The next two weeks were perfect. He was the perfect boy. He was the sweetest, the kindest. He took care of my soul, my heart, my well-being. Even when my mom wasn’t there and I had faced some troubles, and Cindy was not available, he would always show up for me. He was everything I could ever ask for in a man.

Then, one Saturday night, as I was coming home from the shop, I saw him in the distance standing by a car with darkened windows. The man in the front seat was saying, “Where’s my money? Where’s my money? I need my money now. If I don’t get it, you’re going to be in so much trouble.” And Themba was pleading with him, “Please, sir, please, sir. I’ve already struck a deal, please. I’m almost there. Please, just hold on a bit. Please.” Or at least, that’s what I thought I heard, because when I asked him about it, he said I didn’t hear such a thing, that I was just making things up in my head. And I trusted him so much that maybe I thought I really was making things up.

As time went on, Themba started asking me for money. He started making up excuses that they didn’t have food in his family’s house, and I’d give him money if I had it. I’d give him my spare money, my savings, my pocket money. I would usually give him maybe like five hundred rands, seven hundred rands, anything that I had at that moment, because I loved this man. I worshipped the ground he walked on. I thought he was everything.

As time went on, Cindy started seeing that this man was constantly asking for money, and I didn’t see anything wrong with it because I thought I was helping the love of my life. Was I? So, as time went on, Themba started seeing me less frequently. Less and less, I would see of Themba. And when I’d see him, he was intoxicated, either with drugs or alcohol. And it wasn’t like him. And I tried talking to him about it, but he would just push it away.

One Saturday night, he came to my house drunk. And I asked him to talk to him, but he was so angry. “Themba, please, can we talk?” I pleaded with him. “Eugene, there’s nothing to talk about, okay? You are my woman, and you’re not going anywhere. I love you.” “I get that, Themba,” I said, “but why are you screaming at me? What’s wrong? If something is wrong, please talk to me. We can fix it. We can do this together.” “I don’t want to fix anything, Eugene. Everything is fine, okay?” he screamed back at me.

And he started walking towards the door, and I held his hand. “Themba, wait.” Before I knew it, a hot slap landed on my face. My ears started ringing, and my face started burning, and I was on the floor, clutching my face in fear. Themba started walking towards the door, and he came back. “Baby, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Eugene. That should not have happened. That should not have happened. I’m sorry.”

My nose was bleeding, I could hardly see, and my heart was beating fast. What was going on? Is this the man I fell in love with? “God, are you there? Can you hear me? Can you see this? Anyone? Heaven?” Silence.