My Gift
12
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“What’s wrong Lindi?”
Nandipha brings back to my train of thought.
“I think Lwandle has a girlfriend.”
I tell her and I see the expression on her face change from being confused to being mad.
“Why would you say that Kodwa from just a phone call.”
She tells me. I can tell that she is trying to understand the whole situation. Trying to go get me to tell her what I heard that had me co concluding that Lwandle has another girlfriend beside me.
“Some girl answered and I heard her screaming Lwandle calling her babe.”
I tell her and we stop near a rock big enough for me to sit on so I do it. I sit down because I feel like my body is about to hit the ground due to shock hurt and everything that can make a person faint.
“We going there manje.”
She tells me and she starts walking living me behind. I don’t get her reason for wanting us to go to the royal house because if Lwandle wanted me to know that she has a girlfriend she would have let me know but she did not which is pretty clear that she did not want me to know.
“Nandipha wait!”
I shout after her while running to her.
“Can you wait please?”
I shout when I reach her and she does stop walking but anger is engraved on her face and I know if I allow her to go to the royal house she is going to ruin everything.
“We don’t have to go bheka she has not even called me back.”
I tell her trying to make her see reason but it seems like she is determined and nothing I say will change her mind.
“I won’t let that bit-ch make you hate dating ngithi I will deal with her she does not know me. If she wanted to make you a side chick she should have told you not lamanyala. Asambe and don’t even try to stop me wena.!”
She says and takes my hand into her and we start walking to the royal house. I’m now doing a short prayer that she does not cause too much drama that will make us get in trouble with the royal family. The walk to the royal house is always long and today it’s incredibly fast and we are now standing outside the gate. I can feel my intestines turn us every direction of my stomach and my breath is now changing.
“Sanibonani bobaba.”-greeting
Nandipha greets the guards that are at the gate. They are different from the ones that were the time I went home without telling Lwandle.
“Yebo mantombazane how can we help you?”
They ask looking at Nandipha. I have not said anything since we got here and I’m not planning on saying anything.
“We here to see Nkosazana uLwandle.”
She tells them and I don’t even see a glimpse of being scared. These guards are twice her size and they look very intimidating how she is not scared baffles me.
“And who are you guys?”
The other guard asks. Now how is she going to answer that? Will she say this is my friend and she is dating the princess and the princess cheated so we here to deal with her.
“We are her friends. Very close friends.”
She says and the guards look at each other like trying to figure out if they have ever seen us before.
“Let me go and tell her.”
Says one of the guards walking away.
“Say MaLindi is looking for her!”
She shouts before the guard disappears and I see him nod his head. We sit on the rock next to the gate and no one is saying anything to the other. We have been waiting here for about five minutes and it feels like we have been waiting for three whole days. I may be scared but I still want to see her and hear her reason for cheating but that is if she is cheating on me.
“You can come in.”
The guard brings me back from my train of thoughts. We follow him inside the royal house and I feel like my feet won’t be able to carry be till we are inside the royal house.
“You guys can go in you will find her in the living room.”
He says living us and going back to the gate.
“I’m scared mina.”
I tell her before she opens the door.
“It’s fine I got you.”
She tells me and I just nod my head. She opens the door and leads the way inside. The whole royal family is hers from the wives to the husbands and I feel like I will die very soon. I’m very sure my mother will be confused go why I died in the royal house.
“Sanibonani.”
Nandipha says still pulling me and walking further inside the living room. If competitions of someone very confident were being held Nandipha was going to win every time.
“We here to talk to the princess.”
She says and I see her. I see Lwandle sitting next to a girl who I think is the same age as her. She looks light in completion and has those model type if bodies that everyone wants. She looks like is just come out of a magazine cover in that long dress.
“We know you can sit down.”
The king says and we pull my hand leaning to the empty couch and we sit on it. It’s a two sitter couch.
“We know why you are here and as the royal family we would like to explain.”
The king says and I don’t get what is so important that they want to talk about with us other than the fact that their daughter lied to me and made me a fool. Our relationship is not even a year old but already we are facing problems like a married couple.
“Yebo what my husband is saying is true we are just waiting for me royal sear he will be here very soon.”
The queen says and like she said he enters soon after. He is wearing clothes similar to those that Lwandle wears but he has more beads.
“Ebukhosini
Zulu,
Ndabezitha,
Mntwana,
Zulu kaMalandela ngokulandela izinkomo zamadoda,
Zulu omnyama ondlela zimhlophe,
Wena kaPhunga noMageba,
Wena kaMjokwane kaNdaba,
Wena wenkayishana kaMenzi eyaphuza umlaza ngameva,
S’thuli sikaNdaba,
S’thuli sikaNkombane,
Wena kasihhawuhhawu siyinkondlo bayikhuzile ngoba ikhuzwe abaphansi nabaphezulu,
Wena kanogwaja omuhle ngomlenze,
Wena kaMbambelashoba,
Ndabezitha!”
He greets as soon as he is near the royal family. He moves around the coffee table and hits on the single sitter couch.
“So this is her?”
He says looking at me and now I feel like we should have not come here. What if they want to make me a sacrifice imagine dying without being rich.
“Yebo baba.”
Lwandle answers. This is the first time she is saying anything since we came here.
“What’s going on here?”
Nandipha asks and I’m glad I have her to asks these questions for me.
“And who are you?”
The sear asks her.
“Her friend. We came here to find out if this princess thinks it’s okay for her to play with m friend’s feelings.”
She says pointing at Lwandle.
“Musa ukudelela.”
One of the brothers says and I can see Nandipha roll her eyes.
“She is not playing with your friend’s feelings as you put it.”
The queen says and I feel like they are taking time in explaining why they all here and want us to also sit in this thing like looks like a family meeting.
“As you know Lwandle has a gift. We can communicate with abadala but akasona isangoma. Her gift is somewhat different from one that a sangoma would have. She can see the past present and future.”
The sear says and Nandipha nods her head. I don’t say anything I just keep looking at the sear.
“Before she went to learn more about her gift she was seeing someone. Which is MaKhumalo as you can see her next to her. Preparations of ilobola were being made but the unfortunate happened the princess fell sick.”
He says and takes a break to breathe. I don’t know what to say right now. I feel like those statues at museums who just stand still and not move.
“When I came back I found out that the ancestors want me to take you as my second wife. You are my Gift from them abaphansi.”
Lwandle says when she sees the sear not saying anything.
“So you telling me that your ancestors saw that my friend is worth being second best?”
Nandipha says and I agree with her a little. So the Zulu ancestors saw me worthy to be someone’s second best. Why didn’t my ancestors fight for me to get someone who was going to love me alone and I did not have to share them?
“Don’t put it like that futhi I don’t know why you are here because it does not concern you.”
One of the brothers says to Nandipha and she clic-ks her tongue.
“So we have to get Lwandle and MaKhumalo married then you get married to Lwandle.”
The brother says and I have concluded that everything that smells like the royal family is delusional.
“Let’s go Nandipha.”
I tell her while standing up and picking up my bag that is on the floor.
“We are still talking.”
The queen says and I look at her before pulling Nandipha’s hand and leading her out.
“The queen said we are still talking!”
I hear a de-ep voice roar behind me. I feel all my organs shake and I swear I also felt the ground shake.
I turn to look at who the voice came from.
.
.
Tbc