5th of November 2023 🥀
❄️Seven colours: a traditional South African meal that would include rice, chicken or beef, and sides such as pumpkin, sweet potatoes, beetroot, cabbage, beans salad, potato salad, or coleslaw.
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" We're eating seven colours today and you decide to skip?!" Mkhulu scolds, baffled.
We stand outside the church dressed in our formal clothes, people walk past us out the church doors with smiles on their faces.
" I'm not skipping Sunday lunch, Mkhulu. I'm just not gonna be there on time"
" Why? What else is there to do on a Sunday except spend time with family?"
"Fall in love" I suggest, smiling sheepishly.
Mkhulu groans, clanking his cane to the ground. " Now I understand the phrase that says those who fall in love are fools. You're a fool Leonardo!"
" What do you always say when I insult you in my head but you somehow know?"
His brows furrow but he answers anyway."I tell you that if you're insulting me you're insulting yourself"
"Well the same goes for you."
He grunts, his dark eyes piercing mine. For a moment I think he's gonna hit me with the cane so hard I pass out.
Instead,he sucks his teeth. " Arguing with you is tiring because we both have the same temper. "
" Well lucky for you I'm young and have all the energy in the world. Plus, I don't plan on losing.
" Do you know what type of labour I was doing at your age? If I tell you the story your back will break from just hearing it."
This makes me laugh.
I can't help it. The laughter bubbles out of me dousing any anger I had in my heart and Mkhulu's dark eyes soften a little.
It's important to note: When fighting, it's good to take breaks of laughter. It will blow off a lot of steam. Literally.
" I don't like this Olive girl," he mutters.
" You can fall in love tomorrow when you're at school. But today we eat our seven colours meal" he says, while pushing me towards the parking lot,down to our parked car.
I sigh, thinking of a way to get out of this. Once we're in Mkhulu's black BMW he doesn't say a word to me as he tightens his hands on the steering wheel,his dark eyes glaring daggers at the open road once we're on it.
I'm still at a loss for words at how temperamental he is getting from me missing one Sunday lunch.
It's not even dinner!
Until a small revelation comes to me making my heart pierce with guilt as I look out the window.
"I'm sorry Mkhulu... I should have known."
Even the air stills.
Mkhulu breaks the tense silence by revving the engine. I glanced sideways, to see his piercing eyes doused from the fire they had and left with a dull colour.
Like smoke after a flame.
" Gogo used to say that Sundays are like reset buttons. That it doesn't matter what happened during the past week you can just start all over in the house of God."
"..."
" She said that Sundays are family days and that there's nothing better than sitting at the table with your family. She may not be here...but I know you keep her traditions. I know you still water the tree that she planted years ago."
YOU ARE READING
36 Questions to Fall in Love...in 36 days!
Romance" Olivia, I liked you from the moment you hiccuped your way into my life. It's funny really but it's the truth. I also wasted a lot of time and this is me trying to fix things. I'm asking you to give me 36 days to show my love for you and for you to...
