After Mxo was done Boko Haraming Zanele's hair, he took his way back home and got an energy drink at some tuckshop he came across. He called Ndalo along the way. Her voice immediately reported that she was sleeping.
"Baby?", she answered.
"Sthandwa sami. I'm sorry for waking you up. Are you okay?"-Mxo. She sighed.
"I'll live. I'm just tired. I just got back from the hospital"
"I was actually calling about that. What did the doctor say?"
"She took my blood for testing but so far, she hasn't said anything scary"
"I'm glad to hear that. Usudlile?"(Have you eaten?)
"Yeah I have. Wena?"
He didn't catch this question because his mind was already wandering in the complex forest that Nomcebo threw him in.
"Mxo?"
"Hm? I'm still here baby"
"Are you okay?"
"Ngiright", he lied. "Listen I'll call you back. I need to go now but I'll come see you before I leave. Ngiyak'thanda Ndalo yezwa baby?"(I love you Ndalo do you hear me?)
He could sense the smile that was chaperoning her voice.
"Ngiyak'thanda nami babakhe"
His lips immediately stretched into a smile.
"You should call me that from now on"
She laughed.
"Okay babakhe"
"Sharp ke ungiqedeli ibattery and uyazi ukuthi ubuhle bakho bucauser i load shedding"(You're finishing my battery and you know that you're beauty causes load shedding)
He teased and and she shot out a sharp laugh.
"Mciim yabheda yaz wen"(You're crazy)
He got home and saw Manqoba's car parked outside. He started planning how he was going to initiate the conversation in his head. They had a lot to talk about but one thing about him, he was a lot of things but a coward wasn't one of them. He walked into the house and didn't see him anywhere. He went straight to his study and found the door open. Manqoba was sleeping over his hands on his desk. He felt the matter couldn't wait so he knocked. It took two knocks to wake him and he raised his head. He squinted his eyes before telling him to come in. Mxo approached the chair across him and Manqoba sat back against his chair with a stoic face. He said nothing.
"I'm sorry", Mxo let out.
"You could've killed him Mxo. He could still die?", Manqoba said hoarsely. His voice wasn't yet prepared to speak. It thought he was still asleep till he forced it to verbalize those words.
"I know. Again, I'm sorry. There's nothing else I can say to correct this. It won't happen again"
"Damn straight it won't. The next time you find yourself faced with a fight you will walk away. Do you hear me?"
Mxo mumbled under his breath.
"Do you hear me Mbulazi?", Manqoba insisted.
"Loud and clear", he had no choice but to agree.
"Good"
Mxo exhaled before he could grab the other bull by the horns.
"MQ?"
"Ntwana?"
"There's something I need to tell you", he gravely informed. Manqoba squeezed his head in between his arm in frustration.
"Weeeeee. Wenzen manje?"(What have you done this time?)
"No it's the same crime but with heavier consequences"
"I'm not following?"
"Today, this morning when you told me to take Ndalo home, I got there and had a talk with her mother"
"You have no business having "talks" with the girlfriend's mother Mxo we taught you better than that"
"She's the one who called me", he quickly emancipated himself from the crime.
"If there's anything she needs to discuss she needs to come to me", Manqoba wasn't understanding this issue at all. "What did she want?", he added. Mxo looked up and fell back on the chair.
"Are you gonna talk or continue wasting my time?"
"Apparently, I impregnated my sister", he informed and Manqoba stared for a brief moment before he could laugh.
"I am serious", Mxo put a halt to MQ turning his life into a circus. He stopped laughing.
"What?"
"Yes"
"There's no such", Manqoba argued.
"Well, she claims that Ndalo is uncle Mbuso's child".
He'd never met him but he respected him as his uncle. He only ever saw him from pictures. Manqoba wheeled his chair out of the desk and stood up. He was thinking-- hard. He went over to sit on the corner of the desk and hung his one leg over it. Mxo was still seated on the chair.
"What does this mean? Am I gonna be forced to break up with her? Cause I won't"
An unintentional smile grew on MQ's face. He just knew at that moment that he'll one day be sent to discuss lobola on Mxo's behalf.
"Bafana bheka, niyakhula and there's a lot that you still need to learn, and know".
Mxo nodded curiously.
"I can see that uyay'thanda lengan and i serious lento yenu as young as you are. Hell there's even a baby involved now"(... you love this girl and what you have is actually serious)
Mxo huffed a laugh.
"See, Mbuso is not really your uncle ngegazi"(by blood) Manqoba revealed. Mxo frowned.
"But y'all said..."
"I know what we said and it will remain like that. Nobody knows where he is right now and we can't just let something like this be known to the community or anybody else apart from this family", he calmly explained.
"What does this mean because umaka Ndalo akakwazi loko? She thinks I am fxcking my sister and is even threatening to take her away"(Nomcebo doesn't know that)
"Udakiwe uNomcebo she will do no such thing. I will handle her don't worry"(She's drunk)
"Handle her?"
"Mxolisi. Usifakile amanyaleni siyavuma. Manje phuma ey'ndabeni zabantu abadala"(You've made a mess of things for us to fix and we acknowledge that. Now keep yourself out of the business of adults)
Mxo couldn't help but wonder how Manqoba was going to "handle" this matter as he said. He also realized that his last statement was final so he decided not to argue.
...
Melokuhle wasn't sure if he remembered Bongiwe's address correctly. However, nothing much had changed in that neighborhood since the last time he was there. He got there and spoke to the security guard outside of the decent and fancy apartments. The guard called Bongiwe to notify her that Melo was there to see her.
"She says she's not home but she has put me on hold", he reported back as he blocked the speaker.
"O-kay?", Melo was puzzled. If she wasn't home but on her way there that's exactly what she should've said.
"Oh okay. I'll tell him ma'am. Bye bye", the guard cut the call and placed the phone down.
"She says you should go ahead and knock"
"I thought there was nobody home...?"
The guard raised his hands to indicate that he knows nothing. Mxo locked his phone and placed it in the pocket of his sweater. The weather was still gloomy and uninviting. When he finally reached her door, it opened as he was raising his knuckles to knock. His jaw hung loose. She was standing there with an unfathomable expression on her face. Regret with stripes of anxiety. Excitement she wasn't sure how to show in polka dots. He wanted to speak. She did too. No words were coming out from both parties.
"No.", he said in a definite voice before shaking his head turning away to leave. Gugu's tears were quick.
"Baby please don't go!", she begged after she stepped outside to stand in the middle of the corridor. Melo stopped walking but never turned back in her direction.
"Come inside so we can talk"
Only then did he turn.
"If I hadn't come here who would you be inviting in for a talk? Mom, exactly how long have you been here?"
"Not that long I promise"
"You could call me in jail just cause you wanted me to speak to dad on your behalf but now that you're out you no longer need me right?"
Emotions were high.
"Please come inside", she begged and rubbed her upper arms. She was a quarter away from shivering in her black vest and navy sweatpants. He exhaled through his nose and looked away for a brief second. He then walked in.
"Would you like some coffee?", she politely offered and he warned her with a side eye. The look in the damn child made her feel exactly the same way her husband would make her feel whenever she would set a foot wrong in his presence.
"Okay...", she timidly said before leading him to the couch. He got there and sat, elbows against his knees. She sat next to him.
"Melokuhle, I gave birth to you. I love you. Nobody on this planet could love you better than I do. There is no way in hell that I'd use you and toss you aside"
"Did you arrive today?", Melo interrogated
"No but--"
"When the guard put me on hold, u aunty bekafounela wena right?"(Bongiwe was calling you right?), he questioned and she nodded, not understanding where it was coming from.
"You know my numbers off by heart. You have a phone available to you but you never even thought of calling me to let me know that you're out?"
"Nana I wanted to do things right. I wanted to speak to your father first before I could--"
"My father was not the one you were busy calling while you were in jail! How come is he the first one in line when you come out? I last saw you when I was twelve! TWELVE!, he vented furiously.
Gugu shut her eyes with her lips puckered as the words pierced her heart.
"Did you think about me when you pulled that trigger? That you could get locked up and leave me behind? Or worse, die? What if ma was also armed? You did not. Just as you didn't right now!"
He was now on his feet. She stood up with him.
"Please give me a chance to speak and explain myself. Give me a chance to tell you the truth"
Melo slightly angled his head in confusion.
"The truth?"
She gently pulled him by the wrist so they sit back down. She let out a heavy hot breath and brushed her thighs thrice before speaking. She does that when she's frustrated.
"Well?"- an impatient Melo probed into the truth he was promised.
"I...", she placed her hands on her temples, looking down at the carpet. She wasn't sure about what she was about to do. If Melo was to find out from sombody else, it could mean the end of their relationship. She appreciated the fact that Muzi and Betso lied to him to protect her but her opening this can could also be detrimental to their relationship--Muzi and his son. Melo was staring in silence.
"Years ago, long before you were born, I... something happened between me and your uncle, Bheki. The first time it happened, your father was away. He told me that he was going on a business trip but I found out that he was with his mistress somewhere in Mpumalanga, from the mistress herself. I... this is not an excuse I know but I was mad that he was cheating on me again when he promised me that he wouldn't...", Melo was now listening with attention.
"Bheki was there. I told him about it and he comforted me. One thing led to another and... we couldn't stop", she explained and made sure to keep her eyes away from his, riveted to the floor. He was still silent like he wasn't there, unintentionally holding his breath.
"One day, Muzi caught us and I had to think fast. I turned it into something it wasn't and he got all the blame"
When she got to this part, she realized that maybe coming out with the truth was a bad idea. Melokuhle had no idea that his father has blood on his hands. His voice was still absent in that conversation, that monologue, the confession.
"I claimed he was... assaulting me. Sexually. Mbulazi beat him up", she finally raised her face to gauge his reaction and how he was processing everything.
"To death...", she went deep into the greasy details and he widened his eyes.
"There was a case but the docket disappeared. The officer who had it, would time and again blackmail the family to keep Muzi out of jail. But the problem is, he was unreliable and he had insurance. If something was to happen to him, somebody else we did not know would leak the information"
Melo fell back on the couch and locked his eyes with the roof, blinking at intervals.
"When your father's wife came into our lives, I accepted her. It wasn't easy in the beginning but I accepted her. I don't know how she got a hold of this information but she made a call to that very officer who sold it to her ex, digging. See, Themba is, or was a greedy man. I don't know if he's still alive. When Betso's ex looked into Muzi's past, he offered him money for that information. He reported back to me after that incident, obviously wanting more money and offering to help me do damage control"
She swallowed and brushed her hair back, twice.
"We then lured her to this abandoned factory. We had told her to come drop off a bag of cash there so we could eliminate her and stop her from digging some more. Little did we know that, Muzi was in the car with her"
"There was a confrontation and I felt like he was choosing her over me. After all those years, of hurting me with different women, he was still choosing another over man. See, Mbulazi never admitted to his cheating ways and he never brought proof home but I always, always found out somehow. And it hurt. But I stayed. That moment there, drove me insane. He made me so mad I wanted to end him. I forgot about the woman on his side and I just-- I wanted him to feel something. Pain. I--"
"Wait...", Melo finally spoke. "So it was dad you were actually trying to kill?"
She just stared, speechless. She still wasn't sure if confessing was a good idea. But the truth was going to come out as some point and she wanted a clean slate. She didn't want to make some progress with him only for it to creep up on her like a thief in the night to destroy everything. She eventually nodded. He scoffed. His hands landed on his knees and stayed there as he froze.
"Melokuhle I am sorry for all the lies and--"
"I have to go", he shot up from the couch when he finally defrosted and never looked back.
...
When Enhle was done with her therapist, she was doubtful as both her hands held on to the steering wheel. She contemplated. She felt strongly about it. She had to do it. She owed it to him. It was the least she could do. She crossed fingers that she would find him on call. She took an off-ramp and directed her vehicle to transport her to the hospital. She got to the parking and exhaled. Where was she going to start? She stepped out of the car and took the brave step towards the entrance. She suddenly began wishing that she doesn't find him there. Her palms were sweating as she clutched onto her handbag. Her badluck placed Muhluri right next to the reception desk. He was conversing with a male nurse about something evidently serious. He kept nodding and she couldn't help notice his strong and perfectly outlined jawline. Muhluri is a beautiful man. A metrosexual with beautiful skin that is always well taken care of. You could never catch him with a bad haircut. Enhle kept walking towards them. She couldn't help but let her memory take her back to the time where she was screaming his name as he rearranged her guts, while she held on to those strong, dark and muscular arms. He looked hella sexy in those scrubs.
"Hi", she greeted them and Muhluri turned back to see her. The male nurse greeted her with a wide smile. She was used to it. That kind of overdosed smile? She was used to it. Men bow at her mere scent. She's a beautiful woman who male strangers always feel responsible to ensure she is comfortable. Muhluri did not want to be unprofessional.
"Hello", he greeted back, with his normal face.
"Brian, Enhle. Enhle, Brian", he introduced them and told Brian that Enhle used to work there two years before Brian arrived.
"Nice to meet you. Let me go check on Sarah at the dispenser I heard she was looking for me"
Brian left. He could feel the suppressed tension between the two.
"What can I do for you Mrs K?", he asked and continued scribbling down on the file that was ontop of the reception desk that was left unmanned.
"Can we talk?"
"But we are?", he never raised his face. She looked around and saw all the patients seated in a queue on her left. She was still clutching onto her handbag.
"In private. Please?", she pleaded. He stopped writing and exhaled from irritation. Nonetheless, he gestured with his hand and said,"After you". She led the way and they got to the office. He went to sit on his chair and she sat across him. The door was closed.
"Again, what can I do for you?"
"Hluri I came to say apologize. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since that eventful night. I'm really sorry for involving you in my mess. And I am not leaving this office until you forgive me"
Muhluri scoffed and held the edge of the desk, wheeling himself in and closer.
"You know what your problem is?", he questioned. She shrugged.
"The entitlement that comes with pretty privilege. Your apology is a command in itself. You think men owe you everything based on how you look", he expressed but in a very calm manner. One of the qualities she found similar between him and her husband.
"I don't care about appearances mina Xiluva. I don't. I care about what's in here", he bumped his fist on his chest three times, indicating the heart. She dropped her eyes.
"Ndzik' nyike mbilu ya meh hikuva niku rhandza. I endla yih weh? U teka u tsemetela just because you can"(I gave you my heart because I loved you. What did you do? Took and cut it into pieces..."
She wasn't good in Tsonga but she could piece together the crux of his statement.
"That's not true I--"
"Just stop Enhle. I admit. I was the fool. I wasn't supposed to fall that deeply for somebody else's wife. Especially that soon", he said this as he stood up. He went over to her and made her stand with her shoudlers. He then gently pulled her by the back of her head and kissed her forehead. She shut her eyes as he kept his lips there. He went to open the door so she could leave.
"Muhluri..."
"I honestly hope you accumulate enough courage to leave that hooligan one day. Not for me. But your self. I hope you love yourself enough to leave the table when love is no longer being served. That you take a solocation to somewhere far in the world where you will cry your heart out and leave the heartbreak and the love you have for him in a foreign country, then come back. Not for me Xiluva. For yourself..."
A lone tear travelled down her cheek as she bent her lips out of shape, trying hard not to cry. She nodded and left the office at tortoise speed.
...
Melokuhle never said goodbye to anybody. He took the next available flight out of Johanesburg and went back home. He was angry but did not know where to channel and direct that anger to. When he arrived at the royal house, he went straight to bed. Mam' Nokwanda tried offering him food but he turned her down politely, faking a smile. She knows him. She raised him. She knew he wasn't fine but at the same time, she knew that he wasn't going to speak. So she let him be. He hadn't been sleeping the past few days and he was exhausted. Sleep was the only thing that made sense at that point. He took off his sweater and the t-shirt underneath, then slept in just his jeans and socks.
When he finally woke up hours later, he felt like he got run over by a concrete house on wheels. He sat on the bed, yawning countless times and rubbing his heavy, burnting eyes. He shook his head to reset his blurry and unimpressive vision to default settings but it wasn't working. He opted for a shower instead. His mother's voice and everything she said was haunting him. He got out of there and dried himself. After he got dressed in a long sleeved t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, he spritzed on his cologne because Khanyi mentioned countless times how much she loved it. He pulled the sleeves to his elbows and grabbed his watch, dashing out. He didn't want to be alone. He was tired of overthinking. His phone had countless messages and missed calls. He returned none.
He almost ran into Enhle on the corridor. She was having a cup of coffee in her winter night gown. The weather had absolutely no reason to be that bad but it was.
"Whoa slow down young man. Where are you going?"
"Hi aunty. Can I use your car?"
"If you promise to return your father's calls. He is worried sick about you. I had to come and check if you were indeed here and I found you asleep. Why did you not say goodbye?", she interrogated as she sipped on her hot beverage.
"It's a long story. The car?"
"The keys are somewhere in my handbag on the couch. AND drive safely", she said with a smile and he smiled back.
"You're the best"
With that, he left.
He arrived at Khanyi's a couple minutes after midnight. He took out his phone and called to tell her that he was outside.
"But baby it's late. Why didn't you tell that you're coming?", she said.
"Angidingi timetable ukuthi ngize ngzobona intomb'yami mina. Phuma tuu"(I don't need a time table to tell me when and when not to come see my girlfriend. Will you come out already?)
"Melo ubaba ukhona namhlanje ngeke ngikwazi"(My dad is around today I won't be able to)
"Nge styla lesi uthi angijike?"(In other words, you're saying I must turn back?)
She kept quiet. She really wanted to see him but was afraid of her strict giant of a father.
"No"
"Uthini ke?"(Then what are you saying?)
"I'll make a plan. Give me a few minutes"
"If you get here after ten minutes you will find me gone", he threatened and she sighed on the phone.
She managed to escape through the window and come to him. He was seated in the backseat of the car waiting for her as he played Tone Stith's 'Something'(Drake cover). He got out of the car to hug her when she got to him. She hugged him back but the hug lasted longer than she expected. She tightened it. His lips were tightly pressed against her neck. His hands travelled down to her bxtt. He squeezed over the short silky material as her matching gown hung loosely and untied. He pulled his head back to kiss her. She reciprocated. He broke the kiss and looked her in the eye.
"Sawubona", he finally greeted. She laughed. After all that and he's only greeting now.
"Hi", she greeted back. "Have you been drinking?", she added.
He shook his head slowly and asked why.
"Your eyes"
"I'm just tired. You would've smelt it in my breath. Unless if you've been drinking too", he said and she laughed.
"You never know"
"You'd tell me where you adopt those bad habits"-Melo
"Bad habits? But YOU drink"
"I am not God's right hand man mina. Just because I do it don't make it less bad", he stated and yawned. She laughed.
"So you're the only one allowed to be bad?"
"Yeah. Your job is to make sure I don't overdo it. Keep me in check", he rubbed his nose against her cold one. She just laughed and sucked her teeth.
"Let's get in the car. You must be feeling cold", he suggested, already opening the door for her. She did as told. He went in after her.
"Wozo hlala la"(Come sit here)
He was referring to his lap. He wanted her to sit astride ontop him. She did that. His hands rested on her curves as he laid his head against the seat.
"Qabula isoka lakho phela baby"(Kiss your boyfriend)
She blushed before leaning in. She was not used to initiating things. The kiss got of the ground with passion and she felt that something was definitely fighting to be let free underneat her. He found her behaviour peculiar sometimes. She was the one insisting on visisting him but she acted inexperienced at times. He positioned her on the seat such that she was underneath when he felt she was wasting time. He pulled the pyjama pants down while sucking on her lip. He expected to find underwear but there was none. He smiled in between the kiss and rubbed the top of her privates.
"Can I come in?", he asked while staring into her eyes, forehead against hers. She swallowed her lips shyly before noodling. He took out a condom from his pocket before undoing his zipper. He had no time for foreplay. He established that she was wet using his finger. His aunt was going to kill him for her leather seats if he didn't wash it after this.
After putting it on, he tried to find a comfortable position to enter her. It was a bit uncomfortable back there. He kissed her again before lifting her leg and tried to go in. She flinched. He tried but there was an obstacle. He frowned.
"Baby?", he probed.
"Hm?"
"What's going on?"
"What do you mean?"
"I thought you said you're not a vxrgin?", he questioned.
"I'm not"
He pulled out and took the condom off. He grabbed the tissue roll that was seated at the far back and wrapped it. He got dressed and asked her to the same. After they were done, he pulled her so she sits on top of him again. She rested her head on his shoulder.
"Khanyi?"
"Kuhle?"
"What the fxck is going?"
"Ushuk'thin kant?"(What do you mean?)
"I've always had doubts that you might be one but I brushed it off because you told me otherwise because there is absolutely no reason for you to lie. So why are you lying?"
"I told you nje that I once did it no Bongani"
"Kay'ngakhi?"(How many times?)
"Once"
"And? What happened?"
"You want details?"
"If you don't mind?"
"Uhm... the short version of it is, I felt him pushing into me and then he started humping then after about a minute wachama"(He came)
Melo laughed.
"Hayi uhlekani?"(Why are you laughing?)
"Unangakhi lo Bongani?"(How old is he?)
"Ulingana nami"(Same age as me)
"Also in grade 10?"
She nodded.
"Wena sthandwasami you're still very much a vxrgin ngikutshele. Ibidlalela phez'kwe nkomo yakho lebhari"(He was just playing ontop of your ******)
"Ngempela?"
He nodded once.
"Why were you insisting that we do it though?", he asked. She didn't answer. He was curious.
"Khanyisile?"
She shrugged. He gently pushed her off his shoulder so she looks him in the eye.
"Khuluma"(Speak)
"It's just..."
"Juuuust....?"
"When I told my friends that uyangishela and when we started dating, all they kept saying was that every girl wants you and that if I don't sleep with you fast enough then somebody else will"
He sighed.
"Baby, lento engizokutshela yona ngizoy khuluma kanye and ngeke ngisay phinda. If a guy wants to leave you, no amount of s-x is going to keep him. I could sleep with you and still cheat on you angik'fihleli. One thing I don't want is having you over ngiloku ngifenda and enjoying myself while you feel bad inside"
"With him that's exactly how I felt but apart from abangani bam I really want to do it with you"
"My dxck and I are not going anywhere. I gave my brother bad advice and now he's in a sticky situation. I've learnt from that. The day you feel ready, you'll tell me then mina...", he said as he approached her lips with a naughty smile. He pecked it once.
"Ngizok'landa ngiyok'bonisa ukuthi lidliwa kanjani itshitshi. Hayi lombhedo kade nuwenza no Bongani"(I'll show how vxrginity is broken. Not the crap Bongani has done)
UNEDITED