After they’d hung the costumes in the dressing room, Thando and Zodwa proceeded to the stage while Mandla watched them from the auditorium. Thando clapped her hands as the students trickled in. “All right, guys, I want you to come up here and stand in a circle. Come on!” she yelled, loudly, so that she could be heard at the back of the hall.
A group of students skipped to the stage and gave her and Zodwa bear hugs. The others were running and mock-fighting as they approached. Once everyone finally settled down, they went into their exercise routine without any prompting: “Top of the day. Tip top. Tippity toppity snip snop. Paul pruned Penelope’s pansies, leaving Penelope perplexed!”
This went on for fifteen minutes before Zodwa moved to the middle of the circle. “All right, my wonderful thespians, we’re doing Act I, Scene III. Places . . .” she said, turning the pages of her script. Thando made as if to move away to the auditorium area, but Zodwa grabbed her arm. “I’m going to need you here.”
Then she turned to Mandla and beckoned with her hand. He looked left and right, then pointed to himself, at which Zodwa nodded. Thando’s eyebrows creased as she wondered what mischief her friend was about to get up to.
Mandla walked up hesitantly, scratching the back of his head. When he reached the stage, Zodwa made him get up on it and instructed him and Thando to stand facing each other.
“What are you doing, Zo?” Thando asked, biting her bottom lip. She looked at Mandla and he shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he didn’t know either.
“Antony and Cleopatra!” Zodwa called out to two actors who were already standing together, ready to deliver their lines. “As I mentioned last week, this scene is full of passion. But I want you to always think natural. Thando and Mandla are going to show you how this is done.”
“Eh . . .” Mandla interjected.
Zodwa waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry, I’ll instruct you. Thando knows what to do. Right now, I want Marcus and Pula to observe what chemistry looks like, ’cos a lot of it is required in this play.”
The blood rushed to Thando’s face. She lowered her eyes, hoping that Mandla wouldn’t see the redness in her cheeks, one of the disadvantages of being caramel-skinned. She heard him say, “I don’t mind if Thando doesn’t.”
Thando looked up in disbelief and as their eyes met, she found herself captured by penetrating ebony eyes that made her feel as if they were looking deep into her soul. For the first time she noticed his strong, chiselled features with the most luscious-looking lips that she’d ever seen on a man. He wasn’t just attractive, he was stunningly handsome. A real man.
Focus! she reprimanded herself.
“I want you to take it from ‘Most sweet queen’.” Zodwa handed Mandla her script and proceeded to go and stand out front with Marcus and Pula.
“How do you want me to say ‘Most sweet queen’?” Mandla enquired, looking at Zodwa and then Thando.
“I want you to beseech her. You’re in love with this woman, deeply in love.”
Mandla faced Thando and gave her one of his killer smiles. Goodness, she could hardly breathe, seeing his eyes gleam like that.
Legs, please don’t fail me now, Thando thought to herself as she floated into a world where it was just the two of them on a deserted island.
“Most sweet queen,” Mandla implored with his eyebrows slightly creased and looking serious all of a sudden.
Startled, Thando had to blink a few times to get out of her fantasy world. She gave her script a fleeting glance and started, “Nay, pray you, seek no colour for your going.” She walked a few paces away from him and continued, “But bid farewell, and go: when you sued staying.”
She sashayed towards Mandla again. Not taking her eyes off his, she continued, “Then was the time for words: no going then.” Thando moved in even closer to him, reaching out to stroke his cheek.
With him bending over, their faces drew closer and closer, their lips almost touching. She felt his breath against her upper lip, a sweet touch from heaven. She continued, “Eternity was in our lips and eyes, bliss in our brows’ bent; none our parts so poor, but was a race of heaven.”
Just as they were about to kiss, she turned her face away in anger and bellowed, “They are so still! Or thou, the greatest soldier of the world, art turn’d the greatest liar!”
He stared at her in shock, stunned into silence. She smiled and signalled towards the script.
“Eh . . . Oh, it’s my turn,” he said, holding up the script so that he could read it clearly. “How now, lady!”
Thando stifled a laugh and continued with her speech. “I would I had thy inches; thou shouldst know. There were a heart in Egypt . . .”
“Thanks, you two,” Zodwa said as she signalled to Pula and Marcus to go back up on stage. “Do you guys see what Thando and I were talking about last week?”
The actors nodded in unison.
“I want to see passion,” Zodwa continued. “I want to feel the chemistry between the two of you.”
“Passion!” Marcus repeated emphatically, looking at Thando and Mandla. “There was definitely a lot of passion up here.” Pula laughed and hit him over the head with her script.
Thando blushed profusely again and took her turn to hit Marcus over the head with her own script.
As the actors ran through the play, Thando watched Mandla from the corner of her eye. It warmed her heart to see that he looked captivated.
Once the play was done, he stood up and cheered from the back of the hall. He looked both adorable and silly, howling and cheering all alone.
“Your kids are great,” Mandla praised the women as they walked back to the car park.
“Thanks. They’ve worked really hard,” Thando replied.
“When is the play being staged? I want to come.”
“It’s going to be in May. One evening only. You must invite your friends.”
“I sure will.”
“By the way, you weren’t bad yourself,” Thando said, nudging him with the elbow.
“How now, lady!” he joked, pretending to be in character again. “I think I nailed that line, don’t you agree?”
“You were right on point,” Thando laughed.
They reached her car and she unlocked the doors. There was a brief silence and Zodwa rolled her eyes as she got into the car, leaving Thando and Mandla alone.
“Thanks for inviting me to the rehearsal. I really enjoyed it.”
“Thanks for coming.”
“Would you like to go out for dinner?” both said at the same time and laughed.
“I’d love to. How about
