BE MINE, MS LAWYER
– CHAPTER 3
NOMBUSO
I got home very late yesterday. My body was aching from that long drive from Bergville, and my eyes felt like they had sand in them. I didn’t even unpack my bags. I just took a long, hot bath, ordered a pizza, and fell onto my bed.
Now, the sun is out, and I am back on the road. It is the first day of work for the new year. I feel fresh, but my heart is beating a little fast. New year, new beginnings, right?
I pull my Kia into the parking lot of the office. I stop and stare. The big sign at the front has changed. It used to be Cele & Partners, but now it says Smith & Associates.
“Ohhh… so the rumors were true,” I whisper to myself…. A lot is going to change right….
I grab my leather briefcase and my handbag and step out of the car. The Durban air is humid and hot, even this early. I walk into the building, the sound of my heels clicking loudly on the shiny floor. It feels good to be back in my uniform a sharp suit and a confident smile.
“Hey Lerato, Happy New Year!” I say as I pass the reception desk.
Lerato looks up and smiles at me. “Happy New Year to you too, Nombuso! You look like the mountains treated you well….. You are glowing!”
“I try, girl! I try,” I laugh and keep walking toward my office.
I drop my bags on my desk and take a deep breath. I don’t even have time to sit down because I see everyone moving toward the boardroom. It’s time for the first meeting of the year……
I walk into the boardroom. The air is cold from the aircon. I see my colleagues some look tired, some look excited. I greet them with a nod and find a seat….
The door opens and Mr. Smith walks in. He is a tall man with grey hair…… He looks serious but fair. He carries a thick stack of files and places them on the table….
“Welcome back. It is a new year, and as you can see, we have a new name on the door. But the work stays the same. We have a lot to catch up on….. I don’t care how you did things last year. This year, we are about winning. We are about results.”
The meeting starts, and it is intense. We go through the hangover cases the ones that didn’t finish last year. We talk about bail applications, murder trials, and corporate lawsuits. Mr. Smith is fast. He asks questions like a sniper…..
”Khumalo,” he says, looking at me. “The Mthembu murder case. We are heading to trial in three weeks. I want a status report on my desk by end of day.”
”Yes, sir,” I say, scribbling in my notebook.
“I have looked at the schedule,” Mr. Smith continues. “We have a lot of work. Some of you have cases starting in court next week. I expect you to be ready. If you are not ready, you are in the wrong building. Meeting adjourned. Let’s get to work.” Everyone stands up and starts talking at once. I grab my notebook and head for the door. I want to get back to my desk and check my files…… “Ms. Khumalo,” Mr. Smith calls out.
I stop and turn around. Everyone else leaves the room, leaving just the two of us. “Yes, sir?”
He walks toward me, looking at a file in his hand…. “Hello. Mr. Cele always spoke very fondly of you before you know….”
I give him a small, polite smile. “Thank you, sir. He was a good mentor.”
“Well,” Mr. Smith says, stepping closer. “I had to check your records myself. Looking at the years you have spent in this firm and the cases you have won… I must say, I am very impressed by your work. You have a very high success rate.”
I feel a flush of pride in my chest. “Thank you so much, sir. I appreciate that.”
“Let’s hope you will do the same with the current case you are handling,” he says, his eyes turning sharp. “The murder trial. It’s a messy one.”
I think about my client a man who is accused of kil!íng another man in a tavern….. The evidence is tricky, and the witnesses are scared. “I can’t promise you a miracle, sir, but I will do my best. I always do.”
Mr. Smith nods, looking satisfied. “That’s what I like to hear….. You can go.”
I nod and walk out. As I head back to my office, I feel the weight of my work on my shoulders. I walk inside and shut the door. I sit in my big chair and look at the thick blue file on my desk.
This is the case I’ve been fighting for months. A man’s life is in my hands. If I win, he goes home. If I lose, he spends the rest of his life in a grey cell. I open the file and start reading. I highlight names, I check dates, and I look for the holes in the police’s story. I bury myself in the paperwork…..
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MKHONTO
“Sboshwa!” [Prisoner!] the warden yells, hitting the bars with his heavy baton…. Everyone stops singing. The cell goes quiet. “Mkhonto!” the warden calls out. I chuckle to myself and stand up slowly. I don’t rush for any man….. I stretch my arms and walk toward the bars. The warden, a man named Spitch, opens the gate. “You have a visitor,” Spitch says.
I nod. I don’t say much. Spitch grabs my hands and clicks the handcuffs onto my wrists. He starts walking me down the long hallway toward the visitation room….
As we walk, Spitch keeps looking around to see if anyone is watching… “You know, Mkhonto… me and you can be close friends,” he whispers.
I stop walking for a second and look at him. I am much taller than him. “Huh?”
“I’m serious,” Spitch says, his voice low. “I can make things very easy for you in here. You want better food? I can get it. You want a phone? I can get it. Anything you want, I can do… but you have to make sure I am looked after.”
I let out a small laugh. “Isn’t that corruption, Spitch?”
Spitch shakes his head and smiles. “No, no. Consider it a partnership. I just want money, man… and I can tell you have plenty of it. In return, I can protect you. I can be your eyes and ears in this place.”
I look at his uniform, then back at his face. “I will think about it,” I say. I don’t trust him, but in prison, a greedy warden is better than an honest one.
Spitch nods, looking happy. He opens the door to the visitation room and leads me inside. I see them immediately. My brothers, Qaphela and Mkhokheli…. Spitch removes my handcuffs but he doesn’t leave. He stands right behind me like a shadow.
Mkhokheli doesn’t even wait for me to sit down. “Bhut’omdala [Big brother], what the hell am I hearing?” he shouts. He is fuming, his face red with anger.
I sit down and look at him calmly. “What are you talking about?”
- “We are talking about Ntshangase. Bafo, how can you fire him now? Your trial is in a few days! Are you trying to stay in here forever?” Qaphela says….
I lean back and shake my head. “That laiti [boy] is just dumb. Can you believe he came here and told me I must plea guilty?”
Mkhokheli rubs his face with his hands. “Maybe he knows what he is doing, Mkhonto. He is the lawyer.”
“He knows nothing,” I snap. “He told me if I plea guilty, I will get roughly 20 years. Do you know how old Dumisani will be by then? My son needs his father.”
Qaphela shakes his head fast. “Uyahlanya,” [He is crazy]. “20 years is a lifetime.”
Mkhokheli looks at Qaphela. “Don’t support this, Qaphela! We need a lawyer! If he has no lawyer, the judge will throw him away.”
“Dumisani is 16 years old right now. How old will he be when Bhut’omdala gets out…. We paid Ntshangase so much money just for him to come up with that stupid idea!” He looks at Spitch “And wena [you]… why are you standing there?” He points at Spitch, who is staring at them.
Spitch looks nervous, but I just wave my hand. “Leave him. He’s just the help.”
Mkhokheli shakes his head and sighs “What are we going to do now? The judge won’t wait for us to find someone new.”
“I will defend myself,” I say firmly. Mkhokheli lets out a loud…. He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. Qaphela doesn’t laugh….
“I will see what I can do,” Qaphela says, rubbing his face. “I will find someone. Someone who isn’t scared of a fight.”
We just in silence for a moment…. “How is the business? The taxis?” I ask….
Qaphela nods. “Everything is going smooth. The routes are quiet, and the money is coming in. The real estate company is also doing well. Slowly but surely, we are moving the money into legal things. We will get there.” I nod. That is good news. At least my brothers are keeping the empire strong while I am in this vacation home. Qaphela stands up and checks his watch. “I have to go. I have a date with my husband.”
I chuckle…. “Okay. Go. I guess I will go back to my vacation…..” Mkhokheli chuckles too, the anger leaving him for a moment. They both stand up to leave. “Ohhh, wait,” I say, pointing at the warden. “This is Spitch.”
My brothers both look at Spitch with cold, hard eyes…… They don’t smile. They don’t say hello. They just look at him like he is a bug on the floor.
“Bafo,” they say to me, nodding their heads. They turn around and walk out without giving Spitch a second look……
Spitch waits until the door closes before he grabs my arm to lead me back. “So… those are your brothers,” he says, sounding impressed. “They look dangerous man…” I
don’t even look at him. “Yeah… but hayi, you talk too much today, Spitch. Just take me back.”
Spitch chuckles, not bothered by my tone. He walks me back to my cell and opens the heavy door…. I walk inside and locks it behind me.
The guys are still singing. The sound is beautiful and sad at the same time. I sit on my thin mattress and look at them….
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NOMBUSO
I finish my work for the day and drive straight to FREEDOM AZURE RESORT. The city traffic is heavy, but as I get closer to the coast, the air starts to smell like the ocean.
I pull the car into the driveway and my jaw almost hits the steering wheel. “Gosh… this place looks good,” I whisper. It is not even just good, it is beautiful. The white walls of the hotel and the palm trees are waving in the wind….. I didn’t have enough words to describe it.
I park my car and step out, looking up at the tall building. I walk inside and the lobby is busy. People are checking in, carrying expensive bags, and the smell of expensive perfume is everywhere. I walk to the front desk and give the woman there a big smile.
“Good afternoon, ma’am. Welcome to Freedom Azure. How can I assist you today?” she says….
“Hello. I am looking for Malime,” I say.
The lady looks at her computer. “Do you have an appointment?”
I shake my head. “No… but you can call him and tell him Nombuso is here. I am his best friend.”
She nods and picks up the phone. After a few seconds, she looks at me differently with more respect. She calls over a security guard. “Follow me, ma’am,” the guard says.
“Oh, okay,” I say, following him. We walk to a private elevator that goes straight to the top floor.
When the elevator doors open, I don’t even have time to step out before I hear a scream. “Mngani!!!!” I rush into Malime’s arms and we hug so tight. I can smell his expensive cologne. “I missed you!” Malime cries out.
“I missed you too, mngani [friend]! Gosh, this place is not like the pictures you sent. It’s a paradise!”
Malime laughs and pulls me into his office. It is huge, with glass walls looking over the sea. “Well, welcome to Freedom Azure Resort. I named it after Nkululeko… If you want to know……”
“Ncoo… oh my gosh, Malime. I am so proud of you,” I say, looking at the beautiful furniture.
Malime smiles, looking very happy. “Thank you. Do you want a drink? Water?”
“A champagne will do,” I say, dropping my bag on his sofa.
Malime looks at me with one eyebrow up. “You just started back at work today and you already want the hard stuff?”
“Gosh, just give me a champagne! Work is exhausting,” I groan.
“Say that again,” Malime agrees. He walks to a small, sleek fridge and comes back with two tall glasses and a bottle. He pours the bubbles and sits down across from me. “How was Bergville?”
“It was peaceful, I don’t want to lie. No sirens, no hooting taxis. Just the mountains,” I say, taking a sip of the cold drink. It feels amazing.
Malime smiles. “I can tell. You have a glow. The city hasn’t stressed you out yet.”
I blush a little. “Yeah, maybe.”
We sit and talk, but I can see his face change….. He looks like he is carrying a lot of stress. I know that look.
“What’s wrong, mngani? You look worried,” I ask.
Malime sighs. “Family stress….. I found out yesterday that Mkhonto fired his lawyer.”
I nearly choke on my champagne. “What? Why would he do that?”
“I am telling you!” Malime says, waving his hand. “Qaphela and Mkhokheli went to the prison today to see what really happened. I’m just waiting to hear the full story from them.”
“But his trial is in a few days,” I say, my lawyer brain starting to work. “Indoda kaDintle [Dintle’s man] is being dumb. How will he get a lighter sentence if he has no one to speak for him in court?”
Malime looks at me. “Wait… a sentence? You think he will go down?”
“That case, mngani, is really hard,” I say seriously. “The state has a lot of evidence.”
Before we can say more, the office door opens. Qaphela walks in, looking tall….. He stops when he sees me. “Nombuso.”
“Hey, Qaphela,” I say, giving him a nod.
Qaphela walks straight to Malime. Malime stands up with a bright smile. Qaphela leans down and kisses him deeply. When he pulls away, he notices the wine glasses. “You’re drinking?”
“I’m just celebrating my friend being back,” Malime says….
Qaphela looks at him and nods, but then he checks his watch. “Have you forgotten?”
Malime looks confused. “About what?”
“Kodwa bambo lwam’ [But my love]… our date. I told you we are going out tonight.”
Malime gasps and hits his forehead. “Ohhh baby! I completely forgot!” He looks at me, feeling bad.
“Don’t worry, friend,” I laugh, standing up and grabbing my things. “Go to your date. Don’t let this man wait. I’ll be fine.” I put down my champagne glass. “I will hear from you later.”
Malime nods. “Maybe I will come to your place later or tomorrow.”
I nod and start walking to the door. “Bye, bestie! Bye, Qaphela.”
Qaphela just gives me a small nod he is a man of few words. I walk out of the office and head back to the elevator……
As the lift goes down, I think about Mkhonto. Firing a lawyer right before a murder trial is a suicide mission. Who is brave enough to take over his case this late?
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