Rose Colored Glasses

Chapter 35

*ATHULE*

After the heartfelt conversation with my mom, I am ready to return to Pretoria with a clear head and clear mind. I know what I want now, I know better. Thabo and I can co-parent, and our relationship will end at that. I cannot continue to risk my heart like that with him, he’s not worth it. My mother and dad met at a time where interracial relationships were forbidden but they made things work, dad or mom never cheated on the other and their problems were far worse than ours, so we have no reason, no excuse for the things we constantly put each other through.

I stretch my hand on the bed and search under my pillow and come back with my phone, I have quite a number of messages and notifications on my phone. It has been a while since my phone was this busy, lately I wake up to a battery full and messages from my school group on WhatsApp but here I am with lots of messages and social media notifications. I unlock my phone and just then it rings and it is Imibongo. I answer it.

“Hey Friend” I say.

“Hey Thule, have you seen my texts?” she asks, and I frown.

“Why? What's up?” I ask her completely lost.

She lets out a loud sigh “You should check your WhatsApp, you’ll call me” she says and then she quickly ends the call.

I shake my head and then head to my WhatsApp and she sent me a video. I open the video it is a video of people in a club, they are arguing until the video turns to Thabo and then to Musa. My curiosity makes me sit up to watch this video properly.

"How sure are you that baby is yours?" Musa provokes and by now the girls on Thabo’s lap have gotten off him, Musa laughs before he continues "Don't get too comfortable with a community bicycle like her that finds comforts in another man's dick every time she's angry... " Musa doesn’t even finish talking when a Thabo splashes him with the alcohol he was drinking and then he throws the glass at his face.

"How dare you talk about my woman like that? Aren't you satisfied with your own wife? You say she's a bicycle, yet you are a community dick... " Thabo says angrily charging at Musa

"Takes one to see one. And to answer you, my wife is the best thing that has ever happened to me, my happy and comfort place. I sleep peacefully at night knowing I am her husband, she is thinking about me. Can't say the same about you though, konje how did you two meet? I bet around here hence you are breathing through the wound every time she smiles to another man" Musa says proudly. From the background and the naked women and half-dressed men it is safe to assume that they are at the sex club that Thabo said he would sell.

They argue back and forth and throw each other on the floor fighting until bouncers intervene and the video is cut. I am SHOCKED to the core. Maybe 15-year-old me would have been excited to see two men fighting over me if I can even look at it like that, I’m still confused as to how this even got to that, how they even got to the same place, how they know each other.

I don’t know if it's the shock or the anger from the things Musa called me that makes my breathing shallow, and my chest constricts painfully. I try to gasp for as much air but it is difficult when your chest closes in on you making it difficult to even catch a breath. I hate it, I hate them both for doing this to me. I close my eyes placing my hand on my chest trying to catch my breath and trying to even out my breathing, but it hurts. It hurts so badly.

“Thule wake up” someone says knocking on my door but I don’t respond, the panic attack is a little too mild. I suck in small even breaths until my chest opens up with my heart almost beating out of my chest. My phone rings and it's Mimi.

“Chomee” she says as soon as I pick up.

“I… I … Wha..” I stutter not knowing what to say or how to approach the conversation at hand.