Luvo was raised in poverty by her father. She would spend her nights weeping as she thought about how they suffered. Things got so bad that she had to sell her own clothing to buy food. Little did she know that one day it will all sound like a fairy tale.

One day, her father began to get sick. He had chest pains because of the dust in his working environment and the heavy machinery that he carried on a daily basis. Luvo took care of her father until the very end.

On the day of the funeral, Luvo was strong and brave and did not even cry in front of the people who were there. She had so much faith, faith and hope that everything will be alright. She was serving people throughout the day. The funeral was a beautiful tribute to her father and the insurance paid well.

Reality kicked in when Luvo was alone in the house, she missed her father. The only thing that kept her going was the strength she had. She held herself in such a way that one would not even know that she was going through hell, because she embraced it and her attitude towards it was greater. She overcame sorrow with joy, only through the Lord.

She was only 23 but believed that nothing in life comes easy; if you want to succeed you have to be prepared to sweat. She decided to start her own business and it flourished because she was quick on her feet and never hesitated to serve.

She started an events company, it kept her busy and it was something she enjoyed. She still had her father’s inheritance, which to her surprise was quite a lot of money. He had been saving all these years and suffering and she had reaped the benefits of it. His fortunes meant nothing, if she could just hold him again. Nevertheless, she continued in her studies by studying events management at CPUT.

Although she was doing well with her business, she needed help. She then uploaded a status on her Facebook page, which read: Anyone interested in an events company? Drop me an inbox me for further details.

Her inbox was flooded with messages but she could only choose two girls, Laura and Tebogo, who were both from the surrounding area, Khayelitsha. They were happy to take the job and she was happy with their progress. In them she found friendship. She knew you cannot mix business with pleasure, but they were doing just fine and the money was coming in.

She was too busy to even consider dating. At least, no one saw her with a guy and they never heard her speak of one. So it was fair enough to think that she did not have one. She was comfortable in her own skin. She knew herself, the way she dressed and the way she conducted herself.

She was modest. She preferred dressing comfortably but at the same time fashionable, on Sundays she would wear make-up. She was quite reserved and not easily read. As time went on she grew closer to Tebogo who was labelled as a nerd because of her dorky appearance. She was a quiet, kind and smart person.

Luvo had short hair, clean cut. She was always dressed in jeans and slouchy T-shirts. She was carefree and quite clumsy. People would often judge her because of her boyish outlook. She finally took a bold step and confessed to Tebogo and she finally took a chance and had courage to tell Tebogo and Laura about herself. They knew everything about her but nothing about her relationship choices.

She said, “There is something I need to share with the two of you.”

They got themselves comfortable in the lounge, waiting in anticipation for what she had to say.

She burst out, straight to the point and said, “I’m gay.”

There was silence. They were both shocked. They seemed as though they did not hear her, but she was glad to be transparent with them.

Tebogo was now acting strange around Luvo. She only did her tasks, followed instructions and went straight home without some fellowship. This was unusual as they would always talk after work and Luvo would drive her home afterwards. Luvo wanted to know why the sudden change in Tebogo.

After work Luvo asked to have a minute with Tobogo, she was very uneasy but agreed. They both had soft spots for each other. After work, Luvo locked up and went to speak to her.

“Tebza, how are you?” Luva asked.

Before she could even answer, Luva quickly spoke again.

“Your behaviour surprised me, in actual fact, it hurt me. If you’re behaving like this because I’m lesbian, then I’m sorry but I won’t change for you.”

Tebogo could not speak. She just stared and then Luvo turned to leave. That’s when Tebogo grabbed her hand and stopped her from leaving.

They spoke and sorted out their differences. Tebogo acted strange about it, but it turned out she was in love with Luvo. The feeling was mutual and they kept their love a secret for the sake of being professional. They also did not want to hurt Laura.

They chose to love one another. They had the kind of love that does not seek attention. It was a reserved love, out of the public eye to avoid the nosiness of others. It was a peaceful kind of love. This love brought a smile on their faces. But the problem was not with them but with the community as it was an anti LGBT community where several people had already lost their lives as a result of their sexual orientation. But they did not care, their love went on.

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Tell us: Why do you think communities are still unaccepting of gays and lesbians?