By the time she left Mompati’s place it was nearly nine. It didn’t feel like that; she was not tired at all. She was floating and full of happiness. Mompati had been amazing. But she wasn’t sure they should sleep together again, at least for a while.
“You know I don’t normally do things like this. I think we’re going to need to slow down,” she told him before she left. “I like you but my life’s complicated just now.”
His face changed. At first she thought she saw a whiff of anger but then she realised he was disappointed. “I can’t say I like that idea much. But whatever you want. I hope there’s no one else in the picture.”
She hesitated answering, then decided it was better to put everything out in the open. “DT’s not just a friend, he’s my ex.”
Mompati turned away from her so she couldn’t see his reaction. When he turned back he was smiling, though she could see her words had affected him. “Ex means ex, right? We’ll be fine. We’ll take it slow. Since that first day I saw you I knew we were meant to be together, we have all of the time in the world.”
He kissed her good-bye and she headed to her house.
At home, she decided there was still time for a quick walk for Butch; it would help her calm down a bit. She grabbed his leash at the door and took him out of the gate, up to the park and back.
She was disappointed to see Jono waiting for her. He must not have been very hurt if he was out of the hospital already. As she got closer, she could see he was angry, angrier than usual. His right eye was puffy and he had bruises down the side of his face. Whoever attacked him had been serious.
“I knew having you in the neighbourhood would attract all of your black thug friends,” Jono said when she was near enough.
“I’m sorry for whatever happened to you, Jono, but I had nothing to do with it. And I’m starting to get tired of your racial abuse.”
“Nothing to do with it? Nothing to do with it?” He was moving toward her as he spoke, his voice rising, getting angrier and angrier. He only stopped when Butch growled. “The man who beat me, your friend in his black balaclava, who broke into my house – when he left he said: ‘Leave Karabo alone’. What’s that? Is that not your name? Did you not send your friend to do this to me?”
Karabo stepped away from him. He was obviously lying. He was just trying to get her in trouble so she would be forced to move. “I don’t know anything about the person who beat you up.”
Karabo walked away quickly and into her house. As she shut the door she could hear Jono shouting: “I told the police about it! They’ll be contacting you soon!”
She locked the door and was surprised to feel how upset she was. She told herself that Jono was a liar, a racist out to get her. He’d say anything. Something was troubling her though. She remembered the night before, when she got home, how she thought she saw a man in the glow of the streetlight – a man who looked like DT.
No. She would not let Jono mix her up like that. DT was getting his act together. He would never break into Jono’s house and beat him up. What she needed was a drink and then some sleep. In the morning things would seem clearer. This day was full of emotions. Happiness about DT’s new business; sadness about him seeing that kiss; and then the wonderful time with Mompati. She was starting to think he would be much more than ‘the get-over guy’. And now this, this thing with Jono.
She walked into the kitchen and turned on the light. She spotted it straight away in the middle of the wooden table where she ate her breakfast. There was the photo of her and DT from her wallet. Someone had pinned it to the table with a hunting knife, the tip of the knife stabbing her right in the chest.
***
Tell us what you think: What motivates stalkers, like the person after Karabo?