The bitchy flight attendant wakes us up and informs us that we are about to land. I quickly detach from Lethi and walk back to my seat furiously. He doesn’t say anything as we both buckle up. Few minutes later, the plane lands and I stand up to stretch myself. An unplanned trip is the worst. If I knew I would be flying, I would’ve worn something more convenient, but I don’t think I would’ve agreed if the guy told me that we are going to another country ‘just to talk’. Rich people have nice life problems shame.
As I step off the plane, my steps momentarily halt. I read the words in front of me loudly in my head. SINGAPORE CHANGI AIRPORT. What the flipping hell? This man had to take me to Asia just so he can explain whatever shit that’s happening with him? I have been meaning to come here on one of my December Holidays. It is part of my wish list to come to Singapore and he has made it possible. How did he know? I want to scream out in excitement but I don’t wanna give him the satisfaction. Scoffing, I climb down the rest of the plane stairs and my feet finally hit the ground. I don’t know the person I am becoming. To think I left SA in such a hurry, I didn’t even let my haters know I rode in a private jet to another continent. Jesus, the content would’ve killed some people. Lethi catches up with me and holds my hand. I let him be and allow him to lead the way because I don’t wanna end up getting lost.
We enter the airport and come across many people, both about to board and some who just landed. I feel the hunger course through my veins as we exit and slide into a black beautiful SUV that’s parked in the offloading zone. As soon as it drives away from the airport, I speak up.
“I am hungry.” I mumble and Lethi chuckles.
“Don’t worry. We will be at the hotel in 15 minutes.” He responds and I nod. I look outside the window and take in the beautiful foreign country. But this is a bit drastic. I am sure someone agrees with me. What is so intense that he had to come to another country just to explain it? Why did we have to be away from our friends or families? Maybe he wants to kill me. Shwele. I am so naïve though. The worst.
A few minutes later, the car pulls up in a hotel called Marina Bay Sands. I have never seen anything so captivating, so breathtaking, and so beautiful. It is out of this world. This place shouldn’t even be legal. Wow. I am so taken by the exterior, I don’t know how I will feel about the inside. All I know is that I am going to be blown away. The hotel is huge though, it looks like a city. It also reminds me of that three towers in Dubai. The ones that were shown in Fast and the Furious 7. I need a full month to tour this place. That’s how huge it is. It’s early morning or dawn but I just want to admire this true work of art. When the sun is up, I will surely ask for a tour guide.
We step out of the car and head inside. I have never heard of people checking in at a hotel at 3 am but I guess things are different for Lethi. As we check in, he is given two key cards. One of the staff members come to us and leads us to Tower 2. Passing the huge lobby, we enter an elevator. She looks Asian or is it Korean? I am not sure. As the doors close, I turn to the staff member escorting us.
“Is there a way of getting something to eat? I am starving?”
She smiles. “I will have something up and ready for you guys in less than twenty minutes. I hope you enjoy your stay with us. The Orchid Suite is very beautiful. I am sure you will find it breathtaking.” She responds and I nod.
“What’s special about the Orchid Suite?” I can’t help but be curious.
“It is a first class 71 square metres’ suite, has a spa like marble spacious bathroom with glass-enclosed shower and deep-soaking bathtub, a bedroom with king bed, a separate living room and a whole lot more. You also get complimentary breakfast at Club55, Spago or RISE, you get access to the stunning Sands SkyPark Infinity Pool. There are so many benefits for it.”
“I will find out all about it during the day. Maybe you can be my tour guide.”
She giggles. “I will love that very much.” The elevator stops at the 20th floor and we step outside. We finally get to our suite and we step inside. She shows us around and then leaves after Lethi has tipped her.
“I am going to take a shower. I hope that by the time I am back, you will be ready to tell me about what the fuck is going on.” I state as I take off my shoes followed by my shirt.
“Don’t you wanna rest first?” he mumbles and I quickly shake my head.
“It has to be done now. If you are stalling, I can get a flight ticket back to SA in no time.”
He huffs. “Okay.” He also takes off his clothes and I force myself to look away. The man’s body is built like a sex God.
I quickly head to the bathroom and I am pleased to see bathing amenities. I take off my underwear and step inside the shower. I open the tap and hot water pours down on me like a lava. I start showering and through the steamy glasses, I see Lethi getting in the bathtub. A few minutes later, all the fatigue is gone, chased away by the hot and refreshing water. I dry myself and put on a robe since I literally have nothing to wear. I head back to the bedroom, take my phone and update my status. I know nobody will believe that I am in Singapore just because I have posted that. I just take a selfie, luckily the robe shows the logo of the hotel. When I post it on my story, I just tag the hotel and then switch off internet connection. As Lethi steps off the bathroom also drapped in a robe, I hear a knock on the door. I quickly tend to it and my stomach does a Madiba Dance when it sees food. I thank whoever that brought it as they wheel it in. they leave and I lock the door behind them. I go and sit on the bed because Lethi is sitting in the couch.
“Go ahead, the floor is yours.” I start off and he sighs.
“Well here goes nothing. I am Lethinhlahla Khambule and my mom calls me Lethinjabulo. I am an entrepreneur and I am 36 years old. I am married to a beautiful woman named Zoleka and I love her. We have 3 kids. Nkanyiso who is 13 years, Lethokuhle who is 7 years and my princess, Aphiwe who is 4 years old. My wife and I have been married for 8 years. We broke up after having our first born and when we got back together, we had our second child.” I don’t know what I was expecting. Maybe the typical ‘I don’t love my wife’ chorus sang by many married men in order to justify their cheating ways. His confession just breaks my heart. But I just let him continue.
“I have dated a few guys before, so I think I can call myself bisexual, but not a lot of people know about that side of me. When I was 13 years old, my parents took me to an all boys’ boarding school and that’s where I learned about my true sexuality. When I got to varsity, I dated a few guys in secret because people were too judgmental and harsh when it came to gay people or bisexual. As years went by, I discovered that I was attracted to women as I was attracted to men. I had a roommate when I was doing grade 12 who I fucked with from time to time. We got together when I started working. I didn’t have a woman in my life at that time, so we spent so much of my free time together. My uncle caught us together and he was furious. He ordered us to stop that madness and told my father that they should arrange a marriage for me. I told them that was unnecessary and that I would break things off with Cholo.” He goes silent and looks down. Okay. I was honestly not expecting a confession like that.
“I wish that I could’ve done things differently. I wish I had been unselfish and let Cholo go but I didn’t. We decided that we would be ‘more careful’ little did we know that my uncle was on to us. One day he walked in on us, I don’t remember much, except cradling a bleeding Cholo in my arms as he took his last breath. My uncle killed him and had no remorse. Then he arranged a marriage for me with some spoiled brat from Balito. I was vengeful, so I drove her into committing suicide and then killed my uncle after I was sure the woman was dead. I…”
I cut him off with my hand. “I have heard enough.” I get up, put on my pants and vest. I take the key card and walk to the door.
“Wait.” He murmurs but I don’t turn around. I walk out and shut the door behind me. There are some things that other people aren’t meant to hear. What I have just heard is too much for me to digest. He killed someone and causes another to kill themselves? God.
