“Are you okay?” the man asked, and when he saw the blood running down from her knee.

“Come. Let’s get you inside the car,” he said.

“Damn, you’re so lucky you managed to escape those bastards,” said the driver after she narrated the story of the attempted robbery. The driver offered to take her to Umlazi because he knew the place well. Qhawekazi realised it was better to ride with this respectable man in his early thirties, than to go back to that street alone.

“My name is Thamie by the way,” he introduced himself as he drove, his eyes kept glancing at her thighs.

“I’m Qhawekazii,” she replied.

“That’s a very nice name,” he said. “I’m just going to park here so I can grab some coffee. It will help keep you warm.”

Qhawekazii looked around at the parking lot, and she saw a few cars but distant to one another. The place seemed decent and not dodgy, so she felt relaxed and comfortable in the front seat.

“Tea would be good. Thanks,” she said, and Thamie smiled after switching off the engine.

“Would you like something to eat? You must be hungry,” he offered, and she nodded with a smile as she realised she last ate when she had a meal with Luthando last night. The running left her tummy empty.

“I’ll be back in ten minutes,” he said as he grabbed a black umbrella from the backseat and went out on the heavy rain. It was an hour away to noon.

While Qhawekazii waited in the car, she thought about what had happened earlier, and how Luthando warned her of the dangerous people in the city. She realised that she missed him.

Wondering how she would cope without him if she missed his presence this early after she was with him two hours ago. It was going to be hard not talking to him for a while. Her mind shifted back to this gentleman she had encountered. His generosity put her mind back to Luthando, how alike they were. Even if she had known him for a couple of minutes. But seeing how caring he was; he was definitely eligible of being a good man.

She pinched on her left breast, to feel if her money was still there. It relieved her heart when she felt the silkiness of the moneybag. Her gaze was on the windshield; the rain made it blurry since the car wipers were off. She couldn’t see anything outside, so instead she studied how beautiful the car’s interior was. This man was rich, she realised the car must have cost a fortune.

Thamie was back in the car after 10 minutes as he promised earlier. One cup of coffee, and another filled with tea in his left hand whilst a takeaway bag was stuck between his teeth.
After he settled inside, he put the umbrella on the backseat and handed her a cup of steamy tea.

“Thank you.” she said with a smile. She tore two sugar sachets and poured them inside her tea, and then stirred with a plastic teaspoon.

“Mmmh, this tea is wonderful,” she said after a sip.

“They make the best coffee and tea in town. Before I go to work, I always stopped to have a cup,” he said as he sipped his own steamy coffee.

“Oh, here’s your food,” he yanked out a take away box with a hamburger.

“Double cheese and bacon burger. You’ll love it.”

She had no idea what a hamburger was, but was sure that she was going to love it after she tasted it.

“You must have been really hungry,” he said as she was guzzling the burger like there was no tomorrow.

Thamie looked at her, pacing his eyes down to her thighs as she indulged on her meal. He sipped his coffee without moving his eyes from her. With a quick glance to her breast, Qhawekazii realised he was staring at her.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’s all good. It’s just…” he sighed, “You’re so damn beautiful.” his voice had changed into a much deeper tone that made her uncomfortable. She frowned and finished her burger, then threw the empty box into the takeaway bags.

Tell us: Do you think Thamie wishes to harm Qhawekazii?