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-eper 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 un-derstand 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.
My Gift
26
I don’t want to sit here and so nothing but my mother says we will see it in the morning so I go to sleep. I don’t think I have waited for morning and wanting it to be morning as much as I do right now. I feel like morning will never arrive and I think I will cry.
When I open my eyes it’s morning so I sprint out of the bed and go to take my toothbrush. My mother has already went to work so. I put the toothpaste on the brush and go out the room to brush my teeth. When I’m done I take water from the kitchen I really do not have time to heat up the water so cold water will do for now. When I’m done bathing I dress up really fast and lock the door heading to the palace. I have to come back early before mother comes back so that I can clean. I don’t want her up my case about things like cleaning.
When I reach the royal house they don’t give me a problem by the gate. I go and knock on the door and open. There is no one by the living room so I continue walking going to Lwandle’s room. I’m not sure if she is alone or with MaKhumalo but I’m hoping she is alone because I can not deal with that woman. She acted all good and now she is showing her true self.
I knock a little and then open I find her cleaning around her room and I’m glad she is alone.
“Babe you are fine?”
I ask her and she lifts her eyes to meet mine.
“Yebo I’m fine why would I not be fine”
She says walking to me and gives me a hug. I missed these kind of hugs a lot.
“I had a bad dream about you being hurt. You were stabbed and had a lot of blood you said something about the royal house being in danger and you have been saying that a lot ”
I tell her and she pulls me to sit on the bed with her. I hope she is not delivering bad news to be because that would be sad I really am tired of these bad news.
“Don’t worry about it the seer fixed it. The palace is protected the person who was putting the palace in danger has been brou-ght to justice”
She says and I keep looking at her waiting for her to tell me who this person was. I’m sure she knows that I want to know who it is.
“You really want to know don’t you?”
She asks me and I nod my head. She brushes her head a little and moves her eyes from mine and looks the other side.
“MaKhumalo”
She says and I look at her shocked. I did know that MaKhumalo did not like me and she was not happy with the new arrangements but I didn’t know she will be responsible for the royal house being in danger.
“That’s sad what did you guys do to her?”
I ask because I am really curious. I hope that they did not hurt her. She might have been a bad person here and there but she does not deserve to be hurt.
“Don’t worry about it”
She says and pulls me closer to her.
“I hope you did not kill her because that would be wrong on many levels Lwandle”
I says and she laughs. I don’t even know why she is laughing because what I said is not even funny.
“Don’t laugh Lwandle when I’m being serious”
I say and she nods her head. I don’t know why she is nodding and not answering me.
“I promise you we didn’t kill her but she was punished so don’t worry about it.”
She says and I nod my head. Atleast they didn’t kill her because I don’t think I would be able to live with someone responsible for another person’s death.
“What did she do”
I ask her something that had been at the back of my mind.
“She was using umuthi. Cabanga having the guts to go to a witch to bewitch someone you say you love but I don’t want to talk about it right now. Let’s talk about something else”
She says and I nod my head. I get that this is a very traumatic thing for her.
“The seer told me what happened about you finding out that the father you thought was your father is not your father.”
She says and I nod. That’s another story that has not really set in my mind.
“That’s another thing I don’t know what to do about”
I say to her
“I hear you babe you don’t have to talk about if you don’t want to. I mean it must be ha-rd on you but I’m sure it’s also ha-rd on your mother”
She says and I nod my head. I guess she is right i should stop stressing myself about this whole thing. If this father of mine didn’t want to have any relationship with me. I should also not bother having any form of relationship with her I sing want to for-ce myself into someone’s life.
“Come here”
She says pulling my face closer hers and starts kis-sing me. The kis-s is intense and I like where this whole thing is going. It’s been long since we have been intimated and I do need some loving. I sit on her lap and we continue kis-sing.
……….
When I wake up she is not next to me so I get out of bed and go take a bath. I don’t want to go home smelling of se-x because my mother would die three times. When I’m done I find her sitting on the bed. She has food next to her so I’m happy because I was hungry.
“Thank God ngathi bowazi ukuthi I’m hungry”
I tel her and she laughs a little.
“Idla them we take a walk around the village”
She says and I just look at her like she has lost her mind.
“Ebana you want us to walk around the village what will people say Kodwa.”
I ask her and she does not look like she has any interest.
“So your results?”
She says and it hits me that I still don’t know my results
“I didn’t check them yazi I will when I’m get home I’m sure Nandipha bought the newspaper.”
I tell her and she nods her head.
“So are you going to go to university?”
She asks me and I’m taken back by her question. I’m mean how can she ask me that kind of question ofcourse I’m going to university because I want a better life than the one I have right now.
“Yebo I’m going to UJ”
I tell her and she turns very fast to look at me. I can see the shocked look on her face.
“Why so far I mean that’s really far Lindiwe”
She says. She sounds like she is angry at me which confuses me a lot.
She stands up and starts walking around the room which is starting to annoy and make me dizzy.
“Lwandle stop what you are doing.”
I say and she stops.
“You can’t UD is there moc why would you want to go this far Lindiwe? Don’t you love me?”
She asks me and I don’t know why she is asking me this kind of question.
“Why would you ask me that I love you Lwandle more than anything. I applied before we even started dating please don’t do this”
I say but she does not answer me. She exits the room ban-ging the door on her way out.
Tbc