Reneilwe was in the kitchen, washing dishes, when her phone suddenly rang and the name ‘Suzzy’ appeared on the screen. She felt her body trembling as she picked it up and went out. She could hear water splashing in the bathroom: Moleko bathing, singing loudly.

“Hello,” she answered, looking over her shoulder to ensure that Moleko wasn’t there.

“Hi babes. It’s me, Shawn. Are you back already?” the voice on the other end of the line asked.

“Not yet. But I’ll be soon,” Reneilwe said softly, with fear in her eyes. She was happy that Shawn had called – but also scared for she knew that call could land her in big trouble. “Look, I’ll see you tomorrow after school. I’m so tired today. We had so many lessons here and my head is spinning.”

“That’s fine with me, babes. As long as you’re fine. I can’t wait to see your beautiful face again, my love,” Shawn said in a husky voice. “I love you.”

“We will talk tomorrow.” She hung up and went back into the kitchen with a smile. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was about hiding their conversations from Moleko, who would surely go crazy if he caught her.

She and Shawn had spent hours chatting yesterday when Moleko and his friend were busy drinking alcohol outside, with their girlfriend. She didn’t feel comfortable joining them, as always, because she was the only one who wasn’t drinking. They were also older than her and she felt bored.

“Who was that?” Sergeant Moleko asked, standing on the threshold of the door that led into the sitting room, half naked, with a towel wrapped round his waist. His forehead was wrinkled with anger, his biceps twitching.

Reneilwe felt her stomach turning inside. “It was … it was my …”

“Hey! Talk wena! Who was on that phone?” He paused, then stepped forward, fuming. “Oooh! It was that boy, right?”

“No!” she cried, staggering back with tears in her eyes. “It was my friend, Suzzy. Look,” she said, showing him the name on the screen.

“Bring it here! Since when do you have a friend called Suzzy? You think I’m a fool, girl?” He grabbed the phone from her and dialled the number. “Don’t think I didn’t notice what was going on yesterday. You were on your phone the whole day, chatting, but when I checked your WhatsApp there were no new messages there, except for few lines where you were asking your brother about your father. You must have deleted the conversation,” he said, putting the cellphone to his ear.

Reneilwe wished the earth could just open up and swallow her as she heard the phone ring. Moleko put it on loud speaker.

“Babes!” Shawn answered, delighted. “I see you just can’t get enough of me, niks?” He sounded playful.

Moleko dropped the call, his eyes glowing like that of the lion in the dark. He glared at Reneilwe with twisted lips, snorting.

“You’re cheating on me? Mmm! Me? The man who takes care of you and your family? Me? The one who taught you everything? Do you know who I am wena, mara?” he fumed, gripping Reneilwe by her neck.

Reneilwe scratched at his hand, her eyes bulging, as she struggled to breathe.

“Right! Today you will know who I really am.” He dragged her into the house by an arm. “After everything that I’ve done for you and your family? Is this the thanks that I get? You betray me with that dog? A small boy?” He picked up his gun from the couch and pressed it on her head, his eyes red as a burning coal.

“We’re not dating! He was still proposing!” Reneilwe cried, shaking with terror.

“Oh … now he is no longer your friend? Sharp, sharp le ntlwaela blind lena ba babedi. You take me for a fool?” He pressed the gun harder and she staggered back, sobbing.

“Please! Don’t kill me, uncle Moleko. I won’t repeat it!” She knelt down.

“Hei! Stand up!” He wrenched her upright by her tracksuit top. “Today I’ll show you who I am! You’re mine wena. I own you! I made you what you are! No boy will just come and eat the fruit of my labour. Not when I’m still alive,” he paused, fuming. “Get your bags. We’re going home now. I want you to take me straight to that dog. I want to teach it a lesson that it will never forget, once and for all. Hurry up!”

They both went into the bedroom and dressed. Reneilwe’s heart was bleeding inside. She had heard stories about policemen who killed their partners but had never thought she could be one of those statistics. What should she do now, she wondered, regretting the day her parents brought this man into their lives.

Moleko drove like a mad man on their way back home. He was still fuming and kept on reminding Reneilwe that he owned her, and there was nothing or no-one who could change that. Not even her father.

“I know that! That’s why I said I won’t repeat it. I won’t talk to him anymore. I swear. Please, just don’t hurt him,” she sobbed, wiping the tears away.

Sergeant Moleko glared at her with narrowed eyes, shocked by what he read in Reneilwe’s voice. It was clear that she really cared about that boy – and that made him more jealous.

“You love this boy?” His eyes were glued on Reneilwe’s face.

Reneilwe swallowed nothing. Her face lightened up as she started thinking about Shawn. She remembered how she felt when she was with him at the shopping complex. How he made her laugh. How her blood flowed gently in her veins when he hugged her as they greeted. The sound of his husky voice echoed in her head, telling her how much he loved her.

She wanted to tell this bully of a man the truth about how that boy, who he called a dog, made her feel. How Shawn respected her, giving her a ray of hope about love. Unlike him – who just treated her as a sex slave because she was from a poor family.

But Reneilwe quickly thought otherwise when she realised what the consequences of that could be: death. She knew she was trapped in this relationship and there was no escape. Moleko always reminded her of that himself, and she knew he was right.

“Answer me, dammit!” Moleko snapped, glaring at her as anger mounted inside him.

Reneilwe shook with fear as the sound of hooting filled the air. She raised her eyes from her hands to the road ahead. A big truck was coming towards them. She realised in an instant what was happening!

In his rage, Moleko had driven into the wrong lane – and now they were going to have a head on collision! She instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, turned her head aside as Moleko swerved wildly to avoid the accident.

A loud bang drowned out her screams and everything went blank.

***

Tell us what you think: Does Moleko love Reneilwe, or does he think of her as a possession, a ‘sex slave’?