Chapter 24: Anxiousness
"Hey man, please calm down. I'm sure there must be a good explanation for all of this." Tsepo says to a visibly worried Sbu who sits on the sofa looking defeated as he keeps tapping with his foot. He had called his friends over when he started to feel something might be wrong with Buhle since it's now well over 24 hours since he's had from her. He once again went there to check on her but still there was no one. Her place was locked, probably on Tendai's instruction in order to avoid suspicion."Look man, I know Buhle" Sbu says with a raised worried voice, "She'd never switch off her cell phone for this long. Not even when she's in surgery but I called the Hospital, she's not there. I also went to her surgery, she's not there also. Something is definitely up man. She never goes the whole day without calling Naledi" he says as he takes water that Tsepo brought from the kitchen to try and calm him down. "Yeah man, I got to say this is very strange man. It doesn't sound right" Jabu jumps in as his face looks worried over this. Suddenly this brings silence in the room as the three friends look to be in deep thought. They all worried about this but none have answers.
"Where's Naledi now?" Tsepo asks quietly not wanting Sbu's daughter to hear. "She's upstairs" Sbu responds as he continues to look down. "She looks oblivious though. I told her that her mother has travelled with work. I just don’t want her to panic over this. I first need to know what's going on" as he looks upstairs to see if his daughter is listening.
"That's a good idea man. We need to first know what's really going on and..." Jabu says but he doesn't finish as Sbu cuts him off, "Maybe I should go over to Lindiwe's hotel. Maybe that's where she is and..." he says but Jabu cuts him short as well, "No man that won't help" he says with a worried voice, which scares Sbu who asks, "What do you mean? What's going?" he is anxious. "Look, I went there to look for her after I have tried in vain to reach her on her cell phone from yesterday and this morning but the staff hasn't seen her." Bheki says with a low voice. "There's something important to discuss with her concerning the case. She hasn't been at work the past two days and they can't get hold of her. I then went to her husband's house but she isn't there and her husband is also out of the country, his employees told me" as he looks down to avoid eye contact with his panicking friend.
"You see what I mean guys?" Sbu raises his voice as he stands up and goes to stand by the window. He is now panicking more than ever. "This can't be a coincident, clearly something happened to my wife" he starts moving up and down. His friends feel so bad but they don't even know how to help their friend. It makes them sad.
"So you think this is connected, that they are together wherever they are?" Tsepo asks curiously as he tries to think but Jabu cuts him off, "Yeah man, it definitely looks that way. How else do you explain this" Jabu says as he looks to the ceiling to think. "Yeah Jabu is right, this can't be a coincidence." Sbu jumps in, "Buhle doesn't have any other friends besides Lindiwe and Lerato. That's where she spends her off time if she's not spending time with her daughter. Now that we can't get hold of any of them can't be a coincident, right?" he says as he keeps moving up and down the room in panic. "So who could have taken them and why? Any idea?" Tsepo asks curiously but that seems to be upsetting to his friend who comes back to sit down.
"Look man, I don't know alright?" Sbu says with a low voice. "I mean, angry business rivals? But that would be very extreme. I mean I win tenders ahead of others all the time but this has never
happened before. I mean even if this was so, why take all of them? If it's about me, then why not only take my wife?" as he looks upstairs once again to if Naledi is not listening.
"Yeah you're right man. This just doesn't make at all" Tsepo says as he looks down as if he's thinking. "So what are you going to do now?" he probes his confused-looking friend. "Look man, you have to go to the police" Jabu interjects. "And tell them what?" Tsepo jumps in as he asks. "Look man, it's over 24 hours already and seeing that it is strange for Buhle to behave this way we have reasons to believe something might have happened to her" Jabu says as he jumps right back in. "Alright but isn't 48 hours the..." Tsepo says but he's cut off by the upset Sbu, "Who cares if 24 hours or 48 hours she's been missing?" he says as he shouts. "My wife is missing man; do you get that?" as he bangs the table hard.
"Alright man, calm down. I'm on your side okay?" Tsepo says politely as he tries to calm his friend down. "So let's go to the police then" he says as he gives his friend a pat on the back to which Sbu nods. "Look, I will call Grace and ask him to come over here so that she could be with your daughter because I think we should be there with you at the police station" says Tsepo. "Thanks a lot man, I really appreciate that. But I think you should stay here with Naledi and wait for Grace. I don't want her to be alone when her mother is already missing. Is that okay man?" Sbu says as he looks around for his keys. "Yeah sure man, no problem. I will stay here with Naledi and wait for Grace" Tsepo says gracefully as he stands up to hug his friend. Sbu grabs his jacket and keys before him Jabu head out the door.
***
Back at the warehouse, things have been tense between the ladies. They haven't said much to each other since their secret reveals towards one another. Clearly there's sense of a broken trust amongst them. Even though they are no longer tied to their chairs, they all look exhausted sitting in them for over a day and half. Not having a bath for this long must be the most frustrating part for them.
"Ladies, are we just going to ignore each other for hours? Are we not going to talk about what happened earlier?" Buhle asks as she looks down to try and avoid eye contact. She knows how everyone feels at the moment. "Uhmm, which part exactly Buhle? That your crazy boyfriend abducted us and threatens to kill us all?" Lindiwe says with a low voice, also looking away. She doesn't even want to look at her. "Oh come on Lindi, please don't be..." Lerato says as she tries to come into Buhle's defense but she gets cut of by the angry Lindiwe who shouts, "Oh you meant we must talk about Lerato's boyfriend who happens to be a killer. The boyfriend that almost killed me, is that what we must talk about Buhle?" as she looks at Lerato.
Buhle wants to respond but she's trying to avoid making things worse than they already are so she keeps quiet. Lerato can't seem to know how to respond to that as well as she looks away. Suddenly this brings a moment of silence and tension in the room. The last time these three friend went through something like this was when Buhle found out her husband was cheating, with her best friend.
"Come on Lindiwe. You are not all innocent in this you know?" Buhle says with a polite voice as she breaks the uncomfortable silence. But just before Lindiwe could respond, she continues, "Look, from what you told us, Tendai could be after you. Think about it, if he is capable of killing your boyfriend, the reporter, you don't think he is capable of doing this? Your husband obviously told him about the file you have on them and other powerful people. You think he was going to let that go? Yes I hear that you blame us for everything that's happening to you right now but we also could be here
because of you and your issues with your husband" as she looks at her in the eyes, this time with a little bit of confidence. But before a visibly shocked Lindiwe could answer, they are interrupted by someone who opens the door and comes through.
"Ladies I brought you water; you must be thirsty" Tendai says with a smile of someone who is proud of himself. "Why don't you just kill us already, MEC?" Lindiwe says with a low voice looking at him in the eyes. "Oh you'd really love that Mrs. Khuzwayo, wouldn't you?" Tendai says he puts the three bottles of water down just a meter away from the ladies.
"Why are you doing this Tendai? I thought you loved me. I was such a fool" Buhle says with a sad voice and sad eyes as she looks at him to try and see if she can't extract sympathy from him. This makes Tendai thinks for a minute before saying, "You know what Doctor, believe it or not but it
really wasn't my intention to get you involved in this at all. You know very well that I wouldn't do anything to hurt you if the situation was different" Tendai says as he looks to the ceiling.
"Then why are you doing this?" Buhle says with an exhausted voice as she jumps right back in. Tendai takes a second to think, "Well Doc, Mrs. Khuzwayo here threatens my business and my reputation and the reputation of those close to me...who also happen to be powerful people" he says politely.
"What do you mean? I don't understand" Buhle asks curiously but Tendai ignores her as he continues, "And your other friend over there" as he looks at Lerato, "Now knows just a little too much for my liking, so she has become loose end. A loose end that her boyfriend should have tied up instead of falling in love" as he looks up to the ceiling once again.
"Oh but I wasn't going to tell anyone, I promise" Lerato says with a desperate and trembling voice. "Oh it's a little too late for that don't you think miss Phuthi? Didn't you tell your friends here all about your boyfriend and his dealings with me? You see? There's no turning back from this" as he gives out half a smile. "So Doc, as you can see? There is no other way" he says as he turns to Buhle.
"We were actually trying to locate these two" pointing to Buhle's friends, "We were monitoring their movements. We wanted to find miss Phuthi over here because we knew that in order to find her boyfriend, who by the way escaped...because I already had him. He killed my men and got away. So we were hoping his girlfriend can tell us where he is. We have unfinished business with him" he smiles once again.
“Well, we knew that you guys are quiet close, eventually you'd meet. So we decided to monitor your place, doctor. So when your friends came over to your place we killed two birds with one stone. Believe me when I say I wish we caught them from somewhere else but unfortunately, you were also there as well. Good thing though is that your daughter wasn't there" as he shrugs his shoulders.
But that suddenly injects Buhle with fury as she springs to life, "Don't you dare touch my daughter, you bastard. You hear me? Don't you dare?" she screams on top of her voice as she jumps on Tendai to hit him on the chest but the other two men quickly restrain her and pin her down to the chair. She is now weak as she cries inconsolably, to which Tendai doesn't seem to like. "Oh my baby. Please don't touch my daughter" she cries. Tendai indicates with his head to the men who are pinning her down to let her go as he begins to feel bad about it.
"Look Buhle, you know very well I'd never hurt Naledi. I promise you, no harm will come to her" Tendai says with a low voice. "But look, Mrs. Khuzwayo has what I need and I will get it at all cost and Miss Phuthi here will tell me where her boyfriend is" as he looks at both Lindiwe and Lerato.
"Now, don't make me do something I'm not looking forward to, okay? I don't like torturing women but very important people are now drawn into this and they want me to clean this up. They can't
have their names linked to damaging material, do you understand that?" he raises his voice a little bit, in frustration. "Now what I need to know from you Mrs. Khuzwayo is, where is the file you have on me, your husband and my associates?" he asks Lindiwe and he comes a little closer to her. A terrified Lindiwe's eyes begin to be teary as she fears for her life. "How do I know you won't kill me, us once I give you the file?" she asks with a trembling voice while looking at Tendai.
"Well, unfortunately you don't have the luxury to know that Mrs. Khuzwayo" Tendai responds quickly. "But what I know is that I will torture you until you tell me what I want to know. And if you don't want to tell me still, I will have to kill you" he says to which tears start to fall off Lindiwe's face as she is terrified.
"Alright, let me give you a minute to decide while I turn my attention to your friend" Tendai says as he turns to Lerato. "Miss Phuthi, where is your boyfriend?" he says as he looks at Lerato in the eyes but she's so terrified she can't utter a single word. "I said, where is your boyfriend?" Tendai shouts to snap Lerato out of it. She then freaks as she covers her face to avoid being hit. "I really don’t know where he is. I haven't..." she says with a trembling voice but she doesn't finish as Tendai slaps her so hard across the face that she falls over her chair to the ground. "Tendai, are you crazy? What the hell are you doing?" Buhle shouts as she tries to come to her friend's defense.
"Stay out of this Buhle" Tendai shouts back as he points a finger at her. He then waits for his men to help Lerato get up and sits on her chair. She's not bleeding but she clearly felt that one. She is crying as she's terrified. "Okay miss Phuthi, let's try this again." he says softly, "Where is your boyfriend?" he asks looking at her dead in the eyes.
"I really don't know; I swear" Lerato says trembling as she wipes her tears. As Tendai comes a little closer to lay another one he is interrupted by a call on his cell. "Hello" he says. After a few seconds he indicates with his head to his men that they should go outside. So all the three men go out and lock the door behind them, leaving the girls reeling in shock and terror.
***
Miles away from the drama in Cape Town, Katlego has begun her new job as a doctor in a private Hospital. It's a little busy than she was used to at mostly government clinics. Private is a little more demanding than public service but advantage she has is that she now works fixed hours and prescheduled shifts. At the moment she's working day shift which allows her much needed time to spend with her daughter. While she misses Durban and her friends she knows that chapter of her life is closed and Cape Town and her daughter are the beginning of a new chapter in her life.
"So how's your daughter?" Doctor Thabang Ralani says as he sips on her coffee. "My daughter is healthy and growing, thank you for asking doctor Ralani" Lindiwe says as she smiles at her colleague. "Oh come on, I told you Thabang is okay, Katlego" Thabang says as he lets out a little smile while taking a sip.
"I know, I know. I'm just pulling your leg" Katlego says as she takes a sip of her coffee too. "This cafeteria is actually quite nice. Can't believe I haven't been here since starting on the job" she says as she looks around this huge eating area that is full of Hospital staff sitting on tables. It looks like a fancy eating hall with a very good menu. "Yeah I have been inviting you for tea but you're always busy with something, or just avoiding me" Thabang says as he teases her. "Oh no I wasn't avoiding you, it's just that since I'm new here there's a lot of catch up to do and have to familiarize myself with the Hospital materials and all that" Katlego says looking down as she seems embarrassed by that.
"I was just kidding; of course I understand" Thabang says with a smile. "So if we can't grab coffee here at work, maybe you can invite me over for dinner or have lunch with me or something?" he
says as he raises an eyebrow, not knowing how Katlego would take that. But it only brings a few seconds of awkward silence.
"Uhmm, you know what, I can't at the moment hey" Katlego says with a low voice looking down. "Time doesn't really allow me hey. I mean, there's a baby to look after when I get home. I have to catch up on many things I hadn't been able to do before I went to work and all that. So..." she says but Thabang cuts her off, "Sound like it's an excuse to not be with any another man, because there is one already?" he says as he raises her eyebrow once again. "Uhmm, oh no it's not that at all but..." Katlego says but he cuts her off, "May I ask where is he?" he asks with a smile as he looks at her in the eyes. "Where's who?" asks Katlego as if she's trying to think.
"Oh come on, your boyfriend of course. Who else?" Thabang says as if he doesn't like being teased like that. "Well...uhmm you know what? I think my lunch break is over" Katlego says as she bursts out laughing. "I will see you later doc" as she stands up and walk, leaving Thabang sitting there by himself.
***
"Daddy, daddy. Are you coming with mommy?" little Naledi asks her daddy as he comes through the door in the evening but this question seems to cut Sbu deep in the heart. How do I tell my daughter that her mom is missing? he asks himself but he doesn't have an answer to this. How will he even begin to respond to the question and look at his daughter in the eyes, and lie?
"Uhmm, no sweetheart. Remember that I told you that mommy is away on work trip? She will come back soon baby, before you know it" Sbu says with a very low voice desperately trying hard to hide the sadness in his eyes. A moment later, Grace comes through to lounge as well and she can see the fear and sadness in Sbu's eyes. Immediately she is overwhelmed with sadness as well. It's had for her to see him like this knowing there's nothing she can do. Sbu himself is trying to hide this from Grace but it's a little too late for that. "But when is that daddy?" Naledi probs. She clearly misses her mommy and wants answers. She has this sadness in her voice as if she knows something has happened to her.
"Look sweetheart, why don't you go upstairs and wait for me? I'll be right up there with you. I just need to talk to daddy about something okay, sweeties?" Grace jumps in as she could see that Sbu had no answer for the sad Naledi. They both watch her as she drags herself upstairs.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Grace asks a dejected Sbu as she comes to sit next him. But she quickly jumps in again, "Oh I'm sorry that's a stupid question" she says as she looks into his eyes and sees pain. It's now becoming hard even for her. What does she say to him to make him feel better? "Hey Grace thanks for being with her" Sbu says with a low voice. "Look you don't need to stay, I'm here now. So why don't you go home? I can take it from here" as he looks away to avoid eye contact. "Oh no, I'm not going" Grace says as she cuts him off. "I can't leave you like this. I can't leave you like this. Look at you, when have you last slept or even eaten?" as she brushes Sbu's shoulder.
"Look, Tsepo and I spoke and he's okay that I take leave and come look after Naledi. He also cares about you" she says as she looks away as this makes her uncomfortable a little bit. "Yeah I spoke him earlier. Thank you guys for everything" Sbu says as his eyes are beginning to be teary but he's trying hard to hold them.
"So how did it go today? Anything, at all?" Grace asks curiously with a very worried face. "Uhmm no, nothing. The police haven't found anything since we reported this yesterday, so there's no lead so far" Sbu says with a defeated voice as he takes a huge sigh. "It's going to be okay Sbu, something will come up soon" Grace says as she brushes his back to console him. "But when is that Grace? My daughter can sense that I'm not telling her something and she can definitely sense that something bad has happened to her mom. And being unable to help her understand is really frustrating me" Sbu says as he covers his face with his hands, wiping tears.
"That's why I'm here Sbu, I'm here for that. I will take care of Naledi okay? Just try to keep yourself together for her and for Buhle. They need you to be strong for them. Do you think you can try to do that?" says Grace with a soft voice trying to ensure that Naledi doesn't overhear their conversation. Sbu nods without saying anything as he wipes his tears.
"Come here" Grace says as she opens her arms to invite Sbu for a hug, to which he accepts. As they embrace, they are both overcome with emotions. Sbu's mind is on his wife, he doesn't know what to do and he's thinking, what will I do if something happened to my wife? Grace on the other hand wishes she could do more to help Sbu. As the hug, she can feel his heart racing. The sadness on his voice is hard to bare. She squeezes him a little tighter as an assurance that she's here for him. This threatens to open a huge bag of all sorts of emotions for Grace, emotions she must fight at all cost.
But Sbu's mind is nowhere close to any of that.
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