IN THE SHADOWS OF LOVE

Although Lebo was a womanizer, Dinny loved how much he gave her attention. He couldn't say no to her. On the other side, Max was a different man. He prioritized over his work more than anything. His attention was mainly on making a name for himself through dedication.It had now been days since Max and Dinny communicated. Her pride also wouldn't allow her to text him first. She longed for the type of attention Lebo gave her but she didn't want it from him. Atleast if it was given to her by Max.

Since the last message she sent to Lebo, he hadn't replied even now. She was now doubting Max's feelings towards her. Maybe he had fallen inlove with her at first sight but he was now feeling differently. Suddenly her mood changed. She felt weak as her chest tightened.She bit her lips wondering why she always allowed people that hurt her in her life. She made up her mind that if Max didn't reach out to her she will take a break from dating and focus on her personal growth.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital Max's heart still pounded whenever he thought of her.He was just overloaded with work and that scandal of a woman claiming to be his mother had hit him hard. He knew they hadn't met before, yet something about her looked familiar though he couldn't point out what it was. Growing up, he had always known his grandparents to be his parents so he never cared to ask about his biological parent's whereabouts. Also, he had never believed the villagers' rumor about his mother disappearing and abandoning him years back.

It was only now that he began thinking deeply about the said rumor. If she was indeed his mother where could she have been all these years? Why did she only show up when he was now a successful young man. He asked himself numerous questions even putting himself in his so-called mother's shoes. That was when it dwelled on him that he was treating Dinny the same way his said mother had treated him. He abandoned her without giving her any explanation. He couldn't carry such guilt so he reached for his phone and dialled Dinny's numbers.

The weather had mostly been rainy for a couple of weeks but with a touch of sunrise here and there. Presently the sun shined. It wasn't very hot but one could feel the sun's warmth when it's rays pierced through the skin. He apologized to Dinny for being distant and offered to make it up to her by taking her out on a date the following evening. He promised to let her know about what is it that was eating him and he assured her that it wasn't something she should worry about.

Soon after the call ended, from the far end of the line Dinny wasn't so pleased by his call. She thought he was taking her for granted and offering to take her out whenever it pleased him. She was just being dramatic, it was only the second time he had asked to take her out but she made it feel like he did it often. Her heart had been so played she didn't even notice a man who genuinely loved her. She was now thinking of men as wolves in sheep skin.

With Max, it was a different story.Soon after the call he felt like a heavy load had just been lifted off his shoulders. His heart skipped in excitement when he thought about her. She was a woman she intended to spend the rest of his life with. By now, he had gathered all the information he needed to know about Lebo. Things that she didn't even know about him. He concluded that she was better off with him than with Lebo. Lebo was secretly living a double life.

Not only did he fantasize on naked women, he also sold his nudes for a living. Max was disgusted when he found out but he also felt a sense of relief when he learnt Lebo had never been intimate with Dinny. They had both agreed to wait until they got married. She had honored their agreement but he hadn't. The streets were filled with his babies that he denied fathering.He had distanced himself claiming he was sterile when two of his girlfriends fell pregnant.

It was a known rumor that he couldn't produce offspring. Not because doctors had proven it but because villagers assumed he would have made one with Dinny since they had been together for the longest time. Lebo loved hearing these made up stories about him being sterile because they served as proof that the two other ladies lied about him fathering their babies. Even though Max had found out so much about Lebo, he decided not to share any of the information with Dinny.

He knew that at the right time, he will force Lebo to confess. He wasn't doing this to win her over but it was because he knew she deserved better. Whenever Max thought about Dinny his eyes sparkled and he would smile. As he thought about her, he decided to surprise her by buy her a dress for tomorrow's date. He wanted to buy her one that displayed her beautiful body. When it was time for him to go on lunch he decided to go and search for any beautiful dress he will find.

At the mall, he went from one store to another searching for the ideal dress. Finally, he bought a long nude one with a slit that showed off her skin from the thigh down to the ankle. In his mind, he imagined her in the dress and pictured how well it was going to sit on her curves. Picking the size wasn't much of a problem.He had asked the shop clerks for assistance by showing them her photo. His other task was to deliver the dress to her.

He didn't want to hand deliver the dress by himself so he ordered a delivery guy to do the job for him. The dress was neatly folded in a fancy shopping bag.He had attatched a little note that instructed her to wear the dress tomorrow. The note was hand written and had Max's signature at the bottom. He had also bought her a bouquet of flowers. The parcels were delivered to Dinny at her home. At first, she thought the flowers were from Lebo.It was only after she unfolded the dress that she found a small card with a sweet message and Max's signature at the bottom.

She jumped like a baby on a trampoline. Kissing and smelling the flowers in her hands. This was the sweetest thing a man had ever done for her. When she was younger, she had always known how she would want her future partner to treat her. She knew that younger girls had to be treated like princesses by their parents and older women had to be treated like queens by their husbands. Even though she had earlier doubted Max's intentions towards her she had fully forgiven him by now. He wasn't even supposed to verbally apologize to her.His actions had spoken louder than words could have.

Dinny's mother, seemed to appear whenever Max was the source of her happiness. Once again, she stood on the doorway her hands resting on her waist. She came forward to read the note that came with Dinny's presents. She clapped her hands like a jealous friend when she realized who had bought gifts for her daughter. "I'm wondering if we will live to see your wedding with Lebo."

Dinny rolled her eyes. "Relax mom, I'm gonna get married and give you beautiful grandkids."

Her mom was now sitting on the edge of her bed. She peeped inside the gift bag that had the dress. She couldn't hide her joy. "Does it fit? I would love to see you wearing it." She said, handing over the dress to Dinny. Even though her mother didn't say she approved of her relationship with Max, she could tell that she was finally loving him for her.Dinny's mother noticed how affectionate Max was towards her daughter. As a woman who struggled to find love in her youth days, she wanted the opposite for her daughter.

Dinny's father had dribbled her mother back in their youth. After her secret visit to the doctor the other day, she had felt embarrassed for standing on her daughter's way to happiness. She was no more concerned about what the neighbours will think or say about her daughter behind closed doors. She vowed to give her daughter the support her parents had never given her when she needed them the most. Had they given her the support she needed when she was younger, she could have married for love not that wealthy man whom her parents encouraged her to marry.