Phillip watched his beautiful wife as she slept. She wasn’t tossing and turning this time; she wasn’t fighting. Like a baby without a care in the world, she slept peacefully. Phillip wondered whether the couple of ‘missing hours’ had more to do with the stresses of work his wife was feeling. All she needed was a vacation; a break from all the traumas of the hospital. A time to recoup and she would bounce back to her normal self in no time.

She woke her up reluctantly, and helped her prepare for her last day at work. When she came home, they would be free to go on vacation, first thing in the morning. Nono went to work feeling a bit better, relieved that the tension between her and Phillip was over. After Phillip dropped her off, he returned to pack.

He went to the wardrobe and took out both their suitcases. He knew that she would refuse to choose any specific items of clothing, meaning she’d take her regular clothes. And that meant a lot of packing and luggage for their two-week vacation, but Phillip just wanted to leave the city as soon as he could.

He stood and looked at the stacks of shoes at the bottom of the wardrobe and wondered which to pack and which to leave. He decided to take only flat, comfortable shoes, plus two pairs of heels, favourite cocktail shoes he loved on her, for the romantic evenings he had planned. That’s when he noticed an unfamiliar shoe box, in the stack right at the back.

It must be a new pair, Phillip thought as he took out the box. He opened it expecting to find a new pair of stilettos. He froze for a moment when his eyes caught the contents of the box.

Woman found raped and beaten in bus station.

He read the headlines of the newspaper clippings, now grasped in his shaking hand. Phillip sat down, and tried to make sense of what he was holding.

Husband of doctor says rapists should not be granted bail, read another headline. He paged through the clippings, remembering the exact emotions he had felt when the news had been printed, over two years ago.

Rape victim feels failed by ‘lenient’ system! announced one headline. Underneath was a picture of a younger Nono, in Phillip’s arms, talking to the press. Phillip didn’t need to read the article to know what those words were, he remembered them clearly.

“Bring back the death penalty,” whispered Phillip to himself, echoing the words quoted from his young wife after her rape trial.

How different she looked now. No, not old, she didn’t look old at all. She looked tired. As Phillip put down the clippings, he noticed a small, black plastic bag stuffed in one of the corners of the box. Part of him told himself not to look at it, and the other part needed to know. He could feel that whatever was wrapped in that black plastic was the answer to why his wife had been acting strangely for the past week. Closing his eyes, he took it and unwrapped it.

‘Ambien.’ He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was only Nono’s sleeping prescription. Worry returned to his face when he took out packet after packet of the pills. There were eight in total; enough to last a whole year. But she is supposed to be off this stuff, Phillip thought. She said she was off it, he remembered, as the worry intensified.

But that explains the blackouts, he thought.

Right at the bottom of the shoe box was the cover of a book. Phillip recognised it – he would know it anywhere. It was the only one in the world of its kind. He had pulled some strings and had it custom-made for her when this whole ordeal started. It was Nono’s chronicle. With trembling hands, he opened it to the bookmark at the last entry.

As soon as he had done so, he wished he hadn’t.

Monday 29
I hate him. I hate him with all of my heart. At first I thought I could do this; treat him as a patient and nothing else. But seeing him breathing in that hospital bed makes me hate him. Everyone expects me to be professional about this. But how can I? How can I watch, treat and nurse back to health a man who attacked me? He watched them rape me and he said nothing. He took part in violating me and he has walked. He doesn’t deserve to live. I can’t let him live.

Phillip didn’t know what to make of what he was reading. He read it again, just to make sure his eyes were not fooling him. No, his eyes were fine. They read the diary entry as clearly as the blue words were printed on the white paper. And then, as he sat holding the book in both his hands, he noticed a piece of paper sticking out from one of the back pages. Without thought or hesitation, he pulled it out.

Convicted accessory to rape and murder out on good behaviour read the headline. Phillip’s eyes moved reflexively over the article.

Lucas Madonsela, a 28 year-old-man who was jailed for being an accessory to the gang rape and attempted murder of Dr Nono Ndlovu, a doctor at the Groote Schuur Hospital, walks free today. Madonsela, who was sentenced to five years in prison, was given a lighter sentence than his three co-accused. The judge was lenient because Madonsela did not participate in the rape. He also possibly saved Dr Ndlovu’s life as he shouted that the police were coming which caused the attackers to flee. It is not clear whether he did this deliberately. Dr Ndlovu was contacted for comment…

Phillip’s eyes darted to the date of print: April 23, 2013 – about the same time his wife’s nightmares started up again, and she began acting weird and violent. I will ask her about this after the vacation, when she is rested, he thought to himself as he put the things back into the shoe box.

Then there was a knock at the front door. He wasn’t expecting anyone so he hesitated, hoping whoever it was would go away. He needed to be alone to think. But the knocking only grew more persistent.

He opened the door with without asking who it was – he was in too much of a hurry to get rid of the visitor to even care to think about safety.

“Yes?” he said as he swung open the door, clearly annoyed.

“Is this a bad time, Mr Ndlovu?” asked a man in a grey suit.

Phillip recognised him instantly. He didn’t need the escort of the constable in the blue uniform to tell him who the man was.

“No. Not at all, Inspector Leeu. What can I do for you?” asked Phillip, not moving an inch from the door.

“Sorry to disturb, Mr Ndlovu, but is your wife in?”

“No…no. She is at work. Anything I can do to help?” asked Phillip, feeling his mouth drying up.

“May we come in?” asked the Inspector.

Nono, what have you done? thought Phillip as he ushered them into the living room.

***

Tell us: What do you think Nono has done? Why are the police looking for her?