Untrue and presumptuous

S’bu was in a good mood. He drove home playing his favourite song on full blast with a huge smile. Menzi saw S’bu getting off the car with a smile and knew that their plan worked so he went to meet him outside.

“Jobe” he said addressing S’bu by their surname. “Should I organise uncles to go represent you at the Dlamini’s?”

S’bu laughed, unable to hold his excitement he told Menzi about the conversation he had with Thandi. “Excuse me bro I need to send her a list of our similarities so she can see that we not so different.”

In the taxi heading home Thandi thought about her conversation with S’bu and how she couldn’t stop blushing. This had never happened to her before. Suddenly she received a message then her jaw dropped.

Similarities

• intelligent

• good looking

• kind

• respectful

• cultural

• love family

• attracted to each other

• virgin hearts (never loved before)

Differences

• different social status

As you can see, we more similar than different. It would be unfair to destroy a good thing because of one difference. Don’t you agree?

Thandi read the list a multiple times still amazed at the detail S’bu payed on it. He has too much time! she thought. Everything was true except for the last two similarities. Was she attracted to him? even she was not sure of that.

Virgin hearts?, yes she had never loved anyone before but he did not know that. S’bu had been with a lot of women, he even has a child! surely he can’t regard himself as having a virgin heart.

She pressed a reply button and wrote: Dear S’bu. The last similarities are not only untrue but also presumptuous. Please revise. Regards Thandi

It was a short and formal response. S’bu laughed showing Menzi the message.

“A worthy opponent, I love it!” he beamed. He did not answer but decided that he would call her before she slept.

The taxi finally got to Thandi’s village, she got off and ran home and threw herself on her granny’s arms. She had not come hone since the exams started because they had study group meetings on weekends. It had only been a month but felt like a long time to her. Granny looked at her with a smile and kissed her cheeks.

“Did you pass”she asked.

“I don’t have a report yet grandma but I’m sure I aced it”Thandi said with pride.

“That’s my girl” her granny has always been very proud of her.

“Grandma you lost weight” Thandi said looking at her granny closely.

“Nonsense! you worry too much” said granny dismissively. “Go greet your mother inside, she’s missed you too.”

Thandi went inside the house and hugged her mother.

“You’ve grown taller and prettier” said her mother.

“Thank you mom” Thandi said blushing.

“I must find a way to hide you from boys”said her mother worried.

“Mom!” Thandi exclaimed with a shy voice casting down her eyes.

“Leave Thandi alone, she’s too smart to be fooled by boys” interrupted her granny giving Thandi a chance to retreat to her room.

When she came out of her room her granny was waiting for her with a chicken and impepho the incense. Knowing what this meant, she followed her granny to the rondavel. Rondevel is a cylindrical, single house with a cone shaped thatched roof that very common in African villages and also where elders communicate with ancestors. Grandma burned the incense and thanked the ancestors for protecting her grandchild when she was away from home.

Thandi prepared supper, dished for the family and washed the dishes. Her mom asked to come to the sitting room because they wanted to talk to her. Thandi could sense seriousness on her mother’s voice and walked quickly in and went to sit next to her granny.

“Child, you know I’m old and my health has deteriorated in the past few years. I have lived my life well, raised my children and was blessed with many grandchildren. What more can I ask for?” her granny said smiling at her.

“What is it granny?”Thandi asked worried. Her granny had never spoke in sick a manner before. She was 86 years old but some granny’s lived up to 100 years in her village.

“The doctor found a lump on granny’s breast and took a piece of it. It came back as cancer” her mother explained with a low voice. “Granny will be starting treatment soon and maybe have surgery too but we don’t know what will happen. Breast cancer is hereditary”her mom continued. “This means anyone in our family could have it in the future too.”

“No!” Thandi shouted, her head shaking and tears rolling down her cheeks. Not cancer, not her granny. She choked her whole body trembling. Her granny has lost a lot of weight and she knew that a lot people died of cancer. Now her granny had breast cancer, her mother,aunts, cousins, her and her sister could get it too. Why was this happening to her family? Was God punishing them? We’re ancestors not pleased with them? Thandi was not consolable that evening no matter what her mother and granny tried. After their evening prayer she went to bed with a heavy heart.

S’bu decided to call Thandi and explain the similarities she did not agree with but his phone call was cut off and Thandi sent a message that she can’t talk to him. What went wrong? did he misread the situation? He went over the conversation he had with Thandi during the day and still could not figure out why she was suddenly cold towards him. Two days passed and Thandi’s phone was now going on voicemail and was still not answering his messages and decided to ask her sister about it. In the end Menzi volunteered to ask Mandy on his behalf.

In the kitchen Mandy was making a sandwich for herself when Menzi and S’bu came in. After greeting and chatting a bit with Mandy, Menzi then said “I don’t see your friend lately, did you have a fight?”

“We finished with exams so Thandi went home to the village. She will come back on the official closing date to get her end of year report” Mandy explained.

“You must miss her a lot, do you two talk?” asked Menzi.

Mandy thought of something and suddenly looked worried. “We chat and call each other a lot when she’s home but this time she’s not chatting back and her phone is off! She never turns it off when she’s home. Mom said i can go to her village by end of the week if this continues.”

S’bu who was sitting listening quietly frowned and made up his mind to drive to Thandi’s village that afternoon.

It took two days for Thandi to calm down after coaxing from her mother and granny. She turned on her phone and saw a lot of messages and missed calls mostly from Mandy and S’bu. Her bestie must be worried about her, she thought and decided to call Mandy.

S’bu was on his way out when Mandy’s phone rang. He stopped and sat down after finding out that it was Thandi calling.