Khotso and I have just come back from Cape Town and we are beyond exhausted. I was there for work, but decided to invite him, extend my stay and make it a holiday for just the two of us. We have not done this in a while. I am so happy that we did it. We needed it and we REALLY connected again. I was further planning to tell him about the pregnancy, but the guts were genuinely not there. I am actually at a point where I am seriously considering having an abortion. I know Regodise has not said anything neither because Ona would have said something to Khotso by now. 

Khotso and I are at my apartment and I heard that Kefentse moved in a few blocks away from my apartment. We were not here to help her move in, but Khotso and I did buy her a housewarming gift and promised to have breakfast with her this morning in her garden.

I quickly shower as Khotso is now on the phone catching up with Ona – his better half. There is absolutely no individuality between these two and I can just already see their mother organising a hit on anyone who tries to break their bond. I thought Regodise would struggle with their closeness, but she seems to actually love it. It must be that she grew up an only child and having people to call “my brother” excites her. 

Now that I am ready for this breakfast date with Kefentse, I tell Khotso that we need to go. Indeed we leave our flat and walk to Kefentse’s flat. The door is wide open and music is playing softly – creating background music that translates to a soothing environment. 

“Knock knock”, I announce with my mouth. 

Pule comes out and meets us in the kitchen. He has Ntombikanandi in his arms. This child is never in her mother’s arms. Someone else is always carrying her. I heard that she will be living with Pule and Serathi. I don’t understand it, I really don’t.  

“Hey guys”, he greets us. 

“Hello”, I say as I hug him. 

“Sho grootman”, Khotso says as he bromance hugs him. 

“Come in. Breakfast is actually ready.” He says. 

We come in and make our way to the garden. We find Kefentse, Serathi and Thandeka sitting around the garden table.

“Good morning”, I say as I hand Kefentse her gift. 

“Hey guys. I didn’t think you’d be back on time. Thanks so much for joining us.”  Kefentse. 

I see Pule give Ntombikanandi to Serathi. Serathi accepts the baby, kissing Pule as she does so. The look that Pule’s mother gives them is unmatched. Khotso and I sit down on the two available chairs around this table. 

“Are Ona and Dise also joining us?” Khotso asks. He just spoke to Ona, couldn’t he ask Ona that question over that hour long phone call they had? 

“No. They have some breakfast plans of their own”, Kefentse says as she rolls her eyes. 

Obviously Khotso gets offended. 

“Why are you rolling your eyes, Kefe?” Khotso enquires. 

“I’m entitled to my own opinion, Khotso.” She says. 

“And what opinion do you have of Ona’s wife?” Must Khotso really be like this? 

“I think she’s full of herself and she behaves as if she has Ona’s best interests at heart. We all know that she is exactly like Teboho – she is looking for a get-out-of-jail-free card from the life she was born in and trapped Ona into being that get-out-of-jail-free card. She may have all of you fooled with her good girl behaviour and changing Ona into being a better man and whatever other bullshit you all say when you are blowing her horn. But I know that she slept with Ona while Ona was with Thato and I do not remove “homewrecker” from her little act.” 

THANK YOU! FINALLY SOMEONE WHO SEES REGODISE FOR WHO AND WHAT SHE IS. 

“This coming from someone who just had a kid with someone’s husband? Someone who was born and bred in the shacks? Why do you think he slept with you?” Khotso hit right back and EVERYONE is offended. Who is her baby-daddy? 

“What did you just say to me?” Kefentse says as she stands up. 

“I’m just reminding you to remove the log from your eye before you notice the splint in someone else’s eye. You have way too many problems yourself to be running your mouth about homewreckers and people sleeping their way out of poverty. From what I understand, your mother did the same when she slept with our father and got pregnant with you!” 

“THAT IS ENOUGH!” Thandeka intervenes. All this because Kefentse is not kissing Dise’s ass? I can’t! 

There is a staring match between Kefentse and Khotso. 

“I believe you owe our sister an apology”, Pule. 

“For what, exactly?” 

Serathi and I could not have been more uncomfortable. 

“Get out of my house!” Kefentse says, tears stuck in her throat and all. The statement is not making the statement that she was hoping it would. 

Khotso takes one long and disgusted look at her. He stands up and leaves the table. Really? I stand up and follow him, excusing myself from the table. 

“Khotso!” I yell for his attention. 

He doesn’t turn around to pay me any attention. He is on the phone talking to someone. 

What is he mad at me for? I cheered in my heart, not out loud! 

Then, this dude jumps into some car and the car drives off with him. This is awkward.

“You Tholoana Kingdom women are very strong. I swear bekezela is an ingredient in your DNA. How do you sleep with a man who has that much loyalty towards another woman? Don’t you ever think that he thinks about her just as he is about to ejaculate inside of you sometimes?” I don’t know when Kefentse got this close to me or arrived to stand next to me, but she’s speaking from her ass now and she is beginning to piss me off. 

“And are you really going to run after him?” She continues. 

“You know, your concern would mean a lot more if you actually had a man. But you don’t. You have a child with someone else’s husband instead. So please stay out of my relationship because I plan on keeping my man. You still need to find yours and stop making babies with people’s husbands. Thank God my man is your brother, else I would be in trouble too.” I say. 

She’s hurt, but she deserved it!

I make my way to my flat, grab my car keys then get into my car and make my way to the royal house. 

Khotso is not here when I get to his apartment, so I start cooking his favourite meal. Maybe I should tell him about this pregnancy. What if I terminate the pregnancy then it turns out to be exactly what I needed to get marriage out of Khotso? Then there is the side of him not wanting this child and forcing me to have an abortion as well. I remember when Thato got pregnant. Morena helped Ona and Khotso drag Thato to some backstreet abortion place and they killed that child with Thato wide awake, kicking and screaming. These men can be dreams just as they can be a woman’s worst nightmare. I’d like to believe that Khotso loves me and would never do that to me. The worst he would do is take me to a private hospital and make sure that the abortion process is safe and painless. I suppose Thato thought the exact same thing and look what she got compared to what Regodise got?! I really don’t get it. Maybe Regodise is using black magic on this family, yaz. 

Ona and Regodise are also not here. I wonder where everyone has gone to. When I am done cooking, I try to call Khotso. He doesn’t answer my call, but he walks into the flatlet. I don’t know if I should even apologise because I did nothing wrong. But he sits down at the dining table and I dish up for him. 

We have a big lunch. I am apologizing without saying sorry, so I just cooked his favourite meal. He is in a good mood when he finishes eating, so we opt to watch a movie together in the TV room of this penthouse of his. As the movie ends, he turns the volume down and looks at me. 

“I told morena that I want to marry you”, he says. 

Okay… I don’t say anything. I look at him to carry on with what he wants to say. I know this means nothing until he actually tells his mother. He and Ona are mommy’s boys. But let me entertain this conversation. 

“He asked me if I’d take on another wife considering that you are not of royalty. I obviously said no because the royalty thing is now reserved for Ona. He said if Ona is to die, would you be fit to be by my side if I take over the country. We obviously hope it never gets to that, but he was just saying, you know”, him. 

“Regodise is not of royalty neither. Why isn’t anyone annoying Ona about a royal wife? Your mother was not of royalty neither – her royal lineage remains and dies with her mother. But morena does not have a second wife and your mother is very much queen.” I point out. 

“They were at least born in this country.” He says. 

“So, I must share you because I wasn’t born in this country?” 

“You said you wanted to get married and I told you that we were not ready for that.” 

“No, fuck you and fuck your family! What the fuck, Khotso?! I must be one of many because I am Zulu and I am not from this country?!” I am so angry. 

“Then you relay this back to me not being ready for marriage with you? Listen here, wena! There will never be a day where I will be ready to marry you if marrying you means that I have to share you with someone else just because she was born in this country.” 

He is silent. He rubs his hands together. 

“So what are you saying, Fikile?” 

“I’m saying fuck you! Fuck the throne! And fuck your family! I earned my position to be your wife in this family. I will not be disrespected like this!” 

With this, I wear my shoes and leave his place. 

I am actually fuming!

I am smoking while leaning against my balcony. Ona comes onto my balcony with beer. He also lights a cigarette and he stands next to me. We stand in silence for a while. 

“I think Maboko is going to take a second wife”, he says. 

I laugh. If there is one person who is greatly disturbed by this thing between Maboko and his women, it’s Ona. 

“Why do you care so much about their situation?” I ask him. 

“I am routing for Tebza and Maboko. I want Linda out of the picture. Plus, she’s fuckingKabelo.” 

“How do you know this?” 

“How do you not know this?” 

I just laugh and take a sip of my beer. 

“I think Maps and Morena are fucking”, I say. 

Now he laughs. 

“I swear. I was at her place because she said that she was headed back to South Africa for a new job at Thomas’ company –

“Who the fuck is Thomas?” 

“The guy that she fucked in South Africa.” 

“And now they are going to work together?” Ona enquires. 

I nod my head. Ona shakes his head. 

“Anyway, so as I was about to take her to the airport, morena shows up with uncle Shaka. They beat the shit out of her and threw her back in the house while I was driven away from the house.”

“Morena and mom fight a lot about Maps. I wouldn’t be surprised if your theory proved to be true. Why don’t you just ask Morena what’s going on? That old shit is not our father and the two of you are practically fighting for a woman. Ask him what that stunt he pulled was all about.” 

“Nah man, Maps is not worth me fighting morena over. She’s probably in South Africa already fucking that Thomas. Fiks is stressing me out at the moment.” 

He drinks beer and pulls a smoke from his cigarette. He looks at me to elaborate. 

“I threw a hypothetical at her – saying that I spoke to morena about marrying her.” 

“Did you?” 

“Of course not. I told her that morena said I’d need to take on a second wife if I marry her. She lost her shit and basically said fuck me and this family.” 

Ona laughs. 

I don’t understand what’s funny. 

“Why would you say that to her? Are you unsure about her?” He finally asks me. 

“I love Maps. I don’t want to love Maps, but I do. And –

“Khotso, Maps has one job in your life – one job only. She scratches an itch. That woman is as old as our mother and you want to leave someone like Fiks for her?” 

“Ona, I cannot explain how I feel. Do you think I want to feel this way? I most certainly don’t want to. But Maps gets me. Fiks has an idea of us that’s extremely far from the truth. The minute Fiks figures out what we do and who we are, we are done. She will leave me.” 

“How do you know that? You are being extremely unfair. You are making a decision for her without giving her an opportunity to make a decision herself – and that’s probably because you have Maps in your ear. Wash that woman out of your system and do right by Fiks. You know it’s the right thing to do. If not, just let her go.” 

I am quiet. 

I see Pule walking out of the main house’s backdoor, headed to where mine and Ona’s backrooms are. He looks up and notices us on the balcony. He pauses and looks at us. 

“How dare you speak to Kefe like that”, Pule starts. 

Ona is a bit confused. 

“Like what?” Ona asks. He is also already irritated because Pule is being a bit rude and aggressive in his tone. 

“Ask him what he said to our sister”, Pule says to Ona. 

Ona looks at me. Wait until I tell him what Kefe was saying about his wife. Pule must be very stupid to be walking into the lion’s den like this.

“She said stuff about Dise and I told her that she’s the last person to judge Dise because she is making babies with married men”, I tell Ona. 

Ona is not laughing. Ona’s aura is changing. 

“What did she say about my wife?” 

“Pule, would you like the honour of explaining what came out of your sister’s mouth about Ona’s wife?” 

I see Regodise walking out onto Ona’s balcony. She is not looking great. She has one hand on her hip and she is looking down at Pule, seeking this explanation too. The look on Pule’s face now tells me that he is realising that he should have perhaps calculated this situation a little bit better. 

“Well? What did she say about me?” Dise asks Pule. 

I want to tell Dise to go back into the room and let us deal with this, but she’s not my wife and her husband is comfortable with her listening to this. 

“So, you are going to choose a stranger over our sister?” Pule clearly has a death wish. 

“A stranger?!” Ona has CHANGED! 

In fact, he jumps over this balcony as if we are breaking into someone’s house and lands right in Pule’s face. He grabs Pule’s neck and shoves Pule against a wall. 

“Who’s a stranger?!” Ona asks him as he holds him against a wall and Pule tries to fight Ona off him. 

I jump off this balcony too with the intention to stop my brothers from killing each other. My mom and morena are now outside and are shocked at what is happening here – especially my mother. Morena looks like he has been expecting this to happen and he is surprised it took this long. 

“Kearabetsoe, pull your bastard off me!” Pule says this and it hurts my mother to the core. 

“So you’ve disrespected my wife and my mother in one day?” Before Pule can even answer Ona, Ona has him on the floor, kicking him then pulls a gun out on him. 

I did say that Pule has a death wish because Ona will actually pull that trigger. He should have met Dise years ago. Do you have any idea how much verbal diarrhoea we would have stopped by just mentioning Dise’s name in his presence? 

“Come on, man. Don’t do this. Dise is right up there watching all of this”, I tell him. 

“Pule, do you even know why you have access to this house? Because my mother gives a fuck about you”, Ona.

“She gives a fuck about me because she killed my father. She has to give a fuck about me. She’s not doing me any favours.” Pule yells back at us, slightly fearful of the gun in his face. 

“What did you just say, boy?” Now morena is getting involved. This is not going to end well. 

“You and Kefentse like to behave as if you have some kind of ownership over his memory. He was our father too and we, just like you, are also growing up without him. Hell, we never even met him and we have to live with the emptiness inside of us, knowing that we never will know him. But that does not give us a license to remind you that you are foreigners in OUR FUCKEN LAND doing as you please in a royal house and forgetting your fucken manners when you are in the presence of a king, a queen, princes and a princess. Why don’t you go back to South Africa and live with your mother in your own damn country because you clearly don’t know how to respect ours. Our mother – the same queen you call by name today – fought for you to have the kind of access and life that you and Kefentse have in a country you were never even born in. She wanted you close to our father’s identity. But you want to be an asshole and talk shit about my mother and my wife? The way I see it, you’ve overstayed your welcome around here. The only thing that makes you dad’s kids – you and Kefe – is that you are a product of his sperm. You’ve never been rooted in who he was and where he came from. Khotso and I are more of his sons that you’ll ever be and that’s why only Khotso and I have a chance at the throne. You are just a quarter of a royal, three quarters of your blood are that of your mother and how she raised you – a commoner and a foreigner. We all know you only had five minutes with dad when our mom met him and forced him to have a relationship with you! Your mother didn’t do much to build your relationship with dad. You are basking in all of these benefits because our dad met our mother and forced him to be a father to you. This is how you thank her?” The things that are coming out of Ona’s mouth right now are painful in the worst way. But Pule needed to hear it. I wish Kefe were here to hear it too. They do think that they are better than us and we have respected them because they are older than us and because our mother begged us too. They’ve crossed the line every chance they got and we let it slide. But today, they did the unforgiveable. Kefe crossed the line with Ona’s wife and Pule called our mother by name. Pule is crying at what he is hearing and I don’t blame him. I just think that our father would be ashamed of us and probably hurt that morena’s dreams are coming true: Ona and I don’t consider Pule and Kefe to be our siblings and even I am utterly embarrassed by this. My mom is not stopping this because she is too hurt. 

Dise is next to Ona now. She holds his arm and takes the gun from him, giving it to me immediately. I take it from her and put it away. Then Pule stands up from the ground and punches Ona in the face. Ona is very quick in his reflexes and MOERS him! Like MOERSHIM! We know today is his last day here, because my mother walks away and lets it happen. 

After a few minutes, morena has organised men to escort him off our grounds and never allow him or Kefentse back in our yard again. Dise just holds Ona’s hand and pulls him upstairs – probably to take care of him. 

Me… I go try to get my girl. 

It is 2am and I am driving to Fiks’ place. Ona is right. I must make a decision and stick to it. That decision is Fiks. I park my car outside her flat and I see that the light is still on. I use my key to open the door and I find her in the kitchen looking at something. She is shocked to see me. 

“Hey”, I greet her. 

“Hey”, she says. 

“I missed you.” I say. 

She just looks at me.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I just – 

“Khotso, I am pregnant.” She says. 

That’s impossible! We always use condoms – always! And my mom gave me that thing. 

“Is it mine?” I ask her. 

I was never ready for the slap I have just received across my face. Her getting upset does not make sense to me. It’s not possible for Fiks to be pregnant if the child is mine. 

“Get the fuck out of my apartment”, she says. 

“Fikile – 

“OUT!”

She literally throws me out. 

I walk out. Something is very off here. 

I phone Ona. 

“Dude, do you have any idea what time it is?” 

I also hear Regodise complaining in the background. 

“Fiks says she’s pregnant.” I say. 

“You couldn’t tell me this shit when the sun is out? Well, congratulations.” 

“The child is not mine. It’s not possible that its mine.” I say. 

“Khotso, are you high?” 

“Ona, I use condoms with her all the time. Plus mama gave me something to drink to make sure that I don’t impregnate her.” 

“Mom did what?!” 

“Ona, I think Fiks wants me to raise a child that’s not mine.” 

“Where are you?” He asks me. 

“On my way back home from Fiks’ place.” 

“Cool. Wake me up when you get here.”

Indeed I wake him up when I arrive. Regodise is not impressed with us. We wake my mother up. Thankfully, Morena is not here, so we are in their bedroom, chilling on my mom’s bed and she is still waking up. I tell her what’s going on and she is also shocked. 

“So, what are you going to do?” My mom asks me. 

“We need to find out what’s going on. This means I must accept that Fiks is cheating on me”. 

She holds my hand. 

“Leave her to me. I will deal with her. You carry on as if nothing is wrong. Buy her flowers and apologise. Go buy a R200 ring and propose marriage to her. Leave the rest to me. There will be no lobola or wedding. Fikile’s type is just my size and she has messed with the wrong woman’s child.” My mom says and for some reason, that shakes me a bit. 

“Dumelang”, Regodise is standing at the door and catches all of us off-guard.

“Makoti, what’s wrong?” My mother enquires. 

“The child is not yours, Khotso. I’m sorry for keeping this from you. I couldn’t even tell, Ona. I didn’t want to come across as if I were disrespecting you and involving myself in your business. I have a lot of respect for you and I never want to come across as if I’m crossing boundaries.” Regodise is honestly the most respectful soul I know.

“Baby, you can’t keep things from me. We can’t have a marriage like that”. 

“Onaleruna, this is not the time for that conversation.” My mom tells Ona. And Dise didn’t keep this secret to be malicious. I forgive her. 

“Sit down, Dise. Tell us what you know”, I say as I stand up and get a chair for her. Pregnant women are an uncomfortable sight – I must admit. 

Dise sits down, takes a deep breath, and then says: “A few days ago, I came back home early because I wasn’t feeling well. It was the day that we all went away together.” 

“Okay…” I’m really interested in this. 

“I came across people arguing in the house and I just wanted to make sure that everything was okay. Then I heard Fikile and Ngono-Mathabo talking.” 

“NGONO-MATHABO?!” Ona and I say simultaneously. 

“What did my mother do?” Now morena is here and he is asking us questions mid-investigation of Fikile’s pregnancy. Regodise is now intimidated. 

“Fikile says she’s pregnant”, my mom explains. 

“So my mother is the father?” This is not the time for morena’s sarcasm. 

“It’s not possible that Khotso is the child’s father. But your mother might know who is and why this pregnancy is being pushed onto Khotso.” 

“Why would my mother know that information, Kearabetsoe?” 

“Sit down and let Regodise tell us what she heard between your mom and Fikile.”

Morena looks at Dise. This makes Ona stand up and position himself next to Dise. Morena sits down next to my mother – on the bed – and lifts his feet, putting them on the bed. 

“Makoti, you heard Fikile and Mathabo saying what?” My mother says and morena is slightly hurt that my mom called his mom by name just like Pule called my mom by name and got his ass whipped for it. 

Regodise continues and says, “I heard Ngono-Mathabo telling her that now that she is pregnant, there is no need for her to continue seeing the guy. Fikile tried to argue that he is a nice guy, but Ngono-Mathabo got frustrated with her and told her to stop it. Then they argued about how they would make Khotso believe that the baby is his because you guys always use condoms. Ngono-Mathabo told her that she helped her get pregnant, she’s not going to help her handle you as well.” 

Morena is shaking his head. My mom is giggling in disbelief. Ona is honestly shocked. I am genuinely hurt. 

“Did you hear who they were talking about? The father of the child that is?” Morena asks. 

Dise nods her head and says, “It sounded like they were saying Thabiso.” 

The look on my mom’s face!

“I didn’t know he was still in business”, Morena says. My mom is not impressed at all. 

“When we were at the holiday resort, Fikile told me that she is pregnant and it isn’t Khotso’s. She told me that Khotso was unable to have kids and she did this because she wanted Khotso to have something that was his own and he didn’t have to share with Ona. She said that Ona has the throne, he has the baby on the way and he has me. She wanted Khotso to have his own child, own wife and own life. Ngono-Mathabo helped her get it and I had no right to judge her for that.”

I honestly cannot believe my ears. 

“I’m really sorry that I didn’t say anything sooner. Ka nnete, I didn’t mean to disrespect anyone – especially you, abuti waka.” She says to me. 

She is my sister and I appreciate her. She is more of my sister than what Kefentse is, actually. 

I stand up and hug her. All is good. None of this is her fault. If anything, Fiks got Regodise to do her dirty work for her. 

“I will deal with Thapelo”, I hear morena telling my mother.

“And I’ll handle Fikile”, my mother says. 

“No mama, leave her to me. I’ll take care of that girl and I’ll teach her a lesson she will never forget.” I say.

“WE will deal with that girl.” Ona says, patting my back. I shake his hand. We will deal with her together. 

“For now, we act as if everything is normal. I will accept the pregnancy and buy her that R200 ring. I want to get her when she least expects it. I just also need to figure out what her plan is and we need to keep Regodise safe. There is no telling what she will do if she finds out that Regodise told us everything. So, we all act normal until I say otherwise.” I say. 

“Mathabo yena?” My mom asks morena. 

“Please excuse us, guys. I need to talk to my wife.” Morena says. 

Regodise is the first to get up. Ona and I follow her out. 

When I am done with Fikile, she will wish she never asked me for anything more than a sex arrangement.