The night was young and chilly in the township of Msasa Park. Jack walked slowly to see his girlfriend’s house in the next street. The quietness made him feel special until there was some rustle of leaves and buzzing of insects. He thought he heard voices, he held the bag tightly because it had something precious. He stopped at a small yellow coloured house. He smiled and looked around before he entered the gate. The lights were on and he had a spare key, he entered hoping to surprise his girlfriend, Jacqueline.

He put the bag down and walked to the bedroom. He couldn’t wait to show Jacqueline what was in the bag, but he got furious at the sight he came across. Jacqueline laid her head on a man’s chest. Jack clinched his fist hard and pulled the blanket away, but she screamed and grabbed a sheet to cover herself. He pulled the man and started punching him.

“Jack stop please stop!” she screamed louder.

Jack kept throwing fists and the man couldn’t find an opportunity to fight back because he was already defeated. Jacqueline wrapped herself in a towel and pulled Jack away. He pushed her and she fell. Jack noticed that the man was no longer breathing and got up. He looked at his bloody scarred hands. Jacqueline pushed Jack and she knelt down and checked if her lover was breathing. His eyes were open, but his body was motionless. She lifted his head.

“Cleo… Cleo… Please don’t die!” she cried louder. She looked back at Jack and looked back at Cleo who is trying to say something. He murmured something, closed his eyes and died.

“You killed him!” Jacqueline screamed and Jack washed the blood from his hands and wiped it clean with a towel.

“He deserved it,” he responded.

Jacqueline continued to cry with her head on his body. Jack covered him with a towel. He grabbed her, but she pushed him away.

“You are a murderer!” she yelled. He pulled her closer with an angrier face. She tried to get away but he held her tighter.

“You killed him,” she cried on his shoulder. He looked at her in her eyes.

“If you didn’t cheat he would be alive. Now I am going to do things to erase this like it never happened,” he raced to the storeroom.

Jacqueline covered her face with her hands. She dumped Jack because he was a criminal and Cleo promised to marry her. Jack refused to accept that so he kept coming to her house unannounced. She looked up and saw Jack with a spade and pick.

“What are you going to do with that?” she asked puzzled.

Jack moved the bed and dug in so he could stash the body. Jacqueline refused to sleep in the house, so he promised to help her sell the house and that they could buy another in another area. She was happy to see R10 million in the bag.

“We are now starting a new life.”

***

Tell us: What would you do if you were in Jacqueline’s shoes?