2011

Maboko

I’m headed home today. I’m going to spend the weekend there. I need to see Tebza and spend some time with her. She says that we’ve broken up, but I’m not going to accept that. That’s my wife.
Yes, I’ve fucked around, and I probably will not stop… I’m in university and I’m fucken nineteen. But Tebza is my wife and she’s not getting rid of me that easily.
Ona told me that Tebza has a netball game today, so I’m driving straight to school.

I’m a little late when I arrive, but I see the twins already parked and sitting on the boot of the BMW X3 they arrived in. I park my car next to them then step out of the car. We greet each other and talk shit as usual.
The now matric girls walk up to us. They were in grade eleven last year when we were matric.
Tebza is playing as the game has started and I catch her giving me skemp looks. I guess it’s these matrics that we are chilling with that’s rubbing her up the wrong way.
But I don’t understand netball. I’m here for her. I’m here to talk to her. I’m not here to watch girls play air rugby is short dresses. But ke, let me remove myself from this group of girls and chill inside my car.

I switch my cellphone on because it has been off while I was driving here. I was charging my phone.
As I switch it on, I see missed calls from my mother, so I return her calls.
She asks me when I’m arriving. I tell her I’m at the school. I’m just waiting for Tebza to finish netball.
I think my mom just misses me. She’s so obsessed with phoning me for nonsense. I told her this nonsense that she’s asking me last night.
After this call, I just make business calls and check in on my petrol station that my parents bought for me. I’m told to check a few emails and respond to what I need to then approve what I need to approve.

Before I know it, the game is over. Ona is knocking on my window. I open the door.
“Sho”, I say.
“Dude, we’ve come here for you and you’ve come here for Tebza. Now you’ve been on your phone and Tebza is being walked to the taxis by some little fucker!” He says.
“What?!”
I start the engine of my car.
“Are we following you, or?” He asks me.
“I need to talk to Tebza”, I say to him.
“Let’s go to Reahile. There’s a chill spot that we will chill at while you guys talk. I’ll book a private dining room for you guys”, he says.
“Thanks man. Let me try get her to at least come with me.” I say.
“Hai, I’ll fuck up that boy if I need to. Tebza is coming with us. Fok man.” He says.

I drive off and head towards the taxi area. They are still walking up. I slow down my car when I reach them. I roll down my window. Ona and Khotso are behind me with a bunch of girls.
“Tebza, I’m here for you.” I say.
“Really?” She sarcastically says. Why is she being like this? She knows I’m here for her.
“Please get in the car, baby. We need to talk.” I say.
“I’m not going anywhere with you”, she says.
“Tebza, I just need some time with you, please.”
“Eh monna, she’s not going anywhere with you.”
“Hai voetsek wena, I’m not talking to you.” Who the fuck is this monkey?
“Now, you are swearing at me? For what? You are the one that fucked bitches while she’s been –
I’m out of my car now and this guy is on the ground. Ona is out here with me.
“Maboko! Stop it!” Tebza yells.
“Tebza, just get in the car. What are we going to do to you? We are not going to hurt you.” Khotso.
“HEY! You troublemakers! Why are you back? You matriculated last year and we were all so happy because you’ve been trouble since you were in the primary school. We finally get a break from you and you come here to attack our students?” One of the previous teachers has also stopped her vehicle and is saying this shit.
“Ey ma’am, please! You are in my kingdom here. If you don’t know what to say, shut up or I’ll banish you.” Ona says.
It’s supposed to be funny, but he actually has a straight face.
I get up and get to the car.
“Are you coming or not?” I ask Tebza. If she says no, I’ll actually just leave her here and I think she sees it. Now she has me rolling in mud with fuck ups I used to shove in the dustbin when I was their senior.
She just walks to the car and sits at the backseat of my car.
This girl!

We drive off like crazy people on the road. I’m angry as fuck about what just happened.
“You going to kill me, Maboko”, Teboho says.
I ignore her.
“Can you please drive like a normal person?”
“What are you discussing with that boy? Why is he walking you to the taxis?”
“Do I ask you questions about the girls you fuck behind my back? In a bed that I’m supposed to sleep in when I come visit you?”
I’m quiet.
“Don’t ask me shit.” She says.
I look at her through the rear-view mirror. She’s looking at me too.
“And I don’t know where you are taking me in a netball kit. I need to go home and change.”
“But you were about to climb onto a taxi dressed like that! That thing is short and you have a boy walking you to the taxis. I’m the only man who does shit like that for you.”
“Pity I’m not the only girl who does all these other girlfriend things for you.”

We get to the Reahile complex.
Tebza says she’s going to find a restroom so she can change back into uniform. I give her my card and tell her to buy some clothes for the weekend. I’ll bring her back on Sunday. She gives me a look.
“Please.” I say.
“What am I supposed to tell my parents?”
I’m just quiet. I don’t know what she’s going to do, but I’m not taking her back home. She takes my card and heads into one of the shops in this complex.
I light myself some zol and I start smoking outside my car just to calm my damn nerves.

“You almost killed us out there”, Khotso says.
They are also smoking zol.
These matric girls are all here as well.
“Maboko, you are still with this girl?” One of them says.
“Us’kang phaphela wena. We are not friends.” I say.
They are all quiet.
“I’m driving back to Tlou”, I say.
That’s where my flat is and where I attend school.
“That’s like two hours away”, Khotso says.
“I really need to talk to T. I feel like I’m losing her.”
“What did you think would happen though? Linda has made announcements on social media about fucking you.”
I’m quiet.
“I don’t want to lose, T. I really don’t.” I say.
Ona and Khotso look at me.
“I’m thinking of going to see Lineo.” Ona says.
“In Johannesburg? You want to cross the border for a bitch that wants nothing to do with you?” I ask him.
He’s silent.
“Come with me to Tlou. Leave these bitches here. I’ll find you nice pussy there.” I say.
“Say no more”, Ona says.
“Ladies, you can walk home neh. Shup. Eh monna (they say to one of the guards with them) please take this car back home. Maboko will bring us back on Sunday”, Khotso.

…

We arrive at my apartment around 9pm. I bought us dinner, so Tebza offers to dish up for us.
She’s a bit distant, but at least she’s here.
The guys and I are chatting away and drinking beer. They can also see that Tebza is not okay. We will check for girls tomorrow. For now, I need to deal with T.

After we’ve eaten, Tebza goes into the main bedroom saying that she needs to shower. I let her shower then after about thirty minutes, I tell the guys goodnight and head into the bedroom.
I find Tebza lotioning herself. I instantly get an erection. But she hates me right now, so I can’t even touch her.
She gets dressed then starts putting pillows and blankets on the floor.
“And then?” I ask.
“I’m not sleeping in the same sheets you fuck other girls in”, she says.
Okay, this is ridiculous.
“Tebza, do you want me to buy another fucken bed?”
“What would be the point? You’ll just fuck them in the new bed, right?”
“Teboho please, I just want us to talk.”
She just lies on the bed she’s made on the floor and faces the other way. So much drama?
Then she starts sobbing.
I lie down next to her. I face upwards.
“I don’t want to lose you.” I say.
She sobs.
“I need us to make this right”, I say.
“Maybe we need a break from each other. I’m only fifteen years old, Maboko. I’ve aborted a child. I’m dealing with your infidelity. At what point do I get my childhood back in all of this? Because it’s not going to end. Right now, it just feels like you’ve made me your wife who has to endure so much and I’m just not coping. I love you, Maboko. I really do. But I can’t keep doing this”, she says.
“Don’t give up on me, Tebza. Please my love. Don’t give up on me. I’m begging you.” Now I’m holding her, crying too.
She cries even harder.
“Tebza, please.” I say, I’m also crying.

…

“Hai, baby… Ona le bana bahaye. He should be named father-of-all. You sneeze then Ona has a child.” I say.
Maboko looks at me – slightly offended by what I’m saying.
We are driving home from Suncity. Ruri is strapped into her car seat and is asleep. Bane is also asleep at the back. Maboko is driving and I’m on the passenger seat.
“That wouldn’t be the case if he was given a fair opportunity to make a decision on his twins from when they were born.” He says.
I know he is indirectly throwing that at me.
“Maybe she had her reasons. No one just makes a decision like that just because they feel like it.” I say.
“Really?!”
I look out of the window.
He is quiet.
“He is hurting”, he suddenly says.
“I can imagine”, I sarcastically say.
He is quiet.
“Lineo didn’t have to do this”, he tries again.
“I’ve never liked that girl”, I say.
“Why?”
“She was friends with Linda. They all never liked me. They were qualified mean girls and had PhDs in just being inconsiderate. I never understood why Ona loved that girl so much.” I say.
“You know, it’s not easy to avoid the one your heart has chosen. He loved her a lot and when she dropped him the way that she did, it affected him. That’s why he never spoke about her much. When she left, her name was banned from all conversations. When he brought her up again then find out that she had those kids – “
And worst of all, she named them after Ona’s fathers? Lineo o sile! O sile, Maboko! I hope Thabi shows her flames.”
Maboko looks at me. Disturbed.
“Mme Seete, you can’t say things like that.”
“Why? Is Ona planning on marrying her? She’s not welcome in our lives.”
“Tebza –
“Okay, she’s not welcome in my life. I have plenty of scores to settle with that entire crew. She mustn’t try me.” I say.
He looks at me.
“What?” I ask.
“You can’t still be carrying that shit, T. You are my wife now. And you are the mother of my children. Everything else that ever happened doesn’t matter anymore.” He says.
“To you, it doesn’t. I’m the one who was bullied by those girls. Ke a mo batla ngwana oe. I’m ready for her.” I say.
“Baby –
I give him a look.
“Daddy, can we get MacDonnie’s”, Ruri says and she’s asking for McDonald’s. They are clearly awake.
Maboko looks at her through the rear-view mirror and says, “Okay baby girl.”
Then he looks at Bane and says, “Bane, what do you want to eat?”
“What are you and mommy eating?” Bane. He doesn’t really like McDonald’s.
“Baby, what are we eating?” Maboko asks me.
“Buffalo Wings. I want the Spur ones.” I say.
“Can I also have Spur? I’ll have ribs.” Bane.
Maboko nods his head and drives on.

We stop at a McDonald’s and drive through, getting Ruri her happy meal with the strawberry milkshake. That’s her drug. She doesn’t even care about the toy. Weird, I know.
Then Maboko drives on. We get to a Spur just after the Tholoana Kingdom border and we decide that we will eat there.
We get into Spur and we are seated at a nice table close to the play area because we just know that Ruri is going to be asking us to go and play. Khabane generally likes playing too. But he has his days. Sometimes he thinks he’s too cool and too grown to go and play in the play area. Sometimes, he feels kiddy enough to go and play. I think he’s at that age where if he has to go and play, he has to go and be naughty somewhere, causing havoc.
“Daddy, am I going to have another meal?” Ruri.
“If you want another meal, you can have another meal”, Maboko responds.
Ruri mischievously smiles. I just role my eyes and shake my head.
“Am I not allowed to eat, mommy?” Ruri asks me, noticing my expression.
“You can do whatever you want to do, Ruri.” I flatly say.
She pulls a face. I don’t know what that face means.

We order our meals then Ruri asks Khabane to go with her to the play area so that they can play. Khabane is annoyed at first. I guess he’s feeling like a big boy today. But Ruri has Khabane and Maboko wrapped around her little finger. He eventually gives in and they go to the play area. It’s just Maboko and I now. We are sitting across each other.
We hold hands.
“How are you? Like really, ujwang?” I ask him.
“I’m quite tired, baby.”
“And this new job of yours, are you enjoying it?”
I can’t exactly spell out what he does.
“It’s different. Sometimes I’m not sure what I do, but I always follow your advice about not being on the fence about it. You know? That if I’m in, I should be all in or just leave it alone all together”, he says.
I nod my head.
“I still have you, right?” He says.
“You’ve always had me, Maboko. All of me. I’m the one who had to share you a few times then ended up losing you”, I say.
“I know. But since you came back and we got married – you’ve always had all of me. I don’t regret marrying you. This is how it was always supposed to be. I love you, T.”
“And I love you too, Maboko. A lot.”
He brushes my face and says, “Thank you for my children.”
I smile at him.

Our meals arrive and I call Khabane and Ruri to come and eat.
They arrive and Ruri has five fries then tells us that she’s full. I’m still confused about why she ordered another meal. She had McDonnie’s on our way here. Where did she think she’d have space in her stomach for another meal? She’s only four. Her stomach is that of a four-year-old. But she has an element of greed in her personality and I just don’t understand it. I don’t even say anything when she says she’s full because:
A – she’s telling her brother, not me.
B – when I tell her about her greedy nature, Maboko and Khabane tell me that she’s a child.
This is exactly how people end up having brats. Spare the rod and spoil the child.

We eat up then pay our bill and leave. The drive to our house is another hour. On our way there, my phone rings. It’s Tiisetso. It’s probably work. She’s my secretary now that I’m the CEO at Maboko’s head office. I must say, it’s incredibly challenging, but I’m managing. Maboko is my soundboard, my mentor and my advice booth. Stru.
“Hi Tiisetso”, I answer my phone.
“Hi. Where are you?”
“On my way home. Why? Is everything okay at work?”
“Yes, everything is fine at work. Mama is not well.”
I’m quiet.
She’s on speaker, so Maboko is also listening.
“Hello?”
“I’m still here. What’s wrong with her?” I ask.
“Apparently she has cancer.”
“Apparently?” I ask.
“Her doctors say she has cancer.” She rephrases her statement.
I’m quiet. I’m not sure if I should come and see her or offer to help with anything. I think Tiisetso figures it out as well, so she then says:
“Her doctors say that she should go for radiation treatment. The centre where she will be doing this is that one that’s close to our workplace. So, I was wondering… I’ll go with her to the place, I don’t mind. And I’ll sit with her through the treatment. But I’d have to start work a bit late because her appointments are between 9am and 11am. Then, can she sleep at the sick bay while I work? When I knock off, I’ll drive back with her. It will only be twice a week.”
“It’s fine. I have no issues with that”, I say.
“Okay cool then. Thanks.” She says then she hangs up.
Maboko and I look at each other then I look out of my window.
“Mommy, what’s cancer?” Ruri asks me.
“It’s an illness, nana.” I say.
“Can you die from it?” She asks me.
It suddenly hits me. My mom could be dying. Hearing it wrapped in Ruri’s question like that makes me feel sick in the stomach because it is very possible that my mom could be dying. And things are so off between us. I don’t even know if I want to fix things between us.
I start crying.
“What’s wrong?” Ruri asks and she is so concerned. She even sounds like she wants to cry.
No one answers her.
I think Khabane is beginning to understand the family dynamics and he gets why the phone call was awkward.
“Mommy?” Ruri.
“Ruri, can we give mommy some space, please.” Maboko says to her.
“But she’s crying. Is it because granny is sick? Is granny going to die?” Ruri is relentless with this.
“Yoh”, Maboko says and just keeps on driving.
I chuckle through my sobbing because this is the first time I see Maboko be defeated by Ruri and her mouth.
He laughs too and says, “Ngwana oe!”

…

Tebza has just left with the kids. She’s dropping the kids off at school then she is heading to the office.
She was quite sad yesterday, but she seems a bit better today.

I’m driving to the royal house because Ona has phoned me and asked me to come over. I wonder how things are going with the mini-Khotso and the mini-Ona. Lineo really outdid herself with this one. I thought Tebza was hectic with keeping Khabane away from me for five years. But at least she willingly came back and I could still be involved in my son’s childhood. Lineo was never going to even come back or tell Ona about these kids had we not spotted them on Instagram. That’s just trash. She belongs in a bin.

I park my car in the parking lot then make my way inside the main house. But I see Thabi running back in. She looks like she just came back from a run. She’s with the twins. They were running together. Okay. Clearly this is going well.
“Hey”, she greets me, out of breath.
“What’s up?” Me.
She gathers herself then formally introduces me to the twins.
“This is Uncle Maboko. Maboko, one of them is Mohato and the other is Reahile. When you figure out who is who, tell me your trick.” Thabi is not normal.
The twins and I laugh.
But I get what she means. They are more identical than what the original Ona and Khotso are.
We do our casual gentlemen handshake then I tell them I’m happy to meet them. They seem like cool kids.

We walk into the main house and there is commotion. Hawu?
“Where the hell have you been?!” Lineo shouts at the twins.
“We went for a run with Thabz”, one of them says.
I’m still stuck on them calling their stepmother Thabz.
“Without my permission?” Lineo is actually being unnecessary. They were with an adult. They were not kidnapped.
“You were asleep. And you know we train every morning. Now that we are missing out on training, Thabz didn’t mind that we join her on her run. I don’t understand what the big deal is.” This twin is the spokesperson.
“Mohato! What did I –
The spokesperson is Mohato.
“Next time, I’ll wake you up and run it past you.” Thabz says to Lineo.
Lineo looks like she wants to slap Thabz. But if there’s one thing Thabz is good at, it’s putting people in their place – especially Ona’s dick-suckers. Lineo is quiet now and she’s dropped the drama, so I take it she’s also experienced a hint of Thabz.
“Hey you”, Lulu greets me and hugs me from the side.
“Good morning”, I say and hug her back.
“Where’s my friend?” She asks me.
“She’s at work by now, I’m sure.” I say.
Ona and Khotso greet me. Then mme-mofomahadi also walks in and says, “Maboko, ushup?”
“Ke shup, mme. Thank you”, I say.
“Please, join us for breakfast”, she says.
I ate at my house, but let me not be rude.

“Lineo, eat some food. We are not going to poison you”, Mme-mofomahadi says.
Lineo has a green smoothie in front of her.
“No thanks, mme. I’ve been trying to lose my fat since I gave birth to the twins. Sixteen years later, I’m still struggling. I haven’t had a solid breakfast and dinner meal since. I only have a solid lunch meal. But for breakfast and dinner, it’s smoothies all the way.” Lineo says.
This girl is weird and she clearly has a weird relationship with food.
“It’s sixteen years later, that fat has nothing to do with the twins. Maybe it’s just your body and the fat is clearly not going anywhere, so you might as well grab a plate and eat.” Thabz.
Lol! I love this girl. I even chuckle under my breath.
Lineo was such a mean girl at school. How is she being demolished by Thabz like this? She’s grown to disappoint, shame.
“I’m sure I understand my body the most. I’m the one who lives in it.” Lineo says.
“You should be the one who understands your body the most.” Thabz sarcastically says.
Ona’s so proud of Thabz. He cannot even hide it.
“Mah, when are we fetching my little siblings from school?” Reahile asks Lulu.
You know what… I like this. I love how mini Ona and mini Khotso have warmed up to the ladies of this house. Even mme-mofomahadi, Ona and Khotso are smiling. Lineo on the other hand…
“They just left. School only ends at 2pm”, Lulu says, laughing.
“So how do you call Lulu ‘mah’ and Thabi ‘Thabz'”? I ask.
“Mohale gave us the lowdown over a box of Series juice. He told us who is who around here. Who we can mess with, who is off limits, who are the people we trust and who we stay away from. He’s an awesome little fella. He told us that we only call Thabz “mom” if we want to piss her off”, Mohato says.
The table is filled with laughter.
“You must have juice with that boy… just once. He’ll tell you anything you want to know. And he’s very knowledgeable.” Reahile adds.
I love this blendedness. Lineo – not so much. She even looks constipated.
“I’m confused…”
The table is silent and looks at Lineo.
“Are you confused about who your parent is now? Who raised you all by herself for sixteen years? You spend five minutes with these people then you completely disregard me?”
“Mom, do you know what we first thought when dad was strangling you against a wall in our own home? We thought that one of your dealers had come to beat you up again”, Reahile is the silent killer. He doesn’t say much, but when he opens his mouth, it’s lit!
Lineo is suddenly not so cocky anymore.
She’s always been into drugs. Her and Linda. Linda was hectic with zol, but she would have coke on occasion. This one had everything. She needed a drug to do something in life. Exams – she had a drug for anxiety.
Netball game – she had a drug for nerves.
I’m sure she had drugs for shitting and pissing.
“After all the times that you’ve left us to raise ourselves because you were chasing the next high, it was quite difficult to know who our parent was. We’ve only been here for two days, and this is the most safe we’ve been. You’ve brought drug dealers and users into our home and compromised our safety multiple times and you refuse to admit that you need help. Are you actually upset that we want the stability that our father actually wants to bring into our lives?” Reahile is spitting bars.
People at the table are not shocked at what he’s saying, so I take it the drama around this conversation has already started.
Lineo grabs the tablecloth that has all this food on it and rips the table apart screaming.
While I appreciate that she probably has anger issues, I was really enjoying the breakfast and I’m pissed off now because it’s ruined.
The security guards are in here in no time dragging her out of the house.
The breakfast is all over our clothes now and we have to get clean.
“FUCK!” Mohale the spokesperson shouts as he bangs the table. We all look at him.
Reahile is kinda there for him.

Now that we are all clean – the twins gave me a clean shirt to wear while mine is being washed – we are sitting in the bar and talking: Ona, Khotso and I.
“The twins seems to be settling in well”, I say.
“With the kids, the wives and mom. I was a piece of shit for the past two days. They only referred to me as dad for the first time today when they were going off at their mother.” Ona says.
Tense!
“Why would Lineo do this? I could’ve given these kids a good life. Yeah, I was fucken nineteen when they were born, but my parents could have helped me out if that was her problem. Then she gave them this traumatic upbringing when I’ve always been here and could have given them better. Lineo makes my blood boil. Fuck!” Ona says.
“So, what’s your plan at this point?” I ask him.
“We reached out to the Liale family and we went to them yesterday. They didn’t even know about the twins. I don’t understand what Lineo’s plan was. But what seems to have happened is that when she got pregnant, she thought the child was her Wits guy’s child. That guy even paid lobola for her. Then she gave birth to two of me and he left her. Her family had to return the lobola and they shunned her after that. She never disclosed the real baby-daddy and the parents never met the twins. She’s been on her own ever since. I can see why she wouldn’t tell me she was pregnant. But why raise the kids alone and on the streets when I could’ve taken her in?”
Ja no, she’s fucked up.
“The important thing is that we paid the damages. This weekend, we are changing their surnames and introducing them to our ancestors. Then Lineo can leave. We will take it from here.” Khotso says.
“Has she agreed?” I ask.
“I don’t remember giving her a choice.” Ona says.
“How’s Thabi feeling about this?” I ask.
“Haven’t you heard? She’s Thabz now.” Khotso says and we laugh.
“She surprised me. They actually are the closest to her. When she disciplines them, they hear her. With us, anything can happen.” Ona says.
“I’m not surprised. Thabz is good with older kids. Remember how she was with Thandeka’s kids? She wants to be tough, but she’s actually such a marshmallow.” I say.
They agree with me.

There’s a slight knock on the door then Lulu walks in.
“Guys, I’m stepping out. I’m taking the twins for their interview at the school.” She says.
“You already got them an interview, babe?” Khotso is shocked. Even I’m shocked. That school is so anal about admissions.
“I’m Mrs Mohale, aren’t I?” She says.
Khotso kisses her then says, “You are.”
“They’ll probably have to go back to grade nine because they have been in and out of township schools, then dabbled in former model-c schools. You know that school you all attended is a bit larney. But, they’ll get in. Thabi and I explained to them why they could be a year behind, but they are cool.” Lulu says.
Ona and Khotso nod their heads then Ona says, “Thank you, ausi waka.”
“I’ll call you guys when I’m done and let you know how it goes. Later.”
Just like that, she’s gone.

“Monna, we wanted to talk to you about something that we’ve just found out.” Khotso says.
“Okay…” I say.
“Did Tebza ever tell you what exactly happened on the day she came home to you and Linda betraying her?” Ona says.
“She never wants to go into it. And that’s because she wants to let it go.” I say.
“And Linda? Where did she say she was coming from when she arrived and knew that Tebza wasn’t home?”
What’s going on here?
“She didn’t say anything.” I say. “She walked in, she seduced me, we fucked, Tebza caught us then Tebza left.”
They look at each other.
“What’s going on?” I insist.
“Kabelo and Linda raped Tebza that day.” Khotso says.
What the FUCK?!
I’m on my feet now and I’ve dropped the glass of whiskey that was in my hand.
“Well, Linda held her down and Kabelo raped her. Zakes witnessed it all. He didn’t touch Tebza, but he didn’t stop what was going on neither. Now we know why he stopped hanging out with us when Tebza came back.” Ona.
“Most importantly, now we know why Tebza really left.” Khotso says.
I’m not coping!
I cannot believe what I’m hearing.
I scream at the top of my lungs and I collapse to the floor. Ona and Khotso try to hold me, but I’m inconsolable. What have I done? How deep is the damage that I’ve created in the woman that I love? She probably came home to tell me what had happened to her and she caught me rewarding one of her rapists with sex – betraying her after the woman I was having sex with orchestrated the most painful thing that happened to her.
What pains me the most is that when this was happening to her, she was already carrying my child.
And now both those shits are dead.
I feel like my heart is coming to a complete stop.
I’m struggling to breathe.
“Maboko! Maboko, don’t close your eyes! Maboko!” Thabi keeps saying. When did she get here?
“Ona, keep him awake! We need to get him to a hospital!”
I feel like I’m fading away. My eyes are getting heavier by the minute. I can’t help it. I close my eyes.
“MABOKO!” I can no longer respond to them.

___________________ Flatline perhaps?