FINDERS KEEPERS

16

FINDERS KEEPERS

SIXTEEN

"Hey ma! When did you get here?"

She looks at me and ignores me, ooho! I have zero tolarence for this woman and she knows it, probably why she and I never really got along.

I put my phone and keys on the coffee table and walk upstairs. I go straight to the shower and let the water do its couse. I'm really faced with a difficult situation right here, I don't know what to do.

And then I remember Oras' text,

* make baby * she said, she's ready to have a baby with me, I'm for some strange reasons, I don't want to, or maybe it's because I know we cornered her into doing it? I don't know.

When I walk out of the shower, I find her sitting on my bed.

"hey" I greet her, she looks up and nods her head,

"what happened to you?" she has a bandade wrapped all over her hand.

She made a bitter chuckle. "it doesn't matter, I booked us an appointment for Monday lunch, will you be able to make it?"

"are you sure about this?"

"it's the only way" with that she stood up and walked out. I know this is what I wanted but it feels so wrong. Like why the sudden guilt?

I grab an pair of shots and a vest and walk downstairs. I find my brother in the lounge watching TV with a beer on his hand and remote on another one.

"where's he?"

"your WIFE, took him upstairs apparently."

He put more emphasis on the word 'wife' I won't say anything to him, hes been too caught up in his own world to take notice of anything that's happening in my life. If he's not thinking about tshego he's busy drowning his sorrows or always on call 23/7.

"what were you thinking really? You knew she was gonna leave your ass the moment she found out, you brought it to yourself"

Enough of that, I'm always blaming myself for how things went about, I just... "

" she didn't dress per your expectations? "

He rubs his face and sighs.

" Maya and Katli are sleeping with one guy did you know that? "

T.F?

"I thought Katli is getting married in two weeks?"

"she still is"

Wait!? I don't get it.

"why?"

"dude, you seriously lost touch with your family, you need to be in the loop"

"you know what went down the last time I was there, I have a lot going on to entertain all those traditional s**t going on over there. I'm not even the eldest and yet"

"you know dad doesn't want us to talk about that"

Double sigh. "your family is f****d up, really"

Ora walks down the stairs and heads straight to the kitchen, and comes back with a beer bottle and hands it to me and then disappears again.

"she wants to have a baby" I blurt out. I don't look at him, but I know he disapproves, I'm in deep s**t.

I continue looking at the direction she disappeared to and hope to God I don't live to regret this.

****Monday ****

"well... Artificial insemination also know as the turkey baster method is a treatment where by the sperm is placed near the cevix or directly into the uteras, we can have it performed here in the hospital or you can do it at home"

"so it's a completely safe method?"

"yes, sometimes the sperm are washed or prepared to increase the likelihood of a woman getting pregnant... Also" she takes out pamphlets and hands them to us "it is vital to do the procedure when you ovulating. You will need to purchase an at-home insemination kit, but, contrary to what people say the syringe you'll use is not the same as the turkey baster"

And just like that, that's how our baby making process began.

so turns out, Kagiso land me a job interview in one of the most prestigious restaurants in sandton. So next week I'll start. So the interwiew was just a front only, the job was as good as mine.

To say I'm overjoyed would be an understatement, because I couldn't go on Monday, we did the interview on Tuesday and smack bam, I got a call back on Thursday to say I was hired. It's a Friday night so we going out to celebrate. I'll be meeting some of his friends for the first time today, I'm scared but not entirely because their opinion of me doesn't really matter in this situation. I dont care what they think of me.

So I wrap up at the office and pack out every last bit of thing that belongs to me and put them in a box. I take one last glance at my desk and sigh, this is it, this is the beginning of my dream, this, this is what I've always wanted and I'm going for it, all thanks to Kagiso.

"are you ready?" I look and all four of them are here, Rob, Mulcum, vhutshilo and Kagiso. I walk up to them and give them all hugs.

"thank you guys, thank you for doing this for me, I'm truly grateful"

"you family now, we look out for ours okay" mulcum says, besides Kagiso, I'm mostly thankful for him. He's done for me so much than I can think of, he showed me who mayona truly is and I'm glad I found out when I did, only God knows what she could have done had she stayed any longer, to think she's sent here to steal from me? What is so important about my inheritance that she would want to take it? People are so evil.

They help me carry all my boxes to the basement where Kagiso is parked, once everything has been packed, we agree to all meet later on at a club where we will be celebrating my new job, Kagiso reverses out and places his hand on mine and squeezes it a little, a gesture I'm more than welcome.

Watching all the house pass I rest my head by the window and think to myself, I can do it, I can do it all just as long as I have the right support system.

Soon I will have my inheritance and a little human who will love me unconditionally. Maybe my life is not doomed after all. Maybe my parents are looking down on me and smillling because their little is getting brave. I wish to have known what they looked like. Well... My dad atleast because since Ma'Bee is identical to my own mother I can say, I'm safe in that department.

*****five months later ******

It has been five months trying for a baby and still nothing happens five months of inserminating myself yet nothing happens, Kagiso decided we stop and just let the whole baby making process go but I can, so I dragged my ass and went to doctors to check what's wrong with me, but they all keep saying the same thing "nothing is wrong with you, just keep trying" like i have been trying for five God damn months, something has to be wrong, clearly I'm the problem because Kagiso can father just perfectly, I mean he's cavins father after all.

Last week I had an encounter with that weird guy. Alexander, like always he kept telling me to be careful and trust No one around me, but I'm a frustrated woman so I told him off, I had hope that my frustration and snappiness meant something but like the hundred times, the pregnancy test came out negative, since then I've been gloomy and it's even affecting my work.

Speaking about work, I made a friend, palesa, she's a really chilled girl, fun to hang around, but I still have my guard up, I might like her and all, but I don't trust her completely, I might nit want to admit to this, but Alexander's words got to me, I have my guard up.

"girl you okay?" she asks, we on our lunch break.

"yeah, I'm fine" contrary to my words, I release a deep sigh. She looks at me and c***s her eyebrow up, saying a lot with the looks only.

I place my fork down and slump back on the chair.

"Kagiso has been, I don't know" I shake my head "it's silly don't mind me"

She takes a drink from her juice and places it down.

"it's not silly if it got you like this, what is it?"

I look at her, considering if I should voice out my thoughts.

"I think he's seeing someone, he doesn't cone home early, and he's distant in some way"

"girl yo man is cheating, did you confront him about it and how long has it been going on for, damn it lady"

she's suddenly worked up, she hates cheaters, she says she lost both her parents in an accident, because they kept shouting because they found her father in bed with another woman, on their way back, her father lost control of the car, it lost control and swerved off the road and fell over the bridge, she was the only surviver, but she was in coma for four months, she was very forthcoming about her past, while I on the other end still haven't told her anything about myself or that I'm in an arranged marriage.

"it's been a little over a month now, I'm not sure, I'm probably overreacting" I waved my hand around trying to dismiss it.

"you not overreacting, if it acts like a dog, barks like a dog, it's definitely a dog my dear" then she goes back to her food.

I shouldn't have any problems with Kagiso seeing someone right? But why dojes the thought unsettle me this much? Suddenly I don't feel like eating anymore, I pack it away and walk to the back of the building to get me some space, I feel suffocated.

I take out my phone to call him but it sends me straight to voicemail. With one final sigh, I switch my phone off and look at my ring, staring at it a minute too long.

I decided to spend the night over at palesas' house, she lives in soweto, I had since switched my phone off, but I decide to switch it on and send Kagiso a text telling him I'm not coming home today and then switched it off.

"are you ready to go?" she strapped her bag over her shoulders and looked at me. Looking one last time at my ring, I nodded my head and off to catch the taxis we went.

I look out the window in my office, watching the cars pass by and the traffic clear out, like every for the last month, I wanted to stay behind, didn't go home immediately. I put my hands in my pockets and lossen my tie.

"sir, there's someone here to see" my assistant called me, I snapped my head back and looked at her, I part of me hoped it was Ora but much to my dismaye, Nancy walked in pushing a baby troler, what is she doing her with my son.

"what are you dojng here Nancy" you could feel my annoyance from My tone. She's one of the reasons I can't even go home early, If I could I would strangle her. But I'm not a woman beater, so she's very much lucky.

"came to see you" she walked over to my side and stood right in front of me. She stared at me, i stared back. I dont know how many times she needs me to reject her, doesn't she ever get tired of being turned down. It's been years for heaven sakes.

Before she can speak, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out and I t was a message from Ora 'I'm not coming home' it read, I felt my heat beating a bit fast. I tried to call her but it sent me straight to voice mail. I tried it again and still the same results. With one last sigh, I put it back in my pocket, I took my keys and pushed cavin out.

Nancy followed behind me, when we got to the car, I strapped cavin and walked to my side, she got in in the passage seat, I looked at her and saw her adjusting her bra straps. Mxm. I drove out with Into the traffic that had suddenly started again.

I can never understand woman, why isn't she coming back home, could it be that she's... No. She's not seeing anyone. I refuse to believe it. I have people following her around so I know she's not doing anything out of the ordinary, or unless mayona is...

"how long are you going to pretend as if you don't feel the chemistry between us?"

Bathong, why must woman degrade themselves like this, I have been turning her down in all ways possible, can't she read between the lines. Woman like her give other woman a bad rep.

" I'm giving you the rest of the week off, come back Monday on a clear head, I don't want you Nancy, not now, not ever okay"

"but.."

"but nothing, we can never be, seriously"

She looked at me and I kept my face stoic. She was getting angry, where the hell did Gertrude get her from? Fucken Christ. She stormed out of the car banging the door whe she closed it.

I didn't wait to watch her get inside before I drove off, I took a different route from the one goibv home. The guard opened for me and I drove in, I parked rright in front of the door, the same time she came out.

"what do you want?" she had a glass of red wine in her hands, if I didn't know any better I would say she has been drink the whole day.

"is she in?"

"she who?"

This woman infuriates me to the core.

"who do you think I'm referring to?"

"your Wife" she put much ephesians on the word wife. Mxm. I'm not here to play games with her.

"is Oratilwe here?" she rolled her eyes before lighting a cigarette.

"do i look like her keeper? She probably realized that you are a worthless peace of s**t who couldn't do a simple task asked of him and left you for something better"

"mxm" I put my car in reverse and left, see. I knew coming here was a waste of time, she never has anything good to say about me. Fucken s**t.

Why do I even bother with this woman?

If she things I'm a worthless Peace of s**t I will show her, worthless. I'm a man of my word and I always deliver. I will show them.