‘Thank you.’
‘So, you never needed a cup of coffee, huh?’ she asks with a smirk. I smile back and focus on packing documents in my bag. When I have everything I need, I lead the way to the basement where my car is parked.
I quietly drive us to a restaurant just across from our office building. It is not busy yet. I bet it will be full in no time. It is the hottest spot around this office park. Thandeka doesn’t look pissed anymore as we take a seat and order drinks, but not particularly delighted either. She is just returning a favour.
‘How are you finding our workspace?’ Trust me to be irrelevant.
‘Everything is beautiful. I like working on the second floor where all the creatives are.’
‘Ouch!’ I place both of my hands on my chest as if she stabbed me.
‘What? Ohhh … no offence. I would rather be with the creatives than the bosses. You guys make everyone walk on eggshells.’
‘I didn’t know I make people walk on eggshells,’ I say.
‘Oh well … maybe it is Ms Diana that everyone is scared of.’
‘She is a handful but don’t let it get to you. She is like a barking dog, you know? It never bites.’
She sips her cocktail. Her eyes are twinkling but she doesn’t look relaxed.
Maybe I am just expecting too much from a first date. Is this even a date? Does it qualify when she is just doing it to return a kindness?
‘So, what did your boyfriend say when you told him you were leaving Venda for a job?’
‘Boyfriend? Me?’ She chuckles – a cold chuckle. ‘You see this thing called a man …’ She points a finger around. ‘I am never … never … never ever going to let it in here.’ She points to her chest. ‘Never.’
‘What if someone really likes you? From the depth of their heart? What if you find a man who is really falling in love with you? Won’t you give him a chance?’
‘There is no man who is falling for me.’
‘There is.’
‘Who?’ She turns her eyes to me.
‘Me.’
‘You?’ She does that cold chuckle again, but this time it turns into a laugh. She laughs at me like I am some kind of fool.
‘What is wrong?’
‘You are used to doing this, aren’t you?’ she says icily. ‘They all fall for this trick, don’t they?’
She is no longer laughing but has an indifferent look on her face.
‘Do you know something that I don’t?’
‘Of course … so you can quit trying your luck, I won’t fall for it. You don’t have to call me to your office after working hours to make you coffee that you won’t even drink … So please, save yourself the embarrassment. Please.’ She sips her drink and stares at me. ‘Do you really need someone to talk to … about your loss … or did you also make that up so that I would come here with you?’
‘I … well …’ Words fail me.
‘Exactly.’
CHAPTER 6
THANDEKA
Maybe I shouldn’t have been so harsh! His face has turned hard, making me wish I could take back my words, one by one.
It might be the drink that has loosened my tongue. He is one of the bosses and could get me fired, even though I report to Ms Diana. Maybe I was harsh, but I had to say something! He needs to know that I am not one to fall for his tricks. Honestly! I haven’t heard stories about him at work but I bet they are there. He just sweeps them under his fluffy black carpet.
‘I really did need someone to talk to,’ he says and turn his face away from me.
I feel bad. Maybe I took it too far.
‘I am sorry about the coffee incident.’ His eyes land on me.
I return the favour and stare back at him. Why can’t I pick up a bad aura from him? All the stories I heard at the funeral … I cannot see him doing those things. Apparently, he does not only date a lot, he dates many women at the same time and he is not honest about it. He lies to women and cheats on the ones he has relationships with. I don’t need such drama in my life.
‘You know what? Let’s forget about my coffee request and this previous conversation. Let’s just have these drinks and I will drop you home afterwards, is that okay?’
‘Fine.’
‘Thank you,’ he says. His eyes light up. The temptation to smile at him creeps up on me. He confuses me, this guy. One minute I hate him; the next minute I don’t. One thing is clear though – I need to get him out of my mind.
Why did he have to be a monster of a man? He looks like a guy who has a good heart. But it makes sense: Would he have fathered a hundred children if he was a monster towards women? He is obviously charming and comes across as wonderful. He is handsome, successful, a man any woman would fall for; hence they all fall for his tricks.
‘Did you have a good relationship with your brother Ronnie?’ I ask. This is what we are here for, correct? To let him talk.
‘We were pretty close growing up.’ His smile is dull.
‘I am sorry about his death. That little boy too … I saw his photo in your office. You must have loved him very much. I am sorry he died,’ I quietly say and he stares at me like I said something wrong.
‘Khuthi … yeah … I … I will get over it in time. But it hits me hard sometimes,’ he says.
I understand exactly what he means. I know the feeling too well. ‘Time heals and the thought that these people become our angels, watching over us, makes things better.’
He beams at me. It is his line and I am allowed to use it on him.
We keep on talking, order more drinks, and I start to relax. He is steering clear of any topic that might make me uncomfortable. He’s not even flirting now. What is his deal?
‘How come a Thandeka landed in Venda?’ he asks at one point.
‘Parents died and we had to move from Soweto to there. It was years ago.’ I was only seventeen when they died and Thulani was twenty-one. Not one family member took us in. My mother was born in Venda and we knew she still had a tiny house there, that used to belong to our grandfather before he died. So we moved to the village. The house was falling apart, but Thulani fixed it. We only had each other and he is my only family now. I have disowned every family member who did not help us. Especially my aunt who was so cruel as to leave Thulani and I on the day of the funeral, when we needed her the most.
‘Oh, you are from Soweto, just around the corner. Is it where you are staying now?’
‘That house is sold or something … even if it isn’t I don’t want to go back there … bad memories. I stay in town with Maria. I don’t know if you know her. She also comes from our village. She digs you a lot but she does so from a distance,’ I say and chuckle.
Too much information, Thandeka. I think I got carried away. I’m on my second cocktail and have refused dinner. I need to watch out.
‘She digs me from a distance? You should tell her to holla at me,’ he says with a smirk. Of course. So that you can devour her, right?
‘I think I need to go.’
‘Oh, did I say something wrong?’ He seems worried. ‘I was only joking.’
Yeah, right.
‘No. It is just that it is getting dark.’ This is the truth and