Run away bride: should I trust him?

CHAPTER 6:RUN AWAY BRIDE (FNB STADIUM)

the morning arrived. we are going to FNB stadium. I'm so excited.

Ma Dineo gave me one of her daughter's dresses so I looked presentable at the stadium.

Her daughter is at university in Cape Town, but her clothes are still here. Ma Dineo opened the wardrobe and brought out a beautiful yellow dress with white flowers. It was short, above the knee, with puff sleeves. I have never worn a dress like that before. In my village, dresses are long and tight. This one made me spin.

"You look like a proper Joburg girl now," Ma Dineo said, clapping. She had done my short hair nicely, with gel.

She wore matching outfit with Bra Solly, what a couple! They both wore traditional shirts — blue and white with patterns. They looked so in love. Bra Solly kept holding Ma Dineo's hand even while walking. I watched them and for a second I thought, maybe marriage is not all scary. Maybe it can be like this.

We arrived there and there are a lot of bodyguards and soldiers. FNB Stadium is huge. HUGE! I thought our church was big. This place can fit my whole village ten times. There were police everywhere, cars with flashing lights, and soldiers.

Man with broad shoulders and a very deep voice.

The soldiers were standing in lines, not moving, with serious faces. They had guns, real big guns, not Arjun's small pistol. They wore camouflage and boots.

But there is one that caught my attention.

He was standing near Section B, where we were sitting. He was tall. Very tall. Broad shoulders like a door. His chest was big and his arms... yoh. His face was serious, like he had never laughed in his life. He wore sunglasses even though we were under shade. And his voice — when he shouted "STAY BEHIND THE LINE!", it was so deep my chest vibrated.

He was mean to me when I asked where I can find toilets around here.

I had been drinking a lot of water because it was hot. And I really needed to pee. Ma Dineo and Bra Solly went to buy vetkoek, so I walked to him. I tried to be polite.

"Excuse me, sir, sorry, where can I find toilets around here?"

He didn't even look down at me. He just said, "Get back to your seat."

I thought I didn't hear well. "Sorry, sir? I need the toilet—"

He turned his head slightly, looked at me through his sunglasses and said louder, "I said get back to your seat. The President is arriving in 10 minutes. No movement."

How rude? What do I do about my pee? Am I supposed to just pee on myself in this pretty dress?

I walked back to my seat angry. Ma Dineo came back and I vented.

"That soldier! That big one with shoulders like a bull! I asked him for toilets and he told me to get back to my seat! Who does he think he is?"

Ma Dineo was just laughing at me vent about it. She was laughing so hard her hat almost fell off.

"Ah Milondo, that one? He is cute. Did you see his shoulders? He is very handsome under those sunglasses."

"Mma! He is not cute, he is a jerk!!! A rude, mean, ugly jerk!"

Bra Solly laughed too. "That is Lieutenant Nkosi. He is SANDF VIP Protection. He is not there to show you toilets, my child. He is there to protect the President."

I folded my arms. My bladder was hurting, but now my ego was hurting more.

I can't leave this place without getting back at him. I know it's stupid. I know I just ran away from a dangerous man and I should keep my head down. But he embarrassed me in front of everyone.

Ma Dineo thinks it's a bad idea to prank a soldier but who cares. What will he do? Arrest a 19-year-old girl in a yellow flower dress for needing to pee?

I had a plan. I had a small bottle of water in my bag. When Ma Dineo and Bra Solly were looking at the stage where the President's podium was, I pretended to slip.

I walked past Lieutenant Jerk again, and I "accidentally" poured a little water on his shiny black boot.

"Oops! Sorry, sir!" I said, with my sweetest fake voice.

He looked down at his boot. Then at me. He slowly took off his sunglasses.

And yoh. Ma Dineo was right. He was cute. Very cute. Brown eyes, serious. A small scar on his eyebrow. He was maybe 26, 27.

But his eyes were angry.

"Did you do that on purpose?" he asked, his deep voice low.

"No! It was an accident!" I lied, holding my pee and my laugh at the same time.

He stared at me for five seconds. Then he said, "If you need the toilet, Gate 3, left side. But if you pour water on me again, I will escort you out personally."

Then he put his sunglasses back on.

I ran to Gate 3, laughing all the way, my yellow dress flying. I got my revenge. And directions.

I didn't know someone else was watching me from the top of Section B, with binoculars.

---

*- SAME TIME in sowetho*

Arjun had arrived in Johannesburg that morning. 6 AM. He drove straight to Bara taxi rank.

He showed a picture of Milondo on his phone — a picture Rendani had sent him months ago, where Milondo was smiling in her school uniform.

"Have you seen this girl? Yellow dress? Wedding dress? She came yesterday."

Nobody knew at first. Then one driver from the Thohoyandou route remembered. "Ah, the bride! Yes, the bride with sneakers and school bag! She went with an old man, blue cap, Soweto."

And it's not even surprising. Bra Solly is very popular in the taxi ranks. He has been driving taxis for 20 years before he retired. Everyone knows Bra Solly from Dube, Soweto.

By 11 AM, Arjun was parked outside Bra Solly's house in Dube. He watched.

With nobody in the house. The Corolla was gone. The small gate was locked. A neighbour woman was sweeping outside.

Arjun walked to her, showing his most charming smile.

"Mma, I'm looking for my wife. Milondo. She is staying with Bra Solly. Do you know where they went?"

The neighbour, not knowing who he was, answered innocently. "Ah, Solly and Dineo? They went to FNB Stadium. President is speaking today. They took their daughter too, the new girl in yellow dress."

Arjun's smile disappeared. He walked back to his Fortuner where his two boys were waiting.

"She's at the stadium."

Arjun traces Milondo to the FNB stadium. He orders his men to split up looking for her.

FNB Stadium holds 94,000 people. Finding one girl in a yellow dress is hard. But Arjun had money and anger.

He bought three tickets from a scalper for R500 each, even though the event was free. He and his boys went inside. The President was on stage, speaking, but nobody was listening. Everyone was hot and tired.

Arjun put his sunglasses on and took out his binoculars.

"Split up," he told his boys. "You take Section A, you take Section C. I will take Section B. She is with an old couple. Old man, blue cap maybe. Girl in yellow dress with white flowers. Short hair. If you see her, don't grab her inside, there are too many soldiers. Call me. We take her outside."

His boys disappeared into the crowd.

Arjun started scanning Section B slowly. Row by row. Yellow dress. Yellow dress.

And then he saw her. Or thought he saw her. A flash of yellow, laughing, running towards Gate 3. Arguing with a tall soldier with broad shoulders.

It was her. Milondo. In a yellow dress, not white anymore. Alive. Beautiful. His.

Arjun touched his waistband where his pistol was.

He started walking down the concrete stairs of the stadium, pushing people aside, his eyes locked on Gate 3 where Milondo had disappeared to go pee.

The soldier with broad shoulders and a very deep voice was still standing there, guarding the gate, not knowing that a girl who just pranked him was about to be dragged out of a stadium by a monster.