MATHONGA

Chapter 20

MATHONGA

Warmth oozes into my heart at the thought of seeing Nala again, a week later and it’s safe to say she is slowly letting me into her space.
She’s very protective of herself and defensive most of the time, she is usually far removed from everything unless she is identifying a threat coming her way.
This has me treading carefully around her.
It wasn’t easy convincing her to spend her lunch hours with me, we’ve been at it for days now. An hour with her is more than enough, I’d spend more time with her at home, if only she didn’t have work to do.
Bongiwe overworks the poor girl, treating her the same way she treats Khethiwe. Intervening is a waste of time, my sister in-law listens to no one, but herself.

My phone beeps with Amandla’s signal as I drive out the Company lot, a silent escape is what I made. I’ll think about work when I get back. 

*I’m not feeling well, please come and fetch me. I’m at work.*

Amandla’s message reads. 

I only have an hour to spare, dividing it in two will not work. What do I do? Amandla is a nice girl, yes I‘m still keeping her around. A huge part of me loves her, she’s been there for me more times than I can count.
Honestly, what I feel for her differs from what I feel for Nala. I can’t explain it. It’s hard to ignore Nala, there’s a pull. An unquestionable one.

Stopping at a red light, I text back.

*I’m coming.*

The petrol station is not far from where I am, in less than three minutes I park outside and there she is, standing by the door. Head dipped on her phone. I don’t know how many times I have to warn her about this trait of hers.
Amandla would stare at her phone longer than she should, forgetting her surroundings.
She doesn’t see me when I step out of the car and amble her way.
“Wesisi.”
Her head flips up, eyes wide with fright.
“Mathonga, you scared me.” Her voice shudders out of her mouth.
“That’s because you were so engrossed on that thing. You know it’s not safe to get lost in your phone in public? Anything can happen, Amandla.”
“Calm down, nothing will happen to me. My boyfriend is a seer, he’ll see it coming.” She smiles, widely.
I don’t know which boyfriend she’s talking about, I’m not a seer.

“Hau? When am I meeting this seer boyfriend of yours?” She laughs at my reply, throwing her warm arms around my neck. The hug is reciprocated. “What’s wrong? You said you’re not feeling okay?”

“I just wanted to see you.”

“So you lied to me?” I ask stepping away from her.
This is not Amandla, she’s not prone to telling lies.
“No… I … I just didn’t tell you the truth.” Her lashes flap, tears welling up behind her pupils. She is not a crier, what’s wrong with her today?
“You can’t blame me, Mathonga.” She sniffs. “I’m your girlfriend, but you’ve been ghosting me. Don’t you love me anymore? Is there another girl?”
This is not a subject to engage in, in public.
“Let’s get in the car.” My offer.
With my hand on the small of her back, I lead her toward the car. Trudging without knowing where I put my feet. Strangely, for the few seconds we were standing, I hadn’t been aware of their existence until they lifted. It takes less than a minute, a mere minute to run around the car and enter through the driver’s side, and Amandla is lost in her phone again.
“Is that a new phone?” First time seeing it.
She nods, not granting me the attention I deserve. I drove here to see if she’s okay and this is what I get?
“Amandla, put that away please.”
“Sorry.”
She’s doing that flap thing again with her lashes, puppy eyes glancing over at me. She knows which buttons to push. I don’t say a word until she locks the screen and pushes the phone into her bag.

“My mother bought it for me.” Oh! We’re still talking about the phone. “Sometimes I love that woman so much, sometimes I don’t. She makes me angry most of the time, mostly because she’s not around.”
Amandla is rambling now. She’s the only person I know who has mixed feelings about their mother. What if she’s bipolar?