Meeting new people

Six days after the breaking news on murder of a police officer nothing has been laid at Ntokozo's feet and the police investigations are still on going. While Dora has a gut feeling that her son may know something about this, considering that she had given him the contact details of the police officer, she can't really link him to any of this. But it has however ressurected the desire to want to know about Ntokozo's life in the past 12 years he was away, but part of her is scared to find out...and the death of the police officer doesn't make this any easier for her.

But today is a joyous day as it is Mbali's birthday and her mother Lungile has invited her friends and their kids over to celebrate this day. In fact there's quiet a lot of Mbali's friends and kids from the area in the yard today because the Gumede's are known to throw a very good party. Since it's a sunny Saterday the tables and a tent are set up in the yard by the pool area where kids can swim or play in the jumping castle that is also erected next to the tent.

"You Gumedes really know how to throw a party don't you? If I didn't know better I'd think it's your party hey..." Lindiwe says as she looks at the lot of kids in the yard playing. "Oh wait until my birthday comes in a couple of weeks time my friend, you ain't seen nothing yet, hahaha..." Lungile says as she jokes at her friend. The three friends are sitting inside the tent next to gifts section, with a cooler box full of refreshments. This party became a perfect excuse for the girls to have their own little party in the tent since it is empty-kids are outside having fun.

"So, where's the good doctor today? What...he doesn't like children parties?" Nompumelelo asks as she takes a sip of her sparkling white wine. "Oh no...he is working today and he feels bad about it but, he actually left a gift for Mbali." Lungile says, "Speaking of which let me quickly go and fetch it, I almost forgot" She quickly leaves the tent and goes inside the house.

***

 

At the gate, Ntokozo who is coming back from a gift shop at the mall wants to get inside and give his niece the present, but as he opens the gate someone calls out, "Hey stranger..." It's Pearl with the brightest of smiles. These two haven't actually seen each other since the day they met a while ago and Ntokozo's eyes immediately brighten as he sees who is calling out. This is the woman he couldn't stop thinking about when he met her bu then suddenly his face changes when he thinks about what his sister had to say about her. He is now conflicted and not knowing what he should follow-his heart or his mind.

He gets out of the car and goes on to hug the beautiful Pearl who, as usually dressed beautifully in a lime short summer dress and sun glasses. "Hey to you too stranger...how are you?" he says with a bright smile. Pearl takes off her glasses and looks at Ntokozo, and it is clear that they both want to kiss but perhaps it's to soon for that. Their hearts beating fast with the excitement of seeing each after a little while. By the look of things, Pearl has been thinking about Ntokozo too.

"So how have you been? It's been a minute..." Pearl says with a smile as they both come to lean against Ntokozo car which has it's nose inside the gate on the driveway. "Yeah it's been a minute hey...I've been okay, how about you?" Ntokozo asks as he bumps his new friend with a shoulder before smiling at her. "I've been good hey...but honestly, I didn't think it was going to take us this long to see each again..." Pearl says as she blushes away. "Oh yeah? Well, you actually didn't leave me your number hey..." Ntokozo says as he shrugs his shoulders but Pearl quickly interjects, "Well you didn't ask for it, did you? Hahaha..." she jokes back.

"Yeah I didn't wanna get all weird about it you know? I didn't want you thinking I'm some kind of psycho hahaha..." Ntokozo says as he laughs loud. "Hahaha...You are so silly..." Pearl says as she laughs back. "So I see that your home is in full party mode huh? But then again, the Gumedes are known to throw a good party...so what's the occasion?"

"Oh uhmm...it's my niece's birthday and I'm actually coming from buying her a gift...let's hope she's gonna love it." Ntokozo says with a little of a blush. "Ncooh uncle Ntokozo...so sweet of you" Pearl says as she bumps Ntokozo's shoulder. "So where's yours?" she asks. "Where is what?" Ntokozo asks as he raises an eyebrow. "Child...do you have a child?" Pearl asks as she blushes as the question which makes Nokozo thinks for a second before saying, "Oh no I don't have a child...not that I know anyways...hahaha..." as he laughs loud. "What? Are you kidding me? A catch like you? Gosh...what have you been doing all this time?" a pleasantly surpised Pearl asks.

Ntokozo once again thinks for a second... "Arg, you know...I just never found the person I can settle and have a child with I guess. Before I knew it, I'm 37..." he says as he seems a little embarrassed by that. "You? Do you have a child? A man?" he probes as he clearly wants to change the subject.

"Uhmm...no child, no man..." Pearl says as she looks down as though she is embarrassed but Ntokozo quickly interjects, "What? No ways...you? No man? The most beautiful woman in this community has no man? I can't believe that for one second" he says as he smiles as though this is pleasing. "Hahaha...I'm serious hey" Pearl says as she bursts out laughing. "But seriously though...I think that people are just scared of my dad. He can be really intimidating for guys to even think about approaching me hahaha...so yeah, I struggle to find anything that is serious. I guess it comes with being a Ngubeni."

"Is your dad dangerous?" Ntokozo asks as he raises his eyebrow, which makes Pearl to think for a second before saying, "Uhmm...he is very protective of his kids and he'd do anything to protect them" as she shrugs her shoulders. "Well, that sounds dangerous...perhaps I should just stay away from you then hey..." Ntokozo says with a raised eyebrow.

"No man, don't be silly okay? Hahaha..." Pearl says with a laughter as she tries to brush that off but it leads a little awkward silence as both of them seem to have run out of things to say to each other. Ntokozo really wants to invite Pearl inside but he knows that won't go well with his sister, who had warned him about this woman.

"Well, I better go in and give this gift to my niece..." he says with a blush. "Oh yeah, for sure..." Pearl says as she looks a little dissapointed that she has no been invited inside. "Oh uhmm...here's my number, you know...incase you wanna take me out for lunch some time..." she says with a blush. "Oh yeah for sure...I will surely do that" Ntokozo says with a smile as he takes a piece of paper from Pearl and looks at it. "Alright then, we will talk..." he says as he gets in his car and off to to the party in the yard, while Pearl walks back home down the road.

***

 

Ntokozo gets out of the ca with a wrapped box and goes straight to the birthday girl, his niece who is turning 12 today. "Where is birthday girl? There she is...there she is..." he says with much excitement as Mbali comes running to her uncle. "Happy birthday my girl..." Ntokozo says as he gives a beautifully wrapped box to his excited neice.

"Oh wow...ngiyabonga malume(Thank you uncle)..." Mbali says as her eyes brighten before giving her uncle a warm hug. "You are welcome sweetheart..." Ntokozo says as he squeezes a light tight on that tiny body but suddenly his face changes to being a little serious as he breaks the hug and looks into his niece's eyes. "Okay now I want you to listen to me sweetheart" I know that I wasn't throughout your childhood and your life...and I want to say I'm really sorry about that, but I'm hear now and I will be present in your life until I die, I promise. I also want to know that if ever you need anything...anything at all, I'm here okay? Lastly, if anyone intends to harm you in any way never ever hesitate to come to me okay?"

"Okay malume(uncle)..." Mbali says with a smile. "Okay then...go on and have fun with your friends, alright?" the visibly emotional Ntokozo says with a smile as he watches his niece excitedly showing her friends the wrapped gift box. He then looks around and realises that he is the only man in this party and thinks he will just go inside the house and watch some football, but he then realises that his sister and her friends are in the tent. 'There we go...' he thinks to himself as he goes in.

"Hey everyone..." he says nervously as he approaches the ladies who are in front of the tent having ciders. "Well, well, well...finally, I get to meet Ntokozo Gumede..." Nompumelelo says with a naughter smile that makes Lungile roll her eyes in disbelief of her friend. "Uhmm...this is my friend Nompumelelo and ofcourse you know Lindiwe..." she says as she looks a little embarrassed. "Oh hey...how are you guys?" Ntokozo says with a nervous smile. "We are good thanks...please grab a chair" a vissbly smitten Nompulelo says, again making Lungile to role her eyes. "Drink?" Nompumelelo asks as she doesn;t even wait for Ntokozo to respond but pulls a cider from the cooler box and gives it to him.

Ntokozo takes it as he sits down. "So uhmm...welcome back Ntokozo...long time hey" Lindiwe says with a smile. "Thank you...yeah, it is a very long time. How have you been wena(you)?" Ntokozo responds. "Arg, I've been okay thanks..." Lindiwe responds but Nompumelelo interjects, "Nice ride you have there...I take it you are doing well...?" she asks as she takes a sip of her cider. Clearly she has had one too many.

But just before Ntokozo could respond, Lungile cuts in, "Uhmm...excuse us guys..." she says as she takes Ntokozo by the hand so that they go outside the tent. Ntokozo knows this can't be good as her sister doesn't look happy at all.

"Uhmm...thank you for the present...you know, for Mbali." Lungile says with a little of a blush but Ntokozo cuts in, "Ofcourse, she's my niece...I missed out a lot on her over the years I'm just trying to make amends sis..." he says with a low voice as he looks down. This seems to soften his sister a little bit as she smiles without responding to it. "So...I saw you at the gate with your friend Peral?" she says as she suddenly looks annoyed. "But I thought we spoke about this Ntokozo..." she looks around to see anyone is listening to their conversation. She looks unhappy.

"What? Come on sis...we were just talking okay?" Ntokozo says as he throws his hands in the air. "Look if you need to talk to a woman just come to the tent...there's Lindi and Ntombi there, not that girl" Lungile says as she looks away as though she can't she just said that. Ntokozoko is a little taken aback by this statement. For a second there he actually thought they'll have a descent conversation.

"Sisi...I really think you are overreacting okay? There's nothing going on between me and Pearl..." he says with a little smile because part of him is happy that his sister is protective of him. "Yes there's nothing happening right now but how about later?" Lungile asks as she throws her hands in the air as well. "I mean, don't you see that girl wants you? Ntokozo, her family is dangerous...her father is dangerous. I don't want her near my child or mom...or even you for that matter. You guys are the only family I got so when a daughter of a dangerous drug dealer starts playing around my brother, how long before her father starts sniffing around this family?"

This makes Ntokozo to think for a seond as he looks at his sister. "I hear you sis okay?" he says as he takes a deep sigh. "Okay tell me this, how well do you know Pearl?" he asks as he also looks around the yard but his irriatble sister quickly interjects, "But that's just the thing alright? The point is to not know her because knowing her is dangerous for this family"

"Look sisi...I promise you, I will not allow anything to happen to you, my niece or mom okay?" Ntokozo says with a smile as he takes his sister's hand. This makes Lungile think for a second as she looks at his brother before saying, "Do you have a girlfriend?" which shocks Ntokozo who says, "Nope..." as he raises an eyebrow. "Do you need one?" Lungile probes. "Uhmm...everyone needs love at some point okay? But why? Why are you asking?" Ntokozo asks curiously. "Well, there's nothing wrong with finding love bhuti(brother) but please I beg of you okay? Can it please not be Pearl? I don't trust her..."

Ntokozo thinks for a second and smiles before saying, "Okay look, let me watch some game, you guys enjoy the party..." as he kisses his sister in the forehead and walks into the house. This was a pleasant surpise for both siblings as they haven't had a talk like this before. Ntokozo is happy that finally he and his sister are talking at all while Lungile is beginning to think maybe she has overreatcted to this whole thing of her brother coming back home.

***

 

Later on at night Ntokozo is parked somewhere on a street that is a 30 minutes walk from his home under a tree. This road is dark because street lights are not working and it is very quiet at night because its a dead end road. Where Ntokozo is parked is a ring where where cars make a u-tur and go back to th direction from where they came. Beyond the ring is a huge dark bush field where people can't walk through to get to the other side of the twonship.

Ntokozo looks a little anxious as he keeps taping his thumb on the steering wheel while also checking his watch. The time is around 20h: 45 and he doesn't want to worry his family about his whereabout because he left home around 18h:00 saying he is going to see his friend Sthembiso who doesn't live far from his home.

He sits up straight when he sees a coming to park next to his car. A guy who looks to be in his early 40s gets out of the car and approaches Ntokozo who takes a deep breathe and lowers the window. "Eyi mjita(dude), ngiyiphethe impahla yakho(I have your stuff) as agreed on the phone." this tall and dingly man says as he keeps looking to see if anyone is seeing him out here. Ntokozo thinks for a second before pulling out his wallet and takes out a few notes. He gives them to the man who gives him what looks like a plasting bag that has something on it. He looks at the contents in the platic and nods.

But as the man turns around to walk back to his car Ntokozo quickly bends and pulls a 9mm gun with a silencer from under his seat and shoots him in the back of the head. The man falls down without moving at all. Ntokozo waits for about 5 seconds before coming out of his car...he probably wanted to make sure there was no one else emerging from that other car. He stands over the body lying down and puts another on the side of his head.

He then goes to the other car and opens it...when he sees that there's no passenger he pops the trunk and goes to see what he could find. He opens the trunk and see a big black bag...he opens it and his eyes pop when he see what's inside. He decides to take the bag to his car and drives off, leaving the dead body laying in the pool of blood.