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Twenty-Five: Tuesday, February 15
- Ohio University Press
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180 tweNtY-FIVe Tuesday, February 15 At about half past nine in the morning the ringing of my cellphone forced me to wake up. My head was heavy from the night before, but Vee was already outside my office in chi and she wanted us to talk seriously. She was back from zimbabwe. Mama had gone to work and there were only Aunty Manto and Yuri in the house. Aunty Manto was busy washing clothes in the bathroom. I asked her to let me use the bathroom first as I was already late for work and she agreed. I finished bathing and hurriedly dressed in my new navy suit that I had bought at Markhams a few weeks earlier. By ten o’clock I was in a taxi to Bara taxi rank where I had to catch another taxi to chi. By the time I got to chi, twenty minutes later, Vee was waiting for me at the fish-and-chips shop. She was reading a magazine and drinking a coke. I opened my office immediately and the two of us sat there facing each other. “Bee,” Vee said. “I want you to do me a favour.” “what kind of a favour?” I asked. “eh,” she hesitated. “this is embarrassing, but I’m asking you because I’m in a desperate situation.” “go on.” “You know that it’s difficult to work in this country if you’re not a South African?” “I know. It’s bad,” I said. 181 “My problem is my work permit. I have a new one now, but I’m tired of going back home every three months to renew it.” My eyes were fixed on her lips as she was speaking. I noticed, for the first time, that her small, sharp nose spoilt whatever beauty her face had. “So you want me to help you organise a longer work permit?” “Actually, the favour that I want to ask you is a bit more than that. what I’m asking you will require you to suspend your respect for the law and your tradition.” She paused. “I want you to marry me. I’ll pay you fifteen grand.” “Marry you?” I asked in a shocked tone of a voice. “Yes.” I scratched my head and looked away briefly in thought. Fifteen grand was a lot of money. I only had r8 000 of Mama’s money left, and Vee’s money would help me pay rent for the office. “I know we’re just friends,” she said, looking away and then back at me, “but I’m desperate.” I thought for a while, but deep in my heart I knew that I needed the cash. “I want to help you, Vee,” I finally replied, “but imagine what would happen if I told Mama that I wanted to marry you. Although she likes you, she’d say that it’s too soon. I’m just starting out with my career.” “You don’t have to tell her anything. we’ll just organise two friends as witnesses and sign the papers. then, later, we can go and file for divorce.” “I understand, but you know that I’m not allowed to work in the legal profession if I’ve committed a crime. Suppose our secret blows up? I’ll be in deep shit,” I argued. [18.118.140.108] Project MUSE (2024-04-17 07:37 GMT) 182 “But no one will find out.” “well, you never know, Vee,” I said, “but for a good friend like you I think I’m willing to take the risk.” “Did I hear you right? Did you say you’ll do it?” she asked excitedly . Vee squeezed me in a long, warm hug and kissed my forehead. “But this marriage will just be a sham to get you citizenship, right?” “Yes,” she said, nodding. “well, then I’ll be happy to be your husband in inverted commas .” “I’ll count on you, Bafana,” she said with a smile. An hour after Vee had left, Sergeant Nkuna from the protea Magistrate ’s court called me to say that three guys who had been arrested for public drinking the night before wanted some legal representation . Since I had handled zero’s case we had come to a gentleman’s agreement that for every client he gave me he would receive a commission of r100. * * * that night there was a power cut that affected most parts of Soweto , including Bara hospital. the newspapers...