I woke up the following morning at five o’clock, as usual. I then walked to my eldest son’s room, and when I got there, I found that he was not there and the bed was neatly made. I then walked to Owethu’s room, and he was also nowhere to be found. I felt a rush of panic rush through me when I did not find them, and I pushed every door I come upon.

“Vuyo! Owethu!” I kept shouting.

I knew that I had to bath the boys and get them ready for school and crèche, and when I did not find them upstairs, I went downstairs. When I got there, I found both of them eating breakfast. They were having bacon, eggs, sausages, and some left over chicken mayo salad. Lunga, on the other hand, was wearing an apron. The kettle was also boiling, and there was a smell of sweet rooibos tea in the air.

“Hey baby!” Lunga said, smiling at me.

“Hi,” I responded, sitting down, then I smiled at my boys.

“Here’s breakfast, and I’ll run you a bath while you eat,” Lunga said, putting a hot cup of tea in front of my plate. He then bent over and kissed my lips, and I kissed him back, stiffly. He was in a good mood, but I knew that that lady could not have been that good.

**********

Later that day, as I sat in my office, typing on my computer, the delivery guy came in. He was wearing a cap, jeans and a shirt. His two top buttons were undone, so I could see his chest, which was rather broad. He also had a wonderful smile on his face as he stood on my door.

“A salad, three smoked ribs, and an orange juice,” the delivery guy said, putting my stuff on the table.

It was finally time for my lunch break, so I slowly pushed back my chair and pushed the glasses I had on into my weave. “Thanks,” I said, smiling back at the delivery man and handing him his money. “Keep the change,” I continued, then I opened the box that contained my food.

For a moment, the delivery man did not move. “Your name?” he asked, grabbing a chair.

“Why?” I asked.

“I just want to know,” he responded, shrugging and leaning back.

“Silindile,” I said.

“Siyabonga,” the delivery man said with a smile, and before I know it, he and I were talking like old friends. He made me laugh, really laugh. “Hey, I have to get back to work,” Siyabonga said, standing up.

“It was lovely talking to you,” I said, laughing.

Siyabonga nodded in response, and he stood up, preparing to walk out. “Hey!” I called out, and he stopped. I give him my number, then stood on my tippy toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. I did not know why I did that, though. He then smiled in response, walked out, and I returned to my desk and continued with my work.

***

Tell us: What do you think Siyabonga and Silindile’s meeting could mean for her?