‘Hey, it’s okay,’ he says softly while walking towards me. He stretches out his arms for a hug and I throw myself into his embrace. The warmth I have been longing for. ‘I will be fine. Time heals.’
When he caresses my back, I allow him. Just this once.
CHAPTER 7
GUNDO
Oh, Lord!
She rests her head on my chest and sniffs while wiping her tears away with one hand. This reminds me of the day I met this beautiful soul. The day I didn’t know I would fall for a stranger from my village. I would love to always have her in my arms, not just when she needs to be comforted, but for every other moment. She has a beautiful heart, just as I thought.
I caress her back until she starts to breathe normally. She wraps her arms around my back. Her chest rises and falls a few times until I feel her body loosening up. I don’t want to let go.
What a perfect moment.
I am falling in love – deeply in love with her.
‘I am fine now,’ she mumbles after trying to wriggle out of the hug.
‘Sorry.’ I chuckle while letting her go. I wish to pull her close for a kiss but that would be inappropriate. It would just push her further away from me – something I definitely don’t want to do. I have been trying to give her space since the day we went out for drinks. I had to keep my distance to avoid coming across as harassing her. The last thing I want is a scandal connected to my name – after all, she works in my company. No matter how much I desire to be with her, I need to keep my distance if she doesn’t want me close to her.
It has been a long hell of a month.
‘I am sorry, I get emotional at times,’ she says after clearing her throat and taking two steps backward.
‘It’s okay.’
Do I have to stare at her like this? I cannot help it. Thandeka is a beautiful woman. You can put her in this black uniform she rocks every day but she still looks amazing. She has this radiant smile that makes her look even more beautiful. Pity, she doesn’t smile too often.
‘I am sure the crowd is looking for you right now,’ she says and sniffs. Her eyes are puffy and bloodshot from crying.
‘I feel out of place. I am grateful for the party, but I need some peace and quiet,’ I say. ‘Do you want to join me? I promise I won’t bring up topics you don’t want to discuss.’
She stares at me like she is searching for God-knows-what.
‘No, sir.’
‘Stop calling me sir … please call me …’
‘No, no, I insist. Ms Diana said that is what we should call you, always.’
Diana. Trust her to intimidate all my employees.
‘Would you like a glass of wine?’ I ask while walking to the small cabinet in the corner of the room. I keep my drinks in here, for days like these.
‘No, sir. I should be getting back to the others. I just wanted to apologise for how I treated you the other day. That’s all,’ she says, uttering the last line as she reaches the door.
There she runs away from me, again.
The door shuts, leaving me in dead silence.
* * *
At three-thirty I hurry to pick up Ciara from school. She is in a good mood today. I can tell by the smile she has on her face. I jump out of the car and put her heavy schoolbag into the boot. She jumps into the back seat and buckles up.
‘I made this for you.’ She passes an envelope towards the front.
‘Thank you, my angel.’ She beams at me while I open the envelope. Just as I thought, it is a handmade birthday card. I am pleased. It gets better each year.
‘This is so beautiful,’ I say.
‘I have another surprise when we get home. Wanna guess what it is?’
‘Uhm … a car?’ I ask and she giggles.
‘Nooo.’
‘Sunglasses,’ I say and she giggles some more. I spend the rest of the trip guessing what the surprise can be but she only laughs and asks me to guess again. When we’ve parked in the garage, she rushes inside the house for a minute and comes back to fetch me.
‘Daddy, you need to close your eyes,’ she says before I can pick up my laptop bag and her schoolbag. As instructed, I close my eyes and hold on to her tiny hand. I know my house so well – she is taking us to the backyard. I pray it is not another surprise party. All I want is to shower and watch some golf.
‘Daddy, don’t peek,’ she yells while opening the small gate leading onto my manicured lawn. We walk through and a little further she tells me to open my eyes.
Oh! Right!
Diana is sitting on a huge white cushion. She has a perfect picnic set up and a small harvest table filled with delicious-looking food. So that is why she missed work today. I should have seen it coming.
‘Happy birthday, Daddy,’ Ciara calls out happily while jumping up and down.
‘Thank you, my baby.’ I scoop her up and hug her tightly.
I will deal with Diana later. Ciara deserves to be happy once again. Seeing her giggling and chuckling warms my heart.
‘Happy birthday,’ Diana says from the picnic blanket. She is wearing a short white dress. I have a thing for white dresses and she knows it too well.
‘Thank you.’
Ciara pulls my hand for me to sit and join her mother. I hate what Diana is doing to our child. Giving her hope that we’ll get back together again? This is exactly what she has always wanted – a perfect little family without my son in it.
Fuck! I’m so angry at her right now.
Ciara instructs me to take off my sneakers. Once again, I do as requested. She picks up a handful of grapes and starts eating.
‘Wanna do something even more fun?’ I ask my daughter.
Ciara nods happily.
‘Why don’t we go for an evening swim?’ This might be a way to excuse myself from Diana without hurting Ciara.
‘Really? We can swim tonight?’
‘Why not, it is hot. Go and ask Aunt Rosie to change you into your swimming costume. I am coming to change in a bit.’ Without another word, Ciara shoots up. She loves swimming that much. It used to be part of our weekend routine but things are different now. She runs to the house and leaves me with her mother.
‘What do you think you are doing?’ I hiss. ‘I told you I don’t want to do this with you. You are giving Ciara false hope.’
‘Is there no hope?’
‘I don’t know how many times I need to tell you this: We are not getting back together. The sex we had after the divorce was a mistake,’ I say while standing up. ‘Don’t drag my daughter deeper into this mess.’
‘Is this because of the cleaner?’ she asks. I stop in my tracks. I was almost at the door. ‘Is it her? Ever since the funeral, you have this idea that our … arrangement … was a mistake.’
‘It needed to stop at some point.’
‘Why now? Is it her?’
‘What was happening between us was wrong. It had to stop.’
‘Why now? Are you falling in love with her? With that woman? I saw her go to your office on that Friday you asked me to take Ciara to a sleepover.’
‘It