As she lay on the couch, she thought about the events of earlier today. He obviously had not recognised her and she wondered if she should confront him in the morning. On one hand, she didn’t want the scrutiny that would doubtlessly follow if she told her story. On the other, she didn’t want him to get away with violating her. Life didn’t seem to have treated him well, he had aged, and with the news of him having contracted the coronavirus Mbali wondered if it was life’s way of serving him with justice.
She decided she was going to wait until he recovered, then confront him. She felt she was ready to move past the rape but wanted him to know he had not broken her at all. If anything, the rape had made her stronger.
After supper she fell asleep on the couch and, despite a disturbing dream, which she didn’t remember in the morning, slept soundly.
When she woke up she felt refreshed, and as she prepared for work she was evidently in a better mood, singing along to her favourite Beyoncé songs.
The walk to work was punctuated by the usual early morning shouts from the taxi conductors jostling for commuters. Mbali was amused at how the taxis would block the busy morning traffic in search of commuters.
She got to work. She headed to the ICU ward, where she spent most of her time after a quick coffee in the cafeteria. She greeted a few patients who were awake already and was surprised to see an empty bed where the new patient should have been.
He could be visiting the nearby bathroom, she thought to herself, although this was highly improbable given the condition he had been admitted in.
Just then Anushka came in, breathing audibly: she had obviously taken the stairs again. Anushka had become something of a fitness fanatic in the past month or so. She was hell-bent on losing weight, or what she referred to as her love grips.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you last night!” She spoke after recovering her composure. “The new patient unfortunately didn’t make it!”
“What?!” Mbali asked, her voice filled with incredulity. Anushka explained that she had been informed that the patient’s condition had turned worse just after 10 pm the previous night. The ward had just been disinfected, as was the norm when suspected coronavirus cases were detected.
The respiratory virus had slowly been affecting more and more places in the world and South Africa had not been spared. Mbali didn’t know how to receive the news. She felt a tinge of relief but also regret that she wouldn’t be able to face him and tell him about the pain he had caused her
Guess it is chapter closed, she thought. Fate seemed to have intervened before her planned confrontation of the monster. He was not going to face justice for what he had done to her and who knew who else had fallen victim to him in the intervening years?
Mbali’s mind was jolted back to the present with her cell phone vibrating in her pocket. It was Jeffrey.
A smile formed across her face as she read his text. It simply said Meet for lunch? She was a little surprised that instead of quickly replying to it with her usual excuses, she actually felt maybe it was indeed time to give the poor guy a break.
I would love to she replied to Jeffrey’s text. She felt herself blushing a little at the strange warm feeling encompassing her. I guess he really likes me then, she thought. And for the first time, she realised she had feelings for him as well.
***
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