FINDERS KEEPERS

15

FINDERS KEEPERS

FIFTEEN

"I will have the Mediterranean zucchini spaghetti with lemon sauce please"

He writes my oder down and turns to Kagiso. Folding the menus he piles them up in one and hands them over to the waiter.

"and I'll have the creamy orange wadolf salad, and a bottle of your best wine"

The waiter whose name I think is Mose, writes our orders down and the leaves. I turn my attention back to Kagiso.

"that's quite a meal won't you say?" I raise my eyebrow.

He looks at me and then chuckles.

"trust me, we taking a detour to mc Donalds after this" he takes his phone out and checks it before he frowns and put it back in his pocket.

"so why come here, we could have just gone to mc Donalds, better yet, ordered Chinese huh" I wiggle my eyebrows.

"tempting, I might just ditch this place and go there, but unfortunately, we can't"

"why not?"

"it's something we need to do" Ohkay. I won't ask further.

Our orders come after some time, immediately when my plate is in front of me my mouth waters. I can just see myself having a foodgasm from just the way it looks and smells.

"endulge yourself mam" he says with a smile on his face.

"I will" I answer back.

He looks at me and stops eating, as if thinking something but he quickly snaps out of it, he takes a bite from his food, then sips his wine.

"I'm proud of you for today, you really played it cool"

"you already said that earlier"

He laughs a little and continues with his food.

The past two weeks have been, well... They have been uneventful so to speak, but really, nothing has happened so far, no home affairs officials, no creepy man telling me to be careful, basically my life is back to normal.

I have officially moved into the house, different rooms though because, oh well... You know why.

Kagiso has some personal things to sort out so he's in cape Town deeling with them, as we speak. It's a lazy Saturday I'm in the lounge watching TV with cavin playing around, I could take this time to check my emails and prepare kagisos' diary for next week, but I'm not really feeling it so I will just sit here, with my glass of wine, and some peanut butter, hazelnut and chocolate cookies and binge on power.

"mama" he calls out.

"yes boy"

"cie" he puts his hand out. He wants another cookie, so I hand him one, once he gets it he continues with what he was doing and pretend that I'm not here next to him. Well, I'm not complaining, I do need to rest and clear my mind.

As for Nancy, sigh. She's a special case, she woke and decided not to come today, well... Not that I'm complaining but a 'hey I can't come in today' text would have been fine, but because Nancy is Nancy she didn't Come, when I called to aks her, it sent me straight to voicemail, I called three more times after that and still.

I called Kagiso to tell him and his response was "she called me and said she can't come in" okay fine, I get that Kagiso is the one paying her but at least she could have called me to tell me that she won't be coming in, what If I had somewhere to go and actually left thinking that she's here?

I know she hates me, but she will have to learn to tolerate for as long as I'm here.

The door bell rings, I stand up, picking cavin and putting him on my him and walk over to the door. Immediately when I open I regretted it. God better be testing me right now, devil I'm not ready to entertain you right now please.

"Please, I'm not here to fight with you please"

I stood on the door with no attempt to let her in or anything.

"then what do you want?"

She sighed and rubbed her non stubble.

"I just want us to talk okay? I'm not gonna be long"

"you look miserable"

She looked at me and chuckled.

"you would if you f****d up too" sigh.

Sighing too, I stepped aside and tel her in.

"thank you"

I stayed a bit by the door before I finally took strength to go where she is and hear her out.

I found her sitting on the couch, face buried in her hands. If it was any other day, I would feel sorry for her, she looks really miserable, but now that I know what I know, I feel absolutely nothing for her, I can't even believe that I once thought that I was in love with her.

"Ora, please hear me out okay?"

"what am I doing khanti?"

"look" she turned so that she's facing me "I don't know what it is that they told you okay, but they all lies, they want me out of the picture so they can do whatever they want to do without any hussle"

"I seriously don't get what you saying, please be quick, some of us have things to do"

"look okay, when Kagiso found out that I called home affairs on you he-"

"hold up, YOU DID WHAT?"

"I..."

"you what mayona, do you know what you just did?"

"I only want what's best for you okay"

"what's best for me? You are what's best for me, is that what you trying to say?"

I stood up, went upstairs to put cavin in his crib, taking the baby monitor with me when I walk out, I found her on the passage coming upstairs.

"mxm"

I walked passed her straight to the kitchen.

"look, I know I f****d up okay, but baby please"

"don't baby me wena" I took out a bottle of wine from the fridge and a glass from the carboards.

"Please Ora okay"

"please what?" I chuckle "you don't even have an argument, what exactly are you here for? I thought I was going to be miserable and wallow up? No I'm not, I'm passed that stage where I cry for meaningless things, and you my dear, you not worthy of my tears, however... I dont know how Stacey would feel "

I swear I saw her freeze for a moment.

"nxa" she turned around and walked out. Immediately when the door baged close, I gribbed the glass I had, next minute

"what the hell..."

She quickly comes to my side and takes my hand.

"I'm fine Ma'Bee"

I snatched my hand and walked over to the sink,

"the cut Is too deep, we have to take it to the hospital"

I'm drained, I don't have the power to argue with her. She walks over to the kitchen cabin and came back with a first aid kit.

"MA I'm fine okay" I snapped.

"of course you not, how many times must I warn you against that girl, look at you now" she pointed at my hand. " I might be evil, but I always wanted what's best for you"

"Kagiso was whats best right?"

"yes" and she said without hesitation, how could she? Isn't she a little bit ashamed? Forcing me to marry her daughters husband?

I would have expected her to have some kind of sympathy, but this is Boitumelo phago we talking about, she lacks empathy.

*

"go lie down, I'll take care of everything here"

I dont have the energy to say anything to her, suddenly she's caring? But because I'm frustrated and have a lot going on in my mind, I do exactly as she says, a head straight to my bedroom and immediately when I hit the pillow, I doze of. When I'm stressed or worried about things I know I can't change, I sleep, it's better than Plotting murder because, we all are capable.... Wait? Why am I thinking murder? Let me stop before my thoughts run off with me.

What baffles me is why I'm still this angry even when I slept everything off, I'm supposed to wake up with a clear mind but no, I'm still as angry if not more. Mayona has a tendency of pissing me off.

I take out my phone and do the one thing I know will make her look stupid, I think. I brows the internet until I finally get what im looking for, if this is how she wants to play, I'll endure her. After all, this is my life she's playing dice with, and if I let her, she would be yet another person I allowed to walk all over me, I'm done with that, it's time I show everyone that I am capable.

I take out my phone and sent only two words, I hope he understands exactly what I'm trying to say, it's high time this people understood that I am my own person, I'm tired of being a walk over, and as for mayona, is she dare pulls a stunt like this, princess Milano could use a friendly visit. Dare she try me.

The moment I look at my phone, I swear I almost s**t myself, not now please, not now. I know this might be ideal, but I'm s**t scared.

"Here, all you need to do is make her sign here, and everything will be set"

I nod my head, and stand up because my business here is done.

"thank you, I'll keep in touch"

We shake hands and bid goodbye.

Instead of heading straight to the hotel, I take the road to the airport.I'm a man on a mission.

"yeah, Rob, set up an appointment with you Mr Walsh for Monday, he owes me a fovour so I'm cashing in on it.... Yes, Thank you"

"Ora, I hope you prepared for I what I have for you now"

I'm disturbed by my phone indicating a message, I take it out and it's my brother, *I messed up * the text say.

Sigh, this family is just full of drama, I wonder what He's done this time. I take out my phone and call him.

"what did you do?" I say immediately when he picks up.

I can hear a baby crying at the back.

"s**t ntwana, I messed up big time, this time she won't forgive me I swear"

There's only one person I can think of.

"Tshego?" I ask.

"of course it's her, who else would it?"

This guy!

"uh, Usiphile you Wife, probably"

Sometimes he tends to forget that he's married with a kid, his obsession with Tshegofatso will end up badly, what did he think he would achieve, getting both sisters pregnant and trying to marry all of them?

"what did you do?"

"I took Lethabo"

I laugh, not because it's funny, but this stupid little brother of mine just kidn*pped his own child, Usiphile is crazy, but Tshego Is on some matured craziness, and her revenge will strike him Hader than he'll ever think.

As much as she still loves him, she wasn't going to settle, we had already paid lobola and all that, basically, they were married traditionally, but the moment she found out that her half sister was pregnant with her fiances child and that they had been having sneaking around since high school, she lost it, she took off her ring, wrote him a cheque and said "I hope this covers your lobola Money" and just like that, she disappeared.

It wasn't until three months later when he found her, drinking herself to oblivion, he got so angry and yet he knew he was responsible, begged and begged, she hit him with a bomb. She too was expecting. What sets the gists, both kids were born on the same day.

But I applaud her, she stood her ground and refused to settle, if he loved her enough, he won't have cheated, but I know my brother and trust me when I say this, he fucken loves her soo much, he's now obsessed.

"you know you dead right?"

"why do you think I called you?" sigh.

"Loyiso, what do you really want?, you know what, forget it, bring him to my house, I text Tshego and tell her to come get him"

"thanks man, I owe you"

Of course he does, he always gets up to f****d up s**t, and I'm supposed to clean out the messes and everytime he always say he owes me, if I kepp tabs on how many times he says that, I would lose count of it.

Then again, he's my brother, he's family and no matter what I do, I can't turn my back on them.

When I get home, I'll be faced with another situation. As for Nancy, I don't even want to go there, she thinks she can do as she pleases because Geet is not here anymore. Too bad I have serious matters to attend to so she need to come pay her dues. I dont care how late it is.