He’s just standing there chatting, totally relaxed in a cloud of dope smoke. The guys he’s with are the robotreneurs that work with him at the traffic lights on the highway selling mozak albums, mirror balls and cellphone chargers. But KFCgull is the mozak*. Everybody is hanging on his every word, I’m not the only one who feels his chemistry. Whatever ‘IT’ is, he’s got IT.

“Lets go inside and get some more drinks,” says one of the guys.

I stand in the shadows and watch them go. KFCgull walks with them, but then says something I can’t hear, waves them on, and walks back outside.

I know he’ll look at me eventually but he takes his time.

He slowly lights a cigarette.

Inhales.

Exhales slowly.

“Ndu, come here,” he calls in a gruff voice, giving no sign that he’s seen me.

I can’t explain how he does that. It must be a kind of magic between us.

I don’t go. I haven’t seen him for a long time, even though I never stop thinking about him, and worrying if it might be something about me that stops him from calling. But when I see him I know that thing between us is still there. Why he doesn’t call is just a mystery to me.

KFCgull turns and looks at me. Our eyes lock and stay locked as he walks towards me. I try to read him. He is always so moody. I don’t know if he’s going to be hot or cold. Up or down. Soft or sharp. Nice or nasty.

He’s only about one centimetre away from me when he stops.

I can feel the electric charge between us.

Our lips are so close. His eyes don’t match, and it gets me everytime. There’s a sexy gold triangle that shines out from among the deep brown in one. And the other is just plain gorgeous brown.

Our lips touch and I’m in heaven. His arms wrap around me. My hands, slide up inside the back of his shirt. I trace the thick crisscross of scars on his back with my fingertips.

Being with him does something amazing to me. It’s like I can feel all these dark, sad feelings in him that are the same as mine. And that makes me feel ok again.

KFCgull nuzzles his face into my neck and runs his hands over my hair. I can feel the crackle of big dreams in him. I feel my own spark up against him.

“K…” [Voice Richter Scale: 5,6]

He puts his finger over my lips before I even get his name out.

“Shhhh…don’t talk”

That’s our thing. The rule. We don’t talk with words. Only with our bodies.

Normally that suits me fine because my voice and speaking are such a nightmare for me anyway. But something in me can’t stop the words from coming out.

“One of Mthunzi’s comics is missing. I have to find it.” [Voice Richter Scale Variable: 6,2 to 8,9]

My voice sounds as terrible as ever. It shakes, and rattles, and wheezes and rolls all over the place. It’s like a terrorist has taken my vocal chords hostage.

KFCgull kisses away the tear that I hadn’t noticed leak down my cheek.

It spurs me on. My stupid dreams don’t feel so stupid right now when I’m with him. It feels like when we’re together anything is possible. Suddenly that old daydream of mine is out of the darkness, and almost up in sparkling lights. All it needs is some reassurance from this guy, who is The One.

“Do you think….KFCgull…do you think I might ever maybe be able to be a…a… TV presenter?” [Voice Richter Scale Variable: 7 to 9,2]

My words splutter out, sounding like a backfiring exhaust.

KFCgull’s not faking the look of disbelief on his face.

I’ve made a terrible mistake. I’m a fool! My cheeks flame with shame as he laughs like he’s just heard the funniest joke of his whole entire life.

The flames of shame spread over my whole body. I wish they would turn me to ashes so that me and my stupid dreams could just crumble out of sight.

KFCgull stops laughing and strokes my cheeks. I think it’s his way of saying sorry. He caresses the back of my neck, runs his hands down my back and then up over my front and holds one palm firmly over my heart. He has listening hands that understand everything. They make me feel better.

Eventually I feel brave enough again to look up at his face. Our eyes lock. Some dark blindspot in me fits perfectly into that golden triangle in his eye. I feel my heart falling, cartwheeling with reckless joy. Even deeper than before.

***

Tell us: If Ndu’s best friend Stylus was on the scene right now, what do you think she’d have to say about Ndu and KFCgull hooking up again?