[KULANI]
I needed to apologize and give my sister a heads up so I asked to be dropped off at home. Plus I didn’t want to be in that big bed by myself – not today. I found her still bathing when I arrived so I had to wait. Now we’re sitting on her bed together and it’s a bit awkward.
‘Are you okay?’ she asks. I can tell what she’s referring to, by the look in her eyes.
‘I’ll be fine. It’s only one weekend’
‘Why are you pretending like this doesn’t hurt? Your man is literally getting married to someone else’
I did not come here for this. I thought we were past this stage; the stage of her inserting herself in my marriage. If she cannot be supportive then she must keep her opinions to herself, but I still want us to fix this.
‘Pretending?’
‘Yeah’
‘What do you want me to do? Go around screaming that Kurhula is getting married and seek help as if I’m getting robbed?’
Her silent reaction makes me realize that my response was harsh.
‘I’m not antagonizing you, sis. I just want you to know that I’m willing to listen if you need to vent. I’m also acclimatizing myself to Larona and my apology to her was genuine’ she says. ‘And me asking you this is not me trying to rub salt on your wound. I just want you to know that… well… I understand. My own husband is moving weird and I’m sitting here missing him terribly so I am the last person to judge’
‘I was talking with Aunty Basani on the phone. What happened to her plan of bringing you back?’
‘I respectfully refused until she gave up. She can’t exactly drag me out of here’
‘And?’
‘She just told me that I shouldn’t come to her crying when I get back to my senses and find him married to someone else’
Speaking of her husband…
‘I also need to apologize for helping him keep Nqobile a secret. You know that—‘
‘You cannot divulge any information about him, everything is confidential. I know. I was just furious and my anger was misdirected when I declined your calls’
‘Do you still want to go back to him?’
‘I don’t know, Kuli. My priority right now is this child inside of me. I’ll attend to the father after giving birth’ she rubs her tummy over her night gown. She doesn’t need stress, now I’m no longer sure whether to tell her or not. If I don’t, this might break our relationship forever.
‘They’re planning on getting him a new wife’
She quickly turns towards me.
‘What?’
I nod. The hurt is growing in her eyes.
‘He wants to marry her?’
‘No. Some girl from Limpopo. She’s royalty and no, I don’t think she and Fikani have met yet’
‘And what is he saying about all that?’
‘He’s not having it but he’s going to lose the upper hand if you don’t come back soon. It’s widely believed that a royal house without a queen is left exposed. Don’t ask me what that means’
She’s rendered speechless.
‘I guess I’ll never live down that vase incident. I bet it serves as a motive for this. Like, what on earth was I thinking?’
‘You know very well what was happening at that time. Fikani’s karma wanted him dead and you were the perfect tool for that. Stop beating yourself up over it’
My words are not sinking in.
‘Bontle, you wouldn’t be the chosen one if that was your true character. If there’s anyone you should trust when they say this, it’s me. You and him were made for each other. There’s a reason why you had similar childhoods; why you had to grow far from home. I have conversations with these people, remember?’
She fails to fight the smile on her face.
‘Yoh, I love him so much but he hurts me so bad! Seeing him with another woman would break my heart, especially one the elders approve of but at the same time, I hate how he takes me for granted’
‘I am not here to convince you to do anything because I also don’t approve of the things he does. I just came to let you know what’s happening in that house’
Her hand goes back on her belly. She’s clearly deep in thought.
‘You know what? If Fikani wants to play this game, then I’m gonna show him that I am a worthy opponent’
I can’t help but frown. What does she mean by that and why don’t I like her tone of voice?
‘Opponent? In marriage?’ I ask.
She laughs. ‘Relax. I am not going to do anything drastic. I’m gonna go back, to remind him that if he wants to tango, I am game’
‘Bontle, you cannot cheat with that baby in your stomach. He’ll get sick!’
‘Let’s stop talking about Fikani. I found your childhood photos in the cellar’
She’s changing the topic now?
‘Can I ask you a question?’
I nod.
‘How was it growing up with dad in your life as a child? Growing up in a royal, privileged environment?’
I clear my throat. I feel like the answers to these questions are going to hurt her feelings since she did not have what I did.
‘Please be honest’
‘It was… safe’
‘Come on?’ she almost rolls her eyes.
‘Okay, fine. I mean it; it was safe. He was a very active dad. Requested meetings with my teachers to be updated on my progress and stuff. When other kids picked on me, I knew that I could always run to him. If mom said no to a thing I wanted, I’d get it from him. I remember asking her for a Casio watch and she said I was too young to have it. I think I was in Grade 3. I told him and he came home with it the next day’ she smiles as I explain.
‘I think that’s when I began realizing that I’m a spoilt brat’
‘What other incidents made you see that you live a privileged life?’
There’s a prominent one I’ll never forget.
‘Dad puts the children of the employees here home through school, right? So I went to Junior School with one of them and we just clicked. She made sure we become friends because I was shy and she was talkative. I remember how she used to always compliment my clothes, my stationery and the fact that I had a notebook. I think it was Lenovo, those small ones the size of tablets. There’s this other white Adidas set of mine with pink stripes that she really liked. I remember coming home one day to ask my mom if I can borrow it to her because our school had something called Casual Wear Friday where we’d pay R10 in exchange for a sticker to put on our home clothes. My mom was livid and that’s how her mom lost her job. They moved away’
‘No….’
‘Yeah. It still breaks my heart when I think about it’
‘But you didn’t know better. You were a child’
‘I guess. She finished the year at school though but I no longer used to find her waiting outside of my classroom when I came out. I then went back to being a Lonely Lilly that walks around and eats by herself’
I start thinking back. I really had an isolated childhood full of overthinking and internal monologues. There was no way depression wasn’t going to capture me at some point.
‘When last did you see her?’
‘I saw her at the wedding. And she was recently hired by Kurhula and his group. Small world. Her name is Andy’
‘Did you talk?’
‘Not really but we’re cool. But I don’t think that friendship could ever be rekindled, it would be weird’
‘I hear you. One last memory please’
A light chuckle leaves me.
‘I had a lamb for a pet’ I say and she laughs out loud.
‘Are you serious?’
I nod. I am serious.
‘Her name was Minix. Don’t ask me how I came up with that name but, yeah. She was mine’
‘You sound like you had a cute childhood. Thanks for sharing’
‘I guess. You’re welcome’
I miss that animal. I was told she went missing but now that I’m carefully thinking about it, Minix was properly slaughtered for supper and I most probably enjoyed that meal, in absolute oblivion.
…
[NARRATED]
‘Mac? Mac, wake up’ Kago impatiently urges after lifting the sheets and finding herself stark naked. She then remembers that they were both drinking last night while the majority complained of exhaustion and went straight to bed after their arrival. He languidly lifts his hand so he can reach for his watch on the pedestal.
‘It’s half past five. Will you please relax?’
‘I need to get out of here before your mom sees me’ she holds her pounding head. Mac pulls her towards him – getting his head bumped by the back of hers.
‘Ouch… I said relax’
She takes the conscious decision to breathe and moves away from him when she feels his genitals against her bxtt. She lies on her back and faces the roof.
‘You look like you’re used to this’ she says, adamant on covering her bxxbs.
‘To what?’
‘One night stands’
He huffs.
‘We both had too much to drink, which was your fault yes but stop judging yourself for this’ he tries to assuage while massaging his temples with his palms. ‘Ey… you and your punch’
‘In hell?’ she laughs.
‘Yesses’
‘I don’t see us attending the second half of this wedding’
‘You were panicking just now. How will we explain two people going missing at the same time?’
He notices that she’s starring judgingly then shrugs.
‘You haven’t answered my question? About one night stands’
‘Why does it matter?’
‘Did we even use protection? Oh my word! How did we even get here because we were chilling outside with Junior and Khalanga?’
‘Are you always this talkative in the morning?’
‘Does it bother you that I’m concerned about my health?’
‘I’m clean. Don’t know about you’
She gasps – feeling insulted. ‘I don’t even understand why you’re so nonchalant about this’
‘What do you want me to do? Worry about things I can’t change?’
She chooses not to respond. He notices the worry on her face.
‘I mean it, I’m clean. I’m required to submit a full medical report at work every three months. I submitted one a week before coming here and you’re the first person I’ve slept with ever since getting it done’
She swallows with discomfort.
‘Okay. If you say so’
He gets out of bed and starts looking for his phone. She looks away when she catches a glimpse of his dingly-dangle. He finds the phone on the carpet and tries to switch it on.
Upon raising his face, he notices how adamant she is on looking away. He smiles to himself and continues waiting for his phone to fully come back to life. She makes sure there’s a gap between them when he comes back to bed.
‘Do you regret last night? Or this morning, rather’
She looks at him and tries to tame the smile escaping her lips – while starring at the diagonal scar on his chin.
‘Was it your first time giving it up on the first night?’
‘First night of what? We are not in a relationship’
‘Don’t recall saying we are’ he retorts while typing on his phone.
She clears her throat.
‘Well you do look like a playa so I wouldn’t expect such a noble thing from you’ she jabs back. His thumbs hang mid-air as he raises his eyes to the art piece on the wall in front of them, before turning his neck and looking at her. She pulls the beige sheets further up her boobs – folding her arms around them.
‘Excuse me?’
‘Never mind, dude. You spoke about work. What do you do?’
His eyes go back to his emails.
‘Engineering’
‘What kind? Are you mad at me?’
‘I don’t know you enough to expend that kinda energy on you’
Her annoyance launches her out of bed. She hears Mhan’ Singi’s voice outside the room while getting dressed, humming a gospel song. Mac swallows his smile and simply looks at her. After a minute of negotiating with herself to eat some humble pie, she swallows a lump and looks at him with pleading eyes.
‘Please come zip this dress up and find a way to get me out of here’
He sighs and steps off the bed. She turns around and gathers the chunk of her hair to the front.
‘Breathe in phela’
‘This dress zipped up perfectly yesterday without me having to do any of that’
‘Miss, do you want my help or not?’
‘Mac, are insinuating that I have gained weight yesterday?’
‘One wouldn’t know between all that food and alcohol you were chugging down’
‘You don’t always have to be this brutally honest. I’m just bloated and you’re being a jerk right now’
He lets go of the pull tab of the zip and rubs his bushy brow.
‘Okay, there. I’ve sucked my stomach in. Please zip it up. Yoh, Larona is going to kill me because she specifically told me not to get any stains on this dress when we arrived. Do you know of any dry cleaners here?’
‘Nope. I’m the wrong person to ask, I do not live here’
‘Oh? Where do you live?’
‘Edinburgh. There, hopefully it doesn’t pop’
‘Get dressed and get me out of here. I need to go back to the other house before people wake up, McDonald’
‘Who?’
‘Isn’t Mac short for Mcdonald?’
He laughs.
‘Just call me Munene’ he says while putting a tracksuit on. ‘And I don’t even need to sneak you out. You can just walk out of here like the adult you are’
‘Are you crazy? Kana ke motho o motona o. She’s an elder to me’
He just shrugs and throws his feet in slides.
‘Come…’
‘No. Go check where she is and then come and get me’
‘You want me to do the walk, stop, take off your shoes, please tip-toe and stop again nonsense at my big age?’
‘Munene please’
He looks up and sighs out loud.
‘Fine. I’ll be back just now’
She gathers her things while he’s gone; hair tie, lip therapy, phone and sandals. He finds Mhan Singi reading her bible on the couch.
‘Good morning, mother’ he greets. She pushes her glasses further down her nose and just gives him a look, with a provocative smile on her face.
He laughs because he knows her. ‘What?’
‘Hhayi, nothing n’wananga. Are you well rested? You were quite busy this morning. Hope you didn’t murder that poor child’
‘Please don’t do this. I need you to disappear, respectfully. She wants to come out’
‘Disappear? In my own house? I’m going nowhere. I want to see your girlfriend’
‘She is not my girlfriend’
‘Do you ever think of me when you take decisions marha? What is this nonsense of you not wanting to marry? I need grandkids here and my clock is ticking’
‘I never said I don’t want to marry’
‘What did you say?’ she sulks. He laughs and runs out of patience. After seeing that negotiating with his mother is impossible, he fetches Kago from the room – whose legs freeze when she sees that Mhan’ Singi has gone nowhere.
‘How could you do this to me?’ she mutters lividly under her breath as she jams in her steps in front of him. Munene continues to walk with his hands in his pockets, using his chest power to push the reluctant Kago forward.
‘Oh! Hello…’ Mhani greets with a wide smile. Kago awkwardly greets her back. Mixo comes out of her room in pyjamas.
‘Ehhh. Ku busy mus’ she says, exacerbating Kago’s mortification.
‘You’ve seen her and I hope you’re satisfied. Let’s go, baby’ he holds her hand to seal the act so his mother can get off his case. They walk out and go fight outside once Kago sees that they’re out of sight.
‘Heeeh? Mhani???’ Mixo initiates the gossip.
‘She’s royalty, a thing of beauty and respectful’ Mhan Singi counts with her fingers – calculating.
‘You’re starting now. What’s on your mind? I know you. Please allow buti to enjoy his relationship with his yellow-bone in peace’
She shakes her head and leaves her mother there to go plug the kettle for some tea. Mhan Singi closes her bible and sits back on the couch, still calculating.
…