[NARRATED]
‘How many times am I supposed to tell you that you can’t just rock up here unannounced?’ Nqobile chastises after opening the door for Fikani.
‘What you’re supposed to be telling me is who that Glenfiddich belongs to, not this nonsense you’re asking me right now’
‘A friend’
He wipes the corners of his lips before straightening his posture.
‘Both your friends do not drink, my love. Ungani pengisi’
‘I’m not allowed to meet new people?’
He silently looks her in the eye until she gets uncomfortable.
‘Zoe is the only reason you come here. I don’t have to answer to you’
‘I’m glad you mentioned her. Maybe you’ll remember that you have a daughter you have to think about before bringing strange men into my house!’
‘I said he’s just a friend!’
‘A friend you keep around my daughter? A girl child? If you love this said friend of yours then you’ll delete his number before I do something you will regret on my behalf’
She lets out an exasperated sigh.
‘I’m moving on from you. Please don’t stand in my way. I’ve finally met a nice guy and even though it’s still new, I like where our thing is going’
‘Well that thing has now changed direction. I’m sorry to inform you that it’s about to swerve straight to hell’
‘What do you want from me?’
‘I want you to break up with this nigga’
‘Never gonna happen’
A dodgy smile grows on his face.
‘Never gonna happen?’ he asks. She swallows.
‘I haven’t changed, in case you’re wondering. Remember Xolani?’
She frowns.
‘What about him?’
‘I warned him about going after you, didn’t I? He continued testing my patience and that’s how he miraculously ended up brain dead’
She begins blinking when the realization hits her.
‘You were behind his attack?’
‘Don’t remember saying that. Is my baby awake?’ he asks, already headed in the direction of the stairs.
‘Fikani!’ she calls after him, still standing by the door with frozen feet, regardless of the warmth of her closed-toe slippers. He leaps up the staircase and disappears. He comes back a short while later with Zoe in his hands – endlessly kissing her cheeks. Nqobile simply looks at him and doesn’t move her stare. He sits on the couch and holds the baby properly.
‘She’s growing way too fast for my liking. Next thing she’ll be in matric and I’ll have to be warding off stupid boys from her’
‘You plan to kill them too?’ she sharply jabs before folding her arms.
He lifts a brow, looks at her and decides to ignore.
‘Ku dyiwa yini lakaya? I’m famished’
‘I haven’t started on supper’ she marches to the kitchen and pushes against the sink with her eyes shut and head bowed – trying to gather some strength. Fikani places Zoe in her rocking chair and walks towards her mother after making sure she’s comfortable. He puts his hands on her upper arms and squeezes.
‘What’s wrong? You still look sexy in jeans’
She immediately furrows her brows and turns around.
‘What’s wrong? What’s wrong? YOU ARE WHAT’S WRONG. You are such a chaotic human being, I don’t know what I saw you in you in the first place!’
‘You mean that?’ he asks while a poorly hidden smile.
‘What is wrong with you ngempela? Why do you not like peace?’
‘I don’t?’
‘Arg!’ she attempts to walk away and he blocks her in.
‘I’m sorry. I know this is not the time to be goofing around but you know how much you turn me on when you lose your shxt’
She covers her mouth – trying to manage her breathing.
‘This is exactly what I’m talking about. It’s not normal. You are not normal Fikani. In fact, you’re psychotic and you need professional help. Please consider it’
‘I need professional help because you turn me on?’
‘Don’t even start. You only want to sleep with me because your wife is still healing. I will not be used by you, not again’
‘The truth in that statement is balanced by a lie’
She rolls her upper lip and tries to sniff away the impatience.
‘I don’t remember using you and I don’t think I ever will. Will you honestly stand there and pretend like you’ve never felt loved by me?’
‘Your love hurts! It’s heartbreaking and anxiety-inducing. You deserve to be alone, even Mabontle doesn’t deserve to be with a man like you’
He tries to pull her towards his chest and she strongly resists.
‘Get your hands off me. And please stay away from Paul’
‘Rephrase’
‘Hm?’
‘Rephrase that statement. This Paul of yours, whoever the fvck he is, should stay away from you and you’ll see, him and I are not going to have any issues’
‘You don’t want me but at the same time, you don’t want anyone else to have me? And you disagree when I tell you that you’re a psycho?’
‘Maybe I am but that’s neither here nor there. Keep these hooligans far from my daughter’
‘So now you’re going to use her as a cage? To keep me locked up and let me out when you feel like it?’
‘Your choice of words is very interesting, mhana Masana’ he steps forward and she steps back until her back is against the sink. His bent index finger gets her face up, making sure she looks at him in the eye.
‘You don’t want to end things with me, do you?’
‘I don’t but I know I have to’
‘Says who?’ he whispers, huskily. His hands go to the sides of her waist.
‘Common sense’
‘Well that bxtch I said she’s lying’
She fails to contain her laughter.
‘You’re such a bastard, do you know that?’
‘You’re making it rain with the insults today, huh? And it’s gonna end very badly for you. I’m not even sure if you still know your safe words’
‘I don’t need to because I won’t be using them anymore. Leave me alone’
‘I might die anytime soon. You’ll miss this moment’
A morose look covers her face.
‘What do you mean by that?’
‘I’m just joking. Do you see how panic-stricken you look? I love you just as much as you love me. In another life, in a parallel universe, I’d be the perfect man you always preach I should be. I just cannot be that man for you right now. My heart belongs to someone else, someone I am not willing to lose’
She’d always known but hearing him say the words with such certainty seared her heart even further.
‘Then stop meddling in my love life. You always claim to love me but you never want to see me happy’
‘I do, seriously. We just want different things from one another. If you listen to me with equilibrated emotions, we might reach common ground’
‘I will not be your mistress Fikani!’
