Tainted Trust

“I love you.” She whispered into his ears. She proceeded to kiss him on his lips, gave him a hug and shedding a tear, turned away from him and walked to the front door of her new flat. Those three words always sounded so good, especially when they came from her mouth and melted in his ears. As all African men are not allowed to show their emotion, Paul turned away from his girlfriend’s new residence and moved to his superior’s car. When he got in, his superior Mr. Mhlanga told him not to worry and that he would see her soon. Mr. Mhlanga turned his ignition key, started the car and drove out of the court yard. Within three minutes he was on the Bulawayo - Esigodini highway and headed for the small town of Gwanda where he would leave Paul. Paul did not say a word during the whole journey as he could only think of his sweetheart Nomathemba, whom he had left behind.

Paul had met Noma in college, where he had enrolled to study for a degree in Agricultural Economics. Noma was also studying for the same degree. The two had met in class and after spending a few moments together, had decided to give a relationship a try. The following four years would be the most wonderful in Paul’s life, for Noma and him were a match made in heaven and he simply could not breathe without his angel. Their friends always used to tease them because of their inseparability and how they always used to stick up for each other. Their bond was so strong that even their peers were pronouncing them man and wife even before a wedding had been planned by the two.

The four years went by like a breeze, and all Paul could remember clearly is how beautiful she looked on graduation day. He also remembered the day clearly, because it was on that day, that he met Noma’s mother and father for the first time. Noma’s mother looked just like her daughter, beautiful. Although she had aged, she had done it gracefully. Speaking to her was like a breath of fresh air because she had an authentic approach to life which made one feel so calm when one was around her. Her father was another story. The man behaved like a retired army general, barking instead of speaking to poor Paul. His military approach had given Paul several anxious moments during their short conversation. After their chat, Paul was glad to get away from him as he was now sweating profusely. Paul understood why Mr. Ndoro had been a bit hostile. His daughter was smart, intelligent and exceptionally beautiful and he didn’t want any scoundrel ruining his daughter’s life. Paul had also introduced Noma to his mother, the other lady in his life. Luckily, no cat fight had arisen between the two. They two seemed to set it off from the word go, much to Paul’s relief. All in all, graduation day had been a great day, he thought, with the family introductions going pretty smoothly and a graduation party that even the hottest rock star would envy.

Two months had passed after graduation. Paul and Noma had both been offered employment at the Agricultural Bank. Unfortunately they were not going to be working at the same branch, with Paul getting the Gwanda post and Noma getting the one in Bulawayo. Noma was excited about her job offer but was heart broken when she thought about her loved one being one hundred and sixty kilometers away from her. Paul was broken by this predicament but looked at the occurrence as more of a challenge rather than a situation. The bank had offered the two good starting salaries as well as beautiful perquisites which included fully furnished one bedroom flats in their respective towns. The day he left for Gwanda, Paul and his new boss Mr. Mhlanga had gone to Noma’s house in Hillside to pick her up and drop her off at her Marlborough Place flat. She had made a decision to enjoy the benefit of the flat and opted against staying at home, much to the discomfort of her father. After off - loading her and her belongings at her ground floor flat, Paul had shared his final sweet moment for a long time with his darling of four years before traveling to Gwanda with Mr. Mhlanga.

Settling in at work was hard for Paul, especially without his better half. Not a moment went by without him thinking of her. He had been a given a bit of money by his mother to carry him through that month. A large proportion of this money was dedicated to phoning Noma, to make up for the distance that was between them. Paul would tell her continually not to count the miles that were between them but rather the smiles that they had shared together. This, he assured her would make her feel a bit better and keep her company till he returned to the city at the end of the month to be with her. As they spoke, sometimes Noma would cry, telling her loved one that her life seemed so empty without Paul near by and that she couldn’t wait until the end of the month, so that they could be together again. Paul would urge her on, and tell her to focus on her work, which would try and help fill the void that he had left. He would have loved to talk to her for hours but when you are starting out and do not have a penny to your name, you’re seriously restricted by the financial resources you possess. Every time he cut the phone, he reassured himself of one thing that meant so much to him, that he loved her unconditionally and that she loved him with all her heart too.

The weeks dragged on slowly and every single day felt like hell to Paul. Luckily for him, he had the talent of separating professional form personal, something he had learnt during his years at college when he was going out with Noma. The trained conditioning ensured that he never let his emotions rule him to the point of affecting his working performance. He worked prolifically to the amusement of his branch manager who relied on him greatly. He had only been working for two weeks but his manager seemed to place great confidence in him and was always there for him to throw in a good word to urge him on. The young man felt emotionally torn however, especially after work when human interaction is greatly reduced due to people reporting to their respective homes. When alone, Paul would think more and more of his sweetheart and wondered if she was going through the same emotional turmoil that he was going through. Hope is a very beautiful thing; it has the ability to comfort, especially in trying times. Paul hoped and hoped for the month to quickly come to an end.

During the third week of Paul’s initial employment month, the assistant financial analyst of the Bulawayo branch visited the Gwanda branch to conduct a short course on stock markets. All senior staff were to attend this course including the new management trainee, Paul Themba. The assistant financial analyst, Miss Abigail Mlotshwa, was a very pleasant woman who seemed to know her financial jargon rather well. Paul enjoyed her lectures and the way she made it easy for her cadres to understand what she was talking about. Miss Mlotshwa was staying at the Gwanda Motel during her week long seminar. After work, Miss Mlotshwa would have supper at the motel with one of the four senior members of staff to discuss what she had taught during the day and whether the affected party understood what she had been babbling about or whether it had fallen on deaf ears. On Thursday, Miss Mlotshwa had supper with Paul Themba.

At the restaurant of the motel, Paul and Abigail sat down by a table near the window. Formal greetings were exchanged, the menus read and orders given to the waiter who was standing near by. Abigail started the night’s conversation by asking Paul about himself and what he wanted out of life. Paul answered this question over a ten minute stretch, stressing all the necessary points including his dream of one day opening his own financial institution. Abigail continued by asking him about the last four days seminar lectures and what he had gathered from them. Paul explained as best as he could what he had gained through the talks, which seemed to impress Abigail who applauded Paul’s power of recollection. Abigail then went on to explain the few points that Paul had omitted, which she thought were of great significance and needed to be reiterated. With the hard part over and supper almost through, Abigail started asking other non - core questions including whether he drank, smoked or played golf. Paul answered no to all three. Lastly she asked him about his social life, that is whether he was in a relationship or not.
“As a matter of fact, I am in a very fulfilling relationship with the woman of my dreams.” Paul said with a very big smile on his face.
“That is really great Paul, you look like a man of promise and I think that lady is very lucky.” Miss Mlotshwa replied.
“Thank you for the compliment, but you should know that it is I who is lucky because this woman is too good to be true.”
“Oh!” she replied. “I hope I’ll have the pleasure of meeting your lovely lady some day,” she added.
“I think you already have ma’am.”
“Really? What is her name? And where do I know her from? For I’ve only just met you.”
“Her name is Nomathemba Ndoro. She is the management trainee at your branch and she’s the lady who’s stolen my heart.”
“She is?” Abigail replied with a puzzled look on her face.
“Yes, she is.” Paul continued without even looking at Abigail’s face as he was a little shy. “And I love her more than words could ever say.”
“I know Noma very well and I’m really happy for the both of you.” said Abigail quickly and with that ended the relationship discussion.
The two discussed a few socio - economic issues before Abigail complained of fatigue. With that Paul bade her farewell and left the motel for his flat.

Paul could not believe that it was the Friday of the fifth week. The past month had been excruciating. The last two weeks had been worse as he had run out of money and was unable to call Noma. Sitting in the commuter omnibus which was headed in the direction of Bulawayo, Paul thought that it didn’t matter anymore as he would be in her arms for the next three days. He couldn’t wait to get to the City of Kings! The omnibus arrived in Bulawayo two hours after departing from the Gwanda terminus. To Paul it had seemed like an eternity and he could not wait to jump off and rush to his sweetheart’s flat. Paul strode past the City Hall at around 8pm. Increasing his pace as the adrenalin pumped through his blood, he thought of the smile she would give him upon laying her eyes on his face. She didn’t know that he was coming and this indeed would be a splendid surprise.

It took him five minutes to walk from the city hall to her ground floor flat. His palms started sweating as he knocked on the front door. After three taps on the door, Paul heard footsteps from the inside advancing towards the door. His heart pounded. The door was opened slowly revealing the person that he would gladly die for.
“Surprise!” Paul exclaimed.
“Oh my gosh! Paul! What are you doing here?!” Noma cried out, rushing to give him a hug.
“I’m here to see you sweety. Aren’t you happy to see me?”
“I’m overawed baby. I missed you so much” Noma replied as she ushered him into the flat.
“You’re looking beautiful, as always, and a little too smart for a Friday night. Unless, if you’re going out to night.” Paul went on looking at his angel from head to toe.
“Something like that, Abigail is coming to pick me up with a friend. I didn’t know you were coming.”
“That’s alright.” Paul said as he sat on the couch. “A night on the town is very necessary, especially when you work in a stressful environment like ours.”
“Tell me about i...” Noma replied, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

She got up from the couch and walked elegantly to the door. She opened it slowly and then to full length. She let in a man who was followed by a woman who looked familiar.
“Miss Mlotshwa, a pleasure again.” Paul courteously said as he got up to greet the guests.
“Hie Paul, how are you?” she replied with a smile which looked more like a smirk if one was looking at her more attentively.
“I’m good.” Paul replied and looked at the man who was looking at him with a slight grin on his face.
“Paul, I’d like you to meet Mr. Erin Mandongwe, the financial analyst at the Bulawayo branch.” Noma said pointing towards the man who had accompanied Abigail into the room.
“Good evening sir.” Paul said “An honour to meet you.”
“The honour is mine Mr. Themba. Good things have been said about you. I hope they stay that way.”
“Thank you sir.”

The foursome sat down on the two couches with Paul sitting next to his beloved and Abigail sitting next to Erin. Erin complained bitterly of being very thirsty and that he needed a drink. Noma got up and headed to the kitchen to get him something to drink with Erin following behind her saying that he could not wait for her to return, as he would faint before she got to him. The two returned to the lounge a minute later with Noma saying that there was nothing to drink in her house, save for water. She looked at Paul and told him that she and Erin were going to Cambitzi’s to get a few drinks and that they would be back shortly. Paul nodded her on before engaging into some small talk with Abigail.

“Paul.” Abigail said suddenly in the middle of their meaningless chat, “I have to tell you something. You seem like such a nice guy and it would be bad for me to let you be led astray.”
“What are you talking about, Miss Mlotshwa?” Paul asked rather confused by her previous statement.
“I want to talk to you about your girlfriend Noma, Paul. I was shocked when you told me that you were going out with Noma when I met you two weeks ago. I didn’t know how to say it to you because that day was the first that we had met and it would have been real hard for me to tell you. You may or may not believe me but I assure you that this is very true. The love of your life is going out with the man she just left with. The two started going out two weeks after she started working. They have been in this relationship for three weeks now. Erin knows about you but does not care as he is a married man. He just wants to use her like he does all the other new female trainees who arrive at our branch every other time. I know this clearly because a few years ago, I was that new trainee. I have tried to warn her about this baseless bonding but she will not listen. I lost a good man because of Erin and my naivety. I also hurt that man very much because it took him a long time to find out what was going on.
I do not want that to happen to you Paul.” Abigail said without being disturbed by Paul. Paul’s eyes stayed glued to her, growing bigger with each word she said.

Paul felt his world crash before him. Abigail seemed to be sincere. ‘Why would she lie?’ he thought, she definitely had nothing to gain or lose from telling him all that was going on in his absence. What amazed him even more was how someone could rattle, shake and overthrow a four year relationship within a space of two weeks. The most important thing in love is trust he thought, and if trust is lost like what Noma had done to him the relationship loses depth. Nothing hurts like tainted trust. Paul looked at Abigail speechless and out of steam. He didn’t know what to say. He also didn’t know what to do. Of all the people, how could Noma do this to him? As he thought about what he had just heard, Noma opened the door and walked into the room carrying a paper bag full of drinks.

“Sorry I’m late people, Erin went to his house to collect a jacket. He said he’ll be back in thirty minutes to pick us up.” Noma said looking at Paul’s maddened face.
“I need the bathroom.” Abigail said as she stood up and headed for the bathroom door.
“What’s wrong Pee?” Noma asked looking at Paul.
“Quit the mind games Noma! Tell me what the hell is going on between you and this Erin guy!” Paul shouted.
Noma dropped the paper bag on the couch opposite Paul and looked at him with a surprised expression on his face.
“What’s going on? Tell me it isn’t true? Noma how could you?”
“Paul you have this thing of stressing me out and I didn’t want to be with you anymore.”
“And when were you going to tell me about this?” Paul continued to shout.
“I was going to tell you tonight at the club, that I just don’t want us to be anymore.”
“This is the first time that you’re telling me that I stress you out, the first time in four years. Why didn’t you tell me this during the four years that we were together?” Paul asked.
“It slipped my mind!” she retorted.
“So why on earth are you going out with a married man? Are you insane?”
“Look Paul, you’re not my husband!” Noma replied.
“What?!” He continued.
“I said you’re not my husband okay, just leave me alone!”

She shouldn’t have said that. The next thing that happened even Paul did not expect. He smacked her square on the left cheek, causing her to fall on the couch opposite his. His moment of insanity continued as he slapped her on her right cheek and then on her left again. Abigail must have heard what was going on, and rushed out of the bath toilet and headed straight for the lounge. She shouted out Paul’s name who was standing above Noma and was about to give her another slap. Her shouting his name, prompted him to calm down. He couldn’t believe what he had just done. Paul was gentle, the type of brother who wouldn’t even hurt a fly. He backed away from Noma and looked at her finger marked face. She was too shocked to cry. The numbing pain on her face forced her to keep her eyes closed. Ashamed by what had just happened Paul could not bear to stay in the room for another second. He ran towards the door, burst out of the room and disappeared into the night.

The Loot

“Television!” he exclaimed. “Damn the technology of television!” Paul cried, as he turned his back on the crime scene and quickly disappeared into the crowd before he got caught by the multitude of police officers who were manning the area. ‘How could a well crafted plan have gone so wrong?’ He thought as he made his way round the corner, throwing his gun into the rubbish bin which was by the pavement side. The one mistake that he and his partners had made had cost them the heist, and the bad thing was that there would be no room for a next time. All of his woes had come from watching that stupid cathode ray tube. It had enticed him into doing the unthinkable.

Life had not been too good to Paul. A first class student from the first day he put his foot into school, Paul was convinced that he was headed for the big time. After his ‘A’ levels, Paul was accepted at the University of Science and Technology to study a degree in Computer Information Systems. Being the intelligent one that he was, Paul graduated with a distinction. As he stood in line to be capped by the Chancellor of the University for his outstanding academic achievement, Paul was convinced that the world would be his oyster and in two years time he too would be a member of that elite society which gets to drive those fast moving cars which attract the ladies.

Two years had passed, and Paul was still at home. After his graduation, promises had been given to him on offers of employment but as mentioned earlier they were nothing but promises. All the companies that he had hoped to work for had all embarked on a downsizing exercise which made it difficult for any new grandaunts to enter the financial industry. Those two years must have been the longest in his whole entire life. They went from a period of hope to a period of deep sorrow as all of Paul’s hopes and dreams were proving to be nothing but that, dreams! He did find solace in his new found friend, the television.

At the end of his second year of job hunting, Paul had become a television buff as it was his only way of escaping the harsh realities of this cruel world. Television became his soul mate, and through it he got to live out his dreams. As he watched television he would imagine himself playing the leading role, driving those fast and furious cars and kissing those bombshells. At first it was four hours of television a day with the rest of the day being spent writing applications and hand delivering them to the various financial institutions scattered around the city. As the days dragged slowly by, and the hope of ever finding employment dwindled, Paul increased his television watching exponentially, until he had no time for anything else. The man simply lived, ate and slept television.

On one particular evening Paul watched an entertaining movie, entitled ‘LOOT’, on how a group of three young amateurs had successfully robbed a bank and gotten away with this crime without hurting anybody and at the same time without being caught. As he watched this film, Paul’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm and a bit of empathy. Yes, empathy because these three young men were in the same situation as Paul. All of them were jobless university graduates who wanted so hard to make an honest citizen out of themselves. Unfortunately the system of the world where unemployment is a reality had all stopped these fellows’ aspirations dead in their tracks. Because of their desperate situation the boys had hatched a plan to masterfully rob the local bank. ‘It worked,’ Paul thought with a smile on his face as he got up and walked to the television to turn it off and rush off to bed. He also turned of the video cassette recorder which he had used to tape the very interesting film and headed of to his bedroom.

For the next week, Paul watched loot over and over again. After each time he watched the film, Paul toyed around with thought of turning the film into reality in his home town. When he thought of it first, Paul scoffed at the idea, but after each successive watch, he got more and more convinced that the fictitious plan could work and bring him a reasonable amount of wealth. After watching the film for the fifteenth time, Paul was positive that he could pull it off. All he needed now was two partners in crime. Paul’s first recruit was his younger brother Timothy. He too was jobless. However, Timothy was not as intelligent as his older brother and had dropped out of school at the age of fourteen. After a few run - ins with the police, Timothy had given up on a life of crime and preferred to just sit at home. He too, had fallen in love with television. Paul visited his childhood friend and fellow unemployed graduate Simba and enticed him to join the risky but exceptionally rewarding enterprise. It had taken a lot of persuasion, but due to his precarious financial position, Simba had no other option. He had told himself that he was dead already, and if he got caught it did not matter anymore. Better a plate of food in the slammer, than absolutely no food at all! After officially swearing in his colonel and sergeant in arms, Paul turned on the television set, pressed play on the video cassette recorder and watched ‘loot’ for the sixteenth time, only this time he paid more attention to every detail, jotting down the plot’s key points on a note pad. Again, the sixteenth time was different, for instead of watching it alone at night when everybody was asleep, Paul had company, his bossom buddies, Simba and Timothy!

A full month had passed after the swearing in of Colonel Simba and Sergeant Timothy. During this non - eventful month, Paul and his goons had drafted their plan on which bank they would rob and on which day they would do it. The activities they had carried out had included Timothy spending at least three days a week at Noble Myriad Bank, studying the bank workers’ operating routine and the days on which most of the large monetary deposits were made. Simba‘s task was to find some wheels, that is a get away car and map out the quickest route from the bank to Plumtree road which led to the Plumtree - Botswana border post. At the border, the boys would ditch the car and cross over into Botswana using public transport. From Botswana, the boys would cross into South Africa and using a small portion of the stolen money, fly from Johannesburg to Kenya where the three aspiring entrepreneurs would start a new life. Simba’s task did not end there; he also had to find fifty litres of petrol for the mission to be carried out successfully. Paul’s task was the hardest. First, Paul had to make false travel documents for all three of the bandits as all of them had no passports. This had not been as hard as he thought it would have been. He had sold his late mother’s chest freezer for seventy five million dollars to acquire the necessary cash for this part of the plan to be carried out. After the sale, he had visited the notorious Nigerian, Ifanike Nnaji at his decoy phone shop on Sixth Street. Paul had been referred to Nnaji by MaMguni who had acquired a fake passport from him six months earlier and with it had become a successful cross border trader. Nnaji charged Paul fifty million dollars which Paul thankfully agreed to pay as it fell within his budget. A week later Paul had collected the three travel documents. The three had chosen Noble Myriad Bank for a good reason. Paul had a friend named Julius who worked there.
Unlike Paul, Julius had not gone to University after his ‘A’ levels but had found a job at the local bank as a bank teller. He had slowly risen through the ranks from bank teller to assistant treasurer. Julius had been courted by Paul for the bank vault’s access codes. Every man has a price, Paul had discovered, and with a down payment of fifteen million dollars and a promise of twenty five per cent of the loot, Julius had surrendered the access code with ease. Julius had also told Paul the best time to rob the bank. Of course, Paul did not trust anybody, and that is why Timothy had to visit the bank at least three times a week, to verify what Paul had been told and make sure that Julius was not setting them up so that he could be promoted to treasurer, the position held by Andrew Todd, his superior. That would propel him to great heights making him the youngest treasurer in the banking history of the country.

Next Paul had to find two guns, that is one for himself and one for Timothy. The robbery could only been carried out during the day and not during the night after working hours (which would have been more convenient). This is because although Julius had given Paul the access codes to the bank’s vault, he did not have the codes to the main door and the staff exit and entrance doors. These codes were held close by the branch manager and including him in the faction would have been a big mistake Julius had warned. Paul thought of all his links and after a full twenty four hours of meditation he approached his cousin Nhlanhla. Nhlanhla was a professional hunter, working for Limukani Safaris. Part of his job involved the servicing of the company’s fire arms. Paul had seen him with a few hand pistols each time he had passed by his house on his way to service the weapons at Camping Gear store. When Paul met Nhlanhla at his work place, he told him of his terrible demise of how some local gangsters were terrorising Paul and Timothy in their neighbourhood. Paul had cautiously asked to use two unloaded pistols for a day to scare away these gangsters once and for all, as he had tried to tell the police about this problem but due to other pressing issues the police officials had been unable to attend to them. Nhlanhla loved his cousin and did not want to see any harm coming to him or his little brother. He assured him that whenever he needed the weapons, he should come and collect them as he would smuggle them out for him.

Paul then developed the final phase of his plan during the third week of the month of preparation. He wrote a letter to the Noble Myriad Bank asking for a handsome loan for the expansion of his thriving business in Lupane. The money Paul had asked for was ten billion dollars, and was way above the range of the assistant treasurer who only dealt with loans ranging from twenty million dollars to five billion dollars. The facilitation of such a loan required Paul to talk to the treasurer Mr. Andrew Todd. Mr. Todd arranged to see Paul on Wednesday after receiving his letter on Monday. When they met, Todd told Paul on what conditions had to be met for such a loan to be facilitated. Pretending to be one who knew very little about banking, Paul would spend the next two weeks talking to Mr. Todd about effective banking and how swiftly the bank could issue the bank loan. Every thing was going according to plan, he thought to himself as he spoke to Mr. Todd on Tuesday of the fourth week, the day before the ‘beautiful Wednesday’ when the heist would be carried out. Later during the day, he met up with Nhlanhla at Walker’s Pub. Nhlanhla handed him a heavy khaki envelope after they had had a drink. After handing him the envelope, he whispered to his favourite cousin “Good luck”, and without another word turned his back and left.
When he got home, Paul placed the two nine millimetres in a safe place and went over the plan for the last time with his posse. D - Day was near and there was no turning back now.

Paul, Timothy and Simba sat in the Black 120Y that Simba had borrowed from his uncle parked in the parking bay overlooking Noble Myriad Bank. The time was 1415 and the last huge deposit had been made by a Fawcett security truck. The bandits watched the last two guards jump into the back of the truck and the truck disappear into the traffic that was moving along Five Street. A man familiar to Paul walked out of the staff exit door of the bank. This was Mr. Todd going for a lunch break. Today he had had to work a bit longer before going for lunch, as Julius had called in sick (as he was scared that he might panic as the robbery was taking place forcing him to make a mess of the situation). Mr. Todd walked to his car, got in and drove in the direction of Suburbs where he lived. Five years before, Mr. Todd had suffered from food poisoning and therefore only trusted his wife’s cooking. This meant that he would be away from the bank for at least an hour and a half. Just enough time. Paul nodded to Timothy and Simba, signalling the start of a journey which had to be completed without any slipping of the feet.

Paul and Timothy stepped out of the car and made their way to the bank dressed in two blue suits. Timothy carried a duffle bag on his left hand. When they got to the entrance, the security guard stopped and asked to see what was in the bag. Timothy opened the bag as Paul told the guard that the bag contained documents which were needed by Mr. Todd for Paul’s company to be considered for the issuing of the ten billion dollar loan. The guard searched the bag and found nothing but paper. Satisfied that everything was safe and good to go, the guard told them to proceed. The guard did not carry out a body search because that is where their guns were hidden, behind their blazers. Oh well, they were acting out their movie and everything was going according to script.

At the inquiries desk, Paul greeted the receptionist.
“Hello Sue, you’re looking beautiful today.”
“Thank you Mr. Penduka. I hope you’re having a pleasant day yourself.”
“Please, call me Tendai. To business, I am here to see Todd to give him my company’s yester year financial statements so that I can get my gas exploitation project rolling. Time is money you know.”
“Yes, Mr. Pe, I mean Tendai, you know where his office is right?”
Good. She did not know that Todd had left the building, as the old timer had the habit of leaving his office unannounced. ‘Wonderful.’ Paul thought.
“I’m afraid I’ve forgotten, please can you show me where it is, again.”
“With pleasure, follow me.”
“By the way Sue, this is my associate Percy.” Paul said pointing to Timothy as the three of them walked up the stairs to the first floor.
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Percy.”
“The pleasure’s mine.” Timothy replied.

After passing the two security guards who manned the section that led to Todd’s office, Paul raised his left hand and stroked his head twice. This was the action signal. The two gentlemen had moved to the concealed area where the third guard stood. His job was to guard Todd, Julius and the vault. No cameras were placed in this section as the guards would get to know the vault’s access codes and use them for their own personal gain. By the time Paul put his hand back to his side; Timothy had taken out his gun and pointed it on the guard’s forehead. Paul had grabbed Sue, warned her not to scream and shoved his pistol barrel in her back. She readily complied trembling from head to toe. Paul and Timothy escorted the two prisoners quickly past Julius’ and Todd’s office directing them to the vault. Upon reaching the door, Paul punched in the access code and the door opened, much to the surprise of Sue and the security guard. When the door opened, the two villains force marched the two prisoners into the vault. As soon as they entered the vault, Timothy took a swipe at the guard, knocking him out. ‘The only violent scene of the hit.’ Paul thought. He motioned Sue to move to the right corner of the vault and looked in amazement at all the cash within it.
“We should have brought two bags!” he exclaimed to Timothy who had emptied the duffle bag of all the fake documents and thrown them on the floor. The two crooks started to load the bag with all the money the bag could carry. After filling the bag to the brim, Paul took two bricks of money and placed them in his blazer pockets. This exercise took about five minutes. Upon completing the exercise, the two gentlemen headed for the vault door, looked at Sue and chorused “Sorry sweetheart!” just like James Woods had said in ‘The Loot’ movie. With that statement, the two closed the vault door shut and walked nonchalantly down the corridor.
As they approached the stairs, something really bad happened. The alarm went off. That was not in the script. Paul and Timothy stopped dead in their tracks. The two guards whom they had passed, immediately pulled out their fire arms, pointed them towards the two well dressed gentlemen and told them to freeze. Paul did not want to go to jail, not today anyway. He dove into the kitchen, whose door was opened and nearest to them. The swift movement caused the two guards to open fire, shooting Timothy in the leg. He fell to the ground screaming, and recklessly dropped the bag of loot over the rails into the banking hall scattering the money all over the hall.
“Damn!” Paul exclaimed, as he closed and locked the kitchen door. He too would have been caught if he had tried to rescue his dear brother. He moved quickly to the kitchen window and looked down into the alley behind the bank. He saw the large bin which was directly underneath the kitchen window. The two guards banged on the door trying desperately to get in, Paul pushed the stove in front of the door to reinforce his locking of the door. Paul then opened the window and using the two meter long curtain as a rope, climbed out of the window and moved slowly down the back wall. Upon reaching the curtain end, Paul fell freely into the bin. It caught his fall, luckily.

He picked himself up and threw himself out of the bin smelling like the local garbage boy. He then quickly made his way back onto the street and walked cautiously seeing all the policemen who had arrived at the crime scene. He noticed that Simba had read the situation and left the area as well. Paul walked quickly across Seventh Avenue to the City Hall. After dropping the gun, he also got rid of the tie and after transferring the two bricks from his blazer to his trouser pockets he threw it in too. After walking past the City Hall and stepping into Eighth Avenue, Paul noticed a car that was following him closely. It was Simba. Paul jumped into the car in a flash.
“How far?” Simba asked.
“We got nabbed! Julius! The idiot! He didn’t tell me that there was an alarm system in the vault! We locked the girl in the vault just like in the flick and somehow she got to the alarm switch before we could get to the damn stairs.”
“And Timothy?”
“Guards shot him in the leg as we tried to work our way back through the corridor.”
“The loot?”
“He had the bag so we didn’t get anything. I only got these two bricks. Man let’s get out of here before the cops get us. To the border, right now!”
“Bad luck dude, Ain’t the world cruel.”
“Damn TV man! Let’s get out of here!”
“Yes let’s.”

My Story

I have always loved telling stories. It has always been a part of me. I think it must have started when I won a prize in the third grade for writing the best composition. Since that day, I have taken every opportunity I could to tell people about what happened or what could happen, you know, truth and fiction. It drew me closer to people and allowed me to capture their hearts, even if only for a moment. I hope you’re reading this because I have another story to tell. I want to tell you a story about a bar tender and one of his patrons. The bar tender’s name is Tafadzwa and the patron Hlalani.

Tafadzwa had been a bar tender for two years. After completing his high school education (which he didn’t do to well at) he had searched for any type of employment. Thanks to his uncle, who owned a pub in one of the leafy suburbs in the city, he had landed the bar tending job which had fallen vacant after the original bar man had left for greener pastures. Tafadzwa thanked his uncle countlessly and promised him diligence. After a week’s training, the young man started running his grind behind the bar counter. To his uncle’s surprise, he turned out to be really good at the job. Tafadzwa was so good at mixing and concocting cocktails, that he caused an increase in patronage at the pub. As the months went by his reputation as a liquid chef par excellence, spread through out the city making the pub one of the hottest spots in the town. People living in the city, and those visiting for a few days, made it a point to visit Ngoni’s bar and indulge themselves in Tafadzwa’s liquour delights. Because of this, Uncle Ngoni made it a point to keep Tafadzwa at the bar for as long as possible, giving him a hefty salary and great perquisites. This did not impress the club manager who complained that the boy was getting a better deal than his own. However, Ngoni managed to iron out the differences, but always pointed out that Tafadzwa was an asset to the club and should therefore be treated that way, lest he gets frustrated and find a better place to render his services. For Ngoni, it had been a good two years.

Another quality that Tafadzwa had was his ability to relate to his patrons. Learning at a school where manners were as important as the subjects that were taught, Tafadzwa and all the other pupils had been groomed into fine young men. The patrons always commented on Tafadzwa’s courteousness. This attribute, they claimed, made them want to visit the club again and again and again. The best way you could have measured Tafadzwa’s good manners and great ability to communicate, was to measure the amount of tips that he got from the customers at the end of each night. His co - workers were always green with envy. But hey life’s like that right? If you’re making a lot of money for somebody else, you have to find a way to make a bit for yourself using the same clientele. However, it has to be in a legitimate manner because stealing will get you into trouble.

On one Wednesday evening when business was slow, a young lady walked into the pub. The girl had beautiful skin, caramel coloured and it looked so smooth you could almost lick it. Everybody, patrons and employees stopped for a moment to adore the thing of beauty that had walked through the door. The girl looked like she was used to gentlemen attention, and gave a catwalk performance from the door to the bar. What was odd is that she kept her pair of sunglasses on. It was around 8 in the evening and the lighting within the club was not that great. Tafadzwa was manning the fort, as usual, when she got to the bar. He greeted her as is the custom and politely asked her what she wanted to drink.
“Scotch on the rocks, in fact make it a double!”
“Phew! What? You trying to kill yourself in our pub? Ain’t it a li’l early for the heavy stuff?”
“I need it to forget th…Just get me the damn drink please!”
“Okay fine! No need to be harsh.”
“I...I’m sorry. Had a really bad day that’s all.”
“It’s alright ma’am. They happen to all of us, no matter how good we’ve been.”

The last remark made her smile. Tafadzwa took advantage of this by introducing himself as he handed her the drink. She was a little hesitant but his aura seemed to bring her a lot of comfort. She introduced herself as Hlalani and a little small talk followed. After the usual niceties Tafadzwa asked,
“Excuse my inquisition but why do you have your shades on in the middle of the night? Are you the mafia or better yet are they after you?”
“That does not happen in our country, does it?”
“You’ll be surprised. I’ve seen a lot of things in this here club.”
“Oh really?”
“Sure! What do you think the guys by the door are getting paid for?”
“I guess you’re right...Well I just don’t want to talk about it right now.”
“It’s cool. Forgive my way wardness.”
They didn’t talk about the glasses, but continued chatting about anything and everything until closing time. Tafadzwa ensured that Hlalani did not over imbibe as she had told him that she had driven to the club. He had lost a friend to drunken driving and the pain of that loss haunted him every day. After downing her last glass, Hlalani took out a couple of notes and handed them to Tafadzwa.
“Thank you so much for today, I needed a bit of company. I’m definitely coming back tomorrow. Because of you, this place rocks.”
“I can’t accept your money now. Let’s just say you’re a new friend and talking to you has made my day too.”
“In that case take the cash as a token of my friendly appreciation.”
“No! What would make me real happy is seeing you tomorrow.”
“I’ll be here. Good night.”
“Good night.”

It’s amazing how twelve hours can feel like an eternity. The next day really dragged for Tafadzwa. Even Ngoni, noticed that he wasn’t himself.
“Why you so jumpy boy? What do you want a raise? Or have you won the lotto or something?” He asked.
“No, Uncle...I just met this really awesome babe. Sheesh! She’s hot!” Tafadzwa relied with a sly smile on his face.
“Boys! It always has to be about girls...I should’ve known.”

When the clock struck eight Tafadzwa fixed his eyes on the door but no one came through, well at least not Hlalani. Ten past eight, nothing. Half past eight, still nothing. Quarter to nine, No Hlalani. By nine o’clock he had given up and had returned his focus to his loyal patrons who always kept their dates. At ten past nine, the door opened and a fabulous lady walked in. She hadn’t lied. She looked even better and had they been at school, Tafadzwa would’ve whistled from the moment she walked from the door up until she got to the bar. Although she still had her shades on, Hlalani looked divine. Tafadzwa opened the day’s conversation with the words,
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”
“Stop it! You trying to flatter me?” She replied with a shy giggle.
“If it’ll get you to smile, yes.”
“You’re so sweet!”
“I get that all the time. You’ll have to do better than that.”
She smiled.
“You’re an hour late.” He said looking at his watch.
“Now that’s unfair, I never told you what time I’d be here, so technically I’m on time.”
“You’re so right!” He replied with a shy looking smile.
After the small talk, Tafadzwa asked his assistant Nhlanhla to take over. He walked Heather to one of the unoccupied tables, pulled a seat out for her and sat next to her.
“You should try my martini; it’s the best in the country.”
“Is it? Aren’t you blowing your horn a little Mr. Tafadzwa?”
“No dear, I know it is. That’s why our club is the most visited in the city. You can have a couple on me, while you and I chat about what defines you and the things you hate.” Tafadzwa replied as he signalled to a waiter to bring two martinis to their table. The two sipped on Tafadzwa’s delish martinis. As she indulged, he looked at her expectant of a good remark.
“It’s good...ish.” She teasingly said.
“That’s a first.” He retorted.
“I’m sorry. What were you expecting?” She asked mockingly.
“Great! Maginifique! Fantastico! ”
“I’m playing with you man. I’ m not French or Spanish, so I’ll say that your Martini’s great.”
“That’s better. Now we’re best buddies. Another thing, you should stop wearing your glasses at night. I want to see how beautiful you look.” Tafadzwa said reaching for her glasses.
“No! don_.” Heather replied trying to move her head back. It was too late. Tafadzwa had seen the black ring that went round her right eye. She had beautiful brown eyes but the black ring showed that there was a fool out there who did not appreciate her beauty. Tafadzwa felt like he’d opened a can of worms. He asked her who had done this to her. She told him that it was none of his business. He insisted that it was because a friend’s safety is always a true friend’s business. She stayed silent for a minute, gathered a little courage and said,
“It was my boy friend Malcolm. We had a little argument last night and he got real angry. One thing led to another and he punched me in the face. I can assure you that it has never happened before and from the apology that he gave me this morning, I’m sure it won’t happen again. I shouldn’t be telling you this because it’s my business and I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. So don’t worry about it okay?”
“Whatever you say.” Tafadzwa replied and ordered two more martinis. The two continued to talk until the early hours of the morning. Hlalani kept telling Tafadzwa that he mad her laugh so much, and she really appreciated him. After the club closed, Hlalani said that it was time for her to go home. She thanked Tafadzwa for another wonderful evening. She told him that she liked the idea of them being friends because they seemed to be getting along really well. She promised that she would continue to visit the club regularly just because of her new found friend, as well as free martinis.

The following weeks were great for Tafadzwa. He got to see his friend more amd more, and because of that they grew closer. Ngoni noticed this and warned Tafadzwa not to neglect his work because of a girl who was in love with somebody else. Tafadzwa told his uncle not to worry and that he had everything under control. She was only a good friend and their relationship was just that.
On the Friday of the fourth week of their acquaintanceship, Hlalani walked into the club with her shades on. Even worse her lower lip had a band aid on the left side. This incensed Tafadzwa.
“Heather you should stop doing this to yourself. You want to leave this guy when it’s too late? When he’s taken all your teeth out or better yet killed you? This prick doesn’t deserve you! No man who beats a lady deserves one. Leave this punk before you get really hurt.”
“But I love him Tafadzwa! He’s in my heart. He’s the only man I’ll ever love. Malcolm and I have been though a lot and I can’t leave him.”
“You can’t or you won’t? Heather people change. The Malcolm you knew is not the Malcolm you know. I know you love him but does he love you? Sometimes love hurts, but not like this.”
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. He didn’t mean it.”
“Suit yourself Hla..But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

The fifth week passed by and Hlalani went through another healing cycle. Tafadzwa felt her pain but couldn’t do anything. He wished that he could put his hands on Malcolm and beat the living day light out of him. Didn’t he see the beauty that everybody else saw in Hlalani? The lady was too sweet and her warmth was to die for. This was the kind of woman you could cherish until you died. What a loser!
Due to the pain that she had suffered she spent more time at the club, each time she visited. This was to try and avoid a fight with Malcolm and at the same time spend as much time with her new muse, Tafadzwa. She cherished the moments that they spent together. He was such a gentleman.

On the Saturday of the fifth week, Hlalani walked in at around nine. Tafadzwa wasn’t working. His uncle had given him a well deserved off day. She found him seated at the table where they had had their second date. ‘He is such a sweet man.’ she thought.
“Hie Taff! How you doing?”
“I’m good Hla. Real good. You look stunning, as always. Are you sure you’re not an angel? Am I dead?”
“Stop it! Now you’re making me blush.”
“We wouldn’t want to do that now would we? Have a seat my sweet and let me get us something to drink.”
“A martini please. The one you with the French vermouth.”
“Coming right up.”

Tafadzwa went to the back of the counter and made his special martinis himself. He then signalled to one of the waiters to carry the two drinks for them. He sat next to his beautiful friend and starred into her beautiful brown eyes. If only he could get rid of the black eye and the scar on her lip, she’d be flawless. He wanted to say so much to her but felt her love for Malcolm would cause her not to want to listen. He was amazed by her loyalty to her man despite all the bad things that he had done to her. She was a really great woman.
“What’s with starring Taff? You’re making me nervous.”
“Oh nothing. I’m just looking at a Picasso that’s all.”
“Hmm...Tafadzwa! Why don’t you have a girlfriend by the way?”
“I’m always busy here and I haven’t found the lady who tickles my fancy.”
“Don’t worry it’ll happen soon. You deserve the best.” she said holding his hand.
“I hope s...”
A banging sound by the door startled everybody in the club. Screams could be heard from outside. The two bouncers by the door ran to the back of the club like athletes running a race. They looked scared. The door was kicked open and a man carrying a gun walked in. He looked very angry. Hlalani wilted when she saw the man with the gun. She started to sweat and tremble.
“Where is she? Where’s my cheating woman?” The man with the gun asked. “I know she’s here. She’d better come out now or there’ll be hell to pay!”
Hlalani stood up from where she was sitting and shouted “Malcolm! What on earth are you doing? Have you gone mad?”
“Shut up you slut!” He cried out pointing the gun at her “Tell that no good son of a gun sitting next to you to get up too, now!”
“No!” she replied, with fear in her eyes, “This is between me and you, so leave him out of this.”
“You’re so wrong!” he retorted “It’s all about him. What the hell is he doing with another man’s treasure? Ha?” Malcolm asked waving the gun in Tafadzwa’s direction. “What are you dong with my fiancé you fool?”
“Look man.” Tafadzwa said standing up slowly “We don’t want any trouble. Just put the gun dow..”
“Shut up! You think I don’t know what’s going on here? You’ve been sleeping with my girl, you punk!”
“Malcolm!” Hlalani screamed, “That is not true! Tafadzwa is just a friend. Please put the gun dow..”
“You’re lying! You’re lying! I’m sick and tired of your nonsense Hla! You two timing slut! How could you? How could you do this to me? You whore!”
“Baby I did nothing! I promise he’s just a friend. Sweetie please put the gun down.” she pleaded, with tears in her eyes.
“I love you Hlalani. If I can’t have you, then no one will! Goodbye!” He said pointing the pistol at her chest and squeezed the trigger. Tafadzwa had no time to watch Hlalani fall horrifically to the ground and see the blood shoot from her left breast like a water fountain. Because as soon as Malcolm had shot Hlalani, the pistol had been pointed his way and two rounds had hit him in the abdomen. He fell on his knees, clutching the two bullet wounds on his stomach. The pain was agonising and he cried like an infant. He started coughing out blood and tears fell from his bloodshot eyes. On seeing this, the other patrons screamed in panic, with most people hitting the ground for cover. Others rushed to the toilet or any other exit that was close to them. Another shot was fired. It made a deafening sound. It came from Ngoni’s shot gun. He had shot Malcolm in the chest. Tafadzwa crawled to where Hlalani lay. He called out to her but she did not say a word. The bullet must have hit her in the heart. He held her face in his hands and screamed out ‘Why?!’ continuously. Ngoni ran to him and tried as best as he could to move him away from her. Ngoni shouted to one of the waiters to call an ambulance and the police. Tafadzwa was losing a lot of blood. Weakened by the loss of blood and the hurt he felt in his heart he lay himself beside Hlalani and said, “My sweet Hla. How could he have hurt you so? How could he hurt an angel?”
“Tafadzwa be cool! Don’t die on me son. Don’t you dare!” Ngoni shouted.

The ambulance arrived thirty minutes later and declared that both Hlalani and Malcolm had died. They tried as best as they could to resuscitate Tafadzwa but the bullets had hit his vital abdominal organs. He died on his way to the hospital. It’s a sad story isn’t it? Well what makes it worse is that Tafadzwa’s story is my story. I am Tafadzwa and I told this story to the paramedic before I passed away. The paramedic had said talking to him would help me not lose my consciousness. Well, it didn’t work out because right now I see a bright light in front of me and a deep voice calling out my name. I have died. I hope the paramedic tells you my story, because through him I’ll get to tell my last.

Less of a woman

We’re looking at each other him and I, father and daughter locked in a bitter dispute. He does not want to understand where I am coming from and I cannot understand why. “Ntombi!”He keeps saying, “You’re not serious. You don’t mean it. This can’t be happening to me!” And each time I reply “It’s true dad. It’s who I am and I can’t change it. In fact I won’t” My mother doesn’t want to look at me. She is in shock. She had always read about it but never thought that it would one day fall on her door step. I guess she feels betrayed.

I had been raised as an only child. My father, a pastor of the Lutheran church, was the best father any girl could ever wish for. He had both paternal and maternal instincts and that made him the most loveable man in the world. Loving my father was easy. He always laughed and had the ability of solving problems with a smile on his face. His belief in God helped him overcome all trials and tribulations. Because of his kind hearted nature, he had tremendous respect in the neighbourhood, as well as the church. People simply adored him. My mother was a loving lady who put me first in all she did. Anything I asked for I could have. Well, almost anything. She had too big a heart for that little body of hers. I always marvelled at how she was always concerned about other people’s feelings and problems. She always lent her ear to all those in dire straits and where she could, gave a helping hand. She was also a very humble woman who believed so much in modesty. ‘Charity begins at home.’ was her most said statement.

In my best interests, my parents sent me to an all girls boarding school for my high school education. I thought they were trying to get rid of me. I was very upset. My father promised me that they weren’t trying to get rid of me but wanted me to get the best out of life, meaning good grades. I still didn’t understand because for my junior level certificate I had the best grades in the school, but had stayed at home. I had better grades than the head boy and head girl, who were both boarders. They still insisted that I should go. I realised that I had no choice and complied. It would be a very enlightening six years. At school I discovered a bit more of whom I was and learnt how to feel. I did not pay a lot of attention to these feelings however, because I was focused on getting good grades. I wanted to study law at university. The hard reading bore fruit because after the six year stint I was rewarded with three As for my A levels and got a scholarship to study law at the best university in the country.

I learnt a lot during my university years, both academically and socially. The social part was more interesting as compared to the academic. I met Nathan during my first year of study. He was two years ahead of me, studying for a degree in architecture. He was hot. We dated for a few months. It didn’t seem to work out for the two of us because all he seemed to talk about was sex. Being a pastor’s daughter, I had been warned several times about the evils of fornication. Nathan didn’t seem to understand this principle and tried all he could to get me into his bed. After realising that he wouldn’t win, he broke up with me. It was a bitter divorce. On the day that we broke up, he shouted at the top of his voice, telling everybody how ugly I was and that he’d find himself somebody better. After Nathan, I went a year without a boyfriend. The fight with Nathan had drained all my emotions, and had developed in me relationship phobia. All the guys who tried to get with me during that time dubbed me the ice queen because I gave a good tongue lashing on how I would never, ever, ever, go out with them! Poor guys, I wish I could’ve found another way to tell them that I had had a bad relationship and I was trying to heal. I was young.

During my third year of study I met Nkosi. He was a dream. Unlike most guys, he didn’t come on too strong. He was in his fifth year, studying engineering. I didn’t see him during my second year because he was on industrial attachment. He was a handsome man, with a very beautiful smile. When he talked to me for the first time, I felt weak in the knees. You could say that it was love at first sight. He said everything that a woman wanted to hear. He was good. When we were apart I felt so alone. I was so into him that I started to see less of my friends. It was like I needed him to breathe. Six months into our relationship, we decided to take it a step further. We felt we were so committed to each other and that we’d never be apart. I forgot all about the good pastor’s sermons. I did it for Nkosi. I loved him dearly. The pain was unbearable the first time we did it, but the times we did it after that, tasted better than chocolate. Nkosi was a real gentleman. I broke up with him though. Something was just not right. I felt I needed more. Nkosi told me that his heart had been torn to shreds the day I told him that I didn’t want to be with him anymore. He questioned my decision with a lot of ‘Whys?’. I had no answer back then. I do now. The best excuse I had was that I felt real guilty about what we were doing and staying with him would make me want to continue to sin. He didn’t buy it, but being the good gentleman that he was; he respected my decision and moved on. The real reason that I broke up with Nkosi was because I didn’t find him that attractive anymore. He just didn’t do it for me, matter of fact nor did other boys. They all seemed to have flaws and being the perfectionist that I am, I couldn’t stop counting their discrepancies. They were overrated, too aggressive, smelled funny and above all didn’t know how to kiss. I learned how to kiss during my fourth year at high school. Thembi, my good friend gave the kissing lesson to me as my sixteenth birthday gift. It felt awesome. Her soft red lips on mine made the adrenalin pump. To this day, no one has kissed or touched me as passionately as Thembi, not until I met Janice.

In my final year at college, I partied a lot. My friend Gamu and I felt that it was our last year to have fun before we stepped into a world of seriousness. We pledged to have as much fun as possible, as we would probably not see each other again. We went out every weekend, checking out each and every hot spot in the city. Being beautiful, we did this on other people’s tabs, off course. We were also wise enough not to give it up to our cash spenders. We were code named the vampire bats (who sucked the cash blood out of their hosts). On the Friday before the swat week for our final examinations, we went to a karaoke bar named the Tavern. Gamu and I had decided to get real drunk, because the weeks that lay ahead would be real hectic. After a few glasses of wine, we went up on stage and started making fools out of ourselves, much to the discomfort of our dates. Gamu sang an old jazz song which I can’t remember off hand, while I danced. After a minute of our scintillating performance, an angel of a woman joined us on stage. She joined me in dance, moving ever so gracefully. Her nimble feet made the crowd give a cheer. As we got caught up in the beat, we moved closer and closer to each other till I felt her body move in rhythm with mine. The closer she got the more I noticed how good she looked. She also smelled great. She wore a tight mini skirt which revealed the sexiest legs that a girl could ever want. Her astounding feature was her beautiful green eyes. They added sparkle to her already glamorous looking face. She looked like something that had been pulled out of a wishing well, a pure dream. After our little show, the lady whispered into my ear, “Can we talk outside? It’s kinda noisy in here.” The way she said it made me feel a little weird, but I obliged. I followed her out the bar and as we neared the corner to the car park, she did the craziest thing. She turned, held me in her arms and kissed me, like a man would kiss his woman. The kiss made me tremble. My mind kept telling me that it wasn’t right but my body yearned for more. My lips moved in tandem with hers for a couple of seconds until I pushed her back.
“What are you doing to me?” I asked with my hands on my head.
“I’m trying to get with you.” was her reply. After saying that, she moved a little closer and put her hand in mine. I pulled my hand back. She was making me nervous.
“You must have me mistaken for somebody else. I’m not a lesbian.”
“Nobody said you were. I just think that you’re pretty and have the most kissable lips.”
“Stop it! Stop patronising me!”
“Okay. I’m sorry. Can we start over again? Hi my name is Janice and you are?”
“You’re doing it again! Why are you doing this to me?”
“Look, I just want to talk and right now, you seem a little confused. Let me give you my business card. Let’s meet somewhere else and talk. Okay?” She said, putting her card into the palm of my hands. Still in total shock, I couldn’t muster the courage to respond. She went on to give me a hug, and as she drew back she whispered ‘goodnight’ into my ears and walked elegantly to a red Toyota Yaris, opened the door and drove off. For a moment, I felt like my feet had been cemented to the ground, for I stood there for what must’ve been an eternity, trying to comprehend on what had just taken place. I wasn’t gay, at least I thought I wasn’t but something about her made me want to reach for her. Must’ve been the kiss. Or maybe it was the warmth of her touch which seemed to have a culminating effect on me. I was totally confused. As I wrestled with the questions that had been brought about by our little incident, I noticed that Gamu was now standing beside me. She asked, “What are you doing outside?”
“Nothing!” I replied, “Can we go now? I’m tired.”
“It’s alright. I got us some cab money, so we can leave the guys to have their fun, without us. Let’s go.”

My final exam week was the most stressful of my life. Reading was very difficult. I kept thinking of Janice and our little incident. In as much as I was angered and confused, I was also fascinated. On a few occasions I found myself at the phone booth with her business card, but before she picked up, I would cut the line, thinking to myself that I would not be able to give her what she wanted from me. After writing the last of my final exams, I phoned my father to confirm whether he would be coming to pick me up in the evening, as planned. My mother answered, and said that my father had been called for an urgent meeting by the church elders and therefore would not be able to come and pick me up that night, nor on the next day but would definitely be there on Sunday evening after his sermon, off course. I was disappointed. I missed both of them so much. I had no choice but to wait for my dad to come. I had too much luggage, four years worth. So i braced myself for a very long and lonely weekend as most of my friends had left, including Gamu.

The evening dragged along. I decided to occupy myself by packing some of my belongings into my bags. As I was packing my books, a card fell out of one of my textbooks. It was Janice’s business card. My heart skipped a beat. I reached for my cell phone on the desk and dialled her number. A few seconds later, I heard her voice on the other side of the line. It sounded so refined. I heard her say hullo a couple of times before I found the courage to reply.
“Uhmm hullo, Janice. It’s Ntombi. The girl u met at the Tavern. Remember me?”
“How could I forget? I was beginning to think that you wouldn’t call.”
“Well, I was busy with my exams and had absolutely no time to spare.”
“I understand. I’ve been thinking about you though. Is there any chance of me seeing you?”
“Uhhm. Yes. I’m on campus right now and could meet you in the city center in about an hour.”
“I’ve got a better idea. I’ll come and pick you up. I’m about to knock off. Is that fine?”
“It’s alright.”
“See you then. Bye.”

Fourty minutes later, I was seated in Janice’s car and we were headed for the Shangri La, the city’s finest restaurant. I was filled with anxiety, panic controlling my every thought and deed. Janice, on the other hand was nonchalant. She was very beautiful, from the locks of her hair to the toes on her feet (she had taken her heels off). The good Lord must’ve taken his time when he was making her. Her exceptional beauty made me feel jealous. At the restaurant we decided to chat so we could get to know each other better. I found out that she was an accountant, doing her articles with a prominent firm in the city. She was twenty seven years old, four years my senior and had also studied at the same university as me. She went on to spell the things she liked which included shoes, jewellery, and good food. After her oration, we ordered. As we ate, I spilt the beans on who I was and the things that had me be who I am. This information included that I was an only child, aged twenty three, had just finished my law degree, and loved my parents dearly. I also mentioned that I loved clothes, especially those made by guys like Yves saint Lauren, dolce and gabbanna, Gucci and Luis Vuitton (much to my father’s disagreement). I also enjoyed reading and watching a whole load of movies. With that said, she told me that she had rented a couple of DVDs and would love to watch them with me. I could not fight temptation especially when it involved watching a good flick. She lived in an immaculate town house at the edge of the city, in a very affluent neighbourhood. Her house was beautiful, both outside and in. The inside smelled really fantastic. Her house had a very welcoming atmosphere and I was taken back by her art collection. She didn’t have Picasso’s or Rembrandt’s, but the ones that she had looked really good and made the house a home. It was a little chilly, so she went outside to collect some fire wood, so that we could light a fire by the fire place. After this gruesome task, she went to the kitchen and brought some red wine and two glasses. Before she sat down she rushed to her bedroom and brought two blankets, one for me and one for her. We sat on the couch, her next to me, clad in the blankets she had brought, and began watching one of the three dvds she had hired. The wine tasted delicious. The glasses that she had brought made the wine taste even better. In the middle of the second movie, she leaned towards me and kissed me on my left cheek. Breathing heavily on my neck, she reached for my body with her soft slender hands and put her lips on mine. The feeling I felt could not be described. It was better than bliss. We didn’t stop kissing for almost thirty minutes. As we kissed we couldn’t stop groping each other. I wanted her badly and she seemed to want me too. We didn’t watch the movie to the end. She got up and stretched her right arm with an intense look on her face. I put my hand in hers, and let her lead me to her bedroom. That was the greatest night of my life. I had fallen in love, deeply. After it had happened, I knew I had sinned but didn’t feel guilty at all. It felt so right. I spent the next day and night with Janice; with me falling deeper in love and her expressing how much of me she wanted.


The next three months were excruciating. Janice and I talked regularly on the phone but it didn’t feel the same. I wanted to be with her. As each day passed by I was reassured that I could love no one the way that I loved her. She had slowly become my heart beat. I loved her because of the way she understood me. We had a telepathic connection. I missed my new found love so much, that on days that we didn’t talk I’d get sick with grief. My final results were published at the end of the third month. I had passed. My mother and father had thrown a party in my honour. I had made them so proud. Two weeks after the results had been published, I got a call from Bard and Associates, a law firm in the capital city. They wanted me to start as soon as possible. I was so excited about this new opportunity that had come my way. I was also excited to find out that they had placed me in the same city where Janice lived. I was going to see my love again. She came to pick me up at the bus station. As always, she looked very pretty. I fell into her arms and could not contain my joy. Janice was and still is my everything. She smiled a broad smile each time she looked at my face, as we drove through the city to her house. I didn’t have a place of my own and she had suggested that I stay with her until I could afford to get a place of my own. I never moved out. Within a year I had risen to the position of junior partner. I could afford to live in a house of my own, but I chose to stay with the love of my life. I never wanted us to be apart. I really loved her. I also wanted to show her off to all the people that mattered to me.

For the Christmas holiday, Janice and I journeyed to my parent’s home, so I could formally introduce her to them.
“Ntombi! This is not fair to me, you and your mother. Why can’t you be normal like all the other girls and find a decent boy and get married?” My father shouted.
“I’m normal dad. Normal enough to have found true love. I’m also happy that the person I love, loves me as much as I do her.”
“NaNtombi she’s breaking my heart. Talk to your daughter before she kills me. I will die today.”
“You won’t die dad, the fact that I love another woman, does not make me less of a woman, does it?”
“Ntombi! Have you forgotten that I am a church pastor? Sodom and Gomorrah were burnt to ashes because of what you and your friend are doing. What has gotten into you Nto?! My only child! Haa Nkosi yami!”
“Papa, now you’re being too dramatic. Janice and I love each other a lot and we intend to be together for a long time whether you like it or not. She’s the air that I breathe and because of the way that she understands me, I could never love another the way that I love her.”
“NaNtombi! What will the congregation say about me now? My own daughter a lesbian? Is that what I sent you to university for? Why Ntombi? Why are you doing this to me?”
“Papa I’m doing nothing wrong here. It’s just how I feel. Please papa, understand where I’m coming from. You have always told me to follow my heart and right now it’s with Janice and for as long as I’m alive I want it to stay that way.
“Ntombi you have driven me to the edge, it’s either you get rid of this girl or you leave my house and don’t come back! You hear me?!”
Before I could say anything, my mother hurriedly said, “Seka Ntombi, it must not come to that. We cannot afford to lose our only daughter. Let’s be a bit open minded here. Don’t chase away my pride and joy, please Seka Mntwana. I would die without Ntombi.”

My father was too angry to say anything. He rushed to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water. I had never seen him this tense before in my whole life. He was so disappointed. My mother got up from her seat and joined my father in the kitchen. They talked to each other, whispering all the way for what seemed an eternity. After their lengthy discussion, they walked back into the lounge, sat down and looked at me. My father, worn down by the argument with me and the heart to heart with my mother looked like he was going to burst. He opened his mouth and said, “Mntanami! I am a church pastor, a strong believer in God almighty. I believe what you are doing is wrong. However, being a good father is letting you make your own decisions and allowing you to determine what you want in your life...”
My mother interjected, “what your father is trying to say is that your friend is welcome here my daughter. Bring her in so that we may see her.” I got up and rushed to give both of them a hug. With tears in my eyes, I walked to the front gate where Janice and I had parked the car. She opened the door for me and asked, “How did it go?”
“They said that you’re welcome here and they want you to come in.”
“So why are you crying sweetie?” she asked as she wiped the tears from my eyes.
“Janice it’s going to be a long and rocky road, an emotional roller coaster. We will have to be strong.”
“I know sweetie. Love hurts. But we will be okay. I love you.” she said giving me a kiss on the lips.
“I love you too.” I replied putting my arm around her. “Now let’s go in.”
With her hand in mine, we walked in silence from the gate to the front door.