five episodes of Desperate Housewives,” Kelly responded, coming inside with the luggage.
“I’ll have to watch the reruns then.”
The moment Lathoya entered her sanctuary, the familiar citrus scent she loved so much filled her nose. “Thank God, I’m home at last,” she sighed. “Oh, I’ve missed this place,” she said, leaving the luggage just there and moving through her living room to the balcony.
The view was spectacular.
In front of her was the ocean and to the right one of the wonders of the world was spread out in front of her: Table Mountain. It was as massive as ever. A huge chunk of land and wonderment. She had really missed standing here, admiring the ocean and the mountain. And also the cars passing by down in the street, hooting and competing with impatient taxi drivers to get to their destination. The Cape Town sunshine brushed Lathoya’s face. She closed her eyes, feeling its gentle warmth.
“You haven’t told me anything about Milan,” said Kelly, stepping out onto the balcony. She was carrying two cans of diet soda, straight from the fridge.
“It was like I said, magical. Oh, the food: panettone and risotto, all their famous dishes. Simply delicious. Let me show you what I got you.”
Kelly followed Lathoya to the living room and sank into the white leather couch. Lathoya reached for the shopping bags, all with gleaming brand names on them. She took out a long, narrow red box and opened its lid.
“For you,” she said as she took out a red chiffon dress and gave it to her friend.
“It’s beautiful!” gasped Kelly.
“That’s not all. I also got you these.” Lathoya reached for another box and presented her friend with Cinderella-inspired strapless stilettos.
“Oh, wow!” exclaimed Kelly. “A girl can never have enough shoes, that’s for sure.” They laughed and hugged.
Then Lathoya said, “I still need that bath, though.”
“All right, go on. I’ll make us lunch meanwhile.”
Lathoya went up the spiral staircase to her bedroom and filled her bathtub with water. Her bedroom was spacious, even though it contained her bathtub, standing on four claws in the centre of the room, away from the bed. The bed had a huge headboard that her interior designer had specially had made. Huge pillows along with snowy white sheets and covers graced her bed.
Once the tub was ready and full of foam, Lathoya pulled her blue dress over her head, exposing her tall, slender frame. Her bra and panties also landed on the floor. She sank into the water. It felt so warm and revitalising. Inhaling the smell of the sandalwood soap deeply and closing her eyes, she allowed her tensed muscles to relax.
Lathoya was surprised when her mind immediately went to Siso Masilela. Who was this man, besides the fact that he was the editor of some magazine? His eyes had been like fire that ignited her. She longed to see him again. To see his mouth curve into that hypnotising smile. Where did he live? She couldn’t believe she was wondering about these things. She’d only spent a couple of hours with this man, and now she wanted to know everything about his life. He probably had a girlfriend – or for all she knew, he was married.
She told herself to stop wasting time thinking about a man who probably wasn’t even sparing her a thought and concentrate on more important things. Like calling Amanda, her publicist, and letting her know she was back.
Kelly came upstairs just as Lathoya was putting on fresh clothes. “Thanks so much,” she said, watching her friend put down her luggage.
“You’d swear I was your maid, not your agent,” Kelly joked. “Now hurry up and let’s go downstairs and eat lunch.”
Lathoya agreed, slipped on a white top and jumped into a pair of tight-fitting jeans. They went down to the kitchen, where Kelly’s sandwiches were ready and waiting.
“I missed you, my friend,” said Kelly.
“I really missed you too,” replied Lathoya. “How are Sipho and the twins?”
Sipho was Kelly’s husband. The twins were a five-year-old boy and girl. That was something Lathoya was starting to miss in her life: family, a husband and children. At the age of twenty-eight, with a healthy bank balance and a fulfilling career, she ought to think about settling down. But where was Mr Right? Her mind immediately went to Siso again. No, not him! she reprimanded herself. That man wasn’t meant for her. Would she ever find such a man?
“Oh, the three of them are fine. And the twins missed their aunt.”
Lathoya wasn’t their real aunt, but she adored them as much as they loved her. So they called her “Aunt”.
“You tell them that I’m back and I have presents for them,” said Lathoya. She had got the kids some toys in Italy. She always bought them something when she went away.
“Oh, they’ll be delighted. So tomorrow, lunch at my house?” Kelly suggested, finishing her sandwich. Lathoya agreed and they started talking about Milan again.
* * *
Lathoya’s image had been hovering in Siso’s mind since the moment they parted ways at the airport. His meeting with his publisher had ended and it was evening by the time he turned the key in his front door. He was worn out after the flight.
Sometimes Siso wondered why he had chosen magazine publishing as his career, besides the fact that he was passionate about it. Having a demanding job like being editor of a magazine really sucked the fun out of life. He couldn’t help but smile as he stepped onto the marbled floor of his big, empty house. He was thinking of what she had said to him, “All work and no play makes you a dull boy.” In his case those words were actually true.
For Siso, life was all work. He hardly had a chance to make time for himself. Growing up in a poverty-stricken rural area and having to herd cows after school, he had always known that a better future was waiting for him. So he studied hard and got a scholarship to do journalism at Rhodes University. After completing his degree, his determination to succeed helped him become a magazine editor at the age of thirty-five. The publication he was in charge of was published in over thirty-nine countries around the world. He was managing the bulky South African version and doing extremely well for himself.
But Siso was getting worried. Time was ticking by and he had not yet found the right woman. He thought again of Lathoya, the gorgeous model he had met that morning on the plane. Her skin glowed flawlessly and her beauty had blinded him the moment he set eyes on her. She had been so approachable and her attitude so carefree; it was as if a breeze of fresh air had wafted along. He would never have guessed that she was a model if she hadn’t told him.
He proceeded across the shiny marbled floor of the hallway in his black leather shoes, heading straight for the kitchen. He took out a ready-made meal from the freezer and put it in the microwave oven. While waiting for the food, he opened his laptop on the built-in table, stylishly made of shiny steel to fit in with the metallic look of the kitchen. Siso couldn’t resist going to the search engine Google and typing in the words South African model, Lathoya.
Results leading to different sites came back. He read her profile from one of these sites. She had started modelling at the age of nineteen and gone on to win a huge cosmetics contract worth a million rand. That was when her career really took off and why
