by Haden, Ross;
“Uhm, hi,” she said, trying not to sound too excited. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”
Grinning broadly Thabo stepped towards Andisiwe, and before she knew it he had kissed her on both cheeks.
“I’m great. Thanks for asking,” he joked. Then continued: “I’ve come to show you the sights of Cape Town. And I won’t take no for an answer.”
Thabo really did have an irresistible smile.
Andisiwe hesitated. She reminded herself that she didn’t know anything about this guy. But Thabo was just standing there, so sweetly, smiling at her.
She, meanwhile, was wearing black skinny jeans, a black studded blouse, a leather jacket, and stilettos. It would be a pity to waste it all by just staying in the house all day, she thought to herself.
Does everyone drive flash cars around here, wondered Andisiwe, as she got into Thabo’s Mercedes-Benz C-Class W204 Sports Line, Black Bison Edition.
“Hey wethu, you disappeared rather suddenly last night. Care to explain?”
“Eish,” said Thabo. “I had business to take care of … you know.”
Andisiwe didn’t know. She had no idea what kind of world Thabo moved in. “What kind of business?” she asked, smiling across at him.
“A little bit of this and that …” said Thabo, glancing over and smiling at her.
Andisiwe’s heart leapt in her breast, just as Thabo put his foot down, and the car raced forward, along the boulevard between the mountain and the sea. She leaned her head back against the leather seat and decided to just enjoy the scenery.
Thabo drove to the V&A Waterfront.
“Now … your wish is my command!” he laughed.
“I heard that the aquarium is beautiful,” said Andisiwe, suddenly feeling shy. “We could go there and grab drinks later.”
“I have a better idea.”
Thabo grabbed Andisiwe’s hand and led her to the breakwater. She looked out to where Thabo was pointing. In the distance she could see dolphins jumping out of the water. She caught her breath at the sight.
“See? This is even better than the aquarium. This is amazing, right? I have something else to show you.”
Thabo drove to Signal Hill. When they got there Andisiwe was speechless. She gazed with wonder at the spectacular Atlantic view. Thabo leaned over and whispered softly, so close to her ear that she felt his breath against her cheek. “I wish I had more time on my hands. If I did we could hang out here for a bit, and wait for the sunset.”
She smiled as she felt Thabo’s lips, warm and soft against her cheek. Andisiwe wondered what it would be like if he kissed her lips. She bit her lower lip at the thought. She couldn’t believe that a charming, handsome guy like Thabo was paying so much attention to her.
“Home time,” smiled Thabo.
Andisiwe was disappointed. She felt shy to admit it, even to herself, but she had been hoping for something more. They hadn’t even had drinks yet.
On the way home Thabo pulled into a petrol station. He got out, took the keys and went to the back of the car. Andisiwe heard him fiddling with the boot lock. “Oh no!” said Thabo, after a minute or two. She turned in her seat to see Thabo slamming his hand against the metal of the boot.
“What is it?” asked Andisiwe.
“The boot is jammed. My briefcase with my wallet is inside and I can’t get the damned thing open!”
Thabo searched his pockets for some cash, but found nothing. He looked so distressed and embarrassed that Andisiwe immediately lent him two hundred rand to put into the tank. Thabo accepted the money gratefully.
“Oh, Siwe,” he said as he took the money, “I’m sorry for doing this to you. I’ll pay you back.”
Andisiwe shrugged and smiled. “It’s cool,” she said. “Don’t worry about it.”
Thabo turned away and smiled at the petrol attendant, saying softly, “A hundred of unleaded, please.”
“Shame – he must need money for something else urgent too,” thought Andisiwe, overhearing.
Thabo stopped outside Mimi’s house. Before Andisiwe went inside they sat in the car for a minute. She looked towards Thabo, her hand on the door handle, but she hesitated. Thabo was looking deeply into her eyes. Andisiwe felt her heart beginning to beat faster in her chest again – maybe she even held her breath. Thabo reached across towards her. Andisiwe leaned closer.
When Thabo’s lips finally touched hers Andisiwe saw fireworks. Later, that was exactly how she remembered it. She felt connected to Thabo in a way that felt like she had known him for years. It feels so right, thought Andisiwe, as she felt Thabo’s breath on her mouth. She closed her eyes and then Thabo reached over, and began to unbutton her jeans.
Andisiwe instantly pulled away from Thabo’s embrace. Suddenly she remembered that they were outside the house in a car, and that she really didn’t know Thabo that well. Andisiwe opened the car door, and ran towards the house.
Thabo got out of the car and followed her to where she was fumbling with her keys. “Shall I come in?” he asked softly.
Andisiwe looked at him, and then looked at her aunt’s house. Should I invite this man back home? Thoughts ran through Andisiwe’s mind. Part of her wanted very badly to invite him in, and carry on with the fun. But there was that other part of her, saying that she shouldn’t.
Andisiwe paused, her key still poised to enter the lock of the door.
~•~
Andisiwe opened the door and let Thabo into the house. She turned towards him as they stepped inside, and he responded by kissing her lightly on the cheek. The delicious fragrance of his aftershave washed over her in a wave that made Andisiwe feel quite dizzy.
She hovered in the entrance hall, not sure where to take him. To the kitchen? But Maria might be there. To the lounge? She started popping her fingers, something she always did when she was nervous. But Thabo was the one who led her through to the living room.
Andisiwe sat down on the couch and then got up again. She felt that Thabo was watching her indecisiveness with amusement. She couldn’t settle anywhere. The truth was, she felt uncomfortable with having a man in Mimi’s house, even though she had had many chats with her aunt about guys.
Andisiwe sighed and then sat down on her aunt’s designer couch. She ran her well-manicured hand over the beautiful upholstery, and as she did so she suddenly felt OK. She remembered again what an outgoing and understanding woman Aunt Mimi really was. Thabo settled down next to her.
“Your aunt has an exquisite house,” he commented, looking around him at the beautiful paintings, the gold ornaments, the designer furniture.
“She had interior designers flown in from Jozi,” replied Andisiwe, in response to Thabo’s compliments. “They came down just to decorate the house.”
“Well they did a good job. The house is beautiful.”
Andisiwe nodded, and they both paused to look around the room, taking in the details of all the furnishings. She could feel Thabo’s gaze falling onto her, and staying there. “You’re beautiful,” Thabo said, switched from complimenting the house to complimenting her.
He moved closer to her on the couch and Andisiwe stood up. She walked to the kitchen to make Thabo coffee and biscuits. She didn’t quite trust her reactions to him any more.
When they had both settled with their coffee Andisiwe found her voice. “You haven’t told me about your business,” she said.
Now it was Thabo’s turn to be hesitant. “Err,” he mumbled, then sipped on his coffee. “Um … I used to own a company, but now I’m in between negotiating a contract deal. It’s not final yet, so I don’t want to jinx it by talking about it.”
“OK,” said Andisiwe, nodding and smiling. “So tell me about the company you used to own.”
“OK,” said Thabo, leaning his head back. “Where do you want me to start?”
“From the beginning!�
�� she said happily.
Thabo nodded, drinking deeply from his cup. “Shuu, a year ago I started a business with an old high-school friend. We opened a night club, and hired the most famous South African DJs.”
“Oh really?” said Andisiwe, her eyes lighting up. “That must have been exciting!”
“Yeah, it was. So I got lucky, we got a bank loan. Everything was smooth. We made money, nyhuk’ebhaya Joe, lots of money.”
“Oh, wow.” Andisiwe threw her head back and laughed. “You speak slang too. You keep surprising me!”
“Ha, ha, mxm, he he, do you wanna hear the story or not?”
Andisiwe put her hand over her mouth, and her eyes were twinkling. “Ha, ha, OK, sorry, you may proceed …”
Thabo grinned at her, and then sighed deeply. “Thank you. Then things started to go wrong. This friend of mine, well I discovered he had a habit. And not for designer drugs – no – for tik. He saw me as a ticket out of his debt. You see he had stolen money from some rich guy to feed his habit. He was in deep.”
“Oh no. Wow!” Andisiwe was no longer laughing.
“He was using me to get the money back. He was in trouble. I think the rich guy had threatened to kill him if he didn’t give it back. All of it.” Thabo drank more coffee, and sat in silence. Andisiwe leaned towards him.
“So, did he get it back?”
“Yes, he did,” said Thabo, slowly nodding his head.
“How?” Andisiwe frowned with concern, and Thabo continued.
“It was only a few months after we’d opened the club. I went in one morning to start business. All the booze was gone. The till was empty. I thought we had been robbed. Then I got an SMS from Standard Bank telling me I had R50 000 overdrawn on my account.”
“So, what did you do?”
“I was left bankrupt,” said Thabo, sighing heavily again. “I had to close down the business.”
Andisiwe’s mouth dropped open. “Yho!” she said. “That must have sucked! How did you deal with all that?”
“I had to be a man and take responsibility and not blame the world for my stupidity: trusting too much. Anyway, in the end the poor guy was killed by the man who he had stolen money from.”
Thabo cleared his throat. The two sat in silence for a while, and then Thabo looked up at Andisiwe and smiled into her eyes. “The world is full of people who take advantage of other people, Siwe. Especially the world of business. I lost everything I had built up, and had to start again from scratch.”
Thabo reached out and took Andisiwe’s hand, lifting it from where it lay against the patterned fabric of the couch. He stroked her hand and looked deeply into her eyes. “I don’t trust easily, beautiful girl. But I’ve learned my lesson. I can tell when someone comes along who is completely trustworthy. Like you.”
Andisiwe blinked and nodded slightly. She felt very emotional all of a sudden, and her heart warmed and burned in her chest. “Of course you can trust me,” she said softly, with a hint of a smile and a slight shrug. “I’m just a country girl really.”
Thabo stood up, still holding her hand. “I know who you are, Siwe,” he said sincerely, moving closer. “I feel like I have known you forever.”
Standing up to leave, Thabo invited her for dinner that night. Andisiwe gladly accepted.
She waved him goodbye, before going to her room and dreamily beginning to plan her outfit for the evening.
~•~
Andisiwe lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. “What am I going to wear?” she said aloud to herself. “I can’t buy another new dress or I’ll be broke.” Slowly an idea began to form in her mind. Then, delighted with the idea, she jumped up. Giggling to herself Andisiwe put her index finger on her lips.
“What she doesn’t know won’t kill her,” she said to herself, pausing to switch on her radio. Her favourite song, ‘Pump it’ by the Black Eyed Peas, was playing. She danced happily to the tune, jumping up and down.
Andisiwe knew exactly what she was going to wear. Still moving to the beat of her favourite song, she sashayed out of her room and down the passage. She was singing along rather loudly as she came to the door of Mimi’s bedroom. At the door she hesitated. Her aunt’s room was seriously out of bounds. Mimi was very generous regarding every other room in her house, except her bedroom.
That room had no doubt been the scene of many a romantic moment, and to Andisiwe it was a room filled with secrets. She pushed the door and it swung smoothly open. Andisiwe stood for a moment and breathed deeply. She sighed. There it was, wafting on the cool air of her aunt’s bedroom, that particular perfume that she had always associated with Mimi.
Andisiwe took one step into the room, and felt the soft pile of the snowy white carpet give beneath her bare feet. This was the first time that she had dared to venture into Mimi’s room alone. She tiptoed across the white carpet, and stopped for a moment in front of doors that she knew led to Mimi’s walk-in wardrobe. And then, dramatically, she pulled the doors open.
“Wow.” said Andisiwe softly. “Awesome!”
The rails were literally bursting with dresses. Shoes, neatly arrayed according to colour, were stacked on shelves from the floor to the ceiling. Andisiwe picked up one or two, simply to admire them, before moving on. She knew exactly what she was looking for.
Andisiwe put on her aunt’s Valentino print dress and her Christian Louboutin black Huguetta pumps. She spun around in the bedroom then admired herself in the full-length mirror in the large en-suite bathroom.
Now she remembered seeing a Coco Chanel quote on Tumblr that said, “A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.” Feeling like a million dollars, Andisiwe danced back to her bedroom where she put on the Prada perfume that Mimi had bought her as a welcome gift.
When Thabo arrived to fetch her he looked dashing in his dark green suit. Andisiwe felt wonderful in her aunt’s clothes, and as Thabo greeted her with a hug, she noticed again how absolutely divine he smelled. Thabo planted a kiss on her cheek and opened the car door for her. This time around Thabo was driving a grey Audi R8 Coupé.
“I like this car better,” said Andisiwe. “It’s sporty, which is what I like! Anyway, where do you get all these gorgeous cars?”
“Remember, I told you I know people … who know people?” said Thabo as he started the car and pulled out of the driveway with a gentle roar. “I’m glad you like this one.”
Thabo took Andisiwe out to Rust en Vrede in Stellenbosch. Andisiwe had never been there before, and the mountains and oak-lined streets took her breath away.
The hotel setting was just gorgeous, with tables covered in white cloths. The brown leather chairs were incredibly comfortable, and Andisiwe settled happily into one.
“My auntie said Stellenbosch has the best wines in South Africa,” said Andisiwe, running her hand over the brown leather armrest. “What she did not tell me was how beautiful this place is. Thank you for bringing me here.”
“Don’t mention it,” said Thabo, flashing her one of his gorgeous smiles as he handed her a menu.
There were things like ‘Cured Lourensford Trout’ and ‘Carmay King Quails’ listed on the menu. Andisiwe blinked, shifted in her seat and swallowed hard. She had never seen, let alone eaten, any of these foods before.
“So,” said Thabo, closing his menu and putting it down, “what are you having?”
Andisiwe smiled across at him nervously, and then looked down at the menu in front of her. “Oh I don’t …” she said hesitantly.
“May I suggest something?” said Thabo cheerfully, and Andisiwe was washed with gratitude towards him, as she let him help her make a decision.
As they ate they chatted about their childhoods. They discovered that they had rather a lot in common, and they found much to laugh about together.
“Remember, I told you that I feel like I have known you my whole life,” said Thabo,
as he lifted her hand to his lips and gently kissed it. “We are meant for each other, Siwe.”
The bill eventually arrived, and Thabo took out his card to pay. The waiter ran his card through the machine.
Andisiwe was shocked to see that it was declined. Thabo laughed it off, insisting that the waiter try again. “Maybe,” said Thabo, with a wave of his hand and an edge of irritation in his voice, “the problem is with the network.”
“No, I’m afraid not,” said the waiter. “Sir, I’m afraid it has been declined again.”
“Just try it again,” said Thabo firmly, standing up.
Andisiwe could see that Thabo was getting angry, his voice growing louder. “I’m sure,” continued Thabo, “that there is money on that card. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here, would I? Can you now stop embarrassing me in front of this beautiful lady? Try it again!”
Andisiwe shifted in her seat and looked down at her hands which were now gripped together in her lap. Thabo had taken the machine from the waiter, and was poking his finger into the concerned-looking waiter’s face.
Desperate to avoid a scene, Andisiwe spoke up, very quietly saying, “Let me pay.” She still had a lot of the money left that her aunt had given her.
Thabo immediately threw his hands up in frustration, but took his card back from the waiter, and accepted the card that Andisiwe offered him. The waiter swiped her card, and the transaction was approved.
Thabo escorted Andisiwe out of the restaurant in silence, but she noticed that he was frowning deeply. “I don’t understand how this could have happened. I deposited money into my account a week ago,” he said as he opened the car door for Andisiwe. “I’m sorry, Siwe. This is the second time you’ve rescued me because of my financial problems. I promise I will make it up to you.”
Andisiwe felt deeply fed up, but she forced herself to smile. They drove away, and an uncomfortable silence settled around them in the car.