he wasn’t good-looking. My mom
liked that about him; she used to
say there’s a type of ugly that
women find attractive. She called
him Abie. He called her Mbuyi,
short for Nombuyiselo.
I liked him, too. Abie was
charming and hilarious and had an
easy, gracious smile. He loved
helping people, too, especially
anyone in distress. If someone’s car
broke down on the freeway, he
pulled over to see what he could do.
If someone yelled “Stop, thief!” he
was the guy who gave chase. The
old lady next door needed help
moving boxes? He’s that guy. He