“Ey baby!” 

That just has to be Ona and he is probably drunk because he knows the res rules. He shouldn’t even be here. If it wasn’t after hours, I’d let him stay there outside until he realises that I’m a student and he cannot keep popping up like this. But, I’m the one who will get into trouble for the chaos that he is causing. So I roll out of bed and lightly jog to the door to open up for him. Res is asleep and silent. Thank God. The girl whose room is next to the door will probably hear everything, so I know I’ll have to buy her study snacks in exchange for her silence. 

I open the door and he walks in. He comes in for a kiss and I just want to slap him. He’s even drunk. What the hell is wrong with this guy? He drove here drunk? Seriously? Onaleruna Mohale frustrates me because I actually love him. I know that he loves me too, but we have always had things standing between what could be between us. It has never been just him and me on a journey to what could be. We have never had a chance to love each other without the extra drama. So, as much as I want to kick him out, block him and just keep him out of my life, I love him and I want to sleep next to him every night – telling him that I love him before my eyes close me into sleep. 

“Go to the room!” I demand. 

He starts walking. I need to make sure that the coast is clear, so I’m right behind him. I live on the flippen second floor, so sneaking him in like this is just a risk. In addition to that, I am a sub-warden in this res.

Ona is really going to drive this university to kick me out of res, stru. 

By the time I get into my room, he is helping himself to bottled water in the fridge while he undresses himself. I just lock my door and get back into bed. 

“Baby”, him. 

I am silent. 

“Baby, you not gonna talk to me?” 

“No, Ona. I’m not going to talk to you. It’s 2am and I’m tired. I am tutoring tomorrow in addition to the seminars that I have to attend and I need all the energy that I can get. I don’t know where you come from. You are drunk and you are annoying me because you know very well that I could be in serious shit tomorrow for what you’ve just done.” 

“But babe, I missed you. And I told you that I’d come pick you up so we could go to my place. You are the one who doesn’t want to come with me. So I’m sleeping here.”

I’m just going to sleep. Sleep Regodise. Just sleep. Ona yena…

It is 6am when I wake up to start my day. Ona is still fast asleep. He is so perfect when he is peaceful and not being his obnoxious self. He looks exactly like his father – I have seen his picture in Ona’s room when I went to the royal house and slept over at his place. He has an A0 framed portrait of his father and they are the spitting image of each other. I brush his face and peck his lips. He makes me so upset, but he also makes me scared. Then he makes me feel so in love and he gives me hope – hope for us. 

I roll out of the bed to take a shower in the common bathroom on our floor. Ona cannot shower in here, so he will shower when he gets home. And he has to leave in an hour because res visiting hours start at 8am. 

This shower feels so good. I like showering in the morning. Any time after 9am sees one showering with cold water. I thank God for my morning classes. 

My friends and I were going to a theatre play that one of my friends was acting in when I met Ona. I know that Thato is a photographer, so that particular show was also a gig for her and she invited the Mohale twins and their friends. They did not even make it to inside of the theatre. They were standing outside making a noise, smoking, drinking beer and claiming to be supportive. I arrived late because I had to do a few things before I joined the rest of my friends there, so when I arrived, I wasn’t allowed to just walk in while the show was on. I had to wait outside until an interval then walk in and find my seat. I was stuck outside with Ona and his friends for over thirty minutes. I obviously recognised the Mohale twins because I mean, they are the Mohale twins. Ona even offered me beer and a cigarette. When I politely declined, he offered to buy me food instead. We all went to get food and they tricked me into sitting with them until the show was over. Then Ona offered to take me back to res and because we had laughed a lot and had even exchanged numbers at that point, I said yes. We chatted every moment we got that week and the following weekend, I woke up in a hotel room next to him. I have not been able to get rid of him ever since. 

I always wonder what attracted Ona to me. He is a Mohale twin destined for the throne and I’m just a girl from a village in Tholoana Kingdom who is extremely boring and scared because I’m pregnant and am too scared to tell my parents. My plan was to have an abortion. I’m not ready for a child. Ona and I sat down, discussed this at large and made a decision. Then he took me to some fancy private hospital to pay for the procedure cash. I couldn’t swallow the pill. I couldn’t kill my baby. I literally cried my eyes out and Ona hugged me, taking me back home after thanking the nurses for their patience. 

Now I’m eleven weeks pregnant and I’m still not happy. 

I think Ona rocks up unannounced just to check up on me and make sure that I’m okay. He knows that I’m not okay. I know that he isn’t okay because he is still in a relationship with Thato and his drinking has become excessive. I’ve just always been the girl in the background in his life. He likes fast girls like Thato. I am nothing like her. The only thing that is fast about me is the rate that I fell in love with Ona – especially while he was with another woman. Thato is the reason why my and Ona’s love will never be enough. I hate that girl, I hate that Ona cannot get rid of her and I hate that I am actually the wrong one here because I found Thato in a solid three year relationship with Ona when I met him.

I dry myself up, wrap my body in a towel and make my way back to my room. I bump into a few girls in the passage, so I know people are all up now. Now we really have to wait for visiting hours before Ona sneaks out of here. 

He is awake and is chilling on the bed topless when I walk into my room. 

“Hey”, I greet him. 

“Hey”, him. 

I start lotioning myself.

When I remove my towel from my body, he notices that my stomach is starting to swell up. 

He walks up to me. 

“How are you?” He asks me. 

I shrug my shoulders. 

He tries to hug me. 

“You smell like that skank. Don’t touch me.” I push him away and he falls onto the bed. 

I look for an outfit for the day. 

“I’m thinking of telling my mother about the pregnancy.” He says to me. 

I don’t say anything.

“And you know we are going to have to go to your family and pay lobola and damages.”

“So you want us to get married now?”

“Would it really be a bad thing? You know that I love you.”

“You don’t love me enough to stop sleeping with that STD of yours, but you want us to get married.”

“You know things between Thato and I are not that serious.”

“Nothing is ever that serious to you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

I just get dressed and start fixing my hair.

He gets up from the bed and walks up to me. He wraps his arms around me. 

“Regodise, I want to do right by you and our child. Why is that so wrong?” 

“Onaleruna, you are going to be the king of this Kingdom. You are proposing that I be the queen of this Kingdom – that I be what your mother is. You want to give me a title that will force me to endure, sacrifice and possibly raise the child that I’m carrying to probably take over from you somehow. And you still have me stressed out about fucken Thato. You can’t even give me half the respect and loyalty that your mother’s husband gives her as the queen, but you want me to endure the sacrifices for you?”

He looks at me. 

“Ona, two nights ago, you phoned me – after attending Maboko’s wedding with Thato – and told me that Teboho is back and Maboko found out about that on the day of his wedding. You told me it was a bad idea for Maboko to proceed with the wedding because he is in love with Teboho. Now you want us to make the same mistake? You want to marry me because I’m pregnant, but Thato is clearly the one you love because she’s the bad habit we can’t get rid of in this thing we share.” 

“I’ll leave Thato. I’ll do it. She doesn’t mean that much to me, babe. I love you. Only you. Yes, Thato is a bad habit. She is. But baby, you are the one that I love with all of my heart and I want a family with you. Only you.”

I don’t say anything. 

I let loose of his hold on me and I make my way to my study area to pack my books for the day. 

“Dise – 

“I need to get to my seminar. Can we please go?” 

“We have ten minutes before 8am strikes”, he reminds me. 

Shit!

I throw myself on the bed and just lie there while I rub my belly. He watches me as he leans against my cupboard. His cellphone rings and it is next to me. The caller ID reads “Thato.” I hold the cellphone in my hand and stare at the screen for a very long time. The cellphone stops vibrating. I start crying. He does not know what to do. The cellphone vibrates again. This time, I give him the phone. He puts it in his pocket. 

“Answer it”, I say. 

He looks at me. 

“I’m your side trash right? I know my place. Answer your main STD.” 

He breathes. He pulls out his phone and answers it, putting it on speaker. 

“Thato”, him. 

“Hey baby. Where are you?” 

“I am with Dise.” 

Even I am shocked and he can see it. 

“Excuse me?” 

“I am with Regodise. What do you need?” 

“Ona, I thought we spoke about this Regodise girl. Why is she still in the picture?” 

“Thato, what do you need? Why did you call me?” 

“I want to see you. I am outside your house.” 

“Well, I am not home. And I have to end our relationship.” 

“Ey wena Onaleruna. What the hell is wrong with you today? Did that bitch feed you love potion?” 

“Thatohatsi, we are done. Please don’t call me again and don’t ever go to my house again.” 

“Ona, if you think you are done with me, you have another thing coming your way. After everything that I have done for you and that I have sacrificed for you? You want to choose some village street walker over me? Why? She lets you fuck her while she scrubs floors and fetches water from the rivers of Moses –

Ona has now hung up. 

He does not know what to say. I am extremely embarrassed. She said all of that to Ona about me? This is what she always says about me? This is how she speaks about me? Ona’s phone vibrates out of control until he actually switches it off. We literally sit in silence until 8am strikes. 

He is very disheartened. He holds my bags for me and we leave my room. 

And yes, every girl is looking at us. I’m the envy of them all. I’m no Fikile Mbatha or Linda Khumalo-Seete or Teboho Tlou. The only love story we admire of two people coming from different financial backgrounds is the story of Teboho and Maboko. Me? Why would Ona choose me over any girl he could have? Over Thato? 

They want to say hi, but Ona is not the friendliest person – especially in the morning after we’ve had a fight instead of sex. 

So, we leave. He drives me to class in his Jeep Wrangler. The ride is silent and all I do is just take deep breaths. As he parks outside my lecture room…

“Can we do dinner tonight? Just to talk? Please baby?” He says.

“Do you think I’m a village street walker who scrubs floors and fetches water from the rivers of Moses?” 

He throws his head against the head-rest of his seat. He takes a deep breath. 

“Thato speaks like that”, he says to me. 

“If that’s not what you think of me, why don’t you defend me when she says things like that about me to you?” 

“I’m sorry. You want me to slap her the next time she says foul things about you? Because I do well in bitch fights”, he says. I can’t help but giggle because he is starting and when Ona gets like this –

“Hey, look at me”, he says to me as he holds my hand. I look at him.

“You are the mother of my child. You are going to be my wife. You are my love. I love the hell out of you and I will never let any harm come your way. You are right, I shouldn’t let Thato speak foul about you and it will never happen again. I’m sorry it ever happened. I’m going to fix this okay?” 

I am suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. 

“Will I get a white wedding?” I ask. 

He laughs and says, “If you can write me a 1500 word essay justifying we should have a wedding that resembles nothing in our culture, then sure.” 

I playfully hit his arm as we both laugh. 

“I hope that’s not a bitch slap because mine might not qualify in a bitch fight”, I am laughing again. 

How does he do it? He makes me cry as hard as he makes me laugh. 

As we calm down from the laughter, he brushes my face and says, “Have dinner with me, please my love.”  

I nod my head. 

He pulls my head towards his face and kisses me on the lips. 

“I love you.” He says. 

“I wish that I could tell you that I love you too. But you are a man that does not belong to me entirely”. I say. 

“I am. I am yours to have, to bitch slap, to fuck every night, to use my penis whenever you want more good-looking babies – 

Now I am in stitches again. He is just smiling at me. 

“I love you. I love you very much. Please get rid of Thato. Please.” I say. 

He kisses me. 

He smiles at me. 

I know he is about to say something stupid so I get out of the car. That version of Ona, I can only take in a certain mood. 

…

Ona indeed picks me up at 6pm and we drive to Reahile Restaurant together. We always come here to eat – this place or Ha-Morena.

We walk into the restaurant holding hands. He gets the chair for me and I am seated. 

After we place our order, he holds my hands. 

“You good?” He asks me. 

“I am good. You?” 

“I’m okay. I was just-

“Hey guys”, Khotso. He is standing next to our table and Fikile is with him. 

Ona stands up and greets his brother with a handshake and a brotherly hug. Fikile is throwing me eyes. I know she’s close with Thato, so she definitely doesn’t like me. 

“Can we join you guys?” Khotso.

Seriously? 

“Sure!” Ona. 

I thought Ona and I came here to talk.

Regodise and Fikile seem very off. I know Fikile gets along better with Thato, but my choice in women has absolutely nothing to do with her. I don’t appreciate her or love her more for getting along with the woman that is in my life, so she better stay within her limits and show her loyalty to this family  by playing extra nice with Regodise. Khotso and I are keeping the conversation going because if we have to ask these two women for input, this evening will not end well. Regodise has a thing with looks and she is serving them tonight – serving them to Fikile on a silver platter and Fikile is becoming more irritated by the second. I can see that she wants to climb out of her chair, jump this table, slap Regodise and ask her why she is serving her all these looks. But she wouldn’t dare. I would burn her alive if she even tried. 

“I think the four of us should go on a weekend away together”, Khotso suggests. 

Regodise rolls her eyes and Fikile giggles in disbelief. 

“I agree. We can go somewhere nice like –

“I am not going anywhere with this –

“Fikile, if you insult my Regodise in front of me, you will do more than just walk out of this family for good.” 

She is hurt that Khotso does not defend her. 

Regodise looks at me and says, “I’d be keen on a weekend away, but my schedule at school is really tight. I might not be able to travel for the next few months.” 

“And if we organised a private tutor and assistant for you? Because you will need one eventually as the months go by”, I say. Khotso is the only person who knows about the pregnancy and I am not sure if he has told Fiks yet. I don’t want to just blurt it out because I also don’t know how Dise feels about people knowing at this point.

She looks at me. 

“The weekend away will do a lot of good for the two of you because this weird energy between you needs to stop. We are all family.” Khotso. 

“So this is how comfortable you and Ona make your side bitches when we are not around? Last I checked, Thato was the next queen of Tholoana Kingdom alongside Onaleruna.” Fikile says. 

“Well maybe you need to go and check on the updated status of Ona’s love life – seeing that it clearly is your business – and you will soon learn that tenure as someone’s girlfriend is exactly that: tenure. It does not translate into anything else, so don’t read between the lines when the book is placed bare in front of you”, I am actually proud of Dise for fighting back. 

Fikile is chuckling in great disbelief. If she could, she would phone Thato and call her to the party. 

“So, the weekend away –

“Fuck your weekend away! I’m not going anywhere with this home wrecking bitch!” Fikile is now loud and is causing a scene. 

Before Khotso can even respond to her, Dise has her (and I am just rubbing her thighs to encourage this because if Dise can put someone like Fiks in her place, she and I are going places). Dise says to Fiks, “Which home did I wreck, Fikile? Thato’s home? From what I understand, not even a mere chicken went to Thato’s family to communicate Ona’s intentions with her. She had no home with Ona. You and Thato give yourselves away for free as people’s brides and assume that qualifies you to be home-builders with these men? Di kgomo a di felle sakeng before otlong’phaphela. Ha ka thuba le lapa nna, ke feditse the disrespect that Thato has for herself as a woman.”  

For those who don’t understand what the beautiful mother of my child just said, she basically said that Thato’s lobola cows are not even in the kraal yet and until they are, she and Fikile must stop being forward. She then said that she didn’t wreck any home, she ended the disrespect that Thato has for herself as a woman. I think we can all take a bow now. The future queen has spoken!

I am looking at Fikile, smiling and waiting for a comeback. She is both angry, disrespected and embarrassed. Khotso just wants to get out of here. I need to order some more whiskey. 

My mom walks into the restaurant and both Khotso and I hope that she will just walk past us and just do what she came here to do. 

No such luck. She is Kearabetsoe Mohale after all. 

“Good evening”, she says. 

Fikile sucks up immediately, “Dumela Mofomahadi.”

My mother looks through each of us and her eyes stay stuck on Regodise. She looks at Regodise for so long that we all start getting uncomfortable. Please don’t tell me she’s one of those who can a smell a baby on the way from a mile away. 

“Dumela nana“, my mom says to Regodise.

Khotso is the only person who knows about this pregnancy and we are looking at each other like we’ve just been busted. 

“Dumela Mofomahadi.” Regodise. 

This interaction is TENSE!

“Ke wena mang?” My mom. 

“Ke nna Regodise.”

“Where are you from, Regodise?” 

“I’m from the Mohase village, Mofomahadi.”

“Oh? And your surname is?” 

“Thibane.” Regodise is so nervous. 

My mother nods her head. 

“Are you going to the village when you are done here with Ona?” 

Regodise shakes her head and says, “No Mofomahadi. I’m going back to res. I am doing my final year in my Masters Degree in Political Sciences and International Studies at Tholoana University.” 

My mom nods her head and throws me a look. I’m in shit!

“Fikile, take Regodise home. My sons are following me back home right now.”

What?! After what just happened? These two are going to kill each other.

“Mah – 

“It wasn’t a request. Don’t annoy me.” My mom says then stares at Regodise again.

Regodise stands up and leaves the restaurant. Fikile follows her. She looks like she wants to kiss Khotso goodbye. I wish she would. Lol. 

… 

My mom, Khotso, our step-father – Mohato – and I are sitting in the dining room, seated at a table and actually talking about Regodise’s pregnancy. 

“Why didn’t you come to us and tell us, Ona?” Morena asks me. 

We call him Morena because his position tells people to call him that. We used to call him dad, but when we found out that he played a major role in us not having a father today, we couldn’t betray our father like that or even hurt our mother like that. Her heart broke every time we called him dad. From the age of three, she would always say “Mohato is not your father.”

“Ona, are you going to answer us?” Mom.

“The plan was to have an abortion.”

“WHAT?!” My mom and Morena both dramatically shout. Khotso is shaking his head. 

“But she couldn’t go through with it when we got to the hospital.” I say. 

“Good.” My mom.

“And you are going to do the right thing, wena Onaleruna. You are going to marry that girl and raise that child with her.”

“I did propose that we would go and pay damages and lobola for her, but she doesn’t seem to want to. We are kinda going through something.” 

“I respect her a lot for not falling to your feet like all these other loose things you keep around you. But if you weren’t ready for this, you should have been more responsible. Who still gets pregnant when contraceptives are free? And can’t you afford condoms anymore?” My mom is really going to make me pay for this. 

“We are still discussing it, mah.” I say.

“And I’m done discussing it.” She says then looks at Morena and says, “Can you get people to go to Mohase tomorrow morning?” 

“What?! She hasn’t even told her parents yet. Can we at least give her an opportunity to do that?” 

“You can phone her tonight. She has a few hours before our people show up.” Morena says. 

“Morena, please. You need to allow Regodise and I to make a decision on how this will work. This is our lives and this is our child!” My temper is going out the window now.

“Who do you think you are and who do you think you are talking to? You are the next king of this Kingdom. I thought you understood what that meant. No decision that you make is just about you. It is for this Kingdom. As an heir to this throne, no illegitimate bastard will be born with your blood. And no random girl who does not live in this palace or carry the Mohale surname will mother your child.” Morena says. 

I look at my mother. How is she letting this happen? 

“Ona, what did you think the consequences of your irresponsibility would be? If you were not ready for this step, why not use protection the way that Fikile and Khotso have been doing?” My mom. 

Regodise is going to kill me. I’m most stressed about how she will react to all of this and how she will feel about all of this. I’m the only person that can protect her and I feel like I’m failing her. 

“What if she says no?” I ask Morena. 

He looks at me and chuckles. Then he says, “Not even she will be alive to find out what the consequence of that will be.”

Now he’s planning to kill her? 

I get up from the table and hurry myself to my car.

“Follow him”, I hear my mom say. She’s probably talking to Khotso. 

We are in my car in no time and we are headed to Tholoana University. Regodise and I need to seriously talk. 

I dial her number, hoping she will answer so I can tell her to expect me.

To my luck, she does not answer her phone. 

I try to phone her again, this time, it takes me straight to voicemail. I dial Zithulele’s number. His girlfriend is at the same university. They live in different reses, but I’m sure they can make a plan to connect me to Dise. 

“Sho, Mohale”, Zithulele answers.

“Sho. Are you with Moringa by any chance?” I ask. 

“Dude, you are on speaker. We are driving”. 

I honestly don’t care. I need to find Dise.

“Moringa, I need a favour please. Do you know Regodise?” 

She takes a deep breath before she answers me and says, “Yes, I do.”

“I need to connect with her urgently. Is there someone at her res that you know that can get me through to her?”

“Look, my access card can get me into her res. I can go there now and see if she is there and maybe give her my phone?” 

“I’d really appreciate that. Thank you.” 

Indeed, after about ten minutes, Zithulele calls me. 

“Sho”, I answer. 

“Ona, I heard that you are looking for me.” Regodise tells me. I owe Moringa big time. 

“I need to see you, urgently.” I tell her. 

“You know what, I just got threatened and physically attacked by Fikile and Thato. Soon after that, I get a call from my parents telling me to come back home immediately because they know about my pregnancy and they need me prepared for when the Mohales arrive tomorrow. So Onaleruna, I’m not in the mood for whatever you have to say to me. I am busy packing my things and preparing to go home.” 

I don’t even know what to address first: Fikile’s audacity or my family’s disregard for mine and Dise’s preferred way of handling this matter.

I look at Khotso. He is also not impressed.

“You stay away from me. Do you understand?”  

“But Dise – 

“Did your friends tell you where they found me? They drove me back to res to pack, but they found me at the campus clinic. Fikile and that lunatic of yours physically attacked me and threw me on the floor. I could have lost this child, Onaleruna. I am in so much pain right now, I don’t even have space to stress about you. So please, I just need peace and to recover. At this rate, I will lose my child because of you.” 

She’s crying as she says this.

“Rego – 

The phone goes dead. 

Khotso is already dialling Fikile. 

“Hey baby”.

“Who do you think you are?” 

Good. I’m glad Khotso still wears the pants in that fucken relationship. 

“What?”

“Who do you think you are? My mom asks you to take Regodise home and Regodise ends up being threatened and physically attacked by you and Thato? Fikile, usohlanya?”

“Oh, she’s gone and reported us?” 

“Yes, not just to us but to the police.”

Now she’s scared. She has nothing clever to say back to Khotso. 

“Listen here wena. This is a serious family matter, not a game. I don’t expect you as a commoner to understand, but I do expect you to start learning and respecting what’s happening in Ona’s life. You don’t come here and bully anyone or take control over anything that has nothing to do with you. If you have plans of having a future with me, Thato might be someone you need to consider cutting loose because Regodise is not going anywhere. “

“Khotso –

“I know it’s a lot to think about. But I’ll give you some time to think about it. What you did will never be done by you ever again!” 

Khotso hangs up. 

We look at each other. 

“She’s going to be okay. The baby is going to be okay.” He tells me.

“She went to the school clinic. She needs a doctor. I need to phone mom.” 

I am already dialling my mother’s number. 

“Ona.” 

“Mah, you asked Fikile to take Regodise back to res. Fikile drove her to Thato, they physically attacked her and she ended up going to the school’s clinic. I need her to see a proper doctor. She says they threw her on the ground. She might have hit her stomach on the ground.” I am actually crying as I say this and my mom can hear me. 

My mom breathes. 

“Khotso, please take over that steering wheel. Ona cannot drive in this state.” 

“Mom, are you listening to me?!”

“Ona, you cannot be this way when you get to Regodise. You cannot fall apart in front of her. She is probably scared and she needs you strong, papa. I’ll phone Dr Serurubele to make a plan for us. Bring her to the doctor’s office.” 

I park my car outside her res and I find some girls sitting on the steps leading to the door of the res. 

Zithulele is also standing out here smoking, so Moringa must be inside with Dise. 

“She’s not okay”, Zithulele says to me as I look at him for answers. 

“I need to take her to a doctor”, I say. 

“We’ve been trying to convince her to let us take her home. She wanted to take the last taxi out of Tholoana Kingdom. Moringa is helping her pack. Thato is a fucken animal.” Zithulele tells me. 

“Thanks for everything, Legoa. I’ll never forget this.” I say.

Dise and Moringa walk out the door. Moringa is holding Dise’s bags and Dise is crying while holding onto her stomach. Zithulele grabs the bags from Moringa. Dise walks past me. 

“Dise – 

”This is how you protect me, Onaleruna?”

“Baby –

“I begged you, Ona. I begged you to keep that lunatic away from me! I begged you to end things with her. But you are Ona Mohale. You get a kick out of bitches fighting for you. I hope you are happy now. You dragging your feet when it comes to Thato may have just cost you your child. Maybe this is the wake-up call that you needed. And I am pressing charges! Ha ke chomi yaThato leFikile nna.” 

“Baby –

“My family is waiting for me Ona and I am in pain. Please, I just need to go.” She walks away from me.

She is so angry and she is crying all at the same time.

Khotso takes her bags from Zithulele and puts them in the boot. Then he walks up to Dise and tries to negotiate with her. 

“Listen, I know you are upset and you have every right to be. You don’t deserve what Fikile and Thato did and trust me, it won’t go unpunished. But you are hurt, Dise. You and the baby need medical attention. My mom is organising a doctor for you. Please let us take you there. And with our family phoning your family – we apologise for that too. My mom saw you and she reacted. She wants to make sure that even your dignity is protected in all of this. I know you have your issues with Ona. But this is where we are right now and we have to deal with it. There’s a child that’s dependent on you and Ona doing what’s best and dependent on you getting medical attention immediately. So, I’m begging you. Just allow us to take you to a doctor then we will take you home if the doctor clears you.” 

She is in tears and the tears do not stop pouring out of her eyes. I want to hold her. I want to take the pain away. And I want to murder Thato. 

“I can come with you if it will make you feel better”, Moringa says to her, helping Khotso negotiate with Dise. Dise nods her head. Khotso opens the door for Dise and Moringa to get into the backseat. Moringa helps Dise get into the backseat of the car then she gets in and sits next to her. Khotso closes the door. 

We get to the doctor’s office and my mom and Dr Serurubele are waiting for us. I see Morena’s GLS600 Maybach Benz, so I know that he is here as well. Dr Serurubele brings out a wheelchair and they wheel Regodise in, Moringa running in next to her. I am told to stand outside and I am out here with Khotso, Zithulele and Morena. I don’t know where he came from. I am so stressed. 

“I am going to kill Thato”. I say. 

“She and Fiks are in a safe cell.” Morena tells us. 

Khotso and I look at him in shock! We were joking and trying to scare Fiks when we said Dise called the cops. Did she really do it? 

“Moringa helped her call campus security then campus security got the cops involved”, Zithulele tells us. 

“Get Fiks out. Thato can stay in alone.” I say. 

“Are you sure?” Morena asks me. 

“Fiks is family. I know Khotso will make sure this shit never happens again.”

Morena nods his head. 

“Khotso, go pick her up. I’ll keep you updated telephonically.” I say. 

“You sure? I can see Fiks in the morning. You need me here.” 

“Morena, Legoa and mama are here. I’ll be good. And I have you on speed dial. You love Fiks. I don’t want you to lose her because of me. I created this mess. I should have ended things with Thato a long time ago. Don’t lose the love of your life because of my poor decisions. I’ll fix this and I will kill Thato. You need to go and get your woman.” 

Khotso physically puts our heads together then we take each other in. He then gets into my car that we came in and leaves. I’ll catch ride in the Maybach. 

After about two hours, my mother comes out and calls for me. I look at her. 

“Come”, she says. 

I follow her. I walk into a room. Dise is lying on the bed looking a whole lot better. 

“Look”, she says to me, pointing at a screen. 

“It still has a very strong heartbeat. This one is a fighter”, Dise says to me. 

I sit down on the closest chair and take the deepest breath of my life. I cover my face in my hands. 

“We are okay, Ona. That’s the important thing. The baby and I are both okay.” She keeps saying. 

I can’t believe that I almost lost her and my child because of Thato. 

…

Khotso came back to the clinic after fetching Fikile from a holding cell and taking her home. He says he couldn’t sit and just talk to Fikile while I could have been losing my child. When he arrived, we were leaving the clinic anyway. Moringa left with Zithulele. My mother left with Morena. Khotso drove down to Mohase with me to take Dise home. We let her lie on the backseat and just sleep. 

We arrive in Mohase at 4:15am. Regodise was asleep throughout the trip. She wakes up as the car stops. I have only been here once to drop her off when her father was ill. But I didn’t go inside the house. When we park at the gate, an old man comes out of the house. I assume that is her father. 

Regodise takes a deep sigh. 

Khotso and I both look at her.

I climb out the car. She climbs out the car. I get her bags, put her medication that we got from Dr Serurubele in one of her bags, then I close the boot. 

“Who are you?!” Her father asks me.

“I’m Onaleruna Mohale, sir.” 

“You are the one who has damaged my daughter?” 

“Yes sir. My family will be here in the morning to rectify that.”

“And you disrespect me further by parking in front of my gate? Young man, have your parents taught you no manners?” 

“I’m sorry, sir. I wanted to make sure that Regodise got home safely.” 

“Leave my property before I unleash my dogs on you.”

“Yes sir.”

I immediately get into the car and Khotso drives off. This man doesn’t even hold Dise’s bags for her. She carries it herself to the house.

After a few minutes, I get a text from Regodise.

“I love you.” 

I actually get emotional. With everything that has been happening, these words are the only thing confirming that there is no other woman I’d rather do this with.

“I’m thinking we should get a hotel and crash.” Khotso says. 

“I agree. The Mohales have probably already left the royal house.” I say. 

“Yeah. Plus mama checked in. I told her we are here.” 

I nod my head. 

“Fiks is also calling.” He says. 

I am just quiet.

“What are you going to do?” He asks me.

“I’ve ended things with Thato.”

“You are a brave man, my brother.” 

We laugh.

I reply to Regodise’s text. 

“I love you too, baby. I’m so relieved that you and our baby are okay. Everything is going to be okay. You’ll see. Can you recommend a hotel? We want to crash.”

This is in the middle of flippen nowhere.

She sends me a hotel suggestion then says, “I’ve booked two rooms for you guys. They are expecting you.” 

I show Khotso the text and he drives us there.