I make my way down the stairs to have breakfast and start my day. As I walk down the passage, I hear Musiq Soulchild’s ‘Don’t change’. I’m not proud of the fact that I know this song. It makes me feel older than I actually am. I know this song because my parents play it so much or they forever sing it to each other. I stand at the top of the stairs case and watch them slow dance together to this song. They are really teenagers in love. 
Someone at school once showed me a video of my father getting married to another woman. Her name was Linda Khumalo. I remember coming home to confront him about it. They told us they met in high school. When did they decide to break up for him to marry someone else?! They told me all about how they fixed things. Romantic, but shady as hell! 

I climb down the stairs. 
“Hello parents”, I say. 
They are busy kissing and slow-dancing and acting like they’ll have sex any minute now. I seriously need to move out. I cannot keep living with my parents. 
I switch off the radio. 
Now I have their attention but they are still wrapped in each other’s arms. 
“What’s your problem?” My dad. 
“Please pay attention to me. I’m your kid”, I say. 
“You are a grown ass woman”, my mom. 
“I’m your kid”, I insist. 
They finally let go of each other and get to doing something constructive in the house. 

“What are your plans for today?” My dad asks me as we settle around the kitchen island while my mom dishes up breakfast for us. Our chef did the damn things with this food. Our chef is really great, but my dad prefers my mom cooking over chef-prepped food. My mom is a smashing cook, but guys come on… we have a chef – a trained somebody to make our tummies happy. Hai. 
“I need to get textbooks. I was going to order them online, but Khanya thinks I should go to campus and make friends.” I say. 
“He’s right. I mean, what’s your plan? To be a loner throughout university?” My mom. 
“I wouldn’t mind”, I say. 
“Ru… you are a designer. Your brand is still on a come up. The last thing that’s going to sell your brand for you is your arrogance. Go out there. Meet people. Meet your target market. Walk your brand. Sell your brand before the product.” My mom. 
I agree with her. I just don’t like people. 
“Well, Khanya is on his way to pick me up.” I say. 
My dad has lost interest in this conversation. My mom notices. My brother and my father put peer pressure on each other to not like my boyfriend. 
“Good morning family”, Khabane says as he walks into the house. 
He’s always here. 
He generally comes with his wife and three very busy kids. But today he’s alone. 
“Monna! How are you?” My dad is quite excited to see him. They even fist-pump each other. Then Bane kisses my mom on the cheek as he hugs her. He comes around to hug me then I ask him, “where’s Khanyi?” 
“She’s in South Africa. It’s Kazi’s birthday this weekend, so papa T is doing a whole thing for her in SunCity.” Khabane says.
“Jwale wena you are not going?” My mom.
“I am. I fly down on Friday then I’ll drive down with everyone to SunCity. I didn’t want to spend the whole week there. Rofhiwa gets on my nerves, and I don’t want to tell her crap in her own home”, Khabane says.
“How is that lunatic doing?” My dad.
“She’s annoying as hell. She blames everyone and their dog for her divorce and reminds Khanyi every chance she gets that the reason her twins are not growing up in a stable home like Khanyi’s kids is because Khanyi chose me – a man – over her, a supposed sister.” 
That bitch is crazy.
“Yoh”, my mom.
“Khanyi used to phone me and cry everyday because of that witch. But now she fights back and I’m so proud of her. Ey but they stress out papa T and that man is too old for such crap. Plus, he doesn’t deserve a child like Rofhiwa. Rofhiwa should’ve just stayed in Venda. No one understands why she came back. We all lived perfectly well without her.” Bane.
“Ona was telling me that the twins are also a pain in the ass now.” My dad.
“Yoh papa! I feel bad for Reahile. Rofhiwa turned those kids into ungrateful and extremely spiteful little shits. To those kids, the whole world did their mother wrong and the whole world must pay for that.” Bane. 
“What does Fikile say about all of this?” My mom.
“O tla reng? She and papa T fight a lot because of Rofhiwa. They almost divorced even because papa T felt like kazi just didn’t like Rofhiwa – especially when kazi would fight Rofhiwa on behalf of Khanyi. I guess that’s when Khanyi grew some guts because she was tired of seeing her parents fight. Kazi has honestly washed her hands off Rofhiwa. She once kicked Rofhiwa out because Rofhiwa woke up high on that day and started telling kazi that kazi is living in her mother’s house, is working in a business that would’ve belonged to her mother had she still been alive and kazi is basically living her mother’s life. Kazi told Rofhiwa to go dig up her mother’s skeleton from the grave, assemble it back together and go live with her because she will no longer accept disrespect and disregard from Rofhiwa. Ey, it was bad.” 
My dad laughs at this. It is kind of funny. 
“I just avoid her at all costs. Unless I really have to, I don’t talk to her. The one time she phoned me because Sekai hit Mulalo. She told me I’m already training my boys for the church and now my boys are practicing how to bully and beat up people on her children. I told her I’ll come shoot her while she’s asleep, so she doesn’t have to witness it all.” Bane says and we all actually laugh. 
“She’s mad. Kids hit each other all the time. My boys hit each other all the time. Wa nyela msadi ole.” Bane. We are still laughing. 

Sekai is Bane’s first born. He’s my first born. I adore him. His second born is Mohavi. My mom has the softest spot for Mohavi. That’s her baby. We all don’t know why, but the two of them have one hell of a connection. Then his last born, Maboko, is my dad’s ace. It’s probably because they have the same name. I can’t believe Bane named his last born after our dad. Apparently, they love the meaning of Maboko. I think he was being corny and being my dad’s pet. lol! But all his kids are boys. This is how Khanyisa explained the names of their boys: 
Sekai means the world. They didn’t want Sechaba because it’s too common. And they didn’t want Sizwe because this child is not Zulu. So they went with the Japanese route, saying that it can easily pass as Sotho. I love it. I think it’s a beautiful name. 
Mohavi means victor. Maboko means praise. So, when you put these names together, they mean “the world has found its victors. Give praise.” I love it! I want to be this creative when I have kids. 

“My love, what time will you be back home? Our flight is at 6pm.” Mom. 
“Flight? Where are you going?” Me. 
“Just on a holiday to Paris”. Mom. 
“Paris? And you are leaving me behind?!” 
“Ruri, ha re ratane le wena hle! Ask that boyfriend of yours to take you to Paris.” My dad. 
He’s so mean! Khabane laughs. What’s so funny?! 
“I’ll be back by 2pm, my love.” My dad answers my mom. 
Now they have eye-sex with each other. 
“And wena Ruri, don’t bring your boyfriend here and think the two of you own this house”, Khabane says. 
“You are so unnecessary”, I say. 
My parents look at me like Bane has planted a seed in their head. Please man! 
I get a text from Khanya telling me that he’s at the gate. 
Saved! 
I tell my parents that Khanya is here then I leave. 

My brother and his stunning wife, Khanyisa, gave me Khanyi’s A45. My parents are so stingy with buying their kids cars, you’d swear they can’t afford it. My brother had to buy himself his first car. I can’t afford a car yet. My business is doing well, but I still need to save a bit more money to get the car that I want. My brother offered to buy me a car, but my parents said no. So, they let me have Khanyi’s small car. But today, my man is driving me around. 

“Hey baby”, I greet him. He’s climbed out of the car to open the door for me, hug me and kiss me. 
I love this dude. 
“You look beautiful. Are you good?” He says to me. 
I kiss him. 
He opens the back passenger door for me. Tholoana is here. 
“Hey T”, I greet him. 
I’m so proud of Khanya. I asked him… begged him to give his relationship with Tholoana a chance. Tholoana is not to blame for the mess that his mother and uncle Ona created. Tholoana is his brother and it’s weird to me that Thandeka is comfortable with her sons not liking each other. Khanya gave Tholoana a chance and I’m proud to say that their relationship is so beautiful! 
“Ru! So, you’re rich and have a business. What exactly are you still doing in school? Isn’t going to school for the sole purpose of making money?” 
Khanya and I laugh. By the way, Khanya drives a GLE Coupe. Black. Beige leather interior. I’m in love with this car! 
“I want to learn skills that will take my business to the next level”, I say. 
“This is the greed that the bible talks about. Ka nnete!” Tholoana says. 
We actually just laugh. 
“T, where’s that girl you introduced me to last week? Kana ke mang…?! I think her name is Julia.” I enquire. 
“Kanti aren’t you dating Michelle?” Khanya. 
“Ey! Get off my case, both of you! I don’t know where they both are.” Tholoana says. 
Khanya and I burst into laughter. 
“Tholoana, what exactly do you want in a woman? Apart from her having a big bum and a small waist? I feel like you date the same woman in different people”, he says. 
“You know I have a crush on Aunt Tlali right?” He says. 
We all know. Even Uncle Zee knows. But Tholoana is respectful about it, so no one gets offended – except Banathi and Mnqobi. They always threaten to beat him up every time he says that he’s even willing to be their stepfather just so he could have a hug from Aunt Tlali. 
“I want someone like Aunt Tlali”, he says. 
Khanya and I are so done. We cannot stop laughing. 
“Aunt Tlali looks or Aunt Tlali personality?” Me. 
“The full package”, he says. 
We honestly just laugh. Tholoana is even blushing. This is very disturbing. 
“But there is a girl that I’m speaking to. She’s from Puerto Rico”, Tholoana says.
“Puerto Rico?!” Both Khanya and I say, super shocked. 
“Guys, I travel a lot okay. I meet people. Alani is nice. And she thinks I’m nice too. So, we are talking.” Tholoana says.
He travels with the church. While people are working, yena washela. 
“Wena uzothandana nezingane zama-mafia yaz.” Khanya says and we all just laugh. 
We chat about until we get to the textbook store. 
“Don’t park”, Tholoana tells Khanya. 
“Why?” Khanya asks.
“I need your car to go somewhere. I’ll be back in an hour.”
“You better not fuck anyone in my car”, Khanya. 
“I won’t”, Tholoana. 
Khanya and I head in while Tholoana drives away. 

Khanya and I are holding hands and walking through the shop with a trolley, getting these textbooks. I bump into one gorgeous lady picking books in my section. 
“BCom? First year? Please say yes”, I propose friendship.
“Yes. Yes. And yes. I’m Nomawethu. Wehweh for short”, she says. 
I giggle and say, “I’m Ruri. I guess you can call me Ru for short.” 
“Are you staying in res?”
“Nope. I live at home.”
“All the cool people seem to live off campus. But take my number and I’ll keep you updated with all the on-campus vibes. You’ll live your varsity life through me”, she says. 
We laugh then exchange numbers. We chat some more after I’ve introduced her to Khanya.

By the time we are done, it’s raining and Tholoana is not back. We try to phone him but he’s phone is off! This guy! We decide to get a private taxi then make our way to my shop. It’s about twenty minutes away from campus. It’s in a mall. 

“That Wehweh girl is soooo Tholoana’s type”, I say to Khanya as we ride to the mall.
“I was thinking the exact same thing. But Tholoana is all over the place and is between four girlfriends right now.” 
“FOUR?!” I enquire in shock. 
“That I know of. There could be more. Don’t put that poor girl in that messy situation”. 
We look at each other and actually laugh. 

Khanya and I walk in and the place is quite busy. The lines at the till are long so I decide that I’ll drop my books and bag in my office then assist at the till. I leave Khanya watching soccer on the TV that I have in here. He’s still trying to get hold of Tholoana. That little twit even managed to turn off the tracker of the car. The church sure knows how to produce the most skilled gangsters walking this planet. And poor Khanya knows nothing about the church. 

I’m busy at the till helping people make payments. My staff is very professional when I’m around. But I’ve asked some people to come in as mystery shoppers and I’ve received feedback that they can be very rude. I’ve taken them to workshops because my dad advised me to. They have transport that brings them to work from their homes and takes them back after their shifts – thanks to advice from my dad. I’m now at a point where I’m ready to fire people. I design and make these clothes myself. I do have staff that helps me: attached to my office is a workshop where we make the magic. I work hard for my brand and product. I’m fortunate that my mom consults for me for free. Khanya manages my finances with an external company so I don’t get robbed. I have to protect what I’ve built and what I’m still building. 

At 7pm, we start preparing to close the shop. Tholoana walks into the store. He greets me then heads to the back to join Khanya. 
We close the door of the store, and we cash up. My banker arrives with four bodyguards. He cashes up with us then banks the cash and gives me my receipt. He then leaves with the cash. Today was a good day. But I’ll be watching cameras to monitor behaviour throughout the day.