ONYIYE THAT GIRL
CHAPTER 16
LINDIWE NGOBESE
Does she call it a break up? Certainly not or certainly a big fat yes that’s fine pathetic. He hasn't called nor texted for the past two weeks. She was starting to soften up to him, God knows that she was beginning to fall for him. She sighs wiping her tears.
First thing first - is to delete every message, pictures of him on her phone.
Block his contact and delete everything on her phone that’s associated with him.
She's not here to kink shame, but she shouldn't tease herself with access to them….
Now that's she's done with this process that took time for her to heal, hopefully she won't be looking back.
She's on the phone with her mother - thankfully she didn't judge her.
"I'm just disappointed my daughter. I sent you there to study and not to gallivant with men. I didn't tell your father but I'm sure he will here it from someone."
"I'm sorry - from now onwards I'm looking forward to sticking my eyes onto my books and not boys. I will not disappoint you." She says sounding convincing.
"You better not my child. Already neighbours are jealous of us that your are in Durban and you are studying towards your dream. Focus on being a journalist ukhohlwe amadoda. Amadoda awapheli mntanami. There are many tons of those my child. Do me proud.”
"Yoh mama, I have heard. How is everyone at home?" Lindiwe asks her mother.
"Everyone? Who? Last time I checked you left me and your father in this house." They laugh.
"Ukhonze ubaba. I will be seeing you this weekend."
Something in her has been lifted off. With Onyiye besides her she's all good to go. She's looking at her packing everything like a big sister but in an actual fact they are of the same age.
"All set. Are you sure that you are ready to live alone?" Concerned mother Onyiye.
"Yes mother. I will be fine. Your room is too small I cannot take your personal space friend." Honestly speaking she doesn't want to crowd her. She has done alot already with this family. And she has her own demons to deals with.
"I hear you. But you do know where to find me once umhlaba ukushaya."
"Wisilima wena kambe." They both laugh. Sbahle knocks on the door and let's herself in.
"You ready?" She asks Lindiwe who was leaning against the wall.
"Yes Madam S, I'm ready. Have you guys ever noticed that you two have some resemblance?"
"Who? Me and this crazy child? Get out of here." Sbahle laughs picking up Lindiwe's bag.
"I'm serious, apart from you guys having that different complexion - you definitely look the same." Lindiwe.
"You are being silly. I now think that those girls did a number one on you." They all laugh at Onyiye's statement.
"Let's go before I kill you right this minute."
They are helping her unpack….
"Time has run out and unfortunately I have to dash home. I hate night shift." Sbahle whines.
"Didn't you say you are going home to your father?" Onyiye.
"That's today? Ow shoot I totally forgot! I'm sure my mother is already waiting for me ready to skin me alive. Bye guys." She's already at the door.
"I still stand. You guys look the same and it's scary."
"Here we go again. Lindiwe do you perhaps want to sleep?"
"Mxm, help me unpack."
STHEMBISO JIYANE
He did say he wants a new house for his family and he is here to look for one. Look at him looking for a house for people he doesn't even know where the hell they are.
He liked Chesterville and he thinks he will reside….
"This is an eight room house. Recently renovated and the cardboards in the kitchen are fully fitted."
"How much is it?" He asks.
"R120K but you can pay monthly instalments."
He loves it. Nothing that will draw attraction to the police. Something simple that will fit his perfect family for the time being. Will he live with them? Hell yes! He does not want this woman to be out of his sight ever again! He has learnt his lesson, God must forgive.
"I'll take this one. I didn't love the other two. They are just way too small for me. I love the paint and how spacious it is. I'm sure my Ndoni will love it." He is impressed!
"Welcome to your new home then sir." Says the realtor handing him the keys.
"Can I have a look at her the bedrooms for the last time?" Five bedrooms, kitchen - dinning room all in one and very spacious plus the dinning room area. This right her is all he wants at the moment.
He looks at his phone with a notification that he has been longing for a very long time.
"No way!" He screams jumping up and down.
The back of his hair stand and he just knows that something is not right. He looks at his surroundings and notices two men from a distance looking towards his direction. He hurries off still looking at his phone trying to track her. Something is not good and he senses it!
His phone chimes again. Location!!!!! His heart screams….But she didn’t withdraw, it’s just a notification of where her abouts.
ONYIYE MAZIBUKO
Finally, it's month end. For the two weeks of sharing the space with her friend, she is sadden that she is moving out and will be renting a room near by.
"I'm tired, atleast your room is clean and everything is set."
She has been helping her to settle in….
"I wouldn't have done it without you. Thanks mnge."
"Yea right. Look I have to dash to town. You know how the queue is."
"You should have left around 4 in the morning."
"Yoh! See you when I get back. No social media until you are completely healed." Onyiye tells her friend as she dashes out of the room that she is now renting.
She now regrets coming to town, every shop if full, every bank is full but she will be patiently waiting.
The line seems to be going in a snail pace. She hates standing in a queue. - Just imagining herself crammed between two people is enough to inspire annoyance in her.
Finally! After an hour of waiting it's her turn.
She's hoping and praying that the government made mistake also today by providing…"Jesus!" She puts her hand on her mouth. She's sweating, shivering out of shock. This cannot be happening. R20 and some change. Can she withdraw every cent?
Without hesitant she withdrew all the money - checks if someone from behind is looking at her but people are minding their own business. She roles the money into a ball and shoves it in her breasts and leaves without looking back. She will just go straight home. She doesn't even know what to do with herself right now.
Arriving home she locks herself in the room and recounts the money - this time slowly and repeatedly.
How is it possible that she gets this huge amount of money? She should definitely go to the police station. She doesn't want to find herself in a cell but first she will talk to her friend.
"Onyiye," that is Mam Philisiwe knocking at her door countless times. "Open this door before I break it down!"
She gets startled and hides the money under the mattress.
"Coming," she's breathing heavily out of fear.
She finally opens the door and Mam Philisiwe looks at her without saying a word. "You should learn how to hide money. Ndimu will deal with it." Onyiye's eyes pop out swallowing her dry saliva. She looks at the note on the floor and she sighs in relief.
"I thought I stashed it in my bag. Must have fell out." Thankfully it’s only a R100 note only.
"Listen we are leaving. We will be back on Sunday. Do the kids have everything they need?"
She has never been far away from her kids. This right here - she's doesn't know how to feel about it.
"I don't know whether to feel excited or sad. I've never been far away from my - the kids."
"You have to learn." A hooter links from outside the gate. "That must be Sbahle."
"I will help with the bags." She closes the door and follows Mam Philisiwe to the house to fetch the bag.
She went back in town to do shopping for herself. New wardrobe is what she definitely needs.
She's done with her hair, twist long braids - something that she has always wanted to do on her head and today she did.
"You look beautiful."
She looks at herself in the mirror. The hairdresser really did a good work on her afro.
"Thank you." She says. Trying a new look is great for a variety of reasons.
Confidence doesn’t need to be unwavering, but it should be strong so that we can feel at our best as often as possible.
Now that she has changed her wardrobe she feels….
"Askies," says a man she once saw and bumped into. "I've been searching for you all this while." He says with a huge smile on his face. He still looks very much beaten.
"Who are you again?" She asks holding her handbag close to her.
"Dumisani I mean I'm Sthembiso."
"Which is which?" She asks ready to run for her life.
"Sthembiso - how are you."
"I'm not cut out for small talks. Can you get straight to the point."
She's irritated!
"Can we go sit somewhere and talk."
He tries holding her hand but she pushes it back. "That is not the way to talk to the father of your kids." He says with a slight smirk on his face.
"What did you say?" Her voice is barely audible.
"Can we talk, please." Those begging eyes!.
"Okay! Somewhere public. Try anything stupid I swear I will scream for my life."
She is looking closely at him and something just feels off about this guy.
"What was I wearing in my matric dance?"
He shifts uncomfortably and clears his throat. "A beautiful dress."
"Okay….." She's waiting for him to continue.
"That's not important, what’s important now is that you are here with me."
Not even once this man has ever asked about her kids. There is resemblance yes but she is definitely sure he is not the one.
"What's my name?" She thought maybe should could try a new tricky question.
"Onyiye." He smiles widely feeling proud of his response.
"No, the one you gave me that night…."
He is quite, confused at the name. This is definitely an imposter! Talk about White Chicks.
"Give me your hand." She tells him.
"What? Why?"
"Just give me your hand." She grabs his hand looks for something but it's not there. The man she was with had the softest hands ever.
"I have to go." She says standing from the chair. They were in some restaurant, that felt like the safest place for her.
She runs out of the restaurant with Dumisani following behind. She bumps into a dark tall man…
"Sisi,"
"Askies Buti." She wants to cry so bad. This is the moment that she misses her best friend. The man looks at her briefly and his mind pictures the day Sthembiso first showed him her pictures.
The man takes his phone out and dials Sthembiso immediately but notices Dumisani running after Onyiye but the girl was long gone.
She's impatiently waiting for the taxi with her body getting colder by the second.
Cortisol and adrenaline are released…. Her blood pressure and heart rate increase. She starts breathing faster.
Finally the taxi is here. She looks around hoping and praying that the man isn't following her.
Too many stops and these people are wasting her time!
"Emarobhothini!" She shouts from the backseat. She hurriedly jumps off and runs to the house not looking back.
The gate is locked, windows closed not forgetting the door.
She's on the phone with Lindiwe….
"Do you think it's him?" Lindiwe asks.
"No, it's not. I may have not seen the guy's face but I can tell that it is definitely not him." Onyiye responds.
"Then why are you whispering?"
"What if he is outside ready to murder me?"
"You are exaggerating don't you think?"
She might be exaggerating but right now she is definitely not. Her life is at stake here!
"I'm not. He did have that slight resemblance but I'm definitely convenienced that it's not him."
"Maybe his family is searching for you who knows? Maybe he knows her nutted in you and…."
"I doubt. That man doesn't even know he left me pregnant." She says biting her inner cheek. It hurts.
"And you are still waiting for him?"
"As stupid as I may sound - I still have hope that some day he will come back."
"Wisithuphethu ngampela mngani. How can you…."
"Aysuka, I running out of airtime."
She laughs dropping the call.
There's nothing much to do - maybe going through her notes will do. And plus she has an assignment she is not even sure of, of how it's done. She definitely needs a teacher, if that’s what they are called - her inner self says.
She starting to feel drowsy…
Ndimu is not here to spoil her mood.
Quiet isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
The quiet that she sometimes craved for every single day when her space was so loud was finally hers.
She has come to realisation that she wasn’t ready for the silence. She wasn’t ready to hear herself think.
The unfiltered nature of a child’s mind….
She finds herself smiling and crying at the same time. She misses them so bad and not even one day has she ever been separated from them.
She's hesitant but she just wants to know how they are.
"It's not even 3 hours and already you are calling?" Mam Philisiwe teases on the other line. "Don't tell me you crying?"
"I'm not." She sniffs. "I miss them and it hurts mah."
It's an actual fact. Her kids are all that she has.
"They are fine. I will tell Sbahle to send you a video of them." Line goes dead and she waits glaring at the screen.
Atleast she will sleep with a heart that is at ease knowing that her babes are safe.
A pop up notification on WhatsApp.
She opens the video and here Ndimu is pulling ever cloth on top of the table. Making noise - surely these people will be certainly deaf by morning. When Ndimu screams he makes sure to touch a nerve in the eardrum.
She's smiling - happy and sad.
Sbahle and her mum went to visit their family in Eshowe. They actually come from the same neighbourhood but Eshowe is too big for her to know everyone.
She finds herself laughing remembering Sbahle's first name. Ngozi is her name. She saw it the time she forgot her ID in the car after thy went to the doctor for Ndimu's appointment. Here she was laughing at the name Onyiye….wait a minute her name actually means accident! Maybe it's not a Zulu name. She laughs a bit shaking her head.
"Our parents will surely kill us with these unique names." She says outloud to herself. From now onwards Sbahle is no longer Sbahle but Ngozi!
If she's not flipping through those pages she is listening to her favourite song by Rude Boy. She has her headphones on and she is humming along enjoying the beat that comes with it. The message in this song.
In the song Chizoba which means God Saves, seeks the help of God saying that there should be an intervention in “the people who want to cause confusion in their brotherhood. To her it's the sisterhood she has for her friend.
She begins to sing aloud rhyming along the line….
"Something is killing me slowly
And I'm feeling so lonely
Now I'm looking up to God o
Eyeh yeh
Paid my tithe, I paid my dues
See distractions everywhere
Now me feeling emotions
Ehh
I get plenty, so many things that I really wan complain to you
See those people wey they try to
Bring confusion in our brotherhood, eh
Baba bless my family, bless my enemies
Bless everybody
Together we be smiling
That's why me tell them say…."
A loud bang on the door gets her startled through those blasting headsets. She takes them off and that loud bang again.
"Who's there?"
"It's me." A groaning sound of a man. She looks at the watch and it's 22:00pm on the dot.
palpitations, worrisome….
"Babe please…." He is begging. She unlocks her phone trying to call Sbahle but her phone switches flat dead.
Wide range of abnormal heart rhythms. Her heartbeat is raising faster by the second.
"Who, who are you?" Surprisingly, he legs carry her towards the door.
She pauses and runs towards the sink, opens the tap with shaky hands and gulps down the water in the glass.
Foot steps approaching, many more footsteps, male voices!
"Ow Jehova."
She wants to kneel down and pray but the circumstances are preventing her….
"Imali ndoda!" That's the voice she's hearing from outside.
"I don't have any money with me." Another responds.
Very sharp and loud bang. A longer echo that makes a deeper thud noise echoing across the yard. The glass slips off her hands scattering on the floor.
It finally registers - those are gunshots! Her legs carry her towards the door. She says a little prayer before opening….
"Jesu!" She closes the door with her heart beating rapidly than normal.
She opens the door again and her mouth goes instantly dry out of fear.
"Help me." The words that come out of the strangers mouth.
"Ngenzenjani?" She asks pacing up and down. She jumps the man that was laying flat on his stomach.
"Take me inside."
"Uyahlanya! I don't even know you!" She places her hands on her face.
"Please, I'm in pain. Help me Ndoni." She freezes in the sound of that name. She finally gets the courage to turn the shot man over.
"Ubani wena?" She's a crying mess.
"I remember the dress you wore that night. Purple with glitters around your boob area. That fade hair cut you had. You know what was the beat moment of my life." He groans holding his stomach. "It was when we made love in the dark in some hall." He chucks.
"It's you." She takes time to finally look at his blooded face and God damn! "You look like my son's." She sits down recalling the moments of that night.
"It's me Ndoni yami."
Jesus come back and save your daughter!