“It’s over,” said Tanele, her eyes full of tears, “it’s not you, it’s me,” she said, tears fell of her face like raindrops. She suddenly starts to shy away from looking at Mtho in the eyes like a 16 -year-old who’s just lost her virginity, she’s afraid he might see her secrets in her eyes.

Tanele was in this relationship that she is ending with Mtho since 10th grade, they were in the same class, and they were even each other’s partners even for their matric dance. Now it’s their first year in varsity. These two love birds have shared the most memories together. They went to church together on Sundays, attended family dinners, they were married literally although they had no rings to show, till death do them apart it looked.

They were an example of love, they could not stay out of each other’s sight, and their presence to each other meant everything, people in the neighbourhood would call them by movie titles, some say “Bonnie and Clyde” others say “Romeo and Juliet” cause their love was so colourful like blood in a white T-shirt, the thought of an end to this was out of consideration.

“What did I do?” asks Mtho, you could tell from the sound of his voice that he feels like the world is on his feet, in his mind he could feel the muscle of thoughts get tarnished as he sees his dreams shattered, he had built them around his beautiful Tanele but she speaks of an ending. He is in shock and Tanele keeps quiet, she doesn’t answer his question but starts to cry. “Talk to me” Mtho shouts at her in a voice of anger, he is furious you could see all he wants is nothing but the truth.

“Okay, okay!” Tanele speaks as she wipes the tears flowing off her face, her eyes are red from crying. “The thing is I’m pregnant,” says Tanele, she then carries on crying, she feels like the world has turned its back on her. “No baby don’t cry now, you know I’m here for you,” says Mtho to his beloved girlfriend, concerned he is now in the back of his mind he is thinking about what to do yet confused, he carries on to speak “you don’t have to cry I’m here…” He is cut whilst speaking by Tanele. “No, stop it!” She shouts “you don’t understand” and continues to cry more now.

Mtho is confused, he keeps asking himself questions he can’t answer but only his beloved crying girlfriend Tanele who seems to care much about her crying than giving him the answers he seeks instead. He turns away from her direction. He starts walking around in his rented one room in awkward silence, he doesn’t feel his heart any longer, it’s like it has stopped beating.

“You’re a good guy Mtho you deserve better,” says Tanele as she stands up and crawls from his back like a cheetah hunting its prey and grabs him tight by the waist and locks her hands tight like string. “I slept with another person and he made me fall pregnant, he even left me,” she says as she strengthens the grip around his waist. She was very scared, she could feel his body cold.

“How could you do this to me?” asks Mtho with tears that could fill a river, his voice is shivering like he just met with the weather on mount Everest and he’s even shaking in shock as he realises the dreams he had about them shattered by reality. “Did you even think about me or even consider the fact that I am always right here waiting for you?” asks Mtho as he breaks away from the grip of his beloved, and walks away in rage. He is furious he then sits on the floor, trying to stay as far as possible away from her to prevent himself from making a mistake out of agony, he’s destroyed and feels he stands at the edge of doom.

They both kept looking at each with remorseful eyes in that short distance as they cried up until there was nothing more to cry about but to face the reality they find themselves at its disposal. An hour has come and gone, their faces are even starting to look like they have seen a ghost, I guess this is what happens when a relationship that has come a long way, the memories are precious to let go.

Tanele starts speaking as she’s already spilt the beans and feels ready now to talk, she says, “I’m sorry this happened, temptation took over me and I did think about coming to you that’s why I’m here,” this time she’s not crying but looking at him.

Tanele could see his eyes the pain and disappointment on her beloved boyfriend’s face which he struggles to hide with a crying smile. She proceeds to look at him in the eyes and says “my love today you’re free, you deserve better than this”. She closes her eyes as she couldn’t take it to see the pain in her beloved Mtho and holds his shaking hand.

Mtho was a very humble polite young man as he grew in church, he’s got values, it’s no wonder Tanele cries. “I don’t wanna be free, but locked in your prison for loving you,” he says with a smile that’s giving her hope, continues to speak and he says, “I meant with your mistakes when I said I love you.” His love could walk through a storm and come out as if nothing happened, he promised to take good care of them and they will keep the secret to themselves.

Our relationships are often always at threat by temptation with its prettiness dazzling in our eyes and end up making mistakes we regret for the rest of our lives. We all make mistakes cause we’re human, we ain’t perfect but when you make a mistake and make amends for it that makes you an even better human being, close to perfect. Love stands out. Tanele and Mtho ended up with a decision to stay together and carry on their love story, never underestimate the power of love that bears it all.