Nzwaki sat at the back of Siyabonga’s car late the following afternoon after school. She was so anxious. She kept changing her mind. Could she bear the shame of her criminal, cheating husband exposed in front of her whole village? She was crying and Siyabonga kept reassuring her that she was doing the right thing. Strange that it didn’t feel so right. This was her husband, her lover, her soul mate she was handing over. And she wasn’t sure she could go through with it.

They were parked at the side of a little-used dirt road outside the town. It was just Nzwaki and Siyabonga in the car. He took out his cellphone and made the final call.

“Hi, I’m at the meeting point,” Siyabonga said. The phone was on loudspeaker so Nzwaki could hear.

“I’m five minutes away,” Joe’s unmistakable voice replied from the other end.

They hung up without any more words. So this was it. It was real. Joe was stealing free supplies and selling ARVs to some drug lord and keeping all the money and spoiling himself – and his wife and his girlfriend.

Nzwaki had just today seen them together again – Asanda and Joe – by the school fence exchanging some words. She had felt sick with disgust, and called to the girl to come away from there. Asanda had given her an insolent glare and turned back to the fence to speak to Joe. He had taken some money from his wallet and given it to Asanda. Clearly, now that Nzwake knew about it, they weren’t bothering to keep their relationship a secret any longer.

Nzwaki saw the car from a distance, coming closer and closer. Joe parked a few metres away. The sun had dropped below the horizon and it was getting dark. His headlights were on. She ducked down. The window was open.

Siyabonga got out and the men greeted. They were so close Nzwaki could hear them. Her heart was drumming.

“So where’s the package?” Siyabonga asked Joe. There was a pause, then “Is this all of it?” Siyabonga asked. So Joe must have handed it over.

“If you need more you know who to call,” said Joe.

Siyabonga replied. “Do you have easy access to them?” he asked. “In case I need more supplies quickly. These things move fast on the black market.”

“Yeah, I practically order them for the clinic. So you can call me anytime,” Joe said laughing confidently, ignorant that this was a set up, trusting Siyabonga even though he had never met him before.

And then Siyabonga was getting back in the car. Nzwaki heard Joe’s Mazda starting. She heard him start driving away. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, other car lights were shining behind his car. Nzwaki sat up as the police siren blared. She watched as the police pulled Joe out of his car, cuffing his hands behind his back, and reading him his rights.

It was over. Her husband had been bust for stealing and selling ARVs to criminals involved in drug dealing. Nzwaki cried her last tears for him as she watched the van drive off.

*****

“So what now?” Nora asked, sitting at the table across from Nzwaki and Siyabonga the next evening. She was in a yellow summer dress and she even had make up on. She looked beautiful.

“Well, I’m filing for divorce and I’m going to testify at the trial. I hope it all goes fast.”

“I’m sorry, Nzwaki. But you did a brave and responsible thing,” Siyabonga said, reaching comfortingly with his warm eyes.

“Yes, and now we can all move on with our lives,” Nzwaki said raising up a glass to them. “Especially now that I know the Head will be calling in Asanda’s parents, telling them the truth and suggesting strongly she be transferred to another school.”

They chatted about other lighter topics over dinner at Nzwaki’s house. The young people laughed and smiled at each other, as though Nzwaki wasn’t even there. She felt happy that Nora may have found some romance. She deserved some happiness.

“I saw Mkhize yesterday. He looks well,” Nzwaki said absentmindedly.

“Yeah, we’ve been talking and he even apologised for his behaviour. He was shocked and didn’t know what to do, how to respond. I should thank Lwazi for sharing some information with him.”

“Who’s Lwazi?” Siyabonga asked.

“Oh, this bright young man at our school. He wants to be a lawyer and I think he’ll make a brilliant one. He does gardening for Mkhize. And Mkhize said they were chatting after you came to the school, and Lwazi told him all the information he knew and had researched about HIV. Let’s just say Mkhize sees things differently now and we’ll be good friends.”

The evening ended and Siyabonga and Nora went home. Nzwaki sat alone in her house and wondered what her next step would be. She needed to get rid of all the things that were bought with blood money. But that could wait for the morning.

She went to bed looking forward to a new day; a fresh start without Joe. It would be hard but it was also a new beginning.

“You are never too old to find love.” That’s what Nora had told her. Nzwaki smiled inside when she thought of Nora and Siyabonga smiling at each other across the table.

This was definitely a time for new beginnings.

***

Tell us what you think: Would it be possible for Nzwaki to continue teaching effectively with Asanda in her class?