Melokuhle continued coughing while trying to stabilize his breathing at the same time. Manqoba looked up to the heavens and clasped his hands together in gratitude.
"Hayi noh. I can die now. I have surely seen it all", Buthelezi mumbled to himself. Muzi pulled Melokuhle tightly to his chest and shut his eyes, faced with the difficulty of actually believing that this was not a dream and that it was indeed happening. Melo was still lost and disoriented.
"I'm really sorry you had to go through all this before I could find you", Muzi sincerely expressed.
"My throat is dry", Melo let out coarsely and weakly through his ashy and dry lips.
"Let's get him home", Manqoba said before standing up. Muzi got up as well and carried Melo in his arms, they then all walked to the car.
"The body? I'm suddenly not sure about just leaving him here. It might come back to us", Buthelezi said.
"What body?", Melokuhle asked after Muzi placed him in the back of the car.
"Now is not the right time to be talking about that", Manqoba whispered to Buthelezi. They all ignored Melokuhle's question and drove home. Buthelezi dropped them off and drove away. Muzi tried offering balance to Melo but he raised his hand and said he's fine. The guards were happy to see Melo back in a single functional piece.
"How are you feeling?"-Muzi
"My whole body is in pain but I'm fine. Is anybody going to tell me what is actually going on here?", he asked as they continued walking to the house. Evelyn quickly rushed to them when they opened the door.
"Care to explain why all your phones were off?! Where the hell have you bee--, Melokuhle, why are you so dirty? What is going?", she rambled in anger.
"Your guess is as good as mine", Melo said and proceeded to the stairs. Manqoba dropped himself on one of the bar stools in the kitchen and Muzi sighed, heavily. Evelyn was still waiting for an answer with her hands in the air. She dropped them and slowly walked towards Muzi when she realized how distressed he looked. Her eyes travelled to Manqoba who had his bowed head in his hands. She continued looking for answers, looking the stairs and back at Muzi, confused.
"Why do you look so terrible? What happened?", she softly asked and Muzi walked past her, following Melo to his room. Manqoba had no choice but to take up the task of filling her in.
...
Melo turned on the faucet in the shower and entered in there with his soiled school clothes. His shirt was far from being recognized as white. Muzi heard the water running and decided to give him some time to himself. He walked back downstairs. Evelyn and Manqoba were sitting in the living room, with her hand on her mouth as the news struck her dumbfounded. She finally closed her mouth and fell back on the couch. Muzi dropped himself down on the single couch at the corner.
"How is he?", Manqoba asked. It took Muzi a moment before he could answer.
"I am waiting for him to get done showering. I don't know", he informed.
"Do you think he's aware of what almost happened to him?"-Manqoba
"I think he's mostly affected by the fact that we pulled him out of a grave. I also wouldn't know how to feel if I was buried alive", Evelyn said in a low yet shocked tone.
"I'm still trying to understand what actually happened here. Why did they bury him if it's his body parts they wanted?", Muzi questioned.
"Only he can answer some of the questions we have. Which I also don't think is a good idea to ask", Muzi said.
"Let me go make him something to eat. He must be starving", Evelyn stated and quickly got up. Manqoba told Muzi that he was going to check on Enhle since she's an early sleeper. Muzi just nodded. Melokuhle walked down the stairs looking more decent and humanly, just as his grandmother was about to go up.
"Come. Come and eat", she said as she took quick steps in front of him back into the living room. Manqoba sat back down, plastered in concerned curiosity. Melo uncovered the plate and grabbed a spoon. His grandmother had placed four pieces of chicken on top of the samp swimming in stew soup. The food was overwhelming and the potatoes halves were not even trying to unburden this fact.
"I saw umkhulu", he dropped his statement right into center of the atmosphere suffocated by damp and grey morosity.
"Hm?", Evelyn said before settling down next to him. Muzi stood up from the far couch to sit across them. Melo continued chewing.
"I was with him and the others, including the one that looks exactly like you", he explained and raised his eyes to Muzi. He'd seen him in old black and white pictures. Muzi shifted his sight to his brother
"Where?", Manqoba asked. Evelyn dusted the particles of soil she saw in his wet hair.
"I don't know that place. It was all so messy and confusing. What I remember is that I felt like I was under water. I suddenly feel like a lot has been wiped off my memory or something", he explained with all their eyes intently focusing on him. He just continued eating.
"Maybe you forgot because they don't want you to remember?", Evelyn said softly and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"How I wish I could see him too...", she let out as her mind swirled into a reverie.
"I still don't understand what really happened here"-Muzi
"Makhosonke?", Manqoba probed.
"Hm?"
"You'll have to forgive me for this but are you sure that baby was yours my boy?"
Melokuhle raised his puzzled face.
"What do you mean?"
"No man something doesn't quite make sense here. If they managed to get the baby out of her for these sick rituals then why did they still need you if the baby was your blood?", Manqoba tried pulling the puzzle pieces to the center of the table of sense.
"I don't think he would've went through all that morning sickness if he wasn't the father?", Evelyn dropped the missing piece that Manqoba had neglected.
"Ma has a point", Muzi commented.
"Whose baby did you think it was?", Melokuhle asked. Manqoba opened his mouth then immediately closed it when he realized that Melo didn't know. .
"Why do I feel like there's a lot you're keeping from me?", Melo's question was punctuated by the sound of the spoon dropping on top of the ceramic plate.
"Dad?"-Melokuhle.
Muzi put his hand behind his neck, trying to figure out where to start. Melo popped his eyes and jerked his head to indicate that he was impatiently waiting for an answer.
"Eish boy listen... Buthelezi did some digging aand, he found that Busi's autopsy report was fabricated to hide a few things...", Muzi explained in the gentlest way he found possible. A frown was shrinking on Melokuhle's face.
"Number one, the cyanide that her 'parents' lied about, the amount that was in her blood was not enough to cause death in the space of time the second autopsy report stated. Number two, her cranium suffered a blow like she had been hit with something. Number three, the baby was missing when her body was collected for a postmortem. So, we don't think she committed suicide. She was probably killed or the induced abortion went wrong. He also found that they were not only abusing her emotionally, but sexually too", Muzi went on. Melokuhle lips were incredulously parted. He stood up from the couch and shortly settled back down on the armrest.
"But... that doesn't make sense", he lowly argued. They all kept silent, with absolutely no idea of what to say next.
"The things she said to me that day, it took me a stupid while to realise that she was actually saying goodbye to me. Why didn't she run, tell me or do something if she knew that they were planning to kill her? Why didnt she tell me that that bustard--!"
"People tend to know when they're about to die. She might have said goodbye without herself even realizing it. Death operates like that sometimes", Evelyn tried to console his heart.
"But my thing is, why was there a suicide note? In her own handwriting?", Manqoba asked.
"Maybe... maybe she was planning on taking her life, they found out what she was planning to do then got mad because they needed the baby. Her killing herself was going to derail their plans I'm guessing?"-Muzi
"OR, the plan could've been about Melokuhle from the start. Maybe she was a disobedient pawn"-Manqoba
"Wait, you mean, they could've been using her to get to Melokuhle then she somehow messed up the plan?"-Muzi
"Nah that's not true", Melokuhle objected while shaking his head.
"Son, she was probably being used to get you to them, then fell in love, resulting in her backing out of the whole plan"
"Yazin, let me just go to bed", Melo said before shooting up to leave. Muzi tried getting up to follow him but Evelyn stopped him.
"Give him the space he needs to digest this. It's all too much for the boy", she suggested.
"My main concern right now is that bab'Ngema is very sick and Makhosonke needs to be cleansed", Manqoba gravely stated.
"I'll call Bayede. And Hlengiwe. They'll know what to do",Evelyn assured before releasing a very loud sigh. She unlocked her phone for a quick glance at time.
"It's heading to twelve. The two of you have had a long day. Go get some sleep", she said to the two and they shortly stood up. They then took their silent trip upstairs. Muzi headed to his room and Manqoba took a detour to his study.
