After Tears

Nineteen: Thursday, January 13

132 NINeteeN Thursday, January 13 It took several loud knocks on my door for Ms zitha, the B&B owner , to get my attention. I looked at the time on my cellphone and realised that it was already half past ten in the morning. I should have checked out of the room thirty minutes earlier. with the five minutes Ms zitha gave me to check out of the room, I quickly brushed my teeth and washed my face. ten minutes later I signed out and handed the key to Ms zitha, whose make-up looked like red mud that had been smeared across her face. I didn’t want to go home before the time the bus was due to arrive at park Station. I had to kill time until at least half past twelve in the afternoon. As I walked out of the gate I was already planning on treating myself to a nice breakfast at Balfour park Mall’s Mugg & Bean. At least money wasn’t an issue any more. I walked along corlett Drive towards Louis Botha Avenue, where I took an Alexandra-bound taxi. It only took five minutes to reach the mall. Although this was not the kind of place Mama, sis zinhle or Nina would come shopping, I had to be careful because it was the kind of place Vee would come to shop. Just to make sure that she wasn’t around, I decided to call her. “hi, Vee, it’s Bee here. where are you?” I asked, as I walked into cNA to buy the Sowetan and The Star. “hi, Bee, are you back from cape town already?” “I’m on my way back.” “okay. where are you?” 133 “we’re approaching Vereeniging, and where are you?” “I’m here at work. I’m knocking off late tonight,” she said, as I tendered a r10 note at the till. “okay, great. I just wanted to tell you how excited I am. I got my results!” “congratulations! that’s very good news! I’d love to meet you to celebrate, but we’re having a farewell party here at the hospital. one of our members is leaving for Britain. She got a good nursing job there. hey, why don’t you come? I know that you’ll be tired, but . . .” “when’s the party?” I asked as I took the change and walked out of the store towards Mugg & Bean. “It’s at four this afternoon. Just come to the reception area and ask for the conference room. they’ll let you in.” “well, okay, I’ll see if I can make it.” “I can ask one of my friends to fetch you at park Station if you want.” “No. Don’t worry about it.” I sat down in the corner of Mugg & Bean with my cap drawn down over my eyes to avoid the gaze of anyone who might recognise me. As soon as the waitress came I ordered bacon and eggs with four slices of toasted bread. I chewed the food slowly and without pleasure as I browsed through the newspapers. when I had finished my breakfast I called the waitress and ordered a double J&B on the rocks. I stayed at the Mugg & Bean until three o’clock in the afternoon. I had been there since half past eleven and the bill was almost r300. I had had a lot of whisky. At about quarter to four the meter taxi that I had caught just outside the mall was cruising along empire road, next to wits, in 134 the direction of Milpark hospital. we came to a stop in a tree-lined street next to the hospital gate, where I handed the driver r200 before he left. I looked at the sign on my left, next to the security gates. It was written in three languages, english, Afrikaans and zulu: NO VACANCY GEEN WERK AWUKHO UMSEBENZI on my right I saw an arrow pointing to the left for the reception. Next to that was another sign that was also written in english, Afrikaans and zulu and it said: NO HAWKERS ALLOWED GEEN SMOUSE UKUTHENGISA AKUVUNYELWA the security guard at the gate gave me a pen and register book in which to print my name and that of the person I was going to visit. After I had finished I walked towards reception. “how may I help you, sir?” asked the lady at the reception desk. “I...