The Perfect Stranger

MORNING

Siza and Diesel arrived at Diesel's European Style Mansion, built on a hill in Bryanston. The gate automatically opened; Siza viewed the house, and her eyes grew in amazement when she saw how huge Diesel's mansion was. He parked the car in the garage, and they exited the car. They headed towards the main door, and Diesel opened the glass door for Siza.

They entered into Diesel's modern granite kitchen, adorned with French-oak floors that led into an entertainment room opposite the stairs. The stairs led to four luxurious en-suite bedrooms, and an upstairs lounge. Diesel opened the guestroom door, headed to the quilted bed, and spread-open the duvet for Siza, and she gratefully crawled inside the bed, as he tucked her in like a little child.

"Should I make you some hot chocolate or tea?" he asked kindly, doing his best to make her feel comfortable.

Siza shook her head. "No, thank you…I just want to lay my head on the pillow and sleep."

Diesel nodded and excused himself out of the room, so that Siza may sleep. As Diesel turned and faced the door to leave the room, Siza called out to him.

"Thank you, I wouldn't have done this without you…you are kind, thank you," admitted Siza.

"It's my pleasure dear, try to get some sleep…If you're in pain, look over to your left, there's a bottle of still water, and in that cupboard, a pack of pain killers," pointed out Diesel.

Siza nodded, and Diesel left the room. Siza was so emotional, that she cried herself to sleep. Diesel fetched Siza's luggage from the car. He slowly opened up the door to Siza's bedroom and placed the suitcases neatly beside the cupboard. He came closer to Siza's bed.

"Good Morning," whispered Diesel, into Siza's ear.

Siza was deep in her sleep to hear Diesel, and he went to his bedroom, and read the latest newspaper before he slept.

♥♥

Menzi paced back and forth inside his garage, indecisive of what to do. A part of him told him to get into his car, and drive to Rosebank, the other part told him to wait at home, just in case Siza returned.

He was slowly going crazy; he went back inside the house and searched for Siza in every room. When he didn't find her, he walked back outside, hoping to see her standing at the gate. She was nowhere to be found and he finally gave in to his moment of madness, grabbed his car keys from the counter, and made a beeline for his car.

He pursued Diesel's car - thinking he would find Siza, and Diesel driving around. He scouted almost every road and searched for them until the sun came up, but sadly for him, there was no sign of them on the roads. He returned home feeling discouraged and depressed and his last resort was to try and call her, but her phone went straight to voicemail. He dialled her number numerous times but received the same result each time. Eventually, he gave up hope and flung himself onto his bed, praying for a lifeline. The voice messages he left for her were in vain, as he had no choice but to wait. He finally fell asleep with his phone on his chest - drained, lifeless, and fully clothed.

♥♥

It was exactly six-thirty in the morning; Siza was partially awake, listening to the hooting traffic not far from Diesel's home in Bryanston. The knock on the door frightened Siza that she woke up and eyed the room. For a second she lay there confused, as she looked down at the beige and brown bed sheets in the guestroom. Then suddenly it all came rushing back to her, as remembered the events that took place earlier that morning, and how she ended up in Diesel's guestroom. She felt sick to her stomach.

Diesel opened the door, and Siza quickly covered her face with a sheet, only revealing her eyes. He shyly peeked through the door, stared at Siza, and found her peeking from inside the sheets, like a broken little girl.

Diesel smiled. "Sorry to wake you up, may I please come in?"

Siza nodded. "It's all good, you may come in."

Diesel entered the guestroom and stood by the door. Siza sat up straight against the headboard and covered her chest.

"Are you going to work?" enquired Siza.

Diesel smiled. "No, I'm not working today…besides I have my best friend taking care of things… It seems like you're stuck with me, little lady."

"I am so sorry for the intrusion, Diesel," Siza said apologetically. "I'm still out of sorts and confused, but I will sort my life out soon enough"

"Would you like me to call someone to come for you?"

Siza shook her head. "No, but, thank you, Diesel. You came for me at my time of need, and I cannot express the gratitude I feel towards you. This is where I would like to be right now. I feel safe and protected."

Diesel smiled. "I'm honoured, and pleased to hear that, I was able to provide you with the help you needed."

He approached the bed, sat next to her, and grasped her hands. He checked her face and neck, to see if the swelling had gone down. Siza felt highly embarrassed, and a flood of emotions filled her being. She was not aware that Diesel had noticed the swelling of her neck, and her face, earlier that morning. Diesel lovingly wiped away her tears, as she forced a smile, extremely ashamed that any human being had to witness her, in this condition.

"Sssh, it's going to be alright… Listen, you can stay here as long as you want… Everything will work out for the better, in time you will heal," reassured Diesel.

"Everything was fine, I was good enough," Siza sobbed. "I was perfect, he was perfect, and we were perfect…Oh my word...how could he do this to me?"

"I know things were perfect, but things aren't always as they seem."

"He almost killed me…I've never seen him this angry before," sobbed Siza. "It was as if I was his enemy...he strangled me. This is a nightmare, I… I…I should go back."

"You were so horrified when I came to fetch you, Siza. I could see that he had traumatised you, but I maintained my composure, as I didn't know the full story of what had taken place. I'm so sorry to hear that you had been strangled by him, but in the same breath, I'm so relieved that you managed to escape him. So many women remain in that situation because they love their husbands and want to believe that they can change."

Siza nodded but was not yet ready to open up. "I was traumatised. Thank You for coming to my rescue, Diesel." was all she said, without commenting any further.

"So, what are you going to do now? What's the way forward?" he probed.

"I… I…I need to know the truth. I need to know what happened," demanded Siza, as she jumped off the bed, and slipped into her denim jean, that was neatly folded on the couch. Diesel listened in fascination, as he battled to wrap his head around what Siza was saying to him. He could tell that she was delirious and for a second, she sounded like a madwoman, who had lost her mind. He stood there and stared at her, unable to comprehend why she would want to go back.

"He…he��he needs to tell me."

"Come on, Sizakele, don't let him do this to you…you're giving this guy way too much credit."

"I need to think clearly, and I would appreciate it if you could excuse me, and leave the room. I don't mean to be rude, but you need to respect my wishes - NOW!" she said, looking wild and out of sorts.

Diesel could tell that she was not herself, as she gently shoved him out the room, eager to have her privacy. The events of earlier that morning had left her broken and traumatised, and she was not about to turn into a mess in front of him. She had experienced more than enough embarrassment for one day.

"Alright - Alright, but call me if you need anything…I will be in the kitchen, ok?"

Siza nodded. "Thanks."

Diesel exited the guestroom, and Siza climbed back into bed, heaving a sigh of relief. She was in no mood to be interrogated, especially not by a stranger. She reached for her handbag lying beside her bed and pulled out her cell phone. She switched on her phone and found that she had thirty-eight voice messages from Menzi. She sifted through the messages, listening to them one by one, and became quite irate, when he kept repeating himself until one particular voice message caught her attention, and she sat up straight, listening intently to what he had to say,

"My love, my life, I'm so sorry. I'm so worried about you! I spent the whole morning chasing after you. I am ready to confess. Please come by in the morning so we can talk. I will be waiting for you here at home."

Siza dropped her phone back inside her handbag and made the bed. She went to the bathroom and took a long hot bath. She decided to wear her short, turquoise, spaghetti-strap jumpsuit, with her gold gladiator sandals, which looked stylish and fresh. She sprayed some perfume on her neck and combed her long curly blonde hair.

When she was done, she went to the kitchen and found Diesel preparing breakfast for both of them. Diesel stood there, rooted to the spot, as Siza entered the kitchen. He was in awe of how beautiful she was, without all the swelling and puffiness.

"Are you expecting guests?" questioned Siza, eyeing out the wide selection of food spread out on the table.

Diesel smiled. "No, this is all for you."

"Wow, you made breakfast for me?"

Diesel stared at Siza, spellbound by her beauty. She looked like a vision standing before him, and he could not get enough of looking at her, as she drew him in like a magnet. Siza was unaware of the impact she had made on Diesel and stood there gazing at him innocently, while he set the table, preparing for them to eat. Sadly, her mind was not on Diesel or his appealing features, but rather on the man she loved so much who earlier that morning had tried to kill her. Watching Diesel set the table brought back warm memories of Menzi, and she forced herself to stop thinking of him.

"You, you look diff, different from last night," stuttered Diesel, finding it difficult to speak.

Siza smiled. "Thanks, you mean from earlier this morning."

Diesel smiled. "I hope you love eggs because I made you some."

"I am not fussy, Diesel, thank you very much for everything."

"Good, I like that in a woman, let's eat."

Diesel could not stop gazing at Siza; for once in his life, this stranger intrigued him. Siza could not stop thinking about Menzi's voice message. She stared at Diesel, without seeing him, and Diesel could tell that her mind was elsewhere. Even so, he was delighted to have her around and felt like a little boy in a toy store.

Diesel waved his hand before Siza's face, to bring her back to the present. "Is everything alright?" he asked nervously, afraid of what she may ask of him next.

Siza nodded. "Diesel, may you please take me to Isango Estates, Menzi's place?"

Siza preferred honesty and directness, rather than concealing what she truly felt. Diesel gazed at her, immediately lost his appetite, and chucked his food inside the bin. He was pissed off as he stood by the bin, folded his arms, and gazed at Siza.

Diesel shook his head. "You want to go back there…I don't believe this!"

Siza shook her head. "Diesel, I, I am so sorry."

Diesel took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me, please forgive me."

Siza shrugged. "No, it's alright, I understand, you think it's a bad idea…Thank you for being this protective of me."

Diesel shook his head. "It's ok...I will drop you off, let me know when you're ready."

Siza smiled. "We can go now, I'm done and ready."

Siza covered her plate of food, fetched her handbag from the guestroom, exited the house, and found Diesel waiting for her outside the kitchen door. He had this puzzled expression on his face, while he gazed at Siza.

Diesel frowned. "Where's your luggage?"

Siza chuckled. "No, silly, I meant come with me…in a bodyguard kind of way."

Diesel chuckled. "Oh, oh, ok…I didn't understand."

Diesel opened the car door for Siza, and they departed to Menzi's place. While on the road, Menzi called Siza to check if she was coming.

"Hi, I'm on my way, you better be there!" informed Siza.

Siza hung up the phone before Menzi could say a word. She stared at Diesel, and they smiled at each other. She was confident and eager to speak to Menzi and felt very safe with her new friend, Diesel, who no longer felt like a stranger to her.

Siza and Diesel arrived at Isango Estates, and Siza pressed the intercom. Menzi opened the gate, and they drove in. Diesel stepped out of the car and opened the door for Siza. Menzi came to meet Siza by the door. He was excited to see her, but also timid about not knowing what the outcome of their conversation would be. He stared at Siza as she approached him on the front porch area. He looked relaxed and unperturbed, as he stood with his hands inside his pockets, wearing a white tank top and a long grey cotton tracksuit.

Siza told Diesel, "Please wait for me, I won't be long."

Diesel nodded. "I will be right here."

Menzi opened his arms to welcome Siza, but she just walked past him and went inside the house. Menzi followed behind her. They headed to Menzi's living room, and Siza felt unsettled being inside Menzi's house. Her fear grew immensely, as she replayed what had happened the night before. She was in fear of him, and could not stand being in the same room as him. Menzi sat next to her, but she immediately moved to another seat.

Siza shook her head. "Don't come near me, keep your distance!"

Menzi scoffed. "So this guy is your bodyguard now?"

Siza frowned. "Very funny"

Menzi smiled. "Babe, please don't be like that… I, I was worried about you…Where were you?" he inquired. "Why was your phone off? Did that guy drop you off at your house?"

Siza took a deep breath. "Oh, come off it, Menzi!…don't act as if you care all of a sudden, and besides I'm not here to answer those questions."

"Babe, please, what am I supposed to do? It's not easy for a man to see his woman with another man," uttered Menzi.

Siza rolled her eyes. "Oh, Please! I'm leaving…you are losing your screws again, and I'm not here to pick them up for you."

"Alright, Alright! Siza, please sit down…you need to sit down before I tell you this," begged Menzi.

"Start talking, Menzi!" shouted Siza, as she slowly sat on the couch.

"Siza, I don't want to lose you."

Siza frowned. "Isn't it a little bit too late for that?"

Menzi knelt on the floor. "I love you with all my heart, Siza. I'm, I'm..."

Siza shook her head. "Menzi, you're what…Speak!"

Menzi took a deep breath. "I'm cheating on you!"

Siza shook her head. "Are you cheating…Or you've cheated on me?"

"I've been doing it for five years now, and I'm ashamed baby, please forgive me," begged Menzi. "I've been sleeping with another woman, while you were a virgin," he confessed.

Siza gazed at Menzi as if he had not said a word. She took her time to process Menzi's words and suddenly covered her mouth in shock, as tears flowed from her eyes. She was so appalled, and furious at him, that she leaned against the couch pillow for support, and cried. Menzi sat next to her, tried to hold her, but she pushed him away.

"You're so unbelievable!!" Siza sobbed. "Which whore did you sleep with?"

"Babe, you have to understand, she was my girlfriend of seven years," Menzi sobbed. "It started way before you came into my life, please understand."

Siza chuckled. "Understand what Menzi? That you are a monster?"

Siza tapped her forehead angrily, with the palm of her hand. She stared Menzi directly in his eyes and chuckled.

Siza shook her head. "Oh! Gosh! Please, tell me it's not her… please!"

Menzi frowned. "Who are you talking about?"

At that moment, Siza gazed into Menzi's eyes, while a series of flashbacks began to fill her mind. Little by little she dissected each ordeal in her mind, and the pieces of the puzzle finally began to fit together, as she realized she was a victim of lies and deceit. Her face drained of colour, and she felt herself go back in time when those feelings of shame and betrayal had once become her. She repeatedly stood up, and sat down, as if she were going insane. She paced back and forth, crying and mumbling words that did not make sense. Menzi was shocked and perplexed, to see all of this playing out before him. He had never seen Siza this upset, and became increasingly nervous, as she turned into a stranger, right before his very eyes. Siza sat across from Menzi and gazed at him humourlessly.

"It's all coming back to me now…Yes, you…calling me names, which I wasn't even familiar with. Yes, the restaurant La' Katarina, your jealousy over your best friend's engagement," Siza sobbed. "Yes, coming home late, lying that you lost a deal with a client, and the worst part of all, you and her, disappearing in Pule��s house together."

Siza fell to the floor on her knees feeling defeated, then rose from the floor, and chuckled like a lunatic, with tears running down her face. She held her head, grabbed a vase from the glass table, and cast it at Menzi, but he managed to dodge it, and it smashed to smithereens, on the laminated floor.

Siza laughed and nodded. "Your slut is good…in fact, you are both good together."

Siza stared at Menzi and shook her head. She smiled and tears filled her eyes, as she stared at him and nodded again.

"You're so cruel… It's over between us!" declared Siza.

Siza walked towards the doorway, and Menzi tried to block her from leaving. He had never seen her that calm, after a disagreement.

Siza pointed at Menzi. "Don't come near me…don't ever come near me, or Lelo will find you dead in this house," she warned.

"Siza, come on," begged Menzi.

"You're so pathetic, spoilt little brat! You cheat on a good woman…I would never cheat on you, Menzi…I loved you so much."

"I made a mistake...Please understand."

Siza smiled. "Oh, I understand, Menzi…another man out there deserves me... I forgive you."

Siza exited Menzi's house, as he hurried behind her, and stopped her by the doorway. He was crying, but she felt numb. She gazed at him emotionlessly and said nothing. Diesel witnessed Menzi grabbing Siza's hand, and he stepped out of the car to intervene.

"Is everything alright here, my man?" asked Diesel.

Menzi let go of Siza. Siza walked past Diesel and stepped inside the car. Menzi tried to follow her, but Diesel blocked him.

"Diesel, please take me home!" shouted Siza.

"Siza, wait!" shouted Menzi.

Diesel told Menzi, "Hey man, I think you've done enough damage, this is too much for her, just let her go!"

"Don't tell me what to do…you don't even know her, or me!" replied Menzi.

Diesel scoffed. "I don't need to know you, and oh…She knows me now."

Diesel stepped into the car and drove out of Menzi's place. While on their way to Bryanston, Siza asked Diesel to stop the car.

"May we please go to Centurion? The Mansions, number eight, Oupad Street?" requested Siza.

Diesel nodded. "No problem, Little Lady. Please promise me that you won't get yourself into any trouble, though."

Siza smiled. "I promise, I won't get into trouble, Diesel. This is something that should've been done ages ago. It's right and just."

"And what exactly is that, Siza?" asked Diesel, glancing at Siza in the rear-view mirror.

"I can't answer that, Diesel, but it will be worthwhile," replied Siza.

♥♥