Zanokuhle

Chapter 19

ZANOKUHLE
Chapter 19

“Good morning Zano”,Mrs Mthimkhulu says and I smile seeing her moving around the kitchen.
There are two woman who are dressed the same are with her in the kitchen and they are helping her with whatever that they are doing.
“Morning, are you making something?”,I ask as I get closer to them.
“I am packing some treats for the twins”,She says.
“They scare me sometimes”,I mention.
She laughs and hands over the jar to the ladies that are assisting her.
“Do you want to have children one day Zano?”
“Maybe one child”,I say.
“Not more than one?”
“No, I didn't like having siblings and my cousin was too much”,She laughs.
“I understand but it does get lonely if you are the only child”,she mentions. 
“I like being alone sometimes”,I say and she smiles. 
“You will get used to the twins”,I doubt but if she says that I will then we will see.  
“Zano, I have a friend I want you to meet soon”,Mrs Mthimkhulu says.
“Oh, why?”,I ask.
“She wants to talk to you. She is a doctor”,She says. 
“Oh, nice. I am not sick though”,I say.
“I know, she will just talk to you.”,I nod my head.
“Okay then”,she smiles.
“I will talk to her and then she will let me know when she wants to talk to you”
I frown, why does a stranger want to talk to me?
“Why does she want to talk to me?”,I ask and she smiles.
“She just wants to know you”,Nothing is interesting about me honestly. I just do the same old thing everyday. I have nothing special going on in my life either than having friends who live far and they are married to my boyfriend's friends of which are basically all his friends and the fact that I have a boyfriend. I ran away from home with Tusani too. I wonder how my aunt is like right now as she is home. Maybe she is happy that I left, I was a burden to her and I knew that but I had no where to go until Tusani gave me some hope that I can escape and see the better life before he changed and was something else. 
Will Nkosana be the same one day? Change on me and pull my hair and possibly hit me when he doesn't like something?
“Zano, are you okay?”,I snap out of my thoughts and look at Mrs Mthimkhulu.
“The twins are saying good bye”,I look around and see the little creatures with their mother.
They are near me and they are looking at me. 
One hugs my waist and the other follows.
“Bye aunty”,One says.
“We will not ask for your hair again aunty we are sorry”,the other one says and the other one nods.
They should be sorry. I forgive them though and they look cute despite them being my worst fear. 
“I forgive you”,I say and hug them back.
They release me and I am happy, they soon leave with Luu saying her goodbyes. I really hope I see them on Christmas and maybe they will not be asking too many questions a day. I am glad they didn't stay for long though and that was grace on my side.
“We will cook together tomorrow. Today we will relax and enjoy our day. Have you ever been to a massage before?”,Mrs Mthimkhulu asks.
“No, will they see me naked?”,I ask.
“Yes”
“Only two people have seen me naked. Should I be naked in front of girls I don't love?”,She giggles.
“You can wear a bikini if you are uncomfortable”,She says.
“Uncomfortable of what?”,Nkosana walks in through the kitchen just as we are speaking.
His mother turns to him and I watch them as they interact.
“I am taking myself and Zano out to relax,we are going to a spa, I think  at Table bay would be great”,I don't know this place.
“That's nice. Do you want to go Zano?”,He asks.
“I don't want to be naked. They will see my bums”,I say and he smiles.
“Don't worry. I am sure there are other treatments you can get without being naked”,he says.
“You can change into a bikini if you want to”,His mother mentions.
I just nod. Do I have a bikini? Yes I do, the one we got when we went to the beach the last time.
I have to find it, wait I left it where I live. I didn't pack it.
“Excuse me I need to make a call”,his mother says
“I left it where I live. I don't have it in my bag”,I say.
He comes closer to me, the two woman quickly move out of the kitchen leaving the two of us in here. 
“You didn't wake me up when you woke up”,I say.
“You were peaceful, I didn't want to disturb you”,He says and I nod my head.
“We will buy another bikini for you on the way”,he says.
“But I have one”,I say.
“I know, you will get another one then”,I nod my head.
“Can I get a kiss?”,he asks.
“A small one”,he lightly frowns as I show him the measure of the kiss he will get with my fingers. 
He gets closer to me and I look up to him as he looks down on me.
“Why am I getting a small one?”,He asks.
“There are people in the house. They will see us”,I say and he chuckles. 
“Welll there is no one here in the kitchen, no one will see us”,He leans in and holds my cheek with his one hand and we share a kiss and I close my eyes. 
He breaks it after a while and looks at me.
“No one caught us”,I giggle.
“That was fun”,my heart is beating fast.
He chuckles.
“It was”
-----------------
The weather is not the best today but the sun is there to show that it still exists. We are now here at this place, seeing the ocean just makes me happy and this is one of the reasons why I love this place.
Nkosana is here with us, I didn't want him to stay behind because, well because he doesn't have anyone he will stay with and also the driver and himself are not really friends. They talk time to time but I know they are not friends so I didn't want him to stay alone in that big house.
The driver is with us, I am happy I finally got to pay him back and I am happy that he is also happy with the muffins that I compensate him with since I do not have money to give to him and him appreciating my muffins makes me happy.
We are not overdressed. Just a simple dress with sandals and a sun hat for Mrs Mthimkhulu and a small one for me.  She said we would look cute and matching. She is right, we are matching.
I have my bikini in this bag I have in my hand. Yes I have a bag now! I just got it when I went bikini shopping. Mrs Mthimkhulu said a lady should always have a bag and I think I am one of the ladies now since I have one though it doesn't have much things in it beside my Vaseline and the undergarment I will wear and some new sunglasses and hand cream but beside that. There is no money in it. Who knows though? If someone steals it then they will get that nothing.
We get inside of this place, we are taken in, greeted and also given something to drink on.  We get prepared and Nkosana sits on the couches there as we wait a bit. His mother busy with the lady who works here. It is beautiful. 
I sit next to him and he pulls me by my waist to be closer to him and I do get closer and cross my legs. 
“You are beautiful baby”,he says and I look at him and I feel my cheeks heating up.
I shy away from him.This always makes me shy all the time.Why do I have to be so shy though?
His mother comes back with two ladies and they ask us to follow them leaving Bhungane seated as we go with these women. One asks me to come with her and I will seperate from Bhungane's mother for some time. I am getting a bit anxious but she assures me that we will be okay. 
We get inside a certain room and the door closes and she introduces herself before she asks me to go and take off my clothes and I move to the changing area and wear my bikini and put on a gown over. I come out and she is ready for me. She asks me if I want to remove my wig for my head massage and I look at her with a frown.
“I don't have a wig on”,I say as I touch my hair.
“Oh, wow your hair is nice”
“I am not donating it”,I say and she frowns for a moment.
She tells me that I must get on the massage bed and I do so after taking off my gown and lay there on my stomach. She puts a towel over me and I breathe in and out as my face is over the space and I can see her legs and the floor. 
I wonder why I have to lay like this. She makes me take a whiff of the oils she will use off her hands. Soothing music is being played and she starts with the warm oil applying it on my shoulders and starts to massage there before she goes down on my back and with time I fall asleep. 
.
“Ma'am”,I open my eyes and I am still looking at the floor. 
“Miss”,I sit up and my body feels great. So light, I feel like a brand new person.
The towel is on me still and I stretch myself before I ask her to assist me down and she does help me. 
“We are done?”,I ask.
“Yes, you can go for the next treatment”,She says and I just nod my head.
“Thank you, you have soft hands like a teddy bear”,She laughs and smiles there after.
“Thank you”,I get the gown and make my way to take the gown and I walk out of the room and Nkosana is still here seated while on his phone. 
“I am back”,I say and he looks up from his phone and puts it away immediately and he stands up from the couch he is sitting one.
“I slept”,I say before he could say anything else.
“Did you like it?”,I nod my head.
“Yes I did, I have to do the next treatment”
“Let me take you there.”,I nod my head and he stretches his hand out for me and I quickly take his hand and we both move to where my next treament is and his mother is there too. They are doing her feet and she smiles when she sees us.
“Come and join me Zano”,She says and I rush to the chair next to her and sit down. A lady comes and she attends to my little feet. I giggle as it is a bit ticklish too. 
“Are you enjoying Zano?”,I nod my head.
“Mmh hmm, the lady has nice hands”,I say and she smiles. 
“I am glad you are enjoying.Nkosana take a picture of us, uhleli nje awenzi lutho.(You are just sitting and doing nothing)I need to post on my page”
“What page?”,I ask.
“Social media. Luu introduced me to Instagram 3 years ago and it has been more effective for me.”,She says.
Well I only use WhatsApp.
Nkosana doesn't protest upon his mother's requests but instead he does as he is told. I look at the lady busy with my feet. I like this, I always look forward to doing some activities and this, this is something I always look forward to. 

REFILWE

It has been tough, I didn't think that I would ever feel this way especially considering that it hasn't been that long since Bhungane and I broke up but I still cannot believe that he broke things off with me.  We have been together for 2 years, it was promising on my side. He is not one to just date so to me it felt like things were heading in the right direction and my days of suffering were over until that fateful day when he kicked me out of his apartment in Johannesburg and shipped me back here and hasn't spoken to me since then. I always went to the club hoping that he will be back and we will talk but I always get the same answer.‘He is not here’, meaning that he is not back as yet and still in Johannesburg. 
If he told me to learn how to cook, I would've learnt to atleast be able to make a decent breakfast for him. That is as far as I could go. My mother didn't teach me how to cook and clean as she said that will not matter when a man loves me and I thought that he atleast likes me.
“Refilwe!”,I hear a knock on my apartment door.
I am glad he let me have this place, what would've been of my name if I was sent back to the township renting in a back room because I cannot afford this area on my own.
I get off my bed and make my way to the door and I open it. I come face to face with my mother with her luggage. I frown while looking at her. 
“Mme what are you doing here?”,I ask.
“You have been ignoring my calls so I thought I should check of my child is not dying somewhere”,She cares, she should because I am her only child.
“You didn't have to travel all the way from home. Where did you leave dad?”,I ask
“He is going to be fine. He is home. I want to come in",I move out of the way and she makes her way in. 
She looks around still mesmerized like she has never been here before.
It was last year when she came here. When I moved into this apartment and when Bhungane surprised me with it, I was so happy. My own space in a classy area just hinted how much of a man he is and that I should by all means keep. I knew then that I shouldn't be a whore in the relationship as he is the first man to get me a car and apartment. The rest, just bought luxury items for me.
“You look horrible. Your face is has patches under your eyes. Have you not been taking care of your skin?”,She asks as I turn away from her.
“Mah, I am going through alot”
“A lady never goes through alot"
“My boyfriend dumped me”,I say and take in a deep breathe before I release it and turn to her. 
“Monna wa gago wamoZulu?”
“Ee mma (yes)”,she gasps.
“Refilwe! What did you do?”
“Nothing, I didn't even cheat. I thought he was going to propose and then...he dumped me and said it was not working and he let me keep everything he got for me.”
“Oh no”,She paces up and down.
“Can't you talk to him and get him back?”
“How ? We were in Johannesburg and now I am here.  He is not back yet”,I say.
“I don't want you to end up like your cousin's.You are too beautiful for that”
“I know”,I say.
“Talk to him, try to get him back or find his replacement. You know you cannot survive"
“I have a few men on the line"
“He was perfect because he was your age mate and people will stop saying I was throwing you to old men”,She says and I sigh. 
I sit down on the couch.
“He was perfect. The only boy child and his family is rich, his mother is Buhlalo Mthimkhulu.”
“Dont worry, we will figure things out. Mommy is here.”
“Maybe I should go back to Johannesburg and beg him”,I say looking at her.
“Where will you stay?”
I swallow as I look at her.
“Le rragweKhanyi”,I say.
“Awoa Refilwe”,she shakes her head.
“Please, I am desperate”,I say.
She closes her eyes.
“Don't take anything expensive and that you like. You know how things disappear when those girls are around. I will speak with him”,I smile.
“Thank you”,I hug her.
“You will stay for 2 days and come back”,I nod my head.
That's all I need in fact.
My phone rings and I excuse myself to attend to it. 
I get it and it is my friend. I quickly answer. 
“Open instagram”,She says.
“Okay”,She hangs up and I go to instagram.
She has sent a DM and I open it. It's a post. I open it and it's from Bhungane's mother. He doesn't use social media. Only his sister and mother of which I follow. I had to know what family I was going to go into. 
I open the post and she posted 3 slides. One of herself and the other one is of herself and that girl that Bhungane said they are friends. I feel like my blood sugar levels are lowering. The last one was a nail on the coffin when it was the 3 of them in the picture. 
It seems like they were out. He didn't even inform me that he was back in Capetown.I try to breathe and call my friend.
“Chomi"
“I think he moved on, this girl cannot be family, we have been following this woman for years”,She says.
“She was at my house one time. I knew this illiterate bitch was after him!”,I say.
“What do we do? Do we find her and get her? Send a message?”
“No, I don't want to be on Bhungane's bad foot. He told me to never cross paths with her and I don't want to test him you know how he is like”
“How will you get him back then?”
“I need to be sure of what is going on”,I hang up.
“What is wrong?”,my mom asks.
“Bhungane is in Cape town and he didn't tell me"
“Perfect! You need to see him and talk to him”,I really do need to talk to him.