Koena

Thingo is lying on my chest and Mfundo is lying on my thigh. It is past midnight and we were meant to be watching movies while we wait up for Mthunzi to come home from work. He works until extremely late having to do his job and Tom’s job. I guess we all understand, but we miss having him around. I also just carry this panic in my heart every time he is not home. When I think about Lydia’s death, my body just shivers. I feel so terrible for Tom. Lydia and I were not close, but I cannot help but be so emotional about her death. 

I remember the call that came into Mthunzi’s phone to inform him that Lydia had passed away. Tom was so empty. 

“Ramaru”, Mthunzi answered the phone. 

“Msomi. Lydia passed away.” 

You could just hear it in his voice that he is going to need a miracle to overcome this. Mthunzi and I were so confused. But our tongues were tied to even ask any further questions. 

“She got hit by a car while running away from hijackers. Apparently she called for me. I wasn’t there. I don’t even know if she suffered or not. But when I got to the hospital to meet the paramedics there, she had just passed away. I have to go back to the scene to collect her car – well I’ll have to tow it because she drove over something that pierced her front tyres.” He said this as if he were – 

“Ramaru, I’m so sorry, chief.” 

“She died with my child that was growing inside of her”. 

There was this silence that invoked tears from me. I was listening to the call because Mthunzi answered the phone via Bluetooth. 

“I need you to hold the fort at the office for me again. Please.” Tom said. 

“Of course. Take your time.” 

He was so…

Even Mthunzi cried after he hung up the call. 

I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look up. It is my husband. He is exhausted. His eyes look…

I get up from the couch, careful not to wake Mfundo up. I put Thingo down on a different couch. Then I make my way to my husband’s arms. We hold each other so passionately. I just take him in. 

These days, we just hold each other a little while longer. We kiss for a longer time. We take each other in more deeply. I’d lose my mind if I lost this man. He cannot die. He cannot make me a widow. 

“Hey”. I say. 

“Hello, beautiful.” He says. 

“Thank you for making it back home.” I say. 

“Thank you for giving me something to look forward to coming home to. And thank you for my boys.” He says. 

We stay locked in this hug for quite some time. 

“Let me run us a nice bubble bath then we can go to sleep.” I say. 

“Okay. I’ll get the boys in bed.” 

We finally come out of the hug. 

Just as I climb the stairs to make my way to the bathroom, he says: “Koena, I love you.” 

“I love you, Mthunzi.” 

I run us a nice and hot bubble bath with calming scented oils. I open a bottle of good dry red wine and set up with rose petals around our bath tub. 

Mthunzi comes into the bathroom and finds me naked, waiting for him. He takes off his suit then we both step into the bathtub, naked. We don’t say anything to each other. He just lies his back against my front and rubs my thighs while drinking wine from his glass. I drink from my glass too and use my free hand to brush his head. 

“How was work, love?” He asks me. 

“It was good. Today was busy. I even had to come onto the floor and do some hair and nails.” I explain. 

“How does that happen? Don’t the clients come by appointment only?” 

“Yeah, but one of my employees had a death in her family. I couldn’t expect her to come in. So I let her take some time off and I’ll be attending to her clients.” 

“Oh I see.” He says as he nods his head. 

“How was work with you?” I ask him. 

“It was busy. Thomas dialled into all meetings today then he and I virtually worked until late via Microsoft Teams.” 

“Is he okay to be back at work?” 

“He fell apart twice. I don’t think he should be back, but Thando says work is helping him wake up each day. And for Tom, that’s moving on. But she’s double checking everything he does before submission.” 

“She’s very nice and quite dedicated.” I sarcastically say. This girl annoys me. She just tries too hard. Her intentions may be innocent, but she definitely gives off concerning vibes as far as I am concerned. 

He laughs and says, “Why must you put it that way?” 

“Just an observation. I take it she’s still in Venda.”

He laughs. 

Some women are savage. Lydia is not even cold in the grave yet and she is already making moves on her husband. But I guess Lydia is not coming back and Thomas has to move on. But this…

“Thank you for being my wife.” He says to me spontaneously. 

I smile. “Thank you for being my husband.”

We hold hands. 

“I found a venue for our wedding, babe.” I tell him. 

“Oh yeah?” 

“Yeah”.

“Where?” 

“I was thinking we could make our wedding a destination wedding.” I say. 

“Destination?” 

“Yeah. So we have our wedding in another country. We will keep our guest list small. The masses will come to Mafikeng and KwaMashu for the traditional weddings.” 

“This wedding is starting to sound expensive”. He says. 

“You said I could have anything I want.” I say. 

He laughs. 

“Okay, I’m listening. Where are we having this wedding?” 

“In Zanzibar”. 

He laughs aloud. 

“I’m serious. We can have an island wedding in Zanzibar. It will be so nice,babe. We don’t even need to have bridesmaids or groomsmen – 

“You are the one who doesn’t have friends. Don’t involve me in that. I actually have people that like me.” 

We both laugh. 

“Hear me out, babe.” 

“Okay, I’m listening.”

“Everyone wears black and white. Pure black and white. No dash of any other colour. Then you and I will wear champagne. You will wear a champagne suit and I will wear a champagne wedding dress.” 

“Isn’t champagne a drink?”

“It’s also a colour.” 

“Wow”. 

We laugh. 

“We already have kids so we’ve kinda taken out the purity in the white dress. We will be absolutely nice. We will get two houses on the island: one with you and for your family where you will also change. The other will be for my family and for me to change. Those are the important people that need to be there. Anyone else, we will recommend where they can stay, but they’ll sort out their flights and accommodation.” 

“I like it”, he says. 

Now we are on our bed, naked, and I am massaging him. He is lying on his stomach and I am sitting on top of his ass. I am using baby oil to massage him and he is enjoying it. 

Then he flips and lies on his back, giving me access to insert his penis inside of me. I ride him in this position as we wave the day goodnight in the wee hours of the morning. 

…

I am short-staffed today because two of my employees have tested positive for Covid-19 and one employee is dealing with a death in their family. I opened the beauty bar at 7am today and started sanitising work stations. The people who usually come in to sanitise the area brought in by the K-Pable-C team at the head office do a good job, but for the sake of my own sanity, I also do a bit. 

They come in at 7:15 while I’m busy, so I let them be. I set up playlists that we will play in the salon area and nail area for the day. I go check up on the massage parlours and make sure that all is in order. I prepare a playlist for the day for this area as well. 

Our doors open at 9am. The sanitising and cleaning crew are done by 8:15am. I go to my office and get through some paperwork. 

I get a call from Mfundo. 

“Hey Mfundo”.

“Hi mah. I wanted to say thanks for all this food that you left for Thingo and I. You know that Sis’Seipati’s food is not as good as yours.” 

I laugh. 

Mfundo is on school recess. But he and I have put together a studying schedule,so I didn’t want him to worry about food. 

“I’m hoping that you will study well neh? Mama should be arriving any minute now to help with Thingo so your hands are not full today.” 

“Is she coming with mkhulu?” 

“No, just her.” 

“Why isn’t mkhulu coming?” 

“He wanted to stay in Mafikeng with his livestock.”

“Okay. Are Thingo and I still going to Mafikeng this weekend?”

“I think so. But I’ll still talk to Mthunzi and confirm”. 

“We can go with taxis, mah.”

“Hawu Mfundo, are Mthunzi and I that bad to live with that you just want to rush to Mafikeng?” 

“No mah, it’s not that. I love the farm life when I have to study. Mkhulu gives me a good schedule. We do farming stuff in the morning. He wakes me up very early. I just like it there for routine purposes.” 

“Okay, I hear you. Let me speak to Mthunzi. We having new furniture delivered for them over the weekend as a surprise for the rents. I hope Mthunzi can take the weekend off. He does need the break yena.” 

“Yeah. Plus, mkhulu built a room for me outside. He says it’s for privacy in case I need it. He says I’m old now. I’m excited now because I can sneak my girlfriend in”.

“Yey!”

He laughs. 

“Mama, the gate is calling. I think gogo is here. Let me go neh.”

“Okay, my boy. I love you.”

“I love you too, mah.” 

We hang up. 

I then see a missed call from hubby. I call him back. 

“My baby. Everything okay?” Him.

“Yeah, I was just on the phone with Mfundo.” 

“Okay. Is everything okay at home?” 

“Everything is fine. He was reminding me that we have to take him and Thingo to Mafikeng this weekend.” 

“He doesn’t even go to KZN anymore. Yaz this boy.”

“He says he likes the farm life. Imagine.”

We both laugh. 

“At least we can have sex in the kitchen again.” 

He says. 

I laugh. 

“Are you alright?” I ask him. 

“Yes baby, I just wanted to check in on you before work started. My day is also a bit hectic, but Tom will be virtually joining us today again.” 

“Okay baby. I will send you something nice later to remind you that I love you. Keep your eye out for a package.”

“I have the best wife in the world. I love you, baby.”

“I love you hubby.” 

My receptionist arrives at 8:45 and she prepares the shop for opening. 

I phone my friend who helped me with my lingerie shoot to prepare the delivery of the pictures to my husband. The care pack will have those pics and some goodies to remind him that he is loved. 

“Sisi, we are not open yet.” I hear my receptionist say.

“Hai wena. I am here for my sister.” Keba. 

“It’s okay. Come in.” I say.

Keba walks in. Where has she been?

“Ushup?” I ask her. 

She nods her head and smiles at me.

“Keng?” I enquire.

“I’ve come to work.” She says.

“Work?”

“Yes. I work for you now.”

“That’s not how this works, Keba. There is a process that needs to be followed and –

“Koena, I can do hair. I did everyone’s hair at home and in prison. Why won’tyou hire me? You know I need the job.”

“Keba, this is a place of work. You don’t just walk in here and –

“He took my kids. Patrick went to Mafikeng and took the kids. He labelled me as unemployed and unstable. I need this job to have a fighting chance at getting them back.”

“You get them back and then? You’ve been gone! Mthunzi and I have been looking after your kids. You never called or even checked-in. You just left and hoped for the best. When are you going to grow up?” 

“Koena –

“Keba, the answer is no. You don’t have a job here.” 

“You are so EVIL! To think I felt bad about organising that car to hit Mohavi! You deserved it!” 

WHAT? 

I cannot believe my ears.

“What did you just say?” I am literally shaking!

She just turns around and leaves like nothing happened.

At 9am, I am in my sneakers, have changed into my uniform and am at my chair waiting for my first customer. She will be washing her hair then doing cornrows. I have three who will be doing this, one customer for braids and four customers for nails. I can’t help but have Keba’s words in my mind. What has she done? And knowing Keba, I’ll hear from her again when she resurfaces from hell. 

…

Mthunzi

We are looking at CVs for Lydia’s role. The job description should actually just say dynamite. That’s what she was. She came in as an intern and became an instrumental part of this company from day one. She had an ability that most of our executives don’t even have. Her knowledge was unmatched. I don’t know where we are going to get someone just as great and impactful in the market. 

HR has given us a short list of what they have found amongst the applicants that have come through. None of them are good enough. Tom shouldn’t be part of this meeting, but here he is. I wouldn’t be able to deal with this. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t be here and she wasn’t even my wife. 

“I think we should go into the market and do some research. None of these applicants are going to cut it”. Harry says. Harry continues listing the specifics of his ideal candidate. When he is done, HR leaves. Harry opens a laptop – its Lydia’s laptop. 

“That strategy you needed from us, boss. I found it on Lydia’s laptop. There’s still so much on here that we needed and will still need for the future. She was a gem, truly. And she has left us with a vision for the next few months.” 

The atmosphere becomes tense. Tom is – the look on his face is indescribable. I feel like crying, but it’s not my place to cry for his wife. Not now. 

We are saved by Thami walking in for the meeting we are scheduled to have right now. The PAs walk in too with coffee and their notepads. Not even the coffee tastes the same. We are back to that shit we got served around here before Lydia arrived. 

The day flies by with all these back-to-back meetings that I have been walking in and out of. I have a catch up with Thando now. These are important because she seems to be managing Tom very well. Zinzi is just lost and floating around here. If Thando has it her way at this point, Zinzi will be out of here soon. 

“Mr Msomi, you have a delivery”, Looney bin says as she walks in to my office after a light knock. I need to stop calling her this. I need to remember her name. One day I’ll say this to her face and I’ll be fired. She’s got HR on speed dial this one. 

“Thank you. I’ve been expecting it.” I say. 

She drops it at the round desk closer to my door where I usually have my meetings when I meet people in my office. 

I push another few hours of work then have one last meeting with my head of departments. 

After this meeting, I call looney-bin in and ask her to book a hotel room for my wife and I at the Protea hotel in Mafikeng. I ask her to make sure that the furniture we ordered for my in-laws is adequately delivered and movers are doing all the lifting and moving. She goes back to her desk and gets to it. 

Now that I am alone and I am about to go home, I open the gift that my wife sent me. 

First out, is a coffee flask. It is black and has my initials on it. I smile. I love this. The next gift is an Apple Watch. I’ve been meaning to buy this. It’s extremely convenient. My wife, madoda. There is also a packet of endearment sweets. I’m definitely keeping these in my office drawers. They’ll be finished by the end of this week, I just know it. There is also a framed photograph of my family. We went for a family photo shoot some time ago and we have a huge A0 printed picture in our living room. It’s perfect. This one is in a black frame. I put it on my desk. This is my heart. Fuck man, I’m cheesing like a serious punk. 

Thami walks into my office. 

“Ey ndoda, are you done jerking off while thinking about your wife?” 

“Voetsek!”

We both laugh. 

“Who brought you an entire care package?”

“My beautiful wife”. 

“My wife and I need to start having lunch dates with you and your wife so she can take notes.” 

“You stupid, dude.” 

We laugh. 

“Oh man, she got you a diary? Do you even use one? Don’t you have two PAs?” He says this as he grabs the book that I haven’t even opened. 

He opens it. 

“WOAH!” He exclaims. 

I take the diary from him. This is a book/album of my wife in lingerie. 

“Unsee that!” I say. 

“You have a fucken sexy wife.” 

“Unsee it!” I say.

We laugh. 

But these pictures though… 

Wow!

“Ndoda, should I leave? You are getting hard.”

“Yes, get the fuck out.” 

“I’m giving you thirty minutes. And yes, she’s sexy!” 

“Thami!”

He’s out of my office. 

There are 30 pictures of my wife in the sexiest positions and outfits. I phone her. She doesn’t answer. She must be busy with a client. I go into my office toilet and have to just jerk off. Wow. I’m fucking her tonight. I have the diary in front of me and my hand services my dick. I come all over my hand. I put the book aside, use some toilet paper to wipe my hands and throw it away. I walk out and put the diary in my laptop bag. 

I try to phone her again. No answer. 

The third call she answers.

“Sorry baby, I was with a client. I just finished now.”

“Baby, you have me jerking off to this diary you sent me.”

“That was the idea. All the gifts were to show you that you are loved. The diary shows you who the one you are loved by is.” 

“We are not sleeping tonight. I need to say thank you.” 

“Good. Make sure you are home for dinner then. No dinner, no dessert.”

I laugh. 

“I love you, baby.” 

“I love you, hubby. Oh and baby, Keba was here.”

Oh Lord! 

“In a heated argument, she let slip that she was behind Mohavi being hit by a car.” 

What’s Koena telling me?

“Hasn’t she been in jail?” I ask.

“Something doesn’t add up. Maybe when we go to Mafikeng, we should enquire on how the case ended. Maybe we will find some answers. Keba has disappeared again and I don’t know how I will get more information out of her.” 

I really dislike Keba. I am officially putting this on record. Who does that? 

“Love, try not to think about it too much. I’ll also try and launch an investigation – maybe get a PI to look into it. They’ll definitely give us more to work with than the police station. They can barely tell us about a case that closed last month. What are they going to tell us about a case they probably closed two years ago?” I say. 

“Thank you, baby. I’d really appreciate that.” She says. 

“And what if she had something to do with it, baby?”

“Then she’s going back to jail. Phela this means that Mfundo and Thingo are not safe in Mafikeng.” 

I hear her. Especially Mfundo. Keba has a gripe against Mfundo. 

“Let’s talk at home, baby. I love you.” I say. 

“I love you too, baby.” She says.

“I’m back. Can we work now?” 

Thami says as he already walks into my office and throws himself on one of my couches.

“How can I help you, sir?”

“We have some work to do tonight, sir”.

“Nope! I don’t even want to hear it. I’m fucking my wife tonight. I’m headed home the minute you walk out that door.” 

“Come on, dude. Please. We have these files that Tom needed to have done by last week already. The board wants it. He asked me to sort it out.” 

“Then don’t involve me. Call Harry.” 

“Mthunzi, please ndoda.”

“Okay, I’ll help you. But let’s meet at 6am at my house and start working there.”

I don’t like his smile. Especially because he has seen a picture of my wife in lingerie. 

“Actually, let’s meet here. I need you to unsee those pictures before I have you around my wife.”

He laughs. I giggle, but I’m really not happy he saw that. 

“Okay, tomorrow at 6am it is.”

“And call Harry. He must be part of this.” 

We agree then I prepare to leave the office. I tell my PAs to leave too. They’ve been putting in late hours. They deserve to rest tonight. Plus, Looney-bin might relapse. She has HR on speed-dial. I do not need the blame of putting her back in there. She’s already organising for us to go to mental wellness training. I couldn’t even say no, because…

But ja, they must just go home now.