Blood Money

BLOOD MONEY

#03

VINCENT HLOPHE

I look at my mother's picture with tears streaming down my face. For every other person it has been easy, but not to my mother. How will i sleep at night, i tried reasoning with them but their minds were made up. My life is a mess and i don't like the person i have become. How will i sleep at night knowing I'm the one who…….. dammit i don't even want to think about it. My mother is my pillar of strenght i will never recover from this. Bathi indoda ayikhali but deep down im torn apart. We make decisions without thinking and se face consequences in the end.

NOMANDLA HLOPHE

Vincent has been distant lately not that i care but it gives me time to myself. I'm not fully oky but my eyes are a bit better. I still have pains and the beating marks that are far from fading. I'm packing his clothes with somuch joy that his finally leaving with his skank. I'm thinking of my runaway escape. I've been cleaning my personal stuff and i stumbled across my diary that i used to write short stories on. It was pretty dusty with spider web and the colour has turned auburn.

I took my time reading them just to get my minds off things. I did drama in school and i was good in it. I wanted to pursue my dreams but the devil made sure that i don't overcome my dreams. Maybe writting again will make me sain, maybe it will bring me peace. I've always wanted to become a writter but i have always been scared to come out. What if people judge my work? What if i dissapoint my reader's? What if they don't enjoy my work? I just want to wirte something far from my miserable life.

I look at Vincent who's been sitting at the passage by the steps in the same position for almost two hour's, i wonder what's bothering him.

"I'm done packing, you can take your suitcase to the car" i tell him. I walk past him without waiting for any response. I look at him  with the corner of my eye's and i see him stand up in slow motion making his way to the bedroom. This is not Matrix as i say to myself.

I walk down the stairs thinking about my escape plan the next thing i know a huge force pushed me down the steps. I slipped down rollong and bouncing down the steps painfully landing on my back. I look up the steps and i see a shadow disappearing to one of the bedrooms. What is that thing.

My body feels hot and in excruciating pain, my vision is blurry because of tears. I touch my forehead and felt a big deep open cut. I scan the rest of my body.

"No,no,no God no" i scream looking at my looking at my twisted right leg facing backwards.

"Ay maan Nomandla, you can be a nuisance sometimes. W….." he stops on his tracks when he sees my body  knotted like a hexagon.

"P….please help I'm in pain, it hurts" i sobb anguishly.

"What happened" he asked with a dumb facial expression. "How did ….. you know what never mind I'll take you to the hospital" he ran to his room to to fetch the car keys.

"God please save my life" she prayed to herself sucking in all the pain. Vincent picked her up gently making sure that he doesn't touch the broken leg.

The drive to the hospital felt very long, i fill hot and cold at the same time. I'm shivering, dizzy, sick. I feel thick liquid dripping down my face. My t-shirt was bloody red which was now making me more dizzy.

"Don't close your eye's stay with me" Vincent says from afar, i felt his voice fading away bit by bit i had no strenght in me anymore until i gave up.

VINCENT HLOPHE

She has been staying at that house for full six years and not even once did this happen. Did she miss a step? What exactly happend to her? What do i tell her parents? What if they see all those bruises?  At some point I'll have to tell him that their daughter has been injured. I'm in a fucked up situation.

I've been sitting on these benches for hours with no feedback. My phone has been beeping non stop and i just know that it's that useless Natasha.

"WHAT!" Picking up my phone harshly. I'm in no mood for some chitty chats with her.

"Is this the way to answer your phone when i call you" she asked in a angry tone.

"If you're calling me for nonsense than I'm drooping this call" he snorts telling her with his noise flared.

"Don't talk to me like I'm sort of that barren wife of yours. Now listen and listen carefully i need your ass right this minute before i…….." he cut her short.

"Before what huh. My wife needs me now more than ever" he dropped the call and sighed in frustration.

He had no choice but to inform her family and her mother wasn't pleased at all she was broken and their are on their way. What if they want to see her? How will i explain her bruised face? Hurting her was never my intention.

Three hours later the doctor comes out of the surgery room looking all drained and tired. As the doctor was about to speak i see her parents running towards us.

"What happend" MaNkosi asked as she looked terrified.

"The doctor was about to explain" i tell her and i shifted my focus on the doctor.

"Well the sugery went well. She had a fractured bone which was terriblely broken, she will never walk the same again cause some of her tissues were badly separated. She will be able to walk using her toes balancing her steps. The scar   on the forehead has been patched up even though it was too deep, good thing it did not cause brain damage. But I'm concerned her whole body is bruised, it's like she's being abused or something" the doctor says looking straight at Vincent in the eye's.

"So my daughter was not lieing" MaNkosi says as she highlights the doctor's statement in her head.

"When will we see her" her father asked trying to dismiss the topic.

"If ever my daughter dies baba, my only child her blood will be in your hands" MaNkosi tells him with a broken heart making his heart skip a bit.

"You can follow me but she's still asleep" the doctor tells them.
They all followed the doctor with calculated steps filled with afraidness.

"Oh my God" MaNkosi cried seeing her daughter in that state. It shows that her daughter is being abused daily judging from those dark deep bruises. "I'm sure this is what you wanted when you told my daughter, my only daughter to stay in her marriage no matter what happens. I will never for forgive you for this" she says with a cracky voice and he saw pain in her eye's.

"What happened mkhwenyana" baba asked Vincent trying to avoid his wife's threatening and pain.

"She fell down the steps" Vincent says without looking at then.

"How did she fall? Did someone push her or did you push her? MaNkosi asked looked at Vincent with somuch vengance.

"I….i wasn't in sight when she fell" he felt suffocated with these questions. These old people must watch 1000 ways to die and cut me some slack his inner self said.

"She will be fine son don't feel bad it wasn't your fault after all" baba said tapping on his shoulders.

"My daughter must make irrevcable commitment to pray, God will intervene" MaNksoi says making Vincent shift uncomfortably.

This is all a mess, how will he come out of this? How will he sort this issue out? He thought of his mother guilt stricked in making him swallow a dry painful lump. There's no turning back from this situation.