"Nothing dear." She said not wanting to push too hard. Tebogo was not like Tumi, he couldn't be led by the nose. One had to just suggest something then sit back and let him figure things out himself. "You are not getting any younger, Tebogo. You need to settle down and give me some grandchildren. I don't want to die before I've seen you settled down."
"I'm not ready to settle down mother." He said fighting her but Rose was willing to bet that he was ready to settle down and had even thought about it.
"Nonsense. You are thirty one years old. You have done all you can for the business. All that is left for you is to appoint some hungry young executive in New York to run the show and come back here and start a new phase in your life."
Tebogo stared at her for so long that Rose felt uncomfortable. She didn't know if she was getting through to him or not. He face was clear of all emotions and his silence worried her. Tebogo was never one to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself. The fact that he was keeping his face blank and his mouth shut was not a good sign.
"You and Mandisa can get married." She went on, careful to keep her voice casual as to not alert him that she was manipulating him. 'Not right away of course." She said. "We wouldn't want you to make the same mistake as your brother. Though that has turned out good for you." She went on. "If it hadn't been for Tumi, you wouldn't have met Mandisa and fallen in love. It's like they say, there are no mistake in life, only opportunities."
The trap was set. All Tebogo had to do was fall into it. He wasn't going to marry Mandisa of course. She wouldn't let that happen. The girl was smart, stubborn and bold. If Rose allowed her into her family, she wouldn't be able to get rid of her. Rose loved being the only woman in her sons live. After getting rid of Sindi, Tumi had needed her and that had given her life a purpose. Then he had gotten drunk and crashed his car.
Rose had realized then that there were other ways she could lose her sons. For one, they could move away and never bother to visit or they could die.
Rose had then remembered her so called grandson. He was young and full of life. Rose wanted him. Joy was Tumi's son, that she was sure of, what she wasn't sure of was how her son felt about being a father. The boy was twenty five years old but acted fifteen. He couldn't handle responsibilities and Rose didn't hold that against him. It suited her just fine. Now all she had to do was convince him that he needed to own up and take responsibility for Joy.