Episode 3. Never say Never

"Anathii!" A voice leapt out of the back seat and a gun was pulled back inside, just before the door shot open. "Snap out of it and get inside, it's just a freaking gun," said the voice as the door swung just slow enough to allow him to catch a glimpse of her. 

Luckily it was Caith, his girl. One who he shared a very deep secret with. A very deep connection too. His heartbeat surfed smoothly again and inside he got before feeling the warmth of the luxurious car comforting him. 

"I'd planned to catch you with this armed-robbery prank, but yersterday had other plans." Caith uttered and hoped for her soulful smile to soothe the anxiety inside his heart. Her cream, nail polish matching the color of the comfortable back seat.

"Whatever Caithie, just glad you came at the right time, but where did you get that gun though?" His question was followed by his attempt to place a kiss on her cheek, but he missed and his lips only managed to brush the very corner of hers, as her quick head-turn left her straight, shoulder-long hair brushing against his cheek.

"Really now Anathii, if you didn't like my prank just say so, you don't have to be rude and say ugly words such as 'whatever' you know." Her expression shouted her anger, she was always quick to react. And as she continued Anathii just looked at her, in her purple oversized hoody that made him want to ask her if she were even wearing something down there. Her caramel skin tone explosed the aggression beneath her skin as the light within the car danced on her shy-red cheeks - the recent ginger-dyed Sleek Up-do hairstyle of hers no longer present to compliment it. 

She was very cute at most even as she raged out, which remained one of the reason why he very much tolerated her outbursts.

"Caithie my love, chill... Your man just had a long drizzly day and your prank just sparked some controversial memories that's all..." He kept on explaining even as the thoughts of Zanele crept back into his mind and stole his ability to make sense, or be convincing. 

"There you go again, forever pointing fingers, blaming others for your silly wrong doings... But maybe if you had actually bothered to pick up your phone I would have known." Her sarcastic tone didn't do much to make him feel any better, her mood-swings were smoothly off the charts. 

"You know very well that I had a very important meeting with Zanele, I told you about it this morning remember? He said adeptly and looked out of the window to look away from the fury of her slowly burning eyes. Just as another seemingly familiar Mercedes-Benz drove past theirs which was now about to stop by the robots.

"And yet when I traced you down I find you sitting comfortably with your girl Yonella," she raised her voice a bit. "Even the rain failed to wash away her scent off your clothes," she sniffled enough to paint the image of her red eyes in his mind, their veins reflecting the rage from within.

 "Baby girl you need to stop stalking me... We've spoken about this twice too many times!"

"I will Anathii, after you explain why there is a deep red lipstick on your lips... and please don't bother wiping it," Unfortunately he failed to follow her instruction. "Are you serious right now? So something actually happened today hey? just hope Darren reminded you to stop messing with other people's girls." She giggled and sank into the warm seat, revealing herself to be the mastermind behind Yonella's boyfriend unexpected appearance at the cafe.

As much as he wanted to tell her to stop associating with Darren he couldn't, nor could he let off the bittersweet words which were now on the tip of his tongue. He rather chose to look to her and promise her to be the best man that he could from then on. But before he could even open his mouth she quickly and smoothly informed him of a certain figure in her belly: "Just wanted to let you know that I'm carrying your baby my love." Even the chauffer beat him in the race of congratulating her. 

He was now busy in the maze of his mind, remembering the long way which they had come since the eleventh grade. When his love life had been a mess and he had been the centre of attention especially since he had just moved to Pinelands, and also into a new school; from the  the less priviledged province of Turfloop. 

Yet despite being the newest teen in class his eyes were already set on persuing the one girl who actually gave him attention in class. One whose flirty qoutations were always enough to leave him blushing on a warm day, in ignorance of the stereotype which had been making rounds, especially about boys from his province being hopeless romantic - rumours which he too could not ignore.p 

Especially when Caith came along and offered to tutor him in Mathematics, since she was 3 years older than him and in the second year of varsity at the time. And before he knew it he had begun opening up to her, before their bond brought their minds, hands and lips together.

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Whereas, at Vulisanii Mukwevho's house... 

"Did you get her?"

"No Uncle G, but I'll definitely get her tomorrow. 

"Best not be falling for her because that would completely ruin my plan. I've travelled far and wide to get here and I will not let you and your childishness ruin my plan Vulisanii." His uncle was a serious man who was always making moves, whether right or wrong to the eyes of others. He was dark in complexion, laughed a lot but smiled little, while his short, greying her seldom matched with the silver chain and grey tops he liked to wear.

"You know me better than that, I mean business." Vulisanii - the young man who was wearing a black top and  a camouflage baseball jacket - said walking into; the loan where his uncle was sitting on his chair just by the swimming pool side, some girls giggling in the swimming pool enough to his uncle's amusement. Some guards in green overralls and rubber, bear facial masks spread out in the distance, wonderfully camouflaged in the greens of that compound's backyard. 

"Yet you keep stalling, I'm sure you've fallen for her," his uncle laughed without taking his eyes of the girls in the swimming pool, his golden grills fitfully fitted onto his lower teeth whilst shining in the moonlight. It was then when one of the maids brought him a bottle alongside his glass of sparkling wine, just before he ungratefully sent her away - Uncle G was clearly stressed that night. What else could he be, since he had a client waiting for his order to be completed. His request for a series of 7 brand new Mercedes was almost complete - but the finish line remained yet to be ccrossed.

His attitude clearly left his nephew, and protege,  Vulisanii's facial expression neutral, until his phone rang - and his uncle's hooligans were on the other side of the line and he slowly walked away from his uncle trying to figure out the cause of the call at such an unexpected time - for he'd clearly instructed the boys to only call him soon after they had completed the job.

"What now," Vulisanii said boastfully. 

"Eish, its Mastermind and we've got a target, a red Mercedes which looks brand new and swerves like a beast. Plus traffic isn't much in the road at this time of the night." Mastermind's giggles followed soon after, it was one that sounded both solid and drunk at the same time. 

"Sounds good," he giggled at well at the thought of proving to his uncle that he too could orgnize a succsesful hijack of high-end luxurous cars, "go for it but after taking it refrain from taking it to the panelbeaters for now. Understood?" 

"But didn't you uncle say that we should...?" 

"Don't patronize me Mastermind just get the car and get this gig over with, but hide it at the garage, not the panelbeaters" Vulisanii retained his calm and cut the phone, enforcing his power in the crime family in which he belonged. 

His one wish was to make his father proud from beyond the stars in which he now resided, the same father who happened to be his uncle's twin. The same father, well know gangsta who had been burnt with a petrol bomb back in November 21 years ago, when Vulisanii himself was only a toddler; burnt by opposing community members who had pledged a stance against crime in the community. 

Yet one thought never seemed to let Vulisanii free, that only if he hadn't been drunk that night could he have made a wiser decision and even avoided the encounter. But he was too drunk, both from his own pride and his favourite bottle of Jack Daniels. The thought of his father always left him feeling angry, very angry - both at his uncle for failing to protect his twin brother, as well as at his father for letting his pride blind him from the angry mob's capabilities.

"I'm gonna be excused," he said and walked on, anger surging in his throat.

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Meanwhile back at Caith and Anathii, as the waves of realization hit him hard, he smiled like a sick man as Caith's recent news sunk in. He clearly wasn't ready to be a father, but at least he had about 8 and a half months left for him to prepare. And now she was now talking about moving to another province, she was clearly overthinking it. 

"I too remember when my wife was pregnant, how we sang songs of joy and paraded the streets of..." The driver's sentence was cut short when he was forced to hit the emergency break, almost losing control of the car in the process, probably due to the wet road, as the loud and slippery sounds of the car were concluded by a hard bang. 

But the danger was imminent and the force of the breaks, and even the clash, wielded enough power to push their torso's foward, before instinctively, stretching his hand to shield Caith's forehead from knocking the back of the chauffer's seat, since she was busy trying to pick up her phone which had just fallen out off her hand as soon as the car had began swerving. 

Positively he managed to put his hand onto her forehead but knocked his shoulder against the passenger's seat in the process, just before the the airbag popped out, until its very oxygen was left rushing out of it within the sound of two gunshots which pierced right through it and left the driver's voice buried in tricycle of moans...

All whilst Anathii felt his heatbeat speeding and his world spinning, as he heard the chauffer finally let out a gulp of air shortly before falling silent. Yet, looking left, he was bothered to find Caithie frozen, still and almost lifeless... Just Seconds before a dark figure appeared by her window, shortly before banging it broken with the back of its gun powerfully enough to leave those shattered pieces raining on Caith's back, shortly before wind began jumping into the back seat, as cold and drizzly as it were. Just before the figure lifted his gun as it formed part of its silhouette, as he drove the gun into the car, leaving Anathii assuming that it was now pointing at him. The nightmare kept butterflies of emotions causing him a painful constipation from within. Leaving his cute face hidden inn the dark, alongside his fear of dying at the hands of that dark figure - as though his day hadn't gone from heavenly to hellish within a matter of hours. 

Yet when a series of gunshots emerged to the sound of sirens Anathii witnessed the figure dissapear from sight, just enough to give him peace of mind and hurriedly reach for Caith's head and shoulder in an attempt to wake her.

"Quickly, shoot them, before they get away, aim for the legs and then aim for the wheels," shouted one vigilante who soon came to their aid, to their rescue, shortly before opening the door on Caith's side. Alas he was shot on the arm in the process, judging by the way he screamed those exact words out as he fell onto the ground.

"Come on guys, two of them got away and two of them are dead. Now isn't this another heist gone wrong?" The cop signalled for the cop car to chase after the reemaining criminals' getaway car.

"We'll cover that later, help me carry this lady and this unconsciouos chauffer to the hospital." One of the cops said looking concerned as they also rushed to the victimized Mercedes, before helping the recently-shot colleague and carefully lifting Caith from that same Mercedes and carrying her towards the cop car that was close by, the other three cops assessing the weight of the crime, under the blanket of the moonlight. The streetlights making the roads shine even on the lifeless body of the armed robber who had been wearing a gray overall, black gloves and a black polo neck whilst also wearing a rubber panda mask; a very stylish death indeed. 

But as they took Caithie and drove off, whilst also wrestling with the floppy airbag to pull the chauffer out of the car in an attempt to revive him,  Anathii still tried to figure out as to whether those robbers had been sent by the Mandalays, the Gumedes - whose daugther he was yet to marry, or the childish Darren who had connection to some well known gang members. 

"Come with us, we have to check you for any injuries too," said the other cop who clearly acted like the doctor amongst them all. Yet his lips were too numb to respond, but his ears weren't too blunt to listen to what they were saying as they searched the Mercedes for clues, if not valuables since cops weren't to be trusted at all. He was just glad that the horrific incident was over and that Caithie was on the way to the hospital. 

"Or was she? Could those cops even be trusted? Could she have been carrying a gunshot wound by the time they carried her?" Those questions remained unanswered even as the forensics arrived at the scene, alongside a Journalim Without Borders van which had that journalim compay's crew members travelling in it. Especially the  female journalist who tried to put him in the limelight just before he dashed into the open door of a nearby police car, fully understanding the importance of avoiding the limelight as well as his relationship with Caith, which he clearly didn't want his mother, or even the Gumede's to find out. Luckily the cops weren't camera shy and there was somthing juicy to write about, including the cop who'd survived the bullet.

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Whereas, many peaceful sentiments away, Vulisanii was at a certain restaurant, as he found joy in Aneni-Anesu's presence and laughter. Although his peace was soon disturbed by a phone call which soon arrived at their dinner table before he smiled and answered, quickly informing the caller that he was with his girl. The same slender girl whom he had already dressed in a yellow suit for, his pink shirt unbuttoned as his saved chest invited her eyes. The same brown eyes which matched with her brown lipstick as two long threads of her braids ran on either sides of her face, their black colour complimenting contrasted by the cream, long beads which sat in between those long threads, as  the v-shape of her exposed upper chest left her light complexion seemingly smoother than the skin of her cute nose.

"Vulisanii, we have failed, it was a mess, the cops were there but in these black Rovers," Mastermind stopped and mumbled in search of breath. He sounded clearly shaken. "My boys are gone bruh, they are gone, and it was their first gig man! I convinced them to quit their jobs only to lead them to their graves..., wish you knew how I'm feeling now."

"Not to stress, we will sort it out soon enough," Vulisanii giggled in the eyes of his majestic girl - who also happened to be Anathii's younger, and cuter, sister by 2 years - fully noticing how curious she was starting to become. He didn't want her to stress or even guess as to what the contents of that suspicious phone call could have been. 

He knew that his girl was smart, she was at the top of the class in college, and still managed to explore her wild side. Aneni-Anesu and her slender figure, which had seemed quite curvaous in her light lavender dress , as her waist-long braids made her different from the other girls and to this date he still wondered as to why his uncle was so obsessed with her. 

She was smart, manipulative and hard to get, and now that he had her he had to think thrice about handing her over to his uncle on a silver platter. LIke of all the girls in town why did it have to be her that Uncle G wanted. She had big beautiful eyes, slightly plump lips and two nose piercings which never failed in unleashing her aura. Beauty wise she could be mistakenly ranked a 78%, but the more you got to know her and familiarize yourself with her personality and facial expressions, the more you realized how much more beautiful she was; espeacially as soon as your eye would learn to comprehend and except her beaty - whose exposure was actually hidden in her tongue. She was now too valuable to him. 

Aneni-Anesu too looked at him and past his expression long enough to realize that something had clearly happened. For the 4 months they'd been together she now had a small understanding  of how he handled stressful situations, and how he bit his lips whenever he lied, including whenever she would ask him about those deep, dark calls which he usually got out of the blue - whose contents he would never want to discuss. 

He was still a mysterious figure with a tall and slightly big chest and arms due to his love of the gym and a mentality of carrying around an unimposed masculinity. She could tell that he carried around a dark past, even as the romantic candles on the table lit up the electrical chemistry between them. Even the fact that he always had his boys around him in college, letting his boys do all the talking and other activities for him, there were days where he would be nowhere to be found, like completely dissapear without trace before reappearing 2 days later. Yet to her, that only made like him even more, even despite the fact that when she would kiss his cheek she could feel the intensity beneath his skin boiling against her soft lips, before she would leave small, moist droplet-seeds of phlagmatic pleasures upon it. 

"Sorry my love just a small situation which I'll deal with later," he smiled and Aneni-Anesu felt a sense of warmth cover her, especially by how his eyes jogged their way to the exposed part of her chest, as her tight dress had done well to expose just enough to shape out her fairly sized cleavage which had been made to be the focal point by the exposed part of her upper chest, drawing his eyes eyes closer. She just smiled in response, in anticipation of what Vulisanii would say next to her. 

"Before I forget, are you ready to meet my dearest uncle, I swear you'll love him." His voice soared into her ears and whisphered unto her soul for her to say yes, just before he lifted his hand and summoned the waiter which had served them 15 minutes earlier. "2 bottles of Champagne I say, bring them over." Vulisanii blew that waiter a kiss as she went off on her rollerskates towards the next table, much to his girlfriend A-A's irritation, as the opera music kept playing in the background of that maroon themed, sophisticated, Italian Restaurant owned by Toni Moliba, the same fashion powerhouse which was on the verge of overthrowing ZANELE MANDALAY"S and House OF Gumede from their thrones - but how could that be seeing that the former and the latter were on the verge of merging into an even mightier force, in retaliation of thethreat imposed.

She was about to answer his question when Aneni-Anesu's ringing phone sent her attention towards her mother, fully knowing that her mother had clearly commanded her to be back home by 11 p.m sharp and now it was was many minutes past that deadline. She was clearly forced to catch an Uber ride back home by now, but luckily Dumisanii had a ferrociouos looking beamer parked outside. 

"That was my mother, but next time we'll definitely meet your uncle, somewhere fun though since I would like to see his fun side," she said as she met the mixture of disapointment within his eyes.

"But now that you're still here let's give something for my uncle or your mom and us to talk about," Vulisanii then reached into his chest pocket before taking out a small oval prism container which contained, before soon revealing, a sparkling silver necklace which her held a pink heart at the bottom, alongside a small diamond in the middle of that heart which had a small sparkling diamond on top, enough to bring out her tears of joy, unsure as to whether he was was onto something or clearly giving her an early Anniversary.