All eyes were on Themba and his ex-girlfriend, Khayi, as they walk up to Steers in Winsor West. Actually all eyes were on Khanyi and it wasn’t odd because she is used to paparatsi cameras unlike Themba that I would like to imagine as the donkey that Jesus rode at the towns of Bethphage and Bethany. What Khanyi hated was those people that approach her as if they knew her with some “I can’t believe this is you, yooooh, my friends won’t believe that I met you. Can I take a picture with you?” At first it was cool but now she can’t stand these people who just jump in front of her and sigh “hah!” as if something choked them and then remain silent like a statue as they hold their mouths meanwhile she would be confused whether she should lay hands on them in the name of Jesus to release whatever has choked them or something. Even at churches that she tried attending before, people looked at her as if she were a sinner when alter calls ware called. Seeing that she is not approaching the stage, the pastor would look at her and plea “is there anybody else? Come-on! don’t be afraid. Just come and confess your sins. Come come come! Don’t stand there and go to hell when you know can be helped. Come come my sister come come!” At this point ushers approached and stood next to her as the whole crowd would be clapping their hands and would have opened the eyes (that have been ordered to be closed) to see the stubborn person that is been called by the pastor. At that point everyone has a spiritual gift of knowledge because they would all turn their eyes to her as soon as they opened. But that’s all in the past, now she has learnt to deal with everyone. Basically, she treats them like extras (additional actors) in her video shoots; they are there but there, as if they don’t exist because the primary focus must be on the one that she would be in dialogue with, which would be God at church and Themba Zungu on this Valentine’s day.
“Have you ever tried their ribs?” Khanyi asked but as Themba tried to answer, she was already responding “Oh my goodness, they are so so delicious. I want you to try them for me, darling. I am willing to pay everything including you just to try them for me, please please please!” Khanyi pleaded making five year old’s faces “ In fact let’s get a seat and let me serve you as my Zulu king coz you honoured mwa by coming , so I will go to the counter and you sit over hyah, an don’t move! ”. What could anyone do? The man was beseeched… actually he was pushed emotionally, psychologically and physically to sit down on the purple curvy thingy #I really don’t know what to call that sitting thing at steers, sorry! But it is designed to activate your body to demand stretching in standing position after 1 hour#.
Celline Dion was in the air from the background music singing “All by myself” as Themba sit there listening. But before the song could sink in Themba’s soul, Khanyisile returned and sat down on the opposite curvy thingy facing the man and with her back facing a TV screen. It’s been years since the day of ama-Voetsik and sword-pens, and it seems like Khanyisile has got safeguards or reaction solutions with a checklist to prevent every disastrous thing that occurred last time. For instance, she already prevented Themba from ordering large chips and Cokes. The People’s eyes around? = check! She now leads the communication, so = check! His dressing code is not too bad and she can keep her eyes on the eyes instead of the German-cut and perms on his head – so= check! During her trip to the counter, she had already started filtering people’s contemptuous statements like, “Ke Khanyi O? Yoh, O wile!”, “What is she doing in Steers? She broke?”, “ Hey my friend, look to your right, is it her?”, “She is divorced, I read they are having problems with the husband” , “Is that her husband?”, “Isn’t her husband white?”. All of those inferior attacks hit the exterior of her ears and bounced back , so everything = check.
The only rumour that Themba has heard was that Doug was involved in drugs. Themba was still thinking about the rumour along with the question about why Khanyi was there. “It’s been a while. And I even tried Facebook to contact you but couldn’t find you.”, Khanyi said as she placed a tray with cold drinks on the table. “ I wanted to hook up with you sometime ago and I had friends who are musicians like you. I even tried Twitter… tell me, are you on BBM?” Khanyi asked eagerly. “no, I don’t do drugs!”, Themba replied. “No, you silly. Heheheh, you very funny! ” She pats him on the shoulder. Judging from all the sound effects made by those bangles on her arm the pat was supposed to be painful but Themba was still wondering what was funny about his serious confession to take cognisance of the pain. “ Just because we on TV doesn’t mean that we on drugs silly! I’m talking about Black Berry… aaggh, never mind, how have you been anyway ? Are you married, any children? Grandchildren perhaps?”
“ ha ha ha, No ! I have been well and I work just across the road at the music shop. I am working on releasing my own contemporary gospel album with a sort of house fill, but it is still a crude plan, you know what I mean?”. Themba replied confidently.
“Wow! I knew you were a dreamer!” Khanyi responded to Themba but she was actually talking to herself as if she was remorseful of leaving him but her face didn’t show it. Khanyisile had a vision and needed a man who understood her at the point when they were dating but Themba did not have any signs of that or hope whatsoever. On the day that she went to seek financial assistance for her clothing design business plan at Omsobomvu Youth Fund, she expected more than just “it’s ok. Leave them baby!” from Themba. That was a day that her dreams to be a fashion designer would dissolve because she had no support from her parents, the government, the church, and even her man. That day at the Omsobomvu offices, Khanyi was told that her idea would have been better if it was agricultural or selling fruits and vegetables from South African farmers. While perceiving that the people in power thought so low and in boxes, she was further discouraged when she heard that her friend’s boyfriend received a call from one of his corrupt friends who worked at the Fund offices. The officer asked his friend to submit any business plan because the funds were being released for the year and he wanted someone to share with.
When Khanyisile met Doug, while she was working at the HR department of a big company in Jo’burg, her bulb of dreams lit on again. Doug was an enthusiastic go-getter and it wasn’t a surprise when he left the company to start his own business and taking her along after they got married. Not only that, Doug was a good listener, an encourager who was confident enough to help her run after her fashion dreams without hindrances or worries of failure or being intimidated by her future success. Doug and Khanyi’s relationship took off like a rocket into their own planet of love. Khanyi had never been that happy and fulfilled in her life and she had discovered so much about herself and life through an amazing hero, Mr Branson. Doug even encouraged her to audition for TV acting and helped her through his business connections with some of the production members to get a role. They had passionate sex in almost any place where there was no third party and it was great especially after Doug’s successful business deals or when Khanyi started getting media recognition and other TV roles. She had control over Doug because he couldn’t keep his hands and mind off her, and Khayisile loved it! Khanyisile loved it more when Doug accredited her before his business partners in all the occasions. She felt valued, fulfilled and Doug was her Hero who would even forsake some of his close relatives and friends that had racial prejudice issues, just for her. “But if she has such an amazing flashy life in Ilovo near Melrose arc where they usual hanged around, what was she doing far down there in Winsor with the gentiles?” One may ask. “Good question!”, one may answer # this one being me, basically.So we’ll find out on the next episode…#
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