Midnight Kiss
4
Ofentse watched as Arefa rushed to her car and looked at Lesedi who’s tears were rolling down her cheeks. He looked at the time.
“You need to go. Whatever you were promised here was a lie. You are not going to get it from me. The man who married you doesn’t live here.”
She sniffed. “I want to go home.”
“You are free to do that because you are not staying in my house.”
He walked back to his bedroom and minutes later walked out with his laptop bag. He opened the door wider for her. Lesedi walked over to her bag, picked it up and stepped outside. Ofentse locked his door and walked to his car. Lesedi cleared her throat rubbing her eyes.
“I don’t know anyone here and I don’t have money. Can you please take me to where I can get the bus and-“
“You are the one who left the man who married you leave here. If you were not a loose woman you would have refused for any of this shit to happen. You will figure yourself out. You are not getting anything from me but I shouldn’t find you in my yard when I get back.”
He got in his car, started the engine and reversed out. Lesedi watched as he drove off disappearing out of sight. She looked around, she wasn’t even sure where they were or if she had to walk following the direction his car had drove off in. She walked out through the gate and followed after his car tracks.
***
Meanwhile, Ofentse joined the main road calling his mother.
“Fentse..”
“What’s going on? Your husband just came and dropped off some filth in my house saying he married her for me. What’s going on?”
“Your father doesn’t listen to anyone but also Ofentse the employees have been complaining on how you have been running the business. This is your father’s sweat and blood. If you truly understood where he started, you wouldn’t treat that business like a tuckshop.”
“So that makes all he is doing ok?”
“No but it’s necessary. You need a woman who will ground you. Right now with all the buses and combis we own, the last thing you need to be doing is upsetting the workers. This Lesedi girl… I know her mother. She is a lovely woman and I am sure her daughter is as lovely. I saw her pictures, she is also beautiful. The girl you are running around with right now is a gold digger and you need to cut ties with her.”
“You have always hated Arefa.”
“I don’t hate anyone, I dislike that girl. She is not the woman for you, all she ever does is encourage you to splurge on her. You are not happy and I understand but I am going to have to side with your father on this one. You need some grounding.”
Ofentse slammed on the breaks at a red traffic light.
“Fancy coming from you who has put up with a man who’s done nothing but play on your face since the day you met him.”
“Ofentse-“
“I am not going to listen to this nonsense. That girl is not going to stay in my house.”
He hung up clicking his tongue pissed off.
***
Over an hour later, Lesedi slowed down wiping sweat off her forehead feeling her feet begin to ache. She stopped by a big tree on the side of the road as sweat trickled down her back. Her stomach grumbled with hunger. She licked her dry lips setting her bag down then slowly sat on top of it.
She looked around then stopped looking at the gate that was opposite where she was seated. She paused then got up wiping the sweat running down the side of her face. Lesedi looked at the houses realizing she was back again in Ofentse’s street. She swallowed and tears filled her eyes as it hit her she had been walking round in circles. She moved back and sat down putting her hands on her face breaking into a loud cry.
A car slowed down and the driver rolled down his window.
“Sweety, are you ok?”
Lesedi paused and looked up. She looked at the older man in the car and rubbed her eyes. He looked at the back she was sitting on.
“Let’s go. I will take you wherever you want.”
She swallowed. He opened the car door smiling.
“Let’s go.”
Lesedi got up and picked her bag. He walked over to her and she stepped back shaking.
“Don’t be scared, let’s go.”
She held her bag tightly. “No.”
“I want to help you-“
“No!”
“What are you doing? That’s why you are ugly! You think anyone wants you? Sies! Yellow teeth!”
He turned and walked back to his car, jumped in and drove off. She looked around then picked her bag and walked towards Ofentse’s gate headed straight to the backyard. She set her bag down again by the shade and laid down on the pavement on the backyard. Her breathing slowed down with her head on her bag and she closed her eyes imagining Tiro was there. She slowly breathed out disappearing into her day dreaming.
***
Later that day, Ofentse drove in his yard just as the sun set. He looked at the door and Lesedi wanst there. He stepped out of his car as a part of him wondered where she was but he brushed off the worry, she wasn’t his problem to worry about.
***
At bus rank, Tiro stepped out of the bus. He looked around holding his bag pack tightly. A man walked over to him.
“Where are you going?”
“To a police station, can you direct me?”
The man looked at him. “The other side of the mall, what do you want there?”
“I am looking for my girlfriend. Her father brought her here, I need help looking for her.”
“Don’t you have her number?”
“I don’t have a phone. She also doesn’t have a phone.”
The man looked at the bus he had gotten off in. “Is this your first time in Gaborone?”
“Yes.”
“Ok, I can help you look for her. What is her name?”
“Lesedi Kgosiemang.”
“Ok, how much do you have so we can do it quickly.”
Tiro took out the ward of money he had left. The man looked at it and looked around.
“No, I just need P50 to help you. But I have a friend who can help you multiply that money by 2 that way you have more than enough for you and your girlfriend. Matter of fact, I will help you look for your girlfriend for free and your money will also be multiplied by 2. After that hold it properly because it’s going to be a lot of money.”
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