Phakade Lami (My Forever)

Chapter 30

It’s late in the evening as Hector gets dropped off at their house by Malume, who had also dropped off Nkosi at Mabutho’s house.
He refused to go back to that house in Bez Valley, for me, I feel like it was as if he was or he is avoiding it.
Hector enters into his room and finds Buhle, in a new change of clothes and her sons are sleeping on his bed as usual, I don’t know why can’t they use the other rooms instead of gluing themselves to his bed, that he has missed so much after all nothing came from him sleeping on that costly sofa, except bad neck posture that he has already swallowed pills for.
He sits in front of the dressing table and looks at himself in the mirror, man how bad he has become, well not in body shape but him as a person, in the past 24 hours, he has had to lie to protect Nkosi from going to jail and also not speaking to his husband, who he hasn’t seen since yesterday at Nkosi’s house.

He is about to go and join his boys in the bed, when the door to his room is opened and slowly Zimele enters and remains silent as he stands on the door, with his tiny eyes glued to Hector.

“Do you realize that your daughter hasn’t seen or been near you for almost two days now,” he says.
Hector remains very quiet and just stares at him.
“I’m talking to you Hector,” he says with a commanding tone.
Hector goes out of the room and when he arrives at the door, he holds it for Zimele so that he can come out and as he leaves the room, he switches off the light and then closes the door.
Zimele follows him behind as Hector moves to the living room and stands in front of the plasma TV that Zimele had recently bought, it’s still new on the market and apparently it’s only rich people that own these Flat Screen TVs but yet he bought it, because he wanted to watch the soccer match on something new and by new, I mean “classy new”.

“I’m am talking to you and you are remaining quiet, do you know that this is my house and you are my responsibility and not the other way around,” he says with anger clearly in his tiny eyes, as he raises his index finger and pointing it to Hector.

“It’s your house and it’s written that a man is the head of the house and you paid my dowry and not the other way around, and if I fail to comply with the rules, you will beat me the same way Ziyanda was beaten up by your older brother,” he says.

His tiny eyes widen and immediately he tries to move next to Hector but he gives him the hand.

“God knows that I can never hit someone that I love,” he says.

“God knows but I don’t Zimele, I mean if you were willing to watch your brothers or rather hear your brothers, beat up a woman... what about me... I’m not a woman... so my own beating could be double, if not thrice... after all didn’t I slap your big brother,” he says as he stares deep into Zimele’s eyes.

“I would never hit you and God knows that I can never cause you any harm, aren’t you my “husband/wife” after all,” he says.

“Well it’s hard to believe my dear soon-to-be Husband, at this moment I feel like a broken tool, it’s been drama after drama with you... it’s as if my creator just crafted me to be enduring unnecessary pain from you, so tell me why are you marrying me... why are you forcing me into this family because if it’s not you... then it’s your brothers and if it’s not them, then it’s your demanding ancestors,” he says.

“I want to marry you because I love and care for you, I mean... I don’t see my life or my world without you in it, Ma you are at the centre,” he says.

“I don’t need the centre... I want to be with you and only you... all these things that I have today with you... are just added bonuses in our relationship... I am empty without you,” Hector says with almost tears in his eyes, yes he is being emotional again, this emotional goat likes crying unnecessary.