Author: Ruth Thapedi
When Lerato first started talking to a girl named Onthatile online, he was only thinking of friendship. However, they both began talking all hours of the day and night. Onthatile seemed to bring a smile to Lerato's face, and they both grew so fond of each other that they decided to meet in person. Lerato fell in love with Onthatile the moment he laid eyes on her and knew she was "the one". They kept talking and eventually moved their friendship to bestfriend status, but one night Lerato decided to finally open up about how he felt about Onthatile. He waited for her response for hours and hours before she finally responded, telling Lerato that she felt the same way.
Lerato instantly went to visit Onthatile when he requested her to be his and she answered "YES." After a few months, their love remained strong, but after a year, they began to argue. She always forgave him when he made a mistake, but Lerato began to "lose interest," or so he thought. Onthatile began to feel unwanted, but she refused to leave because she couldn't bear living without him. Lerato, on the other hand, was fed up with Onthatile because he felt she was too much to handle. He just walked away. Months passed, and Lerato felt relieved, as if a burden had been removed from his shoulders. Onthatile was in pain and eventually met "Mr. Somebody" after a year.
This Mr. "Somebody" made Onthatile happy, which led Lerato to believe he missed her. Pride would never let poor Lerato fight for Onthatile. He started to hurt because he knew he had no chance of winning her back, especially since she was so happy now with "Mr. Somebody." All he had now were her faded memories trapped in his mind on replay. "Let me text her," Lerato thought to himself as he waited for her. Days pass, she opens the text, but she does not respond. Three nights later, Lerato receives a phone call from an "unknown number." Is this her? He pounders. When he answered the phone and heard a woman crying, he knew it was his Onthatile.
When he inquired as to what was wrong, Onthatile began to open up about her problems with Mr. Somebody. So Lerato has no choice but to assist them, even though he misses their crazy life. He realized he'd let go of the one person he intended to keep. Onthatile was supposed to be his, but she was in someone else's arms. His mind began to wonder. Lerato freely admits that he loves her, but he convinces himself that he is better off without her.
