The next morning, MaKhumalo drew the curtains open, allowing the sharp light to hit Busi’s eyes and lift her from sleep. She rose from her sponge, still drowsy. With Gogo around, there was no time to laze around. Waking up early to do house chores was MaKhumalo’s mantra. She tidied around the house, humming.

“Busi, fold your blankets, and get ready to meet the house guy.”

“The house guy?” She raised her eyebrows but then rectified her answer before Makhumalo could start ranting.

“Oh, you mean Dan. I thought he’d have arrived by now because he wanted to meet early,”’ Busi said as she rushed around, getting the place ready.

“Busi, did you deposit the money I gave you yesterday? It hasn’t shown on my phone yet.”

Busi’s heart began to pump vigorously. She looked away from Gogo and picked up the broom. She almost choked on her thoughts, trying to create a tall tale to cover up her wickedness.

“Maybe it’s because of loadshedding, Gogo. The network was slow, but maybe it will reflect later today.” She hoped the conversation was closed, but MaKhumalo kept talking.

“Oh, then you’ll have to give me the slip to keep my child,” Gogo continued.

There was a hard knock on the door. Busi almost hit her head against the wardrobe, racing to answer it.

At the door was a tall, dark man with specs resting on the tip of his nose.

“Is this the Khumalo household?” the man asked. MaKhumalo presented herself to handle the matter. Her smile was warm and welcoming to the man as she led him into the house.

“I am Dan. Sihle sent me to advise you on buying a house.” He fidgeted with his tie throughout his introduction.

“Okay, God bless Sihle. I’m looking for a small house that’s not expensive, and I’d like it to be around Soweto if possible. This is my home now, and it’s where I’ve spent my whole life with this beautiful flower of mine.” MaKhumalo pointed at Busi.

“Okay, Gogo, you’re in the right place. I’ll help you get an affordable house that suits your needs. You are lucky I already have a house on the line-up. We can go and view it if you want to,” Dan said.

Gogo’s face lit up. Within a short while, the trio was squeezed into Dan’s small car, cruising to Dobsonville to view house no 678. As they entered through the iron gate, Gogo already felt like she was going home. They went on to view the two-bedroom house with a toilet outside. MaKhumalo was already imagining her Tupperware set lined across the kitchen countertop She’d already made up her mind about which one of these bedrooms was going to be hers, and she’d already made plans to develop a flower garden in the yard.

Her heart was full as she allowed herself one more view of the small but well-built house alone before heading back outside to join Dan and Busi, who were sharing a cigarette.

“I love it, my child! Can I put down an offer for it?” Her happiness radiated through her words. Busi caught chills down her spine. She furiously puffed the cigarette, trying hard not to think about Thabani and the cash.

“Are you sure you don’t want to think about it over the weekend, Gogo? I’m sure Dan has other houses lined up to view,” Busi asked.

“My child, God says this is the one. I’m ready to move!” She started humming a church hymn.

Busi just stared at MaKhumalo and Dan, who had a smile across his face.

“Mama, do you have the deposit needed? Gogo, as I explained previously, you’ll need to put down a deposit of at least 10k and pay the rest in monthly instalments. This house is really good value for money.” Dan further explained how they’d need to go and sign the paperwork for the house, but Gogo could move in as soon as her deposit was settled.

MaKhumalo turned to Busi, “Can you sort out the deposit with Dan, please? I don’t know how to do that EFT what-what?”

Busi nodded nervously.

They went back to Dan’s car to make their way back home. On the trip, she was as silent as the night, looking out the window and hoping desperately she’d see Thabani along the way. She’d left him a number of WhatsApp messages, but they went unanswered, and she’d tried to call him when MaKhumalo and Dan were looking around the house, but it had gone straight to voicemail.

Dan parked at the gate to drop off happy MaKhumalo.

“Go with Dan and pay the deposit and bring back the documents to sign. I’ll look for a copy of my ID so long,” Gogo told Busi.

Busi just nodded and jumped onto the front seat. She watched her grandmother disappear in the rearview mirror as Dan accelerated. Busi’s feelings were whirling around her chest. She whispered to Dan:

“Dan, listen, could you maybe do me a favour? I’m stranded.”

Dan turned down the radio in the car.

Tell us: What do you think Busi will have to do?