The Last Straw

- Precious Seboni

MY BIG brother Bongani smiled as he introduced me to his new girl­ friend.

“I hope you two will become good friends,” he said.

I had hoped so too. I truly wanted to get on well with Sindi, as I’d do anything to keep my big brother happy.

But in the end I never warmed to her. I mean, she’s nice enough and every now and again she’ll display a wicked sense of humour. And of course she’s attractive – in the way Bongani’s girlfriends usually are – with curves to die for. But if I’m honest I’d say she’s just not the right girl for Bongani. Not a good match at all.

I know my brother better than anyone else. He’s kind and generous and soft­ hearted – unlike me. And as far as I’m concerned Sindi just takes advantage of his good nature.

For eight months I’ve watched from the sidelines and tried to keep my mouth shut, tried not to interfere.

But this morning was the final straw – the one that broke the camel’s back. This morning her true colours shone through clearly – as plain as the nose on her beautiful face.

Taken on its own, this morning’s incident might seem minor, but it was just one of many examples of Sindi’s utter self­centredness. So I’ve decided tonight it’s time to take my elder brother aside and have a serious heart­to­heart with him.

“Bongani,” I’ll say, “It’s time you dumped this Sindi. Seriously, it’s time you found yourself someone as kind and generous as you are, someone who won’t exploit you – because that’s what she’s doing.”

I know he’ll argue. “How can I? I can’t hurt her like that,” he’ll say.

But I will insist. And after this morning, he’ll finally understand that it’s time to end this.