ZANOKUHLE
Chapter 11
Time flies, unexpectedly in that manner too. I didn’t think that I would be able to develop some parts of myself and find things that I like doing, I am still not someone who likes interacting with a lot of people but I do have people that I interact with from time to time of which are Bhungane, his mother, sister and her talkative twins.
I don’t have a problem with the twins, I like them now. Well I have my days, sometimes I do and sometimes I do not like them. It has been just only two months since I have lived here and it has been okay. I spend most of my time with Bhungane’s mother. I will just call her Mrs Mthimkhulu, yes I now remember Bhungane’s surname and her sister’s name being Luyanda. The twins still confuse me so I just say Twin 1 and 2 then I confuse them all over again. I want to remember them well and know their names differently and actually get it right too. They always tell me their names and I just don’t get it right with who is who.
I have met my driver. He is always with me and I am happy that I can feel safe wherever I am going though I was not happy at first but matters forced the situation when Bhungane had to leave a month ago and go to Johannesburg. I have never been there and he told me he will be back soon of which I don’t know when. I don’t even know what he is doing there. I didn’t ask too, not that I was bothered. He is my friend so I can only pray for him that’s all.
I miss him though, we used to spend almost every day with each other and now I spend my days with his mother or alone, going to the farm with her and cooking for her husband.
School? I am starting next year and next year is going to be within the coming month. I don’t know if I am going to go back home for December or not? Where will I spend my Christmas too, I have never spent it away from home so I just wonder what will happen. Do I have a phone to call him? Nkosana I mean.
No I don’t, I don’t have money for it and also I don’t have people to call too but I wish I did though. Maybe I should ask the driver to lend me his and I can use it.
Here I am walking through my living space for the time I am here. it is just midday and I have already made meals for me and my partner, the driver. Well should I say yard mate because he lives on the little cottage outside. I am happy about that so I don’t have to share the living space with anyone here . He has his own space.
I walk through the house and open the back door and I see his cottage.
It is a bit chilly today so I am trying by all means to be warm. I don’t like feeling cold. I would rather sweat from the heat if it came to that.
I walk through the grass and over where his cottage door is. I knock once and wait for a few seconds before the door is opened.
He is prime and proper and more ready than he should be to. He is always ready to take me anywhere I want to go if only I am going with him and not leaving his sight.
“Do you need to go somewhere ma’am?”,I hate it when he calls me that.
My name is Zanokuhle Ngubo and I am not a teacher. Wouldn’t desire to be one too in any way.
Kids are just too much, I would spank some of them sometimes but others I would be very fond of them and play with them like how I play with the twins sometimes.
“No, I want to call Bhungane”, I say looking at him and he looks at me for a while.
“I don’t have a phone”, I say after the little silence.
“I can pass on the message to him”
“I have my own mouth, I can speak”, he sighs. The gaze from my side doesn’t go away.
“Wait a minute please”, a minute is too long but I will wait.
He takes out his phone from his pocket and he makes a call. I wait, a “boss”, comes from his mouth before he nods his head and the facial expression from him shows that whatever he is hearing is not something good.
“Miss Ngubo demands to talk to you”, I didn’t demand. I asked, I did right?
he turns to me and hands the phone over to me and I take it and walk away from him a bit far so he wouldn’t hear what I have to say.
I end up disappearing inside the house with his phone, not caring if he is happy about that or not but I don’t want him looking at me while I am on call.
“Hello”, I say waiting in anticipation to hear his voice.
“Zano, how are you?”,I sigh and I sit down on the couch.
“You have been gone for so long. You said you will be back soon”, I say.
“You miss me?”, he says on the other side.
“Yes, its boring because you plan my day and we do things together. Now I have to figure that out”, I roll my eyes and throw my free hand in the air.
He chuckles on the other side at that.
“I didn’t know you are this dramatic, that is good. You have been doing things on your own”, I miss getting excited for something I didn’t know I will do. Now it’s just boring.
“Come back please”, I say.
Silence prevails from his side.
“Zano…I cant come back anytime soon.”
“You lied?”
“I didn’t lie Zano, I just didn’t know I will stay here in Johburg longer”, he says.
“Okay”
“I am sorry, I promise I will get you something when I come back”, I keep my silence. I don’t know what to say.
“Okay,bye”, I hang up after the call. I sit there on the couch and I go to the kitchen and check my muffins and I take a few and go outside with them to the driver’s room.
I knock on his door and he opens. I give him his phone and the muffins.
“Thank you, bye”, I turn around and leave him there.
I go back inside the house. I wish I didn’t have friends. I wouldn’t be bored and feeling this way, Mrs Mthimkhulu is always busy and she is old too, Luyanda is always at work or with the twins or her husband.
If I was with Refilwe it would’ve been better. She has no child and she is no ones wife so far so she would’ve been better. I should’ve made her my friend when I had the chance and tried to be more social with her. If Bhungane didn’t warn me to not be anywhere near Tusani I would’ve probably tried to find him and see if we can be friends again. Then again he pulled my hair and didn’t apologize to me so I do not forgive him.
BHUNGANE
I run my hand on my face and sigh just after the phone call, an unexpected one for that matter. I had to leave Cape Town so quickly and I didn’t even know how long I would be staying here but it seems like I am staying for longer for that matter and to make things a bit worse is that Refilwe is here and it is not helping.
She insisted on her coming here with me but I know that she just wanted to lurk around Sandton because that is what she has been doing since we came here.
I am here in my apartment. I have one just for when I come here and I do frequently come here a lot because I have business with my business partners and it needs us to keep our records clean at all times. Yes it has been a bit tricky for the past few years since we decided to work together but we have been able to do it. More especially from any police.
I have been burying my self in my work in one of the spare rooms that I turned into a small study for when I need to work in here. I am very good when it comes to numbers and being able to audit any books. That is what I am mostly used for when it comes to the business we are doing. It’s legit, trust me it all it is just the money that is used to generate these businesses didn’t come off as clean and we are doing that, cleaning money for years without any trace. Cleaning a large sum like R 24 Million is going to take time if we do things right and it will take years too.
A knock surfaces from my door and I look up, shout a “Come in”even though I am not ready to hear Refilwe rant about how much her and her friends should go to a certain place or she wants me to spend some time with her. We tried it before, we don’t enjoy it. We both do not and we thought we should just let each other be but still be faithful and committed to what we have.
I am getting old, my best friend is married and my parents have been asking me about kids. More especially my father and I also have been thinking that Refilwe and I should get married. 2 years has been long and I need to know what I want to make out of this woman.
“The Hawks are to investigate Lange and the company soon.”, Jabu says and I get up from my seat.
“What happened? I made sure that all the books are in correct order and I thought that Thulani also assured that everything is going okay with the dealership.”
“There have been a high amount of car hijacking in the past months and they think it’s him”, I cuss under my breath.
“I told him to stop purchasing more cars he is not sure of”,he looks at me and I pace up and down. My phone rings and I answer it.
“What is it?”
“Miss Ngubo wants to talk to you”, I sigh and I hear that.
I am waiting in anticipation of what she will say. We spoke earlier and she hung up on me before I could say anything further. I love talking to her and just hearing what she has in mind and I also missed her too. I know she did too.
“Give it to her”,Jabu watches as I say that.
“Nkosana”
“Mama, what’s wrong?”, I have to calm down just so that she can speak to me.
“What are you going to get for me when you come back?”
“Anything you want”, I say.
“I want a mixer, a beautiful one”, she says and I frown a bit.
“A cake mixer?”
“Yes”, she says softly.
“Okay, I promise I will. okay?”
“Okay, bye”, she hangs up on me again.
“Is it that crush of yours?”
I frown as I look at him and my frown fades a bit after that.
“She is not my crush, we are really good friends with Zano”
He looks at me intensely and I look right back at him.
“What?”
“The only female friend you have. I was your only friend before”
“People change”
“She makes you happy it seems”
“I just enjoy her company, she is not boring like you and she is not married too”, I say and move away from him going to the door.
“I am going to Lange’s house. Call Thulani about this, we need to find a way to make sure that when his accounts get frozen they have something to survive while under investigations and also that the other businesses don’t get touched.”
“Sure”, I walk off. I send Refilwe a message telling her that she shouldn’t wait up for me if she doesn’t find me here.
I don’t know how long Jabu and I will be out there for. Lange is careless sometimes. No wonder his wife has him by the balls at times. She is sucking his senses out.
ZANOKUHLE
I gave the driver more muffins after making that call again just for compensation with regards to the airtime. I don’t have money so I can only just give him what I baked and he will eat that the way I used his airtime away.
I am just cleaning around the kitchen and putting my things away before I can go and take a nap. I need it in this chilly day. Today, just to feel much more warmer.
A knock surfaces from the kitchen door and I go and open it and it is the driver.
“Yes?”
“I was told by the boss that you should pack a few of your things”
“Why?”
“You are going to him”, he mentions and I frown.
“He didn’t tell me that”
“He told me that.”, I frown more and cross my arms .
“Please go and pack up, your flight leaves in an hour”, flight, as in flying up in the sky.
My frown dissipates. Maybe he wants to surprise me and he got the mixer for me very soon and he wants me to go and fetch it. Yes he wants that and I cant wait to see that mixer. I can imagine the things I could do in the kitchen with it.
I move from the door after closing it and I go and to my room and pull out my little pink suitcase and one for my hair products and cosmetics. Luu got this for me after mentioning that we need to take a trip together with her friends to Durban but it never happened but I love it. I sit on the floor and I wonder how long I am going to be there so I will just take what I want and see.
I start folding my clothes and putting them neatly in the bag and also take my shoes and put them in. with time I get done and close the bag. A knock comes from the door and I rush out of my room and I go to it and the driver is there.
“Are you ready Ma’am?”
“I haven’t put it my hairdryer and hair things”, I say.
“The flight leaves soon and you need to board that plane”, he says.
“Wait, give me a few minutes. I need to change too”, he frowns and I run away from him.
I go and shove my hair things in my other small bag and pull out some leggings and a top then wear my warm uggs and a jacket. I put on a frog hat and I pull my things out.
I am excited. This is my first ever trip outside of here and I am excited!
We get out and he locks the house before he comes and loads my things inside the car and we get in. Soon we drive off and go to where we are supposed to go.
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I have always heard stories of iGoli, scary and also some really fascinating stories especially from my aunt when she warned me that if I ever ran away and came here. I would get sick from selling my body and die and she will bury me like a dog. No funeral and nothing, she will not even cry for me. I was scared. That always scared me and when Nomfundo wanted to study at UJ she refused saying it is too far and she didn’t tell her about selling bodies and dying like she did with me. Maybe she did and I just didn’t know.
I look at the tall buildings. I feel like I am a celebrity. Driven to some place that I am yet to know. I don’t know where we are but it looks fascinating to me. I will not sell my body and die here right? Well if I don’t go outside then I will not.
“Are we getting near?”, I ask.
The driver keeps quiet for a moment and I look at him.
“Yes ma’am”, he sighs there after.
I just nod my head.
The sun is shining here but it is not making me feel hot to take off what I am wearing. I lean against the door as I look out of the window. The drive is not long until we got to another place. I cannot wait to tell Bhungane I rode an aero plane for the first time and I was a big girl and I didn’t feel scared. I feel like one too, a big girl that is.
The car comes to a hault and we get out, I am told that they will bring my things as another man comes out with two other men. His face looks familiar but I don’t remember where I ever saw him.
“You must be Zano”, I look at him as he says standing in front of me while the other two men go towards the car.
“I will escort you to the penthouse you will be using for the time you are here.”
“Where is Bhungane?”, I frown as I turn around and look at the driver taking my things out.
“He is running an errand but I will make sure he is here very quickly”, he says.
“With my mixer right?”, I ask and he looks at me.
“It is still delayed at the store but you will sure get it.”, he says and tells me that we can get moving as the driver with his new friends follow with my things as we go inside this place.
It is so beautiful, I love how it looks. We get inside the elevator and it goes up.
“So you are friends with Nkosana?”, the man asks an I look at him.
“You are?”
“Jabulani, I am his best friend”, he mentions.
“Mmmh,yes”, I look away and wait here for this to open so we can get out. I don’t know these men and I am at ease because my driver is here and Bhungane said I should trust him once.
It opens and finally we get out and we are already in like a house. The kitchen and living room is here.
“Wow”, I say softly.
“Your driver will show you around. I have to be somewhere else. Nkosana will be here in 10 minutes”, he mentions.
“Okay”, I say and move away from them and go to the kitchen and I look around it and I look outside at the glass wall just behind it.
The view of the city is nice. The sun is setting and it looks beautiful.
“Let me show you around ma’am”, I turn to the driver and I nod following him.
He shows me around and where I will be sleeping. This place has only one bedroom so I wonder where he will sleep because he will not sleep here.
After showing me around he tells me that he is going to his room and I will be fine.
I nod my head, I hope I will be. He leaves using the elevator and I sit on the couch and wait. I hope that the mixer that is delayed in store is really pretty. Maybe a white one would be really nice or black? No white will go well with my chef uniform that I have back home.
I am lost in thoughts for a moment before I hear the elevator and I stand up from the couch and it opens. I see him and he sees me too, I smile.
“Zano, How did you get here?”, he asks as he comes closer and I shrug my shoulders.
“Your friend brought me up here”, he chuckles and shakes his head.
“Don’t mind him, he doesn’t think straight sometimes”, he says.
I go to him and I wrap my arms around him and he does the same.
“You left me alone back there”
“I needed to work Zano, I am sorry”, he says.
“I know”, I say and sigh.
He gently rubs my back and I am just happy to see him.
.
I just took a shower and the night has fallen in, my hair is not wet today so I don’t need to hair dry it.
I walk out of the bathroom and find this man seated on the bed on his phone and he looks up at me carrying my little pink bag with the towel wrapped around my body.
“You are done”
I nod my head.
“I need to get dressed now”, I say and walk to the suitcase and open it.
He is looking at me as I take out my pyjamas and then close the suitcase after then place my things on the bed. I open my little bag and take out my things to moisturize with.
“Close your eyes, you don’t have to see me naked”, I say and he closes his eyes.
I quickly do what I need to do and get dressed. It is so surreal how I am so comfortable around this man. I tell him to open his eyes and he does when I am done.
“Will you spend Christmas here?”, I ask.
“I don’t know, I might have to”, I feel sad.
“Okay”,I say.
“Come here”, he says and I get on the bed and get closer to him. He lays on the bed and I lay next to him and we both look up the ceiling.
“I love being around you Zano, you somehow make sense”, he says and looks at me then I look at him.
“You make sense too”
“I wish I can give you the world but I can only give you a portion of it”, he mentions.
“How?”
“Just watch”, I nod my head. He pulls me closer to him and makes me lay my head on his chest and kisses my forehead.
I close my eyes that moment.
“I had missed you mama, so much”, he says that near my ear.
I can hear him. I cradle myself closer to him.
I missed him too.