[NARRATED]
‘How did the funeral go? Is your friend okay?’ Mabontle asks her husband over the phone.
‘It went well. He’ll be okay. Such is life’ he lies before taking a sip of his drink in the lounge of a hotel bar.
‘And when are you coming home? I miss you’ she says through a sulking voice.
‘I know, love. Just one more night and—’
He brings his screen into visual range so he can see who’s calling. He finds that it’s his seer, the one that nobody is allowed to know anything about.
‘Xirimane?’
‘What have you done?’
‘Pardon?’
‘Where are you right now? As we speak? Are you at home?’
‘No. I’m in town. I am—’
‘Good. Don’t go there’
‘I shouldn’t go home?’
‘You’ve killed royal blood, Fikani. You need to cleanse yourself before going there’
‘I’ve done that already. I took ‘the’ bath’
‘Are you listening to a word I am saying? Find a woman to dump all this baggage on before you go back to your wife, otherwise she’s going to cry tears. This is one of the reasons why you need a mistress. We’ve spoken about this’
Silence.
‘And you need to come back here. This predatory behaviour needs to be dealt with. I am not promising that it’ll work but I am suggesting that we try. I am expecting you here on Monday’ the seer cuts the call and Fikani is left with questions. When he tries to call him back, he finds the phone off. He orders another double and shortly downs it before getting up to leave. After getting a pack of protection from a convenience store, he sits in the car for a while before making the call.
‘I wonder what I did right to earn myself a call from the great Mlambya today’ Khensani answers.
‘Where are you?’
‘Uhm… I am at home. May I ask why?’
‘Freshen up. I’ll be there to pick you up in twenty’
‘In as much as I like the sound of that, I’m going to need more than twenty minutes’
‘Why?’
‘Great meals take time to prepare, mister’
He huffs.
‘Take the time you need then, miss’
‘I’ll call you?’
‘Let’s hope I wouldn’t have changed my mind by then’
‘Then it would be your loss, my king’
‘You’re something else’
She laughs out loud and they end the call. She eventually gets done and he fetches her. The red dress she had on was already short. It had no choice but to hike up when she got into the car – revealing her yellow thighs and their grace. He clears his throat and opens all the windows.
‘You look gorgeous’
‘The body or the face?’
He just stares with his lower lip trapped in between his teeth, saying nothing.
‘Why are you looking at me like that?’
‘Both’ he eventually answers as he drives.
‘What took you so long?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You know what I’m talking about. I’ve never hid my feelings for you but you were just stalling and pretending not to see me’
‘I am married’
‘But you’re here now’
He glances at her.
‘Couldn’t resist? I don’t blame you’ she says and brings out her mirror to check on her make-up.
‘Have you always been this…’ he struggles to find the words.
‘What? Forward?’ she giggles.
‘I’d say… confident, foxy?’
‘I’ve been pretty my whole life so…’
‘So you’re used to snapping your fingers and getting men to lick your squirt from the floor?’
‘I don’t know why I find that both hot and insulting at the same time’
‘Just a question, really. Have you had supper? Where would you like to eat?’
‘Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Don’t be like everyone else’
‘And what is that supposed to mean?’ he asks, still focusing on the road.
‘Guess my body count’
‘Body count may mean something dangerously different to me so explain what you mean by that’
She laughs this off, not taking him to head.
‘Come on?’
‘Ten plus?’
‘See? Judging a book by it’s cover’
‘First impressions last’
‘Why? Because I’m the one who came onto you first?’
He simply nods.
‘What would be your ideal situation then?’
They arrive back at the hotel and he parks outside.
‘I normally do the hunting. It excites me. Once you take that opportunity away from me, you turn me off’
‘Well, you’ll be pleased to know that that’s not how I normally behave’
‘What was your motivation then?’
‘I met the man of my dreams and he wasn’t showing any interest. Dreams are meant to be chased’
He nods quite a couple of times with a subtle smile on his face.
‘I did say that you’re something else’
‘So, be upfront. What made you call me today?’
‘As you said, a man can only be able to resist for so long’
‘So, you’ve finally decided that I qualify to be your second wife?’
‘Do you have a death wish?’
‘I am not afraid of your wife, Mr N’
The smile disappears off his face.
‘Well you should be, otherwise you and I are going to have a major problem’
The tone of his voice ensures that she gets the message, loud and clear.
‘So, royal mistress then? With all the benefits?’
‘Let’s take this one step at a time, shall we?’
‘But…would your uncles approve?’
‘They have no choice but to cosign should I make that decision. You seem to be well equipped with knowledge on this matter’
‘It’s tradition. I pride myself in it’
They lock in a stare as Fikani rests his head on the car seat, covered in exhaustion. He looks away and sighs.
‘I asked what you’d like to eat?’
‘You, sir’
This catches him off guard and he laughs.
‘Damn…’
He drives in and books a room.
‘What if somebody sees us?’ Khensani asks while waiting beside him at reception desk.
‘Sees us doing what?’ he asks before receiving the key card from the receptionist. She laughs and they go up. The fire starts burning the moment they close the door behind them. She breaks the kiss and looks him in the eye.
‘You really love her, don’t you?’ she asks while massaging his hardened bulge.
‘More than life itself’
‘She’s a lucky girl. I want that for myself’ she says and continues kissing him as he lays her on her back.
‘You can’t get it from me. You know that, right?’
‘I’m happy with the little I get, for now’
‘For now?’
The conversation continues in between kisses.
‘You’re a man, Masiya. Surely there’s enough space for the both of us and more in that heart of yours’
‘I don’t have a heart, Nwa’Mavundza’
‘I’ll find space somewhere between your liver and kidney, then’ she states and he laughs.
‘Woman…?’
‘You have such a beautiful and radiant smile’ she compliments and he tries to conceal the smile in question.
‘Focus, please’ he begs and pecks her lips. Raw guilt trips him when he looks into her eyes while she laughs and sees the innocence that barely shows its head.
‘What’s wrong?’ Khensani asks. He gets off her and buttons up his golf-shirt. She gets up as well.
‘Did I do something wrong?’
Fikani lets out a heavy sigh. He brings her head close and kisses her forehead.
‘You did nothing wrong. Don’t take this personal, alright?’
She nods, with confusion refusing to dissipate from her face.
‘Fix yourself so I can take you home’
‘To prove that this isn’t personal, let’s do the dinner you were suggesting earlier on so you can tell me what is on that powerful mind of yours’
A smile escapes him.
‘I have somewhere to be. I actually need to start checking for flights right now’
‘Sounds rather urgent’
‘It is’
‘You’re scaring me’
‘Nah don’t overthink this. I just fvcked up and I need to see how I fix it. I am fine, I promise you’
‘Sure?’
He nods and she rubs his upper arm comfortingly. She then pulls her dress up and pulls out her afro comb from her bag. She goes to the mirror and pulls off the black shoelace so she can start making her bun from scratch. He watches as she does her business – retouching edges with her fingers and all.
‘Done’
He offers that she walks out first and she gives him a teasing smile.
‘A gentleman too?’
‘You’re full of jokes tonight’
‘I’ve been full of jokes since the first minute you met me. What do you mean?’
He chuckles and accepts defeat. ‘Well, true’
‘What? Do you find it irritating?’
‘Not at all. It’s necessary, sometimes’
She laughs out loud as she puts the belt of her crossbody bag over her shoulder.
‘And other times?’
‘You can be quite unserious when I require you to be attentive. Remember how your father had to call you to order the other day?’
‘I was under the impression that the meeting was over’
‘And that, Khensi, is your exact problem’
