The North

Chapter 7: The Line

It took a while for KB to stop crying, for him to stop heaving and choking like an infant as snot mixed with tears, both streaming down his chin. The release of all the emotions locked within him had been cathartic, and though he had a headache that pounded against the inside of his head KB felt considerably better. Lighter. As if something had loosened its tight grip inside his chest. He could think clearly; something he hadn't been able to do in a while.

"Feel better?" Mbali asked. She was seated beside KB on the couch, one hand resting on his back. She reached the other hand towards him and gently moved his hands away from his face. He raised his head to meet her gaze and then quickly dropped his eyes to his feet.

"Yeah..." he responded softly. His hands we still shaking and Mbali cupped them between her own.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mbali asked, her voice quiet like his. She tightened her warm grip around his trembling hands.

"I don't know what more there is to say" KB said, sounding defeated and ashamed. He was staring at his feet which were also shaking.

"Well... for starters" Mbali said "We need to get you a suit."

"What..." KB was caught off guard by the suggestion.

He had known Mbali for years, and they often referred to each other as siblings. And though she loved a good time (and was always the life of the party) KB also knew that there was a line that existed in her head that she never crossed. It split her life into things that she was willing to do and things that were completely out of the question.

"You've clearly made an impression on Tau, and he seems willing to let you in. Whatever that means for now...I want in too" Mbali said, crossing the line.

KB spent the remainder of the late afternoon explaining everything to Mbali: how he had snuck into the private floor of the Harem nightclub; how he had met Tau in the shiny restroom; how he had lied about being one of the bankers in the Presidential suite; and everything he had heard Nana say at the Neighbourgoods market about the party Tau was planning.

Mbali listened quietly as he spoke, one thing coming out after the other, and she occasionally raised an eyebrow whenever intrigued.

When KB was finally done explaining, when night had fallen and every detail had been placed before her like neatly ironed clothes, Mbali said; "We will need Senzo and Thato's help to pull this off. Especially Thato."

***

"Your dinner is in the fridge, mtanam" Ma said to KB when he returned home. It was 21:30 and Lulama had already been put to bed.

Ma was sitting alone at the small dining table, punching away at the thick calculator balanced on her lap. There was a messy pile of bills and receipts spread across the entire surface of the table.

"Thanks, Ma" KB responded, walking passed her towards the kitchen.

He popped the leftover chicken into the microwave and scrolled through his Instagram feed while he waited.

He hadn't been on the app since his birthday the day before and was surprised to find that he had since gained 9732 new followers. In addition to that there were multiple comments on his existing pictures from people he had never met before. He continued scrolling.

"You're really good looking", one comment read, posted by a user named WolfKG who had followed KB. The other comments were similar.

He continued to scroll through his feed, stopping again when he reached a picture of himself that he had not posted. He instantly recognized the image. It was of him, Lesedi, and Tau standing together and talking on the roof deck of the Neighbourgoods market, right at the point when he had realized that the entire crowd was watching, some with their phones out.

The image had been uploaded by a user named NorthernBrew who had subsequently tagged KB, Tau, and Lesedi respectively.

The biggest surprise though was that the image had over 200K likes and 6947 comments. "The hottest tea served daily from the North" read the user's bio. "@TheKabelo has been blessed by the stars" read the picture's caption.

KB's train of thought was suddenly broken when his phone began to vibrate, its screen glowing bright with Senzo's name.

"Yo Senz..." He answered.

"KB, dog, where you at?" Senzo asked.

"I'm at home bra." KB said "What's good?"

"I need some help bra. The old lady and I got into it again. She wants me out the house tomorrow. You know how it is" Senzo replied.

KB didn't have to ask what had happened. He knew that Senzo had somehow fucked up and disappointed his mother again. But he asked anyway.

"I fucked up, bruh. I took her car this afternoon and got into an accident. They wrote the car off, dog" Senzo explained, without a hint of remorse.

KB wasn't surprised. Senzo and his mother had a long history of conflict and it wasn't the first time she had put him out on the street.

"Pull through to my place tomorrow, bruh. I got you" KB said, unsure of how he would explain it to his mother, who already wasn't Senzo's biggest fan.

Ma saw Senzo as a bad influence on KB, often blaming KB's failures on their friendship. And her conviction was further fueled when both KB and Senzo got excluded from the University of Johannesburg at the same time.

"Thanks, bruh. I appreciate it" Senzo said before dropping the phone.

It was unusual for Senzo to speak so few words in such a situation; he usually went out of his way to pin the blame on his mother. But KB chose to ignore the hunch as he placed his phone back in his pocket and opened the microwave door.

The chicken was hot, so was the plate, and KB was making to get a dishcloth to cover his hand when his phone began to vibrate again. He retrieved the device from his pocket, its screen glowing bright with "private number".

"Hello?" KB answered after clearing his throat.

The line was silent, except for the barely audible sound of somebody breathing on the other end.

"Hello?" KB said again, louder than before.

Silence.

He waited, and just as he was about to speak for the third time the phone went dead.