How did I (we) get here?

Physically, I'm in a strange yet familiar house. I will never get used to how OCD this man is. In every house we go to, the setup is exactly the same.

Judging by the greenery outside, I think we're in Skerpoort. He once mentioned owning a house here. Yesterday’s life-changing memories just reminded me that this could be the last thing I write. So let me start from the day we met.

Also read: Land of 'The Great'

***Six months earlier***

Nonjabulo is always late. It’s worse today; she’s attending her friend’s baby viewing event or something along those lines. I never get any of these modern-day festivities; why can’t people just pop babies and call it a day? From baby showers, gender reveals, sip and sees, uvela bone ukuthi weh!

Maybe if she was on time that day, I wouldn't be here.

"Hi friend, unjani?
…
“I’m on my way out, meeting a friend in Sandton."
…
"Oh okay, that would be nice, I’ll wait for you."

Ngilibonge elangilethela uXolo! He’s on his way to see me, the perfect way to kill time!

Love stories don't typically begin like this, but ours started in a car full of people. It was my second month in Joburg, exactly three weeks after Xolo and I went on a boozy welcome-to-Jozi date. From that day, he would hint that one of his friends was interested in me. I just didn't expect him to rock up with the said friend unannounced.

Initially, I didn't find him attractive. This could be attributed to the fact that I was going through two unofficial breakups. His actions were so loud that I started feeling like a character in Takalani M's Into the Sun. Thandeka was me; I was Thandeka.

Two days later, he invited me to an impromptu coffee date with happy endings. His scent was more violent than the Lituya Bay Tsunami. My garden was drowning and the tall, dark but not-so-handsome gardener before me was the perfect man for the job.

The afternoon was a blur of passion and urgency. He took my car keys, signalled for someone to come get them and said "I'll drive you home." Luckily, girl bills were paid that week; the trail to summit was as clear as day.

We couldn’t keep our hands off each other, our bodies entwined in a desperate dance. He kissed me like he was drowning and I was his last breath. We moved together, a tangle of limbs and whispered promises, lost in the heat of the moment.

Six months later, I'm on the run with a man I have now learned to be a total stranger.

***Dogs start barking aggressively.***

"Oh God, they found us! If I die today, Google Neitherlands. The guy who threatened us yesterday is a member of that community."

***Zibuyile Ngcobo updated her status.***

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Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.