Siphelo

Soon after I get home Nokubonga arrives. She never tells me when she is coming. Maybe she is looking to find me with another girl. At least Yonela won’t come through without telling me. I told her never to do that. It’s rude.

“Hey, you were in town,” Nokubonga says.

“Yes my love. I went to pick up these jeans.”

She admires them, then sits down on the bed and switches on the television.

“Baby, I hope you don’t mind. I won’t be able to come sleep over tonight. My dad will be around.”

She kisses me on the cheek when she says this. “Oh no. That is just too bad baby,” I complain.

She looks at me sorrowfully, “Oh, baby. We will have more time when my dad leaves again.”

“I understand love. Your dad is strict, I know,” I tell her.

This one has beautiful eyes. That and her nice booty are the real reasons why I went for her.

When Nokubonga leaves I call Yonela. She agrees to come and sleep over.

After Generations there is a knock on the door.

“Hey, it’s you.” I hug Yonela and she sits on the bed. Today is the first time we will be spending the night together. Up until now we have been meeting during the day. I wonder how she must be feeling about spending the night. Who cares, I am happy she is here.

***

Yonela

I find Siphelo busy on his phone as always. He guards it with his life.

I kiss him on the mouth and sit next to him. He puts his phone face down on the bed and tips me onto my back. We kiss and he tickles me. I laugh and laugh. He is fun to be around. I love him.

Loud juke box music plays from the shebeen two doors down. I don’t hear my phone beep but Siphelo sees it light up and hands it to me.

“It’s my mother wanting to know where I am,” I tell Siphelo. He offers to buy me airtime to SMS my mother back.

“What are you going to tell her though?” he asks me. I tell him that I will tell Mama that I am sleeping over at Zandile’s house.

When Siphelo leaves to get the airtime and some cooldrink from the spaza, I find his photo album. It’s lying on the table under some papers. When I page through it I see him photographed with many different girls. Don’t worry Yonela, this is history you were not part of, I tell myself. I throw the photo album back on the table as I hear footsteps coming towards the shack.

When Siphelo comes in he hands me the airtime slip. “Thank you,” I tell him as I send a reply to my mother. Then I switch my phone off.

“Xa, uyaphazamisa. She’s interrupting us,” I tell Siphelo as he pulls me back to the bed again.

***

Siphelo

We cuddle in bed. Soon after we have sex Yonela falls asleep. I take my cellphone to SMS Nqabisa.

Hey Nqabi, m so bored
M struggling to fall asleep.
How u doin?

When I check the time again, it is five minutes past midnight. I wait for an answer from Nqabi. Time passes with no reply from my new friend. I want to make her my girlfriend. That’s all I can think about right now.

Yonela gets up and reaches for the bucket to pee.

“Hey, awulelanga? Were you sleeping?” she asks me as she gets up.

“Not now, you woke me up my love,” I tell her. When she apologises I want to laugh in my dimly-lit shack. She has no idea!

I think of Bulela. He always tells me that amantombazana don’t sleep. Every time he turns or gets up at night, the girl he has for the night is always awake. “When do they sleep?” he always complains.

Yonela slides back under the blankets. I don’t talk to her again for the rest of the night. She always nags that she does not want to share me. I mean, I love her and everything, but, a man needs to have another one on the side. She will never get this.

Hey, waz up, Noks?

I press “send” to Nokubonga.

***

Nokubonga

My phone beeps. It is Siphelo. I feel bad because I am lying next to Morris in his bed. He drank too many beers and passed out. Well, Siphelo will never find out about him. I will make sure of that.

I knew from the day I met Morris that he was a gentleman. I had a big box of cake for my niece’s birthday party from Spar. He stopped and gave me a lift to my place. He did not ask for money for the lift.

The next time he came to see me he offered to buy me airtime, as this was the excuse I gave him for not replying to all his SMSes. That’s how we started seeing each other. Morris stirs in bed next to me as I type an SMS back to Siphelo.

Your msg woke
me up now. My dad
keeps walking past
my room. I think he
is checking on me

Morris tosses and turns. When my phone goes off again he mumbles words in his sleep but doesn’t wake up.

I open my phone under the blankets. There is a new message.

Gud, your father
Is right… sleep tight

You have no idea mfana, I think to myself. I better leave Morris’ place early tomorrow morning. I hope he offers to take me in his car.

***

Tell us what you think: What are the problems of Nokubonga and Siphelo each having more than one partner?