“What! Babe? Oh My…is this you? Tshepi my baby!” Zandile looks at Realeboha with angry and disgusted eyes. “Babe, I promise this will be over.”
“Why?” Zandile asks. “Why did you do it?”
“Do what babe? I don’t understand?” Realeboha replies with confusion.
“Like she didn’t understand when you raped her, Aubuti R?” Zandile asks emphasising the name Aubuti R.
“What!?” Realeboha turns red.
“How…who…” the kidnapper moves and kneels down between Zandile and Realeboha and takes off her balaclava facing Realeboha.
“Remember me, Aubuti R?” she asks Realeboha.
“Oh my God. No… I’m sorry Lerato,” he cries. Lerato tells him how he messed up her life. Tells him how much she had to spend so she could see a therapist.
“You know, I was ready to move on and forget about you,” Lerato waves her gun in the air. “But seeing you after all these years, that’s when I realised I can’t let this go without revenge.”
Realeboha remembers the hospital incident.
“So it was you, at the hospital?”
“Yes. But you were too slow, ended up catching the wrong fish,” she smiles and looks at the crying Ntshepi.
“After that incident, I burned MaDlamini, went to your friend and I watched him crash. After I kill you and your family, I’m going to finish Mpho,” she points the gun at Ntshepi and Zandile cries and pleads with her not to.
Realeboha sees a dark shadow pass by outside the window.
“Wait,” he says to ready-to-shoot Lerato. “Let me transfer money to your account,” everyone eyes him with confusion.
“After this, you’d probably need money to start over. So let me give you money. It is the least I can do,” he explains.
He does the online transfer on Lerato’s phone. She unties him.
“Hurry up,” she instructs him pointing the gun at Ntshepi.
“Yes, it’s still loading,” he stalls. She hears footsteps outside.
“You son of a… You think you are clever,” she shoots Realeboha on the stomach. He cries out loud. “You think you are clever huh? You called police on me?” she yells.
She quickly opens the garage door that leads to inside the house. Gun pointed out, she doesn’t see anyone. She takes more steps outside and a gun is fired. She is hit on the chest. Three man quickly pass by the garage. They untie Zandile and Ntshepi.
“Dave, call the ambulance, he is shot,” yells one of the three men as he unties the bleeding Realeboha from the chair. “And tell Jack to tie her until the cops get here. Sir, hold on the ambulance is coming.”
“Who are you?” Realeboha enquires as he is put down.
“I’m Tshepo. I’m with my colleagues Dave and Jack. We were assigned here by Mr Mpho. He said we must come and get you and your family to safety.”
Zandile and Ntshepi are traumatised. Police officers are getting in and out of the house, tapes all over. Ntshepi cries when the body of Lerato is taken out covered by a silver foil. Zandile hugs her daughter close.
“It’s OK, babe. We are safe now. It’s over,” she tries to soothe her crying daughter.
***
Tell us: Do you think Zandile will stay with Rea now that the truth is out?