2 Chapter 2 - The Beginning of the End

A few days later, Thoko woke to find him sitting at her bedside. The sight of him made her heart skip a beat. His brown hair was disheveled and his tanned arms were on the bed contrasting with the pink duvet they had placed on the bed.

His blue eyes were filled with concern when her eyes finally met his. She felt ashamed. She raised her hand to her face and found that she couldn't.

That was when she became aware of her surroundings. The hospital room, the machinery, the weight of her body in areas that she knew were hurt. Her chest felt heavy.

"He cracked some of your ribs so they've been taped to prevent them from breaking." His voice shook almost as if he was having a difficult time bridling his anger.

She saw his hands clench into a fist. A dark look crossed his face. He took a deep breath.

His eyes focused on several objects in the room until his breathing slowed and he turned to her and smiled. His smile reached his eyes and he squeezed her right fingers. When he saw her frown in confusion he massaged her forehead where the crease formed.

"Your right wrist is broken. Doctor Harrow had them put a cast along the length of your arm because of the multiple fractures."

He brushed a finger across her cheek. His head dropped in shame, "I'm sorry. I didn't think he would dare risk hurting you." His voice broke and his shoulders shook.

Thoko opened her mouth to speak, as her mind raced to respond to his grief. He was just a child. Surely she would, should be able to, explain this to him in a way that he would understand.

Her mouth closed. She sighed, lifting her left hand to stroke his head as he buried his face in the bed. It was ironic that her feelings for him went beyond the maternal role she had been tasked with regarding his welfare.

Her heart squeezed tight in her chest. Surely, she was mistaken in her feelings for him. Ronald was just seeing things.

Guilt warmed her cheeks as she recalled the argument that had escalated into her unwilling stay at The Medical Center. It had only been a few hours ago.

*****

Hours earlier...

"Thoko!" Ronald's voice carried up the stairs.

Thoko sighed and continued to fold his clothes wondering what may have brought him home so early. A sense of foreboding caused the hairs on her arms to stand. She rubbed her arms to create heat to dispel the goosebumps that had formed.

She called out to her husband and prayed for a calm, submissive spirit so that she didn't aggravate him unnecessarily. She looked up just as he walked into their bedroom. His handsome face turned into a snarl as he saw her folding his recently ironed clothing.

"Urikuiteyi?! (What are you doing?!)" He shouted.

Oh, here we go again, she thought. She debated on answering or remaining silent, "I thought I would catch up on the laundry."

Her tone was even and not aggressive, she made sure of that. Her adrenaline was already pumping and she knew she had to leave soon. The question was always how to do it without aggravating the situation.

"Saka, iwewe wapfunga zvekundinyadzisa handiti? (So you decided to humiliate me, didn't you?)," He sneered from the bedroom door. She shook her head. He took a step toward her and she remained standing on the opposite side of the room.

Thoko cursed the fact that the bed was not directly in between them though she could head for the bed and - her mind caught movement from the corner of her eye. Ronald rushed to her with alarming speed. She sprinted towards the bed on her right planning to run over it and out the bedroom door.

Her heart beat in her ears and she felt her pulse racing. Just as she was about to jump across the bed her head slammed back into the bed and Ronald's face loomed over her. His grin sickened her to her stomach. His fist connected with her cheek and her vision blurred. Stars formed above her eyes.

For the next 30 minutes, Ronald insulted her, accusing her of having an affair with their young charge. He threw her around the medium-sized bathroom and sliced at her face with shards of glass. His breathing was heavy and he was angrier than she had ever seen him.

Then, just as suddenly as he had begun he heaved a final sigh, gave her a final look of disgust, washed his hands in the sink and made a sound of disgust, and left. The silence was deafening. She heard a tap open and close.

She was on the floor bleeding, uncertain whether to be grateful that she was alive or saddened that she would have to live through the healing process and humiliation of everyone in their small community knowing that she had been battered. Shame filled her mind and heart like a dam bursting and breaking into pieces. She wanted to cry and yet she was too broken to weep, tears slid down her cheeks unchecked.

****

Some Months Earlier...

Ronald closed his eyes and pretended he didn't hear the baritone of his mother's male companion as they entered the house. He had nothing against the man. He just didn't see why the pair couldn't get married and leave him the hell alone.

If they got married his mother would move out and take his sisters with her, except for the one who would cook for him of course. When he put it under consideration, they could all stay, he needed someone to cook and clean for free until he got himself a proper wife. It'd been a year since he'd graduated from university and he missed the freedom of living in Durban.

The balmy weather throughout the year, the girls, all shapes, colors, and sizes. The casinos. He frowned, he was done with that. As it was the casinos had gotten him into a lot of trouble.

He rubbed at his temples. That was the only reason he was desperate to get a job. The sooner he got the loan shark cats off his back the better. He needed to marry someone who was hard working and could earn the type of money that would help him get out of debt quickly.

His mind flipped through all the girls and young women he knew. All the pretty ones faded from view as he went over the criteria he would need: someone who could submit to him, someone who was hard-working and trusting. She needed to have a degree preferably in business but anything that made her practical and sensible would do.

Soon all the images of women melted away leaving one. She was older than him by some years but she fit the criteria and she had a body he wouldn't mind using from time to time. Yeah, Miss Stability would be perfect.

Another image floated into his mind of the girl of his dreams. She was very different from Miss Stability. That one could spend money like water in a desert but she had the body of an African Queen.

Curves in all the right places, perfect face, long eyelashes, long legs like that of a gazelle in full sprint. She was portable but she had a Khoisan backside and real breasts that stood out waiting for him to pick like almost ripe mangoes, firm and yet soft to the touch. He shifted uncomfortably as his shorts began to show signs of his arousal.

He picked up his cell phone and dialed her number by heart. It rang twice before she picked it up, "Ndeipi? (How's it?)" He asked in his mother tongue, her squeal on the other side of the line showed him his call was very important to her.

A smile started growing on his lips. She purred a response in his ear and he knew he had to go see her. He asked if she was at home and if he could come over.

Her sister had a flat in town but he could only come over when the sister was away. Her response had him saying he'd be there as soon as he could. He intended to keep that promise.

Fortunately, he had bathed already and he just needed to get dressed. He sprayed on the designer fragrance his mother had bought for him recently and he put on a pair of almost tight blue jeans which he teamed up with a hoodie he had gotten on campus just before he'd left. The grey of the hoodie contrasted nicely with his jeans and he chose a pair of grey boots to wear.

He looked at himself in the mirror once before walking out of the house. He knew he looked good. He had gotten his mother's light complexion and clear skin. His late father had given him all the inheritance a male child could ever want, that and straight, white teeth which showed off his mother given dimples perfectly. Girls had been falling for him for years and opening their legs to him in more recent years so he knew he was very good-looking.