Themba arrived at the ice cream parlor, and we sat down for some ice cream. We started talking about basic stuff, you know, life, school, siblings. He was one of six children. He lived in the township with his mom and dad. His dad owned a panel beating business, and his mom was a nurse at the local clinic. He had a pretty rough upbringing, but he made it. He had just finished matric the previous year and had taken a gap year. And I was in matric, so he offered to help me with some of the things that I didn’t understand, which was cool because I did need some extra help, since my mom wasn’t always around.

Anyway, time went on, and Themba and I became very good friends. We became close. We started talking, and Cindy was so excited about everything. She couldn’t stop smiling from ear to ear every time I told her about Themba. So, Themba and I were sitting by the park one day, just chatting away. And suddenly, he looked at me with those golden brown eyes, and he said nothing. And I found myself being drawn to those eyes. And quietly, peacefully, lovingly, he placed a soft kiss on my lips and as he backed away, I felt like I was floating, because that was the first time I’d ever been kissed by a boy.

I was seeing butterflies and rainbows all over. I couldn’t breathe. I swear, my mouth went dry, and I couldn’t speak. He whispered the words, “I love you, Eugene,” looking right into my eyes. And I believed him, because I thought I could see it in his eyes. Or at least, I thought I could see it in his eyes. Everything was so beautiful in that moment. I couldn’t wait to go home and tell Cindy.

When I knocked on Cindy’s door, she was washing the dishes. When I told her what happened, she dropped a cup and broke a glass. We laughed about it the whole night. Cindy was happy for me. I was happy. I finally had a boyfriend. I finally had someone, a significant other, in my life. It was beautiful. It was the beginning of a beautiful union, a beautiful bonding. Or at least, I thought.