S’bu missing

Mr J, G and his team all traveled to Johannesburg where S’bu studied. They were joined by Menzi on the way who was coming from his university in Durban. When Thandi told them her worry, Mr J took it very serious because he had tried calling his son a day before but did not get him. That was not unusual with his socialite son but he always returned his father’s calls. This time he had not done so and 24 hours had passed. Menzi was also worried because after not getting hold of his brother for three days. Their friends who were in university with S’bu had not seen him for three days and he had not attended his lectures. There was nothing suspicious in S’bu’s flat except he was not there. His neighbours had not seen him for three days, they thought he had gone home. His friends had also gathered to try and find him. G who had taken a call, came back with a worried face. Mr J knew he must have found something and it was not good, judging from his expression.

“Just say it”Mr J commanded looking at G.

“I can’t trace him Sir, his phone has been turned off and the car tracker has also been off for three days. The last signals were in a deserted location outside town. There are no cameras in the area and there’s nothing there now”G completed his statement with his head down.

“Take me there”Mr J commanded with no trace of emotion.

G drove Mr J and Menzi to the area. They looked around but there was nothing there. It seemed S’bu had disappeared without a trace.

Back in S’bu’s flat Mr J decided to make the call he dreaded. That was to inform his wife that their son was indeed missing and he had no leads.

After talking to her husband, Mrs J decided to inform Mandi and Thandi what was going on. All along they hoped S’bu was fine, that maybe he lost his phone or was still trying to get to Thandi, but now he was really missing. The three women sat quietly each one already imagining the worst. After praying with Mandy and Mrs J, Thandi went to her aunts house with a heavy heart. Would she see him again? she asked herself. That night she cried herself to sleep.

It had been four days since S’bu was missing, Menzi and his friends had put posters of him all over urging anyone with information to come forward or contact them. Mr J and his brothers had called all their contacts to help track S’bu. They all went to bed exhausted but there was still no clue on S’bu’s whereabouts.

The following day Thandi woke up very early and ran to the Jobe home.

“I think I know know where S’bu is”Thandi said still breathless. She had ran all the way from her aunts home. “He is in a hospital, he’s hurt and can’t talk but he’s alive” Thandi continued excited.

“How do you know this?” Mrs J asked curiously.

“I... I dreamt it” Thandi hesitated.

“Thandi, you went to sleep worried about him, it’s natural for you to have such dreams but it does not make it true” Mrs J said kindly. “We all want him found and alive but right now there’s no news and there’s no leads.”

“I’ve had dreams before, this one was different, it felt so real” Thandi said with her head down.

“How about this, I will tell Mr J about your dream and we can take it from there”Mrs J suggested and sent her husband a message telling him about Thandi’s dream.

Soon after Mr J called to speak to Thandi. He wanted her to explain everything she saw on her dream. Thandi felt helpless, all she saw was S’bu on a hospital bed, his head bandaged, not talking but breathing. The only other thing she saw was a bell outside. That’s all, I’m sorry, she said.

“Today we are going to look in every hospital and every ward. If any of you know of a hospital with a bell inside let me know” Mr J told everyone who was waiting for his to give them instructions for the day.

“You are following Thandi’s dream”Menzi asked curious.

“Son, when you’ve lived long enough and been through things I have been, you will know that there’s a lot in this life we cannot explain. I hope this is one of those things but we won’t know if we don’t look” he explained.

Different teams went to different hospitals in Johannesburg and surrounding areas. They looked all morning, day and afternoon and came back with nothing. Some hospitals had unknown black males but none of them was S’bu. It was getting dark, very few hospitals were left and everyone was exhausted and loosing hope. Mr J told other teams to call it a day but he, Menzi and G continued looking. At 10 o’clock at night they had finished looking in the last hospital and did not find S’bu. They drove back exhausted and disappointed. Menzi was dozing of in the car when he suddenly sat up and instructed G to turn around drive back a few kilometres and stop.

When he got off the car, they all looked at the direction of his gaze. Two streets away there was a huge bell with flashing lights. It looked like an entertainment place with games. Below that sign was a small one written 24 hour clinic. They got back into the car and drove towards the bell into the clinic. They had looked in hospitals the whole day but did not think of clinics. Johannesburg hospitals were very busy and ran out of beds. Most patients were treated in clinics especially those with minor ailments.

They walked past the security guard and met an elderly nurse who was on duty with two staff nurses. After explaining to her the reason for their visit she lead them to the last cubicle.

“This is the only man with no identity here, he was brought in three days ago. He has not woken up since. He is on a waiting list for a bed in trauma section of the hospital”she said opening the curtain.

Menzi went on his knees and groaned. They had looked all over, there was no where else to look. He couldn’t maintain a tough front anymore. S’bu was almost like his twin and the past four days have been a nightmare.