Zanokuhle

Chapter 36

ZANOKUHLE
Chapter 36

I lick my lips as the taste of the meat feel so juicy in my mouth. This is good, so very good and I cannot get the enough of the taste of this in my mouth. I lick my lips once again and so as my fingers as we are seated on the floor and I look at him. 
“I love how the meat tastes”
He licks his fingers and puts it down.
“I am glad you are enjoying it”
“You need to teach me this recipe”,He smiles.
“I will baby, don't worry”,The baby kicks in my stomach and I hold it. 
“I think the baby likes it too”,He chuckles.
I go in for the mashed potatoes and his phone starts ringing and he quickly takes it then he answers it.
“Hello”,He frowns. 
He is listening attentively to whomever that is talking to him. 
I bobble my head back and forth as I am eating, enjoying the warm food that is going down in my belly. 
“What?”,I look at him.
He cussed under his breath and he hangs up the line.  I look at him as he turns to me and says.
“I am sorry, I have to attend something really quick”,He says.
“We are leaving?”,I ask and he gets up. 
“I have to leave to attend to something. Happy will be here to sit with you until I come back okay?”,he says. 
I stand up with him and I nod my head.
“Okay”,I quickly say and he kisses my cheek.
“I promise I will be back here tomorrow morning, okay?”,I nod my head. 
“Okay”,He gives me a quick kiss and rushes to the bedroom side leaving me there. 
I take his food and mine and I move to put it in the fridge. 
He comes back and tells me that the driver is staying with me until Happy comes back and I nod my head.  I will just play some games on my phone and watch some TV to get my mind off things while he is gone. 
He soon leaves and I wonder where he is going but he will explain when he comes back from where he is going. It must be work at most. 
I sit alone and open the TV just to get me distracted. It doesn't help so I find myself scrolling through instragm. Someone has started following me and when I look at the profile it is Kwanele.  Bhungane’s assistant. I follow her back and keep on scrolling through other places after that. 
Time passes by and soon Happy arrives. She has her bag in her hand as the driver escourts her inside the house.
“Thank God for Bhungane telling me to come and sit with you”,She says and throws her body on the couch next to me. 
“How are you?”,I ask and she smiles.
“I am good now Zano. You don't want to know what I had to escape”,She says and I shake my head.
“It couldn't be that bad”,I say.
“It is, trust me. Atleast Mam’Mthimkhulu is an amazing woman”,She says.
I do not get her but I let her be.
“What are you watching?”,She asks.
“Something on TV. I don't know. Where is your child?”,I ask.
“At Nomvelo's house”,She says and I nod my head. 
I have never really met her child before.
“Is he going to be at the party tomorrow?”
“Yes, when are the negotiations?”,She asks.
“I don't know but Nkosana said before we have to go to his home as he doesn't want to leave me behind. I wouldn't be allowed to sleep in his family yard if I am not his anything but mother of his child”,I say and she looks at me.
“Are you ready though? I mean everything seems to be happening so fast in your life”,she says.
“I will see”,I say and she nods her head. 
“Okay, we are here to support you always”,I smile.
“Thank you”,I say and she nods her head. 
We both look at the TV, my friends are really good people.  I wish them nothing but great things.

BHUNGANE

Jabu and I had to suddenly take a trip down to KZN. We have a business together that we have been running for some time. Well we got involved in it while we were in university and it has been something that has been difficult to let go as it has been bringing in good money. We are going to have to drive down there as we can't get a quick flight and also private jets are not available at this time. 
“We have to buy our own little jet soon”,He says. 
Like it is something we can just do easily.
“What will you say to your wife about that?”,I ask looking at him.
“I don't know, we will see”,He says and I nod my head. 
The ride of the freeway is not clustered but we are moving perfectly fine. 
“How long do you think we will take to reach Howick at this speed?”,He asks.
“I am hoping for 5 hours or less”,I say as I am speeding.
Tickets are not going to be a problem. I will pay them when I need to but I know if we don't make it there with time and come back driving long hours to make it back to tomorrow then Zano will have a fit. She takes things literally and she expects what is said to be done and so I have to keep my promise as the end of the deal. 
“How is Zano?”,he asks.
“Pregnant and okay. She is making great progress”,I say.
“Thats great”,He says.
“Ngizohambisa Inkomo maduze nje( I will be sending cows to her home soon)”,I say and he smiles.
“That is great news! How did your parents take it?”
“I haven't told them”
“Did you tell her?”,He asks.
I nod my head. 
“She is a bit excited. She was worried but I think she is happy. She makes me happy too”
“I love that for you man. It has been long overdue. We are almost 10 years in our marriages”,He says and I give him a look.
“You don't have to rub it in Mr one night stand”,He clicks his tongue.
“Happy wasn't a one night stand. She is my wife now”
“Yes she was dating someone else and had you for a night”,I say and he clicks his tongue as I laugh.
Silence soon prevails between the both of us.
“Do you think Happy would've married you if she didn't get pregnant off that night?”,I ask and steal a glance at him.
“Ofcause. That white boy didn't stand a chance on me”,He says confident in what he is saying.
“I love the confidence”,He looks at me.
“Unami nje namhlanje”,I laugh.
“Sorry"
“I will just tell Zano to leave you and you will not be this happy and talkative anymore”,He says and I give him a look and he laughs.
“Just keep on doing what you are doing.Zano is my friend phela”,I will go crazy if Zano wanted another man. 
.
The drive takes time but we get there closer to midnight. We drive down to where the main warehouse is and we park the car before we hop out and make our way inside. 
“Boss”,I look at one of our guys.
“Where is she?”,I ask. 
They lead us to the room that she is in and she is tied upside down from the roof naked.  The cold air seeps in through the opens windows and she swallows as she sees us. She spits her blood on the floor and we both look at it. 
Jabulani pulls out his gun and shoots her thighs and she screams. 
“Do you like that pain?”,I mentions and ask for a ladder and they go and fetch it. 
“Please put me down.”,she coughs as she shivers. 
“You know your boyfriend died the same fate because he wasn't going to be able to shut his mouth and years down the line you thought you could avenge for him”,She groans and they get the ladder closer to me and I get on it and reach her face and she looks at me. Tears streaming down her cheeks.
“I am sorry”
“Lange gave you a chance to run away and keep it moving but you didn't want that sweetheart”,I smirk.
She tries to free herself. 
“Yo-you guys were living your best lives while I didnt”
“He gave you a share after unaliving your useless boyfriend”,She squirms. 
“I am sorry”
“Why did you tip off the Hawks?”,Jabu asks and she stares at me. 
She takes a deep breath in as she shivers through the cold. 
“I am sorry Jabu, I didn't mean it I...”,I squeeze her thighs and she screams in pain.
“We don't want you sob stories Hle!”,I feel my blood boiling at that moment.
“Okay,I was angry okay. Lange just decided to end my man's life while they all did the job and he survived. He involved you guys without you lifting any finger and I was angry at him. Angry at all of you and I didn't want you guys carrying on like nothing happened. It's not like we were going to snitch.”,She chokes that moment. 
“Throw her at the ocean”,I say and get down.
“No, please. I am sorry”,She says and Jabu watches her squirm as the boys try to get her down.
“Say a little prayer for her. She might need it”,Jabu says and they get her down. They put her in a bag and we all walk out and get into the cars before we drive off to the coast of Durban. 
I feel like checking up on Zano but I do not want to worry her. She might be sleeping at the moment. 
“We have to inform Thulani and Lange about this”,I say and Jabu looks at me.
“After the part tomorrow”,He says. 
I nod my head. 
The warehouse usually is used for various things. Storage unit for our line of work. As much as 90% of our work is legit but the other percentage is not. 
We get to the coast of Durban and they pull her out of the car. We get to the dock and they take her out of the bag and she gasps.
“You are strong if you are still alive now”,She cries. 
“Any prayers?",I ask. 
“I will lead one”,Jabu mentions and we close our eyes.
“Heavenly father, forgive us for we don't know what we are doing amen”,He says as she sobs.
We pull her to the edge and she looks at the water.
“I am sorry”,I pull out my gun and shoot her head and her body lands inside the water. We watch for a moment before I move away and leave the boys to clean up.
“We need to find that friend of hers, she might know something”,Jabu says.
“Yeah”,We get inside the car and I take out my phone and send a message to Lange.
“We need to talk”,I say and I see a notification on my Instagram page.
I only created one because of Zano. She says she wants us to match and have the same apps and things on the phone and I aim to please her so I got it. 
I haven't posted anything. There is really nothing there for me to post. I just live to like my mother's, sister's and Zano's posts only and those are the only people I follow. 
My father is not active. He is more into Facebook than anything else unlike my mother. 
It's a follow notification from Kwanele.  I frown, what does she want.
I remove her as a follower quickly and make my account private. I don't want people invading my space. 

ZANOKUHLE

Morning came, I look around the room and I expect to see Nkosana here but there is no sign of him, the other side of the bed is cold too indicating that no one slept there.  I get off the bed and I make my way through the apartment looking for him and I do not find him. 
He promised that he will be back in the morning.
I go back to my room and I try to call him and it goes go voicemail. I try again and it goes to voicemail again. Something that has never happened before.
I send a mesaage‘You promised’, I click send and it's one tick on WhatsApp. 
I sit on the bed and wallow in my sorrows for a while until there is a knock on my door and I go and open. Happy comes into display.
“Hey",She gets inside.
“Hey”
“You don't look okay”,She mentions. 
“Nkosana promised he will be back in the morning”,I say and she sighs.
“There are still a few hours until morning ends. He is probably on his way. It's 9 am right now ”,She says and I nod my head.
“Okay”
“Let's have some breakfast and bath then we leave, they will catch us at the party”,I nod my head.
“Okay”,I get off the bed and I make it then I leave following her to the kitchen. I feel like having some cereals today. 
I usually like the way Nkosana makes them for me.