
ealot
ofexquisi
tesouvenir
sthatyoucanbuy.”

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Glor
ia,
Ihav
esomet
hingf
ory
ou.
”

Iwenttomycl osetandtookoutt
hatgorgeous
Guccidress.Shewasi naweandlit
eral
l
yhad
spar
klesinhereyes.Shecouldn’
tstopl
ookingati
t
andgasping.
Glor
ia:(
shocked)“
Sist
er,
Ihav
enev
erwor
naGucci
i
tem inmylif
e!”

Thato:(
smil
i
ng)“
Well
,youdeser
vei
tbecausei
tis
thestar
tofmany
.”

Gl
ori
a:(f
rowni
ng)“Forgi
vemef oraski
ngt
his,
but
wheredi
dyougettheseclothes?Imeany ouarenot
anescor
toranyt
hing,ar
ey ou?”

Idi
dn’
tev
enf
indt
hequest
ionof
fensi
veatal
l
.

Thato:
(laughi
ng)“
No,
sil
l
y.Icanassur
eyou,
Iam
notanescort.
”

Gl
ori
a:“
Thenwher
edi
dyougett
hemoneyt
obuyal
l
t
his?
”
Thato:
“Okay
,let
’smakeadeal
.Let’
sgooutand
havesomefunandIpromi
setotel
lyoual
laboutmy
l
ifewhenwecomeback.Deal?”
Glor
iawasabi tskepti
cal atfi
rstofwhichI
underst
and.ImeanIj uststar
tedwor ki
nghereand
yethereIam wit
hbr andnewbr andedclot
hing.

Gl
ori
a:“
Okay
,deal
.
”

Wechangedandgotdr essedandthedr essreal

ly
sui
tedher.Itaccentuat
edhergorgeousbustand
curves.IworemyVer sacedress,
whi chisalot
si
mi l
artohers.Ireal
lymissRami attimesli
kethese.
IdecidedtoputsomeofRami ’
sskil
lsofwhichshe
passedontomet ogooduse.Idi dabi tofGlori
a’
s
makeupandshehasnev erevenwornanybef orein
herli
fe.

Glor
ia:(t
eary
)“I
sabel
la,Ihaveneverl
ookedso
beauti
fuli
nmywhol eentir
eli
fe.
”
Thetrut
his,IknewwhyIwasdoi ngit.IwantedThe
Pri
ncetoseeherext rabeaut
ytodayandperhapshe
wouldfi
ndthecour agetoaskherout.Iseetheway
helooksather,butIchosetokeepquietabouti
t.

Thato:“
Wel l
,i
tist
imef
ory
out
omeety
ourf
utur
e
husband.”

Gl
ori
a:(
blushi
ng)“
Oh,Idon’
tthi
nkanybodywoul
d
ev
erbeinter
est
edinme.I’mtoobori
ngforthem.
”

That
o:“
Youwouldact
ual
lybesurpr
isedathow
manymenwouldki
llf
orsomeoneli
keyou.Now,
come,l
et’
sgo.
”

Aswewal kedoutofmybedr oom andproceededto

walkoutofthehouse,wewer emetwithPrincess
NomsaandPr inceZweli.Icoul
dtel
ltheywer ebot
h
overwhel
medwi thshock;Nomsawaspr obably
aski
ngherselfwherewegotsuchni ceoutfi
ts,
whil
e
Zweliwaslow-keydrooli
ngov ermyfri
endGlori
a.
Webowedoutofr espect,
butPr i
nceZweli
repr
imandedusi mmedi at
ely
.

Pri
nceZwel
i:“Pl
ease,Iam j
usthumanlikey
ou.No
needtobowinmypr esence,
infacti
fIhaditmyway
,
Iwoul
dnotletanyhumanbei ngbowforanyone.
”

Apparent
lyhehasnoi
nter
esti
nbeingt
heKing,ev
en
thoughNomsakeepspushi
ngfori
ttohappen.

Gl
ori
a:“
Glady
,myPr
ince.
”
Pri
ncessNomsa:
“Andt
hen?Wher
ear
eyout
woof
f
to?
”

Gl
ori
awasaboutt
oanswer
,butPr
inceZwel
ihumbl
y
i
nter
rupt
edher
.
Pri
nceZweli
:“Glori
a,myapologi
esfori
nterrupt
ing
you.Maweh, theydon’toweyouanyexplanati
onon
wheret
heyaregoi ng.Theyareemploy
ees, goi
ng
outonthei
rdayoff .
”

Icoul
dseeGl
ori
aov er
whelmedwithpri
de,whil
e
Nomsawasannoyedasf uck.I
fshehaditherway
,
shewoul
dhaveprobablyri
ppedof
fourclot
hes.

Nomsa:
(annoy
ed)“
Ver
ywel
lthen.
”

That
o:“
Keepwel
l
,MyPr
ince,
MyPr
incess.
”

Zwel
i
:“Gowel l
,mydearladi
es.Byt
heway
,youbot
h
l
ookexcept
ionalt
oday.
”

Webothwalkedoutfeel
ingquit
echuff
ed.Itis
al
waysni
cewhenev ersomeonecompl i
mentsalady
.
Aswewalkedout,webot hgr
eetedBeki
,theguar
d.
Gl
ori
a:“
Sawubona(
Hel
l
o,Bekumuzi
.”

Beki
:(smil
ing)“Sani
bonani(
Hello,mant
ombazana
amahle(beauti
full
adies)
.Ninanji
(Howareyou)
?”

Gl
ori
a:Si
right(
We’
reokay
),howar
eyou?
”

Beki
:“Ngi
yaphil
a(I’
m al
ri
ght).Ni
yaphi
nibahl
ekanj
e
(Wher
earey ouofftol
ookingsobeaut
if
ul)
?”

Gl
ori
a:“
We’
reof
ftot
hemar
ket
.”

That
o:“
Shal
lwebr
ingy
ousomet
hing?
”

Beki
:“Oh,hay
i(no)
,ngi
yabonga(
thanky
ou)
.Please,
don’
tspendyourhardear
nedmoneyonme.”
That
o:“
Please,
Iinsi
st.
”

Beki
:“Wel
l
,inthatcase,Iwoul
dli
kesomeKFC.
Kudal
angaigci
na(Ihaven’
thadsomeinf
orev
er)
.”

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Comi
ngr
ightup.Enj
oyy
ourday
.”

Beki
:“Gowel
landkeepsaf
e.”
+
Chapt
erEi
ght
yEi
ght

1Chronicles28: 20–“ DavidalsosaidtoSolomonhis

son,“
Best rongandcour ageous,anddot hework.
Donotbeaf r
aidordi scouraged,f
ortheLordGod,
myGod, iswi t
hy ou.Hewi l
lnotfail
y ounorfor
sake
youunti
l all
thewor kfortheservi
ceoft het
empleof
theLordisf i
nished.”

That
o
Glori
aandIgoti ntoataxiandIwasn’ teven
botheredatall.Iwasn’tbor nri
ch, buttheheathere
i
sf li
ppingri
diculous.Ialway senduppi nkatthe
endoft hedayi fIspendtoomucht i
mei nthesun.
Wedi dn’tdri
vet hatl
ong,though, perhapsaboutten
tofif
teenmi nutesorso.West ar
tedatt hebank,asI
pleadedwi t
hhert hatwest artthere.Idon’tknowifI
shouldusemybankaccount ,asTmanst ri
ctl
y
i
nst r
uctedmet okeepal owpr ofil
e.

So, Ideci dedtoexchanget hedol

l
arsandkeept he
moneyi ncash.Iwi llhavetogetGlori
atokeep
somef ormei nherbankaccount ,shouldsheagr ee.
Eish,Sel enagavemeabout3000dol lar
s,which
amount edt oR49719. 90.Shit
.Ican’tbewalking
aroundwi t
hsomuchmoney .Wemi ghtgetrobbed
orsomet hi
ng.Sincewel l
,Glor
iai
sseatedononeof
thecoucheswi t
hme, Ihavenochoicebuttoaskher
tokeepi tinheraccountforme.
That
o:“
Glor
ia,
woul
ditbepossibl
eforyoutokeep
somemoneyformeinyourbankaccount
?”

Glor
ia:
“Whycan’
tyouusey
our
s? Youdohav
eone,
don’
tyou?
”

That
o:“
It
’snott
hateasy
.It
’scompl
i
cat
ed.
”

Gl
ori
a:(
frowni
ng)“
Howmuchar
ewet
alki
ngabout
?”

That
o:“
Aboutcl
oset
oR50000.
”

Gl
ori
a:(
gaspi
ng)“What?!Wher
edi
dyougetso
muchmoney,I
sabel
la?
”

That
o:“
Ican’
ttel
lyour
ightnow.
”

Gl
ori
a:“
Idon’
tknow,
Iam notcomf
ort
abl
ewi
tht
his.
Ican’
thaveanyevi
lmoneyinmybankaccount
.I
wouldn’
twantPri
ncessNomsat
othinkIam st
eal
i
ng
fr
om her.
”

Itookadeepsi
ghasIdeci
dedi
twast
imet
otel
lher
thetr
uth–well
,hal
fofi
t.

That
o:(
sigh)“
Yourphonei
sasmar
tphone,
isn’
tit
?”

Gl
ori
a:(
noddi
ng)“
Yes.
”

That
o:“
Pleasegi
vei
ther
e,soIcanshowy
ou.
”

ShehandedmeherphoneasIl oggedont omy

Inst
agram.Ishowedheraf ewofmypi ctures,along
withmypr of
il
e.Ibri
eflyexplainedwhoIr eall
yam
andwhyIam her eexactl
y.Ofcour seshewasi na
deepstateofshock,l
ikeshej ustcouldn’tbelieve
thatsuchthi
ngsactuall
yhappened.I fmor et han
anythi
ng,real
l
y,shef
eltsomuchpi
tyf
orme
aft
erwards.

Glor
ia:
(saddened)“
Oh,no,si
si(
sis)
.Iam sosor
ry
youhadtogot hr
oughsuch.”

Ifonl
ysheknewt
hati
sonl
yhal
fofwhatIhad
endured.

Gl
ori
a:“
Come,
youcanusemyaccountany
time.
”

Onsecondt hought,Ithinki
twouldbebestto
deposi tsomeofthemoneyi nt
oaf i
xedaccountf or
Gloria.Thatway ,shecoulduseittosaveupf orher
studies.Imanagedt oconv i
ncehertoopenanot her
i
nv estmentaccountandIdeposi t
edR35000i ntoher
account .Therestwoul dbeforherandItospend.I
woul dlovetospoilher
.Shej ustremindsmeof
Rami ,whowel comedmewi thopenar ms.Iam so
tempt edtobuyaphoneandcheckonherwi thout
maki
ngev
ery
onesuspi
cious.

PerhapsIshoul djustbuyacheapMobi celt

hough.
Imean,itwoul dr
eall
ylookweirdformetobet he
onl
yonewal ki
ngaroundwithoutaphoneatthisti
me
ofthecentury.So,Glor
iaandIheadedoutandof
courseshetookmet othenearestcel
l
phoneshop.I
boughtmy selfaphone,whil
esheshowedmet he
market.Il
ov ehowt hepeoplehereinv
estintr
adi
tion.

Therei
ssomuchbeadwor kandamazi ngtradi
ti
onal
att
ir
e,thatIj
usthadtobuymy sel
foneoutf
itand
somebeadwor k.Iseemy selfweari
ngthi
soneday ,
soIguesswewi llhav
etosee.It ookherouttomal l
andwewentt oCupaccino’s.Shewasv er
yskeptical
atfi
rst
.

Gl
ori
a:“No,
Isabel
l
a,Idon’
tthi
nkweshoul
dgoi
n.I
mean,wehavetosaveall
ourmoney.
”
That
o:“
Wi l
lyour
elax
?Iwoul dl
i
ket
ospoi
lyou,
so
pl
easeal
lowmet hechance.
”

Shenoddedaswewalkedin.Shelookedsowor r
ied
andst
iff
,butIknewwhatwoul
ddot hetr
ick.She
l
ookedatthemenuandIcouldtel
lshedidn’
tknow
whatt
oor der
.Shewasmor ethanskept
ical
.

That
o:“
Glo,cany
oujustr
elax
,pl
ease?Ij
ustwant
yout
oletgoandbehappy.
”

Glor
ia:
“Thi
sist
oomuch,Isabel
l
a.Iam notusedt
o
spendi
ngsomuchonfood.”

That
o:“
Therei
sareasonwhyIam i
nyourl
if
e,Gl
o,
pl
easeal
lowmethechancet
othankyou.
”

Shenoddedaft
erawhil
easweor der
edsome
cockt
ail
s.Af
terafewsi
ps,sheseemedsorel
axed.
Gl
ori
a:“Yoh,
sisi(
sis)
,azangengaphuzainto
emnandiso(Ihav
enev erhadsuchalovelydri
nk)
.”

That
o:(chuckl
i
ng)“Thatisnot
hing,y
oushouldhave
someproperwine,youknow.Wi nethatwon’
tgi
ve
youanyhangovers.
”

Glor
ia:“
Hay i
(No),Inev
erdri
nk,
ImeanPr
incess
Nomsami ghtjustdeci
detobot
hermeal
ongwith
Zenande.”

Thato:(f
rowning)“
You’r
ehuman,ar
en’
tyou?
Besides,you’
reemploy
edbythem –notownedby
them.”

Glori
a:“
Iguessy ouareright
,butIdowhateverIcan
toensureIdon’tstayi
ntheirbadbooks.Idon’twant
tolosemyjob.I tpaysmer eal
lywel
landmy
grandmothercanbeabl etogethermedicat
ionfrom
thechemi
sti
nst
eadofwai
ti
ngi
nqueuesatt
hel
ocal
cli
nic.
”

Lastshetoldmet hatt
heclinicwasrunbythe
Ncube’s,
butwhyi sshecompl ai
ningabouti
tso
much?Imeansur elyt
heKingandQueenwoul dnot
wanttheirbusi
nessoranythingtheyowntobe
associ
atedwi t
hbadmout hing.

That
o: “
IthoughttheKingandQueenar
edoi
nga
goodjobatrunningthecli
nic?
”

Glori
a:“
Yebo(Yes)kunjalo(t
heyar e)
,butev ersi
nce
Nomsat ookovertherunningthereof
,nothinghas
beencomingright.Peoplearedyingrightatthegate
andatthehandsofot hernurses.Shedeci dedto
employherfr
iendsandIhear dthatsomeoft hem
aren’
tevenquali
fi
ed.”

Wow,
whatashocker
.
That
o:“
Butsur
elyt
heymusthav
ehear
daboutt
his?
”

Glor
ia:“Yes,theyhav e,
butpeopl
eareafr
aidtogo
agai
nstNomsa.Whenev ert
heKingandQueen
comef orinspect i
ononThursdays,
theyf
ind
ever
y t
hingspot less,
eventhebooksmakesense.
Noonewi l
lev erdarecomplai
naboutNomsaand
herhusband.”

Somethingj
ustdoesn’
tseem r
ightwi
ththewhole
Nomsaandherhusbandt hi
ng.Whyar epeopl
eso
afr
aidofher
,though?

That
o:“Dopeopl
efearherbecauseshecoul
d
act
uall
ybecapabl
eofgetti
ngridofsomeone?”

Glori
awassur pri
singl
yopenandhonestabout
everyt
hing.Iam guessingi
tmustbethecockt
ail
s,
orthemer efactt
hatwear eawayf
rom theRoyal
Pal
aceandshecanbef
reet
otal
kher
e.

Gl
ori
a:“
Yes,
shei
sindeedcapabl
eofki
l
li
ng.
”

Iwasabi
tsur
pri
sed.BythesoundofGl
ori
a’
stone,
Nomsahasdonei
tbefor
e.

That
o:“
Whatdoy
oumean?
”

Gloria: “Nomsa’shusband, Deri

ck,isfrom aRoyal
fami l
y ,buthisfami l
yi snotaswel l
-knownast he
Ncube’ s.Theywer ebasi call
ybankr uptwhenhe
mar riedNomsa.Appar entlyhehadal otof
scandal ousdeeds, andhi sfamilyhadt opayoff
anot hergi r
l’
sfami l
ysot hatshewoul dn’
tgethim
arrestedf orrapingher .Thegi r
lclaimedshewas
pregnantbyDer ick, butNomsai nsistedthatt
hegirl
wasl ying.Thegi rleventuallygavebi rt
handthe
childwasaspi ttingi mageofDer i
ck.Thegi rl
threat enedtogopubl i
cwi ththenews, butshenever
madei
ttot
hepaper
s.”

Il
ookedatGl
ori
ainsuchdef
eat
.Whatki
ndoff
ami
l
y
hasSoksbr
oughtmeto?

Glori
a:“HenceItel
lyoutobecar efulandstayoutof
Deri
ck’sway .Hetendstoharasst hewomenwho
workint hepal
ace,assomef ellpr
egnantbyhi m out
ofrape,buthehasmanagedt okeept hem qui
etby
payingthem of
fandlookingaftertheirf
amili
es.”

Thi
sisonesi
ckf
ami
l
y.

That
o:“
Sur
elyt
heKi
ngandQueenknowaboutt
his?
”

Glori
a:“Theyarebl
indt
owhateverishappening
aroundthere.Deri
ckmakessur
et hegirl
sabortthe
chil
dren.Nomsaknowsaboutitall,butcl
aimsthey
areallaft
erherman.It
’scr
azyhey.”
Isatther
et ryi
ngt oprocessital
l
.Ican’ tbel
ieveit
.I
receiv
edamessagef rom mynewphone.That ’
sodd
becauseInev ergav eanyonemynumber ,ImeanI
l
iteral
lyj
ustboughti tafewhoursago.Iopenedt he
messageandi tread“Becareful
.Tal l
,darkman
dressedinr edhoodyf ol
lowi
ngy ou.Beawar eof
yoursurroundings,actnormal.Iwil
l getri
dofhim.
Tman.P. S.Delet
ethismessageaf terreadi
ng.”

Myhear tstartedracingaft
erreadi
ngt hatmessage.
Islowl ylookedaroundandsawat al
l
,dar kman
dressedi nar edhoodysi tt
ingri
ghtacrossusi nthe
restaurant.Hegav emeonest r
angey etspine-
chil
linglook, butIquickl
ylookeddownanddel et
ed
themessage.Tmansai dIshouldactnor mal,
alt
houghi tisabithar df
ormet odoso.Icont i
nued
hav i
ngmyl unchwi thGlori
a,andthenaf ewmi nutes
l
ater, securi
tywal kedtowardstheguyi nthered
hoody .
Secur
it
yguard:
“Excuseme,
sir
,butt
hebossi
s
aski
ngfory
ou.”

Guy
:(puzzl
ed)“
Why
?!Iam busyhav
ingl
unch!
”

Thei di
otwassoguil
tyi
twasquit
eobviousbythe
wayher eact
ed.Hedidn’
tev
enorderanythi
ng,
buta
glassofwater.HowcomeIdidn’
tnot
icehim
foll
owingus?

Secur
it
yguard:“
Iam af
raidi
fyoudonotcomewi
th
us,wewil
lhavetodr
agy ououtofher
e.”

Theguywassoi rri
tatedashel ookedatmei n
frust
rati
on.Hetri
edtoar guewi t
hthesecurityguar
d,
butheseemedt ohav eoverpoweredhim.Hewas
l
edoutbyt heguard,andIhav enoideawher ehe
went .Tmanmustbeaspyorsomet hing.Howon
earthdidhegetmynumber ?Andwhyi sthatguy
foll
owingme?If el
tuneasy ,butt
henifwegoback
homenow, itwoul
drai
sesuspi
cionandTmanwould
probablygi
vemeonehugelectur
e.Afterl
unch,
we
decidedtowalkar
oundthear
ea.

Aswewer ewal kingt hroughthemar ketstall

s,
wheretheysel lamazi ngitemsf rom clothi
ngt o
handmadej ewelry,
Ikeptl ookingbackwi t
hout
showingGl oriathatIwasabi tpuzzl
ed.Ist oppedin
fr
ontofoneoft hest all
sthatjustcaughtmyey e.An
unfamil
iarol dwomancamet ostandnextt ome.
Shelookedatoneoft heitems, abeaut i
ful,l
ong
custom madedr ess.Thewomanwhowassel ling
becamei nstantl
yawkwar dwhent heol dwoman
arr
ived.

Ol
dwoman:
“Mal
i
nil
ena(
Howmuchi
sthi
s)?
”

Sel
ler
:“Hayicha(No,no),angi
cabangi
ukut
hi
ungayi
khona(Idon’
tthinkyouwouldbeablet
o
aff
ordthi
s).
”
Isawt heoldwomanl ooki
ngdowni nsuch
disappoint
ment .Imean, t
heselleri
srat
herrude,
mor eespeciall
ytoanol dwoman.Icouldn’tseet he
oldwoman’ sf ace,asshewaswear i
ngalong, black
capet hatl
ookedr atherwor nout.Icoul
donlynot ice
shewasol dbyhercr ookedwal kandherwrinkled
hands.Gl ori
awasal sodumbf oundedbythesel l
er’s
atti
tude,butitseemedasi fshewasabitscaredof
thewomanaswel l.

That
o:(f
rowning)“
I’
m sor
ry,
butt
hatwasr
atherr
ude,
don’
tyouthi
nk?”

Thesel
leri
mmedi
atel
yr egr
ett
edheract
ionsassoon
asIcal
l
edhert
oorder,butIwasj
ustgetti
ngst
arted.

Sell
er:
“Oh,ngi
yaxol
i
sa(I’
m sorr
y),
ukut
hinj
e(i
t’
sjust
that
)…Ididn’
tmeanitl
i
ket hat
.”
Thato:
“Thenhowdi dyoumeani t
,Ma?Thi swoman
i
soldenought obeyourgrandmot her,
andy ou
coul
dn’tevenbedecentenought oanswerher
appr
opriat
ely?Tel
lme,hady ougonet obuythe
materi
alyouusetomaket hebeaut i
fuli
temsyou
makeandsomeoneanswer edy ouinthesame
manner,wouldyoubeokaywi thit?
”

Shelookedatmeandt
henlookeddowninshame,
whil
etheoldwomannextt
omel ookedatmeand
hel
dmyhand.

Oldwoma: “
Kulungi
l
e, Ndhlov
ukazi(
It
’sokay
,Queen)
.
Ngizozihambelakemi na(Iwil
lbeonmyway ),
ngiyabonga(thankyou).
”

Shehadahalfburntf acewit
honegr eyeye,whichI
assumedwasdamagedbyt hefi
reorsomet hing,but
Iwasn’
tevenscaredofher .Forall
Iknow, shecoul d
havebeenbadl
ybr uisedli
kethi
sbyaper petratoror
somethi
ng.Infact,Ihadsomuchpi tyforher,that
myhear
tbecamei
nst
ant
lypai
ned.

That
o:“
No,
Mama,pl
easewai
t.
.”

Shestoodther
elooki
ngatmewi t
hsomuch
sadnessi
nhereyes.Ilookedatt
hesel
l
er.

That
o:“
Mal
i
ni(
Howmuch)
?”

Ilear
ntaf
ewwor
dsf
ort
hepastf
ewday
s,al
lthanks
toGlo.

Sel
l
er:
(Ashamedl
y)“
R350.
”

Igr
abbedmypur
seandt
ookoutR500andhandedi
t
tot
hesell
er.

That
o:“
Pleasepacki
tawayf
orheri
napl
ast
icbag.
”
Il
ookedatt
hewomanwhowasatt
hebr
inkofcr
ying.

That
o:“
Mama,
whati
syourshoesi
ze?
”

Ol
dwoman:
“Ngi
gzokai
Size4(
Iwearasi
ze4)
.”

Thato:“Pl
easegiveheronepai
rofyourmost
beauti
fulshoesandpackthoseforheraswel
l
.”

Thesel lerpi
ckedoneofherbestpai r
sandputthem
i
nt hepl asti
cbagasshehandedt hem tome.I
l
ookedatt heoldwoman, wholookedabi tf
rai
l,and
perhapsshemi ghtbeabithungry.Shedoesnot
seem likesheiswel l
takencareof,soItookoutan
extraR200not eandhandedi ttoheralongwit
ht he
plasti
cbag.

Ol
dwoman:
“Oh,
no,
Ndhl
ovukazi
(Queen)
,pl
ease,
I
cannotacceptt
hiski
ndgest
ureofy
our
s.”

Peoplewereoddlyst ar
ingandpoi
nti
ngatus,butI
didn’
tcare.Iassumepeopl ecal
lmeaQueen
probabl
ybecauseIl ookwhiteorf
orsomeotherodd
reason.Idon’teventakemuchnoteofthat.

That
o:“Pl
easeMa,takeit
.Youshoul
dn’tbetr
eated
anydi
ff
erent
lyj
ustbecauseyoul
ookdif
ferent
.”

Shetookt
hepl
asti
cbagal
ongwi
tht
hemoney
,and
l
ookedatmeintheey
e.

Oldwoman: “Myv i
sionwascor rect
.Youcameabi t
l
at ert
hanexpected,butyouhavecomet otheri
ght
place.Youhavecomet osaveourpeopl e.Thank
yousomuch, myQueen.Pl ease,cont
inuetobeso
ki
ndt oother
s.”
Sheletgoofmyhandsandwal kedaway.Asshe
walkedpastt hepeople,
Inot i
cedhowostraci
zedshe
actuall
ywas.Peopl erefusedtoev enbenearher
,
somedi dn’tevenwanthert otouchthem,whil
e
othersdidn’tevenwanttolookather .Whoisthi
s
woman?

Gl
ori
a:(
surpr
ised)“
Isabel
l
a,y
ouar etooki
ndf
ory
our
owngood.Doy ouknowwhot hati
s?”

That
o:“
No,
whoi
sshe?
”

Gl
ori
a:“uMamlambo(that
’sMrs.Ml
ambo)
,oneof
t
hegreatestwi
tchest
hateverl
iv
ed.
”

Idon’
tunder
stand.Il
ookedherconf
used.

Gl
ori
a:“
Appar
ent
lyshewasagreatwit
chalong,
l
ongti
meago.Shesaysshei
shealedthr
ough
Jesus’nameandshestoppedpract
ici
ngwit
chcr
aft
,
butpeopledon’
tbel
i
eveher,hencet
heyareso
scaredofher.
”

That
o:“
Whatdoy
oubel
i
eve?
”

Glor
ia:“
Ibel
iev
et hatever
yonedeser
vesasecond
chance,muchli
keher ,
alt
houghIam ver
yscar
edof
her.
”

Glori
a’sst
atementi
srat
herhy
pocri
ti
cal
,Imeanhow
cany oubescar
edofsomethi
ngyouarenotev
en
sureof?

That
o:“
Glo,
hav
eyouev
enseenheri
nact
ion?
”

Gl
ori
a:“
No.
”
That
o:“
Yety
ouar
escar
edofher
?”

Shelookeddownaftersher
eal
i
zedwhatIwas
act
uall
yinsi
nuat
ing.

Thato:
“Mypoi nti
swehav eallbeenthr
oughalot,
andallofusgetgossipedabout,butl
etusnotbe
ster
eotypi
calandjudgeawomanwedon’ teven
know,hey.”

Gl
ori
a:“
Iguessyouarer
ight
,Isabel
l
a.Idi
dn’
tmean
t
osoundjudgmental
.
”

Thato:“
Nooneisperf
ect
,it
’sokay
.Come, l
et’
sgo
buyoursel
vesabot
tl
eofproperwineandsome
snacks.
”

Wewenttot
helocal
Woolwor
thsf
oodandbought
our
sel
vesabot
tl
eofwine,
somedeli
ci
oussnacks
anddesser
t.I
tist
imeweat
esomeni
cef
oodf
ora
change.
Chapt
erEi
ght
yNi
ne

Matthew7: 1-5–“ Donotj udge, oryout oowillbe

j
udged.Fori nt hesamewayy oujudgeot hers,y
ou
wil
lbejudged, andwi ththemeasur ey ouuse, i
twil
l
bemeasur edt oyou.“ Whydoy oulookatt hespeck
ofsawdusti ny ourbr other’
sey eandpayno
att
enti
ont ot hepl ankiny ourowney e?Howcany ou
saytoy ourbr other,‘
Letmet aket hespeckoutof
youreye’,whenal lt
het imet hereisapl ankinyour
owney e?Youhy pocr i
te,fi
rsttaket heplankoutof
yourowney e,andt heny ouwi llseecl ear
lytoremove
thespeckf rom y ourbrother ’
sey e.”

Pr
incessNomsa

Iam f
rust
rat
ednow,Ican’
tfucki
ngbel
i
evei
t.Iknew
themomentthatwhi
tegir
lwalkedi
nheret
hatshe
wasupt onogood.Ican’tfi
ndany t
hingabouther
onli
ne.Myguti stel
l
ingmet hatsomeonesenther
heretocomespyonmeorsomet hing.Iwi l
l j
ust
havetogetridofheret
hesamewayIgetr idof
anyonewhost andsi
nmyway .Itissuchapi t
y
MaMasangodoesnotpr acti
cewi tchcraf
tany more,
becauseshewast hebest.Now, Behngui sgood,
butnotthatgood.Iwil
lhavetogoseehi mi fall
else
fai
ls.

IsentSl ovot ospyont hatbloodygi r

landGl oria,I
meanshehasn’ tevengot tenpai dyetandal r eady
theyarebot hdr essedi nGucci andVer sace.Iknow
fakebr andswhenIseet hem andwhatt heywer e
wear i
ngi s100%r eal.Therei snowayt hisIsabella
gir
l i
sjustar andom mai d,thereismor et hanmeet s
theey ehereandIam nev erwr ong.Ihav ebeen
try
ingt ocallSlovof orhours, buthi
sphonet akesme
strai
ghtt ovoicemai l.

Hehadbet
ternotbepl
anni
ngongoi
ngAWOLonme,
other
wiseIswear,Iwil
lki
llhi
m.Hehasbeen
worki
ngformef oryearsandnowthi
st hatis
happeni
ngisjustsonewt ome.Slovonev erleaves
hi
sphoneof f–especial
lywhenoutonami ssion.
AsIwasaboutt odialhi
snumberagain,Beki walked
i
n.

Beki:Ngiy
axoli
saukuk’hl
upaNkosazana(Sorr
yto
botheryou,Pri
ncess)
,kodwaune’
sivakashi
(buty
ou
haveav i
sitor
).
”

Pr
incessNomsa:
“Lett
hem i
n.”

IwasstunnedasSl ov
owalkedinwi
thhi
sface
brui
sed,hi
slipsandcheeksandoneey
eswoll
en
withabloodyshir
t.

Pr
incessNomsa:
(shocked)
:“Andt
henwena(
you)
?”
Slovo:“Ei
sh,oulady(oldwoman)
,hade(sorr
y),
kodwa( but)ngi
hlangenenefl
op(Ir
anintosome
problems).
”

Pri
ncessNomsa:(
li
vi
d)“Isendyouandy
oucome
backwit
hawholeli
stofprobl
ems?!
”

Slovo:“Ei
sh,Icannolongerdothisj
ob.Hade
(Sorry
),kodwa( but
)youhavetolookforsomeone
elsetodoi t
.”

Si
ncewheni
sSl
ovosuchawanker
?

Pri
ncessNomsa:“
Heh(
What
)?!Ut
heni
(Whatdi
d
youjustsay
)?!
”

Sl
ovo:“Bonaoul
ady(Look,
oldwoman)
,thatgi
rli
s
pr
otect
ed.Theyjustsai
dImustgi
veyoua
message.”
Het ookoutanot ef r
om hi spocketsandhandedi tt
o
me.“ St ayawayf r
om heri fyouknowwhati sgood
foryou.Yourwhol edeal ingswi l
lbeexposed,and
thetrut hshallber
ev ealedaboutwhaty oudidto
yoursi ster
.BeWar ned, Nomsa.St ayawayfrom
Isabella.”Iri
ppedt heletterapartfumingwithanger
from thepi tofmygut .Whot hefuckisthi
s
threateningthemi ghtyNomsa?Dot heyknowwhoI
am?

PrincessNomsa: “
Slovo,
afewbeati
ngsher
eand
thereandy ousuddenl
ywanttoqui
tthej
ob?Ipay
youal otofmoney .
”

Slovo:“Youcankeepy ourmoney,oulady(old
woman) .Icannol ongerworkforyouintotal
.You
don’tgeti t
.Thesepeopl ewi
llr
uinyouandev eryone
whowor kf oryou.Theyhaveeveryt
hing–al l
the
i
nf or
mat ionthatwouldbeenoughf oryourparents
toskiny oual i
ve.
”
Mxm, Sl
ovoi
ssuchawi mp.Whoeveri
tismustbe
bl
uff
ingandIdon’
ttakeki
ndl
ytot
hreat
s.

Pri
ncessNomsa:“
You’
renotser
ious.Sonowyou’
re
qui
tti
ngyourj
ob?Whatareyougoingtoeat
?”

Sl
ovo:
“I’
drat
hergohungr
ythangetki
l
led.
”

Ashesai
dt hat
,thatl
i
ttl
ewhitebi
tchwalkedinal
ong
wit
hGlor
ia.Theywereev encar
ryi
ngplasti
cbags
fr
om Woolwort
hs.Whot hefuckisthi
sgir
l?

Sl
ovo:
(ner
vous)“
Hadeagai
n(Sor
ryagai
n).
”

Hestoodup,greet
edthosetwoandwalkedout.
Theybothbowedbeforeme,andIstoodtheref
ora
fewseconds,
analyzi
ngthi
sgirl
.Shedoesn’tev
en
l
ookblackatall
,Imeanthatcur
lyhai
rcan’tbef
rom
bl
ackgenes.Issheaspyorsomet hi
ng?If
igur
edI
wouldhavet
opl ayni
cetogethertogiv
emewhatI
need.Li
tt
legi
rlsareal
waysthatnaïv
e.

Pr
incessNomsa:
(smi
l
ing)“
Youmayr
ise.
”

Theyr
oset
hei
rheadsandl
ookedatme.

Pr
incessNomsa:
“Di
dyouhav
esomef
unt
oday
,
gi
rl
s?”

Theybothl
ookedateachothershocked,
itseems
l
iketheyar
ejustnotbuy
ingmyf akeki
ndnessatal
l.

Gl
ori
a:“
Yebo,
Ma(
Yes)
,si
yabonga(
thanky
ou)
.”

Pri
ncessNomsa:“Iwast
hinki
ng,
Isabell
a,wenever
gaveyouaproperwel
comingwheny ouarr
ivedher
e.
So,howaboutIorderussomenicefoodandgetus
afewdrinkst
heny ou,
Glor
iaandIandtherestoft
he
ser
vantscanhaveusagoodt i
me?”

Ithoughtshewouldevenhesit
ateorthi
nkaboutit
forasecond,butsheansweredmei mmediat
ely
.

Thato:
“No,thanky
ou,Pri
ncessNomsa.Wehav
e
ourownplans.We’l
lseeyouonMonday.
”

Theylef
tmest andingthereinpur edefeat.Noone
haseversaidnot omygust ures-wel lexceptGlor
ia,
butsheisjustasuptightasabl oodybr oomsti
ck,but
thi
soneseemsf ei
sty,l
ikesheknowst oomuch.I
doubtsheisfrom Limpopoev en.Sheev enhasabi g
mouth.I’
llfi
ndherweakspot , Iwil
ljusthaveto.

That
o
Mxm, Pr
incessNomsat hinkswear est
upid,Iguess.
Howonear thdoessheexpectGl or
iaandItof al
lfor
hersuddenki ndness?IknowasnakewhenIsee
oneandSophi eusedtodot hatt
omewhenev ershe
wantedsomet hi
ngf r
om me.ImustsayIact uall
y
don’
tmi ssRockv il
l
eatall
.Gl oandIarri
vedinmy
bedroom, asweunpackedt hepl
asti
cbagswehad.
Sheputt heclothesIboughtforherinmycloset,as
west art
edpr epari
ngthefoodwebought .

Weneedar efriger
atorinher e,reall
y .Wecan’ tbe
havi
ngwar m bev erages.Iwi llhav etoaskf or
permissi
ont obuymy selfaf ri
dgewhenIgetpai d.
Speakingofget ti
ngpaid, apparent l
ywegetpai d
R7500.Thati squi t
esomet hing,mor eespeci
all
y
wheny oudon’ thavechildren.Gl ot ookabat hfirst
andthenIf ol
lowed, aswegotdr essedi nour
matchinggownsandsl i
pper swhi chIboughtf orus
atWhool wort
hs.

Gl
ori
a:“
Youknow,
Isabel
l
a,Inev
erhadsi
bli
ngsor
muchf r
iendswhil
egrowingup.I nthef
ewday sI
haveknowny ou,y
ouhav etaughtmealotabout
myselfandaboutli
fe.Ithi
nkthereisareasonwhy
youarehere,Ndhl
ovukazi(
Queen) .
”

Ther
eshegoesagai
n.

That
o:“
Whydoy
oucal
lmet
hat
?”

Glor
ia:
“Idon’
tknow,If
eelli
key
ou’r
egoingtobea
queenoneday.Youjusthavet
hosequali
ti
es,
you
know.Thosequali
ti
esofagoodruler
.”

Ai,perhapsIam r
eadingtoomuchint
othi
ngs.We
start
edhav i
ngoursel
vessomewine,andt
henthe
conversati
onstar
tedflowi
ng.

Gl
ori
a:“
Yout ol
dmeav er
ybri
efstor
yabouty
ouat
t
hebank,butnotev
ery
thi
ng.Caretotel
lmewhat
r
eal
l
yhappened?
”

Itookadeepsi gh, andonebi gsipf rom mygl ass,as

Istart
edt el l
i
ngherev er yt
hingfrom t hebegi nning;
fr
om gr owi ngupi nRockv il
le,tobei ngraisedbymy
wonder ful mot her ,tolosi ngher ,tolosingPal esa,to
l
osingmybabyandt hemi l
lionrandshel eftmet o
mybi ol
ogi cal mot her,tol osingKgandnowIam
here.Thewhol etimeshehadt earsf l
owingdown
herfaceandf ort hef irsttimeev ersinceIt old
someonet hisst ory,itr eall
ydidn’ thurtmemuch.I
am justgl adt hatIam f inal
lyont heroadt orecov ery
andheal ing.

Glori
a:“
Yoh,Nkosi
yami(Mygoodness),youhav
e
beenthroughsomuch,I
sabella.Soyour
grandmothernamedyouIsabell
a?”

That
o:(
noddi
ng)“
yes.
”
Gl
oria:
“Ican’
timagi
newhatt
heymustbegoing
t
hroughnotknowingwher
eyouar
erightnow.”

That
o:“Iknow,
hey
.Ij
ustcan’
twai
tforal
lthi
stobe
over
.”

Glori
a:(
saddened)“Wheni
tisal
lov
eryouwi
l
lbe
goingbacktoJo’bur
g,l
eav
ingmehere.
”

Thato:“
Don’tbesi
ll
y,Iwi
l
l gl
adl
ytakeyouwi
thme.
Youwillexpl
orel
if
eandfinal
lybeabl
etoenr
oll
in
Univ
ersi
ty.”

Glor
ia:
“Idon’
tli
kebei
ngabur
den,
Isabel
l
a,y
ou
knowthat.
”

That
o:“
Asi
sterofmi
ne,
cannev
erbeabur
den,
Glo.
”
Shegav
emeabr
iefsmi
l
e.

Thato:“I
nothernews,
arey
oureadyt
otel
lmewhat
exactl
yisgoingonbet
weenyouandPri
nceZwel
i
?”

Shestar
tedbl
ushingi
nst
antl
y,j
ustassheal
way
s
doesatthesi
ghtofhi
m orhear
inghi
sname.

Glor
ia:
“Eish,
youaresoobser
vant
.Butpr
omi
seme
youwon’ttel
lany
one.”

That
o:“
Ipr
omi
se.
”

Glor
ia:
“Wel
l,Pr
inceZwel
ifanci
esmeandIl
i
kehi
m
back.Wel
l,
hesai dhel
ovesme.”

Okay,t
hisi
sbi
gnews,
biggert
hanIact
ual
l
y
expect
ed.
That
o:“
Thenwhati
sthepr
obl
em?
”

Gloria:
(si
gh)“It
oldhim Icouldneverlethi
m sett
le
forl
essandbewi t
haser vantgi
rl,
Isabell
a.His
mot herwouldneverhaveitandtheydon’treal
ly
all
owr oyal
stomar rycommoner s.
”

Idi
dn’
tknowwest i
ll
hadsuchpracti
cesandbeli
efs
i
nSouthAfr
ica,
t hough.ButIdoubttheKingand
Queenwoul
dev erbeagainstt
heirunion.

That
o:“
Howdoeshef
eel
regar
dingt
his?
”

Glor
ia:“
Hesay sheiswill
ingtowai tf
ormef oras
l
ongasi tt
akes.Her eal
lylovesmeI sabella,Ihav
e
hadtohidethegif
tshebuy sf orme.Hei ssuchan
i
ntel
lect
ual,
hemanagest ofindt i
met or eadbooks
i
nhissparetimedespitebeingav erybusyl awyer.
Hereall
yisagoodguy ,ahumbl esoul andhasmaj or
respectforever
yoneandmosti
mportant
lywomen
andchildren.Hedoesalotf
orthecommunity
aroundher e.
”

That
o: “
Wel
l,Ithi
nkyoushouldgi
vehim achance.I
meanwearei nthe21stcent
ury,
Glo.Wheny oufi
nd
l
ove,yougr
abi twi
thbothhandsandneverl
etitgo.
”

Glor
ia:“
I’
m scared,I
sabell
a.Idon’tknowifIwil
lev
er
beabletohandl eal
lthedramathatcomeswi thhi
s
famil
y.Iwouldn’twanttotearhi
sf amil
yapart
.”

Thato:“Li
feisarisk,r
atherdi
etry
ingknowi
ngy ou
didexperi
encelove.Justgivehimtheti
met ogetto
showy ouhowmuchheact ual
lyl
ovesyouandwe
will
takeitfr
om there.
”

Isawhercont
empl
ati
ngi
tandshet
ookouther
phone.
That
o:“
Whatar
eyoudoi
ngnow?
”

Glor
ia:“
Iam f
inal
l
ysayi
ngy est
ohim.Hesentme
thi
smessageandsaidthatwhenev
erIam r
eady
,I
shouldr
espondtohi
m.”

Hehe, Ij
ustl
ov el
ov e,really.Ican’
twaittoseehow
thei
rlovestoryevolves.Wecont i
nuedtotal
kabout
l
ifeandPr i
nceZwel i,mor eespeciall
yaft
erhesent
herabeaut i
fulmessage“ MyGl ori
a,fi
nal
lyyouhav e
decidedtoacceptmypr oposal .Ihavebeenpraying
orthisdayandIdon’ tknowwhot othank–y ournew
fri
endorGodf orfinall
yt alkingsomesenseintoy ou.
Ican’twaitt
omakey out hehappiestwomani nthe
world.

Nowomanofmi newil
lbescrubbingpotsand
cl
eaningaft
erpeopl
e.Youdeser v
eal lt
heloveinthe
worl
dasy ouaretheper
fectdescri
ptionofroyal
ty
i
tsel
f.Youneednot i
tl
e,Glor
ia.Il
ov eyou,Ihave
al
wayslovedyou,myMel ani
nGoddess.HowIwi sh
youcoul
dhaveacceptedthissooner,
butbet
terl
ate
thannev
er.Ican’
twaitt
opr ovetoyouthaty
ou
deser
vetobemywi f
e.Lov e,Zweli
.”

Itseemsast hePr i
ncedoesnotl i
ket hist
itl
emuch,
ashehar dl yr
eferstohi mselfasr oy alt
yorthePr i
nce.
Wow, thisisjustamazi ng.Wesl owl ydozedoffaf t
er
finishi
ngt hewhol ebot t
leofwi ne.Igotupi nt
he
mi ddleoft henight,asIf el
tpressed.Inowhav ea
phoneatl eastsoIam abl etocheckt hetime.Itis
i
ndeedj ustaf t
ermi dnight.Iwasaboutt ogothe
toilet,
whenIsawt hebeaut i
fullightbeami ngfrom
mywi ndowwhenmyunusual visitorappearedagai n.
IlookedatGl oria,
whowasf astasl eepandcoul dn’
t
ev enfeel theli
ght.Thewomanwassmi l
i
ngagai n,
andIdeci dedt ofi
nallyspeak.

That
o:“
Hel
l
o.”

Woman: (
smi
l
ing)“
Final
l
y,I
sabel
l
a.Youdeci
dedt
o
speakt
ome.”
Thato:
“Apol
ogiesforbei
ngr
udewhenevery
ou
appear
ed.Ididn’
tknowhowtoreact
.”

Woman:
“It
’sokay
.Idon’
tbi
te.
”

Thato:“Whatar
eyou?Imeanar
eyouaghost
?An
angel?
”

Woman: (chuckli
ng)“Somethingli
kethat.Iam an
ancest
or,yourmot heraskedmet ogreetyoubyt he
way,al
ongwi thyourmot herVivi
an.Theyt oldmeto
tel
lyoutokeepdoi ngthegoodwor kyoual way
sdo
andthattheyaresopr oudofy ouwhoareandmost
i
mpor t
antly,
theyareev enmor eproudofthewoman
youarebecomi ng.”

If
eltchi
l
lsdownmyspi
neasshesai
dthat
.
That
o:“
Youknowt
hem?
”

Woman: “
Wearealli
nt hespi
ri
tual
wor
ld,
your
ancest
orsar
econnectedtominesoof
courseIknow
them.”

Thato:“
Isee.Imisst
hem somuch.Pl
easet
ell
them Il
ovethem.
”

Woman:
“Don’
twor
ry,
theyknowt
hatv
erywel
l
.”

That
o:“
MayIasky
ousomet
hing?
”
Woman:
“Yes.
”

That
o:“
Whatdoy
ouwantf
rom me?
”

Woman:“
Iwanty
out
ogett
othetr
uth,i
tist
imefor
t
hetr
utht
ocomeout
.Youaret
heonlyonethatcan
exposei
tbef
oret
hiski
ngdom col
l
apses.
”

That
o:(
frowni
ng)“
Idon’
tunder
stand.
”

Woman: “
Tomor rowwheny ougetup,wakeup
beforeeveryoneelseinthishouseandgost areat
thatpaint
ingyousawofmewheny oufir
stwalkedi
n
here.Theanswer sshal
l r
evealt
hemselvesasI
comet ov i
sityouoften.Don’tworry
,nothingbadwil
l
happent oyou.Iam wi thyoueverystepoftheway,
Isabell
a.Youj ustneedt ohavecourageandbe
strong.
”

That
o:“
Okay
.”

Woman: “Aver
yspecialguesti
scomi ngt ovisi
tin
t
hecomi ngfewdays.Shei sexpect
ingy ou.Donot
t
ellany
oneaboutmyv i
sit
s,notevenyourf r
iend.
Whenthisguestar
ri
ves,tell
hereveryt
hingIt ol
d
you.
”
That
o:(
noddi
ng)“
Okay
.”

Woman:“Thi
ski
ngdom wi
ll
onedaybey
our
stor
ule,
I
sabel
l
a,keeppr
ayi
ngformyson.
”

Wit
hthatsai
d,shedi
sappear
ed.Whoi
ssheand
whoisherson?
Chapt
erNi
net
y

1Cori
nthi
ans16:13–“ Beonyourguar
d;st
andf
ir
m
i
nthefait
h;becourageous;
bestr
ong.”

That
o

Iwokeupfir
st,bef
oreGl
o.Icheckedtheti
meonmy
phoneandindeediti
squi
teear
ly.Iti
sabout4:
30
am andIdon’
tknowhowImanagedt ogetupatthi
s
ti
mewi t
houtevensetti
nganal ar
m.ThenI
remember edmyr eoccurr
ingguest.Igotint
omy
gown, andheadedout .Islowlycheckedwhomi ght
beawake, lucki
l
ynoonewasawakesoIheadedt o
thecorri
dors.Ilookedatallt
hepor t
rai
tsand
paint
ingsont hewall;
Iseeonebi gonewithalotof
peopleinit
.

IseeKi ngNt sikasitti

ngonhi sr
oyalchai
r;wit
hhis
wifestandingbyhi sside;alongwit
hNomsawho
hadtwoki dsnextt oherandherwei rdhusband.I
am guessingt hosemusthav ebeenZweliand
Zenande.Il ookedcl oseratthewomanst andi
ng
ri
ghtnexttoQueenNombul el
oandIignored
everyoneelsest andingbehindthem.Ireali
zedthat
i
tisthev erysamewomanwhoappear sinmy
bedroom af t
ermi dnight.Shehadat oddl
erinher
arms, mostpr obablyabout4or5y earsofage.

Whatpuzzl
edmei
sthatt
hemanstandi
ngr
ightnext
t
othi
sv er
ywomanl
ooksalotl
i
keRomeo,j
ustthat
hehadcornrowsandl ookedalotthinnerthanheis
now.Istaredathim andlookedclosely.Indeed,
iti
s
Romeo.Coul dthi
swomanbe?No…i tcan’tbe.AsI
stoodt
here,cover
ingmymout hinuttershock,I
becamestartl
edbyanunexpect edvoice.

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Beaut
if
ulpi
ctur
e,i
sn’
tit
?”

Inear
lyf
ell
ont othegr
oundandheapol
ogi
zedt
he
momenther eali
zedhehadst
art
ledme.

KingNtsi
ka:
“Myapol
ogi
es,
Idi
dn’
tmeant
ost
art
le
you.”

Asmyhear
tbeatr
etur
nedbackt
onor
mal
,Ical
med
down.

That
o:“
It
’sokay
,myki
ng.
”
Ii
mmediat
elyr
emember
edthatmyheadwasn’
t
bowed,
soIatt
empt
edtobow,buthest
oppedme.

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Pl
ease,
don’
t.
”

Il
ookedathim andnodded.It
houghthewould
headoutandgowher ev
erhewasheadedto,buthe
i
niti
atedaconv
ersati
onwithmeoutofthebl
ue.

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Iseey
ou’
rei
ntr
iguedbyt
hispai
nti
ng.
”

May bethisi
swhatt
hewomanmeantwhenshesai d
Ishouldlookatt
hepai
nti
ng.Perhapsthi
siswher
eI
gettof i
ndouti
fmysuspi
cionsf
itthescenar
io
paintedinmymind.

That
o:“Wel
l,
yes,Imean,
Iseeandrecogni
zealmost
ever
yonei
nthispi
ctur
e–exceptf
orthispar
ti
cular
woman.”
Icaref
ull
ypoi
ntedatherandIsawpai
nandhur
t
ari
seonhisface.

That
o:“
Par
donme,
Idi
dn’
tmeant
oupsety
ou.
”

KingNtsi
ka:“
Youhav edonenothi
ngwrong,mychil
d.
Youdidn’
tupsetmeatal l.Iknowiti
syourdayoff
,
butwouldyoupleasebringmeagl assofwater
befor
eItel
lyoual labouther?”

That
o:“
Iwoul
dbedel
i
ght
edt
o,myKi
ng.
”

Iswif
tl
yst oodupandheadedt othekit
chen.
Thankful
lynooneel sewasar ound,soiti
sniceand
peaceful
l
yqui et.Igothim aglassofwaterand
foundhim seatedont hecouch.

Ki
ngNt
sika:
(smi
l
ing)“
Thanky
ou.
”
Hegul pedthecontentsofthatgl
assinsuchsever
it
y,
Ithoughthewasaboutt opassout.Hereall
ydoes
notlookv er
ywell
.Heexhal edaspr ooft
hathewas
real
lyenjoyi
ngthatglass.

KingNtsi
ka:
“Thewomany ouwerepoint
ingati
nthe
paint
ingi
smylatedaught
erNonkany
ezi.
”

Thatwasabeaut
if
ulname,
butIcan’
trecal
lKg
cal
li
ngherbyt
hatname.

KingNtsi
ka:“
Shewassuchabeaut i
ful
woman,and
hadsomuchf ir
eandzesti
nher .Weknewfr
om the
star
tmomentshewasbor nthatshewoul
dbethe
l
ightofourf
amily.
”

Thi
sisnews,Ican’
timagi
ner
aisi
ngy
ourchi
l
donl
y
tol
oseher.
That
o:“
Whathappenedt
oher
?”

KingNt sika:
“Shediedwhenhersonwasonl y9
yearsold.Shedi edinherhomeduet ofood
poisoning.Heri l
l-
manneredhusbandnever
contactedus.Wenev erli
kedhimforher,
wej ust
knewhewasabadman, butweaccept
edhim butas
soonast hecracksinhermarri
agestar
tedtoshow,
shev anishedwithhim andwecouldneverfi
ndt hem
eversince.”

Wow, t
hisi
sjustsaddeni
ng.IdorememberKg
t
ell
i
ngmet hathismom hadal otofbeefwi
thher
f
amilyandthatheneverwenttovisi
t.

That
o:“
Didy
ouatl
eastmanaget
ofi
ndherson?
”

KingNtsi
ka:“
No,weonl
yheardfr
om mymother
thatshehaddi
ed.Thet
hingt
hathur
tsussomuch
i
sthatwenevercoul
dburyheraswedon’tknow
wheret
heyevenli
ved.Wedon’tevenknowwher e
Nkosi
nathi
is,
butshekeepssayi
ngheisali
ve.”

Sothi
swomandi edwhenhersonwas9, butsodi
d
Kg’
smom.Hei scall
ingtheboyNkosinat
hi,
andI
don’
trecal
lKgeverhavingusedasecondname.

That
o:“
Didheper
hapshav
eanot
hername?
”

KingNtsika:“
HissecondnamewasKgaugel
o,gi
ven
tohim bythatbast
ardRomeo.
”

Ifel
tmy sel
fgetdizzyforasecond.Whatt heactual
fuck?!Soitallmakesperfectsense.WhyIhadt o
got oIt
aly,
tomeetSokssot hathecouldbri
ngme
here.Hedi dsaythatIam goingtowher eIwil
lmeet
mydest i
ny.Wow, thi
sisj
ustov er
whelming.Ifeel
somuchhur tbecauseIwishIcouldactual
lyshare
thi
snewswi t
hKg.
That
o:“Iam sorr
yyouhadtoexperi
encesuch,Ki
ng
Ntsi
ka,howeverIdohavehopethatyouwi
llf
indher
sonsoon.”

Ki
ngNtsi
ka:
“Ihopeso,becausemyheal
thi
sai
l
ing,
mychi
l
d.Iam notwell
.
”

That
o:(
frowni
ng)“
Whatseemst
obet
hemat
ter
?”

KingNtsi
ka: “
Ihavebeenhavingstomachcramps,
andwhenev erIeatmydinner,Iv
omitmostofthe
ti
me.Ihav en’tt
oldmywife,becauseIr
eal
lydonot
wanttostr
essherout .
”

Thi
sdoesnotsoundri
ght
.WhydoIgett
hef
eel
i
ng
hei
sbeingpoi
soned?

That
o:“
Whati
sthecol
ouroft
hev
omi
t,myKi
ng?
”
Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Iti
smost
lybl
ack.
”

Thatsoundsj
ustl
i
kepoi
son.

That
o:“Doy
ouv
omi
tev
eryni
ghtoroncer
tai
n
ni
ghts?
”

KingNtsi
ka:
“Iv
omi
tonTuesday
sandThur
sday
s
only.
”

Thi
sisj
ustodd.

That
o:“
MayIshar
emyt
hought
swi
thy
ou,
myki
ng?
”

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Ofcour
se.
”
Thato:“Woul
di tbetoof ar-f
etchedformetothink
thatyouarebeingpoi soned?Imeanonl yy
ououtof
everyoneel
sev omitswhenev eryoueatoncert
ain
night
s.Weal soeatt hef oody etnothi
nghappensto
us.IknowIam newher e,butIbegofy out
o
considert
hatfact.
”

KingNt si
ka:(
smi ling)“Youremindmeofmy
Nonkany i
so.Shewasj ustassmar tasyouare.
Trul
yspeaking, Istartedsuspecti
ngit,butt
henI
haven’tbeenfeelingv erywell
forawhi l
enow.
May beIneedt oconsul tBhengu.”

Forsomeoddreason,Ifeel
li
keheshoul
dn’
tev
engo
tothi
sBhenguperson.

That
o:“
Ishey
ourf
ami
l
yheal
er?
”

Ki
ngNtsi
kanodded.Hemustprobabl
ybetheone
whoadmini
ster
edthepoi
sont
ooneoft her
oyal
f
amil
ymember s.Ibeti ti
sNomsa,butIdon’
twant
t
osuggestthat
.Itcan’tbeGlor
iawhospi
kesthe
f
oodbecauseshenev ercooks.

Thato:
“ Pardonme, MyKi ng,butdon’tyouthi
nkthat
i
fyouwer epoi soned,itcouldhav ebeenoneofy our
cl
osestf ami l
y?Imean, whywoul doneofy our
employeespoi sonyou?I fy oudiethenthey
basi
callyhav enoi ncome, butifoneofyourfamil
y
member ski lly
out hent heyst andtogainsomething
outofitlikeani nheri
tanceofsomesor t.Andtr
uly
speaki
ng, i
fthatisthecaset heny ouarenotsaf
e
wit
hBhengu. ”

Hekeptqui
etf
orawhi
l
easi
fhewasanal
yzi
ngmy
st
atement.

Ki
ngNtsi
ka:
“Ihav
en’
tthoughtt
hatf
ary
et,
buty
ou
ar
eri
ght.
”
Thato:“
Icangetsomeoneel
setogety
ousome
herbs,
ifyouwi
sh,myKing.Ipr
omiseyou,
Iam no
wit
ch.”

KingNtsi
ka:
(smil
i
ng)“
Idon’
tknowwhatitis,butI
feell
i
keyouweremeantt
obehere,
Isabel
la.”

Igett
hatal
ot.

Thato: “Fornow, Ishallpreparewar m wat erwi t

h
AloeVer aforyou.Itwi l
leaset hepai ni ny our
stomachandst opthev omi t
ing.Ift herei sany thi
ng
harmf ulinsideofy ourbody ,theni twillexcr et
ei t
sel
f
naturally.Fornow, Ithinkyoushoul dbemi ndfulof
whocooksonTuesday sandThur sday s,andal so,
youmi ghtwantt ohav ethepal acesear chedf orany
poisonormut hi (
evil
her bs)bef or
et hingsgetoutof
hand.”

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Thanky
ousomuch,
Isabel
l
a,f
or
all
owi
ngmet ot
rustyouwit
hthis.Youshallbri
ng
theAl
oewatert
omybedr oom l
ateron.Ishall
noti
fy
mywifet
hatyouwill
bemakingitforme.”

Inoddedashest oodupandwal kedbacktohis

bedroom.Ifeelsomuchbet t
er,butontheother
hand,Ican’
tshakethefeel
i
ngt hatsomethi
ngis
boundtohappeni nthi
shouse.Thishousehasway
toomanysecrets.Allri
chpeoplehavesomethingt
o
hide.

Pr
incessNomsa

Ili
stenedatt
enti
vel
yfrom upstair
sont hebalcony.
Thatbitchi
sreall
yuptosomet hing.Ijustknewi t.
Whyonear thissheinherrobenextt omyf atheron
thecouch?Ican’tevenhearwhatt heyaresay i
ngas
theyarequit
efarfrom me.Per hapsIcanclaimt hat
sheistryi
ngtoseducehim andmay beMamawi ll
chaseherawayf r
om here.Shei stryi
ngtodisrupt
mypl ans.Ican’
thaveherruinmypl ansoffinall
y
bei
ngt
hesol
eheiroft
hiskingdom.Iftheyr
efuset
o
gi
vemether
eign,
Iwil
ltakeitmysel
f.

Iam sogl adt hatthepoisonisstart

ingtowork
slowlyont heol dman.Thi si
snothowIhadpl anned
everyt
hing, butsuchi sl
i
fe.Ihaveal waysbeenthe
blacksheepoft hisfamil
y,ev
enwhenNonkawas
ali
ve.Imean, itwasbadenought hatshewasstil
l
thefavouriteev enwhenshel ef
tthishouse.

Nowev enaf
terdeathsheisst
il
lthef
av ouri
teandI
am tir
edofit.Itishi
ghtimemyhusbandandIgot
recognizedf
ort hegoodthi
ngswedof orthi
s
kingdom.Icannotwai tt
hedaypeopl
ehai lQueen
NomsaNcube- Gqwal a.
Chapt
erNi
net
yOne

Isai
ah43:18–“ Remembernott
hef
ormert
hings,
nor
considert
hingsoftheol
d.”
That
o

Iheadedstraighttothekit
chenandboi ledwaterfor
thealoe,Iwast ednotimeandwentt othegardento
picksomef reshAloe,Iputthel
eav esintheboil
ed
waterandev enaddedsomeCay ennePeppert ostop
hiscrampinganddi arr
hea,andtooki tt
omyr oom.I
foundGloalreadyupanddonebat hing.

Gl
ori
a:“
Hey
,si
s.Wher
ewer
eyou?
”

That
o:“
Oh,Ij
ustwentouttogetsomef
reshai
r.I
di
dn’
tmeantoworryyou.
”

Gl
ori
a:“
That
’sokay
.Andt
hat
?”

Shewaspoi
nti
ngatt
hebot
tl
eIhadi
nmyhands.
That
o:“Oh,
thi
s.TheKingaskedmetomakeforhim.
Hesayshehasbeenhavi
ngsomestomachpains.
”

Gl
ori
a:(
smi
l
ing)“
Youar
etooki
nd,
sisi
(si
s).
”

That
o:“
Whyar
eyoudr
essedt
oimpr
ess?
”

Gloria:
“Oh,i
tisChurchdayt
oday,andbesi
des,
PrinceZweliaskedmet omeethi
m aft
erchur
ch.He
say shehasaspecialdaypl
annedforme.”

Ilovehowthingsareprogr
essi
ngbetweenthesetwo,
Imeani fZwelii
sseri
ousabouthert
henhehasno
reasontowastehisti
meandher sontopofital
l.

That
o:(smi
l
ing)“
Doyoumindwait
ingformeaswell
?
Ihav
en’
tbeentochur
chi
nareal
lylongti
me,andI
wouldl
ovetogo.
”
Glor
ia:
“Iwashopi
ngyouwoul
dsayt
hat
.Ofcour
se,
Iwil
lwatchsometvwhi
ley
oubat
he.
”

InoddedasIdi dmybusi ness.Igotdressedi none

ofthePr adadressesIsabel l
aboughtme.Ai ,Ir
eall
y
needt oshopatMr .Priceandst uf
fbeforepeopl e
startsuspecti
ngweirdshi taboutme.If i
nishedjust
i
nt i
me, asIaskedGl otogi vetheQueent hebottleof
water.Wemadeourwayoutandwedi dn’tfi
ndBeki
atthedoort hi
stime.Hemustbeof ftoday ,
sowe
headedt ochurchlookingourbest.Wegott her
e
andt hechurchwasqui tef ul
l.

Blackpeoplenev erwanttomisschurch,even
thoughmostoft hem gotohidethei
revil
deedsand
washawayt heirsi ns,
whil
esomet akethisasan
opportuni
tytofindahusbandorwi f
e.Wemanaged
tofindaspotrighti nthef
ront,
Iam guessingGlo
l
ikestositherebecauset hepastorevengav ehera
sli
ghtwave.
Peoplestart
edwhisper i
ngandgaspingi nbet
ween
worshipsongs,whenPr i
nceZweli
wal kedpast.I
sawal otofthel
adies,somewhoev encamewi t
h
thei
rhusbandsdrooli
ngov erhi
m.Hel ooksso
gorgeousinhisI
tal
iansuit,oh,
heremindsmeofmy
Kg.

Pr
inceZwel
i
: (
smili
ng)“Sani
bonani
mant
ombazana
amahle(
Hel
lo,beaut
if
ul l
adi
es)
.”

Iam guessi
ngheandBeki
aref
ri
ends.

Gl
ori
a:(
blushi
ng)“
Hey
.”

That
o:“
Hel
l
o.”

Isawalotofthewomanst areatusrudel
yoncehe
walkeduptous.Hesati nbetweenusandhe
wastednoti
me, hol
dingherhand.Wow, nowthati
s
howamancl aimshiswoman.Wei gnoredal lt
he
funnycomment sandrudestaresandIact uall
y
enjoyedthesermon.Thepast orspokeabout
secondchances.Ili
ket hespecif
icv er
sef rom 1
John1:9–“ Ifweconfessoursins,heisf aithf
uland
j
usttof or
giveusoursinsandt ocl
eanseusf r
om al
l
ri
ghteousness.
”

Indeed,thisremi ndsmeofal otofpeoplewhor eal

ly
needsecondchancesmor ethansomeofus.Af t
er
thechur chservice, Gl
odidn’
tevenhav etoexplainto
me, Ij
usthadt ogosomewher e,sothatIavoid
questionsatt hepal aceaboutwhereshei s.Pri
nce
Zwelisai dgoodby etomeandconf i
dentl
ywal ked
outwithhi snewl ove.Ihaveneverseenamanbl ush
l
ikethat.AsIwasaboutt ol
eave,oneoftheladies
stoppedme.

Woman:“Excuseme, i
sPrinceZwel
idat
ingher
?I
meancanyoui magineal
lthechar
coalbabi
esthat
woul
dcomef rom them?”
Shelaughedalongwi t
hherfri
end.Il ookedatthem
andtheywer edressedli
keprosti
tutes.Theydon’t
evenknowGl oandal r
eadytheyaret al
kingshi
t
aboutherjustbecauseZwel ichoseher.Indeed
womendon’ tlov
eoneanot her.

Thato:“Youdon’tevenknowme, youdon’teven
knowherandy oudon’tevenknowt hePri
nce,yet
youhav etheaudacit
ytot al
kaboutapersony ou
don’
tev enknowi nsuchaf oulmannerespeci
allyi
n
church.Didn’
ty ouevenlearnanyt
hingaft
erthat
serv
ice?Yououghtt obeashamedofy oursel
f.”

Gi
rl
:“Hawu(
Wow)
,gi
rl
.Idi
dn’
tmeani
tli
ket
hat
.
Nawe…”

Idi
dn’
tevenl
ist
entoanyt
hingfurtherasIproceeded
towal
kout.AsIwaswalkingalongthesmal lr
iver
,I
wasdeepint
houghtandoutofthebl ue,
Isawt he
oldwomanIsawy est
erdayatthestallmarket
.She
wasdr essedi
nt hedressIboughtherandt hepai
rof
shoes.Icouldseeal lherscarsandshelooksso
beauti
ful.Iam notevenonet ocareaboutscarsasI
haveabur nscarofmyown.Shel ookedatmewi t
h
asmi l
easIappr oachedher .

That
o:“
Hel
l
o,Ma.
”

Oldwoman:
“Sawubona(
Hel
l
o),
Isabel
l
a.Howar
e
you?
”

If
rownedabi
t.Howdoessheknowmyname?

Oldwoman:“Don’
tworr
y,Godhasn’tcomplet
ely
gi
venuponme.Icanst i
llseevi
si
onsandhel p
peopl
eeventhought
heydon’twantmet ogo
anywher
enearthem.
”
Ipi
tyhersomuch.Ibetev
enherchi
l
drenwant
not
hingtodowit
hher.

Thato:“
Don’tworr
y,Ma.Idon’
tjudgeyouatall
.As
thepastorsai
d,weall
needsecondchances.
”

Oldwoman: “
Don’twor r
y,Isawy ourhear
tbef
or eI
spoketoyou.Isawy ourdest i
nywhenIsawy our
husbandasasmal lbaby.Backt henIwasevi
l andI
play
edGodwi thpeople’
slives.
”

That
o:“
Doy
oumi
ndt
ell
i
ngmey
ourst
ory
?”

Oldwoman:“Onl
yify
oudon’tmindcomingtomy
house.I
tisnotapal
ace,
butiti
saroofovermy
head.
”

Inodded.Iam notpi
ckyinanycase.It
ookashort
walkwithherandsur
pri
singl
ysheli
vesonthehi
l
l
overlookingthechurch.Nowondershewassi t
ti
ng
ont hetree,Idon’
tgethowthi
sMf undi
si(
pastor)
preachesaboutsecondchances,yethedoesnot
al
lowheri nt
ohischurch.Somet
hingneedstobe
doneaboutt hi
s.

Iwal kedint oheryardandIwant edtocryinst ant

ly.
Thef encewashar dlyevenafencetobegi nwi th;no
pavinginsi ghtandthehousel ooksinav erybad
stat
e.I tseemsasi fshenevergotitfi
xedf rom the
ti
mei tgotbur nt
.Somewi ndowswer ehalfbr oken
withther oofinghangingontodearli
fe.Ishedat ear
butwi peditof fqui
ckly.

Oldwoman:
“Don’
tpit
yme, mychi
l
d.Atl
eastGod
gavemeasecondchance.
”

Inoddedasshebr
oughtmeagl
assofwat
erandwe
satundert
hetr
eei
nheryar
d.
Ol
dwoman:“Iam Mar
thaMasango,
butpeopl
ecal
l
meMaMasango.”

Inodded.

MaMasango: “Ist
artedwit
chcraftatanear lyage.I
wasi ntr
oducedt oitbymygr andmother ,
andwhen
shet aughtmehowt ocheatlif
e,Icouldn’
tst op.I
tookpeopl e’
shusbands,Ievencheat edmyway
throughschool al
li
nt henameofwi t
chcraft.I
remembert hi
sonet i
meIwas9andoneoft he
neighbourhoodkidsusedt omockmecal l
ingme
ugly.

Itoldherandshesaidt ohimthathewoul dnev er

l
ivet oseeanotherdayifherefusestoapol ogi
ze.
Henev erdid,andhediedthenextday .His
grandmothermov edfarawayf rom our
neighbourhoodasfrom thatdayonwar ds,ever
yone
knewmygr annyasthemostpower ful
wi t
ch.
Ial sogainedfamebecausesoonaf tershedied,I
tookov erherlegacy.Iwasunt ouchable;
Imean
whathappenswheny ouliter
all
yi ngr
ainsomet hi
ng
i
nachi l
d’smind?I tsti
cksunt i
l i
tbecomesanat ural
habi t
.Icouldn’tst
op,Irefusedt o.Andev enthough
Godwar nedme, Isti
ll
cont i
nued.Oneday ,t
he
Princesscamet omewi thar equestthatwould
changebot hourl i
vesforever.

Shehadt oldmet hathersi st

er,thefir
stborn
pri
ncessandt hef uturerei
gningqueenwascar r
ying
twi
nboy s,butifwesacr i
fi
cethef i
rstbornsonand
shedhisblood, al
lricheswoul dbeour s.Iagr
eed
wit
houtev enthinkingtwice.Wedi dt heunthi
nkable
–weswoppedt hebabi eswithonedeadone.

It
ookthef
irstbornt
winandIt r
iedtostabhimright
i
nthehear
t,butthekni
febroke.Icouldn’
tbeli
eveit
.
Hi
sancest
or sar
esopower ful
,theyspoketomet hat
ni
ght
.Theywar nedmet ostayawayf r
om him,butI
tr
iedbur ninghim andi nt ur
n,Igotsetal i
ght.Ifel
tso
hot,myf leshlit
erallypeeledofffrom myf aceandI
l
ostmyl efteyesightont hatterri
blenight.Itookhim
totheriverandl efthimt herehoopi ngsomeone
wouldcomer escuehi m.Ist oppedpr acti
cing
witchcrafteversinceandIpr ayedforsalvation.No
onebel i
ev edmef rom thatday,event houghIhardl
y
goout .Theyst i
llbeli
eveIam t hatwitch.”

Ibecameabi
tfr
ight
enedasshetoldmethat
.Wow,
shemusthav
ebeenreal
lyev
ilbackint
heday.

That
o:“
ByPr
incessy
oumeanNomsa?
”

MaMasango: (
nodding)“
Yes,dearchi
l
d.Shei s
dangerous,henceyouwerebroughtheretodefeat
her.Youar emor epowerful
thanyouthink,I
sabel
l
a.
Nkosinathi
’
sancestorschoseyoulongbef or
eyou
wereev enborn.
”
NowIam r
eal
l
ypuzzl
edandcur
ious.Wher
eist
he
ot
hert
win?

That
o:“
Whathappenedt
otheot
hert
win?
”

MaMasango:
“Hei
sver
ymuchal
i
ve,
andy
ouhav
e
methi
m.”

If
rownedasIst
aredatheri
nconf
usi
on.

MaMasango: “Iwi
l
ltel
lyousomeot herti
meabout
hi
m, fornowyouhavetogivethi
stotheKi ng.He
tr
ustsyou.Yousee,Isawthepoisoninglongbefore
i
thappened.Nomsahasbecomesoev il
,that
nothi
ngwi l
lst
andinherway.Shewant sthe
ki
ngdom andifshehastokil
lherownf at
her ,
thenso
beit.
”

Shet
ookoutasmal
l
,bl
ackpl
ast
icbag.
MaMasango: “
Iknowy ouhav enor easont ot r
ust
me, butbel i
evemewhenIsayt hi
s;ifthekingdies
underNomsa’ sspell
,allwil
lbedoomed.I tisjust
naturalherbsthatwilleli
minatethepoi sonoutof
hissystem.Yourspeci alguestasy ourmot herin
l
awt oldy ouwi l
lbearrivi
ngtonightinsteadof
tomor r
ow.Shesawt hatherson’slifeisingrave
danger.Gonow, sheisexpectingyou.Youcanask
hertoanal yzetheherbsf orsafet
ybef oreyougive
them toKi ngNtsika.
”

Thato:
“Oh,MaMasango.Idon’
tknowhowIcan
thankyouf
orthi
s.”

MaMasango:“
Asimpl
ethankyouwi
l
ldo,
mychi
l
d.I
don’
twantany
thi
ngi
nretur
n.”

ItookoutaR200not
efr
om mybagandhandedi
tto
her.
MaMasango:(shaki
ngherhead)“Iam notyour
char
it
ycase,mychild.Iam j
ustl
i
vingmylif
et heway
Godint
endedatfir
st.”

Thato:“
Pleasetakethi
s,Ma.Buyyoursel
fsome
food.Ipromiseyou,Iwil
lcomebackforyouand
helpyouchangey ourl
i
fe.Iwil
lgi
veyouabetter
house.”

MaMasango:
“Iknow y
ouwi
l
l.Gosav
eyourki
ng.I
shal
lseey
ousoon.”

InoddedasIr
ushedof
finhast
e.

Gl
ori
a

Icouldn’
tbel
i
evethatPr
inceZweliactuall
ycamet o
churchandclai
medmei nfrontofeveryone.Idon’
t
knowhowt ofeelaboutthi
s,especi
all
yknowi ng
Nomsawon’ tl
ikethi
sonebi t
.Heopenedt hecar
doorformeandIhav eneverbeeninsideaGer man
machinebefor
e.Hei ssuchahopelessr omantic,
andhedidn’
tev enbothert
owor r
yaboutt herude
star
esandcomment s.

Het ookmet oanear bylodge,wherewehadani ce

picnicsetupf orus, withstr
awber r
ies,champagne
andl otsandlotsoff ood.Ir ecal
lIsabell
atel
li
ngme
thatpicnicsaresoni ce.Shesay sKgusedt ocreate
picnicsforherathi splace.Ihav eneverhadone
before,soIam gl adIact uall
ytookheradv i
ce.We
satdownashepoppedabot t
leofchampagneopen
andpour edusbot hagl ass.

PrinceZweli:“
Glori
a,wordscannotexplai
nhow
muchy oumeant ome.Mygr andfat
herhasalways
thatmet hatacti
onsmeanev erythi
ngandwor ds
meannot hi
ng.Idon’twanttosaymuch, butIwoul
d
l
iket oshowy ouhowser i
ousIam asl ongasyou
grantmethechance.So,
doy
ougi
veme
permissi
on?
”

Inoddedi nsuspense.Hegotupandt henwent

downononekneei nf
rontofmel eavingme
speechless.Het ookoutasmal l
,blackr i
ngboxand
openedi t
.Isawt hemostbeaut i
fuldiamondr i
ngI
hadev erseeninmyl i
fe.Actuall
yitistheonly
diamondr i
ngIhav eeverseen.Ikeptbl i
nking
thinki
ngthatperhapsiti
sadr eam.

PrinceZweli:“MydearGl ori
a,youarethesunshine
tomymor nings,
y oursmi l
ewar msmyhear tso
mucht hatitli
ter
allyskipsabeatwhenev erIdon’t
seey ousmi l
e.Yourbeaut i
fuleyesremindmet hat
thereisi
ndeedt ruthinthisli
fe.Yourbeauti
fuland
kindnatur
eshowmet hatyouwer et
rulymineto
hav e.

Youri
nnocencebr
ingssuchj
oytomyheartbecause
Iknowthatwewil
lgrowoldt
ogether
.Yourhumble
natureshowsmet hatyouwi
lli
ndeedbeagood
mot hertoourchil
dren.YouwerebornaQueen,
Gloria,
youjustneedmet oshowy outhat
.Please,
makemet hehappiestmanonear thandagr
eet obe
mywi f
e.”

Ididn’
tknowwhattosay–excepsayt
heonl
ythi
ng
thatmyheartagr
eedto.

Gl
ori
a:“
Yes,
Yes,
Zwel
iIwi
l
lmar
ryy
ou.
”

Hesmi ledandpl acedt heringonmyf ingerand

slowlyki ssedmesopassi onatel
y.Iam ev en
sur pr
isedt hatIcankissatal l.Hislipsguidedme
andt hankf ull
yIdidn’
tbi t
ehi m orany t
ing.Theonly
thingst andinginmywayi smypast .Idon’ tknowi
f
hewi llstil
llovemeaf terItellhim Iwasr aped.
Chapt
erNi
net
yTwo

I
sai
ah41:
10–“
Sodonotf
ear
,forIam wi
thy
ou;
do
notbedismay
ed,forIam yourGod.Iwi
ll
str
engt
hen
youandhelpyou;
Iwilluphol
dyouwithmyri
ght
eous
ri
ghthand.
”

Pr
incessNomsa

SinceSporoli
teral
lyqui
thisjob,Ihavenooneel se
tocounton.So, whatbet t
erwaytodoaj obthanto
doityoursel
f?Idecidedt ofol
l
owt hisalbinobit
ch.
Shemi ghtaswel l
bealbinowiththatcompl exi
on.I
am sureshethinksthatsheissuchahi t,butwhat
kindofanimalgivesbir
thtosomeonel ikeher ?

Ifol
lowedherandhadpar kedmycarabi tfurt
her
fr
om thechurch.Shewentt ochurchalongwi th
Glori
a.Iam nottoobotheredaboutGlori
a, Imean
sheiswaytoostupidandshei swayt oonaï v
e.Al l
oftheseser
vantsarenaïve.Theythinktheyear n
R7500,wheninfactIhandleallt
heirsal
aries.
Mypar entsareevenwayt oostupi
dt oreal
i
zeIhave
beentakingR2500f rom t
hei
rsalar
ies.Noser v
ant
deservest ogetpaid10k,notundermywat chno
ways.Ij usthavetogetBhengut oupmydosage,
becausei tseemsasi fMaandBaba( Dad)aregoi
ng
tobeabi tofaproblem.

Theydon’tknowmej usty
etandt heyar
estart
ingt
o
becometoocleverf
ormyl i
king.Ift
heyfi
ndout
whatIhavebeenuptoandj usthowmanysecretsI
havebeencover
ingup,Iam screwed.Imusthave
beentoobusyonmyphonet oevenreal
i
zethat
Zweli
wasgone.

InoticedI sabell
awal kingoutalone,withoutZweli
andGl ori
a.Hehadbet ternotbef ucki
ngGl ori
a,Ido
notwantt ohav echar coaledbabiesandhav ea
Pri
ncei mpr egnateamer eservant.The
embar rassment .Idecidedtopar kabitclosertothe
churchent rance,andIsawherwal kupthemount ai
n.
Iknewi t!Iknewshewasupt onogood.
Shewal kedstrai
ghttowar dsMaMasango’ shouse
upt hehill
.Sheisconcoct ingapl anwiththewit
ch
herself
.Idecidedtot akeapi cture,ev
enthoughI
wasf arfrom t
hem, i
twascl oseenought ozoom and
takeacl earpi
ctur
e.I ti
shi ghti
meIgetr i
dofthis
l
ittl
epest .Theydon’tcallmePr i
ncessNomsa
Ncube-Gqwal afornothing.

Gl
ori
a

Il
aymyheadonZwel i
’
schestandlistenedtohis
heartbeati
nter
twi
nedwit
hmi ne.Itookadeep
breathanddeci
dedtocomeclean.Iwasr ai
sedto
beanhonestwomanandf acetroublesheadon,no
mat t
erwhat.

Gl
ori
a:“
Zwel
i
,ther
eissomet
hingIhav
etot
ell
you.
”

Hesatupandhel
dmyhand.
Zwel
i
:“Iam al
lear
s,St
handwasami
(Myl
ove)
.”

Ifel
tmy selft
rembleinfear,
butmyf at
heralway
s
saidthatwheny oumeetamanandher unsatt
he
fi
rstsightoftr
ouble,f
orgetabouthi
mi mmediat
ely
becausehei sjustnottheoneforyou.

Glori
a:“I
…af
ewyear
sago,myst
epmother
’sbr
other
rapedmewhil
ehewasatwor
k.Hetookmy
vir
gini
ty.
”

Ifel
tli
keahugewei ghtwasli
ft
edoffmyshoul
ders,
eventhoughIfel
tthesalt
ytear
sstr
eam downmy
face.Helookedatmeandgent l
ywipedmytear
soff.

Zwel
i
:“Iknow.
”

Gl
ori
a:(
puzzl
ed)“
Huh?
”
Zwel i
:“Iknow.Iknewal lalong,Glo.Thatmademe
l
ov eyouev enmor e.Thef actthatyoumanagedt o
carryyoursel
fwi t
hsuchdi gnityandsel f
-respect
event houghy ouwereviol
at ed.Ifany t
hing,youarea
surviv
or ,
andnotav i
cti
m.Thatbast ardshoul dbe
gladhei snotal i
veanymor e,otherwiseIwoul dhave
ki
lledhim my sel
f.”

Glor
ia:(
rel
ieved)“
Sothi
sdoesnotchanget
heway
youfeelaboutme?”

Zweli
:(shaki
nghead)“Glo,Il
oveyouandIal
ways
hav
e.Thi schangesnothingaboutmylov
efory
ou.”

If
eltmy
sel
fsmi
l
ingasheki
ssedmegent
ly.

Glor
ia:
“Wehavetoheadbackt
othepal
acebef
orei
t
becomest
oolate.
”
Zwel
i:“
It
’syourdayofftoday,however
,ther
eis
someonespecialIwoul
dl i
key outomeettoni
ght
.
Wil
lyoupleaseavai
lyoursel
f?”

Gl
ori
a:“
Okay
.”

That
o

Itookataxi backtothepalace,andthankfull
yitis
notthatfaraway .Igreet
edBeki asIfoundhi m on
duty.Iti
sabout6pm andt hesuni sonlysett
ingnow.
Isawaf ewot hercarsIdon’trecogni
zei nthe
driv
eway, i
tmustbesomeguest sorsomet hi
ng.I
walkedinandf oundaf ewot hernewf acesal
ong
withtheQueenandKi nginthelounge, asIwas
headingtomyr oom.Iwasaboutt orushpastthem,
buttheKingsawmeandcal ledme.

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Isabel
l
a,mychi
l
d.Doy
oumi
nd
comi
ngher
eforami
nut
e?”

Ifi
xedmy sel
fandwal
keduptot
hem.Iwasaboutt
o
bow,buthestoppedmeimmedi
atel
y.

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Pl
ease,
youwi
l
ldonosuch.
”

Ilookedupandsmi l
ed.Isawav er
ybeauti
fulwoma,
withafairski
ntoneandnospotinsight
.These
peoplemusthav egoodgenes.Couldshenowbe
theguestIhavebeenwarnedabout?Shelookedat
mewi thsuchawar m smi
leonherface.

Pr
inceNtsi
ka:“
Isabel
l
a,Iwoul
dli
key
out
omeetmy
mother
,QueenNandi.
”

That
o:“
Pleasedt
omeety
ou,
Mama.
”
QueenNandi
:(smi
l
ing)“
Pleasecomeher
e.”

SheopenedherarmsasInervousl
ywalkeduptoher
.
Sheheldbot
hmyhands, anal
yzedthem andt
hen
l
ookedmei ntheeyewit
houtsayi
ngawor d.She
thenl
ookedattheQueenandKing.

QueenNandi
:“I
t’
sher
.”

Whati
shappeni
ngnow?

QueenNandi :
“Nombulel
o,woul
dy oubesokindas
tolookthedoor,
please?Wedon’twantany
dist
urbances.
”

QueenNombulel
owalkedupwhilenoddi
ngandshe
wenttol
ocktheent
rancedoorandcameback.I
l
ookedatQueenNandiner
vously
.
QueenNandi
:“Donotbener
vous,
chi
l
d.Pl
ease,
sit
.”

Isatdownnextt
oher
.

QueenNandi:“
Whydoyoul
ooksoner
vouswhen
youwereexpecti
ngme?
”

If
rownedi
nconf
usi
on.

QueenNandi:
“Youarequi
cktof
orget,
dearchi
l
d.
Yourmotheri
nlawfavour
syoualot
.Youshouldbe
grat
eful
.”

Oh,nowIgeti
t.SheisKg’
sgreat
-gr
andmother
.She
i
sthespeci
alguestIwast
oldabout
.Ismil
edabit
.

QueenNandi
:“Youneedt
obemor
eobser
vant
,
That
o.”
Shecal
l
edmebythatandIj
ustchuckl
ed.Sheand
Nanawoul
dgetal
ongli
keahouseonfire.

QueenNandi :“Now,thereasonwhyIaskedy our

queent olockthedoorisbecauseweal l
knowt he
King’
slifeisi
ndanger .Wear enotsurewhodidthis
tohim, evenIhavemysuspi cions,
butmyancestors
won’ttellme.Theytoldmey ouwouldbetheoneto
exposet heculpr
it
.”

Me?Hao.

QueenNandi:“Youarehighlybl
essed,
Isabel
l
a,but
wewillt
alkaboutthatl
ater.Tel
lthem what
Nonkanyi
sotoldyou.”

Oh,
Kg’
smot
her
.
That
o:“
Wel
l
,shest
art
edappear
ingi
nmyr
oom
wi t
houtsayi
nganythi
ng.Atf ir
stIgotscared,but
thenIdecidedtospeakt oher.Shesaidthatsheis
notr eal
l
yatpeaceandt hatIhavetoexposethe
truth.Sheevensai
dt hatIwast hechosenoneand
thatIwasborntoleadher e.
”

QueenNandi
:(nodding)“Now,
giv
emet
hepar
cel
MaMasangogav eyou.”

Yoh,
anotherreall
i
feNana.It
ookitoutofmybag
andhandedittoher.Shet
ookonelookati
tand
camebacktome.

QueenNandi:“
Yes,iti
sri
ght.Myson,t
hisisthe
medici
neItol
dy ouabout
.Itshoul
dexcr
etethe
poi
sonfrom y
oursystem al
mostimmediat
ely
.”

IsawtheKi
ngl
ookedverypleasedanddidn’
tseem
tohaveapr
obl
em wit
hit,
butt heQueenontheother
hand,
seemedr
atherdi
spleasedifIshoul
dputit
l
i
ght
ly.

QueenNombul
elo:
(fr
owni
ng)“Buti
sitagoodi
dea
t
otakeher
bsfr
om anoldwit
ch?”

Idon’
tgetwhyshei ssopi ckyinat i
meofneed.
Surel
yevenafterItoldhereverythi
ngabout
Nonkanyi
so,sheshoudat l
easthavefait
h,but
j
udgingfr
om howev ery
onef eelsaboutMaMasango,
Iguessherreacti
onispr et
tynormal.QueenNandi
ontheotherhandseemedr atherannoyedbyher
questi
on.

QueenNandi:“
Wouldyourat
herhav
ehim dieand
yourusel
essdaught
erfor
ceherwayont
ot he
t
hrone?”

QueenNombul
elo:
(looki
ngdown)“
No,
Ma.
”
QueenNandi
:“I
nsteadofbei
ngnegat
ive,
gogetusa
j
ugofwarm water
.”

IsawQueenNombulelostandi
ngupev enthough
shewasrat
herannoyed,
soIof f
ered.Idon’tget
thei
rmi
ni-
beef
,butIdon’
twantanypar tofi
t.

That
o:“
No,
Ma,
iti
sokay
,I’
l
lgo.
”

QueenNandi l
ookedatQueenNombui nannoyance,
asIswift
lymov edtothekitchen.Yoh,hadIknown
ther
ewoul dbesomuchdr amaher e,Ir
eall
ywould
haveaskedSoksandTmant opreparemeal ot
bett
er.Igotwar m wat
erinaj ugasinstr
ucted,
andI
wentbackt othelounge,
andhandedi tt
oQueen
Nandi.

QueenNandi
:“Thankyou,chi
l
d.Nombulel
o,l
et’
sgo
upst
air
s,t
akethejug.I
’l
lberi
ghtt
her
e.”
QueenNombuheldthej
ugasshehelpedher
husbandupt
hestai
rswit
hherot
herarm.Ithought
QueenNandil
ookedatmeandsmil
edbroadly
.

QueenNandi :“WhenGl or
iacomes,mayy outwo
pleasepr eparethefoodforus?Iknowi tisalott
o
askofy ousi nceitisyourl
astdayoff,
but
consideringthesituat
ionisescal
ati
ngprettyf
ast,I
donott rustanyoneelsewi t
hmyf ood.Wi l
lyoube
ableto?”

That
o:“
Ofcour
se,
Ma.
”

QueenNandi:“Good,Iwill
speakt
oyoulat
er.We
seemingl
yhaveal ott
ot al
kabout
.Ihav
ebeen
await
ingyourarr
ival
,Thato.”

ShecalledmeThatoagain.Ja,neh.Mylif
eisrat
her
i
nteresti
ng.Shewentupstai
rs,
whi l
eIqui
cklywent
tounlockthedoor
.Uponunlockingit,
Pri
ncess
Nomsar
ushedi
ntot
hehouse,
shout
ingandi
nsul
ti
ng
me.

Pri
ncessNomsa: (Shout
ing)“Howdareyoul
ockthe
doorsoft
hispalace?!Doy ouknowwhoIam? !
Whatareyouplotti
ngagainstushereandwhogave
youpermi
ssiontolockthisdoor?
!”

Ir
eal
lyhatenoi
se,andIr
eal
lyhat
eitevenmore
whenIgetshout
edat.Iam notherchi
ld,
real
l
y.

That
o:(
annoyed)“Pri
ncessNomsa, Iwasnott
he
onewholockedthi
sdoor.Itwasy ourmot
her,
i
nstr
uct
edbyy ourgr
andmot her
.”

Suddenl
y,t
heenr
agedl
ookshehadonherf
ace
tur
nedint
oweary
.

Pr
incessNomsa:
“Mygr
andmot
her
?”
Ijustleftherst andi ngt hereandappr oachedmy
room t ochangemyheel sint
omor ecomf or
tabl e
shoes.Iwant edt oheadt othekitchenandst art
cooki ngimmedi ately.AsIwasonmywayt ot he
kitchen,IfoundPr incessNomsasi t
ti
ngont hecouch,
bitingherfinger nailsandl ookingreall
yterri
fied.A
fewsecondsl ater,inwal kedPr i
nceZwel ihandi n
handwi t
ht hebeami ngGl o.Iam sohappyf orher ,
real l
y.Idecidedt ost andr i
ghtwhereIwasbecauseI
knowt hatPrincessNomsawasaboutt oblowaf use.

Zwel
i
:(smi
l
ing)“
Hel
l
o,I
sabel
l
a.”

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Greet
ings,
myPr
ince.
”

Zwel
i:“
Apologiesf
orl
eavingy
oualoneri
ghtaft
er
chur
ch,butIhadtocl
aim mypreci
ousf
lowerbefor
e
someonebeatmet oi
t.
”
That
o: (
chuckl
ing)“It
’sokay,r
eall
y.Iti
saboutdamn
ti
me,though.Although,yourgrandmothermadea
humblerequestandaskedt hatonlyGl
oriaandI
cookfortoni
ght,eventhoughitisourdayoff.
”

Zweli
:(exci
ted)“
Ican’
twai
ttoseeher
.Letmego
fr
eshenup.”

Hekissedhercheekandl
eftusstandi
ngther
e.
Lucki
lyPri
ncessNomsahadherownshi tinmind,
soIwaitedforGl
ori
atogobackt oherr
oom and
changeint
omuchmor ecomf or
tabl
eshoesandwe
headedtothekit
chen.

That
o:(
exci
ted)“
So?Howdi
ditgo?
”

Glor
ia:
(smil
ing)“
Oh,Isabell
a,Iam beami
ng.Ican’t
evenexpl
ainhowIfeel.Hei ssoromanti
c,so
charmi
ngandmosti mpor t
antl
yhet i
cksal
lther
ight
boxes.
”
That
o:“
See?Itol
dyout
hatt
ruel
ovecomesr
arel
y.
Hangont
oit
.”

Glori
a:“Iam j
ustworr
iedabouthisf
ami ly
.Howwi l
l
theyreactt
ohim wantingtomarryacommonerl ike
me?Imeant heQueeni sni
ceandall,butshedoes
notwantanothersi
tuationl
ikeherl
atedaughter
’s.”

Oh,t
hatmightbeapr
obl
em,
butt
hehear
twant
s
whati
twants.

Thato:“
We’ll
crossthatbri
dgewhenwegett here,
andbesides,It
hinkZweliwil
lputthem i
ntheirplace
shouldt
heyfeelanydiff
erentaboutal
lthi
s.”

ShenoddedasIstar
tedcooki
ng.Iactuall
ymi ss
cooki
ngasitremi
ndsmeofalltheti
mesIspent
cooki
ngwithGri
ngo.Iam i
ndeedmyf ather’
s
daught
er.Imadelambshankseepedinr edwine,
wit
hGl or
iamakingOxtai
l,andwemadebaby
tomatoes,cr
eamyspinachwi t
hasaladont hesi
de.
Ial
sodecidedtomakesomepol ent
a,whichisIt
ali
an
papifIshoul
dputitl
ikethat.Theydidn’
tspeci
fy
whattheywantedtocook, soIdeci
dedtogoallout.

Theyar earat
herbigf amily,soIaddeddesser ton
topofitall–ablueber r
ycheesecake.Gl oriasays
shehasmetQueenNandi af ewtimesandshei s
evenloveli
ert
hant hewor d.Sheal solovesherwi ne,
soluckil
yIhadboughtanot herbot tl
eoff i
newi ne,
whichIwenttogetf rom myr oom.Thesepeopl e
don’thavemucht asteingoodwi ne, becausethe
cupboardsarefi
ll
edwi t
hfourcousi nsandSai nt
coll
ecti
ons.AsIr eturnedtot hekitchen,Ifound
Pri
ncessNomsashout i
ngatGl oria.

Pr
incessNomsa: “
Whatisgoi
ngonher
e?!Si
nce
whendoy oucook,Gl
ori
a?!
”

Gl
ori
a:“
Iam sor
ry,
Pri
ncess,
kodwa(
but
)theQueen
mot
heri
nst
ruct
edust
ocook.
”

Pri
ncessNomsa:(
li
vid)“Kanj
ani(
Howcome)
?!You
twowanttoki
l
lus,don’tyou?
!”

Shetr
iedtorai
seherhandatGl
ori
a,butIqui
ckl
y
i
nter
vened.

Thato:
“Youdar
etouchherandy
ouwi
l
lhav
etodeal
wit
hme! ”

Shet
urnedherheadandl
ookedatmei
nannoy
ance.

Pri
ncessNomsa: “
Ucabangaukuthiungubaniwena
(Whodoy outhi
nky ouare)
?!Iwil
lnothavean
al
binolooki
ngrodentli
keyoutal
ki
ngt omel i
kethat
i
nmyownhouse! ”
Ag,
Iam soov
erpeoplemocki
ngmyappear
ance.I
t
i
snotl
i
kesheisperf
ect.

Thato:“
May bey oushouldconsiderfi
ndingyourown
actual
housei nsteadofruli
ngeveryoney oufi
nd
annoyi
nginy ourmot her
’shouse.Leav eGlori
aandI
al
one.Ifyouhav eaproblem,t
henasky our
grandmother.
”

Shelookedatmei nsuchaf i
l
thywayandatt
empted
tosl
apme, butIheldherhandfi
rmlyasIst
aredher
ri
ghtintheeye.
Nomsa:(
bewil
der
ed)“
Youhav
enoi
deawhoy
ou’
re
messi
ngwit
ih!
”

Sher
oughlyl
etgoofmyhandandwal
kedaway
,
l
eavi
ngGlori
aspeechl
ess.

Gl
ori
a:(
shocked)“
Isabel
l
a,whati
fyougetf
ir
ed?
”
That
o:“Iwil
lcr
osst
hatbr
idgewhenIgett
her
e.Ar
e
youokay?”

Gl
ori
a:“
Iam f
ine.Iam j
ustnotav
iol
entper
son.
Wher
edidyougetthecour
agetodothat
?”

Thato:
“Youf
orgotmyf
atheri
sanot
ori
ous
gangst
er.
”

Webothburstouti
nlaught
erwhi
l
ewecont
inuedt
o
setupt
hetable.
Chapt
erNi
net
yThr
ee

1Cori
nthi
ans13:13–“Andnowthesethr
eeremain:
f
ait
h,hopeandlove.Butt
hegr
eatestoft
heseis
l
ove.
”
That
o

Final
ly,Gl
oandIfi
nishedmaki ngdinner
.Ican
actuall
yimagi
neherbeingthePr i
ncessofthishouse,
reall
y.Herbeaut
yjustcapti
vatesyoubef or
eshe
evenspeaksandherlevelofintel
l
ectisjustasuper
hugebonus.InowseewhyPr i
nceZweli f
ell
forher,
I
meanshei sonebeautif
ulgem.

Ag,thisjustremindsmeal otofKg.Ijusthopewe
cansor toutthismess.Thesoonert hebett
er.As
wewer eawai ti
ngt hegueststoarr
ive,QueenNandi
walkeddownt hest ai
rsf
irstandsmiledbroadly
whenshesawusst andi
ngnexttoeachot her.There
i
sjustsomet hi
ngaboutt hiswoman; sheissoreal,
andv eryfunny.Sher emindsmeal otofmyNana.

QueenNandi:(
smi
li
ng)“
Howaremyt wobeaut
if
ul
daught
ersdoi
ng?Ihopenoonebot
heredyouwhil
e
youwerecooki
ng.
”
Gl
oandIbot
hchuckl
ed.

That
o:“
No,
Ma.Ev
ery
thi
ngwentsmoot
hly
.”

Irefr
ainedf r
om telli
ngheraboutNomsa’ slit
tl
estunt,
becauseIam nosni tch.It hinkIcanhandl emy
battl
esonmyown.Mywhol el i
fethosewhol oved
memanagedt obet her ef ormeandf i
ghtforme;
fr
om mymot hertoPal esaandev enKg.Icannow
seethatIneedt olearnt of i
ghtonmyownsi nceI
am allalonenow.QueenNandi smil
edatmeonce
againasshest aredmer ighti ntheey e.Iguessiti
s
herhabit.Theyhav esai dt hattheey esholdthe
untoldtruth.

QueenNandi:(smi
li
ng)“
IcanseewhytheNcube
ancestor
schoseyou.Youarenotaweakl
i
ng,just
soft
-hear
ted.
”
Ij
ustsmiledatherasIdon’
treall
yknowwhatshe
means.IguessIam sousedt oriddl
esbynow.She
gaveGlori
aherusualst
areswithherwarm smil
e
ofcour
se.Glori
alookeddown,blushi
ng,butt
he
Queenlif
tedherchi
nsoftl
y.

QueenNandi:“Youwer eal
sochosenl ongago, but
yousuretookyourti
meaccept i
ngmygr andson’s
proposal
.Ilov
ehowy oucanmakeamansweat .
Heisheretobey oursoulpr
ovider,andtohealy ou
fr
om allt
hehurt.Allshal
lbewell,mydearchi l
d.I
am gladyoumanagedt oforgi
ve.”

Gl
ori
ast
aredatQueenNandi
wit
htear
yey
es.

QueenNandi
:“Letmeseet
hatgor
geousr
ing.
”

Shesmil
edasshegentl
yli
ft
edherhandasshe
l
ookedatherr
ingf
inger
.
QueenNandi
:(smi
li
ng)“Thi
swill
mostdef
ini
tel
y
sendNomsatoanearl
ygrave.
”

Thet
hreeofusbur
sti
ntol
aught
er.

TheQueen:“Ihopey ouhavepreparedsomethi
ng
real
lyni
ceformetodr ink.Thi
shousei sal
ways
fi
ll
edwithcheapalcohol.Butdon’ttel
lNombuIsai
d
that
.”

That
o:(
chuckl
i
ng)“
Wewon’
t.
”

Aswewer et
alki
ng,PrincessNomsaandZenande
wal
keddownt hestai
rs,andgaveust heusualf
il
thy
l
ooks.IcommendNomsaf ornotbei
ngpretent
ious
atl
east
.Iknewf r
om thegetgot hatshedidn’
tli
ke
me.

Pr
incessNomsa:
“Mxm,
whyar
eyouconcoct
ing
witht
hesetwowitches,Gogo(Granny
)?Don’
tyou
knowthatt
heyhav ebeenvisi
ti
ngMaMasango?I
evenhaveproof
.”

QueenNandi
:(f
rowning)“
Hey ,
wena(you).Awuna
i
nhloni
phoyi
ni(
youlackrespect,
don’
tyou)?Don’
t
youknowhowtogreet?”

Pr
incessNomsa:
“Ngi
yaxol
i
sa,
Gogo(
I’
m sor
ry,
gr
anny).
”

QueenNandi:“Iseesomet hingsdon’
tchange.No
wonderyouruselessdaughtertur
nedoutli
kethi
s.
Doy oualsowi
shf orhert
omar r
yauselessmanli
ke
yourhusband?
”

Pri
ncessNomsa: (
annoyed)“Kodwa(But)
,Gogo
(Gr
anny),kuf
anel
eveleungihl
ambalazepham’kwa
l
abantulaba(Doyouhavetoembarrassmei nfront
ofthesetwo)?Imeantheyareservant
sforcryi
ng
outl
oud.
”

QueenNandi :“
IfIwerey ou,
Iwoul dsi
tdownand
dri
nkbecausey ou’r
egoingt oneedit.Besi
des,they
won’tbeservantsformuchl onger.Andaboutthem
meetingMaMasango, youofal lpeopl
eshouldn’
tbe
snit
chingandlyingconsider
ingwhaty oudi
dbacki n
theday .Orwouldyoulikemet oremindyou?”

Nomsasuddenlyl
ookedoverwhelmedwi
thfear
.
Shekeptqui
etandbecameinstant
lymut
e.

QueenNandi
:“Oho,
Iseeyouhavegonemut
enow.
Uyaphapha(
You’
resofor
ward)
.”

Nomsal ookeddownasZenandecamet ositnextt

o
her.Deri
ck,Nomsa’shusbandcamet ositr
ightnext
toher.Thisguyst
il
llooksdodgy,butIj
ustcan’t
real
lypi
npointwhathisdeali
s.Thewayheev en
star
esatwomeni sjustnotokay
.Iguessher eall
yis
arapist.Gl
or i
aandIwereabouttoexcuseour selv
es
afterTheKingandtheQueenar r
ivedatthetable.I
couldn’
thelpbutnoticeNomsa’sstateofshock
whenshesawt heKing.Helookssomuchbet ter
thanhedidt hi
smorning.IguessMaMasango’ s
herbsreal
lydiddothetri
ck.

QueenNandi
:“Yout
wo,
comesi
t.
”

NomsaandZenandi
lookedi
nst
ant
lyannoy
ed.

Zenande:
“Si
ncewhendowedi
newi
tht
hehel
p?”

QueenNandi:“
Sincewhendoyouhavepermissi
on
t
otalkshitwhi
ledini
ngwi
thel
ders?Uzongibhor
a
(
Youwi l
lannoyme) .
”

Shekeptqui
etandl
ookeddown,whi
l
eNomsajust
keptst
ari
ngatherf
ather
.Zwel
icametot
het
able
andhei
nstant
lysmi
ledashesawGlori
a.Hisface
i
mmediat
elyli
tup.NowIam homesickandIr
eall
y
missmyman.

QueenNandi:
“Hel
lo,
mfanawami
(myboy
).Come,
si
tri
ghtnextt
oyourwif
e.”

Zweligreet
edQueenNandif
ir
stbyki ssi
ngheronher
cheek,whil
eNomsalookedsoflushed,Ithoughtshe
wasalmostgoingtot
oppleoverherchair.

Nomsa:
(ner
vous)“
Did…di
dyouj
ustsaywi
fe?
”

QueenNandi:“Hawu(Oh).Di
dn’
thetelly
ou?Iam
sureZweli
toldyou,
butyoumostprobablyf
orgot
.
Ntsika,
wouldyouli
ketodothehonour
s?”

Ki
ngNtsika:(
smil
i
ng)“Ofcourse.I
tisof
fi
cial
,our
pr
incewantstowedthel
ovelyGlor
ia.Hehasindeed
f
oundhi
sbet
terhal
f.
”

QueenNandi,Gloria,Zweli
,KingNt si
kaandIwer e
theonlyoneswhower egenuinel yhappysoi t
seems.QueenNombur eall
yt r
iedt obehappy
shame, sher
eal
lydi dtry
.Ican’ thel pbutfeelt
hat
sheisn’
tcompletelyhappyaboutt his.Zenande,
NomsaandDer ickont heot herhandwer esosour ,
it
wasalmostasift heyatesomet hingreall
ytastel
ess.

Deri
ck:
“What
?!Thereisnowaymysonwil
lmarr
ya
commoner!Notj
ustthat–awhol
emaid!Iwon’
t
al
lowit
.”

Zwel
i i
mmediat
elyhar
denedhisfaceandhewast
ed
noti
mebystandinguptohisfat
herandimmedi
atel
y
comingtohi
swoman’sdefense.

Pri
nceZwel
i:
(angered)“
Fir
stl
ythatwi
llbethelast
youaddr
essmywi f
easamai d,andsecondly
,you
hav enor i
ghttoal l
ownordenyany thi
ng.I fIstandto
becor r
ect edyouwer echasedawayf rom y ourown
kingdom andbot hy ourpar entsdisownedy ou.You
threwy ourwhol eli
feawaybef oreitevenbegan.
Theonl yreasonwhyIst i
lltreatyouwi ththe1%
respectIhav efory ouist haty ouaremybi ological
father,
livi
ngundermyr espect abl
egr andpar ents’
house.I fitwasn’tfort hat,Iwouldhav etol dyou
wher etogetof fagai n.Thenextt imey out rysuch
audacity,Iwil
lnotbeasl enientasIam now. ”

Hesaiditinsuchacalm, l
owtoneofv oi
ce,buthe
wassost ernthetabl
ealmostshook.Derickwasso
shocked,hedecidedtoremai
nqui et
.Noneoft hem
deci
dedtoev enspeak.QueenNandi wasenjoyi
ng
herwineandwehadn’ tevenst
artedeati
ngy et
.

QueenNombu:
“It
hinkweshoul
dst
artpr
ayi
ng.Iam
st
arvi
ng.
”

QueenNandi
thr
ewanot
herhotshotatQueen
Nombu.

QueenNandi :
“Oh,
yes,It
hinkyoushouldfeed
yoursel
fbefor
eyoubecomeev enmor esourt
han
youalreadyar
e.Onecannev erbehappyand
deli
ghtedonanemptystomach, r
ight
?”

IjustsawQueenNombul ookatNandi without

say i
ngawor d.Weal lheldhandsaswest art
ed
praying.Icouldn’thelpbutopenmyey eswhi l
e
QueenNombust artedblessingthefood.Tomy
surprise,If
oundNomsast ari
ngatmewi thsuchevi
l
andhat r
edinherey es.So, whatwasIt odo?I
staredback, wit
houtasmi l
er i
ghtunti
lshewasdone
praying.Iam notaboutt ogi veuponl i
feandshow
thisbitchthatIam scaredofher .Theonl ypersonI
fearisGodandi fanythi
ng, sheshouldfearme.We
startedeatingwhileshewentbackt oherwor r
ied
mode.

QueenNandi
:“Nt
sika,
myson,
Iam sogl
adt
osee
youupandwalki
ngagain.Imustsay
,whenGod
saysy
es,nobodycansayno.
”

Ki
ngNt
sika:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
Indeed,
mot
her
.”

Zweli
:(puzzl
ed)“I
stheresomethi
ngIshouldknow?
Baba(Dad),kwenzakal
ani(What’
shappeni
ng)?Are
youi
ll
?”

Shame, Zweli
lookedsowor ri
ed.Hemustr
eal
lybe
fondofhisgrandfat
her.QueenNandideci
dedto
j
umpt oanswerthequesti
on.Thiswoman’
s
sarcasm i
soffthecharts,
real
ly.

QueenNandi :“Oh,nothingiswr ongwit

hyour
grandfat
her,myboy ,wel l
–atl eastnotany
more.
Let’
sjustsay,ther
e’sadev i
li
nt hi
shousewhotr
ied
tokil
lhim buthesurvivedit.”
Nomsai
mmedi
atel
ychokedonherf
ood.

Zenande:
“Mama,
arey
ouokay
?”

QueenNandi:
“My ekel
oyo(Leaveher
).She’
l
lbefi
ne,
wenalal
elai
stor
ysami (
youlist
entomystor
y).
”

Zweli
:(Wor
ri
ed)“
Someonet
ri
edt
oki
l
lyouBaba
(Dad)
?”

Ki
ngNt
sikanodded.

Zwel
i
:“Kanj
ani
(How)
?”
QueenNandi:“Theypoi sonedhim.Hehasbeeni l
l
fort
hepastfewday s,butthankf
ull
y,I
sabell
aher
e
managedt ogethi m areall
ygoodantidot
e,soi
f
anyt
hing,y
ourgr andfatherwil
lbeali
veformuch
l
ongerthananticipated.
”
Isawt
hedisappoi
ntmenti
nNomsa’ sface.I
tmust
beher
,Imeansheticksal
ltheboxes.

Zweli
:(anger
ed)“Whyaresit
ti
nghereandhav
inga
goodti
mei nsteadoff
indi
ngthecul
pri
t?”

QueenNandi
:“Youknowmebet tert
hanthat
,myboy
.
But,
don’
tworr
y ,
wealreadyhav
epeopleaboutt
o
sear
chthewholehouseaswespeak.”

Nomsastar
tedt
rembl
i
ngandIcoul
dseet
hewor
ry
i
nherey
es.

QueenNandi:
“Wena(You)
,Zenande,hambauy
ovul
a
umnyango(Goandopenthedoor)
.”

Zenande:
(annoyed)“
Whyungat
humi
laba(
Why
don’
tyousendthesetwo)
?”
QueenNandi
:(pi
ssed)“
Aski
es(
Excuseme)
?”

Shegav eherawar ni
nglookasshest ooduphastily
andappr oachedthedoor .Therestofuswereeating
ourdi nnerinperfectpeace,whil
eNomsast arted
fi
ddl i
ngherhands.AsZenandeappr oachedthe
table,inwalkedinaf ewpeopl e,mostl
ythetr
usted
guar dsli
keBeki.Ther ewer eaboutfi
vemen.They
allbowedbef or
eus.

Beki
:“Ev
eni
ng,
myKi
ng.Wear
eaty
ourser
vice.
”

KingNtsika:“Atease,please.Mayy oupleasestart
searchi
ngal l
ofthebedr ooms,incl
udingtheroyal
quarter
s.Ther estofy oumaysearcht herestoft
he
workers’chambers.”

Beki
:(noddi
ng)“
Cer
tai
nly
,myki
ng.
”
Theymovedswif
tl
y,whi
l
eNomsa’
sfor
eheadev
en
l
ookedsweat
y.

Pri
ncessNomssa:
(ner
vousl
y)“
Excuseme,
Ineed
thetoi
l
et.
”
QueenNandi :
( unbother
ed)“
Well
,Iam sur
ethat
whateverispressingyousobadl
ycanwait.Si
tand
eatyourfood.
”

Ichuckl
edi nt
ernal
l
yasIwat chedhersquirm.Af
ew
minuteslat
er;i
nwal kedoneoft hemenwhocame
withBeki,l
ookingr
at herdi
sappointed.Nomsa
l
ookedl i
keshewasaboutt odierightther
e.

KingNt
sika:
“Bongani
,Ihopey
oucomebear
ing
goodnews.”

Bongani
:(sadl
y)“
Iam af
rai
dwef
oundsomet
hing.
”
Hewast ednotimeashet ookitri
ghtoutofhi s
pocket.Hehel dasmal lpl
asti
cbagt hatlookedli
ke
gl
adwr ap,andithadsomebl ackstuffini
t.Ev er
yone
grewwear yasNomsagr ewev enmor enervous.
Sheev enhadt owipeoffthesweatwhi chwas
drenchingherforehead.

QueenNombu:
“Wher
edi
dyouf
indi
t?”

Bongani
:“I
nthey
oungmai
den’
schamber
.”

Hepoi
ntedatGl
ori
a.
Chapt
erNi
net
yFour

I
saiah3:11–“ Woetothewicked!I
tshallbeil
lwit
h
him,forwhathishandshav
edealtoutshallbedone
tohim.”
That
o

Every
onewasi npuredi
sbeli
efandbeli
evei
tornot
,
Pri
ncessNomsaaswel l.Itwasal
mostasifshe
wasreli
evedatt hesametime.Everyonewas
shocked,expectforQueenNandi.

QueenNandi
:“I
mpossi
ble.
”

Bongani
:“Beki
canconf
ir
mit
,myKi
ng.
”

Beki
:(saddened)“
Iti
sindeedt
rue,
myKi
ng.
”

Ibi
tmyli
psasIl ookedatGlor
iawholookedl
i
keshe
wasabouttoburstint
otear
s.Zweliontheot
her
handwasfuri
ous.

Zwel
i
:(f
umi
ng)“
Howdar
eyout
hinkt
hatoft
he
womanIl
ove?
!”

Bongani
:(sof
tl
y)“
Wef
oundi
tint
her
e,myPr
ince.
”

Zweli:
“Iti
sallyourdoi
ngs,Ma!Didyouplantt
hisi
n
herroom becauseyoujustcan’
tst
andseeingme
happy?!”

Nomsa:(
worri
ed)“Myson,pl
ease.Idon’
tknow
whaty
ou’r
etal
kingabout
.”

QueenNombu:
“Wel
l
,theev
idencespeaksofi
tsel
f,
myKing.
”

Thatoutofal
lstat
ementsshockedmetothecore.
HowcanQueenNombuev enthinkt
hatofGl
oria?
TheKingandhismotherwerebothuni
mpressed,
evenPri
nceZweli.
Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Ut
hini
(Whatar
eyousay
ing)
?”
QueenNombu: “
Iam j
ustsayi
ng,myKing.Wehav e
hadsuchinst
ancesbef
oreandtheywerechased
awayinst
antl
y.So,whyshoul
dwehav especi
al
fav
oursnow?”

Idon’
tgeti
t.TheQueenseemedlikeagenui
nel
y
ni
cepersonwhenImether,orwasshepret
endi
ng?

QueenNandi :“
Mxm, nowy ouseewhyInev er
wantedyout omarryherinthefi
rstplace,Ntsi
ka.
Bukaphela(Justl
ook),shelackscri
ti
cal t
hinki
ng.
Thi
siswhatdr oveNonkany i
soaway .Iseey ouwant
hi
storyt
or epeati
tsel
f.
”

QueenNombudi
dn’
ttakei
twel
l
,inst
eadshe
r
etal
iat
ed.

QueenNombu: (
angered)“
Howdarey
ou?!
Ucabangaukut
hiungubaniwena(
Whodoyout
hink
youare)?!Thisi
smyhouseandy ouhav et henerv e
t
odisrespectmet imeandtimeagai n!Ify ouwer ea
r
ealspiri
tualgui
deorwhatev eryouare, t
hennoneof
t
hiswouldhav ehappened!Ify ouwerer eal i
ndeed,
wewoul dhav ef
oundwher emydaught erwasbur i
ed!
Wewoul dhav ef
oundNkosi nathial
ready!Yesses
(
Gosh) ,
uy adi
na(you’
reannoy i
ng),Nandi!Nt sika,are
yougoingt ol
etmymot herspeakt omel i
ket hat?
!”

QueenNombuwasshout ingherl
ungsout,l
eaving
usallst
unnedtothecor
e,butQueenNandiwasso
chi
ll
ed.IwishIhadherl
ev el
ofchil
l
,honest
ly.She
haszerotol
erancef
ordi
srespect
,butshecanbe
cal
m asfuck.

KingNtsi
ka:“
Isitnecessar
yforyoutoshout,Nombu?
WhyisaQueenl ikeyoubehavi
nglikeachil
d?And
whyareyouinsulti
ngmymot herespeci
all
yinfr
ont
ofthechi
ldr
en?”

QueenNombu:
(st
unned)“
Oh,
sosekunj
e(So,
it’
s
l
i
kethatnow)?Ukhet
haumakakho(
You’
rechoosi
ng
y
ourmother)i
nst
eadofme?
!”

QueenNandi
:(si
gh)“
Thi
sisgett
ingreal
lyt
ir
ing,
Ntsi
ka.Putal
eashonyourdog,orIwil
ldoitf
or
you.
”

QueenNombugotsopi ssed,ri
ghti
nfrontof
ever
yoneandev enthemal eworkersweretoo
shockedt oevensayawor d.Shetookacupand
wasaboutt othrowitatQueenNandi ,butQueen
Nandi answeredherinsuchacal m manner,l
eav
ing
theKingv er
ymuchannoy ed.

QueenNandi:
“Trythat
,Idareyou.Thr owt hatcup
anduzobonaunyoke(you’
llseeflames).Angi dl
ali
nabant
wanami na,
Nombul elo(Idon’
tplaywi t
h
chi
ldr
en).Youseem tofor
getal otofthings.”

QueenNombuwasbr
eat
hingf
ir
e,l
eav
ingusal
l
st
unned.Glor
iahadthet
ear
sthreat
eni
nghereyes
al
lal
ong,whil
eZweli
hadherhandfi
rml
yinhis.

QueenNandi
: “
Sinceyouthi
nky
ou’r
esobettert
han
me,whydon’tyouexplai
ntomydearsonwhyhe
doesnothav
eanysons? ”

IsuddenlysawQueenNombu’ sfaci
alexpr
ession
changef r
om ragetosorrow.Atthatmomentshe
probabl
ywi shedshehadn’tdonewhatshedid.I
sensedal otmor edramawasabouttounfold.The
Kingli
stenedat t
enti
vel
yasQueenNandi waspl ay
ing
Skiphaamaf i
les.

QueenNandi :“
Hawu( Gosh),
hav ey ougonemut e
now?Okayt hen,l
etmer at
hernotwast eanytime.
Ntsika,your
emembert hatoneoddni ghtyour
preciouswif
edidn’
tsleepathomer ightaf
teryour
weddi ng?Well
,shewascar r
yingy ourbrother
’sson.
Shewasunf ait
hfult
oy ouandf el
lpregnantinthe
process.
Stupi
dbitchdidn’
tevent hi
nkofusi ngacondom, and
shewentt ogetabort
ionmedi cationfr
om
MaMasango.Thev eryladyshei nsul
tstodayjust
becausesheissitt
ingont hethronewhi chIhanded
overtoherinhopesthatshewoul dbecomef i
tt o
rul
e.IguessIwaswr ong.Youcant akethebitch
outoftheghetto,
but…y ouknowhowi tgoes.
”

IsawQueenNombul ookatQueenNandi i
ndef eat
.
QueenNandi wasn’tev ensmil
i
ngorsmi r
king,but
shelookedQueenNombudeadi ntheeyewi t
hout
evenbli
nking.Ki ngNt sikawassoshocked,hekept
quietf
orar eall
ylongwhi l
e.

KingNt
sika:“
Glori
agoesnowher
e.Iwi
l
lgett
othe
bott
om ofthi
s.”

Withthatsai
d,theKingst
oodupandret
reatedtohi
s
bedroom.Ijustfel
tsomuchpit
yforhi
m, asifhe
wassoembarrassedinf
rontofev
ery
one,byhi
sown
wi
fe,hi
sQueen.QueenNombust oodther
eone
moreminut
eandst ar
edatQueenNandi.

QueenNandi:“
Usameleni
(Whatarey
ouwai
ti
ngf
or)
?
Yourhusbandi
swait
ingfory
ou.”

Shetri
ednottoletthattearf al
l,buti tbet
rayedher
asshejustl
etitfal
l
.Shesl owl ywal kedawayf r
om
usandheadedt owardstheirbedr oom.Zenandeand
Deri
ckstoodupandal sol eftthet able,whil
eNomsa
wasstil
li
nshock.Sheal sost oodupandl eft
wit
houtsayi
ngawor d,l
eav i
ngGl ori
a, Zweli
,Nandi
andI.

Nandi
:“Zwel
i
,don’
tyouwor
ry.Iknowt
haty
our
womanwasf r
amed.”

Zweli
:(Har
dened)“
HowdoIev enl
etgoofal
lthi
s
hur
t,Gogo?Myownmot herdoesnotbel
i
eveher.
Gl
ori
adoesnotev
encookf
orus–ev
er.
”

QueenNandi :
“Iknow,myboy ,
Iknow.Gl or
ia,
donot
worryyoursel
faboutthi
s.Zweli,
takehertoyour
r
oom.I tisnotsafeforhert
obeal onetoni
ght.We
wil
ldealwiththi
stomorrow.
”

Ihavenoi deawhatshemeantbyi tisnotsaf efor

hertobeal onetoni ght ,butIhaveaf eelingshe
al
readysawi tlongt i
mecomi ng.Zwel inoddedas
hetookt hewor r
iedGl oriaawayt ohisr oom.Ilove
howZwel i
ii
ssoconf identandheknowsGl ori
atoo
well
.Iknowi twithinmygutt hatGloriawoulddono
suchthingtoany onef orthatmatter.Imi ghtnot
haveknownherf orv erylong,butIthinkIknow her
wellenought osayt hatshei sofpur ehear t
.Iwas
abouttocleanup, butQueenNandi heldmebymy
hand.

QueenNandi
:“Leav
eit,wewil
lsorti
toutlat
er.We
cangetot
her
st odothat.Youcannotcooksucha
l
ovel
ymeal
forusanddot
hedi
shesaswel
l
.”

Ismi
l
edather
.Shei
ssoki
nd.

QueenNandi
:“Iknowy ou’
reconf
used,
butt
het
rut
h
shal
lber
eveal
edt oyou.”

That
o:(
sigh)“
Itisj
usthar
d,becauseIj
ustwantmy
l
if
etogobackt onormal
.”

QueenNandi :
“Itwil
lgobacktonor mal,
buttoanew
normal.Theyweren’tl
yi
ngtoy ouwhent heysai
d
youweremeantt obequeen,Thato.Whydoy ou
thi
nkNonkanyisochosetorevealhersel
ftoyou
i
nsteadofherparentsorevenmy sel
f?”

Isattherequi
etf
orafewmoments,
try
ingto
processwhatshewastel
l
ingme.Am Ireal
l
ythat
special
?
QueenNandi
:“Your
eall
ytendtounderesti
mat
e
your
sel
fandthepowerofyourpr
ayers.”

Ithi
nkshei
sright
.Mostoft
hetime,
Idoubtal
otof
thi
ngsandquesti
onawhol
elot
.

QueenNandi :“
Youwer edesti
nedf orgreatness,and
youwi l
l betheonewhoi sgoingtochanget his
whol ekingdom, butyouknow, everythi
ngcomesata
pri
ce.Mostoft het i
me, thegood-heartedones
sufferthemost .Youwi l
lchangeev eryt
hingandbe
theonet osavethisKingdom.Youknow, youar e
actuall
yt heri
chestpersoni nthi
sKi ngdom, yetyou
don’tevenknowi tyet
.

Hanginthere,
theonewhodisr
espectedy outhe
mostwheny oufir
star
ri
vedher
ewillbeaty our
mercyoneday .Youwil
lbet
heonebr otherswil
lbe
f
ighti
ngfor,
andonegoodheartedbrother,i
sgoing
tosacri
fi
cehimselfforyou.Iti
snotyourf
aul
tast
o
howthingstur
nout ,butevent
uall
yyouwil
lbe
reuni
tedwit
hy ourhusband.”

Ist
il
ldon’
tgetwhatshemeans,
butIhopeIwi
l
lbe
abl
etorememberherwords.

That
o:“
Ijusthav
eaquest
ion,
Ma.
”

QueenNandi
:“Youar
ewel
comet
oaskany
thi
ngy
ou
wouldl
i
ke.
”

Thato: “
Whati stheproblem wi thQueenNombul el
o?
Imean, Idon’tmeant obef orwar d,butwhenI
arri
vedher eshewasv er
ywar m andwel comingand
sheisoneoft hepeoplewhoact ual
lywasni
cet ome.
Imean, IthoughtsheandGl oriahadagood
rel
ationship,
butIdon’tunder standt hewayshe
reactedtowardst henewsoft heengagement .
”
QueenNandi :(
chuckli
ng)“Oh,thatone.Shej usthas
somei ssues.Shei sani
ceperson, butshet endst o
forgetwher eshecomesf rom everynowandt hen.
Youseeev ersinceRomeot ookNonkany i
soaway
from them, shedoesnotthinkthatRoy alsshoul d
mar rycommoner s,ev
enthoughbot hherandt he
Kingchangedt helawsyearsago, andmadei t
possiblefornon-royal
stomar r
yi ntoroyalt
y.”

Oh,Igeti
t,shehassomei ssuesaboutpeopl
ewho
don’
thaveblueblood.Igetit.I
tmustbepainful
to
l
iveeachdayknowingyourdaught erdi
ed,
butyou
havenoideawhereshewasbur i
ed.

That
o:“
Isee,
Ma.
”

QueenNandi
:“Got
akear
est
.Ishal
lseey
ou
t
omorrow.
”

Ismi
l
edasshegav
emeonewar
m hug.Ir
eal
l
ymi
ss
myNana.Li feistr
ulysomet hingelse,youknow.I
j
ustmetmyf amil
y,andnowIwast akenawayf rom
them.Ican’ tevencallmyNanaj usttohearwhat
shewoul dthinkofthissituation.Ican’tevencall
Rami andtellheraboutmynewl i
fe,andIcan’
tev en
gotoschool .I’
m prettysureIam goi ngtofai
lthis
year,
reall
y.Iwenti ntomyr oom andt r
iedt
owat ch
somet v,butsadlyIjustfeel toosaddenedt oeven
doany t
hing.

Iam wonder ingjusthowGl ori

aisfeeli
ngr i
ghtnow.I
woul dalsobedev astatedifIwereaccusedof
witchcraft.Ihear dhersayt hatshouldy oubef ound
guilt
yofpr acti
cingwitchcraftontheKingorQueen
oranymember softher oy
al famil
y,yougetbur nt
al
ivei nfrontoft hewhol evill
age.Ili
tmycandl eand
start
edpr aying.Ipouredmyhear touttomyGod,
andIf eltreli
ev edaft
erwards.Ideci dedt ogeti
nto
bedandt ryandsl eep.

Pr
incessNomsa
Idon’tunder standwhathappened, butifitwas
God’swi ll
thatsav edmet here, It
hankHi m.Idon’ t
praymuch, butIt hankHi m.Iwentupt omy
bedroom r i
ghtaf termyannoy inggrandmot herwas
rudetowar dsmyhusbandandIt hewhol eni ght
.
Mxm, sheact slikeshei sbetterthanall ofushere.I
mean, ifshewasr eal
l
yat rueSpi ri
tualguideasshe
clai
ms, thenshewoul dhav eseenev erythingthat
hashappened–especi all
ywit hNonkany i
so.

Ihav egot t
ent oofarf ormypl anstober uinedr i
ght
thi
sinst ant.Ineedsomet hingstrongerthanwhatI
haveact ual l
yt r
ied,andBhenguhast ogi veittome.
Theycoul dn’tevenseet hroughme, thoseidiots.
Nowt hatIknowmysocal ledGogo( Granny)isn’tas
spi
r i
tuallygiftedasshecl aims, Icangoaheadand
fi
nishwhatIst art
ed.I fhisher bsdon’ twork,Iwill
j
usthav et ogetabul letrightthroughmyf ather’s
heart.AsIsatont hebed, t
ryi
ngt oshakeof fmy
nerves,inwal kedDer i
ck.
Der
ick:“
Yazinaweuyi
sli
ma(
Youknow,
youcanbe
sostupi
d)atti
mes.
”

Nomsa: (
annoyed)“
Derick,ucabanagaukuthi
ungubaniwena(Whodoy outhi
nky ouare)
?Si nce
whendoy ouhaveball
sbi genought oaddressme
l
ikeIam j
ustastupi
drock? ”

Der
ick:
“Iwouldn’
tbespi
tt
ingthatshi
toutofmy
mouthknowingmyhusbandjustsavedmef r
om
bei
ngburntali
ve.
”

Nomsa:
(shocked)“
Itwasy
ou?
”

Der
ick:
“Whot
hef
uckel
secoul
dithav
ebeen?
”

Isatdown,
over
whel
medwi
thshock.Howdi
dhe
know?
Derick:“Youwerestupidenought oleavethemut hi
ri
ghtinbetweent hemattress.Lucki l
yIfoundi tandI
tookitstrai
ghttoGlori
a’sroom bef orewest arted
eati
ng.Iov erheardBongani sayingthattheywer e
goingt orai
dthehousedur ingdi nner.Youwer ejust
toost upi
dtoappearner vous,insteadofplayingyour
cardsr i
ghtbyactingcal
m. ”

Idon’tknowwhattosay,exceptbei
nggr
atef
uland
eter
nallythankf
ult
oDeri
ck.Hecanbeadumbf uck,
buthesur esavedmyass.

Nomsa:“Thankyou,mylove.Iwoul
dhav
ebeen
deadhaditnotbeenforyou.
”

Der
ick:
“Yousur
elycandoal
otbet
tert
hant
hat
.”

Nomsa:(
smil
i
ng)“Ofcour
se,
Ican.Youdeser
vet
he
whol
ethi
ngonthemenutoni
ght
.”
Deri
ck:(
smili
ng)“
Thati
smor
eli
kei
t.Now,
you
knowjusthowIli
kei
t.
”

Nomsa:
“Saynomor
e.”

IkneltdownasIwentf orhistrousers.Ilookedupat
him andIsawhi sey esstar
edownatmef ullof
desir
eandl ust.Ican’twaittopleasemymant he
wayIneedt o.Isl
owl yunzippedhi spantsandas
theyfellr
ightdown, Ir
emov edhi sunderwearwi t
hout
hesit
ation.Iknowj usthowhel i
kesit,soIdidn’t
wasteanyt imeasIshov edhi salreadyharddi ckint
o
mymout h.Iloveitwhenhemoansandcal lsoutmy
name.Wemaybemar ri
edf oryears,butthatdoes
notmeanwehav etobest i
ffabouti t
.

Der
ick:
(moani
ng)“
Aaaah,
fuck!Nomsa!
”

Iwentf
ast
erandf
ast
er,
whi
l
eal
l
owi
ngmyhandt
o
gentl
yrubhisballsatthesametime.Icoul
dfeelhe
wasclosesincehest art
edhol
dingmyheadand
pushi
ngmedeepert owardshi
scock.AsIcont i
nued
tosuck,hesprayedhisloadi
ntomymout h,
after
l
etti
ngoutal oudgrowl.

Deri
ck:“
Aaaaaah,
shi
t.Youknowj
usthowIl
i
kei
t,
baby.
”

Ismi l
edasIswal l
owedhisl oad.Iam amast erof
professionwhenitcomest ot hatdepar
tment.NowI
j
usthav et
of i
ndawayt odeal withmyf at
heronce
andf orall
.Thatthronebelongst omeandi ti
shigh
ti
met heyknowthat,butf
ir
st ,
Ihav etodealwi
ththat
bit
chI sabel
la.Sheisstar
tingt ogetonmyner ves.

Gl
ori
a

Ican’
tbel
i
evejusthowcr uel
li
fecanbe.Ij
ustf
ound
l
oveandIhavefinal
lyaccept
edthemanofmy
dreamsi ntomyhear t
,andnow, Iam beingaccused
ofwitchcraft.Ifoundmy selfweepinginZweli’
s
armsoncewegott ohi sroom.Hewoul dalwayscal
l
met ohi sroom, justtospendt henightwithmeand
henev erwant edt odoany thingsexualwithme.But
now,If eelasifitmi ghtjustbeourl astnight
toget
her ,andImi ghtwakeupdeadt omor r
ow.

Zweli
:(sad)“ Myf l
ower,Ngiyakucel
a(Ibegofy ou)
.
Ungakhalikangaka( Don’tcrysomuch).Irefuseto
l
etyoual l
owy ourcoarsetearsrui
nyourbeauty,
moreespeci all
ywhenwehav esomucht o
cel
ebrate.
”

Glor
ia:(
cryi
ng)“Zweli
,Ican’
tdothi
s.Ireal
lycan’
t.I
am notdesti
nedforhappiness,
andthesoonerI
acceptt
hat,thebet
teritwouldbef
orthebothofus.
”

Zweli
:(di
sappoint
ed)“Manj
euthini
,St
handwasami
(So,
whatarey ousayi
ng,mylove)?
”
Gl
ori
a:“
Iam say
ing,
thatIcanseet
hatourlov
eis
t
aint
edbyevi
lpeopl
e.Iaskonethi
ngofy ou.
”

Zwel
i
:“Any
thi
ng.
”

Gl
ori
a:“
Please,
makel
ovet
ome.
”

Zwel
i:(
shocked)“
Cha(No)
,St
handwasami(
My
l
ove)
.Iwantourfir
stt
imetobespeci
al.
”

Gl
ori
a:(
tear
y)“
Youdon’
tdesi
reme?
”

Zweli
:(si
gh)“I
t’
snotthat,
andy ouknowi t
.Howcan
Inotdesi
reyouwheny oumakemybl oodhot
wheneverIseeyou?Yout ur
nmei nt
oahot -
blooded
beastandIhavetocontai
nmy selfwheneverIjust
thi
nkofyou.”
Gl
ori
a:“Thenmakelov
etome,
Zwel
i
.Whoknows
whatt
omor r
owholds?
”

Zweli
:“Pl
ease,
Idon’
twantt
otakeadv
ant
ageof
you.
”

Ididn’tev
enwai tf
orhi mtof ini
shhissentenceand
protestanyfurther,i
nstead, Iki
ssedhim.Iam not
muchofaki sserashei st hef i
rstmanIhaveever
ki
ssedi nmyl if
e.Hewasshockedashi sbodywasa
bitsti
ffatfi
rst,butafterIdidn’twanttoremovemy
l
ipsf r
om his,heslowl yrel
axedandki ssedmeback.
Hepausedashepul ledoutoft heki
ssandlookedat
medeepi ntheey es.

Zwel
i
:“Ar
eyousur
eyouwantt
odot
his,
myl
ove?
”

Gl
ori
a:“
Yes,
Iam sur
e.”
Chapt
erNi
net
yFi
ve

Psal
m 9:10–“ Thosewhoknowy ournamet r
usti
n
you,f
oryou,Lord,Ihav
eneverf
orsakenthosewho
seekyou.”

Gl
ori
a

Ineverimagi nedmyf irsttimewi t

hamanl i
kethi
s.I
mean, yes,itfeelsspecial,butIimagi nedal lt
he
rosesandf lower sandev eryt
hingel seweseeont v.
But,i
fIdon’ tdot hi
snow, Imightnev ergett he
chancet odoi t–ev er.AsZwel i
kissedmeback, I
fel
tav eryfunny ,ti
ngl
yf eeli
ngdownt here.Ihav e
heardIsabellatellmeabouthowni cei tfeel
swhena
mant ouchesy ou,andhowmuchni ceri tiswhenhe
hashist onguedownt here.

Oh,no,Idon’
tthi
nkIcoul
deverl
etamanli
ckmy
geni
tal
s.Ihaveseenalotofwomenenj
oyi
tont
v,
butIthoughti
twasjustact ing.Ialwayschanged
thechannelasIdon’treall
yhav eanysexual
experi
ence.Zweligentlyplacedmeont hebackand
l
etmel ieonmyback.Hesl owlycameont opofme
andkissedmesopassi onately
.Ifeltmytongue
danci
ngt othesamer hythm ashis.

Ihavenev erevenFrenchkissedany onebef ore,

I
guessitcomesnat ural
ly.Ifel
tmy selfbeing
overwhel
medwi thi
ncredibl
eheatandIl ovei
t.He
pull
edoutandki ssedmyneck, Icouldn’thelpbut
moanasIgr abbedthesheets.Am It ransfor
ming
i
ntoasexgoddessorwhat ?

Iti
sasi fIhavenocontrolovermyownbody .
Moans, ti
nglesandsensati
onsar eescapi
ngmy
bodyinvoluntari
l
y.Whyi smybodybet ray
ingme?
Howcani tnotwhenthi
sman’ shandsandl i
psare
capableofsuchmagi c?Heki ssedmyneckashe
removedmydr ess.I
tisastrappeddress,sohe
gentl
ysliditoffmyshoulder
s.
Heki ssedmyshoul derssogent l
yandkeptglancing
atmewi t
habr oadsmi leonhi sfaceeverynowand
then.Iact ual
lyfeltmy selfbecomeshyashel ooked
atme.Her emov edmydr essasher emov edhis
shirt
.Ittookmeasecondt ocomebackt oearth
afterseei
nghi sbeaut if
ul,well-
buil
tbody.Ithought
suchbodi esonl yexistont v,butIguessIam one
l
uckygi rl
.Iev enf or
gotf orasecondt hatIwas
stari
ngathi m.

Zweli
:(smil
ing)“
Don’
tst
aresomuch,
myl
ove.Thi
s
bodybelongstoyouf
orenteni
ty.
”

Myhear tsankashesai dthat.Iknowj usthow

unforgi
vingQueenNombucanbe.Ihav eseenmany
gir
lscomei nandoutofher e, t
ryi
ngtheirl
uckon
them withblackmagicandi tneverendedwellforal
l
ofthem.Thel awst i
l
lsti
pulatesthati
ffoundguilt
yof
witchcr
aft,yougetburntal
iveinf r
ontofthewhole
communi t
y,sothati
tcouldbel essontoall
.
Someonehast ochangesomeoft her i
diculouslaws
here.Zwel iproceededtor emov
emybr a,andIf el
ta
bi
twei rdasIhav enev erhadanyot hermanseeme
naked, apartfr
om themanwhov iolatedme.If ound
my selfhidi
ngmybr east
swi t
hmyhands, buthe
gentlyremov edthem.

Zweli
:“Pl
ease,
don’
thi
deyourbeaut
yfr
om me,
my
l
ove.Iwanttoseeyou–all
ofyou.Ineedt
osee
you.
”

InoddedasIr emov edmyhandsf r

om mybr easts.
Hereacheddownt omyl i
psagainashe
passionatel
yki ssedme.Af teraf
ewmi nutes,hi
s
l
ipstraveledtomybr easts,ashegentl
ykissedand
suckedmyni pples.Ifeltsomanybeaut i
ful
sensationsrunningt hr
oughmybody .

Gl
ori
a:(
moani
ng)“
Aaah,
Zwel
i
…”
Itseemedasi fheenj oy edmymoans, becausehe
suckedwi thmor edriv
e, mor epassionassoonasI
didthat.Heallowedhi sl i
pst otraveldownmynav el
andr i
ghttomybi ki
nil
ine.If elti
nstantGoosebumps
asmyt oescurled.Hesl owlyr emov edmy
underwearandgotbackupt okissmyv agi
na.He
hasn’tevendoneany t
hingt ome, y
etIfeelsowet
downt here,l
i
keIam aboutt our i
nat e.Hetri
ed
spreadingmyl egs,butIheldt hem togetherfi
rmly
.

Zwel
i
:“Doy
out
rustme?
”

Inodded.

Zweli
:ThenRel
ax,
Sthandwasami
(Myl
ove)
,Iwon’
t
bi
te.Ipromi
se.
”

Il
etl
ooseal
it
tl
eashespreadmylegsapartwi
thso
muchlov
eandcar
e.Helookedatmyvaginaand
smil
ed.ThenIsawhi sheadgodownt here.Oh, no!
WhatifItastelikefi
shorsomet hi
ng?!Ican’teven
begi
ntodescr ibewhatIt astel i
ke.Ifoundmy self
cl
osingmyey es,asIdon’ twantt oimaginemy self
dyi
ngofembar rassment .Ifeltsomuchpl easureas
hestartedfl
i
cki nghistongueonmycl i
tori
s.Ifeltso
muchr ushandheatr usht hr
oughmybodyl ike
oncomingtraffic.Icouldn’tevenstopit.

Ifoundmyhandst ravel
ingtohi sheadandgent l
y
squeezinghisbeaut if
ull
yshav enhead.Themor eI
mov edandmoaned, t
hemor ehekeptl i
cking.His
l
ipsalternat
edmov ement sbetweensucki ngmy
cli
tori
sandsucki ngmyv agi
nal entrance.Ifeltl
i
keI
wasaboutt ourinateonceagai n,asItri
edt ospeak
up.Ican’ ti
maginepeei ngrightinhi smouth.He
wouldnev erfor
giveme.

Glori
a:(
moaning)“Aaa,Zwel
i.Please,wai
t…
ngizi
zwaungathingi
funaukuchama( If
eell
ikeIneed
touri
nate)
.”
Hepausedf
oramoment
.

Zweli
:“You’reabouttohaveanor gasm,mylove.I t
i
snotact ualurine.I
fyouletoutsomef l
uid,
theny ou
wil
lbesqui r
ting.Ican’
twaittoseethebeautyon
yourf
acecausedbymypl easur
abletongue.Please,
comeforme, myl ov
e.Please.”

Idon’tevenknowwhathemeans, buthewentback
downt hereandatemeoutl i
kehewasdoi ngi
tfor
dearlif
e.Ifel
tsomuchheatov er
takemywhol e
body–ev enmyhead.Thenextthing,ahuge,
overwhelmingrushofheatcameov ermeandIfel
t
my sel
fmoanoutl oudandshake.

Gl
ori
a:(
Moani
ng)Aaaah!
”

Heki
ssedmycli
tor
isandcameupt omeandki
ssed
me.Idi
dn’
tev
enmi ndhim hav
ingsomeofmyf
lui
d
onmeandt
obehonest
,Idon’
ttast
ehal
fbad.He
br
oket
heki
ssandl
ookedatme.

Zwel
i
:(smil
i
ng)“
Yout
ast
esogood,
Sthandwasami
(Myl
ove)
.”

Ismi
l
edfeel
ingabitembar
rassedandt
henhegav
e
measer
iouslook.

Zwel
i
:“Ar
eyousur
eyouwantt
odot
his?
”

Ihavenev erbeenmor esureofany

thinginmyl if
e.I
am notar isktakeratal
l,
butthi
sti
me, i
tjustfeel
s
ri
ght.Isabellawasr i
ght
;whenyoufindlove,hang
ontoitandnev erletgo.

Gl
ori
a:“
Yes,
Iam sur
e.”
Zwel
itookoffhi
sunder
wearasheposi
ti
oned
hi
mselfinbet
weenmylegs.

Zwel
i:“
Thismighthur
tjustal
it
tl
ebit
,mylove,
but
pl
easetel
lmewhenev eryouf
eelpai
nandyouwant
metostop,okay?
”

Inoddedanxi ousl
y.Hest art
edgentlytry
ingt oputa
smal lpartofhi
spenisint
omyv agi
na,andIf el
tabit
ofpain, al
mostasifsomet hi
ngwasst retchingmy
vagina.Hepr oceededtotryandinsertal i
tt
lebit
moreandIf el
tastingi
ngpain,asIjumpedupal i
tt
le
bit
.

Zwel
i
:“Doy
ouwantmet
ost
op?
”

Iwoul
drat
herbeart
hepai
n.

Gl
ori
a:(
Shaki
nghead)“
No…”
Hepr oceededt otryt hatandeventhoughithurt
,it
fi
nal l
ywenti n.Ifeltasifmywhol eabdomenwasa
bitstiff,al
mostt hesamef eel
ingofbeing
const ipated,butinonespoti nmyt ummy .He
thrustedasIf el
tsomuchpai n,butaglimpseof
pleasur ecr eepi
ngi n.Thepainwaspr obably95%
mor et hant hepleasur e.Zwel
i wassogentleand
l
ov ing, hekeptcar essingmeandki ssi
ngme
ever y
wher e.

MyGod, thisisthemostbeaut i
ful
momentIhav e
everexper i
enced.Myf at
heroncetol
dmet hatsexi
s
pleasurable,butevenmor ebeauti
ful
wheny oudoit
att heri
ghtt i
me, wi
ththerightman.Ithi
nkhewas
talkingaboutthisverymomentIam experienci
ng
ri
ghther e.

Zwel
i
:“Il
ovey
ou,
Glor
ia.
”
Gl
ori
a:“
Ilov
eyout
oo,
Zwel
i
.”

Aft
eralongwhi l
e,asIbear
edthepain,heletouta
l
oudgrowl ashisbodybecamest i
ff
enedandhehel d
ont
omet ightl
y.Hesooncol l
apsedont opofme
andki
ssedme.

Zwel
i
:“I
’
llber
ightback.
”

Inoddedashewenti nt
ohisensuitebathroom and
camebackwi t
hatowelandgentlywipedmedown
there.Ifeltasti
ngi
ngsensati
on.Damn, people
didn’tl
i
ebacki nschoolwhentheysai
df i
rstti
mesex
i
spai nfulashell
.

Zwel
i
:“St
ayher
e,Iwi
l
lber
ightback.
”

InoddedasIhear
dhim opent
hetapsi
nthe
bathr
oom.Perhapshewantstot
akeabath,
Idon’
t
know.Hecamebackaf teraf
ewmi nutesand
pickedmeup.Howdoeshemanaget opi ckupa
girlwi
thmysizedbums?Hecaref
ullyplacedmein
hisbatht
ub.

Ifeltitst
ingabi tdownt her
e,butIf
eltasoothi
ng
rel
iefshor t
lyafter
war ds.Hehadputinbathsalt
s
andl avenderoilsinthetub.Iam notusedtoseei
ng
amanwal karoundnakedi nfr
ontofme.Hi sthi
ng
keptdangl i
ngi nfrontofme.Ifeltmysel
fblushand
l
ookaway .

Zweli
:(chuckl
i
ng)“
Don’tbeshy
,lov
e.Thi
sbel
ongs
toyounow.Mov eoverforme.
”

Hawu( Gosh),Zwelii
sgett
ingint
othetubnow?I
guesst wopeoplecanfi
tinanactualbathtub.He
camei nandplacedmei nbetweenhislegsashe
star
tedwashingmybackandgent l
ykissi
ngmy
shoulders.
Zweli:“
Thankyousomuchf orthi
sbeaut if
ulgif
t,
Glori
a.Ipromisetoneverhur tyounorl eaveyou.
Youar emeantformeandy oudon’tknowhowof t
en
IprayandgivethankstoGodf orgi
v i
ngmey ou.
Wakingupt oyourbeauti
ful f
aceev erymor ni
ngis
myul t
imatewish,andmaki ngy ousmi l
e
permanentl
yismyet er
nal goal.”

I
tbr okemyheartknowingverywellwhatIhav ein
mind.Ijusthopeheunderstandsmyr easonsfor
doingthi
s.Idon’tthi
nkIcanseemy selfbei
ngina
familywhereIam notwanted.IloveZwel i
,butdoI
haveenoughst r
engthinmef orhi
sfami lydrama?

QueenNombul
elo

Ican’
tbeli
evemymot her
-i
n-l
awsawi tf
itto
humil
iat
emey etagai
n.Aft
erall
theseyears,
all
I
haveeverhopedforwasthatshewouldtakemy
secrettothegrave.Yes, Iam notperfect
,butIam
royal
.Al lt
hesecommoner s, hav
eshownmet hat
theycan’tuphol
dt hestandar dsofroy
al l
i
fe.Iam
notpettyoranythi
ng,Iam j ustbeingr
eali
sti
c.Iwill
bedamnedi fIl
etanothercommonert akeawayany
ofmyl ovedonest hewayRomeot ookNonkanyiso
awayf r
om me.

Ist i
ll
mour nhertodate.Now, Ihavetodeal wi
th
rehashingt hepasttomyhusband.Ihav enever
seenhi m sohar dened.Heisusual lywarmt owards
meandwenev ergotobedwi thouthashingoutour
diff
erences.Heal wayscuddlesmei nbedandwai t
s
formet ogetdr essed.Henev ersleepsbeforeIget
i
n, buttonight,
itisadiff
erentstory.

Hewentt ot
akeashowerandt hencamebackto
getdr
essedandimmediat
elygotint
obed.Iwentto
dothesame,andfoundhi
m alr
eadylyi
ngi
nbedwi t
h
hi
seyesshut.
QueenNombu:
“Nt
sika,
canwet
alkpl
ease?
”

Hedi
dn’
trespond.

QueenNombu:
“Nt
sika….
”

Hest
il
lkeptqui
et.

QueenNombu:
“MyKi
ng.
”

IguessItr
iedtoohar
d,becausehesnappedatme
ri
ghtthati
nstant
.

KingNt si
ka:“Dammit,man,Nombul elo!Awuboni
ukuthisengif
unaukulal
a(Can’tyouseeIwantt o
sl
eep)?!Whati sitt
hatyouwantt otal
kaboutaft
er
al
l t
hesey ear
s?Onlynowy oufeel t
heneedtotal
k?!
Okay,then!Asikhul
ume( Let’
stalk)!Let’
stal
kabout
yourdi
sgust i
ngwhoringway s!Angithi
wenauy il
e
wayovulelaumfowethuimi l
enzewav el
ewami t
ha
(
Youdeci dedony ourownaccor dtoopeny ourl
egs
t
omyv eryownbr ot
herandgetpr egnant)
!Angithi
wenav elebeuzit
handelaipipi
,Nombulelo(Youdid
l
ovedickt hatmuch,isn’
tthatri
ght)
?!”

Myhusbandwasspi tt
ingf
ire.Neverinall
theyear
s
wehav ebeenmar ri
edhasheev erspokentomel i
ke
Iwastrashli
kethis.Ifeel
sobr oken,soal
one.Ihurt
myhusband, deeplyandnowhemi ghtj
ustnev
er
for
giv
eme.

QueenNombu:
(tear
y)“
Ngi
yaxol
i
sa(
I’
m sor
ry)
,
Ntsi
ka.
”

Ntsi
ka:“MauneSor
ryngempela(I
fyou’
rer
eal
l
y
sorr
y),
leav
emet hefuckal
one!”

Het
urnedt
otheot
hersi
dewi
thhi
sbackf
aci
ngme
andIfel
tmywholeworl
dshat
ter
edr
ightt
her
eand
then.Whatonear
thhav
eIdone?

That
o

Nonkanyi
so:“That
o!Isabell
a!Wakeup!Vukasisi
(Wakeup)!Wakeupandf acethedevi
lwit
hyour
owntwoey es!Youcannotf i
ghtherwhenyouar
e
soundasl
eep.”

Ifoundmy sel
fopeningmyey eswideopenasIwoke
upinthemi ddleoft
hedream.Thedr eam was
nothi
ngcompar edt
othemov ieIwasexperi
encing
withmyv eryownnakedey e.Nonkanyi
soappear ed
ri
ghtinf
rontofmeasusual ,
inherwhit
eclothi
ng,
butwhatisev enmoreastoundingi
sthefactthat
Nomsai sstandingri
ghti
nf r
ontofmewi t
hast eak
knif
einbothherhands.

If
oundmy
sel
fst
ari
ngatherwi
thmyey
eswi
deopen
duetoshock.Isupposedshecoul dn’
tsee
Nonkany i
so,
butIcould.Nomsawasshockedt hatI
star
edatherrighti
ntheey ewi
ththeknifer
ightupin
theair
.Iam guessingsheisabouttostabme.I
l
ookedatNonkany i
sowi t
hmysi deeyeasshe
encouragedme.

Nonkany
iso:
“Facet
hedevi
l
,That
o,nowi
snott
he
t
imetorun.Dowhatyoudobest
.Remembery
our
weapon.
”

Ideci
dedt
odotheonl
ythi
ngt
hatmadesenser
ight
ther
eandt
hen.

Thato:
“Modi mowakay oamakat sang( My
wonderful
,amazingGod) .Modi moy oar at
egang
(Mylovi
ngGod) .Iaskthaty oupleasedowhaty ou
dobest.Ridmybedr oom oft hi
sev i
lstandi
ngbefor
e
me.Hel pme, dearl
ord,forIdonotknowwhatI
havedonet owrongthiswomanbef oreme.Iask
youtoprotectmer i
ghtthisinst
ant,asy oupromi
sed
meinIsai
ah54:17–“Noweaponf
ormedagai
nst
youshal
lprosper
”!
”

AsIsai dthat,Isawsomet hi
ngIt houghtIwould
neverseewi t
hmyv eryowney e;Nomsa’ seyeswere
widened, almostli
ket heywereaboutt oexplode.
Thekni feturnedslowlyinherhands, almostasif
sheher selfhadlostcontrolofitanditwassway ing
hertowar dsadi f
ferentdir
ecti
on.Isawt heknif
e
beinglower edslowlybutIcarriedonpr ayi
ng.

Thato:“Foryoulord,knowt hatnobaddeedgoes
unpunished.Fory ouknewusbef oreyouf ormedus
i
nt hewomb; Jer
emi ah1:5.Youwhoi stheKi ngof
Kings,themakerofal landt heway,thetruthandli
fe.
Noev i
l i
sgreaterthany ourpower,oh,God.No
wickednessshalleverdef eatthewordandpowerof
God!”

Bef
oreIknewit
,Nomsawasunabletospeak,ast
he
kni
fedr
if
tedherhandsandshest
abbedhersel
fri
ght
i
nt hegut
.Shest oodinfrontofmeforawhil
e,andI
fr
ozenotknowi ngwhattodo.Sheslowlytur
ned
awayfrom me, wi
thoutsayi
ngaword,andshe
walkedoutwiththeknif
estuckri
ghti
ntohergut.I
haveneverbeenthisscaredinmywholeli
fe.

Myquest ionis;Ilockedmydoorbef oregoingback

tobed, howdi dshegeti n?Istruggl
edsleeping
after
war ds,especiall
ysinceNonkanyiso
disappeared.Iwentbackt olockmydoor ,butfear
creptinasIt houghtNomsawoul dcomebackt o
fi
nishmeof f.AllIknowi sIexperi
encedan
i
mmensepowersuppl i
edbytheLordJesusChr ist
andnot hingbeat sprayerandfait
h.
Chapt
erNi
net
ySi
x

Luke:1:
37–“
Fornot
hingwi
l
lbei
mpossi
blewi
th
God.”

That
o
Ididn’tsl
eepsowel ll
astnight.AsIopenedmyey es,
Ireali
zedthatitiswayhot terthanusual
.Ichecked
myphoneandi tis7am.Shi t!Imusthaveoverslept!
Ican’tbefloppingli
ket hi
sespeciall
ywhenIhav en’t
evenbeenwor kingforamont hev en!Iqui
ckl
ywent
i
ntot hebedroom andwi pedmyf ace.Therei
sno
ti
met oeventakeabat h.

Ibrushedmyt eethandheadedout.Iwonderwhere
Glori
aisandwhyshedi dn’twakeme.Thisisso
unli
keherbecausesheusual l
ygetsupbefor
eme.
AsIwasaboutt oheadtothekit
chen,
IfoundQueen
Nandi eat
ingopposit
eZenande.Shewasev en
hummi ngasong.Idon’ tseeQueenNombuort he
KingnordoIseeGl ori
aorZwel i
.

Thisisgoingtobeamessyday .Ican’tdoanyt
hing
withoutGlor
iabesideme.Shedidgot oZweli
’s
room lastni
ght,sohowam Igoi
ngt ocoverf
orher
withoutthem t
hinki
ngshei
sthrowinghersel
fathim
orsomethi
ng?Islowlywal
kedtowar
dst
heki
tchen,
butQueenNandistoppedme.

QueenNandi
:“Wozal
ana,
ntombi
(Comeher
e,my
gi
rl
).
”

IheadedtoherandIat
temptedtobow,
butshe
stoppedmerighti
nmyt r
acks.

QueenNandi:“
Don’
tyoudarebowtome.Thoseare
nott
heway sofmykingdom.Ihav
enoideawhy
Nombulel
ocameupwi thsuchast
upi
dtradi
ti
on.
”

Ismil
edasIl
ookedupather
.Shedi
dn’
tev
enl
ook
angr
yatal
l.

QueenNandi
:“Whatar
eyouwai
ti
ngf
or?Si
t.Joi
n
usforbr
eakf
ast.
”
IsatdownnexttoherandIgreetedZenandeeven
thoughIam expect
ingascor
chinghotinsul
tasa
response.

That
o:“
Goodmor
ning,
Zenande.
”

Zenande:
“Mxm.
”

Ideci
dedt
oignor
eher
.Atl
eastIgr
eet
edher
.

QueenNandi:“
Mygirl
,i
fonl
yyouknewwhoyou
r
eall
yare,youwoul
dn’
tbesorudetowar
dsy
our
fut
urequeen.
”

Shejustrol
l
edhereyesatQueenNandi .Idon’tev
en
knowwhatshemeantbyherf i
rstsentence,t
hough.
ItseemsasifQueenNandihol
dsal otofthese
people’
ssecret
s.
QueenNandi:(chuckli
ng)“Youareluckyyouar
eway
acrosst
hetable,other
wisebengizokuhlaba
ngempama( Iwouldhav egaveyouonehar dsl
ap)
.”

Shekeptqui etandlookeddown.Whi lewewer e

eating,QueenNombuappear edlooki
ngrather
displeasedtoseemeatt hetabl
e.Onethingthatl
i
fe
hast aughtmet hi
spasty ear
,ist
hatpeoplecan
neverbet rust
ed.Aper soncanchangeony oui
nan
i
nst ant.

QueenNombu: (
annoy
ed)“Nandi
,i
sn’ti
tbadenough
youarerui
ningmymar ri
age?Nowy ouwantto
makey our
selfknowninthi
spal
acebyeatingwi
th
t
hemai d?”

Okay,
ther
eisthatwordagain.Idon’
tknow,
butI
j
usthatei
t.Iti
sverycondescendi
ng.Whynotuse
hel
perorhousehel
pinstead?
QueenNandi :(
chuckling: “
Hey ,wena(you)
Nombul elo.Maungi buka, ngiumganiwakhomi na
(DoIlookl i
key ourfr
iend) ?Youdon’ tevengreetus,
didwesl eepwi thyoul astnight?Now, youfeelthe
needtodi srespectuswhenwear et
ryi
ngtohav e
oursel
vesal ovel
ybreakf ast.
”

QueenNombu:“Thisi
swhymyhusbandgot
poi
soned.You’
retoofr
iendl
ywi
thpoorpeopl
e.”

Wow, kgant
esheisli
kethi
s?I
fonlysheknew
shame.Idon’tbl
amehermotheri
nlawfordi
sli
ki
ng
her.Sheisabitofabit
ch.

QueenNandi :“
Youf orgety
ouwer eoncepoor.I
madey ouwena.Don’ tlettheri
chesgett oyour
head.Ifonlyyouknewwhati sreall
yhappeningri
ght
underyournose.Imagi ne,
aQueenwhocannotev en
runherownbusi nesses.Uy i
sli
makodwa( You’
re
suchanidiot)
.Al l
youdoi ssipcheapwi neallday
anddemand. ”
QueenNombu: (f
uming)“Iwon’
tbehavi
ngthis
conversat
ionwithyou.Andwena( y
ou),whereis
yourchancerfr
iendGlori
a?Shecouldn’
twaitto
thr
owher sel
fatmygr andson.
”
Iwasabouttor
espond,
butQueenNandi
keptt
he
i
nsul
tscoming.

QueenNandi :“Nombulelo,theonl yreasonwhyy our

husbandgotpoi sonedisbecausehemar ri
edal azy
woman.Secondl y,Gl
oriadidn’
tthr owher selfat
Zweli.Ifshehaddoneso, hewoul dnothav e
proposedt oher–wi l
li
nglythatis.Andl astl
y,you
shouldknowal laboutthrowingy ourselfatanother
man.Imean, youfuckedmyot herson. ”

Wow,thi
ngsar
eget
ti
ngreal
l
yheatedi
nher
eandI
don’
tknowwhi
chwaytogo,r
eal
l
y.

QueenNombu:
“Thati
sal
li
nthepast
.”
QueenNandi
:“I
fitwasr
eal
l
ythepast
,whyi
smyson
st
il
langr
yatyou?”

Itfeel
sli
keIam watchi
ngawarbetweenqueens
shame.Asshewasaboutt oanswer
,Zwel
icame
stormingdownthestai
rs.

Zweli
:(pani
cky
)“Wher
eisshe?
!Uphi
(Wher
eis
she)
?!”

QueenNombu:
“Who?
”

Zwel
i
:“Gl
ori
a!Shei
sgone,
Gogo(
granny
).Myl
ove
i
sgone!
”

Thatcan’
tbe.Glor
iawoul
dnotj
ustupandl
eav
eli
ke
that
.Shelit
eral
l
yhasnowher
etogo.
That
o:“
Didy
oucheckherbedr
oom?
”

Zweli
:“Herbagsaregone.Herclothesar
egone.
Ever
ythi
ngisjustgone.Sheevenleftmethi
snote,
butIdon’
tbeli
eveit
.MyGl or
iawoul dnev
erdosuch
tome.”

Hesl owlyhandedmethenot
e,andIreadit.Ever
y
l
ineIr eadbrokemyhear
tfur
therandfur
theri
nto
pieces.

“
DearZwel
i

Fir
stofall
,Iwouldliketoapol ogizeprof
uselyfor
whatIam abouttodo.Lastni ghtwast hebestni ght
ofmylife.Icoul
dnev erhaveimagi nedmyf i
rstti
me
withadecent,l
oving,caringandgor geousmanl ike
you.WhenIl ookaty ou,Iseewhatmyf atherwas
prepar
ingmef orallthosey ears.Youareexact l
y
whathetol
dmeabout
.Iwi
l
lnev
erf
orgety
ou,
butI
havet
oleave.

Itpainsmet hatIam beingaccusedofsomet hingI

wouldnev erdo.Al lIeverwant edwasajobandI
foundlov eint heprocess.Iwanty outobehappy
andIseet hatourlov ehasalreadybeentaint
edwi th
l
iesandbl ame.Iwi llal
way slov eyou,
myZwel i.
Pleasefindi tinyourhearttof orgi
vemef ort
his.I
hopey ouf indt hewomany ouar emeanttobewi th.
Love,Gloria.”

Ifeltat
earroughlyescapemyey easitfel
lont
ot he
pieceofpaper.Howcoul dGlori
ajustupandgol ike
that?Sheleftmeal oneinher
ewi t
hpeopleIhardly
know.Oh, myGl ori
a.Wher ewil
lIevenbegi
ntol ook?

Zwel
i
:“Gogo,
youhav
etohel
pmef
indher
.”

QueenNandi
:“Youwi
l
lfi
ndher
,myboy
.Don’
t
wor
ry.
”

Zwel
i
:“Ican’
tloseher
,Gogo.Ican’
t.
”

QueenNombu:“
Takethi
sasasign,Zwel
i.Perhaps
t
hisisGod’
swayofshowi
ngyouthatsheisguil
ty.
”

Zwel
i:(
anger
ed)“
Youar esuchawi t
ch,Granny.I
don’
tbl
ameNonkaf orl
eavingyouallt
hosey ear
s.
Shedeser
vedabett
ermot her
,tr
uly
.”

Zweliswif
tlywalkedbackupstai
rsaft
ertaki
ngt he
l
etterbackfrom myhands.Myhear tisweepingthe
l
ossofmynewf ri
end.Iknow,shewasnotsel f
ish,
butshefeltitwastheri
ghtthi
ngtodof orher
.AsI
wasaboutt oweepf ur
ther,
inwalkedDeri
ck,fuming.
Ai,
Iam aboutt ohaveav er
ytoughdaytoday.

Der
ick:
(Anger
ed)“
You!Umt
hakat
hi(
Youwi
tch)
!”
Yes,hewaspoint
ingatme.Idon’
tknowwhyIhav
e
tosuff
er,
honestl
y.Thi
sisj
usttoomuch.

QueenNandi
:“Hey
,wena(
you)
!”

Der
ick:“
Youst
abbedmywi
fe!Youmadeherst
ab
her
self
!”

SoIwasn’
tdreaming.Itact
ual
l
yhappened.Last
ni
ghtact
ual
lyhappened.

QueenNandi:“Doyouhaveev
idence?You’
resayi
ng
shestabbedyourwif
eandnowshemadeherst ab
her
self.Whichiswhich?
”

Deri
ck:“
Shewalkedbackintoourbedroom i
nthe
middl
eofthenightwit
haknifeinhergut.WhenI
askedherwhathappened,
shecouldn’
tspeak.I
rushedhertothehospi
tal
andrightaf
tersur
geryshe
keptsayi
ngIsabell
amadeherdoi t
.You’reafucki
ng
witchandforthatyoumustdi
e!”

Hewasaboutt oj
umpatme, butQueenNandigot
upandt hr
ewahugebowl whichwasfil
l
edwithal
l
theeggsri
ghtathi
sface.Shewasfumingtosay
thel
east.

QueenNandi
:“Youthi
nkthi
sisyourf
ather
’shouse,
wena(y
ou)Derick?Don’
tfuckwit
hme–nott oday.
”

Deri
ckwasbl eedingonhisf aceast hegl
assbowl
fel
ldownandbr okeintopieces.Ev enQueen
Nombuwasdeadqui etonceshesawQueenNandi ’
s
wrath.Iam surehadshesai danotherword,she
wasgoingtobeont hereceivingendaswel l
.Derick
j
usthuffedandpuf fedwhil
el ooki
ngatmewi thpure
hatr
ed.
Der
ick:
“You’
l
lpaygr
eat
lyf
ort
his.
”

I’
vehadal otofpeopl ethr
eat
eningmeinthepast,
andithasnev erbotheredme,butthi
sti
meitfeel
s
l
ikeDerickactuall
ymeantwhathesai d.Hewalked
awayasZenandef oll
owedhim.QueenNombual so
excusedherselfwhileIwasleftal
onewit
hQueen
Nandi.

QueenNandi :“
Youdon’tworryaboutanything,
That
o.
Iunderesti
matedyou,butyouhav eagreatpower
withi
ny ou.Yourpr
ayersarewor ki
ng.Nev ergi
veup.
Iknowy ouhavesomanyquest ions,butyouwill
reachyourdesti
nyver
ysoon.Icanseei tcoming
soonerr at
hert
hanexpected.

Icoul
dn’
thel
pbutst
artcr
ying.

Thato:“
But
,Ma,howwi l
lIcopewhenIl
oseev
ery
one
aroundme?Idon’tev
enknowwhatt odo.
”
QueenNandi:“Youwillseewhaty ouhavetodo,if
onl
yy oubel
ieve.Ikeept el
li
ngy outhatyouarethe
fut
urequeen,butseeminglyyoudon’ tbel
ievei
t.
Bel
ieveit
,andy ouwil
lseemi racles.Yourdest
iny
await
s,mydear .Hangi nthere.
”

Inoddedather
,butIst
il
lj
ustf
eel
li
keIneedsome
ai
r.

That
o:“
MayIbeexcused?
”

QueenNandi
:“Ofcourse,
mydear.Takeall
theti
me
youneed.Don’
tworryaboutNombul
elo,
Iwill
sor
t
herout
.”

InoddedasIj ustheadedout.Itdi
dn’tevenbot her
met hatIwasi nmyunifor
m.Imanagedt ogreet
Bekithroughmysadf ace,andIsadlydidn’teven
giv
ehi m achancetospeakt omeasusual .Iwalked
outofthey ar
dswi f
tl
y,andjustgoti
ntoat axi.Idon’t
evenknowwher
eIam headed,
butl
ucki
l
yIal
way
s
keepmoneyi
nmyunif
orm.

Ifoundmy selfdeepinthoughtandIcoul dn’

teven
hearanyonetryi
ngtost artaconv er
sati
onwithme.I
gotoffataforeignplace.Ididn’tevenaskthedri
ver
whereIwas, buthejusttoldmet hatitwashisl
ast
stop.Mymi ndwasf araway ,asIheadedoutand
walkedswift
lytowardst hegrass.

Ionlysawt hebuil
dingbehi ndmeandIdi dn’
tbother
tolookatt henamet hereof.Isatononeoft he
benches, anddrenchedmy sel
finmyt houghts.
Tearsst r
eameddownmyf aceasIst artedrecall
ing
howgoodmyl if
ewasj ustbefor eIcameher e.How
goodi tal
l wasbefor eRendani f
uckedupmyl i
fe.I
missmyf ather,
Imi ssKg, Imi ssRami .Ihadonl y
j
ustf oundKgandnowGl oriawasmysani t
yandshe
i
sal sogone.Iwi pedmyt earsof fasIlookedatmy
screenandadai l
yv ersemessagef r
om myBi bl
e
Appappear ed.
 “Her
brews11:1–Nowf aithistheassuranceof
thi
ngshopedfor,t
heconvicti
onofthingsnotseen.”
InawayIgetthatGodisspeakingtome, butIjust
needsomeonet otal
kto.Iknow, Tmanwar nedme
abouthavi
ngaphoneandhemadei tapointforme
nottocal
lpeopl
eIknow, buthewi l
lhavetoforgi
ve
me.Istil
lknowKg’snumberbyhear t.

Ist
il
lknowRami ’
snumberbyhear t.Imemor i
ze
peopl
e’snumbersincaseofemer gency.Itisanold
habi
tofwhichIam trulygreatf
ulf
or.Istaredatmy
phoneandcontemplatedcalli
ngoneoft hem.I
deci
dedfucki
t,I’
m cal
lingKg.Idial
edhisnumber
andheansweredhisphoneal mostimmedi atel
y.

Kg:
“Wol
fe.
”

Ikeptquietandf
elti
mmenset ear
sstr
eamingdown
myf ace.HowIhav eyear
nedsolongtohearhi
s
voice.Whenev erIsawhim withAnastacia,
myhear t
brokeint
oami l
li
onpieces,It
houghtIwoul dnever
recoverf
rom thateveragai
n.Howcr uelcanpeople
be?Theyr obbedusofachancet obepar ents,
tobe
newlyweds,toenjoyloveandlovelove.

Kg:
“Hel
l
o?”

IkeptquietasIwipedmyt
earsaway.Hemusthave
fel
treall
yannoyedbymysil
ence,
ashehungup.I
gatheredthecouraget
odi
alagai
n,andheanswer
ed
onthef i
rstr
ing.

Kg:“Look,
whoev
ery
ouar
e,t
hisi
snotf
ucki
ng
funny!
”

That
o:“
Kg.
”

Icoul
dhearhi
m easeupont
heot
herendoft
hel
i
ne.
Hewasi
ntot
aldi
sbel
i
ef.

Kg:
“TT?
”

That
o:“
Yes.
”

Kg:“
Oh,thankGod,TT!Ar
eyouokay
?Wher ear
e
you?Ihavemissedyousomuch,
myl ov
e.”

Icoul
dhearhi
m cr
yinbet
weenhi
squest
ions.

That
o:“
I’
mfi
ne.
”

Heari
nghi
sv oi
ceandtherel
iefini
t,broughtmeso
muchpeace.Ithi
nkthati
sallIneeded.If eel
li
keI
haveapurposeher
easIhavebeent old,sohow
wouldgoi
ngbackhomesol v
et heproblem?I
deci
dednottotel
lhi
m whereIwas.
Kg:
“Wher
ear
eyou?
”

Thato:
“Ican’tt
ell
youyetbutknowthatIam f
ine.I
am heret
or eachmydesti
ny,baby
.”

Kg:“No,TT,pleasedon’
tdothi
stome.Ineedyou,
I
havealwaysneededy ou.I
thasal
waysbeenyou,
l
ove.Wehav esomucht otal
kabout
.”

Thato:“Iknow,Iknowwhathappenedtoyouandi
t
i
sn’tyourfault
.Iknowyouhavealwayslovedme
andy oustil
ldo.Imissy
outoo.”

Kg:
(si
gh)“
Cany ouatl
easttel
lmeifyouarest
aying
i
nagoodplace?Aretheytaki
nggoodcareofyou?”

Ihadt
oli
eot
her
wisehewoul
dnev
erbel
i
eveme.
Thato:
“Yes,Iam well
takencar
eof.Howareyou
hol
dingup?Howi sGri
ngo?Imisshi
m somuch.I
am sosaddenedIcouldn’
tbeatMam’V’
sfuner
al.
”

Kg:“Iam somuchbet t
ernowt hatIhav
espokent o
you.Hei sokay,
hei srecover
ingf r
om t
heshooting.
Actuall
y,hehasrecoveredbasicall
y.Het ookahard
knock,butheiscomi ngbackst r
ongerthanever
.”

HowIwi sht
heworldwasjustthatsi
mple.Ihave
hadsomanyquestionsburni
ngmymi nd,butnone
ofthem mat
terany
mor ebecauseIhavefi
nal
ly
spokentomylove.

Thato:
“I’
m glad.Ican’
twai
ttoseey
ouonceal
lof
thi
sisover.
”

Kg:“
Oncei
tisov
er,Iam comi
ngstr
aightther
eto
cl
aimyoumyqueen.Iam goi
ngtogiveyouthe
weddi
ngyoudeser
ve,
andt
hef
ami
l
yyouhav
e
al
wayswanted.
”

Iam notevensureifIam abl

et oconcei
veagai
n
ri
ghtaft
erSontoruinedmyl i
fe.Hemusthav e
sensedmyr eact
ionsinceIpausedforawhil
eafter
hesaidthat.

Kg:“Iam sosorryforwhatyouwentthroughwhil
eI
wasgone, Thato.Iam sohurtthaty
oulostourbaby
i
nsuchamannerandwor stl
yIwawsn’tther
eto
comf or
tyou.Wehadbi gpl
ans,mylove,butknow
thatwecanhav ebiggeronesforIam backandno
onewi l
leverhurty
ouagain.Notwhi l
eIam ali
ve.
”

Ifel
tal
otofr
elief
,especi
all
ynowt
hatIam abl
eto
speakt
ohim aboutsuch.

Thato:
“Iam worr
ied,
Kg.shehur tmebadly
.She
rui
nedmylif
e,shekil
ledourbabyandIdon’
tev
en
knowifIwi
l
leverbeablet
ogi
vey
out
heki
dsy
ou
haveal
waysdr
eamtof .
”

Kg:“Iknow,
woul
dyoul
i
ket
oknowhowIknow
that
?”

That
o:“
Yes.
”

Kg: “Becauseabeaut i
ful
womanIf ell
inlovewi t
h
toldmet hatevery
thingispossibl
ewi thGodi nit.
Shehast aughtmet hatnomat t
erwhat ,Ishould
nev erlosemyf ait
hinGod, f
orHispromi sesalway s
prev ai
l.Asshel ovesherf avour
it
ev ersePhili
ppians
4:13–“ IcandoallthingsthroughChr i
stwho
strengthensme. ”Iknowherasapr ayerwar r
ior
, as
thequeenofmyhear t
,asthekindestwomani nthe
universe.

Iknowherasawomanwhohaspr ev
ail
edal
lodds
anddespi
teever
ythi
ngt
hatget
sthr
ownontoher,
shestil
lri
sesjustl i
ket hemorningsun.hermot her
wasr i
ghttonameherThat o,forshei
slovedby
manynat i
onsandshei stheloverofmany.It ake
pri
deinbei ngthekeeperofy ourheart
,Thato,forI
knowy ouar esuchar aregem.Iwi l
lal
waysl oveand
thankyouf oryounev ergav euponme.Ev enwhen
thegoinggott ough, y
ounev ergaveuponme.Ev en
whenIf ai
ledtopr otectyou,younevergaveup. ”

Ifeltmyselfsmi
ling,myheartbeamingwit
hjoyand
prideandmyf acel i
ghti
ngupli
kethatofasmall
child.Kgissti
llKg,myKg.Anast aci
amighthave
hadhi m,butshenev ergott
oownev enthesmall
est
pieceofhisheart.

That
o:“
Ilov
eyou,
Kg.
”

Kg: “
Ilov
eyouevenmore,That
oMaake.Oneof
thesedays,
youwil
lbemineonceagai
n.”
Iwasaboutt osaymyl astgoodby e’
stohi
m unti
lmy
batt
er ydied.Oh, well,atleastwegott ospeakabout
afewt hi
ngs.Iheldmyphonecl oset omyheart.
Conv ersati
onsarelikepi ctures;theybecomeso
engrav edintothemi nd.Memor i
esar efarbett
er
wheny oucanseet hem, butt heyar egr
eatwhenyou
gettor eplaythem i
ny ourmi nd.I twil
lst
ayinther
e
for
ev er.

Ifi
nall
ygotupt hebench, andlookedbehindme.I
nowcoul dseethebuildi
ngname“ EnandeNcube
Cli
nic”
.Wai tami nut
e,couldt hi
sbet hecli
nict
hat
theKingandQueenown?NowIbel i
eveitwhenGod
saysHei sthedoerofallthings.Howdi dIgethere?
Ifel
tapressingneedt ogoi n,eventhoughIdon’t
evenknowwhy .
Chapt
erNi
net
ySev
en

Romans8: 28–“ Andweknowt hatal

lthi
ngswork
toget
herforgoodt ot
hem thatl
oveGod, t
othem
whoar et
hecalledaccor
dingtohispurpose.
”
Kg

Ican’tbeli
ev ethatmypr ayer
shav ebeenwor ki
ngso
wellforme.Mywi f
ehascalledme.Ihav efi
nally
pouredmyhear toutandIam ev enhappierthather
heartstil
lbelongst ome.TobehonestIhav ebeen
blamingmy selfforsolong.Ipromisedtot akecare
ofherandIpr omi sedtobethereforher.Now, af
ter
mydi stastefulreacti
onthatdayatmyweddi ng,I
couldn’tfi
ndi tinmy selft
oev enfaceher.

Ithoughtshehat edme, butl

uckilytheheartwant s
whatitwant s.Idon’tthi
nkafterthi
sIwoul deverbe
abletolethergo.Imi sshersomuch, wordscan’ t
evenexpl ai
nit.Ihavebeensoanxi ousaboutt he
nexttimewewer egoingtospeak.Il oveherso
muchandt histi
me, t
hewhol ewor l
dwillknow.
Everyonewhomessedt hi
ngsupf orus,willr
egret
thedayt heyevenhadt hesmal l
estthoughtabout
ruini
ngourl i
ves.Ifoundmy selfsmili
ngasIst ared
atmyphonerightaf
tertal
ki
ngtomyThat
o.Idi
dn’
t
evenseeGr
ingostandingatt
hedoor
.

Gri
ngo:
“Theonl
ythi
ngthatcanmakeamansmi
l
e
t
hatmuch,i
smatter
softhehear
t.
”

Kg:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
Eish,
man,
,G.I
’
m whi
pped.
”

Gringo:(ser
ious)“
Don’
ttel
lmey ouhav
ef ounda
replacementformydaughternowWolfe.
”

Kg:(chuckli
ng)“Notatall
.Asamatt
eroff
act
,Ij
ust
spoketoy ourdaughterafewmi
nut
esago.
”

Gri
ngo:(
anxi
ous)“
Whydi
dn’
tyoucal
lme?!Isshe
okay?
!Whereisshe?
!Whatdi
dshesay
?!”

Kg:
“Cal
m down,
G.Shei
sfi
ne.Shedi
dn’
tsaywher
e
shei
s,butshesoundsr
eal
l
ywel
l
.”

Gr
ingo:
“I’
l
lgetTonyt
otr
acehercal
landf
indher
.”

Kg:“Don’
tyout
hinkthatwil
ll
eadt
heMar
ti
nel
l
i’
s
ri
ghttousbygett
ingher?”

Hestoodther
eforawhi
l
eandt
houghtaboutmy
quest
ion.

Gri
ngo:
“Perhapsy
ouar
eri
ght
.Ij
ustwantt
oseeher
t
hat’
sall
.”

Kg: “Metoo.ButIthinkweshoul
dlist
entoNana,
fi
nishthisshi
t,getthedeal
doneandthenourl
i
ves
wil
l getbacki
nor der.
”

Gr
ingo:
“Youar
eri
ght
.Iti
shi
ght
imewesor
tedout
thosebastards.Iam healedandIt
hinknowi sthe
ti
met ogooutonwar .I thasbeensolongsinceI
hav eseenLuigi
,andforhimtomessar oundwithme
afteral
lIhavedoneforhim.Hecant ouchmy
money–butnotmybl ood.Hemessedwi ththe
wrongman. ”

Iknowwear eallangry,butamanwhoi sfi

ghti
ngfor
hisdaughteriscapableofkill
i
ng.IwantRendani
ali
vesoIcanf inishhi
m of fmysel
f.Iwanthi
mt o
rel
iveever
yt err
iblet
hinghehasdonet ousasa
family
.Somewomenr eall
ybir
thusel
essshi
ts.

That
o

Isl
owlyf oundmyselfwal kingtowardst heent r
ance
ofthecli
nic.Iam soshocked, becauseal lcl
ini
csi n
SouthAfricahav
et erri
bleser v
ice;i
fitisnott helong
queuesitisthei
ncompet entandr udest aff
.I
expectedfarbet
terhere, onlytofi
ndt hewor st
condit
ionsIhaveev erwitnessed.Gl ori
ar eall
y
underr
atedherstat
ementaboutthisclini
c,because
wow.Theent rancefr
om out
sideisfi
lt
hy ;
wi t
h
papersandsomebl oodspat
salloverthefloor;
rubbi
shbinsareoverfl
owi
ngandnooneseemst o
mind.

Somenur sesaresitti
ngout si
dehav i
ngl unch, whil
e
ol
dwomenandmenar ebar elybeingassi stedby
meansofev enawheel chai r
.Heav i
l
ypr egnant
womenar estandi
ngi nqueues, whensomebenches
andchairsseem tobebr oken.AsIent er ed,t
he
nursesatthebaywer etalkingtooneanot her
,eati
ng
andnotbei ngworriedaboutwhatwashappeni ng
ri
ghtthere.Somewomenwi thbabieswhower e
cry
ingnonst opwer ebeingt ol
dt oshutup.If eltl
i
ke
cry
ingrightthere,
butwhatgoodwoul dt hatdo?I
approachedoneoft henur sesatt hestation.

That
o:“
Excuseme, Nurse.Whenar
ethesepeopl
e
goi
ngtogetassi
stance?”
Shegav
emeoner
udel
ook.

Nurse:
(annoy
ed)“Sor
rysi
si,
awubonisi
dlail
unch
yet
hu(can’
tyouseewe’r
ehav i
ngl
unch)?”

Il
ookedatmywat
chandi
tisbar
elyev
en10am.
Lunchf
orwhat
?

That
o:“
Lunchf
orwhatwheni
tisbar
elyev
en
10am?”

Nurse:“Yoh,Nkosiyami (
Mygoodness) !Iam not
goingtositaroundhereandbei nt
errogatedbya
mer emaid!Yazini
,ifawufuni
usizolana,nqono
uhambe( Youknowwhat ?Ifyoudon’twantour
assist
anceher e,t
heny ouhadbett
erleave).
”

Shemustbeinsanetot
hinkthatIwoul
dlett
hisgo.
Forhert
oev
eni nsul
tmebasedonmysocal l
ed
occupati
onsay salot.Ir emember edt hatGloriadid
saythatmostoft hesenur seswer eNomsa’ sfri
ends.
Hehe,theyhaveanot herthingcomi ng.Si nceDer i
ck
didsaythatshewast akent ohospital
,appar entl
y
thehospit
alisabitfarandt hi
scli
nicact sasa
hospit
alatnight.Iam sur ehebroughtherher e.

Thato:“
Sincewel
lyouar
eav er
ygoodfri
endof
Pri
ncessNomsa,Ibetyouknowthatshewas
admitt
edhereint
heearl
yhoursoft
hemor ni
ng.
”

Shefrozef
orasecondandst
oppedt
alki
ngt
oher
fr
iend.

Nurse:
“Umazel
a’phiwenauNomsa(
Wher
edoy
ou
knowNomsaf r
om) ?
”

Thato:“
Goandt el
lhert
hatIsabel
l
ai sheretoseeher
,
andifshedoesnotletmein,Iam goingstr
aightt
o
thepapers.Iswear
,ify
oudon’tgetyourshit
toget
herandfi
xthi
smessrighthere,Iam br
ingi
ng
thenewspaper
sbefor
eyouknockof fhere.Iwil
lcal
l
KingNtsi
kari
ghtnowandyouwi l
lallbeoutofaj ob
befor
etheendoftheday
.”

Shelookedatmeandcl ickedhert
ongue.She
probabl
yt houghtIwasbluf
fi
ng.Shelookedather
otherfr
iendnexttoher.

Nur
se:
“Got
ell
Nomsat
hist
hingi
slooki
ngf
orher
.”

Ichuckl
ed.Shei sevenr
udeabouti t
.Ihavealegal
obli
gati
ont ohel
pthesepeople.Imeanwhatkindof
QueenisNombuwhenshecan’ tevenlookaf
terher
ownpeopl e?AsIstoodtheredoingastar
eoff
competit
ionwiththeNurse,
Iheardaloudscream
fr
om oneoft herooms.Thenur sewhowassentout
togospeakt oNomsacamebackr ushi
ng.

Nur
se:
(wor
ri
ed)“
Shesay
sshedoesn’
twantt
osee
thepersonwhomadeherstabher
sel
f.Shebecame
bewil
deredassoonasshehear
dmement i
onher
name.”

Bot
hoft
hem l
ookedatmepuzzl
ed.

That
o:“
Wher
eisshe?
”

Nur
se:
“Room 3.
”

Ididn’tev ensayany thi

ng,i
nst eadIwalkedpast
every oneandi gnor edthefil
thyandgut wr enching
stenchoft heplace.Idon’ tknowhowt heyev enli
v e
witht hemsel vest hi
nkingthatt hi
siseven
appr opriate.Whatki ndofani mal sthi
nkt hatitis
okayf orpeoplet oliv
el i
kethis?Iwal kedpastal lthe
fr
ail l
ooki ngpatientsandwentst rai
ghtt oNomsa’ s
war d.Howoddi sli
fe?Thev erysamecl ini
cshei s
abusi ngi str
eati
ngherl i
keshi taswell.Shewasi n
bed, wi t
hadr ipconnect edtoher .Shedoesl ooka
bi
tcr
azyl
i
keshehasseenaghost
.

That
o:“
Nomsa.
”

Shegotfr
ightenedandsatupwi
thbewil
der
edey
es.
Sheevenignoredthepai
nshewasin.

Nomsa:(fri
ghtened)“
Please,y
oh!Ngi yakucela
(
Please)
!Leav emeal one!Iam sorryf
orwhatIdi d
t
oy ou!Pleasedon’tf
ini
shmeof f,Ibegofy ou!”

Igotsosurpr
isedwhenIlookedather.It
houghti
t
wasadr eam orsomet
hing,butsheseemedso
seri
ousandreall
yscar
ed.Ididn’tev
ennoti
cethe
twonurseshadf ol
l
owedme.

Thato:“
Hao,butyoudi
dthatt
oyour
sel
f.Idi
d
nothi
ngtoyou.”
Nomsa: “Pl
ease, tel
lNonkaIam sor
ryforever
ything.
Please,
justdon’tkil
lme!Youmademest abmy sel
f.
Iswear,I
sabella,Iwil
lneverbot
heryouagain.
Please,
justtakewhat everyouwant
.Dowhat ever
youwant ,j
ustpleaseleavemealone!”

Thato:“Tel
lyourbitchynursestogetthei
rshiti
n
orderandstarthelpingt
hesepat i
ent
s,orelseIwil
l
getthem fi
red.Bet t
eryet,
Iwill
maket hem stab
themselvestoo.”

Igav
ethem alookast
heybecamef
ri
ght
ened
i
mmediatel
y.

Nomsa:(
bewil
dered)“Nimzwi
l
eni
na(
Youbot
hhear
d
her
)!Hambani(Leave)
!”

Theybot
hr ushedoutasIl
ookedatherandshe
genui
nel
ylookedscared.IwantedtobefunnyandI
tookast
epcl osert
oher,butshescreamedandhit
herf
aceunderneat
htheblanket
.Iwant edtolaugh,
butGodwouldnotli
kethat.So,Il
aughedinternal
l
y
andwalkedout.

Uponwal ki
ngout ,
Isawt hetwonur sesshoutingat
every oneandinstr
uct ingall
theotherwor kerson
whatt odo.Icouldn’tleave,i
mmedi ately–no.
Instead,Itookadvant ageofthesituationandI
helpedout .Iwasnowi nchargeoft hecli
nicandI
startedtell
ingeveryonewhatt odo.

Thato:“Yout wo, goandchecki fallther oomshav e

thenecessarysuppl iesforever
y one.Checkonal l
thenurseswhoar esupposedtobeondut y–mor e
especiall
ythoseonesf eedi
ngthemsel vesall
day
andnotwor r
yingaboutt hepati
ent s.Getsecur i
tyto
getupof fhisassandhel pthefrailpeoplewalki
ngi n
herebyput ti
ngt hem onwheel chairs.Gett he
cleanerstostartmoppi ngthesef l
oor s,andspli
tthe
queuei nt
onecessar ydepart
ment s.Pr egnant
womengett heirownqueueandt heel derl
yandthe
di
sabledmustbeassist
edbyt hei
rownnur
se.They
getfi
rstpr
efer
ence.Emergenciesar
eever
ywher
e
here,
sogettowor k.
”

Isawt hem swi ft

lymov ear oundast heyscolded
everyonear oundt here.Il i
teral
lysawt hesecurit
y
guards,cleaners,andot herstaffmember sincludi
ng
nursesflyoutoft heirhidingspot s.Ican’tbeli
eve
thattheyusedt or unt heircli
nicassuch; where
pati
entsar einser i
ouspai nandt heyarejust
roamingar oundandhi dingt hemselvesinrooms
whileothersar eeating.

WhileIst oodaroundandsawt hem actual

ly
star
tingtowor k;Icoul
dseeaf ewoft hem were
real
lyhungr yandthir
sty.Isearchedi nmypocket ,
andrealizedIhadaboutR500i nthere.Idon’teven
knowhowIam goi ngtogohome, buthelpi
ngthese
peopleshoul dbemynumberonepr iori
ty.Thereis
notev enawendymachi neatleastnorawat erbottl
e
machi neforthesepatient
stodr i
nkorquencht hei
r
thi
rst
.Idecidedtoheadoutandgoacr ossthe
str
eetandbuyaf ewbott
lesofwater;
somecol d
dri
nksforthosewhomostlikel
yhaven’teat
enand
somef ood.

Alli
nall t
hel adyatt hestal
lwassohappy ,sheev en
off
eredt ogetoneofherwor kerstobr i
ngtheitems
tousper sonall
y .Shemakessomeni cefoodsuch
aspapandmeat ,butshedoesnotseem t ohav ea
l
otofcust omers.Iam gl adthatatleastImanaged
tomakeherdayt oday.AsIwentback, Isawt he
l
itt
erremov ed,thef l
oorsqueakycleanandev eryone
doingwhatt heywer esupposedtof orachange.
Oddly,ever y
onewasv er
ymuchaf raidofmeassoon
asIwal kedi n.

Somegr eetedmei nfear

,whilesomewal kedaway
orevenlookedawayasIappr oachedthem.Iheard
oneofthenur sestell
thecleanersthatIam t
he
womanwhomadeNomsast abherself.Iam
guessi
ngt heythi
nkIusedbl ackmagi conhersi
nce
sheconfi
rmedev er
ythi
ng.Idon’tcar
e.Atleast
peopl
ewi l
lst
opt al
ki
ngshitaboutmef orachange.I
nowhav eapurpose,ev
ent houghiti
ssomething
small
,Iam makingabitofadi f
fer
ence.
Chapt
erNi
net
yEi
ght

Psalm 37:
23-24–“ Thestepsofagoodmanar e
order
edbyt heLord:andhedeli
ghtethi
nhisway.
Thoughhef al
l,heshall
notbeutter
lycastdown:
for
theLordupholdethhim hi
shand.
”

Kg

AsIsatinmychai rthinki
ngofmyThat o,Ifound
my sel
fbrowsingt hr
oughmyI nstagr
am.Inowr ecal
l
ourbeautif
ul memor iestogether
,all
ourpi ctureswe
tookaswel last hefi
rstti
mewemadel ove.Ican’ t
seem tofalli
nl ovewi t
hhermor eandmor e.AsIsat
theredeepint hought,Mulalowalkedinlooki ng
dreadful
.
Kg:
“Mf
o,di
ntshang(
Bro,
what
’sup)
?”

Mulal
o:(
deepsigh)“Ican’
tshaket
hisfeel
i
ngIhav
e
beenhav
ingforthepasttwoweeks.”

Kg:“
Youalsof
eel
it?Li
kesomet
hingbadi
s
coming?
”

Mulal
o:(noddi
ng)“Yes,
butIfeell
ikewhateveri
s
comingisdir
ectedatme.Ijustwantt ot
ell
youthat
nomatterwhathappens,Iam gl
ady ouaremy
brot
herandIam elat
edtohavemety ou.
”

Whydoesi
tseem l
i
keMul
aloi
ssay
inggoodby
eto
meeter
nal
l
y?

Kg:“
Mulal
o,youar
egoi
ngnowher
e.Youwon’
tdi
e,
br
other
.Iwil
lbewi
thyouev
eryst
epoft
heway.I
woul
ddi
efory
ou.
”

Mulalo:(
chuckl
ing)“ Pl
easedon’t.Yousti
llhav
ea
l
if
et oli
vewithThat o,hav
echi l
drenandbeherKi ng.
Pl
ease,don’tev
ert akeabulletforme–nomat ter
whathappens.Pl ease,promisemet hat
.”

WhyisMulal
osodeepandsoser
ioust
oday?Ican’
t
hel
pbutf
eelli
kehei
sactual
l
ysayi
nggoodbye.

Kg:
“Mul
alo,
I-“

Mul
alo:
(int
err
upt
ing)“
Promi
seme.
”

Kg:
(si
gh)“
Ipr
omi
se.
”

Mulal
o:(
noddi
ng)“
Good.Gr
ingoi
scal
l
ingus,
let
’s
go.
”
Hegav emeal ong, t
ighthugbef or
ewewal kedout.
Thattrulyf
eltl
ikethelastti
meIhuggedmybr other.
Whatt hefuckisawaiti
ngus?Aswewal keddownt o
thelounge,wef oundGr i
ngo,TheNaidoos,Thendo,
Rami andNana.Rami hasbeenashi ttymessev er
sinceThatohasbeengone, butIknowThendohas
beenkeepinghersane, wel
lhehasbeent r
yingtodo
so.Gr i
ngoandt heNai doosarealldr
essedinblack
withblackglov
esonandal l.Iknowwear e
prepari
ngforamassf uneral.

Gringo:“Gent
lemen,Ihav
ecall
edyouallherefor
someser i
ousbusi
ness.Wehav ef
inal
l
yf ounda
l
oophol einMarti
nel
li
’spl
ans.Sokshasbeenof
greathelpandhehasmanagedt ogetusser i
ous
i
ntel.”

That’
sawesomenews.Now,
thebal
lcanst
art
rol
l
ing.
Gr i
ngo:“Well
,theJetispr
eparedforusandwel eav
e
asi nyest
erday,sooncewegett her
ehewillseta
trapforbothbrother
salongwithRendanit
hepuppet.
Ihopewecanhashoutourpr oblemsbeforeweend
them forgood.Theyhav etopayformyVivian.
”

I
ndeedbl
oodmustbespi
l
led.

Gri
ngo:“Youknowwhattodo.Getri
ghti
ntoy
our
out
fit
s,ourgunsandasset
sarer
eadyaswespeak.
”

Saynomor e.Wenoddedandheadedbackt oour

rooms.Mul al
ot ookhi scl othesandcamet omy
bedroom t ogetdr essedal ongsi deme.Idon’ tmi nd,
Ilovehav i
ngabr ot her,
at wi nbr otherthatis.
Tumi shoandIt alkev erynowandt henbutwear en’t
close.Wegoti nt oourexpensi veItali
anclothing–
allbl
ackpant s,
bl ackshi rtwi thblackt i
esandbl ack
blazers.Ofcour sewewor eourbul letproofs
under neat
handt oppedi tal loffwithoursi gnature
blackgl ov
es.Il ookedatMul aloandhest il
llooksso
dr
eadf
ul.

Mul
alo:
Mybrot
her
,pl
ease,
letuspr
aybef
orewe
l
eav
ehere.
”

Inoddedasweheldhandsri
ghti
nthemi
ddl
eofmy
bedroom andwest
art
edprayi
ng.

Mul al
o:“FatherGod,wehumbl eoursel
vesbefore
you.Wet hanky ousomuchf orthewonderf
ulgif
tof
l
ife.Butmosti mportantl
ywet hankyouforbri
ngi
ng
ust oget
heri nthi
sli
fe.Iaskofy oudearLord,t
o
pleaseprotectusonourmi ssiontoni
ght.Pl
ease
helpussot hatnomat terwhathappens,Kgmustbe
savedabov eme. ”

Iopenedmyoneey
eandIsawj
usthowser
ioushe
was.
Mul alo:
“Please,dearGod.Pr eservehimf orThat o,
forwear enotperfect
,butweaskt haty ouhav e
mer cyonus.Pl ease,dearlord,nomat terwhat
happens, IaskthatGringoandKgbot hcomeback
from thistr
ipaschangedmen.Mayt heyl eav
et he
l
ifeofcr i
meandt heli
feofviolence,foryouhav e
bet t
erplansinstoreforthem.Iaskt hi
si nJesus
mi ghtyname.Amen. ”

Iopenedmyey esandhesmiledatme.Hesmi ledat

meev enthoughIcouldseetheglisteni
ngt ear
si n
hi
sey es.Idecidedtohughim againafterthat
powerfulpray
er.Mulaloissoself
less,socar i
ngand
mostlysensit
iveasfuck.ButIlovehim, genui
nely.
Heiscomi ngback–hehast o.

Kg:
“Let
’sgoki
ckass,
brot
her
.”

Webothchuckledaswewalkedbackdownt
he
st
air
s.Igottheshockofmylif
ewhenIsawThendo
al
sodressedinal
lblack.
Mul
alo:
“Andt
henwena(
you)
?”

Thendo:
“Iam comi
ngwi
thy
ou.
”

Mulal
o:“No,
you’
renot
.You’renotf
itf
ort
hisl
i
fe,
Thendo.Youcan’
tdothi
s.”

Thendo:
;“Pl
ease,
letmedot
his.I
tist
hel
eastIcan
do.
”

HeisamannowandIdoubtwhat everwesaytohi
m
wil
lnotmakehim st
ay.Ij
ustf
earwhatwould
happenshoul
dhenotmakeitback.

Kg:
“Rami
,whatdoy
ousayaboutt
his?
”

Rami
:“Idon’
tknow,
Ihav
etr
iedt
otal
khi
m outofi
t.
Butplease,whatev
erhappens, makesureyoucome
backtomeThendoot herwiseIwil
lneverf
orgi
veyou
forthi
s.Evenindeath,IswearIwillshi
tonyour
corpsebeforeyougetburied.
”

Weall j
usthadtolaughatthatstat
ement.Aswe
werelaughing,
Thendowasdeadser i
ousanddidthe
unthi
nkable.Heslowlyknel
tdownononekneeand
tookoutar i
ngfrom hi
spockets.Ai,t
hisguyneeds
someser i
oustipsonromance.Ofcour se,hel
eft
Rami i
nshock.Ther estofusaswel l
.

Thendo: “
Rami Let
swalo,Il
oveyousomuch.Wor ds
cannotexplainhowmuchy ouhavechangedmyl i
fe
forthebetterthesepastfewmonths.Al lIaskis
thaty ouwaitforme, prayf
orme–f orust hatImay
comebackt oy ousothatIcanmakey out he
happiestwomanonear th.Iknow,t
hisisn’ti
deal,
but
makemet hehappi estmanonearthandsayy ou’
l
l
marryme. ”
Rami:(
shockedandt
eary)“
Ag,
man, Thendo!
Coul
dn’tyoupi
ckabett
erti
me?!OfcourseIwil
l
marr
yy ou!”

Nanaulul
ated–yes,Iknow.Awhi t
ewoman
ulul
ati
ng.Ther
estofusclappedhandsasheput
theri
ngonherfi
ngerandkissedandhuggedher
.

Gri
ngo:“Ihat
etobr
eakt
hispar
ty,
butwehav
etoget
goi
ng.”

Nana:
“Notsof
ast
,youngman.
”

Gri
ngo:“Whatisi
t,Ma?Pl
easedon’
tgi
veusanybad
news,notr
ightnow.”

Nana:“
Don’
tbesi
l
ly,
Dav
id.Iwant
edt
ogi
vey
oual
l
t
his.
”
Shetookoutaf ewneckl
acesf r
om herbag.Onef or
eachofus,andsurpr
isi
nglyshehadonef orThendo
aswell.Iguesssheknewhewascomi ngwith.
Smallywasalsocoming,heisourmosttrustedman
yet.Thewholehousewillbeunder24/7securi
ty
andsurvei
ll
ancewhil
ewewi llbegone.

Nana:“Pl
easewearthem.Theywil
lprot
ectyou.I
pr
otectedthem i
nholywat
erandsage.Please,
don’
t
evert
akeitoff
.”

WenoddedandhuggedherandRami
.Mulalo
becameabi
tmoreemoti
onalwhenheappr
oached
Rami.

Mulal
o: “
Takegoodcareofmybr ot
herf orme.You
havechangedhimf ort
hebetterandy ouhav e
ensuredthathewil
lnevert
urnoutlikeTi ger
.Thank
youforthat.Thankyouforl
ovinghim. ”
Rami noddedwithtear
sinherey esaswel eft.I
couldseeNanamaski ngthewor ryi
nherey es,andI
knowt hatshedoesnotusuallygetworr
ied.
Perhapsweshoul dn’
tbegoingont hi
smi ssi
on–I
don’tknow.Iguessitist
ool atenow.Wecanonl y
rel
yonGod’ sgrace.

Mul
alo

Aswegoti ntoourKombi ,Ican’thelpbutfeelpained

whenIl ookatmybr other.If oundmyot herhal f–
myownt winandnowwe’ reaboutt opartway s
for
ev er.HowdoIt el
l hi
mt hathewi l
lneverseeme
againaf t
erthi
smi ssion?Idr eamtofmyl atemot her
–y es,mybi ol
ogicalmot her .Icouldn’
trecognizeher
norunder st
andwhoshewasunt i
lNanacl ar
if
ied
everythi
ngtome.

Ithensawavisi
on–adream r
atherofexactl
yhow
Iam goingt
oleavet
hiswor
ld.I
tisreal
lynotav ery
digni
fi
edwaytodie,
butIwoul
dratherdi
elikethis
formybr otherandThat othanli
velikeacowar d.I
madepeaceweeksagot hatIam goingtodie,Ij
ust
decidednott otellKg.Inst
eadIchoset oleavehim
withthemostbeaut i
fulmemor i
esofust ogether
thathewi l
lcherishforever
.Losingmewon’ tbeso
bad.I ti
swaybet t
erthanhim dyi
ngbecauset hen
Thatowoul dnev erheal.

Myownmot hercamet otell

met hateveryt
hingwi l
l
bealri
ght.Howcr azyisli
fe,
though?Thespi ri
tual
worl
di ssomethingelse.Iexper
iencedthemost
beauti
fulmomentbet weenmymot herandIandshe
fi
nall
yexplai
nedt omewhathappenedy ear
sago
whenIwasbor n.Iwassupposedt obeasacr i
fice,
buttheancestorsdefeat
edmyenemi es.

ShehadnamedmeMnqobi ,becauseagainstal
l
oddsIwasbor n.ThemomentIwasbor nwasa
greatsi
gnofreli
efbecausethr
oughouther
pregnancyshewastoldthatI–thebiggertwin
wouldnevermakeit.Lookatmenow, l
ookatGod’s
grace.Ican’
tsayIhaveli
ved,
butallIcansayisthat
Iam gladIwi
llbedepart
ingwit
houtanyregret
s.I
mean, l
if
eisi
ndeedtooshorttodwellonmistakes.

That
o

Everyonewassosur pri
sedseei ngmewal kinwit
h
bottl
esofwat erandcansofcol dri
nkandpl atesof
food.Ispecifical
l
yaskedt heguywhowassentby
thestalll
adytogivet oev ery
one.Theywer eso
deli
ghtedandcoul dn’tstopthankingme.Thet wo
i
rrit
ablenurseswhom If i
rstencounteredwhenI
walkedinher ekeptglancingatmeev erychance
theygot–f rom adistanceofcour se.Iwas
perceiv
edast hewi t
chl ady,butIdidn’
tmind.

Tomysur pr
iseeveryonegotassisted.AsIwas
abouttohel
paf ewoft heotherelderl
yladies,
in
walkedMaMasango.Assoonasshewal kedi
n
everyone–i
ncludingtheil
lpati
entsont hebenches
wereabouttostandup.Iwasi nt otalshock.These
peoplemustbeshi t
tingme.Despi tet
hem beingso
i
llandunwell,t
heywoul dratherst
orm outofhere
basedonl i
esandher esay.Iam nothavingthat–
nottoday.Sher eal
l
yl ookedabitunpl
easantformy
l
iki
ng.Shel ookedfrail
,andwaswal ki
ngslowerthan
normal,butonecoul dtellt
hatshewasinabi tof
pain.

That
o:(smi
l
ing)“
MaMasango.Kunj
ani
ma(
Howar
e
you)
?”

maMasango:(faki
ngasmi l
e)“
Ngiyaphi
l
a,
mntwanami(Iam well
,mychil
d).Iseeyouar
e
doi
ngthelor
d’swork.Youseewhathappenswhen
youl
ist
entoGod’ sword?
”

Ichuckl
edal
i
ttl
ebi
t.

That
o: “
Let
’stal
kabouty
ouf orasecond,
youdon’
t
seem sowell
.Whatiswrong?”
MaMasango: (
sigh)“
Mnt wanami(mychild)
,Ihave
tri
edstayingawayandev engetti
ngher
bst otreat
my sel
f,butIj
ustcouldn’
tbearthepai
nany more.I
evenhadt owalkheresincenoonewant edmei n
theirt
axi.
”

Myhear
tbr
okei
ntoamil
li
onpiecesasIhear
dher
sayt
hat
.Howcruel
coul
dpeoplebetosuchanol
d
woman?

That
o:“
Wher
edoy
ouhav
epai
n?”

MaMasango:
“Ri
ghther
e.”

Sheshowedmeherst
omach.

That
o:“
Howl
onghav
eyouhadt
hepai
nfor
?”
MaMasango:
“Aboutf
ourweeksnow.Onl
ytodayi
t
gotwor
se.
”

Shelookedl i
keshewasi nseri
ouspain,butshewas
quit
estrong.Igent l
ypul l
edhertowardsthebench,
andoneoft hepr egnantladi
eswasaboutt omov e,
butIgaveheranast ylookandshelookeddowni n
shame.Iwal kedupt ooneofthenursesassignedto
hel
pt heeldery.
That
o:“
Nurse,
mayyoupleasetakeal
ookat
MaMasango?Shei
sinseriouspai
n–abdominal
pai
nandhashadi
tforweeks.”

Assoonassheheardmesayhername,
shest
art
ed
l
ooki
ngforexcuses.

Nur
se:(
frant
ic)“Eish,
yoh,Ihavealotofpat
ientsi
n
t
hequeue.Per hapsgivehertosomeoneelse.”
Igotf
edupwithever
yone’
sbehaviourandrudeness
towar
dsher,
soIdeci
dedtospeakup.Idon’ tcar
e
howIgetper
ceiv
edaftert
his,
butenoughisenough.

Thato:“
Dropwhat
every
ouar
edoi
ngandcome
towardsthi
sway.
”

Nur
se:
“Kodwa(
But
)-
“

Ii
nterr
uptedherbygivi
ngheronester
nlook.She
heardthestor
iesaboutmesolucki
l
yshedi dn’
t
prot
est.Igotontopofachairanddeci
dedt ospeak
up.

Thato:
“Att
entionevery
one.Mayyoupleasedrop
whateveri
tisyouaredoingandl
i
sten.Iwil
lonly
takeafewmi nutes.
”

Ihear
daf
ewwhi
sper
sfr
om cowar
dlypeopl
ebutI
don’
tgi
veaf
uckr
ightnow.

Thato:
“Iwouldl
iketoaskyouonequest
ionand
pl
ease,answeryoursel
vest
rut
hful
l
y.Whom ofyou
herear
ewi t
houtsin?”

Theyal
ll
ookedateachot
herandsai
dnot
hing.

Thato:
“Iwi
llaskagai
n.Ar eanyofyouher
ewithout
si
n? Areanyofy ouhereperf
ect?Havenoneofyou
evermadeterr
ibl
emistakesinyourl
iv
es?”

Theyal
lst
art
edsl
owl
yshaki
ngt
hei
rheads.

Thato:“
Thenhowcomeal lofyou–ev enthosewho
haveheardbadstor
iesaboutmejustnow, t
ookmy
foodwithoutev
enknowingme–y etyout r
eataf r
ail
,
oldwoman, awomanofy ourv
eryownv il
l
agel i
kean
outcast
?Hasanyofy ouseenherdotheev ilshei
s
accusedher
?Li
keact
ual
l
yseenher
?”

Theyal
lshookt
hei
rheadssl
owl
y.

Thato:“
Allofyououghttobeashamed.Iadmi r
e
MaMasango, simplybecauseshehasownedupt o
herter
ri
bledeeds.Hasshenotconf essedl
ongago
ofthebadt hi
ngsshehaddonet opeople?Ibet
noneofy ouherecanconfessthatshehasdoneany
badtoy ou,am Ir
ight
?”

Theyst
art
edsl
owl
ynoddi
ngheads.

Thato:“
Thenhowcomeawhol ecommuni tythatis
supposedtost
andt ogether,
treatawomanl ikethi
s
withsomuchdisgrace?Howcomey outreata
fel
lowmemberofthi scommuni t
ywhohasr epented
unli
kesomeofyouher elikeshei sananimal ?Ibet
MaMasangohashel pedal otofy ou–y etyouhav e
theaudaci
tyt
oturny ourbacksonher .
Meanwhi l
eyouaregoi nghungr yandy ouarepoor,
butyoucannotev enfindi twithi
nyoursel
ftobr eak
breadwi t
hanol dwomanwhohasnoonet otake
careofher.Youal l
claimt oloveGodbynotev en
missingadayofchur ch, butassoonast hechurch
bell
sr i
ng,yougobackt oy ourevi
lways.John8: 7
says“Lethim whoiswi thoutsi namongsy ou,cast
thefi
rststone.
”AsIst andher ebefor
ey ou,Iplead
withyou–l etanyofyouwi t
houtsi
n,castast oneat
MaMasango. ”

Shesatt
herelookingatever
yonei
npain.Notjust
physi
cal
pain,
butemot ional
andspi
ri
tualpai
n.It
can’
tbeeasyhavingthewholecommunityhat
ing
you.Noneofthem stoodup.

Thato:“Younurses,
yououghttobeashamedof
yourselv
es.Someofy ousleptyourwaytothetop
here,someofy ouareunqual
if
iedandgotthejob
j
ustbecausey ouarefr
iendswiththepr
incess.You
forgott
heoathyoutook–t obeaservantoft
he
people,aheal
erandprovi
der.Andnow,y ouaret
he
fi
rstonestorej
ectanil
lwomanseekinghelp.

Isayunt oyouthatyououghtt obeashamedof

yoursel
ves.Ipleadwithy outor i
dy ourselv
esofev i
l
andacceptthiswomani ntoyourlives.Mat thew
6:14says“Forifyouforgiveotherpeopl ewhent hey
sinagai
nsty ou,y
ourheav enl
yf atherwillal
sof or
giv
e
you.”Godwant snocondemnat i
onf r
om anyofy ou
forHeistheonlyonewhocancondemnus. ”

Iwasaboutt ostepdownunt i
loneofthepati
ent
s
raisedherhand.Ilookedatheranditwasthe
heav i
lypr
egnantwomanwhowant edtorunaway
from MaMasango.

Pat
ient:“
MaMasangoact ual
lyhelpedmymot her
del
i
v erme.AsIam st andinghere,Iam al
i
veandso
i
smymot herbecauseofher .Mymot herhada
hor
ribl
epregnancyandIwasabr eechbaby.My
mot herwascloset odeathatelevenmonths
pregnant.Thedoct orsandthev erysamenur ses
whost andherebef or
ey ourej
ectedherandt urned
heraway .MaMasangowast heonl yonewhohel ped
her.MaMasango, Iapologi
zeforcast i
ngyououtl i
ke
that.Youdidn’tdeservesuchtreatmentfr
om me. ”

AsIwasabouttoconti
nuehel
pingher
,anot
her
per
sonrai
sedherhand.

Pati
ent2:“MaMasangosav edmyson.Hadi tnot
beenforher,hewouldhavedied.Hewaspoisoned
andthenursesalsoturnedmeaway,butshewas
wil
li
nglyandreadil
yavail
abl
etoassi
st.Mysoni s10
year
sol daswespeak.”

AsIlist
ened,moreandmorepeopl
estar
ted
confessi
ngthegooddeedsMaMasangodidfor
them.Icouldn’
tbel
iev
eit.Iwasi
ntot
alawe.
Pati
ent3:“
MaMasangotr
eat
edmyleg.Ihadbeen
bewit
chedbymyownsist
erandshesav
edmyl i
fe.
”

Pat
ient4:“
MaMasangosav
edmef
rom myev
il
motherinl
aw.
”

Mor eandmor eoft hem star t

edconfessingand
apologizingtoher.Onebyone, theyslowlywentt o
herandhel dherbyhand.Theyapol ogized
personallyandIcoul dseeMaMasango’ sface
changef rom heartbrokentohappy .Iti
sasi fher
heartbreakhadmaskedt hebeaut yonherf ace.Her
facewaspr obabl
yf right
enedt hatshecoul dsti
ll
smileatl east
.Ev ent henur sesconfessedtohav i
ng
beenv erybadpeopl eandt heytooapol ogi
zed.

Eachoft hem carr

iedherupandi nt
ot hesonar
room, wheretheyassist
edher .Apparentl
ythey
don’thaveadoct orduri
ngthedayofwhi chisnot
ri
ght.Theyneedoneatl eastduri
ngthedayandnot
j
ustatnight.Asshewasbei ngassistedinoneof
thepat i
entrooms,ever
yonearoundmest art
ed
clappinghandsforme.Icouldn’tbel
ievei
t.They
wer etreat
ingmelikeIwasacelebrit
y.Oneofthe
Nur seswasbr aveenoughtocomef orward.

Nurse:“
Mi ssIsabel
la,Iwouldf ir
stl
yli
ketoapologi
ze
formyil
ltreatmenttowar dsyou.Idi dn’
tknowthat
Godwoul dsendsomeonel i
key outowarnusand
showust hatourtimei snearlyup.Whi chiswhyI
needtoconf ess.Ican’tkeeplivingasecret
anymore.Iwoul dratherfacet heconsequences
thanhavepeopl espeakillofmeatmyf uneral
.”

Ist
oodt
her
eandl
i
stenedat
tent
ivel
y.

Nurse:(
sigh)“Mostofusheregotthejobby
sl
eepingwithDeri
ck,t
hePrincess’
husband.Some
areherfr
iendswhoarenotev enqual
if
ied.Asy ou
seethestateofourcl
ini
ctoday,i
tisal
l becauseof
usandher .Yousee,theKi
ngandQueenar enot
awareofthis,
becausetheKingissobusywi th
every
thingaroundthi
stown.TheQueeni stoobusy
att
endingfuncti
onsinst
eadoftaki
ngcar
eofher
people.Aswest andherebef
oreyou,Pr
incess
Nomsast ealsfr
om thepeopl
e.

Shehasbeenl ootingherf amily

’smoney ,money
thatbel
ongstot hest at
e,totheclini
candshehas
evenfir
edreall
ycompet entpeople.Itissobadt hat
theKingdom i
sont hev er
geofcol l
apseandt heKing
andQueenhav enoi dea.IknowGodhassenty ou
hereforareason,mydear ,I
sabell
a.Pl ease,helpus.
Ourpeoplearegoinghungr ybecauseNomsai s
l
oot i
ngthemoney .Herhusbandi sev enr api
ng
chil
drenatthepriv
at eschool andnoonei ssaying
anythi
ngbecauset heyar esoaf r
aidoft hem bot h.
”

Icoul
dn’
tbeli
evemyear
s.I
sthesi
tuat
ionsobad?
Whatthefuckman?

Nur
se:
“Ievenhav eall
theevi
dence.Iam readyto
f
acewhateverchargeIdeser
ve,
butplease,hel
pall
t
hosechi
l
drenandt
hiscommuni
ty.
”

InoddedasIt
ookt
hefil
efr
om her.Imustsay
,she
i
sonebr av
ewomanforcomingf
orwardwit
hthis.

That
o:“
Ipr
omi
se,
Iwi
l
ldomybest
.”

Theothernur
sewhowasbusywi t
hMaMasango
cal
ledmet ot
heroom andIr
ushedther
ehast
il
y.

That
o:“
Whati
sit
?Issheokay
?”

Nur
se:“
I’
m af
rai
dIhavesomebadnews.
MaMasangohasgotSt
ageFourCer
vical
cancer
.”
Chapt
erNi
net
yNi
ne

Romans8:30–“Moreov
erwhom hedi
dpredest
inat
e,
them heal
socal
l
ed:
andwhom hecall
ed,
them he
al
sojust
if
ied:
andwhom hej
ust
if
ied,
them heal
so
gl
ori
fi
ed.
”

That
o

Thisisjustnotright.Howcr uelcanli
febe?Imean
MaMasangoi sjustget t
ingherredemptionandnow
sheisdy i
ng?Howonear thwi
llanoldwomanl i
ke
hersurvivecerv
ical cancer?Ifoundmy selfcr
ying–I
don’tknowbutIf eelsoclosetoher,r
eally
.

MaMasango:
“Don’
tcr
y,That
o,pl
ease.Ihav
eli
ved.
”

Howcanshesaythatwhenshehasl
i
vedmostof
herl
i
feost
raci
zedandshamed?

That
o:“
Howcany
ousayt
hat
,Ma?
”
MaMasango: “BecauseIhav e.Youknow, t
oday,you
havegiv enmeoneoft hebestgi ftsanyonecould
everaskf or.Forthefi
rstti
mei nyears,peopl
e
actual
lysawme.Theyl ookedatmewi thoutf
ear
andact uall
ytouchedme.Thati sallIhaveyearned
forall
myl i
fe,
nowt hatIgott hat
,Icandi ei
npeace.”

Ican’tl
etherdiel
ikethi
s.Iaskedthenur seifther
e
i
sany thi
ngshecoul ddo,butappar
entlyithad
alr
eadyspreadtot heki
dneys.Thisisjusttheworst
newsany onecouldeverhear.Howwi l
lIhelpher
whenIhav etherestofthemoneySel enagav emet o
Glori
a?Oh, no.Shecan’tgobacktothathouseof
hers,sheneedspropercare.

Thato:
“Howwill
wet akecar
eofyou,Ma?That
houseofyour
sisinareal
lybadst
ate.
”

MaMasango:
“Donotf
retov
erme,
chi
l
d.Iam at
peace.
”
All
theothernursesheardthatshewasi
ll
andcame
i
nteary.Lif
eisindeedshort.Theonenur
sewho
gavemet hefi
lef ul
lofsecr
ets,
cameupwitha
bri
l
li
antsuggestion.

Nurse:“Il
i
veal
one–nohusband,
nokids.Ma, you
aremostwelcometocomeli
vewit
hme.Atl easti
f
youaregoingtol
eav
ethi
seart
h,r
atherl
eav
ei ti
n
digni
ty.
”

Forthefi
rstt
imeev
ersi
nceImetMaMasangoIsaw
hercry.

MaMasango: (cry
ing)“Ihavenev ereverhadany one
offermehelpatall.Notev entocar r
yapl ast
icbag
orgivemeal if
tduringar ai
nyday .Godsay st hat
thedayyoureapt hebenef i
tsofyourrepentance,
youshallberewardedgr eatl
y.Indeed,Isabel
la,this
i
st hebestdayofmyl if
e.Don’ tforgetwhatIsai dto
youthatdayatthemarket.Youaredest
inedfor
great
ness,youaremeantt obeaqueenofthe
nati
on.Youshallheal
al otofpeopl
eandchangea
wholenati
on.”

Thenursehel pedmewalkMaMasangot ohercaras

wedr ov
et oherhouse.Wedi dn’tev enbothergoing
backtoMaMasango’ shouseast herewasn’ tmuch
totakethere.Wegott ot
henur se’sbeautifulhouse
andImustsayshedi dpr
ett
ywel l forher
self.A
thr
eebedr oom housewit
hsomer eall
yni
cef urni
tur
e.

Nur
se:
“Pl
ease,
takeaseat
.Iti
snotmuch,
butIt
ry.
”

Nonsense.

That
o:“
Don’
tbesi
l
ly,
thi
sisabsol
utel
ybeaut
if
ul.
”

Nur
se:
“Thanky
ou.
”
Shet
ookMaMasangot oherr
oom asIst
art
ed
l
ooki
ngatal
lthephot
osaroundt
hehouse.Shet
hen
cameback.

Nurse:“Sorr
yaboutthat,
Ifi
gur
edshemustbe
devastatedwitht
henewsandv er
ytir
ed.Iwi
llbe
suretomakehermyf amoussouplat
eron.CanI
getyouany t
hingtodri
nk?”

That
o:“
Agl
assofwat
erwoul
dbef
ine,
thanky
ou.
”

Shenoddedandcamebackwi
tht
hegl
assofwat
er.

Nur
se:
“Mynamei
sPor
ti
abyt
heway
.”

That
o:“
Isabel
l
a.”
Nursr
e:“I
sabel
l
a,whatani
cename.Ar
eyou
col
oured?”

That
o:“
Somet
hingl
i
ket
hat
.”

Nur
se:
“For
giv
emef
orpr
ying.
”

That
o:“
It
’sokay
,Igett
hatal
ot,
real
l
y.I
tisnot
hing.
”

Nurse:
“Youdon’
tseem l
i
key
ouar
efr
om her
e.MayI
askwhereyouar
efrom?”

Thato:
“Iam f
rom Sowetoact
ual
ly
,soIcameher
eto
getawayfr
om somedr amabackhome.”

Nurse:
“Igety ou.Itcan’
tbeeasy,
buthey,
ment al
i
ll
nessisreal.Ment alheal
thhastocomefir
st.Ilef
t
mywhol etoxicfamilyj
ustocomestayher
eal one.
”
That
o:“
Wher
edot
heyl
i
ve?
”

Nur
se:“Notveryfarfr
om her
e.Iwi l
ltel
lyouabout
t
hem someot herday.Letusjustsaytheyar
etoo
t
oxi
ctodiscusst oday
.”

Ichuckl
edabi
t.

Thato:
“ So,whatexact
lydoy
ouwantmet
odowi
th
thi
sevidence?”

Nurse:“
Dosomet hi
ng–any thi
ng.Ican’ tl
etNomsa
getawaywiththi
s.Thatwomani spoi sonandsadly,
weallknew,butwewer esodesparateforjobsthat
wejustwentaheadwithit.Iam wil
li
ngt obea
wit
nessifneedbe.Ijustcan’
tdothisany more.It
hasbeeneatingmeupandIcan’ tevenenjoythe
money.”
Igether
.Sadl
y,ev
ery
thi
ngcomesatapr
ice.

That
o:“
Isee.
”

Istar
tedbr owsi ngthroughthefil
eandIwi shI
handn’t
.Thehor r
ificdi
scoveryImadei sjustnot
ri
ght.Dericki sonesi ckfuck.Ther ewerecloseto
20casesofr apel aidagai
nsthim, butnowhow
comet heynev ermadei ttotheKing’sears?Thisis
j
usttoodist urbing.Nomsaont heot herhandhas
beenonebusybi tch.

Shehasbeenst eali
ngmoneyev ery
where–f rom
stat
efunds,t
odonat i
onsandev ensponsorships.
Sheevenwentasl owasst eal
ingaporti
onofal lt
he
employee’
ssalari
es–ev enuswhowor katthe
house!Howcr uelcoul
dshebe?TheKi ngand
Queenmusteitherbev er
ystupid,orNomsai sav er
y
goodli
ar.
That
o:“
Ican’
tbel
i
evet
his!
”

Nurse:“
WhichiswhyIwaitedforther
ightpersonto
t
ell
.Idon’tknowyou,butsomethingi
nmet ol
dme
youaretheperf
ectper
sonf ort
his.It
rustyouwill
do
whatyouneedto.”

That
o:“
WhataboutMaMasango?
”

Nur
se:“Don’
tworr
yabouther.Iwi
l
lmakesur
eshe
i
singoodhands.Ipr
omise.”

InoddedasIheadedout .Shegladlygavemet axi

faresinceIhadusedupal lmymoneyatt heclini
c
today.Iarri
vedatthehouser oundabout7pm.Iam
suretheQueeni sfumingherassof f.Isl
owly
walkedi nwi
ththefil
ehiddenundermyuni f
orm.I tis
aflipf
il
e,soitwon’
tbet hatnoti
ceable.Isti
lldon’t
knowwhom t ot
rustotherthanQueenNandi ,soI
havetot
readcar
eful
ly.AsIwalkedinitseemsasi
f
QueenNombuwasr eall
yexpect
ingme.Shewas
eat
ingal
oneforachange,wit
houtanyonedini
ng
wit
hher.

QueenNombu:
“Heywena(
you)
!Wozal
ana(
Come
her
e)!
”

Yep,shereal
lywasexpecti
ngme.Islowlywal
ked
towardsher.Iev
enforgottobowaf
terthe
dist
urbi
ngdayIhad.

QueenNombu:“Oh,
soyouthi
nky ouar
eamember
ofther
oyal
famil
ynowbecausethatol
dhagl
oves
you?Youdon’
tbowanymore?”

Ibowedtoher
.Ihatethi
sbowingshi
t.I
tmakes
peopl
efeel
li
ketheyar
eworthl
ess.
That
o:Apol
ogi
es,
myQueen.Idi
dn’
tmeant
o–“

Shedi
dn’
tev
enl
etmef
ini
sh.

QueenNombu:
“Thul
a(Shutup)
!Sf
ebendi
ni(
You
whore)
!”

Wow,
hasi
treal
l
yrest
ort
edt
othatnow?

QueenNombu:
“Wher
ehav
eyoubeenal
lday
?”

That
o:“
Iwasatt
hecl
i
nic,
Ma.
”

QueenNombu:
“Queen!QueenNombu!
”

Okay
,Iseetheni
ceQueenNombui
snol
onger
pr
esentasofthi
smoment.
QueenNombu:
“ Whatwer
eyoudoi
ngall
day,
I
sabel
la?
!Areyoutry
ingt
orui
nmyreput
ati
on?!
”

That
o:“
No,
Ma,
I–“

QueenNombu:
“Ngi
the(
Isai
d)Queen!
”

That
o:“
QueenNombu,
I–“

Shewasonar
eal
missi
ont
ober
udet
oni
ght
.

QueenNombu: “
Doy ouknowhowembar r
assedI
washearingt hatmymai dwasbusymaki nghersel
f
knownatt hecl i
nic?Peopl etalki
ngabouthowy ou
weregiv
ingor derst omyst aff!Howdar eyou
undermi
nemel i
ket hat?AfterallIeverdi
dforyou?
Youhavebar elybeenwor ki
ngher eforamonthand
al
readyyout hinky oucanbel ikeme?Youcannev er
beme,
dar
li
ng.Iam bor
nroy
alt
y.Whatar
eyou?
”

Yoh,Idon’
thavet
imef
orthi
s,r
eall
y.Iam sad,my
hear
tisachy,Imi
ssGl
ori
aandIreal
lyneedpeace.

Thato:“Ifyoumustknow, QueenNombul elo,Iam

I
sabellaGr oen,
Iam thedaughterofav erypowerful
man, andifIwer eyouIwouldtreadcarefull
y.You
don’
tknowme, nordoyouknowany t
hingaboutall
thebusinessesy ouown.Ev er
ythingi
sdoner i
ght
undery ournose.WhatkindofaQueenar eyouwho
doesnotcar eaboutthewellbei
ngofherpeopl e?”

I
tseemsasi fIaddedfuelt
othefi
re.Shegaveme
onebewi
lderedlookandinaspli
tsecond,
shegav
e
methehardestslapofmylif
e.

QueenNombu:
“Howdar
eyou?
!”
Oh,
no,
howdar
eshe?

QueenNombu:
“Doy
ouknowwhoIam?
”

Doessheknowwhot hefuckIam?Asshewas
shouti
ngatmeandli
teral
lyspi
tt
ingi
nmyface,
the
KingandQueenNandiwalkedi
n.

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Whati
sgoi
ngonher
e?”

Theybothsawmeholdi
ngmycheekandbot
h
becamebewil
der
ed.

QueenNandi
:“Whatt
hef
ucki
sthi
s,wena(
you)
,
Nombulel
o?!
”

Shedi
dn’
tev
enhav
eanyr
emor
se.
QueenNombu: “Whatdoesitl
ooklike?Iam
teachingherabiglesson.Shethi
nksshecanwal
k
aroundt ownduri
ngwor khour
sandabusemy
kindnessliket
hat?
”

Ki
ngNt si
ka:(
fuming)“Nombul
elo,
youhav ereal
l
y
l
osttheplot
.Iti
sbadenoughy ouhumili
atedmeby
sl
eepingwit
hmybr other
,andnowy oubeatupan
i
nnocentyoungwomanf ordoi
ngyourjobatthe
cl
ini
c?Yououghtt obeashamed.”

QueenNOmbu:
“But
,Nt
sika,
I–“

Ki
ngNtsika:
“Packy ourbags.Ispoketoy
our
mother
.Shei sexpecti
ngyoutonight
.”

Thatwassuchashocker
.

QueenNombu:
(shocked)“
No,
Ntsi
ka.Di
dyour
motherputyouuptothi
s?Iam notgoi
nganywher
e.
Iam f
ight
ingforourmar
riaget
ilmyl
astbr
eat
h.”

Ki
ngNt si
ka:“
Ify
oudon’
twanttopackyourbags,
the
dr
iverwil
ldr
agyououtofher
e.Youchoose.”

Shel
ookedatKingNtsi
kawi
thsuchweakness,
Isor
t
off
eltpi
tyf
orher.Bi
tch.

QueenNOmbu:
“No,
Iref
use.
”

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Ver
ywel
lthen.
”

Theki
ngwal
kedoutandcamebacki
naspl
i
tsecond
wit
hsomeguyIdon’
tknow.

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Dr
agheroutofher
e.”
Shewaskicki
ngandscreami ng,beggi
ngformercy,
whil
eQueenNandi,Ki
ngNt sikaandIjustl
ookedat
herbei
ngdraggedoutofthehouse.Iwasi natotal
stat
eofshockwithaburningcheek.

QueenNandi
:“Iam sosor
ryaboutt
hat
,Isabel
l
a.Let
mehavealook.”

Iremov edmyhandf rom mycheekandIcouldf

eeli
t
burnyetagain.Shit
, t
hatwoman’sfinger
sar
e
probablymadeofst eelorsomet
hing.Shesl
apped
mest raighti
ntopai
n.

QueenNandi
:“I
tlooksabi
tpai
nful
.Si
t,Iwi
l
lber
ight
back.
”

Idi
dast
oldwhi
l
etheKi
ngsatnextt
ome.

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Fi
rst
ly,
Iwoul
dli
ket
oapol
ogi
zef
ormy
wife’
sev i
lnesstowardsyou,I
sabel
la.Mymot her
explainedev ery
thingtome.Isincerel
yapol
ogizefor
hertreatingourf utur
eQueenli
kethis.HadIknown
youwer eNkosinathi’
swif
e,Iwouldhavegott
enr i
d
ofherl ongago. ”

That
o:“
It
’sokay
,baba.
”

QueenNandicamebackwithawar
m cl
othand
gent
lypl
aceditonmycheek.

KingNt sika:“
Ifeell
ikesuchawor thlessman.I
failedt
oseewhatmyowndaught erwasdoi ngtome
ri
ghtundermynose.Shehasbasi call
ycri
ppledour
kingdom.Wehav enochoi cebutt oaskthebankf or
al oan.Al oanofwhi chitwil
ltakeuset er
nitytopay
off.Ifwet akeoutthisloanwewoul dnotownpar t
ofourl andany more.”

Shi
t,t
heyknow.Thi
ngscan’
tbet
hatbad.Theyhav
e
tothi
nkofanotherpl
an.Wecan’ tpossibl
ybein
suchadirest
ateofdesper at
ion.Itseemsasi f
Nomsabasicall
ybankruptedtheent i
reKingdom.I
havenoideawhatsheev endi dwiththemoney,but
j
a,weneedsomehel pint hatregard.Surel
ywecan
thi
nkofsomething.
Chapt
erOneHundr
ed

Ephesi
ans1:
4–“ Accordi
ngashehathchosenusi
n
hi
m befor
ethefoundati
onofthewor
ld,
thatwe
shoul
dbeholyandwithoutbl
amebefor
ehimi n
l
ove.”

That
o

Idon’tknowwhattot hi
nk,r
eall
y .Everyt
hingisnow
outintheopen;QueenNandi andKi ngNtsikaknow
ever
y t
hingthatNomsaandDer ickhav ebeenupt o
andnowi ti
sal i
tt
letoolat
e.Gl ori
aisstil
lmissi
ng
andherphonehasbeenof f.Pr i
nceZwel ihasnot
beenhimsel
fofl
ate,andhasbeentr
yingtolookf
or
heruptonoavai
l
.I ti
sonlynowthatIreal
i
zehow
pri
vat
eGlori
aact
uallyi
s.

Shedidn’treallyment i
onwher ehergrandmother
stays.Thisissuchamess, eventhoughZweliis
doinghisbestt of i
ndher .Hedoesnotev enwantto
hearhismot her’
snamement ioned.Iguessshehas
madeal otofenemi eswi thi
nherfamily
.KingNt si
ka
i
sr eal
lyhappyaboutwhatIdi dyest
erday.
Apparentl
yi tisallovertown.

Ev er
y onetol
dev er
yoneandt henewsev entuall
y
l
andedont heKing’
sear s.Whenhehear d,he
start
eddi ggi
ngonhi sownaccor dwiththehelpof
QueenNandi ,andthatiswhent heyactual
lyfound
outaboutNomsaandDer i
ck’
sdeali
ngs.The
problem nowisDer i
ck.Hehasnotcomehomey et
andt heyhavesetat rapforhi
m –t heyarereadyf or
hi
m andt hepoli
ceareev enonstandbytoar r
esthi m
withimmedi ateeff
ect.
Nomsaont heot herhandi stoalsof acethesame
chargesasherhusband–f rom conspi r
acyto
murdert ofraud.Thoset woar eamat chmadei n
hell
Iguess.Theonecannotl iv
ewi t
houttheother
soitseems.Ki ngNtsikaspreadt hewor dallov
er
townt hatDerickisawant edman, sowehav ebeen
waiti
ngf orhoursandy etnowor df rom outsi
de.

QueenNandi:“Per
hapsweshoul
dcal li
tanight.I
thinkwecangetpeoplet
okeepsearchi
ngf orhi
m
tomor r
ow.Enandeisnott
hatbi
gf oranyoneto
hide.”

KingNt
sika:
“Yout
wocangosl
eep,
I’
drat
herwai
t
up.”

QueenNandi andIwer
eaboutt
oret
reattoour
bedr
ooms, whenZenandest
ormedi
nlikeshehas
j
ustlosthermarbl
es.
Zenande:“
Whodoy out hinkyouare?!Youthinkyou
canjustwal
tzinher
eanddoasy ouplease?
!Itis
badenoughyoumademygr andpatakemyf ather
awayandnow?What ’sthisIhearofyouaccusing
myf at
herofbei
ngar apist?!
”

Shewasshout i
ngandpoi nt
ingatQueenNandi.We
al
ldi
dn’tseethenextmov ecoming.QueenNandi
di
dn’tsayaword,assheletZenandefini
shtal
king.
Theloudersheshouted,t
hemor eannoyedQueen
Nandibecame.Shegr abbedZenandebyt het
hroat
andpinnedheragai
nstthewal l
.

BothKingNt sikaandIwer eabitappauled, butwe

didn’
tsayawor d.It
hinkIknowbet terthant ogo
againstQueenNandi ’
swi shes.Besides, Zenande
deservedit.Ithasbeenlongt i
mecomi ng.
Meanwhi l
eZenandewasshockedt othecor eand
reall
yscaredasshest ruggledtobreathe.
QueenNandi :(fuming)“Ihavebeenwar ningy ou.I
tol
dy ounott omesswi thme, kodwawena( but)
way enzani (whatdi dyoudo) ?Youdeci dedt o
againstmeandt r
eatmel ikeIam oneofy our
whor ingfriends!I ’
m noty ourfr
iend,Zenande.You
shoul dknowbet t
erthantokeepshout ingl i
keamad
person.It ol
dy oui fonl
yy ouknewwhoy our eall
y
were, youwoul dn’tbebehav i
nglikeal ostani mal.
Yourwhor ingmot hersl
eptwi t
hMamasango’ sson,
youi diot
.Thati showy ouwer econcei v ed.The
womany oucl aimedt obeawi tchisy our
grandmot her.Nowonderungat hati
kahl eso( you
aresocr azy ).
”

Wow, t
hesecretswi
thint
hisfami l
y.Ican’
teven
keepup.Zenandewasbat t
li
ngf ordearl
if
e,as
QueenNandihadmer cyonherandl etgoofher
thr
oat.Shedroppeddownt othefloor
,coughi
ngand
gaspi
ngforai
r.

Zenande:
(coughi
ng)“
Unamanga(
Youar
ely
ing)
!”
Hao(Wow)
,shest
il
lhast
hegutstokeepswearing
atawomanwhonearl
yri
ppedhert
hroatoutofher?

QueenNandi :“Ihav enothi

ngt ogainf r
om lyingto
you.Youar enot hing,butf
il
thandy ouwi l
lalways
stayliket hatforasl ongasy oufollowi nyour
mot her’sf ootsteps.Takeagoodl ookaty oursel
f.
Youdon’ tev enlookl i
keDerick.IfIwer eyou, Iwoul
d
real
lybehappyf ornothavi
ngDer ick’sgenes.Who
want stobeassoci atedwit
haser i
al r
apist
?A
molest erofnot e?”

QueenNandi i
sveryharsh,butshespeaksthet
ruth
al
way s.Shedoesnotbelieveinsugarcoat
ingt
hings,
andIlovehowshei snotrudetoanyone
undeserv
ingofit
.

Zenande:(
fumi
ng)“
Youhav
enev
erl
ikedme,
Gogo
(gr
anny).Whyi
sthat
?Whywoul
dyoudosomet
hing
l
i
ket
hist
ome?
”

QueenNandi:“Ihavebiggerpr obl
emst osolveright
now,thanpayi
ngat tent
iontopet t
y,spoil
tchil
dren
l
ikeyou.Ifyouwantt osti
llstayhere,youhadbet t
er
l
earntoberespectfulandmi ndfulofothers.I
fnot ,
ther
eisthedoor.”

Shegotupf r
om thef l
oorandrushedupst ai
rstoher
room.Ai ,j
aneh.Thet hi
ngspeopledof ormoney .I
cannev erunderstandhowmostchi l
drenwhoar e
l
iteral
lybornint
omoneyar erudeasfuck.Ki ng
Nt si
kawenttohi sbedroom,whileQueenNandi andI
alsoretr
eatedtoour s.Icoul
n’thel
pbutf eelli
ke
somet hi
ngbadwasgoi ngtohappen.

Havey ouevergot tent hatsuddenf eeli

ngl i
ke
somet hingwasj ustnotokaywi t
hsomeoney ou
know?Youj ustdon’ tknowwhoi tis?Itriedprayi
ng
thefeelingaway, butt hemor eIpr ayed,t
hemor e
anxi
ousIf el
t.Icoul ndn’tevensleepawi nk.Ithen
deci
dedtocall
Rami.Iknowhernumberof
fbyheart
aswell
,soIcal
ledherandsheanswer
edonthef
ir
st
ri
ng.

Rami
:“Rami
,hel
l
o?”

That
o:“
Hi,
Sis.
”

Rami:(
tear
y)“That
o!Oh,myGod.Wher
ear
eyou?
Arey
ouokay ?Areyousaf
e?”

That
o:“
Iam f
ine,
babe.Howar
eyou?
”

Rami :
(cryi
ng)“Yoh,Tee.Ev er
ythi
nghasjustbeena
mess.Idon’ tevenknowwhot otal
ktoanymor e.
Wi t
houtyouIhav ebeenar ealmesswit
hev ery
thi
ng
fall
i
ngapar t
.Wi thAuntVivgone,wehavehadt obe
stuckinthehouseunder24hoursur vei
l
lance.I
missy ousomuch, pleasecomehome.Ihav eso
mucht
otal
ktoy
ouabout
.”

HowIwi shitwasthatsi mple.HowonearthdoIgo

f
rom whereIam, l
eav ingthepeoplewhoneedme
mostandgoi ngst
raightbackhome?TheKi ngdom
i
sont hevergeofcollapseandIneedtosavei t
.I
f
eelli
keitismydutyt o–Idon’ tknowhow,butGod
wil
lhavetohelpmeont hisone.

That
o:“Ipromi
seIwi
l
lcomebacksoononceal
lthi
s
di
esover.”

Rami
:“Youdon’
tknow?
”

That
o:(
puzzked)“
Knowwhat
?”

Rami:“Theguysallwentonami ssi
on–incl
uding
Thendo.Theyhav efoundRendaniandt
he
Marti
nell
is.Theyareheadedthereaswespeak.A
wari
saboutt
obr
eakandIam scar
edshi
tl
ess,
Tee.
”

Oh,no.NowIunder
standwhyIhav
ebeenf
eel
i
ng
l
ikethi
s.I
tal
lmakessensenow.

Thato:
“Rami,pl
easepr
ay.AskNanat
opr
aywi
th
you.We’l
ltal
klat
er.
”

IhungupandgotonmykneesasIst
art
edpr
ayi
ng
agai
n.

Thato:“
FatherGod, Ihumblemy sel
fbeforey ou.I
askthatyoupleasepr ot
ectallt
hemeni nmyl i
fe.I
donotknowwhati saboutt ohappen,butIpraythat
yougraceuswi thyourmer cyandprotectthem
thr
oughoutthis.Pl
easebr i
ngthem backsafeand
soundinJesus’nameIpr ay.Amen.”

It
ri
edt
osl
eept
her
eaf
terev
ent
houghi
twasnot
suchapl
easantt
imet
osl
eep.

Kg

Wefinall
ywereheadedtotheairportandIwasreal
ly
anxi
oiustoendupatItal
ysot hatwecouldfinal
l
ykil
l
afewmot her
fucker
s,butsuddenlySokscall
edthe
guar
dwhowasexpect i
ngusatt heairpor
t.

Guar
d:“
Past
orSol
want
stot
alkt
oyou.
”

Ikeepforget
ti
ngheisser
iousaboutt
hiswhol
e
pastort
hing.Itookt
hephoneandanswered.

Kg:
“Hel
l
o?”

Soks:
“It
oldy
outhatiti
salwaysbet
tertogetthe
enemyonhomeground.Changeofplans.Those
twoi
diot
sar
ecomingtoCapeTown.Yourpl
anwil
l
bedi
rect
edt
her
e.Iwil
lseeyoui
nanhourortwo.
”

Justlikethat,hehungup.Thi sissodifferentf
rom
theSoksIknow–somuchmor ematuredand
str
aighttot hepoi nt.Imustsay,Imi
sst hatidi
ot
Soksbackt hen, butIl
ovethi
sonemor e.Wegot
i
ntot heplaneandheadedt oCapeTown.Thewhol e
ti
meMul alohel dhisrosay
,theoneNanahandedt o
allofus.Wef inallyar
ri
vedinCapeTown.Aswegot
out,thedriverstookust oanearbyRomanChur ch.

Idon’tevengetit
,butsi nceSoksisapast or,
it
makessensewhywear eher enow.Wewal kedin
withcauti
on,wit
haf ewi temsofammuni t
iononus
andwef oundhimr i
ghti nthemiddleofthepulpit
.A
fewtablesweresetbef orethepul
pitwit
hchai rsand
afewdr i
nks.Ifeell
ikewear ei
namaf iamov ieor
somet hi
ng.Aswewal kedinweappr oachedSoks,
dressedinhi
spastoral unif
orm.
Soks:(smi
l
ing)“
Goodday
,youhav
efi
nal
l
yar
ri
ved,
famil
y.
”

Kg:(
chuckl
i
ng)“Ja,Soks.Youl
i
ketherunar
ound.
Coul
dn’
tyoujustt
elluswewerecominghere?
”

Soks:“Ag,
youknowhowi
tis.Pl
ease,
beseat
ed
gentl
emen.”

Hepoint
edusatt
het
abl
efaci
ngl
eftandwet
ook
ourseat
s.

Soks:
“Gent
lemen,wear eint
hehouseoft
helord.
AsmuchasIhatev i
olenceandspi
l
li
ngofbloodhere,
wehavenootherchoice.
”

Gr
ingo:
“Not
ed.Cany
oubr
iefus?
”
Soks:“Cer t
ainly.LuigiandLucaar esti
llagainst
eachothery ett heybothhav ethesameobj ectiv
e-
togetridofy ou–al lofyou.Thi siscourtesyof
Rendani,whoj ustaddedf ueltothefir
e.Ishal ll
eave
youtoitnow.Iwi l
lonlycomebackoncey ouar e
done.Pl easenot ethatIputy ouont hattablefora
reason.Youhav eyourfav ouri
teandbest
ammuni tionunder neaththet able.Ihavepr ayedfor
everyt
hingandcanonl yhopef orthebest .Good
l
uckandal lthebest.”

Hel eftust herewhil

ewef eltunderneatht
hetable
andi ndeedt hereweresomeammuni ti
on.Itwasn’
t
evenl ongbef oreLui
giarr
ivedwi t
hhi smen.He
didn’tlookar medandneitherdidthey ,
butyounever
know.I nfact,hewasrathersurpri
sedt oseeusall
.

Lui
gi:
“Gringo.Whatni
cesur
pri
set
oseey
ou.You
her
ewi t
hy ourboy
s?”

Idon’
tknowLui
gif
orv
eryl
ong,
butIt
rusthi
mtoask
suchanobv
iousquest
ionwi
thhi
sbr
okenEngl
i
sh.

Gri
ngo:
(chuckl
ing)“
Seemsl
ikeyouexpect
edmet
o
comealoneorsomethi
ngel
se.”

Lui
gi:
“Nowor
ry.Ij
ustask.
”

Gr
ingo:
“Takeaseatr
ightov
ert
her
e.”

Lui
gi:
“Whyar
eweher
e?”

Gri
ngo:“Ishoul
dbeaski
ngyouthat
.Aren’
tyout
he
onewhocookedupapl ant
otakeovermy
busi
ness?”

IsawLuigi
star
tfi
ddl
ingwi
thhi
shandsandhi
sey
es
star
tedwander
ingar
ound.
Lui
gi:(
nervous)“No,
Gri
ngo.Iwouldnev
erdothat
.
You,me,comel ongway.Idon’
tbet
rayf
amil
y.
”

Gr
ingo:(
laughi
ng)“Thenhowcomey oufail
edtotel
l
methatRendanicametoy our
ightaf
terki
dnappi
ng
mydaughter?”

Lui
gi’
sfor
eheadst
art
edsweat
ingpr
ofusel
y.

Gri
ngo:“Youal
sofai
l
edtoment
iont
hathewast
he
causeofmywife’
sdeat
h.”

Lui
gi:
(nerv
ous)“G,li
sten,
Iknewnothi
ng.He…he
pl
anneditall
withLuca.Ihonest
lyhadnot
hingt
odo
wit
hanythi
ng.”

Ichuckl
edaftertheloadofbul
lshi
thewast ry
ingto
feedme.Nowonderwhyt het
wooft hem don’tget
along.Ther
ei snoloyal
tyamongthem atall
.Whi le
hewasfeedingusli
es,Lucawal
kedinandl
oand
behol
d,Rendaniwasri
ghtnextt
ohim.

Rendanil
ookedsoshockedt oseeus, andhe
honest
lytri
edt orun,
butthenthebouncerswho
camewi t
hLucamadesur ethathecouldn’tl
eave
wit
houtpermission.Iguessthatist
hepr i
cehehas
topayforsell
inghisdamnsoul .Hehast obeowned
bythem unti
ltheygetwhathehadpr omisedthem.

Luca:(
anger
ed)“
Lui
gi,
Ishoul
dhav eknown.You
betr
aymeoncemore,str
onzo(asshol
e)?
!”

Lui
gi:
“Don’
tfuckwit
hme,Luca!Youbet
rayme–
notot
herwayround!Yougobehindmybackand
workwit
hRendani.Tel
lGthetr
uth!
”

Luca:
“Rendani
,whatt
hef
ucki
sgoi
ngonher
e?!
”
Rendani
:(ner
vous)“Iknownothi
ngoft
his.Iam j
ust
asshockedandsurprisedasy
ouare.
”

Ifeltmysel
fbecomei nst
ant l
yenr agedcour ageto
kidnapmywi f
eandputhert hroughsuchhel l
.I
reall
ywanttoripoffeverybitofski nfr
om hi sbody.
Iwanthimt orel
iv
et hepainweal lwentthrough
whenVi vi
andiedandGr i
ngowasi nthatcoma, when
weal lt
houghtwewoul dnev erseeThat oev eragai
n.
Mul al
owasstarti
ngt ogetagitatedaswel l,whil
e
Gringo’
sfacebecamehar dened.

Gringo:“Well,
sincenoonei spreparedtobehonest ,
l
etmebr eakitdownf oryou.Yourl i
tt
lefriendher e,
Rendani ,ki
dnappedmydaught errightafterhaving
mywi f
eki l
l
edandbr oughthertoyou, Luigi.Het hen
fuckedupandy ouchasedhim away ,afterhe
couldn’tkeephisbargainofthedeal r
egar ding
takingmybusi nessfrom me.

Her
ant
oyou,
Luca,
andt
hebot
hofy
oucameup
wit
hapl antogetridofus–allofus.Youhatcheda
pl
antogetuski l
ledandfi
nishwhatyouhavestart
ed.
Apparentl
yyou,Lucaevenhadplansonmakingmy
daughterasexslavesomewhereinthewor
ld.Am I
wrong?”

IcouldseeLucast ar
ti
ngtoshakeabi t,aswel
las
Luigi
.Theybot hlookli
ketheyar
er eadytohashi
t
out,butRendaniofcoursehadotherplans.

Lui
gi:
“Well
,It
hinki
tissaf
etosaythatpr
obl
em
makerher
eisonlyone–Rendani
.”

Rendani
:“Youtwobothwanttot
urnagai
nstmeand
feedmetot hewol
ves?Overmydeadbody.
”

Hedrewhisgunf r
om thebackofhisjeans,
and
poi
nteditt
owardsourdirect
ion.Lucki
lywewere
onestepaheadofthem andwedr ewoutourguns
aswell.Adesh,
Rajesh,Prav
esh,Smally
,Mulal
oand
Ihadt wogunseachi nbothourhands, exceptfor
Gringo.HehadanAK47i nhi shands,whil
eRendani
onlyhadoneGl ockSmi t
hpi stol
inhishand.Things
quickl
yescalated,wit
hLuca, Lui
giandbot hthei
r
mendr awingtheirgunsandpoi nti
ngthem atus.I
seewhat ’
sgoingonnow.Theybot hdecidedto
standtogetherforusagainstus?

Gringo:“Isee.Yout wodeci dedt oganguponus

forachange?Di dy ouforgetwhatLucadi dt oy ou,
Luigi?Youseem t oforgethef uckedy ourwi feone
ti
me.Youseem t of orgetthathei sther easony ou
arealsoher e.Hemadesur ethathecoul dtrapy ou
tocomeher eandki lly
ouonceandf orall.Iwas
will
ingtof orgi
vey ou,toletyougot odayhady ou
onlyagreedt ogivemeRendani onasi lverplat t
er .
Butaf t
eryourst upidchoi ce,youwi l
lleav eher eina
bodybag.Wor stpar tyoudeci dedtodi srespectt he
houseofGodi nst eadoft aki
ngt hisrightout side.”

I
tseemsasi
fLui
giwascont
empl
ati
ngwhatGr
ingo
sai
dtohi
m.

Lui
gi:
“IfIgi
vey
oubothonasil
verpl
atter
,what
guar
anteedoIhav
ethatIwi
l
lbesetfree?”

Gri
ngo:“Sel
enasavedmydaught er
.Youhavemy
word.I’
dratherdothisforherandensur
ethaty
ou
gettogr
owol dtogether–forhersake.
”

Luigistoodsti
l
l forawhi l
e,thinkingandwi thi
nt he
bli
nkofaney e, heturnedhi sgunandshotLucai n
theleg.Thingsescal atedr eallyfasti
nt hebli
nkof
aney e,andLuigi’
smenst artedshoot i
ngatLuca,
whileLuca’smenshotback.Rendani start
ed
shootingatus,andl uckilywedodgedt hebullet
s.
Weal sostart
edshoot i
ngback, whil
eAdeshand
Rajeshquickl
yt oppledt het ablesoversot hatthey
couldactasshi eldsforus.

Theyar
ebi
gandr
ound,
sot
wooft
hem wer
e
enoughtohol dt
hebull
et sbackforawhi le.Gri
ngo
l
aunchedhisAKandst ar t
edshootinginRendani ’
s
dir
ecti
on.Itseemsasi ftheyallwerehidingbehind
theChurchbenches,whileafewofLucaandLui gi’
s
menshotatus, al
ongwi thRendani,LucaandLui gi
beganshootingateachot her
.Lucast artedshouti
ng
whil
eshooting.Itr
ustItali
anstoholdgr udgesand
neverl
etshitgo.

Luca:“
Youwill
neverwin,Lui
gi!Ihavebeenpl anning
tobri
ngyoudownf orages!Padrelovedy oumor e
thanme,butevenl
ikethatyoustil
lcouldn’tkeep
yourwif
e!”

Luigi
:“Fuckyou,str
onzo(asshol
e)!Youshal
ldi
e
today!Icursethedayy oubecamerel
atedt
ome!
Muoristronzo(Die,
fucker)
!”

Aswewereshooti
nganddodgi
ngbul
let
satt
he
sameti
me,Ihear
dAdeshfal
ldownasheyel
l
edout
i
nagony.
Adesh:
(scr
eami
ng)“
Aaah!I
’
m hi
t!
”

Raj
esh:
“Dad!St
aydown!
”

Iqui
ckl
ylookedathi
m andsawhi
m hol
dinghi
s
shoul
der
.

Kg:
“Ti
ehi
sar
m;I
’
llcov
ery
ou.
”

Rajeshnoddedashewentov ertohisdadtotiehis
arm andensurethathedoesn’tbleedout.Smal l
y
gotupandst art
edshootingandmanagedt oshoot
twoofLuc’asmen.Twodown, t
womor etogo.All
Lui
gi’smenwer eout.Hewasout numbered.
Meanwhi l
e,thetabl
ewasst ar
ti
ngt ophaseoutasi t
wasbei ngdevouredbythebull
ets.Abul l
etfl
ew
ri
ghtthroughandhitGri
ngoonhi schest.Hef el
l
down, butwasn’
thurtatall
.Thankgoodnessf orthe
bull
etproofs.
 Praveshgotupandf acedtwoofLuca’ smenhead
onandmanagedt otakeoneoutbyshoot inghim
ri
ghtinbet
weent heey es.Unf ort
unatel
yheal sogot
shotinthearm.Raj eshhadt oat t
endtohi m aswell,
l
eav i
ngusshor tofmen.Imov edmyheadupabi t
andIcouldn’tseeRendani.Hewasn’ twher ehewas
hidi
ng.Somet hingdoesnotf eel r
ight
.It urnedto
myr i
ghtandMul al
owasr ightnexttome.Mywor st
fearcamet osuffaceashebecameent angledintoa
scuffl
ewithRendani .

IpointedmygunatRendani andpul ledt het ri

gger,
butIwasoutofbul lets.Shit.It ri
edl ookingf ora
gunnear by,
buteveryonewasj usttoobusywi t
h
theirownshoot i
ng.Gr i
ngoshotLuca, alongwi t
hhis
l
astman.AsLui gigotup, Gringoshothi mi nt heleg.
Itfeltl
i
kej ustaspli
tsecond, whenIt urnedar ound
andnot icedRendani hadtriedt ograbMul al obyhis
throat,butheendedupgr abbi nghisneckl ace
i
nst ead–t heoneNanagav et oallofus.It hen
remember edhersay i
ngweshoul dn’ttakei toffno
mat terwhat.Fuck,
thi
scan’tbehappeni
ng.Ilooked
aroundandsawRaj eshholdingbot
hhisbrot
herand
father,suppor
ti
ngthem andmakingsuret
heydon’t
fal
l asleep.

Kg:
“Raj
esh,
passmet
hegun!
”

Rajeshdidast old,Mulalofell
down.Rendani
pointedhisgunatmeandIhear dhi sgungoof f
si
mul taneouslyal ongwithmi ne.Il ookeddownand
checkedwhet herIhadbeenhi t,butf eltnothi
ng.I
l
ookedatMul alowhodr oppeddownr ightbef
oreme,
whileRendani f
ellalmostinstantly.Isawbl ood
oozingf r
om Mul alo’
smout hashest ruggledto
catchhisbr eath.Fuck,no!Thi scan’ tbehappeni ng.
IquicklykneltdownasIhel dhi m.Ihadhi sheadon
mykneesandt ear sstr
eami ngdownmyf ace
profusely.

Kg:(cr
ying)“
Mul
alo,
brot
her
,pl
ease.Don’
tleav
eme.
Ibegyou.”
Mulal
o:(
outofbreath)“Takegoodcar
eofyoursel
f
andofThat
o.I….I’
mr eall
ygladImety
ou.Ilov
e
you.
”

Kg:
“Mul
alo!No!
”
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandOne

Eccl
esi
ast
es6:10–“Whatev
erexi
stshasal
ready
beennamed,
andwhathumanit
yishasbeenknown;
noonecancontendwi
thsomeonewhoisstr
onger.
”

Isai
ah46: 10–“Imakeknownt heendfrom t
he
beginning,f
rom anci
entti
mes,whati
sst i
l
ltocome.
Isay,‘Mypurposewillst
and,
andIwill
doal l
thatI
please.’
”

That
o
Ifoundmy sel
fbeingunabletosl
eep,alt
houghI
eventual
lyfel
lasl
eepafterqui
teastruggl
e.Iwas
awokenbyt hebeamingl i
ghtofNokukhanyainmy
bedroom, al
ongwithsomeone’sspir
itInever
expected.

Nokukhany
a:“Thato,
wakeup.Vuka,
Ndhl
ovukazi
(
Wakeup, Queen).
”

Iwokeupandf acedher.Icouldn’tbel
iev
ei t
.She
hasMulal
orightbyherside,dr
essedi nallwhit
e.He
l
ookssodiff
erent,sohappyunlikethemiserable
Mulal
oIalwayssaw.Wai t,whatdoest hi
smean
now?

Nokukhanya:(
smil
i
ng)“Youdi dsowel
l,mydear
chil
d.Youreal
lyar
esteppingupandli
vingupto
yourname.Iam sogladyouf i
nal
lymanagedt
ohelp
thepeopl
eofEnandeandgi veMaMasangotheone
thi
ngshehasbeenlongingfor.
”
That
o:(
frowni
ng)“Ma,whati
shappening?Imean,
whyisMulal
owit
hy oual
sodressedl
ikeyou?
”

Nokukhanya:
“Iti
sal
lthankst
oyout
hatIwasabl
eto
f
indmyl ongl
ostson.
”

Ibecamepuzzl
ed.Ir
eal
l
yhav
enoi
deawhat
’s
happeni
ngri
ghtnow.

Nokukhany a:“
Yousee, whenIwaspr egnantwi t
h
Kgaugel o,
Iwasact uall
ypr egnantwi t
hTwi ns.One
oft hem wasMul al
o.Mysi ster,
wi l
l explai
n
ev eryt
hingshedi dtoy ou.Shewi l
l callforyou
tomor row.Andwhenshedoes, Iwi l
lber i
ghtthere
wi thyou.Shewi llbeabl etoseemeasIhav ebeen
visiti
ngherqui t
eal ot.Hangi nthere, Thato.The
wor stisov er
.Itisjustunf or
tunatet haty ouhadto
besav edbyMul aloofferi
nghi slif
ef ory ou–
other wisetheywoul dhav ecomef ory ou.”
Idon’tunderst
and.I sMulalodead?Ifoundmy self
overwhelmedwi t
ht ears.NowonderIhav ebeen
feel
i
ngst rangeandov erwhelmedwithnerves.Oh,
Kgmustbedev astated.Hej ustf
oundhisbrother
andnowhei saboutt oburyhim.Thiscan’
tber ight.

That
o:(cr
ying)“
Thi
smustbeamistake,Ma.Mul
alo,
pl
ease.Tellmethi
sisj
ustani
ght
mar e.
”

Mulalo:“Iti
snot,Thato.Thanky ouforev er
y t
hing
youhav edonef orme.Youaccept edmewhen
everyoneelsefoundmewei r
d.Ihav efoundmy
ri
ght f
ulfamil
yandj oi
nedthem inspir
itnowal l
thankst oyou.Ifi
twasn’tforourconnection,Iwould
havenev erfoundmyt winbrother
.Fort hat,Iwil
lbe
eternall
ygratef
ul.
”

If
oundmy
sel
fcr
yingpr
ofusel
y.

That
o:“
No!No!Mul
alo,
No!Pl
easecomeback!
”
Mulalo:“
Youar edesti
nedforgreatness,That
o.You
areabouttosav ethi
skingdom.Pl easestaystr
ong
anddowhaty oucameher efor.Yourtimewillcome
tosupportKgthroughthisdif
fi
cultti
me.Hewon’ t
takemyl ossverywell
,butyouwillhavetobethere
toreassurehi
m. ”

Ifeell
ikecompl et
eshitnow.Isleptwi thbrothers–
twinbrothersatthat
.Ican’tbeli
eveit.NowMul al
o
diedwithoutknowinghismot her
’sbiologi
calf amil
y.
Thisisnotokayatall.Theyalway ssayev ery
t hi
ng
happensf orareason,butnowwhyshoul dourf amily
andmyl ovedonesalwaysgot hr
oughhel l?When
willi
tend?

Nokukhanya:
“Please,donotbesaddened,f
or
every
onehastheirti
mel i
mither
eonear t
h.Youare
deeplyl
oved,
Isabell
a.Youaregoingtoleadthi
s
nati
onandbeforeyoudot hat
,youhavetogetri
dof
al
ltheevil
andev er
yonewhoi snotofapureheart
.
Mysisteri
sexpect
ingy outomorr
owmor ni
ng.You
wi
llf
inall
yknowthet r
uthabouthowIdiedand
wher
eIwasl ai
dtor est.Iwi
ll
seeyouthen.
”

Theyslowlydisappear
edleavi
ngmewi thadeepl
y
woundedhear t.Ican’
tbel
iev
et hatMul
aloi
sgone.
Hedidn’tevenhaveachildoranyremembranceof
hi
ml ef
tbehi nd.Lif
ecanbesounf ai
r.

Kg

Irefusedt obel i
evethatmybr otherhaddi ed.Iwept
ri
ghtont hecol dfl
oorwithhi
sbl oody ,l
if
elessbody
gonecol drightinmyar ms.Thi scan’tbet heendof
ourbr otherhood.I tj
ustcan’
tbe.Thatexpl ains
everything–howMul al
obeggedmet ospendt ime
withhi mt hesepastf ewweeks, howhef orcedmet o
takepi cturesofev er
ysmallthing.Mybr otherknew
hewasgoi ngtomeethi sendt onightandhel ayhis
l
ifeforme.Heev enaskedmet omakeapactwi t
h
him bef orecomi nghere,t
hatnomat terwhat–I
shoul
dbesav
edf
ir
st.Oh,
Mul
alo,
mybr
other
.

Kg:(Shout
ing)“
God,whyar eyousoselfi
sh?Whydo
youtakeawayt hepeopleIlov
ethemost ?Youtook
mymot herawayf r
om mebef oreIhadevenhit
pubert
y.Youmademef indmybr ot
herandnowhe
i
sgone.Howcr uelareyou?Whyar eyoudoingthi
s
tome?I sitbecauseIam notverygod-f
eari
ng?Iam
notaregul
archurch-goer?Why ,God?!
”

Icompl
etel
yignor
edRendani
’
sscr
eamsont
hef
loor
.

Gri
ngo:(
saddened)“Son,
heisgone.Come, wehav e
togobeforethecopscome.Wehav etogetAdesh
andPraveshtothehospi
tal
.Westil
lhavetosortout
thi
smotherfucker
.Mulal
omethisdeathanditwas
ti
me,son.Please,l
etgoofhim.Just
,lethi
m go.”

HowdoIev enl
etgoofmybr
other
?Myotherhal
f?I
gotupasIcarr
iedhi
minmyarmsaswemadeour
wayt othekombi .GringohadAdeshi nhi sar
ms,
whileSmal l
ywasdr aggingt hescreamingRendani
withhisonear m, whilePr aveshhadRaj eshinhis.
Thendowashi dingbehi ndt hepulpi
tthewhol etime
andIam act uall
ygl adfort hat.Ican’
timagine
havingtobur yhimt o.Hesl owlywalkedoutt err
if
ied
ashellashewal kedbehi ndus.Hest oppedashe
sawal lt
hebl ood, wit
hsomeoft hemenhi twith
bull
etsrightbetweent heirey es.Hev omited
profusel
y .I
tgetsbet terwi thti
me, t
hough.Gr ingo
stoppedr i
ghtbef oretheai l
ingLuigi
.

Gri
ngo:“
YouareluckyIl
oveSelenaandIhav easoft
spotf
orher
.Iam lett
ingyougo,butIcan’
tletyou
goandli
vel
ifet
hesamewayy ouusedt o.
”

Hepausedashet ookoutagunfrom underneat

hhi
s
j
acketandshothiminbothknees.Luigiscr
eamed
l
ikeali
tt
lechi
ld.

Gr
ingo:
“Lett
hatbeapai
nful
remi
ndernev
ert
omess
wi
thal
oyal
fami
l
ymember
.”

Soksappear
edoutofnowher
easwehadcompl
etel
y
for
gott
enabouthi
m.

Soks:
“Don’
tworr
y,G.Iwi
llmakesur
ehegetshome
saf
eandsound.Iwil
lmeetwit
hyousoon.
”

Gringonoddedaswepr oceededt owal kout .We

headedt othehospital sot hatAdeshandRaj esh
couldbedr oppedof fandgetmedi cal assistance.
Theyseemedt obef ine, andluckilydidn’ tshowany
signsofshock.Wehadt odropMul al
oof fatthe
familymortuary,courtesyofGr ingo.iti shard
stari
ngal i
fel
essbodyi nt heey eslikethat .
Especial
lywhent hedeceasedi sy ourv eryown
brotherorsomeoner eallycloset oy ou.Af t
er
droppingMul al
o’sbodyof f,Iheadedbacki ntothe
Kombi .
Gr
ingo:“
Shoul
dwewai
tfort
omor
rowt
osor
toutt
his
mess?”

Hewasr
efer
ri
ngt
oRendani
.

Kg:“No,
let’
sdoitnow.Aft
ertonight,I
’dl
ikeaf resh
star
t–al i
fewit
houtcr
imeandwi thoutvi
olence.I t
hishi
ghtimeIbecamethemanThat ohasal ways
known.Iwasnotbornforsuchal i
fe–acr ime
ri
ddenli
fe.Iwantapeacef
ulli
fe,ahappyl i
fe,Iwant
tobeagoodf at
herandagoodf amily.
”

Gri
ngo:(smi
li
ng)“Ihavebeenwait
ingtohearyou
saythat
.Ial
way sknewyouwerenotWol f
e,butyou
wereKg.Iam sogladthatmydaughtermanagedto
choosesowell
.Now, l
et’
sgetourshiti
norderand
getri
dofthi
spieceofshit
.”

Hedi
dn’thav
et otel
lmetwi
ce.Wedr
ovetoour
whar
ehousealongwithSmal
l
y.I
twasonl
ythet
hree
ofusal ongwi t
hourcul pr i
t–Rendani .Forthef i
rst
ti
mewehav enospect ator s.Ther eisnoneedf ora
showanddr essingupt oni ght.Iwanthi mtodiea
sl
ow, painfuldeath.Iwanthi mt ofeelhowVivian
died.Iwanthi mt ofeelt heint ensefearThatowas
i
nwhenhesnat chedherf rom usandwoundedour
Gringo.Hecoul dhav edi ed, youknow.Wecoul d
hav ehadourdoubl emur der.Rendani wasbleeding
fr
om hi sshoulder,whi
lescr eami ngoutinpain,but
wedi dn’tcar
e.Heact ual lytookt wopeopl ewhom I
caredfordeepl y
.Heki lledVi vianandRendani ina
spaceofmont hs.Ihatet hisfucker.

Kg:“
Ja,Rendani
,youar
ereal
l
yenj
oyi
ngl
i
fe,
neh,
you
si
ckfuck.
”

Rendani:
(weakl
y)“Pl
ease,pl
easel
etmego.I
promiseIwon’
teverbothery
ouagain.
”

Gri
ngo:
(laughi
ng)“
Whodoyout
hinkyouar
e,wena
(y
ou)?Youhonestl
ythi
nky
oucankil
lmywife,
ki
dnapmydaughter
,ri
ddl
emewithbul
l
ets,
endanger
usall
andkil
lmysonandthi
nky
oucangetaway
wit
halloft
hat?
!”

Rendanistar
tedlaughi
ngwhi
chactuall
ypissedus
bothoffevenmor e.If
oundmysel
ftransf
orming
fr
om Kgt oWolfe.
Rendani
:“Look,i
tisnothingpersonal,
okay?What
didyouexpect,
G?Apatont hebackf ordi
sowni
ng
myfatherandIandr i
ddingusoft heonlyli
fewe
knew?Besides,Ilov
edThat o,Isti
ll
do.Icouldn’
tlet
youhaveher,Kg.”

Kg:
“Yout
hinky
ou’
resosmar
t,don’
tyou?
”

Rendani
:(chuckl
ing)“
Iactuall
yam smart
.I
managedt ofoolyou,
though.Imanagedtogetpast
yourweaksecuri
tyandkillyourwi
fe.Imanagedt
o
ki
dnapYOURwi f
eandy oucouldn’
tfi
ndher.
”
Gri
ngo:(
anger
ed)“
Whatdoyouthi
nkweweredoi
ng
al
lthi
sti
me?What?Youact
uall
ythi
nkThat
oisst
il
l
i
nItal
y?”

Rendani
’
sli
tt
lesmi
rkchangedi
ntof
earv
eryqui
ckl
y.

Gri
ngo:“That
’sri
ght
.Mydaught ercamebackt o
SouthAfri
cal
ongbeforeyoucouldevenlaughand
cel
ebrat
e,youstupi
dfuck.Shecamebackt oSouth
Afr
icari
ghtaft
erWolfeoverher
ekill
edyourlousy
fat
her.
”

IsawRendani
’sf
earincr
easeashest
aredatt
he
bothofuswit
hgli
steni
ngtear
s.

Rendani
:“Okay
,Iadmit.I
twasstupi
dofmet oplan
thi
swholethi
ng,butIswear
,Idi
dn’
tplanonki
ll
i
ng
Viv
ian.
”
Webot
hbur
stouti
nlaught
eraut
omat
ical
l
y.

Kg:“Toolate,yourli
ttl
ebitchestolduswhaty ou
i
nstr
uctedt hem todobef oreweki ll
edt hem.You
see,youmessedwi ththewr ongpeopl e,Rendani.
Youactuall
yendanger edourwi v
esandy ouknow
howwef eel aboutthat.Wheny ouenteredthegang
youknewt hatwivesandchi l
drenwer eof fl
imit
sand
fort
hat,youwi l
ldieasl ow,painfuldeath.”

Rendani:(
pet
rif
ied)“
Please,
don’tdothi
stome.I
am real
l
ysorryforwhathappened.IfIcoul
dtakei
t
al
lbackIwould.”

Kg:“Lucki
ly
,youcan’
t.G,
woul
dyoul
i
ket
odot
he
honours?”

Gr
ingo:“
Iwoul
dlovet
o,buty
ourwoundi
sst
il
lfr
esh.
Dothehonour
s.”
Ichuckl
ed.

Kg:
“Smal
l
y,pl
easebr
ingt
het
ool
s.”

Smal
l
y:(
noddi
ng)“
Sur
ethi
ng,
bozza(
boss)
.”

Hecamebackwi t
hourf amoustrol
ley
.Rendaniwas
ontheground,unt
ied,
woundedandweak.Ii ntend
onmakingthismybestandl astkil
lever
.Ii
nject
ed
hi
m wit
hourf amousinjecti
on.

Kg: “
Seethi
s?Thi sgi
v esyout onsofenergy.Itwil
l
ensureyoudon’tpassout, butyouwil
l f
eelall
the
pain.Itwi
ll
paralyzeyou,buty ouwil
lfeelever
ybitof
whatIam abouttodot oyou.”

Ii
njectedhi
m withitwhi
lehescr eamed.He
col
lapsedontotheground,sti
llconsci
ousandal
l
andIlayhimflatontot
hegr ound.Itishi
ghti
methi
s
f
uckerget
sremi
ndedt
hathepl
ayedt
hewr
ongman.

Rendani:(
cry
ing)“Pl
ease,
please,
letmego.Wol
fe,
I
knowy ou’
renotcapabl
eofsuch.Iknowyou.
”

Kg:“Hady ouknownmey ouwoul

dhav eknownIam
notonetomesswi t
h.Hady ouknownme, you
wouldhaveknownt hatThatoi
sv erydeart
ome.
Hady ouknownmey ouwouldhav eknownMulal
o
wasav eryspecial
persontome.”

Istoppedbabbl i
ngasIt ookasharpmachet efr
om
thetroll
ey.Islowlycutofftheedgesofhisfaceand
ri
ppedhi sskinoff.Hecr i
edoutinpai
nasIwat ched
him bleedfrom t
hepeel sofhisski
n.Iproceededto
cutti
ngof fbothhisears.

Kg:“Youseem tohavealackofli
steni
ngskil
l
s,so
theearsjusthadt
ogo.Nowt hatyouthoughtwit
h
yourdickandwereactual
lypl
anni
ngonkill
ingmy
wi
fe,Iam aboutt
ocuttheoneor
ganof
fyourbody
t
hatdriv
esy oucr
azy
.”

Iproceededt otakeof fhispant swhi l

ehescr eamed
outinpainy ethecoul dn’
tev enmov e.Icutof fhis
dickandbal l
swi t
hinaspl itsecondandwat chedas
hewai l
edlikeanor phanedchi l
d.It ookabl owing
torchandst art
edbur ningof fhisskinfrom toptot oe.
Istart
edbur ni
nghisoneey eandl efttheother.I
thenblewof fhisenti
r eneck, throughouthisent i
re
abdomenal lt
hewaydownt ohist oes.Hescr eamed
outhislungs,buthisscr eamswer edeaftome.

Iproceededt obur nthroughhisabdomen, andr i

p
outhisent i
reintesti
nes.Iwat chedashesl owlytook
hislastbreath.Iwant edhi mtoseeme, toseet he
ruthl
esspai ninmyey esandr ecall
thi
smoment–
eveni ndeath.Heendedupshi tt
ingandpissing
himselfatthesamet ime.Whatasi ghtf
orsor eeyes
–int hemostnegat i
vewaypossi bl
e.Heslowl ytook
hislastbreath,butIwasn’ tsati
sfi
ed.Isl
ithisthroat
ev
enaf
terhedi
ed,
andIcutof
fhi
shead.

Ithinkseeinghisheadapar tfr
om hi sbodygav eme
puresati
sfacti
on.Insteadofbur yinghim, Idecided
tosethim ali
ght.Hedoesnotdeser veevent he
l
eastdecentbur i
al.Hedeser vest odieli
kean
ani
mal .Iwatchedhi m burntodeat hunti
lhi swhole
bodyturnedtoashes.Thepai nIam i nri
ghtnow
cannotbemended, butknowingt hatthecauseof
myent i
reproblemswaspar ti
all
ycausedbyaman
whoi snolongeralive,
bringsmesomesor tofpeace.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandTwo

Jeremiah17:
10–“ ItheLor
dsear
chtheheartand
examinethemind,torewar
deachper
sonaccordi
ng
tothei
rconduct
,accordi
ngtowhatt
heirdeeds
deserv
e.”

That
o
Ihaven’tbeenabl etosleeprightaft
ermi dnight
;aft
er
Nokhuny anaandMul alo’
sv i
sit
.Ican’tbenor mal
aft
erfindingoutt hroughav i
sionorseeingMul al
o’s
ghostthathei sindeednomor e.Itri
edsuccumbi ng
tomyi ncredi
bledesi reformoresleep,ri
ghtuntil
QueenNandi startedbangingonmydoorl ikeamad
woman.

QueenNandi
:“I
sabel
l
a,wakeup!Wake,
up,
sisi
(
sis)
.”

Yoh,IguessIjusthav
etogetup.Idr
eadf
ull
ywal
ked
towardsthedoorandunl
ockedit
.

QueenNandi:“
Yoh,
whydoy oul
ooksodreadf
ul?!
Beuyenzanii
zol
oebusuku(
Whatwereyoudoing
l
astni
ght)?”

That
o:(si
gh)“Iwastryi
ngtosl
eep,
Ma.Ihar
dly
managed,unt
ilNonkanyi
socametomewithMulal
o
ri
ghtbyherside.Iam notcopi
ngatal
l
.Iam
thi
nkingdeepl
yaboutmyKg.Ihadnoideahewas
histwinandnowheisdead.”

Ifoundmy selfbawlingi
ntotear
sy etagai
n.Ididn’t
expectMulalo’sdeathtohitmesohar d,butIguessI
reall
ywasv eryfondofhim.Orcoul ditbetheguilt
y
conscienceIhav eforsl
eepingwit
hhim whilegoing
throughheartbreak?

QueenNandi :“Phephi
sa,ntombi (Hanginthere,baby
gir
l).Ungakhalikanj
e(Don’tcrylikethi
s).Li
sten,
l
et’sgot othehospit
al,
andt hereaftery
oucango
seey ourfamil
y.Thewor stisov eronyourside.
”

Huh?It houghtIhadtowai tforTmantogiveme

i
nstr
uctions.Iam guessingQueenNandi knows
ever
ythi
ng, justl
i
kemyNana.Gosh, Imissthem.I
missGloria,andIdon’tknowwher eshei
s,butIam
deal
ingwit halotri
ghtnow.Iwentbackt omy
bedr
oom, andIt ookabat h.Ifeel
sonumb, Ifeel
li
ke
cal
l
ingKg,
butt
henwhatonear
tham Igoi
ngt
osay
?

Iam guessi ngRendani wasbehi ndt hisaswel l

.
Whyisi tal
lofasuddensaf eformet ogoback
home?AsIgotoutoft hebat hroom, Ir
eceiveda
messagef rom Tman.“ Thewor stisov er,dear
Queen.Youmaypr oceedt ogohomei fyouwish.”
Hao,justli
ket hat
?Igoti ntomyj eansandsi mple
Tshi
rt.Ifeel soexhausted,perhapsast rongcoffee
orenergydrinkwilldo.AsIgotoutIf oundQueen
Nandi andKingNt si
kaint hediningar ea,await
ing
mypresence.

QueenNandi
:(smil
ing)“
We’vebeenwai
ti
ngf
ory
ou.
Ihopey
oufeelalotbett
er.
”

Ihadt
ofakeasmil
e,butknowi
ngQueenNandi
,she
sawri
ghtt
hroughme.

That
o:“
Ido,
thanky
ou.
”
QueenNandi :
“Youcan’thidefr
om me,youknow.
It
’sokaytofeelbad,
whi chiswhyImadeyouone
strongEspr
esso.Believeme,youwil
lfeelawhol
e
l
otbet t
eraf
terdri
nki
ngi t.
”

InoddedasIgul peditallatonce.Myheadhur tsli

ke
hellasitfeel
slikeIhav ebeenr unoverbyatruck.I
feelsohungov ery etIdi
dn’ tt
akeanyalcohol
last
night.Iam guessi nggriefandpainmixedtogether
i
snotv er
ygoodf oraper son’
swellbei
ng–bot h
physicall
yandment all
y.

Afterourmeanbr eakfast,Iactuall
yfel
tawholelot
betterandhadabi tmor eener gy.Iti
sSatur
day
today,butQueenNandi andt heKingaccompanied
met ot hehospi
taltoadher etoPr i
ncessNomsa’s
requesttoseeme.Wedr ov einQueenNandi’s
Lexus,apparent
lyshel ovesthisbrand.HowImi ss
dri
v i
ngmycar .
Thiswhol eexper i
encehast aughtmenott or elyon
mypar ent s’r
ichesandnott ogetusedt oasi tuat
ion,
foranythingcanhappenatanygi v
entime.Your
moneycanbesnat chedawayf r
om y ouwi t
hinan
i
nst ant
,andl uckil
yIwasn’ tborni ntomoney .Igr ew
upinhumbl ebeginni ngsandIt hankmymot herfor
that.Iam nowabl et oli
v eof fpor r
idgeorsimpl e
breadwi thoutcompl ai
ningabouti t.Ijustmiss
beingsur roundedbyf amily;Imi ssMam’ Vsomuch.
Herhumbl enat ur
e, hercrazyper sonal
ityandher
welcomi ngsmi lejustmakesmemi sshersomuch.

Ididn’tgetachancet osaygoodby etoher,andnow

Ican’tmi ssbeingt hereforKgandsay i
nggoodby e
toMul alo.Wef i
nallyarri
vedatthecl
ini
c,and
Pri
ncessNomsawasi nsuchadi r
estateIcouldn’t
evenbel iev
eit.Itisal mostasifshesawaghost .
Oneoft henursessai dt ousshehasbeenact inglike
acr azywomanev ersincelastni
ghtandhasn’tslept
awi nk–despi tebei nggi v
enacalminginj
ection.I
guessherdemonswantt ocomeout.Aswewal ked
i
nshebecameabi trel
ievedwhenshesawme.
PrincessNomsa:“
Oh,t
hankGod,
you’
rehere!
Please,cal
lmymother
!Call
mymother!Iwantt
o
confessmysins!“

Okay
,thi
sisj
ustsomet
hingel
se.

That
o:“
Butshei
snotst
ayi
ngatt
hepal
aceany
mor
e
–“

Pr
incessNomsa:
(inter
rupt
ing)“Idon’
tcare!Iwant
mymot hert
obepresentorelseIwon’tt
alk!
”

If
eltmyselfget
ti
ngsoannoyedespeci
all
yfr
om t
he
l
ackofsleep,butIl
etherbe.

QueenNandi
:“Okayt
hen.Nt
sika,
cal
lher
.”
Ki
ngNt
sika:
(fr
owni
ng)“
Hai
bo(
Wow)
,Whyme?
”

QueenNandi:“
Ngobangabekuf onaminaangeke
ayi
bambe(BecauseifIcal
lhershewil
lneveranswer
i
t).Tel
lherherdaught
erneedsherandthatshehas
amessagefrom Noka.Shewi l
lbeher
eina
hear
tbeat
.”

KingNtsikanoddedrel
uctantl
yandpr oceededto
maket hecall
,whil
eQueenNandi andIwenttositon
thebenchesandwai t
edforQueenNombu’ sarri
val
.
Weev enheardthatNursePor t
iatookleavetotake
careofMaMasango.Nowt hatiswhatIcallaqueen
ofnote.

QueenNandi
:“Howar
eyouf
eel
i
ng?
”

Ihav
en’
thear
dany
oneaskmet
hati
nav
eryl
ong
ti
me.
Thato:(sigh)“Tobehonest,ma.Iam notdoi ngv er
y
well.Ifeelli
keIam abouttoloseit
.Ev eryt
hingjust
doesn’tmakesense.Ikeepl osingtheonesIl ove,
andnowmyKghasl osthi
stwinbrother.HowdoI
evenov ercomet hat
?HowdoIt el
lhimt hatIslept
withMul alowill
i
ngly
/”

QueenNandi
:“Heal
readyknows.
”

Il
ookedatherpuzzl
ed.

QueenNandi :“Yes,heknewev enbef or

ey oucalled
hi
m.Mul alot ol
dhi m wayback,bef orehest art
ed
getti
ngav i
sitfrom theangelofdeat h.Kghasbeen
andisst i
llokaywi thit
.Ithappenedandhesl ept
withAnast acia.So, l
et’
scallatruceat ruce.Your
problem That oisthatyouhav eat endencyof
dwellingi nthepast .Focusont henowanddeal wit
h
everything.Soonaf terwedeal withNomsa, gobe
withy ourhusband.Hi sbrothersav edy ourhusband
sothaty oucoul dbehappywi thhi m.Al toughIhav e
onehumbl
erequestf
rom y
ou.
”

That
o:“
Yes?
”

QueenNandi: “
Iti
sabouttobeabumpyr i
dewi th
Oli
viasti
ll
inthepict
ureashiswi
fe.ConvinceKgt o
havehim bur
iedri
ghthereonroy
algroundsalong
wit
hhismot her.i
tishighti
mehismotherrestedin
peace.”

That
o:“
Iwil
lhav
etot
ry,
Ma.Kgcanbev
ery
st
ubbor
n.”

QueenNandi
:(chuckl
i
ng)“Ther
eisnot
hingsome
goodcoochi
ewon’tfi
x.”

Webot
hbursti
ntolaught
erwhi
l
eIblushed.Thi
s
womaniscr
azyasfuckandIam l
ovi
ngev er
y
momentwit
hher.
Thato:(
embar
rassed)“Hao(
Gosh)
,Ma.Ican’
ttal
k
aboutsuchwi
thy ou.
”

QueenNandi :
“Youarefunny,
real
l
yfunny.Don’
tact
l
ikey ouhav
en’tbeencr
avingsomesugarever
since.”

TobehonestIhav
ebeencr
avi
ngsome,hey
.Ithas
beenr
athert
oughbei
ngwit
houtsex.

Thato:
“Iguess,butt
hen,
Ma,howcomey ouaresti
l
l
happyandaliv
eandkicki
ngwit
houtahusband?”

QueenNandi:“
Tobehonest ,menar ealuxury–not
anecessi
ty.Il
earntt hatsoonaf tergett
ingmar r
ied.
Don’
tgetmewr ong, Ilovedmyhusbandsodear ly.
Hewasmysoul mat e, oh,yes,theloveofmyl i
fe,but
soonaft
erhedied,Ifel tadiff
erentkindofpeace.
Mencanbesuchapai natt i
mes, andwhenhedi ed, I
didn’
tseetheneedtogetmar riedagai
n.Besides,
thatwouldmeanf i
ndinganot herKingbecauseatthe
ti
memyboy sweresoy oungsot herewasabsolut
ely
nowayIcoul devergivemy selftoacommoner .
Also,t
hatwouldjusthav eaddedal otofprobl
ems
onmypl ate.
”

Sobasi
call
ysheissay
ingshehasbeenwi
thouta
manforyears.

That
o:“
Soyoumeant
otel
lmey
ouhav
en’
tsl
eptwi
th
amanfory
ears?
”

QueenNandibur
sti
nsuchl
aught
er,
Idon’
tev
en
under
stand.

QueenNandi:“Li
keIsai
d,you’r
esofunny.Imean,
sure,
Igri
evedmyhusband, hey.Roy
altyattheti
me
requi
redyoutomournforaper i
odoftwoy ear
s.
Lucki
lyImarr
iedaverysaneman.Hehadi ncl
uded
i
nhiswi
llt
hattheywererequi
redt
ocleanseme
i
mmediat
elyafterhi
sfuner
alandIwasfreetol
i
ve
myli
fet
hereaf
ter–orelse,t
heywouldnotgeta
di
meofhisestate.
”

Wow,nowondersheissocrazy.Il
ovei
twhena
manputshi
swifefi
rst–evenindeat
h.

That
o:“
Thati
ssoawesome,
ma.
”

QueenNandi :“Thatisnothi
ng.Wai tuntilyousee
thekindofloveNkosi nat
hiactual
lyhasf oryou.
Yourmot her,
Nomsaandal lthesepeopler obbed
youofagr eatli
fe.Butnow, God’sfavourwasf i
nall
y
spokenunt oexistenceandyougett oexper i
encehis
l
ov eandgrace.Ourancest orschosey oulongago,
Thato.Youwi llseenowhowmer cifulandgr acer
ful
God’sloveis.Justy ouwait
.”

That
o:(
sigh)“
Butwehav
ebeent
hroughsomuch.I
f
eell
ikeIwil
lnev
erexper
iencet
ruehappi
ness
wi
thoutf
ight
ingfori
t”

QueenNandi :“Letmeputi tli

kethisfory ou;someof
usarebor nst r
aightint ohappiness,butweal l
encountertroubleal ongt heway .Unf ort
unatelyi
n
thi
slife,
wear efightingspiri
tualbattl
es.Al lofus
haveenemi esandsomeofusar en’tevenawar eofi
t.
Don’teverthinksomeonedoesnothav eany
problems.Weal lhav esomeonewhoj ustdoesn’
t
wantust osucceedi nacer t
ainaspectofl if
e.

Thekeyispr ayer.Yousee, youwer en’traisedbya

fool
.Yourmot herwasat r
ueintell
ectual andshedi d
tel
lyouthaty ourpowerliesinyourt ongueandy our
str
engthiny ourknees.Nev ereverforgett oprayno
matterhowhar di
tgets.Thedev i
lrejoi
ceswhenev er
youdon’tpraybecauset hatiswheny oudon’ theed
God’swarnings.”

QueenNandi
maybeacr
azywoman,
butshesur
eis
wise.Sher eall
yr emindsmeofmyNana.Whi lewe
wer echatt
ingal ong,i
nwal kedQueenNombu.
Surpri
singl
y ,
peopl edidn’
trespondtoherpresence
thewayshewasusedt oIguess.Iam guessing
theyhav ef
inallyseent heli
ght.Wear eall
human
beingsandt hisbowingshi tmuststop.Ithought
shewoul dbeal otmor eremorseful
sinceshewas
chasedoutoft hepalace,butai.

QueenNombu: (
annoyed)“Oho,sonowthatIgot
chasedoutofmyownhouse, youdeci
dedtoplay
fr
iendswit
hthemaidandgotpeoplenottotakeme
seri
ousl
yastheQueen?!”

QueenNandi:“
Ag, Nombulel
o,ungazongi
jwaelakabi
(Don’
tfuckwit
hme) .Ihavemor epressi
ngissuesto
dealwit
handrightnow youarereal
lynoteventop5
ontheli
st.Let
’sgo,uyazi
bambeleza(Youare
seri
ousl
ydelayi
ngus).
”

QueenNombuf
oll
oweduswhi
l
ecl
i
cki
nghert
ongue
i
nav eryannoy edmanner .Ki ngNt si
kadidn’teven
acknowl edgeherpr esence.Ja, neh.Iti
st r
uly
amazi nghowmenbehav etowar dswomenwhen
theycheat .Itisalmostasi fitistheendoft hewor l
d,
butletthem doi ttoyouandt heyexpecty out o
forgi
vet hem almosti mmedi ately.Anyway ,we
walkedi ntoNomsa’ sroom andshewast al
kingto
herself.Idon’tgetit.Perhapsshei sgoingangr y
.
Suddenl y,IsawNonkany i
soappearr i
ghtnexttome.
Thiswomanr eal
lyispunctual andshedoesnotl i
e
normakeempt ypromi ses.Shedi dsaythatshe
wouldbeher e,well
,Iguessshehasmadeher
presenceknown.Buti tseemsasi fonlyNomsaand
Icanseeher .

QueenNandi
:“I
sabel
l
a,y
ouknowwhatt
odo.
”

Iam notev
ensur
ewhatshemeantbyt hat
,butI
nodded.Nomsabecamereal
lywearyandpetr
if
ied
assoonasNonkanyi
soappeared.
Nonkanyi
so:
“Hel
l
o,I
sabel
l
a.Nomsa,
wemeet
agai
n.”

Nomsa: (cr
y i
ng)“
Yoh,Nonkanyi
so,Ir
eal
lyam sor
ry
forever
ythingIdi
dt oy
ou.Ijustwant
edtobe
appreci
ated.Ngiyaxol
i
sa(Iam sor
ry)
.”

Nonkanyi
so:“Thatisonl
ythebeginning.Tell
my
famil
yfi
rstaboutDeri
ckandhowy outwolooted
moneyfrom theki
ngdom.Tellthem ev er
ythi
ngor
elseIwon’
tleave.
”

Nomsa:(noddi
ng)“
Yes,
yes,
Iwi
l
ltel
lthem
ever
ythi
ng.
”

QueenNOmbu:
(conf
used):
”Whoi
sshet
alki
ngt
o?”

QueenNandi
:(r
oll
ingey
es)“Yoh,
Ntsika,
thisi
swhat
yougetf
ormarryi
nganidi
ot.Hey,wena(you)
,
ukhul
umanomnt
wanawakho(
shei
stal
ki
ngt
oyour
daught
er)
.”

QueenNombul ookedinstant
lysad,
li
keli
ter
all
y.I
haven’
treall
yseenheri nasaddenedstat
eever
si
nceIwal kedi
ntot hatki
ngdom.

Nomsa: “
Yes,ever
ythi
ngDer
ri
ck’
saccusedofi
str
ue.
Herapedallt
hosegirl
sandi
mpregnat
edsomeof
t
hem.I ti
salltr
ue.
”

Icoul
dhearKi
ngNt
sikaadj
ust
inghi
sknuckl
esi
n
anger
.

Nomsa: “Everyt
hingi
nthef i
l
eI sabell
ahasisallt
rue.
Itookapor ti
onofallt
hewor ker’
ssalariesatt
he
palace.Ieventookapor t
ionf r
om alltheemploy
ees
youhired,baba(fat
her)
.Ngi yaxoli
sa(Iam sor
ry)
.”
Ki
ngNtsi
kadidn’
tevensayanthi
ng.I
nst
ead,
he
l
ookedatheri
npurefrust
rat
ion.

Nonkany
iso:
“Car
ryon.
”

Nomsa: “
Ieventookmoneyf r
om al
lthef
undrai
si
ng
eff
ort
saswel lasal
lthesponsor
shi
ps.Ididn’
tmean
to,
iti
sjustt
hatIwasov er
whelmedbygreed.”

Whi
l
eshewast
alki
ngZenandest
ormedi
n.

Zenande:(
fuming)“
Whatonear
thar
eyoudoi
ngt
o
mymot her
?!”

Ki
ngNt
sika:
(har
dened)“
Thul
a(Qui
et)
!”

Weallkeptqui
etandZenandedi
dn’
tev
endar
eto
speakawordfurt
her.
Nomsa: “Idi
dn’tmeant osteal
t hemoney,
butasi
t
becameeasi ertosteal
it,
Ididitmoreoft
enand
beforeIknewi t
,Ihadbankruptedthewhol
e
Kingdom.”

Wow,
thi
swomani
sreal
l
yinsane.

Nonkanyi
so:“Tel
lthem howmuchyoust
oleand
speakaboutZenande’
spater
nit
y.Shei
sin
heart
acheanddyingtoknow.
Nomsa:
“Int
otal
,Ist
oleaboutR12mi
l
li
on.
”

Fuckt
hatisreal
lyenoughtocrippl
ethest
atehere.
Howonear t
hdidhermi ndfuncti
on?Didsheeven
thi
nkoft
hef ut
ure?!

Nomsa: “
Zenande,
Iam t
rul
ysor
ry,
butDer
icki
snot
yourf
ather.
”
Zenande:(
dist
raught
)“Youarel
ying!Youal
ltr
icked
mymot heri
ntospeakingsuchr
ubbish!
”

Ki
ngNtsi
ka:“
Ifyoudon’tshuti
t,Iwi
l
lshuty
our
mout
hforyou,Zenande!
”

Isawherkeepqui
eti
nst
ant
ly.

Nonkany
iso:
“Tel
lthem aboutwhaty
oudi
dtome.
”

Nomsa:(
fri
ght
ened)“
Idon’tt
hinkIcandot
hat
.It
wi
ll
breakme,Nonka,
please.
”

QueenNombu:
(tear
y)“
Oh,
God.Shei
sreal
l
y
speaki
ngt
oNonka!”

Nonkany
iso:
“Speakt
othem andspeakt
het
rut
h
ot
her
wiseIwi
l
lnev
erl
eav
eyoual
one.
”

Nomsa: (
sigh)“ Iam t hecausef orev eryt
hingt hat
happenedt oNonkaandhersonMnqobi .I
remembert hatdayl ikeacl eardr eam.Igav ehera
drinkt hatwassupposedt oi nduceherl abor .She
wenti ntolaboural mosti mmedi atelyaf tertaking
thatj uice.Shewassoshocked, butIwast hereto
assi stherasherel dersister.Ial readyhadapl an
hat chedwi thMaMasango.Wei nt endedon
sacr if
icingt hef i
r stbor nandonceshegav ebi r
thI
hadal readyswappedMnqobi withababyt hatwas
alreadydead.Igav et hereal Mnqobi t
oMaMasango
andt omysur priseshecoul dn’ tkillhim.Sohenev er
died, andInev ercoul df i
nishhi m of fbecauseInev er
foundoutwhathappenedaf t erthat .WhenIwant ed
tospeakt oMaMasangoaf ter war dssher efusedt o
speakt ome.Iwassoenv iousofy ou–Ir efusedt o
bei ny ourshadowf ormuchl onger ,soIcoockedup
apl anwi thSophi eandshehandedNonkaa
poisonousdr ink.Unf or
tunat elyshewaswi th
Nkosi nathithatdaybutshedr oppeddeadr ightthere
i
nfrontofhi
m.Icouldn’
thel
pit–Ij
ustwantedtobe
l
ovedandappreci
atedbymyownparentsbuteven
af
teryoulef
tNonka,Iwasst
il
li
nyourshadow.
”

Ican’tbelievejusthowcruelpeopl
ecanbet hough.
Toki l
ly ourownsi ster
.Fuck.KingNt sikawasso
sil
ent,butIcoul dseetheendlesstearsstreaming
downhi sf ace.QueenNombudi dn’tevenknowwhat
todo, whileQueenNandi wassaddenedwi th
gli
steningt ear
s.

Nonkanyi
so:
“Tel
lthem aboutwhaty
oudi
dtouBaba
(
father
).
”

Nomsa:“Iaskedoneoft hecookstoadmi ni
ster
poi
sontoy ou,f
ather.Ibasi
call
ythr
eatenedherand
shehadnochoi ce.Itol
dherifshedidn’
tdoit,I
woul
dgetDer i
ckt orapeher11yearolddaughter.
Shedidi
tinahear tbeat
.”
Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Wher
edi
dyougett
hepoi
son?
”

Nomsa:
“Fr
om Bhengu.
”

Wow,thesecret
sthatar
ebeingspi
l
ledher
earejust
ov
erwhelming.Thewholet
imeZenandekeptqui
et.

Nomsa:“Glor
iawasnott
heonewhoputthepoi
son
i
ntothefood.Shei
stoogoodforthat
.Ir
egr
etalot
oft
hingsandoneofthem i
scausi
ngmysonso
muchpain.”

Wow, soeveninhermaddenedstat
eshestil
ldoes
notsayhowsadandr emorsef
ulsheisaboutki
ll
ing
heronlysi
bli
ng?Whatthefuckthough?

Nonkanyi
so:“
Ibeli
eveev er
ythi
nghasbeenspil
l
ed,
Thato.Thebal
lisi
ny ourcourt
.Asthefutur
equeen
ofthi
snati
on,whatdoy ousuggest
?Sheistobe
chargedwit
hconspir
acytocommitmurder
,
att
empt edmur
der,wit
chcr
aft
,andfr
aud.
”

Il
ookedatNomsawhoseri
ouslyl
ookedl
i
keshewas
secr
etl
ypray
ingf
orsomeheal
ingandmercy
.

Thato:
“Idon’
tbel
ieveinburni
ngpeopl
etodeath,
soI
thi
nksheshouldbechargedinfr
ontofacour
toflaw
andbechargedaccordi
ngly
.”

IheardQueenNombuwai l
ingandKi ngNtsi
kaand
QueenNandi noddedatmyrequest.Ican’
tbel
iev
e
theyarel
ett
ingamer emai
dt akedecisi
onsupon
them.Wow.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandThr
ee

Proverbs19:20–“Li
stent
oadvi
ceandaccept
disci
pli
ne,andatt
heendy ouwi
l
lbecount
edamong
thewise.”
That
o

Yester
dayhasbeensot oughandstressful
,I
honestl
ythoughtitwouldneverend.Imanagedt o
goseeMaMasango, andoddlyshelooksabi tworse
thanshedidyesterday
.Idon’tknowi fi
tisbecause
sheknowswhatshehasnow, orwhat,butsheis
real
lynotl
ookingsowel l
.NursePortiahasbeenso
awesome, r
eall
y.

SheensuresthatMaMasangodoesnothav emuch
painbypumpi ngherupwi t
hmor phinepr et
tymuch
wheneversheneedsi t.Thisr
eall
yremi ndsmeof
theti
memymot herwasill
withcervicalcancer.
Cancereatsaper sonupfrom thei
nsi de–l i
ter
all
y.
Iteat
sawayaty ourbody ,y
ourorgansandy oursoul
.
Peoplefeell
i
ket heyjustwanttodieandIdon’ t
knowwhyot hershav etosuff
ersomuchbef or
ethey
die.
Imanagedt osl eeplastnightatleast.Zenandewas
i
naser iouslybadst atewhenwecamebackt othe
pal
ace.Shedi dn’tevenwantt oeatassheheaded
str
aighttoherbedr oom.Ij ustateforthesakeof
eati
ng,butIwasgener al
lyt ir
ed.Ididn’
tgetav i
sit
fr
om Nonkany isoorMul alo,butatleastImanaged
tosleepthroughoutt henight .Pri
nceZwel i
isst
ill
in
astate.

Hehar dlymanagest oevengetoutofbed.Yoh, but

Gloriar
eall
ydidhim badshame.Ij usthopet heycan
fi
xt hei
rrel
ati
onship.Theyreall
yinspiredmeand
nowev eryt
hingisamess.Imean, atleastnowwe
knowt hatGlor
iaisnottheculpr
itandshewon’ tbe
ki
lled.QueenNombuwassentst raightbackhome
ri
ghtaftert
hev i
sitwit
hNomsa, andImustsayshe
hasbeenv erydispl
easedabouti t
.

Shetri
edtospeaktoKingNtsi
ka,buthewasreall
y
notbother
ednorint
erest
edinheari
nganyt
hingthat
camefrom hermouth.Idon’
tevenknowwhyshe
choset orui
nhermar r
iageli
kethat,
butthenIam
notperfect.Ialsohavemyf laws.Iwokeupi nv er
y
highspiri
tstoday.Ifeelli
kegoingtochurch,
right
befor
eIl eaveandgobackhome.Apar tofme
knowsdeepdownt hatIam stal
li
ngmyt ri
pback
home, becauseIjustdon’tknowhowt ofaceKg.

Ialsofeelabitguil
tyleavi
ngwhi l
eev er
ythingher
e
i
sinshambl es.I fi
tisreal
lymeantt obet henIwil
l
comebackandQueenNandi hasbeenbeggi ngme
togohome.Idi dn’
tev enhav ethecouraget ocal
l
Kglastnight.Idon’tknow, i
tseemsr eal
ly
unthoughtf
ul,butIjustdon’tknow.

Igotupandt ookani ce,l

ongbat h.Iguessiti
smy
wayofsay i
nggoodby etot hi
splace.Igotdressedin
oneofmynewdr essesboughtf ormebySel ena,a
beauti
fulbl
ackPradadr ess.Iwor ematchi
ngheel sI
boughtthatt
imeIwentoutshoppi ngwithGl
or i
a.I
real
lymissher.Ifi
nishedpackingmybagswhi chI
will
takewhenIleavel at
eron.Iheadedoutand
f
oundQueenNandi
eat
ingal
one.

That
o:“
Greet
ings,
Ma.
”

QueenNandi:
(smi
l
ing)“Hell
o,That
o.Unj
ani
namhlanj
e(Howar
ey outoday)?
”

Thato:“
Ihavehadbetterday
s,butIf
eel
muchbet
ter
thanIdi
dy est
erday
.”

QueenNandi
:“Thatisgood.Hlalaphansi
(Si
tdown)
.
Eat
,Ihavepr
eparedaf eastf
oryouwithali
tt
le
somethi
ngtokickst
artyourday
.”

Ismil
edasIsatdown.Shedi
shedupf ormeand
gavemeachampagneglasswithorangejuiceinit
.
AsIsipped,
Ireal
i
zedi
twasn’
tjustorangejuice.
That
o:“
Ma,
what
’si
nher
e?”

QueenNandi
:“Amimosawithatwist
.Iputinashot
ofVodkaj
ustforani
ceki
ckstar
ttoyourday
.”

Icouldn’thelpbutl augh.Thi swoman, though.Itis

reall
ynicet obesosur eofy ourself,soconfidentand
nothidewhoy oureallyare.Weat eandt henshe
decidedt ogot ochur chwi t
hme.Wegoti ntoher
Lexusaswedr oveout .Bef or
ewegott ochur ch,I
askedheri fwecoul dmakeast opatNur sePor t
ia’
s
housesot hatwecoul dgof etchMaMasango.I
reall
yneedt odot hisbeforeshedepar t
st hi
splace.
Itisnotmuch, butitisreall
ythel eastIcando.She
didn’
thesi t
ateandwear r
ivedt here.Iknockedand
foundNur sePor tiadressedup, Iguessshewas
expecti
ngav isit
ororsomet hing.

That
o:“
Goodmor ni
ng,Nurse.Apol
ogi
estobother
yousoearl
y.IwashopingI’
dtakeMaMasangoto
chur
chtoday.
”
NursePort
ia:(
smili
ng)“Iti
sli
keyouar eamind
reader
.Sheisdressedandhappyt oday.shehas
beenbeggingmet otakehertochurchall
day
yester
day
.”

Thato:(
smil
i
ng)“
Good,
Iam soglad.I
fyoudon’
t
mind,wecangowit
hQueenNandi.
”

Nur
sePorti
a:(
smili
ng)“
Dri
vi
nginroy
alt
y?Oh,
MaMasangowill
besohappy.Letmegogether
.”

Inoddedassheswi f
tl
yrushedtot hebedroom.Out
cameMaMasangoonawheel chai
r .Apparent
lyshe
hasnotbeenabletostandfortool ongorwalklong
dist
ances.Shelookssobeautiful
,wearingthesame
dressandshoesIboughtherthedayImether .

MaMasango:
(smi
l
ing)“
Isabel
l
a,y
oul
i
kemyout
fi
t?”
That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Ofcour
se,
Ma.Howcoul
dInot
?”

MaMasango:“
Iti
smyall
timefavour
it
e.Pl
ease,
whenIdi
e,bur
ymeinthi
sexactoutf
it
.Not
hing
el
se.
”

Ihateitwhenpeopletalkli
kethat.I
tisalmostasif
theycanseethei
rdeat hisneari
ng.Itri
ednottocry
though.Idon’
tcryasmuchasIusedt o.I’
dsayI
havegr ownabi
t,real
l
y .Wewentoutt oQueen
Nandi’
scaraswehel pedMaMasangogeti ntothe
car.

MaMasango:
(smi
li
ng)“Gr
eet
ings,myqueen.How
hav
eyoubeen?Ithasbeenf
orever.
”

QueenNandi:“Goodmorni
ng,MaMasango.Ihav
e
beenreal
lygood.Ithasi
ndeedbeenf
orever
.How
areyou?”
MaMasango:“
Ihavehadbet
terday
s,butasy
oucan
seet
odayisoneofmyhappi
estdays.
”

QueenNandi
:“I
ndeed.
”

MaMasango:“Myonl
ywishwoul
dbet
oseemy
gr
anddaught
erbef
oreIdi
e.”

Ther
eshegoesagai
n.Thi
sisj
ustt
oopai
nful
.

QueenNandi:
“Thatone,
let
’swai
tandseei
fshewi
l
l
comearound.
”

MaMasangonodded.Wef i
nall
ymadeourwayt o
church,andwehelpedMaMasangooutofthecar
andplacedherint
oherwheelchai
r.Aswewer e
abouttowal ki
nwesawaf ewpeopleIr
ecall
from
thecli
nic,andt
heyweresopleasedt
oseeher.A
fewotherswer esti
llafraidandshockedt oseeher,
butIcouldn’tcarel
ess, reall
y.Thepast orcameout
aspeoplest art
edsingingandhewasal soshocked
whenhesawMaMasango.Hel ookedl
ikehe
actual
lydidn’twanthert here,butbecausehiswhole
congegrati
onwaswat chi nghim, hehadtothinkof
anotherstory.

Pastor:“Ngi
yabongaabant ubami (thanky ou,my
people).Today ,
isoneoft hoseday swher eIwoul d
l
iketot al
kaboutf or
giveness.Yousee, theLor d
wantsust oforgivei
nor dertobef orgiven.Butt he
l
or dalsocondemnst hosewhoar ewr ongandst ates
thatyouneedt orepentbeforeHecanf orgiveyou.
Withoutrepentance,youshallnotent ertheki ngdom
ofheav en.
”

Whil
ethehypocr
it
eswereshouti
ngAmen, Ifelt
mysel
fgetti
ngannoy
ed.Itseemsasifthispastor
washint
ingatMaMasango.Ievensawt heside
ey
edlookhekeptgiv
ingher.Imean,r
eally?Wear e
st
il
lher
eaf
tersomanyy
ear
sofl
i
ber
ati
on?

Pastor
:“TheBibl
econdemnsal
lev
il
;especi
all
y
wit
chcraftandmurder
!”

Ver yfewshoutedAmen, whi

leIsawt he
disappointmentinMaMasango’ seyes.Ir eall
ycoul
d
seeshewashopi ngthiswouldbeagr eatsermon
forher .Shehasn’tenter
edthischurchi nyearsand
i
ti shightimethesepeopleletthei
rhat ego.Thisfat
fucki nfr
ontofusi ssuchahy pocr
it
e, andIreall
y
don’ thavethepati
enceforthi
s–nott oday.

Past
or:
“Ast
heBi
blesay
sint
heBookof–“

Iint
err
uptedhi
sshi
tt
yspeechasIgotupandwent
tothepodium.

Past
or:
(annoy
ed)“
Excuse,
me,
ntombazana(
gir
ly)
.
Thi
sismypodi
um.
”

Ii
gnoredhi
m andtookthemicr
ophonef
rom t
he
podi
um andstar
tedspeaki
ng.

That o:“Goodday ,
Bazalwane( congr egati
on) .Alot
ofy oudon’ tknowme, butletmef or mall
yi ntr
oduce
my self.Mynamei sThatoI sabell
aGr oen, daught
er
ofDav idGr oen.Icameher eal
lthewayf rom
Johannesbur g.Imetav erypeculiarwomanaf ew
weeksago, butwhatpuzzl edmei st hetreatment
sher eceivedf r
om others.Al otofy oudon’ t
rememberme, butIr
emembery ou.Ir ememberhow
youst aredatherandgav ehersmi rksandf i
lt
hy
l
ooks.

Al otofyoudi
dn’ tev
enwantt owal knearher,whi
le
someofy oustoodasi deassoonasshewal ked
pastyou.Now, thismant hatst
andsbef oreyou
seemsl i
kehei
sspeaki ngsensetoy ou,butwhat
abouthisownflaws?Yes, t
heBibletalksaboutevi
l
,
butwhathappenswhenawomanl ikeMaMasango
haspaiddearl
yforhersinsaskedforr
epentance
andthisver
yownchur chrefusedt
obet hegateway
forherheal
i
ngandaccept ance?

Shehasmadepeacewi thinhersel
fandwithGod,
yetyou–t heseverypeoplebeforemedeni edher
thechance.Areanyofy ouperfect
?Ar eanyofy ou
withoutsi
n?LikeIkeepaski ng,howmanyofy ou
haveactuall
ywitnessedherdoingthedeedsshei s
accusedof?Shoul dawomanbemadet osuff
erand
paydearlyfort
her estofherli
feforthi
ngshedi d
yearsago?Deedssher epentedfor?”

Pastorseemedv er
yannoyedoncepeoplestar
ted
noddingtheirheadsandlookingdowninshame.I
guesshehat esitwhenpeopledisagr
eewithhim,
butlucki
lyformeIknowast oryort
woabouthim.

Past
or:
(annoyed)“
lal
elal
ana,Ntombazana(List
en
her
e,gi
rl
y).Thisi
smychur chandIwon’thaveyou
disr
especti
ngmer i
ghti nfrontofmyown
congregat
ion!Yazininaamant ombazanabav el
a
egolini
cabangaukuthi umhlabaloowenu(Youknow,
youlit
tl
egirl
sfr
om Jo’ burgthi
nkthi
sworldis
yours).
”

Iwasabouttorespond,
whenoneoft
hewomeni
n
thecongr
egati
onspokeup.

Woman: “Hayi(No)
,man.Thula,Mfundisi(Quiet
,
pastor
).Sizwil
engawe,nkosi
yami(We’vehad
enoughofy ou,
myGod).Younev ergiveany oneelse
achancetospeak.Thulauhlal
ephansi (Keepquiet
andsitdown).”

Hewassoshockedt oseeevery
oneel semur
mur
andnodt hei
rheadsi
nagreementtothewoman’s
stat
ement .Hesatdowni
ndisappoint
mentwhil
eI
conti
nued.
Thato:“Mat
thew7:15–“ Bewareoff al
seprophets,
whichcomet oyouinsheep’sclot
hingbutinwardly
theyarerav
eningwolves.
”Yourpast or,t
hisver
yone
whowaspr eachingaboutfor
giveness,i
sthesame
pastorwhocheatedonhiswi f
ewi t
honeoft healtar
womeni nhere.”

Whil
emostoft
hepeopleinheregaspedi
nshock,
I
hear
dafewscr
eam out“Iknewit
!”

Idon’tknowwhyIhav esomuchcouragetoday,
but
mostpr obabl
yt hemi mosaQueenNandi madefor
met hismorningi stobeblamed.Icouldn’
tcar
eless
howMf undi
sifeltatthispoi
nt.

That o:“Matthew7:1-5–“ Judgenot,

thatyoubenot
j
udged.Forwi tht
hejudgementy oupronounceyou
willbejudged, andwiththemeasurey ouuseitwill
bemeasur edt oyou.Whydoy ouseethespeckthat
i
si ny ourbrother’
seye,butnotdonotnoticethelog
thatisiny ourowney e?Orhowcany ousayt oyour
brother,
‘Letmet aket hespeckoutofyoureye’,
whent hereisthel oginyourowney e?Youhy pocr
it
e,
fi
rsttheny ouwil
l clearl
yseetotakethespeckoutof
yourbrother’
seye. ”

Howcomeal otofy oustil

ljudgeandost r
acize
MaMasango, ev enwheny ouy oursel
v eshave
demonsy ouhav en’tdealtwi th?Yourv eryown
past orhidesbehi ndhiscl oakandbeat sonhi swif
e
andchi ldrenwhennoonei swat chi
ng, andstil
l
commi tsadultery.Yet ,
hest andsbef or eyouon
Sunday sandcl aimst obeamanofGod.Whyi sit
thaty ouhav enoshameandt reatanol d,dyi
ng
womanwi thsomuchshame?1John4: 20say s–“ I
f
any onesay s,“IloveGod” ,buthat eshisbrother,hei
s
aliar;forhewhodoesnotl ov ehi sbrotherwhom he
hasseencannotl ov eGodwhom hehasnotseen. ”

Youcannotcl
aimtoloveGodwhenyouhaven’tev
en
seenhi
m, y
etyoufai
ltolov
eyournei
ghbour
.Al otof
peopl
esit
ti
ngherehavebeenhi
dingt
hefactthat
MaMasangohashel pedt hem i
nsomanyway s.
Oncey ouseeyourneighbourpracti
cinghat
e
towardsher,y
oujoi
ni nanddot hesame.Shehas
helpedalotofyou–f orf r
eeatthat.Yououghtto
beashamedofy ourselves.

Sheisdy i
ngofcancer,st
agef our.Foral l
weknow
shecoulddiewithi
naf ewday s,andy etsheasked
foronethingandonet hi
ngonly–t hatthelast
memor yshehasofchur chremai nsagoodone.She
j
ustwant edtoday’
ssermont obeabl essedone,one
whereshewon’ tbejudgedorr i
diculedforthefi
rst
ti
mei nherli
fe.

Iapplaudherf orowni nguptohermi stakes;never

hasshesai dthatshedi dn’
tdothoset hi
ngsi nthe
past.Shedi dn’tki
l
l anyoneyetshetri
edt okil
lan
i
nfant.Shehasscar s–bot hphysical
lyand
emotionall
yt oproveit.Shehasl i
vedinabr oken
house,lostallherfamilyandfri
endsallbecauseof
herdeeds.
Evenwhent heythemsel
v esturnedt
heirbackson
her,youalsorubbedsal
ti nt
othewoundbydoi ng
thesame.HadGoddeci dednott of
orgiveyoufor
whaty oudidtoher,
wouldy oubeproud?Looking
backatwhaty oudidtoher ,
areyousureitwaseven
worthit?
”

Isawal mostever
yonel
ookdown; somecr yingi n
shameandsomeshaki ngt hei
rheadsi ndisbelief.I
don’tknow,butper
hapsIam goodatwor ds, butthi
s
womandeser vestobeinthischurchjustasmuch
asany oneel
se.Oneofthemeni nthecongr egation
stoodup.

Man:“MaMasangohel pedmymot herrecover

.My
motherwasv er
yillf
oraverylongti
meandwehad
nochoicebuttotakehertoahealer.MaMasango
madeitpossibl
eformymot hertowalkagain.Even
aft
ershewasaccusedofwi tchcr
aftmymot her
ref
usedtobeoneoft hepeoplehati
ngher,upunti
l
sheher
selfpassedon.Myonlysinagai
nst
MaMasango, wasbei
ngafrai
dofwhatpeoplewould
sayhadImi xedwi
thherandfort
hat,
Ma, Isi
ncer
ely
apol
ogize.
”

Hest oodupandwal kedtowardsher;knel

tdown
beforeherandt ouchedherhandsandki ssedthem.
Ican’tbeli
evethatmyf ew, si
mplewordsmade
peoplegetupoutofcour age,j
ustastheydidthat
dayatt hecli
nic.Onebyone, t
heygotupand
apologizedtoher.Itwassuchabeaut i
fulsi
ght,wi
th
MaMasangosmi l
ingthroughthetear
s.

Iwasev encryi
ng,becauseIjustcouldn’
tcontainmy
happiness.Peoplestart
edsingi ngaseachand
everyoneamongstt hecongregat i
onwenttowar ds
herandhel dherhandsandki ssedher.Pastor
walkedouti nshamedur i
ngthewhol eproceedings
andwecar r
iedonamongstour sel
ves.Thepast or
’s
wifewalkedt owar
dsmewi t
ht earsinhereyes.
Pastor’
swi fe:“
Mygi r
l,Idon’tknowy ou, butIfeelli
ke
Godwor ksinmy steri
ousway s.Ihav ebeenpr ay
ing
forsomeonet ocomeandr escueme.Ev ery
one
i
ncludingmyf ami lyridi
culedmeandi nsul t
edme
whenev erIcompl ainedaboutmyhusband.He
wouldbeatmeupsobadl y,Isowi shy oucoul dsee
thescar sonmybody .Whaty oudidt oday,is
somethi ngIhavebeenwai t
ingandpr ayingforev er
sinceImar ri
edthismonst er.I ti
struewhatt heysay
–awol finsheep’sclothingi sfardanger oust hanan
honestt hi
ef.Ican’tev enbegi ntot hanky ou
enough. ”

Sher eall
ydidn’thavetot hankme.Idi dwhatIf el
t
wasr ight.Aftertheservice,apparentl
yitwasa
feastdayandi tendedupbei ngawhol ecelebrati
on
aboutMaMasango’ sli
fe.Truly,Icouldn’
thav e
askedf orabet terdayforher .Shewasexhaust ed,
butsol di
eredonj ustsoshecoul denj oyallthe
attenti
onandf oodprepared.Iam gl adthatt oday
wassuchagooddayf orher .Icanonl ywisht hat
Gloriaissomewher earoundsot hatshecoul dcome
backt
ome.

Ev ent hel ocalnewspaperwast here.Apparentl

y
theyhear dal l
aboutmeandt heywantedtodoan
i
nterv i
ewwi thme, butbecausei twassuchabusy
dayt oday ,theydeci dedtohearaboutmef r
om af ew
ofthecongr egati
onmember s.Ir eal
l
ydon’tmind,al
l
Iwant edwast oseeMaMasangohappy .Aswe
wer eenj oyingt hefeast,
KingNt si
kacameoutof
nowher e.Whatani cesurpri
se.Ev er
yonewasabout
tobowdown, buthequi cklystoppedthem.

KingNtsi
ka:“
Myf el
l
owpeople,
please,noneedto
bowdownbef oreme.Iam j
ustahumanbei ngli
ke
you.Ihavecomeherewit
haspecialrequestf
orour
belovedMaMasango.Bef
oreIdothat,Ihavea
testi
monytogiv
e.”

Iwat
chedtheKingspeakwithsomuchpoiseand
awe.Heisreal
l
yagr eatki
ngandIhaven’
tseenhi
m
wal
karoundwit
hbodyguar dsorany
thi
ng.
Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Afewweeksago,
Iwaspoi
sonedby
myowndaught
er.
”

Ev
ery
onegaspedi
nawe.

KingNt sika:“Iwasr eadyt omeetmyend, unti

l
Isabell
a,thewomany ouseebef oreyou,changedmy
l
ife.Shegav emehope.Sheendeduphav i
nga
meet i
ngwi t
hMaMasango, whogav eherar emedy
thatensur edIlive.AsIst andherebef or
ey ou,Iam
whoIam becauseofher .SheensuredthatIlive,
andf orthatIcanonl ygiv eheragiftshedeserv esso
thatshecanl iv
eherf inal dayst
hebestwayshecan.
MaMasango, Ihumbl yrequestthaty ouandNur se
Porti
acomet ost aywi t
husi nthemeant ime.I
wouldal soliketobui ldy ouabrandnewhouse.Wi th
yourper missionofcour se.”

MaMasangowasi
ntear
s.Idon’
tev
ent
hinkshe
cri
edt hismuchev ersinceherchi l
drendisownedher .
Ineverev enknewy ourownchi l
drencoulddisown
you.Imagi nethatshit
.Shegr aceful
lyagreedalong
withNur sePorti
a.Shewoul dgetpai dforherduti
es
ofcour se.Nowwi ththeKi ngdom hanginginthe
balanceandal mostbankr upt,Itr
ulyfi
ndt hi
sgesture
ahumbl eoneindeed.
Kg

Ican’ tbeli
evemyownbr otherisgone.If ound
my selfhol
dingt henecklacewhi chRendani ri
ppedof
hisneckwhi letheywer eengulfedi nastruggle.I
don’ tknowwhyGodhadt ot
akemybr otheraway
from meatat imelikethis.Ij
ustf oundhim.Li feis
j
ustnotf air
.If oundmy selfsippingonmygl assof
cognac, whil
ehol di
nghi snecklace.Ihav en’
tslepta
wi nk.Tr ul
yspeaki ngIam amess, andIdon’tknow
whocancomf ortme.IneedThat obymysi de,but
thenev enso, Idon’twantourr euniontobeso
depr essing.
 Icheckedmyphoneandi tisexactly12mi dday .I
havebeenl ockedupinmybedr oom ev ersincewe
camebackf r
om thewarehouse.Al lIwanti speace,
all
Iwanti smybr ot
herback,althoughIknowt hat
won’thappen.Ihav ebeenignor i
ngev eryonewho
hasbeenknocki ngonmydoor .Thel astt i
meIf elt
thi
shelplesswaswhenIl ostmymot her .Ijustcan’t
bearthepainany more.AsIf oundmy selfsit
ti
ngon
mychai rinmybedroom whenIhear dy etanot her
fai
ntknockonmydoor .

Kg:
“Goaway
.”

That
o:“
Kg,
it’
sme.
”

Thatsoundsj
ustl
i
kemyTT.
”

Kg:
“That
o?”
That
o:“
Yes,
openup,
please.
”

Thishadbett
ernotbeadr eam.Fuck, Ismelll
ike
shit
.Ihaven’
tev enbat
hedy etandIst
illsmell
of
blood.Ican’
tletmywomanseemel i
ket hi
s.She
deservesmelookingmybest .

Kg:
“Cany
ougi
veme30mi
nut
es,
please?
”

That
o:(
sof
tl
y)“
okay
.”

Iheadedtomybat
hroom andst
art
edwashi
ng
every
thi
ngoff
.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandFour

Revelat
ion21:
4–“ Hewi
llwipeeverytearf
rom t
heir
eyes.Therewil
lbenomoredeathormour ni
ngor
cr
y i
ngorpain,
fort
heoldorderofthingshaspassed
away.”
2Kings20: 5–“ ThisiswhattheLor
d,t
heGodof
yourfatherDavid,says:‘
Ihavehear
dyourpr
ayerand
seeny ourtear
s; Iwil
lhealyou.
”

That
o

Ican’tbeliveIfinall
ymadei tbackhome.Thehouse
feel
ssodi ffer
entwi thoutMam’V’spresence.For
thefirsttimesi nceherpassingIactuall
yf eelthe
empt inessoft hishouse.Vi v
ianGroenwasj ustone
amazi ngsoul ,shewasmor ethanagangst er
’swife.
Youdi dn’tneedt of earher
,youwoul dhav edoneso
automat icall
y.ButIt hinki
twasmor eaboutr espect
thanf ear.Shewassol ovi
ng,anditpainsmet osee
howmi serableev eryonehasbeenev ersince.I
actuallycriedwhenIent er
edthehousebecauseI
j
ustf eltherempt i
ness.

Ial
sot
hinkInev
ergott
hechancet
omour
nher
,so
i
tmakesal otofsensewhyIam cr yingsomuch
ri
ghtnow.Thi sthingwi t
hMul al
oal sohitmeway
toodeep.Ican’tstopt hi
nkingabouthi m.Ican’
t
stopthinki
ngabouthowKgf eel
srightnow.Ihave
l
ostal otofpeopleinmyl if
e,butimagi nel
osi
ngyour
twinj
ustafteryouf oundhim.

I
t’sonehellofamess, reall
y.AsIwal kedinIf
ound
noonear ound.IthoughtIwoul dj
ustgot oKg’s
bedroom inst
ead,butheal soshutmedownand
askedfor30mi nutes.Idecidedtolethim beandI
wenttoseeRami .Shewassoshockedt oseeme
even.

That
o:“
Hey
,babe.
”

Rami:(
shocked)“
That
o?!Oh,
mygoodness!I
sit
real
l
yyou?”

That
o:“
Yes.
”
Sheranupt omewi thtearsstr
eamingdownher
face.Ifeelsobad,t
hatIfoundmy sel
fcryingaswell.
Idon’tevenknowwhy ,
butIguessi ti
sourmoment
together
.Wegott omour neveryt
hingthathappened.
Webr okethehugandIgav eheroneser i
ouslook.
Shelookssodi f
fer
ent;
shehasgai nedquitealotof
weightandhasgainedal otofcomplexi
onaswel l.

Rami i
sfai
rincomplexion,butt
his,haino.Perhaps
shehasbeenindoor
sf orfartoolong,buthowdoes
oneexplai
ntheswol
lenf ace?Ithinkshenoticedme
star
ingatheri
nconfusionasshest artedtospeak
up.

Rami
:“Iknowwhaty
ou’
ret
hinki
ng.
”

Doesshe?

Rami
:“Ihav
ebeenwant
ingt
ospeakt
oyouf
orso
l
ong.Iwant
edy
out
obet
heonet
oheari
tfi
rst
.”

Hearwhat
?

Rami
:“I
’
m pr
egnant
.”

Whoa.What
?Issheser
ious?

Thato:
(sur
pri
sed)“Wow,babe.Congrat
ulat
ions!I
meanIdon’tr
eall
yknowwhattosay,butarey ou
okaywithi
t?Areyouhappy?”

Rami:“Well
,Idon’
tknow.Iwasverysur
pri
sedand
knowingmeIwwaspr obabl
ygoi
ngtofr
eakout
,butI
didn’
tact
uall
y.”

That
o:“
Isi
tThendo’
s?”
Shenodded.Okay
,Idi
dn’
texpectt
hat
,butt
hen
st
ressmakesyoushagal
ot.

Thato:
“ Wel
l,
Iam happyi
fyou’
rehappy
.We’
l
l
supportyou–al
lofus.”

Rami
:“That
’snotal
l
.”

Tht
ao:
(fr
owni
ng)“
Yes?
”

Sheshowedmeherr i
ngfingerandshehada
stunningr ockonherf inger.Wow, talkabout
amazi ng.Shei sreallyhappy.Ididn’texpectThendo
topropose, butitisaboutdamnt i
me.Hedoesnot
knowt hatsheispr egnantsoIam gl adhedidn’tdoit
outofobl igati
on,butoutofl ove.Shet ol
dme
everythingthathappenedwhi l
eIwasaway .Ican’t
beli
ev ewemi ssedsomuchonschool .I
tishi
gh
ti
meIgobackt ocampust ocatchup, ev
enifitis
j
ustf oraf ewday s.
Ireall
ywor kedhar dtogetintoVarsi
tyandIcan’t
affordtofailri
ghtnow.Appar entl
yThendowentout
tobuysomef oodandso, shehadsomet imeto
herself.Shewasact ual
lyplanni
ngont ell
i
nghim
today,sinceshehadnoi deaIwascomi ngback,
but
seeingmeandt el
li
ngmef irstmadeitmuchmor e
pleasantandeasi erforher.Ididn’
tthi
nkshewoul d
evergetpr egnantsoear l
yinlif
e,buthey,whenGod
say syes,noonesay sno.ThendocamebacksoI
hadt ogivethem space.

Sher eall
ydi dn’
twantmet oleave,butIalsohav eto
seemyman.Uponl eavi
ng,IfoundNanaandGr i
ngo
i
nt hel ounge.Theshockont heirfacessay salot.
Wekeptqui etforawhileandNana’ stearsstart
ed
roll
ing.Ei sh,Ihateseei
ngsomeonecr y
.I
automat i
callycryaswell.Sherant owardsmeand
gav emeonest ronghug.Afterwards,Iwentt ogiv
e
Gringoahugehug.Feel inghissecurehugmademe
reali
zej usthowscar edIwast olosehi m aswell.
Indeed, weser veal i
vi
ngGod.
Nana:
(tear
y)“
CanIgety
ouany
thi
ng,
mychi
l
d?”

That
o:“
No,
thanky
ou,
Nana.
”

Gr
ingo:
“Ihav
emi
ssedy
ou.Weal
lhav
e.”

That
o:(
sigh)“I
tisr
eal
lygoodtobehome,butIhav
e
someunfi
nishedbusi
nessbacki
nEnande.
”

Gr
ingo:
(puzzl
ed)“
Whatki
ndofbusi
ness?
”

Nana:“
Ai,
Dav
id.Shewil
ltel
lyoul
ater
.Fornow,
gi
veherti
mewit
hherhusband.Heneedshert
he
most.
”

Gr
ingo:
(deepsi
gh)“
Iguessy
ouar
eri
ght
.”
Nana:
“It
’snoteasyl
ett
ingy
ouronl
ybabygi
rlgo,
is
i
t?”

Gr
ingo:
“Don’
trubsal
tint
othewound,
Ma.
”

Nana:(
chuckl
i
ng)“
Go,
Isabel
l
a.Hei
swai
ti
ngf
or
you.
”

Ifor
gotsheknowsever
ythi
ngthatgoesonar
ound
us.Ai,
itmustbeni
cebeingher,r
eal
ly.

That
o:(smi
l
ingner
vousl
y)“
Okay
,I’
l
lseey
ouguy
s
l
ater
.”

Nana:
“Oh,
Iwoul
dn’
tbetoni
t.
”

Il
efthersoembarr
assed,whi
l
eGr i
ngowasv er
y
uni
mpr essedwi
thhercomment.Istoodpuzzl
edi
n
fr
ontofhisbedroom doorforami nute,sinceIam
notevensureifheactual
lywantst oseeme.Imean
perhapshesaidheneeds30mi nutesjustsot hatI
goaway .Peoplegri
evediff
erentl
y ,
reall
y.Idecided
toputmyhandupandknock, butheopenedt he
doorasIwasaboutt o.HisstrongGi venchycologne
hitmynostrl
isandhypnoti
zedmef orami nut
e.Ifel
t
my sel
finv
olunt
ari
lycl
osingmyey es.

Kg:
“Hi
.
”

Iquickl
yopenedt hem agai nandIsawhi m.Gosh, he
l
ooksev enmor egor geousthanthelastt i
meIsaw
him.Ihatedseei nghi m wit
hAnast aci
a, andnow
thatheismi neagai n,Idon’
tknowhowt of eel
.I
foundmy selffeel
ingal lsor
tsofvibrat
ionsdown
thereasIlookedathi m.Eish,butwhyi slackofsex
suchaser i
oust hing, t
hough?Hel ookssobeaut if
ul,
yetsosad.Her eallytri
edtosmi l
ebey ondt het
ears.

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Hi.
”
Idon’tknowwhatcameov erme, butIf oundmy sel
f
wrappingmyar msar oundhi swai stasIl eanedinfor
ahug.Hei sincrediblytal
l,soIj ustfeltitsoeasyt o
j
usthughi m aroundt hewai st.Hedi dn’thesitate
andhuggedmer ightback.Ir eall
ymi ssedt hishug.
Imissedev erythi
ngabouthi m –wedi dn’tevenget
tocelebrat
ehi sbirthdaythisy ear.Onl ynowi thi
tme
thatwecoul dhav ehadat womont hol dbabyby
now.Peopl ecanbesocr uel .

HadIknownl i
fewoul dhavebeensot oughr i
ghtnow,
Iwouldhav epreparedmy self
,butasSelenaonce
tol
dme; hadl i
fecomewi thamanual ,wer eal
ly
wouldn’thav eanythingtolookforwardto.Isuppose
shehasapoi nt.Ifoundmy sel
finhal
i
ngKg’ s
beauti
ful scentandenj oy
ingbeinginhisarms.I
missedhi smascul ineandlov i
nghugs.

If
oundmysel
fpul
l
ingoutofi
tandstar
ingdeepi
n
hi
seyesashesmi
ledatme.Imissedthatdi
mpl
ed
smil
esomuch.Idon’
tknowwhatcameov erme,
butImi
ssedmymandeeply.Ican’
twai
tanylonger
,
Imeanwhyshoul
dI?

That
o:(
sof
tl
y)“
Imi
ssedy
ou,
Kg.Ineedy
ou.
”

Heseemedsor
eluct
ant
,butmostpr
obabl
ybecause
hei
smourni
ng.

Kg:
“TT,
Idon’
tthi
nki
tissuchagoodi
dea.
”

Iplacedmyl i
psonhi saswegotengul fedintoa
beaut i
ful
kiss.Oh, Ifeltmy sel
fgetsowetdown
there,wit
hmagi calsignalsbeingsenttoeveryner
ve
surroundingev erybitofmybody .Hishands
travel
edf r
om mywai stdownt omybums, ashe
gent l
ystr
okedmyar ms, weakeningeverybitof
cautionaryfeel
ingi nmybones.
Kg:
“TT…”

That
o:“
Please,
Kg.Ineedy
ou,
baby
.”

Hewi denedt hedoorashepul l

edmei nt othe
bedroom.Icl osedt hedoorasIl andedwi thmyback
ri
ghtagai nstit.IlookedatKg, whol ookedatme
withhisey est hatjustbecamesmal l
er.Hi sey esdo
thatwhenev erheishor ny.Iam gladIst i
llr
emember
wheret ot ouchhi m.Hi stouchhasn’ tchangedatall.
I
tstil
lsendst herightsignalseverywher e,andmakes
mycl i
tinst antl
yhappy .Iwaswear i
ngmybl ack
Pradadr ess, ashesl owlyremov editfrom mybody .
hewasdr essedi njeansandasi mpleT- shirt
,soI
remov edhi sshirtaswel l
.

Helookedatmeandhi stonguedovestraightint
o
mymout h.Ifoundmy sel
fmoaninginhis,withhim
devouri
ngeverybi
tofmyexposedbody .Myhands
tr
aveledonhisbackandtohislowerback,whi l
ehe
sl
owlyremovedmybr aashewaski ssi
ngme.He
pull
edoutoft hekissandt
ookamomentt oenjoy
thesightofmyer ectni
ppl
esandanxi
ousbreasts.
Theyhav ebeenlongingaman’st
ouch.

Idon’tevenwantt othinkofMul alor

ightnow,
becauseallthatmattersisthatIam i
nmyman’ s
arms.Het r
aveledhi
slipsdownt omyneckasI
ti
lt
edmyheadt ogivehim mor eaccesstoit.His
handswer emoul di
ngmybr east
swhi l
egently
squeezingmyni ppl
esint heprocess.Isqueezedhi
s
bumsi ntheprocess,li
fti
ngonel egupandwr appi
ng
i
trightaroundhiswaist.

That
o:(
moani
ng)“
Oh,
Kg…”

Kg:
“(breat
hingheav
il
y)“
Baby
…Imi
ssedy
ouso
much.”

Il
i
kehowhonestKgi
sandhowhetakeshi
sti
me
wi
thmewheneverwehav
esex.Hi
sonehand
t
ravel
eddownt omypanties.Hehasal waysl
oved
l
acyunderwearandwouldalwaysrubhisthumbon
t
hef r
ontofmypussyjusttofeel
thelace.

Kg:(moaning)“
Oh,TT.You’vealwaysmanagedt
o
dr
ivemecr azy,
baby.Ihavebeenprayi
ngt
osleep
wit
hy ouri
ghtnextt
ome. ”

That
o: (
breat
hingheav
il
y)“
Thenwhatar
eyou
wait
ingfor?Haveme.”

Kg:“No,notyet
.Ineedtodevoury
ourbodyf
ir
st.I
needtopleasur
eyoufi
rstbef
oreconsummat
ingthi
s
beauti
fulmoment.
”

AsmuchasIwantKgi nsideofmer ightnow,Iwil

l
havetowai t
.Her emov edmypantiesashi sfi
ngers
trav
eledtomycl i
t.Imoanedr i
ghtawayatt he
tendertouchofhisfi
ngerstrai
ghtonmycl i
t.He
start
edf l
i
ckingi
tupanddownandr oundandr ound.
Ispreadmyl
egsabitf
urt
herf
orhi
mtogai
nmor
e
accesstomybean.

That
o:(
moani
ng)“
Shi
t,Kg…”

Heki ssedmepassi onatelyi

nt heprocess,whileIfel
t
my selfgetti
ngov er
whel medwi t
hheat.Oh, no.I
can’tbeaboutt oor gasm whenhehasn’ tevendone
anythingtomey et.Hedi ppedhi sonefingerintomy
pussyasImoanedsl i
ghtl
y.I
twassl ight
lypainful,
butaf terafewstrokeswi thhisf i
ngerfl
i
ckingmy
Gspotont heinsi
de, Iwishedithadbeenhi sdick
ri
ghti nthere.

That
o:“
Oh,
Kg….shi
t,baby
…”

Kg:“Tel
lmehowt hi
smakesy ouf
eel.Howdoesmy
fi
ngerfeel
insi
deofyour
ightnow?”
That
o:“
Aaah,
Ilov
eit
.Itf
eel
ssogood.
”

Kg:
(whi
sper
ingi
nmyear
)“Ican’
theary
ou.
”

Hai
,Kgandhi
steasi
ng.

That
o:“
Ifucki
ngl
ovei
t.Nowt
akeme,
please.
”

Kg:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
Iwantt
oeaty
ourpussy
.Pl
easet
ell
meyouwantmet o.
”

That
o:“
Iwanty
out
o.”

Kg:
“Youwantmet
odowhatexact
ly?
”

That
o:“
Iwanty
out
oeatmypussy
.”
Kg:
“What
’st
hemagi
cwor
d?”

That
o:“
Please…”

Kg:
“Pl
easewho?
”

Fuck,Iam abouttokil
lKg.Hecanclearl
yseehow
muchIwanthi mi nsi
deofmerightnow.Ihaven’
t
hadsexi nsolongthatIki
ndoffor
gottenwhati
t
feel
slike.

Thato:
“Please,
daddy
.Eatmyf
ucki
ngpussy
al
ready!
”

Ifel
tmy sel
fgettingfrust
rat
ed,whil
ehechuckl
edas
heslowlytr
av el
edhi sli
psallt
hewaydownt omy
pussy,l
eavi
ngt rail
sofhisdeli
cioussal
i
v aonmy
abdomenashel ickedmeal lt
hewaydown.He
spreadmyl egsfurtherapar
tashewast ednoti
me,
thankgoodness.hesl owl
yli
ckedmycl i
t.Themor e
Imov edmyl egsfur
therapar
t,t
hefasterhel
ickedit
.
Iheldhisheadfir
mly,whil
ebrushi
ngitandpulli
ng
him cl
oserintomypussy .

That
o:“
Shi
t!
”

Hemov edf
ast
er,
whi
l
edi
ppi
nghi
sfi
ngeri
ntomy
pussy
.

That
o:“
Shi
t,Kg,
Iam aboutt
ocome.Icanf
eel
it.
”

Kg:“Youknowj
usthowIl
i
kei
t,baby
.Comef
or
daddy.”

Iwast ednot i
me,Ifoundmy selfr
eleasi
ngri
ghton
hi
sf ace.Iwasj erki
nginpleasureandsoon
aft
erwar ds,Il
ookedathimi nembar r
assment.The
confidentladywhowal kedinherebeggingf
ordick
i
sgoneatt hi
spoint.Hel
i
ckedallmyjuicesof
fhi
s
face.Itr
iedcov
eringmyf
ace,buthestoppedme
quickl
y.

Kg:“
YouknowhowIloveseei
ngy
ou.Don’
thi
de
your
sel
ffr
om me,
please.
”

Inoddedashecamebackupandki ssedmedeeply.
Ilovetasti
ngmy selfri
ghtaft
erhemuf fsme.I
wast ednotimeandt ookoffhisjeansandbr i
efsat
thesamet ime.Ir ubbedhisdick,andfelthi
s
stif
feneddickreact,whil
ehearinghi sdeepand
stern,pl
easurabl
emoans.

Kg:
(moani
ng)“
Baby
…”
Helookedatmeandwastednoti
me.Hecaref
ull
y
pl
acedmeont hebedandgotontopofme.He
st
aredatmesoseducti
vel
y.

Kg:
“Il
ovey
ou.
”
That
o:“
Ilov
eyout
oo.
”

Heki ssedmeonceagai nashesl owlyenter

edme.I
feltabitofpainasIwi nced,buthewassogent le
andpat ientwithme.If oundmy sel
fswall
owedby
pleasureashewenton.Ispr eadmylegsev en
furtherandfelthi
m digabi tdeeperi
ntome.Thi s
feelsmor ethanjustsex.Itisameet i
ngbetween
twosoul s–at obecont i
nuedmeet i
ng,r
ather.

Ilovedeverymomentofi t
.Hi soccasionalki
sses,
breastsqueezesandey econtact.Hel ookedatme
l
ikeIcamebackf rom t
hedead.Iknow, i
tdoesnot
evenmakesense, butfuckIlovethi
smansomuch.
Afterabouttenminut
esorso, Ifel
tmy selfcl
imaxfor
aboutthe5thtime,ashecollapsedont opofme.

Kg:
(sof
tl
y)“
Ilov
eyou,
babe.Ar
eyouokay
?”
That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Yes,
Iam.
”

Kg:
“I’
l
lber
ightback.
”

Hegent l
ykissedmyforeheadandwenttothe
bathr
oom.Hecamebackwi thatowelashewiped
hi
msel fandgentl
ywipedmedownt her
easwell
.
Sti
l
l t
hesameol d,Kg.

Kg:
“Letmer
uny
ouabat
h.”

That
o:“
Youcandot
hatl
ater
.Pl
ease,
hol
dme.
”

Henoddedashegoti nt
othecoverswit
hmeand
heldme.Il aymyheadrightontopofhi
schestand
l
istenedtohishear
tbeat.Ourhear
tswerebeat
ing
simultaneousl
y.I
tisasifwebecameoneagain.
That
o:“
Arey
ouokay
?”

Kg:(si
gh)“
Honestl
y,Ifeel
li
keIam aboutt
olosei
t,
Tee.Ireal
l
yfeel
li
keIam notgoingtomakeitoutof
thi
ssit
uati
onver
ynor mal.
”
Thi
sisj
ustsopai
nful
.

Thato:
“You’l
lgetthr
oughthis,
Kg.Iknowy ou.You
aremystrongman, youhavebeent hr
oughtheworst
,
soIknowy ouwill
mostdefinit
elygetthr
oughthi
s.I
am herenow.”

Kg:
(tear
y)“
Hesav
edme,Tee.Hetookabul
l
etf
or
me.Howdoesoneev
engetovert
hat?”

Yoh, t
hisismor ehecti
ct hanIthought.Mulal
o
savedKgj ustsot hathecouldlive?Forme?If ound
my selfl
eavingtearsonhi schest.Icoul
dfeelhi
m
cryi
ngt oo,butIdon’tthi
nkIwantt oseehiminthis
state.Noty et
.
That
o:“Iknowhowi
tfeel
sri
ghtnow,
butGodknows
best
.”

Kg:“HowcanGodbesocr uel
,TT?Het ookyou
awayf r
om methatdayandasar esult
,ourbabydied.
Now, mytwinbrot
herdiedandIam j usthopeless.
HowdoesHecl aimt oloveusallandhav eour
desi
resandbestinter
estsatheartwhenweal ways
gothroughsuchbadt hi
ngs? ”

Idon’
tknowwhattosaybutt
oconsol
ehi
m wi
tht
he
wordsthatcamet
omi nd.

Thato:“Kg, doyour ememberwhathappenedwhen

youlosty ourmot her?Doyourememberhow
hopelessy oufeltandhowy outhoughtnot
hing
wouldev erworkout ?
”

Icoul
dfeel
him noddi
ngashebat
tl
edt
okeept
he
t
ear
sfr
om f
all
i
ng.

Thato: “
Doy ourememberwhathappened?You
miraculousl
ywentt hr oughitandcameoutav i
ctor
.
Youmadei toutoft hatsit
uationbetterthanever
beforeandy ouev enbecameoneoft het op
perfor
mer satschool .Now, thisisthesame
sit
uation.Doyour ememberhowy ouwer ealways
thereformewhenIl ostmymot her?Howy ou
promisedmet hatthingswoul dgetbet t
erwith
ti
me? ”

Kg:
“Yes,
Iremember
.”

That
o: “Al
l
owmet obey ourrockandpi l
larri
ghtnow,
Kg.Allowmet oabsor bt hosetearsforyouthe
samewayy oudi dmi newi t
hmymot her.Youar e
dest
inedforgr eatness,Kg, andItr
ulybeliev
et hat
ever
yonediesatt hei
rownt ime–despi t
ehowt hey
l
eavethisearth.Mul al
owoul dhav
enev erwant ed
youtobesohear tbroken.
Hewoul dhav ewant edyoutoenjoyandembr ace
themoment sy ouspenttogether
,forItrul
ybeliev
e
thathaditnotbeenhi m –itwouldhav ebeenthe
bothofyou.Don’ tgetmewr ong,Iam deeply
saddenedbyhi spassing,butyoushouldrather
rememberhi shappymoment s,j
ustasy oudidwith
AuntVivi
an.Idon’ tt
hink–Iknowt hatheisokay
whereverheis.”

Kg:
“Howdoy
ouknowt
hat
,Tee?
”

It
ookthechance,knowi
ngv er
ywell
itmightbackf
ir
e.
Hemightthi
nkthatIam cr
azyorsomethi
ng,butI
woul
dratherr
iskit
.

Thato:“
Iknowbecausey
ourmot
herhasbeen
vi
sit
ingme.”

Kg:
(puzzl
ed)“
Youmeany
ouhav
ebeendr
eami
ngof
mymot
her
?”

Ei
sh,
thi
sisal
othar
dert
hanIt
hought
.

That
o:“
Actuall
y,shehasbeenv
isi
ti
ngmephy
sical
l
y,
buti
nspi
ri
t.”

Helookedatmeli
keIwascrazyorsomethi
ng.He
pausedforamomentandIknewthenthathehadno
i
deawhatIwastal
kingabout
.

Kg:“Per
hapsyoushoul
dsl
eepabi
t.Tr
aumacando
alottoaper
son.”

That
o:“Wasyourmot
hernotPr
incessNonkany
iso
Ncubebybi
rt
h?”

Hegotr
eal
l
yst
art
ledashehear
dmesayt
hatandhe
l
ookedatme.

Kg:“
Howdoyou…Inevergav
eyouherbi
rt
hname.I
onl
ytol
dyout
hathernamewasEvel
yn.
”

Thato:“
Iknow, youthi
nkIam crazy,butIseeher.
Sheusedt ovisi
tmeal otwhenIwasaty ourhome
town.Iwasl ivi
ngEnande,attheroyalpal
acewhere
yourmot herwasborn.Shewasv i
si
tingmeev er
y
singl
enightwhileIwasthere.
”

Kgwasshook.Ir eal
l
ydidn’tmeantosoundwei
rd,
butI’
drathert
ell
t hetr
uthsothati
ncaseIwakeup
i
nt hemiddleofthenightt
alki
ngalone,
hedoesnot
feelt
heneedt orunaway .
”
Kg:
“Youmeantot
ell
methatyouwer
ewi
thmy
mother
’sf
ami
ly
?TheRoy
al f
amily
?”

That
o:(
noddi
ng)“
yes.
”
Kg:
“Car
etot
ell
memor
e?”

Hebecameal it
tl
ebitmor erelaxedasIst art
ed
shari
ngmyj ourneyfrom It
aly,meet i
ngSel ena, to
goingtoEnande.It oldhi
m al labouthisdi st
ur bing
grandmot her,QueenNombul elo,andhisador able
greatgrandmot herQueenNandi .Ofcour se, Itold
him aboutSophi eandPr i
nceZwel iandofcour se
aboutMaMasango.Iam act ual l
ysur pr
isedhe
remember sMaMasango.Appar entlyshewast he
royalhealer,
rightbeforeshegotost r
acizedand
everyt
hingwentsout h.

Iti
sact ual
lyamazingtoseeKgbeam wit
hsomuch
prideasher ecall
sthefai
ntmemori
esofhis
childhoodatEnande.Hesmi l
edabitashe
recollectedplayi
ngwi t
hZweli
whil
ehewasy oung.
Thel astmemor yhehasoftheKi
ngdom waswhen
hewasbei ngdr aggedoutoft
her
ebyhismot herand
henev erwentbackt her
eagai
n.Iti
srat
herbitt
er-
sweettalki
ngaboutever
ythi
ng,butIl
ovejusthow
excepti
onall
yhappyhewaswhenIt oldhi
m about
every
thingIdiddur
ingmyshortstayt
here.

Kg:“Younow,Mulal
oalwayssai
dyouwer ebor
nto
beaQueenandt hatIhadt
oleadri
ghtbesideyou.I
neverknewwhathemeant,butnowitmakes
sense.
”

Eish,j
a,neh.TheMulal
othing.Idon’tknowhowt o
facemymanr i
ghtaf
tersl
eepingwit
hhi stwin
brotherafewmonthsago.Ithinkhenot i
cedthe
suddenchangeinmymoodanddeci dedt obreak
theice.

Kg:“
Rel
ax,baby.Iknow.Heact
uall
ytoldmer
ight
af
terwefoundoutwewereact
uall
ytwins.
”

That
o:(
sigh)“
I’
m sor
ry.
”
Kg:“Don’tbe.Iact
uall
ydon’that
ey ounorhi
mfori
t.
Imean, IwasevenwithAnastaci
a,andIcanonl
y
i
magi nehowy oufel
tseei
ngmewi thher
.Thati
sal
l
i
nthepast ,socanwepleasejustfocusonour
fut
ure?”

Hedi
dn’
thav
etot
ell
met
wice.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandFi
ve

Psalm 73:26–“Myfl
eshandmyhear
tmayf
ail
,but
Godist hestr
engt
hofmyheaer
tandmypor
ti
on
for
ever.”

1Corint
hians15:
26–“Thel
astenemyt
obe
dest
royedisdeat
h.”

Twoday
slat
er

I
thasbeenani
nter
est
ingf
ewday
s.Al
li
nal
l
,Ihav
e
beenbyKg’ sside,andhel pinghi m deal wi
thhisl
oss.
Beingherehasbeenr atherhel pful
forhi m.Apart
fr
om himl i
teral
lybeingst uckbymysi de,wehave
hadachancet omaket hel astf ewf uneral
arr
angement s.Const ancei nsistsoncomi ngtobur
y
Mulalo,ofwhichwedon’ treall
ycar e.Ol i
viahas
apparentl
ybeenabi tofabi tch.

Shehasgi venbir
thandi nsiststhatiti
sMul al
o’s
chil
d,butnoneofusbel i
evei t
.Kgcamecl eanabout
whathedi dtoRendani .Idon’tjudgehim atall
,
though.Ijustdi
dn’twantt oknowt hefi
naldetai
ls
thereof
.Today ,
isMul alo’
sf uneral
,sowehav eto
getupearly,pl
usGr i
ngosay shehasani mpor t
ant
announcementf orusal li
ncludingtheNaidoos.

Soksi scomingandwillbet hepastorof

ficiati
ngthe
funeralt
oday,andImustsay ,Kgisnottakingit
real
lywell.Hehasbeent r
yingreall
yhardt oact
tough,butal
linall
Ithi
nkthedayoft hef
uner ali
s
alwaysthehardest.
Yesterdaywehadamemor i
alforMulal
o,andallhi
s
col
leaugesandoldf r
iendscame.I twassot ouchi
ng
tohearthem speaksohi ghl
yofhim.Hehasal ways
beenrathercal
m andv erypri
vate.Mostpeople
weren’
tev enawareofhismar ri
agewoes.Ofcour se,
Oli
viahadt or
uinital
l.

Shedeci dedt oruinaper f

ectl
ybeauti
fulmemor yof
Mul al
o, bygetti
nguponst ageandaccusingusof
sideli
ningherint hef uner
alar
rangements.Itwasa
bitofabadmov e,becauseIhadcompl etel
ylosti
t
onKg’ sbehal f
.Isl appedhersohad, t
hatshewent
tothepol icestat
ioni mmediatel
yaft
erwardsand
tri
edtogetmear rested.Ofcourse,
Gringosetthe
recordst r
aighttot hosecops.

Ireall
ydon’tknowwhatki
ndofparentsOlivi
ahas,
becauseitseemsasift
heyaretheones
encouragi
nghertodothi
sshit
.Today, shehad
bett
ernottryanyoft
hatkakbecauseIwi l
lbedoi
ng
moret hanjustsl
appingher.Kghasbeent hr
ough
enoughalready,andev enTumishocamet ov i
sit
.I
mean, weseem t oforgethi
m alotoftheti
me, buthe
toowasNonkany i
so’sson.Ihat eseeingKgso
depressed.

Idi dn’tevenwantt ogetup,sincewehav ebeen

maki ngl ovel
ikerabbit
s.Ijustneedsomebeaut y
sleep.AsIcheckedt heti
me, Inoticeditwas6am.I
thoughtIwoul dgetsomemor eshutey eandrestfor
anhourorso, butIgotpuzzledbyt hebeami ngli
ght
i
nKg’ sbedroom.Il ookedcloser,andmyhear t
startedbeami ngwithjoy,whichact ual
l
ybrought
tearst omyey es.
Vi
vi
an:
(smi
l
ing)“
Hel
l
o,That
o.”

That
o:(
tear
y)“
Mam’
V.”

Vivi
an:“
Iam sopr
oudofyou.Iam sorr
yInevergot
thechancet
ocomev i
sity
ou,Iwasgiv
ingother
sthe
chancet
ogett
oknowy
ourbeaut
if
ulsoul
.”

Ismi
l
edwhi
l
eatal
ossf
orwor
ds.

Shehadmymother
,Pet
uni
anextt
oher
,Mul
aloand
Nonkany
iso.

Nonkanyi
so:“Pl
easewakeKgaugel
oup.Ineedhi
m
t
oseet hi
s.”

InoddedasIgent
lyshookKg.

That
o:“
Kg,
wakeup,
baby
.Comeseet
his.
”

Kg:
“Ei
sh,
aowa(
no)
,baby
.Justonemor
emi
nut
e.”

That
o:“
Please,
getup.Youneedt
oseet
his.
”
Heopenedhi
sey
esandl
ookedatmeshocked.

Kg:
“What
’shappeni
ng?Ar
eyouokay
?’’

That
o:“
I’
mfi
ne.Look.
”

Ipoint
edtowar dsthedir
ectionofthebeaut
iful
,
deceasedsoulsIsawi nfrontofme.Idon’tev enget
shockedany more.IguessIseeghost s.MayIam
somesor tofaghostwhi sperer
.Kgi mmediately
tear
edup.Hehar dlyget
semot ional
,sowhenhe
doesitisreal
lytouchi
ng.

Nonkanyi
so:
(smi
li
ng)“Hel
l
o,mf
anawami
(myboy
).
Unj
ani(Howarey
ou)?”

Kg:
(tear
y)“
Mama,
I’
m okay
.Ist
hisr
eal
l
yyou?
”
Nonkany
iso:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
Yes,
iti
sme.
”

Kgacknowledgedeveryoneelsewhowast her
e,but
Ithi
nkhisbi
ggestachi
ev ementwasseeinghis
mother’
sspir
it
.Inowseewher eKgandMul al
oget
thei
rbeaut
if
ulgenesfrom.Ev enTumishotookfr
om
herandmostdefini
tel
ynotfrom Romeo.

Nonkanyi
so:(smili
ng)“Myboy,
Iam ver
ypr oudof
you.Ineedyout oknowthatwhat
everiti
sy ou’
re
doing,
you’
reont heri
ghtpat
h.Don’tl
etany onet
ell
youother
wise.”

Kgnoddedinaffi
rmat
ionasheslowlyletthet
ears
fal
ldown.Ibecameinst
antl
yemotionalasIheldhi
s
hand.Ievenfor
gotwewerebothnakedf ora
second.

Nonkany
iso:“
Conti
nuewit
hyourdr
eamsandy our
bi
gplanregar
dingt
hiswoman.Ihavehear
dyourcry
.
All
iswell,myboy .Iam alwayswit
hyou.Neverf
ear
anythi
ngorany oneforyouonlyneedt
ofearGod.
Besides,
whoneedsf earwhenyouhaveanIr
on
womanr ightbyyourside?”

Icouldn’
thelpbutlaughalongwi
thKgandt herest
ofthem laughedaswel l
.Iti
sabitwei
rdconversing
wit
hspi r
its,
butitisoneofthemostbeaut
if
ul t
hings
Ihaveeverexperienced.

Petuni
a:“
Thato,youwer edestinedforgreatness.
BothyouandKgwer ebor nwi t
hal eadingspiri
t.You
werebothborntobel eadersofagr eatnati
on.I
know,i
tsoundssocr azyrightnow, butinduetime
youwil
lunder
stand.”

Mulalo:“Baf
o(Br other)
,iti
snowt i
met ocl
aimyour
thr
oneanddor ightbyy ourwoman.Don’tworry
,you
don’tneedtomour nme.ForIam al wayswit
hyou
andy es,Iapprov e.Iheardyourcr
yandImost
defi
nitel
yapprov e.”
Idon’
tevenknowwhattheyar
etal
kingabout.Fi
rst
Nonkanyi
sosaidsheappr
ovesandnowMul al
o.
WhatisKgplanni
ng?

Vivi
an: “
Wolfe,aftert
his,youwil
lnolongerbeWol f
e
butyouwi l
lbet hemany ouhavealway sdesi
redto
be.Hangi nt hereandmakeeachot herhappyno
mat t
erwhat .Nev ergot obedangryatoneanot her
andal waysremembert hatyoutwoar ebestfr
iends.
Andr emembert hekeyt oasuccessf ulmarri
ageis
greatsex.”

Weal
llaughedoutl
oud.Thisfeel
sli
keoneoft
hose
f
amil
ydinnerswewouldal
way shavewi
thMam’V.
HowIwishGr i
ngowasher
et owit
nesst
his.
Vivi
an:“
Takegoodcar
eofmyhusband,andpl
ease
tel
lhimtodowhatheandIwer
eplanni
ngtoatthi
s
ti
meoft hey
ear.
”
Idon’
tknowwhatshemeans,
butIam guessi
ng
Gri
ngowill
know.

Nonkany
iso:
“Weal
ll
ovey
out
woso,
ver
ymuch.
”

Vivi
an:
“Thato,
takegoodcareofRami
.Thatboyi
sa
bi
twetbehindtheear
s,buthewil
lbeokayi
ndue
ti
me.”

That
o:“
Am Igoi
ngt
oseey
ouguy
sany
timesoon?
”

Nonkanyi
so:(chuckl
ing)“
Onl
ywhentheneedar
ises.
Youwill
sti
ll
seeal otmoredeadpeopl
e.Youwere
bor
nwi t
hthatgift
.”

Inodded.

Nonkany
iso:
“Howev
er,
Ihav
eonemor
erequest
.”
That
o:“
Any
thi
ng.
”

Nonkanyi
so:
“Takemyfathert
othepl
acey
ousawi
n
yourdr
eamslastni
ght
.”

Igotpuzzl edforamoment ,
butthenIqui
ckl
y
recall
edIdr eamtofagraveyar
dwi t
hhernameona
tombst one.Iam guessi
ngthatiswhereshewas
buried.

That
o:“
Ofcour
se,
Ma.
”

Theyal
lsai
dgoodbyetousandIcoul
dseeKgwas
i
nter
nal
izi
ngever
ythi
ng.

That
o:“
Arey
ouokay
?”
Kg:
(smi
l
ing)“
Yes,
Iam.If
inal
l
yknowwhatt
odo.
”

Ist
il
ldon’
tknowwhathemeant
,butIsmi
l
edbackas
hegentl
yki
ssedme.

That
o:“
Let
’sgobur
yyourbr
other
.”

Henoddedaswet ookabat htoget

herandhadone
steamysessionfortheroad.Eish,
hadIknownwe
wer egoi
ngtobebonki ngsomuch, Iwoul
dhav e
delayedmyv i
sit
.Wegotdoneandgotdr essed.Kg
putonhi sPr
adasuit,whil
eIputonmybr andnew
white,l
acyPradadress.

Iti
sabi tlong,justbel
owtheknee,andhasav er
y
l
ongsl itatthebackandi salsobackl
ess.Kgbought
i
tformet heot herday.Apparent
lyMulaloasked
himt hatweal ldressinst
yleonhisfuneral
.His
favouri
tecol ourwasalsowhi t
e,j
ustli
keMam’ V,and
hewant edust odressasifwewer egoingtoa
weddi
ng.Indeedwear
egoi
ngt
oaweddi
ng;
his
weddi
ng.

Ididmymake- upandf orsomer easonIcan’thelp

butthi
nkofGl oria.IdohopeIseehersoon.I tcan’
t
beeasybei ngZwel it
oday,especiall
ysinceMul al
ois
goingtobebur iedinEnande.Itisf ami
lytradi
tion
thatal
lther oy
al member sbebur i
edonr oyalground
–wel l
,thosethathavenotbeendi sownedbyt he
Ncubes.

Wewer eactuall
ysupposedt osleepover,buti
t
wouldnothav ebeenokaywi t
hMaMasangobei ngi
ll
.
Apparentlybri
ngingacor pseint
ot hehousewhen
youhav eani l
lpatienti
sbadluck.So, t
heybury
them muchl aterthanwedoi nJozi andPretor
ia.It
i
scust omaryt hattheyburyaroyalmemberaf ter
midday .

So,everyonearoundt
henei
ghbourhoodwil
lbe
presentanditwil
lbeahugefeast
.Plus,
iti
ssome
sortofapar t
yasoneoft heirownhasr eturned
home.Mul al
owi l
lbeburi
edasMnqobi Ncube, even
thoughweal lknowhim asMul al
o.I ti
sratherbit
ter
sweet,butbetterl
atethannever.Ofcour se
annoyingQueenNombuwi l
lbethere,al
thoughI
don’twantherany wherenearme.Weheaded
downst ai
rsandIremember edwhatt odo, asIsaw
KingNt si
kainthehouse,alongwithQueenNandi .

Ialwayssmil
ewhenev erIseet hem, t
heyjustbr
ing
somuchjoytomyf ace.Theydi dcomeseeKga
fewdaysago,ri
ghtafterIreturnedher e,
andletme
j
ustsayQueenNandi wasint earswhenshesawKg.
Itwasal
sothev eryfi
rstti
meIsawt heKingcryi
ng.I
mustsay,hereall
ylooksmuchbet terwithoutQueen
Nombubyhi sside.

KingNtsi
ka:
(smi
l
ing)“
Nkosi
nat
hi,
Ndhl
ovukazi
(Queen).
”

Hecal
l
smet
hatnow.I
tisabi
twei
rd,
consi
der
ingI
washi
sser
vant
.

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Hel
l
o,Baba(
Dad)
.”

Kg:
“Sawubona,
Baba(
Hel
l
o,Dad)
.”

Inallt
hesemont hsIhav
ebeenwi
thKg,Ihav
enever
actual
lyheardhi
m speakZul
ubef
oreandhonest
ly,
it
i
sonehel lofaturnon.

QueenNandi:
“That
o,Ibel
i
evey
ouhav
eamessage
forusf
rom Nonka.
”

Ial
way
sfor
gethowshej
ustknowsev
ery
thi
ng.

Thato:“Yes,Iam supposedt
otakey
out
oapl
ace
thatIsawi nmydr eams.”
QueenNandi:
(nodding)“
Hencewecamewi t
h
MaMasango.Shehasbeensoi l
lnowaday s,
but
becauseweareburyingt
hePri
ncetoday,sheisup
andrunni
ng.Dyingpeopl
ehaveaterri
blesenseof
humor.”

Icoul
dn’
thel
pbutbur
sti
ntol
aught
er.

QueenNandi
:“Andwena(you),Nosi
nathi
,uyeleke
ukudl
aumfaziungamul
obolanga(st
opsleepingwith
awomany ouhaven’
tpai
ddowr yfor
).
”

Istil
lhavetogetusedt ohim beingcall
edNkosi
nat
hi.
Hesmi l
edinmischief
.Myguti stel
li
ngmeKgi s
planningsomething.Hehasal way sbeentheki
ngof
mi schi
ef.Iguesswewi ll
havet osee.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandSi
x

Psalm 30:
5–“Weepi
ngmayremai
nforani
ght
,but
rej
oici
ngcomesi
nthemorni
ng.
”
That
o

Thewholefami l
ywal kedoutandproceededtothe
parki
nglot
.Byt hewhol efamilyImeanThendo,
Rami,Nana,Tumi sho,Gri
ngo,KgandIalongwith
QueenNandi andKi ngNtsi
ka.Iwassohappyt osee
NursePort
iawi t
hMaMasangoi nQueenNandi’
s
Lexus.Iwassohappyt oseehersmi l
ingand
l
ookingmuchbet ter.

Shewav edatmeasIwav edback.Wegoti nto

Gri
ngo’sViano.Myf atherisatruewhit
ey,
hel oves
fami
lytri
psandpr efer
st hatal
lofustr
aveli
none
vehi
cle.Rami hastoldThendoaboutherpregnancy,
andImustsayhet ookitexcepti
onal
l
ywell.He
seemsexcited,nowal l
that’
slefti
scomingcleanto
herfamil
y.

Herpar
ent
sandbr
otherwi
l
ljoi
nusabi
tlat
er.We
headedt oRockv i
l
le,andIr eall
ycan’
tsayImi ssthis
place.Itjusthaswayt oomanysadmemor iesfor
me.Sur pr i
singlyIrecallthet ombstoneIsawi nmy
dream verywel l.Aswedr oveintothecemet er
y,we
hadt oparkal ongthepav inginorderforustowal ka
bitfur
thertor eacht hegrav e.Weal lgotoutofour
cars,i
ncludingt heNai doos.

MaMasangoaskedt hatIwalkalongsi
deher ,whichI
gladl
ydi d.Ofcourse, Kgwasrightbymysi de.This
mant hinksImightrunawayorsomet hingi fhelets
meoutofhi ssight.Wewal kedabitfurtheron, unti
l
Ispottedthegrave.“ Nonkanyi
soEv el
ynMol oi.
Belovedmot herandf ri
end.R.I.
P.”Wow, j
ustl i
ke
that?SOmuchf oref f
ort,Romeo.Kgcoul dn’t
rememberi tmuchbecauseappar entl
yRomeonev er
broughthim backher eafterhi
smom di ed.

Imaginethat
.Icouldseehimtenseupabi taswe
approachedthegraveandIaf
fi
rmati
velysqueezed
hishand.Hepr obabl
yhadabitofarecol
lecti
onof
thatpai
nful
dayheburiedhismom att hetenderage
of9.MaMasangohadgi v
enNur sePorti
aherbagof
herbsasshetookoutsomei ncenseandbur nti
t.
Shetookoutsomeher bsasshedi ppedherfeather
i
nsomeofi tandstar
tedchanting.

MaMasango: “NonkanyisoEv el
ynNcube, kudala
ungihlupaemaphupheni ami (you’
vebeenappear ing
i
nmydr eamsal ot
).Sibongaamadl ozikaNcube
ukuthi sesikutholi
l
e( Wet hankt heNcubeancest ors
thatwehav efinall
yfoundy ou).Sesifi
kil
e,Ntombi ,
NkosazanawakaNcube( Wehav earri
ved,mygi rl
,
TheNcubePr i
ncess) .Ungaphumul akemanj e(You
canr esteasilynow) .Sizokuncwabanomf ana
wakho( Wewi llburyyoual ongsideyourson) ,
atyour
fi
nalr esti
ngpl ace,wherey oushouldhav ebeen
buri
edal ongt imeago.

Youwillf
inal
l
yr ecei
vet
hepropersendoffyou
actual
l
ydeserve.Giveuspeaceandwi sdom,bl
ess
yoursonandhisnewwi f
ewithallyoucan,andr
est
easil
ywi t
hy ourot herson,Mnqobi.Fort heyar e
royal
tyandneedt obet reatedli
keit.Beour
guardianangel andnev erdesertus.Wet hanky ou
forfi
nall
yreachi ngoutt oIsabel
la,wetrustinyou
andourGod.Si hambanawe, Nkosazana( Wear e
l
eav i
ngwi t
hy ou, Pri
ncess).Siyakucel
a( Webegof
you),unganyameki (Don’
tbewear y).Siyakuthanda,
ntombi (
Wel ovey ou,mygi r
l)
.”

Fort
hefi
rstti
mesinceIhav
emetQueenNandi
,I
sawherbreakdown.

QueenNandi:
(cr
ying)“
Nonkanyi
so!Ngibonka
unkul
unkul
ungobasikut
hol
il
e,mntwanami (
Ithank
Godforwehavefoundyou)
!”

KingNtsi
ka:“Nonka,ngi
yaxol
isa,
mnt wanami(Iam
sosorr
y ,
mybaby ).Iam sorr
yforevery
thi
ng.Had
yourmothernotpushedyouaway ,y
ouwoul dsti
ll
be
heret
oday .
”
Wepr oceededtowaitast
heguysthatwerehir
edby
KingNtsikacametoexhumethebody .Ofcour
se,
thecasketwasrustyandol
d,si
nceithadbeenyear
s
sinceshewasburied.

KingNtsika:(shaki
nghead)“Idon’
tthi
nkweshould
burythem today.Iwouldli
ketopickoutabeauti
ful
casketformyNonka.Mama, weneedtodothis
ri
ght.
”

QueenNandi
:“Iagr
ee.
”

Andj ustl
ikethat,t
hefuneral
waspostponed, afew
hoursbeforewehadt oburyMulal
o.Ai ,
whatat urn
ofev ent
s.Wecoul dnotgobacktoJozi,asweher e
reall
yhalfwaytoEnande.Thatwoul dreall
ydelayus.
Gringosaidhewoul dgetpeopletobri
nguscl othes
fortomorrowsi ncewewer eall
headedtoEnande.
Wehadt otakeadr i
ve,si
nceKingNtsi
kawant edt o
makesurenot
hingandnoonedist
urbsourdr
ivet
o
Enande,
wit
husdrivi
ngthecor
psebackhome.

Atleastt heywer ei
nonecar ,eventhought heywere
bothemot ional.Icoul
dsayt hesamef orKg,and
Tumi showasal soabitsaddened.Iguessseei ng
hisbrot herinsuchast atemustber eall
yupsett
ing.
Il
iket hemanhei sbecomi ng,t
hough.Hehasbeen
i
nboar dingschool andhei salmostdonewi t
h
school .Kgpr omi sedhim anicecar, onceheisdone
withhi sschool i
ng–t hatisifheproducesenough
dist
inctionsof course.

Wedr ovetoEnande, andi ttookqui telong,butwit

h
Gri
ngobyy ourside,youcannev erbebor ed.Hehad
usinstiches,t
elli
ngusni cest oriesabouthistri
ps
withMam” V.Iam r eall
ygl adthathecanf i
nall
y
speakaboutherwi t
houtcr yi
ngorbei ngupset.
Speakingofwhi ch,Ihavet ogiv ehim hermessagei n
caseIforget.IhopeIdon’ tfor getbecauset hi
shas
tobeapr ivat
emomentbet weent hetwoofus.
Rami hasbeenrat
hersl
eepy,alongtheway.Iam
guessingt
hisbabyisal
readytakingst
rai
nonher.

Wef inallyarr
ivedatEnande, fourhour slater.We
arri
vedj ustafter1pm, wi t
hawhol ecrowdofpeopl e
waiti
ngout si
det heRoy alTower s.Whatal so
surprisedusal listhatwef oundal otof“ i
mpor t
ant
l
ooki ng”peoplet here–wi t
hbi g,bl
ackSUV’ s,
shout i
ngatBheki andBongani ,theroy alguards.I
can’tsayt heyallcamet ogether,si
ncet heyhad
diff
erentcar seach, asifitwast wodi fferentfamil
i
es.
Themanwhowasshout ingatBheki ,Idon’t
recognize, al
ongwi ththeot heronewhowas
shout i
ngatBongani .

Theylookfai
rlyol
d,mostpr obabl yi
nthei
r60sor70s
orso.Idohowev errecognizetheoneMer cedes,
whichwasar edone,simil
artot heoneIoncesawat
Tiger
’shouse.Thedisrespect,though.KingNt si
ka
andQueenNandi walkedoutoft hei
rcarannoyedas
hell
.Weobv iousl
ycouldn’
twai tinthecar,sowehad
t
ogetoutt
oo.

KingNtsi
ka: (
anger
ed)“Nif
unanila(Whatar
ey ou
doinghere)?
!Futhi
,whyni bangel
aabasebenzibami
umsindo( Al
so,whyar
ey oushoutingatmy
guards)
?!”

Thewholecrowdoutsi
dekeptqui
etassoonasthe
Kingappear
ed.Themanwhowasshout ingatBheki
,
decidedt
ospeakfi
rst.

Man1: “
Ntsika,
uzokhul
umanat hi
kanj e(Areyou
honestl
ygoingtospeaktousli
ket hat)?!Sizel
ana
ukuncwabaumf anawethu–inkosi yethu(Wecame
heretoburyourson–ourPrince)!
”

Wai
t,coul
dthi
sbet
heNembi
l
wi’
s?

Man2:
“Fut
hit
hinasi
zel
anangobauxosheumf
azi
wakho, indhlovukaziy
al aphaEnande,futhi
awusi t
shelanga( Wealsocameher ebecausey ou
chasedawayy ourwif
e,theQueenofEnande,
withoutev entell
ingus).Awungitshel
e( Tellme),
Ntsika,i
st hi
showy oudi sr
egar
dus?I si tbecause
youhav emor emoneyt hanme? ”

KingNtsikal
ookedreallyannoy ed,buttri
edtobe
calm.SoIseewhati sgoi ngonher e;t
heNembi l
wi’s,
Tiger
’sfamil
y,camet oclaim Mul al
oast hei
rownof
whichIkindofunderstand,butt hewayt heydi di
tis
notokay.QueenNombuhadt heaudaci tyt
oi nvi
te
herpeopleoveraswel lt
ocomeandchaoshav oc,all
becauseshewaschasedawayf rom here.Ithought
theyweredone,butthesecondmankeptgoi ng.

Man2: “
Futhi ubambiseintombi yethuuNomsa
ungasit
shelanga( Youalsof ail
edtotel
lusyougot
Nomsaar restedwi t
houttell
ingus).WhatisthisI
hearofyoul ett
ingsomemai dmakedecisi
ons
aroundhere?Ar eyoufuckingmai dsnow,Ntsi
ka?
”
Okay,evenImysel
ffel
tquit
eoffendedbythat
questi
on.MyKgwasnotev ent
hel easti
mpressed
eit
her.Gri
ngoontheotherhandlookedli
kehewas
readyforwarashetur
nedpink.

KingNtsika:“Okay ,i
fanyofy ouwoul dliket otalk
l
ikegrownmeni nsteadofrant i
ngandr av i
ngi nfront
ofmygat e,thenmyhousei sopen.Buti fyouar e
goingtokeepi nsultingmeandourf utureQueen,
uzonya(you’llshityoursel
f)
!Kukwami l
a( thisismy
house)andi fyouhav eaproblem, y
ouaddr essme
properl
ylikeaf ell
owki ng–noti nsultmyf ami lythe
wayy oujustdid, Msunukany oko(Yourmot her’s
cunt)!
”

IhaveneverseenKingNtsi
kaswearatanyone
befor
e.NowIgett oseeallt
hedramaunfoldinfront
ofme.Hei susuall
yamanofav eryfewwor ds,but
Iguessheisat i
cki
ngti
mebomb.Thesecondman
gotsoangry,hewantedtol
aunchatKingNtsika,
of
whichItotal
l
yfeel
t hi
sisunnecessary.IguessnowI
seewher eNombuleloget
sherdisrespectand
audaci
tyfrom.

Ashewasaboutt olaunchhisknobki err

ieatKi ng
Ntsika,BhekiandBonganiwer ereadyt ostopt hem,
butKgandGr ingotookouttheirgunsinaf lash,
alongwi t
htheNai doosandpoi nt
edatt hem.Iguess
thisiswhaty ougetwheny oubr i
ngGangst erst ot
he
vil
lage.Thecr owdwasi nshock, astheygasped
withoutsayingawor d.Thet womenwer eal soabit
scarednowast heykeptquiet,
whi l
eQueen
Nombul elodecidedtogetoutofhercar .

QueenNombukl el
o:“Uy
abona,Nt
sika(Youseenow)
.
Seuzil
ethel
eigebengul
ana(Youhavebroughtus
gangst
ers).Ishoul
dhaveneverl
eft.
”

KingNtsi
ka:(fuming)“
Noneofy
ouarewelcomei
nto
myhouse.Dar et
ryme–anyofusactual
l
yandIwil
l
havethem shootyou.”
Theydidn’ tdareut t
erawor daswegotbacki ntoour
cars,
whi l
eBongani andBhekiopenedt hegatefor
usandweent ered.Wehav ebeendr i
vi
ngf orsolong
onlyfort hesefucker stomessupourday .Thank
goodnessKi ngNt si
kapostponedt hefuneral
,
other
wi set her
ewoul dhavebeendr ama.These
peopler eall
ycamewi t
hanaimt oruineveryt
hingfor
us.Aswedr oveinandpar ked,KingNtsikalooked
soembar rassed.

KingNtsika:(saddened)“ Gri
ngo,Ndhlovukazi
(Queen),Nkosinat hi,
myf el
l
owguest s.Please,Ibeg
ofyoutoacceptmyhumbl eapol
ogies.Ididnot
meanf oranyoft histohappen.Iwoul dneverall
ow
anyonetoi nsultanyofmyguest snorf amilyl
ike
that
.”

Shame,
her
eal
l
yfel
tsobad.
That
o:“Baba(Dad)
,iti
sreal
l
yokay.Let’
sgoi
nsi
de
andfi
gureouthowtodealwitht
hismess.
”

HeslowlynoddedasNur sePor t
iahelped
MaMasangoi n, andshewentst rai
ghtt obedtotake
anap.Sheisnotusedt owal ki
ngar oundanymor e,
moreespecial
lysi ncesherefusedtot ake
chemother
apy .Shesai dthatshewant edtodi
ein
peaceandthatchemoi sjustanothermet hodof
wester
nmedi cinet oki
llt
hebodysl owl yandeat
awayatyoursoul .

I
tisv er
ypainfult
oknowt hatshewi lldiever
ysoon,
butwer espectherdecisi
on,nonetheless.Therest
ofuswal kedinandheadedt othelounge.Icould
seeawhol enewcooki ngstaff
.Idi dn’tseeZweli
around,whichremindsmet hatIreall
yhav etogo
l
ookf orGlori
a.

QueenNandi
:(f
uming)“
Thosefucker
sreall
ydon’
t
knowukut
hingi
ngubanimi
na(whoIreall
yam)!How
darethey
?!Howdar eNombul
elo?!It
oldy
oul
ong
ago,Ntsi
ka,
thatgi
rlhasnobr
ains!
”

Nana:“
Cal
m down,Nandi.Thesol
uti
onher
eis
si
mpleandyouknowit.
”

KingNtsi
ka:
“Ndhlov
ukazi
(Queen)
,whatdoy
ou
suggestwedo?”

Iam guessi
ngheisrefer
ri
ngtome.Butnow
everyonei
slooki
ngatmest ernl
yawai
ti
nga
response.I
sthisguyser
ious?Doesheact
ual
l
y
valuemyopini
onthatmuch? ”

That
o:“
Baba(
Dad),wi
thal
lduerespect
,youar
ethe
ki
ngher
e–Iam notevenmarr
iedyet.
”

KingNt
sika:
(chuckl
i
ng)“Al
lthatwil
lchangev
ery
soon–henceIam aski
ngfory ouri
nput.
”
Iam actual
l
yhumbled,butwhati
fImessthingsup
orIgiv
east upi
dresponseoraweakopi
nion?

Thato:
“Well,t
obehonest
,Baba(
Fat
her
),mayI
speakfreel
y?”

Ki
ngNt
sika:
(smi
l
ing)“
Ofcour
se.
”

Thato:“
Well,yourbiggestandonlymist
akeinthi
s
sit
uati
on,wasnoti nformingt
heNembi l
wi’
sformall
y
andpersonall
yregardingMulalo’
spassi
ng.
Remembert heyraisedhim –althoughwedon’
t
knowthedetailsofhowgoodorhowbadt heydid
thatj
ob,buthewasbor nanddiedaNembi l
wi.
”

AsIspoke,If
eltmyhandtr
embl ewit
hfearasIr
eal
ly
don’
twanttomessthisup.IlookedupandIsaw
them smi
li
ng–alloft
hem.Ev enmyKgnextt ome
ashesqueezedmyhandaf f
ir
mat i
vel
yandnodded
formetocont
inue.IguessIneededassur
ancet
hat
Iwassayi
ngtherightt
hings.

Thato:“However,t
heydonothav etheri
ghttospeak
i
nt hatmannertoy ou–f ortheyshouldknowthei
r
place.Wewer esupposedt oinvit
ethem andhavea
talkwit
hthem regardi
ngMul alo’
sburial
asaNcube,
sincehewasindeedPr incessNonkany i
so’
sson.”

Ilookedaroundasmyeyesweresear
chi
ngthei
r
facesforapprov
al,
butt
heyj
ustkeptsmi
li
ngand
nodding.

Thato:“I
nt hecaseofQueenNombul elo,
youronly
mi st
aketherewasnotnot i
fyi
ngtheirfamilyofwhy
yousentherbackhome.Youwer esupposedt obe
cleartoherandherf amily,
myKi ng,regardingyour
feeli
ngsforherandy ourwayf orward.For giveme
forspeakingsobl unt
ly,
myKi ng,butmat tersofthe
heartcanmakey oudodr asti
cthings.Yes, shewas
reall
ywrongf ort
hewayshebehav ed,butar eyou
honest
lytel
l
ingme,myKi ng,thatall
ofthati
s
enoughforyoutosaythatyoudonotl oveher?Can
youhonestl
yconvi
ncey ourheartandsaythatyou
real
l
ycannotseeaf ut
urewithher?”

IsawtheKingf i
ddl
ewi t
hhisfi
ngersashelooked
down,andIthoughtQueenNandi wasgoingtotel
l
meseriousshitduetoherdisl
i
keofQueenNombu,
butshejustkeptsmil
ingatmeandsodi dNana.

Thato:“Regardingal lt
heseissues, myKi ng,
i
ncludingthatofPr incessNomsa, Ithinkthatitis
safetosayt hattheyshoul dbel etini ftheyare
will
i
ngt obehav e,butpr ovi
dedtheypayheav i
lyfor
thei
rblatantdisrespect,aswewer esupposedt o
burythelatePr i
nceandwehav et hel atePrincess
mot her’
scorpsest andingoutsidei nt hisheatall
becauseoft heirdisrespect.
”

Henoddedgr
acef
ull
ywi
thasmi
l
e.
Ki
ngNtsi
ka:“
Whatkindofpunishmentdi
dyouhav
e
i
nmind,Ndhl
ovukaz
i(Queen)
?”

Thato:(
shaky
)“Aheftymi
ne,myKing.Onet hey
wouldneverf
orgetandwoul
dteachthem t
ohumble
themselv
es.R50000each.”

Okay ,
itact
uall
yfeltabi
tgoodacti
ngli
keaQueen.I
don’tknow,butitf
eltabi
tnicet
ohavesomepower
overaf ewdecisi
onsmadeandbei ngabl
etomake
peoplepayforbeingannoyi
ngandrude.

QueenNandi
,NanaandKi
ngNt
sikal
aughedoutl
oud.

QueenNandi
:(smi
l
ing)“
Ngikutshel
i
le,
Ntsi
ka(It
old
you)
.Shewasbornaleader,
at r
ueQueenofnote.
”

Ki
ngNt
sika:
(noddi
ng)“
Ijusthav
eonemor
erequest
f
rom y
ou.
”

Inodded.

KingNtsika:“
Please, handl
ethi
sfrom nowon
becauset her
estofuswi ll
nothandl
eitreal
l
ywel
l
.It
i
sj ustt
oopersonal forusandIthinkweneedone
personwhoi sneutral.”

That
o:(
noddi
ng)“
Ver
ywel
l
,myki
ng.
”

KingNtsi
kanoddedasheaskedBhekitogi
vethem
ourmessage.Wewai t
edforawhil
e,andwecould
heart
hem shout
ingatthegat
eeventhoughthey
werequit
efar
.Thatmancanr eal
l
yshoutforaking,
shame.

QueenNandi:
“Whi
l
ewewai
tforthem t
oscrambl
e
t
hemoney ,
mayIhumbl
yof
feryougentl
emena
dri
nk?Don’ty
ouworr
y,Iknowal
lthegoodst
uff
fr
om Cognac,t
owhi
skeytoBur
bon.”

Theyall
chuckledandacceptedtheoffer.Besides,
i
tisrat
herrudetodecl
ineanof f
erinsomeone’s
home.Whi l
eQueenNandi wenttotheki t
chen,Nana
fol
l
owedherandt heycamebackl aughingabout
whoknowswhat ?Theycamebackwi thabot t
leof
Cognac,abott
leofwhiskeyandtwobot tl
esofred
Champagne.

Thiswomanr eall
yknowsherst uff
.Nanabr ought
theglassesaswepour edour sel
vesadri
nk.Iam
guessingthattheywerereal
lypissedbythe50ki dea,
andIhonest l
ydon’tt
hinkIwasbei ngspi
tefulatall
,
okaymay bejustalit
tl
ebit.Wesatandev enlaughed
foraboutawhol ehour,unt
ilBhekicamebackwi th
somenews.

Bheki
:“MyKi
ng,Bot
htheNembil
wi’
sandt
he
Ngubane’
sar
ereadytopr
oceed.
”
KingNtsi
ka:(
looki
ngatme)“Well
?Shoul
dwel
et
them i
n,Ndhl
ovukazi
(Queen)
?”

Ihadabitofl
iqui
dcourage,
soIwasr
eadyf
or
anyt
hing.ButBheki
didn’
tcomei
nwit
hanyt
hingi
n
hi
shands.

That
o:“Kodwa(But
),Mhloni
shwa(Honourabl
eman)
,
youdon’
thaveanyparceli
nyourhands?
”

Bheki
:“Theysai
dtheywoul
dli
ket
opayoncet
hey
haveenter
edthehouse,
myQueen.
”

That
’snotgoodenough,
IknowascammerwhenI
seeone.

That
o:“Please,Mhloni
shwa(Honourabl
eman),
may
youki
ndlyletthem knowthatt
heyneedtogi
veyou
t
hemoneybef
oreweal
l
owt
hem i
n?”
Bheki
lookedl
i
kehewaschuckl
i
ngal
i
ttl
ebi
t.

Bheki
:“Mostcer
tai
nly
,myqueen.
”

Hewentbackout
,whi
l
eQueenNandi
laughed.

QueenNandi
:“Hehe,
Nkosi
nathi
,youhav
eyour
handsf
ullwi
ththi
sone.Nothi
ngwill
comeeasyand
Il
oveit
!”

Weall
laughedasBheki
camebackswi
ft
lywi
tht
he
money.

Bheki
:“Her
eist
hepar
cel
,myQueen.
”

Iam notaboutt
oacceptmoneythathasnotbeen
counted.Idon’
ttr
ustany
one.Il
earntthatf
rom my
f
ather
.

Thato:“
Thanky ou,Mhloni
shwa(Honourableman).
Mayy oupleasetel
lthem t
hatwearesti
llcount
ing
themoneyandwewi lll
ett
hem know,oncewear e
readytolett
hem in?
”

Bhekir
eall
yseemedtol
ikebeingcal
ledMhl
oni
shwa.
Idon’
tfeelcomf
ort
abl
ecall
inganyoneol
dert
hanme
byname.

Bheki
:“Mostcer
tai
nly
,myqueen.
”

Henoddedandwentr i
ghtout
.Ast hemoneywason
t
hetable,NanaandQueenNandi offeredtocount
t
hemoneyi ndel
ight.TheycounteditwhileKgwas
l
aughingashest aredatme.Ki ngNt si
kalookedat
mesoi mpressed,andImustsayIr eallyl
i
keit.
Gri
ngo,lookedsopr oud.
Nana:
“Hahah!Thi
sonei
sR100shor
t.
”

Weal llaughedst i
l
l.Iguessbeingpet
tyisnotnice
wheni tisont hereceiv
ingend.IbetNombulel
oi s
probablyhav i
ngaf it
.Wecal l
edforBhekiagai
nas
wet ol
dhi mt hemoneywasR100shor t.Hewas
abouttol augh,honestl
yashewentback.Hecame
backswi ftl
ywi t
htheR100not e.

Thato:“Youmaypr oceedtocal
l t
hem i
n,
Mhlonishwa(honourableman),ononecondi
ti
on–
nonoiseistobemadeandt heyoughtnott
ospeak
unti
ltheKingaddressesthem.”

Bheki
:(smi
l
ing)“
Mostcer
tai
nly
,myqueen.
”

Aft
erafewmi nutes,Icoul
dhearafewf oot
steps.
Youknowwhenev erapersoni
sangry,youcantell
bythewaytheywal k.Theywalksofastandlit
eral
ly
bangthei
rfeetontotheground–well,t
hatisexactl
y
whathappened.Isawawhol ecr
owdofpeopl e.
Someoft hem weari
ngacer t
aint
radit
ionalatti
re,
whil
et heot
herwearingthei
rown.Inowr emember
seei
ngt heNembil
wi at
ti
reinthefamil
ypor tr
aitover
atTiger’
shouse.Tiger
’sfamil
ywasqui teabig
bunchandt heyev
encamewi t
haf amil
iarface.

That
o:“
Khany
i?”

Shewasaboutt
ospeak,
unt
ilQueenNandi
stopped
her
.

QueenNandi
:“Youheardourinstr
uct
ionsfrom our
queen.Donotspeakunti
ltheKingaddressesyou.
”

Icouldseetheywer eallpi
ssedasfuck,wit
h
Nombul el
olookingatmeespeci al
l
yli
keshewas
try
ingsohar dtoswallowthepil
eofshitshewas
readytospitout.Thet womenwhower ereadyt
o
fi
ghtatthegate,lookedreal
lyangr
y.Theyneedto
r
elax–mor
eespecial
lyatt
hatage.Don’tt
heyknow
t
hathi
ghbl
oodpressurei
sarealki
ll
er?

KingNtsi
ka:“
Well
,Iam fi
nal
lygl
ady ouhave
managedtobehaveli
kerealki
ngs.Befor
eIallow
youtosit–onewrongmov eandImeanev enthe
sli
ght
estsoundofaninsul
tandyouareout.”

Theyal
lkeptqui
et.

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Youmaybeseat
ed.
”

Ilovehow bigthi
sloungeis–y oucanfi
tsomany
peopleherewithall
thesecouches.Iguessi
tisa
royalt
hing.Usuall
yroyalf
amili
esmeetinthedini
ng
area–buther e,t
heyli
kethelounge.

Ki
ngNtsi
ka:
“Now,Ihav
enotaclueastowhyyou
ar
eher
e–so, Iwi
l
luponourQueenI
sabel
lat
o
addr
essy
ou.Onewr
ongmov
e,y
ouar
eout
.”

NOmbul
eloj
ustcoul
dn’
thol
diti
nany
mor
eand
cl
i
ckedhert
ongueoutl
oudl
y.

KingNt si
ka:
“Nombul el
o,barelyfiv
emi nutesyou
havebeenher eandy oualr
eadycan’ tkeepquiet.
ThisiswhyIletyougoi nthefirstplace.Iwas
preparedtotakeyouback, butwithallthi
satt
itude
andnodesi r
et oberespectful
,Ithinkthechancesof
thathappeni
ngar esl
im.”

Icoul
dseeNombul
elol
ooki
ngdownwi
tha
shatt
eredf
ace.

Ki
ngNtsika:
“Youmayproceedt
ospeak,
Ndhl
ovukazi(
Queen)
.”

Theyal
ll
ookedatmel
i
keIwascr
azy
,butIdi
dn’
t
car
e.

Thato:“Thankyou,myki ng.Mydearelders,asy
ou
seey ouwer efi
nedfornotbehaving.Wedonotact
l
ikethatinfrontofotherpeopl
e’shouses.Now,you
all
clearlycameherewi t
hal i
stofgri
evances.We
shallal
lowt heNembilwifamil
ytogof i
rst
.”

Theyal
ll
ookedatmel i
keIam pr
obabl
yacr
azy
whit
echickf
rom Jozi
.

KingNembi lwi:“
Thanky ou.First
ly,Iwoul dliket
o
apologizeforourbehav i
ouroutsi
de.I treallywas
notouri nt
enti
ont obringshameupony ourfamil
y,
Ntsi
ka.AsIwassay ing,wecameher ewi tha
gri
evance.Fi r
stl
y ,
wewer enothappyt hatwewer e
notinformedper sonall
yofMul al
o’spassi ng.

Icameher
eami l
l
ionti
mesduri
ngt heweekt
ofi
nd
noonewil
l
ingt
oassistme.Ineededtoknowwhy
youwoulddosuchat hingt ous,Nt
sika.Weloved
ourboyandonlyfrom stranger
s–commoner s!We
hearofourMulal
o’sburial.Weexpectedhi
mt obe
buri
edfrom ourr
oyalgrounds.”

AsIexpect
ed,theyarenothappywit
hhowthe
si
tuat
ionwashandled,butIhat
ethewayhespeaks
ofNon-Roy
als.

Thato:“
Iheary
ou, Baba.TheNgubane’
s,y
oumay
proceedwit
hy ourgri
evance.
”

QueenNombul
elo:
“Iam nothappymi
na–“

Ki
ngNgubane:
“Thula,man(
Quiet
)!Yourbi
gmout
h
i
swhatgotusi
ntothismesstobegi
nwith.
”

Nombul
elol
ookeddowni
nshame.Shedoesnot
l
ear
n.
Ki
ngNgubane:
“Mychi
l
d–“

KingNt
sika:(
int
err
upti
ng)“
Doesshel
ookl
i
key
our
chil
d?AddressherasQueen.
”

Wow,Icoul
dseehowKi
ngNgubanewast
ryi
ngt
o
t
readr
eall
ycar
eful
l
y.

KingNgubane:“Myapologies,
Queen.Wehav e
comeher etofor
mall
yspeakt oy ourKi
ng.Wewere
sodisappoi
ntedtohearthathehadchasedawayhi
s
queen–t hemotherofhischil
dren–“

QueenNombu:
(int
err
upt
ing)“
Foramer
emai
d!”

Iseeshecan’
tev
enr
ecogni
zeKgnextt
ome.
Kg:(
angr
y)“Youshal
lnotaddr
essmywi
fel
i
ket
hat
,
Gogo(Gr
anny).
”

QueenNombuonlyreal
izedwhoher
eal
l
ywasaf
ter
hear
inghi
m cal
lherGogo.

QueenNombu:
(cr
ying)“
Nkosi
nat
hi?
!”

KingNtsika:
“Thisisnotabouty
ou.Khawut
hul
e
(Justkeepquiet
).”

Isawt hedespai
rinQueenNombu’ seyesandthe
hurtandpainshehadhidall
thesey ear
sasshe
l
ookedatKgwi t
houtsayi
ngawor dfurt
her.I
nstead,
thetearsweredroppi
ngdownlikeaf l
owingr
iver.

KingNgubane:“Weal sodemandclar
ityastowhy
Nomsawasar r
ested.Sheisaroyaltheref
oreshe
needn’
tbetreatedli
keacommont hi
ef.”
IchuckledasIst aredatthisrudefatf uck.Isee
rudenessist hei
rnature.He“ demands” ?I nwhose
house?Iseet hatthesepeoplehav esomesor tof
undermi ni
ngat t
it
udet owardsKingNt si
ka.Igeti t–
heisr i
cherthanthem andnowt hatt heyhear dthe
truerumour saboutt hem goi
ngbr oke–t heydeci ded
tospitoutall t
hevenom theyhav ekepthi ddenall
thesey ear
s.Idon’ tknowwhatt hef uturehol ds,butI
am readytogi vethesepeopleal essonaboutl if
e.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandSev
en

James4:6–“Buthegiv
esusmor egrace.Thati
s
whyScr
ipt
uresay
s:“Godopposestheproudbut
showsf
avourtot
hehumble.
”

That
o

Imaynotbeaqueeny
etorev
enatal
l
,butIhav
eto
speakmymind.
That
o:“
Per
missi
ont
ospeak,
myKi
ng?
”

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Youmay
,Ndhl
ovukazi
(Queen)
.”

Kgaffi
rmati
vel
ykeptsqueezi
ngmyhandasI
cont
inued.

Thato: “
Letmest ar
twithy ou,KingNembi l
wi .Baba
(Fat
her ),
Iapologi
zeont heKi ng’sbehalffornot
noti
fyingy ouofMulal
o’spassi ng,butyouy our sel
f
knewt hathewasnotofy ourbl ood.Ourmi stake
wast hatwedi dn’
tcomet oy oui npersont onot i
fy
andinv ol
vey ouonawayf or war d.Forthat,Ihumbl y
apol
ogi ze.”

Ki
ngNembi
l
wi:
”Iaccepty
ourapol
ogy
.”

That
o:“
Howev
er,
youcannotasKi
ngdeci
det
orant
andthrowt antr
umsatanot herman’shouseinfront
ofhisownpeopl eandstil
lexpectfai
rtr
eatmentor
evenexpectt obeal l
owedtoent er
.KingNembi lwi,
if
Imayask, hadKi ngNt si
kacomet oyourkingdom
andraisedhisv oicei
nf r
ontofYOURpeopl eand
DEMANDEDt ospeakt oyouandcausechaos, how
wouldy oufeel?Howwoul dy ouhavehandledit
?”

Hel
ookeddowni
nshame.

Ki
ngNembilwi:
“Notv er
ywel
l,myqueen.Iseemy
mi
stakeandforthatIhumbl
yapol
ogize.
”

That
o:“
Yourapol
ogymustbedi
rect
edt
otheKi
ng,
si
r.
”

KingNembil
wi:
“ Nt
sika,wegowayback.Ididn’
t
meant obesorude.Please,
mybrot
her,acceptmy
apology.
”
Ki
ngNt
sika:
(noddi
ng)“
Apol
ogyaccept
ed.
”

Thato:“I
’dli
ket oleav ey ouwi t
hthisverse, King
Nembi l
wi,thatisify ouar ef amili
arwi t
ht hewor dof
God.Pr overbs29: 4–“ Byj usti
ceaki ngbui ldsupt he
l
and, buthewhoexact sgi ftstear
si tdown. ”What
theLordisbasi cal
lyi nstructingusint hi
sv erse,King
Nembi l
wi,i
st hatyouneedt obeaj ustkingandnot
demandany thi
ngf rom y ourpeopl eorany oneel se.
From mypoi ntofv iew–y out hi
nkthatt hewor l
di s
atyourfeet.

Donotgett oocomf ort

able,f
oritallcanbetaken
awayf r
om y ouinahear t
beat.Theonl ykingweall
needt of earistheLordhimself.Now, Iseethatyour
son, Todani alsohadthesamechar i
smaasy ou,but
shoul dyouev erwishtoruny ourkingdom inaGodly
mannerandshoul dyouwi shforyourgrandsonsand
granddaught erstol
iveagoodl if
e–changey our
way s.”
Helookeddowni
nshame,
whi
l
eIcoul
dtel
lKgwas
soproud.

Thato:“Ki
ngNgubane, myKi nghashear dyour
gri
evances,howev er,hady ouper hapscal l
edmy
Kingandaskedhi m whyhedi dwhathedi dinst ead
ofcomi ngtohishouset odemandanswer sandt o
beletinfrom HISwor kers,wewoul dn’tbeint his
mess.Hady ouact uall
ytakenal ookathowy our
daughterbehavesi nfrontpeopl e–wewoul dn’tbe
i
nt hi
smess.Imaynothav ebeenher eforveryl ong,
sir
,butwhatIcant ellyoui sthis:yourdaught eri s
veryrudeandlooksdownal otonot hers.Your
daughteristhereasonal otofthet hingsheredonot
makesense, forexampl et hiscultur
eofbowi ng
beforeroyal
ty.

Whyshoul dworkersfeeltheburdenofbeingtreat
ed
asserv
ant swhent heythemselv
esar enotanimals?
YourgranddaughterNomsa, i
sther easonwhy
thi
ngsdon’tmatchbecausef orone; shest
ole
moneyf r
om t heki ngdom,from thestateandf r
om
theworkers.Herhusbandi saser ialr
apistont he
runandlastl
y, shet ri
edtopoisonKi ngNtsikaand
whenherpoi sondi dn’
tki
ll
him, shepinnedt he
att
emptedmur deronav erygoodwomanwho
workedinthiski ngdom.

Asar esul
t,yourv eryowndaught erbl
amedherand
demandedshebesetal ightri
ghtaway .Now, t
ellme,
KingNgubane, si
ncewhendopeopl egetsetalight
withoutevengoi ngt ostandfi
ttr
ialandwi thout
properev i
dencebei ngfoll
owedupupon?Upont hat
note–l estwef orgetthatsheisindeedthecausef or
al
l thi
smess.Hadshenott ri
edtokillMulalo,we
woul dnotbei nthismess. ”

Isawtheembarr
assmentinhi
sey
esasheslowly
l
ookeddown.Iam guessi
ngNombul
elodi
dn’
ttel
l
him ev
ery
thi
ng.

That
o:“
KingNgubane,
kingsar
esupposedt
owor
k
together .Now, ifyouasaKi ngdi srespectaf ell
ow
kingi nf rontofev ery
one,howwi ll
yourchi ldrenev en
hisownwi fe,respecthimt hewayneedbe?The
Biblesay si nEccl esi
astes10: 20–“ Eveniny our
thought s, donotcur setheki ng, noriny ourbedr oom
curset her i
ch,forabi r
doft heai rwi l
lcarryy our
voice, orsomewi ngedcreatur etellthemat ter.
”
Wheny ougav eQueenNombut oKi ngNt sika, y
ou
trustedt hathewoul dcaref ory ourdaught er ,sowhy
i
si tnowt haty ourowngr anddaught erdecidedt o
steal from t hepeopl eandhumi l
iateherownpar ents,
youal sodeci dedt otakethel astounceofr espect
hispeopl eandev ery
onear oundhi m hasf orhi m?”

Hel
ookeddownanddeci
dedt
ospeakup.

KingNgubane:“Ntsi
ka,Ir
eallyam sor
ryf orthewayI
handledever
ythi
ng.Iwasj ustupsetwhen
Nombul el
ocamet othehousewi t
hallthesest or
ies.
Ishouldhavespokentoyouasmyson- in-l
aw.”
Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Yourapol
ogyi
saccept
ed.
”

Thato:“
Wouldany
oneel
sel
i
ket
oaddont
hei
r
gri
evances?
”

Icoul
dn’tbel
iev
eit
.Iwasact
ual
l
yanat
ural
.Ki
ng
Nembilwirai
sedhi
shand.

Ki
ngNembi
l
wi:
“MayIspeak?
”

Iguesst
heyl
ear
nthei
rmanner
spr
ett
yfast
.

That
:“Yes,
youmay
.”

KingNembi l
wi:“Well
,si
ncewehavelaidour
gri
evancesont hetabl
e,maywediscussaway
forwar
dr egar
dingMulalo’
sbur
ial
?”
Iknewt
hiswascomi
ng,
deepdown.Iexpect
edi
t.

Kg:
(anger
ed)“
Whatdoy
oumean?
”

Oh,Lord,
thi
scouldbeapot
ent
ialdi
sast
er.Icoul
d
seeKingNembilwiwasr
eal
l
ytr
y i
ngnottost
epon
anyone’
stoes.

KingNembil
wi:“Imean,
canweatleastcomet o
somesortofagreement
?Wer ai
sedhim, buty
ou
onlyf
oundhim now.Sosurel
ywecancomet o
somesortofagreement
.”

It
hinkIhav
et heper
fectagreementt
othis,
but
Conni
edecidedtobeabi t
chaboutever
ythi
ng.

Connie:
(fumi
ng)“Father
,whydoyouhavetobow
befor
ethesepeopleandbegthem?!Wherewere
theywhenIwastheonenur si
ngMulal
o?!Where
wer
et heywhenIwast heoneherantowheneverhe
wasintroubl
e?!Let’
snotfor
getthatt
heyaret
he
r
easonwhyTi gerandRendanii
snomor e!
”

Const
ancei
sst
il
lthesameol
dbi
tch.

Gri
ngo:(
anger
ed)“
Const
ance,
choosey
ourwor
ds
well
.”

Constance:
“Iwi
llnotbesil
enced!Yourpr eci
ous
Viv
ianisnomore,soy oucan’tdoanythingwit
hout
her!Youalli
ncl
udingyourpreciousl
it
tlefakequeen
herekil
l
edmyhusbandandmyson! ”

Wow,shejusthadt
ogot
her
e.Gr
ingodi
dn’
tev
en
wai
taspli
tsecond.

Gr
ingo:
“Doy
ouhav
epr
oof
?”
Const
ance:
(shout
ing)“
No,
but–“

Gr
ingodi
dn’
tev
enwai
tforhert
ofi
nish.

Gri
ngo: “
Fortherecord, Constance.Wear enot
chi
ldren.Wear ealsonotdeaforhear i
ngi mpai
red,
soIdon’tseethereasonf orshouti
ng.Secondly,you
l
ikethrowingaccusationsar oundwithoutproof
.
Onedayi twil
lgetyoui ntotroubl
e.Remember ,Il
et
yougowheny ouidiothusbandandhi sfr
iendstol
e
fr
om me. ”

Conni
e:(
shout
ing)“
Howdarey
ou?
!Yout
hinky
ou
ownever
yonei
nt hi
swor
ld!
”

Gringo:(si
gh)“Fortherecor
d,Ididki
llyourhusband
andy ourson.AndIwi l
l t
ell
youwhy ;yourhusband
i
st hereasonMul al
oandKgwer eseparatedandhe
wasaser i
alr
apistontopofitall
.Now, sinceyou
probablyhaveOlivi
aonherwayher eal r
eady,t
ellher
nottoevenbothersi
nceIknowt
hatTi
gerwast
he
fat
herofherbaby.”

Ever
yonegaspedi
nshockasGr
ingo’
sconf
essi
on
l
eftConst
ancebey
ondnumb.

Gringo: “Yout hinkyouknowev erything,don’tyou?

Wel l
,y ourson, Rendani,kill
edmywi feforno
appar entr easonandki dnappedmydaught erinthe
process.Heal sogotmeshotmul tipleti
mesand
youknowwhat ?Idon’tr egretkil
l
inghi m.Now, bea
goodgi r
l andshutt hefuckupsot hatwecanendal l
thi
s.Thi si sthereasonwhyTi geralway spreferr
ed
fuckingot herwoment oy oubecausey ouaredumb
asf uck.Youcan’ tevenbehav eli
ket hePr i
ncessy ou
are.”

Constancesl
owl
ysunkint
othecouchwitht
ears
fal
li
ngdown.Wow, Gr
ingocanreal
lyhur
taperson.
Theysaywordshur
tandtheysureashel
lweren’
t
l
y i
ng.
That
o:(cl
ear
ingt
hroat
)“MayIpr
oposeasuggest
ion,
myking?”

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Youmay
.”

Thato:“Ithi
nkthatMulal
oshouldbeburiedr
ight
hereonhi shomegr oundri
ghtnexttohi
smot her
.I
alsothinkthatsi
ncehewasr ai
sedbytheNembi l
wi’
s
wecanhonourt hem bybur
yinghim wi
thbot
h
namesandsur namesgiventohim.Thatisi
ndeed
theleastwecanal ldo.
”

Thekingwassopleased,
whi
chiswhatIr
eal
l
y
coul
dn’tsayf
orQueenNombu.

QueenNombu: (annoyed)“
Youdon’
tknow
ever
ything.Nonkanyi
sowasburi
edwithoutour
knowledge.”
QueenNandi:(i
rr
it
ated)“Hady oukeptyourf
oul
mouthshutyouwoul dhaveknownt hatwewentto
exhumeNonkany i
so’sbody.Sheisoutsideaswe
speakbecauseyouidiot
sruinedeveryt
hing.
”

QueenNombulookedl
ikeshewasaboutt
odi
eof
shockr
ightt
her
eandthen.

QueenNombu:
(shocked)“
What
?”

QueenNandi
:“Youhear
dme.Angi
thi
uyaphapha
(
you’r
esofor
war d)
.”
Withinami nutewehear dherwai loutloudasshe
droppedont hefloor
.Isawherf atherquickl
ygetup
andat t
endt oher.Isawt helookinKingNt sika’
s
eyes,alookf i
l
ledwithsorrow.Heseemedl i
kehe
wantedt ograbherandhol dher,butpridewas
getti
ngintheway .Nombul el
omi ghtbear ealbi
tch,
butshei st
hel oveofhisli
feIguess.
KingNtsi
ka:“Pl
ease,
goputheri
ntooneoft
heguest
bedrooms.”

Iknewri
ghtthent
hathewasnowherenearr
eadyt
o
for
giv
eher.KingNgubanenoddedashecar
ri
edher
upthest
air
s.

KingNtsi
ka:
“Ithi
nkiti
ssaf
etosayt
hatwear
e
readyt
oconcludethi
smatt
er.
”

Weallagr
eed.I
thasbeenoneshit
tyday
.MyPr ada
out
fi
thasgonetowast
eandIjustwantt
orest
.

KingNtsika:“Okay,I
sabell
a,Iagreewi t
hy our
suggestion.Wewi llhavethefuneralheretomorrow
after
noont hen.Itwill
beagr andoccasi onasmy
daughterhasr et
urnedhomeandwi l
lalsofi
nall
ybe
l
aidtor estwheresheneedst obe.Doweal lagr
ee
tothis?
”
Weal
lagr
eed.

Ki
ngNtsika:“
Sincewehavecomet
oanagreement
,I
woul
dli
ket oofferal
lofy
oumyhomefort
henight
.
I
tist
heleastIcando.”

Theywer emor et hanhappyt oaccepttheof fer

,
real
ly.Ast heywer eshownt othei
rrespecti
ve
bedrooms, NanaandQueenNandi off
eredtocook
forallofus,whileKhany iwentupwi thConstance.
Shelooksr eall
yodd, abitbiggerli
keshehasgai ned
somewei ght.Shel ookedli
keshedi dn’thaveany
i
nterestintalki
ngt omesoIl etherbe.Ist i
l
ldon’t
knowwhatshei sdoi ngherebecauseshewasnot
marriedtoRendani .

KgandIdecidedtotakeawalkaroundtheKingdom
andIcoul
dtellhewasslowl
ypiecingal
lofthe
pi
ecestoget
heragai
n.Wewal kedhandi nhand,and
Ireal
lycanimagi nemy selfl
ivi
ngher e.Af ewweeks
agowhenIar ri
vedhere,Ididn’tthinkIwoul dfinda
famil
yhere.I ti
ssohother e,butitisquiteserene.
Nonkany i
so’sbodywast akent othenear by
mor t
uary.Ther eisnotmucht here,event houghshe
i
saskel etonnow, atleastshewi llbegivent he
digni
fi
edbur i
al shedeserves.

Kg:
“Iam v
erypr
oudofy
ou,
myqueen.
”

Ai
,Kgt
hough.

Thato:
(smi
li
ng)“
All
ofyoukeepcal
l
ingmet
hat
,I
mightj
ustmakei
thappen.
”

Kg:
(chuckl
i
ng)“Youdon’
thavet
odothat.Iti
smy
j
obtoturnyouf
rom apri
ncessi
ntoaqueen.
”

That
o:(
laughi
ng)“
Okay
.”
Iwasdeepinthought
,whenIfel
tKgl et
ti
nggoofmy
hand.Il
ookedathim andIsawhim kneel
ingdown
ononeknee,t
akingoutabeauti
ful
sapphire,
di
amondr i
ng.Thiscan’tber
eal
.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandEi
ght

Hebrews11:
1–“ Nowf ai
thi
stheassuranceof
t
hingshopedfor
,theconvi
cti
onofthi
ngsnotseen.
”

John7:38–“ Whoev
erbeli
evesinme,asScri
ptur
e
said,
riv
ersofli
vi
ngwaterwil
lfl
owfr
om withi
n
them.”

That
o

Iam sti
ll
insuchdisbel
ief.Imean,KgandIwer e
al
readyengagedmont hsago,well
,overayearago.
Wedi dn’
tevengettoenjoyhi
sbirt
hday.Idon’teven
knowwhatt osay,ImeanofcourseIknowIwantto
sayyesalloveragai
n,butImeanthi
sringi
sjust
amazing.Ilovethel
ook; i
tissomuchmore
dif
fer
entthanwhatIhav eseenbef
ore.

Kg:(smi l
ing)“Mylov e,myTT,mybeaut if
ulfl
ower ,
Ndhlov ukaziyami (
MyQueen) ,Qhawekazi y
ami (
My
heroine).Thisisnott hemostperfectormosti deal
wayt opr oposetoy ou,buti
fIdon’tdoitnow, Iwil
l
nevermanaget osleep.Ihadi tal
lplannedinmy
head; butrathernowt hannever.Wor dscannev er
explainhowmuchy oumeant ome.Youknowv ery
wellIam amanofmyact i
onsandamanoff ew
words.

Ihavelovedy oufr
om themomentIsawy ou.Ihave
l
ovedeverythingaboutyouandy ourpresenceinmy
l
if
ehast aughtmet obeli
evethatthereisindeeda
God.IknowHecar vedyousoper fectl
yandt ookhi
s
t
imewhenhecr eatedyou,j
ustsot hatyoucouldbe
t
heperfectfiguref
orme.That oIsabellaGroen,you
aretheownerofmyhear
t,t
herescuerofmysoul
.
Youaremysoul pr
ovi
der
,youbri
ngpeaceand
calmnesst
omyl if
e.

Youmakemesohappy ,thatIl
iteral
lywakeupj ust
tostareaty ouandpi nchmy sel
ft oseeifitisindeed
real
.Ican’ tbeli
evethatGodhadf avouredmeso
mucht ogi vemey ou.Ial mostlostmy selfwhenI
l
osty ou.If el
tsomuchr ageinsideofmeandIwas
readytogoonr ampagewheny ouwer egone.Iwas
andwi l
l al
way sbereadyt okil
lfory ou.YouandI
werebl essedimmensel yandwehadt hattaken
awayf rom us,butIpromi seyout hatfr
om nowon,
onlyblessingsandgr eat
nessshal loverfl
owi nour
l
ives.

Ican’timaginemylif
ewithanyoneelsebuty ou.I
needthewhol eworl
dtoknowt hatIhaveindeed
captur
edy ou–therarestgem i
nthewhol eentir
e
univer
se.Iwanttoshowy outhewor l
d,andnotj ust
that–butIwanty outoli
vethi
swor l
d.Youar emy
caramel,andIam y
ourchocol
ateandtoget
her,I
’
d
l
ikeust omaketoff
eeandcoffeebabi
es.Ilov
ey ou
somuch, MaNcube,wi
llyoupl
easemakemet he
happiestmanali
veandsayyes?”

Thatspeechwasenought
obri
ngtear
stomyey
es.
Toff
eeandCoffeebabi
es?Real
l
yKg?

Thato:
“Youdidn’
thav
etoaskmet
wice.Ofcour
se,
I
wil
lmarryyou!
”

Hegotupanxi ousl
yashesl owlysli
ppedther i
ng
ontomyf ingerandgav emeapassi onatekiss.Ilost
myr i
ngbef oreduetothosef ucker
swhost oleit
fr
om meaf terki
dnappingme, butKgmade
every
thingsomuchmor ewor t
hwhil
e.Ihav eno
doubtinmymi ndthatheisindeedoneper sonI
wouldli
ket ospendt herestofmyl i
fewit
h.

Kg:
“Il
ovey
ou,
That
o.”
That
o:“
Ilov
eyou,
Kg.
”

QueenNombul
elo

Ican’tbel
ieveImessedupsobadl y.Iwasso
enragedandi rri
tat
edwhenmyownhusbandchosea
commongi rloverme.Hechoseherov erNomsa
andev ery
thingwehadbui l
ttogether.Yes, Nomsais
tr
ashandwhatshedi disjustnotokay .Itisnot
unforgi
vable.Ijustwantt
of i
xev eryt
hing,buthow
doIdot hat?I ti
sbecauseofmet hatmydaught er
Nonkany i
sor anawayandr ej
ectedus.

IpushedherawaybecauseIexpect edhertobet he
epi
tomeofperfect i
on.Icouldn’
tstandherbeing
wit
hamanl ikeRomeoandt omakemat ter
swor se,
Nomsamar ri
edt hefir
sti
diotwhocal l
edher
beaut
if
ul.Idon’tfucki
nggeti t
,shefuckedupbig
ti
me.Youdon’ tjustmarrydumb.Now, heisonthe
runandhasser
ialr
apecasesagai
nsthi
m.How
doesoneevendealwi
thsuch?

IfeelasifIwillneverwinandItrulyfeelthatal
lI
havebeendoi ngi ssodamagingt oone’ ssouland
heart.Iwasr eall
ymeant oIsabella,Ir
eallywas
meant oGl or
iaandnowZwel iwon’ tevencomenear
me.Hewon’ tev enlookmyway .Idon’tknowhow
tofixthi
sasIf eelIoweNkosi nathiandIsabell
aa
hugeapol ogyformyr ecentbehav i
our.

Ijustdon’
twantt olosethem andseeingherin
acti
onli
ket hattoday,ImustsayIam quit
ehur t
.No
onehasev erbeensuchasensi bleQueen–notev en
QueenNandi .ThisisjustoneoftheworstthingsI
haveeverdone.Ij usthopethatther
eissti
llhope
formetofixt hi
ngs.Ihav ebeensoselfi
sh,andI
thi
nkIknowj usthowt oensurethatever
yonehasa
happyending.

That
o
KgandIt ookal ongwalkaroundt heKi ngdom aswe
j
ustenj oyedeachot her.Thisplaceisr eall
ybeauti
ful
atnight,butitcoulddowi t
hal otoflights.These
wor kerswor kt
oohar dandIf eeliti
sjustt oomuch,
reall
y.Weheadedbackt othehouseIt hinkri
ght
after11pm, whileevery
onewasf astasl eep.Wehad
evenf orgott
enthatwewer ewalkingar oundinthe
scor t
chingsuninourPr adaout f
its.Theni cethi
ng
aboutdat ingyourbestfri
endi sthatnotev ery
thi
ng
willbeaboutsex.

Youwi l
l havemeaningfulconv ersationsand
moment sofint
imacywi t
houtev ensexual
grat
ifi
cat i
on.AllIcansayist hatIcan’ tstopstari
ng
atmyr ing.TheKi ngspecif
icallyaskedt hatwesleep
i
noneoft heroyalheadquarters, butIprefermy
bedroom –t heoneIusedwhenIf ir
stcameher e.I
j
ustlikeit,maybebecauset hisist hef i
rstplace
whereNonkany i
soappearedbef oreme.
Wewentt omybedr oom andimmedi atelytookour
cl
othesoff
.Wegoti nt
othebathtub,sinceKgandI
usedtolovetaki
ngshower sandbathingt oget
her .
West i
l
ldothat–al ot.Hef i
l
ledthetubwi thwat er
,
andsomebat hsalt
sandf oam bathasweent ered.
Heplacedmei nbetweenhislegsasusual andIjust
can’
tstopstari
ngatmyr i
ngasheki ssedmy
shoul
ders.

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)“
Youl
i
ket
hatr
ing?
”

That
o:“
Arey
ouki
ddi
ngme?Il
ovei
t!
”

Kg:
“Iam sogl
ady
oudo,
becauseImadei
t.
”

Il
ookedathi
m puzzl
ed.

That
o:“
Whatdoy
oumean?
”
Kg:
“Idesi
gnedi
tandmadei
tespeci
all
yfory
ou.
”

What?Kghasalway
sl ov
edjewelr
ydesign,
butI
t
houghtt
hatpar
tofhisbrai
nlef
thim awhil
eago.

That
o:“
Youputal
lthatef
for
tjustf
orme?
”

Kg:
“Youdeser
vei
t,baby
.Youdeser
vet
hewhol
e
wor
ld.
”

IsmiledasIkissedhim.Wef ini
shedtakingabat h
aswedr i
edour sel
vesasweheadedbackt othe
bedroom.Hewast ednot i
meashegotont opofme.
Iguessiti
stimef orsomecel ebrat
orysex.We
madesuchpassi onate,goodlove.Itfeltl
ikeIwoul d
neverwakeupagai n.Wef inall
ymanagedt osl eep
aft
eraboutthreeroundsofsex.Iwokeupi nt he
middleofthenightfeel
i
ngqui tethi
rst
y .Ididhav ea
barfri
dgeinmybedr oom, butIwasal loutofwat er
.
Igoti nt omydr ess, sincet hereisl i
teral
l
ynot hing
elset owear ,andIwal kedout .AsIwaspr oceedi ng
towar dst hekit
chen, Igotpuzzl edasIsawt he
reluctantKhany idressedi nlingerie.Iam talking
exposi ngl i
ngeri
e.Shest oodout sideofone
par t
iculardoor.Thati sexact lythesamer oom Kg
wassupposedt osl eepi n.Iheadedupt hest airs
slowl y,sothatIcoul dgetabet t
erv iewofwhatshe
wast r
y i
ngt odo.Sheknockedst ernlywhil
e
revealingsomeofherunder wear .

That
o:“
Khany
i?”

Khany
ibecamesost
art
ledwhenshesawme.

That
o:“
Idi
dn’
tmeant
oscar
eyou.
”

Khany
i:“
It
’sokay
.”
Thato:“Iam sorr
yforeavesdr
opping,butwhatare
youdoinginf r
ontofKg’sdoorri
ghtinthemiddleof
thenight?”

Shef
iddl
edwi
thherhandsandst
art
edl
ooki
ngdown.

Khany
i:“
Oh,
Igotl
ostf
oramoment
.”

Shetur nedtowardsmeasshequi cklyclosedher

robe,butIhadal r
eadyseent hat
.Shehadoneof
thosedar kbrownlinesthatgrowfrom themi ddleto
theendofhert ummy .IfIr
emembercor rectl
y,i
tis
call
edt heLineaNigra.Thisisabouttoget
i
nteresting.Whatisapr egnantKhany i
doi ngoutsi
de
Kg’sbedr oom doordressedinnothingbutl i
ngeri
e,i
n
themi ddleofthenight?
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandNi
ne

2Pet
er3:9–“TheLor
disnotsl
owtofulf
ilhi
s
pr
omiseassomecountsl
owness,
butispati
ent
t
owardyou,notwishi
ngthatanyshoul
dper
ish,
but
t
hatal
lshouldreachr
epentance.
”

That
o

Istoodtherestar
ingatmewi t
htot
alshockonher
face.Ihonestl
ydon’tev enknowwhatt omake
thereof
.Somet hi
ngjustseemsof f
ishwithKhany
i.I
mean, shewasalwaysj ealousofRendani’
s
obsessionwithme.Ij ustthinkshereal
lyneedsa
crashcourseonlifei
tself.

Thato:
“Iaskedyouaquest
ion,Khanyi
.Whatar
eyou
doi
ngout si
deKg’sbedr
oom hal
fnakedatt
hist
ime
ofthenight
?”

Khanyibecameinst
ant
lyannoyedinst
eadofbei
ng
remor
sef ul
orsomethi
ng.Talkaboutanent
it
led
bit
ch.
Khanyi:
(annoyed)“Idon’
thavetoanswert
oyou,
Thato.Justbecausetheytreaty
ouli
keaqueen,
doesnotmakey ouone.”

If
indi
tsofunnythatshehasapr
obl
em wi
th
ev
eryt
hingIdo.

That
o:(chuckl
ing)“Okaythen.Butify
oumustknow,
Kgisnotavail
ableandeveni fhewas,Idoubthe
wouldhavebeeni nt
erest
ediny ou.
”

Iwasaboutt
owal kbackdownt hestai
rsandhead
tot
hekit
chen,butshejustkeptt
heinsul
tscoming.

Khanyi
:(f
uming)“
Youthinkyou’
real
lthat
,don’
tyou,
Thato?NowonderKgl ef
tyouforabeautif
ulgi
rl
l
ikeAnastaci
a.Const
ancewasr i
ght
,youareali
ttl
e
she-
devi
l.
”
Oh,Igeti
tnow.Conni
eputherupt
othi
s?Forsome
r
easonIwasn’tev
enoff
ended.

Thato:
“Oh?Me?Ashe- devi
l?Idon’tt
hinkyou’re
speaki
ngt ot
heri
ghtper
son.AsforKgleavingme, I
thi
nkyoumusthavethewronginf
ormation.Ifhe
l
eftmet henhowcomeIhavehisri
ngonmyf inger?
”

Ifl
ashedmyf ingertoherandIcouldseethesmi
rk
onherf acedisappearinaflash.Iheaded
downstairsonl ytofi
ndKgwai ti
ngforme.Icoul
d
seethedi sappointmenti
nKhany i’
sfacewhenKg
approachedmewi t
hnothi
ngbuthi spant
son.

Kg:(smi
li
ng)“
Thereyouare.Ihav
ebeenlooki
ngf
or
you.Areyoutry
ingt
or unawayfr
om me?
”

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Icoul
dnev
err
unawayf
rom y
ou.
”
Hegentlykissedmeandl
ookedt
owar
dsKhany
i’
s
di
rect
ion,puzzled.

Kg:
(fr
owni
ng)“
Andt
hen?
”

That
o:“
Ah,
shemustpr
obabl
ybesl
eepwal
ki
ng.
”

Kg:
“Okay
.Let
’sgobackt
obed.
”

That
o:“
Ja,
butIwantsomewat
erf
ir
st.
”

Kg:“Thenl
et’
sgogetsomewater.Bet
teryet
,let
’s
getsomealcohol
andpickupwherewelef
toff.”

Ihadtochuckl
eashehel dmeseduct i
vel
y.Kghas
suchahighappeti
teforsex.Wewentt othekit
chen
andlef
tKhanyist
andingtherel
i
keal ostpuppy.We
headedbacktomyr oom andcont
inuedwher ewe
l
eftoff
.Themorningcameandwej usthadt
oget
upearl
y.Wedon’twanttobelabel
l
edlazywhi
le
ever
yoneel
segetsreadyfort
heoccasi
on.

Iti
smor et hanjustanormalbur ial
,i
tisa
cel
ebrat
ion.Ev enthoughwewi ll
beburyi
ngbot h
NonkanyisoandMul aloaft
ermi dday,westi
llhadto
getupear l
y.Wel l
,wetri
edt o,butendedupgetting
upat10am.Iam abi tembar r
assedatthatfact,
and
Ihavenoi deahowIam goi ngt owalkoutofhere.

Luckily
, Nanawassentt omybedr oom byGr ingo.
HegotSmal l
ytogetussomecl othesfrom t he
housebacki nNor thcl
iff
e.Imanagedt ot akeabat h
andf orthefirsttimeinages, Igotupbef oreKg.He
mustber eall
yt i
red.Igoti ntoamaxi dressand
woreadoek.Ofcour se,theyneverexpect edmet o
bedressedi nadr essorany thi
nglikethat,butI
real
lydon’ twantt hem tothinkthatIam doi ngmy
ownt hing.
 Iwalkedoutandf oundallt
hewomenbusy ;walking
aroundandhelpingwiththecooking.I’m shockedt o
evenseeQueenNombuwal ki
ngar oundandhel ping.
Shenev erdoesthisatal
l.Thisi
sr eal
lyshocking.
Everyonewashel pi
ng–exceptConst anceand
Khany i
.Constancewasl ooki
ngaroundwi t
hKhany i
besidehertheentir
etime.Idon’tknow, but
somet hi
ngdoest el
lmethattheset woar eplot
ti
ng
somet hi
ng.

Constanceisar ealdisgracetobehonest ,al

lthe
womenev enfr
om herf ami l
yandt heNgubane
famil
yar ehel
ping,whi l
eshei ssit
tingdoingnothi
ng.
Idi
dn’tseeanymani nsight–theymustbebusy
outsi
dewi tht
hebur ialprepar
ations.EvenNanai s
hel
pingandsheandQueenNandi seem sohighin
spi
rit
s.Ibettheyar esippingonsomegood
beverages.

Nana:
(smi
l
ing)“
Goodmor
ning,
Issa.Howdi
dyou
sl
eep?”
That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Ver
ywel
l
,thanky
ou.You?
”

Nana:
“Li
keababy
.”

That
o:“
Ist
her
eany
thi
ngIcanhel
pyouwi
th?
’

QueenNandi:“Takethesepl
atesupforZweli
and
theotheroneisforyouandNkosinat
hi.Youhad
bett
ereatup,becausewehavet obereadyby
11am.”

Thato:(
frowni
ng)“
Hao,
Ma.WhymustIeatwhi
l
e
otherswork?”

QueenNandi
:“Wehav
eital
lcov
ered.Go.
”

Inoddedanddi
dast
old.Ij
ustdon’
twantpeopl
eto
thi
nkIam beingfavoured.IgreetedConst
anceand
Khanyi
,buttheyj
ustlookedatmef unny
.Idecided
nottoevensayanythingfurt
her.Iam notaboutto
beganyonetogreetmeback.It ookthefi
rstt
rayto
mybedroom, andfoundKgup.

Kg:
(smi
li
ng)“Hao,
baby.Wantshabel
anowaday
s
ne(
You’
rerunni
ngawayfr
om methesedays,
hey)
?”

That
o:(
chuckl
i
ng)“Hai(No),
man.Her
eisy
ourf
ood.
Kaboa(I
’l
lber
ightback)
.”

Kg:
“Oy
akae(
Wher
ear
eyougoi
ng)
?”

That
o:“Ihav
etogi
veZwel
ihi
sfood.I
nst
ruct
ion
fr
om QueenNandi
.”

Kg:
“Okay
,don’
ttaket
ool
ong.
”
Ai,t
hismanofmi ne.InoddedasIheadedbackt o
thekit
chenandt ookt hetrayupstairs.Iknockedon
Zweli’
sdooraf ewt i
mes, buthedi dn’tr
espond.I
tookthechanceandent ereditwithoutwaiti
ng
anotherminute.Ifoundhi ml ooki
ngsomi ser
able;
hemostpr obablyhadn’tev entakenabat hfordays.
Ifel
tli
kecryi
ng; mattersoft heheartarejust
somet hi
ngelse.

That
o:“
Hi,
Zwel
i
.”

Zwel
i
:(mi
ser
abl
e)“
Hi,
Isabel
l
a.Howar
eyou?
”

Shame,hetr
iedtof
akeasmi
le.Hehadn’tev
en
shav
edinawhi l
eandt
hesmelloft
hisr
oom isabi
t
unpl
easant
.

That
o:“
Iam wel
l
,thanks,
howar
eyou?
”
Zwel
i
:“Ihav
ehadbet
terday
s.”

That
o:“
Hasshenoty
etmadecont
act
?”

Zwel
i:
(shaki
nghead)“
No,
Imean,doImeanthat
l
it
tl
etoher,I
sabel
l
a?Whycoul
dn’
tsheatl
easttel
l
mehowshei sdoi
ng?”

Thepai
ninhi
sey
esi
sjustsomet
hingel
se.

Thato:(sigh)“Tobehonest ,Zweli,
Ir eall
ydon’tthi
nk
shedisregardedy ourfeelings.Iper sonallythi
nkthat
shereallywast akenabackbyt hewhol esituati
on.I
mean, shehasbeenwor kingheref ory earsonlyto
beaccusedofwi tchcr
aftandshet houghtshewoul d
getburntt odeath.Ireallywantt ohel py ou,butI
don’
tknowwher ehergrandmot herlives.”

Zwel
i
:“What
’st
heuseofl
i
vingwi
thoutmyGl
ori
a?
Youknow, Ihadjustf i
nal
lyrecei
vedmyowntasteof
truelov
eonl ytohav ei
tsnatchedawayf
rom me.I
reall
yhateNombul elo.Iwishshewasdead.She
shouldactuall
ybet heonetobebur i
edt
odayinst
ead
ofmybr otherMulalo.”
That
o:“
Youdon’
tmeant
hat
,sur
ely
.”

Zweli
:;
”Ido,
Imeanitandi
fIhadi
tinmeIwoul
d
hav
ekill
edhermysel
f.
”

Ithi
nkitisbestt hatIjustl
eav etheplateoff ood
hereandl eave.Ireallydon’tthi
nkthatany t
hingItel
l
him nowwi l
lchangehowhef eelsorhav eaneffect
ont hi
swhol esit
uat i
on.AsIopenedt hedoor,I
foundNombul el
ost andingrightoutside.Wasshe
eavesdropping?It hinkshenot i
cedt hefrownonmy
face,butsher et
urnedasmi le.Almostsi mil
artothe
warm smi leIsawonherf acewhenIf ir
stgothere.

Nombul
elo:
“For
giv
eme,
Isabel
l
a,Idi
dn’
tmeant
o
pr
y.Iwasn’
teav
esdr
oppi
ngei
ther
,butIam act
ual
l
y
l
ooki
ngfory
ou.”

That
o:(
frowni
ng)“
Forme?
”

Nombulel
o:“
Yes.I
…fi
rst
ly,
Iwoul
dli
ket
oapol
ogi
ze
t
oyou.”

Thisi
safir
st.Shelookedr
eal
l
yser
iousandact
ual
l
y
soundedgenui
ne.

Nombul elo:(nerv ously)“Ihav etoapol ogize.Ireal

ly
feltabitjealousofy ouwheny oustartedget t
ingall
thefavourf rom theki ng.Ir eallyfai
l
edt ol ookatthe
biggerpictureandIf ail
edt or eali
zejusthowt oxi
cI
was–asamot her,awi feandanempl oy ee.Asa
result
,everythingi sinshambl es.Fort hef i
rstti
mein
myl i
fe,Iam act uallyashamedt obecal ledaqueen.
Ioweal lthistoy ou, withouty ouwewoul dnothave
beenabl etobur ymydaught erandgr andson.You
arei
ndeedthechosenoneandwi l
lmakeav erygood
queen.Iam t
rul
ysorr
yformyrevolt
ingbehavi
our
towardsyouandIdohopethatonedayy oucan
for
giveme.”

Wow, Idon’
tbeli
evewhatIam hear
ing.Ist
hisreal
l
y
QueenNombul eloNcubespeaki
ng?Imusthav e
forgot
tenmyselfforamomentasIlookedatherin
sil
ence.

Nombul
elo:
“Idi
dn’
tmeant
oof
fendy
oui
fIhav
ein
anyway
.”

Thato:“
Oh,no,i
tisj
ustthatIam justabitshocked,
that
’sal
l.Ihumblyacceptyourapology
,myqueen. ”

Nombul
elo:
(smi
l
ing)“
Please,
cal
lmeMa.
”

Thi
sfeel
sreal
l
yni
ce.I
tal
way
sbr
ingsmej
oyt
o
f
orgi
ve.

Nombul
elo:
“Ihav
eonemor
erequestf
rom y
ou.
”

That
o:“
Yes?
”

Nombulelo:
“Pl
ease,accompanymesomewher e.I
wouldli
ketodosomet hingIshouldhavedonea
whi
leago.Ineedy ourassist
anceforthat
.Afterthat
,
Iwi
llbeoutofyourhairasIwillr
etur
nbacktomy
maidenhome.”

Shemustbej
oki
ng.

That
o:(
frowni
ng)“
You’
rel
eav
ing?
”

Nombulel
o:(saddened)“
Yes,it
’snousest
ayi
ngher
e
whenIam thereasonforal
lthi
schaos.Pl
ease,
may
wegonow?Ipr
omi
sey
ouIwon’
ttaket
ool
ong.
”

Ididn’tr
eal
l
ydoubtanyt
hingort
hinkthatshewas
plott
ingsomet
hingagai
nstme.So, Iwentwit
hher
.

That
o:“
Okay
.”

Shesmi l
edaswewal keddownt hestairs.Ev er
y one
wast oobusyt oev ennot icethatwehadwal kedout .
QueenNombut ookoneoft hecarsf rom t hegar age
ofwhi chIassumebel ongst oher.Ican’ tsay
anyt
hi nginpastt ensey et,becauseIf i
rml ybel i
ev e
shedeser vesasecondchance.Shei sr eallynott hat
evi
ltobegi nwi th.Somepeopl ehav edonef arwor se.
So,wegoti nt
ot heMer cedesBenzanddr oveout .
Forthef ir
stti
meev ersinceIhav eknownNombul elo,
weact uallyengagedi nameani ngfulconv ersation.
Shetol dmewhatact uallyhappenedbet weenher
husband’ sbrotherbacki ntheday .
Igetit,shewasy oungandhadapoorsenseof
j
udgment .Ifeelabitbadf orherafterhearingthe
storyfrom t hehorse’
smout h.ItturnsoutKi ng
Ntsikaal socheatedonheraf ewtimesbacki nthe
dayandshehadf or
giv enhim.Iwonderi fQueen
Nandi knowsaboutt hatpar t,
orifsheisoneof
thosetoxi cmot herswhoj ustprotecttheirchil
dren.
So,KingNt sikabehav edli
keanyot herman–ar eal
hypocrite.Iam i nnospacet ojudge,butshe
deservest obeforgivenjustasshehadf orgivenhim.

Justbecauseshef ellpregnantdoesn’tmeanshei s
abadper son.Wedr ovef orabout15mi nutes,and
arri
vedatanunfamiliarhouse.Thishousei sabi t
small,andabitonthef urt
herendoft hestreet
.The
yardisquit
ebig,wi
thv erynicegrassandf l
ower sall
round.AsQueenNombupar kedthecar,Iwas
shockedtothecore.IsawGl ori
arightoutside
carryi
ngabucketfi
lledwi thwater
.

Shel
ookssodi
ff
erent
;asi
fshei
sgl
owi
ngandher
boobsar eabitf
ull
erandi t’
sli
keshehasal sogained
somewei ght.Shelooksev enmor ebeauti
fult
hanI
haveeverseenher,althoughherfaceistai
ntedwi t
h
sadness.Aswewal kedintotheyard,shenearl
y
droppedherbucketasshesawt heQueenandI
approaching.

That
o:“
Hi,
Glo.Howar
eyou?
”

Glor
ialookedabitst
unned.Shel
ookedatmeonce,
andthenattheQueen.Shewasabouttobow,
but
theQueenquickl
ystoppedher
.

QueenNombu:
“Pl
ease,
Glor
ia.Donotbowbef
ore
me–Ibegofyou.
”

Gl
ori
awasv
eryshocked,
butal
soner
vous.

Gl
ori
a:“
Isabel
l
a,MyQueen.TowhatdoIowet
his
visi
t?Am Iintr
ouble?Ipr
omisedtostayawayfr
om
theKingdom.Iswear,Idi
dnotadmini
sterany
poisontoanyone.
”

Shame,poorGlori
a.Shestar
tedcry
ingi
mmediat
ely
whichbroughtt
earstomyeyes.TheQueenhel
d
bothherhandsandlookedather
.

QueenNombu:“Gl
ori
a,pl
ease,
all
owmet
odowhatI
cameheref
or.
”

Gl
ori
ast
aredather
.

QueenNombu: “Glori
a,Iam r
eall
ysorryforwhatIdi
d
toy ou.Youofal lpeopledidnotdeservesuch
treatment .Youhav ealwaysbeensoloyal andki
nd
towar dsme.Notev enoncedi dyoudisr
espectme
ev enwhenIwast akingoutmymoodsony ou.I
shouldhav ebeenkindertowardsyou.Ihav eal
ways
knownt hatZwelihadani nt
eresti
nyouandt obe
honest ,
Ineverhadaproblem wit
hy ou.Thef earI
hadf r
om NonkaandRomeo’ srel
ationshi
pkept
creepinguponme.If eltli
keIwasal sogoingto
l
oseZwel i
toasimil
arsituat
ion.Ireall
yhavenot hi
ng
againstyou.”

Glor
ia:
(cr
ying)“
Idon’
tknowwhattosay
.HowwillI
knowthatyouarenott
ryi
ngtot
ri
ckmei nt
ocomi
ng
backsoyoucanburnme? ”

Thato:“
BecauseIam her e,Glo.Doy ouhonest
ly
thi
nkIwouldendangeryourl i
feli
kethat?Pl
ease
comebackwi thus,Zweliissuchamess.Hehasn’ t
eatennorsl
eptproperl
yinday s.Hedoesnotev en
takeaproperbath,
thatisifhebathesatall
.”

IsawGl
ori
alookupi
nsadness.

Gl
ori
a:“
Real
l
y?”
QueenNombuandIbot
hnodded.

Glori
a:“
Howwi
l
lIev
erf
acehi
m now?Hewi
l
lnev
er
forgi
veme.
”

That
:“Hewi
l
lfor
giv
eyou,
doy
ouknowwhy
?”

Gl
ori
a:“
Why
?”

Thato:“Becausel ov edoesnotkeepcountoft he
wrongs.Becausehel ov esyouj ustthewayy ouare;
becausewheny ouar enotbyhi ssi de,helit
erall
y
feelsli
kehehasl osthisot herlungsobr eathing
becomesal mosti mpossi bl
e.Sl eepingandeat i
ng;
allthebasicthingshehast odof eell
ikean
i
mpossi blemi ssion,forhisreasont osmi l
eisnotby
hissideanymor e.Hi shear tdoesnotev enbeat
properl
ynorf astenoughany mor e.Givehima
chancet oatleastt elly
oual lthis.”
IsawGl
ori
acont
empl
ati
ngi
t.

Gl
ori
a:(
sigh)“
Howwi l
lhebel
i
evewhatIam aboutt
o
t
ell
him?Hewi ll
chasemeaway.”

Il
ookedatherpuzzledbyherstat
ement,butQueen
Nombuont heotherhand,
smiledathergr
aceful
ly
.

QueenNombu:
(smi
l
ing)“
Hewill
bel
iev
eyouwit
hout
adoubt
.Heknowst
hischi
ldi
shis–heisat
rue
Ncube.
”

Waitaminut
e,Glor
iai
spregnant?Nowonderthe
gl
ow.Seemsl i
keever
yoneispregnantar
oundme.
ButhowdidQueenNombuknow?

Gl
ori
a:(
shocked)“
Howdoy
ouknow?
’
QueenNombu:“
Iknowapr
egnantwomanwhenI
seeone.Come,
wehavealott
odo.”
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandTen

I
sai
ah60:
22–“ Whent
het
imei
sri
ghtI
,theLor
dwi
l
l
makei
thappen.
”

That
o

Iam honest l
yreal
lysurpri
sedandact ual
lyhappy
thatQueenNombuhasdeci dedtoturnanewl eafon
herown.Imean, thi
sgoest oshowt hatsheisn’t
real
lyhalfbad,atti
mest hewor l
dandgr eedchanges
you.Wor l
dlythi
ngshav eawayofdest r
oyingthev er
y
goodpar tthati
sleftinsi
deofyou,butitisnevertoo
l
atetot urnthedevilawayandinvit
eJesusback
againintoyourheart.

Whenwegothome;Glor
iaf
eltr
eall
yashamedandit
r
eal
l
ybreaksmyhear
t.Sheissuchagoodperson,
andall
Iev erwantedwasforhert ofindhertruel
ove.
Totopitallof
fshei spr
egnant,Ican’twaittosee
thej
oyonZwel i’
sface.Wewast ednot i
meas
QueenNombut ookherupstai
rst obewithherman.
Ever
yoneseemedt ohavebeendr essed;soIhadto
gobacktomybedr oom.Igotther eandf oundKg
worr
iedfranti
cal
ly.

Kg:(wor
ri
ed)“
That
o,Ihavebeenlooki
ngev
ery
wher
e
fory
ou!Wherehaveyoubeen?”

Thato:“Iam sosorry
,yourgr
andmotheraskedmet o
gowi t
hhertoGl or
ia’
shouse.Wejustbroughther
back.”

Kg:“Oh,t
hankGod.Iwaswor
ri
edsi
ck.Youdi
dn’
t
eveneatyourf
oodandwehavet
ogetdr
essed
al
ready.
”

Idi
dn’
tev
enf
eel
muchhunger
,soIguessIwi
l
leata
bi
tlat
er.

Kg:
“Got
akeabat
h;Iwi
l
lgety
ourcl
othesr
eady
.”

Iki
ssedhi m bri
efl
yasIwentt othebathroom.I
couldn’
thelpbutst ar
eatmybr andnewr ing.Ilove
thi
suni quedesignandofcoursemyKgi ssof ull
of
surpri
ses.Hedesi gnedthewholer i
ngfrom scratch
specifi
call
yforme.Heal sogotoneoft hebest
j
ewel l
erydesignerstomakeitforme.Iam t ruly
honouredt owearit.Hesaysitisjustasuniqueas
ourlove.

Howspecialisthat,t
hough?ThewayKgi sso
romanti
candf ul
lofsurprises,Idon’
teventhi
nkIcan
evermatchupt ohisstandards.Iam reall
ydull
whenitcomest osurprisi
ngsomeone.Ihadt o
fi
nishupbeforehecameandcal l
edmeout .I
headedoutandf oundhi m st
andingbeforemeina
newsuit–anev enbet teronet hanyest
erday
.This
oneiswhit
e,though.
That
o:(
puzzl
ed)“
Andt
his?
”

Kg:“Hao,
baby.Didyouf
orgetMul
alowant
edt
obe
bur
iedinwhi
tejustl
i
keMam’ V?
”

That
o:“Thatcomplet
elysl
i
ppedmymi nd,
honest
ly.
Yoh,
hemi ghthaveneverf
orgi
venushadweworn
bl
acktohisfuner
al.
”

Igotdressedaswebot hchuckled.Myhai rhas

grownbackabi t.ThatiswhatIki ndofhat eabout
myhair.Myhai rcutsdon’tlastatall.Ilit
er all
yhav e
togetanewhai rcutwithi
naweek.Thati showf ast
i
tgrows.Now, Ihavebob-li
kecur l
yhai rsincei thas
growntilt
hatl ength.Iputonsomel i
pstickanddi d
mybrowsonl y.Ihadt owearmybr andnewwhi t
e,
ti
ghtfi
tti
ngPr adadr ess.Oh, Il
ovet hisdressso
much.Ther ei
snosl i
tinsl
ight,butitisaone
shoul
derdr ess,andhugsmeev erywher e–i ncl
uding
myboobs.Idon’
teventhi
nkIhavet
imeforany
makeuptoday.Iwasundert
heimpressi
onthatKg
wasinarush,
butIbecamepuzzl
edwhenIsawhi m
st
ari
ngatme.

That
o:“
Hao,
Kg.Ar
etsamay
e,kgant
e(Ar
en’
twe
l
eavi
ng)
?”

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)“
Youl
ooksobeaut
if
ul.
”

That
o:(
chuckl
i
ng)“
Ihopey
ou’
renott
hinki
ngof
ri
ppi
ngmydressof
f.
”

Kg:(
smili
ng)“
Iwoul
dloveto,butI
’
dratherdo
somethi
ngevenmorespeci
alri
ghtnow.”

Il
ookedathi
m puzzl
ed.
That
o:(
Rai
sedey
ebr
ow)“
Whi
chi
s?”

Kgslowlytookoutal
ong,
thi
nboxf
rom hi
sjacket
.
Wheredoest hi
sguyf
indt
heti
metosur
pri
semel i
ke
thi
salways?

That
o:(
sur
pri
sed)“
Baby
,kengse(
What
’st
his)
?”

Kgsmi l
edandopenedi tslowl
y.Ihonestl
ydidn’t
wanttocry,buthemademe.Myt ear
sslowl
y
gushedoutofmyey esashet ookoutabeaut i
ful
,
18caratbl
uesapphir
edi amondnecklace,
surr
oundedbywhi t
egol dandsomanysapphi re
diamonds.Howonear thwil
lIbeabletowearthis
onenowwhenmyf irstdiamondpendantgotstolen?

That
o:(
cry
ing)“
Kg…”

Kg:
“Iwant
edt
ogi
vey
out
hisonav
eryspeci
alni
ght
,
butIjustcouldn’
twaitanyl
onger.WhenIheardyou
tel
lmet hatthediamondpendantIboughty
ougot
takenbyt hosetwothugs,myheartbr
okebecauseI
knowj usthowsentimentaly
ouare.”

Heisverymuchr i
ght.Iam v er
ysent
imental
,andI
st
il
lusedtoweart henon-di
amondnecklacearound
myneckunt i
lRendanitookitfr
om me.Ai,some
menandt hei
rdisgust
ingtendenci
es.

Kg: “
Iwanty out oweart hi
sandl ookliketheQueen
youar e.Inev erwanty outobewi thoutitforitwi
ll
alwaysr emindy ouofus.Ihav eanev enbettergi
ft
thanthependantf oryousothaty oucankeepal l
yourmemor ies.Iwantt ogiv
ey out hewor l
d,my
wife,youjustwai tandsee.”

Hehelpedmeputonmynewdi amondnecklace.
Thisonewil
lneedabody guar
d.Ther eisnowayI
am walki
ngaroundinJoziwit
ht hi
sthingar
oundmy
neck.Iki
ssedhim andwewal kedoutaswe
pr
oceededtojointherestoft
hefami
ly.Aswe
walkedout,
wef oundGringo,
NanaandQueenNandi
st
aringatusanxiousl
y.

QueenNandi
:“Yuuh(
Wow)!Kuni
nisi
nimel
eni
na
(
We’vebeenwaiti
ngony
outwo)!
”

Nana:
“Kg,I
’dexpectthi
sfr
om That
osi
nceshei
s
al
wayslat
e,butnotyou.
”

Kg:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
For
giv
eus,
butwe’
renotl
ate,
are
we?”

QueenNandi:“
Roy
alt
yshoul
dal
way
sbeear
ly–no
matterwhat
.”

Gringo:(
frowning)“Wolf
e,youhav ebeenkeepi
ngmy
daughterhostageforwaytool ongnow.Ineed
thosecows.At housandatthat.
”
Icoul
dn’
thel
pbutl
ookathim embar
rassed.Real
l
y,
dad?Kgwasnotevenoff
ended.

Kg:(l
aughing)“
Thatl
i
ttl
e?Iwasexpect
inga
thousand.
”

Weal
ll
aughed.

Nana:“You’
ret
alki
ngasify
oupai
dthatmanyf
or
Vi
vian.Ag,man,Davi
d.”

Gri
ngo:“
Well
,thi
sismyoneandonl
ydaughter
.She
deser
vestobetakenwi
thaver
yhi
ghpri
ce.”

Ai
,whil
ewewer ecandidlytalki
ng,QueenNombu
wal
keddownt hestai
rswi t
hal uggagebag.Shewas
dr
essedinherusualr
oy al
,tradi
ti
onalZuluatt
ire.
Wow,thi
swomani sreallybeautif
ul.Iam guessi
ng
beaut i
fulgenesruni nthefamil
y.IlookedatQueen
Nandi andshedi dn’tlooksourorannoyedatall.
Instead,shelookedatherwi thabitofdespairand
pity
.Iguesssheal sodi dn’
that
eher ,
justher
atti
tude.

That
o:(
puzzl
ed)“
Ma,
wher
ear
eyouof
fto?
”

QueenNombu: “Oh,mydarli
ngThato.Iam of
ftomy
home.It hi
nkImanagedt odowhatIneededt odo.
YourKingsti
llbanishedmef r
om thi
ski
ngdom, soI
havetoretur
nhome.Besi des,thi
shousedoesnot
feel
thesameany mor ewi
thouthi
m bymyside.”

Shesai dthattr
yingsohar dtokeept hetearsi
ntact
.
ThispainsmesomuchbecauseIcancl ear
lysee
thatthoset woloveoneanot her.Pri
dei savery
dangerousemot i
on–i tcaneasilybreakagood
thi
ngandi ti
sveryhardt ogetri
dofi tbecauseonce
youdeci detofull
ydisapproveofit,y
oubecome
overwhel m wi
thguil
t,regretandsorrow.Iwasabout
t
ospeak,
butQueenNandi
sur
pri
sedusal
l
.

QueenNandi :“
Nombul
elo,
stoptal
kingnonsense.
Goputy ourbagbacki
ntoyourr
oom andcomeback
downstair
s.Wecannotburyyourdaught
erand
grandsonwithouty
ou.
”

Wow, sheactuall
ysaidt
hatwithsomuch
genuinenessthatev
enQueenNombuwasshocked.
Ithi
nkshehadal waysbeennicetoQueenNombu,
butbecauseitwasthewhol et
woqueensinone
castl
et hi
ng,i
tbecamediff
icul
tforQueenNombut
o
seeit.

QueenNombu: “Ma,Iam t
rulyhumbledbyyour
gest
ure,
butIreall
ydonotwanty ourki
ngtohavea
baddaybecauseofmypr esence.
”

QueenNandiwasaboutt
ospeak,
unt
ilKi
ngNt
sika
appear
edhimsel
fandspoke.
Ki
ngNt
sika:
“I’
dli
ket
ospeakf
ormy
sel
f,t
hanky
ou.
”

Helookedsohandsomeandwel lputtogether–
evenQueenNombul ookedsocharmed.Ikept
gazi
ngatt hetwoofthem andIli
ter
allysawt he
sparkl
ightbackint
ot hei
reyes.Loveissucha
beauti
fult
hing–nomat t
erhowoldy ouare.

QueenNombu:
“Nt
sika…”

KingNt sikaheldbot hherhandsandgotdownon

bothknees.Nowt hisissomet hi
ng.Agr ownman
wi t
habi tofapotbel lykneeli
ngont hetil
edfloori na
whi t
esui t.Wel l
,hewasal sodressedinhis
tradit
ional r
oyalwhiteatt
ire.QueenNandi wasal so
wear i
ngauni quepieceofwhi t
etradit
ionalatt
ire.I
hav enev erseensuchbef ore,butIam guessingi tis
theirroyalatti
re.FunnyenoughmyNanawasal so
dressedi nthesameout f
itasNandi .Ja,neh,these
twowil
lendupbeingl
i
keDJZi nhl
eandPear
lThusi
.
Theyar
elit
eral
l
ytwobest
ies.

KingNtsika:“Mfaziwami (
Mywi f
e),Thambol ami
(Mybone) ,Sthandwasenhl i
ziy
oy ami (Theloveof
myl i
fe)
.Bef orengikhulumaezi ningi(Isayalot),I
wouldfirstl
iketosayt hatIam sor ry.Ngiyaxoli
sa
Nombul elo(Iam sorryNombul elo),Inevermeantt o
hurtyouormakey ouf eell
ikeyouwer eanout si
der.
Inevermeantt omakey ouf eell
ikey ouwer enot
worthyenought obef orgi
ven.Youar emywi f
eand
will
alway sbemyot herhalf.

Ihav ealwayschosenyouandmypr i
degotint he
wayofmyhear t
.Inearl
ylosty oubecauseofmy
stupidi
ty.Thepastshoul
dremai ninthepast ,andto
behonest ,mymotherwouldhav enev erkeptyour
secretfrom mehadshenotf eltyouwer egood
enoughf orme.Weal lmakemi stakes,mywi fe.I
willneverhol
dthatagai
nstyou.Ihav emadeso
manymi st
akesandy etyouf orgav emewi thout
evenmakingmesweat .Please,sthandwasami(my
l
ov e)
,ngi
cel
aungixol
ele(
pleasef orgi
veme).Al
low
met ospendther
estofourlivesmaki ngi
tupto
you.”

Thatreall
ytouchedmyheart.Icouldn’
thelpbut
smileasQueenNombuwasi ntears,star
ingdownat
herman.QueenNandi andNanawer esmi l
ing
broadly
,whileGri
ngo’
ssmilewast ai
ntedwithabi t
ofsadness,butofcour
se,hedidn’tl
etitshow.I t
can’tbeeasybeingal
oneafterl
osinghisVivianli
ke
that.Iknow,hewoulddoany t
hingjusttohav eone
mor edaywithher.

QueenNandi
:“If
orgiv
eyou,
myhusband.Youdon’
t
havet
otel
lmet wice.
”

KingNtsi
kajumpedupfrom thefl
oorsof ast
,one
wouldswearhewasat eenager.Hekissedherso
passi
onatel
yofwhichwassooddf orKgandI .I
mean,wearereal
lynotusedtooldpeoplekissi
ng
bef
oreusaino.Iknowmycheekshadalr
eady
bet
rayedmebecauseIf
eltt
hem becomehotwhi
l
eI
l
ookeddown.

Nandi:“LookatThat
o’scheeks.Ag, man.Being
whit
esucks, hey
.Youwi l
lli
ter
all
yshowal l
your
emotions.Wheny ougetangryyoubecomepi nk.
Wheny oubecomehappy ,yousti
llbecomepink.
”

Wej
usthadt
obur
stouti
nlaught
er.Nana,
though.

Gri
ngo:(smil
ing)“
Iam gl
admypept
alkwor
kedon
you,Nt
sika.
”

Nt
sika:
“Iti
snev
ert
ool
atet
olear
n,chi
ef.
”

QueenNandi
:“I
tist
ime,
asi
hambeni
(let
’sgo)
.”
Wewal kedoutwi t
ht heNaidoos,Tumisho,Rami and
Thendof oll
owingbehi ndus.MaMasangowas
alreadyi nanot hercarwi thNursePorti
a.Ilovehow
shest ri
vesandnev ermi ssessuchaday .Wegot
i
nt oourVi anoasusual anddroveoff.Wear rivedat
theRoy al buri
al grounds, whi
chwer enotveryf ar
from t hepal ace.I twasabout15mi nutesaway .We
arrivedandf oundi tsopacked.Thepeopl eher e
hav esomuchr espect .Chairsandonehuget ent
wasl aidoutf oral lthepeople,andaspecialtentwas
l
ai dfort her oyal guests.Ifeelsohumbl edtobe
her e,honest ly
.

Tobeapar tofsuchaceremonybr i
ngstearst omy
eyes.Aswedr ovein,weparkedattheroyal parki
ng
l
otandZwel iandGlori
awerealreadyseated,holding
handsandsmi li
ngateachother.Zweligothi sri
b
backandhecan’ tseem t
olethergo.Glol ooksso
beauti
ful,
Igetnowwhatpeopl emeanwhent heysay
pregnancymakesonegl ow.Rami andThendo
walkedaheadofusasRami wantedtogreether
al
readyseatedparentsandbrother
.Hermot her
l
ookedatherwi thacurioiusfrownbutsai dnothing.
Shemusthav enoticedthewei ghtgain.Ofcourse,
Constanceandherf amilyalongwi thKhanyiwere
al
readyseated.Khanyilooksr eall
ypuzzled,
Ijust
can’
tseem toputmyf ingeroni tyet
.

TheNgubane’ s–QueenNombu’ sf amil

yhadalready
beenseated,event houghthefi
rsttworowswer e
l
eftopenfort herestofusincl
udingMaMasango.I
l
ovehowt hepeopleofEnandev aluecult
ureand
tr
adit
ion.Backi nRockv i
l
lepeoplewouldbe
spi
nningtheircarsaroundhereandpl ayi
ngmusi c
andev endri
nkingalcoholri
ghti
nt hegraveyar
d.I
l
oveEnande.Ican’ tbeli
eveIam actual
lysayi
ngit.

Aswewl akedoutofthecarandpr
oceededt owalk
towar dsthetent
,IcouldseeConni
e’
sev ill
ook,butI
returnedasmi l
e.Kgcl ammedupabi tashe
ti
ght enedhisgri
paroundmyhand.Peopl est ar
ted
ululati
ngassoonast heysawusappr oachingour
tent.IsawSoksdr essedinabeauti
fulsuitinfr
ont
ofus,andtwobeaut i
fulwhitecasketsbef or
eus.
Ourtentwasdecor at
edi nwhiteandr oyalBlue.
Apparentl
yRoy al
BlueistheKi gndom colours.Ifel
t
thebeauti
fulatmosphere,Iactuall
yforgotfora
momentt hatitwasaf uneralbecauseoft hebeauty
ofital
l.

Soks:
“Sani
bonani(
Goodday),
Bazalwane(
God’
s
peopl
e).Todayi
sav er
yspeci
alday
.”

Ist
il
lcan’
tgetov
erhowel
oquent
lyspokenSoks
act
uall
yis.

Soks:“Bef
oreIcont
inue,
mayt
heRoy
al
Spokespersonappr
oach.
”

QueenNandi
stoodupandwal
kedupt
oSoks.

QueenNandi
:(f
aci
ngt
hecasket
s)“
Nonkany
iso,
Mnqobi,wehav ecomeher etobityouf arewell
.It
painsmet oburyamot herandsont ogether,butJoy
alwayscomesi nthemor ni
ngastheLor dpromised.
Yout wohavenowj oi
nedourancest ral
cl an.Nonka,
youhavefinal
lyjoi
nedthem inpeace.Wewi l
l
alwayslov
ey ouandnev erlookbackorr egr
etwhat
happened.”

Thepeopl
eul
ulat
ed.I
twassuchabeaut
if
ulsound.
MaMasangost
oodupwit
hthehel
pofNursePorti
a.

MaMasango: (
ululat
ingandshoutingclanpraises)
“Si
yanobongelani na“Onkathakayi
ngen’endli
ni,
yangenakubol’i
zinkabazabantwana.Benazi nje
ukuthikul
enkundlasibuyesibenezincazel
o
zamaphupho, njenganjeincazel
ongezizathuzokuthi
umunt uaphuphengamanzi ?Lal
aNgoxol oMnqobi
(Restinpeace).LalakahleNonkany i
so(Rest
easil
y).
”

Shekeptchant
ingcl
anpr
aisesandbur
ningi
ncense
aroundthecof fi
ns.Thespect atorswerev eryqui
et
andi nt
ri
guedbyi tallt
his.Theywer eululati
ng,whil
e
therestofusi ntheRoy altentwer ewat chi
ng
anxiously
.All ofuswer ehere, exceptforZenande,
NomsaandDer i
ckofcour se.Zenandehasbeen
AWOLev ersincethattragi
cdayQueenNandi tol
d
herthewhol etruthaboutherpat er
nit
y.

Meanwhi leDerickisst i
llmissingi nacti
on,and
Nomsai sawai t
ingt r
ial,whil
et heKi ngdom i
slef t
wit hthewhol efi
nanci almessshehascr eat
ed, butI
thinkwewi l
ldeal wit
hal lofthatoncewear edone
wit hthef uneral
.Nonet heless,Itrulylov
ewhatKi ng
Nt sikadidt oday.Al lofusi ntheRoy alt
entare
recei v
inggoodt reatment–r oyaltreatmentifI
shoul dsay ,whilether estoft he“commoner s”ar e
alsor eceivingthesamet r
eatment–wi t
hBot t
led
wat erandj uicegal or
e.Il ovehowspeci alhemade
them f eel.

Soks:
Mayt
heNembi
l
wispokesper
soncome
f
orwar
dtobi
dthei
rsonf
arewel
l
?”

IsawKi ngNembi l
wist andupwi thpride,dressedin
hisroy alwhitesuitwithGoldtouches, andal eopar
d
skindr api
nghi srightshoulder
.Heal sohadahal f
roundhai ryhatonal somadeofl eopardski n.Iam
guessi ngleopardi st
heirancestr
al animal.
Appar entl
yt heNcube’sancest r
al ani
mal ist he
Cheet ah–butt heyhardlywearanycl othi
ngmade
thereofunl essiti
saweddi ng.SoIwast old.

KingNembi lwi:“
Ndi masiariavhudi(Averyspeci
al
greet
ingtoy ouall)
.Iam humbl edbyyourprescence,
forMulal
owas` andwi l
lalway sbemyson.Al otof
youdon’tknowt hest or
ybehi ndhisexi
stence,hence
youareabi tshockedbyhi sVendaname.Mul al
o
wassupposedt obesacr i
ficedbysomeoneand
l
uckil
ytheydi dn’
tmanaget okillhi
m.

I
nst
ead,hedefeatedalloddsandwasrai
sedbyus.
Wearesothankfulforhimfi
ndinghi
sri
ghtf
ulf
amil
y,
forheshal l
beabl etorestineternalpeace.(tur
ning
tolookatMul alo’scasket)Mulalo,Mutukanawanga
(Myboy ),Ndol i
vhuwangamaanda( Ithankyouv er
y
much)f oralway sbeingwhoy ouwer e–most
i
mpor tantl
y,Ithanky ouforteachingmehowt olove.
Youwer eoneamaz i
ngboyandIwi ll
nev erev
er
forgetyou.Iwi l
lalwayslovey ou, myboy .
”

Ifel
tsotouchedbyt hatashechant edaf ewcl an
prai
sesfrom theNembi l
wi si
de.Thi sist r
ulya
beauti
ful
si ght.Ifel
tmyownt earsbuildi
ngupasI
watchedthewhol eceremony .Ifeltadi f
ferentaura
aroundme–abeaut ifulandpeacef ulaurat hati
s.
Theweatherl ookedlikeitwasaboutt ochange; Ifel
t
l
ikeitwasnol ongert hathotandi twasaboutt o
becomecl oudy ,
perhapsi ti
sal l
inmyhead.

Soks:“
Iknowt hatt
odayisav erysombredaysince
i
tisafuneralandmanyofy ouwer ewonderi
ngwhy
wearealldressedi
nwhite.Today ,i
sacelebrat
ion–
fort
helonglostPri
ncehasr et
urnedhomeal ong
withhi
smot her
.I tisindeedsaddeningsi
nceweare
buryi
ngthem botht oday,butlett
odaybealessont
o
usall–forourli
vesar ealllendtousandnoneofus
arepermanentresidentsher eonthi
seart
h.

Thatdoesnotmeant hatweshoul dcr ywhenwe

l
oseal ov edone, butweshoul dratherrejoicefor
theyhav egonebackt ot hei
rmakerandhav enow
j
oi nedt heirancestorsinpeace.AsGodsay sin
Isaiah41: 10–Donotf ear,forIam wi thyou; donot
beaf r
aid–f orIam wi t
hy ou.Iwi l
lstrengtheny ou
andhel py ou;Iwil
l upholdyouwi thmyr i
ght eous
righthand.Bef orewepr oceed,mayt her oy alfamil
y
pleaseappr oachaswear egoingt oviewt hePr i
nce
thisonce.ThePr incesswi l
lnotbev iewedf or
obv iousreasons. ”

TheKingandQueenst oodfi
rst,
astheushers
openedMulal
o’scasket.Iguessthi
sishowtheydo
thi
ngshere.Wegett oviewthebodyri
ghti
nt hi
s
heat.Ihat
evi
ewingthedead.I tnev
erreal
lyends
wel
lformeforIgetni
ght
maresandkeepseeingthe
i
magesofthebodyinmyheadanddr eamsfor
weeks.Kgrel
i
esonmef orsuppor
t,soIhav
et odo
i
t.

Itwasf i
nall
yourturntoview.Kghel dmyhand
fi
rmlyasweappr oachedMul al
o’scoffi
n.Ifel
tabit
uneasyandanxious,butIpull
edthrough.Wegott o
hi
scof f
in,andt
herehewas–dr essedi nabeaut
iful
custom madewhi t
eandr oyalbl
uesuitwithagold
ti
e.Hel ookedsopeaceful –sohappy .Hereal
ly
l
ookedlikehewassmi li
ng.May beIam goingcrazy
–whoknows?

Kg:
(emot
ional
)“Far
ewel
l
,mybr
other
.”

Wewal kedawayandSoksgavetherestoft he
guest
sachancet oviewt
hebody.Theyal ldidsoin
somuchpeace–i twastrul
ybeaut
if
ul.Ittookabi t
l
ongbecausetherewasabout500guestsint otal
.
Imagi
neawhol ecrowdof500peopl
ewal kingslowly
i
naqueuet ostareandlookatadeceasedper son’s
body.Yesses, If
eltabithot,butImanaged.
Aft
erwar ds,
itwast i
mef orthecoffi
nstobelowered.
Oneoft hemember sst
artedsinging“Yawahle
Mbewu( Theseedhasf all
en)andbelieveme,that
songjustmakesal mostev eryonecry.

Evenaf ewoft heroyal member swer ecr y

ing.Of
cour se,Rami andGl or
iawer ecr yinghysterical
ly.
Blamei tont hehormones.Thi ngswer eal lfi
neuntil
i
tst artedr aini
ngoutoft heblue.I twasqui tewei r
d
sincet her ewassunandopenski eseverywher e
acrosst hebur i
algrounds–exceptwher ewewer e.
Itstartedbecomi ngcloudyandr ai nyr
ightwher ewe
wer e,buti twasnotv i
olentrain.I twasabi theav y
fortwomi nutesorso, andthent heskycl eared
i
mmedi atelyaftert
hat.

MaMasango: (shouti
ng)“Bayavumaabaphansi
(Theancestor
shav eaccepted)
.Siyav
umanat hiba
kaNcube( Wef ul
lyagreeaswell
,theNcube’
s).
”
Assheulul
ated,
sodi
dther
oyal
guest
sal
ongwi
th
ther
estofthem.

Soks: “From dustwewer ecreatedandtodustweall

shall r
eturn.1Thessalonians4:17-18says–“Aft
er
that,wewhoar estil
lal
iv
eandar elef
twil
lbecaught
upt ogetherwiththem i
nt hecloudstomeettheLord
i
nt heai r.Andsowewi l
lbewi ththeLordfor
ever
.
Ther efor
eencour ageoneanot herwit
hthesewords.
”

Iseet hi
ngsar edonealit
tlebitdiff
erentl
yher e.We
donott hr owanysandi nt
ot hegr aveandwesi tand
singunt i
l theyaredoneclosi
ngupt hegrave.Thi s
daywi lltakeexcepti
onall
ylongsi ncebot hoft heir
tombst onesar egoingtobeer ected.Ishoul dhav e
eaten,honest ly.Aft
eraboutwhatf el
tli
kethe
l
ongestt wohour sofmyl i
fe,thetombst oneswer e
erectedandmygoodness, allIcansayi sthatt hey
l
ookpur elygorgeous.Bothoft hem wer emadeof
granitest one,wit
hGoldengr avi
ngsoft heirnames
anddatesofbir
thanddeat
h,andanexcept
ional
ly
beaut
if
ulcarv
ingofeachofthem ont
hetombstones.

Thismusthav ecostaf ortuneandIdon’ tknow

wheret hemoneycomesf rom si ncetheyar ei n
seri
ousshi tallthankst oNomsa.Thatgi rl needs
Jesus,seriously.Wepr oceededt other oy al
headquar t
er sandIcoul dtellal otoft hepeopl ewer e
real
lyexcitedt obei nvi
tedtot her oyal palace.The
gateswer eopenedi mmedi atelyaf t
eral lther oy al
guestsent eredthey ard.They ardwasdecor atedso
beautif
ully
, wit
hmar queesalmostev erywher eand
foodanddr i
nksgal ore.TheKi ngaddr essed
everyonefirstandaskedt hem t obehav eandenj oy
responsibly.I’
dalsocomeev eni fIknewnoone,
becausewow.

Thefoodanddri
nkscouldmakeaper sonf
ullj
ustby
l
ookingati
t.We,theroyalguestspr
oceededtowalk
i
ntothehouseandfoundourf oodal
readyprepar
ed
forus.Thel
oungetableandchairswereext
ended
toaccommodat eeveryone.MaMasangowasin
highspi
ri
tstodayandev enmanagedtoeatwi
thus.
Wehadagoodmeal andIcoul
dn’tev
encarel
ess
howittast
edbecauseIwasj ustsohungr
y.

KingNtsi
ka:“
I’
dli
ketomakeat oast
.Toall
ofy ou
whomadet hi
sdaypossibl
e,t
hankyouver
ymuch,
butthi
soneisaveryspeci
alt
oast.ToI
sabell
a.”

Ibecamepuzzl
ed.Gosh,
Ihat
eat
tent
ion.

KingNtsika:
“Eversincey oucameher eyouhav e
beenalightinall
ourl i
ves.Youar etrul
ythechosen
oneandIam saddenedt hatwemety outhisl
atein
l
ife,
butitishonestlynevertoolat
e.Mayy oubri
ng
morepeaceandhappi nesstothiskingdom, f
oryou
haveanev engreaterpurposeinthisli
fe.
”

Ismi
ledasKgkissedmycheek.Thi
smanand
publ
i
cdispl
ayofaffect
ion.Ai
.
Al
lofus:
“Cheer
s.”

Ifeltreal l
ytouchedandhumbl edtobehonour edby
royalty.Khany iwassodi st
anceandl ookedlikeshe
wasr eallyuncomf ortable.Const ancejustlookslike
shehassomet hingonKhany i
.Const ancekept
star i
ngatherandsi de-ey ei
nghertheent i
retime.
Khany ireall
yl ooksscar edifIshouldsayt hat.As
bitchyasshei s,Iact uallyfeelsor
ryforher .Shelegit
hasv eryfewt oact uall
yzer oexperienceonpr ett
y
muchany t
hingandIj ustwonderwhyherown
par entsar en’tev enher e.Di dRendani marryher
bef orehedi edorwhat ?Iwonderwhatt heset wo
areupt o.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandEl
even

Phil
l
ipi
ans1:6–“Bei
ngconfi
dentofthi
s,t
hathewho
beganagoodwor ki
nyouwil
lcarr
yitonto
complet
ionunt
ilt
hedayofChri
stJesus.
”
That
o

Wehadsuchapl easantlunch,andev enwit

hall
thesediff
erentpeopleandv er
ydiff
erentand
dominantper sonal
iti
esinther oom,wedi dnothav
e
onefight.Iam justhappywemanagedt obeat
peaceforachange.Wi thoutZenande, Nomsaand
Derri
ck,Icansaf el
ysayt hatthisf
eelsli
keareal
famil
ywi t
houtt hem.

KingNtsikadecidedthatweshoul dallhavesome
funandheor deredthebestalcohol f
orus.Iam t rul
y
pleasedtobearoundt hem andbet reatedlikefamil
y.
Ast hedayprogressed,eachofusdi dourownt hi
ng
whileKhanyiandConst ancedisappearedwi thout
anyofusact ual
lynotici
ng,theKingandhi sQueen
wer edel
ight
edtobehappyandi neachot her’
sarms
again.
Kg:(whi
sper
ing)“
Ibethe’
sgoi
ngt
ogeti
tal
l
toni
ght.
”

Hesai
dthatashereff
eredt
oKi
ngNt
sikaandQueen
Nombu.Reall
y,Kg?

That
o:“
Hay
i(No)
,Kg.Osel
e(You’
renaught
y).
”

Hechuckl edwhi leIt r

iedtoremaincomposed.Ij ust
can’tevenimagi net hem doingthenast y .Yoh,no.I
fel
tabi tpressedaf terthebev er
ages, andIcouldn’t
helpbutlaughatt hewonder fulstoriesKing
Nembi l
wi wast ell
ingusaboutMul alo.Hewas
actuall
yav eryshyandf unnyguy .Ki ngNt si
ka,
QueenNombuandQueenNandi toldusabout
Nonkany i
so, andal soaboutZwel i growingup.The
memor iesmadeusl aughr eal
lyhar d.Itissucha
bit
ter-
sweetmoment .

That
o:“
I’
ll
ber
ightback.Kesay
atoi
l
et(
“I
’m goi
ng
t
othet
oil
et)
.”

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)“
Don’
trunawayf
rom me,
okay
?”

InoddedasIst
oodupandwentt
ooneofthetoi
let
s.
Ibecamepuzzl
edwhenIhear
dsomevoi
cesinthe
corr
idor
.

Conni
e:“You’
dbet t
erdothis,
gir
ly.I
fyoudon’
t,
uzozi
zol
a(You’l
lregreti
t)
.”

Khany
i:“
Kodwangi
zami
l
enj
e(ButIhav
etr
ied)
.”

Conni
e:(annoy
ed)“Tr
yhar
derorel
seyourli
tt
le
bast
ardchil
dwill
growupwit
houtanyf
atherorany
moneyfrom me!”

Ij
usthadt
oeav
esdr
op,
though.Theyst
opped
tal
ki
ngandIhear dhastyfootst
eps,onl
ytobemetby
Constance,
wholookedr eal
lyfr
ight
enedand
annoyedatthesamet i
me.

Conni
e:(
frowni
ng)“
Whatar
eyoudoi
ngher
e?”

Thato:
“Iwasonmywaytot
het
oil
et.Nott
hatIneed
toexpl
ainmysel
ftoy
ou.
”

Connie:“
Mxm, youthi
nkyourockwenane( you,hey)
?
Iwouldn’
tbetoosureifIwereyou.Youseet hat
l
itt
leri
ngandnecklaceyou’
reweari
ngwi l
lbethelast
expensi
vethi
ngsy ouwil
leverwear.Don’
tbet oo
sureofyour
self
.”

Shecli
ckedhertongueasshewal kedaway .My
mom alwaystoldmet oprayforsuchpeople.It
’s
qui
tesaddeninghowpeopl ehaveaproblem wit
h
youbutyoudon’thaveanywi t
hthem.Tal kabout
hol
dingyourspir
itcapt
ive.Khanyil
ookedabi t
scar
ed,butalsogavemesomeat ti
tude.Idon’tget
whyshewon’ tletmehelpher
.Sheisabi tofabitch,
buti
tistheleastIcando.We’rebothyoungand
sheseemslikeshehasnoonei nhercorner.

That
o:“
Arey
ouokay
?”

Khanyi
:(i
rr
it
ated)“
Whatdoy oucare?Ani
thi
wena
uper
fect(
You’resoper
fect
,aren’
tyou?
”

Il
eftherasisassheclickedhertonguein
annoyancewhil
eshewal kedpastme.Ideci dedto
gotomyownbedr oom forthel
oo.Whati ft
heyset
atrapformeorsomet hing?Ican’tbetoocaref
ul.I
musthav et
akenabi tl
ongbecauseassoonasI
walkedout,
IfoundKgal readyl
ookingforme.

That
o:“
Kg…”
Kg:
“It
houghtsomet
hinghadhappenedt
oyou.
”

Ja,neh.I tissot ruewhatNanatol

dme; shesai
d
thatwhenamanl ovesyouthi
smuch,
hel ovesy
ou
l
ikey ouar elit
eral
lygoingtodi
eanymomentnow.
Kgf eel
sasi fIam hisonelungandwi
thoutmehe
can’tbreathepr operl
y.

Thato:“Ah,
sor
ry,
babe.Ideci
dedt
ouset
he
bathroom i
nmybedroom.
”

Kg:“
Isee.Come,Gr
ingohasor
gani
zedaspeci
al
meeti
ngforus.
”

Whatkindofmeet ingisthi
snow?Iwonder .I
walkedalongsi
dehi m aswewenttothest udyatt he
farendofthecorri
dordownstair
s.AsKgopened
thedoorforme,Iwasmetwi t
hGr i
ngo,Nana, Rami ,
Thendo,Rami’sparentsandKgabo,herbrother,and
amanIhav eneverseenbefor
e.
Gr
ingo:
(smi
l
ing)“
Isabel
l
a,wehav
ebeenwai
ti
ng.
”

That
o:“Sor
ry,
Iwasi
nthet
oil
et.Di
dImi
ss
somethi
ng?”

Gri
ngo:“No,notreal
ly
.Thi
sisBokang,myl
awyer
.
Hewasal soVivi
an’sl
awyerandhascometor
ead
herwil
l
.”

Itotal
lyfor
gotaboutt
hat
,real
ly.Ev
ery
thingand
everyonehasbeensobusy,Ihadcompletel
y
forgott
enaboutthat
.

That
o:“
Okay
.”

It
ookaseatr
ightnextt
oKg.
Bokang:“
Thewil
li
sstrai
ght
forwar
dandpr
ett
y
si
mple,soIwi
ll
getri
ghttoi
t.”

Idon’tknowwhyIam abi tanxi

ous,though.Ihav
e
neverbeentoawi l
lreadi
ngbefore.Ihavealways
seenitontvandalway sassumedthatonlyri
ch
peoplegetitdone.

Bokang:“
Thi
sisthel
astwi
llandtest
amentofVi
vi
an
Let
swalo-
Groenandi
tshal
lbereadasfol
lows:

Toev ery
onewhohasal waysbeentheref
orme,Iwill
al
way slovey ou.Iknowthatyoushall
notfi
ghtfor
anythi
ngt hatIleav
eforyouandshouldyoueverdo
so,Ipromi setohaunty
ouev eni
ndeath.”

Icoul
dn’
thel
pbutchuckl
e.Canapersonst
il
lhav
e
suchasenseofhumoureveni
ndeat
h?
Bokang: “Iwillfi
rststartoffwithmydar l
i
nghusband.
David,myl ov e,mysweet heart
,youhav ealway s
beenandshal l
remaint hemosti mportantper sonto
me.Iknow, youspeci fi
call
yaskedmenott ol eave
youany thing,butmyl ove,soforthat,Ishallrespect
yourwishes.Thanky ouf orbeingthewonder ful
many ouhav eal waysbeenandmosti mpor tantly,
thankyouf oralwaysl ovi
ngmej ustt
hewayIwas.I
dohowev errequestonet hingfrom you;pleasef ul
fil
mydr eam –t heoneIhav ebeenwant i
ngt opur sue
foryears.Thati sall
Iaskofy ou.”

IsawGringonodwithtear
sinhi
syes.Iam
guessi
ngthati
tisbetweenthet
woofthem.

Bokang:“
Tomydar li
ngsi ster
.Youhav ealways
beensosupport
iveandamazi ng.Notoncedidy ou
j
udgemedespi t
emypai nfulpast
.Iwouldlikeyou
tohaveacomfortabl
el i
feandnev erworr
yabout
worki
ngeveragain.Ileavebot hyouandyour
husbandwit
hR4mi l
l
ioneach.Mayt hi
smoneybe
thest
artofyourempi
reandacomf
ort
abl
eli
fe.You
deser
veallt
hebest.
”

IsawRami ’
smot
hershedaf
ewt
ear
sal
ongwi
thher
husband.

Bokang: “ToKgaboandRami , y
out wohaveshown
met hatlovecomesi nallforms.Idi dnothav eto
physicall
yhavemyownchi l
dren,butIwasamot her
toyoubot h.Youbot hlovedmeuncondi t
ionallyand
Ithanky ouforthat.Il
eavey out wowithR2mi l
li
on
each.Rami ,
Ileaveyouwi t
ht heclubaswel landIdo
tr
ustt hatyouwillr
unitbetterthanIhave.”

IsawRami’
st ear
sstr
eam downherf
acewi
th
Thendohol
dingherhand.

Bokang:“Tomydarl
ingmother-
in-
law,
youhave
al
way sbeensuchabreeze.Conti
nuebei
ngthe
per
sony ouhaveal
waysbeen.Iknowy oudon’
tneed
acent
,butawomancannev
erhav
eenoughmoney
.”

Nanachuckl
ed.

Bokang:
“Il
eav
eyouwi
thR2mi
l
li
on.
”

Nanasmil
edproudl
y.Ist
il
ldon’
tknowwhyIam
her
e,t
hough.

Bokang:“Last
ly,t
omydar li
ngdaught
erThato.Your
presenceinourli
veshaschangedusforthebetter
.
Myhusbandhasnev erbeenthi
shappybeforeandI
thankyouforthat.Il
eaveyouwithR5mill
ion.”

Inear
lychokedt
hinki
ngIdi
dn’
theart
hatcor
rect
ly.

That
o:“
I’
m sor
ry,
whatwast
hat
?”
Bokang:
“Mr
s.Gr
oenhasl
efty
ouwi
thR5mi
l
li
on.
”

WhydoIgettohav emoret
hanthem?Thi sisweir
d
asfuck.Whatift
heyst
artr
esenti
ngmef orthat?I
l
ookedaroundandnooneelselookedatmef unny
.
Maybetheyarehi
dingi
tamongstthemselv
es.

That
o:“
Idon’
tunder
stand.
”

Nana:
“Youquest
iont
oomuch,
Isabel
l
a.”

Bokang:“
Shehaslef
ty ouaper
sonal
not
eaddr
essed
toyou.Youcanreaditiny
ourownti
me.
”

Inodded.

Bokang:
“Thatisall
from mysi
de,
guys.Now,i
fyou
coul
dallexcuseus.I’
dli
ketor
emainint
heroom
wi
thDav
id,
That
oandKg.
”

TheystoodupandIst il
lassessedthem anxiousl
y,
butst
il
lIdidn’tgetanynegati
vevibes.Ev er
yone
el
selef
tther oom exceptGri
ngo,Kg, BokangandI.

Gr
ingo:“
Isabel
la,you’
repr
obabl
yaski
ngy
our
sel
f
whyyou’
rehere.”

Hereadmymi ndcorrectl
y.Iam aski
ngmy selft
hat.
Whatmoresurpri
sesdoeshehav einstoreforme?
KgseemedjustascluelessasIwas,whichisafirst
.

Gri
ngo: “
IaskedyouandKgt ostay,becauseIam
goingtodowhatmywi f
eandIhadbeenpl anni
ng–
ri
ghtbeforeshedied.Iam goingt
ot r
avelforawhile
andsinceshespecifi
cal
lyaskedmet odoi t–with
orwithouther,
iti
sexactl
ywhatIam goi ngtodo.”
Isawsomuchpai ninmyf ather’
sey es.Not hingcan
andwi llevercompr ehendl osingy ourlifepar t
ner,no
mat terforhowl ongy ou’vebeent oget her.Godwas
i
ndeednof oolwhenhecr eatedmanf orwoman; for
Heknewi twoul dbehonest l
yi mpossibl eforany one
tobeal oneuntileter
nity.Ifeel l
ikethoset hat
managedt obealonef oryear suntildeath,didso
will
inglyormostpr obabl yforcedbyci rcumst ances
duet obei nghurtdearlybysomeonet heyt rulyloved.
Let’
sf acei t–mostoft hepeopl ewhoendupbei ng
alonehav ebeenabused.

Gri
ngo:“I
’mtel
l
ingyouthi
sbecauseIwi
l
lbel
eav
ing
soon,af
tery
ourwedding.
”

Heseemssoser i
ous.Ican’
tevenbeselfi
shenough
tot
ell
him nott
ogowhenIam l i
teral
lyal
wayswith
Kg.Coul
dIhav ebeensosel
fishthatIdi
dn’
treal
i
ze
hewashurti
ngthi
sbadly?

Gr
ingo:
“Idon’
twanty
out
ofeel
li
keIam negl
ect
ing
you,moreespecial
lyaft
erwehavej ustf
oundyou,
butyou’
reamat ure,gr
ownwomannow.You’ r
e
abouttobesomeone’ swif
e,andleadawholenati
on
whil
eatit.Icoul
dn’tbemor epr
oudandhappier.
”

Iactual
l
yf el
ttear
sst
ream downmyf
ace.Thecr
ying
neverstops.

That
o:“
Dad,
you’
remaki
ngmecr
y.”

Gringo:(Chuckli
ng)“I
t’
sokayt ocry
.Besi des,you’
re
mar ry
ingagoodman.It painsmet hatIwasnot
theretoteachy ouaboutboysandl ove,butIlove
howy out urnedout.Alwaysbeaf i
rm believ
erin
God.IcanseeHei sal
readyperfor
mi ngmi r
acles
throughy ou.”

Thet
ear
sjustwon’
tst
op.
Kg:
“Ah-ah,man,
G.You’
remaki
ngmywi
fe
emoti
onal.St
opit.
”

Gri
ngo:
(chuckl
i
ng)“Becar
eful
,Wol
fe,
Imi
ghtj
ust
deci
denottomarr
yheroff
.”

Kg:“
Youcanneverr
efuseahandsomemanl
i
keme.
Yousai
dity
oursel
f–Iam agoodman.”

Theybot
hchuckl
ed.

Bokang:“
MayIpr
oceed,
Mr.G?Youdopaymeby
thehour
.”

Gri
ngo:“Ai
,Bokang,
Ialwaysf
orgetj
usthowdr
yyour
senseofhumoriswhichremi
ndsme–whenar e
yougett
ingmarri
ed?”
Bokang:
( l
aughi
ng)“
Thedayy
oucr
eat
etheper
fect
womanf orme.”

Kg,BokangandGr
ingoal
llaughed.Icantel
lthi
s
Bokangguyhasat
tachmentandcommi tmentissues
al
latonce.

Gr
ingo:
“Sur
e,cont
inue.
”

Bokang:
“Mr.Ghasaskedmetofoll
owsuitwit
hthe
ammendmentshehasmadet ohiswil
l
.Wi t
hthat
bei
ngsaid,
heaskedmet ogi
veyouthi
s.”

Hehandedmeawhiteenvel
opewhi
leGri
ngowas
smili
ngpr
oudl
yfr
om eart
oear.Il
ookedathi
m
puzzl
ed.

Gr
ingo:
“Openi
t.
”
GringoandKgar everymuchal i
ke,hencet heyj
ust
getonl ikeahouseonf ir
e.Theybot hli
kesur pr
ises
andenj oyitwheny ou’
redelect
ablytort
uredbyt he
suspenset hereof.Isl
owlyopenedt helet
terwhi ch
wasi ntheenv el
opeandbecamest unnedasIr ead
on.“ DearIsabell
a,Ihavespentagreatdeal ofti
me
thinki
ngabouthowt oarrangemyest at
ef orwhenI
die.

Ihadtochangeev erythinguponthenewsofy our

concepti
on.Fi r
stly,Iwanty out
oknowt hattheway
youwer econceiveddoesnotdet er
miney ourwayof
l
ife.Ihavelovedy ouf rom themomenty ourmot her
toldmeshewaspr egnant.Idonotwi shforthe
moneyIl eavebehindt oharmy ourpursuitofa
meaningfull
ife,r
ather, Iwouldl
iketobehel pful
.

Mydeci
sionl
i
esasf
oll
ows:

ThisTrustaccountwascreatedfory
ouwitht
he
i
ntenti
ont ogiv
ey ouafr
uitf
ul l
i
fe.AndIwant
edto
gi
vei ttoyouwheny outurned21,butwithyou
get
tingmar r
ied,Iwouldli
key outoenteri
nto
marriageasani ndependentwoman.Il eaveyou
wit
ht hefol
lowing:

Mybeachhousei nCapeTownwhi
chwasbuil
tjust
f
oryou,sonowt hatyouar
eol
denough,
youcanget
t
okeepitinyourname.

Ial
sol
eav
ey ouwit
hasum ofR20mi
l
li
ont
ouse
howev
eryouwish.

Ialsopr oposeagifttoyouandmyson- in-l

awWol f
e;
myhousei nNorthcli
ffeisnowi nbothyournames,
alongwi thoneofmybui l
dingsthere.Thebuildi
ngis
yoursWol f
e,sothatyoucanf i
nallystar
tthat
businessy ouhavealway swantedt ohave.The
wor l
disy ourOyster,
mychi ldr
en,mayt hisbethe
beginningofaf r
uitf
ullif
eforthetwoofy ou.Love,
Dav i
d.”
Myheartmusthav eskippedathousandbeat
sasI
readt
hatlet
ter.IdonotknowwhatIdi dtodeserve
R25mill
i
on.I t’
snotevenaboutthemoneyatall,
but
whatam Igoingtodowi thsomuchmoney ?

Gr
ingo:
“Wel
l
?Doy
ouaccept
?”

Idoubtanyonecoul
deverr
efusesomuchmoney,
though.Kgreadthel
ett
erwit
hme.IthinkRomeo
notbeingt
hebestoffat
her
sr eal
l
yaf
fectedhi
mthat
badly.

Kg:
“G,
thi
sist
oomuch.
”

Gri
ngo:“Iknowy oudon’tneedthemoney ,Wolf
eand
Iam notdoingthiswit
ht hei
ntenti
ontoinsul
tyouat
al
l,buti
tistheleastIcandotoshowy oumy
appreci
ati
on.Iwi l
lfor
everbeindebtedtoyou
becauseyoutreatedmydaught erl
ikeaGod.Not
oncedidyoufeelt
heneedt
otakeadv
ant
ageofher
andforthatIt
hankyou.
”

Itwasav eryemotionalmomentbet weenthetwo

menIador edear
ly.Idon’thavemuchexper i
ence,
actuall
yIhavenoneofmen, butIdoknowt hatKgis
agoodman.Thi ngsgotsoemot i
onal,
ImeanI
actuall
ycan’tbel
i
ev eIam ami ll
ionai
re.Iwokeupa
few hoursagosomeone’ sf i
ancéealloveragain,
andnow, Iam afewmi ll
ionsricher.Goddoeswor k
i
nmy ster
iouswaysindeed.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandTwel
ve

Hebrews5:8–“ Al
thoughhewasason,hel
ear
ned
obediencet
hroughwhathesuff
ered.
”

That
o

Therestofthedaywasrat
herbusy.Idon’
tthi
nkany
ofussleptenoughhour
soratal
ltobeexact.Kg
andIonl ygotinbedat2am, andev enthatdidn’
t
stophi mfrom gi
vingmeahect icnightofexerci
se.I
can’tevenfeelmyl egsanymor e,aswepr obably
tri
edal l
positi
onsoft heKamaSut r
a.Mypussyi s
burning,shame.Dr unkensexi snice,butt
heaf t
er
effectsaredrast
icall
ypainf
ul.Myheadhur ts–it
feelsli
keIhav ebeenr unover.It’
smostpr obabl
y
becauseIdr anktoomuch.

Kgwasnoti nbedwhenIgotup, soIdeci dedtogo

tothebat hroom andr unmy selfasoot hingbath.As
Igotintothet ub,Ihear dmybedr oom dooropen.I
assumedi t
’sKg, soIdi dn’tbecomest ar
tledatall
.
AsIsunkdeeperi nt
ot hewat er,sot hatIcouldget
somepr operr eli
efdownt here,Ibecameabi t
puzzledwhenIdi dn’thearhi m makeasound–
exceptfoot st
eps.Kgi snotonet obequi etandnon-
responsivewhenev erItalk,butIdidn’tbecomet oo
puzzled,sincemyey eswer esti
llclosed.

That
o:(
eyescl
osed)“
Kg?
”
Nor
esponse.

That
o:“
Baby
?”

Sti
ll
,therewasnor esponse.AsIwasaboutt oopen
myey es,If el
tsomeoner oughlypushmyheadunder
water.Itriedmov ingandf i
ghtingt hem of fasIwas
squir
mi ng,butIcoul dn’tev enmor emy sel
foutoft he
tub–t hat’showst rongt heper sonwas.“ Oh, shit
.
I’
m goingt odie”–It houghtt omy self
.If eltmy
l
ungsbar elyholdingon, asIst artedswal l
owing
someoft hewat erduet ot hef actt hatIwasgaspi ng
forai
rr i
ghtunder wat er.Am Ibei ngdr owned
becauseoft hemoney ?Whynow?Thenextt hingI
heardav oice,asIt r
ul yfeltIwasaboutt omeetmy
end.

Kg:
“Whatt
hef
uck?
!”
Ifelttheperson’sgr
ipbecomel oosewhi leIquickly
scrapedt heli
ttl
eenergyIhadl eftasIgotupand
coughedwhi l
egaspingf orai
r.Icouldst il
ltast
et he
soapyef fectofthefoam inmymout h,whi l
eIcoul d
barelyseeat hingasIwasbl i
ndedbyt hef oam
wat er.AsIt r
iedtoclearmyface, IcouldseeKg
ruthlessl
ybeat i
ngsomeoneup.Af emal e.

Kg:(
Anger
ed)“Ucabangaukuthi
ungubani
wena
(Whodoyouthi
nky ouare)
?!Youthi
nkyoucant
ry
andki
ll
mywifeandwal koutofher
eali
ve?!
”

Myhear
tsankasIsawwhoi
twas.

That
o:“
Kg,
leav
eher
.You’
l
lki
l
lher
.”

Kg:
“She’
sbet
terof
fdead!Shet
ri
edt
oki
l
lyou!
”

That
o:(
sof
tl
y)“
Please…”
Icoul
dseetheangert
hathadconsumedhi
sface
sl
owlydi
sappear
.

Kg:“
Areyouokay
?Cany
oubr
eat
he?Doy
ouneeda
doct
or?
”

That
o:(
sof
tl
y)“
I’
m okay
.”

Hehel pedmeupasIl ookedatthebloodoozi

ng
from hernose.Hegav eheraser i
ousbeati
ng,
though.Ev enafterwhatshejustat
temptedtodo,I
can’thelpbutfeelsor
ryforher.“Whatdidyoudo,
Khany i
?”–Ithoughttomy self
.

Kggent l
ypl
acedmynaked, wet ,shakenbodyonto
thebed.Hel ooksserioi
uslyangr yandreadyto
commi tmurder.Itotall
ygetit
,butt her
eisjust
somethingaboutthisKhany i
situati
on.Idon’tthi
nk
shedecidedonherownt odot heset hi
ngs.Idoubt
shehasi
tinhert
ojustdeci
det
oki
l
lme.

Kg:
“Getdr
essed,
whi
l
eIsor
tthatbi
tchout
.”

Hewasaboutt
owal
kbackt
othebat
hroom,
butI
st
oppedhi
m.

That
o:“
Kg,
no.
”

Kg:
“Getdr
essed.Kabowa(
I’
ll
beback)
.”

Itwasseemi nglynouset obeghi m, ashewentback

tot hebathroom anddr aggedt hebleedingKhany i
outofourbedr oom.Ideci dedt ogetdr essed
wi t
houtev enloti
oningmybodyasIf oll
owedt he
trail
sofbloodl eftbehi
nd.Whoknowswhatt hey
mi ghtdot oKhany i
?AsIwal kedout ,Iheardal otof
commot i
on.Ai ,tomysur pri
se, Ol
ivi
adeci dedto
finall
ypit
chupwi thherroyalfamily.
Idon’ tevenknowhowt heygotin.Ev er
yonemust
sti
llbedr unkfr
om y esterday.Shehadhernew- bor
n
soni nherar ms,butthatsur el
ydidn’
tstopherfrom
behav i
ngl i
keahoodl um.KghadKhany ir
ightbyher
hairasshewasl eftont hefloor
,whileConniestood
ri
ghtacr ossusr eadyforwar .QueenNandi ,Nana,
QueenNombu, KingNtsi kaandGr i
ngower eall
standingr i
ghti
nt helounge.

Olivi
a:“Ja!Youal lthoughtyoucoul dkeepmeaway
forever
, neh?!Wel l
,youthoughtwr ong!It’
sbad
enoughy oudraggedmyhusband’ sbodyal ltheway
tothisfarm withoutmyconsent ,youhadt obanme
from hi
sf uneraltoo!But,thankf
ull
y ,t
helawison
mysi de!”

Yoh(
Wow)
,whenwi
l
lthedr
amaend?

Kg:
(Anger
ed)“
Oli
vi
a,don’
tmesswi
thme–notr
ight
nowandsur
elynotev
er!
”

Connie:(shouti
ng)“Wena( You)
,Kg!whydoy ou
haveKhany i’
shairentangl
edint
oy ourhandsl ike
that
?!Di dyoubeatherup, youwomanbeat er?!!You
andy ourstupi
dwi f
et hi
nkyouownev er
ythingand
every
onear oundher e?!Meanwhil
ey ouar ejust
pit
if
ul or
phanswhom ev er
yoneisdoingaf avourfor!
”

Idon’
tgethowmiserabl
epeopl
eal
wayshav
eto
makeitahabi
ttodragever
yoneel
sedownwit
h
them.

Kg:“I
fIwerey ou,Iwoul
dshutt
hef
uckup!Khany i
here,
tri
edtodr ownmywi f
eafewminutesagoin
thebathtub!Imaginethat
!Thi
sbi
tchwalkedint
o
ourbedroom andt r
iedt
odrownmywife!
”

KingNtsi
ka:
(Anger
ed)“Iwel
comeyoui
ntomy
houseandyoudothist
ous?!OurownQueen?
!
Whatkindofpeopl
erai
sedadi sr
espect
ful
rodent
l
ikey
ou? !Andwena(you),howdareyouspeakto
t
hefutureki
ngli
kethat
?!”

Const
ancedi
dn’
treal
i
zewhatast
upi
dmi
stakeshe
made.

Conni
e:“
I,Idi
dn’
tmeant
o–“

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Thul
a(Qui
et)
!”

Kg:(
fuming)“
Iwon’
tasky
out
wice,
Khany
i!Whydi
d
yout
rytokil
lmywif
e?!
”

Khany
ilookedsobruisedandscared,Iact
uall
yfel
t
somuchpi t
yforher.Connieontheotherhand,
l
ookedli
keshewasaboutt opissherself
.Ihope
Khany
ispil
lsthebeans.
Khany
i:“
I…i
twasn’
tmypl
-“

Conni
e:(i
nterr
upt
ing)“
Areweact
ual
lygoingt
olist
en
toacommonpoorgi rl
whenwehavebiggeri
ssues
todi
scuss?!”

Nana:(
Liv
id)“
Youshutt
hef
uckupbef
oreIdoi
tfor
you!
”

Wow, IneverseeNanaangr y,sothi

sisgoingotbe
oneinter
esti
ngday .Forsomeonewhowent hrough
hel
l,Inevert
houghtConniewoul dactual
lygoback
toherevilways.Iguessitwasn’tapainfull
esson
enough.Conni ekeptqui
etinstant
lyaft
erseeing
howanger edNanawas.

Kg:“
Youknow,I’
m nowomanbeat
er,buttodayI
’
m
goi
ngtomurderawoman,f
orthefi
rstti
mei nmyli
fe.
Godfor
giv
emebecauseIam goi
ngt odoit!
”
It
hinkthosewor
dsandKg’senragedtonescar
ed
Khanyi
ev enmor
ethanany
thingelse.

Khanyi
:“I
twasn’
tmyidea!I
twasConni
e’
s!Pl
ease,
don’
tki
llme!Idi
dn’
tmeantodoit
!”

KhanyisoldConni
eoutj
ustli
keht
at,
onashinysi
l
ver
pl
atterofcour
se.Shedi
dn’tt
akei
ttoowel
l
.

Connie:“What
?!That’
sridi
cul
ousl
yinsane!Iwoul
d
neverwantThatodead,ImeanwhatcouldIpossi
bly
gai
nf rom t
hat
?!”

Khany
i:“
It
’st
rue,
Kg.
”

Kg:
“Mr
,Ncubet
oyou!
”

Khany
i:“
Mr,
Ngcube.Iswearonmyl
i
fe.
”
Kg:“
Ify
ouwantthatl
itt
lebast
ardgrowi
ngi
nsi
deof
yout
olive,
you’
dbett
erstar
ttal
king.
”

Khany i
:“Conniemademedoi t
!Myf amil
ykickedme
outanddi sownedmet hemomentIt oldthem Iwas
pregnant.Iwentt oher,t
elli
ngherthatRendaniist
hef at
her,butshetoldmet hathewasdead.She
toldmet hatshewoul densuremysonwoul dbewell
takencareof,ifonlyIagreedtoherplan.
”

Iknewthesetwowereuptonogood.Kgdidn’
task
anyfurt
her,
aswewer eal
lst
ari
ngatherawai
ti
ng
thi
splan.Conni
elookeddi
spl
easedtoputi
tmil
dly
.

Khanyi
:“ShesaidthatIhadtofindawaytoseduce
thefut
ureking,t
henI’
dhav etosayhe’
sthefatherof
myunbor nchil
d.Shewoul densuret
hatsheruined
Thato’
sli
feandulti
mat el
ykil
lher.
”
Ithi
nkitt
ookusallamomenttoabsor
btheshi
tshe
wasspewingoutofhermout
h.

Khanyi
:“Sher
eali
zedherpl
anfail
edwhenThat
o
over
heardusandwhenKgseemeddi si
nter
est
edi
n
me,henceshetol
dmet oki
llThat
o.”

Wow, somuchal loutofdesperati

onandpurehate
foranotherindi
v i
dualwhodidabsolutelynot
hingt
o
you.Istil
lfeelbadforKhanyiev enthoughmyskinis
cri
ngingatthet hougthofheractuall
ykill
i
ngme.

Conni
e:“
She’
sly
ing!
”

Idon’
tthi
nkConnie,oranyofussawt henextmov e
comingforthatmatt
er.NanagrabbedConni ebythe
thr
oat,
pinnedheragainstt
hewall
,leavi
ngev er
yone
ofusinastateofshock.NowIseewhysheand
QueenNandi woul
dmaker eal
lygr
eatf r
iends.
Nana: “Youmessedwi tht hewr ongwoman,
Const ance.Itisbadenoughy ouhady our
husbands’ soul matekil
led.Nowy outriedtokillmy
grandchild?!Myi nnocentgr andchild?Whydoy ou
hatehersomuch, Constance? !Why ?
!I sitbecause
sher emindsy ouofthelov eofTodani ’
sl i
fe?Had
younotusedwi t
chcraf
tonhi m, yourli
feandhi s
wouldhav eturnedoutdifferently.Youki l
ledagirl
wheny ouwer e17,Conni e!Ist hatnotenoughbl ood
ony ourhands? !”

Thesecretsthatpeopl
ehidebeneaththesurfacear
e
j
ustri
diculous.Imean,whyonear t
hwouldonedo
such?Howcr uelcanConnier
eall
ybeallf
oraman?
IsawConni esquirmi
ngforair
,whil
eNanahel dher
bythethroatusingbot
hhands.Ihav eneverseen
Nanaunleashsomuchr agebefor
e.

Nana:
“Youl
i
vebyt
heswor
d,y
oudi
ebyi
t!
”

DoIr
eal
l
ywantConni
e’
sev
ilbl
oodonmypur
e
gr
andmot
her
’shands?

That
o:“
Nana,
lethergo.
”

Nana:(I
nfuri
ated)“
Shet
riedtohav eyouki
ll
ed,
I
sabell
a!I’l
lbedamnedifIlethergetawaywit
hthi
s!
Notthi
stime!”

That
o:“Nana,you’
ret
oopureforsuchdeeds.Al
l
ow
ustodealwit
hheranotherway,
please.
”

Nana:(br
eathi
ngheavi
l
y )“
You’
reluckyIsabel
l
ahasa
goodheart,
other
wiseyou’
dbebreat i
ngyourlast
breat
haswespeak.Youpi eceoftrash!
”

Sheletgoofherwhi
l
eConniedroppedtot
hegr
ound,
gaspi
ngforai
randcoughi
ngprofusel
y.
Ol
ivi
a:“I
sever
yonegoingtof
ocusonthoset
wo
bi
tchesandcomplet
elyi
gnor
eme?!”

Oli
viaal
sodidn’tseei tcomi ng.QueenNandi gave
heronefatslapacrosst hef ace.Itwassor ough,
shestumbledandf ellri
ghtont othegroundwi ththe
baby.Whilethebabyscr eamed, shewasl eft
speechl
ess.Mi serablepeopl ewillmakey oufeel
worthl
ess.Ifyoudon’ tlearntobeobedi entfr
om a
youngage,youwi l
l endupasadi sastr
ousadul t.
Wasal l
thi
snecessar y,
though?

KingNtsi
ka:“It
hinkiti
sonlyfai
rthatConni
eand
Khanyibeheldaccountabl
eforthei
racti
ons.Iti
s
safetosaythattheyshoul
dgetarrest
ed,seei
ngas
theydi
dtrytoattemptmurderri
ghtonmyl and–
worstofal
lmyownhouse! ”

That
o:“
MyKi
ng,
ifImayspeak.
”
Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Asy
ouwi
sh.
”

Thato:“
Ithi
nkweshoul dthi
nkaboutitforawhil
e.
Perhapspunishtheinsti
gatorandnotKhanyi.For
sheispregnantandConni etookadvantageofa
chi
ldwithouteventhinki
ngoft her
epercussi
ons.
”

Ev
eryonewasrat
hershocked–andKgwasev
en
moreli
vi
dtosaythel
east.

Kg:
“Ar
eyoui
nsane?
”

Thato:“
No,butIt
hinkevery
onedeserv
esasecond
chance.It
hinkKhanyicanchangef
rom t
his.She
hasnoone.”

Theyal
llookedatmeasifIwascr
azy–i
ncl
udi
ng
Khanyi
,butIknowwhatIsee.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandThi
rt
een
Proverbs6: 16-
19–“ Thesear ethesi
xthingsthatthe
Lordhat es:yes,sevenoft hem areanabomi nat
ion
tohim: Apr oudlook, al
yingtongue,andhandst hat
shedinnocentbl ood, aheartthatdevi
seswicked
i
magi nations,feett
hatbeswi fti
nrunni
ngt o
mischief,af al
sewitnesst hatspeaksli
esandhet hat
sowsdi scor damongbr ethren.”

That
o

ThankstoKhany i
,ConstanceandOl ivi
a, wehave
hadtocancel al
lourplansf orthedayandat t
endto
thei
rshi
t.Iam nothappyatal l,butke(then)who
am Itoargue?TheKi ngor deredConni eandKhany i
tobetakenaway .Hedi dhowev ersayt hathewoul
d
consi
dermygest ureregardingKhany i,aswewi l
l
haveacour tmeeti
ngsoon.

Nomsa’
sdat
eisal
soappr
oachi
ng–si
ncet
heyhav
e
todecidewhatt odowi thher.Bycour t,
Imean
Tri
bal,sincetheydon’tr
eallyhavecourtsoflawhere.
Thatiswher etheirmist
akesliebecausenor mal
,
unqualif
iedpeoplecannotdecidetosetpeopl eon
fi
rewithouttakingthepropermeasur es.There
needst obeef f
ectiv
epoliceandpolicestat
ionshere.

Imadeanot etoasktheKingabouthowt heydeal

withsucht hi
ngsinregardstor apeandal l
.Imean,
didthoseki dswhower ev i
olatedbyDer r
ickev enget
propercounsel l
ing?Wecannothav enur sesanda
fewpol icemenwhoj ustarrestpeopleandt henthey
getsent encedtodeathwi t
houtev enproper
i
nv est
igat i
on.Whoar ethesepeopl eleadingthe
Tri
balcounci l?Aretheyunbiased?Wi l
ltheyjudgea
perpetratoraccordi
ngly?

Any way,Ol
iv
iahasbeenqui
eteversi
nceshegota
beati
ngfrom Nana.Kgwassopissed,hecal
led
Mulalo’
slawyer
,whowassurpr
isi
nglyonhisway
hereaswespeak.Idon’tev
enknowwhati s
happening,butallIknowi sthatOlivi
aisagold
diggerandherf amilyhav eabsolutel
ynoorder.I
nowseewhyt heNembi lwi’
sdidn’tevenhaveacare
i
nt hewor l
df orher.Shei sjustuncult
uredandrude.
Thel awyer
, Anathi
,fi
nallycameandhedel i
ver
eda
rathershortyetsurpri
singmessage.

Anat hi:“I’
ll
bev eryquickandbr i
ef,asIhav e
elsewher etobeandt hewil
l i
sshortandsweet .This
i
st hel astwi l
landtest amentofMul aloGabr i
el
Nembi lwi.Intheev entofmydeat h,Ileav eallmy
asset s,includi
nglif
ei nsur
ancepol i
cies, f
uneral
policies,pension,andanymoneyl eftinmyaccount
tomyonl ybrother,
Kgaugel oMoloi.Ial soleavethe
sum ofR1mi l
l
iontomysi ster-
in-
law, ThatoIsabell
a
Groen. ”

Waitaminut
e,t
hisguyleftmemoneyt oo?Wow,I
mean,wow.Oli
v i
a’
ssmi rkqui
ckl
yfadedasshewas
l
eftwit
habsol
utel
ynothing.
Oli
vi
a:(shocked)“Ther
emustbeabloodymi st
ake!I
havetherealwil
li
nmyhandsanditstatesthathe
l
eavesev er
ythi
ngtome!Iam hi
slegalwife!
”
Ihav
enev
erseenpeopl
efi
ghtf
ormoneyl
i
ket
his.

Anat
hi:“Ma’
am,thi
swi
ll
waslastdat
edamonthago,
soyoursisi
nval
i
d.Andno,
youarenotl
egal
l
y
marri
edtoMulal
o.”

Oli
vi
a:(l
i
vid)“
Thisisout
rageous!Hedi
dn’
tev
en
knowthesepeople!
”

Anathi
:“Ihav
eal
ett
erper
sonall
yaddressedt
oyou,
butheaskedmetoreadi
tinper
son.”

Ol
i
via:
“No!Iwon’
tal
l
owt
hat
-“

Anat
hidi
dn’
tev
enwai
tforhert
ofi
nishr
ant
ing.
Anathi:“
Tomydar lingOli
v i
a.Youhav ebeensucha
painintheassthroughoutourmar riage.Ihonestly
tr
iedtoloveyou,Ireall
ytri
ed, butIcoul dneverbe
withsomeonewhoj ustdidn’trespectmeandl ove
met hewayIneededt obel oved.Ideser vesomuch
mor eevenindeath,andev ennow, Oli
via,yousti
l
l
don’tdeser
veasingl ecentf r
om me.Youar enot
worthyofanythi
ngofmi ne.

Ifoundoutthaty ouar eindeedcarryingmyf ather

’s
chil
d.Yes, Ihadmyway s.Themostsaddeni ngpart
i
st hatIwaswi l
l
ingt olearnt oloveyou,Ol i
vi
a,but
yout ookmylovef orgrant ed.Youhur tmei naway
thatcanneverber epairedev eragain.Buty ou
actuall
ymademet hepersonIwasunt i
lthedayIdie.
Ifyoucouldeverbehal ftheper sonThat ois,l
ife
woul dbegoodf ory ou.Thanky ouandsol ong.
Mul al
o.”

Wow,
tal
kaboutbei
ngbl
untst
rai
ghtf
rom t
hegr
ave.
Ofcourse,Ol
i
viadidn’ttakei
twellandhadforced
herfamil
ytobepr esentduri
ngthewill
readi
ng.This
i
snot hi
ngbutdisastrous.Imean,howcouldshe
actual
lyst
oopsol ow, t
hough?

Kg:(i
rr
it
ated)“
Wel
l
?Catcaughty
ourt
onguenow,
Oli
vi
a?”

Oli
v i
adidn’tevenrespond, norapologizef orher
ri
diculousoutburstearl
ieron.I nst
ead, shedecided
togetupsl owlyandacceptdef eatinsilence.She
tookherbabyi nherarmsandsi mplywal kedout.
Herf amil
ydidn’tevenhav ethedecencyt oapologize
eit
her ,
theyjustwalkedoutwi thoutsay i
ngawor d
andt hatwasi t
.Idon’treallycare,aslongaswej ust
don’thaveanymor edrama–Iam good.

Fewday
slat
er….

Thi
ngshav
ebeensogoodar
oundher
e.Idon’
tev
en
knowwhyweal ldeci
dedt ostaysolong,Iguessiti
s
becauseofthegeneroushospi tal
i
tyandbeingfed
al
mostev eryhour.Nanahasbeenenj oyi
ngherself
somuch, sheactuall
yforgotthatshehasherown
house.SheandQueenNandi havebeengetti
ng
al
ongl i
keahouseonf i
re,andatleastRamiandI
havebeengi v
entheoppor tuni
tytowrit
eour
Supplementaryt
estsandassi gnmentstocatchup
wit
hourwor k.

Gr i
ngoandIhav ebeencl oserthanev erthesepast
fewday s.Hehasj ustbeenaamazi ngandIguess
spendingtimetogethermadei tal oteasi
erand
simpler.Wehav ebondedev enmor ethanev er
before.Today,
KingNt sikasaidhehassummoned
usf oranimpor
tantannouncement .Heappar entl
y
wassupposedt oannouncei tthedayOl i
viadidher
shitandKhanyialmostkill
edme, buttodayist he
dayIguess.

Wewer
eal
li
nthel
ounge,
awai
ti
nghi
spr
esence,
whenhef i
nallycamewi thQueenNombul elo.He
l
ooksrathersaddenedt osayt heleast.The
Nembil
wi ’
sf i
nal
lyleftandt heyhav eseemingly
for
medagr eatrel
ationshipwithKi ngNtsi
kaandthe
Queen.QueenNombu, Nana,Gringo,KgandIwer e
theonl
yonesl eft,asRami ,ThendoandKghadt o
gobacktoJo’ burg.

KingNt
sika:
“Gr
eeti
ngsever
yone.Iam sor
ryf
or
summoningyouatthi
sti
me,buti
tisi
ndeedurgent
.”

Ilookedathim andcouldn’
ttell
whyhewasso
nervous.CoulditperhapsbethattodayisNomsa’
s
hearingandKhanyiandConni ewil
lbehearingt
hei
r
fatetoday?Ihaven’thadachancet oproposemy
changes,butIguessIhadbet t
erdoittoday.

KingNtsi
ka:“
Ihavecall
edyoual lheretoletyou
knowthatduetoourfi
nancialcir
cumst ances,t
he
QueenandIhavebeenf or
cedt oeitherdothe
foll
owi
ng:sel
lapartofourlandandal lowthe
Chinesetostartmi
ningorform anal
li
ancewi
ththe
Nembi l
wikingdom i
nordertoregai
nandsust
ainour
fi
nancialf
reedom.”

Waitaminiute,thatdoesnotev enmakesense.
Howwi l
lthem si gni
ngof ft
heirl
andright
stoanot
her
count
rymaket hem financi
all
yfree?Imeanthese
peopl
eownt hewhol elandanditbelongstot
hem.
Sohowwi llsel
lingapor ti
ontoanothercount
ry
makethem f r
ee?

That
o:“
Whatdoy
oumean,
myKi
ng?
”

KingNtsi
ka:(si
gh)“
Youknowwhatmydaught er
Nomsadi dtous,mychil
d.Shecrippl
edussobadl
y,
thati
norderforustokeepoureconomygoi
ng,we
havetosell
orform anall
i
ance.
”

Ev
ery
oneel
seseemedt
obet
oshockedt
ospeak.
That
o:“
Per
missi
ont
ospeak,
myKi
ng?
”

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Asy
ouwi
sh,
Ndhl
ovukazi
(Queen)
.”

Thato:“
Ithinkthati twoul dbeveryr eckl
essofy outo
sellapi
eceofourl andt oanothercount ry
,myki ng.
Reasonbeingt hatt heymi ghtabuseourr esources
andy ouwon’ thaveasay .Theymi ghtnotev en
wanttoempl oyourpeopl eandy oust il
lwon’thavea
say.HadKi ngNembi l
wi real
l
yhady ourbest
i
nterest
sathear t,hewoul dhaveloanedy oua
porti
onofthemoneyatl eastsot haty oucouldget
backony ourfeet.For mi nganalliancewouldmean
thatyouwouldnol ongerbet heKi ngwi t
houthis
i
nputhere.”

Every
onelookedabi
timpressed,wel
l
,It
hink.Ihope
theydon’
tthi
nkIam ov
ersteppi
ngmymar khere.

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Ihav
ethoughtaboutt
hat
,butwi
tht
he
waythingsar
ehere,eventhebankdoesnothave
enoughmoneytoloanmeoutoft hismess.Ihave
nootheropti
on,
otherwiseever
yonewil
lbeoutofa
j
ob.”

Wow,KingNt
sikai
swill
i
ngtosacr
if
icehi
swhol
e
weal
thandki
ngdom f
orever
yoneel
se.Now,t
hat’
sa
t
rueki
ng.

That
o:“Ihavesomethi
ngi
nmi
nd,
butIdon’
tknowi
f
youwil
lagreetoi
t.
”

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Speaky
ourmi
nd,
myQueen.
”

Idon’tevenf
eel
wei
rdany
mor
ewhenev
erhecal
l
s
met hat.

That
o: “
Ipr
oposeaplan.Icangetust
okeep
ever
ythi
ngofours;
getourownpoli
ceoff
icer
s,hav
e
ourownmi ne,andensurehowweuseourown
resources.Providedthatwehaveourown
trustwort
hypeopl e.Imean,myKing,weshould
hav equali
fi
ed,educatedpeopl
etotri
alof
fenders
andsent encethem accordi
ngl
y.

Imean, sayforinst ancey ourtribalcounci

lhas
somet hi
ngpersonal againstNomsaorDer r
ickand
theydecidetosent encet hem todeat horbur ntto
death.Howwi l
lyouensur ethatev idencewas
gatheredaccordingly?Yes, i
nt hiscaseweal lknow
thatDerri
ckisindeedt heperpet rat
orandhedi d
viol
atethosechildren, butwhathappensi nacase
wherewel it
erall
yhav enoev idenceandt hev i
cti
ms
arepaidtospeakl ies? ”

Icoul
dtel
lhewascont
empl
ati
ngi
t.

KingNtsi
ka:“Il
oveyoursuggest
ions,
Ndhl
ovukazi
(Queen),
Ireal
lydo,
butwehav enomoney.
”
Thato:“
Ido.Ihav eenoughmoneytosust
ainal
l
i
njuri
estheKingdom suff
eredandwecanslowl
y
buil
dont heothergoal
sIhavementi
oned.
”

Isawhowher
eal
l
yseemedi
nter
est
ed.

KingNtsi
ka:“
Ilovey
ouridea,butI
sabel
l
a,Icannot
takeyourmoney.Ir
efuseit
.”

Thato:
“Youarenotdoi
nganythi
ngwrong,myKi
ng.
Iti
smy dut
ytohel
p.Ihavethefi
nances,
sowhynot
assi
st?”

KingNt si
ka:“I
sabel
la,Isi
mpl ycannotacceptyour
offer.Iknow,itcomesf r
om agoodpl ace,butIj
ust
can’tdoit.Icannottakey ourmoney .
”

That
o:“
MyKi
ng,
all
Iaski
sthaty
ouconsi
deri
t.Iam
notaski
ngformuch,
butIaskt
haty
outhi
nkaboutit
.
I
twon’tj
ustbemepitchi
ngint
osavet
heKingdom –
myKgwi ll
bedoi
ngittoo.
”

Forthef
irstt
imeev
ersi
nceIar
ri
vedher
e,Isawt
he
Kingint
ears.

KingNtsika:(
teary)“Idon’tknowwhatt osay,
Ndhlovukazi(Queen).Youhav ebeenonetrue
blessi
ngindeed.Ir eall
ydon’ thav
eanywor dst
o
expressotherthanmygr eatestgrat
it
ude.
”

Kg:(smi
li
ng)“Iam t
rul
yblessedtohaveawoman
l
ikeThat
obesi deme.Ireal
lycan’
timagi
nel
if
e
wit
houther.
”

Ial
socan’
timaginemyl if
ewithoutKg,real
ly.If
eel
l
ikewearereal
lyblessedtobetogether.Idobeli
eve
i
nsoulmates.Thef ol
lowi
ngdayar ri
vedandof
cour
seIwasast i
redasal way
swi thKggi v
ingme
onehel l
ofawor kout
.Hej ustmadesuchni ceand
sl
owl ovetomeal lni
ght
,Ihonestlycan’ti
maginel
if
e
withouthim.Thekingandqueenwoul dn’
tstop
praisi
ngme, andIkeptt
hinkingaboutZenandefor
somer eason.

Ireal
lyhopeshei sindeedokay .Idi dhowever,
keep
thi
nkingofKhany i.Shereall
yisn’tstupidandhas
herwhol elif
eaheadofher .Shewasmeantt obe
herfami l
y’
sgol denchildandmaket hem pr
oud.This
pathshei sgoingoni sreall
ynotwhoshei smeant
tobe.Ast heKingpr omised,todaywassupposedt o
beNomsa’ stri
al.Iwasnotl ookingf orwardtoi
t,but
Iam gladbecauset heKinggav emet hegoaheadt o
mov eforwar dwiththeplanIhav ei nmind.Idon’t
know, butIam pr ett
yexcit
ed.KgandIgotupatt he
samet imet odayandt ookabat ht ogether.

Ienj
oythesemomentsofint
imacyandIreall
yfeel
wei
rdwheneverwebat
heseparatel
y.Wemadeour
wayoutofthebedr
oom andf
oundKi ngNt
sika,
QueenNombu, QueenNandi andNanaal r
eadyset
andwaitingforus.Theywereal l
dr essedinroyal
atti
re–includi
ngNana.KgandIf eel sooutofplace
nowsincewear edressedi
nGucci .Ei sh,
butIhope
thatwon’tbeapr obl
em.

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Ourqueen,
ourki
ng,
howar
eyou?
”

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Ver
ywel
l
,myKi
ng,
howar
eyou?
”

Kgwassmi
l
ingeart
oear
.

Ki
ngNtsi
ka:“
Iam wel
l,t
hankyou.Wehav
ebeen
wai
ti
ngfory
ou.Shall
wego? ”

That
o:“
Apologi
esforhol
dingyouup.Wewer
enot
sur
ewhatti
met obereadyat.
”
KingNtsi
ka:(
smil
ing)“
Noneedt oapol
ogi
ze.Af
ter
today
,yourwhol
elif
ewill
change.”

If
rownedi
nconf
usi
on.

QueenNombu:
“Youar
eaboutt
ochangehi
stor
y.”

Iam notsurewhattheymeant
,butIj
ustwentahead
wit
hit.IlookedatKgwhoalsohadami schi
evous
smil
eonhi sface.WhatdoesheknowthatIdon’t
?

That
o:“
Okay
,weshal
lgo.
”

QueenNombu: “Onsecondthought
s,myki
ng,why
don’
tyougowi t
hNkosinat
hi andwewil
lbr
ing
I
sabel
lalat
er?
”

Kg:
“Pl
ease,
makesur
eshecomesbackt
omei
none
pi
ece,l
adi
es.
”

Nana:
“Ai
,Kg.Go.
”

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)“
Iwi
l
lseey
oul
ater
,Mr
s.Ncube.
”

Wi t
hthatsai d,hegav emeapassi onateki
ss.Ifelta
bitembar r
assed, butwhatcanIsay ?Gri
ngowas
surpri
singlynotar ound,soIknowf orsur
e
somet hingisbr ewing.KingNtsikalef
tal
ongwi t
h
myKg, whileIgav eQueenNandi ,queenNombuand
Nanaagoodl ook.Theset hreeladi
esareactual
ly
dressedal otsimi l
arl
y,almostli
ketheyaregoingto
aweddi ng.

That
o:“
Whati
shappeni
ngher
e?”

Nana:(
laughi
ng)“
Youar
esosl
ow,
Isabel
l
a.Come.
Ther
eisnot i
metowast
e.”
Thethr
eeoft
hem dr
aggedmet oNana’
sbedr
oom
andmademesitonthechai
rinfr
ontoft
hebedr
oom
mir
ror.

That
o:“
Issomeonegoi
ngt
otel
lmewhati
sgoi
ng
on?”

QueenNandi:“Oh,
Nkosiyami (
Mygoodness),Thato,
areyouhonestl
ygoingt
otell
met haty
oudidn’teven
getanyhi
ntsthatt
odayisgoingtobeyourspecial
day?”

That
o:(
puzzl
ed)“
Speci
alday
?”

QueenNandi
:“Yoh,
hai
(no)
.Igi
veup.
”

QueenNombu:“
Don’
tli
stent
othesetwo,I
sabel
la.
Tel
lmesomethi
ng;
howwoul dyoul
ikeyourweddi
ng
dayt
obe?
”

IguessInevergav
ethatquesti
onmucht
hought
becauseIsatinmychai
rstari
ngint
hemir
ror
,deep
i
nt hought
.

That
o:“
Ihaven’
tthoughtmuchaboutit
,butIthi
nkI
woul
dli
ketheideaofasmall,
int
imatewedding.
”

Theyal
lpausedandl
ookedatmel
i
keIwascr
azy
.

That
o:“
DidIsaysomet
hingwr
ong?
”

QueenNombu:“Notatal
l,mydear
.Now,tel
lme,
hadyoubeendeemedroyal,
whatwoul
dyouli
ke
yourweddi
ngtobeli
kethen?”

That
o:“
Wel
l
,Iwoul
dli
keav
erypl
easantweddi
ng
withoutanydramaandIwoul dn’
tmi ndsharingi
t
withthepeopleofEnande.But,inorderf
ormet o
haveagr eatweddi
ng,Iwouldbeatpeaceknowi ng
thatall
mypl answouldhavefall
enintoplace.That
wouldreall
ymakemeahappywi fe.
”

Theysuddenl
ysmi
ledasi
fwhatIhadt
oldthem
befor
eaboutasmall
weddi
ngwasanightmare.

QueenNandi:“
That’
smoreli
keit
.Spokenl
i
keat
rue
queen.Ladi
es,l
et’
sgetr
eady.
”

Nana:(
nodding)“
Sinceyourhai
rhasgr
own,
how
wouldyoul
iketowearit
?”

That
o: (
frowning)
n“Noneofy
ouhav
etol
dmewher
e
Iam goi
ng, y
ouknow.”

Nana:
“Let
’sj
ustsayt
odayi
sthedayy
ouar
egoi
ng
toaddresst
henati
on,sweet
ie.Youcannotpossibl
y
gooutandapproacht
hecouncill
ooki
nglikeone
expensiv
equeen.Youneedtodressl
ikethem,you
know.”

Idon’tbuyherst ory,
butwell
, Iam abi ttired,soIwil
l
j
ustgowi thit.Theyst ar
tedfiddli
ngwi thmyhai r,
fi
xingmynai ls,doi
ngmymakeup.Iam notusedt o
peopleti
tiv
atingmesomuch, butwhatcanIsay ?I n
thegoodol dend, Nanadidmymake- upj usttheway
Ili
keit–sof tandsubt l
eandIappl iedr edl i
psti
ck.
Myai rwasst rai
ghtenedandsi nceitisnowl ong
enought obei nabob, weleftitli
kethat .Ijust
askedhert ogi v
emeaf ri
ngef orachange.Mynai ls
wer eni
ceandshor tanditwasnowt imet ochange
myout fi
t.

Idon’tev
enknowwhy ,
butwell,IguessIhaveto
l
ookt hepart
.IbecameshockedwhenQueenNandi
broughtaverybeaut
iful
,custom madeZul udr
ess.
Whatpuzzledmei sthedesignthereof.Thedress
wasamer maidstyledress,withabeautif
ulone
handdesignwi t
hsomel acefri
ll
sont hearm;ithada
mixtur
eofZul uandl eopardpri
nts;withsomer oyal
el
ement softhiskingdom.Thebot t
om parthada
beauti
full
acefril
l
,andIal readyknewwhatt hat
meantwhenIsawi t
.

That
o:(
tear
y)“
Ist
hiswhatIt
hinki
tis?
”

Thet
hreeoft
hem wer
esmi
l
ingatme.

QueenNombu: “Yes,myl
ove.Andbel
iev
eme, i
twas
sohardtosurpri
seyouwhenyoukeptaski
ng
quest
ionsl
ikethat.
”

Nana: “
Shecanbej ustasannoyi
ngasDavi
dwas
whenhewasy ounger.Hewouldneverwai
ttobe
surpr
ised–heal wayswantedtoknowwhatyou
wereplanni
ng.Howoddi sli
fe?Heendedupbei
ng
real
tybigonsurpri
ses.”
Theyal
ll
aughedwhi
l
emyt ear
srol
leddown.Idon’
t
knowwhyIalway
scrywhenev
erIgetsur
pri
sed.

QueenNandi:
“Hay
i(No)!hol
ditr
ightt
her
e!You
cannotmessupal
lthegoodworkwedidonyour
preci
ousf
ace.”

That
o:(
chuckl
i
ng)“
Aski
es(
Sor
ry)
.”

QueenNandi
:“Wozaphela(
Comeal
ready
),y
our
husbandi
swait
inganxi
ousl
y.”

Nana:“ He’
sbeentext
ingmeev
eryf
iveminut
es.I
can’tt
akeitanymore.Howdoyouevenhandl
ehi
m,
Isabel
la?”

That
o:“
(chuckl
i
ng)“
Ihav
emyway
s.”
Nana:“
Ofcourse.Youknow,i
fyouwanttokeep
yourmanhappy,j
ustf
eedhim well
inal
l
depar
tment
sifyoucatchmydrif
t.
”

IhadtoblushandIf
eltmycheekst
urnpi
nkasshe
sai
dthat.

QueenNandi
:“Don’
tblushsomuch,That
o,ImeanI
gaveyourmot
her-
in-
lawthesametalkwhenshe
marri
edmyson.”

QueenNombu:
“Oh,
bel
i
eveme,
shewasv
eryexpl
i
cit
abouti
t.
”

Idon’twantt
obetol
daboutsex
,other
wiseIam
goingtoimagi
net
hewrongpeopledoi
ngit.

Nana:
“Ir
emembermyf
ir
stt
ime.Yes,
Iwasoneof
t
hef
ewwhohadsexont
hei
rweddi
ngday
.”

That
o:“Ei
sh,
Nana,
I’
drat
hernothearaboutt
hat
,
pl
ease.
”

Nana:(l
aughi
ng)“Alri
ghtt
hen.I’
l
ltel
lyousome
ot
hertimewheny oucomecr y
ingaboutyour
marri
age.Ithappens.”

Iwonderwhati twoul dbel i

kewhenKgandIf i
ght
becausewehav enev erfought–ev er.Wi llIact
ually
havemar ital pr
obl emsandwi ll
Ibeoneoft hosewho
tal
kaboutt hem t omyf r
iendsorf ami l
y?Howwi l
lI
evenhandl ef ri
ctionorar gument swi thhi m?Iguess
Ididn’tt
hinkaboutt hat
.If oundmy selfincreasi
ngly
wor r
iedasIgotdr essedi nmybeaut if
ul t
raditi
onal,
royalweddi ngdr ess.It ri
edt ohidet hewor ryonmy
face,butbei ngsol i
ghtissuchadi sadv antage.You
turnpinkalmostev eryt
imewhenev ery ouexper ience
ast r
ongemot i
on.
Nana:
“Whati
swr
ong,
mybaby
?”

That
o: “
IguessIneverthoughtaboutthelogi
sti
csof
marr
iage.Imean,howwi l
lIhandlebei
ngmar ri
ed,
l
iker
eallybei
ngmarried?KgandIhav eneverfought
andIreall
ydon’
tknowhowIwi llhandl
ethat.
”

Nana:“
Myadv ice,don’
tshoutathim.Addr esshim
wit
hrespectbecauseanysignofdi sr
espectmakes
amanf eell
i
kehei saweakling,butalsoatthesame
t
ime–nev ersubjectyour
selftoanyform ofabuse.”

QueenNandi
:“Nev
ergot obedangr
y,andalway
s
communicat
e.Don’tbeafr
aidt
olethi
m knowhow
youfeel
.”

QueenNombu: “
AndrememberIsabell
a;youandKg
wil
lbeateam now.Whichmeansy oudoev ery
thing
t
ogether
.Therewil
lbeti
meswheny oudon’tagree
wi
thsomet
hinghedoesorsay
s,butcommuni
cat
ion
i
skey.
”

QueenNandi :“
Alway sremembert hateverythi
ng
happensi nGod’stiming.Neverbef or
cedt ohav e
childrenoranythingbecausey ouandy ourhusband
hav ey ourwholeliv
esaheadofy ou.Lov eeachot her,
respectoneanot herandnev erforgett
ohav ef un.I
becomeswef r
om nowon.Ast heLordsaidi n
Genesi s2:24–Fort hi
sreasonamanwi ll
leavehi s
fatherandmot herandhol dfasttohiswife,andt hey
shal l
becomeonef l
esh.”

Nana:
“1Cor
int
hians16:
14–“
Doev
ery
thi
ngi
nlov
e.”

QueenNombu:“1John4:18-
19–“ Ther
eisnofearin
l
ove.Butper
fectl
ovedri
vesoutfear
,becausefear
hastodowit
hpunishment.Theonewhof ear
sis
notmadeperf
ecti
nlove.Welovebecausehef i
rst
l
ovedus.
”
Thesethreel
adiesremindmeofmymot her.Ifeel
sohumbledandbl essedtobeinthei
rpr
esence
becausetheydonotmakemef eelmymot her
’s
absence.Itr
ulyam blessedi
ndeed.
Chapt
erHundr
edandFi
ft
een

Mark10:
9–“ Ther
efor
ewhatGodhasj
oined
t
ogether
,letnoonesepar
ate.
”

That
o

Ibecameov erj
oyed,el
ated,scaredallatthesame.I
real
lyam excit
ed,al
thoughIhav enoideawhatt o
say.Imean, Imostprobablyhav et
or eci
temyown
vowsbecauseIknowKgmostdef i
nit
elywi l
l
.Ev en
thoughQueenNombuandQueenNandi kepetelli
ng
menott owor r
y,Ican’
thelpbutwor ry
.Theysai d
thi
ngsaredoneabi tdif
ferentl
yhere,soIwon’ thave
toworrymuchaboutt helogist
icsli
kehav inga
mat
ronofhonourandbr
idesmai
ds.

Iwoul
dreall
yl ov
etoseeGloandRami ther
e, though.
QueenNandi sai
dashortyetpowerf
ulprayerforus
andweheadedout .Uponleavi
ngthehouse, Ifound
mysel
fintearsasevery
oneoutsidewasululating
andsmil
ingatme.Fr om t
heroyalguar
dstoot her
roy
alemployees.

Theywer eal ldr

essedsoni celyint r
aditionalatt
ir
e.
Theyhadev enroll
edoutal ong, redcar petforme
fr
om t hedooral l
thewayt ot hegat e.Iwon’ teven
ber eachi
ngt hegate,whichIf oundt hecar pet
ri
diculous,butIam happy .Ilovet heirgesture.There
wasagol dencarpetalongsidet hegar den,andwi t
h
Nanabymysi de,wefoll
owedt hecar pet.

Ithadbeautif
ul whiter
osepetalsal
ltheway .We
madei ttothebackgar den,asther
oy alhouseis
real
lybig.Iheardt hewholecrowdoft heroyal
employeeswal kingbehindus.Iwasst unnedasI
sawabeauti
ful
l
ydecorat
edgarden.Ther
ewasabig
marquee,
wit
hhundredsofguest
s.Thechai
rswer
e
gol
dandbeauti
ful
l
ydecorat
edwithwhit
ebows.

IsawmyKgst andingrightattheal tar,alongside

Zwel i
.Hel ookssobeaut if
ulinhisr oyal atti
re.
Dressedi nhisZul uski
rt,shir
tl
esswi thhi sTiger-
featheredroundedhatwi thhisroyal stickinhi shand.
TheKi ngwasal soonhisot hersideandIj ustlett
he
tearsfalldownsl owly.Isawmyf atherappr oachme
dressedinbeaut i
fulwhi
t eandroy alblueat t
ire.He
approachedmewi thasmi leasNanal etgoofmy
handandwentt ositdownal ongwi tht het wo
queens.Iseeal otofpeopleIdon’ tknow, butnone
ofthem mat ternow.

Gr
ingo:
(smi
l
ing)“
Arey
our
eady
,Isabel
l
a?”

That
o:(
ner
vousl
y)“
Ithi
nkso.
”
Gr
ingo:
“Igoty
ou.
”

IsmiledasIhear dKwest a’sKhet i

l
eKhet il
eplay.
Thissongremi ndsmeoft hev eryfirstnightIspent
atKg’shouse.Thatv erynighthepr of essedhislov
e
formeandt hev eryfir
stdaywest art eddating–on
mybi rt
hday.Onl ythenithitmet hatwenev ergott
o
rej
oiceinouranni v
ersary,ourbaby ’sbi r
th,our
bir
thdaysforthisyear,butev eryt
hinghappensf ora
reason.Somuchwast akenf r
om usbutwegai ned
alotmor eback.

Icannotwai tf
ort hi
snewchapt er.Islowlywal ked
alongsidemyf at her,withKg’seyesfixedonme.I
didn’tevennot iceev ery
oneelse,ashewasr ight
therewai t
ingf orme.Mymanhasnev erlookedt hi
s
handsome.It hinkIam addi ctedtohiszul ulookand
IthinkImusthav ef all
eninlovewithhim allover
again.Hei ndeeddoesl ookli
keat r
ueki ng.Af ter
whatf eltl
ikeav eryl ongwalk,wef i
nall
ymadei tto
theal t
ar.Kgappr oacheduswi t
hasmi l
e.
Gr
ingo:
(smi
l
ing)“
Takegoodcar
eofher
.”

Kg:
(noddi
ng)“
Youhav
emywor
d.”

Gringokissedmycheekandsatbackdown.Att hi
s
pointIhadmyey esfi
xedonKgwi t
hmybouqueti n
myhands.I tjustfel
tli
keitwasjustthetwoofusin
thatatmospher e.MyKgandIf inal
lytoget
herand
wehav ebeatent heenemy.Indeed,God’spromise
hasbeenf ulfi
lled.Unfort
unatel
y,alotofusfindGod
throughsuffering,butt
hatdoesnotmeant hatwe
hav etokeepsuf f
eri
ngtoknowHi sloveand
dev ot
iontowar dsus.

Loandbehol dSokswasourpr iest

.Hestoodup
from thecrowd,dressedinhisIt
ali
ansui
t.Sucha
styli
shpriest
,Idohopet hatheisdonewit
hhis
i
llegaldeali
ngsforgood.IlookedatmyKgand
thoughtjusthowsl yheis.Ican’
twaitt
oseewhat
t
hisnewventurewil
lbr
ing,
sinceIam al
waysonmy
f
eet.Icanneverknowwhathehasinstoreforme.

Soks:“Wear egatheredher et
oday ,attheNcube
Kingdom, towitnessabeaut i
fulunionbetween
NkosinathiandThat o.Mypeopl e,withtheKing’
s
permission,today’sweddingwi l
l beextraspeci
al.
Yes,withhisper mission,wewi l
lnotonl ybe
crowningournewestKi ngandQueen, butwewi l
l
al
sobechangi ngt hefutureofEnande.MyKi ng,
mayy oupl easeappr oach.”

KingNtsikasmil
edasher osefrom hi
schai
rfaci
ng
us.Hel etgoofhisQueen’shandandcamef or
ward
tospeakont hemic.

KingNt si
ka:(
smili
ng)“Mygoodpeopl e,nothi
ng
gi
v esmemor epl
easuretowitnessthismoment
beforemet oday.Forhaditnotbeenf orthi
s
i
ntell
igentwoman, wewouldnothav efoundourlong
l
ostNkosi nat
hi.Haditnotbeenf orher,wewould
nothavebeenabl etoburyourNonkany i
so’s
remains.Fort heLor
dchosethisday,asheknewhi s
reasonswhy .Ihaveaveryspecial
surpriseforal
lof
you,butI’dl
ikeourpast
orSolomon, t
ocont i
nuewi t
h
ourserviceaswewi l
ldealwit
hthelogisti
cslater
.
Halala!
”

Cr
owd:
“Hal
ala!
”

HesatbackdownasSoksnodded.Idon’tknow
howwear egoi
ngtochangehistor
ytoday
,butallI
knowmyf ut
urehasstart
edtodayandIam aboutt
o
wri
teanewchaptertoday.

Soks:
“Bef
oreweconti
nue,
ngi
cel
asi
thandazeni
(maywepleasepr
ay)
.”

Webowedourheadsasweembr
acedt
hesi
l
ence
amongstt
hecr
owd.
Soks: “FatherGod, wenaunkul ukul uwethu( Youwho
i
sourGod) ,i
Nkosi yethu(OurKi ng),OurPr ovider,
OurPr omi sekeeper ,Ourfaithkeeper ,OurHeal er,
OurBegi nningandOurEnd.Wecomebef orey ouas
yourchi l
dren,weaskt haty oupl easeprot ectour
KingandQueenbef orey ou.ForIknow, Fat her,that
youhav egreatplansi nstoref ortheset wo.You
whoi sourway maker ,youhav ebr oughttheset wo
together.Asy ousayi nMat t
hew19: 6–‘ Ther efore
whatGodhasj oinedt ogether,letnomansepar ate.
’
Forwet rusti
ny ouLor d,fory ouchooseourpat hsin
thi
slife.Letusal l
owourcoupl etosayt heirv ows
strai
ghtf rom thehear t.
”

Shi
t,t
hisi
sthemomentIhavebeendr
eadi
ng.Idon’
t
haveanyvowsIhav
ewri
tten.Ihat
eKgfordoi
ng
thi
stome.

Kg:(
smili
ng)“Thato,
MyTT, youhav ealwaysbeen
mylove.From themomentIf i
rstsawy ou,
Iknew
youweregoingtobet heoneI’
dmar ry
.Iknewf rom
thegetgot hatyouwoul dbemywi fe.Atthattime,I
didn’tevenknowy ou, butyoubroughtsomuch
radianceinmyl ife;somuchpeacewhenev erIsaw
yoursmi l
e.Whenev erIlookatyou,IthankGod
becauseIknowt hatAngel scanexisti
nhumanf or
m.
Whenev erIthi
nkofy ou,IknowthatMemor iesare
priceless,f
ortherecanonl ybeoney ouinthisworl
d.

Youhav echangedmyl i
fesomuch, thatImy self
havechangedf ort hebet t
er.Whenev erIbreathe,I
can’tsl
eeporf unctionknowi ngyouar enotbymy
side.AsIal way ssay ,
Thato,wordscannev er
explai
nhowmuchIl oveyou,butmyact ionswi l
l
alwaysexpr esst hat.Youhav eshownme
unconditi
onal loveandIknowf orsurethatevenif
wewer et hepoor estoft hepoor ,
li
fewoul dsti
llbe
bli
ssfulwithy oubymysi de.Iloveyou,Thato
Isabell
aGr oen.”

Ifel
tthet
earswarmingmycheeksaspeoplewer
e
cheeri
ngandul
ulat
ing.Iev
enforgotabout
MaMasango,
butIhear
dherchantpr
aises.

MaMasango:(chanti
ng)“Ha!Haaaa!Siy
abongaba
kaNcube(Wet hankyoutheNcubefamil
y),
Si
yabongaMthimkhulu,Qhawe,
Ndhlovu!
”

Soks:
“Mayy
ousayy
ourv
ows,
That
o?”

Ei
sh,Idreadedthi
smomentaf ewmoment sago,
but
assoonasmyKgpour edhi
sheartout,
Ididn’
t
hesi
tat
et ospeakdir
ect
lyf
rom thehear
t.

Thato: “
Kgaugel o, Ihavelovedy oufrom t hemoment
youshowedmel ov e.Ineverknewwhatpur elove
fr
om t heopposi tesexmeantunt i
lthedayy ou
showedme.Il ov edev er
ythingabouty ou–y our
l
evel ofrespectf orwomen, yourchar i
sma, y our
personalit
y,yoursmi leandmosti mpor tant
lyy our
fl
aws.Il ov ehowy ouneverceaset oamazeme, I
l
ovehowy oualway smanaget osurpriseme.
Ilov ehowy oual wayspr ovemewr ongwhenev erI
thinkofsomet hingnegat iv
et owardsyou, andhow
youpr ovemer ightwhenev erIt
hinkofy oupositi
vel
y.
Ilovehowy oul ovemeandhowy oumademel ove
l
ov e.Forthat,Iwi l
let
ernallybegr at
eful,f
oryou
l
ov edmej ustthewayIam.Thanky ousomuch, Kg,
youwi ll
alwaysbemyf irstandonl ylove.”

Isawhim smileandshedat ear.Thewhol

eti
meI
wassoner vouswit
hshakyhandswhi l
ehehel
d
them i
nhis.Peoplewereululat
ing,
wit
hMaMasango
chanti
ngclanprai
sesyetagain.

Soks:
“Ilov
el ove,
baki
thi(mygoodness)
.Wi
tht
he
powervestedinme,Ipresentt
heri
ngs.”

Zwel
igotupandbroughttheri
ngs.Ai
,Idon’
tsee
whyKgboughtmeanot herr
ing.Hepl
acedmyr i
ng
onmyfingerandIpl
acedhisinhi
sfi
nger.Iseewe
don’
thav
etodot
hewhol
evowt
hingagai
n.

Soks:
“Inowpronouncey
ouhusbandandwi
fe.You
maykissthebr
ide.
”

Thankgoodnesshedi dn’taskthatridi
cul
ous
quest i
onofwhof eel
st heyshouldnotbemar ri
ed,
speaknoworf oreverhol dy ourpeace.Otherwise,
I
woul dhav ekil
ledabi t
chf orrui
ningmyper f
ectday.
Kggav emet hemostpassi onatekissIhaveever
received.Aki ssf ull
ofl oveandpr omiseforthe
future,promiseforabet terday.IthinkIam
seriouslysmittenal loveragain.

Soks:
(cl
ear
ingthr
oat)“
Eh,
Mf o(br
o),y
oumi ghtend
upsucki
ngthepoorwomanforall
eter
nit
y.”

Weal
ll
aughedwhi
l
eIal
sobl
ushedi
nthepr
ocess.
Soks:
“Now,
fort
hebi
grev
eal
.
”

IsawKingNtsi
kaapproachuswithadocumenti
n
hishand.Hegoti
nfrontofthepodi
um,andstar
ted
speaki
ng.

KingNtsika:
“Myfel
lowpeople,
aspromised,
Ihavea
changeforthef
utureinmyhands.Haditnotbeen
foryournewqueen,noneofthi
swouldhave
happened.Fort
hisnewbil
lshallber
eadasfoll
ows:

Asoft
oday
,thenewbi
l
lwi
l
lbepassedasf
oll
ows:

Weshal lhaveanewer ,bigger,poli

cestati
onbui lt
,
alongwithabiggercour toflawwher eal
lcri
mi nals
shallbeheldaccountablef oral
ltheirwrongdoi ngs.
Inthecaseofwi thcr
aftort heft
,acriminalwil
lhav e
toundergoaf ormalcour tcaseheldbyf ormall
y
quali
tfi
edempl oueesoft helaw.Theyshal lal
l bein
agoodst atetobeablet ojudget heaccusedf airl
y
andequi
tabl
y.Ast
hel
awst
ates–i
nnocentunt
il
prov
enguil
ty.

Inthecaseofr apeorattempt edrape, theaccused

willbeheldinourlocalprisonunti
l hiscasehas
beenf ul
lyheardtothesat isf
act
ionoft hepeopl
eof
thelawaswel lasthedef endants.I ffoundguil
ty,
providedwithallt
henecessar yevidence, t
he
accusedshal l
beputt odeat h.

Inthecaseofmur derandat t
empt edmur der,t
he
accusedwi l
lbeheldinourl ocal pr
isonandwi l
lonly
begivenbailonl
yif;theaccusedmur der
eda
perpet
ratorwhil
stheorshewast r
yingtorapeorkil
l
him/heroranotherper son.Iftheaccusedwas
acti
nginself-
defenceandonl yifthemur deror
att
empt edwasami stake.Theaccusedwi l
lal
sobe
abletorecei
vecounsel lingj
ustast hosewhowi llbe
heldaccountabl
ewi l
l alsobetreated.

I
nthecaseofadul
ter
y,t
her
ewi
l
lbenoonewi
l
lbe
hel
dinprisonforthat,foramanorwomani s
supposedtohonourhi sorherweddingvows.We
wil
lnotentersuchcases, onl
yiforwhenthemanor
womanbecomesv i
olentandoraggressi
vetowar
ds
hi
sorherpar t
nerorspouse.

Inthecaseofabuset owardswomenandchi l
dren;
nomanorany oneelsewillbegiv
ent heri
ghtto
perfor
m anyform ofabuset owardswomenand
chi
ldren.Theywillbehel
daccount ableforthei
r
acti
onsandassuchwi l
lreceivet
heirpunishment
accordingl
y.

Asoft oday,nooneshal lbeputt odeathforbeing

accusedofpr acti
singwitchcraft
.Nooneshal lbe
arr
estedwi thoutanypr oof.Asar esul
tofev ery
thi
ng,
i
tismywi f
eandI ’
spl easure,t
oannouncet hatour
school wi
llnol ongerbeapr i
vateschool,butitwil
l
beaschool fundedbyt hegov ernmentfor
every
one.”
Ihear
dev
ery
onechant
ingandul
ulat
ing.Icoul
dn’
t
bel
iev
emyears.

Ki
ngNtsi
ka:“
Isabel
l
a,woul
dyoudothehonour
sof
si
gni
ngthepl
edgeofthenewbi
ll
?”

Il
ookedatKgwhodi dn’
tlooksur
pri
sedatall.I
approachedhi
m wit
hmyKgbymysi deandIsi gned
wherenecessar
y.Kgsignedaswellandjustthen
andthere,weweret
hetwopeoplewhomadei t
possibl
eforsomuchchangetooccurinEnande.

KingNt si
ka:“Now,fort
hebi greveal.Asy ouall
know, Nkosinat
hihasalway sbeent her
ightf
ulheirt
o
thethrone.Hei storul
erightafterme,buttodayisa
veryspecialday.Iam notleavi
ngorgoi nganywhere,
butiti
swi thpri
dethatIformallyannouncethat
NkosinathiKgaugeloNcubeandhi swif
eIsabell
a
ThatoNcubear enowcr ownedKi ngandQueenof
Enande. ”
Thecr owdswer eululat
ing,al
ongwi thMaMasango.
KgandIhadt okneel downbef orethem al
l,
asKi ng
NtsikaandQueenNombuappr oacheduswi thour
Tradit
ionalcrowns.Imean, y
esIexpect edthatt
his
daywoul dcomeoneday ,j
ustnotthissoon.Iam
only18andam y ettofi
nishschool.Howam Igoi ng
tojugglethatandbeingaQueen?

MaMasango: (
ululati
ng)“
Sizwil
ebakaNcube( We
haveheardyou,theNcubef amil
y).Sicel
anivi
kel
e
i
Ndhlovukaziy
enuneNkosi enuesha( Pl
ease
prot
ectyournewKi ngandQueen) ,f
ortheyhavea
l
ongwayt ogo!”

Ifel
tastrange,y
etbeautif
ul auraar
oundusaswe
werebeingcrowned.Whi leMaMasangowas
chanti
ng,weimmedi atel
ysawt hecloudsdi
sper
se
andrainstar
tedpouringdownuponus.Iwas
surpr
isedbecauseitwasr eall
yhot.Thisi
salmost
thesamet hi
ngthathappenedwhenMul al
owas
beingburi
edalongwit
hNonkany
iso,butt
oday’
srain
i
spour i
ngalotharder
.Noonewasmov i
ngoutof
theway,astheyseemednott
omi ndgett
ingwet.

Iswear,Ihear dt heroarofaCheet ah.Ibecame

start
ledabi t,butKgwasnotev en,hejusthel
dmy
handt i
ghter.Il ookedar oundandsawnoCheet ah’s
i
nsi ght,
butIcoul dheart heroari
ngsoundsal ong
withthegushi ngsoundoft herai
n.Afterabout
fi
fteenmi nutesl ater
,ther ai
nstoppedimmedi ately
.I
wassur prisedast owhyev er
yoneelsewassmi l
ing
andbaski ngint heambi enceoft hepouringrain.

IlookedatKingNt sikaandQueenNombuandt hey

werebothsoel ated.QueenNandi aswellasNana
werejustsmil
ingwi t
ht heirey
esclosed.Itlookedas
i
ftheywer ei
nhalingt hebeauti
ful
scentoft he
soakedsand.Ki ngNt sikamusthav enot
icedmy
puzzl
edexpression.

Ki
ngNt
sika:
(smi
l
ing)“
Isabel
l
a,mychi
l
d,al
li
swel
l
.
Ourancest
orsi
ndeedapproveofy
ourweddi
ng.You
ar
eindeedthechosenone.Donotfear
.”

Ismiledinrel
i
ef.NowIknowt hatblackpeopl
eare
oneuniquebunch.Wej usthavesuchanamazi ng
bloodli
neandhist
orytotellourchil
dren.Icannot
waittotel
lourchi
l
drenstori
esaboutt hei
rherit
age.

Soks:“
Wemaypr oceedtoenj
oyi
ngthefest
ivi
ti
es
andawholenewbeginning.Maythi
sbethe
begi
nningofaf
ruit
fuler
a.”

Everyonerejoi
cedandstart
edsi ngingweddi ng
songs.Ijustlovehowembr acingthesepeopl ear
e.
Mamasangohasbecomesuchacel ebrit
ynow.
NursePor t
iahardl
ygetstodoherj obasev ery
one
wantst obearoundher.Isti
llseet hetintof
sadnessinMaMasango’ seyes, becauseal l
she
wouldliketodoisreuni
tewithherchi ldrenand
grandchil
drenbefor
esheleavest hisear t
h.
Inowf i
rmlybel
ievethatwedohav eourownspecial
placereservedf
orusont heothersidewhenwedie.
Itindeedcannotbeexplained,si
ncewedonothav e
bookst hatexpl
aintousi ndet
ailabouthowblack
peopleandancest r
ywor ks.May beoneday
someonewi l
lwri
teonef orus.MyKgandIenj oyed
ourday .

Idon’tevenknowhowwehadaweddi ngwi t
hout
l
obola,whi chofcourseisoneoft hosethingsthat
wehav etot alkabouttomorroworsomeot herday.
Todayisal laboutmyKg.Looki ngbackatev eryt
hing
thathappened, Isur
elydon’treal
l
yhav eanymor e
hatewithinme.Iam r eall
ysaddenedathowIl ost
mybaby ,butIknowt hatGodhasbi ggerandbetter
daysinstor eforme.

EvenRami waspresental
ongwit
hherparent
sand
fat
her,andbel
iev
eme, Iwassohappytoseeher.I
cannotimagi
nemyweddi ngwit
houtherorGl
ori
a.
Wehadt osi tonourbi gchai r
swhilebeing
congrat
ulatedbypeopl e.Gosh,beingroyalr
equi
res
alotofpeopl e’sskil
ls,pat
ience,
humi l
i
tyand
ki
ndness.Ot her wise,peoplewil
leasi
lyhateyou.We
hadtositther eforaboutanhour ,whil
esomepeople
evenaskedt opr ayforus.

Fi
nally,t
heLet swalo’
scamef orwar d.Rami ’
s
parentsshar edamazi ngwor dsofencour agement
butIli
keonespeci ficpieceofadv icet heyshar
ed
withus:“youar ebothresponsiblef orcarry
ingeach
other.Att i
mes, Kgwillfal
landy ouwi l
lbetheonly
onecar r
yinghi m alongwi t
hthechi ldrenandat
ti
mesi twillbet heotherwayar ound, butonethi
ng
hastobecer tain–nev erlosefaithandhopei nGod.

Onceyoust artdoubti
ngev er
ythi
ng,yourmar r
iage
wil
lst
artcollapsi
ng.”Ithinkthoseareaf ewofthe
mostprofoundwor dsIhav eeverheardfrom a
marri
edcoupl e.Whenev erIl
ookatthem, t
heyseem
sohappybutIcansomehowsenset hatshehas
i
ndeedbeent
hroughal
ot.Kgabof
inal
l
ymadehi
s
waytous.

Kgabo:
(smi
l
ing)“
Mrs.Ncube,
atl
ast
.”

Hedeci
dedtot
alkt
omeandslowlyst
art
ed
whi
sper
ingwhi
l
eKgwassti
l
ltalki
ngtoRami’
sdad.

That
o:(
chuckl
i
ng)“
Asy
oupr
edi
cted.
”

Kgabo:(
laughi
ng)“Howareyoufeel
i
ng?Iam most
cer
tai
nyouar ethehappi
estwomanaroundher
e.”

That
o:“
IndeedIam.
”

Kgabo:“Iam gl
adyoufoll
owedy ouri
nst
inct
s,Thato,
butrememberonet hi
ng;happi
nessdoesnotlast
for
ever.Inbetweenhappydaysy ouwi
ll
experi
ence
t
urmoi
l
,butnev
erf
orgetGod’
swor
d.”

Ihat
esuch.Ibecamepuzzl
edandl
ookedathi
m
wit
hafastpacedhear
tbeat
.
That
o:“
Whatdoy
oumean?
”

Kgabo:“Al
lIam sayi
ngisneverletyourguar
ddown.
Atti
mesy ourcl
osestpeoplebecomeconsumedby
envyandenduphur ti
ngyoubadly.Don’ttel
l
ever
yoneeveryt
hingaboutyourmar r
iage.Becaref
ul
whoy ouconfi
dein–y ourmosttrustedconf
idant
e
wil
lbeyourdownf al
loneday.
”

Ibecameabi tr
att
ledbyhi sstat
ement.All
Iknowis
thatKgabo’
spredi
cti
oni sneverwrong.Hesureis
notonetodropabombshel ll
i
kethatunl
essiti
s
real
lyi
mportant
.Whati sgoi
ngtohappentomenow?
Ifakedasmileandtriedtoacthappyandall
,but
deepdown,Iwasbei ngconsumedwi thworr
y.
Kgabo:(
smi
l
ing)“
Enj
oyy
ourdayf
urt
her
.We’
l
ltal
k
soon.
”

Ismil
edashelef
t.Kglookedatmeonceandhe
knewthatIwasabi
tupset.

Kg:
“Bot
hat
akeng(
what
’st
hepr
obl
em)
?”

That
o:“
Not
hing,
lov
e.”

Hedecidednott opestermeasweenj oyedt herest

oftheday .Finall
yt hecongratulat
ionscamet oan
endandi twast imef orthefood.Iam st arvi
ngandI
won’tli
e.Wehadourbeaut i
fulanddel ici
ousmeal s,
withlot
sofbev eragesofcour se.Ist i
l
l hadKgabo’ s
wordsatt hebackofmymi nd, buttodayi smyday
andIam goi ngt oenjoyittothebestofmyabi li
ty.
Godhasgi v
enmeKgal loveragain.Andi fIhadto
chooseagai n,Iwoul dmostdef ini
telychoosehi m all
overagain.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandSi
xteen

James4:8–“ DrawneartoGod, andhewil

ldraw
neartoyou.Cleanseyourhands,yousi
nner
sand
puri
fyyourheart
s,youdouble-
minded.
”

That
o

Ofcour se,Enandepeopl eknowj usthowt opartyup

astorm.Theyj ustcoul dn’tevenwai ttocelebrate
ourweddi ng.Wedi dn’tsleepmuch, sincewegott o
bedatabout4am.Asusual ,Kgist heonewhogot
upbef oremeev enthoughhedeci dedt owor kmeup
al
lnight.Ihav eaheadachef rom hellandapai nful
body.Icheckedt het i
meandi twas11am.Shi t,I
mustber eal
lybadatt hisqueeni ngt hingbecause
ever
y onemustpr obablybeawake–exceptme.AsI
wasaboutt ogetupandt akeabat h, i
nwal kedmy
darl
i
nghusbandwi thhisf amousbr eakfasttray.Of
course,heusedKi ngNt sika’
st r
aysi ncewewer enot
i
nourownhome.It hi
nkImi ssJo’bur gnow.Just
thef
eelofitandt
hev
ibe.It
hinkIal
somi
sst
hev
ibe
ofVi
vian’
shouse.

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)“
Goodmor
ning,
MaNcube.
”

Ihavet
ogetusedt ogett
ingcal
ledt
hat,
justasmuch
asIhavetogetusedtocall
ingKgNkosi
nathi.Idon’
t
thi
nkIeverwi
ll
,though.

Thato:“Morni
ng,Kg.ei
sh,
Iam soti
red,
you’
renot
sofair.Youworkedmeallni
ghtonl
ytogetup
beforeme.”

Kg: (
chuckl
ing)“It
oldyouthatyouneedtostar
t
exerci
singabit.Besides,
every
oneissti
l
lfast
asleepexcepttheking.
”

Iguesshemusthavegot
tenhi
searl
ybir
dsy ndrome
fr
om hisgr
andf
ather
.Thatmancannoteversleep
notev
eni
ftheypai
dhi
m.

That
o:“
Isee.
”

Kg:“
Ihavegoodnewsandbadnews.Whi
chonedo
youwanttohearf
ir
st?
”

That
ao:
(si
gh)“
Badnews.
”

Mymot heralwayssaidi
fsomeoneasksy out
hat
quest
ion,youstartwi
ththebadnewsfi
rstsothat
youatleastcryonceandenditonagoodnote.

Kg:“
Alr
ightthen.TheBadnewsisthatwehaveto
getr
eadyrightaf
tery
ouaredoneeating.Youhav
ea
l
ottodo.”

That
o:(
sigh)“
Andt
hegoodnews?
”
Kg:“
Thegoodnewsist
hatyou’
llhav
ethi
sgor
geous
meatri
ghtbyy
oursi
deall
day.”

That
o:(
laughi
ng)“
Real
l
yKg?
”

Kg:“
Yes,real
l
y.Am Inotat
tract
ivekgant
e
(t
hough)
?”

That
o:“
Youar
ewayov
erat
tract
ive.
”

Webot hlaughedasweat eourfood.Ihadt ogetup

andgot othebat hr
oom immedi at
elyaftereati
ng.
Kgrant hebathf orusaswegoti ntogetheranddi d
ourbusiness.Il ovethesemoment s, andItrul
yt hi
nk
i
ttakesal ottogetov ert helossofy ourlovedone.
Wef i
nishedupandgotdr essed.Aspert radit
ion,I
havetogetdr essedi ntheNcubeRoy alatt
ir
ef ora
weekorso, justtohonourt hem andshowpeopl eI
am i
ndeedpar toftheirfami l
ynow.
AtleastIdon’thav etostressaboutdoingkot i
-duti
es
(daughter-
in-l
aw)dut i
es.Idon’ twanttobecooki ng
andscr ubbingpotsallday .I
’dhav erat
herstayed
singlei
fthatwast hecase.Weheadedoutofour
bedroom andf oundev eryoneel se–KingNtsika,
QueenNombu, NanaandQueenNandi .Nanaand
QueenNandi aresuchat agt eam now.Iam
guessingsincet heyalsoshar ethesamegi f
tof
seeingthef ut
ureandal lt
hat, i
tmakest hi
ngsal ot
easierandmor eexci t
ingforthem.

Nana:(
smili
ng)“
Wow, Nandi
,l
ookatwhatyoudi
dto
mygranddaughter
.Shemsutwalkaroundwear
ing
t
heseclot
hes?”

QueenNandi:(chuckli
ng)“Yes,iti
snotaform of
abuseoranything,buti
tisjusttoshowpeoplethat
shehasaccept edourwayofl i
fe.Afteraweek,she
canwearwhat evershewant s.Youcanseeev en
Nkosi
nathihast owearthem too.”
Nana:“
Isee.Aslongasyouar
eofabusi
ngmybaby
ot
herwi
sether
e’dbehell
topay
.”

QueenNandi
:(chuckl
i
ng)“Yazi
uyahl
upawena(
You
ar
esotir
ing,
youknow) /
”

Nana:
“Ngi
fananawe(
I’
mjustl
i
key
ou)
.”

Theybur
stouti
nlaught
erl
i
kesmal
lchi
l
dren.

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Mychi
l
dren.Ar
eyour
eady
?”

Kg:
“Ofcour
se,
myKi
ng.
”

That
o:(
frowni
ng)“
Readyf
orwhat
,myki
ng?
”
KingNtsi
ka:“Nomsahasrequestedtoseeyou.We
needtodecideherf
atebeforewestartwi
thcourt
proceedi
ngs.Ihopethati
sindeedokaywit
hy ou.
”

Idi
dn’treal
lyknowwhatt
osaybecausehadI
actual
lyref
used,I
’dl
ookl
ikeabadqueenor
something.Butwhydoesshewanttoseeme
specif
ical
ly
?

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
It
’sokay
,wecango.Iam r
eady
.”

Wepr oceededt owalkoutandheadedi ntoourcar s.

AlongthewayIj ustcouldn’thel pbutt hinkof
Kgabo’swor ds.Ijusthopehe’ swr ongev enthoughI
knowhei snot .IwishNonkany isoorMamaor
someonewoul djustpit
chupandt ell
mewhatt odo.
Whenev eryouneedanswer sf r
om t hedeceasedt hey
areneverthere.Youunf ortunatelyhav et oseek
them i
nor dertofindoutwhaty ouhav et odo.Ai ,
ancestorscanbesosel f
ish,though.Butt henI
guessIwi l
lhavet oprayabouti t.Imusthav ebeen
i
nmyownwor
ldbecauseIhear
dKgcal
lme.

Kg:
“Lov
e,y
ou’
vebeenqui
et.Ar
eyouokay
?”

Thato:“
Ag.Keshap(
I’
m okay
).Justdeepi
n
thought
.”

Kg:
“Ar
eyour
eadyt
otel
lmewhati
sgoi
ngon?
”

That
o:“
It
’sr
eal
l
ynot
hing.
”
Kg: “
Thato, y
ouhav ebeenqui eteversinceKgabo
l
eftusaf tercongratulati
ngus.IknowIam not
i
magi ni
ngt hings,andIknowt hatyouar etr
ying,but
canwepl easenothav eanysecr et
sinourmar r
iage?
You’resti
llyoung, butyou’r
ev erymuchmat ur edand
Ireal
lywantust obeabl etowor kt hi
ngsout
whenev erwehav euncertaint
y .
”

Ei
sh,
IknowKgi
sri
ght
,butt
henIdon’
tthi
nkIhav
e
t
otel
lhi
m ev
ery
thi
ng,
doI
?

That
o:(
sigh)“Canwet
alkabouti
taf
tert
hiswhol
e
Nomsathing?
”

Kg:
(noddi
ng)“
Okay
.”

Icouldseehedi dn’tl
ikemyresponsebutwhatIlike
aboutKgi sthathedoesnotpushmet odoorsay
anythi
ng.Hehel dmyhandandkeptbr ushingi
t
gently
,unti
lwegotoutofourcar .Weev enhavea
dri
vernow, butIdon’tthi
nkIl
ikebeingdriv
enaround.
Thiswholet hi
ngmakesmef eell
ikeIam spoil
edfor
choiceandIdon’ twanttoappearasifIam abusi
ng
theroyalbenefi
ts.

JustbecauseI’
m aqueennow, doesnotmeanthat
every
onehast odot hi
ngsforme.Ihav eneverreal
l
y
enjoy
edany onedoingthi
ngsforme–exceptmyKg
andev enso,onal
ternati
vedays.Ihaveneverli
ved
i
nt hecomfortofhavi
ngacookoracl eanerandall
thosethi
ngsupunt i
lIfoundmyf ather
.Wegotout
ofourcarandmetupwi thNana,queenNandi, t
he
Kingandqueen.Wef oundourselv
esrightoutsi
de
thepoli
cestati
on.

Thecondi t
ionsar esodr eadful; wit
hv eryfewst aff
andsomanypeopl estandingi nqueues.Wewal ked
i
nandf oundt hest af
fav ai
lableenj oyi
ngt heircups
ofcof f
ee–t hatisifthereisev encof feeint hose
cups.Somewer eevent al
kingont hephonewi t
h
theirl
egsupont hetable,whilepeopl ewer ei n
despairwaitingf orservi
cei nthosel ongqueues.I
couldseeQueenNombuandKi ngNt sikalookdown
i
npur eembar rassmentast hisisnotwhatt heyhad
expected.Myt houghtsarenow; i
fthisishowt hey
treatpeoplewhoseekassi stanceandbasi cj ustice
from them, howdot heyev ent r
eatcr i
mi nalsbehi nd
thosebar s?

Thepl
acewasf
il
thywi
thnocl
eaneri
nsi
ght
.Al
otof
thosepeoplelookedsohungr yandtired,yett
hese
poli
cemenand–womenwer eenjoyi
ngt hemselv
es
whileonthestate’
spay r
oll
.Thisi sr
idicul
ous.No
wondertheyhav en’
tfoundDer r
ick.Assoonast hey
sawus, t
heyquicklyjumpedupl ooki
ngshockedt o
thecore.Thepeopl einthequeueslookedatusand
bowed.Ir eal
l
yhat ethat
.Thathast ochange.

That
o:“Per
missi
ont
ospeakandaddr
esst
hepeopl
e,
myKingandQueen?
”

Forsomeoddr eason,theKingpref
ersi
twhenI
speak.Kgisamanofv er
yfewwordsbuthe
demandsrespectjustbylooki
ngatyou.

KingNtsika:
(embarr
assed)“Asyouwi
sh,
Ndhlovukazi(
Queen)
.Youdonotneedt oaskany
furt
her.YouandNkosinathi
arenowtherul
ersof
thi
sland.Feelfr
eetospeak.”
Ideci
dedt
ost
artwi
tht
hepeopl
eint
hequeue.
Thato:(smil
ingandnoddi ng)“Mypeople,pl
ease, do
noteverbowf orusev eragain.Bowingmayhav e
beenasi gnofrespectinthepast,butf
ormei tjust
feel
slikeiti
sasignofi mposi ngaut
hori
tyontoy ou.
Please,ther
eisnoneedt obow. ”

Theyslowlyli
ft
edt hei
rheadswhi l
esmili
ngatme
al
ongwi thKgandt herestofthefamily
.I
completel
yignoredtheoffi
cers,butoneoft
hem was
sofor
war dandst art
edtal
king.

Off
icer
:“MayIassi
sty
ouwi
thany
thi
ng,
Queen
I
sabell
a?”

Icomplet
elyi
gnor
edhi
m andf
ocusedont
hepeopl
e
concer
ned.

Thato:“
Mypeopl
e,mayyoutel
luswhyyoulookso
dreadf
ulwi
thapol
icest
ati
onful
lofof
fi
cer
s? ”
Isawt hem lookattheoneoffi
cerwhooff
eredhis
uselessassistancetomeaf ewsecondsago,whi
le
otherslookeddowni nfear
.Thingsmustbereal
ly
badher e.

That
o:“Pl
ease,speakf
reel
y.Donotmindtheeyes
nort
heearsaroundyou.Icanpr
omiseyou,youwil
l
beprot
ect
ed.”

AssoonasIsaidthatt
othem,theyspokewithso
muchease.Theystart
edopeningupandv ent
ing
thei
rfr
ust
rat
ionandangeronebyone,leav
ingKing
Ntsi
kaanger
edont hei
rbehal
f.Icanimaginehow
hefeel
sri
ghtthi
smoment .

Man: “
Ndhlovukazi(
Queen),apologiesi
fIcome
acrossasoffensi
ve,butwenev errecei
veany
assist
ancehere.Ihavebeenst andingi
nthisl
ong
queueforovertwohour s,
alongwithmywi feand
child.Icameher eseeki
ngassi
stancef
rom these
verypolice,r
egardi
ngmybrother
.Hehasdeci dedto
evictusf r
om ourfamil
yhome,andIhavel
ivedt her
e
fory ear
s.”

Il
ookedathiswi feandchi l
d,andIcoul dsensethe
di
sappointmentf r
om her,withthebabyseemi ngso
hungryandagitated,povert
ywasr ightaroundthe
corner.Howcruel couldthesepolicebe?
Further
more,peoplestartedstati
ngt hei
rgri
evances,
mucht othepolicemen’sdismay .

Woman: “
Ihav ebeenwai t
inghereforov er3hour s.I
camet orepor tarapeinci
dent.Myownhusband
rapedmeandwhenIt oldhim( poi
ntingatt he
forwar dpoliceman),helaughedatmeandcal l
edall
hisfriendstol aughaswel l–incl
udingt hefemal e.I
event ookof fmycl ot
hesandshowedt hem the
bruisesthatmyhusbandl eftmewi thal lbecauseI
refusedt olethim haveme.Youknowwhatt hatlady
said?Shesai dl“Well
,youcoul dhaveatl eastlethim
haveyousi
ncehepai
dmoneyf
orsuchaf
uckedup
body.
”

Ifel
tsomucht urmoili
nsi
deofmeandIal sofel
t
Kg’sagitat
ionashehel dmyhandal otfir
mer.How
cruelcouldfell
owwomenbe?Wor stpar twomenof
thelaw.Iadmi rethi
swoman, sherefusedtol
eav e
unti
lsomeonecamet oassureherj
ust i
cewoul d
prevail
.Anot herelderwoman,aboutMaMasango’ s
age,camef orwar d.

Elderwoman: “Ndhlovukazi (
queen),whenIsawy ou
beingcrownedast henewqueeny esterday,Ihadno
i
deaIwoul dendupher et oday.Myownson, 26
yearsofage, l
iv
eswi thmeal ongwi t
hhi swi feand
sixchil
dren.Ihavebeensuppor t
inghi m evenwhenI
wentonpensi on.Ev ersincethen,hehasbeen
abusingmeal ongwi thhiswi f
eandf i
rstbor n.Ihave
tofeedallofthem whi l
etheybeatmei fIrefuseto
givethem money .Askt hatwoman( pointi
ngatt he
femaleof f
icer
),whyIam her etoday.Iam her e
becauseshehastur
nedmebackmanyt i
mes.I
don’tev
enknowwhatkindofl
awtheyservewhen
theyref
usetohel
pourpeopl
e.”

Myhear tbr oke,andIcoul dn’thel pi tbutl etthetears

fl
ow.Iqui cklywipedt hem back, ev ent houghmy
hear tbledwi t
hev eryst orytoldbyeachandev eryone
ofthosepeopl e.Fr om def eatingt heendsofj usti
ce,
toref usingt ohelpr apev icti
ms, ev ent akingbribes
ast hef ewpeopl est andingbef oremest atedthey
wer ewi ll
ingt otestifyasl ongast heywer edeemed
safeandpr otected.Myhear tbr okeev enmor ewhen
IlookedatKi ngNt sikawhohadr edey esf i
ll
edwi t
h
sadness, QueenNombuwascr yinghy st eri
call
ywhi l
e
QueenNandi andNanawer ebewi ldered, showingno
emot i
onot herthanr age.Il ookedatt heof fi
cers
whower eev ensweat inginf ear .

Thato:“
So,t
ellme,whenyoutooktheoat
ht ol
ove,
serveandpr
otectt
hepeopleofEnandewheny ou
graduat
edfr
om yourcour
ses,i
sthiswhatyou
meant
?”

Theywereallshaken,t
err
ifi
edtospeak,
whi l
esome
ofthem wer
eshaki ngt
heirheadsr
elent
lessl
y.

Thato: “Howdarey oul

ookatav icti
m, someonewho
camet oreportacase,
someonewhor equi
res
assistancefrom anoff
icerofthelawandt urnthem
away ,laughatthem,maket hem feell
i
keabsolutel
y
nothing? ”

Theyweret
rembl
i
ngandmumbl
i
ng,
all
fai
l
ingt
o
speakcl
ear
ly.

That
o: “
HadInotbeenaqueenst andi
ngbefor
ey ou,
woul
dy oubestandingbef
oremewi thther
espect
andfearyoupossessri
ghtthi
sinst
ant?”

Noneoft
hem wer
espeaki
ng,
inst
eadt
heywer
e
l
ookingdown.Ifeell
ikef
ir
ingthei
rassesr
ightt
his
i
nstant,
andIbettheywer
en’tal
lqual
ifi
edt
obein
t
heircurr
entposi
ti
ons.

That
o:“Wer
en’
tanyofy
our
aisedbyt
hewor
dof
God?”

Theyal
lnoddedi
nshame.

Thato:“Youhadbet t
ergoandr eaduponwhatt he
Bibl
esay saboutpompouspeopl ewhoforgetwhere
theycomef rom.Ibetal otofy ougrew upinsimil
ar
positi
onsandpov ert
y,yetyoul ookdownont hese
people.Asf oryou( l
ookingatt hefemal
eof fi
cer
),
whilethecount ryi
sunderheav yGender-
Based
Viol
ence, youdecidet obecomeoneoft he
perpetrat
ors.Ibety ouandt herestofy
ouknow
whereDer rickishidi
nghi mself.AndIbetsomeof
youifnotal lwereinsti
gatorsandenablersinhis
abuset owar dsall
thosegi r
ls.”
Theyal
ll
ookeddownandwer eev
enaf
rai
dtowi
pe
offt
hesweatf
rom t
hei
rfaces.

Thato: “Tellyouwhat ,myf ami

lyandIar egoingt o
seeNomsar ightnow.Shemi ghtbeacr i
minal,butI
dohopet hatshewasnotabused.Whenwecome
backher e,allofthesepeoplehadbetterhav ebeen
assisted, otherwiseall
ofy ouwillbef
ired.Ont hat
note,byt het imewear edone, Ineedallinf
ormat i
on
regardingDer ri
ck,whereheisandwhathei supt o;
allhi
scasef i
lesandhehadbet t
erbear r
estedbyt he
ti
mewegot obedt oni
ght.DoImakemy sel
fclear?!
”

Of
fi
cer
s:“
Cry
stal
,myqueen.
”

Iwalkedawayf
rom them handinhandwit
hKg, whi
le
thepeopl
ewerethankingmef ormyassi
stancewit
h
tear
sinthei
rey
es.It r
iedtocontai
nmysel
f,asIwas
fi
vetocryi
ngmyey eball
sout.Wef i
nal
l
yreached
Nomsa’ scel
l,wit
houtt heassistanceoft heoffi
cers
andstationcommander .Ireall
ycouldn’tevenface
them aft
ertheshittheyputpeopl ethrough.I ti
s
real
lysaddeninghowpeopl eonlyrespondhi ghl
yt o
peopleinpowerandnott hosewhoar epoor.When
wegott oNomsa’ scell,shelookedlikeshewas
reci
ti
ngapr ayer,
wi t
hbl oodshottearyeyes.She
l
ookedl i
keshehar dlyslept,
andgotabi tofaf r
ight
whenshesawus.

Nomsa:(
alar
med)“That
o…Baba(
dad)
,Mama,
Gogo
(
Mother
),Nana…”

Igotsurpri
sedwhenshementi
onedNana.How
doessheev enknowher
.Shebecameevenmore
dist
raughtwhenshesawkg.

Nomsa:
(emot
ional
)“Nkosi
nat
hi…”

Kgcl
enchedhi
sjaw,
tight
enedhi
shandar
oundmi
ne
anddidn’
tsayaword.Thi
shusbandofmi
neisnot
ver
yforgi
vingIt
ell
you.Unl
ikeme,her
eal
l
ytakesa
whil
etoforgi
ve.

That
o:“KingNtsikasay
syour
equest
edt
oseeme.
Whatisthisabout?”

Nomsa:“
Ireall
ywantt
oapol
ogi
zefi
rst
ly.Iwasa
r
eal
lybadpersonandt
hewayIt
reat
edy ouwas
r
eal
lyi
nhumane. ”

Itr
iedreadi
ngheremoti
onsandIr
eall
ycoul
dtel
lshe
wasbei nggenui
ne.Myquest
ioni
s,whyt
hesudden
change?

Nomsa: “
Iknow,youar el
ooki
ngatmel i
keIam
crazy
,oryoumustpr obabl
ybet hi
nki
ngt
hatIj
ust
wantthi
smeetingtogetmyf reedom.Thatt
his
suddenchangeisreall
yafaçade.”
She’
sri
ght
.Mostofusr
eal
l
ythi
nkso.

Nomsa:“I’
vehadar
udeawakeni
ng,That
o,andtobe
honest
,Iam gl
adi
tcameri
ghtatt
hismoment.”

Ibecamepuzzl
edwhenIhear
dhersayt
hat
.

Nomsa: “Yousee, Iwasdr i

venbygr eed, l
ustanda
wor l
dfullofnoshamenorr emor se.Ifelli
nl ove
withDerrickyearsago, andwhenheact uall
ychose
myf ri
endov erme, Icompl etel
ylostit-ev enwhen
myownmot herwar nedmet ostayawayf rom him,I
refused.Hewast hehandsomesoont obeKi ng,
everyonewant edtobehi s,sowhowasIt or ej
ect
him?So, Iof
feredhim myv ir
ginit
y,atthecostofmy
fri
endship.Whent hatwasnotenough, Istalkedhim
andbeggedhi mf orhi sloveandwhenhebl atant
ly
showedmej usthowdi si
nterestedhewas–I
poisonedher .
Imadesur eshewasdead.Ofcour se,i
thur tmet o
seejusthowdev astat
edDerri
ckwas, soIbecame
hisshouldert ocr yonandofcourse,heendedup
marryingmeoutofgui l
tofcourse.Irefusedt olet
goofhi m, evenwhenInot i
cedthatIwassl owly
l
osingmy self,soIdecidedtovisi
tMaMasango.Of
course,att hatti
meshewast hemostf earedy etthe
mostt rustedwi t
chdoctor,soIgotsomemut hif
rom
him.

Shedi dwarnmet hatbecauseDer r

ickdidn’
tlov
e
meatal l,
itwouldturnhimi nt
osomet hingnolessof
ahooligan.Idecidedtot aketheri
sk,andasar esul
t,
hebecameev enwor sethantheperverthewas.
WhenImetDer ri
ck,heseemedl i
ketheperfectman,
butassoonasher apedhi sfi
rstvi
ctim,Iwasin
denial
.Irefusedtobel i
evethatIwast hecauseofit
al
l,eventhoughDer ri
ckhaddeepr ootedissuesof
bei
ngper vert
ed.

Iknowal
lhi
sdar
kestsecr
ets,
andIst
il
lkeptqui
et
whenher apedandv iol
atedallthosechildren.Ikept
quietwhenhemani pulatedmei ntosteali
ngt he
familymoneyandst eali
ngfrom theempl oy ees.I
becamesomeoneIcoul dnev erbe.Nkosi nathi,Idid
whatIdidtoy oubecauseIbel i
evedIcoul dgetr icher
,
andt hewholeworl
dwoul dbelongt ome.Ihadt he
wor l
datthetipofmyf i
nger,andIjustneededy our
bloodandinnocentsoul.Iknow, wor dsarecheap,
butpleaseforgi
veme.Idi dn’tcall
y ouheresot hat
youcouldhav emercyonme, butIcalledYOUher e–
Thato,sothatYOUcoul dhavemer cyonme. ”

Iwassti
ll
puzzl
edandconfused.Whywoul
dIbethe
onetohavemercyonher
?WhatpowerdoIpossess?

Nomsa:“Ihaven’
tbeenabletosleepeversi
nce
Nonkacamet ovisi
t.Yousee,Inevert
oldanyone,
butsoonaft
erherdeath–shewoul dvisi
tmeof ten.
Shewouldfir
stl
yappearindreamsandIwoul dmake
noneofit
.Thenshewoul dappearinreall
if
e,in
spi
ri
tfor
mi nmybedr oom whil
eDerri
ckwasf ast
asleep.Shewoul dsaynothingandst ar
eatmeand
thenoneni ght,shetoldmet hatIwouldhavet
o
surrendertoGodonedayandt hatthewomanwho
woul dmakemeconf esseveryt
hingwasagirl
namedI sabella.Iwasv eryfear
lessandIhadno
guilt
.Ididn’tevenfearGod, sowhowasshe?

Themomentwhent hingsfellapar
t,Istar
tedturni
ng
toGod.Onl yt
henIreal i
zedthatIsti
llhadsome
goodinmeandt hatIhadsomesor tofaconsci ence.
Whichiswhy ,
Icangiv eyouallevi
denceagainst
Derr
ick.Yes,Iam st
illtobeblamed–Imur dereda
womanandobst ructedjusti
ce,Ienabledarapistand
ext
ortedfundsfr
om t hegovernmentofEnande.

Iempl oyednon-quali
fiedpeopl
eatt hecl i
nicputt
ing
everone’sli
vesatri
sk.Iwasf ri
endswi t
hthepol i
ce
andint urntheynevertookcri
meser iously.So,Iam
guil
tyofsomanychar gesandf ort
hatIt akefull
responsibil
i
ty.Myonl ypleatoyou,I
sabel l
a,isthi
s:
Please,takecareofmyZenande.Ir ui nedherso
much, andshecannotstandonherowntwofeet.
Yes,shewillbeahandfulandwil
lmostpr
obabl
y
tur
noutt obear ot
tenapple,
butpl
easetr
yandteach
herhowt ostandonherownt wofeet
.”

Fuck,r
ightt henandt here,Iremember ed
Nonkanyiso’swords–“ Theonewhomi streatedyou
wheny ouf i
rstwalkedi nher ewillbeaty ourmer cy
oneday .
”Wow, li
fei strulyaspi nni
ngwheel .Lifeis
actual
l
yat hornbushi fyouaskme, onlythosef i
t
enoughtohandl et hepai nofthet horns,ri
pt hem out
ofthei
rfeetandsol di
eronwi l
lindeedmakei t.AllI
knowist hatNomsai snotper fectmuchl i
keal l
ofus,
butshesur ehast hebal lstochangeandt ryt obea
goodperson.

Itisnevertolat
et ot
urntoGod,forGodjustwant s
usalltotur
nt ohi
m andbeHi schil
drenal
lover
again.Heacceptsuswi t
hallourfl
aws,withallour
previ
oussinandi sal
waysreadytoguideusright
i
ntoanewl ife.Iknow,alotofpeopl
ewouldt hi
nkI
am t
oonaïv
eorst upidforf
eelingpi
tyforNomsa,but
howmanywomenhav eact
uallydonebadthi
ngs,
someevenil
legal
thingsallbecauseofthementhey
l
ove?

Unf ort
unately,
menknowourweaknessesandwor k
onthat.Theypr eyonusbecauseoft hatandmake
surethatwewor shipthem somehow,anddi srupt
ourliv
esi ntheprocess.Lifeist
ough, butiti
sev en
tougherforanabusedwoman.Yes, Nomsahasher
ownf airshareoft r
oubles,
butsheisjustasmuchas
av i
cti
m asanyot herabusedwomanoutt here.

Howmanymenact uall
yrapethesey ounggir
lsthey
haveaffair
swi t
handmakesur ethatthei
rwives
havenosayduet ofearofbei
ngki ckedout?Oncea
manr eali
zesthatyouarefull
ydependantonhi m,he
wil
lchewy ouupandspityououtl i
keused
bubblegum.Hewi l
leventhr
owt hebubblegum
wrapperrightatyou.
 Nomat terwher
ey oucomef rom, howr i
chyour
familyis,amancanst i
llent
iceyouandwr apyou
i
ntohi sabusivel
itt
leworldandhol dy oumental
l
y,
spiri
tuall
y,emoti
onall
yandf i
nanciall
ycaptiv
e.It
takesav erybrav
e,beatendown, wor noutyetst
rong
womant ocomeoutofsuchasi tuation.

Al otofpeopl ewon’tseeitnow, butIappl aud

Nomsaf orfinallyt
akingast and.Shei sev enwil
li
ng
totakethestandandt esti
fyagainstDer r
ick.She
gaveusherpasswor dt oherownl aptop,thathas
Derri
ck’
si nf
or mati
onanddamni ngev idenceagainst
him –enought owinthiscase.Al lIknowi sthat
Godt r
ulywor ksinmy steri
ousway s–att imesyou
mightthinkyouknowev er
ythi
ng,butev enamer e
homelessper soncanbet hebreakthroughy ouneed.

Wewal kedoutandaswewer eappr

oachingtheexi
t,
IaskedKingNtsikaifIcoul
dseeConstanceand
Khanyi
.Oddl y
,theywer ebot
hheldi
nonecell of
whichIreal
lydidexpect.Assoonastheysawme,
Const
ancer
eallycoul
dn’
tevenhidetheannoyed
l
ookonherface,whil
eKhanyij
ustlookedatmewit
h
thr
eat
eni
ngtears.

That
o:“
Hel
l
o,Khany
i,hel
l
oConst
ance.
”

Const
ance:
“Mxm.
”

Khany
i:(
shaky
)“Hel
l
o,That
o.”

Thato:“
Icamet
oseeyouandasky
ouaf
ew
questi
onify
oudon’
tmi
nd.
”

Khanyinoddedswif
tl
y,whi
l
eConst
ancej
ustf
olded
herar
msi nannoyance.

That
o:“Khany
i,Ij
ustwantedtoknowwhy.Whydi
d
youhat
emesobadl ythatyouwantedt
oki
ll
meand
agr
eet
othi
spl
an?
”

Khany i
:(tear
y)“ Honestl
y,Ihavealway sbeenenv i
ous
mor ethanhat efultowardsyou,Thato.Youseem so
perfect,youhav etheperfectbody,perfect
compl exi
on,ev eryguywant syouandev er
ypieceof
you,whi l
ether estofusendupwi t
ht hecrumbs.
WhenIf i
nall
ysl eptwit
hRendani ,
bel i
evemeIf elt
l
ikeIhadact ual l
ywonagai nstyou.If el
tli
keIfinal
ly
gothim andhewoul dneverstoptalki
ngabouty ou.
Thingswer efallingint
oplaceandIr efusedtosee
thebiggerpictur e.

Whenhewentmi ssingandIf oundoutIwas

pregnant ,mymotherdidn’thesitatet ot ellmyfather
,
whodi sownedmei nthepr ocess.Ihadnowher e
elset ogobuttoConst anceandt otell heraboutmy
situati
on.Ihadhopedshewoul df eel piti
fuland
act ual
lygrantmeapl acetost ayandatl eastoff
erto
takecar eofthebabysoIcangof i
nishschool .But
onceshehear dt
hatIknewy ou, shehat chedthis
plan.Isai
dIdidn’twantanypar
tofit
,soIref
used
andshesaidifIdidn’
tdoit,
shewouldmakesure
thatIst
arvetodeathwithmyunbornchi
ld.Ihadno
choiceandforthatIr
eall
yam sor
ry.
”

Ifeel
li
keKhanyideser
vesasecondchance,
alt
houghapartofmet ol
dmenottodowhatIwas
thi
nki
ngof.EvenKgbeggedmenott oconsi
der
.

Kg:“Baby,don’
tdoit.Ihonestl
ydon’
tthi
nkthi
sone
haslearntherl
esson.Itwil
lcometobiteusin
fut
ure.”

IknewIhadt
olist
entoKg,
butIf
eltsomuchpi
tyf
or
herbei
nganexpect
antmot
herwi
thnoonebyher
si
de.

That
o:“Iwillgi
veyouanotherchance,
provi
dedyou
gobackt oschool
andtakegoodcar eofyourchi
ld.
Youwil
l havetopr
ovey ourenemieswrongandyour
famil
ywrong.Youonl
ygetonemor
e
chance,
Khanyi
.”

Khanyiwassohappyofcour
seasshenoddedwi
th
str
eamingtear
sinherey
es.OfcourseKgwasnot
happyatal
l.

Khany
i:“
Thanky
ou,
thanky
ou!
”

Constancelookedsoannoy
ed, shecouldn’
teven
hideherhatredforme.KgandIwal kedouttowards
theexitandhegav emeonelonglook.

Kg:“
Youar
egoi
ngt
oregr
ett
hisoneday
,Iam t
ell
i
ng
you.
”

HadIonl
yli
stened.
Chapt
erHundr
edandSev
ent
een
Psaml138:
2–“ Iwil
lbowdownYourholytemple
andgiv
ethankstoYourNamef orYourl
ovi
ng
ki
ndnessandYourtrut
h;f
orYouhav emagni
fi
ed
Yourwordaccor
dingtoal
lYourname.”

That
o

Afterourv
isi
ttothePoli
cestation;aswel eftt
he
cell
s,IwasamazedwhenIf oundal lt
hepeopl ewho
hadcomet oseekhelpgone.Ther ewasef f
ecti
vel
y
noqueueinsightandsomeoft heoffi
cerswer e
evenansweri
ngcallsandrespondingtocal l
sfrom
thecommunitypatrol
l
ers.Assoonast heysawus
walkout,t
heybowed.Ihat ethat.

That
o:“
Please,
fort
hel
astt
ime,
donotbow.Iam
noty
ourGod.”

Theyshookt
hei
rheadsanxi
ousl
y.
That
o:“
Whoi
sthest
ati
oncommanderher
e?”

Theyal
l l
ookedateachother
,pr
obablyseeki
ngan
answerineachother
’sey
es,butnoneofthem
answered.

That
o:“
Iaskedy
ouaquest
ion.
”

Of
fi
cer
:“Hei
snother
e,myQueen.
”

That
o:“
Wher
eishe?
”

Of
fi
cer
:“Hei
sonl
eav
e”

Somet
hingt
oldmet
hathewasnott
ell
i
ngt
het
rut
h.
Thato:“
Ididnotlikewhatwashappeningheretoday,
andIbetnoneofmyf ami l
ymember sl
ovedit
,
however,It
hinkitissaf
et osaythatal
lofyouhad
bett
erpreparetogettestedtoseeifyouareactual
l
y
qual
ifi
edorfitt
obeher e.”

Isawaf ewofthem lookatmewi thwidenedeyes

andIknewr i
ghtther
eandt henthattheywerenot
quali
fi
edtoevenbeof fi
cer
softhel aw.Howcoul d
someonebeappoi nt
edandbeabl et oshootand
holdagunwi t
houtbeingproper
lytrai
ned?Nomsa
real
lycr
eatedonebigmess.

Off
icer
:“Myqueen,
doest
hatmeanourj
obsar
eat
st
ake?”

Thato:“
Yes,Imean,wecannothav epeoplewhoare
unquali
fi
edtobeinposit
ionsthatenqui
rethem t
o
takecareofourpeopl
e.Thatishighl
ydangerous.
Takeheed,wewi l
lbewatchi
ngy ou.We’ll
bein
touch.
”
Theyal ll
ookedatusanxi ouslyandIcouldtellthey
werener vous.Weal l walkedoutwhi l
eKgl ooked
real
lygrumpyt osaytheleast.Hest i
l
lhadmyhand
i
nhi s,butIcoul dt
ellj
usthowdi spl
easedhel ooked.
Ican’tshaket hefeel
ingthatt hi
sallhastodowi t
h
Khany i
.Kgi sr eal
l
yoneoft hosemenwhocannot
hidehisemot ionsreallywell,
nomat t
erhowhar dhe
tri
es.Whaty ouseeissi mplywhaty ougetwi thhim.
Wegoti ntoourcarandhewasst il
lsi
lent
.

That
o:“
Doy
oumi
ndt
ell
i
ngmewhati
sonmymi
nd?
”

Kg:
(sof
tl
y)“
Idon’
tfeel
li
kest
ati
ngt
heobv
ious.
”

Okay ,
thatr
esponseki
ndofhurtmyfeel
i
ngs.Idi
dn’t
actuall
ythi
nkthatKghadi
tinhimt
oactsochil
dish
towardsme.

That
o:“
Bat
hong(
Wow)
,Kg.Youdon’
thav
etobeso
chi
l
dish.
”

Okay,
perhapsIshoul
dnothav
esai
dthat
.Itcame
outwrong,Iknow.

Kg:
(ir
rit
ated)“Chi
ldish?Thato,youobvi
ousl
yhavea
l
ottolearnaboutcommuni cat
ionandrel
ati
onshi
ps.
I
foneofusi schil
dish,thenitsureashel
li
snotme,”

Ouch, Iactuall
yfeltt
hat.We’ vebar elybeenmar ri
ed
foraweekandal r
eadyhe’ sspitt
ingfireatme.If elt
sosad, ashej ustkeptquietandkeptl ooking
outsidehiswi ndow.Hesl owlyletgoofmyhand
andIcoul dn’thelpbutfeel t
hatbur ni
ngsensat i
onin
mychestwhenev erIfeelsad,hurtorangr y.Wehad
aquiety ettenseridebackhome.Assoonaswe
arri
ved,hedi dwhatheal way sdoes–heopenedmy
doorf ormeandwewal kedal ongsideeachot her.
Kgisst il
laffect
ionateevent houghwej usthadour
fi
rst“mini f
ight”
.Weheadedst raighttoourroom as
Ifel
tweneededt osortthisissueoutf ir
st.Kg
headedstraighttothebathroom,andleftmeont he
bedalone.Henev erdoesthat.Healway sasksme
tocomebat hewithhim.Itactual
lyhurt–alot.Iam
notusedtor eject
ionfrom hi
m.Iwasaboutt ogo
i
ntothebat hroom andjoinhim,unti
lIheardastern
knockonthedoor .

That
o:“
Whoi
sit
?”

QueenNombu:
“It
’sme.IhopeIam notdi
stur
bing
you.
”

That
o:“
No,
notatal
l
,Mme(
ma)
.Pl
easedocome
i
n.”

QueenNombu: “Oh,I
’drathernot,
outofr
espectfor
youandNkosinathi
.Howev er,
doyouperhapsmind
j
oiningtheKi
ngandIint heloungeforaf
ewmi nutes?
Ipromiseyouwewon’ tt
akel ong.
”
Icont
empl
atedmysi
tuat
ion–goi
ngaf
terKgor
heedi
ngt
heQueenandKing’
scal
l
.

That
o:“
Okay
,Mme,
I’
ll
ber
ightt
her
e.”

Ihear
dherf
oot
stepsbecomef
aint
erasshewal
ked
away.

That
o:“
Kg,
kabowa(
I’
ll
beback)
.”

Heignor edme–It hi
nk.Idon’tknowi fi
tisbecause
oftheloudnesscausedbyt her unni
ngwat erori fhe
diditdeli
beratel
y.Whatifhewasr i
ght.Whati fhe
real
lymeantwhathesai daboutmehav i
ngal otto
l
earnaboutmar ri
ageandrelat
ionships–nev ermi nd
communi cat
ion?Imeansur e,Iam notperfect ,butI
suredol oveKg.Hel ovedmewhenIf eltl
ikenot hi
ng
andt ookmeandgr oomedmei ntot
heper fectroseI
havebecome.
 Couldthisbehi swayoftelli
ngmet hatheis
al
readyt i
redofme?Idon’ tevenknowwhot oask
advicefrom asQueenNandi andNanast er
nly
advisedmet ocommuni cat ewithmyhusbandand
nevergot obedangr y.Eish,any way,Iheadedoutto
meett heKingandQueen.Uponar ri
valinthelounge,
IfoundQueenNombuonl ywai t
ingforme.Iwas
underthei mpressi
onthatI’dbemeet i
ngherandt he
King.

That
o:(
puzzl
ed)“
Isev
ery
thi
ngokay
,myQueen?
”

QueenNombu: (
smi l
i
ng)“ Yes,ever
ythi
ngisokay.I
j
ustwant edtospeaktoy ou–womant owomani f
thatisokaywit
hy ou.Iapol ogi
zeforcall
i
ngy ouher
e
underfalsepr
etense,buttheKi ngcoul
dn’tf
aceyou
afterwhathappenedtoday .
”

That
o: “
Notaprobl
em atall
,Ma.MayIaskifIdi
d
anyt
hingwrongorany
thingtoupsett
heKi
ng?”
QueenNombu: (chuckl
ing)“Notatall,mybaby,no.
Heisjustdepr essed.Yousee, t
heKi ngandIwere
sobusywi thsomanypr oj
ectsandonl ynowhe
real
iz
esj usthowcar el
esshehasbeenwi thhi
st r
ust
.
HetrustedNomsasomuch, andf ail
edtoseehow
sheruinedev erythi
ng.Webot htrustedhert
oo
much.Hej ustcannotf aceyoubecausehef eel
st o
ashamed. ”

Wow,
awhol
eKi
ngashamedt
ofaceme?Comeon.

Thato:“ Pardonme, Ma,butIf eelquitebadabout

that.Pl ease,reassur ehimt hathehasnot hingto
wor r
yabout .Tr uthbet old, yes,youtrustedy our
daught eral ot
, butIfeel thati swhatal lpar
ent sdo.
Allparent sdecidet olov et heirchil
drent othebestof
thei
rabi li
ty.All parentschooset oseet hegoodi n
thei
rchi ldren,
ev ent hought heyknowdeepdown
whatamessedupchi ldt heyhav er ai
sed.Att i
mes,
wedosuchoutofgui lt
;It hinkwedeci detoboost
ourchi l
dren’sconfidencei norderforustofeel
betteraboutour selves.Iam j ustanobody,Ma.
Please,alertthekingt hatIactuall
yadmirehim–
bothofy ou.Yout ookEnandeandt ur
nediti
nto
whati ti
st oday.Al apseofj udgmentmayhav e
causedi ts’stat
etocol lapse,butyoudidwell.You
arerolemodel si
fy ouaskme. ”

QueenNombu:
(smi
l
ing)“
NowIseewhyEv
ely
n
chosey
ou.
”

If
rownedabi
tinconf
usi
on.

QueenNombu: “Yousee, Evel

yncamet ov i
si
tmeon
thenightofyouweddi ng.Cany ouimagine?Ever
sinceshepassedonshehadnev ercomet ovisi
tme
i
ndr eamsatall,butthatevening,shecamet ome
l
iveinspiri
tfor
m –t hesamewaysheusedt ov i
sit
you.Wehadsuchal engthil
yconv er
sat
ionaboutli
fe
andev er
ythi
ngandshet oldmehowshechosey ou
forareason.”
Il
ookedatheranxi
ousl
y.

QueenNombu: “Shesaidshechosey oubecause

youar eoneofaki nd–literally
.Shechosey ou
becausey ouwer ebornjustf orNkosinathi.Youar e
theoneper sonwhocal mshi m downandy oudon’ t
evenknowt hat.Youshoul dpaymor eat tention,
whenev erNkosi nathi
isangr y,henev ergets
overexcit
edordoesany thingbadi nyourpresence.
Hedoesnotev ensweari ny ourpresence.Thati s
howmuchhel ovesyou.Idon’ tknowhi mt hatwell,
butIknowl ov ewhenIseei t.”

If
akedasmi
l
ewi
tht
ear
swal
l
owi
ngi
nmyey
es.

QueenNombu:
(puzzl
ed)“
DidIsaysomet
hing
wrong?
”

That
o:“
Oh,
notatal
l
,myqueen.I
t’
sjustt
hat–wel
l
,
Kgi
smadatme.
”

Sher
aisedherey
ebr
ow.

Thato:
“ Heismadatmeaboutt hewholeKhanyi
i
ssue–wel lIthi
nk.Ical
ledhi
m chi
l
dishofwhichI
soregretnowandhei snotev
ental
kingtome.”

QueenNombugav emeonesternlookandbursti
nto
l
aught er.If
eltsooff
ended–Ireall
yshouldn’
thav
e
discussedmyshi twi
thher
.Now, shethi
nksIam a
realjoke.

QueenNombu: “Iam sor

ryf orlaughing,mychi l
d,
real
l
y .Yourissueisnotfunnyatal l–i t’
sjustthati
t
remindsmeoft heveryf
irstfi
ghtIhadwi t
hKing
Ntsi
ka.Cany ouimaginewef oughtov erawhol e
cookingset?Ihadboughtmy selfoneandhe
deci
dedt obuymeabet teroneandt hrewt heoneI
boughtmy selfaway.Iwassoangr y,Ididn’
tspeak
tohi
m.Irantohi
smot herwhobursti
ntol
aught
er
assoonasIt
oldheraboutthat
.”

Ikeptqui
etbecauseIwasn’
tsur
eifshewassayi
ng
suchbecauseshewastryi
ngtobefunnyorwhat
.

QueenNombu:
“Youknowwhatshesai
dtome?
”

Ikeptqui
etandshookmyhead.

QueenNombu: “Well
,atfirstIlookedatherj ustas
youar elookingatmeandshesai dt ome;
“Nombul elo,amani sli
terall
yl i
keadog–y ougive
him aboneandhewi l
lgladlytakei t
.Tr eatyoursl
ike
adog-pethi m, feedhi
m, nur sehim, l
ovehi m,take
himt othedoct orwhenev erhei sfeeli
ngi l
l
,nurse
him whenev erhisegoisbr uisedorwhenev erheis
feel
ingdownandhewi llrunt oyoulikeagoodowner .
Awomani sexact
lyli
keadog’ sowner–shehast o
l
iteral
l
yt reatherhusbandl i
keagoodol dpet .Men
havefeelingsanddeci denott oshowt hem al ways
l
ikedogs.Whenev ertheyar ehappy ,you’llseei tand
whenev ertheyaresaddened–y ou’
lllesslikel yseeit.
Adogl i
kesmaki nghisownerhappybywaggi nghis
tail
orplay i
nggames–amanl i
kest omakehi s
womanhappybymaki ngki ndgest uresbasedon
whatt hewomant ell
shim shel ikes–t hat’
sl ove
l
anguage.Al lmenandwomenhav eadi f
fer entlove
l
anguage.Yousee, Ntsika,boughty oubet terpot s
becausehewashopi ngy ou’dli
ket hem ev enmor e
becauset heycamef r
om hi m.

Hedi dn’tmeant odi sr

egardyourfeel
ings–hej ust
wantedy out obr agaboutsomet hi
ngtoy ourfr
iends
bytell
ingt hem thaty ougoodhear t
edhusband
boughty out hesepot s.Wheny ouarey oung,you
makest upi dmist akesespecial
lywhenmar ri
ed,but
thekeyi stobeopenandhonestwi thyourhusband.
Learnwhathi slov elanguageisandlearnt ospeak
withrespect .Yes, wewomenl ikeshoutingandt hat
real
lytur
nsthem away.Learntobeateaseev en
thoughitbr
uisesyourego,butahappyhusbandis
bettert
hanagr umpyhusband.”

Ithi
nkQueenNombusai damouthf
uli
nthat
conver
sation.Wow,Idi
dn’
tknowshecar
ri
edso
muchwi sdom f
rom her
.

QueenNombu: “
Yousee, Ihavemadeal otof
mistakesev ersi
ncebei ngmar ri
edt oNt sika,but
nowher edidhet ellmehehat esmeandv iceversa
becauseweal way smadesur ewedi dn’tgot obed
angryatoneanot her.Att i
mesy ouwon’ tevenf eel
l
ikehav i
ngsexwi thhim becausey ou’dbeangr y,but
afterspeaki
ngt ohi m beforebed,hewi llbet ouching
yourgoodspot sandy ou’dbeput tyinhi shandsal l
overagain.Mar riageisnotaboutbei ngspi t
eful,i
tis
aboutbeingat eam andcompet ingtol ov eeach
othermor ethant heotherdoes.Gospeakt oy our
husband, I
sabell
a, l
earntocommuni cate. ”
Sheist hesecondper sont otellmet hatt oday.I
guessIhav esomucht ol earn.Inoddedand
thankedherf orthefrui
tfulconv er
sat ion.Igotup
andimmedi atel
ywentt omyr oom t of acemy
demons.If oundKgal readyinbed, withat owel
wrappedar oundhi swaist,andhi swetchestst ar
ing
mei ntheface.Igotweti nstantly,butmanagedt o
controlmyself.Hewasbusyonhi sl apt op,andI
actuall
yfeltli
kehegotal i
ttl
ebitannoy edashesaw
meent erthebedr oom.Hedi dn’tlookatmeonce,
butatleasthewasr espondingt ome.

That
o:“
Hey
,I’
m back.
”

Kg:
“Okay
.”

Ouch,
heisnev
erthi
sbrief
.Ei
sh,
bei
ngusedt
o
somethi
ngr
eal
lyhur
ts.

That
o:“
MayIsi
tnextt
oyou?
”
Kg:
“Doasy
ouwi
sh,y
ourmaj
est
y.”

Hesaidthatinsuchacondescendingtone,If
eltl
ike
hewastryingtoproveapoint.Igeti
t,cal
li
nghim
chi
ldi
shwasabadmov e.Idecidedtoputmypr i
de
asi
deandsatnextt ohi
m.Isawhi m busywit
ha
beaut
if
uldesignofanecklace.

That
o:“
Thi
sissobeaut
if
ul,
Kg.MayIaskwhati
tis?
”

Kg:“
Iti
saverybeauti
ful
masterpi
ece.A40carat
di
amondnecklace,
andIplantogetiti
nruby
.”

That
o:“
MayIaskwhati
nspi
redi
t?”

Kg:“
Abeauti
ful
womanImar ri
edinspi
redi
t–al
lof
mycoll
ect
ion–henceIdeci
dedtonamemy
companyI
sabel
la.
”
Ifel
tmyhear
tsi
nk.Wow,Iwassomeant
ohima
fewminut
esagoandhedeci
dest
otel
lmethi
sgood
news?

That
o:“
Kg…”

Kg:“Inameevery
thi
ngIdesignr
ightaft
eryou,Thato,
butIam thi
nki
ngthatIshoul
dscrapthi
sveryone.”

That
o:“
No,
why
?”

Kg:“Well
,becausethi
swassupposedtobethever
y
surpri
seforyouonourwhiteweddi
ng.But,
Ithi
nk
thatIam rat
hertoochi
ldi
shtocr
eatesuchathi
ng.
”

Okay,
thechi
l
disht
hingr
eal
l
ydi
dnotf
itwel
li
ntot
he
pi
ctur
e.
That
o:“
Kg-
“

Kg:(i
nterr
upt i
ng)“ Yousee,That
o,Il
oveitwheny ou
actal
lQueenout sideofourbedroom.Whenev erI
seeyoudot hat,Isaytomyself‘
ThatisthewomanI
marri
ed’.Ilov eseeingyouinacti
on,i
tiscleary
ou
werebornf orthis,butIj
ustdon’
twantthistogot o
yourhead.”

Il
ookedathi
m puzzl
ed.

Kg:“Don’tgetmewr ong,yes,youareher etoserve

thepeople,butdon’tforgetthatfamilycomesf irst
.
WhenImar ri
edyou, youpromi sedmet hatwewoul d
beat eam.Wewoul df i
gureev eryt
hingoutt ogether
.
Ihonestl
ydon’ tl
i
kewhaty oudi dwithKhany iand
i
nsteadoft al
kingtomeabouti t–youwentahead
anddidy ourownt hi
ng.Ibecamewet hedayy ou
saidIdo,Thato,andIneedt ohearyousayt hat.I
needt
oheary
ousayt
hatwear
eat
eam now.
”

Hewasdeadser
ious.

That
o:“
Kg,
wear
eat
eam now.
”

Kg:“
Andpromi
semet
haty
ouwi
l
lst
opcal
l
ingme
chi
l
dish.
”

That
o:(
chuckli
ng)“Ipr
omi
se,
Iwi
l
lnev
erev
ercal
l
yout
hateveragai
n.”

Kg:
“Good,
Ilov
eyouThat
o.”

That
o:“
Ilov
eyou,
Nkosi
nat
hi.
”

Kg:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
Oho,
sonowIam Nkosi
nat
hi?
”
That
o:“
Yes,
angi
thi
youhi
dthatnamef
rom me.
”

Kg:
“Thati
sbecauseIdon’
tli
kei
t.
”

That
o:“
Wel
l
,Ido–myNat
hi.
”

Kg: (
smil
ing)“You’
dbet tercal
lmet hatwhenIhav
e
myf aceburi
edinbet weeny ourbeauti
ful
legs,
feasti
ngony ourdel
iciouspussy.”

Eish,mara(But)whydoesKgmakemesoweak.I
smi l
edathim andbitmylowerlipashel ookedat
mewi t
hthosefeasti
ngeyesofhis.Iknowwhathe
want sandhowhewant sitwheneverhelooksatme
l
ikethat.Iknowf orafacthewantst opunishme.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandEi
ght
een
Matthew6:12–“Fr
om theLord’
sPr
ayer–“And
for
giveusourdebt
s,aswealsohav
eforgi
venour
debtors.
”

Af
ewweeksl
ater

It
’sbeenar oughf ewweekswi t
hKgandIl earning
theway softhekingdom andhav ingtogetal lthe
customsdonebef or ewecangobackt oJo’burg.
KingNtsikaandQueenNombuf ullyagreedwi thus
thatIshouldfini
shmyst udi
esfirstandKgwi llalso
starthi
scompanybef or
ewecancomebackher e
andf ul
l
yr unthiskingdom.Theyar ebot hstil
labl et
o
run,sowewi lldoitasabi tofasi dehust l
eunt i
l we
arebothreadyt ost epuptothepl ate.Ihonest l
y
l
ov ebeinginEnande, ev
eryt
hingher eiswaysl ower
thanJozi.

Isometi
meswi shIdidn’
thav
et ogoback.Kghas
beenbeggingmef oraholi
day
, andIknowhehas
somekindoftri
ckuphi ssl
eeve.Gringohas
off
ici
allyleftEnande.I
twassoni cehavi
nghim here
andev eryonelovesseei
ng“thebigwhit
eman”pl ay
wit
hthev i
ll
agekidsandteachthem howtoreadand
wri
te.Thati swhathehasbeenupt oand
sur
prisinglySmallywasinonittoo.

Sokshasal sobeenstayinghereawhil
ehelpi
ng
aroundwiththelocal
church.Sincemylastsermon,
thepastorwaschasedawaybyt hecommunity
.
Eversincethen,t
hewifehasbeensetfreeandshe
couldn’
tthankmeenough, real
l
y.Glori
aandZweli
fi
nall
ygotmar ri
edafewweeksagoandhav emov ed
outofthepalaceoutofrespectfort
hequeen.

Glowantedt ogiv
emebackt hemoneyIdeposi t
ed
i
ntoheraccountawhi l
eago, butIgaveitt
oherasa
gi
ft.Sheisnowabl etostudyparttime,whil
e
await
ingonherbaby ’
sarri
v al
.Shecouldn’tbe
happi
er.Rami ont heotherhand, hasbeenonehel l
ofaroll
ercoaster
.ShehasThendobyt heballs,
demandingthisandt hatfrom hi
m, andnowwi t
hout
Constancei
nthepictur
e,i
tisqui
tehar
dforThendo
togrowapairofball
s.

Hedoeswhatshesay s–al way s.Henev erreally

disagr
eeswithanythi
ng;Iblamet hehor mones, but
NanaandQueenNandi sai
dt hatt hoset wowon’ t
l
astev eni
ftheywerepaidtost aytogether
.Idon’ t
evenknowwhatt hatmeant ,butIdopr ayforthem.
Theywentbackt oJoziawhi leago, andIwas
hopingwe’dgobacksoonert hanIt hought,but
seemsl i
kewestil
lhaveaf ewl ooseendst otieup.
MaMasangoi ssti
llwit
hus, althoughshel ooksso
fr
ailnowadays.Ihatecancer, real
ly.

Especiall
ywheni teat
supatanol dwomanl i
keher
l
iket hi
s.Itjustisnotrightforsomeonet osufferso
muchf orsolongev en.Wehav en’
tseenZenande
eversincet hatdayQueenNandi grabbedherbyt he
throat.Idon’tknowwhy ,butIhavebeendr eaming
aboutherl atel
y.Ikeepdr eamingshei str
appedand
try
ingt ogetf r
eef r
om acage.Idon’ tevenknow
whatt hedr eam means.Ihav ebeensobusyandpr e
-occupiedt hatIhav en’thadthechancet oask
any onewhatt hedr eam means.Ican’ teven
remembert hel astt i
meIhadabr eak,andKghas
beent ryi
ngt ogetmet oexercisewi thhim.Idoget
upwi thhim ev erynowandt hen, butitjustfeel
sso
tir
ing,though.Idon’ tknowhowhedoesi tevery
singleday .Iwasdeepi nthoughtwhenIhear d
Nur sePor t
iacal loutformehy st
er i
call
y.

NursePorti
a:(Scr
eami
ng)“QueenIsabel
la!Ngi
cel
a
uzobona(Pleasecomeandsee)!uMaMasango
uyakubi
za(MaMasangoiscall
ingyou).
”

Mymi ndhaddri
ft
edsof aroff
,especiall
ynowwit
h
Kgout .Ij
umpedupwi t
houtevenwear ingmygown,
asIwasi nmyshortPaj
amas.Ir anoutofmy
bedroom andf
oundNur sePort
ialookingsobl
eak
wit
hwear y.

That
o:(
wor
ri
ed)“
Isev
ery
thi
ngokay
?”
Nur
sePor
ti
a:“
Come.
”

Ididn’
taskanyf ur
ther.Ihurri
edalongsideheruntil
wer eachedherbedr oom.Iwal kedinandwasmet
byav eryunpleasanty etfamil
i
arsight.MaMasango
l
ayi nbed, i
nacor pse-l
ikeposit
ionfaci
ngup.Her
facesobl eak,almostlikeshehadnobl oodf l
owing
i
nherbody–j ustasIsawmymot herthatdaywhen
shehadnobr eathleftinher.Istoodtherefrozen,
andIsawhersl owlylif
therarmf ormet ohold.I
rushedtowar dsherandhel dherhand,tryi
ngso
hardtof orcethetearsback,buttheyimmedi atel
y
l
eftmyey es.

MaMasango:
“That
o,mychi
l
d,i
tisnowt
imef
orme
t
oleav
e.”

Iknowwhatt
hatmeans.Veryfewpeopl
eli
keher
aresof
ort
unat
etodecidewhentol
eaveandhowto
l
eaveatt hat,
whilemostofusdon’tevengett osay
goodbyet oourlovedones.Shehashada
remarkablyamazingfewweeks, whi
l
ei l
lwithcancer,
shemanagedt odomostt hi
ngsshehadbeendy ing
todobef oreshepassed.Heronewi sh,t
hough, of
makingpeacewi thherchil
drenandgrandchil
dren
wasnotf ulf
il
ledandthatpai
nsmemor ethan
anyt
hing.

Thato:(
cryi
ng)“Mme(
Ma)
,ithasbeenanhonour
knowingyou.”

MaMasango: (
smili
ng)Nonsense.Howcany ousay
thatwhenyouareroyalt
yitself
?Iam sopr oudof
you,mygir
l.Neverstopshining,nomatterwhatmay
bethrownyourway,Isabel
la.Youhav eagoodl i
fe
aheadofyou,butchall
engesmayst i
llar
ise.Ihavea
messageforyoutogi v
etoKi ngNtsi
kaandQueen
Nombu.Idon’thavemucht i
me. ”

Il
i
stenedat
tent
ivel
yasIsawherst
art
ingt
obr
eat
he
al
otsl
owerandpauseal
oti
nbet
weenherwor
ds.

MaMasango: “
Pleasetel
lthem, t
hatthei
rnextfamil
y
heal
erisindeedf r
om thi
sf amil
y.Yourdreamswer e
ri
ght,That
o, t
heywer egui
di ngyou.Foraslongas
Zenandedoesnotwantt obesav ed–noot her
heal
ercanbeapar tofthi
sf amil
yapartfr
om her.
Sheisthechosenone, onet hatwil
ll
eadthisfamil
y
i
nt i
mesoft roubleandsorrow,onethatwil
ldeli
ver
yourchil
dren.”

Iwassoconf used.Idoknowt hatbycust om the

royalfami l
yissupposedtohaveaheal er,anditis
supposedt obechosenbyt heancestors,
butev er
sinceNonkany iso’
sdeath,noneofthem hadbeen
hav i
ngthedr eamsthatwoul dl
eadthem tot he
correctpersont ol
eadthefamily.IguessZenande
i
st herightonenow.Wow, nowitmakessensewhy
Ikeptdr eamingofhertrappedinacage.

MaMasango:
“Pl
ease,
That
o,y
ouhav
etohel
pmy
grandchi
ld.Iam saddenedt hatIcouldnevermake
peacewithmyownchi ldr
en,buttheywi l
lbetol
dof
mydeat handwil
l t
ryt ocausehav ochere.Beware
ofwhatiscoming,myl ov
e,forZenandei sst
il
l
tr
oubledandshewi llcauseyougr eatpain–but
granti
ngherfor
givenesswi l
lsetyouf r
eeandenable
youandKgt obebl essedwithwhaty oudesirethe
most .
”

Ifel
tsuddenpani
casmyheartstar
tedbeat
ingway
toofast
,almostl
eavi
ngmybody.Whatdoesshe
meanbyZenandecausingmegreatpai
n?Whaton
eart
hisshegoingtodotome?

MaMasango: “Remember ,sheist r

oubledri
ghtnow.
Sheisthechosenoneandhasgr eatpowersthat
canonlybeunleashedthroughy ou.Onl yyoucan
hel
pherreleasethosepower sinor dertohel
p
peopl
e.Shewi llbethenextgreatesthealerofal
l
ti
me.Yousee, Iwasaverygoodheal eroneti
me,I
am sur
etheyhav etoldyouaboutme.Shewi l
lbe
ev
engr
eat
ert
hanme,
buti
tal
ldependsony
ou.
”

That
o:“
Whatdoy
oumean,
Ma?
”

MaMasango:“Eventheoneyouconfi
deinthemost
wi
llt
urnthei
rbackony ou,
butZenandewil
lbether
e
t
ohelpyou.Iloveyouandtel
lmychildr
enthatI
f
orgi
vethem.”

Isawherslowlyclosehereyesandtakeafewshort
breaths.Fr
om thereIsawhercheststopmoving.I
fel
tmy sel
fcryi
nguncontrol
l
ablyashersoull
efther
body .Whatthefuckisshetal
kingabout
?Ihav e
neverbeensoconf usedi
nmyl i
fe.HowdoIf oll
ow
suitwithwhatshesaid?Thedeadcanbesospi tef
ul
attimes.

Theydeli
berat
elyl
eaveyouwithunanswered
questi
onsandmakey ouponderyourmind,whil
e
theycangiv
ey oual
ltheanswers.Icr
ied,
wallowed
therel
ikeababy.Ifel
tsomuchpaininsi
deofme,
whichwasratherodd.Itr
eal
l
yfel
tli
keIhadsudden
paininmyabdomen.

That
o:(
hol
dingst
omach)“
Aaah!
”

Nur
sePor
ti
acamer
unni
ngt
owar
dsmei
ntear
s.

Nur
sePor
ti
a:“
Whati
sit
,myqueen?Ar
eyouhur
t?”

That
o:“
I…If
eel
somuchpai
ninmyst
omach.
”

Ifel
tyetanot
herpainyetagaininmystomach.A
veryshar
poneasi fIwasbeingstabbedwithaknif
e.
ForamomentIf orgotaboutMaMasangoand
focusedonthi
sunbearablepain.Thepainbecame
worseandIfeltmyforeheadbecomesweat yall
ofa
sudden.NursePorti
aranoutt ocal
lBongani,
ashe
camei nandcarr
iedmewi thbotharmsandledme
out
.

TheKingandQueenar egone,NanaandQueen
Nandi ar
et raveli
ngt hewor ld,myfatheri sal sobusy
withhismi ssionaryschool ,whil
eSoksandKghav e
beengonesi ncet hismor ni
ngonsomebusi nesst ri
p.
Hesaidhewoul dbebackl ater
.Nur sePor ti
awent
backinsidet hehouseandcamebackr ushi ngasshe
camebackwi thmyphone.Wegoti nt ooneoft he
cars,
ast hedr iverstarteditimmediat elyanddr ove
towardsthehospi tal.Yes,NcubeCl inichasof fici
all
y
beentransfor medi ntoaf ull
yfunct
ional hospital
namedaf terKg’ smot her
.

Pr i
ncessNonkaHospi tali
sav ail
ablet
oev er
yone,
withful
lyfuncti
onalequipmentandf ul
lyquali
fied
staff
.Itisnotsofarfrom us, butitfel
tli
kethe
l
ongest10mi nut
esofmyl i
fe.Ihav enev erf
eltso
muchpai ninmyl i
fe.AsIwasscr eaming,whil
e
tr
y i
ngsohar dtopray,Iheardmyphoner i
ngwhi l
e
NursePor t
iaanswereditbrireflyandhandeditt ome.
Nur
sePor
ti
a:“
It
’sQueenNandi
.”

That
o:“
Puti
tonspeaker
,Iam i
nsomuchpai
n.”

Shenoddedf
ear
ful
l
yanddi
dast
old.

Nur
sePor
ti
a:“
Ma,y
ou’
reonspeaker
.”

QueenNandi
star
tedchant
ingcl
anpr
aisesand
pr
aying.

QueenNandi : “Yebo( Yes),Ngiyanizwabaphansi

(I
heary ou,
myancest ors)
.Ngi celaisi
khati
sokulungi
sal ent ole( Iam askingf orsometi
met o
fi
xthis).Vikelani indhlovukaziyenunabant wana
bakhe( Pr
otecty ourQueenandherchi ldr
en)
.Yebo,
ngiy
abonga, ngi zoy enzakanjalo( Yes,t
hankyou,
I
wil
ldoasy ouwi sh).John3: 16–“ ForGodsoloved
thewor l
dthathegavehisoneandonlySon, that
whoev erbel
iev
esinhim shal
lnotper
ishbuthav e
eternall
if
e.”Takeheedinthatver
se,Thato,foryou
will
knowwhati tact
uall
ymeanst oyouv erysoon.
Yourchildr
enareatpeacenow.Youwi llbeokay ,
”

Ibecamesopuzzl
edasIfel
tabi tbetterr
ightaf
ter
shepray
edandsaidt
hosewor ds.Thepai nwas
goneimmedi
atel
y.Wait
,didshej ustsaymychildr
en?

That
o:“
Ma,
whatdoy
oumean?
”

QueenNandi:
(chuckl
ing)“That
o,di
dyouhonest
ly
thi
nkyoucoul
dhav eunprotect
edsexwi
thyour
husbandandnotfal
lpregnant?
”

If
eltmy
sel
fbl
ush.

That
o:“
Wai
t,I
’
m pr
egnant
?”
QueenNandi:
“Youcanbesosl
owat
imes.Yes,
you
ar
epregnant–wit
htwins.
”

That
o:(
shocked)“
Wow.
”

QueenNandi :“Yes,Wow.Youj usthaven’tbeen

eati
ngv erywellandy ouhaven’
tbeensleepingmuch
hencet hecramps, butyouwil
lbefi
ne.We’ llt
alk
l
ater,Ihaveaf ewhunkst omeetont heboatride.
Yourhusbandwi l
lcally
ouintwomi nutes.Bye.”

Shehungupj ustlikethatwhil
eItookaf ewseconds
toact
uallyl
eti tsi
nkinthatIam pregnantindeed.I
meanwow, Ithoughtitcoul
dnothappen, ri
ghtafter
mymi scarr
iage.Iam t r
ulyamazed, andyes,i
ndeed
Kgcalledandt hatti
mewewer estil
loutsi
dethe
hospi
talinthecar.Ianswer edit
.

That
o:“
Hel
l
o.”
Kg:(hyst
eri
cal
)“That
o,ar
eyouokay?Ifel
tasi
fyou
wereinsomekindofdanger.Ihadst
omachcr
amps
andSokssaidIshoul
dcally
ou.”

That
o:“
It
’sokay
,Iam f
ine.I
’
m att
hehospi
tal
.”

Kg:
“I’
m onmyway
.”

Hehungupwhi l
eNur sePorti
ahel pedmeout ,
butI
fel
tfine.Shest il
ldi
dn’twantt ot akeanychances.
Shame, poorBongani andthedr iv erwai
tedforusi n
thecar ,whil
ethestaffapproachedushast i
l
ywi t
ha
wheel chair
.Iwaspl acedoni twhi l
etheyallmade
suchaf ussaboutmeaswewal kedi nt
othehospi tal
.
Ai,Idon’texpectfi
rstclasstr
eat mentj ustbecauseI
am thequeen, youknow.Any way ,NursePorti
a
wheel edmei ntooneoft hewar dsandIsatont he
bed.Thedoct orcamei nandNur sePorti
aexplained
everythingtohim.Hedr ewsomebl oodfrom my
arm,andgosh,Ihateneedles,
real
l
y.Heaskedme
topeeonthemagi calst
ickandIsatt
hereint
hebed
await
ingr
esult
s.IsawKgr uninfr
ant
ical
ly
.

Kg:
“Mywi
fe,
arey
ouokay
?Ar
eyouhur
t?”

Nur
sePor
ti
a:(
smi
l
ing)“
I’
ll
ber
ightback.
”

Ilov
ehowhumbl eshei
sandhowsheknowswhat
todoandwhen.Shelef
twhil
eKghel
dmyhands
l
iter
all
yshaki
ng.

That
o:“
Iam f
ine,
baby
.Rel
ax.
”

Kg:
“Thenwhyar
eyouher
e?Whathappened?
”

Doct
or:
“Wel
l,
MrandMrs.Ncube,
Ihav
egoodnews.
I
ndeed,
youar
epr
egnant
.”
Kg:(
shocked)“
Heh?
!Pregnant
?!You’
renot
pr
ankingme,ar
eyoudoc?”

Doctor
:(l
aughi
ng)“Notatal
l
,myki
ng.Inev
erj
oke
whil
einmycoat.”

Kgwassoecst
ati
c,hecoul
dn’
thi
dehi
sexci
tement
.

Kg:(
exci
ted)“
Babywaka(
Mybaby
)!Youdon’
tknow
howhappythi
smakesme!”

Ismiledast hedoct oraskedmetochangeint

othe
hospitalgownwhi l
ehehadt oper
for
ma
tr
ansv aginalult
rasound.Icoul
dseejusthow
uncomf ortableKgbecamewhi lehesawthedoctor
spreadmyl egs.

Kg:
(Wor
ri
ed)“
Aowa(
No)
,Doc.Don’
tgetaboner
whi
ledoingt
hatnow.Phelathati
smywif
e’s
pr
ivat
es.Onl
yIam supposedtoseet
hem.”
Doct
or:(l
aughing)“
Relax,myKing.I
tismyjobandI
cantel
lyou,wedon’tevengetsexualt
hought
s
wheneverdoingthi
s.”

Kg:
“Good.
”

Bathong(Gosh),
Kg,Real
ly?TheDoct
ordi
dthescan
andtomyamazement ,Icoul
dn’
tbeevenmore
shockedaft
ertoday
.

Doct
or:
“Wel
l,
Iseetwoheart
beat
s.Congr
atul
ati
ons,
yout
woaregoingt
obeproudparent
soft
wins.
”

Kgwasst
il
lreel
ingi
nexci
tementwasIwasso
wor
ri
ed.Wil
l mybabi
esevenmakeit
?

Doct
or:
“Youar
eabout10weekspr
egnant
,Queen
I
sabel l
a,howev erIdoadv i
sey outot akeiteasy,
please.Ast oldbyy ourroyalNurse,yourhistoryi
sa
bittr
ickyconsideri
ngy ourtraumat i
cmi scarr
iage,
not
toment ionthedamagey ourcervixhasendur ed.It
i
samazi ngthatyoumanagedt of al
lpregnantand
notknowt hi
slong.”

I
tisi
ndeedami
racl
e,butIj
usthadt
oask.

That
o:“
Wil
lmybabi
esmakei
t,Doc?
”

Doctor:“
Ofcourse,Idon’tseewhynot .Youareinti
p
topshape,butplease,getsomer est.Andeat
heal
thil
yandr emembert ot akey ourdail
y
supplements.Giveny ourhistor
y ,Iwouldadv
iseyou
tocomeseemet wiceamont hinsteadofonce.
”

That
o:“
Okay
,thanky
ou,
doc.
”
Doct
or:
“I’
l
lgowr
it
eouty
ourpr
escr
ipt
ion.
”

Heleftwhi
leKgl ookedatmewi t
hthepr
oudestl
ook
onhisfacethatIhaveeverseen.

Kg:“Mywi f
e,y ouhav ejustmademet hehappiest
mani nthewhol ewor l
d!Ican’ tbeli
eveyouchose
me, awholeme, tobet hef atherofyourchil
dren.I
promisetohonoury ouasIdi donourweddi ngday.I
will
neverdeliberatelyhurty ouandourchildr
en.I
will
stri
vetobecomeabet termanandbet terfat
her
thanmyf at
herev erwas.Iwi lll
oveyouandour
chil
drenti
leterni
t y,babes.Thanky ousomuchf or
thebestgif
tanymancoul dev eraskfor
.Ilovey ou
somuch, That o.
”

Ihadtosmil
eashesai dthatandmaskt hefear
behi
ndmyf ace.Ireall
yam terri
fi
edofwhat
MaMasangot ol
dme.I tmatcheswhatKgabot ol
d
measwell.Icanonl yhopeandpr aythatGodwill
spar
emychi l
dren’
slivesandkeept hem outof
har
m’sway
.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandNi
net
een

Luke23:
34–“Fat
herforgi
vet
hem,
fort
heydon’
t
knowwhatt
heyaredoing.
”

That
o

Eversi
ncewegotbackf rom t hehospi t
al,Kghas
beensoexcited.Hecoul dn’tev enstopt ouchingand
ki
ssingmybel ly
.Iam t r
yingt osmi l
e, really,
but
deepdownIam ov ercomewi thsomuchwor ry–I
won’tl
ie.Perhapsitf eel
soddf ormet obesohappy
whil
ewej ustlostMaMasango, butthenIcan’ thel
p
butthi
nkthatherwor dsr eallygott ome.So, Iam
guessi
ngZenandehast odel i
v ermychi l
dr enasshe
sai
d?Ov ermydeadbody .Ihav enev ertrustedher
sohowcanshebet heonet ot ouchi nnocentsoul s?
KgandIar r
ivedhomet of indKi ngNt sikaandQueen
Nombui nthelounge.Wesawaher seout si
de,soI
am guessi
ngtheyhadcal
l
edt
hemor
tuar
ytot
ake
MaMasango’sbody.

Kg:(smi
li
ng)“
Greeti
ngs,Mkhul
u(Grandpa)
,Gogo
(gr
anny)
.Punintendedbytheway.
”

QueenNombu:
(Exci
ted)“
Arey
ousay
ingy
ouar
e
pr
egnant
?!”

Inodded.

Kg:“
Oh,yes.Youar
egoi
ngt
obegr
eat
-
gr
andpar
ents.
”

Ki
ngNtsi
kawassohappy
,ashestooduptohugus,
whi
leQueenNombuwaschant
ingandul
ulat
ingf
ir
st.

Ki
ngNt
sika:
“Congr
atul
ati
ons,
mychi
l
dren.Thi
s
coul
dn’thavecomeatabet
tert
ime.Thingsare
i
ndeedlookingupf
oryou.Whatagreatyeari
thas
beenindeed.”

That
o:“
Thanky ou,
myKing.Iam justsaddenedthat
Ihav
etorej
oiceatati
meliket
his.Wej ustlost
MaMasango.
”

KingNtsika:“
Oh,no,pl
easedon’ tthi
nkl
ikethat
.The
Lordgi
v ethandtheLordtaketh.Suchisli
fe,my
dear.Weshoul dneverfor
ceour selv
estobesad
whil
ewehav esomucht ocelebrate.
”
Kg:
“Exact
ly,
Mkhul
u(gr
andpa)
.”

QueenNombu:“
Besi
des,wecl
eansedthehouse.No
oneisal
l
owedtoent
erherr
oom unti
lQueenNandi
comesback.
”

That
o:“
WhataboutNur
sePor
ti
a?”
QueenNombu: “Shecanuseoneoft heguest
bedrooms.Herbel ongi
ngshav eal
readybeen
moved.Wewoul dn’twanthertoatt
ractbadl
uckby
sl
eepinginadeceasedr oom befor
eshehasbeen
buri
ed.”

Iguesst hatisthebeliefrighthere.Iam not

complainingasImar ri
edi ntothi
sf amilysoIknow
whatIhav egot tenmy selfinto.Iam nol ongerThat
o
Isabel
laGr oen,Iam nowaNcube, andassuchIwi l
l
havetobehav e.Wepr oceededt oourbedr oom,
whileIjustcouldn’thelpbutf eeltoogloomy .

Kg:
“Okay
,whati
sitt
hati
sponder
ingy
ourmi
ndso
much?
”

That
o:“
Not
hing,
lov
e.”

Kg:
“Youdon’
twantmet
oremi
ndy
ouofour
conv
ersat
iont
heot
herday
,doy
ou?
”

Thato:(sigh)“ Iam justabi tratt

led.Imean, Inev er
reall
ytoldy oumuch, butMaMasangosai dthatt he
oneIconf idei nthemostwi l
lbetrayme.Thati sthe
verysamet hingt hatKgabosai dtome.Ij ustcan’ t
helpbutwonder .Sheal sosai dthatIam t heonet o
helpZenandef r
om hercur rentmi seryandt hatshe
i
st heonet hatwi l
lbet hefami ly
’shealer.Sheal so
saidthatZenandei stheonewhowi l
lcauseme
greatpain,butonl yifIfor
giveher ,willy
ouandIbe
abletobebl essedwi theverythi
ngt hatwedesi re.”

Kgpausedf
oramomentashet
ooki
tal
li
n.

Kg:“Iam sur
et heyjustmeansomet hingelse,buti
f
wepr ayaboutittogether
,thennothi
ngbadwi ll
comeourway .Itrulybel
ieveandhavehopet hatour
babieswil
lmakei t,baby.Youalwayst el
lmet ohave
fai
th,l
ove.Remembermyf av
ouri
teverse?Theone
Ihadengravedinsideourr i
ngs?”
That
o:“
Isai
ah60:
22.
”

Kg: “
Whent hetimei srightI,
theLordwi l
lmakei t
happen.Ichoset hatv erseforareason–f orIknow
thatnomat terwhathappensweneedt opr ay
together.Ourti
mi ngisn’tGod’sti
ming,butIdo
knowt hatnomat terwhat ,weshallgetwhatwe
desire.Youhav etaughtmehowt ol oveagain,TT.
Youhav etaughtmesomuchaboutmy selfand
aboutGodandf orthat,Iwill
alwaysbegr ateful
.
Thisisanewbegi nningi nourli
ves,sopleaseenj oy
thismomentwi thme.Letusbaski nthemoment ,
please.”

Iguessheisri
ght.Imean, wehavetoembrace
every
thi
ngthathappensinourli
veswit
hgraceand
hope.Idon’
tseeanyr easontobeunhappyabout
thi
s.
That
o:“
You’
rer
ight
,baby
.You’
reabsol
utel
yri
ght
.”

Kg:
“Ipromi
se,Iwi
ll
bewi
thy
ouev
eryst
epoft
he
way.Justt
rustme.
”

Inoddedashegav emeapassionat
ekiss.Oh,I
can’
tbelieveKgstil
lmakesmesowet .Iti
ssti
ll
earl
y,yes,butIguesst
hatiswhathappenswhen
you’
reinlove.

Kg:“
Howaboutareal
qui
ckr
oundbef
orewego
hav
esomelunch?
”

That
o:“
Youdon’
tev
enhav
etoaskt
wice.
”

Kggavemealong,subt
lekiss,
asheoccasionall
y
ranhi
ssoft
,mascul
inef
ingersalongmyarms.I
coul
dn’
thel
pbutmoaninhismout hashi
stongue
metmine.
That
o:(
moani
ng)“
Oh,
Kg…”

Kgj ustlovesitwhenev erImoanandsur r

ender
my selftohim.Heki ssedmyneckasIt il
tedmy
headbackwar dstoai dhim morespace.He
caressedmybr eastswi t
hsuchcar e,andgent l
y
squeezedmyni pples,makingmycl i
tjer
kinstantl
y.
Myhandt ravell
eddownt ohiscrot
ch, asIstart
ed
fondlinghisrock-harddick.Ifel
thishandgeti nto
mypaj amapant s,andhegent l
ystartedrubbingmy
cli
tlightl
y.

That
o:(moaning)“
Aaah,
Kg.YouknowIhat
eit
whenyouteaseme.”

Kg:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
Ilov
eyout
oo,
baby
.”

Hegotbacktokissi
ngme, whil
ehestar
tedrubbing
mycli
tinci
rcul
armot i
ons.Icouldf
eelmyselfget
warmer ,asheproceededi nfastermot i
ons.Kgi sso
goodwi thhishands,thatwhenev erher ubsmyclit,
I
don’ttakelongtoorgasm.Icoul dfeelmyor gasm
buil
dupashest art
edbr eat
hingfasterwhileIwas
rubbinghiscrotch.Ifeltmy sel
fnearingmygoal ,
whenwebot hheardast ernknockont hedoor.Fuck.

QueenNombu: (knocking)“I
sabel
l
a,Nkosi
nat
hi,
apol
ogies,
butyouar eneededatthetabl
e.Wehave
anurgentmatt
ertodi scuss.
”

Icoul
dseetheannoy
anceonKg’
sfacewi
thhi
sey
es
sl
ight
lysqui
nted.

Kg:
“Can’
titwai
t,Gogo(
Granny
)?”

QueenNombu:“
I’
m af
rai
dnot
.Wouldyoubeabl
eto
makeitt
othedi
ningt
abl
einf
ivemi
nut
es?”
Kglookedatmeandsmi
rked.Iknowthatl
ook.
Therei
snowayhecanfi
nishinsuchr
ecordti
ming.

Kg:
“Yebo,
Gogo(
Yes,
granny
),we’
l
lbet
her
e.”

QueenNombulef
tandKgsmi
l
edatmeassoonas
shewasgone.

Kg:
“Youknowwhatt
hatmeans,
right
?”

That
o:“
What
?”

Kg:
“Ihav
etobequi
ck.
”

That
o:“
Kg,
youhav
enev
erbeent
hatqui
ck.
”

Kg:“
Tryme,baby,
comeon.Bonaket
soget
swe
bj
ang(LookhowhardIam)
.”
Hehadtakenof
fhi
sjeansandbri
efsandIsawhi
s
har
ddickpoi
nti
ngup.Isal
iv
atedi
mmedi at
ely
.

That
o:“
Okay
,butbequi
ck.
”

Hesmi ledashet ur
nedmear ound,andofcourse,he
gotonhi skneesanddugr i
ghtintomypussy.He
hatesitwhenwehav esexwithouthi
m muff
ingme
fi
rst.Ididn’
tevenhav et
imetomoan, asheli
teral
l
y
j
ustsuckedmef orabout10seconds.Hegotup
andr ammedi nt
ome.Ihadt omakesurethatIwas
notloud,ashekeptpoundingme.

That
o:(
moani
ng)“
Shi
t…Nkosi
nat
hi…”

Ij
ustfel
tli
kecall
inghi
mthatforachangeandit
seemedasi fheenj
oyedi
t.Hetookhisonehand
andrubbedmypussywhilepoundi
ngme.
Kg:
(moani
ng)“
Fuck,
baby
!”

If
elthi
m goingfasterandf
ast
erandwi
thi
nabout
j
ustovertenminuteshewasdone.Wereachedour
cl
imaxtogether
.

Kg:
“Wai
ther
e.”

Her ushedt othebat hr

oom andgotat owel forus.
Hehadal readywipedhimsel fandpr oceededt owipe
met oo.Heki ssedmeont helipsandt ouchedmy
bell
y .Af terourinti
matemoment ,Ichangedi ntoa
pairofj eansandat shi
rt.Iluckilydon’thavet obe
dressedi nroyalatt
ireall
thet i
me.My“ Kotiza”
periodi sov er,soIcanbedr essedhowev erIwant
aroundt hehouse, butwhenev erinpubl ic,
Ihav eto
bespoton–unl essIfeelli
kewear i
ngsomet hing
el
se.I tjustdoesnothav etobeski mpyort oot i
ght.
Ai,whatcanIsay ?KgandIwal kedouthandi nhand
andfoundKingNtsi
kaandQueenNombual
ready
wait
ingforusatt
hetabl
e.

QueenNombu:
(smi
l
ingmi
schi
evousl
y)“
Thatwasa
bi
tquick.
”

Icouldn’
thelp,butbl
ush.Eish,thewomenoft hi
s
familyar
ej ustt
oonaughty.Ifitisn’
tQueenNandi,
it
i
smyNanaandmostdef i
nit
elyQueenNombu.I
real
lydon’twanttoimagineherandt hekingdoi
ngit.
Itwouldjustbetooweird.

KingNtsi
ka:
“Hai
boNkosi
kazi(
No, mywife)
.Let
them enj
oyt
hei
rbedr
oom af
fai
rsinpeace.
Rememberwhatweusedtobelikewhenwegot
marri
ed?”

QueenNombu:(chuckl
ing)“
Not
hinghaschanged,
t
hough,myhusband.”
Ki
ngNt si
ka:“
Enough,now.Youdon’
twantt
o
embar
rassthechi
ldr
en.”

Ifeltmycheeksbecomesohot ,whileKgwas
smi l
ingeart oear .Ai ,
Idon’tgethowhei snever
embar r
assedr eal l
y .Wesai dashor tpray erbefore
eatinganddugi n.Iact uall
yr eal i
zedj usthowhungr y
Iwas.Usual l
y,awomandi shesupf orherhusband,
buti nKg’sinstance, heli
kesdi shingupf orme.
Theysayt hathespoi l
sme, butheget ssodef ensiv
e
abouti tsot heyl ethim be.Heal waysdi shesupf or
mebef oreweeat .Ihav etri
edt omakehi m stop,but
upt onoav ail
.QueenNandi ev ensai dt hather
husbandwasl iket hatwithher .Hel iterally
wor shippedt hegr oundshewal kedonandwoul d
evenbat heherchi ldrenwhi leshewoul dt akenaps
andr est.Nowt hati spurelov e.Hermot heri
nlaw
appar entl
ywoul dt ryandscol dhersay i
ngshewas
turninghersoni ntoaboy ,butshegotsomadand
pour edboilingwat eronher .Idon’ tknowt hefull
story,butIjustl aughedatt hest ory.
Kg:
(di
shi
ngup)“
Doy
ouwantt
heGr
eeksal
ad?
”

Inodded,
ashekeptaski
ngmei
fIwant
edeachi
tem
offooddi
spl
ayed.

QueenNombu: (chuckli
ng)“Uyabonake, Nt
sika(
You
seenow, Ntsika).Ngabeunet enderlovi
ngcare
kanj
engal esosikhathi si
sacalangabemanj e
ngiv
umay onkei ntoungicelay
ona( I
fonlyyouhadas
mucht enderlovingcar easNkosinathibackthen
whenwest arteddating,I’
dbesay i
ngy esto
everyt
hingy ouaskf or).
”

Icouldn’
thel
pbutchuckl
ewhil
eKingNtsi
kabur
st
outinlaught
erandki
ssedherhandgent
ly.

Ki
ngNtsi
ka:
“Ao,
Nkosi
kazi
(mywi
fe)
,iti
snev
ert
o
l
atet
obeobedi
ent.
”
Astheychuckl ed,Kghandedmemypl ate,
asIhad
askedforsomeboi ledeggswhi chwer eserv edwith
somemay onnai seandsauce, somesal ad,creamed
cheesyspinach, Babypotatoes,steakandquar t
er
chi
cken.Ihav enev erhadall
ergiesinmyent i
relif
e
norhatedanyki ndoff oodexceptbr occoli
,butf or
someoddr easonIcoul dn’
tstandt hesmell ofthe
eggsandthechi cken.

Thato:“
Eish,Babywami(Mybaby)
,okar
ekgogoe
yansil
li
sa(Ithi
nkthi
schi
ckenismaki
ngme
nauseous).Theseeggsal
so.
”

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)“
Alr
ight
,don’
twor
ry.I
’
lleatt
hem.
”

QueenNombu:“WhenIwaspr egnantwithyour
mother
,Nkosi
nathi
,Icouldn’
thandleanythi
ng,but
r
edmeat .I
maginehavingtowakeNt si
kaupinthe
middl
eoftheni
ghtsayingIam hungry .Not
hingel
se
wouldgodown,exceptredmeat .
”
Kglookedabi
twor
ri
ed,
whi
l
eIl
aughed.Thi
sis
hi
l
arious.

That
o:“
Hao,
sowhathappened?
”

QueenNombu:“
Poormanhadt
ogetupandmake
mesomesteak.Iwascr
avi
ngi
tsobadl
ythat
eveni
ng.
”

Ij
ustl
aughedwhi
l
eKgl
ookedr
eal
l
ywor
ri
ed.

KingNtsi
ka:
“Ireal
l
ydi
dn’
tenj
oythatpregnancyatal
l
,
consi
deri
ngitwasmyver
yfir
stchi
ldatthat.
”

Thato:“Yoh(wow),butdi
ditgetbett
erorwasi
tli
ke
thatthr
oughoutthewholepregnancy
?”
QueenNombu: “
Oh,yes.I twasl i
kethatfort
hefir
st
fi
vemonths.Aft
erwar ds,Iateanythi
ngand
ever
ythi
ng.PoorNtsikahar dlysl
eptthr
oughout.I
wouldwakehim upint hemi ddl
eofthenightcr
aving
KFC.”

KingNtsika:“
Iswear,Iwaswor
noutwhenNonka
wasbor n,butaf
terIsawherf
orthever
yfi
rstt
ime,I
j
ustfell
inloveinst
antly
.Shewasmywor l
d,even
thoughherpregnancywastheworst
.”

IsawKgkeptqui
etf
orawhile.Shame,hei
s
probabl
ywor
ri
edaboutwhatisgoi
ngtohappent
o
me.

Ki
ngNt si
ka:“Hawu, Nkosinat
hi,
don’tl
ookso
worri
ed,Iam sureitwon’tbesobad.Wi t
htwins,
it
wi
llbedoubletrouble,butnotsobad.”

Ij
usthadt
olaughbecauseIhav
enev
erseenKg
scaredorwor r
iedmuchbef ore.Thisisawor ri
some
sight,butveryamusing.Wehadourl unch,orbrunch
asKgcal l
sitandthendesser twhichwasa
raspber r
ycheesecake.Theydeci dedt ohir
eachef
whocooksf orusnow, insteadofhel persasitisjust
toor i
skyafterthewholeinci dentwiththepoisoning.
Ev enthoughNomsapl annedi t
,oneoft hecooks
admi nist
ereditandshewasl uckytowal kaway
unhar medandnotj ai
ledf orit.

KingNtsi
ka:“So,wecall
edyouherebecausewe
haveanurgentmat t
ertoat
tendto.Ithascomet o
ouratt
enti
ont hatweneedtopaylobolat
oy our
famil
y,That
o.”

Ilookedathi
m puzzl
ed.It
houghtmyf
atherr
efused
thelobol
a.

Thato:
“MyKing,Iwasundert
hei
mpr
essi
ont
hatmy
fat
herref
usedthemoney?”
QueenNombu:“I
tiscust
om f
orustopayLobol
ato
t
hefamil
ythatr
aisedyou–bi
ologi
cal
ornot.
”

Whatthefuck?Itookamomentt
ojustabsor
bwhat
Iwasbeingtol
d.

That
o:“
Youcan’
tbeser
ious.
”

KingNtsika:“Iam afr
aidweare.Webeliev
et hatif
wedon’t,nothinggoodwill
comeoutofy our
marri
age, I
sabell
a.Yousee, t
hefamil
ythatraised
youmighthol dgrudgesandcurseyou.Thepower
ofthetonguei sverymuchdeadly–waymor ethan
theswordorgun. ”

Ei
sh,Ijusthat
ethi
s.JustwhenIr eal
l
ythoughtt
hat
ever
ythingwasfal
li
ngint
oplace,Ihavet
osee
Sophi
eandKokoMar i
aallov
eragain.Notto
menti
onSont oandall
thepeopleofRockvi
ll
e.I
don’
tknowifIam r
eadytodothi
s.Ifel
tmypal
ms
becomeinst
antl
ysweaty
,asKgsqueezedmyhand.
Hemusthavesensedmyagitati
on.

QueenNombu: “Wedon’ tmeantostressyou,

I
sabell
a,butwehadt odot hi
slongbeforeyougot
marri
ed.Wej ustappeasedtheancestors,
butnow
t
hetimehascome. ”

Ican’
tar
guewi
tht
radi
ti
on.

That
o:“
Whendoy
ouwantt
odoi
t?”

QueenNombu:“
Well,
weweret
hinki
ngamont
hfr
om
now,t
he2ndofDecember
.”

Shit,
that
’smybirt
hday.Thev er
ysamedayKggot
shotwhil
eIgotkidnapped.Idon’tknowi
fIam
readytorel
i
vethattr
auma.
That
o:(
shaky
)“Can’
tyoumakei
tanot
herday
?”

QueenNombu: “Unfort
unatelynot.Thati
stheday
theancest
orschoserightbeforeMaMasango
passed.Iam sorr
y,Iknowt hisdaybri
ngsalotof
heart
acheforyou,butwehav etodowhati sasked.
”

That
o:“
It
’sokay.Thanky
ouf
ori
nfor
mingus.MayI
pl
easebeexcused?
”

Ididn’
tev enreali
zet hatIgotupbef oretheyr epli
ed.
Ihadl etgoofKg’ shandandwal kedtomybedr oom
l
ikeIwasi nsomesor toftrans.Ican’tevent hinkof
rel
ivi
ngadayl i
ket hat.Whati fsomethingbad
happenst omeonmybi rt
hdayy etagain?Whati f
whatMaMasango’ swor dshav esomesor tof
connect i
onwi t
ht hisday?Iam soanxi ous,Ijust
can’tevenhideit.Ij ustwentt othebathroom and
start
edr unni
ngt hewat erinthet ub.Ididn’teven
hearKgwalkin,
all
Ifel
twashi
ssof
thandstouchi
ng
myshoulder
sandkissi
ngmyneckgent
ly.

Kg:
“Letmer
unt
hebat
hfory
ou.
”

Ijustnoddedi nsilenceasheputhi sfamoussal ts

andoi lsint othet ub.Igotoutofmycl ot hesand
ri
ghti ntot het ub.Hedi dn’tsayany thingei ther,and
choset owashmybackandhel pmebat hemy self.
Hehel pedmegetoutandi nsteadofl ot i
oni ngmy
body ,hegav emear eallynice,soothingmassage.I
baskedi nt heamazi ngfeel ofhismagi calsof thands.
Itri
edt ogett hatdayoutofmymi nd,butt hemor eI
tri
edt obl ocki tout ,
themor eIsawt hev isionsof
thattragicdayr eplayt hemsel vesinmyheadal lov er
again.Af terthat ,Imusthav edozedof fwi thoutev en
reali
zingi t.Iwokeupatabout6pm, feelingan
i
ncr edibleneedt opee.If oundKgsl eepi ngnextt o
mewhi chisofcour seabi todd.Henev ersl eeps
duringt heday ,butIguesshemusthav ebeent i
red.
AsIwasaboutt ogot ot hebat hroom, Iwasmetwi th
Nonkanyi
so’
sbeauti
ful
visi
on.Shesmi
l
edatmeas
usual
,whi
leIsmil
edback.

That
o:“
Hel
l
o,Ma.Ni
cet
oseey
ouagai
n.”

Nokukhany
a:“
Hel
l
o,That
o,howar
eyou?
”
That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Iam wel
l
,howar
eyou?
”

Nokukhanya:(chuckl
ing)“
Spir
iti
salwaysatpeace.
Congrat
ulat
ionsony ourbundl
eofjoy,mydaughter
.”

That
o:“Thanky
ou,ma.Ihav
en’tseenyoui
nawhi
l
e.
It
houghtyouwoul
dn’
tcomev i
si
tagain.
”

Nokukhanya:“
Iwasgoingtocomeback, butIam
heretowarnyouofafewunf ami
li
argueststhatare
ri
ghtoutsi
de.Theyaregoingtot
ryandcausehav oc
foryou,
butnomatterwhat,mychil
d,bevigi
lantand
alwaysrel
yonyourhusband.”
That
o:“
Whatdoy
oumean,
Ma?
”

Nokukhany
a: “
Remembermywordsandever
ything
el
seyouwer etol
d.Gr
eetmysonforme.Seey ou
soon.
”

Withthatsaid,sheleftme.Iwentt othetoi
letand
di
dmybusi ness.Idecidedtogetintoalongdr ess
asIhadbeencr avi
ngsomewat er
.Igotoutoft he
bedroom andheadedt othekit
chen.WhileItooka
si
p,Iheardpeopl estorminginandargui
ngwi ththe
QueenandKi ng.

Man: “Ningazonginy
elani
na(Don’
tfuckwithmeyou
two)!Youdi dn’tcal
lmewhenmyownni ecegot
arrested,nowlookwhathappenedtoherchil
d!Se
ulahlaabantwanabakho,Ntsi
ka(So,youare
throwingkidsawaynow, Ntsi
ka)
?Uy abonake
Nombu( Youseenow, Nombu)?Youshoul dhav
e
mar
ri
edmei
nst
ead.
”

Iheardascuffl
eemer geandal oudblowt o
someone’sheadassomeonef el
ldown.Iqui ckl
y
ranoutthekit
chent oseethecommot ionandIsaw
Zenande,l
ookingreall
yweird,al
mostlikeli
fehas
real
lygi
venherar ealbeatdown.Shewasnextt o
somemanwhol ooksalotli
keKingNt si
ka,butKing
Ntsi
kahadhi shandsonhi m andkeptbeatinghim
up.Alongsidethem wereawomanandaman.The
womanl ookedsomuchl i
keMaMasango.Coul d
thi
sbethechaosIhadt oexpect?
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandTwent
y

Jeremi
ah17:7–“Bl
essedi
sthemanwhot
rust
sin
theLor
d,andwhosehopei
stheLor
d.”

Romans16: 17-
18–“ Iappeal
toy ou,brother
s,t
o
watchoutforthosewhocausedi v
isionsandcreat
e
obstacl
escontr
arytothedoctri
net hatyouhave
beentaught;avoi
dthem.Forsuchper sonsdonot
serv
eourLor dChri
st,butthei
rownappeti
tes,
andby
smoothtalkandfl
atterytheydecei
vet
heheartsof
thenaï
ve.”

That
o

Icouldn’tevenbel i
evewhatwashappeni ngi nfront
ofme.Noonewasev enheedi ngtoQueenNombu’ s
voice.Ev eryonewasshout i
ng,thatevenKgcame
runningfrom ourbedr oom.Assoonashesawki ng
Ntsikafighti
ngwi ththatmanwhol ooksv erymuch
l
ikehi m,hemanagedt obreakthem apar t
,whilethe
restwer ejustst andingthere.Zenandej uststood
therealmostl ikeshewasi naZombi estate.Ijust
couldn’treall
yt ellwhatexactlywashappeni ngt o
her.

Kg:(
fumi
ng)“Howdareyouwal
tzinher
eandfi
ght
themanoft
hishouse,
Malume(Uncl
e)Mzi
?!
”
Oh,sothi
sistheunclethatsl
eptwi
thQueenNombu
andgotherpregnantbackint
heday.Nowonder
KingNtsi
kawassoangr y.Hewasbr eat
hingfir
e,
andQueenNombuwasv er
ymuchuni mpressedwit
h
hi
spresence.

Mzi
:(angry)“Wena(
you)
!Howdar
eyoust
opme
f
rom ki
ll
ingthisf
ool
?!
”

Ichuckledi
nter
nal
l
y.Fr
om whatIsaw,Ki
ngNt si
ka
wast heonewhowaski
ll
inghi
m,nottheotherway
around.

Kg:“Youdonothavether
ighttowalki
nhereand
makedemands,letal
onetryandputyourhandson
theKing.
”

Mzi:“
Amanyalawaniayenzakal
ayolana(
Whati
sthi
s
nonsenset
hatishappeni
nghere)?
!Howdareyou
appointYOURgrandsonast
heKi
ngwi
thoutev
en
consult
ingme,Ntsi
ka?!
”

Yoh(wow),t
hismanhasent
it
lementi
ssuesshame.
Ij
ustcan’
t.
Kg:“Iam gi
vi
ngyoutensecondst
ost
atewhatthe
fuckyouaredoi
ngherebefor
eIbl
owyourbr
ainsout
–allofyou.
”

Thereissomet hi
ngaboutKgandIguesst hati
swhy
theycallhi
m Wolfe.Hel i
ter
all
yactslikeaWol f–
unscathed,unbot
hered,fear
lessanddemands
respect.Heinsti
ll
sfearinyoujustbyhiml ookingat
youwi t
hhissquintedeyes.Isawt heothert wo
peoplelooki
ngabi tscar
edast heystartedspeaking
up.

Woman: “
Mynamei sRoseMasango.Thisismy
br
otherBruce.Weareher
eforourmother
’sbur
ial
.”
Sheseemedabi
tcal
merthanBr
uce,
buti
tlookedas
i
fBrucecamewi
thsomuchdrama.

Bruce:(
shouti
ng)“Sif
unaukwaziwhyningazi
tshel
angaukuthiuMauyagul
a( Wewanttoknow
whyy ouneveri
nformedusthatMom wasill
)?!
”

Real
l
y?Thi
sboyi
sful
lofshi
t.

Rose:“
Bruce,
imakancanet
oe(
wai
tami
nut
e,
pl
ease).
”

Br
uce:
“Wedemandanswer
s!”

Kgmusthav ehadenoughbecauseIsawapunch
fl
yi
ngsoqui ckl
yandlandedonBr uce’
sface.He
l
andedont hefl
oor,whil
estil
lforsomereason,
Zenandelookedli
keast at
ue.Shehadnoemot i
on
onherface.ShejustlookedatBruceinadull
mannerandcont i
nuedtolookatme.Herl ookjust
gavemechi l
lsdownmyspi ne.Somethingjustdoes
notl
ookright.TheZenandeIknowi sonehellofa
sl
ayqueen–nott hi
sdir
ty,baref
ootedZenandewho
wasstandingbeforeus.

Kg:“
Idar
eyoutoraisey
ourfi
l
thyvoi
ceatusagai
n
andyouwon’
tli
vetoseeanot
herday.
”

Rose: “I
’v
ebeentelli
ngyouonthewayher
e,Bruce.I
toldyout obehave.Uzol
imal
a(You’
l
lgethur
t).
Please,forgi
veus,myKing.Wemeanno
disrespect.
”

Kg: “
Iforgi
vey ousinceyouhav emanner s,
butthat
fucker,Idon’t
.So, Iwil
lgrantyouonelastchanceto
explai
ny ourselv
esi nadecentmanner .Youwillbe
all
owedt ositdownandspeak, butifoneofyou
decidestoshoutordi splayyourrudeness,
you’l
lbe
thrownoutwi thoutadoubt .DoImakemy sel
f
clear?
”
Rosewasmor
ethanwi
l
li
ngt
ocompl
y.

Rose:
“Absol
utel
y,myKi
ng.
”

Brucejustnoddedindisgust,
withoutsayi
ngaword,
whileMzi noddedsl
ightl
ywhilegivi
ngKingNt
sikaa
nastyl
ook.Ai ,
whenwillt
hisfeudevenend?Kg
walkedtowar dsmeandhel dmyhands.

Kg:
“Ar
eyouokay
?”

That
o:(
noddi
ng)“
Yes.
”

Hekissedmyf oreheadandsatnexttome.Al lt
his
whil
eZenandest il
lst
aredatme.Ireall
yhatebeing
st
aredat,butthi
sisonanotherl
evel.It
’sactual
l
y
cr
eepy.Kgdi dn’
tnoticei
tandneit
herdidKing
Ntsi
kaandQueenNombu.
Kg:“Okay,
let
’sstartwi
thy
ouRose,
thenwecandeal
wit
ht hi
sonelater.
”

Cl
earl
yUncleMzi
sawwhatKgiscapabl
eofdoi
ng,
sohedidn’
tev
endar
etot
ryandrai
sehisvoi
ce.

Rose: “Il
iveintheEast ernCape.Ir elocat
edt here
onceIgotmar r
ied,al
thoughmymot herandIwer e
nev erongoodt er msev ersinceshewasaccusedof
withcraft.Thingswer enev erthesameaf terthat.I
hadhear dthatmymot herwasi llfr
om mybr other
Bruce, butmypr idegott hebetterofmeasIr efused
togo.Hehi mselftol
dmet hatshoul dIgoseeher ,
thenhewoul ddi sownme.Myownhusbandal ong
withhi sfamilysaidthesamet hingt ome.Theyt old
met hatifIhadgonet oseehert henIshoul dnev er
returnandl eavemychi l
drenbehi nd.”

Oddl
y,shet
houghtsobackt
henandnowshei
sher
e.
Kg:
“Thenwhatar
eyoudoi
ngher
enow?
”

Rose:“
Iheardt
hatshepassedonandIf eltIcoul
d
neverf
orgi
vemyselfi
fidi
dn’tatl
eastburyher.”

KglookedatBr
ucewhojustl
ookedabi
tanxi
ous,
but
Roseseemedtobetel
l
ingthetr
uth.

Kg:
“Andy
ourhusband?I
n-l
aws?Chi
l
dren?
”

Rose:(
teary)“
Ilef
tthem behi
nd.Icannotgett
hem
backast heyhavedisownedme.”

Kg:“Iappl
audy ouf
orbeinghonest
,Rose.Ican
assureyouthatIam wil
l
ingtohel
pyoui fyouar
e
completel
yhonestwithme.Youcanr estassur
ed.
”
Roseseemedhopef
ulal
lofasudden.

Rose:
“Thanky
ou.
”

Kg:
“Now,
yourt
urn,
Bruce.Whyar
eYOUher
e?”

Bruce:“
ButRosejustt
oldy
ouwhywear
eher
e.To
buryourmother
.”

Kg:“Idon’ tli
key ourtone.Fort hemer ef actt hatyou
cameher ewi thunreal i
sti
candi l
lint
entions, Iwillnot
l
ety ouspeakanyf urther.Toanswery ourr i
diculous
outburstear l
ieron; youwer enotif
iedof
MaMasango’ sil
lness.Ev eryonewasbusyhai li
ng
herwhi l
eshel ongedf orthet woofy ou.Nei t
herof
youwer eher etoatleastr espectherlastwi shes.
Shewashai l
ed,respect edandf orgi
venal lthankst o
mywi fe.Youshoul dbeashamedofy our selvesif
nothingmor e.Youhadampl et i
met ocomeand
for
giv eher .
”
Rosebur stint
otearsri
ghtawayasKgsai
dthatt
o
them,whi l
eBrucelookeddowninshame.Ij
ust
don’tt
rustthisBruceguyatal
l.

Kg:“Now,Mal
ume(Uncl
e),ubekway
ini
la(
What
br
ingsyouher
e)?
”

Mzi:
“Icametoseewhatmessyourparent
shave
dr
aggedyoui
n!Howdar et
heyappointaking
wi
thoutmyabsence?
!”

Justt
henKgwasal r
eadyupandwasaboutt
oteach
Mzialesson,
butIqui
ckl
ygotup.

That
o:“
Kg,
No!
”

Mzi:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
You’
dbet
terl
i
stent
oyourwi
fe,
l
it
tl
eboy.”
Thato:“
Youwillnotdar
espeaktomyhusbandl
ike
that
.Ifanyonehereisact
ingl
i
keaboy,i
tismost
defi
nit
elyy
ou.”

Mzi:“
Utheni
,sf
ebendi
ni(
Whatdi
dyouj
ustsay
,you
bi
tch)
?!”

Kggrabbedhi
m bythethr
oat
.Iwasabouttobeg
hi
mt ostopi
t,whenIhear
dQueenNandiwal
kinwit
h
Nana.

QueenNandi
:“Nkosi
nat
hi,
lett
hatdoggo.
”

Shespokesosof t
ly,
butitwasfi
rm enoughforKgto
l
istent oher
.Hel ethim gowhil
eshewal kedupto
Mzi looki
ngfuri
ousashel l
.Shegavehim onelook
nje,andhelookeddown.Iguessy ourmom wi l
l
alway sbeyourmom.
QueenNandi:“
Mziwoxol
o,i
sthi
showy out
reatyour
br
otheraf
terever
ypainy
ouhavecausedhi
m? ”

Mzi
:(sof
tl
y)“
No,
Ma.
”

QueenNandi
:“Yi
niamasimbal
awauwayenzako
(
Whatisthi
sshityouar
ebusydoi
ng)
?!”

If
eelhernow.Shewasgett
ingagit
atedtosaythe
l
east
.IhopeIgettobesuchadisci
plinar
ian.

Mzi
: “
KodwaMama(
ButMama)
,youar
eal
way
son
Nt
sika’
ssi
de.
”

QueenNandi
gav
ehi
m onef
atsl
apacr
osst
hef
ace.

QueenNandi
:“Di
dIt
ell
yout
osl
eepwi
thhi
swi
fe
andmakeherpr
egnant
?”

Mzi
:(shaki
nghead)“
Cha(
no)
,Ma.
”

QueenNandi :“
Whatgaveyout heri
ghttowal
kin
her
eanddi srespecty
ourbrotherandhischi
l
dren?
Worstofal
l ournewKingandQueen? !DidIr
aise
youtobehav eli
keadog,Mziwoxolo?”

Mzi
:“No,
ma,
kodwa(
but
)-
“

Hedidn’
tfi
nishandanotherf
atslapl
andedonhis
faceashedidn’
tevensayanythi
nginrev
oltagai
nst
hismom.

QueenNandi :“
Transporti
swai t
ingforyououtsi
de.
Youhav enodecencyandt herefor
ey oudon’
t
deservetostayinyourbrot
her’shouse.Thedayy ou
feelr
emor sewil
lbethedayy ouwi l
lbeall
owedto
wal
kbackinher
e.Sukumauhambe(
Getupand
wal
kout)
!”

Hesl
owl
ywal
kedoutandl
ookedatZenande.

Mzi
:“Zee,
Masi
hambe(
Let
’sgo)
.”

Zenandegotupinarobot
-l
ikemanner
,butQueen
Nandiqui
ckl
ystoppedher
.

QueenNandi
:“Wena(
You)!Hlal
aphant
si(
Sitdown)!
Wena(You)
!Hamba( Leav
e)!TakeBr
ucewithyou
si
nceyoubothcameherewit
hthesamemission.
”

Mzi
:“KodwaMa(
ButMa)–“

QueenNandi
:(i
nfur
iat
ed)“
Fokof
!”
Theybothgotupandrushedout,
leav
ingZenande
sit
ti
ngonthechai
rli
kear obot
.Whathappenedto
thi
sgir
l?

KingNtsika:
(sof
tl
y)“
Ma,
youdi
dn’
tneedt
ofi
ghtmy
batt
lesforme.”
QueenNandi:“
Yes,youareoldenoughf orthat.You
couldhav
ebrokenyourbloodyhipfight
ingwithy our
usel
essbrot
her.Ihavemor epressi
ngmat tersto
att
endto.(l
ookingatZenande)Oh,Nkosiyami (My
God),l
ookwhathehasdonet oher !
”

Iwasconfused,butIknewthatsomethi
ngwasnot
ri
ghtwi
thZenande.Howcanaper sonwhowas
normalj
ustlookli
kethisal
lofasudden.Queen
Nandil
ookedatRose.

QueenNandi
:“Ar
eyoureadyt
ospil
lthebeansordo
youwantmetobeati
toutofyou?
”
Rose:(
cry
ing)“
Idon’
tknowwhaty
ouar
etal
ki
ng
about
.”

QueenNandi :“
Okay,sincewel l
,wenayouareboss,I
am goi
ngt otell
mygr andsonnott ohelpyouget
yoruki
dsback.Ofcour se,t
heydon’tdeservea
hypocr
iteofamot herandsomeonewhokeptt hem
awayfrom thei
rgrandmot her.Angit
hiuyi
starr
ing
wena(You’rethestar
ring,aren’
tyou)?
”

Rosebawl edhereyesoutandbegancr
ying
hyster
ical
l
y .Iguessthat
’sasi
gnofbei
ngincr
edi
bly
guil
ty.

QueenNandi
:“Iwon’
taskagai
n.”

Rose:(
cryi
ng)“Itwasnotmyplan.Bruceisjusta
bul
ly.Heforcedmet oost
raci
zemymot her
,and
nowhef or
cedmet ocomebackher eanddemand
moneyfrom theroyal
s.Heheardthatshewasbeing
takencareofbyyousohethoughtt
hiswoul
dbethe
perfectoppor
tuni
tyt
ogetsomemoneyoutofyou.
”

QueenNandi
:“I
’
m notbotheredbythatandyou
knowit
.Tell
ust heact
ualreasonwhyZenandeis
thewayshei
srightnow!”

Rose:
“Ican’
t.He…het
oldmehewoul
dki
l
lme.
”

QueenNandi
:“I
fyoudon’
tspeaknow,
thenI
’
llbet
he
onetoki
l
lyou.
”

QueenNandiwasdeadser
iousandaft
erwhatshe
di
dtoZenandeafewweeksago,Iknowthatshe
meansever
yword.

Rose:“Mzigotint
ocahoot swit
hBr
uce…Shecame
cry
ingtohim andthatiswhenhehatchedaplan.He
gotangeredatthefactthaty
ouchosetoappointa
newki ngwi
thoutevenrecogni
zi
nghi
m orhi
s
chil
dren.Heisbayi
ngf orbl
oodandwil
ldo
everyt
hingf
orthethrone.
”

QueenNandi
didn’
tlookassur
pri
sedast
her
estof
uswere.

QueenNandi
:“Thent
ell
uswhatexact
lyhedi
dto
Zenande.
”

Rose: “
He…hef oundoutt hatshehasgr eatpowers
afterhetookhert osomesangoma.Hewast oldof
howZenandei sthekeyt oal lt
heblessingsint hi
s
familyandthatitwoul donlytakeonet hi
ngforherto
dowr ong,andev eryonewoul dbeagai nsther,and
thatwouldbet heendofbl essingsfortheNcube
Kingdom.I feveryoneisagai nsther,shecan’tbe
abletoprotectthekingdom andev eryt
hingand
everyoneinit.
”
Igotchi
ll
sdownmyspi neasshesai
dthat.Myhear
t
real
l
ybledforZenande.Thi
siswhatMaMasango
meant.Oh,mygoodness.NowIam dreadingt
o
hearwhathedidtoher.

QueenNandi
:“Car
ryon.
”

Rose: “
Thesangomacutherhandv erydeeply,
and
mi xeditwit
hBr uce’
s, sincehehasmymot her’
s
bloodli
ne.Irefusedt obepr esent ,
Iswear,butwit
h
that,heistransformingheri ntohiszombi e.Sheis
halfwaythere,andbyt hefullmoont omorrow
evening,shewi l
lhavef inal
lyt urnedintohi
sev i
l
ser v
ant.Hedi dsayt hatshoul dZenandebeabl et
o
gett oQueenIsabella,theywi llhavewonov ert
he
Kingdom andev i
lshall pr
evail.”

QueenNandi :“
Rose,Ihopef ory
oursakeyouare
beinghonestwithme, becauseIwi
lll
i
teral
l
yripout
yourthr
oatfrom yourneck.Youhadbetternotl
iet
o
me. ”
Rose:
“Iswear
,Ma,
Iwi
l
lnev
er.
”

QueenNandi
keptqui
etandst
art
edt
hinki
ng.

QueenNandi
:(sigh)“Nana,
asexpected,
mywor
st
fearshav
epr
ev ail
ed.Yourpremoni
ti
onseemst
obe
t
r ue.
”

Nana:“
Ial
sor
efusedt
obel
i
evei
t,butwel
l
,iti
swhat
i
tis.
”

That
o:(
anxi
ous)“
Whatdoesal
lthi
smean,
Ma?
”

QueenNandi :
“Itmeanst hattheyhaveputaspel
lon
you,Isabell
a–aspel lonbot hyouandyourbabi
es.
Theydi dthi
swi ththeint
ent i
onthaty
ouwoul d
becomebar r
en, butt
hent heyfoundoutyouwere
pregnant,andtheyr oseupt otheoccasion.Thi
sis
partoft
hereasonwhyyouhadcr
ampsearli
eron
today.Theywantt
osacri
fi
ceyourchi
l
dren,
using
Zenandetodoso.”

Thiscan’
tberight
.Whycan’tIeverhav
eanypeace?
All
Iwantisjustheal
thybabi
esandahappyli
fe.
Doeshappinessreal
l
ycomeatsuchacostlypri
ce?
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandTwent
yOne

Psal
m 21:
11–“Thoughtheyplotev
ilagai
nstyou
anddevi
sewi
ckedschemes,theycannotsucceed.
”

That
o

Ifel
tli
keIwasi nstantl
yget t
ingabitdi
zzyand
overwhelmedbyt hissituati
on.Ihaveheardofmany
womenwhohav elosttheirbabi
es–somemor e
thanoneev en,butthi
s–i ssomethi
ngelse.Ieven
heardNur sePorti
atell
ingmeaf ewstori
esabouta
fewpatients.SpeakingofNur sePorti
a,Ihaven’
t
seenhersinceIcamebackfrom thehospi
tal
this
mor ni
ng.QueenNandi andNanastart
eddevi
singa
plan,butasusual
,Ihadtobeinv
olved.

QueenNombu:
“So,
whatnow,
Ma?
”

QueenNandi:“Well
,I
sabel
la,doy
ourememberyour
recur
rentdr
eams?Theoneswher eyoukept
dreamingofZenandebatt
li
ngtocomeoutofa
l
ockedcage?”

That
o:“
Yes,
Ido.
”

QueenNandi :“Youhav etosaveher

.Youobv i
ously
can’tdoitalonebecausewear edeal
ingwithal otof
evi
l spir
it
sher e.Weneedy outobefull
yprotected
beforewecanr el
easeherspir
itf
rom bei
ngheld
captivebyBr uceandMzi .Mysonhasalway sbeen
evi
l,Ijustnevert houghthewouldact
uall
ygett his
far
.”
That
o:(
anxi
ous)“
WhatdoIhav
etodo?
”

Nana: “
Youhav etofi
rstbathei nholyashandoi l
s.
Don’tworry,
Wol f
ecanhel pyouwi t
ht hat
.Don’tyou
worry,mybaby.Iknow, youj ustfoundoutthatyou
arepregnantandnowt hisishappeni ng.Ipr
omi se
you,nothi
ngwillhappentoy ourbabi es–notnow. ”

Seet hatri
ghtthere?Thatv erylaststatement“not
now” .Doesitmeant hatsomet hingwi l
lhappento
them atalaterstage?Thi siscausi ngmesomuch
gri
efanddepr essionalr
eady .Aswewer eaboutto
retr
eattoourbedr oom,inwal kedSokshol di
ng
NursePor ti
a’
shandandt heyl ookedliketheyhad
comef r
om dinnerorsomet hing.Iam guessi ng
Sokshasf oundhi smissi
ngr ib.

Soks:
“Sani
bonani
(Goodev
eni
ng)
.”
QueenNandi:“
Solomon,
not
imef
ort
hatr
ightnow.
LookatZenande.
”

Hegaveheronel
ookandhi
ssmi
l
ebecamea
ser
iousf
ace.

QueenNandi
:“Youknowwhaty
ouhav
etodo,
right
?”

Soksnoddedwi
thoutsay
ingawor
d.

Nana:“
Wolfe,
onsecondthoughts,
howaboutyou,
yourgr
andf
atherandSol
omongosetupt heroom,
whil
ewewomengoandgetr eadyfort
heri
tual
?”

Kgl
ookedr
eal
l
yrel
uct
antt
oletgoofmyhand.

QueenNandi
:“Ipr
omi
sey
ou,
shewi
l
lbewel
ltaken
car
eof.
”
Kgkissedmyf or
eheadandl etgoofmyhandi n
weary.QueenNombugotZenandet ogetupasshe
wentwithhert oheroldroom, whil
eNana, Queen
NandiandIwentt omybedr oom.Ican’thelpbut
feel
soanxi ousandsaddened.Aswewal kedinto
thebedroom theyreall
ytri
edtheirbesttoconsole
me,andIj ustcoul
dn’thel
p,butletthetearsfal
l
down.

Nana:
“Oh,honey.Don’tcr
ysomuchnow.Donot
besosof
t,Isabel
l
a,notnow.Youcannotl
ett
he
enemywin.
”

QueenNandi
:“Restassur
ed,y
ourbabieswil
lbefine.
Youknowyourfait
handhowst r
ongitis,
soplease
donotdi
sappointusnow.”

Nana:“
Weneedy oust r
ongenoughtocont
inuewit
h
t
herit
ual,
please,
Isabel
la.Youcannotgot
hrough
withi
tint
hisst
ate.Remember
,what
every
ouf
eel
,
yourbabi
escanfeel
too.
”

Thato:“Idon’
tmeant obesuchaweakl ing,
Nana,
butIam justti
red.Iam soemot i
onall
ydrai
ned
becauseIhav etoconst
ant l
yfi
ghtforwhatis
ri
ghtful
l
ymi ne.Whycan’ tIj
ustli
veinpeace?”

Nana: “
Becauset hepeoplewhoar ehi ghlyblessed
tendt osuf f
erthemost .Weunf ortunatelyliveina
ruthlesswor l
d,Isa.Wef i
ghtwi t
hspi ri
tualbeings
const antl
yonadai l
ybasis.Somet imeswear enot
evenawar ethatwear einaspi r
it
ual warfare.Rest
assur edthatyouwi ll
notsufferforever.Ther eis
alway sli
ghtatt heendoft hetunnel,withoutadoubt .
Lif
ei sat hornbush,mybabyandt heoneswho
soldieronnomat terhowmanyt i
mest heygetst ung
byt hethornsar etheoneswhowi nthebat tle.Not
allofusmakei toutofthebushal iveandhappy ,but
whatmat tersisthatyoudot r
y.”
Iguessshehasareal
l
ygoodpoint
,butIwi
l
lhav
eto
tr
y.Ihavetofi
ghtf
ormychi
ldr
en.

That
o:“
WhatdoIhav
etodo?
”

QueenNandi:“
Well
,wehavetobatheyouandappl
y
oi
lsandholyashonyourbody,
especiall
yonyour
stomach.Thenyouwi
llhav
etostartprayi
ngwi
thus
unti
lmidni
ght
.”

Iwi
denedmyey
esi
nshock.

That
o:“
So,wear
egoi
ngt
ohav
etopr
ayf
or5hour
s
st
rai
ght
?”

Theybot
hnodded.

Nana:
“Thati
sasmal
lpr
icet
opayt
hanl
osi
ngy
our
chi
ldr
en.Come, wedon’
thavemuchti
me.Bruce
andMziareal
readybusywit
hevi
laswespeak.
”`

That
o:“
Okay
.”

Theyproceededtohelpmeundr essast heyputme

i
nt hetubonceagain,fil
ledwit
hholyoilsandash.
Wehadt opr ayastheypouredthewat eronme
whilebothofthei
rhandswer eplacedonmy
st
omach.Icoul dn’
thel pbutal
sopr ay
, andfel
tan
overwhelmingspi
ri
tov ercomeme.

Mzi

Ican’tbel
ievethatmypl
anf
ail
edbefor
eIevengotit
tostartworking.Whatt
hef
uckwil
lIdoonceitf
ail
s
compl et
ely?

Br
uce:
“Youar
esuchani
diot
,Mzi
!Youcoul
dn’
tev
en
getpasty
ourownmot
her
!”
Mzi:“Lookwhoistal
ki
ng.Youar
etheonewhowent
i
nt herewit
hafight
.Nowlookwher
eweare.Thi
sis
suchamess. ”

Br
uce:“
WhenCobr
aaskswhathappenedIam t
otal
l
y
bl
amingyou.
”

Mzi:“Yout hinkthatI’
dtakethefallwithout
i
mpl i
catingy ouaswel l?Don’tf
orget,mi ght yBr
uce.
Youhav ej ustasmucht ol
oseasIdo.Wemadea
pact;i
fthispl anfai
ls,weloseourfir
stbor nsons.I
betyoudon’ twanttoloseyourpreciousLwandl e–
theonewhosuppor tsyouall
.Youwoul dn’twantt
o
l
oset hef ami l
ybreadwinnerbecausey ouwer e
greedy,doy ou? ”

Br
ucekeptqui
etandIcoul
dseet
hatIhadhi
mri
ght
wher
eIwantedhim.
Mzi:“Exact
ly.Now, stopbeingabi
tchabout
every
thingandstartthinki
ng.Wearegoingto
summonCobr a,
andl ethim knowt
hetruth.Iam
surehewi l
lbeabletot el
luswhati
stheway
for
war d.
”

Iguesswewer eal
readyt
ool
atebecausehe
appearedr
ightaway.

Cobra:“
Toolat
e,Mziwoxol
o.Youhaveal
waysbeen
anidi
ot,unl
i
keyourbrot
her
.Pit
yheistoohol
yfor
hi
sowngood. ”

Mzi
:(scar
ed)“
Hel
l
o,Cobr
a.Howar
eyou?
”

Cobr
a:“Cutthebul
l
shi
t,Mzi
.Whyi
stheQueenst
il
l
pr
egnant?”

Mzi
:“Wel
l
,yousee,
thet
hingi
s–“
Cobr
a:(i
nterr
upting)“Ungi
moshel
aisi
khatiwena
sl
ima(Youarewast ingmytime,y
ouidiot
).Itol
dy ou,
i
fyoudon’tgetthisdonebymidni
ghttoni
ght,Iam
goi
ngtotakey ourson.Youwerewarned.”

Mzi:“Wai
t!Giveusafewmorehours.Zenandeis
sti
ll
underyourspel
l
,sur
elyy
oucanusehert ogetto
thequeenandherunbor
nchil
dren.
”

Cobra:“Youhav efi
vehours,Mzi.I
fsheisstil
lal
iv
e
bymi dni
ght,yoursonswil
l t
akethefal
laspromised.
Iam nott hr
eatenedbyyourstupi
dmot herandher
si
ll
ywhi tefri
end.”
Bruce:“I
fImayask,Cobra,i
fyouwer esofear
less
towardsthem,whydon’tyouappeartothem i
nstead?
Imeanwhydoy ouhavetohideyoursel
fandappear
i
nspi r
it
?”

Cobr
a:(
anger
ed)“
Itol
dyou,
Mzi
.Youal
way
sbr
ing
yourf
ooli
shf r
iendst
ome.Thi swon’tendwellf
or
him.Don’taskmest upi
dquesti
ons.Fivehour
sand
count
ing.
”

Isuddenl
yregret
tedmydeal
withhi
m.Whati ft
his
plandoesnotwork?ImeanIcan’
tlosemysonall
becauseItr
iedtobeki
ng.

That
o

OnceIwasdonewi theverything,NanaandQueen
Nandi proceededtot heloungewi thme, whileIsaw
QueenNombuwal kingdownt hestair
swi tha
cleanedupZenande.Oddl y
, shehasnotsai dawor d
eversinceshecameher e.Appar ent
lytheytrai
ned
hernott otal
k.Ican’ ti
magi nehowshef eelsasof
thismoment–t rappedinsideherownmi ndand
body .OnlyGodknowswhatshei sthinki
ngr i
ght
now.Kgr antowardsmei nhast e.
Kg:
“Baby
,oshap(
arey
oual
ri
ght
)?”

That
o:(
noddi
ng)“
Yes,
don’
twor
ryaboutme.
”

Henoddedandki ssedmyfor
ehead.Iwasdrapedin
whit
eclothandsowasZenande.Theloungelooked
complet
elytransf
ormedwi
thsomanywhi t
eandr ed
candl
essurroundingt
hear
eawherethetabl
ewasi n
ci
rcl
eform andmphepho(i
ncense)wasburni
ng.

Nana:
“Let
’sgoi
n.”

Wecar eful
lywalkedinandIhadt ositonapil
l
ow,
whiletherestofthem di dn’tmindsitt
ingont
he
carpentedfl
oor.Zenandesatr i
ghtacrossme,whil
e
Kgsatnextt ome.Ki ngNt si
kasatnexttohi
swife,
whileSokssatnextt oNur sePortiaandNanasat
nexttoQueenNandi .Rosewast heoddoneout,
standi
ngout si
det hecircle.
QueenNandi
:“Andthenwena(you)
?Umel
eni
lapho
(
Whatareyouwaiti
ngfort
here)
?”

Rose:(
scared)“Idon’
tthi
nkIam neededher
e,Ma.
Besi
des,Iam notfamil
y.”

QueenNandi
:“Maufunaukubonaunyoke,
qubheka
ngamasi
mbalawo(Ifyouwanttoseeyourmother
,
carr
yonwit
hyourbull
shi
t)
.”

Rosedidn’
teventhi
nktwice,sheenteredthecir
cle
andsatri
ghtnexttoZenandeast hatwast heonl
y
spotl
eftopen.Nanatookoutherr osaryandsodid
QueenNandi.Theyhadt heBibl
ebef oreus.

QueenNandi:
“Thato,t
akeafewmoments,
close
yourey
esandopent heBibl
eandr
eadt
hefir
stverse
yourey
eslandon.”
Inoddedanddi
dasIwast
old.

That
o:“Matt
hew5:38–“Youhavehear
dthati
twas
sai
d,“
Eyeforaney
e,andtoot
hfortoot
h.”

Idon’
treal
lyknowwhatthesi
gni
fi
canceofthever
se
i
s,butthei
rfaci
alexpr
essi
onswer
eunreadabl
e.

Nana:“Wol
fe,
taket
heBi
ble,
anddot
hesame.Read
t
hev er
seyoucomeacr
oss.”

Kgdidt hesamet hingandtomyshocki ngsurpr

ise,
helandedont hesamev er
se.NanaandQueen
Nandilookedateachot her,al
mostl i
ketheywer
e
si
gnall
ingsomet hingtoeachot herandnodded
wit
houtsay i
ngany thi
ng.

That
o:“
Whatnow?
”
Nana:
“Wel
l
,nowweeat
.”

IlookedatKgwhoal solookedpuzzl ed.Ther ewas

somef oodpr eparedf orusbyt hechefbef oreheleft
,
sowehadsomef oodanddr i
nks.Gosh, Ican’
t
beli
evehowmuchIat e.Iactuall
yreal i
zedhow
muchIwasst ar
ving.Zenandegobbl edt hef ood
withherbarehands–wi thoutevenusi ngcut l
eryas
shewoul dnor mallydo.Whatt hefuck, though?
Couldtheyr eall
yhav ebeensoev i
ltot urnsucha
youngchi l
dintoazombi e?Imean, shei sn’tmy
mostf avourit
eper son,butnoonedeser vessuch.
Aftereati
ng, NanaandQueenNandi stri
ct l
y
i
nst r
uctedust okeepqui etandmedi tate.
`
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandTwent
yTwo

Romans5: 3-5–“ Moret hanthat,werej

oicei
nour
suff
erings,knowingthatsuf f
eri
ngproduces
endurance,andendur anceproducescharact
er,
and
characterproduceshope, andhopedoesnotputus
toshame,becauseGod’
slovehasbeenpouredi
nto
ourhear
tsthrought
heHolySpir
itwhohasbeen
giv
entous.”

That
o

Ithadbeenaboutt hree,probablyfourhourssi
nce
wehadbeensi ttingi nthecircle.Iam soexhausted,
Icanactual
lyfeel my selffal
li
ngasl eep.Appar
ently,
noneofusar eallowedt ofallasleep.Wejusthave
tokeepmedi t
atingunt i
ltheytelluswhentostart
prayi
ng.Ireal
lyf eelodd, asifmysoul i
snotone
withmybody–y etIf eelsomehowconnect edto
God,myancest orsi fthatevenmakessense.

That
o:(
sof
tl
y)“
MaNandi
,If
eel
wei
rd.
”

QueenNandi:“
It
’sjustyourspir
it
,mydear.Youhave
connectedwi
thyourancestors.Theyareher
e.I
needy outof
ocusr i
ghtnow, That
o,pl
ease.Thi
sis
forallofus–mor eespeciall
yf orZenande.Al lofus
aregoingtoseet heancestorsr i
ghtnow,butdonot
bealarmed–f oranyf eel
i
ngoff earoragit
ation
mightscaret hem off.Wehav ecomet hisfar,and
remember ,evilenergi
esareaboutt omaket heir
presence,soourancest orsareher etoprotectus.
Cany oudot hat,Thato?”

Inoddedandtr
iedmybestnottobefearf
ul.MyKg
hasbeensosupport
ive,
hehasjustbeenpray
ingal
l
thewaythr
oughandnev erl
etgoofmyhand.

Nana:
“Isa,
pleaseopentheBi
bleagai
nandr
eadt
he
ver
sethatyouseeagain.
”

Idi
dast ol
dandmyey esl
andedonthever
ysame
ver
seyetagain–Mat thew5:
38.NanaandQueen
Nandibothlookedateachot
heronceagai
nbutsai
d
not
hingelsetome.
QueenNandi
:“Nkosi
nat
hi,
opent
heBi
bleandr
ead
yourv
ersepl
ease.
”

Kgdidasinst
ruct
ed,
andt
hist
ime,
hel
andedona
di
ff
erentone.

Kg:“Job1:21–“NakedIcamefrom mymother’
s
womb, andnakedIwil
ldepar
t.TheLor
dgivet
hand
theLordtaket
haway;maythenameoftheLordbe
prai
sed.”

Thatversedidn’tsi
tverywellwit
hme, butItriedmy
utmostbestt oremaincalm.QueenNandi andNana
bothlookedatoneanot heryetagai
nandsai d
nothi
ng, butIdeci
dednottoask.Suddenl y,t
heai r
aroundusf eltr
atherwindy,
butinapeacef ulway.
Wef eltaweirdaura,andanov er
whelmingpr esence.
Li
ghtappear edbeforeus,butwecouldn’tsee
anyone.
Nana:“Rememberwhatwesai
d,I
sabel
l
a,t
hebal
li
s
i
ny ourcour
t.Letuscl
oseourey
es.
”

QueenNandi :(pr
ayi
ng)“Baphansi (ourancestors),
BakaNcube( TheNcubes), BakaMokoena( The
Mokoena’ s),BakaGroen( TheGr oen’s)
,Baka
Masango( TheMasango’s), BakaDl omo( The
Dlomo’ s)
,weal lwel
comey ouhere.Weknowi twas
notaneasyt asktosummony ouallatonce,butwe
asky outopleasedowhaty ouneedt odoindue
dil
igence.Weasky outopr otectus,mor eespecial
ly
oury oungmot herwit
hherunbor ncubs.

Sheneedsy ounowmor ethanev er.Yebo( Yes)

,we
havereceivedt hemessage,howev er
,weaskt hat
wemaybegi venachancetoappeasey ou.Weneed
ever
yonet ogetoutofher eali
ve–andbyev er
yone,I
meanEVERYONE.Zwel i,myhusband, kudala
uhambaname( y
ouhavebeenwi t
hmet hroughout)
,
kodwalenai yangihl
ula(
butthisoneistooheav yfor
me).Ngi celaubenathi(
Pleasebewi thus).
Umf anawakhouy aganga( Yoursoni smi schi
evous),
play
ingGodwi t
hy ourgrandson’sli
fe,forthatIask
forawayout.Rev ealtomei fther
ei sany thi
ngelse
wecant r
y.Ihatebar gaini
ng,andIam notdoi ngit
asasignofdisrespect,butIam doingitsot hatwe
canreachacommonunder standi
ng.Pl ease,save
us.Amen.”

Immedi atel
ywhenIopenedmyey es,Iwasmetwi t
h
themostbeaut if
ul si
ghtIhav eev ercomeacr oss.I
sawmyl atemother ,
Petunia,Mul alo,Nonkany i
so
andaf ewot herpeopleIdon’tr ecognize,butallhave
aresembl ancetot heNcubef ami ly.Theywer eall
dressedinCheet ahskinclothes, whileAuntVi vi
an
wasal sonexttot hem,butdr essedi ndif
ferentatti
re.

ShewasdressedinaLeopardatti
re,whi
leIsawa
whitemanalongwithafewwhitepeoplenexttohi
m
dressedi
nallwhi
te.Iam assumingthati
sNana’s
l
atehusband,byt
hewayhewassmi l
i
ngatherand
thenatme.IsawMaMasangodr essedinZebra
clothi
ng,alongsideot herpeoplewhower edressed
thesameasher ,whil
esomeoft heotherswere
dressedinEl ephantcl ot
hing.Wow, Iam guessi
ng
thisisourancest rall
ineage.Whatsur pr
isedmet he
mosti sthatthel oungelit
erall
ylookedli
kewewer e
i
naf i
eldfull
oft reesandbushes–wewer eno
l
ongeri nourl oungesoi tseems.

Therewer ealsoani malsalongsidet

hesepeople.
Eachtri
behadt heirownani mal.TheNcubeshad
Cheetahs;theLet swalo’
swhoar eMam’ V’
smaiden
famil
yhadaLeopar d;MaMasangohadaZebr awith
herfamil
y ,whiletheothershadanEl ephant.The
Groenshadwhi tedovespr esentwit
hthem.Thi si
s
suchabeaut ifulsight
,Idon’tthi
nkIeverwantto
for
getthis.

Nonkanyi
so:“I
sabell
a,mybaby.RememberwhatI
tol
dyou.Tonight,
youwill
havetofi
ghtfordearl
i
fe.
Iam sosorr
yithascomet ot
his,
butithastobe
done.Yourl i
fealongwiththebabi
e’sli
vesareallin
gravedanger,butZenandeneedsy oumostr i
ght
now.Shewi l
lbet heonetosaveyouallandwi l
l
guideyoutilherlastdaysonthi
searth.Iknow, y
ou
havebeent hroughsomuch, butpl
easer emember
whatItoldyou–t hebesti
syettocomei fonlyyour
heartcanremai npure.Youareaforgivi
ngperson,
thati
swhoy ouar e.Donoteverl
etev i
lconsume
yourheart
.”

Shethenl
ookedatNanaandQueenNandi
along
wit
hSoks.

Nonkany
iso:
“Youknowwhatt
odo.Thet
imei
s
now.”

Thet
hreeoft
hem nodded.

QueenNandi
:“That
o,Ineedyout
oprayr
ightnow.
Prayl
ikey
ouhaveneverpray
edbefor
e.Callupon
yourancest
ors,uponeveryonesurroundi
ngusright
nowandpr ayforthosebabies,pr
ayforZenande,
praythatweallmakeitoutaliv
etonight.
”

InoddedasItookadeepbreath,closedmyey es
andstar
tedprayi
ngwit
hKg’sfirm handinmi ne.AsI
wasprayi
ng,Icoul
dheart
her estoft hem pr
ayingas
well
.

Thato:“BadimobagaMokoena, bagaGr oen,baga

Ncube, bagaMasango, lebohlebakesabat sebeng
kaleleme( Thegr eatancest or
softheMokoena
famil
y ,t
heGr oenf ami l
y,theNcubefamil
y ,
the
Masangof amily,andev eryoneel
sethatIdonot
knowof fbyhear t
).Real elebogagelerefihl
etse
(Wet hanky ouf oryourpresence).Kekopal e
tshwaranemat sogol eModi mowar enalere
bontshet sel
a( Please,wor kal
ongsi
deourGodand
l
eadt heway )
.

Idonotknowwhatt
hef
utur
ehol
ds,
butal
lIknowi
s
thatIl
ov emychi l
drenandIam pr eparedtodief or
them.Iaskt haty ouprotecteachandev eryoneof
ushere,protectZenande.Gi vemet hest r
engthand
couragetoforgiveherandf acewhat everisaboutto
come.Iknownotwhyt hesethi
ngsar eall
happeningtous, butforGodhasal way shadhisway
andsoi tshallbe.

WhenJesussay syes,nobodycansayno.Justas
Jesusr aisedthewidow’ssoninthebookofKings,I
asky out otouchZenande’sli
fei
nthesameway .
ThesamewayJesusf edthe5000peopleint
he
BookofMar k,
Iaskthatyoufeeduswiththeholy
spir
itaswel l.JustasJesushealedtheparal
yzed
mani nt hebookofLuke, IaskyoutohealZenande
forus.

JustasJesussti
lt
edthest
orminthebookofMar k,
Iasky outohel
puspassthi
sstor
m aswell
.As
JesussaidinJohn14:
6“Iam t
heway,thet
rut
hand
theli
fe.”Forweknowthaty
oucanhelpus.Please,
guideus, forwecannotdot hi
swithoutyou.You
knowus, andy ouknowt hereisareasonfor
everyt
hing.Wear eall
hereforareason.Idonot
knowwhyIwast askedwithsuchahuge
responsibili
ty,
butIam notquestioning,
allIaski
s
thatyour evealtheanswerst omei nduecourse.
Amen. ”

AsIopenedmyeyes,IsawZenande’
sey
esbecome
pur
ewhiteandIbecamescar
ed.

QueenNandi :
“Donotf
ear,
Thato,hewil
lfeedof
f
yourfearandusei
tagai
nstyou!Pray
,mydearchil
d,
pray!
”

Iheardallt
hoseani malsmakingsounds,thoset hat
roarwereroaring,Icouldhearthem soloudasi fI
wasatagamef arm.Zenander emained
unresponsi
vewi thpur ewhit
eey es,
Icouldn’
teven
seethepupils.Idon’ tevenknowwhoi twast hat
QueenNandi wasr efer
ri
ngtoabouthimf eedingof f
myf
ear
,butseei
ngZenandel
i
ket
hat
,Ij
usthadt
otr
y.

Ast heanimalswer eroar

ing,theancestor
swer e
makingchantingandul ul
atingsounds.Allthiswhi
l
e
Rosewaspr ayingwithtearsstreamingdownher
face.Ifel
tmyey esbecomesoggyasIsawZenende,
andIdugdeepi ntomysoul andf oundt
helitt
le
energyIhadleftandusedi ttohelpmycousi n.

Thato:“Iappeal toy ouoncemor e,myancest or

s,my
God!Bewi thZenander i
ghtnow, f
ornoev ilcan
prosperagai nstachi ldwhohassomuchpower .
Shehasar esponsibili
tytowardsherpeopleandhow
dareany onet ryandt aket hatawayfrom her?!For
youGod, knowev ery thi
ng.Jer emi
ah1:5–“ Before
youwer ef ormedi nt hewombIknewy ou,befor
ey ou
werebor nIsety ouapar t;Iappoi
ntedyouasa
prophettot henat i
ons. ”

Eccel
siast
es6:10–“Whateverexi
stshasal
ready
beennamed, andwhathumanit
yishasbeenknown;
noonecancont endwithsomeonewhoi sstronger .
”
Isai
ah46:10–“ Imakeknownt heendf rom the
beginni
ng,fr
om anci
enttimes, whatisst i
llt
ocome.
Isay;“Mypurposewil
lstand,andIwi lldoal l
t hatI
please.
”Fornoonehast herighttocont estwhat
Godhasal r
eadysetapartandhasal readywr itt
eni n
theheavens!Whateverev i
lspiri
tthathasZenande
hostage,Ir
ebukeyou!Icondemny ou!Weshal lnot
fearanyevil
forGodiswal ki
ngr i
ghtamongstus! ”

Iheardt heroar i
ngbecomel ouder,
theululati
ng
becomest r
ongerandt hechant i
ngbecomeal most
deafening.If eltasifthegroundwasshaki ngabit
,
butthecandl eswer esti
ll
strongandnotev en
burningout.Zenandewasst ar
ti
ngt oshakeal i
tt
le
bitwithfoam comi ngoutofhermout h.Ibecame
scared,butthemor escaredIbecame–t heharder
andlouderIpr ayed.

Atthatpoi
ntitf
eltli
keIwasnolongerinmyown
body,
butIkeptgoing.If
eltav
erystrong,
shar
ppai
n
i
nmyst omach.Iscreamedout,butallIcoul
dhear
atthispointwastheani
mals,t
hepr ayers,
the
chantingandulul
ati
ng.Kgheldmyhandsandasked
mei fIwasokay ,
butIcoul
dn’
tevenhearhi m.Ijust
sawhi sli
psmov i
ng.Thepainbecamest r
onger
,and
asIgotupIsawZenande’ seyesclearupandshe
start
edspeaking.

Zenande:“
Thato!Thankyouforrel
easi
ngme!
Thankyou,myqueenforbeari
ngwithme!Oh, howI
wishtodothi
ngsright
!Thiscannotbehappening.
”

Shecamecl osert omeandhel dmyt ummyand

star
tedpraying.IhaveneverevenseenZenande
praysomuch, f
orInevereventhoughtthatshe
couldpray.Itseemedasi fshewashi ghinspir
itor
something,butshekeptprayingandchantingand
evenprayingintongues.Asshekeptonpr ayi
ng,the
painsl
owl ysubsided.

Zenande:
“Al
li
swel
l
,myGod.Noonehast
otouch
thesechi
ldr
en,
forGodhasalr
eadywri
tt
entheir
desti
ny.Nooneshall
spi
llt
heirbl
oodonanyone’
s
accord.
”
Ifel
tasuddennegativ
eenergyentert
heroom,but
theancest
orsdidn’
tmove.Allweheardwasav oi
ce,
butwecouldn’
tseetheperson.Zenande’
shand
neverl
eftmystomach.

Zenande:
“St
aycal
m,donotf
ear
.Godi
sal
way
swi
th
you.
”

QueenNandi
:“Ja,
Cobr
a,y
ounev
erl
ear
n,nj
andi
ni
(
youdog).
”

Whoonear
thi
sCobr
a?

Cobra:(
laughing)“Youthi
nkyouhavewon,don’
tyou,
Nandi?Ihav ecomet ocoll
ectt
hosetwosoulsand
ther
eisnothingy oucandoaboutit
.”
QueenNandi:(
chuckli
ng)“Sti
ll
acoward,Isee.You
arest
il
lhi
dinginyourli
tt
lestor
eroom backhome?
Li
femustbet oughrightaf
teryourf
if
thwifelef
tyou
andyouarenowl ef
twithoneson.”

Cobra:
(pani
cky
)“Howoneart
hdi
dyouknowwher
eI
l
ive?
!Nooneknowst hat
.”

QueenNandi:“
LikeIsai
d,y
outhinkyouknowme,
Cobra.Iam t
ir
edofy oumessi
ngwi t
hmyf ami
l
y.I
t
i
shightimeyousuffert
heconsequences.
”

Cobra:
“Wai
t!Iam goi
ngt
oki
l
lyoursoni
fyout
ake
mineawayf
rom me.”

QueenNandi
:“Iam notGod,Cobra,besi
des,y
oucan
ki
ll
Mzi f
oral
lIcar
e.Goodby enow.Youar erui
ning
aperf
ectmomentwi t
hy ourevi
lness.
”
Iheardthi
smanstartscr
eamingandatt hesame
ti
me, wecoul
dsmellsomethi
nglikeFleshburni
ng.
Soonhedisappear
edfrom t
heroom andt heroom
wasnowonl yl
eftwit
hposit
iveenergy
.If el
tso
exhaust
ed,al
mostli
keIwasaboutt opassout .

That
o:“
Ist
hewor
stov
ernow?
”

Zenandel
ookedatmewi
thsuchsor
rowandpi
ty.

Zenande:
(tear
y)“
Iam af
rai
dithasonl
yjustbegun.
”

Assoonassheremovedherhandsf
rom mybel
l
y,I
fel
tanot
hershar
ppai
n.

That
o:(
scr
eami
ng)“
Aaaah!
”
Kg:
(fr
ust
rat
ed)“
That
o!Baby
!”

Hi
sworr
iedf
acewast
hel
astt
hingIsawt
hat
ev
eni
ng.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandTwent
yThr
ee

Matthew19:14–“ ButJesussaid,
“Letthel
it
tl
e
chi
ldrencomet omeanddonothi nderthem,fort
o
suchbelongsthekingdom ofheaven.
”

Thr
eeweeksl
ater

That
o

Petuni
a:“
That
o,ngwanake(
mychi
ld)
,youhav
etobe
st
rongnow.Youhavetowakeup.
”

That
o:“
Wher
eam I
?”
Pet
unia:
“Youcan’
tbeher
e.I
tisnott
het
imef
ory
ou
toj
oinme.Notyet.
”

That
o:“
Mama….
”

Pet
uni
a:“
Gonow.
”

Isl
owlyopenedmyey esandreali
zedthatitwasj ust
adream.Iwasbl indedbyt heli
ghtintheroom.AsI
l
ookedar ound,Ir
ealizedthatIwasint hehospit
al,
hookedondr ipsandmachi nes.Myt hroatfel
tsodr y
,
asifIhadn’thadanyf l
uidsforweeks.IsawKg
sl
eepingont hecouchr i
ghtoppositeme.Idoubthe
wil
levenhearme, butIwil
lhavetotry.

That
o:(
sof
tl
y)“
Kg… Kgaugel
o…”

Isawhi
m getupanxi
ousl
yasher
ushedt
omysi
de.
Helooksl
ikehel
l
.Hisfacewasunshavenandhe
l
ookedli
kehehadn’
tcuthi
shairi
nages.

Kg:
(tear
y)“
Myl
ove,
howar
eyouf
eel
i
ng?
”

That
o:(
coar
sev
oice)“
Wat
er…”

Hedidn’thesit
ate,hequickl
yranoutandcameback
wit
haf reshbot t
leofwater.Hequi ckl
yopenedi
t
anddippedast rawinit,
andhel pedmedr i
nk.Imust
havebeenwayt oothi
rstybecauseIgulpeddown
hal
fthebot t
le,andevennearlychokedonit.

Kg:
“Takei
teasy
,St
handwasami
(myl
ove)
.”

Ifi
nal
lymanagedt
oquenchmyt
hir
standwasabl
e
tospeakagai
n.
That
o:“
Whyam Iher
e?Whathappened?
”

IsawsuddensadnessinKg’seyes.Itact
ual
lyfel
t
l
ikehewasconsumedwi thawhol el
otofsadness
andpi
ty.Kgisneverspeechl
ess,butnowIcansee
howhereall
yhasnothi
ngt osaytome.

That
o:“
Kg?
”

Icouldseehewast hinkingofwhattot el
lme,ashe
heldmyhandsgent lyandl ethi
stearsstr
eam down.
RightthenIremember ed,thatwehadahecticprayer
sessionwithZenandeandmyf amily
.Icannotrecall
whathappenedaf t
erwar ds.Every
thi
ngseemsso
blankaftert
hat.

Thato:(
wor
ri
ed)“
Kg?Keng(
Whati
sit
)?Bol
ela
(Tal
k)!
”
Hissil
encewasdefeani
ng,
whichactual
l
ylef
tme
defeat
ed.Ifoundmysel
fcryi
ngevenwhenhehadn’
t
tol
dmeany thi
ngyet.

Kg:
“I’
m sor
ry…”

That
o:“
Sor
ryf
oreng(
what
)?”

Kg:
“We…Wel
ostourbabi
es.
”

Rightthen,Ifel
tli
keIhadlostmymi nd.Thosef our
wor dsfel
tli
keav erysharpdaggerthatwasf orced
i
ntomychesti nst
antl
yandv erymuchunexpect edly
.
Itfeltl
i
keev ery
thi
nghesai daft
erwardsjustdidn’t
makesense.Icoul dhearhim,butIactual
lycoul dn’
t
compr ehendwhathewassay i
ngatt hesamet i
me.

Kg:
“Baby
?Myl
ove?Pl
ease,
saysomet
hing.
”
Isawsomuchhur tinhisey
es.Howcoul dIhav e
beensuchafail
ureatli
fe?Ihav elostthreechi ldren
all
befor
etheageof20ev en.Li f
ecanbesounf ai
r;
wheneverweweregivensuchat opi
cf oressay sand
debat
esbackinhighschool,Ialwayst houghtt hey
werei
nsane,butnowIknowt hemeani ngt hereof .
Wealwaysseewomenont vlosingt heirchil
dren,
andIguessyouwon’tunderstanditunt i
litactual l
y
hit
shome.

That
o:“
Howl
onghav
eIbeenher
e?”

Kg:
“Thr
eeweeks.
”

That
o:“
Howdi
dithappen?Wasi
tmyf
aul
t?”

Kg:
(puzzl
ed)“
That
o,noneoft
hisi
syourf
aul
t.
”

ThenIr
emember
edev
ery
thi
ngt
hathappenedaf
ew
dayspri
or.All
thedreamsIhadbeenhav i
ngabout
Zenande;t
hewholeceremonywehadt odoforher.
Every
thi
ngthathashappenedisallbecauseofher
.I
l
ostmychi l
dbecauseofher.Icouldn’
tevengetto
buryMaMasangobecauseofher !

Kg:“
That
o,pl
ease,
saysomet
hing.Don’
tshutme
out
.”

Thato:
“Am Ir
eal
l
ythatundeser
vingofhappi
ness,
Kgaugelo?
”

Kg:
(Puzzl
ed)“
No…”

Thato:
“HowcanGodbesocr uel
tome?Tous?Is
i
tnotenoughthatIhaveal
readyl
ostsomuchi
na
ver
yshortspaceofti
me?”

KG:
(cr
ying)“
Myl
ove,
youar
etheonewhohas
alway skeptt hef ait
hal iveinourr elationship.When
youwer eki dnapped, Ihadt opr ayandhav efait
h
again, Ineverbel i
ev edt hatyouwoul dnotcomeback.
Please, don’ tlosef aithnow.Iknow, itissomucht o
askf rom y ou, butGodhasHi sreasons.Weshoul d
neverquest ion, butbet hankfulforanot herdayof
l
ife.Youwer einacoma, f
orsomer easonand
appar entl
yev ilwant edt otakey ourspi r
itsinceyou
helpedZenande, buty oumadei tthrough.Mal ome
(uncle)Mzi losthi ssonandBr uceal sol osthisson.
Wel ostourt winboy s, butwewi ll
bepar entsagain
oneday ,thatmuchIcanassur ey ou. ”

Thatst
abbedmyhear
tevenmor
e.If
eltsomuch
worseaft
erhet
oldmethat.

That
o:“
Boy
s?”

Kg:(
noddi
ng)“QueenNandit
oldmethatyouwer
e
car
ryi
ngboys.Please,
mylove,
don’
tshutmeout.
”
Thatwaspr obabl ythef ourtht imeher epeat edt hose
words“ don’ tshutmeout ”.Ihonest l
ydon’ tknow
whatt osay ,butIam soshocked, sohear twr enched,
thatwor dscannotev enexpl ai nwhatIf eelrightnow.
Ihavehear dofmencheat i
ngont heirwi vesbecause
theycoul dn’tbeart hem chi ldren.Whati sgoi ngt o
happenbet weenKgandInowt hatIam notpr egnant
anymor e, notonl ythat–Ihav enowl ostt hreeofhi s
chil
dren.May bemywombi si ncompet ent.Iwas
robbedofmour ningformychi ldrenpr operly.
Honest l
y ,Ifeelsoangr yatZenande, hadshenot
comebackt henwewoul dn’tbei nthismess. AsI
satthere, wipingmyt earsaway , withKgki ssi ngmy
hands, Glor i
aandZwel iwalkedi n–al ongwi thRami
andThendo.If eltmyhear tsuddenl ydr opt ot hepit
ofmyst omachasIsawt hem bot hgl owingso
beautif
ullywi t
ht heirbigbel l
ies.Thei rhusbandshad
somuchpi tywr itt
enont heirf aces; whi l
eIf el tan
i
mmensef eeli
ngofenv yandj ealousyconsumeme.
Whycan’ tthatbeme?Am It urningi ntoaj eal ous
oldfri
endnow?Wi llIbecomel ikethosechi ldl ess
womenwhohat
ewomenwhoar
efer
ti
le?

Gl
ori
a:(
cry
ing)“
Oh,
mydar
li
ng.Ar
eyouokay
?”

Shehuggedmewi t
hsomuchpai nandr el
i
ef .Iam
guessingreli
efbecauseIam f inal
lyawake,butone
thi
ngaboutGl ori
aisthatsheisindeedan
empathet i
cper son.Shel i
ter
all
yfeel
syourpai nand
carr
iesy outhroughit.Iactuall
ycouldfeelthather
spir
itwaspai nedjustlikemine.Shewasmost
probablycryi
ngt hroughoutthewhole3weekst hatI
havebeenher e.Herf acewasswol l
enandpuf fy.

Thato:
(faki
ngasmile)“
Glo,
comeon.Youreal
l
y
needtostopcr
ying.Thi
sisnotgoodf
ory
ourglow.
”

Zwelichuckledalit
tl
ebi taf
terheandThendo
huggedKg.Gl osmiledatmeasshewi pedher
tear
saway .Rami j
ustlookedsodiff
erent–Ireal
l
y
can’
ttelli
fitisthepregnancyorwhat,butshe
seemedabitdi
stantf
rom me.Sheseemedabi
t
unhappy
,rat
hersad.

That
o:“
HiRami
.
”

Rami
:(t
ear
y)“
Hey
,Tee.Oshap(
Arey
ouokay
)?”

Shedidn’tevencomet ohugorhol dme, which

actual
lypuzzledme.Rami isveryaf
fecti
onate
towardsmeespeci all
yandnowshei sjustbehavi
ng
alit
tl
eoddl y
.Thendodi dn’
tevenmindher ,
which
wasal soratherodd.Imean, hewasusual l
ysoall
overher,butnowt heyjustseem abitovereach
otheri
fIcanputi tli
kethat.

That
o:“
Yes,
I’
mfi
ne.
”

Idon’
tknowhowtoevenanswerthatt
obegi
nwit
h,
buthey,
Iguessnooner
eall
yknowshowtoanswer
suchaquestion,r
ight?Kgnot i
cedRami ’
soff
ish
mood,butIhonestlyblameditont hepregnancy.
Forsomeonewhoj usthadherfair
yt al
eweddinga
fewweeksago, shesur el
ooksdepr essed.ButI
guesspregnancycanhav eahuget ollonyou.We
hadabitofanuncomf ort
abl
esilencesoIdecidedto
breakt
heice.

That
o:“So,
Glo,
howi
sthenewhousecomi
ng
al
ong?”

Glori
a:(
smili
ng)“Wel
l,
wearedoingthel
asttouch
upsfortherenov
ati
on.Youshouldcomevisi
tsoon
beforeyougobacktoJo’
bur
g.”

IguessIshoul
ddoi
tsoonbecauseIwantt
ogo
backtoJo’bur
g.

Thato:
“Mostdef
ini
tel
y.Wena(You)
,Rami
?
Dint
shangkoJozi(
What’
scookingi
nJo’
bur
g)?Iam
pret
tysur
eev er
yoneoncampusmi
ssesy
ouatt
hei
r
famouspart
ies.
”

WhileIcrackedasmil
e,al
ongwit
hKg, Glo,
Zweliand
Thendowhower elaughi
ng,Ramidi
dn’
ttakeitqui
te
well
.Sheact ual
lyt
ookmycommentr ather
off
ensive.

Rami:(annoy
ed)“Onyakagoreeng(Whatar
eyou
try
ingt
osay )
,Thato?Areyousayi
ngI’
m onl
yknown
forpar
ties?ThatIhav
enoothertal
ent
sinli
fe?
”

Wow, sheactual
lysaidthatfoldingherarms,whil
e
l
ookingatmei nthemostdi sgust edmanner.Iwas
act
uallyhurtbyherreacti
on.Gl oriawassoshocked;
whi
leKgwasannoy edanduni mpr essedbyherl
i
ttl
e
out
burst.Thendoont heotherhandwasr at
her
embarrassed.

That
o:“
Idi
dn’
tmeani
tli
ket
hat
,Rami
.Itwasj
usta
j
oke.Sincewhendoy
out
akeev
ery
thi
ngsai
dtoy
ou
soser
iousl
y?”

Rami deci
dedt
ohurtmetothepointofnor
etur
n
i
nsteadofsayi
ngsomet
hingelse.

Rami:
“Si
nceIbecameanexpectantmom,
nott
hat
youwoul
dknowany t
hingaboutt
hat.
”

Herwordscutmesodeep, Icoul
dn’
thel
pbutfeel
mytear
st hr
eateningtol
eav
emyey es.Gl
ori
aand
Kgweresoirri
tated.

Glori
a:“Haibo(wow),Rami!Mygoodness!Asi yenzi
kanjal
okesi si(Wedon’tdothather
e,sis)
.Youar e
i
nt hepresenceofaQueenandy oudecidetospeak
suchv i
l
ewor dsagai
nsther?No, gi
rl
,no.”

Rami
:“Wel
l
,shei
syourqueen,
mos(
ri
ght
)?”
If
eltscortchinghottearsburnmycheeksasI
l
ookedather ,unr
emorsefulofheract
ions.Kgwas
breat
hingf i
re,ashegentlyheldmyhand.Coul dn’
t
Rami actual
lywaitanotherti
met orubherpregnancy
i
nmyf ace?

Kg:(
Fir
ml y
)“Mfo(Bro)
,pl
easetakeyourwi
fewi
th
youandleave.Shehasnoplaceher
e.”

Thendo:(
embar
rassed)“
Iapologi
zef
orher
behavi
our.I
tmustbethehormones.
”

Rami
:(uni
mpr essed)“Wareng,
wenaThendo(
What
di
dyoujustsay,Thendo)
?!”

Somethi
ngj
usti
sn’
tri
ghtbet
weenthesetwo,
butf
or
hert
osaysucht
omehur tmetothecore.
Thendo:
(anger
ed)“
Let
’sgo!
”

Ramifol
lowedThendoasshel
eftr
udel
ywi
thout
evenapologi
zi
ng.

Gloria:
“Iam sosor
ry,
sisi
(si
s).Pleasedon’ttakei
t
personall
y.Iam pr
ett
ysureshewasj ustgoing
throughhermoodyphases,buti
tjustwasnotv ery
niceofher.”
That
o:“
Kg,doy
ouandZweli
mindgi
vi
ngust
woa
momental
onetoget
her
?”

Kg:
“Okay
,baby
.Doy
ouneedsomet
hing?
”

Iam act
uall
yquit
est ar
ved.IwonderwhatIhav
e
beeneati
nginthelastthr
eeweeks.

That
o:“
Justsomef
ood,
please.
”
Heki ssedmyforeheadasZwel i
ki ssedGl or
iaonthe
l
ipsandt heyl
eftus.Idon’tknowwhati twas,butas
soonast heyl
eft,Imanagedtocr ymyey esout.I
actuall
ycri
edsomuch, Ievenfeltasl i
ghtheadache
comi ngabout
.

Glori
a: “I
t’
sokay ,myl ove.Leti
tal l
out .Youknow,
myf atherwoul dal way stel
lmet hatitisbetterto
coughev er
ythingoutandcr yuntilyoucan’tany more,
thant okeepi tall
bot t
ledup.Itisbet t
ertogr adual
ly
deal withpainthant oexplodeitalloutintheend.I
can’tevenbegi ntot elly
ouwhati tfeelsl
iketol osea
baby ,butwhatIcant ell
youisthaty ouwillheal.I
rememberhowIf el twhenIwasr apedbymy
stepmot her’
sbr other .

Iwasamess, Iquest
ionedGodandev eryt
hing
abouthi
m.Iwouldevenquest ionHi
sexistence;
I
askedmysel
fifHewasr eal
lyaliv
eandlovedus,
thenwhydi
dsomanybadt hingshappentogood
people?Iactual
lyfeltalotofhatredtowar dsHim.
Funnyenough,themor eIf eltHedidn’
texistnorlove
me,themor eHeact uall
ypr ovedHisloveforme.I
fel
tli
kekil
l
ing,butsomeonesav edme.Idi dn’
tfeel
l
ikecompleti
ngmyschool ing,butmyt eacherssaved
me.

Irememberusi ngmyl astR20andIhadnoi dea

whatIwasgoi ngtoeatt hef oll
owingmor ni
ng,but
someoneoutoft heblueappear edandt oldme
aboutthej obattheRoy al Palace.If el
tli
kemyl i
fe
wasatast andsti
ll
andy ouappear ed.Ican’tev en
begintodescr i
bewhaty ouf eel,mylove,butIcan
assurey outhatGodlov esusal l
.Hi sti
mingi snot
ourti
mi ng,butrestassur ed,Hel ovesusal l
.You
shal
l notsuffer,
Thato,youwi ll
gety ourheart’
s
desi
reswhent hetimeisr i
ght.”

Oh,Gl
oandherwor dsofcomfor
t.Theyalways
bri
ngsuchcal
mnesst omysoul.Ican’
tevenbel
ieve
howmuchbetterIactual
l
yfel
taft
ershetol
dmet hat.
Thato:“
You,know,Glo,youaresomeoneIhav
en’
t
knownforlong,butIt
rustyou.CanIconf
idei
nyou
aboutsomething?”

Gl
ori
a:“
Sur
e.”

Thato:“
Onmyweddi ngday,Kgabo,Rami’
sbrother
saidsomethi
ngverypuzzl
i
ngtome.Hesai dthat
theoneIconfi
deinthemostwillt
urnagai
nstme.
Whatonear t
hdoesthatmean?”

Glori
a:“WhatIcant ell
you,Thato,i
sthatyoujust
needtokeepy ourey esopen.Youhav etoknow
whichbat t
lestofight.Don’truntojustanybody
whenev eryouandKghav eapr oblem anddon’ttel
l
anyoneev eryt
hingabouthi m.Lear ntokeepy our
secret
sandl earnt okeephim asy ourbestfr
iend.
Youmi ghtactuall
ybesur prisedastohowt he
peopley outr
ustthemostact uall
ydon’tl
ovey ou.
”
Herlaststat
ementmademet hi
nkthatt
her
ewas
moret oit
,butshewast r
y i
ngtobesubtl
eabouti
t.I
don’
tknow, real
ly
,butRami genui
nelybr
okemy
hear
t.Shei snothersel
f,buti
tmusthavetakenalot
ofhatredforhertosaysuchtome.

That
o:“
Iheary
ou,
myl
ove.Iheary
ou.
”

Wespokeaboutal otofthi ngsandIam actual

l
y
gladthatGl
owast heretokeepmesane.Imanaged
toaskherabouthergr owi ngbabyandIlookedat
hersonarscanwi t
houtbr eakingapart
.IloveGlo,
real
ly.SheisthesisterInev erhad.Aft
eraboutan
hour,Zweli
andKgcamebackwi t
hsomef ood.
Glori
aandZwel idecidedtoeatwi thusandwe
managedt oforgetforawhi l
ethatIwasinhospit
al.

Whilewehadourmeal,
QueenNandi
,Nanaand
Zenandewal
kedi
n.Ifel
tmymoodchangeinst
ant
ly
whenIsawher ,butIdi
dn’tshowi t.Iam nota
hatefulperson,butIjustfeelsomet hi
ngoddly
unpleasantgr owingforher.Iknowshehasnev er
l
ikedme, butnowIl ostmybabi esbecauseofher.I
sawt hepi t
yinQueenNandi ’sey es,andtheut
most
sadnessi nNana’ seyes.Shewast urni
ngpink
alr
eady ,tr
yingtof or
cethet earsback.Zenande
l
ookedv eryuncertai
n,anddi dn’tseem li
keshe
want edtocomei n.

QueenNandi
:“Hel
l
o,mychi
l
dren.That
o,mychi
l
d.
Howareyou?”

That
o:“
Iam f
ine,
Ma,
howar
eyou?
”

QueenNandi
:“Iam al
ri
ght
.”

Irefr
ainedfrom askingNanaanyt
hing,becauseI
knewt hatjustonewor df
rom meandshewoul d
total
lyloseit.Ihavehadenoughcryi
ngf ort
heday.
QueenNandi
:“That
o,Nkosi
nat
hi,
ist
hisagoodt
ime
t
otalk?
”

Kg:
“Sur
e,Gogo(
Granny
).”

QueenNandi
:“Iknowwehavealottodeal
wit
h,but
wehaveanurgentmatt
ert
odiscuss.
”

Whatcoul
dbeur
gentatt
hist
ime?

QueenNandi :
“Asy oubot hknow, wehadalobol
a
ceremonyschedul edfory ou,Thato.Wehadt o
postponeitbecausey ouwer einacomaand
unresponsive,butnowt hatyouar eawake,
wehav e
todoitassoonaspossi bl
e,orelse,t
heancest
ors
won’tbehappyaboutt his.Nothingwill
gowellf
or
youtwoi fyoudon’tfoll
owt hroughwiththi
s
ceremony .
”
Kg:
(si
gh)“
Isee.
”

Honest
ly,
Ijustneedt
ogetmyl
i
fei
nor
der
.

That
o:“
Whencanwedoi
t?”

QueenNandi
:“Wel
l
,wewer
ehopi
ngonSat
urday
.”

Wel l
,iti
sThur sdaytoday,andSatur
daywillbethe
2ndofDecember ,
mybi r
thday.Justmybl oodyluck.
Anot herlobol
aceremonyschedul edformybi r
thday,
ay earafterIl
ostmybaby .Idon’tthinkt
hisisa
coincidence,butIguessIwi l
lhav
et odoit.Kg
probablysensedmyf ear
.

Kg:“Can’twechooseanotherdat
e,Gogo(granny)
?I
mean, t
hatisThato’
sbi
rthday.Iwanthertohavethe
fondestmemor i
esofherbirt
hdayforachange.
”
QueenNandi: “
Iam afr
aidnot.Theancest
orshav
e
spoken,anditi
sactuall
yyourmotherwhochose
thi
sdate,Nkosinat
hi.Shespoketomet hr
ougha
dream.”

That
o:“
It
’sokay
,I’
l
ldoi
t.
”

Kg:
“Ar
eyousur
e?”

Wedon’treal
l
yhav emuchofachoice,
andbesides,
wehavelotsofsecur
it
ydetai
landIdoubtSophi
eor
Sont
ohav eanyt
hingi
nthem t
oev enhi
reahitmanor
someonetodousdi r
tythi
sti
me.

That
o:“
Yes,
Iam sur
e.”
QueenNandi:
“Well
,ther
eissomet
hingelse.
Zenandehastocl
eanseyou,mydarl
ing.Idon’
t
knowifyouwil
lbecomfort
ablewi
ththat.
”
Idon’
tevenknowwhatt osaybecauseitseemsasi f
thi
ngshavejusttakenat ur
nfortheworst.Iguess
marry
ingintoafami l
yli
kethisone,y
oujusthav eto
adher
etot hei
rcustoms.IknewwhatIwasget ti
ng
myselfi
ntowhenImar r
iedKg,soIcannotstar
t
rev
olt
ingri
ghtnow.

That
o:“
Yes,
it’
sokay
.”

Zenandelookedreall
ysad,uncomfort
ableand
genuinel
youtofplace.Shedoeshowev erlookal
ot
bett
erthanwhatshedi dthatni
ghtshearri
ved.

Zenande:“
Thato,
Ifi
rst
lywouldliketosayIam sorr
y.
Iknow,youbl
amemef orwhathappened, butIr
eal
l
y
didnotmeantocausey ouanyharm ordisrupty
our
l
ife.Iam t
rul
ysorr
yfory ourl
oss.”

Fort
hef
ir
stt
imeIhav
eknownZenande,
sheact
ual
l
y
seemedgenui ne.ItfeltasifIwasseei
ngthereal
Zenandebef or
emef orthefir
stti
meinmyl i
fe.If
elt
ali
ttl
ebadf orevenf eeli
nganounceofhatred
towardsher,butforgivenessdoesnotcome
overni
ght.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandTwent
yFour

Romans12: 18-21–“ Ifpossi

ble,sof arasi tdepends
ony ou,l
iv
epeaceabl ywi t
hall
.Bel oved,nev er
avengey ourselves,
butleaveItot hewr at
hofGod,
foritiswrit
ten,“Vengeanceismine, Iwillrepay ,says
theLor d.Tot hecontrary,
ify
ourenemyi shungr y,
feedhi m;i
fhei sthi
rsty,gi
vehim somet hingt odrink;
forbysodoi ngy ouwillheapburningcoal sonhi s
head. ”Donotbeov er
comebyev il,
butov er come
evil
wi thgood.”

That
o

Af
terwhatf
eltl
i
keet
erni
tyi
nthehospi
tal
,ev
ery
one
aroundt hehospitalapparentl
ykeptsendi ngthei
r
l
ov elymessages, fl
owersandcar ds.Bef oreIgot
di
schar ged,Ir
eceivedall t
hosegift
sandKghad
appar entlybeentakingv erygoodcar eofthose
fl
ower s.Thepeopl eofEnandehav eindeedshown
met oomuchl ove.ThedayIgothome, allthe
wor ker sweretheretowel comeme, andtheyhad
evencookedaf eastforme, withgi
v enper missi
onof
cour se.

QueenNombuandKi ngNtsikafeltitwastoosoon
formet oseepeopl e,buthowcoul dIjustl
etthose
peopleleavewithoutmespendi ngt i
mewi t
hthem?I
didn’
tmi ndatallandapparent l
yNur sePorti
ahas
beenspendingal otoft i
mewi thSoks.Iseesome
l
ov eblossomingt her
eandi tishonest l
yagoodt hi
ng.
I
’m keepingquiet,Iguessshewi l
ltell
mewhent he
ti
mei sright
.

Tomorr
ow,wehavet
ohavethecleansi
ngcer
emony
andKgandIhav
etooff
ici
all
ynameourdeceased
chil
dren.I ti
scust omar ytodoso, si
ncewear e
Afri
cans.Appar entlythechildrenwil
lgrowspiri
tual
l
y
andshoul dnev erbef orgotten.QueenNandi tol
dme
thatitdoesnotmeant hatwheny ouabortachil
dor
haveami scarr
iageorst il
lborn,thatt
hechil
d’sli
fe
endst here.Thespi rit
uallif
ei smuchmor e
compl i
catedthanweknow, andIguessweal lneed
toknowwhathappensont hatside.KgandI
actuall
yhadsomuchf unwi ththepeopleandwe
enjoyedtheirfood.Al otofwomenwer eso
comf orti
ngandsai dsomer eall
ynicewordstous.I
guesst hatwhent het imei srighti
ndeed,wewi l
l
haveourownchi l
dren.

Itofcourseisnotnicewheny ouseepeopl ear ound

youhav i
ngchildr
enwhi leyoukeeplosingthem, but
wecannotbedwel l
ingont hebadstuffallthetime.
Afteral
l t
hefesti
vi
ti
es; Ideci
dedtoretreattomy
room.Shame, poorKgwant edtotagal ong,butI
couldclearl
yseethathewashav i
ngsomuchf un
withBongani,soIforcedhimt ost
ayal i
tt
lelonger.
OnceIgoti nImanagedt ofindsomepeaceand
quietasIt ookoutthesonogram IgotthedayI
foundoutIwaspr egnant
.Thebedr oom looksoddly
diff
erent,ormay beiti
sbecauseIhav en’
tbeenher e
i
nweeks.Li t
tl
edidIknowt hatthedayIf oundoutI
wasexpect i
ng,wasgoingtobemyl astday
expecting.Icouldn’
thelpbutshedaf ewt earswhil
e
stari
ngatmyunbor nboys.Howcr ueli
slife,
though?

Thato:
(tear
y)“
Resti
npeace,
myboy
s.Il
ovey
ouso
i
ncredi
blymuch.”

Af
tert
hat,Ihear
daster
nknockont
hedoor
.Idi
dn’
t
ev
enbothertoaskwhoitwas.

That
o:“
Comei
n.”

Nanaslowl
ywalkedthr
ought hedoor.Shame,she
l
ooksli
keshehadbeencrying.Af ewglassesof
yourf
avour
it
ebeveragewil
ldot hatt
oyou.Shejust
walkedinandlookedatme.Shedi dn’tsayanyt
hing
asIopenedmyar msandshehuggedme.Shegav e
meone, l
onghugandcr iedforawhil
e.Thi smust
bri
ngsomepai nful
lyvi
vi
dmemor i
esforher.How
shehad4mi scarri
agesbeforehavi
ngmyf ather
.I
guessthist
rul
yhi t
shome.

That
o:“
Arey
ouokay
?”

Nana:“Mybaby,
Iam notokay.Iam notokay
becauseyouar
egoingthr
oughpain.Thispainsme
somuch, mor
eespeci
all
ysinceIsawitbefor
eit
happened.
”

Mostofthet
imeIdon’
tevenblameNanaandQueen
Nandif
orbei
ngborder
li
nealcohol
i
cs.Theydeal
wit
hsomuchandseeingthefutur
ecan’
tbeeasy,
r
eall
y.

That
o:“
Iam sor
ryy
ouhadt
ocar
ryt
hatbur
den,
Nana.
”

Nana:“
Isabell
a,whenIhear
dthatyouwerefound,
myfir
stprayertoGodwasthathewouldspareyou
t
hepainoflosingachil
d.Nowt haty
ouhavelost
t
hreealr
eady,Ican’
thel
pbutrel
ivemypain.
”

Thato:“Iwil
lbeokay
,Nana.AstheGoodLord
promisedthatwewillal
lfi
ndsol
acei
nHisname.All
i
ngoodt i
meHeshallgivememyheart’
sdesi
res.
”

Nana: (
smili
ng)“ That’
sthespi ri
t,mybaby .You
know, myDav idcamewhennooneexpect edi t.This
l
ifewillmakey ouwantt oki l
lyour sel
fbecausewe
areallconstantl
ycompet ingagai nstoneanot her .It
i
snotaboutwhaty ouhav eachiev edatacer tainage,
i
tisallaboutthemer efactthaty oudidfinall
yget
ther
e.Nomat t
erify ougetachi l
dat50, attheend
ofthedayy oudi dreachthatmi lestone.Youmi ght
fi
ndsomanygi r
lswhoar epr egnantorhav ehad
chil
drenatyourage, butar enothappyaboutt heir
deci
sionsandasar
esul
t,t
hei
rchi
l
drenar
esuf
fer
ing
themost.”

Shehasagoodpoi
nt,Iguesswefai
ltoseei
twhen
weareint
imesoft
roubleandweary
.

Nana: “Greaterdaysarecomi ngandy oujustdon’t

knowi tyet.Ijustneedy outoopeny oureyesand
havefai t
hinGod.Nev erleaveyourhusband’sside,
andfor gi
veZenande.Iknowi ti
salottoaskofy ou,
butreally,i
tIsnotherfault.Youmi ghtnotseeit
nowbuti nduet i
me,youwi ll
.
”

Thisi
ssohar dforme.Iknowshemeanswel l and
sheneverli
es,butitisjustpainfult
ot hi
nkthatIhav e
tosmil
eatawomanwhohascausedmesuchgr eat
pai
n.Shel ef
taf t
eraf ewmi nutes,andImanagedt o
dozeoff.IdreamtofNonkany isoandmymot her,
walki
ngalongsideeachot her,whil
eNokany isohad
twobabiesinbot harms.Theydi dn’tsayanything
tome,inst
eadt heyjustsmiled.Iknewr i
ghtthere
andthen,thatmybabieshadar r
ivedsaf el
yint he
spi
ri
tualwor l
d.Iwokeupint hemi ddleoftheni ght
,
smil
ing,withmybodyenwr appedi nKg’sgrip.He
wokeupassoonashehear dmet ryingtowi ggleout
ofhi
sgr i
p.Idi dn’
tev
enhearhim wal kin.

Kg:
“Oy
akae(
Wher
ear
eyougoi
ng)
?”

That
o:“
Idi
dn’
tmeant
owakey
ou.Iwantt
okneel
downandpr
ay.
”

Kg:
“Doy
oumi
ndi
fwedoi
ttoget
her
?”

Ilookedathi m andheseemedsoser ious.Kgwould

l
iterallydoany t
hingforme,butIfeelt
hatthi
sis
partiall
yforhim –f orus.Thi
si spar
toftheheal
ing
processandi nordertoheal,
wehav etodoit
toget her.Speakt oGodtogether.
That
o:“
Ofcour
senot
.”

Webot
hknel
tdownandKgbeganpr
ayi
ngf
orus.

Kg:“Modi mowar onay oar at

egang(OurLov i
ng
God) ,TheGodofl ov e,theGodofpeace, t
heGodof
prosper i
ty,theGodofheal ingandf or
giveness.My
beautiful,self
lesswi feandIbowbef oreyouaswe
speak, forwef i
rst
lywoul dliketothankyou.Thank
you,oh, God, forbeingsowonder fultous.Noonei s
perfect,nol i
feisper fect,
butmi neisbecausey ou
decidedt ogi vemet hi sbeautif
ulwomanbesi desme.

Thanky ouforgrant i
ngusanot herdayofl i
fe,t
hank
youf orgranti
ngusgoodheal thandachancet o
startover.Thanky ouforbri
ngingmywi febackto
me, andt hankyouf orall
owinghert olovethebroken
mant hatIam.Wecomebef oreyoulord,toaskfor
yourdi vi
neprotection,i
nter
ventionandbl essi
ngs.
Wehav elostagr eatpartofourselv
es, butweknow
thatyouhav esomuchbet t
erinstoreforus.You
neverl
i
edtouswhenyoupromi
sedusagoodli
fe,
forasl
ongaswebel
ieved,
hadf
ait
handpray
edto
you.

Imayseem l i
keIam demandi ngr ightnow, butmy
utmostr equesttoy ou,Lord,i
st hatyoumaypl ease
grantmywi festr
engt hthr
ought hisor deal
.Gr ant
hert heabil
itytoseeherenemi es;yetgranthert he
strengthandcour aget okeepgoi ngandbei ng
herselfagain.Forthi sworldwoul dbeatat errible
l
ossshoul dshedeci detogiveupnow.Onceagai n,
forgiveusf orourtr
espasses, God, buthelpus
becomebet terpeople,abettercoupl e.InJesus’
nameIpr ay.Amen. ”

Ifel
tagr eatsenseofser
enit
yinsi
deofmeafterhe
prayedforus, whi
lewebothhadtear
srunni
ngdown
ourcheeks.Wehuggedeachot herf
orawhileandI
j
ustknewt hatthi
ngswer
egoingtobeokay,f
oras
l
ongasIhadKgbymysi de.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandTwent
yFi
ve
Psal
m 34:
18–“TheLordi
sclosetothebroken
hear
tedandsav
esthosewhoarecrushedinspi
ri
t.
”

That
o

Fri
dayev ent ual
lycameandpassed.Thecer emony
wassoemot i
onal
lydr ai
ningyetithasbr oughtsome
sortofpeacet omyhear tandIknowKgf eelst he
same.Ourbabi eswer enamedMt hunzi whi ch
meansshadowandThul aniwhichmeansbe
comf ort
ed.Ihonest l
yhav enoi deawhyt heywer e
namedsuchnames, butappar entl
yNonkany i
so
wantedi tthatway .Itwasabi thardformet oal l
ow
Zenandet ocl eanseme, butIactual
lyrealizedt hat
shewasav icti
mj ustasmuchasIwas.Queen
Nandi beggedmet otryandf orgi
veher ,
ot her wise
hercleansi ngwoul dnotwor k.Icannotsayt hatI
havemadepeacewi thwhathashappened, butIam
getti
ngt her e.Shewassouncomf ortabl
eandQueen
Nandi di
dsayt hatifthecleanserisnotatpeace,
t
henIwon’
thav
epeacei
nmyl
i
fe.

Wedi dn’
tneedanynegat ivev i
bes,soIt r
iedt ogive
herthebenefi
toft hedoubt.If eelforher,reall
y.Her
rapi
stdadwasf inall
yarrested,andi spendingt ri
al,
whil
eNomsai sal soawai t
ingtrialf
orherf raudcase.
Shehasapparent l
yfoundGodandsendsmel ett
ers
ever
ynowandt hen.Iam gl adshei sfinall
ytryingto
makeanef for
tifshet r
ulyisbei nggenuine.

Idohopet hatsomedayshecomesbackasa
changedper son, becauseIdoseehowt hishas
aff
ect edKingNt sikabadl y.Her eall
ythinkshehas
fai
ledhi schil
drenanddoesnotev enhav emuch
confi
dencei nhi msel fanymor e.Hel ongst ofil
lthat
voi
d, hencehekeepsaski nguswhenwewoul dlike
totakeov erther eignsfully.Iam notr eallyready
andIknowt hatKgal sowant st ogethi sbusinessup
andrunni ngbefor ewecanact uall
yr unthiskingdom
ful
lti
me.Todayi smyl obolacer emonyandnoone
tol
dGr i
ngoaboutmymi scarr
iage.
Iam gl adtheydi dn’t,event houghhewi l
lkeep
tal
kingaboutt hebabyandIwi llhavet obreakt he
newst ohi m somet ime.Heseemssomuchat
peacewi thhi snewmi ssionar yschool andIdonot
wantt omakehi mf eel l
i
keIr eallycannotdo
any t
hingonmyown.Iam t rul ygreat f
ulforthe
suppor tIhav e.QueenNandi andNanaar esuch
awesomebei ngs, t
heyt ooki tupont hemselvest ogo
andl ookfort hegi f
tsandev ery t
hingf orthe
ceremonyf ortoday .Gl oriahel pedNur sePor t
ia
arrangeallthef oodanddécorf ortodayandev en
madesur et hati
tgotshi ppedbef orehand.Bei ng
heav i
lypregnant ,shedi dn’tev enmi ndwal ki
ng
around.Shewal ksar oundsowel l,
asi fsheisnot
evenpr egnant .

Sheisalwayssof ul
lofenergy,andQueenNandi
sayssheiscarr
yingav er
ysweety etstubbor
nbeing
i
nt her
e.Theydosayt hattheycan’tevenseethe
gender,asi
fthebabyisdeliberat
elyhi
dingfr
om
them al
ongwiththeancest ors.Appar
entlyt
his
babywi l
lchangeZwel ifor
ever
.Sokshasbeenso
supporti
veandhasbeenbyNur sePor t
ia’
ssideever
si
ncet hatdayIfoundoutIwaspr egnant.Icansee
l
ovebl ossomingthere,butIst
il
l haven’
taskedher.
Perhapsshemi ghttell
mewhati swhatt oday.

Wehadt oleaveEnandeat3am, andmygoodnessI

am tir
ed.Al lt
hesecer emoniesdot endt otakethei
r
tol
lonaper son’sbody .Ihadto“ bury”mybabi es
yester
dayandt odayIam get ti
ngmar ried.Nanahas
beent r
yingtoencouragemet obehappyt oday;she
saysthatasadbr i
debr i
ngssomuchbadaur aand
aff
ectsthemar r
iageinthelongrunaswel l.Shedid
saythatmar ri
agei sabeautif
ulunionandt hemood
ofthebrideandgr oom alsoaffectsev er
ythingel
se.

IguessIam toohungupont hepastandonwhat

happenedlastyear.I
tismybi r
thdayindeed,andI
havetoatleasttr
ytoenjoyit
.KgandSoksal ong
wit
hKingNt si
ka;Bonganiandtherestoft hefamil
y
member saredriv
ingi
nt hei
rownkombi ;
whi l
e
Gr
ingot
ooki
tuponhi
msel
ftodr
iveust
otheai
rpor
t.

Heislet t
ingususehispriv ateJetofcour se.I
tis
real
lynicebeingami l
l
ionai re, t
hough.Ofcour se,
NanaandQueenNandi didn’ tmi nddri
nkingalmost
everyt
hingont hemenu, whi leIjusthadner vesal
l
overmybody .MyKgcoul dn’ tevenwaittobenext
tome.Appar ent
lyheisnotev ensupposedt osee
me,butbecausewear eal r
eadymar r
ied.The
ancestorsmadeanexcept ion.Hecoul dsensemy
nervesasal waysashegent lysqueezedmyhand, I
i
mmedi atel
yzonedoutofmydeept hought s.

Kg:
“Baby
,oshap(
arey
ouokay
)?”

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Iam f
ine.
”

Kg:(
chuckli
ng)“Youcanneverl
i
etome,y
ouknow,
butI
’
lll
etitsl
idethi
sti
me.”
Ismi
l
edashest
areddeepi
ntomyey
es.

Kg:“Youreal
lymeant hewor
ldtome,Thato.Iknow,
thi
sisnottheideal
weddingyouwant,butgi
vemea
chanceandyouwi l
lsee.Ij
ustwantt
omakey outhe
happiestwomanaliv
e.”

Thato:
“Iam happy
,Kg.Hav
ingy
oui
sjustenough
forme.”

Hesmi ledandkissedmegent lyont helips.Hei s

ri
ght ,t
hisisnotideal f
orme, butitisnecessar y.
Afteraf ewhour s,welandedi nSowet o.Ofcour se,
therewasnot imet osleep,asIhadt ogetdr essedin
myat t
ireimmedi atel
y.Luckil
y,IfoundGl oand
Nur sePor t
iaalr
eadywat chi
ngthecat erers,tell
i
ng
them wher etoputwhat ;whil
eMr s.Letswal o,Rami ’
s
mot herwasi nthebedr oom thatwaspr eparedj ust
forme.If el
tabi toddandwei rdasIhadt oenter
they ard,especi
allywithoutKgbymysi de.
Isawaf ewf amil
ymember s,i
ncludingAuntRachel ,
ourelderfrom mymom’ sfamily.Thehousewasi n
suchamess, buty oucouldseet hatt heydi
dsome
l
astmi nutetouchupst ofi
xi tf
ort oday.The
pavementl ooksfreshlypainted,whi l
etheshelter
seemst obehol dingont odearl i
fe.Assoonas
Kokowal kedoutoft hehouset ogr eetme,Ijust
couldnothelpbutf eelpai
nedandashamedt obe
somesor tofr el
atedt oher.Sheal lowedherev il
daughtertoabusemeandshel etherbacki ntomy
housebyt heway ,rightaft
erev erythi
ngshedi dto
me.

KokoMar
ia:
(smi
l
ing)“
Ngwanake(
Mychi
l
d).
”

Sheopenedherar
mswhil
etry
ingtohugme,andI
coul
dn’
thelpbutr
etur
nahost
il
ereact
iont
owards
her.
KokoMaria:
“Hao(wow),Thato.Setseonyal
waka
j
enogaosar eit
se(Becauseyou’r
egett
ingmarr
ied
today
,youdon’
tknowusany more)?”

Ireall
yt r
iedbyallmeanst obehappyt oday.Nana
washol dingmyhandt hewholetime,beggingmet o
bepol i
te.Appar entl
ysinceIam t
her ei
gningqueen,
i
ft hetradit
ionalbeer(umnqombot hi
)doesnotboil,
it
meanst hatmymar r
iagewon’tl
astorthatI’
ll
have
badl uck,soIhav etotrymybesttohav eagoodday .
Nanawasv eryunimpressedwit
hKoko.

Nana:(
annoy
ed)“Koko(
granny)
,please,
giveour
br
idesomespace.Shehashadal ongfl
ightandI
am sur
eshewil
latt
endt
oy ourneedssoon.”

KokoMaria:
(smil
i
ngbroadly
)“Ofcourse,
ofcour
se.
Pl
ease,
letmeleadyoutothebedroom.”

Nana:
(host
il
e)“
It
’sokay
.Weknowwher
etogo.
”
Nanadidn’tevenshowheranyofherteethasshe
ref
usedtor et
urnasmi l
e.Wewentt omymom’ sold
bedroom andalreadyIsawalothadchanged.I
wantedtocr y
,buttheyall
qui
cklygott
ome.

Mrs.Letswal
o:“Youshall
notdareshedat
earand
makey ourenemieshappy,That
o.”

QueenNandi:“Don’
ty ousee?Theyar eallf
aking
smilesandwaiti
ngfory outofai
l.Theyr
efuseto
bel
ievethaty
ouhavef inal
lyfoundhappi
ness.”

Nana: “
Evenwhent heyareliv
inginsuchr ags.They
sti
lldonotwishy ouwel l
,butyouar eheretof ace
yourdemons, child.Showt hem thatyouarenota
toy–buty ouar ethechosenone.Youar eGod’ s
favouri
teandy ourblessi
ngsar eindeedrunningov er
youast heywillkeepdoingso. ”
Iguesst heyareright.Iqui cklypul ledmy self
together.Icoul dn’thel pbutfeel at ingeofhear tache
whenInot i
cedRami wasnotar ound.Imean, she
i
sn’tev en8mont hspr egnanty et,soshecan’ tsay
thatshewast ootiredt obeher e.Shei sli
ter
ally
havingt het i
meofherl i
feandgoi ngcl ubbingev ery
nowandt hen,butev ersincet hatdayshet ol
dme
thosehur t
fulwords, shecoul dn’tev enbr i
ngi tupon
herselftoatl eastsuppor tmeonmyday .Ican’t
hideit–Iam hur t.It hinkMr s.Let swal onoti
cedt hat
andshet r
iedherbestt ocoverf orherchi ld.

Mrs.Let
swal o:(uncomf or
tabl
e)“
Uhm, Ramicoul
dn’
t
beheretoday .Shesai dshewasn’
tfeeli
ngwell
.You
know,morningsi cknesscanbesuchani ght
mare.
”

Thato:
“It
’sokay
,Mme(
ma)
,youdon’
thav
etocov
er
forher
.”

Mrs.Let
swalo:(
sigh)“
Shewi
l
lcomear
ound.Don’
t
l
ethergett
oy ou.
”
Herst atementseemedmor ethanjustsomeone
comf orti
ngahur tfri
end.Rami ismorelikeasister
tomeandsomet hi
ngr eal
l
yt el
lsmet hatsheis
hidi
ngsomet hingseriousfrom me,butIwi l
lhaveto
l
etitslide.Ihadt ofreshenup, whil
ethewomen
helpedmegetdr essedi nmyTswanaat tir
e,aswe
wouldl aterchangeinourZul uRoyal t
radit
ionalatt
ir
e.

QueenNombu: “Oh,youl ooksobeauti

ful
, mybaby.
Nowonderev er
yonei ssoenv i
ousofyou.Youknow,
Icomefrom afamilyof5si st
ersand1br other
.I
cantel
lyou,
honest l
y,thatIam t
hepretti
est,ev
en
QueenNandiwillconfi
rmt hat
.”

Theyal
ll
aughed.

QueenNandi
:“Hay
i,Nombulel
o,uyazi
thembanesi
si
(
youreal
l
yareconfi
dent
,aren’
tyou,si
s)?”
Wej
usthadt
olaughatt
hat
.

QueenNombu:
“Naweuy
azi
(youknowi
ttoo)
.”

Wef i
nishedourtouchups,andQueenNandi sai
da
powerfulprayerf
orusbeforeweheadedout.As
QueenNombuopenedt hedoor,shecaughtSophie
eavesdropping.

QueenNombu: “
It
’sbadenoughyoutreatedmy
daught
erli
keshi
t,nowyouareeavesdroppingonus.
Whycouldn’
tyouknockl
ikeanormal per
son? ”

Sophi
elookednothi
nglikethemi nisl
ayqueenshe
wasturni
ngint
othelastti
meIsawher .Shelooked
l
ikearealmess.Someofhert eethweremissing;
herfi
gurewasgone;herfacehadgonebackt othe
phuzafaceshehadbacki ntheday .
Sophie:
“Ah,noman,Iwasaboutt
oknock.Kgant
e
l
enalebjangdiki
ngandqueen(Whatki
ndofpeopl
e
areyouKingsandqueens)
?Latenaman(youare
bori
ng)?”

QueenNombu: “Waitsewakgonagony el
asediba,
Sophi
eMokoena( Youcanreall
yshitonagood
per
son).Nowt hatyougotahugechuckoflobola
money,youthi
nky oucanhavetheaudaci
tyt
ospeak
tomelikethat
?”

Wecoul
dal
lsmel
ltheal
cohol
from ev
erycor
neri
n
t
hebedr
oom.

Sophi
e:“
Mxm, ah,
kagor eopatetse200stenany
ana
onaganagor
eodese( Justbecauseyoupaida
mereR2000000youthinkyouarebettert
hanus)?”

IwasabitshockedthatQueenNombucouldspeak
Tswana,
sowel lev
en,butIwasact
ual
lyevenmore
shockedthatKgact ual
lypai
dthatmuchforme.So
muchmoneyf orthesepeopl
e?Theytrul
ydon’t
deserveme.QueenNombuwasaboutt otel
lherkak,
butIdeci
dedtoi nter
vene.

That
o:“
Leav
eher
,QueenNombu.Shei
snotwor
th
i
t.
”

Wepr oceededt
owalkoutwhi
l
eSophi
edeci
dedto
star
tinsul
ti
ngmeyetagai
nonmylobol
aday.Ja,
neh.

Sophie:(shouting)“Ja, t
swelapeleselokewena
(Carryon,y oulit
tlething)!Youwillneveramountto
anythinginlif
e!Okaset swil
eobi l
el ebana,o
phadilelekeKagi so,joumoer skont(Youwi ll
nev
er
havechi l
dren,evenKagi sodidabet terj
obt hany
ou
atthat,youcunt )!
”

Thosewor
dshur
tme;
theyr
eal
l
ycutmedeepbutI
walkedonwithoutl
ooki
ngback.Andj ustthen,
I
heardQueenNandi whi
spersomethi
ngt oSophie,
butloudenoughforusall
tohear
.

QueenNandi : “Youknow, Ihav ereadt heQur anandI

cant ellyout hati tisreall
ypl easantandv ery
straightforwar daboutKar ma.“ Andf orev eryperson
wehav ei mposedhi sfatuponhi sneck, andwewi l
l
producef orhi m ont heDayofRessur ectionar ecord
whi chhewi llencount erspr eadopen–Qur an17:13.
”
Whatt hatbasi callymeansi sthatwhaty oudi dto
yourmybel ovedgr anddaught erNonkany i
so, wil
l
mostcer tainl
ycomet oy out enfolds.Yourpr eci
ous
Kagi so–t het ownshi pwhor ewillburnandpoi son
ever ysingleoneofy ourgr andchildren.”

Istoppedt ol
ookatSophi e’
sreact
ionandshe
actuall
ylookedscared,becauseQueenNandihel
d
herfir
ml ybyherhandandst aredherdeepi
ntheeye.
Idon’tknow,butitseemedl i
keSophiewasinsome
ki
ndoft rans.
QueenNandi :“Yes,Iwanty outoseeit,t
oli
veit,
for
thatdi
rtytongueofy ourshasnor i
ghttocursemy
preci
ousdaught eri
nlawl ikethat.Youwill
diea
slow,painf
uldeat h,
Sophi e.Ev enrepent
ancewillnot
beenoughf ory ouiny ourlastdays.”

Shel etgoofSophi eandIsawi ncr ediblefearinher

eyesf rom t
hatdayon.Idi dn’tmi ndbecauseIhada
gooddayf r
om t hereonwar ds.Wecar ri
edon
walkingandwef inall
ymadei tout side.Iact uall
y
cri
edwhenIsawhowbeaut i
fulthet entwas.Gl o
andNur sePor t
iaact uall
ydi dav erygoodj ob.The
décorwassor oyal,sot r
adi ti
onal .Sesot homeet s
Zuluandwow, mygoodness, mydr essisjust
somet hingelse.Idon’ tknow, butf orsomer easonI
sti
llcraveani nti
mat ecer emonybet weenKgandI
j
ustf orthetwoofus.Twocowswer eslaughter
ed
andofcour seev eryonei nthet ownshi pwasar ound
andmadei ttomyweddi ng.
Theyhear dthatthewhit
egirli
sget ti
ngmar r
iedt o
Kgwhoi snowar oyal
King,andt heyjustcouldn’t
waittoseeit.Ofcourse,t
heycamebecauset hey
sawt hebigbrewerytr
uckstandingout sidemyy ar
d.
Ifyouwantt oseefakepeoplefrom thet ownship
sayinggoodt hi
ngsaboutyou,givethem f r
eeal cohol
.
Thef oodisnotevenawantnoraneed, butgive
them freeal
coholandtheywillbeput tyi
ny our
hands.

EvenRut hwaspr esent,greeti

ngmewi tht he
broadestsmi l
eev er.Iam t ir
edofpretendingandI
can’treallypretendmuch.Iwon’ tsmileatthem j
ust
becauset heychoset ocomet omyweddi ng.MyKg
l
ookedashandsomeasev er
.Mygoodness, Iswear
Ifal
l i
nl ovewi thhim evenmor eeachandev eryday.
Ulti
mat ely,wehadav erygoodday .QueenNandi
broughtt heTr aditi
onalbeerandshewassmi li
ng,
whichmeansi tmanagedt obr ew.Ibreathedasigh
ofreliefknowi ngt hatatleastmymar r
iagewoul dbe
fr
uitful.
Itwassoni ce,sorefr
eshingtoact ual
lysee
Zenandeinherzone, dr
essedi nherheal erattir
eand
actual
lyblessingourday .Ireallyhav ehopef orher
andIcanseeMaMasango’ sgenesr unthr
oughher
vei
ns.Ev eryonehadf un;theydr ankupast orm and
themusicwasgal ore.Ulti
mat ely,wehadt heperfect
kasiwedding.Thankf ull
ywedi dn’thavetost aylong,
becausewej usthadtodosomeoft hethingsas
partofculturalfor
malit
ies.

DeepdownIwasabi twor ri
edthatIwouldsee
Sonto,butthankgoodnessshedi dn’
tmakei ttomy
wedding,becauseIam nowherenearr eadytosee
her.Iam gladthatImanagedt ohav efunandput
thepastbehindme.Gr ingowassopr oudofmeand
hechoset ositnextt
omewhi l
ewegotont heplan.
Shame, myKgwasabi tjeal
ous,butheunder st
ood
thatmyf at
herdoesnotseemeev er
yday ,
sohe
gavehimt hismoment.

Gr
ingo:
“So,
howi
sitgoi
ngwi
tht
hebuni
nthe
ov
en?
”

Myfaceaut
omat
ical
l
ychangedandIcoul
dn’
tev
en
hi
deit
.

That
o:“
Ilostt
hebabi
es,
dad.
”

Forsomereason,hedi
dn’
tevenlookshocked.Sad
hewas,y
es,butitdi
dn’
tseem l
ikeitwasnewsto
hi
m.

Gri
ngo:
“Iknow,mybaby
,Iknow.Iwaswai
ti
ngf
or
youtot
ellme.
”

That
o:(puzzl
ed)“
Theyassur
edmet
hatt
heywoul
d
nott
ell
y ou.
”

Gr
ingo:
“Whosai
dtheyt
oldme?
”
That
o:(
puzzl
ed)“
Whot
oldy
ou?
”

Gri
ngo:“Vi
vi
antoldme.Shev i
si
tsmeof ten,
y ou
know.Cany oubeli
eveshewantsmet omov eon
al
ready
?Sheev enchosetheperfectwifeforme.
Thatwomani si
nsane–ev eni
ndeat h.
”

Icoul
dn’
thel
pbutl
aughal
i
ttl
e.

Gr
ingo:
“Ser
iousl
y,howar
eyouhol
dingup?
”

That
o:“
Iam t
aki
ngeachdayasi
tcomes,
dad.
”

Gri
ngo: “
Thatisgoodnews, baby.Buttakei tfr
om
me,youmi ghthavelostbabies,
butperhapst hi
si s
God’swill
.Don’ttakethi
sthewr ongway ,butenjoy
yourli
fewithWolfebeforeyouhav echil
dren.He
hasenjoyedhisyouth,andIknowt hathewant sthe
samef oryou.Hav eagoodl i
fe,creatememor i
es
andhav eablast.Part
ytogether,getdrunktogether
,
tr
aveltogether,
makemi stakesandj usthavefun.
Youtwowi llhavet
hechildrenwhent het i
meis
ri
ght.
”

Iguesshei sr eal
l
yr i
ght.Ididn’tr
eall
ythi
nkofitthat
way.IguessIwast ry
ingtof i
l
l t
hevoidofthefi
rst
babyIl ost,
forget
tingthatIsti
llwanttocompletemy
degree.Iwi ll
getthere–ImeanKghasbeent ell
ing
meabouthowgoodhi searl
yt wenti
eswereandhow
hewi shesthesamef orme.DeepdownIknewt hat
heist heonewhoaskedGr i
ngot ospeaksome
sensei ntome.

That
o:“
Iheary
ou,
Dad.Iwi
l
ltr
y.”

Gri
ngo:“Remember,
Iam al
waysjustaphonecal
l
away.Ifyouneedmenearby,
Icancomeina
hear
tbeat.
”
ThatIknowheiscapabl
eof
.IguessIam t
rul
y
bl
essedtohavehi
mi nmyli
fe.

Oney
earl
ater
….

Timehaspassedandhonest ly,
ithasbeenqui tea
rol
lercoast er.Ifi
nal l
yf i
nishedmyf i
rstyearandI
acedi tdespi temyt roubles.Iam aboutt ofinishmy
secondy earnow, andi ti
sal mostmybi r
thdayy et
again.Li fehast rulybeengoodandwedi dmanage
tocomebackt oJozi.Wedogobackt oEnande
everynowandt hen, andIcansayt hatKgandIar e
str
ongert hanev er.Hedi dmanaget ogethis
companyupandr unningandwear eactuall
y
l
aunchi ngi tonmybi rthday.Yes, ItrustKgtomake
everythingaboutme.Wel l
,Soksisf ul
lofsur pri
ses,
hewedNur sePortiali
terall
yt hr
eemont hsafter
knowi ngherandt heyar einthemi nistr
ytoget her
.
Ofcour seshei ssti
l
l t
heroy alnurse,whil
ehe
remainsapast or.Lifehast rul
ybeengoodt othem.
ZenandeandIhav ef i
nall
ymanagedt ohav epeace,
andGl ori
aandZwel i f
inal
lymett heirbundleofjoy–
abeaut if
ul babygirlnamedZenday a.Don’taskme
whytheynamedhert hat,butsuchi sli
feanditisa
beauti
ful name.Rami ont heotherhandhasbeenon
andof fwithme.Idon’ tknowwhati shappeningin
herli
fe,especi all
ysincesheandThendogot
div
orcedr ightaf t
ershegav ebir
thtotheirson,
Todani.

Yes,hewasnamedr i
ghtaf terhisfather.Things
havebeenquitetoughf orher ,
butshest il
lhasn’t
tol
dmeabouthert roubl es.Ihearal l t
hisfrom
Thendo.Ihav eaccept edt hatRami hasshutmeout
ofherli
fe,andaspai nful asi tis,
Ihav efi
nallymov ed
onfrom it
.Ihavel earntt omakeKgmybestf r
iend,
andIdon’tknowwhatt hef utureholds,butallIcan
sayisthatIam readyf ori t
.
Iwasdeepint
houghtwhenmyphoner ang.I
checkedt
hecal
lerI
DanditwasZenande.

That
o:“
Hel
l
o,Zee.Howar
eyou?
”

Zenande:
(anxi
ous)“
Iam wel
l
,That
o,howar
eyou?
”

Thato:
“I’
m okay
.Yousoundv
eryanxi
ous,
what
’s
wrong?”

Zenande:“Thato,
Ihadav er
ystrangev i
sionright
now.Somet hingbadiscomingy ourway ,Ihave
tri
edprayi
ngaboutitandIjustcan’tshakethe
feel
ing.
”

Ibecamewor
ri
edal
lofasudden.

That
o:“
Whatdoy
oumean,
Zee?
”
Zenande:“Somethi
nggoody oudidbacki ntheday
hasfinal
lycomebacktohaunty ou.What ever
happens,openyourey
esandnev erstopprayi
ng.
Thisi
sgoi ngt
obeaser i
oust estbetweenyouand
yourhusband,butnomatterwhat–don’ tstop
prayi
ng.”

Her
ewegoagai
n.Anot
herr
iddl
e.

That
o:“
Okay
,I’
l
ltr
y.”

Zenande:
“Oh,
andThat
o,becar
eful
ofRami
.”

Wi
tht
hatsai
d,shehungup.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandTwent
ySi
x

Gal
ati
ans6:
9–“
Andl
etusnotgr
owwear
yofdoi
ng
good,
forindueseasonwewi
l
lreap,
ifwedonot
gi
veup.”

That
o

OscarWi l
deoncesai d,nogooddeedgoes
unpunished.Af ewofusact uall
yreali
zethe
meaningt hereof,butPalesawouldal wayst
ellme
thatgoodpeopl ealway sgetfuckedov er
.Ihav e
beentoldcount lessti
mest hatIam toogoodf ormy
ownwi ll–ev enbyKghi msel
f.Idon’tknowwhat
Zenandei sonabout ,buteversinceshecall
edme, I
havebeenv eryuneasy.Ican’tseem together
wordsoutofmyhead.Iwasundert heimpression
thatIhadnoenemi es–wel lexceptformymot her
’s
famil
yandmyownmot her.

Speaki
ngofSont o,Ihav
en’treall
yseennorheard
fr
om hersi
ncet heti
meherwombwasr i
ppedoutof
herbody.Sophiealsoforget
sj ustwhatGri
ngoand
Kgdidtoher,butasexpected,theyfi
nishedthe
l
obolamoneywi t
hinamont h.Theyblewi tal
l on
expensi
veshoesandclothes,andchampagne.She
evenboughtKagi
so’ski
dsdesi gnercl
othes–al l
thr
eeofthem.Af t
eral
lthatshef el
lpr
egnantonce
againandmusthaveprobablygivenbir
thbynow.
Theycall
edmesoonaf terthemoneywasf i
nished
andaskedmet osendthem grocerymoney .

Kgt ol
dmest rai
ghtupnott oevendar e.Iwon’ tli
e,I
real
lythoughtaboutdoi ngit
,Imeani tisnotni ce
seeingpeoplesufferfrom hungerwhi l
eIhav e
mill
ionsinmybankaccount ,butIchoset ol i
stento
myhusbandi nsteadandnotgi veint
ot heirsi
ll
y
demands.Ofcour se,Sophieswor eatmel i
kenev er
beforeandIjustletherbe.Imean, thatisjusthow
l
ifegoes.Idecidedt of r
eshenupandgov isi
tmy
husband.Het ookhi stimewi t
ht hi
snewcompany ,
andheev ennamedi tri
ghtafterme–That o
Jewelers.

Iam t
ooexci
tedaboutt
hel
aunch,
andhekeeps
askingmef ormyi nputal
mostev eryti
me.Idon’ t
knowwhyhedoest hatwhenhehasaPA.Ihav en’t
evenmett hegir
l,buthehasassur edmet hatsheis
anicegi rlandofcourse,fartooyoungtoev ertr
yto
seducehi m.Rami beingonandof fwithme, has
tri
edt otellmecont i
nuouslythatIneedtomar kmy
terr
itory,whil
eGloriahastoldmet hatIneedtorelax
andt rustmyman.

Iknowdeepdownt hatGloismor esensi blet han

Rami, butthenwhathar m woul ditdot oseet hisgi
rl
?
So,Igotint omybl ack, t
ight-
fi
tlacedr ess, t
heone
Kgboughtmeaf ewweeksago–al sooneofmany
outfi
tsboughtbyhi m.Lucki l
yhiscompanyi snot
veryfarfrom ourhouse–about10mi nut esaway
andrightintoNewt own.Idon’ treall
yhav et osi gnin
whenIam t here,butIstill
compl yli
keany oneel se.I
sawaf ewpeopl edoi ngtouchupst othebui lding,
suchasput ti
nginnewl i
ght sandpai nti
ngt hel ast
bit
soft hebui l
ding,butov eral
l,Iam impr essedby
whathedi dtoGr i
ngo’ soldbuildi
ng.
Itisnotev erydayt haty ourfatherinlawgi vesy oua
whol ebuildingasaweddi nggi f
t .Tumi showi llalso
bejoininghi m, sinceheappar entlyisverygoodand
assembl i
ngj ustaboutany ti
ng.Her efusedt ogot o
varsity,sohi sbigbr othertoldhimt oj
oinhi m
i
nst ead.Hel ovesbei ngar oundKg, andIt hinkthat
reall
ywi llhelphi m alotsincehei sbasicallyan
orphan–ev ent houghSont oisv erymuchal iv
e.AsI
walkedi n, Ifoundav erybeautifulgirl
sitt
ingi nthe
receptionar ea.Shehadchocol ateskinandnotone
pimpl einsi ght.

Herdimpleswer etodiefor,andofcour se,she

l
ookedl i
kethetypicalr
eceptioni
st–boobsout ,long
nai
ls,
ridi
culouslyl
ongweav eandv er
yhighheels.I
sawherf eetunderneat
hherdesk, butIwasn’tt
oo
sur
ewhatshewaswear ing,unti
l Iapproachedher
andsawf rom overthecount er
.Ther eisnowayKg
wil
lbewor kingwithagirll
ikethis.

Imean,
Iam notj
eal
ousorany
thi
ng,
butwhatwi
l
l
hisclient
ssaywhent heyseesomeonedr essedin
suchaski mpydr ess?Shesmi l
edatme, butIcoul
d
tel
lthatsmilewasnotv erygenui
ne.Shegav eme
thatlow-keynastylook; y
ouknow, t
hattoptotoe
l
ookandIam pr ettysureshewasanal y
singmeand
tel
li
ngmeshi ti
nhermi nd.

PA:(smi
l
ing)“
Hi,
youmustbeThat
o.Oh,
Kghas
tol
dmesomuchaboutyou.”

Shereachedf ormyhand,butIwasmor ehungupon

herapproach.Isshegoingtorefertoever
yonethat
walksthroughthosedoorsonfirstnamebasis?And
si
ncewhendoesshecal lmymanbyhi sni
ckname?
Ifel
tatingeofjealousy–Iwon’tli
e.Ishookher
handreluctantl
y.

That
o:(
fakesmi
l
e)“
Hi,y
oumustbeRei
net
te,
right
?”

Rei
net
te:
“Yes,
buty
ouar
esowel
comet
ocal
lme
Ree.
”

Thato:
“I’
drathercal
lyoubyy
ourf
ull
namei
fthati
s
okaywithyou.”

Icoul
dtel
lshewasnoti
mpr
essedwi
thmyr
eact
ion.

Reinett
e:(f
akesmi le)“Ofcour se.Kgwasnotl y
ing
whenhesai dyouwer equiteheadstrong.Idon’t
evenknowhowy oudoi t
.Imean, heissuchacool ,
calm andcollect
edman, surelyyoudon’tneedto
str
esshi m outwithyourov erpoweri
ngper sonal
ity
,
don’tyouthink?”

Shebli
nkedherfakeasslashesatme, wit
hherf
ake
smil
eandr i
dicul
ousheapofmakeup.Iswear ,I
wantedtotakeoutapacketofwipesfrom mybag
andwipeitoffherf
ace.Whodoest hisbit
chthi
nk
shei
s?Imean, wemightprobabl
ybet hesameage
–about20orso, butshelacksr
espect.
Thato:“
Reinet
te,
Ireal
lydon’
tthi
nki
tisappr
opr
iat
e
foryoutospeaktomeorany oneel
sefort
hatmatt
er
aboutMYhusbandl i
kethat.
”

Imadesur
eshegotr
emi
ndedt
hatKgwasmi
ne.
Shame,
thener
ve.

Rei
net
te:
“Oh,
Idi
dn’
tmeani
tli
ket
hat
,That
o–“

Thato:(i
nterrupti
ng)“Mrs.Ncubet
oyou.Andplease,
i
fy oufeelthatIoverpowermyhusband,
feel
freeto
keepittoy oursel
fnextti
me.”

Ikeptast r
aightf
aceandIcoul dt
ell
sher eal
l
ywas
notimpressedwithmyr eacti
onatall
.Shedi dl
ook
l
ikesuddenlywasf ull
ofr egret
.Idon’tknow,man.
Shejustlookssof amil
iar,l
ikesomeoneIknow.
Rei
neitt
e:(
regret
ful
)“Pl
ease,Tha–Mr s.Ncube,
I
honestl
ydidn’
tmeanitl
ikethat.Pl
ease,mayImake
i
tupt oyoubyshowingyoutoKg’soffi
ce?”

Thereshegoesagain.Sheseemstoocomfort
able
aroundMYman.Whyi sthat
?CouldKgreal
lybetoo
ni
cet ot
hisgi
rlorcoul
dtheyhavesomet
hinggoing
on?”

Thato:“Reinet
te,Iam sur
ey ouknowt hatcal
li
ng
yourbossbyhi snicknamei sratheri
nappropri
ate.
Refr
ainf r
om doingthatnextti
me, becausethati
s
real
lynotwhatThat oJeweller
srepresent.AndI
knowt heway ,sononeedt ofoll
owme. ”

Igaveheronel ook–thesameoneshel ow- keygave

mewhenIwal kedthr
oughthatdoorandIwal ked
awayandpr oceededtoKg’
sof f
ice.Idon’tknow,but
somet hi
ngseemsr at
heroff
ishaboutthi
sgi rl
.Why
didn’
tKgt el
lmeabouther?Imeanl ikegiveme
detai
lsaboutherandwhydoesshef eeltheneedt o
l
ookatmeinsuchadodgyway ?Shej
ustseems
waytoocomfort
abl
eforsomeonewhostar
ted
worki
ngher
eaf ewweeksago.Haveyoueverhad
t
hatweir
dfeel
ing?

Thatstingyfeel
ingi nsideofy ourgut,l
ikeitjust
won’tgoaway ?Thati syourinstinct.Nanaand
QueenNandi alway stellmet hatifyougett hat
feel
inganditsti
cks–t heny oudohav esomet hi
ng
toworryaboutunlessy ouareanov ert
hinker,real
ly
.
Iknockedafewt imesandopenedt hedoor ,andI
foundmygor geousmandr essedi nasui t
,ont he
phoneandhesmi ledatmeassoonashesawme.
Myhear tmeltseveryt i
meIseehi m.Imeanhe
mightbe27now, buthest il
llooks25.

Kg:(ont
hephone)“Yes,Mr.Hassi
m.Absolutel
y,I
wil
lmostdefi
nit
elymakesurethatyougeti
tassoon
aspossi
ble.Al
right
,goodbye.
”

Hehungupandgotoutofhi
schai
rimmedi
atel
y.He
gavemeonel
ong,
passi
onat
eki
ssandspunme
around.

Kg:
“MyQueen.
”

That
o:(
blushi
ng)“
MyKi
ng.
”

Kg:
“Unj
ani
,St
handwasami
(Howar
eyou,
myl
ove)
?”

Yes,eversinceKgwasdecl aredKingofEnande,
he
hasbeenspeaki ngZul umoreoft
enthanSetswana.
Idon’tknow, butIguessheissousedtoit.Besi
des,
hejustgetsmesohor nyeveryti
mehespeaksZul u.

That
o:“
Iam al
ri
ght
,howar
eyou,
Mr.Ncube?
”

Kg:
“If
eel
somuchbet
ternowt
haty
ouar
eher
e.”
That
o:(
puzzl
ed)“
Ist
her
esomet
hingwr
ong?
”

Kg:“No,notreall
y.Ijusthaveonebi gordert
hat
camet hr
oughf rom Mr.Hassi m.Hei soneoft he
Commi ssioner’
sbusinessfriendsfrom Dubai.He
hasorderedav eryuniquecust om designedr
ing.I
workedoni tall
daytheot herday,andhewant sat
l
east50car atsonthatring,alongwi t
hacustom
madeneckl ace–alsomadeof50car atswhi
te
diamonds.”

Wow,Kgmustbeball
i
ngalr
eady.Wehaven’tev
en
l
aunchedt
hecompanyandalr
eadyhehassuchabig
or
der.

Thato:
“ That’
samazing,l
ove.Bj
anongkengokare
(Sowhydoesi tseem asif
)youarenotv
eryhappy
aboutthis?”

Kg:
“Iam,
iti
sjustt
hatIdon’
tknowi
fIwi
l
lbeabl
eto
pul
lthi
soff
.Imean,
iti
sabi
gdeal
andhehas
al
readypai
dme.
”

Il
oveseei
ngKgsoinhi
selementandproudabout
hi
sjob.Hereal
l
ylov
esdesi
gni
ngjewel
ry,t
hough.

That
o:“Kg,babe.Youar
egoi ngtodogreat
.You
knowthatevery
thi
ngyoutouchturnsi
ntogold.
”

Kg:(chuckl
i
ng)“
Justli
kewheneverIt
ouchthat
pussyofmineandItur
nitr
ighti
ntoplat
inum,r
ight
?”

That
o:(blushi
ng)“Hay
i,hay
i(no,no)
,Mr.Ncube.
Youcannotbehav i
ngsuchdirt
ythought
satthis
ti
meoft heday.”

Kg:(
smil
i
ngmischi
evousl
y)“Come,
letmeshowy
ou
whatmydir
tyt
hought
saretell
i
ngme.”
Asmuchashemakesmehor
ny,
Ineedt
oaddr
ess
theRei
net
tei
ssuef
ir
st.

Thato:“
Ont hatnote,
Ineedtodiscusssomet
hing
wit
hy oufi
rst,orr
athersomeone.”

Kg:(
sigh)“Youcanreal
l
ybeamoodkil
ler
,baby.
Al
ri
ght,bakwenzeni
(Whatdi
dtheydot
oy ou)
?”

That
o:“
Whydi
dn’
tyout
ell
meaboutRei
net
te?
”

Kg:(
frowni
ng)“Whatdoy
oumean?Ial
readyt
old
youabouther
.”

Thato:“Imean,whydidn’
tyoutel
lmeabouther
?
Whatshei sli
ke,whatshewear
s,herbi
tchy
personali
ty….
”
Kg:(l
aughi
ng)“Oh,that
.Hawu( wow),baby.Ar
eyou
tel
l
ingmet hatyouarej
ealousal
readyaft
erbei
ng
marri
edforoverayear?”

Mxm,Iam busytal
kingtothi
smanaboutaser
ious
i
ssueandheislaughingatme.

That
o:“
Kg,
keser
ioushl
e(Iam ser
ious)
.”

Kg:“Okay,
whatisi
tthatyoudon’
tli
keaboutherso
thatIcant
ell
herwheretogetoff
?”

Thato:“Wel l
,Idon’tl
ikeheratti
tude.Imean, sheis
toocomf or
table,man.Sheaddr essedmeasThat o,
i
nsteadofMr s.Ncubeandshedoesnotev enknow
mewel l
enought oaddressmebyname.Secondl y,
sheaddr essesy ouasKg, inst
eadofMr .Ncube, y
ou
areherboss, Kg.Thatcan’ tbeacceptable,last
lyshe
dresseslikeaskanki nsteadofapr of
essionalgir
l
thatrepresentsyourcompany .
”
Kg:
“Okay
,I’
l
lfi
reher
.”

Okay
,that
’sabi
tdr
ast
ic.

That
o:“
What
?”

Kg:
“Angi
thi
uphaumfaziwamiinki
ng(Sheisgi
vi
ng
mywif
eproblems)
,soIwil
lhav
et ofi
reher
.”

Thato:“
No,Kgman.Idon’
twanttobeknownasthe
pett
ywifewhoget
severy
onefi
redforf
li
rt
ingwi
th
herhusband.
”

Kg:(
chuckli
ng)“Whosai dsheisf
lir
ti
ngwi t
hme?
Hayi
,baby.Hadt heytol
dmet hatthefir
styearof
marr
iagewasgoingt oresul
tinajealouswife,
I
woul
dn’thavedoneit.
”
That
o:“
Heh(
Huh)
?!”

Kg: (
chuckli
ng)“
I’
mjoki
ng.I’
l
lspeaktoher.Now,
cany oupleasel
etmetast
emygor geouspussy
,
please?”

That
o:“
Ha-
ah,Kg.Nother
e.Yourbuil
dingi
sli
ter
all
y
madeofgl
ass,
whatifwegetseen?
”

Hesmi ledashetookar emotefrom hisdeskand

pressedit.Immediatel
y,t
heroom becamedi mmed
asblindsstart
edgoingdownf r
om allanglesinthe
offi
ce,coveri
ngal
lthesides.Wewer el i
teral
l
y
coveredupnow.

That
o:“
I’
mimpr
essed.
”

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)“
Thanky
ou.I
twasact
ual
l
yRei
net
te’
s
i
dea.Shesaiditwasmostdefi
nit
elynecessar
yfor
someoff
iceking,andmygoodnessshewasr i
ght.
”

Andt her
eitwasagai n–thatstinginmygut .This
Reinett
egirli
sjustabi tmuchf ormyl iking.Ismel la
rat,
butIdecidednott oletKgseei t.Idon’ twant
himt ostr
essoutaweekbef or
ehi slaunch.Idecided
toignorethatfeel
ingonceagai n,event houghi t
stayedatthebackofmymi nd.IallowedKgt o
devourmeashecar eful
l
yplacedmeonhi soffi
ce
desk.Hemademesi tonit
,ashesl owl yt r
ail
edhis
handsdownmyt highs.

Hemov edhishandupmydr esscasi ngmet ofeel

thoseelectr
if
yingti
ngl yfeeli
ngsallov ermybody .
Kgseemst ogetbet terbytheday .Hi shandsal ways
domagi c,ashewor ksmybodyl i
keIam agui t
ar.
Hesl owlypul
leddownmypant ies,asmydr esswas
pull
edup.Hespr eadmyl egsapar t
,gotdownonhi s
kneesandst aredatmypussywi thahugesmi l
eon
hisface.Hedoest hatal otandIreallygotusedt oit.
I
tdoesnotbot
hermeany
mor
e.

Kg:“
Damn,TT,y
ourpussylooksbet
tereacht
imeI
seei
t.Per
missi
ontodevouryou,myQueen?”

Ial
waysmeltatKg’
sdi
rtytalkandthewayhel
i
kes
aski
ngforper
missi
onbeforehand.

That
o:“
Youneednotev
enask,
myKi
ng.
”

Hesmi l
edatmeandsl owlygracedmypussywi t
h
histongue’stantali
zi
ngpresenceashesl owl yli
cked
mycl itandfli
ckedhistongueov erit
.Ifeltmy sel
f
beingov erwhelmedwithheatfrom allangles,asI
voluntari
lyopenedmyl egswider.Kgl ovesitwhenI
dot hat,andIfelthi
m di
phistonguei ntomy
entrance.Ifeltmyhandgr abbinghisheadf ir
ml y
,
whileaidinghisheadtogodeeper .
That
o:(
moani
ng)“
Aaah,
myKi
ng.
”

Yes,wehaveevol
vednow.Dirt
ytal
khasr esor
tedt
o
uscall
i
ngeachotherbyourr
oyalti
tl
es.Itspi
ces
thi
ngsup,t
hough.KggotupjustwhenIwasabout
tocum.HeknowshowmuchIhat eitwhenhedoes
that
.

Thato:
(fr
ust
rat
ed)“
Kg!YouknowIhat
eitwheny
ou
dothat.
”

Kg:(chuckl
ing)“Iwantmydi
ckt
omakey
oucum
today,mylove.”

Hewastednoti
meashegothi spantsdown.I
deci
dedtot
ort
urehi
m aswell.Igotdownonboth
mykneeswit
houtwarni
ng,
andgothol dofhi
sbig
di
ckinmyhands.Myotherhandwasonhi sbal
l
s.I
l
ookedupandsawhim smil
i
ngatme.
That
o:“
Per
missi
ont
odev
our
,myKi
ng?
”

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)“
Fuck,
TT,
youknowj
ustwhatt
odot
o
me.
”

IsmiledasIslowlylickedthet i
pofhispenis.If el
t
hishandsbehindmyheadandIsawhi mt i
lthishead
backinpleasure.Icircledmyt ongueri
ghtaround
theheadofhispeni s,thenIputallofhi
mi nsideof
mymout hasIst artedsuckingupanddowni nf ast
mot i
on.Myonehandwasr ubbinghisdi
ckwhi lemy
mout hwasmov i
ngup, whi
l
et heotherhandwas
rubbi
nghisballsvigorously
.

Kg:
(moani
ng)“
Aaah,
fuck,
myQueen!
”

Iwasaboutt
oletgoandgi
vehim at
asteofhi
sown
medici
ne,
whenthedoorj
ustf
lungopenwit
hout
warni
ng.
Rei
net
te:
“Kg,
Iwaswonder
ingi
fyouwoul
dli
ke
some–“

Bothofuswer erat
hershockedandcaughtofguar d.
Iqui
cklygotupandlookedatherpi ssed.Insteadof
hercl
osingthedoorimmediatel
y,shest oodthere
andstaredatus.Thatfucki
ngbitch.

Rei
net
te:
“Oh,
Iam sosor
ry,
I–“

That
o:“
Closet
hatf
ucki
ngdoor
!”

Iwasrat
hermadtosayt
hel
east
.Shecl
osedi
tin
hast
e,l
eavi
ngusbot
hannoy
ed.

Kg:
(ir
ri
tat
ed)“
I’
m sor
ry,
baby
.”

Idon’
tknowwhatannoy
edmemor
e–t
hef
actt
hat
shejustst
ormedi nherewi
thoutwarni
ngorthe
merefactthatheseemedunbotheredbythi
s.I
cl
ickedmyt ongue,f
ixedmydressandgrabbedmy
handbag.

Kg:“
Hawu,
St handwasami
,asiqhubeki
yini
(Myl
ove,
ar
en’
twegoingt of
ini
shof
f)?
”

That
o:“
Thedayy oucal
lyourPAt
oor
derwi
l
lbet
he
daywefi
nishof
f!
”

Ist
ormedoutwit
houtevensayi
nggoodby
e.If
ound
Rei
nett
elooki
ngworr
iedatherdesk.

Rei
net
te:
“Mr
s.Ncube,
I’
m sosor
ry,
Idi
dn’
tmeant
o
–“

Idi
dn’tev
enbothert
oli
stentohernorrespond,
but
i
nsteadIlef
thert
her
etal
kingtohersel
fasIstormed
outandheadedt omycar .Igoti ntomycarand
huffedinf r
ustrat
ion.Ijustdon’tt rustthi
sgi rl
,real
ly.
Ineededt ov ent,soItookoutmyphoneand
checkedoutmyl i
stofcontacts.Ican’ tr
eallygov isi
t
NanaorQueenNandi becauset heyar eof fon
holi
day ,
asusual .Ican’treall
ytalkt omyf ather
aboutit,becausehemi ghtdisl
ikeKgbasedonwhat
Itel
l hi
m.Hewon’ tf
orgivehim, ev enifIdo.Gl oriais
i
nt heSey chell
eswi t
hZwel i,
celebr ati
ngt heirbaby’s
birt
hday.Ican’ treal
lybotherMr s.Let swalo,soI
haveonl yoneper sonleftonmyl ist–Rami .I
decidedt ocallherandshepi ckedupont hef i
rstring,
whichisr atherunusual.

Rami
:(happy
)“Hey
,si
s.”

That
o:“
Hey
,okae(
howar
eyou)
?’’

Rami:“
Keshap,
man,
wena(
I’
m okay
,manand
you)
?”
That
o:“
Iam f
ine,
Iguess.
”

Rami
:“Younev
err
eal
l
ycal
l
.Tal
ktome.
”

That
o:(
sigh)“
It
’sKg,
I–“

Shedi
dn’
tletmef
ini
shev
en.

Rami:(
chuckl
i
ng)“
Tr oubl
einpar
adise,
alr
eady?
Coul
dtheKingbet
iredofhisQueenalr
eady?”

Idon’
tknow, buteversi
nceThendolefthershehas
beenabitofanunf il
ter
edbit
ch.Iti
sabi tannoy
ing
andhasr esul
tedinusnotreal
lyi
nvi
tinghertosome
ofourfuncti
ons.

That
o:“
Notexact
ly.Ican’
tdot
hisov
ert
hephone.
Canwehookup?
”

Rami:“
Sur
e,I
’
llcomebyy
ourhouse.I
’
llbr
ingTodani
wit
h.”

Iagreedeventhoughmyheartf
eltabituneasywith
thi
swhol esi
tuati
on.GodknowsIreal
lyneedt obe
okay,andRami usedtobeoneoftheveryfew
peoplewhounder st
oodme.Now, Ij
ustdon’tknow
whatishappening.Am Imaki
ngtherightdeci
sion
byconfidi
nginher?
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandTwent
ySev
en

Prov
er bs14:
30–“ Ahear
tatpeacegi
vesl
i
fet
othe
body,butenvyr
otsthebones.
”

That
o

If
oundmy
sel
fdr
ivi
ngt
omyhousewi
tht
hatgut
feeli
ngnotgoi ngaway .AsIwasaboutt oent ermy
yard,IfoundRami rightoutsidethegatewai tingfor
mei nhercar .Shehadsol dtheMer cedesBenzt hat
AuntVi vandGr ingoboughtf orherjustbeforeshe
died,andgother selfaPor sche.Idon’ tknowwhati s
happeni nginherlife, butt
hisallscr
eamsami dli
fe
crisi
s.Ihardlyseeheroncampusanymor e, butI
fi
guredi ti
sbecauseoft hebabyandal l.Shehasa
nanny ,
though, butIj ustdon’tknow.Ihadn’ teven
reachedmygat ey etandshest art
edhoot i
ngatme.

Rami:“
Bul
agat
e,man,
sesi
(Opent
hegat
e,man,
si
s).
”

Ichuckl
edthinkingthatthisistheRami Iremember,
thenonchalant,f
oreversmi l
ingRami .Iopenedt he
gatewit
hmyr emot eandsheent er
edfirst,whi
leI
enter
edafterher.Shedi dn’tevenwast etime,asshe
walkedoutofhercarandIgotshockedi mmediatel
y.
Shehadabot t
leofSav annai nherhand.
Thato:
(shocked)“
Rami ,
pleasedon’
ttel
lmey ou
drov
eallthewayfrom Sandtonwhil
edri
vingunder
thei
nfl
uenceofalcohol.
”

Rami:“Ag,Thato,r
elax
,man.Youj ustl
ovebeingso
st
ressfulal
ltheti
me.Relax,wil
lyou?Ijustopened
i
twhileIwaitedforyouri
ghtout
sidethegate.
”

Iknewshewasl
yi
ng.Shewasr
eaki
ngofal
cohol
,
real
ly
.

That
o:“
Sti
l
l,don’
tev
erdot
hatagai
n.”

Iwaspret
tyst
ernandshecoul
dseet
hatImeant
busi
ness.

Rami:
“Okay
,Mom.IpromiseIwon’
tdoi
tagai
n.
Hel
pmegett hi
schi
l
doutofthecar
.”
Rami though.Iwasqui teannoyedt hatshehad
actual
lydriveninsuchast atewithpoorTodani i
n
thecar.Ireallyhatet
hatname, butwel l
,hei snotmy
son.Hi sothernamei sLethabo,butshei nsistedon
call
inghim Todani.So,itstuckIguess.Icar r
ied
him outofthecar ,
andhewassl eepingso
peacefull
y.Heseemsr atheruncaredforf oraone
yearold.

Idon’ tknow, butmay beIam j ustimagini

ngt hings.I
deci dedtokeepqui etbeforeshet ol
dmeal l
kindsof
shit.Mot her
sr eall
ytakeitpersonall
ywheny ou
attackt heirmot her
ing–Iwoul dtoo.Wewal kedi nt
o
thehousewi thRami taki
ngouthersi xpackof
alcohol, l
eavingmet ocarryhersonandherbaby
bag.Ideci dedt okeepqui etanddoi tanyway .We
wal kedint othehouseandshej ustcouldn’twai tt
o
startcriti
cizi
ng.

Rami
:“Hmm,youdidn’tdoabadjob,
hey.Kannet
e,
ozami
lewai
tse(Seri
ously,
your
eall
ytri
ed,
you
know)
.”

If
eltthatwasabi
tcondescendi
ngf
rom hersi
de,
but
Il
etitsli
de.

That
o:“
Letmegoputhi
mint
heguestr
oom near
by.
”

Ilef
twithouthersay i
ngawor dandIpl acedherson
caref
ull
yont hebed.Hel ookedabi tdirty
,forababy
boy.Imean, sur
e,kidsplay,buthejustseemedl i
ke
hehadn’tbeenbat hedandi twasonl y11am.Idon’ t
knowwhyGodal waysblessest hoseweseem t o
seearer eall
yundeservi
ngoft hesesoul s.Ihonest
ly
feelt
hatl i
fecanbeunf ai
ratt i
mes, butsuchisli
fe.
Whoar ewet odecidewhoget st ohavewhat ?

IwalkedoutandfoundRami , ser
iousl
yanalysi
ng
thehouse.Ibecamer atherannoyed, r
eal
ly.Noone
shoul
dact ual
l
ydothatwhent heyenteryourhouse.
Shehadn’tbeenheresincewemov edinandnow
shewant
stostar
ttal
kingr
ubbi
shaboutmydécor.I
didawaybet
terj
obthanshedi
dwithherhouse.

That
o:“
So,
canImakey
ousomet
hingt
oeat
?”

Rami:“
Ah,r
atherbuyussomef
ood.Or
derf
rom
Kremeorsomething.
”

That
o:(
frowni
ng)“
Kreme?
”

Rami:“Yes,orkeng(whati
sit
)?Zakagaesal
eteng
(Don’
tyouhav emoneyanymore)
?Ai,skawar
a,
(Don’
twor r
y),I
’l
lpay
.”

Ireal
lybecameannoyed.I
ttakesal
otformet o
actual
lykeepqui
et,
butthi
shasgonefarenough.

That
o:“
Rami
,Idon’
tknowwhaty
ourf
ucki
ng
problem i s, butev ersincemymi scar ri
agey ouhave
beennot hingbutabi tch.Iwast her eforyoudespite
ever y
thing.Notev enonce, didy ouapol ogizefor
beingsor udet owar dsmet hatdayandev eryother
dayaf tert hat ,butIlety ouslide.Igav eyouthe
benef i
toft hedoubtbecausey ouar eactuall
yli
kea
sistertome.Iwast her efory oudespi teyoupushing
meawayaf teryourdiv orce,Iwast hereforyouwhen
youwentt hr oughpostnat aldepr essionwi t
hTodani ,
mywor d, Iwast her efory ou.Now, youcomei nto
myhouse, drunkasaskunkbef oremi dday,thr
owing
i
nsul tsaboutmyhouse, mymar riageandev er
ythi
ng
aboutme, butIam done.It hinki tisbesty ouleave.
”

Iwasbr eat
hingfir
e,butItriedtobeaspol i
teas
possibl
e.Rami wasstart
ingt oseriousl
ytake
advantageofmeandIj ustcouldn’ttakeitanymore.
JustwhenIt houghtshewoul dgetupandl eave,I
sawherbur stint
otears.Ibecamepuzzl edandf el
t
badrightaft
ermyl i
ttl
eout burst
.
Rami :(
cryi
ng)“Oh,Thato,Iam sosor ry
.Ihav ebeen
suchabadf r
iendtowardsy ouandy ouhonest l
y
don’tdeserv
emyt r
ashybehav i
ourtowar dsy ou.The
tr
uthis,mylifeisamess.Ir ui
nedt hingswi th
Thendoandnowhewant sabsolutelynothingt odo
wit
hme.Ihav ebeensobossyt owar dshim, I
actual
lydrovehim awayfrom meandasar esult
,he
cheatedonmewi ththatr
uralskank!

Iknow, youhavemostpr obabl

ynev erforgi
venme
forthatdaywhenIsai dthosehur tfulwor dstoyou
wheny ouhady ourmiscarri
age,butt hetruthis–I
envyy ou.Ireal
lywishthatIhadapar t
nerlikeKg.
Hel i
teral
lyworshipst
hegr oundy ouwal kon,That
o.
AllIeverwantedwast obel ovedliket hat,butnot
evenThendocoul dev
erl oveme.Iknow, heisnot
asst r
ongasKgnorascour ageous, butIdidlove
him.Ist i
lldo.
”

Shewascryi
nghereyeball
sout.Shi
t,If
eel
sobad
event
houghshedidn’
treal
lyapol
ogi
zefort
hatday
.
Itsti
llhurt
smet oeventhinkaboutit,butImeanshe
i
sonl yhuman, r
ight
?Zenandedi dtel
l menotto
trusther,butcouldshehav ebeenbl i
ndt hi
soneti
me?
Imean, Rami wasthefi
rstpersontopi ckmeupr i
ght
aftermyki dnapandf or
cedabor ti
onor deal
.She
tookmei nalongwithherf amil
y,sowhyshoul dI
turnmybackonhernow?Sheneedsmenowmor e
thanev erbefore.

Thato:
“Rami,it
’sokay.Please,r
elax.Youwi l
lget
thr
oughthis,
justpromisemet hatyouwillt
alktome
wheneveryouneedhel pandyouwi l
lnevereverdr
ink
whil
edriv
ingeveragain.”

Rami :
(tear
y)“
Ipromi
se.Iwi
l
lnev
erhur
tyoul
i
ke
thateveragai
n.”

Shehadbet
ternot
,becauset
her
eisonl
ysomucha
womancantake,r
ight
?
That
o:“
Okay
,let
’sr
elax
.I’
l
lmakeussomef
ood.
”

Rami:
(smili
ng)“
Youaretr
ulyGodsent,
Tee.Icoul d
nev
ereverhavesuchafor
givi
ngheartl
ikey our
s.
Godhastrul
ysentyoui
ntomyl i
fef
orar eason.”

Idon’
tknowhowgenui neherst at
ementact uall
yis,
butIdon’twanttodwel lonthatr i
ghtnow.Rami has
beenthroughsomuch, anduponherf i
nal
lyopeni ng
upabouthermar riagewoes, Iactual
lyunderstand
whyshei sthewayshei sr i
ghtnow.Shehasl ostso
muchwei ght–ev enherf aceshowssomet hingis
j
ustnotokay .Herey eshav ethesedarkcir
cl es
underneaththem andshej ustlooksabitfrail.

Idecidedtogocheckuponherson, whi
leshewas
onher6t hSavanna,butIhadn’tevenfi
nished
makingusf oody et
.Thisi sworr
isome,butastory
foranotherday.Luckil
yIf oundThendoawake,I
changedhi snappyandr eali
zedhehadabi tofa
nappyr ash.Itookhim withmeandheadedbackt o
theki
tchen.Itl
it
eral
l
ytookmeonly5mi nut
est
o
changethepoorboy,butshehadf
ini
shedherl
ast
bott
leofSavannaalr
eady.

Thato:(
puzzl
ed)“
Rami,set
seof
edi
tsegonwa(
you
arealr
eadydonedri
nki
ng)?
”

Rami:
“Yes,ah,
wait
sebiergaenketseselonna(y
ou
knowbeerdoesnotreal
l
yhaveanyeffectonme).
Don’
tyouhaveabottl
eofwineorsomet hi
ng?”

Thato:
“Takeanyoneexceptt
he2002Shi
raz.Kgand
Iar
esav i
ngthatonef
oraspecial
occasi
on.Wegot
i
tfrom Gri
ngoonourweddingday.
”

Ihopesheheardmebecauseot her
wi seKgwould
haveaseriousfi
tifIhadtotel
lhimt hatsomeone
drankourwine.Hei snotmuchofaf anofRami
l
ately
,butsomethingtel
lsmeheknowsmor ethanI
do.ItookThendot othesparebedroom hewas
sl
eepingi
nandIgav
ehim ani
ce,soothi
ngbat
h.He
seemedsoint
unewithi
tandreal
lyseemedli
kehe
neededit
.

Hekeptscr atchi nghisheadaf ewtimes,andthatis

mostdef i
nitel
yasi gnofl i
ce.IwonderifRami even
botherstocheckhi mintothedoctor.Idr
essedhi m,
afterpl
ayingwi thhimi nthebathtubandheadedout .
Uponent eri
ngt hekitchen,Rami wasnowheretobe
found.Shel eftasmal lpieceofpaperanditread
“Goneout .Wat chTodani .Bebacksoon.Xoxo
Rami .
”

Iwasirri
tatedbyt hefactthatshejustlef
tmewi th
herkidli
ket hat
,butnowIbecameev enmor eli
vid
whenIsawanempt ybott
leofShiraz2002ont he
ki
tchencount er
.It oldhernottofuckingtouchthe
bott
le,butshedi d!Iam soscr ewed.Iam nothappy,
butKgwi ll
beev enangr i
er.Imadesomef oodfor
Todani,andher eall
yseemedt oenjoythefood.
Her eal
lyisnotaf ussybaby ,
Iguessaslongashe
haseat en,thenhei sokay.Iputhiminfrontoft het v
withsomecar toons,whil
ethinki
ngofapl anto
deviseregar di
ngthisbottl
eofwine.Howdar eshe
though?Ical l
edherandt hephonetookmest raight
tovoicemai l
.Idecidedt ocheckonli
neifmay beI
couldor derorsomet hi
ng,butnoonehadt hatbot t
le.

Iam screwedf ordays–Icanf eel it.Imanagedt o

getridofthebot tl
e,butnow,itispr ett
yobvioust hat
ther
ei sabottleofwi nemissing.It ri
edtore-shuf f
le
thebottl
esofwi neIhadintheki tchen, asIgotbusy
thi
nkingofawayout–Ihear dKg’ scardr i
vei n.I
panickedalitt
lebit,butIhi
dthatf rom him.St ress
oranupsethusbandi sthelastt hingIneedr ight
now.Kgwal kedi nwithahugesmi leonhisf ace,a
bunchofwhi telili
esinhisonehand, andasmal lgi
ft
bagi nhi
sother .Justgreat.

Thati
senoughtomakemef eell
ikeshi
t.HowdoI
l
ietomyhusbandabouthi
sfavouri
tebott
leofwi
ne
beingdownedbymysocal l
edbestfriend,knowing
verywellthatshewasnotsupposedt odr i
nki t
?I
don’tknowi fIwi l
lmanagel y
ingtohim while
keepingast raightface.Lucki
lyIhadjustmadeone
ofhisfavouritemeal s–lambshankwi thmashand
roastedveggi es.Ihopethatwillbeenought omake
him melt.

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)“
Eveni
ng,
myQueen.
”

That
o:(
smi
l
ing)“
Hel
l
o,myKi
ng.Howar
eyou?
”

Kg:“I’
m wel
l,
thanks.Iam gl
adtoseey
ousmi
l
ing.I
thoughtIwassti
lli
nthedogbox.
”

That
o:(
chuckl
i
ng)“
Whywoul
dy oubei
nthedogbox?
Didy
oudosomethi
ngwr
ong?”

Kg:
(fr
owni
ng)“
Idon’
tknowhowt
oanswert
hat
.
Youmi
ghtbet
ri
cki
ngme.
”

That
o:(
laughi
ng)“
Bat
hong(
Goodness)
,Kg.
”

Kg:“
Onaseriousnotenow,
Ihavebroughty
ou
somethi
ngspeci
al.Asapeaceoff
eri
ng.”

Hehandedmethefl
owersandthegiftbag.I
tis
al
waysnicet
orecei
vegi
ft
sfrom yourman.Ilooked
att
hegif
tbag.

Kg:
“Openi
t.
”

Isl
owlyputdownt heflowersonthetabl
eand
openedthegif
tbag.If oundabigjewell
erybox.I
anxi
ouslyst
aredatitandopenedi t
.Myey eswere
metwiththebestsparkli
ngneckl
aceIhav eever
seen.Thisi
swayshi ni
erthantheonehegav eme
backinEnande.
That
o:(
tear
y)“
Kg…”

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)“
Doy
oul
i
kei
t?”

Li
kei
t?Hemustbej
oki
ng.Iabsol
utel
ylov
eit
.

That
o:“
Iabsol
utel
ylov
eit
.Pl
easehel
pmeputi
t
on.
”

Ihardl
yweartheonehegavemebackinEnandedue
tomebei ngaf
rai
dtheywi
ll
steali
t.Whenwil
lIwear
thi
sone?AsKghel pedmeputiton,
hetol
dmeal l
aboutit
.

Kg:“
Seethispi
ece?I ti
sa40car atEmer al
dand
Di
amondNeckl ace.YouknowIlov ebeingunique,
sowheneverIseeuniquediamonds,Ithinkofyou.
Ever
ypi
eceIhav edesignedinmycurrentcoll
ecti
on
remindsmeofyou.Youar
etheinspi
rati
onbehindit
all
,ThatoI
sabel
l
aNcube.Ofcourse,
Emer al
dbeing
green,wasi
nspi
redbyy
ourmaidensurname–
Groen.

Youar esuchabeaut y,Thato–bot hinsi

deandout.
So, t
hisone, Inamedi ttheEmer aldQueen.Iwantt o
givey ouallthediamondsi nthewor l
d,because
ul
timat el
yy ouarether arestoft
hem al landthe
shiniestoneofcour se.Iam sor ryforwhatReinet
te
didtoday ,andasar esultIhavegi venhertwoweek’s
notice.Shewi l
lbeservingherlastdayony our
bir
thday .
”

Okay,nowIfeell
ikeshi
t.Reinet
tej
ustneededt
obe
cal
ledtoor
der,nottogetfi
red.

Thato:“
Baby
,your
eal
l
ydi
dn’
thav
etof
ir
eher
,
though.
”
Kg:“
Noonehast her
ightt
odisr
espectmywoman–
l
etalonetheQueen.So,shehastogo.Besi
des,
I
act
uall
ythinkshehasthehot
sformesoshehast o
go.
”

Iam saddened.Per hapsIshoul dn’thavesaid

any thi
ng.Now, asar esultofmybi gmout h,
Igother
fi
red.Ican’tevenper suadeKgt othinkotherwise,
butt hati
swhati tis.Wewer eaboutt ositdownand
dishupwhenTodani cr awledall t
hewayt othe
ki
t chen.Oh,If
or gott ot el
lKgabouthi m.Hegav e
meal ookandIwasl eftanxi ous,Ithoughthewoul d
getangr y
,buti
nst eadhi sfacelitupsomucht hathe
pickedhim upandst artedpl ayi
ngwi thhim.

Ibreat
hedoutasi ghofreli
efandact uall
ytooka
momentt oappr eciat
ethebeautif
ul sighti
nfrontof
me.Kgwasl i
terallycooi
ngandmaki ngbaby
soundsandact uallyl
aughingwiththisboy .Myheart
achesknowingt hatwewer ebothsocl osetohavi
ng
ourown,butnowwedon’ thaveanyki dstowarmt he
housewi
tht
hei
rgi
ggl
esandl
aught
er.

Heev enforgottoaskmewher eRami was, and

probablyassumedt hatIwasbaby sitti
ng.Idi dn’t
evenf eelj
ealousatall whenhewasgi vingTodani al
l
theattenti
on, soIsatther eandatewhi l
et hinki
ngof
awayoff i
ndi ngareplacementoft hatbot tl
eofwi ne.
Afterourdinner ,
Todani fell
asl
eepi nKg’ sarms.Oh,
i
tjustmademeenv i
ous.Iknow, Iam st il
l y
oung, but
havingchildrenseemsl ikeableakpossi bili
tyri
ght
now.Iknowhesai dhedoesnotwantt or ushme,
butall i
nallIjustwanttoseehi mt hishappy
everyday.Kgf edTodani andevenchangedhi s
nappy .Het ookhi mtoourbedr oom andl ayhim on
thebedi nbet weenus.

Mxm, sonowTodani i
sjustoneyearol
dandal ready
heisst
eali
ngmyhusbandf rom me.Icleanedup
andwenttoourbedr
oom tot akeashower.Af ew
minut
eslat
er,
Iheardhim walkint
othebathroom
andri
ghtbehi
ndmei ntheshower.Hesl owly
washedmybackandmadehi swayt omybr easts.
Hestartedfi
ddli
ngwi tht
hem andhishandmadei ts
waytomycl it
.Itil
tedmyheadbackwar dsand
foundmy sel
fmoani ng.Kgi
ssosl y,hekeptrubbing
myclit
,kissi
ngmyneck, hedecidedtoaskme
questi
ons.Mxm.

Kg:
(whisper
ing)“WhereisRami
andwhydi
dshe
l
eaveTodaniherewit
hy ou?”

That
o:(
moani
ng)“
Aaaah,
what
?”

Kg:“
Youhear
dme,Ndhl
ovukazi
(Queen)
.Don’
t
makemerepeatmy
sel
f.
”

Ei
sh,
thi
sist
ough.

That
o:“
I…She.
..Ii
nvi
tedherov
erf
orl
unchandshe
sai
dshe’
dbebacksoon.”
ThenKgdeci
dedt
oaskmet
heonequest
ionIhad
beendr
eadi
ng.

Kg:“
So,wher
eist
heShi
razbot
tl
eGr
ingogav
euson
ourweddi
ng?
”

Iwantedtofreeze,
butt
hist
sot
sikeptf
eedi
ngmy
pussyhisfi
nger.

That
o:“
I…”

Kg:
“Thi
nkv
erycar
eful
l
yabouty
ouranswer
.”

That
o:“
I…Rami dr
ankall
ofi
taft
erIt
oldhernott
o
doit
.Iswear
,itwasnotmyfaul
t.
”

Kg:
“Nextt
ime,
youwi
l
llear
ntol
i
stent
omewhenI
t
ell
youIdon’
tli
ket
hatgi
rl
.”

Wi t
hthatsai
dhestoppedr
ubbingmycli
tandIwas
close,
soclose.Hetookhi
stowelandwalkedoutof
theshowerleavi
ngmeannoyed.

That
o:“
Hawu(
Goodness),Kg.Justli
kethat
?Ar
en’
t
yougoi
ngt
ofi
nishwhaty
ouhav estart
ed?”
Kg:“Someothert
ime.Whenmywi fel
ear
nst
oli
sten,
wil
lbethedayIsati
sfyherv
erywel
l
.”

Ist
oodt
her
ehel
plessyshocked.

That
o:“
ButKg–“

Kg:(
inter
rupt
ing)“YouknewhowIf eltaboutRami
butyousti
lll
eftheri
nourhouseunat tended.You
knewjusthowmucht hatbot
tlemeantt omeand
youknewwewer esavingitf
oraveryspecial
occasi
on.ItoldyouIhadplannedsomet
hingreal
l
y
amazingforyourbi
rt
hdaythisyear
.Takethi
sasa
l
essonlearnt
.”

Iwashur tshame, r
eallyhurt.Hereall
yleftme
standingt here.If i
nishedupannoy edasf uckand
wentt ot hebedr oom.Iwashopi ngIwoul dseduce
himi naway ,buthewasn’ teveninthebedroom.He
hadl eftTodani ont hebedandwasnowher etobe
seen.Igotdr essedandt ri
edt or
eadmyBi bl
e.
Everythingfrustratesy ouwheny ouaresexually
deprived, r
eally
.I tisbadenoughwewer enearl
y
theretoday ,andnowt his.Iknow, whatRami di
d
wasshi t
tyandKgr eallytri
edtowar nmeabouther
aswel l.Whati si tthattheyseethroughherthatI
can’t?

IrememberZenandecorrect
lyt
elli
ngmet hatIneed
tobecarefulofRami
,butwhatisitthati
ssobad
abouther?Zenandedidtel
lmet hatshewasgoing
tosomeiniti
ati
onthi
ngthatwouldlastamonthor
so,andi twouldbeprett
ymuchi mpossibl
etoget
holdofherast heyarealwaysi
nt hemountai
ns,butI
tr
iedmyl uckt
ocallheranyway.Asexpected,her
phonel edmest r
aighttovoi
cemail.Ideci
dedtotry
Glori
aandsheanswer edimmediatel
ydespit
ebeing
onholidaywi t
hZweli.

Gl
ori
a:“
Hey
,St
ranger
.”

That
o:“
Hey
,you.Howar
eyou?
”

Gl
ori
a:“
Ishoul
dbeaski
ngyouthat
.I’
mfi
ne,
buthow
ar
eyou?Anddon’
tyoudar
elietome.
”

Itookadeepsighandexplai
nedeveryt
hingthat
happenedtodayt
oher.IalsotoldherwhatRami di
d
tomeandasusual ,
Glowasqui cktoli
stenand
didn’
tint
err
uptmeonebit.Shewai t
edformet o
fi
nishtogiv
emeadv i
ce.
Gl
ori
a:(
sigh)“
MydearThat
o.Whenwi
l
lyouev
er
l
ear
n.”

That
o:“
Whatdoy
oumean?
”
Glor
ia:“
Ihavebeensay i
ngthatyouneedt olear
nnot
toconfi
deinpeopl ewhodon’thav eyourbest
i
nterest
sathear t
.Imeanl ookatRami .Doesshe
evercal
lyouoncei nawhi l
e?Doesshecheckon
you?Shecan’ tevencareforherownsonandy ou
thi
nkshewillhavey ourbesti
nterest
sathear t
?

Iam notsayingIam betterthananyone,butyou

coul
dhav ecalledmeory oucouldhav ecalmed
downandcal ledKgwheny ougothome.Iam not
sayi
ngdonotv ent
,butyouneedt olearnnottoget
somadaboutev er
ythi
ng.Lear ntosolveeveryt
hing
wit
hy ourhusbandbecauseul ti
matelyi
tisonlyyou
andhimi nthismarri
age.Fr i
endsli
keRami don’t
l
ovey outhewayy outhink.”
That
o:“
Whati
sitt
haty
oual
lcanseet
hatIcan’
t?”

Glori
a: “
Itisnoteasyforyout oseeitbecausey ou
knowapar tofherthatwedon’ t.Peoplechange,my
l
ov e,andunf or
tunatel
yiti
st hewayi ti
s.Itisj
ust
l
ikeanabusedwomanwhoj ustfai
lstoseethebad
i
nherabusi vepart
ner.Noonecanmakehersee
reasonunt il
sheherselfseesitonherownaccor d.
Youwi llgetyoureyeopeneraboutRami and
unfortunatel
yitmightbet oolatebythen.”

If
eltchi
l
lsdownmyspi
neassoonasshesai
dthat
.

That
o:“
Whatdoy
oumean,
Glo?
”

Gloria:
“Ihadawei r
ddr eam lastni
ght.I
tdidn’tmake
sensesoIpr ayedabouti tandwashopingtoseea
bettervi
sionorsomet hingtonight
.Iwantedt ocal
l
yout omorrow,butwell,Imightaswellt
ellyou.I
dreamtRami st
andingbef or
ey ouinaverydark
room.Youwer edressedi
nwhite,
coveredinbl
ood
andshestabbedyouinthebackwithareall
ybi
g
knif
e.Shehadtwounf amil
i
arfemalefi
guresnextt
o
her.

Thepeopl eonlyappearedinshadowf orm asI

couldn’tseet hei
rfaces,butIcoul dhearthem speak.
Theykeptsay inghowy ouwi llf
inall
ygetyour
downf allbecausey outhinkyoudeser veev er
ythi
ng.
Itdi
dn’tmakesenset ome, otherthanRami i
soutt o
getyou.Wehav ebeensay i
ngkeepRami outofy our
l
ife.Iam sor r
y,butshejustdoesnotl ovey ou,in
factshehat esyou–v erymuchi ndeed.Becar eful
Thato,howev erIwil
lkeeppr ayi
ngf oryou.”

Ifel
tacoldshi
v erdownmyspi ne.Howcoul dal
lthi
s
betrue?Rami,outofal l
peoplehatesmet hismuch?
Whoar ethet
wof i
guresGlor
iasawi nherdream.
ThenIremember edmygutf eeli
ngearli
erthis
morning.Coul
di tbethatImissedallt
hesi gns?I
fel
tsouneasy,scaredactual
ly.Thatgutfeeli
ng
appearedinmyst omachy etagainandIfound
myselfshakingandintear
s.Idr oppedtotheground
andletthetearsstr
eam down.

Thissamepai nfulfeel
ingIf el
tinmygutf eltexact
ly
l
iketheoneIf eltl
asty earwhenIl ostmyt winboys.
Kgopenedt hedoorwi thawhi skeyglassinhishand.
Assoonashesawmeont hegr ound,he
i
mmedi atelydroppedhi sglassandl etthewhiskey
spil
lonthef l
oor.Hei sn’tonet oletthi
ngsspill
on
thecarpet.Hei sveryOCDl i
ket hat,
buthepanicked
andrushedt ome.

Kg:
(wor
ri
ed)“
Mywi
fe,
arey
ouokay
?”

Thato:“
I…Idon’
tknow.Ifeelt
hisweir
dpai
ninmy
stomachandallofasuddenIam ov
erwhel
medwi
th
fear
.”

Kg:
“Whatt
ri
gger
edt
his?
”
Iexpl
ainedt
ohim whatGlor
iasai
dtomeovert
he
phoneandIcouldseetheworr
yandpani
conhis
facei
mmedi at
ely
.

Kg:
“Come,
let
’spr
ayt
oget
her
.”

Hekneltdownbesi
demeandhestart
edpray
ing.I
st
il
lfel
tpaini
nmystomachandIf
eltmysel
f
sweati
ngprof
usel
yonmyface.

Kg:(pr
ay i
ng)“Modi mowar onay oarategang( Our
Lovi
ngGod) ,Jehov aJireh(Mypr ovi
der),Jehovah
Rophe(Myheal er)
,Jehov aMakadesh( Mysanct i
fi
er)
,
OurAdonai (OurMast er),OurEl
ohim( OurCr eator)
.I
bowbef oreyoul ordasy ourchi
ld,ohGod.Imi ght
notbeper f
ect,butIbel i
eveyouhav emademysoul
perf
ect.Iaskt haty oupleaseprotectusespecially
mywi f
ef orwhat everisabouttocome.
Please,oh,God,
helpher,healher
.Wehav ebeen
throughsomuchandshedoesnotdeser vethi
s.Let
yourwillbedoneandletwhomev ertr
iesanyt
hing
ungodlywithmylif
ebepuni shedfort
hegoodl or
d
knowst hatshei
sasaint.Sheisofagoodhear tand
wecanonl yaskyouforyourmer cyandgrace.
Please,ohLord,
bewithher .Prot
ectherandbeher
guard.Iprayiti
nJesus’mi ght
yname.Amen. ”

Ifoundmyselff
eeli
ngawhol elotbetterandt hepai
n
subsidi
ngi
mmedi atelyaft
erKg’spr ayer.Ilovehow
heisalwayswil
li
ngt oprayforusbutl it
tledidIknow
thati
twasthelastti
meweev erprayedtogether.
Lit
tl
edidIknowthatt heworstwasy ettocome.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandTwent
yEi
ght

1Corint
hians3:
3–“ Youaresti
ll
worldl
y.Forsi
nce
ther
eisjeal
ousyandquarr
ell
ingamongy ou,
areyou
notworl
dly?Areyounotacti
nglikemerehumans?”
That
o

AfterKgpr ayedf orusIst ruggledtosleep.If ound

my selft ossingandt urningandsur pri
singlyhewas
deadasl eepwhi chi sveryunusual .Ihadav er
y
hecticdr eam; wher eIdr eamtt wounknownwomen
holdingmecapt iveandl aughi ngatme.Onewas
cussingandswear i
ngatme, accusingmeoft aking
everymansheev erwant ed, whil
etheot herfeltI
deser vedpai nandsuf feri
ng.Ibeggedt hetwonott o
doany thingt omeandIkeptaski ngthem whaton
earthIdi dtot hem, alltheysai dwast hatIdeser ved
everythingt hatwascomi ngt ome.Ir ecall
their
voices, butnott heirfacessi ncet heyappear edas
blackshadows.Iwasdr essedi nwhite,andoneof
them unl eashedasnaket hatent er
edmef rom my
vagina.

Aft
erthatscarydr
eam, If
oundmysel
fwaki
ngup,
sweat
ingprofusel
yandIhavebeengoingt
othe
toi
l
eteversince.Ihav
ebeenprayi
ngandaski
ng
Godt oheal me, butt hepai nkeptcomi ngandgoi ng,
l
ikeakni f
ewasbei ngdr il
ledintomyst omach.Iwas
vomi ti
ngal ongwi thdiarrhoeaal l ni
ghtandIonl y
managedt ofal l
asl eepagai nat4am.If eel l
i
ke
compl eteshi tandsoweak, especi al
lyafterIgotmy
periodimmedi atel
youtoft hebl ue.I tf
eltsowei rd,
thecr ampswer emor eintenset hanev er,theblood
wasf l
owingl ikeaov erruntap, Ijustfai
ledt o
under st
andwhatwashappeni ng.Kgwassound
asleept hroughout .Ihear dmyphoner ing,butIjust
didn’thavet hest r
engt htoansweri t
.Iwaswoken
sli
ght l
ybyKg’ sv oice,butIf el
tsoweak.

Kg:
(worr
ied)“TT!Yourphonehasbeenri
ngi
ng!
Whati
swr ong,St
handwasami (
Mylove)
?”

That
o:(sof
tl
y)I
…ei
sh…keut
lwabot
hloko,
Kg(
I’
min
pai
n,Kg).
”

Kgwasworr
ied,butIcoul
dbar
elyseeorhear
any
thi
ng.If
eltl
i
keIwashangingontoathread.I
sawhi m anxi ousl
yanswermyphoneandnod; whi l
e
respondi ngwi t
h“yes”and“ okay ”.Thenhehungup
andr ushedoutoft her oom.Ihear dnothi ngel se,
andev enf orgotaboutTodani whowokeupand
startedpl ayingwi t
hmyf ace.If oundmy selfsmi li
ng
briefl
yathi m, whil
emyey esf eltsoheav y ;forcing
met oshutt hem closed.Soon, Kgst ormedbacki n
withsomeMphepho( i
ncense)andst artedbur ningit
acrosst her oom.Het henbr oughtsomecl oset omy
face, forcingmet oinhalei t
.Het henmademedr ink
somet hingf r om t
hegl asshecamewi t
h.Icoul donly
tastesomesal tandv i
negarandwar m wat er,along
withsomeher bthatIhadnev ert astedbef ore.I
struggl eddr i
nkingit,buthef orcedi tdownmyt hroat.
Hepr obabl ywasf ollowingi nstruct i
onsf rom
whomev erwascal l
ing.Af terwar ds,Ifel
tl i
keIwas
aboutt ov omi t
.

Thato:
“Kg…kebat
lagohl
atsa(
Ifeel
li
ket
hrowi
ng
up).
”
Itri
edget tingup, butIwassoweak, Iendedup
throwi ngupont hef l
oor.Oh, mypoorman.HeIso
caut i
ousaboutt hi ngsbei ngspi l
l
edoncar pets,but
her eallyseemedmor einterestedi nmywel l
-being
thanany t
hingelse.Her ubbedmybackwhi l
eI
vomi tedsomebl ackst uff.Ifel
tsoscar ed,Ihad
nev erseenany thingliket hatbefor eandheal sogot
reallyscared.Soonaf t
ermyphoner angagainand
heanswer editinahear tbeat.Al lher espondedwas
“Yes, sheisokay .Alright,Iwilldoso” .Thenhehung
up.If el
tmy sel
ff eeli
ngal otbetter,butstil
ldizzy
andi ncredibl
yweak.

Kg:
“Come,
letmer
uny
ouashower
.”

That
o:“
WhataboutTodani
?”

Kg:“Don’tworr
y,hei
sfi
ne.Hei
splayi
ngand
watchingtv.Youaremorei
mpor
tantt
hananyt
hing
el
ser i
ghtnow.”
Inoddedashecar r
iedmet othebathroom.Het ook
mycl othesoffandgotintotheshowerwi t
hme.Oh,
mypoorKg.Hei strulyoneinami l
li
on.Hemademe
standundert hewaterintheshower,andImanaged
tofeelal i
tt
lebi
tbetter,
buthejustseemedsosad.
Hel ookedatmewi thsadness,paininhiseyes.

That
o: “
I’
m goi
ngt
obeokay
,youdon’
thav
etobeso
worr
ied.”

Kg:(fai
ntsmi
l
e)“Iknow,baby
.Iknow.Il
ovey
ou,
Sthandwasami(
myl ove)
.”

That
o:“
Ilov
eyout
oo.
”

Hegotmeoutoft heshower ,
lot
ionedmybody ,
got
medr essedandev enputapadonme, andplaced
meinbed.I tisNov ember,
soitissti
l
l r
eal
lyhot,but
If
eltsocold,sohepl acedmeundert hecovers.
Kg:
“I’
l
lgomakey
ousomet
hingt
oeat
.”
HetookTodani
wit
hhi
m andImanagedt
ofal
l
asl
eep.

Kg

Ican’
tbeli
eveIdidn’
thearmywi featal ll
astnight.
Shewasi npainandsufferingwhi leIwassound
asl
eep.Howonear thdoest hathappen?Iam av er
y
l
ightsl
eeper,andIshouldhav ehear dherwhenev er
shegotupandr ushedtot het oi
let.Whydi dn’
tshe
wakeme?That oistooselflessf orherowngood.
Shecouldhav edi
ed!Ifeel somuchpai nrightnow,
wordscannotdescri
bewhatIam f eeling.Howdoes
awomanl ikeherhavestayst rongaf tergoing
thr
oughsomuch?Howwi llIhav ethest r
engtht o
tel
lhert
hatshehasj ustlostherf ourthchild?

Il
ookedatTodani
andmyhear
tfel
tsobi
tt
er-
sweet
.
HowdoesGodbl esspeoplelikeRami wi
t hchildren
andnotThat oandI ?Imean, wehav ebeenhav i
ng
sexwi t
houtherbei ngoncont raceptivesandnot hi
ng
happened.Wej ustassumedt hatitwoul dbepl aced
i
nGod’ shandsandt hatshewoul df allpregnant
whent heti
mei sr i
ght .Nowithappenedy etagai n
withoutourknowl edgeandnowshehasl ostthe
babywi t
houtusev engetti
ngachancet oknowor
evenreelattheexci ti
ngnews.If oundmy self
kneeli
ngdownr ighti nthemiddleoft heki tchenwi th
Todani i
nmyar ms.

Kg: (i
ntears)“Modimo( God) ,
gor engor esotlaga
kana( Whydoy oupunishussobadl y)?Isitbecause
Ihav eki
ll
edpeopl e?I si tbecauseIhav eahar sh
tongue?I sitbecauseIam i ndeedundeser vingof
yourmer ci
fulgraceandbl essings?I fi
ndeedt hati
s
thecase, t
henpl ease,rat herpunishmebyki lli
ngme
andnotpuni shmywi fef ormysi ns.Iknow, y ou
hav esai
dt hatsinsoft hef athershall f
allupont he
childr
en,butIbegofy ou, mywi feandIhav ebeen
throughsomuch.I ti
si ndeedt i
mef oryout ost op
punishingus.I fwedonotdeser v
et hehappinessof
hearingachi l
d’slaught
erinourhouse,thenplease,
rathernotgiveusanychi l
drenatall
.Iasky outo
pleasesparemywi f
ethepainandsufferi
ng.Ican
takei t
,butIam notsureifshecan.Please,Ibegof
you, oh,Lor
d.Amen. ”

If
oundmysel
fcr
yingwi
thTodani
inmyar
ms,
andI
di
dn’
tev
enheart
hedooropen.

QueenNandi :“Youwi l
lbeblessedabundantly
,my
son.Ofcour se, y
ouwi l
lbeblessedwheny ouleast
expectit
,butwheni thappensandpl ease,emphasis
onthewhen, youwi ll
beblessedt wo-
fold.Beli
eve
mewhenIt el
ly outhi
s;thi
stooshallpass,
Nkosinathi
.”

IturnedaroundassoonasIhear dmy
grandmot her’
svoice.Shewasst andingr
ightnextto
Nanawhowasconsumedwi thtears.Idi
dn’teven
havet hestrengt
ht osayany
thingmor e.Shecame
tohugme.Shehuggedmef oralongwhi
le,
wit
h
Todanii
nmyarms,whileNanal
ookedatmeand
cri
edevenmore.Aft
erwegotoverourmoment,I
fi
nall
ymanagedtospeak.

Kg:
“Iwasj
ustaboutt
omakehersomesoup.
”

Nana:“Noneed.Yougoupst ai
rsandbewit
hyour
wif
e,whil
ewepr epar
ethefood.Wehav et
oprepar
e
speci
alher
bsforheranyway.
”

Inodded,asIwasaboutt
ogobackupst
air
swi
th
Todani,
mygr andmot
herst
oppedme.

QueenNandi
:(fi
rmly)“
Leav
et hatonewi
thus.Hi
s
usel
essmotherneedstobetaughtaver
ybig
l
esson.
”

Iwasn’
ttoosur
ewhatshemeant
,soIl
efthi
m ont
he
fl
oorandheadedbackupst air
s.If oundThato
sleepingandIdidn’tevenwanttowakeherbyusi ng
thev acuum cl
eanert ocl
eanupt hemessont he
carpet.Iusedwat erandascrubbi ngbrush.I
neededt ogetovert heshi
tIhadbeenf eeli
ng
any ways.Thepersonwhodi dt histous,wil
li
ndeed
payf orthi
s.

That
o

Imusthav
ebeendozedof ff
orawhi l
ebecauseI
wasawokenbyNana,QueenNandi andKgbymy
si
de.Kgdeci
dedtositnextt
omei nbed,while
QueenNandi
hadatrayinherhands.

Nana:
“Wakeup,
sweet
hear
t.
”

Shereal
lylookedsad;r
eal
lyconsumedwit
hpain.I
j
ustdon’tgetit
.Whydoesi tseem l
i
keweareata
funer
alorsomet hi
ng.Idi
dn’tdi
e,mos?
That
o:“
Nana,
whydoy
oul
ooksosad?Fi
rstKg,
and
nowyou.
”

Nana:(
fakesmil
e)“
IthoughtIl
ostyou,
that
’sal
l
.I
am j
ustglady
ouaremuchbet t
er.
”

QueenNandi:
“Youknowyourgr
andmot
her
.Here,
eatt
hissoupandwealsomadeyousomecof
fee
wit
hakickofcour
se.”

That
o:(
chuckl
i
ng)“
Youguy
sar
esodr
amat
ic.
”

Theymanagedt otellKgandIal laboutthei

rt r
ip
aroundt heworld.Nanawasf eedingTodani some
pumpki nsquash,whi l
eIwaseat ing.Ireal
lymi ssed
thesetwodi vas.Afterwards,Kgof f
eredtotaket he
traybackt ot
heki t
chen.Yes, thatismyman,
cleanl
inessisnexttoGodl iness.Hecamebackand
theylookedatmei nav er
yser iousmanner .
QueenNandi
:“Iam afr
aidwheneverwepitchup,
you
knowithast
odowi thseri
ousbusiness,
angit
hi
(r
ight
)?”

Theyaresor
ight
.Theyneverr
eal
l
ypi
tchupoutof
thebl
ueli
ket
his.Inodded.

QueenNandi:“Ineedyoutorel
ax,
wewillf
igureout
exactl
ywhathappenedtoyou.Wear ej
ustwaiti
ng
forZenandetogetbacktous.Wesentanur gent
messaget oherelder
sandIhopeshewil
lrespond
soon.”

Ifel
tmyheartraceinstantl
ywhileKgheldmyhand
andsqueezeditti
ghtl
y.Todani wasplayi
ngaloneon
thefl
oor,
andwedi dn’treal
lymindhim.Af ew
minutesl
ater
,myphoner anganditwasZenande.
Kganswereditandputi tonloudspeaker.

Zenande:
“Myf
ami
l
y,apol
ogi
esf
ort
hel
ater
esponse.
Iwasatt
hemount
ain.
”

QueenNandi
:“I
t’
sal
ri
ght
,mydaught
er.Howhav
e
youbeen?
”

Zenande:“Sameol d,sameold.Ihavecutmyt ri
p
shortandIam onmywayt hereaswespeak.
Pleaseprepar
ethef oll
owi
ngf orme:Imphepho
(I
ncense),whi
te,yell
owandr edcandl
es,grofsal
t
(Seasalt
),andplease.LetThatochangeherpadbut
donotwast helinenshehasst ai
ned.Iam anhour
away .Iwil
lbetheresoon.”

Ifoundmy selffeel
i
ngal otmor eanxiousthanIfel
t
anhourago.Whati shappeni ngtomeorwhati s
wrongwi thme?Theyar enotsay i
ngany t
hing,
they
arejustspeakingtooneanot herasifIam notinthe
room, andthatreal
lyf
rustrat
esme.

QueenNandi
:“Okay
.Wear
eoni
t.
”
Shehungupandt heyalll
ookedatmeandsmi led,
butIknowt hatsmile–iti
sjustoneoft hosesmiles
theygiveyouwhent heydon’twantyout opani
c.I
tri
edtostaycalm butmygutf eel
i
ngar oseagai
n.
Somet hi
ngisnotrightandthatdream Ihadhas
every
thingtodowi thi
t.Icanonlyhopet hat
Zenandecancomeupwi t
hawayt ofi
xt hi
s.

Theyr eal
l
ytri
edtoent er
tainmewi thtvandsi ll
y
stori
es,butmymi ndwoul doccasionallydri
ftoff.
Afteranhour,weheardt hedoorbellringandi ndeed
i
twasZenande.Kgwentdownt oopenf orherand
shecameupt omybedr oom.Shel ookssobeaut i
ful
,
glowingandhasl ostalotofweight,butshel ooksa
l
otmor el
ikeaprophetnowt hanany thingel
se.

Zenande:
“Di
dyougett
het
hingsIaskedf
or?
”

NanaandQueenNandi
noddedwhi
l
eIl
ookedather
anxi
ousl
y.

Zenande:“Okay,beforewest ar
t,Ithi
nkweshoul d
cl
eart heair
.Thato,Iknowy ouar escaredand
confused,butIassureyou,wewi llgettothebott
om
ofthis.Wewi ll
getthefuckerwhodi dthi
s.BeforeI
gettounravelyourdream,letmeasky out hi
s
question:
‘wheredidyouleavey ourblacklace
underweary ouworetheotherday ?’

Herquest
ionmademedizzy.Whyonear t
hwould
sheaskmeaboutmypanties?Rightt
henandther
e
Irememberedt
hatIwor
eitjusty
ester
daywhenI
wenttoKg’sof
fi
ce.Oh,
no!
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandTwent
yNi
ne

Job5:2–“Sur
elyr
esentmentdest
roy
sthef
ool
,and
j
ealousyki
l
lst
hesimple.
”

That
o
Icoul
dn’tbel
ieveit.Myheartstar
tedpulsati
ngandI
fel
tli
keIwasaboutt odropr
ightt
here.Alleyeswere
onme, makingmef eell
i
keacompl et
eidiot.Ifel
t
l
ikeIwasbei ngjudged.

Zenande: “
Iam notj
udgingy
ou,That
o–nooneis.
Please,Ineedyoutoremember
.Wher edi
dyou
l
eav ethem? ”

NowIfeell
ikeacompl
etei
diotf
orgi
vingi
ntomy
f
antasi
es.Butwhooneear
thhastheaudaci
tyto
t
akey ourunder
wearf
rom y
ourhusband’
soffi
ce,
t
hough?

Thato:
(looki
ngdown)“Il
eftt
hem atKg’
sof
fi
ce.I
thi
nkunderneat
hthedesk.
”

Zenande:(noddi
ng)“
Pleasenot
ethatnoneofthi
sis
yourfaul
t.Youdidnothi
ngwrong.Peoplej
usttend
t
obeev
ilbey
ondmeasur
es.
”

Thato:
“But
,theonlyper
sonwhomi
ghthav
edone
thi
sis…Rei
nette.
”

Zenande:
“Iam gl
adt
oseethatyouar
ef i
nal
ly
l
earni
ngtoseetheworl
dthr
oughmyey es.
”

Tear
sst
art
edst
reami
ngdownmyf
ace.

That
o:“
Why
?”

Zenande:“Youshoul
dhavepai
dmor eat
tenti
ont
o
thatt
hedayy oumether.Shehassomesortof
resemblancetosomeoneyouknow,i
sn’
tit
?”

Ithoughtsl
owlyandcar
efull
y.IthoughtofRei
net
te,
butIcannotrecal
lwhoexactl
yshelookedli
ke.
Zenande:
“Thosedi
mpl
es;
thecompl
exi
on,
thev
oice.
Whodoessher emi
ndy
ouof?”

Andt
heni
thi
tme.

That
o:“
Oh,
myGod!Shel
ooksl
i
keKhany
i!
”

If
eltKgti
ghtenhi
sgr
ipanxi
ousl
yar
oundmyhand.
Whatthefuckhav
eIdone?

Zenande:(nodding)“ Youshoul dhav easkedKg

moreinformat i
onabouthert hedayy oumether .
Youwoul dhav enoticedawhol elot.Idon’ tblame
youforanything,That o,butyes,youcoul dhav ebeen
moreobser vant.Youwoul dhaverealizedthatshe
doessharethesamesur nameasKhany i
andt hat
shecomesf rom thesamehomet ownasshedoes.
Youwoul dalsohav enot icedthatshenowat t
endsat
thever
ysameUni v
er sit
yy ouattendatandt hatshe
hassor tofbeenst al
ki
ngy ou.Shehasbeen
watchi ngy oureverymov eonI nst
agram andwhen
sher ealizedyouwer en’tposting,shewaitedforthe
perfectoppor tuni
ty–t hejobof f
eratNkosinathi
’
s
off
ice.Shest udiedyourr elat
ionshipformonths,
tr
yingt ogetasmuchi nformat i
onasshecoul dfrom
Nkosi nathiandwhenshecoul dn’tgetanythi
ngout
ofhim; sheresortedtothis.”

Thato:
“Buthowonear thdidshegetall
that
i
nformati
onsoquickly
?I tdoesnotmakesense.
Khanyidoesnothaveaccesstomyl i
fe.
”

Zenande:
“DoyourememberayearorsoagowhenI
tol
dyoutobecaref
ulofy
ourfr
iendRami?
”

Inodded.

Zenande:“Wel
l
,youdi
dn’tl
i
stenofwhichIdon’
t
bl
amey ou.Youreal
l
ylovethatgi
rl
,somuchthat
youhav ebecomebl indedandy oucannotseem t o
seethroughher–andwor stpartisthatshehas
noti
ced.Whenev ershewoul docassi onal
lycally
ou
outoftheblue,youunwi tt
ingl
ygav eheri nfor
mat i
on
aboutyourmar ri
age; y
ouconf i
dedi nher ,
complainedtoheraboutcer tai
nt hingsandy outol
d
herthatNkosinathiwaslookingf oraPAathi snew
company .Youf orgotbecausey ouwer ejusttoo
happytohearf r
om her .
”

Myhear tsankrightt
othepitofmyst omach.Atthat
momentIf eltl
ikeIcoul
djustshitmyownhear tout
.
Am Ireall
ythatstupi
dtolur
et hesnakeri
ghtint
omy
den?

That
o:“
Sowhatnow?WhydidIhav
ethatdr
eam
andwhydi
dIf
allsi
ckaf
ter
war
ds?”

Zenande:“ThetwowomenGl or
iatol
dy ouaboutin
thedream al
ongwithRamiareKhanyiandher
cousi
nReinette.Ramihasbeenfeedi
ngKhany i
i
nf or
mat i
onabouty ouaftertheyformedal i
tt
le
fri
endshipwi thonecommongoal i
nmi nd–t omake
yousuf f
er.Theybot haresoenv iousofy ourli
fe,
henceIwar nedy out ostayawayf rom her .Kgabo
toldyout hattheoney ouconfideint hemostwi l
l
stabyoui ntheback.Thatdr eam Gl oriatoldyou
aboutwasr eal,
Rami didindeedst aby ouinthe
back–bot hphy sicall
yandspi ri
tuall
y .Yousee, y
ou
dreamtofasnakeent eri
ngyou.Spi r i
tuall
y,it
happened, hencey ouhadpai nfulcrampsandt he
vomitinganddi arrhoea.Thebadnewsi sthatthey
wanty ounott ohav eanychildrensot hattheycan
fi
nall
ygett heirhandsonNkosi nathi
.”

That
o:“
Aret
her
eanygoodnews?
”

Zenande:“
Thegoodnewsi
sthatt
heydi
dn’
tsucceed
for
ever.
”

That
o:“
Isenseabut
.”
QueenNandi
:“Don’
ttel
lhernow.
”

Zenande:
“Iam af
rai
dshehast
oknow.
”

Whatar
etheyonabout
?

THato:“Thebadnewsi
sthaty
oulostanother
pregnancy.Whenyoui
nst
antl
ybl
ed,thatwaswhen
youhadami scar
ri
age.
”

That, f
orme, wast hef inalstr
aw.If eltmy selfgoing
mut e;deafandbl i
ndatt hesamet ime.Idi dn’tsee
norhearany thingfurther.Zenande’sv oi
cebecame
faint
er,whileKg’sv oicewassomet hingIcoul dn’t
hearatal l
.Okay ,clearlyIam beingpuni shed.What
i
si tthatIneedt odot ohav eeter
nal peace?If el
t
eachandev eryoneoft hem talki
ngtomeatt he
samet i
meandt hatov erwhelmedme.Icoul dn’ t
takeitanymor eandIscr eamed.
That
o:(
scr
eami
ng)“
Getout
!!
!!
”

TheylookedatmelikeIwascr
azy,
whil
eTodani
start
edcryi
ng.Icur
sethedayImetKhanyiand
Rami .Icur
seever
ythi
ngtodowit
hthem i
ncludi
ng
thatchil
d!
QueenNandi
:“That
o,pl
ease–“

That
o: (
int
err
upt
ing)“
Every
oneofy
ou–getout
!
Takethatthi
ngwit
hyou!”

BythingIwasact uall
yreferr
ingtoTodani.How
couldIhav esuchasudden, immensehat eforan
i
nnocentchi ldIfelli
nlovewi t
hnotsol ongago?I
fel
tmy sel
fbreathi
ngf ir
e;mywhol ebodywashot
andIf eltl
ikeIcouldn’tevenbreat
hepr oper
ly.That
i
sjusthowangr yIwas.Ev enKgl etgoofmyhand
andgotoutoft hebed.Hel ookedatmewi thtear
s
i
nhisey es,whil
eZenandecal medthem all
down.
Zenande:
“Letherbe.Nana,
Gogo(
Granny
),
masihambeni(
Let’
sgo).
”

QueenNandi
:“WhataboutNkosi
nat
hi?
”

Zenande:
“Hewi
l
lst
aywi
thher
.Shewon’
thar
m
hi
m.”

Kgseemedl
ikehewasinhi
sownwor
ldashest
ared
atmewhil
etherestl
eft
.

Thato: (
cryi
ng)“ Osaemet seeng(Whatar eyoustil
l
wai t
ingfor)?
!Et swa,Kgaugel o(Getout)!Leaveme
alone!YoucanseeIam af ai
lur
e–af ucki
ngfail
ure!
Ihav efail
edtobeary ouchi l
dren–allfourchil
drenin
thepastt woy ears!Please–webot hknowt hatyou
pityme, sodousbot haf avourandleave.Ican’t
beart hi
spainany more!”
Iwail
edasIdr
oppedtothegr
ound.Idi
dn’
teven
real
i
zehowmuchKgwascr yi
ngtoo.Heknel
tdown
besi
demeanddidn’
ttouchme.

Kg: (
crying)“Don’tyouthi
nkIf eelt
hesamepai nyou
feeleverytimey ougot hroughanot hermiscarr
iage,
TT?If eel asmuchpai nasy oudo.Iam i npain
becausemywi f
ei sgoi
ngt hr
oughi mmensepai n;I
am inpai nbecauseIcannotst andtoseet he
disappointmentandpai nony ourfacewhenev erwe
l
oseababy .Icannotstandtoseey oul i
kethis
anymor e,butplease,don’
tshutmeout .Ifeelyour
pain,Sthandwasami (Mylove).”

Thato:“Don’
tfeel
sor
ryforme.Youdon’tknowwhat
i
tislike.Youhavenoidea.Please,
doy
oursel
fa
fav
ourandgobehappyel sewher
e.”

Mywor
dsmi
ghthav
ecutKgdeep,
butIhav
ehad
enough.I
tisnotf
airf
orhi
mtoal
way
sbehur
tli
ke
thi
s.

Kg:“Perhapsyoufor
gotthatIt
ookv owswhenI
marri
edy ou.Ivowedtoloveyouinsicknessandin
heal
th;forri
cherf
orpoorer
,ti
ldeat
hdouspar t
.Iam
notgoinganywhere,
TT.Youcandoal lyouli
ke,but
wear egoingtodeal
withthi
stogether.
”

Heki ssedmyf oreheadandwal kedout .Iam ata

stagewher eIjusthonest lycan’
tdealwi tht
his
any mor e.Ireallyf eelsonumb; absolutelydead
i
nsi de.Ir eall
ycannott hinkproper
lyany more.At
thispointIf eellikeIcoul ddie.IguessIam t rul
ynot
wor thyofhav ingachi ld.Iam notwor t
hyofbei nga
mot hert oKg’schi l
dren.Whati sthepoi ntofli
vi
ng
then?If oundmy selfdri
fti
ngofftosleepaf t
erKg
hadl eftourbedr oom.It hi
nkithadbeenaf ewhours
thatIhaddozedof f,becauseIwaswokenupby
Zenandeknocki ngf irmlyonmybedr oom doorand
sheopenedwi thoutwai ti
ngformyr esponse.
That
o:“
Whatdoy
ouwant
?”

Zenande:(si
gh)“Thato,Ir
eal
lyneedy outodothi
s.I
needtocleanseyoubef or
emi dni
ght.IfIdon’
tdo
thi
s,t
heny ouwil
l beinv
iti
ngproblemsintoyourl
i
fe.
Youwillbelet
ti
ngt heenemywi n.Please,l
etmedo
thi
sforyou.”

Thato:“
Whati st hepointofgett
ingcl
eansed,
Zenande?Imeanaf teral
l,
Iam doomed, r
ight?I
havenochi l
dren, andmostlikel
ywon’tbegetti
ng
any.Peopledon’ twantmet obehappy,Iguesske
shwelagorekeny etswekeKgaugelo(Iguessthey
hatethefactthatIam mar ri
edtoKg),soitisbett
er
thatweendal lthis.”

Zenande:(si
gh)“Thato,pl
ease.Youcandealwithal
l
ofthatemotionalbaggageaft
erIcl
eanseyou.
Please,mntwanakama( mymother’
schil
d).Letme
dot
his.
”

Thato:
“Thereisnohopeforme, Zenande.Youare
tr
ulywastingy
ourtime.Iam notinter
estedi
nbei
ng
cl
eansedornami nganot
herchil
dIhav elost
.So
pl
ease,letmebe.”

Zenande:
“That
o,pl
ease–“

That
o:(
shout
ing)“
Getout
!”

Shehurri
edoutandgav emeonel astl
ookbefore
sheleft
.Ir eall
ycannott akethisanymore.Iam ti
red
ofpeoplepi t
yingme.Ij ustneedt obealone.I
l
ockedmy sel finandcriedmy selftosl
eep.What
wouldbet hepoi ntofprayingiftheGodIprayto
fav
oursother sinsteadofme?Iam deepl ywounded
andIjustcannott akeitany more.
`
Rami

Imusthavebeensooutofi tf
orhour
s, becauseI
wokeupatabout2am wi t
hover20mi ssedcalls
fr
om Khanyi.Ag, thi
sbitchissoannoying.Ev er
si
nceIspil
ledt hebeansaboutThato’sinabil
it
yto
bearchi
ldr
en, shehasbeensuchanui sance.She
eventhi
nkswear efri
ends.Iam soannoy edandshe
knowsthat,butjustwon’tquit
.Iwasaboutt ogetup,
butshecall
edagai n.

Rami
:(annoy
ed)“
Khany
i.Keng(
whati
sit
)?”

Khany
i:“Don’
tyoudar
e“keng”me!Wher
ethef
uck
haveyoubeen?”

Rami
:“I
’
vebeenbusy
.”

Khany
i:“
Gety
ourshi
ttoget
her
,Rami
,orel
seIwi
l
l
t
elly
ourparent
saboutyourl
i
ttl
eunheal
thy
r
elat
ionshi
pwit
hdrugs.
”

Rami
:(chuckl
i
ng)“
Howol
ddoy
out
hinkIam?
Twel
ve?”

Khanyi:“
Let
’swaitandseeift
hatwil
lbeyour
responseaf
tert
heyt akey
ourpreci
ousTodanif
rom
you.”

Rami:“
Didy
oucal
lmeat2am t
otel
lmethiskak,
Khany
i?YouknowIcanr
uiny
ouinasecond.”

Khanyi
:“Contr
oly our
self.Wehav ebiggerissuesto
di
scuss.Reinett
emanagedt ogetThato’s
under
wear.Wehav estartedwit
hphaseoneoft he
pl
an.Shehasof fi
cial
lylostherfour
thbaby.”

Forsomer
easont
hatr
eal
l
ydampenedmymood.I
mean, Thatohasalwaysbeenagoodf ri
endtome
andher eIam for
minganal l
iancewithherenemy .I
mean, Inevermeantforeveryt
hingtogosof ar
,but
theoverwhelmingenviousfeeli
ngIhavehad
towardsherjustkeepsgrowing.Ican’thelpi
t.
Thendol ef
tmebecauseIal way scomparedhimt o
Kg.Lor dknowsThat owouldnev erf
orgivemeifshe
foundoutthatIwast hereasonshelostherbabies.
Izonedoutf orasecondafterKhanyisaidwhatshe
said.

Khany
i:“
Hel
l
o?!Ar
eyoust
il
lther
e?”

Rami:“
Yes,Iam.Ei
sh,
Khanyi
,youhav
ecaughtme
atabadti
me.Iwill
cal
lyoul
ater
.”

Khanyi
:“Iknowy ouarehavi
ngsecondthoughts.I
am warningyou.Youar ealr
eadyi
ntoodeep, soif
youdecidetofuckusover,Iwil
lmakesurethatyou
regr
ety ourchoi
ce.”
Ireal
lyregrett
alki
ngtoher
,reall
y.Ihungupand
actual
lyfeltabi
tofregr
etpi
lingupinmystomach.
Howt hef uckdi
dIevengethere?

Rei
net
te

Mynamei sReinetteBut helezi

,Iam Khanyisile’
s
cousin.Wemetaf tershehadbeencutof ffrom her
family,
andaf t
ershet oldmet hatthatusel
essi diot
Thatowaspay i
ngf orherf eesaf t
erherparent s
disownedher ,wef ormedanal l
iance.Shet oldme
thatshereall
ywasj ealousofThat o,andofwhi chI
total
lyunderst
and.That oisabeaut ,
arealbeaut ,
highl
yfavouredandki ndhear t
edaswel l.Inev er
thoughtIcouldeverhav esuchanev i
lheart
, unti
lI
metKg.Khany i’
sint enti
onswast owinKgov erby
getti
ngridofThat o, butwel l,
Isawhi m andman, all
I
cansayi sthatKhany ihassomeser iouscompet i
ti
on
ri
ghtnow.
Ihav eseenhowmuchl oveKggi v
est oThato, j
ust
byhimt alki
ngabouther .Hi sbeaut i
ful di
mpled
smilereassur esmet hatwecanmakebeaut if
ul
chil
drenofourown.Imeanbesi des, Thatoisnot
100%bl ack, soshemustchi l
landmakewayf orthe
restofus.Thatdayshecame, mygoodness, Ireall
y
neededt obr ingherdownf rom herhighhor se.I
waitedforKgt ogivemesomesor tofal oophol e,
buthedi dn’tgiveany.Her eall
ylovest hatbitch, of
whichIam sett ochange.Whenwer eali
zedt hat
shewaspr egnant,viaourspiri
tualmot her,Ihadt o
j
ustputt hepl aninmot i
onandst eal herunder wear .

Iwashopi ngforabr eakt

hrough,butthankful
lythe
evi
lspir
it
scamet omyr escue–rightbeforeKgf ir
ed
me.Imeanr eall
y?Howcanhef iremeal lbecause
hi
swi f
edoesnotl ikeme?Iam r eallyset
tingthebar
hi
gh.That oneedst ogowhi l
eIclaim Kgasmi nefor
l
if
e.Khany icansitdownandbeatpeacebecause
Rei
netteButhelezii
ssoont obeRei net
teNcube.
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandThi
rt
y
Romans3:23–“Foral
lhav
esi
nnedandf
all
shor
tof
thegl
oryofGod.
”

Af
ewday
slat
er

That
o

Ihav ebeenfeel
ingl i
keshit,noappet i
te,andjust
l
ackofaper f
ectsleepingpat ter
n.Mysoul f
eels
empt y,myheartfeelssohol low,andIj ustdon’tsee
anywi l
ltoli
veanyl onger.Ihav ebeenl yinginbed
forthepastfewday s,noteatingordoingany thing
else.Apparentl
yTodani wast akentoRami ’
smot her
andIf i
nall
ycansayt hatIjustdon’twantt oli
ve
any more.Kghasbeent r
ying–r eall
ytrying.

I
tbreaksmyheartseeinghi
mi nsuchastate.Iti
s
middayri
ghtnow,butalr
eadyIjustf
eel
li
kenot
gett
ingup.Ihear
dKgopeni ngthedoor
,probably
wit
hsomebr eakfasti
nhishands.Hesti
l
ldoesnot
wanttoreason.Igavehim achoi
ce–achanceto
l
eavemeandl i
vehisl
if
e,butheref
usest
oleaveme.
Ihonest
lycan’
ttakethi
sanymore.

Kg:“
Mylove,Ihav
ebroughtyousomef ood.Iti
s
ti
meforyoutoeatandindeed,
Iwil
lnottakenofor
ananswer.
”

If
eltsodef
eat
ed.

Thato:
“Kg,Ial
readyt
oldyouhowIf
eel
.Whyi
sitso
di
ffi
cul
tforyoutoacceptt
his?
”

KG:
(si
gh)“Alr
ight
,TT.Ist
hatwhaty
our
eal
l
ywant
?
Doyoureal
l
ywantt ol
eaveme?”

That
o:(
sof
tl
y)“
Yes….
”
Kg:(t
eary
)“ThenIwantt
ohearyousayi
t.Iwantt
o
hearyousaythaty
oudon’
tlov
emeany more.
”

Ipausedf
oramoment,butt
heonlywayIcanset
hi
mf reei
stohur
thi
m sodeepl
ythathel
etsgoof
me.

That
o:(
Sof
tl
y)“
Idon’
tlov
eyouany
mor
e,Kgaugel
o…”

Icouldseet
het
ear
sinhi
sey
essl
owl
yfal
ldownon
hisface.

Kg:(
deepsigh)“Okay.Ir
especty
ourwishes.But
bef
oreIgr
anty ouyourwi
sh,mayy oupl
easegrant
meoneofmi ne?”

Ij
ustnoddedwi
thabat
ter
edhear
t.
Kg:“Mayy oupl easeeat?Gi vemet hechancet o
maket hiscomi ngbirt
hdayofy oursamemor abl
e
one?Thenaf terthat
,Ipromisetohonoury our
wishesandl eavey oualone.Iwon’tbotheryou
again.Ifyouwantadi vorce,
iti
soney ouwi l
lget.
Justgivemet hechancet obetheperfecthusband
foronelasttimebef orewepar t.
”

Heseemedsogenui neandKgi snotonet opret

end.
Ij
ustwanttogivehi
mt hefreedom tobehappywi t
h
someoneelse.Idon’tt
hinkIam meantt obehis
queen–butIwillgr
anthimt hi
slastwish.Iti
sthe
l
eastIcando.

That
o:(
noddi
ng)“
Okay
.”

Hesmi
l
edi
nrel
i
ef.

Kg:“Atl
eastl
etmeperfor
m mydut
iesasy
our
husbandonelastt
ime.
”
Thatsoundssopainf
ulcomingfrom Kg’
smout
h.I
t
real
l
yhurts,
butIhavetolethi
m go.

That
o:“
Okay
.”

Heseemedpl easedandIal lowedhi mt odot hings

forme.Hef edmemybr eakfastandIact uall
y
realizedj usthowmuchIwasst arvi
ng.Ifinally
managedt ogetmyst i
nkyassoutofbedandwent
tot akeashower .Iwasnotbl eedingany mor e,which
wassomet hingreal l
ygoodf orachange.Kgwal ked
i
nt ot heshower ,andof feredtowashmyback.Iam
guessi ngIj ustmi ssedi nti
macy ,youknow.Il ethim
beandhewashedmybackwhi l
eoccasionally
kissingmyshoul ders,butnoti nasul t
rynorsexual
way .Af terwet ookashower ,webothgotoutand
hedr i
edmeasusual .Weheadedt othebedr oom
andhel oti
onedme.If eltsobadt hatIjustreturned
thef av our.Imean, i
tisnotf airthatheget stodo
ev erythingf orme.I tisindeedadaybef oremy
bir
thday,
andhisl aunchisalsotomorrow.Ifeelso
badthatIhadn’tevengivenhim chancetofocuson
oneofhisbiggesthighli
ghts.Imean, Kghasalways
beenthereforme.Hei stheoneguyt hathas
alwaysmanagedt obemyst eppingstoneandI
fai
ledtodothatforhim.\

That
o:“
Isev
ery
thi
ngsetf
ort
omor
row’
slaunch?
”

Kg: (smil
ing)“
Ithoughtyouwoul dnev erask.Iwas
hopi ngwecouldgocheckoutt helastmi nute
reviewsandset upbefor
et omor r
ow.Iwoul dalso
l
ikey out
ochoosey ourdress,well,
twodr esses,
sinceIwoul dl
iketotakeyousomewher especial
tonight,wit
hav er
yspecialguestcomi ngt oni
ght.
”
That
o:(
puzzl
ed)“
Whoandwher
eist
hat
?”

Kg:
“Iti
sasur
pri
se,
ift
hati
sokaywi
thy
ou.
”

If
eel
abi
tbad.Imean,
Kgi
sher
emaki
ngal
lthe
eff
ortintheworld,whil
eIam planningonl eavi
ng
him sohecouldgobehappy .Honestly,Ihavebeen
thr
oughenoughandhecoul dverywel lhave
someonet hatcangivehim chi
ldr
en.Ir eall
yfeelt
hat
i
tishightimehechooseshi mselfinsteadofme.
But,si
nceheagr eed,Iwil
lputmyhear tont hel
ine
anddot hisf
orhim.

That
o:(
fai
ntsmi
l
e)“
Ofcour
sei
tisokay
.”

Hegavemeabr
iefsmi
l
eandki
ssedt
hebackofmy
hand.

Thato:(
frowning)“
Butwher
ewi
l
lIgett
ochoose
thosedresses?”

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)“
Youwai
tandsee.
”

Idon’
tev
enknowwher
ewear
egoi
ng,
butknowi
ng
Kghehasanot hertri
ckuphi ssleeve.Itisabout
5pm, soIguessIwi llwait
.Heaskedmet osi
twith
hi
mi nt hekitchen,whi l
ehemademeav erynice
dinnerforus; l
ambchopssoakedi nredwi newith
hi
sf avouri
tespi cesandher bs,alongwithpotato
wedges; cheesyspi nachandal ov el
ysalad.Of
course,hedeci dedt omakeussomer aspberry
cheesecakef ordessert.Ifeelverybadaboutt hat
bottl
eofwi ne, butIguessitissomet hi
ngt hathehas
chosent oletgo.It hinkthisi
sav er
ygoodt imeto
hashoutev er ythi
ngbef or
ewesepar at
ef orgood.

That
o:“
Whil
ey ouarecooki
ngf
orus,
mayIt
aket
his
momenttoapologi
ze?”

Kg:
(fr
owni
ng)“
Whatonear
thdi
dyoudowr
ong?
”

That
o:“Comeon, Kg.Webot
hknowthaty
ouar
e
st
il
langryaboutt
hatbot
tl
eofwi
ne.
”
Kg:“Oh, t
hat.I
tisj
ustwi ne,
lov
e.Whyonear t
h
wouldIbeangr yoversuch?Imeansur e,Ihad
sav
edi tforaspeci
al occasi
on,buti
treal
l
ydoesnot
matterany mor
e.Asl ongasIhav eyoubymysi de,
I
am perfectl
yhappy
.”

Thato:(
sigh)“Kg,Idon’
tknow,butIreal
l
y,r
eal
ly
thi
nkthatyouandIwer ejustnotmeanttobe.I
mean,Ihav el
ostfourbabiesal
ready–longbefor
e
wecouldev enholdthem ormeetthem.Surel
yGod
hastoblessy ouwithsomeonewhocangi veyou
whatIcan’t.
”

Il
ookeddownf
orci
ngt
het
ear
sback.

Kg:(f
irml
y)“Youholditri
ghtther
e, ThatoIsabell
a
Ncube.Youar etheoneforme.Doy ouhonest l
y
thi
nkthatthosehappycouplesweseeal l
t heti
me
havenevergonethroughabitofhel l
?Sur e,itf
eels
l
ikeyouandIhav ebeenthroughthemost , butI
promiseyou,peopl
ehavebeent hroughwor seout
t
her
e.

Godnev erpromi sedgreenerpast ures,happiness,

andev erythingbeaut i
fulwithoutpain.Jesushadt o
showpeopl et hatGodact uall
yexistsbyget ti
ng
cruci
fiedhi msel f
.Yououtofal lpeoplehelpedme
beli
evei nGodagai n.Youhel pedmer estoremy
happinessandheal completelyfrom mypai n.You
haveshownmet hatitonlytakesoneper sonto
makey ouf all
inlovecompl etely
.

Youhav emademer ealizethatyouar etheownerof

myhear t,forthefirstti
mei nmyl i
fe,mysoul
becameonewi thy oursandt hatiswhenIknewt hat
l
ov eisav erypower f
uldr ug.Icannotev enimagi
ne
mywhol eexi stencewi thouty ou.Adaywi thouty
our
presenceal r
eadymakesmef eell
ikeIam
i
ncompl ete.Al lIknowi st hateveryt
hinghappens
forareason, andGodmadepr et
tysurethathemade
youjustthewayy ouare–f orme.
 Mar r
iagehasi tstroubles,That o,butIguesssuchi s
l
ifeandt hekeyi stoj ustkeepgoi ng.Idon’ tthi
nkall
thoseelderlycoupleswhohav ebeenmar r
iedfor
over25y earshav enev erexper i
encedhear tache;
havenev erhadf ights;disagreement sandatt imes
hadt oswal l
owt heirprideandapol ogi
zet otheother
.
Lif
eisonehel l
ofar oll
ercoasterride,andI’dbe
mor ethanhappyt otaket hisridewi t
hy ou.”

Hiswordsr eall
ymademecr yandIcannotphat hom
thepai
nIputKgt hroughbytel
li
nghim Iwantout .
Atthi
spoi ntIam notevensureifIr
eall
ywantoutor
i
fIwasj ustactingallcr
azy.Heprobablyreal
ized
howspeechl essIwas, whenatearescapedmyey e
andhegent lywipeditaway.Hiseyeswer eteary
himsel
f.

Kg:(t
ear
y-eyed)“Letmest
optal
ki
ng.Idon’
twantt
o
rui
nyourpre-bi
rt
hdaysur
pri
se.
”

It
houghtwewer
eaboutt
oeatunt
ilKgt
oldmet
o
wai
tabi
t.Af
ewsecondsl
ater
,thegat
ebel
lrang.

Kg:
“I’
l
lgeti
t.
”

Ilookedathim wal kingawayanxiouslyand

wonder edwhatt r
ickhehaduphi ssleeve.Itooka
fewmor esi
psofmycockt ail
–t heoneKgmadef or
me.HeandIar esogoodi ntheki t
chen, heremi
nds
meal otofmyf at
her .Iusual
lyheart hatopposi
tes
attr
act,buti
tseemsasi fatti
mest hosewhoar e
ali
keinmor eway st hanone.Afewmoment slat
er,I
heardaf amil
iarvoice.

Sel
ena:
(smi
l
ing)“
Hel
l
o,Dea(
Goddess)
!”

Iwassohappyt oseeher,Ijustcoul
dn’tevenbel
ieve
thatshewasactual
lyhere.Ijumpedupandgav e
heronelonghug.Oh, Sel
ena.Myhear tpai
nsmea
bitknowi
ngthatKgandmyf atherhadtokill
her
husband–wel l
,sotheysaid,butIguesssuchisli
fe.
That
o:“
Sel
ena!Youar
ereal
l
yful
lofsur
pri
ses.How
di
dyougether
e?”

Selel
na:(
chuckli
ng)“Askyourhusband,mylove.He
i
stheonewhoaskedmet ocome.Iwasact uall
y
supposedtograceyouwi t
hmypr esencetomorr
ow,
butuponheari
ngt heunfor
tunatenews,heaskedme
tomakey ourl
astfewnightstogethermemorabl
e.”

That
o:(
frowni
ng)“
Whatsadnews?
”

Sel
ena:“Idi
dn’
tcomeheret
otal
kofsadnews,
I
sabel
la.Come, wehav
elot
sofworktodo.
”

Sel
enaandIheadedt
oKgandI ’
sbedr
oom,whil
eKg
cameupwithafewdressescov
eredi
nthei
rsui
ts.

Kg:
“I’
l
lseey
oul
adi
esi
nabi
t.Sel
ena,
pleasedo
y
ourbest
.”

Sel
ena:
(smi
l
ing)“
Youknowmewel
l
.”

Hesmi
l
edatusandcl
osedt
hedoorbehi
ndhi
m.

That
o:“
Okay
,Sel
ena,
whati
shappeni
ng?
”

Selena:“Youcanbesosi ll
y,mylove.Iam pr epari
ng
youf orav er
yspeci
alnight.Youshouldr eall
ypay
mor eattenti
ontoWolfethewayhepay sat t
enti
onto
youwhenev ery
ouspeak.Thatmangi vesy ou
everythi
ngy ouaskher.Hei ssoattent
ive,unli
ke
Luigi
.”

That
o:(
frowni
ng)“
Ithoughthe…”

Sel
ena:
“Di
ed?Oh,
no,
lov
e.Hei
sver
ymuchal
i
ve,
buti
nwheel
chai
r.
”

That
o:“
Wow,
yout
ookhi
m backaf
terev
ery
thi
ng?
”

Selena:“
Well,IdidandI ’
llt
ellyouwhy.BecauseI
l
ov ehim.Luigi hasdonesomuchgoodf ormeand
notoncedidIquest ionhimi nthepast
.Hej ustgot
soconsumedwi t
hpowerandmoneyt hathefellf
or
theseevil
dealings.Ittookmeawhi l
etoforgiv
ehim
fortry
ingtoov err
uleGringo,butwearegett
ing
there.
”

Shesaidt
hatasshewasbusydoingmymake-up
andtheneventual
l
ymyhair
.Shewasspeaking
somesensei nt
ome,butIr
eall
ywasn’
tsur
eifIwas
prepar
edtoleaveKganymore.

That
o:(
sigh)“
Isupposehet
oldy
ouwhatIsai
dto
hi
m.”
Sel
ena: (
chuckl
ing)“
Youknow, onethi
ngabout
bei
ngy oungisthaty
ousayanddoal otofthi
ngsout
ofimpulse.MydearI sabell
a,youhaveonlybeen
marri
edf orali
tt
leoveray earandalr
eadyy ouwant
tocal
litquit
s?”

Il
ookeddowni
nshame.

Selena:“
Whenyout
ookt
hosev
ows,didyounotsay
thatyouwoul
dbebyWol
fe’
ssi
det
ildeat
htoy ou
part?”

Iwasevent
ooashamedt
oanswerher
,soIsi
mpl
y
nodded.

Sel
ena:
“Werey
ounottheonewhosai
dthaty
ou
l
ovedhi
m nomatt
erwhat?
”

Inodded.
Sel
ena:
“Sowhyar
eyout
reat
inghi
mli
keal
lthi
sis
hi
sfaul
t?”

Isati
nmychai
r,l
ooki
ngdown,
thi
nki
ngofher
quest
ion.

Selena:“Don’tgetmewr ong,mydear .Youhav e

beent hr
oughawhol elot–seriouspain,butyouare
solucky,Isabell
a.Youar eactuall
yblessedtohave
suchal oving,cari
ngandsuppor ti
veman.Aman
whonev erdemandsany thi
ngf r
om you–except
l
ove.Amanwhodoesnotdemandachi l
dfrom you
–butl ove.Amanwhowoul ddr opeverythi
ngofhis
j
ustt omakey ouhappy.Amanwhowant stobuy
yout hewor l
d,simplybecausey oudeserveit
.

Isabel
l
a,aloveli
keyoursissohardt
ofind,butt
he
keyistost
ickitt
hrough.IsWolfeabadman?Does
hehityou?Swearaty ou?Doeshemakey ou
unhappy?Doeshenothel pyouwit
hthechoresand
dishes?Doeshenotmaker omanti
cgestur
es?
Doeshenott el
lyouandshowy ouhowmuchhe
l
ov esyoueachandev er
yday?Hashenotliv
edup
tohisvowsupt othusfar
?”

Isunkinmyseatr eali
zi
ngjusthowsel f
ishIhave
beenlately
.Wow, fuck.Kghasdonesomuchf or
meandher eIam wantingtoleavehim.Hemakes
surethatIam sort
edabov eallandneverleav
esmy
si
ghtwhenev erIam notwell.Throughoutall
these
miscarri
ages,hehasbeent hroughital
lwithme.I
havebeensosel f-
centr
edthatnotoncedi dIaskhim
howhef el
taboutthi
s.

Hehasbeensoposi t
iveaboutevery
thing,thatI
actuall
yfai
ledtoseehowmuchhehasbeent r
ying.
Barelythr
eeday ssinceIlostmyf ourt
hpr egnancy,
yetherehei sdroppingwor kandeverythi
ng
i
mpor tantandmaki ngsur eIam okay.Insteadof
prayi
ngwi t
hhi m,Idecidedt owall
owinmysadness.
Wow.Ihav ebeenar ealbit
ch.Ifel
tmy sel
f
over
whelmedwi t
hself-pi
tyasthetear
smadethei
r
famousappearance.

Sel
ena:“No,
youar enotgoingtocryandr
uinmy
per
fect
ion.Please,I
sabel
la,myint
enti
onwasnotto
makeyousad.Ij ustwant
edy outofacer
eali
ty.
”

Shewasr
ight
.

That
o:“
Sel
ena,
youar
esor
ight
.Ihav
ebeenso
sel
fi
sh.
”

Selena:“No,dear.Selfi
shnessandawomani npain
doesnotmi x.Youwi l
lbeokay.Now, savethose
wor dsforl
ater,becauseyouhav et
ochooseadr ess.
Please,Ihopeyouchooset heoneIl
ov ebecauseI
di
dn’ tbr
ingthatmanydr esses.
”
That
o:(chuckl
i
ng)“
Ihav
eneverdoubt
edy
ourst
yle,
Sel
ena.Showmewhaty ougot
.”

Sel
enatookoutonestunni
ng,
whi
te,
mer
mai
ddr
ess.
Il
ookedatherpuzzl
ed.

Sel
ena:
(smi
li
ng)“
What
?Iti
syourweddi
ngdr
ess.
Doyouli
kei
t?”

Likeit?Shemustbej oki
ng.Thosebeauti
ful
sparklesever
ywhere,t
hatgor
geouslaceysil
houett
e,
thatbeauti
fulf
loweredonest
rapandthatgorgeous
backlesssi
de,Iam inlov
ealr
eady.

That
o:“
Sel
ena,
Ilov
eit
!Your
eal
l
yar
eonami
ssi
on
tomakemecry
.”

Sel
ena:“Don’tyouev
ent
hinkabouti
t.Come,
let
’s
getyoudressed.
”
Sel
enawaski ndenought ohelpmegetdr essedi nit
anditwasindeedaper fectfit
.Howonear thdidKg
managet opull
thisoff?Imeanwow, t
hismani s
somethi
ngelse.Ir eal
lyam blessed.Tot hinkthatI
di
dn’tr
eali
zethatunt i
lnow.Il ookedatmy selfinthe
mir
rorandmygoodness, Sel
enar eall
ydidagood
j
ob.Shehasof fici
all
ymanagedt ot urnmei nt
oa
moviestar.Myhai rwast i
edintoagor geousbun
wit
habeaut i
fulwhitefloweredribbonar oundi t
.

That
o:“
Sel
ena,
youhav
eaGod-
giv
ent
alent
.”

Sel
ena:(
chuckli
ng)“
Thankyou.Now,
let
’sgety
ou
i
ntoyourshoesandheadout.
”

Shehelpedmegeti nt
omygor geousicewhitepair
ofl
oui-
bouttons.Theyarepencilheal
s,butmy
goodnessthecomfortisamazing.Shehandedme
mygorgeousbouquetmadeoutofwhi teandyel
low
l
il
i
es.Iwasaboutt
owalkoutunt
ilIr
emember
edmy
di
amondneckl
ace–theoneKgmadef ormet
he
ot
herday
.

That
o:“
Ial
mostf
orgot
.Pl
easehel
pmeputi
ton,
Sel
ena.
”

Sel
ena:“
Mygoodness!Wol f
edoesnotplaywhenhe
sayshereal
l
ylovesyouandwantstopl
easeyou.
Thesej
ewelsareoutoft
hiswor
ld!”

That
o:“
Iguesst
hati
samant
hati
spussy
-whi
pped,
ri
ght
?”

Webot
hlaughed.

Sel
ena:
“What
every
oudo,
keepdoi
ngi
t.
”
Shehel pedmewal kout .Ishoul dhav enoticedby
thewayshewasdr essed–r atherf ormal for
someonecomi ngt ovisitallthewayf rom Italy
.But
thi
nkingabouti t,Ihadnev erseenSel enadr essedin
realcasual clothes.Bef oreIwal keddownt hest ai
rs,
Iheardsomemusi cbeingpl ayed–butt hi
swas
nothinglikeaspeakerorany thing.I tsoundedl i
kea
reall
ifeOr chestrapl ayingf r
om out side.Oh, my
goodness.Thest air
swer ecov eredi nli
li
esal lover,
andt hehouseseemedl i
keitwasdecor atedf rom
scratch.Howonear t
hdi dKgpul lthisoff?DoIev en
reall
ywantt oleav ehim?Wi llstayingmeant hatmy
enemi eswon’ tgett ousany mor e?
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandThi
rt
yOne

Psal
m 37:
4–“ Takedel
i
ghtintheLor
d,andhewi
l
l
gi
veyouthedesir
esofyourhear
t.
”

Psal
m 126:
2–“Ourmouthsweref
il
ledwi
thl
aught
er,
ourt
ongueswi
thsongsofj
oy.
”
Kg

Iwasr eall
yanxi ousknowi ngv erywel lt
hatThat o
mightbewal kingdownt heai sle.Ihav ethought
l
ongandhar daboutwhatshepr oposedt omeand
obvi
ousl ythatwasr idi
culous.Icoul dneverforce
hertostaywi thme, butthel eastIcoul ddoi stogive
herreasonswhysheshoul dn’tleav eme.That oi s
mysoul mat eandIwoul dbeser i
ouslydev ast
atedif
wehadt oreallyendourmar ri
age–mor eespeciall
y
aft
eronlyamer eyear.I
fmymot heroranyofour
ancestorsreal l
yneededt ospeakt ous–t hetimeis
now.Isi gnalledtotheor chestrat ostartplayi
ng.I
deci
dedont hesongMat rimonybyWal eandUsher .

Iwantedhertorel
ivet
hismomentf ormanyy ear
sto
come.Shehasal wayssai
dthatshewi shedfora
smallwedding–sowhynot ?IsawSel enawalki
ng
outofthehouseasshewenttositatherseat.I
thoughtabouthav
ingourf
ri
endsandf amilyover
,but
thenIwantthetwoofustoenjoythismoment .
Theycanwat chthevi
deolateron.Isawmy
beauti
fulrarediamondapproaching.Icouldseeher
abouttocr y.Oh,thi
swomani ssogor geous.Her
beautyisli
ket hesun’
sbeautif
ulwar mraysinthe
earl
ymor ning.Itisnowonderear t
hiscall
edmot her
eart
h,becausewomenar ethegreatestgi
ftto
mankind.

Iloveseei nghersmi l
e.Shewal kedclosertomeand
theclosershegot ,themor ethet earswerebui ldi
ng
upinbot hofourey es.Ij ustwant edtoseet hat
happyl ookonherf ace.Yes, IaskedSel enat o
offi
ciateourweddi ng.Wear ealreadymar r
ied, Ij
ust
wantedi ttobeext r
aspeci al.Sheappr oachedme
andmyhear tskippedami ll
ionbeat spermi nute.I
don’tthinkI’dev erforgetthatmoment .Iheldher
soft,magi calhandsandst areddeepi ntoher
beautifuleyes.If elthershaki ng.Shame, myl ove
hatesat tenti
on.Themusi cst oppedandSel ena
start
edspeaki ng.
Selena: (smili
ng)“ Ihavebeent ol
dy ouhat e
speeches, Isabella.Butt onighti
saspeci alni
ght.I
woul dl i
ketoleav ey ouwi t
haf ewgoodwor ds
befor eyout wocanenj oyeachot herandsayy our
vows.1Cor inthians13: 1–“Lov eispatient,l
oveis
ki
nd, i
tdoesnotboast , i
tisnotproud.Itisnotrude,
i
tisnotsel f
-seeking, i
tisnoteasilyangered,i
tkeeps
nor ecor dofwr ongs.Lov edoesnotdelightinevi
l,
butr ejoi
ceswi ththet ruth.
”

Takeheedint hosewor ds;f

orlovei st
hepurest
thi
ngy ouwi l
leverfi
ndont hisearth.Lovedoesnot
hurt–peopledo.Lov eisnotpainful–peopl
ecause
pai
n.Ihav elearntalotinmymar r
iageandallIcan
sayisthatl
ov erequi
respatienceandy ouneedto
workonwhaty ouwantt ohav e.Thet woofyouare
ateam nowandmakesur ethatitstayst
hatway .
Youarestrongertogether–don’ tl
etanyoneelsetel
l
youotherwise.
”
Ismil
edasatearescapedmyeye,
butKgqui
ckl
y
removedi
tgent
lyfr
om myface.
Sel
ena:
“ Wi
ththatsai
d,mayy
ousayy
ourv
ows?
Wolf
e,youcanstart
.”

Kg: (
smi li
ng)“TT, mybaby .Ndhl ovukazi (
Queen),
Kgosi gadiyamakgont he( QueenofQueens) ,
Sthandwasenhl iziyoyami (Myhear t’
skeeper)
,My
prayerwar ri
or,myst rengt hgat herer,Thembalami
(Myhope) ,t
hemot herofmychi ldren,Mysoul
provider,myTi gress.Ihav elov edy ouf r
om the
momentIsawy ou.It oldmy selfthatIwouldwait
unti
ly ouwer eoldenought ounder standtheki
ndof
l
ov eIhadf oryou.Inev erinmywi ldestdreams
i
magi nedy ouwoul dev ersayy est ome.

Ihavethatbeauti
ful
memor yoft hedayy ouagreed
tobemygi rl
fri
endengravedinmymi nd.Yourscent
i
ssost uckinmyheadt hatIdon’ teventhinkIcan
everfor
getit.Iremembert hatti
meIwasi nacoma;
Iwouldseey ouinmydr eams; Iwouldsmel lyour
scentevery
wher eIwent,andIjustdidn’tunderst
and
why
.WhenIgotmymemoryback,
Iwassohur
t
mor
eespeci
all
yfory
ou.

Iimaginedwhaty ouwentthr
oughwi t
houtme.I
promisedtoloveyouandneverhur tyouintenti
onall
y,
andthatiswhatIwanttodot i
leternit
y.Youar emy
missi
ngr i
b,youli
ter
all
ystol
eapi eceofmyhear t,
TT.
YouknowIam notamanofmanywor ds,Iam a
manofact i
on.Ifyouall
owmet opr oveittoyou,I
’l
l
gl
adlyshowy ouwhyy oushouldn’tl
eav eme.”

Icouldn’
tevenstopthetear
sanymore.Bythenmy
facewassoakedi ntear
swhichKgwould
occasional
lywi
pedaway .Helookedatmewi tha
broadsmi l
eonhisfaceandIguessitwasmyt ur
nto
speak.Thankgoodnesshedi dn’
tbuyormakeme
anotherri
ngbecausewow.Ihav esomuchj ewel
ler
y.

That
o:“Kgaugel
o,youar
ethekindest
,mostlov
ing,
mostcari
ngandmostsupporti
vemanIhav eever
met.Throughoutmyent
iret
imewi t
hyou,Ihav
e
l
ear nthowt ol oveuncondi ti
onally.Mostimpor tantl
y.
Ihav efail
edt oshowy ouequal amountofsuppor t
youhav esownme.Youhav ebeenwi thme
throughoutt helossofourbabi es.Icanhonest ly
sayt hatIhav efail
edt oevenasky ouhowy ouf el
t
aboutev erything.Meanwhi le,youkeptongi vi
ngand
showi ngmel ove.Ilovey ou, Kg.Iloveyoumor e
thanwor dscandescr ibe.Mosti mportant
ly,Il
ov e
youbecausey ouhavenev ergivenuponmeorev en
felttheneedt o.Al l
owmet hischancet oprove
my selftoyouandshowy out hesamel ovey ouhav e
shownme.Fory ouar eav er ygoodmanandy ou
alsodeser vet heperfectl
ov e.”

IsawatearescapeKg’
seyeandIt
ookmyhandand
gent
lywi
peditoffhi
sface.Oh,
myman.

Sel
ena:“Ihavenothi
ngel
setosayot
hert
hany
ou
maykissy ourbr
ide,
Wolf
e.”

Kg:
(chuckl
i
ng)“
Ithoughty
ou’
dnev
ersay
.”
Kggent l
yyetpassionatelyki
ssedme.Iam so
greatfulbecauseev ery
timeweki ss,i
tjustf
eelsl
ike
thev eryfi
rstti
meal loveragain.Webr oketheki
ss
afterashor twhil
eandj uststaredateachotherfora
whi l
e,astheyOr chestr
apl ay
edJohnLegend’ sLove
meNow.
Kg:
“Il
ovey
ou,
MaNcube.
”

That
o:“
Ilov
eyout
oo,
myKi
ng.
”

Selenaledust othebeauti
fulsetupKghadf orus
ri
ghtbehindt hehouse.Justthetwoofus, underthe
stars.Thet abl
ewassetwi ththearomati
cf ood
whichhecookedf orusawhi l
eago.Ja,neh, Kgis
reall
yahopel essromanti
candIam ser i
ouslynot
compl ai
ning.Hepul l
edmychai rformeandIsat
downashesatopposi teme.Heev enhadawai t
er
serveusthef oodanddr i
nks.
Kg:(
smil
i
ng)“
Doest
hismeany
ouar
enotl
eav
ingme
any
more?”

Thato:(
smil
i
ng)“No,
Iam sosor
ryforeven
suggest
ingt
hat
.Itwasseri
ousl
yuncall
edfor
.”

Kg:(
smil
ing)“
That
’sal
li
nthepast
.Justasl
ongasI
j
ustgett
ohaveyoubymyside.
”

Ifeltsotouched,soblessedtohavehimt her
e.I
don’tevenknowwhatIwast hinki
ng.Iguessmy
bi
r t
hdayt hi
syearisgoingtobeawhol elotof
awesome.AsIr elaxedandenjoyedmyf oodwit
h
Kg’shandl i
ter
all
yinmi ne,hi
sphonerang.He
i
gnor editanditr
angagai n.

That
o:“
Answeri
t.I
tmi
ghtbei
mpor
tant
.”

Ir
egr
etsay
ingt
hosewor
dst
ohi
m becauser
ight
t
hereandt
hen,
shi
twentdownandIf
eltl
i
keIhad
l
ostmyKg.

Kg:
(Answer
ing)“
Hel
l
o?”

Idon’
tknowwhoitwasorwhattheper
sonsai
d
becausehegotupi
naninst
ant
.

Kg:
“Okay
,I’
l
lber
ightt
her
e.Justhangi
nther
e.”

Hegotupsof
rant
ical
l
y,l
eav
ingmesowor
ri
ed.

That
o:(
puzzl
ed)“
Kg?
!Kgaugel
ooy
akae(
wher
ear
e
yougoi
ng)
?”

Kg:“
Reinet
tej
usthadanacci
dent
.Sheneedsme.I
hav
et ogo.
”
Justli
kethatKgl
eftmeinmyweddingdress,si
tt
ing
onthetableal
lal
oneasheranaf
terReinett
e.What
thefuckj
usthappened?
!
Chapt
erOneHundr
edandThi
rt
yTwo

Phi
ll
i
pi ans4:8–“Final
ly,br
other
sandsi ster s,
whateveristr
ue,whateverisnoble,whatev erisri
ght
,
whateverispure,
what ev
erislovely
,what ev eri
s
admirable–ifanythi
ngisexcell
entorprai seworthy
–thi
nkaboutsucht hi
ngs.”

That
o

Iwasl eftdef
eat
ed,i
ntears,asifmyheartwas
ri
ppedoutofmychest .Howcoul dKgdot hist
ome?
Ithoughtofcall
i
ngSelenaandv ent
ing,buttear
s
keptstreamingdownmyf ace.Idecidedtogo
throughmyphoneandscr ollwhoIcouldcall.Ifel
t
sobadf orthewayIhadspokent oQueenNandi and
Nanaandmor eespeci
all
yZenande.ButIwasi n
needofser
ioushel
p.Ther
ewasnowaythatcoul
d
havebeenr
eal.Ideci
dedt
ocal
lNana.

Nana:
“Isabel
l
a.Ihav
ebeenexpect
ingy
ourcal
l
.”

Thato:(
cry
ing)“Nana…He…He…Hej ustgaveme
thebestweddingeverandnow…Rei
nettecal
led
and…”

It
ri
edspeaki
ngfur
ther
,butt
hetear
sjustkept
st
reami
ng.Ifel
tmychestcl
osi
ngin.

Nana:(
Deepsi
gh)“Doyouhonest
lybel
i
evet
hat
Wolf
ewoulddosuchtoyou,I
sa?”

Ikeptqui
etforawhil
eandt
houghtl
ongandhar
d
aboutherquest
ion.
That
o:“
But
…hej
ustl
eftmeher
e,di
dn’
the?
”

Nana:“
Yes,helefty
outhere,
butforapurposeand
onepurposeonly–tosaveyourmarri
ageandto
prov
etoy ouwhathisv
owsmeantt onight
.”

Nanal
i
kesspeaki
ngi
nri
ddl
es.

That
o:“
Nana,
cany
ouj
ustbef
rankwi
thmepl
ease?
”

Nana:“Theonl yt
hingIneedt odowi t
hy ouistobe
honestandmakey oureali
zethetruthony ourown.
Youareast r
ongwoman, Isabel
la,butyoulack
consi
stency.Themomenty ouembar konapai nful
j
ourney,youforgeteveryt
hingPetuniataughtyou.
Youseem tol oseyoursel
fandinthaty ouev en
for
gettoreali
zewhatawonder fulmany ouhav eby
yoursi
de.Now, Iam aski
ngy ouagain,doy outhi
nk
Kgwoul dactuall
ycheatony ou?”
That
o:(
hesi
tant
)“No.
”

Nana:“Good,
nowwhatdoy
oupl
anondoi
ngaf
ter
hejustl
eft
?”

That
o:(
cry
ing)“
Ihav
enoi
dea,
Nana.
”

Nana:“Isabell
a,Iwon’tal
waysbear ound.Youneed
totougheny ourski
nandl earntobeabi t
chatti
mes.
Learntobet heprayerwarri
oryouhav ealway
sbeen.
Iam askingy ouagain;whatareyougoingtodo
aboutit
? ”

That
o:“
Iam goi
ngt
opr
ay.
”

Nana:“Good.Nowwi pethosetearsoffyourf
ace.
Nowi stheti
metoprayharderthanever.Your
wil
li
ngnessinthi
ssi
tuati
onwilldeter
minewhat
happensbeforet
omor r
owmor ning.Arey our
eady
f
orwhat
evercomesy
ourway
?”

That
o:“
Yes.
”

Nana:“
Good.Nowgol i
ghtyourcandl
e,andspeak
t
ot hel
ord.Don’
tworr
y,Sel
enaisther
etocomf or
t
you.St
opcryi
ng.I’
l
lseeyousoon.”

Shehungupbef or
eIcouldthankherorev en
apologizeformybehaviour
.Idon’tknow,butI
guessshei sri
ght.Ineedtostopcryi
ngandIneed
tostartbei
ngast r
ongwoman–t hequeent hatI
wasbor nt
obe.Idecidedtoheadupst ai
rstomy
bedroom andlitmycandleandIstart
edpr ayi
ng.

Rei
net
te

Oh,
whatal ovel
ydayi thasbeen.Ican’tbel
i
evethat
myli
tt
lespell
wor ked.Itooktheremainingmoney
thatKgpai dmef ormyf ewweeksofser v i
ce, andI
wentt ooneoft hosesangomaswhopostt heirfly
ers
everywher eandIdi dwhatIhadt odo.Khany i i
s
suchadumbbi t
ch,sheact uallythoughtt hatIwoul d
l
ethergetKgaf terIdidallthehar dwor k.I
managedt oputav erytoughspel l
onhi m, andshe
didsayt hatafterjustonephonecal lhewoul dbe
mine.Ihadt opayR5000, butfucki t
, i
tissomuch
worthi t.Ican’twaitforhimt oactual l
yf i
ndme
nakedatmypl ace.AllIneedt odoi sj ust
consummat eourrelati
onshi pandgi v ehi m anhei r–
somet hingThat oclearlyfail
edt ogi v
ehi m.Cany ou
beli
ev ethatbitch?Sheact uallytol
dmenott ocall
Kgbyhi snickname.Tal kaboutt erri
tor i
al.Iputon
myl aceyr obeandwai t
edf orhi m,sinceIhav e
nothingunder neath.Iser i
ousl ycan’twai ttobeMr s.
ReinetteNcube.Oh, t
hesmi r
konKhany i
’sf ace.I
am goi ngtowi peherandRami outlikeol dbr ead
beli
ev eme.AsIsatt hereonmycouch, sippingon
mywi ne,Iheardast ernknockont hedoor .

Rei
net
te:
“Whoi
sit
?”
Kg:
“It
’sme,
Kg.Openupf
orme,
baby
.”

Igotupswiftl
yandopenedupf orhi
m.Ilookedat
hi
m andf el
li
nlovealloveragai
n.Ii
nhal
edhis
gorgeousscent.Shi
t,thi
smanmakesmehor ny
everyti
meIstareathi
m.

Kg:
(smi
l
ing)“
Aren’
tyougoi
ngt
oinv
itemei
n?”

Rei
net
te:
“Ofcour
se.
”

Iwal
kedbackint
omyf latbackwardsandassoonas
hecl
osedthedoor,
Itookoffmyr obeandhesmiled
atmemischi
evousl
y.

Kg:(smi
l
ing)“
Well,
well
,well
,youareonedi
rt
y
mindedl
ady.Didn’
tyousaythaty
ouhadan
acci
dent
?”
Rei
nette:
(chuckl
i
ng)“Okay
,yougotme.Ij
ust
wantedtobenearyou.”

Igotpuzzledbyhisreacti
on.Imeansurelyhewas
supposedt ohavegottenanerect
ional
ready.I
walkedclosertohi
m andat t
emptedtotouchhi
s
shoulder
s,buthegentlyremovedmyhands.

Kg:(
smili
ng)“
I’
mthi
nki
ngweshoul
ddr
inkf
ir
st,
don’
t
yout
hink?”

Rei
nette:
(ir
ri
ated)“
Don’tyoul
ikeme,
Kg?Imean
am Inothotenoughforyou?”

Kg: (
smil
ing)“Ofcour
se,youare,
Reinet
te.Ijust
wantustot al
kaboutafewt hi
ngsbefor
ewegot o
thenextl
ev el
.Youdon’twantustostartourfi
rst
nightonhoneymoononabadnot enow, doyou?”
Isuddenl
ysawaglimmerofhope.Fi
nal
lyKgandI
weregoingtobet
oget
her.Myfacebeamed
i
mmedi atel
y.

Rei
net
te:
“Honey
moon?
”

Kg:“
Ofcour se.Youthi
nkIwouldjustmar
ryy
ouand
nott
akey ouonat r
iparoundt
hewor l
d?Comeon.
Getdressedandpourussomewi ne.”

Ianxiousl
ytookmyr obeandputi
tbackonand
pouredhim aglassofwine.Ir
efi
l
ledmineaswel
l
andhandedi tt
ohim.

Rei
nette:
“So,
tel
lme,nowthaty
ouareser
iousabout
marr
yingme,whati
sgoingtohappent
oyourwife?
”

Kg:
“Wel
l
,Iwi
l
ldi
vor
ceher
,ofcour
se.Ij
ustneedt
o
knowonet
hingf
rom y
ou.
”

Rei
net
te:
“Any
thi
ng.
”

Kg:“Howdi dyoumanaget
ocausemywi
fe’
s
miscarr
iage?”

Ichokedonmywine,
forabi
tandhedidn’
tseem
bother
ed.Hegavemeonestrai
ghtf
aceandIknew
hewasnotjoki
ng.

Rei
net
te:
“Whatdoy
oumean?
”

Kg:(
Anger
ed)“Your
eal
l
ywantmet
obeati
toutof
you,
don’
tyou?
”

Iseemedsoconf
used.Imean,t
heladysai
dher
spell
woul
dwork.I
nfactsher
eassur
edme
count
lesst
imes.Iam puzzl
edbyKg’
sreact
ionr
ight
now.
Rei
net
te:
“Kg,
Idon’
tknowwhaty
ouar
eonabout
.”

Idi
dn’tseehi snextmov ecomi ng.Heslappedme
sohardacr osstheface,thatmywi nespill
edal
lover
mycar pet
.If el
tmyear sr i
ngi
ngandmywhol eface
burni
ngatt hesamet imeasIl andedont hefl
oor.I
l
ookedathi m andhesl owlygotup.Hel ooked
i
nfuri
ated,enraged.

Kg:“
Iwon’
tasky
ouagain,
Rei
nett
eBut hel
ezi.How
thef
uckdi
dyoucausemywif
e’smiscarri
age?!
”

Ifel
tasift
hewholegr
oundwasshaki
ngashe
roar
edhisangert
owardsme.If
eltmysel
ftr
embl
i
ng
j
ustbylooki
ngathim.

Kg:
“Wel
l
?”
Rei
net
te:
(scar
ed)“
I…Kg,
please,
I….
”

Idi
dn’
tgettofi
nishmysent
encewhenhekickedme
i
nthestomachsohardIfel
tasifmywhole
i
ntest
ineswer
eabouttogetoutofmybody.

Kg:
“IfIhav
etoasky
ouagai
n,Iwi
l
lki
l
lyou!
”

Rei
net
te:“
Okay!ItwasKhanyi
’si
dea.Pleasedon’
t
ki
ll
me,Ibegyou!Ijustwant
edyou,that
’sall
.”

Kg:“
Soyoudeci
dedt hatyouwoul
dcausemywi
fe
pai
nbytaki
ngherfourthbaby
?!Dooyouhav
eany
i
deathedamageyoucausedher?!Us?!
”

Rei
net
te:
“Idi
dn’
tmeant
odoi
t.Ij
ustwant
edy
ou…”
If
elthi
m ki
ckmeafewmoret
imesandIcr
iedout
l
oud.Ifel
tmywhol
ebodyonf
ireasi
fIwasinfi
re
al
ready
.

Rei
net
te:
“Kg,
please…f
orgi
veme.
”

Kg: “Youshouldhav easkedar oundbef or ey oudid

yourshi t.Youshoul dhav easkedpeopl eaboutme.
Iam notonet obemessedwi t h.Doy ouknowwhatI
dot obi t
cheslikey ou?Doy ouhav eanyi deawhatI
dot opeopl ewhomesswi t
hmywi fe? !Whywoul d
yout hinkthatyoucanent ersomeone’ smar riage
andbecomenumberone, Reinet te?Don’ ty ouhav e
anysel f-
respect?Imeany ouar eat tractivebut
clearlyyoulackbr ains.Hav en’tyoul earntany t
hing
fr
om whatIhav etaughty ou?Hav en’tyoul ear nt
any t
hingf r
om thepastf ewweeksy ouhav ebeen
wor kingforme?Mywi f
ei smyf ortress, shei smy
l
ife,mywor l
d.Il i
veandbr eathef orher .Ido
every t
hingFORHER.Il ovehersomuch, thatany
womanIseei snot hingcompar edt omyThat o.
Haven’ ty
ounot i
cedj usthowmuchofapr ayer
warriorIam?Ipr ayf ormywi f
eandwi thmywi fe.I
putGodabov eallel
se, becausewithoutHim Iwould
havenev erbeenthemanIam t oday.Wena, you
decidedtoplayGodwi thourl i
vesandnow y ouwi l
l
reapt heconsequences.Any onethattakesalif
e
from medoesnotl i
vet otellt
hetale.Callyour
whor eofacousin, r
ightnow. ”

Ij
umpedupinfearandi
gnoredmypai
nfora
momentandcall
edKhanyi
.Sheanswer
edonthe
fi
rstr
ing.

Khany
i:“
Jah,wena.Wher
ehaveyoubeen,
bit
ch?
!
Kudal
angif
ouna(Ihav
ebeencal
l
ing)
.”

Rei
nett
e:“
(scar
ed)“
I’
m sor
ry,
Ihavebeenbusy.
Li
sten,
canyoucometomypl acer
ightnow?
”

Khany
i:“
Forwhat
?!Youwer
esupposedt
omeetme
sowecoul
dfi
nal
i
zet
heendofourdeal
.”

Rei
nett
e:“Yes,wecandothat
,butpl
ease,
comet
o
myplace.Iti
sanemergency.
”

Khany
i:“Mxm,Ihavenot
imef
orgames.I
fyouar
e
dyi
ngthensobeit.
”

Kgsnat chedt
hephonef
rom mebef
oreIcoul
dev
en
respond.

Kg:
“Hel
l
o,Khany
i.
”

Khany
i:(
happy
)“Hi
,Kg?
”

Kg:“Yes,t
heoneandonly.See,
Iwasplanni
ngon
surpr
isi
ngy ou,
buty
oujusthadtor
uini
tall
,di
dn’
t
you?”
Khanyi
:(Bl
ushi
ng)“Oh,
Kg.Iseey
ouhav
en’
t
changedonebi
t.”

Kg:“
Yes,
nowcomeon.Wear
ewaiti
ngfory
ou.I
hav
esuchbi
gnewst
oshar
ewithy
ou.”

Khanyi
:(Exci
ted)“
Youdi
dn’
thav
etoaskmet
wice.I
am onmyway .
”

Kg:
“Good.Pl
easebr
ingRami
wit
hyou.
”

Khany
i:(
puzzl
ed)“
Rami
,why
?”

Kg:“
Ifyouwantagoodt
ime,
youwi
l
lbr
inghert
oo.
Goti
t?”

Khany
i:“
Okay
.I’
m oni
t.
”
Hehungupandl
ookedatme.

Kg:“
Nowyouwi
l
lknowt
onev
erunder
est
imat
ea
pr
ayi
ngman.
”

Khany
i

Iam soexci ted.Kgcalledmeoutoft hebl uewith

Rei net
te’
sphoneofcour se.Imean, Iwassupposed
todoar it
ualtogetKgt obemi neandIwasact uall
y
supposedt osacri
fi
ceRei net
te,
butt hebit
chj ust
didn’tpit
ch.Idon’tknowwhathappened, butKghas
hadachangeofhear t
.Hehaspr obablyreali
zedt hat
heneedsmeandl ovesmemor et hanthatbar r
en
bitch.Itisoffi
cial
l
ytimef orustobet ogetherandI
ser i
ouslycannotwait.IdecidedtocallRami
i
mmedi ately.

Rami
:“Hel
l
o?”
Khanyi:“
Yey,wena.KgisatRei
net
te’
splace.He
askedmet ocome.Apparentl
yhehasanice
surpr
iseforme,buthewantsmetobri
ngy ouwi
th.
”

Rami
:(puzzl
ed)“
Kg?Asi
ntheKg?
”

Khany
i:“
Duh,
arey
ousl
oworwhat
?”

Rami:(
chuckli
ng)“Youcannotbeserious,Khanyi
.
Haven’
tyoulearntanyt
hingf
rom Rendani?Kgl oves
Thatot
oomucht oevengomeetwomenl ikeyou
wit
houther.Somet hi
ngisup.Thisisat r
ap.”

Khanyi:(annoyed)“
Mxm,wenaunej
ealous(
youare
sojealous),Rami.Whycan’
tyouj
ustbehappyf
or
me? ”

Rami
:“Ican’
tbehappyf
ory
oubecausey
ouwer
e
nevermeanttobewithhi
minthefi
rstpl
ace.Iam
tel
l
ingyou.Kghassetatrapf
oryou.Thisdoesnot
soundnorfeelr
ight
.”

Khany i
:“Youarejustj
eal
ous,Rami!YouandThat o
haveal waysbeenjeal
ousofme.Yout wonev ersaw
theli
ghtandspar kwit
hinmeandnow, Iam goingto
outshineyouboth.Iam goingtogetKgformy sel
f
andy outwowi l
lbelef
twithtear
sinyoureyes.”

Rami
:“Al
ri
ght
.Goodl
uck.
”

Shehunguponme, j
ustl
iket
hat
.Idi
dn’
tevengivea
shi
t.Iwaspr
eparedtogomeetmyKg.i
tishigh
ti
meItakewhat
’smine.

Kg

Iam deepl
ydi
sgust
edbyt
heset
wowomen.Wel
l
,al
l
threeoft hem, i
ncludingRami .It r
iedsohar dt ohi de
mypai nf rom mywi febygi v i
nghert hebestweddi ng
shedeser vesandoneshehasal way swant ed.Ij ust
want edhert ohav eagr eatev eni ngwi thoutanycar e
i
nt hewor l
d.Iknow, Ileftheri nsuchast ate,butI
actual lydi di tpurposef ully
.Ineededt oseei fThat o
willber eadyf ortimesofsor row, Ineedt oknowi f
shewon’ tbreakev eryti
mewegot hroughsomet hing
badi nourmar ri
age.Ineedmywi fe, t
hewar ri
orI
mety ear sago.Shei smywor l
dandi tpai
nsmet hat
peopl esheoncet rusteddeci dedt oturnourl i
ves
upsi dedown.Thesebi tchesdon’ tknowt hatIam
protect edbyt hebl oodoft hel amb, myancest ors
hav esungpr aisesf ormeandi tisnotmyt imet odie
–nori si ther s.Iam doi ngthisf orherandt onight,I
am endi ngt hesemi serablebi tchesf orgood.No
onedar est akemychi ldawayf rom meandcause
mywi fepai nandl ivest otellthef uckingtale.I nfact,
Iwanthert oseet his–t oseet hepai nIam aboutt o
causet heset wo.It houghtofsendi ngheransms,
butshewon’ tbelieveme.Shei spr obablytoo
dev ast at edtot alkbyt hewayIj ustleft.Idecidedt o
callherandshet ookawhi lebef oresheanswer edi t.
That
o:“
Hel
l
o.”

Yep,
shei
sdef
ini
tel
yangr
yatme.

Kg:“
Thato,
Ican’
ttal
kmuch.Iam sendi
ngy
ouan
addr
ess.Comeassoonaspossibl
e.”

That
o:(
puzzl
ed)“
What
’shappeni
ng,
Kg?
”

Kg:“Youwill
knowassoonasyougethere.I
pr
omi seyou,af
tert
oni
ght
,noonewil
leverhur
tyou
everagai
n.”

Ihungupbeforesheaskedaf ewmor equestions.

KnowingThato,shemightj
ustaskmeami l
li
on
questi
onswit
hinami nut
e.Isenthermyl ocation
andawaitedKhanyi’
sappearance.Ihadtiedup
Reinet
tet
oachai randherfacehadalreadyswelled.
Iam notawomanbasher , butawomanwhodeci ded
tobeapar tofapl ant oexecut emyf ourt
hunbor n
chil
d,isouttogetme.Ihav etoteachheran
unforgett
ablelesson.Bar elyfi
vemi nuteslat
er,
Khany imadeherappear ance.Idi dn’tevenhesitate
toopent hedoor .Shesmi ledsowi delyandhugged
me, butIcouldn’tev enst andherdi sgusting,
fil
thy
stench.Iimmedi atelyremov edherfrom meandof
courseshewaspuzzl ed.

Khany
i:(
puzzl
ed)“
Kg,
whati
sgoi
ngonher
e?”

Shelookedatmeandsawmybewi l
deredeyes.
Thenshelookedar
oundandsawthebruised
Rei
nette,t
iedt
oachai
randimmediat
elygotrat
tl
ed.

Khany
i:(
scar
ed)“
Whati
shappeni
ngher
e?”

Il
ookedatherandt
houghtofever
ythi
ngthatmy
wi
fedidforher
.Howwel ethergoaft
erhershi
t
stuntbacki nEnande, howThat owentaheadand
gav eherachancedespi teourwar ni
ngsandpai df or
thi
swhor e’sschool feesandshest i
l
l decidedt ohurt
That owher ei
thur t
st hemost .Icouldn’tst omach
herf i
lthy, evil
stenchandIsl appedheraf ewt i
mes
andshel andedf acef ir
stont hefl
oor.Shequi ckl
y
turnedandl ookedatmewi thimmensef earinher
eyes.Iwanthert of eel t
his;i
maginehowmypoor
wifef eltwhenshehadt ogetupandgot ot hetoi
let
allnight.Shedi dn’tev enwantt owakeme, andshe
wentt hroughal lthatpai nalone.Howf uckedupcan
aper sonbe?Themor eIthoughtofev erythingshe
didtous, theangrierIgot .Iwalkedclosert oherand
Icoul dseet hefearIhadi nsti
ll
edinherhadgr own.

Khany
i:(
ter
ri
fi
ed)“
Kg,
Icanexpl
ain.
”

Kg:“Expl
ainwhat,Khanyi
?Explainhowyout r
iedto
ki
llmywi f
e,butchosetokil
lourbabyi
nstead?How
youdecidedtogobackt oyourevi
lwaysandf or
get
all
thegoodshedi dforyouandcausehersomuch
pai
n?!
”

Khany
i:(
pet
ri
fi
ed)“
Icanexpl
ain,
Kg,
please.
”

Themor eshespoke,wasthemor eIstart

edtobeat
herup.Howdar eshedeci
det hatmychi l
dwasnot
wor t
hyofli
vi
ng?!Ifoundmy sel
fbeati
ngtheblueout
ofherwhensomeoneknockedont hedoorandI
didn’
tevenhear
.Ifoundmy selfseei
ngredwhileI
wasbeat i
ngKhanyiupunt
ilIheardThato’
ssoft,
calmv oi
ce.

That
o:“
Kg.St
opi
t!
”

Imanagedt ost
opandl ookedather.If
eltmywhol e
bodyshaki ngandmyhandst rembli
ngimmensel y
.I
slowlylookedatmyhandsasIsawt hefeari
n
Thato’seyes.Myhandswer ecover
edinsomuch
bloodandmyknuckl eswerebrui
sed.Ididn’
teven
feelt
hepai n;al
lIneededtodowasf eedmyr age.
That
o:(
scar
ed)“
Kg,
whathappened?
”

Iturnedtol
ookatKhany
iandIsawherbarel
y
breathi
ngandcoughi
ngsomeblood.Idon’
tregr
eti
t
atall.

Kg:
“Idi
dal
lthi
sfory
ou.
”

Isawthetear
sinherey
es,
butshef
oughtt
hem back
withal
lhermight
.

That
o:(
tear
y)“Kg,mylove.Youreal
l
ydi
dn’
thav
eto.
Thi
swil
lonl
yinfl
ictmorepai
n.”

Kg:
(shout
ing)“
Takeagoodlookather
!Sheisthe
womanwhochoset oki
l
lyourchi
l
d!Ourchi
ld!
”
Ifoundmysel
fcryi
ngasIdroppedtothefl
oor
.Ev
ery
ounceofpai
nIhadbeenhidingfr
om herhad
suddenl
ymanifest
edi
tsel
f.

Thato:(teary)“ Kg, i
t’sgoi
ngt obeokay .Remember
ourvowst ooneanot herearl
ierontonight ?Idon’ t
wanttoent ermy20t hyearoflif
ewi t
hbl oodonmy
hands, myKi ng.Youar esuchabeaut iful person–
bothinsideandout .Igetsoj ealousbecause
alr
eadywomenwi llevengot osuchext r
emest oget
you.Idi dn’trealizehowmuchpai nyouwer egoing
thr
oughy oursel f
.Youar esuchanamazi nghusband,
Kg.Youhav ef i
nal l
ymademeseet hel i
ght ;youhav e
mademer ealizet hatonlyGodcansayno.Yes, we
havelostf ourchi ldren,butonlyHeget st odeci de
whethert hatchi l
dl i
v esordies.Youar ebi ggert han
thi
s,baby .Youar emywar r
ior,i
fyougetconsumed
byallthishat redandanger–whowi llprot ectme
wheny ouar egone?

Pl
ease,
Kg,
let
’sgohome.Il
ovey
ousomuchandI
needy ouev enmor e.Icannoti maginemyl i
fe
withouty ou.Pl ease, giveusanot herchancet obe
togetherandt ryagai nandbei nghappy .Iknowf ora
factthatGodhasputy ouinmyl i
feforar eason.For
youal way sensur et hatIremembery ourfavourite
verse: I
saiah60: 22–“ Whent hetimeisright,Ithe
Lordwi l
lmakei thappen. ” Iknowy oualsolikemy
favourit
ev erse: Phill
ipians4:13–“ Icandoal lthings
throughChr istwhost r
engthensme. ”Ihav ereal i
zed
howmuchy oul ov emeandhowmuchIneedy ou.I
cannotlivewi thouty ou,Kg.Youar ethereasonIam
whoIam t odayandIcannoti magineli
fewi t
hout
yourpur eandper f
ectpr esence.Please,let
’sgo
home. ”

Kg:(cr
ying)“Ihav
efai
l
edy
ou,
myqueen.Ihav
e
fai
l
edy ou.”

That
o:“I
fyouhadfail
edmethenIwouldn’
tbeher
e.
Kg,y
ouhavetaughtmewhattherealmeani
ngof
l
oveis.Youhavetaughtmet
hatIneedtogetupno
mat terhowhar ditget stough.Youhav etaughtme
thatwi t
hy oubymysi de,
li
febecomesawhol el
ot
easier.Youhav et aughtmet hatthetriangleisthe
strongestshapei nt heuniver
se: Godf i
rst,thenuson
eit
hersi de.Il
ov ey ousomucht hatIfeelthatIcan’
t
evenexi stwit
houty oubymysi de.Please, Kg.leave
theset oGodandl et ’sgohome, mylov e.”

Isl
owl
ygotupaft
erl
ist
eningtomywife’
scal
ming
voi
ceandwal
kedoutofthefl
athandi
nhandwith
her
.

That
o

Iwasbewi ldered–shockedr athert

ofi
ndKgi nsuch
amonst rousst ate.Thelastt
imeIsawhiml ikethat
waswhenhet aughtSontoandSophieahardass
l
esson.Idi dn’tbeli
eveit
,butIhadtototapintomy
soulandhel pmyhusband.Ihadt obethereforthe
l
ov eofmyl if
e.Wedr ovehomeandaskedoneof
theguardst odr i
vemycarbackhome.Kgwasi na
badst ateIwon’ tli
e.Hewasshi v eri
ngandcr yi
ng
hyster
ically.Ithinkhehadbot tledupsomuchpai n
andIdi dn’tevennot i
ce.It ookashowerwi t
hhi m
andwashedhi sback, ocassional lyki
ssinghi sback
andshoul dersasheal waysdoest ome.Hef elta
l
otbet terwhenhegoti nt
obed, andIl i
tsome
i
mphephof orusandt wocandl es.Iam amazedby
Kg’sspi r
it
, r
eally
.Iwentdownst airsandmadehi m
somepot atoesoupandgotbackt ofeedhi m.We
sl
eptf orawhi leandheact uall
ywokemeupat
midnightt owishmehappybi r
thdayandsot hatwe
couldpr aytogether.Wow, justt henIhadt hought
wewoul dn’tpraytogether,butheshowedmet hathe
i
samanabov eal l
men.Heshowedmet hathe
won’tsuccumbt owithcraftthateasi l
y.

Kg:
“HappyBi
rt
hday,
myl
ove.Ican’
twaitt
oseet
he
l
ookonyourf
aceatmyl
auncht
oday.”

That
o:(smi
l
ing)“
Canyouhonest
lyhav
eanymor
e
sur
pri
sesupyoursl
eev
es?”
Kg:(chuckl
i
ng)“ForaslongasIhav
ey oubymysi
de,
Iwil
lalwayshav
et r
icksupmysleeve.Justy
ouwai
t
andsee.”

Hegent lykissedmeandwesl ept .Igotupear l

yin
themor ning, atabout5am.Ihaddeci dedtocall
Zenandeat4am j usttot ellherIam r eadytoget
cleansed.Ineededt odot hatbefor emybi r
thday
wentahead.Zenandewasmor et hanhappyt osee
meev en.Shecameal ongwi thQueenNandi and
Nana.Sel enawassl eepingunt ilabout8am.She
waspr obabl ytir
ed.QueenNandi andNanawer eso
happyt oseeme.Theydi dn’tevenseem angr yor
any t
hingatme.Wow, Iam t r
ulybl essedtohav ethe
peopleIhav ear oundme.Icannotwai tt
oseewhat
thefutur ehol dsforme.

Sev
eny
ear
slat
er….
That
o

Lif
ehasbeensuchabr eeze.Yes, Iam indeed27
yearsoldandwhatahect icall
yinterest
ingsev en
yearsithasbee.Kg, mydar li
ngKi ngis34y ear sold
andy ep,wearest i
ll
childless, butnonetheless, we
arehappy .If
inall
ymanagedt ofi
nishmydegr eeand
Kg’scompanyhasbeenbl ossomi nggreatly.Wedi d
mov etoEnande, andKgget shisdiamondsf rom our
mine.Wehav ebecomebi ll
ionair
esandwow, Imust
saythatthecommuni tyhasgr ownandhasf alleni
n
l
ov ewithusev enmor e.Icannoti maginel i
fe
withoutthi
smanofmi ne.

Rami deci
dedtocommi tsuici
deont hedayofmy
20thbirt
hday.Sheleftmeanot et hatlef
tmeabi t
saddened,butIguesssuchislife.Khany iand
Reinett
elef
twithoutatraceandGr ingowasv er
y
dist
urbedtohearaboutwhatt heydi d.Hemade
suretheyhadleftwit
houtatrace,soIam j ustglad
theyareoutofourli
ves.Nomsawasf i
nal
lyletgo
andreleasedf rom prisonachangedper son.Ican
fi
nall
ysayt hatourf ami l
yishappi erthanev er.We
arealsogrowi ngbecauseGl ori
ahast hreechi l
dren
alr
eadyandNur sePor t
iaandSokshav etwingi r
ls
whom t heyador esomuch.KgandIcur rentlyarein
theMal di
ves,andwedeci dedt otakethewhol e
familywithusont het r
ip.Ihadn’ tbeenf eel
ingwel l
l
ately,soKgi nsistedthatwegot othedoct orher e
nearby.Iknow, hestill
lovest oexagger ateas
always.Iwasi nmybedwi thKgr ightbymysi de.
Yes,wehav ebeeni nsepar ableeversince.The
doctorwalkedi naf ewmoment slat
erandKgst ood
upandhel dmyhand.

Doct
or:
“Hell
o,MrandMr
sNcube.HowmayIhel
p
yout
oday?
”

Iwasaboutt
ospeak,butKgthoughti
twoul
dbe
bet
terf
orhimtot
ellt
hedoctoraboutmyprobl
ems.

Kg:
“Hi
,Doc.Mywi
fehasbeenf
eel
i
nghor
ri
blel
atel
y.
Shehasbeenfeel
ingquit
equeasy,shecan’
t
st
omachal otoff
oods,sheismoodyandsl eepsa
l
ot.Apparent
lymycologneishor
ri
bletosmel ll
atel
y.
Canyouimaginet
hat?Af t
erawhole7y ear
s? ”

Thedoct
orandKgchuckl
edt
oget
herl
eav
ingmeso
annoy
ed.

Doct
or:“Iunder
stand.MrsNcube,
doy
ouknowi
f
youmightbepregnant?
”

Thato:(l
aughing)“Doctor
,Ihav
en’tbeenabletofal
l
pregnantinseveny ear
s,soIhi
ghlydoubtthatis
possibl
e.Ihav ebeeneatingalotofseaf
oodl at
ely
,
sothatmi ghtbethecause.”

Kg:(
smil
ing)“
Oh,
Doc.Iknowf
orsur
eshei
s
pr
egnant
.”
Doctor
:“Il
i
keasur
eman.Now,
shal
lwet
akeal
ot,
Mrs.Ncube?”

Ag,Ihatethatv agi
nal sonar .Itisreallyunpleasant,
buthey,i
fwecanst omachapeni sev erynowand
then,acoldstickshoul dn’tbepai nful.Irelaxedabit
andspreadmyl egsast hedoct orgotbusy .Iwasi n
myownwor ldbecauseIknewt hatIcoul dn’tbe
pregnant
.Imean, i
thadbeen7y earssinceIl ast
hadfall
enpr egnant.Bef oreIknewi tIhear dwhat
soundedlikeahear tbeatort wo.Igotupshocked
andlookedatt hescr een.Inot i
cedKg’ sexci t
ement
andIstaredatt hedoct or ,
awai t
ingt henews.

Docot r
: “
Well,
congr
atul
ati
ons,
Mr.Ncube.Your
suspicionswerecor
rect
.Yout woar
eindeed
expecting.”

Thatfeltl
i
kesuchadream.Whatt hefuck?This
can’tbetr
ue.Il
ookedatthescreenafewtimes,
thenatKgandthenatthedoctor.Iev
enblinkeda
f
ewt
imes.

That
o: (
teary)“
Kg,
pinchmepl
ease.Thi
scan’
tbe
tr
ue,canit?
”

Kg:(chuckl
ing)“ I
tistr
ue,
baby .Youareindeed
pregnant.Isawi tevenbefor
ey oustar
tedhav i
ng
themor ni
ngsi ckness.Mymot herappearedtome
andtoldmet hatwewouldf i
nall
yhavewhatwehav e
alwayswant ed.Wear egoingtobepar ents,
baby.
”

Ifeltmycheeksbei ngwar medbymyf resht ears.I

don’tthinkIhadevencr i
edsomuchi ny ears.Not
event earsofsadness,buttear
sofactual happiness.
Andt hereandthen, Ir
emember edKg’
sf av ouri
te
verse:Isai
ah60:22–“ Whent heti
meisr ight,It
he
l
or dwi l
lmakeithappen.”

I
ndeedwehavebeenthr
oughsomuch,butwi
th
pat
ienceandf
ait
handtr
usti
ntheLor
d,Hiswi
ll
happens–nomat t
erwhoi sagai
nstit
.Icannotwait
forthejourneyt
hatliesaheadofus.Ilov emy
husbandandIl ovemyl i
fe.Thishasindeedbeenan
i
ncrediblej
ourneysof ar
.Mynamei sThat oI
sabel
la
Ncube, QueenofEnande, t
heWi f
eofKgaugelo
NkosinathiNcube.Aoncet ooof
tenbruisedbutnot
brokengirl
,butItur
nedoutt obeaprettyokay
woman.Thi swasmyst or
y.