MATHONGA

Chapter 67

NDLELENI-

He was running some errands when Hlabela’s call came through, the two-hour drive to Mpumalanga was filled with worry. He bubbled with anger when he found his brother bloodied and nursing his wounds. 

Hlabela explained what had happened, how he was attacked by a bunch of old Indian men and couldn’t fight them singlehandedly. 

His biggest worry is Kushi, Ndleleni is not there. He wants to harm the people that hurt his brother. 

They are in the car, heading to the nearest hospital even after Hlabela insisted that they find Kushi first, his wounds can wait. 

“Do you know how we can track her down?” Hlabela grunts, he’s seated on the passenger seat, hissing in pain. He can hardly see a thing through his swollen eye, and he reeks of blood. 

“I might know someone who can find her,” he’s frowning. 

How is Hlabela in love? Does this thing really exist? After everything they have been through, everything they have done together. He finds it strange that Hlabela’s heart can still feel something for a woman. 

“I can’t let her go to India, ndoda. She’s my life.” Hiabo! 

It’s that deep sir… feeling a bit uncomfortable, Ndleleni clears his throat. His focus is mainly on the road, his ears are perked due to Hlabela’s words. 

“What’s it like?” The questioned is hushed, almost choking him. 

“What?” Hlabela responds, as he wipes blood from his mouth. 

“Falling in love.” This is uncomfortable, he can’t believe he’s talking about this… thing. Hlabela has no answer for him, he is still trying to wrap his scrambled head around Ndleleni’s question. He glances over at him, maybe he will read him this way but finds nothing. Ndleleni gives that throat clearance a second round, his hands are restless on the steering wheel. 

“I don’t know, it’s unexplainable.” It is explainable, he would explain if his head was not pounding the way it is. 

“But how do you know you’re in love with this girl?” Ndleleni is digging. 

“She’s all I think about, life seems impossible without her.” Hlabela. 

Ndleleni is tiring, now is not the time to school him on love. 

“Are you sure it’s safe to love her after what happened that night?” Okay, that was unexpected. Hlabela’s brows crinkle, he remembers that night. They have kept it a secret, it’s the shame of knowing what they did, what they took from the family. 

Hlabela keeps quite, there was no reason for Ndleleni to remind him of the past.

“Guilt eats me up every night ndoda, I don’t remember having a peaceful sleep.” He’s never spoken to anyone about this, perhaps Hlabela is the right person because he was his accomplice. 

“Why are we talking about this?” Can’t the past be left there, in the past? No one has ever brought it up, why is Ndleleni doing this now? 

“I don’t want to suffer anymore Hlabela, the truth is suffocating.” 

“But she made us promise never to say a word.” He sounds like a little boy suffering from insecurity. 

“She did and that was her manipulating us. We were kids, easily manipulated. Ma didn’t care if we died in that fire, remember who rescued us? Vukuzakhe… we would’ve died with Sakhile and Vimbela had he not been there.” 

Hlabela starts to think back, Dalisile has never played her part in his life. It’s always been Vumile and his brothers.  

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, we’re free from her. We’ve been free for years and I think it’s time we tell baba what happened.” Ndleleni says, he’s basically telling his big brother what to do.