Broken Promise

Episode 2

Ntombi didn’t trust Zakes one bit.

He was a fake through and
through. And what was worse, she
didn’t like the way her mother
acted when he was around. Like
she was their older sister,
competing over guys, rather than
their mother who should be
looking after them, giving them
good advice, and protecting them
from men like Zakes.

When her dad left a year ago, just
after her fourteenth birthday, her
mother was very sad, but at least
they still felt like a family. They
cuddled up on the couch together
and watched Bold, and laughed
and cried together. And then, one
day, Mama came home from the
rich private school where she
worked cooking lunches, and told
them she was going out that
evening. The kitchen staff at the
school had persuaded her to join
them at Thabiso’s Tavern and she
thought it might be good for her.

Ntombi had helped her choose an
outfit: a nice denim skirt, just
below the knee, a tight black
wraparound top with a white
denim jacket. And to top it off,
some gold earrings. Mama looked
great. She had kissed her mother
goodbye and wished her luck.

Little did she guess that that night
her mother would meet Zakes and
their lives would be turned upside
down again.

Ntombi knew the first time she
saw Zakes, with his gold chains
and flash smile that didn’t reach
his eyes, that he would bring
nothing but trouble. Even his car
looked like a fake. It had been
resprayed and that could mean
one of two things: he had been in
an accident, or the car was stolen.

Things felt wrong when Zakes was
in the house. He seemed too big
for their small couch, sitting there
with his beer, interrupting their
conversations with his loud voice.

He loved to say things like, “Girls,
you are my daughters now. Go
fetch another beer for your father.”

“Do as he says,” their mother
would add if they hesitated, as she
cuddled closer to her new
boyfriend. There was no time for
Ntombi or Zinzi when Zakes was
around.

“Here.” Her mother handed Ntombi
a five rand coin from her new gold
bag. She smelled of some strong
perfume Zakes had bought her.

“Buy yourself some sweets at the
shop,” she said as she rushed out,
putting on lipstick as she went.

“Mama, I’m meant to be at singing
practice. The competition is next
week and…” But her mother was
already out of the door and in the
seat of Zakes’ resprayed BMW with
its fluffy dice bouncing from the
rearview mirror and couldn’t hear
her. All she could do was watch as
Zakes reversed with a squeal of
tyres, and then they were gone.