The Black The white and the grey.

Chapter 21 | I hate them too.

Siyabonga.

My eyes snap open and I am welcomed by the sight of the moon slightly illuminating the room.
It's raining outside and the little transparent shadows of the droplets of rain cast into the room as another bolt of thunders strikes yet again.

I stare down at the woman who's lying on my chest, peacefully and beautifully and i pull her closer to me, placing a few pecks on her forehead and I stare back up at the ceiling.

I haven't told Kabo that I am struggling to process what has happened. I can't fall asleep and whenever I am in an enclosed room I become claustrophobic. I've never been one to fear enclosed rooms but recently it's been very difficult for me.
I feel guilty that most of the people that I went into the shaft with that day didn't survive and I don't know how I am going to face everybody after what happened. Those people trusted me with their lives and i lead them to their deaths.

I brush my face a little before I decide to move out of bed and I cover her up before I put on my "uggs" and I leave our room.
I try to put as little pressure as possible on my leg when I make it down the stairs until I finally walk into my whisky bar.

I get behind the counter. Pull out my glass and a twenty four year old distelled whisky and pour it just below the half of my glass. I take my glass and I move to take my seat on one of the couches and I take a sip.

I stare ahead as I try to gather my thoughts all over again.
I hate that whenever I sit here I have to start questioning everybody in my life for what happened and I hate that I am growing so paranoid.

"Mind if join ?"

My head snaps at the sound of Kghosi's voice and I find him standing at the entrance of the bar.

"Not at all. There's a bottle in the chiller. Knock yourself out."
I tell him and he moves around the counter, pours himself a drink before he moves to sit on the couch opposite from mine.

We both takes sips of our whisky in silence.

"Thank you."

"For what ?"

"For keeping your word ? I think that more than anything I'm just happy that your keeping your word. Your an honest man."

He tells me and I keep quiet.

"And your sister is an extraordinary woman."

He smiles at me a little and I smile at him too.

"And I think that she was lucky to marry a man that cares about her as much as you do... But my only concern is your ability to keep her away from harms way."

"I know how to protect my wife and trust me you have no reason to worry about that."

"I know you do. Trust me I do. My concern is her becoming collateral."

I give him a puzzled look and he moves to put his glass on the coffee table and he leans his elbows on his knees.

"How far have you thought about the mine incident ?"

"I've thought about it well enough."

I tell him vaguely. He doesn't deserve to know about what think is going on in my own business. Right now I'm questioning everybody around me's integrity.

"Look I know that right now you have your back against the wall. And things are really coming down on you. And to me it's become clear that there are a lot of people that envy what your doing with your business here Gumede.
Not that many people stumble upon a multiple billion dollar enterprise. People are going to envy it and people are going to want to come after it more especially people on the other side of your business."