Zenande Okhethiweyo 2

Prologue

"You have to post this otherwise my photographer skills are going to waste" he says.
I look at him and laugh. He has been taking pictures of me ever since I can remember.
"Maybe you should quit your day job" I say winking at him.
It's his turn to laugh.
"After all those years of studying,never going to happen" he says and takes a seat by the deck.
I join him,only I am looking at the view and appreciating the peace and quiet this boat cruise has to offer. I met Angelo in university,everybody judged me because I was walking around classes with this big tummy but not him. He has been with me through the bad and good days,he still loves me the same.
"I think you should take one with the boys also" he says still looking at his work on my phone.
In the five years of their existence,I have never ever showed their face on any of my socials or magazines. We always find ways to cover their faces up. Yes the world knows I'm a mother to two bouncing boys and because of our close relationship they also assumed Angelo is their father,he doesn't mind he laughs everytime he sees a headline on a magazine or the comments on a certain picture of us. I wonder whether they realise that my very best friend is gay.
"Good luck with that" I say as I see the boys running to me.
"Careful Lwandile!" I warn as I stand up to meet them halfway.
Immediately they throw themselves on me,I can't help but laugh and spin them around.
"Mommy we are hungry!" Lwandle says immediately after I put them down.
Before I even answer them Angelo is by my side handing me my ringing phone.
"Alright boys let's go eat,mommy will join us in a minute" he says taking their excited little hands and walking to the kitchen.
I look at my phone and it's Minenhle,Zanothando's little sister. She is the only person that I have kept contact with these past couple of years,she swore on the boys' lives that she will shut up. I hear from Diego that she is the very front of pushing the fact that I have moved on with an Italian man and that I have two boys by this man. It makes me laugh everytime.
I get an uneasy feeling. This is how I have been feeling for this past week. Like something bad is going to happen what makes matters even worse is that I even stopped dreaming,my mother-in-law and an old man named Zwelakhe who I learned is Zanothando's grandfather were a constant in showing me the way. They practically helped me raise Zulu princes in a foreign land. I remember the day I gave birth,I named them Enzokuhle and Melokuhle just like their father once mentioned in passing. The boys cried nonstop for two whole days,I thought I was going to go crazy and that's when the old man came to me in a dream and told me that they are to be named Lwandle,after Zanothando and Lwandile. When I woke up and called them by those names they stopped crying. Everybody was surprised I mean these people are Italians they don't have the same traditions that we African people do.
A week ago my mother-in-law warned me that it was time I stopped hiding. Ever since then I have been feeling uneasy,that's why I'm so nervous to the point that I held this ringing phone in my hand until it stopped ringing.
My knees feel weak,I take a seat on the couches by the deck. This view that seemed so peaceful is suddenly too quiet for my liking. I don't know what I'm scared of the most something happening to Zanothando or me having to go back to South Africa. The phone rings again startling me.
I take a deep breath in and slowly exhale,it's now or never. Honestly I could choose not to answer but that would be delaying the inevitable because the time I close my eyes those Zulu ghosts will tell me what happened.
"Hello" I answer.
"Sisi"(Sister) she greets.
She has never stopped calling me her sister even at times when she didn't understand why I had to leave. She sounds down and that makes me even more anxious.
"What's wrong Enhle?" I ask.
Not recognising my own voice also. She starts sobbing. And my heart immediately feels heavy. I close my eyes and see his face. The only man that I love,my husband. Zanothando Lwandle Zulu,the boys are a perfect replica of him. Except the eyes because they took mine. There are plenty of times that I felt overwhelmed and the first thing I did was to close my eyes and imagine his smiling face next to me,his hand touching mine and I calm down almost immediately. But right now that is not happening instead there is a huge lump in my throat.
"Enhle you have to calm down baby okay?" I say.
The sobbing lessens as she lets out an okay.
"I need you to drink water can you do that?" I advise again.
I hear some shuffling on her end and a yes.
"Good girl now I need you to tell me what's going on okay? After that you are going to clean your self up and video call the boys because they have been nagging me about speaking to Aunty" I say.
She lets out a weak laugh,I know she loves those boys and there is nothing she takes more seriously in this world than being the best aunt to them. That does the trick because she composes herself.
"I'm sorry to bother you Sisi,I know you are on holiday but..." She says.
"You didn't bother me at all,we are family and anything that has you this upset I also need to know" I say calmly even though I'm the opposite of that.
"He got into a car accident earlier this morning,he is in a coma and he is unstable. The doctor says he might not make it,he lost a lot of blood" she says.
I know who she is talking about because of the little pains that I feel around my heart.
"I need you to go be with the family,I need you to support them until I get there okay?" I say trying to sound calm and I know that's the opposite.
I look through the window and Angelo is laughing with the boys immediately when he sees my face,he ushers the boys to the chef and he comes running out. I feel like I can't breathe and everything around me goes black.