“What is wrong, my boy?” His mother asked Lwazi as he rushed into the house. He was panting and sweating.

“I need you to come with me, right now Mama. Hurry! Hurry!”

“What’s wrong, Lwazi? Tell me, where are you taking me?”

“You will see now, Mama. Hurry up, we don’t have enough time.”

“What would Bheki think of me if he arrives home and I am not here?” asked Namhla, concerned about the new man she so dearly loved.

“Mama, let’s go. Enough with the questions. You will thank me later,” Lwazi pulled his mother to the door, but she freed herself from him.

“For goodness’s sake, I need to put on some clothes then, and take off my night gown.”

“No need for that, your night gown is decent enough.”

“What is this place, Lwazi? Is that not a restaurant?” Namhla asked, shocked, when her son stopped in front of the best Italian restaurant in town, the Tavola Dining Place.

“Come, Mama, come out, quickly.”

“No! Lwazi, I am wearing a night gown. What will people think of me?”

“Mama, look over there. You see!”

“What? Where?”

“Follow my hand, see I am pointing at that corner. Who is that?”

Namhla squinted her eyes in disbelief. As they were standing outside she could see clearly how her beloved fiancé, Bheki, was holding hands with a young gorgeous woman.

“No! No! That can’t be happening.”

“Yes! Yes! Mama that is Mr Mbaza. I knew he was not a good man from the first day I saw him. Come with me.”

“I can’t believe this, Lwazi. He said he was in a meeting. He just sent me an sms before you arrived.” Those words came out like moans as if she has been punched on the chest with a fist.

“Does that look like a meeting to you, Mama?”

“Oh my God! Why did he propose marriage if he was not ready to settle down?”

“We might never know what his reasons are, Mama, but now you have time to find out if you want to. There is still a lot that you don’t know about this man. Where is he getting his money? Have you ever asked him about that?” asked Lwazi, looking straight into his mother’s teary eyes.

“Noooo! Noooo! How could he do this to me? How could Bheki do this to me?”

Namhla started sobbing. Her heart felt torn apart right there and then. She blamed herself for not ever bringing up the topic of the woman, ‘My Lilly’, who called him and sent him the message.

“Dry your tears, Mama, and come inside and talk to him. Now Mama, come on!”

As they got out of the car Bheki got up from his table and pulled his lady love up to the dancing stage with him. The live band were playing a romantic song.

Lwazi and Namhla walked into the restaurant. Namhla ran to the front of the stage.

“Bheki! Bheki!”

Namhla reached up and pulled him by the arm. Mr Mbaza’s face went pale with shock. He pushed her away. People started laughing; some of them were pointing at Namhla and her night gown.

“Bheki, is this the meeting you were talking about?”

“Who’s this, honey? Who is this Gogo? Ha! I thought you had style, Baby!” said the lady, pointing at Namhla with those slender and soft fingers decorated with sharp pointed red artificial nails.

Bheki looked around, speechless, not knowing how to handle the situation.

“This is my mother, lady. I am just waiting now to hear what Mr Mbaza here is going to say,” said Lwazi, coming forward, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt.

“Dammit Lwazi! She is one of my colleagues! How can you do this to your own mother? What do you want your mother to think of me?” replied Bheki, his eyes darting from one woman to the next.

“Tell her, Bheki. Tell her who I am!” Furious, Namhla lashed out at his face with her fist, but he blocked her with his strong arms. He pushed her. She staggered backwards and Lwazi caught her before she hit the ground.

“How could you do this to me, Bheki? How could you be so cruel?”

“I heard the rumours of the cover-up wedding, Bheki!” The lady laughed out loud, folding her arms while giving Namhla a nasty look. “I never thought it was with a gogo like this! Yhuu shem you have no class, Baby,”

For a few seconds, Namhla just stood there with Lwazi fuming beside her. She felt as if she was in a bad dream. She started sweating. She could feel her head spinning.

“Noooo!” A kind older gentleman at the front of the crowd of people ran forward to catch her as she fell, face down.

Instead of helping, Lwazi jumped over her, grabbed Mr Mbaza by the neck and started strangling him.

Then there was chaos. Some people tried to revive Namhla, who had passed out, while others were pulling Lwazi off Mr Mbaza’s neck. Women were screaming. Some guys were laughing and making jokes, while some were trying to calm down the situation.

The boss, Mr Valentino, was furious because his place was popular with tourists and this looked bad. He called the police.

***

Tell us: Do you think Lwazi did the right thing, bringing his mother to see this?