“We reached Bethal in no time,” I heard Uncle Seun say as I stepped out onto the front porch.

“You and who? KIO? Tsotsi? Where’s Tsotsi!” I asked frantically, shaking his left leg. I couldn’t have taken longer than three minutes to get back but had missed a big chunk of the story.

“Okay Chris tjo! We dropped Tsotsi off at a dirt road that led to Davel. He claimed he had some ‘business’ to attend to … There, Chris, now you’re all caught up.” I sat down and calmed down, but only on the outside. On the inside I was still full of questions.

Uncle Seun turned to Mtho, who was now sitting quietly. “As I was saying … We said our goodbyes to Tsotsi. When I opened the back door for Mpumuzi Myeni, he looked me dead in the eye. ‘Seun, ngigibela nawe phambili or wena uzohlala emuva mina ngishaye imoto. Yimi umlungu phela la? (Seun, I’m riding with you in front or are you going to sit at the back while I drive? Have you forgotten I am the boss here?) Ha, grootman! I thought we were friends!’

“‘We are!’ I exclaimed a bit confused. Tsotsi had patted me on the shoulder ‘Come on my broer … you know KIO is just messing with you. En Seun, jy, don’t koppel feelings my broer. Loosen up, you’re hanging out with the greatest.’

Once again I noticed that Mtho’s face was turning all shades of pink and orange. That was his tell whenever trouble was brewing in his mind. I whispered to him, “Don’t get attached.”

“Mfowethu I know it’s just a story! I am just wondering what Tsotsi meant,” Mtho snapped as he turned to Uncle Seun for an explanation.

“Don’t get attached!” I said loudly, “that’s what Tsotsi meant.”

Uncle Seun chuckled and nodded. “As I was saying … we got back on the road and reached Bethal in no time. We practically flew here – I might have been driving but I didn’t see a thing with my naked eyes. I felt it and also saw it in my mind. I couldn’t explain it, still can’t, but it sure was one hell of a feeling. The worst part was I hadn’t smoked marijuana in almost eight months, so it hit me really hard, it knocked my socks clean off,” Uncle Seun said, as he took off his white All-Star and matching socks and let his toes wriggle.

He continued. “I had given up smoking marijuana while I was in prison, but I couldn’t say no to an icon like Mphumuzi Myeni. After we arrived here in our little town we realised we were still a bit out of it, so we decided to take a tour of the town. I showed him some of the spots I would normally go to before I got locked up.

“He didn’t seem to mind my past at all, actually I thought he couldn’t care less but fate … yeah, fate is something else,” said Uncle Seun as he looked at the half of a yellow sun that peeked over a dark cloud and smiled. “We decided to go to the history museum and we saw an exhibit on Gert Sibande, which was right up my alley. I am a sucker for knowledge and as it turned out, so was Mphumuzi. After the exhibit, we felt pretty cool, calm and collected. We smoked some cigarettes, then climbed in the limo and I drove here with Mphumuzi Myeni seated in the back.”

Uncle Seun saw how the story was affecting us because we showed so much interest in it. He wagged his finger at us. “You boys better not mess around with my cigarettes!” he said in a stern tone.

“Yes sir!” Mtho and I exclaimed and bowed our heads to show that we really meant it.

Uncle Seun grinned. “Awe, now back to the story …”

Tell us: Why did Mphumuzi climb into the back of the car after the museum visit and not in the front as before?