Truth Warrior! It is just a short story in a magazine. Little do I realise what an impact it will have on me.

I try to keep reading after Etienne’s message. But I am so excited about Saturday, I can’t concentrate too well. Not this evening, anyway. I only get a vague idea of what the story is about.

Truth Warrior – Scene One

Palesa Kabwe is a journalist, off to a press conference with some municipal official – some dodgy municipal officer that Palesa suspects of being corrupt.

Her husband Larona kisses her goodbye at the front door. Lovingly, proudly he says, “You go get him, my darling! You expose him, my beautiful Warrior for Truth.”

But Palesa is impatient to be off. The photographer Eddy is waiting in the company car, hooting for her to hurry. So Palesa slips out of her husband’s arm and yells, “Coming, Eddy!”

I throw the magazine down. What do I care about Palesa and Larona and Eddy and their lives? All that matters is that Etienne is on his way home, on his way back to me!

He phones late that night. I suppose Mary is fast asleep because he’s not whispering. In fact, I was fast asleep too.

“I’m back at last. Oh God, how I missed you, Kaz! You are the only thing in life that keeps me sane.”

It was too awful in Cape Town, he says. His mother was in a critical state and there was Noah being a total brat and throwing tantrums up and down the hospital corridor.

“And Mary was being her usual apathetic self, not trying to control him. Telling me I was a bully when I tried to make him behave. And Jordan was waking up all hours of the night, screaming. It was a nightmare, Kaz! A three-week long nightmare.”

“My poor darling!” I sympathise. “But at least your mother is better now. And we’ll have all Saturday afternoon together.”

“Well, just a short time on Saturday afternoon, Kaz. I’ll tell Mary I’m going for a jog. She’s demanding that I come with her to visit her folks. She says she’s spent three weeks with my people in Cape Town. So now I owe her.”

I feel sick with disappointment. Such a long wait and I will only be getting an hour or so with Etienne!

But still. Etienne doesn’t want to hear me complaining after the nightmare he’s just endured.

“I’ll be ready and waiting, my love!” I say. “We’ll make every second count. In fact, I’ll go and buy some sexy new lingerie – you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Over the phoned, Etienne groans. “Oh God, Kaz! What would I do without you? You are the one light shining in this dark world.”

He speaks a little while longer. Mostly it is about Mary, about how she treats him like a meal ticket, only there to pay the mortgage and the groceries and the crèche fees – as though his only worth to her is his monthly pay-packet. About how she would never in a million years think of buying some sexy lingerie just to please him.

Poor Etienne, I think. It must be so hard for him.

“Can’t wait for Saturday, my darling,” I say. “Only two more sleeps. Good night, my love.”

I pick up the magazine, just to read a few more paragraphs. Just to get myself back to sleep.

***

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