AYANDA: Another Chance At Love

Chapter 27

"alright grade 11's that's your homework for the weekend. If the worksheets aren't completed on Monday then please don't bother coming to my lesson, class dismissed" finally, I can go home. The first week of school is the most hectic. I've been so exhausted all week but thank God for mam'Grace. My baby seems happy with her and I'm pleased. Later today I'll be dropping her off at mum's and I'll take a flight to durban tomorrow morning for Thando's grad event.

I'm not taking my baby with because my mum misses her and I also want to live a little. I'll be back in joburg on Sunday, I haven't been living like a young 28 year old hun. Maybe I should channel the inner groovist in me this weekend.

I get home to find them together sitting on her baby mat, she seems so occupied while mam'Grace is also busy on her phone. "hi ma" she stands to greet me "nisale kahle?" she smiles and nodds.she goes off to change and pack her things preparing to leave.

"mama don't leave just yet, I'm taking ntokozo to soweto to spend the weekend so I'll drop you off at your place" I say "yoh thank you so much madam, God bless you" she finishes off what she was doing while I change into a dress and flipflops. After sometime we drive up I've buckled the princess. I say my short prayer and we drive off.

I drop princess off and spent sometime with mom and dad since my sister's are out living their lives then I finally drove home.

I don't feel like cooking so I drove past the mall to get dinner. I want some pizza but none of the pizza stores have drive thru so I have no choice but to actually walk into the store to order. I order a medium seafood pizza and then step aside to wait for my order. Let me actually distract myself with checking my insta feed to see what big shot celebrities are up to.

I'm caught up on my phone when someone taps my shoulder "sorry miss, I think your order is ready" I look up and thank him before I nervously walk off to fetch my order.

As soon as I get my order I leave the store. I'm stuck in those machines where you need to pay the parking ticket for parking at the mall, the queue is a bit lengthy and I'm so irritated because my delicious smelling pizza will get cold by the time I get home.

My mum calls while I'm standing in line, we chat for sometime."please kiss my princess goodnight, tell her ukuthi umama uyamthanda" thats how I end the call. Someone behind me clears their throat. I look back to a tall man standing behind me with a shy smile. He waves "I'm the guy you met at the pizza store?" oh him, I smile back "hi..."  I greet back. "I'm Jason" he puts out his hand for a handshake. "Ayanda..." for some reason I'm entertaining this complete stranger.

"excuse me miss you're holding the line" a white man behind him speaks and only then do I realise that I am actually the only one left, I guess everyone before me has paid and left. I panic a bit then move forward to settle my ticket.

I am now walking to my car while trying to process the events just happened. I must say Jason is a very good looking man, he's tall, dark and very well built, he looks like a younger version of Idris Elba, probably in his early 30s. I get into my car and drive off.

I finally get home. Eat my almost warm pizza then binge watch survivor before I finally retire to bed.

*Saturday morning*
I'm up early to pack for my flight to durban, after packing I pick an outfit, its a rainy day today. So I wear simple off white sweatpants, a black Nike sweatshirt and my Jordan 1's. I look like I can take your girl but hey the weather isn't so good. I'll book myself into a hotel so I can freshen up and change before the event which starts at 2pm.

My flight leaves at 8 so I drive to the airport. I arrive 30 minutes early so I grab coffee and take a seat. "we meet again" someone speaks standing right next to my seat. "hi..." I smile this is getting creepy, is this guy stalking me or something? "I'm not a stalker if that's what you think, let's just say it's all coincidence" he smiles and sits next to me.

"going somewhere?" he asks, okay I guess it's rude to use my phone now so I put it away "yes, a friend's graduation" he nodds with a smile, "you?" not that I'm interested but I ask anyway. "going to visit the family for the weekend" he's probably married with kids but where is his wedding ring. "I'm not married" is he reading my mind now? "I saw how your eyes went straight to my ring finger, it seemed as though you were looking for something" I chuckle and look away.

We spend sometime chatting for the whole 30 minutes, mainly about general things like exchange rates, the weather and anything in front of us. We head off to catch the flight and as if this wasnt awkward enough, we have seat numbers which are next to each other.

I guess I'm stuck next to this stranger for the next hour. "I feel like there's so much more to know about you" he says. "well I'm Ayanda Gumede, I'm old enough, I have a daughter, she's 6 months, she's my everything, I'm a qualified teacher, that's just about it, there's really not much to know about me" he has been smiling the whole time when I was speaking.

"Nice to meet you MaGumede, I'm Jason Mdwara, im half Zulu and half Nigerian, my mum is a pure Zulu woman from KZN and my dad is a Nigerian man, I'm a qualified architect, I'm 36 years old, no kids and not married" interesting, a 36 year old with not even 1 child? I'm shocked.

"nice to meet you too Jason." we chat away through the whole flight until we land. "I guess I'll see you around, here's my number, you'll tell me how the graduation went" he hands me a small business card then walks off.

I request an Uber to the hotel so that I can rest then freshen up for the event.