Books by Isaac Tlaka

Books by Isaac Tlaka Isaac Tlaka is a published author of 4 books, which are three novels and one collection of short stories. He's also an editor and ghostwriter.

This is an excerpt from ASTRAY LEADERS ( A Novel by Isaac Tlaka)That night, Zac didn't sleep in his apartment. He came a...
12/02/2026

This is an excerpt from ASTRAY LEADERS ( A Novel by Isaac Tlaka)

That night, Zac didn't sleep in his apartment. He came at nine in the morning and found me already bathed, sitting at the table. I was busy eating some crispy-ginger-biscuits I had found in the cupboard. Without greeting, he went into the bedroom and returned carrying a backpack. "Let's go," he said on his way out of the apartment. I followed him. Once I joined him in his car, he instructed me to open a backpack, which was already placed on the dashboard. The contents of that backpack were two balaclavas. I looked at him, surprised.

"We are going to rob the cellphone store, homeboy," he said.

"Where?" I asked nervously.

"Highpoint Shopping Centre," he replied, opening the glove compartment and took out two 9 millimeter pistols, which intensified my nervousness. There was no anathema to me like guns. That began the day when Jake pulled one on me. "These guns are loaded," he added, handing me one gun. It was for the first time I held a gun.

"But I've never fired a gun before," I said, my voice quavering.

"Who said you are going to fire it?" Zac asked as he turned the engine on.

I was silent along the journey, wondering if I was really a man enough to can pull a gun on someone and rob them.

When we arrived at Highpoint Shopping Centre, we took our time, almost forty minutes in the car, plotting. At that moment, our eyes were fixed on the cellphone store.

"It's time," said Zac, tucking a gun in his waistband. "Let's go see if you have balls, homeboy." A backpack was already hanging from his shoulder when he stepped out of the car. Patiently, he waited for me to prepare myself. When I stepped out of the car, I was feeling ready to commit that crime. With a nod that signaled my readiness, I looked at Zac. He nodded back. Then we strode towards our targeted store. We didn't rush into entering that store. We stood a bit far from the entrance and observed the inner side, where there was a short queue of customers moving towards two female-Indian cashiers. No one seemed to suspect us. "I don't think we are going to score big, because Sundays are not always productive," Zac whispered.

"Oh," I returned the whisper.

"Let's hide our faces and work," said Zac, preserving his whisper.

With the balaclavas which were already on our heads, we covered our faces and pulled out the guns, as we entered the cellphone store...

06/11/2025

Maybe my writing mojo is restored. 🙂

MAHLALELA AND OTHER STORIES (A Collection Of Stories/ Flash Fiction)I COULDN'T BELIEVE MY EYESFrom roaming around Jane F...
23/03/2024

MAHLALELA AND OTHER STORIES (A Collection Of Stories/ Flash Fiction)

I COULDN'T BELIEVE MY EYES

From roaming around Jane Furse Plaza I rested at one of the desks, which were arranged outside the grocery store. Minutes later, a certain man who seemed slightly stressed joined me. That man looked ten or twelve years older than me. If he is my age, it's either premature aging is getting the best of him or life is tormenting him, I thought to myself, stealing a glance at him. Greeting, he bothered not, rather rested his hand on my shoulder and asked how old I was.

Surprised, I momentarily looked into his pale and slightly shrivelled face. Then I told him my age.

Turning my surprise to shock, he said, "Oh, you are my age, but I was born in April."

Without showing how shocked I was by his age disclosure, I said, "I was born in June."

"So, are you married?" he asked.

"No," I shook my head, and went on sincerely, "But I met someone five weeks ago."

"Oh, that's great."

"Are you married?" I returned the question.

"No, I just paid lobola for the lady with whom I have two children," he replied.

"That's huge progress, brother," I said, shaking his hand. "Where's your wife now?"

"She is coming with my children. I'm here waiting for her. She was visiting her parents in Ga-Phaahla."

"Okay."

"But I'm not a happy soul," he said, shaking his head slightly.

"Why?"

"I suspect my wife is cheating on me. I mean, she's no longer like before."

"Brother, don't let your relationship get jeopardized by suspicions and assumptions," I said, patting on his shoulder.

"You just don't know what's happening in my relationship, brother. It's already jeopardized," he said, downhearted.

"Ah, that's life, brother. Women and men cheat. The reality of today's relationships is that loyalty is decreasing," I said tiredly, as I was becoming apathetic to entertain what was bothering him. I mean, I had my own problems to deal with.

"Your lady is loyal to you, I guess," he said, flashing a smile.

"I'm not sure about that, brother. We are in five weeks relationship. So I can't say I already know her."

"I get you, hence the saying goes - 'take time to know her.'"

I nodded. "Exactly."

Our conversation continued until the man asked me where I met my girlfriend. I looked at him with a smile and told him. I even told him how many times I had made love with her. Since it was man to man chat, there was nothing to hide. The man laughed hysterically when I told him how good my girlfriend was in bed. Intensifying his hysterical laughter, I told him about my unfamiliarity with some of the positions to which my girlfriend had introduced me when we made love.

"Brother, things have changed in a terrible manner. S*x is overrated these days, so that's why our wives are cheating on us," the man said.

"No, that's why both genders cheat," I said, taking no sides.

As he was about to say something, perhaps in negation to what I had just said, his cellphone rang. He answered, after that he got to his feet and said to me, "Oh it was my wife. She has arrived already. She told me that she's waiting by the main gate."

"Okay, attend to her, brother. It was great meeting you," I said.

"Don't you want to meet her?" he asked.

"I would like to, but-"

He didn't want to hear what I wanted to say, as he pulled me by the hand and insisted that I came with him. We then ambled towards the main gate of Jane Furse Plaza.

"Oh, there she is with my two children," he said, pointing to the lady who was shepherding two kids in our direction. At that moment, we were still at a distance from her. As she came closer, I couldn't believe my eyes, for she was the same lady with whom I was in five weeks relationship.

10/03/2024

MAHLALELA AND OTHER STORIES (A Collection of Stories / Flash Fiction)

MAKOTI

"You seem stressed, brother. What's bothering you?" said the lady who found me sitting pensively, my eyes fixed on the ATM which swallowed my bank card. She was the same lady I had seen from a distance, her eyes fixed on the ATM queue I was standing in earlier. She seemed to have a friendly personality. The type of the ladies I admire, I thought to myself while I was looking into her face. "Sorry, do you hear me?" she added with a loud voice.

"I lost my bank card," finally, I replied.

"How?" she wanted to know.

"That machine swallowed it," I said, pointing to the ATM.

"Ah!" she gaped at me, and rested her hand on my shoulder as she restored my hope: "But that can be fixed if you visit your bank and explain what you have encountered." Glancing at her hand on my shoulder, I began to think that perhaps she was interested in me.

"I will do so, my sister, thank you."

"Great. Let me go and join that queue then," she said, pointing to the other ATM queue.

My voice quavered, as I asked, "May I keep you company?"

The lady flashed a smile and jokingly said, "Well, if your intention is not to rob me of the little that I'm going to withdraw, you are welcome to keep me company."

God is generous, I thought to myself, as I promptly got to my feet. We ambled towards the ATM queue, in which we stood for thirty five minutes before we traversed the lawn in the direction of the restaurant. We then entered the restaurant and had lunch at the lady's expense. We lingered a little longer at the restaurant, having a chat. It was like we had known each other for a while. I don't want to lie, I desired to spend the rest of my life with that lady. That's why I didn't think twice to propose to be in a relationship with her.

To my proposal, she laughed and said, "Tell me you are joking."

"No, I'm not," I said seriously, shaking my head.

"You seem a good ni**er," she smiled at me.

Returning the smile, I said, "Not as good as you are, nigress."

She laughed and said she had never met a funny guy like me. As I was about to say something, her cellphone rang and she answered it quickly. She spoke with the caller for almost ten minutes. After that, she got to her feet and told me that she had to go.

"Alright," I said unhappily, getting to my feet as well. She gave me a hug, and rushed out of the restaurant. At least I've acquired her phone number, I thought to myself.

Later that day, I phoned her and reintroduced myself. She sounded quite happy for my phone call, and I took advantage of that by telling her how much I loved her. Instead of saying the feeling was mutual, she just laughed and said I was funny. Nevertheless, I believed she loved me.

I became stressed when I lost my cellphone together with the SIM card to which I had saved her number. Don't put the blame on me, for I had forgotten the phone number of someone I loved dearly. It happens sometimes.

My efforts to do SIM swap were fruitless. So I ended up accepting that I had lost contact with Surprise. This is the name she had told me the first time we met.

It was two months later when I received a phone call from my friend, inviting me to his uncle's wedding which was going to take place in Phokwane, the bride's village. Because Surprise had told me that she stayed in Phokwane the first time we met, I accepted that invitation in the hope that I would meet her again and pick up where we had left off.

My friend and I arrived at the wedding venue at 11a.m. My heart danced with excitement when I saw Surprise at the wedding venue. She was more beautiful than before. Finally, our eyes met. She smiled at me that I courageously beckoned her. As she was about to come to me, a certain woman stood in her way, and said this, with a loud voice: "Makoti, today is your biggest day! Good luck in marriage, my girl!" Then she, the woman, ululated. I almost cried when I saw Surprise ululating together with that woman. I turned and left the wedding venue without looking back.

02/03/2024

The hoarder of words is back. 🌻🦋

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