BONDED FOREVER
12. WHAT SHE SAID.
BONUS chapter sponsored by Anonymous 
SHAMISO
“There you go, pretty girl! You’re ready to go to school now.” I hold up the mirror so my little customer can marvel over her new hairstyle and Ana holds one at the back too so she can see what the back looks like.
She squeals happily in her chair and her mother digs in her purse to pull out two R200 notes and she hands it to me.
” I only charged R200. ” I remind her. this is just a freehand hairstyle for kids and I’m not sure how much people charge for this service. I always wash and braid my own hair.
“I know but you woke up very early and did us a favour, so this is me thanking you and hoping you’ll be open for business again in the near future.” the gratitude is very much alive in her words and it settles a good feeling inside me but I don’t think I’ll make a habit of this unless it’s on a day where I’m not going to work.
They once found me braiding my hair by the stairs while heading to their apartment. It was late at night and I just wanted some fresh air, I wasn’t trying to market any business or even get any customers but I caught their eyes. The lady asked if I do children’s hair too and I was honest to say that I can but I don’t really do it because I got to work. She still insisted on taking my number just in case and when she called yesterday. The lady begged, saying that her hairdresser dropped her at the last minute, she begged and now we are here finishing with her daughters head before she goes to change into her school uniform. I can already imagine bonding with Sarai like this. Braiding her hair and asking if she loves it. Having her over at my place, if Andziso will allow that… I wish he gets back to me soon. Hopefully he will be back from his weekend away with his girlfriend.
I see them out then to turn Ana. “That was easy money.” I say with a smile.
“See, I told you. You really should consider making this a side hustle. You could stick to kids and have the parents work around your schedule.”
“And have them waking up this early?” it has the potential to make me more money if I can fit it in my schedule correctly.
“Anything for convinience but now I worry if you’ll stay up at work.” she yawns “If I’m feeling like this and all I did was sit and talk to the mother while you did the work.”
“I’ll have coffee before we leave, it’s too late for me to go back to bed anyway.” I go to slump on the couch next to her.
Our biggest mistake is relaxing on the couch because we end up running late. We didn’t even go back to sleep but now we are both running around our apartment like headless chicken. Lunch isn’t made and I didn’t even get to make my coffee.
“Forget lunch, I’ll buy us something.” Ana says when she rushes out of her bedroom. She’s done getting dressed and looks ready to leave.
I’m just done tying my shoelaces and I grab my sling bag, following her out the door and locking it behind me before we rush down the strairs.
“Damn it.” I mutter just as we exit the gate.
“What is it?”
“I forgot my phone.” maybe I need proper planning for this hair business of it’s going to have my mornings start like this. I weight my options. Going back to the apartment which is in the fourth floor will delay us even more. “You know what, it’s too late and I can always check it when we return.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Let’s go, we have a taxi to catch and a grumpy manager to not further piss off.”
“Ah, that one. He can go buy himself some peace with my R50.” she clicks her tongue and reminds me that she’s still sour about the money that she voluntarily gave to Simon.
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PEARL
“I wasn’t expecting you to be in today.” Mika leans against my door frame with her arms crossed.
“And why wouldn’t I be clocking in for work on a Monday morning?” a smile is playing at my lips and I can’t wait for her to shut the door so we can get the gossip out of the way.
She seems to be thinking the same thing too because she gets in and closes the door then she sits on one corner of my table, looking at me. “Seriously though, I thought you’d be too exhausted to get up this morning phela you made sure that we get to see you enjoying the good life.”
She’s exaggerating. The only pictures I posted were on Friday evening as we were about to leave then I later posted when we arrived and that’s it. I took a lot of pictures but I didn’t want to post them while we were still busy, I’ll post them as a fresh memory this evening, and the next… And maybe for the rest of the week too because wow! I had the time of my life.
“Oh come on, you’re speaking as if I subjected you guys to hundreds of pictures.” I roll my eyes and lean further against my chair.
“You mean when you told us to have ourselves a great weekend because you know you will too? I saw you decided to post and tag him on the gram too, I take it you’re done being hidden.” she laughs as she says this and I don’t entertain the being hidden part. I was never given orders not to post, I just never did and now I feel like doing it, there is no crime in that.
“There was no lie though. Friend, I enjoyed this weekend, Andziso went all out.” I go ahead and tell her about our weekend stay in Mpumalanga. He found the perfect place. I show her the pictures too and she’s so into it, she’s asking questions about the place and before I know it, she’s pulling out her phone and typing something.
” No way, he spent this much on accommodation?” he turns her phone so I can see her search from bookings. I must say that I wasn’t expecting her to go straight to the prices so this is just taking me by surprise, maybe she just saw the beauty of the place and wondered how it would cost her to go there.
“I didn’t ask him about it.”
“Wow, some girls are lucky.” her mouth is still gaping from the shock.
“I know, right? To think I had doubts about this happening.”
“I guess you should thank your future step daughter for not falling sick while you were away. I can see that you got it on too, it’s written all over your face.”
“Hai suka, nothing is written all over my face. You’re just saying that because you know that we obviously did.”
“I’m happy for you. Now of only he can work on introducing you to his daughter so you don’t have to wait for a weekend away just to be able to wake up next to him.”
“I’m not in a rush.” I shrug.
“You? The same you who was ready to meet this little girl a while back?”
I don’t know how to respond to this. I was ready but with the recent developments, I feel like Andziso will need more time to have his daughter adjust to having her mother in her life before he proceeds to introduce another woman. I can’t fault him for that, at the end of the day he has to consider her well-being before anything else, before me and to a certain extent, I get it.
I haven’t told Mika that Khanyisa’s mother is back and I don’t think I want to… Yet. I know my friend, she will make a big deal out of this and see this as another reason to doubt Andziso when he has been nothing but truthful with me. I’m also not in the mood to have her raining on my parade. I’m still on a high from the weekend away, I don’t need her taking that away from me so I keep the news to myself and smile at her.
“Yes, things will fall into place. I know my place in Andziso’s life and I’m not going to rush him to do anything. When he’s ready, he will get us together.”
“Hmm, well as long as you are sure that you aren’t being taken for a ride here and being blinded by expensive weekend aways.”
“I’m very much sure, my man has nothing but good intentions.”
“Listen to you, my man this, my man that.” she jokingly mimics me and I light push her away from my table while we giggle.
“Go away, I have a job to do.”
“Fine, kick me out. Let those of us without rich boyfriends go and work our butt’s off for our money.”.
“I’m working my butt off too so that snarky remark does nothing to me, love.” I throw right back at her. “Will I be seeing you later?”
“I’m heading out a little early today, I’ll come say goodbye though.” she says then leaves me to my work. I decide to post a couple more pictures on my WhatsApp status and in Instagram again. Andziso didn’t complain when I tageed him on Friday so that’s all the green light I need.
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SHAMISO
It’s a little after 5 p.m and I’m glad to say I’ve made it through the day and now I’m looking forward to getting him, kicking off my shoes and relaxing. I was done with this day from the moment that I walked in.
I’m about to make my way into the storeroom when one of the other cleaners calls out for me “Shamiso?”
“Yes?”
“Someone’s looking for you at the front.”
My hear goes straight to a hundred and beats as if it’s trying to jump out of my chest. “Who?” my mind is already thinking of the worst.
“I don’t know but it’s some guy. I didn’t think to ask for a name, sorry. Anyway, he’s waiting for you out there, he’s dressed in formal, all black.” she says then casually walks away.
I slowly walk back and when I have a view of the main part of the restaurant, I scan the people standing then my eyes find Andziso who is just standing by the entrance, his hands are in his pockets and it looks like he’s looking for me with how he keeps looking looking around. Only now do I relax.
I approach from behind him so he doesn’t see me coming until I’m standing next to him “Andziso.”
He looks at me like he didn’t believe that I’d show up. His brows are furrowed and he gives me a concerned look “Hey. You’re here… I tried calling you but couldn’t get through.” he tries to hide it but I do hear the panic in his tone, which only makes me feel guilty all over again.
“I forgot my phone at home. I’m sorry, I thought I’d check it when I got home.”
“I thought…” He stops and shakes his head then he smiles a little, he used to do this a lot when he was drowning in his own thoughts. This smile tells me that his chastising himself right now ” coming here was impulsive now that I’m thinking about it. I could have waited for you to call me back.”
“Only, you don’t have the best experience with me missing your calls so I don’t blame you for coming here. I could have been considerate and made sure to keep my phone with me. I didn’t think of it.”
“I also didn’t tell you when I’d be calling so I can’t blame you for that.”
“Then we are both sorry, I guess…” I smile a little at him and he returns it.
“I guess we are. Are you good?”
“Yes. How are you?”
“I’m good too.” He says then looks around, when I follow his eyes I find Simon looking at us or rather at me and I grow a little nervous, I try to hide it but when Andziso raises an eyebrow I know he sees it.
“I can’t really talk right now. Maybe I can call you when I get home? Or we can arrange for tomorrow…” I quickly say. I’m glad he’s reaching out, just not here and not during my working time when I’m at a risk of getting in trouble.
“What time do you knock off?”
“6 p.m.”I say and he checks his wrist watch.
” It’s not too far from now. Maybe I can just wait for you then I’ll drive you home?”
“If you don’t mind. I travel with Ana.”
“She won’t mind having a visitor around after work?”
“I’ll ask her but I doubt she will mind. She knows that we have to talk.”
Simon joins us “Is everything okay here?” he sharply asks me.
“Yes. I was just assisting the customer, I’ll get back to work now.”
He turns his attention to Andziso who just eyes him with a straight face. It doesn’t help that Andziso is taller than him so he has to tilt his head a bit for the eye contact.
“Are you okay, sir?”
“What she said.” Andziso dismissively says then he looks at me “Later.”
“Later.” I walk away but I can still feel Simon staring daggers at me.