Swift Justice

by Meredith Taylor

  There was a knock at Tumi’s door, and he swore under his breath. He had forgotten that he was meant to get a new roommate on that day. Tumi stood up and straightened his shirt, opening the door to see his residence head’s smiling face. “Hi Tumi,” the middle-aged, genial man, Dr. Pillay, said. “How are you? I’m just bringing over your new roommate.”

  As Tumi looked to Dr. Pillay’s right, his mouth fell open and a burst of adrenaline shot through his body. This couldn’t be. Standing there, holding a suitcase and still wearing the white shirt and blue tie, was Edgar Boatwright.

  Edgar seemed equally surprised, but gave a mischievous smile and raised his eyebrow. “Well, this should be fun,” he said, and walked into the room.

  Chapter 11

  Edgar tried to muster as much bravado as he could as he stepped inside of the dorm room with Tumi, but he could feel his insides turning. Why did it have to be Tumi? How had this been the room that his brother Wesley had arranged for him on campus? He gave a big sigh, and put his large suitcase next to the bed as Tumi waved goodbye to the residence head, Dr. Pillay. Tumi closed the door as Dr. Pillay left, and turned to give Edgar an indecipherable glance.

  Tumi’s velvety brown skin was drowned in the sunlight streaming in through the open curtain. The lines around his eyes creased as he said, “How did you manage to do this? Is this all part of the game you’re playing with me? Is this really all just a strategy to beat me in mock court? If it means that much to you…”

  “What are you talking about?” Edgar demanded, louder than he had planned. “I had no idea that you would be my roommate. My brother arranged this place for me until I leave Ridgemont. If I had known…”

  “Nonsense!” Tumi roared. “It all makes sense now. This is some kind of twisted game you’re playing with me. You’re so friendly to me after the law ball, making me believe that you’re a decent guy, softening me up so that I wouldn’t expect you to go right back to your usual sneaky tactics in mock court. You probably even locked us in the library on purpose, didn’t you? I should’ve figured it out from the start. But this is just a step too far! Moving into the same room as me… I don’t know what you’re getting at.” Tumi’s nostrils flared, and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked deeply upset, and Edgar had no idea what to do.

  Edgar tried to control his voice, not wanting to get into a drawn-out shouting match with Tumi, and said, “Tumi, you’re seeing a connection where there really isn’t one. I meant it when I said I wanted to get to know you better. I know I was a bit out of it this morning. It’s just been a really hard few days, and everything is up in the air. But I wasn’t being deliberately vindictive or anything. I just don’t want to get too close to anyone in South Africa. I’m leaving in a few weeks after the final exams, and I thought it would be counterproductive to make too much of… this thing.”

  “What thing?” Tumi asked, his eyes wide. “You think there’s a thing here? Don’t make me laugh. I was ready to give you another chance, to admit that I might have been wrong about you. But the way you just went right back to your old ways in mock court, making a fool of me in front of everyone… It definitely felt deliberate this morning.”

  “Honestly, Tumi, you’re taking this way too personally. We’re both law students, we both want to win cases. I’m not trying to hurt you just because I bested you in mock court. It’s how it goes.” Edgar felt less sure of himself with every word. Was there a part of him that wanted to punish Tumi for symbolizing something to him? Was there really nothing personal about it?

  Tumi stood in silence, watching Edgar with anger written all over his face. There was nothing more to be said. The line had been drawn in the sand, and Edgar felt the pain of what he had resolved to do. After the night in the library, he had felt closer to Tumi, and he knew that there was a spark of something more between them. Tumi had warmed up to him. Edgar could see himself falling for Tumi in that moment. But he knew that he had to leave, and he didn’t want to torture both of them with a short-lived romance that would only spell heartache. After Wesley had told Edgar that he would have to return immediately after the final exams, Edgar decided to turn things around, and to start living up to what his father and brothers wanted from him. He had sponged off of his family for long enough. It was time to finish his degree and go to work for the family business. Besides, all of his fantasies about South Africa had been shattered. He didn’t find the closeness to his late mother that he had thought he would find. He couldn’t see what she had loved in the country. All he was doing was wasting time. He needed to get out of South Africa. And he couldn’t let his feelings for Tumi Moketla get in the way.

  As the two new roommates stood staring at each other, anger simmering between them, there was a knock at the door, and the handle turned. It was a cleaning lady wanting to tidy the room. Tumi told her that she was free to do so, that he would be in the library. Edgar was relieved that Tumi would be leaving so that he could settle into the room. Tumi gathered some of his things and made his way towards the doorway, and Edgar smiled at the middle-aged, stout woman who had come to clean the room. He said to her, “I need my clothes packed into the cupboard, please. I have some bedding for the bed in my suitcase as well.”

  “That’s not her job!” Tumi shouted at Edgar, startling him. “Pack away your own damned clothes and make your own bed. She’s here to clean the floors, not to be your personal assistant.” Tumi shook his head and looked at Edgar with disgust as he walked out of the room. Edgar felt extremely embarrassed, and apologized to the woman. He had become so used to the hotels and to the staff at the family homes doing everything for him that he just assumed he could ask the woman to help him with his luggage. Maybe Tumi was right, he thought. He was completely out of touch.

  He apologized one more time before grabbing some of his books and leaving the woman to clean the floor in peace, deciding to take a walk through Donovan Square and find a quiet spot to sit and think about all of the changes that had come his way in the past few days. He was more eager than ever to complete his exchange programme and return to studying at Cambridge. He hung his head low as he walked out of the front entrance of Initia Nova, hoping not to run into Tumi.

  ***

  Three hours later Edgar returned to Initia Nova with a feeling of trepidation. He still was cringing on the inside about his embarrassing moment with Tumi earlier in the day, and he feared the judgement in Tumi’s eyes. Why did Edgar always feel like he was doing the wrong thing around Tumi? There was something about Tumi that completely made Edgar lose his footing and act like an idiot. Edgar was dreading having to spend three weeks living in the same room as Tumi, and he knew that it wouldn’t be easy, especially since Edgar was determined that nothing romantic could happen between the two of them. It would just make things too complicated, and Edgar needed to be extra careful to behave himself around Tumi.

  When Edgar opened the door to his room, he found Tumi sitting at his desk studying. He mumbled a greeting and felt even worse when Tumi didn’t respond. Edgar walked to his bed and took the bedding out of his bag, slowly making the bed. As he unpacked his clothes into the cupboard, his mind jumped to all of the things he would have liked to say to Tumi in that moment. Edgar started an elaborate argument with Tumi in his own imagination, and he was winning it. What gave Tumi the right to be so angry with him anyway? Tumi was the one who had told him that he was a snob even before he had gotten to know Edgar! He was the one who hadn’t been able to support his case in mock court, and he had the audacity to blame Edgar for besting him! Tumi was being childish, Edgar resolved. He had nothing to feel guilty for.

  Edgar shot daggers at Tumi with his eyes. Tumi didn’t look up from his books even for a second. Edgar decided to do some studying on his own, and sat with a book on his bed, still getting a good view of Tumi across the room. But he was barely able to focus on the words he read; all he could think of was how annoying Tumi had been from the start, and how he had been wasting his time ever wanting to get closer to suc
h a stubborn, self-righteous, infuriating guy.

  After about an hour of trying to study, Edgar had had enough. He wanted to sleep off the day and forget about everything. He grabbed a towel and made his way out of the room. Tumi had since moved to studying on his bed, sitting with his Constitutional Law text book and some lengthy case files. Edgar pretended not to care about Tumi’s aloof attitude. He found his way to the communal showers a few doors down from his room. It was completely empty, but Edgar still felt incredibly exposed. There was a row of shower heads against a far wall, with absolutely no privacy. Edgar was shocked that what was supposed to be the most exclusive residence hall at Ridgemont University had such meagre ablution facilities. He shook his head as he undressed and left his clothes at a railing next to the towel rack. He stood under the shower head at the furthest corner, hoping that it would offer him at least a little bit of privacy if someone else came to shower next to him, and turned the faucet. His tall, slender body felt relieved in the heat of the shower. It had been a confusing few months at Ridgemont University, and all Edgar wanted to do was forget for a while.

  Luckily, no one else had come into the bathroom while Edgar was in there, and he toweled himself off before wrapping the towel around his waist and heading back to his room. When he got back into the room, he noticed Tumi looking at him as he entered. There was still the same indifference he had been treated with all day. Edgar decided to mess with Tumi to get a reaction out of him. He cleared his throat, running his hands through his damp, red hair, and turned to face Tumi while still wearing nothing but his towel around his waist. He said, “I hope you don’t mind, Tumi, but I always sleep in the nude.”

  Tumi looked up from his book, his eyes slightly wider than before, but didn’t say a word. After a few seconds, he lowered his eyes again, and mumbled, “Whatever.”

  Edgar decided to call him on his bluff, even though he felt adrenaline rushing through him. He put his fingers at the corner of the towel around his waist, and dropped it to the floor, standing in full view of Tumi. At this, he knew that Tumi was watching him out of the corner of his eye. He applied moisturizer to his torso and neck, and even turned around to apply some to his lower back. He could feel Tumi’s eyes on him, and he was exhilarated. But as he climbed under the covers, he immediately regretted what he had done. What was he thinking? Was he really doing it just to mess with Tumi, or was there something more to stripping down in front of him and enjoying Tumi’s eyes all over his body? Edgar wanted to disappear into a puff of smoke, feeling utterly embarrassed. He closed his eyes, hoping that he could just fall asleep and forget about everything, especially the guy who made him feel so incredibly self-conscious.

  Chapter 12

  The days flew by as Ridgemont University descended into the tense calm of the final few weeks of class before the end of semester exams. It was finally the night of Angela Ngcobo’s speech, and Tumi had been walking around for the entire day feeling like he was on the verge of being sick. His brain was hardly functioning, and he had grown increasingly withdrawn, probably driving Edgar even more crazy. Tumi and Edgar had both been walking on eggshells since Edgar had moved into the room at Nova. Edgar was still playing games with him, and was slowly driving Tumi crazy. He had started out by being arrogant enough to ask Lydia, the cleaning lady, to pack away his clothing for him. He followed this up with being confrontational, and constantly found small ways of grinding Tumi’s gears, leaving his bed unmade and insisting on using a humidifier that hissed for hours every evening. Tumi didn’t have the energy to take Edgar on about his annoying habits; he simply wanted to get through the following three weeks as peacefully as possible.

  There was a part of Tumi that was conflicted about Edgar leaving Ridgemont at the end of the semester. Even though Edgar annoyed him immensely, the thought that they might never see each other again when Edgar returned to England made him feel uneasy. There was still something about Edgar that Tumi longed to know, and he thought often of that time they had spent together in the locked law library. Edgar’s unusual sleeping habits had also awakened something more primal in Tumi. The first night they had shared the room together, Edgar had stripped in front of him and announced that he always slept naked. Tumi had taken in the sight of Edgar’s naked body, not knowing what to think. On the one hand, it was another annoying testament to Edgar’s overconfidence that he would do something so brazen in front of someone he had just had an argument with. On the other hand, Edgar was very nice to look at. His toned, slim body glowed in the dim lights of the room, the fine red hairs on his chest and belly leading down to his impressive manhood. Tumi was immediately aroused, and every night he had thought about that image of Edgar standing naked in front of him, inviting Tumi’s gaze. They had been playing a game of cat and mouse with each other, and it was definitely getting under Tumi’s skin.

  But with Angela Ngcobo’s speech finally about to happen, Tumi’s entire body and mind was consumed with nerves, and he could hardly concentrate on work or on his new intriguing roommate. Tumi made his way to the large auditorium close to the administration buildings on Ridgemont’s main campus, seeing the rows of cars parked outside. Many students and faculty at the university were coming to hear Ngcobo speak, and Tumi knew that he would be lucky to even get a word in with her after the speech. He had considered sending her an email or a letter, something less confrontational than just going up to her after her speech, but he wanted to see something in her eyes when he spoke to her. He wanted to get the feeling that she truly was his mother, to know for sure that he hadn’t simply been building up a fantasy over the past weeks. Besides, what would he even say in an email? Hello, I think I’m your son. Please call me? Her assistants probably wouldn’t even let her read something so absurd, and Tumi was sure that all politicians had tons of people claiming to be their long-lost relatives. No, he had to see her in person.

  As Tumi stepped into the hall, he gasped at the sight of hundreds of people filling the rows of seats. The hall was alive with excited chatter. Even the vice chancellor and members of the university’s senate were in attendance, sitting in the ornate seats at the front of the hall. Tumi found one of the few open seats, near the back of the hall, and sat fidgeting in anticipation. He looked around, trying to find familiar faces. He hadn’t told anyone that he would be at the speech on that night, not wanting to explain why he felt so nervous about it. Judy had wanted to have a study group for their Family Law exam, but Tumi had taken a raincheck. Nothing could keep him from being at that speech.

  Tumi’s eyes drifted over the sea of people, and finally, a few rows ahead of him, he spotted bright red hair and piercing green eyes. Edgar looked back at him, giving an awkward wave before turning back towards the stage. It figured; it seemed like there was no way that Tumi could escape Edgar anymore. He focused on the stage as the crowd finally fell into silence, the Dean of Law taking the stage to introduce Angela Ngcobo.

  Tumi could hardly sit still when Ngcobo finally took the stage. She wore a black and red jacket and flowing black skirt. Her hair was done up into an impressive afro, and she walked with the confidence of someone used to the limelight. The audience were on their feet to applaud her as she stepped behind the podium. The work that Ngcobo had done to advance the causes of women’s health and lowering child mortality rates in South Africa, all within only a few short years of aggressive policy changes, had made her one of the most admired political figures in the country. Tumi was clapping enthusiastically, overwhelmed with emotion. Could this really be the woman he had been searching for for so long?

  Ngcobo spoke with a voice that seemed to crawl inside of every listener and resound throughout their whole being. She had wit, a clear passion for South Africa and a way with words that moved the entire room. Her speech focused on how young women at Ridgemont could be a part of practical change in the lives of those less fortunate. Tumi was inspired, believing that with leaders like Ngcobo, there was still a lot of hope for the country that he loved. At her final wo
rds, the room erupted in applause again. Tumi’s immediately sprang into action, jumping from his seat and trying to make his way to the front of the crowd where Ngcobo would be meeting with a few student leaders. Tumi had asked his friend on the student representative council to put in a request for him to get a chance to ask a question, but the friend couldn’t promise anything since Ngcobo would only stay around for about an hour. Still, Tumi had to try.

  He met his friend, Victor, at the front of the hall, and was led to a reception area where guests were having drinks and were standing in line for a chance to chat with Ngcobo. Victor looked at Tumi with a frown, saying, “Looks like the line is already too long. You’d better run. Maybe she’ll allow a few more questions.” Tumi thanked his friend and rushed to the back of the line, where an older woman pushed in just ahead of him and Tumi simply sighed instead of telling her off. The line was moving incredibly slowly, and after her hour had elapsed, Ngcobo had only seen half of the people who were waiting to speak with her. She indicated to the crowd that it was sadly time for her to leave, and those left waiting were all visibly heartbroken that they had missed their chance to talk to someone so influential.

  Tumi was distraught. Had he really just missed the chance to talk to the woman who he though was his birth mother? Victor came over to Tumi and apologized, saying that there might be another chance someday to talk to her, and that Tumi shouldn’t be too dejected. But inside Tumi felt completely inconsolable.

  The crowd was dwindling and Tumi went to sit outside of the auditorium at a bench in a shadowy corner. He wanted to disappear into the night. It felt like nothing he did was working out lately. He had missed his chance to speak with Angela Ngcobo, missed the chance to be sure once and for all if she had some link to his past, or if she could be... His heart was heavy, and he was so lost in despair that he almost didn’t even notice that his phone was ringing.