Noma and Kea

CHAPTER 15

Just when I thought things couldn’t go wrong between me and Kea. Some new shit, just decides to pop off. So throughout the week, things were going good. He was eating dinner here, all the time and even Ntokozo stopped getting surprised when she saw us kissing in the kitchen, or making out on the couch.
So Kea and his brothers where hosting Lucas’ birthday on Friday. Which I’m completely fine with, plus like he said they bought, Lucas’ mom’s house. Why this house was so important, I don’t know. Now I’m sure you wondering why the fuck I am pissed off? Oh simple, really simple. They left on Friday matter of fact I met them all on Friday, before they all left.
“Babe, this Tips” he says and I shake his hand, “I’m Noma”.
“I’m Thapelo, they just call me Tips” he says.
“I’m sorry about your father” I say.
“I’m not” he replies and walks away.
I stand there dumbfounded. “So yeah that’s everyone, all my brothers” he says as they sit on my couch and these dogs are controlling my remote. SINCE WHEN DO I HAVE THE SPORTS CHANNELS.
“I almost forgot, Lucas, I got you something” I say and walk into my room. I walk out with an A3 pencil drawing, “I wanted to get you a little something” and I hand it to him.
“This is fucking beautiful” he says, it’s a drawing of him leaning outside his car with a toothpick and bucket hat. “I’m glad you like it” I say.
“Like it? I love it” he says.
“Oh Mandla, I would’ve gotten you something, but I don’t know what you like” I say.
“Oh I like guns” he remarks. Kea looks at him quickly and Mandla’s expression changes, “Im kidding” he says looking at me.
“Don’t worry about it” I say. Why did Kea look at him like that? Mh. They all leave in Lucas’ Gusheshe with Kea driving. “I’ll call you” he says and kiss me softly, as he turns around, I spank his ass and wink. They speed off.

Now to the Present. What do you think happened on the Weekend? Did he cheat? No. Did someone get shot? No. Kea goes fucking AWOL, I call him, no response not even a bloody text to tell me he’s alright.

I go downstairs and there he is, he walks towards me. He tries to kiss me, I pull away from him and he looks at me, “Babe, what’s wrong” he asks. The nerve of this man, to ask me what’s wrong. He tries to carry my bag, “I can carry my own bag, thank you” I say and open the door and step inside. He looks through the windscreen and looks at me, I look outside my window, “Women” I hear him whisper and gets in. He switches the car on and speeds off. I look outside my Window, the whole ride and I haven’t said a word to him.
“Did I do something wrong?” he asks.
I look at him turning my head slowly. He gives me a shrug look that’s like, ‘Well did I?’. I look outside the window with my mouth agape. He stops at my office, I step out and look into the window, “Have a good day” and walk off. My blood is boiling from him going AWOL. I sit in my cubicle seething.

It’s lunch time we all go downstairs, “I think I will join yall for lunch” I say. Let’s see how he likes it being not spoken too for a whole 48 hours, without knowing my about my safety. “Why?” asks Mandisa.
“I can’t have lunch with yall?” I ask.
“No you can, it’s just that usually your man brings you food, and we just surprised” she says. We get to the ground floor and there he was, I turn along with Mandisa and my other colleagues. “Noma! Noma!” I hear him shout and call. I know it’s childish to do this, but he started this. I know you may think I am overreacting. I called him over 20 times and he didn’t pick up, I am not here to play games. He must tell me if he’s serious or not. We come back from buying food and he is still there and looks at me walk into the building. I can see him get into his car and speed off. I text, ‘Don’t pick me up from work’. He sends nothing back. This is unlike him, but OK.

It’s 4pm and it’s time to go home. I plug in my earphones and I look at the door and he isn’t there. I know, I said he should come pick me up, but maybe this will teach him. I walk to my old bus stop and it’s been about a month or 2 and it hasn’t changed not in the slightest. The birds that used to sit on the roof and wait for the Arabic man to come spread seeds on the floor they are still there.
“Hello nana, it’s been a while since we have seen you around here, how have you been?” asks a lady I climb the bus with, she is way older than me.
“I have been good, just been busy” I say.
“Don’t overwork yourself, you are still young” she says, “I can see something is troubling you are you sure you are alright?”
“Yes nothing a little prayer couldn’t fix” I say.
“Ah the Almighty he never fails his children. You are right, anything you are stressing about just pray about it” she says. The bus arrives, its doors smack open and we all get in and scan our cards. I sit down on my old usual seat. I missed this, and the lady sits in front of me. I say a little heart prayer, ‘God please protect him even though I am angry at him, AMEN’.

The bus starts moving and I have my earphones and listening to music to ‘West Coast’ by Lana Del Rey. The bus starts turning onto Madiba street and it stops at the robot. Lana is massaging my ears and the only thing I can think about is Kea whenever she describes her sweet boy. The bus starts picking up speed and passes by my office. Unfortunately, there is no bus stop by my office and the only bus going in my streets and neighborhood is the Silverton bus, because it goes all the way to East side of Pretoria. The bus crosses over and now we driving past Sammy Marks. I look up and then down, the bus abruptly stops sending us forward and hoots. “Moshimane o werang”(What is this boy doing?) asks the woman in the front of me. I look up, and it’s Kea’s Skyline. He gets out and walks around his car, and marches to the bus doors shouting, “Open the fucking doors!”. “Move your car!” shouts the bus driver. “Open the fucking doors” he shouts again. I stand up, and walk to the doors. He sees me. He’s fuming, eyes red. He looks like he has doubled in size too. I tap my bus card, “Let’s go!” he says. “Ausi you don’t have to go with him” says the bus driver.
“Don’t worry, he is my boyfriend. He wouldn’t hurt me” I say.
“We have heard that too many times, this person is crazy” shouts a passenger.
“AUSI. AUSI. AUSI”. 
I step out. He opens the door for me and I get in. He gets in, his tires screech and spin. Changing gears and switching lanes. In 5 minutes we arrive at my apartment. Quickest we have ever gotten home. I get out and slam his car door, “Really” he says. We walk into my place. I walk into the kitchen, throw my bag onto the counter; my hands are on the counter. He stands there in the hallway with his arms folded.

“Who the fuck, do you think you to stop that bus the way you did?” I ask.
“You were on the bus that’s all I wanted. You” he says.
“There were kids and adults on that bus, people could’ve gotten hurt” I say.
“The fuck, I care about those people for, I wanted you, to hell with them” he says. I’m pacing around, my hand on my forehead. I can’t believe the shit, I am hearing. “So you gonna tell me what’s been eating you?”

“What’s been eating me?” I ask, “Are you fucking serious?”
“Yeah, you didn’t want Lunch, and then you didn’t want me to pick you up, fuck is up with that?” he asks.
“You disappear for 2 fucking days you expect me to be cool with that. All for what some stupid house” I say.
He leans back, and chuckles “Wow. I was gone for 2 whole days you didn’t even ask me, Kea are you alright this morning. You know my personality. You know I am never away from my phone. You know it’s unlike me to not answer calls. I don’t know what the fuck this is neh, but when you have calmed down, call me then we can talk” he says and starts walking.
“I don’t fucking need this get out, I’m not gonna be disrespected by someone younger than me. VOETSEK” I say and slam the door hard.

Who the fuck does he think he is? Trying to shift the blame onto me, like I am the problem. I wasn’t the one who didn’t answer his phone for days. I don’t understand how, the fuck this man’s head works. Somehow he thinks that all of this is his fault, ah FUCK HIM AND HIS STUPID ASS SKYLINE. I walk into my room and slam the door. I lay on my bed in a fetal position and tears start rolling down my face.
I wipe my tears.
This was the first time I never watched him drive off. Ntokozo came home, and found me painting, she was talking about her day. I wasn’t listening. All I heard was some patient was cheating on his wife. I was just thinking about how, he came for me while I was on the bus. Most of the people were scared not me though, I was even frightened in the slightest or scared of him. People shouted for me not to go, and I went either way. Now I’m over here tears rolling down my face over someone younger than me, crying for a Man younger than me.
Why do I love him? God, why I love him? I open the bible, and my tears falls on a scripture, ‘Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.’ I wipe my tears, ‘I wanna talk’ I text. ‘This is my address’ he sends.
It’s 22h00. I order an Uber to Centurion. At 22:50, I finally arrive my hands are sweating.

His house is beautiful painted in Ash gray, it’s a small double story townhouse with a balcony over the Garage. I know it’s his house because the Skyline is parked outside. I walk up the driveway to the door and ring the doorbell. Wearing a trench coat some leggings and running shoes. I ring the bell again. He opens the door with a glass in his hand. My heart is pounding and he looks like the first time we met, his eyes piercing me. What am I doing here?
He moves out the way. I walk in and stand by the door. He looks down on me and I swallow my dry throat. I didn’t expect this, his house is so Beautiful. “Welcome Home” he says.