Venom

He walks back to his office feeling light-headed; leaving the door open, feeling as if he’s going to pass out. Nelson had always walked Noxolo to her car when she visited him. On this day though, he couldn’t see himself making it all the way to the car parking, as he’s feeling dizzy. His knees didn’t feel strong enough to carry him all the way down there and back. Noxolo could see that and she understood his predicament, so she walked out of the office without him. She was also feeling guilty for bringing him the news in the office. She could have waited until he was home and maybe visited him there. Noxolo could see that Nelson didn’t take the news very well. She’d been keeping him up to date with the news from America as they unfolded, and today was no different. Once he’s alone in his office; Nelson takes a deep breath, rushing to the window feeling as if he’s about to pass out. He’s finding it hard to breathe, as if losing his breath. The air conditioning system in his office isn’t giving him what he needs, so he figures that the fresh air from outside would do the trick. As soon as he opens the window, the dizziness quickly subsides just a little. ‘Hu, advantages of being on the fourth floor.’ He speaks to himself, looking down through the window, contemplating throwing himself out through it. He sees that the idea isn’t a good one, and continues talking to himself. ‘This will not work, it will be too messy.’ It’s a very cold winter afternoon in Rosebank Johannesburg, yet he feels as if he’s about to burn out. He looks down again, seeing Noxolo’s car driving out of the parking, joining Jan Smuts Avenue. He feels the dizziness coming over again. Nelson pulls his tie down a little, making it loose. Still, the heat doesn’t seem to be getting any better, as he now starts sweating, as if his shirt is made out of blanket. He unbuttons the first two buttons on his shirt, closing the window walking quickly back to the big oak desk in the middle of his office; sitting slowly behind it. His breathing is much better now as he goes through a stack of papers on the credenza, finally coming out with a small key under them. ‘I guess this will do.’ He looks at that small key as if it is something unique, something beautiful as he smiles. He pushes his chair back a little, sliding the key into a keyhole on the lower drawer of the desk, opening it. ‘Today is the day.’ He says, pulling the drawer opening it. Inside, lays a nine-millimetre pistol, a sealed box of bullets and a silver pen on the side. He looks at the pen as if surprised to see it there. ‘And where do you come from after all this time?’ He pulls the pen out slowly, his forehead frowned, his eyes locked onto the pen. He places it on his desk not moving his eyes from it, as if he fears that it might miraculously disappear on him somehow. With his hands not even looking, he pulls the gun and the box of bullet out, putting them also on the desk, one after the other. His eyes are still stuck on the silver pen. ‘What are the odds that you appear again on this day?’ Finally, he moves his eyes off the pen, taking a deep breath looking at the gun. He smiles again the same way he smiled at the pen. It’s as if these items have something that fascinates him. ‘Yes, this will definitely do.’ He takes another deep breath, slowly moving his eyes off the gun, now looking at the plain sterling silver picture frame on his desk. The photographer had captured him smiling, happily, holding his bride in a whimsical pose. She, however, looked distracted, as the corner of her mouth slightly curled in a smile that looked forced and uncomfortable. He prepares his hand to push the picture off the desk but then freezes. The smile on Nelisa’s face is rather disturbing to him for the first time. He pushes the frame just a little; until it leans on the credenza ever. Looking around the desk, there are two more pictures of them together with Tumi and Noxolo on the other one. He clicks his tongue; thinking that two years has passed and he hadn’t paid any attention to these pictures. On the other picture again it’s the four of them and Nelisa seems to be staring at Tumi smiling warmly. Nelson shakes his head feeling like ripping someone apart, the hate and pain feeling as if it is choking him. They say keep the ones you love close, and your enemies even closer, what if those that you love turn to be your worst enemies, what then? That is the burning issue that is facing Nelson Magadla at this moment. He can tell you a thing or two about this subject. He believes in a rather different philosophy, of keeping everyone close. At a distance, you may not tell which ones are more venomous than the others. He knows this very well from his past experiences. He suffered a deadly fate because of it. He allowed his loved ones to gallivant on his heart and take his very essence for a ride, leaving him numb and bitter. At thirty-three he is the most powerful lawyer in Johannesburg, making waves in the South African judiciary. He has the success most, young men his age only dream of. Besides being a member of a ruling political party, he works well as a standalone lawyer. Inside though, Nelson is just an empty shell that knows no happiness. It’s all because he let his guard down once too many times. He kept his enemies closer, forgetting his loved ones. They made him regret every ounce of trust he had for those he believed were dear to him. Maybe it would have been better if it were enemies that tormented him for the past two years, than the two that actually did. Nelson drives beautiful classy cars and owns a big mansion in one of the richest suburbs in Johannesburg. His life though; is empty and lonely. Till today he waits in anticipation, hoping for Nelisa; his ex-wife to come back to her senses. He carries the hope that she will one day return to him and rekindle the love they once shared. Years have since passed, yet this hope bears no fruit for him. To this day, Nelson still cannot believe that the two people he trusted the most; destroyed his life. They stabbed him in the back and showed no sign of remorse. His philosophy changed since the day he finds out about their betrayal. He may have played a role in the cunning betrayal that he faced, that left him as this lifeless puppet. He withheld the truth from a woman he swore to never harm; that was his first crime. His second one was that he loved a woman who didn’t value his love. The outcome was him turning into a living zombie that stayed in a big lonely house. His own cousin, brother, his best friend, and his best man; stuck a knife in his back and twisted it, making sure he sees the last breath of any joy and peace escaping him. Tumi came into his house and infected everything Nelson worked so hard for with his venomous poison, leaving it all to rot. He took away a woman who was his life, his wife, and his high school sweetheart; just because he could. On this particular Friday though, things are rather impossible for him to bear. He takes a deep breath, feeling a sharp pain in his heart, still feeling very warm. He picks up a neatly ironed purple handkerchief that lay on his table with his initials embroidered on it, wiping his sweaty forehead. On this very cold winters Johannesburg afternoon, his office air-conditioning system is set on sixteen degrees. The enclosed office feels hot and sticky, and he feels very warm and sweaty. He takes another quick deep breath; his left hand placed on his cheek. The scenes of his wife leaving him have been replaying over and over in his mind. He wishes they could have just killed him rather than leaving him to feel like this for the rest of his life. Two years have since passed two very slow, cold and painful years. He still lives an empty senseless life; doing things without a purpose. He lives only for his job; not even noticing people around him. His job keeps him busy, ensuring that he shuts out any sense of reality that knocks him down when he’s alone. He started taking more and more cases, driven by a desire to keep busy and motivated to win each case thrown at him. Nelson hates everything in a skirt. On this particular day though, he acknowledges that it’s the second year anniversary of his divorce. He sits still in his office still sweating, thinking intensely, consumed by the cold grip of loneliness. He pushes the picture on his desk away, feeling tears burning in his eyes. His focus turns to the silver pen on his desk. Quickly he snatches it, throwing it roughly away from him. He watches it as it splits apart the moment it collides with the stone wall. ‘I guess I will never use you again.’ He stares at the dismantled pieces lying on the floor, remembering that it is the same pen he used on this very day, two years ago signing those damn divorce papers. That was the last time he used it for anything. He hated it so much, but kept it, hoping that one-day Nelisa would come back to him and rekindle their love. He wanted to use the same pen to sign their marriage agreement once more. It had been a no-show for the past two years and this afternoon it miraculously appears. Coincidence? When he signed those papers two years ago, it was his way of releasing her. He had heard people saying that you should set the ones you love free. If they were yours, to begin with, then they will always find their way back to you. That fact was proving to be a myth for him. Two years had gone by, and there hasn’t even been a hint that Nelisa missed their life together. She doesn’t seem eager to come back. It also looks as if she doesn’t even want to find out how he is doing. That all became clearer earlier on this day after the visit from Noxolo, his ex-sister in law. Keeping in contact with Noxolo is the only connection Nelson has to Nelisa. Even though he is no longer legally a part of that family, but Noxolo makes him feel some sense of belonging. She and Bruce still show him that they are against what their little sister did to him. Although they couldn’t do anything to stop her, they still believe that she was wrong. Through Noxolo, Nelson is able to have a sense of connection and comfort about Nelisa. Their connection fuelled his hopes all this time, but today something felt different. It was the day he had to face reality. He kept Noxolo close as she is the way he gets to know how Nelisa is doing in America. There is no other way he could know anything on his own. Since she left the country she had cut all ties with him. Her life had totally changed into a new and different one. The only time he gets to see her is when Tumi is in a magazine or television show; it would reassure him that she is still the same woman he fell in love with… She was just under a love spell that Tumi cast on her, a spell that he wishes he could break. Before Nelisa ran out of his life, they lived a promising beautiful dream life. He had a great career, a warm home and a beautiful fiancée, the one and only woman he had ever loved. She was his first ever girlfriend, his first love, the love of his life. Although he knew that he harbored a secret that could destroy them, he never for once thought there would be a third party helping them do that. He never thought of his beloved cousin Tumi Tuge to be that catalyst to end his perfect love story. TT had always had his back, as they looked out for each other throughout their childhood. Even when they became men that bond remained strong; a brotherhood that ran deep. They were both the only children to single mothers; cousins, the same age and as close as two peas in a pod. There was nothing the two boys would not do for each other. In the end, though Tumi proved only to have been a wolf in a sheep skin, and had never looked out for his cousin but for his own interest. Nelson, on the other hand, did not even consider withholding his secret from Nelisa as lying. He thought he was just keeping information that would help him build his family and make it stronger. He never considered that his wife would leave him when finding out about his deep secret. When he met Nelisa; it was back in high school. He had just moved to Johannesburg. His parents were going through a divorce. His mother felt that it would be safer for him not to be in that kind of environment, especially as his father had turned violent. That way Nelson was shipped to his mother’s sister, Aunty Olivia. He was no stranger to the family as he had spent countless holidays with them. His mother only followed him after the divorce was finalized, leaving his sick abusive father back in the Western Cape. Nelson never heard from his father after that. Up to this day, Nelson doesn’t know if the man is still alive or has since died. On his arrival in Johannesburg, his aunt enrolled him at the same school as his cousin Tumi. This brought the two cousins even closer. Nelisa was Tumi’s best friend, with their friendship noticeable to everyone. From the time Nelson first set his eyes on her, he was captivated by her infectious laughter, the dimples that went deeper in her cheeks when she smiled. Her big brown beautiful eyes were just some of the things that drove Nelson crazy about her. Her curvy beautifully shaped body even in her shapeless school uniform was an addition. She was the definition of beauty. In those big beautiful eyes, Nelson saw his future. Nelisa didn’t seem to be interested in any boy at school, and Tumi was just her friend. When the inexperienced chubby boy from a rural village in the outskirts of Western Cape landed in Johannesburg, he was in love. The love-struck Nelson voiced his interests to Tumi. His cousin was only willing to talk to his friend on his behalf. Much to everyone’s surprise, even Nelson himself, Nelisa agreed to date the somewhat shy and clumsy boy. At that time; Tumi dated Sonia, Nelisa’s female best friend. The teenage love affairs were envied by many, their love continued to grow throughout high school and even through university. After graduating; Nelson and Nelisa decided to move in together. They wanted to save enough money for the wedding of their dreams, and of course a lavishing lifestyle. That is the one thing that hurts Nelson the most. The fact that it was Tumi that brought them together in the first place, and at the end again he’s the one who destroyed the love nest he helped create. Here he is in his office today aged thirty-three, with all the riches any man his age would dream of, but there is no one to share it with. He hadn’t even thought of having sex in two years, let alone being attracted to a woman. He’d been feeling as if he’ll be cheating on Nelisa if he even looked at another woman. Besides that; he couldn’t imagine another woman being interested in him like Nelisa was. It had to be Nelisa or no one else. But she had turned him into a zombie. The final blow came this afternoon when Noxolo told him about Nelisa’s second pregnancy. That tore into him like acid eating at the skin. It painfully dawned on him that he’d been holding onto a dream that will never come true. He’d kept his life on hold with the hope that Nelisa would come back. Nelisa was his first and last. Her second pregnancy confirmed that he had lost the battle. She was never coming back. He sat still on his chair, his eyes focused on the picture next to the credenza. It had been sitting on this huge oak desk without him noticing it for two years, now on the anniversary of his divorce he gets to notice it, and the strange things that didn’t mean anything before. He whimpers again, feeling a strange sorrow overwhelming him. For a second all the hurt and pain is projected onto the frame and the picture in it. He snatches the picture also sending it in the pen’s direction, but it miraculously lands inside the bin that lay next to the pieces of the pen. ‘That’s where you belong.’ He speaks again as if talking to a person. He continues to stare at pieces of the pen that had scattered next to the bin with tears in his eyes ~ ‼ ~ Los Angeles America, it is one of the famous cities in the world. It’s where you find the world’s biggest movie stars. Somewhere in a darkened bedroom in this city, Tumi lay on the edge of his bed watching his wife sleeping soundly. She looks beautiful in his eyes, more so in her sleep. He watches her mouth curled into a smile because whatever she is dreaming about. Tumi is a little envious; he wishes he could sleep as peacefully as she does. Today he feels particularly haunted by the pain he imagined on Nelson's face. The pained expression quickly evolved to anger. He knew in his imagination that Nelson had the look and rage to commit murder. Tumi had often woken up in a cold sweat if he’d caught some sleep. He’d often wondered what would have happened had Nelson caught them red handed in his house. Looking at his sleeping wife now, he imagines all the things Nelson could have done to them. All that drama felt surreal like he was watching a movie, but it happened for real, and he is the main character in this terrible episode. Looking back it is clear that he and Nelson will never speak to each other ever again. They were the best of friends, and there had been no man alive whom he loved more than his cousin. But driven by greed, lust, and arrogance, he had done the most despicable thing any man could do to someone who respected him. That one trip to South Africa affected many lives. Glancing again at Nelisa sleeping soundly, he smiles to himself. Although he’s happy with the end results, he still has reservations about how he accomplished them. His mind keeps track of every little detail leading to them permanently sharing his bed. On days like this one; Tumi entertains thoughts of his cousin and wonders if there is still resentment left in his heart. Even though they are on two different continents, Tumi remains vigilant at all times. Paranoia and guilt consume him, and he constantly looks over his shoulders where ever he goes. The images of Nelson popping up from some dark alley to inflict revenge on him; caused him many sleepless nights. He is now a huge household American name. Playboy lawyer turned into a bestselling author, America currently loves every book he’s published. With all the television appearances and movie houses chasing him to sign contracts, he is easily recognizable, and therefore easily located. Deep down Tumi knows that his cousin isn’t a violent person, but his own guilt almost wants Nelson to find him. He knows what he did to him was wrong. He feels that Nelson would be justified in doing whatever he wanted to. It had been two years but Tumi still lives in fear. He is happily married now, but his life outside home is not as fascinating. He fears for his family’s wellbeing. He was relieved that the whole drama happened when he was already in America. He knows that he would have either been killed or hurt badly; if it had all played out while he was still in South Africa. He had witnessed his cousin’s anger in the past, although it wasn’t directed at him, and he wishes that it would never be directed to him. Just thinking of his small dull eyes scares the hell out of him. They look like those of a venomous snake about to strike. He figured though that he wouldn’t hurt Nelisa. Besides the fact that she was pregnant, Nelson respected Nelisa in a way that was commendable. He also despises men who hit women. He vowed never to be like his abusive father. Keeping all of that in mind; made Tumi comfortable with her around him. It wasn’t only Nelson that had been counting; Tumi had been as well. On this specific morning in America Tumi just couldn’t catch any sleep. His mind keeps playing videos of all the mysteries in his life. Just the other day; he and Nelisa were just best friends. She was his cousin’s woman, not just a woman, but his wife. On this day though, she’s in bed with him, his own wife. She’s also pregnant with their second child. A chain of incidence happened that led them to be on this bed together this morning. Without even realizing he ran his mouth; talking to himself. ‘My God, life changes in seconds without one taking note.’ He shuts his eyes for a second to quickly open them to Nelisa’s innocent face still fast asleep. Tumi wonders why he’s even thinking of everything that happened to get them where they are. It’s her second year being free to be his, but why can’t he sleep? He stares at her looking peaceful, showing signs of enjoying her visit to dreamland. He loves the peace she’s displaying, knowing that it’s good for her pregnancy. Just the thought that she wouldn’t be pregnant if she had stayed with Nelson, makes him feel better with his decisions. ‘She would have ended resenting him anyway.’ He continues talking, not realizing that he is now loud. The sound of his voice disturbs Nelisa’s beauty sleep, and she comes out of it slowly. When she opens her eyes, they meet his staring at her intensely. She smiles seeing the love in his eyes. It’s been two full years, yet she still receives the same loving look every morning she wakes up. His love for her stays exactly the same as it was when they first discovered that their feelings for each other were more than just friendship. That was when they acted like kids, stealing candy behind Nelson’s back. ‘Didn’t your mother tell you that it’s rude to stare?’ Her sexy morning voice always makes his blood rush to his head. He smiles just staring at her not responding. Instead, he kisses her on the forehead. ‘Did I disturb your sleep?’ ‘Not really.’ She laughs faintly. ‘What are you looking at anyway?’ ‘I’m looking at my beautiful pregnant wife.’ Nelisa smiles while letting out her gentle morning yawn. The thought of her being pregnant makes her happy. She almost didn’t have the pleasure. ‘Did you sleep well Mr. Tuge?’ ‘I sure did Mrs. Tuge, how about you?’ ‘In your arms my love; I sleep like a baby every night.’ He smiles thinking of how much damage he did to his relationship with his cousin to get what he wanted. ‘Do you know what day it is today?’ Nelisa frowns staring at him, showing signs of digging her brains trying to remember what he’s talking about. ‘It’s not your birthday my love?’ Tumi just stares at her, still smiling. ‘It’s not mine either, nor our daughter’s.’ She keeps quiet cracking her brains. What worries her is that Tumi’s smile disappears while she talks. He doesn’t look angry or disappointed; he has this expressionless face just staring at her. After running around in circles coming out empty, she finally gives up. ‘I can’t remember baby, please help me out.’ A flash of a smile across Tumi’s face gives her a bit of relief. ‘It’s the second anniversary of your divorce to Nelson.’ ‘Oh, that.’ She doesn’t look happy being reminded. ‘I know it’s not your favorite thing to remember my love.’ ‘No love it’s not.’ ‘I’m sorry baby.’ He kisses her cheek. ‘It’s just that I’ve been thinking of Nelson a lot lately. I wonder how he’s doing.’ ‘Hasn’t your spy kept you updated lately? She laughs faintly; looking away. ‘Spy, what spy?’ Nelisa bursts out laughing loud while staring at him. ‘You think I don’t know that my sister has been checking on your cousin for you.’ ‘Oh, that?’ Tumi laughs as if marking her. ‘Yes, baby that. You’ve turned my sister into a spy.’ They both laugh, with Tumi stretching his arms hugging her. She warms up to that hug and returns a passionate kiss to him, pulling him closer. He brushes her tummy, under her sexy nightie, as she looks happy being in his arms. It’s one of the reasons she doesn’t even miss being with Nelson. He could never give her the kind of happiness that Tumi gives her. There wasn’t anything big she wanted from Nelson, except the kind of mornings she and Tumi always wake up to, since her arrival in America. The Arrival To achieve something you don’t have, do something you’ve never done before. Philosophies and more philosophies, it’s how Tumi lives his life. Everything he does needs to have a purpose. Even though it took so much from him to make sense of what he was doing traveling to South Africa after twelve years; he decided to just wing it. Once the plane landed at O.R Tambo international airport; he knew exactly what he had to do. There were just so many demons from his past that he needed to deal with. He knew that it was the only thing standing between him and enjoying his stay in the country. Twelve years had since passed after he buried his mother. The trip to America was already planned even before that idiot robbed him of his mother’s precious life. She was only forty-seven when she was fatally wounded by a hijacker. That made him angry at the whole country. He hated the country and everyone in it, feeling that he needed to go and start his life somewhere else in the world. He wanted a place where he would feel safer and more welcome. America offered him just that. It was worse because the killer was never caught. At thirty-one he had turned his name into a household brand in America, and all over the world. He still has a feeling that had he stayed in South Africa; he wouldn’t have achieved what he had over there. He’d written two bestselling novels that everyone talked about. He knew that those books were big in America. He didn’t imagine them being big somewhere else in the world. That morning, the sky was as clear, as it was the first time he left the country some twelve odd years ago. He could still remember so vividly that he had only a handful of his friends accompanying him to the airport. Coming back to the country that morning it’s strange that he expected only his cousin to pick him up. He doesn’t even know if the nagging feeling he’s been having is caused by that or by some other underlying issues. He just can’t shake it as the plane kept descending. The woman sitting next to him had since fallen asleep. They had talked for the most part of the eighteen-hour trip. Their conversations were more of her asking him questions as if she was some sort of a journalist. Since she had fallen asleep; that gave Tumi time to reflect. Some questions she had asked were the reason he felt nervous about coming back. In the back of his mind, he wishes that he hadn’t come. The plane kept descending though. When he left JFK he was excited to be finally going home after such a long time, but when landing at OR the excitement had disappeared. As soon as the plane stopped he stood up, giving way to his traveling companion and they both started walking towards the exit. They continued talking as if they’d known each other for some time. Some of the passengers only noticed him as they were walking out of that plane. They nodded their heads at him; some even greeting him by his name. He figured that all those people were arriving with him from America, so it was possible that they knew him from there. When his first book made it into a film; Tumi stayed grounded and never grew wings or see himself as this larger than life character. He still respected his people and knew his origins. As they entered the terminals, he and his flight companion said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. The nagging feeling in him continued, and only shifted when he saw how beautiful the airport had become. It had changed so much from how it looked when he last flew out. Even though the scene caught his attention; the nagging urge continued in the background. He didn’t understand whether that was his conscious talking, or just him being paranoid that he would meet the people he hadn’t seen in years. He owed a lot of people answers. His aunt was the first person he feared facing. He knew that she was going to shout at him for disappearing like that. He was at ease though as his mother was no longer there to give him her disappointed look. Olivia wasn’t the talking type. She had a certain look that she gave him whenever he’d disappoint her. That look always hurt him more than being shouted at. He felt lucky knowing that she was no longer there for that. His paranoia grew stronger as he walked out after fetching his luggage. He hadn’t been home in twelve years. When he exited the country, no one even noticed, but coming back that morning everyone seemed to be recognizing him. That was something he hadn’t prepared himself for. He pulled his suitcase along the crowd, finally seeing his cousin who waited just on the other side for him. He had arranged for Nelson to pick him up that morning. Nelson was the only person who he was still on good terms with, from all the friends that accompanied him when he left. His cousin hadn’t changed much, even though looking chubbier than the last time he saw him. He was the same chubby boy he grew up with, showcasing the same smile like he did back in the days. The only thing Tumi noted that was different was the fact that age was catching up with him. ‘Nelson.’ He shouted rushing towards him. Already there were people staring at him around the airport, surely asking themselves questions about him. ‘Hey, cuz.’ Nelson quickly rushed towards him, seeing a potential stampede inside the airport. He looked excited seeing his cousin after so long. The excitement on Nelson’s face made the nagging feeling quickly subside in Tumi’s gut. Nelson knew how to make Tumi feel welcome and comfortable, as he let go of his suitcase running into each other’s arms; hugging for a few seconds. They detached again and stared at each other all smiles and sharing their old homeboy grin. The smile from Nelson was a sign Tumi hoped for. ‘Man you look cool, too cool to be exact.’ Tumi smiled back; not understanding what he meant by him looking too cool. ‘Come now man what do you mean?’ ‘The last time I saw you was on TV.’ ‘TV, me?’ Tumi pretended not to know what Nelson was talking about. ‘Yes you, when you were talking about your new book.’ ‘Oh, that?’ ‘Yes cuz, that.’ They both continued to laugh lightly. ‘You don’t look bad yourself cuz.’ ‘Argh leave me alone.’ The laughing continued, as Nelson grabbed his suitcase walking out of the arrival terminals. It was as if Tumi was in a different country altogether. Everyone they passed seemed to recognize him, some even asking for autographs, which was something he didn’t enjoy about his career. They quickly disappeared into the parking, where Nelson had parked his car. ‘I should have hired you a bodyguard.’ ‘A bodyguard! For what?’ He laughed faintly. ‘It looks like you’ll need one while here.’ Tumi smiled staring at a serious Nelson. It was as if he didn’t see what his cousin was talking about. ‘Come now cuz I’m home; why would I need a bodyguard?’ Nelson stared at him, as he paid for the parking ticket. After that, they walked where he parked his car. Once in the car, Nelson explained his idea of bodyguard. ‘Yes you are home cuz, but every American celebrity that comes to Africa brings along a bodyguard or two.’ ‘But I’m African cuz, besides I’m not a celebrity.’ The look on Nelson’s face scared the hell out of him. He had never needed a bodyguard in America, and he didn’t understand why he would need one in his home country. As they joined the freeway just outside the airport, there was a huge billboard with Tumi’s picture on. It was an advert for his new movie that had been out of cinemas for about two weeks in America already. Nelson quickly pointed at the billboard. ‘This is why you need a bodyguard cuz.’ ‘Really cuz?’ ‘Really man, how many autographs have you signed just now?’ Tumi didn’t even count, as it was something that caught him by surprise. He still didn’t think that he needed a bodyguard though. He just stared at Nelson with his forever charming smile and ignored the last question, quickly changing the subject. ‘So, who killed Bongani?’ Nelson stared at him laughing faintly. He could see that Tumi was changing the subject, but he pretended not to see that and focus on the road ahead. ‘No one knows yet, but Lerato is the prime suspect.’ ‘What, Lerato his wife?’ ‘The one and only.’ ‘That doesn’t make sense. Why would she kill him?’ ‘There are a lot of things you’ll learn cuz. For the past twelve years, you’ve been gone, a lot changed man.’ The two continued talking about a lot that happened when they were growing up. They walked down memory lane, quickly moving onto another subject that Nelson feared to talk about. It was a subject Tumi would rather not talk about it either. ‘If only Sonia could see you now cuz.’ Nelson smiled. ‘I’m sure she’d wish she could have been as strong as you are.’ ‘Strong as I am, but why?’ ‘You are beating the odds cuz.’ Tumi frowned feeling lost. He didn’t understand what Nelson was talking about. ‘Beating what odds man?’ ‘The HIV thing.’ That sent Tumi to an uneven whirlwind of confusion. He frowned harder as if wracking his brains. ‘What HIV thing are you talking about?’ Nelson looked spooked seeing his cousin’s face. He knew that they all wanted to hear Tumi’s side of the story for more than eleven years. They’d only heard Sonia’s and not his. ‘Are you on anti-retroviral cuz?’ Nelson finally asked, parking the car in front of some fancy gate in a suburban area. All the time they’d been talking and Nelson driving, Tumi was completely lost. He was confused by Nelson’s question. ‘Anti-retro… what? Why would I be on that man?’ ‘We know the truth cuz.’ – Nelson continued. ‘O-k-a-y, would you mind filling me in on the truth?’ Nelson stared at Tumi. He could see that its either Tumi was too good of an actor, or he seriously didn’t know what he was talking about. He pressed the remote of the gate opening it and then drove into the yard. He searched through his mind on how he would ask his next question. On the other side, Tumi didn’t care about anything that was happening outside. He wanted to hear what his cousin was talking about. As the gate closed behind them, Tumi grew impatient. ‘Stop talking in parables Nelson, you are not Jesus. What are you on about? What truth do you all know?’ ‘The truth about Sonia’s reason for killing herself.’ ‘And what does that have to do with me?’ ‘She left a note for Nelisa cuz.’ ‘Obviously, they were friends.’ ‘You dated the woman man.’ ‘Yes I did; so?’ ‘She killed herself because she had Aids.’ Tumi’s eyes went wide. He didn’t know whether to be angry at Nelson or just laugh at him. ‘So if a woman I dated killed herself because she had Aids, you all automatically assumed that I have Aids too?’ ‘She was your girl cuz.’ ‘Yes, she was.’ ‘And you slept with her.’ ‘You couldn’t be more wrong cuz. Sonia and I might have dated, but we never had sex. To me, she claimed to be a virgin. She said she was saving herself for marriage.’ Nelson’s eyes bulged; guilt was written all over his face. For so many years they believed that Tumi infected Sonia with the virus. ‘Oh…’ ‘I might have been a player back then Nelson, but I never slept with that woman.’ ‘Oh cuz…’ Before he even finishes what he wanted to say Tumi cuts him. ‘I’m disappointed in you man. I thought you knew me better than that. I guess I was wrong.’ ‘I apologize cuz, I should have asked you.’ ‘That you should have Nelson. The person who knew the truth about Sonia’s double life is Lerato.’ It was as if Tumi had been hit by a train. He dated Sonia back then who was a friend of Nelisa and Lerato. The woman lived a double life and had an affair with a married man from Bloemfontein. Before Tumi left the country Sonia had fallen pregnant with that man’s child. Tumi didn’t even know about her HIV status. When he heard that she killed herself, he solely thought it was because the man was denying responsibility for the child. It was hardly two hours with him being in the country, and he just finds out about Sonia’s HIV status. Hearing the truth shocked Nelson. ‘Lerato?’ ‘Yes Lerato, they both lived that life.’ The two went silent for few seconds. It was as if Nelson didn’t know what to say. Tumi, on the other hand, was both angry and disappointed. ‘I guess now I know why Nelisa hates me like this.’ ‘She doesn’t hate you, man.’ ‘She does, she ignored my calls for years.’ ‘She’s been angry at you, yes, but that doesn’t mean she hates you. She thinks you ran away and left Sonia to deal with this whole thing on her own’ Tumi laughed faintly, still feeling betrayed by the two people he thought loved him the most. ‘Seriously; I’m disappointed in both of you.’ ‘Come on man put yourself in our shoes, the way you left the country was rather too sudden man. After your mom’s funeral, you left as if something was chasing you.’ ‘Yes, Nelson something was chasing me.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Right now I feel like taking the next plane out of the country, and never return.’ ‘Come on man don’t be like that. Nelisa and I at least owe you an apology. Besides before killing herself; Sonia left something in a big envelope with Nelisa. She asked her to give it to you if you ever return.’ ‘Why should I even care about that envelope Nelson?’ ‘Come on cuz, this may be the only way to clear your name.’ ‘I don’t need to clear my name to anyone. I didn’t sleep with Sonia period.’ Tumi knew about the envelope; Nelson had once mentioned it when they were talking about Sonia’s death. He took a deep breath, turning to Nelson looking rather calm all of a sudden. ‘Your fiancée hates me because of Sonia.’ ‘Come on cuz; she doesn’t hate you.’ ‘She hates me Nelson, and I don’t blame her. I would hate myself too if I was her.’ He scratched his head taking a deep breath again. ‘Nelisa thinks I drove her best friend into killing herself. I wish she would have asked me though.’ ‘She will know the whole truth tonight cuz, don’t stress.’ He’d just arrived in the country, and he was already feeling like catching the next plane out. The Revelation When Tumi woke up that evening; it was already dark. He had slept throughout the day. The eighteen-hour trip had taken so much from him. He was not used to traveling such long distances. Waking up he could hear Nelisa and Nelson talking all the way to the bedroom where he slept. He figured they were in the living room. He hated the awkward moment he and Nelisa were still going to go through; meeting for the first time after so long. He sneezed loudly, still his mind running wild. It had been years without communication. He hoped that Nelson had broken the news to Nelisa already. ‘I wish I would have lived my life differently back then.’ He whispered, still in bed, reluctant to get up and head out. He imagined all the things they could be talking about out there. Tumi hated tension and confrontation. He didn’t feel like going out, fearing how Nelisa was going to receive him. He remembered that Nelisa could be hostile if she wanted. ‘I shouldn’t have come.’ He continued whispering in that dark bedroom. The sneeze kept coming; his sinuses acting up because of his new surroundings. Within a few minutes, the door to the bedroom opened slowly. ‘Are you going to stay in bed till tomorrow morning?’ Nelisa’s voice sent a chill down his spine. He could tell that she was standing in the middle of the doorway. He closed his eyes, pretending to still be asleep. Nelisa flipped the switch putting the lights on ‘Come on Tumi, wake up, I know you are not sleeping. I want to see you before I go to bed.’ Tumi kept quiet still. He couldn’t tell what her mood was by the sound of her voice. He used to be able to do that, but they had been apart for so long. Their connection had lost its touch. ‘Come now I know you hear me. Remember I know you more than your own mother did, so just cut the crap and wake up. Your damn sinuses made it obvious.’ That quick chill ran down his spine again. After so many years, Nelisa was the same annoying best friend she was for years. He still couldn’t read her voice. She flipped the main light off, walking towards the bed. Once there she switched the bedside lamp on and stared at him with a broad smile. ‘Hi!’ ‘Hi, Neli!’ Her eyes glittered with tears as she hugged him. Tumi remained flat on his back, facing up. ‘I am so sorry my friend.’ ‘For what?’ He pretended not to know what she was talking about. They held on to each other still Tumi on her back and Nelisa lying on top of his chest. ‘I could have been a better friend.’ ‘You could have, but that’s water under the bridge now.’ She took a deep breath squeezing him harder for a minute. The feeling was overwhelming for both of them. Tumi was relieved, knowing that Nelson had told her everything they’d talked about during the day. His best friend was back in his life again. Slowly Nelisa released him, letting go of the grip totally and then sat next to him. Tumi pulled himself up too and sat up, leaning back on the headboard smiling. They stared at each other for a few more seconds, Nelisa with that warm smile he remembered. For a few seconds there was silence in the room, and then quickly she surprised him with a hot slap across his face. ‘Ouch, what was that for?’ ‘That’s for disappearing all these years.’ She jumped onto her feet, standing right next to the bed. There was a strange tear that rolled down her cheek. He could see that she still wanted to slap him again, Tumi jumped off the bed also, grabbing both her arms. ‘I couldn’t face you hating me Neli.’ ‘But you should have trusted me with the truth man.’ ‘I should have. You should have trusted me too.’ He took a deep breath swallowing a ball of intense saliva. ‘I respected your best friend’s memory.’ ‘I am so angry at her right now. She let us all believe that you were a bad person. Kate is the only person who didn’t buy her story.’ Tumi took another deep breath, remembering that he needed to know about Kate’s whereabouts. He was surprised that even after what he did to her, she still stood for him. He was eager to find out what happened to her after he left the country. There was a rumor he had heard that he fathered Kate’s daughter which he ignored responsibility for. ‘Talking about Kate, where is she?’ Tumi asked staring at Nelisa who quickly moved her eyes swiftly away from him. Something in her actions told him that Kate was dead. ‘Is she dead?’ ‘Come on we’re talking about Sonia here.’ ‘I know, but I want to know about Kate.’ ‘We’ll get to her in time.’ ‘Why, is it because she’s dead?’ ‘No man; Kate is alive?’ ‘So why are you and Nelson giving me the same reaction when I ask about her?’ ‘Kate’s story is a long one, my friend.’ ‘We have nothing but time Neli, talk to me.’ Nelisa shoved her thumb into her mouth. It was her defense mechanism when she didn’t want to talk about something. She stared at him with those eyes that he had missed. There was a sense of fear in them. ‘Talk to me Neli, please. What happened to Kate?’ She took a deep breath, sitting back on the bed just like she did before. Tumi followed sitting right next to her. Nelisa took her thumb out of her mouth, her eyes running away from his. ‘We will get to Kate man. You have two weeks in the country. Don’t rush things please.’ ‘I have to.’ ‘You have to, why?’ ‘I want to fix what I destroyed.’ Nelisa’s eyes rushed back to him. She could see the seriousness in him. Somehow she feared that her friend had changed. They both kept quiet for a moment just staring at each other. It was as if Tumi was trying to read her mind. ‘Dinner is ready.’ Nelson shouted from the living room. ‘We’re coming babes.’ Nelisa shouted back. ‘I thought you were getting Tumi out of bed. Are you fucking him now?’ Nelson had that crazy character. They grew up having similar personalities, which was probably why Tumi’s mother wasn’t surprised when they ended up together. ‘You are disturbing us Nelson, I was about to climax.’ She shouted back. Tumi laughed; all the craziness they did growing up coming back. Nelisa stood up; her eyes still on him. ‘Get dressed; dinner is served courtesy of Nelson.’ Tumi had been in his boxers and nothing on top. She took her short strides towards the door, leaving him staring at her. He grabbed his t-shirt on the side bed, putting it on, and then went for his bag. He searched it for a few moments finally pulling out his toiletry bag. He pulled his pants on and then walked out to the bathroom. When he finally got to the dinner table, it was just like the old days. They ate while catching up on the current personal news. Dinner wouldn’t have been dinner without Nelson bringing up something that would irritate everyone, in his own funny way. His crazy character was one of the things Nelisa loved the most about him. Just as everyone was laughing at what he had said, Nelisa quickly changed the subject. ‘Do you still remember Lwandle?’ ‘Lwandle…, oh yes I do, Lerato’s little sister?’ ‘Did your cousin tell you that she’s a nun now?’ ‘What, a nun. That’s strange.’ Nelisa burst out in laughter. In that laugh, there was a hidden message that suggested that there was something she knew that Tumi didn’t about that subject. ‘What’s strange about that?’ She continued laughing her lungs out. ‘Why choose that path?’ ‘Someone broke her heart.’ ‘Wow, who?’ ‘Really Tumi?’ Nelisa laughed even louder. ‘Come on now, share the joke please.’ The way that Nelisa continued laughing, it got to a point where Tumi got irritated. There wasn’t anything funny about that according to him. Nelson also seemed to be missing the joke. He looked just as confused as Tumi was. ‘I’m laughing because you are asking who.’ ‘Yes because I want to know.’ ‘Didn’t your cousin tell you?’ Nelson jumped in before Tumi could even respond. ‘We didn’t talk about her because she wasn’t important.’ ‘Mh Tumi, you dog you.’ Nelisa continued without even taking note of Nelson’s statement. In her look, there was something that told Tumi that the guy she was referring to was him. ‘Come on.’ He looked alarmed. ‘Come on, you can’t be serious.’ Nelson looked dazed; he still couldn’t understand what they were on about. Tumi, on the other hand, was feeling like a douche-bag. ‘How can Tumi break her heart when they never even dated?’ Nelson was more confused as Nelisa continued laughing uncontrollably, finally standing up. She walked to the kitchen, leaving the cousins looking at each other in an astonishing way. Once in the kitchen Nelisa took a jar of juice from the fridge and walked back to the dinner table still laughing, completely ignoring Nelson’s question. The cousins stared at her with confusion in their eyes. They both knew that Tumi and Lwandle never dated. In their minds, it was impossible that he could have been the guy Nelisa was talking about. She walked back to her seat and poured juice for them slowly, pausing her ridiculous laugh. ‘Are you going to see Penelope while you’re in the country?’ Tumi looked at Nelson again, as if asking for help. He’d never heard of anyone with that name before. ‘Who’s Penelope?’ ‘Your daughter Tumi.’ ‘My what?’ He laughed faintly. ‘Yes, Tumi; your daughter.’ Nelisa had a straight face then. ‘She’s grown now, as beautiful as your mother was.’ ‘What the hell are you talking about Neli?’ Tumi was getting irritated by her finger pointing game she kept playing. Nelisa just smiled and stared at him. ‘You denied responsibility back then Tumi. You were young and stupid, we all understood, now you are a grown ass brilliant man with lots of money.’ Tumi frowned; his eyes traveling between her and Nelson as if asking for help from Nelson. Nelson grabbed his glass and walked to the living room, leaving the two best friends talking. Getting there he switched the television on and watched, completely ignoring them. Tumi could have sworn that Nelson knew she would bring that topic up. ‘Who the hell is Penelope?’ ‘Your daughter man.’ ‘I didn’t know I have one.’ ‘Kate’s daughter Tumi, she is yours.’ ‘What?’ ‘Come now stop saying what. Kate gave birth to a baby girl that looks exactly like your mother.’ Finally, there was that topic they kept running away from; since his arrival. ‘Where is Kate?’ ‘We are not talking about Kate Tumi; this is about your daughter.’ ‘I get you, but she and Kate are one parcel to me.’ ‘Come on man, grow up.’ ‘You are not even giving me something to work with here.’ She had turned into the Nelisa he knew back in the days. Doing exactly what she did best, pissing him off without even trying hard. Again she laughed at him, pretending as if she didn’t understand what he was saying. ‘Kate’s story is a very long one, my friend. I told you we will get to it in time. But I blame you for putting her where she is now.’ ‘Where she is now? What does that even mean?’ The confusion on Tumi was boiling, slowly turning into irritation. The cat and mouse game was getting them nowhere. ‘Kate is alive Tumi. She’s just not the same Kate you knew back in the days.’ She noticed the irritation that was stirring in him. ‘What do you mean not the Kate I knew?’ Nelisa put down her spoon and stared at him, then laughed faintly with her right hand covering her mouth. ‘You were such a dog back then my friend. I hope growing up has changed you.’ ‘Let’s not do that please Neli.’ Tumi made his fair share of mistakes growing up that he hated being reminded of, especially when it came to what he did to Kate. He was a player yes, and Kate was one of the collateral damages he left along his way. ‘You were every girl’s dream boyfriend.’ Nelisa continued. ‘I wonder how I was so lucky that you chose to be my friend and never messed my life.’ ‘Come on Neli, that’s unfair.’ ‘No wonder why Lwandle was taken by your charms.’ She shouted. ‘Baby, why did you leave the table?’ ‘I don’t want to be a witness.’ Nelson shouted back his eyes glued to the television. ‘Dude you left me alone here with this dragon lady of yours.’ Tumi shouted too, laughing faintly. ‘Who are you calling a dragon lady Tumi?’ Nelisa asked laughing also. For a few minutes, they fooled around as if there wasn’t anything serious to talk about. Then Nelisa stood up and walked to her bedroom. She disappeared for few minutes in there, leaving the cousins shouting at each other fooling around. Coming back; Nelisa had a big brown envelope in her hand. ‘For twelve years I held on to this.’ She threw it on the table in front of him. It sounded heavy when it hit the dining room table. Tumi stared at her for few seconds; slowly moving his eyes to the envelope, taking a deep breath. ‘Is this what I think it is?’ ‘I didn’t want to open it. That was the instruction anyway.’ Suddenly the mood in the house got tense. Tumi clinched his knuckles; his eyes stuck on that envelope as if seeing a ghost. He kept moving his eyes from the envelope to Nelisa. ‘She loved you till the end you know.’ ‘She failed showing me though.’ ‘Everyone asked themselves why you did what you did, including me.’ Nelisa took a deep breath and continued. ‘When your first book came out; and you wrote all the things you wrote about us, especially the part about how much you loved her, she couldn’t take it. I saw it in her eyes when she read it. She couldn’t believe it. She left the book here; I don’t think she even finished reading it. She bought it first and I only read it after her.’ Tumi took a deep breath, remembering every word he wrote in that book. Although it contained a lot of truths about their lives growing up, he packaged it nicely, and respectfully. ‘She shouldn’t have played me.’ ‘I think she knows that now.’ ‘It’s a bit too late.’ Nelisa could see the hurt in his eyes. He’d written another book after that the one, but it was the one that launched him to the world. He didn’t write much about Sonia though, except that she fell pregnant with someone else’s child and he left it at that. ‘Yeah it is, just check what she left for you.’ ‘Why should I?’ ‘I think you owe it to yourself man.’ He looked at the envelope again and then back at Nelisa. Finally pulling it towards him, reading what’s written outside. “TO TUMI WITH LOVE: FOR YOUR EYES ONLY”. He shook his head side to side laughing faintly, finally opening the envelope. He emptied its content onto the table. There were few handwritten letters inside and a journal. Nelisa stood up and shouted at Nelson; as Tumi stared at the letters. There must have been eight or ten letters with different color envelopes. ‘Baby, come help me with the dishes.’ Every letter had dates on the envelope. Tumi grabbed the journal, opening it right at the end. The last words on it were, ‘‘I’m signing out.’’ That kind of took his interest. He went to the beginning of that page and started reading. It sounded strange even to read it himself. “I got what I wanted, but I lost what I had.” That’s how it started. “I destroyed my own life. I was never satisfied with what I had. I messed up the lives of people I claimed to love. I was greedy and selfish. Now the only man that truly loved me is gone. I know he’s never coming back. Tumi will never forgive me for what I put him through. And I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t forgive myself too if I were him. Today I’m sick, I know many people blame him for what I’m going through, yet they don’t even know that he’s not responsible for my demise. Life was kind enough to me and gave me him. I treated him unfairly. He left a woman that loved him, just so he could be with me, just because he loved me. I lost him because of my stupidity. I will probably die soon, as there’s nothing left for me to live for. I know that taking my life the way I am planning to is cowardly. Yes, call me that if you may, but I deserve everything that is happening to me. I’m planning to overdose on sleeping tablets and probably sleep to my death. I just hope that one day Tumi will read this, and be able to move on and forgive me. He loved me, but I took him for granted, I took the love he gave me for granted and for that I am very sorry. I’m signing out.” Her signature was at the end of that page. Tumi felt tears burning in his eyes, guilt overwhelming him. Even though he wasn’t responsible for what she did, at that moment he thought that maybe if he could have been kinder; she wouldn’t have killed herself. Nelisa walked back in the dining room. For some strange reason, she understood him more than anyone. The tear had rolled down his cheek, and Nelisa saw it. ‘It can’t be that bad man.’ Tumi quickly wiped the tear off, for a minute he had forgotten where he was. He turned the page letting it face Nelisa so she could read. For few seconds she read quietly and quickly. As she finished; Nelisa also took a deep breath. ‘But there isn’t anything you could have done here.’ ‘I could have done something.’ ‘What exactly?’ ‘I could have been kinder.’ ‘You were out of the country.’ ‘I shouldn’t have left her in that state.’ ‘It doesn’t sound like she’s blaming you for any of this. She can’t blame you for her mistakes.’ ‘I know, believe me, Neli I know that. Maybe if I didn’t ignore her cry, maybe if I supported her more and blamed her less. Maybe she would still be alive.’ Nelisa sat next to him and he knew that the agony-aunt in her was about to come out. The lecture was coming. She was one person who could talk people out of doing stupid things. A good motivator, no wonder she ended up being a clinical psychologist. She was the perfect woman, I guess not woman enough for him to date, because he let her go. ‘I hated your guts for years, for something you didn’t even do. This clears your name Tumi.’ She took a break, quickly continuing. ‘I know that Moeketsi and his family also hate you. Everyone blamed you for Sonia’s death. I didn’t read the whole thing, but according to this, it clears your name. I’m sure her family will also find closure once they read this journal.’ ‘Who said anything about them reading it?’ ‘It clears your name Tumi.’ ‘I don’t care what they think of me Neli. I’m not going to tarnish their memory of her just to clear my conscious.’ Nelisa stared at him in shock. He had changed. The selfish player she knew was no more. ‘Wow Tumi, people do grow up for real.’ ‘Why?’ ‘You’ve grown-up my friend.’ She hugs him seeing the difference in the man he had become. A Stolen Kiss After reading all the letters and the journal, Tumi felt angry, walking to the bathroom with the aim to calm himself down. He took a quick shower and went straight to bed without even saying his goodnight to the couple. He angrily lay on that bed in a semi-dark room, still hearing the words Sonia wrote echoing in his ears. The details made him extremely angry. He hated how Sonia played him. He couldn’t get why he was angry though, the twelve whole years have since passed. Back then he was the player, so he guessed being played by a woman was a reason for feeling like that. ‘I was the player, not one to be played. How could I have been so blind?’ He could still remember one evening when Sonia visited him after his mother’s funeral. Tumi was down and out, feeling as if the world had turned on him. He had shut himself from the outside world. He waited for his visa to be granted, and he wanted out of the country as quickly as possible. That evening Sonia came with a plan to make him feel better, and want to stay in the country. She allowed him to cry on her shoulder, which leads them into kissing passionately. More after that followed as she ended up taking his shirt off, unzipping his pants. She gently placed her lips on his slow growing erectile penis, sucking him. At that time Tumi didn’t even take note of it, but that evening it bothered him. If in fact, she was a virgin, how did she know how to bring him so much pleasure with that single motion? Kate had done the same on him more times than he cared to remember, but she’d never claimed to be pure. ‘Come on Sonia stop it.’ He pushed her head off as his penis was getting harder, but Sonia continued toying with him; completely ignoring his plea. She was on a mission; it’s just that Tumi didn’t know what it was at the time. He could tell that she knew what she was doing. ‘Stop it Sonia please, this is not how your first time should be.’ He pulled her up to her feet; even though he wanted to jump on her and do her right there. He was still mourning his mother, and he didn’t want to overshadow his mother’s memory by creating new ones by sleeping with her. ‘Come on love, this is a perfect time.’ Sonia said. ‘It will help you forget what you are going through.’ ‘I appreciate your effort Sonia, but right now it doesn’t feel right.’ Seeing those letters and that journal made Tumi angrier. Sonia already knew she was pregnant. She wanted him to take the wrap and father the child. He would have believed the child to be his as he believed everything she fed him. The fear jumped out of him, thinking that had he gone along with her games, she would have infected him that same evening. On her journal, she claimed that she didn’t know about her HIV status by then. ‘Do I really have to believe anything she said?’ He talked to himself, still walking down memory lane. The fact that she had been with another man the same afternoon made his blood boil. ‘Oh my word, that bitch!’ He remembered how Nelson approached him about the HIV issue earlier in the day. It would have suited him to take the blame. ‘She was just a pathetic pathological liar. I was in love with a selfish person.’ Just the thought that he dumped Kate to be with her drove him nuts. “If only she would have used her talent in writing a book, it would have been a bestseller.” The thought went through his mind as he lay still as if sleeping. He was trying to go around the web she’d created for him. So many people hated him because of her. ‘Nelisa should give Sonia’s family this, so they will see how down-right evil their daughter was.’ He continued talking, trying to remain calm. ‘Why would I want to protect her? Even in death, I hate her very being right now.’ His mind went through every detail in that journal. He connected the dots then that each time Sonia claimed to be visiting her grandmother in Lesotho; she had in fact been going to Bloemfontein; to her married boyfriend. Even though in the letters she was apologizing, her apology didn’t carry much weight. Instead, he felt betrayed, used and cheated. He believed that he was better off not knowing the details. He could have been a bad boy, but he surely was a one-woman kind of man. He treated Sonia with so much love and respect. He left Kate when he started dating her. Unfortunately there he was on that night, marching slowly towards his forties, without a woman to call wife. He blamed Sonia for that too. He hated thinking about Sonia; he wanted to figure out Kate’s story. He wondered if Nelisa was serious about Kate’s daughter being his. ‘My word,’ he whispered, ‘I wonder what is so difficult for these people to tell me about what happened to Kate.’ In his mind, he was whispering, but in reality, he was talking loud. He didn’t even see that the door was ajar. He only realized when hearing the voice at the door. ‘I don’t think you want to know that yet my friend.’ Nelisa talked very low, standing in the middle of the doorway. She had been eavesdropping on his conversation with himself. Startled Tumi jumped. ‘Hey, you scared me.’ ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to.’ ‘It’s okay. How long have you been standing there anyway?’ She smiled walking inside the room looking rather slick. ‘Long enough to see that there are more questions in that head of yours than answers.’ ‘More than you’ll ever imagine.’ ‘Still early day’s man; take things easy.’ ‘But how do you know that I wouldn’t want to know about Kate?’ He sat up, leaning on the headboard. ‘You are not giving me the chance to decide whether I want to know that or not, in fact, you’re deciding for me.’ ‘You’ve been through enough on your first day back my friend. You should take things one day at a time.’ She stood in the middle of the room. Tumi still looked shocked to see her there. He thought they were long asleep since he heard Nelson snoring while he tossed and turned in that bedroom. He figured Nelisa was sleeping too, but there she was in his bedroom wearing a short light grayish lace nightie with a pink lace trim. Her pink fashion form-see through lace embroidered butterfly boy short panty underneath clearly visible, through that nightie. It was rather transparent and too sexy for her to wear in the presence of another man other than her fiancée. That didn’t bother Tumi though, as he had seen her worse than that in the past. Strangely on that night, he couldn’t move his eyes off that sexy number under the nightie. ‘I thought you guys were sleeping?’ He moved his eyes away trying to shift his focus from her underwear, opting to rather look at his wristwatch. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, but the time on his watch was wrong. He hadn’t changed it to South African time. He laughed at himself. ‘Oh, shit; look at that. What time is it anyway?’ He looked at Nelisa again, but his eyes were clearly more interested in the semi-exposed thighs and the lace boy shorts under that sexy little number. ‘It’s just gone past one.’ Nelisa responds. ‘Wow, that late.’ ‘It is.’ Nelisa could see what was happening, but she also felt attracted to his well-built chest. It was as if they’d just met for the first time. Because of the heat Tumi had nothing on, just his boxers. She walked slowly towards the bed as if tempting him. There clearly was an attraction there; an attraction that they both didn’t understand. She noticed how Tumi was staring at her, and that triggered something in her. She didn’t understand though because they had seen each other naked in the past, and nothing was ever stirred. There had been no staring at each other intensely like they were that night. They were young back then, she remembered, and they had since grown. For Tumi seeing her in that skimpy nighty might have meant nothing back then, but on this peculiar night, it was rather different and enticing. Nelisa wished she could have covered herself a little. Going out of that room might have given Tumi some ideas, and besides, she might distract Nelson’s sleep. She could hear him snoring right from that bedroom. Her eyes ran off his, quickly pulling the chair next to the dresser and sat. She then dragged Tumi’s t-shirt, covering her thighs with it. ‘I was going to the bathroom when I noticed that your side lamp was still on.’ She sounded as if she was trying to justify her reason for being there. ‘I figured that you couldn’t sleep.’ ‘There’s just so much on my mind Neli.’ ‘Is it Sonia?’ ‘Partly.’ ‘What else?’ He scratched his arms feeling his body betraying him. He couldn’t understand the attraction he was feeling towards her. ‘What?’ ‘You said partly, so I’m asking what else?’ Tumi took a deep breath; feeling horny under the cover. Something in him wished Nelisa was his fiancée rather than his cousin’s. ‘Just so many other things okay...’ ‘I hope it’s not Kate.’ ‘She’s there too.’ ‘Stop that Tumi. I will personally take you to her when you’ve settled in.’ ‘Really?’ ‘I promise you.’ ‘So what’s your excuse?’ ‘What?’ ‘I slept too much during the day, that’s why I can’t sleep. Why aren’t you sleeping?’ He forced his eyes to look at her eyes. It was hard, her east-west breasts staring at him, turning him on some more. ‘I was sleeping. I went to the bathroom and saw your light on, and thought I should check on you.’ ‘Mh.’ Nelisa laughed. ‘What’s that?’ ‘What’s what?’ ‘That mh.’ They stared at each other and laughed but quietly. They’d missed their days as kids. She moved the chair closer to the bed. She didn’t want them making noise while talking. Even though the house was big, the bedrooms weren't that far from each other. ‘Why don’t you sit on the bed?’ Tumi extended an invitation without realizing. He wanted her to sit closer to him, deep down he wanted to see those thighs up-close. Without any hesitation; Nelisa walked across and sat on the bed. The t-shirt still semi covered her thighs. But they still were visible to him. Growing up those two were like brother and sister. They shared a lot of things, as she was the only one in her family that moved to Johannesburg after their mother’s passing. Although her sister Noxolo supported her financially, she was still alone and lonely. Tumi and his mother were the only people that made her feel welcome in Johannesburg. She rented a room in Pimville Soweto, not too far from where Tumi and his mother stayed. When he introduced her to his mother as a friend, Olivia accepted her as her own daughter. She as an adult thought they were dating. It took some convincing for her to realize that they, in fact, were just good friends. At one point she even considered bringing her in to stay with them, but again she feared what the neighbors would say. She knew that feelings could change in a split second. In those early hours of the morning, Nelisa sat on the side of the bed staring at Tumi who leaned on the headboard. Even though they weren’t saying what was on their minds, but the feeling in the room was just erotic and intense. For the first time; Tumi felt strange having her in his bedroom dressed like that. He couldn’t understand where those feeling were coming from. Nelisa continued talking, also feeling her body betraying her for the first time. She felt as if they were long lost lovers who’d just found each other, after years of looking and yearning desperately for each other. ‘I think I’d also be feeling the same way after finding out that Nelson did all those things behind my back.’ She tried breaking the ice. The mood was suddenly a violent flame that could not be easily doused. Even though Tumi was feeling betrayed by Sonia, his body betrayed him even more. He wanted nothing more than to undress his cousin’s fiancée and make love to her right there. He took a deep breath staring at space, feeling the attraction becoming too hard to bear. ‘I loved her Neli.’ He thought that maybe telling her that would take away the feelings he was having for her. ‘I know my friend, I was there remember.’ She also thought that calling him a friend would keep her feelings in check. ‘She betrayed me.’ ‘I know Tumi, but just calm down now.’ Nelisa felt like hugging him as he leaned on the headboard. His lower body was under the cover, only his muscular upper body that was out in the open as if showing off. Nelisa thought that maybe that was her reason for feeling that weak. She had never been in the presence of a muscular man with his upper body bare like that. She wanted to hug him, but she was scared. She felt as if it would be inappropriate, especially with her dressed like that. They were no longer the kids they were back in the days, where they did anything without fear. In her head, she blamed herself for coming to his bedroom in that nightie. She didn’t realize it would be that awkward. She wanted to walk away in that instance but feared that he would pick up on what she was feeling. Her body wanted to hold those hard-core muscles. There was a moment of silence, for a minute or so. It was as if he could hear her thoughts. He moved up; pushing his legs off the bed hanging them on the side of the bed, sitting straight. The emotions overcoming him but trying so hard not to allow them to get the best of him. He took yet another deep breath, wishing his mother was around to keep them in check. He kept the cover, hiding his dick that was hard and ready to work. Nelisa turned to him giving him that hug she felt he so dearly needed. For a minute or so, they held onto each other. She could feel those prominent muscles holding on to her body. She felt weaker and wanted more than just a hug. But she was scared. She had hugged him more than she could count in the past, and she had never felt that way. Why was that one different from all the others in the past? Slowly simultaneously a strange feeling overpowered them. He also felt the same thing happening to him. He wanted more than just a hug too. He wanted to kiss her. It was as if she read his mind when she squeezed him tighter and tighter, moving even closer to him. The t-shirt that she covered her thighs with rolled off; falling to the floor. Tumi felt something he’d never felt since meeting her. Her scent was different than how he remembered; her skin softer and more beautiful. Her light skinned thighs looked appetizing for him to lie on. His eyes were hooked on them, as they held each other tightly. It was as if he was held by a completely different woman, not the Nelisa he knew and loved as a younger sister. He couldn’t help feeling like she was feeling the same way too. She allowed his hand to brush on her naked thighs, responding with a gentle moan that gave him the satisfaction that she appreciated his gesture. She would have fought him if she didn’t like what he was doing, but she gave him the consent he needed to go on. His lips longed to kiss hers. They had never kissed before, but he felt as if he missed her kisses. It was as if he had tasted them before, and he wanted more of them. He didn’t just want to kiss her like a brother kissing a sister. He wanted that wet watery, sexy and passionate kiss. He continued slowly brushing her thighs as she unlocked them, allowing his hand to go in between them. Her silent moaning told him that she wanted what he wanted. Tumi could see that he was over thinking things, and he needed to stop doing that. He pulled his head back slowly, leveling it with hers. He hoped that she would pull away. Amazingly she pulled hers back the same way, easing her grip on him. They paused for few more seconds, staring at each other as if waiting for each other’s approval. The staring went on for a few more seconds. It was as if they were waiting to see who would make the first move. A minute went by with them still staring at each other as if luring each other into a forbidden forest, both hyperventilating. Slowly her eyes changed. She looked at him strangely with a frowned forehead as if asking why he let her go. They knew what was happening was wrong, but their bodies didn’t understand what their minds knew. Tumi’s penis quickly formed a tent under his briefs, signaling that he was yearning for her. With her eyes staring at him that way, there was no going back, so Tumi made the first move. He hoped for her to pull back. He moved his head slowly towards hers, and it was as if she had been waiting for him to do that. Nelisa moved hers too; slowly moving closer, meeting him halfway. Their lips touched in a matter of seconds. The kiss was very steamy, yet slow and soft as if it was something they’d been planning for; all their lives. He’d always heard people talking about the earth moving when kissing someone. In that early hour of the morning; Tumi felt that happening to him for the first time. It was as if the bed they sat on was vibrating. His penis felt the rush making it all unbearable. His body wanted more than just that kiss. It was the kind he’d only seen in movies. Few more minutes passed as they stayed lip locked like there was no tomorrow. They held each other as if they belonged. He grabbed her right breast slowly caressing it, gripping her naked nipple while pulling the breast gently out of the nightie. He circled that nipple with his finger, his tongue deep inside her mouth as she sucked it slowly enjoying the sensation. Tumi pulled his tongue out, slowly moving his mouth down to her naked breast. He fastened his lips around its nipple; sucking it gently. It felt as hard as he wanted it to be in his mouth; just like a little brown hard prick. Nelisa shut her eyes, involuntarily spreading her thighs apart, giving him a free passage to her vagina. She had started secreting her exotic and hypnotic juices which dissolved into Tumi’s nostrils. His hard dick peaked even stronger, following the smell of those juices. She moved her hands without even looking; grabbing it as if wanting to break it out of that prison it was under. She wanted to be fucked in that spur of the moment. He wanted her too, and conveniently they had both forgotten about his snoring cousin in the other room. His snore; sounded louder and louder as they went on, not feeling any sense of remorse being there doing what their bodies were screaming for. She continued stroking his hard erected penis still inside his boxers. Gently she jerked it up and down slowly, holding it tight pressing it with her palm. Tumi moved one of his hands; down to her naked thighs, brushing them gently; slowly moving towards her lace covered vagina. She separated her thighs even further apart, showing that she wanted him to reach there with ease. She finally managed to pull his penis out of that prison he called boxers. She stroked it slowly and gently caressed it, placing the tip of her fingers on its head, circling the small opening. Tumi kept jerking as what she was doing to his penis was making him weaker. He continued firmly gripping her nipple with his lips, sucking them even harder. The sweet scented vaginal secretions rose to his nose, driving his senses to a definite addictive high. They’d already crossed the line that they shouldn’t have. He wanted to penetrate and please her at that moment but opted to push his long finger inside her vagina instead. She moaned out in disbelief and satisfaction; a sweet gentle whimper of pleasure to his ears. He pushed his finger even deeper inside her vagina; allowing the deep strokes to ignite her deepest untapped desires. Nelisa couldn’t handle the excitement and stopped stroking his dick, focusing on his finger and its motion inside her. She’d never been finger fucked before, and the feeling was unfamiliar but fulfilling. It sent her into a never-ending roller coaster ride of pleasure. Tumi kept praying for her to stop him, but she continued moaning silently, enjoying his advances. She was on cloud nine, her mind and body hypnotized by his motions and caresses. At least he was still thinking of the damage they were causing, Nelisa’s mind was no longer working. She had crossed the thick boundary she wasn’t meant to cross. They were disrespecting a man under his own roof. Her moaning propelled him to continue and not stop. He pushed her gently forcing her to lie on her back, her thighs still apart. Tumi slipped down to her vagina with his mouth, pushing the boy-shorts to the side and gently placing his lips on her warm exposed vagina and sucked her. The panting got even worse. She made light sounds he had never thought she could make. The way she controlled her volume told him that she knew exactly what they were doing. She lifted her butt off the bed; allowing him to take her panties off. He dropped it to the floor next to his knees and continued sucking her vagina. Her clitoris felt harder in his mouth, and he loved the feeling. He pushed his long finger inside her again while sucking her clitoris. She jerked up, still moaning her appreciation to his tribute. She knew it wasn’t going to be long before she felt what he was making her feel. His one hand pushed her leg up so he could suck her freely, without it getting in his way. He had never imagined himself doing all of this to her. It was worse because it was happening under his cousin’s roof, with him in the other room. Nelisa was enjoying herself in a way she had never before, their minds caught in the moment; losing all form of control and common sense. They had totally forgotten the man of the house in the other room. In a spur of the moment, they heard a toilet flush. Tumi jumped to his feet, remembering that the room was lit and the door opened. Nelisa followed and was on her feet as well. On her way up she picked up her panties that lay on the floor quickly putting them on. For a few seconds, they stood still without flinching. They listened for any footsteps that might be coming their way, their eyes locked onto each other. They still wanted to finish what they’d started, but their greatest fear was that Nelson could walk in that room any second. The snoring had disappeared, and they didn’t even notice. They knew that if he were to walk in, he would smell the scent of their sensual episode that had covered the room. A minute went by, and they stood still staring at each other. His dick had quickly collapsed as if it never stood tall. He took a deep breath, pulling his boxers up closing his eyes, pressing them with his fingers for few seconds as if trying to refocus his mind. When opening his eyes Nelisa was gone, she had dashed out into thin air just like a lightning bolt. He looked around the room, but she was nowhere to be seen. Tumi stood still his mind fooling him. He couldn’t believe she could move as fast as she did. ‘Wo wo wo, what just happened?’ He whispered to himself. ‘Did I just have a dream about all this? Really now, where did she disappear to?’ He figured that he might have fallen asleep, and that was all just a dream. The door was still open. He was nervous to even go to look outside; just in case it indeed was a dream. ‘I’ve never suffered from somnambulism before, why would I start today?’ The confusion mounted. He could feel that his body wanted to unleash the intense sensation of making love to someone, but that someone he wanted had disappeared into thin air. His emotions were on overdrive. ‘Mh I wonder what was that all about.’ He continued whispering. ‘If that was a dream or just my imagination; I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to stay in this house.’ He feared that he might have hallucinated. Dreaming or even thinking of doing that to his cousin’s fiancée was just crazy. He closed his eyes again running his right hand on his face, and his fingers passing by his nose. To his confusion, he smelt the vaginal juice scent on his long finger. That confused him even more. He didn’t understand how quickly she moved out of that room. Besides he didn’t even hear any footsteps leaving the bedroom. He frowned walking slowly and shutting the door. ‘If Nelisa and I really did that; then it’s more of a reason for me to move out before we end up having sex for real next time.’ They shouldn’t have even kissed in the first place. She was getting married in just two weeks. The worst part was that she was marrying his very own cousin. They both had so much to lose should they be caught. He could lose his cousin and aunt, and she, on the other hand, would lose, a home that she had helped build, a future husband and a new family she was about to wed into. Tumi switched the side bed lamp off and lay in the dark. His mind ran wild. He couldn’t explain what happened. He’d been back in the country hardly a day, and there he was creating a new enemy for himself. This time it would be his cousin. Landing at OR the previous morning, his plan was to fix his past mistakes, not create new ones. But if he really initiated that abyss of pleasure with Nelisa like that, he was bringing more damage than fixing what he had hoped to in the first place. He consoled himself by saying that maybe it was all just a dream, or that his mind played a trick on him. He didn’t bother himself thinking that it indeed happened. He didn’t think that Nelisa was capable of doing that with him, let alone to Nelson. He just labeled it as a devilish thought; a test to see if he had overcome his stage of being a womanizer, and wanting women that are taken. He knew it was going to be awkward for him when he sees Nelisa again, after that dream, fantasy, or whatever it was that he went through. Still, though, he couldn’t explain the pussy juice smell on his finger. He lay there still, thinking about the “what if’s” and the “maybes”; his mind running around in circles, out of its axis. ‘What if it did happen?’ He said silently. ‘Tumi; you have to get out of this house before you start a scandal that you will live to regret.’ He knew how Nelson and Nelisa loved each other, and he didn’t want to play any part in breaking them up. Even though in his mind he knew that given a chance, Nelisa would make a good wife for him. When he thought hard about it, he came to a decision that Nelson wouldn’t stand a chance if he were to make a move on her. It wasn’t even about him being a celebrity and being rich, but the history between him and Nelisa packed so many possibilities. Besides, he knew that he could make her happier than Nelson ever could. ‘Come on; why am I even thinking of that? I gave my opportunity with her away. I introduced her to him, now why am I entertaining these thoughts?’ He and Nelisa never tried a romantic relationship before. But their closeness was strange and could be explosive if they were to try. ‘Damn, the nagging feeling I had getting off the plane. Dream or no dream, I got to get out of this house.’ He took a deep breath again, imagining what was at stake. They were just too damn high for him to ignore. He didn’t want to mess up Nelson’s life. He and his mother were the only blood relatives Tumi had still alive. Just the thought that in his will, Nelson is the only person he left his estate to, should something happen to him. Yes, there was something small that he left for Nelisa, but Nelson was the main benefactor. His mind ran around in circles for a few more minutes, he didn’t even remember when he fell asleep. But the weight of the night finally took over him and he fell into a deep sleep. Big Mistake When he and Nelson walked inside that small interrogation room at the prison, Lerato didn’t believe her eyes. The last time she had seen him was when he was accompanying Sonia to the doctor. That was some odd twelve years ago. Lerato was one of those friends that didn’t accompany him to the airport. That was before she started seeing him a few years later on TV. ‘Nelson please tell me I’m not dreaming.’ ‘Lerato, you are not dreaming.’ Nelson laughed. ‘Come on man you know what I mean.’ ‘You are not dreaming Rato, this is him for real.’ ‘Wow Tumi, is it really you?’ ‘In the flesh.’ Tumi flashed his usual playboy smile that sends everyone in a sudden spin. Lerato couldn’t contain herself, but jumped to hug him. ‘No touching.’ The warder rushed in, getting between her and Tumi. The female warder also couldn’t move her eyes from Tumi. One could tell that she wanted to hug the celebrity too, but her job wouldn’t allow her. He had that effect on many women… easy on the eye and intense on the heart. ‘Come now lady, really?’ – Nelson. ‘I’m just doing my job, sir.’ ‘We are her lawyers remember?’ ‘You are her lawyer sir, not this gentleman.’ ‘Have you never heard of a team of lawyers?’ Nelson stared at the warder as if undermining her. The lady felt small, backing up just a little, giving them a chance to hug. Lerato walked closer and hugged Tumi. There wasn’t even a glimpse of a smile on Tumi’s face. He didn’t realize how hard it would be seeing Lerato after reading Sonia’s journal. He only felt pity for her, seeing how beaten up she was. He pulled away softly staring at her. ‘So, how have you been Lerato?’ ‘I think I’ll be okay now.’ ‘And why is that?’ ‘I have a great team of lawyers behind me.’ Tumi turned slowly looking at Nelson, who stood there with a huge grin on his face. ‘You better sort this out cuz.’ ‘But we can make a good team man.’ Nelson looked to be begging. ‘I am only here as your advisor.’ Tumi hated being misunderstood. He wanted things cleared from the beginning. He didn’t want his being there to be mistaken. Lerato could see that there was something that the two needed to iron out. Yes, Tumi was a qualified lawyer, but he hadn’t practiced law in over seven years. ‘I know cuz, but don’t you feel like helping out?’ ‘I am helping out, as your advisor.’ Lerato’s eyes traveled between the two men, seeing the obvious problem and decided to intervene. ‘What’s going on Nelson?’ ‘I want my cousin to join forces with me.’ ‘Tumi!’ She stared at him. ‘I am not a lawyer anymore. I can only advise him.’ ‘I guess it’s settled then. Nelson do what you do best, and get me out of here.’ Lerato’s words sounded conclusive and Nelson knew he couldn’t debate it any longer. Just as soon as she said that they all settled on the chairs facing hers. That to Tumi sounded as if she was actually one of those clients from hell. Nelson quickly opened his briefcase and they went on as if nothing had just happened. Tumi kept quiet and listened to what was being said by the two, back and forth. Lerato continued talking as Tumi’s mind slowly faded away, gallivanting out of that interrogation room, remembering Nelisa’s hair scent. His mind remembered that he had finger fucked her and involuntarily his hand went up to his nose, trying to smell that same finger he dipped in her that morning. He hoped to smell that scent again. He had forgotten that he’d taken a bath before coming to the prison. Unfortunately, there was nothing there to smell. His finger smell of his aftershave. He smiled, clenching his jaws; forgetting the people around him. ‘Anything interesting cuz?’ Nelson had asked him something that he didn’t hear. ‘I’m sorry cuz; for a second my mind crossed the ocean.’ ‘Come on man let’s focus. How are you going to advise me if your mind keeps gallivanting outside these walls?’ Lerato took a little break as the cousins talked. After that, she continued talking. She and Bongani loved each other according to her. She never suspected that Bongani was bisexual. They had created a pattern that they followed every day. She knew his whereabouts every time and he knew hers. She had her suspicion that he was cheating on her. She thought it was with a woman, never in her wildest imagination did she think he was sleeping with another man. She only found that out when she caught them right in the act. The previous night before catching Bongani having sex with a man, everything was normal. ‘Tshepo would always come home with Bongani after work.’ She said her eyes glittering with tears. Her cheeks were shaking; something that Tumi didn’t understand. He didn’t understand why she was angry since she cheated on Bongani first. Even though it was way before they got married, but she had cheated. In Tumi’s mind, she had made her bed even before marrying Bongani by cheating on him first. She was only afraid to lie on it as the shoe was on another foot. ‘I think we should stop here.’ Tumi relaxed in his seat, taking a deep breath. ‘Come on cuz, you need to hear the whole story.’ ‘But you can tell it to me.’ ‘It’s better if it’s told by the accused.’ ‘Another reason I left law.’ Tumi whispered. ‘It’s okay Tumi, I can tell it a million more times.’ Tumi took another deep breath refocusing on her. He didn’t like being there not a single bit. He didn’t even know why he agreed to be there in the first place. Lerato continued where she left off. ‘The previous night everything had been okay. We even had sex like we hadn’t had it in a long time.’ Nelson seemed to be getting uncomfortable with her explicit graphics. ‘Not too much detail. We are just highlighting the necessary parts for Tumi.’ Tumi clears his throat. They both continued to pay close attention to everything that Lerato was saying. The following morning Lerato had fallen sick. She still opted to go to work though, thinking that since she worked at the hospital she would get help there. Bongani had dropped her off at work, promising to pick her up in the afternoon. ‘I got worse when I got to work and was discharged by my seniors to go back home.’ Lerato went on and on with her story, not even aware that Tumi was just bored and not really interested in hearing all the gory details with Bongani. Just the whole thing was taking too much out of his interest. He sat there though and pretended to be interested, whereas his mind was all over Nelisa’s body. Connecting the dots That evening everything felt awkward for Tumi. He couldn’t even stand being on the same dinner table with Nelisa. He couldn’t even look her straight in the eyes, knowing what happened in his bedroom. He still wasn’t even sure if he hallucinated what he did to her, or if it were a moment that really happened. He still hoped though that his mind played games with him. Even the vaginal smell on his finger, he prayed that it was just a mind trick from the devil. In his book, there is no one who could disappear that quickly. Besides, according to his knowledge, Nelisa loved and respected Nelson. So there was no way she could have allowed herself to be that intimate with his cousin. When they walked in the house, Tumi went straight to the bathroom and took his shower. He wanted to wash the prison off his system. It was just heavy on his body. By the time he came out; Nelisa was already preparing dinner. He stayed in his room; wearing his track pants and his sleeping t-shirt, trying to avoid any unnecessary contact with her. ‘Why are you sitting in here alone?’ Nelisa walked in; finding him sitting on the bed chatting on his phone. ‘Hi.’ ‘Hi, Tumi. Why aren’t you joining us?’ ‘I’m just catching up with my peers in the States.’ He faked a smile. Nelisa didn’t look a bit awkward around him. She was the same Nelisa he sat across the previous night. ‘You’ll do that later, come dinner is served.’ She walked out leaving him confused, sitting still on the bed. There were many things in his mind. Seeing her acting like that, confirmed that he dreamt the whole thing. ‘I guess everything was just my imagination, even her scent on me is just a cruel mind game that wants to torture my sanity!’ He sat for a few more minutes, feeling embarrassed for even seeing her. After that, he gathered enough strength and followed her. She and Nelson had already started eating by the time he got there. Nelisa quickly picked up on the awkwardness in him as he sat across her. ‘Is there something wrong Tumi?’ ‘No; no I’m just thinking about stuff.’ ‘What stuff?’ ‘Argh, just stuff.’ ‘You look more distracted to me than thinking.’ ‘Everything is fine Neli, don’t worry.’ He faked a smile still not understanding how she could be that calm if they’d indeed done all those things together. She was just as calm and care-free as she was the previous night during dinner. Her eyes weren’t running as his did each time she looked his direction. The guilt was consuming him. Judging by the way she reacted; it was clear that his mind created the whole scenario. Nelisa had nothing to feel guilty for. He didn’t think she could be that calm with him across the table if they’d surely done it. The thought that his mind contemplated that passionate session with his cousin’s fiancée was a huge problem. In fact, it was just plain madness for his mind to have gone that far. For crying out loud she was getting married the following weekend. Regardless of him trying to fake being part of the conversations that went on at the table, the couple could see that his mind wasn’t hundred percent there. Nelson also was worried that Tumi’s mind kept drifting off like that. ‘Your mind keeps crossing the ocean today cuz, what’s up?’ ‘Argh nothing serious man, I just have a lot on my mind that’s all.’ He took a deep breath, quickly continuing. ‘I’m also thinking about Lerato’s case. It’s going to give me sleepless nights.’ He stood up without even finishing his food. ‘Thank you for dinner Neli, I think I’ll sleep early today. I didn’t sleep much last night.’ He walked away yawning, looking seriously tired. They stared at him walking away. ‘Is there something wrong with him?’ – Nelisa. ‘I don’t think so; he’s been like this the whole day though.’ ‘He worries me.’ ‘Argh don’t worry love, I’m sure it’s the climate change.’ ‘But he looks as if there is something wrong.’ ‘Don’t worry hun, Tumi will be fine.’ ‘If you say so, my love. I know you knew him a lot better than I did sometimes.’ ‘I do my baby, so just relax.’ They continued with their dinner, even though they were still worried, but they decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. As soon as they finished Nelson left Nelisa to clear the table and took his shower. She quickly followed him and they finished showering together. There was just too much tension in that house. They all didn’t know where it was coming from. As soon as Tumi heard the silence in the house, he put on his gown and walked out to the TV room. Being in prison with Lerato had taken more from him than he cared to accept. Yes, his thing with Nelisa was also bothering him, but he had written it off as just a bad dream. Seeing Lerato reminded him of what Sonia did to him. Walking out of the bedroom he was happy to find that no one was in the living room. He figured that they were taking their shower. He wanted to watch the news before going to sleep. He sat on the couch; switching the television on, trying to take Lerato and her issues out his mind. Few minutes into watching, he couldn’t relate to anything that was being aired. As he was about to switch the television off and walk back to his bedroom, he heard footsteps coming his way. He turned slowly; in his mind hoping it would be Nelson. His eyes bulged, his jaw dropping, seeing Nelisa walking towards him. She wore the same nightie she worn in his dream in the wee hours of that morning. Even though she had a reddish floral silky gown over, she hadn’t tied it in front. The sexy nighty was clearly visible. He gulped his saliva, taking a deep breath putting the TV remote on the side. He couldn’t move his eyes off her. The dots were connected; Tumi didn’t dream about her being in his bedroom. She was really there. The confusion on his mind was cleared immediately. ‘Oh my word!’ He said involuntarily. Nelisa gave him a long sensual glare longing for him, refusing to move her eyes away from his gaze. She held the belt of the gown in her hand, on both ends. It was clear that she wanted him to see what she had under the gown. Under that see through nightie she had a white lace covered thong that Tumi couldn’t take his eyes off. It was so sexy, and so visible to his eyes, the kind of panties that a man would wish to take off a woman’s body. ‘I came to say goodnight.’ Her voice sounded as if she was shouting a little. It was as if she was displaying for Nelson to hear. ‘O-k-a-y.’ Tumi’s throat was dry. He couldn’t bring his voice to be as loud as he wanted it to be. He sounded as if he was whispering, panting and gasping like an untamed canine yearning for the juicy bone that was being dangled in front of him. The previous night’s feelings came flooding back. His track pants betrayed him, and Nelisa could see that his body was already allowing the intense rush that she hoped to evoke in him to rise up. Tumi was happy that he covered with a gown. ‘What are you watching?’ Nelisa moved closer to him. Her voice was still loud while pushing her leg between his knee standing close to him. Tumi could see that she knew exactly what she was doing. The scent of her body was exactly the same as that of the early hours of the morning. It was just too much of a coincidence for his mind to have created it all. So it definitely had happened. The nightdress and the scent were just too much for him to ignore and play cool. Again his mind remembered the pussy smell on his finger. He smiled just a little feeling his body quickly becoming warm. ‘I’m trying to watch the news.’ At that time Tumi had gotten with the program. He could see what was happening, but deep down he knew it was wrong. He couldn’t ignore what he was feeling though. His voice sounded as if he was choking on something. He tried clearing his throat and coughed just a little. ‘Anything fascinating?’ Nelisa asked moving closer. ‘Not really.’ ‘Really?’ She looked down at him; biting her lower lip slowly, sending the hair on the back of his neck into an electric frenzy. ‘On the TV that is.’ ‘Okay, I thought you meant here.’ She pointed at her panties, laughing faintly whispering. Her actions were just too much for him to handle. They had never played this part in their past life. It was as if she knew that biting her lip was turning him on. She sat next to him, putting her other leg over his, separating both legs completely. There wasn’t even a sign of remorse in her. Tumi could tell that she was enjoying toying with his feelings like that. He frowned, trying to figure her mind out. For a second he thought she was just testing him. He couldn’t even move; his eyes fixed on the white thong. He was so damn horny. Her voluptuous body was oozing with sexiness. All he wanted was to pull her closer and finish what they started that morning. Series of the morning scenes played on his mind; he wanted to be inside her immediately. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t help himself. Tumi didn’t feel safe in that house anymore. Their next encounter he was definitely sure that they were going to have sex. The solution to avoid that was for him moving into a hotel. Nelisa bit her lower lip again, pretending to be watching television with him. She ran her fingers on her panty liner, on the side of her vagina. Tumi’s heart was beating fast. He wasn’t sure why she was killing him like that. It was as if she knew how vulnerable and weak he was at that moment. He didn’t know if that was a test or she really wanted to have sex with him. His arms were folded over his muscular chest, and Nelisa pulled them apart. She put his one hand on her thigh, but he left the hand there not moving it an inch. ‘Don’t you want some of this?’ She whispered lightly, relaxing her body onto the couch. Tumi didn’t respond, instead, he moved the hand on her thigh slowly towards the thong. He could feel that things were getting out of control. His penis was as hard as steel. He looked at that sexy body even closer. He could see her unshaved pussy parked in between her thick sexy thighs. His body became warmer. He moved his hand again rubbing on it, but outside that thong. He wanted to see if she would allow him to do that or push his hand off. He wouldn’t have minded even if she would have moved, or even shouted at him. To his surprise, she closed her eyes just like she had in the morning. She showed signs of enjoying what he was doing. Her breathing pattern changing drastically, she panted as if he was already inside her. It was clear that she was feeling exactly like him. She wanted to have sex with him. He wanted to move his finger inside her thong, and play with her clitoris, but then disturbed by the footsteps from the corridor. They knew it was Nelson. Nelisa jumped to her feet and looked at the television while talking. ‘I’m sure you don’t relate to our news.’ ‘They were talking about Lerato’s case.’ Tumi responded. ‘What about Lerato’s case?’ Nelson unsuspectingly joined on the conversation walking in the TV room. ‘Just that it is starting soon.’ Tumi responds again. ‘Eish, I can’t wait for that case to be over.’ ‘Why?’ Tumi asked with a frowned forehead. ‘I want to focus on my oncoming wedding.’ ‘Oh yeah, and this case is taking too much of your time.’ ‘Yeah it does and I hate it.’ He sat next to his cousin and continued talking. ‘I thought you were sleeping early today.’ ‘I couldn’t, the prison visit was too much for me.’ ‘How so?’ Asked Nelisa; wishing Nelson could just disappear. She wanted Tumi to take her right then and there, but still, she didn’t understand why. She had never felt like this before. It was as if Tumi had unlocked a desire in her that she never even knew existed. She didn’t feel any regret; she wanted to finish it. She wanted to let the impact of his weight on her to be more than just a show-real in her mind… It was a deep and dark desire that she wasn’t willing to let go of. And for the fact that Tumi had sucked her in the wee hours of the morning had added on that desire. Nelson had never sucked her pussy, and she was sure he didn’t even know how to do that. ‘Maybe if you could see her Neli; you’ll understand.’ ‘Is she that bad?’ Her eyes were on Nelson, not even looking at Tumi. Every time she looked at him she wished for him to be inside her. ‘She’s not coping in there my love.’ Tumi took a deep breath listening to his dick collapsing slowly. The guilt consumed him more than it did Nelisa. He could see as she stood next to Nelson brushing his head that she wasn’t feeling any remorse. Tumi wished that she was brushing his head instead of his cousin. Underneath that white thong her juices were dripping, but not for her fiancée, but rather for his cousin. Seeing her touching Nelson like that sparked a strange feeling of jealousy in Tumi. He couldn’t understand why, as he was the one cheating on his cousin; not the other way around. He could see that they were going to fuck each other on their next encounter. That was one thing he didn’t even imagine when landing at OR TAMBO the previous morning. He had thought that his days of being a player were over. He’d been trying to focus on his new life, as a changed man. He wanted someone he could make a wife. It wasn’t that Nelisa was not wife material, but she already belonged to someone. Not just anybody; but his own cousin. Tumi didn’t want to destroy that, as he was the best man. He had his chance with her and he missed it, instead, he played cupid for them. She stood there wishing for Nelson to disappear. She wanted privacy with Tumi, and deep inside Tumi wanted the same, but they had no choice. They had to wait for the man of the house to go to sleep. ‘Do you have any advice on the case yet cuz?’ ‘It’s an intricate case; that I can tell you.’ ‘Now you see why I wanted us to team up?’ ‘Come on man we spoke about this.’ ‘I know cuz, but you can’t blame a man for trying.’ ‘Well, you know my answer to that.’ ‘Is there any chance of you changing your mind?’ ‘No cuz, not in this lifetime.’ ‘Come babes help me out here.’ Nelson looked back and found that she was no longer there. ‘Oh, we are all alone now.’ Tumi looked back also, as he was unaware that she’d left. He felt guilty, knowing why she left. Nelisa walked away as they were chatting back and forth about the case. All she wanted was to be wrapped in Tumi’s arms and to rest her head on his broad chest and chiseled body. Getting to the bedroom Nelisa felt weak. She felt like crying, but she didn’t understand why. She still loved her fiancée but didn’t understand why she wanted Tumi to have her so bad. She didn’t understand what had changed between them. Why her craving for Tumi kept getting in her way of being happy with her fiancée. She hoped that maybe if he could make love to her just once, she might get over that burning desire. It was as if someone had locked her in a room with no way out; just to torture her. She felt her heart sinking slowly into a dark hole, and it was only Tumi’s reach that could bring her out. As horny as she was, Nelson wasn’t going to satisfy her. She had given herself to him for years, and for the first time ever she felt like he had failed her. He hadn’t done to her what Tumi was doing right then. He hadn’t even been inside her yet, but she was already feeling like some love-sick puppy that needed the freedom of being embraced completely by Tumi. Even though she knew nothing about Tumi’s sex drive, she believed he was good. All his exes couldn’t be liars. For that night she wanted a different touch, grip, and stroke. She couldn’t even impose any new thing on Nelson… She sat on the bed; rocking back and forth like an addict deprived of her fix. She yearned for a taste of what Tumi almost gave her in the wee hours of that morning. She wanted him to finish what they started. Thinking of how lovely he stroked her body, how beautiful his finger touched her insides. Thinking how sensual he sucked her, all those thoughts awakened an intense desire with just his light-sweet kisses between her delicate thighs, making her juices flow immediately. Her body was already in a never ending twist of despair; refusing to remain calm and think of her undying devotion to Nelson. Her mind was made up; she wanted Tumi, and so she would have him… The advice Tumi was giving to Nelson wasn’t something new. He had thought of them himself. He could see that Tumi was distracted. Deep down Tumi was not even there. He was feeling bad for his cousin. He was about to fuck his fiancée right under his nose. He wished that Nelson was just a friend and not a family member. He had made up his mind about what he was going to do and it was final. ‘You look tired cuz?’ ‘I feel sleepy all of a sudden man.’ ‘Let’s call it a day then.’ ‘Yeah, let me go and give it another try.’ ‘Thanks, cuz.’ Nelson stood up, patting Tumi on his shoulder. ‘You’ll win this case, man.’ ‘I wish I had your confidence.’ ‘But you are a great lawyer.’ ‘Then join forces with me cuz.’ ‘Come on man, you sound like a broken record now.’ ‘Well you know what they say about good songs, they are normally kept on repeat…’ ‘Really cuz? Really?’ ‘Well, I’ll keep trying.’ He laughed faintly walking into the corridor. Tumi took a deep breath sitting on the couch still as if waiting for someone to call him to bed. His mind ran in circles. He knew what his body wanted, but his mind was against it. Crime of Passion Tumi’s mind wasn’t functioning properly. He lay on that bed for hours trying to figure what was happening between him and Nelisa. His skin felt as if it was on fire; like it’s been slashed into small strips and the heat consuming him from the inside out. With that; sleep wasn’t coming. Another hour or so went by; he still hadn’t come up with the reason why he wanted Nelisa that much. He lay on top of the covers; wearing only his boxers and nothing else. His mind threw him back to the fact that for the very first time ever, he felt jealous over how Nelisa was caressing Nelson’s head in front of him. It had never bothered him before. But at that time it was adding onto the intense adrenaline that didn’t want to leave his body. As the midnight weather settled in, he felt cold and pulled up the cover, covering himself. The bedside lamp was still on. Few minutes under the cover he contemplated switching it off, finally stretching his hand ready to hit the switch. The door to his bedroom at that same moment slowly opened. Nelisa pushed it slowly opening it wide. She walked in on a slow motion, just like she did the previous morning. She was still in the same skimpy grayish nightie with a pink lining. Her voluptuous body mesmerized him yet again. This time he didn’t wait for her to walk in. He sat up and leaned on the headboard. His upper body was bare again just like the previous morning. He traveled her body with his eyes from the head down to her bosom, biting his bottom lip. He had a flash of a smile on his face. When he finally got down there, he realized that the white thong she had on earlier was no longer there. Quickly his dick kicked up immediately. He could see everything through that lace nightie. Her unshaved pussy stared at him as if inviting his dick to penetrate it. He knew exactly what she was there for. Even though his mind and soul knew it was wrong, his body told him otherwise. It was a battle between his mind, body, and soul, just like it happened to Clarence Carter. Tumi wanted to jump on her and fuck her right there against the door. She stood still for a moment in the middle of the doorway, as if listening to something or someone. Then she relaxed her body, dropping her shoulders a little. Slowly she walked inside the bedroom. He sat still, wanting to feel himself inside her that night. The tent had already formed under his boxers. His dick wanted out and Nelisa was taking her time walking in. They could hear Nelson snoring all the way from his bedroom, as she left the door open. Nelson snored so loud, you could hear him walking outside the house. She walked in slowly and then stood next to the bed and whispered. ‘I can’t sleep Tumi.’ ‘I can’t sleep too Neli. I’m thinking of you.’ ‘This is wrong Tumi. B-u-t, but I can’t help myself.’ ‘Why are we doing this?’ ‘I want you.’ She stood next to the bed as he still leaned on the headboard. She took a deep breath looking shaken up. Tumi could relate; he wanted her just as much. He also didn’t want to have sex with her, but his body wanted her more than he ever wanted any woman before. He swallowed a spoonful of saliva, jumping off the bed onto his feet. Slowly he ran his hand on her arm softly. Nelisa closed her eyes as if he was hurting her. Her blood rushed to places she hadn’t felt before. Her entire body was covered in goosebumps immediately, and she was shaking like a leaf. Her beauty was just unimaginable, a different woman than the girl he grew up with. His throat was dry; he wished for something to drink. His voice couldn’t come out as he wanted to say something. He gulped for more saliva, trying hard to moisten his throat, and finally whispered. ‘I’m scared Neli.’ ‘I’m scared too Tumi, but I want you.’ ‘What about Nelson?’ ‘I-I I don’t know Tumi. I want you.’ ‘Maybe I should go back to America tomorrow.’ They were so close to each other. He could smell her mint coated breath, which quickly told him that she never slept. She could tell that Tumi was freaking out. ‘If you leave; what about me?’ ‘That is the reason I’m thinking of leaving Neli.’ ‘I understand,’ she paused for a second, ‘but I want you so bad, so bad it hurts. I don’t think I can survive without feeling you inside me.’ They stared at each other, breathing each other’s breaths. ‘I know it’s wrong, especially with your cousin in another room. But I seriously can’t help myself.’ Tumi took a deep breath brushing his bold shaved head looking back. He knew they were at the point of no return. Turning his head, he hoped to find her gone like in the morning. Unfortunately this time it didn’t happen, Nelisa stood still staring at him. He pulled her closer slowly, their bodies touching. He felt as if their bodies belonged together. ‘I want you too Neli, but this is dangerous.’ ‘I know.’ ‘What do we do now?’ ‘Fuck me please Tumi.’ He licked his lips not understanding why they were dry like that. Nelson’s snore filled the entire house still. ‘Nelisa…’ ‘I don’t know why I want you now. We had all the time in the world.’ She put her hand on his waist, staring into his eyes. ‘Why didn’t we use it then, why now?’ Her eyes were glowing with the light behind him, reflecting tears in them. His one hand held onto her arm another one on her torso. He hated every second of what he was doing, but he couldn’t contain himself. All he wanted was to make love to her in that instant. The one thing that stressed him was that Nelson was his cousin, and he was in another room. For a minute they stared into each other’s eyes, just like they did the previous morning. Quickly after that, it was as if something pulled them towards each other. They held each other, with the hope that if they hug; maybe just maybe they would feel better. They held on to each other for another minute, still, the feeling kept growing stronger inside. The hug wasn’t quenching the yearning they were feeling for each other. They wanted more than that. Tumi’s penis pricked her tummy as she was shorter than him. He wished he could control that erection. He didn’t want to go as deep as they were about to. It looked though as if they both had lost the fight. He took another deep breath feeling her pulling her head back, just like in the early hours of that morning. His dick kept kicking harder and harder as he tried restraining it. It was clear that they wanted each other more each passing second. Finally, she managed to pull her head and they stared at each other again. He brushed her puffed light skinned cheeks, pushing her braids off her face. ‘Are you sure about this Neli?’ ‘Right now I’m not sure of anything Tumi.’ She blinked her big brown eyes faster, fluttering her angelic eyelashes at Tumi’s gentle gaze. ‘The only thing I’m sure of is that I want you inside me, right now.’ She emphasizes this by firming her tone when saying “right now” at the end. ‘Neli…’ From then onwards the ball was in his court. He knew that there was no stopping both of them after what she just said. Nelisa moved her hand down to his boxers, grabbing his hard erected penis, tightening it. ‘Please fuck me Tumi, maybe we’ll be okay.’ ‘I feared this will happen.’ He allowed her head to move back again slowly, his eyes closed as they started kissing. She continued stroking his hard erected penis; pushing his boxers down. Tumi remembered that the door behind her was opened. He pulled her towards him, turning around giving his back to the door and pushed it with his foot. As the door touched the frame; Nelisa pulled off roughly, blinking quicker again, as if regretting what she was doing. She also let go of his penis, moving a step back. ‘This is wrong Tumi.’ Her bloodshot eyes floated all over the room, running away from his lost looking ones. Tumi’s eyes looked like those of a deer caught in the headlights as he licked his lower lip again, lost in time. He could tell that even though saying that out loud, Nelisa still wanted him. ‘You are right Neli, this is wrong.’ He did the same lip service too. ‘We can’t do this to my cousin. I will move out to a hotel first thing tomorrow, or maybe just go back to America without telling him.’ She took a deep breath taking few steps away from him, pulling off completely. Nelisa turned slowly, walking towards the door. Tumi felt like killing himself, he had missed that opportunity twice in a matter of twenty-four hours. His head was spinning, feeling ambivalent. His briefs were already on his knees. He bent just a little; pulling them back up, feeling guilty for even allowing her to touch his penis. He was happy though that she still had her senses working for both of them. They had reached a point of no return. What they almost did was very wrong. Nelisa opened the door wide again, taking two steps and stopped in the middle of the doorway. Déjà vu, she stood in the middle of the doorway, her head tilted to the right. Tumi stood cemented in the middle of the room, not being able to move. He only turned around, facing her. His erection stood hard; ready for action. His feet glued to the floor, eyes fixed on her. He could see the pussy he wanted going away, and he couldn’t do anything to stop her. He wanted her to come willingly; he didn’t want to push her. He stared at the voluptuous structure standing in the middle of the doorway, with his desires going crazy inside. He was asking himself why he didn’t realize she was this beautiful when they were young before Nelson even snatched her. Nelisa stood there for a few more seconds, her head still tilted to one side. Nelson was no longer snoring as he had been earlier. It was as if when Tumi tried closing the door he disturbed him. Quickly after that though, the snore started again, filling the house. She looked as if she was relieved hearing him snore again. She looked back to Tumi who stood on one spot. In a flash before Tumi could even say anything; she was back in his arms, leaving the door wide open again. She held him tight, kissing him all over, deeper and more intimate. He didn’t waste any more time thinking about the open door. He figured that she wanted to keep it open like that, as they kissed passionately. She pushed his briefs down quickly this time; Tumi only realized that as they were on his ankles. The two rushed towards the bed with their eyes closed. As they got there; her skimpy nightie was already up above her breasts. It was as if she wasn’t even wearing it. She held dearly onto his body as if she had never held a man’s body before. He laid her on that bed facing up, inserting his long finger into her wet vagina immediately. He dipped it deep in, and Nelisa jumped up a little, her body vibrating. She muttered a strange silent sound. He dipped it a few more times, feeling her juices overflowing. Still, he hoped for her senses to come back and rescue them just like they had earlier. He prayed for her to get up and run off before they went further. His senses had betrayed him, and he wanted to make love to her. ‘Time is not on our side Tumi.’ She muttered. ‘Make love to me now please.’ Their bodies were ready for it, and foreplay wasn’t going to take them anywhere. Her knees were shaking as she lay on her back, her thighs apart. The passage to her vagina was all his. She had never felt that way for any man before, even her own fiancée. Her eyes were shut as if she didn’t want to see what he was doing to her, but trying so hard not to scream. Being finger fucked was still new to her, and she was enjoying it. Tumi took his finger out and lay next to her. He pulled her up, putting her on top of him. He separated her thighs to be on either side of his body and guided his hard penis inside her vagina. She gave out a silent scream as it penetrated her. It was another feeling she had never experienced. His penis felt as if it was exploding inside her. It was rather huge for her pussy, touching places that had never been touched. Nelson had never reached them before. He lay still facing up holding on her waist helping her to rock him. For a few times, he guided her, pulling and pushing her up and down slowly. When he felt that she had gotten the hang of what he was showing her, he let go of her torso, grabbing her breasts firmly, playing with her nipples. Nelisa continued moving up and down, back and forth slowly. She could feel every inch of his huge erected penis inside her. She felt that the nightie was disturbing her and pulled it off roughly, throwing it to the floor not even looking where it landed. She was in a celebratory mood, her hands clenching the sheets. She wanted to make sounds, but she knew they were forbidden. Nelisa had never experienced anything like that. She continued rocking him, her ear listening to Nelson’s snores from their bedroom. She turned his snores into some kind of a romantic music that she danced to; while rocking his cousin. They whispered sweet nothings; as if it was the first time she ever had a man’s dick inside her. She felt every inch of it; thrusting up and down her vaginal walls. She rocked him for a few more minutes with her eyes closed. In an instant Tumi got a shock of his life, when she opened her eyes, staring at him strangely as if feeling some sort of pain. ‘Oh my God Tumi.’ She screamed uncontrollably. She didn’t mean to, but she let out that scream. ‘Shhhh.’ Tumi rushed his hand, covering her mouth. He feared that Nelson might have heard her, but when he listened Nelson continued snoring in his bedroom. Nelisa’s eyes were wide open in a strange way, and Tumi could see that she wanted to scream some more. She bit his hand lightly holding on to his chest, digging in with her fingernails. Regardless of the fear and screaming, Tumi could see the excitement in her. She was climaxing. She tightened her face as if tasting something sour, but through all that, he could tell that she loved feeling him inside her. She also knew what was at stake, so she screamed lighter. Her entire body was shaking again, this time covered in light sweat in a matter of seconds. It was jerking uncontrollably, but gently on top of him. Finally, her eyes went softer as she released one last large jerk, her body going weak as if she couldn’t move anymore. It was as if every pore in her body released steam. It was covered in light sweat as if she’d just bathed. She relaxed on top of him breathing heavily. She laid there for two or more minutes, his dick still hard inside her. She couldn’t move; her body feeling like jelly, something she’d never experienced before. A few minutes later; Tumi moved her off him gently, laying her on the bed facing up. He inserted his hard dick back inside her again. She looked weak, but the excitement still showed on her face. Again she felt as if he was exploding gently inside her. It was as if his dick kept growing bigger and bigger each moment it slid inside those vaginal walls. She held on to his back, slowly coming back to life feeling like screaming again. Even though he kept praying for Nelson not to wake up; Tumi focused on satisfying her needs, than those of his own. He rode her like a pro; gentle, yet hard. His hard dick went in and out her vagina smoothly, making sure that she was satisfied. Tumi felt as if he was making love to a virgin. Nelisa was tight as if she had never had sex before, and he loved the feeling. He wanted to teach her everything about sex and satisfy her. He also wanted his thirst quenched, but he wanted her to enjoy more of the risk she just took. Leaving Nelson snoring in their bed was a huge risk, just so they could steal this heated moment. She had to reap the results and enjoy the most. His dick felt at home in her as she held onto his muscular back. Nelisa now realized what she’d been missing from a man. She had longed for such a moment for years, but she had no idea what it was that was missing. Her legs were spread apart, celebrating lovemaking and being fucked at the same time. They enjoyed each other as if they were doing the right thing as if they belonged to each other. Even though he kept his ear on his snoring cousin at all times, Tumi satisfied her more than she had ever been. It was intense yet passionate, taking longer than they both expected. Luckily as he was ejaculating, Nelisa climaxed too for the third time. The experience for her was just out of this world. It was as if the bed was vibrating as she gripped him so tight, biting her lips in moaning. She fought so hard not to scream, but Tumi quickly rushed to her rescue, filling her mouth with his tongue. She only mumbled her scream. She took a deep breath, thanking him in her mind for putting his tongue in her mouth when he did. She would have made a loud noise if he hadn’t done that. After that Tumi rolled to the side, feeling that they had accomplished what they had so desperately wanted. Their thirst had been quenched, but for how long? They lay side by side looking at the ceiling, forgetting that they didn’t belong there. It was as if they were afraid to talk about what just happened. He pulled her closer, allowing her to rest her head on his muscular chest. She lay still listening to his heartbeat. With the other ear, she could still hear her fiancée snoring, just a few meters from there. Their room was covered in complete silence as if they regretted what they’d done. Her body still vibrated slowly as if she was still climaxing. As their temperatures cooled down they began to feel cold, Tumi pulled the cover and covered both of them. They knew the risk of that, as they could fall into a deep sleep when getting warm and cozy. Nelisa moved her head up a little, leveling it with his, and then kissed his lips. She stared at him with an astonished look, with a smile flashing over her face that Tumi didn’t understand. ‘What’s that smile for?’ He whispered. ‘What was that?’ She whispered back. ‘What was what?’ ‘That strange jerking that happened to my body.’ Tumi frowned. He didn’t understand what she was talking about. ‘What you do mean jerking?’ ‘Three times already.’ ‘You mean down there?’ He brushed her bushy covered pussy. ‘Yes, the first time when I was on top of you.’ She wiped her forehead. ‘It came out twice again before you got off me.’ Tumi stared at her, with a confused expression. He understood what she was talking about, but he was surprised that she didn’t know what had happened. ‘You mean when you were climaxing?’ Her eyes popped; her mouth opening in shock. It was another reaction that confused Tumi. ‘Oh...’ ‘Please don’t tell me you’ve never climaxed before.’ She blushed, feeling like a complete idiot. Of course, she had never reached her climax before. All the years with Nelson, she’d been thinking she was climaxing when getting wet. He had never driven her to that limit. She didn’t know whether, to be honest, and tell Tumi or pretend she knew what he was talking about. She decided though that honesty was the best policy. She had never been with any other man other than Nelson. It was her first time reaching there. She breathed warmly, smiling while grinding her teeth in anticipation for his response before telling him. ‘It was my first time feeling that Tumi.’ ‘Oh my word, are you kidding me?’ Tumi was shocked but smiled trying not to embarrass her. ‘That’s the honest truth.’ Tumi took a deep breath kissing her forehead. He was surprised that she’d been with Nelson for almost fifteen years. For her not to have climaxed, that was an insult to manhood. ‘At least you got to experience it after thirty-one years.’ He stroked her braids. ‘Did you enjoy it though?’ She blushed again. It was an explosive feeling. She laid her head on his chest again as if trying to hide her eyes. ‘It was like nothing I’ve experienced before.’ She bit her lower lip. ‘I almost screamed.’ She raised her head again smiling warmly and kissed his lips. ‘Nelson has never driven me that far.’ He smiled back at her, realizing how much his cousin was killing that poor woman. There was so much work that needed to be done, not only to her but to his cousin too. The question that remained was who was going to teach him. Off The Hook When they left the court that morning; Lerato looked both relieved and stressed at the same time. It was as if she was having a “calm” before the storm moment in her mind, and it was affecting how she looked. She looked dreary, drained and dark but with a sense of hope in her eyes. Nelson got her out on eighty thousand rands bail. The magistrate wasn’t impressed though that he brought someone they identified as a celebrity in his court. To him, it was as if Nelson was trying to get him to be lenient on Lerato. Everyone knew that Tumi could be a mean writer if he wanted to. He didn’t want to be in one of Tumi’s books as a mean magistrate. The three of them walked out after paying that exorbitant amount to a crowd of reporters waiting outside. Everybody wanted a piece of Lerato, and Tumi’s presence was just an added bonus for them. He hated being in the public eye, but being the celebrity that he was, he didn’t really have a choice. ‘I’ll create a diversion for them.’ He offered himself as an escape goat and walked out first. It was as if they were there waiting for him. They all flocked to him like bees to the hive. They asked him all sorts of questions, most of which didn’t make any sense to him. He took his time trying to make sure that they don’t look at Nelson and Lerato who were sneaking out in the background. Just a few minutes later, Nelson had Lerato inside his car, and in a blink of an eye they sped off, leaving even those that saw them biting the dust. Tumi walked away just as the two drove off. Lwandle was already down next to her car waiting for him too. They had devised a plan that Lwandle would wait for him in the crowd. He bluffed the reporters walking slowly towards the nun. ‘I’ll have a press release at the Hyatt Regency in Rosebank next week Monday. You are all welcome there.’ Tumi shouted as he walked slowly towards Lwandle, but they still followed him, plunging more questions at him. ‘Please respect the nun.’ He stood next to Lwandle, who quickly opened her 1972 VW beetle for him to get in. Once Tumi was in; she walked to the driver side, but the reporters continued trying to talk to Tumi through the closed window. As soon as Lwandle was inside the car she also sped off like Nelson did, leaving the reporters staring at them. ‘Bloody reporters.’ ‘Those are the perks of being a celebrity.’ ‘Really, who’s a celebrity?’ Tumi laughed. ‘Whatever Tumi.’ ‘So, how are you sister?’ ‘Morning to you Sir.’ It was as if they’d just met, exchanging silly smiles. ‘Nelson left me.’ ‘Yes, for me to drive you home.’ ‘For real?’ Tumi pretended to be shocked. ‘Yes for real celebrity, so just relax. The two joked back and forth. Tumi was thankful for her being there, even though he hated seeing her in those damn habits. Within seconds they were on M2, heading towards Germiston. He didn’t even know where they were; quite frankly he didn’t even care. He was just happy to have left the reporters behind. He did look a bit intimidated by the way Lwandle carried herself, as he kept stealing glances at her when she wasn’t looking. ‘What made you chose this path?’ Lwandle had slowed down a little, no longer driving as fast as she was when leaving the court. Hearing the question she moved her eyes off the road for a second and looked at him surprisingly. It was as if she was implying that he knew exactly why she chose that path. Again she focused back onto the road, ignoring his question. Tumi thought that she didn’t understand the question, so he repeated it. ‘Why be a nun out of everything Lwandle?’ Again the same look, and then back onto the road. Then quickly without notice, Lwandle swerved the car onto the pavement, bringing it to a complete halt. She waited for the abrupt impact of the motion to wear off of them and turned looking directly into his eyes. Tumi was shocked but pretended to be okay. Lwandle then switched the engine off, taking a deep breath, releasing her safety belt. Once settled, she lowered her glasses her eyes fixated on him, and then cleared her throat before letting her lips part for the words that she was about to release. ‘There were only two men that I could have given my body to.’ She squeezed her eyes as she continued. ‘The second man rejected me, so I had no choice but to give myself to the first one.’ The statement left Tumi with a huge frown on his forehead; perplexed to be exact. He didn’t understand what she meant. He took a deep breath and just stared at her waiting for her to clarify, but she stared back at him without saying anything. The way she looked at him was evident that she was done talking about that topic. Tumi realized that he needed to respond, his voice sounding as if whispering. ‘I’m lost.’ She took a deep breath turning to face the steering wheel as if getting ready to drive off again, looking calm; too calm after the sudden car swerve. This motion confused Tumi, even more, he didn’t know if she was having a moment or if she was just trying to find the right words to explain her story. ‘I’m not allowed to be here with you.’ ‘I know Lwandle, but why ignore my question?’ ‘I answered you.’ ‘In a parable, please answer me directly.’ She put her hands on her thighs; turning again staring at him intensely. That look told him that she was really done talking about the subject. A few seconds passed as she stared at him, and then moved her hands back to the steering wheel, turning the car keys in the ignition allowing the engine to start She drove off as if they hadn’t talked about anything. Tumi’s eyes stayed glued to her; and hers on the road. ‘What’s that look for?’ ‘Oh, finally she asks.’ Tumi was getting irritated. ‘What do you want from me Tumi?’ ‘I want you to answer my damn question.’ ‘You are still the same old Tumi I once knew.’ She looked at him from the corner of her eye. ‘You haven’t changed a bit.’ ‘I don’t intend to, not one single bit.’ ‘Well some of us had no choice but to change.’ ‘We all have choices Lwandle.’ ‘That’s what you think, but I didn’t.’ ‘What two men are you talking about?’ Lwandle continued driving as if he wasn’t even talking to her. The smile on her face though told her that she could hear what he was saying. Tumi could see that she wanted to tell him; just that she had her reservations. He felt like if he could persuade her in some way she would eventually open up. He wanted her to voluntarily speak out and just tell him her story. ‘When I left the country; you were a promising young beautiful woman, who looked ready to break some guy’s, heart. Now I come back and you are all in habits. What’s up with that?’ Lwandle laughed uncontrollably trying not to even look at him. ‘Wow you did your homework Mr. Tuge; you even know what we wear as nuns?’ She stopped laughing and just smiled warmly. ‘We all have different reasons for taking this route Tumi. I just told you mine. I was rejected by the second man I wanted to be with; God is my first, so I gave myself to Him.’ The light started dawning on Tumi’s mind, remembering how Nelisa laughed irritatingly when they spoke about Lwandle on his first night back in the country. He still wondered who the second man was because he definitely knew it wasn’t him. ‘Mh scary.’ He laughed faintly. ‘Too deep as well. Who was this second man?’ He smiled poking her with his finger. ‘By the way, I’m Catholic, so I know what nuns wear.’ ‘Yeah; Tumi the American.’ She sounded as if mocking him. ‘You are even developing an accent, what happened to you?’ She was the first person to say that to him. It was clear that she was trying to run away from his question. ‘Come on Lwandle, who is the fool that broke your heart?’ Lwandle took a quick glance at him, the smile disappearing off her face completely. She didn’t say anything, but the look gave him an idea. ‘Was it that bad?’ He continued, his voice sounding concerned. Lwandle continuously took deep breaths, wiping her eyes with her fingers under the glasses; focusing on the road. She looked angered by the question, taking another glance at him and quickly focusing on the road again. ‘You know how to break a woman’s heart Tumi Tuge.’ She was serious, not even looking at him, but the road ahead. In Tumi’s mind that sounded like a question. When he looked at her facial expression, it was clear that it was a statement. ‘What are you talking about?’ ‘You broke three women’s hearts before leaving the country.’ She stopped at the traffic light as it was red for them, and stared at him. ‘I was one of those women.’ ‘Come on Lwandle, you and I never even dated.’ ‘We might not have dated, but you rejected me.’ Before the traffic light even turned green she drove past it. Tumi’s eyes popped, he could see the anger in her eyes.’ ‘But I never rejected you.’ ‘Of course, you did Tumi.’ She started getting emotional, and her driving turned rougher and a bit more violent. He could see that she was unaware of what she was doing. When she crossed the second red traffic light Tumi shouted. ‘I think it’s safe for us if you just stop the car. Let’s talk rationally.’ ‘Oh, but we are.’ ‘But you keep crossing red traffic lights. The one ahead of us will be your third.’ ‘Oh Jesus son of Mary, are you serious?’ She looked at her rear view mirror. ‘I’ve never done that in the past, not even once.’ She hit the brakes quickly but released them again, allowing the car to roll. She stopped at the next set, her heart beating fast, thinking of an accident she could have caused. Lifting her eyes she saw a MacDonald’s in Lambton. As the traffic light turned green, she drove past, and then indicated towards its direction, driving into the MacDonald’s parking, switching off the engine. ‘You can buy me coffee for bringing you this far Mr.’ ‘Yes ma’am; I can do that. Let’s go sit inside; I hope you’ll tell me how I managed to break your heart.’ Without responding, Lwandle released her safety belt opening the door walking out without putting up a fight. Tumi did the same and they walked to the entrance while talking lightly. He walked behind her, in his mind trying to check her out. The habit hid everything. Once inside; Tumi ordered two coffees and jalapeno meals. He couldn’t believe that he was only three days back in the country, and his past was already catching up with him. Once their order was served, he joined her on the couch next to the window. ‘Your coffee madam.’ ‘Thank you, sir.’ They were smiling, clearly just messing around. Lwandle is Lerato’s little sister, at least that’s what she always was for Tumi. He never even thought that she had her eyes set on him. ‘So tell me Lwandle, how did I break your heart because we never dated? I mean, I don’t even remember us ever going that far. Or did I do or say something that might have led you on?’ Lwandle smiled; sipping on her coffee as if she would not the answer. ‘Maybe back then I was young and naïve Tumi. I knew that Sonia wasn’t a woman for you. So I convinced myself that you belonged to me.’ She sipped her coffee again as if waiting for him to say something, but he just stared at her surprisingly. Even if Sonia and him never made it like they didn’t, Lwandle was not even a competition. To him, she was just their friend’s little sister. ‘With all the information I gave you of her infidelity,’ she continued, as he wasn’t saying anything, ‘I thought that God was preparing me to be the woman you needed; as the proud man you were back then.’ She went on and on talking while enjoying her coffee and burger. Tumi just stared at her, surprised by the revelations. ‘Your one mistake Lwandle,’ finally he spoke, ‘yes you told me about Sonia’s infidelities, but you forgot to mention your own interests in me.’ ‘I did, didn’t I?’ She grinned. ‘You should have At least said something.’ Lwandle had hoped that Tumi would find comfort in her when he broke up with Sonia. That never happened. Still, that didn’t give her a reason for going the nun route. Tumi was the second guy, and God was the first one. ‘I know that now Tumi.’ She pronounced. ‘But back then I thought you would look at me as a loose little girl if I would have said something.’ For the first time, Tumi looked at her as a woman instead of just a little girl. He could see the confidence and admiration. In his mind, she only started looking the part, not just Lerato’s little sister. He stared at her small hazel brown eyes under her round shaped spectacles. Indeed there were possibilities he never even considered. His mind quickly ran back to the mess he started the previous night with Nelisa and felt as if he was sinking. ‘Oh, my word.’ He cried out involuntarily, almost spilling his coffee. ‘What’s wrong?’ Their eyes locked onto each other. Lwandle thought that he was thinking about her, maybe even imagining things they could do together. ‘I’m thinking of the mess I’ve made of my life.’ ‘Mess of your life? You must be joking. You are a success story amongst all your friends.’ ‘One would think that.’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘My life is a mess Lwandle.’ Lwandle wasn’t the only person who thought Tumi’s life was perfect. He had signed more than twenty autographs since arriving at McDonald's. Everyone talked about him. They celebrated his achievements, but deep within he was not a happy man. ‘It’s strange that you see what people don’t see in you Tumi.’ ‘People don’t know the demons I fight everyday Lwandle.’ He wiped his forehead, picking the cup sipping his coffee. ‘If you could walk a mile in my shoes; you’d know what I’m talking about. ‘Looking at the quality of your shoes, I doubt anyone would mind walking in them…’ She was obviously trying to cheer him up. ‘Lwandle, I am serious!’ ‘You’re scaring me now.’ ‘You should be scared, there’s so much going on behind these doors.’ He pointed at his frowned face. He was feeling dirty for what he did with Nelisa. It was worse because he still wanted to do so much more with her. The hide and seek they were playing made it more fun. The danger in it was a turn on for him. Another night was bringing new possibilities for them. His reason for coming back to the country was quickly becoming a nightmare. Instead of fixing his old mess, he was adding fuel to the fire. After sleeping with Nelisa, there he was contemplating on actually fucking a nun. By the look of things, it would be a major possibility. Her spilling her feelings out to him had opened her as his next prey. Yet Tumi was only truly fascinated by other men’s women. Nelisa belonged to Nelson, and he had fucked her. Lwandle belonged to God and he could also fuck God’s woman with ease. She looked game to him, not just a nun, but a nun who would be willing to go against all odds and actually break her celibacy vow to God. If he could sleep with Lwandle and rub it on Nelisa’s face, maybe just maybe that would be his way out of Nelisa’s traps. He was aware that Nelisa might want to break things with Nelson after the great session he gave her, but he wasn’t going to allow her to do that. If he could use any woman to steer her away from him, so be it; sadly Lwandle would be that woman. She sat across him, enjoying the coffee he bought, suspecting nothing. He had completed his chess game in his mind, without the opponent realizing that it was checkmate for him. ‘Can I ask you something Lwandle?’ ‘Shoot.’ ‘Given a chance now, would you still want to be with a guy like me?’ Lwandle stared at his serious face. She couldn’t read that he wanted to use her. ‘The question you should be asking yourself Tumi is; do you want me?’ It was an angle Tumi didn’t think Lwandle would take. She wasn’t making things easy for him. ‘Come on Lwandle, just answer the damn question. I just want to know.’ She stared at him for few a seconds, squeezing her eyes. Slowly the smile vanished off of her face. Tumi had never even noticed the color of her eyes. He stared at them, realizing that they were as brown as Nelisa’s; just smaller. He smiled seeing how small and sexy they looked under those spectacles. Lwandle took a quick silent breath opening her thick full lips licking them and then smiled again. Her lips looked thicker, and fuller without lipstick on. They looked luscious and enticing to him. Her chubby soft and silky pale looking cheeks drew him in. She took her spectacles off, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. ‘For you Tumi, I would leave it all. I know God would understand because you are all I prayed for my entire life. In fact, I might even think that God is finally answering my prayers.’ ‘Damn what am I doing?’ His heart contested with his mind and mouth. He felt guilty, much dirtier for even starting that conversation. He was hoping that she would reject him, but that worked against him. Tumi was digging himself an even deeper grave. He smiled, pretending to be happy hearing that. ‘Really?’ ‘After all this time, I would believe that God has finally heard my prayers. I’ve always known Him for his miracles.’ Tumi took a deep breath, he had done it again. His best work yet, taking God’s woman, just like he had done the others in the past, but this one took the title over them all. Awkward Arriving home that afternoon; Tumi didn’t know how to react towards Nelisa. He had stayed in the shower that morning avoiding meeting her. She had shouted her goodbye on the hallway and left. After she left it was only then that he felt relieved and went out. After that, they headed to the court with Nelson. It felt awkward for him to even look at Nelson, knowing what he had done with his fiancée. But it wasn’t that hard since Nelson didn’t know what had happened behind his back. When Lwandle dropped him off later on; he insisted that she went in with him. He wanted to assess the situation first before he could be alone with the couple. He felt like a child who feared to be shouted at by his parents. He’d spent almost the whole day at McDonald's with Lwandle, reminiscing about the past. They evaluated the possibilities of trying to start a life together as a couple. They went as far as talking about Kate and her daughter. Lwandle was the only person who voluntarily gave him the information he needed about those two. Even though they talked in detail about Kate, but their focus was more on the two of them and their future. Just as they walked in the house Nelson waited for them at the door ‘Cuz, you spent the whole day at the convent?’ ‘Of course, I’m still a Christian.’ Tumi faked a smile, while his eyes looked around the house for Nelisa. He knew that it would be awkward seeing her after the explosive sex they’d shared the previous night. Nelson was as charming as always, not knowing what they’d done behind his back. He greeted Lwandle with respect and invited her in. ‘Thank you for saving my cousin sister.’ ‘You are welcome Nelson.’ ‘You ran and left me in a media frenzy cuz.’ Tumi was praying so hard for Nelson not to suspect anything, the guilt was eating him. The silence in the house suggested that Nelisa was still not home. ‘Come on cuz you are used to an even bigger frenzy than that.’ Nelson just laughed at him. ‘Besides I left you in very good small sexy hands of a nun.’ He pointed at Lwandle with his head, not even noticing Tumi’s offish look. ‘I hate attention cuz; you know that.’ He pushed the door closing it behind them, following the shy looking Lwandle. His dirty mind encouraged him to check her out again. Looking at her behind it promised to be well-shaped; just the way he wanted. Although he couldn’t tell that much since the habit was free flowing. He was considering her finally. Even though it was just to push Nelisa away from him. ‘Hey, Tumi.’ Nelisa waltzed into the living room from the kitchen, ‘Oh you brought company.’ She looked at Lwandle irritably. ‘Hi, Lwandle.’ ‘Hi sis Nelisa, how are you?’ ‘I’m good. Come on sit down.’ Lwandle didn’t even raise her head; she fixed her eyes on the floor. Nelisa acted like nothing happened between her and Tumi. She hugged him and then moved on to Lwandle while talking. She wore a red on the knee dress with a slit at the back, showing off her sexy thick beautiful legs. A dropped V-neck shape on the dress showing her sexy cleavage under the light pink Playtex bra Tumi saw just a little; cupping her beautiful plump breasts he held onto the previous night. Her red high heeled shoes gave her the height that she needed to be almost as tall as Tumi. The hug made his body betray him. He still wanted to make love to her. He feared that Nelson might notice that and he pulled back rather quickly. Nelisa’s hair was long braided just passing her shoulders. Nelson had changed into some track pants and a t-shirt. Tumi dressed formally in his pink shirt and a pair of charcoal pants, his jacket on his arm. The tie was hanging loose on his neck. Lwandle, well she was in her plain habit, her head covered in a black and white headscarf. ‘So what did the two of you do throughout the day?’ Nelson asked as if suggesting that they did something they weren’t supposed to have done. ‘Nothing much, we just hung out at MacDonald’s around the corner talking.’ Tumi wanted to put an end to his speculations. After that response, there was a moment of silence for a few seconds. Nelisa looked as if she was trying to read Tumi’s mind. Even though trying to be stone-faced, she was shaking in her high heels. She had never been in that kind of a situation before. All she wanted was to undress Tumi and make love to him again, but she knew that was out of the question. She took a few steps away from them, her eyes on Lwandle. ‘Are you joining us for dinner?’ Lwandle looked at Tumi as if asking for his permission. But before she could say anything, Nelisa continued. ‘You don’t need his permission. I’m sure he’d love having you over.’ It was as if they’d pre-planned everything around her, as Nelson nodded his head without saying anything. Tumi read Nelisa like a book. He could see what she was trying to do. She was feeling the attraction between them, so having Lwandle there would diffuse the fire a little. He wished to leave that house and never return. It was for the same reason he’d spent the whole day with Lwandle at the MacDonald’s. He was buying time before coming back. He knew that having Lwandle would ease the pressure on them. ‘Can I please pass for tonight?’ Lwandle walked slowly back towards the door. ‘I’ve been out of the convent the whole day. That is not allowed. I’m sure mother superior is worried now, if not angry.’ ‘That’s understandable.’ Nelisa looked somewhat relieved. ‘You don’t want to burn your bridges. You’ll still need more time out anyway, especially since he is still in the country.’ Nelisa pointed at Tumi with her head, with a strange smile on her face that surprised Tumi. He had thought they both wanted Lwandle to diffuse any attraction between them. He also wanted out of there, knowing what was going to happen once the lights went off. Nelisa walked pass them all and opened the door leading out where Lwandle parked her car. ‘They should understand that your sister had just been released from prison.’ ‘Yeah, that’s true hey.’ Adds Nelson. ‘But I know mother superior.’ Lwandle looked eager to stay though, but she was already at the door. Nelisa had already opened it for her, so there was no other way except out. Nelson and Tumi stood back, staring at the two women at the door. ‘Next time I will insist that you stay.’ Nelson emphasized. ‘Yeah; maybe next time.’ Lwandle smiled. ‘Aren’t you walking Lwandle out cuz?’ ‘Oh yeah, where are my manners?’ Tumi rushed to the door as if absent-minded. There was too much pressure on him by just being in that house. He walked past the couple as Nelisa was still holding the door. She smiled as he led Lwandle to walk in front. Tumi faked a smile also. Once outside he stretched his arm and held Lwandle on her waist as they walked towards her car in silence. There was a strange awkwardness between the two of them as they got to the car. He didn’t know whether to kiss her or shake her hand. They hadn’t kissed but had agreed to take things slowly and see how they go. Nelisa and Nelson had closed the door behind them as the two stood by the car. For a few seconds, they just stood there without saying much. The streetlights were already lit. It was as if they were glowing in her small eyes. They looked even more beautiful under the streetlights for him. Tumi realized that they were the most beautiful eyes ever. He could see his life in them, their future together. He didn’t know if that was for real or was it because she had poured her heart out to him. ‘I never knew that you have such beautiful eyes Lwandle.’ ‘Really.’ She laughed faintly. ‘Seriously.’ He leaned towards her slowly expecting her to reject him, but she moved in swiftly as if seizing the moment. They kissed passionately under the full moonlight. For a few minutes, they were lip-locked, holding each other so close. Tumi’s mind kept drifting away from his sins, until Lwandle pulled off gently, glancing at her wristwatch. She looked to be lost for words. ‘I have to get going now.’ ‘You should.’ ‘I don’t know, but I want to be with you Tumi.’ ‘I want that too Lwandle.’ Tumi didn’t even think further than that. He was still lost in that kiss. It was sexy yet angelical. Lwandle closed her eyes for a few seconds smiling and cleared her throat. She moved closer again and kissed his lips gently then pulled off completely from him. Tumi breathed hysterically, not understanding himself. Even though he wasn’t horny, but he wanted her. It was as if he’d been kissed by an angel. The kiss was different from any other women from his past, calm and gentle, passionate yet innocent. ‘I have to get going now.’ ‘Yeah, it’s getting late.’ ‘I wish I didn’t have to.’ Tumi took a deep breath staring deep into her eyes. ‘I wish that too you know.’ ‘Well; someday soon I guess.’ ‘I guess.’ They were feeling vulnerable towards each other. Tumi just wanted to run away from Nelisa. He took a few steps, taking the car keys off her hands, and slowly opened the door for her. Once she sat in properly, pulling her habit up to her knees he inserted the key in the ignition as she put the gear on to neutral, Tumi started the engine for her. She stared at him as if requesting him to kiss him goodbye. ‘I guess I will see you soon Mr. Tuge.’ ‘Real soon I hope.’ She blinked once and closed her eyes longer than usual. Tumi learned over her, balancing his body on the roof of the car and kissed her forehead. She didn’t move an inch, just kept her eyes closed just like that. ‘Very soon I hope Tumi.’ ‘Tomorrow, if you are free.’ He pulled his body out of the car and closed the door. Lwandle took a deep breath opening her eyes slowly gearing the car into reverse, releasing the handbrake and reversing immediately. Quickly she was out the gate driving out onto the street. Tumi knew that there was a possibility that Nelson or Nelisa might have been watching what he and Lwandle did. He was adding fuel to the fire. He knew that Nelisa would be burning with jealousy. Lwandle was like water for him. He wanted to throw Lwandle into that fire, hoping that his involvement with her will diffuse the fire between Nelisa and him. If being with Lwandle would put distance between them, he was ready to explore that possibility. The 1972 VW beetle quickly disappeared onto the street, leaving him staring at the corner where it last turned. Slowly he lifted his eyes to the sky; looking at the full moon above, his mind drifted back to the kiss he shared with Lwandle. He realized how lucky he was to be alive, and being back in his birth country. Even though it wasn’t going to be forever, but he wanted to use his time effectively. His plans were in order, but his priorities a mess. He wanted to attend Bongani’s funeral that coming weekend, Nelson and Nelisa’s wedding the next and leave. He stood there for a while staring at the moon as if studying it. His mind was lost; he didn’t even hear footsteps of a person walking towards him. ‘It’s beautiful isn’t it?’ He jumped just a little. Nelisa had just joined him. He took a deep breath feeling that awkwardness returning. He would rather have Nelson standing there with him; not her. ‘It reminds me of my mother.’ ‘Why her?’ ‘She was the only woman my story was never complicated with.’ ‘What are you saying about me?’ Tumi glanced at her, only to find that she was staring at the bright full moon too. ‘You belong to Nelson Neli.’ ‘I know that silly, I’m just pulling your leg.’ He took a deep breath pacing the ground slowly, his eyes still fixed up. ‘What are you doing out here anyway?’ ‘I’m spending time alone with you.’ ‘Where’s Nelson?’ ‘Can we not talk about him?’ Tumi moved his eyes off the moon quickly and looked at her again. ‘He’s our common denominator here.’ ‘I know that Tumi.’ ‘So we have to talk about him.’ ‘Can we enjoy this stolen moment please.’ It was all they will ever have, short stolen moments. Nelisa didn’t want those to involve Nelson. ‘I’m thinking of moving into a hotel for the remainder of my visit here in the country.’ He stared directly at her as she laughed faintly, moving closer to him, forcing him to look at her. ‘Are you running away from us?’ Her smile quickly fades, replaced by sadness in her voice that shocked Tumi. He didn’t notice she was feeling the same way as he was. Regardless her being new in cheating, he had pushed her into a zone that Nelson had and could never push her into. It was understandable for her to feel attached to him. ‘There should be the distance between us Neli. We are becoming something we shouldn’t be.’ He rubbed his nose. ‘I’m falling for you and I don’t know if this is love, or I’m just being my old selfish self again.’ ‘So you think running will fix those feelings? ‘Maybe.’ ‘You can move into a hotel, fly across oceans Tumi, but this…,’ she pointed to them both, ‘this will always bring you back for more.’ ‘I know, but I should try.’ ‘Nelson won’t allow you.’ ‘You’ll have to convince him.’ ‘But I don’t want you to leave.’ ‘Come on Neli, we are fucking in his house.’ ‘I was there remember.’ She moved closer, breathing heavily standing in front of him. Their bodies touched again, as he inhaled her perfume which instantly drove him insane, making all his senses going crazy, as he closed his eyes as if he was praying. He wanted to fuck her right where they stood, but his conscious was totally against what they were about to do, his head totally against his heart and feelings. ‘Come on Neli, your husband will see us.’ ‘No he won’t.’ She responded without a doubt. ‘How do you know that?’ ‘I just do, come kiss me.’ ‘Come on Neli, not here.’ ‘He’s in the shower.’ ‘But still…’ ‘He takes more than forty minutes in there. Come, kiss me.’ Tumi didn’t even want to look at her, knowing that if he did, he would be tempted to kiss her. As close as they stood, that made him feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t that he hated it, but feeling her skin rubbing on his was just a recipe for disaster, as it sparked some uncontrollable desires from him, and Nelisa could see that as she quickly changed the subject, taking a step back walking away. ‘What was that about?’ ‘What was what?’ ‘You and Lwandle?’ There was a sense of jealousy in her voice. Tumi felt an urge to laugh just a little. ‘What, are you jealous?’ ‘No, not really,’ she protested; forcing a smile, ‘I just want to know what I’m up against.’ She said audibly, walking slowly back towards him, her forehead frowned. ‘Don’t even go there please.’ He looked serious. ‘What we did last night was wrong. I hope it was a once off.’ He prayed for her not to see that he still wanted her. She knew he was uncomfortable being close to her. She laughed out just a little louder, walking audaciously around him. Tumi took another step, backing away from her. ‘Come on Tumi I’m just kidding.’ ‘Wow, that’s a relief.’ He had forgotten that the gate was still opened. He only remembered when Nelisa pressed the remote closing it as they started walking towards the house. ‘Let’s go this way; I want to show you something.’ She held him by the hand as if they were lovers, pushing him towards the route he hadn’t used since his arrival. The back route had few nicely groomed bushes that surrounded the swimming pool. There were no windows on that side of the house. They could see the pool at a distance from where they stood. Tumi didn’t mind being there with her; since she knew the yard better than he did. As soon as they reached that blind spot she stopped, forcing him to stop as well. She pushed him against the wall, pressing her right arm on his chest and stared into his eyes. ‘Do you regret what we did last night?’ It was a loaded question that Tumi didn’t expect. He didn’t even know if there was even a correct answer to it, so he took a deep breath feeling strangely overwhelmed in her mercy. ‘I have my fears.’ ‘What fears?’ ‘I honestly don’t know.’ ‘You are not answering me TT.’ ‘I regret fucking my cousin’s fiancée.’ Nelisa rolled her eyes, still smiling. ‘And do you regret fucking me Tumi?’ ‘You are his fiancée Neli.’ Her smile disappeared immediately. ‘Fuck me again Tumi, right here.’ ‘Come on Neli no.’ ‘Why not, we have At least thirty minutes.’ ‘No Neli, no.’ It was as if she wasn’t looking at the risk Tumi was seeing. She pulled her dress up a little, and then closed her eyes for a second. A quick chill ran down his spine as she pressed those long natural eyelashes together. ‘I want you Tumi.’ ‘Not out here.’ ‘Why not, I’m not wearing any underwear.’ She whispered into his ear. It was as if she pressed an erect button on his dick. It became erected immediately. He could feel it becoming harder as she pressed her body to his. She eased up and unzipped his pants, her eyes staring into his. ‘Come on Neli, this is dangerous.’ ‘That’s where the fun is.’ She pushed her hand inside his boxers grabbing the hard dick; squeezing it with her palm. Tumi felt the pressure; responding with a sound he didn’t expect. It was a long pleasurable moan that followed by a quick release of air as if feeling pain. It wasn’t painful, just that he didn’t expect it. She released his dick a little but keeping her hand around it. ‘I don’t know what’s happening to me Tumi. I cannot stop thinking about what you did to me… I have been trying hard all day to keep this burning desire. I’ve been squeezing my thighs together all day, hoping that the painful, pleasurable sting I felt after you were inside me would disappear. But it didn’t; instead, I want your dick inside me all over again. ’ She said pulling his penis out of his pants. ‘We were friends’ way before you introduced me to him, but I’ve never felt this way about you. These days all I want is to hold your naked body close to mine, feel this hard thick dick inside my pussy, just more than last night. Does that make me a bitch Tumi?’ Tumi took a deep breath scratching his nose with his pinkie and whispered. ‘I don’t think so, but this is… this is dangerous Neli.’ ‘I need to know what you think of me.’ The pressure mounted on Tumi, breathing heavily, putting his one arm around her waist. ‘Why does it matter what I think of you?’ ‘It just does.’ ‘If that makes you a bitch; then I am a dog.’ ‘Why is that?’ ‘Because I want you too, Neli. We just need to be extra careful.’ He pushed the arm that’s been resting on his chest down grabbing her ass with both his hands tight. ‘I still think that I should move into a hotel for the rest of my stay in the country.’ He kissed her lips. ‘Otherwise, I’ll leave you with my child inside this sexy belly of yours.’ ‘Nelson will not allow you to move out.’ Their eyes were locked as she released his dick altogether. ‘Maybe he wants you to impregnate me because he surely isn’t coping.’ She smiled, feeling the grip on her ass arousing her even more. ‘You should convince him Neli.’ ‘And what would my reason for wanting you gone be?’ ‘Think of something.’ ‘I can’t Tumi.’ ‘Come up with something.’ He lifted her dress up and grabbed her naked bum into his hands, one of his long fingers slid between her ass and pussy. His erected dick was still hanging outside his pants. His finger felt the wetness of her pussy; Nelisa closed her eyes feeling the finger and moaned. He turned her quickly, pinning her against the wall. ‘I want you here Tumi.’ ‘Come Neli this is dangerous.’ ‘Fuck me now Tumi please.’ She was at his mercy and she liked it. His muscular arms picked her up as if she weighed nothing. She grabbed his waist with her legs, curling them around him tightly. Her red dress pulled up to her waist as if she was only wearing a top. Their lips locked immediately, their minds abducted again. For a few seconds they had forgotten they were outside, and her fiancée might have even finished bathing. His hard dick kept rubbing her ass. She jumped just a little back and without aiming, his dick slid inside her wet pussy with ease. The odds and the angle were just perfect. It didn’t shock them as they wanted that happening anyway. Tumi stopped moving immediately and stared into her eyes. They wanted that but didn’t anticipate it out there. Her eyes looked as if she was begging him not to stop. ‘This is wrong Neli.’ ‘I know, but you are already inside me Tumi.’ ‘What if we get caught?’ ‘Come on Tumi just fuck me.’ She sounded as if begging him. ‘This is negligence.’ ‘I know Tumi, but let’s just finish this one.’ He tried moving back so his dick could slide out, but she held him as tight as she could. ‘You’ll be smelling like sex when we get inside the house. How will you explain that to Nelson?’ That made sense to her; she relaxed her arms just a little. She also released her crossed legs, slowly sliding down his body landing on her feet. His dick came out rough, as she slid down. It was as hard as steel, but it wasn’t going to work out there. ‘I wish he could leave us alone just for two hours.’ ‘I know the feeling, but let’s stop this now. Maybe he’s already out of the shower, and wondering where you disappeared to.’ She took a deep breath pulling her dress down, rubbing the frills off it. ‘My Gosh, I wish he could just disappear.’ ‘Let’s go, I’ll help you with dinner before we do something stupid.’ Tumi pulled her away from that spot. ‘I want to grab a shower too; soon after dinner.’ ‘Mh, I wish I could join you.’ He didn’t even want to look at her. He could only imagine what she was doing while imagining that, he just pulled her towards the door. He didn’t want to be there anymore as things were getting worse between them. Once in the house, they heard Nelson still singing in the shower, and the water spills on the tiles. They gave each other naughty looks as if saying they should have finished what they’d started. There was no going back though because soon after that, Nelson switched off the taps. ‘Quick go wipe yourself, you might be smelling of sex.’ He whispered as she smiled, grabbing him and kissing him on the lips. She wanted him to fuck her so much, but with the shower taps off, it was just a matter of time before Nelson came out of the bathroom. Dismal Fail At the dinner table, the awkwardness between Tumi and Nelisa had subsided. They kept exchanging silly glances when Nelson wasn’t looking. Somehow he didn’t even see that happening right under his nose. I guess dipping his dick in her pussy told them that they were on par. They weren’t feeling bad anymore, but they wanted each other even more. Tumi kept rehearsing his speech for Nelson in his mind. He wanted to try and muscle his way out of that house. He knew that even that night; they were going to have sex again. ‘I’ve made a reservation at the Hyatt Regency in Rosebank cuz.’ That came out of the blue, as a moment of silence visited the dinner table. It was as if Tumi wanted to see Nelson’s reaction. Both Nelisa and Nelson frowned in total disbelief. Even though Nelisa knew that Tumi was contemplating doing that, she didn’t think he would actually go through with it. ‘Reservations for what cuz?’ ‘I’ll be moving there tomorrow.’ ‘What?’ ‘Yes cuz, I’m moving there.’ He continued eating as if what he said was normal. The couple exchanged glances looking confused. Nelisa asked pretending she didn’t know. ‘But why Tumi? Is our house not comfortable enough for you?’ ‘Come on, not like that. You two need your space.’ ‘That is nonsense cuz, and you know it.’ ‘Come on guys you are about to be married.’ ‘So?’ ‘You need your space.’ ‘Are you insane Tumi?’ – Nelisa. Whether Nelisa was playing a game or not, she was Oscar Award winning convincingly. She looked irritated by Tumi’s stunt. Nelson couldn’t believe him also. ‘You came here for our wedding.’ ‘I know, but I shouldn’t be your responsibility.’ Both Nelson and Nelisa looked disappointed at him. ‘Give me a reason Tumelo.’ ‘A reason for what?’ ‘For you moving into a hotel.’ Nelson only called Tumi by his full name when he’s disappointed or angry at him, which was very seldom. They were as close as twins. Tumi could see the disappointment in his face and decided to play it safe. ‘Hey guys, I’m just pulling your legs.’ He faked a laugh. ‘You should have seen your faces. It’s been long since I last saw the two of you frustrated like this.’ Nelson looked relieved and joined his cousin with laughter. ‘I almost kicked your ass cuz.’ ‘I saw that man.’ Nelisa knew that Tumi wasn’t joking; she couldn’t even fake a smile, knowing she was the real reason Tumi wanted to leave. She stood up and cleared the table, overcome by remorse. She didn’t understand why she was feeling so drawn to her fiancée’s cousin. Once she was in the kitchen; Tumi continued talking now only to Nelson. ‘But honestly cuz I should have stayed there.’ ‘Over my dead body man.’ ‘But I can afford it.’ ‘I don’t care about your money Tumi; you came here to be my best man, so you will stay with us.’ Nelisa returned, still looking sad and disappointed. ‘Did we do something to make your stay uncomfortable Tumi?’ ‘No, no I’m quite happy with you guys.’ ‘So why do you want to leave?’ ‘Argh, you guys are used to being alone, just the two of you.’ ‘If we had a problem with you being here you would have seen that. When Nelson asked you to be his best man, we prepared ourselves that you’ll be our guest until your last day in the country.’ She looked genuinely heartbroken. Nelson also saw what that was doing to her, but Tumi didn’t really care. He wanted to stop fucking her. ‘Stop being selfish cuz, please.’ Nelson raises his voice. Tumi took a deep breath feeling pressured by the couple. ‘Fine, fine, you guys win.’ ‘It’s no competition Tumi.’ Nelisa still looked disappointed. ‘Look now you’ve spoiled my fiancée’s evening cuz. ‘I’m sorry man okay.’ Nelisa packed the glasses and walked out again, tears burning in her eyes. She didn’t understand why she was feeling like that. After dropping the glasses in the kitchen, she walked up to their bedroom, closing the door behind her. She cried behind the closed door, still not understanding why she was even crying. She was just an emotional wreck, but she didn’t understand why. ‘Let me go check on Neli man, you’ve made her cry now with your jokes.’ ‘It’s okay cuz; please tell her I’m sorry.’ Tumi wasn’t even half sorry; he seriously wanted himself out of that house and out of her pussy. After Tears The two days after Tumi’s complete dismal failure to move out, he and Nelisa stayed clear of each other. It was as if their affection had died down. Even though they had their moments, but they were civil towards each other. They both looked happy and at ease in the company of each other. But there were times when there would be tension, especially when they were alone. Tumi still wanted to fuck her, but her being distant made his life easier. Since Nelson had managed to get Lerato out on bail, he had enough time to focus on his wedding preparations. Although Nelisa hired a wedding planner that worked close with Noxolo; Nelson still believed in doing things for himself. His mother helped him regarding the traditional side of things. He Tumi and the other two groomsmen attended to their side of preparations. It was going to be a wedding of the century, but before that, they still had a funeral to attend to. There was another week standing in Tumi’s way of going back to America. The three of them attended the funeral which was packed with various attendees in one car. Some people were there just to see if Lerato was really a grieving widow or a killer, as she hadn’t been cleared of the crime. There were people who believed that she killed him, some believed that she was being framed. Immediately after the funeral; things had to go back to normal. Lerato would have to start preparing for her trial which was coming up pretty fast. Her lawyer and his advisor had done serious ground work. They believed in her innocence, that is why they knew that they would win the case. She might have had the motive and opportunity, but she wasn’t that intense to commit murder. Just as everyone was leaving Lerato’s house after the funeral, Nelson and his crew also got on their way. As they were approaching his car, an Indian woman approached them. ‘I’m sorry Mr. Magadla; can I have a word, please?’ ‘Yes?’ Responded Nelson. ‘Alone if you may.’ The trio exchanged glances in silence. Even though they were shocked as to how the woman knew Nelson, he took a few steps towards her, leaving behind his fiancée with his cousin. The woman lowered her voice just as Nelson got closer. ‘I have information that might help with your case.’ ‘Which one ma’am?’ He looked intrigued. ‘The Mrs. Mzila one.’ ‘Okay, I’m listening.’ The woman’s eyes kept traveling between him, Tumi and Nelisa who stood waiting for him. ‘I think you should let your friend and his wife leave, this might take some time.’ Nelson turned and looked at the two and smiled. ‘She’s my fiancée ma’am, and that’s my cousin.’ ‘Oh; I’m sorry just I thought...’ ‘Don’t worry about it ma’am, what information do you have?’ ‘So you’ll let them stand there for as long as we take?’ ‘What makes you think it will take longer?’ ‘We might need to involve Mrs. Mzila and the police Mr. Magadla.’ Nelson looked to be lost in a trance for a second, and then without saying anything to the Indian lady, he walked to Nelisa and Tumi, giving Nelisa the car keys. ‘Cuz I think we need to hear this.’ ‘Handle it cuz, you’ll fill me in later?’ ‘Are you sure?’ ‘I’m sure cuz we’ll wait for you in the car.’ ‘It might take longer.’ ‘Then what do you suggest we do love.’ Nelisa intervened. ‘Rather drive Tumi home. I’ll call you to come pick me up once I’m done.’ ‘Okay love, I guess I’ll see you later then.’ Nelson kissed Nelisa on the forehead and walked back to the Indian woman. It was as if Nelisa had sized the woman up, and could tell that she couldn’t take Nelson on even if she wanted to. Even if she was drawn to Tumi, she still had her eyes set on Nelson and not competing with any other woman for him. She hadn’t ever thought that Nelson would cheat on her, and she knew that he never would. As Nelisa and Tumi headed for the car, Nelson followed the Indian woman back to Lerato’s house. Once in the car Nelisa took the wheel, Tumi sat on the side enjoying the drive. For the past two days, they hadn’t had much close communication, let alone contact. Even though Tumi didn’t like the tension between them but he was happy they hadn’t had sex again. He didn’t know how much that was killing Nelisa. Even though he was happy she had managed to restrain herself, but the tension between them was just too much for him. Nelson too had noticed it but opted to ignore them and focus on his upcoming wedding preparations. The drive back home was rather short and a bit too fast for Tumi. There wasn’t much talk either in the car, they listened to music. It was going to be the first time they are totally alone in the house since his arrival. Once home; Tumi wanted to get off those formal clothes and relax. He wanted to write some of the things he picked at the funeral, ideas for his next book. He went straight to his bedroom taking his jacket and tie off, throwing them on the bed. His shoes were next, and he loosened the top three buttons of his shirt and walked out to Nelson’s study. He had left his laptop there the previous night. The study was just across the main bedroom. As he sat there, he could hear water from the main bathroom, he knew that Nelisa was taking a shower. The picture of her wet and naked body kept popping in his head. He imagined how sexy she looked with that shower cap only. He knew that she had to cover her braids. ‘Come on, why am I even thinking of that?’ He spoke to himself, switching his laptop on trying to focus on the work at hand. Nelisa’s presence kept disturbing him. They were finally alone in that house. If he were to fuck her, she would be free to scream as loud as she wanted to. The sky could be the limit to the things they could do, freely. The Temptation For almost half an hour; Tumi managed to block everything else out and only focused on his writing. When he glanced at his watch he realized that it hadn’t been long since he started writing, but he had made some progress. Thinking of Nelisa again, he figured that she must be in the kitchen preparing dinner. He hoped for Nelson to call while she was still in there; so she won’t have free time on her hands to disturb him. There was just something about Tumi and his writing. If excited about the new material, he could block anything out and focus on writing. That afternoon though; he couldn’t block Nelisa out. She kept popping in his head, blocking his progress. Second felt like a minute and minutes like hours. While his mind was still destructed, he heard footsteps coming his way. He could tell that she was barefooted. His heart started pumping fast, but he stayed still and pretended to be typing. The footsteps stopped right behind him. ‘What are you working on?’ Nelisa spoke just behind him. He could tell that she was just above his head and obviously she could see what he had written. ‘I’m trying something new.’ ‘What’s it called?’ ‘I’m not sure yet.’ He had never had someone asking him questions while writing. He was a lone wolf and he liked it that way. He didn’t want to look at her, knowing he might be tempted to touch her. Her perfume and scent though were making things hard for him to resist. She ran her fingernail on his shaved scalp, sending millions of shockwaves throughout his body. He closed his eyes feeling his body taking an interest in her endeavor. ‘Stop it Neli.’ ‘Really, do you want me to stop?’ ‘Yes please.’ He was trying so hard to focus on his laptop, pretending that her being there wasn’t distraction to him. ‘Come on Tumi, you know you like it.’ ‘Yes I do, but please stop it.’ He sat still his hands on the keyboard, not being able to continue typing. When Nelisa realized that, she stopped and walked around to face him. She stared at him with a naughty smile, as if trying to read his mind. She wore white smiffs naughty sexy lingerie. Tumi could see through it, and there was no underwear at sight. Her light skinned complexion made it all look natural. He couldn’t hold himself from looking, his eyes stuck on her. She moved closer, sucking her middle finger. She was on her sexiest he’d ever seen. His heart was beating fast, forgetting why he was in that study. ‘Hi.’ – Nelisa. ‘Hi.’ He could barely talk, his voice trembling in despair. He couldn’t move; he just stared at her. ‘This is all for you.’ ‘Oh Neli!’ He whispered involuntarily. She stood over him, her sweet scent oozing into his nose. She pushed his chin up closing his mouth. Tumi laughed faintly, knowing she was enjoying her moment of toying with his emotions. He was unaware that his dick had formed a tent in his pants, hypnotized, not even sure which way was up or which was down. He couldn’t believe how beautiful and sexy Nelisa looked. She had tied her braids into a bun on top of her head. He had never seen her looking like that. He had seen her naked before, but never in something that sexy and that revealing. It just made him fail to control his feelings. She was a new girl to him, her sex appeal on another level. Slowly she ran her finger over his chest, dragging it down the opened buttons. Her eyes stuck on his protruding penis that she was so looking forward to enjoying. She wanted to tease him, but her pussy was already overflowing with juices. She unbuttoned the remaining four buttons on his shirt. ‘Damn you have a sexy body Mr. Tuge.’ She whispered, biting her lower lip, her fingers playing on his sexy packs. Tumi was breathing uncontrollably, not being able to talk. His dick was ready and waiting to be released so it could do the job. He wanted to stand up and lead her to bed, but after burying Bongani he was scared. He feared what Nelson could do if he were to catch them in action. ‘We have to stop this Neli.’ He breathed heavily. It was as if Nelisa didn’t hear a thing he said, as she undid his belt. ‘But you like it don’t you.’ ‘Yes… I do.’ ‘So let me do what I do best.’ She took the belt completely off his pants, throwing it onto the floor. ‘Nelson will kill us if…’ ‘Shhhh he won’t.’ She put one of her fingers on his mouth while with the other hand unbuttoning his pants. Once he was quiet, both her hands went down and she unzipped his pants and pulled out his erected penis and played with its hard pickled head. He closed his eyes involuntary feeling the pleasure. She kissed him slowly on his head, leading the show, taking his shirt off, throwing it to the floor next to the belt. ‘I’ve prayed for us to be alone like this.’ ‘Mhhhhh.’ Tumi let out a grumbling sigh. ‘I guess God is answering my prayers.’ He pushed the chair back away from the desk as she kneeled on his shirt, between his legs. She pulled his dick out of the pants completely, sucking it slowly her eyes locked on his. He couldn’t believe how good she sucked him. Even though he could tell that she wasn’t used to it, but she was doing a great job. For the next five to six minutes she sucked him the best she could, then he pulled her head off gently, standing up. ‘I’m going to fuck you Neli.’ ‘Please Tumi, I want you to.’ He scooped her as if she weighed nothing. On his arms he kissed her, dipping his tongue inside her mouth. His pants dropped off his feet as he stood up, and he let them slide right off his legs; walking out of that study with her in her arms. They walked down the corridor to his bedroom kissing. He could feel her whole body covered in goose bumps. Once in the bedroom Tumi put her down and pushed his briefs off his body. ‘I’m sorry I tempted you Tumi.’ ‘You are a welcomed temptress, no need to be sorry about it.’ ‘Fuck me now please.’ ‘Today we take our time.’ He pushed her softly onto the bed, their eyes locked onto each other. They didn’t know how much time they had, but he wanted to make it count. He pushed her back; separating her thick thighs while talking. ‘I want to eat this pussy today.’ ‘It’s all yours Tumi…’ He smiled going down on her. The short lingerie he pushed up to her torso. ‘We are doing this for the last time’ ‘Just fuck me please Tumi.’ Her head went spinning when his tongue touched her clitoris. Her thick pussy juices poured into his mouth. He couldn’t tell whether she had climaxed or it was just juices. He sucked her three or four more times and Nelisa screamed; something Tumi didn’t anticipate. ‘Oh, Tumi you are killing me.’ There it was; she was climaxing. He had trained her very well, and he was reaping the fruits of his hard work. He continued again, sucking her for a few more times, feeling her thick thighs vibrating, her eyes covered with both her hands. She was enjoying him, talking in tongues. They were free for the first time for her to scream as much as she wanted. The owner, her snoring fiancée wasn’t in the other bedroom like he was the last time they did this. Minutes later Nelisa still shivered, her whole body covered in sweat and goosebumps. Tumi climbed on her slowly. ‘Give me this pussy.’ ‘Oh, baby… it’s all yours, just fuck it.’ Her voice sounded as if crying. Her thighs spread apart ready to receive him. Slowly he inserted that long hard dick into that silky wet pussy as if it was their first time. ‘Oh, my word Tumi you are killing me.’ ‘Am I hurting you?’ He stopped immediately. ‘No… no baby, just fuck me please.’ He was confused by her cries, he didn’t realize that he was stamping his authority, making her his. He moved slowly again, his dick filling her vagina, touching places Nelson was yet to touch. She enjoyed his every move. ‘Can you feel me Neli?’ ‘Oh yes, baby I feel you.’ ‘We’ll take it nice and slow.’ ‘Please my love, fuck me hard.’ She’d just called him love without even realizing it. In his mind though, it quickly registered. ‘Give it to me Neli.’ ‘It’s all yours baby.’ She was wide open for him; you’d swear he was Nelson. He wanted her to enjoy the fruits of her risk. Within minutes Tumi started moving faster, he went faster, faster, but she started screaming again as he did that. ‘Tumi!’ He shouted back to her. ‘I’m coming Neli.’ Nelisa didn’t even hear him announcing his climax. She was on the high herself, celebrating the motion. Within seconds he exploded inside her yet again. It was as if he was shooting a gallon of sperms inside her, holding her so tight, feeling her pussy vibrating in a way she had never experienced. She felt loved and satisfied. For a few more minutes Tumi laid still on top of her, his dick simmers inside her, not moving just listening to it slowly shrinking. It was a satisfying feeling. Minutes later he rolled to the side, lying next to her facing up. Nelisa curled up, resting her head on his chest. For two minutes no one said anything. There was a complete silence in the room until Nelisa started. ‘Why did you have to play Cupid?’ ‘What?’ ‘Why couldn’t it be you?’ That question had started haunting him too. He stroked her hair slowly, undoing the bun on her braids, ignoring her question completely. He wanted an answer to that question too. There was silence again; both feeling the love surrounding them. From then onwards; it was no longer just about sex, they were falling for each other, still not understanding how that was happening. She lay innocently on his chest; you’d swear he was Nelson. If an unknowing person were to walk in on them, they would easily think that they were the rightful couple and the owners of that house. Questions kept creeping on Tumi’s mind. He doubted his capability of being a husband to some woman in the near future. If he could easily have sex with his cousin’s fiancée, how would he respect his own wife one day? Thinking of the promises he made to Lwandle, created a vacuum in his head. There were more questions and regrets as he mumbled something. ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions.’ ‘What?’ She asked confusedly. ‘I’m just thinking out loud.’ ‘Is my pussy your road to hell?’ She moved her head, looking at him; her forehead frowned, but not looking angry. ‘Come on Neli, you are educated enough. You know what we are doing is wrong.’ ‘I know. But is it wrong for me to need sexual satisfaction?’ Tumi didn’t answer; instead, he took a deep breath. Things were different for Nelisa, she wanted more of him. According to Tumi, it’s usual for a guy to have sex like that and not get attached; he’d never imagined how it felt for a woman. It was the second time since his arrival they’d have sex and not talk about it afterwards. It was becoming normal. He wondered if she was that easy with other men too. If she could be that reckless with him, he figured that she could easily do the same with any other man. He was also being reckless, as they didn’t even use condoms. It was as if she read his mind. ‘Do you think I sleep around?’ ‘What? No, come now?’ ‘You must be thinking that right now.’ ‘That hasn’t even crossed my mind.’ ‘I know you Tumi, remember.’ It was scary that she could read him like that. ‘I know.’ ‘You know what?’ ‘That you know me.’ He kept quiet a little and continued. ‘Have you ever slept with another man other than Nelson and me?’ She took a deep breath pulling her body up, leaning on the headboard, staring at him lying on his back, his eyes fixed onto the ceiling. She looked disappointed at him. ‘I don’t believe you Tumi.’ ‘What did I do now?’ His eyes did not even move, he continued staring at the ceiling as if avoiding eye contact. ‘How can you ask me that question?’ Slowly he looked at her but quickly moved them back to the ceiling, laughing faintly. ‘You brought the question to my mind Neli. I wasn’t even thinking it.’ ‘I know, but why ask?’ Tumi laughed finally out loud, as the conversation wasn’t making sense. ‘I think we should get dressed now.’ ‘Not a chance. I still want you to fuck me.’ ‘We’ll get caught.’ ‘By who, the nun?’ They both laughed out loud; thinking of the odds. She slid back again to the same position she was before sitting up and then pulled his dick; slowly stroking it. He could tell that she wanted to make it erect again. There was no telling how long they would take if he got erected again. ‘We should get dressed before Nelson walks in on us.’ She ignored him and continued stroking him as if nothing was said. Her head was back on his chest. ‘Come on Neli let’s get dressed.’ ‘Fuck me first.’ ‘We’ll get caught.’ He held the hand that was stroking him. He could feel his dick starting to be hard. ‘Relax Tumi; his car is here, I will have to go pick him up.’ ‘What if he gets a lift home?’ ‘Please stop talking too much, just fuck me.’ She pulled her hand from his, freeing it and then slid down with the intention to suck him again. Tumi stopped her, pulling her up to face him. She had no interest in talking. All she wanted was to feel him inside her again. ‘Don’t you think we should talk about this?’ ‘What’s there to talk about Tumi, we’re having great sex.’ Her nonchalant response shocked him. ‘Doesn’t it scare you?’ ‘It does, but I’m having the time of my life here. Please don’t ruin it.’ She showed no remorse, just impatience, and irritation. She wanted to go down and blow him again. ‘Talk to me Neli, please?’ ‘Fuck me Tumi, please It was as if they were competing with words. He pulled her head off again; he wanted her to look at him. Nelisa frowned staring in his eyes as if thinking. In a split second, she jumped off the bed, running out of the bedroom. Her reaction shocked him. He was surprised why she ran off like that. He lay still on his side as if she was still there, contemplating running after her, but quickly heard her talking. He froze realizing that she was on the phone. He didn’t even hear it ring, but only heard her answering it. A minute later; Nelisa rushed back with his shirt and pants on her hand. She put them on the chair and jumped back onto the bed. Her hand went back to his dick again, stroking it slowly while talking calmly. ‘You are the second man to ever fuck this pussy. Nelson has been the only one all these years.’ She took a break, kissing his lips. ‘If you knew me the way I thought you did; you would know this.’ She kissed him again while stroking his dick. ‘Your cousin is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I am so grateful he’s in my life. But I’ve been missing something like this. I didn’t know what, until now.’ She sounded relaxed as she continued talking. Tumi just listened attentively. ‘If he wasn’t your cousin, I would dump him today and leave the country with you tomorrow. I’ve heard women talking about explosive sex. That had been a mystery to me until you took me there the other night. I’ve even lied to my friends about what happens during an orgasm. I had never reached it with Nelson. But when you made my whole body shiver and sweat on our first night together, I knew exactly what they were talking about. You made it all possible for me Tumi.’ She stopped talking, breathing rather strangely, her eyes filled with tears. Nelisa took a deep breath and laid her head on his chest in silence. He felt her pain, which was worsened by the tear he felt rolling down the side of his chest. Her hand was no longer stroking his dick, just holding it. That gave him an indication that her mind was no longer on having sex, but on telling her story. His guilt somehow got relieved a little. He understood her sex craved reasons, feeling that his cousin needed help. He was giving him that help by having sex with his fiancée. He continued paving that road to hell with his good intentions, feeling somehow vindicated. His mind told him that if it wasn’t him, it could have easily been another man who didn’t even care for either Nelson or Nelisa like he did. She had been sex starved for years, and she didn’t cheat on him. She only did that when he came back in the picture. ‘Who was on the phone?’ ‘It was him.’ ‘Does he want you to pick him up?’ ‘No. They’re still busy at Lerato’s.’ Her voice sounded as if she was crying. Tumi felt guilty for even questioning her commitment to Nelson. The fact that he thought that she might have been loose with other men made him guilty. He pulled her head up, and she was indeed crying. ‘Come on Neli, don’t cry.’ He planted a kiss on her lips, and she responded. He pushed her to the side laying her on her back. Tumi slipped his right hand down to her vagina, slowly rubbing its lips gently. He was a bit irritated by the pubic hairs there but somehow fascinated all in one. He was used to women shaving them off, but then it was turning him on somehow. They gave him a feeling of her innocence. She lay still; letting go of her body, even though showing signs of enjoying what he was doing. He kissed her neck, slowly moving down to her breast, sucking her nipples. For few minutes he sucked her breasts, his one hand on her vagina. Her nipples kept hardening as the first time he sucked them. Her response intrigued him. It was just a light sighing sound of a long moan and light jerks. He could see that she was enjoying the pleasure. She was enjoying herself again, as he dipped his long finger inside her wet pussy. He dipped it deeper, deeper, and deeper inside. Nelisa moved her thick thighs slowly apart with every inch his finger moved in. She allowed him inside her, still making those silent sounds that told him she was enjoying him. Her vagina was wet enough for him to penetrate her again. It was clear that he had bought into her sad but true story. They were finally on the same page. She relaxed her thighs, allowing him to go even deeper with his finger. His lips circled her nipple, and from time to time he would grab it with his teeth lightly as if biting it but released it quickly. She was at his mercy, and she loved it. She cried just a little louder. He knew she was about to climax again. Quickly she screamed at him again, just like she did when he was inside. ‘Oh Tumi it’s coming again, it’s coming, please hold me.’ Her entire body shook like a leaf again, wet with that light sweat, just like all the times she’d climaxed. Her mouth wide open, toes curled as if she was in pain. Minutes later she slowly relaxed her body. Tumi smiled, in his mind saying “that was just the beginning.” He climbed on top of her, pushing his hard erected penis inside that wet pussy once more. In her mind, it was the last time she was ever enjoying sex to such margin. She knew that no matter how understanding Tumi was, he would never compromise his relationship with his cousin for her pussy once they are married. The Irritation Nelisa held on to Tumi as if she was never going to let go. They were enjoying the moment, clearly doing it for the last time. They both wanted to create an epoch, not just for her, but for him too. It was intense, the details clearer, and the pavement stronger and safer, so erotic. So they thought. He was no longer feeling guilty, and Nelisa could feel that. The rounds were rougher, longer and even more beautiful than she’d ever imagined. She had never had sex, got fucked, and made love all at once. Tumi was doing all that, introducing her to the pleasures of sex. He wanted to satisfy her. The sting she felt the first time he was inside her was no longer there. It was passionate pleasure all the way. On that day she was free to scream as loud as she wanted to. The sex was beautiful with her fiancée not snoring in his bedroom. The border didn’t exist anymore, the fence had been removed; their friendship compromised. They had developed feelings they never imagined for each other. Tumi didn’t know if he could still be able to witness their matrimonial vows which were in just a few days to come. He couldn’t be the one stopping the wedding either, so he had no choice. They had partnered in committing a crime against Nelson and enjoying it. Nelisa kept scratching his back telling him how good he made her feel. His penis kept touching places she didn’t know they could be reached in a woman’s body, getting her to speak her mind. ‘I wish you could fuck me like this every night before I go to sleep Tumi.’ ‘Just give it to me Neli.’ He also responded, showing that he was a hundred percent there and enjoying the moment too. ‘It’s all yours, my love, just fuck it.’ Love was clearly in the air. Tumi knew he was the best she’d ever had, and it didn’t hurt that she kept reminding him. She prayed for them to stay like that for longer, wishing for Nelson to take even longer than he already had. She was getting it all, receiving something she never knew existed. While deep in that zone, the intercom rang. The excitement stopped immediately, both freezing in the moment. ‘Oh my God, he’s here.’ Nelson sounded both shocked and stressed. ‘It’s impossible; he was supposed to call me to pick him up.’ ‘Quickly go take a quick bath, wash my scent off you.’ Tumi jumped off her. Nelisa ran out of his bedroom straight to her bathroom. Once she was gone, Tumi quickly put his pants on, grabbing his shirt from the chair putting it on. He also opened his bedroom window, so that the sex scent would escape in case Nelson wanted to come in. Again the intercom rang, twice this time. Tumi ran to the living room, hearing water already running from Nelisa’s bathroom. He ran quickly picking the receiver, preventing the caller to press it again. ‘Yes.’ He sounded a bit out of breath. ‘Hi, Tumi it’s me, Lwandle.’ The sound of that voice irritated Tumi more than he’d ever been irritated his entire life. Just thinking of how good they were still going, he felt like killing her for arriving at that moment. For the first time, he wished they could have ignored the buzzer, but he was too late. Lwandle already knew they were inside. He wished Nelisa would have been the one who answered. It would have been easier for her to tell Lwandle that Tumi wasn’t home. He kept quiet for a minute, thinking of ignoring her, but then she buzzed again. ‘Okay, okay I’m coming.’ His voice sounded annoyed, but he hoped that Lwandle didn’t pick that up. He walked to his bedroom grabbing his reading glasses and walked down to Nelson’s bedroom. Standing at the door he could see Nelisa’s naked voluptuous body standing facing the dresser. She had finished bathing quickly, looking as sexy as ever. He felt horny again. He considered walking in and fucking her right there, and just ignore Lwandle, but he opted to shout instead. ‘Take your time Neli, it's only Lwandle.’ Even though Nelisa didn’t say anything, but inside she was burning with anger. She didn’t like Lwandle even before all that, but then she hated her for killing the mood. She moved on to become number one on her hate list. Her timing couldn’t have been any worse. She had climaxed multiple of times, but she still wanted more. She would have preferred it to be Nelson who disturbed them. For the first time, Tumi hated seeing Lwandle. After dressing properly he walked out towards the gate. He could have easily opened the gate from the house, but he figured that Nelisa would be irritated by the site of her. The best thing he could do was to walk out to her and talk with her there. Indeed he walked out towards the gate looking stone-faced. He couldn’t even fake a smile, with his reading glasses on his eyes. It was strange for him seeing Lwandle not in her habit as usual. That was something that caught him by surprise, but he was too irritated to even say something about it. Lwandle could see the irritation in him as he got closer ‘Did I disturb your sleep?’ ‘Not really, I’m just busy with my new book.’ He removed his spectacles from his eyes, putting them on his forehead. ‘Ouch, my timing is bad.’ ‘Not really, it’s just that I’m also waiting for a conference call from America.’ Although bubbly, Lwandle wasn’t stupid. She could see that her arrival wasn’t welcomed. Obviously, she had no idea what she’d disturbed. She wanted to take a chance and see if they were still going to try the relationship they talked about. ‘I didn’t see you at the funeral.’ ‘I was there; with the other nuns.’ ‘Okay, I wondered where you were.’ ‘I saw you signing autographs.’ She smiled like a naughty child. ‘Eish, I hated every second of that.’ ‘You are a celebrity Tumi, enjoy it while it lasts.’ Tumi laughed faintly. He knew that and he intended to make sure that his celebrity status lives on even after he died. ‘I get that, but not at funerals.’ ‘Some people will never get another chance to see you like we do.’ ‘I guess.’ She looked at him strangely. There was just something that he couldn’t put his finger on. He thought that she was picking up on his insipid. ‘Can I take you out?’ ‘You mean like right now?’ ‘Yes.’ He closed his eyes breathing high, pressing his eyes with his fingers. ‘Does it have to be now?’ ‘I wanted that.’ ‘Can I take a rain check?’ ‘O-k-a-y?’ ‘It’s just that I’m on the roll right now Lwandle. I don’t want to lose that focus.’ ‘I get you.’ ‘Let’s make it tomorrow please.’ ‘It’s fine Tumi, tomorrow then, but after church.’ ‘Thank you for understanding.’ She could see that she wasn’t welcome there at all. All the time they were talking Lwandle stood outside the gate and Tumi inside. Even though he had a remote on his hand he didn’t invite her in. Lwandle took a few steps away from the gate towards her car. ‘Okay, I’ll leave you to it then. I just wanted to tell you that I found Kate.’ Quickly the focus on Tumi changed. He pressed the remote opening the gate walking out to her. ‘What? Where?’ ‘It’s a long story; we’ll talk when you’re not busy.’ ‘Okay, okay, I deserve that.’ ‘No really; we’ll talk tomorrow or maybe Monday.’ Lwandle opened the door of her car, looking rather disappointed. Just before going in, Tumi grabbed her by the arm. ‘I’m sorry Lwandle okay. I didn’t mean to be rude.’ ‘No you were not. You’re just busy; I understand.’ ‘But I should have been more…’ Before finishing, Lwandle lifted her, hand stopping him from finishing. ‘No harm done really, I should have called first.’ ‘Can I At least get a kiss you before you go?’ He tried working on her, feeling bad that she’d brought him the news, and he repaid her by being a douche-bag. She just stared at him as if she was completely lost. He leaned forward; slowly putting his lips on hers. Deliberately he had forgotten about Nelisa. All he wanted was to meet this Penelope whom everyone kept saying is his daughter. She pulled Lwandle closer, kissing her deep, even putting his tongue in her mouth. Few seconds in, Lwandle pulled back, pushing him away her forehead frowned. She took a step back forcing a smile, her frowns disappearing. ‘I got to go Tumi.’ She got in her car. ‘Pass my regards to Nelisa.’ ‘What time tomorrow?’ He was still feeling really guilty. ‘What?’ ‘What time are we meeting?’ ‘I’m not sure, but I’ll call before coming.’ ‘No need, I’ll be waiting for you.’ She turned the ignition on starting the engine. ‘I’ll call.’ ‘Okay.’ Tumi could see that he disappointed her. He bent his back, pushing his head inside the car through the window kissing her again. For a few minutes, they stayed lip-locked. Lwandle had never been kissed that way before, which melted her doubts and disappointments quickly. Feeling a man’s tongue massaging against hers inside her mouth was a first for her, and she loved it. Her black on the knee skirt semi-exposed her light skinned hairy thighs. Tumi took advantage, seeing that she was taken by the kiss. He dropped his hand, brushing her thighs slowly. He knew he was good in playing with women’s emotions. It was something Lwandle had never experienced. It felt strange but overwhelmingly sensual. She knew what he was doing to her was completely wrong, but she allowed it. His hand made her body feel tingly all over, as he brushed her inner thighs. He pushed it up towards her then opened passage towards her vagina. Even though knowingly that he wouldn’t be able to pass through her boy short underwear, Lwandle felt embarrassed. Quickly she brought her thighs together, closing the passage to her crown jewels quickly. She pushed his hands down to her knees, pulling her head back a little. ‘You better go back to work now Mr. Tuge. I’ve taken too much of your time already.’ She wiped her lips, seeing that he still wanted to kiss her. She lowered her small brown eyes to his pants, seeing his penis protruding. She could see that he was horny and felt embarrassed, taking a deep breath smiling. Their eyes meet as she sighed licking her lips, pulling off completely sitting up straight. Tumi picked his glasses that had fallen onto her breast, talking. ‘Have you ever made love to a man?’ She looked shy, still smiling seeing his dick slowly subsiding. ‘I’m a nun Tumi.’ ‘I know that, but you were not born a nun.’ She laughed faintly, blushing. ‘I waited for you to be my first.’ ‘Are you serious?’ ‘As a heart attack.’ She continued smiling. ‘Do you still want that?’ ‘Want what?’ ‘Me to be your first?’ ‘What do you think Tumi?’ ‘Okay then, let’s make that happen.’ ‘I’m all yours.’ His expertise as an actor came in handy. Lwandle had even forgotten that the car’s engine was running. She stared at him with the same smile, her body betraying her. Her pussy was vibrating, wet even. Even though a nun, Lwandle was a woman first. She wanted to feel how it’s like having a man inside her. She had been horny before, but it had never been that serious and not been because a man she wanted was standing that close to her. Tumi could see that she wanted him too, but the guilt was killing him. He knew that there was another pussy still waiting for him to finish what he had started back in the house. Being there with Lwandle, he was wasting valuable time. He pulled his head out, laughing faintly. ‘Get out of here; you are making me horny.’ Lwandle was feeling more like a woman than a nun. ‘I want you Tumi!’ ‘I want you too, but let’s not rush things.’ ‘I know you are right, I wish my body knew that too.’ ‘Don’t worry; soon we’ll have it all.’ She blinked sexily as if trying to seduce him, and then licked her lips slowly. It was something Tumi hadn’t imagined in his life ever done by a nun. Her eyes glittered with tears. She was horny as well. Tumi had done it again, just a few minutes after sleeping with Nelisa, he had made a nun forget about the vows of celibacy she made and was keen on allowing him to enjoy her forbidden fruit without any guilt of it being before marriage. She didn’t know it yet, but she was already deep in it. She had never felt so intoxicated by any man’s presence before. It was as if he was some kind of a drug that she sniffed once and was hooked onto for life. Tumi wins again. He took a deep breath staring at her small eyes. ‘Just go my love.’ Her eyes widened, it was the first time he ever called her that. ‘Am I that now to you?’ ‘That what?’ He pretended not to know what she was talking about while laughing. ‘You called me your love.’ ‘Get out of here before I change my mind.’ ‘Wow, is it on your mind or heart sir?’ ‘Go Lwandle, just go.’ She smiled again, putting the car in reverse; driving slowly backwards. Her eyes still stuck on him, laughing. ‘I’m going.’ ‘By the way, you look sexy outside your habit.’ She smiled putting the car on the first gear; driving off slowly without saying anything. Tumi stared at the car driving off towards the main road. He took a step back inside the yard thinking of the mess he was creating. The gate closed automatically as he stepped inside the yard. He hadn’t pressed any button to close it, yet it closed on its own. That told him that Nelisa had watched it all. The guilt attacked him. He wondered how much she saw and how much that affected her. He knew he was about to continue with the sin, paving his way to hell. When he walked in the living room, Nelisa shouted. ‘I’m in the kitchen, my love.’ He took a deep breath feeling guilty that she was calling him that. Walking in the kitchen, she stood naked in the middle of the kitchen. ‘Since you can’t fuck me in the shower, let’s make memories in here.’ ‘Wow.’ ‘What?’ ‘You look so sexy Neli.’ ‘What about Lwandle?’ ‘Lwa… who? He pretended not to understand what she was talking about. As of that time, Lwandle didn’t exist anymore. Nelisa smiled, walking slowly towards him as he stood by the door. ‘Damn that nun.’ She bit her lower lip. ‘I was still enjoying myself. Did she have to arrive unannounced like that?’ ‘Forget her.’ Tumi’s shirt got off his body so quick, throwing it to the floor. He touched her body with his fingers, brushing her flat tummy, tracing it down to her belly button, circling it with his long finger. He picks her up and walked with her to the kitchen cupboard, putting her on the table top. Their lips touched immediately. Slowly he went down kissing her neck, down to her hardened nipples, giving her that same feeling. She wished he was already inside her again. He pushed her back to lie on the table top, splitting her thighs apart. She could feel that something new was about to happen, and she allowed him to lead; open to learning new things from him. Nelson had never tried anything in the kitchen. Sex had always been for the bedroom. Nelisa wanted to learn from Tumi. She knew that he was an expert in satisfying women. Reading his second book; one would read between the lines. He went down to her vagina; caressing it slowly with his finger, making her weak on the knees. She split her legs even further apart. Gently Tumi separated her vaginal lips with his fingers, sucking them slowly inserting his tongue in. He did that three to four times, finally pulling her clitoris gently with his lips. Without even thinking, Nelisa let out a thunderous moan. That was another new for her. Her body shook, covered with goose bumps in a matter of seconds. It was as if she was running out of breath, breathing uncontrollably as if in pain. She couldn’t control herself, but she loved the explosive feeling. She had never been sexed and satisfied that way while learning new things about her body. She felt beautiful in Tumi’s eyes as he wasn’t afraid of exploring every part of her body. He triggered sensations in parts of her own body which she had never even thought possible. Just the thought that Nelson had never, not even once kissed her vagina, made all that she was doing with Tumi right in her mind. She had found someone who cared about her sexual needs, someone who understood her body. Her needs and feelings were being considered for a change. She could feel that her clitoris was swollen. She had never had sex for more than five minutes in one day, let alone climaxed. She never thought that a man could go more than an hour inside a woman. To her sex was just Nelson penetrating her and that’s it. That was okay for her at the time, but all of that had gone out the window. She didn’t think that there was more to lovemaking than that. Again she let out another loud moan, followed by a scream, she was climaxing again. It kept getting easier for her to reach it. She failed to understand why Nelson couldn’t bring her to it if Tumi did it so effortlessly. Not that she was even thinking of Nelson, but she was enjoying herself with Tumi the wonderful best man. Soon after that scream Tumi moved up and kissed her lips while undoing his belt. He unbuttoned his pants, pushing it down to his knees. Nelisa still lay on the table; her thick thighs spread apart. As his pants hit the floor, his dick on his hand, her phone rang. ‘Dammit.’ He closed his eyes pulling her phone from the table handing it to her. She still had her eyes closed, waiting for his dick to penetrate her. ‘Ignore it Tumi, please.’ ‘It’s Nelson.’ ‘Oh fuck.’ She jumped, but before picking it up, it stopped ringing. ‘I’m sure he wants you to pick him up.’ ‘He’ll call back, let’s continue.’ The phone rang again. ‘Pick it up.’ ‘Hi, love.’ She sounded out of breath. ‘I’m done, baby.’ ‘Should I come pick you up?’ ‘Don’t worry, inspector Twist is bringing me home.’ ‘Okay then, I’ll start preparing dinner.’ ‘Don’t bother; we’ll eat out. I’m just so damn horny.’ Nelson had clearly worked an appetite for sex. ‘Hurry home then, but remember we have a visitor.’ It was as if she was trying to brush him off. In fact, she was; she’d just had a damn satisfying session with his cousin, the best man. ‘I’m sure my cousin will have somewhere to go when he hears what I have to tell him.’ ‘Hurry home then, we’ll talk when you get here.’ The irritation was written all over her face, even though trying to fake being happy that he was finally coming home. ‘Okay love, see you in thirty minutes.’ ‘See you then.’ She ended the call immediately. Nelson had just warned them like she predicted. They didn’t have much time for anything, but to get cleaned and wait for him. She still wanted to feel Tumi inside her just for one last time. ‘Damn.’ ‘What’s going on?’ Tumi’s briefs and pants were already on the table. He wanted her more. ‘Your cousin is on his way home.’ ‘Damn; that was close.’ He reached for his pants, getting ready to put them on. ‘Come on Tumi we can still have a quickie.’ She pulled him. ‘We have thirty minutes tops.’ ‘That’s too risky Neli.’ ‘Just fuck me for the last time; please.’ ‘Stop it Neli. Get ready for your fiancée. We’ll do this again before your wedding.’ That sounded like a plan, she was still going to get her fix again. ‘Damn you Tumi, what are you doing to me? I will miss all of this!’ He pushed her back lightly; picking up her towel putting it around her body. ‘Go get ready before we get caught.’ Without his voice of reason; they would have gone for another round and who knows how long that would have lasted? Home at Last When he got home that afternoon; Nelson looked as if he had lost a case for the first time. He walked in and kissed Nelisa who pretended to be happy to see him. She grabbed his jacket off his hand and undid his tie as he stood in the middle of the kitchen. ‘You look like the dog ate your lunch, what’s happening?’ Nelson took a deep breath ignoring her comment, walking across to the living room where he threw himself onto the couch. It looked as if he just had the longest day of his life. If Nelisa didn’t know well she would have thought that he had as much work with the Indian woman as she had with his cousin. She was that tired too, but for her, it was all worth it. She followed him to the living room; feeling good about the sex she’d had. ‘Was it that bad?’ She didn’t even feel like calling him love anymore. ‘Where’s Tumi?’ He didn’t even look at her. It was as if he was feeling that she’d been doing things behind his back. He covered his face with his hands. ‘I think he’s in your study.’ Nelisa faked a smile. ‘He’d been there since we got back, except when Lwandle came to see him.’ Nelson moved his hands quickly from his face, looking at Nelisa as she stood in the middle of the lounge with his jacket and tie on her hand. He took another deep breath pulling himself to his feet. ‘Was Lwandle here?’ ‘Yes, but they talked outside.’ ‘Come with me.’ He pulled her by the arm as if she had done something wrong. Well, she had, but he didn’t know about it. They rushed to his study, with Nelisa wondering why she was being dragged like that. Her fiancée was acting strange, but she didn’t feel like asking questions, she just followed. When they got there, Tumi had earphones on his ears while typing. Nelson pulled the earphones from his ears. Tumi jumped, pretending he didn’t know he was home. ‘Hey cuz what’s up?’ – Tumi. ‘Are you good?’ ‘I am.’ Tumi put his glasses on his forehead and stared at Nelson. ‘When did you get back?’ ‘Just now.’ ‘You look down, what’s up?’ Nelson pulled a chair and sat next to him. He looked at Nelisa as if signaling for her to grab another chair. She didn’t even ask, just grabbed the chair and sat as well. ‘The Indian lady identified Bongani’s killer.’ ‘Is it not Lerato?’ ‘No; it’s not.’ ‘So why aren’t you looking relieved?’ ‘Just it’s hard to believe.’ ‘Believe what Nelson, talk.’ Nelson put both his hands on his head. The two frowned; exchanging glances then stared at him. He was taking too long to come up with his story. ‘Come on dude, say it already.’ ‘Moeketsi killed Bongani.’ ‘Say what?’ Tumi was shocked. ‘Moeketsi, come on man, what the fuck for? Didn’t you say Bongani saved his life?’ Nelisa just stared at Nelson also in disbelief, waiting for him to answer Tumi’s question. Nelson took yet another deep breath as if scared of what he was about to say. ‘Come on dude what happened?’ ‘Moeketsi was paid to kill him.’ ‘You mean like a killer for hire?’ ‘Yes?’ ‘Who paid him?’ Nelisa asked. Nelson breathes strangely as if hiding something. Both Nelisa and Tumi were getting irritated ‘Come on Nelson; who paid Moeketsi?’ – Tumi. ‘According to Moeketsi, It was Lwandle.’ ‘What!?’ Nelisa and Tumi said simultaneously, showing signs of disbelief. Nelson just stared at them as if never going to respond. ‘They were both arrested an hour ago.’ ‘Are you talking about Lwandle the nun?’ ‘Yes, cuz; that Lwandle.’ ‘Wow.’ Tumi laughed faintly. ‘Come on dude; you don’t believe Lwandle could do something like that now; do you?’ - Nelisa. ‘I don’t know what to believe anymore.’ ‘I may not be a lawyer or Lwandle’s fan for that matter, but this doesn’t make sense.’ She took a break looking at the two men. ‘She’s not capable of doing such. Lwandle is a sweet little… Come on!’ Nelson frowned; missing Nelisa’s point. To him, it was as if his fiancée had bitten more than she could chew. He knew Nelisa didn’t like Lwandle, and strangely she had turned into her advocate all of a sudden. Tumi also looked confused, but he played this on a low key. He didn’t want to ruffle Nelisa the wrong way. ‘What do you mean she’s not capable love?’ ‘Lwandle might be everything, but not a murderer.’ ‘I think Neli is right cuz, how did she react?’ ‘She was more shocked than anything.’ Nelson still felt as if he was missing the point Nelisa was making. Another thing that surprised him was how Tumi stayed calm after hearing about Lwandle’s arrest. He figured that he would be poignant but he sat there, smiling as if he didn’t understand what Nelson was saying. He kept nodding his head, agreeing with Nelisa. Tumi’s mind was working backwards. He thought that maybe it was God’s way of protecting Lwandle from being used by him. He figured that God was protecting her from his web. He turned his head slowly looking at Nelisa. ‘So you don’t think she was involved?’ ‘I’m almost certain of it.’ She smiled as if she had proof, locking her eyes on Tumi who was feeling guilty for even doubting Lwandle’s innocence. Nelisa didn’t like Lwandle, and if she could see innocence in her, why was he failing to see it? His mind battled with his heart, but he opted to believe Nelisa’s version. He stood up and paced the floor slowly up and down, chewing his lower lip. ‘If you love her Tumi; give her the benefit of a doubt.’ Nelisa followed him. ‘Don’t crucify her yet, go get her side of the story.’ She hugged him but quickly let go. She didn’t want her emotions running high. It was suicidal even hugging him in Nelson’s presence after what they’d done. She still wanted him. Tumi understood and walked away from her quickly, his mind running in circles. Nelson stared at the two; confused by what Nelisa said. He was also feeling guilty for condemning Lwandle without giving her a chance to tell her side of the story. Without even thinking of the amount of time he’d been away from Nelisa he shoots his mouth. ‘Cuz if you think Neli is right; I can take you to the station where Lwandle is being held. We can get the truth out of her.’ ‘Come on man, you have a lot on your plate. I’ll see her in the morning.’ He walked out of the study, leaving the couple alone. ‘Come on Tumi, you’ll let her spend a night in prison?’ Shouted Nelisa after him. ‘What if she is innocent?’ ‘You need time with your fiancée Neli.’ Tumi shouted back, walking into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. He sat on the bed quietly, feeling guilty for tempting to have sex with Lwandle. His theory of God trying to save her from him ruled his head. He feared to even visit her. He thought that if God could send her to jail, what would happen if he insists on following her. ‘Everything I touch turns sour.’ He whispered involuntarily. Back in the study, Nelisa could see that Tumi wasn’t interested in saving Lwandle. Her mind ran back to what they did after Lwandle left. Her eyes went wide without realizing that Nelson was staring at her. She moved them slowly focusing them on him. She feared the question that would follow and decided to speak first. ‘He doesn’t want to save her.’ ‘What makes you say that?’ ‘I don’t know; I just feel it.’ ‘What happened when Lwandle was here?’ ‘I’m not sure; they spent the whole time in her car.’ ‘Do you think she told him something?’ ‘I don’t know.’ ‘But why wouldn’t he save her?’ Nelisa took a deep breath, pulling Nelson to stand up, walking out of the study down the corridor towards their bedroom. She was aware that once in the bedroom Nelson might want to have sex with her. She wasn’t in the mood for that. She hated him even touching her. She wished it could be Tumi instead. She held back, slowing down her pace. ‘Didn’t you say you were hungry?’ ‘Yes I am love, but I’m horny too, so bad.’ ‘Come on let’s respect our guest. We’ll do that at night when he’s sleeping.’ Nelson wanted his five minutes of glory but realized that she was making a relevant point. He didn’t know that she had had enough sex in his absence, and she wanted to rest her pussy a bit. He pulled her, kissing her forehead. ‘It’s on tonight.’ ‘You know I’m always ready for you.’ She pulled off his grip walking into the bedroom, dropping his jacket and tie on the bed. As Nelson lay on the bed, Nelisa walked out leaving him there on his own. Passing on the Message Lerato’s trial was just a formality. She’d been cleared of the crime, and her little sister taking her place. The stress had shifted from her being in prison, to her worrying about Lwandle. She knew Lwandle wasn’t going to cope in there. She had already spent a night in jail and released on bail the following morning, courtesy of the convent. One of the church lawyers managed to secure a bail for her. The lawyer feared to take on the case and advised Lerato to get Lwandle a criminal lawyer. Time was moving fast, and Tumi stayed away from Lwandle. He feared that God might attack again if he attempts any contact with Lwandle. He was scared that he corrupted God’s woman, and God was fighting back the only way He could. For him time was moving slowly, he couldn’t wait for that week to be over so he could go back to America. Nelson’s wedding was the only thing that kept him in the country. The final preparations for that wedding were already done, and they were all just waiting for that day. Nelson appreciated Tumi’s help even though he could tell that his mind was no longer in the country. In Nelson’s mind, Tumi was bothered by Lwandle’s situation. He had asked him the reason why he wasn’t helping her out, and Tumi told him his take on what was happening to Lwandle. Even though it didn’t make much sense to Nelson, but he chose to support his cousin. Finally, the wedding day arrived; they were all ready, except the bride who didn’t look happy at all. Even a blind man could tell that Nelisa was just there to fulfill Nelson’s dream and not her own. Yes, she tried fooling people, but Tumi could see that her mind wasn’t there at all. Nelson was too excited to even notice that. The only time Nelisa fully smiled was when either talking to Tumi or looking at him. Even when she said her vows; in her mind, she was saying them to Tumi, not Nelson. On the days leading to that weekend, she had voiced her concerns to Tumi, but he insisted that she continued with the wedding. He didn’t want to be the one breaking his cousin’s heart. Nelisa wanted to elope with him instead, but Tumi wasn’t going to take that chance. He knew that his cousin’s happiness was at the palm of his hands at that moment. He just had to take one for the family and lose the woman he had developed so much feelings for. The Monday morning, the day after the big traditional ceremony, Tumi woke up feeling that America was calling him back. His plane was booked for the following morning and he was ready to exit again. As soon as his eyes opened, his cell phone rang. He hated those moments, but they had always happened to him. Looking at the caller ID; he was surprised seeing Nelson’s number. He thought that Nelson would be in bed relaxing with his new wife, but there he was calling him in the early hours of the morning. ‘Hi, cuz.’ ‘Hey cuz, are you still sleeping?’ Nelson spoke very fast, Tumi could tell that he wasn’t in the house by the sounds of his background. ‘Not, I just woke up.’ ‘Sorry to bother you man, can you please ask Neli to give me a call urgently. She’s not picking up her phone.’ ‘Oh! Okay… Will do.’ As soon as they ended the call, Tumi jumped off the bed looking at his watch. He was shocked to see that it was six-thirty in the morning. He wondered what would have chased Nelson that early out of his matrimonial bed. It had only been hours after their big and beautiful wedding, which was attended by a lot of their school friends. Tumi grabbed his gown, putting it on and walked out of his bedroom, down the corridor towards Nelisa’s bedroom. He could hear Nelisa singing in the shower. Besides her singing, there was a radio playing; that she sang along to. It was clear to him why she couldn’t hear the phone, besides that, it was also raining outside. Tumi stood at the door, imagining how she looked like inside there. The scent from the shower evoked something in him. They hadn’t had sex since after Bongani’s funeral. He’d been up and down with Nelson the previous week and Nelisa with the wedding planner. They were always tired when the night came. There he was on that Monday morning contemplating fucking her in their shower. He knew how much sex they could have in there. He had avoided being alone in the house with her at all costs, unfortunately, that morning there they were. And now he had to try and get her attention, from all that noise. He’d never been inside their bedroom. At least that was part of that house he still respected. Firstly he tried shouting his lungs out while standing at the door. That yielded no results, as the volume of the radio was too high. He knew that it would take a miracle for her to hear him. He shouted again for more moments but she still couldn’t hear him. Finally, he walked in. Their bedroom looked warm and rather too sexy for his liking. It was the kind that he’d wish to have one day when he has a woman to call his wife. It had three different warm shades of lilac on the walls; beautiful and warm. ‘I could make lots of babies in such a bedroom.’ He talked to himself while looking around. The feel of the bedroom sparked jealousy in him. He wished it was his and Nelisa’s. On the big matrimonial bed, there were few clothing items that belonged to Nelisa. Amongst them was a white pair of panties with its matching bra. It looked like the one she’d worn the evening they had sex for the very first time. His mind recreated that night and his dick responded with its normal stiffness. Luckily his gown hid everything so well. He wished he was in that shower with her. He thought of getting off that robe and his boxers but quickly called himself into order. He walked towards the shower, but on the dresser, he saw the small radio that was making all the noise. Nelisa was still singing along to the music. He knew that he would get her attention if he switched the radio off, and so he did just that. Nelisa stopped singing immediately, popping her head through the shower door to investigate. She smiled broadly seeing Tumi standing in the middle of her bedroom; in his robe. ‘Hi.’ ‘Hi, Neli.’ ‘What are you doing here?’ ‘I brought you a message from Nelson.’ ‘Oh, there I was thinking you are here to join me.’ She sounded disappointed, but she continued smiling, walking completely out of the shower. ‘Oh no!’ His eyes ran off her. ‘I’ve been shouting for you from the door, but you couldn’t hear me.’ ‘No need to explain, come join me, I just started.’ She didn’t seem to mind being naked in front of her husband’s cousin. Her sexy wet body was appealing to Tumi’s weak feelings. He couldn’t keep his eyes away any longer. He kept looking at her and quickly look away, respecting Nelson’s bedroom; their sanctuary of being fruitful and multiplying as they should as a married couple. ‘Can you please be serious just this once.’ Tumi didn’t even want to look at her straight in the eyes, fearing the inevitable temptation. ‘Right now I’m damn serious Tumi.’ She waltzed slowly towards him. ‘You in there with me would make my day. Come now don’t be a spoil spot, get off these clothes and join me.’ She grabbed his robe trying to untie it, but quickly Tumi pulled off and rushed to the door. The pressure was there, but he didn’t want to play her ball. He knew that if he could allow her to touch him, he would fall into the trap and make love to her in that shower. He backed up until he stood by the door. His eyes couldn’t move off her though, his body wanted to give in to her demands, but again out of respect for Nelson’s bedroom he fought against it. Once by the door, he raised his head and stared at her. She stood in the middle of the bedroom, looking disappointed. That hurt him, but there wasn’t a thing he could do. It would have been the worst thing he would have done to Nelson. That was their matrimonial bedroom, their sacred space. It was the only room he didn’t want to dent her memories with his poison. His dick was hard already, but as ready as he was for her, he stood his ground. He had undermined his cousin enough and didn’t want to add that by having sex with his wife in their shower. He stood outside the door, just staring at her. ‘Nelson wants you to call him.’ Naked Nelisa stood cemented in the middle of the bedroom staring at him not saying anything. It was as if she wanted to see if he could resist the temptation. Toying with his self-control and discipline. The past week had been horrible for them, having to ignore each other like that. He had missed being inside her as much as she missed him fucking her, but they were just so damn busy. Tumi turned slowly walking away shouting. ‘Call him.’ ‘What did you say?’ ‘Call your husband.’ Tumi shouted back again while walking down the corridor towards his bedroom. ‘Tumi!’ ‘You look sexy by the way.’ He walked straight to his bedroom and didn’t look. His dick was screaming at him. It wanted her. ‘I didn’t hear that, what did you say?’ Nelisa shouted again. Tumi stopped before walking inside his bedroom and looked at her. By then she stood in the middle of the corridor, still naked, not even covered with a towel. ‘Just call your husband.’ He disappeared into his bedroom. She smiled watching him shutting his bedroom. She wished that he could have looked at her just once more. She knew that he wanted her just as much as she did, and she wished he would have given in to their needs. She stared at that closed door of his bedroom for more few seconds imagining what he could be doing in there, contemplating following him. She had forgotten about the water she left running in the shower. She ran back in and switched the taps off. For a minute she stood in there with no running water, imagining what Tumi could have done to her if he had allowed her seducing him like that. She had missed their ways of love making. Her sex with her husband was still the same old five boring minutes. The kind they had before she slept with Tumi. In his bedroom, Tumi was also struggling getting rid of the images of Nelisa’s naked wet body in his mind. He wished he could have allowed being seduced, but it was too late for that. Besides he wouldn’t have done that in that room, he still wanted to respect it. ‘At least I’m leaving this house tomorrow.’ He whispered to himself fighting the images in his mind. He pressed his eyes with his fingers as if praying for a few minutes. The next thing; his bedroom door flung open, Nelisa stood naked in the middle of it, her body still dripping water. ‘I know you want this.’ She pointed at her shaved pussy. His eyes went wide seeing that and laughed faintly. He had never seen it shaved. ‘Neli.’ ‘I know you want me Tumi.’ ‘Yes, but we agreed not…’ ‘No Tumi we didn’t, you told me.’ He took a deep breath, remembering that he is the one who told her, she never really agreed to anything. ‘But you are married now.’ ‘What difference does that make Tumi? What difference does it make if this feeling inside doesn’t want to go away?’ ‘We have to respect your vows.’ ‘In my mind, I was making them to you.’ ‘Neli, that doesn’t even make any sense…’ ‘Does it have to make sense to any of us? We have been auto-piloted thus far and we have never been happier… Right?’ She walked in and headed straight for his penis that was hard under his briefs and brushed it. ‘You are Nelson’s wife now, not his fiancée. ‘It’s all the same thing to me Tumi.’ ‘Come on Neli please stop.’ ‘Do you really want me to stop?’ ‘Eish, emm, eee…’ ‘Make up your mind man.’ ‘Yes, Neli… mh, come on no.’ ‘What is it Mr. Tuge, is it a yes or no?’ She was enjoying torturing him like that. It was becoming a fulfilling game that she enjoyed. She continued toying with him while laughing. Tumi was as confused as hell. He wanted to refuse her and keep his word, but he was so horny, he couldn’t even think straight. ‘Argh come on.’ He pulled her head and kissed her roughly. It was as if he was fighting his demons. The kiss was so intense for Nelisa, but it was what she needed. Her wishes were finally being granted. His dick was hard already, exactly how she loved it. Within seconds it was inside her, making her feel like a woman again. Their sex was rough; you’d swear that Tumi was fighting with her. It was strange though because feeling him being that rough made Nelisa enjoy him even more. She had never been fucked that rough before. Her vaginal walls celebrated accepting his dick as it kept going in and out fast, faster and… Tumi screamed. ‘Oh, Neli I’m coming.’ ‘Come, baby, come Tumi, I want you to. Come for me, baby.’ It was as if it was the first time she felt him exploding inside her like that. Even though she hadn’t climaxed, but for the fact that she had won; and he had given in on her wishes was a plus for her. She still didn’t understand what had gotten into her head. She kept wanting him more than she wanted her husband. A few seconds later Tumi rolled to the side looking as if he regretted what he had done. ‘This is wrong Neli.’ ‘Is this when you start telling me that it shouldn’t have happened?’ ‘It shouldn’t have.’ ‘But it did Tumi.’ ‘I know, but it’s still wrong.’ ‘What is right Tumi? Is it right for me to be sex starved?’ She stared right into his eyes. He could see that she was trying to guilt trip him. She knew that he was vulnerable to that. ‘Come on don’t do that...’ ‘I shouldn’t do what Tumi, tell the truth.’ ‘You are married now.’ ‘Yes, but I married the wrong cousin.’ That cut his heart like a knife. He and Nelisa had fallen for each other, but he didn’t know that she felt like that about Nelson. ‘It’s too late for that now, it’s done.’ ‘I know, but can I at least enjoy sex with his cousin while he’s still in the country. Is that selfish of me?’ Tumi didn’t know how to respond to that. She was making a valuable point in his dirty mind, but there was the danger of them being caught. Nelson wasn’t in the house, and Tumi didn’t even know where he was. The weather outside; set a definite baby making atmosphere. It was raining lightly, the temperature in the house warm enough to counter the outside coolness of the rain. ‘Please Neli stop tempting me like this.’ ‘You are leaving tomorrow Tumi, can I enjoy myself just for the last time.’ They lay side by side looking at each other, not even touching. Tumi could see that she was really hungry for him. She was no longer that glowing woman she was after Bongani’s funeral. ‘Did you call Nelson?’ ‘Oh, my Gosh Tumi come on.’ She yelled. ‘Of course, I called him. Right now this is about you and me, not him.’ ‘But he is right in the center of it all.’ ‘Not from where I’m lying.’ She looked impatient. ‘Can we please enjoy ourselves for the last time?’ ‘Nelisa, are you hearing yourself?’ ‘What do you want me to say or do? Admit the obvious?’ ‘What do you mean now?’ She slid down, moving closer to his body and sucked his penis that looked soft at the time slowly. She knew that sucking it would make it erect in seconds, and she was right. With every stroke, it became harder. He lay on that bed wishing she could just stop that, but also enjoying the hard work he put teaching her all that. She was serving him then. Within a few minutes; his dick was hard enough, and he pulled her to the side, letting her lay facing up and he went down on her. He sucked her breasts, feeling her nipples hardening, slowly moving down to her belly, circling her belly button with his tongue. He took his time nibbling on every part of her tummy, finally reaching her clitoris. She was wet already, and all she wanted was his dick inside her. Just as he started touching her clitoris with his tongue; she jumped. It was something he didn’t anticipate. He looked at her and realized that it was just an instinctive jump. There wasn’t anything wrong he’d done. She grabbed his ears pulling him up. She wanted to feel him inside her. Tumi ignored her and continued sucking her. He had a feeling that she was about to climax as he grabbed her hanging clitoris with his lips, sucking them into his mouth. Again she jumped, letting go of his ears, then a light scream. ‘Oh Tumi, I want you inside me! Please! Stop torturing me like this…’’ He ignored her again, pushing his tongue inside slowly releasing her clits. He licked her inside of the vagina, another new experience for her. In seconds she grabbed on his head again, pushing it as if wanting it to go inside her vagina. She let out a loud scream. ‘Oh Tumi I love you so much, I love you Tumi, why are you doing this to me.’ Her body jerked several times and then she relaxed again. Tumi allowed her to enjoy climaxing and then inserted his long finger inside. She screamed again lightly, again he sucked her while his finger remained inside. He listened to her silent moaning. ‘Oh damn, I love you Tumi.’ He felt that it was about time. He moved up, inserted his long awaited dick and moved slowly as if serving her with a magic stick that turned her world inside out. Just a minute after that; she cryptically snuggled on him, holding tight, screaming. ‘Oh, my love you are killing me.’ The message was clear, it had been passed on. She was in love with him; it was no longer just about sex anymore, it was love. The feeling was mutual, he had developed the same feelings for her, but Nelson was still in their way. ‘Oh come on Tumi, come on Tumi please.’ She grabbed on his back; scratching him with her fingernails. Tumi stopped immediately, looking at her. ‘Am I hurting you?’ ‘No baby, I want more of you. Don’t stop.’ She sounded as if she was running out of breath, letting out a relaxing sigh. Tumi started moving again, feeling free. He wanted her to feel every inch of that long thick dick of his. She lay there, her legs in the air; enjoying the moment as if it was the first time. They went on and on as if they belonged to each other. Finally, it was his turn to let out his loud moans, which was the loudest he’d ever screamed while inside her. He was sweating; you’d swear he’d just run a marathon. The sight of his sweat excited Nelisa even more; it made her feel that she was satisfying him. The sweat dripped from him and trickled down onto her gently… it felt cool and it sunk deep inside her that she would never get over this man. She knew it was too late by then; she was too deep into him to stop just like that. She didn’t want to walk away. They lay still after that explosion, for a few minutes with him on top of her, his penis still inside her. He released both her legs laying them down on the bed. Nelisa enjoyed his weight on her body, another new for her, as Nelson would always roll over as soon as he had ejaculated. She enjoyed feeling Tumi’s penis slowly shrinking inside her. As it was soft, Tumi rolled to the side and lay next to her. Nelisa lay facing up still as if feeling him inside her. He pulled her closer and snuggled her with her head on his muscular chest. His mind was running fast; remembering that he called Nelisa love, and she had also called him that multiple times. “Am I seriously falling for my cousin’s wife?” He thought to himself. She quietly lay on his chest, feeling the warmth of his skin. In her head, she wished he was the one she married. She never imagined him in love with her, hence she stayed with Nelson, but at that moment it was only pity she was feeling for him, not love. Tumi was the one she loved. With the warmth slowly subsiding after sex, they snuggled under the cover, drifting into a deep sleep. The raining weather outside gave them that comfort, leading them into a deep sleep in that same position, naked on Tumi’s bed. It was a huge risk, in Nelson’s house, not even sure how long he would be gone. They fell asleep disregarding everything. The morning turned into night for the lovebirds in each other’s arms; without a care in the world. One would swear that they were the newlyweds. Seconds passed making minutes, which made an hour. Another hour passed, they still slept deeply. When Tumi finally opened his eyes, it was already in the afternoon. Nelson stood over them, on the side of the bed with a gun in his hand pointed at him. The anger in his eyes was like those of a venomous snake about to kill its prey. They had been caught in the act. Even though not having sex, but being naked in the same bed gave Nelson the entire picture. ‘Oh, cuz I can explain.’ Tumi jumped. ‘Explain what Tumelo, that you’ve been fucking my wife.’ ‘No cuz, it’s not like that.’ ‘Don’t insult my intelligence man; are you going to play that card?’ Nelson’s voice was soft but very cold. Tumi could see that they were at the death’s door. Nelisa jumped hearing the two men going back and forth with words. She couldn’t believe her eyes seeing Nelson, and she froze, holding on to Tumi’s arm trying to hide. ‘Please, cuz let me explain.’ Nelson pulled a chair sitting down, still pointing a gun at them. ‘I’m listening.’ ‘But cuz…’ ‘You cannot explain a thing Tumi.’ He shouted. ‘It’s clear that I’ve been your fool. You and this bitch have been fucking behind my back, in my house.’ ‘Come on cuz…’ ‘Fuck you Tumelo! In my fucken’ house?’ ‘No cuz…’ ‘Shut up.’ He shouted even louder. ‘Shut up Tumelo. I would expect that from Nelisa, she’s not my family. She’s a bitch anyway, but you… YOU…’ He shouted pointing the gun to his face. ‘You man, I thought we were family.’ ‘But cuz we are.’ ‘Shut up man, shut the fuck up!’ Nelson screamed tears rolling down his cheeks. Those were tears of hurt and hatred for Tumi and anger he felt towards Nelisa. They had betrayed him in the worst possible way. ‘But cuz…’ ‘I said shut up Tumelo.’ That soft cold voice came back into play again. The barrel of the gun pointed at Tumi’s head. Nelisa couldn’t even say anything, just shaking, holding on to Tumi. Nelson moved his eyes off him slowly pulling the trigger. The bullet hit Tumi on the forehead, pushing him back hitting the headboard with his head. Nelisa screamed hysterically. ‘Tumi, Tumi wake up.’ Tumi jumped up wet in sweat. Seeing Nelisa there screaming his name, he jumped to his feet looking all over the bedroom not seeing Nelson anywhere. He’d been dreaming. ‘What were you dreaming about love?’ ‘It was a nightmare.’ He grabbed his briefs, putting them on and walked out of the bedroom. He looked around the entire house still feeling shaken. Minutes later he walked back to the bedroom. ‘You better go.’ ‘Go where?’ ‘Anywhere but here Neli.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Just leave Nelisa please.’ ‘Not until you tell me what were you dreaming about.’ Tumi stood on his feet, Nelisa on her knees on the bed. She had thrown the cover away, staring at him. ‘Go Nelisa please.’ ‘It was just a dream, my love.’ ‘Don’t call me that.’ ‘But I love you Tumi.’ ‘No Nelisa, you just married my cousin a day ago.’ ‘I know, but that was the worst mistake of my life.’ ‘It’s too late for regrets now, what’s done is done. Stop making it my problem.’ It was the truth, but something that Nelisa didn’t want to hear, especially not coming from him. She got off the bed looking disappointed. ‘I know that you didn’t have to remind me.’ She stormed out of the bedroom without even looking back. Regrets The bags were packed for Tumi and the flight booked. The following morning O.R was waiting to wave goodbye to the prodigal son again. It was going to be his last time in the country, unless if death brought him back. There was nothing tying him to South Africa anymore, even though the talk of Penelope still left bitterness in his mouth. Nothing had come out of it. Other than that; Bongani had been buried, Nelson and the woman Tumi had been having sex with, married. He was the best man from hell but loved and respected by all those that didn’t know his scandals. Nelson also respected him not knowing what he had done to him. Nelisa couldn’t get enough of him. He had taught her so much about sex, and lovemaking. Even though being with one man other than her husband, she also feared the scandal if the truth ever came out. Tumi had completed his best man duties. There was just one thing that remained as a mark in his mind; he still hadn’t visited Lwandle after her arrest. He was scared of even seeing her, fearing retaliation from God. He still lived under the assumption that her arrest was God’s plan of saving His angel from being corrupted by him. After fixing the bed that Monday, he sat there, his mind working anti-clockwise. He was worried about his dream. It felt like a message was being sent to him to stay away from Nelisa. He could hear her singing from the kitchen. He was happy that she might be angry at him since he chased her like that from that bedroom. He didn’t really care; it was a perfect goodbye for him. He hated that they might end up being all lovey dovey in front of Nelson at the airport. The feelings he had developed for her were starting to cloud his judgment. ‘A penny for your thoughts?’ He didn’t even hear when she stopped singing, but there she was in the middle of his doorway, in a short just above the knee denim skirt and a white t-shirt smiling. Tumi lifted his head thinking how rude he was to her earlier. ‘What are you doing here?’ ‘I’ve prepared brunch.’ ‘You are not mad at me are you?’ ‘Why should I be?’ ‘I chased you like a dog in your own house.’ Nelisa smiled broadly, walking slowly towards him. It was strange because she looked sexy in anything she wore in his eyes. She didn’t even have to try hard. ‘Come, let’s go eat.’ ‘I’m sorry, I was a cow earlier.’ ‘What’s new?’ She laughed lightly. ‘Am I always a cow Neli?’ Nelisa just smiled dumping a kiss on his lips. His blood shook, feeling that attraction again. The level of love he felt for her was just strange and unimaginable. He took a deep breath. ‘I wish you didn’t marry him Neli.’ That was a first. She never imagined hearing him saying that. She’d been thinking that she was the only one feeling like that. Her smile quickly disappeared, sitting on his lap laying her head on his shoulder quietly pulling his ear. ‘You should have stopped the wedding.’ ‘What?’ ‘Yes, you should have.’ ‘Nelson would have freaked.’ ‘But look at us now, we are miserably in love.’ ‘I have a feeling God has a plan for us.’ ‘If that’s the case Tumi, His plan is taking too long to work.’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘I want you now, not when we are old and gray.’ ‘I want you too Neli, let’s just be positive.’ ‘Positivity never solved anything. Maybe I should run off with you.’ ‘Don’t even go there.’ ‘I’m just thinking out loud.’ She laughed faintly. ‘I know; I’m doing that too.’ She smiled again; moving her head off his shoulder looking at him. ‘Doing what?’ ‘Thinking out loud.’ They both laughed simultaneously and then kissed. The love between them was growing in a strange speed. Tumi hated the time they wasted apart. ‘Where were these feelings when we were young and free?’ Nelisa took another deep breath feeling tears clogging her eyes. She’d never thought she could feel love for her best friend. ‘We were just friends Tumi, we didn’t look beyond that.’ ‘I know, but what about now?’ ‘What about now?’ ‘Don’t play dumb Neli; you see what’s happening now.’ She just stared right at him, allowing tears to roll down her chubby cheeks. ‘I love you Tumi; that I know.’ Before Tumi even responded Nelisa stood up and walked out of that bedroom. ~‼~ When Nelson arrived that afternoon their mood had settled a little. Tumi and Nelisa were trying to cope with their feelings the best way they could. They were in the living room playing chess. He knew how those two loved chess, little did he knew what more they loved doing together. ‘Argh come on guys, chess again?’ ‘TV is boring cuz.’ ‘You should have come with me then.’ ‘Come with you where?’ ‘I’ve been working on a surprise for my wife.’ Nelson walked past Tumi and planted a kiss on Nelisa’s lips. Again that flush of jealousy overpowered Tumi. It was getting abnormal for him. He wished he could either push his cousin away or leave the room, but the kiss got steamier. ‘Get a room please.’ He knew that Nelisa was just doing lip service. When they stopped Nelisa’s eyes ran away from Tumi’s. ‘Sorry cuz, just that I missed my wife.’ ‘Its fine, its fine, you’ll have the whole house to yourselves tomorrow.’ ‘That’s where you are wrong cuz.’ There was a smug look on Nelson’s face. One could tell that he had something he wanted to share with them. ‘What do you mean?’ ‘Like I said, it’s a surprise for my wife.’ ‘But you left her the whole day.’ ‘I had to cuz.’ ‘Had to Nelson, why?’ - Nelisa. ‘I just said I was working on your surprise, my love.’ ‘You know I don’t like surprises, so out with it.’ Nelson smiled again, running his eyes to Tumi who kept exchanging glances with Nelisa. ‘Are we still invited at your place for a week cuz?’ ‘You are always welcome there.’ ‘Then I guess we should start packing love.’ ‘What?’ ‘We are going to America.’ ‘Really?’ The excitement came over Nelisa’s face. ‘When are we leaving?’ ‘I managed to get us seats on Tumi’s flight tomorrow. ‘What?’ Tumi frowned. ‘Not just any seats, we’re seated right next to you cuz.’ Tumi faked a smile, looking not the slightest bit happy with the arrangement. Nelisa could see that, and she moved her eyes to Nelson. ‘How did you manage that cuz?’ ‘I called in a favor from someone who owed me one.’ ‘Is this the big surprise you were talking about love?’ Nelisa seemed happy. ‘Yes love it is. I could see that you still want to spend more time with Tumi. So I figured that this is the best time for us to visit him?’ ‘Mi casa es Su casa cuz.’ Nelisa smiled thinking of how much stolen moments she’d still have with Tumi in his house. The smile quickly disappeared when looking at Tumi, finding his forehead frowned. ‘Is there something wrong Tumi?’ Asked Nelisa. ‘No, not at all.’ ‘Then I guess my wife and I have some packing to do.’ ‘Sure you do.’ It sounded strange and even upsetting to Tumi, hearing Nelson calling her his wife. In reality, he was his wife and he had all the rights to call her that. Tumi had no rights to be jealous, but the heart wants what it likes. He hated that he had fallen in love with her, and their love was pure and honest. He faked a smile again, seeing that she was on to him. ‘I have to finish my packing also.’ Tumi stood up and walked out of the living room, leaving the couple staring at him. Nelson felt out of place. ‘Am I missing something here?’ His voice sounded sharp, concerned and confused. ‘Missing what babes?’ ‘I don’t know, but he doesn’t look happy that we are going with him.’ ‘What are you talking about?’ ‘Maybe it’s just my imaginations.’ ‘You know your mind always does that love.’ Nelisa also stood up; fearing that Nelson might pick up on the vibe between her and Tumi. ‘Come, let’s go pack, we have a flight to catch in the morning.’ She pulled him up and walked out of the living room feeling happy. She hated being in that situation, but she had no one to blame but herself. Honeymoon Can The trio sat at the dinner table that evening, but Nelisa and Nelson could tell that something was on Tumi’s mind. Even though talking with them, he wasn’t his regular self. Nelson still felt as if he was missing something that might have happened in his absence during the day. ‘Are you okay cuz?’ ‘Sure I am.’ ‘You seem distant today.’ ‘What makes you say that?’ ‘You look distracted.’ ‘Maybe it’s anxiety, tomorrow’s trip.’ ‘You should be used to traveling by now cuz.’ Before Tumi even responds; the intercom rings. They all exchange glances. ‘Are you expecting someone?’ Nelson looks at Nelisa as he stands walking towards the monitor. ‘No,’ she looks at Tumi. ‘Maybe it’s Lwandle to bid farewell to Tumi.’ ‘Yeah maybe.’ He turns to the speaker. ‘Who is it?’ ‘It’s Lerato Nelson, may we come in.’ He turns; looking at the two, only to find them giggling. ‘Come on in.’ He opens the gate with the remote then walks to the door. When opening it, he finds Lerato with two gentlemen wearing priest’s clothing. ‘Come on in good people.’ ‘I’m sorry for coming unannounced like this.’ – Lerato. ‘It’s okay Lerato, what can I do for you.’ ‘Thank you.’ ‘Oh sure.’ Nelson moved to the side, allowing the three to walk inside the house. Tumi and Nelisa looked at the trio walking in, as Nelson points them to the couches. ‘What’s happening Lerato?’ ‘Can I introduce these gentlemen first?’ ‘Oh sure.’ ‘This is father Dominic,’ Lerato pointed at the men with her open hand, ‘and this is father Peter.’ ‘We are here to plead with you Mr. Magadla.’ Father Dominic dived right in without wasting any more time. Nelson frowned not getting what Dominic was talking about. ‘Plead with me, for what father?’ ‘To rescue Lwandle.’ Nelson took a deep breath laughing faintly, and then looked up to Nelisa, but she was no longer at the dinner table. ‘Rescue her how?’ ‘Represent her in court.’ Nelson laughed faintly again taking his eyes off Dominic for a second then back to him. ‘I’m on official leave since last Wednesday father.’ ‘We know that sir, but Lwandle needs you.’ ‘My wife and I are leaving the country tomorrow morning.’ ‘We know that too Nelson. We were at your office earlier today.’ Said Lerato. Nelisa walked in with a tray of juice and three glasses, putting it on the coffee table in the middle of the living room and jumped to the topic. ‘So why are you here Lerato, if you’ve been at his office already?’ Lerato turned looking at an irritated Nelisa. ‘My sister needs your husband Neli.’ ‘Oh; and I don’t.’ ‘We apologize ma’am.’ Father Peter dived in. ‘But this is an official meeting.’ ‘Not in my house Sir; not during my private dinner time with my husband and our cousin. Nelson is a lawyer at work, in this house; he’s my husband first.’ ‘My wife is right good people. I don’t do business here, besides, I’m on leave.’ Nelson got on his feet as in his mind they were done talking. ‘I’d listen if I were you, Nelson?’ Said Lerato. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Nelson frowned. ‘That sounds like a threat to me.’ Nelisa, giving Lerato a strange look. She stood next to her husband, still looking irritated at Lerato, who poured the juice into the three glasses with a huge smile and sipped hers. She raised her eyes and stared at Nelson strangely. ‘Nelson, do I need to remind you that my company is your biggest client? Have you forgotten that we plow millions in your company each year?’ ‘I did my work for you Lerato, which is why you are out here today.’ ‘Yes you did, but it’s not complete.’ ‘Lwandle is not my client.’ ‘Have you forgotten your contract, Nelson?’ Nelson took a deep breath feeling that Lerato was being unfair. Yes, her husband’s company was his biggest client, but for her to bring that up was uncalled for. Father Dominic also raised his glass, taking a sip and then stared at the couple on their feet. ‘I guess it’s true that when times are tough; your friends disappear.’ ‘There was no need for that father. You are treating us like bad people already.’ Nelisa was fuming; she couldn’t even talk then and stormed out of the living room straight to the bedroom. Nelson had already started second guessing his decision. ‘Lwandle is out on bail, why don’t you use the same lawyer that got her bail in the first place.’ ‘She isn’t a criminal lawyer like you Nelson.’ ‘I can arrange one of my partners then.’ ‘You are missing the point here Mr. Magadla. We want you to handle this one personally. That’s why we’re here.’ Dominic presses. ‘But I am on leave, can’t you understand that?’ ‘But Nelson…’ ‘No buts Lerato that’s the best I can do.’ Lerato took a deep breath standing up. ‘I guess coming back from your honeymoon; you’ll have to look for new customers.’ Nelson frowned feeling that Lerato was ambushing him. She didn’t seem to care about Nelisa’s feelings. ‘What?’ ‘Yes Nelson, you leave me no choice.’ ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ ‘If you can’t help my sister, I’ll take my account somewhere else.’ Nelson knew that he couldn’t afford to lose them as his client. They’d just moved into a building that was funded by the same company that was threatening to pull out. His luxurious house was also built courtesy of them. They were his biggest cash cow. ‘Really Lerato?’ ‘Look after me Nelson, I’ll look after you.’ ‘But I have partners who can handle this case.’ ‘We want you on it.’ ‘But that’s unfair.’ ‘I know Nelson, life is unfair.’ He was caught between the rock and a hard place. It was clear that if he chose his wife over the case, coming back his company would be in financial trouble. Again if he chose the case over Nelisa, she would be heartbroken. He chewed his fingers looking confused. Looking up the dining room Tumi was gone too. ‘But I’ve already paid for my trip.’ ‘I will reimburse you every cent.’ Nelisa walked back just at that conversation, her eyes red, clearly showing that she’d been crying. ‘I can’t believe you, Nelson.’ She rushed out again the same way she came in. Nelson stood still not knowing whether to run after her or continue talking to the people in his living room. Lerato walked closer to him and whispers in his ear. ‘She’ll get over it; will you get over losing my company as your client?’ ‘You are so evil Lerato.’ ‘In business, we call it brutal.’ She looked at the two priests sipping juice on Nelson’s couches. ‘I think we are done here, gentlemen.’ ‘I’m not promising anything. I’ll have to talk to my wife first.’ ‘It’s okay Nelson. But remember that if you get on that plane tomorrow, on your return you and I will be over.’ Lerato signaled to the priest that they had to leave. They both stood up; following her out of the house. The Beginning of the End The morning drive to the airport was rather quiet. It was the kind that Tumi will never forget in a hurry. It was clear that there were so many things going on in Nelson’s head than he cared to share. He couldn’t believe Lerato’s cruelty. He had thought it would be possible for him to forgive her for what she did with Sonia, but with her latest stunt, he would never ever forgive her. He knew that Nelisa felt the same way. As for Nelson, even if he was feeling that way, he had no choice but to work with the woman. Her company was his biggest cash cow. No one wanted to talk in the car, they were like total strangers. Nelson kept hyperventilating, but not saying anything in the end. Finally after looking for a way to start the conversation he came up with a line. ‘I’m sure you hate me now cuz?’ ‘What? Why would I hate you?’ ‘Come on cuz; you also think I’m a coward?’ Tumi wasn’t even thinking that. He just didn’t want to take sides in the matter. Even though he had his views about it, but he preferred for the two to sort it out on their own. ‘You made a choice cuz.’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘I mean you have your own reasons for taking the decision.’ ‘But are you against it?’ ‘Seriously cuz; does it matter what I think. The decision has been made, and here we are.’ Nelson took a deep breath; Tumi wasn’t giving him any advice whatsoever. He looked at the rear-view mirror, the seat was empty. Nelisa should have been sitting there, smiling celebrating their first trip to America together. They should be celebrating their first few hours of their honeymoon, but where was she? She had refused to accompany Tumi to the airport. Her poor man had no choice. Leaving the country and ignore Lerato’s threat would have been a career suicide. Beside her company being his biggest cash cow, but it had a lot of influence with Nelson’s little clients, and even in the government. Bongani had single handily built Nelson an empire. Tumi only realized that when Nelson finally told him all the facts. ‘I’m sorry cuz, I didn’t know.’ ‘You couldn’t have.’ ‘But why can’t Nelisa understand that?’ Tumi felt bad for his cousin. When they left the house Nelisa didn’t even kiss Nelson goodbye. It was the first time for Tumi to witness that. She had hugged Tumi and walked back to the house with her eyes full of tears. He played referee already the previous night after Lerato left. When Nelson told her that they had to take a rain-check on the honeymoon, Nelisa had screamed. ‘Your work always comes before me, what’s new Nelson.’ ‘You’re being unfair my love.’ ‘I am unfair Nelson, really?’ ‘Yes baby, I didn’t plan this.’ ‘Maybe I should just go on honeymoon on my own.’ ‘Come on love don’t do this?’ ‘What is it that I am doing Nelson?’ ‘You are shouting at me.’ ‘Okay sorry. Sorry, Nelson for shouting at you.’ The scream was too loud; Tumi heard them from his bedroom where he was trying to sleep. He stayed in his room, not wanting to be involved in their fall out. He knew that Nelisa was being unfair, but it wasn’t his place to say it. There was so much that was said that he felt that it wasn’t called for. Nelson was calm as Nelisa kept shouting Later that night Nelisa was in Tumi’s bedroom again. She was in one of the nightdresses he’d never seen her wearing before. It was longer, thicker and less sexy than all her usual ones. The anger was written all over her face, and Tumi could see the reason for the nightdress. Even though she wanted to have sex with him again, but she wanted to talk more. The sex would be her way of revenge to Nelson for being a coward and abide by Lerato’s tricks. Her eyes were filled with tears. ‘You were unfair to Nelson earlier Neli.’ ‘No I wasn’t.’ ‘Believe me, you were.’ ‘Your cousin isn’t the man you think you know Tumi.’ ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Nelisa stared at him for a few seconds, allowing tears to flow down her chubby cheeks. That time Tumi didn’t feel like comforting her. He watched her crying her eyes out. ‘There is just so much I haven’t told you about him.’ ‘Like what?’ ‘I’m forever stuck in this house.’ ‘What do you mean by that?’ ‘We never go out, which is the reason why I want children.’ Tumi looked confused. That was another chapter they hadn’t talked about during their talks. ‘So what’s stopping you from making kids?’ ‘I don’t know.’ ‘You don’t know?’ ‘No I don’t, but I know that he doesn’t want kids.’ ‘Did Nelson actually say that?’ Tumi looked concerned. ‘Not in so many words, but when I told him that I wanted a child, his interest in sex went down.’ ‘You are losing me now.’ This new revelation was just confusing for Tumi. It wasn’t their normal sex night but more of a consultation night. They could hear Nelson snoring in his bedroom like always, as Nelisa continued explaining herself. ‘We used to have his five minutes sex almost every day, but after I told him that I wanted a child; that dropped.’ Tumi allowed her to cry out, not even touching her. He knew that they would end up having sex if he touched her. So he just stared at her confusedly. ‘Dropped how?’ ‘From that day; we started having sex maybe four or five times a month.’ ‘Wow.’ That shocked Tumi even more. Even though he’d never stayed with a woman on a full-time basis, he knew that the best chance for any woman falling pregnant would be to have sex as often as possible. He stared at her, feeling that there was so much he didn’t know about his cousin. ‘Yes.’ ‘But did you ask him why?’ ‘More times than I care to remember.’ ‘And what was his answer?’ ‘You know your cousin, he didn’t say much. I even stopped taking the pill without him knowing.’ ‘Do you think that’s a good idea?’ That shocked the hell out of Tumi. He and Nelisa had been having sex without protection. ‘If he doesn’t want a child, I will take care of it on my own.’ She responded easily not understanding the extension of Tumi’s question. He could see that she didn’t understand his question exactly. He wasn’t worried about her making a child with Nelson, but her falling pregnant with his child. He feared to ask that directly, afraid to make her panic. That question just turned around in his mind. ‘I would be happy even if I could be pregnant with your child.’ It was as if she’d beaten him to that thought. ‘Come on don’t say that.’ ‘But I would.’ ‘How would you explain the child to him?’ ‘I’d just say it’s his.’ There wasn’t even a little doubt in her voice, and Tumi hated that. He imagined his child being raised by another man, just as it happened with Penelope. He relaxed his body; his mind still processing the blow. He knew that it wouldn’t be an ideal situation, but in his own twisted mind; he felt that he would be saving Nelson from self-destruction, and destroying his marriage. It was as if that talk had awakened a sleeping monster. His dick started hardening. Tumi wasted no time, but moved closer to her and kissed her. He ran his hands quickly all over her body down to her butt. Getting there, Nelisa wore a thick panty that felt to him like those boy shorts he’d never seen her wearing. He brushed the panty liner slowly tracing its way down to her pussy. Nelisa jumped to her feet. She had forgotten she wore that underwear, and she considered them unsexy. She took those panties off quickly, throwing them to the floor, her eyes still glowing with tears. After that, she sat back down and continued kissing him as if they never stopped. For few more minutes they kissed and then Tumi traced it down to her neck. ‘Make love to me my love, make me pregnant tonight.’ She pleaded; feeling her vagina aroused and vibrating. There wasn’t much time left, they had to use every second to their advantage. They both knew that as he took her nightdress off, feeling the need to touch her naked body without being disturbed by it. He wanted to feel her soft skin rubbing on his. They went on kissing, his dick already extended to the length she’d gotten accustomed to. She quickly helped him off his sleeping t-shirt, as he had done with her nightie. Soon after that, she spread her thick sexy thighs apart on that bed again, with her big brown eyes shut gently. Tumi rubbed her vagina slowly with his long finger, enjoying the fact that she had shaved it. Quietly Tumi went down on it and sucked the hanging clitoris. She pulled him up quickly dragging him with his ears. ‘Love please don’t waste time with foreplay, just fuck me.’ She was breathing hysterically, as Tumi smiled and continued sucking those pussy juices that it had already secreted out. ‘We don’t have much time my love; just make love to me please.’ It was as if he was saying I thought you’d never ask. He penetrated her like he had done a couple of times before that night. For the last time under his cousin’s roof, with him snoring in his bedroom. As wrong as they both knew that was; but it felt really good. They’d broken their promise of never having sex after her wedding. That was the second time already; Tumi had never slept with a married woman before. She was his first. They went on more than three times. Each time Tumi ejaculated; he wouldn’t even take his penis out, just let it simmer for a few minutes and start all over again. It was intense yet gentle, not like the fucking they’d had in the past. On that night they were on a different level, enjoying each other like a married couple should, two adults who were genuinely out to give each other pleasure. They felt more connected than ever. Nelisa had climaxed more than four times, getting easier and easier for her to reach there. It was something she wouldn’t have learned had she kept her legs crossed. When she betrayed Nelson, she learned something she wanted to treasure forever. Tumi also enjoyed her on a level he never thought possible. The only problem that kept invading their excitement was that they had to limit their appreciation sounds. They weren’t as free as they were during the day. That didn’t stop them though, as they went on for another round. Just as they were on cloud nine, their minds abducted by the pleasure, they heard footsteps in the hallway. They were not even aware that Nelson had stopped snoring. They had gotten so comfortable with the fact that in the past he had never woken up. It was just unfortunate that on that night he did. He realized that his wife wasn’t in their bed and gotten spooked. He was up walking around the house looking for her. It wasn’t the first time he realized that she had wandered off their matrimonial bed. After the evening they’d had, Nelson was worried, knowing how angry she was. He feared she might do something stupid, so he went out looking for her. He didn’t even think that she might be in one of his bedrooms, having sex with his cousin, the best man. The two stopped in their tracks, holding their breaths. Tumi prayed for Nelson not to come looking in that bedroom. He pretended to be snoring lightly. He had heard before that he also snores when sleeping. It was just sheer luck that on that night they had left the door ajar and switched the light off. They quickly improvised a plan while Nelisa was putting on her nightdress and her boy shorts. Tumi’s mind ran faster, the adrenaline taking over. He thought of telling her to sit on the chair and pretend as if they were talking. But he dismissed that quickly; remembering that when passing by the hallway, Nelson might have noticed that the room was dark. Nelisa held her breath tiptoeing to the door, opening it wider. Tumi could see her through the dark putting her ear out; listening to Nelson’s whereabouts. Luckily the house was big enough for two people to easily miss each other completely. As the footsteps sounded further from that bedroom, Nelisa opened the door and quickly, sped out. Tumi didn’t even know where she disappeared to. He woke up silently, closing the door as Nelisa left it wide open. He quickly opened the window, putting on his sleep shirt and boxers; just in case Nelson came looking there. He jumped back to bed leaving the window open wide and continued pretending to be sleeping. He wished that he could burn some incense to counter the smell of sex that might be all over that bedroom. He prayed for Nelson not to come in there, the nightmare he had in the day was about to unfold before his very eyes. It was another Déjà vu for him. Two minutes and there was silence until he heard the footsteps again walking towards his bedroom. He prayed for them to be passing again, and hopefully not Nelson’s. There was a soft knock, and slowly the door opening. Nelson’s soft voice whispered. ‘Hey cuz,’ the voice paused, ‘Tumi.’ He kept quiet a bit, still pretending to be in a deep sleep. Nelson was already inside his room. Tumi prayed for the sex scent to have evaporated through the window. He laid there kicking himself for what he had done with Nelisa. Nelson called again, getting closer to his bed. ‘Hey cuz, sorry to disturb you, I have a dire need of your help right now.’ He got close enough and shook him slowly. Tumi pretended to be waking up, rubbing his eyes. ‘Is it morning already?’ ‘No not yet cuz. Sorry for waking you up.’ ‘What’s happening man?’ Tumi spoke through pretended yawns. Nelson knew that Tumi can’t stand direct light to his eyes, so he left the lights off, but the light on the corridor provided enough for them to see each other. Tumi was running out of his mind, hoping that Nelisa didn’t leave anything that would trace her back in there. ‘Nelisa disappeared.’ Nelson clicked his blocked nose sitting on the side of the bed, looking worried. ‘What do you mean disappeared?’ ‘I woke up and she was gone.’ ‘Gone?’ ‘Yes, she’s nowhere to be found.’ Tumi pretended to be shocked. He could see that Nelson wasn’t picking up on the sex scent. That was the only day Tumi was happy that Nelson had sinuses. His nose was blocked. ‘Did you guys fight?’ ‘Not really, she’s angry that I rescheduled our honeymoon.’ Tumi took a deep breath jumping off the bed, pulling his gown from the chair. He also had no idea where she disappeared to. ‘Did you check the whole house?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Even the garage?’ ‘Argh no, that’s the only place I haven’t checked.’ There was a little light of hope in Nelson’s eyes. ‘Let’s go check there.’ Nelson wasted no time and jumped to his feet leading the way. Tumi followed hoping for Nelisa to have taken that direction. Just as the two men walked into the corridor, it was as if she timed them. There she was waltzing down the corridor towards their bedroom, from the garage direction. She looked shaken up as if she’d been crying. ‘Oh my God baby; where have you been?’ Nelson rushed to her. ‘I’ve been worried sick, looking for you all over.’ Nelisa gave him just a look that said more than she was willing to say. She walked past him as if he wasn’t even there, straight to their bedroom. The cousins’ exchange glances. Tumi had never seen them ignoring each other like that before. He felt guilty; knowing that he was partly responsible for what was happening. Yes, Nelson may have been inconsiderate, but that didn’t give Nelisa the right to act iniquitously. Nelson followed her into their bedroom, leaving Tumi standing in the middle of the corridor wishing he could leave that house in that instant. He looked at the clock on the passage wall, and the time was past one in the morning. His flight was only leaving at eight. He had packed everything just ready for that flight. There wasn’t anything he could do except wait for the morning. He wished to follow them into their bedroom and talk some sense into Nelisa, but he knew that was a bad idea. The guilt ate him up the whole way back to his bedroom. He doesn’t even remember when he fell asleep after that drama, only to be woken up by Nelson again, but this time in the morning. It was getting late and he had to rush and take his bath quickly. Even after parking his car at the airport, Nelson walked as if he carried the whole world on his shoulders. His mind didn’t seem to be there at all. He walked like a zombie. Seeing his cousin going through that killed Tumi inside. He couldn’t have done anything though as Nelisa blankly rejected coming to the airport with them. He couldn’t even talk some sense into her. The best thing he could do was to comfort his cousin with words that meant nothing. ‘She’ll come around cuz don’t worry.’ They walked into the international departures. ‘I don’t think she will cuz, I broke her heart.’ ‘She will with time cuz, give her time.’ ‘I’m running out of ideas man.’ ‘Take her out cuz, make sure that it’s in a relaxed environment and explain to her why you had to cancel your trip.’ ‘Do you think that will work?’ ‘Give it a try man, Nelisa is a woman. They like being pampered.’ ‘I will try.’ ‘Don’t try man, just do this.’ In Nelson’s mind, it was not going to work. They had reached the beginning of the end to their relationship. The Test When he arrived in America; a place he started calling home, Tumi had to do his introspection. What he did with Nelisa was eating him inside. Even though the advice that he gave to Nelson worked but he was still guilty. He knew he was the one who opened Nelisa’s eyes, and for that, his cousin was paying. Nelson did take Nelisa out that same day, and they managed ironing few out things. They were in better speaking terms than when he left. Tumi knew that Nelisa was never going to enjoy sex with Nelson like she did before sleeping with him. In just two weeks; Tumi had destroyed something the two built for more than fourteen years. On that Monday morning, he couldn’t sleep, thinking and feeling guilty. Since being back in America things started changing around him. The Penelope story had come to light fast. Even though at a distant, Tumi was prepared to pay his dues. He wasn’t ready to go back to South Africa in a hurry, but after talking to Kate and seeing Penelope’s pictures, he was more convinced that Nelisa was right. There was that feeling that he might have to go back to South Africa sooner than he anticipated. He wanted to keep that a secret from both Nelisa and Nelson. There were many things that bothered him. Besides meeting Kate and Penelope, he also wanted to erected and unveil a tombstone on his mother’s grave. That was one of the good influences that Kate had in his life. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be done without Nelisa and Nelson knowing. He stayed in contact with Nelson, but each time he saw his number, he would be scared that Nelson had found out about him and Nelisa’s secret. He also spoke with Nelisa almost every day; on the phone, emails, SMS's and WhatsApp, but never on Facebook. He was trying so hard to forget about Nelisa, but their everyday conversations made that difficult. She reminded him every day of how good he made her feel. They were fully cheating on Nelson, and that was killing Tumi. He wished Nelisa could leave Nelson for him, but with Kate being back in his life, he was confused. Even though he didn’t know what really was happening between the two of them, but he wanted to be a part of his child’s life. Back in South Africa Lwandle’s case was the talk of the town. Even though out on bail, she had relinquished any participation from any church duties. Nelson did everything he could to save her, and for that, he was barely home. The honeymoon was still on suspension, and Nelisa was also back to work. Even though talking with Nelson, their happy life before the wedding and the arrival of the best man was no more. Nelson was still blinded by his loyalty and love for his cousin. Talking about what was happening to them was never allowed. Their sex life was non-existence. They’d had sex only once since Tumi’s departure. ‘We barely talk to each other these days Neli.’ ‘What’s there to talk about Nelson?’ Their lovely name calling was no more. They called each other with their names, something they were never used to. ‘We have to talk about us.’ ‘You are barely home, so when will we get to do that.’ The temper escalated in Nelisa, and that is how she’d always been lately. ‘There’s no need for you to shout love.’ ‘I better keep quiet then.’ ‘Is it because you can’t talk to me rationally?’ ‘Do you ever talk to me rationally Nelson, or you make decisions anyhow you like.’ ‘But Neli…’ ‘No buts Nelson; that is the truth.’ She turned facing the other direction. That was a sign that she was done talking. Their conversation had been ending the same way lately. Nelson walked to the door, looking confused. He didn’t know what more to do to bring the situation in his house back to how it was. They had been married for two months already, but things working difficult. On this particular morning, Nelisa had taken a day off from work. She wanted to visit her doctor, after missing her periods for two months in a row. It was something that had never happened to her before. After the home pregnancy test she did the previous morning showed positive, Nelisa wanted a second opinion; from a real doctor. Other than that she had also promised her sister Noxolo a visit. They hadn’t spent time together ever since after the wedding. While still sulking in the bedroom, Nelson walked back with the home pregnancy test on his hand, looking rather angry. ‘What’s this Neli?’ ‘It’s a home pregnancy test?’ ‘Are you pregnant?’ ‘Read the test, Nelson.’ Nelson looked dizzy. He couldn’t believe how cold Nelisa had become. He breathed strangely as if having difficulty breathing. He sat on the bed, trying to calm himself down. ‘Nelisa are you pregnant?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘What?’ He jumped to his feet. ‘I am pregnant Nelson.’ ‘What do you mean you are pregnant?’ ‘Jesus man, that means that there is a child growing inside me.’ ‘How can you be pregnant Nelisa?’ ‘Oh, my word, what do you mean exactly?’ ‘Who is the father of that baby?’ A quick chill ran down Nelisa’s spine. She wasn’t even sure if the baby was really Nelson’s or Tumi’s. But when counting back, she fell pregnant during the time Tumi was in the country. ‘What the hell Nelson, who’s been fucking me?’ ‘You should tell me.’ ‘Are you insane Nelson?’ ‘Who have you been sleeping with Nelisa?’ ‘Are you calling me a whore now?’ ‘If not, how come you are pregnant?’ Nelisa could see that Nelson wanted to say something, but he wasn’t coming out straight with it. ‘If I married another woman then surely I’ve been sleeping with a man on the side.’ Nelson’s head was spinning. The pregnancy test on his hand slipped and fell to the floor. His forehead was sweating, feeling as if the floor was spinning. Nelisa just stared at him. She couldn’t understand why her husband was reacting in such a way. She expected him to be happy, but his reaction was scaring to her. After a few minutes of silence, Nelson sat on the bed swallowing gulps of saliva, his mouth feeling dry. ‘Nelisa.’ He said calmly as if running out of breath. She stared at him as if he wasn’t if talking to her. ‘How can you be pregnant?’ ‘A woman falls pregnant when having sex with a man Nelson.’ She also sounded calmed but irritated at the same time. ‘How did you fall pregnant?’ ‘When you were fucking me, Nelson, did you stop and think that I might fall pregnant? Jeez, why are you asking me such a stupid question anyway?’ She started shouting, not understanding why he was going back and forth with the questions. ‘I know I didn’t impregnate you Nelisa.’ ‘And how do you know that doctor Magadla?’ ‘Because I’m infertile!’ It was as if she’d been hit by a bus or a truck. It didn’t matter; the impact was just too much. She didn’t believe what she heard with her ears. Her world went up in smoke in a matter of seconds. ‘You are what?’ ‘I’m infertile.’ Her throat dried immediately. She didn’t see that coming, but as a woman, she knew that she had to counter. The reality that the child was Tumi’s hit her hard, her woman’s intuition kicking into gear. ‘And you kept that from me why?’ ‘I wanted to tell you.’ ‘But surely you didn’t.’ ‘Yes.’ ‘And what stopped you?’ ‘Time.’ ‘But I’m pregnant.’ ‘I hear you, which is why I am asking you who’s the father.’ She didn’t know what to say, her plan had clearly backfired. She wanted to say the child was his even if it was Tumi’s, but that wasn’t going to work anymore. She had never slept with any other man except those two, and the truth was about to be revealed. The Call Tumi wrote the whole night on that Sunday until the wee hours of Monday morning. He didn’t have anywhere to be, so he knew that he had the whole day to sleep it off. He lay on his bed trying to figure a way out of bachelorhood. Kate’s pictures made her look rather different from that woman he once knew and loved. Surely he didn’t want to be with someone out of pity. Nelisa was the woman he wanted or someone who almost looks like her at that age. His mind couldn’t stop reminiscing about the days of the exciting sex they shared in Nelson’s house. It was surely the best sex he’d ever had. He didn’t know if that was because they were stealing the moments, or that he would enjoy it even if Nelisa was his to keep. It had been almost three months since he last felt that way, and he missed it. Since his return to America, he hadn’t had sex with anyone, hating to counter the feeling Nelisa made him feel. In Miami Florida, it had just gone past three in the morning. Tumi was alone in bed, but couldn’t fall asleep. He knew that Nelisa was at work already, just waiting for a clock to strike five in Miami so she could call him. In South Africa, it would be midday already. Just as that thought went in; his cell phone rang. His hand jumped to it, hoping it would be her, but looking at the caller ID it was Nelson. They hadn’t spoken in a week, and he wouldn’t just call him in the middle of the night unless there was an emergency. Quickly he picked up. ‘Hey, cuz, what’s up?’ ‘What the fuck you think Tumelo?’ ‘Excuse me.’ Nelson had never spoken to him in that tone, he had never used that kind of language when talking to him before, not even when joking. ‘Excuse you? Excuse you for what Mr. Lover man?’ A quick chill ran down Tumi’s spine. He thought that he and Nelisa had covered their tracks. He told her to always delete every message they exchanged. ‘What’s happening cuz, talk to me?’ ‘Talk to you, what for Tumelo. You think I’m stupid don’t you?’ ‘What’s going on man?’ ‘Don’t insult my intelligence you fool; I know that you’ve been fucking my wife.’ Tumi got the shock of his life. He couldn’t even respond to that. ‘What?’ ‘Don’t even try to deny it Tumelo.’ ‘Deny what Nelson?’ ‘You disgust me, man, I hate you.’ Tumi knew that all hell had broken loose. Nelson sounded annoyed. ‘Dude calm down…’ ‘Calm down, are you fucken telling me to calm down?’ ‘Don’t say something you’ll regret later.’ ‘What I regret Tumelo, is trusting a bloody dog like you. I regret asking you to be my best man. I regret ever bringing your bitchy ass to South Africa, let alone inside my house.’ He was breathing fire. Tumi could tell that if he was closer, they would have been fighting physically. He thanked God that he was in America. His mind ran in circles. He wanted to know how Nelson found out, but he continued shouting at him, not giving him any clue. While at that his phone alerted him of another incoming call. He looked at the caller ID and it was Nelisa. The whole thing became clearer. Still, though he didn’t know how Nelson found out, so he decided to play it safe. ‘Man, I don’t know what you are talking about?’ ‘You are making me mad Tumelo, stop lying to me.’ Nelson was screaming, even swearing at him, something he had never done before. ‘Fuck you man, you’re a bloody whore.’ ‘Dude, I’m not going to allow you to talk to me like that. Get a grip and call me back when you are ready to talk sensibly. I am ending this call.’ Immediately he hung up, still feeling bad for even ending the call on him like that, but he needed clarity. He knew he wasn’t going to get any from Nelson while he still breathed fire like that. ‘This is a fucked up situation.’ Tumi spoke to himself. He wished he could talk to Nelson face to face, even though it would be a bad idea, but his mind was in turmoil. His phone rang again. A shock wave ran through his body, causing a big bang on his chest. He feared it would be Nelson again; wanting to continue where he left off. He picked it up again and looked at the screen. It was a Johannesburg landline number, a number he had never seen before. He stared at the phone for a few seconds, scared to even pick it up, until the phone stopped ringing. A few seconds later; it rang again. Tumi decided that he deserved whatever Nelson wanted to say to him. He then answered with a soft voice. ‘Hello.’ ‘I’ve been trying to call you for the last twenty minutes Tumi. Why aren’t you answering your phone?’ It was Nelisa talking very fast. She sounded worried. Tumi took a deep breath. He knew that Nelisa was the best person to explain what had happened. ‘What’s going on Neli?’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘I just had a strange call from your husband.’ ‘Oh my God,’ Nelisa sounded shocked, ‘What did he say?’ ‘Not much really.’ ‘What did he say Tumi?’ She shouted, sounding worried. ‘It was clear that he knows about us.’ ‘Is that all he said?’ ‘Something like that, is there more?’ ‘He wants a divorce Tumi.’ She said in a voice that told Tumi that she wasn’t even worried. ‘Oh my God.’ Tumi closed his eyes. ‘How did he find out?’ ‘I’m pregnant.’ ‘So,’ Tumi sounded relieved, ‘the baby could be his.’ ‘The asshole is infertile.’ ‘What?’ ‘Yeah; he told me this morning.’ ‘Are you serious right now?’ ‘As a heart attack.’ ‘Oh shit!’ Tumi couldn’t believe his ears; their plan of giving the child to Nelson had just fallen apart. He knew how proud his cousin was, but Nelisa sounded casual, her voice didn’t even sound worried. ‘I’m finally free to be with you, my love.’ ‘Come on Neli, you guys are hardly six months into this marriage. How can he want to divorce you?’ ‘He isn’t ready to raise a child that’s not his.’ ‘Did he say that?’ ‘Not in so many words, but you know how proud your cousin is.’ Still, she sounded too casual for his liking. Tumi could tell that she was even smiling. ‘So you really are pregnant?’ ‘Yes, I’m pregnant Tumi, and I’m very happy.’ ‘O-k-a-y.’ Tumi sounded confused, he didn’t just destroy Nelson’s marriage, but he had messed up his relationship with the only living relative he had, and for what, a piece of pussy. He went silent for a while, without even realizing it, his mind regretting everything. ‘Tumi, are you still there?’ ‘I’m here.’ His voice sounded low and distant. ‘We can be together now my love.’ Tumi kept quiet again. He wanted her, but not at the expense of his cousin’s happiness. ‘Did you hear what I just said Tumi?’ ‘I did.’ ‘And what are you thinking?’ ‘That your husband wants to divorce you, and you don’t sound a bit upset.’ Before she could answer that, there was a beeping sound again on his phone, when he checked the caller ID it was Kate. ‘Listen Neli let me call you back, Kate is on the line.’ She didn’t say anything and just ended the call. Tumi realized that she felt as if he was running away. He hadn’t called her love since they started that conversation. They’d been out calling each other with all those fancy names, but on that morning, he couldn’t bring himself to. He picked Kate’s call and spoke with her briefly. After that, he called Nelisa back as he had promised. One ring and she picked it. ‘You want to know why don’t I sound upset?’ She said without even greeting as soon as she picked the phone up. ‘Yes.’ She kept quiet for a couple of seconds; as if thinking. ‘Do you love me Tumi?’ He took a few seconds and remained quiet. That to him didn’t sound as if she was answering his question, but rather asking her own. ‘You are not answering my question Neli.’ ‘Answer mine first. Do you love me?’ ‘Did you have to go there right now?’ ‘Yes I do Tumelo, do you love me?’ ‘But you know the answer to that question.’ ‘Just answer the damn question man.’ He took a deep breath. Nelisa had never called his name like that. It was only his mother who called him that way. ‘I love you Nelisa.’ ‘You sound forced.’ ‘What the fuck you want from me Neli?’ ‘I want the truth man.’ ‘Now you have it.’ She took a deep breath as if getting ready to say something but kept quiet. Although Tumi loved having sex with her back in Nelson’s house, he didn’t know if he would enjoy it when she finally belonged to him. They say if you want to hurt a man that cheats on you with your wife, give her to him and let her be his. Tumi was beginning to regret those nights of passion with Nelisa back in South Africa. He had fallen into a trap of being the recipient of someone’s ex-wife. Blood is thicker than Water When Nelisa got to Noxolo’s house that afternoon; she looked down in the dumps. Just as she parked the car, there was a young man leaving her sister’s house. The man looked too young to be dating her sister, but looking at how they looked and smiled at each other she felt that she stood to be corrected. ‘Come on in Neli?’ ‘Thanks, sis.’ Noxolo turned and looked at the young man getting into his car that was also parked in the driveway. ‘Drive safe Sammy.’ ‘Thank you, Xolo will do.’ Nelisa’s eyes traveled between both the man and her sister. The smile on Noxolo’s face gave the finer details of the entire story. Sammy drove out of the yard, Noxolo’s eyes following the car. Nelisa frowned, talking as if mocking her older sister. ‘Am I missing something here sis?’ ‘Something like what Nelz?’ ‘What was all that?’ ‘What was all what?’ ‘You and that boy.’ ‘Come on Nelz; stop looking for stories where there aren’t any.’ ‘Really now, am I?’ ‘The man just came to check on me.’ ‘Mh okay.’ Noxolo was the only person that called her Nelz, dragging their feet slowly as they walked inside the house. ‘Who the hell is he?’ ‘He’s a young doctor from Brenthurst Clinic.’ ‘Oh, the doctor is doing house calls?’ Nelisa could tell that there was a story behind that, and Noxolo wasn’t ready to give up her game, as she smiled changing the subject. ‘What did you want to talk to me about?’ ‘Wo wo wo, don’t change the subject now. Let’s talk about the young sexy doctor now; shall we?’ ‘Come on Nelz, he’s just a boy, you said it yourself.’ ‘Mh; a boy maybe, but he makes your heart skip a beat that’s for sure. It’s written all over your face!’ Noxolo smiled as if Nelisa said something that took her someplace where she was as happy as a child. Her mind wondered off, leaving Nelisa alone in the house. ‘Calling earth To Noxolo, earth to Noxolo.’ Nelisa shouted while moving her hand in front of her sister’s eyes; as if hypnotizing her. Noxolo jumped, laughing as her mind had wondered off. ‘Come on Nelz he’s just a boy.’ ‘You said that already sis.’ ‘I did, so stop creating stories here.’ Her smile though showed that she was trying so hard to hide that her heart had been stolen. ‘Now tell me what’s eating you.’ ‘Don’t change the subject sis, tell me about Sammy.’ ‘There isn’t anything to tell Neli.’ ‘It looks as if there is. The last time you had such sparks in your eyes, was when you were dating Bruce.’ Nelisa knew that she was taking a risk mentioning Bruce’s name. Noxolo had been in and out psychiatric hospitals because of the relationship between her and Bruce that ended badly. Surprisingly that afternoon Noxolo laughed her lungs out, not even showing signs of being traumatized by the mention of Bruce’s name. Nelisa knew that Noxolo loved Bruce so much, and just hearing his name was a thorn in her heart. Noxolo continued laughing her lungs out; making Nelisa feels as if she was crazy. ‘That was then Nelz, things have changed.’ ‘Wow, this Sammy boy must be good then.’ Nelisa put her hands together as if praying. ‘Thank you, Sam.’ ‘Come now; what are you thanking him for?’ ‘For bringing my big sister back to life.’ Noxolo didn’t even entertain that; she just smiled staring at her little sister. She was done talking about Sammy, and she wanted to know what was wrong with Nelisa. ‘So what’s eating you Nelz?’ ‘What do you mean sis?’ ‘I know you remember.’ Nelisa took a deep breath, with the intense fear of being judged if she told her about everything that happened. ‘I know you do sis.’ ‘So; out with it.’ ‘I don’t know where to start sis.’ ‘How about the beginning?’ Nelisa laughed faintly, she knew what her sister meant. Noxolo could tell that whatever she wanted to say was big, and practically life changing. ‘When mom died I was left with only you as my only sibling since I don’t even know my real father.’ Noxolo frowned; seeing that she was rather starting too far from where she wanted her to start. She smiled again seeing Nelisa becoming more serious than she anticipated and she decided to add in a joke. ‘Come now Nelz, when I said the beginning, I didn’t mean history.’ Noxolo laughed at her own joke, but Nelisa stayed serious. She wasn’t getting the humor; she just bit her lower lip. Noxolo felt bad for even making that joke and even laughing at it. ‘Sorry Nelz; I didn’t mean to be insensitive. Go on, what’s happening?’ ‘I’ve made a mess of things sis.’ ‘We all make a mess once in a while Neli, what’s important is how you clean it up.’ ‘I don’t think you’ll understand this one.’ ‘Try me; I’m not here to judge you.’ ‘But you might.’ ‘Believe me; I’ve made a mess of things myself in my life. I think I know how you feel.’ That made Nelisa feel a bit relieved. She knew it wasn’t a solution, but her sister’s support was all she needed. ‘Thank you, sis.’ ‘So out with it; I’ll help you where I can. If I can’t; we’ll find help together.’ Nelisa swallowed a spoon full of saliva, feeling a bit at ease. She took a deep breath looking as if she was hyperventilating. ‘I’m pregnant sis.’ Noxolo frowned in confusion. She knew how long Nelisa had been waiting to have a child. She didn’t understand why she would call that messing up. According to Noxolo that was good news. ‘Wow; congratulations Nelz!’ ‘Thank you.’ ‘But why you don’t look happy about it?’ Nelisa took another deep breath swallowing more saliva. She couldn’t bring herself into telling her sister the truth. ‘I’m happy believe me.’ ‘But you don’t look it.’ ‘There are complications sis.’ ‘What complications.’ Noxolo’s mind ran to medical complications. She had never heard of any health issues that Nelisa had before, but her face said it all. ‘Nelz what’s happening, talk to me? Don’t you think it’s rather too early to be thinking of complications now?’ ‘No it isn’t.’ ‘What’s wrong then?’ Nelisa moved her eyes off her sister, closing them for just a few seconds. ‘Nelson wants a divorce?’ ‘He what?’ Noxolo shouted out of shock. ‘He wants a divorce sis.’ ‘But why, isn’t he happy that you two are going to have a child?’ ‘The child is not his.’ ‘Oh, oh, what do you mean?’ The confusion grew denser for Noxolo. ‘How does he even know that?’ ‘He knows sis.’ ‘But how Neli, how?’ ‘My so called husband is infertile.’ Noxolo’s eyes popped, rushing her hands to her mouth as if it were wide-open. There was humor in the way Nelisa dropped that statement. Noxolo laughed faintly. ‘Come now, how is that possible?’ Noxolo could see that there was a scandal behind it all, by the way, that Nelisa walked on eggshells. ‘He told me this morning.’ ‘So you cheated on him?’ She didn’t want to sound insensitive again, but it was the truth. To her surprise, Nelisa smiled, and eventually laughed loud. Her sister was amazed by her reaction such that she turned and stared at her, hitting her on the thigh bringing her to a halt. ‘You cheated on Nelson?’ ‘He wants to divorce me, sis.’ ‘Who did you cheat with?’ ‘Didn’t you hear me, sis, I said the bastard is impotent.’ Nelisa didn’t even look a bit worried. ‘I get that, but how did he find out about the pregnancy. You are not even showing yet?’ ‘He found a home pregnancy test I had used.’ ‘Did you know he was infertile?’ ‘Not until this morning.’ ‘Oh my word’ Noxolo closed her eyes looking up as if praying, covering her face with both her hands. ‘You can say that again sis.’ ‘That’s hectic Nelz. So what are you going to do now?’ ‘I’ll give him what he wants.’ ‘You’ll divorce him.’ ‘I don’t have a choice sis.’ Noxolo could see that Nelisa wasn’t even hurting. It was going to be the quickest divorce she’d ever witnessed after such a short time in marriage. Questions and more questions poured on her mind. Nelisa’s reactions surprised her though, especially since she had never complained or said anything that showed she was unhappy with Nelson. The quick change puzzled her, from that happily married woman to the one she was seeing there. She feared coming out as judgemental, Nelisa needed her to support her not judge her. ‘Do you really want to do that after just a few months of that fancy wedding?’ ‘I have no choice sis; I have to give him what he wants.’ ‘And who’s the father Nelz?’ Nelisa took another one of her deep breaths, something which she was becoming famous for during that conversation. ‘That’s a hard one sis.’ ‘I won’t judge you.’ ‘Really, pinkie swear?’ ‘I’m your sister for crying out loud. Blood is thicker than water, remember. I will not judge you, just tell me.’ The words hit Nelisa hard… Having toyed with the cousins wasn’t part of her plan, but there she was. ‘Please don’t make me feel worse than I already do.’ ‘Relax honey, I’m here for you.’ ‘Tumi is the father.’ ‘What? Tumi the best man? Your husband’s cousin?’ Noxolo’s eyes popped out again, but then she laughed out loud. She hadn’t in a million years imagined Nelisa and Tumi in a love relationship, after the stories she’d heard about him. ‘I’m glad you find it, funny sis, Nelson didn’t.’ ‘Oh, my word Nelisa,’ Noxolo continued laughing, ‘did you guys do it before or after the wedding.’ ‘Come on sis you said you were not going to judge me. What are you doing now?’ ‘I am not judging you Neli, just that this is a funny story. I’ve only read magazines about such; I never thought I would witness it through my own sister. You two make the best men characters from the movie saints. Wow, you two little dogs you.’ Noxolo continued laughing while poking her sister, not realizing that Nelisa wasn’t taking it as a joke. She was embarrassed by the way Noxolo went on about it. She expected her to be in shock and not make a joke of it. It was starting to hurt her. She knew that Noxolo was the only person who understood what true love can make a person do. ‘It’s okay sis you’ve had your fun, I think I should go home now.’ ‘Come on Nelz don’t take this the wrong way.’ ‘You are embarrassing me here.’ ‘I didn’t mean to, but this is unbelievable.’ Noxolo could see that she had pushed that joke a bit too far. She’d hoped that Nelisa would realize that she wasn’t judging her. It was just that in her eyes Nelisa was the innocent one, naïve and dumb-struck by Nelson’s love. Their relationship was a fairy-tale, something she could only dream of. But Nelisa felt dirty when she called them, “little dogs”. She stood up, bringing her sister’s laugh to a halt. ‘I should go now sis.’ ‘Come on Nelz, where will you go?’ ‘I still have a house.’ ‘I’m sorry Nelz. I didn’t mean to be insensitive.’ For a few seconds, they stared at each other, Noxolo trying so hard not to laugh. She could see that she was hurting her little sister. She cleared her throat digging her mind for something that would comfort her. ‘Nelson is also wrong. ‘Wrong how?’ It was something Nelisa wanted to hear, just to ease her own guilt. ‘He should have told you that he was infertile the minute he found that out.’ She brushed her little sister’s long light hairy arm, pulling her to sit down, finally managing to contain her laugh. She was being the supportive sister that Nelisa needed. ‘He didn’t say anything to me before sis.’ ‘How long did he know about it anyway?’ ‘I don’t know.’ ‘He’s unfair Nelz.’ ‘But I’m the one who cheated.’ ‘Regardless, he knew all along that you wanted kids but he said nothing. You did tell him that didn’t you?’ ‘More times than I care to remember.’ Noxolo took a deep breath trying not to laugh again. ‘He should have At least come clean about his infertility before the wedding. You could have married him knowing what you were getting yourself into.’ Nelisa frowned, thinking that her sister was right. Nelson was also at fault. Not only for not being upfront about his infertility, but also for inviting his cousin to stay with them without even consulting her first. ‘You are right sis.’ ‘Nelson should also take responsibility. You are a thirty-one-year-old married woman, with no child to show, and he doesn’t see that as a problem.’ Nelisa felt the support she expected from her sister. It was exactly what she had envisioned before telling her. The fact that she even raised that issue showed her that Noxolo was on her side. ‘But I wronged him, sis.’ ‘Yes you did, but he should also own up to his wrong decisions. He played a big part in pushing you into his cousin’s arms.’ ‘He actually did.’ Nelisa felt calm knowing that her sister was on her side. She knew that At least she would support her throughout the pregnancy. Even though she still loved Nelson, she would give him the divorce he wanted. She was in love with Tumi. She didn’t care anymore, even if he divorced her that same evening. The sisters ended up laughing about the issue as if it didn’t hurt at first. Breaking the Heart that Cares At the other end of Johannesburg, Nelson’s head was running in circles. He sat in his office, trying to figure out what he was going to do with the situation at home. He stared at his left hand, looking at the ring on his finger as if asking it for an advice. He clinched the hand, folding it into a fist as if ready to hit someone. His eyes stayed on his ring, feeling tears flooding his eyes. ‘How did this happen on my watch?’ He felt that Nelisa wasn’t to be blamed, Tumi should have known better than to interfere with their relationship. Nelson also had messed up the only good thing he had going for himself. Having Nelisa was the only thing that kept him grounded. She had been the one of sane thing he possessed other than his mom, job, and his finances, of which meant nothing without her in his life. He had uttered things he didn’t mean; out of anger. He didn’t really want to divorce her, it was just anger talking. The whole thing was just a huge nightmare. ‘What was I thinking calling out for a divorce? What if she takes me up on it?’ He was more concerned about Nelisa’s state of mind. He acted impetuously towards her. He was in a mess, and he needed to pull himself out quickly. ‘How can I be such an idiot?’ It was already in the evening, and his secretary had gone home. Nelson sat alone in the office feeling like screaming, but he kept himself together. He didn’t want to alarm the securities. He wished he could talk to someone, even though he was that much of a private person. He needed advice from someone other than himself. He was at a crossroad, not knowing which route to take. His laptop splashed his wedding pictures as his screensaver. He kept glancing at them, remembering how happy he was on that day. It had just been over two months and already he was feeling the difficulties of being married. He had a choice to make and he had to make it very quickly. He had to decide on whether to continue to be a husband to Nelisa or get that divorce he called out for. The tough part was that he’d never loved any other woman beside Nelisa. She was the only woman he knew from a young age. He didn’t even feel like going home. He didn’t even know if Nelisa was there or not. Facing her was a scary thought after all the insulting names he called her. ‘I’m such an idiot.’ He continued talking to himself staring at one of his pictures, back in the days with Tumi after a volleyball match. He took a deep breath. ‘Man you should have been my cousin, my best friend, my best man. Instead, you fucked my wife. So much that now she is now pregnant with your child. How unfair can you be?’ He pressed the space bar, waking the screen up. He navigated to a picture folder, deleting some of the pictures in there. Most were those that had Tumi in them. Growing up those two were as close as two peas in a pod, inseparable. For that reason, they were together in most of his pictures than he wanted. He deleted them while talking. ‘You destroyed my life you piece of shit.’ He flushed them into the recycle bin. ‘You killed every little bit of happiness I had in my life.’ The anger in him was clear. He would have killed him with his bare hands if he was in the country. There were hundreds of those pictures, which made him more furious. He had built his life around the thought that they were brothers. By the time he was done deleting; he had deleted more than half from that folder. It was clear in his mind that he didn’t have many pictures where he was on his own, he laughed faintly. He didn’t even know why he was laughing. He wanted to scream and cry. ‘Damn, I’m such an idiot.’ Something flashed on his mind. ‘I was the only person who knew about my infertility. I should have claimed this child as mine and avoid revealing my secret. My marriage would still be intact. I could have kept the identity of the man she slept with in the shadows. Why didn’t I think of that?’ He’d never suspected Nelisa to be cheating on him. The shock of finding that out made him act recklessly. ‘Maybe I can still fix this,’ he continued talking, looking at his watch. ‘I have to still fix all this mess.’ He jumped, grabbing his car keys and jacket from the chair rushing to the door, out to his car. Nelson drove out of the parking lot like a maniac. He had worked it all out in his mind, and he knew exactly how he was going to save his marriage. He wanted to make it work and beat Tumi at his own game. ‘Nelisa is mine. I’m not going to lose her to the likes of Tumelo Tuge.’ He wanted to drive by the florist and buy Nelisa a dozen white roses. He knew she loved roses. This is what he always used when apologizing and trying to worm his way back to her good side. He had always bought her roses, sometimes just red ones when he wants to remind her that he still loves her. On the M2 highway, Nelson drove like a maniac. At that time the traffic to Germiston had subsided. His mind worked as fast as his driving. In a short space of time, he was in Lambton, stopping in front of his gate. He kept praying for Nelisa to understand his outburst earlier and forgive him for his harsh words. He wanted to ask for an apology. He didn’t realize that he was making excuses for her infidelity. That didn’t matter to him though; saving his marriage was the only thing that mattered. Nelson did nothing wrong except being angry that he was cheated on. But for the sake of peace and saving his marriage; he wanted to be the bigger man and apologize. He wasn’t going to lose Nelisa without a fight. In a perfect world, Nelisa should have been the one doing all those things, but Nelson knew that he was living in a strange world. Two wrongs didn’t make a right, and he wanted to fix her wrongs by doing the right thing. It had been the first day that ended without them checking on each other. They normally checked on each other throughout the day even if they’d fought. That day had passed by without them calling each other. It was strange, heavy on his heart, but he had to go through with the day as normal as he could. There was a possibility that she might have been hurt by the things he called her in the morning. Even though they were true, Nelson should have been considerate. He could still hear himself shouting at her, calling her a whore and all the other names he didn’t even want to remember. Arriving at home, he noticed that the house was dark. He frowned; thinking of the worst things that Nelisa might have done to herself. He figured that maybe she was too ashamed of herself, and went into depression. As the gate slid open, Nelson drove in quickly, parking his car outside the garage. He ran out of the car to the front door, forgetting the roses in the backseat. He didn’t even open the garage door, as the gate closed automatically. He rushed to the door pushing it abruptly, but the door was locked. Nelisa had never locked the doors while inside the house before. Nelson had always been the one who locked the doors. His heart started beating fast, fearing the worst. He rushed back to the car grabbing his house keys, and then back to the door again. He unlocked it, pushing the door open. He flipped the light switch on, walking inside the house shouting. ‘Nelisa!’ He went through the whole house in a matter of minutes, checking each and every room. Nelisa was not in any of the rooms. He remembered the same thing happening the last day Tumi was in their house. He imagined Tumi having sex with his wife in his own house. The anger came flooding back. Nelson threw himself on the settee, feeling consumed by anger. ‘Damn; the nerve of these people. What if they had sex in my house while I was sleeping in another room?’ Nelson felt a rush of heat immediately and pulled his tie off, breathing heavily. He’d just realized the level of disrespect that Tumi had for him. ‘How can he have sex with my wife in my own house?’ He squeezed his eyes, seeing them in his mind’s eye on his bed. ‘Oh my word, please tell me I’m just imagining that. Could they’ve had sex on my bed?’ He closed his eyes feeling like a complete idiot. ‘If this is what staying in America taught him, I hate the person he’s become.’ On that night Tumi had told him to go look in the garage. He figured that maybe he should do that again; just to see if her car was there. He rushed to the garage, praying she’d be there, sitting there in the dark. Getting there; Nelisa’s car wasn’t in sight. He stopped in his tracks, looking at his watch. It had just struck quarter past eight. She’d never been out that late without him knowing her whereabouts. Her vision was so poor that Nelson always drove her when traveling at night. He took a deep breath trying to think calmly, eliminating all the stupid things she might have done to herself. His mind finally arrived at the right conclusion, remembering that the night before the whole pregnancy thing unfolded; Nelisa told him that she was going to visit her sister. ‘Oh damn, she’s at Noxolo’s.’ Even him saying that it suggested more trouble than good for him. Tiredly he grabbed the house phone calling Nelisa’s cell phone. It rang a few times and went to voicemail. Nelson tried again; it rang again for a long time but no one picked up. He took a deep breath and continued talking to himself. ‘I’m calling for the last time and I will call Noxolo.’ He dialed again and the phone rang only once. ‘Hello.’ ‘Hi, baby, where are you?’ She kept quiet for a few seconds as if thinking of how to answer. Nelson also kept quiet; waiting for her to answer. He was also trying to listen to the background that could tell him of her whereabouts. It was just quiet. The silence went for almost a minute before she responded in a cold voice. ‘I’m at my sister’s.’ ‘When are you coming back? We need to talk.’ She kept quiet again. Nelson could hear that she didn’t want to talk. There was a possibility of her becoming irate, after the things he said in the morning. He had called her baby, and not Neli like he always does when they’d had a fight. That caught Nelisa by surprise. ‘Didn’t you say everything you wanted to say this morning?’ ‘Come on love you know it was anger talking, not me.’ ‘You said it all Nelson.’ ‘I need to apologize my love.’ ‘Apologise… Apologize for what Nelson?’ ‘For the things, I said in anger.’ ‘You said you want a divorce, I’m not going to fight you. You can go ahead and prepare the papers, I’ll just sign.’ That was something Nelson didn’t expect to hear. It hurt like hell hearing her saying that. He was thinking that he still had a fighting chance. Hearing her agreeing on a divorce over the phone was just too impersonal. ‘I know what I said my love, I was angry. Please come home so we can talk rationally?’ ‘Home, where exactly is that for me Nelson?’ ‘Baby please…’ She cut him as he was still talking. ‘Don’t baby me, Nelson. Please don’t patronize me. You told me that I didn’t belong in that house.’ ‘I know what I said my love, but it was anger talking. Can I rather come over so we can talk face to face?’ Nelisa kept quiet again. The coldness in her voice kept growing stronger with every word she muttered. Nelson waited for her response until the phone cut off. The tension between them was so thick, even over the phone. She had ended the call and he knew it. His heart sank. Nelson felt lost. He didn’t know what to do after that. His hopes of convincing her to forgive him went dead. ‘I guess face to face is the only way then.’ He quickly ran out of the house to his car, even forgetting to lock the door. He just closed it and dashed off into his car, driving out of the yard, leaving the gate closing automatically. He feared the showdown waiting for him; feeling as if he was about to walk into a lion’s den. Even though he knew Noxolo, they were never as close as he wished. On his wedding day; he saw her talking more with Tumi than any of the other groomsmen. He didn’t know whether she was aware of his fling with Nelisa, or because Tumi was a world famous writer. He had a feeling that it would be close to impossible convincing Nelisa to go back with him. He was aware that Nelisa might have told her all the nasty things he called her. The distance from Lambton to Bramley felt like one of the longest he’d ever driven. The panic kept attacking him, and he hated the feeling. He knew he should have just walked out and calmed down before saying things he didn’t mean. Noxolo had never been involved in their relationship in any way. Nelson feared that things would be difficult since they’ll be talking in her house. All he wanted was his wife back in their house. He wanted to have a private conversation with no one present. That wasn’t going to be as easy as he thought. Another thing that bothered him was that he also didn’t know if Nelisa had told Tumi about the pregnancy. Nelson knew that if those two had spoken; things might have changed drastically in their relationship. Tumi was a dog that feared commitment. If Nelisa had told him, Nelson’s only hope was that Tumi rejected her like he did Kate. Nelisa feared rejection, and he wanted to be her shoulder to cry on. That thought brought some hope in him. That was what he needed as he pulled over at Noxolo’s place. The nerves were killing him. He wanted to try and charm his way back into Nelisa’s life. He took a deep breath; switching the engine off, saying a little prayer. ‘Lord; please forgive me for the things I said in the morning out of anger. I know I should have handled the situation differently. Instead, I allowed anger to rule my mouth. Please don’t punish me by taking Nelisa away from me. She’s all I’ve got and you know that. I promise to forgive her for her infidelity and even treat her unborn child as if it were mine. Amen’ It was straight forward; he hoped that God heard him. He knew that the sisters might have heard the car stopping in the driveway. Finally, he gathered courage and walked out, holding roses on the other hand. As he walked closer to the door; it flung open. ‘Come on in brother, we’ve been waiting for you.’ Noxolo’s warm smile took him by surprise. ‘You are a gentleman indeed, you brought flowers.’ Nelson walked in, feeling a bit of courage seeing Noxolo’s welcoming behavior. He had a feeling that things would somehow go his way if the big sister welcomed him like that. Noxolo closed the door behind him and shouted. ‘Nelz your hubby is here.’ The roses were still in his hand. He hoped that when she saw them she would melt like she always did when he bought her some. After a minute Nelisa showed up; dragging her feet, wearing a nightgown that clearly didn’t belong to her. It was clear that she was ready for the night. Seeing her in that gown puzzled Nelson. ‘Hi, baby. These are for you.’ He extended his arm, handing the roses to her. She showed no interest and kept her arms crossed on her chest. The anger on her face was visible. Noxolo quickly picked the disappointment in Nelson and accepted the flowers from him. ‘Give those to me bro; I’ll put them in water for her.’ She rushed out of the lounge to the kitchen. Nelisa looked irritated. ‘Sit.’ She pointed to the settee. ‘Thank you.’ They sat on separate settee’s, facing each other. Nelson took a deep breath; rubbing his hands together. He didn’t know how to begin what he wanted to say. They’d argued before, but they’d never had such an intense fight like the one they'd had that morning. He kept trying to find a way to start the conversation but came up empty handed. Nelisa got irritated by his hyperventilating. ‘What do you want Nelson?’ Her patience was wearing thin. Nelson wasn’t anticipating such rudeness from her. In his book, he was the one who had the right to be that angry, not her. She was the one who cheated; not the other way around. He took another deep breath swallowing a gulp of saliva, as his throat was drying out, and said only one word. ‘Nelisa.’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Please forgive me.’ ‘For what?’ Deep down; they both knew that it should have been Nelisa asking for forgiveness, not Nelson. ‘I said a lot that I shouldn’t have.’ He stopped there, not even hearing what he said himself. Nelisa took a deep breath, not even looking at him, her legs shaking. She rolled her eyes then focused on Nelson’s shoes. ‘One thing about words Nelson once said; they can never be retracted.’ She took a break moving her eyes slowly to his face. ‘I know now what you think of me. I know that I’m a whore in your eyes. I’m a cheap whore Nelson, a cheap whore that sold her pussy to your cousin.’ Her voice kept getting louder with each second she spoke. That was something Nelson was becoming used to. He could see the damage his anger created. ‘But Neli…’ ‘I’m not done, Nelson.’ ‘I know what I said.’ ‘So why are you here?’ ‘I was angry my love.’ ‘What if I make you angry again Nelson; what then?’ ‘Come on Neli you are being unfair. ‘Am I?’ ‘Put yourself in my shoes.’ ‘Unfortunately, I can’t. But does that mean you’ll always remind me of how much of a bitch I am?’ ‘You know that will not happen again.’ ‘Let’s not predict the future now shall we.’ ‘But how would you have felt if I had made your sister pregnant?’ Nelisa laughed faintly again rolling her eyes. ‘Let’s not even go there, Nelson. We both know that you can’t make any woman pregnant.’ That felt like a sharp knife stabbing him in the heart. He knew what he was, but hearing his wife saying it destroyed any hope of happiness he had. He took a deep breath, feeling tears burning in his eyes. ‘That was uncalled for.’ ‘I know it hurts Nelson, but did you for a second stop and think of the things you said to me this morning, or you just run your mouth without even thinking of my feelings.’ She stood up but continued talking. ‘Yes I fucked your cousin Nelson, and yes I’m pregnant with his child. But did you ever sit and think; that I’m a thirty-one-year-old married woman and I don’t have a child to call my own. Did you ever care about my feelings then Nelson? The fact that you hid your infertility from me, how did you think I will feel when finding out? You were selfish Nelson! All I ever asked from you was a child. You never make time for me… It’s always you and the office. All I ever wanted was to have a child we call our own… But you were not man enough to tell me about your situation. Instead, you ignored me. You made me feel like I was a demanding woman… You made me feel like I was a sex-crazed bitch. You have no idea how much pain I have been going through; thinking that maybe something was wrong with me. That maybe I’m not woman enough to give you a child.’ She was getting hot, walking around the living room blowing air to her face with her hand. ‘But Neli…’ ‘No but’s Nelson. You looked at me fooling myself; going back and forth to doctors, seeking the advice on how and when to have sex with you, so I could fall pregnant. You kept quiet knowing damn well that I was just wasting my time and money because you wouldn’t make me pregnant?’ Her anger escalated with every word she pronounced. That confused Nelson, because he remembered that in the morning Nelisa didn’t look as angry as she was that evening. She was shocked more than anything. Nelson didn’t even realize that she was taking everything he said to the heart. He didn’t even know how hard she prayed for that child to be his. All along she didn’t know that he couldn’t even impregnate a fly. She knew she had slept with Tumi not once but many times, but she played it safe. Every time she’d sleep with Tumi she made sure that on the same night she would also sleep with Nelson. She wanted the dates to correspond if she happened to be pregnant. ‘Can we please go home and discuss this privately?’ ‘You wanted a divorce Nelson, have you forgotten about that?’ ‘Come on Neli that was anger talking, not me. You know I wouldn’t say something like that in my right mind.’ ‘I’ve always told you to be careful of what you say when you are angry. Look now where we are, you now want to blame it all on anger.’ ‘Put yourself in my shoes Neli, and see how I feel.’ ‘Like I said Nelson; don’t even go there.’ ‘Can we please go home and work on our marriage? I’m begging you?’ Somehow all the things she loved about him came tumbling down her mind. She was reminded of what she enjoys about him. She wanted to understand where he was coming from, but the love she had developed for Tumi kept getting in her way. She wanted to love Nelson again and work on their marriage, but there was a child that didn’t belong to him growing inside her. ‘What about the child Nelson?’ ‘What about it?’ ‘What are you going to do about it?’ ‘I’ll take it as my own.’ ‘But that’s impossible.’ ‘Impossible how my love?’ ‘You told Tumi about it.’ ‘So?’ ‘What do you mean so?’ ‘I mean how would that stop me?’ ‘I’m sure he’d want to be a part of his child’s life.’ It wasn’t something Nelson wanted to hear, especially not from her. He took a deep breath staring at her. ‘He knew you were married to me when he had sex with you?’ ‘I understand that Nelson, but it happened. Now, what if he wants to be a part of his child’s life?’ ‘Leave Tumi to me; I’ll deal with him when that time comes. For now please come home and let’s fix our marriage.’ Nelisa’s mind worked overtime. Her heart and mind were in a constant battle. She wanted to be free to spend the rest of her life with Tumi in America. Besides the great sex, Tumi understood her more than Nelson ever would. Yes, she was married to Nelson, and she loved her life in South Africa. But her love for him had died out, so much that she couldn’t see her future with him anymore. She was caught between the rock and a hard place. That morning she had promised Tumi that she will be in America before giving birth. But there she was feeling guilty about that, even considering going back to her husband. Nelisa had a critical decision to make, either to follow her heart and change her life forever or do the noble thing; and fix things with her husband. Either way, she was the only person who had to make that decision. ‘Give me some time to think about this Nelson. Too much was said this morning, and right now I’m trying to get my mind around everything.’ ‘I know baby, but remember that I said all those things out of anger. I was hurt, I wouldn’t have said them sober minded. You know that I would never say or do anything to make you question your worth. You are all I have ever wanted and will always be all I need. Please just understand that.’ ‘I understand Nelson, but...’ Just before she could finish her sentence, Nelson stood up and knelt on her feet. He held both her hands, pulling her down to sit as she’d been standing. They both sat on the floor. ‘Stop overthinking things, my love. We love each other. Let’s try and work through this. Let’s not allow a third person to destroy what we built for so many years.’ She didn’t know what to say anymore. Somehow for a second, things looked promising for Nelson. He was pressing all the right buttons. ‘I hear you Nelson, but I need time.’ ‘Time for what love, let’s just go home.’ ‘I need to think things through.’ ‘You can think about anything in the house baby. Let’s just forget about everything that happened.’ Nelisa took a deep breath, feeling as if Nelson was trying to control her. She felt like snapping but decided to control her anger and beat him at his game. ‘Our lives will never be the same, Nelson. Right now I feel like we’ve been living one big lie.’ ‘One big lie, how my love?’ ‘We got used to not solving our issues Nelson.’ ‘But love…’ ‘No Nelson, you and I sweep everything under the carpet. We sit and hope that time will solve problems for us. This time we have to face the elephant in the room and deal with it.’ She moved her eyes again staring at him. She hoped he would say something, but he kept quiet, his eyes moving away from hers. The grip on his hands slowly loosened. It was as if he was giving up finally. She had hit him where it hurts the most, opening the chance she’d been waiting for. She wanted him to hear her voice just this once. ‘You and I don’t talk about things that affect us. We pretend to be this perfect couple, in a perfect relationship in our own perfect little world. Right now we are in this mess because of that Nelson.’ She pulled her hand slowly from under his, forcing him to look at her. ‘I cannot go on living a lie. I need to be happy with whatever decision I make. For now go home on your own; and give me a chance to be the Nelisa I was before committing to you.’ Those words shocked Nelson to the core. He was never aware that she was unhappy in their relationship. ‘Are you unhappy Neli?’ She looked at him with a straight face. ‘I wouldn’t have slept with Tumi if I was happy Nelson.’ That shocked Nelson. She had never done or even said anything that suggested her unhappiness to him. ‘What do you mean Neli?’ His voice sounded weak. ‘I mean exactly that Nelson. You’ve overshadowed me for so long. Right now I don’t even know who I am any longer. I need a clean chance to see if this is really what I want, so just give me the time I’m asking for.’ She was a total stranger to Nelson. He had never seen that side of her. The words she spoke made him feel like the Nelisa he married was no more. Those weren’t the words his Nelisa would use when addressing him. He feared that Noxolo might have rubbed off on her. Even though he didn’t know Noxolo that well, but from what he heard of her was enough for him to draw the line. That made Nelson more determined to get her out of that house that very night. ‘You are right Neli; we’ve lived our lives on a facade.’ He changed the game. ‘Maybe it’s time we seek professional help. I will not let this relationship sink like this. I love you too much Nelisa, and I’m nothing without you.’ Nelisa’s eyes widened again. She stood up again walking away from him. She had suggested the professional help in the past, but he pushed the suggestion to the side. Yes, she had wronged him, but she had suffered in silence for years through his ignorance. Every time she suggested professional help Nelson had told her he was busy. As a woman, Nelisa was affected more. She didn’t know if she was ready to go back to that suffering. She was tired of compromising and having to always go all the way for the both of them. She would always have to bend over just to accommodate him… Everything was finally making sense to her, and she wasn’t ready for that anymore. She figured that Nelson was only saying that just to have her back under his control. She knew he wanted her home on that same night, but she wasn’t ready for that. ‘I repeatedly asked you for that in the past Nelson, and what did you say? Now that things aren’t going your way, you all of a sudden believe in therapy?’ Nelson took another deep breath, following her. It was clear that whatever he was trying wasn’t working. He was still hoping that the ace he had up his sleeve would work. He believed that he understood Nelisa’s weaknesses very well. He walked to her holding her hands again, but Nelisa moved back a little; leaving a space between them. ‘I’ve been blind all along my love. I will do whatever it takes to avoid losing my wife.’ ‘Even talk to a stranger about our personal lives?’ ‘Whatever it takes Neli.’ Nelisa looked at him, shocked by his response. Nelson moved in again pulling her hands; this time she didn’t move. He held them like before, in his mind winning the fight. For a few seconds, they stared at each other not talking. It was as if he was finally getting through to her. She smiled a little, seeing that he was still trying to control her, just like he’d done before. She enjoyed that back then thinking that she was being submissive to him, as a good woman should to her man. She hadn’t realized that she was being bullied into becoming someone she was not. Growing up, her mother installed a teaching in them that a woman should be submissive to her husband. Although Nelson didn’t abuse her physically, but he made sure that she was under his control at all times. He didn’t see that he was controlling her, as it was how his father treated his mother. Because he didn’t abuse her physically, he thought he was doing something different than his father. Before his father started drinking; Nelson had never seen his parents argue. He thought that they were a perfect family. Being all grown up; he also used the same technique with Nelisa. That was why they swept everything under the carpet. ‘Come on love; just grab your stuff let’s go home.’ ‘Not tonight Nelson. I need to be alone for now.’ ‘But you are not alone here.’ ‘I know that, but Noxolo isn’t trying to influence me in anything if that’s what you’re worried about.’ Nelson kept quiet for a few seconds. ‘How about I book you into a hotel for tonight then?’ ‘I’m fine here Nelson. Just go home; I’ll be there tomorrow when you get back from work.’ ‘But baby...’ ‘No buts Nelson; just go home, I’ll come back when I’m ready.’ Nelson could see that his web wasn’t catching the prey. He didn’t even hear when Nelisa contradicted herself with her statements. Finally, he gave up, letting go of her hands. He took a deep breath walking slowly back to the couch. He stood next to it, fearing the worst ‘Are we going to be fine?’ ‘We will be fine Nelson, I know we will.’ The look in her eyes somehow reassured him. While their eyes were locked onto each other, there was a buzz at the door. They continued staring at each other, forgetting that they were not in their house. Nelson took a step heading for the door, but before reaching it Noxolo shouted from her bedroom. ‘Never mind that, I am on my way for it.’ Nelson walked slowly back, nodding his head smiling. ‘I forgot we are not in our house.’ ‘We are guests here Mister.’ They laughed together for a few seconds forgetting about their problems. The laugh gave him a glimpse of hope and a confirmation that they will be okay. Even though feeling that hope, Nelson hated going home alone. He’d never spent a night in that house on his own. He hated that he had to start on that day, especially under the circumstance surrounding them. Crying Together When Lwandle’s trial finally started, the timing couldn’t have been any worse for Nelson. He’d planned to lure his wife into his web, but that was proving to work against him. That same case was the real thing that sparked tension between them, to begin with. The pregnancy added fuel to the fire that was already burning. Nelson hoped that by the time they took that case to court, Nelisa would have returned to their matrimonial home. It had been weeks of hard work; trying to get her back, but each day he came short. Even though they were by then talking to each other normally, Nelisa still stayed at Noxolo’s place. She told him to deal with Lwandle’s trial first and then maybe she would move back home. It was just excuse after excuse, but Nelson hoped that if he could take her on a trip to a secluded place for a week, he would be able to win her back. He had completed his investigations for the case and was positive that he was going to win it. That was important to him, but winning his wife back was even more important. Nelson wanted to clear Lwandle and display Moeketsi for the fraud and liar he was. He knew that if he could do that quickly, he’d have all the time for his wife. Everyone knew that Nelson was a brilliant lawyer, even though there were people who believed that he helped killers to get away with murder. No one doubted his capability of keeping his clients happy. Lwandle was still on bail and confined to the convent, where the church rallied behind her. Lerato also stood by her side every step of the way. On that Friday Nelson was ready, his mind focused on getting her out. With the information he had gathered, Nelson knew that the case was as good as in the box. When the court started he took an hour explaining just how impossible it was for Lwandle to have paid Moeketsi for the murder. At the time of the murders, Lwandle was confined to some church work in Cape Town. Yes, she might have communicated with him by telephone, but she didn’t own one. The second reason was the amount that Moeketsi claimed to have been paid for the job, which was more than what Lwandle could afford without having to ask her sister for help. With the case against Lwandle slowly losing credibility, it was clear that Moeketsi was a liar. The amount of twenty thousand rands he claimed that Lwandle deposited in his account was a no show. Nelson had subpoenaed his bank statements, but there was no deposit made on the said date. From both Lerato and Lwandle’s side, there was no paper trail for the said amount either. When the court rested that afternoon, Nelson rushed out smiling. Lwandle and people who supported her were happy knowing that she will walk free. The date for her release had been set, his job had been done. He had won Lerato’s stamp of approval and secured the account for his company. He wanted to take time off and go away with his wife on that long awaited honeymoon he canceled. He wanted to get her back to their matrimonial bed as soon as possible. He had given her enough space and time that she had asked for. His plan was to whisk her off to Dubai. Nelisa had always dreamt of going there, even though her first love was America. Nelson decided against that since Tumi was based there. He had started hating the name America and even all the American people too. He felt that they and their culture were responsible for Tumi’s character change. After telephonically talking to his personal assistant to book him and his wife on a plane to Dubai for the following Friday, Nelson felt like he could take on the world. He got in his car and drove to the florist again, the same one he used that evening after their fight. He got the same kind of roses. He wanted to surprise her at work and take her out for lunch. So he drove straight to Rosebank Clinic. ‘Hi Sheila, I’m here to take my wife out to lunch.’ Sheila frowned looking confused. ‘Mr. Magadla, your wife doesn’t work here anymore.’ ‘What do you mean sh… what?’ Sheila could see the shock in his eyes. ‘She resigned two days ago Sir.’ ‘Wait, what? I don’t understand… Wha… What do you mean?’ ‘Yes Sir, she took all her belongings and left.’ Nelson’s life flashed in front of his face, his breathing pattern changing immediately. His heart sank as if someone dropped a bomb on his head. He looked like a fool in of front Sheila, and he hated that. ‘Oh damn, I’ve forgotten about that Sheila.’ ‘I’m sorry sir.’ ‘It’s okay Sheila, my mistake. I guess this is your lucky day then.’ He handed the roses to Sheila, trying to look strong, hiding that he was disorientated. Sheila read it all on his face. He had spoken to Nelisa that same morning, but she didn’t say anything about the resignation. His excitement faded in an abnormal speed, as he walked out of the reception. He even forgot to say goodbye to Sheila. Nelson walked out looking like he was carrying the whole world on his shoulders. The whole world seemed to be laughing at him. He still blamed Noxolo for it all. Getting into his car he felt dizzy. He sat for a while, fearing to get on the road in his mental state. The only woman he’d ever loved betrayed him twice in a matter of months, in the worst possible way. He allowed tears to run down his cheeks, he didn’t even feel like wiping them off. It just dawned on him that he had lost his wife forever. ‘I wish she could have at least told me.’ It was just the decency he wished for. She let him make a fool of himself in front of a total stranger. He sat in his car feeling his heart breaking into pieces. A few minutes passed with him crying a river, and then slowly he tried recollecting himself. He pulled out his phone, calling Nelisa, but her number had been disconnected. That was another shock to him. It became clear that she was trying to cut all ties with him. He was still determined to save his marriage though. He opted for a second option, which was Noxolo’s landline. He called it and Nelisa picked immediately. ‘Nelisa speaking, hello.’ Nelson ended the call immediately. He had confirmed what he wanted to know. He started the engine, driving out of the parking lot quietly. He had already made a fool of himself with the receptionist. He didn’t want to cause any more unnecessary attention to himself, by driving out fast. From Rosebank he drove straight to Bramley; very slowly and carefully, not even listening to the radio. He only prayed to find Nelisa alone. It was during the day, so he hoped that Noxolo would be at work. When he got there, Nelson didn’t want to make a mockery of himself any more than he already had with Sheila. He knocked gently, and within a minute Nelisa opened. She was in a short above the knee floral dress that Nelson had never seen before, flip flops on her feet. She didn’t even look surprised seeing him there. She didn’t wait for him to greet and attacked him. ‘Why didn’t you call first?’ ‘I did, but your number has been disconnected.’ ‘Oh yeah, that…’ ‘Really Nelisa, is that all you’re going to say?’ ‘What do you want me to say, Nelson? Yes, I’ve changed my number.’ ‘And you didn’t even think that you should tell me?’ She shrugged her shoulders; walking back to the couch where she was sitting before his arrival. She picked a magazine that was next to her and paged through it. Nelson could see that he wasn’t welcome there. He closed the door behind him, following her and sat on a couch adjacent to her. For a few seconds, she continued paging through the magazine not even looking at him. Nelson kept quiet just staring at her. A minute later Nelisa lifted her eyes and looked at him. ‘I told you that I needed some time on my own Nelson.’ ‘I’ve given you all the time in the world.’ ‘No you haven’t.’ He looked frustrated. He could see that she was just making excuses; she had no intention of going back to their house. He’d been visiting her there every day, calling her every day and he thought he was giving her more than enough time and space. ‘What do you mean I haven’t?’ ‘You call me every day Nelson.’ ‘Yes, because I want you to see that I need you.’ ‘That’s not giving me the space I asked for.’ ‘You mean I should stop communicating?’ ‘I need time away from you Nelson.’ That line ripped Nelson’s heart to shreds. She had moved out of their house and the only thing he could do to know if she was okay was to keep calling her. He could see that the “us” in them was no more. They were quickly becoming you and me faster than he anticipated. ‘You resigned at work without telling me?’ ‘Why do I have to tell you that?’ ‘Is that also a part of you thinking about our situation?’ Nelisa looked shocked. She didn’t think he knew about that but decided to play it cool and pretend as if she didn’t know what he was talking about. She gave him a strange look. ‘Yes, Neli I know. I went there looking for you.’ ‘That is none of your business anymore Nelson.’ She sounded relieved that he knew. ‘You said you wanted a divorce. I’m granting it to you. I’m not going to contest it.’ Those words crippled him, his dreams crumbled around him. He thought they had worked past that. ‘I thought we talked about that.’ ‘You talked about it Nelson, now it’s me talking about it.’ She threw the magazine away turning and staring at him. ‘I’ve made up my mind. Now I’m the one who wants a divorce. I cannot stay with you and pretend that I’m happy, knowing I’m not.’ That shocked him also. Nelisa sounded iniquitous to him as he had been thinking that she was happy all the time they’d been together. It felt as if she meant that he married a stranger. They had been together for fourteen years, and he was seeing a side of her he didn’t know existed each day. She was impertinent towards him all the time, something she never used to be. Nelson tried thinking of a reason he could use to keep her with him, but nothing looked credible enough. ‘What about the baby Neli?’ ‘What about it? ‘I thought we were going to raise it as a family.’ She smiled, rolling her eyes shaking her head side by side, looking at him as if he was totally insane. ‘My baby has a father Nelson.’ That made Nelson angry. He felt impeded and somehow crippled immediately. The only thing that was functioning was his brain. He wished Tumi was in South Africa so he could punch him in his face for the venom he injected in his family. Tumi had destroyed his life, and by the look of things, there was no way he could fix it. He sat on that couch for a good five to six minutes feeling as if it was spinning. He didn’t realize that tears were flowing out of his eyes, they kept dropping on his chest, making marks on his blue Trench shirt. He was numb. Nelisa moved her eyes off of him immediately, regretting what she said, but the words were already out her mouth. There was no way of retracting them. Nelson took a deep breath looking at the ceiling, wiping his face. He held onto the couch’s arm rests, pulling himself up, his eyes wandering all over the house but not to Nelisa. He stood up slowly; feeling his nose blocking as he clenched them; trying to clear the passage. He walked slowly to the door; opening it. He turned and looked at her, his hand on the handle as his eyes met hers. He pulled the door opening it and cleared his throat still staring at her. ‘Thank you Nelisa.’ He walked out feeling weak and dizzy as if he would faint. After closing the door he walked slowly towards his car, his knees shaking. His mind only realized then how much venom Tumi had planted in his marriage. It had consumed it all, and there was no telling how much damage it had caused. Nelisa sat still, not knowing whether to follow him and apologize or stand her ground. But she decided to stand her ground and hope that he’d be fine. She sat still for about five minutes, waiting to hear the car driving off. When five minutes passed and she didn’t hear the car; she felt scared and rushed to the window and peeped. What she saw there was something she had never witnessed. Nelson was on the ground outside close to his car crying. The proud strong Xhosa man she knew was no more. She had killed him, minimized that proud chubby man into the little boy she saw that afternoon. Nelisa didn’t know what to do, but she had to do something. There was no going back on the promise she made to Tumi. Besides, she also wanted to move on with her life without Nelson. She wanted to start afresh with Tumi, but seeing Nelson hurting like that wasn’t part of the plan. She wished she could withdraw her promise to Tumi, and mend what she’d broken. Her mind wanted that, but her heart wanted to be with the love of her life; Tumi. She felt as if there was something pushing her to go outside and comfort her husband. Until this day she still doesn’t know what happened there. She doesn’t remember how she got there? The only thing she remembers is that in an instant she was outside with him in her arms. She allowed him to cry on her shoulder, held him close as they cried together. They stood outside for some time, just holding onto each other like that, totally forgetting where they were. A few minutes later Nelisa remembered that they were outside her sister’s house, and there was no wall surrounding the yard. The onlookers had started gathering, wondering what was happening. She pulled him back to the house without saying anything. Once there; they continued holding each other; not saying much. She kept repeating one sentence over and over again. ‘I’m so sorry for hurting you Nelson, but everything will be fine I promise you.’ She said that one line more than six times. To Nelson they were just words; they meant nothing without her in his life. He was hurting deeply, and he continued crying. He didn’t care how she saw him from then onwards. He just wanted the pain to stop; he wanted the hurt to go away. He had never cried like that for as long as he could remember, but he couldn’t help himself. The pain was just unbearable. It was as if his heart had been ripped out of his chest. Nelisa couldn’t even stop him from crying. She didn’t know what to do anymore. So she did the only thing that came to her mind. She pushed his arms away from his eyes and started kissing him. For few seconds it was as if he wasn’t taking the bait, but after a few more attempts Nelson kissed her back. They kissed passionately, something they hadn’t done since after the wedding. Few minutes into the kiss Nelson’s heartfelt the warmth again. He remembered what he had missed about her. Those warm hugs and beautiful kisses. He remembered exactly what he was fighting for, and why he was crying. He just couldn’t stop crying; even though kissing her back. Nelisa pushed her hands down to his pants, unzipping them. She grabbed his penis, taking it out through the zipper. It wasn’t erected, but she had come up with a plan unaware of what she was doing. Nelson too wasn’t aware of what was about to happen either. As soon as his penis was hanging out she went on her knees, shoving it in her mouth, sucking it. She was aware that he had never been sucked before. They had taught each other everything they knew about sex before Tumi’s return. Nelson felt something new, something that shocked his penis. It kicked up quickly becoming erected inside her mouth. He allowed her to continue sucking him and only prayed that he didn’t ejaculate in her mouth. His mind was clear, a hundred percent there, and he loved every stroke her mouth gave his dick. He was walking in paradise, a new but interesting walk; on cloud nine, hoping that he doesn’t fall off. Nelson loved it all and he didn’t even remember when the crying stopped. Nelisa pulled his pants off, pushing him to the sofa. She forced him to sit, his penis standing tall and she took off her panties and climbed on him. She guided his penis into her pussy and rode him as if she was some Mexican princess riding a bull. She rode him for some time and so beautifully. With some pulling and pushing, her motions started going faster, faster and faster. Nelson was surprised but loved every movement. The quicker she went the louder she screamed. She had never let out such a scream when they were making love. ‘Oh Tumi I’m coming, I’m coming my love.’ She had never ridden him like that before, and it was just beautiful. It was as if Noxolo’s couch had some sex miracle for them. In a matter of seconds, Nelisa started jerking, holding his neck pulling him while screaming his cousin’s name. Seconds later she relaxed her body, her face all wet, and when he touched her arms; it was as if she had been bathed in a sweet sweat. She stopped moving and relaxed her body on top of him. He hadn’t ejaculated yet; somehow something came into his mind that it was his turn to get the fun. As unfit as he was, Nelson turned her around, laying her on the couch. He let her face up, and he continued where she left off. He had never fucked her anywhere else except their bed, but being on the couch had a different feel. It was just so enjoyable. He rode her as if he was trying to prove to her that he could do everything that Tumi did to her. He didn’t even care that she had called him Tumi when she climaxed. He was just enjoying the new sex they’ve discovered, and if that helped bring her back home, then so be it. Shooting Hopes That Friday evening Nelson arrived home feeling better than he’d felt in months. His hopes had been restored. Even though Nelisa was still at Noxolo’s, he had done the ground work and he was proud of himself. Before Nelson left Noxolo’s Nelisa had apologized about everything. She promised him to think some more about their marriage. Nelson was happy and forgave her for everything, and he meant it. All he wanted was his wife back in his bed. After that sex and the conversation that followed, it was clear that they might finish that weekend back in their house together again. Getting home; he contemplated being cocky and call Tumi. He wanted to tell him that his stunts didn’t work, but he quickly shoved that idea out of his mind. He was still shocked about how much he enjoyed the intense sex on the couch. He felt as if their house was dragging them down. He didn’t remember when last they enjoyed sex like that, even though it never was on that level, but he enjoyed it. His eyes were finally opened. ‘I pushed my wife into another man’s arms.’ He threw himself on the couch, sitting in the dark imagining Tumi having sex in his house with his wife. Those were the thoughts he didn’t want to entertain that evening. He wanted to remember what he did with Nelisa, but Tumi kept creeping into his head. He wanted to only remember what he and Nelisa did on Noxolo’s couch, but quickly imagined Tumi fucking Nelisa on the couch he laid on. Nelson jumped up in anger grabbing his phone, dialing Tumi’s number. Just as it started ringing he ended the call, forcing his mind to focus on the beautiful sex he shared with his wife just a few hours ago. ‘My cousin is evil. So he fucked my wife that great that she even called me with his name.’ Again the anger overpowered him. ‘I was a fool to allow those two to be that close.’ He kept trying to calm himself down, but his ego wanted him to call Tumi and give him a piece of his mind. But he fought that off; instead, he lay on the couch relaxing his body. There were so many battles going on in his head; his eyes became heavy and he fell asleep. He was tired after that much sex. It was something he had never done since he was introduced to sex. He fell into a deep sleep, only to be woken up in the morning by the noise in the house. Footsteps going back and forth to his bedroom, and suitcases were being dragged from the garage. He jumped, scared that his house was being raided. ‘Neli!’ He shouted tip toeing to their bedroom. ‘Is that you my love?’ There was no response. He continued tiptoeing, his heart beating fast. His bedroom door was open, and indeed Nelisa was inside. There were bunches of clothes lying on the bed, and two big suitcases next to them. ‘You scared the hell out of me my love.’ ‘Sorry.’ Her voice was as cold as it had been all the days before the previous afternoon. ‘No problem love, how are you this morning?’ ‘I’m fine Nelson?’ She didn’t even look at him; she continued taking her clothes out of the closet throwing them on top of the bed. ‘Do you want me to help you hang those clothes, honey?’ She gave him one scary look that said more. Quickly she moved her eyes back to the clothes. ‘I’m not hanging my clothes, Nelson. I’m taking them off your closet.’ It was as if whatever happened the previous afternoon only happened in Nelson’s mind. The confusion mounted back again. He started getting irritated by her erratic behavior. She was behaving like a slut instead of a married woman. She had been out of their matrimonial home for over a month already; she quit her job without even telling him. She changed her phone number and wouldn’t give him her new one. Seeing her there that early in the morning, Nelson thought that she was getting her senses back and coming home. His voice sounded firmer than usual. ‘Why are you taking them out?’ ‘I’m moving out. You asked for a divorce remember?’ Those words opened the same wound in his heart. All the hopes that were restored by the sex the previous evening were broken again by one sentence. His dreams shattered in seconds. She was a different Nelisa from the one he fucked at Noxolo’s place just the previous afternoon. Nelson was back in that dark rabbit hole again with no direction of the way out. ‘I thought we were giving our relationship another chance.’ ‘You thought wrong. I’m moving on with my life. You should do the same.’ Nelson felt dizzy. The hopes she created in his mind the previous afternoon were all a lie. He sat on the bed next to a bundle of Nelisa’s clothes. ‘I thought...’ He couldn’t finish talking, feeling a stabbing pain on his chest. ‘I’m leaving you, Nelson.’ She didn’t even look at him. With every response out of her mouth; there were clothes being packed into suitcases. Nelson took a deep breath feeling immobile and inert. ‘But Nelisa...’ ‘Please don’t fight this.’ ‘Baby please...’ ‘This will not work Nelson. I thought long and hard about it last night. It just will not work.’ ‘We haven’t even tried.’ ‘We have Nelson, and it didn’t work...’ She took a break, still wanting to continue, but Nelson got in quickly. ‘What about yesterday afternoon then? What was all that?’ Nelisa laughed faintly, her mind taking her back to what they did at her sister’s place. ‘That was a mistake, Nelson. It shouldn’t have happened.’ ‘But you promised…’ ‘I know, but I shouldn’t have.’ ‘That was the best love making we’ve had in years.’ ‘And all the way I called you Tumi. What does that tell you?’ ‘Maybe Tumi bewitched you, did you think of that?’ She laughed faintly again. She couldn’t believe that an educated man like Nelson could say something so farfetched. ‘No he didn’t bewitch me, I love Tumi. I’ve always loved him, even before you came into my life. We were just too stupid not to realize it back then.’ It was as if she was driving a sharp nail into his heart. The way she looked at him, he felt inelegant. The look in her eyes was pure evil, without even a single thread of love he knew from her. He couldn’t breathe properly. ‘Nelisa!’ ‘That’s the sad truth.’ She continued packing as if they were not even talking about something serious. ‘But I love you Neli.’ ‘I called you with another man’s name Nelson. That shouldn’t have happened.’ ‘You are right it shouldn’t have, but it did.’ ‘It’s the proof we needed that whatever we had is gone now.’ ‘But Neli…’ ‘No Nelson no buts, my heart doesn’t belong to you anymore. I’m in love with someone else. Just make peace with that.’ The house looked to be turning, his mind going blank. He’d been stupid and too trusting. Unfortunately, he wasn’t ready to lose her, especially not to a dog like Tumi. ‘Tumi doesn’t love you Neli.’ ‘And how do you know that?’ She stopped packing for the first time; and stared at him. ‘Tumi has always been afraid of commitment.’ ‘Well, not this time.’ ‘But we can win this fight.’ ‘The fight has already been lost, Nelson. All that is left; it’s for you to accept and move on.’ ‘But we didn’t even try Neli.’ Nelisa could see the hurt in his eyes again. She took her turn, of deep breaths turning away, her mind remembering what happened the previous afternoon at her sisters. She didn’t want it happening again. She feared that he could try and explore that angle again. Whatever they did meant nothing to her, she was just trying to console him. She didn’t plan for it to go as far as it did. Strangely she enjoyed having sex with him for the very first time in all the fourteen years they’d been together. She didn’t want to see him breaking down, but she didn’t want him taking advantage of her either. ‘Don’t even try that Nelson.’ Tears had already started falling. ‘It won’t work today, not like it did yesterday. Nelson wasn’t even aware of the tears in his eyes. He was concentrating on his breaking heart, not seeing what that was doing to his exterior. It was as if his heart was going to stop working. He had never loved any other woman or slept with any woman beside Nelisa. He didn’t even know how to move on with his life without her. He had built it around her and had never had to propose love to a woman before. Even with her; Tumi was the one who helped him. Not that he was even thinking of that, his mind was just blank. His heart was breaking; all because of the same Tumi. He wished he didn’t invite him to his wedding. If Tumi had respected him, none of that would be happening. Nelson moved closer to her attempting to hold her, but she moved away. ‘We are over Nelson.’ ‘But we love each other.’ ‘I don’t love you anymore, I’ve moved on.’ ‘We just got married Neli.’ ‘I should have been honest with you; even before the wedding.’ She stopped herself just for a second as if doubting what she was about to say but then continued. ‘I married you knowingly that I was in love with Tumi. I shouldn’t have continued with that wedding, but Tumi…’ She stopped herself again and changed her sentence. ‘I’m sorry Nelson; I know you deserve better.’ ‘But you are all I want.’ ‘My love for you is gone.’ ‘But Neli you can learn to love me again.’ ‘That’s where the problem starts. You want me to learn to love you. Love happens on its own Nelson. I can’t force myself to love you.’ ‘But you loved me once, you can do it again.’ ‘That was then...’ ‘But you can…’ ‘No Nelson this is pointless. I don’t want to love you again.’ Nelson wanted to say something but was lost for words. He sat on the bed with both his hands on his head. He didn’t know what to say anymore. He could see that her mind was made up, and he had lost her for good. He wanted to try and rekindling that love, trying so hard not to cry. At that instance, there was a ring of the intercom that cut off the silence. He wanted to stand up, but his body was too heavy, so he sat still and didn’t move. Nelisa realized that and walked out to the receiver that was in the family room. Nelson sat still and listened to who she was talking to. ‘Come on in sis, I’m opening the gate.’ There was a moment of silence for a few minutes. He heard Nelisa’s footsteps walking to the front door. He knew he would hear everything they’d be saying to each other once Noxolo was in the house. ‘Come in, I’ll finish packing just now.’ ‘But Neli...’ ‘No sis we’ve been through this already. I’ve also spoken to Nelson and I’m sure he understands.’ ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ ‘I’ve never been sure of anything. There’s no going back now.’ Nelson could hear that Noxolo was against what Nelisa was doing. He gathered enough strength and walked out to meet her. He’d been wrong thinking that she was influencing Nelisa to leave him. As he walked into the living room he wiped his eyes, but Noxolo could see that he’d been crying. Her heart sank as their eyes met. She’d had her fair share of broken hearts, and what Nelisa was doing is exactly what she did to Bruce. She was young and stupid back then, but Nelisa was old enough with a sound mind. Noxolo could relate to what Nelson was feeling. She walked slowly to him and stood for a moment in front of him, brushing his upper arm. She hated Nelisa for what she was doing to that man but had no power to stop her. ‘I’m so sorry man; I tried my best talking some sense into her.’ Nelisa looked at them and walked back to the bedroom. Once they were alone, Noxolo pulled him to the couch and sat him there. She clearly emphasized with him. Nelson sat on that couch allowing tears from his eyes to roll out. Noxolo was hurt seeing that, she felt angry towards her sister, shouting with a voice that Nelisa recognized. ‘You will regret what you are doing Neli. You have a good thing going here, and you are destroying it.’ Nelisa didn’t bother responding, she continued packing. Noxolo turned and hugged Nelson, who continued weeping. ‘Please man; be strong. She will get back to her senses.’ She couldn’t stand seeing him suffering like that. She knew how that felt, and seeing another person about to go through what she went through with Bruce. It wasn’t a good way for her to start her Saturday morning. She took a deep breath standing up and walked out of that house crying too. She went straight to her car and sat there weeping as if in solidarity with Nelson. Her mind kept going back and forth remembering what she did to Bruce. She hurt her loving boyfriend just the way Nelisa was doing her husband then. She wished that her sister could have at least stopped the wedding, rather than break up that early into their marriage. ‘I asked you to come help me here sis, not to sit in the car and cry.’ Nelisa was standing outside her car with a huge suitcase and few bags in her hand. Noxolo took a deep breath and just sat as Nelisa opened the back door of Noxolo’s car, loading everything in the backseat. When she lifted her head she was surprised seeing Nelson walking down with two of Nelisa’s bags, taking them out to the car. He was no longer crying. Nelisa was also surprised seeing him walking towards her with the bags. Noxolo just stared at the two packing the bags in Nelisa’s car. As soon as they were done; Nelson started the engine for her. It was something he always did for her if she was going somewhere without him. After that, he allowed her to get in and closed the door for her. He pressed the gates’ remote, as Nelisa rolled down her window. ‘Here are the house keys.’ She handed him a bunch of keys and a remote that once belonged to her. Nelson took them, his eyes filled with tears. He looked away from her. ‘Drive safe.’ ‘Thank you.’ He turned again looked at her as if hoping for a goodbye kiss. Nelisa reversed her car out of the yard immediately. Noxolo watched it all through teary eyes. She could see how stupid her little sister was. She started her engine too, tears still flowing. She got out of her car and hugged Nelson, whispering in his ear. ‘Please be strong brother, God will help you.’ ‘I’ve been blessed to have you as a sister-in-law.’ ‘I’m on your corner bro.’ ‘I know that now Noxolo, thank you.’ He pulled her by the arm; walking her back to her car, letting her in and then closed the door. Noxolo also reversed out of the yard into the road. Nelisa was nowhere to be seen. As soon as Noxolo drove off, Nelson closed the gate and walked back slowly. It was as if he was inspecting his property, taking the same route that Nelisa and Tumi took one evening while he was in the shower, which led to the swimming pool. He had never used the pool since buying that house. Nelisa was the swimmer and not him. Nelson thought of drowning himself. He knew that he couldn’t swim to save himself, and for that reason drowning for him would be easy. He took off his shoes, putting the keys in them and in a split second, he was in the pool. He sank to the bottom and stayed there for a minute or so, his eyes shut. As a minute went by, he started feeling weak, as if running out of breath, yet stayed under the water. Another minute passed, Nelson stayed on the pool floor, starting to feel disorientated. It was as if he was losing his consciousness when eventually he felt as if a hand was pulling him up. He also heard a voice as he reached the top. ‘You are stronger than this Nelson.’ He jumped out of the pool looking around, but he couldn’t see anyone. He took a deep breath; feeling lost. He was definitely sure that someone had pulled him out of the pool, but the question was who. The voice that spoke to him was a voice he recognized. It was a woman’s voice; he just didn’t remember whose voice it was. His mother came to mind. She would be devastated if he killed himself. ‘Tumi would have won.’ He said out loud. ‘I will not give him the satisfaction.’ He picked his shoes and the keys, walking away from the pool, in his wet clothes. Spoiled Rotten Moeketsi’s sentencing left a lot of people happy. The sisters were finally cleared. Nelson exposed him as a killer who went on a killing spree out of jealousy, and no one paid him. Not even his lawyers managed to save him from being sent to life in prison. It was as if the entire community had won. They celebrated the law taking its course for a change; in a country that had seen murders walking free. For Lerato though, it wasn’t a win. It was only then that she felt an urge to cry. She didn’t understand why, but she did. She was only then afforded a chance to mourn her husband without fear of being judged. She had been through so much and called by so many names for something she knew nothing about. Walking out of the courthouse; the sisters held each other, not looking as people who won something. They looked as if they’d lost the battle. For Lwandle things would go back to normal. She was going back to the convent, and do what she did best. No matter how bad Bongani treated Lerato, she had forgiven him in death. Nelson walked out victorious again. He had done his clients justice, even though he didn’t feel like celebrating. Deep inside though; he was happy to have won that case. It had been over a month since Nelisa moved out of their house. Noxolo had followed Nelson’s work ever since he becomes a lawyer and her brother in law. On this particular day, she was in court to listen to the sentencing. As soon as the court adjourned, they all walked out. Nelson had seen her in the crowd. He hadn’t seen or heard anything from Nelisa since that Saturday morning. He walked behind her, trying not to scare her. He hadn’t been himself ever since but had been trying to stay stronger and show face. ‘I didn’t know you followed this case.’ ‘I’m the biggest fan of your work man.’ ‘Otherwise, how are you?’ ‘Don’t you mean how Nelisa is?’ ‘How is she?’ ‘She’s still crazy, but I believe she still loves you.’ ‘I doubt it.’ ‘What makes you say that?’ Nelson took a deep breath as if feeling pain on his chest. ‘She hurt me deeply sis.’ ‘I know. I’m sorry man; I didn’t mean to be insensitive.’ ‘It’s not a problem sis; I’ll be okay.’ They walked slowly towards his car talking. ‘Nelisa and I don’t talk much after that Saturday.’ She swallowed saliva and continued. ‘She feels that I supported you more than I did her, as my sister.’ ‘I’m sorry she feels that way.’ ‘You have no reason to be sorry man. I only did what I felt was right.’ She blinked her big brown eyes faster staring at how Nelson was breaking down. ‘Even now I don’t support her decision to divorce you. I still believe that she’s making the biggest mistake of her life.’ Nelson took a deep breath stopping in his tracks. He had received the divorce papers from Nelisa’s new lawyer the previous day. Noxolo wasn’t even aware that she had started with the proceedings. She knew how eager Nelisa was with moving to America, but she still believed that she was making a mistake. Noxolo’s car pulled over next to them while they were talking. Nelson hoped Nelisa would be driving, but inside was a young man he’d never seen before. The guy parked and sat inside. ‘I will keep you updated on her every move.’ Noxolo continued while walking slowly towards her car. ‘But for now, my advice to you, give her what she wants. Let’s hope she’ll go back to her senses before it gets too late.’ ‘It’s already late sis, I’ve signed the papers.’ Noxolo smiled broadly finally laughing loud; looking at the guy in her car. ‘Don’t be quick in discounting the love you two shared. Believe in it.’ It was as if she was giving him a false hope for the future. From that moment onward, he knew that when he got to the office, he needed to send those papers back to Nelisa’s lawyer quickly and quietly. ‘My ride is here bro, I should go now.’ ‘Thank you, sis, it was nice talking to you again.’ She gave Nelson a hug and walked to her car. Nelson also walked to his car and drove off quickly. He could have gone to Nelisa’s office like he always did after winning a case, but that afternoon he had no place to go to, so he drove back to his office. His life had changed drastically since Nelisa’s moving out. He spent almost three-quarters of his day in his office, only going home to bath and sleep. Even though he wanted to go on with his life, he just didn’t know how without Nelisa. Surely if it wasn’t for his mother he would be staying in a dirty house and wearing dirty clothes. His mother hired a maid for her only son, seeing him about to go off the rails. She also started spending most of her time in his house, just so her son would have someone to talk to when arriving home in the late evenings. Nelisa, on the other hand, was having the time of her life. Her severance package supported her. She didn’t even need it as Noxolo had money to burn. She spoiled her rotten. Beside that Tumi would have given her the world if she wanted it. He wanted to start that early, showering her with money and all the gifts, but she wasn’t ready for that. Even though hurting his cousin wasn’t his plan, Tumi had started warming up to the idea of being the recipient of his ex-wife. It didn’t sound as bad as he thought it would. I guess it was because it was Nelisa, his high school best friend who he had been so blindly in love with for almost half his entire life. When Noxolo arrived home that evening, Nelisa was lying on the couch. She had finished cooking and just watching television while waiting for her. ‘I saw your husband today.’ ‘Soon to be ex-husband sis.’ ‘Are you sure you want to go through with the divorce Nelz?’ ‘Why do you have to ask me the same question everyday sis?’ Noxolo took a deep breath, walking past the living room where Nelisa was sitting. She walked midway down the corridor and walked back. ‘Now that you are not working, what are your plans?’ ‘Am I in your way now?’ ‘You know I don’t mean that.’ ‘What do you mean then?’ ‘What are you planning to do with your life; now that you are divorced?’ ‘I’ll be leaving for America soon; I won’t be in your way for longer.’ Noxolo was happier than she’d ever been, but Nelisa had a way of spoiling her day. She was happy they had moved in together, but she hated what that was doing to Nelson. She wished that Nelisa was visiting, but still going back to him. She even started hating Tumi, for not respecting her little sister’s marriage. ‘I hate how Tumi changed you.’ ‘He didn’t change me, sis.’ ‘Before he came back; you were the Nelisa I helped bring up, not this.’ ‘I guess you never knew me. Maybe I didn’t even know me myself because since I met him I love the Nelisa that I have become.’ Noxolo looked disappointed hearing her little sister talking like that. It was not her way of talking. She was the second person seeing the change in her. ‘Nelson kept you really grounded.’ ‘Can we not talk about him just for one day sis?’ Nelisa stood up looking furious and stormed out to her bedroom, leaving her sister standing in the living room. Getting there she slammed the door behind her, feeling tears burning in her eyes. She knew that her sister was only doing what she thought was best for her. In her heart though; Nelisa knew that being away from Nelson was the best thing for her. She knew better about her life than her sister did. Selfish The following day moved slowly. For the entire day, Noxolo was trying so hard to understand where her little sister was coming from. It was a Thursday, and as usual, she had gone to Brenthurst for a check-up and then straight to work. Nelisa had started a routine of driving her there on Thursdays, but that morning she didn’t. Noxolo figured that maybe she was still angry about the previous night’s conversation. That evening when she walked in from work, Nelisa wasn’t in the lounge watching TV like always. Noxolo walked around the house calling her name, but there was no response. She walked all the way up to her bedroom, where she got the shock of her life. Opening the door, Nelisa laid in bed in her skimpy nightdress, the one she wore the first time she kissed Tumi. The entire floor filled with her bags. She had packed all her belongings. They hadn’t talked about either Nelson or Tumi since the previous evening when she stormed out. Nelson had signed the divorce papers, and her lawyer filed them. All she waited for was the status change confirmation letter from the court. Her pregnancy had started showing, in her third trimester. She wasn’t that big, but she wanted to be in America before giving birth. She feared that the immigration laws might prevent her from traveling abroad if she was heavily pregnant. She had never traveled abroad, so she wanted to play everything safe. ‘What’s with the luggage?’ ‘I’m on an eight thirty flight to America tomorrow.’ ‘What? But you said nothing to me.’ ‘I’m sorry sis, I decided last night.’ ‘And you didn’t think of telling me?’ ‘I knew you would try and stop me.’ Noxolo felt betrayed, taking a deep breath feeling like screaming at her. She knew though that it wouldn’t be good for the baby, so she stared at her, wishing to give Tumi a piece of her mind. ‘So it’s all about Tumi now?’ ‘Please, sis let’s not do this.’ ‘Let’s do it Nelisa. Since this guy came back into your life you’ve been nothing but selfish.’ Nelisa widened her big brown eyes out of shock. Noxolo had never said anything about Tumi and there it was. ‘But sis…’ ‘No Neli, you listen to me now. You and this Tumi destroyed Nelson’s life. The guy had been nothing but good to you, all these years. You left that poor man completely destroyed; I hope you are proud of yourself. Now you are moving millions of kilometers away from me, what do you call that?’ Nelisa took a deep breath staring at Noxolo. ‘But I belong with Tumi now.’ ‘And then you don’t call that being selfish?’ ‘But sis…’ ‘No but’s Nelisa.’ Noxolo cut her off again. ‘You are just plain selfish. Bruce is getting married in a couple of weeks, and he asked us to be there. What about that?’ Nelisa took another deep breath, her eyes shying away from her sister. ‘I know sis, but remember that Bruce isn’t even my real brother. At least you’ll be there for him; like a sister should.’ Those words fell heavy on Noxolo’s ears. She never expected to hear Nelisa talking so bluntly, but what was new? She had turned into a totally different person. Noxolo felt disappointed; wishing that their mother was still alive to instill some sense into her senseless head. The Nelisa she helped raised with the hope that she’ll be different from her, had turned out exactly like her, so devious. ‘You’ve changed Nelisa.’ ‘I guess it runs in the family.’ She smiled and eventually laughed out. In her mind, she was trying to be funny. Noxolo didn’t find that funny at all. She took a deep breath and stormed out the door. ‘I didn’t know you could be this selfish Nelisa.’ She banged the door walking away, feeling betrayed. Nelisa sat in that room; her mind running wild. She knew how fragile Noxolo was and that she could easily slip into depression. When she took the decision to leave the country, she hoped that Noxolo would understand that she needed to be with Tumi. She didn’t think that she would feel betrayed like that. She thought that she was in her sister’s way, not realizing that Noxolo loved her company. ‘My God, what have I done?’ She started doubting her decision. The only thing she didn’t doubt was her love for Tumi. She had quickly moved off Nelson. There wasn’t even a hint that she considered going back to him. That part of her life was over and she was sure of it. She had a feeling that even if Tumi wasn’t ready to be with her; she wouldn’t have gone back to Nelson. After everything Noxolo said, she started doubting if she truly wanted to be with Tumi. She feared that Tumi might only want her to move abroad out of guilt. She didn’t want that, but her bags were packed and ready for the following morning. ‘Am I really ready for this?’ She and Tumi were very good as friends, but as lovers, that would be a new thing for both of them. She stayed in her bedroom, scared to face her sister. By the time she gathered enough strength and walked out, she was shocked to find the entire house dark. She felt bad, knowing that she’d hurt the only person who cared for her, her entire life. Noxolo had gone to bed without even eating dinner. Nelisa saw that when she got to the kitchen, seeing her food on the table. Her heart sank, seeing how much she disappointed her sister. She walked to Noxolo’s bedroom feeling bad and knocked. Noxolo didn’t answer. Nelisa’s heart was beating fast. She feared that she might have pushed her sister back to depression. Her bedroom was dark, but it hadn’t been that long since Noxolo walked out of her bedroom. Nelisa pushed the door; opening it slowly. She flipped the switch lighting the room. Noxolo sat in the dark, her eyes filled with tears. Nelisa knew that she had done it again, this time it was to her sister. She was destroying people’s lives left, right and center. The Writing on the Wall It was just sheer luck that Nelisa decided to not leave the country that following morning like she had planned. She needed her sister to be okay with her move first. She called the airliner the same night and canceled her trip, pushing it up for two months. It was scary though because that meant that she would only leave heavily pregnant. The two months flew by very quickly, and Noxolo had to accept her decision. Noxolo had started to feel as if she was the one who was selfish. By the look of things, Nelson had accepted his ex-wife moving on with her life. He had stopped visiting; and calling the house every second day. Seeing Nelson handling the situation like that made her feel that she also needed to let Nelisa go. Finally, she released her to be with the man that she loves. She looked more in love than she ever was with Nelson. Besides; their half brother’s wedding had passed and they graced him with their presence. Noxolo hoped that Nelisa would change her mind when seeing Bruce and Dineo getting married. She hoped that she will miss her own husband, but it didn’t happen. Once her heart was satisfied, Noxolo allowed her little sister to leave. They all drove her to the airport a week after Bruce’s wedding. A new life started for Tumi in America. It was the first time he would be living with a woman on a full-time basis; his entire life was that of a bachelor. Every woman he dated had been either a one night stand or visiting whenever there was a need. Nelisa wasn’t any of those, she was there to stay, and by the look of things, she was not going anywhere in a hurry. That surprised even Tumi himself, seeing her company not bothering him. He was happy with her presence. There was just one thing that scared him. Nelisa had to marry someone first before they could realize that they loved each other. It was sad that someone had to be hurt for them to be happy. His happiness had begun, but his cousin was going through heartaches. After arriving in America; Nelisa did the honorable thing. She updated both her sister and Bruce about her journey. She hoped that her being in America would be as easy as it had been for Tumi for years. She wanted their child to be born in that country, but the red tape was fighting that. Her visa was expiring within ninety days, and she would be deported before giving birth. Tumi had only one option to prevent that from happening. He married Nelisa immediately. He wanted their child to be born close to him, not in another country. Even though the wedding was small, Noxolo, Bruce, his wife Dineo and her daughter Tshenolo were all flown to America. On Tumi’s side of the family, there was no one. He only had his new celebrity friends surrounding him. ~‼~ It’s been two years since his wedding to Nelisa, but Nelson still lives with the heartache, courtesy of his own cousin. Tumi broke his heart just because he didn’t have the discipline to control his libido. Even though it haunts Tumi, but it kills Nelson slowly every day. Tumi can’t stop looking over his shoulder wherever he goes. He fears that Nelson might avenge what he did to him. As interesting as his life is, he has no blood relative that he could share his greatness with. Kate and Penelope have also been distant since he married Nelisa. There was no way they couldn’t know, as the wedding was splashed on every newspaper and magazine in America and abroad. Nelson still lives his life one day at a time, facing every challenge as if he isn’t alive. His life is meaningless, still trying to cope without Nelisa. There isn’t a day that passes; without him looking at her pictures and praying to God that He brings her back to him. The wake-up call only came when Noxolo told him that Nelisa was pregnant with Tumi’s second child. Nelson realized that he’s been holding onto a dream that was never coming through. He didn’t know what to do. It was as if he had just found out that she cheated on him. His dream shattered into a million pieces all over again, his hopes fading. He knew that there wasn’t a man in his right mind that would let a woman like Nelisa go. After talking to Noxolo on this particular afternoon; Nelson felt that it was the end of the road for him. The gun, bullets and the magazine on his desk were the pieces of the puzzle that he had to solve. ‘How can she do this to me?’ After walking back from the window, he switched the air-conditioner on and set it on a low temperature. The heat still felt the same, that didn’t make any difference. If a normal person were to walk into his office, they would be overwhelmed by the freezer. His eyes remained on the pieces of a pen on the corner of his office. ‘That’s exactly where you belong.’ He talks to the pieces as if to a person. His head isn’t working properly. The writing on the wall couldn’t have been clearer. Nelisa is never coming back to him. A lot had happened in the past two years; that should have made it clear to him, but it didn’t. The news from Noxolo gave it a stamp he couldn’t ignore. It hurts because he still loves Nelisa. The poor pen was the only victim that he could punish. On his desk though there is still Nelisa’s picture that might follow the one in the bin already. ‘My life is really over.’ He whimpers for a second, feeling that sharp pain in his chest again. He just won’t allow this to happen in his office, not today. He wants to leave that office and never return. These pictures have stayed on this desk for years and he couldn’t even move them. He didn’t want to betray Nelisa and the love he has for her. This is it It’s as if Nelson’s mind is not working properly. Being betrayed by the two people he trusted the most made him wish to go on a killing spree. The people he wants to kill are millions of miles away, but even if they were closer he would have opted to kill only one, himself. ‘If she could have kept her panties on, we wouldn’t be here right now.’ He had asked Joy, his new personal assistant to cancel all his appointments after Noxolo left. He only forgot to send her home as well. He’s not feeling like conducting any business in his state of mind. The nine-millimetre pistol and the box of bullets are now the only two items on the table after dismantling the pen. Nelson picks the gun, pulling the magazine out and stares at it. There are no bullets in it, and the gun is brand new. He puts both the gun and magazine down, pulling the bullet box opening it. It’s packed with all full metal jacket bullets, and for some strange reason on that same box, there is one hollow point bullet. It’s the first time he opens this box, so he figures that it was a mistake done by the bullet packers. ‘Wow, what are the odds?’ He takes a deep breath, clearing his clogged nose. Slowly he takes out of the box, fourteen full metal bullets, and the one hollow point, aligning them on the table. For a few minutes, he stares at the bullets breathing heavily. ‘This is it. This will definitely work.’ He breathes heavily again; taking the full metal bullets; one by one loading them into the magazine. Just as all the bullets are loaded; he feels tears burning in his eyes. He sees his life flashing in front of him. ‘You, my friends,’ he breaks, staring at the hollow pointed bullet that remained on the table. ‘You are my ticket out of this misery.’ He picks it, also loading it into the magazine. At that exact moment, time stands still for him. He clears his throat putting the magazine next to the gun that lay on the table. His voice low but very clear as if talking to someone. ‘My blood is on your hands Tumelo Tuge. I trusted you as my cousin, but you stabbed me in the back.’ He pulls out from the same drawer, a cleaning cloth and picks the gun up, wiping it slowly his eyes focusing on it. He continues talking as he cleans the gun. ‘I can’t live like this. My life without Nelisa is just not worth living.’ He puts the gun on the table again and the cloth where he took it, closing the drawer. The gun and the magazine now sit side by side. He turns to his laptop, typing something quickly. I can’t take it anymore. I’ve been a fool, trusting people I shouldn’t have. I married a woman who pushed me into killing myself. The big American writer Tumi Tuge and his wife Nelisa, who happens to be my ex-wife, took the only thing that mattered to me. He stops just there and reads what he’s written so far. To him, it doesn’t make sense. He smiles picking the gun up again putting it on his head, as if rehearsing to shoot himself, making the sound with his mouth. Again he put the gun down; taking his wedding ring off his finger and stares at it. It has been on his finger since the day he married Nelisa. ‘This is no wedding ring, it is a suffer ring” He frowns; putting it next to his keyboard, picking the gun up again. He rehearses again; pointing the gun pointing to his head, making the same sound with his mouth. Just as he pulls the trigger, a loud woman scream shocks him. He had forgotten that he was in the office, and Joy his personal assistant is still in the office. The woman stands in the middle of the doorway shaking like a leaf. She was shocked out of her skull seeing her boss with a gun on his head. Without even thinking Joy let out that scream. Nelson jumps, dropping the gun onto the table. ‘Come on Joy, what’s all this noise for?’ He pretends to be calm, but his heart is beating very fast. The twenty-seven-year-old light complexioned woman can’t even move, her mouth wide open, her body shaking. ‘B-b-but sir you, you had a gun to your head.’ She stutters still standing in the middle of the doorway, her knees locked. Joy has worked for Nelson for just over a year. She took over from his older secretary who had since retired. The old woman is the one who brought Joy in, and Nelson hadn’t even interviewed her. They had never had a real conversation with each other since she started working for him. They only communicated via emails or SMS’s if Nelson was in court or out running his errands. Their relationship was strictly employer-employee and nothing more. It was the first time she even said a word to him except telling him about someone who came to see him. While standing, shaking in the middle of the doorway, a man runs in behind her. Nelson quickly opens the drawer, pushing the gun and the magazine inside. The man also looks shocked. ‘Is everything okay young lady, why such a scream?’ Nelson smiles seeing the man, it’s someone he knows and quickly he takes over the conversation with him. ‘To what do I owe the visit from my favorite sheriff of the law?’ The sheriff still looked concerned. His forehead is frowned, trying to figure out what Joy walked in on. Even though his eyes are on Joy, but he responds to Nelson. ‘I have a package for you Mr. Magadla.’ ‘That would be all Joy, thank you.’ – Nelson. Joy’s knees barely carry her out of that office; to her work area. She walks slowly, her heart beating fast. She knows what she walked in on, but she doesn’t understand why. Cleansing the Venom ‘Joy!’ Nelson shouts from his office, just as the Sherriff walks out of the office. It’s the first time since Joy worked here that she hears him calling her name like that. If he wants her in his office he would either call her on the phone or send an email. Her heart beat faster again. She doesn’t know whether he is angry at her for what she witnessed or he wants to explain himself to her. The fear of losing her job was there and about to consume her. ‘Yes, sir.’ She still looked shaken walking back into his office. Nelson can see that, even though it’s the first time in over a year for him to look at her. To him she was just hired help; she had nothing that would need for him to look at. It was an added bonus that she is accurate in her work. That way he has no reason for talking to her more than necessary. Whenever there was something he needed to be done, he would simply send her an email and it would be done to perfection. He had never even seen what kind of a dress code she came to the office on. Nelson had nothing against Joy in person; just that he didn’t look at women in general. He feared being attracted to one; he didn’t want to betray Nelisa. That afternoon Joy wore a straight cut; knee high turquoise dress with lace at the back. It had a slit also at the back. Her high heeled shoes made her look unstable as she stood in the doorway not even looking at Nelson. Her dress hugged her beautifully, showing off her sexy curves. Nelson had never noticed how beautiful Joy is. It is the first time he ever looked at her face. It’s as if he’s seeing her for the first time, and his eyes are opened. ‘Wow Joy, you look lovely today.’ ‘Thank you, sir.’ Joy stood inside the office but very close to the entrance. She wants to be ready to run should he pick that gun again, and maybe point it at her. Even though she’s not looking direct at him, but she can see his every move. She’s aware that he had never noticed anything about her and that never worried her. She’s shocked that he notices this today and even compliments her. Nelson’s eyes travel Joy’s entire body, and luckily she isn’t looking at him. She’s still shocked that for the first time he said something that wasn’t work related. Even if Joy had once come to work naked, she doubts that Nelson would have noticed. She knows of his challenges and understands them. ‘Are you going out tonight?’ ‘No sir, I’m going straight home.’ She’s still uncomfortable being there, and now the questions are just starting to confuse her. ‘Really?’ He continues. ‘Yes, sir.’ ‘So you come to work dressed like this every day?’ ‘Y-e-s sir.’ She looks at herself feeling as if something is wrong with her dress. ‘Is there something wrong with the way I’m dressed, sir?’ ‘No not at all Joy. It’s just that you look lovely.’ ‘Thank you, sir.’ She blushes; slowly feeling at ease. She doesn’t understand where he’s going with all the compliments. What she witnessed earlier is still stuck on her mind. ‘Do you always dress this beautifully?’ ‘I believe so.’ She can see that he’s trying to calm her down with all the compliments. She tries relaxing also. Nelson is shocked that he had never noticed how Joy dresses. He’d never even noticed her beauty. For a change, he looks at her as a woman; not an employee. There is nothing in her that reminds him of Nelisa, she’s in her own league. She’s shorter than Nelisa, her flat tummy makes that dress look as if it was made for her. Her sexy hips make it curve with her and makes Nelson want to hold her. He stands up slowly staring at her, as she frowns, fearing the way he’s staring at her. ‘Is there something wrong sir?’ ‘Oh no; I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable. Come on, take a seat.’ He sits back down himself; pointing Joy to the chair across his table. He still can’t take his eyes off her, as she continues blushing. It’s the first time he looks at any woman other than Nelisa this way. He realizes how blind his loyalty to Nelisa made him. He had forgotten how to live his life. For the first time, he talks to Joy like a person, not just hired help. ‘Thank you, Joy.’ ‘For what sir?’ She frowns. ‘I wanted to kill myself today.’ He comes out guns blazing. Joy stares at him with a very strange look, with her frowned forehead. She’s happy she came when she did. ‘I’ve been hurting for the past two years, and today I wanted to end it all.’ ‘But you have everything to live for sir.’ Nelson laughs faintly, moving his eyes away from her for a second. ‘From outside it looks that way.’ ‘Nothing beats prayer sir.’ ‘Nothing beats honesty Joy.’ ‘Yes, sir.’ She didn’t expect him to say that she doesn’t have a comeback for it. She still doesn’t see where their conversation is heading, but she doesn’t want to push him. Although as vulnerable as he looks, Nelson is still her employer. He clears his throat and continues. ‘How long have we been working together Joy?’ ‘Fourteen months now sir?’ ‘Then you’ve earned the right to call me Nelson.’ ‘Thank you, sir… I mean Nelson’ They both laugh faintly, like two school children who have a crush on each other. ‘About what you saw earlier,’ He stops for a few seconds as if not going to continue. Joy lifts her eyes, looking at him. For the first time their eyes meet, she smiles warmly and waits for him to continue talking. He smiles back and continues. ‘I didn’t want to kill myself here in the office. You came in while I had a gun on my hand. It didn’t even have bullets.’ ‘I hear you, sir.’ Her voice sounds hesitant. ‘What happens in this office stays here sir.’ He smiles, realizing that he’s in good hands. He just can’t get over her beauty though, and he quickly changes the subject. ‘Are you married, Joy?’ ‘Sir?’ ‘Nelson to you Joy.’ They smile. ‘I’m sorry; I guess it’s out of habit.’ The conversation is taking longer than she anticipated. She still doesn’t know why he called her. Now all about marriages, she’s just shocked, feeling as if she’s being interviewed. ‘Are you married, Joy?’ ‘No sir I’m not?’ ‘Any boyfriend or kids?’ ‘I have a daughter sir, but I’m single at the moment.’ Nelson smiles; blinking slowly, it’s the news he hoped to hear. ‘That’s lovely. How old is your daughter?’ ‘She’s ten; I was young when I had her.’ She doesn’t like talking about her daughter’s age because she was only seventeen when she conceived her. ‘Is her father no longer in the picture?’ Nelson keeps pushing the boundaries rather too hard. He wants to see if she would be free to talk about her personal life with him. He knows nothing about her, and today he figures that it’s the day they get to know each other. Joy still doesn’t understand why all the questions. She figures that maybe he is finally interviewing her. ‘He passed away when we were twenty-three, engaged to be married.’ She’s making sure that he knows that she stayed with him even after the pregnancy. ‘Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.’ ‘Thank you, sir.’ He takes a deep breath staring at her plump lips, feeling the urge to kiss her. He had never kissed any other woman since Nelisa. It surprises him that such a beautiful woman has no man in her life. Nelson had forgotten that there are other women out there that if not half as beautiful as Nelisa, these women are even more beautiful than her. Joy is just that. She blushes seeing his eyes stuck on her lips. There are also things that she’s seeing in him that attracts her. She doesn’t even want to think much about that, he’s her employer. Her friends are always asking how she copes with working for one of the country’s most eligible bachelors who is a well-established law enforcer. ‘You didn’t date anyone after him?’ ‘No sir.’ She’s looking at her hands under the table. Nelson clears his throat as Joy lifts her eyes, meeting his again and quickly he looks away. He’s been staring at her boobs as the dress shows them nicely, and he is taken by them. Joy’s body gives him a feeling he hadn’t felt in years. ‘I’m sorry Joy.’ He laughed faintly. ‘I know you still don’t know why I called you here.’ ‘No sir I don’t.’ ‘Thank you for saving me today.’ ‘Saving you?’ She looks confused. ‘From blowing my brains out…’ ‘But I did nothing sir.’ ‘You did more than you know.’ Joy lifts her eyes to his again. ‘You arrived at the right time. I might not have been planning to do it here, but getting home I was going to finish this. But seeing how beautiful you are, reminded me that I have so much to live for.’ He stops as if waiting for her to respond, but she keeps quiet. ‘You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen Joy.’ ‘Excuse me, sir.’ ‘You are beautiful.’ ‘Thank you… I guess.’ She’s blushing all the way, barely making any eye contact now. The office is quiet now; it’s just the two of them. Nelson wants to make a move, but he fears that he would scare her off. He’s been out of the game for years. Besides he’s never made a move on any woman. Today it’s all on his shoulders. ‘I don’t mean to scare you Joy,’ he stutters, ‘but, but do you have plans for tonight?’ ‘Plans, what plans sir?’ ‘Can I take you out for dinner?’ Finally, it’s out in the open. His nerves are shooting up. He doesn’t want to mess up their working relationship, but he’s relieved that the cat is finally out of the bag. Joy takes a deep breath looking rather shocked. She’d never imagined him asking her out. Her mind rushes to Noxolo who left his office earlier on. ‘Won’t your girlfriend mind sir?’ ‘My girlfriend… What girlfriend?’ ‘Miss Noxolo.’ ‘Oh my word,’ he laughed faintly, ‘Noxolo is not my girlfriend Joy. She’s my ex-wife’s sister.’ Joy’s eyes look softer hearing that. She’d seen her many times visiting him, and concluded that they were dating. She feels guilty for even thinking that and forces a smile without realizing that Nelson was looking. ‘Please don’t fake a smile. I want to get to know you better.’ She giggles louder than she hoped she would. She didn’t expect him to say that. ‘Dinner is fine sir.’ Blushing had become the order of her day. At least she’s no longer scared to be in the office with him. The sense of either being fired has also been blown out of the window. Her statement missed something Nelson hoped she would say, but better than no. ‘You look lovely enough, how about we leave now?’ He sounds as if suggesting. ‘By the way, this is not a business dinner, it’s a date?’ Joy smiles, seeing him relaxed, it’s something she’d never seen before. He’s still a mystery to her. ‘I will go out with you sir, but I need to look the part.’ ‘But you look perfect Joy.’ ‘A girl has to look and smell good for an outing.’ ‘You smell lovely to me.’ ‘I might not have been out for years, but I know how I’d want to look when I go out on a date.’ She’s finally getting her joy out of being asked out. Nelson smiles, some feelings surfacing within him. ‘How much more beautiful can you look?’ ‘You just wait and see.’ He pushes his chair back, standing up feeling his mojo coming back. ‘I’ll pick you up at six. Please text me your address.’ She smiles realizing that she had repeatedly called him sir, even after he asked her not to. She blushes, for a few seconds finally allowing her eyes to settle on his as he’s staring back at her; not saying anything. She’d never seen his social side before. It’s surprising and interesting seeing him that relaxed for a change. He looks ready to move on with his life, even though he doesn’t know how to start. He has fallen for her, and he’s enjoying the feeling. It feels like love at first sight, everything becoming easier for him to say. ‘Let me drive you home, so we won’t waste more time apart.’ ‘But I have my car here…’ He didn’t even know that she drives. He smiles feeling like a complete idiot, walking slowly across to where she’s sitting. He wants to start something they’ll talk about at dinner, just draw a line in the sand and make his intentions clear. He pulls her up from the chair. ‘Punch me if you will.’ He pulls her closer, her perfume penetrating his nose, making him weaker. Joy stares at him, the smile stuck on her face, allowing him to lead. Nelson plants his lips on hers. For few seconds she let him kiss her, not returning it back. She doesn’t even touch him. Nelson pulls her even closer, their bodies touching. Joy feels his erected penis touching her tummy. It is hard and sticking through his pants. Her blood rushes all over her body, feeling her knees becoming weaker all over again, this time not out of fear, but that kiss. Her pussy starts vibrating, something she hadn’t felt in a very long time. She is wet in a matter of seconds, wishing she could just undress him there and fuck him in that instance. She smiles from within; putting her arms around his neck, kissing him back, pulling him even closer curling one of her legs on his. Joy had never had sex in the office, neither has Nelson. By the look of things, it is about to change in that heat of the moment. Nelson remembers everything that Nelisa did to him at Noxolo’s couch, but he doesn’t miss her. He just wants to practice that and turns Joy’s world upside down. The kiss is overwhelming for both of them. Nelson slowly moves down to her neck, kissing her slowly and sensually as Joy puts both her feet back on the floor feeling even weaker. Nelson feels the venom Tumi planted in his life being cleansed. He is feeling like a man all over again, and he is enjoying himself while at it. Still, their first date awaits.