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"Do you really work at Ambrosia? The strip club?" Zayn asked on our way down in the elevator.

I responded with, "Didn't you do a background check on me?"

Then he said all causal like, "Yeah, Dixon requested it but I got lazy and shit came up," He looked me up and down but not in the way his brother does, "But you don't strike me as the stripper type."

The fuck that was supposed to mean.. I work with those girls and they're just normal, not the damaged strung out on drugs hookers you see depicted in films. They're just girls who have bills and shit in their lives, and they need money. That's it.

Didn't call him out on it though, didn't get the chance. He got a phone call just as we got off the elevator and my mind was back to his brother in an instant.

No because mo guy threatened, manipulated and bullied me into his bedroom for hours past my shift because he didn't want me to tell his brother that he got his ass handed to him...

Then said brother and the rest of the family showed up anyway, and saw with their own eyes how fucked up he really looks.

So all that drama... him telling me shit, me hating him so much I forget all my shit.... all that was for nothing? The stress, the anxiety?

Zayn says their mommy making tea is her way of not going batshit and they were waiting for me to leave before they descended on him.

What I don't get is, if it was because of business like Zayn alluded to earlier then why are they acting like he went looking for it? And that he goes looking for it all the time?

And who is this Daniel of theirs? Why is he so ominous and seemingly all powerful?

I don't think I'll ever understand anything that goes on with those people .

But I do maybe understand why Mr Sin told me not tell Zayn because just as I was about to leave I wondered if he'd be going back up to his family-- he only walked out with me to make sure I got picked up safe-- but he wasn't going back up.

He told me he was going to look into the situation, I assume Mr Sin's and I assume he went looking for the person he fought..

He seemed more mad at himself that he wasn't at the fight or something.

I haven't seen him or heard from him since, or his brother for that matter. I went to pick up my bag that Friday and all I found was my money on the kitchen island.

Cash, in a envelope, he knows the deal.

And yeah, I looked around for him... pretending to clean but not really... anxiously waiting for him to walk in and look at me just so I can tell him that I'm not quitting.

He's going to have to fire me. Two can play the chicken game. I need the money and he doesn't want to disappoint his brother.

Gutter girl toe to toe with a billionaire, I don't give a fuck.

I know he's just trying to get me to quit, I would've been glad to work for his sister instead if that's the case but he shot that bird before it even learned to fly.

He didn't even apologize for not waking me up, or being a shithead in the first place.

I'm getting mad just thinking about it. Mam'Ntombi thought it was funny when I told her a version of what happened but I don't find anything amusing about that man.

Matter of fact, the only thing that could be remotely amusing about him is my foot so far up his ass, I could play kickball with his liver.

He seems to have a lot of that thing, talking to me like I won't kick his nuts, he must ask any of my previous employers who dared be inappropriate with me... you pat my butt, I pat your nose with my knuckles finish and klaar.

I am actively speaking it into existences. Affirmations and whatnot. I can't die without punching that man at least twice.

Luckily, my friends have my back and are as equally miffed as me about the situation.

No male employer should invite... threaten, bully, force a female employee into his bedroom.

And then be so unapologetic about it... I think that's what pisses me off the most, the fact he didn't even see he anything wrong he said or did that day.

"Are you sure you're mad at the bedroom thing or that he knocked you from your high horse first?" Mariska asks with a laugh.

"High horse?" My three other best friends ask in unison.

"Oh, don't act like you don't see the chip on her shoulder," Mariska spits back, "It's what's weighing you down Ima."

This bitch.

"Excuse me? I've never talked out of turn to him, hardly ever initiate conversation and make sure to stay out of his way yet he berated me, told me I'm a nothing and a nobody and summoned me to his room," I purse my lips and try to turn to look at her.

We're in the Range Rover that picked me up that Friday, the same one that dropped Rea and Zo off at Mam'Thandi's when we were washing blankets.

I don't know who it belongs to but Rea is driving this time, last time it was Zo, and before that I didn't get a clear look.

"Sure and then you asked him if he thinks you're scared of him," Mariska goes on.

"After I was uncomfortable, stuck in his room for minutes while he lay on his bed. Are we seriously having this conversation?" I think I'm getting annoyed.

"We're not," Zo turns in the front seat and looks at me in the middle, "So who's the guy you hugged downstairs I forgot to ask?"

"His brother, Zayn," I say with a sigh and a stank eye to Mariska.

"That's his brother? Shuuu," Nandi on my other side chimes in, "Does his asshole brother look anything like him?"

Girl, you have no idea.

"Did I tell you guys Karabo wants to be an actor now," Mariska mumbles scrolling down her phone, "Sorry Ima."

"It's okay," I wave off, glad for a subject change. I'll explode if I carry on thinking about my boss.

We are weaving the streets of the dusty, busy streets of my township, driving me home to get my things before I go to that job I now dread.

It's way past noon, it's Friday and I do have a shift at the club again tonight so I decided to go in later like I planned on asking them.

They're gone again and I had familial obligations again-- the rain is back by full force, it's actually starting to flood flood a bit and my mother caught caught cold. Anyone who's been in a shack in a storm knows how fun it is.

She's fine now but I had to stay the early morning to make sure the fever broke but I still have to go to work and my friends were kind enough to take me to a sudden job interview in Pretoria.

It's a long story, and there may have been a manicures or facials stop on the way back, there's just something about looking pretty... especially when the down there is on point.

They'll drop me off at that building again and I'll catch an Uber to the club, Rea is insisting on picking me up since Melrose is like ten minutes away but we'll see.

"Is he serious about it?" Nandi asks over me..

"I think so, he is taking classes now," Mariska carries on telling us about her boyfriend's decision to switch from modelling to acting, "And though I think he's gorgeous and smart, I don't know about this..."

Rea and Zo share a look.

Nandi is sitting behind Zo and Mariska is sitting behind Rea, I'm the one who can see them both and I say they just shared a look.

"So he wants to get paid to play pretend?" I ask condescendingly.

"I think there's more to it than that," Rea jumps to Karabo's defense. She's the one who hooked them up back in college so its only fitting that she protect her investment.

I roll my eyes, "I think that's about the root of it."

"Don't listen to Imani Mariska," For once Zo is on Mariska's side of things, "I think its brave of him and if he's really excited about this and really wants it then you should support him."

Rea nods along, "Yea, what's the worst that could happen?"

"He could completely fail," Mariska provides.

"Well no shit if that's the kind of attitude his woman has," Zo scoffs.

She has a point once again. Zo does that a lot to you, she says the right thing without even meaning to.

"Yeah, I would lose the attitude," Rea says as well, "Also don't worry, Karabo is one of most intelligent and driven people that I know so trust when I say he didn't make this decision lightly and that he calculated every risk and reward before settling on a it."

Rea and Karabo were best friends before he ended up with Mariska and now they hardly talk. There's drama there obviously.

"It's not that Rea, I'm scared he has too much on his plate right now," Mariska half leans on me to look at Rea, "He has a thesis to write, he has shoots, appearances and now this?"

Rea looks at Zodwa nervously before shrugging, "Just trust him, he's got this and he's got you.. if you just stand by him, there's no way he'd fail."

"Which reminds me," Nandu cuts in, "Shad says this week he wants black and silver, he'll send the deposit..." .

I practically dance in my seat at the promise of more money--I get paid to design the outfits for bartenders and waitresses at the club as well, strippers do their own thing but the servers all have to be on point.

I'm even more excited to design, I don't just make clothes, I create looks. The whole aesthetic.

"Aye, sefebe," Rea glances at me, "Should we park? Or go to yours? "

I look around to see exactly where we are, "No, park. The roads are tricky now, we can walk."

There's a car wash on the left where Vivid and I used to chill with our friends, and even though its run by what the community thinks are thugs, I know the guys. We were in school together, they are decent and nothing will happen to the car if we leave it with them.

"The car wash?" Zo asks to be sure.

"Yeah," I confirm, "Just park it so it doesn't block other cars."

Nostalgia pools in my belly when I look at the place, thoughts of a much simpler time when I used to sit on the tattered car seat in the little make-shift and laugh the days away.

Before these girls and college, before my mother's health happened and Sphe even knew what a drug is, before aboMr Sin and palaces in the clouds..before Nene even.

The place has not changed at all since my high school days and yet it seems like forever ago, like a hazy memory from another life.

It shouldn't though because just a year or so ago, I was on that exact same seat with Vivid and Nene watching the cars come and go, eating and laughing with no

"Ah, Enhles," The guy who helped Zo park says with a big smile as I get out of the car.

I grin back at him and move in for a hug, "Glebez mfana mfana."

His grin widens, "Sho sho."

I explain to him that my friends and I are going to leave the car here with them while we quickly go check things out at home. He agrees and even offers a free wash which I respectfully turn down, I don't even know whose car this is.

It takes me a minute to realize that its unusually quiet when my friends walk around to come stand next to me. There are about six of the usual faces that always hang around here, all of them guys and they are never this quiet.. ever-- especially when girls pass by.

The usual catcalls, yelled compliments and whistles are absent and replaced with awed, stunned expressions.

They know that my friends are beyond their league. Levels baba, levels. They know that even I am out of their league now and have rationalised my relationship with Vivid as pure chance of having met me when I was younger- pre glo-up.

Vivid has mad respect in the streets for having had had me, especially since no one else has.

"Heita," Zo greets them as she takes a stand next to me.

"Shooooo," It's a low chorus.

Silence.

"Sho," Rea and Nandi greet them as always.

"Shoooo," Another chorus.

It's almost like it was practiced beforehand or there's a music conductor behind me or something. It's comical if anything, and a little creepy.

My friends look at me and we smile knowingly. We know we are so going to be discussed the second we turn our backs.

"Enhles," Glebez comes to me looking all humble and serious, "Sphe o chunne flop gazi, ringa oulady sommer nou."

What did my brother do this time?

I call my mom like Nathi, Glebez due to the elephant ears, but she doesn't answer which has me worried now.

Before we even make it across the tarred road to the little pathway I usually take as a shortcut from the township to our slum, we hear multiple shouts that started with a very powerful, "Yoh yoh yoh!"

We're gonna be the entire day's topic.

Every corner that we take, the attention is on us. People even stop what they are doing to look at us, happens every time my friends are here-- they stand out like very sore, very clean thumbs.

I was hoping to see Nene for a few minutes, just to check on her but right now it seems like my house is on fire.

"There's a mob at your house," Mariska says pointing to the space where you can see our tree looming over the three shacks crammed next to each other.

There is a group of people in our yard, and they all look angry. So without another thought, I take off running as best as I can in a pencil skirt when I don't see my mother. This is definitely connected to Sphe and if anything happens to ma because of him, I am done.

My friends are right on my heels when I walk through the gate and round the group to look for my mother.

If somebody touched my mother, somebody's gonna die.

The second they see me, they all pour down on me and start yelling.

From what I can gather, my brother and his friends broke into their homes and stole their money and whatever appliances they could get their hands on.

"So you've been going house to house just yelling at their families?" Rea asks once they settled down.

Nah, they don't. They're those of cowards, they'd rather come for their own.

Most of those nyaope boys are boys from across the train tracks, where all the money and privilege is. It's easier to steal from us unlike our dumb boys, they don't go after their own families.

Then comes our dumb boys families looking for reparations from the same people who also get robbed by those boys.

I'm not in dealing with this today, there's nothing I can say that they'll listen to.

There's only one thing they'll hear...

I pass Mam'Ntombi leaning against the door with her arms folded, looking like she wishes a motherfucker would.

I'm so used to worrying about her that I underestimate her sometimes. This is the woman who birthed and raised me, of course she's not bothered by a bunch of our dumb neighbours.

I go get the money I saved up again these past few weeks of nothing but hard work. It's not much but it's enough to make them go away without any fighting.

I walk back outside and shove it into Andile's hands,"That's all I have on me at the moment, I'll get you more month end. I'm sorry about Sphe."

"We are tired of this Imani," Andile says calming down a bit.

"I know, I'm sorry--"

"You have to do something about him."

"Askies?" The fuck, "Something? What is this something? Beat the addiction out of him? Take him to a church to be prayed for? Take him to be cleansed? What? What's this something? Tell me please."

None of them pipe up. Just as I thought.

It can only get worse from here and I'm not in the mood so I leave them out there and go past my mom into the house.

I have to go to work, I don't have time for all this. My mom is okay so I'm good. AboAndile are just the devil's work.

"And this Enhle is why I say you have to leave this place, you'll never go forward here. It'll always drag you down," Mam'Ntombi comes in with the indignant speech.

"And I heard you Ma," I say packing my overnight bag and the outfit for tonight, "I just need time right now.",

I'll endure anything until I get my family out of here, whether it's my asshole of a boss or my asshole neighbours.

"Time for what mntana wam, you can get out of here. The money you make is enough for you and Nene, and my sick pension is should be enough for me alone," She's almost begging, "You wouldn't be leaving me behind, there's nothing to feel guilty about... just go, please."

I hear and understand where she's coming from, she thinks it's what right for me but what's right for me is taking care of my family.

"Ma, we'll talk when I get back tomorrow," I say instead, "You'll be fine?"

"Yes, I'll be fine angithi I'm telling you that you should move. Would I be telling you to move if I wasn't okay?"

"Yoh, okay Mam'Ntombi."

"Imani, I'm serious."

I stop and face her, "I know you're serious ma, and I am working on it. I swear."

But she's as stubborn as me, "No, you don't work on it. You do it. Now. Today. Go get your daughter and don't look back. We'll talk on the phone."

"Are you kicking me out?"

She shakes her head in frustration, "You are as stubborn as your father."

Loyo we're not going to talk about.

"I have to go, you promise you'll be fine?"

She nods and waves me off, "You promised you'll do what I say?" She tries.

But I nod on my way out. As if I'll ever leave her alone. Even if she weren't ill, I don't think I'd leave her to just be alone all day, everyday.

Dark clouds are starting roll in and the wind has picked up some. There's a storm coming, I can smell the rain in the air.

Now I don't want to leave my mom alone anymore.

We have deadbolts on the doors and windows but water doesn't care.

I look up worryingly and back at her, and she's followed me out also looking up at dark skies.

"Ma?"

"You found me on this land Enhle, this is not my first storm," She waves me off, "Go before you get caught in the middle of it."

I hesitate between her and my friends waiting by the gate waving goodbye.

What kind of a daughter am I?

"Go, don't worry," She says with a warm reassuring smile.

I hurry to my friends and we try to hurry to the car to beat the storm to the city. I'm freaking out the most because I do not care for lightning, I don't fuck with it, I don't want to see it, nothing.

"Are you okay?" Rea is the one very concerned when I reach them, "I can stay with Mam'Ntombi over night if that's the issue too."

She offers a lot. And my mom loves her a lot. But she has to work tonight, and she always get my mom drunk so no to that.

"I'm fine my love," I say making them hurry along these narrow, wet streets, "She's fine, now let's go. You know I don't even want to see lightning."

We luckily beat the storm to the city and only because Mr Sin's flat is closer from my side.

But I walk into has me wishing we would've gotten stuck in the rain--

I'm innocently walking passed the kitchen and the arch to the living room, the private elevator's still locked, but I'm minding my own business--

And there's Brie on the couch, looking ready to sob and the Mr Sin scowling down at her.

I'm more surprised to see him than her for some reason.

Something happened here, something serious.

But I'm not supposed to be here, I'm supposed to be long gone. So I try to tip toe past the arch, crouching down the other side of the island so nobody sees me.

"Don't even try it," I hear Mr Sin say loudly, "Come here."