My Gift
24
“Why did you do that? Are you normal Kodwa wena ?”
One of the brothers asks and I just look at him. I don’t know how to answer that because I also don’t know why I did it. Something just forced me to do it and now everyone looks angry except for the seer.
“Don’t worry about it sisi.”
He says picking it up from the floor and putting it on the plate. It switched off when it fell on the floor and the seer does not seem bothered by that.
“We should let her sleep now we should go to Fuze’s house to talk to her mother to ask for permission”
The seer says and I don’t know which permission they need to ask from my mother.
“Permission for what?”
I ask them and they all turn their eyes to the seer. I’m sure they told him to start explaining to me what is going on.
“Well, you that you can be Lwandle’s second in command. Not second in command there are things that Lwandle can not handle to see like what she saw in the water that is why she is like this now, so if she can’t handle to see them they will be shown to you.”
The seer says and I just look at him. I don’t need this kind my life I don’t want to have a normal life and normal relationship like other kids my age.
“MaKhumalo is there I’m sure she can do it futhi she is with Lwandle most of the time”
I say and the seer shakes his head.
“You are Lwandle’s gift from the ancestors so this should be done by you. And it needs someone with a pure heart.”
He says and I guess he is indirectly saying that MaKhumalo is not pure of heart. I would not blame her if she was not pure of heart I mean having to share your girlfriend is difficult I always feel it when I’m with Lwandle and MaKhumalo calls her because she needs her. Sometimes I ask myself if she needs her or it will be just her lying.
“My mother is at work.”
I tell them and the seer nods his head.
“It’s fine she will come back but this ceremony needs to be done tonight if we want Lwandle to go back to her normal state”
He says and I look at him like why should I be the last to know things that concern me.
“What ceremony?”
I ask him and he sits on the bed. I’m sure he was tired of standing because I know I am.
“For you to accept being Lwandle’s second eye for you to accept seeing things she can not see”
He says. Don’t I have a choice in this whole thing.
“No, you don’t you never have a choice with ancestors sisi”
The seer says and I’m guessing I said that out loud. I nod my head and I start feeling dizzy. I can smell fire and hear people screaming I don’t know what is happening to me but I hate it I do. It feels like I’m there I’m the burning place and I can not get out.
“Lindiwe!”
I can hear them calling out for me but I can not move my mind from what it is thinking about. It’s like my mind is frozen in that place. I want to move from where I am standing and stand by the window but I can’t.
After some time I feel better I’m back to normal and when I look around me everyone is looking at me.
“Are you okay?”
The seer asks me and I nod my head. I’m feeling a little dizzy so I sit on the bed and close my eyes.
“Did you see something ?”
He asks me but I can not hear what he said.
“Sorry?”
I ask him to repeat what he said.
“What did you see I know you saw something.”
He says and I just look at him. Why does he not let me calm down a little before he gives me these questions?
“I heard people screaming and I could smell fire.”
I tell him and he looks at me scared. I guess what I just saw has something to do with what Lwandle said.
“Does it have anything to do with what Lwandle said? About the royal house being in danger?”
I ask and he nods his head. This is sad now I will be the one telling the family bad news and I don’t want that at all.
“We need to send people to your mother now.”
The seer says going out of the room and I’m left with Lwandle and his family. They don’t say anything they follow the seer out and I’m left with my girlfriend alone. I get inside the covers and sleep on her lap since she is sitting. I close my eyes and sleep.
…………..
It’s now time for the ceremony to be done. My mother agreed I guess it has to do with the seer asking her nicely I’m not even sure that he asked her nicely or she just respects tradition.
I’m required to wear all white and Nandipha was not allowed to be here which is sad. The seer said I will go to the river and bath there then come back so that they can pour me with the goat blood and I then eat the liver. Which is a lot of work if you ask me I can not deal with this much work.
I went with one of the seer’s a-ssistants to *bath by the river. Imagine bathing at night in the river the water will be really cold I thought I was going to die when I entered the room. We are now back and we are st* anding in front of the fire. The goat was slaughtered while I was *bathing by the river so I’m now inside a bathing bowl and the a-ssistant is pouring me with the blood. I close my eyes so that the blood does not enter my eyes. When I’m done I go inside the seer’s hut and he is* burning impepho. I don’t know what it is for but he is doing it.
“Woza sisi.”
He says and I go kneel in front of him.
“Fuze?”
He says. I’m not sure if he is asking if my surname is Fuze or he is calling to see if he still has my attention. I nod my head and he takes another plate that is impepho in it.
” Nina boMapholoba,Nyuswa, Fuze, Mavela, Mafuz’afulele njengefu lemvula,
Mashiya amahle ngath azoshumayela,Dambuza, Mthabathe,Mabhala ngozipho abanye bebhala ngepensela,”
He says trying to light it up but it’s not working which is weird since there is no wind in this hut.
“Malal’efake umunwe endunu,Avuke ekuseni awuncinde akhombe ilanga,Mavulankungu kuvel’ilanga,
Sididane,Ngongoma,Maqadi amakhulu,Mbili!”
He says again and still, nothing is happening. He stands up.
“Ngiyabuya”
He says and goes outside. I don’t know what he is going to do there so I sit and bring my knees closer to my chest and wait for him.
………….
Seer
I go to where the family is and call Mrs. Ngcobo aside. This may only mean one thing that Lindiwe is not a Ngcobo and I need to know her real surname so that I can continue with the ceremony. We will see other things after the ceremony.
“What is Lindiwe’s real surname?”
I ask her and she looks at me shocked.
“What are you talking about Ngcobo is her surname”
She says and I take a de-ep breath this is going to be hard.
I just look at her so that she can see I’m serious I can not be dealing with this right now honestly.
“Mah please tell me the truth so that we can go on with the ceremony please.”
I say in a pleading voice and she nods her head. I look at her waiting for her to tell me her surname.
“Ncube”
She says and I nod my head then go back to the hut.
My *Gift*
25
The seer enters the hut and goes back to trying to switch on impepho. He starts calling the clan names but they are different from the ones he was calling before. I may not not know a lot about these clan names and traditions but I know that these are not the Ngcobo clan names.
“Baba”
I call out to him and he does not look at it. I don’t think it’s right for him to be asking permission for me to be Lwandle’s second eyes from the wrong ancestors but he is not answering me and I think I feel frustrated a little. I let him be and look at his as he continues with what he is doing. He bring the plate with impepho that is burning to my face and I choke from the smoke that comes from it. He does not seek to care because he continues and after sometime he stands up and tells me to stand up.
“Let’s go.”
He says to me and I follow him outside and we go to the royal house. I’m still wearing the white cloth I was told to wear and my mind is far.
“It was a success. Now we need to check up on Lwandle she should be better.”
He says as soon as he enters the living room where the family is at.
“I will go and check on her.”
MaKhumalo says and before anyone can say anything she is out the living room. I sit next to my mother and there is silence in the room.
“You called out the wrong clan names so she might not even be fine” I say.
I know I sound pissed but it’s because I am. I mean how can a person confuse two different surnames like he did.
“I did not you have a lot to talk about with your mother.” He says and I take a de-ep breath. I’m not a baby anymore so I know what he means by saying I have a lot to talk about with my mother.
I never thought this would be something that would happen to me. I mean I have heard of it but never thought I will also be a victim of not being my father’s daughter.
I wonder who my father was. I mean I can not even think of any one who those clan names that I know of.
I look at my mother and she looks the other way I need to get home so that she can tell me who my father is so that I can process this whole thing in one go. I don’t want to do it half half because that will break my heart more than ever. My father, I don’t know if I can still call him that never made me feel like I was not his daughter maybe he was still looking for the opportunity but God had other plans for him sigh.
“We should get going”
I hear my mother say next to me and the king nods his head.
“Thank you for allowing your daughter to do the ceremony.” The king says
My mother nods her head and I’m the first to stand up.
“Nisale kahle”
She says and we walk out. One of the guards will drop us off so we are now in the car. We have not said a word to each other and I like it the way it is. I have nothing to say to her because I’m not feeling anything. I don’t feel pain or anger I just feel numb that’s all.
When we get home I’m the first one out of the car and I can hear footsteps behind me so I know that she is following me. She has the keys so I wait for her and she opens the door and I enter.
I sit on the bed and look straight ahead.
“Do you want to talk?”
She asks me and I shake my head. I really don’t want to hear anything from her because my father might be the man next door or the mad man that always roams around the streets.
“We have to talk I know that you are mad at me Kodwa I didn’t want to breath your heart ngani yami.” she says.
I nod my head trying to understand why she did not tell me but I still can’t. I don’t get why she did not tell me.
“Are you going to tell me who my father is?”
I ask her and it does not look like she wants to tell me so I nod my head.
“He has a family and we thought it was best we don’t let our partners know it was just a one time thing and it was a mistake” she says.
Does it being a mistake suppose to make me feel better?
“But he still had a name” I say.
She sighs and stands up and starts walking around the room. She is making me dizzy but I don’t tell her that. I have been feeling funny and smelling blood since the seer’s a-ssistants poured that blood on me.
“Bab” uNcube? Remember him? He used to come and visit with his wife and his son Okuhle”
She says and I try to think back but I can not remember any Okuhle from when I was young. I don’t really remember much from when I was young my clear memories start when I was five years.
“Remember that boy you hit because he broke your doll and we had to take him to hospital because he could not stop bleeding from his nose?”
She says and waits for me to process what she said. I remember I that boy. I kept telling him that he should let my doll go because he will break it hut he did not listen.
“I thought his name was Gcino?”
I ask her because I remember calling him that not Okuhle.
“Well that was the name he was given since he was the last born”
She says and I nod my head.
“His mother was my friend not best friend but we went to the same church she found out about it by mistake and they moved away” she says.
I sigh because I thought that I was going to go to see this father of mine but if my mother says they moved I have lost all hope.
“But me and that boy were almost about the same age. Does it mean he got you and his wife pregnant around the same time?”
I ask and she nods her head. I feel defeated really I don’t know what to do with myself right now.
“I’m really tired I should sleep mah”
I say and take off my clothes as I enter inside the covers.
I close my eyes and wait for sleep to take over. I don’t want to hear what she has to say for herself anymore.
I’m standing in the middle on nowhere and when I look around I can see a big hut surrounded by smaller huts. I start walking towards the huts and when I get there it does not look like anyone is around. The place looks familiar but I don’t know were I know it from. I look around and the smell of fire starts invading my nose. When I look around the whole place is on fire and I can hear people screaming but there is one scream that has my attention Lwandle’s. I would be able to identify that voice even if I was dead. I go to were it’s coming from and she exits from the hut I’m standing infront of. She has a spear plugged in the heart she is bleeding and some of the blood is coming out of her mouth.
“The royal house is in danger.”
She says before she drops to her knees and falls to the ground.
“Lwandle!”
I scream out her name and I wake up and look around the room. It’s just a dream but I still have this unsettling feeling in my heart.
My mother is looking at me I’m sure I woke her up with my screams.
“Are you fine?”
She asks me and I shake my head.
.
.
.
Tbc