Kwaito Love by Lauri Kubbuitsile Page B

can’t do this anymore. I can’t.”
    Mpho got out of the car and closed the door behind her. She walked up to No 78. Once inside the front door, she heard Thabang drive away. She collapsed against the wall, all her strength gone. He is gone, she told herself, gone for good. She stumbled up the stairs and unlocked the flat.
    Jakes stood like a ghost in the empty sitting room. His voice from the darkness startled her. “I thought I told you to stop seeing him!”
    Mpho looked at her brother but did not reply. His words hung in the air, waiting to pounce on her. Maybe in the morning she could endure them but not right then, not after the night she’d had. She went to her room and locked the door, ignoring her brother’s knocks and falling face down on her bed. Finally she let the pent-up tears flow freely.

Chapter 7
    7
    The weak city sun shone through the window. Mpho lay in bed, listening to the sounds of her family getting ready for church. Annabella snuck into the room they shared and sat on the bed next to her. “Are you okay?”
    â€œYeah,” Mpho lied.
    â€œI heard you come in last night. I heard you crying and I heard Jakes. It was him, wasn’t it – Thabang?” she whispered, not wanting the others to hear.
    Mpho nodded her head and tears filled her eyes again. Would they ever dry up? she wondered.
    â€œYou need to stop seeing him. Otherwise you’ll never get over the guy.”
    â€œI know. I’m trying but then suddenly he’s there. It’s just too much. I love him, Annie. I can’t deny that. I’m not going to act on it; I know it’s wrong. But my heart loves him anyway.” Mpho started crying bitterly and Annabella took her in her arms.
    â€œOh, it’s all such a mess. I’m sorry you have to go through this,” her cousin said. “But in the end I agree with Jakes. A man who does something like that is no good. If he stole from Jakes, imagine what he could do to you? You need to cut him from your life completely. It will be better for you if you end it now. Later it will be even more painful.”
    Mpho knew Annabella was right. She just needed some time alone to think. “Can you tell them I’m sick? I can’t face anyone this morning.”
    â€œSure, sweetie, I’ll sort them out.” Annabella picked her shawl up from a nearby chair. “I’m off, then. See you later.”
    Mpho listened as the flat’s door closed and they all tramped down the stairs on their way to church. The sudden silence was a great relief. She knew she would have to face Jakes at some point but she was not up to it this morning.
    Her cellphone bleeped and she reached for it on her bedside table. It was an SMS from Thabang: I can’t stop thinking of you. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me!
    Mpho looked at the message. He was making everything so much harder. He needed to forget about her just as she was going to forget about him. She didn’t want a greedy thief for a boyfriend. She didn’t want a man who couldn’t respect her and treat her like an adult. She was done with him, she told herself. What she needed was to get up and get busy.
    She jumped out of bed and grabbed her bathrobe. In the shower she scrubbed at her body, trying to remove all traces of her problems. She wanted to be free and clear. She wanted her mind to be back under her control. She needed to get her priorities in order again. Right at the top was the graduate fashion show. She had six days to get ready and she intended to blow their minds. She didn’t care what Ms Bennet thought. Her designs rocked and she knew it; now she just had to convince everyone else of that.
    After a cup of tea, she was ready to face the world. She headed for the lab; she needed to get her life back on track.
    * * *
    Even though it was a Sunday morning a handful of students were already busy in the lab. Mpho greeted them and then