Samantha

“It’s been 2 weeks and you still seeing this guy?” Thembi said in a disapproving tone. Of course by now I should have wrapped everything up with him but I just couldn’t.

“You don’t understand.” I said wiping the bench, service was about to start soon and we should finish cleaning this entire church if we want to have a service.

“Damn right, I don’t understand.” Thembi stated moping the floor, she stopped midway and looked at me “Why are you still seeing him?”

How was I to tell her that his brown and blue eyes makes me want to enter his world and find out what was happening in his head.

How I often lay at night and wondered how his silky hair would feel under my fingertips.

3rd rule was simple don’t have emotional attachment with the prisoners.

And I had already broken that rule, I wanted to know more of Bavumile, I wanted know about his past and about him.

I still didn’t know the details about that awful night but I wanted to know even though it was against the rules to even ask them about such.

“He never gets to get out of his cell and me being there is a chance for him to at least get out.” I said avoiding eye contacts as I kept myself busy with washing the benches.

“I see.” Thembi said in a way that told me she didn’t believe one world I had told her. I didn’t blame her much, I mean I didn’t believe my lie as well.

But is it so bad to want to know about someone, I liked seeing the light in Bavumile’s eyes whenever he talked about his mother.

“You like him.” Thembi said out of nowhere, making my heart skip a beat with fear.

I held my hand on my chest, feeling my heart beating fast. “What?”

“You like him, the convict. You like him.”

I shook my head “No, I,”

“Why else would you want to see him 3 times a week, 3. You definitely like him.” Thembi said cutting me off, pointing a wet finger at me.

I smiled and rolled my eyes “No,” I got back to what I was doing “Its not like that T, if it helps me stretch his legs and be out of his cell for a couple of hours then why not.”

I let out a sigh “Its sad to be honest that he is not let out of his cell, he is not like the other prisoners. A month, that is the only time he is able to get out, so let me do this for him.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.”

I nodded “I know.” I said and we continued to clean without talking and I was glad, not having to talk to about Bavumile anymore or anything that involved him.