Six years later …

“Sorry, Doctor. Can we wait just a few more minutes, please? I’m sure he’s coming,” Iziyo pleads.

She is at the gynaecologist’s office. She tries calling S’the again. The call goes straight to voicemail. Iziyo slams the phone down in frustration and disappointment. She looks at Dr Kubheka, her worried gynaecologist, in sadness.

“You don’t need him to be here, Miss Mazibuko. You can tell him what I will tell you,” says Doctor Kubheka.

“I need him to be here, Doctor. You don’t understand … he was supposed to pay for the consultation.” Iziyo looks down, embarrassed.

“You can make another appointment. I have other patients waiting to see me here, and even more at the hospital.”

“But I reminded him day after day!” Iziyo vents as she buries her face in the palms of her hands.

She regains her self-control and leaves.

She finds S’the sipping beer and watching soccer on television when she gets to the rented room where he lives. Iziyo stands between S’the and the television. “S’the! I waited for you. Don’t you remember we had the doctor’s appointment?”

“We worked until late. The buyer arrived late to pick up the car,” says S’the nonchalantly, directing Iziyo to move out of the way with his hand.

“But S’the, I kept on telling you, reminding you!” Iziyo screams.

“What should I have done? I’m not Superman.”

“If you really wanted to, you would have tried.”

S’the dismisses her with a swing of his arm.

“You don’t care!” Iziyo snaps and points to his stomach. “You just sit around growing that huge beer belly of yours.”

“What did you say? What did you just say? You slut!”

S’the gets up from the couch and marches to Iziyo. He grabs her by the throat and pushes her against the wall.

“What did you say?!” S’the screams into her face.

“S’the you’re killing me–” Iziyo gasps for air.

“Then watch your mouth,” he yells as he throws her to the floor.

S’the stands over Iziyo. He looks at her with menacing eyes, then he leaves the room to grab another beer. Iziyo is left writhing, in a pool of tears.

Tell us: Are you surprised at how this relationship has turned out? Why or why not?