Sphiwe walks home alone, wondering where Mr Khuzwayo is taking Zinhle. He has come to treasure the few moments he spends with her at break time, during the study group and sometimes hanging out during weekends. He has attempted to tell Zinhle how he feels about her but the timing has never been quite right.

*****

Sphiwe doesn’t know that since the beginning of February Zinhle has been having an affair with Mr Khuzwayo. The first time she had sex with Mr Khuzwayo was on a Friday after school. Mr Khuzwayo had called Zinhle from class and asked her to help him sort his files in his office. School was out by the time she helped Mr Khuzwayo carry those files to his car.

He offered to give Zinhle a lift home but drove to a secluded area. He parked the car and smiled while looking at Zinhle in the passenger seat. He caressed her face. Zinhle recoiled.

“Don’t be afraid. Just make sure you keep this between us,” he said.

Zinhle felt Mr Khuzwayo’s cold hands move up under her skirt and tried to fight him off.

“Remember when I said you can get anything you want, Zinhle?”

Tears filled her eyes when she nodded.

“I was serious about that. I’ll give you anything you want if only you give me what I want,” he kissed her cheek.

He opened his wallet, counted ten R100 notes and shoved them into Zinhle’s shirt pocket. He satisfied his lust with Zinhle and dropped her off at a taxi rank far away from school.

Zinhle felt conflicted as she counted the money when she was alone in her mom’s shack. Her body was aching. Their small fridge in the kitchen was empty, as were the buckets where they keep rice and maize meal. Her mom had already told her there was no money to buy food that week. Zinhle went out and bought groceries and a pair of jeans with the money Mr Khuzwayo had given her.

*****

Sphiwe pauses on the road. He is deep in thought and smiling, thinking about Zinhle. I just have to tell her I love her. Our relationship will be strong because it has its roots in friendship. Tomorrow I’m telling her how I feel, he whispers.

When he gets home, he finds Sindisiwe washing dishes in a basin by the tap outside. He greets her, but she doesn’t answer. He pays her no mind because she’d been having mood swings lately.

MaGumede is on the sofa watching TV.

“What’s wrong with Sindi, Ma?” says Sphiwe.

“If it’s not these selfish corrupt people!” says MaGumede. She sips water from the glass in her hand.

“What happened, Ma?”

“There was going to be a trip for her choir, remember?” says MaGumede.

“Yes, I remember,” replies Sphiwe while untying his shoes.

“Well, that trip has been cancelled but the money has not been returned to us,” says MaGumede.

“Why don’t they return the money?”

“Only God knows,” MaGumede throws her hands up in despair.

Sphiwe is eating a sandwich when Sindisiwe walks into the lounge later in the afternoon.

“I heard what happened, Sindi. I’m really sorry. I know how much you were looking forward to the choir trip,” says Sphiwe.

“Thank you, Sphiwe. I’ll be fine,” she says.

Sindisiwe has put on a brave face while talking to MaGumede and Sphiwe. As soon as she reaches her backpack in the bedroom she lets out a deep sigh. Her hands start shaking. She breaks down silently.

She opens her backpack. She takes out an exercise book. There are two R100 notes hidden in the pages of the exercise book. A few weeks ago there was also a R50 note with these other notes, but she used that R50 to buy weed and cigarettes with her new friends. It was R250 in total – the money she had asked from MaGumede for her choir trip. But Sindisiwe had lied – there was never a choir trip to begin with.

***

Tell us: Why do you think Sindisiwe lied? What should she do now?