"Do you really have to go?", Mxo asked Melo who was now punctuating his final school look with a blue blazer. The red and white emblem on his left pocket stood out.
"Yeah. It's presentations today and if I miss them I'll have to do them when everyone has done theirs. Not happening buddy", Melo defends as he stuffs his books into his backpack.
"Come on. It's a Friday today and Lwa and & I are going back home after the inauguration", Mxo sulks in his pyjamas, barefoot.
"I'll be back before school's out then. I promise", he affirms and they fist bump. At that very instant, his ride to school honks outside out of impatience. He walks out of his room and leaves Mxo there, rushing downstairs. Mxo walked out and went back to his room with Lwa. He found his twin staring out the window, obviously deep in thought. Could've easily mistaken for contemplating murder.
"And then wena? Udliwa yin?"(What's bugging you?), Mxo said as he slipped back into the sheets. The cold morning breeze around the house demanded him to.
"Nothing", Lwa coldly stated and kept his eyes riveted outside.
"You've been behaving like a fresh widow all week. You and I both know this has nothing to do with umkhulu. Tell me what's going on because you're dampening my mood too, which is unfair. Mxolisi rants and Lwa lazily turns to look at him with grimace.
"What the fxck is eating you up? I can't help you if I don't know what it is", Mxo insists. Lwa huffs out a lightweight laugh.
"You sound like dad", he comments.
"Now tell me what's going on? We've been together since womb days you should be able to trust me by now"
"Womb days", Lwandile laughs at this statement.
"Yes. Gestational ride or dies", Mxo adds.
"Oh fxck you", Lwandile laughs even harder, then walks over to sit on the bed. It takes him a couple of minutes before letting his chest open. His inpatient twin was looking at him with desperate, growing worrisome eyes.
"Mxo, I think... actually no. I've realized... Okay fxck this. I am gay", he confessed and turned to look for a reaction in his brothers blank eyes. Mxo opened his mouth to speak but shut it immediately afterwards.
"Wait... You mean...", Mxo said before he exploded in heart-piercing laughter till he fell on his side and ultimately his back on the bed.
"Mciim", Lwa irritably said and stood up to leave. Mxo quickly ran to the door, locked it and placed the key the pocket of his pyjama pants, still laughing.
"Wait wait wait. You mean to say that's the big spooky secret that's been keeping you awake all this while? Coming out to me actually gave you a headache? I've been told I'm special but this just thumps a stamp on it", he says and walks over to dump himself on the couch with an overly amused look on his face, leaving an irritated Lwa at the door.
"This is not funny", he says, still standing by the door.
Mxo tapped the side of the leather couch to indicate that he wants Lwa to sit next to him.
"I've known you for 16 years and you think.. bra you invaded MY womb space and I had to suck it up and live with it for 16 fxcking gravy years and you think this is news to me?!", Mxo rants and Lwa turns to him in surprise.
"You know?"
"I been knew! Dummy"
"How come you never said anything?"
"Your sexuality is none of anybody's business. Not even mine. You may have photocopied my identity but I have no business coming out on your behalf"
Lwandile laughs.
"Oh fxck you very much", he says to Mxo with a shy smile.
Mxo places his hand around his shoulder.
"I love you. Nothing is ever going to change that. Even if you wake up with an extra pair of eyes on your forehead I'll still love you the same. I'm not saying I'm not gonna laugh but I'd still love you the same", he confesses and they both burst in tear-filled laughter.
...
Meanwhile in the one of the rooms in the royal house,
"Good morning sthandwasami", Muzi said to a thoughtful Betso who was already wide awake but far away. He wrapped his hands around stomach and asked "What's wrong?". She placed hers above his and shook her head.
"I can see that something is bothering you. Ikhiphe lenyoka esetshanini udaddy ayibulale once"(Take out this snake in the grass so daddy can kill it), he says and Betso laughs.
"Cheesy", she remarks and he laughs as well, appreciating the smile on her face. Something he regards as an achievement.
"Tell your husband what's on your mind?", he whispers and pillows his chin against her shoulder. She takes a heavy breath out.
"I had a bad dream. That's all", she lets out.
"What was it about? Were you being chased by a screaming fork?", he asks and she laughs, slightly hitting him on the arm. When both their laughter dissipated into the air,
"I.. I dreamt I was pregnant", she says and the smile on her husband's face slowly disappears.
"I'm sorry...", he whispers in a throaty voice. She shrugged and pursed her widened lips together.
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you that day", he adds.
"Don't. If I ever had to take a bullet for you ever again I'd do it. All over again and not think twice about it", she affirmed.
"That's the thing. I don't want you taking bullets for me. I'd rather die than lose you. You know this"
"I almost lost you once. I'm never putting myself through that pain again. Watching you hooked to hospital machines sucked out my heart Mbulazi", she counter argues.
"Why does this suddenly feel like a race of who is gonna lose who first?", he says and she drops her face back and smiles.
"No one is losing the other here. We're gonna grow old together and die at the same time, holding hands even in the afterlife", she says.
"Hamba Shakespeare", he teases and she laughs.
"Trust you to ruin a beautiful moment", she says and he pulls the sheets above his head, travelling to her navel. She couldn't contain the laughs as his touch on her stomach felt ticklish.
"Wenzan manje baby?"
"You said I've ruined a beautiful moment. Allow me to remake it?"
...
The noise encapsulated by the grey walls of Johannesburg prison was hurtful to the ears of those who have not been acclimatized to it. When their stomachs get full, the prisoners always think it's somehow a wise idea to burn off the calories by fighting one another, most of the time. If the warder is an ignorant or lazy one, blood is most likely to be spilt.
"Hey hey hey! Voetsek julle man!!", the warder intently broke off the fight between the two ladies while the others continued to cheer them on. He threatened the lot and they dispersed to their respective cells.
"I did not see you at lunch", Gugu's cellmate remarks and looks at her suspiciously as she sat on her lower bunk of the bed, reading a novel.
"I wasn't hungry", she replied without raising her eyes to make contact.
"Mmm. Thembi and Lorencia were at it again", she informs excitedly to no reply from Gugu.
"Arg how long are you planning on being miss goody two shoes in here huh? Jailbird slay queen?", she mocked and Gugu pounced on her in that very same breath. She pushed her to the wall and held a toothbrush with a burnt sharpened edge against her neck.
"Listen, I don't want trouble and you smell like one. I lived peacefully with my previous cell mate. If you're going to be any different from her then I'm sorry but I'm gonna have to end you", she hissed at her and the mate raised her hands in surrender. The warder hit the metal rails with a rod and asked what was going on. Gugu quickly hid the brush before they could be broken apart.
"Should I take you back to your old cell?", the warder threatened the new mate.
"But I'm not the one--"
"SHOULD I take you back BACK to your old cell?!", the warder reiterated. The mate instantly got the message. Gugu was evidently protected.
"No...", she lowly responded.
"What was that?", the female warder said, holding her ear out indicating that she wants to hear her properly.
"I said no. I'm fine here"
"Good. Behave", she warned and walked out. Pulling the rails so she closes them in. They challenged each other with a stare before Gugu could walk back to her bed and book.
...
The school siren went off and some were already at the gate ready to go home. Melo did not keep his forgotten promise to Mxo. He attended every class and session. Mxo should've known better than to try and convince a nerd at heart to bunk school. Jessica walked up to him as he was packing his books standing over his desk and hugged him from behind.
"H-hey. What's up?", he softly said and continued packing his books.
"Non' much really. Just wanted to thank you for the flowers and chocolates you sent to me when I was in hospital. Even when you were going through a rough patch yourself. I'm sorry about your granddad"
"Don't sweat it. That's what friends are for right? I wasn't even expecting you back so soon", Melo said and turned to sit on his desk and press his palms on the edges.
"I'm okay now. Friends? We're clearly not on the same page", Jess says and tucks her blonde hair behind her ear. Melo purses his lips with an interested naughty look on his face. She took his tie in between her fingers and flirtingly played with it. Mthokozisi, Melo's 'bestfriend turned archenemy' walked in and the first thing he said was "You're an a**hole Melokuhle!". Melo turned to face him with a frown on his face.
"And what the fxck is your problem?", he said to a furious Mthokozisi.
"Busi floods my phone with crying emojies every night. She even missed school because of yalls breakup. Hell her mom even put her through therapy and you outchea flirting with this Karxn?!", he shoots out and Jessica immediately takes offense.
"You're well versed in racism but trigonometry has your dumba** by the nuts!", she retaliated and Melokuhle laughed unintentionally.
"Yeah whatever. For what it's worth, what you're pulling is a real bxtch move Melo", Mthokozisi remarked and pulled his heavy backpack over his shoulder.
"Get over yourself. People break up all the time. And for what IT'S WORTH, bengiy'thanda leya ngan. Tell her to tell you the whole truth", Melo furiously says and zips up his bag.
"The only truth I know is that she's pregnant and it's your baby"
"What?", Melo lowly says and drops his shoulders. Mthokozisi instantly regrets his loose mouth and tries to respond but instead starts choking.
"Oh my God Mtho are you okay?!", Jessica rushes up to him when she notices his eyes rolling back. Melo runs to them and they get him gently to the floor. He begins having a seizure and has white foam coming out of his mouth.
"Kuhle call an ambulance OMG!", an emotional, panicked and teary plea comes from a kneeling Jessica.
UNEDITED.
