LUNGI.
My sisters came early in the morning and we are in the kitchen busy cooking. This food has to be eaten during lunch and I feel like the only missing here is the traditional beer but it's okay cause we will make it next time. The queen of London is still asleep or maybe she's awake but is afraid to face us because of her behaviour yesterday. I want her gone in my house so it can be just us. The way we were.
My mother in-law is in the kitchen cooking with us but she doesn't look like her normal self. She says she's been having stomach cramps since we left her house in Pietermaritzburg. God I hope she's not the one who's going to die because it will devastate her boys and all of us. I wanted to take her to the doctor but she refused and said she'll be fine. I will talk to my husband I know he will take her to the doctor himself.
I want this lunch to be perfect and for everyone to get along. I hope Owami will behave herself or maybe she shouldn't so everyone can see what kind of person she really is. Speaking of the devil she comes in still wearing her sleepwear. I guess what my father in-law said to her didn't really stick or she just doesn't care.
" Oh my headache. I need to have some coffee. Where's is the coffee and is it freshly brewed?."
" Good morning to you too wami. We are fine too."
" Yeah morning." sims rolls her eyes and lesego just stares at her. " Where's the coffee?."
I stop peeling the potatoes, take a cup of coffee pour it and then give it to her.
" Thanks." I don't say anything. " Don't you have maids who do this?."
" Didn't my father in-law tell you that you can't walk around in the house wearing that?." sims asks her.
" she was too drunk to remember." lesego answers her.
" This is my sons house and I will walk around wearing anything I like. He's not my husband to tell me what I must do or wear." she's annoyed.
" Do you have a husband?." I ask her and she chokes on her coffee. Her sister walks up to her and pats her back. " What's wrong ma?." i ask her again.
" Oh my coffee went down on the wrong pipe. Let me go and bath. I have special visitors coming today." say what now?.
" You invited people I don't know to come in my house without talking to me first?."
" What's the big deal?. They are family and it shouldn't matter."
" This is my house ma and next time you think of inviting someone, you will talk to me first."
" You're freaking out like I invited Mbuso's ex. I'm going to bath and wait for them." she walks away shaking her skinny ass.
" I don't like her." sims says.
" Why does it feel like she's here to just cause trouble?." lesego says. I'm glad I'm not the only one who can see her bullshit.
" She's going through allot guys. Give her sometime."
" She's mean mah and you know it. I don't think we are ever going to get along." I tell her. She sighs and sits down. " Mah are you okay?."
" I think I need to go and lie down. I'm just feeling dizzy."
" Okay we need to take you to the doctor."
" Thandi I'm okay sisi. Stop worrying. I'm going to lie down." she walks to her bedroom. God please don't let it be her. We still need her.
The three of us look at each other worried. I am the most worried and scared. I don't know what I will do if it is going to be her. The man are outside barbecuing the meat. Maybe I should talk to my husband so he can light the sage for her but I'm scared of how he will react cause he too knows that someone is going to die and he might think it's her.
" I'll be back guys. I'm going to check on mah." They nod. I go my bedroom, Open the closet door and take out the sage and candles. My head and shoulders are covered so I just kneel down. Light the candles then sage. I sprinkle the sniff on the sage and begin to call the clan names of the Gumede's and call on our ancestors. I ask them to protect my mother in-law, to show me the way and chase away any bad energy around my house.
I take the sage then go to her bedroom and open the door. She's not sleeping but sitting on the bed thinking. She looks bad and releases her breath when she sees it's me. I walk around in the bedroom with the sage, then bathroom and back again to the bedroom and put it down next to the bed. I sit on the ned and take her hand.
" You welcomed me in this family with warm and open arms. You loved me like your own daughter and I knew that I had the best mother in-law ever. Whatever happened in the past doesn't change the fact that you are a good woman ma and you don't have to take the abuse that comes from your sister. Mah you have to forgive yourself and move on. You and uBaba have raised these wonderful man who love us unconditionally and that should count for something. I hate seeing you like this."
" You have a pure heart lungi and don't ever change for anyone. I am glad to know that all my children have found love and are happy well expect for busani but I hope since he's moving back home he too will find love and happiness. I will die a happy woman because I know my children are with the women who love them. Thank you all for growing this family and I know in your warm and loving hands it will continue to grow and be blessed." I wipe my tears.
" Mah you are not going to die. Don't talk like that."
" Khanyo when you're time is near you can feel it and I can feel mine. Don't cry for me my child, my time has come. All I want you to do is to be strong for my boys. Take care of your father khanyo he's going to need all of you. You are the woman of this family now and I want you to be strong and be the glue that you are. Do you understand me khanyo?."
" Mah please!, No one when they are going to die or how. Please let me take you to the doctor so we can see what's wrong?."
" I want to spend the time I have with my family luh please my child." I sob. She pulls me to her arms and I cry.
" Are you sick mah?."
" It's only stomach aches luh and they are not that bad."
" Please mah."
" Luh look at me." I do. She wipes my tears. " When I die I want you to make sure that everything is okay. Thandi will seat on the mattress and you will handle everything for me with the help of your husband and brothers. I don't want thandi to be stressed cause she's pregnant. Everyone now luh look up to you and they will need you. Promise me that you will give me a beautiful send off?." I nod. " Shhh, it will be okay."
I shake my head no. How can she be okay when she's telling me that she's going to die?. How do I be okay with that?.
" Go in the bathroom and wash your face. I don't want my son or anyone to see you like this. You know he will kill all of us when he finds you like this." I nod.
" I love you mama." Tears stream down her face.
" I love you too lungile Nokukhanya MaNgcobo Gumede." she kisses my forehead.
I get up, look at her and she's laying on the bed. I sigh and close the door. I walk to my bedroom, go to the bathroom. Take off my clothes and get in the shower. Mbuso won't notice that I was crying. He'll think its the water in my eyes. I open the faucet and switch the water to hot. I sit down on the floor and cry.
After maybe 15 minutes of crying and another one for just sitting there I come out of the shower and I find my husband sitting on the toilet seat. He gets up, takes the towel and dries me. He takes my hand and we walk back to our bedroom.
" Stand here. I'll be right back."
He goes to our closet then comes back with a body lotion and other clothes.
" What's wrong with these clothes?."
" Nothing. I thought you might want to change."
I look at what he has and it's that dress I was wearing when we were in Joburg. The same dress he asked me to wear when it's just the two of us.
" You want me to wear that dress?."
" You love it and it fits you perfectly love."
" If you ask me to change it I swear you are going to sleep on that couch." He laughs. He kneels and moisturizes my body.
" Talk."
" I'm fine."
" I come to pee and I find my wife crying in the bathroom. Why won't you talk to me?."
" mbuso...."
" Is it me?." what?. I pull him up and palm his cheeks.
" Why would you think it's you myeni wami?. You are my perfect husband. I am worried about uMah that's all. "
" what you mean?."
" I think she's sick mbuso. She was talking about what I must do when she dies."
" What?."
" She scared me and I think she has been sick but we were too busy to notice and she's hiding it from us. I asked her if we can go to the doctor and she refused. That's why I was crying. I think she's the one who's going to die."
My husband sits down and covers his face with his hands and sighs deep.
" I am so scared luh. I don't know what I am going to do if she dies. I don't want her to die love."
" Go and talk to your mother love and find out what's wrong please."
" ok love." He gets up. I wrap my arms around him and hug him tight.
" You are not alone myeni wam. We are in this together." He nods and leaves.
After finishing dressing I go to the kitchen and it is empty. I look at the pots and they are done cooking. I smile. The door opens and sbu comes in. He smiles, I smile back
" Hey luh, How are you?." he gives me a light side hug. I return it.
" I'm good wena?."
" I've been better."
" You don't sound okay. What's bothering you."
" Can we sit." I nod and we sit. " Can you please do something for me."
" Ok if you think I might help you."
" I think you can. Can you please talk to sbani for me." ohk.
" Are you guys fighting or something?."
" I've been trying to get hold of her but she's not answering my calls or my messages. I don't know what's wrong or what I did."
" and you think she'll open up to me if I ask her?."
" I think she will. Just please ask her to call me back. Or answer my calls."
" Sbu knows that you're polygamous and I think that scares her and the fact that you’re royalty."
" But I have talked to her."
" Maybe you need one of your brother's wives to talk to her. Someone who knows what it's like. Maybe she might understand that she has nothing to fear." he nods.
" I think I will do that but what if they tell her only the bad?."
" You need someone who'll be honest to her. Sbu if Sbani doesn't want to be in a polygamous marriage then maybe you need to accept that."
" But I love her luh."
" Then be patient with her. You can't force her to be with you when she doesn't want to."
" I have proven to her that I love her and I want to be my wife."
" I know I'm not suppose to tell you this but sbani said that you love someone else too and you can't have that person. Has your family found you a first wife from another royal family?."
" No they haven't."
" then why does she feel like you love someone else too?." he goes silent.
" It's complicated luh."
" Sbu. No woman wants to know that the man she loves also loves someone else too. Show her that you love her with all your being. Don't make her feel like your love for her is the second best." He sighs. " Sbu forget about that woman that you think you love and can't have. Sbani is a beautiful young woman who loves you. Don't make her doubt herself and the love you have for each other. send your family to her family and ask for her hand in marriage."
" I hear you luh. Thank you." he looks at me then takes my hand and holds it. I politely pull it back and smile.
" Can I get you anything?."
" Yeah I was looking for your husband."
" She's talking to uMah I..."
My husband comes in with mah and he's holding her hand. He looks like he was crying cause his eyes are red. Sbu and I walk to them and I go to my husband.
" I'm going to take mah to the doctor. We'll be back."
" Do you want me to come with you?."
" I don't want anyone to notice that we are gone. Sbu will drive us."
" Ok. Call me and tell me what the doctor says."
He gives me a kiss and I hug mah tight and they all leave. God I hope it's nothing bad and she's not going to die. It can't be her. I about to walk back to the kitchen when I see Owami pouring something on Mah's 2litre Tupperware bottle that she usually drinks. It has lemons, cucumbers and a whole lot of things. I watch her pour all of what is in the little bottle she has in her hand. She shakes the bottle then puts it back where it was then says.
" Die bitch." The she walks back outside." I take mah'S bottle and open it. I smell it thinking I will find a certain smell but there's nothing.
Has this bitch been poison my mother in-law?. Is she the reason why she's been feeling sick and does mah suspect or know?. I am going to kill this bitch I swear to God I am!. I walk outside and look for my brother. Sims has decorated the backyard so beautiful you'd swear someone is going to get married. The sun is shining bright and it's warm and beautiful but inside I just want to scream.
" Bhuti scelo?." He frowns. " Cookies and milk?." He smiles the looks at my face and his smile disappears.
I walk back to the house and he follows me. I take the bottle and go with it to my husbands study. He closes the door
" What's wrong luh?."
" I think Owami is poisoning mah."
" what?." I unlock the laptop and go to the house security footage. He watches me fast forward it until Owami appears. My brother curses when she sees what owami did.
" What the hell man!."
" I know. I need you to find someone who will test this thing for us and see if she's really poisoning her or not."
" Hey it's okay sis. Don't cry." He hugs me.
" I'm going to kill her scelo I swear I am!."
" Let's figure this out first then we will deal with her."
" Mah says she's dying scelo. She told me..." I burst into tears.
" Don't cry sis. I promise you we will deal with her. I need you to go to the kitchen and make the same cucumber water. Do you have a Tupperware like this?."
" I think I do."
" Go before she sees it's missing. We don't want her to be suspicious."
" Ok."
We walk out, he uses a different direction to leave the house and I go to the kitchen. I quickly make the same batch mah did then look for the same Tupperware bottle and luckily I find it. I pour her concoction then place it where the other one was. I take a deep breath then go to the backyard.
The witch of London is sitting down not helping and she's busy on her phone. I walk past her and go to where my sisters are at.
" I even forgot you're still in the house." sims says.
" I was busy with something."
" Oh yes we know. You have changed clothes and that can only mean one thing."
" What?."
" Umdavazo." they both say then we laugh.
" oh please. Everything looks almost done and the food is warm. I'm worried about my dad though and our father in-law. Why are they not here already and where is zipho and his girlfriend?."
" We are here. Sorry we are late." zipho says.
" Zipho you know very well that uLindo was suppose to be here and help us cook. She is going to be part of this family right?."
" Yebo sis lungi I'm sorry it's that..."
" You two were busy being cosy while all of us were working. Lindo if you want to be part of this family then you better start showing it. Sims here is pregnant but she was been working since she woke up ekuseni and wena you were having your beauty sleep. Let it be the last time you do that."
They all look at me shocked. I know they have never seen this side of me and right now I don't care. Owami is messing with my family that I'm trying to bring together and make as one. Zipho and Bonga will blame themselves for the rest of their lives if something happens to their mother while they are still angry at her. She cannot die before they forgive her. I don't want them to live with that guilt.
" We are really sorry sis luh. I swear it's all my fault." zipho says.
" Lindo and I will finish here. Sims and lesego go and shower so we can begin. Good here's my dad and our father in-law. Oh my God I can't believe dad brought Ursula again!. God as if this day can't get any worse!." Sims and lesego leave us.
" are you okay sis khanyo?."
" I'm not fine zipho. I'm not fine at all. Go and offer your dad and mine something to drink." he nods then leaves. I sigh and close my eyes. I so badly want to scream, curse and cry so loud. I keep checking my phone to see if my husband has called but nothing. I want to call him but I'm scared. Right now I'm just praying that my mother in-law is going to be okay. She can't die.