Betrayed

S’bu sat at the bar counter drinking one bottle of wine after another. He did not seem to be doing anything right these days. His Father and G were missing and now he was fighting with his wife. He drank some more trying to forget it all.

“Hi S’bu”a voice said.

“Oh Jane”S’bu said looking up then drinking his wine again.

“Tough day?”she asked.

“You have no idea”he responded gulping his wine.

“Now that you are here, tell me what happened between you and my brother”he said.

“Because that whore you call a wife was not satisfied by having you, she just had to have both of you”she said, disgusted.

“Watch your tone”he warned her.

“You don’t sound surprised at all!”Jane exclaimed.

“Let me guess, someone sent you a video of Menzi and Thandi making out”S’bu said.

“You know about it?”Jane asked shocked.

“I received it too”he said.

“And you are still with her?”Jane asked.

“I don’t just believe videos about my wife from nameless people”he said drinking more wine.

“I didn’t too until I saw them myself”Jane said. I turned down Menzi’s proposal because I saw the video but I wanted to know the truth and started following him around. I saw them making out in his apartment, that’s why I ended things with him and stopped talking to her, Jane explained.

“You saw them?”S’bu asked.

“Yes, I even took photos, look”she said showing him photos of Thandi and Menzi kissing and one with Thandi topless.

“Is this some sick joke?” he asked, his heart already pounding.

“I wish it was. I loved Menzi so much and I still do, but I can’t be with him because he disgusts me”she said.

“I have to go”S’bu said, stumbling almost falling.

“I will drive you”she said holding his arm and leaving the bar.

S’bu woke up the following day in an unfamiliar bed with Jane sleeping naked next to him. He had a bad headache and going through everything that happened last night made it worse. He looked at his phone and saw over twenty missed calls. They were all from Thandi and Menzi. He got off the bed, wore his clothes and left. When he arrived home, he recognised Menzi’s car parked outside and the anger that was brewing inside him spilled out of control. Images of his brother and wife making out we’re playing over and over in his mind.

“Dad is here”Amahle shouted excited.

“S’busiso, where have you been? we were worried sick about you” Thandi said walking towards him with Menzi behind her.

S’bu ignored Amahle and Thandi and pounced on Menzi like a hungry lion, knocking him off the ground and punching him repeated on the face.

“Take Sipho to another room” Thandi instructed Amahle. She used all her energy to pull S’bu off Menzi. “What’s gotten into you?”she shouted at him.

“You betrayed me! I gave you everything and you cheat on me with my brother!” he roared.

“What are you talking about?”Menzi asked, pressing on his bleeding nose.

“This, and this and that”he said showing them the video and photos of them together.

“What the hell!”Menzi exclaimed. “I don’t know how and where you got those from but that never happened”he added.

“I thought so too because I trusted both of you but Jane saw you making out”he said disgusted.

“Jane?”Thandi asked puzzled.

“Now you know why she won’t marry you”he said pointing at Menzi “and why she won’t talk to you”he said pointing at Thandi. “You are both disgusting”he added spitting on the floor.

“You have known Menzi your whole life. We have been together for over twenty years and I have never cheated on you but you believe a video and photos about us? You believe Jane over us?”Thandi asked, furious.

“Jane has no reason to lie”S’bu said.

“And I do? I have been faithful to you all this time and you believe her over me?”Thandi asked getting emotional.

“Before Dad disappeared, he send me a message asking me to watch you closely. I did not know what it meant at the time. He must have found out about your affair”S’bu said. He initially did not believe the video he received of Thandi and Menzi and he could not understand his Fathers message but when Jane confirmed the affair, everything started making sense. This was what his Father was warning him about, he was sure of it. Thandi could not believe her ears. S’bu really believed that she was cheating on him with Menzi. She felt so betrayed by him, she felt like he plunged a knife right through her heart.

“Get out of here S’bu, I don’t ever want to see you again”she shouted with tears rolling down her cheeks. She ran upstairs to her bedroom, banged the door shut behind her and sobbed uncontrollably for hours. Remembering Amahle and Sipho she left downstairs, she got up, watched her face and went down. She stood by the door and watched Amahle play with Sipho. There was no sign of S’bu and Menzi.