iFAIRYTALE KaMAGEZA
𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭 6
CONNIE
He's sitting with a group of men. There's loud laughter at the table as they eat the meat in a big wooden trey. They might be taxi drivers too.
"Nangu umlungu!" a group of kids shout running to me. I feel so out of place and there dozen of eyes looking at me are making me more anxious.
"Porsche?! Yoh, yoh!" the young boy exclaims circling my car, it's as if he's seeing something out of space. And just like that I'm answering question after question, I skip the Zulu ones.
I throw my eyes back at the group of men. He still hasn't noticed me. I can't go there, he told me himself he's the only nice taxi driver around here. But I have no choice do I? I'm already here, so here goes nothing.
I take a deep breath and proceed to the table "Umh, excuse me" they all look at me. If I could dig a hole and disappear, I would right now.
I can't read the look on their faces. It's not everyday a white woman disturbs a group of Zulu men eating meat. This moment will go down in history.
"Bahlonoshwa" he says wiping his mouth and standing up. His body language conveys respect for the men. They are all older than him.
"Connie" he says in a croaky voice finally standing in front of me. He's a tall man, fair dark skin, a right amount of beard, wait why am I analysing his beard? I must have lost a cell in my brain when I bumped into his car, or it's the anxiety, it has to be the anxiety.
"You left without giving me your numbers" he frowns, am I talking gibberish? "I have to get a quote on how much it will cost to fix your taxi"
"That won't be necessary" he's wiping his hands.
"What do you mean?"
"The gentleman in me doesn't allow me to make a woman pay for bumping into my car" he says with a small smile. Words get locked in my mouth, I don't know what to say.
"I don't mind"
"I do" he finally stops wiping the hands and looks at me. He's indeed a nice person.
"Ngiyabh-onga" he's laughing, this is why I refrain from speaking Zulu.
