Father: "Are you 100% sure it's him?"
Officer Pete: "The results came back conclusive that it's him."
Mother: "Yimani...so nindixelela ukuba ukhona umntu oyewaxhela la nja wazi pisi and then sent him to you ezipisi enjalo?" [Wait... So are you telling me that someone slaughtered that dog into pieces and sent him to you like that?]
Officer Mayaba: "Yes Mama." My mother nodded and then she smiled blinking.
Mother:"Then that's good." She said still nodding and still smiling... "that person...whoever he is...did very very good." She looked at me and her smile got bigger as tears rolled down her face... "now my daughter can finally be free." Her voice was all shaky... "she can finally be free and move on with her life without having to worry about...anything." She breath hitched in the end.
Officer Pete: "I get how you feel and why you would say that Mrs. Tetani but murder is murder. We have to catch that person who sent us that package-."
Father: "Are there any leads to who it might be?"
Officer Pete: "No, not yet but we're still investigati-."
Father: "I see." He cut him off... "okay thank you Officers for coming to tell us these news. You men may be on your way now."
Officer Pete: "W-what?"
Father: "You guys are free to go now." He told them. The two Officers looked at each other and then stood.
Officer Pete: "Err...um...okay...we'll be on our way then."
Father: "Yeah. Do that." I caught the corners of the king's mouth lifting very briefly.
Officer Mayaba: "Um...could you please release him." He said to the king indicating to Anga who was still in body lock mode. I still didn't know how the king had done that to him. If this had happened in a different situation, I would've laughed. Really. But I couldn't because I was still trying to process the news about the bad man. The king did as Mayaba requested and released Anga. It was so fast that I didn't even catch what he did to actually unlock his body. After Anga was released, he sagged to the floor and then he got up and pointed his finger to the king in fury but not saying anything. The way he was so furious, his whole body was shaking and veins were even popping out of his forehead. He opened his mouth to say something but he ended up releasing a very loud angry growl and stormed out. The corners of the king's mouth lifted again briefly.
Officer Pete: "Before I go, can I ask for your name?" He said to the king. The king said nothing. Of course. He was looking straight ahead paying Pete no mind... "sir? I'm talking to you. Your name?"
Kumkani: "No."
Officer Pete: "W-what?"
Kumkani: "No." This time, he turned those eyes on him and Pete shrank back a bit. But then he seemed to remember himself so he puffed his chest up trying to make himself look intimidating. But no one was intimidating more than the king. The man could just sit there without saying anything and that alone would be intimidating enough.
Officer Pete: "Y-you-."
Kumkani: "Leave." The warning behind that word alone couldn't be missed.
Officer Mayaba: "Let's go Pete. We did what we came here for." He said pulling Pete along with him and then they were gone. Silence filled the living room after that for a short while. And then my mother suddenly came to me and hugged me...squeezing me.
Father: "Can we have a talk outside." My father said to the king. The king gave my pinkie a squeeze and then he stood up and walked out with my father.
Mother: "He's dead Khazie." She sniffed squeezing me... "that dog is dead. You can finally live your life without worrying about him." To tell you the truth, I didn't know how I felt about the bad man being dead. I guess I was still just processing everything. My mother pulled back and cupped my face with her hands. Her face was wet with tears. My mother was a real crier... "I'm so happy right now my child. I know it's wrong to wish for a person's death but..." She shook her head... "I prayed and prayed over and over again to God to kill that man for me..." She told me... "and God answered my prayers and did exactly that. So at least now you can heal without anything holding you back Khazie." She said... "so please heal my child you hear? Heal." She kissed me and pulled me again into her arms again. My mother guys. I closed my eyes and hugged her back. I also wanted what she wanted. To heal, that is. I just hoped that now with the bad man gone, it would become easier for me to do that.
We were now standing outside, the king and I. It was dark out. The king had somewhere to go to but I've been holding onto him not ready to let him go. Clingy much? Bite me!
Me: "You...kept...your...promise."
Kumkani: "Always." I looked away from him and blew out a shaking breath and I blinked back tears.
Me: "Thank...you." I finally said. He just pulled me into his arms and said nothing. My head was against his chest and my arms were wrapped around his waist.He kissed the top of my head. I pulled back without letting go of him and looked up at him...he was looking down at me... "you...fine?" He nodded brushing my head lightly... "you...sure?" He nodded again staring directly into my eyes.
Kumkani: "Why do you ask?" I swallowed preparing myself to say what I wanted to say.
Me: "He...he...was...your...father-." He shook his head.
Kumkani: "That monster was never a father to me." He interrupted me... "so I'm fine little beauty." He told me... "really. Don't worry okay?" I nodded. Now I felt kind of at ease because I had been worried that I had asked too much of him. I could now freely start to enjoy the feeling inside me about the bad man's death. I really liked how the king had killed him. That monster had deserved it and more... "I really need to go now beautiful." He interrupted my thinking.
Me: "Okay." I sulked.
Kumkani: "I'll come tomorrow. I'm going to take you somewhere." Now I smiled.
Me: "Really? Where?" He said nothing.... "tell...me." Nothing... "you're annoying...I'm not...playing with you." I said sticking my tongue at him. His eyes did that shining thing of theirs. Mxm!
Kumkani: "Go inside little beauty." He ordered gently after a short while. I got up on my toes and kissed him, then I ran quickly into the house.
My back was against the door with my heart was beating fast inside my chest. My phone buzzed inside my pocket jacket. It was a text message. I took it out and the text read as follows "Make sure to give me more of those innocent kisses of yours tomorrow beautiful." I squealed loudly and ran up the stairs to my room and threw myself on my bed as I covered my face with my pillow giggling. I was even kicking my legs up in the air. Even though shook with nervous energy, it couldn't stop the butterflies from fluttering around crazily in my stomach. I was still squealing and erupting in little giggles as I thought about what I did outside and the king's text. My mother was currently standing next to my bed with a look on her face that said "And then?" I wiggled my body a little on the bed.
Mother: "Heee. What's going on?" I squealed and giggled again hugging my pillow to my chest. I couldn't help myself. My mother laughed... "mnk!" She shook her head... "I give up Precious." She clapped her hands... "tell me, what did that man do to you outside?" I released a little screech and covered my face with my pillow, and then I giggled... "heee! Whatever he did, it must be big. Wow!" She clapped her hands. I looked at her and laughed at the way she was looking at me. She watched me laugh at her and then her expression changed. She joined me on the bed and pulled me into her arms... "but it's nice you see you being like this my child." She told me... "really really nice." Her voice did a little hitch in the end.
Me: "Mama...don't...cry."
Mother: "I won't. I'm sorry." She said pulling away. My mother was such a liar. She was definitely crying... "I'm just so happy." She sniffed... "I thought I was never going to see you smile and hear you laugh ever again but here you are doing both of those things. I'm so happy." She put her hand on my cheek and smiled wobbly at me... "even though it's so unbecoming for you to love a man like this." She said giving me a stern but not so stern look and I laughed at the 'so unbecoming' part.
Me: "Mama." She smiled.
Mother: "Just saying." She pulled me in her arms again and patted my back... "I love you ke Precious."
Me: "Love...you...too...Mama."
We were at the beach. A private beach. There were big ass houses surrounding it. There were a few people around riding their horses. Yes, you heard me right bethu. Horses. It wasn't just white people doing this, there was also some black people too. I've never seen horses up close before and I must say those animals were huge as hell. The king and I were currently walking along side the water, hand in hand. Even though me and water were more enemies than friends, it was nice being here. Hearing the waves clashing together, the hooves of the horses as they hit the ground and hearing the sounds they made when they blew air through their noses, and also the squawking of the sea birds...all of that was very calming and peaceful to me. The house we went through when we got here looked like those houses you would see in magazines. So exquisite. When I had asked the king who the house belonged to, his response had been "Someone I know." And I hadn't asked any further. But whoever the house belonged to, they were super rich. We strolled and strolled along side the water until I was tired, and then we sat down on the sand.
Me: "Tell me...about...the time...you ran away...from home." I said after a long while we've been staring out at the sea. He kept quiet and said nothing... "you don't...have to-."
Kumkani: "Give me time beautiful. I'm collecting my thoughts." So I gave him time to collect his thoughts. And let me tell you, it was a long time. I even thought he wasn't going to end up telling me. But then he started talking... "after I ran away from home, I lived out on the streets. I ate from garbage bins and slept on cardboard paper. Sometimes I robbed people so that I could buy myself something to eat. Got picked on a lot by other street kids since I was new so I had to learn quickly how to fend for myself because if I didn't, I would continue to sleep with an empty stomach and a sore and bruised body from being ganged up on. I found my solace in smoking glue. I was really addicted to it to the pointed where I couldn't function throughout the day without it. It chased away the demons that haunted me.." He paused and sighed loudly. This whole time, he had been talking so fast without stop. My heart was literally in my throat as I waited for him to continue... "I think I lived on the streets for like two years and then when I was lying on the ground dying because of being stabbed in the gut by this other boy who I had been fighting with over a bottle of glue, a man appeared out of nowhere and saved me." He paused again... "after taking me to some doctor, he took me to his home. Was scared as hell. Thought he was like my father. So I would run away a lot but after a few days, he would find me and bring me back to his home. He had a wife and 3 kids. Two boys and one girl. His eldest boy was the same age as me. They were all nice to me, especially his wife but I didn't trust them so I made sure to keep my distance from them and ran away every opportunity I got." He paused again and exhaled titling his head back... "I stopped running away when the man began to teach me how to shoot a gun along side with his eldest son. His son told me that he had been learning how to shoot a gun since he was 8 years. So you could say, he was pretty damn good. So I pushed myself because I also wanted to be good at shooting just as him. Those days when we would go to train how to shoot, were the best days for me. The man was patient when he trained us. Never raised his voice but was firm and authoritative when giving out instructions. You could see from the way he carried himself that he was a feared and dangerous man. I wanted to be him. I also wanted to be feared and dangerous too." He kept quiet and then he started again after a short while... "time went by, even though I lived with them, I still distanced myself. Never talked to anyone except to the man and the boy but even with them I only spoke when I need to. The wife never stopped being warm and kind to me though. She treated me like I was one of her son's. And the girl, the second youngest, liked me a lot. She would follow me around every where I went. At first, I would brush her off harshly and she would run off to her mother crying but the next day she would keep on it until I also saw myself giving into her and ended up liking her...a lot. She was like a younger sister I've never had. The man and his friends started to teach me all these amazing fighting skills and I was amazed and obsessed them. I trained every single day without fail. I wanted to be strong, way stronger than I was. The thought of killing my father pushed me forward to train even more harder and to become the best. The man somehow knew my tragic life's story without me having to tell him but he never asked any questions. He just told me his life story, which was also tragic, and waited for me to open up to him all by myself, to which I did. He supported what I wanted to do. He always said that a man needed to do what a man needed to do. The more I stayed with them the more I liked and grew more and more attached to them and to the idea of having them as my family. Terrified the shit out of me. Scared to hell that what I had with them would all vanish someday. The wife insisted on me going to therapy and I agreed even though I knew therapy wasn't going to save me. The only thing that was going to save me was killing my father." He paused... "and then the day finally came to do what I needed to do. I had believed that I was strong and dangerous enough to do it. So I set out to go kill the monster which was my father and that's when I found out about you little beauty." .........