Broken

*22*

Ma was preparing her special chocolate cake in the kitchen while Mo sat on the kitchen stool and watched her. She kept stealing some batter whenever her mother turned away from it.

"I can see your reflection in this beautiful mirror splashback of yours, you know?" Ma laughed. "Stop stealing my batter."

Mo grinned. "Technically it's mine because I bought the ingredients so..."

"You might as well eat the flour and the sugar and the cocoa and the margarine-"

"I get it," Mo laughed as she grabbed the spatula and began licking it. "I'm depressed and I need something sweet and you were kind enough to show your face here after you ghosted me last night. Where did you even sleep?"

Ma smiled. "We slept at the guest house. We weren't sure if it would be OK with you if Marcus slept over here so we thought it best not to force things. And I heard rumours anyway."

Mo stared at her mother. "What rumours?"

Ma turned to look at her. "The man that came in all bruised and beat up...who was he?"

Mo shut her mouth when she remembered last night and focused on licking her spatula.

"Anyway," Ma went on. "The rumours are that you two are an item-"

"What? No." Mo shook her head. She didn't know why she said it but it came out of her mouth anyway. "He was dating Thabile."

"Was? Past tense." Ma stared intently at her. "Talk to me, my baby. I know something is bothering you when you are focusing on that spatula so much like its an exam question."

Mo's lips trembled as tears threatened to consume her. "Thabile slept with Rea," she croaked as a few tears escaped. She looked up at her mother who only had a neutral face like she usually had when she was thinking deeply about something. "When we were dating, I went to Dubai and they were busy behind my back, Ma."

"Go on, baby girl. I'm listening."

"They kept at it until Rea disappeared and when he eventually came back earlier this year, I know you warned me against him but I went back to him again. At that point in time, Thabile had met Tebatso and I could swear that they were in love and he was even going to propose to her. Then Thabile went and slept with Rea when she saw him fitting a ring onto my finger."

"I'm lost. Who was fitting a ring onto your finger?"

"Her boyfriend. I know it sounds stupid but let me explain. Thabile and I are the same ring finger size and I suggested that we try the ring on my finger to make sure that it would fit her. She saw us and thought that we stabbed her in the back so she went to get her revenge and slept with my boyfriend."

"Don't hate me, ok? I hear that what Thabile did was wrong especially because she is your best friend but who is the common denominator in all of your problems? Reahile. You don't have to put all of the blame on Thabile as you are partly to blame and so is Reahile. He is mostly to blame. He should have stayed faithful to you and shooed your friend away but we all know that that good-for-nothing can't keep his manhood in his pants. Frankly I'm quite glad that Thabile did what she did because it made you come to your senses and see that that man-boy was just using you."

Mo's jaw dropped. "Ma!" she scowled as she got off the stool and put the spatula in the sink. "You're supposed to be on my side here and tell me what a bitch Thabile really is as well as calling Rea all the names in the curse word book."

"Oh no. I don't think Thabile is a bitch. I think she saved you and that's not being a bitch. Anyway, so you broke up with Reahile, right?"

"Obviously but not because he slept with my best friend." Mo looked at her hands and diddled with them. "He was abusive."