When You're Bound To Love

Chapter 154

SPHO**

I got ready for my meeting on really early Monday morning, feeling super groggy. We'd stayed up late with Tar discussing my launch and meeting afterwards with Thomas. For once he wasn't acting weird. He made jokes and laughed then left around 11 at night. After my shower, I got dressed. Today Dubs would take care of the kids when they wake. I couldn't get a hold of Lakhe and didn't want to rely on his showing up. Nosi and Vuyi were young. I didn't want them to have my responsibility yet. Speaking of Nosi, I knocked on her bedroom door. Nosi: "Enter." She's awake? That's a first. I walked in and she was sitting on the bed. Me: "Hey baby." She looked at me. Her eyes swollen red. I closed the door and sat next to her. Me: "I was thinking today I'd take you to the doctor with me. Why are you crying?" Nosi: "I just did the test." Me: "And..?" Nosi: "Positive. I'm pregnant." I hugged her. Me: "I'm sorry angel." Nosi: "How could I have been so stupid." Me: "No Nosi. You weren't stupid. You made a mistake like everyone else does. Later today I have an appointment. We're going okay? I love you. Try not think about it too much. Where's your sister?" Nosi: "With her mom. She's leaving today." Me: "Okay. I'll try and be quick with my day. Aren't you going to school? Sibu is going to drop you. Get dressed." Nosi: "Okay." I went to Sibu in the kitchen. Tar was here to pick me up. He stood by the door uncomfortably. Me: "Hi. Sleep well?" He nodded. So we're back to being cold? Great. Me: "Hello Sibu." Sibu: "Hey." He was eating cereal. Making me feel guilty for not making them breakfast. I must leave before Sandile wakes up. Me: "I have two favors to ask you." Sibu: "If one of them is making Sandile breakfast, I'm not doing it." Me: "Please bhuti? You know he'll whine all day. I beg you." Sibu: "Fine. What else?" Me: "Please drop Nosi off at school?" Sibu: "I can't do that." Me: "Bhuti I don't have another choice. I need someone I can trust to see her into school. No, not Sandile because I need someone sensitive to handle her emotions today. She's not okay. I trust you with this." Sibu: "I'm sensitive?" Me: "In a good way. You're the best brother ever." I hugged him. Sibu: "I'm doing this for him." He held his hand on my tummy. Me: "We appreciate it. Love you." I took my bag. Sibu: "Love you too." Me: "Lets go Tar." Tar and I walked to his car and he drove us off. Tar: "So Lakhe has two brothers?" Me: "No. Only Sandile." Tar: "So.. Who's that?" Me: "Sibu is my brother." Tar: "Blood brother?" Me: "Yeah." Tar: "Oh. I didn't know that." Me: "He was in the middle east for a while." Tar: "He looks like Lakhe so I thought..." Me: "You thought his whole family came to live with me." He looked at me then back at the road. Tar: "His whole family did. His aunt, sisters and brother. If his parents weren't so vile they probably would be there too. You attract goodness. Everyone wants to be around you." Me: "Thank you Tar. That's a very nice thing to say." We arrived at my temporary building and went inside. My approach was still discreet. I was launching the project in two different places. Tar would be at the actual company building with the board and I'd be watching. I wrote the speech he would say on my behalf. I wasn't ready to let the world know I was the new owner yet, I needed to make this project a success without negative publicity. After checking the security, Tar was about to leave. Tar: "Dimitri is on his way. To wish you well and of course look out for you. I won't be more than 3 hours." Me: "Thank you Tar." He walked out.

narrated**

Lakhe woke up at 11am. Something was ringing inside his head painfully. Then a knock on the door. Lakhe: "What the fuck do you want!!!!" Sarah: "Sir. It's me. Your doctor is here." Lakhe: "I don't need a doctor!" Sarah: "Of course not. But here we are. Your lawyer has been trying to call you for hours. He's on his way. Please get dressed and ready." The door opened and the doctor walked in. Lakhe: "You're not my doctor." Doc: "No. I'm not. Doctor Ngudla sent me. Can I begin?" Lakhe: "I don't need-" She grabbed his arm strapping a belt on it. Lakhe: "Hey!" Doc: "I'm just doing my job. I'm checking your blood pressure right now. Please sit still." She set up her equipment. Lakhe: "Is that an IV drip? I don't need a drip." Doc: "You need the alcohol out of your system. Sit still." She held his arm inserting the needle. Doc: "You always drink yourself into a coma or its just a special occasion today?" Lakhe: "Mxim." Sandile walked in. Sands: "So no breakfast here too?" Lakhe: "Didn't your mummy make you breakfast?" Sands: "She left early and let Sibu do it. SIBU. Obviously trying to kill me. Who's this?" Doc: "My name is Miya." Sands: "What's going on? Are you sick?" Lakhe: "Only now you notice?" Miya: "He's just hung over." Sands: "Wow bhuti. Why the drama? You need a whole doctor for a hangover? Anyway, make me breakfast." Lakhe: "I am strapped with a drip to the bed Sandile!! Make your own breakfast!!" Sands: "Why are you yelling?" Lakhe: "Get out of my room and leave me alone." Sands: "Wow. I'm sorry about yesterday. That's what I came to tell you. I do have your back. Always. You know that." He walked out. Miya: "What was that about?" Lakhe: "He's just so stressful. Sandile is a child." Miya: "Did you have to scream at him like that?" Lakhe: "You don't know anything. Please keep your opinions to yourself." Miya: "I know you're being unfair." Lakhe: "Look, I got divorced and he took her side. She's the world to him. Looks out for her and would die for her. Which is nice. I just ... sometimes I wish he'd act the same for me. I know he loves me and all but he doesn't show it. Is that a bad thing? To want to be appreciated?" Miya: "Maybe because you never gave him the platform to do it before? When you were growing up. Did you let him show you his love?" Lakhe: "Not really. We're men. We don't do that." Miya: "Exactly. Your ex wife is a woman. She became his sister and by the looks of things, took care of him-" Lakhe: "Took care of him? No. She adopted him! He lives with her!" Miya: "You don't give a lot of room to feel. You're really closed off." Lakhe: "You've only been here for less than 10 minutes." Miya: "And you've tried to chase me out twice. Your brother won't just know what you need when you don't tell him. Let him know that you also like being appreciated." Lakhe: "And asked nicely. You know when he asks her for breakfast, he even says please with a smile on his face. Look at how he bulldozed here. My health means nothing to him." Miya: "Your health means nothing to you either. Look at you. What's bothering you?" Lakhe: "I knew when we divorced everyone would leave with her. She's naturally a good person. I don't even have friends to talk to." Miya: "Have you tried making friends?" Lakhe: "Yeah. The one I tried turned into a demon literally overnight." She laughed. Miya: "You're funny. So you don't have people in your corner that you share a beer with and watch soccer with?" Lakhe: "Well.. Dumi betrayed me. So no. No friends whatsoever." Miya: "Do you even go out?" Lakhe: "To where?" Miya: "Out to bars and stuff." Lakhe: "The things I find fun aren't things other people find fun." Miya: "Okay. What do you like?" Lakhe: "Shooting. Fast Driving. Extreme sports. I haven't done those in years. I once went skydiving. The most thrilling time of my life." he sighed. Lakhe: "I haven't done anything I like in a while." Miya: "Sounds like a shooting range. Advanced driving courses. Extreme sports social networks. These things exist because a lot of other people like you do them too. Tell you what. Search for an extreme sports Facebook group and join it. You'll find a lot of people there ready to join you for a good time. Visit a shooting range even by yourself Ask them at that centre if you could help out with anything. Be social. That's how you make friends. Not by roaring and intimidating people." Lakhe: "Imagine going to a shooting range all by myself like a psychopath. Absolutely not." She laughed. Miya: "Do you want me to come with you and hold your hand?" he chuckled. Lakhe: "That's nice. I don't know." Miya: "Let me know if you change your mind. I can be very cool." Lakhe: "What do you like to do? Maybe I can get ideas on normal people things." Miya: "I love flea markets and lifestyle expos." Lakhe: "No thanks. I can't do lifestyle expos." Miya: "Yes you can. It's just a festival. Eating great food, tasting local wines, learning about new products. It will be amazing. I promise. It's for normal people." Lakhe: "Fine. But two hours max." Miya: "Two hours is all you need. They even have meditation and massage therapy. So perhaps you might want to do that to get rid of stress." He smiled. Dumi knocked on the open door. Lakhe: "Come on in." Miya: "I should get going." Lakhe: "I'm feeling a bit better. I can blink now." Miya: "Good. Headache? And don't lie." He smiled. Miya: "Here's my card." She left her business card on the table then packed her things. Lakhe: "Minor headache but thanks Miya. I feel okay." Miya: "Don't forget to eat. And the expo starts tomorrow. It'll be going on for the whole week but I'd like to get a head start." She walked out. Dumi: "She's pretty." Lakhe: "Hm?" Dumi: "Your doctor. I said she's pretty." Lakhe: "I suppose. I need the bathroom. My God this place is a mess. I wonder what she thinks of me." He walked to the bathroom. Dumi: "I have news that might unsettle you." Lakhe: "Just a minute." He brushed his teeth and took a quick shower. Lakhe: "So what's up?" He walked to the room draped in a towel. Dumi: "Your father's company just launched the project. Investors are piling up. The share price shot through the roof. Lakhe, this person knows what they're doing. It's madness. Look." Lakhe: "Fucking hell. Which project is this?" Dumi: "The youth thing your dad was working on." Lakhe: "Spho's project. Wow." Dumi: "So what now." Lakhe: "Buy some shares. I want to be on that board. Right now." Dumi: "Can't. The board positions are closed. This person has a collective of all 92% of the shares. All the members sold them once the company fell. Whoever this is raked them all up. They knew exactly what they were doing." Lakhe: "You'd swear they've been waiting on this moment for a long time. This was calculated. Who has the remaining 8%?" Dumi: "Two members of the board. Both of them have 4 each." Lakhe: "Don't you need at least 10 to sit on the board?" Dumi: "Whoever this guy is changed all the rules. There's only 5 board members now. The company is performing at an alarming rate." Lakhe: "Dumisani I need to know who this person is." Dumi: "I tried. Nobody knows. Not even the board. It's like they're a ghost." Lakhe: "Nobody is a ghost. This person is bound to slip." Dumi: "One more thing." Lakhe: "What." Dumi: "Tar is their lawyer." Lakhe: "TAR? How is that even possible!!" Dumi: "Tar is a slimy lawyer with his brother Dimitri. Their entire firm actually. Whoever this is, is connected. What if it's Spho?" Lakhe: "How do you know Tar is the lawyer of this person?" Dumi: "He gave the opening speech at the launch on behalf of the CEO." Lakhe: "It's impossible that its Spho. She has a meeting with Thomas today and honestly, she's a good woman and she's honest. She would never do this. If Tar can get that ahead of you, why isn't he my lawyer? Seemingly he knows what he's doing." Dumisani looked at him. Lakhe: "Get me the name of who this person is if you want to keep your job Dumisani." ....