As they exited the restaurant, Kai was met with a surprise. The patrons who had witnessed his good deed earlier were now gathered outside, praising him. "You're a great boy!" one man exclaimed. "What you did in there was really something special," another man said. A young girl even asked, "Can I have your number?" Kai was taken aback by the attention.
Kai's family quickly made their way to their car, eager to escape the commotion. They drove to a nearby tech store called "Cell C" in Soweto. As they pulled into the parking lot, Kate's excitement grew.
Upon entering the store, they were immediately immersed in a world of electronics. Rows of sleek TVs lined the walls, while shelves stacked with gadgets and gizmos stretched all the way to the ceiling. The air was filled with the hum of technology and the chatter of customers.
Kai turned to Kate and asked, "Which tablet would you like to choose, little Kate? You can play games on it and more." Kate's face lit up as she replied, "Okay, brother Kai!" As they navigated the store, they picked out a few items, including an iNtech smartwatch, Google earbuds, a TV game console, and some games for Kate to enjoy.
As they explored the store, they stumbled upon a familiar face - Mr. Ramu, Kai's math teacher. He was browsing through the shelves, seemingly lost in thought. Kai approached him and said, "Hi, Mr. Ramu! How are you?" Mr. Ramu looked up and replied, "I'm fine, thank you. Shopping, I see?" Kai nodded, and Mr. Ramu continued, "By the way, have you received the message about school being closed for three days?" Kai's eyes widened in surprise. "Three days? No school?" Mr. Ramu nodded solemnly. "Yes, there will be an investigation, and school will be closed until further notice."
As Kai looked at Mr. Ramu, he asked, "Mr. Ramu, was it so bad that they had to close the school for three days?"
Mr. Ramu explained, "Yes, it was. But we just couldn't believe the principal and the board made the decision to close the school for three days."
Kai nodded, saying, "Yes, okay, Mr. Ramu."
As Kai and Mr. Ramu continued talking, Sophia joined them, saying, "Kai, Kate, and I were trying to look at some tech. She wants a great tablet."
Mr. Ramu's eyes lit up as he greeted Sophia. "Hey, Miss Sophia! How are you?"
Sophia smiled. "I'm fine, thank you. Great to see you, Mr. Ramu."
Mr. Ramu beamed with pride. "You have an exceptional son. Kai is outstanding in math."
Sophia thanked him, saying, "We're hoping he'll continue to do well this year."
Mr. Ramu nodded. "As you can see, Kai is at the beginning stage of his greatness. He's going to soar."
Noticing Kate, Mr. Ramu exclaimed, "Wow, who's this little one?" Kate looked at Mr. Ramu with a scared expression and hid behind Kai.
Kai looked at Mr. Ramu, then at Kate, wondering what was happening.
As if reading Mr. Ramu's mind, Kai knew he was thinking, "Wow, little scared kid. Who is she?"
Kai smiled and said, "Hm, Mr. Ramu, haven't you met my little sister?"
Mr. Ramu's eyes widened. "You have a little sister? I didn't know that."
Kai explained, "We adopted her. We didn't have any sisters before."
Mr. Ramu thought to himself, "I never thought they would adopt someone. They never mentioned having a sister."
Mr. Ramu asked, "Is she in school?"
Kai replied, "No, we just adopted her. We're planning to enroll her in primary school soon."
Mr. Ramu smiled. "She'll be exceptional too. Maybe Kai's smartness will rub off on her."
Kai chuckled, saying, "Oh no, Mr. Ramu, you're flattering me!"
Mister Ramo said, "Well, I know you have a lot of potential, Kai. Oh, Kai, I have to take this." He gestured to his phone and said, "Excuse me."
Kai nodded and said, "Okay, excuse me."
Mister Ramo answered his phone and walked away, saying, "Yeah, I'll talk to you later. We'll have a nice chat."
Kai, with his exceptional hearing, overheard Mister Ramo's conversation from a distance. Mister Ramo was saying, "Yes, dear, I'll buy her that present, but I don't think I have the money to buy that tablet for her. A tablet is more than ten thousand rand, and I only have five thousand rand in credit."
Kai couldn't help but think, "How can a teacher afford such an expensive gift?" He knew that teachers at his school earned up to twenty-five thousand rand, but Mister Ramo seemed to be struggling financially.
As Mister Ramu continued shopping, Kai kept a close eye on him. Mister Ramu asked questions about phones and tablets, and Kai noticed that he seemed to be looking for something within his budget.
After a while, Kai approached Mister Ramu and said, "Mister Ramu, can I talk to you?"
Mister Ramu turned to him and asked, "Hey, is there anything I can help you with?"
Kai said, "Sorry for eavesdropping earlier, but I couldn't help but notice that you were struggling with paying for a phone or tablet."
Mister Ramu was taken aback, wondering how Kai had overheard his conversation from such a distance. He thought to himself, "This boy has exceptional hearing!"
Mister Ramo said, "Uh, yes, it's nothing. I can buy that gift for my daughter another time."
Kai replied, "No, Mister Ramo, if you let me, I can help you buy that gift for her."
Mister Ramo looked at Kai, thinking to himself, "Kai can buy this thing for me? That would not happen. Where would he even find that money?" Mister Ramo didn't know about Kai's situation; all he knew was that Kai's mom worked at the grocery store and his father was in the hospital.
Mister Ramo thought, "This boy cannot buy these things for me. How could he? He's not capable. I know Kai is an exceptional student, but buying things for me? He cannot."
As Kai looked into Mister Ramo's mind, he saw what Mister Ramo was thinking and said, "Okay, Mister Ramo, since you're not able to believe me, let me tell you this: if I cannot buy a tablet for you, then I won't be able to go to the math competition. But if I can buy this tablet for you, I will go to the competition this year."
Mister Ramo said, "Yes, Kai, but you cannot make such bets."
Kai replied, "No, Mister Ramo, I'm serious. Let me buy this for you."
Mister Ramo said, "Sorry for being so blunt, but I don't think you can do this for me. Look at your situation – your father is in the hospital, and you're taking care of a new sister. I know things have been tough."
Kai looked at Mister Ramo and said, "Mister Ramo, please let me buy this thing for you. You've been a great teacher all year, and you were the only teacher who didn't shout at me when I had bad grades."
Mister Ramo smiled, saying, "Okay, okay, Kai."
Kai asked, "Which one do you want?"
Mister Ramo picked the ten-thousand-rand tablet.
Mister Ramo pointed at the tablet he wanted, his expression skeptical. "Can you pick out a tablet that's ten thousand rand?" he asked.
Kai nodded and picked out the tablet. "Okay, how's this one?" he asked Mister Ramo.
Mister Ramo's eyes widened as Kai continued shopping. Kai bought a phone worth fifteen thousand rand, a Windows laptop, and an Opus laptop. Mister Ramo thought to himself, "This boy is buying more things than I can imagine. His mother doesn't earn more than four thousand rand at the grocery store. Where did he get this money?"
Mister Ramo looked at Kai, wondering how he could afford such expensive items. Kai, sensing Mister Ramo's thoughts, smiled to himself.
At the counter, the cashier greeted Kai and asked, "Hello, sir. Is this all you're buying?"
Kai nodded. "Yes, the tablet for Kate, new phones for my mom and sister, and the other items."
The cashier rang up the items, and Kai asked, "What's the total?"
The cashier replied, "The total comes out to be seventy-five thousand rand."
Mister Ramo's eyes widened in shock. "What? That much?" he exclaimed.
Kai reassured him, "Don't worry, Mister Ramo. It's not too much."
Mister Ramo protested, "Son, that's too much. As your teacher, I must advise you to reconsider and stay within your budget."
Kai smiled and said, "No, Mister Ramo, don't worry." He took out his card and handed it to the cashier. "Just swipe this."
The cashier processed the payment, and Mister Ramo watched in amazement as the transaction was approved.
Mister Ramo turned to Kai and asked, "Wow, Kai, you really bought all this for me, for my daughter?"
Kai handed Mister Ramo the tablet and said, "This is for your daughter."
Mister Ramo was overcome with gratitude. "Really, I'm thankful for you buying this for me, for my daughter."
Kai smiled and handed Mister Ramo a Galaxy S24 phone worth twenty thousand rand. "This is also for you, Mister Ramo."
Mister Ramo was taken aback. "No, Kai, I already have a phone. Why are you giving me this?"
Kai replied, "I also have that phone, Mister Ramo. You deserve it."
Mister Ramo was elated, unable to find words to express his gratitude.