HIS ROYAL BRIDE

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 13

[KULANI]

While helping AK put on his sneakers, I hear noise coming from the doorway. Someone is trying to force their way inside and Uncle Jonathan is not having it. I call him uncle out of respect but he’s in no way related to the family but the love he pours into it could convince anybody otherwise. I take Akani by hand and we walk there to find out.
‘I thought I had specifically told you all to leave my child alone’ I hear the lady’s voice again. AK immediately runs towards her and she crouches down with a smile to pick him up.
‘You are not going anywhere with that child Nikiwe’ Mhan Xongi states with certainty.
‘You’re the last person to tell me that. I am not good enough of a wife for your son but I’m suddenly good enough to bear kids for you people? It’s the hypocrisy for me’
Boitumelo is just standing there, obviously wondering what is going on. Aunt Lydia appears with Rhandzu following behind her.
‘Who is that?’ Rhandzu asks. I shrug. I am in no mood to be explaining things I know nothing about.
‘Where is his bag?’ Nikiwe asks.
‘You would know if you were serious about being a mother!’ Lydia shoots out.
‘I am not going to repeat myself. You are going nowhere with that child’
Kurhula walks in as she fixes AK on her hip.
‘Nikiwe?’ he calls.
‘Kurhula please. I am not here to discuss anything with you. I just want my child’
‘Are you sure you wanna do this with me?’
‘Excuse me… are you threatening me right now?’
Kurhula sighs. ‘I don’t make threats. Let’s go talk about this outside’
‘I am not talking. I am leaving, with my child’
Akani starts crying when he’s being pulled back and forth between his mom and grandmother.
Kurhula takes him. ‘You’ll my boy into two. Where have you been?’ he asks the mother of his child.
‘Places. I don’t report to you anymore’
‘When have you ever reported to me? I will bring AK later. He’s still spending time with his family’
Mhan’ Xongi insists on taking him and Kurhula doesn’t fight her.
‘You better bring him tonight’
‘Goodbye Nikiwe’
I have questions…

…

‘Wasn’t Fikani supposed to be leaving today?’ I ask when it’s finally just the two of us in then room. He laughs. This whole day has been boring and exhausting.
‘Are you tired of them already?’
I continue moisturizing my hands.
‘Not really. I am just confused’
‘Are you okay?’
I get on the bed and go lie on his chest. We’re naked under this sheet. I don’t think I’ve ever been this comfortable with anybody before.
‘I am fine.  I am just disappointed that we couldn’t go out today and now AK is gone. Is this how life is going to be for him?’
I hear him sigh.
‘I don’t know really. I have had the thought of fighting for sole custody but Akani loves his mother, as absent and a deadbeat as she is. I am caught between a rock and a hard place’
I nod. I understand.
‘I wanna build you a house baby’ he mentions. ‘And before you say no, it will be right here in the yard. This one is getting small for my liking. One can’t even breathe properly here’
‘You’re serious about moving out of here?’
‘I have better things to do with my time than fight for a throne. We have spoken about this’
‘I hear you. I have an idea. I don’t know what you will think of it’ I change the topic.
He waits for me to speak.
‘I wanna open a creche’
‘Is this sudden or is it something you’ve been pondering over for some time?’
I chuckle. ‘I don’t know. At first, it was a random meaningless thought but the more I think about it, I tend to feel like my purpose lies somewhere there’
‘I can’t argue. I mean… you’re good with kids so…’
‘I’m still playing around with the idea though. Another part of me wants to go back to school so I can enrol for Bed Foundation phase’
‘There’s a lot of sadness in your voice. What’s wrong?’
I am listening to his heartbeat as I lie here.
‘I just…’
‘At some point you have to let go of the idea of journalism because that’s clearly not your path baby. You can still do whatever you wanna do. You’re way too young’
‘Young at 24?’
He laughs. ‘I’m gonna strangle this person who managed to convince you that you’re old. You’re just a baby. If you’re old then what am I?’
‘I’m tired of studying’
‘But you wanna do something?’
I nod innocently and he laughs.
‘Okay. Come work for me then’
‘Work for you?’
‘Yeah. You’ll be my assistant’ he says, playing with my hair.
‘Bad idea’
‘You’ll be a stay-at-home mom then. I’ll give you the creche you want. My soldiers are still strong’
I shoot out laughter.
‘I have never imagined myself as a stay-at-home mom or a housewife. I would go crazy I swear’
‘You wanna be an independent mom?’
I nod. He kisses my forehead.
‘I am for whatever will make you happy. I just want you to know that I don’t mind taking care of you, waswitwa mama?’
I nod once more.
‘So, I can call that house plans guy tomorrow?’
‘I think tomorrow is too soon. Why don’t we focus on the wedding first and deal with everything else afterwards?’
‘And here I was convinced that women are multitaskers. Somebody lied somewhere’
I raise my eyes at him and he looks at me with suspicion.
‘I already know what you want’ he states and I laugh.
‘I just serviced you about an hour ago. This appetite of yours for dxck is gonna kill me one day’ he’s complaining but he’s already kissing up on me. He cannot blame me. Every time I’m with him my mind just wanders off to places where kids aren’t allowed. I pull him up when he wants to go down. There’s an itch that he needs to scratch right now. He laughs when he gets the message. I close my eyes he enters me slowly.
‘Kurhula?’ I call.
‘Ja baby?’
‘I love you’
He smiles and kisses me. ‘I love you too. Can I get you pregnant now?’
I laugh. He just had to ruin it.