The North

Chapter 19: Ocean Rocks

"Why am I so angry?" KB said to himself.

He was staring at his reflection in the mirror, with eyes reserved for strangers, cautious eyes that did not want to trust what they saw.

"Why am I so angry?" he repeated.

It was 08:30 AM and KB stood before the mirror in his bedroom while he got dressed for the Investment Summit taking place in a few hours time. He had hardly slept a wink after everything that had transpired the previous day at Mbali's uncle's house. And the bottle of cheap whiskey he usually kept hidden under his bed lay empty on the floor beside his cell phone. Both had kept him company throughout the dark night which he had spent reading through as many comments as he could on his Instagram page , admiring his growing fan base and the validation they gave him. The thousands of invisible voices fed something within KB that continued to grow and grow until the memories of what had happened between him and his friends became a distant memory:

"KB is the next Tau!", "I wonder if KB is dating anyone?", "KB's rising star cannot be stopped!", "I can't wait for KB's era as a Star to begin! It's only a matter of time now!"

Neither Mbali, Senzo, nor Thato had tried to contact KB, and KB had no intentions of contacting them too, even though he knew Thato was the one who had all their tickets for the Summit. His plan was to pitch at the front desk with hopes that his name, as well as the names of the Stars, were all on some guest list of sorts.

A sudden knock on his bedroom door distracted his thoughts.

"Are you there, Kabelo?" Ma asked from the other side of the door.

"Yes, Ma..." KB replied, unlocking the door before opening it.

"Oh...where are you going?" Ma questioned after seeing KB dressed in a suit and tie. It was the same suit he had worn to the party with the Stars at Sumo – the one Thato had given him.

"I have a job interview later..." KB lied. He continued to examine his reflection in the mirror.

"That's good, my child" Ma responded. She stood behind KB and helped him with his tie, observing his reflection in the mirror when she was done. "I'm proud of you for doing this, Kabelo" she said. "I'm taking Lulama to crèche now and then I'm going to work. There's eggs and bread on the stove if you're hungry."

Ma kissed KB on the cheek before departing his room, leaving her sweet perfume lingering in the air behind her.

***

"I'm on the way. Meet inside the venue?" KB texted Tau after finishing his breakfast and locking the apartment door behind him. He tried his best to leave Mbali's words in the past as he made his way down the stairway leading from their unit to his car in the parking lot: "Come on, KB... It's so obvious. Thato, Senzo and I spoke about it..."

"Fucking skanks...all of them..." KB muttered to himself as he approached his car. He fished for his car keys in his pocket, and as he did so KB almost didn't notice the figure leaning with folded arms against the passenger door of the vehicle. His heart skipped a beat.

"How did you get in?" KB said to Senzo once he was close enough to be heard. Senzo, who was also dressed in a suit, pushed himself off the car and stood awkwardly. There was a plastic sleeve with a number of papers inside tucked beneath his armpit.

"The security guards all know me..." He responded.

"What do you want?" KB asked.

"To talk..." Senzo responded. "I also figured you would need these to get into the Summit..." he continued, pointing at the plastic sleeve wedged beneath his armpit.