At Khambule Household
Maka Simi cleaned the kitchen and tried to open the cupboards but they were locked, she sighed and mopped the floor and went to discard the dirty water outside.
Simi woke up and saw her mother walking slowly looking like she can fall anytime. She swallowed tearfully and called her..
Simi: "Mama!"
She turned to look at her and leaned the basin on the wall wiping her hands on her pinafore.
Maka Simi: "Is everything okay?"
Simi: "I need your help with something."
Maka Simi: "Okay."
Simi: "It's in my room. Come."
Khambule appeared stretching himself.
Khambule: "Where are you going? Is my breakfast going to prepare itself?"
Simi: "Dad she'll make it I want her to help me pack my bags."
Khambule:(smiled) "Ok baby."
Simi led her mother to her room and locked the door behind them. She went to her wardrobe and took the plate of food she hid for her mother last night and gave it to her.
Simi: "Have something to eat." She took the food and sat down eating. Within a few minutes she had cleaned the plate. Simi gave her a glass full of water and she drank it.
Simi: "How long has this been happening?"
Maka Simi: "For months."
Simi: "Why? Dad used to listen to you, he did everything you wanted without any questions. You used to call the shots around here, what happened?"
Maka Simi: "I don't know but it started when he was removed as the council member of this village. I know my husband, he'll change."
Simi: "What happened to your cattle and chickens?"
Maka Simi: "The cattle got stolen and we ate the chickens."
Simi: "Ma! Why didn't you tell me? I was going to send my NSFAS allowance. Why is Thandile not looking for a job since she refused to go to school?"
Maka Simi: "I don't know about your sister Simi, she has turned to the village bicycle. People are laughing at me because of her behaviour. I don't know where did I go wrong with her."
Simi: "Don't you think it because of what you did to Mam MaMngadi's kids? Maybe she's not resting in peace mama. Have you ever tried to look for them? The day they left rumours around the village said maybe they got attacked by wild animals since they found human remains in the forest. Don't you think Sami is alive and being used by dirty men for their sexual needs since her brother is said to be dead?"
Maka Simi:(rubbing her eyes) "I don't know Simi, that eats me everyday but where would I start searching. It been 10 years I don't even know how they look right now."
Simi:(sighs) "You're right. What time are you leaving?"
Maka Simi: "When I finish making breakfast for your father. Please go to my room and take my bag under the bed and go and hide it in the bushes near the stop."
Simi: "Ok I'll do that.(chuckles) wipe the corners of your mouth or your husband will notice you ate."
She smiled and wiped the corners of her mouth then stood up walking out.
At my house.
I walked to the kitchen stretching my arms wearing my sweatpants. MaNtuli frowned when she saw me.
MaNtuli: "Sbani what are you doing here? I thought you've already left."
Me: "Morning to you too dear mother, how are you doing?"
MaNtuli: "Stop it! Why are you still here?"
Me: "I'm waiting for Sami she's coming here later and today I have to go to town to take care of the payrolls."
MaNtuli: "Payrolls huh?"
Me: "Your love for money."
MaNtuli: "Let me go back home for two months and then give me full pay for those months to prove that you don't love money."
Me: "Hah! I'm joking."
MaNtuli: "What would you like to have?"
Me: "Fruit salad, I'm not really hungry."
MaNtuli: "Coming right up. What is she here for?"
Me: "Our mother's policy documents."
MaNtuli: "What? And you're going to give them to her?"
Me: "Ma even MaMngadi is my witness, I did everything for Sami. I sheltered her too much that she doesn't understand how the real world work. I have to let her go and do what she wants with her life maybe then she'll learn."
MaNtuli: "This is not right, you've been more than a brother to her you were her parent and a sole provider to her. Don't let her disrespect you like that."
Me: "Sami doesn't respect me, akangboni nje all she sees is a stupid farmer who didn't finish his matric and there's nothing I can do to make her respect me."
MaNtuli: "But she'll spend all that money on unnecessary things."
Me: "I don't care, really I don't. I love her and I want only the best for her but she's not down for me. I have a lot on my plate right now and I'm stressed and that's not healthy. Sami is stressing me, I want to genuinely stop caring but I can't and that's putting strain on my health."
MaNtuli: "Ooh my baby! Try to relax stress is dangerous, and the way you smoke this days is alarming. You smoke a lot and that's going to kill you. And you don't talk about your problems that alone will kill you."
Me: "I'm a Zulu man I don't have the luxury of being weak. Talking doesn't help anything. I don't need to talk, I need my sister to respect me, I need to find a woman who'll love me for me not what I have, talking will not give me that."
MaNtuli: "Hold on it'll be alright."
She placed the bowl with fruit salad infront of me and I settled on a high chair then ate.
My phone vibrated from my pocket and I put down the spoon standing up and took the keys from the key holder walking out.
I opened the gate for her and walked back inside with my hands deep in my pockets.
I removed my shoes and walked barefooted to my room. I pulled the bedside drawer and took out the policy documents and went back to the living room. I placed them infront of her and went to the kitchen to finish off my salad.
She walked to me and sighed, I looked at her with a bored expression chewing.
Sami: "Sbani I'm sorry."
Me: "Don't be apologetic for what you believe in. That money is yours and I'm not going to cross question you on YOUR money."
Sami: "Ummh.. how much is it?"
Me: "R5 mil."
Sami: "What?"
Me: "Mom believed you'll be the responsible one since you're a girl or maybe she thought you'll take after her."
Sami: "Oh!"
Me: "If you'll excuse me I have to be somewhere."
I stood up and went to wash the bowl in the sink then went out.
Meanwhile in the kitchen
Sami exhaled and shook her head at his brother's image. He looked fine and the way he felt about him appeared as abnormal to her. The kind of feeling you would feel against your distant cousins but this was her biological brother and it felt wrong on many levels. She couldn't help but think of those clean and fit arms wrapped around her and how does those dark lips would feel against hers.
Why would she feel like this about her own brother? Is it because they never stayed together most of the times? Was it all in her head or it was the teenage stage doing the most? She sighed and went to bid farewell to MaNtuli and walked to the gate. Walking out he saw her brother standing in the garden smoking with his head tilted up.
Smoking at this time can only mean he's stressed but she brushed that off and proceeded with his way.
At the fields
Neliswa pulled the mature cane stalks to the opened furrows and placed the cane setts end to end then stood up straight resting her hands on her waist. It was still early in the morning and she was already tired and the scorching sun had no mercy on her.
At the end of the fields elderly women looked at each other and laughed out loud clapping their hands.
Woman 1: "I told you that Mr Khambule is heartless how can he allow the mother of his child to work here?"
Woman 2: "Kahle Shlobo! The child is not his."
Woman 3: "I heard that he was seen kissing with her sister."
Woman 2: "Hayi! They were not kissing they were riding together."
Woman 3: "Same difference but he doesn't care about her."
Woman 1: "Gone are those days when she used to look at us with a frown efake amakwayikwayi." **Wearing high heels**
Woman 3: "Heyi iynkinga zodwa!"
Woman 4: "Look at her, she looks tired already."
Woman 2: "She'll be strong!"
Woman 3: "Yakwazi mkhonzi, heh!"
She clapped once and covered the cane setts with soil using a plow.
Meanwhile on the road
My muscles got stiffer with each passing minute and my vision blurred. The robot turned red, I tried to tap the indicator but my hand wouldn't move. I saw a truck coming straight to my car and tried to move my hand but it was stiff. I swallowed tearfully and closed my eyes waiting for it to push me out of the way.
TO BE CONTINUED
