After The Tears End

By Khosi Camane

Love, lust, success, failure, growing up, violence, murder and redemption.

Set in South Africa, Minnie Temba comes from a poor family. Her father walks out when she is young and her sister can be a problem sometimes, what will she do?

Overcoming difficulties and helped by her determined mother, she grows up to be a successful (and rich) businesswoman, but her private life is somewhat unconventional, chaotic, and full of doubt and trouble.

Will she be able to resolve the issues that plague her or will they lead to violence that will overwhelm her?

This is a story of LIFE and death and the magic that may surround us all...

It's a great read and will take you on an emotional roller-coaster - come along for an inspiring ride...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Khosi Camane
• Release date: Mar 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781909133112

Book preview

After The Tears End

by

Khosi Camane

© 2013

Published by Ex-L-Ence Publishing at Smashwords.

www.ex-l-ence.com

All characters and events in this book are fictitious and any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

CHAPTER 1

I had heard my mom screaming the previous night, when I woke up that morning only Grandma Sibeko was there. She had said that Ma had been taken to the hospital to have a baby. That afternoon when grandma said she had returned with a baby girl, I was thrilled, I ran into Ma’s bedroom and found her baby snuggling on her breast, she was the prettiest little thing, she felt soft and warm, all wrapped up in pink I just wanted to kiss her over and over again. Ma smiled at me, she looked tired though I did not understand why.

Ma where’s Pa? he’s late today I asked.

He’s still at work, I guess, now that there are two of you, we need all the money we can get baby ok, he’ll be back soon.

Ma, I think you should stop calling me ‘baby’ now that you have a new baby. I continued to hug her and said "Thank you, thank you Ma. You have no idea how hard it had been growing up for ten years without a sister, or even a brother, what’s her name by the way? Ma laughed out loud and she said Her name is Patience, Patience Temba, baby sister to Minnie Temba"

Grandma came in and whisked me off to the kitchen, ‘to eat’ something but I knew she wanted me to leave Ma alone. As we sat at the table to eat, I saw tears trickling down her cheeks, but dared not ask. My grandmother was the angriest woman ever, she would smack you up side your head just for asking her how her day was, although I loved her, I was also very scared of her. That’s how she was. I kept quiet and thought I’d ask Ma instead, at least she was the easiest person to talk to; I had always wondered how she was related to grandma (sigh).

Pa walked in at around 7:30 pm, greeted everyone, kicked off his shoes and parked himself on his sofa and watched TV. I ran up to him to tell him the ‘news’ with such joy in my heart; but he just looked at me as if I wasn’t even there. Instead he got up, walked to their bedroom and returned with a bag full of ‘something’. He kissed me on the cheek, opened the door and he was gone, without as much as another word. That was the last time I ever saw him, on my sister’s birthday. I had no idea what went on that night, I walked into my mom’s bedroom gave her a big hug and ultimately spent the night there, with the baby sleeping peacefully in her crib ‘poor little Patience’.

I always longed for his return and even waited up for him sometimes. No one mentioned him ever again in our home. I soon realized what Christmas and New Year’s would be like without my father, there would be no more shopping, no more out-bursts of laughter from him laughing at my childish jokes, no more lectures, no more nothing. My father was gone!!!

My mom had been an only child; her father having passed on when she was a baby. Her mother, my grandma, never bothered to remarry. She was a qualified teacher and had decided to raise her daughter all on her own. She was a very strict woman; who never smiled, or laughed out loud and never took too kindly to silly jokes. The best favour she could do for you was chuckle, but only when you made a ‘sensible’ joke. She never had any friends, and seldom went out. The only places she went to were the school where she had taught, the church and our house. She never even did her own shopping, Ma did it for her. That’s how much of a hermit she was.

At that time we owned a three bedroom house in Soweto; After father left, my grandma came to stay, she occupied the ‘spare room’ as we used to call it. Her staying with us proved to be a blessing in many ways and she also helped me with my school work. During the day she looked after the house and watched Patience while Ma was at work. Our house was spotlessly clean, that’s just how grandma was, and everything had to be in its place. She was also very good in the garden, for the first time we had flowers and vegetables in our yard. She had always complained that Ma made no effort to keep her house neat and homely. Indeed our house was beginning to look like hers. Grandma had sold her house and the money was used to assist us.

As the years went by grandma’s health deteriorated and one night she died peacefully in her sleep. Her passing saddened me because I had gotten used to having her around.

After her death, we got called to see her lawyers, Ma, Patience and I. It came as a huge surprise when they announced that she had won the lotto. She had won something like R28 mil. We were informed that Patience and I were beneficiaries of R7m each. Her lawyers were to make sure that all her wishes were fulfilled.

The terms of our inheritance were that if we did well at school, graduated from tertiary, without ever falling pregnant, then we were guaranteed millionaires. To me that was the easiest way to riches. I vowed not to let myself, my mom and my grandma down. I also vowed that I would do whatever was necessary to help my sister along.

Ma could use her money as she saw fit, she was grown up already. She expanded her catering business, we called it the ‘kitchens’, because she used to operate from a small building with two kitchens where the food was prepared and there was also a small dining area, where people would sit down and eat. Her business was doing extremely well; in fact it did so well that she bought new property and built a Bed and Breakfast business in our area. She had tourists pouring in like it was the only B and B in town.

I kept my word by working hard at school, becoming the brightest star in my class and winning awards every term of the year. The number of trophies that I had collected was a great source of my mother’s pride. It therefore came as no surprise when I got a university entrance pass in matric. My mother was beside herself with exhilaration. So were my sister and all my extended family. Inevitably a thanksgiving ceremony was held in my honour that same weekend. I was introduced to family members, I never even knew existed. Food and drinks galore and we celebrated in true African style.

Two days later my then boyfriend Lejwe, came over to see me. My friends used to call him ‘Stone’ because that’s what it means in Sesotho. He had come over to ‘congratulate’ me in person, since he and I hadn’t seen each other since the results were released.

I made tea and cake for him; we talked about where each one of us would attend that year. He had been accepted at UCT and me at Wits. Lejwe came from a well known and respectable family in our community. He and I had been friends since we were in primary school, but only started dating officially in high school.

As we sat there on the sofa, he began to touch my thighs, more like caressing them actually. I moved away from him. Then he said he was only trying to show me how much he loved me and that if I loved him too I’d respond. It felt extremely uncomfortable, and my mom’s words played in my head, boys will always tell you that they love you to get in your pants. Then he took out his penis and tried to put my hand on it, it was hard and engorged! I got a fright and jumped up, What are you doing! I shouted.

What baffled me at the time was that Lejwe had never tried that sort of thing, or used that sort of language with me before. All he and I ever did was kiss and talk all the time, I admit sometimes I’d have butterflies flutter in my stomach, but that was it.

We had agreed that we’d wait until we finished High school. I had made a promise to my grandmother that I would graduate first before I could sleep with anyone, whether I liked them or not.

But you said we would do it when we both matriculated Min, what’s your problem now? he asked.

I just didn’t realise it had to be today Lejwe, don’t you think we should have discussed it first? I said.

Well. I didn’t know we had to have a discussion first before we have sex, everything with you has to be done logically; you are such a bore Minnie. As it is now we will be moving to opposite corners of the country, and who knows, you’ll probably meet someone who’ll take you before I do?

He seemed furious, I could have sworn that I saw smoke coming out of his ears! I was confused, but chose to remain cool. I just stood there and listened to him spewing venom out his mouth.

I suddenly saw him as the chancer that he really was; but I let him continue to blow steam.

I’m not even sure that you are still a virgin, today I thought we could do ‘it’ and get it over and done with and he went on, and on, and on. I just had to shut him up.

Oh so you decide on your own that today you want to sleep with me and ‘get it OVER and done with! Since you are not even sure that I’m still a ‘virgin’ is that it?

I repeated his exact words so I could be clear. You wanted to have me before anyone else did, right? Well I can tell you here and now Buti, it is never going to happen, not with me...!

By now he was also on his feet… and then I could have sworn that I got struck by a million volts of lightening! Right across my eyes!

I had to shake my head, to regain my vision. Then it dawned on me, that this guy had slapped me… like a cheap slut, he slapped me in my mother’s house… he slapped me for my body… he slapped me after, I had made tea and cake for him in my mom’s best tea set… He really was crazy!

No one does that to me, no one… I must have had steam coming out me ears as well because all of a sudden; his eyes popped out, I could have sworn he’d seen a ghost!

Suddenly the knife was in my right hand, his penis in my left hand, hard and still engorged as it was from all the kissing, and probably from the fury as well at least that’s what I thought. I sliced him once, I sliced him twice, and I sliced him thrice. I wasn’t sure how deep though, just wanted to teach him a lesson, and then I let go! In a second he had vanished. He hadn’t even put up a fight.

That would teach him, I thought to my self. I had never realised that he had huge eyes before today. He had rushed to the bathroom and then he came back, still horrified, I peered at his eyes again… no, it was just the horror of it all that made them look big.

His T-shirt was now hanging over his pants, probably to hide the blood stains; he shouldn’t have bothered though, because he had worn black jeans. Maybe his dick was