The blank morning after the day of the funeral eventually arrived. Manqoba ordered the helps to remove all the dishes around the table and close the door behind them - they did just that. Betso refused to be a part of the meeting where Gugu would be present.
"Ukuphi umfazi wakho?"(Where is your wife?), Bayede asked.
"She went to see her therap... she had something important to attend to", Manqoba replied and kept it going. Bayede shook his head in disapproval.
"I would like for this to be short futhi uqonde ngqo ephuzwin"(and straightforward), he said as he pulled his chair towards the table so he sits properly. Everyone nodded.
"Kodwa before siqale, let me say this: I believe sonke siyawenza amaphutha. Ngesinye isakhathi sisuke siwenza sithi mhlampe siyalungisa kanti siyamosha. I feel like akekho umzali, in fact akekho umama ongenza izinto ngenhloso yokukulethela iynhlungu as ingane yakhe"(Before we start, let me say this: I believe we all make mistakes. Sometimes we make them thinking we're doing good while we're actually doing the opposite. I feel like there's no parent, in fact there's no longer who'd do stuff with the intention of hurting their child)
Ears erected in attention as he went on. Evelyn was already in tears.
"Nathi, kahle kahle uyibhekisephi lendaba?"(Where is this going?) Bayede questioned with a curious frown on his face.
Manqoba calmly scratched the skin above his upper lip.
"I believe kukhona okuthile ofuna ukukukhipa esfubeni. Ma?"(I believe there is something you'd like to say ma?), he sent his eyes straight to Evelyn. Muzi pinched his brows.
Evelyn cleared her throat and blew out the snort that was blocking her nose onto her pocket tissue.
"Speak woman", Sizwe was getting impatient.
"There's really no easier way to say. Son, I'm really sorry", her voice was breaking.
"Sorry for what ma? What's going on?", Muzi asked in a sedated manner, sitting across her. She pulled out more plys and blew her reddened nose.
"I... I knew about your wife's affair", she mentioned and eyes widened.
"Affair?", Bayede poked right into the anus of the elephant in the room.
"I don't understand. You mean the Gugu and Bheki saga?", Muzi asked and Gugu almost choked on her apple juice. Evelyn nodded. Bayede wore a defeated look on his face and fell back on his chair.
"But that's old news. Is there really a need for us to even have an entire meeting over this? We just buried Mxo. I'd appreciate if you didn't waste my time", Muzi said from a place of irritation and stood up, wanting to walk away.
"No wait! There's more...", Evelyn tried to stop him. He turned back and looked at her with anticipation.
"Sit down bafo"- Manqoba. Muzi sighed impatiently but did as requested.
"I did not tell you because I knew how you'd react. If I did, that would've been me destroying the family"
"Are we getting any closer to the point?", Muzi asked.
"My great grandfather once had a wife. The wife was said to be the one who was going to bear him a prince, who was later going to become king"
Everyone was still listening attentively.
"Apparently, when the wife was pregnant, she cheated on him and out of anger, he impregnated another lady of royal blood", she continued telling the story with no interruptions.
"The lady's son went on to become king instead of the first one. That lady was my grandmother and that king was my father. The ancestors went back on their word because the first queen's cheating ways". She was still narrating when everyone was trying to make sense of where exactly she was heading with this.
"Niyamkhumbula u Lilitha?"(Do you remember Lilitha?), she asked Muzikayise and Manqoba. Manqoba nodded. Muzi was confused.
"Princess Lilitha. The one whose dad bought ma's land", Manqoba tried to jog Muzi's memory. He seemed to remember.
"Well. I didn't exactly 'sell' that land. I gave it to her father in exchange for her"
"In exchange for what ma? Please make sense"-Muzi
"I was acting out of anger most of that time. I felt like uGugulethu wasn't suitable to be a chief mother so I drugged you. I drugged you the time she went to see her family and I brought Lilitha here. I wanted her to fall pregnant before uMadlamini since bab'Ngema had declared that..."
Evelyn was now falling apart.
"Gogo you hated me before you even met me?!", Melokuhle shot out.
"No baby this wasn't about you please--", she tried to explain. He had none of it. He stormed out before Gugu could stop him.
Muzi was beginning to boil. He had his eyes riveted on the table top.
"Go on...", he said.
"I made her sleep with you so she could fall pregnant...", she proceeded with her confession and jaws were dropping low.
"Evelyn...", Gugu was in utter disbelief. Evelyn was a crying wet mess. "Is that... is that why you couldn't wait to tell me that Betso was actually the first one while I was heavily pregnant? I could've easilt had a miscarriage"
Evelyn couldn't answer, nor lead her eyes in Muzikayise's direction. He was fuming.
"Did she fall pregnant?", Muzi asked in a tone that suggested tombstones and amagugu. Evelyn nodded.
"Where is that child?"
"EMlindangwenya", she answered.
"That near?!", Muzi exclaimed. "You've got to be kidding me"
Everyone around that table was pulling as many scattered puzzle pieces towards themselves.
"You're not done", Manqoba prodded. Evelyn blew her nose once again. Thando was just staring at her mother, eyes filled with disgust.
"There's more?", Muzi gasped.
"I received signs - warnings. You've always been a special child Muzikayise and I took that for granted. They wanted me to bring your son home but I stalled... I was afraid. I was afraid of how you'd react. Mxolisi died on the day I was ready to confess"
"Haa!!", Aunt Sizakele went berserk, along with Olwethu.
"Ma? Yaz ngizokubulala? Ngizok'bulala ma uyakwaz loko?!"(Mom do you know that I'm going to kill you? I'm going to kill you, do you know that?!) Muzi was already charging towards her.
"Muzi no!"-Thando
"Bafo ngiyak'cela!"-Manqoba
Evelyn fell off her chair before she could run. Manqoba, Thando and bab'Sizwe held him back. He was ready to slice her with his hands.
"Please calm down", Thando was in tears. Lwandile was crying uncontrollably.
"You killed him!!! You killed my son and you claim to love me?! How dare you ngempela?!"
The doors went open. Betso stepped in. Everyone went silent. Muzi yanked his arms out of the two pair of hands and left the room, after a heart piercing "NXN!"
Betso tried to speak but he walked past her like hot wind.
"What's going on Thando? Why is Muzi saying Evelyn killed Mxo?", Betso asked. Her eyes fell on Lwandile who had his face against his arms on the table. She brushed his back but kept her expectant hers on her sister-in-law. Thando's eyes lingered around.
