Zanokuhle

Chapter 5

ZANOKUHLE
Chapter 5

I do not know where we are in terms of the place but it seems like a big piece of land. I look around and we are entering a place that look so woody yet beautiful as well.Bhungane is walking next to me as slowly as he can. I think he is only doing it because I get left behind easily if he walks at his usual pace and I do not want to be left behind.
“Where are we?”
“We are in Stellenbosch.”, I have heard of the place but never really knew where around is it located.
“This place, what is it?”
“We are at a Vine yard. My family got it recently, a few years ago”
“What is a Vine yard?”,I am not quiet sure if I know that.
He smiles and looks at me.
“It’s where the core ingredients of wine making are found. Grapes are grown here all for the purpose of making wine as the end product”
“Oh,so like a farm for grapes?”
“Yes, for wine making purposes only”, he says and I nod my head.
“Okay, what will we do here? see grapes?”, he chuckles and he looks at me letting out his hand.
“May I take your hand?”, I look at him.
“For?”, I ask but he gently takes it and I look at it.
“Just come with me”, we get inside and there are people here some dressed in the same way. 
Bhungane greets and the people reply. One lady approached him.
“Pleasure to have you here Mr Mthimkhulu, how can we help you?”, she looks neat and her hair is very well kept. I wonder if she can teach me how to do my hair like that and maybe it will be better.
I have put my hair into two pig-tail braids and I am okay with that though I wish I can cover it up but this man wouldn’t let me.
“We are just here for the tour and the final setting”, he says.
“Oh yes, right this way sir”,she walks off and we start to follow her.
We are soon left off to someone else who is introduced to me and I just nod my head. I don’t like talking to strangers but the new stranger seems nice. We get taken around and told about the process of wine making. Did I get anything? Yes I did. All I know is that grapes are important and the rest was information that I couldn’t grasp as quickly. We saw where they store the wine and the barrels of them and with the little illustrations I was left with an idea of what is really going on. I also learnt a new word with the tour and it was FERMINTATION. I enjoyed my time with the tour and after the tour the stranger left us and just said to Bhungane that everything is ready for him.
“How was that?”, he asks as we are now walking outside through to the back where there is green scenery and you can see a bit far the farm side of this place where the grapes are.
“It was nice. I liked it”
“What did you learn?”
“Wine stored in barrels and fermentation that I think is the part of wine making”, he smiles.
“If you give yourself time. You will learn whatever you want to”, he says while staring at me.
I look at him a bit before I accept defeat for the first time and look away from him.
We keep on walking and we reach a setting where there is a big blanket on the grass and some cushions with a basket and some bucket next to it.There are even glasses too.
“What is that for?”
“A picnic”, he says and I look at him feeling a smile on my face, a feeling of sudden happiness engulfs me.
“For who?”
“For you”, my eyes widen in excitement and I find myself squealing. He chuckles, I am doing young jumps in one place as we are approaching the set up.
I smile and stop. He tells me that I can take off my shoes and I do so and he does the same and he helps me sit down properly.
“Are you comfortable?”
“Yes, wow! This is beautiful”, I say looking at everything in admiration.
“There is more to unfold”, he says and he takes the bottles infront of him and opens one.
“I will teach you how to savour wine when you are about to sip it. Wine gets important when you are eating at exquisite places. Red wine goes well with stake in my own opinion. He opens the bottle and it pops up its thing.
“This is a cork,by smelling it you can tell if the wine is good or not”, he says and hands the cork to me and I take it.
I smell it and I like the way it smells.
“It smells nice”, he smiles and takes a more rounded glasses and pours the wine and gives it to me.
“Taste it”, he says and I take the glass.
“Why doesn’t it have the handle at the bottom?”
“It is a wine glass, the standard wine glass has the long stand underneath but we will use that one next time”, I nod my head.
I take a sip and the wine taste a bit bitter but a bit nice too.
“How does it taste?”
“I have never drank before so it is okay.”
“Wine, is great when drank right”, he looks at me before he pours his glass and then puts it aside then he places the wine bottle in the bucket infront of us that has some ice.
He opens the basket and takes out the things inside. It’s food. Well fruits and little cut triangle sandwiches with some biltong and also some cheese.
He sets it up in front of us and he closes the basket and puts it aside.
“I will teach you something else too okay?”, I nod my head.
He teaches me how to drink wine, to have a whiff of it and tell how wine is corked or not and this one is not. He gently helps me get the concepts he is using but as soon as he demonstrates it I get the hang of it.
Soon we have some of the biltong and some of the food. He takes out his phone and he makes a call to someone. All I heard was him asking for cover and then he places his phone away.
I am drinking more wine and I am liking it, my glass will soon be finished.
“What is the other one for?”, I ask and he takes a gulp of his wine and it is done.
“Its sparkling wine, pairs well with the cheese that we have here”, he says.
“Oh”, he takes the basket and pulls out the narrow glasses and takes mine away from me.
I am excited to taste this one. He takes the other wine and he opens it and he looks at me and smile before handing the cork to me and I instantly smell it.
“It smells nice”, I say.
“That means?”, he asks.
I bite my lip and think for a moment.
“It is nice too?”
“Good girl”, I smile.
He pours it for us but this time he tells me that different wines have different ways of being consumed. I don’t think I will remember all of this but I just like the setting. It is relaxing and nice. I like it so much.
We have the wine with cheese and I keep on nibbling on the cheese and drinking the wine. Soon I get rid of the wine but drinking it up and he takes my glass and I lay on the cushions and look up to the sky.
“I love this”, I say.
He rests his body next to me and I look at him as he stares at me.
“You look at me too much”, I say.
“Would you go outside more now?”, he asks.
“Alone?”
“One day”
“I don’t know”, I say and sigh.
“What scares you Zano?”, he asks.
“Being around people. Being told how I don’t look okay and being shouted at and criticized. I don’t want friends. I never had a friend because people didn’t like me for being a slow student. When I started reading books in high school I fell in love with them. I could read and forget about what is written in the end and no one would test my knowledge about it. It was hard at first but I soon was able to grasp what I was reading. Understand what is going on and It is like I am reading the same thing with different characters and different plots”
“Which grade did you stop going to school in?”
“8”, I bite my bottom lip and silence prevails between us.
“I know I am dumb. I was always pushed to the next grade because teachers didn’t like dealing with me in their grade. Even if I failed I was always pushed to the next one. My aunt always told me that I am like my mother”
“You are not dumb Zano. If you were then you wouldn’t know the things you know. You are just special and take things in at your own time”, I look at him.
“You are saying that because you want to be my friend”, I say and he chuckles and starts tickling me a little on the side he is on and I giggle.
“I thought we were friends now. That’s why we having a friendship picnic”,he says.
“Tusani said he will take me to outings too, he is my friend too”, I say and look at him.
“I know”, he says.
“Where are the twins?”, I remember him having twins.
“With my sister. They will visit sometime”, he says and looks at me.
“And maybe you will meet them”,I smile.
I look at him and then look away, we sit in silence but it is nice.
“Nkosana”, we hear a deep baritone voice behind us and he sits up and I also do the same.
I see a grown man standing almost near us and our set up.
“Mthimkhulu”, Bhungane replies standing up and he walks towards the man.
The man stares at me.
“Hallo, hoe gaan dit”, the old man says and I frown lightly looking at him.
What did he say?
“Baba please don’t”, Bhungane says.
“Bengingakaze ngithi ngizokuthola nokumhloshana. Usukhathele abakini kodwa uma ujabule Nkosana(I didn’t ever think that I will find you with a coloured. You are tired of your fellow ladies but if you are happy Nkosana) that is important”, Bhungane presses between his nose bridge and sighs.
This baba thinks I am white? I know I have been avoiding the sun like a disease but I know I am very much Zulu.
“Uyakuzwa(She can hear you)”, Bhungane says.
The old man looks at me.
“Zano please come here”, Bhungane says and I sit still and stare at him and then look at the old man before I slowly stand up from the blanket and make my way towards them.
“Baba, this is Zanokuhle Ngubo. Zano this is my father”,he says and I nod my head.
“Are you mixed?”
“Baba, what are you here for?”,he asks his father.
“I was here and I saw you so I came to greet”, his father says.
“Okay, I am well. I will visit you”
“I see I interrupted something”, his father mentions.
“Yes, Zano doesn’t do well with new human interactions. Don’t be offended if she ignores you.”
“We will talk”, his father says and says his goodbyes before he leaves.
Bhunagne turns to me and looks at me.
“I am sorry about my father”, he says.
“You look like him”, I finally say and he smiles.
“I know. Thank you. Do you want to leave or sit?”
“We can still sit”, he smiles and we get back to the blanket and we sit down and enjoy having to eat more and have some wine.
“I am black not white and black”, I say and he smiles looking at me.
“I know”, I nod my head.
I am a Zulu girl who is from all the way from Kzn. I have never been told that I could be possibly something else beside black but I know I am black. My skin may be light but I don’t qualify to be a mixed person though. Even my hair isn’t anything beside being black hair.
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Tusani has visited me today. He has been calling and checking up on me when he can and Bhungane said he will not call me but rather have to send a text message to me and I should respond back just to check up on me. I enjoy his company, I haven’t taken him in as my friend yet though.
I enjoyed our wine picnic too and I left fine, I wasn’t drunk or anything like that and we just had half a glass after the wine we had. Well I had to finish the wine I drank previously before the sparkling one. I got 2 more batches too that are in the fridge. When I am ready I will take them out and practice what I learnt with them.
I look at Tusani standing in front of me and he opens his arms.
“Come here Nono”, I get into his arms and sink in them as he holds me. He kisses my forehead and whispers.
“How are you?”
“I am okay, how are you? I missed you”, I speak honestly.
“I missed you too.”, he closes the door behind him and he picks me up.
“You look beautiful”
“I am happy”
“What made you happy?”, he asks and I smile.
He goes to the little couch and he sits down on it and places me on top of him.
“Well, your friend has been coming to teach me normal activities like you do”, he frowns.
“Which friend and what normal activities? Are you sleeping with someone else Zano!?”
“No, I am not sleeping with anyone Tusani. I only trust you”
“Who is that friend!?”
I bite my bottom lip.
“I…”
“Don’t think of lying to me.”, he says.
“You are shouting at me and I don’t like it”, I say.
“Stop being childish Zano  and tell me who it is or I will get it out of you”
“Bhungane”, he rubs his face and sighs, he seems frustrated. He cusses out a low”fuck”,after that and looks at me.
“You will never see him okay? I don’t want you getting hurt”
“Why, isn’t making friends being normal?”
“It is…”
“Why can’t I have a friend who is your friend too?”
“Not him Zano, I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“Why will he hurt me?”, I look at him and he rubs his face and ticks his teeth.
“Can we not fight on this Zano?”, I keep my silence.
“Zano, just let this friendship of yours go. He is my friend not yours okay?”,he says.
I feel a pang of dullness in me. I am sad that he is saying I cannot be friends with his friends. Bhungane already promised another activity for me when he is free the next time and he said I will enjoy it very much as it is related to something I love doing.”
“Are you sure you didn’t do anything with him like kissing and all that I do with you?”
“Yes I didn’t.”, I frown looking at him.
“Good, keep it that way”
“When will you and I be boyfriend and girlfriend because I cant have sex with someone who is not in that with me”, he frowns lightly and then looses it.
“I thought we are”, he says and I loosen my frown and look at him.
“Really?”
“Yes, I wouldn’t do that to someone who is not my woman and you are my woman”, he says and I smile.
He kisses my lips and I return it. That tugging feeling comes in that moment and soon I am the one who breaks the kiss.
“I want to do something normal with you”, I say.
“Let’s go to a chisanyama in Khayelitsha”, he says.
“Okay”, I don’t know where that is but Bhungane encouraged me to go outside more and ignore everyone and everything around me. I should act like I am the main character in a book and I am important.
I want to do that too.
I get off Tusani and I quickly go and change before I wear my shoes and I find him on his phone. He says his last bit to whomever he is talking too and then hangs up.
“We can go”, he says and I nod.
We leave house 32 and make our way down to his car. He has my hand in his. He opens the door for me and I get inside. He closes the door and goes around the car and he gets in and drives off. Music plays in the car.
“Has your family called?”, Tusani asks.
Surprisingly they have not.
“They do not care so no”, I say and he presses his lips together.
“Don’t worry baby. You have me”, I smile.
The ride to where we are going is not that long. We get to a township and I look around as the car keeps on passing by. We soon arrive at a place where some cars are being washed and Tusani gets out and helps me out of the car. I feel intimidated being here.
“You will get to meet a lot of people here and make female friends too if you want friends”, I just nod my head.
I don’t think I would want many friends. Bhungane and Tusani were okay being my friends so as the twins.
Bhungane said I will see the twins one day and I want to see the twins one day.
We go inside this place and Tusani starts ordering meat.
“My friends will join us”, I nod my head. He holds my waist and kisses my cheek.
“Relax, you will love this”, he says.
“Don’t leave my side please”, I say.
“I won’t”, I smile. I trust him.
I will take in this normal experience.