One late afternoon, a week after returning home to her father, Mary gets an uneasy feeling. She has just finished cooking supper. Her father is at night prayer. She calls Rhino but he does not pick up. Her heart skips a beat, her breathing is slow and shallow, she is burning up. She calls him again, to no avail. She calls his friend, Bhubesi. His phone rings twice, then switches off.

“Why on earth don’t they answer?Nx! Ghaa!”

Mary calls Ndlovu, he is also not answering. She phones her dad, who picks up on the second ring.

“Daughter dearest, hello.”

Mary sobs, she tries to speak but can’t seem to pronounce words.

“Mary! Can you hear me?” her worried father shouts into his phone.

Mary just sobs; her father says, “I’ll be there now now.”

Mary throws her phone on top of the table. She becomes lightheaded and pulls up a chair. She is sweating profusely. On most days she worries about Rhino but today her concerns have literally made her sick.

“Mary!” her father bursts through the door.

“D … Dad!”

“What’s wrong?”

Mary can hardly speak, she seems weak. He brings her a glass of water.

“Drink and tell me what’s going on.”

She takes small sips. It is like the glass is heavy in her hands.

“Talk to Dad, Mary. What’s the matter, my child?”

“R–Rhino.”

“What did he do?”

“I … I can’t reach him on his phone.” Her voice has gone hoarse.

“Is that all that is bothering you?”

Mary nods.

“Hawu! Mary. All this crying and sweating just because he is not answering? Maybe he is busy. I’ll call him.”

He takes out his phone from his pocket and calls Rhino.

Rhino’s phone is answered quickly. “Rhino’s phone. Hello.”

“Hello. Can I speak to Rhino?” Mary’s father goes to open the balcony sliding door.

“Baba, the situation is bad here,”answers Bhubesi.

“Who are you?”

“I’m a friend of Rhino’s. Mary called and called earlier but I didn’t answer because I don’t know what to say to her.”

“What happened?”

Mary is looking straight at her father. She makes no sound as tears keep pouring down her cheeks.

“He … He passed away. Rhino is dead,” says Bhubesi.

Mary’s dad feels a chill through to the bone when he hears this. He doesn’t let on to Mary what he has heard but lies, “OK. So Rhino is too busy to talk at the moment?”

Bhubesi reads between the lines and says, “Is Mary next to you?”

“Yes. Please tell him that I hate seeing my daughter cry. He must call Mary as soon as possible because she is worried.”

“Let me speak to him, Dad,” Mary takes the phone from her father’s trembling hand. Bhubesi hears her say this, giving him time to make up lies.

“What is Rhino busy with?” asks Mary.

“Rhino took Ndlovu to the hospital because his diabetes was acting up.”

“Why did he leave his phone?”

“He must have forgotten it.”

“Where is Ndlovu’s phone?”

“He also forgot his. They left in a hurry.”

“Why did you ignore my calls to Rhino’s phone?”

“I must have been outside.”

Mary takes a deep breath. She sees in her father’s eyes that something is wrong.

“Did something happen to Rhino. Is he dead?”

“No, my sister. Don’t think that deeply and that negatively. Don’t worry too much. Everything will be all right.”

Mary ends the the call, drags herself to her bedroom, plants her face into the pillow and wails.

“Don’t cry, my child. Crying will only bring bad luck. Rhino will call when he gets the time.” Her father hushes her to sleep. He sobs when Mary finally nods off. And wonders how to tell his only child that her soon-to-be-husband has died.

*****

A phone call from Menzi wakes Mary in the morning. “Menzi, how are you?” She can hear the sadness in her own voice.

Menzi exhales. His voice breaks when he says, “I am sorry about what happened to Rhino.”

Mary bolts upright on the bed. “What happened to Rhino? What happened to Rhino, Menzi?”

Menzi can hear that Mary does not know yet. He tries a cover up. “I mean I am sorry that he keeps leaving you alone for long stretches of time. Is he back yet?”

Mary knows that her suspicions were right all along.

“Menzi!”

“Yes, my sister.”

“Is Rhino dead?”

“Is that what you heard?”

“Is Rhino dead? Yes or no?”

“Mary, I am so sorry for your loss. Yes, he died.”

Mary wails for hours, her tears soaking her pillows. After the tears comes shock. She sits on the floor with a blank stare on her face. Her father does not know what to do. He can only offer glasses of water because his words of comfort meet no reply. It is only the arrival of Menzi that brings Mary back to reality.

The tears start again when she sees Menzi. They hug for a long time.

“I am sorry, Mary. This grief shall pass,” Menzi says.

“When will it pass, Menzi?” she wails, her tears soaking his T-shirt. “How did my husband die?”

“It was a cash-in-transit heist, Mary.” He pauses as she gasps, shocked. “According to the police they turned on each other. Ndlovu was shot in the arm during the heist, but got away. When Rhino got to where Ndlovu was hiding, Ndlovu shot and killed him. The details are not exactly clear at the moment. I am so sorry for your loss.”

“So they were big time. And after all Rhino has done for Ndlovu? Why did he kill my husband?”

“It’s a long story, Mary. Gangsters are gangsters, you can never understand their ways. I left the life of crime because there is no honour in it. No real friendships.”

Through her grief a memory comes to Mary: a few days earlier Rhino left the keys to the house in Arboretum. In that bunch she noticed a small key she suspected was for the safe – it had the same brand name as that on the safe.

Her mind begins racing; in seconds, while still hugging Menzi, she hatches a plan to get that money in the safe.

“Menzi I need your help,” she says and releases him from her tight hug.

“Of course.”

“I left some of my clothes in Arboretum.”

“No problem, we can fetch them.”

***

Tell us: How do you like this twist in the plot? Are you surprised at Mary? Should she go and get the money?