Fana can talk about anything with his father, but he always finds it difficult to ask him for money. Usually he talks with his mama when he needs some money. But this time he has to man up and ask his father.
“Do you want me to drive and come over or can it be sorted over the phone?” Mr Khumalo is the type that wants you to be straight when talking to him about serious matters.
“There’s really no need to come over dad. I just need help with money, if dad’s going to be able to give me this amount of money I need.”
“Son, you know I don’t always have the money, how much do you need?”
He tells his father the whole story and then he asks for the money.
“I am getting arrested if I don’t have this R70 000 in my hands by 13h00.”
“What? This is crazy, I don’t have that amount of money right now.”
“Please Mtungwa, I know it’s a lot of cash. But it’s my life on the line.”
Fana begs his dad but does not get the money. His jail route is becoming clearer. The promised time is nearing, but there’s no call.
At about 18h26, there’s a hard knock on the door that sends Fana jumping off the sofa. Dozi attends to the door.
“Hi, again. Like I told you, I was going to come back. Is Mr Khumalo back?”
It is the same officer who came in the morning. Dozi stands at the door, blank. He can’t think or say anything.
“Hey, did you not hear the question boy?” says officer Zulu again.
Dozi shakes his head.
“It’s so not fair to do that to him. His dad couldn’t give him the money you wanted. Taking him to jail for something he really did not do is bullshit you know.”
“You better watch that mouth of yours or you might regret it.” Zulu threatens and pushes his way inside the house.
Fana comes out from his room, wearing a hoodie and track pants.
“Mr Zulu, how are you doing?” he says, giving him his hands to be cuffed.
“I’m very well, Khumalo. Yourself?” Zulu says as he cuffs him and tells him he’s under arrest.
When they are alone outside, Zulu stops and turns Fana around to face him.
“I thought I told you to leave my girlfriend alone buddy, but you didn’t want to listen.”
“I tried man, she didn’t want to leave me alone. So this is you getting back at me?”
“You know me, I don’t make empty threats. You should’ve listened. Now let’s go, I wanna introduce you to your inmates,”
He shoves him in the back of the van and drives to West Ville prison.
Fana is taken to the cell after being booked. It’s like he’s in an unending dream. His brain is malfunctioning and he prays for the ground to open up and swallow him. But the only thing that opens up is the steel gate and the meanest set of eyes await him like he’s food.
They shut the gate behind him and he’s all on his own with the scariest people he has ever seen.
“Ah come on man don’t just stand there, I’m sure you don’t even taste good. We are not going to eat you, get your ass over here,” says a shirtless, skinny guy.
Another guy gets up and heads towards Fana. “Why are you here brother?”
No words come out of Fana’s mouth. He looks in every direction with fear written all over his face.
“Ei ei relax, relax. Now what did you do?”
“I was accused of rap-”
Another guy at the back cuts him off and laughs like a devil.
“Hahaha, I knew it, you’ve been lusting on my cousin all this time. You finally forced yourself on her?” he claps his hands and all the others join in, clapping for Fana like it’s an achievement.
Fana is scared and prays silently.
They let him sit down amongst them. At night they give him a blanket and he tries to sleep but he can’t. He keeps tossing and turning until midnight.
***
Tell us: How do you think Fana will cope in jail?