Queen walks in the dining room with a sad face. She sits down, bewildered. Granny is cooking while Musa separates the maize from beans. The smell of chicken stew doesn’t wake Queen. She seems lost and far away.

“Help me with the veggies,” Granny shouts.

Musa looks at Queen, but he sees she isn’t paying attention.

“Sesi. Did you hear Granny, hey. I am a boy. You have to do the vegetables,” he hits the table to make a crushing sound. Queen looks and stands up. She washes her hands and helps peel the vegetables. The audio doesn’t stop playing in her mind.

Grandpa walks in smiling; he is happy to see Queen. Musa gives him water to drink when he settles, comfortable, on the chair. Queen is unhappy and very angry. Why does Tony speak her name? He hasn’t been in contact with her since Palesa cheated. What is she doing with the audio? Questions rise in her mind with no answers.

Dinner is ready. Palesa is in a good mood, but Queen’s still angry, remaining quiet. How will she know what Palesa’s up to? She needs to think how to get hold of Palesa’s phone. They eat silently, but Palesa finally see Queen has changed her face expression. Musa goes to sleep except for the two girls; they have to clean the kitchen.

“Queen, are you okay?” she asks.

“No…? Yes, I am okay. I miss my friends. Can I use your phone? I don’t have data,” she answers.

“Okay I will give it to you,” she says, smiling.

They crack jokes and laugh while doing housework.

“Don’t forget to lock the door. Granny will be furious if we are careless and don’t listen,” she says.

Palesa locks the front door and they go to the bedroom. Queen dresses in her blue flowered night wear. Palesa checks her phone. Tony has sent a message:

Tony: Ok let’s try but you need to tell Palesa.

Palesa: I will hey

Tony: We are dating kkkk. (blowing kisses emoji)

Palesa: I love you Tony. I do have feelings for you.

Tony: (Smiling emoji) Talk tomorrow.

“You can use my data. I am going to sleep. Good night,” she says, logging out of WhatsApp, forgetting to delete her messages with Tony. She forgets her Facebook is not logged out. She doesn’t think it will be a problem. Palesa gives Queen her phone and tucks into the blankets. Queen sits and watches Palesa.

She checks Tony’s messages on WhatsApp. She reads them and checks the audios. It’s still there, so she checks the details. The audio came from Facebook; it is Tony:

Good night!

She is shocked that her account is being used by her cousin. How can Palesa do this to her? She scrolls down the messages. She doesn’t like what she is reading. She finds Tony’s number and jots it down because she wants to snitch on Palesa after confronting her first. After sliding the phone close to Palesa’s body, she stares at her with too much grief. She doesn’t sleep well, thinking about ways to confront Palesa. This will destroy their relationship.

Tell us: How do you think Tony will react when he finds out he’s been chatting with his ex all this time?