SENZO
My mom's slap woke me up from my trance but when I get outside, the taxi is nowhere to be found. I run inside and grab my keys.
Ma: You had better find her and bring my daughter back home.
I run out and rush to her parents' house.
Mr Phillips: Son it hasn't been 24 hours and you tell me you've lost my daughter.
Me: I'm sorry sir, we had a misunderstanding and I thought she came here.
Him: Well she isn't. Let me call her brothers to find out if she is with them. Sweetheart please call Penny, maybe she's with her.
Wait why didn't I think of that. They get up get their phones and start calling. 5 minutes later, the first car arrives. It's Penny and her husband. He comes straight to me and punches my gutt. Dude is tiny, but he packs a mighty punch. He actually manages to suck some air out.
Andile: That's for fucking my wife.
Another lands on my cheek.
Him: And that's for messing with my sister.
I'm so disappointed in myself . We both know I could land him in hospital with just 1 punch, but I'm in the wrong here and I need his help so I let it slide. The twins walk in and I can't get used to how identical these 3 are. They even have the same haircut.
Michael: How long has she been gone?
Me: 2 hours.
Matt: And you only tell us now.
Me: I'm sorry, I thought she would come here.
Michael: What happened?
Me: A misunderstanding.
Andile: Stop lying. He took her from here, ditched her at his parents' house to go hook up with an ex.
Matt: What?
Michael: You fool!!
He lunges for me and they stop him. Matt sits on the floor, with his hands on his head. It's as if the twins have just had a telepathic conversation because Michael joins him on the floor and does the same thing.
Matt: We are in trouble
Michael: Mommm!!!
Mrs Phillips comes running in
Michael: He left her to go "chat" with his ex.
Mrs P: Noooo
She falls on the couch and is defeated.
Me: What's going on?
Matt: We need to find my sister.
Me: Tell me what is happening now!!!!
Mrs P: Her ex fiance left her a few days before their wedding. They bumped into his ex during his final tux fitting. Apparently he couldn't stop staring. He dropped my daughter off at home and never returned. Never called. Alana was depressed for months after that. We thought she'd never recover. She had promised to keep her virginity for her wedding night. But gave in that morning. It was all just too much for her.
You are the first man she let in after that jerk. And what do you do. You spot an ex and ditch her with your folks. On your wedding day.
I'm so defeated I start crying. Silent cries turn to loud sobs.
Andile: Come guys let's drive around look for her.
We spend hours going to malls, bus stations and airports. Nothing. All our connections are yielding nothing either. All we can tell is that she hasn't flown out because I still had her passport. But our ports of entry are not exactly sealed if you are travelling by car or on foot.
I walk into the house defeated. It's after midnight and I don't know where my wife is. She's been gone for over 24 hours. She doesn't know South Africa and she's all alone. I thought going to Penny was for the best, but I was wrong. All we did was talk. Well that conversation killed me because it took my wife away.
ALANA
My cab driver that picked me up from my inlaws happened to be the best. He turned out to be my saving grace. He drove me to the mall and accompanied me to clear out my bank account. I guess it helped to earn an engineering salary and stay at home with the parents. Then we found me a cute boutique hotel where I can lay low and plan my life.
The idea is to get out of this town. But I don't want to leave the country yet. I just have to take a break from everyone and everything. Whether I'm still someone's fiancé, I don't know. I love him yes but he hurt me so deep. Bringing back past hurts I thought I was over.
My sister should have screamed when she saw him. Can you imagine how different things would have turned out if she discussed their past on the spot. If all of us had that conversation and quashed it. There would have been no secret rendezvous.
.
.
.
With my huge work experience I've already got a job in a town 1000 km from here. I was supposed to fly there, but when I spotted this car I couldn't leave it. I'm at the garage filling it with diesel. The trip is taking longer than expected because I have to stop at every filling station to pee.
I'm not going back, I can't be hurt again. I'm protecting us from the pain. I can't be selfish this time and take Josh back just because I love him. It's not just me. All the alcohol and the contraceptives I took could have harmed him. But the doctor says he will be ok. I guess the fertility pills Pat plied me with worked. South Africa has top antenatal care, so I will stay here until I put to bed.
