Anele wondered how things went so wrong so fast. He did not mean to offend anybody, let alone Katlego. He was someone he thought would understand his good intentions. They had been friends for almost 10 years, and it went to show what happened when you thought you knew someone.

Anele was no angel himself, though. He had said some hurtful things, but it was up to him to be the bigger man and forgive him, regardless of whether he said them in anger or the bottom of his heart. That night he would sleep on an empty stomach, the following day was a new day, and he would start afresh.

**********

The days that followed were silent. Even though Katlego’s career had turned its back on him, he had not turned his back on his livelihood., so he watched the international friendlies between South Africa, Swaziland, and Zambia, and the matches were filled with nothing but curve balls. The captain of the national team was none other than the person who was left to thinking, Nqobile Mkhize. She was the captain of Ikhokho zaseNuz, making her a Skhokho herself.

Katlego shouted like a madman while supporting his team, telling them on TV where to go as though they could hear him. As a result, the first friendly against Swaziland ended with the small kingdom nation walking over the Republic of South Africa with a score of 15-3.

The second friendly was worse. The services of the one and only Sanele Mhlongo were recruited, surprising the entire country. Nqobile was surprised even more when she found out about her position on the team overnight. Team chemistry aside, it was no surprise to find the squad losing the match.

That night on the Shava Hour, Katlego was not surprised to find footage of Sanele tampering with the ball and explaining their loss.

“This just in. South Africa’s Captain Sanele Mhlongo has received a seven-match ban for his illegal ways, and team South Africa has avoided joining him only through hosting the games. However, they do not go unscathed, as they have now lost their ability to make changes to their team before the games. Things are heating up,” Jillian said, fanning herself.

“So will camp SA keep things the way they are without a captain to steer the ship? Will they return to the way they were with the sultry seductress in number 14, known as Nqobile at the helm, or replace its tampering temptress Sanele Mlhongo?” Jillian continued. “I do not have the answers to these questions, and it seems that team South Africa does not either. This is Jillian, and this has been the Shava Hour. So, from wherever you have been watching, this is me saying Good Morning, Good Day, and Goodnight.”

Katlego stared at his TV in awe with his mouth drooping. He tried calling his teammates, but his calls went unanswered. Their phones were either ringing until they went to voicemail, or jumping straight to voicemail. It was a catastrophe.

He wondered what were they going to do, and then he froze. “Wait,” he thought to himself. “Why was Sanele playing when we were both left out?”

It made no sense Katlego, not that anything in the sport ever did to him now that he was on the outside looking in. But what it did allow him to do was enjoy a lifelong goal. Ever since he started playing the sport and it took off professionally, he always wanted to watch the half-time show, and he was not disappointed.

***

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