We eat quite the hearty meal and right after dinner we decide to drive back home. It’s a warm summer evening and we’ve had a delicious dinner but not much conversation.

“So… Why the sudden interest in me?” I ask her, out of curiosity and in an attempt to break the awkward silence.

“I wouldn’t say it’s sudden. I just got tired of waiting, sometimes you just have to stop hoping and make a move.”

“Brave, I like that.” I say as I rest my hand on her thigh.

“Let’s not exaggerate,” she chuckles. “If I was really brave I would have walked out the front door of the house tonight.”

I can’t help but laugh too. “I was wondering when you’d explain that, is that something you do on the regular?”

“How about we shift the focus from me to you. You’re the one who has explaining to do here,” she says inquisitively.

“What did I do now?” I ask her.

“I just want to know, how does a guy look you end up as a gangster?” she asks curiously.

“Same way a guy like Mdu does.”

“It’s not the same. Mdu didn’t spend 3 years of his life getting a degree. Mdu’s never worked a day in his life apart from being on the streets. He had no choice. After my dad left, he became the man of the house. Mama could have never afforded university fees and his marks weren’t good enough for a bursary. He had to make a plan and he did. But you on the other hand, that’s another story. You didn’t have to do it,” she says to me.

“I guess it’s easy to think that but I really didn’t have much of a choice either. I busted my ass trying to get through university, even working part-time for extra cash. Eventually I graduated only to find that there were hardly any jobs in my field of specialisation. So there I was, working a crappy job. When my father passed away the tables just completely turned. I had to care for my two teenage sisters while handling a 9 to 5. I wasn’t making much money there, just being fresh out of university and all. Sometimes I had to work overtime and remember, your Gogo had to take care of my sisters. Even after all that, the money was never enough. Then I got fired. So what was I to do really?”

“Get another job, duh,” she chuckles, “I’m just joking,” she says to me.

“Yeah but maybe it’s time I do something different before anyone I love gets hurt.”

We arrive at her home and I know better than to drop her off where her parents could spot her, so I park just behind her neighbour’s tree. She looks up at me while fiddling with her purse.

“So I guess it’s goodnight,” I say looking into her eyes. I lean in and I guess she must have met me halfway because before I know it our lips meet and we get lost in time for a second.

There’s an abrupt knock on my side of the window, I look up and it’s Mdu.

***

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