2010: Courting her

Teboho:

I am getting ready for school in my bedroom while Tiisetso is already in her uniform and trying to make her skirt shorter. I just roll my eyes and pack my books into my bag. I hear voices in the TV room of more than just my parents. Tiisetso looks at me, so I know that it’s not just me that’s hearing that someone else is here. I take my bag and make my way to the kitchen. 

What the hell?! 

“Maboko?” Me. 

“Hey Teboho”, he says. 

“What are you doing here?” I ask him.

“I thought I’d pick you up and we could drive to school together.” 

“Why? I told you that my mother will drop me off on her way to work.” 

“Well, now she doesn’t have to. We are going to the same place anyway. I don’t see how this is a big deal.” 

This guy is going to get me into shit – serious shit! 

I take a deep breath. 

I face my parents. 

“Mama – 

“The answer is no, Teboho.” My mom doesn’t even let me finish. 

I look at Maboko.

“Sorry”, I say to him. 

“It’s cool. I’ll see you at school. Today is assembly, so don’t be late.” He says. 

That time I still have to eat then wait for my parents to finish up doing whatever it is that they are doing. 

“I’ll probably take a taxi to school anyway. We are nowhere near being done and ready for school.” 

He gives me a look… 

“I’ll see you at school”, I say. 

He leaves. 

“You have been at that school for one day, Teboho, one day! You already have these boys coming into my house and asking for you?” My mom yells at me. 

“I don’t understand what the problem is. Now we must get a taxi when we could have had a free ride from a trust fund classmate that clearly likes Teboho”, Tiisetso says. 

My mom almost slaps her.

“Teboho, you didn’t go to that school for boys”, my mom says. 

“I know, mama. I’m the one who jumped through hoops to get into that school, so I’m the one who knows how difficult it was to get in and how I can lose everything if I don’t focus. You don’t need to be rude to my friends to remind me of that!” My mother annoys me. She didn’t want me to go to that school in the first place, but now she brags about me being there and is always on my case about me ensuring that I don’t get kicked out. 

“Ey wena, Teboho-

I’ve already grabbed my bag and left the house. I’m walking to get a taxi. I know she won’t follow me out because she fears what people will say about her family appearing to be imperfect. 

As I approach the stop where taxis pick us up, Maboko’s car reverses towards me and I start giggling. He stops next to me. 

“Your mother is hectic”, he says. 

“Welcome to my life”, I say. 

People are looking at me from their yards and some are peeping out of their windows. I just know that this is going to get to my mother. 

“Jump in, let’s go”, he says. 

“I’m here! Please don’t leave me”, Tiisetso. 

We both look at her. 

“What?! I’m not getting a taxi. Please drop me off at school first then the two of you can drive off into the sunset together.” My sister continues to embarrass me. 

“Tiisetso, please stop – 

“Hop in, please. We are going to be late if we don’t leave now – especially if we dropping your sister off at Tholoana Secondary first”. Maboko. 

“But you don’t have to – 

“Teboho, just get into the car re tsamaye because I am not getting into a taxi. So if the two of you don’t want to be late, get in now!” I’m going to get Tiisetso back for this.

Tiisetso keeps Maboko entertained as we drive her to school. He cannot stop laughing and he keeps entertaining her. I’m just sitting in the front seat and looking out the window because I’m the one who is going to be in shit with my mother for this. Then I’m also the one who is going to have to pay for this with Maboko. We cannot take advantage of people like this. Now I must think of ways to thank him for going out of his way like this. 

We finally drop Tiisetso off. I have to get out of the car and bend the seat because this VW Scirocco is a two-door vehicle. She jumps out and is loud and makes sure everyone sees her. Agh!

I get back in the car and close the door. Maboko drives off – driving pretty fast actually. 

“We still have another thirty minutes before the bell rings. Our school is twenty-five minutes away. We will make it.” He says. 

I nod my head. 

“Did I do something wrong?” He asks me. 

“I don’t want to take advantage of your kindness and I don’t like the fact that my sister made us drive her here”, I say. 

“I don’t mind, really.” 

“I do. You are a very nice guy and people take advantage of very nice guys”. 

He smiles at me then says, “It’s a good thing that I have you to protect my very kind self then.” 

We both laugh. 

“Chill out! It’s really not a big deal.” He says. 

I smile at him. 

“So your mom doesn’t like me”, he says. 

“My mom doesn’t like anyone. I don’t even think that she likes me”. I say. 

“Don’t say that. You are probably the most likeable person that I know. Who wouldn’t like you?” 

“There are things that some parents can never hide – things that just make you feel as if you are the child that they just never wanted. I feel that way a lot. Tiisetso gets everything. She is the apple of their eye while I’m the child that they can do without. So, don’t feel bad. Whatever energy you felt was probably a reflection of the energy that she exerts towards me. So next time, just say that you are looking for Tiisetso and I’m sure she will be a lot nicer to you”. I say. 

He is silent and unsure of what to say next. 

We get to school after moments of silence between us and he drives to the matric parking lot. The cars here Modimo waka! How much money do these people have and what cars do their parents drive? Hai khona! 

He parks next to a BMW 3-Series. The number plates read “Ona TK”. It’s the Mohale twins and they seem to have travelled to school in one car. 

“What time do you finish today?” He asks me. 

“3pm. I got a message that I will be trying out for the netball team today. So after school, I’ll head there.” 

“Can you wait for me until 4pm? Matric students finish AP Physics at 4pm today. Then we can drive back together”. He says. 

“Okay.” I say.

He smiles at me. 

“Ey monna, we are waiting for you!” One of the twins say. 

We both get out of the car. They are all silent when they see me climb out of Maboko’s front seat. 

Now I feel a bit uncomfortable. 

“Gents, this is my future wife, Teboho.” Maboko says and everyone is shocked, including me. 

“Tebza, these are the idiots that I hang out with a lot – Ona, Khotso, Zakes and Kabelo.” 

“Nice to meet you, Tebza”. One of the twins say. 

I smile at them. 

“I hope you will be frequent on our side of life instead of expecting us to be frequent in the township. You look like Maboko just picked you up from there”, the other twin says. 

“He says things like that. Please don’t mind him. One day, he will get punched in the face and that’s how he will learn that his mouth does not get a pass.” Maboko says. 

“I have to get going. Shup!” I say then leave these guys. 

I have some matric girls looking at me weird. I think Maboko is going to be a problem in my rather quiet life.

…

My day goes by quite quickly. I’m so thankful that the rest of the school does not come into contact with the matric students because I don’t want to be with Maboko publically. This school already calls me scholarship and I heard a few people in class basically say that I’m sleeping my way out of my scholarship. It took everything inside of me to not cry. My educator called me to the side after class and basically warned me to stay away from the matric boys. Her words were, “You are such a smart young woman, Miss Tlou. You don’t need the distraction and trust me, Maboko is not the guy you’d want to lose your hardworking reputation to.” 

The matric students have their own timetable and own educators that focus just on them. Their day starts at 7am and finishes at 5pm. There are matric students that are being prepared for university and those that are being prepared for the working world. They are not academically strong, but they have good technical skills. So matrics are split that way and their timetables operate on their own. Their breaks are different from ours, so we literally don’t see them until the end of the day. I wish that Tiisetso could come to this school. She is not academically strong. This school could embrace her other talents that position her beautifully for life after matric. It is just sad that we do not have money to pay for her way in. I got in because I am quite the A student. She would struggle because for schools like these, it is better to use your marks as evidence that you are serious about being here. 

I am at an AP mathematics class now – only people who achieve an average of 75% and above attend this class. They were skeptical of me taking this class because apparently a 75% maths mark in a government school is not the same as a 75% maths mark in this school. I fought my way in and now I’m their top mathematics student. 

We are put in groups to work out some mathematics problem that Mr Samuels has put up on the board. We work it out on our iPads then the white board will pick up the correct answer and automatically display it on the board. I work with cool people who don’t judge me – well they used to until I beat them all academically and now they eat their pie humble. We obviously get the correct answer and we have to go and explain how we got to the answer. I have to go because my group has no idea. 

“Hey”, Michelle says to me as we walk to the school’s restaurant now that we are at break. 

“Hello”, me. 

“Are you okay? You seem to be having quite the day after you were seen to be coming out of Maboko Seete’s car this morning”, she says. 

“I’m fine, really. I just want to catch up on some homework. I forgot about the article we had to do for journalism”. I say. 

I always leave journalism homework to keep me busy during breaks. I don’t have friends and I’m extremely depressed around here. So, I cannot be walking around in tears or eating in the toilet by myself. So I let my homework keep me busy.

“Teboho, I really like you. I value your hard work. I don’t want you to feel as if we all hate you around here”. 

“Thanks Michelle”. 

People in this school will make you feel poor! I’m not even struggling like that. My parents’ house is a double story. Yes, it’s in the township, but trust me… I’ve never gone to bed hungry and I’ve never been freezing cold in winter. Yes there are things that I cannot afford, but we are affording life. But when I’m here, I feel like I live in a shack and go to sleep on an empty stomach and on a good day, we have pap and cabbage. 

There is five minutes left of break and I’m also almost done with this article that I had to do. I enjoy journalism a lot. I wish we had it as a subject in government schools too. You learn how to write in this class and trust me, with social media language, people need to learn how to read, write and speak proper English again. 

“Hey”, some girl says to me. I think she’s in grade nine because I’ve never seen her on these grade eight streets. 

“I’m Gwen. Maboko is my elder brother.” 

“You not coming here to attack me, are you?” 

“Not at all. I heard you are getting it because you were spotted coming out of my brother’s car this morning”. 

“You heard right. Even the teachers are warning me against him now.” 

“Oh please. Those people are just bitter peasants. We remind them of where they should be economically and it frustrates them. They have no right to talk shit about us though. I’ll sue a bitch.” 

I look at her. I mean, who says that? My mother is a teacher. 

“Look, these news of your harassment got to the matrics as well and Maboko asked me to check in on you and ask you to please still wait for him this afternoon.” She says. 

I giggle. 

“He really likes you and I don’t blame him. And as my future sister-in-law, as he has introduced you to me, I need you to cover for me. If you don’t wait for him, he will notice that I no longer wait for him then he will ask questions and learn that I have a man. Baby girl, I don’t need those problems in my life”. I’m already in stitches. 

The bell rings and as people walk past us, she loudly says, “no one is going to touch you around here, absolutely no one!” 

The message is loud and clear. 

I pack my bags. She walks me to class. 

“So, can I tell him that you’ll wait?” 

“Yeah. Let him know that I’ll wait at the journalism labs.” 

She smiles at me then walks to whatever class she has to get to. 

I smell his cologne first before I turn to look at him as he sits next to me in the labs. I save my work and give him my undivided attention. He looks exhausted. 

“Thank you for waiting for me”, he says. 

“Are you ready to go?” I ask. 

We both get up and he holds my school bag for me as we walk to his car. Now all the matrics are staring at me – not a nice stare. 

“I’m really sorry about this. I can imagine how frustrating this must be for you.” He says. 

I don’t say anything. 

We get to his car and he puts our bags in the boot. 

We get into the car. 

“Soccer?” Zakes says to Maboko. I see the Mohale twins are here too. 

“I’m going to drop Teboho off at home first. I’ll meet you guys there.” Maboko says. 

“We will follow you. We don’t mind.” One of the twins. 

“Okay sure”. 

And just like that, three vehicles convoy their way out of the school yard and head to the township. Kabelo does not have a car, so he catches a lift with Zakes. Apparently he, just like me, got in here in grade eight through a scholarship. 

“You play soccer?” I ask him. 

“Yeah, indoor soccer. We play against other clubs then sometimes we even travel and play other countries”. 

“Wow, this sounds serious.” 

“We enjoy it. We prefer this to help us distress over the other bullshit”. 

“It’s a good way to distress.” 

“You should come watch us sometime.” 

I look at him. He is looking at me. 

“Did you make it into the netball team?” He asks me. 

I smile and he just knows that I have. He high-fives me and I feel so proud of myself. 

“But the training schedule is hectic. I have to even start running every morning and send a screenshot of some app they made us download to show that we did our running. This week we start at 2km”, I say.

He laughs and says, “I can come run with you if you like so that I make sure that you are safe. Or I can pick you up and you’ll run by the tracks in our Estate.” 

This guy sounds richer by the minute.

I look out the window. 

“Tebza, I really like you. I want you to be my girlfriend. I want to see where we end up. My plan is to marry you.” 

I giggle. 

“When did you decide that you wanted to marry me?” 

“From the moment that I laid my eyes on you”. 

I can’t help but blush. 

“I know that people have said the most cruel things about you. And I’m so sorry for that. I’ll defend you when I can and have to, but I know you also have a strong one in you.” 

“Yeah. It’s just that I didn’t come to this school for all of this, you know. It’s a bit stressful and extremely unnecessary. Even the matric girls seem to want my head on a plate.” 

“Don’t worry about those ones. We will deal with them.”

“Anyone of them your girlfriend?” 

“There’s one who thinks she is. Her name is Linda. She’s a bit on the crazy side, but I’ll manage her.” 

“People already think that I’m sleeping my way out of the scholarship. I don’t need home wrecker attached to my reputation too.” 

“You are not a home wrecker. You are my future wife. Please give me a chance.” 

I just look at him. 

He parks outside the gate and my mom peeps through the window. All the other guys park behind him. They come out of their cars to do I don’t know what. Tiisetso runs out, wanting to be seen with these guys. She introduces herself and everyone greets her well. 

“So, are you my girlfriend?” Maboko asks me. 

“I’ll think about it.” I say. 

“Can I at least get your number? I’ll pick you up at 5am tomorrow for our run.” 

I laugh aloud, give him my number and get my sister so we can walk back into the house.

…

Present Day

It has been quite the past few days for me. The love of my life has returned into my life with my son who I knew nothing about until the day that I was supposed to marry the woman I proposed marriage to – and I still went ahead with my wedding. Now, to deal with the aftermath of all of that. This ought to be interesting. 

I am at my parents’ house this morning for breakfast. I am here to talk to them more than anything, then I am dashing out to go meet up with Tebza and my son, Khabane – what a powerful name that she gave him. Today is his first day at school. I have missed out on so many firsts in his life. Now, I want to be part of everything in his life. I also want my son to have my surname. I still need to fight with Linda and Tebza about it, but it is happening. 

“Aren’t you married? Why are you still eating coco-pops at your parents’ house?” Gwen says as she runs down the stairs. First of all – I like coco-pops and I always have them before having a bigger breakfast. Secondly, this is still my parents’ house – well my mom’s house. 

My dad left her and Gwen in it when he left my mom for his new wife, Lebo. I was already living in my own apartment – an apartment that Tebza and I got together when she started working. I was planning to marry Tebza and focused on my own life. I didn’t care so much for what my parents were going through. Gwen was here. She has always been the baby of the family and everything that happens in our lives always impacts her. My parents started having problems when I was in matric. I couldn’t wait to get the fuck out of this house and go stay in a flat in university. Gwen was still in grade nine at the time. She has always been entitled and she has never believed in actually working for all the things that she believes she is entitled to. When Gwen had graduated and was supposed to be figuring out her life, my parents had decided that they were done staying together even though they couldn’t touch each other anymore. They broke it down to us that they were getting a divorce. Gwen spent an entire year in a mental something something centre. Apparently her life fell apart. I don’t understand that. I think she was selfish. But we can’t say things like that to her because…

Since then, she has never worked a day in her life. She gets an allowance from both my parents and myself. I have no idea what she does during the day. Sometimes she’s writing a book, sometimes she’s trying to be an actress, sometimes she’s finding herself. I don’t care to follow anymore. She is two years older than Tebza. Tebza started high school at the age of thirteen. Gwen was in a grade higher than Tebza when I first met Tebza. But Tebza was always ten steps ahead of her, hence I always see just how lazy Gwen is. Tebza was already working when she was in grade ten. She studied through bursaries and scholarships and she’s always had a job. 

My mom started working when she and my dad started having problems. I was in primary school when that happened. She was an educator before she met my father. She got comfortable with all the wealth that my dad brought to the table then stopped working. When shit got real, she realised that one day, she would have to live without him. So she went back into teaching and has been fine ever since. But my dad still takes care of her. He still does things like buy her cars, maintains the house for her, gives her an allowance – and she is not even suing him for maintenance. He spends a lot of time here, in this house, with her. I wonder if I can have a situation like that with Tebza. But I’d smash. I love her too much to just look at her and do nothing. 

I know my dad is already here as well because I saw his car when I arrived this morning. 

“Waphapha wena watsiba. That’s why nobody is marrying your ass.” I say to Gwen, responding to the comment she made when she came into the kitchen. 

“I’d rather it stayed that way if my husband will still go home to eat his mama’s food when I cook for him. Or what? Linda is not the cooking type?” She says. 

I just chuckle. I mean… 

“So, what’s really going on?” She asks me as she sits on the kitchen chair next to me. I suppose she actually finds it in her to care about me sometimes. 

“All we do is fight hey.” I tell her. 

“Are you surprised? Tebo is back and not only is she the love of your life, but she is also the mother of your only child. How do you plan on managing this situation, big brother?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. All I know is since these two met up for lunch or whatever, Linda is beyond cold towards me.”

“Wait! What? They met up? Woooooohhh!” She says, then bursts into laughter. I laugh too because I was also against this meeting up story. But Tebza told me to stay out of it and Linda was not exactly upfront about it. So I just let it play out. 

“Why do you not have a reality show, big brother? Phela this is worthy content.” She says as she finishes laughing. For some reason, this comment makes me laugh. 

“I’m glad you find this entertaining because I’m stressed the hell out.” I say. 

“You know you and Teboho are gonna sleep together right? Sooner rather than later.” She says. 

“I want to. She’s looking hella sexy and if memory serves me well, we enjoyed every minute of making that boy we share. That’s why he’s so handsome.” I say. 

We now both burst into further laughter. 

“Tebza has this thing that she does on the side of my neck with her tongue when she is on top of me. No one has ever done that shit to me. When she does that, her thighs – 

“Dude, why would I want to know any of this? Please stop.” 

I laugh at how uncomfortable she has become. What are sisters for? 

My parents make their way down the stairs. My dad is holding my mom’s laptop bag and handbag for her. These two are uncomfortably close. I don’t even understand why Gwen was emotional about their divorce – they became much closer after that divorce. Lebo is a strong woman for dealing with this. She’s very close with Linda and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not.

“You know, Maboko, for the money that we paid for Linda’s lobola neh… I expect you to spend more time at your house than you do in my house.” My mom says. 

“Tell him, mama!” Gwen. 

I don’t understand. This is my home!

“Hawu bathung. Am I no longer welcome in my home?” 

No one answers me. They all just make their way to the already set dining table, including Gwen. I follow them there. When our helper, Patricia, removes my cereal bowl from the kitchen island that I was sitting at, I am reminded that I just left it there after eating. Tebza used to hate that shit. When we lived together, she really taught me how to clean up after myself. She swore we would never get a domestic worker if I did not know how to do things like make my bed, wash my own dishes and do my own laundry. Yes, I didn’t know how to do any of that. It has always been done for me – including at the flat I stayed at when I was in university – and I will not apologise for it. The first time I cleaned up after myself here at home, Gwen was shocked and I suppose a little embarrassed because she – as old as she is – still has helpers cleaning up after her.      

“What’s going with you, son? How are things le makoti?” My father asks me this as Lele and Maggie, our other domestic workers, dish up breakfast for us. 

“Things changed since I discovered that I have a son with Teboho.” I say. 

“Linda is not the only person who is sour about that situation. Mapula, Teboho’s mother, is giving me that treatment that she gave me after you and Teboho broke up. I don’t understand how she expects us to work together. I mean I am her principal and she is my deputy. Ifela mme ole – tjo!” Mama says.

“I went there le nna kere kelo buwa leTeboho. Ntate Tlou told me that I must not come back without my parents and my wife. He is very unreasonable. I just found out that I have this child. They are treating me nkari I knew all along and I decided to not be involved in my child’s life.” I say.

“That Tlou family must have lost their minds. Why basatlisa mpa mo hhaye when they found out that Teboho was pregnant?” Mom. 

I would also like to know. 

“I think we all need to calm down now. I am sure Teboho had her reasons. We need to devise a plan for moving forward now. What has Linda said about all of this?” My dad.

“She has not received it well. She even told me that Khabane is not welcome in our house.” I say.

“I guess the fair question to ask now is do you want this child to be a Seete or are you okay with him being a Tlou?” My dad. 

“Papa, I want him to have my surname. That goes without saying.” This is important to me.

“Have you spoken to Teboho about that?” He asks me. 

“Not really.” What I want to say is not at all. 

“Maboko, you need to communicate these things. You cannot make these decisions on your own.” My dad.

“Teboho has been making decisions on her own for five years, papa.” Can this please be noted.

“That is not how we solve problems, son. Teboho is that child’s mother. Her consent is very crucial in something like this. If she is on-board, she will do all the fighting with her family for us. We already know that Mapula and Sechaba will never agree to Khabane becoming a Seete.” My dad says.  

“You are very right, Joe. I agree with you. Besides, Tebo is not unreasonable. Communication goes further with her than it does with Mapula. This is not the time to burn bridges with her because you are upset that she kept the child from you.” My mom. She has always loved Tebza. I would have made all her dreams come true if I married Tebza. 

I nod my head because I actually agree with them. 

“Why don’t we start with something simple that will ease us into having these difficult conversations? Something simple like inviting Teboho and my favourite nephew over for brunch on Saturday?” Gwen. 

“You mean your only nephew.” Me. 

“You are missing the point.” Gwen. 

“Would Linda be invited to this brunch?” Mom. 

“I would strongly suggest that we don’t invite her.” Me. 

“Do you think that’s wise? She is your wife.” Dad. 

“You are not inviting your wife neither, Joseph.” Mama. Ja no, they are about to start now. 

“Bathung Lydia, this is a family matter and Lebo is family. You are not setting a good example at all for Maboko. The mother of my children and my wife do not have to be enemies.” Dad. Shame, such a wishful thinker.

“Joseph weh, this is my house. Lebo is not welcome here.” Mom. 

Gwen looks triggered. I don’t care. 

“Linda is definitely not invited. And kea le kopa hle, kea le rapela – please do not behave this way in front of my son.” I say. 

My parents just look at each other. 

“I need to get going. It’s my son’s first day at his new school today. I want to be there and I do not want to be late.”

“I thought you said Sechaba kicked you out”, dad. 

“Yeah, but Teboho still lets me have access. I just don’t go to the house.” I tell him. 

“I bought him a gift. I am hoping I can come with you, please? I’d really like to meet him.” Gwen. She is coming out of her funk. 

“Okay. Hurry up and get ready. I don’t want us to be late.”

…

Gwen and I are using my car. We arrive at the pre-preparatory just as Tebza also arrives. I park next to her car. Gwen and I make our way out of the car. She doesn’t look okay and her face looks – I don’t know. She looks like someone slapped her. She has that five finger print across one of her cheeks. She also looks exhausted – as if she has returned from a war. 

She pulls Khabane out of his car-seat. He is stuck to his iPad and also looks extremely off. I am just going to conclude that they had a fight this morning. 

I hug Tebza. She returns the hug quite coldly. This must have been a very bad fight. 

“Hey Tebo”, Gwen greets her. 

“Gwen, it’s so good to see you. You good?” Tebza says in a deflated tone. She is even wearing half a smile. 

“I am good, thanks. And you are looking great. Congratulations on being the face of Connie.K and everything else that you are doing.” Gwen. 

Tebza just nods her head. 

“I hope you don’t mind. I wanted to meet my nephew and I bought him a gift. I couldn’t help myself. I mean, I’m an aunt, you know.” Gwen says. 

“It’s no issue at all. Thank you for thinking of him. Well, here he is.” Tebza says this as she takes the iPad from Khabane. I take the iPad from Tebza. He is not happy at all this morning. Both of them actually. 

“Bane, this is your rakgadi Gwen. She is your dad’s sister. Say hi.” Tebza. 

Khabane just waves his hand and looks like he is about to cry. 

Now I am really worried. How bad was this fight and what the hell were they fighting about? Maybe Tebza shat on him and he also probably threw a tantrum and slapped Tebza along the way.   

“What’s wrong, little man? Did I do something to upset you?” Gwen tries. 

Khabane throws his head on Tebza’s shoulder and cries. Tebza is crying to calm him down, but this only makes him cry louder. 

“Khabane, what’s going on? What’s wrong?” I finally ask. 

“That nasty woman hit my mom on the face.” He says and cries louder. 

Nasty woman? What nasty woman now? I look at Tebza for answers or an elaboration at least, but Tebza is glued to calming Khabane down. 

“Nana, please don’t cry. You know mommy is a big girl. You know that mommy fought for herself.” Tebza says. 

“But it is not nice. She came to our house, shouted at you and then hit you. It is not nice.” Khabane. 

“Nana, I am so sorry you had to see that.” Tebza. 

“She said she was going to smack me too. I don’t want to stay here by myself.” Khabane. 

“When did she say that?” Tebza asks him. 

“She said it, mommy!” Khabane. 

“Okay. Okay my boy. Askies.” Tebza keeps saying. 

I am very confused.  I am not even sure what to prioritise right now, finding out what’s going on or helping Tebza calm Khabane down. Gwen gives me this huge wrapped box that she has in her arms and goes to Tebza, extending her hands and says, “Can I try?” 

After Gwen takes Khabane from Tebza, she says to him, “Hey champ… Look, you don’t have to go to school today if you don’t want to, okay? But you need to know that we would never let anything happen to you. You don’t have to be scared of being here by yourself.”

It doesn’t help. The kid just cries harder. Also, why would she bribe the kid with not going to school? Really Gwen?

“Tebza, what’s going on? Who is this woman?” I finally ask Tebza. 

“Linda. She came to my house. Nakwatile. She caused a scene and slapped me. I had no idea she said anything in front of him.” Tebza tells me. Linda wouldn’t test me like that! She wouldn’t dare! Tebza has to be lying, else my marriage is over. 

“When did this happen?” I ask. 

“This morning. She came to my home looking for you. I don’t know why she would think that you were at my parents’ house. She was with her mother.” 

Linda must have been high on that weed that she is always smoking with that weed-head brother of hers. How dare she! This is so low! So fucken low! I can feel my blood boil from the bottom of my feet to the top of my head.

“Gwen, please get into Tebza’s car. I will meet you guys at mom’s house. I need to take care of something.” I tell Gwen already making my way to my car. I need to get to Linda and she has some explaining to do. 

I drive off without even looking back. My house is twenty minutes away from this school, but I feel as if I am not getting there fast enough. I try to call her, but she doesn’t pick up. I’m actually fuming! She threatened my child? She put her hands on the mother of my child? Such trash and street behaviour! Yerr! What the fuck did I marry?

I get to my house and I don’t even park my car inside the yard. I see Linda’s car is here so she must be home, probably smoking weed. I get out of my car. Tebza phones me as I make my way into the house. 

“Tebza”, I answer the phone. 

“Hey. I am sorry about this morning. I know it was a bit overwhelming.” 

“Don’t apologise. This is not your fault. And I am sorting it out, okay?” 

“Okay. Maboko, what’s going on? I thought you and Linda spoke about this. I thought you and I spoke about this, specifically stating that we are not going to expose Khabane to any of this.”

“I know, Tebza. I’m sorry. I had no idea that Linda was going to do any of that. I am fixing it.” 

“Look Maboko, if you need to step away – 

“No! I am not stepping away from my son.” 

“Well, this shit can never happen again. Otherwise I will have to address this with the courts – first for assault and secondly for a parenting plan between the two of us where Linda can be held accountable by the law if she cannot control herself.”

Is she really threatening me right now?

I take a deep breath. 

“How is he?” I ask. 

“He is fine. His aunt got him a really cool car. It is one of those kids’ electric ride-on cars. It’s a Jeep. He loves it. He even wanted to drive it to class.” She says. She is even chuckling a bit. 

“Did you let him?” I ask. 

She laughs and says, “Absolutely not. I told him he could drive it after school and all day at home if he promises to go to school and be good for all his teachers. He agreed. His mood was a lot better.”

“Thank you, Rakgadi Gwen.” I say. 

She carries on laughing. 

“Let me sort this thing out then I’ll catch up with you and Gwen afterwards.” I say. 

“We will be at the restaurant opposite his school having breakfast.” 

“Cool. I will meet you there.” 

“Maboko…”

She is silent now that she has called my name.

“Yeah?” Me. 

“You are a good father. Thank you for solving this.”

That means everything to me. 

“You are an even better mother, T.” I say as I walk into my kitchen and find Linda standing there, drinking coffee and rolling a joint. Why am I annoyed? I’ve never cared that she does this weed thing of hers in here. I quit in university because Tebza couldn’t stand hugging me when I smelled of the weed. 

She is looking at me with those big eyes of hers – very tense and ready to fight me already. Trust me, I am here to fight. She put her hands on Tebza and she threatened and scared my son. She crossed a line! 

“What were you doing at Teboho’s parents’ house this morning?” She is not even phased as I ask her this. 

She just continues to roll her joint. What’s wrong with this woman? 

“You put your hands on the mother of my son in front of my son? Have you lost your fuckenmind?” 

“She provoked me.” THAT is her response. 

“She provoked you? And my son? What did he do to you to have you threaten him?”

“Collateral damage.” She says. She’s still rolling her joint.    

“Collateral damage? He didn’t even want to go to school today. He was freaked out because the nasty woman said she would smack him. What the fuck is wrong with you?” 

“Your brat called me a nasty woman?”

“LINDA!”

“No! Fuck you, Maboko! Fuck you! I went looking for you this morning because our flight to our honeymoon was taking off. You come here, three hours after take-off, and yell at me because your son and Teboho are upset? When last did you care about my feelings, Maboko? We are supposed to be at our happiest right now. Instead, we are dealing with your ex and your bastard love child. What do you want from me?” 

“My bastard love child? Bastard love child, Linda? He is a bastard because I forgot that we had to go on a honeymoon today?”

“You forgot? Wow.”

“Linda, I need to be present in Khabane’s life. I thought I could be both his father and your husband, but I now see that is simply wishful thinking on my end. You will never accept my boy because his mother is Teboho. If I have to choose between you and my son, I choose my son.”

I can just see that I have hurt her deeply. She is definitely hurt. She even lights that damn zolin our kitchen. She never smokes weed in the house. EVER! So I know I’ve hurt her deeply. 

“I am moving back to my old apartment until we figure out what we want to do next.” I say. 

“Just like that? Wow. I even beat Kim Kardashian’s seventy-two day marriage record. I lasted just over seven days.” She non-chalantly says then smokes her joint. 

“I will send people to come get my stuff.” I say. 

“You suddenly cannot pack for yourself anymore?”

“I need to go and make sure that my son is okay.”

“Of course.” 

“Linda, if you ever threaten Teboho or my son again, there will be hell to pay. Legally and personally.” 

She looks at me like I have just sworn at her. I leave the house and make my way to Tebza and Gwen. 

…

I walk towards Gwen and Teboho who are already eating and laughing away. This is so beautiful to see. They don’t see me come in, so I sit two tables away from them and eavesdrop on their conversation. 

Tebza: “Thank you so much for this morning. I was honestly having a meltdown myself.”

Gwen: “He is a cool kid. But if I know my brother well, it is over for Linda.”

Tebza: “I wish I could say that I feel bad for her. But if Maboko does not murder her, I will.”

Gwen: “He misses you. You know that, right?”

Tebza: “I miss him too. A lot. I really wish he never messed things up between us, watsiba.”  

Gwen: “Is it too late to forgive him?”

Tebza: “No. And I have forgiven him. It is just too late for us. He is married and I value my son’s life.”

They laugh at this. Now that I know that she has forgiven me, I walk to their table.     

I sit next to Tebza mid-laughter and start eating her fries. 

“Ladies.” I acknowledge them. 

“Gentleman”, Gwen says to me. 

“What are we eating?” I ask as I have more of Tebza’s fries. 

“Maboko, even over five years later, you arrive late for a date then eat off my plate instead of ordering a meal?” Tebza says to me. 

“But I am late. I am not going to wait for my food to be prepared then brought to me. You’ll be done eating by the time my plate arrives.” I explain. 

“That’s why I ordered you your own plate. I told the waiter to bring it as soon as you arrive.” She says. 

“What did you get me?” 

“My meal. You never seem to have an issue with the meals that I order anyway.”   

“Wow!” Gwen is amazed at how we just vibe. I really missed Tebza. 

“How was he when you dropped him off?” I ask. I really am worried about him.

“He was excited about his new car, thanks to rakgadi.” Tebza says.

“Thank you, rakgadi. You rock!” I say and high-five Gwen. That does make me feel better, no lies. 

“But I think I should fetch him early today. I am a bit unsettled about how emotional he was.” Tebza says. 

“I am really sorry about that. I have moved out of the house.” I tell them. 

“That’s a bit extreme.” Gwen says. 

“I need to be able to be there for my son and not feel like something will happen to him because of that.” I say and I mean this. 

“What happened vele for her to react the way that she did?” Tebza asks me. 

I am actually ashamed. So I sigh then say, “We were supposed to go on our honeymoon today.” 

Gwen and Tebza are both taken aback. Tebza looks at me with so much disappointment. 

A waiter brings my meal to me. I accept the meal then he leaves. 

“She is really hurt.” I say. 

“I would be too, Maboko.” Tebza says. 

“I should have cancelled it. I cannot go anywhere right now.” I say. I really should have. 

“Listen to me, okay… Bane and I are not going to be mad at you for being happy with your wife. We are okay with you being a good husband to her. We would have been okay for a few weeks while you were on your honeymoon. We would still be here when you got back.”

“That’s the thing. I want to be here with you guys.”

“Maboko, I don’t like Linda and I cannot believe that I am actually defending her. But, she is human. She may not be perfect, but she is human. You hurt her. You embarrassed her. Now you move out and make her feel like shit. That’s another level of psychopath behaviour. You are not this guy. You are not the reverse psychology guy instead of apologising when you have hurt someone’s feelings. It is not okay.” 

Okay, maybe my actions were a bit extreme. I sigh. 

“She threatened my son and the mother of my son.” I remind Tebza. 

She chuckles. That smile!

“Like I said, I will deal with her. Let me take care of that. You take care of loving her. You promised you would before God. You must either honour your vows or walk away all together.” 

We have an eye-locking moment. I want to tell her that I love her – because I do. I want to tell her that I want to choose her – because that’s what I want to do. I want to – 

“I know… But I don’t want you – not like this. If it is my heart that you are after, you are not getting it by being an asshole. That’s how you lost me in the first place, remember? Be the man that I know you are. Be the man you want Khabane to look up to and become one day. If it works, yes I will be hurt but I will respect and love you forever. If it doesn’t work, then okay. We will see what happens next. The good news is regardless of what happens, you will always have me in your life.” As Tebza says this, I am regretting ever cheating on her. I regret the first time I ever had sex with Linda and I regret that it continued. I regret the day that I brought Linda to mine and Tebza’s apartment while Tebza was at work and I fucked her in our bed. Tebza came home early because she wasn’t feeling well and she caught us red-handed. She walked away and never looked back. Now, here we are. I still want her. I still love her. I regret it all. If I could have a do-over, I’d undo Linda in my life.

“Sadly, you are the one who will always have his heart. Even if it does work, it will always be at the mercy of your approval.” Gwen says to Tebza. 

“I love him too, Gwen.” Tebza says. There’s a way that only Tebza can say this that makes my heart feel things it has never felt before. 

“Y’all just need to have sex. You need to get rid of this tension then maybe things will look up for Linda.” Gwen says. We can’t help but burst into laughter. Gosh!

…

After my conversation with Tebza and Gwen over breakfast, I decided that I will head back home tonight. But first, we had lunch with Khabane after school (I had dropped Gwen off at home so it was just the three of us). Lunch was nice. I could do this with Tebza forever. But I do wonder what it would be like when Linda and I start having children. Linda and I do need to talk. Urgently! 

I get home now at 8pm. I walk into the kitchen and find Linda drinking wine and crying. She looks upset – sad really. I walk up to her and hug her. This is my wife. I love Tebza, but Linda is a good person. I think I am the one who is bringing out the monster in her. She does not deserve this, she really doesn’t. 

“I thought you moved out.” She says as she comes out of our hug. 

“I am sorry. I thought we could talk.” I say. 

“Talk? About what exactly?”

“How do we fix this? Linda, I don’t want to lose you. I want us to try make this marriage work.”

“If you are being honest with yourself, can you possibly say that our marriage stands a chance now that Teboho is back with your baby?”

“Why can’t it work?”

“Maboko, you moved out of our house because your baby mama and your illegitimate brat were upset. You forgot that you and I had to go on a honeymoon to celebrate our wedding because your illegitimate brat and its mother showed up.” 

Why? Why must she be like this? This is the shit that pisses me off about how she is handling this entire thing. 

“Please stop calling my son all these uncalled for names. Please!” I say. 

“Maybe you should move out, Maboko. I am not prepared to come second to Teboho and your son. When it comes to them, you treat me like I am an afterthought that holds no significance in your life. Ngicela vele uhambe and think about what it is that you want. It is clear that you cannot have both, so I have no other option, but to give you the ultimatum. If you come back to this house and decide to make our marriage work, you will cut all ties with Teboho and that bastard she birthed. You can support him through maintenance. I know a good judge who can give you a decent discount on that. Those are my conditions. I refuse to go through this hurt again. The ball of our marriage is now in your court.” 

“Are you serious? You want me to choose between our marriage and my son?”

“I know that it is a lot to think about. That is why I have suggested that you think about it at your flat tonight. Please close the door on your way out.”

Hai fok, mahn! Yerr!

She grabs the bottle of wine in front of her and leaves me standing in the kitchen by myself. I just leave!

I kept this apartment. I tried to sell it after Tebza left for LA. I couldn’t. We scouted for months looking for the perfect place for us. She fell in love with this apartment the moment she walked into the showroom. It was a new development at the time. I remember how we struggled to get financing together because she did not have enough credit. So I bought the apartment cash and put it in her name. She cried when she found out that I had done that. She took her time making it a home. She used all her salaries to furnish the place and put up artwork. We went on a couple’s photoshoot and we put up professionally taken pictures of us on A1 canvases then up on these walls. 

I cried like a little bitch when she walked out the door and never returned. I begged her. I tried to fix things with us. I followed her to LA attempting to bring her back. None of my efforts brought her back. 

There’s no food or drinks in here. Let me order something on – 

Tebza is calling me. 

“Sho”, I answer the call. 

“Hey.” She sounds down. 

“What’s going on?” I ask her. 

“I had a fight with my family.” 

“About?” 

“Apparently my relationship with you is inappropriate and I am allowing you to disrespect them. Then it moved to Tiisetso and me fighting because she needed me to give her money to pay fees for Bakang and Seipati. I told her she needed to find a job because I will not be sponsoring her life and her kids. I told my parents that they are never there for me and they never do for me half the things that they do for Tiisetso. Then all hell broke loose. Long story short, I need the keys to our old apartment. I thought I could stay with my parents until my house is ready. But it’s just not working.” 

“You can just drive here. I am staying here for now. Linda kicked me out.” 

“Oh, I had no idea. Okay, let me find another place.” 

“No, come over. This is your place too. We will sleep in separate bedrooms if need be. Please.” 

She sighs. 

“I’m ordering food. What would you like to eat?” I say before she declines my offer. 

“I will bring the food. Just get us drinks. Your son drinks freshly squeezed or blended fruit only. So I’ll get fruit and we’ll make him something when I get the food.” She says. 

I giggle. 

“I’ll see you in a bit.” “Yeah. Drive safely.”