Midnight Kiss
10 (PART 1)
Lesedi held the pills in her hand, then looked at him.
“Sea what?”
“We are having seafood for dinner.”
“Is that… fish?”
“Yes, and other stuff. You will see when we get there. Just have one of the pills.”
Lesedi cleared her throat. “I… I have leftovers at home. You don’t have to take me anywhere.”
“Lesedi, we did all this shopping so you can have something nice to wear tonight. You will enjoy it. Just drink the pill. We are going. I already made the reservation.”
He drove off. She slowly took one pill and put it on her tongue. He handed her the bottle of water.
Lesedi moved her tongue inside her closed mouth, then took the water and sipped. Ofentse smiled.
“Done. You will drink the other one much later on.”
She nodded. “Ok.”
She put down the water and remained silent as he drove. He finally parked the car and looked at her.
“Let’s go. And don’t worry about anything. I will do the talking.”
“Ok.”
She watched him step out of the car, then quickly took the pill from beneath her tongue and threw it out. She got out of the car and looked at Ofentse as he approached her side.
“You good?”
She nodded.
“Ok, let’s go in.”
She followed behind him in silence. A waiter smiled as they stepped inside.
“Table for two, sir?”
“Yes, I made a reservation under Ofentse.”
The waiter nodded. “Let me just check that for you.”
She walked away, then seconds later returned.
“You may come through.”
Lesedi trailed behind them, looking at the beauty of the place. They walked past a few tables that already had people seated. Ofentse stopped and pulled out a chair at their table.
“You can sit.”
She looked at him, then sat down. Ofentse stared at her as the waiter placed the menu in front of her.
Lesedi looked around uncomfortably. She looked at the menu, then looked at him, blinking. Ofentse sighed.
“Do you want a drink?”
She rubbed her hands on her dress and nodded.
“I am going to talk to my uncles tomorrow so that I can pay your bride price properly this time.”
Lesedi swallowed not sure what to say, but the more he spoke, the more she knew she had to leave. The coldness in his eyes and everything he was saying seemed to be polar opposites.
“Are you ok with that?”
She turned to him. “I don’t think you like me.”
“Neither do you, but we can always learn.”
Ofentse’s phone rang. He reached for it on the table and looked at the unsaved number calling. His heart raced as he stared at the phone ringing.
***
Outside the restaurant, Happy parked her car and stepped out with Tiro. She pulled down her body-hugging dress and smiled at him.
Tiro looked at her smiling back. “This looks very nice.”
She walked over and hooked his arm through hers.
“Let’s go. It’s nice inside.”
They walked in and a waiter took them to a table. Tiro sat down looking at Happy. Her hair somewhat looked wet.
“Is your hair wet?”
She laughed. “No. It just looks wet. It’s called a wet look. Do you like it?”
He nodded. “It’s nice.”
“I am thinking I will let you borrow my car for a while so you can build confidence on the road. You will drop me off at work, go to work, then pick me up on your way home.”
“Thank you.”
She pushed her hair back staring at him.
“What is going to happen if you find her and she is happy with her husband?”
Tiro shrugged. “If she is happy, I will let her be happy.”
“Do you think then you and I will have a chance?”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to make empty promises and break your heart.”
Happy smiled. “Ok. Uh, go through the menu. You can have anything.”
He looked down at the menu. Minutes later, their waiter walked over.
“Ready to order?”
Tiro looked up as Happy said her order. The waiter turned to him after noting down Happy’s.
“And for you, sir?”
“Uh, I will have this.”
He pointed at the menu. The waiter smiled.
“Ok, and drinks?”
Happy giggled. “We will have your celebratory cocktail, please.”
“Coming right up.”
She walked away. Tiro turned his head looking around. His heart skipped as his eyes landed on Lesedi. His entire body froze, and he could hardly make out what Happy was saying to him. Lesedi looked down, lost in her own bubble. Tiro’s heart pounded harder and harder. The man she was sitting with turned and frowned looking at Tiro who was staring at their table.
Ofentse looked at Lesedi, then looked at the man at the other table. Curious, Lesedi looked over to where he was looking. She gripped her dress underneath the table, her lips parting. Tears instantly filled her eyes.
“Is it me or is he staring this side?”
Lesedi slowly peeled her eyes off Tiro as a tear rolled down her cheek. She sniffed and rubbed her eyes.
“Can I please go to the toilet?”
“Are you ok?”
Lesedi got up. “Toilet. Please.”
Ofentse pointed and Lesedi quietly walked away.
She stepped inside the toilet as more tears ran down her cheeks to her neck.
Happy looked at Tiro and reached over, touching his hand. “Hey… are you ok?”
He turned to her and nodded. “Yes. I… I thought that man was… sorry.”
Happy smiled. “Our drinks will be here just now.”
“Ok. What’s that over there?”
He pointed at the door at the far-end corner.
“The toilet. Why? You want to use the toilet?”
“Yes.”
“Ok. The left is for men, right for women.”
“Ok.”
He got up and rushed over. Happy watched him disappear inside and breathed out.
Tiro opened the ‘LADIES’ side and slowly walked in just as Lesedi walked out of a cubicle, wiping her tears with her dress.
She stopped and looked at him. Tiro emotionally walked over and hugged her tightly. Lesedi remained still for a couple of seconds then a cry escaped her lips.
Tiro held her even tighter. She slowly wrapped her arms around him sobbing loudly. He kissed her head then her forehead.
“I am here now.”
She held onto him as if her entire existence had been restored.
“I love you. I am here now. I am never going to leave you again.”
He moved her slightly and cupped her face, kissing her.
“I love you. I love you so much.”
He rubbed away her tears and kissed her wet lips again.
“I have been looking for you. I came after you left.”
A warm tear rolled down her cheek. Tiro wiped it away.
“I missed you.”
She tried to speak, but nothing came out. Tiro turned as footsteps approached then disappeared.
He sighed. “Is that the husband?”
She nodded.
“You look very beautiful. You still are as beautiful.”
“I have been taking money… the one he forgets in his pocket. I was going to come home tomorrow.”
“I am here now. I have this phone.” He took out the little phone Happy had gotten him and handed it to her. “I will call you on this tomorrow and take you.”
“But I want to go with you now.”
“Sedi-”
“I want to go with you.”
“I am staying at someone’s house right now. I met her when I arrived in Gaborone. She has been helping me. Her brother is a police officer. He has also been helping me look for you. I can’t take you to her house. I will find a house for us first thing in the morning and take you.”
“Please-”
“I will take you tomorrow. I promise. I will call you.”
Lesedi sniffed and walked past him, heading out. She put the phone in her bra and wiped her face walking back to Ofentse. He looked at her and frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
“I want to go home. Please.”
He sighed then got up.
“Let’s go.”
They walked out just as Tiro sat down in front of Happy.
“Hey.”
She smiled. “The drinks just arrived.”
“Lesedi was here.”
“What?”
“She just left. She was by that table.”
He pointed and smiled. “This is the happiest day of my life.”
Happy forced a smile. “Oh…”
“I am going to need to find a house. A room. Can you lend me some money? Just so I can pay. I will refund you as soon as I get paid.”
Happy swallowed. “She can stay where she is currently staying while you try to figure things out. You are going to need a bed, sheets, blankets, kitchen utensils, a stove… food. It’s a lot. Can’t she just stay there?”
“No. I can’t live without her. I am not going to live without her.”
“Tiro-”
“Please. I will pay it all back. I promise.”
Happy picked up her cocktail and gulped down her drink.
“It’s fine. I will do it for you. Go to work tomorrow. I will look for the house and make it a home.”
He smiled. “Thank you so much. I will pay it back. I promise.”
She forced a smile. “It’s ok. We should get more drinks.”
***
Ofentse drove down his street and swallowed looking at the police vans by his gate. Lesedi looked over, then glanced at him.
He stopped behind the police vans and rolled down his window as a police officer walked over with a soldier.
“Sir, you can step out of the car. We have a few questions to ask you.”
“Is everything ok?”
“If everything was ok, we wouldn’t be here. You may step out.”
Ofentse got out of the car and calmly looked at them.
“This better be good.”
The police officer smiled.
“You are a busy man, aren’t you?”
“What do you want?”
“Where were you between 4pm and 4:30pm?”
“I was here with my wife. From there, we went shopping, then went for dinner.”
“Would she say the same?”
Ofentse glanced over at the car and swallowed as another officer helped Lesedi out of the car.
“What are you asking her?”
“You don’t have to worry about that. Just answer the questions here.”
*
Meanwhile, Lesedi looked at the police officer.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No. We just want to ask a few questions. You can relax. What time did your husband arrive home?”
“He… he arrived around half past four.”
“Mhmm… how long have you been husband and wife?”
“We are not. My father just brought me and said he was my husband.”
“So you knew about his girlfriend?”
“Yes.”
“You have always known about her?”
“Yes.”
“And does she know you?”
“Yes. Ofentse told her I was a maid.”
“So you have been working as a maid?”
She nodded.
“Did he say anything about her when he arrived?”
“Yes. That it’s not going to work. And that if anyone asks me where he was, I should say he came straight home to me.”
The police officer smiled. “You are very honest. Never change that about you.”
“Did he do something?”
“His girlfriend and father were found dead at his girlfriend’s house. The CCTV camera in her street saw him arrive and leave. The girlfriend was strangled to death and the father as well, but it was staged to seem like it was suicide. We are just trying to understand what happened.”
.