Tainted

Prologue

"Hey honey"
I answer my phone, it's my wife calling me
"Hey baby, how are you?"
She asks
"I am good, I can't wait to come home. I'm about to go on stage"
I tell her
"I miss you. I emailed you the book"
She says and I smile and rush to my tablet
"I'll read it after my show"
I tell her
"I will talk to you tomorrow then. Have a great show babe, I love you"
She says quickly, I frown confused
"is everything ok? You so quick to dismiss me"
She chuckles nervously
"I wouldn't dare do that. We'll talk tomorrow ok? I don't want you to keep your fans waiting because of me"
I chuckle
"you know they don't mind waiting for me to finish talking to my wife"
A knock sounds from the door.
"Come in"
I call out
"See what I mean? I should let you get to your people"
She says and I chuckle
"I love you ok? See you in a few weeks"
I tell her, she makes kissy sounds
"Bye babe"
I say and end the call.
"Mr Langa it's time"
He says and I nod and take one last look at myself in the mirror before getting out of the dressing room. I make my way to stage and do a silent prayer before appearing in front of my fans. Performing in front of millions on the same stage as the people I used to only dream of becoming gives me life. Being in front of this crowd makes everything worth it. My grandfather's dream was turned into a reality and I live to honour him every time I get on stage.

The following day I wake up and take my tab and check the email Asante had sent me. I download the attachment and then go and make myself breakfast, when I am finished eating, I take a nice shower and then I take my tablet and settle on the bed and open the pdf of the book my wife had sent me.

"Besmirch"

I read the title and smile to myself, it's a weird title for a book. I flip the page by swiping the page to the left.

"DISCLAIMER: We are about to embark on a dark, dirty, black and muddy road. As a writer I've never written anything like this so I'm also new to it but we cant avoid that things like this happen. You probably going to hate me along the way because of this story but I'm willing to take that risk as long as it opens your eyes to what is actually happening out there. I've done my research and I'm scared but also excited to be writing this. Be warned, this story is not for the fainthearted ok? Also the story is fiction but based on the research I have conducted I have learnt quite a lot and so I decided I should touch on this and I hope its an eye opener as some of my stories have been. What you decide to take from the story is all on you. Thank you and I'm sorry in advance.
Besmirch - (verb) to soil, to tarnish, discolour. (synonyms) Blacken, smear, defile, blot, dishonour, slander, smudge...etc."

I am taken aback by the disclaimer page considering I see Asante as this pure angelic person. I have always seen and looked at Asante as the purest thing I could ever get my hands on so the disclaimer has only piqued my interest, I mean she's so beautiful and angelic nothing about her is dirty or tarnished or tainted.
I swipe to the left again and the next page is the prologue of the book.

"My story starts at a very young age, I'm 6 years old and should probably have forgotten everything that happened when I was that age but its all clear as day. I remember everything like it happened hence I'll start from when I was 6 years old..."

I'm not the fastest reader there is, and Siwe has always been on my back about me not finishing the books she's suggested or me finishing them after days but for once I actually finished a book in less than 24 hours. I've been so caught up in the book that I barely even had anything to eat today. Everything I have read from Besmirch has left me feeling tainted, because of what she has went through and is still standing. I am having mixed emotions upon completing the book, I've been heartbroken by it, I've been hurt, angry, sad, happy, just a dozen emotions all at once. Upon reading this story I am left admiring the person my wife is for having survived everything she did, I partially hate myself for not being there for her when I could have been, when I should have been. I'm embarrassed with myself for not being there enough and trying to understand her as a whole.

My train of thoughts is disturbed by a knock on my hotel room door, I get up and walk to the door
"Aaron"
My road manager says, I move aside to let him in
"Everything ok?"
He asks and I nod
"I'd like you to cancel the rest of the tour"
I say and then turn on my heels
"What? What do you mean? What's going on?"
He asks
"Please, just cancel the entire show. Refund people their money for the tickets"
I tell him, he places his hand on my shoulder
"Aaron think this through. I don't know what's going on and I need a reason to cancel the tour"
He insists
"Just cancel the tour and please leave!"

Growing up if you had told me that I would marry a woman who saw herself as Tainted I would have probably told you that you lying or something because never in a million years did I ever think I would put myself in a position where I had to help rebuild a woman from scratch considering they are the ones that heal us and help rebuild men but my case was different, it is different. My name is Aaron Langa and my story begins the day I met Asante in Johannesburg Braamfontein walking with 2 of her friends. I know I sound cliché but I swear that day my whole life changed. Asante was never Besmirch or Tainted in my eyes and she never will be!