Author's Note: As promised, here's the next upload, fifth chapter where the amazing band is introduced. Shout out to Lindokuhle Thabede, Perfect Mabaso, Monde Ndlovu, Langa Ndlovu, Sibusiso Khoza and Thuso Morabe. I love you guys. ❤
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Chapter Five: So He Sings?
It had been five months since I moved to Johannesburg. I was doing pretty well at school and the dance club too. We were scheduled to go on the dance tour in September, which was two months from now. I was excited. We were going to Paris, Sydney and the USA. My parents were super proud of me.
Lindo and I were still acting like we were dating, but it never really came to that. He was also busy with his school stuff, so we didn’t see each other every day. He had slept over at my house last night and he was currently still sleeping. I got up, took a shower and made breakfast. He woke up and came into the kitchen while I was still cooking. He stood behind me and held my waist. He kissed my neck and turned me around.
“Good morning, beautiful”, he whispered. I smiled.
“Morning handsome; how’re you doing?” I replied.
“I’m great and you?” he asked.
“I’m lovely”, I said and kissed him. This is what happened every time he came to sleep over. I would wake up, take a shower and while I’m making breakfast, he would wake up and then we would make out in the kitchen. I wasn’t complaining though.
I had made pancakes and coffee and dished up for Lindo and me. I loved having him around and just so you know.
“I could get used to this”, he said and I laughed.
“Who are you kidding? You’re already used to this”, I said as I grabbed the plates. “Please bring the coffee”, I said and walked to the couch. I placed the plates on the table and sat down. Lindo brought the coffee and sat down next to me. We then ate our breakfast.
“That was… delicious. You’re a great cook”, he said. I giggled and he kissed my cheek. “Let me take a shower”, he said. I nodded. “Afterwards, you can come with me to band practice”. He said as he walked away. What band practice, I thought. After he had his shower, he walked out the bathroom and came to sit next to me on the couch.
“Are you ready to go to band practice with me?” he asked. I frowned.
“What band, Ndo?” I asked.
“I’m in a band”, he said proudly. I frowned at him and then burst out laughing. He looked at me like I had lost my mind. I was expecting him to laugh with me, and when he didn’t, I sobered up. I frowned again.
“What do you know about music, best friend?” I mocked. He laughed and stood up, pulling me with him.
“Let’s just go”, he said impatiently. I looked at my bare feet and he followed my gaze. “Okay. Go wear shoes”, he said. I walked to the room and grabbed socks and my white half-boot converse sneakers. I sat on my bed and put them on. I had on black shorts and a white vest, so I looked proper in my converse. I grabbed my car keys. “We can walk, you know”, he said rolling his at me.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me, mister. Besides, I don’t feel like walking”, I said.
“Fine”, he said as he took my hand and grabbed the house keys. He opened the door for me and after I walked out, he followed me and locked the doors. We walked hand-in-hand to where I had parked my car. I tossed him the keys, and he opened the passenger door for me. I climbed in and he shut the door. He then walked to the driver’s side.
The short drive to his commune was fun. He was making me laugh all the while. In my mind though, I kept thinking about him saying he has a band. There is no way that MY Lindo was in a band. I have known him for a very long time now and I would know if he had any knowledge of music. I looked over at him with a frown on my face. There is absolutely no way Lindo is in a band, right?
We arrived at the commune and Lindo parked the car under a tree. There was another car parked higher up the curb. He got out the car and opened my door for me. I smiled as he motioned me to take his hand. He helped me out the car and then shut my door for me. He locked the door, and he unlocked the small gate of the yard. He motioned for me to enter first and I did. After he locked the gate, he caught up to me, and took my hand.
“Ndo, are you serious about the band thing?” I asked. He nodded and I frowned, biting my bottom lip nervously. Was my best friend really in a band, I thought to myself.
We walked into the main house. There wasn’t any furniture in the living area and I frowned, looking at the wooden floor. In front of me, I saw the kitchen and a bathroom. The house was painted white. It was pretty plain, but then again, it was just student accommodation anyway.
We stood in front a door next to the kitchen and I could hear voices and loud music coming from there. I twisted my head to look at Lindo. He was smiling happily and I looked down at my outfit. I realized I was wearing shorts, and suddenly became very self-conscious. I hoped I didn’t look horrible because, I also didn’t have any make-up on, and my dreadlocks hung loosely around my face.
Lindo knocked on the door and opened the door before anyone replied. He motioned for me to go in first and I shook my head adamantly. He looked at me like I was crazy and I glanced at the open room and found eight pairs of eyes looking at me. I walked in timidly and my eyes landed on the only very familiar eyes in the room, S’pha’s and Alex’s eyes. Lindo walked in after me.
“Hola gents”, he said.
“Hola M’Rebe”, said Alex.
“Hololo Reb”, said the light-skinned handsome guy. The rest of the guys said “sure”, while they looked at me. I squirmed under their intense gaze and Lindo cleared his throat. He stepped closer to me and put an arm over my shoulders.
“This is my girl, Noluthando. Noluthando, this is the band Cookham 32”, he introduced. He then proceeded to tell me their names and what they did in the band.
Cookham 32 consisted of seven guys. There was Thuso Morabe, also known as “MJ”. He was the light-skinned, handsome one, who grew a neat beard. He was Sotho and was shorter than the average height. He was the synthesizer in the group. Then there was Calvin Skhosana. He was dark, average-heighted and handsome. He had a neatly trimmed beard and he looked to be the type that has a six pack. He was the disc jockey in the band. Next, there was S’busiso Khoza. He had an afro, and small-ish eyes. He hand cute pink lips that he pulled into a smile every time he looked at me. He played the trumpet and I was yet to hear how good he was.
Another band member was Monde Ndlovu. Monde was tall, dark and handsome, just like his younger brother Langa, who was also in the band. Monde had beautiful, big eyes and a gorgeous smile. He played piano and sang. His brother, Langa, was the falsetto king apparently. I couldn’t wait to hear him sing. Langa also had a heart-warming smile. Next was another singer Perfect Mabaso, who was the tall, light-skinned and handsome bounce-around-the-whole-place guy. He also had a trimmed beard and a killer smile. Yes, they all had killer smiles. I am not exaggerating. Last, but definitely not the least was my best friend, who apparently was a singer. I frowned at that.
Thuso offered me a chair and I sat down next to Alex. Alex was this handsome, light-skinned Zulu guy who strongly resembled S’dumo Mtshali, a South African actor. He was sitting next to S’pha. S’pha had beautiful, big eyes and he was on an afro-growing mission. He also had a gorgeous smile. Apparently he was responsible for Cookham 32 graphics. I knew he could draw, so that didn’t surprize me. I smiled at my friend and then turned my attention to the band.
Monde was messing around, playing something on the keyboard. Then Thuso turned down the house music that was playing on his computer. He then displayed this weird charted software that looked like some musical grid.
“Let’s start with Hey Ya”, Monde said, as he played some chords on the keyboard. Thuso played some house beat and then Monde played in sync with the beat. Then Monde began singing his verse and I was mesmerized. Then they all sang the chorus together. My eyes landed on Lindo. He was singing tenor and I was shocked. My best friend could sing. I also noted that S’bu was blowing beautifully into his trumpet.
Then Perfect sang his part, and I saw his bubbly nature shining through in the way he sang. I was enjoying their music so much that I was itching to dance, but I was too shy to do that.
They rehearsed the song ‘Fever’ next and I almost died when I heard Lindo singing the first part of the song. His deep voice was like sweet music to my ears. Wait… It was music to my ears. I was totally mesmerized and the butterflies returned in my stomach.
By the end of the practice, I knew why Langa was called the falsetto king. And I also knew that I loved Cookham 32. I was still kind of shocked that Lindo could sing and slightly mad that he hadn’t told me he could sing.
I yawned tiredly and Lindo told the guys that he was going to sleep at my house again. I don’t know why, but that excited me to no end. He went to his room to pack an overnight bag. I was left to sit with the rest of the band. It wasn’t awkward because, they were very easy to talk to, and they seemed to like me. I liked being in their company because, they were a very entertaining bunch. Once Lindo had grabbed his stuff, he came back and said we could leave.
After I had hugged everyone, including Alex and S’pha, Lindo and I left. I still didn’t feel like cooking so, we went to KFC. We had our meals there and then, once we were done. He drove to my apartment. On the way, I told Lindo to stop at the petrol station. I wanted to refill my car to full tank. I caught a whiff of pizza in the air and bounced excitedly on my seat.
“Ndo-Ndo, I want pizza”, I said. He laughed. Then we went to Debonairs and bought two pizzas. And yes, I ate a lot. Luckily for me, I didn’t gain weight much. I had good genes, plus I was a dancer.
We drove to the apartment and snuggled on the couch after I had changed into something more comfortable. We watched movie after movie and I made a mental note to buy a PlayStation for extra things to do when we were lazing around.
Lindo was falling asleep, so I told him to go sleep. He obliged and I tidied up the house. I also don’t know how I could stay awake. I went into the bathroom after I was done. As I looked at my reflection on the mirror, I smiled. I loved my long dreadlocks. I had asked my mom when I was much younger to get dreads done. They grew very well and now they reached my back. I had dyed them brown, with blonde tips.
I looked at my face, smiling at the beauty spot on my nose next to my left eye. I had hazel eyes and they looked like contact lenses, but I knew they were my natural eye colour. I was fair-skinned and I smiled at my reflection. I then started brushing my teeth, and then washed my face. Once I was done, I went into the bedroom and climbed into the bed next to Lindo. He pulled me closer to him like the previous night.
“Goodnight, Ndo”, I whispered as I traced his eyebrow and strong jawline.
Ii
“Goodnight”, he mumbled in his sleep. I snuggled closer and closed my eyes, willing myself to fall asleep.
I couldn’t fall asleep though, so instead of forcing it, I quietly climbed out of bed, grabbed a throw and walked to the living area. I switched on the TV and turned the volume down. I was going through the channels aimlessly. I then decided on watching Investigation Discovery. Slowly, but surely I fell asleep.
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It is the 27th of June and that means, it's Langa's birthday. Happy birthday Langa. I hope you have an awesome day. God bless you. ❤
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Love Thaby. ❤