You Have to Let Me Tell You About CC

Episode 1

Special Agent Jospeh Mafu couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He gaped like a five-year-old as he stared ahead through the one-way window, into the interrogation room. Surely this must be a joke, right? Maybe Leon Schuster was going to jump out and call:

“Gotcha!”

Agent Mafu shut his eyes, shook his head and then pursed his lips to let out a soft whistle.  Agent Ria Davis stood next to him, also looking baffled. “Ja neh,” was all she could say after having sighed heavily.

The two law enforcement agents were on the other side of an interrogation room, staring through the one-way mirror. Before them was an alluring young woman in a zombie-like state, slouching in her chair, her twitching hands helpless on the metal table.

Twenty-nine-year-old Pearl Mayeza sat quite still in the interrogation room, gazing at her reflection in the mirrored window, oblivious to the two officers of the law who gawked back at her, trying to stop themselves from pitying her. The sight of Pearl was really the most bizarre thing both agents had ever witnessed. Here was an alluring, copper-skinned young woman, hair extensions shrivelled, makeup stained…blood clinging to her off-white weddings dress. Wedding dress? Really? The journalists hovering outside the scene of the murder were already tweeting about the “bloody bride.”

Agent Mafu stepped into the interrogation room. Pearl startled out of her hypnotised state when she heard the almost indistinct sound of a shutting door. Her eyes widened, her purplish lips parted. The agent’s gentle smile failed to invite her own.

She watched him try to fight but fail in showing a frown. After some hesitation, he dragged the chair away from the table and sat down opposite to her.

“Pearl,” his baritone voice said. “I’m Special Agent Joseph Mafu.”

Pearl nodded.

“Okay?” It sounded more like a question, as if he needed assurance that “Joseph Mafu” was still his name.

“I am the advisor to the director of the South African Bureau of Crime Agency. But I’m sure you already know that, right?”

Pearl was silent.

“So, I am sure you know that if the Bureau was called out for this one, this is kind of a big deal.” She watched him wrinkle his nose and then nodded encouragingly, as if he was a father nudging his little girl to “tell daddy the truth.”

He opened the thin, cardboard covered file that lay between them on the metal table. She had only just noticed it. His brow furrowed as he paged through. “I’m sure you must know all about the Bureau because it says here you’re a junior associate at a labour law firm,” he continued. He raised his head and his amber coloured eyes pierced through her. “And I’m sure you know about us because you’re accused of killing a man who was recently added to our most wanted list.”

Pearl couldn’t stop her manicured, soft hands from shaking. The nail extensions knocking the metal table surface brought an unfamiliar sound to her.  Agent Mafu glanced at them. Pearl stopped quivering when she noticed drops of dry blood on the back of her hands. How did she get into this mess?

“Pearl,” Agent Mafu continued. She didn’t dare look up at him again. “Tell me your side of the story? What happened? Our agents found you standing over a dead Thabo Malipe with a revolver in your hands. We got an anonymous tip that we would find Thabo at suite number 8 of the Rawlinson Hotel. And guess who we find? You, with a gun in your hands and his corpse at your feet. How does a respectable young woman like you know a thug like Thabo?”

Pearl shut her eyes. Her chest tightened. Her head pounded. She felt nauseous.

“And all of this,” the agent continued, “on the day you were supposed to be getting married!”

Pearl gasped at hearing any word linked to matrimony.

“I mean, where is your groom? Can we call him? Who is he?”

Pearl hesitated. She shook her head.

Agent Mafu sighed and sat back. “Were you and Thabo lovers and he wanted to see you one last time before he lost you for good?”

“No!”

Agent Mafu straightened his back, raising his eyebrows at hearing this young woman’s youthful voice for the first time. He cleared his throat. “No need to be ashamed if that was the case, my dear,” he said. “We want to get to the truth, okay? Thabo’s death wasn’t just an “ordinary” murder—if there is such a thing—but he’s an infamous gang leader who also defrauded the government out a lot of money; a lot. Okay? So, what happened between you and him?”

Pearl’s thin lips parted. “Can I please have some water?”

Again, Mafu sighed. “Of course, my child, Of course.”

Pearl was left alone in the room once more. She stared ahead again at her reflection in that big mirror – but she was still looking passed herself.

What happened? The bit she could see in her mind’s eye began skipping about…

Okay…okay… Trace your steps back, Pearl…

There was the dead guy on the floor at the hotel. Yes, she knew him…well, kind of. But she recalled she didn’t like him. Something about him made her hate him. But what was it? She remembered she had been on the floor and had crawled on all fours towards him. She knew nothing about the workings of a human body, but she placed her index and middle fingers on his neck. There was no pulse. She stumbled back. Then she saw the weapon. It was just lying there. It took both hands to lift it up. Pearl stumbled to her feet, her chubby knees wabbling, the weapon she was holding in one hand now shaking. She gasped and gasped. She stared at the corpse. There was nothing else left to do. She placed the muzzle against her temple…

Then she heard the door being kicked down.

“Hands in the air! On the floor now!”

Thank God the commotion hadn’t startled her into pulling the trigger…

She was brought back into the present when the door to the interrogation room swung open again. In stumbled Ramola Harper, a friend and university classmate. Ramola had studied criminal law and carried the meanest face Pearl had ever seen on a young woman. But not even the sight of a competent Ramola could make Pearl feel any relief. In fact, she couldn’t feel a thing. Where was the one person she so desperately needed to see?

“Pearl?” Ramola began. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

Pearl nodded. She only then noticed Ramola’s attire. Her learned friend loathed the sight of a dress, but there she was, having thrown a purple frock over her skinny physique for Pearl’s wedding. She watched Ramola quickly glance over her shoulder toward the open door. She brought her attention back to Pearl. “Listen. Agent Mafu seems to have a bit of a soft spot for your situation. So, he’s giving us ten minutes. The room is clean. No recorder. Reece is downstairs in the foyer.”

A dazed Pearl just stared back at her representative at the mentioning of her fiancé’s name. She saw Ramola frown at her for her reaction: Pearl didn’t care where Reece was.

“Fine,” Pearl’s shaking voice replied. “But where’s CC?”

Ramola’s bony chest heaved, and her nostrils flared. “Exactly! Where the hell is CC?”

Ramola reiterated that everyone had been waiting for Pearl and her bridesmaid, CC, at the Methodist Church when they got the call that the bride had been arrested for shooting CC’s boyfriend.

“Boyfriend?” Pearl whispered. So, that’s who this Thabo was. Her head pounded as the pieces of the muddy puzzle were trying to fit themselves into the empty spaces in her head. Where’s CC? Where’s CC? Where’s CC?

Ramola banged her hand on the table when it was clear Pearl was leaving the present again. She always left the present and behaved as if she didn’t possess the brilliant brain she did when it came to CC.

Pearl knew that this mess had something to do with CC. Everything wrong in her life had something to do with CC. Ramola knew that too.

Everyone knew that.  

“Pearl,” Ramola began. “Whenever you need Cecilia, she’s never there for you. What happened? Where is she? How did her boyfriend end up in your hotel room, shot?”

“I shot him.”

Ramola’s eyes widened. Quickly, she put her finger to her lips.

Pearl prepared to lower her voice. “I shot him,” she repeated.

Ramola’s brow furrowed. Pearl didn’t blame her. She couldn’t believe it either.

“You’re sure?” Ramola whispered.

Pearl nodded. She was lying. She wasn’t sure. But she had gone into flight or fight mode. She had to protect Cecilia wherever the missing bridesmaid was. As long as the events were still fuzzy and as long as she didn’t know where her best friend was, for the time being she had killed Thabo.

Pearl’s lips barely moved when she whispered to herself: “You have to let me tell you about CC…”

Episode 2

“What you have, we call borderline personality disorder,” began Pearl’s psychiatrist. He searched and searched for her eyes, but Pearl kept her head bowed.

Dr Graham cleared his throat. “Um…it’s serious but manageable…”

“Get to the point please,” Pearl interrupted. She raised her beautiful face that turned many heads. She sighed. “Sorry, Doc. I’ve got clients, okay?”

Dr Graham pressed his lips together. He avoided shaking his head. How many times had they been through this? Her mental health should take priority. You can’t represent clients if you aren’t stable.

“Pearl,” he began. “I know this must be distressing for you. But this session hasn’t even been going for ten minutes. And besides, you’ve missed the last three. I had to email my diagnosis. Unorthodox.”

Pearl shrugged. “Why does it matter? The medical aid’s got this, right?” She glanced at her wristwatch. “Look, just fill out the script for the meds, right, and I’ll see whenever I can see you again.”

The doctor’s grey brow wrinkled. He groaned and tossed his notes onto the desk. “But I sent the script in the email,” he bellowed. He sighed again and tried to check his tone. “Haven’t you gotten it filled out?”

Pearl hooked the strap of her handbag over her shoulder. She stood up. Dr Graham jumped up quickly as well. A look of desperation was now printed on his face. He knew he had to speak quickly and get in as much as he could before she stepped out of his office.

“The condition is serious but with medication to keep your mood stable and with psychotherapy, it’s very manageable,” he stuttered. “What it is, is that you see things in black or white. So, you will find a lot of your relationships are not steady because of the fear of rejection you have…”

Pearl stopped for a second when she heard the word “rejection”. She had her back to the doctor. She waited. She could tell he was searching for a quicker explanation. “So…uh…you tend to attach yourself as well to one individual. In your case, I can tell you have placed everyone who cares about you in the black box, including your fiancé, Reece…”

Reece? Pearl could have let out a witch’s shrill at the mentioning of that man’s name. He had been the one pressuring her to get “emotional help”. Idiot! Puppy eyed man who kissed the ground she walked on. But she had to submit to his plea after she had stared at him in disbelief of what she had done, as he swept away the pieces of the shattered wine glass she had hurled at him. Oh well, maybe she did need some help…

“But the one person who is still in your white box,” the stupid doctor continued, “…is Cecilia. Now, as for her…”

Pearl continued her strutting. “Thanks, Doc,” she called over her shoulder as she opened the door.

“Wait…Pearl…This Cecilia is a destructive influence. She’s just using you…”

“Bye, Doc.”

Pearl shut the door behind her. She paused to take in a deep breath while her hand was still wrapped around the door handle. Her eyes shut momentarily. Her lips parted a little when she exhaled. The colour red always flashed before her when someone would try to drag CC’s name through the mud.

“She’s using you…everything wrong in your life is because of CC…she forces you to push people away…She’s never there when you need her but all she has to do is to snap her fingers and you’ll be by her side like a loyal puppy…”

Pearl had heard it all before. She had heard the disdain her God-fearing grandmother felt for Cecilia. As an orphan, the only parent Pearl had was the old lady. “That girl will be the end of you. Why do you love her so much? It’s unnatural…”

She had heard the hate and jealousy Reece felt for Cecilia too. “You love her more than you love me, don’t you?” the desperate man would ask. Pearl wouldn’t dignify that question with the obvious answer.

Yes, so many loved Pearl but hated Cecilia. And when they hated Cecilia, eventually Pearl would hate them too.  How dare they judge CC? They didn’t know her like Pearl knew her. Every word that passed CC’s lips was magnetic, every look she would give Pearl was spell binding. To be near her infused confidence and power. How dare people hate her?

As she drove her SUV back to the office, Pearl Mayeza smiled to herself as she thought about the first time she had met Cecilia – when CC had “saved her life”.

Thirteen-year-old Pearl Mayeza was a chubby girl, a tubby winkles with a flabby chest instead of “real breasts.” Cecilia Cikizwa Wonga was the opposite. Slender, yellow bone, with long relaxed hair that reached her back, carrying a smile that even made the white boys look at her twice. In Grade 8, Pearl and CC were the only black girls in their class. But CC was a different sort of “black”. Pearl was being raised by her grandmother, who believed every creature of God must be respected, that one never talks back to teachers, and you just walk away when children are calling you names. Vengeance belonged to the Creator. But CC wouldn’t have that. She was a “born free” in every sense.

“Listen, Tubby,” was the first words Pearl had ever heard CC say to her. Pearl had looked up at the slightly taller girl, who stood with such confidence – body already developing into an alluring young woman. CC could have had a modelling career.

“You’re embarrassing me, okay?” Cecilia continued. Pearl didn’t know what possessed her to nod even though she hadn’t a clue what CC was talking about.

“As black girls, we need to stick together in a school like this,” CC continued. “These whiteys will eat us alive if we let them. Apartheid loving creeps! So, you stick with me, I’ll protect you. Got it?”

Pearl nodded.

“And you do my homework and projects. You’re smart. I know. Got that?”

Chubby, pimple-faced Pearl nodded again. And indeed, whenever she walked behind CC in the hallways, no remarks about her appearance were ever passed. It was almost as if the exquisiteness and confidence that bounced off CC as she walked became a bullet proof vest for Pearl. Pearl owed her life to CC.

So, for her entire high school career, Pearl did both her homework and Cecilia’s. One or two teachers would raise eyebrows when it came to exams because CC only just managed to scrape through whereas her projects, essays and homework produced A’s throughout the year. But clever teachers in that school kept their mouths zipped when it came to the black kids. When the race card was played, how hard it was for a teacher to prove they were not a racist. So, zip their mouths away they did, and both Pearl Mayeza and Cecilia Wonga were “A” students.

“Tubz, another thing you need to do is to lose the weight,” CC had once said to Pearl. “You can’t keep hanging around me looking like that.”

A grateful Pearl nodded.

“Diet, okay? Even if you have to stick two fingers down your throat.”

Again, Pearl nodded. As she grew, the weight did melt away. Her figure would never be as charming as CC’s though, but she was now “thin enough”.

“We need to do something about the hair too.”

“But, CC, I don’t think my hair can grow as long as yours…”

“Ever heard of hair bonding, Tubz?”

“Makhulu won’t like that…”

“To hell with Makhulu. I can get you wigs, Brazilian.”

“Aren’t they expensive…”

“Never mind that, Tubz. Leave it to me. You put the wig on before you enter the school gate. You take it off before you enter your grandmother’s gate. You put it on again on the weekends when we’re out. Got that?”

Pearl nodded.

“Listen, you will thank me one day when you are rolling in the best of circles and when you have men – not boys – eating out of your palm. Just do everything I tell you. Have I ever lied to you?”

Pearl shook her head.

“And by they way, that uniform needs to be shorter. Your legs aren’t so fat anymore. They actually look quite nice now. The men will like that.”

“But Makhulu…”

“Oh for crying out loud! Your makhulu will be dead in a few years’ time anyway. You roll the skirt up by the waist so that it’s shorter as soon as you leave your granny’s house and walk to the taxi rank. You roll it back down again before you enter the house.”

“But why would I need attention from a man?”

The corners of CC’s lips moved upward. “Trust me Tubz, you will get away with a lot in life if you’ve got a man who thinks you’re in love with him.”

And drawing attention from the opposite sex could be flattering at times, Pearl noticed as she got into her young adult years. She still couldn’t shake off how uncomfortable such attention felt though. All those gazes following her until she turned a corner gave her such uneasiness. She wanted to disappear.

CC had laughed at her when Pearl had told her how uneasy she felt. She had thrown her head back and laughed and laughed as if she had heard the funniest joke ever. The beautiful CC ran her wrist across her teary eyes. “Listen Tubz, you have to get used to it now because even I have to admit you’re hot. Look, find a dude in one of your university circles. He should be clingy, but not too clingy. That way he won’t cheat but will back off a little when you tell him to get lost for a while.”

Pearl had watched CC pause for a moment, her brow furrowing as she stared ahead, seeming to be in deep thought. “Got it! What about that yellow head white boy who follows you everywhere?”

Pearl frowned. “Reece?”

“Whatever his name is. Listen, that one’s in love with you. Just keep him close and all the attention from the other men you don’t like will slack a little bit because they know you’re spoken for.”

“Reece?” Pearl asked again. “But he’s nice. I…I don’t want to use him like that.”

CC yawned and rolled her eyes. Pearl nevertheless followed her best friend towards the new convertible she was driving. Another gift from one of her many admirers. CC didn’t have to do an honest day’s work in all the time Pearl knew her. She just had to smile at a man, speak “nicely”, and then Pearl would see her in the latest Prada, carrying Louis V bags, rocking expensive wigs, a different iPhone every few months and a new car after a year.

“CC,” Pearl began after her friend had stepped inside her sports car and had lowered the roof top. “I don’t want to use Reece. He’s a good person.”

“So are you.”

Pearl put on her shades. “Do as I say, Tubz. You’ll thank me. Have I ever lied to you?”

Pearl shook her head. 

CC pressed on her hooter twice and the car sped away.

Episode 3

The day Reece proposed to her was surreal – but not in a good way. She had almost choked on the champagne she was trying to swallow when she watched him suddenly go down on one knee. Pearl quickly glanced around her at all the hopeful and happy faces in the room: a handful of friends from the law faculty department, one or two colleagues, her grandmother’s warm smile, Reece’s sister’s gleaming face…How could Pearl have missed it? This was not some ordinary party called out of the blue for her to dress up and have everyone who loved her present. Everyone knew Reece was planning to ask her to marry him. How on earth could she have missed that?

Her wide-eyed gaze turned to the man’s pleading face as he looked up at her. Pearl then searched for her grandmother. The old woman nodded. Pearl searched around the room again as an awkward silence now invaded it.

“Pearl?” she heard Reece repeat. She didn’t dare look down at him as her eyes searched for the one person in the room who could tell her what to do.

“Baby, did you hear me?”

Pearl ignored him.

Finally, her gaze could concentrate on Cecilia, who leaned against the wall, standing quite a distance from everyone else in the room. Even though he hated the sight of her, Reece had been clever enough to have sent the invitation to CC as well. Half of Cecilia’s face was in the shadow, but Pearl was well acquainted with every feature on that lovely face that she could make out CC’s grin. Her friend nodded.

“Yes,” Pearl responded.

The room erupted with cheers.  Reece stood up and tried to search for her lips. She gave him her cheek instead as her body tensed under his caress. She didn’t look up at him, but she could feel his disappointment. “Okay, then,” was all he whispered. Both were grateful nobody else in the room noticed Pearl’s reaction.

When it was time for CC to go, Pearl ran after her friend. “Did you know he was going to do this?” She had almost shouted when trying to get CC’s attention.

CC opened the car door and stepped inside. She turned to look up Pearl and revealed that captivating grin again. “Of course.”

“Then why didn’t you warn me?”

“Because in this world you need someone ready to dance for you when you get into some trouble.”

Pearl wanted to stomp her foot and cross her arms.

“Don’t sulk, Tubz.”

“Why would I need someone in my corner anyway? I have you, don’t I?”

CC’s grin remained. “You’ll see, Tubz. You’ll see.” She winked at Pearl, shut the door, hooted twice, and sped away.

And the day Pearl needed someone to dance for her innocence did arrive. Her wedding day. CC stood by the window, looking down into the garden terrace. She had rented the five-star hotel suite for her friend as a parting present before Pearl disappeared into the trenches of wifehood. Pearl couldn’t stop her head from turning to look at CC every few minutes. Her make-up artist, some French sounding white woman CC had hired, had to scold at her to keep her head still. Pearl heard CC laugh.

“I’m going to miss that laugh,” Pearl said.

“Oh please, Tubz,” CC laughed. “You act as if I’m sending you to your death.”

“But I won’t see you as often, will I? Reece might not like that.”

CC shrugged. “We’ll make a way around that. That man’s not as half as smart as he thinks he is.”

Pearl got a break from the nagging make-up woman and could finally turn to look at CC. “Why do you keep looking at the window, CC? Are we expecting someone?”

CC seemed a little surprised by her question. “Uh…” Her brow furrowed. “No, dear.” She then turned to her friend and revealed a full smile. There was a twinkle in her eye. “Don’t worry about it.” CC turned to the French sounding lady. “Izabelle, do you mind leaving us alone for a little bit?”

Izabelle pursed her lips. She brought Pearl’s face towards her and narrowed her eyes at the nervous young woman’s face.

“Mmm,” Izabelle said. “It’s okay, CC. I think my work is done here. She was too restless for the Izabelle final touch but I think this will do.” She looked up at CC again. “Your friend – very beautiful, heh? Men must like her, heh?”

“I know, Izabelle. I know.”

Pearl’s stomach knotted when she could sense the dejection in CC’s tone. Or was she imagining it?

“Good luck, darling,” Izabelle called as she got her things together. She looked over her shoulder before she stepped out of the room. “I’ve been married three times. Lord knows you’ll need the luck.” She shut the door behind her.

“Is she serious?” Pearl asked, feeling the panic rise in her.

CC laughed. “Never mind Izabelle.” CC walked to a seated Pearl. She crouched and rested her forearms on Pearl’s lap. Pearl could see the glaze form in CC’s eyes as she looked up at her.

“You okay?” Pearl asked.

“Listen,” CC whispered. “You try to remember everything I ever taught you, okay?”

Pearl nodded.

“You’re a great lawyer. You’re mean and strong when you need to be, just like I taught you. You’re smart. You have your makhulu around your little finger. You have that Reece around your little finger too. Keep them there. Keep everyone there even if you don’t feel a thing for them.”

“I don’t like lying CC. I don’t love Reece. I think he can tell by now. But he can’t stop loving me.”

“Good. Very good. Keep it that way, okay, Tubz? Trust me, you will need everyone in your corner soon.”

Pearl couldn’t help narrowing her eyes. “I don’t understand. Why would I need everyone? I have you. What are you talking about, CC? What’s going on?”

CC stood up. Pearl watched the bust that had cost some rich man a fortune heave as CC inhaled. She eventually faked a smile. Pearl knew by now when CC wasn’t being genuine. “It’s okay, Tubz. Have I ever lied to you before?”

Pearl shook her head.

“Good girl. Now let’s get you into your wedding dress and off to your makhulu’s church.”

There was no talk between them as CC helped Pearl into her wedding dress. Pearl couldn’t shake the anxiety. She was perspiring and her chest was tightening. CC gently brushed her friend’s hair as she tied the extensions into a neat bun. “Ssshh,” she whispered reassuringly. She looked at Pearl in the mirror. Pearl looked back her.

“There you go. Beautiful,” CC whispered. “It’s no wonder he can’t stop loving you.”

Pearl was startled when she heard the door being opened. She stood glued to her spot, paralysed, as she stared into the mirror at the reflection of a cross looking man entering the room. He shut the door behind him. Pearl shrieked and turned to face him. She looked to CC for an explanation, who stood where she was, as calm as CC always was.

The man glared at CC as if Pearl wasn’t there, his nostrils flaring, his muscular chest heaving. He was very dark, almost navy. His nose wrinkled as the one corner of his mouth moved upward. He spat on the floor.

“CC?” Pearl stuttered.

CC touched her friend on the arm. “Ssshh,” she whispered. “It’s okay, Tubz.”

“I knew you would double cross me,” the man hissed, still ignoring Pearl, and pointing at Cecilia. “I just knew it, CC.”

“Oh please, Thabo. Get over yourself.” CC walked toward the queen-sized bed and picked up her purse.

“SABCA is after my blood, you whore!” This Thabo continued. Pearl clenched her fists. He should never have called CC that.

“I mean, what is this offshore account in my name,” Thabo bellowed. “Twenty million Rands, CC! I don’t deal in millions. I never have! This is all you and now they’re after me.”

“Shut up and get yourself together,Thabo!” CC rebuked. “I’ve got this okay. You just need to keep your mouth shut and keep a low a profile for a while.”

“Low profile? Low profile? They’ll find me, CC! Where did you get that money? I was only going to mess with a few thousands or so. Not millions!”

Thabo was livid. His red shot eyes made him resemble an angry bear awakened from his hibernation. He began taking stride towards Cecilia…

Episode 4

Pearl could not piece the events together. There was a blank space in her mind. It was like she was watching a movie with a scene that was cut out by the director for his liking. The last she could recall was the angry bear of a man stepping towards CC. Then the clip skips to a bloody Pearl with a revolver in her hand, stumbling to her feet as the bear man’s body lay before her. Then SABCA barged in, causing a ruckus. There was no sign of CC. To Pearl, the most logical sequence of events was as follows: Thabo had tried to hurt CC and Pearl had jumped to her best friend’s aid. But where had that revolver come from? Pearl didn’t even know how to fire a gun…

As she sat inside the icy jail cell for the evening, Pearl stared ahead of her, taking in all the different noises. She was fortunate that she was spending the night alone in her five-square metre cell. That very polite Agent Mafu had seen to it that she spent her first night in prison on her own. Then hopefully in the morning, he could get her representative and grandmother to convince the young lawyer to accept bail. All around her she could hear laughter, swearing and commotion from the women in the other cells. Time and again, uniformed women knocked their batons against the bars and called for order.

A female officer came to look in on Pearl when the noise had died down. She found the young woman still sitting up straight, staring into space. “It’s almost midnight,” the officer called from behind the bars. Pearl didn’t respond. “That means try to lay on your side. Sleep will eventually come to you.”

Pearl was silent. The woman clicked her tongue. “Serves you right though,” she continued. “You pretty young things don’t want to use your brains and the education your parents paid for with their sweat of their brow while they mopped white women’s floors for your school fees. You think you can prance around for rich men and jump in with the wrong crowd instead of going to church like your mothers taught you. Well, look where your prettiness has got you now, heh?”

Pearl still stared ahead of her. The officer clicked her tongue again and disappeared. Pearl didn’t know how long she remained in that state before she was startled into reality by the sound of a key unlocking the bars. She saw a handsome young man in tailor made suit gently open the gate. He was clearly a SABCA agent. They all wore those kinds of suits. He had the most mischievous grin on his face as he stood by the entrance, tilting his head to the side. “My, my,” he said, holding back a laugh as his gaze moved from her to feet to her face. “The bloody bride, hey.” He stepped outside of the cell and gestured with his head that she stand up and walk towards him. Pearl hesitated.

“Trust me,” he laughed. “I’m the law. And be quick about it.”

Pearl didn’t know what possessed her to obey him. She followed him out of the dark burgled corridor that still echoed with a few noises. They heard two or three whistles as they made their way out of the area of confinement. The young man led her into a long stairwell that led into a dark, damp-smelling basement. He had to light his torch ahead of them as they made their way inside the abyss. Eventually, after what felt like some long walk to freedom saga, the strong light from the basement parking lot almost blinded Pearl. The young man wrapped his strong hand around her slender arm and just about dragged her to pick up her pace. She knew it was the wise thing not to yelp that he was hurting her. The parked cars they stumbled passed were all blurry to her. And then they stopped. In front of them stood a shiny black Range Rover. The arrogant young man in a fancy suit opened the backdoor. Pearl was glued to her position and narrowed her eyes at him. His smirk remained as he made another head gesture that she step inside the vehicle. Pearl stepped forward and leaned over to inspect the inside first. She was met by a pleasant sight of a smiling CC sitting on the other end. Pearl’s heart leaped. She jumped in without any further hesitation and no questions. CC laughed when Pearl wrapped her arms around her neck. “Easy there, Tubz.” She allowed her friend to hold on for a few more seconds. “That’s enough now,” she laughed again.

“CC, I’m scared.”

“It’s okay. I got this.”

The arrogant young agent jumped into the driver’s seat and began speeding away.

Pearl didn’t keep tabs on their surroundings as the car drove. She felt she didn’t have to. She had CC again. Cecilia would make sure everything would be all right. The car came to a stop. The young man turned to CC in the backseat and stared at her as if to drown. “Did I do okay?” he asked. CC placed her hand on the side of his face. She shot the smile that caused many to stop in their tracks and stare. “Yes, darling,” she laughed. She gave him a brief kiss on the cheek. The young police agent looked as if he had won the lottery.

“I’ll call you later, okay?”

He nodded like a little boy.

“You just go through with the plan like I said. Now, you haven’t forgotten anything?”

The “boy” shook his head.

“Good. Love you.”

His white teeth showed as he grinned from ear to ear. Pearl almost believed her too.

“Love you too, Sis CC.”

He jumped out of the car and began walking away.

“Little idiot,” Pearl heard CC mumble. “Come on, Tubz.”

CC jumped into the driver’s seat and Pearl climbed into the passenger side. The car went on a drive again, for about five minutes. There was silence between them. But Pearl knew she didn’t have to ask anything. CC would explain.

The car stopped in a location that was foreign to Pearl. She watched CC climb over and reach for something underneath the back of Pearl’s seat. She retrieved a silver metal briefcase; the type Pearl had only seen in movies. CC turned to her. Their eyes met. The look in CC’s eyes was genuine now. It wasn’t the same look Pearl had watched her fake for people she was trying fool. Pearl couldn’t speak. She waited for CC to speak. Her friend remained silent as she stared back at her. What was going on?

For moment, Pearl shut her eyes.  She could tell CC wanted her to remember something. The scene at the hotel suite returned to Pearl’s mind, everything now clearer as if she was watching the movie in blue ray.

Thabo had taken a few determined steps towards CC, cussing and threatening. CC had retrieved the revolver our of her handbag. She fired. One, fan. Two, fan. Three, fan.

Thabo fell.

Pearl screamed.

“CC! CC, no! What did you do? What did you just do?”

CC didn’t breathe a word. She was quick about wiping the revolver with a tissue. She placed the gun into Pearl’s hands. Pearl began gasping for breath…gasping and gasping and gasping. CC took her by the shoulders. “Listen,” she hissed. “You’re a lawyer. Deal with this. I’ve been training you for a long time for this. Deal with it. Use everyone that’s in front of you. They’re your pawns, not your friends. I’m your friend. See you later.”

Helpless, Pearl watched CC disappear and close the door gently behind her…

Pearl’s eye shot wide open when she could recall all the events. She gaped at CC.

“CC…” her lips quivered as she called her name. “What am I going to do? What am I going to do? The police think I killed Thabo. Oh, CC what am I going to do?”

CC shoved the silver briefcase at Pearl. Pearl held it to her chest. She began hyperventilating again.

“Pull yourself together, Tubz. There’s five hundred thousand Rand in that case, non-sequential bills. This car is filled up. Go wherever you want to. Disappear. And remember, everyone you meet is never your friend. They’re your pawns. Use them or die.”

“No…no.” Pearl gulped. CC waited patiently, seeming unfazed. “I’ll turn myself in and I’ll tell the truth. I’ll say what really happened. I’m not going to go down for this, CC.”

CC raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes. I mean, what am I supposed to do, CC? I can’t be a fugitive. Where are you going?”

“Somewhere far away, Tubz. It was bound to happen.”

“No!” Pearl continued to cry. “You can’t just leave me. What will I do without you?”

The smile that Pearl saw – not a smirk, not a grin – was a genuine smile. “Pearl,” she almost whispered her friend’s name. Pearl had never heard CC call her by her name before. “I love you. Remember, you’ve got people dancing in your corner now, use them. Goodbye.”

CC jumped out of the driver’s side. Pearl couldn’t move. She still held the briefcase against her chest. Her body tingled all over when she eventually managed to crawl onto the driver’s seat. “CC,” she whispered to herself. She now had a choice to make: She could put the blame at CC’s feet and hope she had a good set of lawyers to make the court believe her. But that would put CC in danger. Did she really want that?

Then there was the second choice. Pearl glanced at the briefcase lying on the passenger’s seat. She turned the car’s engine on…