Chapter 13: The List Meets Reality

 

Narrated by Mapaseka Mokoena

The weeks passed faster than I expected. Between board meetings, client presentations, and running my company, I barely had time to breathe, let alone think about my personal life. Sometimes I would sit alone in my home and realise how quiet success can be.

That is why I was surprised when Relato called me one Sunday afternoon.

“I am coming over,” she said firmly. “No excuses, Mapaseka.”

I laughed softly. “You always decide things for me, friend?”

“That is because you don’t rest,” she replied. “I am your friend, not your employee.”

A few hours later she arrived at my house with wine and her usual loud energy that made the whole place feel alive again.

We hugged briefly.

“I missed you,” she said.

“I have been here,” I replied.

“That is the problem,” she said, shaking her head. “You are always here alone.”

We sat down in the living room and for a while she just studied me.

Then she leaned forward.

“Do you remember what you promised me?”

I was confused slightly. “Which promise?”

Relato smiled like she already knew I had forgotten.

“Online dating,” she said. “You said you would try it.”

I sighed. “Relato”

“No excuses, ke tla go thusa today,” she said quickly. “I am here to help you create the profile today.”

Before I could argue, she already had her phone out.

And just like that, my quiet Sunday became something else entirely.

We sat together and built my profile step by step. She asked questions and typed everything quickly while I answered carefully.

“What are you looking for in a man?” she asked.

I hesitated, then repeated my list slowly.

“He must be educated,” I said. “Financially stable. Emotionally mature. Family-oriented. Physically healthy. No children from previous relationships.”

Relato laughed out loud.

“Girl, you are not looking for a man. You are looking for a perfect man.”

I crossed my arms. “I am being realistic.”

“You are being too strict, Mapaseka.”

“I know what I want.”

She shook her head but continued typing. After a few hours, the profile was done. At first I did not expect anything to happen. But by evening my phone started lighting up with notifications. Five men had already matched with me. I stared at the screen in silence. Relato leaned over my shoulder.

“See?” she said excitedly. “It is working already.”

But instead of rushing into conversations, I became cautious. I opened each profile carefully. Relato raised an eyebrow. “You are not going to trust them?”

“I trust evidence,” I said.

So we did not rely only on the app, we checked everything, their social media pages and their lifestyles. Even how consistent their information looked.

Relato laughed. “You are acting like you are investigating criminals.”

“I just want the truth,” I replied softly. “Ke batla nnete.”

We spent hours going through them.

“This one is too flashy,” Relato said, scrolling.

“And this one looks like he is always pretending,” I added.

“What about this one?”

I shook my head. “No stability.”

Slowly, five matches became three.Then two. By the end of the night, we had narrowed it down.

“These two are the only serious ones,” Relato said.

I nodded slowly.

“Alright,” I said. “Ke tla bua le bona. I will talk to them.”

The next day, I started chatting with both of them. One conversation felt forced. The replies were slow, calculated, and heavy with effort that did not feel natural. The other one was different, it flowed and it was easy. He asked real questions and responded quickly. There was no pressure, no exaggeration, just calm consistency. At first, I told myself not to read too much into it. But I found myself checking my phone more often than I wanted to admit.

Relato noticed immediately.

“You are smiling at your phone” she said suspiciously.

“I am not,” I replied quickly.

She folded her arms.

“That one,” she said confidently. “That is the one you like.”

I looked at her. “It is too early to say that.”

But deep down, I could not ignore what I was starting to feel. For the first time in a long time, I was not being impressed. I was just talking and somehow that felt more dangerous than anything else.