THE OTHER BROTHER
CHAPTER 61
MKHULEKO
I made it clear that he should call me when he gets home. I swear this boy wants me to grow grey hair. It’s in the middle of the night and I am unable to get hold of him. I can't call mother – she is good as dead. We are here because of her. I have no choice but to call Khanyi.
I am sure she is fast asleep wherever she is. This is the fifth time I am trying.
“Halo.” Her sleepy voice awakens the sleeping men inside of me. My voice seems to be blocked away.
“Halo.” She repeats. She sounds awake now. I still haven’t said anything. I am just shocked to hear her voice after so many years. “Mthakathi!” She hisses and drops the line. I haven't heard that voice in five years. I close my eyes trying to recollect myself. I am out of options. I don’t want to be a burden on Manqoba. I am sure he is with his wife. But trying will be worth it.
His phone rings once – he sounds wide awake.
“At this time? Are you a witch now?” He asks. If there was no matter at hand I would have laughed. But not today.
“Bro, I need your help.”
“Anything.” I hear some shuffling in the background. “Speak.”
“Mkhuseli was here, and he spoke in riddles that did not make any sense. Now, I am unable to...”
“I will track his car. Don’t worry.”
He drops the call and promises to get back to me. Mkhuseli doesn't know that his car has a tracker, it was just for security reasons. With the life I lived – I wanted to protect him at all costs.
Manqoba calls back within the blink of an eye.
“I am finding his last location. I am going there now. The car hasn’t been for the past five hours.” I hope he is safe wherever he is. The way he spoke – as if he is someone who is leaving this earth. That doesn’t sit well with me. A cold shiver runs through me. I had this feeling when I lost my father. Fear kicks in. I can't lose Mkhuseli too. Not my only brother. My heart stops beating. No, it can't be. I stand up. My knees are wobbly. I shake my head no. I wish I could call Manqoba and ask him how far. The wait is killing me.
_
_
It’s morning and the sun is up. Manqoba hasn’t called me nor sent a text message. I want to call his wife, but I don’t want to scare her. I hate to be in the dark. The gate opens. The squeaky sound annoys me. Can’t I be left alone!
“I told you that this day will come.” The warden says smiling.
I am laying on the single bed bunk looking up at the ceiling. minding my own business.
“Your good behavior is doing good on your favor.” He adds. The makes me to give him my time. I look at him and he still has that look on his face. “Amazulu avumule.”
My breath takes a hiccup breaks. “I am happy for you. I don’t want to see you back here.” He tells and walks out. What did Mkhuseli do? I swear I will kill him before... My phone rings. Only now that he decides to call me.
“Where the hell have you been?” I hiss. He keeps quiet. “Manqoba!”
“We lost him.”
I stand up. “Who?”
“Mkhuseli. He was involved in a car accident; the truck ran over him with him inside the car and we lost him. It was bad – he couldn’t have been saved. I’m sorry.”
I shut my eyes. I suspected but I didn't want to think otherwise. But here we are facing the music. My brother is gone.
“Where is he now?” I ask. I honestly don't know how to feel.
“At the morgue.”
My brother is no more, I am having a hard time accepting it. Cynthia has done the worst and the most. I take a deep breath. “Does Khanyi know?”
“She hasn’t been told. Already she is stressing that she is unable to reach him.”
This is what I hate. For her to be stressing over something. I still care for her. She still lives in my heart and in me.
Later that day I am being summoned. Everyone in here is all smiles. I don’t know if seeing a prisoner excites one. I pull the chair and sit down with my hands crossed against my chest.
“Why am I here?’ I ask. The warden who came earlier to my cells smiles widely.
“I am so proud of you.” He adds leaving me confused. How does one get to be proud of another when they are locked up for the crimes they committed. This sounds stupid to my ears.
“As you all know – Zikode has been a great example to other prisoners. The court has decided to let him go because of good behavior. We do not want to see you back here.”
I just stare at them and don’t respond. If this is a joke to them...
“You can go take your belongings where you left them. Sign here.” Just like that a paper is pushed in front of me. With black pen on the side of it. I read through it and indeed...
The night before I was released, I was so excited I could not believe it was finally time to leave this hell. I was so excited that my stomach had that tickling feeling you get when you're going down a roller coaster. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep throughout the night, but I did not want to be exhausted on my first day of freedom after so long. I ended up trading some of my extra food for a sleeping pill that Manqoba had smuggled over from the psych unit for me. Then I set aside one soup and gave all my remaining food and clothes I had a way to my friends. Not long after I drifted off to sleep. When I awoke at five am it really hit me that I was going home. I went to morning chow with everyone else and came back to the unit to have a cup of coffee. I was about to leave prison. I have never been so overwhelmed with excitement in my life. It was like waking up on Christmas as a child one hundred times. I have said my goodbyes to all my friends in my unit. Movement was called, and everyone went out to the yard for morning routine. I stayed back awaiting that phone call to the officer's station telling them to escort me to the medical building and then to processing. I was sitting in a chair near the officer's desk, and when that phone rang my heart started racing. It was time to go home! Once I filled out all the required paperwork, received a check with all the money I had saved up on my canteen account, I was then processed out. I then walked out those gates a free man. I had Manqoba waiting for me with a rolled blunt, a blueberry iced coffee from dunking donuts. I had made it through one of the most dangerous prisons in my life. It felt amazing to be free but on the other hand my world is separated into two. This day was probably the best day of my life.
"You look rather good.” Says Manqoba giving me a brotherly love. I smile back. It feels good to be finally free. I don’t know how many times I've said it.
"You have no idea for how I have been waiting for this.” I say.
"Where to from here?” He asks. Going home would do damage. I don’t want to see my mother. I just want to lay low and be all by myself.
“To my old house. No one knows about.” Not even Toti.
He nods his head and smiles. Everything is pretty much the same. New constructions added here and there.
“Is it me or is Durban crowded?” I ask.
Manqoba chucks shaking his head. “I guess you have been locked up for that long.” He glances at me more like he wants to say something.
“What is it?” I finally asked him.
“Are you okay with your brother...”
“He is gone, and nothing can be done. No one can do anything about it. It happened and let's move on from it.” I speak. In fact, I am hurting. No amount of hurt can express the feeling that I am feeling inside.” I look outside the window. He doesn’t understand. Everything for him is going smoothly. He is married with two beautiful kids, and I am still wounded.
“I hate to ask this but what will happen to the wedding since Khanyi was married traditionally.”
“She will move on with her life as she always does. Angithi that is what she does best.” Whenever I think of the Khanyi situation. My heart just reaps apart. I fail to control my emotions. I’m glad they listened when I told them that they should not tell her that I am being let out. She is defiantly mourning the love of her life. I should also try moving on and forget about her.
“I say go for what is yours.”
He doesn’t have to encourage me. I have a lot of messiness in my head. He parks the car Infront of my gate. Still looks very much the same.
“Did you perhaps rent my house?” I ask. I step out of the car and stretch myself.
“Well kind of for the two years.” He says nervously. But the money was saved for you.” He adds. I don’t need that money; I have a lot of money in my account. I smile. How thoughtful of him.
“You need to be killed. And I will with my bare hands.” I say taking the lead to the house. He closes the door and follows me behind.
“So, who leaves here now?”
“No one. The rent was a bit high, and the couple failed to continue paying. I have been hiring the cleaning company to come clean occasionally.” I nod my head. I am pleased.
Everything is in place and spotless. I smile looking at the picture frame on the wall. Toti did the unthinkable. “Am I wrong to still be in love with her even though she is married to my brother?”
“Was. He is no more remember.” Did he have to remind me. I look at him more like ready to kill him. He shouldn’t dare me. He lifts his hands up to surrender and walks away. I stand still looking at the picture on the wall. As much as I am hurt. I don’t think I will be able to move on.
“You are not even taking a bath?” He asks. I swear this monkey was sent to upset. I proceeded walking around the house. He kept it in good shape, and I thank him for that.
“Are we still brining the team back?” Can Manqoba shut up for a second.
“No. I lost a treasure while dodging bullets. I am not about that life anymore.” He nods his head with a wide smile on his face. Whatever he is thinking he should keep to himself.
CYNTHIA
She has been cooped up in her bedroom for hours. Reality has sunked in. She just lost her son! Not just any son but a son that was ready to step up and be family man.
“Here is some tea sisi.” Her sister hands her the cup of tea. She sits on the bed and watches her sister drowning in her sorrows.
“All he ever wanted was for me to love him, but I failed. All these years he has been trying too hard to be noticed by me, but I never took time to accept him. I loved him but I was afraid of loving him wrong. Now his gone and I will never get the chance to love him again like he wanted me to.” She weeps out loud. It is panful. Mkhuleko is in jail.
“He was preparing for his wedding. Everything has been paid out and the date has been set. What do we tell abantu basemzini?”
“Ey, kunzima mntasekhaya.” Her sister shakes her head. This is painful. A mother is not meant to bury her child. This person is meant to get married next weekend and he decides to die. Abathakathi abalali.
“All I want is my son back. I want to make it up to him. I want him to forgive me for not being there.”
She sobs out painfully. How will she look at Khnayi in the eyes and tell her that the man that made her happy is no longer on this planet. Where will she even begin to break her heart. This is a lot and too much for her and she cannot bear any more pain. She takes a deep breath and tries to drink the tea that she was offered. It’s just bitter. Nothing makes sense in her life. She puts it aside and wipes her mouth.
“Dadewethu. You haven’t eaten anything since morning. We do not want you dying because of hunger.” “No one understands how I feel. Can I please be left alone while I grief and mourn for my son. If I do not eat, I feel so close to him. I feel he is near him. I become warm.” She adds. Pity hovers in the air from everyone. The family is heartbroken. The sister steps out to attend to the people outside.
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She is looking at her family photo album. A picture of her husband carrying Mkhuseli captures her heart. This man has always loved her son like her own and yena she failed dismally. She failed to give her what he had always wanted. She closes her eyes and tears parade one after another. She never knew losing a child was this bad.
“Please, forgive me son. I did not mean to harm in anyway. I am so sorry.” She looks at the young boy smiling from ear to ear. Her husband made sure that he treated both sons the same. “I did not hate you. Do not get me wrong. I was heartbroken of you seeing my nakedness. I was heartbroken that you got to witness your mother being violated at a very young age. I was hurt that...” She chokes on her tears and lets out a piercing cry. The door opens and tall man walks in. She lifts her head up to look at the person and she feels her heart pounding in a mercurous way. Has this man had done enough damage. He came from out of nowhere and took her son away from her.
“Have you not done enough damage? Have you not taken enough joy right out of my mouth?” She breathes heavily. The man drops on his knees. His eyes are swollen from crying. He leaves out a heavy sigh and the air feels with brewery from his mouth. Cynthia gags and pushes down the bile rising up. This man smells like a shebeen. Surely, he slept in one of them.
“Thank you for giving me the best gift one can ask for.” He burps. She covers her nose and looks on the side.
“You made me a man amongst men, but God decided otherwise. I admit, I was...” He takes a deep breath and fails to utter a word. He lifts his eyes and his eyes land on a certain picture. Once cane never mistaken a wedding picture. He falls on the side and his eyes roll back. Looks like the old man is having a seizure.
“Dade!” S scream out for her sister to come help. She can't have another person dying in her house. She has had enough of loss in one day. Dade comes in running an freezes when she sees a man lying on the floor shaking vigorously.
“Call an ambulance.” She instructs.