SHADOWS OF THE PAST

Chapter 3

At Lite tavern, the lady is counting money in her office enter Krishi. 'Are you done with your homework?' ask the lady. 'Yes, shit, that look like a lot of money, you mean this tavern make a lot of money or you have a side business?' ask Krishi sitting opposite the lady. 'Stay out of my business, if you are bored go and watch some cartoons' says the lady annoyed. Krishi laugh, 'me? watch cartoons? you are not serious ' says Krishi still laughing. The lady looks at Krishi, 'why are you always laughing? what so funny about watching cartoons?' ask the lady. Krishi laugh again. 'Oh God, kids' says the lady putting the money in the safe and close it and get out. Krishi get up and follow her, 'hey, where are you going?' ask Krishi. 'Iam going out' says the lady taking the motorbike's keys. 'Let me come with you, I will be like your personal bodyguard, make sure no boys take advantage of you when you are drunk' says Krishi smirking. 'Really? do you think I will leave my booze here and go get drunk somewhere else?' ask the lady rolling her eyes. 'Where are you going then?' ask Krishi. 'You will see, let go' says the lady going out.

At the Mhlongo mansion, Lizy gets in her room holding two small envelopes, she goes toward the wardrobe, 'what is that you are holding?' ask Mike. Lizy becomes startled and drop the envelopes, she did not expect to find her husband in their room. Mike picks up the envelopes, 'To my mother, to my daughter, what is this doing with you?' ask Mike shocked. Lizy is so scared that she speak without thinking, 'Love, your mother asked me to keep them for her' forcing a smile. 'Really? Mah left early this morning and she has not returned, so which Mah are you talking about?' ask Mike angry. Lizy is shocked by his response that she just kept quiet. 'You lied?' says Mike angry. 'Love...' she is interrupted by Mike. 'I want the truth now, speak' says Mike shouting. 'Love I did not know it would get this far' says Lizy crying. 'You lied to me' says Mike with tears in his eyes. 'Love please, I made a mistake, Iam sorry' says Lizy crying. 'What happened?' ask Mike calm. Lizy keeps quiet while looking at him. 'Oh my God Lizy, Mah will die of heart attack if she finds out about this, what will happen to our children, this will ruin them' says Mike pacing around the room. 'They can't find out about this, what will become of me?' says Lizy crying. Mike continues to pace around. 'Listen stop crying, no one will find out about this, I will burn these letters' says Mike hiding the letters. 'Thank you' says Lizy wiping her tears. 'I am not doing this for you, I am doing this for my children' says Mike going out. 

Later that day, at Gladys's room, the elders are talking. 'I am worried he is starting to remember' says Sthandiwe. 'No, he was so young when it happened, it could be just ordinary nightmares' says Lizy. Gladys looks at her angrily, 'I told you not to bring this boy here, these dreams of his will lead to him remembering everything. How will you explain this to your son?' says Gladys. 'Mah, Sash is also my son and I do not want him to remember what happened back then' says Sthandiwe. 'There is only one solution to this' says Gladys. 'Which is?' ask Mike. Gladys looks at Sthandiwe, 'take him to his father's family' says Gladys unbothered. Sthandiwe was so shocked, she just keeps quiet. Lizy looks at her, 'Mah is right Stha, think about it, these dreams will raise questions to Siviwe' says Lizy. 'I agree with you, just this morning he was imagining a black car following him, I am sure Sash's dreams are starting to affect him' says Mike. Sthandiwe start crying, ' I can't do that, Sash is also my son, I am the only family he knows, Siviwe will not forgive me for throwing his brother in the cold in his time of need' says Sthandiwe. 'There is no need to drag Siviwe into this, we can tell him we are sending Sash abroad to study' says Gladys. Sthandiwe could not believe her mother's words, 'no, I will not choose between my sons, I am not like you' says Sthandiwe getting up to leave. 'Do not involve me when the truth comes out and both your sons want nothing to do with you' says Gladys. 

The following day, at East Gate mall Lizy is pushing a trolley full of food stuff, she notices a lady that is familiar looking at her. Lizy pushes her trolley toward the lady. 'Do I know you?' ask Lizy. 'I don't know, do you?' ask the lady. Lizy immediately recognises the lady. 'Tonia' says Lizy surprised; she heard her family moved away after Thabang's arrest. 'Lizy' says Tonia. 'When did you come back? last time I heard you and your parents went back to Europe' says Lizy. Tonia laughs, 'you heard wrong, I have been around, my parents moved back five years ago but I have been around, I even bought a house at Buhle Park so Iam closer to you than you think' says Tonia. Lizy is surprised by the last statement, 'have you heard that Thabang killed himself in the last few days?' ask Lizy. Tonia looks at her in disbelief, she is thinking, how dare she bring that up. 'I heard, I was so shattered and confused why would he do that' says Tonia. ' you guys were still close?' ask Lizy. 'Yes, I have been visiting him this past fifteen years' says Tonia looking at her in her eyes. Lizy was so shocked, 'oh, see you around' about to go. 'Don't you find it strange that Thabang would wait for so many years to finish his sentence then a week after you came back, he commits suicide?' says Tonia. Lizy turns to look at her, 'I don't know what you are talking about' about to leave. 'Does your family know that you visited him the day he killed himself?' says Tonia walking away. 'Who told you that?' ask Lizy scared. Tonia just walks away.

At the Mhlongo mansion, Lizy gets in lost, 'Mom, are you alright?' ask Ntando. 'Yes, where is your father?' ask Lizy. 'In his room' says Ntando. Lizy walks like a mad person, going in the room. 'What is wrong? did something happened?' ask Mike. Lizy sits next to him, 'It is over' says Lizy, 'What are you talking about? what is over?' ask mike. 'I saw Tonia today, she knows everything' says Lizy holding her head. 'Who is Tonia? and what does she know?' ask Mike confused, 'Did you do something behind my back again?'. 'She is Thabang's childhood friend, the one he went to school with, she knows about my visit to prison the day Thabang killed himself' says Lizy. 'You visited him? oh my God what is wrong with you?' ask Mike standing up, 'What did you want from him? what did you say to him?'. 'I heard that he is going to have an appeal, so I wanted to make sure he won't say anything, I did not know he is going to kill himself' says Lizy also standing up. 'What did you say to him?' ask Mike angry. 'That is not a problem, the problem we have is Tonia having this information, what do you think she is going to do with it?' ask Lizy. 'Let me think, who is this Tonia again?' ask Mike. 'She is Thabang's friend, the white girl that always came here for a sleep over, she has been visiting him all these years, I am sure he told her everything, what are we going to do?' says Lizy stressed. 'Did you just say we? you are the one who started by lying all those years ago and now you want to drag me into your lies ' says Mike angry. 'This is not the time to blame me, we have to think fast what are we going to do?' ask Lizy. 'We have to find a way to get rid of her, she knows too much I will not allow anyone to break my family' says Mike sitting on the bed. 'How are we going to do that?' ask Lizy. 'We have to kill her' says Mike looking at Lizy. 'I agree with you, we also have another problem' says Lizy. 'Which is?' ask Mike. 'Krishi, we also have to get rid of her, I want this to be over' says Lizy looking at Mike who is also looking at her.