Ellipsis...

13

"Yes, you are an idiot." Lerato says. I am busy finishing up the homework we got on Physics while Lerato is giving me some life hack advice. I told her about the party invitation from Thabang but also the issue with my Mom.
"What was I supposed to do, Lerato?" I ask, "I didn't want to just leave him hanging even after we had a nice conversation."
"Girl, just because your convo was nice doesn't mean you can accept invitations," she says.
"Lerato, this is the first time I have ever been invited to a party." I say, "Can I not be a teenager and live my life properly?"
"Yes, you may, but not at parties."
"Bro, chill." Bongiwe says, "Can't you let her just live her life? How come you let me have all the fun and not her?"
"Because she is still new."
"She's been here for nearly a month."
"Exactly, nearly a month." Lerato says, "She still has a lot to learn from us."
"Oh, stop being a mother and let her enjoy." Bongiwe protested, "How about I go with her?"
"You?" Lerato asks.
"You?" I ask.
"You're saying that as if you don't trust me."
"Not in the slightest bit." Lerato says. "You're gonna run off with someone and end up with a kid in nine months. I can't trust you at all."
"Then why don't you come?" I ask.
"I can't, Lebo."
"Well, then I will go by myself." I sit back with resistance, "It's either you come or I go."
"Lebo-"
"Yes or no?"
She looks at Bongz, who violently erases an error from her book, then back at me and rolls her eyes.
"Fine, but you owe me twenty rand and if anything happens to us you're paying a fifth of what I asked and I am dead serious."
I jump up gleefully and throw my arms for a hug.
"Thank you! You won't regret this." I squeal.
"I think I already did," she mutters breathlessly.

It is after school. I am standing outside the building waiting for Sizwe to arrive. Lerato and Bongiwe went home with Moses leaving me all alone by the school gates. I pull out my phone and begin to answer some text messages. A soft wind blows passed my neck. I see Sizwe standing by my side as if he had been there for a while. I look at him in silence as he slowly looks back with a huge grin. He takes a deep breath.
"Bonjour."
"Um...?"
"I'm greeting." he laughs
"I know, but I don't know how to respond to that," I say.
"Oh, sorry."
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah, never been better."
"Uh-huh."
"I got your art done." he pulls his bag over his shoulder, opens it, and pulls out two sheets of paper."
"I only sent you the pics yesterday." I say in surprise, "How are you done so quickly?"
"I have my ways." he smiles and hands them to me upside down. I take the papers and flip them around. There I am, in pencil. My face was beautifully drawn out and clear, my jawline was darkened enough to show that it actually shows out and the shading was smoothly spread across the paper. My eyes. How they managed to gleam brightly even one a colorless picture. It looks so realistic as if he did a live sketch in front of me. It was only the nose that didn't sit well with me. In the other drawing, it had more shadows than facial features. My cheekbones were darkened and my eyes were shrunk to a smaller size it barely sat well with my face. The shading around my mouth looked more like a mustache and it kind of messed up the entire image. I, anyways, smile to myself looking back at him.
"Thank you."
"You like them?"
"Well, not the image with the mustache." I giggle.
"Oh, um..." he chuckles nervously, "That was a shading mistake. I kind of darkened it too much and when I tried to erase it, it wouldn't come off so if you look at the back of the paper you will see it says failed art."
I turn the paper around and see "failed art" written in black ink on the top left corner.
"Was it that bad for you?" I ask.
"Well, most of my works are terrible." he says, "Obviously to myself. People somehow find ways to like my art."
"It's not bad, Sizwe. You should take their words seriously."
He lets out a shallow breath.
"What are you gonna do with the drawings?" I ask.
"Well, I want to use it for my art gallery." he says, "It'll be the biggest display in the middle of the gallery."
"Art gallery?"
"Yes."
"You own an art gallery?"
"No no no, not yet." he laughs, "It is one of my dreams to own one though. I'm going to call it the Sizery of Art. I want to open branches for my company as well. The Sizery in Durban, South Africa, the Sizery in Paris, France, and the Sizery in Venice, Italy. Soon the entire globe will be exposed to my drawings and they will love it."
"What does 'Sizery' mean though?" I ask.
"It's a word mashup of Sizwe and gallery."
"Oh."
"I was planning to visit one soon." he rubs his chin and then fixes his glasses, "Maybe I should bring you along."
"I don't mind at all." I say, "I want to see other forms of art that you may be interested in."
He chuckles.
"You have quite a big dream ahead of you," I say.
"Yeah, if Leonardo Di Vinci was able to make the Mona Lisa an icon, then I can certainly do the same." he smiles at himself.
I look at the drawings again and smile.
"I didn't think you would act your time drawing two pictures of me."
"When it comes to art, no time is wasted. It is always used for the right time," he says slipping his hands into his pockets.
We stop at a crosswalk. I look at him. I see a boy...a very odd boy who is unlike any other boy. He has his own story. His own imaginary world. His own future is far too bright to see. Right now, I look at him and I somewhere feel happy to have met him. He looks back at me and smiles. I smile back. I think to myself about how he is such a unique human being. He is so calm, passive, and caring. Now I am asking myself...why don't we talk so often during school?
        "Remember when you said you were gonna make me fall in love?"
        "Yeah."
        "I don't see anything happening."
        "Did you really think that I would rush this thing?" he asks.
   I shrug, "I don't know. How long does it usually take?"
        "As long as it takes." he says, "It could take days, weeks, months, years, or even decades. Who knows?"
         "Have you ever dated before or were you planning to date soon?"
         "Nah, "he replies, "I've decided to wait until I'm done with high school. I want to enjoy that life away from a place I go to every five days, every week. I want to be able to find time for my partner and not make any empty promises because the moments I have to myself will be well spent with her."
          "Sounds very loyal of you." I tease.
          "Why thank you." he gives a small bow and we both laugh.
         "Have you ever been kissed?" I ask.
          "You are suspiciously asking way too many questions," he says, "No, I haven't been kissed. I doubt I will ever get the chance given the fact that my plan is to never date in high school. It's just a very...distant thought like I don't always thi--"
    I barely hear whatever he is saying. Everything is silent around me. His lips are moving in slow-mo like we are in a romantic movie. The sun's ray hits on his skin making them look chocolate smooth and fair. Butterflies and flowers surround his face making him look majestic...and exquisite. His eyes then turn to my directions. His dark pupils twinkle like the stars in the night sky as they gaze down at me. I bite my lips. Oh, fuck it!
       I step closer to him and pull his head closer to mine and...kissed him. Birds started singing in celebration, a gust of wind blew past from underneath us, and the sudden smile of the calla lily intensified. I could feel my feet ascend from the ground. So this is what it feels like? Kissing someone you love in a short amount. Well. This feels...nice. Really nice. Probably the best ellipsis moment I have ever had.
        After a few short seconds, I finally pull back.
               "Oh, I am so sorry," I say as I clean my mouth, "I didn't-I wasn't-It was stupid, I'm stupid. I'm so sorry. I-I-I gotta go!"
        I sprint off to the nearest corner. I hear him calling out after me, but I don't look back. I run, and run, and run, and run, and run until I reach the gate to my house.

Lebo! Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why did you have to do it so immediately? And he said he is not interested in dating. Lebo, you are definitely a fucking idiot!