Today is my first day at work. I am very excited about it. Zithulele gave me some money to buy work outfits. I bought some very nice suits, shoes, handbags and wigs. I have never owned a wig before I met Zithulele, so when I saw that a really nice one is a minimum of R2000, I was quite traumatized. But hubby let me splurge and I got myself five beautiful wigs. I think he was in a good mood because I had officially changed my surname at home affairs. His two new favourite words are now Letlali Khuzwayo. 

I just stepped out of the shower and am lotioning myself. My baby bump is starting to show. I rub my tummy. He walks into the bedroom. He hugs me from behind. 

“How is my Letlali Khuzwayo today?” He asks me. 

“I am okay Mr Khuzwayo. How are you?” I ask him. 

“I am alright. They mustn’t work you too hard today”, he says as he starts lotioning my back. 

I giggle. 

“Love, I know we have never spoken about this, but I want you to know that you don’t have to work. I’ve got us, okay? So, don’t accept any shit from anyone and don’t overwork yourself under any circumstances. You don’t need that job. Feel free to tell them to shove it the minute they start treating you like shit“, he says. 

I suddenly feel emotional. 

“You are my sweetest dream come true, you know that?” I say. 

He turns me around and kisses me. 

I finish off getting ready for work. I wear guava suit chinos, a black vest t-shirt, and a black sleeveless baggy blazer. I wear guava block heels and grab a black handbag and laptop bag. Hubby spoiled me with a MacBook. 

“Those men better not drool over my wife”, he says as I walk out of our walk-in closet. Who is going to drool over a pregnant woman with a ring on her finger?

I giggle and flash my wedding ring at him saying, “This ring makes a very loud and clear statement, my love” 

He kisses me. 

“Now that you have your license, I need to get us a second car.” He says. 

I nod my head. My driving is not perfect. The Velar still has an L sign at the back. Zithulele felt that it was important that I learned how to drive. 

“I like the Velar. If you get another car, get one for yourself. I like this one”, I say. 

“Really?” He says, genuinely surprised. 

I nod my head. 

He accepts my statement. 

I drove to work as he sat on the passenger’s side. I stop at the door of the building and kiss him goodbye. He promises to fetch me at 4pm sharp. 

I make my way into the building and tell receptionist that it is my first day. 

“I’m one of the graduates”, I say. 

She phones someone to come and get me. In no time, a woman is next to me. 

“You are so early. Welcome. And you look exceptionally stunning! If your aim was to make one hell of an impression, you have succeeded”, she says. Her energy is a lot for 7am. I figured that if I want to knock off at 4pm then I should arrive at 7am. With my one-hour lunch, that should make up my eight hours. 

“Thank you”, I say. 

“I am Basetsana Chalmers. Yes, I’m married to a white man.” She says. I didn’t need to know that. Should I say I’m married to a black man? 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Letlali Khuzwayo.” I say. 

“Tlali, yes. You are the graduate who will be working in Queen Kea’s team. Luckily for you, both she and Mrs Maphumulo are in already. I will be your face of HR so if you have any HR-related concerns, I’m your girl”, she says. 

I nod my head. 

“Great. Please follow me. I will show you to your station”, Basetsana says. 

I follow her to the fifth floor. It is divided into four sides. We go through the sliding doors that are written “External Affairs”. 

We walk through a few empty desks. 

“You see? You are very early. People start arriving here around nine-a.m and later. Don’t take yourself so seriously”, Basetsana blabs on. This is why we have bad public service. I am not trying to be part of that. 

We arrive at a door written “K. Mohale” and Basetsana knocks. 

“Come in”, a voice says. 

Basetsana walks in and I follow her.

“Kea, your graduate has arrived. Please meet Letlali Khuzwayo”, Basetsana begins. 

Both Mrs Mohale and Mrs Maphumulo look at me and smile. 

“Mrs Khuzwayo, welcome. Bright and early plus looking absolutely stunning. I love it”, Mrs Mohale says. 

“Mrs Khuzwayo? I thought you were wearing a dress ring? Aren’t you a bit too young to be married? People your age are living life and are planning to blow their first graduate salary, dear”, Basetsana neh – I just can’t. 

“Bassie, why uphapha so? I tell you every day to keep your funny comments to yourself. Just because you are married to a white man doesn’t mean us black people enjoy your verbal diarrhoea. Please leave. We will take it from here with Mrs Khuzwayo”, that would be Mrs Maphumulo. Mrs Mohale is equally irritated at that comment though. 

Bassie leaves.

“Don’t pay her much attention. Waphapha nje“, Mrs Maphumulo. 

“Thank you, Mrs Maphumulo.” I say. 

“Please, call me Nosi.” She says. 

“And you can call me Kea”, Mrs Mohale says. That’s very awkward. She is the queen of Tholoana Kingdom. It seems everyone calls her Kea. 

“I insist”, she says, as if seeing that I’m internally struggling with that request. 

I nod my head. 

They take me through my job spec and what is required of me. I am also shown where I will be seated. I like it. I have three screens to be a nerd and I love it. I sit in an open area, but I do have my desk and it is right next to a window. I am happy. 

“Hi”, Teboho Seete greets me. She is right next to my desk. I stand up and greet her with a handshake saying, “Hey. How are you?” 

“I’m lovely, thank you. I thought I’d come by and say hi. I just got out of a meeting and was on my way to see the big bosses.” 

“Thanks so much for stopping by. Do you also sit on this floor?” I ask. 

“No. I sit on the fourth floor with all the directors”, she says. 

“I’ll pop in when I get a minute. Maybe we can do lunch and chat.” I say. 

I actually like her and I do want to be acquainted with her. 

“I’d love that. Anyway, let me leave you to do your work. Have a great first day.” 

“Thanks so much, Mrs Seete –

“Teboho, please.” 

“Teboho”, I say as I nod and smile at her.

She then clicks her way to Kea’s office. 

The day flies by so quickly and I have gone through quite a bit regarding what’s been done before and the next steps the department is looking forward to doing. 

“Tlali, are you keen for a late lunch?” Nosi says to me. The time, oh my goodness. It is already 3pm. It’s all the snacks I keep munching on that have made me forget about getting actual lunch. Nosi and Kea have their bags packed and all. 

“Pack your bags. After lunch, you can go home”, Kea says. 

I do as I am told. As the three of us leave, I notice all the other employees not giving me the best of looks. Oh well. It must be that I rub shoulders with the VIPs of this place. Don’t hate honey – DO NOT HATE!

“So, you do know that you being the only graduate in our team is no coincidence, right?” Nosi begins. 

I look at her and Kea. 

“A lot of the data that you will be exposed to is data that no other person in the team will be exposed to. Some of that data will be data relating to The Church”, Kea tells me. 

“Oh… um… uh… I – “

“Tlali, our husbands rely on us for a lot of things. Mohato is the pope. A lot of the data that is managed in the illegal economy is not accessible to just anyone. Some priests do not even have access to some of the stuff that you will have access to. That’s why your desk is secluded and that’s why you have all the screens that you have. And I certainly don’t need to talk to you about confidentiality”, Nosi. 

I cannot even stomach the food before me. 

“Tlali, your husband has proven to be a very loyal and trustworthy soldier. You, on the other hand, do not strike me as the sit in the corner and do as you are told kind of wife, so I know that you know very well what it is that your husband does and why it is important for us to protect that”, Kea says. 

After I have taken in all that is being said, I ask them, “Will I be required to break the law?” 

They both seem puzzled by my question. Then Kea says, “You will be required to work with data. You will be required to keep that data confidential. You will be required to present a few things to us and at times, to Mohato and Shaka. You will be working with data that is legally recognized as well as data that only exists in the illegal labour market and economy”, Kea says. 

I drink some water. 

“Both you and your husband will be rewarded handsomely, of course. You are being paid triple what other graduates are being paid.” Kea says. 

…

Zithulele fetched me from work at 4pm sharp. We went home and the drive was quite silent. He had a bad day, I assume, and mine was not as amazing neither. 

Dinner is ready now and I call him downstairs to eat. He comes down and settles in a chair opposite me. 

“How was your first day at work?” He asks me. 

I sob. I don’t know why but I just do. 

“Baby?” He enquires, concerned all of a sudden. 

I now cry like a baby. He gets up from his chair and comforts me. 

“What’s going on, love?” He keeps asking me. 

“They want me to do data and information systems work for The Church”, I say, sobbing. 

He is not surprised. 

“Yeah. Pope and the Mohale twins came to see me and practically told me to convince you to agree.” He says. 

I let loose of his arms and look at him. My tears are still streaming down my face. 

“I just had to fall in love with you, didn’t I? I just had to choose you. All I wanted was to have a job that helped me out of poverty and build a house for my parents. I wanted to be proud of what I do. I worked hard all my life. I put myself through school with bursaries after studying my basic education in the township. All of that hard work just for me to become a professional criminal. Because I love you? How are we going to raise this child? We are both criminals.” I say. 

It finally hits him. I don’t want to be a criminal. 

I make my way upstairs and cry myself to sleep.

My wife just went to sleep and I feel extremely shitty for having to wait for her to sleep before I sneak out of the house to do some work – especially after the meltdown that she had at dinner today. But I have to work. Qaphela’s warehouse is shipping two hundred cars illegally out of South Africa. These cars are gifts for some international partners who have paid us one hell of an amount of money as well as given us business – operating illegally and stress-free in their countries. Each vehicle has a substantive amount of drugs, three girls and cash in their currencies. The drugs are also a test bunch of 98% cocaine that we will be serving them. So this cocaine will bring them a lot of money. 

It’s strange how today I operate illegally when my parents died because of this very reason. My parents died because they fed our community all types of drugs. Today, I traffic cocaine and methamphetamine. Maybe my destiny is to end up like them. But the thought of leaving Tlali as a widow keeps me hoping that I will grow old with her. 

“Legoa, where are you?” Ona enquires through some burner phone that we are using. 

I am working with the team that will be distracting security offices. Our plan today is to trip all systems as Qaphela’s truck enters the boarders and essentially cause chaos in Tholoana Kingdom that will distract other countries, not paying mind to the illegal shit that should hit their news tonight.  

“Nothile has released the fake news”, Ona tells me. 

Nothile is Khotso’s new ride or die. She has the most promising future with him because she is now the “unidentified journalist” that we push disruption through. Just like clockwork, we basically make the security system dysfunctional and all those who have a PHD in chaos have started riots in the streets of Tholoana Kingdom. The fake news article is that the government has stopped paying grants effective immediately, so people now need to go and find jobs instead of leeching off the government – which I believe should actually be policy. The fake news further state that people who produce more children than they can afford will be forced to give their children up to the foster home system and those children will be given new homes that can afford them. Gone are the days that people will give birth to children who will end up being a burden to the government. 

Tholoana Kingdom citizens are so entitled that we knew this would cause immediate instability. While they go crazy burning shit and demanding the world and its mother, causing the whole world to pay attention – especially those at the borders who have families in Tholoana Kingdom who will be directly affected by this, the operation moves. 

We get check-ins from all the points of illegal activity that their parts have been completed successfully. When the last part informs us that all is clear, we all release a sigh of relief that this was a success. 

My phone rings as I jog back to my assigned vehicle for the night. 

“Baby”, I answer my phone. 

“Where are you? Tholoana Kingdom is on fire and you are roaming the streets?” 

“I had some work to do and I thought I’d fetch your mother so that she is safe should the protests leave the government buildings and head to the royal house”, I lie. But now I actually have to fetch her mother so that my cover is not blown. 

“Thank you for thinking of her. Someone just dropped off a bag full of money here”, that must be our payment from pope for tonight’s job. 

“Just put it away nicely for me, babe. I’ll sort it out when I get there.”

She takes a sigh and says, “Zee, be safe out there please. I’m not going to sleep until you get home. So please get home.” 

“I’ll be home soon, baby. I promise. I love you.” 

“I love you.” 

As I get to the royal house to pick up my mother-in-law, I see pope in panic and bishop completely stressed. 

I get out the car and head to them. 

“The cops are on to us” Khotso tells me. 

“What?!” Me. 

“They got a tip off. Twenty of our men are arrested. Take your wife and disappear into one of our provinces. Do not leave the country. If you leave the country, we cannot protect you if you get caught on the run”, bishop tells me. 

“Let me help, bishop. That’s why I got my promotion, right? I’ll send Tlali away. But I’ll stay and fix this.” 

Bishop and pope look at me and nod. 

I phone Tlali immediately. 

“Hey”

“Pack what you need, get into the car, come get your mother from the royal house and disappear for a while.” 

“What?!” 

“The cops are onto us. Empty that bag of money that has just arrived in case it has a tracker. Come with the money and you will use it to survive until I have another plan.” 

“Zee –

“Tlali, I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! JUST GET INTO THE FUCKEN CAR AND GET MOVING!”  I hang up after that. 

… To be continued tonight at MIDNIGHT… You don’t want to miss this!