iFAIRYTALE KaMAGEZA
𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭 11
CONNIE
"Ouch!"
"Sorry" he gives me a slightly nod but I can see the tears in his eyes. Bathing him is one of the hardest things to do but I have to. I can't risk him getting another infection. I have to keep him clean and healthy "I'm going out, Patricia will take care of you" I say. Patricia is his nurse. She stays with us and steps in whenever I'm not around. I prefer taking care of Brandon when I'm around. We get to talk and bond. I don't want him to ever feel neglected. With Dad away, I'm the only one he has.
I have 3 other helpers in house. The maid, garden boy and the security guard. They all stay here. The farm workers come and leave when their shifts end but we are all a big family.
My Grandfather bought this farm in the 1940s. Then, there was just a two room house. As the family grew my great grandfather started building and extending the house. He was a visionary. He wanted to build something to last generations and he did. 80 years later the farm is still producing for the biggest supermarkets in the country and the house is still standing strong.
Brandon and I are the only ones left here now. The rest of the family moved back to England and Dad cares less about farming. He's into the media industry, he calls it the future, to him farming is the past.
I took it upon me to continue the family business. I wasn't going to let my grandparents hard work go to waste. Mom taught me everything I needed to know. I wasn't really interested at first but it grew on me.
"I'm done" Brandon says handing me the towel he was wiping himself with. He's home schooling because of his condition. He's a very smart boy, always eager to learn. At his age he knows more history than I do. He can recite the Zulu Anglo war from where it began to the end, I know nothing. Shame on me.
We have our breakfast before taking our usual morning stroll in the farm. The land is big enough to fit 20 soccer fields. Our main produce are fruits. We have something for every season so its always busy, there's no rest, we have to supply or lose money.
We return to the house and I start getting ready to leave. I don't even know what to wear.
A dress?
Short? Long?
After fitting a few I finally decide on an orange wrap dress which stops just above my knees, at least this one is not hard to take off.
Wink.
I pair it with white sandals, I want to be comfortable. I hope he likes it.
Oh Jackson, what are you doing to me?
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MAHLATHINI
He's constantly checking his watch, she said she's 20 minutes away an hour ago. Did she change her mind?
He sighs and stands up. He passes time by checking on his customers and ensuring they are attended. He's getting agitated by each minute passing by. Would she cancel on him and not say anything?
"Fuck it" he takes out his phone and dials her number. She's not answering now. She's not coming. He should have known it was too good to be true, she's out of his league.
"Islwane madoda!" one of his workers exclaims. A jaguar just pulled in. It can only be her. Just like that he's smiling. He's relieved, he almost lost his mind.
She steps out of the car and the whole place brightens up. She looks more beautiful than she was the last time he saw her, more angelic and that dress, Mh!.
"I was convinced you've ditched me" he says and she smiles.
"I wouldn't do that" she says with her melodic voice finally standing in front of him, does he hug her? what do they do in the movies?
Without thinking twice he leans down and plants a soft kiss on her cheek. She returns it. He's stricken by her reaction. His heart begins galloping like a stallion. He just got a kiss from a white woman, are his uncerstors seeing this?
"I have something for you" he says with a smile and leads her to the direction of his office. The office is not fancy but they'll have privacy here. He picks a bouquet of flowers on top of the desk "This is to thank you for the thousands you loaded in my account" he says with a smile handing her the red roses. She takes the flowers with a wide smile, she smells them.
"Thank you, you're too sweet" He's relieved and thankful to the store lady who advised him to buy red roses instead of tulips.
They move to sit on the couch. Her beauty is something he will never get used to. She has stolen his heart but where does he begin telling her that? What if she doesn't feel the same way?
It will hurt him for sure. But it's better than being in the dark. He rather know the truth now than later.
"Connie..." he says softly. She meets his eyes, God! she's mesmerizing.
"We've just met. I don't know you that well but-" he pauses and tries to gather the right words "Since that day I haven't been able to stop thinking about you Connie. You occupy my thoughts night and day. I'm going crazy" she's smiling, it gives him a green light to continue "...I would love to get to know you better ...but if you don't want to its-"
"I want to" she says before he can finish his sentence " I would love to" she smiles widely, he breathes out. That felt like climbing a mountain, he's even sweating. Kunzima ukuba yindoda.
•••TBC
