From the First Kiss. Zanele Nondzimba

nodded and then continued, “She misses him a lot. He was a very wealthy man and left her all his fortune. That’s how she built the centre, but she would give all the money up to spend time with him again.”

      “Money can’t replace time, love and affection,” Mandla said reflectively.

      Thando wondered if he had been through a similar experience. “Love is very important. It’s what makes us human. Without it, there’s no existence,” she said.

      He lifted his eyes and smiled. “Spoken like a true romantic. Do you believe in love at first sight?”

      She smiled. “I used to. Until I discovered that love at first sight may well be lust at first sight.”

      He laughed. “You don’t strike me as a cynic.”

      “I’m not, I’m a realist. How can you love someone you don’t know?”

      “I think it’s possible.”

      “When you meet someone for the first time, you don’t know what their idiosyncrasies are. You don’t know their character or their spirit. You have to get to know someone before claiming that you love them. Don’t you think?”

      “Well, I believe love has the ability to strike soul mates at their first encounter. Have you ever met someone you had a deep, meaningful conversation with, someone who made you feel like you were old friends, even though you had just met?”

      “Sure.”

      “Wouldn’t you call that love at first sight?”

      Thando thought about it and had to admit that Mandla had a point. But she needed further convincing. He was proving to be a good conversationalist and that was what made a man attractive.

      “I’d call that having a connection with someone, not necessarily falling in love,” she said pensively. “I’ve had quite a few of those encounters, with both men and women. But I wouldn’t go as far as saying that I fell in love.”

      “How would you define falling in love?” he asked, his eyes beginning to glisten.

      She thought for a moment before speaking. “I don’t think love can be defined really. It’s an all-encompassing emotion. And words would limit its significance in life.”

      “Wow, I love the way you think.”

      Just then the waiter appeared with their dinner.

      “Tell me about your family. Do you have brothers and sisters?” Mandla asked, lifting a fork of lasagne to his mouth.

      “I have a brother, S’phiwe. He’s studying medicine in KZN. My mom and dad are pensioners. My mom used to be a teacher and my dad was a journalist.”

      “Aha, so you’re a family of intellectuals.”

      She smiled. “How about you? Do you have siblings?”

      “Too many,” he replied. “There are nine of us: six boys and three girls.”

      “Nine!” Thando gasped, her eyes opening wide. “Oh my word! How did your mom manage?”

      “She did the best she could. She was a strict disciplinarian, because we would run amuck sometimes. Dad was heavily into politics, so he was away most of the time, and then he was exiled and we didn’t see him at all for years. Mom was left doing all the hard work at home. Now that I’m older, I realise how strong she was, never once complaining.”

      “Wow!” Thando exclaimed. “That’s quite something.”

      “My father passed on ten years ago, and like Zodwa’s dad, he had it all: money and power. He was a gentle soul, but when it came to politics, he was ruthless. A couple of years after apartheid ended, he became a businessman.

      “My current boss, Doctor Angotte, was actually his best friend. They met in Nigeria, where my father lived in exile. But you know what, even though we didn’t get to see him as much as we wanted to, we knew that he was always there. And once he was allowed back into the country, he tried to make up for all the lost time. I’d give anything to spend time with him again. All the trust money he left us could never replace him.”

      Thando reached out for Mandla’s hand, her heart going out to him.

      “I’m getting all sombre, I’m sorry,” he apologised.

      “No, don’t be. You’re open, and I appreciate that.”

      He smiled at her and kissed her knuckles. “You haven’t touched your lasagne. It’s getting cold.”

      “Ai, and I’m starving,” Thando said, starting to dig in. She used her hand to shove a big leaf she had combined with some of the lasagne into her mouth.

      “Take it easy, beautiful,” Mandla chuckled, watching her intently as she struggled with the leaf.

      “Sorry,” she mumbled, covering her mouth with a serviette. “I’m so hungry, but that wasn’t supposed to happen.” She lowered her eyes and finished chewing, feeling her cheeks burn.

      Oh man, how embarrassing, she thought to herself, cutting the salad leaves into smaller pieces.

      “Don’t worry about it,” he said, not taking his eyes off her. “I love a woman with an appetite.”

      She laughed, feeling more at ease. Mandla was certainly an enchanting character, intelligent and humorous. He was slightly arrogant, but that trait was overshadowed by his caring nature. The fact that he shared personal information about his family life made her see his gentle and vulnerable side. She knew in her heart that she wanted to spend more time with him.

      The evening proved to be delightful. They laughed, ate and talked the rest of the night away.

      Mandla insisted on following Thando’s car back to her apartment building. When they arrived there, he got out of his vehicle, took her hand and walked her over to the entrance.

      The weather was balmy, with the warm night air blowing kisses to the animated streets of Hatfield. Mandla smiled, his dimples winking at her.

      “Thank you for a lovely evening,” she started.

      “No, thank you,” he said, reaching out to take her other hand. He kissed its palm, making her heart leap. Realising that the space between them had vanished with him standing intimately close to her, she felt herself tremble. What was going on with her? Sizwe hadn’t made her tremble on their first date. And now here she was, her heart fluttering uncontrollably.

      Thando closed her eyes as Mandla’s mouth met hers. He was not just kissing her, he was mesmerising her lips, making her surrender to the moment, and she had no intention to protest. The sensuality of his lips made her feel as if she was swimming in a bath of milk.

      She felt dizzy in his embrace, she was floating, soaring into the sky with the most beautiful man she had ever met. She had never been kissed like this before; it was heaven.