iFAIRYTALE KaMAGEZA
𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭 31
CONNIE
I'm holding on to Brandon and Thando. We're lying on the floor. The gun shots are so loud and deafening. I'm praying internally for God to keep him safe. I cannot lose him, not like this. A single tear falls from my eye and I quickly wipe it away. Thando starts crying too "Shhh, baby, it's okay" I hold her tightly against me while I keep telling myself her Dad will be okay.
After a while the shooting stops. I hear voices and commotion before cars drive off. I quickly get up and stand against the window. My cars are gone. I run out of the bedroom and almost collide with Patricia.
"They took him madam!" she says with her hands over her head. The rest of the employees appear looking terrified. I leave them and run down the stairs. Everything is destroyed in the living room, there are holes everywhere. And blood. I'm shaking. I can't process any of my thoughts right now.
"Jackson!"
"Baby!"
I get no response.
"I've called the police" one of the employees says.
"Jackson!" My knees fail me. I sit down. I'm crying.
"They took him" I burry my face in my hands. Someone engulfs me in a blanket "I'm sorry madam"
"Get me my phone" I tell her and she quickly walks away, after a minute she's back. I take the phone and scroll through my contacts.
The phone rings once.
"Vusi..." I take a deep breath to collect strength.
"Connie-"
"They- they took Jackson ..."
"What?! Who?" I try to speak but I fail, the only thing I can do is cry.
"I'm coming, I'll be there in 10 minutes " he says and drops the call.
After a little while the police raid the yard with loud sirens and big guns. They ask a long line of meaningless questions while they collect evidence. My mind is not here. I'm trying with everything in me to not fall apart. I don't know who these people are and where they took Jackson, I don't know what they are going to do to him.
Vusi arrives with the whole taxi association. They promise they will find him. While the other group leaves to search for him, the rest remains behind to ensure we are safe.
I'm in the bedroom snuggled in bed with Thando. She cried for her Dad until she fell asleep. Brandon has fallen asleep too. Now it's just me and my thoughts. I'm really trying to remain positive but it's getting harder by avery minute that passes by without him.
*
*
*
MAHLATHINI
He gains consciousness and tries to get up but it's hard. He's cold and shivering. They stripped him all his clothes and left him naked in the middle of nowhere. He has a gun shot wound on his shoulder that is bleeding none stop. He has lost so much blood, it's a miracle that he's still alive.
He looks around and tries to figure out where he is. He's surrounded by sugarcane. He tries to get up again, this time he succeeds. He only knows one sugarcane farm KwaDukuza and if this is it, he's knows his way out. He stops a bit and listens to the sound of the cars on the freeway before beginning to walk to that direction.
He's naked but that's the last thing he cares about. If he dies here it will take months for his body to be found. He has to fight for Connie and Thando, they need him. So he keeps going as hard as it is. His vision is getting blurrier and his body is slowly giving up but he's determined. The freeway is far but he won't give up.
A car stops abruptly just as he makes his way up the freeway. Relief washes over him, he finally lets his body fall to the ground. He's breathing heavily and losing consciousness again.
*
*
*
CELIWE
"Your sister ungijwayela kabi Nx!" Celiwe says walking up and down Donovan's bedroom. They just had a dinner with his parents to introduce her and it didn't go well, in fact, it was a disaster.
"Please calm down" Donovan says trying to hold her but she pulls away. She's fueled. If he didn't hold her she was going to beat the hell out of Elizabeth.
"Don't tell me to come down, your sister is racîsm!"
"Baby" he wraps his arms around her waist ignoring her resistance "Baby..." he cups her face forcing her to look at him "I love you, I don't care what my family thinks about you. I will marry you either they like it or not. My father can disown me I don't give a fùck, I want you and only you, do you understand?" Celiwe nods with tears in her eyes. He kisses her. The kiss turns out into a heated make out session until she remembers she left Nhloso downstairs. They hate her, they could do worse to her child.
"I don't want to stay here" she says. Donovan nods and leads her out of the bedroom.
She collects Nhloso and they bid their goodbyes. While Nhloso falls asleep in the backseat they talk about the plans they have together. After everything that happened today, she's sure Donovan loves her. He stood up to his whole family for her. She won't hold back anymore. For the first time in her life she feels wanted and most importantly, loved.
Donovan holds her hand and plants a kiss "I love you" he says looking at her with a smile.
"I love you too Mr Scott" Donovan laughs. Their moment is ruined when he spots a person ahead, he hits the breaks hard that they almost hit the windscreen.
"What is it?" Celiwe asks with horror in her eyes. She just saw her life flash before her eyes. Nhloso has woken up.
"I think I saw a person"
"A person?" what would a person be doing out in the freeway at this time of the night?
"I'm sure I saw someone" he opens the door and steps out of the car. Celiwe follows behind slowly, she has heard stories of ghosts in freeways at night and she very much believes them.
"There he is" Donovan says and starts jogging to the person lying on the grass. Abelungu abasabi lutho, she's not going there "It's... its Mahlathini!"
What?
She rushes there.
"No!! don't come close" Donovan says raising his hand in the air "I have a pair of shorts in the boot, bring them"
