MELAMINA THE QUEEN

CHAPTER 43

I know my purpose in life. In a way, I know I was made to rule side by side with my husband. Everything has been clear to me from the day my father in law announced that he was stepping down. The ancestors have accepted his decision and they are more than ready to welcome Kuhle as their new king. He will face difficulties, like any other king, but what’s more important is what he will do to overcome those issues. And I will be there beside him every step of the way. I need to inform my husband of my visions because many things have been revealed to me. I find him busy with paperwork in his study.

“Husband.” I call out and he raises his head. He smiles.
“What can I do for you, baby?” he asks and I step inside.
“There is something I need to tell you. I had a vision.” He stands up and comes to me. He holds my hand and asks me what I saw. “Sbo as your advisor and Nqaba as the head of the council. The ancestors also want you to bring back the twins. They need to be by your side throughout the whole term. They need to take wives and marry them in proper Zulu way. You will never have another wife, so your brothers need to take wives and fill the Zulu yard with many kids. The bloodline shouldn’t die because of us.”

He takes a deep breath. “I knew time would come for us to have a conversation like that. But their mother is going to freak.”
“The ancestors showed two ways to bring the twins home. It’s either your father marries their mother and they all come back to South Africa or the twins come back without her. Either way time for them to stay abroad is over. They need to learn about our traditions and customs. They need to learn how to hunt, how to behave like true Zulu princes, and not some cheese boys from overseas.”

He nods. “I hear you, mkami. I guess I need to have a word with my father.”
“Your mothers first. They need to approve of the crazy white woman before your father even says something. I know it won’t be easy. I can be there with you for these kind of news, but I think they would think I am a hypocrite. Not wanting a sister wife but forcing them to accept a white sister wife at their age. Especially after the king swore that MaMolefe would be the last one.”

“Is this what being a king is like? Facing tough challenge and having to break hearts of the people you love the most just to please the ancestors?” he asks and I swallow hard.
“We had to let our son grow up with a weird gift just so we could appease the ancestors. I am not saying our sacrifice is more than what they will face, but being a royal means you are not living for yourself but for your ancestors and your people.” He sighs and cups my face.

“You are going to your brunch?” I nod. “Want to put me in your purse and carry me with you all the way?” I laugh.
“Sit here and think of a way you will break the news to your queens. If you need any support, I will be here for you, okay?”
“Okay.” He kisses me and then accompanies me to my car. “See you when you get back. Travel safely, baby.” He perks my lips once more before opening the car door for me. I slide inside and he closes it after.

I am meeting with Queen Jama for brunch. I was keen to meet up with her, so when I found out that she is in town, I reached out and she was more than willing to dine with me. We are having brunch at a lodge in Essenwood. She is the type of person who loves privacy and I don’t blame her. With the kind of kingdom she is from and the kind of wealth her family has, she always has a target on her back. I arrive at the lodge and one of her guards comes to escort us. I find her seated and she stands when she sees me. She smiles.

“I don’t wanna shake your hand or even hug you because you know what happens when our kind meets.” She states and I chuckle. I know exactly what she means. She is spiritually gifted like me, but her gift is much more advanced. There are things that she can do that I will never be able to do. she even knows how to summon a dead spirit. Yeah, she is that powerful.

“I understand.” We both sit down. We exchange pleasantries. Waiters come to bring different sweets and my mouth waters. All of this looks heavenly and smells so fresh. “I can’t wait to dig in.”
“Bon appetit.” We start eating. “How has life been? Your family has been trending for a while now and for different reasons. I can only imagine how stressful everything must be for you and the kids.”

I sigh. “I don’t know what went wrong. It’s like one thing after the other. We can’t catch a break, no matter how hard we try. But we just hope that things are going to be peaceful after my husband becomes king.” She nods.
“I can tell you from personal experience that things never get easy, especially after coronation. you won’t catch a break until maybe his brothers step up to some responsibilities and take wives. That will surely take some of the burden from you. But as the only Zulu queen, you will have tons of responsibilities. I don’t know how you will balance everything with your work. But you need to set out your priorities straight. The first one being your family, the kingdom and then work.”

I sit back and stare at her. Like foreal? I am still going to face more troubles than the ones I have encountered? Kante what did I sign up for when I agreed to be Kuhle’s wife? Maybe I didn’t think things through. I definitely can’t give up my work like that. That’s my passion, my first baby. I can’t abandon it. There has to be another way to have everything that I want.

“Don’t look so distraught. No one will tell you to quit your job. That’s your company. You still own 100% of it. But you can continue being a director from afar. You don’t need to be there for the day to day tasks and everything. Before everything, you are a mother, Melamina. You will hardly find time to spend with your kids while fulfilling your queen duties, so get your priorities straight.”

This is a lot. “And here I thought I would be asking questions and you will be giving me answers that I am desperate to hear.”
She chuckles. “I can lie to anyone but you, Melamina. I could feel the kind of concerns you had when you walked in. And no, you can’t have it all. You are not leaving the architecture world. I am sure you feel like you still have a lot to offer, and you will do that. But for now, take a break and focus on your kingdom and family. They need you the most. You hired people you trust to guard your company and I am pretty sure they are doing a good job. You are about to be queen and you have no sister wife to share the duties with. So soldier on. No one will be as frank as I am with you. Some will tiptoe around you because they want favours. some will scare you and make you feel like you are not worth it. By the way, you are worth it. Hell, you are even royal bloodied.” She teases with that and I chuckle. Sometimes I forget my association with the Mkhize Royal family. Everything is still new with them, so I find myself forgetting about them.

“With all the responsibilities you had after ascending the throne, did you have time for your marriage?” I am curious about that. Kuhle is my life and I would die if I were to drift away from him.
She smiles. “You guys are soulmate. No matter what happens, you will always find your way back to each other. But to answer your question, being queen means your king is the highest priority. No one comes before him. Even the kids. You wont have spare time where you will just breathe and find each other chilling. So, you make time for each other. You squeeze each other in your plans. No matter what happens, be there for one another. And if possible, always sleep in the same bed every night. That strengthens royal marriages more than you think.”

“I feel like this was some kind of a consultation and I should pay for this.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “I never got advice like this when I became queen and that contributed to my many fails. I don’t want someone else falling victim of what happened to me. It is kind of hard to fail when you have 90% of the scope. Some things you will learn along the way, but others, feel free to ask me any time. I am not stingy with knowledge.”

“Okay, I have to hug you after this, even though it might have consequences.” She breaks into laughter and stands up. We meet halfway and share a hug. It’s like the warmest thing ever. The biggest blanket that engulfs you until you feel hot. I let go of her and take a step back. “You are God sent, you know that?” she shrugs with a smile and then goes back to her seat.

I have leant a lot from this meeting but the biggest thing would have to be setting priorities. It is going to be hard, but we all have to start somewhere. I am glad I had this meeting. I still have a few queens I need to meet before the coronation but I am less anxious now. At least I know where to start.