6
SECOND TIME LUCKY
Andisiwe lay in bed watching the sunlight moving across the ceiling of her room. She could not shake the angry, and sad, feelings she experienced as she remembered the night she had spent with Thabo in the penthouse in Plettenberg Bay. What was it that Siya always said? Andisiwe could almost see her friend standing over her, waving her long-nailed index finger, and tossing her long extensions.
“Get out of bed right now, girlfriend, and close the kitchen door. All the rest is history.”
Andisiwe’s phone beeped from where it lay on the pillow next to her. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw it was a message from Jacob. He was a man of his word. He had said he would be in contact.
R u rdy 4 a visitor slping beauty?
Coz ur prnce charmin is cumin ur way ryt now
R u home?
Yes. Gv me 20
Andisiwe’s hands were shaking as she pressed ‘send’. He was on his way over right now. She had said yes. There was no going back. She grabbed a towel and ran to shower.
Andisiwe had just dried herself and slipped into a print dress when the doorbell rang. She grabbed her sandals and hurried down the stairs. Her hair was still wet. When she opened the door, there was Jacob. He was holding the largest bunch of flowers she had ever seen in one hand, and a huge box of chocolates, tied with a shiny pink bow, in the other.
“Come in,” she said, laughing in delight as she took the bunch of flowers and the chocolates.
“This is a great house,” said Jacob as he followed her into the sizeable kitchen. Andisiwe could not help but notice how incredibly good he looked, from the top of his perfectly groomed hair to the sharp tips of his shiny leather shoes.
“I was on my way to work,” said Jacob with a grin, “but first I had to make a special delivery.”
Andisiwe felt herself blushing as Jacob continued: “Now that Thabo has left town it’s hard to find enough hours in the day for my work. But I want you to know, I will always make time for you, babe.” All Andisiwe heard was, “Thabo has left town.”
“So he’s really gone?” she asked softly, as she felt relief flooding over her.
“Yes, and I don’t want to see or hear from him ever again.”
Just then Jacob’s phone rang. He looked down at it and then across at Andisiwe.
“Speak of the devil,” he said before excusing himself, and moving into the passage.
Andisiwe began searching through the kitchen cupboards to find the largest vase her aunt possessed. She paused just as she was about to fill the vase with water, to listen to what Jacob was saying.
“Don’t try to threaten me, Thabo. You don’t really know who you are dealing with here. I am not scared by you. I don’t know what you think you have, but I’m warning you again: be careful, my friend.”
Andisiwe turned the tap on full blast and the water gushed out loudly just as Jacob returned to the kitchen. He was shaking his head. “Thabo never made a good decision in his life,” said Jacob. “He just took a free ride on my success. He helped himself to whatever he wanted. How dare he think he could just drive my car and use my penthouse? And as for how he treated you …”
Andisiwe felt herself blush again, and she lifted the vase of flowers and hid herself behind them.
“I’m sorry,” said Jacob, moving forward to help her. “I didn’t mean you …”
“It’s OK,” said Andisiwe, as she let him take the heavy vase from her. She indicated a table in the hallway. “I think the flowers will look great there.”
Jacob put them down and stood for a moment to admire a gold clock on the table. “Wow,” he said, moving closer to examine it, “this is an incredible piece.”
“It belongs to my aunt,” said Andisiwe, adding, “She has a lot of lovely things.”
“Yes,” said Jacob, beginning to move towards the front door, and glancing around himself as he did so. “It’s a beautiful house.”
Andisiwe nodded, and Jacob flashed her one of those smiles that made her feel weak at the knees. “Tell her to let me know if she ever wants to sell.” Then Jacob came towards her and took her into his arms to gently hug her. “Which reminds me,” he said, kissing Andisiwe on the cheek, “I have a whole pile of houses out there, waiting to be sold. But can I see you later?”
Jacob’s wonderful aftershave made Andisiwe feel quite giddy, and it was all she could do to nod happily before Jacob left.
~•~
Andisiwe watched Jacob drive off down the street in his fabulous car. She was still reeling from the encounter. He had said he would contact her but she hadn’t thought he would do it so soon. He was obviously a man who didn’t waste time going after what he wanted. And what he wanted right now was her. She was flattered. Here she was, just arrived from PE, with no real clue about the high life in Cape Town, and he had chosen her. Cape Town was full of some of the most gorgeous women in the world. A man like him could have his pick. But he chose her. It was crazy: first Thabo, now Jacob. Her love life was busier than her aunt’s – and that was saying something.
At the thought of Thabo she shuddered. She wouldn’t let herself dwell on him. It still shocked her to the core thinking about the morning she had been found, half naked, by strangers in the penthouse suite that Thabo had led her to believe was his. Strangers, and no Thabo! Just an empty bottle of champagne and slightly faded rose petals. No, she wouldn’t dwell on that. Jacob would be a breath of fresh, gorgeous-smelling air into her life. He would help her wipe out all those dark memories. He had already started with the beautiful flowers and the Belgian chocolates.
She sighed deeply, turned back into the house, and paused for a minute in front of the huge mirror. She was glowing, there was no doubt about it. Andisiwe ran a finger over the gold clock that Jacob had admired. He really did have exceptional taste! And now that taste was directed her way.
“A man who spoils you rotten can only have the best taste, girl!” It was Siya’s voice again, playing in her head.
Andisiwe flipped off the lid of the box of chocolates and chose her favourite one. “Well, here’s to me girl,” she said, just before she popped it into her mouth and closed her eyes in bliss at the taste. Andisiwe opened another foil-wrapped chocolate, and then another, as she sent a quick text to Siya.
Jacob muuucchhh cuter thn Thabo eva was.
Flwrs & chocs … bt is it too soon afta Thabo? Wat now?
Hey girl
came Siya’s reply, just as Andisiwe heard her aunt’s key in the lock.
ur in da big city now. Time 2 b a big
girl n play wit da big boyz
“Wow. Wow. Wow,” said Andisiwe’s Aunt Mimi as she walked in through the front door and saw the flowers. She stopped to smell the roses, and fluttered her eyelashes at Andisiwe as she asked, “So, which of my admirers delivered these?”
Andisiwe laughed gaily, following her aunt as she moved through her house. Aunt Mimi kicked off her shoes and began unzipping her dress as she walked.
“No, Auntie,” said Andisiwe, “they were actually bought for me!”
Aunt Mimi paused for a moment in the doorway of her bedroom, the toes of her slender feet digging deeply into her white carpet. “Ooh!” she said, over her shoulder to Andisiwe, raising her one eyebrow. “How nice.”
Then Mimi dropped her handbag onto the middle of the carpet, twirled, and then said, “Oh, Siwe, darling, be a dear and help me with this zip. I simply have to have a bath right now.”
Andisiwe obliged, and her aunt moved away into her bathroom and shut the door. A moment later Andisiwe heard the bath water running.
She wandered across the deep-pile, white carpet towards Mimi’s walk-in wardrobe, where the doors were standing open. She stood still and gazed inside, remembering for a moment the day when she had borrowed that Valentino print dress for her first special date with Thabo. Andisiwe frowned to herself. She had been so excited that day, and so wanting to impress Thabo. She reached out and flicked the door to the wardrobe closed with a bang.
She was just turning to leave the room when the bathroom door opened, and Aunt Mimi popped her head out. Startled, Andisiwe stopped in her tracks, feeling suddenly guilty and more than a little afraid.
“Who brought them?” Aunt Mimi asked loudly, over the sound of the running water.
Confused and flustered, Andisiwe turned to face her aunt. She could feel herself blushing. “Wh … what?” she asked softly, stuttering slightly.
“The flowers,” said Mimi, a little irritated. “Who brought them?”
“Jacob,” said Andisiwe. “I …”
“Oh, I know who he is,” said Andisiwe’s aunt, with a shrug of her shoulders. “Nice looking … well done, girl.” Then she raised one eyebrow again. “But I heard some story about him … or maybe it was about that other guy, his friend – Thabo, I think his name was. They were always as thick as thieves those two. Anyway, it was probably said by some bitchy ex-girlfriend …”
Andisiwe’s aunt laughed lightly and turned back to her bath.
“There’s always a bitchy ex-girlfriend you know, darling. It was quite a story now that I think about it … something involving guns. But who doesn’t have a story involving a gun these days? You be careful now, darling … oops … my bubbles are overflowing.”
And with that Aunt Mimi shut the door of her bathroom, and a moment later Andisiwe heard her loudly singing some song to herself.
~•~
Later that day Andisiwe received a call from Jacob. His voice was very polite and very gentle when he asked her to go out with him that evening. Andisiwe did not hesitate. She accepted his invitation straight away.
When Jacob arrived, he was driving the exact same car that Thabo had driven. As she slid into the leather car seat Andisiwe mentioned it. “It’s my car,” said Jacob with a sigh, as he put the car into gear and pulled away. “Thabo always loved it, and I let him borrow it from time to time.”
He looked over to Andisiwe and shook his head. “Naturally he must have acted as if it was his own. The guy really has issues and I’m sorry you got caught up in them.” Jacob reached over and briefly touched Andisiwe’s cheek with one finger.
Andisiwe smiled. “I remember he didn’t know how to open the boot – said it was jammed. He said he had left his wallet in it, which meant, of course, that I had to pay for the petrol.” Thabo really had a nerve borrowing Jacob’s car and making out it was his.
Jacob pulled into an Engen garage and ordered the petrol attendant to fill up the car. When he returned from paying, he slipped a small box of special chocolates onto Andisiwe’s lap.
“Wow, thanks,” said Andisiwe laughing. “All these chocolates are going to make me fat.”
“Never mind,” said Jacob, turning to look deeply into Andisiwe’s eyes. “You’ll always be perfect in my eyes.”
Andisiwe held his gaze for a moment and then slipped the small box into her bag. She could feel her heart doing cartwheels in her chest. Just before he pulled away Jacob’s phone rang.
“Hello,” he said, turning the key in the ignition. Then, “I told you to leave me alone.”
Andisiwe noticed that his tone was impatient, almost angry. “I told you everything is on track. Listen to me, because I am really warning you now. These things take time. OK. Bye.”
Jacob slid his phone into his pocket and accelerated. “Estate agents!” he said, frowning slightly. “They always want to fight over properties.”
Andisiwe sat in silence.
“I’m sorry, my sweet Andy,” he said after a moment. “In the present economic climate it is very difficult out there in the marketplace. Dog eat dog you know – we’re all fighting over the same scraps.”
Andisiwe nodded in understanding, and they drove on in silence. She was surprised when Jacob turned and pulled up outside the very same restaurant that Thabo had taken her to.
“Oh,” she said quietly. “This is the –”
“Don’t tell me Thabo brought you here?” Jacob interrupted her. Andisiwe nodded, and Jacob hit the steering wheel lightly with his fist. “That guy!” he said. “He just copied everything I did. This is my favourite restaurant! I often bring clients here. It’s a winner. Seals the deal every time.”
It was a wonderful meal, and Jacob was charming in every way. Andisiwe felt happier with every mouthful. The waiter brought the bill, and when Jacob pulled out a hefty wad of money she felt happier still.
“I just have to make a phone call,” said Jacob, standing up. “Please give that to the waiter when he comes back. It includes a generous tip.”
Jacob bent down to kiss Andisiwe lightly on the cheek before he moved off. She watched him go. He stood outside and from where she sat Andisiwe watched him talking on his cellphone. Even from a distance Andisiwe had no trouble reading Jacob’s body language. He was upset, and judging by his arm gestures, aggressive even.
Andisiwe didn’t like seeing him like that. She hoped he wasn’t speaking to Thabo again. She was beginning to find the whole thing very upsetting. She smiled up at the waiter when he returned to their table. She had recognised him earlier as being the same waiter who had served her and Thabo. She picked up the crisp hundred-rand notes and handed them over to him with a sigh of relief.
“Nice to see you again,” said the waiter. “Those two guys you’ve come with lately are always here, you know. And they’re always with beautiful women. Like you.”
“They bring business clients here,” said Andisiwe quickly, frowning. “They like to give quality service.”
The waiter laughed out loud. “I’m sure they do, Ma’am. I’m sure they give really good-quality service.”
“Well, it’s really none of your business!” Andisiwe found herself snapping, before she could stop herself. She did not want to be reminded of Thabo, and anyway, Jacob had already explained the situation to her.
Andisiwe looked up with relief to see Jacob returning. He smiled at her, and Andisiwe relaxed.
“Just had to seal a deal,” he said with a laugh, “and I have another satisfied customer.”
Andisiwe noted that the waiter had overheard Jacob and he was sniggering to himself as he walked away.
Jacob pulled out her chair, and Andisiwe rose and clung to his arm, allowing herself to drown in his gaze, as he led her out of the restaurant.
~•~
When Andisiwe next saw her aunt it was when she stumbled into the kitchen the following morning. Jacob had kept her glass full the previous night, with the most delicious wine.
“Oopsy, my girl,” said Aunt Mimi, kissing Andisiwe lightly on the cheek. “You look like you could do with a little more beauty sleep, Siwe. My word, when I was your age I could go for days without sleep!”
Andisiwe’s aunt scooped up a large leather bag. “I’m going to be away for a few days. Business,” she said and turned to wink wickedly at Andisiwe. “And pleasure too. Of course.”
Andisiwe followed her aunt into the passage. She loved Mimi, and she really wanted, and needed, to have a heart-to-heart with her about men. She wanted Mimi’s advice on Jacob. But her aunt was always rushing off somewhere. Andisiwe couldn’t help feeling sad that her aunt didn’t seem to have much time for her in her busy life. She should be grateful, she knew, for the money and letting her stay in this gorgeous house. But sometimes she still felt so young, inexperienced and unsure. She was in need of guidance. Siya was great, but she wasn’t always sensible. And she couldn’t tell her mother. She would freak if she knew what her daughter was up to.
“When will you be back?” asked Andisiwe quietly. “It would be nice, you know, to really catch up.”
“Probably in a few days. Then we’ll have plenty of time for that,” said Aunt Mimi and she pinched her niece’s cheek affectionately. Then she opened the front door, paused in the doorway to blow Andisiwe a kiss, and was gone.
When Jacob phoned Andisiwe later that morning, and heard that she had been left alone, he immediately suggested that he should come around to keep her company.
“Hi, gorgeous,” said Jacob when he arrived. He swooped her into his arms to hug her. Holding her close, he added: “Are you sure you’re going to be OK here all on your own? I can’t bear to think of something bad happening to you.”
“Don’t be silly,” said Andisiwe with a smile. “I’m a big girl now. I can look after myself. And besides, this place is like a prison, with all its security.”
Jacob pulled her closer and Andisiwe did not resist him. As his lips touched hers Andisiwe felt as if she was melting into him. Without a second thought Andisiwe responded warmly to his kiss. Her heart was beginning to beat rapidly in her chest as she felt Jacob’s hands moving up from her waist to the buttons of her shirt.
“Not yet,” she found herself saying, her hand moving to cover his. “I’m not ready. You know … um …” she stammered. “Thabo.”
“That’s fine, baby,” whispered Jacob, his lips moving to her ear. “We’ve got plenty of time.”
With relief Andisiwe gazed into Jacob’s eyes.
“Now listen, beautiful,” he continued. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay here while your aunt is away? On the couch,” he added, grinning, “of course.”
Andisiwe assured him that she would be fine, and he left her for a minute to go to the bathroom. While he was away Andisiwe heard his phone ringing on the hall table, where he had left it with his things.
“Jacob …” she said, picking it up and walking in the direction that Jacob had gone, but then she stopped in her tracks as she recognised the caller. It was Thabo. Andisiwe looked up to see Jacob walking towards her as the phone rang in her hand. She held the phone out towards him. “It’s Thabo,” she said faintly.
“Damn that guy!” said Jacob, taking the phone firmly from her. “When will he leave me alone? He just keeps phoning me and bugging me! He wants work. He wants money. He wants whatever he can get!”
Jacob took the phone and moved away from Andisiwe towards the kitchen. She did not follow him and he pulled the door shut behind him.
Andisiwe moved away, not really wanting to eavesdrop. She hovered in the passage. Jacob’s voice travelled to her clearly through the door.
“I know what you think you found. And I know what you are planning to do with it. But I’m warning you now, Thabo, for the last time: stay away. And don’t ever threaten me again. I know what you are planning. This is my territory now. Back off! I’m warning you.”
Inside the kitchen Andisiwe heard Jacob slam his hand down on the table top. Then he walked briskly out from the kitchen, passing Andisiwe on the way to the front door. He paused to kiss her briefly on the cheek. “Sorry, gorgeous,” he said as he did so. “Got to go. I’ll be in touch. You take care now.”
Andisiwe nodded and smiled.
She felt sorry for him as she thought how awful it must be to have someone like Thabo in your life, causing so much trouble.
~•~
Andisiwe checked her phone for a message. Nothing from Jacob. She knew he was a busy man and that his work was stressful, but hadn’t he asked her if she wanted him to stay there while her aunt was away? But that was before the call from Thabo, the call that made him so mad. She remembered how his face had changed, how he had rushed off. Now that she thought about it, his tone had changed too. She felt a little hurt when she remembered his parting words: “I’ll be in touch.” Wasn’t that what men said when they had changed their mind about you? Did this have something to do with Thabo?
She picked up the TV remote and flipped through the DStv menu one more time. She sighed heavily. Suddenly she really missed Siya. If her friend were here right now, she would be having fun, not feeling lonely and confused. They would pour themselves some of her aunt’s expensive wine. Eat chocolates and watch a chick flick. Right now, it was what she needed more than anything else in the world – more than her aunt, who didn’t seem to have much time for her, or Jacob, who was so busy making business deals.
Andisiwe had never been alone in her aunt’s house at night before. Maria, the housekeeper, had gone home for the weekend. She had left ready-cooked meals and shown Andisiwe how to work the alarm, plus given her a panic button and the numbers to call in an emergency. But Andisiwe still felt uneasy. The house was large. You couldn’t hear what was going on in the other rooms. Would an intruder trigger the alarm? What if the electricity went out? What if her cellphone ran out of charge? What if …?
Andisiwe switched off the TV. She was suddenly surrounded by total silence.
She had just started to scroll through the music selection on her phone when she was startled by a sound. Andisiwe sat quite still, and did not move from where she was sitting on the couch. Her eyes flickered towards the windows. Earlier she had drawn the curtains. Normally her aunt never bothered. The house was surrounded by high walls, but Andisiwe had felt afraid of the big, blank, dark sheets of glass, and so had pulled the velvety curtains tightly closed.
There it was again!
Andisiwe felt her hands turning clammy and cold as she clutched her cellphone. Oh Jacob, she thought to herself. Why didn’t I take you up on your offer to sleep on the couch tonight?
Just then her cellphone beeped. Her heart leapt with relief. At last! A message from Jacob, she thought.
But it wasn’t a message from Jacob.
Instead, as she read the caller’s name on her screen, Andisiwe’s heart stood still. It was from Thabo.
U don’t kno who u r dealing wit. U r a good girl & I don’t blame u.
Jacob hs poisoned u against me wit his lying words. he messed wit
my life. Watch out. he might mess wiv urs. He is dangerous. Pls giv
me a chance 2 xplain
Shocked, Andisiwe dropped the phone, and then she caught her breath. There was that sound again.
Getting up slowly, Andisiwe walked to the light switch, and flicked off the light. She felt sure that the sound was coming from outside, near the window.
With her heart pounding in her chest, she tiptoed across the deep-pile carpet towards the window. She tweaked the curtain a tiny bit and peered into the dark garden. Everything was still.
Andisiwe was aware that she was breathing very heavily.
There, in the dark shadows against the wall, she could have sworn that something moved slightly! She was sure she saw a man crouching down, looking towards her. She blinked and peered again. The dark shadow remained quite still.
Andisiwe dropped the edge of the curtain and backed away from the window. She scrambled onto the couch, fumbling for the phone she had left there. She found it, and with trembling fingers, clumsily scrolled for the number that she wanted. Her voice was trembling when at last the phone was answered and she heard his voice.
“Jacob,” she whispered. “There’s someone in the garden outside.”
Andisiwe clutched the phone tightly to her ear as she listened to Jacob’s calm, reassuring voice. She did notice that he seemed to be somewhere very noisy, and she vaguely thought that it was very late, but those thoughts just evaporated in the security of the words he spoke soothingly into her ear.
“I’m afraid it might be Thabo,” whispered Andisiwe into the phone. “He really has it in for you. And maybe for me too. I think he wants to harm you, Jacob. He is really out to get you. I think he thinks that you are here. I’m so frightened.”
“I’m coming, Andy,” Jacob was saying. “Everything is going to be all right. You just sit tight. I am on my way.”
~•~
Andisiwe breathed a sigh of relief as she heard Jacob pull up outside. She punched the code in and the gate opened. She watched his car drive up the driveway, his headlights lighting up the dark garden. She opened the front door and flew into Jacob’s arms. He held her tightly against him. “Everything is fine now,” said Jacob as he kissed her. “I am here. Nothing will harm you now.”
Andisiwe kissed him back passionately. After a minute Jacob pulled away and, smiling down at her, said, “Now let me go and sort out that person who dared to get into your garden!”
“I don’t know how he got in through the security. My aunt and I are the only ones who know the code. Be careful, Jacob,” called Andisiwe after him, as he walked away into the dark garden.
It was then that she noticed that Jacob had his hand on a bulge in his jacket pocket. A gun! Andisiwe gasped, but then relaxed.
Jacob is no fool, she thought to herself. He knows how to take care of himself, and, she added with relief, me.
Andisiwe watched nervously as Jacob disappeared into the shadows of the garden. It seemed to take an eternity before he was back at her side.
“No one there,” he said, as he held her close. “You’re cold, let’s get you back inside.” It was such a relief to have him next to her. Suddenly she felt completely safe. Nothing bad would happen now. He shut the kitchen door and locked the security gate.
“Now, tell me all about this scary message,” he said, leading her to the couch in the lounge. “This really is beautiful,” he said softly, running his finger over the gold clock in the hallway as they passed.
Suddenly Thabo’s message didn’t seem so frightening. Just desperate. Now that Jacob was here. “I got a text from Thabo,” she told him, from her place firmly tucked under his arm as they cuddled up on the couch.
Jacob nodded. “I’m not surprised. I’ve been getting lots of threatening texts and phone calls from him for days now. I thought that sooner or later he would contact you. Can I see the message?”
Andisiwe frowned up at him, and he smoothed her frown away with his hand.
“I’m afraid I deleted it. It was just so awful … I didn’t want it on my phone … I …”
“Don’t worry, baby girl. I can handle Thabo. You don’t have to be afraid any more.”
“Do you think …” Andisiwe started, then hesitated. “Do you think it could have been Thabo in the garden?”
“It might have been,” said Jacob, pulling out his phone and angrily punching a number into the key pad, “but he’s gone now. And I’m here. And I’m thirsty. You wait there. I’ll get you something cold from the fridge.”
Jacob seemed to know his way around the house. Andisiwe heard him opening the fridge in the kitchen and then the clink of glasses. Then she heard his voice as he spoke to someone on his phone. His tone was harsh. She was frightened by it.
“That gun,” he said fiercely. “Yes, you know the one. Well, it’s here with me now. So you better stay away! Do you hear me?”
When he came back into the living room with the drinks, he was smiling, as if nothing had happened. He put the glasses and chilled bottle of white wine on the coffee table. Then he sat down on the couch next to her, pulled her close, and began to kiss her.
Andisiwe felt like she had melted into his warm body. She felt so safe in his arms, so protected.
Somewhere along the passage Andisiwe shed her shoes. At the doorway to her bedroom she paused for a moment, thinking vaguely that this was where she had meant to stop. That Jacob was meant to sleep on the couch. What if her aunt came home?
Then she thought how big and empty the bed would be, with only her in it, and how much better she would sleep, with Jacob’s strong arms around her. The house was big. What if Jacob didn’t hear Thabo trying to get into her bedroom window?
So, she shed her shirt in the doorway, and helped Jacob shed his. And then, somewhere between the door and the smooth cream coverlet on her bed she shed the rest of her clothes – and she found them there, in a jumbled trail, the next morning.
Later Jacob left the bed, but only for a few minutes, and returned with two large glasses of the most delicious, ice-cold drink for them both. After the heat of the bed Andisiwe drank it down very quickly.
And that was the last thing she remembered until the morning, when the sun streamed in through open curtains and she put her arm across her eyes to shield them from the harsh light. She struggled to open her eyes. Her head felt thick like soup. She reached out across the silky sheets – to find no one there.
Her heart constricted. It was like a terrible replay of the morning Thabo had disappeared from her bed. But that was Thabo. This was Jacob. He was probably making her breakfast right now in her aunt’s kitchen.
She noticed her clothes lying in a haphazard trail from the door and felt herself flush at the memory. She wrapped herself in her dressing gown. Andisiwe stood in her bedroom doorway and called Jacob’s name.
She felt strangely woozy as she stumbled down the passage, running one hand down the wall to steady herself. She had only had one glass of wine. Surely it couldn’t have made her feel this bad?
“Jacob?” she called out.
But Jacob was nowhere in the house, and when Andisiwe looked out of the front door his car was no longer there.
On her way back inside Andisiwe steadied herself at the hallway table, noticing that a couple of the roses in the vase had droopy heads, and had already begun to drop their petals. Andisiwe picked one up, and that’s when she noticed that it was gone.
Her aunt’s priceless gold clock was missing. Gone!
Andisiwe held her head in her hands.
What had happened? And why was she feeling so hung over?
“Oh no,” she said out loud. “Thabo.” It must have something to do with him. What had happened when she was asleep? And why hadn’t she heard anything?
But her thoughts were muddled. “Surely Thabo didn’t get into the house? What had he done? Had he kidnapped Jacob? Where was he?”
~•~
Andisiwe’s head was a blur. She struggled to remember exactly what happened the night before. She remembered phoning Jacob out of fear of the man lurking in the garden. She remembered Jacob taking her in his arms … she remembered …
Where was Jacob? Maybe Thabo had come back later the previous evening and he and Jacob had had a confrontation. Maybe Thabo had somehow broken in and stolen the clock and Jacob had woken up and …
Hurriedly Andisiwe found her phone on the floor next to her bed and phoned Jacob.
Voicemail.
She tried again.
Voicemail again.
Andisiwe left a voice message. “Please call me back. What happened last night? That is …” Andisiwe said, feeling herself blushing, “apart from the … you know …”
Andisiwe dropped the phone, covered her face with her hands, lay back on her bed and groaned. Then she heard the front door suddenly open, and before she could scream, she heard the voice of her aunt.
“Andisiwe!” called Aunt Mimi, and the next second, “What on earth have you done with my precious clock?”
Aunt Mimi reached the door of the bedroom in a few quick strides, so Andisiwe was not even able to pick up her clothing from the floor. The older woman stood for a moment taking in the scene in the bedroom. Before Andisiwe could say a word a second woman joined her aunt.
It was Siya.
“Surprise!” said Siya joyfully, her words dying in her mouth as her eyes settled on her friend.
A moment later, Andisiwe burst into tears. Both women rushed into the room, and soon all three were settled amongst the pillows on the bed.
Aunt Mimi explained that she had been away organising Andisiwe’s surprise birthday party. “You hadn’t forgotten your own birthday tomorrow had you, Siwe?” she asked in surprise. “And I went all the way to fetch Siya as your special present?”
Between her tears Andisiwe explained what had happened the previous evening, leaving the two women to fill in the details.
“But how did Thabo get into the garden? Only you and I know the code. No, I think that guy Jacob just couldn’t wait to get you into bed. He slipped a little something in your drink then he stole my clock on the way out. As for Thabo, well there are many strange sounds at night and when you are here by yourself it is easy to mistake …” her voice trailed off as she stared out into the garden, as if she was remembering something.
“Shame, my friend,” said Siya, leaning over to give Andisiwe a hug. “Looks like city life just chewed you up and spat you out.”
“But Jacob wasn’t … it was Thabo who was the con …” cried Andisiwe. “I’m sure Thabo is behind this. We can’t just sit here when Jacob is in real danger. I just know it. I heard him speaking to Thabo on the phone. He said Thabo was threatening him. And I did see Thabo in the garden. He is the one who stole the clock … and now he has Jacob,” she cried.
Just then the intercom buzzed. Andisiwe jumped up, her heart pounding. Her aunt moved quickly to answer it.
“Hello. Yes, this is Mrs Mvete. Yes, I do have an Andisiwe staying with me, Sergeant Pokela.” She pressed the buzzer to let the police officer in.
“Auntie?” Andisiwe said, looking at her aunt in terror.
“It’s OK, my child. Sergeant Pokela just wants to ask a few questions. It seems like they’ve caught the culprit.”
“Oh, thank God. Did they say anything about Jacob? Is he safe? Did Thabo kidnap him?”
But Aunt Mimi was already letting the sergeant inside.
“I do believe these are yours,” he said, handing over the gold clock and a bag full of priceless jewellery.
That’s not all the sergeant had for them. He had a tale that would leave them speechless.
“Yes … do you see now that Thabo is a small-time crook compared to Jacob? Oh, he used Jacob’s car and his penthouse. And perhaps he helped himself to the petty cash now and then. And I am sorry he lied to you, my dear, and made you pay the bills,” he said, looking at Andisiwe. “But Jacob – now he was in another league. He was playing with the big boys. He is a big-time criminal.”
Aunt Mimi shook her head and clicked her tongue. “Oh yes,” she said. “Now I remember. That’s exactly what I heard the bitchy ex-girlfriend say about Jacob. That you never wanted to cross him. A friend of hers had once and …” her voice trailed off.
Andisiwe looked at her aunt in horror.
“It was thanks to Thabo that we have Jacob in custody now,” nodded Sergeant Pokela. “It seems like he really was concerned for your safety when you started dating Jacob. You see, Thabo found something in the boot of Jacob’s car. Jacob had been careless and left some evidence that is proof that he is in league with a ring of criminals we have been after for months.”
“And Thabo?”
“Well, Thabo is on his way here I believe. He has come to apologise. Seems like he has decided to turn over a new leaf. Tell the truth … come clean.”
When Aunt Mimi shut the door behind Sergeant Pokela Andisiwe burst into tears. “I didn’t mean to end up … to sleep … I was just so frightened.”
“Never mind those two losers,” said Siya, snuggling closer to Andisiwe. “Cheer up, girl. Your aunt has invited tons of amazing guys to this party. She told me.”
Andisiwe smiled faintly. “What will I say to Thabo? Do you think he really will change his ways?”
“He must apologise first,” said her aunt firmly. “He treated you badly. On the other hand, he did try to warn you about Jacob, and that must have taken some courage, standing up to and threatening a man like Jacob.”
“And to think I didn’t want to listen to Thabo …”
“That was understandable. How were you to know?”
“But what if Thabo wants … you know … to date again?”
“Well, he will have to work really hard to get you to even consider going on another date. And even then …”
“There are many more fish in the sea,” said Aunt Mimi. “And some of the most beautiful ones will be coming to your party. Just wait and see.”
“I think I’ve still got a lot to learn about guys,” Andisiwe said.
When Thabo arrived he was holding the biggest bunch of roses Andisiwe had ever seen. But this time she didn’t feel giddy and overwhelmed. She just took the roses and the chocolates and put them on the kitchen table.
It wasn’t how many roses a guy gave her or how expensive the chocolates were that mattered. That much she knew for sure.
She would listen to Thabo’s apology. But she would keep an open mind and not make any hasty decisions.
Discussion questions
• Would you trust Thabo now, and forgive him if you were Andisiwe?
• What do you think about Aunt Mimi’s lifestyle? Do you think there are any negative aspects to the way she lives?
About the author
Michelle Faure grew up in the Eastern Cape and now lives in Knysna. She started her writing career as a journalist for the Port Elizabeth Herald newspaper. She has written many television scripts, including scripts for the Discovery Channel. She is also a keen blogger, and writes for The Edge, a local newspaper on the Garden Route. She has written youth novels for Cover2Cover Books and Oxford University Press and many short stories for the FunDza mobi network.
Being a mentor…
Writing collaboratively has always interested me. The act of sharing ideas and pulling characters out of the ether together adds another dimension to the magic of the writing process.
Writing these two stories with Zikhona Gwadiso was a rare privilege. She is a woman much younger than I am and she lives in a world very different to mine. There was a different energy that flowed from her, free, for the most part, from the kind of cares that I bring to my writing. I enjoyed her lightness, her sense of fashion, and attention to the little details.
In the end, we were both delighted with the stories that emerged from the blending of our two worlds.