The next morning, the house was a flurry of activity as everyone went about their day. Maria headed off to work, and Mandume and Star left for college. But by noon, their plans to return home took an unexpected turn. Mandume couldn't reach Bonita to give her cab money; she hadn't replied to his messages and was nowhere to be found.
"I think we should just go," Mandume said, growing weary of waiting. "I can't find her anywhere, and she's not replying."
Spotting Tiffanie chatting with a guy on a bench, Mandume hesitated. "Wait, Tiffanie isn't with Bonita… Where could she be? I'll go find out."
He left to approach Tiffanie, while Star stayed behind by the car.
"Tiffanie, can I talk to you for a second?" Mandume called.
"One minute," Tiffanie waved to her friend before standing up.
"Oh hey… It's been ages! What's up?" she greeted.
"Is that your new boyfriend?" Mandume asked, eyeing the guy.
"Ah… are you jealous?" Tiffanie teased.
Mandume ignored the question. "I'm looking for my sister. Have you seen her around?"
"Uh, no, I only see her in class. I don't know where she is," Tiffanie replied, a bit too quickly.
"What do you mean? You two are friends, right?" Mandume pressed.
Tiffanie hesitated, her expression faltering for a moment. "Oh, uh…" she murmured.
"I see Boni didn't tell him about our breakup. This is my chance to expose her for the kind of person she is," Tiffanie thought to herself quietly.
"I broke up with Bonita," Tiffanie suddenly revealed.
"What? Why?" Mandume was caught off guard.
Just then, the guy she was with returned, carrying snacks. "Hey, I'm going to grab some extra snacks for us," he said with a grin.
"Snacks, your spoiled brat," Tiffanie teased, patting him on the chin.
"Yeah, don't go anywhere, we've got a lot to do," he replied before giving Tiffanie a kiss.
Mandume, visibly annoyed, turned to leave. "Oh, goodbye," Tiffanie called out, noticing he was walking away.
Mandume returned to the car, a scowl on his face. "She doesn't know either. She's too busy with her new boyfriend. She said something about breaking up with Boni."
"Should we go?" Star asked, sensing Mandume's irritation.
"Yeah, hop in. If she needs me, she can call to find out where I am," Mandume said, starting the car.
Mandume seemed angry and jealous, his frustration evident as he drove. Star noticed.
"What's up with you?" she asked, eyeing him.
"Nothing," Mandume muttered.
"Nothing? Wait, did you just say you're not jealous of Tiffanie and her boyfriend?" Star teased.
"I'm not jealous! I'm just pissed! How could she make me watch her kiss another guy? I know exactly why she broke up with me," Mandume snapped.
"Why do you think that?" Star asked, curious.
"She literally made me watch her making out with him so I'd get jealous… but I'm not! I'm disgusted by it!" Mandume added with a look of disdain.
"Why disgusted?" Star pressed.
"I… I don't like what I saw, maybe," Mandume muttered, clearly uncomfortable.
Star fell silent, her expression a mixture of concern and contemplation. Mandume noticed her change in mood and pulled over.
"Hey, look at me. I love you. I'm not jealous of Tiffanie, okay? She just pisses me off sometimes," he said softly, gently patting her chin.
Star smiled and hugged him. "We're on a mission. We can't waste time."
Mandume giggled, and they continued the drive home.
As they arrived, the door to their house was wide open—a strange sight. Star recalled Maria mentioning Kefas last night.
"The door is open?" Mandume said, his voice filled with worry.
"Could Maria be home?" Star wondered aloud.
They walked inside, only to find Maria and a man—Kefas—sitting in the living room, completely absorbed in their conversation. Bonita appeared, carrying office files, but dropped them when she saw Mandume and Star standing behind the sofa. The files scattered across the floor, and the room fell into a stunned silence.
Mandume was shocked to see Kefas. He remembered the conflict between Kefas and his father when Kefas had tricked David to win a N$70m tender contract for the airport. David had severed ties with him, warning him not to come near his family. Why was Kefas back?
Maria folded her hands, a nervous attempt to hide the tension. She signed at Bonita to pick up the scattered files quickly, but Star noticed everything.
Mandume, still stunned, managed to ask, "What are you doing here? And Mom, why is he here?"
Kefas stood, attempting to mask his discomfort. "Mandume, long time no see! You've grown."
Mandume blocked his attempt at a hug, his voice low with anger. "I asked you a question. What are you doing here?"
"I came to visit, actually. I came to ask for forgiveness. Your mom already forgave me," Kefas said, kneeling in front of Mandume. "I know I betrayed your father. He was my best friend, and I feel guilty for his disappearance. Please, forgive me. I want to be part of your family again."
Maria urged Bonita to quickly pick up the files, but Star stayed quiet, puzzled by Kefas's sudden apology.
Kefas continued, tears in his eyes. "Your father and I were best friends in college. But I was selfish, and out of greed and jealousy, I brought him down. I'm sorry, Mandume. Please forgive me."
Maria added, "Yes, please, son. To err is human, but to forgive is divine. Kefas realizes his mistake, and we need to move forward. It's been five years. We can't hold onto the past."
Mandume's eyes filled with tears as he reluctantly bent down to help Kefas up. "Thank you," Kefas said, squeezing Mandume's shoulder. "I'll make things right."
Mandume didn't respond, simply turning and heading to his room.
Bonita, still holding the files, turned to leave but a piece of paper flew out, landing on Star's face. No one noticed except for Star, who quickly snatched it up. It was a cheque.
Star hid it in her jacket pocket, curious. "A cheque?" she whispered to herself, her suspicions rising.
Kefas, still in his own world, finally noticed Star's presence. "Oh, Maria, you didn't introduce me," he said cheerfully.
"Of course, Star, this is Kefas, my college friend, and your father's too. Kefas, this is Star, the girl my daughter pushed and ended up here," Maria said with forced politeness.
Star was disappointed by the introduction but didn't let it show. "Nice meeting you, Mr. Kefas," she said, extending her hand. Kefas shook it, though he seemed a bit surprised.
"Nice meeting you, Star," Kefas replied, his smile not reaching his eyes.
Star sat down on the sofa next to him, her suspicions growing. "So, Mr. Kefas, you and Mr. Davids are friends, huh?"
"Uh… yeah, we're college friends," Kefas said, his discomfort evident.
"With Madam too?" Star probed.
"Yeah, we were a great couple," Kefas responded uneasily.
"And you really love them?" Star pressed further.
Kefas looked confused. "What?"
Maria intervened quickly. "What kind of question is that? Of course, he likes us."
Star, undeterred, replied, "Well, I just wanted to know more since you introduced us. Now we're allowed to get to know each other better, right?"
Kefas, clearly annoyed, stood up abruptly. "Uh, I'll be going now."
Maria tried to stop him, but it was too late. He stormed out, leaving a tense silence in his wake.
"What kind of behavior was that?" Maria snapped. "Do you realize my guest left because of you?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't know he wasn't comfortable with me," Star said, trying to backtrack.
"That's not the point! This is my house, not your broken one!" Maria shouted.
Star, now angry, fired back. "What did I do? How did my questions make him leave?"
Maria's fury was palpable. "You don't see anything wrong with what you just did? Where are your manners? I see your mother didn't raise you right."
Star clenched her fists, trying to control her emotions. "You can say whatever you want, but mention my mother again, and I might forget myself."
Bonita, suddenly interrupting, added venomously, "Street kids are always trash. If you trouble us here, you can just leave, especially if you're carrying that bastard inside you!"
Star froze. Her heart sank. "Oh, I forgot you're pregnant!" Maria sneered. "That's why my son pitied you and let you stay here. Now you're acting like you own the place."
Star, humiliated and hurt, stormed off to her room before she could break down. At least Mandume wasn't around to witness it.
Once in her room, Star looked at her angry face in the mirror. She tried to shake off the emotion.
"Hey, Star, what is this? This isn't you. Remember, you don't get angry. This is minor. You're a star, and even in the darkest times, you shine," she whispered to herself, trying to lift her spirits.
She sat on her bed, thinking of her mother. "I can't believe I didn't call Mom last night like I planned," she muttered.