kiss the game goodbye

'We're here today to bury the soul of our beloved,'Pastor Leferetlho said. 'Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.'

As the pastor echoed those words, Saloon and friends were sitting inside the vehicle, a toyota Camry, on the freeway above the cemetery. He was crying.

'Eish!' Saloon said. His exclamation was followed by rears rolling down his cheeks.


'Sorry bro,' Andrew tried to comfort him.

Mobil nodded and wiped his spectacles. His eyes too were soaked with tears.

'He's gone now,' Saloon said. 'We'll never see him again.'
'I wish......'

'Sorry bro,' Andrew cut in. 'It seems like we'll mourn him till we join him.'

Mobil nodded again.

'Yep!' Mobil finally blew what was on his chest. 'We'll never find a good man like Oom Fantein nie (we will never find a good man like Old Fantein). May his soul rest in peace. Though he lived peacefully during his life on earth.'

Mobil accelerated the vehicle like Tom Cruise on a Days of Thunder movie set. All eyes looked to the freeway. It remided pastor Leferetlho of a psalm 121 bible verse.

'let's bow our heads,' pastor Leferetlho told those gathering to give their last respects to Oom Fantein.

He began to pray out loud; 'As i lift my eyes to the mountains where would my help come from. my help come from the Lord who made Heaven and Earth......'

as the mourners sang the last hymn, humming it, Saloon and his friends were already on their knees. they had tip-toed in the grave-side of his late father during the lord's prayer.

'and then?' pastor Leferetlho asked a question with his eyes glued on Saloon.

'we,' Saloon stummered. we.....'

"you what?"

'we're sorry pastor. we didn't want to intrude.'

" he-he!" this kid. you what ?"

'we're sorry for being late for my father's burial, pastor.ek soos al die mense hier (i like any mourner right here) I'm here to pay my respect. to bury the late Fantein. can we please talk privately?'

Pastor Leferetlho shook his head in disbelief.

Saloon's mother, Stephina, cried uncontrollably and said; ' you see Mavis, that's is the reason i couldnt hesitate but kick this rotten potato out of my house for good. he is the reason Fantein died of heart attack. he is still a gangster. how does a kid not be scared to look a man of God in the eye and lie?'

saloon was back home and his mother stephina threw him a welcome party a week just after the passing of her man, fantein. saloon could not be happier. the surprise miss party happened to be pastor leferetlho's daughter.

'huh?' saloon said in shock. ' i never thought you would be here.'

'i'm,' replied kenosi. 'relax.' how is your gangster friends?'

' i kissed the game goodbye, sweetie.'

'we're not an item, sweetheart.'

'with your dad, anything is possible. to answer your question on gangsters, it isnt a cool thing to be. the devil is hot and jesus is cool.'

'that's gangster!'

'what?'

'hearing a gangster repenting is hot.' i cant believe what i hear.'

'abel, mobil and their boss, colours, are ethers. they eat your soul like liquid objects.'

'that's science fiction,hun.'

'i have been reading my english encyclopaedia and got death threats from my ex-friends that was when i came accross the word; ether.'

'you sound sarcastic.'

'do you have a girlfriend?'

'what kind of question is that?' besides, there is no need. you're mine.'

'silly but right. i love you but no sex before marriage, right?'

'right.'