[Melissa reaches home after shcool.]
Mr Lodumo: My princess. (hugs her)
Melissa: My loving father (smiles).
Mr Lodumo: How is school? How are you?
Melissa: Everything is all good.
Mr Lodumo: That’s excellent.
Melissa: Can I please go up to my room? (she looks drained).
Mr Lodumo: Aren’t you going to greet your mother? (surprised)
Melissa: We had an argument.
Mrs Lodumo: It doesn’t matter. Let’s have dinner.
[30 minutes later Melissa receives a phone call from Michael.]
Melissa: (picks up the phone) Hello!
Michael: Hey, are you still coming over?
Melissa: I am not in the best of moods right now.
Michael: What’s wrong? Is this about earlier on? I said I was sorry for shouting.
[Melissa starts to cry.]
Michael: Baby? (sad tone)
Melissa: (cries) Mike, this is too much. I can’t.
Michael: Calm down. Tell me what’s going on?
Melissa: (weeps) I don’t know if I can carry on with this relationship.
Michael: What do you mean?
Melissa: Maybe we should break up (weeps)
Michael: What…do… you… mean? (shocked)
Melissa: Are you cheating on me?
Michael: What?
Melissa: I felt a connection between you and Portia.
Michael: Come on. Portia is my ex.
Melissa: So you don’t love her?
Michael: When did you become so insecure?
Melissa: You are not answering my question!
Michael: It doesn’t matter.
Melissa: It does. (angry)
Michael: You are being childish right now.
Melissa: Excuse me?
Michael: Yes, you are childish. You act like a 5-year-old. For goodness, I can’t even see you when I want to and you give me excuses about your parents. You are right, we should break up. (aggressive)
Melissa: Are you dumping me?
Michael: You dumped me first! Bye.
[Michael hangs up. Melissa starts weeping. Melissa screams out of anger and her parents come in rushing.]
Mr Lodumo: Princess, what’s wrong?
Mrs Lodumo: What’s wrong?
Mr Lodumo: My baby, talk.
Mrs Lodumo: Melissa…
[Melissa doesn’t speak, just weeps.]
Mrs Lodumo: Must I call a doctor?
Mr Lodumo: (worried) Let’s take her to the hospital.
[Mr Lodumo picks Melissa up and carries her to the car. They drive to St Augustine Hospital.]
Mr Lodumo: Doctor! Doctor! Doctor!
Mrs Lodumo: Doctor Anthony!
[The nurses rush towards them.]
Nurse: Is she okay?
Mr Lodumo: Not quite.
Mrs Lodumo: Where is Dr Anthony?
Nurse: He is busy with shifts but Dr Ledwaba is free right now. Let’s go.
[They departure to Dr Ledwaba’s ward.]
Nurse: Doctor! Doctor! Doctor!
Mr Lodumo: Help my Princess!
Mrs Lodumo: Save her!
Dr Ledwaba: I will do what I can. (looks at the patient) Wait! (Shocked) Melissa? What happened?
Mrs Lodumo: You know each other?
Dr Ledwaba: Yes, we went to the same primary school.
Mr Lodumo: Can you help her?
Dr Ledwaba: I will do my best! (looks at the nurse) Take her to ward 6. Hurry.
Nurse: (shocked) She’s bleeding!
Mr Lodumo: No! What’s going on? (weeps)
Mrs Lodumo: Help my baby! (cries)
Nurse: Please wait in reception. (Mr and Mrs Lodumo are escorted to the reception. Dr Ledwaba rushes to ward 6 with the nurses.)
Dr Ledwaba: We need to run tests. How fast can the lab get them?
Nurse: In an hour.
Melissa : (weeps) Michael… Michael… Michael… Michael…
Nurse: Michael?
Dr Ledwaba: Melissa. Can you hear me?
Melissa: I love… (she passes out)
[An hour later.]
Dr Ledwaba: We tried our best.
Nurse: I will inform the family.
Dr Ledwaba: No, I will do it. (looks at the nurse) Phone the mortuary group. (exits the ward)
[At the reception.]
Mr Lodumo: How is she?
Mrs Lodumo: Can we see her?
Dr Ledwaba: She’s… My condolences to your grandson.
Mr and Mrs Lodumo: WHAT!
*****
[It’s a sunny day in Durban.]
London: Melissa! Melissa! Melissa! Wake up…
Melissa: What?
London: Come on, we are in class.
Melissa: If only it was real.
London: What are you talking about?
Melissa: I just had a dream. That Mr Michael and I were dating and even ended up having a baby boy. But I was rushed to hospital after we dumped each other.
London: (laughs) You were really dreaming. That will never happen in reality.
Melissa: Anything is possible.
***
Tell us what you think: What do you think of Melissa’s dream?
