“Afternoon, ladies, I’m Molemo. Hi, Lebo, how’re you? I’ve been trying to get hold of you.”
“Hi there!” Bongi and Rumbi replied in unison and sat staring at this hot man Lebo had been telling them about.
“I’ve been busy. Who’s your girlfriend?” demanded Lebo.
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Molemo said, looking annoyed. “It was lovely meeting you ladies. I have to get going now. But before I do, may I please have a private word with you, Lebo?”
He led her away from her friends to an open space between the restaurant and some public phones.
“Look, I’d really like to explain what I meant when I said that I don’t trust people easily. I don’t think you understand,” Molemo said, trying to reach out to Lebo. “Can I come to your flat a little later so we can talk?”
“No,” she said firmly. “I’m tired of this emotional tug of war between us. And I’m pretty sure you must hate having to explain yourself all the time. How about we simply . . .”
Just then Molemo’s phone rang. He answered, spoke briefly and ended the call.
“Sorry, I’ve got to go. Please just think about it.” He leaned forward for a kiss, but Lebo turned and walked away.
She was irritated with him. He pretended to want to talk, but he couldn’t even let her finish a sentence before he had to dash off and be somewhere important.
“What was that all about?” Rumbi asked when Lebo returned and sat down again.
“Nothing,” Lebo replied and looked away.
She felt angry as she watched Molemo walk back to the girl, who was busy typing away on her phone.
“Girl, he’s so cute and he really seems like such a gentleman. Why are you treating him like this?”
“Because he said he didn’t trust easily since women were always after his money. So why is he walking around with a Barbie lookalike?”
“But he did say she wasn’t his girlfriend,” Rumbi tried to defend Molemo.
“That’s because he doesn’t have girlfriends. He has women he uses and then dumps. Exhibit A,” Lebo hissed and pointed to herself. “Now, can we please stop talking about him. It’s giving me indigestion, and I haven’t even had anything to eat yet.”
Lebo’s heart ached as she thought about what she had just seen. Were things really over between her and Molemo? Why couldn’t her heart accept it and move on? Why was she missing him more than ever? She thought about whether he had moved on with his life. But why with a girl like that? Clearly he wasn’t the man she had thought he was.
“You girls don’t get it,” she told her friends. “Molemo talks about caring for me and wanting to be with me, but in the same breath he says he can’t trust me because of what other people have done to him. Why do I have to be punished for their mistakes? The reason I didn’t date after my break-up with Kgotso was because I didn’t want some other guy to bear the brunt of what he’d done to me. But even so, now I’m in the very same situation I was avoiding.” Lebo felt she’d made her point quite clear to her friends.
Life’s really funny, she thought to herself. Before she met Molemo she never ran into him, but since he’d come into her life, she was bumping into him everywhere she turned.
Lebo’s message tone sounded. It was another SMS from Molemo:
I really miss you!
Chapter 11
11
To quit or not to quit? Lebo had been turning this question over in her mind for a while now. Sunflower Catering & Events was doing very well. The women had been inundated with orders since the night of Molemo’s event.
On average they had at least one event a week, and sometimes even two. These ranged from light finger lunches to gala dinners. Lebo had to manage her time very carefully to get everything done. They had been able to buy some of their equipment, but still hired the bigger items. To their great joy the three were already paying themselves a small salary from the money they made.
Lebo found she was spending less and less time at the newspaper and her flat and more hours on the road or at her parents’ home. She knew leaving her job would mean losing out on her monthly salary and on security, but she also knew that if she was able to focus solely on the catering company, she could make a success of it. Anyway, she had enough contacts in the media industry to land a few freelance jobs if things got difficult. And quitting her job would mean that her mom or aunt wouldn’t have to leave theirs.
Lebo knew what she wanted to do, but felt she needed advice from someone. Someone who would be objective and weigh up the odds. The only person she knew who could help her was Molemo. She missed him. She missed the long talks they’d had over the phone when he would so generously give her all kinds of business advice.
Also, she missed his boyish laugh. Throwing her head back on her pillow, she replayed it in her mind.
Lebo was feeling guilty about how things had turned out between the two of them. Maybe she’d overreacted about everything. Maybe if she had let him explain properly what had happened, they would have sorted things out. She desperately wanted to be held by him and to feel the love he felt for her.
Her heart ached to see Molemo again, but she had let things go too far and didn’t know how to make them right again. She scrolled through her phone numbers and stopped at his name. She wanted so badly to call, but her pride wouldn’t let her.
Just then her bedroom door was flung open and her mother barged in. MaMokoena always told her daughters that she wouldn’t ask permission to enter a room in her own house and she regarded knocking as asking for permission.
“Lebo, I have a surprise for you . . . Come in, girls.”
It was Rumbi and Bongi.
“Hey, choma, we haven’t hung out for ages, so we thought we’d visit you in this small town of yours. Plus we heard that tonight was the annual Winter DJ Festival at Shisanyama, so we thought we’d kill two birds with one stone.” Bongi leaned forward to give Lebo a hug.
“Oh, please, just because you two are from Soweto, you think you’re better. For the record, Sebokeng is just as much fun.”
“Prove it,” Rumbi dared as she threw herself on the bed.
Lebo was glad to see her friends. It had indeed been a while since the girls had spent time together. They spoke regularly on the phone, but she missed the laughter and the mischief they got up to when they were together.
“So are we going out or what? I want to see this Shisanyama you’re always talking about. Maybe I’ll find myself a man there.” Bongi was sitting in front of the chest of drawers, fixing her hair.
“Where’s Molemo?” Rumbi asked as she fidgeted with Lebo’s phone.
“I don’t know. The last time I saw him was at the mall when he was with that Barbie. I’ve wanted to call him so badly, but I don’t know what to say because things are too messed up between us. I just wish I could forget him and move on with my life.”
“You’re the one who’s always telling us that pride won’t keep us warm at night. Talk to him and tell him how you feel – and apologise for having been so difficult. He’s the first guy we’ve seen you so excited about, and we want you to be happy.” Bongi was looking solemnly at Lebo.
“Okay, I’ll call him tomorrow. But tonight we’re going to paint Sebokeng red,” Lebo said, desperately changing the topic. Her friends would never understand just how hard it was for her to deal with all the feelings she had for Molemo.
Lebo changed into a pair of tight black jeans, a black top and her knee-length boots. Rumbi straightened Lebo’s hair while Bongi did her make-up. The girls loved getting each other ready whenever they went out.
“By the way, guess who’s leaving the paper to join some blue-chip company in their HR department.” Bongi nudged Lebo as she applied another coat of mascara to her eyelashes.
“Are you serious? Rumbi, are you leaving?” Lebo popped out from under Bongi’s arm to look at Rumbi.
“Bongi, I thought I was going to tell her!” Rumbi remonstrated.
“Oops, my bad!
” Bongi went back to finishing off Lebo’s make-up.
“Congratulations, my friend, I’m really so happy for you.” Lebo got up to give Rumbi a hug.
When they were all done, the three said good night to MaMokoena and Lebo’s dad, who were watching a movie in the TV room.
“Have fun!” Lebo’s parents said as the girls headed out of the door.
* * *
The car park at the Shisanyama was packed; people had come in droves to the Winter DJ Festival. The weekend- long festival was held annually at the Shisanyama for local DJs to show off their mixing talent.
Lebo and her friends made their way through the heavy crowd into the packed venue. She looked around to see if there was a table open for them. The place smelled heavily of braaied meat, cigarette smoke and alcohol.
Lebo spotted Tebogo and Brian sitting with two girls at a table in the corner. She and Tebogo had not spoken since the morning he had scolded her about dating Molemo even after he had warned her. She felt bad that they had not patched things up, and wanted to apologise.
“Girls, please wait here. I’ll be back.” Lebo left her friends and walked to Tebogo’s table.
“Dumelang.” She waved to the girls, who were wearing matching tops, and then leaned forward to give Brian a hug. She wasn’t sure whether or not to give Tebogo one too.
“Hey, baby, where’ve you been hiding?” Tebogo got out of his chair to hug Lebo, and she was pleasantly surprised.
“I thought you were still mad at me.”
“No, girl, I got over that. You’re a grown woman who can make her own decisions. Plus: who’s going to help me hunt for chicks if you aren’t around?” Tebogo teased.
Lebo was glad to have her friend back. She missed having the carefree fun she’d had with these boys.
“I’m here with some girlfriends,” Lebo said. “Can we join your table?”
“Sure, bring them over. The more the merrier.” Tebogo winked at Brian.
Lebo knew they were already thinking of a way to get rid of the two girls with them at the moment so they could hit on her friends. She went to fetch Rumbi and Bongi. When she returned with them, Lebo wasn’t surprised to find that the girls with the matching tops were gone.
She introduced the boys to her girlfriends and as they sat down, she asked mischievously, “Where are your dates?”
“They had to go,” Tebogo said.
“And that’s all we’re prepared to say,” Brian added, making everyone at the table laugh.
Lebo and Rumbi got up and went to get drinks for the girls. Since they didn’t serve strawberry daiquiris at the Shisanyama, they settled for a bottle of white wine instead.
The music was blaring loudly and people were enjoying themselves. Lebo was glad to be out having a good time with her friends.
“Bafwetu, please welcome DJ Summer to the decks!” the owner of the place screamed into the microphone and the crowd went crazy.
“But first I want to thank our partners for making this year’s event bigger than ever,” the owner continued over the noise. “Three cheers for Kings Lager, House Music Magazine and Monate Feela Entertainment!” The crowd went even wilder.
Suddenly Lebo was nervous. Monate Feela was Molemo and Sizwe’s entertainment company, which meant that at any moment she could run into the man she had been avoiding for so long. She needed time to prepare her mind and heart first; that’s why she had told her friends that she would call him tomorrow. The possibility of seeing him this evening made her very nervous.
“Are you okay, girl?” Tebogo asked.
“Ya, sure, I just want to dance. I didn’t come here to drink and lounge around.” Lebo tried to dismiss her friend’s concern and headed for the dance floor. The girls joined her while the boys went to the braai to fetch them some meat.
The bash was in full swing. DJ Summer was known to get even the laziest of people up and dancing the night away.
“This place is lots of fun. No wonder you’re always talking about it,” Bongi screamed over the music. She and Rumbi seemed to be having a great time, and Lebo was pleased that she had proved to them that Sebokeng wasn’t boring after all.
After DJ Summer had completed his set, several other popular DJs took turns in hyping up the large crowd. People screamed every time a popular track was played, and the dancing and drinking went on until the wee hours of the morning.
It was three o’clock when Lebo and her friends finally decided to leave. They finished their drinks and headed outside.
That was when Lebo spotted Molemo. He was chatting to some girl at the exit gate. It looked as if he was having a good conversation. He was talking and moving his hands about as if he was demonstrating something, and the girl seemed to be really wrapped up in the conversation.
Molemo saw Lebo and waved to her, but she just looked away.
Did he really expect her to wave back? The more Lebo thought about him, the more she wanted nothing to do with Molemo. Only a few hours before she was missing him and had even planned to call him and tell him how she felt, yet now she was suddenly angry and resentful.
But Molemo seemed to have other ideas. He walked towards her and her friends.
“Evening, or rather morning, ladies. Hope you had a good time.” He smiled at Rumbi and Bongi.
“Yes, we did,” they chuckled excitedly.
“Lebo, may I please have a word with you?” Molemo took hold of her hand and held it to make sure she couldn’t walk away from him.
“Feel free,” Rumbi answered and grabbed the keys out of Lebo’s other hand. “We’ll wait for you in the car, Lebo.”
Lebo felt nervous. Unlike the other times she and Molemo had spoken, he seemed serious, leaving her with a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“You and I need to talk. But before that, there’s something important we need to sort out,” he said as he led her back into the Shisanyama.
The masses were beginning to trickle out. The DJ booth had been a buzz of loud music earlier, but now it was playing kwaito CDs and the cleaning staff had begun clearing up the bottles and cans lying around.
Molemo led Lebo to a crowded table at the far end of the venue. She saw some familiar faces of people she knew from the neighbourhood, among them Kgotso. She couldn’t understand why Molemo was taking her there. Was he trying to prove a point? The last thing she needed was her ex hating her even more.
“Bra, can I please have a word with you?” Molemo asked Kgotso as Lebo stood behind him and looked on.
Kgotso got up and walked towards them, seeming sober and fairly calm. He motioned, and Lebo and Molemo followed him to a quiet spot behind the braai area.
Lebo was in a turmoil of confusion, but decided to keep quiet and just watch as things unfolded.
Molemo spoke first. “Lebo, I brought you here because I learned a few days ago from Sizwe that you and Kgotso were still not talking to each other because of what happened between us. I then decided to have a word with Kgotso. I explained to him how I felt about you. How we never planned to have a relationship, how it just happened and how it was never our intention to hurt him. We spoke about it and we’re cool, and now I wanted you guys to sort out your problems.”
Kgotso gave Lebo a curious look, which she couldn’t quite fathom. She felt more and more uncomfortable, but it would be childish to run away.
Not letting go of her hand, Molemo continued, “You guys have known each other all your lives and you’ve been through a lot together. I’d hate to be the reason your relationship ended. So I’m going to head back out while you two chat. Lebo, I’ll wait for you at the entrance.”
Molemo looked at her with his big brown eyes and flashed her a smile before walking away.
Facing Kgotso, Lebo realised she was still mad at him for the way he had behaved and the things he had said the day she went to drop off the hymn books.
He would have to ask for her forgiveness.
Surprising her, Kgotso took a step closer. “Molemo is a good guy,
and he really seems into you.”
Lebo wished she could really believe that, but she didn’t reply.
“That day you came to my house,” Kgotso continued, “you were right when you said I never treated you well . . . But I thought I could make that right. So when I found out about you and Molemo, I knew my chances to make it up to you were over. I’m sorry for having hurt you. You deserve so much more.”
Lebo had never seen Kgotso so serious and sombre. She couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. But he was right, she deserved more – and he wasn’t the one to give her that.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s in the past,” she said softly. “Let’s forget about it and move on. Let’s just promise to respect each other’s space from now on.”
“Promise. So can I have a hug?” Kgotso asked, reaching out to her.
Lebo nodded and took a step towards him. It had been a while since they had shared an embrace, and it warmed her heart to know that she had her old friend back.
Lebo smiled as she thought about how in just one evening she had made peace with both Kgotso and Tebogo. And she imagined she could make things right with Molemo as well.
“Thought you’d have grown taller,” Kgotso teased her as they headed back to the fast-diminishing crowd.
Kgotso returned to the table he had been sitting at and Lebo walked towards Molemo who was standing at the entrance, talking on his phone.
As she approached, he ended the call and walked towards her with a hopeful smile on his face.
“Thanks so much for what you just did,” Lebo said. “I never thought I’d ever speak to Kgotso again, but you’ve made it possible. You are amazing, Molemo Tladi, thank you.” Lebo pulled him close for a warm hug.
He smelled as intoxicating as he always did and the hug made her dizzy as she realised just how much she had missed him.
“Now we have to talk,” Molemo said and led her to the car park.
She saw people staring at them and knew it would be all over the township by sunrise.
Molemo opened the back door of his car and gestured for her to get in. She hesitated, then did so. He joined her and closed the door behind him.
Love on the Menu Page 8