At dawn Nolwazi got ready and left the house. It was her mother’s morning off and she left Ntsikelelo sleeping with her. The streets were quiet so early in the day, only a few commuters passed her on their way to work. 

When she got to the plots, she opened the gate to the chickens and went to check on them. She was just shutting the chicken coop when a van pulled up outside Ma Ruby’s.

She felt fear grip her as she recognised the guy who got out. It was Masoja. 

Had TK told her where she would be? If she screamed, would Ma Ruby hear her and raise help? But what if there wasn’t enough time? At that moment she realised she had left her phone at home. 

Masoja had not come alone. He opened the gate and came towards her grinning. 

“Sanibonani,” Nolwazi greeted. 

“Yebo,” Masoja greeted. “We’ve come for the merchandise.”

“Angizwa? What merchandise?”

“The one your brother owes us,” he said, pushing past Nolwazi.

He walked with determination, ignoring Nolwazi and her screams.

“Ngiyacela bhuti, sort it out with TK, these are my chickens!”

“I am sorting it now, my way!” Masoja laughed. “He thinks he’s clever, always dodging me whenever I want my money or goods. I’ve run out of patience. He is your brother so you pay.”

He started opening the chicken pens. The hens ran everywhere and some were in the street already.

“These are not his!” she yelled. “TK doesn’t own these chickens, uyezwa?”

“It’s his family affair, that’s what he tells everyone. And you are going to start to pay because he hasn’t delivered.”  

Before she knew it, Masoja’s henchman had whipped out a sack and started grabbing chickens. The chickens immediately started running around, ducking this way and that. Even Masoja stopped shouting orders and started chasing after the chickens. 

The noise had brought the neighbours out. Some had started shouting directions at the two men.

“Nantsi, bamba! Behind you.”

“Catch it by the feet! Get the feet!” they doubled over laughing when the men fell over themselves. For all they knew they were customers helping Nolwazi catch chickens.

“Next time it won’t be the chickens we come for, tell your brother that. Tell him to deliver what he owes me,” Masoja said, as they drove off.  

Nolwazi sank to the ground and watched the chaos, stroking a chicken in her arms. What would happen now? Who would look after Nsikelelo if something happened to her? She had nothing left.

Ma Ruby found Nolwazi in a heap next to one of the broken chicken coops. A small crowd had gathered. Some were laughing, others concerned for her safety. There was even a video making the rounds, showing Nolwazi running around with the two men chasing chickens. 

“Nihleka ni? Hee? Siyahleka mane, when someone gets robbed?” Ma Ruby yelled at the neighbours. “That Masoja is a thug, a thief who stole chickens from Nolwazi.”

That shut them up! 

“But Ma Ruby we didn’t know,” one neighbour said. 

“Yeah, we thought they were working together.”

Ma Ruby waved them off, clicking her tongue. 

“Wozani ke, come and help clean up this mess like the good neighbours that you are.”

Masoja’s henchman had even destroyed some of the coops, and broken eggs were scattered on the ground. 

When the few remaining chickens had been caught, Ma Ruby took Nolwazi home for some sweet tea. Nolwazi was still in shock. 

It didn’t take long for the news to spread and soon there was a knock on the door. It was Samke, Busi and Sive. They had come as soon as they heard. 

“I’m really sorry,” Samke put her arm around Nolwazi. 

The emptiness in Nolwazi’s eyes reminded Samke of her earlier days in business; the disappointments and discouragements she faced. 

Samke understood what it was like to hit setback after setback when starting a business. 

She understood exactly what Nolwazi was going through. She still had nightmares of the day her salon had gone up in flames. She still saw all her wigs and weaves going up in smoke as she stood by helpless, realising that nothing was insured and that she had lost everything. 

“It’s all gone. They took everything and they threatened my family,” Nolwazi whispered. Her tears were now dry streaks down her face. “They knew where I was. They knew Bonga was away, and I would be here early. They have been watching! What if they come back?” 

There was a loud knock on the door. Ma Ruby came back with the customer who had come to collect his chickens. 

“I’m sorry I’m late,” the man apologised, “I had to deal with a lazy mechanic. We already paid him but he’s still not done with the car, and we need it to fetch relatives up and down.” He wiped sweat off his brow. “My day was turning into a nightmare, I really needed to get the chickens so at least it would have a positive outcome.”

When he saw Nolwazi sitting with a dazed look on her face, his confusion grew.

“Ngiyaxolisa, did I come at a bad time?”

Samke knew how important it was to keep customers happy and how news spread fast. They would need to make a plan fast. She put her best customer service face on and led the man to a seat.

“We also experienced some setbacks today.” She glanced at Nolwazi. Samke told him the truth of what had happened, apologising for the inconvenience all this was causing everyone.

“But I assure you, you will have your chickens. I’ll see to it that they are delivered to the function on time, even if I have to get them there myself.”

After the man left, she turned to Sive.

“What’s the number of the tamkhulu you bought the chickens from?”

Sive gave her Bhele’s number and Samke made the call to order chickens for the customer who just left  

“Siyabonga Baba, we will send someone to pick them up right now.” 

Then Samke called Themba’s friend with a bakkie and asked him to make the delivery, even promising to add a service fee for him this time.

Nolwazi’s mom came in. She looked pale and was clutching Ntsikelelo to her. 

“Where’s TK?” Busi asked. 

“Gone,” said his mother. “I have to go to work, but I know you will look after Nolwazi, Ma Ruby.”

“And I’ll drop Ntsikelelo at Ma Stella’s. I’m taking Khwezi there just now,” said Samke.

Busi didn’t want to leave Nolwazi, but she needed to go to work too and she knew Sive and Ma Ruby would take care of her friend and help her clear up. 

“She’s still in shock,” Ma Ruby said, as she poured Nolwazi another cup of strong tea.

Finally, Nolwazi spoke again. “What if it happens again? I don’t think I can do this… not alone.” 

“You’re not alone?” said Sive. “We are in this with you — stronger together.” 

“We will change one of the outhouses into a proper office for both of you,” said Ma Ruby in that determined way of hers that meant no ifs and buts. “You can both run your business from there.”

“If we share a space, we can take shifts to be there if our customers need to reach us,” said Sive. 

“Ma Ruby to the rescue,” Samke laughed. “You need a space to plan for that future.”  

“We can even put up our signs…we are open for business,” Sive said to Nolwazi, excitedly. “It means if you need a break, I will be here. There will always be someone here during the day.” 

Nolwazi couldn’t speak. Her words were stuck in her throat, but she followed Ma Ruby and Sive out to the plot. There was a lot of work to be done to get the outhouse ready and clean up. She couldn’t give up now. Not if her friends had not. They were invested in seeing her succeed. 

Nolwazi thought of everything they had done for her; how they came together to help her with her business plan, how they helped her finance the idea, and now they were fixing up the space. 

She started picking up the broken wood from the coops and counting the chickens to see how many were left. But she wondered how she would ever get the money back to replace the loss and she couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t the last they would see of Masoja.