TO LOVE A BROKEN MAN

12

                                

     

It was the day of the press conference and his father was rushed to the hospital due to his failing health and according to news reports his doctors were doing everything humanly possible to keep him stable. Details of his illness were vague and were only released to keep the public from getting suspicious. He didn’t feel right about giving a statement anymore, seeing that his father was willing to go to such extreme lengths to avoid prosecution.
     
His aunt Sthembile didn’t shy away from the cameras, singing the same song of a struggle hero who fought to liberate his country and should be lauded instead of him being humiliated and treated like a criminal while the whole nation watched. The people were tired of the same boring song, it brought about no change because after so many years of democracy South Africa was in state of decay and the disparity was no different since 1994.      
     
Khanya was still asleep after a rough night of endless crying, he crashed on the couch and his puffy eyes wouldn’t look good on camera. To avoid any disruptions once she was awake he used the free time to take a shower, make breakfast and put the dirty laundry in the car to be washed and ironed at the laundromat. His failed attempt at using the washing machine was enough to keep him from trying. He was starting to feel the financial pinch since the investigation into his father began because his fake registered enterprise relied on government tenders. He couldn’t afford to hire a cleaning company but found a lady who came twice a week for a reasonable price and her cooking wasn’t bad but she was no Michelin star chef.
     
Soccer highlights kept him busy since he missed the game last night, thinking about his next move was stressful because none of his associates returned his calls. If this carried on any longer he’d be forced to use the money from Kamo’s life insurance policy or risk living in the streets.
     
The highlights cut to a beer commercial shot in the Serengeti to promote their competition of a romantic getaway for two. The scenic views transported Lwazi back to the first leg of their honeymoon at the Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge. His favourite memory from that trip was the romantic dinner in the bush veld under a canvas of stars. They talked about everything and he was excited about spending the rest of his life with the girl of his dreams. The ache in his heart got bigger and his simmering anger surged back up because he couldn’t make peace with how Kamo was taken from him and without that peace he was afraid he’d end up six feet under.
     
He didn’t have to guess why his father’s PA was calling, the press conference was set to start in an hour and he had no intention of leaving the house.
     
“Where the hell are you?” She wasn’t shouting but her tone was stern.
     
“I’m not coming.”
     
“You can’t just back out at the last minute because this is not a game.”
     
He took out a cigarette and stepped outside. “Then tell my father to stop playing, you said it yourself that he’s not sick.”
     
“You must think I work for you.”
     
“Are you done? I have things to do.” He was itching to hang up the phone and get back to his highlights.
     
“What about your father? He’s on his death and you’re not going to do anything about it.”
     
“Only he can dig himself out of this hole, let him confess and die with a clear conscience.”
     
She was losing her patience and couldn’t hide it. If Lwazi didn’t come through for his father, he’ll stay buried in that hole because a lot of people wanted to see him go down. 
     
“How long do you think it’ll take before they come for you and take everything; your house, the cars and money? You’re not as innocent as you think in all of this.”
     
“I don’t care if the Hawks show up on my door step, I’m not changing my mind about the press conference. So, if you dare threaten me again I will tell everyone who cares to listen about every shady deal my father was involved in, am I clear?”
     
She was pacing frantically, he could hear the sound of her heels pounding on the ground.
     
“You’ve left your father no choice but to turn in the evidence he has against you. He made me keep copies of every document you ever signed.”
     
“When he’s done playing a dying man tell him I’ll make sure he never sees Khanya again and that’s not a threat.” He hung up.