6th November 2023 🥀

"Ek hou van jou!" Dominique spat, the moment I opened the door to leave the house.

That wasn't a greeting I was expecting.

I raised my brow, locking the door behind me.

" Hello to you too."

He chuckled, running his fingers through his curly hair.

"We're writing Afrikaans today" he answered, as I walked alongside him.

" I know that, I studied."

He scoffed, shaking his head. "Why would you study without me? Since grade 6 I've been your personal Afrikaans dictionary."

This made me laugh.

"You were the reason I almost failed Afrikaans. I'm not taking that risk again."

You see, Dominique and I became friends in grade 6 when I was doing so bad in Afrikaans the teacher was so close to letting me cheat. Instead she decided to ask one of my classmates who were fluent in Afrikaans to help me.

That classmate happened to be Dominique Van De Merwe who was suspiciously enthusiastic about teaching me everything I needed to know in Afrikaans.

"Trust me. After about a month you'll be praating like a King" he had said.

"Praating means talking right ?"

"No," he scoffed. " It means killing."

I frowned. " That makes no sense at all. After a month I'll be killing like a King?"

Instead of answering me he just laughed really loudly. I thought that maybe it was an expression that when translated sounded wrong.

The day came for the Afrikaans test and I was more confident in Afrikaans than I had ever been. I walked into class smiling but that smile was wiped off my face weeks later when the teacher said I did worse than any student had ever done.

"I don't understand. Dominique helped me."

"Don't lie Leonardo did you even listen to Dominique because he got total."

" I promise I listened to him. He taught me so much this month. I'll show you" I said, clearing my throat and then I spoke.

"Ek is 'n seekoei wat heeldag visse soen en poet, maar tog vra ek jou hand in die huwelik."

I remember her pausing, blinking rapidly and then she started laughing so hard in my face. This made me more  confused.

I had just told her that 'I was a student who was honoured to be taught by her and I'm thankful she never gave up on me.'

Dominique and I had been practicing that sentence to further impress my teacher but instead her cheeks had slightly reddened and she was falling into a coughing fit because of all the laughter she'd been doing.

She drank her water bottle that was perched on the table and her eyes landed on me again.

"I haven't laughed like that in a while thank you" she said, sighing.

"I think I understand what's happening. Leonardo, do you know what you just said to me?"

I told her that I understood and explained to her the meaning.

She chuckled. " That's not what it means. What you just said right now translated to -I'm a hippo who kisses fish and farts all day but still I ask for your hand in marriage"

I still remember how I flushed with embarrassment and then anger because I realized Dominique had been purposefully teaching me the wrong things all for the fun of it. That's why he had been laughing so much.

I promised myself that I would get revenge but somehow Dominique made me forget the beating I was going to give him and we miraculously became friends.

To this day I don't ask him for help in Afrikaans.

We finally reached the schoolgates of Vistelia high and Dominique pretended to be angry at me.

"Fine. I'll go teach Afrikaans to someone who wants to pass."

Before I could scold him he was off running towards the nearest boy who held an Afrikaans textbook while he scratched his head like it would pull answers.

I didn't know much but I just had this feeling that if that guy failed he was going to give Dominique the severe beating I didn't give him times a hundred.

❄️❄️❄️

After the exam, my shoulders dropped with a little bit of tension leaving me.

I made my way past the throng of students who spent their time discussing answers and explaining how hard or easy the exam was.

When I stepped into classroom 16B and the door shut behind me with a soft thud it's like it drowned out the voices of everything and everyone.

And when my eyes met hers, it felt like I was soaked in safety. Like I could be myself and when I made my way towards her I hoped with everything in me that I made her feel the same way.

" Hey Leo," she said, smiling.

" Hi,"

When I finally sat across from her my eyes immediately went to those dark freckles that were spread on the apple of her cheeks.

" Question 5?"

" We're really on day 5. It feels longer than that," I confess.

She nods, a sweet smile playing on her face.

They say time goes by when you're having fun and when you're falling in love it slows down because something in you wants to memorize every word shared, every touch, every hug and engrave it in your heart.

Pulling out my phone I read out Question 5 to her. "When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?"

"It's a hobby of mine so I'm always doing it especially when I'm alone because then I can really lose myself in the song."she expresses, a glimmer in her eyes.

"You'll have to sing for me one day."

She bites her lip, holding back a laugh.

"Time will tell," she simply says.

"Plus it's kind of awkward singing to someone else but I recently sang happy birthday to my brother with my family."

" I wouldn't say it's a hobby. I do sing in the shower and Mkhulu and I sing victory songs together every time a soccer team of ours wins. Besides happy birthday I haven't sung to any one."

"Oh and here I was hoping that you would serenade me" she says, a glint in her eyes.

This makes me chuckle. " If the lady wants a serenade then a serenade is what she will get."

"Well get on with it" she orders, clapping her hands once.

I started belting out a love song I heard on the radio recently. My voice cracks at the high notes but I don't stop because she's laughing in that way again.

That way, where she loses herself as she throws her head back, her eyes turning into crescent moons.

I sing louder and it honestly strains my voice but it's all worth it. The laughter bubbles out of me once my voice cracks at a certain point in the song and we're both dying of laughter together.

This moment couldn't be any more perfect.

"If only Juliet had you!" Olivia says, still recovering from her laughing fit. "She'd surely have a more happy love story. Romeo and Juliet was to depressing for me."

"Juliet can keep Romeo and her story. All I want is Olivia and whatever our story is."

She's finally stopped laughing,and I can tell by the way her eyes hold me that she's drinking in the meaning behind my words. She doesn't say anything but that beautiful smile on her face is the best answer I could get.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Let's fall in love in the comments!

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5.When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?

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