We see Davy receiving messages from Enzo, flexing his food.
Davy texts on his phone, "Bro, why are you flexing? Haven't you got a heart to save him some pizza?" Davy texted dramatically.
Enzo replied, "Of course I could, but it won't be a lot, and he could get them some food tomorrow."
Davy smiles as he types back when his mother enters his room, which is a mess.
"Davy, for the seventh time today, clean your room, but do it after we're going to the community gathering," Davy's mom said seriously.
"What's going on there for us to go there at 7 PM?" Davy asked, confused by his mother.
Davy's mother sighed and said before she left, "I haven't cooked dinner as there's a braai happening."
Hearing there's a braai, Davy dresses up quickly and puts on some decent clothing before he bumps into his younger sister and older brother.
"Get out of my way; I can smell the food calling me!" Davy yelled as he ran toward the smoke and music.
"Of course he's running when he heard 'braai,'" Davy's older brother said.
"Well, that's Davy for you, but let's hurry up; I don't want to miss out," Davy's little sister said as they followed after him.
Davy ran past some people as he arrived at the soccer field and saw three braai stands.
"A man like me should be helping out my elders with the braai," Davy said as he was about to go on when he heard a piano.
Davy saw a man with a small piano just sitting there as he tried to create something but got frustrated.
"Well, I can talk to people just a little bit," Davy said as he walked up to the man writing and throwing some papers, looking depressed.
He sighed before scratching out the notes. "Why can't I make anything good?!" the man said as he pinched his nose.
"Sawubona," Davy said with a smile as he stood across from the man.
"Yebo," the man replied as he looked at Davy, still depressed.
"I came to ask what you're playing; it sounds interesting," Davy said as he sat across from him.
The man, with a small smile, said, "Just some song I'm working on, but it's not going so well."
"Why is that, if that's fine with you?" Davy asked, curious about the man's music.
"It doesn't go well with the type of music I want to play; it's just dumb," the man said angrily.
"What kind of music do you play?" Davy asked as he leaned back a bit.
"I usually play classical and R&B," the man said with a downcast expression.
"Come on, I bet it's great; you're being too hard on yourself," Davy said with a genuine smile.
"Thanks for the words of encouragement; it really helps," the man said as he wrote some musical notes again.
"What are you studying, kid?" the man asked Davy with some level of curiosity.
"Oh, I'm studying to be an electrician, but I'm really interested in art," Davy said with a smile on his face.
"Oh, so you'll be working for Eskom? If you do, promise to give the neighborhood some power and stop loadshedding," the man jokingly said.
"Of course I will, for a cost," Davy said with a smirk as the man laughed.
"What's your name, kid?" the man asked as he extended his hand.
"Davy Zadzisai," Davy said as he shook his hand.
"Naledi Masondo is my name. Hope one day you can hear my music," Naledi said.
"Me too. Well, I've got to go; I see they need someone to help them braai," Davy said as he ran up to the people cooking.
The man continued playing his music as he wrote it down.
Davy passed some people entering the soccer field.
As Davy approached one of the braai stands, he stopped by one of the men.
"Davy, what are you doing up here with the men?" the young man said with a smirk.
"Come on, let me help out with the braai," Davy pleaded.
"Go away; you're bothering a professional here," the young man said, laughing with his buddies, who stopped when they saw someone behind Davy.
"Why did you guys stop laughing?" Davy asked as he turned around, seeing Kevin, the most feared and respected gangster in the community.
"What's going on here?" Kevin said with a cold and imposing posture.
"We were just joking with the kid," the young man said, sweat coming down his face.
"Don't worry, young one, you can come braai with me," Kevin said calmly as he and Davy walked together.
"Well, thanks, Kevin, for the invitation," Davy said with a happy expression.
"Don't worry, young one. I always allow my people to braai together and enjoy their time," Kevin said as a ball was thrown to him.
"Kevin, can you pass the ball?" some children shouted for the ball.
Kevin did a Cruyff turn, and when one of them tried to steal the ball, Kevin did the elastico and even scored a goal.
"Come on, Kevin, please play with us," the children asked.
"Not right now; I have to take this young one to Bra Khule to braai, but I promise when I'm done, I'll play with you all fast," Kevin said as he walked with Davy.
"Kevin, I'm only two years younger than you; you don't have to call me young one," Davy said as they walked up to a man lecturing some men on how to cook the boerewors.
"Well, two years is still young, young one," Kevin said as he called out to the man.
"Bra Khule, I got you another chef," Kevin said as he and Davy walked up to them.
"Ah, Kevin, who is this chef you speak of?" Bra Khule turned around with tattoos of an Oni on his arm.
"Oh, you brought Zuri's second-born. I haven't seen him since he was a child," Bra Khule said as he extended his hand.
Davy smiled as he shook Bra Khule's hand and felt a strong grip.
"You've got a good grip there," Bra Khule said as he let go of Davy's hand.
"Thanks, I've been working out," Davy said jokingly as he saw the other men with Oni masks and tattoos on their sides.
"What with the Oni motif?" Davy asked as he pointed out the mask and tattoo.
Bra Khule smiled as he sat down and gestured for Davy to sit next to him.
"You had to ask, didn't you, young one?" Kevin said jokingly as he went to play with the children.
Davy sat down as Bra Khule took a sip of beer.
"You see, Davy, the Oni tattoo and mask are because we were in a gang back in our days," Bra Khule said as he took another sip of his beer.
"Really, Bra Khule? I didn't think you were involved in gang life; you always seem like that chill uncle. Why an Oni though?" Davy said in disbelief as the sounds of meat being flipped could be heard.
"Well, life was difficult back in apartheid, and I had to make a living somehow. The Oni motif represents justice and fear too," Bra Khule said as he drank his beer.
"But why did you stop being a gangster then?" Davy asked as he listened intently.
Bra Khule stopped drinking as he contemplated telling Davy his past.
"If you're not comfortable sharing, I don't need to know," Davy said as he was about to leave to braai when Bra Khule interrupted him.
"I lost many of my close friends and family because of it and finally stopped when..." Bra Khule said as he looked at the children and Kevin playing.
"Sorry to hear about that; I didn't mean to bring up painful memories," Davy said sincerely.
"Don't worry about it," Bra Khule said as he got up and rubbed Davy's head.
"Let's go cook some meat; we wouldn't want to waste food, would we?" Bra Khule said as they walked to the braai stand.
As the coals heat up and crackle, a rich, primal scent begins to rise—wood smoke laced with the sizzle of fat. The smell of boerewors, a thick, coiled sausage made of beef, is unmistakable.
"Now we're going to add some spices to this boerewors to enhance the flavor," Bra Khule said as he put in some coriander, cloves, and black pepper, seasoning the boerewors.
As it cooks, the sausage drips juices onto the hot coals, sending up little bursts of aromatic smoke that cling to clothes, hair, and memory.
"That aroma is delightful, Bra Khule. You sure you weren't a chief? Because damn, this smells good," Davy said as he flipped the boerewors.
"Thanks, I've been honing my skills before you were born, chef," Bra Khule said as he put on some chops and steaks.
"Well then, opa, I'll be learning from you how to braai as amazing as you," Davy said as he flipped the boerewors again.
"Well, chef, I'd be happy to share my skills with the new generation," Bra Khule said as he seasoned the steaks and chops.
"Where did you get this steaks, chops, and boerewors?" Davy asked as he watched some people singing and dancing.
"Oh, I didn't get them," Bra Khule said as he flipped steaks and chops.
"Well, who did buy this meat? Because they look expensive," Davy said as he took the boerewors off the braai stand and put some more on.
"Kevin actually bought this meat today. I don't know where he was, but I asked him this morning to get it, even some stationery, but I didn't expect this much meat; that's why I hosted a community braai," Bra Khule said as Kevin was coming to them, tired.
"Kevin, I didn't know you bought all this," Davy said as Kevin sat down next to them.
"Well, I wasn't told how much to buy, so I bought all this," Kevin said, panting.
"What were you doing in the morning, Kevin?" Davy asked as he flipped the boerewors and sat down with him.
"I was just running some errands, and I got a message from Bra Khule and bought everything on my way back," Kevin said with a serious tone of voice.
"Well, whatever you were doing, I hope it went well," Davy said as he got up and lent Kevin a hand up.
Kevin stared at him for a few seconds before he grabbed the hand and got up.
"It did go well, that I know," Kevin said as he braaied with them.
After a while of braaiing, they had finished and gave the aunties the meat, then got their dishes and went to sit down.
Davy, Kevin, and Bra Khule were eating when they saw Naledi with his piano playing some traditional music as people joined in singing and playing their own musical instruments.
Davy was enjoying the music and food as he finished eating and went to get more, leaving Bra Khule and Kevin.
As Davy passed a table, he heard some cops talking about a massacre.
"You really think the men killed each other at Ekurhuleni District?" one officer said as he drank some beer.
"Well, the bullets came from the men's guns, and they're dead too, and one of them was shot while escaping," an officer said as he leaned back.
"This could just be a setup from Mr. Charles for killing his men," a female officer said as she took the man's beer.
"We have no evidence to prove that; all we got was a murder of crows scavenging the men's bodies," the female officer said.
"Mr. Charles only said his men went crazy and saw what he calls Umvuni, but I call bullshit on that," the female officer said as they walked past Davy.
"Man, I wonder how the families of the men are dealing with that. I wonder if that man, Mr. Charles, is crazy or saw his life flash before him to say he saw Umvuni," Davy said to himself as he got his second dish and went back to sit with Bra Khule and Kevin, who seemed to be talking about something serious.
"Well, I guess I'll just go where my family is; don't want to bother them," Davy said as he walked to his older brother.
"Kwame," Davy said as he got closer to his brother.
"Oh there you are, Davy; we've been looking for you! Where did you go?" Kwame said as he bit into his chop.
"I was just braaiing with Kevin and Bra Khule," Davy said as he sat down next to him.
"Davy, you're cooking with some dangerous men," Kwame said seriously.
"They're not that bad when you get to know them," Davy said as he took a sip of his brother's juice.
"If you say so, but let me find out you joined a gang because I will beat you up and then tell Mom," Kwame said jokingly.
"Of course, I wouldn't; the gang life seems way too difficult for someone like me," Davy said jokingly as the night went on.