This Man

THIS MAN

#23

PRECIOUS ZIKHALI

"I passed, i passed!" I screamed telling my mother over the phone. Who would have thought that one day I will own a driver's licence. Can't wait to demolish Hendry's car.

"Mama I will see you when I get home, I love you." My mother is more happier than me.

"This calls for celebration," Nokwanda says in excitement. She accompanied me by force.

"Were you this happy when you got yours?" I asked her.

"Not that much, I had no one to congratulate me, I'm happy that I met you guys. But having a driver's licence is very important, especially if you applying for a job so it's a must to have it. I'm glad that you putted your clumsyness aside and followed your heart."

"Ay, ay, now you want to make me cry." I tell her, "let's shop till we drop."

We shopped for a few clothig using Hendry's card. I also bought Fatima those Addidas sneakers she's been longing for a very long time.

"So you still avoiding Mr Lucas?" Did she have to ask me this question though. To be honest I don't know how to feel about him. Yesterday's episode left me with slot of mixed emotions. I've never talked to him since and I'm trying by all means to avoid him.

"The fact that his married scares me. I don't want to be that person who ruins other people's marriages. I don't want to be leballed as a home wrecker." Imagine being called names for ruining people's lives.

She laughed looking at me, "did he tell you his married?" She asked me, why is she so persistent that I date Hendry?

"Not in so many words, but I saw the documents in his locker written Mr and Mrs Lucas. Maybe the wife died or maybe she lives somewhere far." I say, throwing a slice of pizza in my mouth.

"You will never know until you give the guy a chance. Think about it, ask him and dig deeper. Maybe his not even married." She's a very good advisor, I sigh looking at her not knowing what to say.

"Okay fine you have a point I'll talk to him. I hope I won't be dealing with another Mlungisi here." I remind her, I hate being heart broken. What Mlungisi did was the last straw for me and it took me time to heal and forget about him.

"Men are not the same dear. You still have alot to learn dear sister."
We continued to fun around town with Themba and Austine in sight. This life is just too much and I don't think I will be getting used to it any time soon. I was once an ordinary girl who was simple and now my life is upside down. This just draws alot of unnecessary attention and honestly I don't need it. We decided to buy takeaways for mum and Fatima, G is not much of a eater. I wonder if has he eaten something since he went with Hendry to work. As we were walking inside the Pap And Grilled Chicken all stares were on us.

"Is there something wrong with us?" I whispered asking Nokwanda who just shrugged her shoulders.

"Hey," I greet the assistant on the front desk and I see her panick in fear and that confused me a bit but I paid not much attention to it. "Can I have full chicken with extra chilli sauce, eight rolls and 2 liter coke." I smile giving her Hendry's card.

"Ye…yes mam, I mean Mrs Lucas." She started running around like a headless chicken throwing orders and I see waitress and cleaners doing only God knows what.

"Wow, I wish to borrow your status and presence one day. This is definitely fun to watch." She laughed out loud. I turn to look at Themba who had his eyes fixed on Nokwanda.

"Themba this is my sister, please tell your eyes to go blind. Can you please tell them that I'm not who they think I am. They must stop with this running around." I don't like what's happening. First of all I'm not even Mrs Lucas. This idiot just smiles at me.

"Your husband runs this place, so what ever is happening is bound to happen. You are Thee Mrs after all." He tells me, leaving me tounge tied. So Lucas runs this place and I didn't know. I'm left speechless.

I scan around the place and noticed that some people had their eyes fixed on us and some were minding their own business. I'm still waiting for my order and I spot a familiar face looking at me with an unreadable expression.

"You won't believe who's here. My father and his family." I huff in anger thinking of how he treated us especially my mother. She turns to look at them and my father's eyes went electrically shocked. It's either his surprised to see me or Nokwanda, but I'm not sure if he knows her.

"Here mam, I'm sorry for the delay. We are short of stuff." The  assistant says in smiling nervously and looking down. "Can I take a picture with you, if you don't mind please." she asked me, looking at me with puppy eyes. What am I, last time I checked I ain't no celebrity.

"I have no problem." Her eyes bimmed in excitement taking out her phone. I pulled Nokwanda close and the assistant started snapping selfies with most of the stuff going in.

"Thank you," she excitedly wiped her non_existing sweat on her forehead. I smiled at her and I walked out of the restaurant with Austine and Themba behind us.

******

At the restaurant Precious's father was lost for words. He never knew that one day he would see his daughter looking all grown and looking beautiful. He wondered how they found each other? Do they know they are siblings? How did they manage to look so good? Who were those scary men in black following them around?

"Isin't that Precious? His daughter Mangaliso asked. Mangaliso is that type of person who only thinks for herself, she's always looking for the spot light and flaunting her parents money on unecessary expensive things. She's non_embicious and doesn't have any goals.

"Seems like it, where did she find my niece? They look..….., I don't even have words to describe them." Bab Ngwane says, part of him feels bad that he neleglected his other family. He wondered how his wife looked if his daughter looked this beautiful.

"Ingane ka Bhekani leyana. She has grown to be a beautiful woman. But why would she befriended someone like Precious? A low class who didn't even go to varsity. We invited then to come to Mangaliso's lobola negotiation day and they didn't pitch. I'm sure jealousy was killing them " The wife added, she has always had this jealousy tendencies over Precious's mother. Mangaliso's mother is more like her daughter. They enjoy wasting money like there's no tomorrow. For the fact that their golden child Mangaliso is not even doing medicine as they thought. She failed the first year and dropped out. She's been living with her boyfriend for the last five years eating her parents money that they would send her. Her boyfriend is an agent is some call centre and he earns peanuts. Last month her boyfriend came to pay lobola for her with the money she's been saving. They lied and said he works at the bank as an accountant.

The waitress came to the table to clear everything. "Excuse me, the two girls that were here….. I saw you taking pictures with. Do you perhaps know them or maybe know one of them?" Bab Ngwenya asked and the waiter smiled.

"Ow you mean Precious and her sister? She's the bosses wife," as he continued to clean the table and he noticed the confusion on their faces. "Precious is the one married to our boss."

"Who's your boss?" He asked with a big frown on his face.

"Unfortunately I cannot share that information with you sir." He answered and left their table.

"Hehehe married by whom? It can't be maybe it's a prank." The wife says dramatically.
Ngwane sat there and thought of the choices he made in the past. For the fact that they were doing pretty well without his assistant bruised his ego.

*
*
*
*
*
*

2 WEEKS LATER.