Waiting in the wings
Big Boy keeps his son Leshole’s pilot dreams firmly grounded.
Skeem Saam Weekdays SABC1 (*191) 18:30
Leshole (Thabo Mkhabela) has been hanging his head since the start of the year when he got his matric results. Although he did better than he dared hope, he worries that his dream aviation school will reject his application as he missed the entry requirements by just 2%. That’s until he gets a call from the academy on Wednesday 31 January telling him that they might just have space for one more student. “Leshole is over the moon! He didn’t see this coming,” beams Thabo. “The school tells him to come for an interview in Joburg to see if he is the student that they’re looking for.” But with Leshole’s single- dad Big Boy (Charles Maja) unable to work following an arm injury, Leshole might have to put his dreams on the backseat while tak-ing care of his injured father.
DADDY DESPAIR
The last thing Leshole needs is distractions while preparing for his interview, but Big Boy has him running errands on Friday 2 February. “Leshole has his hands tied with house chores and running Big Boy’s car mechanic business. Big Boy hasn’t always been supportive of Leshole’s pilot dreams, so naturally Leshole thinks that his father is lying about being in pain,” explains Thabo. There’s no faking though and Big Boy is rushed to hospital on Monday 5 February, leaving his son more concerned than ever. “Instead of focusing on his future, Leshole is worried about his dad. He needs an adult to represent him at the interview and with Big Boy in no condition to travel, Leshole will have to find someone at the last minute to go with,” adds the actor.
DREAM TICKET
Principal Thobakgale (Elizabeth Serunye) hears about Leshole’s drama and puts aside their long-running feud on Wednesday 7 February. “He is stunned when she knocks on his door. She is part of the reason why Leshole has such a low-self esteem. She has always belittled him and Big Boy, so he is shocked that she wants to make amends,” says Thabo. Part of Leshole wants to accept Principal’s help, but Big Boy always told him never to take charity from old enemies. “Leshole is confused. His future is hanging by a thread and his former principal is his ticket out of his misery,” explains Thabo. Will Leshole follow his dad’s example or spread his wings and fly?