After Mxo was done Boko Haraming Zanele's hair, he took his way back home and got an energy drink at some tuckshop he came across. He called Ndalo along the way. Her voice immediately reported that she was sleeping.
"Baby?", she answered.
"Sthandwa sami. I'm sorry for waking you up. Are you okay?"-Mxo. She sighed.
"I'll live. I'm just tired. I just got back from the hospital"
"I was actually calling about that. What did the doctor say?"
"She took my blood for testing but so far, she hasn't said anything scary"
"I'm glad to hear that. Usudlile?"(Have you eaten?)
"Yeah I have. Wena?"
He didn't catch this question because his mind was already wandering in the complex forest that Nomcebo threw him in.
"Mxo?"
"Hm? I'm still here baby"
"Are you okay?"
"Ngiright", he lied. "Listen I'll call you back. I need to go now but I'll come see you before I leave. Ngiyak'thanda Ndalo yezwa baby?"(I love you Ndalo do you hear me?)
He could sense the smile that was chaperoning her voice.
"Ngiyak'thanda nami babakhe"
His lips immediately stretched into a smile.
"You should call me that from now on"
She laughed.
"Okay babakhe"
"Sharp ke ungiqedeli ibattery and uyazi ukuthi ubuhle bakho bucauser i load shedding"(You're finishing my battery and you know that you're beauty causes load shedding)
He teased and and she shot out a sharp laugh.
"Mciim yabheda yaz wen"(You're crazy)
He got home and saw Manqoba's car parked outside. He started planning how he was going to initiate the conversation in his head. They had a lot to talk about but one thing about him, he was a lot of things but a coward wasn't one of them. He walked into the house and didn't see him anywhere. He went straight to his study and found the door open. Manqoba was sleeping over his hands on his desk. He felt the matter couldn't wait so he knocked. It took two knocks to wake him and he raised his head. He squinted his eyes before telling him to come in. Mxo approached the chair across him and Manqoba sat back against his chair with a stoic face. He said nothing.
"I'm sorry", Mxo let out.
"You could've killed him Mxo. He could still die?", Manqoba said hoarsely. His voice wasn't yet prepared to speak. It thought he was still asleep till he forced it to verbalize those words.
"I know. Again, I'm sorry. There's nothing else I can say to correct this. It won't happen again"
"Damn straight it won't. The next time you find yourself faced with a fight you will walk away. Do you hear me?"
Mxo mumbled under his breath.
"Do you hear me Mbulazi?", Manqoba insisted.
"Loud and clear", he had no choice but to agree.
"Good"
Mxo exhaled before he could grab the other bull by the horns.
"MQ?"
"Ntwana?"
"There's something I need to tell you", he gravely informed. Manqoba squeezed his head in between his arm in frustration.
"Weeeeee. Wenzen manje?"(What have you done this time?)
"No it's the same crime but with heavier consequences"
"I'm not following?"
"Today, this morning when you told me to take Ndalo home, I got there and had a talk with her mother"
"You have no business having "talks" with the girlfriend's mother Mxo we taught you better than that"
"She's the one who called me", he quickly emancipated himself from the crime.
"If there's anything she needs to discuss she needs to come to me", Manqoba wasn't understanding this issue at all. "What did she want?", he added. Mxo looked up and fell back on the chair.
"Are you gonna talk or continue wasting my time?"
"Apparently, I impregnated my sister", he informed and Manqoba stared for a brief moment before he could laugh.
"I am serious", Mxo put a halt to MQ turning his life into a circus. He stopped laughing.
"What?"
"Yes"
"There's no such", Manqoba argued.
"Well, she claims that Ndalo is uncle Mbuso's child".
He'd never met him but he respected him as his uncle. He only ever saw him from pictures. Manqoba wheeled his chair out of the desk and stood up. He was thinking-- hard. He went over to sit on the corner of the desk and hung his one leg over it. Mxo was still seated on the chair.
"What does this mean? Am I gonna be forced to break up with her? Cause I won't"
An unintentional smile grew on MQ's face. He just knew at that moment that he'll one day be sent to discuss lobola on Mxo's behalf.
"Bafana bheka, niyakhula and there's a lot that you still need to learn, and know".
Mxo nodded curiously.
"I can see that uyay'thanda lengan and i serious lento yenu as young as you are. Hell there's even a baby involved now"(... you love this girl and what you have is actually serious)
Mxo huffed a laugh.
"See, Mbuso is not really your uncle ngegazi"(by blood) Manqoba revealed. Mxo frowned.
"But y'all said..."
"I know what we said and it will remain like that. Nobody knows where he is right now and we can't just let something like this be known to the community or anybody else apart from this family", he calmly explained.
"What does this mean because umaka Ndalo akakwazi loko? She thinks I am fxcking my sister and is even threatening to take her away"(Nomcebo doesn't know that)
"Udakiwe uNomcebo she will do no such thing. I will handle her don't worry"(She's drunk)
"Handle her?"
"Mxolisi. Usifakile amanyaleni siyavuma. Manje phuma ey'ndabeni zabantu abadala"(You've made a mess of things for us to fix and we acknowledge that. Now keep yourself out of the business of adults)
Mxo couldn't help but wonder how Manqoba was going to "handle" this matter as he said. He also realized that his last statement was final so he decided not to argue.
