My Ex Almost Broke Me

Going on a date

Bukhosi’s POV

Three months later

My mom is so excited she couldn’t sit still for the last couple of hours. My dad and brothers have been rolling their eyes. She even offered to let me choose the ‘right outfit’. I haven’t seen her so happy since I got here. When I declined her offer, I thought she’d be hurt. She doesn’t like it when she can’t do the little things for us. Some things I really hoped she’d stop doing when I got married, but she didn’t. I always thought Sibu would have a problem, but she didn’t and that made my mom super happy, like she is right now.

“My babies are getting married soon,” said my mom, fixing my shirt. That was so out of the blue.

“Who said anything about marriage?” Asked Senkosi, looking up from his phone. My mom has been going on and on about marriage since Senkosi brought his girlfriend home. It got worse when I told them I was going on a date. And when my mom doesn’t say anything, because she doesn’t want to spoil her mood, Senkosi clarifies. “Your babies aren’t getting married,” said Senkosi. I don’t know what’s wrong with this one. He hates any talk related to marriage. One would swear he was the one who was getting divorced. I know divorces take longer, but I feel like Sibu is secretly dragging her feet on purpose. And for some stupid reason, I prayed that the baby was mine. But, I’ve seen the pictures, that tiny baby looks so much like her father. I didn’t think it’d be possible, but I saw the pictures. People keep saying, I’m saying the baby Grace, yes I even know her name. They keep saying I think she’s adorable because I love kids. But I don’t think that’s the reason. Even though I dislike that guy, I have got to say he has good and strong genes. I hope my kids look exactly like me. I also get the feeling that Sibu posted the pictures because she knows I will see them. Sibu, I knew, was a private person. She didn’t post our wedding pictures until our 1st marriage anniversary but people knew we had been married. On the other hand, I hardly posted anything private, all I did online was promote our jobs online. And eighty percent of the clients that contacted her via f*******: were the ones that saw my posts. I shook my head. I don’t know why I’m thinking about Sibu when I have a date with a beautiful lady.

“I may not be getting married soon. But I’m definitely getting married again in the future.” My mom stopped trying to fix my clothes and she folds me into a hug. It’s like I announced that I am getting married soon.

“You’ll get married, that girl has a beautiful name,” announced my mother with a huge smile. Her whole face brightened up. And I hated that I had to be the one to tell her that her name had nothing to do with marriage. She’s really reaching. Who says stuff like that? What is wrong with this woman? Even Senkosi, the most opinionated person in the family, is quiet. He is speechless. Trust my mom to use her name as an excuse for me to get married. But before I could say anything, my dad spoke.

“Your divorce hasn’t been settled yet but you are talking about marriage. What’s wrong with you?” Asked my mom, walking into the sitting room with a cup of coffee. My mom gave him a nasty look. He’s not allowed to drink coffee, it gives him heart palpitations. I almost laughed when he gave my mom a nasty look of his own. He turned to look at me. He takes a sip, as if to spite my mom before he talks. “Don’t rush into marriage. But I wouldn’t mind having a grandchild next month,” he winks. I can’t help but laugh, this man has dreams. A baby next month? He’s joking. I also want a baby but I want to wait for marriage. I hope my next wife won’t put off having kids. The clock is ticking, I don’t want to attend Grade 1 parents meetings in fifty-something years.

“Off you go. If you don’t leave now, you’ll be late. And it’s rude to keep a lady waiting,” said my mom, fixing my collar for the hundredth time. She pushes me towards the kitchen door.

“Wait, I need to fetch my watch and wallet first,” I told her before I headed to my room. I take the two things from the bedside table before I head out. My God, my mom is so excited, she’s more excited than I am, and I’m the one going on a date.

“You deserve the break, you’ve been working non-stop. I was starting to worry you'd get sick from over working,” confessed Senkosi. This comes as a shock. Senkosi has never said anything. I didn’t even know what to say, so I smiled and pat him on the shoulder before I turned to leave.

“Enjoy,” they say in unison. I tell them I will as I close the door.

On the thirty minute drive to the restaurant I kept thinking, how Nande, the lady I’m meeting, would feel about this old van of mine. When she saw it at her parents’, I bet she didn’t think I’d use it today. I hope she doesn’t think I have a fancy car stashed in a garage somewhere. Sibu hated this truck more than anything in this world, but I couldn’t buy a new car. I had to pay for the house and the bills. That’s why I was shocked when she said it was ‘her’ house. I paid for it since she got it. I was totally against the idea but it made her happy, so I wanted her to be happy, but where did that get me? It got me finalising my divorce. I should actually stop thinking about her, not when I’m on my way to a date. It’s been months since I went on a date. Sibu is the only woman I’ve been on a date with. We were high school sweethearts. We’ve known each other since we were kids. She’s the only girl I dated, all of my firsts were with her. Thinking about doing this with someone else makes me super nervous. What if she doesn’t like me? What if she also thinks I’m too soft? What if she thinks I’m not good enough? I don’t even know where all these negative thoughts are coming from, but I can’t get them out of my mind. And by the time the car stops by the restaurant entrance, I’m a nervous wreck. I look at the time. I am fifteen minutes early. I still have time to calm myself down. I’m tempted to drive back home, but it wouldn’t be fair to Nande, she’s not the one who hurt me, so I won’t do her dirty like that.