Dan had not actually written the letter at the time. He had been worried that, had he written it himself, it would have sounded overly aggressive for Nolwazi. He did not cared much about any ghost’s feelings, but he was aware that Nolwazi might be a little more concerned. He was also worried that, if he tried sounding nicer because of Nolwazi, Jefferson might not take him seriously and he might potentially continue stealing his shirts. He still had a lot of shirts left, but that was not something he wanted to happen.

As advice, Nolwazi told Dan it was probably best that he took a firm stance in the letter, but with politeness, and he agreed to do it. The letter he drafted went something like this:

“Dear Mr Mangena,

“I have not heard from you in quite a while, and I hope that that means you are pleased with my conduct. I must say, however, that I have heard strange news from Nolwazi: that recently you wore a shirt that appears to be mine. Several of my shirts have gone missing lately, and I was wondering if you know what happened to them, and how I can prevent such incidents in the future.

“Your humble servant,
“Daniel Matiwane.”

“I don’t like this ‘humble servant’ part,” Dan said to Nolwazi, then he wrinkled his nose. “I mean, quite frankly, I’m not. I’m not his servant or humble, or humbly his servant. I’m asking him a question, not trying to gain his favour.”

“Well, you will be his humble servant if you want to get anything accomplished,” Nolwazi responded loftily. “You will simply have to tolerate it, darling. Believe me, I know the sort of things he likes to hear, and the only thing he loves more than literature is grovelling and praise.”

After speaking, Nolwazi glanced around as if to check for listeners before remembering that they were at a restaurant, not the hotel. The likelihood that Jefferson would have followed them there was low.

“I will not grovel just to get my damn shirts back,” Dan said.

“And yet you’re still going to write him a letter and force me to deliver it,” Nolwazi responded. “Either you want them back or you don’t.”

“Fine! I do,” Dan said. “Simon, on the other hand, is convinced that I’m simply being careless. You don’t know how he gets.”

“Oh, I’ve met him,” Nolwazi responded. “He didn’t like me at all, he thought I was nothing but trouble.”

“Well, I guess Simon’s wrong about a lot of things,” Dan said, smiling painfully.

“He thinks you’re foolish,” Nolwazi said, smiling back, then she touched his hand. “But you shouldn’t worry about what he thinks. You’re smart, and besides, nobility need not be all that clever. You shouldn’t worry about the shirts either. Your budget is big enough for you to buy a new shirt every day.”

“That would actually be foolish,” Dan said.

“Hm, maybe,” Nolwazi responded. They both considered the idea for a minute, then Nolwazi shrugged. “I’ll deliver your letter,” she said.

“I’m grateful. Then, we will see what happens, I suppose,” Dan said.

***

Tell us: What do you think is going to happen next?