MATHONGA

Chapter 89

NALA- 

*Are you there yet? Please take lots of pictures.* 

Amandla has sent four of these and I have deleted them all. She wants to know where Mathonga is taking me and what time we’re coming home. How am I supposed to know when I was not told? He’s different lately, acts and speaks differently. 

I was rearranging my clothes when he came into my room and told me to follow him, I didn’t dispute. 

Disputes come with lies and you don’t lie to a gifted person. I still want to see many days on earth. 

“Your phone is busy today.” That’s him beside me, on the driver’s seat. 

“Amandla wants to know where we are,” I keep my eyes on him to see if she affects him. He gives me nothing but an eyebrow raise. 

“What did you say?” Him.

Insecurity will not win this time. I need to remember that this man loves me. He’s said it and I believed him each time. 

“I’m not going to reply, where we’re going has nothing to do with her.” 

But where are we going? 

He doesn’t say anything, self-doubt is telling me that he’s hiding something. I need to self-inspect, this can’t be good for my health. 

I feel his eyes on me, he must see the displeasure on my face. 

“You okay?” Why is he asking me this? 

“Never been better,” I lie. 

I hate competition, I’m not good at it. My whole life I’ve never had to compete with anyone. Amandla is beautiful, she’s curvy and knows Mathonga inside out. I have nothing to show for our relationship. 

What if he realises that he made a mistake by choosing me?

It’s been troubling me how she is all over him, she’s my sister, I can’t confront her. It will ruin our relationship. 

He’s taking a narrow road that looks kind of familiar, questions in my head bring a frown to my face. 

“Where are we going?” I know this road leads to the river, we can’t be going fishing. 

“The river,” he replies.

I’m waiting for a more reasonable answer, he gives me nothing. 

“Okay, what’s at the river?” He will never tell me if I don’t ask. 

“Water,” smart ass. 

Maybe he’s planning a surprise picnic, it would be strange. Not only do we not fish at the river, we don’t do picnics. 

Let me not complain, quality time without my sister would be nice. I don’t care if it’s at a river where people wash off their bad lucks. 

We’re there, he steps out of the car without saying anything to me. Today I want to feel special, so I wait for him to open the door. 

I watch as he opens the boot and takes out an empty 10litre bucket and a blue plastic bag from Pick ‘n Pay. 

Before I can register anything, he’s knocking on my window. 

“Let’s go,” he says frowning at me. 

His gentleman days are falling away, nothing I can’t fix. 

“Where are we going?” I’m trying to keep up with his long legs, he’s not making it easy for me with how fast he’s walking. Does he have to be ridiculously tall? We’re all ants compared to these Khanyile brothers.