"Stay away from those people, who only talk to you when they need you"
-Sahil Verma
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"Are you sure he's going to be okay, doc?" I asked as we stood outside of Tumelo's room.
"He'll be fine, just give him three months and he'll be on his feet" he said offering a smile that was supposed to be comforting.
"Three months? Tumelo has school. He can't catch up on three months workload" I said.
The doctor just shrugged his shoulders, looked at his watch and walked away, leaving me with my thoughts.
I went back inside the room and gave him a kiss on his forehead. He was sleeping. I placed the brown KFC paper bag next to his bed and left the room.
I found his sister sitting in the hospital cafeteria. She stood up when she saw me walking towards the door.
"Leaving so soon?" She asked me.
"I have to rush to my grandmother's house" I said.
"Oh" she said staring at the ground. An idea came to my mind instantly.
"You should come over for dinner at my house some day, you must be tired of eating all that food from the B&B" I suggested.
A smile spread over her face and she hugged me. I relaxed into her arms and hugged her back.
"Thanks. I'll definitely come" she said. I bid her farewell and walked out of the hospital door.
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I packed my overnight bag while I had a toothbrush on my mouth. I was in a hurry, not that I was late or anything.
There was no specific time for arrival, I just wanted to be out of this house already. I don't want to see Melinda tear her life apart.
"Do you want me to drive you there, honey?" She asked as she walked to the table. She reached over to take the key but ended up pushing the vase off the table.
"That vase really did look like the key" she said.
I facepalmed myself and went to sat her down on the couch. She was drunk. I was now used to it.
"It was old anyways, right?" She asked me. I ignored her and placed a cushion on the sofa. She plopped her feet over it and fell asleep instantly.
I took out my phone to request for an Uber but was instantly interrupted by a knock on the door.
I went to open it and stepped aside so the woman could enter.
"Ada" she said.
"Mom"
She leaned in for a hug but I froze on the spot. She placed her arms around me but mine decided to stay put on my sides.
"I suppose you also got the message from Mama?" She asked, reffering to Gogo. I nodded my head.
"Well, I just wanted to ask if you'll need a lift. I tried calling you but it went straight to voicemail" she said.
"Battery" I said, showing her my phone.
"Let me just go grab my bags, you can sit somewhere there on the sofa in the mean time" I said. She was about to walk there but I'm sure she saw how beer and wine bottles have decided to make themselves tenants on the sofas, plus Melinda was sleeping on the three seater.
I quickly came back downstairs and placed a note on the table.
I placed the KFC that I had ordered along with Tumelo's on the coffee table so Mel could see it when she wakes up- if she wakes up.
My mother took my overnight bag from my hand and walked out of the house quicker than a cheetah chasing its meal.
I closed the door behind me and followed her. When we got the gate, the security guard opened it for us and we walked out. You can't enter the property with your car unannounced.
When we got the car, the back door of the Range Rover opened and James came rushing out to give me a hug.
"Where's Mihlali?" He asked after he pulled out of the hug.
"Well hello to you too James, I've missed you a lot. School is good" I said sarcastically.
"I missed you too. Where is Mihlali?" He asked. He didn't catch on to my sarcasm. I shook my head and we entered the car. My mother started the engine and turned down the radio.
"She's visiting her grandpa" I said
"Please can we fetch her mom, please" he begged my mother. She gave me a side glance and I nodded my head.
"Okay" she agreed.
"Yes" James said, raising a fist into the air.
I typed in the location to Langa's house and we made our way there.
The atmosphere was not as awkward as I expected it to be. It was actually very nice, we all talked about anything and everything until we arrived at Langa's house. The mansion.
I called Bab' Nkanyezi and asked him to please open the gates. A few moments later he opened them and we were parked right in front of the house, this huge car felt so little here.
I exited the car and walked into the house. I found Mihlali in the play area with her nanny. She was throwing her squishy balls in the floor and giggling at this simple action. The smallest things amused her.
"Hey ma, did you go to the clinic for her injection? Owa5 months angithi?" I asked picking her up. She paid no attention to me as she held the ball in her hand. She was examining it as if it were some foreign creature or a science experiment.
Her nanny nodded her head.
"Please pack her bag for me, seven outfits will be fine. I'll be in the lounge with her" I said walking out of the room.
"Hlali Hlali, look at how huge my strawberry is now. Your cheeks are so big my baby. What do they feed you?" I asked her.
She just giggled in response and I started kissing her all over her face.
"Are you taking her away from me already?" Bab' Nkanyezi asked as he walked in through the front door.
"She'll be back on Sunday" I said.
"I had a chat with your mother outside. She's a nice woman" he said drowning his glass of whiskey. I just nodded my head.
Mihlali's nanny came down the stairs with a Minnie Mouse bag and handed it to me. She also had a car seat on the other hand. That was my cue to stand up.
"Nisale kahle baba"
"Senyohamba kahle nkosazane ninoMzululu"
"Thank you so much Ma" I said as Mihlali's nanny placed her car seat in the backseat. James was practically jumping on his seat when he saw Mihali being placed on the car seat. Hlali loved car rides so I'm definitely sure she was going to enjoy this one.
I gave James a bottle of Mihlali's milk and also a packet of Cheese Curls which she also loved eating.
"Both of you can eat the chips" I said.
Now, I was complete.
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We arrived eNdwedwe at 17:00. We had enough time to start making dinner, we had to stop at the mall before we came here so we could buy some stuff.
We found my grandmother sitting on the couch, wearing all black.
She smiled when she saw us walk in through the door. James looked around the house. He looked so confused.
"Where are the stairs Gogo?" He finally asked. We all laughed at this. I won't say my mother and Gogo are close but they tolerate each other.
Although she doesn't visit, I hear her call Gogo whenever I'm here and they speak for a brief five minutes or just a few seconds more, I would say its progress.
Now, me
I'm not that close with my mother. It's the guilt and all the lies I suppose. I still cant accept the fact that she lied to me about my father, and I still haven't told her about Robert.
"We brought food mama" she said picking up the plastic bags.
"Thank you MaMzobe"
James sat on the couch and took the remote from the table. He was settling in pretty well
"Let me see my grandchild, you two should go and cook in the kitchen. I want a nice beef stew and rice. Put some salads too" she said
"Mama. It will take hours" my mother complained.
"I don't care" My grandmother said bluntly. Just like I always say, my grandmother doesn't like the sight of seeing someone sitting and relaxing.
My mother and I started cooking in the kitchen, while the rice was on the stove,I started chopping the cabbage so I could make the coleslaw.
We finished making everything at 19:45, and we also dished up. I gave my grandmother her plate in a tray.
I placed Mihlali in front of the TV, she was lying on her stomach. She was concentrating hard on what was happening even though she could barely hear a thing.
I enjoyed dinner with the family, we all started reminiscing and I kept quiet and listened when my grandmother told me all of the embarrassing stories of my mother during her teenage years.
"I saw that you got running water now mama, and a geyser too" my mother stated.
"Its Ada's father. He installed the running water and his wife got people to put the geyser" she said, smiling in pride. My mother also smiled but you could tell that it was forced.
"I called you here because tomorrow they will be reading the will, I want you to be here" she said. We nodded our head in understanding.
Mihlali fell asleep instantly after I fed her Purity. I placed her in the middle of the bed with pillows securing her on either side.
After discussing what we will make for tomorrow, my mother and I went to my room- or better yet her room and prepared for bed. The house was only two rooms so I slept with my mother and Mihlali in between us while James slept with Gogo.
I woke up to the sound of Mihlali crying in the middle of the night. I switched on the lamp that was on the night stand and took her bottle. I fed it to her until he fell asleep again.
I then noticed that my mother was not on the bed. Where on earth could she be? My curiosity got the best of me so I decided to look for her in the whole house.
She was not here, I could make out some light from outside so I tiptoed and peeked through the window. I could see my mother wearing a silk gown, hugging it closely to her body but who was she standing with. I had to see.
Curiosity killed the cat, but a cat has nine lives.
I opened the door and closed it making sure that I was not making a single sound. I walked to a corner where I was able to see and here everything.
"We can't continue with this Zweli" I heard my mother say.
WHAT IN THE WORLD? I mean it has to be another Zweli, can never be my father.
"Why?"
That voice. It has to be him.
"Your wife is pregnant. I saw her, she needs you"
"You also need me Thando. Don't fight this" he said coming closer.
"I've been through this whole pregnancy thing without you once, I can do it again" she said.
"I want to be here for our baby now" he said placing his hand over her flat stomach
My mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. Just when I thought that was the final straw, they both kissed. Like high school kids in a romance novel
What in the world was I witnessing. I can't look now, if I look anymore I'm afraid I'll just start screaming. I then tiptoed back to the house, but since it was night time, I could not see where I was walking so I tripped over something which made me fall down the small steep and land right on my father's feet.
Talk about awkward.
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That's it for Chapter 44. Thanks for 17.5k reads. Niyizthandwa😤❤few more chapters left.