Amile The Queen

Chapter Eighty-Five

***Nambitha Makhathini***

It’s the monster. Not Nkululeko, but Jama. Right here, in the flesh, giving me evil eyes, and I know that he’s going to kill me.
He’s not going to pull me by the hair, and give me a mere warning. He’s noting to grab my wrist and twist my arm while giving me that stern face that tells me in an instant that I have fucked up. He’s going to kill me. Today, right here, right now. He’s going to end my life.
He locked the door, and left Muzi banging on the door, while he smashed my bag on the other side of the tiny room. My hands are shaking, so is every single part of my body. Tears are just pouring out my eyes, and my heart is sitting in my throat, waiting for me to let it out.
I suddenly feel the need to protect myself, and I start manouvering around the room, hoping I could get close enough to anything that could help me fight him off. Anything! A knife to plunge into his heart. A way to get to the door. Literally ANYTHING!
“How did you find me?” he chuckled and folded his arms around his chest, making me feel like a fool for even trying to run away from him.
“You thought you were invincible when your friend was there? What’s it like now?”
His eyes flared with anger. I plopped down on the bed, and let down the lump in my throat.
“I…you wouldn’t let me work…I just…I needed something for myself.” I said gulping down the piles of spit in my mouth.
“You could have just asked me. Did you ever ask me Nambitha?” his voice is low, but the anger? Oh it’s still there.
“I was scared.” he’s getting to me. Now I’m here feeling bad for not putting him first.    
As he walked closer to the one seat couch, he reached for his waist, and pulled out that black metal of sin,the one responsible for taking the lives of many. He carelessly threw it on the little wooden table I have in front of the couch. I sat still, paralyzed with fear. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it.
“What are you going to do with that?” I asked, praying that my voice doesn’t show how scared I am. My body is already doing enough of that.
“Sizoxoxisana angithi. I just want my wife back home.” my heart sank to the pit of my stomach.
One thing I did not notice this whole time is he has fresh incisions on his face. The last time he had those, he beat me to the pulp. Now he has his gun at a close range. If I make any mistake, or say anything that may upset him, I’m as good as dead.
Muzi gave up a long time ago at the door. It’s silent, only the heavy breathing between him and I is audible. This room is ridiculously tiny, every little sound can be heard from every corner of the house. It’s literally better than anything though. It’s certainly better than living with Nkululeko.
“You didn’t want me to marry you, is this why? You wanted to run away and see other men?” tears started streaming down my face at the sound of his voice.
I’m scared of him. I’ve never felt the way I do right now. Even when he would attempt to snap my wrist, and tear my arm from my shoulder, I never would waver from staring at him, and show him how much I wasn’t afraid of him. It never used to work, but it made me better, knowing that I tried, and he saw just how much he didn’t affect me. That is all different now. I don’t know this feeling, I can’t even describe it. I just know that I’m scared. I’m scared for my life, and I can’t even think of a way to begin to save myself from this.
“I wanted to work Nkululeko.” he leaned in and picked up his gun.
My heart started racing, and I moved back.
“Manje awushongo ngani ntombazane yakwa Makhathini?” he said slipping it back onto his waist.
I didn’t want to let go of the breath I was holding just as yet. He might just pull it out again and shoot me. No one will ever know. He might throw me in the boot of his expensive BMW and go bury me in a forest somewhere. My family will never know, they don’t care about me anyway.
“We are going to do this the easy way then, yeah?” he said cracking a thin smile.
It’s definitely not a sincere smile. He’s being conniving.
“Pack everything that belongs to you, and we are going home.” I shook my head at his response.
I’m not going anywhere with him. I’ve fought too hard for this freedom for him to come here and try snatch it from me.
“We said we are doing this the easy way nana. The easy way is for you to pack all your belongings, and willingly follow me back to Durban, where you belong; by me, your husband.” he stood up and kicked over the wooden table.
“I’m not going to have my wife living in a crap hole like this one.” if this is not psychopathic behaviour, then I don’t know what is.
“I’m not leaving.” I chocked out the words.
“You want me to drag you out of here? Trust me I’m capable of doing it.” I’m now against the wall, at the head of the bed.
I’ve slowly been shifting, so much that I ended up here.
“I’m giving you a choice here.” he said taking out the gun again.
I have no where to go.
“Nkululeko please don’t do this to me.” I pleaded as he came closer to the edge of the bed.
“I said choose!” he raised his voice.
I whimpered as I felt the cold wall against my neck. 
“I want to stay here…an…” he pulled my leg, and dragged me across the bed to where he wanted me.
I screamed as loud as I could before he covered my mouth with his hand. He proceeded to grab my neck, and lifted me up to look at him in the eyes, leaving me with little to no oxygen to breathe.
“I said we are doing this the easy way, you don’t want to, we will do it the hard way.” I landed on the floor with a loud thud after he let go of my neck.
I could still feel his hand on my skin as I lay on the tiles gasping for some air in my lungs.
He wasn’t next to me, I could hear him breaking things, I just didn’t have enough strength to lift myself off the ground to see what he was doing.
“Help.” I shouted, but it was futile, my voice was barely audible.
“Don’t make me come there and beat you Nambitha. Don’t make me the man I don’t want to be.” I looked up at him, tears blinding my vision.
I gathered enough strength, and I crawled across to where he was. He didn’t see me, so I grabbed onto his leg, and sunk my teeth into his trousers, through to his skin.
He groaned in agony as he tried to kick me off.
“Still feisty?” he asked, gripping onto my hair, pulling me off.
I should have shaved it off when I had the chance too. I screamed again, this time my voice was much louder, but my throat hurt like hell.
“Mhlali, is everything okay?” there’s someone banging on the door.
Our rooms are built close together, and sound travels through the walls very quickly. They might as well be non-existent. I’ve never appreciated them again.
“Help!” I shouted, taking the opportunity.
he covered my mouth again, and he tried throwing me across the room, but I gripped onto his belt, and his gun fell to the ground.
He immediately let me go and tried running for the gun, but I had my legs in between his, and tripped him. He fell flat on his face before he looked at me.
“You bitch!” I was now holding the gun, both my hands shaking uncontrollably as terror shot through my body.
“I told you I don’t want to go.”
“So what? You are going to shoot me? I’d like to see you try.” he mocked, throwing in a cold chuckle.
He’s taking advantage of the fact that I’m shaking. I’m scared yes, but I can’t give in now.
He slowly made his way up to his feet.
“I”m going to shoot you! Move away from me.” I said lifting the gun up to his forehead.
He lifted his hands and chuckled.
Before I could blink, he knocked the gun out of my hands, grabbed my arm and twisted it so hard, I felt some muscles popping. What was I thinking?
“I’m not leaving this place without you Nambitha. It’s your choice. Either you leave willingly, or I kill you, then I kill myself. Because I’m not living life without you.” he said as he placed the cold metal on my neck.
I flinched and slowly went on my knees.
“Please don’t do that Nkululeko. I beg you, please don’t hurt me.”
“This is simple, pack your fucking belongings, and come with me. I’ll get you a better job in Durban, a paying job. Not this.” how the hell does he know that kind of information?
Before I could continue begging for my life, I heard the wooden door breaking down, and a male voice shouted: “Drop the gun and step away from the woman!”
My cries suddenly grew louder and louder. I couldn’t see them, my back was faced towards them, but Nkululeko didn’t seem fazed, he still had the gun pressed up against my skin. It was starting to hurt.
“Do you know who I am?” he asked, as he dragged me, and had me facing the man.
It was the security guard at the gate. I’m definitely not making it out of here alive. I have absolutely no trust in him.
“I don’t have to. Let her go, the police are on their way.” he has him at gunpoint, he has me on gunpoint.
If he dare shoot him, he will end me.
“Tell him that you will co-operate with my instruction and be a good girl.” he said whispering against my ear, his breath hitting my neck.
“Jonas, he’s not going to hurt me.” I said, with tear running down my cheeks.
“Ma’am…”
“Jonas! Get rid of the gun!” I shouted, feeling a wave of frustration.
He lowered his gun, and Nkululeko removed his from my neck.
“Go pack! I’m giving you two minutes!” I’m not going to get everything in two minutes.
But this is not the time to be disputing Nkululeko’s word, I’ll do as he says.
As I stood up, I could see the other interns gathering outside the door, looking in like they were watching a film. I wanted to scream at them, but I had two minutes to gather my belongings, and he had already scattered some of my clothes all over the floor.
I shoved them into black bags. I had no time to pack my suitcase.
“Hurry up nana!” he warned.
He came and grabbed the first black plastic and told me to leave the other things. I carried the other one and he pushed me towards the door where Jonas was standing like a boulder, watching everything. Useless people these are.
“Move out of the way, idiot!” he spat.
Jonas moved. That is Nkululeko for you.
Even the girls standing outside the door quickly moved out the way, and some even made it to running back to their rooms.
I could see his car parked in the parking lot as we made our way down the corridor. I can’t understand how I missed it when I walked in the first time. In fact, how did he even get in? boJonas are very useless.
He’s whistling behind me like he’s the invincible. He’s succeeded in ruining my life, and now he’s finding joy in my tears. I hate him so much. I hate him with my chest.
As we made our way to the parking lot, we were stopped by guns and police men standing around the exit way. The guns were pointing at us, well at him, and he couldn’t really pull out his gun then.
My heart leaped when I saw Muzi’s face, and I didn’t hesitate to drop the plastic, and run to him.
“Nambitha!” he shouted, the anger dressing his voice.
He embraced me and I cried in his arms. He rubbed my back and I tightly shut my eyes.
“Drop your gun and put your hands in the air. You have the right to remain silent, you are under arrest for trespassing on private property, and assault, and attempted kidnapping.” I heard one of the police said to him.
I had my eyes closed, I couldn’t bear to look in that direction.
I felt my soul jumping out of my skin when I heard a gunshot, in fact, several, and a scream following it.
That was when Muzi carried me out of that parking lot as I screamed Nkululeko’s name.
“Shhh, it’s over!” I started feeling dizzy.
“I didn’t say kill him!” he threw me in the backseat of a car.
I’ve never cried like this in my whole life.
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My body feels heavy. I don’t know where I am, but the bed is too comfortable to be mine.
My body jerks up when my mind takes me back to those gunshots, and I let out a shrill scream when I register what might have happened.
Muzi rushes into the room and quickly embraces me when he finds me.
“Shh, it’s okay. You are safe. He’s not here.” he hushed me, but I don’t think I’m going to get over this. NEVER!
“Your friend and her husband were here earlier, but you were sleeping, I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“Tell her to come back.” I begged.
She’s the only person I have now. I have no one but her. I need to tell her everything, EVERYTHING! I can’t leave out any little detail.
He walked out the room to make the phone call, and when he came back, he came back with tea.
“My sister always said chamomile is good for calming nerves.” I don’t like tea, but I’ll drink it anyway.
“Thank you.” I mumbled.
He just sat there staring at me. I know he has a burning question. You can tell just by the way he’s staring at me. But I’m not in the mood to be answering his questions.
“Your friend said she’s coming.” I nodded.
My heart is racing. I just won’t stop going back to that moment. I didn’t see anything because I had my eyes closed, but I heard it. I heard his screams, those gunshots.
“Hey, hey. Calm down.” he held my hand that was suddenly shaking.
He grabbed the tea and placed it on the bedside table and held both my hands.
“Stop thinking about it. He’s never going to hurt you again.” he said looking me in the eyes.
“Is he dead?” I chocked down the question.
“I don’t know. I’m still waiting for an update.” I nodded, trying to stop more tears from flooding my face.
There was a hoot at the gate and he got up.
“I think that’s your friend.” I nodded and watched him walk out the room.
I got on my feet as soon as she walked into the room and engulfed her in a tight hug, careful not to squish her bump.
I didn’t know she was pregnant!? but that’s a story for another day I guess.
“Chomie I’m so sorry!” she sobbed with me.
She cupped my face and looked at me, her eyes blood red, tears running down her face.
“Did he hurt you?” she asked.
I shook my head no. He didn’t hurt me physically, but he scarred me emotionally. Forever.
“I should have known that there was something off about him.” she said, shaking her head.
“No, it’s not your fault friend.”
“We almost lost you, how was I going to live with myself, knowing I was the one that introduced you to him?” she hugged me again.
“I’m disappointed in him.”
I know how much she loved her Jama, and how much she considered him a big brother. But we met two different people. He met the loving Jama, I got the abusive one. I got Nkululeko.
“I’m going to make sure that he never steps foot in Zululand ever again.” that was the King’s voice.
He was standing behind us, he looked like he was fuming mad.
“Bayede.” I bowed.
“I’m sorry that happened to you.” he said.
I nodded.
Amile embraced me and I felt some sort of peace. Those words have assured me that I may have a shot of normalcy now. I don’t want Nkululeko to die, what about his children, they need their father. I just don’t want him next to me ever again.
“He raped me Amile.” I blurted out.
“He’s going to pay for everything, I promise you Namnam.”
I sobbed in her arms like the little baby that I am.