CHAPTER 24: THE MORNING AFTER

 

Narrated by Qondanisa Qwabe

The morning sun was already warm when I pulled into the workshop. I parked my car in its usual spot, the engine coughing once before falling silent. I sat there for a moment, staring at the sign above the entrance.

Q SQUARED MECHANICS.

Everything I had built from nothing, I smiled and stepped out of the vehicle. The workshop was already buzzing with activity. Mechanics were moving between cars, tools clanking, radios playing. I walked through the main bay, nodding at my employees, checking on the work in progress.

I made my way to the reception area. Thandi was already at her desk, sorting through papers. She looked up when she saw me and smiled—but there was something mischievous in her eyes.

"Good morning, Boss."

"Morning, Thandi. How is everything?"

"Everything is fine. But..."

She paused, enjoying the suspense.

"But what?"

"A woman came here yesterday looking for you."

I stopped.

"A woman?"

"Yes, Boss. A beautiful woman, tall, well-dressed, she said her name was Mapaseka Mokoena."

My heart stopped.

Mapaseka.

She had come here to my workshop looking for me.

"What did she want?"

"At first, she said she needed her car fixed. But I could tell that was not the real reason. She kept asking about you. She seemed... disappointed when I told her you were not here."

I felt a smile spread across my face.

"And what did you tell her?"

"I told her you own this place."

I laughed, a deep, joyful laugh that came from somewhere deep in my chest.

“Hhayi, ngadla mina kababa kaqonywa," I said, shaking my head. “She came looking for me."

Thandi laughed too.

“ Boss, that woman is beautiful and she was so nervous. I could see it in her eyes she really wanted to see you."

"She did?"

"Yes. She said she would come back today."

I felt something warm spread through my chest. She had come—despite my silence, despite her own pride, despite everything that stood between us.

“ I have found the love of my life," I said softly.

Thandi smiled warmly.

“ Boss, I have worked for you for three years. I have never seen you like this. That woman must be very special."

"She is," I said. "She is more than special, she is everything."

“ Then she is a lucky woman," Thandi said. “ You are a good man, Boss. Any woman would be blessed to have you."

I laughed.

"Thank you, Thandi."

I walked out of the reception area and pulled out my phone. I needed to share this news. I needed to tell someone who would understand.

I called my cousin, Mzo.

Mzo answered on the third ring.

“ Yebo, Bafo! What is this? You are calling me in the morning? Are you okay?"

I laughed.

"I am more than okay, Bafo. I am in love."

There was a pause. Then Mzo burst out laughing.

“ In love? You? Qondanisa Qwabe? isishimane sakwaMashu?"

"Life is full of surprises, Bafo."

“ Tell me everything. Who is she? Where did you meet her? How did this happen?”

I leaned against the wall and told him everything, from the  car breakdown, her mocking me, from the date to the silence, and finally her showing up at my workshop yesterday. By the time I finished, Mzo was quiet for a long moment.

“ Bafo," he said slowly. “ You are telling me that this woman—the one who judged you and made you feel small—she came looking for you?"

"Yes."

"And you are in love with her?"

"More than anything."

Mzo laughed again.

“ You are a crazy man, Qondanisa. But I understand, sometimes love comes from the most unexpected places."

"Yes," I said. "My father is with me. I have asked him to lead me to a woman like my mother—or better than her. I do not even know how I got this one, Bafo. She is beyond anything I could have imagined."

“ You have not even kissed her yet," Mzo teased. “ You have so many fantasies in your head, Bafo. You are already planning your wedding in your mind."

I laughed.

"Maybe. But I know what I feel, she is the one."

"Okay, okay," Mzo said. “ I am coming to help you get that woman. You need me, you are too soft."

"Too late, Bafo," I said, smiling. “ The woman came here looking for me. Uggcwele ngami, tomorrow ziyakhala."

There was a pause. Then Mzo burst out laughing.

"Yoh, Bafo! You are something else! You have not even kissed her and you are already talking like that!"

"Mark my words, Mzo. She will be mine."

“ I will believe it when I see it," Mzo said, still laughing. “ But if she is  special as you say, then I am happy for you. "

"Thank you, Bafo."

I hung up and stood there, staring at my phone. I felt like a teenager again, my heart was racing and my hands were sweating. I could not stop smiling. I walked to my office and looked at myself in the small mirror on the wall. 

I was not going to wait for her to come to me. I had already played hard to get—it was enough. I had to make an effort. I had to do something special for her. So I drove to Sandton, to a seafood restaurant I knew. I called my friend and asked him to prepare something special for my woman.

My mother taught me something I always apply wherever I go: make connections, you never know when you are going to need them. That is how I met Chef Quintine. I had only met him twice, but we were already like friends. The first time I went to his restaurant, I asked to see the chef because I wanted to thank him in person—his food was incredible. The next time, I gave him a tip. That is how I built the connection. I do not walk into a place and leave without knowing anyone.