Episode 12
My mother bought me a prayer journal. The idea is to put down my prayer points for the day, pray about the day then start the day. I like it. It gives me a good routine in the morning. If it wasn’t a gift, I’d actually gift it to Fikile because she really needs to start getting right with the Lord. Not that I am judging her for how she got pregnant, I just fear for her for when this family finds out that she is pregnant and further discovers how she got pregnant. Ngono-Mathabo is just that family member you don’t go to for anything. She is one hell of a shit-starter and she is very good at leaving you in the centre of trouble then walking away and pretending like she had no idea what the repercussions of her actions or advice would have been.
Ona and Khotso are still in Miami with morena Mohato on business. I just finished a virtual meeting with my supervisor, so I’ll be putting in some work on my thesis.
I spend a few minutes procrastinating on social media and I come across a video of Fikile and some of her friends doing some TikTok dance challenges. They are actually funny. She’s such a cool person. I’d be close with her because she’s clearly going to be part of my life forever, but her loyalty has always been with Thato and I actually think that I make her quite uncomfortable. I’m shocked that she confided in me about her pregnancy. I don’t think she did it to build a relationship between us though, she did it because I caught onto what was happening and she was just trying to control what I did with the information that I discovered.
My mom left last night; she was driven back to Mohase because she apparently was missing her man. Lol. She told me that I’m a married woman now, so this mommy’s girl behaviour has to stop. I laughed because we spend at least an hour a day together on the phone. If we are not praying, we are gossiping. Mommy’s girl is not going anywhere. But she’s also found a friend in Ona’s mother. They get along so well and it touches my heart. I can even see the impact it’s having on my mom’s life. For example, my mom is the woman who lives in a doek that looks like it’s flying off her head. She wears multiple layers of dresses and sees nothing wrong with walking around with torn sneakers. Ona’s mom wears jeans and loafers in the royal house, much to Ngono-Mathabo’s irritation. When my mom left, she was dressed in Polo loafers, high waist jeans and a t-shirt. She wasn’t wearing that doek of hers. She had combed her long relaxed hair into a bun. She’s a beautiful woman and Ona’s mom is not shy in bringing that out of her. I’ve reached a new level of appreciation for Ona’s mother. Actually, let me go and give her a hug and just thank her for hosting my mother so beautifully and being such a humble human being. I plan to learn a lot from her.
I get into the main house and I hear shouting between Ona’s mother and some lady.
“Kearabetsoe, you will not keep me away from my grandchildren forever!”
“Maphodile, I’ve kept you away for twenty-nine years and I plan on keeping you away for much longer. Ona is about to be a father and he has found himself an amazing wife. You have no place in our lives and you are not welcome here.”
“Why are you so evil? How can you keep me away from my grandson’s wedding?”
“I’m evil? Nna, Maphodile? Have you forgotten that you and Mohato killed their father? Reahile never got to meet his sons because of you. They will never know their father because of you! And even in your old age, you still see nothing wrong with what you did? What kind of a person are you?”
There is silence now. Maybe I should head back to the room.
“Kearabetsoe-
“I told my sons everything. I told them how their father died and I told them about the role that each and every one of you played in murdering Reahile. They know. They are grown and they will never forget.”
“What have you achieved from that? Huh? What? You’ve just breaded angry leaders for Tholoana Kingdom!”
“I don’t want to be a mother like you. I will have an honest and open relationship with my children – those I birthed and those that God has placed in my hands through marriage. And I want you to stay away from us. I’m trapped enough in this house and in this marriage. And I’ve given up the fight to break free because you and Mohato have no problem killing people who make me happy. But now, I will fight for my kids. And I am prepared to murder you or anyone else for that matter who will unleash half the things that you unleashed in my life. Now, get out of my house and stay out of my life. The next time I plan to see you is when I have to bury you. Go back to the kids that love you because I’m no longer one of those kids.”
I hear heels clicking, walking away.
I then hear crying.
I peep in and see an old, but gorgeous, woman crying with traveling bags in her hands.
I really don’t know what to do.
“Dumelang“, I greet the old woman.
“Hello my child.”
“Are you okay, mama?”
She nods her head then looks at me.
“You must be my grandson’s wife”, she says.
I smile at her.
“You are so beautiful”, she says.
“Thank you ngono. Can I maybe make you something to drink?” I offer.
“M’likani Waka! Dumela!” Ngono-Mathabo walks in and says.
“Hello my dali“, the grannies embrace each other and exchange laughter in doing so.
I excuse myself and head into the kitchen to make them both tea. I hear Ngono-Mathabo ordering people to take Ngono-Maphodile’s things to a guest bedroom.
I hear Ona’s mother climb down the stairs in anger.
“WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE?!”
“Bathung Kearabetsoe, I want to –
“You want to what? You want to what, Maphodile?!”
“Ey! She’s my guest. Last I checked, I still live here.”
A few seconds later, Ona’s mother is in the kitchen and is on her phone.
“Stop making that tea. Maphodile is not staying long”, she says to me.
I indeed stop making the tea.
“Damn it!” She says as she hangs up her phone and dials another number.
She now hangs up and looks at me.
“When last did you talk to Ona?”
“This morning”, I say.
“Dial him”, she says.
Eh!
I dial Ona on FaceTime and put the phone on loudspeaker.
“Hey baby”, Ona answers.
“Onaleruna! Where is Mohato?” His mother has grabbed the phone from me.
“Hi mama. How are you? I’m great thanks.” Ona.
“Ey wena! Put Mohato on the phone!” Ona has zero timing and zero awareness. Can he not sense that his mother is just not in the mood?
“Hello?”
“Mohato!”
“Kea? What’s wrong, baby?”
“Maphodile is in this house. I want her to leave.”
“So why don’t you tell her to leave?”
“Because your mother says Maphodile is her guest and she stays.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I don’t give a fuck what you do. I want Maphodile out of this house.”
“Kea, you want me to kick your mother out of our house all the way from Miami?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I want. Or else I will pack my things, pack my children and pack my makoti and leave Mathabo’s house.”
“Kea, baby come on –
“You have an hour to get that witch out of my house or else I will leave!” She hangs up, hands me my phone and charges upstairs.
I should have stayed my ass in Ona’s room.
My phone vibrates and I see that Ona is calling me on FaceTime. I quickly make my way back to his room outside and I answer his call.
“Hey”.
“What the hell just happened?” He asks me.
“I don’t know. Your grandmother showed up and I’ve never seen your mother more upset. And they were just saying a lot of hectic things to each other.”
“Hectic?”
“Yeah – a lot of stuff about your father.”
He takes a big sigh and says, “Okay, I understand why she’s so worked up. Where are you?”
“In your room”.
“Our room, Mrs Mohale.”
I giggle.
“Knock knock!” I hear a voice downstairs. It sounds like Ona’s mom.
“I think your mom is downstairs.” I tell him.
“Okay baby. I’ll talk to you later. I love you.”
“I love you, baby. Bye.”
I hang up.
“Hello?” Ona’s mother shouts.
I make my way down the staircase and meet her sitting in the TV room.
Ona’s and Khotso’s rooms are practically three bedroom flats. There are two bedrooms upstairs and an in-suite bathroom in the main bedroom. Then downstairs is one bedroom, one bathroom, a kitchen, a TV room and a dining area. It is fit for them and their wives and kids – depending on the number of kids.
I sit next to Ona’s mother.
“I’m sorry you had to see that”, she says.
“It’s okay. We all have our family issues.” I say.
She nods her head.
“Did Ona ever tell you about his father?” She asks me.
“Yeah. When we started getting serious. But Ona and I just always had issues because Ona is not really a one-woman-man. And if I didn’t get pregnant, I think we would have broken up a long time ago. But we’ve always been friends above and beyond everything else that we are to each other. So we share a lot – including ntate-Reahile’s death.”
She nods her head. She looks up at the A0 framed portrait of ntate-Reahile that Ona has on his wall. I drilled a small shelf just next to it and put a candle there.
“I love that candle. You put it there?” Ona’s mother asks me.
I nod my head and say, “Sometimes, Ona gets nightmares. I come and light it then I pray for Ona and Khotso. Sometimes he lights it when he is sad or feels some kind of emptiness. They connect with him more than you know.”
She starts getting emotional and says, “I’d give anything to have him back. He was so amazing. I’d be the most interested to see how he would have dealt with Ona because that husband of yours –“
We both laugh as she says this.
“I see his spirit in Khotso the most. And I have been seeing a lot of his spirit coming out of Ona since he married you”, she says as she holds my hand.
I smile at her.
We both now look up at this portrait.
“I’ll never let them hurt you, my sons or my grandchildren. Do you understand me? I will do anything to protect you. Anything! For as long as I’m alive, you are safe. I’ve seen it all. And I’ve grown. I’ll use my experience to stop whatever bad things people want to do to you. All I ask is that you never give up on Ona. He needs you.”
“I could never give up on Ona even if I wanted to. And Khotso is my brother. I would never stop protecting him too.”
She nods her head.
I just hold her hand. We sit in silence as we hear the commotion take place outside. I guess Ngono-Maphodile is being kicked out.
We just landed at the Tholoana Kingdom Airport and we are headed back home. Khotso is meeting up with Fiks in Cape Town, South Africa, so he’s getting onto a flight to South Africa. I miss my wife a lot. It’s been a long two weeks. A part of me is very happy that my mom and Mathabo turned shit up, forcing morena to cut the Miami trip short. They don’t know that we will be arriving today. It will hopefully be a very nice surprise.
It’s 2am when I walk into my flatlet. It’s dark, so I guess Regodise is fast asleep. I undress myself and make my way upstairs, slipping into bed the minute I get into our bedroom.
She turns around to see if it’s me that’s truly cuddling her.
“Hey”, she greets me in shock.
“Hello love. Are you good?” Me.
“Wait… are you really back?” She sits up and switches on the side lamp.
I laugh at her.
“Babe, it’s me. And yes, we are back.”
She smiles at me.
She gives me a naughty look.
Oh yes, baby!
“You know, I’ve had to service myself for the past two weeks. Do you have any idea how horny pregnant women generally are?”
I’m in stitches.
She can be crazy when she wants to be.
I pull her towards me and plan to deal with this thirst, but she lies me down on the bed and climbs on top of me. Now this is the Regodise I know. I’m going to keep getting her pregnant!
I wake up to an empty bed and I just know she’s in the main house being a wife. How does she still have energy after last night? I was also tired and jet-lagged. I get up and as I walk to take a shower, I see a little box next to my bed on my side pedestal.
It’s on a card. I open and read the card first.
“Thank you for choosing me to be your wife. I vow to put you and God first for the rest of our lives. I love you.
– Your Mrs Mohale“.
I smile to myself. How did I get so lucky?
I open the gift. It’s happy socks and a tie.
Oh man – my wife.
Breakfast is weird. Morena and my mom have a weird vibe between them. Mathabo is also here and she’s annoying my mother by just being here. Pule and Kefe are here as well, but with Kefe’s daughter this time. I know that morena doesn’t like having Kefe and Pule here, but my mom does therefore he stomachs it. Kefe’s daughter is fast asleep in my mom’s arms. Kefe is on her phone as usual and Pule is just as awkward as we all are.
“Auntie Rabi, I found an apartment in the city”, Kefe says to my mom.
My mom smiles at her half-heartedly and says, “As long as you are happy, baby girl.”
“You’ll be living here in Tholoana Kingdom with that baby, knowing very well that you must stay away from its father?” morena asks. This is a valid question.
“Yes, morena. Surely I still have my freedom of movement.” Kefe.
“You’ve always had it. You’ve just never known how to not infringe on people’s rights when exercising it.” Are morena and Kefe really going to get into it right now? The rest of us are trying to eat.
“You want to talk to me about infringing on people’s rights? Really?” Kefe.
We all now look at her. I am keen to hear where this is going. Regodise holds my hand and shakes her head, I suppose trying to tell me not to get involved in this argument.
“Kefentse, you are more than welcome in this house and you know that I’ll never keep you away. But, you don’t come in here and start disrespecting the people who live in here.” My mother intervenes. Mathabo nods her head PROFUSELY!
Moment in history and for the books, ladies and gentlemen: my mother and Mathabo agree on something.
Kefentse stares at my mother. She wants to respond and judging by the look on her face, she wants to spit nonsense at my mother. But she is also aware that I am right here. If she so much as sneezes nonsense at my mother, I will run her over with a car by the end of today and she knows it.
She focuses on her phone again then says, “I’ll be traveling between here and GP because of my law articles. But I’ll probably be here most of the time. I’ll be moving in this afternoon. Pule and Ona said they’d help me move.”
My mom nods her head. Kefe is the one who is planning to take over my father’s law firm. She is being groomed by the senior management there and she will probably be something senior at that firm in a year or two. She is also the one who has moved into our father’s house in South Africa. My mother never sold it or had it rented out. She said it belonged to Pule, Kefe, Khotso and I. Khotso and I are not at a stage where we want to fight for my dad’s things yet. We give Pule and Kefe their room to mourn our father because they knew him and lived with him – especially Kefe. But when the time comes for us to start claiming our father’s things, we are prepared to fight them because they do behave as if we are not his kids and that hurts my mother deeply.
“Are Maboko and Kabelo coming as well?” Pule asks.
“Maboko is coming, but scholarship Kabelo will probably not be there. We all think he’s smashing Linda.” I tell them.
We chuckle.
“I need to get going. I’ll see you later.” Morena says as he stands up.
No one says anything. He looks at my mom.
“I’ll meet you at the gala?” Morena asks my mom.
My mom shakes her head.
Morena looks at her, seeking an explanation. Mathabo is ready to step in and start shit.
“I’m taking Regodise to Reahile. He has to know his makoti.”
Regodise doesn’t flinch. She clearly knew about this. Mathabo wants to, but she doesn’t. Morena wants to, but he doesn’t.
“Can I come with you guys?” Kefe.
“I’ll also come with.” Pule.
I kiss my wife’s hand.
Morena storms out of the room. My mom looks emotional. This is not going to be an easy day.
My mom stares at my father’s tombstone. His face is engraved on it and it’s a picture of him laughing. He looks like he was such a good man. Reahile Mohale. Pule and Kefe are the only two that got to know him and live with him. Khotso and I will never be as fortunate. My mom already has tears streaming down her face. Pule and Kefe comfort her. The three of them share my dad’s memory in a way that Khotso and I never will. Regodise holds my hand. She squeezes it. I put a hand around her.
My mom kneels on the tombstone. She burns the mpepho.
“Makoti, please kneel close to your father-in-law.” My mom says to Regodise.
Regodise does just that.
My mom begins, “Riri, my love, it’s me, Kearabetsoe. I’m here with Pule, Kefentse and Onaleruna. Khotso couldn’t make it as he is out of the country at the moment. I have brought with us and to you, Onaleruna’s wife- makoti wahao – Regodise. She is pregnant with Onaleruna’s first son and the family did right by her and her family and asked for her hand in marriage. We fetched this beautiful flower from a garden in Mohase – from the Thibane family. She now carries the Mohale name and she has come to continue your bloodline. She is carrying our first grandson.”
My mom giggles then says, “Love, you left too early. Onaleruna is making us grandparents.”
We all giggle. I wonder if she has brought Kefentse’s child here yet. I wonder if something similar was done for her and her child. Kefentse should have actually brought her daughter here today. But the daughter left with Serathi. I swear Kefentse has turned Pule’s girlfriend into that child’s nanny. That child spends more time with Serathi and Pule than she does with her own mother.
My mom gets serious again and continues, “But he got himself a good woman. I couldn’t have chosen a better woman to carry my first grandchild – especially for Onaleruna.”
We giggle again.
“Love, I got your message. You want me to stop crying. I can’t, Riri. I’m raising your kids without you. Each and every one of them remind me of you. We are about to have our first grandchild and we are not together. I miss you so much, Reahile. It’s been twenty-nine years, but it’s not getting easier.”
She starts crying again.
“I wish you were still here. I don’t know how to stop crying! I don’t know how to make the pain stop. It hurts!”
I hear sniffing and I know we are all crying now.
My mother literally spends about fifteen minutes crying. We are all crying too, but she sounds like her heart is shattering all over again.
After she has cried her heart out, she says, “I’ll try my best, Reahile, to raise our kids and grandkids well. I want them to be happy. I want them to know love and be blessings in love… I want them to have everything that you and I couldn’t have – that we could have had if we didn’t choose to trust family.”
Silence. But this statement cuts deep!
“Ke a o rata, monna waka. I’ll never forget you.”
My mom and Regodise spend about ten minutes cleaning the tombstone. Kefe never involves herself. I am a bit annoyed because my wife is pregnant. It would be nice if Kefe helped my mom so my wife doesn’t have to be doing all of this in her condition. But this is Kefe – she is not called “princess” for nothing. Pule and I have spades and we are using them to remove grass that’s growing around the tombstone. Kefe is just standing under an umbrella watching us do all this work.
We leave when we are done cleaning my dad’s tombstone, my grandmother Nthatisi’s tombstone and my uncle Morena’s tombstone. All of them were killed by morena, my mom’s current husband. That’s why we all will never call him dad. We would never insult these tombstones before us like that. Ever!
“How does it make you feel?” She asks me as we drive to meet up with everyone else at Kefe’s new apartment.
“How does what make me feel?” I enquire.
“Your father’s death and how your mom is still struggling to deal with the death.”
I sigh. I’m about to be too honest with her.
“I wish there was something that I could do to make her hurt less. Sometimes, I wake up at night and start packing my things with the plan to just take her and leave Tholoana Kingdom forever- leave behind everything, including the throne. My dad died for it and because of it, why should I take over it and hurt my mother all over again?”
She looks at me.
“If you want to leave it all behind, I wouldn’t stand in your way. I’d leave with you. As long as you are happy.” She says. I know that she means it.
“The most painful thing is not knowing the whole truth. My mom tries to open up, but the story always freezes somewhere because it’s too difficult for her to finish the story. Everyone in this Kingdom knows our lives and knows things about my family and the death of my father, my grandmother and my uncle, but we really don’t know much. We know fragments of the story.”
“Do you want to know everything? Truly?”
“I don’t know.”
She holds my hand. I park the car in the parking of this apartment.
“You really are the best thing that ever happened to me. You and my son”, I tell her, rubbing her belly.
“We love you, Ona.” She says.
“I love you too.”
Her car is almost ready. I can’t wait until it’s delivered to her. She deserves it.
I see my mom park her McLaren next to my Jeep. The day I get my hands on this car –
Ona, Ona’s mother and I all walk in together into the apartment. Kefe lives on the ground floor and has a beautiful garden. People are moving stuff and Teboho is packing things into cupboards. I see Ona’s point. Where’s Maboko’s wife? Teboho’s sister, Tiisetso, is also here. Serathi has Kefentse’s daughter strapped on her back. I don’t even know this child’s name. Kefentse and I are not exactly close and she gives me vibes – vibes that she just doesn’t like me. So I just stay away from her and her kid. Maybe I’ll ask Serathi when I find her alone.
I greet everyone and people are excited to see us. Ona is already causing shit with the guys. Us ladies are unpacking kitchen boxes. This is a very nice four bedroom apartment.
“Where are Khotso and Fikile?” Tiisetso asks.
“In Cape Town. Fikile was there for work and they extended their stay as a holiday.” Ona’s mom says.
Pule’s and Kefe’s mother walks in.
“Hello everyone”, she greets. She’s so dramatic. She is a well-dressed and stylish woman who refuses to grow up.
“Thandeka, hi.” Ona’s mom.
There is chatter as everyone is unpacking and cleaning.
“Serathi, bring me my granddaughter, please. I want to see my beautiful Ntombikanandi. Bring gogo’s Nandi to her gogo”, she says. I guess that’s the child’s name. I’ll just stick to Nandi. It sounds like a long name I’ll probably forget. They went all the way Zulu with that name.
Serathi hands Nandi to Kefe’s mother.
Kefe’s mother plays with Nandi, talking to her and making that beautiful baby girl smile. We are all looking at them and smiling. Kefe is extremely detached from the moment. Sometimes it feels as if she is detached from the child all together. This child is always with Serathi and Pule. I have never seen Kefe hold her baby – I’ve never even seen her breastfeed the child. She’s always pumping her boobs, but she is never feeding her child.
“I don’t want my daughter to stay in this damn kingdom with my granddaughter. The Mohales have failed Kefentse and they are letting that Thokoane boy get away with leaving my child pregnant”, Kefe’s mother says. Serathi, Teboho, Tiisetso and I do not know what to do now. We all just look at each other.
“This is not the time nor the place to have this conversation, Thandeka.” Ona’s mother says.
“I trusted you with my children, Kea. I thought you loved Reahile –
“Don’t you DARE!” Ona’s mom’s mood and tone have taken a turn for the worst and we are all quite shook.
“I’m just saying, Kea. You are letting that man drive my children to their death and I was trusting you to protect them when they are here. Hasn’t he hurt us enough?”
“What do you want Mohato to do, Thandeka? Kefentse slept with a married man. Unfortunately, that married man’s wife is from a very powerful and influential family. There were always going to be repercussions for Kefentse’s actions. She just happened to stumble upon a worst case scenario. Mohato did his part and kept her as well as Nandi alive. Kefentse just has to do her part and stay away from this man, then she’ll be safe. If Mohato didn’t intervene, Kefentse would be banished from this country. Either way, Nandi was never going to have a relationship with her father because of how she was conceived.”
Kefe’s mother looks at her, but doesn’t say anything.
“Is everything okay in here?” Ona enquires. When did all these guys get in here?
“Everything is fine, papa. I think I’m going to get going”, Ona’s mother says.
“Baby, I think we should leave too.” Ona says to me.
I stand up from where I am sitting. Chatter begins again between us, but Kea and Thandeka are ready to take their conversation to the streets.
Ona is all over me now, touching more than just his son who is baking inside of me.
“Let’s go. You are getting inappropriate now.” I say. He said we must leave, now we are chatting to people who also said they are on their way out.
His mom is secretly smiling at us, stealing glances at us.
“Please respect us, hai bo!” Kefe’s mother says. She is just in a mood this one. “We are leaving now. Bye everyone”, Serathi says. She’s holding hands with Pule.
“Pule, I thought you and I are sleeping here with your sister and Nandi today.” Kefe’s mother says.
“No one ran that by me. I have plans with Serathi.” Pule says.
Ona’s mother is just stealing glances at the conversation and stealing glances at Ona and me every now and then. When Kefe’s mother is around, I have noticed that she stays out of her shitting on them because any time is tea time with Kefe’s mother. She will turn shit up now.
“So I need to make an appointment to spend time with both my kids just because you have plans with Serathi?” Kefe’s mother. I also get the impression that she does not like Serathi.
“Babe, I can always see you tomorrow. It’s okay. I’ll get a meter taxi back home.” Serathi says. Pule is not happy with this.
“You can always ride back with us, we were just leaving anyway.” I say.
“Thanks, Regodise”. Serathi says.
Kefe and her mother are very ungrateful. Serathi and Pule will be living with Nandi because Kefe cannot live with HER child in her small FOUR-BEDROOM apartment. The least that these two can do is worship the ground that Serathi walks on.
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