January 2016, we kept calling each other, we were still close as ever even though Mthobisi would complain about me not coming back to Durban. He had been patient enough now.

He started to call me then give his phone to his grandfather, which I didn’t mind. His grandfather always gave me advice in everything I was going through at that time. I was stressing myself with what to do after matric with my bad results. He would tell me to stay strong and never lose faith in whatever I wanted to become. He would say it might take time but in the end it will happen.

The way we talked I would even forget that I wasn’t even supposed to speak to him. I had no reason to even talk to the old man, but if Mthobisi was trying to punish me for not coming back, then I enjoyed every moment of my punishment. He noticed that I enjoyed talking to Mkhulu so he would call and ask for my 4-year-old cousin sister. They would talk for hours and I didn’t mind, as long as he called me.

Even though we didn’t talk like we used to, I understood his anger. I would be angry too or even end the friendship if I were him but because I was the reason for us not being able to meet, I kept telling him to be patient.

Things were perfect at home, besides that I had no plans for the year and varsity was the last thing I would think of. It wasn’t easy for me to finish high school, I felt like I needed a long break before I took chances again. I wanted to be a lawyer or to study Theology but 2016 just wasn’t the year for me to do that.

I had repeated a class so I had been in school for extra years, so a break was the best thing. I told myself I would just look for a job so I could be able to help at home and not sit around the whole day because that would be a waste of time.

End of January I came back to Durban.

On my way back I called Mthobisi and told him that I was on my way back.

“Finally!” He responded. “That’s great Omuhle, but I am still angry at you for keeping me waiting for this long,”

I was cool with that and promised to make it up to him when we met. He loved clothes, most of the time he just talked about fashion and he always looked good even though he never took any pictures alone. When I asked him to take a picture he would just say he doesn’t wanna look like a fool just standing there, posing for the camera, looking stupid. I found his excuses funny, who would think of that?

I was the opposite. Taking pictures changed my mood, no matter how angry I would be, when I started posing for the camera I intended to forget everything that was happening around me and just have fun. When I was in front of the camera I became a different person; bubbly, crazy, a happy soul. That’s why I took pictures almost every day, just to keep my mood cool.

This was something Mthobisi never understood no matter how many times I explained it to him. He would just laugh at me and say I was crazy and weird, that’s why he was my best friend.

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