Phakade Lami (My Forever)

Chapter 19.... Nokubonga.

It’s in the late nineties, possibly around 1998 and that should be about 9 years ago, a year after Bab’Dlamini had acquired those taxis from Jerry Masilo and began operating with them at the local taxi rank in JHB CBD.
He had a weird tendency of doing a rotational movement around his taxis to check if they was no hobo that slept near or you know what they say, put some muthi (witchcraft) that he had gotten from Bab’Khanyile around the entrance of his taxi, so that he can get customers.
As he moves to the other side of the taxi, he finds two teenaged kids, one a bit darker and the other one a bit light skinned, though she looks familiar to someone he knows, he quickly wakes them up.

“Hey... hey... hey... what’s the meaning of this.... wake up... what are you doing here... sleeping near my taxis... you see, witchcraft starts like this...”, he says as he wakes them up with a loud voice and it’s like it runs in the family, they’re too loud.
The darker one who looks older wakes up and stands on his feet with his head down and tells Bab’Dlamini in a low toned voice, “ Apologies sir... my name is mu... mukuna and this is my younger sister, zuri and we are from KwaZulu-Natal... We came here to look for our family... mainly my aunt’s children.... but when we got to the place where we told that their that the moved out...
Bab’Dlamini turns to the younger sister, who is standing behind her brother “And you... is he telling the truth and be honest with me... young lady, he says in stern voice that sends shivers down the poor girls neck, but shame Mrs Alhambra was very beautiful as a kid.
Zuri stammers, whilst nodding her small head, “Ye... yes.. he is telling the truth... nothing but the truth...sir”.
Bab’Dlamini Looks At Them Closely, “Fine... follow me..”, he says with a deep voice and as  they follow him into the taxi rank, he buys for them food, and gives them to eat in his taxi, after which he takes them home to his house and tells them as he opens the door to his flat that “Welcome... Home”.

It’s been over 9 years, as Mukuna sits in this small sized house that looks like it has been complied with metal rooftops to create a home 🏡 or a house but anyways he looks at the picture of him and Bab’Dlamini along with his sister, and he remembers that despite the outcome of the events and how he has turned out to be, Bab’Dlamini was really a nice man with a handsome face not this one that looks a bloated meal with an ever serious face and only laughing when the joke is on him.
He places the picture on the wooden table and slowly moves to Hector, who is slowly waking up from the land of sleeping and as he moves closer to him and is about to remove the mask, he looks at him carefully.

“You have her eyes, her smile and you have your father’s persistent and courage," he stops and slowly Hector looks at Mukuna’s eyes and somehow they send strong shivers down his spine and it’s not good ones.
"We are going to try this once again and I hope this time around, you will have no other choice than to cooperate with me on this, right” he says with his eyes wide open.

Hector slowly nods and that’s when Mukuna removes the clothe around his mouth but leaves him tied to the chair because he tried to untie him earlier on, and Hector tried to escape, which made him to tire him again and send him back to the land of the sleep, with the same clothe that he used on him earlier on.
Mukuna slowly relaxes on the chair that he was sitting on and watches as Hector, looks around this matchbox that looks out of use, like it hasn’t had any occupant over the years.

“I know you from somewhere and it’s not from Kgomotso’s house but I know you and I know you very well, Hector says as he trembles with fear.

Mukuna chuckles, “I know you know me as Tihrani Sibanda, the man that generously gave you the R6000," and slowly Hector nods.
"But you see that’s not me... my name is Mukuna Wachilambo but some few people refer to me as Mukuna Khoza and that’s because the Khoza surname is as a result of my connection to the Dlamini Family through their mother... Nomashenge Khoza who happened to be my wonderful aunt, that had her life taken away from her, at such a young age”, he says as he wipes the tear from his face, whilst looking down.