In the morning, as if in a daze, Mary Jane makes the bed, cleans the rooms and bathes. The events of the past twenty four hours rush through her mind while she sits in the bath. She remembers her father’s bad dream: Mary in a black car chased by the police.

She is about to get dressed when she hears someone fiddling with the dining room door. There is a knock immediately after. Mary dresses quickly.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me.”

“Who are you? What is your name?”

“Ndlovu.”

“Ndlovu?” Mary opens the door with shivering hands.

“Hi, how are you?”

“I am fine.” Mary is trying to recall this man’s face. She has seen him before.

“I am also well. Do you remember me?”

“Yes, but I can’t recall from where.”

“I am Ndlovu. I was with Rhino yesterday, when you refused the lift we offered. I have a message from Rhino.”

“Where is he?”

“In Durban.”

“What is he doing in Durban?”

“Rhino works in Durban.”

“What does he do for a living?”

“There seems to be a lot you two still have to know about each other. It’s not my place to tell you about his business.”

“I see. So, what’s the message?”

“He said to give this to you.” He hands Mary a gift covered in expensive wrapping paper.

“This won’t solve my problems. I am in deep trouble because of his gifts. I am just a student. I want to know how I am supposed to carry on with my studies. Here, take it back to him!” She raps Ndlovu on the face with the gift. “Go back to Rhino and tell him I want to go back home. Are we clear?” Mary says and quivers with rage.

Ndlovu looks at the gift, stares at Mary and slowly comes closer to her. Mary can see a deep scar above one of Ndlovu’s eyebrows that she did not notice before.

“Listen here, little girl, I have never been hit by a woman. That better not happen again,” Ndlovu whispers to Mary. He twists her ear with his right hand; every finger glimmers with gold rings.

“I … I hear you. I am sorry.”

“Good.”

Ndlovu lets go. Mary checks to see if her ear is still there or in fact in Ndlovu’s blinged-out hand.

“Good bye.” Ndlovu throws the gift on the ground and leaves.

Mary opens the parcel long after Ndlovu has left.

“Ha!” she exclaims, her eyes bulging with amazement. “Rhino! My God … this man!” She jumps up and down.

The gift Rhino bought her is this: a shiny red dress that glitters at the bust. It hugs her body as if it was sewn on her. There is a box under the dress.

“Hawu! Mncwa!” she kisses the silver shoes she finds inside the box.

She calls Rhino but his phone is off. She throws herself and the gifts on the bed, irritated. “What is Rhino doing to me? Where is he? Nx!”

Mary is getting more and more emotionally confused. She shivers in terror and despair thinking of her dad, rages against Rhino. But then a picture of Rhino smiling appears when she thinks of him, and her anger subsides. She smiles at her gifts. Mary is overjoyed and falls asleep looking at her new shoes.

The sound of a car parking in the yard snaps her awake. It’s the owner of the house and Mary can’t hide her disappointment. He greets her and asks when she last spoke to Rhino.

“Late yesterday.”

“I hope he solves this situation soon. I don’t want any part of this kidnap love story of yours.”

“What work does Rhino do?”

“Has he never told you?”

“No. The man who came here earlier also refused to tell me.”

“What man?”

Mary notices the concern on the house owner’s face. “He said he was Ndlovu. Are you OK?”

“No … yes I’m fine.”

“You seem shocked.”

“Mary, eh …”

“What?”

“What Rhino is doing is not on. He is sending gangsters to my house.”

“Ndlovu is a gangster?”

“Did you look at him and see a saint?”

“He is scary. How does Rhino know gangsters?”

He looks away from Mary. “I don’t know. You have to go back home, back to your family. That’s all I’ll say.”

“Is Rhino a dangerous man? Is he a gangster?”

“I told you – I don’t know.”

“What is it you know, since you keep saying you ‘don’t know’?” Mary is surprised at how high she has raised her voice.

The owner of the house matches her and raises his voice, “You want to know what I know? Do you?” They are looking into each other’s eyes, shouting across the coffee table.

“Yes! I want to know.”

He looks at her awhile, shakes his head and says, “Sit down. I’ll tell you what I know.”

“Tell me, Please. What is going on?”

“It’s hard, Mary.”

“What’s so hard to say?”

“Everything,” he says quietly, stares at the floor, his head in his hands. Then “Mary,” he says and raises his eyes to meet her gaze.

“Yes.”

“Can I trust you with a secret?”

“Yes. Tell me.”

A car pulls up and parks in the yard. They see Rhino getting out.

“Rhino!” Mary jumps up and bursts out of the door, running towards Rhino.

But ‘Can I trust you with a secret?’ is the question that kills her joy at seeing Rhino. She stops and turns back into the house, finds the owner in the kitchen, now preparing to chop an onion.

“Do you need help with that?” she says, guiltily.

“No I’m fine. Go to your man.” He is angry that Mary ran to Rhino after he was so close to telling her a secret.

“Why is everyone so sad? Who died?” says Rhino, when he enters the house.

“Where were you, Rhino?” Mary demands, standing in front of him.

“I told you I was in Durban. What did you do to Menzi?”

“Who?”

“Menzi.” Rhino points to the owner of the house. “Why is he crying?”

“I don’t even know his name. I did nothing to him.”

“You don’t know his name?”

“No, he never told me.”

“What were you talking about that made him so sad?”

“Nothing. He arrived just minutes before you.”

Rhino and Mary are talking, but they can’t take their eyes off each other. It seems magnetic, what they feel for each other. Mary finds herself in Rhino’s arms.

“It looks like I am disturbing you two. I better get going,” says Menzi.

“No, Menzi, stay. This is your house. We will go,” says Rhino.

“Where are we going, Rhino?” asks Mary.

“We are going out, my love.”

“Out where?”

“Where would you like to go?”

“I want to spend time alone with you.”

Rhino pinches his arm. He can’t believe what he is hearing. “Say that again, my love?” he says and pulls at his ear playfully.

Mary laughs and says, “You heard me right!”

He takes Mary’s hand in his.

“You don’t know how much I would love to spend just one night with you. Just so I can look into your beautiful eyes.”

“I … I also want that.”

“Really, Mary?” They are close to kissing.

She nods.

“Like I said before, it is better I leave,” Menzi interjects.

“We are leaving, Menzi. Go get ready, Sweetheart.”

Menzi and Rhino chat pointless chatter while Mary gets dressed. Then all of a sudden, Rhino changes his tune. “Really Menzi, what were you two talking about?”

“Hawu, Rhino. We just greeted, then you arrived.”

“And that’s all that happened? Nothing more?”

“Yes, Rhino.”

Rhino scowls, comes close to Menzi and says, “Good. I know you wouldn’t want to be in my bad books.” His expression changes again, and he smiles. “Let me check on Mary.”

But Mary makes her grand entrance at that moment and they walk out hand in hand.

Menzi stands over his chopped onions, looking through the window at them getting into Rhino’s car. “What a beautiful girl. She’s unlucky she is falling for a gangster,” he says to himself and starts cooking.

***

Tell us: What secret do you think Menzi wanted to tell Mary?