Afterwards, Busi had to confess to herself that she had known she would do it. Nancy and the other girls had all done it ages ago. Sometimes it was all they talked about. Men. And how good it was.

Sex.

Busi knew, when she waited for Lunga outside Checkers, that Lunga would suggest that they go back to his room for the afternoon. She had seen the desire in his eyes, there under the tree, and she had felt her own desire flowing towards him.

Busi had also known that Lunga would tell her that he was in love with her. Even though it was too soon. Even though they did not know each other very well.

The thing was that Busi already felt that she knew Lunga. She had watched him for years. She knew who all his friends were. She even knew which girls he had been with.

Busi knew her mother would never understand. She probably would not forgive her either if she ever found out. But she never would. And Busi blushed when she checked, yet again, that the condoms she had taken from the school bathroom were still firmly in the zipped compartment in her bag.

So, when Lunga found her waiting for him outside Checkers, and came up to her and kissed her right there on the street, Busi had been prepared, and happy.

In Lunga’s room, Busi knew that she was not the first girl he had ever taken there. He lived in a room in Aunty Sylvie’s yard. Aunty Sylvie turned a blind eye to everything he did, but even so, Lunga was relieved when he saw that she was out.

Busi noticed that his room was very clean and tidy. His bed was perfectly made up.

“Are you sure you want to do this, my beautiful songbird?” he asked her gently, pausing between kisses.

Busi nodded, and even though she was trembling and a little afraid, she felt that she had never wanted anything as much in her whole life.

“You do know I love you, Busi,” Lunga said again to her later, when they were lying side by side in his bed.

“Yes, I do. And I love you too,” Busi replied, smiling into his eyes.

She sighed deeply and closed her eyes then, as she thought about all the girls at school. She would never tell them about this. But she would know, deep inside her, that Lunga Matsepo had told her he loved her, and had made love to her, so gently and sweetly; none of their mean words would ever touch her again.

And when Lunga asked her to sing for him, she did so with pleasure, enjoying the love that she saw, warmly there, in his brown eyes.

***

Tell us what you think: How do you think Busi’s mother will react if she found out?