Piercing sorrow struck the royal house like a missile. After the doctor assured that Melokuhle would be fine and should be left to sleep, Manqoba stood with his back and one foot against the wall in his bedroom. Enhle was busy wiping her tears, with a box of tissues near her. Manqoba stood with his hands in his pockets, digesting his new reality.
"AND drive safely"
"Your car is gonna come back in one piece. I promise"
"It's not the car I'm worried about. I can always get another one but there's only one you"
"Technically, that's biologically incorrect"
He remembered this conversation as it echoed endlessly in his head. Something in him knew for a fact that it had everything to do with the ancestors. Skhumbuzo wasn't seeing or saying anything, meaning they were purposefully keeping him in the dark. He failed him. He felt he failed Mxolisi. He was only trying to keep the peace in the family but it was at that moment where he realized that it wasn't worth it. Mxolisi's life was priceless and he felt he failed to protect that gem. Enhle stood in front of him and this startled him. He didn't see her stand up. She sighed before wrapping her arms around him. He hesitated before hugging her back.
"I don't know what to say...", she mentioned voicelessly. She had no idea how to comfort him. He wiped the wet trail of the tear that had just raced down her cheek.
"Don't say anything", he breathlessly replied, politely. He brought his foot down and asked to be excused. He never waited for any response. She walked back to the bed defeatedly and went to dump herself there. Her mind trailed off...
Manqoba was headed to his office when he ran into one of the helps. She adjusted the laundry basket on her side after greeting him humbly. He greeted back and kept walking.
"Masha?", he called out after turning back quickly.
"Mbulazi?"
"Please get ugogo ka Sonke for me", he requested and she nodded promptly. He kept walking. He got in there and poured himself a stiff drink. He gulped it down and shrunk his face at the sharp taste. His shoulders were heavier than usual. He tried to shake off the weight but it was all futile. He was so heavy it was even painful. He threw the glass against the wall and it went down in several pieces. He pressed onto the table and shut his eyes. Evelyn walked in, still in her pyjamas. The sun was setting, saying goodbye to that part of the world. She was a mess. A zombie walked faster.
Manqoba turned only his head as he stood against the desk. He shortly went round it and took a seat on his chair. He brought the bottle closer and drank out of it. Evelyn took her seat and wiped her tears with the tissue paper she had in hand.
"I killed him didn't I?", she emotionally said before wiping her red nose.
"Yes you did", Manqoba confirmed, empathetic. She broke down even further. He sniffed and sat up straight.
"Here's what you're gonna do: You are going to call Muzi today and tell him the truth", he instructed and handed the phone to her. She raised her alarmed face. His was as straight as the road to hell.
"Over the phone?"
He nodded once.
"My silence in this makes me an accomplice. He is going to hate me too but rather that than losing anybody else to death. I have a very bad feeling about all of this"
"He will never forgive me after this!"
"I know, he's my little brother. If you don't tell him today I will tell him myself and then, then things will get really ugly"
Manqoba said and emphasized that she should take the phone. He knew the possibility of Muzi skinning Evelyn alive was there. He'd regret it later because he loves his mother but his anger knows no bounds. It disconnects him from his memory. Manqoba knew because he created this Muzi. He's the one who always encouraged violence in him. From the first day he learned that Muzi was being bullied, he knew he had to teach him how to defend himself and maybe he went over the top with it. Violence became gospel when matched with fury for him. Manqoba found it hard to forgive Evelyn but he couldn't access the grudge in full because he had a hand in her sewage of a secret. Him keeping quiet made him accomplice in this mess.
"This is going to destroy the family...", Evelyn was still crying her guts out. Manqoba lost it and broke the bottle against the hard wood of the desk. The alcohol blessed the floor.
"Dammit Evelyn just...!!!!", he got himself to calm down. He was on his feet.
"Mxolisi is dead. If this fact is not loud enough for you then I don't know what it'll take. I respect you, kakhulu futhi but right now you're forcing me to walk into church with a pig strapped on a leash"
He had his index finger pointed out at her. She was saved by a knock.
"YINI?!"(What?!), he snapped before even catching the face at the door.
"They need you outside", Enhle reported. His chest deflated. He nodded and she left. He left without saying any additional word to Evelyn. Her wrecked emotional presence was suffocating his grieving self.
