It was Valentine’s Day and Sipho was in the park again, searching for Perry. I’m never going to find him, he thought, searching each tree in turn. It was here, last summer, that he first met Karabo. She was sitting alone under the biggest ficus tree, wearing a bright pink floaty dress and he thought she looked like a rose, she was so pretty. He’d seen a guy selling ice-creams, and he’d run up to him and bought two Magnums. He had felt a bit shy as he went up to her. Would she think he was a weird geek? But she hadn’t. He’d asked her out then and there. But that was long ago.

He still needed three thousand for the necklace, and he was prepared to do anything to show her how much he loved her.

At eight thirty that morning Sipho was at Cash Convertors. “This PlayStation is worth R2000,” Sipho said, pulling out the receipt from his carrier bag. He put the PlayStation on the counter. “And this wrist watch with a leather strap is worth R500, excluding the custom-make,” he added. “As for this painting…mxim, I don’t want to talk…the detail says it all.” His heart raced as he added them to the pile. Karabo had given him the watch for his birthday in November, and the painting had been her Christmas present to him. She’d asked an artist to paint it for him – it was a portrait of a Yellow Naped Amazon parrot in the Amazon forest, and he loved it. But he loved her more.

“R1500. For all,” the assistant said.

“You’re joking, right?”

“Next!” the man shouted.

“OK, just hold on,” Sipho said. “And with this customised slim leather folio case for a Lumia phone, as well as this Lumia Touch. How much?”

“R2500.”

“I’ll take it,” Sipho said, downhearted. It really hurt to let the painting go. The painting had been specially made for him, and there wasn’t another one like it in the world.

He still needed R500 – and a bit to live on. There was only one person who could help him.

Sipho turned to a public phone that was just around the corner from Cash Convertors. He dialled Thabi’s number. “Hey, Thabi it’s me, Sipho.”

“Hey. What a surprise.”

“I know,” Sipho said. “Eish, girl I need help…I’m desperate. Mr Mohamed is out on a sick leave and I am a bit low on cash…Could you please lend me a thousand?” Sipho felt bad phoning Thabi. He didn’t want Thabi to think he was a parasite. But she was the only person he could turn to.

“Shame. It’s hard to get over those Christmas debts hey,” Thabi said. “Send me your banking details.”

“Thanks Thabi,” Sipho said with tears standing in his eyes. “You’ve just proved to be my oxygen, again.”

At twelve thirty Sipho was at the pet store. He just couldn’t wait for Karabo to arrive. The necklace was nestled in the heart-shaped velvet box, and he had bought a bunch of red roses too. He was so excited. After all the weeks of drama she was finally going to know that he loved her. She was going to be thrilled.

He hid behind the store room door, peeping out, so he could jump out and surprise her.

Next moment, Karabo stormed in, shouting, “Sipho! Sipho! Come out, uphi? Damn it! What did I just see in Cash Converters?”

“What?” Sipho exclaimed, hiding the box behind his back.

“Your birthday gift!” Karabo said. “I was looking for a game for Lesego, and there was the watch I gave you. Do you have any idea how much that watch cost? And the painting? You just sold them, like you don’t care? Huh?”

“Ka-Ka-Karabo…” Sipho stuttered. Then something caught his eye.

What was she wearing? What the hell?! “That necklace – where did you get it?” Sipho pointed at the red necklace hanging round her neck.

“Dominic,” Karabo said. “Dominic bought it for me while you were busy looking for your stupid bird.”

Sipho gaped like a fish in a tank. He choked. But before he could say anything, Karabo had stormed out.

***

Tell us what you think: Was it worth sacrificing everything she had given him to buy her one perfect present?